spanishviolet

If it's a muggy sort of rain, I tend to reach for orchids like Bat-Woman or Black Moon. If it's chillier, then something that feels a little crisper like Old Scratch or Bess. Overall I'd say Bess is my ultimate rainy-day scent, it would feel wrong to wear it on a sunny day for some reason!

I bought a bottle unsniffed because I loved all the notes except the cumin, so all the reviews I saw before it arrived were worrying me. I was spared by the perfume gods, though - it just smells like resiny honey goodness on me. No Mexican food, no blast of cumin. Just spicy earthy honey. The tobacco didn't go harsh on my skin as it sometimes does, which was my other concern. I tried it on my guy and on him it smelled more feminine than it did on me, so it's all mine. Definitely smells better on my skin than in the bottle. I'm looking forward to getting to know it better, and glad I was spared the cumin-blast that everyone else seems to be getting, because I'm not a big cumin fan.

Adding my agreement to this - Mother Ginger to my nose is very cookie-ish. I enjoy it, but it doesn't really provide that fresh-cut ginger fix for me. I've tried many ginger scents on my BPAL journey. Sudha Segara comes closest to that raw ginger tingle for me, though the creams softens it, and the whole thing refuses to last on my skin. I can't do Vixen because orange blossom hates me. Shub-Niggurath was one of my first gingery loves (somehow in the middle between fresh spice and cookies) and still one of the best. Gingerbread Poppet is good, but slightly too bakery-smelling; Saw-Scaled Viper was a big cassia-dominated disappointment; I don't really get ginger from He-Goat but love it all the same because vetiver is so good on me. Ginger Skulls was too much fruit, not enough ginger (so disappointing). Prosperity of a Country was promising, but leather's not great for me generally and I decided I was good with just an imp. Young Pine Saplings was delicious, but isn't really a raw ginger, more dried, and leans toward the cream & clove IMO.

Historically speaking, I hate coconut. But BPAL has enabled me to find it tolerable, almost pleasant at times. This is one of those coconuts. It's smooth, not too chokingly-sweet or stomach-churningly rich. (I think I ordered this because I really like anise.) The hazelnut reminds me of Black Pearl minus the heavenly iris; the anise echoes Paduan Killer Swarm, but more subdued & less sweet. Pleasant, not long-lasting; a decant will do.

At first sniff, I thought this might be The One True Scent, it was so beautiful. All my favorite spices over a wonderful soft cream — not too foody, just spicy goodness! But the throw is fairly close, and it doesn't last very long. It's worth slathering & repeating though, and heaven in a scent locket.

The only jasmines that bother me these days are the high sharp types, where it goes straight to the top of my nose and has no warm, sultry body underneath it. This is not that type of jasmine, at least not on me. Honestly, I was more concerned about the pomegranate, which sometimes turns sour on my skin. My first test swipe of this got a bit sour, but that phase faded quickly and can be avoided, I think, if I apply a bit less oil than my normal slather. Overall, this was for me a beautiful, more or less even mix of warm blooming jasmine on a balmy evening and pomegranate juice, with just a hint of vanilla-y smoothness from the benzoin underneath. And it's fantastic in my scent locket!

I missed out on last year's gingery Inquisition scent, but this year I had the funds so snapped this up right away. I was hoping it would be heavy on the ginger candy, with a bit of fruit on the side. As the Will-Call reviews warned me, though, it turned out pretty much the opposite. Lots of pear mixed with reddish-toned quince, and a bit of spice on the side. I like the fruits involved when they're not keeping me from my ginger, so I'll put this aside and come back to it when the disappointment has faded. (Crystallized ginger is my favorite candy of all! Sigh ...)

AquaNet hairspray, judging by the cloud my sister left in our shared bathroom every morning ... Love's Baby Soft or Debbie Gibson's Electric Youth perfume - googling that says it was a citrus scent (I couldn't recall, it's been a while!), so maybe something citrusy, sweet, and with a lot of throw? Citrus seems to go with the loud colors & geometric prints of the period.

I remember all the reasons I don't want Jason back anymore, and they're good ones. But when I told him I made a personals ad, he suddenly broke up with his girlfriend & spent hours on the phone begging me to take him back. WTF?! It's been a year and a half! Another e-mail at lunch today was trying to wriggle past my defenses & make me think, what if? He was saying he's changed, and realizes what a terrible mistake he made, and he never wants to be without me, etc etc. I think, even though I dislike all the drama he carries around with him, that e-mail got to me because I'm a quiet person with domestic ambitions & a pragmatic soul. I'm not a believer in the doomed epic love, with artistic angst & drugs & alcohol & whatever. Part of me is amazed at the idea that anyone would write that about me. But still, he's a grown-up & makes his own decisions, and I make mine. My brain still feels solidly in control, and I'm looking forward to my new dating adventures. Except for that one voice in the corner that isn't getting with the program ...

Whippoorwill, most definitely, for an hour after application, then it gets a really nice light spiciness. But it's an older LE & will likely be hard to find. Thunder Moon had a little of that feel for me, though it warms up later.

The only question is, why didn't I just buy a bottle in the first place instead of going for the frugal imp option??? It does smell a lot like Tombstone, but without the cedar that one day decided to go all wrong on me. It recaptures the early days when I was able to wear Tombstone without cedar stomping all over it, and loved it. A deliciously dry root beer, no scary butter scent on me, that dries down to a faintly spicy cream scent. I want to roll around in this & exude it in waves - but I only have an imp, so my coworkers are safe. For now. Also, I don't find it particularly foody - foody's kind of a turnoff for me, and I love this.

I almost wish I'd ordered Aeaea just for the label now!

It's funny how different this scent is on different people. When I wore it, my friend told me I smelled like lemon cookies! Which led to much puzzled wrist-sniffing on my part. I think the anise had biscotti associations for her, maybe ... Perhaps cookies in a cave. I smelled cool rocks & a light sweetness. Vetiver seems to love me, and I like licorice ... the only question for me here was the civet, which apparently doesn't act up too much.

These ingredients all sounded great, especially the almond flower. But something went terribly wrong. I wish it resembled Jacob's Ladder or Luperci for me, because I love those scents. The cedar went sour on me, though, and I had to wash it off, which is very rare for me. The scent was actually making me angry ... Weird, because I love the smell of cedar boxes, & it's worked in certain other bpals. Something about the combination of cedar & spicy flower just struck me wrong, I guess ...

I have never before enjoyed an ozone-based scent of any kind. But the amber, grasses, & wood in this convinced me to give it a try anyway. And I'm glad they did! I can see where people are getting "sporty" from this, I guess, but on me that's just a tiny element of something much better. It really does smell like a summer thunderstorm, damp and invigorating ... The amber gives it lasting power, and together with the grasses & hints of woody florals, really warms it up. I love it! This fills a gap in my Bpal arsenal, and will probably be the only ozone I'll ever need.