hologhost

In the bottle: Fruit, floral (tuberose?) A really nice inviting scent. But not on me. When I put this on it fades fairly quickly. the strongest lasting note (yes I know there isn't any - but it's what I smell) is what I associate with kind of a faded civet. I really wanted to like this one. I love tuberose and all the other notes this is supposed to have. So far I'm one for four Lupercalia scents.

In the bottle: Butterscotch with something under it I can't identify On me initially: Wow. An extremely strong headache inducing ozone note. Even my hubby, who can hardly smell things, noticed it from across the room. And not in a good way. Drydown: The ozone has faded and left a vaguely sweet, slighty play doh smell. For me this is a big disappointment. I'm going to let it ride out and see how it morphs, but I don't think I'll be keeping it.

This is interesting. I got my bottle in November. And I didn't think much of it. It mostly smelled like sugar. And it disappeared almost as soon as it hit my skin. So I stored it away thinking - well everyone has some now. I'll save it to trade later. So I got it out again to think about swapping. What a difference some time makes. This has had more change over time than my other oils. In the bottle: alcohol - sweet alcohol. On me: much, much more complex. I finally smell the fruit. It's sugar and booze and spice. Actually it sounds kind of like how people are describing Smut, which I don't have yet. I still haven't decided if I'll keep it. My Smut arrives in a week and I'll decide then. It's not really me. However, I have enjoyed the lesson. Don't swap right away. Hubby thinks it smells like "cigarettes." The first one he's actually noticed the smell of, and he doesn't like it. *sigh*

Mandiapple, I completely commiserate. I am allergic to wheat and ground nuts (soy, peanuts). My Mom is celiac. Based on what she's told me wheat AND soy must be a real challenge! She goes to Outback alot. She's really nervous about the whole restaurant thing, but they're supposed to be more concious of these things. I guess it's easier in some other countries.

My first (traded) imp of Cathedral has a reall strong frankincense smell. Subsequent ones - including my fresh from the lab bottle - have a more woody smell. Is it aging that makes the difference? I really love the first one. (The other are nice too, but not as nice.)

I really wanted to like this. I love vanilla and foodie scents. But it was sooooo icky sweet on me I had to wash it off. It was like drowning in sugar syrup. (Which is odd - I like Sugar Skull and other sweet scents.) My nose may not be educated enough to say why, but this really disagreed with me.

In the bottle: Bourbon and spice This is not the scent I associate with cardamom - I use it in baking. It like it, but it almost seems cinnamon-y. The other BPAL I know with a strong hit of this is Whippoorwill. (Although Whippoorwill has a much greener background.) Based on the other reviews here, I'm wondering if this is a side of patchouli I haven't experienced before. On me: Spice and a hint of leather. Usually my skin amps up leather, but not in this. Over time a sweeter smell comes out and the whole scent softens. It doesn't have quite the throw for me that others have described, but it sticks around for a reasonable period of time. I really like this. For me it fits in the whole leather spicy family I loves best. (Similar scents for me in that family include Loviatar and Geek.)

This smelled like brownies in the bottle. (Pretty much as aeveryone else describes.) Unfortunately, it immediately went play-doh upon hitting my skin.

I am not a floral girl. I picked this up as one of a bunch of interesting items on the swap forum. So I apologize, but my floral nose isn't good enough to really describe this. It does smell trpoical to me. I will say I love it, love it, love it. I will be buying a bottle. And it has major staying power - possibly the strongest I've had from BPAL. I can smell this on my clothes DAYS later when I go to wash them. YUM!

I get honey with faint delicate florals wafting in the background. Not much to add to everyone else's reviews I know. What I did want to add is that I am not able to wear any of the other BPAL honey note scents I've tried as they all go rancid sweat sock on me. (Ewwwwww!) But I can wear this, so if you've had the same problem - it might be worth trying.

I picked up an imp pack of leather scents. I'm trying to decide if there's something I want a big bottle of more than De Sade. OMG *scentgasam* This is incredible - I want to bathe in it. Ahem. But that's not much of a description. This reminds me of Whippoorwill, with leather. Odd that it's spicy, but no spices are listed. Sort of like De Sade kicked up a notch. I's swear I smell cinnamon there somewhere. Not a food scent really - just spice. The leather is strong with a lot of throw. I feel like I'm wrapped in some very sexy mans coat. My new best friend, I'm going to get a BIG bottle of you.

Empyreal Mist - My favorite green. Whipporwill's nice too.

in the bottle: chocolate, nuts and, dried fruit. Its a Cadbury bar! On me the creamy nutty smell takes over. As it fades I get the floral undertone. Come January I'm definately getting a bottle of this!

This has been possibly one of the strangest BPAL scent experiences I've had. This was a frimp. My mother and always do a sniff fest when new stuff comes in. This smelled awful even before I opened the bottle. Feral and dark. There's a rank note here - maybe civet. Medicinal and camphorous. Icky! I thought, "Straight into the swap pile with you!" That's were it got weird. The scent would not get off my mind. It kept calling to me - like that nasty, but cute boy in the dark corner of the bar "Come on, you know you want me..." This has gone on for a couple of weeks. Finally, I thought it would be a shame to trade something without seeing what it does on my skin, right? So I wore it yesterday. The feral smell is still there. It fades over time. I'm forced to admit that I'm beginning to like this. I really don't know why. It takes a good three hours for the blackness to creep far enough back so that it smells anything like a normal scent. I freely state that I don't know what about this strange little bottle put it's claws into me. But I guess I'm keeping it.

I second The Coiled Serpent. Yummy!

Dana o'shee In the bottle: almond - straight up. Very Snowcake. On me - almond playdoh doing a fast fade. Dang - I had high hopes for this, but if the fast fade continues, into the swap pile it goes.

This is awesome! In the bottle: Cedar, cinnamon, and some things I can't identify On me : Cedar, cinnamon, menthol, resin, and pine. It smells invigorating without smelling medicial or cleanser-like. I really like this. The leather comes out to play in the dry down. In time, the notes meld into a very soft woodsy smell with leather undertones. It might be too masculine for some. I like masculine scents though. Definately a good holiday scent. I know some of the other CNs are getting lots of raves right now - but don't over look this - it's great.

Let me start by saying this was a nice enough smell on me. However I was disappointed. I didn't get the caramelly complexity some of the other posters did. On me it just smelled like vanilla sugar. It's nice, but i wanted more.

In the bottle: OMG Butter Rum lifesavers! On me: Morphs into a buttery light sweet scent, after going through a playdoh stage. Sort of like flowery carmel corn. I like this a lot, but more as a room scent.

Courtesy of a swap with Sarada In the bottle: Gingerbread with a dark under note. On me: The darkness recedes and it's gingerbread alone. Warm and comforting. I love this! If it were still around, I'd be buying a whole bottle. I'll have to cherish my imp so that I can smell this wonderful fall smell, year round.

Courtesy of a swap with Batgirl In the bottle: Resin-y with some pine notes. On me: I can smell the sage and some floral, but it's really well blended. This is nice. A very summer scent - light and fluffy.

Courtesy of a swap with Batgirl In the bottle: a green, slightly astringent smell. I can faintly smell the peach, but it's buried under something medicinal On me: Wow - almost no smell at all. Just a faint medicinal smell. I hope this is one of those that pops out later.

Courtesy of my swap with blood*rose*flowers In the bottle: So this is what resin smells like? Wood? This is kind of like Aureus and Umbra, but spicy. On me: This is beautiful, calming. I get hints of citrus here. It smells warm and inviting. It's driving me kind of nuts that I love this so much and can't describe it better. The sandalwood someone else described is there, but I'm getting more spice than wood. I may have to get a bottle of this one...

Courtesy of Saoirse Chaos LXV In the bottle: Wheee - mint is here! Mint and grass. It smells like hiding in the lawn. (In a good way.) On me: A nice, light aquatic scent. It kind of reminds me of a milder, lighter, Cthulhu. Over time it develops a whispy floral note in the background and a hint of salt. Now the mint also comes back out and overlays everything, but it's still a light scent. I like this - it's very complex. Previously reviewed by saoirse.

Mmmmmm. Pink. Courtesy of Vige In the bottle: warm and very sugary On me: The strawberry is coming out. It's creamy. There are florals here, but I'm really bad at identifying florals. There's also a whiff of...menthol? I love this. A perfect summer scent.