Leopard403

Wet, Nymphia smells sharp to me, so much so that I almost didn't skin test. On my skin, however, this is identical to the much beloved Tiki Princess. I mean IDENTICAL.

So I admit it: I don't know what a sugar plum is, let alone what they are supposed to smell like. I can say, though that Sugar Plum Fairy is not easily classified as it doesn't smell distinctly "foody" or "floral" or anything else. But it is very pretty. Similar to Faith on a cold sniff, but on the skin has more depth while at the same time it is delightfully dainty, and perfume-y without being overtly so. It's one of those "You smell good" kinds of scents (i.e. not the "I like your perfume" kind). It's great in today's very cold weather, but I imagine this will also be fun and wearable in the spring and summer. Sorry I'm not more help than that. eta 12/9: I'm wearing this again today and have tried desperately to smell this Watermelon Jolly Ranchers smell that everyone else seems to be talking about, and sorry peeps, but to my nose it just isn't there. I'm actually quite glad about that, since WJRs smell, I dunno, simple to me; and this scent is definitely something with more depth and more interest than that.

I am totally striking out on Weenies this year. Wet in the bottle and wet on my skin, Marshmallow Pumpkin is all cinnamon to my nose. At the moment it dries on the skin, I get a lovely waft of the clean marshmallowy top note I get from Boo and, say, Teenage Cannibal, on top of a cinnamon-heavy pumpkin pie, and the scent is heavenly. But the next moment it is all gone. I mean GONE. Then, strangely, 30 minutes later I get that dreaded salty boiled peanut scent I often get from "cream" notes. So sadly, except for that brief shining moment of pure olfactory joy, this is a bust. Off to swaps.

I was trying desperately to like this because this (along with Punkie Night) is the cutest label I've seen in a very long time, but I think both my sniffer and my skin are just getting old. I don't get any of the "blue" parts of this scent; nothing sweet or tart. And strangely, I don't really get any pumpkin, either. I get a big ol' olfactory wallop of the slick buttery note that is in Jack, but no pumpkin underneath. No cinnamon or other spice, even, though I know it must be in there somewhere because to top it off, when I gave this a full skin-test, it "burned" the back of my neck and ears and I had to style my hair quite deliberately to hide the welts.

Not much I can add here. I completely understand the Captain Crunchberry comparisons; and this is indeed reminiscent of scents like I Fell in Love with a Floating Brain and, a litle less so, Diary of a Teenage Cannibal. Pink and sugary and sweet and a lot of fun. And the label is one of my favorites this 'Ween!

After this has settled on my skin, it is gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. Soft and sophisticated, gently floral, soapy without being overly "clean," and slightly dusty in an old-trunk-of-memorabilia way, this could easily become a signature scent for me. The problem? It takes about an hour to settle, and for that first hour, this is screaming, perfume-y, medicinal pain. Something in it is that "high" note that makes me hate traditional alcohol-based perfumes, and it just reeks. SO sad.

Wow, this is strong. The strongest BPAL scent I've tried so far. I say that because I had a very physical reaction to sniffing this wet: Something hit me in the back of the throat, like the first tickles of strep, and my mouth watered heavily and my back teeth started to ache. Luckily, it isn't nearly as strong after it dries on my skin, but in those first few minutes I think I could seriously be in danger of anaphylaxis. Like whoa. The scent itself is reminiscent of the Yankee Candle scent Home Sweet Home. I'm hoping this will mellow with time.

I am SO in love with the Punkie Night and Blue Pumpkin Floss labels. I can't wait until mine are delivered!

Ye gods I hate lavender. It just eats everything else, filling up my nose and brain and leaving room for nothing else. Bah. Misericordia is 99% lavender on me, and it's the hard, medicinal kind, not the gentle kind that will put you to sleep. If I sniff long and hard enough, I can smell the sweet and slighly soapy scent of black currant blended with magnolia, and that part of the scent is *gorgeous* and makes me hate that lavender even more. There's also a hint of resin there for warmth. But mostly, it's like a cheap sachet.

I love this, but I have a clear bias because I love rose and what it does on my skin. To me, Cicuta is all rose, all the time, but it is a warmer rose than other BPAL scents with something every so slightly sweet underneath. I reckon that's the other notes, which blend beautifully. This smells like someone took fresh rosewater and turned up the "sexy" button to eleven. Very nice! eta: I've realized that this reminds me a little of Blood Countess, though not nearly as bold or as deep-dark as BC. This would be Countess Bathory's little sister.

I knew I wanted to try Philologus because I would love to smell like old books, and Ü was such a disaster on my skin. Sadly, I don't think this one is a good replacement. I was also hoping the candle wax note would be similar to that in The Lights of Mens' Lives, but no such luck. When sniffing straight from the decant vial, this is *very* perfume-y, the kind of scent I tend to avoid. Wet on the skin it is very similar to strong, generic men's cologne. It definitely settles down as it dries, but it sort of loses all its character as well. Once it is dry on the skin, it smells aquatic to me, and way too masculine for me to wear comfortably. Sad.

Damn, how does the Lab make a scent smell "cold"? I'm fascinated by that! In one out of every 100 huffs of Tiki Princess, I imagine the cold part of the scent could be mint, or perhaps eucalyptus; but really the majority of what I smell is fantastic pina colada-y coconut. The throw is good-to-great, and considering that tropical notes usually fade quite fast on me, this lasts a surprisingly long time. I don't understand the Snow White comparisons because to me SW is mostly almond with soft white florals, and I don't get either in TP, which is fantastic because that means I can love SW and TP all in their total separateness.

Big bright ripe banana when wet; but then it dries into something *very* perfume-y. I don't get any grenadine or rum.

When I was younger (and much more vain and foolish), I used to use an orange-colored tanning gelee (Banana Boat, I think) on my skin before sitting out by our pool. Polynesian Pop smells identical to that product, but unfortunately, like the other Luau scents, it doesn't last very long on the skin.

(This review is for the 2010 GC version.) Like passion fruit-scented soap. Not bad, but not great, either. Throw is poor and it doesn't last at all, which is sad.

Goes on warm and boozy, almost like strong suntan lotion. But it immediately turns into black licorice, and then it's gone in a flash. I really want to love this, so I'll put it away and try it again later.

Wet, this is all perfume-y, headache-inducing, sweet-tart cranberry. It eventually mellows into something *very* similar to Swank, which is nice, but that initial phase is so painful I don't know that I will ever wear this again. Pity.

OMG that is surprising and exciting!

Egyptian musk overwhelms everything else on my skin, no matter how gorgeous the other ingredients.

I was anxious to try Paper Kite, because early reviews kept saying "sweet coconut" or "creamy coconut." But on my skin, the creamy part turns salty (as cream notes tend to do), and the coconutty part was eclipsed by the unpleasantly sharp pepper. So I smelled like salt and pepper. Bummer.

Luna is lovely, a clean green fruity scent that is very dainty and dreamy, sort of a pear-y version of The Unicorn. Unfortunately, it doesn't last very long. I was hoping the carnation would ground it a bit, but I don't get any carnation at all; and the lime, sugar, and pear notes that are most prominent seem to burn away immediately.

Spicebush Swallowtail is part pancakes, part Yankee Candle holiday blend on my skin. It's actually rather nice, but I cannot take it seriously in hot, humid weather.

Of all the recent fluttery things, I was looking forward to Rosy Maple the most. But somehow, this turns into straight-up plumeria on my skin. As in Yankee Candle Plumeria. So sad. eta: Okay, I'm trying again, and this time I'm not getting candle (yay!), but I am getting Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea (boo!). Maybe I should put this away and try it again in a few weeks.

Oh, LOVE! This is quite uncomplicated, as on my skin it smells just like monoi oil. There is a bite of sharp incense/resins when first applied and I was worried about that, since amber and I don't get along, but this settles down into gorgeous tiare. (Truly, I did a side-by-side blind test with Harp and my bottle of Julphia's monoi oil, and they are indistinguishable.) Luckily I ADORE the scent of monoi, so I am one happy camper.

Everyone else seems to be calling this a "creamy floral," and it is definitely a creamy-smooth type of scent; but on me there is also something distinctly spicy about it, similar to the spice of a carnation. I was worried the tuberose would be cloying, but it is quite soft, and seems to be very well-grounded by the other scents. This is a very ethereal, pretty blend, not quite delicate enough to be called "dainty" but definitely not the typical feminine perfume, either. I like it very much.