milo

I can't really decide if I like this or not. At first I get a nice tobacco-like scent with vetiver, which I actually think is the dry leather. I normally like leather, but this I think is a bit too dry and makes me think "vetiver", which is a note that I don't really enjoy. Still, I get a bit of nice nutmeg, which is a bit like tobacco to me, which I love. So therefore, it is like love/hate blend for me. If it wasn't for the leather being too dry, I'd probably be all over this. For now, I'm just glad to have been able to try it, anyways!

Vinegar and wood. This actually reminds me a lot of Anne Bonny.

I got a testable sniffie of this, so excited! In the imp and on wet, this a wonderful musky, creamy chocolate. I know it's just supposed to be cream and chocolate, but there is a lovely perfumey scent blended in with it. After a few minutes, it is the chocolate cream scent, though pretty powdery on me, with a touch of the perfume. I like this, but I think Gelt can satisfy my chocolate cravings.

This blend is hard to describe. It's not like anything I've tried before. To me, it's kind of musky with a bit of freshness thrown in. Not picking up the amber, and for once the ambergris smells "OK" on my skin. I like it, but probably don't need a bottle.

I received an empty of this from a very kind forumite, and managed to swipe a bit of oil off for a review. This is very much like Candy Phoenix, only maybe a bit more tart. It's really making me crave sours, or a Sour Puss drink. Actually, if you've ever had a Sour Puss raspberry drink, this is pretty much it. I enjoy the sours and drink, but this is not something I would wear. Very glad to have tried it, however!

Wet, this is pretty much juicy fruit gum. When I first started to get into Bpal, I had an imp of Shango, but got rid of it right away as the fruitiness was just too much for me. Well, I received another imp, and decided to give it a whirl, as we all know that scents can change on the skin. With Shango, this really is the case, and the fruit backs off and a wonderful, musky incense comes out, with just the teeniest hint of fruit in the background. I really like this, and am glad that I gave it a chance!

This was frimped to me by a very generous forumite, everyone is so nice here! Wet, this is Ouzo, a boozy licorice liqueur, I'm loving it so far! Dry, an uber sweet, cloying vanilla dominates with a touch of the licorice now. This is the vanilla of Love's Philosophy and Tokyo Stomp, which ultimately turns into plastic scented doll that's been left in a hot car all day. So sad, damn my skin chemistry.

This blend is a sweet, light tropical floral. I definitely get the jasmine and something more light, probably the buttercup? Whatever it is, it is keeping the tropical jasmine and honeysuckle at bay from being to strong and heady. I'd probably LOVE this if I liked tropicals, as this is very realistic and not fake at all, but I'm not into honeysuckle, jasmine, gardenia, etc., so this one is off to swaps. Also, the jasmine does not go powdery at all for those of you who don't like powder.

I was really expecting a dry, dusty scent from Cairo. What I get is a wonderful, incensey citrus, I thought lime, but another reviewer mentioned lemon, and that is what it is. This is what I was hoping Carnival Diabolique would smell like, but this is a much more fresh, clean scent with a touch of incense. I really like this, and may consider a bottle down the road when my little imp runs out.

Odd, I kind of get a chocolate vibe from this oil when it's first on. I get the other fruits, and gradually the chocolate fades (I actually think it's the grape that is translating into chocolate), and dries quite "winey", for lack of a better word. The fig and cinnamon is giving this a "health food" bar scent along with the wine, and I'm certainly not a fan right now. I'm thinking fig doesn't work for me, as this is the 2nd fig blend miss. Damn, and I just ordered Bodaicea...

Very masculine, and mostly a musky, woody blend to me. I have difficulty with picking out notes in masculine blends, as I generally don't wear them. This fades pretty quickly to a rather "crisp" scent. I don't mind it, as it's pretty subdued for a masculine scent, but will most likely send it off to a better home.

Wet, this very purple, grapey and musky. Very much like Makhanaitis to me, which I love. Dry, much the same, only the violet is poking out, and the grape fades somewhat. It is still quite musky and a touch powdery, which I really don't mind. I really like this, and glad to have another berry, purpley, blend to my collection. The only drawback is the staying power. It seems like it is becoming faint even after only an hour.

Wet, this is an astringent, perfumey floral of the springtime variety. It dries down to a haughty, sour rose with a touch of patchouli. Kind of an odd combination, and rose isn't really for me, but the patchouli seems to make this a bit more wearable. Still, not enough to keep even the imp. Off to swaps.

This was frimped to me, and has an older style label, kind of neat! This is a very foody blend to me, lots of what must be the fig, as there is something with a heavy fruit scent that I've never smelled before. Along with this, I get rancid walnut. I think the sandalwood and coconut is not a good combination for me. The whole blend smells like something from a health food store gone bad. Off to swaps.

This is vetiver or cedar single note on me. Thankfully it fades pretty quickly. Off to swaps.

Another wonderful, berry scent from the lab! I get blackberry/pomegranate with the patchouli that adds a bit of a "bite" to it and keeps the blackberry from making this blend become too sweet. I love heliotrope, but I don't smell it here. I'm hoping it will come out, though, as I love heliotrope, which is basically a vanilla scent to me. I'll enjoy my imp during the summer months, while it lasts of course! I find it's kind of in the same family as Dionysia, Couple's Consulting an Enpon, and Makhanaitis. If you like those blends, I'm sure you'd like this one! ADDED Nov. 9: Thanks to Twilight Eyes for frimping me this one!! Wet, this is all heliotrope. As it dries, the pomegranate and the blackberry come out, and their sweetness is tempered by the patchouli. I love this, as with most berry blends, and will treasure my imp.

On first sniff, this is a fruity/candylike blend with a touch of something acrid and bitter that just doesn't belong. Maybe a wood of some kind? Whatever it is, this blend is quite nauseating to me, partly because I don't really like fruity, candy scents, and partly because the wood just does not go along with this. Off to swaps with ya!

What a lovely, spicy lavender this one is! I haven't peaked, but it is kind of a sweet, clovey or cinnamon with lavender. This ranks right up there with TKO in fave lavender blends. This is gorgeous, and I think I'm going to hunt a bottle down!

This is salty DBR to me. Not a fan of aquatics or DBR, so this one is off to swaps.

I swapped for this one, as the Snake Oil Chaos's seem to be working REALLY well for me. This was described as the swapper as "pixie stix" or the black currant note the lab has. To me, I don't get the berry vibe, but I can see the pixie stix comparison, as to me it is a sugary violet along with the snake oil, like violet candies. It does dry to a candy-like scent, but the snake oil keeps it from being too sweet. I did try once before layering Faith and Snake Oi, and it was absolutely horrible on me. This, however is very pleasant, sexy violet snake oil. I've actually found Faith to be a little too much for me right now on the sweetness factor, and this really is a great subdued violet snake oil for the spring/summer.

I really don't have much to add, the reviews are spot on. In the bottle, this is very realistic strawberry, with a touch of bitter greens. On, much the same, but kind of faint, and the greens are slipping into the background. As strawberry scents go, this is much nicer than the candylike fake-ish strawberry you get so often in other blends like Candy Phoenix, Velvet Unicorn, and I've heard, the previous Strawberry Moon. Still, I'm not wowed, and I'm not sure why I'm not wanting to smell like a strawberry today. I thought I could add this to Velvet Pink Kitty of strawberry scents that I can wear, but now I'm not sure. Maybe it's just too real. I like it OK enough, still with a bit of "meh" factor. Maybe the hype overkilled for me. Not giving up on this one yet, and will try again in a few days. eta: After a couple of hours, I do get a muskiness along with the strawberry. It's probably the greens coming out. It's better now, but still quite faint. Still nice, but I'm still not excited over this one.

This is quite the little morpher, even in the bottle, which has never happened in a blend before to me. Last night it was WHOA jasmine, and this morning it was the delicious lime margarita. Dry the same thing, I get the jasmine every once in awhile (not offensive at all, a very pretty subdued jasmine), and then I get the salty lime margarita. I enjoy the morphing, as I like both of the phases, and kind of fitting, as it actually reminds me of a baby's attention span. I'll definitely be reaching for this wonderful blend this summer. If this is what downtown LA smells like, I want to go there!! Ah hah, as I'm typing it has gone into a third phase, kind of powdery, which I'm enjoying as well.

I didn't even get a decant of Bandito, as dust notes don't really appeal to me, Tombstone was a pretty big miss on me. Wet, I get LOTS of clove, and not much else. As this blend dries, the dominant note is still clove, but the dust is coming out, and it really is a nice balance. I get a teeny bit of tobacco, and while I'm digging the bandit, it is more of a cooler weather scent to me. I hope the tobacco comes out more, as this is one of my favourite notes. I foresee great things in the future for Bandito, and look forward to trying him in a few more months when the weather is a bit cooler and he's aged a bit more.

Why oh why do I have to fall in love with the unnattainable?? Wet and dry, this is the most beautiful lavender/citrus mint ever. Mint is not listed though, so it must be sage that I'm smelling. All I can say is WOW. Whatever it is, I am loving the combination and will be trying to hunt down a bottle.

I got a decant because I wasn't sure of the florals and "mist". Turns out to be a good decision. The first thing I smell is strong gardenia, and nothing much else. Half an hour later, it's still a creamy gardenia. I get a very vague aquatic, but not what I would consider overwhelmingly so. This blend reminds me of a perfume my mom used to wear in the late 70's, and damned if I can remember it! So for a plus, this reminds me of my mom, and I may pass this imp off to her. It also reminds me a lot of Tiki Queen and Tissue, so if you like those two, you may like this one. For now, I think this and Tissue is going to my mom!