donnatron

According to legend, the birthplace of King Arthur. The scent of a castle's great hall in the midst of joyous feasting. Spicy mulled wine flowing through the musky heat, warm leather and bright clash of armor, the damp branches of Cornish hawthorn, blackthorn, juniper, English elm and bayberry, and the magical tingle of dragon's blood resin. For some reason in my quest to capture every scent with dragon's blood in it (dragon's blood is my Pokemon, yo), I skipped over Tintagel. In my mind I went immediately to lush fields and herbal meadows and assumed that this would be some sort of herb/grass/floral/moss scent. Then I was picking through and ebay imp lot today and was just like "Oh, look at this red imp! I shall try this for it probably contains dragon's blood, love of my life!" Imp: Dragon's Hide and juniper. I'm afraid because juniper pounces around on my skin like a 4 year old full of sugar. Wet: Cinammon and dragon's blood come out full force. I'm going "gaaaah.... mmmm.... *drool*" The wet stage is brilliant. It's got almost a candy sweetness but it's tempered by the juniper and the leather is lurking in the background waiting for the dry down. Dry: Even more drooling. The leather lends a really soft, sultry note and rounds this out. It's a gorgeously blended scent and all teh components just work incredibly well together. It really reminds me of Dragon's Hide, but the herbal notes play down the overt sensuality of DH. Throw: Good. Overall: This is the daytime Dragon's Hide. If Dragon's Hide is a mini skirt, seamed stockings and outrageous heels, this is a severe pant suit and pointy-toed heels with sheer lingerie underneath. I think this is incredibly sexy without being inappropriate for the office or an afternoon at Starbucks.

Imp: A sort of sweet, oily Victoria's Secret-esque scent. It smells like a hand cream from there someone gave me ages ago. Wet: SWEET! My skin usually reacts to sweet in a positive way but right on it's all up in my face screaming and throwing frosting at me. As it dries down a bit, the other notes come out to play and I predominantly smell vanilla and an almost... fruity/curranty scent. It must be the sweet pea. Dry: Quite nice. Sweet, floral vanilla. The sandalwood has decided that I don't play nice and doesn't come out at all. I don't know if this will become a regular scent, but I'm happy with the imp I have. Throw: Very good. I've got Dragon's Bone on the other wrist and there are some strange olfactory things going on as both battle for dominance. Overall: I like this. As I said, I don't know if I need a whole bottle, but I like my imp. My one caveat is that I don't think this would lend itself well to soap or massage oil or my all time favourite BPAL use: bath oil. It just seems to heady and sweet and overwhelming. Definitely a one-layer scent.

So how sad is it that I've got my BPAL down to a routine? I come home from work, I wipe today's scent off my wrists with alcohol, put a drop of jojoba on the wirsts, then find a new scent to try. Today's lucky victim? Dragon's Bone (clearly)! Imp: Dusty dragon's blood. Like a really clean version of dragon's blood incense. Wet: The woods amp up and take over leaving the dragon's blood lingering in the background. The orris is lost. Dry: Mmm, mmm, mmm. My skin amps the dragon's blood up to a nice level, the woods have calmed down and the orris is lending a sultry violet scent to to the overall proceedings. This is sexy! Throw: Ample. The dragon's blood and I, we shall be great friends. Overall: I think I should just throw caution to the wind and 5 ml any and all dragon's blood blends. This is gorgeous and unique and a bit less... sensual than some other dragon's blood blends. This is naughty secretary sexy.

Because I am a big geek, I was totally over the moon when I ordered an imp pack with this. I didn't even read the notes, I was just like "Whitechapel? I AM THERE!" Imp: Sweet lemons and limes. Kind of reminds me of a gentler St. Germain. Wet: More of that citrusy sweetness. Dry: Citrus is the dominant note with some musk lurking in the background. I don't get any floral from this at all. Throw: Decent. I have this on one wrist and Somnus on the other, and it is beating the crap out of Somnus right now. Overall: Summer scent. I like it well enough but it seems a bit too clean for the winter months.

Imp: In high school one of my friends worked at an aromatherapy shop and would blend chamomile and lavender oil for me. This smells EXACTLY like that mixture. Wet: The lavender comes out stronger but I can still smell sweet--what I'm assuming is chamomile. Dry: Yep, lavender and chamomile. I haven't gone to bed yet, but I have gotten significantly more relaxed to do so. I'll try this over the course of a few nights and see if it stands up to repeated testing. Throw: Decent, actually. Not that it matters since only myself and one other person will be smelling it. Overall: Interesting. I laughed when I pulled this out of my jumbled-box-of-unordered-imps because it's been a very long, and rough day. Then iTunes chose to play Gordon Downie's 'Insomniacs of the World Good Night.' The universe is clearly trying to tell me something.

Imp: Floral wood. It kind of smells like unfinished wood that someone spilled a bottle of perfume on. Wet: Sweet wood. It's actually a lot lighter than I expected. Dry: Sadly, too light for me. It dries down to a general sweet scent. I catch a hint of wood every once in a while but that's about it. I applied this at about noon today and when the boy kissed my neck at 2:00 he didn't comment, and lately he's been astute enough to at least be rote about it. Unless he thinks I naturally smell like wood. Throw: Minimal. I could barely smell in on my wrists an hour later and they had been slicked with unscented lotion a few minutes before application. Overall: Considering my heavy anti-real-Ouija stance, it's kind of fitting that this didn't care for me.

Imp: Sweet and smoky. I chose this by closing my eyes and thrusting my hand into the imp lot. Wet: Smoke! I had no idea what the notes in this were when I chose it. But all I could smell was sweet smoke, like pipe tobacco. Dry: DELICIOUS! Sweet from the dragon's blood, sexy from the leather, and sultry from the smoke. When I opened the imp I was like "maybe I should wear this particular scent tomorrow." I can't because it makes me want to jump myself and that's somewhat inappropriate for school and work. I adore this scent. However, I'm not sure where I'll ever wear it. I can already tell that it's too sexy for my every day life, but if I wear it out dancing it will amp up the leather to rank proportions. Throw: Good. My skin loves dragon's blood, though. So if you amp the other notes, please be careful because I don't want my review to be responsible for a crappy night. Overall: If I lived in a world where it was socially acceptable to jump people whenever I damn well felt like, this would be my signature scent. However, I don't, and so I have to reserve the sweet, sexy, naughty, sublime scent of Dragon's Hide for special occasions lest my lily white reputation be damned

A panoply of cultural treasures, spanning the herbs, flowers, oils and balms of the Romans, the Byzantines, the Mediterranean, the Levant, Northern China, Eastern Europe, Iran, the Bulgar-Kypchak, Mesopotamia, the Crimean Peninsula, Anatolia, Antioch, and North Africa. Imp: Huh. It's a surprisingly clean smelling, light scent. It reminds me of... the Dormouse, maybe? I'm not sure. Wet: Oh... it's the tea that's making me think of the Dormouse. Tea goes on my skin, tea makes me smell like I don't wash. I think I'm still batting a 100 when it comes to tea scents going funky on me. Le sigh. Dry: Where'd it go? Seriously. My skin ate this like there was no tomorrow. I don't even know what the drydown smelled like. Throw: Other than the few minutes of funk I experience at the beginning, there is nada. Overall: I love tea. I drink cups and cups of it every day. My tea collection rivals my BPAL collection. And my body has made it very clear that I am to never wear tea scents. EVER! It's a shame because it is quite the pretty scent. Hopefully it will lend itself well to the oil burner or the bath tub. ETA: Through reasons I still don't quite understand, I wound up with a colbalt 10 ml of Silk Road. My original review of this scent came from an imp lot with several suspect imps and this probably was one of them. I am fond of my bottle because it smells like clean, fresh linen with a cup of chai tea with no milk or sweeteners. It's light, fresh and clean and I wear it to work on a fairly regular basis. It's a lovely scent and definitely one that I find gets better and better with age.

Imp: Hot Tamales. This could go either way. Wet: The almond comes out and tempers the cinnamon. This goes strangely sweet for a few minutes. Dry: The cinnamon is at the forefront again with a bit of an amaretto scent in the background. This is surprisingly light. Throw: Eh. I put this on my wrist about an hour ago and I can barely smell it now. Overall: I think this would be an awesome bath scent, but I'm not in a hurry to get a big bottle.

Imp: It smells like Jack. So naturally I pull out my imp of Jack and compare. This is Jack's older sister and she is on a fat free diet. It doesn't have the same buttery richness as Jack, but the two are definitely related. Wet: Sharp sugar, citrus and... cardamon? Maybe? I've got Jack on the other wrist for comparison. The sake of science, you see. Dry: This dries down beautifully. It doesn't have that indulgent buttery sweetness of Jack but it's still warm and foody and creamy and delicious. It does smell very edible, however, and I'm not sure that I want to smell like pie. Throw: I think it's pretty good. I put it on when I got home and it's a few hours later and it's still lingering. I was engulfed in a pumpkin cloud when I first applied it. Overall: Nice. I'm on a foody smell kick since discovering what good friends I can be with Eat Me and I'm glad I tried this. I don't think it's an "OMG! MUST HAVE FIFTY BOTTLES OF!" scent, but I'm glad I tried it.

Imp: Heady and sweet and very true to the scent of cake and currants. I'm not a food scent person, so I'm a wee bit afraid. Wet: CAKE! I smell like a delicious cake. Dry: Mmmm.... this is gorgeous. It dries down to vanilla and currant on me and while it is generally edible smelling my body amps up the sweetness to a nice level and I just smell... good. I love the drydown on this. Throw: Good. I left a light scent cloud around me today. Overall: I tried this on my wrist last night for the hell of it and found that I really, really liked it. Enough that instead of choosing another from my scent wardrobe, I slapped it on today. I may have to rethink my anti-food scent stance as it appears that my skin has quite the sweet tooth.

Oh phedre, I'm glad I'm not the only person who got pickles as a drydown note. This was a kind freebie tossed in an ebay purchase. Imp: It smells like cedar chips. Wet: Cedar chips and... dill pickle chips. Weird. But... maybe? Dry: Sadly, no. It dries down to dill pickle chips through and through. There's something else in the background that smells almost milky. I smell like an elementary school cafeteria and it's making me very, very sad. Overall: Not for me, sadly. It's kind of serendipitous that I was gifted this because the description sounded right up my alley and I was prepared to purchase a 5 ml unsniffed.

Imp: An antique sandalwood armoire freshly rubbed with lemon polish. Wet: Why hello, Mr. Patchouli. You gave me a bit of a start just popping up there. Who's that behind you? Oh, I barely noticed you, Rose, but you're so essential to this scent. This is shaping up to be a lovely party. Dry: Mmmm... spicy, sultry, earthy wood touched with floral. It's like I opened the armoire from the imp scent and the interior was bursting with fragrant woods and roses. Throw: Excellent. Very long lasting and has enough throw to satisfy me but not freak out anyone sitting near me. Overall: This came as part of an ebay lot. I wasn't even that excited about it, but it's definitely going on my 5 ml list.

Imp: Slightly salty and gren with a base of florals. Wet: Salt water spa treatment. Dry: I still get saltiness, and the florals have amped up a bit. Surprisingly, even with the florals this is not a sweet scent. It kind of smells like a really fancy dryer sheet. Throw: Minimal. Overall: This will be decanted into some jojoba for the bath. I like it, and I think it would work well in the bath water, but I don't think it's going to get much rotation on my wrists.

Imp: Sour wood. Wet: Pencil shavings! For the first 20 minutes of this scent, I get pure, unadultered pencil shavings. Right when I was considering washing it off, the frankincense sweetens and comes to the forefront. Dry: I love frankincense and most of my favourites have it in them, but this feels very different from other frankincense scents. This isn't a daytime or casual scent, this feels very spiritual and ritualistic. I like it, but it's kind of off-putting in that way. Throw: Wet, it has a lot of throw. Dry it's close to my skin and I have to lean in to smell it. Overall: Beautiful scent, it just sort of messes with my head.

Imp: Wet and wicked. This smells like a man who is a gentleman right now but is thinking about doing very bad things to you later. Wet: Sharp and masculine. Like Megank4, I kind of feel like this is a scent that has rubbed onto my skin from someone else. Maybe it's just because I decided to try this experiment at 1:30 in the morning after a night of drinking, but I think that's HOT. Dry: It smells like Nomad by Crabtree and Evelyn without the harsh fixative scent. This is very manly, but it's the equivalent of wearing your guy's shirt to breakfast after a steamy night. On my skin, I think it's really sexy. Throw: Very good. No one else is home yet, but I left the room, came back, and then got slightly paranoid that someone with nice cologne had broken into my window with the intent to kill me. Then I realized it was me. Then I realized that I was crazy. Overall: Very, very nice. I was intending on saving for a trip to Europe post-grad. I might wind up living in my crappy place and just smelling all the wonderful 5 mls I've invested in.

Imp: I get pure pine out of this. Weird, but let's try it. Wet: I still get a sharp pine scent, but there's a warmth that start cutting through it. Florals and pine. Why pine? I have no idea. Maybe it's the crocus? Dry: Sweet, light florals. The pine scent is completely gone. This is quite nice once it's dry, actually. Throw: Wet, it's screaming pine. Dry there's not a lot of throw and I have to get up close and personal with my wrist to catch the scent. Overall: Eh. Maybe I'll use it in the bath. I think this would be a nice, head-clearing scent and it would drydown without me smelling like a pine forest.

Imp: That red rope licorice you (used to?) buy at gas stations in small towns. The type that is about a metre long and wrapped in cellophane and draped over a holder near the cash register. Wet: That same licorice scent with a bit of synthetic watermelon. Dry: Red licorice through and through. It's comforting in a nostalgic way, but I'm sure that few others hold the same nostalgia value for red rope licorice. Throw: Mild. Overall: I might try it in the bath but I don't think Delphi and I will be meeting much in the future.

Imp: It smells like drinking red wine in the bulk herbs section of a health food shop. Wet: This is NICE! It morphs instantly into this sweet, floral, incense-y scent. It smells like going to a friend's house for drinks and getting a glass of wine and sitting next to a nice floral arrangement while your host lights some incense. Dry: Mostly it's the myrhh coming through, but I am a myrhh lover so this doesn't bother me. This is really sexy and heady and a wine scent I feel that I can wear in the daytime. Throw: Good. Overall: I'm trying a few scents on before heading back out for the night, and this might be my scent of choice this evening. And many others.

A houdoun recipe dating back almost 150 years. This blend is favored by prostitutes, exotic dancers and others in the sex industry for its power to attract, seduce, and enthrall. Ensures financial gain and increased profits. Imp: Dragon's blood dissolved in rubbing alcohol. Is there dragon's blood in here? It could be jasmine but I'm getting that distinctive cherry nuance of the DB. Wet: A sort of fruity cherry spiciness. Smells a lot better on my wrist than in the imp. Dry: I get a sweet cherry flavoured candy smell with some florals in the background. It's soft and pleasant and smells... innocent. This isn't a knock-you-down-and-drag-you-to-the-bedroom scent. It's more of a batting eyelashes and twirling hair fragrance. Throw: Mild. My skin ate it pretty quickly. Overall: Nice. I think this is a very cozy scent. It doesn't make me feel seductive, it just makes me want to curl up on the couch with the boy and cuddle and drink tea. Eta: In retrospect, my first imp came from a suspect imp lot where several of the imps were not in there original state. I have a bottle of this and it is just divine. Sweet dragon's blood with a jasmine haze and a little rose and perhaps lily. It's one of my favourite summer perfumes and it ages divinely. I can't substantiate that it brings boys and/or fortune to me, but it makes me feel pretty and that's got to count for something

Imp: Butter popcorn Jelly Bellies. I'd assume that's almond or similar. Wet: Butter popcorn Jelly Bellies undercut by grassy florals. It smells like someone was mulching his rose bushes and stopped to have some candy. Dry: It smells like an aromatherapy blend. Not a specific one, but this smells more like something I'd use to stop a headache or ease my sinuses than a perfume. My skin has spoken and it says no. Throw: Not a lot. Had this on the crook of my arm. It's a little over five hours later and I can smell it if I get super, super close, but I'm not fussy about it. Definitely a multiple touch up scent. Overall: It didn't make me feel very sexy and even if it's made out of pure sex pheremones, it's still not going to work if I don't feel like it will.

I received this in an imp swap and HAD to try it right away because of how polarizing it was. Imp: It smells like wet cement blocks. Those type with the two holes you use to build cheap plywood bookcases in frosh year of university. Wet: It smells damp. It retains some of the cement block feel. Then it picks up the smokiness and starts to amp the citrus. It kind of smells like a liquid smoke/lemon rind marinade. Dry: Concrete and lemons. It's a very industrial scent and it's fairly true through the drydown. I've lost all of the smokiness, though. There's absolutely no sweetness or softness to it. This is a hard, cold scent. Throw: I put this on the crook of my arm and could smell it a lot for the first few hours. Now I can still smell it if I get my nose close to my elbow. A little of this goes a long, long way. Overall: I'll probably try to swab it on the boy or a few of my male friends and see if it agrees with them more.

Bottle: I get a light, bright scent that almost smells commercial. Or at least it smells like what you wish commercial perfumes smelled like. Wet: Tropical fruit, apple and a general "perfume" undercurrent. Dry: A mild, crisp spicy scent layered over a juicy fruit and some light florals. Very complex but not dense. As a spice nut, I can see myself using this during the summer, as it's got the type of notes I love but won't overwhelm on a hot day. Throw: Mild. I tried it on my right wrist when I opened the package and it was gone within a few hours. Overall: I'm glad I took a risk on this. This will be gorgeous on warmer days.

I admire VioletChaos's restraint. I received a huge swap today and this was the first one I opened. Bottle: Cinnamon and dry wood. This smells like a woody/dry Phantom Calliope. This is a very good thing. Wet: The cinnamon goes clove on my skin. Then it starts screaming "I AM CLOVE! YOU SMELL LIKE CLOVES! THERE ARE CLOVES PRESENT!" I like cloves, though. Then the woods scent comes out more and the cloves apparently like the company because they settle down. Dry: A clean, spicy cinnamon with wood and sweetness underneath. I think that there be dragon's blood here because I'm getting that delicious spicy cherry of DB. This is gorgeous, a really sophisticated and take-charge Phantom Calliope. Throw: Pretty good. I ran into a friend after putting it on and he sniffed my neck when we hugged. It's the small things that count. Overall: In a word? Yay! I was expecting this to be a lot drier and more herb/musk. This is really sensuous and feminine and I love the way it interacts with my body chemistry. This is a winner.

Imp: Patchouli! Patchouli and a bit of a sweet candy smell that I guess is the orange blossom. Wet: There may be ginger in this but my skin is having none of it. I get a patchouli-frankincense scent that throws me for a loop. I like the scent, but church incense doesn't say "Vixen" to me. Dry: Now this matches the name. I get a nice base of patchouli with a floaty orange blossom and slight spiciness over top. This changes the longer I wear it and brings that wet, mossy incense-y scent that I just love. This is a very lush, feminine scent and I'm a little sad I chose to wear it to work instead of immediately over to the boy's house. Throw: Tons. I was making a bagel this morning when one of my coworkers came sniffing around. She said it was very nice. Overall: I may have to upgrade my imp to a bottle and then use that bottle to scent myself, my sheets, my towels, and undergarments and my cat (maybe not the cat, but I love it enough to do so).