radishbaby

I'm always a sucker for BPALs "snow" scents - our love for each other is mutual so I went ahead and ordered all I could find of this. In the Bottle : Cool and sweet. Wet/Dry : Usually I break this part of my review into two sections but I've never had a scent stay so exactly the same through the dry down (its uncanny) that I'll put it together for once. On me this becomes a more masculine, less sweet version of Snow White, even someone else backed this up by telling me that it smelled pretty masculine. Both of these scents remind me of something very cold, and very beautiful but while Snow White promises temporary respite from the cold Archangel is endless, perfect white snow as far as the eye can see. The ozone in this isn't too sharp - it smells more windy to me than anything else and it layers beautifully under a sweet, glass like scent. I wish I could tell you how much I love this scent but so far worlds fail - I'll definitely be buying more of this. I can't believe that its only a limited edition!

In the Imp : Oh god its DRAGONS BLOOD. Nooooooooo. And pomegranate is in visiting from out of town to help it rape my senses. Thanks guys. Wet : *sniff* The dragons blood is . . . gone. Instead I get something sweet but its like the faded passing of something sweet. This is rather . . . nice. Mimosa and myrrh are hanging out together nicely as they usually do. Mimosa has a dampening effect on most strong notes on my skin that would otherwise be too over powering so the patchouli is barely even noticeable. Dry : Have you ever cracked an animal bone in two and held it up to your nose? This is exact what it smells like, so much so that I'm wondering how this one isn't the Dragon's Bone scent. The scent is like dried old bones, very dusty and gritty but at the same time there's something a tiny bit wet on the inside which is the dragons blood but its so far gone it's not even bothering me. Over All : This is an exquisite scent and I can't believe I've actually found something with dragons blood in it that doesn't hate me. Big Bottle Worthy : No, but this imp will see lots of love.

In the Imp : Smells like guava. Wet : I tried this before and had a vague memory of it turning pure salt on me but as so often I made no notes so now I'm starting fresh. So far there's still a lot of guava but the amber and musks are coming out a bit to produce an incredibly sweet scent. I know the description says night air but I think this smells a whole lot more like early morning to me. Dry : The guava has finally taken a back seat, thank god, and now this is a very nice sweet perfume. The musk and amber seem to have settled in and neither one is too overpowering. I don't really get any "desert" from this though, oh well. A touch of mandarin has also surfaced. Over All : Not what I remember, still not what I like. Big Bottle Worthy : No. The scent is really lovely and it delivers as promised the listed scents but it just isn't my thing.

In the Imp : I was a tad bit worried that this might have dragons blood in it because of the description but so far nothing. There's something sweet in here but its definitely not dragons blood. Wet : Have you ever taken a walk outside and taken a deep breath only to realize that everything smells, well, really nice? lol This is a wonderful scent that doesn't smell sweet at all in the traditional sense of certain plants being purposely selected. Instead its more a natural sweet that seems to have come into being just by there being a lot of greenery around - very jungle like. Also there's something very dry under all of it that smells like rock that I'm guessing is the smoke and fire part and a touch of something that smells like caramel where the two scents meet. Dry : Faded pretty fast. The jungle scent is still lingering but all of the rock and smoke have blown away. Over All : Very nice and intriguing. Big Bottle Worthy : Hm, it fades to fast to warrent anything more than an imp but while wet this was a very nice testing.

In the Imp : Oh sweeeet. I smell orchid and light sandalwood and other florals. Wet : Why hello there wrist you are smelling mighty fine today if I do say so myself with your super fine combination of Rose! Orchid! and Osmanthus! And what lovely throw - I keep getting whiffs of it as I type. I can definitely detect a difference between the "black orchid" in this and the other orchid scents The Lab uses; this is more deep and sweet and lacks that buttery feeling the other orchid scents have. I remember describing the orchid in Oberon as "big and white" where as this one, true to it's name, is a soft and silky black. This actually is reminding me a bit of the few CD scents. I can't stop sniffing my arm - this is like pure faerie crack! @_____@ Dry : The sandalwood has really made an appearance and there's a slight tang from the Chinese musk. My beloved orchid is still there but it seems to have gone from fresh and wet to dry. Over All : I'm glad to see that orchids seem to take a liking to me since I love the fragrance and Maab is no exception. Big Bottle Worthy : Do not pass go. Do not go to jail. Buy big bottle NOW.

In the Imp : "The woods are lovely dark and deep . . . " Wet : Cypress and the faintest hint of juniper and something . . . something. I'm going to go on ahead and say its the galangal and its adding an animalistic note to this. Its a very strange, dark note that's hard to peg down but there's definitely something "wolfish" about it. Dry :Cypress and some other woodsy notes - the eucalyptus and juniper have decided to combine their powers and become one note. Gone is the galangal which kept making strange appearances. This is a very nice deep, foresty scent now - it seems all the werewolves have changes back and gone home for the day. Over All : I really like this one. I'm sorry that I can't say much more than that but I do. Big Bottle Worthy : Yes, or at least a few more imps but it would be nice to have a home for them.

In the Imp : Orange blossom and cold cream. Wet : Orange blossom and cold creme. lol Surprise, surprise. There's also a very faint scent that I'm going to go ahead and label as iris This kind of smells like expensive orange soap. Strangely enough it kind of also reminds me of being in New Orleans. Dry : If you've ever smelled the absolute inner part of an orange blossom, even past the stamen and pistol you've smelled this perfume. Over All : This would be better suited to someone else. Big Bottle Worthy : No.

In the Imp: Nothing too special. Wet : This has an incredibly long "wet" period on me and just won't dry off. So far it smells like slightly unpleasant almond men's cologne. Dry : I'm still getting way too much almond from this. I will admit that it's become nicer and softer however. Over All : I'm so up in the air about this one. On one hand I want to say its awful and I hate it and on the other I want to say there's just something really horribly unique about it Big Bottle Worthy : Unsure Edit : I tried putting this up to my nose several hours later and it had mellowed out a great deal and turned into something that I think I could give my heart to. It's sweet without being too sweet, and sharp without being stomach turning. The thing I've come to realize about Snow White is that she's different. She has such a unique smell about her that you can't come to her with any preconceptions about how this will and will not smell on you. I'll go ahead and change my answer to "yes" on the Big Bottle Worthy part since I seem to be falling for this, but its a different kind of love, unlike anything else in the catalogue.

In the Imp : A nice floral with a tendency to lean towards the rose otto. Wet : Carnation has made a very strong showing but unlike a lot of other scents I get it in, it isn't the least bit spicy. Dry : A bit of lavender and amber have come out now. After a few more hours I can still smell this but its turned into pure rose powder. Over All : Weak throw and scent, and even then pn me it's nothing really stunning. Big Bottle Worthy : No.

In the Imp : Nothing particularly memorable, just smells like common perfume. Wet : The apple in this is crazy! Its so astringent to my nose it almost smells like lemon. Dry : This really smells like apple and lemon peels to my nose. The apples are really green and super astringent. The ylang ylang and rose are awol. After another 30 min or so this settles down and becomes sweet for about 5 minutes before turning into soap. Over All : Just not the thing with my chemestry. Big Bottle Worthy : No.

In the Imp : Flowers, resin and myrrh. Damn this has me scared - I'm really interested in finding out what those Daemonorops reson parts smell like but myrrh has this habit of sticking to me like glue and killing everything around it. Oh well here goes. Wet : Hm, tea rose with a hint of sandalwood, the flowers are very sweet and pale, not overly sugary but they're mellowing out the myrrh and the musk. This blend holds several dreaded ingrediants for me so I was hesitant about trying them together but this smells pretty nice so far and shows no hint of turning into sandalwood soap so far. Dry : Hm, this is starting to tingle. 5 Minutes Later : This is starting to burn! Ack! But as soon as I got to the sink the sensation had disappeared - strange! Now this smells like a generic antique ladies perfume. Like the rest of the OotD scents I've encountered so far this is totally well suited to the character its been set to but nothing in particular is striking me as really outstanding. Very nice and soft. Over All : Well it burns like fire for about 3 minutes and that's all I'm going to say about that. Big Bottle Worthy : No

In the Imp : Mmm, there's the pine being very sticky and sappy, there's something a little bit rotted which I'm going to say is the leaves. Wet : : It's pine and something terrible. Not to say that there's something terrible smelling, but the smell of something terrible. The pine is still there but there's something else that I can't place. The description says dungeouns and memory or stunning violence and while I try and shy away from getting overly dramatic when reviewing a scent - there's just no other way I can describe this. I can't wrap my mind around this but this smells like pain, despair and violence. This smells like a place you couldn't get out of and never wanted to visit in the first place. This is incredible. I know I know - youre going to say that actions don't have a scent, but these ones do and it's in this bottle. Dry : Very old room smell. Polished, dry wooden furnature. There's still some pine ghosting around through all of this and now the moss has decided to come out - but its not the chilly fresh kind of moss I get from other scents, this is very dry long dead moss. It's like whatever bad was happening in the wet stage is finally over and has left, but its left a feeling of unease behind it. Over All : I'm actually a little spooked how true this is to it's description. Big Bottle Worthy : Yes. The smell its self is incredibly sophistocated and beautiful. The image it captures is frightening. If I can ever find a bottle of this I'll whord it till my end days.

Wet : Smells like expensive soap. Dry : Oh poo I was expecting something very warm from this like cinnamon but all I get is bath soap. Over All : Just a very nice Indian sandalwood soap scent. Big Bottle Worthy : Well either way I'm going to say yes since I've become obsessed with collecting this series. But based on scent alone I'm going to say no.

In the Imp : There's something slightly tangy in the oil - juniper berries perhaps? Wet : This has a remarkably short "wet" time on me before my skin soaks it up. At first there was a small hint of patchouli that went like harsh smoke on me but when I checked a few minutes later it was gone. Now this is pure orchid. Dry : Big, buttery white orchids. The musk and juniper berries add a slight tang. This is gorgeous! A very white, gauzy scent - I've been looking for a good orchid scent and I think I can say quite confidently that the search is over. Over All : The is a really nice scent - wonderful representation. Nice throw, good stay. Big Bottle Worthy : Not full. More like partial bottle or a few more imps to my collection worthy.

In the Imp : Mmm, this smells nice and sweet. I'm looking foreword to this. Wet : "OH MY GOD" These were the first words that left my mouth. Sweet and chilly, this is by far and hands down the best scent I've ever had the pleasure of sampling from the lab. I can *smell* the night air in this - its exactly how I would expect a fairy market to smell. Dry : Uh oh this is soaking up suspiciously fast. Oh boo! I can hardly smell this at all! Noooo! Come back Fairy Market come back! My only hope is that perhaps this is one of those scents that others can smell but I can't. Oh my breaking heart. If I press my nose close I can get amber and sugared candies and a small hint of flowers. If this had any amp to it, it would be exquisite in every sense of the word. The grass has also come out and wonder of wonders this is the first scent I've tried that has dew covered grass in it that actually smells like, well, dew covered grass and not dried pasta with a side of allergic reaction if you will. Over All : While wet this was the single best experience of my little sniffing addiction. The fact that it disappear is to tragic than words can say. I love this so much I want to give it as many chances as possible to start showing up on me. Big Bottle Worthy : Yes. Without a doubt yes. Even if it only lasts for 3 minutes, it is with out a doubt worth it.

In the Imp : Sticky sweet apricot. Wet : Oooh this is an apricot with a bad side. The bandy is there making this thick and syrupy. Dry : Oh Grand Guignol, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways . . . This is just so perfect. The brandy is full without being knock you over alcoholic. The apricot is big, ripe and juicy wet - so much so that my mouth is beginning to water. Its just too much - if heaven came in a bottle this would be it. This is such a wonderful representation of its description - the scent is something strong and so sweet its tart, the kind of stiff comfort you'd need after seeing something horrible. Over All : Perfection you name is Grand Guignol - what throw and stay too! Big Bottle Worthy : YES!!!

In the Bottle : Wow, this smells like molded leather and a vat of noxious chemicals. Wet : This is making me sick. Dry : I love sugar. I love cookies. I have as previously stated by myself many, many times, an attraction to leather in my oils and an irresistible attraction to lime. This should therefore by all means be the perfect scent. The problem with Mr Nancy is that its a little too true to its description. This smells as if someone were making perfectly yummy sugar cookies and then added cigarettes and lime peels to the mix. Burt them a little and then gave them a swish of booze. I tried to stick this one out to see if it would eventually mellow out but nada. Over All : My chemistry doesn't want to allow any of these scents to melt into one - they all want to stay separate and in this case its a bad thing. I can easily see how on someone else this would be a gorgeous scent but here its just asking for trouble. A part of my heart is breaking - I just knew this would be the perfect scent! Worth the Big Bottle : Yes because I wouldn't have had it any other way and I do not regret purchasing this, but it really needs to go off to someone else.

In the Imp : I can smell the juniper already. Wet : The juniper and the mint are jumping right out while the lotus is adding a very wet smell to this. The smell reminds me of one of those children's popcicles that has too many artificial colors and flavors added to it - very wet but with a strange chemical bite to it. I agree that this has a very dark smell to it. Dry : Very wet, very dark and still a bit unpleasant. Over All : Part of me is crying "to the swaps with thee!" and another wants to keep this and see how it turns out. Over all this has a bit too much of a chemical frozen pop smell to it for me to really like. I was expecting something a bit more aquatic and didn't really get it. Big Bottle Worthy : No.

In the Imp : Dusty chocolate. Wet : The vanilla is definitely there but instead of standing on its own its mixing with the chocolate to morph it into a more of a powdery scent. The hops are amping up like crazy in this! The pralines and hazelnut and easily distinguishable but like everything else in this they devote all of their power to mixing with Chocolate. Dry : This smells exactly like someone took some perfectly dried hops and rolled them in powdered cocoa. Why hello there hops - I see you're quite fond of me. This is a very "dry" scent as well - meaning that everything in here is well cooked or dried by this point - no fresh nuts or still dribbling caramel or chocolate. This reminds me more of one of those big rich candy bars you can get that are so sugary you give up half way through eating them. Over All : Gluttony really isn't my style. Too much hops - not enough buttercream. :'( Big Bottle Worthy : No

In the Imp : This smells like smoke, crumbling dry dead dirt and perfume. Very unique and hard to describe. Wet : This smells exactly like someone's been crushing rocks together in the sun. It's not so much smokey now as it is dry and incredibly dusty. If I had to assign a color to this it would be *gray*. And gray ,and gray, and gray, and gray, and gray . . . . Dry : This hasn't morphed at all but it's lost some of it's bite. This is just plain dry rock now and it smells exactly how I'd expect underground passages in Hell to smell like. Uncanny Over all Rating : Very good. Fits the description down to the T. Big Bottle Worthy : No. I'll thoroughly enjoy the imp but I don't see myself buying this and making it a part of my regulars.

In the Imp : Soap. Wet : Soap Dry : My Grandmother says this is one of the nicer perfumes I've tried. I say soap. There is something sweet beginning to peek through the Irish Spring smell now and if I try hard enough I can pick out a few of the herbs. For awhile it seemed that there was something a bit salty and earthy peeking through but its gone now. Over All : Intriguing concept and I think I'll be keeping the imp for the heck of it. Big Bottle Worthy : Real soap is only a dollar.

Review for 2006 Version : In the Bottle : I can smell only the incense at this point. There's something vaguely chemically about the incense oil The Lab uses to my nose but the years in storage seem to have mellowed this one out quite a bit. Wet : I can hardly smell this at all! A very, very light ghostly incense is hanging around but that's it. Dry : I can smell it a bit better now - very sweet incense and a shadow of something that smells akin to coco in passing. This smells exactly like sugared cakes if someone wafted them over some incense. Later : FINALY! The scent has showed up! This is still rather light but its absolutely beautiful - incensey and sweet in a very somber way. Yum yum. Over All : Poorest throw I've ever encountered as a whole to be honest. Thi is a truly lovely scent I only wish it had more power to it. Worth the Big Bottle : Yes. Poor throw or not this is really yummy.

n the Imp : I really don't get too much of a scent from this - there's something very smooth and not too demanding however. If this scent had a texture it would be smooth and waxy the way beat bees wax is - smooth and ready to melt. Wet : Mostly just getting storax and balsam. This smells like a very nice liniment. Dry : This really is a wonderful scent. I can't peg down any single note now - its sweet without being sweet and completely undemanding. A perfect representation of the Egyptian God of the Dead - I can see an ancient embalming room smelling something like this. It's also crazy how "warm" this scent is without being warm in the traditional way since it doesn't contain anything spicy or over powering. This just exudes warmth from the very inner part of the oil. Over All : Perfect concept realized through the power of scent. Big Bottle Worthy : No, not on me but I think I'll be keeping the imp.

In the Imp : POPCORN! Wet : Still popcorn! Big buttery, salty popcorn. The kind you have to get at a movie theater where they give you an extra pump of butter so that once you eat all of it the left over "bits" at the bottom are swimming in it. Dry : This really hasn't morphed too much. The salt has finally dissipated a bit and this has turned sweet. The popcorn its self is as strong as ever. Over All : Shill is just so wonderful and its quickly turning into one of my favorite novelty scents. I've taken to wearing this on movie nights at home - sipping soda with one hand and then sniffing the other - it's just like having a real bag to munch on. Big Bottle Worthy : Oh Shill how could I ever deny my love for you? If I ever find one then yes.

In the Imp : I can already smell the pumpkin and its got an almost buttery feel to it and I can't decide wither or not it turns my stomach or not. The orange peel is there as well and its nicely balanced out by the ginger and amber. Wet : The warm pumpkin is indeed buttery, buttery, buttery! goodness but I just can't decide if I like it or not. I have to confess I was afraid when I heard there was ginger in this but this isn't harsh on me like so many other times - its a nice tangy scent that complements the amber and enhances the orange. Yum yum. Dry : This is just an exquisite, sweet blend and for the life if me I can't peg one single scent down. The pumpkin has now faded to the background and has become less of a pumpkin sizzling in the over by its self to a wonderful spiced pumpkin pie sort of scent without the crust. <3 Over all Rating : Wonderful! This is the perfect autumn scent - not too heavy but definately layered, ever single one of the ingrediants works with the other to bring forth a sweet and slightyly tangy scent. My only complaint is that I wish I could get more of a pumpkin smell from this. Big Bottle Worthy : Yes. If I can ever find one that is.