hlinspjalda

In the vial: Sweet and tangy. Smells much more fruity than floral. I would never have guessed there was myrrh or sandalwood in this one. Wet: An instant of Juicyfruit Gum, then the floral came up, followed not 30 seconds later by the amber. There's the promise of something more bitter beneath, perhaps the myrrh. Ten minutes: Well, this is definitely another amber-floral on me, but the sandalwood makes it into something different from the others. I don't often have a lot of luck with sandalwood, but this one might work out pretty well. Half an hour: Agreeably complex. The amber has been folded back into the sandalwood, and the floral is much less strong than before. There's a dryness that might be the myrrh. Nothing dominates, but it smells pretty nice, less intense and more sneaky than most. Four and a half hours: I enjoyed sniffing this all morning, especially while I was tapestry weaving. Now it's dried off and the myrrh is dominating a bit of amber and a hint of floral. The sandalwood that makes this one something special on me has dissipated, for the most part.

In the vial: Two or three different types of rose, not nearly as heavy as I expected. A touch of something else, a little spicier. Wet: Very strong tea-rose and a bit of damask rose, again over some spicy base. If it's amber, it's lighter than amber has ever been on me. No evidence of the musk either. Definitely lighter than I expected, although intensely rose-y. Fifteen minutes: I didn't think it was possible after those first few moments, but this is no longer principally a rose scent. Still lighter than expected, but it's definitely amber-rose now. Four hours: I'm madly in love. This is the least rose-flavored rose scent I think I've ever worn. That's not why I like it, though. I like it because it's also the best-balanced amber scent I've ever worn. I could wish for it to be a little sweeter; it's almost as dry as myrrh (that's probably the musk). And on me, at least, it's not overpowering, or dark, or even particularly floral. I'm not sure it's the everyday scent I'm looking for, but it's great.

A venerable voodoo blend, used for purification of the spirit and to amplify positive personal power. Wow, I must have a bizarrely different chemistry, or something. No cookies, no cake, no lemon, no creamy safe goodness. I got swamp: sexy, dark, a little dangerous, the kind of danger you want to go up and twine your arms around and purr into its ear. In the vial: Pungent, sharp, a little salty. Vetiver, maybe? Wet: Whew! Sharp, woody, pungent, oaky, dirty. It smells like all the vegetation elements of a swamp. There's one note at the bottom that I really like, a sort of green citrusy one that's invigorating. Twenty minutes: Leather, moss, wood, still the impression of vetiver, and a touch of something that might be the "bourbon vanilla" note, or maybe the "vanilla musk" one. Smoky, almost. I don't actually like the scent of this, but I notice that I keep sniffing at it anyway. Two hours: Still leather, moss, wood, vetiver, musk, and possibly vanilla. That vanilla-musk note smells almost like smoke to me. Not bad. It's got a lot of presence, but it's not actually aggressive despite the robust components. Three hours: Much warmer and sweeter now. There's a resin in there, but I still get moss and wood and vetiver. Four hours: Now it smells really really good, but kind of like a really expensive and well-blended men's cologne. It would be fun to nomm on someone who smelled like this!

In the vial: Peony and wood, with something pungent beneath. Wet: The pungent note ramped immediately. I think it's laurel, because it's very green. There's a nose-twitchy undertone that's probably pepper. No hint of any soft or sweet fragrance. The base is almost soapy, probably woodsy. One hour: At first I hated this, but I don't feel quite so negative about it now. It's way off my beaten track, being all dry and herby-woodsy, but there's an underlying softness to it I think must be a combination of the musk and lily. I guess I won't wash it off, after all. Things got away from me and I stopped observing this one, but I was surprised at how little I disliked it. It definitely has a woody, soapy sensibility, though, a little like men's soap (maybe Irish Spring?) but not in a bad way. Still, as the day went on it got softer and a little more fragrant. Never did recapture the peony note, though, and the citrus never showed up even once.

In the vial: Fruity, with a dark undertone I don't recognize. Wet: Sharp clove dominates, with something dark beneath. There's an almost tart tang that might be orange or patchouli, hard to say which. Half an hour: Definitely smells like incense. This is the least powerful of all the peach scents I have from BPAL; it's barely noticeable in the spicy orange mixture. I can't pick out the patchouli at all, it's blended so well with the other things. Three hours: Very pleasant, nicely blended, a little understated. If there's a dominant note at all, it's soft peach. I don't find it compelling, but it doesn't suck at all on me. An interesting realization I came to today: if this were a mundane perfume, I'd be beyond thrilled to find something so in accordance with my tastes. That BPAL offers me so many fragrances I adore even more than this one is what I like best about BPAL.

In the vial: Fruity sweet, but with a pleasantly acidic tang, Smells a lot like a really floral honey. Wet: Very floral and still quite sweet. The floral has all the sweetness of jasmine but without the bitterness, or that other intensely strong element in jasmine that gives me a headache. The tang has been replaced by something warm, probably the musk. This one has potential. Half an hour: Still honey-sweet over a layer of warm. The tang has come back a bit, though. I like it. Three hours: Still quite noticeable, although the floral has faded more than the musk. It's a bit dryer now, too, which is what happens with musk on my skin after a few hours. I really like this one, with its slightly musky sweetness. Five hours: An hour ago, my husband said to me "didn't we have an incense that smelled like that?" I think he's right: My old favorite Ganesh Number Two ("oils and spices") smelled a lot like the way this smells on me. This one is long-lasting, never headachy, sweet but not overpowering.

In the vial: Bright, and I definitely get the impression of "golden." Almond, amber, and saffron in that order, with a sweetness beneath that must be the floral. Wet: Rapid shifting in the first minute, playing among the amber, saffron, and something sharpish (the myrrh?) over a warm sweetness beneath. The warm sweetness is almost like honey, but spicier and more floral. This one is beautifully complex right now, but I bet it's going to go over to amber. Half an hour: Yep, amber now. But it doesn't give me a headache, although it's a little sharper than I would like. Agreeably complex, too; the floral doesn't obtrude at all but only sweetens up the blend of spicy things. I like this one. Wonder when the musk is going to become obvious? Two hours: It's died back a lot; the amber is now cut with dry myrrh, a pleasant scent but not exactly what I'm after. There is something almost vanilla-ish about it too, but I think that may be the musk. Three hours: Less myrrh-like now, but still dryer than I'd like. Still very pleasant, though. If it weren't for a couple of the others I've already tried, I'd be quite fond of this one.

In the vial: Sweet peach and something strongly but not bitterly green; must be the myrtle. Wet: Amber spikes up right away, but then fades back into a better blend with the peach, with a dark warmth of the musk beneath. Still an edge of that green scent; it doesn't smell like the dried myrtle I have downstairs, but it's yummy anyway. This is a little darker and heavier than the "Imp," but we'll see. Half an hour: Amber-musk, then myrtle. The peach is still there, but it's not nearly as prominent. Seven hours: It spent most of the time being musk backed by amber and, to a lesser extent, the myrtle. Darker and more bitter than the "Imp," and of the two I think I like "Imp" better. But this isn't bad. It's a lot like "Brisingamen," only muskier.

In the vial: Fruity sweet, yet tangy and with an interesting little sharpness way back in the throat. Not at all what I expected from the description. Wet: Sweetness vanishes immediately. Myrrh predominantly, with some strong warmth that must be the musk. There's a bit of rose underneath. Half an hour: It's settled down some, still predominantly myrrh with musk-rose underneath. A fairly pleasant balance of warm-sweet and bitter, but that fruitiness appears to be gone forever. Three hours: Musk-myrrh-rose, all blended together. Still very intense, and the musk is sort of making my head ache a bit. I like it, but just not on me. It smells old, somehow.

In the vial: Mmmm. Myrtle with sweet floral (lily?) and vanilla. I wasn't sure I'd like this, but so far I love it. Wet: The jasmine dominates, but the myrtle sticks around. Sandalwood and a bit of musk beneath that. I hope it doesn't die back into just jasmine, because the complexity is enjoyable. Half an hour: Musk, sandalwood, lily, vanilla, with just a tinge of myrtle. It's warm and sweet; a bit musky, but I like it. One hour: Musk, vanilla, and a little something floral/herbal in the background. Still quite warm and sweet, but not pungent. I find it comforting, the sort of thing I'd want to wear en famille or on holidays at home. Two hours: Hey, I notice the clove now! It's spicier, a bit sweeter, more vanilla and less musky now. Hardly any floral quality to it, but a hint of myrtle still. Still like it. Five hours: Warm sweet spicy (musk vanilla clove), but very subdued. No floral or myrtle, and the sandalwood was clearly in over its head from the very beginning. I like this enough to wear it from time to time, but not well enough to get a big bottle of it just yet.

In the vial: Oh, I love the scent of this one: sweet but clean and not cloying at all. It has an almost fruity quality to it. Wet: It warms up right away; that fruity quality recedes but does not disappear. One hour: Warmer, not fruity, and much more floral now. Gardenia predominates, but gently, on a base of amber and patchouli. There's a tinge of something that smells almost like anise or fennel. I like this very much; it's not as overpowering as the musky ones. Two hours: On me this reads amber, patchouli, and the floral comes third. The floral has devolved into the sweetness of gardenia (without the pungency) with some warmth underneath (maybe the rose?) and a faint touch of that fruity sweetness that I think must be the white tea. It's turned out more spicy than I'd hoped, but I like it very much.

Wet: I get a dark spicy floral off this, like clove plus carnation. 15 minutes: it's very intense, possibly too strong for me, but I'm still loving the blend of it. The myrrh is not as bitter as I expected, the rose not as dominant; instead it seems to be mostly the musk and the ylang ylang. If this ramped down a bit, I could see wearing it for special occasions. 30 minutes: It's settled down some, but is still quite powerful. I still love the blend of it, though. One hour: It's calmed down some, and sweetened a bit, but is still strong. It almost smells like it's over a base of honey; maybe that's the ylang ylang? More musk, less myrrh than initially, but still spicy. The blend of floral and spicy is pretty complete, with neither one dominating. One of the first I ever tried, and still my favorite. I was crushed that it was discontinued, but now I have two bottles of it so I don't feel so bad.