melrose

This is my first BPAL where the ingredients separated in the imp. The black musk was at the bottom and the amber above it. I must say it looked really cool, but I had a heck of a time trying to mix it up, because the musk wasn't quite liquid. I love amber and I love musk, but first on, this was lemon with a bit of a bite. It didn't smell bad, just not at all what I had hoped for. Later, for a brief while, it smelled magnificent - sweet amber, earthy musk, yum. All too soon, poof! Gone, all gone. It barely hung around for an hour.

This smelled intriguing in the imp - earth, a hint of green, flowers. Alas, the longer it was on, the more queasy I became, until I had to wash it off. It's the lily note. Sigh. Here's another note my stupid skin chemistry can't handle.

On, wet: I'm eating peanut butter in the woods. Near drydown: Bone-dry. I love dry scents, but this is a bit much, even for me. Far drydown: Wonderful. Dry, slightly sweet, woodsy, and spicy. I'm so glad I waited it out.

First on: sweet pineapple and clean aquatics. I like this stage. Near drydown: candied pineapple vomit. Sorry, but this turned horrid on me. Wish I knew the exact notes. Far drydown: very sweet pineapple. Not bad, just kind of eh. I won't re-purchase.

First on, the narcissus overwhelmed the other notes. I'm not happy. About an hour later - if I bury my nose in my skin, I get a faint floral, soapy smell. Otherwise, nothing.

I immediately get the Chanel #5 scent, but more powdery, less floral. I frickin' love it. I think it's my Number 2 favorite BPAL ever - Dee is still Number 1, but this is gorgeous.

Beth, that was some wonderful dream you had! First on, grapefruit and mint - great wake-up scent. Later it calms down and smells like mint/lemon. Still wonderful. But the drydown - ah, this is the magic part. It smells - like how the world should smell - soft, ever so slightly spicy, just a touch sweet, a bit of a citrus edge, and wonderfully clean. Probably a 5 ml won't be enough.

First on: rosemary and a hint of mint. I don't want to smell like rosemary, I just discovered. Near drydown: herb garden, but very sharp-smelling. Antiseptic. Far drydown: Herbs and an ozone/aquatic thing going on that's making me nauseous. I never got the roses, lemon, or neroli. ADDED 5/21/09: From start to finish, I get rosemary and play-dough. I truly think my skin is holding a grudge against me - probably because of that one time I got a blistering sunburn in college when I was laying out in the quad in my bathing suit, trying to impress construction workers. It's the only thing that makes sense.

First on: Slightly spicy, but mostly woody. Is saffron going to be woody on me? Or the red musk? Near drydown: I can't smell this, even when I bury my nose in my skin or clothes where applied. Far drydown: Whoa, back up - I'm experiencing what other have mentioned - it re-appeared! And it stays and stays! And it smells fantastic - like spices with a touch of banana, but dry - I love this! It just wafts around me, and is evocative of the Scherezade legend, for sure. Must have big bottle. Not my HG (Dee still holds that honor, at least of BPALs I've tried thus far), but in the top 5 for sure.

An ancient blend, swollen with arcane power: galangal, high john essence, frankincense, cedar, and sandalwood. I thought this would be bad news at first, because I smelled peanut butter. Huh? Where did that come from? Near drydown: Fresh, clean breeze in a forest, plus spices. Very nice. Far drydown: Dirt and spices - fantastic!

On, wet: Fresh breeze blowing in a forest. From far off, the faintest bit of incense drifts in on the breeze. Near drydown: Spices and woods. Far drydown: Woods and dirt. I think I'm in love.

OMG, you poor baby. I thought I had weird in-laws - okay, I do. I deal with them by telling myself over and over in my mind, ``I pity you and your insecurity.'' This usually keeps me from attempting to choke the living crap out of them. Also, wine is very, very good.

Lovely in the bottle - very sweet but nice. On, wet: Less sweet and sort of just there. Later on: Sickeningly sweet on me. Lasting power is decent

First on: Gorgeous mint with the violets underneath. Middle drydown: It's very bitter-smelling herbs. Not eucalyptus exactly, but I guess it's the eucalyptus mxing with one of the other notes and hating my skin chemistry. Far drydown: Powdery violets. Nice, but not much lasting power.

The first time my DH kissed me, when we were dating, lo, these many decades ago, I saw a golden ribbon come down from the sky, unfold, enfold the 2 of us, then fall softly to the ground. Then there came a shower of twinkling lights. I thought I must be losing it, but closing and re-opening my eyes didn't stop it. It's never happened again, but I took it as a serious sign that this guy must be the one for me!

So glad I didn't wash this off. The first hour was awful - sweet and fruity. I can do fruity if it's not overwhelmingly sweet and I can do sweet if there's a little bit of an edge, but this made me slightly sick to my stomach. Once it calmed down, it became beautiful - golden, creamy, soft, slightly sweet but not too much, a hint of something darker - yes, I can pick out the individual notes if I concentrate, but I don't want to. Bottle-worthy.

I'm drinking the perfect martini while walking in a forest with a light breeze blowing. Wonderful.

Masquerade is constantly morphing - I love scents that do this. Sometimes the patchouli is predominant, sometimes the ambergris and carnation combine, etc. - and each time, it smells different. It has good throw and lasting power. It's a little masculine even for me, though - I love masculine scents (can't stand super-sweet). My favorite BPAL so far is Dee. I think at least half the BPALers who've reviewed Dee referred to it as being too masculine. I obviously don't agree, but Masquerade makes Dee seem like a girly-girl scent. It's still yummy, though - will try it on DH.

I know it's supposed to be roses, but I get a breeze blowing through a room filled with old books and maraschino cherries - and I love it! Too bad it doesn't last because it's wonderful.

When I first applied this, I did a happy dance because it smelled like my beloved Heaven Sent - not the dreck that is the remade formula, but the original. Within 30 minutes it had completely disappeared - I applied half the imp. Heavy sighs.

I was excited to try this as I love most of the notes listed. On, wet: Sharp, green herbs. Drydown: Herbs with a hint of powder and generic sweetness. Faded completely within an hour. Oh, well . . . on to the next imp!

At first, soft floral with an edge - I think the word I'm looking for is piquant. Nice, but I'm not sold. Later, the incense and woods come out to play. Now, I'm sold. This is lovely and calming. Doesn't last long, though.

I've enjoyed vetiver in other scents, but it must have not been the first note listed. Vetiver is all I get from this - oh, once or twice a beautiful woodsy scent tries to come out and play, but vetiver immediately puts the smackdown on it. Too overwhelming for me. Meditation on Incantation (as interpreted by Melrose's skin): Meditation, shmeditation. I am VETIVER. Say my name, Say my name . . .

In imp, and on, wet: Gardenia (gardenia and I don't get along), something dark underneath grounding it (I can't pick out the notes), and rancid mop bucket water that's making me queasy. (not sure what this is - I've had no problems with ambergris in other blends). Near drydown: Yummy spiciness, then, uh-oh - a yucky nutty smell. Far drydown: Lovely spices and tobacco, but I don't think the first 2 stages are worth it.

I loves me some ginger, but I hate tea - the taste and the scent. This should be interesting: In imp, and on, wet: Lemon candy. Yum. Near drydown: I'm walking in a lemon grove. The air is cool and a breeze is sending me the faintest whiff of lemons, but mostly a sense of crisp, clean calm. I'm eating cotton candy. Love this. Far drydown: First of all, this came quickly - there's little lasting power to this scent. If I bury my nose in my elbow, I get a faint whiff of tea with lemon. Not my thing, but I can see how many people would love this. If only the near drydown phase lasted.