melrose

I knew musks and patchouli loved me - what do you know, poppy does too! This is fantastic, from first on to far drydown. It changes hardly at all, which is unusual for me. It has decent lasting power, and is a scent I can wear anywhere. It's dadgum near perfect!

First on: lovely florals, not too sweet, but definitely doesn't evoke the Raven. Near drydown: OMG, the musk and sandalwood make this one gorgeous. The flowers are in the background. It smells ambery-powdery-musky-woodsy. I am in love. Verdict: I almost said that it was a shame I wouldn't buy more because it pretty much disappeared after an hour. Then I realized I had spent the whole day with my nose crammed into my elbow, because the smell is so gorgeous. I'm thinking bottle-worthy and slather-worthy.

Just finished reading the entire allergy thread - long, but fascinating. Other people have mentioned severe problems with almond oil. Eclipse seems to have much more almond oil in it than cinnamon. Therefore, I'm going to pretend it's the almond rather than the cinnamon doing me in, 'cause I so love the smell of cinnamon and am kind of meh about almond. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! (unless the itchy welts arise again).

Gypsybaby, many thanks for finding the thread. I'm headed right over there. lookingglass, heavy sighs. I love what cinnamon adds to blends.

I have loved many blends with cinnamon in the past, and have had no allergic reactions. Yesterday, I tried Eclipse for the first time. I never smelled the cinnamon; on me it smells cherry with a hint of almond. However, immediately after applying, I got horrible bright red welts that itched and burned. Is there anything else in this blend that might cause an allergic reaction? Here is the description of Eclipse: All the glory, warmth and majesty of the sun -- darkened. A delicious blend of bitter almond, vanilla, frankincense and heliotrope, with a drop of cinnamon. Now I'm afraid to try other blends with cinnamon, including my beloved Tintagel, which, so far, has caused no problems. BTW, today I put Eclipse only lightly on the sleeves of my clothing - the reaction is back, at least the itching and burning. So far, no welts. Any help would be appreciated.

On, wet: Mostly bayberry, a little juniper. Lovely and fresh, but I want more. Near drydown: Holy Mother of Camelot, it evokes the time and place so well. Spicy, sweet, woodsy, fresh greenery, with smoke and stone in the background. Drydown: Sweet spices, a trace of smoke. Lovely and bottleworthy.

In imp, and on, wet: Sweet orange and some extremely sweet white flower. Near drydown: Oh, no, there's a salty aquatic note underneath that doesn't mix with the sweet florals and my skin chemistry AT ALL. Far drydown: Aquatic note, overwhelming sweet florals and chemicals. I waited it out and have a raging headache as a result. My worst BPAL experience - sure do wish the notes were listed.

In imp, and on, wet: Tea, and nothing but. Near drydown: Violets, tea, and sharp, green herbs. Drydown: Sweet tea and flower stems. Not so great. No far drydown: it disappeared within an hour. I applied half the imp.

I can't stop smiling when I wear Dee - on me, it's like an old library in the middle of an enchanted forest.

In imp - sweet mint. On, wet - clean, sharp bourbon. Near drydown - not so much. It's completely gone after 30 minutes. Sigh.

This one taught me to wait for the drydown! In imp, and on, wet: Vanilla/coconut/amber goodness. Near drydown: The v/c/a note is pushed to the background by a godawful blend of play-doh and ozone. Almost gag-inducing. Far drydown: Magic, I tell you. I can't stop burying my nose in my elbow - not that I need to, as this has plenty of throw and lasting power - but to try to get a grasp of that elusive scent - I don't think I can describe this, except to say it's creamy, sweet, but with an edge of something that keeps it from being too sweet and adds depth. Bottle-worthy. One small whine: it drives me up a wall when the notes aren't listed!

In imp, and on, wet: Pear candy. Near drydown: Pears and lemons. Far drydown: Not so much. If i cram my nose into my elbow, I get the faintest whiff of something soft, sweet, and fruity.

In imp - dark and fruity. On, wet - The currant and lavender take turns wafting at me - they don't blend - I get the sweet, then the fresh herbs one after the other. I never smelled the musk, which is my favorite. Never smelled the ozone either. Maybe the resins are what's making the currants smell dark. Near drydown - the lavender is gone. It's soft, dark currants. Pleasant, but that's about it. After an hour - no trace of it whatever. This happened 3 times. My skin just eats it up.

In imp: Bananas - Heh? On, wet - Bananas and something fresh that my nose can't decipher. Near drydown - Lemons and bananas outdoors in the breeze - this is a very interesting fruit orchard. Drydown - Yes! This is what I wanted - here's my beloved sandalwood, with just a hint of something fresh and something slightly sweet in the background. Bottleworthy.

First on, wet: This is a dead ringer for my grandmother's homemade sweet pickles. Those suckers were strong! I don't want to smell like strong vinegar and sweet pickles! Near drydown: Oh, dear, the pickle scent is still there, along with . . I don't know how to say this politely . . vomit. Far drydown: It smells lovely now, but extremely faint. That fact, coupled with the first 2 stages, means no more for me.

In imp: Deep, dark chocolate. I'm afraid of the sweetness. On, wet: Beautiful. It morphed completely from what I sniffed in the imp. Spicy woods and smoke. Drydown: Chocolate, woods, and a hint of incense. Lovely.

This delicate, spectral perfume gives rise to an eerie distortion of of the senses. It bestows an ephemeral, ghostly, and truly haunting quality to your presence. Green tea, lemon verbena, jasmine and neroli. First on: Jasmine comes out screaming ``Me! Me! Only me, nobody else!'' Near drydown: Thank goodness the jasmine fades a bit, and I smell that wonderful lemon verbena. I never smelled tea, which is fine with me. After one hour: All gone. This isn't the phantasmic (is that a word?) effect I was looking for.

In imp: White flower explosion. On, wet: Lemony floral. Smells nothing at all like what I associate with lightning. Near drydown: Gack. Argh. Flowers, lemon, salt, and something very weirdly nauseating underneath. Drydown: Airy floral, but still with a trace of something disgusting that I can't quite put my finger on. This imp will go to my daughter, who did not inherit her mother's stupid skin chemistry.

I love fruit scents when they are true to the fruit, can't stand them if they go fake or sweet. On, wet: Gorgeous. Smoky cranberry with a whiff of almonds. Near drydown: DH walks in room and says, ``Did you make cherry Jell-O?'' Drydown: Well, crap. Pure sweet, fake, generic fruit. If only the wet scent had stayed with me.

I second Dee. I have lots of BPAL scents yet to try, but this one is my favorite so far. I never imagined I'd like tobacco scents.

In imp, and on, wet: Florals with something deep and hollow underneath. Whatever incense this is, I love it. Near drydown: I'm floating in a cloud of violets. This is pretty and sweet - a little sweet for me. Unfortunately, that lovely first incense note vanished. After an hour: All gone - just like Camelot - nothing left but memories . . .

In imp: Cotton candy. On, wet: Whoa, this is a dead ringer for Thin Mints Girl Scout Cookies. OMG, I want some, my stash is gone, and it's the wrong time of year! Near drydown: First, candied apples - a little too sweet for me. Then, fleetingly, sun-warmed apples fresh off the tree and a hint of mint - lovely. Far drydown: I was sitting at my desk and whirled around to see if anyone had just walked by, because I caught a whiff of something really gross, then realized it was me. I smelled like candy apples in a garbage can that's been sitting in the sun at least a day. Sheesh, Hera, what did I ever do to you?

First on: Oranges and lemon! Very bright, with cold dirt in the background. No roses, no sandalwood. Drydown: Ah, here are the roses - soft, pale lavender. The patchouli is the dirt smell, I suppose. It's still here, but warmed up a bit by a hint of sandalwood. Yummy. I think it will continue to shape-shift when I start blending it with other BPALs.

On, wet: 2 distinct scents which don't blend together at all - I smell one then the other - dirt and almonds. Don't know about the almonds. I do know I'm in love with the smell of dirt - something I didn't know before BPAL. Dries down to sun-warmed dirt. Beautiful. Not quite my HG, but probably big-bottle worthy, in spite of the fact it fades quickly. I can see numerous blending possibilities.

Things that make you go ''hmmmm.'' First on, Lemon Pledge. There is a sweet, complex scent underneath, but the Lemon Pledge whaps it upside the head, and it retreats. After it dries, a mix of sweet food and spices, still with a lemon bent - it's okay, but my nose doesn't know quite how to handle this. I do know I expected Cairo to evoke dryness or hot sunshine, and this definitely doesn't. I can see how it might smell like a bazaar. Interesting, but not me.