hlinspjalda

In the vial: Jasmine and another floral, rather tart. Wet: Sharply sweet and tart, in a very pleasant but unidentifiable way. It's almost as if there's a fruit in there. Twenty minutes: Jasmine and vanilla, with a tart floral behind it. It smells oddly foody, like some kind of delicious fried fruit dessert (plantain fritters, maybe?) One hour: The vanilla on this one has gone all smoky, like the one in Mme Moriarty and maybe The Illustrated Woman. It's also dominating the blend. Still, it's not as pleasant as I expected. It seems labored, almost bitter. Two hours; Still smoky vanilla, with almost nothing else present. Disappointing because it's not at all what I wanted, but not unwearable. Four hours: Still mostly the same, with a hint of jasmine. All three of the Graces were near-misses on me. Alas, I am Graceless!

Sister to Pele, Patroness of Hula Dancers, she is a Lady of Hawa'ii, and is caretaker, mother, and beloved of the land itself. The heart of the forest beats along with Her dance, and the air is suffused with Her scent: mai'a, hibiscus, white ginger, akala, na'u, Hawaiian moon flower, yellow ilima, pink lokelani, jewel orchid, and fringed orchid. In the vial: Sweet tropical flowers (I only recognize something like orchid), but with a very tangy fruity overtone. Wet: The fruitiness subsides immediately and I smell fleshy flowers. With luck, this won't sour or go headachy on me. 45 minutes: Less intense, and a little bit citrusy. I like it. Two hours: Most of the intensity has gone; this now smells a little like wilted gardenias. It's fragrant, but somehow limp. Three hours: Pretty faint now. Pleasant, but not a keeper,

In the vial: Delicious, honey and apple with magnificent floral notes. Wet: The tang of rose-honey softens immediately into something much more floral and less sweet. It is quite intense. Half an hour: Very floral. It skirts the line between headachy and powdery very neatly -- so far, anyway. I like it, but it's probably not me. One hour: Still very floral. The flowers tend to blend together pretty well, and it's only by searching out and focusing that I can identify individual notes. The overall effect is sweet, but with an almost fruitlike edge. Two hours: I like this very much, but it's not for me. Three hours: I may have spoken too soon. This is so soft, sweet, and pretty, I'm loath to get rid of it even though I have dozens I like better. Perhaps I will have a use for it one day. Five hours: Still soft, sweet, floral, inoffensive.

In the vial: Good enough to eat: tart, sweet, intensely yet not aggressively rose. This makes my mouth water! Wet: ZOMG roses! This smells like a blend of more than one rose. There's damask in it, but something sweeter too. It's different from the other rose blends I've tried. I'm not getting the tempting tart fruitiness that I smelled in the vial, though. Twenty minutes: Still a hardcore and very distinctive rose blend. But where's the fruit? One hour: Some of the intensity of the rose has dropped off now. It's not quite as sweet as before, and there's more of a depth underneath, either a richer rose or perhaps that pomegranate trying to peek out. It still smells good enough to eat. Two hours: A great deal less sweet now, and, oddly, somehow more adult. Not very intense as BPAL rose scents go, which means it would be a good everyday sort of scent if you wanted roses. But I'm disappointed by the absence of the pomegranate, which is a note I love. Three hours: Still rose, pretty subtle and a little faded, like wilting roses. I had high hopes for this one, but it's not going to measure up to them. Four hours: Ever more subtle and fading. As BPAL rose scents go, not one that works well on me. But I might keep it around anyway, because it reminds me of something I used to wear long, long ago. Sure enough, I keep putting this back into the "keepers" box instead of the trade box. It smells so wonderful, I'm considering a scent locket just for this one.

In the vial: Sharp dark patchouli, mmmm. Wet: A delicious floral over a thick slathering of patchouli, reading dark and delicious. Half an hour: Patchouli but somehow deeper, spicier, as if cloves had been added. Atop that, a dark floral, sharp yet inexplicably sweet. Wow. One hour: There's something about this that smells very south Asian, like an incense at an Indian food store maybe. I like it a lot -- dark, sharp, sweet, thick, heavy, almost soporific. Two hours: Still delicious, strong, dark, sharp, sweet, all at once. Three hours: Chewy. That's the word. This scent is chewy. Omm nomm nomm. Five hours: More patchouli than anything else now, but still with that south Asian fillip. I may need more of this!

In the vial: A sharp snap of something that smells like men's cologne (must be the leather?), followed by a stronger musky scent with the bitterness of myrrh. Wet: Still very cologne-ish. I think this is going to go over to boy on me. One hour: Yep, man's cologne. It's a little sharp and bitter for my taste, but dark, almost brooding, which would make it interesting to me if a man were to wear it. Two hours: Leather-myrrh, dark and bitter, but with warmth beneath. Even though it comes off sharp at first sniff, it's remarkably sexy upon subsequent sniffs. Three hours: Mostly leather. But the myrrh has fallen off a bit, enough that I can finally get a whiff of the amber. No longer so sexy, in fact, it smells kind of tired. Five hours: Much more warmly resinous now, but still too sour from the leather. A near-miss for my skin.

In the vial: Something evergreeny, then strong resin, then delicate apple. Compelling. Wet: Mostly apple at first, then it goes quite herbal. Underneath is strong resin, adding a spicy note that is wonderful. It smells like cut fruit in a forest. Half an hour: Mmm, this is lovely. There's the impression of darkly spiced apple and some lovely herbal contrast. One hour: As before, darkly spiced apple with herbs. It's not as intense now, sticking rather close to my skin than many scents. But I like the way it clings to my skin. Two hours: Gentler than before, but still a nice blend. I'll probably keep this for a while. Three hours: A quicker fade than expected, given the way amber usually behaves on my skin.

In the vial: Fruit, glorious fruit! Wet: The fruit sharpens up immediately, I think because of the musk. There's something pungent and floral in it too, not the rose but maybe the iris? The fruit is almost gone now, which is a big disappointment. 45 minutes: The apricot is back, but it's dried, not fresh or juicy. I can make out the rose now, and the dry floral has calmed down some. This is not going to be a win on me, but it's got potential. Two hours: Rose, musk, unidentifiable fruit, orchid. It's a nice blend, just the slightest bit powdery though. Three hours: Not bad. Not for immediate trade, but I doubt I'll hang onto it forever.

In the vial: Marzipan with saffron and bergamot. Wet: Deliciously marzipan and saffron, with bergamot and something floral I can't identify. Twenty minutes: Pungent headachy floral now (is that the lilies?), with a lot of other sharp notes. Where's the almond, the saffron, the incense, the patchouli? Argh! I've had good luck with night-blooming jasmine before, is this going to go wrong on me? One and a half hours: Fail. No point in going any farther with this one, it's bitter and headachy. Too bad, I really wanted this one to work. I think it's the "river lily" note that killed this one for me; every other note works on me just fine, and it was an unfamiliar floral that did me in.

In the vial: Oh, delicious! Juicy pear and fragrant quince, gardenia, and plumeria. Wet: Pear and plumeria, with something woody. Twenty minutes: There are several sweet ripe fruit notes, but it doesn't smell as juicy as before. Several floral notes are evident too, but there's a gardenia note that's giving me trouble. One and a half hours: Fruit, fruit, fruit, and it's only in the second deep inhale that I notice gardenia. I like this one. Four hours: Still fruit, with a layer of warm fleshy flowers in the background. Keeper.

In the vial: Vanilla first, but then the wood overwhelms it. Sharp, too. Wet: Very intense woody, almost rooty, a scent I associate with tannin. Yet there's a sweetness lurking in it too, and I think it's going to develop more in that direction. Half an hour: Cedar mostly, then sassafras, with the vanilla-evergreen making up the base. Still woody-rooty, tanninish but not so salty now. One hour: Cedar-sassafras, still very woody-rooty and tannin. The vanilla can't keep up with the evergreen, so overall this reads as a slightly sweet woody scent. Two hours: Yep, more of the same. This is very pungent on me, and I'm really not liking it very much as a perfume although it might make a delicious incense. Three hours: There's more vanilla evident now, but it's still too woody-rooty for my comfort. I traded this to someone who adores it (and does well with the cedar note).

In the vial: A baked-goods kind of vanilla note dominates other notes I can't make out. Wet: Right now it smells like white cake. Twenty minutes: Although the dominant note is still white vanilla cake, it's much more complex now. It kind of reminds me of Peitho, with the lily and vanilla and musk. I expected this to have a darker note from the ambergris and moss, but I'm not getting it. One hour: White cake with musk in the background. The floral is calmer too. I'm afraid this isn't going to work on me; it's trending foody. Two hours: Cake, but complex. I like it, but not on me. The "golden vanilla" note has consistently failed on my skin. The sandalwood, orris, and ambergris in this one didn't even show up to the party until four hours in, and they didn't have much of an effect.

In the vial: Mouth-wateringly citrus, but balanced with something else I can't make out. Wet: Yes, there's the citron. There's something warm that must be the musk, and something else I can't make out, but principally this smells like citron and lime peel. Twenty minutes; Mostly citron, but there's an unsettling animalish scent that has to be the musk. It smells much more like a critter than most musks do on me -- not spicy-sweet ferret-y like Frumious Bandersnatch, but warm and fleshy and somehow not right. One hour: Whatever that unusual note is, it's wrecking the citron for me. I could see how this might be agreeable on some other chemistry, but on mine it's definitely unsettling, almost like spoiling food. It kind of reminds me of the less savory aspects of the county fair. Two hours: Trade pile. I traded for this because I love the scent of citron. More recent experience with other blends suggests it's the white musk that wrecked this one for me. I'll have to get my citron fix elsewhere!

In the vial: Resins and a touch of herb. Wet: It smells anise-like; must be the basil. There's something sharp like resin, but mostly I'm getting that anise note. One hour: Resinous, herbal, musky, just a hint of leather, rather a lot like the description. Thank heaven the anise note went away; it was very distracting. Two hours: It's gone more musky and leathery, almost sour. Three hours: Sour. I wonder what soured so on my skin? Guess it was the leather note.

In the vial: More wisteria than anything else, followed by violet, but with something sharper too. Wet: Violet first, a little sweet (wisteria?), but with some bitterness too. Smells very formal, very standoffish. Twenty minutes: This reminds me of somebody, an older woman with light blue-grey eyes. It is not a good association. I'm tempted to wash this right off me. One hour: Eeuw, I really don't like this one. It's chilly, remote, imperious. Two and a half hours: Mostly gone. Good. I can say "fail" without guilt now.

In the vial: Foody, with the "baked goods" scent. This baked good smells citrusy and a bit herbal. Wet: Still smells like citrus baked goods. There's also a floral that smells really pleasant, and a bite of myrtle. Twenty minutes: A sugary foody scent dominates, but with wonderful herbal-citrus complexity. One hour: Oh, this is delicious now! It's still a little sugary, but much less baked goodsy. This would make a good daytime scent, maybe in the springtime or early summer. Two hours: Less sugary now, it's gentle but complex, floral and warm and sweet and herbal. It blends together so nicely, it's difficult to make out individual notes. I don't think it's going to last much longer on me, but it's very pleasant. Three hours: Yup, mostly gone now. But it went gracefully, not souring or going flabby. Very nice; I didn't expect to like this one. I read up on tonka and have a better handle on it now: it's that same "baked goods" scent I got so strongly off Vampire Tears. Hurrah, I get it!

In the vial: Amber and peach, followed by vanilla. I hope the heliotrope doesn't spoil this one for me! Wet: Vanilla first, then amber-peach. Half an hour: The vanilla is less overwhelming now; the peach is soft and the sandalwood has had an opportunity to combine with the amber. Yet there's an odd, almost pinching little note in the scent. This reads a shade too creamy on my skin, but it's not unpleasant. One hour: The vanilla is true to the sweet brown sticky vanilla bean scent, so it works on me better than some of the vanilla notes, but it is still dominating this blend. Since I was aiming for amber and peach, the vanilla is a deal breaker. But this is very pleasant in its own way. Two and a half hours: Gentle vanilla, and I don't notice anything else. By itself this vanilla note makes me think of babies, somehow. Four hours: Still just the vanilla, and it reminds me of scented plastic doll heads. Note to self: not everything with amber and peach works on me!

In the vial: Bergamot, frankincense, neroli. Wet: Citrusy with a warmth beneath, maybe frankincense and sandalwood combined. There's a hint of something else -- vanilla? -- too. Twenty minutes: The citrusy fragrance has died back. Now this is musk, amber, wood, resin with a bare hint of minty bite. It's heavy, a little somber, but not unpleasant. One hour: Nice. I notice the amber more than the other ingredients, but not by much. A very pleasant, serious blend. Two hours: Musk, frankincense, and something tannin-y, with a bite of amber beneath. I don't dislike this, but I keep waiting for it to turn into something more spectacular. Three hours: Sandalwood's gone a bit sour now, and the subtle balance of it is slipping. It's sweeter now, maybe that's even the neroli peeking out a bit. Definitely past its prime now; still pleasant, but aging. Four hours: Light resin. It's done. Done in by my skin's hatred for red sandalwood, again. *sigh*

In the vial: Food! Sweet, apples and pineapples first, but also banana. There is a sharpness too. Mouth-watering. Wet: Oooh, if I were a foodie I'd love this! It smells so wonderfully tropical, like the bar beside a huge pool at some Caribbean resort. Food scents aren't me at all, but I'm hard-pressed to find anything to object to about this one. Half an hour: More complex, less fresh-fruit now. I get coconut now, along with the settled-down banana and apple. The pomegranate is struggling to come out. Everything's a little more powdery than before, too. Don't get any scent of chili, but the patch of skin where I'm testing feels a little warm and sensitive as if capsicum has been there. One hour: Now it smells rather like Horn of Amalthea did on me, only without that amazing bitter complexity at the heart of it. I didn't expect this scent to be anything more than a lark, but I kind of like it. Two hours: Still smells like Horn of Amalthea to me, but less complex. Four hours: Still yum. Keeper. What a surprise this one has turned out to be! I'm sorry I let it sit in the "untried" pile so long.

In the vial: Citrus flavored cakes and tea: sweet, a little sharp, and floral. Wet: A fruity bubblegum-like note, bitter citrus rind, floral, and a nose-twitching warmth. It smells very much like a cake baker's workshop, a place where cakes are flavored with flowers as well as fruits. It's a little heavy, but delightfully off-kilter in a way that makes me keep sniffing at it.. Half an hour: This makes me smile. Of all the Alice line of scents, this is the first one I've tried that really evokes it for me. It's utterly familiar, yet maddeningly out of place. Sweet, citrus, spice, floral, they're all there, but light and well blended. One hour: Crazy, I know. This is not at all in my usual range. But I'm finding it so pleasant, so artlessly individual, that I'm really growing quite fond of it. It reminds me just a bit of Crawdad Dream, not so much in the way it smells but in the way it makes me feel: sweet, silly, cheerful for no damned good reason. Two and a half hours: Calmer now, and less in my face. It still smells like tea and cake, but as if one had already placated one's appetite and were now contemplating a go at seconds. Five hours: I'll probably keep this one around for a while, unless someone wants it. It's really been a fun little discovery.

Carnation, posies, and white amber with a hint of inky treacle, sandy cider, and wooly wine. In the vial: Sweet like an apple pie: apples, something spicy, and light florals. Wet: Still almost a foody scent, apples and sweetness and spicy. I like it, but it smells frivolous and girly (i.e., not me). Twenty minutes: More floral now, and I notice some amber, but still fairly foody. One hour: This just isn't me. Still floral apple, quite pleasant and a bit understated on me, but not at all in my zone. Two and a half hours: Still not me, and it's very faint anyway.

In the vial: Roses, with a tart tang. Wet: The tang is still there, but it's sweeter now. It's developing new depth every few seconds; I'm going to leave it to see what develops. Twenty minutes: All roses, all the time. Yet it smells light hearted, not heavy and intense like attar of roses. It reminds me very much of a jar of Pakistani rose petal jam; I could eat this with no problem. One hour: Still rose petal jam. Yum! Finally a foodie scent I can get behind 100%! Two and a half hours: Yep, still jammin'. Four hours: And still jammin'. I really like this, but I don't think I'd have occasion to wear it often. Maybe I'll trade it. Five hours: All jam, all the time. I eventually decided to keep this, at least for a while. I'm fond of rose scents, and this is a nice one.

In the vial: Ethereal, very linden-y but with a more substantial yet still very sweet different scent in the background. Wet: The ethereal sweetness dissipates immediately, leaving behind something more meadowish, almost soapy. It smells clean and fresh with a breath of floral. Twenty minutes: Very linden-sweet, but kind of high up in the headachy register. So I like the scent, but not the way it's affecting me. Three hours: a great deal warmer now, like meadow grasses or maybe clover. The linden note didn't outlast a bout of dishwashing, so I guess it's a bit delicate.

In the vial: Fruity with some spiciness. Wet: Fruity at first, with a smoky tang, then the carnation kicks in. There's a sugariness about it too, now that the carnation is sounding. There's also a hint of that musk. It smells to me as if bandersnatches are related to ferrets! Twenty minutes: Oh, wow. This is turning out great on me! I get smoke (is that the musk?), spicy carnations, and fruit. This one kind of reminds me of Mme Moriarty. One hour: Uh oh. This is fading quickly on me. Although it still smells pleasant, it's lost a lot of the richness and subtlety it had before. The throw is significantly diminished too: I have to get my nose right down onto the skin to detect the full range of notes. Two hours: It's mostly fruit now, with a hint of spice. I don't think this is going to work out after all. Too bad; it had such a great beginning! Three and a half hours: Didn't I put perfume on this wrist? Can't smell a thing. How sad! I love ferrets, but this little vial of weasel juice didn't work on me. It has a happy home now with someone who loves it very much.

In the vial: Smells like a pharmacy to me, first impression cherry with a dry, woody, chemical background. Wet: More of the same, only the cherry has diminished in favor of something more floral, probably the lavender. Still smells like a pharmacy aisle to me. Ten minutes in: Cherry mostly gone. Rose never materialized. Rosewood and musk are all I smell, with just enough lavender to give it a powdery edge. Twenty miutes in: warm and a little sweet now, I can't tell if that's the cherry coming back or the rose coming up for the first time. But I like it some better now. Also, it's not nearly as overwhelming as the other ones I've tried: nice and light. Thirty minutes: Warmer now, more of a musky rose-ish flavor. Still a sharp little lavender edge to it, but less of that throat-drying rosewood smell. The cherry has receded almost entirely. Hour and a half: warm, dry, musky and a little woody. No sweet elements, no real floral, and the cherry never came back. It smells a bit like some kind of soap. Definitely reminds me of some kind of a shop. I don't actively dislike this, but it doesn't do a thing for me. This is the scent that made me realize rosewood isn't a good note for me. But I traded this to someone who adores it, so it gets a lot of love.