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I got this as a frimp from the generous shelldoo. In the imp: Clean smelling On Skin: There is a touch of powderyness but mostly clean smelling lemon. On Drydown: Amber. It's musky and somewhat masculine. It's so warm. Verdict: It starts out fresh and powdery and ends up masculine and musky. Very pretty and I love the concept but this one isn't for me.

This is one of the scents that I haven't been interested in trying but since I was frimped, I figured what not. Bias: Lotus turns sickly sweet on me and smells like bubblegum. In the imp: Minty On Skin: Bubblegum mint! On Drydown: Less bubblegum, less mint, more gin (from the juniper) Verdict: SO not me. This doesn't work with my skin chemistry at all. But it does confirm that lotus is not my friend.

I think this is good... if your newbie hasn't experienced ALL that BPAL can be. I've got one that has very distinct tastes, so I'm going to check out the foody/spicy recommendations.

In the imp: Piney On Skin: Green and with a certain warmth to it On Drydown: Green, kinda salty... it's like a plant that has been left in the sun (all warm and green) Verdict: I don't get a distinctive note from this... but it does strike me as more masculine than not. The husband says it's pretty but I'm not feeling the love. I would definitely recommend this one for a guy that wants an aquatic.

In the imp: Rose varnish On Skin: ROSE BOOM! Drydown: Even more roses. Verdict: This is a great rose blend... at least on me. It's pretty and fragrant. I wish I loved roses because then I would love this. Unfortunately, rose-biased as I am, this is not for me.

In the imp: Varnish On Skin: Very green lily, with a almost coconutty warmth underneath Drydown: Soapy, clean floral Verdict: This is a very lily and clean floral, but alas! It reminds me to Ivory soap. Off to swappage.

In the imp: Herbal and floral On Skin: Kinda piney-floral and still an edge of floral Drydown: Herbally floral. Verdict: I can't distinguish any particular note but the overall smell reminds me to Burt Bee's Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Clean Cream Cleanser. Which is a nice smell, but not necessarily something I want to smell like all day.

In the imp: Plumeria and sweet cherry/fruity floral On Skin: Same juicy floral fruity, the plumeria is the strongest note though. On Drydown: The plumeria is very dominant but I get hints of the lemon verbena and ginger now Verdict: This reminds me to a better version of the Bath and Body Works 'plumeria' smell. I suppose it is because the plumeria is so damn predominant on my skin. *Sigh* Off to swaps this is.

Candy Butcher.... And perhaps Midnight on the Midway? I think that's the sugary one...

In the imp: Varnish On Skin: Lemony plastic On Drydown: Sharp pungent floral, with a citrus edge. Verdict: Not for me. I thin the violet is what gives it such sharpness.

In the imp: Cologne On Skin: Leather, wood. The way I would expect a classy, high-powered office to smell like. Drydown: It goes very very faint on me and returns as a cologne. Verdict: Yes, it does make me think of rich, hoity-toity Manhattan. Very well done.

In the imp: Cinnamony On Skin: Very faint cinnamon, sweet On Drydown: I guess it takes a while for the cinnamon to bloom on my skin. It's pretty cinnamony right now and kinda reminds me to cookies. Verdict: I'm surprised and delighted. I like this more than I expected to given the notes and the fact that I'm not really a "spicy" kinda girl. Very pretty.

In the imp: Aquatic floral On Skin: Rhododendron explosion! It's pretty fragrant and with the cool aquatic notes. Drydown: Again, blooming rhododendrons by the river. Verdict: At least, I think what I'm smelling is the rhododendron note. Thats the impression I get when I smell it and it's what popped into my head, as opposed to saying, bellflowers. In any case, it's a blooming floral on a soft aquatic bed. Very pretty.

In the imp: Herbal and mediciney On Skin: Herbal, mentholy and smoky. Fairly woodsy. On Drydown: Smoky patchouli. I smell like a head shop. Verdict: I smell like a hippie. The patchouli is very strong in this scent. Nuts.

In the imp: Floral soap On Skin: Apple blossom? Fresh and clean floral but still soapy. On Drydown: Still soapy but I can smell the lilies. Pretty big throw. Verdict: This smells like soap or a detergent on me. A nice smelling soap and detergent. The hubby seems to like it but I don't quite fancy it as much.

Jewelbug let me try her decant. Hee... In the imp: Chocolately. On Skin: Chocolate and kinda minty. It reminds me to an after dinner mint. On Drydown: It just turns musky and the chocolate goes away. After an hour: The chocolate came back! Woo! And now it's got that hint of vanilla to it. Verdict: I think I need my own decant. There is something in the chocolate that kind of reminds me to the Candy Butcher but CB ended up too floral for my tastes. This on the other hand is quite a smashing hit and caught me completely off guard. I am off to hunt my own decant now.

Jewelbug was kind enough to let me try this from her bottle. In the bottle: Cucumber and florals. It smells fresh and aquatic. On Skin: Aquatic floral On Drydown: Floral and something that has a vegetable like smell and a tiny hint of soapyness. Verdict: BWHAH! This little aquatic creature does not like me at all. It started out to promising but ended up like a scratch and sniff that smells like synthetic pickles according to my husband. While I don't necessarily think it smells pickle-like, we both agree that it doesn't work on my skin. Ah, return to the sea my friend, for you are breaking my heart as you leave.

I got to try this from jewelbug's bottle. Thanks doll! In the bottle: Floral and cheap On Skin: Floral and something that smells like lettuce. Is it the tuberose? Drydown: Chick floral. Verdict: I agree that it's got the same vibe as Stardust and it has that vacuous sort of feel to it, glitzy and seductive and while it's all flash and glam, it seems like the florals lack something to sustain them. It's a pretty thing though.

I got a decant from the loverly jewelbug. Thanks doll! In the imp: citrusy and floral On Skin: Floral and yuzu sweet. Very juicy. On Drydown: Juicy citrusy fruits and something floral and something that kinda reminds me to mango. Verdict: I didn't think I would love this piggy, but I do. It's full of fruity cheer. Lovely!

In the imp: Warm and woody and slightly incensey On Skin: Incensey, with a hint of wood and red wine On Drydown: Incense is still the strongest note, I get sometimes whiffs of wood, ivy and something almost metallic. Verdict: Very true to the concept but I don't think this works for me. It kinda reminds me to Tintagel and I remember that the hubby wasn't too crazy about that one either.

In the imp: Ozone! On Skin: Ozone explosion. It smells almost a little too masculine. On Drydown: After about half an hour the ozone just about vanishes and I'm left with a mildly aquatic floral that has a masculine edge. Verdict: It's like a masculine version of Tempest for me. Pretty but I already know this won't be up the hubby's style.

In the imp: Fruity and floral On Skin: Fruity, very juicy and just slightly floral On Drydown: Fruity floral, but pretty generic. Slightly muskier now. Verdict: It's pretty, clean and generally a pretty juicy. Not strange alien here.

In the imp: Coconut and a caramel varnish. On Skin: Coconut lime cookies! This is what I had hoped Mr. Nancy to smell like On Drydown: Slightly creamy, with a hint of cinnamon, the lime and coconut aren't as predominant. Verdict: Pretty and gooey. Very foody. I'm glad I got to try this but I'm not sure that this is my cup of tea.

In the vial: Ylang ylang On Skin: Ylang ylang with a hint of lilies On Drydown: I get ylang ylang, a tinge of lemon and some jasmine. Verdict: Okay, maybe I don't love ylang ylang after all. This is very very ylang ylang heavy. It's pretty but it's almost too much for me. Sad.

Not my cup of tea but I love the Dresden files My version of the Dresden Files: Magus, Fenris Wolf, Blood Kiss, Fae, Fallen and Arcana The Black Tower series by Stephen King: Black Tower (duh!), La Belle Dame Sans Merci (for Susannah Dean), Love Me, Eternal, Rose Cross (for the Rose), Spider