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BPAL Madness!

zankoku_zen

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Everything posted by zankoku_zen

  1. zankoku_zen

    Et Lux Fuit

    This one was a straight shot all the way from imp to drydown. It smells like an orange creamsicle on my skin. I find this one cheery, creamy and very uplifting. It is truly a golden scent, like waking up in the morning to soft sunshine on your face and pillow. The only problem is that my skin LITERALLY eats this up. After 15 minutes, I had a really difficult time smelling it. I will definitely be keeping the half-imp I got... but I doubt that I will be trying to hunt down more of it. It was a nice scent, but it just has no throw.
  2. zankoku_zen

    Lick It

    I got a half imp. Thanks TTP! In the imp: Peppermint candy. How did Beth get this in here?!? On Skin: Minty and sugary. Yeah! I'm very excited about this. On Drydown: Still minty and still sugary. Verdict: I smell like a candy cane. I was hoping for a minty sugary combination and it's great. It's cool and wintery and I have been searching for a nice wintery scent. The Lab's snow note ends up tropical on me and pine just lords it over anything else if it's in the scent. But this... this is glorious. The husband approves. Oh so tasty!!!
  3. zankoku_zen

    Feu Follet

    I got this as a sniffie. In the imp: Smells like a rose. On Skin: I get a bit of jasmine to it. But after five minutes, the rose comes out in full swing. On Drydown: Smells like a rose. Verdict: I'm not a huge fan of rose smells. My skin definitely amped up the rose note in this one. I think I'll pass on it.
  4. zankoku_zen

    Peach, Peach Blossom, Apricot, Nectarines

    I think I've tried most of the Peach scents.... and some of the apricot ones. So far, I throw my hat in for Fae. Juicy, spicy peach and a bit floral. Quite nice. My two runner ups would be Aglaea (peach wine) and Tamora (starts out peachy and then changes to a warm floral). I haven't had much luck with the apricot scents, sadly.
  5. zankoku_zen

    Hetairae

    The sublimely beautiful, fiercely independent, impeccably cultured, fascinatingly worldly and witty courtesans of ancient Greece. A seductive and dazzling blend of golden honey, fiery patchouli, sweet fig and clove, and a blushing touch of ylang ylang. In the imp: Honey, fig and clove. On Skin: Honey and fig and something warm. Ten minutes later: The patchouli comes out... uh oh... Drydown: Patchouli overload. I get whiffs of the clove, but that's about it. Verdict: It started so pretty but my skin has a tendency to amp up patchouli. Unfortunately there is nothing in this blend that makes it behave itself. Sad... it started out so pretty...
  6. zankoku_zen

    Megaera

    I should preface this with: I bergamot and grapefruit, so I have high hopes for this scent. In the imp: Grapefruit and bergamot, with a white floral that I smell. On Skin: Grapefruit, with a citrus overtone (from the bergamot). Very pretty. On Drydown: The grapefruit disappears and I get a warm white floral (which I am gonna assume is the orris) with hints of plum. Verdict: This is very pretty. But I feel pretty conflicted. If it had stayed like when I applied it, I would love it very much. The drydown isn't bad... but it's just a white floral like smell. If it had grapefruit in it, I would be overjoyed. But in the grapefruit + white floral category, I much rather slather on Baobhan Sith.
  7. zankoku_zen

    Skuld

    In the imp: Sweet and floral. I smell a whiff of honey. On Skin: It becomes a sweet medicine and after like 10 minutes, it's got this Cokey-soda smell to it. On Drydown: Still sweet. The florals have come out to play but it still has this medicinal/cokey-soda base to it... which I assume is the laudanum. Verdict: Skuld does not love me. I get a medicinal herby feel to it. It's not unpleasant but I'm not sure I want to smell like medicine... no matter how wonderful it smells.
  8. zankoku_zen

    Eclipse

    In the imp: Almond and vanilla. On Skin: Initially, it's very bitter. And then it's cinnamon and almond. Drydown: Still, very almond. It's got a faint vanilla undertone to it. However, my skin eats this up! Verdict: It was almost gone after an hour. Overall, it was an interesting blend. I'm not sure I want to smell like almonds/almond extract, regardless of how tasty it is!
  9. zankoku_zen

    Tamora

    In the imp: Peachy warmness. On Skin: Peach. Smells alot like Fae. On the Drydown: The peach has gone away, and it's incensey with hints of patchouli and vanilla. Very warm and lovely. Verdict: At the beginning, I was a bit disappointed because it was very much like Fae but the drydown is completely different, more of a warm incensey with vanilla and peach whiffs. I really like this. Really.
  10. zankoku_zen

    Lurid

    Shocking, horrific, fierce, savage, sensationalized, luminous and hazy: black currant, Bulgarian lavender and white musk with a dollop of thick resin and a voltaic charge of ozone notes. In the imp: blackcurrant, resin and ozoney mix. On Skin: The resin is the most prominent, with strong whiffs of ozone. There is a sharp edge to it that I think comes from the lavender, and a warmth that comes from the black currant. There is something kinda masculine about this right now. On Drydown: I can smell the fruityness of the black currant, but it's not overwhelming. The resin and ozone are still there. After two hours: This has faded gently into my skin, a sort of musky warmth. Verdict: I really like this. It isn't in your face, like I thought it would be and it's not as fruity berry as some of the other ones I've tried which end up being too sweet. I really am enjoying this one, especially in the drydown.
  11. zankoku_zen

    Eve

    In the imp: Rosey smell On Skin: Still rosey. On Drydown: I get hints of the apple blossom, and the rose is much sweeter. I think the apple blossom and the ylang ylang keep the rose from dominating everything entirely... but it's still pretty rose-heavy. If I sniff long and hard, I get a whiff of something "green". Verdict: It's a pretty scent and while I'm not a rose-fanatic, this is a light rose to be enjoyed. There is something very feminine about this without being overtly sexual.
  12. zankoku_zen

    Drink Me

    Sniffie from Lanet. Thanks doll! In the imp: Toffee and baked goods On Skin: Pineapple upside down cake. Drydown: Gingerbread. After an hour, hint of toast. After a few hours, it just smells like baked goods. The boy sniffed and said it smelled more like a Yankee Candle... Verdict: I throughly enjoyed this imp. Mainly because of the morphing reasons. Beth is a genius to get so many different smells into one little vial of perfume. I wouldn't really wear this, since it's not really appealing to me but I was vastly amused and throughly pleased that I got to try this scent. I really am amused by it.
  13. zankoku_zen

    Scent for Halloween?

    My husband and I are doing the cutesy couple thing of dressing up in matchy costumes. He's Evil and I'm Good. I'm definitely wearing Sea of Glass. I might slather him in O.
  14. zankoku_zen

    Love in the Asylum

    In the imp: Roses and olives?!?!? On Skin: Roses, florals... and that weird olive smell. You know, like green olives and pimento that come in a jar? Yeah... that olive like smell. On Drydown: Thankfully, the olive smell goes away after a while. I was left with basically a rosey-floral smell. After like about three hours, I get more of a whiff of the carnation but not much. Verdict: This is a soft, rosey floral smell. The beginning is really horrid on my skin but it settles down quite nicely. It's pretty much gone after like four hours though. I was interested in trying this one because of the poem and I'm glad I did. I think I would keep it... if it weren't for the slightly off-putting olive smell for the first twenty-five minutes or so.
  15. zankoku_zen

    Tavern of Hell

    In the imp: Peppery and flowery. On Skin: The peppery smell lingered there for a while before it morphed into a flowery bouquet. I can't smell anything other than the florals and nothing really jumps out at me. On the Boy: Still mostly florals. I can smell some of the booze on him Drydown: Again, mostly floral. On the Boy: There is something woodsy coming up from under the florals, so that they are tempered but it's still has a pretty white floral smell Verdict: I thought this would be more boozey. It's a very complex floral smell but I didn't get any whiskey/absinthe undertones or wood. It just settled into a nice white floral. Nuts The Boy's Opinion: "It smells like Old Spice... and Woman. A small woman.... a thin woman... It smells like Old Spice and white flowers" I don't know why the Boy's opinion cracked me up. But he's used to smelling me being all floral, a number of the BPAL's I own are in the soft floral category and he just thought it smelled like me mixed in with Old Spice. So I think this imp will definitely end up somewhere else...
  16. zankoku_zen

    Numb

    In the imp: Smells just like Johnson's Baby Powder. There's something a bit acrid to it... but I think it's the violet that everyone else has perceived. On Skin: Baby Powder Drydown: Still Baby Powderish. Verdict: It's not unpleasant. It's actually very cheery and crisp and nostalgic. It reminds me of something out of my childhood, like being fresh out of the bath and in freshly pressed clothes. There is something very comforting about this scent but I feel like sniffing all the time.
  17. zankoku_zen

    BPAL Fruit Blends - the many variations

    I have to second the notions of: Hanging Gardens: fruit/fig/honey explosion Creepy Endymion: juicy pear Hollywood Babylon: I like to call it devious cherry. I'll also add Hellion - sweet plum goodness. This one is much harder to get since it's a BPTP exclusive. But you might be able to snag an imp in the swap forums, if the price is right. Blood Countess: juicy plum The Hesperides: spicy apple. Not so much sugar. Just think of baked apple, out of the oven sort of smell Fae: spicy peachy floral Jack: buttery pumpkin Bengal: no fruit... but Chai Tea goodness. And if you're going for straight up sweet... why not try Gluttony?
  18. zankoku_zen

    Thirteen (13)

    In our paean to all the mysteries surrounding this enigmatic number, there are thirteen lucky and unlucky components, including white chocolate, tangerine, currant, mandarin, white tea and iris. In the imp: Chocolatey orange On Skin: I get a faint dusting of chocolate, but other than that it's very orangey and floral. On Drydown: It's an orangey-floral scent. Very warm. I still get whiffs of chocolate. Verdict: I like the chocolate orangey smell but part of me wanted something more fudgey and luscious. It's a lighter, more floral version of Lump of Coal, which I truly adore. It's quite nice though. I should add that I'm not entirely sure of when this 13 imp came from, since it was a gift from a friend has been hoarding her 13 bottles for a bit. Definitely not the reformulation of 10/13/2006.
  19. zankoku_zen

    Velvet

    In the imp: Smells like chocolate. On Skin: Chocolate Graham Cookie? On Drydown: Graham Cookie. Not a bad smell but not one of my favorite. After a few hours, it smells spicier and the cookie smell is gone. I suppose its either the sandalwood or the myrrh or a combination of the both. This stage is quite pleasant but it takes like four hours of smelling like a graham cookie. Verdict: I wanted to like this. I have tried Beth's chocolate scents... but so far only Lump of Coal likes me! It's sad. I guess I'll go back to hoarding LoC and cross my fingers that an inquisition comes back...
  20. zankoku_zen

    Scherezade

    In the imp: Spicy Muskiness. On Skin: It smells very much like a less feral version of Lust, and less rosy than Spellbound. It's spicy and warm. On Drydown: Again, I can't get the comparison to Lust after my head. It's less floral though. Verdict: In general, it's a slightly spicier and more tone down version than Lust. My skin likes red musk so Scherezade and I play well, but I am not bewitched by her. It's a pretty nice scent. Less intense than Lust, less floral than Spellbound and no cherry smell like Hollywood Babylon.
  21. zankoku_zen

    Calliope

    Finally got around to testing this out... Thanks jewelbug! In the imp: Lemony fresh. I get a whiff of lavender. On Skin: It smells alot like verbena, a shap tang of lavender but mostly just citrus goodness. Occasionally, I get the hint of something warmer... After twenty minutes, I smell again and I smell thyme... and roast chicken? After an hour, still get herby chicken goodness.... Odd. After two hours, its settled to a herby smell, with what appears to be a bit of an incense base. Verdict:On wet, and in the imp it's very lovely. Very sharp and clean smelling. Unfortunately, on me Calliope is not a muse inspiration... unless you keep dreaming of roast chicken. It was interesting, but I'm not sure I want to smell like roast chicken all day.
  22. zankoku_zen

    Silk Road

    This is one of jewelbug's favorites and I have to say that I tend to skip scents that don't actually list components. However her love for this scent intrigued me and she sent me an imp. In the Imp: Smells sharp and herby, with a teensy hint of incense. On Skin: I get a very similar experience first on with Silk Road as I do with Voodoo. However, after a few minutes I get floral goodness wafting up to meet my nose. If I inhale deeply, I smell some patchouli. After a few hours: Very faint. Still smells floral and herbaly and slightly spicy. Verdict: It stays very close to my skin. It's a very spicy sort of floral. I have to say it is very interesting. I'm not sure that it's a favorite but it is very nice.
  23. zankoku_zen

    Voodoo

    Another generous imp from jewelbug. Admittedly, this scent isn't what I would wear normally, but I do have a boy in mind when I asked to try it out. In the imp: Smells like Dr. Pepper. On Skin: An herby Coke. It's got a certain sweetness to it but it contrasts with a sharp herbal smell. After a few hours: The coke like comparison lingers, but I get a warmer and muskier feeling from it. It has quite a bit of throw since I put it on close to 10 at night and at 6 AM the next morning, I could still smell it lingering on my skin. Verdict: Usually myrrh and patchouli are amped all the way up, as well as the vanilla in certain blends. On the other hand, I don't know how everything combines so well that you get this manly soda. And yes, to me this scent is very manly. It's comfortingly sexy like a jean jacket. Now, let's see if the boy's chemistry works with this...
  24. zankoku_zen

    Shadow Witch Orchid

    A lovely frimp from ellemir. Thanks love! In the imp: Orchids. One of my aunts has orchids in her house and it smells like them... except stronger. On Skin: When applied, it's very wet and heavy and lush. It smells deeply of orchids in the moist jungle. It's very purple in my mind. After a few minutes, I can smell something sweet and something musky to it. Verdict: It's a bit heavier than what I am used to but I do tend to like florals. I like the fact that it smells so much like an orchid. It's a very sophisticated perfume and I would say more like evening out. It's very seductive and mature and very "come hither".
  25. zankoku_zen

    Hellion

    Another lovely gift from jewelbug... although this one has me confused since she raved about how much she loved this... maybe she is just THAT generous... In the imp: It smells like a plum. Like when you're right up to the skin before you take a bite, and you can smell the plum as you're biting into it... Yup, that's the smell. On Skin: I get some sort of green flower... and then it warms up. After 10 minutes, I still have a tinge of that green flower smell (which may be the narcissus, since in my mind narcissus smells like lotus... whereas lotus turns into bubblegum on my skin) and in the background is this fragrant mix of plum and incense. I don't get so much plum out of this. I do get a warm, spicy, incensey sort of floral. After a while, I can smell the plum again. Verdict: Very interesting. This is a very mature perfume. I'm not sure that its necessarily rabble rousing for me. I feel very sophisticated wearing this perfume though. I don't think I like this as much as jewelbug did...
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