nineveh

This is a sharp, dark green/purple scent that kind of makes my eyes sting. The cypress is somewhat bitter and there's a strong floral element to this that I don't like. If I breathe really deeply right against my skin, I can catch a warm, sweet incense, but it's not strong enough to make me want to wear this. This scent does seem to embody Medea, but it's too sharp and cold for me. I imagine that it would smell great on someone who likes tart scents and/or whose skin brings out the myrrh.

When I first put this on, I get a smell like damp earth and the bags of lawn fertilizer that my dad used when I was little. Weird. Then what I assume is ylang ylang comes out. I can smell the patchouli, but there's an overlying sharp floral note to this that I don't like. This is like a sharp, cold version of Masquerade. I like warm scents, so this goes off to swaps.

I'm not sure what amber smells like exactly (I'm a perfume novice), but Blood Amber is a warm, golden scent on me that I really like. I got the "natural skin smell" feel from it too.

If this is the scent of vengeance, then it is very calm, passionless, cold vengeance that is pretending to be nice. I definitely do not get "raging fury" out of this blend. Nevertheless, it is great. the cypress, ginger, and fig (I guess, anyway; I'm bad at picking things out) blend together into a creamy, light scent with a bit of freshness and spice. While it was drying, I got something that smelled just like crayons, but thankfully that vanished. This would be a great hot weather scent. It's not my usual fare, but I love it. Probably a big bottle of this.

Well, O seals it. Honey and I are not meant to be. For some reason, my skin turns this completely into rancid, sour honey. Why, why, why. I love the smell of actual honey. This smells quite nice in the vial. But the second it touches my skin, it transmogrifies into the same rank scent that Dragon's Milk did. I guess that Kali only works on me because of the small amount of honey. Time to go weed my wishlist, I suppose. O will go off to swaps. Damn my skin.

Oh, this is great. I was sort of scared after reading the reviews that said that the blood was dragon's blood, since I've had bad experiences with the Ars Draconis scents. When I first tried it on, I thought I would have to swap it out. The dragon's blood was too tart and soapy. But then I showered, thought what the hell, and tried it again. Now it smells wonderful! This is warm, slightly spicy, and exotic. This is what I hoped Bathsheba would be (odd, because I swapped my Bathsheba for this). I don't get any cherry that others have commented upon. There might be a touch of cinnamon here. Something smells like honey, but real honey, not the terrible swamp that honey scents become on my skin. It also smells completely different on my skin than the vial. I'm drawn most to incense/tobacco scents, but I could definitely see myself wearing this for a change of pace. This is a glowing, smooth scent and a contender for a big bottle.

This is making me hungry. I can pick out the rum, tobacco, and leather, which all smell great together. It's sweet and smoky, but not incensy. It's a warm, comforting but sexy scent, maybe with a bit of sweet vanilla underneath (is that the tonka?). I got this because I read a thread where it was listed as a clove cigarette scent. I don't think it smells like cloves, since it does't have that incense quality to me, but it has the same feeling that I got when I would smell my hair after hanging out with my clove-smoking friends back in high school. I really like this, but I need to try more BPAL before deciding on a bottle. I'll have to see what my boyfriend thinks of it on me too. edit: I wore this to the airport to pick up my boyfriend. He really liked it, and I'm going to get a big bottle in my next order.

I was looking forward to trying Othello because I imagined a deep, exotic, spicy scent mixed with rich roses. Unfortunately, I got no spice at all. On me, Othello turned into an astringent floral. If this is rose, it's certainly not the rose that I enjoy in Kali and Wanda. It's way too sharp and "perfumey" for me. I hope that Morocco or Silk Road will be what I had envisioned for Othello, which is now being swapped.

I really like this one. I can smell the orange blossom, which is a sharp, bright scent, and the patchouli, which makes this deeper. It smells like a headshop where spiced orange tea is being made. It doesn't feel mysterious to me, but I do think that it's festive. I may get a big bottle of this if I still like it as much after having tried other patchouli scents. edit: I did get a 5 mL and Masquerade continues to be my favorite patchouli scent.

In the vial, I got the glue scent that others have gotten. It smells "fake." After it's dried, however, it warms up becomes a sticky green and softly spicy scent. Not me at all, but I find it strangely compelling. I wouldn't call it sinful or sexy, though. It's too bright and straightforward for that. I may swap my imp, but I like it enough to keep it for now.

After trying Anne Bonny and Faustus, I think that my skin amplifies frankincense. This is sharp, spicy, and cedary, but also warm and a bit salty. This hardly morphs on me at all. It feels gender neutral, bordering on masculine. I'll have to try this again to see if the patchouli comes out. I like this scent, but the sharpenss and force of the frankincense are keeping me from buying a bottle. It also doesn't feel like an everyday scent for me, but I imagine that it will be nice to use when I'm up for something that's not quite my regular style.

In the vial, I smell thick, rich wine, red roses, and (faintly) what I assume is leather. It smells fantastic! Unfortunately, once I put it on, the wine only lasts while the oil is wet. After a few minutes, I'm left only with the roses, which are dark and nice, but not nearly as nice as that initial scent. After a few hours, the scent is completely gone. This is probably the fastest fading scent I've tried so far. I'm sad that this didn't work for me. I'm keeping the imp though, if only to open it sometimes for a sniff. I hope that trying other red wine scents will let me find one that lasts.

Unfortunately, I'm in the small percentage that gets a port-o-potty sanitizer smell out of this. It smelled so thick and sweet in the vial, but once I put it on my skin, it went rancid and chemically. I really hope it's the dragon's blood and not the honey, because I have other scents with honey in them on the way. Strangely, when I had my mom smell my wrist, she thought it smelled really good and could pick out the vanilla. I guess my nose is deranged. I had to wash this off and put on some Kali to feel better (I was having pretty good luck with all my other imps so this depressed me).

This was a sharp, acrid scent that turned soapy and musty on me. I'm not sure what any of the notes smell like, but I was expecting something softer from the description. This was biting and somewhat tart. I love the concept behind this one, but it did not work for me, so I've swapped my imp.

This doesn't put me in mind of Vlad the Impaler--it doesn't feel menacing or murderous--but that's fine with me. Dracul is a very rich, mature (and sexy!) scent. On me, there isn't much of a difference in the vial, wet, or dry. The fir gives it a brisk, refreshing feeling (maybe that's the mint too, but I can't really smell it). The orange blossom and tobacco counter the fir with warmth and smoky sweetness. The clove and cumin add a spicy depth. This is a rather masculine scent, so I wouldn't wear it every day, but I bought a 5 mL because I don't want to be without this when my imp runs out.

I love Kali. On me, it's a warm, deep, smooth, complex scent, but not dark or sinister. It feels feminine without being floral. I think that I can smell the tobacco, wine, rose, and chocolate most. After a while, it fades into a sort of buttery, smoky scent that's not as strong, but still beautiful. It has great lasting power too. I wore this with a hoodie, and the next day, the Kali on my hoodie's sleeves transfered itself back to my wrists and completely covered up the Dracul that I was wearing! The only downside is that I'll have to make my imp last until my 10 mL arrives.

in vial: A strange, pungent, fungus odor comes out first. Could this be vetiver? on: The fungus smell recedes somewhat. The scent doesn't change much from wet to dry. I can't pick out any notes, but my nose is severely untrained. I think I can sense florals beyond the earthiness. I found this to be a slightly bitter but oddly edible-feeling scent. I can't say that it's pleasing exactly, but I also couldn't stop sniffing my wrist. I was expecting something incensy, but instead this scent seems to capture the Caterpillar's surroundings. It's dark, damp, and earthy, and smells brown and green to me. No big bottle for me, but it's interesting enough to make me keep my imp.

Initially, this is a very strong, sharp frankincense--almost like cedar. I can't pick out the violet or cinnamon, but whereas Anne Bonny was warm frankincense on me, this has a sort of cold spiciness, which I suppose is the violet's contribution. I sniffed my wrist so much trying to figure out if I liked it that I gave myself a headache. After time, this fades into a less nose-stinging scent and becomes warmer. Faustus is very masculine, and while I won't get a bottle (this is definitely not an everyday scent for me), I will finish my imp. edit: I found that diluting this into a spray keeps it from giving me a headache, and also makes it softer and prettier. I think that the spray helps balance the frankincense and violet. I still don't plan on getting a bottle, but the spray made me like it better and also makes it more wearable.

in vial: Exactly like dryer sheets. on: Spicy honey. Soft, warm, and light. after a while: Back to dryer sheets. I'm sure that I would like this scent if I didn't have that unfortunate association. It's a light, pretty, somewhat floral scent, but I generally prefer dark or incensy ones, so I swapped my imp.