lysithea

Initial Impressions: Somewhat powdery iris scent with a touch of coconut. Wet: Infusion of iris -reminescent of Florence. Seemed to be very overpowering on me. Of course, I put a *wee* bit too much on to truly be objective. It was a dry scent. It soaked into my skin. Dry: Coconut welcome to the party! After the first 20 minutes, things begin to settle in nicely. I feel as if I have been drenched in a latte with coconut cream and a shot of hazelnut. The iris and orris have settled down somewhat except on my clothes. They are still very apparent there. Final Drydown: The musk peeks out under the coconut to ground this and give it staying power. It lasted nearly 9 hours on me. I will wear this often, but I will be a bit more judicious in my application.

Wolfbane is pine with a sprinkling of other complimentary woodsy notes. But there is a little something a bit darker underneath. I found it to be a bit more on the masculine end of the spectrum. It is slightly herbal and outdoorsy and could smell fabulous on the man that likes those particular notes. I did like the scent, but just not enough to wear it myself. But don't be dissuaded if you enjoy this class of scent. It is a great departure to the normal take on things...as BPAL always is.

Wet: This is pure butterscotch. I smell like a cocktail! Must resist urge to lick arm. Dry-down: The beautiful butterscotchy feel quickly morphs into a slighty rum-like sweetness. Quite a wearable booze scent for me. Overall impressions: As previously mentioned, this is a boozy & foody scent. Even if you aren't a fan of this scent category, at least give it a try. It's in a class by itself. Grog is a BPAL "must-try". It makes me feel decadent and makes me think of mischief. ARRR....

When SiA was introduced, this was my first purchase. I was 99.9% sure that I would love it. And i was not disappointed. This is mint in all her unadulterated glory. Peppermint, spearmint, maybe some apple mint - possibly just a smidge of pennyroyal to darken the edges. (*this is only conjecture on my part as I wouldn't want to scare anybody off due to pennyroyal's dark side and bad-for-pregnancy issues. Please consult the lab if you need to know for certain whether this blend contains it or not). This is mint that's not afraid to put itself front and center. Mint is very prominent for the first 10-15 mintues. So if you and mint don't get along, I'd suggest you don't buy a ticket to this play. She makes her grand entrance and bows quickly to exit stage left. But, before she does she introduces a most unlikely couple: pepper and cucumber. I wouldn't call this a true cucumber though. It's just a watery, fruity hint of a cucumber's essence. For those of you familiar with Blue Moon, it is somewhat reminescent to that. I'm not surprised since it has that "traditional lunar oils" feel to it - but more complex somehow. All in all, this is just as described - cool, fiery, and strong on minty goodness.

Bewitched is more berry with a very slight green edge from the sage. I wouldn't call it a truly herbal, but still a nice one. The Apothecary is herbally, but on me it has a floral edge as well. I'd suggest trying it out. It really is an all around pleasant scent. Phantasm and Embalming Fluid both have a citrus/lemony feel to them. It could be more prominent than you might like. However, Embalming Fluid is a nice light scent that blends very well, perfect for warm weather. I would also recommend The Ghost and The Hanging Gardens. The Ghost is light and airy and has a true herbal feel to it. Hanging Gardens can also be thought of as a garden scent, but it also has a fruit component that is intriguing for bringing something new to the mix.

I get a buttery note upon opening the bottle. I thought that this might be similar to Snow White. It is, but only on the surface. Many people picked up creamy butter mint scent, but not me. No mint for my little sniffer. The first time I wore it the florals came out too strongly after the butter smell went away. Upon wearing it a bit more, I realized that it was my skin chemistry that had gone a bit wonky the first couple times. After using much less of the oil at each wearing, I noticed that the florals are much more muted and the in-your-face butter smell settles down after it's on. Quite pleasant at this point. And the drydown is soft and creamy...very comforting. I like it, and will wear it often, but in my heart I will always be a Snow White kind of girl.

First sniff: green floral, like the first budding spring flowers pushing up through the soil. Not overpowering or heady at all. Wearing: I expected an explosion of floral on my skin, but did not get that. It remained green, herbally - maybe a touch of grassiness, understated flowers like tulips, the first bloom on a heirloom rose, buttercups - flowers that we don't often think about. Drydown: The end came all to soon for this lovely. It bloomed quickly on my skin, but did not stick around. I was left with a soft floral musk - very understated. Perhaps, I will add more next time. Final thoughts: All in all, a lovely scent. Wish it had more staying power, but this is so often my fate regardless of the scent. I would buy this one again.

Mint julep! The mint is very pronounced initially. It is a herbally-fresh-green mint sprig instead of pepperminty-gum-Altoids mint. Very accurate, but fleeting. Mint said hello and goodbye very quickly. Initially, I got the alcohol/boozy quickly followed by the sweetness of the sugar. This lingered a while. I was afraid of smelling boozy, but it wasn't overwhelming at all. In the drydown, I was left with a powdery and smoky feel with a bare hint of the boozy resonance. It reminded me of how a splash of Mint Julep on the front porch would smell at the end of a lazy summer day. Quite nice...not over the top or overdone. Just about right in my opinion.

I found that Scherazade and Lampades both had a certain "grape-iness" to them for me. Every time I put them on, I think "yum, grapes!'. Of course, it's mostly spicy grapes. It might be worth a try for you.

There is something about this scent that is comforting and familiar. In some ways it reminds me of a soap or shampoo that I used when I was younger. Yet, I couldn't say that it smells soapy. Pale green, slighty herby, dew on a meadow of wildflowers. It is a soft scent that wafts around you like a halo of cool morning mist. Pretty and delicate, it does smell clean and fresh. I wore it for about 4 hours before going to bed so I didn't get the full effect of its true metamophosis. Yet, to be such a light fragrance, it was still very noticeable at the end of the time frame. Something that really surprised me. If you are a fan of delicate florals, definitely give this beauty a try.

Sniff: this is a very rich and sultry scent. In the bottle, it smells sweet, but not necessarily laden with vanilla Wet: I love this stage. It's all sweet spice. I can smell tha vanilla now - almost a light vanilla caramel scent. Definitely makes me want to nuzzle where I put it. I did have a slight reaction to it when I put it on my neck. Maybe this skin here is too delicate and I will need a carrier oil to counteract this. It was fine on my wrists an arms, however. Dry: This has staying power. It does get a bit powdery on me, but then again most everything does. But it sticks close to the skin. I will put this on my order list for a 5ml.

in bottle: this smells so familiar to me. rich cherry and the overwhelming scent of almonds. can't wait to put it on. wet: wet this is truly delicious. i love the cherry and the sugared almond underneath. i keep sniffing it to enjoy the complexity of this scent. dry: oh no...i do not like the dry down. where did the cherry and almond go? after a few minutes, this smelled like a hope chest full of dead crushed roses and old tobacco. my body chemistry has ruined this one for me. overall impression: i had such high hopes for this one. i really wanted the cherry almond tartness to linger a while. unfortunately, my body chemistry rebelled. i think that i will probably try it one more time just to be sure, but this might have to go to swaps.

In bottle: Bright, citrus upon first sniff. I'm thinking I might like this one already. My hubby's not too sure (not that he's ever sure with perfume...he's convinced I'm trying to kill his sinuses) Wet: I smell grapefruit, a darker not terribly sweet grapefruit. It's a bit powerful for a minute, but here comes something else. Is that a hint of lavender? Something else fruity this way comes. It's getting interesting. Dry: Bright cirtus and fruit has begun to disappear. Too quikly for me. I smell a very light musk begin to bubble up to the surface. It still retains a sweetness with a hint of powder. I do like the finished notes on this one. Overall Impressions: This is a very changeable fragrance. It goes from very sweet and sharp to something mellow and lazy. I will say that I have enjoyed wearing Cheshire Cat today. I only put a little bit on, but I'm going to be a bit braver tomorrow. I also wish that the smell lasted a bit longer, but overall I am quite pleased with the pleasant lasting phase that this one morphs into. It's all in your face, laughing happy jolly then it turns into a sulky cat who slowly evaporizes from your skin.