melrose

Constance, I feel your pain. I've tried so very many BPALs that were gorgeous, yet faded within 30 minutes. Here are the ones that have real lasting power on me: Antique Lace Aureus Dee Lust Namaste Spellbound Tintagel Vechernyaya Velvet

On, wet: Super sweet - not icky, but not my thing. Sigh. It faded so quickly there was barely a drydown.

In imp and on, wet: Lovely, mysterious, a little masculine, fresh, a hint of spice. Near drydown: Gorgeous, but I have to bury my nose in my skin to get a whiff. No far drydown - it disappeared in less than an hour.

OMG, disgusting on me. I don't have a problem with rose, but haven't had enough exposure to the other ingredients to know for sure which one is the problem. I wonder what cyclamen smells like? A no-go.

Just popping in to say that venividibitchy is the best user name of all time - I bow down.

In imp, and on skin, wet: Super sweet. Not my thing at all. Near drydown: How can a scent be so sweet and so fresh at the same time? Beth is truly amazing. Middle drydown: Uh-oh. There's an aquatic note that's making me a leetle sick. Now it's getting worse - there's an undercurrent of rancid mop water. Far drydown: softly sweet. It's okay but nothing special. Gross with my skin chemistry.

I'm hopeful after reading other reviews: On, wet: Pine-Sol. Near drydown: Pine-Sol. Far drydown: Guess what? Yep, it didn't change at all, except to weaken. I wanted lots of patchouli with a little Juniper. On me, the patchouli is nowhere to be found. Sigh.

For the 5 minutes it lasted, it seemed pleasant enough. Sigh.

First on - lovely, the lilac and violet meld beautifully. Middle drydown - a little generic, but still nice. Far drydown - methinks I have a problem with tuberose. A strong, sickeningly-sweet aquatic note has overwhelmed the rest.

Strong salt air and roses - don't know if I like it yet. Later on - well, crap, someone stuck the salty roses in a bucket of rancid mop water.

Wow, too masculine even for me, and I looooove masculine-smelling scents. I betcha this would smell great on a guy.

I like this very much, probably because it smells somewhat like my beloved Dee. It's not as sweet, nor as complex. This seems apt, as the image it's meant to convey isn't as complex. I don't get the leather or parchment notes, so it's mostly dusty wood and a hint of something high and sharp. Yep, much more like an elegant cathedral than a small church in the woods. A big bottle is in my future.

Aptly named. Barely a whiff of freshness when first applied - oddly, when dry, the smell is a little stronger, but not much - just a hint of freshness. Pleasant, but too light to leave much of an impression.

On, wet: Yummy - smells so fresh, but a hint of something grounded underneath - can't wait to see how it develops. Uh, that's it - faded to nothing in 20 minutes.

I'm in love. It makes no sense, but I get a soft, sweet leather from this. Bottle-worthy.

Mal is the operative word in the title. This is so incredibly nasty on me - I've had good luck with rose and lilac before - perhaps I can't do wisteria? On, wet, it's a dead ringer for White Shoulders, a perfume I liked for about 5 minutes in my youth until I realized how sweet it was. Near drydown is very bad - it smells like someone boiled herbs in a pot of water, then left it on the stove for days and the concoction turned rancid. Far drydown - a powdery note comes in - it's not as offensive, but I still get a whiff of the evil underneath. A big no.

Yes, ginger is magic! I used to get carsick just staring out the window - now I can read all day long in the car if I take ginger about every 90 minutes.

Once again, Beth works her magic. The rose and cinnamon turn into some sort of alchemical blend that is gorgeous. The drydown brings out the cinnamon a bit more, and is even better, if possible. This fades so quickly, though. I guess I'll have to buy a big bottle and slather, 'cause I LOVE smelling like a harlot!

Picture a car with leather interior sitting in the sun - the car door is opened and a fresh breeze floats atop the scent of warm leather - this is Saint-Germain on me and I frickin' love it. Unfortunately, it fades quickly, but I'm willing to buy a bottle and slather.

First on: Pine, mostly, but just enough Jupiter to take the edge off - which has the unfortunate consequence of making the scent smell like Pine-Sol instead of fresh, clean, invigorating pine. Near drydown - pine+juniper+musk+my skin chemistry=vetiver. This is not a good thing. Far drydown - nice. Spicy, powdery, musk. Unfortunately, it faded to nothing quite quickly. So, that's a no.

My boss told me that when I wear Tintagel, I smell like Christmas.

Nostalgia encapsulated. A soft, wistful blend of dry flowers, aged linens, and the faint breath of long-faded perfumes. On, wet, and near drydown - intriguing, but something acrid underneath that turns my stomach. Far drydown - so glad I waited this out. Smoky vanilla yum. Bottle-worthy.

Sweet lilac to the nth degree - way too sweet for me.

On me, the cedar and lavender are super-strong, when what I wanted was the vanilla, musk, and leather. Heavy sighs.

In imp, and on, wet: Roses with a hint of citrus. Near drydown: Roses and a vegetable garden. Unfortunately, the vegetables have been left on the vine too long and are starting to rot. Is this the moss notes? If so, it doesn't look like moss and I will be best friends. It was quite strong in the first 2 stages, and I was interestedly waiting to see what happened in the far drydown, but it suddenly disappeared. Not for me.