JazzieCazzie

Working my way through my collection of BPAL, old and new, imps and bottles, revisiting or reviewing for the first time as I come closer to completing one comprehensive swap list and one comprehensive wishlist. This was a forum purchase of a bottle last month, and tested from a decant I created from said bottle (I like to have ALL my smells in single imps, the better to travel with, my dear). IN THE IMP: Milky chocolate. Not quite "milk chocolate" per se and not pure chocolate like Bliss, but sort of close ... chocolate with warm milk. Dabbed on one wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Chocolate with an odd kick. I would never have come up with the "glue" or "paste" or "plastic" notes had I not read the description and the reviews (read while decising whether to buy it) but with them in the back of my head, I can understand them. I definitely get the marshmallowy sweetness. Kind of like chocolate fondue. Bliss with a kiss. DRYDOWN: At first, I admit, I'm not crazy about it. It's not the pure chocolate bliss of Bliss but rather whatever that odd note is becomes slightly cloying as it dries down. However patience is a virtue and the final drydown is MUCH more lovely. Subtle and chocolatey with just that marshmallowy sub-note to it. I'm not sure I would have placed the final mystery note as coconut ... to me there is a very very ever-so-slight resinous quality to it. OVERALL: I like this a lot. I don't love love love it but I don't have many scents like it (Velvet and Tezcaplitoca are, I think, my only cocoa blends since I have Bliss on my wish list but don't have any of it right now). My thinking is that I will keep the bottle and get wear out of it but will not be averse to decanting from it once I release my swap list. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.

My 2006 original bottle, and testing a full decant from my own bottle, now aged, oh, shall we say 7 years? Working my way through my entire collection, putting aside scents that don't work and will become part of the upcoming swapapalooza and what will be added to wishlists. But for now ... IN THE IMP: Spicy delicious cola thank you, I believe, to the opoponax, while the resins make it more syrups. Slather pretty lavishly on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Spicy coca cola, right down to nose tingle, but also has throw of what strikes me as fresh turned dark wet dirt in a vegetable field. They all combine so perfectly, this is about as good a wet scent as there is. DRYDOWN: Still spicy, rich, resiny, woody and cola-like, deep and delicious, hours later. Nothing wrong here. OVERALL: Just a damned perfect blend. On a scale of 1-5, a 5+ EDITING TO ADD a little note on the 2013 version (I have an imp of the 2008 which I did not review, and never tried the 2011 so not sure if the difference here is a matter of aging or a possible tiny change in the formula) ... Still amazing, fabulous, gorgeous and brilliant and I still bow at Brian's feet for this scent. But what I noticed right away was a hit of spicy sweetness that wasn't as prevalent in my 2006 blend ... It reminds me a lot of Shub. Is it possible there is some ginger in this? Whatever it is, it is absolutely still fantastic and still rates a rare 5+ on my meter.

Working my way through all of my BPAL to finally come up with a comprehensive swap list AND wishlist, I also fortified said collection with some imps of old that I knew I liked but no longer had. Salome was part of that impapalooza purchase and it is that fresh imp from the Lab which I tested here. Surprised indeed that I never reviewed this ... I always associated it with Eclipse as the two "almond scents" that I liked a lot. IN THE IMP: The first blast is almond. Jasmine joins it very quickly but, in the imp, it remains predominantly almondy sweet. Dabbed onto wrist and into crook of arm. WET: Upon contact, the jasmine and sandalwood notes immediately jump into the fray and combine so perfectly with the almond, that the latter is really no longer identifiable in and of itself (and, happily, it DOESN'T go cherry on me, since that is a tummy-turning note). I definitely get a hint of "Flying Fox," as a few others have noted, from the jasmine bu t the sandalwood is also REALLY prominent in terms of offsetting the almond and keeping the blend from being too sweet. DRYDOWN: It is nose-ticklingly complex, a blend of sweetness and smoke and resin and wood. On my wrist, it is sweeter with very little evidence of the sandalwood. Yet in the crook of my arm I'd say the wood/incense scent is predominant. OVERALL: This is absolutely one of the most unique and unusual of BPAL's blends, in my opinion. You can identify all of the notes and yet, when combined, none of them are predominant, but rather one ineffible and inexplicable mysterious scent. It's really a work of art. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.6

Received as lagniappe in a swap or purchase, not long ago but I can't recall which one. IN THE IMP: Rose rose rose rose rose. More of a fresh rose, like if you stick your nose in a rosebush, but all rose and nothing but, nevertheless. Dabbed on wrist and then ... decided that was enough because it was already throwing like crazy. WET: Rose rose rose rose rose. DRYDOWN: Rinse and repeat. Or in my case, rinse. OVERALL: If you like -- no, love -- rose, this would be a great scent for you. It is pure fresh rose, not rose potpourri or rose scent. However, honestly, rose doesn't always play nicely on me and then compounds it by amping like nobody's business so for me, this is straight to the swap list (coming soon to a forum near you). On a scale of 1-5, 2.5.

Received an imp of this as lovely lagniappe in a recent swap and always especially grateful and appreciative to get something so rare. Sadly, as I tested this as part of my alphabetical journey through A-Z of all of my BPAL imps and bottles, en route to finalizing a comprehensive swap list and wishlist, this really, really, really did not work on me. IN THE IMP: No likey though can't put my finger on the specific note that is setting my teeth on edge. I don't think it's vanilla because, while vanilla tends to go play doh on me on drydown, I generally don't have issues with it when wet. Booze? Fruit? Caramel? Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm in hopes that it was an in-imp aberration. WET: Just ... no. If it's vanilla doing this to my nose and stomach, it's evil vanilla. Overly sweet, way too sweet, cloying, nauseatingly so, but moreso it's boozy and fruity, two dealbreakers for me and neither of one I expected in the description. No cream. No vanilla. No frosting. No cake. No sprinkles. DRYDOWN: Sadly, one of the worst scents on my skin in years. And it has legs. And arms. And other limbs. Even after washing it off it remained. In fact, when I came back into my study hours later, the whole room reeked. It's a rare BPAL that will take over the scent from all the other BPAL's that have preceded it AND the two candles. OVERALL: This makes me even sadder because it's a Lilith scent and I so wanted to love it. ON a scale of 1-5, a 1.

Going through all of my BPAL scents, old and new, imps and bottles, to revisit and review (either for first time or as edit), with plans to finally have a comprehensive swap list AND wish list when I'm done. I don't remember from whom I got this imp, but it was, I'm pretty sure, as lagniappe in another purchase (it MAY have been a forum imp buy). All I know is that the imp came from a decant circle organized by TrailerTrashPrincess, but I'm not sure if I got this from her ... I believe I got it at the same time as The Ifrit. Anyway ... IN THE IMP: Funny how so many of us are defining this as a color rather than as a note. The first thing I wrote down: "light green." I couldn't quite put my finger on the notes specifically (especially having grown up in a city) but it did bring images of walking in the fields (with dandelions) near my grandparents apartment, down by the river, in early spring. Applied to wrist and into crook of arm. WET: It's a combination of spring about to bloom, just ever-so-slightly fruity and pungent, combined with being in an arts and crafts room at school. DRYDOWN: Believe it or not, this dries down to booze. Or, more specifically, beer. Not in a bad way. Not in a "this is what a bar smells like the morning after a party." But rather a "this is what a glass of good beer or maybe dandelion wine smells like after someone finished it, while it's still kind of fresh and cold." It's also got a cologne smell, but a light fresh cologne. OVERALL: I kept this because I loved the scent so much but now I understand why I haven't worn it. It is VERY masculine. My hubby does not like to wear smellies but I am going to see if I can convince him to try this because it is a divine smell for a guy. If not, I'll pop it onto the swap list or frimp it to someone in a swap who has a guy they'd like to smell awesome. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.5 for me but a 4+ for a guy.

Working my way alphabetically through all of my BPAL scents -- new and old, imps and bottles, ones I chose and ones that I acquired via frimp or lagniappe. This was a Lab frimp from my most recent purchase. It is, to the best of my knowledge, completely new to me. IN THE IMP: It really does smell like heat, if heat has a smell. Clean heat. Dabbed on one wrist and the crook of that arm. WET: Surprisingly, I seem to be getting a very slightly fruity resiny scent mixed with dryer sheets straight out of the laundry. DRYDOWN: Yup. Fruity. Kind of like hops or grain, though. Very beige. I think I am getting a lot of interesting throw but will add that I am test-driving this at the same time that I have School House on the other arm and the two are very similar so during drydown I am not totally sure which notes are coming from which arm. But it's sweet and dry and surprisingly delicious. OVERALL: This is definitely, to me at least, a "guy scent." Not that it smells bad on me. It doesn't. But I feel it's not something I could or would wear though I love sniffing it. (Note: I feel the same way about School House this time around and though my husband is not a scent wearer, I am going to "regift" him with both imps and see if he'd be willing to wear either/or. If not, they'll go onto swap list so someone else's guy can smell awesome). On a scale of 1-5, a 3.5 but for someone else, preferably male.

Happy recipient of a Goblin Squirt of this in my last Labbie order and so glad I was ... had already fallen for Alchemical as a spray so hoping he'd have some company! I agree with the Christmas pot-pourri scent but in a good way, not in the "what it smells like in the Glade aisle of the Giant" way. Spicy, kicky, autumnal, something you'd get before you start heating up the mulling spices. I do think of it as a cold weather scent so for now, with the temps finally having hit 90 today, I think this may get tucked away until the fall and winter but it will definitely come out to play what that arrives.

Received this as a generous lagniappe in a recent trade and confess I just cringed when I saw it. I knew that for the sake of completion for my project I was going to have review it which meant wearing it again, however briefly, Though I had never reviewed it here, this was, I admit, one of the biggest disasters when it came in contact with my body chemistry of any scent short of, perhaps, Kitsune-Tsuki, Sacred Whore or Samhain. Top 5 all time fails. But hey, my body chemistry has changed. Maybe it will be different now. And maybe pigs will fly out of my butt if I don't learn my lesson about wine notes and leather and rose. The ones with four-alarm warning notes on my Notes I Hate and Love list. IN THE IMP: Sour wine and stale stuffy flowers. It smells like a bad morning after a night of too much purple-colored alcohol. And I've had a few of those. Dabbed lightly on one wrist. WET: I honestly CAN see why this would be so appealing to people. It's red and purple fruity, complex and sweet. But to me it's cloying, stifling and makes my gorge rise. It's me, not you, Wanda. DRYDOWN: Much more rose and spilled wine all over the floor the morning after a night out at a club before they've come in to mop up. On a scale of 1-5, a 1.1. I'm saving the 1 for Kitsune or Sacred Whore and hope I never have to try those again. The good news is that I believe of the rest of the 50 or so scents I still have left to test drive, review and prep for swap or keep status, there are only about 6 I think may not be keepers!

Received as lagniappe in a swap and because I am intent on actually trying -- revisiting or reviewing -- every single scent in my BPAL collection for the sake of science and anal-retentiveness, I test drove this today (simultaneously with another lagniappe scent that I knew was death on me). IN THE IMP: Straight rose. Rose rose in-your-face rose. And that doesn't bode well. Dabbed some on one wrist. I figured that would be more than enough and I was right. WET: ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE. And the much fainter scent of a high-end furniture store with high-backed chairs. Not exactly what I imagine when I think of a leather scent but then again I'm not sure there is anything that I would find appealing about a leather scent anyway. Obviously many disagree since it is quite a popular note on here. DRYDOWN: Thankfully it doesn't last too long (and I didn't put too much on). ROSE fades to ROSe to ROse to Rose and finally to just rose. OVERALL: This furniture store is closed. Rose only plays nicely on me when it takes a back seat (hahahaha chair joke). On a scale of 1-5, a 1.5

Received as a lagniappe in a swap. I'm pretty sure I've tried this before and it didn't work for me but I can't recall why and I didn't review it, so adding this to my project of reviewing and/or revisiting every single scent I own, including ones that I know are scents of death (those are the next two on the list, later this evening, before I shower LOL). IN THE IMP: Cleanser? Clean cleanser, not Pledge or Lysol, but definitely some sort of household cleanser. Applied very delicately on wrist. WET: Very very faint. And still like a cleanser. Maybe "toner" would be a better word for it. Like the flowery water they sell for sensitive skin? It's not strong, it's not interesting, it's not complex. I add a little more to try to get a read on it and it still remains so faint on me I can barely smell it. DRYDOWN: Of course, the rose rises and that's my least favorite note in the blend. So it's basically very faint rose. Clean rose. Enough that I know I'm wearing something with rose in it, but that's about all. Not in your face at all. OVERALL: I guess this would be a good gift if you wanted to give a scent to someone who doesn't really like strong scents. It's not unpleasant. On a scale of 1-5, a 2.

Received this as lagniappe in a swap. One of four lagniappes, ALL of which had dealbreaker notes of doom for me, but in my anal-retentive plan to try EVERY SINGLE SCENT I OWN, I forged ahead ... gulp. Note of Doom in this one: PLUM. Ugh. Rose is also a bad bad note on me a lot of the time but not a Note Of Doom. IN THE IMP: The primary note I get is frankincense, which is a good thing. I also get a LOT of rose, which is not such a good thing because rose only tends to work on me when it's a way-down note, not an in-your-face note. This is ... interesting. I don't smell the plum in the imp. Dabbed very very very cautiously on my wrist. WET: Frankincense and paint remover. I guess it could be worse. I don't get a lot of the plum per se in the usual "get this off of me right now now now now now" way. But it is winey. Which I like in my mouth but not on my skin. DRYDOWN: Just way too strong and perfumey and purple, even applied to the tiniest degree. OVERALL: I guess I can see why the complexity of this would be good for people who like all of these notes. But I'm not one of them. On a scale of 1-5, 1 1.5

This is a tough review to write but since I am determined to go through every single one of my scents and review them, I'm going to try. You'll understand the issue when I finish writing it. This was a scent I very very much wanted to try since I love pretty much every note in it. Purchased the imp as well as a few others, along with about a half-bottle of another DC'd LE, on the forum. The imp was only about half-full and it clearly came from an old decant circle (it is marked 2009 so it's from the original release, I assume). The label was very old and faded and stained and I couldn't make out if there was ID of which circle it came from. Anyway, to proceed: IN THE IMP: Primarily patchouli and musk, with a sweetness underlying it. Perhaps the vanilla? Or the myrrh? Very pleasant and not very strong so I looked forward to how this would play on my skin. Dabbed reasonably generously on wrist and into crook of the arm, since they often tend to yield slightly different results and there is usually a lot more throw and longer legs in the crook. WET: At first sniff, I kind of recoiled. It just smells like ... department store perfume. That slightly alcohol-based scent which I don't associate with ANY of the notes in this. NOR did I GET ANY of the notes in the listed blend when it went on wet, not even the ones I'd sniffed to lightly in the imp. No resin. No spice. No sweetness. Okay, I figured I'd wait for the drydown because that is often where these notes like to make their mark on me. DRYDOWN: Well, it barely didn't even get there. Within about two minutes (no exaggeration), the whole thing was GONE. No trace of it on my wrist. No trace of it in the crook of my arm. I can't remember this ever happening with a BPAL scent. After about 15 minutes, I got a whiff of the myrrh drydown, the powdery kind, the one I recognize (especially in the crook of my arm). That is always one that amps hugely on me so of course it would be the only note that actually stayed on me LOL. OVERALL: I'm just perplexed. Although I capped the imp back very tightly, I guess when I opened it, some of it seeped out onto the outer part of the imp and I saw a small pool on my desk calendar. I dipped my finger in it and it didn't smell like ANYTHING. And I just sniffed the dried stain on the paper and, again, nothing. I'm going to guess that either Raven's Moon just doesn't age well, or perhaps during the journey this imp has taken maybe it went through a decanting process that affected it? I may need to look for, perhaps, one of the more recent versions of it to re-test. I'm hoping there will be other current reviews of the 2009 blend so I can see whether others have experienced the same results as I did. ON a scale of 1-5, I have to give it an incomplete. I've never done that before.

Received an imp of this as lagniappe in a purchase and though I had a pretty good idea of what it would be like based on the notes, I am assiduously sticking to my plan of working my way through every single imp, frimp, bottle and sniffie I have, A-Z, so I can create one comprehensive swaplist and wishlist. IN THE IMP: About as "white floral" as white floral can be. Strong. Clean, Powerful. Florally florally floral. Dabbed on one wrist. Since these notes tend to amp on me, and not necessarily in a good way, not taking the chance of putting it into the crook of my arm where bad scents go to die. WET: All of the floral notes listed are very much presented and accounted for. Hello, lily, with your clean (some might say soapy, but it's a high end soap) scent. Hi rose, doing your usual job of pushing your way to the front of the line. Chrysanthemum, I see you. Carnation, you are being way too shy since you're my favorite note listed. While I know this is listed as a funereal scent, to me it's much more like a wedding bouquet/wedding ceremony of someone who really LOVES white flowers but maybe I'm a glass half full kind of person (actually, I'm not). While wet, it's not TOO in my face and it's more a very high-end expensive soap smell. Nothing wrong with that ... except that, from past experience, I know what these do on drydown ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 DRYDOWN: Yup. Just gets stronger and stronger to the point of really overpowering me with its white floral perfume. It is absolutely NOT an unpleasant scent. It's just that there's way too much of it for me, and that's even with a very slight application of it. OVERALL: I realize that lilies go "soap" on me and that's not a bad thing in and of itself, it's just too strong for me. Ditto on roses amping up way too much most of the time. I have found that I tend to categorize BPAL florals into two distinct areas -- the "white florals" like this and the "lush florals" which, to me, are scents like Veil and Twilight, two of my all-time favorites. I'm a "lush floral" person. If you are a "white floral" person, who loves the clean white flower scents like lilies and roses, this would probably be absolutely divine on you. It is absolutely "what you see is what you get." But for me, it goes into the swap box. On a scale of 1-5, it's a 3 because it's a perfectly nice scent and isn't stinky on me or anything, doesn't have any dealbreaker notes, it just doesn't work for me.

Though I had only tried a few of the CD scents back in the day, perusing some of the descriptions in my spare time had me add this to my wish list and was able to snare a partial imp on the forum, about 60% full or so ... enough to test drive to add to my alphabetical journey through my goodies and save for occasional use for the future. IN THE IMP: There is something really odd and unique and familiar about this scent in the imp that I cannot place for the life of me. It may be the smoke, but it's ever so slightly metallic and sharp. I'm a huge cinnamon fan (one of those people who thinks there's no such thing as a BPAL blend that isn't made even better by adding cinnamon), but in the imp the cinnamon is more bark than spice. Dab on wrist and into crook of arm. WET: Not totally unexpectedly, this sweetens almost immediately upon hitting my skin. The myrrh and cinnamon amp followed by a very unique spiciness that I still can't put my finger on. Whatever it is, the elusive scent sweetens and softens the scent but not to the point of cloying. It still holds that smoke and bark ... DRYDOWN: I love how this morphs continuously, and differently between the wrist and the crook (if I think I will like a scent, I'll apply it in both places because the wrist is really dry whereas the crook of the arm has just enough perspiration to create a different throw and in the long run I need to like BOTH In a keeper). On the wrist, this is absolutely fabulous. Sweet and spicy and resiny and smoky and everything that is good. In the crook, it has more spice but also, for a few minutes, has that "BO" wonky scent that myrrh has on me when it amps/dries down (but thankfully it doesn't last too long). OVERALL: This is absolutely a keeper. And the fact that I don't have a lot of it in the imp actually makes my life easier because I probably wouldn't make it a "go to" scent for application on any part of my body which sweats LOL (crooks of arms, cleavage, even behind ears) BUT it's DIVINE DIVINE DIVINE on my wrists and maybe my neck. Which will make it last longer. On a scale of 1-5, I'd give it about a 3.5 on the sweat points, a 5 on the dry points and a 4-ish overall.

Almost finished up with the P segment of my alphabetical testing tour of all of my BPAL collection, this tester review brought to you via my own decant from a 5 ML bottle of Pontarlier purchased right around its release. IN THE IMP: A deep fruity purple floral. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: This is like being in the shade of a tree covered with fragrant blossoms, somewhere on a hill, when the weather is warm but not hot. It's a fresh and sweet scent that has so many different notes to it. It reminds me the tiniest bit of my memory of first trying Glasgow, one of the very first BPAL scents I tried when I received an imp of it with my very first order ... (I would not have ordered something with blackberry and heather, and yet it worked for me the way this does). There is even a slightly aquatic note, something that usually does NOT play nicely on me but with Pontarlier they all work. DRYDOWN: It remains a scent that is PERFECT for Wanderlust ... it is evocative of places I've been and places I've never been. It quiets down to a cool purple scent that makes me feel like I'm sitting by a mountain lake. It's a foreign meadow where I want to run barefoot. OVERALL: I guess this review probably doesn't help anyone who is considering trying Pontarlier, LOL, which probably defeats the purpose of a review. But it is so BPAL in how it's just complex and complicated and makes you feel and see and imagine things, rather than just smell like something. Or maybe the Green Fairy is blowing my mind. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.3 or so.

Purchased an imp of this in a recent impapalooza buy from the Lab, not really sure why since rose is so iffy on me, but took the plunge. IN THE IMP: SOOOOO simple. Rose lit up by a bright complementary flower. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: I don't think I'd ever be able to identify the scent of narcissus but whatever it is, it works beautifully with this Moroccan rose. It asserts itself in a way I can only describe as a bright vermilion. Neither note is all "in your face." The rose is one of the most perfectly subtle roses. DRYDOWN: I am so glad I got this. This is by far one of my favorite "rose" scents and yet it's so much more. For whatever reason, this scent, especially on drydown, is more evocative of images and impressions that specific notes. I get the image of two strong and assertive (but not pushy) women in fashionable suits, warm and vivacious and working together to bring out one another's best traits. It's two strong flowers that co-exist beautifully, not competing but co-existing peacefully and seamlessly. OVERALL: I could see one of the awesome strong women characters on "Mad Men" wearing this. Maybe Joan. On a scale of 1-5, a surprising 4-plus.

Purchased this during one of my "let's make a list of scents I want to try and buy a bunch of imp ears from the Lab" buy but not the most recent one, so not quite sure how long I've had this. Working my wait through all of my BPAL scents to sort through and create a comprehensive swaplist AND wishlist. I know I've tried this but couldn't really remember what I thought so it was sort of "new again to me." IN THE IMP: Surprisingly foody. The first word that came to mind in terms of a description was "velvety." Kind of sharp and red and spicy. Dabbed on wrist and into crook of arm. Despite my description of it as "red," it leaves a distinctly amber-colored sheen kind of like medicine. WET: Interesting that I used word "velvety" because, upon application, it reminds me SO much of Velvet. Despite the apparent lack of foody notes, to me it is very foody. It's like Velvet with red amber. Rich, spicy, creamy. DRYDOWN: Probably not that surprisingly, this is where the listed notes become more predominant and it goes more powdery and resiny. I'm surprised not to see myrrh because I am getting a little of that as well. I can definitely note the amber, but find that red amber does not have the same "comfort note" I get from golden amber. OVERALL: I like this a lot. It morphs a lot on me from wet to dry, but both scents work for me. It wouldn't be an every-day scent for me, but whereas I considered putting it into the swap box because I do indeed have other scents that are similar and probably preferable, I will keep it in the keeper box because I really DO like it and you never know (however, it's that kind of on-the-bubble scent that, if I saw it on the ISO list of someone who had something I wanted, I wouldn't hesitate to offer it up in a swap). On a scale of 1-5, about a 4+.

I would throw in a vote for Van Van ... my note on it is "lemony snickerdoodles."

Wow, really surprised at first that I never reviewed this, but realize that while I continued to stockpile my collection, I seemed to stop being anal-retentive about reviews somewhere mid-2005. SOOOOO ... am working my way through my ENTIRE BPAL collection -- imps old and new, bottles old and new, items swapped for and purchased and lagniapped and frimped. And once I get through all of it, I can finally post a somewhat comprehensive swaplist AND wishlist! This was tested from a decant from my own 5 ML bottle of this purchased at time of release (I've made decants from ALL of my bottles, old and new, just to make my choice-of-the-days easier, and as well as giving myself options when I travel!) IN THE IMP: Sweet and spicy and sugary. All carnation to my nose. Dabbed on wrist and into crook of arm. WET: Upon application, this goes bubble-gummy but in the best possible way. Spicy, playful, fun, sweet but not TOO sweet. DRYDOWN: This is the only time where what I assume is the phlox note rises, making it just the tiniest bit more "commercially floral." But overall it lasts a long time and stays uniquely BPAL rather than "department store perfume." OVERALL: I find this a lovely, sassy and fun scent, especially welcome in the spring. I'd say the drydown florally-floral note takes it down just a few fractions when it comes to my final score, but it remains a keeper. On a scale of 1-5, about a 4.3.

I'm sort of shocked that I have never reviewed this scent. Double-checked this thread but nope, apparently not. So here goes what is, actually, a double-fisted test drive as I work through my collection of BPAL goodies, old, new, swapped for, lagniapped, etc. to put together a comprehensive swap list AND wish list. I've been a big fan of Penitence for ages (though I don't think I've ever had a big bottle) and currently have two imps, both purchased from the Lab, and both ... well, not new. Not sure when each was acquired but one is definitely more aged than the other, so decided to review them separately, one on each arm, to see how the aging process affects them. Not exactly scientific, not knowing how old they are, but here goes ... IN THE IMP: Older one: Frankincense is strong and very amber-like -- resiny, golden, comforting. Newer one: Lighter and nowhere near as strong or resiny. Old one dabbed on left wrist/crook of arm. Newer one dabbed on right wrist/crook of arm. WET: Older: A sweet, strong resin that is sharper, for lack of a better word, in the crook of my arm and rounder, softer and more resiny on my wrist. Newer: Definitely less amber/resiny. A little sweeter, a little spicier, a little more bubble-gummy. MIDWAY: My early "wet" assessment so far is that the frankincense, as it ages, becomes more predominant while the myrrh is stronger when the blend is "younger." DRYDOWN: Older: This fades away into almost nothing. Within an hour of application, it is ALL gone. Newer: This has much more "leg" and morphs a few times. When the older scent is gone, this has turned much more resiny than originally. But within another half-hour or so, while still strong, it has some of what I call that "funky myrrh," the powdery and slightly wonky sweet scent. It's not a bad scent, just much more myrrh than frankincense. THEN, another half hour later, the myrrh has mellowed and it's back to a very subtle but still noticeable resin. OVERALL: I love this blend. I really do. I wish I had more of the older imp left to tide me over for a few (months? years?) until the newer one ages enough to be fully frankincenserized and that I had enough to slather so that the lack of legs could be offset. On a scale of 1-5, I give it about a 4.25 more because of the variables -- the scent I like more doesn't last, the scent I like but not quite as much does. Both remain keepers.

I had never tried the "original" Leo blend but was intrigued by the "reboot," if only because I love love love amber, frankincense and saffron. So when I saw a partial bottle for sale, it seemed a worthwhile gamble even if I wasn't sure how the walnut bark and chamomile would work for me (and the reviews were varied). So finally got my package and doubled back to the Ls on my amazing journey through all of my BPAL sniffies, A-Z, as I review, re-visit and compile a comprehensive swap list and wish list (didn't have to double TOO far back since I'm only up to P). IN THE IMP: Very oddly fruity and aquatic, neither of which I would have expected from the listed notes. Dabbed on wrist and into crook of arm, admittedly confused. WET: This is NOTHING like I would have expected (or wanted). Aquatic. Fruity. Wafting some licorice or anisette, oddly enough. I'm also getting something sort of plastic. To say that NONE of the notes I'd hoped for (amber, frankincense, saffron) are at all evident is an understatement. DRYDOWN: Oddly enough, as it dries, what I presume is the "nuttiness" is the lone redeeming value for me and the one note that sort of pulls all these odd random notes together, softens them, gives them a little spice and warmth. I'm getting the tiniest bit of the medicinal comfort of the amber but more of a plastic-y coconut. OVERALL: Really, for me, a huge disappointment. But of course one person's disappointment is another person's holy grail so soon when I post my swap list, hopefully someone will be thrilled to find their beloved Leo 2007 On a scale of 1-5, a 2.

OH. MY. GOD. Bought an imp from the Lab as part of an impapalooza binge in February which combined a reload of favorite old imps to restock or retry and a few new GCs based on notes. This was one of the latter. I knew I was taking a chance since sometimes OB is fabulous on me and other times it turns to soap or bubble gum. But I love sandalwood and champaca so was willing to take the chance. IN THE IMP: Pure sandalwood. Almost like a single note. I actually checked to make sure I hadn't accidentally picked up one of the two imps of Penitence which are on deck for my test-driving (I have an older one and a newer one and plan to compare aged versus recent but that's for another post in another thread). Dabbed on one wrist and in the crook of that arm. WET: OMGOMGOMGOMG. This is so divine. Before I can concentrate enough to place each note (I'm suffering from a head injury which has me slightly dazed and confused, or at least MORE dazed and confused than usual) I get the words flashing in my head: SUNSHINE! VACATION! FLORIDA! SUNTAN LOTION! ORANGE TREES! MUST HAVE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE. The orange blossom amps in the best possible way, as someone else mentioned, as true blossoms rather than soap or citrus. I immediately dabbed more on the other arm and crook and right into la cleavage ... DRYDOWN: The sandalwood and champaca amp up a bit more to add that sweet resiny-woody note and combine PERFECTLY with the OB. The OB, meanwhile, continues to pop and bloom with just a bit more orange side, like sherbet. The combination is damned near perfect. OVERALL: Once upon a time, many many years ago, my parents brought me an orange-blossom scented candle from a trip to Florida. This was right when "scented candles that looked like things" were just becoming popular (my guess is early 70s, maybe, or maybe earlier). It was an orange float drink in a glass. It was the most divine scent ever ... I wouldn't burn it, just had it on a shelf and sniffed it a lot. That is what this orange blossom -- and to a large degree this perfume -- reminds me of. I have been suffering from horrible stress and anxiety, much of it, as my husband and I just discussed over breakfast, stemming from serious SAD. This scent should be prescribed aromatherapy for SAD. It's like a liquid vacation. ETA: The final seal of approval ... hubby LOVES it on me. And trust me, he doesn't love many scents on me at all. Thinking of sending him the Lab link for this since our anniversary happens to be coming up ... or better yet, does the Lab do gift certificates? ON a scale of 1-5, this is a MUST HAVE MORE MUST HAVE BIG BOTTLE MUST HAVE VAT. I think that's a 5.

Based on the notes, I keep thinking I MUST have tried this at some point in the past but I never reviewed it and have no recollection of it. So while perusing a fellow forumite's sale list, which had a few other items I wanted, I purchased an imp of this as well as I continue through my box of smellies, revisiting, reviewing and figuring out exactly what I'll be able to list in the not-too-distant-future for a swaparama so I can stop spending money (well, except on those days when the Lab comes out with new amaaaaaaaaazing goodies). This was interesting. I have no idea how long it had been capped and covered, because ... IN THE IMP: My first whiff knocked me off my feet (well, had I been on my feet). It smelled, I kid you not, like hard liquor. Scotch, maybe? Like the smell of my dad's old liquor cabinet. Obviously nothing remotely like any of the three notes listed. It's not that that's a BAD scent per se (is it awful to say that, in fact, it's kind of an evocative memory of my childhood and not necessarily an unpleasant one? Please don't judge). ... That said, I recapped it because I hadn't been planning on "test driving" it at that moment anyway, and put it aside to review today. And when I re-opened it this morning it was completely different ... perhaps that aeration changed it? Anyway, the second sniff in the imp was indeed predominantly frankincense and nothing but (I <3 frankincense). Dabbed on my wrist and in the crook of my arm. WET: Frankincense wafts up from both applications and shortly thereafter a VERY light cinnamon joins it. I love all cinnamons, the light ones, the burning welty red ones, whatever. Beth is a cinnamon genius. Neil Young wrote the song for her. Whatever. It always seems to do just what it needs to based on the blend and to me in this case it just rounder out the frankincense enough to keep it light and lovely. DRYDOWN: This is where the violet came into play, as it tends to do (I rarely get a wet violet note, since it's notably powdery). I love the violet powder scent anyway (one of my favorite goodies is the box of violet dusting powder that you can buy in the apothecary shop in old town Williamsburg, Va) ... so for me, this just finished off the lovely wave of how this scent morphed, and it completed the triad without overwhelming it. OVERALL: This is an absolutely lovely scent. It's not masculine on me at all. It's dried down into something very very faint and yet comfortingly there. Basically it's a subtle threesome of resin-spice-floral. What's not to like? Yes, please. Keeper for sure. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.75.

Since I tend to love the Lab's honey note I've been trying to experiment with the blends to see which ones work for me. So far, for example, Hemlock Honey is divine, Laurel Honey not so much. Purchased one imp of this in a purchase with a lovely forumite who was generous enough to toss in another as lagniappe. IN THE IMP: Sweet sweet sweet and slightly nutty but not caramelly to me which was a good start because caramel, while I love it in my mouth, makes me very queasy as a scent. Dabbed on wrist and into crook of arm WET: A strong honey kick which has its nuttiness but also something sharp, almost acrid, which I can't quite place. On the other hand, I've never smelled horse chestnuts so assuming that's what it is. DRYDOWN: As others have mentioned, this just keeps getting stronger and stronger and sweeter and sweeter to the point of being overwhelming, and I applied it pretty lightly. OVERALL: Just too sweet for me, and since I have other honey-blend imps which work wonders for me, these will go into the swap box. ETA: Within about a half hour, I have a massive splitting headache. Whether there is any connection or not, I have no idea, but am washing it off to be safe. On a scale of 1-5, about a 2.5