Aredhel

Rating (on skin): 0/5 Summarised in a word or two: Rose! And itchy. Preconceived notions: I'm becoming exceptionally fond of the rosemary/mint combination, so I'm hoping for something along those lines. The "five rose variants" bit kind of alarms me. Rose and I are not on speaking terms. In the imp: Lemon peel, grape, rose and mint. Oddly pleasant. On skin, wet: Ah, rosemary and mint! The rose lingers, but doesn't jump into the foreground immediately, which is surprising. The lemon peel and orange flower add something unique and strangely lovely to it. On skin, dry: How odd. The skin I applied Bess to itches around the edges, and kind of... tingles. I've never had an adverse reaction, let along the strange tingling/itching I'm getting from this, from any BPAL blend (that I recall, anyway). Sure enough, little bumps start to appear, and the skin becomes very red. I'm not sure if it's Bess or an oddly-timed bought of Temporary Hives (I'm quite prone to them, weird little things; they appear for no reason and disappear in an hour). I think it might be Bess. Besides all that, the roses have marked their territory, and, possessive beasts they are re: me, they aren't letting up. There's not even a hint of mint, orange flower or lemon peel anymore, just rose and rosemary, and it's a very... odd kind of scent. Sharp and green and rosey and just not me. Conclusion/Notes: Adverse reaction or not, Bess isn't for me. I'd try it again in a few days, to see if it really is Bess, but I'm understandably hesitant to. :\

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Hot, bergamot-rubbed leather. In the imp: Lemon and alcohol. I was actually worried for a moment that something had "happened" to the imp, but since several others mention it, it must be fine. Fine but weird. On skin, wet: Lemon, tea and a bit of leather. It's a strange combination, sweet and citrusy and warm and deep all at once. On skin, dry: Yick, the bad things my skin does to leather sometimes. A freshly-cut bergamot rubbed on hot leather does not a good smell make, unfortunately. Oddly cold and hot, sharp and smooth. It also makes me sneeze (strong lemon/bergamot tends to do that). Conclusion/Notes: Just not for me. Leather usually bombs and the Earl Grey is just too lemony/begamot-y.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: SweetTarts! In the imp: Sharp, bitter neroli. Maybe a bit of blood orange. On skin, wet: Lemon? How odd and surprising, but something very lemony! On skin, dry: Sweet lemon, blood orange and bitter-sweet neroli. This is very fruity and sweet, much more than I'd hoped (though you'd have thought I'd pay attention to 'sweet' in the description). I absolutely agree that this is SweetTarts in liquid form, with an extra dash of citrus. Conclusion/Notes: Too sweet and fruity while wet, and too lemony and SweetTart-y while dry for me to want to wear regularly (or, really, ever; not a fruity girl, me).

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Sour rose. In the imp: Pear! Or, more rightly, PEAR. On skin, wet: Cloying, plastic pear and cool, fresh rose. I'm shockingly a bit fond of the rose in this — it's a very fresh rose. On skin, dry: Pure rose. Colour me unsurprised. My skin amps rose like... well, quite a bit. The pear has gone MIA, and I never noticed lily of the valley or musk. Simply rose now. And really, this might've been the Only Rose Blend I Like, but for one thing: there's something sour about this as it dries. Conclusion/Notes: I wonder what soured the rose. Except for that, I might've actually gotten a bottle of this — I really like the rose note(s) in it.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Sandalwood and cedar chips. In the imp: Bright, white, creamy flowers. I normally detest floral notes, but whatever is in this is divine. On skin, wet: Sweet, soft and a bit powdery. There's something like sandalwood, and maybe spice? Still very floral as well, but more of a waxy-petals floral. On skin, dry: Sandalwood and cedar. This warms up something awful as it dries, and becomes very strong and woody, like cedar chips left out in the middle of July. In Texas. Conclusion/Notes: I adore Tushnamatay in the imp, and it's high on my "to try in scent locket" list, but on my skin it becomes too heavy and cedary — I like cedar in small doses, but not when it smells as though I've rubbed cedar chips all over my wrist.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Soap. In the imp: Bamboo, cherry blossom, orchid and fruits. Very green, and a bit astringent. On skin, wet: Bamboo! Very green and fresh, with something sweet and faintly fruity in the background. It's already edging dangerously close to "soapy" territory, but it's not quite there. On skin, dry: There's something citrusy lurking here, but it's fleeting. The orchid appears as Neo-Tokyro dries, elbowing the bamboo out of the way and asserting diva-like dominance. No sign of anything fruity anymore, but the cherry blossom still lingers, lending the occasional drift of itself to the orchid. After a while, it's a bit like Dragon Moon, which confuses me, because I don't catch anything approaching Dragon's Blood here. Odd. And, after about an hour, it becomes distinctly soapy, citrus-floral it's become. Conclusion/Notes: Bamboo, citrus and florals all have the habit of turning into soapy messes on me, and Neo-Tokyo's no different.

Rating (on skin): 0/5 Summarised in a word or two: Dirty, musky incense. Preconceived notions: I'm very leery about trying this one. Dry? Black musk? Serpentine patchouli? Myrrh? Murky?! Oh, there is no way in Hades this will ever work on me. But still, I haven't tried it, and the imp is staring at me. With its eyes. So. In the imp: Black, sharp musk and myrrh that leaves a dirty feeling in the back of my throat. This isn't going to end well. On skin, wet: Thick, black, musky myrrh and unwashed-hippie -- oops, I mean patchouli. Sometimes patchouli loves me (Red Phoenix, how I love thee), sometimes it doesn't. It looks like DoD is going to be a "doesn't." On skin, dry: Heady, thick, incensey and musky. And dirty. As much as I adore light, white and pale musks, the darker variety are the bane of my perfumed existance. Myrrh and patchouli aren't friends of mine, either. Soon, it becomes dusty and floral, which heralds the arrival of the promised dry orris. Conclusion/Notes: Oh, this is so not me. I knew it wouldn't be. However, I have a need to try every imp that passes through my claws hands, if I've not tried it already. Dance of Death happened by, untried by me, and was thusly tried, and thusly deemed "Not Me."

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Flowers. In the imp: Stargazer lily, iris, heliotrope and labdanum. Eep. On skin, wet: Smokey and very floral, but oddly pleasant. I've smelled something similar to this before, but I can't place the what, where or when. On skin, dry: I love the copal in this, but the floral notes are becoming too much for me. It's smokey, thick and dark, but it's also intensely floral; hot, heady lily, iris and heliotrope. There's still no trace of tonka. Conclusion/Notes: I was idly hoping for a rich copal-tonka blend, but floral notes rarely let other notes breathe, so I'm not surprised at the result. Not me, and it gave me a bit of a short headache.

Rating (on skin): 4/5 Summarised in a word or two: Banana-Nut Bread candles. In the imp: Toffee! And something cold and fruity. On skin, wet: Beyond something very much like toffee, I can't pick out a single note. It's very sweet, cold and creamy, but utterly mysterious. I think there might be banana? On skin, dry: This smells like a banana-nut bread candle. A friend of mine adores that scent, and has umpteen BNB candles, so I know the scent well, and this is it. Which isn't to say it's a bad thing: it's a great smell, and I have several BNB candles myself. Thing is, it's a foody smell, and I don't like smelling of food (with a few exceptions). Conclusion/Notes: As a general, non-perfume scent, I love Drink Me. As a perfume, it's not to be. I like it and all, but I wouldn't wear it.

Rating (on skin): 0/5 Summarised in a word or two: Bitter kumquat. In the imp: Oh, this is... weird. Bitter kumquart and strong pepper. And... lemon? On skin, wet: Okay, this is just... well, it's weird. The kumquart is exceptionally bitter, and there's something very lemony about this, but not straight lemon — more like lemongrass. On skin, dry: The first second of a deep sniff is very lemony and bitter. However, it gets sweeter and warmer a few seconds in. Unfortunately, I'm not prone to six-second-long sniffs, so I keep getting whafts of bitter fruit and pepper. Conclusion/Notes: Oh, no. Maybe I'm not cut out to wear kumquat or white pepper.

Rating (on skin): 5/5 Summarised in a word or two: Mango tea! In the imp: Green tea, fig and mango. Very fruity and sweet. On skin, wet: An absolutely lovely, fruity mango tea! On skin, dry: After a while the patchouli appears, but only to linger happily in the background and ground what would otherwise be a very candy-like, fruity scent. Tea sometimes goes soapy on me, but this shows no sign of doing so. Conclusion/Notes: I'm not big on many fruit notes, but I love mango. I also love green tea, so this is a becoming a big favourite. I'll definitely be ordering a 5ml soon.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Dragon's Blood meets Holiday Moon. In the bottle: Cherry blossom. Hmm. A bit... unsettling, for some reason. On skin, wet: Ah-ha, there's the dragon's blood! Dragon's blood, tea, bamboo and cherry blossom. On skin, dry: The deep, sexy spiciness of dragon's blood mixed with the very green, almost herbal tea and bamboo, with a splash of cherry blossom. No sign of sandalwood, thankfully. It's an odd combination, but I'm quite fond of it. It's terribly unique. There is, however, a problem: after a while, this becomes something of an odd, cherry-blossom soap. Conclusion/Notes: Dragon's Blood meets Holiday Moon, until it goes soapy. I adore Dragon's Blood (the scent as well as the note), and I liked Holiday Moon, until it turned soapy. Alas, DM does the same thing. I've tried it in a scent locket, but for some reason, after a while, it's a bit soapy there as well! Odd.

Rating (on skin): 5/5 Summarised in a word or two: Musky amber! In the imp: Hmm. Musky amber and muted fruits. I'll also second the idea that it's similar to Morocco. On skin, wet: This is... stunning. There's definitely something like white musk, if not that itself. I don't catch much of the fruits, which, really, I'm glad of. Just a lovely, warm, musky amber. On skin, dry: Musk, amber, and... vanilla? Something here's very reminiscent of Black Opal, somehow. Rich and warm and vaguely sweet. And musky, in a cool, soft way (which makes me think of the Lab's white musk, which is heavenly). Conclusion/Notes: This is one of the most beautiful BPAL scents I've tried. It's very... classy? Sort of a combination of Morocco, Black Opal and something else — and as I love Morocco and Black Opal, it's most certainly a good thing. A 10ml will be had with the next order, oh yes.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Fruity cake! In the imp: Tart, fruity currants and thick cakes! Very foody (big surprise there). On skin, wet: Rich, sweet, teeth-rotting cake and currants! This is... very rich and foody, and exceptionally fruity as well. On skin, dry: This is where the currants take on a plastic quality. That aside, it's a lovely scent, but, as I've said, exceedingly foody and fruity. Not being particularly big on either, I'm not feeling the "OMGWANTMORE" vibe. Conclusion/Notes: While I didn't really expect to love this, I had to sneak an imp into my Dragon Moon order. It really is lovely for what it is, but it's not at all something I'd wear as a perfume.

Rating (on skin): 0/5 Summarised in a word or two: Sweet pea. In the imp: Vanilla and... sweet pea. Uh-oh. On skin, wet: Oh noes: sweet pea. I... really don't like sweet pea. And it likes me even less. Beneath the sweet pea, there are traces of vanilla, amber and the barest of sandalwood. On skin, dry: Sweet pea, and nothing but. Sweet pea, like rose (and a few others), quickly takes hold of any other notes and drowns them, violently and without remorse. Sweet pea is ruthless, and quite evil. I am not friends with sweet pea. Conclusion/Notes: A big flop. What's worse, I tucked a bottle into my Lotus Moon order. Well, I know just where that bottle will be going when it arrives — somewhere else.

Rating (on skin): 5/5 Summarised in a word or two: Musk! In the imp: Very white indeed! On skin, wet: Very, very white. It reminds me of something very fuzzy, and I'll second that it smells a suede-y vibe. And, of course, musky! On skin, dry: Vanilla-y without any trace of vanilla. Warm, soft, fuzzy white musk. I tend to like most white musk scents, but this is easily my favourite. Conclusion/Notes: If I could, I'd buy a bottle (or two, or three) with my next order. As it is... I might start paying attention when it comes up on Ebay.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Fruity incense. In the imp: Plum, amber, woods and pear, all over a thick coating of myrrh. On skin, wet: Heavy, woodsy and spiced plum and pear. An odd fruity incensey kind of thing. The fruit is a bit plastic. On skin, dry: Much thicker and heavier than King of Spades, surprisingly enough. The myrrh's begun to do its evil "Look at me, I reek!" dance, which isn't surprising at all. Conclusion/Notes: While King of Spades is among my most holiest of grails, Queen of Spades just isn't my cup of tea.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Ginger! In the imp: Ginger, vanilla, musk and spices. On skin, wet: Oh, this is gorgeous. Spiced vanilla, musk and ginger. There's also something a bit woodsy there — cedar, maybe? It really reminds me of Vernor's, a soda that tastes like ginger and vanilla (a bit smoother and slightly spicier than other Ginger Ales). On skin, dry: Hmm. As it dries, it becomes almost dull; a stale, run-of-the-mill gingerbread, with maybe a hint of vanilla. Nothing spectacular. I'm really quite surprised, since it's divine while wet. Conclusion/Notes: I would say I'm disappointed by how this dries on me, but really? I'm not. As scarce as Storyville is, I'm relieved that, while I love it at first, it's nothing spectacular dry. If it were general catalogue, I'd still buy a bottle (because I *do* love ginger), but it's not, and I won't fret over it.

Rating (on skin): 4/5 Summarised in a word or two: The Jasmine Show. In the imp: Jasmine and... well, jasmine. On skin, wet: Jasmine, jasmine, jasmine. And a wee bit of stargazer lily. But mostly jasmine. Clove, musk, vanilla? Nowhere to be found. On skin, dry: Jasmine. I love love jasmine and rose as single notes, but jasmine, like rose, has the habit of overshadowing every other note in a given blend; Peitho is no exception. It's the Jasmine Show, starring jasmine, and jasmine is a diva. Conclusion/Notes: I do love jasmine, but I wish the clove, musk and/or vanilla had been given a chance.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Buttery coconut rum. Preconceived notions: I'm not a big fan of rum, so I'm not holding my breath. In the imp: ...Butterscotch? What in blue hell? On skin, wet: Thick butterscotch with a sharp tang of rum beneath it. The butterscotch is most unexpected, but not unpleasant. On skin, dry: Warm, buttery rum and coconut. Very odd, this one. Not at all bad or unpleasant, but very odd. After a while, the rum starts to thin out, and smells a fair bit plastic. Conclusion/Notes: I think, sans rum, I might've really liked this. A few inches away, Grog's drift is a divine (albeit very foody), faintly-sugared butterscotch; nearer the skin, plastic.

Rating (on skin): 0/5 Summarised in a word or two: ...Weird. Ogun’s ofrenda is heavy and dark cigar tobacco, gin and juniper, melon, chili pepper and a touch of honey. In the imp: Melon, tobacco and chili pepper. A very odd combination, but a very good one as well. On skin, wet: Oh, this is bad already. Gin, juniper, melon, tobacco and chili pepper make for a very weird, unsettlingly sweet combination indeed. I was expecting something along the lines of a spicy/smokey melon scent, but this is... odd. Boozey and green and peppery and very strong on the tobacco. On skin, dry: Tobacco, melon, gin and juniper. A foresty, fruity, boozy smoke. Conclusion/Notes: I love melon, and tobacco, juniper and honey can, at times, be absolutely divine on my skin. Mash them up and add booze and chili pepper, however, and you do not get good results. I will say this: it's terribly unique. My skin just doesn't dig it.

Rating (on skin): 0/5 Summarised in a word or two: Bad. In the imp: Musk, honey and (good!) patchouli. On skin, wet: Divine, smokey honey grounded by warm, earthy (but not dirty!) patchouli. There's something floral (tuberose and/or geranium, I expect) lingering beneath. Very musky, but not too heavy or dark. Myrrh and "dark" musks usually turn awful on me, so, so far, I'm both surprised and in love. On skin, dry: This is... not good on me. It started out wonderfully: musky, warm and almost silky, but suddenly, it smells old, decrepit, oddly liquidic, with a handful of dirt thrown in for some twisted sort of good measure. This is, of course, the doing of the e'er-dastardly myrrh and dark musk; the patchouli isn't helping matters, going rotty and dirty. Beneath that, there wafts a bit of thin booze: the cognac. Conclusion/Notes: Bad stuff, this one, once it dries. It's not Sed's fault, of course — while wet I was all but making a note to order a 10ml with my next order. I gave the myrrh, patchouli and dark musk the benefit of the doubt — sometimes they behave, when separated — but they betrayed me. Stupid skin of mine.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Lemon and rotting herbs. In the imp: Lemon balm, rosemary and wicked, wicked sage. On skin, wet: Lemon balm and sage. A strong scent already, this one. On skin, dry: Lemon! and that awful sage. Sage is a note I just can't get along with (Sage is also an ex-boyfriend I just can't get along with, heh), and lemon almost always turns plastic and soapy on me. A sharp, plastic lemon covered in rotting herbs. Conclusion/Notes: Yeah... not gonna happen. I thought 'well, maybe it'll be a mostly-honeysuckle scent' and was thusly wrong. Those that like lemon and/or (probably more 'and' than 'or') sage will love this, I'm sure.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Soap! In the imp: Tea, ginger and... lemon? On skin, wet: Tea, lemon and ginger. This reminds me of Embalming Fluid, though EF is much smoother, whereas Kumiho is a bit... sharp. Already, it's starting to turn soapy. On skin, dry: Lemon soap! Others have mentioned a similarity between this and BBW's White Tea & Ginger soap, and I absolutely agree. Thing is, while it's a wonderful scent for soap, it's not doing much for me as a perfume. It's too... well, soapy. And lemony. Conclusion/Notes: I never expected lemon from this, and as I'm not a huge lemon fan (Embalming Fluid and Dorian seem to be the only exceptions so far), this isn't for me. Lemon and tea notes tend to turn soapy on me, and Kumiho did just that.

Rating (on skin): 5/5 Summarised in a word or two: Melon! In the imp: Honeydew! On skin, wet: Syrupy sweet melon and cantaloupe, with a bit of something watery, though not aquatic. Reminds me of the melon-y something I get from Tzad, but much sweeter. It's kind of... candyish. On skin, dry: Sweet melon and cantaloupe. Which isn't to say this isn't wonderful — very much the contrary! As it dries, the candy-like quality dies off. It is sweet, but it's not a Jolly Rancher. No sign of grape (which I don't like) or mosses (which would likely spoil this for me). Conclusion/Notes: Quite like Tzadikim Nistarim, sans herbs, and much sweeter (I'm not even sure there is melon in Tzad!). I love melon and cantaloupe notes in... well, everything (though, strangely, I'm not a big watermelon fan), so my insta-love with Yemaya is hardly surprising.