Chimera

[reverendsquid]

The fiery, volatile scent of cinnamon, thickened by myrrh, honeysuckle, and copal.

In the bottle - Hm. I thought this would be very spicy and heavy, but it isn't. It's light, sweet and smells foody.

Fresh on - Yep, cinnamon gum, or something similar. This is a beautifully warm scent, and still very sweet. I like it, although it isn't at all what I expected. I guess with the name Chimera, I expected something a bit more, well, sinister.

As it dries - this is getting better and better. The cinnamon has calmed down a little bit now, and the myrrh and honeysuckle are coming out (I have no idea what copal smells like). This is still warm and sweet, but I don't feel like a giant stick of gum any more.

This is definitely a keeper! Once it dried, I really liked the smell and it lasted for hours. It also has really good throw, and I got complimented while wearing it.

[TilHelvete]

In the imp: Sweet woody smell. Honeyed myrrh.

 

Dry: This smells absolutely infuckingcredible. It reminds me of the bath & body works scent, "Creamy Nutmeg" though obviously this is much, much better. This is more complex, and somehow smells stickier if that makes sense. It smells more real. There is a woodiness under all of it and I imagine that has to be the myrrh which makes the sweet spicy creamy smell much more complex and smooth. There is a nuttiness to it as well that I also smell in Lush's Porridge soap (I love that soap!), though I don't know where it's coming from. Maybe the myrrh with the honeysuckle? I've never smelled honeysuckle single note before, but I can't detect any floral in here at all. Had I not known better I would have guessed honey was an actual note in here. This is a much richer, sweeter, foodier, creamier blend than any BPAL blend I've tried so far... It's how I had hoped Dana O Shee would smell, but with some extra spiciness.

 

This is also the first BPAL blend I've received a compliment on. I was getting something out of the fridge and one of my flatmates said, "I don't know who it is, but someone in here smells GOOOOOD!" She was about 10 feet away too so I imagine this one has some throw.

 

Overall: Already have a big bottle sitting here. Besides Dorian, it was the only one I knew I needed a bigger bottle of right away. As soon as it dried I audibly "MMM!"-ed to myself. The only downside is I wish it would last a little longer. As it is, it only lasts about 2-4 hours depending on what I'm doing and how much I put on.

[magikalbrownies]

honeysuckles...yummy honeysuckles on my skin with the cinnamon and myrrh on equal footing..this comes off spicey honey and awesome. this definitely is going on the wishlist. its the perfect winter scent...

[unlaced]

In the imp: spicy cinnamon! whooooo!!

 

Wet on my skin: spicy and a bit sweet. It's just a touch foody and so gooood! It's like an extra-spicy cinnamon bun!

 

Drying/dry: more of the same! love it!

[bubblefish]

Wow. I LOVE this scent.

 

I got it in imp form, along with Inferno and Wrath, since I simply adore cinnamon scents. (I'm particularly fond of Lush's New! solid shampoo. Nothing like that awesome cinnamon-y smell in the morning!)

 

I opened the imp and was blasted with cinnamon tempered sweetness. On my skin the sweetness is dulled, so it is less syrupy smelling. As it dries down, it becomes more and more a warm, spicy cinnamon with the barest hint of sweet. Mmmmmmmmmmm.

[Kikkervisje]

Wet: I’ve had two experiences with this. First, I accidentally sloshed it on my thumb. (I’m clumsy.) The original scent was *cinnamon* to the point of being a bit… Christmas candle. Second, when I actually applied it on my wrists and collarbone, I started itching like mad and turned lobster red where I had applied the scent.

 

Dry: The thumb application went to a delicious, somewhat foody cinnamon and cream. I was quite looking forward to actually wearing it in the typical places. But, it never got a chance to dry the second time, as I had to wash it off, because it was making me so physically uncomfortable.

 

Wear Time: 4+ hours on my thumb…

 

Fits Description?: The description is really only the ingredients, so I think it has to…

 

Overall: …Yummy. Softer “feel” to it than expected. But, allergies are no good; so no can do on this one for me. Ouch.

[rayvn1]

Why hello there, sexy This is a warm, glowing sexy older brother to Vixen. I almost get the orange and cream with spice from Vixen, but I know there isn't anything like that in here. Strange, but a truly beautiful scent! Keeper. (Thanks lab!)

[Monster]

In the imp: Sticky sweet cinnamon. Yum!

 

Wet: Beautiful brown, sugary cinnamon smell warmed by copal. I'm not detecting any honeysuckle at all.

 

Dry: Same from top to bottom, a cinnamon buns scent. Very odd considering the note listing, but really nice!

 

Overall: My skin eats this one up. I'll have to wear this one out for a whole day to see how it holds up but, so far I love it!

 

ETA:

It's been a day now and I've decided that I don't like his one. This dries into a stale smelling car air freshener scent on my skin. This is nice int he wet stage but dry it's pretty gross on me ><

Edited July 12, 2009 by Monster

[hepkitten]

There's a really interesting sweet/spicy thing going on here. The scent is a lot softer than I thought it would be; I'll have to spend more time with this one.

[topazphoenix]

It might be my horrid nose, but what about those cinnamon scents? This is Bengal without the skin musk.

[JenM]

In the imp: smells like cinnamon red-hots with an after-effect of myrrh.

 

on the wrist: exactly the same. Something the same on the wrist as it is in the imp? Can this be?

 

I have found a replacement for Hierophant when my supply runs out. Marked down just because is doesn't last as it might.

 

A whopping 9/10

[sirensea]

It starts off as a strong cinnamon, but fades to something spicy with a hint of fizz... entirely unexpected, but not the least bit unpleasant!

 

Oww, I think it burned my nose, though.

[azurelunatic]

In the bottle: SWEET!

 

On me: plastic fruit. I'm not even sure where the plastic fruit comes from, just there's a sweet fruitiness, and then a strong whiff of plastic on top of that.

 

My aunt noticed the scent and liked it when I got in the car, and got some vanilla-y out of it, but after I pointed out the plastic fruit scent, she couldn't un-smell that either. Once she pointed out the vanilla-y scent, I could sort of pick that out, but not particularly strongly.

 

Neither of us seemed to smell cinnamon.

 

I'm probably going to swap this with someone.

[Myrrha]

Wet, very cinnamon-y but it didn't irritate my skin.

 

After it has dried a bit the cinnamon is more balanced with the resins. There is a scent almost like skin but sweet and golden.

 

If it weren't for an almost cake-like note I would love this scent. The cake note just makes me get tired of it quickly.

 

I love the way the resins and cinnamon and floral balance out but I think most people around me who aren't really into scents will just smell cinnamon buns. I'm definitely going to pick up another imp or two and see how much I wear it over the winter.

Edited August 13, 2009 by Myrrha

[skylarkza]

In the imp: Cinnamon gum. This smells like cinnamon gum.

 

Wet: Less gummy and more CINNAMON! Something else is lurking there too, something almost gummy, but I don't know what it is. It is sweet and almost medicinal.

 

Dry: Cinnamon and again that something that I cannot define, but it is somewhat less sweet now. It smells divine though... slightly smoky and HOT thanks to the cinnamon.

 

A while later: I cannot smell this on me unless I shove my wrist against my nose. This is not always a bad thing - sometimes other people can smell me when I can't and it is generally a GOOD sign. My mom liked this one, so that seems to be the case here. Huffing my wrist reveals a gentle touch of cinnamon with a sweet incense-y backing (probably the myrrh). Very nice.

[Dominique]

In the vial: The oil is a pale yellow, almost clear. Cinnamon bark, not the hot-candy cinnamon, is the dominant note (thankfully, as that’s exactly what I was hoping for.) There’s a kind of warm roundness to it that I’m chalking up to some interplay between the myrrh and honeysuckle. That said, I don’t notice the honeysuckle itself, and I have no idea what copal smells like, so it’s more than possible that I’m wrong. Still, it’s a cinnamon-y, pleasant scent, though not as much a cinnamon-roll smell as Bengal is.

 

On me (dry): (Applied to inner wrists.) Still with the cinnamon, and there’s a base note that, as it’s neither myrrh nor honeysuckle, I think is copal. Not quite what I’m after, but the scent it still settling.

 

After a while: Cinnamon continues to be the top note. The copal is behaving, thankfully, and the honeysuckle is no where to be found.

 

Verdict: The copal is vaguely annoying, as it’s a little closer to vetiver than I’d like. That said, I’d cheerfully commit atrocities for a cinnamon-based perfume, so Chimera will likely become a favorite. Mmmmm, cinnamon.

 

[ouch!]

The cinnamon in this is so light it's barely detectable but it's blended with the other notes so well that it's gorgeous!. This oil is fantastic!! It's a sweet and slightly foody scent that reminds me of Snake Oil without the spice. I never would have picked this out for myself but SO glad I have now smelled it as it' could easily knock another oil off of my top 10 GC's!

 

The throw of this oil is really good, I think the fact that my imp is aged quite a bit helps.

 

To describe the smell I would say it's like a warm light brown smells that's musky and foody. The kind of smell that you want to keep sniffing all the time.

 

Want to slather!

[mari4212]

I've been trying out bpal perfumes for almost two years now, but this is my first review. *crosses fingers that it goes well*

 

I got Chimera with my first imp pack, and it is my all-time favorite perfume to wear, ever. I don't detect many individual notes from it, just a warm, spicy-sweet complexity that never fails to make me smile. And it lasts forever on me. *grins* I put it on in the morning, and I'll wake up tomorrow with a bit of it still lingering as a slight sweetness on my wrists.

 

This is the scent that for me encapsulates curling up under a blanket on a porch swing in late autumn, with a mug of mulled cider in one hand, a plate of gingerbread next to, and a book in my lap, enjoying one of the last bits of autumnal warmth before winter hits and its too cold to want to do anything outside. Not that it smells exactly like any one of those things, but it's the same emotions evoked. I'm so glad this was in my first pack of imps, as it solidified my love of bpal forever.

 

This week has been stressful, and this was the scent that I automatically went for to comfort myself, and it seems to be really helping. Nothing like knowing that you smell great for improving your mood.

[kmgregory]

A first review!

 

This was a freebie in my last purchase and it is pure gold.

 

In The Bottle: I made a terrible snap judgment and waited a long time to put this on based on my initial impression. Too long! In the bottle I smell an overpowering sweetness (I think it must be the honeysuckle) and cinnamon. I can't pick out the copal or myrrh notes, just sweet and spice.

 

Wet: Still very sweet but the cinnamon has calmed down alot so I don't smell like a box of red hots left in the sun

 

Dry: There's the copal! And the myrrh! Oh my. This is fantastic and definitely a keeper. There's a bit of residual sweetness and the cinnamon has calmed down to a faint note underlying the incenses. And apparently incense works well with my body chemistry (good to know!). Wonderful.

[jennythereader]

First Worn On: 7/5/2009

 

In the Imp: Warm, spicy, slightly sweet

 

At Application: Soft cinnamon, like a cinnamon candy being eaten by the person next to me.

 

When Dry: Decent throw after drydown, I can smell it even with my arms away from my nose, very smooth cinnamon with a little sweetness (which I think is vanilla) mixed in.

 

Rating: 4 - Get a bottle

 

Comments from me: I was actually given this imp as a gift several years ago, but never got around to wearing it until this summer.

 

Comments from others: My husband walked into the room and asked what I was wearing.

[Electric Maenad]

I got this as a frimp at some point in the distant past and avoided trying it for the longest time because of the honeysuckle. And then I finally dabbed some on, and was instantly transported to cinnamon sex goddess world. Not a hint of floral, just cinnamon and a sticky, sultry sweetness that manages to smell like fresh cinnabons and hot sex simultaneously.

 

If you like Shub, you'll like this. If you like Saw-Scaled Viper but it gives you a rash, this might work on you. if you love the smell of TAL's Caliph's Beloved but don't want the full-on magical boot-to-the-libido... you'll probably dig this.

[starfish327]

I LOVE this scent. This is a spicy, foody blend that's sweet and almost thick in the imp, but is surprisingly light on. The cinnamon is the dominant note on me, but the honeysuckle keeps it from being too heavy. Something makes this blend very foody on me, and reminds me a LOT of hot apple cider. It keeps from going red hot on me, but also keeps from being too floral or too light. This is definitely going on my most wanted and/or replace list.

[kerikeri]

This went through a strange and not very pleasant morphing process on me. At first it was a sweet, powdery, lightly spiced scent, reminiscent of Morocco or Bastet-- I thought it had musk in it, because it had that slightly artificial edge that musk usually has on me, and I also thought I smelled almond. Then it went straight to Cinnamon Soap Land, like Eclipse does. About half an hour later, it was baby powder. About an hour later, it was burnt baby powder.

 

I actually like the smoky note it took on in the last stage (probably the copal), but there are much better smoky scents that don't smell like someone set a bottle of Johnson's on fire. Either the cinnamon or honeysuckle or both is really not friends with my chemistry here.

[Schmoozy]

 

 

Honeyed almond and cinnamon. It's thick, spicy and kinda foody. Copal and myrrh keep this from becoming too sweet, and help round out the cinnamon, which could have become a nightmare, but thankfully don't. I was hoping for more of a chai type scent, but plunder and bengal are more up the chai alley than chimera.

[girasol]

Frimp - thanks lab!

 

In the imp: Very foodie, caramelly goodness.

Wet: And we have clove-off. There's no cloves mentioned in the notes, but there must be some, surely? If there is, I'm amping the living daylights out of them. If not, it must be the cinnamon, I suppose. It's reminding me of a sweeter version of Port-Au-Prince, which was close to pure cloves on me.

Dry: The spices have settled down and Chimera is now a warm, pleasantly spicy scent that's rich without being overpowering. Probably wouldn't buy a bottle, but a quite like it. Will hang onto it, it'll be perfect for a chilly winter's day.