reina

sweet (but not too much), powdery, soft, relatively light... but I have a feeling it will stick to my skin. very nice! There are resembalnces between this blend and Ave Maria Gratia Plena... but I think I like this better. Yes, I do.

ooh, lavender! now, I'm really not a big lavender fan, but this has a certain sweetness to it most others don't have, might be verbena or something else, like sweetened Earl-Grey tea. two notes I usually don't go for, but this blend smells really good on me. If I were a man I'd wear it. what's more, I suspect my dad will love this! ETA: it fades into something sweet that reminds me of some rein. Amber? I don't know, but I think it would smell better on a man. On to my date. it's a bit too sensual for my dad.

well, I got an imp of this from BabyKitty, and a 5 ml bottle from Cinder. And thank you both for it! if you're a Lush fan, this will remind you a lot of Coolaulin conditioner. If you're a Sage Machado perfume fan, this will remind you of Onyx. Now, the thing is that while I like the coconut note in this, there's one note that I think I could do away with. I think that might be the Orris. While, Sage's Onyx smells ok on me (nothing mind-numbingly gorgeous just pretty nice), Black Pearl has this sweet note that I could do away with. Black Pearl is very sweet and exotic, and would be gorgeous on someone else. So, I have a 5 ml bottle + 1 imp of this, and look to the Swaps forum in the next few days while I sort the other imps out.

there's spice in this, and resins, and maybe some herbs but by god I can't place any of them. it's like nothing I've ever smelled before. Very Unique. I know this review isn't very useful, but that was my two scents. I'll have to wear it again to see exactly what gives.

I got a full 5 ml bottle of this from Cinder. Thank you so much for that HUGE package, I'll make it up to you! It's good I got a bottle of this, because this blend is totally in my comfort zone, and very light too so I can see some slathering going on. it's lovely. The ginger note in this is soft, and not sweet, but something else sweetens it up just a touch to make it glow. Really, a soft warm glow. My color association for it is a pale shimmering gold. This would be my casual days perfume. Gorgeous!

The only image I get is Vicks. it's got that camphor-y quality to it, but with a sweeter edge. It's not my thing at all, I must say... I think it would smell beautiful on the right man. So, I'm giving this out to someone who'll be able to fully appreciate its' qualities.

After the lavender dies down, it turns sweet-ish. I think it's the amber. It's a lovely scent, but on a man. I'm giving this imp (along with Chypre) to a guy I'm dating. totally sexy, he smells so good as is, now he'll smell even better!

Rum extract. STRONG RUM EXTRACT! Wafts like there's no tomorrow. reminds me of chocolate balls and all the tasty but really bad for you things we used to eat at birthday parties when we were six years old. Unfortunately, this is not something I'd like to smell like. Oh well, up for swaps.

Got this in an immense swap from BabyKitty. Thank you! smells a like an expensive floral soap. Pride smelled like baby soap. This and Pride are sisters. Not that it's a bad thing, if I want to smell very clean I'll wear it, I'll just have to decide which imp I want to keep. my nose is leaning towards Dove's Heart.

I got this from my swap faery (Thank you Lana! ) along with Darkness and Twilight. Unfortunately, I think that lilac is a problem note for me. I've tried lilac in other blends by Sage, and unfortunately, it doesn't go well with my chemistry. I think the Dragon's Blood note might be a problematic note too for that cherry-ish tone it has, and I I'm not too fond of cherries (nor almond, which is a similar note) on my skin, as I've disocvered through Tarot: Ace of Cups. Dragon's Eye became very loud and soapy in a bad way, the lilac took over almost immediately. it had an undertone that I didn't like as well. so, unfortunately, this will be up for swaps. I'm sure it will be lovely on the right person.

sweet, nocturnal bouquet of flowers. I would guess that the image that would capture the essence of this scent would be a flower arrangement all in very dark blue and violet. on me it was on the verge of becoming overly sweet. once that sweetness fades, the overall floral note is rather nice. It's a keeper, I like it. I can't imagine wearing this very often, it doesn't go anywhere near the perfection of Xiuhtecuhtli's floral note, but I'll finish the imp up. all in all, 3 stars out of 5. good job!

I'm not sure scorched is the accurate word to describe this blend. parched is more like it. it's dry, indeed. herbal and bone-dry. very masculine, like taking a shower with a very manly smelling soap, just without the water - if that makes sense. it smells pretty nice on me, but I bet it would smell even better on a man. So this is going to the next guy I know who favors dry scents. all in all, good work, beth!

I got an imp of this thanks the wonderful Cinder (thanks! ) I was really looking forward to trying this. Unfortunately, I can only say that I probably don't get along with almond too well. I didn't particularly like the initial phase, and sadly as the fragrance went along it didn't do anything for me. I'm glad I tried it, though.

all I can say is that I guess that the mint sweetens up on me before it dissipates and the bergamot doesn't work with my chemistry at all, it's that same strong chewed chewing gum note that I get in Oneiroi, but in this it's just.... nah. up for swaps.

hmmmm... I got this in a swap yesterday, and I tried it on. reminds me of a small spoiled child with a cold. vicks and marshmallows. then the menthol-ishness goes and I'm left with an blah synthetic white chocolate scent. it's a bit nauseating. up for swaps it goes.

I got this imp from the wonderful Cinder (thank you!). this blend sounded intriguing straight from the decription. on first sniff, I must say I didn't expect much from this straight from the imp. However, as I wore it, it became quite a lovely sweetness of the type that Bvlgari Pour Femme has on some women (but not on me), kind of powdery, dry and light at the same time. Hard to describe. But whereas that Bylgari scent has this effect with Jasmine, Dissipation does it with a woody green sweet note, maybe a floral that I can't place and need the single note to identify. very good everyday scent, definitely a keeper. possibly even larger bottle material.

I put this on at 1:30 PM. Aha! now I know what all those mass-produced summer perfumes aspire towards. I can just imagine wearing this on a hot humid day in Tel Aviv. in fact, I'm going there tomorrow to pay for my salsa instructors course. I'll be wearing this. it is very clean and comfortable, yet still very elegant. Like a well kept woman in linen, white trousers and a white blouse, yet still manages to look tailored, no matter how casual the look. The citrus amplifies itself on me 5 minutes after application, such a fresh scent. I don't get anything leafy, no tea or bamboo or anything I associate with botanicals. all I get is just a sweet, somewhat soapy fruity-floral blend of things. I guess the cherry blossom is what makes this seem like a luxurious body wash. half an hour into wearing this it starts smelling a bit like generic department-store perfume. That's a phase I like less, but it doesn't last long enough to make it a real issue. It fades relatively quickly, which is unfortunate. I wanted it to last all day long. however at ten past 9 PM I can still smell a faint trace of it on my skin. so, so fresh. I would kill to have a laundry powder smell like this. oh, has anyone tried to make linen spray (or ironing water) with BPAL? This is the perfect one for this, I'd like to know how to. Or could this be longer lasting as body oil? I really want to smell like Neo-Tokyo all day long. this may very well be the first fruity blend that works with my chemistry. That's a big, joyous surprise. Definitely a 5 ml in the future. Especially since I see my future more clearly now and it seems like it'll be spent in the subtropical climate of Tel Aviv (try 31 C 75% humidity, that's summer for you, almost like Bangkok). The world needs more of this.

Evokes sheer, unadulterated carnal lust. An undeniably warm and sensual scent. Black narcissus, orange blossoms, and vanilla. got this thanks to northernminx (thank you!) strong, strong, strong. to the point of being medicinal. there's a sweetness to it that is way too much to handle. Not nauseating as Black Dahlia, but right now 45 minutes into wearing this, I can't say it's pleasant, and I don't want to smell like that... I'm waiting for it to soften up. hope that in an hour it'll be more tolerable. I'm patient. ETA: it's been a couple of hours, and it has softened indeed. it is tolerable, and pleasant, yet now I know why it smelled familiar: Christian Dior "Poison", only better. this is very sweet, and pungent. I would like to pass it on to someone who would fully appreciate it. up for swap it goes.

I got this courtesy of Lady Ravenglass. Thank you! in the vial the lavender dominates, creating an almost medicinal note, like tea tree. once applied though, the lavender fades in seconds. A strong sweetness comes through, and boy, does it waft! I can smell it very clearly, and my wrist is a foot and a half away. The jasmine dominates, while there's a certain sweet note in the backround that smells familar... oh yeah, that's the note I recognize from Deimos - Bergamot. An hour or two later, the jasmine softens, but the bergamot keeps it sweet.... it's a sort-of-floral sweetness, the lavender comes peeking out again very demurely. as I'm writing thisreview, 4 and a half hours after application, it is reminiscent of baby powder. it's faded, softened, and doesn't waft anymore, but it's very present on my skin. I love this blend, even though it's very strongat first, it smells very comfortable to me, I'll be wearing it regularly. Good job, Beth!

hmmmm... interesting. I got this thanks to Merveilleuse (thank you!) First of all, let it be noted, it's strong. can get slightly overbearing during the first minutes, but as with all BPAL scents, patience is a virtue. 15 minutes into wearing: well, I never knew that Pride smelled like baby soap. In Israel there's a baby soap called Kamil Blue, and this smells pretty similar. I think it's the combination of the Narcissus in this, because I know that Rose on it's own doesn't smell like that on me. So it's baby soap for grown-ups. one hour into wearing this (as I'm writing now): a more sophisticated floral is starting to seep out behind the baby soap. I'm getting into the shower in an hour, and I'll see how this develops. I think I'll be wearing this to salsa tonight, as Pride is the main feeling I have now. I got accepted to a salsa instructors course, and I'm feeling just grand. overall, not bad at all, it's a keeper.

got this imp courtesy of ismene, and here's what I think. to put it in one sentence: if I were a man, I would've loved it. that being said, I'm not a man. that punch of lavender is pungent, and a little does go a long way. it's soapy, but not in a bad way. I have a feeling that violet and I don't get along. I tried Lush's Bathos the other day and it triggered a headache. here it's definitely not as intense so no headache, but either my skin or my nose don't dig this note. I'll give it a try on a lover, maybe he could benefit from it. as it's a sweet blend, I think he'd get along with Chypre very well. Thinking of him smelling like that actually makes my mouth water.

I've just recieved an imp of this thanks to Caserina69, and i tried yesterday. I have to say first that I have a little bit of the flu so my nose may not be in full working order... from what I could smell: this is strong. very strong. the geranium amplifies on my skin, I have a feeling that this is what made Lush's Black Magic massage bar too powerful. I put just one swipe of the wand on. a little goes a LONG way on me. so the first few minutes, while it's wet, it wasn't all that pleasant. made me even a little queasy. However, not to the point of having to wash it off. when it dries it softens up to something that reminds me a bit of freshly crushed coriander seed - rosy, lemony and something else there. it's as if rosewood was mixed in with a drop of lemongrass and a little floral in a supporting role. it transforms into an exotic, special scent. I like this. I can imagine wearing this to an evening out.

and I don't have a man to try anything on! hmmmm.... wait, I can think of someone... maybe Envy (green herbal sweetness, mmmmm...) would smell good on him, as sweet scents work well for him. he's a "Rochas Man" and "Angel" guy.

Black Dahlia. it's not fruity nor foody, but overbearingly sweet floral. I tried it once again today to see if I can wear it never the less, but I can't. it's too much. so if you're into something sweet, maybe we could swap? if so, PM me. just it's worth mentioning that I'm in Israel, so I hope the distance is ok. Wanda is sweet, but not too sweet, however there's a grape bubblegum note to it that I think may appeal to you. that's for swaps too. Ace of Cups has a heavy cherry-cough-syrup nature that I personally can't handle, and that's up for swaps as well.

I had a Harry Meets Sally moment with this one. something in my mind went oh, yes. yes! YES! :D:D This is IT! This is what perfume should smell like. oh, wow. The orange and incense notes are pretty prominent in the beginning, but after a few moments the sharpness fades away and gives all the room for a gorgeous, soft, slightly powdery and very exotic floral - just the right amount of sweetness. I tried this one Tuesday evening before going to meet a guy out of town, spending an action-packed night together. To be honest, I felt radiant wearing this, very much in my comfort zone yet still sexy. When he picked me up from the central bus station, I let the guy smell my wrist, and my neck, and he was wowed. he said it reminded him of the drydown of his favorite perfume, Angel for men. I don't know, it doesn't smell like that to me. Xiuhtecuhtli smells amazing, and Angel isn't that. Anyways, just wanted to let you know that this, for the time being, is my favorite perfume. three cheers to Cinder who sent me this among other imps, and to Beth for creating a masterpiece. ADDED Aug. 13: now it clicked! that's why I smelled something familiar! Rush happens to be one of my all-time favorite perfumes. You see, Rush and Xiuhtecuhtli are cousins - first or second degree. both are florals with that unique "somethin' extra". They are much into the same things, but there are differences: I imagine Rush as a young woman of 20 or 21, beautiful and sensual, very stylish, knows where to go on the weekends, what to wear to those latin-house music parties at her favorite club, she's a bit of a flirt, and knows that when she walks in the room, men *will* look her way. confident and cheerful, loves to dance. Xiuhtecuhtli is more of a rare bloom. she's slightly older than Rush - I'd say 25 or 26. again, they have things in common, but for example, whereas Rush is happy with Latin house, Xiuhte goes to a different club where real Latin music would be played. Just as stylish, and radiant, but deeper than Rush, more worldly and aware of her surroundings. More laid-back, artistic and sophisticated. Men do look at her, but Xiuhte attracts a different type than Rush would.