caitilarkin

In the imp: Plastic sugar Wet on skin: At first, it's plastic cake batter. Fortunately, the plastic note burns off in the first 10-15 minutes and the cake batter morphs to a delicate vanilla cake. Dry on skin: This is drying down nicely. The currant note finally appears but is secondary to the cake. This is a drier, more delicate scent than I thought it would be, but it's lovely on the drydown. Eat Me lasts 3-4 hours on me, becoming stronger in the first hour before beginning to wane. It never becomes a rich, heavy scent, but stays light and almost crisp.

In the imp: Sweet orange with a hint of florals Wet on skin: The neroli is still strong and is made creamier by the florals. Dry on skin: The neroli morphs into orange soap over the first hour, and the not-unpleasant floral/orange soap lasts for another 3-4 hours. This will be nice on a hot, muggy summer day when I just want to feel clean.

In the imp: Wood notes with a strong medicinal tinge Wet on skin: The medicinal note disappears and the wood and vanilla blend effortlessly. Dry on skin: Wow. WOW. This dries down beautifully: the wood notes are in charge, with the vanilla adding creaminess and the tobacco adding a touch of smoky sweetness. This lasts more than 12 hours on me, has a strong throw, and morphs into an irresistibly polished, creamy richness. Gorgeous--I'm ordering a bottle right now. This has rocketed right to the top of my list.

In the imp: Cherry (kinda plasticky) and anise Wet on skin: Cherry licorice, which has thankfully lost the plasticky edge Dry on skin: The anise amped for a few minutes, then decided to play nice with the cherry and red musk. By the half-hour mark, this was a pleasant, simple cherry backed up by red musk, with the anise adding a tiny hint of interest. I'm keeping the imp around for days that I feel some something simple; this has lots of staying power on me and is almost single-note cherry after a few hours.

Well, I promised myself that I would try all of my frimps, so I tried this one even though the combination of notes scared me when I read the description. In the imp: Sage with a hint of plasticky sugar and mint in the background Wet on skin: Sage and mint fighting a pitched battle Dry on skin: Goes through a lot of morphing, but at no time do any musk or tobacco appear. They're wisely staying out of the sage/mint battle for world domination. The caramel tries to break through but is submerged by the sage. And we have a winner...SAGE! Not for me...

In the imp: Lotsa rose, but I think I can detect the more timid lily in the background. Wet on skin: Sharp, soapy rose has scared away the other notes. Dry on skin: Morphs from chemical-y rose soap to a more balanced floral over the course of an hour. Still, the rose remains soapy and sour, clashing with the clear sweetness of the lily and lotus. I hereby decree rose the Official Note of Death on my skin. It has killed a couple of otherwise promising blends for me. But this would be beautiful on someone who can wear rose well.

Lady Lilith smelled so glorious in the bottle that I almost bought a backup before testing it on my skin. The mandarin and tea were the strongest notes, but the florals definitely held their own. The musk is in the background, and I didn't detect vanilla at all. It's a womanly, complex, very unique blend. Wet on skin: Very similar to the bottle, with the mandarin still dominating, but not shutting out the other notes Dry on skin: Went through a painful half hour of screaming, shrieking lye (not soap, but LYE) that I attribute to the florals--eye watering, sneezing wretchedness Luckily, the floral scariness eventually retreated to the background and the mandarin reappeared, anchored by the musk. This weird lye-like morphing has happened all three times I've tested Lady Lilith. I'm at a loss...but I refuse to give up on this blend. Maybe after it ages for awhile...

This was a frimp from my most recent order. In the imp: Spicy, almost peppery carnation with a touch of plum Wet on skin: Plum and carnation blending beautifully, not getting any musk or any candle/craft store waxiness or cinnamon Dry on skin: This is not morphing at all. The carnation is keeping its spiciness and the plum is staying deep and juicy. Apparently my skin loves carnation--good to know! I haven't been able to detect any musk. This lasted over six hours on the first test. I'm getting a bottle; it's a perfect all-occasion scent for fall, winter and spring.

I originally found BPAL while doing an internet search for honeysuckle scents, and Chimera was part of my first order. Honeysuckle is one of the very few floral scents that does well on me and I was intrigued by its partnering with cinnamon in this blend. In the bottle: First whiff=honeysuckle! NOM NOM NOM Second whiff=thick, honeyed cinnamon Wet on skin: Cinnamon to the nth power, sweetened by the honeysuckle (which is more honey at this point, as others have said) and the myrrh/copal notes (which I can't detect seperately at this point). Dry on skin: The notes are blending beautifully on me. It's not at all foody (and I love foody scents, too, but am not getting the cookie/cake notes that others have described). This is definitely a strong one, especially on a warm day. The cinnamon is giving me a slight rash where it was applied on my wrists and forearms, but it's worth it. This has lasted six hours so far today; yesterday it lasted even more. I'm in love.

In the imp: Tart grapefruit and rich currant with lavender in the background, not smelling the musk or chamomile yet. Wet on skin: Grapefruit and currant are blending beautifully, staying sweet but not overly sugary. Dry on skin: Morphs from fruity to fruit and florals, then the musk appears and is softened by chamomile. Unfortunately, this oil only lasted about two hours on me in three separate tests, and I slathered the last two times. Even with the short last, this blend of fruity, floral and musk notes is too gorgeous to pass up. Cheshire Cat is a definite bottle purchase.

Frimp from the lab--I've avoided rose scents for my entire life, since rose-based perfumes were worn daily and generously by my dad's bossy, controlling aunts. Maybe it's time to overcome some negative childhood associations. In the imp: Just like the description: rose, rose, rose...sweet and flowery but not cloying Wet on skin: The rose is multi-layered and complex, but I'm not familiar enough with different rose notes to discern them individually. Moreoever, the rose garden has been invaded by something that smells like rotten vegetation. Dry on skin: GAH. The rotting vegetation has challenged the roses to a death match. The rotting/sour/rancid smell lasted as long as the roses did--about three hours. For me, this scent evoked both month-old cabbage and my great aunt Lida. Not a keeper.

A frimp from the lab...after reading the description and the reviews, I am terrified of this scent. I never wear florals; jasmine and orchid in particular are Sicky Sweet Plastic Notes of Death on me. Gulp... In the imp: HOLY FREAKIN' JASMINE Wet on skin: Incredibly complex--the jasmine, orchid and lily are interacting beautifully with my skin chemistry and with each other. I'm not getting any ylang ylang (which sometimes works for me) or any plum, but the three notes I can pick out are absolutely beautiful. There's no plastic or sicky sweetness, just floral goodness the way nature intended. Dry on skin: Obviously I'm going to have to rethink my aversion to florals. This has dried down to a rich, creamy, well-balanced bouquet. It's marvelously feminine and sophisticated without being overly sweet or girlish. Sadly, Susprio only lasts a couple of hours on me. But it loves me and I am returning its affection by toting my imp to work to reapply. So take it from a former floral hater: this scent is worth trying!

This was a frimp from the lab. Since aquatics smell like aftershave on me and florals and fruit are both very hit or miss, I never would have picked this out based on the description or reviews. In the imp: Love at first sniff! Olokun evokes a light breeze blowing off the ocean into a seaside flower garden on a perfect summer day. Wet on skin: Very similar to the bottle...the floral note takes the lead but is kept soft and dewy by the water and salt elements. Dry on skin: The floral and aquatic are well-balanced, with a bit of salt adding a tang. It lasted a good 12 hours at the first wearing and didn't morph much on me. Olokun definitely evokes the seaside to me, rather than the ocean itself. I love this one and will buy a bottle at the end of the spring; it will be so refreshing during the dog days of summer.

In the bottle: Light, warm, lovely peach...hmmmm...hint of a light musk Wet on skin: Peach, where are you? All I'm getting is heliotrope and it's being overtaken by something that smells like burnt plastic. Dry on skin: Oh noes! Where did my lovely notes go? Burnt plastic has taken over! This went from lovely to bleeeeeeeeech in five seconds flat, then disappeared altogether within about two hours. Stupid skin chemistry. I'm going to re-test this one in a few weeks because I want it to work on me so bad.

In the bottle: Amber and sandalwood, with a tiny hint of peach, but I'm not getting any vanilla. Wet on skin: The amber and sandalwood make their presence known, mellowed by a hint of what must be heliotrope. No sign of peach blossom or vanilla, which surprises because my skin normally amps both of those notes. Dry on skin: Mellow, luscious amber takes the lead, with sandalwood singing backup and heliotrope chiming in from time to time. Not even a hint of peach. Am I wearing the same scent everyone else has been talking about? Still, I love this one. After wearing for a day: Lasted about six hours on me with a light throw. A fantastic everyday scent. Lovelovelove the amber and sandalwood combo with the heliotrope, so will wear Tamora for that. But I'll have to look for another peach scent!