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In the vial: What is that? Lilac, maybe? It's some floral, not sweet. Wet: Yes, it definitely smells like lilacs on me. Twenty minutes: Still floral. I'm not sure if this is lilacs, though. Now it smells more like gardenia. It's definitely a fleshy flower, pungent, a little sharp, yet not headachy. One hour: Much more like a gardenia now, or perhaps a lily. Two and a half hours: Now it smells mostly like a lily. It reminds me of a note in Peitho. I don't think it's jasmine, so it must be lily. Four hours: Still fleshy floral. It doesn't bother me at all, but it doesn't do anything for me either. Five hours: Unidentifiable light floral now.

In the vial: This one smells kind of masculine. Herbal, citrus, something sharp and a little bitter. Wet: Sharp, salty, leather, maybe vetiver, and something herbal and/or tartly citrus. Warming on my skin, it takes a sweeter turn immediately. Suddenly I really like it. But definitely a man's scent. Twenty minutes: A fabulous men's scent, maybe a fougere with citrus and vetiver? On my skin it smells like an incredibly sexy men's cologne, strong but not in the least louche. One hour: The salty, leathery, vetiver type note is more intense now. I think the herb or fougere note has faded back some. The citrus is more subdued too. Two hours: Still smells fabulous as a man's scent. I wonder if I can interest my husband in wearing this one? Three hours: Still yummy men's cologne. Losing some of its herbal-citrus subtlety, though; it's trending more toward the salty-leathery notes now. Four hours: Still nice. This reminds me of some of the notes in Malkuth. Many of the Sephiroth line (so far I've tried seven of the ten sefirot and none of the ten klipot) seem to share those herbal notes.

In the vial: Herbal and perhaps some piercing floral. Wet: I'm not sure about this one. Perhaps oakmoss? Wood? Something herbal and tannic, definitely. There's also something richer, sweeter, but I don't think it's a floral. Twenty minutes: Still herbal-tannic, some kind of root or wood I think. It doesn't smell like the cedar note in Tombstone, or Inez. I don't think it's sandalwood, or teak, or rosewood. I dunno. But the scent reads as slightly sweet and softly tannic. One hour: Still woody-herbal-tannic, slightly sweet, perhaps rooty. Two hours: Still pretty much the same, rooty sweetish tannic woody or maybe herbal. Not going anywhere on me, that's for sure. Three hours: some of the tannic aspect of this is wearing off. It's still a kind of thin rooty sweetish scent, but it smells almost dirty on me, as if I'd gotten something on myself during a walk in the woods and hadn't succeeded in washing it off yet. Four hours: Whatever it is, it's persistent and consistent. Too bad it doesn't work on me, because those are virtues.

In the vial: Almond spicy herbal. Invigorating. Wet: Almond and something that went immediately powdery on me. Twenty minutes: More spice than almond, but it's sweet and not strong. The powdery impression is still there, and it's almost creamy too One hour: This has gone all unfocused on me, a little creamy, a little sweet, a little floral. It kind of smells like a dessert, almost, or like some kind of candy. Although it is interesting when my nose is right down on it, there's no real throw or much of an aura. Two hours: What is that, maybe orris? It smells pale and sweetish and rooty. At any rate, this is almost entirely a fail on me qua perfume. Too bad, it smelled great in the vial. Three hours: Soured. Sandalwood, I wonder? Fail. Four hours: Yup, soured sandalwood fail.

In the vial: Roses! Smells like Peacock Queen. Wet: The sweet tea rose faded as a more "old rose" fragrance took over. This smells more like Rosa gallica to me. Twenty minutes: Roses, definitely, but there's something resinous and very spicy in there too. Can it be amber? One hour: Rose and resin. I don't think it's myrrh (too sweet), but I'm not sure it's amber either. Could be frankincense Two and a half hours: Not amber, I think. But whatever it is, it's gone kind of powdery. Yet it's still very rosy and also sweet as well as resin-spicy. I like this. Four hours: Still rose-resiny. I thought for a while it might be woody, but most woods don't smell this nice on me. If it's a wood, maybe it's an unusual one (it doesn't smell like sandalwood or teak to me). Five hours: Still there, but less rosy now. This is successful enough to wear from time to time.

In the vial: This smells familiar. It's dark, and sharp, with something like vetiver in it, but maybe patchouli too. Underneath that there's something sweet, fruity. Wet: Fruit, musk, maybe patchouli. There's still something sweet that's not the fruit, and there's still something sharp that smells less like vetiver now. And I think there's spice in it too. Twenty minutes: Oh, I like this. It smells just the slightest bit like dirt, but there's fruit and patchouli and a floral (maybe even honey?) in it too. It reminds me of Mme Moriarty only with dirt instead of smoke. One hour: Still loving this. Patchouli, fruit, musk, something sweet, and still that endearing touch of dirt. Two and a half hours: Still going strong. This is going on my wish list. Four hours: Nomm nomm nomm nomm nomm! But it has changed some. The fruit is less; that vetiver note is back again. It's still delicious, though. Five hours: Wow, I love this. All the changes it has gone through are still wonderful on me. Now there's not too much left except spice, something herby-sharp (the vetiver still?), and a bit of patchouli. Top five; I have about 10ml of this one now and am hoarding it. It's very grounding, which is appropriate for Malkuth.

Someone frimped me a testable sniffie of Snake Charmer a while back, and I knew just enough to stash it away and not even think about it. When I saw the scent had been resurrected, I tested the sniffie the very next day. In the vial: It smells a lot like a cross between Faiza and Mme Moriarty: smoky, resinous, vanilla, spicy. Very yum indeed. Wet: The impression is sustained. I have a feeling I am going to love this; it's a good thing they just resurrected it! Twenty minutes: Oh, yes, definitely a relative of both Faiza and Mme Moriarty. Sweeter than both by a bit, but just as nommable. Closer to La Madame, I think, lacking the intense bergamot and floral notes that make Faiza so remarkable on me. But I think I will need a bottle of this if it doesn't change radically. Hour and a half: Smoky, a bit tart, almost a little bit like Priala. Definitely related to a number of Carnaval Diabolique scents. I think I will have to test this one again, side by side with Mme Moriarty, Faiza, and Priala. Luckily, I think there's one more test in that sniffie! Three hours: Mostly smoky vanilla now, very Mme Moriarty. Four hours: There's a little more coconut in the mix now; I think the smoky vanilla has faded some. I still really enjoy sniffing this one. Twelve hours: Long since faded back to vanilla, which is surprisingly persistent. I bought a bottle of this and, pending re-testing, may have to get more.

In the vial: Mostly dragon's blood and pepper. This smells more like freshly ground pepper than any BPAL I've tried so far. Wet: Still very peppery, but in an herbal way rather than in a heated one. There's honeysuckle too, and ginger. Once it blends this is going to be interesting. Twenty minutes: Honeysuckle first, still with that herbally oriented black pepper note. The resin has developed some, too. I think it will probably develop still more, but it's definitely promising. Hour and a half: This is really nice. It's very honeysuckle, but not piercing, headachy, or even sweet. And I can still make out the pepper note. I keep looking for reasons not to like this one, but I really like it. Three hours: This is really quite nice, very much off the beaten track even for BPAL. It's not very aggressive, but quite its own scent. The way it makes honeysuckle into something not fleshy, not sweet, and not luxurious is a real achievement. For this is nothing if not spare, lean, even essential. Four hours: Starting to fade now, but maintaining its character on the way down. Twelve hours: Still detectable honeysuckle with a bit of resin base. I may have to get a bottle of this.

In the bottle: Mostly angelica and a hint of the baby powder note. Smells very ethereal. Wet: Wow, it really does smell like a baby! I get baby powder, baby shampoo, and milky sleepy baby. There's also something else quite pungent; it will have to develop some more, I'm sure. Half an hour: More lavender and angelica now than anything else. One hour: I don't like this one as much any more; the angelica and lavender have outnumbered the frankincense, rose, and carnation (none of which have shown up yet on my skin, sadly). But when I let my daughter sniff it, she said "it smells like dirt, and rain, and Lothlorien. Do want!" She elaborated that it was definitely a Tolkien scent. So I guess it won't be going to waste if I keep it in this house instead of trading it away. Since I love the bottle art so much, that's probably what I'll do. Three hours: It is a gentle but very distinctive fragrance: baby powder, angelica, lavender, orris root. How can the rose and resin have failed to put in an appearance? Sometimes my body chemistry really frustrates me. Five hours: Still gentle and distinctive. I feel vindicated that I guessed correctly it was not going to work on me, but I'm also happy that my daughter likes it so much. She says it smells like Rivendell now.

In the vial: Patchouli first, followed by myrrh. Then the jasmine develops. Wet: Patchouli, something fruity, then rose. The myrrh and jasmine bond, providing an ethereal top note. This is very strong, and a little bitter, but it has potential. Twenty minutes: Initially, a breath of fruitiness; then the bite of myrrh, then rose. Jasmine is there too, but not immediately noticeable. Right now it's odd, a little off my beaten track, but it's very interesting. I think it's that tinge of fruitiness; otherwise it would be another myrrh-floral, but the grape-yness makes it unusual. One hour: Fruity myrrh, with jasmine. Two and a half hours: Much better balance now. I noticed about 45 minutes ago it smelled really nice, so it's been that way for a while. Jasmine, patchouli, and rose seem to have agreed on a power-sharing arrangement; how nice! The fruit is gone, but the myrrh and sandalwood have melded very nicely into a warm base. The trade-off is that it's a much less intense scent than before, more subtle. But still complex and delicious. Several hours later: Once this got itself into balance, it stayed nice for quite a while. That night-blooming jasmine note is a real keeper for me.

In the vial: Rose, resin, something ethereal (violet?), and something crisp, maybe citrusy? Wet: Delicate rose and violet, really very charming and ethereal. Twenty minutes: Rose and violet. Still very ethereal, and it may be too violet-y for me. One hour: A gentle, soft scent. It reminds me of baby powder, which is probably because I smell violets, which remind me of orris root, which reminds me of handmade scented baby powder from my college days. It is very pretty and entirely in keeping with the art on the bottle label. Two hours: A little more complex now, and the resin has come up, but extremely light still. I have the feeling if I age this one it will smell different. That often happens with scents that are initially very light on me. Three hours: Still gentle, sort of a vanilla-resin scent now. Five hours: Just a bit of vanilla and the remnants of violet. A qualified success on my chemistry. I noticed a change at the end of the first week but have resisted the urge to try it again. I definitely think a bit of aging is called for on this one.

In the vial: Swoonworthy! The same wine note that makes Lilith smell so good to me in the vial is here. On third try, I can make out other notes, mostly the cocoa absolute. But this smells magnificent to me, which of course means it will fail utterly. Wet: The cocoa is more noticeable than the wine now, but the musk is giving it competition. This smells warmer and less fruity-sweet than before, with a grassy sweetness. This needs to blend a bit, but all the notes smell great together. So far. Twenty minutes: Something about this says Mme Moriarty to me. I think it must be the red musk and patchouli. One hour: This still has a Mme Moriarty tone, but there's more sweet fruitiness in it, very grapey. No sign of the cocoa, but I think the amber is trying to put in an appearance. Two hours: The grapey note has blended with the cocoa note, and it's kind of an interesting mixture. Still get the musk-patchouli combination, too, but the foody notes dominate Three hours: Oh, I really like the blend now. It's got patchouli, musk, cocoa, a grapey note, and a warm unidentifiable base. Nothing predominates, and it comes across as warm, sweet but not at all cloying. I could see really enjoying this if it hadn't taken so long to get to this wonderful point. Five hours: Warm musky well-rounded fragrance with a cocoa tinge. That sweetness has gone away pretty much entirely. What's left seems determined to stick around a while, and I like it a lot.

In the vial: Oh, this smells lovely! Sweet, crisp, pungent, fruity, fruity, fruity! Wet: Fruit and honey tempered with a clean herb, perhaps the bergamot. I especially get the pear, a bright floralish note like a really excellent comice pear. But I have a feeling this is going to darken soon. Thirty minutes: Much less sweet and juicy now, with more subtle notes. Still get the pear and at least one other fruit, and something bitterly aromatic that might be either saffron or the bergamot. There's also something that reads quite floral; that must be the honey, I guess. I like this, but I'm not sure it's going to work out on me. One hour: Honey and some subdued fruit notes with herbs. This smells very pleasant, and there's just a hint of something very complex and slightly bitter that I can't place, something that smells almost magical, hidden. It makes me imagine a golden spark at the center of something. Two hours: Very organic, very alive, yet subtle, and still with that complex bitter mote in the center. Three hours: Not a lot of change. I like it. Five hours: Gentler now, less fruity, more of a basic cream and honey blend, but still that one note lingers. Is it saffron? I wore this to Thanksgiving dinner and it was the best choice evarrr.

In the vial: Almond, spices, orange, good enough to eat! Wet: Almond pastry filling, with the citrus and the spices and the rosewater. My husband might like this one on me. Half an hour: Oh, my! The sandalwood is dominating now, with citrus in second place. This smells very opulent, well blended with the warm spice notes particularly well integrated, and quite pampering. It's just a tiny bit bitter, but everything else is lovely. If it stays like this I'm going to love it. One hour: This smells like I think sandalwood ought to smell. And it's still almondy and citrusy and spicy. I may need more of this, if it stays true for a couple of hours. Two and a half hours: Oh, this is so lovely. Some BPAL scents come completely out of left field and steal my heart (or hit it with a club and drag it back to the lair). But this one feels like it has welled up on my skin from somewhere inside, from somewhere in that nexus between my interests in perfume, alchemy, and cookery. Of all the BPAL scents I've tried so far, this is the closest to an everyday scent. Golly, I didn't expect that! Four hours: The almond went away quickly, and now the sandalwood is starting to fade too. But it does so without souring, and maintains its balance with the other ingredients. I really like this one; smelling it is like greeting a cherished old friend. I bought a bottle and am loving it.

In the vial: Dry, astringent, sour. Wet: Warms immediately, but still that lingering sour, astringent note. The amber comes up pretty quickly, adding a dark spicy base that helps stabilize the scent. Half an hour: This one smells to me like a cleaning product. It's very familiar, even reassuring, but I can't get past the fact that it smells like something I think I should be using to clean my kitchen. Very strange. One hour: Less like a cleaning product now. Mostly I'm getting amber and dragon's blood, but with some astringency. This is much better than before. Two hours Slightly astringent, tannic amber. It never got any better on my chemistry, so I had to trade it.

In the vial: Very tart and evergreeny, with some sweetness at the very bottom. Wet: Oooh. Still smells evergreen, but not rosemary, so I'm at a loss to know what the herb note is. There's patchouli, and neroli, and the rest of it just smells warm and sweet. Damn. Am I about to fall in love with another discontinued scent? Twenty minutes: That elusive herbal note is still evergreeny, almost peppery. This works nicely on me, warm and sweet but so exciting with the patchouli and herb notes. Hour and a half: Still herby-evergreeny, with patchouli, but less so than before. The musk element is creeping forward now. It's somewhat like white musk on me, but warmer and not so much like a critter. Still not getting much in the way of amber. Three hours: Gentle musk base, muted patchouli. No amber, very light floral and herbs. Not nearly as scary-good as it was at first, although I do like it. Four hours: Still very muted musk-patchouli. Not as much of a win on me as I thought it was going to be when I put it on. Oh, well; how many Discontinueds should I be in love with, anyway?

In the vial: Heavy patchouli, myrrh, and rose. Wet: Right now, it's an eye-rolling, dirtier version of Phantom. Wow! Twenty minutes: A lot like Phantom, actually, but definitely dirtier. And since Phantom is one of my favorites, this is great! One hour: Delicious, heavy, dark, chewy, mostly rose and myrrh with some patchouli sweetener and a bit of something sharper -- the civet? Two hours: Still yum. Three hours: This is less aggressive now, but it's still a great warm, thick, dark, chewy scent. Mostly now I'm getting patchouli, myrrh, a bit of rose, and something else, perhaps the dragon's blood? The musk and civet are not noticeable, although I will say it's hard to pick out individual notes in this one. Five hours: Still quite noticeable, although skewed toward the patchouli. I like this one. Succeeded in getting half a bottle of it; hurrah!

In the vial: The most expensive chocolate wedding cake you can possibly imagine, decorated with flowers. Wet: Predominantly chocolate, but floral a strong second, followed by spiced tea. Smells a lot like an upscale cafe with fresh flowers on the table. Twenty minutes: Chocolate cake with spices. Must be the tonka, which always reads "baked goods" on me. One hour: Really good, but stale, chocolate cake crumbs. I don't know what makes it smell stale like that, though. The scent doesn't smell bad at all, but it really reminds me of stale cake crumbs. Two hours: The chocolate is less aggressive now, better blended with the spices. I think I'm getting some floral again, not as strongly as before. The spices are gentler too, but still warm. Three hours: Still chocolate cake with spices, but the darkest chocolate notes are dominant now. I like it more now that it doesn't smell quite so sugary, but I kind of miss the floral. I was counting on the honeysuckle to be more prominent. Five hours: Fainter, but not much change.

In the vial: Chocolate front and center, with tangy fruity notes and something nutty as well. Wet: More intense now, but the chocolate has cut back in favor of a much more fruity, spicy blend. It smells wonderfully of a patisserie now! Twenty minutes: Still rather more foody than my norm, but this is really wonderful, with a cocoa vanilla peach honey tone. Lots of depth, whimsical little curlicues of fruit and spice come wafting off it every timeI put my nose near it. The cocoa absolute note is my favorite BPAL chocolate note, and this one's another proof that it works nicely on me. Hour and a half: The chocolatiness of this has worn off considerably. Now it's more like a bouquet of fruits and flowers -- still edible, but not so much like baked products. The clove and honey work wonderfully together to give it a spicy, yet unobtrusive undertone. Three hours: A little more generic "baked good" quality about it, which I think is the vanilla and ginger coming up. There's also some orchid which adds a strange pallid flatness to the scent here. Fruits are still sparkly, and the spice and cocoa are noticeable. I still like it, but not as much as before. Four hours: I still like this one, but it has mutated a lot. Now I get something more herbal than before. I bought a bottle of this.

[Read the whole review, please.] In the bottle: Fruity patchouli floral, as wonderful an initial scent as I think I have ever smelled in a BPAL. Wet: Fruity trending over into floral, with a strong background of patchouli. So far, so good. Twenty minutes: Ack! Where did all that luscious fruit go? This is gardenia first, with something sharp just beneath. There's musk, but no rose, no patchouli. One hour: Very pungent floral, gardenia and rose mixed. It is not harmonious, though; it's a death match, with throats gripped and a lot of snarling. They've trampled all over the poor fruits, too. This is not going well. Two and a half hours: Better now, but still not great. Everything seems to have worked out a cooperative arrangement, led by the musk. The pepper is noticeable, warm but not tingly. I can actually make out the fruit a bit now, too. Next time I'll have to watch it better in that first two hours and see what happens. Four hours: Much better now: warm blend of sweet fruits and florals tied together with a thread of patchouli. I tried this again during my cycle, which is something I tend to do with scents that I want to love, but that don't love me. What a difference: it smells great! Literally, no sharp or warring notes. Lovely sweet combination of florals, a bit fruity, I eventually realized it kind of reminds me of Faiza the Black Mamba. Long-lasting, too. It's one of my go-to scents for my cycle now.

In the vial: Ambergris, moss, amber, and something tingly, either cloves or pepper. Wet: Sharp at first, and mossy; then warmer from the amber, with a breath of vanilla. Then sharp again, and a little sour. Twenty minutes: Spicy! Clove and something else, probably the pepper, with a tinge of vanilla. Then I notice the moss (not like oakmoss, it's greener and less bitter), all over a slightly sweet warm base. This is kind of different from most of the others. One and a half hours: Warm mossy resinous base, slightly sweet, with a really pleasant warm tingly top note of spices. I'm kind of captivated by this one, although I don't think I'd have a use for it. It seems a good "concept" kind of scent, though, and it definitely reads as heat. Four hours: Sour, maybe the moss, with some resin. Still some spicy top notes, but this didn't work out as well on me as I had hoped. Still, it's a brilliant concept.

In the vial: Bergamot, citrus, gardenia. This smells lovely. Wet: Bergamot still. I usually don't care for bergamot, but this smells delicious: rich hints of floral, sweet, something very tannic, and something that's making my mouth water. 45 minutes: Oooh, this is what I remember from the Pennsic test. It's beautifully complex, mysterious, aromatic from the bergamot and gardenia, on a warm sandalwoody musk base. Jeepers, I may need a bottle of this! Hour and a half: Not as rich as before, but still gratifyingly complex. Three hours: Oh, yeah, this is great. It doesn't reach out and bang people over the head the way some of my favorite BPAL does, but it's so lusciously complex. I can't make out the caraway, ti leaf, or ginger, but I can catch elements of all the other listed contents. Seven hours: Still going, although a lot of the subtlety has subsided. Top ten! I already bought a bottle of this and will be stocking up on it before the Carnaval departs.

In the vial: Sharper than I expected, with an herby, almost vetiver edge. I can make out patchouli, but almost nothing else that's on the ingredient list. Wet: Oh, my, this smells good. Intense, spicy resinous base with strong florals over it. This has a lot of potential. Twenty minutes: Holy cow, this is wild. Deep, complex, sweet, spicy, dark, heavy. This is like wearing black velvet and sexy shoes and a $500 hairdo while you're in the spooky basement of an ancient manor for nefarious purposes while there's a fancy dress ball going on upstairs. One hour: Carnation, clove, rose, and something else sweet over incense and resin. I like this a lot even though the patchouli went bye-bye. The red sandalwood has soured just a little bit, but that gives balance to the intense floral and sweetness, so it's not a problem. Two hours: Honey rose clove over resin. It reminds me a bit of the honey-rose combination in Jezebel, only spicy and warm instead of brightly sweet. It's just the faintest bit powdery, so I guess it's got one of the honey notes that goes powdery on me. Four hours: Wow, still sweet and warm and spicy, although still with that powdery tinge. Keeper. I recently bought what I believe to have been the last bottle of this from Dark Delicacies. It's going on the short list of Most Precioussss!

In the bottle: Ethereal floral: rose, possibly something like violet, maybe something lilyish. But mostly ethereal. Wet: Sweeter and more earthy now, but still with that ethereal edge. Definitely rose, something lilyish, something more tropical and fleshy too. So far, I like it. Half an hour: Something sweeter and fleshier than rose is dominating, although I still get rose. It's not headachy, exactly, but it's somewhat sharper than I wanted. I think it needs to develop more. One hour: Rose, fruit blossom, something lilyish, definitely still violets. Not sure what else is in there, but there's at least one fleshy tropical. It's settled down a lot, though, into something that's intense but not headachy. I definitely get fruit blossoms or maybe clover, something honey-like, off it. Two and a half hours: It smells most obviously of something like gardenias now, something sweet and fleshy. It's almost a neroli scent. Maybe orange blossom? Not a lot of throw, though. I like it much better now. Four hours: Sweet, gentle, fleshy flower. This reminds me a bit of Loralei now. I'll keep at least some of this; I think it would make a great Election Day perfume for me. I think I'll wear it on Inauguration Day, too.

In the vial: Strongly cucumber, but very pleasantly so, with a greenish and bright floral undertone. Wet: Much more herbal now. I don't recognize it, though -- maybe lettuce? Still cucumber and floral, but there's a richness about it now. Half an hour: I really like this. It's got the sweet warm richness of a floral, the verdant freshness of cucumber (particularly the peel, I definitely smell the peel), and something else kind of grassy. One hour: It's gone kind of aquatic now, and it reminds me a bit of a product my daughter uses. It also reminds me of something herbal I used to use, maybe a shampoo? Not sure. It smells very clean, sweet but not at all cloying, crisp, delightful. Two and a half hours: Clear, aquatic, and still with this delightful invigorating cucumber scent. I wish I could figure out what that other, more floral note is. I quite like this. Four hours: Got some staying power, this one. Not much change in the last two hours, although it's getting fainter. It's not my style at all, but I like it a lot.