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BPAL Madness!

Ina Garten Davita

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Everything posted by Ina Garten Davita

  1. Ina Garten Davita

    Seraphim

    First Impression: A sweet floral with the depth of resin for backbone. Second Impression: Lillies, roses and a touch of resin makes for an angelic scent. It's soft, sweet with a quiet strength. All goodness and light with a power hiding somewhere underneath. Final Analysis: Can't stop smelling it, another addictive blend.
  2. Ina Garten Davita

    Scherezade

    First Impression: How I love spicy musk! And this one is going to love me. Second Impression: Warm and sensual and very feminine. It is reminiscent of the single note Sibirian Musk only all woman. Final Analysis: This is such a perfect blend, with enough warmth and sweetness to keep it from being overly musky-sexual. It's got a touch of mystery. A slyly sexy second skin scent.
  3. Ina Garten Davita

    Pronouncing "BPAL" and scent names!

    Hilarious!!!
  4. Ina Garten Davita

    Psyche

    First Impression: God, my nose is so sensitive to lavender it's really giving me the red ass. Second Impression: The lavender lasts but a moment and is replaced by roses and white musk. Another addictive can't stop smelling myself blend. Final Analysis: Complex, well blended and beautiful. It is the smell of pure, true love.
  5. Ina Garten Davita

    Paris

    This was another throw in. I'm still speechless about the lab's generosity. First Impression: Ugh, lavender. I have grown to dislike it. Second Impression: More lavender but it's starting to fade. A light spice remains. Final Analysis: The lightly floral spice of Old Paris is quite inviting. I don't know if it's entirely "me", but it has it's merits.
  6. Ina Garten Davita

    Pele

    First Impression: Picks jaw up off the floor. Can't stop smelling. Addiction. Skyrockets to top of favorites list. Second Impression: Pele, glorious Pele...I'm in love, love, love . I thought I would use one of my certificates for a 5ml bottle of this. No way man. 5 ml will simply not do. I want to swim in a cool, deep pool full of this scent. Final Analysis: What can I say, you have to smell it to believe it. I don't think I've ever experienced such a feeling of joy from a tiny bottle of oil. Creamy, voluptuous, playful, sexy, clean, feminine mystique...I can't pick out notes, but this is perfection in a bottle. Beth you have outdone yourself and I am eternally grateful and great smelling!
  7. Ina Garten Davita

    New Orleans

    First Impression: Jasmine all hot and heady. Second Impression: The honeysuckle really tempers the jasmine. There is just a slight suggestion of spice and not much lemon, which is good as it's not been agreeing with me lately. Final Analysis: This is a big, heady floral. Alluring yet baudy. I'll be sure to pack this if Nerissa and I take a road trip to New Orleans this summer.
  8. Ina Garten Davita

    Kyoto

    A lovely freebie sent in my package. And a well chosen one at that. First Impression: Lovely, lively star anise...if Japan smells like this, then that's where I want to be. Second Impression: If Old Morocco is root beer than Old Kyoto is sasparilla. Sweet, bubbly and spicy. Final Analysis: Oh it's fading too quickly. I love the warm, slight fruitiness and gentle spice. Well blended and delicious.
  9. Ina Garten Davita

    Cairo

    First Impression: I have no idea what I'm smelling but it gave me an instant headache. This is the very first time I've gotten a BPAL induced headache. Second Imperssion: Burning sand and sickly, rotting lemons. Final Analysis: Utter disappointment. But I suppose it's good for my wallet that I don't adore every scent I try.
  10. Ina Garten Davita

    Glasgow

    First Impression: Sharp and thorny. No berries here. Second Impression: All heather and no berries or sweetness. Final Analysis: I'm having a bad day today. This one isn't working for me either. I wish I could, but can't win them all.
  11. Ina Garten Davita

    Amsterdam

    First Impression: Stiff green stems and bright coral tulips, fresh as a rushing stream. Second Impression: Similar to an understated, high end perfume I used to wear my freshman year of high school. Anais Anais by Cacharel, maybe? Very pretty. Final Analysis: Pretty floral but lacks the unique-ness many of Beth's other florals possess.
  12. Ina Garten Davita

    Namaste

    First Impression: Sweet woods polished glossy and deep with real lemon oil. Second Impression: This scent is very much a contradiction. It's darkness yet light, calming yet uplifting, bracing yet smooth. Final Analysis: While I like the scent, I just don't feel like it smells all that great on me. I will have to try as a room scent and see.
  13. Ina Garten Davita

    Midnight

    First Impression: Oh lovely night blooms, sweet and glowing. Second Impression: This isn't just Midnight, it's Midnight in the garden of good and evil. This is a night walk in Savannah in the heat of summer. Final Analysis: I'm in love, it takes me back to the long, languid weekend Rob and I spent in Savannah in July.
  14. Ina Garten Davita

    Mystery

    First Impression: Hmm, is that anise seed? Second Impression: Smells just like Soft Scrub cleanser. Not what one wishes to smell like. Final Analysis: This is the first scent that I actually cringed at. Ugh. This did not work with my at all. Off to swap with you.
  15. Ina Garten Davita

    Magdalene

    First Impression: Pure of heart, white and pink sorrow. Second Impression: This is sweet, pure and innocent. A soft pink floral that quietly radiates off the skin. Final Analysis: Another beautifully blended floral. Perhaps not a favorite, but a pretty girly scent for spring and summer.
  16. Ina Garten Davita

    Kali

    First Impression: It's cocoa out of the bottle. Not in the way of chocolate but like creamy soft cocoa butter. Second Impression: The cocoa butter scent fades shortly after Kali dries leaving a trail of dark, sweet blossoms drizzled with red wine and a tiny drop of honey. Final Analysis: I wish the cocoa butter stayed longer. I'm not in love with this scent, it doesn't evoke any images from me like most of the others do. It's nice and I may keep and use the imp or may put it up for swaps.
  17. Ina Garten Davita

    Morocco

    First Impression: Barely perceptable in the bottle. Second Impression: On my skin this is pure root beer. The best quality kind. I don't get any impressions of deep dry spices. Just lovely sweet root beer. But is it so very soft I have to struggle to smell it. Final Analysis: I'll keep the imp and try it in my scent locket (thanks amberbella) because my skin seemed so slurp this up and not let go of the fragrance. After reading all of the wonderful reviews, I'm a bit disappointed. ADDED Sept. 12: Old Morocco Revisited: I am really impressed by the staying power of the scent. It's much stronger and longer lasting then my initial impressions led me to believe. It's quickly gaining on my top three. This is one of Beth's most beautiful creations.
  18. Ina Garten Davita

    Sybaris

    First Impression: Chokingly strong violets. I usually keep an open mind and try not to anticipate what's going to be in the bottle, but I had scent-visions of this and it smells nothing like I thought it would. Second Impression: Still violets, strong violets. Not until a long drydown do I sense a hint of clove. The violets seemed to have choked out the other lovely notes. Final Analysis: Of the handful of violet scents I've tried Veil is the only one I like, because the violets ease off during dry down and allow the other notes to bloom. I had high hopes for this one so I will give it one more go before I decide to add to the swap list.
  19. Ina Garten Davita

    The search for "Clean" scents - general discussion

    From my new batch...Danube. It's cool and refreshing. Great for this humid weather.
  20. Ina Garten Davita

    Incantation

    First Impression: The scent of my favorite hand soap captured in a bottle. Reminds me so much of Radox Supersoap Cleansing formula with thyme and tea tree oil. Has an astringent quality about it. Second Impression: Wow, this one really changes and it caught me totally off guard. The dry down on me was SO much like Cerutti 1881 for men (a spicy blend of herbs, patchouli and fragrant woods). Final Analysis: It's amazing how scents can bring back memories. This one brought up some very painful ones for me along with that infinite feeling of heartbreak, when you think it will never mend. I don't know if I'll want to open this imp again. If I do it will be bittersweet torture.
  21. Ina Garten Davita

    Hellfire

    First Impression: A sinister smoky, masculine version of O. Second Impression: O's sadistic male twin...a leather-clad master of the chamber ready for action oozing smoke, booze, amber and musk with a touch of sweetness perhaps to catch his waiting slave off guard. Final Analysis: I didn't think it got more sexual than O, but this is. I want my husband to wear this, I've driven myself wild with it tonight. I can't wait until he returns.
  22. Ina Garten Davita

    Danube

    This was one of the lovely throw ins from the lab. First Impression: Cool, refreshingly so. Second Impression: White water rafting down an icy cold river of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and landing in a pool of deep blue water full of white blossoms floating around. Final Analysis: This is very uplifting and delightful and not "me" at all. But I do keep sniffing at my wrist trying to decide whether to keep it or not. It's a very happy, bubbly scent.
  23. Ina Garten Davita

    Dragon's Eye

    First Impression: I adore dragon's blood and my nose is fairly sensitive to it. I definitely pick it out first with lillies and lilac bringing up the rear. Second Impression: The dragon's blood is fleeting, gone not long after the oil has dried on my skin. Sweet lily of the valley and lilac blooming beautfully. Final Analysis: What's not to love? It's the most girly and innocent of the dragon's blood blends and Beth's lily of the valley note is splendid!
  24. Ina Garten Davita

    Chypre

    First Impression: A big lavender punch in the face. Second Impression: Why can I only smell lavender when there are three other lovely notes blended here??? Final Analysis: It took hours of drydown time for the lavender to pick up and leave. What was left was very similar to Veil. I adore Veil, but I don't think I can bear the lavender trail to get to it.
  25. Ina Garten Davita

    Danse Macabre

    First Impression: Oh, it smells just like fresh cypress, like standing in a forest full of them on a crisp clear day. Second Impression: Clean, woodsy and fresh. Just lovely. Final Analysis: The longer it wears the warmer it becomes and the nuttiness peeks through. I love the name but I the scent doesn't convey death to me. It's too fresh smelling for that.
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