crebbsgirl

Damn you rose!!! I thought this was going to be full of win, and then, predictably, my skin amped the hell out of the rose. While not TOTALLY objectionable like most rose blends are on me, this was still really overpowering rose for me. Much later in the drydown, this became a little more complex, and the benzoin came out more. Unfortunately it just wasn't enough to save this blend for me. Swaps it goes!

I got rose and lavender here. I was mildly concerned that since my skin amps rose, this blend wouldn't work for me. But I really shouldn't have worried. I applied this about 45 minutes before I went to bed, and I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Normally I'm up for about an hour or so after I go to bed. I have some real trouble falling asleep. Not last night! YAY

Oh Good Gods my skin does some horrible things to this. In the imp, it's pretty foody. This usually spells disaster for me. Wet, it's all cake and honey. As it dries, the wine curdles the milk on my skin and the resulting scent is some horrible twist on maple syrup. Rotten maple syrup, or something equally as awful. Oh this is bad. I need to wash this off immediately.

I LOVE myrrh, and Athens does NOT disappoint. There is something about the combination of myrrh and honey in this that has me huffing my arm non-stop. The sweetness of the honey and the darkness of the myrrh is just sensuous and evocative! The red wine goes a little fruity on my skin, but the myrrh prevents it from going "juicy". I'm not getting much in the way of any distinct florals here, but there is a suggestion of them. I really really like this. It's complex in its simplicity.

GAH! Hello musk! Wet this was all musk, all the time. It was a little disconcerting to tell the truth. I'm usually a big fan of musky blends, but this was a little much. As it dries, the paper and incense come out more and this does indeed smell like a library, but a sexy library. Further into the drydown I couldn't stop huffing my wrists. It just keeps getting better!

There is a similarity to Morocco here. This is soft and light, I think it may be the lightest BPAL I have tried yet! A vanilla floral, creamy and delicate. I actually wore it to the office today. It had a bit of a comforting vibe to it. I like it, but I'm not sure how often I'll reach for it.

I admit I didn't immediately seek this out because the fennel was scaring me. I shouldn't have waited so long, and I am kicking myself for not ordering this when I had the chance. This is Snake Oil that WORKS on me! Amazing. The lavender prevents it from going too sweet (as it normally does on my skin). I'm not getting much from Dorian in here, there is a hint of tea underneath everything, but it's predominantly lavender Snake Oil on my skin. I really like it.

At first this is a chokingly thick earth scent. Suffocating almost. Indeed, this is a very aptly named blend. The black orchid appears quickly and the blend becomes a dirt floral, and a little perfume-y for my tastes. After an hour or so, it settles down and the teakwood really smooths the scent out. The patchouli adds a depth to it, sweetening and taking the DIRT note down to an enjoyable level. Overall this is an extremely evocative blend, but not one I would reach for very often.

The black orchid note really jumps to the forefront when wet. There is a fruitiness that appears soon after, and the tonka and resins add a smoky sweet depth. The patchouli comes out much later in wear for me, but there is an earthy vibe that it lends to the blend. The overall effect is dark and sweet. The coconut wasn't detectable on me.

Alright, this went totally soapy on me. I'm guessing I can't wear lily. I've never had a reaction to any BPAL blend before, but I could NOT stop sneezing the instant I put this on. I tried to wait it out an hour but the sneezing fits just wouldn't cease. I just had to wash it off in the end.

This was a weird one for me, but pleasantly so. It started off a honey floral on my skin. Not cloying, but more like a floral sweetness with depth. Then, I swear I smelled like a Lush store. But more interesting. The honey and currant add a fruity sweetness while the amber and sandalwood anchor it. Unfortunately this disappeared pretty quickly on my skin. But while it lasted, it was quite nice!!

Tonka, oakmoss, tolu balsam, grey amber, myrrh, and muguet. Ok, this is really weird, and I will totally admit my skin may be the reason, but this was VERY remiscent to The Caterpillar on my skin. I think it might have been the oakmoss. As the blend dries, the tonka and amber come out more, adding sweetness and depth and the muguet does add a SLIGHT floral tinge. Much later the myrrh comes out, but it's gorgeous here. Not overpowering, but rather a really great supporting note. It's quite exotic, and I really enjoy it.

I quite enjoy this one alot. It's dark and sweet. Very difficult to pick out the individual elements but wet, there is an initial blast of vetiver, and as it dries, the fruit gums and black currant come out, sweetening the scent. The vetiver stays way in the background here, adding a smoky tinge, while the myrrh and red musk become more predominant throughout the drydown. This is very well blended, and reminds be a little of Prurience.

There seems to be a hint of spice (cinnamon or cassia?) as this blossoms on my skin. A sweet musk and grain scent comes out and blends nicely with it, resulting in a sweet, musky dark blend. I also have a bottle of the 08 version and this is not quite so clean as that one. Overall, I quite enjoy it.

ooooh! I just found this one but Oya is pure evil plum!

I tried this three times now and I just can't get it to work for me. This ends up totally disappearing on my skin. It starts off rather dry (which I think is the problem for me), and just fades into total oblivion. It seems pleasant enough while it lasts, a golden dusty scent, but I just can't get it to develop past that.

This was mostly sweet green herbs on me. The honey wasn't particularly deep, but the herbs lent a light freshness to the blend. It was pleasant, but on me not anything memorable.

Oh. Good. GODS this is amazing!! Of course I would have to fall in love with this when it's so freaking hard to find. At first application, the wet stages were very smoky. But as the blend dried, a sweet note came out to temper the acridness of the smoke. This is WONDERFUL! Sweet incense, smoke and skin musk. Something is lending a smooth herbal kick here. And now, I'm on the hunt!!

I was frimped this in a recent swap, and it wasn't even on my radar as something to try. I feel a little silly now because this is just awesome. I should mention that I don't like fruits or florals or anything ozoney, but this is just beautiful and complex on my skin. There is a sweetness that the plum lends here that is unlike anything I've ever smelled before. It doesn't go juicy on me, like plum usually does. It says light, with a hint of musk and spice. Truly beautiful, and I can see myself reaching for it often.

Well, on the one hand, I don't get any almond (which is a YAY!), but on the other hand, jasmine seems to be misbehaving again! GAH! It seems I just can't win. But, I love honey so I keep trying everything with it, regardless of notes of doom! Anyway, to get on with this review: This is sweet honey, and there is an initial blast of jasmine that seems to last for about 1/2 an hour. It settles a little and you can make out some other notes here. Jasmine, still, and honeysuckle and tonka with honey. It's sweet and fairly light. A honeyed floral on me definitely. I can't quite decide how I feel about this so I'm going to have to retest it in a couple of days.

Whoo-boy! This was citrusy at first. The orange blossom was present, yes, but there was something almost lemony as well. As it dried, this blend became GORGEOUS! The oppoponax came out and added a wonderful darkness, while the benzoin added a vanillic sweetness, while the orange blossom blended in with the mahogany to create a smoothness that remained light but not as citrusy as the outset. I was pretty indifferent to this when I first put it on but the drydown is just incredible. There was a vague reminiscence to Hanerot Halalu here I have to say.

This is very pink indeed. Strawberries and sugar, with a little bit of a floral kick. I liked it, but it was a little "girly" for me. I can't see myself reaching for this very often, so I will pass it on. I will say though that this is by far the most realistic strawberry I have smelled in a perfume. Normally that note goes pretty artificial on my skin, but it stays remarkably true here.

After the initial ROSE blast, this dried down to a pretty, resinous scent. The amber and sandalwood were wonderful here, beating back the rose to prevent it from overtaking the blend (which 99 times out of 100 it does). The calla lily was pretty faint here too, so that I didn't get a soapy floral like I usually do. I could very barely detect the carnation, which gave this blend a pretty nice floral spice kick. The tonka and benzoin lend a creamy vanillic sweetness. Overall I liked it surprisingly more than I thought I would, given that rose is a major player here.

I agree with all of the others that chocolate is not predominant in this blend. Here, the spices were rich and amazing, and the brown sugar provided a sweet but not cloying undercurrent. I do indeed smell like a spice cabinet. In the wet stages, there is a herbal overtone that I think may mellow with a bit of aging. It's not sharp per se, but rather a greenness. During wear, the herbal vibe settles and the spices/sugar take over. I wouldn't term this foody either, just to be clear. I like it now, but I think I will LOVE it as it gets a little older.

GAH! I thought white rose would be different for me, but unfortunately, my skin amps it like all other roses. This blend becomes single note ROSE on me, with a slightly sweet base somewhere underneath all of the ROSE. I totally give up on rose blends.