lilirose

In the bottle: dark, but a purpley-brown kind of dark rather than a black dark. On skin, wet: Whoa, not so sure about this. I'd say it was very masculine if it didn't have the pomegranate jumping out in my face. On skin, dry: The lavender comes out, and I'm not thinking "masculine" so much anymore, even though the pomegranate fades during drydown. It's smooth, slightly incensey, dark, sexy, and mysterious. "Purpley-brown" is still the colour I'm associating with it. Very evocative of its namesake, and I'm glad I have a 5ml.

In the bottle: very berry! On skin, wet- blueberries and…green. Drydown: I’d swear I smell an aquatic note. Oh, wait, that must be the coriander- it always smells “watery” to me, even as a food ingredient. The greenness is rising; the berries are still sweetly present but not in an overwhelming or cloying sort of way. Dry: I can certainly pick out the coriander and tea among the blueberries…you wouldn’t think that would work, but somehow it does. I’m not getting much of anything else (thank the gods that the vanilla isn’t amping like it usually does). I wish the ginger was a bit more apparent, though. It’s fading fairly quickly on my skin- could be a scent locket candidate.

I agree- I am also autistic (formal diagnosis of Asperger's, but prefer the former term) as are my two kids- I have a daughter not mentioned in my earlier post who is non-verbal. I love BPAL and so do both of my children, to the point that they gather around to ask for "sniffs" when I get new bottles. My son with AS also has asthma, and commercial perfumes bring on asthma attacks, but BPAL has not been an issue. There are a few notes he can't cope with on a sensory level, but they seem to be the same ones that I, likewise, can't cope with. I'm not saying everyone on the autistic spectrum would like BPAL, but in general I think it's safer than commercial perfume.

In the imp: Minty, with a hint of bitter citrus. On skin, wet: mint and grapefruit. During drydown the aquatics slowly blossom, and the sweetness of the lotus comes in to temper the shock of the mint. Long staying power, and after several hours it's an odd, minty aquatic that I'd swear has a touch of musk- but maybe that's my own skin musk? I like this very much. It reminds me of both Schrodinger's Cat and Envy, only without the lavender.

To me the scent of La Flamme amps cinnamon and rose with only a faint hint of citrus. It smells more spicy/floral than fruity. I also should note that my slightly-aged bottle stained my (very pale) skin dramatically, like Dragon's Blood, but even darker. As far as effectiveness- I'd say it worked. My (non-monogamous) love has a bad habit of constantly rabbiting on about other women he's dating, which is annoying to say the least- I'm not jealous, but when he's with me I would prefer that he concentrate on me. He was definitely more focused on me than usual, so I'm quite pleased with La Flamme's effect.

I've had this imp for a long time- I'm certain it was included in my very first swap. Not sure why I haven't tried it yet. In the imp: honeyed grape. Definitely a sweet but sharp fruity note. On skin, wet: honey and ylang-ylang. On skin, dry: Honey and musk. The musk is really amping on my skin, which is unusual for me- musk usually likes to hide. Very nice scent, but it also fades very quickly, which is a shame.

This is very, very soft and gentle. I was hoping for a "peaches and chocolate" scent...this isn't it. It is very pleasant, however. In the imp, it's soft fruits. On skin, wet, it's sharper fruit. This is the only stage where I can pick up neroli at all. On skin, dry, it's a gently honeyed soft peach (much less peachy than, say, Fae). I can pick out the cocoa note, but barely. The ambergris makes it smooth. I'm not getting neroli at all (which is good, because I don't like neroli), nor can I pick out the patchouli. This is very nice, and very well-crafted. I'm glad to have a decant.

In the imp: Fig and plums. On skin, wet: Goes very plummy. Drydown: To me this smells almost exactly like Midwinter's Eve, only without the extreme sugary sweetness. It's mostly fruit- the plums amping above all else- with a touch of flowers. Very nice.

Oh, this is so unfair. Dragon’s Blood and Rose are two of my favourite scents in the whole wide world. But my damn skin chemistry amps wine beyond reason- so from beginning to end, all I could smell was super-strong red wine. There’s no rose or dragon’s blood detectable to me. I’m so sad about this. So very sad. It does have incredible staying power, though- it was still going strong after twelve hours.

In imp- sweet with a touch of bitterness. On skin, wet: the “bitter” note becomes stronger. From looking at the description, I’d say the bitter note is orchid, as that one always smells bitter to me and sweet to everyone else. On skin, dry: Roses and a still-bitter orchid.. Later: The orchid fades, leaving a soft, slightly musky, slightly soapy rose-based floral. I'm normally a huge fan of anything rosy, but this one doesn't work with my skin chemistry.

In the imp: Hint of dust. On skin, wet: Phwaor. Oily dust. Drydown: Really weird slightly perfumey dust. Very, very slight sweet herbal smell. Fully dry- A few weeks ago, I found a box full of joss sticks (incense) and candles that had been stored away for about seven or eight years. None of the sticks smelled like what was on the label- they just smelled dusty. They also smelled absolutely identical to Mandrake when dry on skin. Dust, with a faint hint of candlewax (not beeswax, though- the other stuff). Very evocative of its name, but I can’t see wearing it as perfume. ETA: about eight hours after applying, I notice greasy residue on my wrists. I've never had that happen with a BPAL before. Weird.

This is an interesting one on me. When I first applied it, I could barely smell it, then it crept up on me and amped and amped and amped, and now I feel like I put on too much. I think it's extremely well-blended. I can smell rose, but it's not overwhelmingly rosy. It's a very, very creamy rose- it reminds me of a solid rose perfume I had as a child. I can also pick out the coconut note quite clearly, and think it's an excellent foil for this particular flavour of rose. The lily is there in a generic walking-through-a-summer-garden kind of way. The musk is also just-about-there. The other notes, I'm not feeling at all. This is very, very summery, and elegant, and again, incredibly well-blended. It smells like it ought to be someone's signature scent. I don't know that I'd wear it often enough to need a 5ml, but I like it enough to keep my decant.

*sigh* High hopes, turned to nothing more than jasmine and a touch of musk with a gentle, almost aquatic background. I could like the "aquatic" bit if it weren't for the jasmine. Why does my least favourite note always amp the hardest?

Wow wow wowowow. Good stuff, here. Really good stuff. I'm not reviewing for scent other than to say it smells gorgeous. Just fantastic. For intent: it has no equal. I'm living right in the middle of one of my worst phobias right now- we have mice, the landlord won't fix it, and we don't have time to make a big issue of it because we're about to move. I am terrified of wild mice. I hadn't slept in three days because I could hear them and occasionally saw one- "freaked out" doesn't even begin to cover it. Last night I decided to annoint myself with Crucible of Courage while focusing on the thought "you will survive this, you can get through it until the move". Then I got into bed...and as I shook out my eiderdown, a mouse fell out of it and ran across my foot and under the bed. I screamed, yes. Then I put a couple of traps out and went to sleep. I did not stay awake obsessing and listening for them. I didn't have to go to the doctor and beg him to give me valium. I didn't even have a heart attack when one of the traps was tripped at about 3AM. Good stuff. Highly recommended. Will never go without it again.

I really didn't expect to like this. It's been sitting in my imp box, being passed over daily, for months now. Well, I was wrong. I do like it. In fact, I love it. It's a little foody, but I can't identify exactly why, and it's not an edible-foody. It smells like earth without being dirty in the slightest, nor really dusty. I'm pretty sure I smell a touch of patchouli, though it's very non-hippie patchouli. And maybe cinnamon? I don't know what the heck is in it- in fact, it's the first BPAL I've tried in months where I couldn't identify any of the notes for sure. This is what I needed today. And I think it may be 5ml-worthy. I wish I hadn't ignored it for so long.

Like lainevierge said, this is a chocolate that reminds me very much of El Dia Del Reyes, only without the coffee note. It smells like pure chocolate in the bottle, and like a really fantastic, moist, chocolate cake on my skin. I'm so glad I bought it- this was an "unsniffed" that was definitely worth the impulse buy factor. It's like a big chocolatey hug.

Whoa. I can’t decide if I like this or not. On me it’s particularly strong and long-lasting. I keep catching whiffs of it and sometimes it’s entrancingly gorgeous, deep and dark and sexy, and sometimes it’s “dirty hippie with an extremely bad case of curry-breath”. I normally don’t test oils this late in my cycle, so will have to try again another day. It’s certainly worth another try, anyway. I hope the “gorgeous” stays and the hippie goes away!

In the imp: bright floral? On skin, wet: generic flowers and musk On skin, dry- musky with soft floral. Smells a little like Chai, actually. Verdict- nice enough to keep the imp, but am not totally blown away.

In the imp: light musky floral On skin, wet: whoa jasmine! On skin, dry: mostly jasmine with something dark and dusty in the background, which I can’t identify because my nose is screaming JASMINE!!! I’m not a fan of jasmine, unfortunately. To me it smells dark and dirty-unwashed-musky, not sweet or floral. I’m going to have to pass on this one.

In the imp: light aquatic On skin, wet: Smells like a greenhouse. Generic flower/vegetation with strong, humid aquatic. Drydown: Dark green, yet feminine, aquatic. Very nice. Fades rather quickly, but extremely pleasant regardless. The imp's a keeper, for sure.

In the imp- Weird. I don’t smell anything at all. On skin, wet: still don’t smell much. Maybe very, very faint flowers and a tiny bit of musk? Almost totally imperceptible and certainly the faintest BPAL I’ve ever tried. Drydown- still incredibly faint. Can just barely make out the sandalwood, and I think I'm picking up a faint note that is also in TKO- maybe that's the opium? Am very, very puzzled as any scent with vanilla usually amps beyond all reason on my skin. Verdict- it might be nice enough, but it seems to be in one of my olfactory “blind spots”, so this one’s a no-go for me.

In the imp- Somewhat sharp and berry-fruity. On skin, wet: Fruit and leather. On skin, dry: the leather note remains prominent . The generic “berry-fruit” becomes more clearly a wine note, with soft rose behind. This is one of the more pleasant wine-note BPALs I’ve tried, and I think it would be gorgeous on the right person, but unfortunately, I’m not that person.

In the imp: Soft musk On skin, wet: Coconut and soft musk Drydown: The coconut and musk blend into a scent that is unique, non-foody, somehow regal, and utterly gorgeous. I wish it had a bit more throw and staying power, though. Will keep the imp and consider a 5ml.

Amber, saffron and bergamot with mandarin, nutmeg, Bulgar rose, musk and sandalwood. In the imp- a little dark and masculine, with no particular note sticking out. On skin, wet- strong green note, reminds me of Allison Gross for some reason. Also slight bitter citrus fruit note, and sawdust note which I take to be the sandalwood. On skin, dry: Sharpness and greenness go away completely. Ends up as a creamy, rosy, slightly spicy and resinous soft floral. Quite pleasant, but it strikes me as being very similar to others I’ve tried.

In the imp: Fruity and sour. On skin, wet: wine, which still manages to be very sour despite a clear honey note. The flowers are nowhere to be found. On skin, dry: Wine. Still no flowers, no myrrh, only a touch of honey. Beginning to give me heartburn as if I’d actually been drinking red wine (which is something I never do, because it makes me very sick). Morph: After a couple of hours the myrrh becomes detectable, but still, this is so very much sour red wine concentrate on me. I'm afraid this one is a “no can do” for me.