zankoku_zen

In the imp: Musky with sharp lavender on top On Skin: The lavender is pretty prominent. I also get some jasmine with a warm musky core On Drydown: It smells positively incensey. The lavender and other florals are gone. It's got this musky incense smell to it. Verdict: Erm... to warm for my tastes. Pretty but not something I would personally wear.

Amorphallus, indeed. A breathtakingly exotic, wild, and grossly erotic spicy gold, purple-black, and burgundy lily. In the imp: Spicy floral On Skin: Spicy, creamy lily On Drydown: GONE! Verdict: WAAAAAAAAAAH! It was so promising, but it just did not stay around for me. It began as this nice, spicy, creamy lily (definitely more of the exotic edge on this one). This isn't the lily that grows in your mother's garden. And then, it just sort of walked out on me. *Sigh*

Caveat: I love Blue Moon, so that probably gives me a bias on this scent In the bottle: Cucumber! I can smell it wafting. As well as something that smells slightly green. On Skin: Slight cucumber and the light green/white floral. On Drydown: Green/white floral. Verdict: This shares some of the same qualities as Blue Moon 2007 but it lacks the depth and complexity of Blue Moon. On the other hand, it also strikes a clear, white moonlit green/white vibe. I like this alot as well.

In the imp: Dusty On Skin: Slightly dusty, musky On Drydown: Musky with a slight masculine tone to it. On him: Dustier and muskier. He says it's an interesting smell but not one he'd personally wear. Verdict: Erm. This is definitely not my kind of scent. On the other hand, it smells much better than the notes would give an indication of. I think this would be really great on the guy with the right skin chemistry. Alas, that is not my husband.

In the imp: Red oil that smells slightly soapy On Skin: Somewhat musky, slightly aquatic On Drydown: Undescript floral that verges on soapy. Verdict: This is a generic sort of smell on me. I'm not crazy about Dragon's Blood in general, so I'm pretty sure that this blend isn't for me.

Frimp from the lab. In the imp: Rose soap On Skin: Damp, fresh cut roses. Wow, I'm not a rose fan but I think this smells gorgeous! On Drydown: I'm surprised at how this hasn't amped up tremendously on my skin. Again, the fresh roses with dew on them and perhaps a tiny little hint of something else. Verdict: I'm not a rose fan and I've tried SEVERAL rose blends. This one however is gorgeous, and I love it, thereby again solidifying the notion that in the BPALworld, even if a scent description doesn't seem like you, it can totally be you. And score another win for the Lab imps.

In the imp: Sandalwoody? On skin: Sandalwoody and fragrant, but barely there. On Drydown: I think the fragrant floral is either jasmine or lavender, or perhaps a combination of both. But again, barely there. Verdict: This reminds me to Namaste. I think I prefer the lemongrass smell in Namaste though. In any case, I know of someone who will appreciate this more than I.

In the imp: Vanilla cake batter On Skin: Vanilla cake batter On Drydown: Vanilla cake batter with a few spices thrown in. I ocasionally get a whiff of something perhaps floral, like if I were in my kitchen and I'd be smelling my neighbor's flowers through the outside window. Verdict: See a trend here? The vanilla amps up to the max, something else throws itself to add some sugaryness and overall, I smell like a cookie. Foody lovers rejoice. And my husband is attempting to gnaw my wrist while trying to get ready. I think he needs breakfast...

Evening Star is what comes to mind. Zorya is a close second. Bat and Bat-Woman from the Salon might also be worth considering.

I suggest Lustration. That was the best lemon scent ever.

This season’s Ridiculous Scent! As creepy as Spooky was spooky, this is the scent of butterscotch-kissed, caramel-smothered red apples spiked with a blast of coconut rum. In the imp: Caramel. On Skin: Caramel explosion! It's the same sweet and heavy caramel that you find in Red Lantern. This time laced with coconuts and a hint of apples. On Drydown: I get more of a meld now. Like a caramel dipped apple with some shaved coconut on top. Verdict: This is an incredibly rich and sweet scent. Alas, foody lover I am not. Besides, I don't like the idea of constantly craving caramel apples and NOT being able to satisfy this craving. ETA: Edited to add Lab description.

In the imp: Clear, fresh and minty On Skin: Snowy. Peaceful. Pretty. On Drydown: I get a touch of pine and whiff of sweet mint. Slightly musky. Verdict: This is very pretty and I like it. Mmm. So good.

In the imp: Husky florals On Skin: Warm, light florals, with a swirl of vanilla. I also get a slight sharp edge to it, which I think is jasmine. On Drydown: Warmer and creamier, but very faint. Verdict: Beatrice all but vanishes on my skin after thirty minutes. It might be pretty but it's impossible for me to tell after the first half hour. Off to swaps.

This was a frimp from the generous raspberryswirlgirl! Thanks luv! In the imp: Plum wine and spices On Skin: Prunes, olive juice and wine. There is also something smoky to this. Drydown: Thankfully the olive like smell disappears. I am left with something that makes me think 'benzoin' so maybe its the tobacco and wine combination. Tobacco in general doesn't seem to agree with me. Verdict: Alas, this does not work at all with my skin. The husband even commented it smelled like craft store potpourri. Sigh.

In the imp: Watery aquatic, smells like juicy candy as well On Skin: Smells like a day at the beach! Like suntan oil on skin after you've been out in the sun for a couple hours and after a couple dips into the ocean. Somewhat salty. On Drydown: This still smells like the beach to me. Verdict: I don't think I'm getting what everyone else is. I was very excited about the lettuce note, but I don't think I can smell it. This is an aquatic - like the beach is aquatic and yet oddly appropriate because it does make me think of sand, sun, the turf and the little crabs that scuttle along the beach. I'm not a huge fan but if any BPAL could enable my little sister (who adores the beach), this would be it.

In the imp: Mentholy... and something that smells like fish cooked in a Chinese restaurant. On Skin: Pine, menthol and fish served in a Chinese take out, upon application. Fortunately, whatever smells fishy disappears after a minute. Huzzah! Drydown: Fragrant pine. I smell like a Christmas Tree. Verdict: Not my cup of tea. The only pine that isn't overwhelming on me is Snow Bunny. I guess that's a sign to stick to SB, despite liking the smell of pine. It's just too much and too fragrant.

I just put Road Opener on because I've been handled a pretty tough question by my boss. Road Opener is definitely pretty. In fact, some of it reminds me to Nivea Cream. It's got this cool, fresh, slightly rosey, slightly perfumey vibe to me. The other BPAL that reminded me to Nivea Cream very strongly was Erato. In fact, I think I might have to find another imp of Erato. I do enjoy the scent of Road Opener but I'm not sure I need more of it. Or perhaps I do!

My work environment is pretty toxic, so I've been hunting down TAL decants of a number of scents for protection and overall, better environment. As a scent, Euphony is clean and bright and slightly powdery. I swabbed some on my throat chakra and around my desk and screen monitor. I haven't burned it in the office yet. Throughout the afternoon and this morning, I've noticed that I'm calmer when I'm around my desk. I've also noticed that people that are agitated come to my desk, take a deep breath, and seem to regain their balance. Perhaps it is because my desk is furthest away from my boss. In any case, I will keep monitoring the situation and see how it works out.

In the imp: Soapy floral On Skin: Cherry blossom, soft fragrant white flowers with a tinge of soapyness. On Drydown: Sweet white florals (the sweetness is definitely the honey peaking through) Verdict: This is very Asian indeed! It's a soft, feminine, comforting sort of white floral. I think it might be a tinge too sweet for me. This has to be my second favorite Asian inspired Salon (first being the Lantern Ghost of Oiwa)

In the imp: Spicier version of Snake Oil On Skin: Vanilla and the cardamom are very prominent. On Drydown: A more vanilla and spicier version of Snake Oil. Verdict: This isn't a huge twist on Snake Oil for me. I'm not a huge fan of Snake Oil to begin with, so I'm not crazy about it.

In the imp: Coconut and caramel On Skin: Caramel and coconut. Very sweet. Very foody. On Drydown: Suntan lotion. Verdict: So. Not. Me. But on the other hand, I hope this gets appreciated by someone else!

I have a decant of Road Opener. I haven't smelled it yet but I'll road test it tomorrow and see if it jogs my BPAL memory.

I have a severely hostile work environment and my boss degrades me and my coworkers on a daily basis.... sometimes, hourly even. I tried this a couple of weeks ago and forgot to post about it. In the imp: Citrusy and spicy On Skin: Citrusy and a mild clove like smell. Warm. Effects: Perhaps, again, a placebo effect but I did feel better. More enlightened. Like a little ray of sunshine. And I think that helped me not let my boss get to me. I'm a very much sun-person. I like the moon. But the lack of sun makes me sad and grumpy. This little liquid is like being able to carry some sun with you, and that for me is very comforting and uplifting. At the same time, it's a different uplifting effect than Anthelion. With Anthelion, you get a reassuring nuzzle on the head. With Radiance of Ra, it's like you get a nimbus around your head, or sun shining on you. Verdict: Powerful stuff.

In the imp: Sharp cologney floral On Skin: Slightly fruity and floral On Drydown: The fruityness is there, I get hints of muskyness. It's very light and airy. Verdict: This is a bat that has been eating some juicy fruit. It's fun, light and playful. Overall, very lovely.

In the imp: Fresh and soapy On Skin: Aquatic, fresh. Kinda reminds me to Irish Spring... but with more ozone. On Drydown: Soapy. Big Throw. Very masculine. Verdict: I love the artwork for Thalassa. Sadly, she doesn't love me. She actually ends up smelling like Head and Shoulder's shampoo fragrance. I like Head and Shoulders... but I'm pretty sure I don't want to smell like it outside the shower.