cranberry

Lilith - Excolo Notes: red wine, myrrh, black musk, attar of rose I’ve been wanting to try this scent forever, so I was thrilled when Lilith in the GC swap reached me. In the imp, it smells like corrupted, ruined fruit. Not wine, but fruit in general. Once on, the musk comes out to play, as does the rose. This is a dark, murky scent. I’m not getting much wine, I wonder if this is an older imp? It reminds me more of red musk rather than black musk; black musk always seems to go powdery on me but it’s not happening this time around. I’m liking this scent. After it’s been on a bit, the black musk does go a bit powdery on me. Overall impression is that is reminds me a bit of a commercial perfume, sophisticated, and naturally dark brown in color. It remains mainly musk, with a touch of spicy myrrh and a touch of rose. I never see the wine at all. Huh, I just got it. You know what, for some reason it reminds me of Youth Dew by Estee Lauder. I know there’s a YD oil, I wonder if it’s similar…

This smells like the listed notes – lotus (floral, slightly bubblegummy) with a blast of mint. The juniper adds to the coolness of the mint and offsets the florals. As it wears, the mints gets stronger and is crisp and refreshing. This might make a good foot lotion, cooling and soothing. From the description, “dragged up from the depths of the Stygian shore” I expected something a bit murkier and darker, but then I realize I don’t know what exactly the Stygian shore is, so that’s a bit of research before I can really make a judgment. I’ve had some great mint scents, but I realize that while mint does have its place, it’s not what I want in a perfume. Lotion maybe, but not perfume.

Undertow - Dark Elements Notes: lotus, juniper and mint This smells like the listed notes – lotus (floral, slightly bubblegummy) with a blast of mint. The juniper adds to the coolness of the mint and offsets the florals. As it wears, the mints gets stronger and is crisp and refreshing. This might make a good foot lotion, cooling and soothing. From the description, “dragged up from the depths of the Stygian shore” I expected something a bit murkier and darker, but then I realize I don’t know what exactly the Stygian shore is, so that’s a bit of research before I can really make a judgment. I’ve had some great mint scents, but I realize that while mint does have its place, it’s not what I want in a perfume. Lotion maybe, but not perfume. edited for clarity

DITTO! I also love ELF's label - gorgeous! GypsyRoseRed - thanks so much for posting these!!

R'lyeh - Wanderlust Huh, based on the description, I was expecting something a bit darker, with more ozone elements and in general, just sharper. Instead, this is a sweet pink grapefruit. Sparkling sweet pink grapefruit at that. Wow, I like this more than I would have thought! It smells a bit salty on top of the fruit. After it’s been on a bit, there’s something in there almost spicy. I can’t pinpoint what exactly the spice is, but it’s there. After a while, it becomes even more salty and more spicy. It catches at the back of my throat. This is a really interesting scent. I don’t normally care for many of the aquatics, but I’m liking this one. --- heh, after looking at the reviews, evil grapefruit indeed! at least at first.

Huh, based on the description, I was expecting something a bit darker, with more ozone elements and in general, just sharper. Instead, this is a sweet pink grapefruit. Sparkling sweet pink grapefruit at that. Wow, I like this more than I would have thought! It smells a bit salty on top of the fruit. After it’s been on a bit, there’s something in there almost spicy. I can’t pinpoint what exactly the spice is, but it’s there. After a while, it becomes even more salty and more spicy. It catches at the back of my throat. This is a really interesting scent. I don’t normally care for many of the aquatics, but I’m liking this one. -- eta: after looking at some of the reviews, heh! evil, unholy grapefruit indeed!

In the imp, Wowza – almond! Once applied, at first all I smell is sweet almond. It dominates the scent. It reminds me a bit of a bear claw pastry, it smells edible and sweet. After it’s been on a bit, it’s almost a bit spicy, something I’m attributing to the myrrh. As it wears, the myrrh becomes stronger. There’s powder too, typical for me from dark musk. Even as the myrrh and musk become more prominent, the almond remains. All in all, it’s an interesting scent, it reminds me of a classic perfume, rich, timeless, haughty.

Hecate - Love Potions Notes: almond, myrrh, dark musk In the imp: Wowza – almond! Once applied, at first all I smell is sweet almond. It dominates the scent. It reminds me a bit of a bear claw pastry, it smells edible and sweet. After it’s been on a bit, it’s almost a bit spicy, something I’m attributing to the myrrh. As it wears, the myrrh becomes stronger. There’s powder too, typical for me from dark musk. Even as the myrrh and musk become more prominent, the almond remains. All in all, it’s an interesting scent, it reminds me of a classic perfume, rich, timeless, haughty.

Aeval - Bewitching Brews Notes: sage, sweet pea, bold pale musk, tonka In the Imp: I smell mainly tonka and sweet pea. On the skin: At first I smell sage and sweet pea. I like this. It’s sweet yet herbal. After it’s been on a bit, the tonka comes out and adds a weird component to this scent. This is not working on me at all. It smells vaguely mineral-ish and like a weird type of soap. Wow, the tonka is really strong in this scent. It totally dominates all the other scents. Overall impression: interesting, I liked the beginning. The addition of the tonka to the sweet pea and sage combines strangely to me, and isn’t something I care for.

In the Imp: I smell mainly tonka and sweet pea. On the skin: At first I smell sage and sweet pea. I like this. It’s sweet yet herbal. After it’s been on a bit, the tonka comes out and adds a weird component to this scent. This is not working on me at all. It smells vaguely mineral-ish and like a weird type of soap. Wow, the tonka is really strong in this scent. It totally dominates all the other scents. Overall impression: interesting, I liked the beginning. The addition of the tonka to the sweet pea and sage combines strangely to me, and isn’t something I care for.

Venice – Wanderlust Notes: lemon, red currant, wisteria, red rose petals, jasmine, Florentine orris root, waterlily, red sandalwood, violet plum, and violet leaf Initially I get strong dose of florals, mainly jasmine but what also smells like spring flowers - tulips, what I image to be daffodils, and maybe some lilies. This is a lush, heady scent. After smelling it a bit, I'm also getting a trace of rose. I'm not getting any lemon at all; it remains a lush rich floral scent. As it wears, the other florals recede and rose dominates the scent. It’s pretty but not really my style.

A complex, voluptuous scent that captures the robust beauty and of the Italian Renaissance: lemon, red currant, wisteria, red rose petals, heady jasmine, Florentine orris root, waterlily, red sandalwood, violet plum, and violet leaf. Initially I get strong dose of florals, mainly jasmine but what also smells like spring flowers - tulips, what I image to be daffodils, and maybe some lilies. This is a lush, heady scent. After smelling it a bit, I'm also getting a trace of rose. I'm not getting any lemon at all; it remains a lush rich floral scent. As it wears, the other florals recede and rose dominates the scent. It’s pretty but not really my style.

Satyr – Love Potions Notes: none listed In the imp, this is a dark thick scent, redolent of red musk and what smells like civet. Once applied, the thick red musk scent dominates, and there’s a touch of civet in the background. This is a very warm scent. Sniffed from a distance, the red musk seems to dominate on me, whereas if I put my note to my skin, I get the civet. When I do that, it’s not bad, but much more animalistic and possibly even feral smelling. Bawdy is a perfect description. Sniffed from either far or close, it’s a warm, sensual scent, ever so slightly sweet. It’s not bad, maybe a bit too much for me, but I do like it. On just the right man, WOW!

In the imp, this is a dark thick scent, redolent of red musk and what smells like civet. Once applied, the thick red musk scent dominates, and there’s a touch of civet in the background. This is a very warm scent. Sniffed from a distance, the red musk seems to dominate on me, whereas if I put my note to my skin, I get the civet. When I do that, it’s not bad, but much more animalistic and possibly even feral smelling. Bawdy is a perfect description. Sniffed from either far or close, it’s a warm, sensual scent, ever so slightly sweet. It’s not bad, maybe a bit too much for me, but I do like it. On just the right man, WOW!

Home again after being weathered in for 2 extra days. It's beautiful here and good to be back. Found 3 more packs in my mailbox - it's going to be busy sorting through these!

This is a lot lighter than I was expecting. I was expecting something more bay rumish - this to me is mainly aquatics and ozone. There is an element of bay rum and wood in there which is really nice. As it wears, the ozone and aquatics get stronger on me, scents that I'm not too fond of. I can still smell the salty woods and I want them back! This is very much a masculine scent. It's clean and fresh smelling, a bit too stong for my nose but it is very evocative of what it is intended to capture. Great job but not for me.

In the imp, this smelled fruity, warm and tropical. Once on, the tropical fruit smell remains. It's a well blended scent and I'm not familiar with any of the listed ingredients. It does smell a bit like bananas but not full on, ripe bananas. More like banana taffy or other banana flavored candy. Once it's been on a bit, it continues to smell like tropical fruit, maybe a mix of banana and mango or papaya. There's other elements in here for sure, lush florals and damp wood. It's really quite pretty and it reminds me of other scents that I can't think of right now. There's almost something back there that provides some tartness to the scent, like pineapple or kiwi (I'm leaning more towards pineapple). I've never been to that part of the world, so I can't say if it's reminiscent of how it actually smells, but it evokes to me the tropics, moist rainforest, and hot and humid weather. I think I'll keep my imp to sniff during the subzero days of winter.

Manila - Wanderlust Notes: Sampaguita blossoms, banana leaf, palm, and narra In the imp, this smelled fruity, warm and tropical. Once on, the tropical fruit smell remains. It's a well blended scent and I'm not familiar with any of the listed ingredients. It does smell a bit like bananas but not full on, ripe bananas. More like banana taffy or other banana flavored candy. Once it's been on a bit, it continues to smell like tropical fruit, maybe a mix of banana and mango or papaya. There's other elements in here for sure, lush florals and damp wood. It's really quite pretty and it reminds me of other scents that I can't think of right now. There's almost something back there that provides some tartness to the scent, like pineapple or kiwi (I'm leaning more towards pineapple). I've never been to that part of the world, so I can't say if it's reminiscent of how it actually smells, but it evokes to me the tropics, moist rainforest, and hot and humid weather. I think I'll keep my imp to sniff during the subzero days of winter.

Jolly Roger - Bewitching Brews Notes: sea spray, leather, Bay Rum & salty dry woods This is a lot lighter than I was expecting. I was expecting something more bay rumish - this to me is mainly aquatics and ozone. There is an element of bay rum and wood in there which is really nice. As it wears, the ozone and aquatics get stronger on me, scents that I'm not too fond of. I can still smell the salty woods and I want them back! This is very much a masculine scent. It's clean and fresh smelling, a bit too stong for my nose but it is very evocative of what it is intended to capture. Great job but not for me.

when I first apply this, it reminds me of old style perfume, not super floral, but a bit musky, a bit floral and a bit herbal, in cut crystal bottles. it has that timeless feel to it. after it's been on for a minute two, that old-style perfume smell goes away and it smells slightly floral; it has elements of jasmine with some kindof herb back there that I can't identify. as it wears, the florals amp up and become more forceful. there's also a note here thats a bit powdery, maybe the image of old style perfume isn't too far off after all. this reminds me of other BPAL floral scents that I can't remember - I'm not a super big fan of florals and they all seem to blend into one. it was good to try but I think I'll mark this one down as tried and pass on my imp.

Leanan Sidhe - Bewitching Brews Notes: none listed when I first apply this, it reminds me of old style perfume, not super floral, but a bit musky, a bit floral and a bit herbal, in cut crystal bottles. it has that timeless feel to it. after it's been on for a minute two, that old-style perfume smell goes away and it smells slightly floral; it has elements of jasmine with some kindof herb back there that I can't identify. as it wears, the florals amp up and become more forceful. there's also a note here thats a bit powdery, maybe the image of old style perfume isn't too far off after all. this reminds me of other BPAL floral scents that I can't remember - I'm not a super big fan of florals and they all seem to blend into one. it was good to try but I think I'll mark this one down as tried and pass on my imp.

On the skin, this reminds me a lot of the asian moons, Holiday Moon in particular. I smell mainly bamboo, and a bit of tea (despite it not being listed in the ingredients). After it's been on a couple minutes, I smell some mint and maybe a touch of lemon or citrus. It's cool, light, clear and refreshing. I'm not getting a lot of florals from this scent. I'm enjoying this more than I thought that I would. I'm getting a touch of ozone but it's not bad; too much ozone and I'm outta there but I'm still enjoying this, it adds to the crispness and coolness of the scent. After it's been on a while, the ozone element becomes stronger on me and at this point, it becomes a bit overwhelming and not a scent for me.

Neo-Tokyo - Wanderlust Notes: metallics, ozone, bamboo, crisp mountain air, cherry blossoms, orchid and wet fruits. On the skin, this reminds me a lot of the asian moons, Holiday Moon in particular. I smell mainly bamboo, and a bit of tea (despite it not being listed in the ingredients). After it's been on a couple minutes, I smell some mint and maybe a touch of lemon or citrus. It's cool, light, clear and refreshing. I'm not getting a lot of florals from this scent. I'm enjoying this more than I thought that I would. I'm getting a touch of ozone but it's not bad; too much ozone and I'm outta there but I'm still enjoying this, it adds to the crispness and coolness of the scent. After it's been on a while, the ozone element becomes stronger on me and at this point, it becomes a bit overwhelming and not a scent for me.

This is a strong scent reminiscent of Snake Oil. It certainly stains the skin like Snake Oil. Normally I don't care for orange blossom or neroli, but here, combined with the other ingredients, it's quite nice. This is a dark, sexy as hell scent that I'm really enjoying. The longer I wear this the more that I like it. It reminds me quite a bit of Snake Oil but without that element that somehow makes Snake Oil sometimes go a bit like marzipan. On me, it's turning vanilla-ish, slightly spicy and just damn sexy. This is a come hither scent; it suits it's name perfectly. This may be a 10 ml before they go off into the ether. If not a 10 ml, the definitely a 5 ml purchase. Damn, this is a sexy, sexy scent!!!!

Vixen - Love Potions Notes: orange blossom, ginger and patchouli This is a strong scent reminiscent of Snake Oil. It certainly stains the skin like Snake Oil. Normally I don't care for orange blossom or neroli, but here, combined with the other ingredients, it's quite nice. This is a dark, sexy as hell scent that I'm really enjoying. The longer I wear this the more that I like it. It reminds me quite a bit of Snake Oil but without that element that somehow makes Snake Oil sometimes go a bit like marzipan. On me, it's turning vanilla-ish, slightly spicy and just damn sexy. This is a come hither scent; it suits it's name perfectly. This may be a 10 ml before they go off into the ether. If not a 10, the definitely a 5 ml purchase. Damn, this is a sexy, sexy scent!!!!