dawndie

In bottle: unflavored cough syrup On skin: red fruit and earth. Fruity dirt! Half-hour later: still lots of tart red fruit with dusty dirt. Hella strong too, wafting all over the place In conclusion: this was like Crypt Queen on me, if you replace the dark dirty patchouli with the earthy mushroom and dusty myrrh. I was most afraid/unsure of this one, and liked it the best out of the 3 Le Mat scents! Pretty cool, interesting blend.

In bottle: nothing much, just vague resins On skin: sweet berries and a hint of that distinctive sage from Corazon Half-hour later: musky and mellow with resiny frankincense In conclusion: it was weird, when I first put it on all I could smell was red musk, and I was disappointed because it was a near-duplicate of Marianne, which I wear quite a bit. Later when I tried it was its own entity and very different, but it sure doesn't want to hang out. It stays very close like a "skin musk" blend. I haven't tried this in conjunction with the other Le Mat blends, so maybe it's stronger with the others.

In bottle: sharp old-school perfume, like Gloria Vanderbilt On skin: watery pear, and there's a bite of sharp woodiness too Half-hour later: mellows into a smooth cologne, sweet moss and dusty wood In conclusion: this seems to be a companion scent to Quincy Morris, because both have that distinctive, delicious pear. Probably too masculine on me by itself, I'll have to try it with the other Le Mat scents later. However, this would make an awesome room spray, as if visiting Miss Kitty in her Victorian boudoir above the saloon.

In bottle: tart red berries On skin: delicious blackberry with a peppery zing, I could drink this straight-up Half-hour later: the fruit has gone hazy and more powdery from the amber In conclusion: I love red currant in a darker blend like Blood Garden, but this is perfect for the too-hot summer days we're having. Dusty mellow sweetness, assertive but not too heavy.

Up until now I had never tried the BPTP bath oils, as I don't take baths and assumed it would be too greasy to use otherwise. But the tempting notes listed for this one made me take the plunge. Since my bottle leaked a bit I simply took the slick bubble wrap and rubbed on my arms. It absorbed nicely and I didn't feel like an oil slick -- and since it was 100 and humid, I could have been uncomfortable in an instant! The fragrance lasted for hours and I felt nicely moisturized. And the mellow sweetened berries scent is gorgeous!

In bottle: bubblegummy strawberry On skin: strawberry bubblegum, like I should start chewing on my arm. Green grass note quickly follows Half-hour later: the garden greenery is quite strong, barely sweetened with strawberry juice. I love the green grassy blends so it's fine with me. Disappearing quickly, too In conclusion: while I was hoping for the return of the original Strawberry Moon, this is great in its own right. Refreshing and peppy.

In bottle: florally pineapple On skin: burst of pineapple juice, delicious! Half-hour later: softens quite a bit with dusky coconut and white florals. Disappearing fast -- please come back, my pretties! In conclusion: a mellower version of Upa Upa, which was a boozy tropical explosion. This is for the staid, formal dinner in the dining room at Trader Vic's, instead of hanging out in the bar and watching Blue Hawaii under the light-up puffer fish.

In bottle: light strawberry juice On skin: sweet strawberries floating in a spiked punchbowl of gin Half-hour later: the gin is overpowering the sugar and strawberries, drat In conclusion: I love the boozy blends, but the gin is aggressive against the candy and delicious sweet strawberries. I'd love more strawberry; maybe a jolt of Pink Phoenix or Floating Brain would help it along.

In bottle: water and earth On skin: garden greenery, verdant and slightly sweet Half-hour later: snappy green beans, almost peppery, with the watery dirt In conclusion: I feel like I can drop a seed into the bottle and it'll germinate. Fertile earth and teeming plants. How great for spring and summer!

In bottle: bright fruity plum On skin: incensey champaca (a favorite) and dusty sandalwood Half-hour later: softens to a respectable dupe of Hellion, dark purple plum and sandalwood In conclusion: I rarely go wrong with the dark winey blends, and this is another great example. Each ingredient is a favorite on its own, and all together it's

In bottle: weird plastic vanilla On skin: wow, does this bloom nicely when wet! Creamy vanilla right off with some watery coconut Half-hour later: the creamy vanilla mellows with a bit of tea. I don't like most tea blends but this is delicious. Barely any rose to be found Worn with Red Rose: there's the great BPAL Rose that I love, but how weird that it only seems to appear when the two scents are combined! Creamy, slightly spicy roses. Really pretty!

In bottle: dusty spices On skin: fairly strong cloves, almost too dry & spicy for my taste Half-hour later: better, the musk has appeared along with the warm spice. This reminds me of Spawn of the She-Demon, dusty musky. Barely any rose to speak of though Worn with White Rose: there's the great BPAL Rose that I love, but how weird that it only seems to appear when the two scents are combined! Creamy, slightly spicy roses. Really pretty!

In bottle: creamy fig On skin: sweet berries and fig, fruity & delicious Half-hour later: everything's melding together nicely: a base of smooth boozy cognac, berries in the middle, then leathery and dusty on top In conclusion: sweet but definitely unisex, all the elements are perfectly blended. The dusty waft really does remind me of a brown paper bag!

In bottle: spearmint gum On skin: Lick It-style mint with sweet geranium Half-hour later: the mint has mellowed, and I have mellowed too! In conclusion: what a soothing blend! This reminded me of Oneiroi: I put it on and go, "aaahh." So cool and comforting.

My parents went to Bat's Day in November and bought me a bottle of Toad Hall for Christmas! They're awesome. In bottle: soapy aftershave On skin: warm polished wood Half-hour later: sun-warmed wood and the clean soap note has returned, but it's not too sudsy In conclusion: I was afraid this would be too masculine, but I'm enjoying this one. Sunny warm wood that's just been mopped. This is a lighter masculine blend, like I Married a Vampire from Planet X. Very clear, clean and refreshing.

In bottle: lemon cola On skin: root beery sarsaparilla (does anyone pronounce "sarsaparilla"? I say "sasparilla" like the old-timey drink) Half-hour later: a bit of spice warms up, but remains mostly sweetened cola In conclusion: it was *hours* before the distinctive red musk appeared, which I love and look forward to. By that point, this seemed to be masculine cologne on me. I wanted Fire Phoenix and added Earth Phoenix as a "maybe," and it turns out I didn't like this one as much as Earth Phoenix. Better on a guy, I'll bet.

My parents gave me a bottle of Gooey Pillowcase for Christmas! They went to the Bat's Day black market in November and Mom liked this one the best. I immediately recognize the "burnt sugar" smell of Sugar Skull. It lasts a good long time too -- I spritzed once in the guest bedroom, and then hours later Mom and I marveled at the staying power. I'm not a huge foody fan, but this isn't too cloying or overwhelming. Just a nice burst of sugary sweetness!

Cute label; I can practically hear the theremin in my head! In bottle: cake On skin: strawberry blast, then lots of mushy cake Half-hour later: still strawberry & cake, but fading fast In conclusion: this reminds me of Pink Phoenix with extra floofy cake. I love the strawberry note and wish the blend hung around more, especially when Pink Phoenix in comparison lasts forever on me.

In bottle: chlorinated flowers On skin: watery dirt Half-hour later: the florals have amped up, plus some black cherry juice In conclusion: this was like a slightly sweeter Worm Moon. No heavy musk, just a nice dusky base. I've been reaching for this all week since I received it; I love the light watery dirt blends.

In bottle: sweetened floral On skin: luscious orchid and incensey champaca flower Half-hour later: a decadent vanilla has warmed up under the rich florals In conclusion: this one had such a stellar reputation amongst my forum friends, I knew I had to try it eventually. The vanilla is so delicious and doesn't turn to plastic, and anchors these lush florals. Beautiful!

A sniffie from the lovely filigree_shadow! In imp: sweetened alcohol On skin: sharp alcohol, to the point of resembling rubbing alcohol. Don't drink that, kids! Half-hour later: the sweet pink fruits have appeared, toning down the alcohol In conclusion: when that Inquisition round was announced, this was the one blend that appealed to me the most. Fruit and booze? Yes please! I must prefer the darker boozy-winey blends, though, because this one is a wee bit too high-pitched for me. So glad I got to try it though!

In bottle: crunchy green grass On skin: pure summery grass (I'll geek out and say it's St. Augustine, like one-half of our front lawn) Half-hour later: red, gold and brown leaves have started to fall, plus a teeny bit of sweet yellow floral, like dandelion dust In conclusion: I bought a bottle of this on a whim after I received a sniffie of the Schoolhouse. I realized, "I don't have any green grass scents, this must be rectified." I really like the additional dust from the autumn leaves, and this turned out sweeter than I expected, plus it lasts and lasts.

In bottle: watery orange juice On skin: orange dessicating into dust, like honey dust Half-hour later: there's the beeswax, mellow and slightly sweet with a touch of the dusty honey In conclusion: this is the quietest BPAL blend I've ever tried -- it stays close to the skin, however it lasts and lasts. This is what I wanted Chanukkiyah to be, which started out nice but ended up a sugar blast. This is relaxing, serene and lovely.

In bottle: rummy fruitcake On skin: booze-soaked fruit & cake. I love the boozy blends! Half-hour later: Shub-like ginger and mellow spice heats up In conclusion: I was unsure whether to order this one or not, as I'm not a fan of the overly-foody blends. Like others have already said, however, this is a grown-up version of plain ol' boring gingerbread. This is quickly turning into a favorite!

In bottle: snappy sparky red musk On skin: the mango is there right away, pow! Juicy and sweet Half-hour later: the red tea and red musk have warmed up behind the sticky fruit. Red red red! In conclusion: this is so rich and luscious. Reminiscent of my beloved Corazon: simply replace the golden dusty amber with the red dusty tea. Fabulous!