LotusSong

Vampire Princess In The Bottle: The perfume section of a major department store with a tinge of dust underneath it. Wet: Instantly the generic-perfume smell starts to burn off, revealing a dry, light floral underpinned with patchouli. It kind of smells like potpourri? It's got that "dried flower petals" texture to it. For a few moments here and there the florals are sweetened with a hint of vanilla, but it doesn't last. Drydown: The dry and dusty note turns soapy, transforming the scent into that of a boutique specializing in bath products. Then, slowly, over the course of an hour, the soap note transforms into cream, turning it into a light creamy floral with just a pinch of dirt from the patchouli. I sought a second opinion on this one as it was drying down, and my fellow BPAL owning friend said it smelled like lavender-and-musk soap. Overall, out of the perfumes I bought around Halloween last year, this is by far the biggest disappointment. I was hoping for a dark purple scent heavy on plum and patchouli, but instead it had to age a year for any individual notes to emerge and what I got was dry florals. 😭

In Bottle: I was surprised to open the Imp and be hit with a burst of juicy melon! That's exactly what it smelled like – a wet, ripe, juicy melon. It reminds me of ripe Honeydew in particular. Wet: Yeah, definitely a melon. I was really surprised. It stayed as a melon for a bit, before a subtle floral started to emerge. It's neither a creamy, nor an overly sweet scent. It is very refreshing and light, like a spring breeze on a warm day. Dry: As it started to dry, the melon and the floral switched places and the spruce wood showed up to the party. To my surprise, the spruce wood didn't overpower the scent at all. It mingled well with the other scents, forming something subtle and sweet. This scent continued to change after it dried all the way, and over the course of two hours the other notes left and all that remained was the spruce. The spruce stayed mellow the whole time, and never turned into cleaning fluid or soap. I am so surprised by Ochosi. It is not something I ever would have picked out for myself, and I thought it was going to be a hot mess. Instead, it is a lovely and light scent. It hung around for a good four or five hours before slowly fading into oblivion. I'm not sure what's causing that melon and that non-soapy floral, but I'd love to find out! (Is it the shea?) All in all, I am going to be buying a bottle of this in the future.

Blood Moon 2010 In Bottle: It's a very wet scent. It's kind of musky, and reminds me of a damp forest at night. It also reminds me of stuffing your nose into a big box of incense sticks. Wet: It's a rich and strong smell. The incense is more noticeable now, and it has a sweetness to it but it's not sugary. (Is that sandalwood?) It makes my skin feel warm. Dry: Why hello there patchouli! It really comes out in a sharper manner now, with the musk underpinning it. The throw has greatly increased too – I no longer have to hold my wrists up to my face to smell it. The scent no longer resembles what it did in the bottle. It is now a warm and red-feeling scent instead of a wet and forest-like one. I might be detecting some cinnamon. So far with my BPAL experience, I have learned that my skin rots fruit, amps nuts, and destroys the subtleties of flowers. There is not a single wisp of any kind of floral in this. It's all musk and spice. I am not even sure if I'd describe it as a feminine scent! I have worn this twice now, and both times it was a pleasant blast of patchouli. While it peaked an an hour the first time, and almost died down at an hour and a half, the second time it stayed at that peak height for almost three hours. Once it gets going it takes no prisoners and pulls no punches. This is a scent where a little bit goes a long way. All in all, I love it.