JazzieCazzie

Got through a Phoenix Anniversary decant circle. It just has taken me a long time to get around to testing the multitudes of impies I've had and now I'm back on track. IN THE IMP: Oddly sharp and bitter, though not unpleasantly so. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: This is really fascinating upon application. I like each of the notes listed individually but there were so many I wasn't sure how it would blend on me. I'd say the immediate notes to rise are the almond, honey and, to a lesser degree, the fig and date ... the sweet notes. Also, I get the orange very clearly, though I'm not a big fan of orange (I like the "real orange" smell but very rarely like it as a perfume note). However, the cedar and benzoin and sandalwood offset the sweetness pretty quickly. It's very complex and complicated and within a few minutes it's hard for me to get a read on an individual note. DRYDOWN: The very initial drydown is quite amazing. The notes blend together into something completely different and divine. Then, after a little while, it goes medicinal and dark-fruity (the fig and date), which I LOVE. I am especially a huge fan of fig combined with woods and resins so I'm thinking this will be a keeper until ... LATER DRYDOWN: Sadly, in the end, the honey amps so strongly that it becomes just way too cloyingly sweet and weird for me. I like honey a lot of the time, but every so often it just overamps and this is one of those times. OVERALL: This reminds me SO much of Eden. That's another one where I loved the individual notes, and thought it would be a keeper until the final drydown killed it for me. On a scale of 1-5, it went from an early drydown 4+ to a final 2.

Received this as lagniappe in a swap, kindly added since I had it on my wish list. IN THE IMP: Chocolate, of course ... like a single gourmet truffle. Dabbed on one wrist and in the crook of my arm. WET: The chocolate is prevalent but enveloped by an array of other odd notes. Had I not had the list in front of me, I would have thought fruits and booze. Or boozy fruit. And maybe hazelnut. Not really loving it. I usually love the BPAL chocolate note but am not loving the other notes that overwhelm it here. There's just too much. While wet, I don't NOT like it, I just don't like it. DRYDOWN: Now I start to NOT like it. The more it dries, the stronger and more in-your-face it gets on me, to the point of nauseatingly cloying. It's too too too to put a finger on. (Sorry, Tom Verlaine). And ... oh, no ... the LONGTERM drydown is really rough on me. My study, my clothes, my desk smells like this for almost a whole day. And it's not a good smell. And I can't escape it. OVERALL: I give this big props for creativity and complexity. I can see the 13 comps, but for the same reason I've never found a 13 that was a keeper for me, this doesn't work. It's just TOO busy. On a scale of 1-5, a 1.5

Received as lagniappe from a wonderful forumite. IN THE IMP: Almond and patchouli. More as two separate entities than as a combined scent. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Something totally different and complex and rich and rounded. I think for me, the labdanum and frankincense are more notable when they hit my skin, at the beginning, anyway, than the almond or patchouli. The patchouli and almond tend to be lingering in the background at first. DRYDOWN: Once it dries, it gets a lot less interesting to me, oddly enough. It's like the notes -- all of which I like individually -- mingle so much that they become just ... okay. It's not a washoff but it's not something I'd reach for in the imp box. It's a little too cloying from the sweet notes and too pasty from the patchouli. OVERALL: It's just aiiight. Not a purchase, not a keeper. On a scale of 1-5, a 2.5

Didn't order this because, despite liking the listed notes of honeyed skin musk, vanilla ice cream and lavender, I knew Dorian would amp on me. However, received an imp as lagniappe from a friend ... and so loved the story behind this ... that I tried it anyway. IN THE IMP: I could smell the sweetness even before I opened it, lingering on the edge of the imp cap. Dabbed tentatively on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Definitely a true and wonderful vanilla ice cream note is the first thing to hit, and it's nummy. Then I get the lavender, and THAT is nummy. Unfortunately, however, then the two intermingle and I really Do Not Like vanilla-lavender or lavender-vanilla combined. DRYDOWN: Even had the two notes I love remained separate entities while wet, on drydown the vanilla went very plasticky on me, which would have been a dealbreaker on its own. Ironically, the Dorian part was not as lethal in and of itself as I'd expected. OVERALL: So not me. But there are a lot of people who LOVE lavender-vanilla-lavender (witness the success of TKO or Lush's Twilight) and I think this would be a fabulous scent for them. I am not, however, one of those people. On a scale of 1-5, a 2.

Received an imp in a swap. Now, this blend is five years old so I have no idea if the fact that my read on it is SO different than anyone else's has to do with the aging process or just my body chemistry or inability to "read" notes correctly, but here goes. IN THE IMP: A combination of mint and "new car smell." Not leather, just car. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Yup. Mint, ozone and ... new car. Or, more specifically, the smell at a car dealership. I don't know what it is. Motor oil? Cleaning fluid? New seats? DRYDOWN: The initial drydown stays true to the impressions and images I got when wet and I do not likey at all. Even though, you know, I like new cars. And I like new car smell. But this, as I realize, isn't really "new car smell." It's definitely "new car dealership smell." However, I don't wash it off and this is where it gets odd. Sometimes I will like something when wet but not like the drydown but this is one of the rare times when the opposite sort of happens. Several hours later, while my application of jasminey Muse on the other arm is still going strong (too strong), the Stress Relief Elixir has disappeared completely from my wrist but the scent in the crook of my arm is ... well, really good. Not a 5, mind you, but very nice. I am guessing this must be the rose geranium, which I wouldn't recognize if it walked into my study and said, "Hi, I'm rose geranium" (though that would be weird). See, if I could just make the whole wet stage go away, I might keep this and just dab it on my sweat points (which is why I try things in the crook of my arm, because they last longer there and often smell different ... if it REALLY works, it will go in the cleavage on next application). OVERALL: Well, much as I don't hate it, I don't think I want to worry about the initial and middle stages so this goes off to swap box land. On a scale of 1-5, a 2 for the first 5 hours or so, a 3 on late drydown in the crook and a 2.5 overall.

Received as frimp in purchase. IN THE IMP: A cross between hothouse flowers and a lime lollipop. Dabbed lightly on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: The tuberose and jasmine are very predominant. I actually quite like both notes but they can be pretty overpowering each on its own so combined, it's definitely an acquired taste. I get the little nip of lime which is really sweet (both literally and figuratively). It's a super strong but not an unpleasant one, and, thankfully, I am getting NO lotus which can be a wash-off offense of a dealbreaker for me. DRYDOWN: Still lotus-free, which is the good news. But it is REALLY strong and has VERY LONG LEGS. In other words, major throw. This needs to be used very sparingly, I think. A little goes a long, floral way. Hours after application I still get whiffs of it every time I move. OVERALL: As I mentioned, I think that jasmine, for sure, and tuberose to a slightly lesser degree are probably both "love them or hate them" scents. Jasmine, especially, seems to be one of those notes on the board that people aren't just "meh, whatever" about. So I happen to like jasmine, but I like it more when it's taking a subtle back seat to other notes. I like this scent, on the whole, but I don't think I would ever wear it out of the house. It seems so ver, very "in your face" and I can see how it would not appeal to everyone. I don't want to be the "stinky lady people make lemonfaces behind." So off to the swap box in search of a home of someone who doesn't give a rat's ass about what other people think of the way they smell. Oh ... also? I have a killer migraine now. Coincidental or not, I have no idea. On a scale of 1-5, a 2.5

Received as a frimp with a purchase from the Lab. By the way, I test drove this without any of the notes in front of me so my scribbles and impressions were weird, but made some sense once I looked at the description. IN THE IMP: Sweet and honeyish but acerbic at the same time. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Whoa. Boozy butterscotch? I think I'd have remembered if there was butterscotch or caramel in the description, since both tend to be dealbreakers for me with BPAL. I am definitely getting major wine note (NOT a favorite) crossed with the sweetness as well as a spicy scent of outdoorsiness (I would have guessed clover but guess it's the carnations and posies.) Surprisingly, it's not horrible on me. At least I don't wash it off before going out to run errands. DRYDOWN: Definitely not working for me because the wine and cider are the big ampers here and they really do NOT play nicely with my body chemistry. Plus, it just stays WAY too sweet (I guess that's where the adjective "treacly" comes from). OVERALL: The sweetness and the booze equal a dash off to the swap box for this baby. On a scale of 1-5, a 2.

Received a frimp as part of a purchase. IN THE IMP: Nicenessness. I am not getting the wine right away but a vague incensey note that I like a lot. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: The wine kicks up as soon as it hits my skin but it's not awful (I love wine but NOT as a note on me). I also get spices and something sweet like honey. It's kind of meh and perplexing when wet. DRYDOWN: Once it dries and the wine dissipates, there's a great period on early drydown where it's strictly sandalwood and myrrh, and GOOD myrrh, spicy powder myrrh, rather than the "stinky sweat socks" myrrh drydown note I get in the crook of my arms sometimes. But, in the end, the wine remains just enough to keep this from being a scent I love, and just remains a perfectly nice scent I like. OVERALL: I wouldn't wash this off but I wouldn't wear it again because of the wine note. So it goes off into the swap box to make someone else happy. On a scale of 1-5, a strong 3 but not for me.

... this is the essence of Victorian-era spiritualism: rosewood, oak and teak notes with wispy blue lilac, tea rose, dried white rose and ethereal osmanthus. Received as frimp in an order from the Lab. IN THE BOTTLE: Pleasantly medicinal and evocative of childhood (must be the lilac). Dabbed lightly on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Surprisingly, I'm getting "bandaids" when wet, though none of the notes are ones I associate with the "BPAL bandaids" scent (which, by the way, is a scent I love). Definitely something medicinal and, again, looking at the list of notes I am not making the connection (I wrote down my observations before looking at the notes). Bandaids and a little bit of dark fruitiness. Not fruit, but fruitiness. For me there is a slight difference, a richness. I might have guessed fig. On my wrist, it's pure bandaids and dark fruit, while in the crook of my arm I get more spice and mercurochrome. It's spooky and sweetly good. DRYDOWN: This turns into something completely unlike the wet scent for me, though, again, I am still not recognizing any of the listed notes. I read this as an ozone scent on me when it dried. Clean, floral, but definitely not "me." And it loses all of the medicinal qualities that I liked when wet. OVERALL: This is one of those scents (Envy comes to mind, but there are others) where, if I could just capture the wet scent and keep it there, it would be a keeper for me. Not a big bottle purchase but a keeper. But instead the drydown which is, of course, the majority of the time it spends wafting up to my nose is NOT a good one. Not a washoff, but definitely scuttled off to the swap box. On a scale of 1-5, I give it a 4 wet and a 2 dry and, scaling down for the time differential, I give this a 2.5

Muscle ache relief. Wow ... am I really the first one to review this? I couldn't resist "The Relief" ... tempted at first to buy all three as big bottles, given as I am to sinus problems, migraines AND muscle pain, I opted instead to start with the imp pack ... When I unwrapped the packet I was hit with a huge whoosh of mint and eucalyptus from the trio ... but placed Oof and Grr aside and reached for the Ugh ... IN THE BOTTLE: Wow. REALLY strong and pungent but a little difficult for me, with a less sophisticated nose than most here, to place the notes ... at first it reminded me of the smell of a very clean nursery school or elementary school room ... a "cleanser"-type smell but a pleasant one ... then I got serious citrus/lemon vibe with a little bit of bubble. And something underneath that which is slightly sweeter and a bit piney ... ON WET: Dabbed liberally on my wrists and crooks of my arm (am guessing it's not supposed to be placed on the aching muscles, right?) ... This is great stuff ... definitely getting a strong citrus crossed with something very green and herbal though I can't place which herb ... I can't stop sniffing my wrists and it's also doing its job clearing out my sinuses!!! DRYDOWN: The sweetness comes up when it dries like tangy lemon drops. It's clean and cold and delicious ... There is nothing UGH about Ugh ... I only wish that the scent of most muscle-ache rubs was anywhere near as wonderful as this.

Received as a frimp in a swap. IN THE IMP: Sweet, sweet floral honey with a slight tinge of fruitiness. Dabbed VERY lightly on my wrist and in the crook of my arm. WET: Sweet honey with that fruitiness that, to me, straddles the line between honeysuckle and jasmine. I've never smelled yellow jessamine so it's quite possible that's what it smells like. NOT full-on jasmine to my nose. DRYDOWN: This is very pleasant ... sweet, light, girly. More floral than honey yet the sweetness is from the honey. OVERALL: I would warn to use VERY sparingly ... a little goes a long way. I can see why some people might find this cloying but for me it's not a problem at all ... and this comes from someone who CAN'T STAND Lush Flying Fox (though I adore Flying Saucers AND B Never). I would not wear this as a perfume but if it was released as a bath oil I'd buy a big bottle in a heartbeat. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.

Received as a frimp from the Lab. IN THE IMP: Super duper floral but, rather than the rose most people mention on first hit, I get the lilac. It's not cloying at all. Predominantly lilac with some tea rose. Dabbed VERY lightly on my wrist and in the crook of my arm. WET: This is actually really nice when wet. I'm not a big "girly flower" lover (as in, I don't like roses, lilies, etc. but I do like the lusher purple flowers and the white flowers like gardenia, ylang ylang, etc.). This is not at all overpowering despite what I might have expected by the notes, and it's very well balanced. DRYDOWN: The rose amps more on drydown but it never goes lily-soapy. OVERALL: A very pleasant floral. In the end, it goes into the swap pile because I am not a big floral scent wearer and am devoted to the floral scents I DO love already, but I wouldn't wash this off. I would highly recommend it to floral lovers. On a scale of 1-5, a strong 3.

Received two imps in two separate decant circles (to be safe). I was intrigued to try this based on the slavish adoration of it on the boards but also went in, eyes open, that it might not work for me. IN THE IMP: All patchouli. Dabbed on one wrist and in the crook of that arm (while test driving Callidora on the other arm). WET: Ohhhhhh. Okay. I get it. I do get why people who love it don't just love it but loooooove it. The sweet honey offsets the sharp patchouli like yin and yang to create a completely new scent and, really, a completely new category. DRYDOWN: I don't not like it but it's ... odd. Very masculine to me, despite the sweet honey. Male, yet slightly fruity and nutty (hey, just like me!). It reminds me a lot of a cologne my dad used to wear, whose name has been lost to the decades but which is very pleasantly evocative of my childhood. LATER DRYDOWN: The fruity, the nutty, the sweetness all go away and end up in just a very smoky haze. OVERALL: I love the scent but I wouldn't wear it. I think I would buy this is there was a Tricksy candle, though. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.

Frimped with an imp of this from my lovely scent twin, TeaOtter, who knew I had expressed strong curiosity about it but had not gotten into a decant circle nor was I ready to spring for a bottle without sniffing it first. IN THE IMP: Yeah, baby. Lavender. Dabbed on my wrist and in the crook of my arm. WET: The spicy carnation and lavender hit my nose before I've even had time to bring my arm up to it to huff. Wet, this is absolutely fantastic to me, my beloved lavender with the kick of the carnation. I get the background scent of an outdoor field (thistle?) and a lot of yummy fresh greens. DRYDOWN: Even on early drydown, I am convinced this is totally moi and that I must get a big bottle. I can see this being a hugely popular scent, between the wonderful inspiration for the blend and its subtle lovely complexity. LATER DRYDOWN: Then, sadly, it goes wrong on me. Or more specifically my body goes wrong on it. Maybe it's the aloe or the peppermint but once it's completely dry it just disintegrates into a soapy, sweet, plasticy scent, wayyyyyy too floral for me. OVERALL: My reaction was so much like that of Magicmyste. I wanted to love this based on everything about it, and I DID love it for a little while, and then, boom, it just morphed into something I unloved. On a scale of 1-5, I have to give it a 3 for all the good things about it but only about a 1.5 on me.

Received as a frimp in a swap but the cap broke when I removed it so most of it ended up on my hands before I could decant what little remained into another imp ... but at least I could review it (I am pretty sure I had tried this way back when but it was during the phase where I rarely if ever wrote reviews). IN THE IMP: Fresh and clean, definitive cypress and eucalyptus. Applied ... well, onto my hands. WET: Very strong on the eucalyptus/cypress/juniper front and very clean but not "cleanser" clean. DRYDOWN: Kind of lemony and slightly sweet. OVERALL: I would not buy this in a big bottle or, even, go out of my way to get another imp but I will keep what I have and wear the rest of it at some point. It's very pleasant. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.5

Received in a decant circle ... was so intrigued by the notes that I ordered a few imps of this one. IN THE IMP: Amber with a slight woody kick. Very sweet. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Rich amber and wood with a slightly dark fruity note lurking in the background. There is also, oddly enough, the teensiest note of booze, like scotch? That might also be the wood. It's a round, rich and regal scent. DRYDOWN: A fabulous drydown, much better to my nose than it was when wet. The fruit and booze dissipate and are replaced by the comforting amber scent and amping labdanum. OVERALL: I had my doubts while this was still wet but five minutes into drydown I was sold. I am not sure if I applied it too lightly but there weren't a lot of "legs" here ... it had faded within an hour or two ... but next time I'll simply apply more lavishly. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.5 and a keeper.

Received a frimp from the Lab. IN THE IMP: Both resiny and fresh at the same time. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: I get the floral first but it has a metallic and somehow fruity depth to it. Undecided. DRYDOWN: Not liking this as it dries. Something in it goes woefully stinky on me in a cloying sweet and deathly way. I have a feeling it could be the ambergris? OVERALL: Not putting as much thought into what it is that doesn't work on me as I should, I just know it doesn't. On a scale of 1-5, a 2.5

Received this imp in a small swap so that I could try it out before buying -- one of the two Lilith birthday scents that really called to me. IN THE IMP: Beautifully clean and medicinal, with the benzoin and sandalwood predominant prior to application. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Resiny, clean and woody. Sharp in a good way . This is, to me, a very complex scent that would fit well in the resiny/incense imps ear pack that the Lab features on the awesome new site (I know that LEs don't go in there, just saying I could see this as very complementary to that assortment). The gummy bear residue adds just the teeniest bit of sweetness when wet. DRYDOWN: The myrrh, as myrrh is wont to do on my more often than not, goes funky-sweaty in the crook of my arm (though not to a dealbreaking degree) but the scent on my wrist is still lovely and woody-sweet. OVERALL: I really like this a lot, and that little hint of gummy gear residue makes it huffworthy, but in the end, I just have a lot of other scents in the complex resiny woody incense category that I like more and so, in the end, though this rates highly for me objectively, I suspect I will put it onto the swap list for another person to enjoy. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.9.

Received as a frimp from the Lab. IN THE IMP: Very interesting and complex. I definitely get some cola, which I didn't expect, and also an undefinable note that is slightly metallic. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of one arm. WET: Evergreen and cola! I think I have figured out that, along with oppoponax, there is a certain musk (still not sure which one) which also goes cola on me. I love cola notes. DRYDOWN: I am getting SOME of the myrrh here but none of the mullein, which is a good thing because while I love to DRINK booze, it is not a good note for me in any form. Also not getting the vetiver stink. OVERALL: This one was a surprisingly good blend for me and not one I ever would have ordered on my own. I think it makes a fabulous Yule scent. In the end, though, it's not one I'd wear when I have so many others to choose from ... an ever-so-slight cloying drydown and just a little too manly for me. On a scale of 1-5 I give it about a 3.8 but it still goes into the swap box.

IN THE IMP: Super medicinal (that is a adjective that, for me, is a positive, not a negative) and very complex. I get mostly patchouli. I thought, on first sniff, I got a whiff of oppoponax -- something cola-like -- but that might be the benzoin or the musk. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm (note that will be relevant at end -- I double-test drove this with Tricksy on the other arm) WET: Very wow. Sweetness and cola and patchouli. Then the cocoa amps very quickly and it smells like The Devil's Coke Float ... an absolutely divinely amazing scent. INITIAL DRY DOWN: A very woody and medicinal cocoa without any of the stinky funk I sometimes get from myrrh. I love this SO much ... until ... LATER DRYDOWN: Sadly, this goes wrong on me at the end and since the final drydown is the one that sticks around for awhile, I am bereft. Though I usually like "smoky," thinking of it like incense or woodsmoke, this gets VERY salty-smoky on me with a very strong late kick of patchouli. The parts I loved (the cocoa, the sweetness, the medicinal parts) get lost and overwhelmed by the smokiness. Oddly enough, the drydown from Callidora is almost identical to the drydown of the Tricksy on my other arm. When I sniff about an hour post-application, the two are hard to tell apart. OVERALL: If only, if only, if only, I could bottle the wet scent of Coke Float and keep it forever ... maybe as a bath oil? ... I'd be a happy camper. But sadly, Callidora ends up not working for me for the duration. On a scale of 1-5, about a 3.

I am a yooooooge lavender fan so will weigh in here on the blends that are available as GCs ... I would opt for Temple of Dreams, Baku or Somnus from the Somnium line or Dove's Heart from the Conjure Bag section of Bewitching Brews (I am pretty sure there is a separate section for that on the new site). Personally? Not a fan of TKO at all ... it's too much sweetness/vanilla (if you're a fan of Lush products, it's a lot like Twilight -- NOT the BPAL Twilight), and -- again, just for me -- neither Nanshe (citrus, dishwater) or Oneroi (bubble-gum) worked for me among the other Somnium scents. If you can find it in swap or for sale on the forum, since it has been temporarily DC'd from the Panacea line, I'd also look at Quietude. Nummmmmm.

I'll throw out my two favorite GCs, neither of which have floral and which might fit your likes ... Shub-Niggurath (this seems to be a love or hate scent ... I LOVE LOVE LOVE ... spicy yummy foody warm ginger but not quite as sweety-sweety as the gingerbread scents ... I think it's schmexy). Scherezade ... middle-eastern saffrony spices and sexy.

Ditto on Gelt ... I thought for some reason it had been every other year since its initial release but it seems to have been each of the last two years so I have my fingers crossed for a Gelt 2013 after finally trying an imp of it in a swap! Delicious!!!

I don't really understand how I could have missed this the first time through. I love Diabolus. And I love most of these notes. And I wouldn't have known my issues with rose yet ... but instead I DID miss it and am, as such, grateful to the Lab for the Etsy offering. IN THE IMP: Deep, dark and sultry. It's like being in a wonderful bar where you have a comfy booth to yourself, no one to bother you, an attentive bartender who will make sure no one bothers you but refill your dark glass of dark liquid when needed. DABBED NICELY on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Ahhhhhh. Yesssss. I could sit here for awhile perfectly happily. Think quietly and mull over that drink. Or two. A place to meditate on the day, watch people, think about what's head the rest of the night. The scent is one that transports you wherever you want to go. DRYDOWN: I am sexy. I am subtle. I smell deep and delicious. I smell serious. OVERALL: This is something I don't just want. This is something I need. And I am SO glad I have a 5 ML. On a scale of 1-5, a 5. And I will keep it in my purse once I;m working outside the house to have a place to go and see what really happens in people's minds LOL.

IN THE IMP: Creamy, salty and aquatic Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm WET: Hmmmm. Kind of a lemon cookie. No, actually, it is like biscuits with a tangy lemon creamy curd. DRYDOWN: I can sort of sniff the crumbs crumbling. I think it will stat more of a biscuity scent than a fruity one but it's nice and light and a very interesting change. OVERALL: I would definitely keep this. A nice scent to wear when, maybe going to an outdoor patio to eat a light fun lunch with friends. It's got the yummy scent that piques your appetite without overwhelming it. ON a scale of 1-5, a 3.6