puck_nc

Since I lived in Spain for a year and visited Madrid, I had to see what Beth had come up with to represent the city. Origin: Purchased on LJ. In the Bottle: Cough syrup! Ew. I can smell the clove after a few persistent sniffs. Wet: I get clove and something sweet and thick, but it doesn't smell like wine. Perhaps it's the mimosa. Drydown: The wine never shows up. It stays medicine-y with lots of clove and that pink-red sweet note. Verdict: Not something that I'd wear, and not a scent I think of when I think Madrid. But I remain curious as to what Beth would do for Sevilla...

This sounded like an interesting possibility, since I love sweet florals. Origin: Swapped for it on LJ. In the Bottle: Nice! Sweet brown lilies. Wet: Hmm...all lily, no sweet. Drydown: The honey creeps back slowly, but it hangs around in the background. Verdict: Not bad, but not me. Into the swap pile.

I adore the smell of rain and had to try this. Origin: Decant bought on LJ. In the Bottle: A light and clear scent, full of ozone and water. Wet: Wow, VERY ozone! Drydown: The ozone hangs around, but the watery elements and a hint of evergreen start to emerge. Verdict: I don't know that I like this on me. I may try it in my oil burner as a room scent.

I wasn't sure about the herbs, but I do love strawberries and decided to give this a try. Origin: Decant bought off LJ. In the Bottle: Mmm! A Strawberry smoothie with a bite! Either the tea or sage isd giving it a sharp green sting. Wet: One of the herbs overwhelms it, sharp and astringent. I can barely smell the strawberry. Drydown: The herbs calm down a bit, but I still have to work very hard to find the berry. Verdict: The strawberries stay too faint on me. This is all herbal and not something I'd choose to wear. Off to the swap pile!

This wasn't a scent I would have tried from the description, but I've always had a soft spot for Lady Bast. Origin: Bought on a whim with some other imps from LJ. In the Bottle: The only thing I can smell is the almond, despite several tries. Wet: Very almond on my skin, and I think the cardamon. Could be the myrrh. I'm not getting anything else. Drydown: And right on schedule, here comes the musk. *sigh* It's not that I don't like musk. I just don't like how it drowns out every other note in the bottle once it meets my skin. Verdict: Swapped.

It's rose. It must be tried. Origin: Part of my very first LJ purchase. In the Bottle: It's an enticing, spicy aroma, roses drunk on a humid summer night. Wet: Hey, where'd the rose go? It's all musk now! Drydown: And this was my first experience with what my skin does to musk. Even the tiniest bit, my skin revs it up until I feel like I'm wearing the cheapest of dime-store colognes. Verdict: This one got sold fast.

As I love eating gingerbread and love the smell of it, I had to give this a try. Origin: decant bought off LJ In the Bottle: Fresh gingerbread!!! Wet: All the spices surge forward to duke it out. I'm getting wafts of clove and cinnamon and nutmeg, one after the other. Drydown: Eventually the ginger wins, with the cinnamon hanging tough. Verdict: I'm not into wearing foody scents, but this is going to smell absolutely wonderful in my oil burner come Christmastime! ETA: I bought a bottle of the 2005 edition, and it seems that this one is a little more bread-like, a little sweeter, with slightly subtler spices. Still the yum, though!

I debated this one when Carnaval Noir came out because of the rose and carnation, but experiments had shown that my chemistry tends to take any hint of musk and ramp it up until it overpowers everything else. So instead I got an imp when the opportunity arose. Origin: LJ sale In the Bottle: All musky and smoky, very little floral. I think maybe I can smell the bergamot just a touch. Wet: ALL incense and musk. I can't find any other notes for several minutes. Drydown: Nope, stays all musk all the time, peppery with the incense, but still 100% musk. Verdict: Betrayed again by my own skin. Off to the swap pile!

If rose is listed in the notes, I must try it. Origin: This was a freebie from the Lab in my very first order. In the Bottle: Odd, for once I can't pick out any particular note. I can usually pick out at least one or two. There's a suggestion of darkness, of blood and malicious intent, but no identifiable scent to my nose. Wet: Dusty dried roses, with spices creating high notes. Drydown: Hmm...now something that smells like lemon is coming out. And I'm getting the soap phenomenon that I've seen othyers complain about when it comes to roses. Thank goodness this doesn't happen to me with my favorite rose scents! Verdict: Not for me. Swapped it was.

Given my love of all things rose, this had to be included in my wish list. Origin: Bought an imp in a lot off eBay. In the Bottle: I get a light, crisp floral that smells almost like violet, though violet isn't one of the components in the description. Wet: Interesting. I'm definitely getting a violet scent, but without that hideous acrid-ness that is normal when violet meets my skin. Perhaps that's the moonflower? Drydown: The rose statrs peeking out, then blooms beautifully. It's clear and not too sweet. Verdict: This is a beautiful scent, a lighter and less demanding rose that my 25&7 or Rose Red. I think I see a bottle of this in my future.

I picked this from the BPAL site because it has rose and vanilla, two notes I love. After falling in total love with Bearded Lady and its florals/jasmine/vanilla, I was hoping that this could be my poor-man's catalog version when my LE supply eventually dries up. Origin: Bought an imp in an LJ sale. In the Bottle: I get a sweetly rich floral with a sting of jasmine. (Doesn't jasmine sting?) This is promising. Wet: Whoa, jasmine! The vanilla has disappeared behind the florals and I can barely smell it. Drydown: Okay, the jasmine fades a lot while the gardenia blooms. Then it all settles down into a nice light floral combo. Verdict: Well, it's not the poor man's Bearded Lady I was hoping for. The notes are too high and light and there's none of the rich complexity that I adore in Bearded Lady. It's a pretty nice floral on its own, but I already have many floral BPALs that I love. This is off to the swaps.

Origin: Bought a decant off someone's LJ sale In the Bottle: Sweet, tangy, almost sour. It smells tantalizingly familiar. Wet: Icy notes come out, melding with that sweet scent that I just can't place. Once I look at the description, I know I'll be smacking myself on the forehead. Drydown: *pout* The icy is leaving! Now all I'm getting is cloying fruit...like gum or punch or something. The icy was what made it interesting! Verdict: (looks at description) Oh, that was plum! Okay, yes, the plum jelly my mom used to buy from a roadside stand. If only the icy cool notes didn't run for cover within minutes...think I'll be swapping or selling this.

Nabbed a decant of this off LJ. Anything with that many floral notes went onto my wish list. In the bottle: A rush of sweet florals, very rosy, with a cool element behind it all. Wet: The orchid or lutus, I'm not sure which, emerges for a few minutes, but all the lovely roses are still blooming. Drydown: Light, sweet, fresh flowers, without being too sweet. Not much throw at all, which is fine for plenty of occasions. Verdict: I like it a lot. Yet another discontinued scent to haunt the forums for...

I adore mint both as a scent and as a flavor, so I've been trying as many of Beth's minty scents as I can find. So far the experience had been disappointing, with the mint blended with things that hate my skin, like violet (Ultraviolet) or not coming out as much as I'd hoped (Frost Moon). I'd been stalking the LJ communities and finally landed a decanted imp. In the bottle: For once, I can clearly pick out everything in the catalog description. I get the blend of mints, especially spearmint. I get the waft of cucumber that softens all the mint with a cool green-ness, and the pepper poking its nose in. Wet: Bright crisp mint. Drydown: The mints soften, but the cucumber and pepper don't really announce themselves again. It's staying pretty true to the wet stage. Verdict: Yay! Minty goodness for my skin! Wah! It's a discontinued scent! *scurries off to check out eBay*

Origin: Bought a decant on LJ In the Bottle: Musk and leather shot with green, I immediately think a man's scent. Wet: Wow, something's surfaced! Tinges of vanilla or maybe sandalwood, but still predominantly musk & leather. Drydown: Unfortunately the sweetness fades and it begins to turn really musty on me. Verdict: I want to see what it will do on my husband. I rather like the in-bottle scent and if it works on his chemistry maybe I can lure him into the cult.

Origin: Swapped for a decanted imp on LJ In the bottle: I can smell sweetness, I think honey and maybe coconut just holding the closed imp to my nose! Opening the bottle, I get hit with a lovely creamy aroma laced with the golden honey. Almost like a cake baking in the oven. Wet: Hmm...the creamy and honeyt notes get swallowed up. I'm getting faint whiffs of the coconut and maybe mint, but whatever it is it's not entirely pleasant. It's not the sour milk that a couple of people have mentioned though, not repulsive...just not as yummy as it was in the bottle. Is there ozone in the lunar oils? I'm getting a zing of some sort. Drydown: *sigh* OK, yes, it is sour milk. The mint and sweet can't overcome it. Verdict: Okay, okay I get it...foodie scents do not cooperate on my skin! *pouts*

I included this in an imp pack from the Lab before I realized just how much violet and I tend to disagree. In the bottle: Vanilla flowers, almost candy-sweet Wet: Here comes the acrid stage of the violet, clashing horribly with the vanilla. Drydown: The violet gets through its issues, letting the vanilla and gardenia come forth. Verdict: Well, it's my usual issue with violet, in that I either have to wear it in a scent locket or wait through a nasty stage for the violet to calm down. And in this case the end result leaves the violet and the other notes clashing somewhat to my nose. Going to have to think about this one.

This was a surprise freebie sent to me by a fellow forumite I purchased from. In the bottle: A very light, white floral, with hints of smoke and incense behind the flowers. Wet: The smoky incense comes to the forefront. Drydown: The incense fades, but for me the florals don't really bloom. I can't pick out any of the notes, not even the rose or gardenia. Verdict: On me this is too light and indistinct. Into the swap pile, I think. ADDED 11/30/09: Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: I've been on a gardenia kick lately, and decided this could round out an imp pack. I'm a bit scared of the rose, though, as rose can go icky on me. In the Vial: Ooh, nice! Very gardenia, but a gentle, cool gardenia. Lots and lots of white florals in here. Wet: Not quite so much gardenia. Now I'm getting an impression of hyacinth; I'm not sure which of the listed notes is closest to hyacinth. However, since I love hyacinth, I'm not fussed at all. At the moment it's a restrained, quiet floral blend. Drydown: The gardenia comes back, but doesn't overpower the scent. I still get a crush of lovely, gentle florals with an unearthly tinge. Verdict: I like it! I might need to do some side-by-side testing to see whether I need a bottle, given that I have a LOT of floral blends already. ETA: Spoke too soon. It went to soap on me after about half-an-hour.

Imperial violet softened by wisteria and chrysanthemum, but edged with the regal iciness of delphinium. I ordered an imp of this from the Lab, as I am a big fan of wisteria. In the bottle: blue and purple suggesting nighttime. I get the violet and delphinium first, then the wisteria. Wet: As usual, the violet must do its thing with me and go through a nasty acrid stage. Drydown: Finally the violet calms down and the wisteria comes forth to blend into a softly sweet and dusky floral. Verdict: It doesn't remind me of its namesake, but once the drydown happens this is a lovely scent. I'll definitely use the imp, and pick up more from time to time.

Pele was an impulse imp, taken in a swap when I offered an imp of something I didn't want to someone who had spilled her supply and lost it. I have a hibiscus perfume that I enjoy wearing, so the possibility of a new tropical-flower scent was appealing. In the bottle: Yay! Hibiscus! And other florals and scents that make me think of my spring break on a beach in Mexico. Wet: I think this is the first time I've had a scent stay true to my skin without morphing all over the place. Happy happy joy joy! Drydown: Hey, where are you going, Pele? Stick around! And the weakness is revealed; Pele is a lightweight that vanishes quickly and has next to no throw on me. Verdict: I've tried slathering and the scent locket, but Pele just doesn't like to hang around, which disappoints me greatly as it's such a pretty scent. I'll use up the imp, but I don't think I'll go out of my way to get more unless it's the occasional swap.

This was my first 5ml bottle of BPAL, bought on an eBay auction. Daffodils are a favorite flower of mine and rhododendrons bring back happy memories of my grandparents' home in the Virginia mountains. So I definitely wanted to give this a go. In the bottle: The florals are soft and light and run together sweetly. I think I can pick out the violet, but it's hard to single anything out. Wet: Uh oh...here comes the violet. Anything with a lot of violet turns astringent on me for a while. Wait it out...wait it out... Drydown: The violet takes a while to calm down, but once it does I'm left with a stunningly beautiful floral mix that I keep sniffing and sniffing. Sometimes I can catch the tulip, sometimes the iris, sometimes the daffodil...they keep rotating and changing into a new lineup that has me compulsively bringing my wrist to my nose. Verdict: This one is a winner for me and I'm sorry that it's a LE. I need to experiment a bit with scenting lotion with this, to see if that solves the violet=acrid problem. In the meantime, this works very well in my scent locket!

This was one of the frimps that the ever-wonderful Molly Moon sent me along with the storage box I bought from her. In the bottle: A heavy blend of dark flowers that smelled very rich and exotic (perhaps that was the currants and/or cherries). No wood at all. Wet: Tangy and fruity for a few minutes, then the woods start coming out. Drydown: On me the wood elements are much more prominent, with the fruits fading into the background. An interesting scent, but it doesn't really speak to me.

This was the only one of the Carnaval Noir scents that I thought I'd like based on the description. This was my first bottle purchase from the Lab. In the bottle: dark and richly floral, just hinting at an aftershave I remember my dad wearing when I was a child. I think the vanilla is behind the flowers, organizing and arranging them like the teacher behind the curtain as the kids' overexuberance onstage gets the better of them. Wet: I think it's the jasmine, but something is adding a green tinge to the luscious burgundy and tawny. Port! I'm reminded of the sweet deep flavor of port, without the alcohol! Drydown: The vanilla comes out and takes command of the performance, tamping it down and bringing it all together. Verdict: The husband LOVES it. I love it. I'm going to have to decide when I can wear it besides date nights/evenings out. It feels too luscious for wearing to work at this point. Damn. I'm going to have to buy a couple more bottles of this. Thank goodness CN got extended a month! Brava, Beth!

As a Spanish teacher, I had to try all the Wanderlust scents stemming from Hispanic countries, so I snapped this one up in an LJ purchase. In the bottle: Hmm...kind of sharp, kind of sour on the first pass. Then I start to pick up the spices. But there's something lingering in the background that I find unpleasant...could be the hyssop, could be the epazote. Wet: On my skin it turns sweeter. I can pick out the amber, sage and maybe the tulip. There's a heat to this one that I kind of like. Drydown: Now I'm getting the coriander, some odd note I can't identify (the pear?), and the combination almost smells cinnamon-y. I think it lasts a little longer on me than for some others who have reviewed, but it's still gone within a few hours. Verdict: It's an interesting metamorphosis, but not love at first sniff. For me the green notes clash with the spices rather than blend. To the swap pile!

In an effort to create a pleasing environment during a surprise trip to Yuggoth, we have created a soothing yet stimulating blend of pink pepper, peony, jasmine, mango, kiwi, pomegranate, pineapple, white ginger, serene white tea and light musks. Bon voyage! I grabbed this one on a whim in an LJ sale, even though I tend to favor florals over fruit and wasn't sure about this one. In the bottle: EEEWWWW!!! That smells like catshit! I had to talk myself into putting it on my skin. Whatever the combination of fruit and musk, I didn't like it at all in the imp. Wet: OK, the civet or whatever is toned down and I'm catching whiffs of various fruits, but nothing I can sort out beyond high and sharp. The musk is emerging. Drydown: Eventually it sorts itself out into a light musk with fruity overtones. It's very light and doesn't last for more than a couple of hours on me. Verdict: Not for me. The end result isn't captivating enough for me to go through the whatever that makes it smell bad to me in the bottle and drying down.