beturtlement

While I've never tried either of the two you mentioned, I was just saying to a friend of mine that Black Opal, to me, smells like cold vanilla laundry, as if ya dried it out on the line in the snow, instead of a warm day. Don't let the "laundry" bit put ya off, though, it's not particularly detergent/fabric softener'esque, it's just a very clean scent, as opposed to the more warm and toasty vanillas I've tried. ETA: Doesn't it just figure that I mention it and the very next day, it gets discontinued. I think I'm bad luck. LOL

Oh my- I really do like this. Nomnom. Even though the li'l jaunt it took me on worried me, we eventually ended up at bready goodness. When I first cracked the imp, I got a sweet, bready scent with a little spice behind it. Kinda like a spiced brioche or challah- definitely something with some egginess and depth... but with a lot more sugar. The moment I put it on my skin, however, it was almost as if someone went and dumped a cup of ground black pepper right on top. Black pepper and an almost tannin-like, burnt bitterness. After the initial, spicy-bitter punch, there's also a soapy floral that joins the party... I got very worried. It all started out so well! Almost every BPAL I've tried is a morpher, so I waited it out because the breadiness was just so pleasant. After a short while, the pepper finally toned down and hid out waaay out in the background, acting more like a pinch of very dry cinnamon.. or maybe even amber? I'm unsure. The sweetness, as well, gets pushed down a few notches, but is still there on the edge keeping this from becoming too savory. I would say it has a faint butteriness to it, but more baked in than slathered on. Which is good, cause usually, butter scents turn into that fake movie theater popcorn stuff. What gets left, after all the notes are done shuffling around and switching places, is a perfectly lovely, warm, slice of mildly sweet bread with a sprinkling of spiced sugar on top. It also has an odd clean factor to it- maybe some bubbles from that soapy floral stuck around. I'm sooooo happy this one actually works well with my chemistry, as most things that sound as perfect and up my alley, never truly are once they touch my skin. I need some time to properly huff this one **snuffles her arms as she types** but I do think it just might be bottle worthy. ETA: I've found that if I put more than just a teeny bit on, the "iffy" phase lasts a lot longer. The cleanliness I mentioned turns to full blown fabric softener. So, it's like lightly spiced and sugared bread, that's been left in your pocket and gone through the wash. Heh.

I don't know if my nose has gone mad, or if I'm remembering something completely wrong, but all I get from this is something powdery from my childhood. It was from a very long time ago, so the only things that I can think of is either: A.) A scent my grandmother used to wear (and DOUSE herself with, I may add). I want to say Chantilly, but I'm not completely sure, as I never was never interested in her fragrances enough to figure out their names. *giggles* B.) A perfume aforementioned grandmother bought me, which would have either been Heaven Scent or of the Love's fragrances (like Baby Soft). I so wish I got all the lovely notes everyone else got, but my mind can't get past the grandmotherly imagery to pick anything out. :/ Overall, sweet 'n soft, a li'l tobacco (only when wet), and very powdery- on me.

Imp: Immediately when I cracked open the imp, this smells like a perfume, drink, or /something/ so very familiar from my childhood, but I can't place it... it's driving me batty. I literally paced around the house, with my nose buried in the imp, going, "What /is/ this?!" (not at all helpful, but it had to be noted.. lol) Wet: To me, this smells like overly sweetened, flat rootbeer/birchbeer. Actually, wait- scratch that.. it smells like rootbeer that's been spilled on a table or counter, and left to dry, but is still tacky and gooey. *giggles* But.... in a good way. (And not regular rootbeer- a rootbeer I used to get as a kid that was totally clear and had a more pungent sassafras flavor.) Dry: As it dries down, the sweetness calms down a bit and I get more of a manly woodiness from what I'm thinking must be the cedar and/or balsam. It's starting to edge on the more "man's cologne" type, which isn't what I had expected from first, sweet sniff. And I'm still trying to wrack my brain what this reminds me of, too.. *bangs head on desk* It's extremely pleasant, albeit not something I'd wear.. very intriguing, actually. If it were a little less sugary, I'd like smelling it on a man. The throw, from a distance, is still that sweet, soda'ish scent (sans fizz); the more woodsy, masculine notes only noticed when I sniff real close. (On a side note, while I haven't smelled it in maaaaaany years, I wanna say that the sweetness of this reminds me of the men's version of the original Joop that my step-father used to wear. Has that sorta vibe to it. But dammit, that's not what my initial scent-memory was; must continue to wrack brain and sniff myself.)

Imp: Sweet and simply nummy... out of a large swap I just received, this one was the one that I wanted to try from first sniff. Wet: At first, it almost smells like an orange creamsicle.. but not quite.. almost like a mixture of pale citrus and mint- very hard to explain, but it totally gave me a creamsicle vibe. It's very light and sweet, like if it had a consistency, it'd be just like confectioner's sugar. Drydown: Starts to get a little deeper- something giving it more oomph in the background. Still sweet, but with a touch of warmth and body, and a hint of a light, powdery floral. Not "baby powdery", just powdery in the sense that if it had a texture, it'd be light and fluffy. A.) I'm totally psyched this didn't go plastic, like most sugary and light BPALs do. B.) While I really like it, it's a little too light 'n fluffy to grab a big bottle.. if there was a little more warmth, this would be fantastic for me. I will probably keep the imp to see if maybe I can layer it with something so I can make it work.

Wet on skin: Red Hots mixed with Ginger Altoids. Mmm...spiceh! Drydown: It's a li'l on the sweeter side, rather than a dry or dusty spice. I get a faaaaint hint of Snake Oil (thankfully, not the dark fruitiness), but it's still mostly cinnamon and ginger, with a very mild powerery kick, like when ya gently squeeze a canister of baby powder and it does the barest of *poofs* (but don't be scared, I hate baby powder too, and I'm still enjoying this greatly) Overall (after letting it sit for about 15-20 minutes): This was not a morpher, which most BPALs are, on me. This stayed a true, cinnamony-ginger, with the barest hints of Snake Oil in the background. I don't like Snake Oil at all, but I do like this. While it works on my chemistry, it's a lot less complex than I was hoping it would be, so while I probably won't get a bottle, I'll be a little more hesitant to keep it listed on my swaps page. It seems it could be an awesome layering scent for those who need to give something a bit more of a spicy punch. ETA: I have VERY sensitive skin (can't even use baby lotion without breaking out) and the spice in this did not irritate my skin at all, but your mileage may vary.

Mmmm.. wow. This was very unexpected, actually. So much better than first thought! Imp/Wet: A little too sweet, slightly buttery- a touch fake, but overall, a very nice chocolatey scent. It's JUST at the cusp of making me fear it'll go plastic, in about 5 minutes. Drydown: ...what is this? No plastic? Yay! It turns into an almost spicy chocolate, reminiscent of Gelt, but less dry and touch more complex. Dare I say, quite sexy.. much darker than I originally thought it'd end up, which was a very pleasant surprise. It's a woman's chocolate, not a little girl's. The only drawback (well, sorta) is that it doesn't seem to have much lasting power, on me.. it sorta just melts into my own, natural skin scent- but that's what I tend to aim for, anyway. Don't like to be overly perfumed, and if it melts away, it just means that it's a true companion to my skin. (As I'm writing this, the scent is getting softer and softer... usually, a pinprick of any BPAL is enough for me to be wafting it around for a decent clip. This must be those slathering situations I'm always reading about, yet never had to do. LOL) ETA: .....ACK! The plastic returneths. I spoke too soon. It's mild, not as bad as most things that go plastic, but there's still that undertone, which I can't stand. Bah, I say!

Was really hoping this would be a coconutty scent for me to enjoy, but alas, it was not meant to be. Like a lot of the creamy/'mallowey BPALs, this goes total plastic. Sweet, vanilla plastic with singed edges. However, for those of you whose skin chemistry works with Midway & Boo (unlike mine ), this would probably work for ya.

I was a little skeptical when reading the notes and reviews, being a little scared off by a few components- but dayum... this, I think, is the first scent I've tried and immediately knew I needed a bottle (I'm stingy and picky, lol). I'm horrible at picking out notes, so I'm not even going to try to be all fancy. When I first put it on my skin, it's a bit pungent- the cocoa is what first hits me with a kinda-medicinal lavender KA-POWing behind. But after it dries for a few little while, it melts into this deep, slightly spicy 'n sweet, musky, faintly herbal <i>cocoa vanille</i>. With not knowing what vetiver smells like, nor particularly liking lavender, this one is a surprise hit and made my otherwise crapola day much better. It's one of those scents where a dab definitely will do ya, and it seems I need to apply it a bit ahead of time before going out so it has time to settle and lose the ferocious bite of the lavender. BPAL cocoa scents make me smile, even when it's really hard to. <img src="http://www.bpal.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="icon_biggrin.gif" /> ETA: Edited to add that after testing a a li'l Comptoir Sud Pacifique's 'Amour de Cacao', I immediately went, "Hey, I know you.. Wulric, my love!" It's a very, very TAME Wulric, but that was my immediate response upon first sniff. So, if you like the CSP one, you will prolly like Wulric after it has settled down a bit.

UPDATED: 02/13/11 Blue - Ones I'd especially like to try. :: Will always take more :: Snake Charmer Morocco Antique Lace :: Imps :: Alice's Evidence Arabian Dance, The Arrival at the Sabbath and Homage to the Devil, The Black Pearl Black Temple Burlesque Troupe Cake Smash Cerberus Chaste Moon Cupcake Spatter Pattern Analysis Detestable Putrescence Dia de los Muertos Doodad Ecstasy of Passion, The Egg'd Mailbox Freak Show Glowing Vulva Gluhwein Herr Drosselmeyer Hispaniola Infernal Lover, The Invasion of the Flesh-Eating Reindeer from Uranus Liz Lump of Coal ... (a girl can dream, can't she? ) Marshmallow Poof Mitzvah Monster Bait: Tokyo Stomp Monster Bait: Underpants Monster Bait: Ventriloquist Dummy Opuhi Paper Kite Plunder Red Lace Sachs Sara Pezzini Shadwell Shill Silk Road Smut Snowblind Snow White Spooky Stinky Story Time at Dark Delicacies Storyville ... (I know, I know..) Sue's Great Old Puppet Show Tezcatlipoca Tiki Princess Thirteen (13): June '08 (Green Label) Three Witches Tombstone Treat #2 Uruk Witch's Repast, The ....why does this list keep growing?! Basically, anything that's sweet, foody, and/or spicy (especially vanilla, chocolate, and cakey/bakery scents). I'm also into sweet, yet earthier, unisex scents like Wulric the Wolfman. Not into blatantly floral or fruity scents, though.

It seems that every blend I try that had a strong almond note, starts out smelling AMAZING- like sweet amaretto or almond extract, but after a few moments, it disappears completely. I've had this happen with Eclipse, Baron Samedi, Hellcat, Port-Au-prince, and Queen of Sheba. I'm not sure if it's just my skin sucking it all up, but which blends best retain their almondness instead of playing hide and go seek?

Imp: Sweet, fruity, with a certain... twang. Wet: Still sweet and fruity.. I wanna say berries, rather than grape.. almost reminiscent of dragon's blood. After that settles for a few seconds, I get a mildly spicy (and a li'l sweet) floral. Dry: After it gets time to chill, the flowers disappear and it all turns into a soft, mildly incensey, dark fruit.. with a pinch of spice. ..oh.. wait.. there're the grapes. Incensey, grapey (but NOT candy grape; real, juicy grape). This is a lot more foody than I had thought it'd end up being. It's like sweet, grape-ity incense. /So/ not what I expected when reading the description, but pleasantly surprised because I thought I wouldn't like it at all.. from the notes, then again while it was still wet. It morphed so many times in such a short time span and I've had to cull my review down quite a bit. While this has elements of things I'd normally hate.... I actually like this. BPAL, and how my skin reacts to it, never ceases to amaze me. If Ludens (throat lozenges, but not the mentholy type After all is said and done: Sweet, but not sickeningly so, grapey, quite foody, with a hint of incense.

When I first put this on my skin, I got a very heady floral for some reason. I even reread the notes, to make sure I hadn't mistakenly mixed Hellcat up with something else. I smell flowers in a lot of things that I shouldn't, so mebbe it's my nose or skin chemistry. ...and then, after about five minutes pass, it's... MEAD! Pure mead. While I love the flavor of mead, the scent is kinda odd, to me. I've always thought a freshly opened bottle of mead smelled like honey and brined, Spanish olives, heh. This is sweet, and luckily doesn't have too much of the sour brine smell (just a touch). No almond, no hazelnut, and no buttercream... just mead. With flowers.. just a li'l. EDIT: Now that I think about it, smelling flowers really isn't all that far fetched since mead is made from honey, and honey is (technically) made from flowers... oh, and bee vomit, but I won't go there. LOL

The first words out of my mouth when I opened the imp was, "Hm.. interesting." Not at all a bad interesting, though, not by a long shot. After it has a few moments to settle and mingle with my skin, mmmm mmmm.... ginger. And just a touch of cloves. I love me some ginger, but there's something very dark, almost smoky, behind it... though, it doesn't overpower the lovely gingerness at all. As Acid had said in her post, this is definitely "Evil Ginger". At one point, I got the very faintest hints of patchouli somewhere hidden amongst the herbs, but I'm probably wrong. Usually, once anything with patchouli hits my skin, it just goes awry and takes over completely, but this is very nice. This smells like what those spicy ginger Altoids taste like. Dammit, now I want some. Overall, I really like this. It's not particularly foody in a bakery sort of way, but I'm getting the oddest urge to lick my arm. Nomminy-nom-nom. EDIT: After this fades for a while, the incensey notes even out with the ginger. A little smokier than I would usually enjoy, but I still like it.

When I first popped the imp cap open, it was APPLES! Sweet, juicy apples, with a little something floral(?) in the background. Once on my skin, though, no more flowers (yay!) and I get a hint of the caramel tossed in there. I don't get any coconut rum, which is all fine and good because this is quite nice without it. Besides, rum notes seem to go funky on me. It's not as sweet as I feared it'd be, and the apples are delicious.. like a big ol' glass of apple juice, with just a hint of tartness; the caramel giving it a nice rounded feel. While it's not something I can wear, it's gorgeous.