ralenth

Source: Dark Delicacies website Bottle: Bright beam of sour citrus - mmm yuzu! Wet: Straight up, freshly grated lime peel. Drydown: A bit more fleshy citrus, bright and green, with a dash of zest. This smells exactly how I normally want citrus to smell on me (but it rarely does). Dry: Bright and slightly sweet, mouth-puckering grapefruit with green undertones. Overall: I think this one is going to be a favorite for hot summer days.

Source: Lab Bottle: Warm, and resiny, like sensual liquid sunshine. It smells bright and warm, but a bit naughty too. Wet: Cinnamony and softly herbal. Drydown: A sexy romp at the apothecary? For some reason, I have the mental image of rolling around over herbs. Hee! Dry: Woodsy and herbal, with a tinge of something softly smoky and myrrh. Occasionally, I catch a bit of sweetness too. Overall: Sunbird is gorgeous. I don't even think I can communicate how stunned I am by it.

Source: Lab In the Bottle: Pungent incense and herbs. It really hits me in the back of the throat, almost like I'm sucking down smoke. Wet: Sharp green with a dash of charcoal. Drydown: The "charcoal" diminishes, and LS becomes a warm spicy cocoon weaving itself around my initial sharp green impression, which also has mellowed. Dry: A tinge of sweetness, but mostly resin and herby goodness. It's very different than most of the resins I have. Perhaps the addition of the herbs? Overall: It's very intriguing. I keep sniffing it. I think I'm expecting Labores Solis to whisper dark secrets into my ear. Together we will dominate the world (or so it tells me).

Source: Lab In the bottle: Slightly sour milk. Wet: Sweetened, condensed milk. Drydown: A bit of figgy goodness swirls in. The sweetness of the milk is still there, but less prominent. Dry: Creamy and sweet, with a little fig. I didn't get any myrrh, which is strange as I normally amp that like whoa, but NC is still pretty nice. Overall: Milk Moon smelled like sour Juicy Fruit on me, so I am pleasantly surprised that Nonae Caprotina works on my skin. It's probably not something I would wear all the time, but I think it seems like a nice summer scent.

Source: Lab imp Imp: Bright oranges and crushed raspberries. Wet: Very citrusy, like fresh squeezed orange juice. Drydown: Sweet and fruity. It's becoming less bright, though the citrus punch in the face is still there a bit. Dry: Bitter, then neroli, then bitter neroli. It's kind of waffling between these. It's almost sour on my skin. Overall: Interesting. If it didn't go sour, I'd definitely keep it.

Bottle: Pineapple, coconut and various tropical fruits. Wet: Very bright! Pineapple and papaya. Hello fruity umbrella drink! Drydown: As it dries, the orchid becomes more dominant, tinged with a bit of amber. The pineapple is still there, but it seems to be receding into the background. Dry: Still fruity and floral, though more the latter. A nice balance, in my opinion. It's tropical, but not fruity drinks in your face, thank goodness. Overall: Not sure how much wear I would get out of this, but it seems like a great summer scent.

Source: Lab Bottle: Citrus shaved ice with a tinge of floral hovering in the background. Wet: This smells cold and bright at the same time. Drydown: I'm getting a grassy note (hello rose, I hate you too) peeking through as it dries, though it comes and goes. Also, I experienced a brief minty burst, but it faded back into the citrusy ice scent I was getting before. Dry: Chilly, with a bit of bleak mint and a faintly tart citrus and berry. It's difficult to pick out notes. As time wears on, I get less citrus and a little more berry, but even that is still minimal. Overall: It's an interesting diversion for a summer day. I like it, but I'm not sure if I like it enough for a whole bottle.

Source: eBay Bottle: Delicate, aquatic, masculine. Think Cool Water goes Victorian. Wet: Citrusy and aquatic. Very delicate, but genteel masculine. Drydown: Irish Spring! Dry: Still Irish Spring. Overall: I need to figure out what note makes my skin scream Irish Spring. This will definitely be locket only. Sad.

Source: eBay frimp from BPTP Imp: Warm and a little earthy. Okay, on second sniff, very earthy. Wet: Dampened earth in a darkened space, with a tinge of toxic sweetness on my tongue. Drydown: The sweetness becomes stronger, but now I'm getting something fetid creeping up underneath the damp earth. I'm really not good with earthy scents, so it's hard for me to pinpoint. Dry: Sweet, rich earth with strange note skulking around on occasion. Overall: Death Cap is certainly a lot sweeter than I had imagined it would be. I keep sniffing my hand. I'm intrigued, but I don't think I'd reach for this one.

Source: eBay frimp from BPTP In the Imp: Warm, musky, sexy man, mmm... Wet: Subtle and warm, slightly spicy. Drydown: As it dries, Satyr becomes spicier. I can see how others compared it to gingerbread, as it has that same warmth to the spiciness. Cinnamon, perhaps, but no burning on my skin, so perhaps not. Dry: Definitely warm and masculine, though nicely balanced between rough and tumble and snuggly. Satyr does become more musk and patchouli as time wears on, but not overpoweringly, ripping your clothes off kind of manly. It also begins to take one a sweet tinge over the top after five minutes. Overall: For some reason, I have always been afraid of trying Satyr. I guess it was that I recall people at MNSes saying " Eww, Satyr, civet, gross!" or some such nonsense. But, as it turns out, I really like this (which i guess now is not surprising given how my tastes have evolved in my BPAL journey). I could easily buy a bottle of this and be perfectly happy to frolic with it on a regular basis.

Me too! :drool: Me too! Do we know who the artist is? Beth said elsewhere that it was Jennifer Williamson.

Source: Imp RIS from Dianora In the imp: Faintly citrus with a tinge of floral. Wet: Lime and a little bit of powdery floral. I've really got to keep my nose to my skin as this one is hanging pretty close. Drydown: Yuzu peeks in, but everything is still really faint. Dry: Finally, vetiver! Yes! Vetiver, though late to the party, takes and aggressive stance. Yuzu and lime climb into the backseat and trample the heck out of the powdery floral that I wasn't too keen on. Now we're talkin'! Overall: I agree that dry, DoaPH has a sort of gravity to it. I'm definitely going to need to retest to formulate a more coherent opinion when I am off of the painkillers, but I think it's safe to say that I do like it. Maybe not enough for a bottle, but it's too soon to tell.

Bottle: Herbal and a little sweet. It is reminiscent of something that I just can't pin down. Very pleasant, though. Wet: Bright and green, with a dollop of honey. Drydown: The sweetness of the yarrow floats across the top, swirled with carnation. As it dries futher, I'm getting a hollow sweetness on top of that. Not candyish, but oddly a more natural marshmallow scent? Dry: Sweet and a little green. Very light and summery. Overall: I'm not sure why, but when I tested this the first time around (before I was ready to review), it was all smoky and sexy. Obviously, my test this morning was far from that. I'll be keeping my eye on you, Litha '09, you tricksy thing. Either way, I'll be keeping it.

Bottle: Strawberry syrup - sweet like whoa. Wet: Bright candyish strawberries tossed among vines. I get both the sweet sugary note and a green note (very similar to the green note I get from roses). Intriguing. Drydown: Mostly green, but still tinges of the sweetness. Dry: A whisper of strawberry candy and a teeny bit of the "green" note. I've almost completely lost this one on my skin after two minutes. Overall: I guess my backup bottle will be off to swaps. Sad, but there will be others to love...

She beckons you to part with that cash. So adorable... cannot resist...

Bottle: This scares the bejeesus out of me in the bottle. It's like a drunken roadside worker rolled around in a candy aisle. It's very heavy on the booze and some tar while maintaining a sickly sweet smell. Well, in the name of science, we must test this. Wet: Red licorice ropes, smashed in with circus peanuts, something boozy and some tar. Umm... Drydown: The sweet red licorice comes to the fore with a dash of whiskey. It smells like what it would be like to drink whiskey through a licorice straw. Oddly appetizing. Why is my mouth watering? Dry: Sweet and a bit musky. It's strangely nice. I'm kind of curious how this will wear after a few hours. Overall: Quite a surprise. I have been holding the bottle at arm's length while decanting, but I kinda like it on my skin. That'll teach me, won't it?

Bottle: Tobacco and bar wood. This Bandito is hanging out in the saloon for sure. Wet: Warm and woodsy, but dried woods. It reminds me of visiting old saloons in dusty border towns. Drydown: As it dries, V. Bandito becomes spicy, almost reminiscent of red hots. Dry: A deeper cinnamon, more like clove cigarettes than red hots, not at all foody. Decant amount of throw. Overall: I had hung my heart on V. Bandito, but sadly our love was not meant to be. It is a very lovely blend that does not work with my skin chemistry. Hooray for lockets and perhaps also for aging.

Not sure if you moved already, but... I recently moved 1500 miles with my ridiculous BPAL horde. Granted, I drove, so I just added strips of bubble wrap (folded over) in between the rows of bottles in my tea boxes). Nothing moved by the time I was done, so I felt okay not threadseal taping them. We all arrived in California without any unsolicited exchanges of fluids. If you're putting them in a bigger box (like packing boxes), I would definitely tape the bottles then.

Warm and resinous orange blossom, with a tinge of sweetness from the vanilla. It gets spicier as it dries down. It's sultry and delicious.

White chocolate and strawberry. This smells exactly like fresh, plump strawberries with a thin shell of creamy white chocolate. Beth is a genius.

Spilled the bottle, so an unintentional test. It's spicy and warm, but not overwhelmingly rose. I still get a little of that greenness that I get with roses, but it's very nice. Layering with the White Rose makes the fir really pop. Masterfully blended. It figures I'd spill the first roses to work for me.

Bottle: Sweet and spicy, but with some oomph behind it. Melainis got back! Wet: Sexy, sexy woods. Drydown: More of the spiciness comes to the fore. As it dries, the scent deepens into a warmer, seductive smoldering scent. Overall: Melainis certainly seduced me. I was afraid of caramel, but I don't get any foodiness here. I could feasibly use a bottle or two all by myself.

Bottle: Plummy wine with something deeper swirling behind it. Wet: Odd. I really can't pin anything down, in spite of the fact that I know what the notes are. Drydown: I get a bit of a hollow dark note, which isn't what I was expecting from my bottle sniff. As it continues to dry, I get occasional snatches of incense that peek from around the corner and then run off. Tag? But I want to sniff! Dry: It is very faintly smelling of the champaca now, with a tinge of plummy grapeness (not quite plum nor grape alone). This blend is certainly a complex one and I will have to age it to see what happens. I'm intrigued, if nothing else.

NB: Rose and I are not friends. We're just not, no matter how hard I try to love her in any guise, she gives me the cold, green, thorny shoulder. Bottle: Eustephanos smells warm and lovely in the bottle. Frankincense and myrrh set my resin loving heart aflutter. Wet: Warm resiny floral. Could this be the one? Drydown: Rose rears her vicious thorny head. The scent begins to go green on my skin. Dry: Yep. Sharp prickly green. Done in again. Overall: Eustephanos is gorgeous in the bottle. Anyone who can actually wear rose oils (sadly, not me), should give her a call. I'm sure you two will have a lovely evening together.

Bottle: Sweet, a little pungent, no idea what this would smell like on my skin. Wet: Tobacco flower swirled in coconut. Mmm... Drydown: The tobacoo flower steps back a bit. It's hard to pick out individual notes now: still getting a tinge of sweet coconut, but overall it is warm and glowing. Dry: Sexy, sophisticated clean scent. Dia remains warm and just a little bit sweet. It has quite a bit of depth to it, which surprised me for some strange reason. Overall: I think this one may be a bottle hoarding scent for me.