nekogrrl

CCCXXXI - decant First Sniff: Floral? Skin Test: Oh. My. Sweet sugared tea. This is lovely. Not a lot of throw, though. Still a keeper.

CCLVII - decant First Sniffage: Honey/amber Aha! After much huffing of the arm, I have at least figured out what else I'm smelling - some type of white floral. It blends with the honey/amber quite nicely. However, it's not my type of scent, so off to swaps it goes.

CXLVIII - decant Initial whiff: metallic incense On the skin it smells more.. cologney. Can still smell a metallic edge to it. I'd love to try this on the husband, as he does better with 'bright' scents than I do. Doesn't morph as it dries. Meh. This is going on the swap pile, as it's not OMGMUSTHAVE. Previously reviewed by naeelah.

DCIX - straight from the lab Initial whiff: cinnamon! Skin test: cinnamon, with something that almost smells like ass. I'm not exactly sure what to make of this. Snake Oil usually works quite well on me, so this.. somewhat off scent is strange. I've never smelled anything like this in BPAL, so I don't know exactly what to compare it to. This scent stays pretty much the same throughout the day, doesn't morph at all. I think I'll keep this around for a while, see if the scent matures. Overall, except for that not-quite-Snake-Oil smell, it's a pretty nice blend.

CCXXV In bottle: GRAPE. Or could be the blood note; this reminds me both of The Blood Garden and Head of Holofernes and Candy Phoenix. Wet on skin: FIZZY GRAPE. Seriously. There is no Penitence here. Dry on skin: Still /very/ grape. No myrrh or frankincense. The throw is (of course, always happens with blends I don't like) very strong. Verdict: So going to the swap pile.

CXV In imp: O with florals. Wet on skin: EW. The honey in O and the florals are mixing and it is NOT PRETTY (on me). Reminds me of the sniff I took of Flower Moon. This is what it likely would have smelled like on my skin. Dry on skin: Didn't get there, I had to wash it off. Verdict: To swaps it goes!

CDI In bottle: A heavy on the vanilla Snake Oil. Wet on skin: There's something sweet here other than the Snake Oil, but I have no clue as to what it is. This is Snake Oil enhanced. I'm not getting much of anything different from normal Snake Oil, and that's throwing me off a bit. Dry on skin: I'm still getting only Snake Oil. (Not that I'm really complaining too much..) Verdict: Keeping it, for sure, but kinda headscratchy over the apparent lack of extra additions.

CCCXII In bottle: tea with something green beneath it. Wet on skin: light musky tea with something green beneath it. Dry on skin: A bit stronger on the musk, with that lovely green note hanging around still. I have a feeling this will be quite lovely down the road, once the Dorian has had a chance to age a bit. (Not that I'm not loving it right now..) Keeper!

Wet on skin: the amber is really baby-powdery, and nearly takes over. However, underneath is this lovely orangey glow. (Me to the hubby: But it smells like the sun!) Dry on skin: The powderiness of the amber has died down, and the frangipani and probably the almond are more prominent, but it's not overwhelming. Final thoughts: This is a beautiful scent to wear during late spring/early summer, when it's warm but not fully bleah! with the humidity, or to remind yourself there is warmth during winter.

Wet on skin: To me, it was a very white floral (which does not suit me so well). To the hubby, it was 'halfway to bug spray'. Dry on skin: Mellowed out to a nice light floral, with an undertone of the moss. The cucumber was probably there as well, but it wasn't an OMG cuke! *gag* type of thing. Overall impression: Very nice, and something I'd wear again thanks to the underlying greenery.

I will have to say 'meh' to this. I was hoping for a more ambery scent, but this is all spiced orange and tangerine. Wet, it smells like a fizzy orange powder, and.. nearly 7 hours later, it still smells the same. At least it has good lasting power, but not a lot of throw. ADDED May 3: Wet on skin: FIZZY TANG. Or a fizzy Sweet 'n Tart. It's definitely candy-like, and citrus, and.. fizzy. Reminds me of Candy Phoenix in the fizzyness department. Dry on skin: No change. Ugh. I have no idea what's doing this in this blend, but it's not working for me.

Wet in bottle: sweet earth. Wet on skin: lovely sweet earth, with a faint floral note. Drydown: The floral is a touch stronger, mixing more with the earth notes. Dry: I feel like I'm in a freshly turned rose bower, but the rose is not as heady, there are other notes keeping it from going HELLO ROSE. It's such a lovely scent. I'm so glad I hunted down a bottle!

Wet on skin: sake-soaked apricot wood. Drydown: the apricot comes out more. Dry: apricot, with a faint hint of the sake. No woods. Verdict: This is a very clean and fruity scent. I think I'll keep the decant, but won't get a full bottle.

Wet on skin: Pink pepper ahoy! Drydown: Pink pepper still. Dry on skin: Pink pepper and I think I'm picking out some of the benzoin. 15 minutes later: Still very pink pepper, and I /might/ be getting some berry goodness. Verdict: While I like the scent of pink pepper, something this strong isn't much fun.

Wet on skin: Honeyed jasmine. Drydown: The jasmine fades a bit, the honey is staying strong. The.. rose, I think, is starting to come out. Dry: It's a nice, sweet floral scent. There's something faintly sharp in the undertone that I don't know what it is, but it adds to the scent rather than distracting from it. Verdict: It's a nice floral. Not exactly my cup of tea, though.

Wet on skin: Rose! Holy crap rose! Dry on skin: Oh holy mess, the frankincense and myrrh are having a hell-for-leather fight with the rose. This is not a good scent. It's making my eyes water!! Verdict: One of the previous reviewers mentioned she could see her grandmother wearing this. Yeah, this is smelly old lady perfume. Off to swaps it goes!

Wet on skin: Very strong dark chocolate with a hint of cherry. Drydown: The chocolate tones down and blends more with the cherry. It's getting decent throw. Dry on skin: This is a very nice chocolate cherry scent. Still decent throw. Verdict: Probably won't get this as a bottle, as I don't wear chocolate scents very often, but will be holding on to the imp.

Wet on skin: Vanilla musk. Dry on skin: Faintly musky, with a warmth I'm associating with the moss. I get no cherry blossom out of this, sadly. Verdict: It's a lovely soft scent, but it's just not 'me'.

Wet on skin: smells very cologne-y and masculine. I can't specifically point to any notes which would be doing this, but it makes me want to try this on the hubby. Dry on skin: morphs into a softer scent, then almost immediately disappears on me. Sad. Verdict: I was hoping for something more musky/herbal.

Wet on skin: Dark plum, with a bare hint of.. fecal matter. Drydown: the fecal matter smell is gone very quickly, which is a good thing! Dry on skin: Plummy sandalwood. Verdict: Eeeeh. It's a nice scent, but doesn't wow! me.

Wet on skin: Hello tuberose! It's pretty strong.. Drydown: Tuberose mixing with the tea and probably the yuzu. Dry on skin: Tuberose and tea with a hint of citrus. Verdict: This is a very fresh and clean scent. Very nice for spring.

Wet on skin: Wow, what am I smelling? This is such an.. unexpected scent. I think it's the palm date and vanilla. If it stayed like this, I wouldn't be unhappy. Dry on skin: The vanilla is still prominent, but the ginger and oakmoss are beginning to warm up the scent, and this is becoming just.. YUM. Verdict: Oh hell yes I'm getting a bottle!

Sniffed in imp: the lily of the valley and plumeria smacked me in the nose. Florals of this magnitude do not work on me, so I'm not even trying this.

This is certainly a true-to-description perfume. Wet on skin: Very strong white chocolate and strawberries. Both scents are true and do not smell plasticy or fake. Dry on skin: no change. Hour later: the scent has faded, and the strawberry note has gone a little plasticy. Verdict: Not going to get a bottle. It's too sweet, I just wanted to try it.

Mmmmmm... Wet on skin: Plummy goodness. Dry on skin: The plum fades somewhat, and the vanilla sandalwood comes more to the fore. Every now and then I get whiffs of rice, but it doesn't really stand out. Verdict: This is a lovely soft scent, something I'd wear for an elegant night out.