Blogs

Shango

Before I'd even placed my first BPAL order I heard a rave review of this on a Popstuff podcast. Reading the scent description didn't convince me to order it, though, so I was pleased when I received it as a frimp. In the imp: extremely fruity sweet, almost too sweet. On wet: There was a pineapple soda I grew up drinking called Jupiña - that's a lot like what this smells like. It's making me feel a little nostalgic! I really, really like this. After a while it starts to grow a little more complex. I can pick up something like peppers now. Dry: This is really impressive. I can see that tropical smoothie comparison that previous reviewers have made, but the spiciness of the pepper is there too. Throw is decent, but it starts to fade after a while. This is definitely going on the bottle list.

March 31, 2013

Moxie Nouveau Reviews

Sinter Klaus: (2/5) I cannot find a description for this anywhere on the net, but in the imp it smells like BPAL's Bliss, only not quite as potent. Same rich chocolate scent, and it has little oil bubbles of something very dark sitting at the bottom that I have to roll/stir to incorporate, maybe it's the chocolate component? Anyway, here's the rub: it turns to plasticky grossness on my skin.

March 28, 2013

Starring...Fragrances Perfume Reviews

America's Sweetheart: (2/5) Sniffing this wet on my skin I feel a mini panic attack of TOOOOOO SWEET I'M GONNA DIE. But just when it almost gets too intense, the green apple comes through and saves the day. I don't smell much 'pie', there is a vague note of baked-goods but it's mostly just apples and sugar as it dries down. It's almost too overpoweringly foody to be pleasant to me, sadly. Caramel Apple Popped In: (2/5) I do not really get 'caramel' from this. The apple is there but there's something dizzyingly sweet overlaying it, more like a candied apple with a hint of cinnamon instead of caramel. I don't like this as much as America's Sweetheart, to be honest. Child Star's Trick R Treat: (2/5) Another miss. I always thought I liked foodie perfumes but these are just a little too much for me. I definitely smell the pumpkin pie filling and something horribly sweet and piercing which must be the caramel; I don't get a pastry note until after it's dried down for a while. Child Star at a Luau: (1/5) NOPE.jpeg Something in this smells like nail polish remover, I'm wondering if this is just really old and it's gone 'off'? All I smell is that and overbearing sweetness. I got all these bottles in a huge sale lot so at least I'm not out much money but I'm learning I probably won't ever end up ordering from this company. Just not my thing. Waaaaay too sweet (I didn't know that was possible for me, but there you go).

March 25, 2013

Solstice Scents Perfume Reviews

Flintlock: (5/5) Until further notice, anyone who wishes to date me will be required to wear this at all times. That is all. Tenebrous Mist: (2/5) Basically, I made the mistake of thinking about the name too much + closing my eyes while sniffing it because I was instantly in a dark alley at midnight when a fog rolled in and I could distinctly sense long disembodied tentacles creeping up on me from behind. It does morph on my skin away from that scary scent-picture but not into anything I really like, a little odd and musky.

March 25, 2013

Lush Perfume Reviews

Here is what I think of all the Lush perfumes I've tried so far! The Smell of Freedom: (5/5) I only got to use this once-- ordered a small vial and all but one drop of it had leaked out by the time it arrived. It meshed well with my chemistry, making me smell both fresh and mysterious. I went ahead and ordered the little spray-vial of it so I could try it again--here's hoping it doesn't leak in transit! Update: Got the 0.3 oz spray bottle of this and I'm in love (:-) Once I try the rest of the perfumes I will be buying the biggest bottle of this that I possibly can! Also bumping my rating of this up to full points because duh! ***BOTTLE WORTHY*** Tuca Tuca: (1/5) Disclaimer-- I'm already uneasy with violet and vanilla on their own, because sometimes they can trigger my migraines. Together? I'm sorry, I just can't with this. I valiantly tried wearing it for a day and all it made me feel was dizzy and a little nauseous. I gave the rest of my vial to a friend. Lust: (4/5) Lush made me re-examine my relationship with jasmine. I used to hate it and find it kind of head-achey, but I really like this perfume; intoxicatingly floral. I wear it every day and it makes me feel secretly sexy. However, I do end up having to re-apply it after a few hours, it seems to wear off quickly, but all perfumes seem to wear off quickly on me. Orange Blossom: (4/5) Oh wow. Such a wonderfully layered fragrance, like dipping orange segments into a bowl of pepper but way more enticing! I unfortunately had to reapply this a LOT because it faded rather quickly on me, but I wish I had purchased a medium size spray vial instead of the .07 oz sample vial. I will keep this in mind to buy more of later... Imogen Rose: (2/5) Yeah...not really. I love sweet smells and rose smells but the baby powder really ruined this for me. I did get used to it after a while and ended up using the rest of the spray vial but I really thought for a day or so there that I was going to have to give this away. Just not the right perfume for me! Breath of God: (3/5) Bought a spray vial of this unsmelled and you should have seen my face when I sprayed it on this morning. At first I was like :razzzzzzzeuch: all I could smell was the smoke, so much so that it reminded me of Cosmic Dreamcatcher and all I could think of were hippies that had just come back from a week long camping trip. But then I got to work and it had dried down, so then I was like :| hm...maybe this has more to it than I originally thought. 2 minutes later I started picking up on the mysterious incensy melon parts and honestly this would make a wonderful cologne for a sort of rugged older man! Only I'm a 25 year old woman...but I'm going to wear this anyway, so now I'm like *ahoy* (which is me being manly and rugged for the duration of me wearing this perfume). Vanillary: (4/5) This really grew on me. I'm not a fan of super sweet vanilla scents and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this one is more of a grown-up, sophisticated, non-foody type of vanilla. It had decent throw on me, too, which I appreciate because I live in a very dry climate and I usually need to re-apply perfume every hour or so. Karma: (3/5) Sadly this turns rather soapy on me immediately after I put it on. I do like this scent, though, so I'm glad I have the bubble bar and a chunk of the soap, it's just not a great perfume for me. This is another one that had to grow on me a bit, but now I've come to enjoy the darker, mysterious orangey scent of Karma. 25:43:(2/5) So, my nose is pretty dumb. Without glancing at the description, all I smelled in this was lilies, like fresh lily flowers, which I hate. Every time I'm in a room with a vase of lilies the sickening odor just gives me a headache immediately. Anyway, it turns out there ARE no lily notes in this perfume. The notes mostly say lemon cookies, which I could then smell after I read it. And the lily scent was gone after that, I smelled the lemon cookies from then on out. Where the heck did I get lilies from? Weird. Anyway, I doubt I'll buy this again, it was alright but not bottle-worthy. Dirty: (3/5) I thought I'd like this as a perfume a LOT more, but I think I should stick to the soap and shower gel. Something about it didn't mesh well with my skin chemistry and all I could smell was the mint/a soapy note. Ginger: (1/5) My god. What on earth is going on here? The website lists the notes as ginger, mimosa, geranium, rose, ylang ylang and jasmine but I smell NONE of that! This is just straight-up powder and White Diamonds perfume (so to me it smells just like the stereotypical 'old lady' scent). It stays that way on my skin, too, sadly. Ugh. Trying to use this up as fast as I can so I can get to the next perfume (I'm OCD like that). Reaaaaally regretting having ordered the 0.3 oz spray vial. Icon: (4/5) This has been an interesting journey--in the bottle it was mildly pleasant with something darker and ominous. Wet on my skin I almost passed out--all I could smell was this gross licorice/sassafras(?) overtone that I was worried was going to ruin everything. Then once it dried down, happily, that licorice/whatever note went away and I became addicted to sniffing my wrist every minute or so; this is such a subtle indescribably pleasing scent. I get faint tasteful floral parts mixed with something deliciously darker (must be the myrhh and bergamot). I think I read somewhere that Icon is an interpretation of the way the color purple smells? I would have to agree. This is not quite large-bottle worthy for me but it is close and I know I'm going to enjoy using the rest of this spray vial. Ladyboy: (4/5) Well now! I say! This is unique. And yes I mostly smell banana even though apparently it's not one of the scents they used to create it. So I guess when you mix violet and oakmoss it smells like banana. I like this quite a bit, maybe more than Icon even! Too bad it doesn't last quite as long on me but I'm totally addicted to its wet stage on my skin, I instantly feel sexy-modern-tropical vibes.

March 22, 2013

Bottle-Worthy List

So far, these are the best things I've ever smelled and I hope to buy MOAR someday! (These are in no particular order, except chronological as far as trying them) 1. Lush - The Smell of Freedom 2. Solstice Scents - Flintlock

March 22, 2013

How Doth the Little Crocodile

I put off trying this one on for a while because I'm not a particular fan of minty scents. But I got it as a frimp, and my "not yet tried" can was starting to overflow, so I figured I might as well. In the imp: Chocolatey, minty, a little musky? Thankfully not that harsh spearmint scent that comes to mind when I think "mint." On wet: Chocolate. Dry: This is...this is Dorian. This is a very faintly chocolatey Dorian. I don't really smell mint, exactly, though there's definitely kind of a fresh quality to the scent that's absent from actual Dorian. I like this a lot more than I thought I would, but I don't know that I'd spring for a full bottle. I'll definitely use up my imp, though.

March 20, 2013

Solar Phoenix

I took notes on this when I first received my decants some time ago, but never got around to posting the review. In the imp: a light, sweet floral. Wet: Roses! Dry: Roses and chamomile. So much love for this! 1 month+ later: I still wear this fairly often, but I'm sad to say that with aging the pineapple and cinnamon have come out more. It's not that I dislike the scent now, but I was so in love with the roses and chamomile phase that I'm disappointed by the change. I will, however, most certainly be keeping my imp, and may try to snag a bottle if the opportunity presents itself.

March 14, 2013

Old Demons of the First Class

In the imp: smells smoky, spicy, and sweet...a bit syrupy, maybe? So far, so good. On wet: Almost as soon as it hits the skin, it turns into diet Dr. Pepper. What on Earth happened here? It stays firmly in the real of diet Dr. Pepper for a good while, too. It's much sweeter than it was in the imp, when it was more spicy. Kind of disappointed and hoping it improves. Dry: Diet Dr. Pepper is gone, and it's more smoky now. Unfortunately it's not a good smoky. It smells a bit like BBQ, almost. I'm pretty sure my skin chemistry is to blame and I suspect this would smell much better on someone else, especially on a man. It's going to the swap box.