Monster

First of all, I LOVE the art for this one. It's my favorite (art-wise) out of all the Gridhouse Ladies. Now, onto the smell... In the imp: I can't put my finger on it, but this reminds me of something! Library books! That's it, this smells just like old library books to me! Weird! On my skin: Yup, library books, herbs and patchouli. Actually, come to think of it this smells like the entire library, with all of the old, musky, papery books and faint wafts of other peoples perfume and cologne...wood polish..etc.. Maybe I'm just a weirdo but that's what I'm smelling. There is also a fresh, herb-like quality to this and thankfully, the champaca flower doesn't smell like old lady diapers to me at all, I actually can't detect it at all. Dry: As this dries it almost disappears on my skin. This is one that will definitely require reapplication. I'm barley smelling anything at all at this point, just the faint memory of white sandalwood. It's very ghostly feeling! Like a haunted library (not the BPAL scent but an actual haunted library). Overall: Why to all of the Grindhouse Ladies have to be so damn gorgeous. I can't afford all of these oils but i MUST have a bottle of this one as well. There is some magic voodoo going on in this scent, I freaking love this stuff.

Yay! I finally got my hands on a decant. I've been dying to try this one In the imp: First sniff this reminded me of Mead Moon (must be the honey) but after a few more sniffs this is clearly different...honey with a pretty apple note to it. On my skin: Mmmm caramel and honey drenched apples! Why oh why have I waited so long to try you, oh beautiful Agrat-Bat-Mahlaht? I can't stop comparing scents to other scents lately so why stop now?? This smells like Creepy and Mead Moon had a love child. I'm not detecting any amber at this point, I'm assuming it will probably come out to play as this dries down. Dry: Yup, there's the amber, just a teeny bit though, enough to hold everything together and make it stay on my skin. This dries into an amazingly gorgeous, sweet caramel apple on me. This isn't as sweet and foody as Creepy but sure can pass as something similar. I think I actually like this better, it's softer and gentler. Overall: My favorite Grindhouse lady so far. This decant isn't going to last more than a few days with me.

Oh my gosh...those are GORGEOUS!

In the bottle: Key lime flavored sugar cookies! On my skin: WOW lime! Alll lime and cookies. There's a bit of bay rum, but mostly just sugary limes to me. It definitely conjures images of Mr. Nancy carrying his little lime around Jamacia Dry: The lime completely disappears as this dries, which is fine and expected. Usually citrus is a quick, happy top note on my skin. I'm not detecting any tobacco in this at all, dry this is all bay rum and sugar cookies on me. Overall: Mr. Nancy is one of those BPAL scents everyone needs to try, seriously. This stuff is really good....and satisfies my craving for a good lime scent.

In the bottle: Fizzy cherry cola with amaretto! On my skin: Very complex, I'm getting fizzy cherry cola, syrupy sweet almonds and amaretto with a background of rum (which is showing up as a gentle spice). Almond scents are real morphers and this one isn't any different. As the almond gently fades away more lime and a lot more rum starts to come through. It's like taking a sip of an exotic drink and letting the booze kick in after about 10 minutes. This really has a wonderful "sparking/fizzy" feeling to it. Te Po is also a lot spicier than the other Tiki Bar blends. Dry: This dries into a really nice spiced rum scent. I think this one has the most staying power and throw out of all the Tiki Bar scents. Overall: Well I knew I was going to love this one and I do, I think it's my second favorite next to Blue Fire. I'm so happy I purchased this!!

In the imp: Rum and a bit of clove..(??) On my skin: A really nice, warm and rich spice mixed with rum...well, exactly like it says. I even like how the description states what the dry down is like as well Wow, I can't stop sniffing myself! As it dries the clove note I was detecting out of the imp amps up even more. Dry: I'm actually not getting too too much "salty sea air", maybe just a breeze over a very strong, rummy spice note. I'll give it another 30 minutes and see what happens.....ok, after about 30 minutes I'm picking up a woody base. Still not much salty sea air on my skin, but that's ok because I'm already in love with this stuff. Overall: This, I guess is considered a masculine perfume but it works so so well on me. This is actually something I can get away with wearing every day. A definite bottle purchase for me!

Black tea leaf, invigorating wasabi extract, sweetened by honey. In the imp: A very refreshing burst of black tea. On my skin: As soon as I rub it into my skin I smell honey mixed with tea. I'm not sure exactly what the wasabi extract should smell like but, could it be the balmy...almost clean smell I'm picking up in this? This is very herbal and fresh smelling....there even smells like there's a bit of lemon in here, but maybe that's just becasue I associate tea with lemons. Dry: This dried into something that smells like fresh, clean sheets to me. Overall: A very interesting blend! I'm no so sure I would wear this one, but I do love smelling it on my husband. Unfortunatly when my husband sniffed this on his own wrist he said "I smell like rubber balloons." Maybe he has a cold? Anyway, I do not think this smells like rubber balloons, it is a nice clean sort of scent.

In the imp: Woaaahhhhh cedar! Yowza! On my skin: A very strong cedar note mixed with a "perfumy" bouquet of roses. This one is potent! I'm not detecting any patchouli, nutmeg or sandalwood. The rose otto is compltley overpowering everything in this. Dry: This one took a while to really settle in, it has tremendous throw and lasting power. A teeny dab will go a long way. The final stage of The Clod and the Pebble is almost all rose on me, unfortunatly it's the "play-doh" type of rose that never really works out on my skin. I'm getting a smidge of sandalwood but it's still mostly all rose. At this point the cedar has even been trampled by the roses. After about an hour the clove comes through giving it a sort of melted play-doh drizzled with clove sort of smell on my skin. Overall: Very strong, almost headache-inducing. While the rest of the notes sound appealing to me the rose in this just makes it unwearable. Oh well. Off to swaps!

In the imp: Fruity...glue..?? Weiirrdd! I've had this stashed away for a while now. On my skin: Ok, it doesn't smell like glue. Phew! This is cherries, almonds, cake, maybe a dash of cinnamon....Fruitcake! Yup! Dry: This settles into my skin as a spicy fruity scent. Surprisingly it has great staying power and throw. Usually my skin eats up fruity scents. I think this is probably more on the spice/cake side than the fruit. This sort of reminds me of Christmastime stove top potpourri. Overall: I wasn't too fond of this one when I first got it with my order but after...how ever long it's been now I've revisited it and think it's a really nice scent...not something I would wear, but really nice for a room scent. It'd be great if the Trading Post turned this into an atmosphere spray!

In the imp: Syrupy almonds. Mmmm On my skin: One of the reasons why I love almond scents so much is because of the "opening the curtain" effect they have. All you initially smell is the almond and moments later it completley dissapears to reveal all of the other notes. Every single almond scent I have tried is like that, it's always an exciting surprise After the almond dissipates in this one, I smell a very well-balanced, balmy perfume...and a very perfumy perfume it is (I think that's attributed to the jasmine). The jasmine in this isn't overwhelming at all and doesn't make me cringe like some jasmine scents tend to. This one is subdued and quietly plays it's part in supporting the other cast members. I really can't pick out one single note in this blend, it reminds me of how all of the Salon scents are, decadent and well-blended. This is rich, velvety and gorgeous. Dry: In the perfume world I think they would call this one a spicy oriental. It has a soft incense feel about it as well but mostly smells like very expensive perfume you might pick up in Paris. Overall: This one surprised me...I never know what the "almond curtain" is going to reveal and this time I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not sure if I will purchased a 5ml of this, we'll have to see how it works on my skin when I'm out and about. A very complex scent, great throw and lasting power, worth a try to those of you who have had bad experiences with jasmine! This one is a winner for sure

I second that!!!

In the imp: Juicy oranges! On my skin: Sugared oranges against white musk and sandalwood. Simple, soft and delicious Dry: It had such a lovley start to it but unfortunatly my skin ate up all of the citrus and I'm now left with a very very faint whiff of sandalwood. Overall: This was really pretty while it lasted.

In the imp: Creamy citrus. On my skin: Ok, this is the second oil I've reviewed in the past 2 days that's reminded me of Lady Lilith. This one has very strong orange blossom andneroli notes. I'm picking up bergamont in the background as a sharp herbal scent, the presence of this makes me think it could also be worn by an older gentleman. I'm not smelling any clove, at all. Dry: As this dries the pretty orange blossom is dominated by the bergamont, this turns into an almost medicinal, old lady-like scent. Overall: Really unfortunate! Based on the note listing, it appeared as though I would've really liked this one but, in the end the bergamont just took over and went all wrong on my skin. Oh well.

The imp I'm reviewing has been aged over a year. In the imp: Gingery Verbena On my skin: Mmm this is a wonderfuly rrefreshing blend. First sniff I get lemon verbena mixed with herbs. The ginger stands out almost as much as the verbena, the sage and grass are secondary...and the summer rain note takes everything and gives it a wonderfuly breezy feel....it sort of brings it all together. This is clean, fresh and happy smelling. I love this! Dry: After about a half hour the ginger completley mellows out and is almost non-existant, it's only a faint memory at this point giving the lasting verbena a bit of an edge. Mag Mell settles in as a sweet/herbal verbena note. Overall: This one makes me want to run barefoot through green grass and chase my baby sister through the lawn sprinklers. This is summery and joyful

In the imp: Sharp florals On my skin: I'm smelling ferns and lavender right away...a whole whopping ton of it! I think I may smell a whiff of rose in there somewhere but whenever it gets close to me, the lavender body slams it away. Geez...lavender....why you have to be so mean?! As this dries the lavender gets tired of it's attention seeking dance and settles down a bit, it still has total control of this blend though. Dry: The lilac is poking her lovley head through a bit more...sort of taking place of the ferns I smelled initially. This is now all lavender and lilac on me. I never got any absinthe, sugar, or blackcurrent. The final stage of this is a soft, powdery floral. Very dusty and pretty smelling....slightly reminiscent of English lavender guest handsoaps. Overall: It's pretty, but not something I would wear.

In the imp: Ohhh! Interesting! Herbal citrus. On my skin: La la laaaaaa love it citrus! First sniff on my skin I get a fresh burst of juicy, dripping citrus fruits squished together with sweet herbs...like a fizzy summer drink. This is clean smelling, like one of those really expensive shampoos they use at the hair salon, you know the kind you would've ever buy yourself and will make you furiously sniff your hair for hours after you get your hair washed and cut? Yeah, it's that. I want this in my hair RIGHT now! *dab* I'm not getting any patchouli at all...or rose. Dry: As this dries it definitley becomes a bit more musky. I don't think this would've lasted very long on my skin if it weren't for the musk. It's a soft, pretty musk....possibly white? It gets along really well with the citrus and herbal notes. Overall: Well it's about damn timeI tried this blend and since I've been CRAZY for citrus latley, I will be purchasing a large bottle of this. I love love love it! Oh yeah *sniff* this is something I can wear every day, any time of year.

In the imp: Tropical/fresh smelling red musk. On my skin: Mmmm this is a sugared red musk. There's a balmy element to this as well (the agarwood?). This almost has a creamy lotion smell to it...like I took some Bpal and rubbed it into some unscented St. Ives lotion. The mango only shows up as a sweet, fruity background. It's not specifically "mango" just a nice happy, fruity smell. Dry: As this settles into my skin it almost has that "box of Bpal" smell...you know the smell when you open up your box of imps of 5mls? I never detected any lemon or cassia at all. To me, this is a sweet, balmy red musk. Overall: The Dodo is really pretty but doesn't really stand out of the crowd. Instead it's a smell that gets lost...forgotten. :'( It's nice, just sort of plain.

This is a very dark, earthy red color....red musk. Oh I will love this I know I will Out of the imp: Gooorrrgeeeouusss strawberry musk! There's a slight hint of grapefruit, it doesn't dominate at all, it's very mild and sits quietly in the background. Dry: Perfectly PERFECT and wonderful berry-kissed red musk. Overall: My imp isn't going to last more than a week. I am in love I will agree that this is the darker sister to Hollywood Babylon. Love love love!

In the imp: Rose. Just rose. On my skin: REALLY pretty orange blossom paired with rose....unfortunatly it's the same type of rose that ends up smelling like Play-Doh on me :'( I'm not detecting any rosemary. Wow, I really love the orange blossom note in this. I wish this were a single note perfume. Dry: The rose in this ends up going rotten and sour on me :'( Yup. Play-Doh. I do, however like how this sort of sparks my imagination and it a little peek into history. I've read about Catherines poison perfumes and always wondered what they would've smelled like. Overall: A very pretty perfume....really beautiful, unfortunatly the rose in this doesn't work with me. This is very feminine and mature smelling (not old lady...just refined).

In the imp: I'm getting grapefruit and neroli against a background of jasmine right away. On my skin: BAM!! Grapefruit!...mixing together with neroli. I think I may detect a hint of ginger but if I do, it's just adding a teeny bit of spice to the blend. I'm not getting any honeysuckle or jasmine. If I smell tonka it's completley dominated by the citrus notes. When I hold my hand about a foot away from my face this smells clean and fresh...it's like a less tropical smelling Cheshire Moon to me. As it dries the citrus calms down and allows the honeysuckle and iris to bloom. Thankfully, I'm still not getting any jasmine. Drier now, this is reminding me more and more of Lady Lilith. Dry: The final stage of this perfume is a nice, soft and creamy citrus with light floral notes. The grapefruit and neroli have settled down and paired up creating an almost tangerine sort of smell on me. This is VERY Similar to Lady Lilith! Overall: Out of the imp this stuff scared me but it's such a GORGEOUS smell on my skin. I surprisingly like this a lot more than Midnight Kiss. This is a wonderful summer/spring scent. It reminds me of clean white sheets drying in a light, spring beeze while I sit back, smell the air and sip on a tangerine and grapefruit spritzer over crushed ice. Lovley.

In the imp: A masculine perfume, I'm detecting oakmoss right off the bat along with a drop of ginger. On my skin: Ahhhhhh! Ok....I'm getting a gorgeous blend of black musk, a teeny teeny bit of vetiver, patchouli, ginger and sharp oakmoss...and THEN...gah! I get that poopy diaper smelling champaca flower. Nooo! This is exactly the note that made Dr. John Seward unwearable for me >< Dry: More leather now, along with a really nice, well-balanced blend of masculine notes...and still the plasticy, stinky smell of champaca flower. :'( I just can't get past it. Overall: This would be perfect if they only removed that dreaded note.

Out of the vial: An almost milky smelling amber. On my skin: A soft, airy amber mixed with musk. I think the milky smell I'm picking up must be the vanilla portion of the musk. This has a very soft, powdery feel to it. I'm not getting any cedar at all (so for those of you who were afrid this was going to smell like pencil shavings, it doesn't at all.) As this dries it pretty much stays the same on my skin, just a bit more mellow. I thought the carnation would peek out a bit more but I'm not getting any of that either. This is almost all amber and vanilla musk on me. Drydown: This has a clean, classic powdery feel to it. I imagine it being the scent of old Hollywood stars. I bet Ginger Rogers would've liked to wear this one This is ultra femenine (strong, sexy, powerful femenine...not sweet, pretty, and playful.) Overall: I'm not sure this one is for me (a bit too powdery) but I can see why so many people like it. This has a very decadent, "classic" perfume feel to it. Despite all the resin notes in this, it doesn't smell like a hippie or incense at all (if it did I think maybe I would've liked it more ). Everything works well together to create a really "Who IS that girl?!" kind of smell. Very pretty, I can appreciate it but just not my style.

I'm a Libertarian but I'm OK with getting an imp of Democrat with my order! On with the review! Out of the imp: Honey! This smells very similar to Mead Moon. On my skin: Warm, sticky honey mixed with sandalwood and...musk? Very interesting. The honey completley dominates this blend. As it dries I'm smelling more beeswax coming through, not as strong as Mead Moon...just a faint whisper. There's definitly a hint of incense in here, very similar to the types used in Cathedral. If I had to compare it to something I'd say it's the beautiful love-child of Mead Moon and Cathedral....with a wisp of sandalwood. Dry: Final dry down is honeyd beeswax with incense. This is gorgeous!

Let me tell you, I'm in an awful mood right now....and sad....very very sad and disappointed. I'm wearing Fruit Moon right now becasue it reminds me of summertime and is just bright, sunny and cheerful. It's not completley taking away the sadness but it sure does help

Out of the imp: Bubble bath! On my skin: Creamy floral bubble bath. Dry: Still bubble bath...which isn't a bad thing! This is really pretty, clean-smelling and girly. This reminds me of taking a hot bath with my sister as a kid, getting wrapped up in a big, fluffy towel and snuggling with my Mom in my jammies. Overall: This is really pretty, soft, femenine and snuggly. This is VERY floral but doesn't give me a headache or make me want to sneeze. it's a wet, soft and pretty flower. I can see this one as being very popular. I like it a lot but it's just not for me (as a perfume). I will, however keep my imp because it reminds me so much of wonderful times with my Mom and baby sister.