JazzieCazzie

From a decant from the lovely TTP circle: IN THE IMP: Slightly bitter (vetiver), medicinal and resinous (the DB, for me) and yet somehow a little creamy as well (orris?). Dabbed on one wrist and in crook of arm. WET: For perhaps the first time I was really able to recognize the vetiver and "get" it. It wasn't super strong on me and, on application, "bitter" is not the right word, really ... "pungent" might be a better description. It's not unpleasant, it's just odd. And it is definitely the overwhelming note when wet. DRYDOWN: Much, much nicer for me as the dragon's blood comes out and that is a favorite note for me. On my wrist, I get the spicy medicinal quality I associate with DB with just a little bit of the vetiver's pungency. OVERALL: This is very, very nice. I will end up putting it on my swap list when I update it simply because it's something that I suspect others will want to try and I have a LOT of great DB blends in my BPAL collection that I like more, but if someone said "you have to keep this and wear it" I wouldn't have a problem with that either. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.8 or so.

Received imp as extra in a swap. IN THE IMP: Brilliantly named since the first word that came to mind was "sharp!". I get green and polished wood. Dabbed on one wrist and into crook of arm. WET: This immediately amps very resiny on me (a good thing). I'm not getting a super-strong dragon's blood note (and I <3 dragon's blood) but it's definitely there, more like a solid background player, a supporting role. And despite my "in the imp" vibe of "green," this is not green OR aquatic on me when wet at all. It's actually surprisingly awesome. DRYDOWN: Sadly, the good things came to an end as it dried. The delicious resinous notes took a waaaaay back seat to what I guess were the "tears" -- aquatic equals SOAPY on me. And it has a lot of long-term throw so I'm sitting here getting whiffs and wafts of Soapy McSoaperson (since we're having plumbing stuff done, I can't shower for a few hours). OVERALL: This looked, early on, like it could be a keeper but the drydown killed that for me. It's very clean. But it's not me. On a scale of 1-5, a 2.8.

Received what seems to be a partial imp as an extra in a swap. IN THE IMP: Hard to pinpoint, at first, specific notes. I get a round reddish musk but also the fruit and, oddly, a touch of floral, sort of like a non-macho men's cologne. Dabbed on one wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Really not me. Sadly, the neroli and bergamot amp right away and hide any trace of the amber, musk, frankincense and/or sandalwood which might have made this work for me. But it's not awful, not a "OMG I HAVE TO WASH THIS OFF NOW," so I wait it out to see if perhaps on drydown the resins or woods would come out to play. DRYDOWN: They don't. It's all soapy neroli and bergamot all the time. And I get something a little funky-stinky like myrrh drydown though I don't see myrrh as a note. OVERALL: Into the Shakespearean swap pile or, more likely (once I check oil level) into the frimp box. On a scale of 1-5, about a 2.5

Got an imp in a decant circle. Prefacing here -- I decided to get imps of EVERY available scent in this circle out of sheer curiosity (with the exception of Black Taffeta, which I already had) rather than picking and choosing based on notes or descriptions. And I think had I done the latter, I would NOT have chosen this one. I'm so glad I did it this way. IN THE IMP: Very very interesting. Bright, clean, slightly minty and slightly white floral. And something else I can't quite put my finger on. I want to say plastic except that I think most of us associate "plastic smell" as a negative and this isn't negative at all. Dabbed on one wrist and in the crook of my arm. WET: WOWZA! This is so not what I would have expected. In fact it's the polar -- well, NON-polar -- opposite. It is VERY floral on me. A white floral, but not the lily-soapy kind of white floral. If I had to guess at the flower I think I'd say white lilac (even though that would probably be wrong). It's gorgeous and springy and lovely and heady but not "in your face" at all. DRYDOWN: Just wonderful. I am not a fan of ozone or mint or snow or the other general "feeling/atmospheric" blends most of the time which is why I was not optimistic about this. But, on me, for whatever reason, there is NO ozone or mint or snow. Just the smell of spring flowers. And warmth. Weird, huh? OVERALL: A surprise keeper. And I'm glad for that because I happen to LOVE "snow globes" and have a small collection (not a big one, but whenever I would travel for work I'd try to find cool ones to bring home to Cazzie Lite). On a scale of 1-5, a 4.4

Got myself a decant in the most recent decantapalooza. IN THE IMP: It's times like these that I realize that words I use to describe scents are probably YMMV. And times like these I wish, again, that BPAL would create some awesome weekend-long "fantasy camp" where we could learn to sniff and define and make blends. But I digress ... To ME, the word that came to mind was "sharp." Yet the true patchouli experts on this thread are all saying that it's not sharp, but rather smoky and woody. ... *sigh* ... my words that came to mind were "sharp," "powerful" and then slightly foody. Dabbed on one wrist and into the crook of one arm (double-barreled with another scent on the other arm). WET: REALLY strong. Very true patchouli, though slightly less "nursery school paste" (disclaimer: I LIKE nursery school paste scent). In fact, when first applied, I assumed I'd put this in the swap pile because it was SO strong and sharp. DRYDOWN: It dried quickly and really mellowed out to more headshop (disclaimer: I also REALLY LIKE headshop scent). So to me, the best way I could describe this is a nice, mellow, headshoppy woodsy scent. OVERALL: I think what I have learned from getting the SNs of this and the Sumatran Red (why do I feel like I'm talking about ... something else from my youth ... when I use these terms?) is that I love patchouli as a note in a blend but not as much alone. I don't think I'd wear this alone. And I don't think I'd buy a big bottle. But it's NOT going into the swap pile ... rather, it's something I'd use to layer/blend/offset some other scents that might play nicely with the patchouli. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.5

I was intrigued by the notes listed here though I should have been warned off by the descriptions ... but decided to live a little dangerously and bought a bottle from Etsy. IN THE BOTTLE: Sharp and almost metallic. Deep, dark, cologney. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Maddeningly familiar with something I can't put my finger on. Still sharp and very masculine. Something ever-so-slightly plastic or even industrial but not in a bad way per se. VERY VERY clean and soapy, so maybe the "industrial" is cleaning materials. But it's not lemony pledge or anything, just very very very clean. Almost cloyingly so. DRYDOWN: This is so strong that it makes me a little nauseated, but it's not that it's an unpleasant smell per se. It just doesn't work for me at all. And then reading the reviews again I realize that it is probably the tea that is my note of doom here. I don't get any cola and I don't really get any musk either. Just a very clean soapy cologne. OVERALL: I have a feeling that this would smell great on a guy and would not make me queasy in that situation. But for me, it's a no-go and will appear on my updated swap list as soon as I go through my latest sniffapalooza list and do a one-time update. On a scale of 1-5, a 2 for me.

Hail unto thee who art Khephra in Thy hiding, even unto Thee who art Khephra in Thy silence, who travellest over the heavens in Thy bark at the Midnight Hour of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm.Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Evening. Received an imp of this in a swap. I am positive I had tried it before, because I know I did all the Stations of the Sun when they were released, but Ahathoor was the only keeper for me at the time. But I was interested in giving this another go, especially since I had not reviewed it so who knew what went wrong first time, if anything. IN THE IMP: Surprisingly sharp based on the notes, all of which I generally love in one form or another. Definitely a golden scent. Can't pick out any of the individual notes. Am also assuming this is an aged imp. Dabbed on wrist an in one crook of arm. WET: This is AMAZING when wet. The cinnamon and cloves immediately amp big time for me. And although it is not a fruity scent per se, on me this smells like delicious golden cinnamon apple pie baking. It could not be more different than the imp scent. DRYDOWN: Once again, this morphs considerably as it dries. It returns to that sharpness and loses the cinnamony warmth. I am not getting any lavender from this at all, nor frankincense as far as I can tell. And, sadly, the myrrh goes wonky on me in the crook of my arm (it does that some time but not always), with a sort of sweat-sock salty scent. OVERALL: If this could stay wet all the time I'd go to the ends of the earth to get more. But, in the end, it's not something I'd wear because of the drydown problems. I WILL, however, give this a shot in my newly-installed steam shower which has a little well for aromatherapy oil. I'm hoping that given the nature of the mechanics, it's something where it will amp "wet notes" and I bet that would make a luscious couple of showers! On a scale of 1-5, a 5 when wet but a 3 when dry. And since dry lasts longer, I give it a 3.5

Received a half-bottle in a swap from my lengthy wishlist of scents to try (I will NEVER finish filling out this list but it's fun to have new-to-me scents to review again). Was a little hesitant because of the tea note, which is just shy of being a "note of doom" for me and which usually amps. IN THE BOTTLE: Lovely. Absolutely lovely. Woody AND woodsy (there is slight difference to me). Not getting cedar on the initial bottle sniff. Probably juniper I'm smelling which I'm unable to narrow down to a single note (not a refined enough nose palate). I get sweetness and resin and, happily, no tea. Since there was only a little bit in the bottle (I'd decanted into three full imps and saved the little bit left for testing), and first sniff was promising, I lavished ... dabbed on both wrists, in crooks of both arms, behind ears and in cleavage. WET: Upon application the cedar amps (I happen to love cedar so that's fine with me) and it gets very slightly soapy but not in a bad (lily-like) way, just in an invigoratingly clean way. The wrists tend to highlight the sweet cleanness of the cedar and, I think, nutmeg while the crooks of my arm are a little more sarsaparilla-ly kicky. Overall, just a great complex blend and, yay, still no tea! DRYDOWN: Pretty true to the wet notes. The cedar is predominant on drydown and I'm just fine with that. There is underlying wood and pine and greenness as well but it's all really subtle. For me, the true test is cleavage scent which, when applied, amps stuff like crazy. And that is very sweet and cool and woody with a touch of soda from the sarsaparilla. Really excellent. And best of all? NO TEA!!! OVERALL: I like-love this a lot. I'm not freaking out about not being able to load up on bottles of it because I think I have a lot of blends that are very cedar-y and green so that's good. But I'd give this about a 4.5.

Received an imp of this as an amazing and unexpected extra in a swap, straight off my wishlist!!! IN THE IMP: Predominantly almond to me. For some reason, whenever there is almond in a blend it's the first thing I smell. But this sweet almond is tempered almost immediately by what I THINK is the sandalwood but could be the ho wood. Dabbed on one wrist, rubbed to the other, and also dabbed in the crook of one arm. WET: Very, very sweet and delicious. My immediate vibe is very snickerdoodlish but the surplus of wood and resins and musk keep it from going full-on bakery/foody and more complex. DRYDOWN: The musk becomes much more prominent as it dries down. I get NO patchouli at all from this, at least not noticeably as an individual note (I like patchouli but I can live with/without it). To me, this is too sweet to be really sexy and too sexy to be really sweet, but whatever it is, I like it a lot. ... A few people have noted a "cola" note sort of like what's in Voodoo, and since "cola" is my favorite BPAL note (not really a note, I know, but I love cola-like scents like Schwarzer Mond, Lycaon and Voodoo), I can sort of ALMOST smell it but not full-on ... Almost like it's phantom-cola. I wonder if it could be the amber? I DO see a Voodoo comp though. OVERALL: Sugar cookies in a headshop. Not that there's anything wrong with THAT combination! On a scale of 1-5, a 4+

Just got this in a purchase from a lovely forumite because for some crazy reason my brain did not process it when it was for sale ... The scent of dandelions has always reminded me of two things: spring had finally come to NYC in Central Park, and my grandfather. No, Poppy didn't smell of dandelions but he and Nanny lived in Riverdale (the northern part of the Bronx) in an apartment by the river, and we'd visit them every Sunday. When the weather was nice, he and I would walk down to the river together and talk about poetry and he'd tell me stories of his childhood in Russia. The path we took had bazillions of dandelions there. In the spring/summer I'd pick a bunch and bring them back to Nanny and she'd act like I'd brought her a dozen red roses. IN THE BOTTLE: I don't make the identical association with sticking my face in the yellow dandelions and inhaling the first signs of spring/summer in New York City, but it does have a lovely, fresh and beautifully spicy golden-green scent. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of one arm ... WET: This smells absolutely divine. I'm still not sure I think of dandelions, at least not NYC dandelions, but I DO get the feeling of walking into a florist shop where the green stalks have just been cut and are lying on the floor, and the scent of an array of different lovely flowers all fill the air. This is one of my favorite scents and one that is hard to find ... it is one of the reasons that the long-gone Strength (Tarot) has been among my holy grail scents, because it also reminded me of a florist shop. I couldn't tell you right now if Wild Dandelion smells like Strength (or vice versa) but both evoke that imagery for me so it's all good. DRYDOWN: Spicy, delicious, sweet, fresh. Very un-perfume. But the funny thing is I never would have pegged it as a single note if I didn't know what it is. It is somehow complex and simple at the same time. I can't stop sniffing my wrist. It is one of the loveliest SNs I've ever smelled. Very very slightly soapy but I think that's just my word for "clean." OVERALL: It wasn't what I expected but it was just as good, in a different way. I really love this. And it will make a wonderful vacation scent as well. On a scale of 1-5, a definite 5.

Before I continue onto my review here, I want to thank Penance for HER review because it kept me from thinking I was going crazy. So, like many people, I had VILF on my wishlist based on an amazing list of notes, of which virtually every single one (except, sadly, leather) is on my "like" list. And while I know that won't always guarantee a winner, it certainly made it worth trying to find out. I happened to win a bottle on eBay but, a few days before it arrived, I was gifted with a half-imp from an amazingly awesome forumite with whom I had done a swap so it's from that bottle I tested (I am going to also test separately from my other bottle to see if there is any difference based on aging, etc.). So this is from the decanted imp and I'm not sure of the date. IN THE IMP: ALMOND? Absolutely almond. NOT what I was expecting. Almond and leather, medicinal leather, and plastic. (Will explain that below). Dabbed on one wrist and in the crook of one arm. WET: This is super-sweetness crossed with resinous sharpness. It's not candy-sweet but rather the sweetness of something like almond which is apparently not almond. There is also a definite "comfort scent" in it for me which I find in the medicinal resins. The leather is also predominant and I'm not a fan of leather. The over-riding note for me, though, is the "plastic" scent and I use that for lack of a better word. It's not necessarily a BAD scent. I think a lot of the vanilla-y notes have this for me ... it's more that it evokes the smell of new toys, either still in the box or just opened. DRYDOWN: Sweet. Resinous. A little too cloying for me. It's not super strong or in your face, not a lot of throw. But the combination of the plastic scent and the almondy-sweetness isn't a bad thing. It's like having a wrapped gift and a plate of cookies. It's like being the guest of honor at a 5-year-old's birthday party. It smells like dolls and a toybox and childhood. OVERALL: I'm on the bubble about this. I want to give it one more try, and decant an imp of my own from the full bottle before I decide whether to add this to my swap list. Given how popular and hard to find it is, I would only keep it if I find that I really, really love it. And I'm just not sure. I feel like I SHOULD love it but I'm not sure I do. On a scale of 1-5, right now about a 3. Gonna go apply some more for the rest of the day and then decide.

I had missed this whole release but had stumbled across the amazing Third Charm at Dark Delicacies this past January, with it almost immediately becoming one of my all-time BPAL favorites. I admit that Weenies overall have not been kind to me, though I feel like they SHOULD work for me ... but usually there will be some sort of deal-breaking note (apples, pumpkins, booze) that, even if only there in the tiniest amount, amps to ruination. In fact, by description, there were few scents I was more excited about than Samhain and it turned out to be my biggest heartbreaker. So this was one that I was torn on ... it sounded wonderful. The REVIEWS for the most part sounded wonderful. Yes, there were a few comps to Samhain, but mostly they sounded like something that would work for me, so when I saw a full bottle on eBay I tooks my chances. IN THE BOTTLE: Mysteriously both fresh and smoky at the very same time. An amazing and brilliant blend of the true outdoors that still had a resinous quality. Dabbed on one wrist and into the crook of one arm (test-drove another scent on the other arm ... see Vampires for that result) WET: There is something unbelievably FAMILIAR about this that I cannot for the life of me put my finger on, and which doesn't seem to be coming to me even after reading the listed notes. Though I see no fruit in the notes, it is still strongly "dark fruity" on me. Not in a terrible "wash it off" way but as if I stepped under a big dark green bough that also had berries on it. I get a deep green cologne that is a little medicinal (good) and a little boozy (not so good). But it's intriguing and interesting and unusual. ... It's like being NEAR a cabin in the woods but not IN it, near a campfire but not AROUND the campfire. DRYDOWN: This is where it loses me. The predominant drydown scent on me is booze. Apple wine or something. Fruity boozy wine the next day, when you have a sweet-wine hangover. And it's the same thing that lost me on Samhain though to a MUCH lesser degree (that was a wash off, this is just a "nah, I don't think I'd wear it again." OVERALL: I don't DISLIKE this but I wouldn't reach for the bottle again. I'll keep the imp I decanted it into and put the rest of the bottle on my swap list ... I think it's just too masculine, to cologne-y, too fruit-booze for me. I actually think I'd like it on someone else. If some guy was wearing it, I'd think he smelled really good. I just don't like it on me. Maybe I've had too many fruit-booze hangovers. On a scale of 1-5, about a 3 but not a keeper 3.

Ohhhhh I would ABSOLUTELY check out Nephilim and/or Nemesis!!! From the Diabolus category, here is the Lab description for Nephilim ... NEPHILIM: Dark children conceived from the union of Fallen Angels and the Daughters of Men. According to lore, the angel Shemhazai led a group of his angels to earth to instruct mankind in the ways of piety and righteousness. After a time, the angels became prey to earthly desires and began to lust after the daughters of man, and thus they fell. They instructed their mortal mates in the arts of conjuration, summoning, necromancy and other magickal arts. The fruits of their union are the Nephilim: possessed of superhuman strength, cunning, and infinite capacity, and hunger for, sin. Venerated as heroes by some, vilified by most, the Nephilim eventually annihilated one another in a cataclysmic civil war instigated by the angel Gabriel as punishment for their transgressions. Holy frankincense and hyssop in union with earthy fig, defiled by black patchouli and vetiver, with a chaotic infusion of lavender, cardamom, tamarind, rosemary, oakmoss and cypress. And here is a link to my review(s): Nummy num nummy figgy Nephilim And from the Excolo category, here is Lab description of Nemesis (I found that the fig gets more prominent as the oil ages but that could have been TOTALLY just my body chemistry ... it was absolutely the scent that turned me onto fig in all its BPAL glory) ... NEMESIS: The whip-wielding Goddess of Divine Retribution, Justice and Vengeance, and is the force that balances the scales of Tyche's fortune. She is also called Adrasteia, 'she whom none can escape', and Erinys, 'implacable'. Nemesis is the executrix of Olympian justice, and her primary duty is to punish hubris and mankind's offenses against the natural order with inflexible, remorseless and raging fury. Her symbols are a sword and scourge, a measuring rod and scales. Cypress, ginger, fig, dried rose, red patchouli, tonka bean and cyclamen.

I think someone may have recommended this earlier but I would look at White Rabbit ... Strong black tea and milk with white pepper, ginger, honey and vanilla, spilled over the crisp scent of clean linen. It doesn't work "for me" because I really am not a fan of tea scents or milk scents but, that said, based on what you're looking for, it might work really well. It's surprisingly light and fresh while still having the tea scent, fruitiness and sweetness. It's definitely not an "in your face" scent ...

Ohhhhhhhh yes. Nabbed an imp of this on eBay and wasn't sure what to expect ... I LOVE musks and ambers, especially BPAL's musks and ambers, and especially especially BPAL's musks and ambers blended together. But I'm not a big fan of anise, and lotus has a tendency to not only be stinky on me but to make everything else stinky on me too, even if it's only the faintest of notes. But indeed, Parrot_Suspect's comps of this to Scherezade and Old Demons, two of my Top 10 BPALs, gave me hope (and now I'm gonna have to go track down the other scents she mentioned, though I know Judgement is as hard to find as any of my precious Tarots -- I was lucky enough to have the lovely Carmencita decant me a sniffie at the last Meet-N-Sniff). Anyway ... IN THE IMP: Musk and amber. Amber and musk. Sinuous, sexy, grounded, calming. DEEEEEElicious. Just out of the shower after way too many hours cleaning out the laundry room, unpacking decades-old boxes and hosing down ant-ridden crap, I was definitely enthusiastic about application. Both wrists, both crooks of arm, cleavage. This better be good. WET: ... And indeed it is. And indeed, the first scent it reminds me of is Scherezade. This wonderful combination of incense and amber and musk and sweetness and clean, dry loveliness. On my wrists, it is just amber/musk. In the crook of my arm, though, I get something lightly minty which I actually think is the anise and it's WONDERFUL. If I didn't see the list of notes, I would have thought there might be lavender in this. DRYDOWN: Just fantastic. A true dream BPAL scent. It's very true to the imp/wet scent as it dries, clean and lovely and uplifting and peaceful. It's such a comfort scent. On a scale of 1-5, an easy 5. OVERALL: Divine. Delicious. Depressing because I only have a partial imp. Bumping this up high on my DISO now.

I was very excited about this scent and did due diligence to finally get my hands on some (after being sniped at the last second on eBay and then waiting awhile on purchase because seller kinda forgot LOL I think!) ... Anyway ... sigh ... IN THE IMP: Not getting marshmallow -- burnt or otherwise -- OR the cinnamon people complained about (I love cinnamon so I figured that if that was what it ended up smelling like I'd be good with that too!). Instead, it just smells like butterscotch. And I hate that. Applied to wrist and into crook of arm. WET: Yup. Just pure butterscotch/caramel. VERY buttery. A tiny bit of fruity/boozy kick to it. It smells absolutely nothing like what most people told me it would smell like (EITHER version of what most people said it would smell like). DRYDOWN: A bad combination for me of being both too sweet-sweet-sweet-buttery-butterscotch and being STRONG so that the throw is constantly in my face. OVERALL: All I wanted was burnt marshmallows or cinnamon. Sad face. Off to the swap pile with you, little Gorobble. On a scale of 1-5, about a 2.

Received this in a swap and was intrigued by the "Clairol Herbal Essence" original comps, since that is one of my "holy grail" scents. IN THE IMP: Very green and herbal but not getting CHE. More like Karme to me, though there are apparently no veggies listed among the notes! Then the floral component wafts up to my nose to chase the veggies ... and something slightly alcoholic like wine! Already very complex and I haven't even applied it yet! Applied to wrist and into crook of arm. WET: Herbal, astringent and still heavy on the vegetables. Still astringent (that is not a bad thing for me). It's very light, for all of the notes listed, and fresh as well yet at the same time it's quite sophisticated and smells like a high-end perfume. It makes me keep sniffing a lot. DRYDOWN: The drydown scent stays very true to the wet scent, which was true to the imp sniff. The throw from my wrist disappears within an hour. The crook of my arm just smells very very clean. I don't get Clairol Herbal Essence but I do get some sort of herbal shampoo. OVERALL: I like this a lot. I don't love love love it, would not make it a signature scent, but I think it would be a great scent to put on in the heat of summer, which is just arriving here now, for it's fresh green feel and lovely light drydown. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.7.

While looking over all of the "unimpable" GCs (and trying, slowly, to work my way through the vast amount of LEs) as I put together a comprehensive wishlist, I was really intrigued by this ... both by the notes listed and the paragraph itself (I've never read Gaiman -- please don't blackball me from BPAL -- but I am absolutely going to read Good Omens now!!!) I had this on my "I want to try" list -- knowing that it could go either way depending on what amped, wasn't ready to commit to a bottle -- and a wonderful forumite with whom I swapped added an imp of this for me! IN THE IMP: Honeyed vanilla sweetness coupled with pepper pepper pepper! So very interesting! Applied to my wrist and into the crook of my arm. WET: The ginger, which I hadn't noticed in the imp, is at least noticeable once it hits my skin but it's by no means a predominant note (which saddens me because I LOVE ginger). The vanilla amps a lot (NOT a good thing on me usually) but the pepper completely morphs the vanilla-honey-ginger sweetness when it's wet. The perfect amount of gardenia adds the lush bloom and the orange, usually something that I don't like, brightens it as well! (Between this and Jabberwocky I may have to loosen my staunch restriction on orange notes). And best of all, I get NOTHING from the rose. DRYDOWN: This dries down significantly differently between my wrist and the crook of my arm, at first at least. Sadly, it's just way too plastic-sweet from the vanilla, and that is the aspect of the scent that has the most throw directly to my nose. Inescapable. It's also, very oddly, slightly masculine to me ... like a vanilla fougere. In the crook of my arm, the drydown is more pleasant, as the orange gives it a freshness that helps add bite to the sweetness. And while the crook remains more pleasant than the wrist, in the long run, it's just too sweet for me to choose to wear. OVERALL: I love the complexity of this and the creativity and I can't wait to read the book. But I think the imp will return to the swapworld where someone else can love it more than I will. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.

Was able to acquire a full bottle of #390 (reviewed in entries #24 and #49) as well as a bottle containing about an imps worth of previously-unreviewed #94 which the lovely EllaLaRose threw in as a "frimp" for me in our swap! Man, I wish (though my wallet doesn't) that I'd known about the Amber and Frankincense CT series at the time of release. Two of my favorite SNs. #390: IN THE IMP (I decanted an imp as I always do from new bottles): A deep almost red-gold color. Along with the amber, I get a slightly fruity and sweet deep note. It's both green-forest and red but not red-fruity if that makes sense (for example, not cherry or plum or any of my dealbreakers). Applied to wrist and into crook of arm. WET: I think the note I can't put my finger on -- the deep, sweet, fruity/not-fruity scent must be the black musk everyone is referring to because it's really predominant and while it's familiar to me, it's not something I could have put my finger on (and I do like the note and I do like musk). The more it dries, the sweeter it gets. DRYDOWN PHASE ONE: There is no question in the world that there is myrrh in this blend though I didn't see it noted in the other reviews. I happen to like myrrh a lot BUT when it combined with my body chemistry in the crook of my arm (not anywhere else) as it dries down it has an absolutely unique and immediately identifiable "funky" smell for a little while. I really like this as it dries down, funk and all. Sweet and sinuous. DRYDOWN PHASE TWO: About four hours later, this is still sniffable on wrist and in crook of arm and it's really morphed a lot. It's sweet and smoky, like the final embers of a campfire that has several dropped burnt marshmallows in it (I confess this is what I am hoping my pending bottle of Gorobble smells like). This part of the drydown is so amazing that I'm thinking maybe next time I slather on more of this just to get more of this phase later. OVERALL: I absolutely love this. I am kicking myself for not having known about the series ... #94: Since this had no previous reviews, I worried that I'd be completely unable to put my finger on a single note and flunk BPAL school. This turned out to not be an issue. IN THE IMP: Deeply golden scent, very pale gold color. Amber combined with a familiar sharply sweet scent. Applied to wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Boom. CEDAR!!!!!!! Hello cedar!!!!!!! Come to mama. For some reason, not really recognizable in the bottle but the minute it hit my skin it amped ... and I LOVE LOVE LOVE cedar! I think there may be some frankincense in here as well but it's possible that just the combo of cedar and amber is making me think of my myriad of amber/cedar/frankincense blends and am having trouble determining that particular detail. DRYDOWN: As is usual with cedar, it changes very little on me from wet to dry. Divine divine divine. OVERALL: While I really wish I had more than an imp's worth of this, I at least can take solace in the fact that, as mentioned, I do have several amber/cedar/frankincense type combos to go to. But this is delicious. I think that the wet version of 94 is my favorite wet Chaos Theory ever but the late drydown of 390 is my favorite drydown of a CT. (I make an exception for one mystery scent that I can't even find my review of, that I got from long-gone and much-missed forumite Gdogs in the summer of 2005 when we met in Sacramento ... several of us, including Cupide340, sniffed that bottle and NONE of us were ever able to actually figure out any of the notes). Anyway, on a scale of 1-5 BOTH get 5s. UPDATE WITH ANOTHER IN THE SERIES MARCH 15, 2014: #200. Acquired an imp in a swap. Reviewed in this thread by Venneh, post #6. IN THE IMP: Faint amber and other resins. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: A beautiful medicinal amber with a slight indefinable sweetness which worries me a bit, but which I suppose could be frankincense. When wet this is pretty fabulous. DRYDOWN: Ruh roh. The more this dries, the more a note that had not been that noticeable when wet amps more and more and more. It's definitely not frankincense (which is not to say that there is not frankincense in here, as speculated by Venneh). But it's a creamy, sweet scent ... perhaps ambergris or orris? I do think it's some sort of resin. It's not floral or foody. But the more it dries, the more this note overwhelms the amber and anything else there, to the point of going from kinda icky to nauseating to rancid. And, of course, hard to wash off. OVERALL: Sadly, this is just blerg on me. That one bad note is the only thing I can smell. It might be good on someone else, it's just something that my body chemistry does not like one bit. On a scale of 1-5, a 1.

Thanks, Arsinoe!!! I figured NC was a longshot because goat's milk is such a wide target (probably not the right terminology) and I have a feeling that the main note I love in the C&E may not be the GM itself but the lavender. I probably have a better shot at finding a match by continuing to try the BPAL blends that have lavender and other "clean" herbs in them!

I've found a bottle on the forum to buy so I will FINALLY be able to weigh in on the elusive Gorobble

I'm thinking that because of snipe nature there is chance that bottle will re-appear on the board at some point so I'll keep my eye out

This was one I just had to have based on notes and reviews, and was lucky enough to find two partial bottles for sale on the forum! Just got to try it today and nomnomnom!!! IN THE IMP: Limesicle! Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm WET: Sweet and delicious. The lime and the vanilla are prevalent early on, much like a lime float! I don't get full-on ginger (or any fig) but get the sparkly ginger-ale type of effect. Absolutely nummy! DRYDOWN: This goes a little less foody and a little more perfumey on the drydown for me. On my wrist, it's slightly powdery, perhaps from the vanilla and the cream, while the crook of my arm is the spot that captures, finally, the fig (like a limey-sweet Nemesis!). OVERALL: I love this. It's not something I'd wear as an everyday scent, because it's a little sweet and girly, but it's perfect for when I WANT to smell sweet and girly. I also look forward to trying to layer this with a few other scents that might offset the full-on sweetness to see what I can come up with! On a scale of 1-5, a 4.5 with potential to move up in the ranks.

While not exactly a perfume comparison (because, damn them, Crabtree & Evelyn has not made a cologne or perfume of this scent), can anyone recommend a BPAL similar to Crabtree & Evelyn's Goat's Milk line (body wash, body lotion, soap)? I have no idea if the BPAL goat's milk blends, such as Nonae Caprotina, are at all similar or are more "milk" scents. The C&E GM scent is very, very clean with a bit of lavender to it. I've gotten a tiny bit of a similarity from Caterpillar but so far that's the closest I've found. It seems like a scent that would be right in Beth's wheelhouse so I'm thinking it's out there, I just haven't found it yet! Thanks in advance for any advice!

Actually, it was Love that inspired this thread ... really didn't like the rose or the strawberry at all (Love is now in my swap pile) but LOVED the little bits of whipped cream scents that wafted up from it periodically and was hoping I could find a strawberry and/or rose-free blend that had the whipped cream LOL! Thank you, too, for the Gorobble rec ... I'm officially on the lookout! :) GRRRRR Got sniped on an eBay bottle of Gorobble in the :30 before it expired by new bidder. Damn you, whoever it was.