Will

Hmm what can I say that is not already said. . . Usher is a great "day" fragrance. It's elegant and refined, and at first sniff you might think, "OK, herbs, citrus, water, very nice." But then you start to notice a bit of musk and something a little awry at the base of it. I am not sure to call it sweat or dankness, or what, exactly. There is just the faintest whiff of an herb or an essence that is much "darker" than the other notes. Lovely. This is PERFECT for wearing to work, passing under the radar at first, and then people ask you (in a nice way,) "what IS that?" because they have never smelled anything quite like it. I will be wearing this on a nearly daily basis until it's gone. . . might even order a spare or two for later, cause it won't last the summer.

OK this has a lot of reviews already, so I'll save the detailed descriptions of the individual notes. Basically starts out spicy and herbal with orange, as described, then goes to a warm musk and tobacco finish that is extremely dark and intense. I've worn it a couple of times now and this seems to be one that I have a mixed reaction to. It feels to me like an old man, still strong and vital but one who has outlived all his contemporaries and is adrift. Thinking about it, this scent reminds me of my friend's eastern european grandfather. We'd go visit him sometimes and he'd make veal and noodles, and we'd drink wine (forbidden as we were 16 and 17 at the time, but pop was european and there was wine with meals, period.) He was the kind of person who still thought being a gentleman was a good thing, he wore the most elegant suits and hats, and he was always polite to everybody. Not the kind of person you meet much any more. Dracul has that traditional spicy cologne in the background, tobacco and musk, kind of vibe. On a younger man, I think it'd be fantastic. Unfortunately to me there is also a sadness and loneliness to it that makes me think I won't wear it much. Take it for what it's worth. . .although that part certainly fits with the Gary Oldman era Dracul vision, too.

Got this one in a swap, too. Ok everyone has the basic description of this posted already. It starts out lemony/herbal and as it dries down you start to get more warm woods, sandal and cedar. There is a little patchouli that you might not recognize if you didn't know it was there. It just kind of adds some weight and darkness to the overall scent, if you know what I mean. The first thing that pops into my mind wearing this is a library. Not a modern, concrete and metal racks kind of library. An older, darker place, rich wood shelves, lots of niches and alcoves, sunlight coming through high windows but lot of dark corners too. Then the second thing I think of is a midnight garden somewhere exotic. Maybe somewhere in the middle east with cedars cooling in the night air and herbs growing half wild. Anyway, it's a warm, somewhat exotic scent that I find very relaxed but also powerful in its own way, and very different from anything your non-BPAL friends will be wearing. I have a 5ml that is dwindling fast. I seem to be wearing it a lot.

Wow. This imp really made an impact on me. In the bottle: Mostly green notes and something sour / tangy like red wine and vinegar? Initial application: This is a very unusual scent. The dirt and earthy notes popped out immediately, but with the sour / grapey notes around it and the hard metallic notes it reminds me of spilled blood. This makes me very uneasy. I don't find it sexy so much as VERY unsettling. On drydown: The sour wine tang and the herbs persist very strongly. I got some on the hem of my sleeve of my bathrobe and even the next day it was wafting. Overall I found this a very disturbing, unsettling scent. I suspect that was exactly what was intended but I definitely will not be wearing this one again. If you are looking for something creepy and edgy though, give it a try.

Well, others have said it about what the notes in this are, woods and citrus, mostly pine and eucalyptus with a juicy orange that seems to come out on drydown. I got this in a swap and I figured it was not going to be a winner. BUT. . . I used the imp to mix up some bubble bath and I have to say it is SUPER. I would not necessarily wear this as a perfume again but I would DEFINITELY put a splash in a bath while relaxing and trying to re-energize in the evening, or possibly put some in a massage oil. I can see using it to scent a candle or anything like that, too. I really like this scent around me. I am not sure it's what I want to smell like myself, so the fact that it's not one to linger for hours is not all bad. Jabberwocky is definitely on my list to buy a bigger bottle for projects.

Got this in a swap from Omly. I really like this one. As others have said, overall this is an exotic, warm, dark scent. Interesting that a couple folks thought it feminine, since it reminds me a bit of some men's spice scents, although the resins make it more "magikal" than cologney in my mind. I imagine using this with a carrier as a candle anointing oil for ritual or as a consecration oil. Not that I won't wear it, but this impresses me with its energy as well as its scent. In the bottle: Spice and resin - dark and sharp, but there is an undefinable sweetness in the background. Initially on my skin: Spices and incensey resin, but there is also an herbal sweetness behind it. Not sure it is purely floral; I am not great with single notes. Could it be vanilla or tonka as well? Drydown: The floral and sweet notes linger longest after the sharpness of the spices fade. In my mind I see a brazier at midnight, a gathering of mages and mystics, candlelight and starlight on the night of the new moon. This is lovely. . .

I had high hopes for this one since I love amber and moss. . . and after trying it a couple times I've already ordered a larger bottle. In the bottle: I get mostly the green and floral character, carnations and lavendar, rounded out by more herbal notes. Initially on application: Floral and just a touch of amber. . . YUM On drydown: Amber comes out more as the florals fade, some lingering green and woody note from the moss, I assume. This overall is one of my favorite BPALs so far, although I admit my experience is limited. This actually reminds me of Dior's Dune for women, which I think is the floral and amber note, but the mosses make it more masculine. So, I would have no problem with this on a woman. In fact, I am going to see if I can get my sweetie to try it on later. Free associating, this reminds me of a firelit study, with warm polished wood, a lot of books, and a night breeze blowing in from the garden. It's a clean, light scent, very sophisticated. If I had to assign it a color I would say blonde oak and candlelight gold.

In the bottle : deep dark woods. . . a bit of resin and a faint herbal bite. Reminds me of Loup Garou, as others have said, but not as sharp. This is a fuller and darker scent. On my skin: Intially a lot of tang from the evergreens, but there is a sweetness behind it that was not apparent in the bottle. I can begin to pick up a bit of musk in the background as well. Drying down: The bite softens over time into a warm, piney musk. In my mind I see a quiet evergreen glade covered with fallen needles, and perhaps one or two animals asleep in the hollows of trees. A very restful aura to it. I don't get the mediciney or earthy notes that others have described. Maybe it's my skin or perhaps I am not as good at describing it. After about ten hours on my skin, all I am getting is a soft, slightly sweet musk. I can just barely detect the pine if I breath deeply. I like this very much, not to wear every day possibly, but I will certainly keep the imp.