Brianne

In the vial: A very soft powdery cocoa On me: This is much softer and much less sweet than I anticipated, and I'm certainly not disappointed in the least. It's a very interesting scent. It is mostly a wine scent to me, it's slightly sweet and fruity but not overwhelmingly so. That cocoa adds a lovely bit of warmth too and it's not so much like milk chocolate as it is like a powdery dark cocoa. There is a warm "redness" underneath this scent that is very hard to describe. It's not musky and it's not spicey - it's just warm. I imagine that's the "blood" but I just can't pinpoint what it is note wise. Final note: This is just lovely, I absolutely love this - it's like if Xiutecuhtli had a young, soft, girly cousin - it's that exotic feel but definitely feminine with a sweet, fruity edge.

In the vial: Sugary sweet orange blossom On me: It's so funny how body chemistry can totally change the way a scent behaves on us - most people here seem to be getting chocolate right off the bat, and for me it was the orange blossom. The minute I put it on my skin, it was sickly sweet orange blossom - orange like but also floral and perfumey. It was almost TOO sweet for me, it was kind of overwhelming. Luckily though, that stage only lasted a minute and it softened up a bit. Not to say that it isn't still sweet, it certainly IS! But I don't find this to be sweet in a candy-ish way. That is to say that I would liken it to very sweet fruit rather than cotton candy, if that makes sense. I do smell cocoa, but it's not a rich chocolate or a milk chocolate like in Bliss. It's a dry, light dusting of cocoa powder over bountiful, heady orange blossom. I do smell the cherry but it's very light and very much in the background of all that orange. Final note: This is sweet and playful, and ends up being rather light. It smells less like a chocolate orange to me than it does like orange blossom dusted in cocoa powder. Sweet but not candy-ish

In the vial: Definitely getting carnation there - a spiced floral On me: At first this is like honey'ed carnation and smells like a cross between Alice and Dorian. Quite literally, it's like I'm smelling both at the same time - it's has that sweet, feminine honey floral vibe going on like Alice, but also has the spicey sweet note from Dorian. After a while it starts to settle into it's own thing - it's still similar to Alice and Dorian on me, but it's become a little more heady now and incensey. It's definitely evocative of what it represents. There are notes in this that seem very familiar to me but that I just cant place because there is a lot going on here. It has a very incensey vibe to it, but in a sophisticated, decadent way - florals are definitely present, but not overwhelming. This is one part sweet, one part spicey, two parts incense, one part sophisticated floral. It's very mysterious smelling to me, intriguing! It's also quite unisex I think, in the same way that I can see Dorian on a man or a woman, I can see this as being the same way. Final note: It's very nice, has a very intriguing smell to it. I think I can live without a bottle though, because it does smell similar to Alice and Dorian, so I'll stick to layering those

In the vial: a sort of bitter-green patchouli smell On me: I had a good feeling I was going to like Masquerade - which is odd because I'm not the biggest patchouli fan and it has a high potential to wrong on me, and I'm not particularly into the other notes either. But something about the combination made me think it would work well for me. And it does. It's not a favorite by any means, but it's very pleasant and it definitely has a very Rennaisance like vibe to it. I think I feel this way because it smells just like this one soap/incense shop that I always visit at our local Rennaisance Faire. It's a smell of mostly patchouli but there is a lot of other sort of resiny-incensey smells going on too that give it that vibe. The patchouli is definitely in the foreground on this, and it's not a dusty patchouli, which I'm thankful for. It has great throw because I kept catching big whiffs of it throughout the day. The funny thing is, if I sniff my wrist closely though, it smells very much like cedar and I don't care for it. But if I don't do that, it smells beautiful and like a womanly patchouli with a hint of powdery sweetness. Final note: I think it's a really pretty patchouli, and I would say it's in the same vein as Siren and Vixen - womanly patchouli

In the vial: Very strong herb smell On me: When this goes on wet, it is very strongly bay leaf. It's such a powerful smell of bay leaf, that I thought I smelled like a kitchen spice rack. It doesn't take long though before cedar comes in and takes over and then that's all I get. Final note: I can't blame Lear for this, because cedar is very dominant on my skin - so it's no surprise that all I get from Lear is cedar.

In the vial: Bitter dark green smell On me: At first, I absolutely could not stand the smell of this. When it goes on wet, it's so bitter and astrigent, it's nearly unbearable for me. It only takes a few short minutes though before it morphs into a masculine, but powdery green scent. It's pleasant. Shortly after that though, it morphs into a more incensey scent strongly accompanied by dry, spicey wood notes. It's masculine to me, though I'm sure a woman could wear this too - it just makes me think of men. It has a foresty vibe going on, which is strange because it's more incense like than anything. Final note: Very warm and pleasant, not for me but it is nice

In the vial: Pale rose smell with faint fruity scent On me: I have to admit - I purchased this based solely on the apricot note and the fact that people said it was a great apricot scent. And I find myself automatically curious about apricot scents since I fell in love with Katharina. I find this to be VERY different from Katharina though in that Katharina is light, bouyant and what I would describe as a "perky" scent. It's apricot is *sparkling*. Yerevan's apricot is paired with pomegranate it comes off as tart and earthy and feels more mellow than Katharina. As I mentioned, the apricot and pomegranate pair up to make a beautifully tart and juicy smell, that's grounded beautifully by musk and given an earthy roundness to it from the plum. Luckily, all the florals stay firmly in the background and barely even say a peep. Final note: This is really beautiful. It's different than what I was expecting, but I'm still not disappointed because it ended up smelling wonderful!

In the vial: Mmm honeydew! Fresh, sweet n' juicy! On me: This goes on like fresh honeydew melon and it smells delicious. After just a short moment the grape starts to creep in and add a purple, juicey and slight wine-like note to the melon. They really compliment each other nicely and rather than coming off like "FRUITY!!!", they instead play off one another to make a scent that is complex and unusual. At some point some soft floral is creeping in, but it's very faint and I cannot identify what kind of floral it is, I just smell it behind the melon and grapes. And that is pretty much Yemaya - it's fruity and light and summery with a definite feminine edge to it. Final note: Beautiful blend, melon lovers will rejoice, I'm so happy to finally have a honeydew scent from BPAL!

In the vial: Melon and tobacco On me: This starts out as tobacco and melon, but the melon quickly fades into the background and is almost nonexsistant. This is mostly, straight up sweet pipe tobacco. It's warm, deep, and slightly sweet like smokey honey. I never really get that juniper or chili or gin, it just really comes off like sweet pipe tobacco to me, and very true in scent. It's a warm, smooth smell that I think is comforting. I could see this being worn as an every day scent, or the kind of scent you might wear out on the town. Either way, it's lovely. Final note: I had higher hopes for that melon, but it doesn't stick around. Despite that however, this scent is really beautifully smooth and warm, I love it.

In the vial: Sweet coconut! On me: White and pure is the most perfect way to describe this scent, because it is exactly this. It's so simple but beautiful, it's clean and mildly sweet and airy. The coconut is subtle and milky and the shea smells so pure and clean. The water adds just a mild sweet aquatic note. That's it. That's the scent. The description is absolutely perfect for this. THIS is THE summer scent, I'm telling you. Final note: My perfect tropical scent, it's beautiful and clean and makes me think of a pure, untouched beach.

In the vial: Definitely honey, but powdery soft honey On me: This goes on as very sweet honey at first, but it isn't long before those herbs starts peeking out. The herbs are so soft and feminine, and powdery - they aren't your usual herbally types, it doesn't really come off as green so much. In fact, the honey in combonation with these soft herbs and the powdery sweetness makes me think of a pale wheat color. It's very subtle and understated, and very airy and light. The honey is definitely there but it's not overly sweet. The herbs are lovely and even provide a very minimal herbal "tang" to it to balance the honey. I think I even smell a tiny little hint of rose, but it's very very bare. Final note: I think this embodies Osun perfectly. It is very feminine and beautiful. It has a very airy quality that makes me think of Dana O'Shee and I think this would be a perfect Spring scent!

In the vial: BANANA! On me: It goes on wet very much like a fruit smoothie - I smell the apple and banana most predominantly when this is wet. As it dries down though, it begins to soften up into a slightly different scent. It's got a lightly fruity feel to it, but it's very hard to seperate one note from another. I don't really get banana or apple or anything else, but it does have a very tropical fruit *vibe* to it. I can't smell the coconut specifically but I get the feeling it's there in that general tropical smell. I know that's kind of wierd to say, but it's true. Kind of like when you put suntan lotion and you get a coconut vibe out of it, but it doesn't actually smell like coconut? I don't know, but this is definitely tropical feeling. Behind it is a sort of faintly bubblegum smell though as well. I don't find it distracting, but thought I'd point out that it's there. Two things I don't think I'm picking up on at all though is a bite of chili pepper or the tartness of pomegranate. Neither seem to be there to me, but again these notes are so blended together that it's just that I can't *pick them out* Final note: This is very pleasant and I think would be great for Spring and Summer. It makes me think of the beach and suntan lotion and fruity drinks. It is surprisingly subtle though!

In the vial: So powerfully earthy, it's like sniffing a freshly pulled root On me: This goes on wet like grass and dirt. I mean literally, it smells just like I grabbed a handful of grass, tore it from the ground, and sniffed it. However, that only lasts about 30 seconds, when it makes a very odd change into cedar. And I don't mean it smells kind of *like* cedar. Or like cedar mixed with grass, or anything else. It smells JUST LIKE CEDAR. I keep hoping for this to change, but it never does, it just stays cedar. Final note: If you love cedar, give this scent a shot because that is all it smells like to me!

In the vial: OH MY GOD WATERMELON!!! On me: If I had known this smelled like watermelon, I would have tried it way sooner than when the lab had been kind enough to send me a frimp of it. All this time I was wishing for a watermelon BPAL scent and it's been right here, go figure! At first it goes on wet like juicy watermelon and honeydew! It's very lovely and fruity. Jasmine is behind it though, and goes a little wonky on my skin per usual, but I still like the melony scent on top of it After this dries for quite some time it becomes less of a juicy melon scent and more of a subtle fruity floral - it's very soft now and mostly faded, and there is a general melon/fruit scent here backed by a general floral here that doesn't necessarily smell like jasmine anymore Final note: I REALLY wanted those melon notes to stick around longer and stronger but they don't. It is nice to have a faint melony smell though in BPAL. I don't like it enough to get a bottle because of the jasmine and the lack of staying power in this, but it is pretty nice.

In the vial: A bitter rose note On me: I thought I would HATE this. I mean really hate. Because (as I'm sure I've made it abundantly clear over and over again) I just really dislike roses and lotus. Neither of them smell good on me. Roses give me a headache and lotus makes me dizzy. So you know, three lotus and three roses? But, as it turns out, I DON'T hate this. I can't say I love it, but I actually think it's quite pretty. Somehow, these two meld together to make a scent that is neither rose nor lotus. It's like a whole new flower that smells completely fresh with a slight tinge of green, and has just a soft powdery edge of sweetness. It's very girly and if it had a color I would say it was pink. It took the good things about a rose (the crisp and rich freshness of a rose) and the good things about a lotus (the soft sweetness and girly flavor) and put them together. Final note: Lovely and soft and feminine, I would recommend this to fans of florals or anyone who likes soft girly scents.

In the vial: Bergamot mostly, it has that slightly bitter dark citrus smell On me: Casanova ends up much warmer than I expected - with the lavender and bergamot I really kind of thought it was going to be a sharp citrus smell, but that tonka really comes out and warms this up. I'm getting a little of that leather too - it's not overwhelming, it's just a faint hint of dry, warm leather with the tonka. Right alongside that warmth is the bergamot and lavender which lends an herbally, and darkly citrus twist to the warm sweetness of leather and tonka. The anise is there, but it's much fainter than I would have expected, and I wouldn't really notice it if I weren't looking for it I think. The lemon doesn't really come out on me either. This all blends together though to make a sexy and masculine blend that smells wonderfully mature but still playful enough to work on a man of any age! Final note: Very lovely masculine blend, I would enjoy this on my own man!

In the bottle: I don't know what Cassia smells like. I imagine that's what I'm smelling straight from the bottle, because it is totally unfamiliar to me. On me: I looked up Cassia and found the description of it's scent to be very much what I'm smelling now - it's a very dry, cinnamon like smell but unlike cinnamon - I totally hate this. It's got a very odd smell to it - it's spicy and dry like cinnamon but there is a tinge of sweetness that turns my stomach. Unfortunately, at no point do I get angel food cake or cocoa in this. Final notes: I plan on adding Cassia to my unliked notes list, if that lets you know how I feel about it now. This just doesn't work on me, the Cassia drowns out anything else that would have been there

In the bottle: mmmm cream cheese frosting! On me: Wow, right away this turns into a berry cake - the berries actually smell a tiny bit like strawberry, but the tart juiciness is more like blackberry in the long run. Yup, okay the longer it's on me, the more like straight up blackberry this is, it's kind of airy too and only slightly sweet rather than overwhelmingly sweet. Behind that blackberry (which is definitely the predominant note on me) is a fluffy whipped buttercream that warms up that berry just a little bit. After time this gets pretty light, I'm kind of surprised by that actually. The bourbon never really seems to kick in on me, and this stays pretty much juicy blackberries and buttercream the whole time. There is a slight.... hmmm, sharp note? I don't know how to describe it, but it makes me think of a perfume I used to wear from The Body Shop called Dewberry. It's berry with sweetness and a slight edge. Final note: I WANT MORE!

In the vial: SHARP musk On me: Oh how I love Kuang Shi! It's so unusual, I'm honestly surprised it's not more popular. It's also perfectly gender neutral and would work great on anyone. The white musk is beautiful and soft here and the mango is a great bedfellow to the musk and sandalwood - instead of being fruity and sweet, it's just a nice juicy kick to a scent that is otherwise dry. The sandalwood in this comes off as really *crisp* and dry, and it all pulls together for a really neat scent. Final note: This is so wonderful and definitely different than anything I've ever smelled. It's a beautiful musk, but that mango really *makes* this scent.

In the vial: Sharply green smell On me: NOT what I was expecting at all, I don't know why but I somehow imagined this was going to be a richer, deeper and earthier scent. But this is surprisingly light and fresh. The first note that strikes me is an herbally green one, and it's something that is also in The Apothecary, because it smells strikingly similar to it in the wet stage. That does soon dissapate though into a very slightly sweet red scent which I'm assuming is the wine note. In the long run, that's really what this scent is - that pale wine smell with soft green herbs. It's very light though, and has a soft sweetness to it. Final note: I really like this for being really different and clean smelling in an unusual way - it's VERY light though, and I do have to say that it fades awfully quickly, it has next to no staying power - it's practically gone within 20 minutes.

In the vial: HAZELNUT!! On me: At first when it hits my skin I get a strong whiff of buttercream, but it quickly backs off again to make room for the pralines and hazelnut. And that is Gluttony in a nutshell (no pun intended!) on me. It's pralines and hazelnut, pralines and hazelnut. It never morphs into anything else, it's just nuts. Final note: It's not a "wow" scent for me but it is somewhat comforting in a foody way and I'll keep my imp for that reason

In the vial: Smoooooooooth myrhh On me: Oh Bastet, how I love thee! Bastet is my surprise love of the season, I thought I'd *like* Bastet, but I didn't know I'd fall in love with it. It has a lot of things in it that normally just don't work on me - amber (which usually goes to powder), lotus (which I really hate), and myrhh (which typically goes straight to pencil shavings on me). But somehow... in this blend they come together and work some serious magic. Bastet is definitely sweet - it's not sweet in a foody way, but it is sweet so if that turns you off you might want to avoid it. But the sweetness is wonderfully tempered with the warmth of the scent and the spices in this. It does smell like almond oil + amber, in that those are the first things that really come across to me, but behind it all you can catch those airy spices and the soft breath of lotus which just lends a slightly sweet floral touch to the background. Final note: I love this so much, it's just an amazing scent and I find myself reaching for it often. And even though I wouldn't say it's my favorite BPAL scent, I do actually reach for it more than any other scent I own!

In the vial: bubblegum!! On me: I was curious about this one from the get go, because on one hand... I don't know that I want to smell like bubblegum... but on the other... who wouldn't want to at least sniff this for that aspect? lol It has proved to be a really interesting scent - as some others have described it, it's got aspects of youthful "flavors" and aspects of "womanly" ones. This honestly doesn't just come off like bubblegum, it comes off like bubblegum *perfume*. It smells like bubblegum sure, but it has that sort of aromatic perfume thing going on with it. In the background is a soft orange and cherry smell that doesn't come off too sweet or fruity at all. Final note: I actually really like this one, and I'm not even into the smell of bubblegum! This is just so cool and unique and I've gotten so many compliments on it!

In the vial: soft lilac On me: I certainly had no expectations for this because it's a floral and I don't care for them. On the other hand, it has lilac in it and I love lilac. So it was a toss up. As it turns out though, I totally love this. It's such a beautiful lilac scent, it's fresh and airy and light. The violet and rose are really muted in this, they're more like a tiny complimenting scent to the lilac. The lilac is front and center here and it's just so pretty! Final note: SUCH a pretty scent, it's perfect for spring!

In the vial: spicy woods On me: This goes all kinds of funky on me. Of course, it's a spicy woodsy scent and per usual it's doing what wood does on me - turning to pencil shavings. So, it's spicy pencil shavings. Behind the pencil shavings was a smell that was a little ashy and a little like tobacco. So all of it came together to make a smell on me that reminded me of cigarette butts ;_; Final note: Don't blame Wolfsbane, wood scents hate me.