JazzieCazzie

Working my way through my imp and bottle collection (sloooooowly but surely) and decided to quadruple-test four of my Dragon's Blood scents today ... this included (along with Dragon's Hide, Dragon's Reverie and Dragon's Moon). I've had this imp for awhile, but not sure how long ... must have been post-2006 or so since I never reviewed it but I know it's not a newcomer to the box. IMP: Strong Dragon's Blood, perhaps the most out of the imp of the four, cut by the sharpness (in a good way) of the sandalwood. Applied to left wrist. WET: Of the four, upon application, remains the most "dragon's bloody" of the quartet but the pencil shavings of the sandalwood keeps it from being TOOOOO sweet and the two play together SO nicely. DRYDOWN: This is such a great combination, as the sandalwood mellows out the DB to the perfect degree and they co-exist peacefully and subtly on my for the rest of the day and evening. OVERALL: What's not to love? Dragon's Blood and THREE sandalwoods? Yummalicious. On a scale of 1-5, another 5.

Opium-laced dreams of flame, plunder, power and fury: dragon’s blood resin, poppy, amber and ylang ylang. I have absolutely NO idea how I missed this amazing scent my first few times through the Ars Draconis list, especially since I discovered somewhere along the line that I absolutely adored BPAL's Dragon's Blood. And that ylang-ylang is one of my absolute favorite floral notes. And that I love love love amber. And poppy. Well, whatever the reason may be, I happily stumbled across it on my first trip to Dark Delicacies and it was one of the three big bottles I bought on that memorable day. During this current "try every single imp and bottle in my collection and either review or revisit it," I quadruple-tested four DB scents, this one among them. It didn't disappoint (FYI the other three were Dragon's Hide, which sadly aged poorly on me since 2005, with the leather outlasting the DB, along with Dragon's Claw -- still divine -- and Dragon Moon 2008, ditto on the divinity list). IMP: Actually, in the imp, this one had the least obvious Dragon's Blood hit on me on first sniff, with the glorious florals overpowering it. Applied in the crook of my right arm. WET: Once on and interacting with the skin and bit of sweat, the DB woke up and roared into wonderful action, combining with those amazing florals and the amber to be, perhaps, my favorite of all of the applications of the day. There was also a little bit of sweet candy hidden behind the lush notes ... overall, just a great sexy scent. DRY: The drydown is long and lovely without being "in your face." I'd say that nine hours later the prevalent notes, subtle though they are, are the DB and the YY. OVERALL: Bravo. Worth waiting for. On a scale of 1-5, a definite 5.

Received as frimp from the Lab with an Etsy purchase of some wonderful oldie-goodies. I would never have chosen this myself but I know I received it as a frimp several years ago. However, I apparently never reviewed it so this is a first-time look. I want to preface this by saying that one of my weirdnesses when it comes to BPAL and scent in general is that while I ADORE lemon-flavored iced tea, I cannot drink hot tea at all mainly because I can't stand the smell. (When I get lovely lagniappes of tea in swaps, I send them to my very grateful daughter who ADORES hot tea so it's win-win). And I find the BPAL tea note almost unfailingly goes that form of wonky on me ... but in the name of being anal-retentive, open-minded and scientific, I am trying and reviewing (or re-reviewing) every imp and bottle that comes my way so here goes. IMP: Fruity, sweet, musky vanilla. Not bad. Dabbed on one wrist while co-testing Dia de los Muertos 2012 on the other one. WET: I know there is no fruit listed in the description but it goes distinctly "Jolly Rancher" on me as soon as it hits my skin. It's actually quite nice ... kind of sugar candy with a fruity kick. And no tea, so that is good. For the next few minutes, I TOTALLY get why this has been one of the most popular scents since its release. But then it dries down and ... DRYDOWN: Boom. Ugh. Tea. Lemon and tea. It just smells bitter and sour on me, as always. OVERALL: I totally understand this scent's popularity but it just is SO not right for me. Swap box on the ASAP. Score on a scale of 1-5: 1.5

REVIEWING THE 2012 VERSION Received as generous lagniappe in a purchase from a lovely forumite. I know I tried an earlier incarnation of this way back when but did not review it so not sure which year. Pretty sure it would have been part of a decant circle since it wasn't in a big bottle and it wasn't something I would normally order. And, obviously, it wasn't something I kept (I do remember liking All Souls from whatever that series was, though). IN THE IMP: Sweet sweet sweet and a little smoke. Dabbed tentatively on one wrist. WET: Sweet, still, and sugary but immediately a strong floral perfumey smell rises like department store perfume for old ladies. There is a hint of fall behind it but whatever floral it is (or more likely florals) are definitely a dealbreaker for me. But I'll try to patient it out for a few minutes for the sake of review science. DRYDOWN: No likey. To me, it is both too busy trying to be all things to all people and yet also too generic. It's a washoff. On to the next. On a scale of 1-5, a 1. Swap box for you, little Dia.

Acquired a bottle of Bony Moon 2009 (I had to look VERRRRRRRRY carefully to read the label because, you know, it sucks to get old) in a purchase from a lovely, lovely forumite. IN THE BOTTLE: While I naturally got the lovely lilt of the sandalwood, my first thought/image was slightly sweet and a bit fruity, which surprised me because I had not double-checked the description but thought it unlikely I would have bought something with fruit (way too risky for my body chemistry). Dabbed pretty generously on one wrist/crook (dual-testing with Anthelion on the other). WET: I realized almost immediately that what I thought was fruity in the bottle was actually the sweet green cedar once it was applied, the one wood that interacts so uniquely with my body. Not bad unique, but unique. The sandalwood amps up immediately (yay sandalwood!) and I smell glorious -- light and lovely but also spicy and golden. DRYDOWN: This is a scent that stays very true to me on drydown from its wet scent (I guess there's no myrrh, LOL). And that's a good thing. The herbs add that degree of ineffable, maybe unplaceable scents but they're all good ones. OVERALL: This is an unusual and slightly unplaceable but very awesome scent which takes a very very honored spot in my box of big bottles, and from which I have already decanted a single imp to take with me when I travel, etc. On a scale of 1-5: Very close to a 5.

RECEIVED as a frimp during an earlier purchase from the Lab and has been sitting in my imp box waiting for -- well, not sure how long. There's a slight stain on the label so I know it's not brand new. It's POSSIBLE I might have ordered it in an earlier impapalooza but it wasn't this last one. The notes are all ones that would appeal to me ... I just can't quite remember its genesis. IN THE IMP: It just smells a little musty and perfumey to me, not my usual first reaction to a combo of resiny/woodsy/incensey notes. Dabbed a little on my left wrist (double-testing Danse Macabre on the other wrist as I work my way alphabetically through my imps and bottles). WET: Sweeter once it hits my skin. Sweet and dark without my being able to really single out any of the notes. Pleasant but not captivating. DRYDOWN: Oh. There's that funky smell. I have yet to figure out for SURE what it is but I think I may have finally narrowed it down to myrrh. (At some point I should probably see if I can find every review where I've singled it out and make sure this is the culprit). I have no word for it but funky. It's not awful, it's just not great, and it's only evident on drydown. Slightly medicinal but ickily sweet. OVERALL: Yeah, this dances off in a two-step with Danse Macabre into the swap box. And I definitely need to read my old reviews again to see if it's myrrh, so I know not to order it anymore. I do love my frankincense though. SCORE: On a scale of 1-5, a low 3.

CCX -- received as a very lovely and generous lagniappe in a swap/purchase with another forumite. I was very happy to receive it because I bought one or two bottles of this at the time of release since I am a huge Penitence fan and neither one worked for me at all. I saw only one review of this version earlier in the thread, from Bastlynn, who noted black tea and oakmoss. IMP: Something very sweet blending with the Penitence. Dabbed on one wrist and the crook of that arm in a dual-scent testing morning. WET: Interestingly enough, the scents smell quite different between my wrist and my arm. In the crook, it is a little metallic and almost tangy but on my wrist it stays true to what I first noticed, a very sweet and pleasant note. At first I was thinking sugared frankincense, but it could definitely be more of a sweet wood. DRYDOWN: The contrast between crook and wrist is even more evident. The drydown in the crook is VERY VERY familiar from other BPAL scents and I'm thinking it could be the myrrh. To MY NOSE and ON MY BODY I don't get ANY tea at all. It's a little funky but not BAD funky. ON my wrist, however, it is absolutely sweet woodsy frankincense and a totally lovely scent. Still no tea. Not sure it's wood but it could be. OVERALL: I absolutely love this. If it were available in a big bottle I'd put it on the list. Instead, I'll save it for a few special occasions and enjoy the gift as it was given. SCORE: On a scale of 1-5 I'll give it a 4.8 -- 5 for my wrist and 4.5 for my crook, rounding up

Crushed violets, red currant, patchouli root, and Spanish moss. Received an imp of this as lovely lagniappe in a purchase from a wonderful forumite. I was very intrigued by the notes. I am a big lover of violet-scented goodies but generally in a more old-fashioned girl way (for example, one of my very favorite things in the world is the box of violet-scented dusting powder you can by in Williamsburg, Va.) IN THE IMP: "Dirty violets," using the term "dirty" in the best possible way ... as in real, dark, moist earth you dig up while gardening. Dabbed onto one wrist and crook of arm while co-testing with Baba Yaga on the other arm (trying to make SOME headway through my collection for reviews and a fully-functional swaplist AND wishlist). WET: Unfortunately, the more masculine (IMHO anyway) "sub-notes" quickly amp up to the surface with my skin chemistry so that while the spicy scent of violets and their friends remain for a little while, it gradually becomes much more men's cologne than feminine perfume. DRYDOWN: It's just not me. Despite the name which makes me thing of girly things (my own inference, I'm sure not implied), it's just a guy thing. Score: On a scale of 1-5, a 3 but not a keeper. OVERALL: I think this would make a wonderful scent for a guy. And if MY guy was even remotely willing to wear cologne I'd keep this and ask him to dab it on. But he hates smellies on himself (sensitive skin, whatever) and while his sense of smell is so minimal that he doesn't mind my constant playing with my BPAL because he doesn't really notice it unless I stick my wrist in his face, he won't wear it either. So someone (or someone's guy) will be the eventual beneficiary.

Dragon's blood. Amber. Two of my absolute favorite BPAL notes. In fact, maybe my two FAVORITE BPAL notes. What's not to like? Nothing. So why on earth had I not figured out I should try this YEARS ago? Instead, it took me until January 2012, when I went out to LA to visit Cazzie Lite (who moved out there after college). Hubby made lunch plans with his high school buddy who now lives in Burbank, and I got him to drop me off at Dark Delicacies so I could just nose-browse the BPAL display for two hours with a little bit of spending cash burning a hole in my pocket. Yes, I sniffed nearly every bottle there -- literally. The only exceptions were scents I'd already tried. And I thought narrowing it down to three scents would be tough until I came across Blood Amber (luckily quite early in the mix, since the GCs are alphabetical and the first ones I hit). I only bought two imps (bought a total of six imps, two each of three scents) but have it on my "big bottle" wishlist for when the day comes that I am gainfully employed again. IMP: Dragon's blood. Amber. Actually, in the imp it was more like dragon's blood, dragon's blood, dragon's blood and amber. Dabbed ... okay slathered ... onto both wrists and crooks of arms. WET: Dragon's blood amps up to big-time floral on me (it's so interesting how it has different effects on different people, for me it's very lushly gardenia ... before I learned to identify it, I would note that blends with DB reminded me of White Shoulders, my first "adult" perfume). But it didn't take long for that golden amber to rise as well, its sharpness providing the perfect balance with the DB. DRY: These two scents are among my favorites because a) neither ever goes wonky on me and they are both, for lack of a better word, "comfort" scents for me. There's something about amber that brings to mind safe times of childhood, the pharmacy across the street, the smells in the closet where we kept the clean linens and medical supplies. God knows why that would be comforting, but it is. It's clean and lovely and I would imagine that if I could have a little cloud of this scent hanging over my head every night I'd never have another nightmare or bout of insomnia, it is just so calming and comforting. OVERALL: This is one of the most perfect -- and to me quintessential -- BPAL scents. An easy 5 on a scale of 1-5 and a big bottle purchase as soon as it's feasible. If I didn't have two imps I'd do it now.

Purchased as part of an impapalooza batch from the Lab in February: IN IMP: Hard to really put my finger on any one of the scents but definitely strongly amber (though I guess because of the combinations of amber it's not my usual "comfort scent" amber) with a spicy floral It's a cold, gray rainy day and this smells so springy that I dabbed on both wrists, crooks of arms and cleavage. WET: The floral amps up so that the "white floral" (the apple blossom, I think) joins the amber to fight for my attention. It's a very full-bodied scent and a great mix of the amber, the floral and the spiciness, though I don't get straight-out carnation (which I am guessing is what's providing that subtle spice). DRY: When it dries, it gets a little perfumey on my wrists which isn't my favorite scent. HOWEVER, when dabbed in my cleavage, it stays moist enough that it maintains the wet smell which I love. OVERALL: I think this is a great spring/summer kind of scent that evokes garden parties and warmth and all the things I would desperately love to be surrounded by. With that in mind, my future plans would probably be to only put this in my cleavage On a scale of 1-5 a very high 3 but not quite a 4. But a keeper high-3.

Received a half-imp of this as a lovely lagniappe in a swap ... and while I am sure I am not adding anything to the thread that hasn't been already mentioned, in the interest of continuing reviewing and revisiting everything in my collection, here goes (I actually had an imp or a bottle of this at one point, when I bought a few of the Snake Pit scents upon original release, but apparently never reviewed any of them): IMP: Deep spicy cocoa Snake Oil. Dabbed a single dark brown stripe on one wrist pulse point and rubbed them together. WET: Snake Oil on its own tends to make me slightly queasy though I actually really like the scent, but the cocoa and the wood in this takes that "too sweet" edge off when wet and is pretty damned divine. DRY: Once it dries down, the Snake Oil takes over and doesn't let go. There has not been a moment that my wrists have not been piping up saying "I'm here! It's me! Snake Oil!" Just a LITTLE too much throw for me, even though it's throw that I like. OVERALL: 3.5 as a perfume. But since it's only a half-imp, rather than putting it in the swap pile I think I'm gonna turn the rest of it into lotion with unscented Aveeno. I suspect it would make a lovely and luxuriant lotion.

Received as frimp from Lab in a recent impapalooza order. Despite the descriptions from reviewers of Dragon's Blood (one of my favorite scents), even though it's not actually listed in the notes (though I guess maybe all "blood" titles are presumed to have DB in them?) as well as honey, which I usually like, I never would have ordered this because it contains not just one but TWO deal-breaking notes for me -- cherries and wine. But in the name of science and anal-retentiveness, I'm going through my entire collection to review and revisit, so Blood Kiss it was. IMP: Strong and actually bitter, almost to the point of being sour. The booziness made me think of sourmash. I dabbed the ever so teeny-tiny bit on my wrist. WET: Actually surprisingly not awful. The honey and vanilla, which I couldn't smell in the imp, immediately came to the forefront on my skin so while it was still boozy, it was sweet booze like liqueur. The cloves also amped which is always a good thing. In fact, I got bold and dabbed a little more on both wrists to get full effect. DRYDOWN: Surprisingly pleasant and complex and spicy and interesting. NOT a washoff. OVERALL: I'd give it a surprising 3 out of 5. If I didn't have such a big collection I might consider even keeping it but honestly, I don't see ever wearing it again given my other options so this will go to the swap pile which will eventually, once closer to being complete, make it onto the site LOL.

A frimp from the Lab with my recent impapalooza order. One I would never have ordered myself because, despite quite liking most if not all of the first few notes listed, the last note mentioned was the dreaded "peach." A deal-breaking note for me, no matter where it comes in the list. But I'm trying everything in my impbox, old, new and ... well, everything. My goal is to have reviewed or -re-reviewd every single BPAL I own. IMP: Yup. There it is, right in my face. The Peach. Over every other note, I get "the fruity." I dab a teensy tinsy bit on my wrist ... WET: As far as peaches go, this isn't horrible. It's closer to fresh peach (which happens to be one of my favorite things to EAT, but I just don't usually like fruit SCENTS if that makes any sense) than prevous BPAL peach notes I've tried (stomach-turning Fae, I'm looking at you) -- though I know they're really popular with people, so it's clearly just something with my chemistry that makes it nauseating. This is kind of soft and pink ... maybe the vanilla and sandalwood offset the peachy-peachy? DRYDOWN: Nah. Just not me. Just a little too girly-fruity-sweet for my tastes. Not horrible. But does reaffirm my feeling that I don't go well with fruit. OVERALL: 1.5 Scampers off to the swap box.

Frimp from the lovely Labbies with recent impapalooza order: IN IMP: Winey winey wine wine wine combined with darkness. Dabbed VERY tentatively on wrists ... because while I adore red wine to drink, it has been one of my "bad notes" in the past ... WET: Storm clouds made of red wine, and old leather. Maybe not my best smell. DRYDOWN: On me, these notes combine to make me smell like the back of an old NYC taxicab late at night, after its carried all sorts of interesting folks at different levels of inebriation and smoke-filled backrooms. I smell like lusty old men. It might make for a good short story, poem or painting, but not a great scent for me. Overall: 1.5 Off to the swappy imp pile with you, Black Tower.

Hmmmm, mystery imp for me. It was in my imp box all clean and fresh which means I got it from the Lab at some point not TOO long ago, but it was not part of my recent February impapalpooza. And since it's in there I may have ordered it (the notes would suggest that) but I never reviewed it and (inexplicably, as you'll see) I kept it. So, yeah. From reasonably fresh Lab Imp: IN IMP: Something fruity and slightly, for lack of a better word, "icy." Sweet. Not what I expected, though certainly the caramel may have contributing to the sweetness (and, I guess, the honey but I can usually recognize that). Dabbed lightly on wrists. WET: Wow. This is not working for me AT ALL and it's deteriorating quickly and surprisingly, I tend to play really well with musk, benzoin and honey but none of those notes seem to be in play here at all. Just an ineffable perfumey sweetness that is making me a little nauseated, not a usual BPAL response for me. DRY: Just department store perfume. Tristesse. Adieu, Bien Loin. You will make someone else a happy imp someday. OVERALL: 1. My third washoff of the day so think I'm gonna stop testing for now. Maybe it's just a bad chem day (though I was also testing the ones that I thought might not work, since I knew I'd be home and could do washoffs if needed). .

Acquired from the Lovely Labbies as a frimp in my recent Impapalooza order (I got 24 imps and they frimped me -- now in verb form -- with several intriguing additions!) IMP: Wow. Really interesting and unusual and complex to my nose. I try to write down the images if I can't get notes (and despite 9 years of BPAL-dom I'm still a notesy novice for the most part). Sweet wood ... definitely quite masculine to me, but not to the degree of some of the "fougeres" where I can't imagine even giving them a skin-based test run (and no booze, luckily). Dabbed gently on my wrists out of caution. Smart move because ... WET: This is REALLY strong on me. Interestingly, though it is sweet to me in the imp, once on my skin it gets quite salty. And now I definitely recognize the tobacco ... it smells like sweet pipe tobacco. And while others have been able to pick out the vanilla very easily, to me I would never have picked out "vanilla" per se, but can see it as "vanilla pipe tobacco." It's very pleasant but probably not me ... but I wanted to wait for drydown to make a decision. DRY: Yup. Powdery pipe tobacco. More powdery and tobacco. It reminds me a little of my late grandmother's bathroom -- no, not in an icky way. She had a few old-school powders and bath oils and this is reminiscent of that. It's not what I'd call my "comfort" scent but yet is ineffably comforting because of those vague sensory memories. OVERALL: I really do like the scent a LOT. I don't really like it on me as a perfume. It's NOT a washoff, I'm more than content to wear it for the rest of the day. I wouldn't wear it again and it will land in my swap pile (which will eventually be big enough, I think, to finally put together a legit swap/sale page but I'm waiting until I've gone through EVERYTHING in my box, both new and old, to have a complete list). I would LOVE this, however, as a candle, tart or scent diffuser. Out of 5, I give it a strong 3. Big like.

A new-to-me scent, surprisingly enough given the listed notes -- I would have thought I'd have ordered it at some point in the past. But apparently not, and this imp was acquired in February 2013 when I ordered a whole boatload of imps, some I wanted to revisit and others I wanted to try for the first time. A few days ago, I did a TINY test on it for the "A-B-C" thread in BPAL Chatter and here was my VERY initial reaction: Outstanding yet subtle and sweet blend of my favorite kind of floral offset by something more mysterious. Come to mama. ... I love the spicy floral of it and it makes me just want to keep sniffing myself. ... I'd say it reminds me ever so slightly of Twilight and Veil, my very first two BPAL purchases, both of which remain favorites though not ones I wear frequently (I try to keep my regular go-to scents on the more subtle and spicy side rather than floral, because I find that people who have scent issues tend to be bothered more by florals than anything else). So this time, for full review purposes, I was a little more generous in application with some differences in initial reaction. IMP: Surprisingly not very floral to me, per se ... more ineffably "other-worldly" and spicy and slightly mysterious. Had I not known the notes, I would have been baffled but thought possibly green/herbal. Applied to wrists and crooks. NOT to cleavage this time. WET: BAM BOOM HELLO HONEYSUCKLE. Not sure if this note amps on me this immediately all the time or just in this mix but ... wow. But not sweet lovely southern honeysuckle which blooms in my back yard in the spring. A strong, syrupy, spicy honeysuckle. Someone earlier in this thread comped it to New Orleans and I would agree. In fact, had I not known better, I would have also suspected there might be some jasmine in here. Yet even with that in-your-face floral, there was a spicy green-ness looming, like a kid in the backseat making itself known. DRY: Very spicy and strong and floral and unusual. I still keep thinking jasmine and not sure why. This IS a keeper for me and it's wonderfully complex, but I wouldn't buy a big bottle of it because it's definitely not for everyone and I have a feeling the people I spend the most time with would not be big fans ... I wouldn't wear this in an office setting or anyplace I was going to meet new people that I wanted to impress. Not a knock on it at all ... just that I can see it being a "love it or hate it" scent. Subtle, it ain't. I'd go 3.5 out of 5, will keep it and dab it on occasionally for that feeling of being debauched and Blanche Dubois-ish.

Working my way through my alphabetical collection of imps and bottles and stunned to see that I never reviewed Ace of Swords (in fact, I can't find any Tarot reviews, which is odd because I am pretty sure that if I didn't get a complete imp collection at the time, I at least had SEVERAL) ... but onwards. This is from an imp I decanted from my own original 10 ML bottle and my only remaining Tarot scent (though I am putting The World on my wish list, recalling that was also a favorite). IMP: Pure lavender but very light and airy. I know it isn't "straight lavender oil" but that's the only note I am getting. Not that that is a bad thing since I am a lavender fanatic. Applied to both wrists, crooks of arms and cleavage (note: I will ONLY do a cleavage application if I KNOW it's a scent I love because I've got a LOT of cleavage and it tends to be the one spot with legs -- no, my boobs do not have legs but the scent always lasts there longer). WET: Even upon application to my skin, I'm not getting anything recognizable other than the lavender. It's a gentle version of it and a light and airy version, so I am sure it's working in wonderful cahoots with something else, but I have no idea what. The suggestion of others that it's white sandalwood makes sense to me since that is a note that I find works wonderfully with me 100% of the time, but generally doesn't "stand out" but rather morph with other notes on my skin. DRY: Completely gone on my wrists. Noticeable but mildly in the crooks of my arms with something that could be very slightly white floral, perhaps? And in cleavage? AMPING up the lavender but with a second comfort scent which I'm guessing must be the sandalwood. OVERALL: I love love love this. I think it would be the perfect lavender blend to give a newbie who doesn't love strong scents but likes lavender that doesn't smell "old ladyish." My daughter, who has tremendously different tastes than I do and is sensitive to strong scents (won't go into a Lush store, etc.) has been having a lot of headache issues and I think I am going to refill my imp to the top and send this along to her in my mommy-made headache first-aid box). Sad that it's discontinued but wonder if it might at some point be re-introduced as part of the Somnus line? Would be a great addition to that. 5 out of 5.

Somewhat surprised to see that I never reviewed this previously ... I'm going to call this a "re-visit." I had an imp of this awhile back and while I remember being intrigued by it and certainly not DISLIKING it, I clearly parted with it at some point so when I placed an impapalooza order from the Lab recently, I picked up another imp of this. My memories of it were, not surprisingly, strong and maple syrupy. And perhaps a little too strong and unique to wear on a regular basis. ACQUIRED: Purchased as imp from Lab February 2013. IN IMP: A really powerful double-barreled hit of resin/incense and whatever the super-syrupy-sweet note is. But because it is so complex, I'm not sure I would have IMMEDIATELY thought "maple syrup" without the recollection of it previously. It definitely takes a moment to process the notes and place the scent. APPLIED: Just about a dab-and-a-half on one wrist, rubbed onto other wrist ... again, remembered it was strong so didn't want to overapply. WET: To me, this is SO complex and, aside from the incense/resin note, I honestly get more "images" than specific notes and they're really jumbled ... machinery, sand, sea, salt, waffles, suntan lotion ... as I continue to sniff, I start making some of the connections. I think the sweetness is at least in part due to coconut, which would explain why I keep thinking "this really reminds me of suntan lotion and being by the seaside." DRYDOWN: Now I remember why I regifted it the first time. It starts drying down into what I can only call powdery "Playdoh." It may be coconut, it may be vanilla. It is a note that has had this body-chemistry on me in other BPAL scents. In fact, I went back and re-read my Snow White review from 2005 and I singled out a Playdoh effect combined with coconut-based suntan oil. So it may not be coconut as a note per se, but it is a note that has that effect on me (and my daughter confirmed it exactly at the time, sniffing it and going ... "Wait, I know that smell ... let me put my finger on it ... PLAYDOH!") But since as far as I can tell neither Al Azif nor Snow White specified the oils, I haven't been sure which one it was ... It's not nasty, I don't feel the need to go take another shower (like I did with, say, Sacred Whore of Babylon or anything with orchid in it). The resiny incense part offsets the powdery sweetness enough to make it nice enough. I wouldn't be surprised if, when I go out later, I get compliments on it. It's just not something I would choose to wear again when I have so many other awesome scents that I adore. I'd give it a 3.5 overall for sheer creativity and complexity, a 2 ON ME and it goes into the regifting slot of my imp box to make someone happy and sweet-smelling down the road.

Been awhile since I've done full-on reviews (and I did a LOT of them back in the day), so forgive me if I'm a little rusty at this but since I've just been updating, spread-sheeting and adding to my imp AND bottle boxes, no better time than to review everything that fell through the cracks in the meanwhile, since I'll be trying new scents every day now! I don't remember when I bought this imp (it could even have been a frimp but, based on the notes I reviewed AFTER testing, I'm sure I chose it myself). IMP: Dark, SHARP, woodsy with a tiny touch of the medicinal. IOW, my kind of scent but a little harder around the edges. WET ON WRISTS: Not as "dark" (which was more of an image than anything) once it hits skin. Not what I would describe as fresh or golden, but there is SOMETHING in there that softens the woodsiness, sharpness, tincture and rounds it out, makes it a little lighter. It reminds me of something else that I can't put my finger on (but am sure once I read reviews I'll be all "DUH!") DRYDOWN: My body still plays SOOOO nicely with incense-y scents and this one is no different. It doesn't go wonky on me, but it doesn't have major throw either. Definitely a keeper imp and one that, if frimped with again, I would absolutely retain in my imp box rather than putting into the "swappable" pile but probably wouldn't buy a big bottle simply because I have other favorites that are so similar. 4 out of 5

Have an imp of this with a homemade tag and not sure if I got this as part of a decant circle or kindly added in by someone via swap/sale. Either way, it ended up in my imp/frimp pile and I only just rediscovered it while doing an "I'm out of work so may as well use this time to do a major housecleaning." The "out of work" part also has me on a pretty strict "no buy" kick however, when I found this and Dragon's Moon (similarly imped/labeled) I had to buy both in 5 MLs (DM, happily, through a BPAL-er who had it for sale and this through BPAL directly). Someone on an earlier page used the word "comforting" about Ifrit and that is absolutely the overriding word for me. The thing is, that's a very subjective adjective. In my case ... when I was growing up, we had a closet in the hallway of our apartment which we called "the linen closet." Along with sheets and towels, it also held all of our medical and first aid supplies, soaps, etc. I could not, to this day, tell you what the single outstanding "note" was (any more than I could tell you what the "Lush store" smell is), but it was the most comforting scent and the one most evocative of my long-ago childhood, back when everything seemed safe and good. When I uncapped the Ifrit and took a sniff, I was back in the linen closet. Now, I doubt that any of our first aid supplies contained Dragon's Blood or ginger or musk, but somehow the combination is identical. I really wish this scent could be acquired as well in some sort of candles, incense, room spray, etc. Nevertheless, I just wanted to express my thanks to Beth and company for giving me this gift of sensory olfactory memory that is so special.

This is probably my favorite "new" scent in a long, long time ... Wet it smells EXACTLY like Tushnamatay to me (which is my very favorite catalogue scent and on my Top 3 all-time BPAL list) ... On drydown though there is some sort of strangely sweet scent (I guess I'd agree with those who are calling it powdery) that keeps it from being perfect. I know there are a few other scents that have that same drydown on me but I am not sure which note it is ... A few hours later, though, that powder is gone and the initial goodness lingers on for hours. A definite keeper which I will be reaching for a lot. RE-REVIEWED MARCH 10, 2014: (With a note that I'm shocked to see a review from 2007. I really thought I had not reviewed anything between summer 2005 and winter 2013). Reacquired some of this and testing from an imp. IN THE IMP: Deeply musky myrrh. WET: Fantabulous. Resiny, bright and golden. The myrrh is predominant but sweet, not sweaty. DRYDOWN: Just a little too much myrrh for me now, making it TOO sweet and powdery. OVERALL: This is really interesting for me. I was not able to identify the myrrh in my original review. And, without sharing TMI (okay, sharing TMI), I started menopause in the late summer of 2007. Since then, there are definitely notes that react completely differently with my body chemistry and myrrh is one of them. It amps much more than it used to and, when applied to the crook of my arm, can sometimes smell like dirty sweatsocks. I actually like myrrh but not as much as I used to and only in small doses. Minotaur is not a small dose. It is also possible that the sheer age of this oil, almost seven years old, has made the myrrh age and get even more predominant. On a scale of 1-5, about a 4.

This is like bathing in a chocolate egg cream. In other words, awesome ... I am SO glad I have five on order and I suspect that austerity budget be damned I'll be ordering even more to have some stash. (And probably buying bars of Bliss and Shub soap while I'm at it).

I'm with SaraLaughs in the "almond soapiness" assessment. Not that that's a bad thing ... At first I thought it reminded me a lot of Salome, but on further consideration I would compare it with Kether. Sweet almonds crossed with Dial soap, giving it a light clean drydown. I wouldn't buy a big bottle but I will definitely use up my imp. REVISITED AND RE-REVIEWED APRIL 2013: I re-ordered another imp of this based on the notes during a February impapalooza spree and am in the final stages (finally) of reviewing and revisiting every scent in my collection to compile one comprehensive swap list and another updated wish list. IN THE IMP: All almond, all the time. But sweet almonds. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: I get an initial "play-doh" note but, surprisingly, not the soapiness this time and the "play-doh" fades very quickly and instead I just get this lovely, sweet sugary almond scent. There are, obviously, a lot of different notes in this blend and I feel like I can sniff each one individually if I try. DRYDOWN: It's interesting to see which of the notes, more prevalent when wet, disappear or take a complete backseat upon drydown. I get virtually NO almond anymore, nor cinnamon, nor any of the sweet or sugary spices. What remains are the floral notes, the jasmine and lily and bergamot. Yet the lily is playing unusually nicely with me (there is no question that lily is the note that tends to go "soapy" on me but it has not done it this time). It's a little perfumey but not in a bad way. OVERALL: Because I only like a few of the almond GC scents -- notably, Salome and Eclipse -- those were the two I had in mind when I wrote review notes, and this was much more like Eclipse for me than Salome. Yet I'd completely forgotten about Kether until I re-read my original review ... and can definitely see why I would have made that comp, since to me Kether was the ultimate "hot sugared nuts" scent. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.8.

Definitely Dragon's Blood (interesting that Clover mentioned gardenia, because Dragon's Blood is very gardenia on me ... the first time I tried Serpent's Kiss all I could think of was White Shoulders) ... No one has mentioned this but is it possible there is patchouli in this? On drydown there is something spicy/incensey that is one of my favorite BPAL-type notes which I generically refer to as "my comfort scent" ... I thought it was patchouli but it could be amber or myrrh I guess. I am officially madly in love with this. I hope it uses its power for good because I could sure that right now. REVISITED AND RE-REVIEWED MARCH 2013 ... Admittedly a little confused, but reviews probably not the place to solve confusion (but will explain briefly just to clarify what I'm sniffing from). I know I originally sniffed this as part of a TAL decant circle in August 2005 and purchased a 5 ML bottle when it became available. My bottle is cobalt but the label is from BPAL, not TAL. I made a note that Fiery Command was shifted to the Ars Amatoria section of BPAL but on second look I find no confirmation of that nor is it listed, as far as I can see, in that section. So ... I'm not 100% sure when I got this bottle (except that it's being cobalt means it's older), or whether there was a time when the TAL blends came with BPAL labels. Oh well ... on to the review, which remains quite similar to my old one. IN THE IMP: Lives up to its visual impression of red, red, fiery red with an equally noticeable resin of some sort cutting that lush floral of Dragon's Blood in half in great fashion. I just want to slather this goodness on but restrain myself to a generous dose on one wrist and in the crook of one arm. WET: Absolutely mesmerizing. I don't think there are a lot of notes in this and yet it is very complex and perfectly balanced and divine with my chemistry. Not quite floral, not quite resiny. It needs its own word. Flesiny? Roral? SO clean and powerful. DRYDOWN: While I know most of the reviews mentioned patchouli, cinnamon, etc. I now stand by my initial impression that the other note (or ANother note) is probably amber. And maybe, possibly, benzoin? But definitely amber. I suspect there is a third note here somewhere that gives it a spicy touch ... it could be cinnamon, or saffron or even a touch of myrrh (which often goes powdery-wonky on me if there's too much so if it's myrrh I think it's in a small dose). OVERALL: The reason I guess amber is that I've discovered that while I can't necessarily put my finger on an amber note when it's wet, when it dries down it becomes my ultimate ineffable "comfort" scent (benzoin is too) and that is EXACTLY what Fiery Command is. I know it's supposed to be something strong and bold but for me, the strength comes from the comfort it provides me ... and it makes a lot of sense now that it was such a huge comfort when I first tested it and reviewed it, because it would have been very shortly after my precious Cazzie died suddenly and mysteriously (and, as I know now, was killed, either deliberately or accidentally when someone was trying to kill the dog next door ... long story). I still can't figure out if this is a discontinued scent or I just can't find it but I am glad I have a bottle of it and plan to avail myself of its warmth and goodness a lot more often now. On a scale of 1-5, need I tell you this is an eleventyzillion?