reina

I am so wary of rose. Usually it turns really soapy, not my thing. Roses are not me. However... somehow, this one works. at first this smells like marzipan with candied orange peel. sensual and sexy in a sort of "castelbajac" way, only much, much bolder. The the orange zest and almonds recede and the rose fades in. At this stage it smells like turkish delight, which I really love. As it dries, the roses take over slowly but surely. They're much less soapy on me than in other blends (although the soap does peek through). All in all, this is a very, very ladylike oriental. I wear it when I want to wear my makeup and bindhi dots on my face or body. Dressy and exotic. I'm not sure this is bottle material, but I definitely like the imp.

this is scary. Honest. This scent creeps me out. I'm not sure what I smell, almost a floral, almost a fruit, but not quite because it seems to have fangs. extremely strong and long lasting, and it's too foreign to my nose - like the red velvet inside of a casket. I don't think that vampires are a sexy thing.

I liked the strong mentholated feel on my skin. The thing is that... that's the only thing I liked about it. The greenery of the eucalyptus fades out pretty quickly, and replaced by strong violets. I didn't expect a lot out of it, because frommy experience, violet and I are really not the best of friends. This just confirms what I knew. I hoped to have more mint there, but it's ok. For mint, I'll stick to Envy, Cathode, etc. If you love violets, this is definitely for you. off and away to the swap pile.

I thought long and hard before trying this oil. the reason for this was mainly the berries. Berries and I do not get along. What's more, I had a feeling that Iris would smell like violets on me, and I hate violets. So here's what I think: This it turned out better than I expected. first on, when the berries are still noticeable, it's a light, pretty casual fruity-floral. Definitely good for a businesswoman as it's a confident smell. However, as time goes by, it turns into a deep, deep, slightly heavy floral. The Iris takes the center stage and becomes a ladylike, slightly powdery scent. it's as if the businesswoman from the day changed into a dark purple velvet strapless evening gown, with full length satin gloves in the same color. I'd definitely expect to smell this on ladies at an opera house. Very good lasting power, too. I could still smell it on my skin 10 hours after application. I'm not sure how "me" it is, but I'm keeping the imp. ETA: the Iris in Florence combined very nicely with the rose in Seraglio (left on my jacket sleeve from the previous night), I'll try layering them up and see what comes out. Should be interesting.

I cannot believe I've had an imp of this for 4 months and never reviewed it. It smells fresh, cool and casual. Fruit-ish blends usually don't work on my skin, but this is fab. I get the fruit, a bit of floral, and as it dries on my skin, the amber shows its presence. I usually don't like the scent of Amber, but here it works very well. it's definitely rainforest, jewel-toned cool green. So much so that I wore it to complement my Purim costume, which was that of Irakere, a fictional Jungle Goddess. Listen to a track by Juan Luis Guerra called "Areito" to get my feeling of this scent. Shimmering green like raindrops on a leaf when the sun comes out after a rain storm.

this must be said: I hate gardenia. I hate patchouli. Rose goes really soapy on me. I'm wary of amber and how it turns out on my skin. So how, in the name of all Greek deities, does it work so well on me??? it had that fresh pear-like quality when it first hit my skin. as it develops, the fruit deepens. The sweetness stays the same, but there's this undertone of deep notes, like a dark velvet sheet on which a swet juicy pear/watermelon is layed, and flowers are scattered. The flowers come out too, and now it's more floral than fruity. it's really a rich floral more than anything else, terrifically pleasant even though it has gardenia in it (gardenia and I are not good friends). what is most apparent in it, though, is that it makes me want to giggle and sing. it's this grin that is tickling you on the inside until a smile comes out. I don't know why, maybe it's the psychosomatic effect of knowing that this blend is named after the only person who can uplift a grieving mother. Beth, how do you do it? all in all, it's lovely. I can imagine wearing this lovely blend to a night of cuban salsa in Tel Aviv with the funniest salsa instructor in the country (he's a professional stand-up comedian!). This could associate with some great times. Great job, Beth! ETA: it lasted a long, long time on me. I appied it at midnight, and it was still apparent on my skin at 9:30 AM. The only problem is the drydown which combines the qualities that I find less pleasant in each note. the patchouli and rose and gardenia (I think?) turned into some kind of a stale, slightly sour sweaty soap scent. however, It's worth it just for the first few hours where it makes you giggle. all in all, It's a keeper.

Yes, narcissus. I'm identifying this smoky-ish note that appeared in "Pride". It's there from the start. I just applied it, and it's coming out strongly. Shame about that, in the bottle is was so cool, sweet, clean... gorgeous! Now the narcissus is blooming on my skin, and it tarnishes the snow. I'll keep going with this scent, other than the narcissus it's extremely pleasant and totally within my comfort zone. if the narcissus fades with time, I'll wear it.

I've just recieved a bunch of imps from a very generous fellow forumite (thank you! ), and one of them was Kali. This is the only blend with lotus that works on me. seriously. At first I was taken aback because at first sniff it smells like an alcoholic chocolate truffle (which great, but not as fragrance). I decided to give it a chance. Red wine usually doens't work well with my chemistry. I could smell it while the oil was drying down, but somehow the honey and florals are more prominant. evetually they take over. So there it is on my skin 7 hours later, honeyed oriental blooms with just a smidgen of wine. I like it a lot. I'm blown away by the fact that it has lotus and hasn't turned all bubblegum on me. I'll be wearing this to the big salsa party on Saturday night.

ok, so there's this guy I used to date, and we kept in touch, stayed friends since... Now, his fave perfume is Boucheron's "Jaipur Pour Homme", which is somewhat sweet, spicy, with some citrus a tiny bit floral. I guess it could be described as a sweet-ish oriental blend. I checked for the note list on Sephora and here's what it says: Heliotrope, Bergamot, Amber, Lemon, Vetiver, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, Tonka Bean. He likes the cinnamon in it, thats what he told me... so I'm looking for a BPAL blend that would suit him with these notes, or maybe even something that could be layered to achieve an even sexier effect. Any suggestions?

Cassanova might work. thanks for the suggestions! I think the problem with Eclipse and Chimera are the lack of citrus to balance out the sweeter notes. I think I had an imp of Eclipse, and I'm not sure he'd go with it... I'm not sure I'd be able to get close to him... I didn't mention that there's a chance that we'd get back together. We're going out to a party tomorrow night.

here are ones I wear when I want to feel freshly showered and extra clean: Neo Tokyo Envy Oneiroi Chiroptera very fresh, flowers and herbs...

Queen (voodoo blend) is good stuff, so is Snake Oil, although for seduction purposes I use Xiuhtecuhtli (more sensual rather than sexual). it makes me feel radiant, as if Im glowing from within, and at my most beautiful. What I'm saying may sound obvious, but here goes: it's always, always about what makes you feel the most comfortable in your skin, and the most in touch with your senses. There's no exact formula for this other than your feeling and nose. Some women feel lethally sexy wearing lotus or rose or gardenia blends, others get their kicks from plumeria or jasmine, or even ylang ylang, others from vanilla, cinnamon, cloves... and others from myrrh or patchouli... whatever works for you. Some even get their sexed-up vibe from fruity blends. Go for whatever makes you glow. No man can resist a woman comfortable in her own skin.

Wanda has that grape-ish quality. mind you, its blended with rose and all kinds of other notes, but the grape is there. You might want to try Medea too.

Gucci Eau de Parfum? that big square bottle with a round cap. I don't like it but it likes me. it turns into a nice, clean yet deep powdery scent on my skin. a little sweet, but just a little. any BPAL scents that would work along those lines? other scents that agree with my chemistry are Gucci Rush, Emporio She by Armani (the long golden bottle), Emporio He Armani (the matte black bottle), Emporio Night (woman) by Armani, Escada Magnetism, "Dolce Vita" and "Hypnotic Poison" by Dior. however, I must note that the scent of Lush's "Gavarnie" soap works perhaps the best. oh, btw... jasmine & neroli agree with my skin, roses don't.

On application, this smells fruity, I get this berry thing that smells a bit like grapes. It smells a bit like vitamin chews, the chalky kind that kids get - not gummy-bear style. then I get a floral. it isn't really dry on me, so I'll have to add more to this post later on. ETA: now that this dried out, the chalky bit has gone, the berry stays, the floral gets a little more room to show itself in. No ginger there. I'm not entirely sure what musk smells like. Anyway, the berry is the dominant note. it's nice, definitely more pleasant than Wanda for example, but still not something I imagine I can wear. I'll give it to someone who'll appreciate it more than I do.

Pele or Endymion for Wedding Day Snake Oil or Hunger for Wedding Night Have a good one, and a happy life together.

Snake Oil... mix a drop or two of it with some almond oil, and apply it to damp skin (straight out of the shower or bath) as a sort of body lotion. your skin will smell subtly of vanila and some spice, all over. that's sensual. Another totally sexy blend is Xiuhtecuhtli, a subtle glow kind of scent. terrifically pretty, not at all an overtly "I want to f*** your brains out" kind of perfume. it's more a gentle kind of "come hither, I want to caress you" smell. laid back, like a woman very comfortable in her own skin and senses.

Sudha Segara... smells like chai to me, it's very light and lovely. No garden notes there, no florals, nothing. just ginger and a sweet-ish creamy note - it's my casual wear scent.

Neko, here's a warning... Black Dahlia is by no means light or gentle.... might just be my aversion to gardenia, but I had to wash it off maybe 10 minutes into wearing, it was just getting more & more cloying.... I recommend Libertine. it's gorgeous, feminine and soft. not too heavy on the nose. Anything with geranium (Ave Maria Gratia Plena, Goneril...) tends to get soapy, and it's not a very gentle note... so I'd be careful not to overdo it. Dissipation was good, alas, it's discontinued. it had a sexiness to it, powdery light green flower would be the best description. But feminine and gentle. Shame it's gone. Pele's good, I hope it won't disappear on you within 10 minutes like it did on me. if you can get it to last, then it's def. a romantic scent. Xiuhtecuhtli is amazing. The floral part in it is one of the most creamy, sexy, and subtle floral notes I've ever worn. It has some sweet orange on top to give it spark, and smoke to deepen it, but the most part in it are the flowers. I don't know which part of it your skin will choose to amplify, but if it's the floral, you're in for a treat.

good that someone mentioned Venice is red, definitely - berries and rose... how about Persephone (roses and pomagranate)?

this has the same baby powder type thing Queen and a non-BPAL blend called Kus-Kus. Myabe putting more on will solve that thing, but since I smell myrrh and amber, then... well I'll have to see about this. It's nice for what it is, but I'm not sure it's really me. oh, um... just wanted to say... For some reason, I don't know if it's related to this blend being on my wrist all day, I found some serious fascination in thoughts of doing a certain guy I know up the bum.... Might be just coincidental, but I've never thought of him this way before...

this reminds me of something Chanel was likely to produce back in the day. Which in most cases would mean something I'd run away from as fast as I could, well maybe a little slower than I would from Patchouli but still pretty darn fast. but no. This is very feminine (not girly in the least!), somewhat heady at first but shifts into something softer as time goes by. This is good for the evening. I'm keeping this one.

this seems to be a potentially lethally sexy evening scent! believe it or not... I didn't expect a voodoo blend to smell this good for non-ritual purposes... This, I'm sure, will do a better job even than Queen. it's like a take on the smell of a natural jasmine bush - like a rare exotic flower. Something I always wanted to smell like. omg this is unique and I WILL wear it to salsa tomorrow.

quite potent, but not to the point that it bowls you over. somewhat floral, it is indeed feminine, but not sweet. I would consider it clean, but there's something in it that doesn't quite fit that word. Very nice, I think I'll keep it.

this smells like a lemony version of Midnight, with a touch of herb. it's less sweet than Midnight, which is good. I like this a lot. definitely a keeper!