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BPAL Madness!
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A newbie overwhelmed by selection

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Sin

Imp #30: Sin   "Thoroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon."   Note: Middle of cycle. Imp from direct from the lab, but it's been sitting here a while.   In the bottle: Sandalwood comes out first, but I can detect the other scents as well, in a smooth flow. Warm, round, and a little spicy, this feels like a wintery scent to me.   On me: Amber and cinnamon dominate, while the sandalwood and patchouli fade into background supporting notes. It is somewhat foody, but also sensual. The black patchouli does not give the strong hippy patchouli note I feared. As it dries more, it is becoming more woodsy.   1 hour+ later: The scent has not really changed. It is still a delectable warm, spicy scent, with a woody background.

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Whip

Imp #27: Whip   "Agony and ecstasy: black leather and damp red rose."   Note: Middle of cycle. Imp from littleone101701's sales.   In the bottle: Rose and more rose.   On me: The leather comes out as a base note and makes it more sophisticated. Still, the leather harmonizes and melds with the rose, making it very hard to distinguish the two notes as separate entities. This is an apple-sized red rose, fully open and heady on the vine.   1 hour+ later: At first I thought it was fading, fast, but then suddenly it wasn't. It has very good throw on me. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but this is a sultry floral.

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Scherezade

Imp #8: Scherezade   "Saffron and Middle Eastern spices swirled through sensual red musk."   Note: End of cycle. Imp fresh from the Lab.   In the bottle: Definitely smells like insense. Do I detect the dreaded patchouli? Musky as well, I think.   On me: I definitely get what I would define as a perfumey feel out of this. Perhaps that is the reaction I have to red musk. I can't seem to pick out individual notes.   1 hour+ later: I am catching the spices & I think I can identify the saffron, though it is not as bitter as the mehndi on my left hand. At this point, a few hours later, I have lost the throw, but I like the scent.

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Djinn

Imp #29: Djinn   "An ancient, free-willed race created from the essence of Fire, much as man was created from Earth. They prowled the land at night, vanishing with the first rays of dawn. Myths surrounding the Djinn paint them as many things: benevolent champions of mankind and slaves to mad sorcerers, malicious incubi / succubi and energy vampires, or malevolent harbingers of madness and disease. The Djinn are ruled by Iblis, the Prince of Darkness, who bears unspeakable contempt for man. The scent of black smoke, of crackling flames, and smoldering ashes. "   Note: Middle of cycle. Imp from littleone101701's sales.   In the bottle: It doesn't seem particularly fiery. Woody, perhaps. Green sandalwood wet with oil, ready to light.   On me: A little smokier, dryer. Like a cedar sauna, with a hint of pine boughs. Nordic.   1 hour+ later: Dry cedar, light smoke and wet rose? Possibly some kind of sweeter incense? Myrrh perhaps? (I have no idea what that smells like.) It lasted strong for several hours, then dropped off almost completely just before I went to note the scent down, so that's making it tricky to describe. I think I get quenched iron in there as well, like the smell of a blacksmith shop, if the smith were working over a wood fire.

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Anne Bonny

Imp #4: Anne Bonny   "A blend of Indonesian red patchouli, red sandalwood, and frankincense."   Note: Mid cycle. Imp fresh from the Lab.   In the bottle: It smells like salt-water soaked teak, the smell of a sailing ship!   On me: Knocked back a little -- mellowed. More feminine. Less patchouli. I like this red patchouli much better than the patchouli in Lust. I still get a whiff of the salt spray. It doesn't seem to have changed much at all, in general.   1 hour+ later: Same as when I first put it on. I like this very much, especially since I enjoy sailing.   [Edit] Anne Bonny has proven to me that it is entirely possible to have too much of a good thing. After liking it so much I applied more so that it wouldn't be just on my wrists, and OMG strong & headachey! It took a while to calm down, but by the end of the night it was back to happy pirateishness.

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Sea of Glass

Imp #5: Sea of Glass   "Upon the Sea of Glass, glowing with the perfection of spiritual union and the radiance of true wisdom, rests the throne of God. A scent of inimitable purity, crystalline grace, and limitless light."   Note: Mid cycle. Imp fresh from the Lab.   In the bottle: Pleasantly citrus and... lily? Gardenia? Very fresh. Somewhat as I would imagine the edge of the sea in Narnia with Reepicheep sailing away. "Where the waves grow sweet...There is utter east."   On me: Wet, I get a lemony fresh almost cleaning product smell, but that goes away fairly quickly. On drydown, I have a fresh, gentle floral aquatic.   1 hour+ later: Stays fairly true to original drydown. It is rather lovely, not an annoying floral, but it is floral none the less. I don't know how much I will wear it.

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O - First BPAL

I decided to try O first. Here goes:   "The scent of sexual obsession, slavery to sensual pleasure, and the undercurrent of innocence defiled utterly. Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla."   Note: Early in the cycle. Imp fresh from the Lab.   In the bottle: This is much sweeter than I expected! Something sharp... but not in a bad way, more bright. I don't know why I didn't expect it to be sweet, looking at the description "Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla." The honey is shouting out here, with a sort of Sweet-Tart-ish tang.   On me: A little mellower, less sweet. The amber is coming out more. The vanilla is just giving it an extra zing. I'm not sure I put enough on to really get a wet stage and a drydown stage. My skin kind of soaked it up before I had a chance to order my thoughts.   1 hour+ later: It still has throw, despite the fact that I only applied a little. I was smelling it a tiny bit as I went about my tasks around the house, without having to sniff at my wrists. It isn't what I expected from other reviews. On me now, it is like warm, aching desire. I'm glad it has morphed into this. Here I go to put a little more on.

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Lust

Imp #2: Lust   "red musk, patchouli, ylang ylang and myrrh."   Note: Early in the cycle. Imp fresh from the Lab.   In the bottle: This smells rather perfumey to me. And red. Like Red Door? Or is that just a totally dissociated scent memory?   On me: The "perfuminess" is starting to mellow. I'm not sure what it is I don't like. Is it the patchouli? Is it the ylang ylang? I'm not sure I've ever smelled red musk or myrrh.   1 hour+ later: This has mellowed down to a light incensy scent, like old books in a sacred library, or the library at Hogwarts, yes, I think this is a Hermione Granger scent -- at least on me. It isn't the lust I was looking for, though. *tear*

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Melpomene

Imp #28: Melpomene   "Melpomene is Tragedy, and the sound of Her voice is filled with beauty, power and strength. She is crowned in cypress branches, holds the mask of tragedy, wears the cothurnus and wields a knife or club. Her scent is rife with pathos, and inspires us with the ability to express our grief, loss, and the pain in our souls in a cathartic, creative fashion: dark cypress with mint, geranium, Bulgar lavender, orange blossom and passion flower."   Note: Middle of cycle. Imp from littleone101701's sales.   In the bottle: Cypress takes the stage. I don't really notice anything else.   On me: Cypress still predominates, but some of the florals come out, blended together nicely, with just a hint of the mint. This isn't a cypress swamp, it is much drier. This is the cypress lane leading somewhere mysterious. Not dry and dead. Alive, but not dripping with life.   1 hour+ later: A quiet, subtle scent. A walk in a wooded lane in autumn. The woods are open below the canopy, with little underbrush to be seen. The trunks soar up tall, orderly and branchless like columns in a cathedral nave, finally reaching out to meet each other near the bright grey sky. The wind is still and the leaves littered across the floor of the wood move to the breeze of your footsteps.

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Seraglio

Imp #26: Seraglio   "In long-ago Arabia, harem girls rubbed an herbal poultice formed from a blend of sensual, luxuriant herbs and oils onto their bodies to prepare themselves for the Sultan's pleasure. This lush, indulgent perfume is based on that ancient formula. Sweet almond and Mysor sandalwood enveloped by a heady veil of Bulgarian Rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove and orange peel."   Note: Middle of cycle. Frimp from the Lab.   In the bottle: The almond and orange really stand out to me. I get a waft of orange Madeleine cake, with a sophisticated bitter edge.   On me: Unfortunately, it gets more sugary on me, and the rose comes out from wherever it was hiding and takes over as the main note.   1 hour+ later: The rose does step back and marry with the other fragrances after a short time. There is not much staying power on me.

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"Sexy"

Ok, I've gone through the Sexy, Smutty, Seductive, Proactive thread about as much as I can stand -- 15 pages. I was looking for specific categories, and of course it all depends on what makes you feel good about yourself, but:   13 #20 Love Oil Aizen-Myoo Alice Anne Bonny Antique Lace Antony Arachne Aureus Baghdad Baobhan Sith Bastet Bathsheba Bathsheba Bearded Lady Beaver Moon Bengal Bewitched Bewitched Black Dahlia Black Lotus Black Opal Black Opal Black Phoenix Bliss Blood Amber Blood Amber Blood Countess Blood Kiss Blood Lotus Blood Rose Bordello Brisingamen Carnal Carnivale Casanova Cerebus Chaste Moon Chimera Coiled Serpent Come To Me Crucible of Courage Dana O'Shee Debauchery Depraved Desire Dia de los Muertos Dirty Dorian Dragon's Heart Dragon's Milk Elegba Embalming Fluid Eve Fae Faustus Fenris Wolf Fire of Love Follow Me Boy Formula 54 Freak Show French Creole Frost Moon Glasya Gluttony Golden Priapus Grog Harlot Haunted Hecate Hellcat Hellfire Hell's Belle Hetairae Hollywood Babylon House of Night Hunger Hunter Moon Incantation Jack Jailbait Juliet Kali La Belle Au Bois Dormant La Belle Dame Sans Merci La Petite Mort Lampades Laudanum Lenore Lilith Lolita Love Me Loviatar Lust Malic Marquise de Merteuil Masquerade Mata Hari Midnight Mi-Go Morgause Morgause Morocco Nemesis New Orleans Noir O Old Athens Old Morocco Old Port Au Prince Old Scratch Old Shanghai Old Sybaris Omen Othello Persephone Perversion Pink Moon Psyche Queen Queen Mab Queen of Hearts Queen of Sheba Rakshasa Rapture Ravenous Red Devil Red Moon Regan Rose Red Sacred Whore of Babylon Salome Samhain Scherezade Seraglio Silentium Amoris Sin Siren Snake Charmer Snake Oil Snow Bunny Snow White Snow White Spanked Spellbound Spooky Storm Moon Succubus Sudha Segara Sugar Skull Swank Tarot: Temperance Tarot: the Empress Tempest The Lion The Star The Unicorn Three Witches Tombstone Tzadikim Nistarim Undertow Urd Veil Velvet Venom Vixen Voodoo Wanda Wanton Water of Notre Dame Whip Wicked Xiuhtecuhtli Yog Sothoth Zombi   The ones I am most interested in trying based on the comments are:   Blood Kiss Blood Rose Love Me Loviatar Lust Morocco O Scherezade Silentium Amoris Sin Snake Charmer Snake Oil Spellbound Sudha Segara Swank The Lion Vixen

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Pannychis

Imp #24: Pannychis   "An attendant of the Goddess Venus. She presides over nocturnal pleasure, nighttime festivities, and all the joy and delight that can be found in the darkness. In later ages, it became the name of the all-night festival that closed the Eleusinian Mysteries. Night-blooming jasmine, moonflower, cardamom, sandalwood, black currant, ylang ylang, frankincense and lily."   Note: Middle of cycle. Imp from littleone101701's sales.   In the bottle: Sandalwood takes the front with the jasmine. Not sure if I can distinguish any of the other notes.   On me: The sandalwood moves back and the jasmine and lily dominate with a spicy background from the cardamom and frankincense. I'm not sure if I can identify the moon flower, but in general I get a well blended floral scent from this.   1 hour+ later: The floral moves back some and it becomes more spicy and more balanced. Unfortunately, this doesn't have a lot of staying power on me.

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Whys & Wherefores

Here's the grouping I expect them to fall into:   Woodsy:   Anne Bonny - A scent several people recommended for Zoe -- woodsy & sexy to boot! Tintagel - ancient magical forest! Hamadrayd - I remember fiddledragon especially liking this one - deciduous forest.     Aquatic: Sea of Glass - it sounds so clean & makes me think of Ys. Also recommended by zankoku_zen. Neo-Tokyo - Recommended for Serenity & Steam Punk, according to zankoku_zen. Prague - After all the raves on Danube on the Aquatics post, people said this was the river version of the saltier Danube.   Sexy: Blood Kiss - debated between this and Blood Rose for all the reviews, went with zankoku_zen's rec. O - "defiled utterly" sounds more my style than "sugared with vanilla". Lust - Lust in a bottle & highly recommended in the sexy stuff thread & by zankoku_zen. - Slinky subset: Swank - Pommegranate (my favorite fruit) that doesn't sound too sweet like Persephone. Recs in sexy thread. Sin - Described as slinky in a dark blue dress. - Exotic subset: Scherezade - Exotic, highly recommended on the sexy thread & by zankoku_zen.

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Aquatics

According to the General Recommendations Post , folks recommend the following aquatics:   Amsterdam Apothecary Bayou Black Pearl Blue Moon City in the Sea Cold Moon Cthulhu Danube Desdemona Dragon's Tears Dublin Empyreal Mist Glasgow House of Mirrors Hurricane Jolly Roger La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente Lightning Lurid Mock Turtle's Lessons Neo-Tokyo Niflheim Obatala Old Glasgow Ophelia. Paris Penthus Prague R'lyeh Sea of Glass Shattered Szepassony Tarot:Temperance Tears The Isle of Demons The Lady of Shallot The Pool of Tears The Unicorn Two, Five & Seven Ulalume Undertow Virgo/Harlot Water of Notre Dame Yemaya Zephyr   Some sound more floral, etc. I will need to see how my skin reacts. From the descriptions there, the most appealing look to be:   Danube Empyreal Mist Jolly Roger Neo-Tokyo Niflheim Prague R'lyeh Sea of Glass

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Libertine

Imp #25: Libertine   "Like a puffed and reckless libertine, Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads.   Rosewood and chamomile with bergamot, violet, red sandalwood, primrose and Arabian musk. "   Note: Middle of cycle. Imp from fruitycake's sales.   In the bottle: To me, this is "perfumy".   On me: On me, the bad perfume smell goes away immediately, and I get a rich dark musky floral. I don't know which flower does it, but I get a Victorian feel from this. It is plush velvets, a roll-top rosewood desk, and a man writing with a nibbed pen.   1 hour+ later: It stayed true for as long as I stayed awake, which wasn't really all that long. I don't know if the scent helped me fall into that rich darkness, or if it was just the time of night.

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First Order arrived!

I just received my first order from the lab, and I can't wait to try it out! Of course, it's something I will do better to avoid, since I am about to go out and join friends, and I have no idea of my body chemestry. Still, I will try one tomorrow morning.   I received my order: Anne Bonny, Blood Kiss, Hamadrayd, Scherezade, Swank, O, Lust, Sea of Glass, Sin, Neo-Tokyo, Prague, and Tintagel.   Plus, I received two free imps: Seraglio The Bow and Crown of Conquest   Funnily enough, the package smelled a lot like stepping into Raven's Nest Herbals. From that, I really feel that true oils were used.

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Woodsy

Also according to the General Recommendations Post, here are woodsy scents:   Anne Bonny Aquarius Belladonna Black Forest Burial Capricorn Darkness Golden Priapus Hamadryad Intrigue Jabberwocky Kweku Anansi Loup Garou Omen Seance The Hesperides Tintagel Tombstone Ulalume Umbra Val Sans Retour Wolfsbane   I am most interestedin more hardwoods type forrests, with dirt & leaves, and mosses... the following look most promising based simply on that post:   Burial Hamadryad Kweku Anansi Tintagel Val Sans Retour   Ok, well Val Sans Retour wasn't in that post, and it isn't even out yet, but I had to read the reviews earlier. After all, it's the Val Sans Retour, in Broceliande, Breizh.

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Tzadikim Nistarim

Imp #23: Tzadikim Nistarim   "Also called the Lamed Vev, two letters in the Hebrew alphabet that translate to the number thirty-six. In this violent, ugly, strife-riddled world of ours there are thirty-six men, the Hidden Just Men or Hidden Saints, who bear on their shoulders the burden of all our pain, sorrows and sins. The Tzadikim Nistarim move in obscurity, and are usually found among the poor, the downtrodden and the meekest among us, and are chosen for this task because of their righteousness, stalwart sense of genuine justice, and the true goodness of their souls. When one of these men dies, God chooses another to take his place. It is for their sake and for love of them that God does not destroy His imperfect creation. As long as the Lamed Vav serves humanity, the world will continue to plod on, but once one of them dies and God cannot find another worthy to take his place, the world will be destroyed. In Qabala, the thirty-six men of the Tzadikim Nistarim together combine to symbolize the seventy-two bridges, corresponding to the seventy-two names of God, that connect the concealed and revealed worlds of our universe. The scent is one of unadulterated spiritual purity, with a taste of the world's eternal pathos, and the joy of suffering with grace: frankincense, olive, spikenard, hyssop and galangal."   Note: Beginning of cycle. Imp from littleone101701's sales.   In the bottle: Sweet, wet, and green, with a spicy finish. I am not really familiar with any of the actual notes, except olive, so I am not surprised that I cannot pick them out. It does not strike me as olive   On me: Barely sweet at all, more spicy, but sunny high notes rather than sultry low notes. I like this stage on me, and I think it would also be good on a man.   1 hour+ later: Stays fairly true to original drydown. Good throw. Sun shining down on softly glittering ancient sandstone buildings.

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Skin Impacts Scent

I have several concerns with scent usage, as follows:   1) I have rather dry skin, and I am afraid that I will need to be a slatherer. I would like to have good unscented lotion that I can use to couteract this, but I don't know what to look for. There was a thread, but I lost track of it. I am alergic to some things, so I have to look for a number of options, just in case. Right now, I am using 100% Cocoa Butter, which -- logically -- makes me smell faintly of chocolate.   On the other hand, I had good staying power in the past with just a few drops of Planitary Perfumes on the pulse points.   2) I would like to find (or make) good unscented moisturizing soap, shampoo & conditioner that would work well, and also not conflict with my BPAL scents. For reference, currently, I use Oil of Olay bar soap with shea butter, Aussie Moist shampoo, Garnier Nutrisse Sleek & Shine conditioner. I also use leave in conditioner. My favorite is Sheer Blonde spray in, but I am now using Garnier Nutrisse, or Sheer Blonde detangler & shine gel. Some of this should become unnessisary after I cut a good two feet off of my hair, but I'm not sure how soon that will happen.

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Athens

Imp #21: Athens   "A reformulation and modernization of a true Classical Greek perfume, myrrhine: voluptuous myrrh, golden honey, red wine, and sweet flowers."   Note: Very end of cycle. Imp from littleone101701's sales.   In the bottle: Very sweet but also a tiny bit sour in a good way, like a Flemish sour, which happens to be one of my favorite styles of beer. There is something deep, but the honey jumps out at me, followed by the flowers, making this a bright scent.   On me: Out comes that sour that I like - the wine? -- and especially a spiciness -- myrrh?   1 hour+ later: Still spicy with a light sweetness and light floral. The floral notes remind me of Sea of Glass, but here they are accompanied by a spicy red wine. To me, this scent is a summer evening drinking red wine in the temple gardens.

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Delphi

Imp #22: Delphi   "The smoke of Sacred Incense of Apollo twined through laurel branches, bay, and honey wine."   Note: Very end of cycle. Imp from littleone101701's sales.   In the bottle: Laurel and bay with honey in the background. This is heady and a bit smokey.   On me: The honey steps up a little, and the scent is less green. The notes are more blended. It is becoming more like what I hoped for, but less incense than I expected. I had expected this to be the dark cave of the oracle, but it is the bright day on the field of Olympic competition.   1 hour+ later: Smokier, but still bright. Not much change from initial dry down. I think this will be a good scent to wear to work, as it is not as sultry as Athens.

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Ouija

Imp #17: Ouija   "Lush parlor rooms draped in thick velvets and gilded in gold, unearthly whispering in the distance, fleeting flashes of wraith-like figures rushing just outside your vision, the chill of a phantom presence brushing by your cheek, the inscrutable knowledge that disembodied eyes are peering at you from darkened corners… this is the essence of Victorian-era spiritualism: rosewood, oak and teak notes with wispy blue lilac, tea rose, dried white rose and ethereal osmanthus."   Note: Late cycle. Imp from fruitycake's sales.   In the bottle: I definitely get the rose and maybe something woody.   On me: Lilac comes to the front. I get the feel of an old library full of hard bound books with thick rag-paper pages. A home library in some Victorian, where there are built in shelves along the walls, rather than stacks of books piled close. There is a table in the middle of the room with a centerpiece of dried flowers. A velvety chaise sits in the corner with a Tiffany floor lamp to read by.   1 hour+ later: As time passes, the rosewood and teak emerge. This room is definitely paneled and the table in the center has been polished. Now, the velvet curtains are pulled shut, and it is warm and dark in the evening. Later the blend is mainly lilac with the other notes in the background making it more sophisticated than a simple floral. The old book smell is also kind of an incense smell as well.

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Salomé

Imp #20: Salomé   "A scent that is both coquettish and sinister. Exotic and lush, brimming with grace and viciousness: almond with star jasmine, oakmoss, red sandalwood and Egyptian musk."   Note: End of cycle. Imp from fruitycake's sales.   In the bottle: The sandalwood and musk are strong, with an undercurrent of almond. It invokes a closed room with curtains drawn but fluttering and sandalwood burning in a brazier.   On me: The almond and jasmine come forward, blended together to create one scent that is both and neither. They do not step far forward, and are anchored by the woodiness of the oakmoss & sandalwood and the musk, like a girl dancing in the flickering light and obscuring smoke of the brazier.   1 hour+ later: I really like this. It is what I was hoping for from Scherezade.

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Queen Mab

Imp #13: Queen Mab   "Warrior, Trickster and Goddess of Magic and Poets, she is one of the Tuatha De Danaan and the Queen of the Faeries. A very complex scent, both shadowy and fierce: black orchid, sandalwood, night-blooming jasmine, osmanthus, Somalian rose, and Chinese musk."   Note: Beginning of cycle. Imp from littleone101701.   In the bottle: I recognize the jasmine, blended with some other floral notes and deepened by the musk & sandalwood. It is hard to pick out individual scents.   On me: Jasmine like crazy. Gives it a perfumy feel. Not much throw.   1 hour+ later: soft jasmine

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Aeval

Imp #19: Aeval   "A raven-haired Fairy Queen of Ireland. One of her eternal duties dictates that she must hold a midnight court every season and hear the pleas of married Irishwomen. The court serves only to determine whether or not husbands are adequately serving their wife's sexual needs. A judicious yet powerfully sensual blend, a mingling of justice and sexuality: sage, sweet pea, bold pale musk and warm tonka."   Note: Late cycle. Imp from littleone101701's sales.   In the bottle: A sweet floral with a warm, more sophisticated base.   On me: Sweet and floral with musk in the background. Possibly tonka. I don't smell the sage.   1 hour+ later: A bit less floral and more musky. A very feminine and floral sort of sensual, but a watery floral. I could see this being very good when I am going '20s glam.

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