Imbrium

I absolutely adore Dandelion single note. It is green, bitter, and to me, smells very much like I've just stuck my face in the actual plant. At least, when it's wet. When it dries, I find that SN Dandelion takes on a bit of a sweet quality that, while it certainly smells nice, is less reminiscent, to me, of Dandelions themselves, and more like a sort of nondescript Dandelion blend--like Roadhouse, without the grit. Dandelion does not, sadly, last terribly long on my skin. I'll keep reapplying cheerfully as long as I can, but oh, how I wish it stuck around!

Narcissus, I am happy to declare, is nicer on my skin than it seems to have been for others. It certainly does have a sharp, pungent quality, but it does not turn plasticky or too perfumey; instead it really does smell true to my memories, at least, of the flower itself. My father used to grow them every year, in a gravel-filled pot on our kitchen counter. This single note smells so very much like that, with a background biting quality that reminds me of stems and leaves. Ultimately? Narcissus is still not quite me--I am more of a tulip girl, myself and this leans more toward the lily side of the bulby-flowers family, as far as I can tell--but I do like it.

I've had a bit of Bergamot single note in my possession for a while, and I can't believe I never wrote a review for this one! Right off the bat, this is bright, clean citrus--more lemony, to my nose, than orange or other citrus. It is the bright note I smell in Dorian, when it's wet--or, rather, it's the bright note I smell in just about any earl grey tea, as well as Beth's blends that include earl grey as a note. On it's own, though, and on my skin, it...well, honestly? It smells like fruit loops. Delicious (I am a big, big fan of fruit loops), but not exactly a quality I want to emphasize in my perfume choices. Bergamot, at least in large quantities, is sadly not for me.

I have to admit, The Penitent Magdalen was one of the few bottles I've purchased based on concept alone--it (the painting) has some personal, sort of nostalgic, significance for me. About half the notes are things that tend to be good on my skin, the other half, I either didn't recognize, or they...don't really seem to get along with my skin. Oh, god, I lucked out, though. Because this is really, really nice. At first, in the bottle and on the skin for, oh, the first half an hour to 45 minutes, I get sharp lily of the valley--it reminds me of those sort of old french soaps in lily of the valley, violet, etc--that's the sort of feel I get from the initial stages of this scent. Not bad, but not particularly appealing to me--if this were a bit stronger, or not balanced by something gentler, I think it would be headache inducing. Once dry, however, this just sort of unfolds softly on my skin. I seem to amp musks a fair bit, and this one is no exception, but it does not overpower the blend as some other scents do. Instead it stays close to the skin, and warm and just...hmm, hard to explain, I suppose, because it really is well blended--I'd guess this is the sandalwood, amber, and honey rounding things out and grounding the musk, but it's hard to say--I rather feel like I'd be hard pressed to pick out particular notes that stand out. Instead it's sort of a seamless, warm, and feminine blend. Okay, long story short: I love it. I will be wearing this one a lot.

Wow, Paduan Killer Swarm apparently does wackily different things on my skin! I bought it because I was hoping for a nice complex coconut scent, but for me, the coconut fades into the blend almost instantly. Applied wet, I smell the licorice, predominately, and something sweet and spicy in the background. When it dries, though, the spices come to the foreground, and something about the way they combine on my skin really, really reminds me of Pumpkin King--which happens to be my BPAL Holy Grail scent. So, you know, I'm kind of, um, insanely psyched about Paduan Killer Swarm. It's not identical, of course--sweeter, creamier, and lighter than PK (especially a few hours in to the drydown, as the tonka-creaminess grows more and more prominent), but the combination of the cinnamon, clove, and ginger, and the resins, I think, that ground them, makes this a really nice substitute. I will need MOAR bottles of this one!

Some time ago, a very kind forumite gifted me with an imp of this in a swap. I read the notes and thought, I can imagine why it's so popular, but it doesn't sound like me. Then I promptly put it in my imp box and went blissfully on with my life...until something possessed me to try this out tonight. Oh. My. God. This smells amazing. Somehow, the notes listed combine on my skin to create this warm, creamy vanilla--not foody, and not resin-y/spicy the way that the vanilla single note is on me--balanced with musk, perhaps? Possibly the dry woods? Warm and comforting, it sits close to the skin and reminds me of the vanilla perfume I used to wear when I was a ridiculous pre-teen--only so much better. WHY WAS I NOT INFORMED? Ahem. In any case, I love this. I absolutely understand what the fuss is about. Luckily for me, Antique Lace develops similarly on my skin. Otherwise, I might possibly go insane and/or broke tracking down more. As it is, I will treasure my imp.

I've been really into certain coconut scents (especially coconut milk, mmmm) this summer, so I had to snap up Tiki Princess when it appeared on the forums! Sadly, it doesn't quite work for me--or, rather, it smells lovely, but is not what I'd been hoping for. In the bottle, I get nice, summery coconut--it reminds me of the coconut smell in sunscreen, which I always associate with the summer (I certainly have to wear enough of it then!). Wet on the skin, the coconut is still dominant, but after half an hour or so, it fades, and Tiki Princess smells like Snow White on me (there is some ingredient in Snow White that my skin amps liek whoa, though). Don't get me wrong, I love Snow White, and I'll certainly hang onto the Tiki Princess, for when my bottle of Snow White is gone. But I'll have to keep looking for a scent that stays coconutty on my skin.

As soon as I read the description of this scent, I knew it was one I really wanted to try, but surprisingly, I took a while to warm up to this one. In the bottle, I smell something just a bit strange--a little bit sour. On the skin, this was initially quite powdery--I suspect the leather note--with the same sort of slight sourness to it. Eventually, it grows sweet--the honey really shifts to the foreground--and the musk slowly comes out to ground things a bit, and keep things from being too toothache-inducingly sweet. On my skin, it really took a good 45 minutes+ to settle down to this phase, where it is subtler, and better balanced. This one has a hell of a lot of throw, too! At the end of the day, I still get an occasional whiff.

Gun Moll pretty much immediately became the standout hit of the C2E2 scents my husband brought home (and I have to add--he knows juuuuust enough about BPAL by now that he was very excited when he found out he got to purchase them from Beth!). In the bottle, this smells quite different from what I'd hoped for. The floral notes--the jasmine in particular--are quite strong, and gives it a sort of classic, department store perfume scent that is not really my cup of tea. On the skin, however, it is a far, far different story! My skin often amps musks, and this skin musk seems to be playing particularly nicely with me, so that this has a warm feel, but the musk doesn't dominate. Instead, I get an incredibly well-blended warm, spicy scent: the amber and the musk are definitely there, and I think the tobacco and clove--it has a similar feel to F54. Perhaps this is the dark fruits, as well? The truth is, it is hard to pick out identifiable notes, which is why I find myself reduced to describing Gun Moll vaguely, in terms of "feel": it is spicy, warm, sticks close to the skin, and is oh-so very sexy. I've been wearing it practically non-stop since trying it!

Almost immediately, Sky City (Before) reminded me of Amsterdam. In my book, that's a very, very good thing. It is light and clean, and a very green scent, with a bit of the sort of fresh water scent that doesn't turn too soapy/ozone-y. I am not getting the dandelion quite as strongly as others seem to--even sniffed the single note again to compare--but the flowers are definitely present from the get-go: nothing too strong, but the kind of cooler floral scent that I tend to associate with bulby-type flowers: tulips, daffodils, crocus, etc. And, perhaps this is just my imagination, but I do feel like there's some hint of asphalt scent in there--the way that streets smell in the summertime, after the rain, rather than the scent of, like, drying, recently-poured asphalt. There is not terribly much throw, though some of that could be me, as lighter florals don't tend to last too long on me. It is pretty, though, and worth reapplying!

Really, I've got little to add to what others have said. At first it's very strong buttery - caramelly butter. However, on me, this fades so quickly that by the time I don't smell the initial strong caramel/butter scent, it's practically gone. I can almost, almost smell it when I but my nose to my wrist, but that's about it. (For anyone interested, what I *do* smell with my nostrils to my skin is a light, creamy vanilla.) I'm conflicted - I thought I would love Mitzvah, and am disappointed that I don't, but at least I don't have to be sad that it's so hard to track down!

Ooh, this is delicious! I barely smell the lemon in this - it's there on application only. However, wet and dry, this smells mostly like the most delicious sugared tea. It's a bit like Dorian, but without the strong musks and vanilla. As it dries, I smell a hint of peach in the background. I love this!

A buoyant, dulcet blend of vanilla, sunflower, carnation, honeydew, peach blossom, lychee, oakmoss and white tea. In its little implet, this smells delicious - sweet, ripe melon, and a hint of tea. Sadly, Fée does not like my skin, whatsoever. Wet, it still smells very melony, and while that's not my favorite scent, it's rather pleasant. However, as Fée dries, something powdery, and almost bitter comes out on my skin. I don't honestly know what's doing it - there are a few notes in Fée that I don't always get along with, but none that react like this. It's a shame, too, because until it touches me, Fée smells really, really good.

The perfect vanilla mint. I love Snowblind. It's absolutely fantabulous. Buttercream frosting, with a minty edge - it's warm and comforting, with only a hint of vanilla, but it has a buttery, foody quality that actually makes my stomach rumble. The mint is stronger when it's wet; dry, it has an almost boozy quality to it - a boozy background. However, I only smell that note when I put my nose to my skin. If I just sit here with Snowblind wafting up at me - and it does have a fair amount of throw - I just smell buttercream, with the barest hint of mint folded in. Someone please remind me that I shouldn't drink this stuff?

Others have clearly explained the wait time, and why it is what it is, but I'll add this: I've paid through paypal and through cc now. If you use paypal, then clearly, you pay right away. If you pay via cc now, your card is charged when the lab retrieves your order from cc now - not when you first place the order, and not when the order is shipped. And, for what it's worth, I've been getting my orders after 5 or 6 weeks.

In December, the skeletal, ice-rimmed fingers of winter take hold, and the nights are long, chill and dark. The first flurries of snow touch the land, and the earth itself becomes quiet. A scent of purity and silence, soft with falling snow, as dark as Midwinter: an icy flurry over the winter blooms of narcissus, pansy crocus, dahlia, tulip, chrysanthemum and white rose, with a hint of fir and birch. As others have said, this starts out smelling very similar to Ice Queen and Skadi. It has the pine, and the slushy notes, but is without the musk of the former, or the berries of the latter. It dries very light - still predominately pine, but with a light, floral background. I admit, I had high expectations for Snow Moon, as it has some of my favorite, but not often used, notes - tulip and white rose - but in the end, they're not as strong as I had hoped they'd be. C'est la vie; this does still smell very nice, and I'm hopefully that perhaps the rose and the bulby flowers will come out even more in another hour or so.

Initially, this is primarily strawberry - lots, and lots of strawberry. Dry, however, the strawberry is much less present - I smell more honeycomb and pear. The honeycomb smells, to me, like a less sticky-sweet version of the single-note honey, and the pear is reminiscent of D'anjou pear - fresh, and definately pear, but with the smell of the leaves, the stems, the rest of the pear tree, as well. That could be in part the influence of the sweet pea, which is usually very strong on me, but it still has a distinctively pear smell to it. Sadly, I don't notice any vanilla in this. Sometimes, it seems to have a vanilla feel to it, but on me, the honeycomb seems to overpower any other sweet, foody-type scents. Overall - this is definately very silly, but thankfully not too sweet. I couldn't wear Pink Moon, but I think I'll be able to wear Pink Phoenix.

At first sniff, this is almost all cassia, and it goes on the same way, smelling of mostly warm spices - cassia and a hint of patchouli. This is nothing like I expected it to be, when it dries down. I was expecting a very bold scent, and was a little nervous, as patchouli and plum and I don't often get along. However, it's very light on my skin - I can barely smell it, even when I put my nose to my arm. It's still warm and spicy, but the red musk is now evident - it's earthy and sexy; I really, really like it. There's something at the base of this that is slightly foodier than I would expect red musk to be - perhaps that's the tonka or benzoin? - and oddly enough, this has an occasional soapy feel to it, but that doesn't turn me off, as I like the clean scents, too. Interesting - this bottle was a bit of a risk for me, and I wound up really liking it.

Ooh, initially, this reminds me quite a bit of Phantom Queen - which I adore; I think they both share an orchid note. Wet, this really is almost entirely orchid, and while it verges on being a little too sweet-floral for my taste, it never quite gets there. Instead, as it dries, the rose starts to come forward, and temper the strength of the orchid note in this. Dry, this is much quieter, almost subtle. It has a warm background - the musk, I think - and a hint of rose and orchid over top. It's elegant, very elegant - but somewhat dark, at the same time. I plot evil, naughty things when I'm wearing Queen Mab.

Man, I cannot pin this one down. It's warm, slightly spicy, and it's cold and clean - with no hint of soap. And, it's very well blended, on my skin - no one note really jumps out at me. As this dries, it gets slightly darker, and a bit fruitier, but still not to the point where I would categorize this as a "fruity" scent; not at all. Instead, I can smell the influence of certain scents - I can tell that there's white musk present, somewhere - but nothing really screams for attention, which I find interesting, given the way musks often seem to stand out on my skin. Overall, I like this. I've never smelled anything else like this, and I'm intrigued.

Hearth 2005 and I, we're not quite the best of friends. Initially, I really like this - warm, buttery, nutty, with a hint of sugar. Dry, this smells - wierd. Indescribable. Slightly bitter, with a hint of amonia. I don't know why. I can't explain it, and I'm heartbroken, because I really, really thought I'd love this - and I did, for 15 minutes of so. I suppose one of these days I'll be breaking down and buying a diffuser, because I don't really want to let go of this one, damn it.

At first sniff, this has a very boozy smell to it - I too am reminded of Bailey's, though it doesn't smell sickly to me. Some people have mentioned getting a sort of floury smell from this, and I get that too. I happen to love baking, and the smell of flour, so damn, I like this. It's less cheesecake than cupcake - red velvet cupcakes, or maybe something angel foody - and I'm glad of that, as I really only enjoy cheesecake in moderation. I almost didn't order this one, but a friend pm'd me and more or less instructed me to. Yay for her! I really like good ol' Beaver Moon.

Clearly, I am a very, very naughty girl, as I too got Spanked! I'll preface this by saying that I'm reviewing this scent in front of my spice cabinet, so that i can compare the early, very spicy stages to my cooking spice stock. At first sniff, this is reminiscent of Blood Moon - spicy and very sexy, and while the spice is certainly predominately cardamom, it does smell like there's a hint of cinnamon in there as well. Perhaps that's the influence of Beth's patchouli? As this dries, it changes quite a bit - it gets a boozier, and less spicy, until I can smell almost nothing. On me, leather sometimes smells like leather, and sometimes smells like nothing. Sadly, this is one of those instances in which I can barely smell it, so Spanked becomes a hint of spiced booze. Ultimately, this is gorgeous - a truly sexy scent in all stages - and would be killer on someone without my chemistry, but it's not quite me.

Initially, this really does smell quite a bit like Skadi - strong pine, a bit of berry, and something unidentifiable underneath it all. Initially. Snow Bunny dries down very differently from Skadi. The pine and the sweet berry smell fadequite a bit, settling into a very subtle background, behind what smells like the teeniest bit of white musk, or possibly something vanillic. This is everything I'd hoped it would be - a scent with a clear, classic holiday feel, but with notes that make it wearable all the time.

Peacock Queen is pure rose - velvety, and haughty. As others have mentioned, this lacks the strong greenery of Rose Red - it's not a freshly cut rose so much as a full, mature bloom - or several dozen full, mature blooms - sitting in a vase. This is elegant, and absolutely perfect for a rose lover like me. Hell, it's probably perfect for those who don't love rose, as well.