masquedbunny

I loved the way this began--Candy-Cane Land! Peppermint and sugar and mwah! But it faded so quickly on me; it didn't even last through my commute.

Hormones may be throwing off my skin chemistry, but I'm in agreement with the people who say they get soapiness from Dragon's Blood. Bold, semi-spicy soap, but still soap. It has a very powerful throw, too. It's definitely a pleasant and clean smell, but I don't know if that's what I want from a scent called Dragon's Blood. Still, I'd like to try the other Ars Draconis blends to see if I can get them to play better with my skin. I'm going to give this another try in a week or so.

In the imp: Sweet honey and vanilla with a sour overtone. It's almost too sweet, but here we go! Wet on skin: Amping whatever is making this seem sour to me. The vanilla is still there as an afterthought. Drying: The sourness disappears fairly quickly, and actually--there's nothing left besides a faint floral amber that sort of reminds me of tropical florals and wetland. Weird. My skin is devouring this. Dry: Yep. My skin is effectively squashing this one. I can barely smell anything at all unless my wrist is right in my face. Still getting the impression of hibiscus. Hmm. I'll put some behind my ears and see if a bit of my hair won't let it cling a little better ... Oh, yes, this is working much better for me now. The honey, vanilla, and amber definitely get a more even draw with my hair than my skin. Sweet and warm--gorgeous!

In the imp: Golden-yellow colour. It's an odd scent for me--kind of tangy musk. I'm guessing the tang is coming from the currant note. Wet on skin: All honey and black currant. Drying: The musk is coming back, and the black currant lessens. It's very light and stays faintly sweet with the honey. Dry: This is beautiful. It's a light and elusive smoky musk--but, as others have noted, it's a clean scent. Undercurrent of warmth which might be the sandalwood coming out. Throw is minimal--and, sadly, I don't foresee it lasting through the morning, since my skin seems to be devouring the scent. I really like it, and I'm definitely thinking of ordering a bottle before it disappears on Friday; but that'll really depend on its longevity today.

In the imp: Warm and woodsy opium. On wet: Very heavy opium and light floral (the orchid, I suppose). Mmm. It's smoky and kind of makes me think of a fire in summer. Drying: This gets smokier and more resinous as it dries. I'm not sure this is work safe for me. The impression is that I've been spending time in a hookah lounge. Dry: Definitely smokier, but I think the orchid becomes more evident at this stage on me. It's also kind of like ... burned sugar. Very interesting, though I'm not sure if it's a daily sort of scent for me.

In the imp: This is all violet to me and sort of sharp in the vial. Wet on skin: Much as it was in the imp, but the tuberose opens up. Still a bit sharp (I sneezed). Drying: Ooh, it does get deeper and softer. Completely dry: It does go a little powdery on my skin, but still lovely. The very gentle throw I'm getting is mainly tuberose. I think the downside might be it's strength and longevity--but, overall, very nice.

In the imp: To me, this smells like cake frosting. All honey and vanilla, and I think I should be eating this rather than wearing it. Wet on skin: Florals become clearer and sweetness is less foody. Drying: Still mainly olive blossom, honey, and vanilla. I'm not really getting cinnamon from this. The jasmine is becoming more obvious, but so far (knock on wood) it's balanced out by the other notes. Completely dry: My original fear (that I was going to smell like a cake shop all day) has been relieved. It is sweet, but warmly so. The jasmine is continuing to behave itself. There's a slightly green and woodsy note underlying it all that's come out to play--the sandalwood, I'm guessing. Very pretty.

ah! thank you, hackess! this is exactly what I need! I'm still really new to BPAL, but I already feel like what I have is getting away from me... this is incredibly comprehensive. thanks for sharing it with the rest of us! ~ri

In the imp: Juicy grapefruit mainly with underlying florals. Wet on skin: The grapefruit backs off a bit, and it's more generally tart citrus and aquatic florals. Ooh, and the florals have the throw. Drydown: The citrus makes way for frosty florals, but it's still there. Dry, a while later: The florals definitely sharpen on me (which is good, because for a while I was afraid they'd go powdery), and I think the citrus notes help that impression. Not what I expected, but I like it. I can tell, however, that it's not going to last the day; it's fading quite fast. ETA: Tthree hours later, and what was applied to my wrists is now quite faint. However, behind my ears and what ended up in my hair is still fairly strong and a nice even balance of grapefruit and aquatic florals.

In the imp: Appearance is very light and clear yellow. Scent is strong coffee and almost like caramel--like a caramel macchiato. Wet on skin: Still mainly coffee, but the wood note--and yes, what I'd call the dustiness of old books--begins to come out. This is what my school's library would smell like if we were allowed anything more than water beyond the front doors... Drydown: The initial sweet impression of caramel macchiato dissipates and makes way for the dustier scent, but this is still very strong coffee with a bite (probably from something lurking in the hallowed halls...). Now I know what the description is talking about in the sense of "polished oakwood"--because the wood note definitely has a kind of cleanness about it. I think I'm in agreement with some of the other reviews I've read here. I like it a lot, but it seems more like a room scent than a personal scent.

In the bottle: It's wet greenery and and the sharpness of ozone. Definitely more uplifting than moody so far as the evoked emotions go. On wet: Light and a blend of florals and aquatics to begin with ... and a tang in the background--of what, I'm not sure. Ozone, possibly. Drying: Getting the notes of woods and smoke now, though it's still quite gentle. I don't think I've tried any other scents with the smoke note before, but this is lovely. Fully dry: This morphs a lot. The florals have mostly disappeared, and what's left is a dusty, smoky green scent. Beautiful and light. Puts me more in mind of mid-Spring than late Winter; but that's probably due to my locale and recent weather situation (New England and tons of snow, respectively).

This came as a frimp from the lab, and it was on my super long list of things I wanted to try ... kismet! In the imp: This seemed very masculine to me, all dark leather. Wet on skin: The rose note comes out and is very even with the leather note. Still reminding me of some of my guy friends--which isn't a bad impression, because I love how these particular guy friends smell. Drying: It goes a little powdery in the roses on me, though this could be due to this time of the month's skin chemistry. Dry (5 hours later): This is still a fairly even mix of (albeit powdery) roses and leather. And usually when things go powdery, it bothers me, but the juxtaposition really works here. I'm really enjoying this one, and I'm glad the labbies sent to to me. Who knows when I would've gotten 'round to ordering a sample for myself!

In the imp: Primarily lemon verbena and neroli--sweet citrus. Very light on jasmine. I think I'm missing the tea note. Wet on skin: Sharp lemon--somewhere between the candy Lemonheads and dish-soap. Dry on skin: The soapiness backs off, and the jasmine comes back--but not in the usual overpowering way that jasmine has on my skin. For me, this is a nice even blend of the citrus with the jasmine. It does seem to fade fast; though, while it's there, it's fairly strong.

In the imp: Overpowering apple--like APPLE. This smells drinkable (which I didn't actually do, just to be clear). I feel a certain amount of skepticism about this, because I know I'm not fond of shampoo that's scented like non-citrus or not-tropical fruit (apple, berry, etc.). But it's a much richer scent and hints at fascinating morphing possibilities--so I'm game. Wet on skin: It's still very APPLE, but I get definitely the wood notes and something like vegetation. Dry on skin: Hmm, well, my wrists don't smell the same. On my right it's mostly sweet apple and a little mistiness. On my left, the apple has gone, and I'm getting the note of oak and, again, what I'm interpreting as vegetation. I also scented my hair, and that seems to be getting the more even draw in the dry-down, or at least more what I had hoped. Though, writing this two hours after application, I think it might be a fast-fading scent for my skin; what ended up on my scarf and hat seems to be going strong). It's very interesting, but I don't know if I'd reach for it often enough to need a bottle. Probably not.

This seemed appropriate for today. I pass an old graveyard every morning and evening; and, though there's no cloister, it is newly blanketed in snow from yesterday's all-day snowfall. Scented my wrists, collarbone, and hair. In the bottle: Sharp ozone--the first impression is fresh and cold. Wet on skin: Still very sharp and piercing, but also a little sweet and green. Then I catch the frankincense, and there's the reminder of something ancient underneath the cold and damp. Dry on skin: Ozone and frankincense, primarily. But that green scent is still in the background; it's not minty to me, though. It's more like conifers. Ruins in the cold and damp, in a clearing in the woods, this definitely evokes its namesake for me. Not something I'd reach for every day, but it's lovely and suits this weather and my mood. It is really staying strong in my hair.