zankoku_zen

Oh man, jasmine, why do you ruin everything? I get some of the lovely musk and cherries that people are talking about, but it's really jasmine that blooms and blooms and blooms on my skin. Nuts.

This blend has the soft, slushy snow note that I love in Ice Queen. In fact, I was reveling in its IQ dupeness for the first half hour. After that, it changes however. It becomes a much grassier scent and the lovely snow goes to the background. In some ways, I feel like this is IQ's little brother. The kind that likes to play outside and likes Spring a little too much to be all wintery all the time. ETA: It's an effervescent sweet pine, but unfortunately, it dries to a floral soap. Now I remember why I didn't hold on to this.

Wow, the components in this blend are usually pretty bad on me, but this is a nice, soft rose blend. The patchouli doesn't smell dirty, the rose isn't overly aggressive and the sandalwood isn't powdery. Huzzah!

This one is myrrh, roses and spices. It's a soft, kinda musky rose blend that stays close to the skin. I can see how people would find this sexy, but I'm not a rose fan.

This one is a cool, crisp refreshing bath oil. I get mainly the lettuce and tea components out of it. It's a nice non-floral, non-foodie alternative. As always, very moisturizing and a little goes a LONG way.

This one has the same metallic note as Bed of Nails and Torture Queen - but it's more delicate and airy. There's a faint musk scent to it - but again, lighter and crisper. On the whole this is a very pleasant metallic blend, and I would use it as a starter for anyone that wanted to try a metallic blend but was too afraid to do so.

Candy! This one smells like a watermelon sugar rush to me. Think of those rock candies on a stick! It's pink, sugary and utterly cavity inducing. Yum.

This one was a plummy scent - but it wasn't creamy, but rather 'green' and with a hint of lime. Interesting, but not for me.

This one is a pearly, delicate floral with soapy tinges. Unfortunately for me, it becomes an almost smoky, soapy floral blend. *sigh*

I was pleasantly surprised with this scent. Usually vetiver is a huge no-no, but this begins as a nice, deep limey resinous scent. The lime backs off as it dries and I get a masculine, resinous blend, with just a hint of smoke and lime. There's an herbal overtone to it. Too masculine for me, but I'm very glad the vetiver behaved itself in this blend!

This one was an intense cherry cough syrup. And then it dried and the almond came out to duke it out with the cherry. And now it's a death match between almond and cherry. Uh. So not a win for me.

Leave it to you to recommend a near-impossible find, my dear! At least it's still DO-able! At least I didn't recommend Pumpkin King! Try Pumpkin II if you feel the Shattered Pumpkin is too leathery.

I remember at the will call I attended a few months ago that Shelldoo had some BPTP stuff at her salon, like room sprays, nail polishes and the like. Does she carry any of the foot scrubs? I've fallen hard for them, and might be making will call at some point... soon.

The orange never stood a chance. This was citrusy vetiver and dirty patchouli ---- which just ended up smelling like citrus dirt with a hint of bacon smoke. Yeah, my skin doesn't do pretty things with vetiver.

I knew this wouldn't work - as it contains two of my biggest scent no-nos (damn this collect 'em all mentality). In any case, it is a coconut and patchouli blend... which just smells like dirty coconut on me. Yeah.

Oh Toad. This is a sweet, dapper cologne, very refined and polished. But there's is something... maybe the smoke in the background? As it dries it gets more of the herbs and motor oil. Ah Toad, you're such a ruffian you.

Definitely mossy! I get dirty moss --- but it's this deep dirt and moss male cologne. The husband didn't like it and said it smelled like Old Spice (I think that's the default male cologne in his mind).

This one was very medicinal - and it makes me sad because I was hoping for the honeyed amber oranges that everyone was talking about. I get a hint of that --- but I think the pine makes it more medicinal. It is still a golden scent but it has a deep green streaks on it.

This one is woods, dirt and a musky animal. It smells like an old fashioned gentleman. The kind that believes in good and leads people into the fray, upfront as a standard bearer. It's the smell of someone that hates meddling, but will take the reins if he feels that people are up to no good.

This one is a sweet, resinous spice blend... with HONEY. Oh, if you weren't so aggressive Honey, I would love you more. The Democrat gets no love from me this time.

Fizzy lemon! At least, that is what it smelled like at the beginning. This bright, effervescent citrus. Now it's like a combination of ginger ale and lemon pledge. Merp.

Not pie per se, but I do find that the Shattered Pumpkin is a nice manly scent (pumpkin + leather). Needle in the Haystack is a nice pumpkin scent without being in-your-face pumpkin. Those are my two recs.

Oh god, I was hoping that the vetiver would behave. Unfortunately, it's bad vetiver and smells like dirty, smoky bacon. So I smell dirty, smoky bacon with a hint of pine. Utter fail for me.

At the beginning, I definitely got the fizzy effervescent scent of champagne (which I'm beginning to think I'm not all that fond of) and just a hint of cocoa. The chocolate does smell like the kind used in Gelt. After about 30 minutes, the champagne drops back and the chocolate takes the forefront. There's a tiny hint of muskiness to it. Very interesting. Not for me, but I'm glad I got to try it out!

Again, this one has the fizzy pop and effervescent quality of champagne when first applied, and at the bottom of it, you can smell something smoky. After about twenty minutes, the effervescence and the smokiness actually makes it smell like hairspray to me. Or more accurately in BPAL terms, Intergalactic or Stardust. After about two hours, I get wispy smoke. ... Definitely one of the stranger BPALs I've ever tried.