claudia6913

In the bottle: Holy sweet butter-cream Batman! Heavy on the butter. Wet on skin: Pink! Sweet pink icing! On some type of cake, perhaps sitting next to a bowl of room-temperature butter. Seriously. Butter. Just plain 'ole butter. Maybe dyed pink. Drydown: Um, where'd it go? I see the slightly oily spot on my arm. I know where I put it ... but I sniff and nothing. O.o Dry: Not much point, there's no scent there. Overall: I'm ... surprised. I've only had one other scent completely disappear on me, and I think that was Pain. I don't know really what to do... hmm.

This is for the 2010 version. In the bottle: Sweet spicy goodness. Wet on skin: I think I really prefer fresh Samhain to aged. It's a bit rougher around the edges, but the spices aren't trying to overpower each other yet. They are softer and sort of wafting in and out. Drydown: I was hoping for more apple in this year's version, but while I can smell a bit of it, I'm not getting a lot. Mostly just the spices and a tad bit of smoke. Dry: Not as strong as last year's version, a little different, but without testing side by side, I can't be sure. Will update later for side-test.

In the bottle: This is a sweet aquatic, which seems odd, but smells pretty good. Wet on skin: Still a sweet aquatic. The olive pops out a little bit, as does the moss, but it's mostly just a sweet aquatic. Drydown: You can sort of smell a little of the decaying vegetation around the water, but it's not as gross as it sounds. Of course, I like the smell of compost piles, so I may be a bit weird. Now, I lived in South Carolina, and there was Spanish moss everywhere on every tree and I don't remember it really smelling "pine-ish", but this Spanish moss seems to. Not a lot, but a little. Perhaps New Orleans Spanish moss smells different. Dry: Nice sweet aquatic. For as few notes as are listed, this smells much more in depth. Overall: A nice aquatic, but not sure how often I will be reaching for it, but I'll probably keep it around. After letting this sit overnight, it's still a sweet aquatic - a little too sweet for me.

In the bottle: This is coffee bean single note in the bottle - pre-chopped. Wet on skin: The coffee is beginning to be blended, but it is still strong and in your face. I'm not a coffee lover by any stretch of the imagination, but I am hoping for a nicely blended latte which I think smell good. Drydown: It's like I'm standing in a coffee shop smelling them blend my drink ... slowly. I've now smelled the milk and sugar added. Cinnamon is slowly making its way in. I still don't smell any pumpkin, or anything overly sweet. Dry: Finally the coffee seems to be taking a supporting role. Nutmeg has been added to the mix finally, but again, no pumpkin. Overall: For me, it takes too long for the coffee to calm down. I really am not a coffee lover and even 15-20 minutes of coffee in my face is enough to turn me off. I will let it rest and retest later, but I don't think I'll be hanging on to this for long.

In the bottle: This has almost a potpourri scent, kind of like one with leaves and odd dry flowers. Wet on skin: The sap comes out and I'm kind of afraid because it's a pine sap, and not like maple or some other deciduous tree. I amp conifers (and apparently their sap) to high heaven - so much so it takes over the blend. Hopefully this doesn't happen. Drydown: It's pine sap single note on my skin. There's a little bit of leaves, I think, it's hard to smell around the sap. Dry: A little of the smoke comes out, but it's still mostly pine sap. Overall: I'm going to let this sit and see if the sap calms down a bit. If it doesn't, I might have to part with this blend as even aged pine-like scents overwhelm me.

In the bottle: This reminds me strongly of Cthulhu. A sort of dark aquatic. Wet on skin: This definitely smells like a pond on a cool autumn afternoon with the wind blowing. I'm unfamiliar with most of the notes, so I can't quite pick out which is which. Drydown: The aquatic scent is still the most prominent, but as this starts to dry, it gets deeper and now I can smell more than just the pond and the cool breeze starts blowing the scent of the woods surrounding it. Dry: There almost seems to be a bit of a smoke scent to this, like someone is burning leaves and brush in the distance and the wind is blowing it over the water. Overall: I'm not sure if I like it or not. I prefer Cthulhu as my go-to aquatic scent, but I'm curious how Wild Swans will age. I can sort of smell the potential in this blend. After letting this sit a day, it's gotten a lot rounder and much better. It's like sitting at a fishing pond with the cool autumn air, a small campfire with wood you found burning behind you, the wind blowing over the pond, and just a comfortable soft aquatic scent. I think I like this much more than I did before.

Brisingamen is close =) It looks like that turned to cleaning solution on me when I reviewed an imp back in July. I might track down another imp (since I frimped it away) in case my chemistry has changed since I had my baby. Thanks!

Has anyone found a GC equivalent for Hod? I love the sweet golden scent of this.

I've just found that Rosy Maple (Metamorphosis LE) is very similar to Defututa (GC). Defututa is very sweet, like Rosy Maple, and they are very, very similar to my nose. Defututa is just a bit fuller or rounder than Rosy Maple which is a bit of a lighter, fluttery scent. Rosy Maple notes: Lemon blossom, vanilla bean, huckleberry, sweet pea, rose sugar, acai berry, and candyfloss I don't get any lemon out of this, and not much berry - mostly vanilla, rose sugar, candyfloss, and vanilla. Defututa notes: Olive blossom, honey, smoky vanilla, cinnamon, jasmine, sandalwood, and champaca flower. This is an extremely sweet scent, but the sandalwood grounds it a bit and gives it a rounder scent. I don't get any cinnamon - no spicy scent out of this. The honey sweetens it a lot and the vanilla is delicious.

i belive you can only do that if they have a "cart" set up with paypal, which BPAL does not.

In the imp: This smells like a vanilla skin musk with a hint of greenery. Wet on skin: Still a sweet vanilla skin musk with a bit of something heavier underneath. I think the leather maybe? Drydown: Very warm scent, the amber comes through and is very soft. The leather also seems soft, pliable, and the vanilla swirls around it all. Dry: This is a very soft scent, kind of like Sachs was. It has a tad more throw than Sachs however. Overall this is a sweet light scent that balances all the notes perfectly. Good enough I bought a bottle. =) Bottle impressions: This is much nicer than my decant for some reason - or I'm able to put much more on. Not sure which. However, this is a golden blend, almost as bright as a metal (without smelling metallic - perhaps a golden leather), but with a sweet undertone. The moss and/or clay gives it a bit of a dirty feel, while the orchid sweetens it with a hint of vanilla floral. I love my bottle more than I do my decant.

A lovely fairy sent me a tester of this. Antique Lace is everything I wanted Black Lace to be. Where BL was soft plastic, AL is a soft vanilla floral. Very calming, light, and sweet. However, after about 10 minutes of wear (granted, it was just a small spot) it has almost completely disappeared. Should it ever come back, I'll probably grab a bottle, but it's not something I feel the need to hunt down.

In the bottle: This is all just one big sweet juicy berry with a hint of lemon. Wet on skin: Still a sweet berry, but it has been tempered just a bit. It's being candied now and being topped with a lemon blossom. It's sweet and fun. Drydown: The acai berry and huckleberry are still front and center, surrounded by sugar and lemon blossoms, but the vanilla is way, way in the back, like just a dollop of vanilla. Dry: Thankfully the rose in the rose sugar is not going to baby powder on me. Instead, it's just lending a hint of floral. This stays fairly true - sweet candied berries.

In the imp: It's hard for me to describe because I cannot pick out any one scent, but the blend is nice. Wet on skin: Chamomile comes out, as does a bit of smoke. I expected more of an apple scent to come through. I am getting a "leafy" sort of scent out of it - perhaps the blossoms? Drydown: It's a much softer scent than I thought it would be, but lovely nonetheless. Dry: It's a sort of floral - or more like walking through an orchard while it's in bloom. A little bit of smoke comes out, and I think some gunpowder. Thankfully I didn't get any frankincense (not a scent I like).

In the bottle: Immediately I get a whiff of wet greenery (the bamboo I suppose) and an undercurrent of Snake Oil. I love bamboo so I have high hopes for this scent. Wet on skin: The bamboo blends with the woods and the sweet vanilla from the Snake Oil comes out. Thankfully this isn't going to flat soda on me like fresh Snake Oil does. Drydown: This is taking a while to dry, and is very thin (compared to aged Snake Oil). The ho wood and teak wrap around the bamboo and the black musk seems to dry out the wet green scent of the bamboo. The Snake Oil is still there, attempting to sweeten the blend a bit. Dry: It's lighter than Snake Oil, and a dryer sweet scent with a bit of spice under it all. I really want to see what this turns into after it's had time to age. Fresh I probably won't wear it much, if at all.

In the bottle: I don't know if it's because I've been sniffing my newborn so much lately, or if the oils in the bottle actually smell like a newborn - fresh skin and slightly sour milk. Not unpleasant, just ... weird. Wet on skin: This has a soft white wine scent to it. A little fruity, but still with that undercurrent of slightly sour milk. Not sure what's giving it that turn though. Drydown: It is keeping the soft white wine scent, sweet and a little sour. Thankfully the sour milk note has gone away. Out comes a bit of floral, and I can pick up the honeysuckle - which is awesome. I used to love eating the sap out of them as a kid. Dry: It is a very light feminine scent - sweet and floral. Very girly, which usually isn't my thing, but perhaps when my little girl gets older, it'd be nice to hand this over to her.

This has to be the very first BPAL scent that smells the same on my skin as it does in the bottle. Yummy vanilla slathered sweet pears. It's delicious and comforting, warm and smooth and just oh so wonderful! I'm insanely pleased with this scent and glad I was able to get my hand on a bottle even though it came out before I got into BPAL. I wish the throw was a bit stronger, but I don't mind huffing my wrist for this one. LOL

I finally broke down and got some wand caps. Oh. My. Goodness. As a slather-er, I'm very, very upset that I have not gotten these before now! Ingenious little pieces of glass and plastic. I now have to get enough wand caps for all of my bottles. (And I might have to go and stock up on a few scents since I am now more capable of slathering.) It also makes layering a tad bit easier, IMO.

#505 (bottle received via swap). In the bottle: Smells like a vanilla butterscotch candy. Wet on skin: The butterscotch calms down and I get a fruity sort of scent trying to come through. (I sneezed just prior to testing this bottle and it's not helping lol.) On the dry-down: I'm having a hard time smelling anything at the moment (stupid nose) but I'm still getting a much more creamy butterscotch scent with a sweet fruity type scent. The person I got it from mentioned dragon's blood and I agree. Ether that or a cherry - but it's definitely something red and a little juicy. Dry: This is a creamy cherry vanilla mix with possibly a bit of dragon's blood and another scent that seems to be grounding it, but I can't really pick it out. Overall I like this. It's not heavy, not foodie, but sweet and nice. It does stay close to the skin though.

Frimp from the lab. This is one that I wanted to try, but was so afraid of the citrus notes that I never even thought too much about it. Glad I get to try it now. In the imp I get lots and lots of citrus and fruits. Not bad, but it's definitely in your face. Wet on my skin, the citrus and fruits calm down a lot, and very quickly. It's kind of a fun wacky scent - which makes sense considering. ;p The incense and musk keep it kind of grounded, but you can tell the scent just wants to take off. It's sweet and a bit crazy. I like it much better than I thought I would and will now have to keep an eye out for a bottle. Thanks labbies!

This was a frimp from the lab. In the imp I get a very sharp pine scent. Pine, or any coniferous tree, I seem to amp like crazy. On my skin it's turning to a soapy piney scent. Clean smelling, but like I just washed with a bar of soap ... I forget what brand this reminds me of - it's been forever since I've used bar soap, but it definately smells like a commercial brand bar of pine soap. Yay skin chemistry!

Another frimp from the lab. From the notes, I'm really scared to try this one. Amber is one of those notes that just goes a little ... um, perverted, I suppose, on my skin, and the fact that there are 5 amber's in this ... well, here goes nothing! In the imp it smells like a cleaner of some kind. Not quite pine cleaner, not quite citrus ... but something mixed and in-between those two. I love carnation, and I'm getting just a hint of spice wet on skin, but there is still this cleaning solution over top everything that I can't quite place. It's not horrible - I just don't want to smell like I've been cleaning the bathtub for a few hours. Thankfully, it seems the amber's played nice and didn't end up smelling like an orgy.

This was a frimp from the lab. (From the notes alone, I would not have chosen this for myself.) In the imp it is a very fresh wood scent. Like the saplings you break off and get that green-white inside. And it seems to be staying pretty true to that on the dry down as well. Just a fresh wood, green and maybe just a little juicy. Not bad overall, but not really something I like.

In the bottle: Very sweet and deceptively slinky. I get the honey, maybe a tang of the cinnamon, and bit of a floral. In the bottle, I can see where this is a cousin of O. Wet on skin: The honey is still prominent and wanting the attention all to itself, but it's surrounded by other scents that are clearly willing to fight for it. On the dry-down: I really expected the cinnamon to be a bit stronger in this, and honestly, I was afraid due to the olive blossom it would smell like Extra Virgin Olive Oil. But neither is the case. It's a sweet, slightly spicy, honeyed floral. Dry: This is very feminine to me. I'm not getting much (if any) vanilla or sandalwood. But I do think a bit of the "smoke" from the smokey vanilla is coming out. The honey is almost completely tempered and not fighting for front, instead it's wound it's way to the back to hold up everything else. Sweetly soft and feminine. Hmm ... I'm getting a little bit of a "soap" scent out of this. Not a bad soap, more of an expensive one and so I don't mind so much. But I think it's the jasmine that's the culprit. Overall, I like this blend much better than it's cousin, O - which in the end, smells nothing like it, but it's kind of what I wish O had smelled like on me.

In bottle: I'm getting a sort of creamy, caramelized brown sugar scent with just a bit of the clove. Wet on skin: The brown sugar backs off quite a bit and the clove comes forward, but it's got a sweet edge to it. Someone likened it to clove cigarettes, and I get a bit of that, but like those honey ones, where you lick your lips and get that sweet clove jolt. On the dry-down: Sweet and a little spicy. I'm really not getting any plum, which is sad because I love plum. Dry: This is a sweet clove scent that kind of wafts around. No one thing really seems to be overpowering another. Very nicely blended, warm without being overly so. I realize now after looking up what sassafras smells like that I'm not getting any "root beer" like scent, but more of a sweet woody scent next to the clove. Overall, I really like this scent. It's not overpowering and I think it will age very well. This has some lasting power for sure. I slathered some on late in the day and when I woke up this morning I could still smell it. It was a sweet woody scent that occasionally wafted around me. One more edit: This scent is incredibly layer-able. It gives a sweet clove spice kick to whatever you put with it. So far awesome with Lawn Gnome and my CT: Vanilla.