angelmecha

I had this imp for a long time without reviewing it, and gave it away without ever getting a bottle. I really enjoyed it for a long time and just sniffing it in the imp makes me really think that I need a bottle of it... In Imp: A warm, truly gilded vanilla amber. It's a deep and complex scent that doesn't scream vanilla, resin, or floral, but rather is a gentle creamy mix of all the notes. It conjures up bright sunsets over golden waters and clear skies. Beautiful. (Note, I think it's the stargazer lily that reads as aquatic for me; I get the same note in Victoria. A definite favorite for me!) Wet: Wet on skin it's a creamy vanilla with edgy musk. Some of the sandalwood is peeking through, also. It comes a little back down to earth once it's on skin; like it's coming down from some ethereal place and becoming mortal. The musk smells like skin musk to me, though it could just be that it's mixed with a few notes I'm not overly familiar with (orris and sea moss?) Drydown: Amber becomes a bit more prominent alongside the skin musk; this is like an all star slideshow of my favorite notes. It's warm and comforting. The vanilla adds a sweet roundness to this scent, but I don't think it really sweetens it to the point that it actually smells like vanilla, if that makes any sense. It's definitely not foody or traditional vanilla that you'd find in a B&BW type product. Verdict: I'm keeping this imp, and will probably get a bottle! I missed you, Lyonesse! Also as a side note it's kind of surprising/interesting to me how this scent evokes the same sunset-seaside imagery in a lot of other reviewers! Beth must have taken that picture and juiced it into this blend.

In Imp: It is light and all, but honestly my first impression is Pez and bubble formula. My poor nose gets really strange first impressions. Keep on huffing... and clean, slightly spicey, sharply floral. It truly does have a calming effect. I have to admit that I really don't know what any of the notes smell like on their own except olive and (to an extent), frankincense. Wet: Gains a lot more fruitiness once it hits my skin. The olive lends a little earthiness. Oooh, it keeps getting sweeter too, and a distinct brightness begins to glisten through. Mmm. Drydown: It continues to round out, becoming bright, soft and earthy, a bit of fruitiness. I love what the olive lends to this; it's a green, fresh, young olive and it really brings everything together. It's like the ribbon tying together all the separate elements. Verdict: This is really nice. I'd like to try it as my actual perfume one day (today I'm spot testing, so it's not getting the space to spread out like it should.) I never would have guessed how nice this is from the notes or smelling it in the imp.

In Imp: Woah! Chica-cherry-cola and ...Robitussin? Sweet, sweet, syrupy, with a bit of cola. *runs to look at notes... remains puzzled.* Wet: Coke and powder and pencil shavings? o_O Drydown: Theeeeere's a little sandal. But, shortly thereafter, it gets powdery. It's a really neat scent with how drastically it changes. I need to track down my Powder Note of Doom, though, because this happens way too often... *sigh* Verdict: The longer it's on, the more it powders. I'm sad. It's just not for me.

In Imp: I have no idea what opium smells like, but this is a soft, fuzzy, slightly sweet-and-bitter floral. The more huffing I do, the bitterness kind of falls away and turns into something that does smell a little poisonous. Wet: Hmm. Floral, I think it must be just-plain poppy (I'm slowly learning my flower smells!) with the slightest hint of poison behind it. It's a little too pollen-y for my tastes at this point. The bitterness is coming back a little for me. I can definitely see the "sterile" smell, though it's not band-aids to me! Drydown: It pretty much stays the same. Verdict: This is kind of weird to me, and the sterile/plasticky smell comes out more the longer it's on. It's sort of floral and dry and... Not my cup of tea.

Ummmm, well, lavender and vetiver are two of my no-scents, so... lets see... In Imp: Pew. It smells like peanuts. I don't know why. Wet: Lavender. And vetiver. It's green and skunky with little purple flowers on it. And plastic. Vetiver, whyyyyyyyyyy are you so mean to meeeeee... Drydown/Verdict: Stink and burning plastic and wah. I thought maybe I just unfairly judged vetiver in the past, but it continues to be death on me. Lavender and violet don't help. Sorry, musk, you've been obliterated somewhere down in there. Just a random aside, when it start getting flowery and plasticy it kinda reminds me of bubble bath. The way the pink kind tastes when you're little and accidentally slurp it in the tub. Bleagh. I'm sorry, Bluebeard. Away with you...

In Imp: Sharp, bitter saltwater and heady wood. It doesn't smell much like incense in the imp but all three of the notes in this strike me (unsniffed) as they'd be incense-y. Wet: A lightly spicy, woody incense smell. It goes on strong for me but isn't unpleasant. Drydown: It softens a lot. Definitely, as has been said, a devious and strong woman smell-- I like it a lot. I still get a random salt smell, but overall this is warm and enveloping and a little menacing. This is a much softer sandal than what's in Fenris Wolf, my only other really incense-y love... I think I like this one more! It almost smells more like rosewood than the listed ingredients, with bark and dark rosey florals... mmmm. Verdict: Good, I'll keep my imp and maybe get a bottle someday... we'll see if I get the urge to wear incense often enough.

In Imp: If I huff enough I start to get a bit of the peach and clove, but orange and patchouli are the main notes sniffing it out of the imp. But I have to say the overall impression I get is citrus or peach incense from a cheap oriental gift shop. Wet: The orange and peach come out stronger on my skin, sweetening up and getting cute. Right off the bat it's pretty nice, but I can smell some clove coming through and threatening to either make this powder or sour. Drydown: It's not full on powder or sour, it's kind of a dust smell. That must be the clove. The orange and peach peek out from behind but overall it's dust-or-plasticy-like, dry clove. Verdict: It has so much promise, but I just can't wrap my mind (nose?) around this one. It's not a bad smell, but something about it makes my nose and mouth feel dry. It definitely just resonates the "peach/citrus incense" for me! I can't get anything else from it!

In Bottle: I can definitely see the Snake Oil likeness that people have been citing-- and yes, even the Mme. Moriarty similarity. It's a sticky warm sweet smell (I always mentally associated it with honey, or a honeyed note, though now, thinking about it, it's nothing like real honey at all!). However, on second sniff, after those sweet notes die down to my nose a bit, I do smell the woodsy, juniper, minty side of this little beauty. It has a definite earthy mint quality. Smells promising so far! Wet: As soon as it hits my skin the musk amps, along with... half of the SO? I can't explain it. Like, it's not as sweet, but still sticky and a definite similarity to Snake Oil, but mixed in with musk. It's turning a little sour, actually. Bark and resin, made cold by mint (a mint that I don't actually smell: I know it's there simply because of the chill afterward). The sandal starts to come out, too, but I have to say that it does not smell overwhelmingly like incense (which I was afraid of with this many resins, woods, and musks on my skin). After a moment of being overwhelmed, the sweetness and mint join forces and equal out to the sharp, cold resin. It really does, at this point, feel like being swarthed in a warm, living fur coat during the midwinter nights. Drydown: Musk, chocolate, sandal, cold with mint. The bark is yummy, the musk is feral, the chocolate warms, the mint chills, this is very complex to me! Each time I sniff it I can pick out a new note, but they all play together nicely. The mint (and probably chocolate) really sweetens the incense scents (champaca, patchouli)... it's so unique and really puts me at ease with those two, since I was a little concerned about them overpowering everything else (I tend to amp incenses). It's Snake Oil but cold, curled up next to a big warm wolf. Verdict: Smoky and creamy, but the mint is starting to get a toothpaste, anesthetic-at-the-Dentist feel. Noooo. I'll give it some more time. Maybe I'm overhuffing... as others have said, I'm confident this will age magnificently, but I'll be happy to play with it again in the near future! This could be a backup bottle item for me... which is really rare for me!

In Bottle: Strong, sharp, orange amber and dry leaves warmed by sun. Wet: Wow! Cold pine, a white and chilled sort of pure musk (very clean). The only hint of white cocoa is a slight calming of the sharpness of the woodsy scent. Even the amber looses it's yellow warmth and turns silver, white and cool. Not at all autumnal to me, this seems more wintery... like the chill in the air coming at the end of fall. Drydown: Pine and amber. It's warming up a little. Slush and wet dead leaves with a tiny bit of that sweet, gentle white cocoa and still a lot of sharp amber. Verdict: Warm, with a chill in the air. Yellow and orange leaves, amber, quite nice, really. I can see how others have gotten the "perfume" vibe, but the sharpness and contrast between warmth and ice sets it a bit apart for me. It rounds out quite a bit as it dries and I'll chalk it up to one more win on my Weenie order (that's 4/4 bottles!).

I bought this bottle un-sniffed, and I'm a pretty poor judge of what will be "win"... let's see if I'm getting any better! In Bottle: I get a dark, dirty pumpkin rind-- that is, a mildly fruity pumpkin scent underneath some grit. I can pick out the vanilla as well underneath it all. I think it must be something about the linen giving it the earthy smell, since the whole overall scent is woody, but it's really well blended-- i.e., it smells like a tree that smells like dirty pumpkin and vanilla. It's got an aquatic, cloyingly sweet tone to it that I've found in bottles that I haven't been fond of, so I'm a little nervous-- hopefully it doesn't turn into wet dog on me like Velvet Dogs Playing Poker did. Wet: Wow! Pumpkin and vanilla, yhalothar. The blonde wood has taken on a more "woodsy" scent to me now, more like aspen bark, but it's more subdued. The dirty smell that was making the rest of it seem cloying in the bottle has faded, thankfully. I'm getting a soft, powdered (linen), creamy vanilla with a touch of foody organic. The blonde wood is distinctly separate from the rest as it continues to sit. The pumpkin almost has a spicy quality, more like actual "pumpkin" or pumpkin spice note than just rind (I expected it to be more veggie/plantlike than foody). Maybe it's the woods and vanilla making it like that? It's turning really warm and comfortable. I like it MUCH more on skin than I did in the bottle. Allow me an "mmmmmm" here. Drydown: It's a very autumnal scent to me and has quite a good throw. As it dries further, I get hit with full-on, dry-leaf-fire smoke. Don't ask me where that's coming from! It literally smells like a pile of dry leaves smoldering, and this is the BIG impression of it for about five minutes as it dries. As I let it dry longer the pumpkin amps in a BIG way-- it begins to smell like some of the Pumpkin Patches, particularly the ones with coffee (I think that's the brown, gritty vanilla mixing with the dirt from earlier giving me that impression? You'd never guess from that statement that I *like* coffee, lol!). I'm surprised again by the power of the creamy, orange pumpkin in this! It shape-shifts a lot, also (I'm out and about while wearing it)-- once the pumpkin-whammy subsides it goes back to being a subtle pumpkin with dark vanilla and wood. . Verdict: Nice! I love it! Hopefully the Pumpkin Patch aspect dies down a little in the future, as it was my least-favorite "stage" of this literal changeling. I didn't have high hopes for it after smelling it in bottle, but now I think it may become one of my autumnal go-to scents! Nice to meet you, Changeling! And it's got a good throw, which I like, because I like smelling it while I type... Let's hear it again, all together now.... Mmmmmmmmmmmm. *snorf, snorf*

I tested Amalthea at Dark Delicacies and got a creamy, almost chai tea impression from it (I didn't know what notes were in it at that time). Since I love creamy spice and chai, I thought this was a must-have and stuck it in with my Weenie order! In Bottle: A wet, complex floral. I really only pick up a little mint (though it's probably contributing to the aquatic I'm getting) and no chocolate whatsoever. It's much sharper and more floral than I recall it when I sniffed it at DD-- but this bottle just arrived yesterday, so it might still be "stressed!" Wet: Mint! Minty floral, all the way. After a second the white chocolate starts to meld with the mint and the musk seems to be trying to pull everyone else together. After a bit the musk begins to become more prominent for a while. This is definitely a very shifty scent for me! Drydown: Minty white musk with subdued floral (probably tuberose? I'm not good at floral notes!). White chocolate stays nicely in the background, lending a bit of creaminess and pulling the other notes together. It's still quite sharp. After a while of settling on my skin the chocolate comes out a bit more; it smells like opening a packet of white chocolate hot cocoa, flanked by soft florals. Mint dies down a lot. Verdict: I can start to see where the "chai" impression was coming out for me when I tested this-- it's the white chocolate and mint melded together, don't ask me why it was chai-ish to me... must've been more like a chai latte! I'm going to give it some time to rest and see how it settles down. So far, I do like it, even just as it is, but I bet it'll be better once it ages a little as long as the florals stay nice and quiet.

Oh, man! I might need a bottle of Pumpkin Princess just for the label (though I bet it smells amazing, also). Soooo cute!

Imp: Slightly sharp, clean smell. It is creamy, but doesn't smell like cream... if I had to place this on the ingredient list, it'd be some kind of mixture of the leather and cognac, sweetened by berry and smoothed by cream. It's nicely combined and hard to pick out particular scents, though it's a very distinctive perfume. Wet: Cream and paper bag, lol! The sweet berries flourish on my skin and become juicy and purple/red. The cream is starting to amp, too. Drydown: Is it weird that I *like* the paper bag smell? It is definitely an appearance on my skin, though that seems unusual... I smell creamy berries and a slight down-to-earth muskiness that must be the cognac. Mmmmm. Verdict: I should probably find a bottle of this. Maybe if I had more I'd feel more at liberty to wear it more often. As it is, I use my imp sparingly, but do enjoy it when I do... plus, the DH approves, and he's picky!!

Imp: Green, fiery, smoky, wind-scorched. I can pick up mint(s?), definitely primordial. There is no way to describe it for me other than smelling a fire burning across wet, dangerous, green island forests. Wet: Wet green starts to amp once it's on my skin. I still detect mint, but it melds very well with the other scents. It really is evocative of the feeling or image of walking through a wet jungle. I start picking up a couple florals that I couldn't smell in the imp. Smoke also amps; I feel like it's smoke from a burning fire, not a put-out one, if that makes sense. Someone else mentioned half-rotted plants underfoot; I definitely get that, too. Drydown: Wet, blooming florals start exploding as it begins to dry. The ozone and aquatic are amping, too, whereas before they were taking backseat to the fire and green/earth. It's got a decent throw; I get whiffs of it without having to bring my arm to my face. Verdict: This scent is really genius. It has so much character and really transports you; with even a hint of "volcano jungle" implanted in mind, you smell *everything* involved in this perfume and you're walking through a tropical, slightly intimidating landscape. I really do like this scent and have had/used this imp for a long time, but I just can't decide if it's something I'd wear often enough to warrant a big bottle. I'll hold onto my imp for now and see. 3/5

I'm nervous about this one. It's nothing but florals, and lots of them, and I generally don't do well with florals. I'm also too dumb in the flower realm to pick out one flower-scent from the other. Here goes... Imp: A strangely sharp lavender. There's some kind of sour chemical smell here that reminds me of a cross between cheap, nameless hair conditioner and bubble bath. Wet: Pretty much the same as it was in the imp, but my skin is apparently amping whatever it is that reminds me of bubble bath. A lot. It brings back memories of accidentally getting soap in my mouth in the bath as a kid. Drydown: It stays the same (flowery bubble bath) as time goes on, with the amount of florals changing every so slightly along the way. Ultimately it arrives at a flowery powder. Verdict: Not as unpleasant as other scents I've had go powdery, but overall this is a nice floral that's definitely not for me. It's too light and girly. I'm sure it does very well on some gals who are more that sort.

Imp: All dark herbs. It smells resinous and darkly green. Wet: Herbs subside and leave what must be date. It's not juicy enough for what I perceive to be currant, nor warm enough to be fig. It seems almost single note at this stage and has a really close throw. Drydown: THERE'S the fig! This perfume mellows considerably. It doesn't have the sharp and, as others have described, acrid effect it did in the imp. It's warming and mellowing and at this point is all fig and currant. As time goes on it kind of fluctuates between being quite woodsy and returning to the creamy fig and currant. It seems to settle on being woodsy/resiny at the end. Verdict: It's nice and the fig/currant portions of it's drydown were quite pleasant, but overall this has sort of turned into a too-generic wood that I'm sure will be assessed by those around me as, per usual, "incense." Nice, but not noteworthy. 3/5

I'm sad and surprised to hear that there are so many lovely BPALers for whom this didn't work out! For once, it seems my skin chemistry is on my side with Elf. I briefly sniffed this at a willcall, but didn't know until I swapped for a bottle how much I *love* this scent. Wet in the bottle: Clean, forest-y, and a little ethereal, sweet perfume. Wet on skin: The aspen, woodsy smell is here, definitely, but it's not sour or soapy. Unexpected notes amp on me: I get warm, honeyed amber and soft musk that really does make it smell "golden". The lily and the sweetness (from the berry-- though it doesn't smell like "berry" to me, it smells like a berry *plant*... green, with juicy purple or red pockets) offers the same sort of "aquatic" edge that I find in Victoria. Drydown: The "pine" mellows into the background, leaving the other soft, warm smells to take the fore. It's clean, magical, gently tingling. The wood and amber mix in a way I can't really describe; they really do meld together into something new and really nice for me. This perfume has a reasonably long life on me, though the throw fades. I wear it on my person and in my scent locket, and I've got a full day of gentle, intuitive woodsy Elf. Ahhhhh.

I love this perfume. I bought it before knowing the notes in it and I'm surprised it's only three things. The scent is so complex, yet light and aquatic and mouth watering... Mmmmm. Luckily Victoria doesn't go powdery on me as florals often do. It's got a good throw and is pretty long lasting, though I could stand for it to stay throwing strong forever... It's definitely an enchanting blend, it'll cast a spell on you, because I feel quite the same way that undream does about this one!

Er.. we do frequent drive-bys. I end up having to go to my local trade supply store for one of my jobs that is 5 minutes away from there, so I inevitably drop in and end up buying a room spray or bath oil. We're SO spoiled having a retail outlet throughout the month these days. Just got back (and managed to make a Will Call while I was there)... SERIOUSLY, so jealous. ;_; How can I live in a town devoid of BPAL retail? (Husband and wallet will inevitably fair better than I on that one! It was a blast!

Eeee!! I'm so excited. How do Cali-native BPALers not LIVE there? I'm going to have to find an activity for the husband to do that day, I think. Is there a big difference between the stock at Le Pink and Dark Del as far as perfumes? I saw that DD carries all the GC (really? ALL??) but does LP sell different things? I probably won't pass up the opportunity to shop for BPAL in two real shops, but just curious.

Hi all! I'm heading to Cali in the next couple of weeks and really looking forward to seeing BPAL on shelves! Sorry if this has already been answered, but what BPTP things do Dark Delicacies and/or Le Pink sell? I've seen in the emails that after Will-Calls they have some items based on availability, but is it only the Lunacy stuff? Case in point, I'd love to get some claw polish, but will order before my trip if I can't get it there. :3

I'm still scrambling to find my rotation of Perfect Summer Scents, but right now it's a pretty diverse collection. I'm on the Coyote boat also. It's a warm scent, but it reminds me of New Mexico where I grew up-- soft, dry desert warmth. Other favorites so far: Gluhwein (surprising to me, since it's pretty heavy and it seems like the wine would give me a headache.. but no, I crave it!) Red Lantern (A mix of heavy and light... uplifting coconut and tobacco with grounded, heavy, creamy caramel! Perfect!) Australian Copperhead (Fruity and light and sparkling...) I've got a ton of scents I'm rotating through right now, but I'm definitely seeing the difference between winter/fall scents and summer ones. The old stand bys just don't do it in the warmer weather! That means it'll be even nicer next year when I get to break them out again for the cold!

In the bottle: Green and juicy with a bit of what smells like Indian spice. Emphasis on juicy- it does have a strong berry or fruit note that's lovely and wet. Wet: It actually becomes more green, but like... juicy green berries. :3 The green sharpness and deep juicyness meld together. The fruit is amped on me too, I think. It almost smells like the juicy inside of leaves with berries on the side. I make no sense, I know. Dry: Continues to green, almost becomes green grass. Berries are present, but quieter. It's nice and juicy, very color-oriented scent... could be a good summer scent but it's pretty heavy in it's own juicy way.

So... either I'm really dumb, or I think I rubbed the number off of my bottle without ever seeing it. Either way, durr. In bottle: Dorian, plus aquatic and some gentle (but strong) citrus. All together, it somehow smells like wet, melty butterscotch (my first impression of it). It makes your mouth water. :x Wet on skin: Here it morphs into a bergamot tea with vanilla and citrus. It's like lemon without the tang. It changes like crazy-- really rapid and really drastic-- in the first few minutes. Drydown: Aquatic comes out again I love BPAL aquatic smelly. This bottle was made to be mine, because now that it's settling down it is SO a lovechild of Dorian Gray and my beloved Quincy Morris. Quincy drinking evil tea. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Dry/later: The throw is medium/short, but it does have lasting power. It's throw just gets closer and closer to the skin as time goes on, but it's still lingering around a few hours on. Yay! I'd call my first Chaos a success. :3