pandorasmuse

In the decant: I smell all three elements. When I was in high school, my now-husband bought me a rose candle when he visited Fragonard in France. This smells very much like that candle. Wet: Rose dominates. Drydown: As it begins to dry, the notes all balance out, and that wonderful Fragonard candle fragrance returns. Very pleasant, and it evokes many happy memories for me. Later: More Fragonard! Lovely rose with a bit of syrupy lychee and a bit of a bite from the citrus. This is nicely balanced and absolutely fantastic. Bottle!

A paean to all the Wicked Queens, Evil Stepmothers, and other misunderstood villainesses throughout history and lore. Lends an aura of majesty, refinement, strength, and a deep, brooding malice. A sophisticated, womanly scent: rich myrrh and jasmine draped in the subtlest rose. In the imp: Mostly myrrh, with the flowers waiting in the wings. Wet: Still getting myrrh more than anything else, with the faintest touch of sweetness. If I move my wrist farther away, I get roses. Drydown: Musty roses. I’m not getting much of the jasmine. This sort of reminds me of the “rose” page in a scratch n sniff book I had when I was a kid. Later: This is too bitter on me.

In the imp: Blossoms and bug spray? Wet: THERE WE GO. Peaches! Much better. Drydown: Peach and woods. I don’t smell the vanilla right off, but I feel it in the back of my nose. Later: Feminine and innocent, but her motives aren't so pure-- as I wear Belle Vinu, she turns back into bug spray. Sad! Off to swaps.

Wow. It looks clear in the vial! In the decant: Musky tangerine. Neither one seems dominant. I don’t think I’m getting any cypress. Wet: TANGERINE and soft musk. Drydown: Mmmm. Balanced and nice. Later: Beautiful. I really like this one! It’s citrusy without being sharp. It’s almost creamy. The muskiness gives it a bit of sophistication. Mr. Muse says I smell a little like orange Milano cookies when I wear it.

In the decant: Tea and lavender are the standouts. Wet: TEA! And also musk, with flowers at the finish. Drydown: As it dries, it becomes lilac & gentle tea. Later: This is going to be awesome when the weather gets warmer. Unfotunately, my skin eats it and it’s gone in about 2 hours.

In the imp: Figs drizzled with honey, with patchouli to ground the scent. Wet: SuperFig! Fig everywhere. I don’t smell anything else. Drydown: Nice. Fig and honey and a bit of flowers. Later: Ehhh. The honey is turning a little sickly.

In the bottle: Sweet candy and flowers. It smells like an exotic fruit orchard! I smell a bit of dragon’s blood, which makes me wary. I recently discovered that I do not like dragon’s blood. Wet: Quince and tangerine at first, then lots of lychee and a little narcissus. Drydown: Muted fruit, stronger florals, and grounding elements like resin, cypress, and bamboo. Later: Uh-oh. Here comes dragon’s blood. It takes over everything else, and it’s sickly on me. Swaps.

In the decant: Fruity flowers, with a bit of a snap at the end. Wet: Warm and sexy. Drydown: It opens with peach, which then runs into the amber, ending with a bit of citrus. I think that’s the snap I smelled in the imp. My husband thinks it smells like potpourri. He may be somewhat correct. Later: Warm ambery citrus. I think I like it. It fades rather quickly, though. I may or may not get a bottle. Thank goodness I have a little time to decide.

In the decant: Honey and vanilla with a boozy undercurrent. Wet: Spiced fruit and vanilla. Drydown: As it dries, I get more of the cognac and tobacco. The vanilla is most dominant for me. I smell the barest hint of the mandarin at the very end. Later: Sweet tobacco and vanilla. When I wore this for a day, it stayed bright, golden, warm, and happy all day. It’s sexy, but not hit-you-over-the-head-sexy. Definitely bottle-worthy!

This oil is so pale! It’s all but clear. In the decant: Lots of the anise and vanilla. Almost like licorice and cotton candy. Wet: Anise overwhelming everything. Whoa! Drydown: Overwhelmingly licorice-y. Later: Nothing but licorice. It’s really too bad. I was looking forward to vanilla and cherry blossom. It’s more or less a one note scent on me, and it’s one I’m not super-crazy about.

I am afraid this will be too strong for me. But I remain hopeful. Carmilla is a great story. In the imp: Impressive dark red oil. Ooh. This smells nice. It smells familiar for some reason as well, but I can't quite figure out what it's reminding me of. Wet: Clove and smoke. Drydown: Musk and a touch of clove, with the barest hint of orchid. I can't really pick out the other notes. Sexy! I'm liking it. Later: NOOOOOOOOO! All cloves. Seriously—this is like sticking my nose into a jar of the stuff. I am really sad. It was so pretty right when it dried.

This sounds nice. All things I like, except for possibly gardenia. I haven't really formed an opinion on that note yet. In the imp: Smells like eating cake in a flower garden. Wet: SO MUCH CAKE. Drydown: As it dries, the jasmine comes forward a bit. I like jasmine. I think this will be nice in late spring. Later: Jasmine and cake in more or less equal measure. This is unusual, but I like it.

In the imp: Cherry cough drop-colored oil. I'm getting a lot of salt. It also smells a bit like fruit salad to me. I've never smelled dragon's blood before, so perhaps this is what my nose makes of that note. Wet: It smells a bit like salty cough syrup. Drydown: This reminds me of something from when I was a kid. I'm not sure what, though. It's hiding just around the corner of my memories. Later: I don't like this one. It smells vaguely medicinal, and I don't like the lingering salty effect in the back of my nose.

Meep. Moss. I grow wary. But, nothing ventured, etc. etc. In the imp: Yep, I definitely smell the moss in there. I the florals, but I have no idea what's what. I also smell the aquatic edge, which is good--aquatics are good to me! Wet: At least one reviewer has mentioned that this smells masculine. I agree. Ugh. Not a fan. Drydown: More floral-y, but not scarily so. The moss is backing off (thank goodness). Later: I like this, surprisingly. It settles down nicely. Maybe Spanish most isn't as deathly on me as other kinds. It's not very strong, though. I'll have to apply more than once a day, I suppose.

Decant of bottle MCCLVII. (1957? Can that be right? There were this many?) I hope I can pick notes out without help! In the imp: ...Aqua Velva? Seriously. My dad wears this. This decant smells like my dad. Wet: Daisies and vodka. Extremely astringent. Drydown: Daisies and something that makes my nose wrinkle. The daisy part is nice. It burns a little bit, but that might just be my imagination. It's smelling more and more like a massive spill in the liquor cabinet. And varnish, or perhaps nail polish remover. And dish soap. This is making me kind of ill. I have to wash it off. This is horrible on me.

I like foody scents! I hope this one works, but at the same time I kinda hope it won't--what are the chances of finding more if it's great?! In the imp: Coconuts and frosting! Wet: Delicious coconut shavings on delicious moist cake. Drydown: Cassia and cocoa come out to olay. It smells a little less spot-on cake, Later: This settles down to be light and tasty. Crap. I was afraid of this. It totally works.

Received from salixnoir's decant circle. In the imp: The oil is a pretty amber color. It smells tasty and plummy. I'm getting a hint of muskiness, but most of what I smell are the sweets. Wet: Musky plums. And candy! My wrist smells like a candy dish! Drydown: Candy dish and musk. A little root beer? Later: It smells like something I can't quite taste. It's similar to SweeTarts, but that's not it, exactly. Eventually most of the candy fades into musky deliciousness. Mmmm. The first time I WORE wore it, I got some wet on my clothes, and I smelled like grape lollipops. If I am patient and let it dry, I smell so delicious. I will probably get a bottle of this.

In the imp: Butter cookies. Or perhaps sweet buttery pie crust. I might smell tea rose, but I'm uncertain. Wet: There's the rose and sandalwood! The buttery notes I smelled in the decant have pretty much disappeared. It smells like a completely different scent now. Drydown: I'm not smelling any pumpkin at all. It's all rose and sandalwood, with a smidgen of butter. Later: Sweet buttery roses. Very nice! I've worn this several times since I first reviewed it, and I love it more and more.

In the imp: Gentle soap, a bit of cotton. Very clean and light. Wet: DISH SOAP. Nothing but. Drydown: Dish soap and dryer sheets. Clean, yes, but it smells like chores! Later: It smells better after it's been on skin for a while. Floral, but not aggressively so. Eh. It smells quite nice after it dries, but it's still pretty soapy. I don't think I'll be keeping this one. It's nice soap, but it's soap. And dryer sheets. I'd love for my laundry to always smell this good!

Received from salixnoir's decant circle. In the imp: The oil is a brown shade with a slightly orange tinge. It smells kind of musky--perhaps from the tea? Or cloves. Or cedarwood, for that matter. Not as sweet-smelling as expected. Wet: My, you're a brassy one, Hilma! Very woody. I kinda smell like a cedar chest. I'm hoping some of the flowers come out when it dries. Drydown: Hi, jasmine! Where have you been hiding? The cedar's still there, and the clove, but it's not as predominant as it was. A little sweetness is peeking through. Later: Very assertive and woody. I'm still not sure what I think, even after testing twice. It's certainly different than anything I would usually wear.

I loved Katrina in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow. Not so much in the Disney version (but the "Katrina" song always gets stuck in my head!) In the imp: Sweet, delicious cream! Like a whipped cream dessert. Wet: Beautiful rose. Just beautiful. Drydown: As it dries, the cream comes forward. Perfectly balanced rose and cream. Later: Sweet creamy rose that just LINGERS... and breathes gently into the surrounding air. This is so beautiful. I don't know what else to say.

I'm very very excited. I didn't think I was going to try any 2009 Yules, as I only got into BPAL in December of '09. Plus, this has DAFFODILS in it--my favorite flower! In the imp: The oil is very pale yellow. It smells like delicate florals with crisped minty, frosty edges. I really am thinking of flowerbeds after a frost. Wet: More light florals with a hint of minty sweetness, almost like candy. It's very pleasant, a nice winter floral smell. I only smell the barest hint of daffodil. I think the ylang ylang is dominating. Which certainly isn't bad! This is a pretty scent. Drydown: Retreat! Everything retreats. The flowers are somewhat diminished, and the frosty mint has smoothed out its edges. Later: A bit generic. Pretty, but nothing too special on me. I'll keep searching for that perfect daffodil... EDIT: Snow Maiden, I apologize for calling you "nothing too special." I love daffodils, so I wore the decant a few times even though I wasn't super-impressed with the initial test, and I fell in love. Thank goodness I changed my mind before it was too late to order a bottle. Snow Maiden, I love you.

Goat's milk? I am a little nervous. This might be awful on me. I'm really not sure. In the imp: The oil is pale yellow. First sniff, and whoa! Eggs! Lots of eggs. Then comes the coffee and a bit of nutmeg. This actually does smell drinkable, if a bit... STRONG because of the goat's milk. Wet: Spiced coffee! Yum. I'm surprised I like this. Drydown: Coffee and ice cream, perhaps with a bit of cake. Later: Coffee cake! This is tasty. Mr. Muse likes it, too. It smells almost TOO real right when it first dries. I've been a diabetic since I was 6, and it kinda evokes sickly memories of eating too much cake at Christmas parties and feeling awful afterwards! I might keep the decant, but seriously, smelling this is making me thirsty like whoa. I've liked other foody sweet scents, but this is SO MUCH SUGAR.

Received from a forumite. In the imp: It smells very warm, with a touch of sweetness from the flowers. The sweetness is lingering in my nose, too. Very pretty, and very promising! Wet: Sweet, sweet, sweet! With a touch of amber at the end, followed by something that smells a little citrussy. The initial sweetness isn't foody at all. It's more like blooms at their peak. Drydown: Most of the sweetness fades, leaving the amber and patchouli touched with a hint of florals. It reminds me of Charlie, which is the only perfume my mom wears. I like the way it smells, but I'm not sure I want to smell like my mother... Later: It's smelling more and more like Mom. Can't wait for later. Washing off now! This is the most "perfumey" of the blends I've tried so far. Unfortunately, that perfume is Charlie, at least on me. I love Mom, but I'd rather not smell like her. Off to swaps (or maybe Mom will get it as an intro to BPAL!)

Received from a forumite. In the imp: Bright, sunny, and citrusy! Perfect for lawn games. The patchouli keeps it from being too insanely sugary. Wet: I smell the nectarine and roses, with a bit of woodiness. This is pretty. Drydown: Some of the woodiness returns, with a snap of citrus at the end. It's a very happy smell. Not too fruity, not too flowery or woody... just NICE. Later: Very very interesting. Balanced citrus and musks. Just a hint of patchouli. It smells vaguely like an uncut pineapple to me. I'll have to retest, because I'm not 100% positive, but I am seriously considering a bottle of this one. EDIT: Much later: The longer I wear this, the more I like it. I will probably spring for a bottle at some point!