theatrically

This is one of those scents I ordered on a whim and couldn't really picture what I expected it to smell like. In the vial: Much more bright and citrusy than I had anticipated, although it's hard to pick out individual notes besides the grapefruit. Lingering underneath, there's a hint of a smell that's difficult to describe, but reminds me--in a very good way!--of an evening in early fall when it's slightly damp out, fresh air mingled with wet dead leaves. I suppose that might be the tea and leather? Wet, on skin: Very complex, definitely warm but not in a spicy way. A hint of clean laundry. I'm definitely seeing how this could be the scent of a posh hotel bar. Drydown: For a moment I was worried the citrus was going to turn into lemon pledge, but thankfully it doesn't. Getting the tea now, and what I think is the amber? This is very sexy, but not in an overt way--if it were a dress, it wouldn't be something skin-tight and cleavage-y, but rather a designer dress with a classic silhouette, immaculately tailored to the wearer. It smells...well, expensive. I wish it had a bit of a stronger throw, but it's gorgeous. I can't stop smelling my wrist. Overall: Like no perfume I've ever smelled before, but I love, LOVE it. Thinking of purchasing a bottle. 5/5 ETA: As I think about it, this has some interesting similarities to the BPAL varieties I've used as "signature scents" in the past: Croquet and Envy. Both are fresh and citrusy, but a little bit complicated.

I was so excited for this, but am really not feeling it. When I smell it in the vial, the bite of rosemary is pretty strong, but on drydown I'm mostly getting the grape, which is cloyingly sweet on me, and a faint powdery floral. The herbs have died down to pretty much nothing. Damn it. This one will probably go into the swap pile while I keep looking for my holy grail rosemary scent that won't go all weird on me.

I can't quite figure out how I feel about this scent. I'm not getting the grape that everyone else seems to be smelling -- there's definitely a sort of round sweetness to the scent, but it's hard to define what it is. Mostly I'm getting clean soapy florals. Which aren't usually something I'm a fan of, but it's actually quite pleasant. Strong, too -- it amps to high heaven on me! As for any voodoo mojo it might have, I'm not sure yet. Certainly I feel energized, but perhaps a little too much so? If anything, I'm feeling kind of manic. Between that and the throw it seems to have, I might have to reconsider how much I apply next time... ETA: It's getting soapier and soapier as it, and I, calm down. Which is not necessarily bad, just not quite what I'd expected. I feel very...um, clean.

Got this as a freebie in my order. It's nice, because it's definitely not something I'd have chosen on my own (heavy florals and I generally aren't friends). This is a very fresh scent. I'm not getting a lot of the mint or sandalwood, but enough to calm down the flowers somewhat. Luckily, the rose isn't going all crazy on me the way it normally does. After drying it got a little soapy on me, but actually not in a bad way--like I said, it smells very clean. Something I'd love to dab on right after getting out of the bath. I don't think I'll be ordering more, but I'll use up my imp. Glad I tried it!

This one certainly "blooms" on me! Mostly I'm getting jasmine, with a little sharpness underneath. It seems a bit more generic-perfume-y than the other BPAL scents I've tried, but its very wearable and pleasant. It is STRONG, though--I ended up washing some of it off because I felt enveloped in a cloud of flowers--which I didn't mind, but I thought mght be offputting to some of my classmates. I dont know if I'll buy a whole bottle but I'll definitely use the whole imp and might even buy another!

Wet: Green, green, green. Like fresh-cut grass. No sign of the lime or lavender, which is a shame, but this is SO nice. Dry: This is like stepping into a really nice garden. Mostly lush and grassy and herbal, but there's a little bit of sweetness underneath without it being floral (I am not a fan of florals). Incredibly calming and very "me." I spilled a bit of this on my shirt collar when I was putting it on, so it kept wafting up at me and it put me in a good mood all day! Overall: I love this scent. I love it so much I want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant. I am definitely buying a full bottle.

Wet: LEMON. Screaming, bright, cheerful lemon. No sign of much else. Dry: Ooh, this is nice. The lemon has finally calmed down and I'm getting a nice incensey smell. If I try hard I can get the scent of the roses and jasmine. normally rose and I Do Not Get Along in a big way, but this is subtle and sultry rather than being overwhelmingly girly. I put this on right before my shift at work, and it has done wonders for my patience. so far I've managed to stay pleasant with even the most frustrating customers! I may need to get a big bottle of this...

In the imp: Lavender and musk. Not getting the citrus at all, which is a shame, as I love lime. Wet: Smells kind of like bug spray--like that "skin-so-safe" stuff my mom used to make me wear in mosquito season. But not at all in a bad way. Dry: Still a bit bug-spray-y, but nice, summery. My skin usually amps up florals to the nth degree, which is unfortunate since I'm not a fan of them, but I'm not getting any of that here. I don't think I'd buy a bottle but it's not at all unpleasant!

In the imp: Sharp apple-y goodness. Like the first bite of a really juicy Macintosh. Wet: More of the same. Om nom apples nom. Dry: The apple fades pretty quickly on me, sad to say, and the other notes start coming out. It's a sweet smell without being overly floral. Still nice, but I miss the fresh-apple-ness. Need to reapply.