Category: Unreleased
Perhaps I should preface this with that I'm really not that familiar with fruitcake, my only exposure to it having been a nasty, cold concoction that had all the charm of fossilized Jolly Ranchers buried in road tar. I don't recall it having a scent, and the experience left me with no desire to ever make any of my own, so I've never smelled a freshly-made, *good* fruitcake.
That being said...
In the imp: It reminded me of a sort of bread...a dark, moist, spicy bread with a definite sweetness to it.
Wet: A candy-like scent came out, like gumdrops; it also made me think of brown sugar, and molasses, and, yes, booze...perhaps rum. Definitely something sweet.
Dry: It settles down to a more reserved version of those ingredients...sometimes a more spicy element pokes out, but there's always that sweet tone, as well.
Verdict: I like *this* fruitcake. It's a very evocative scent. I can't see wearing it a lot, but now that I've used the imp I think I'll justify hanging onto it. It's really cute and I'm glad I've gotten to experience it.
What I liked: It's sweet and comforting. I love the mental pictures it gives, even if I do get a vague craving for something moist, sweet, and chewy.
What I didn't like: Hm, nothing really...except perhaps that it makes me fear that no real fruitcake could ever compare to this.
Category: Picnic in Arkham
In the imp: HELLO I WILL BE YOUR CARAMEL SMELL FOR THE DAY
Wet: Still very strongly of caramel, mixed with chocolate...it was almost too overpowering, making me feel as if I had glutted myself on forbidden Halloween candy and eaten myself sick.
Dry: It morphs from the crazy 'wtf?'-inducing candy smell to something...else. I'm wanting to say 'musky', but I don't think that's the right word. Yet it doesn't smell like straight incense, or straight florals. To accurately describe it eludes me...but this is not to say that it is unpleasant, now. In fact, it's a really lovely odor.
Personally, I realized that the candy-like smell actually smelt a lot like the very dregs of burnt-out incense...I am wanting to say myrrh, simply because that's what I've burnt in my house before, and the 'memory' of smell that I have is from that. (And wouldn't myrrh be appropriate, in this case?) Once I realized this, I saw the perfume from an entirely different perspective -- that of smelling an area where a ritual took place, long after the fact, with just enough sweet, seductive malevolence to draw one's attention and keep it.
Verdict: It's a very interesting scent, which I find works on several different levels (especially since the obnoxious caramelness has toned down quite a bit in subsequent days of testing). I don't know if it demands bottle status in my collection, but the imp is definitely worth hanging on to.
What I liked: The caramel was okay, once it calmed the hell down. I like the ultimate end result. It seemed to have a little more throw than what I've been wearing lately, which was nice.
What I didn't like: Getting to that beautiful end result is a bit uncomfortable.
I will simply have to compare this to other 'incense' scents to see if I like anything better. It's not bad by any means, it just may be one of those scents that I'd only wear once in a while.
Category: Diabolus
In the imp: Strongly sweet and fruity.
Wet: Hellooooo Raspberry! It was incredibly strong and sweet, and, oddly enough made me think of 'generic candle smell'...that scent that most candles seem to have to me. I guess I've hung around a lot of berry-scented candles.
Dry: This was the part that has changed the most. I wore this every day for over a week, just because I *wanted* to try to like this scent, or at least give it a fair shake. Initially, it dried as pure raspberry -- sickly sweet and very 'childish', in that I felt like I was about 15 years too old to be wearing this scent. As the days passed, however, I noticed that there was more of a mingling of orange with the raspberry...that was actually a *lot* more pleasing to me. And today, I've noticed that the scent has grown sweeter still, like faint cherries, but unlike the raspberry, it isn't annoying.
Verdict: This scent just isn't for me. It's certainly not bad, and I would advise anyone who is initially put-off by it to give it a chance over time, particularly if you otherwise enjoy cherry-like scents. But there are other scents that I like a lot better.
I'll quit beating this dead horse (or imp) and put it away; perhaps I will think of someone else who would give it the love it deserves.
What I liked: The orange (when it briefly showed itself).
What I didn't like: The raspberry. Just too sickly-sweet for me.
Also, my skin just seems to eat up fruity scents. Waaah! So sad.
Category: Excolo
In the imp: Whoa, that grapefruit is aggressive! I could smell it as soon as I took the stopper out of the imp.
Wet: Very citrusy/fruity, though it quickly had a mellowness to it, which I am assuming was brought on by the tea.
Dry: This is a very fresh, clean, crisp scent; I detected the grapefruit throughout, and also fancied that I smelled the tea...like I was near a fresh, cold glass full of green tea on ice on a summer's day. It's really lovely! Unfortunately, I think my skin eated it, pretty much...it lasted the majority of the day, but now I have to get my nose to my wrist and huff forlornly to get any residual nummy smell. Strangely enough, now that it's been quite a while, I smell a sweet cherry scent, mostly.
Verdict: I like it, really I do. I wish that it came in some form of spray, though, or a lotion...it would be a really great scent to slather on in the summertime, when you're showing lots of skin.
What I liked: Citrus! Whee!!
What I didn't like: The fact that my skin seemed to slurp it up; it didn't throw very much. But hey, maybe in summertime, with short sleeves? I might have better luck.
Category: Excolo
In the imp: Oh my goodness, this was a beautiful scent. It actually brought tears to my eyes for a moment because it was so lovely. Very sweet, definitely redolant with peach, though I could also smell the warm tones of the musk and, I am assuming, amber around it as well.
Wet: Very sweet and peachy. The fruitiness and sweetness predominated.
Dry: The muskier tones come back, but the peach is definitely not to be undermined, and conquers all. It is *almost* a little cloying.
Verdict: I really like this scent, though I am almost thinking that it would be better as a room scent, as unfortunately I think it tends to get a little sour and cloying on me. I'll be willing to try more of it, though.
What I liked: The peach, and I think I liked the amber.
What I didn't like: The fact that yes, I think musk likes to misbehave a little on me. Though thankfully it's just a little.
Overall, I can live with this scent, I just don't feel like it's *perfect* on me. It's so gorgeous, though, that I can't give up on it. I wonder if it would work in a locket, where it is warmed by me but not in contact with my skin. I'll keep the imp around but hold off on getting a bottle for a while, I think.
Category: Bewitching Brews
In the imp: Very, very sweet and floral, with a haze of warm, herbal scent about the edges. When people describe this scent as smelling like a garden, it is very apt.
Wet: The sweetpea comes to the forefront, resonating with a very strong sweetness. It seems like a feminine scent, but one that is more sweetly seductive than powerful and sensual.
Dry: The other notes return; I can definitely smell the musk, and I am assuming that warm tone that envelopes it is the tonka? Now I begin to see why this scent is named after such a fae. It sneaks up on you, but once you become aware of its power it is inescapable, and a little overwhelming.
Verdict: It's very interesting; certainly not a bad mix of scents by any means. I don't know if I would go for a whole bottle of this...I'll be wanting to try other floral-type scents and see how those strike me. It will definitely be a standard that I compare the others to.
I'm a bit relieved that it seems to smell good and 'appropriate', i.e. like the notes that are supposed to be in it, rather than melon-like, sickly-sweet, or just plain icky, as other reviewers had experienced. I'm a little torn on whether or not I like the musk of it...on the one hand, it's nice and warm and strong, and on the other hand it comes dangerously close to turning into 'old-lady' perfume. It may be one of those things that will be iffy on me.
What I liked: The warmth; also the sweetpea was surprisingly good. I will have to keep an eye out for that and tonka in future scents and see if those are the exact notes that I liked.
What I didn't like: The fact that the musk is iffy...almost dangerous, like it could turn on me at any moment. It's less of a dislike than something I'll try to be aware of.
Category: Bewitching Brews
I could not wait to try Absinthe today. I was worried that I would either not wear enough to scent it beyond initial application, or slather it on and overwhelm everyone around me. But I think I did okay.
In the imp: Very lemony. Oddly enough, when I sniffed the applicator, it had that very strong "Lemon Pledge" scent, while in the imp itself the lemon was more subdued and woody...it reminded me of the inside of a wooden cabinet that had been maintained with, perhaps, lemon oil.
Wet: When first applied, it was still quite lemony, though not in an obnoxious way; it quickly toned down to more of a lemon-drop sort of smell -- sweet and sugary. As it dried, the anise hints came through, in a very soft, sweet way; and very quickly, these two scents blended together into a very pleasant amalgam.
Dry: The scent was delightfully subtle, and yet deceptively strong; I couldn't necessarily smell it on myself, but I would find myself scenting just the faintest hint of it if I would walk back over an area I'd just covered. It lasted all day. I would say that the scent was more 'woody' than herbal -- perhaps that's the wormwood? And around the edges, there was that faint, sweet snap of citrus from the lemon.
I really, really like this scent. I'm trying not to make it my favorite just because it was my first, but hey...shouldn't your first time be a sweet, wonderful experience that you *want* to repeat? Preferably, yes. I'll consider buying a bottle of it later on.
Notes that I liked: The lemon. This may mean that I like citrus scents.
No notes that I particularly disliked. I was afraid about the anise, but it was subtle and behaved itself quite well.
Qualities that I liked: The faint woodiness of it, definitely the citrus snap around the edges, the subtle strength and lasting power.
My very first BPAL order came today! I brought in the mail just a few minutes ago. I was excited, but made myself linger over the box, because I love to do so when opening any kind of present.
I had ordered six imps: Absinthe, Aeval, Aglaea, Agnes Nutter, Aizen-Myoo, and Akuma. (Yes, I meant to do that.) Agnes is not available as an imp, as I found out soon after I had placed the order, but whoever had packed my box had kindly substituted Al-Azif for it instead. Hee! Thanks for understanding my wacky system, whoever you are!
I received 3 frimps as well: Fruitcake (I have heard much talk of this scent), Tushnamatay, and Wrath. I love how Wrath is so cutely furious inside its vial, bright cherry red compared to the others.
Mmm, and the very sweet, faint scent that caressed the packing materials, as if to reassure me that these were not going to be like any perfume I had yet smelled. Lovely...
Thank you, oh BPAL dieties. I can't wait to embark on my explorations...what a wonderful way to celebrate the Solstice...
