cinderfallen

Dirty was a little disappointing, because I wanted that light, crisp scent of dried sheets. Instead, it smelled like fabric softener.... Nicely scented, but not quite what I was looking for. Off to swaps.

Smells like a candle or a crafts store. Room scent, maybe.

I have an aged imp of Tamora, and I tried it on with great surprise. The sweet peach note had almostly completely faded away, and wet, it was immediately sandalwood herbal with a sweet bite. Dry, it ended up like a very mild, *slightly* peach Snake Oil. o.0 After a bit with it on...I think I like it! I get no sweetness with Snake Oil, and Tamora dries down almost the exact same way but with the remnants of sticky sweet peach. Surprisingly, Tamora has some bite after she's been aged! ADDED 8/9/08: I got a bottle of Tamora on swap, and at first I was really disappointed because the amber was so sharp and sickly that it dominated the entire blend. I think it smelled like saliva, both in the bottle and on me. It was nothing like the sweet peach or the drier sandalwood blend I remembered (from the same imp, aged). Apparently, the formula just needed some intense aging time, as a year later, it's just how I remember it: juicy peach, a hint of sandalwood, the sweet creaminess of vanilla with amber for body. I'm looking forward to it aging even more so it turns into the sexier spicy sandalwood I remember.

Mystery Blend #4 I got this when I was *new.* A very very generous forumite sent this in a lovely purple sachet filled with many other frimps while I was waiting for my first lab order. I so wish I had a record so that I could thank her properly! I had no idea what this Mystery Blend business was. It's *sweet.* The oil is *thick* and the scent just envelops the entire room with one swipe of the imp wand. There's definitely some kind of fruit in this blend--berry, I think, with amped up vanilla. I *wish* Snake Oil smelled like this on me! ETA: I'm wearing it now and it's swoon-worthy. Usually, Snake Oil blends don't work, but having this has convinced me that I just need to buy and hoard some of the bottles from the Snake Pit for 3+ years.

And actually, I was wearing Red Lantern today and I think it sort of "feels" like Aromatics Elixir. Hm. I might have to let my mother try this stuff.

There's a quick burst of irish coffee, but it dries down quickly. It smells like dried, spilled coffee on old books thick with dust. Powdered with sugar on a wooden surface. Hm. Odd. This is a decant of the original LE. I wonder if there are any differences between it and the GC?

Oh! Okay, adding that to my wishlist. Thanks! My own preference for scents do go near that area, so my imps are pretty far from the mark, chypre-wise.

So weird! I thought with these notes, it would be a pleasant, creamy fruit floral. On me, it's dark and heavy, almost like myrrh! (The ginger.) At times, it reminded me of cumin. o.0 Did *not* play well with my chemistry.

I wanted to bump this thread because I'd love to get my mother some BPAL, and her favorite perfume is Aromatics Elixir. She doesn't wear it on herself much, only on special occasions, but she does like to scent her things with it. On her and on her things, Aromatics Elixir isn't very heavy--no noticeable patchouli or anything. In fact, I'm sure my mother would label that an old man's scent! It's a rather golden scent, heavier, but not heavy. Would anyone have any updated insights into BPAL that is similar in feel?

A gentle white scent, breezes laced with the scent of springtime blooms and citrus. Lemon, lemon verbena, neroli, white musk, white florals, white sandalwood, China musk, bergamot and a drop of vanilla. Creamy! On drydown, it's ever-so-slightly lemon verbena and hint of florals against a creamy white musk and vanilla backdrop. Not specifically lemon or floral at all.

I very loudly second Amsterdam! It is really really lovely, and it sounds like it's what you're looking for: cool water and crisp tulips, and the smell of stamens from flowers. It's gorgeous.

Check out Lampades. On me, it was Snake Oil with a little dried red berry, hold the vanilla. (But then, Snake Oil is never vanilla on me...)

Lampades = Snake Oil + subtle hint of dried red berry. That is all. ADDED Aug. 4: There's a instant burst of cranberry which quickly makes way for the same rooty ginger note I get from Siren. It gets woodier from there, with a hint of sweetness, but it reminds me too much of lead pencils for me to enjoy.

Oh...wow. I had very low expectations of Creepy because apple and gourmand scents PLUS coconut rum? It sounded like a recipe for disaster on my skin! But...wow. People are right. It's the perfect caramel apple. There's the rich, sweet, almost-nuttiness of caramel with the sweet, fresh bite of a green apple. As for throw, it's almost all sweet, warm caramel. I need a bottle of this. ADDED Aug. 14: It smells exactly like homemade baked apples drizzled lightly with caramel. EXACTLY. The apple's sweetness has a crystalized sugar scent to it, and it highlights the deeper fragrance of the apple and caramel melding into the background. Fabulous depth.

Blood Pearl and Black Pearl both go plastic on my skin. The culprit: coconut. However, I want to wear coconut scents so badly! I've ordered Tarot: The Star and Obatala in the vain hopes that, like roses, Beth uses different coconut scent blends and--and-- perhaps one that I can wear?! So I would love to enlist your help: is there anyone else here whose skin coconut hates to be on? Who also found a coconut they could wear?

It's almost overwhelmingly cinammon when it hits my skin for quite some time--*almost* like Big Red gum (all the heat but no sweetness). When it was wet and drying, I kept getting a strange, musty, almost Band-Aid scent with the cinnamon. About half an hour later, it settled down, mellowed. In effect: chai. However, the inside of my elbow clearly objected to Bengal's presence! Pretty red, there.... Then, I got the ingenious idea to layer Dana O'Shee with it! Milky sweet spicy chai! Yum! Irritated skin, what irritated skin?

The notes sounded very interesting--an exotic jasmine-vanilla scent, but on contact with my skin.... Hmm. Not so exotic. The jasmine bloomed on my skin, and I was afraid that was all it was going to be--but nope! In a few minutes, the vanilla kicked in, and turned a wet jasmine into a creamy jasmine-vanilla. I might have detected the faintest traces of sandalwood, but it was mostly this cozy, warm, jasmine and vanilla bean duo. Very lovely, but not very me.... The scent was something your mother might have worn when you were little, the milky sweetness of her hugs, and the gentle warmth.

It's citrus at first, with something dirtier underneath. Then it dries down to artificial orange cleaner and patchouli. =(

It smells delicious in the bottle--thick honey-vanilla, but it turns a little sour on my skin....

This has got a kick! When I put on Muse, the scent just *sparkles* with citrus and life and a smoother, rosy finish. So much love for my little imp.

Reading all these reviews, I must have gotten a bad batch or Hunger ages *horribly.* I bought an imp of it, and when I open it--UGH! *Barely* some orange blossom, no *vanilla* (that's how bad it was!)--it was mostly this musty sort of...burnt, greasy old tire. I was brave. Tried it... Turns to a car-plastic, same as in the bottle, and no use burning it either. =/ The reason I got the scent was for orange creamsicle! I'll perhaps try again (with another imp!), but I am afeared.

Sadly, Wanda turns pathetic on my skin. It's the pale imitation of strong and controlling. It's car 'freshner from start to finish: imitation wine to imitation leather to imitation roses-leather. =/

This is from a pretty old imp that I got in swap circa 2004, so you can see how it's aged: pretty well, from previous reviews. =) At first it was pure mint toothpaste: *strong.* I forgot about it, but then I started getting strong wafts of violet--smells exactly like those violet breath mints. The mint isn't prominent--the nose-clearing chilliness of eucalyptus stays just below the scent of the violet. Interesting combination...but I'm not a fan of this violet scent.

This is a review of a very old imp (before it was discontinued). I don't know about the new formulation, but this is how Shattered aged: splash of mint on application, both sweet and cool, with the drydown being mostly sweet, floral, soft. A tiny bit of edge, but not much.

Mhmm, Vice! I am not a foody scent person--no cakes or toffee or popcorn on me, thank you!--but I loved Vice. It's a light, spicy chocolate scent with a slight orange top note that blend really well together. When it dries down, it smells a little like subdued Mexican hot chocolate--but in a perfume way, not a "I wonder who's drink that?" sort of way.