Hawke

I was surprised that no one mentioned Nonae Caprotina either. My favorite fig scent ever, hands down. As a matter of fact, I really, really want more.

This is very cologney to me, but I like it. I'm still not entirely sure what single note patchouli smells like (I never really hung out with people who wore perfume of any sort and certainly no "dirty hippies" -- except my mother's friends. I digress.) I like it though. I thought I was smelling musk, but I suspect that it's a combination of the moss and the patchouli. I do also occasionally get a whiff of the sandalwood, a note I have learned to recognize. This is definitely a butched-up Mole, though. I don't think I need a bottle, as I have several very masculine scents and I agree with a poster above who mentioned a similarity to Dee. But I will keep my decant, and maybe test them side by side.

Reading through the reviews, I was beginning to think I was the only one this hadn't worked on. O.O Fortunately? Fortunately I'm not. I wanted to try this, as I thought it might work, and I'm glad I did, but it really isn't good on me. I could smell the mysterious wildflowers right from the imp, already overpowering the plum and anything else, but I gave it a try anyway. And I was right to be wary. Whatever those flowers are, they completely took over. I'm not a floral girl as I've said a lot of times, and though sometimes I got pleasant cream and fruit, mostly it was just too much flower, which means I'll be sending my imp away.

Fruity in the imp, but I'm not sure if that's the neroli or the peach. Peach, I think, because it's a little fuzzy around the edges. I think I'm getting the gardenia too. We'll see if this is too floral for me. Wet on my skin, the neroli was very bright and very loud, but as I like citrusy things, it was good. Even this early in the drying, though, the gardenia has taken over, which does not bode well for this scent and I being friends. Oh, but then the gardenia backs off a little and the peach returns with an extra dollop of honey, which is nicer. So, maybe I was hasty. I'll keep waiting. Dry, the gardenia thankfully quieted down. Someone in the thread mentioned Tamora and I'll admit, I was thinking there was a similarity here too. I should probably test them side by side, but this strikes me as Tamora's more floral sister. I'll keep the imp, but since it's so close to a GC, I don't think I need a bottle. ETA: Now that I've checked my (much aged) Tamora in comparison, Gaoler is definitely more floral which makes it seem a more feminine and demure version of Tamora, who is very strong and full of sandalwood.

Sharp and herbal in the imp, though I think I'm getting just a hint of the lemon balm too, that brightens it up. Wet on the skin, it's resinous and woody. Almost medicinal, actually, though I'm oddly reminded of gun oil. Not that I have a lot of experience with that scent, but that's what it evokes. As it dries, it turns smoky and spicy and it's really a pretty interesting, engaging scent. Not what I was expecting at all. In the final stage, it doesn't have a lot of throw, but I'm happy huffing my wrists and getting occasional sharp hints of whatever causes the metallic scent in among the resin and spice. This is much nicer than I expected it to be from the initial moments. Happy I tried it out.

Clearly an aquatic from first sniff of the imp. Given the ozone note, it must be the sea air. Fortunately, I like the ozone note. Wet on the skin, it's still ozone, though not nearly as bright or clearly as it was from the imp. I get a little hint of salt in the ozone after a few minutes, but not on every sniff. I can't say that I'm getting kelp or wood or anything other than a lot of ozone and those whispers of saltiness though. Even dry, it's pretty much a one note aquatic, which is fine as I don't object to the scent, but I've gotten used to some depth and this just doesn't have it for me. Sending this to the swap pile. Bon voyage.

This smells like almost pure buttery pumpkin in the imp. Not surprising, considering the other notes. It's strong, though. Wet on the skin, the pumpkin disappears and it's instantly cherry tobacco and dark vanilla.There's something musty buried underneath it, too, like maybe the pumpkin's gone a bit fuzzy. And then everything blends together and this, like the other pumpkins this year, picks up an almost tropical note. It's weird. Maybe my nose is just insisting on smelling pumpkin as coconut. Sadly this is not a standout for me as it fades to a waxy, faint pumpkin scent. Not objectionable but not different enough to merit an upgrade from the decant. I'll even swap the imp.

The topnote from the imp is a warm, buttery scent that must be the cream. Immediately beneath it, however, is tea with lemon. Intriguing. Wet on the skin, it's pretty much the same, though the buttery bit blends back into the overall scent pretty quickly and the "lemon" disappears. And then it's back, but it's not lemon any more, it's a floral. Sweet, not overpowering, but it's an odd sort of note for a perfume named for a male character. Granted, a not very manly man, but still. The lily changes again, sweetening further, until it smells like honey, not a flower, which makes me much happier. I think there's a hint of the beeswax now, too. This dries down to a gorgeous cream and honey scent, which is amusing as the note's not listed, and the lab's honey usually doesn't work on me, but this one does. What an amazing morpher. Definitely keeping the decant, considering a bottle.

Fluffy and sweet. Smells like a creamy lemon candy to me, in the imp. Wet on the skin, it smells like Fruit Loops cereal. Which cracks me up, but there you have it. It's bright and strong and cheerful, but there's that faint grain to it that has me picturing bright colored cereal circles. That stage sadly doesn't last long, though. Lily and ginger leap to the front after a few minutes on my skin and boot the citrus notes to the background. The throw also drops off dramatically. It's not a heavy floral when it goes this way, but it's a definite change. Eventually even the ginger gets muted and turns into a background for a faint, sweet floral with a citrus border. Pretty enough, but not something I'd wear.

Smells like leaves and something vaguely smoky in the imp. It's an oddly green scent, wet on the skin, for all that's supposed to be about autumn. That's clearly the leaf scent, leaves that have changed color but are not yet dry and crackling. As it dries, it becomes more perfumey, sweetening up and picking up floral notes that I can't identify. Sadly, though I'm not a fan of pure leaf scent as a perfume, I liked it better than then perfumey phase. Something spicy comes out to play as the process goes on and balances out the perfume so it actually does turn into something prettier than I expected, but it's still nothing that I'd reach for. I also agree that it has a similarity to October, and that wasn't really to my taste either.

There's berry in the imp, of course, but there's also a sharp note, like a menthol/pine/cold wood backing it up. Maybe sage or juniper. It's interesting. Wet on the skin, this is thick and sweet, an herbal berry right from the get go. After a few more minutes, there's a hint of tea and the thick sweetness starts to resolve into something that smells like honey. As it dries down, the honey disappears slowly but surely, taking the sweetness with it. When this is finally dry, it's a very bitter, very dry herbal. It seriously makes my mouth feel dry just sniffing it. So, it's worth the testing because it was different and unexpected, but it's really, really not for me.

Smells a little woody in the imp and a lot perfume-y, like something that might be commercial. That department store scent always makes me nervous. Wet on skin, the "commercial" fades a little and there's a powdery sweetness that wafts up from my wrist. Nothing I can put a name to, but at least the sharp edge is gone. This gets strong fast when it's warmed by body heat. This is a very floral scent, oddly feminine for something meant to represent a Horseman. Ultimately this turns into a soft, powdery floral on me. It's perfectly pleasant, but not something I would find myself reaching for or wearing on anything like a regular basis. I am just not Death's kind of girl.

Oh yes, pine. Almost a single note in the imp. Wet on the skin, this turns into a Christmas tree. Though the oil is by no means dark green, the scent certainly is. It has quite a lot of throw, too, just like evergreens usually do. As it dries, I get the sweetness other people talk about in the review thread, but I don't think it's ambergris. I think it's juniper. I don't know for sure, so I'm not going to stake any money on that, but that's my feeling. There's also another wood note beneath or behind the pine, less cold, less sharp and distinctly grainy. Once this has dried, I'm surprised that there's no cedar in this, because I get a very faint wood shavings or pencil smell. It's not something I'd put in a locket and I burn tarts rather than oils, as a general rule, so it wouldn't work there either. Still, I like this right up until the end.

Marshmallow from the imp, predictably, but there's also a strange hint of something fruity in there. I wonder if I have bleedover from another imp, because it doesn't make much sense to me for marshmallow to be fruity. Ah well, we'll see. Wet on the skin, the note is still there. I can't help but compare it to Sticky Pillowcase, though SP is obviously much stronger in tart fruitiness. Still, it's weird. When it dries down, the fruitiness is gone and I'm left with soft sweetness. It's, you know, marshmallow. Doesn't require a search for a big bottle, but it's fun and lighthearted and I will keep my decant.

Almost pure melon in the imp. Smells like pure honeydew, light and fruity. Wet on the skin, it's sticky and sweet but the melon is muted a bit by other notes. There are so many that I don't think I could name an individual note if I wanted to. It's cheerful and pretty, but *very very* sweet. It's probably more of a summertime scent than now when we're heading into spices and fires and hot chocolate and coffee days, but it's still fun to wear. I didn't get a bottle of this despite being a Rat myself, but I'm glad I have the imp to play with. It doesn't change much with wearing, just eventually fades away into nothing. And by that, I mean I can still smell a hint of it six hours later after working with my horses. Good stuff.

Smells almost like Sprite or 7-up in the imp. Wet on skin, this is lemony and extremely light. Which is amazing, given all the listed notes. I have to practically put my nose against my skin to get much of a scent at all. It does get stronger as it soaks in and warms up, so that's a good thing, but I can't say the scent itself is getting any more complex. The sparkle that made me think of soda is gone and now it's a very light faintly citrus and possibly floral scent. It's turned into a sort of lemon-floral now, which is all right, but not really my thing. Still not much throw, so pretty much inoffensive, but sadly probably also forgettable. Swap.

I'm so looking forward to this one. I get apple, carrot and a sweet hay sniff from the imp. Wet on the skin, I see I was wrong. It's not the hay I was smelling, it's the oats. This is apple, oats and molasses, like a warm mash or horse treats. Oh wow. It smells gooood. A bit of a dusty, flaky scent kicks in, which I'm assuming is the chaff and the apple fades a little, but this still smells like treats or sweet feed to me, which is awesome. My horses would go nuts. This dries down into oatflake dust, which is not my favorite finishing note ever, but until it gets there, it's beautiful, so I would gladly try this in a spray to see if it cuts that out or, if all else fails, in a locket. Love!

This smells so yummy in the imp that I'm already assuming I need a bottle. Orange-frosted cake and custard. Wet on my skin, the anise sings, but it's backed up by cakey orange. It still smells amazing, and I put enough on so that it's really got some throw. The creamy cake scent fades a little under the anise and orange and the funereal flowers, whatever those are, do peek out from the background, but they don't get overpowering. This is a fantastic scent so far. The orange does end up more or less blended into the creaminess of the cake-n-custard scent, so it's not as bright as when it starts out. The anise is present but not too strong. All in all, it's a pleasant scent. It's *different*, which is why I love BPAL. I will probably order a bottle of this.

Carnation makes me nervous when listed first. If it's in there, though, the cider is covering the smell in the imp. Wet on the skin, the cider eases up a bit and peppery carnation peeks through. Not exactly a floral in the early stages, but recognizable. There's a hint of amber in this too, but rather than going powdery as it usually does on me, it's crystalline and sharp in this blend. Definitely a resin rather than a powder. The wine is a little closer to vinegar than I like and I'm pretty sure this is going to swap. Eventually the sour edge bleeds out of the wine note, but this still isn't my kind of thing. Not quite floral, not quite fruity, it's hovering between okay and uncomfortable and I have far too much other stuff to keep something that doesn't want to play nice.

This is very herby and masculine in the imp, but masculine often works on me. And yes, there's "stuff" in mine too. Weird. Wet on the skin, this is smoke and spice and something gingery. For all that, it's cool around the edges, rather than being warm or even hot to smell. It's a little gritty, but I'm liking it so far. Which is good, because I bought two bottles and it'd be a shame not to like it. Dry, this is a soft ginger-vanilla. It would probably smell fantastic on the right guy. Mine, sadly, has a busted sniffer so he doesn't wear scents at all. I don't think this is my holy grail scent, but I'll certainly keep what I've got and hope it ages well.

I'm not sure exactly which scents I'm getting out of the imp. There's the warmth and butter of the pumpkin, but there's fruit, too. It's interesting, but not quite as appealing as some of the others. Wet on the skin, I think I'm getting pumpkin but only faintly. What I'm *sure* I'm getting is coconut. It's *really* strong and dusty-smelling, which is what almost all of the lab's coconut except Obatala do to me. Which is funny because the pumpkin that has coconut in it is less appealing than the others that just smell like coconut. Eventually the myrrh pops out and spices things up, which takes away a little of the dustiness. As it dries, the pumpkin *finally* shows up and mixes with the myrrh, which ultimately makes this smell like pumpkin pie baking in an oven somewhere. This is worth keeping the imp and probably retesting before the 'weenies come down, but I don't know that it merits a big bottle.

I don't get much out of the imp. A vague shampoo-like smell, but that's it. Wet on the skin, I get a sort of generic sweet smell. It might be perfumed toilet paper. It's not particularly objectionable, but I can't pick out individual notes. As it dries, it gets a little powdery but the "perfume", whatever that is, gets much stronger, too. I'm going to guess it's the musk and as it's giving me a headache, I wonder if it's the same that's in Brom Bones. Which would be weird, but possible, I suppose. Off to wash and send the imp to the swap pile.

I got this because it is, in theory, like Glowing Vulva. From the imp, I can see why, though this is sharper and a little fizzier than GV to my nose. Possibly because it's lab-fresh. Wet on skin, I'm mostly getting the vanilla, which is slightly doughy, but not too bad. The fizziness disappears. And the woods peek out from behind the rest. While this is drying, something like sarsaparilla appears. I think it's a combination of the vanilla and the oak that's reminding me of Tombstone. This smells to me like a cross between GV and Tombstone. I can see why people love it. I am definitely keeping the imp and will ponder a bottle when I've used up the last of my wee amount of GV. It's not quite the same, but pretty darned close.

Mint and pumpkin in the imp. Talk about a weird smell. My nose isn't quite sure what to make of that. Wet on skin, this is citrus mint with pumpkin in the background. It's once again lending an almost coconut note to the smell. Not unpleasant, sort of like a creamy tropical body lotion at the moment. And that's where it stays. Fruity, creamy, like a coconut-based cocktail. I would drink this if something smelled like it, for sure. I'm glad to have my decant and I will ponder whether I need more.

Earthy for sure. Can smell "dirt" (vetiver?) and pine. Wet on skin, the pine speaks up a little more. I'm getting a vague peanut butter scent out of this one, but it comes underneath a spicy topnote, which is …weird. Not bad, but definitely weird. The longer this settles, the less earthy it becomes, and it turns into an almost-foody scent. I definitely get the smoky clove and pine, but the vetiver (and thankfully, the peanut butter) are gone. I was not expecting to like this, based on the sniff from the imp, but I may be changing my mind. Dry, this is still very spicy but still very pleasant as well. I'm not sure that I need a bottle, but I'll keep my imp and give it some thought.