whisperstilled

In imp: Surprisingly cologney! Wet: There's the leather, but spiced, not sweet the way I'm used to. Rosewood, I think, with tonka to leaven it. Dry: I do get a hint of parchment as it dries, which serves as a fantastic backdrop, though the leather also drops off a touch. This is a complicated scent, reminiscent of musty old books in a library. It does go a touch powdery on the drydown, which is a strike against it, but still, very interesting.

I don't even need to go all the way through testing with this one. Slightly green vetiver land, with a touch of smoke, but mostly vetiver, which is one of my death die die notes.

In imp: Green, piney and herby but mostly piney to the exclusion of all else. It's nice fresh pine though, not the stale scent of a christmas air freshener. Wet: Pine some more! Maybe a tiny bit of flowers, but not a lot, and it's going powdery. Still no smoke, and no musk. I think the powder must be the amber, which just does not get along with me. Dry: Yep, slightly effervescent powder. Definitely not for me, into the swaps. 1/5

In imp: Interesting! Sweet cocoa and wood, with a touch of herbiness. Very nice so far, reminds me of something that I can't put my finger on, some sense memory just out of reach. Regardless, it's kind of like a plant dusted with cocoa. Wet: Much fainter. The herbiness is sort of astringent and sharp, and now I'm getting that almondy cherry note at the center as well, still with the cocoa around it. I don't know about bamboo, but right now I do get a little wood, definitely cherry, some herbs, and a touch of the cocoa. Dry: I'm digging the way this dries down. It reminds me of Dark Chocolate and Cherry (for all the obvious reasons) but with a lighter cocoa. I still can't put my finger on what this smells like, but it's a pleasant, slightly woody chocolate cherry by the time it dries down, sweet but with that woody/herbal aspect that tempers the sweetness. Interesting and unique! 3/5

I was sent a tested of this by SurrealReality, who is now my hero forever and ever as long as I live. So excited to test! In Imp: Clean, aquatic, earthy and green. Definitely smell the 'earth and heather and islands', and there's certainly a mossiness to it that I really like. Wet: Very mossy, makes me think of christmas - my mom used to decorate around the manger with this moss that had a very particular smell. I also smell the heather. It's got a sort of moor quality to it, like being in a moor full of heather and fog that stops at the edge of an island cliff. Dry: Clean and complex. The mossiness stays strong, and the aquatic aspect is a little salty, like waves crashing on a dark, grey shore. This is one really complex scent, and I'm not at all surprised it was so limited. This kind of green herbal quality isn't even usually my thing and I can't stop huffing my wrist. Truly complex and unique. I've never come across heather in BPAL scents before, but now I will definitely be on the look out, it is my kind of green note. Absolute 5/5, what a beautiful creation it is, much like Neil himself.

I've been wanting this one forever, and got it in a fairy package from SurrealReality. :D Thanks again! In imp: Surprisingly little chocolate! The citrus is there right away, but I smell more orange than cherry. Wet: There's the chocolate, but strangely still serving as a background note - not at all what I expected. The cherry and citrus are light but faint. Drying: Hello chocolate, I missed you so! There's the cocoa I was looking for. Still almost no cherry and some orange. But then it's gone as well, and I'm left with a faint cocoa and cherry/orange citrus. Not the dark dive chocolate scent I was looking for, I'm afraid, and surprisingly faint. 2/5

Another awesome fairy gift from SurrealReality! I was super thrilled to get this, since I have a decant but have never actually tested it due to not wanting to waste it all. I sprayed this on my comfy chair in my room, one of those cheap collegey deals with a black velvet cushion. I sprayed and dove my head in to smell it, mostly succeeding in getting oil all over my glasses, I am such a dork. Grapes and clove cigarettes and latex! This is a good thing. I am very familiar with the smell of clove cigs, and this is so accurate I can actually imagine the person in a black corset to my left, holding one between two fingers as they chat up an artist dressed like a vampire. Very goth, all of it. The latex is really interesting - not plastic, definitely latex. As it dries it gets even nicer, sweet dark wine and clove. The 'artificial fog' note is there as well, tempering everything and making it cooler. It's a combination of scents that scream club, and absolutely capture the concept. I couldn't love it more, this is one I will be using sparingly and only on days when I need a little extra ambience to perk up my mood. Sexy, sweet, complex and dark. 5/5

A gift in my fairy package from the badass SurrealReality on LJ! In Imp: Exactly what I was hoping for. The deliciousness of vanilla and mint, crisp and sweet, with an undertone of chocolate. It smells a lot like mint chocolate chip ice cream, with a real strong cool vanilla kick. Very good. Wet: There is something that I didn't anticipate - musk! I know it's not listed, but there's definitely a muskiness to this that I'm not used to in foodie scents. It's really nice though. Just smelling it make my tongue go cold, like I'm eating ice cream or chewing something with menthol. Drying: As it dries it sweetens but oh no, underneath is a touch of plastic! Dry: As it dries the plastic goes away, and I end up with a musky vanilla-mint with a tiny bit of chocolate and a lot of vanilla. Cool and sweet, it actually tickles my nose a little to smell it. Absolutely lovely. It doesn't quite make it to a perfect score for the plastic-ness, but the ending and beginning are way too delicious. 4/5

Bottle: Whew! LAVENDER TOWN which is exactly what I was afraid of - glad I got a sniffie of this and not a full decant. Wet: Lavender, yep, pretty much straight lavender. I'm searching desperately for some currant or magnolia, but not getting much. Dry: Now the magnolia comes out, and it's quite nice when it does, I just have to get around the lavender giving me a headache first. I wish the scent had less lavender and more everything else, but the 'everything else' does come out a lot more as it dries. Still, nothing I will need to buy more of. It is, however, evocative of the concept - a purple sort of scent, dark enough and miserable enough to match the idea. Not horrible, but not my favorite. 2/5

In imp: What an incrediblye smell. Leathery old books with incense and creamy parchment pages. Absolutely delectable. Wet: Similar to VILF, which I have on my other wrist, but without the muskiness. This is a clean man working with books bound in leather. Dry: Absolutely delicious. The definitive book smell with leather, incense, and what I think is a touch of beeswax. Love love love it! 5/5

In Bottle: Very odd. Orange candy? It smells like something I can't place, but definitely tangy orange. Wet: Still orange candy. I'm finally getting some wine, though, which helps temper the weirdness of the orange, but no blood - dragon's blood though, maybe. I groan. The lab's coppery blood note is delicious, but dragon's blood is not my favorite thing. Dry: As it dries the candy-ness goes away a little. I get some juniper, and the orange becomes less sickening and more of a true orange blossom. I get the tiniest hint of cinnamon, and only a little wine, which is a disappointment since the wine was what I was really looking forward to, as well as the blood. Unfortunately this one is way too fruity for me, not as grounded as I would have liked, though it's significantly better on the drydown. Into the swaps! 2/5

Oh my lord, this is LEATHER. Strong enough for a woman, made for a vampire. MMMM. In the bottle: LEATHER TOWN! Delicious, nutty, sweet leather. I get backing stuff here as well - just the tiniest bit of patchouli, definitely honey sweetening it up. I think I get the eastern florals, but almost nothing else - no ginger, really, except as a hint of spiciness. Wet: Now I'm getting the florals, but interestingly enough only on the throw. When my wrist is up to my nose, it's leather. When I start typing, the florals waft along with the leather. Very interesting. The vanilla is there now, but I'm not getting any clove, really. Dry: This is just as undead-sexy now as it was when I opened the bottle. Killer. Leather, vanilla, florals, but with a real masculine kick from what I assume is probably the balsam. Reminds me of The Illustrated Woman and Crowley, with some Liz thrown in there for good measure. A new favorite leather scent for me - lighter than Liz, so I can wear it in the summer, but with more leather punch than Crowley. Instant classic! 5/5

Oh, The Phoenix, I so wish I had liked you as much as everyone else seems to. I was looking for sea air and gunpowder with snake oil, and instead I got men's cologne. In the bottle: Yup, cologne central. I smell the sea air saltiness but I'm missing the wood somewhere, which I was looking forward to. The sharpness of lime is definitely there, but no snake oil. Wet: Salty, less of the lime, which improves it a little. Still smells like the sort of men's cologne scent I'm not really into, personally. Drying: Better on the drydown, actually. I'm starting to get a little sweetness - maybe the snake oil? Which counteracts the sharpness of the aqautic note and lime. Dry: Dry's down to a soapy sort of men's cologne. I still don't really smell the gunpowder, and the Snake Oil, if it was there, is gone. Definitely not my favorite thing, I'm afraid, it's into the swaps for this one. 2/5.

Rose and lily, what more is there to say? The 'mist' quality gives it a little something extra, but the roses predominate and give it a baby-powder quality I don't like in my florals. Not offensive, not for me.

Edenssixthscent was awesome enough to include a sniffie of this in my Tiki Lounge decant circle order. Thanks so much! In imp: WHOA fruity, pineapple and maybe something else - I'm terrible at picking out fruit, and I'm not a pineapple fan, but here it's really nice. Juicy and strong, the opposite of the final version, which I just finished testing. My main issue with Tiki Princess is the weakness of the scent, but this is sweet and fruity - I just closed the imp to write my impressions down and I'm still smelling it! Wet: Fruity to the point of being medicinal, but not in a bad way, in the way I like, that decadent opium sort of way. Drying: Now it's reminding me of something - margaritas, I think, mostly. Fruity with a little bit of a punch, I'm tempted to say there's something boozy under all that fruit. Dry: Pretty much the same. Fruity and punchy and very, very different from the finished product. I like it! While I never would have gone for it ordinarily, I certainly won't turn down a decant if it flies my way.

In imp: Now this is one nice scent. Creamy coconut and flowers, mmmm, exactly what I was hoping for! Wet: Faint and delicate, much like Snow White, which I will agree with the consensus on - Snow White and milky coconut. Reminds me of Obatala at this stage, with the same faintly aquatic-coconut mix. Drying: There's the flowers! They just jumped in front of coconut to do the can-can in my nose. Or the hula, I guess, more appropriately. Coconut is a background note now, so here's hoping it comes back out. Dry: Flowers and coconut but fading fast, I'm afraid. Unfortunately it's very like Snow White in that respect as well - a lovely scent with almost zero throw and a very quick fade rate. If it had a bit more throw I'd happily rank this one above Obatala and make it my new go-to coconut scent, but unfortunately the weakness of the scent makes it less awesome. Sorry Tiki Princess, you're just a little too much a damsel for me. Still, 3/5.

In the imp: Blackberries and something almost like cologne? Must be the tea. Very strange scent, smells more like perfume than a drink, which is something one generally doesn't get from BPAL's foodie based scents. Not even particularly boozy, either. Wet: Spicy blackberries, blackberries with a kick from the tea. Drying: Pretty much the same, sweet enough, with just a tiny bit of boozy sharpness now that it's finally drying down. Dry: Oh dear, not good. The drydown reminds me of something else from BPAL that I just can't place at the moment, but it fades pretty quickly and I am left with a tiny bit of tea and blackberry brandy, which has a strange, pickled sort of quality. I get almost no rum off of this, but on the final drydown it's no longer offensive, going back to the sweet blackberry I was looking for. Still, not enough to merit a bottle, I don't think. Dry (5 minutes): I must say, this one is growing on me the longer it's on. Give it a chance to get through the unpleasant pickled-tea-weirdness and it sweetens up considerably, to blackberry with a touch of rum. I may or may not still swap this one out, but it's an interesting scent to say the least.

First, I have to say, I love the labels on the imps for the Tiki Lounge! The fact that they come with the art on them is pretty awesome. They're so cute! In the imp: Ginger ale, 100% with that fizzy note BPAL does so well. Smells more like ginger ale than Playing With A Loaded Gun does, to me, since that one was more of a bitter ginger and this is sweeter. Must be the orange. Wet: Really interesting. The ginger comes out strong and almost musky in its spiciness. The orange has been relegated to a background note. Drying: There's the orange again, peeking out over the ginger. Fizzy orange right now, and sweetening as it dries. Dry: The ginger and orange continue to fight for dominance as the strongest note, but it's an excellent combination. Now I know what it smells like! Orangina! It smells EXACTLY like Orangina, just with a touch of ginger to go with it. If you've never tried the fizzy orange deliciousness that is Orangina you should go out of your way to find some. But that is exactly what this scent is - fizzy orange. When it fully dries down I finally get a touch of the rum I was looking for, which grounds the scent a little. All in all it's very summery, not particularly boozy, and fun, clean, and citrusy fizziness. A total pick-me-up scent. I love it! Not sure if I need a bottle of it, but my imp will do nicely. 4/5.

In decant: Chocolate and...kelp! Salty and green and chocolatey. Not quite like anything else I've tried. Wet: Spicy chocolate with some salt to it. The greenness in the background, as well as the incense, make for a really interesting combination. Dry: The chocolate has died down a great deal, but what's left behind is still awesome. Salty and sweet and green. I am definitely going to need a full bottle of this!

Wow, way more boozy than I expected! I just got a decant of the original 06 version. In Imp: Apple and unidentifiable booze! No coconut so far. Wet: Warming on my skin, it's apple and less booze and a touch of coconut. Ah, there is the butterscotch! Dry: Now it's all caramel apple with almost no booze left. I still haven't gotten any coconut, which could simply be the age of the decant. It's really lovely and mellow for a foodie scent. Verdict: Surprisingly good, especially due to the booziness in the imp. When it dries, however, it's an awesome, mellow, buttery caramel apple.

A deranged darling, sweet and sociopathic! Clotted vanilla cream, pink pepper, grapefruit, blood lily, red ginger, English pear, and lemon-squeezed candyfloss! I had high hopes for this one and I have not been disappointed! In imp: Spicy grapefruit and cake. A little citrus, but mostly floury, spongy wet cake. Wet: It's sweet! It's fruity! It smells like smoky citrus incense birthday cake! Dry: Reminds me of Birth Rite from Villainess but moister and with grapefruit. The pink pepper starts to come out and is what's giving it that smoky spicyness. The lily is sort of kind of there, but barely. Dry after 5 minutes: Pink pepper has taken the foreground, but with that same background of smoky citrus cake. Creamy cake on fire! A unique, awesome blend-the closest comparison I can think of is Playing With a Loaded Gun. This one should make some impressions this summer.

One heavy scent! I'll have to try it to decide whether or not it's for me. In Imp: Sweet patchouli and red musk, highly reminiscent of Mme. Moriarty without so much bitterness. Wet: Red Musk! PATCHOULI. I amp patchouli like crazy and it's not my favorite thing, so let's give it some time. Dry: Less patchouli, more red musk and a touch of the orchid I love, but not enough. PATCHOULI STARRING PATCHOULI WITH GUEST STAR PATCHOULI. This one won't work on me for the same reason Marianne doesn't: I amp patchouli like crazy, and all else is lost. 2/5. Not offensive, but definitely not for me.

Dorian V3 is more like what I wanted Dorian to be when it was raved about to me--plus coconut, one of my favorite notes! In imp: Identifiably Dorian, plus sugary coconut. The hint of cologne in the background darkens it and keeps the tea and coconut from making it foody. Wet: Coconut with a little tea and just a smidge of cologne. Dry: A well blended combination of everything that makes Dorian Dorian, with more tea than I'm used to. Perfection!

As many people before me have said, Mlle. Lilith is a much more wearable (at least for me) version of Mme. Moriarty. It is, as they say, pinker, fruitier, and lighter. It's a great summery type scent, and the patchouli, which I usually amp insanely, manages to not take center stage, for which I am grateful. In imp: Incense, the pink musk I recognize from Loli.Goth, and orange. Maybe with a touch of pomegranate, and patchouli as a grounding backdrop. Wet: Finally smelling some coconut on top of the other elements listed. Dry: Very coconut! Which is awesome, as far as I am concerned. Coconut with incense and fruits and no patchouli at this stage. I'm not a big fan of patchouli, so that's just perfect as far as I'm concerned! Verdict: Love it. Sexy and light enough for summer. 4/5.

One perfume I would recommend is Feast of the Greatly Revered Ones. It smells just like mexican hot chocolate to me, one of my favorite drinks in this world. Other than that, Gluttony is a great boozy chocolatey mess, and Hellcat is buttery and rummy. Gennivre, L'Artiste Du Diable, smells like sugary peppermint tea. The new Gothabilly smells just like cherry liqeur and vanilla-yum! (Can you tell I'm into booze and chocolate scents? ) As far as I'm concerned, however, the creme de la creme of foodie scents is Pancake Breakfast, which smells more like butter, pancakes, and boysenberry syrup than should be real. When I'm down, I put a little on and revel in the smell, which is so real it seems like it should have a calorie count.