greywind

There's rose in this? Actually, the absence of rose on me (except as a supporting scent for the orange) is a very pleasant surprise. I ordered this because of the amber and orange combination, and frankly expected to like it least of the DiMV scents I ordered because it's relatively sweet. I was wrong. Yes, it's sweet, but it's a sweetness I can enjoy because of the lingering tartness of the orange. I'm not familiar with the smell of heliotrope, so I don't know how this factors in but the Haunted Palace goes on a brilliant tangy sweet orange with rich, supporting undertones. The scent is simultaneously lush and effervescent, and very joyous. It dries into a soft warm scent of amber mingled with something reminiscent of vanilla, but doesn't smell *like* vanilla (which is usually too foody for my taste). Over twelve hours after application there is still a soft, spicy, faintly tangy scent lingering on my wrist. This one's certainly a winner -- no grandmotherly rose scent, no shrill gardenia, and a very feminine scent this neutral or masculine scent lover actually enjoys.

This was a frimp from the lab, but very fortuitous because it was on my order list for my mother. She found she couldn't wear it, and passed it on to me. In the vial: musky wood and something sharp Wet: various woods, and is that patchouli hovering over top? Usually this isn't good because patchouli turns my stomach. This is O.K., though, tempered by the other notes. Drying: emerging green and madarin and the spiciness of the pepper. My goodness, I KNOW this scent. It's very similar to YSL's Opium, which I also love. On a bad day, there's something in Opium which will give me a headache -- and there's something in Grandmother of Ghosts which is tickling my sinuses. Dry: More of the sweet flowers come out over top of the mix of spicy woods, greenery, and pepper. This actually smells very nice on me, complex and interesting while neither being floral, woody, nor spicy, but containing elements of all three. Final verdict: the patchouli *is* very faintly upsetting my stomach, and there is something else which is very slightly perturbing my sinuses. It's not enough to actually make me ill, but it is enough to prevent me from buying a bottle. YSL Opium lovers should take note of this scent though -- it has a lot in common with Grandmother of Ghosts!

There isn't any ethical concern with BPAL's musks since none of them are animal based. If you like spice you may want to try some of the Ars Draconis blends -- depending on how the dragon's blood resin works on you they can be a lovely, spicy incense scent without any musk. Dragon's Tears is spicy lilacs and incense on me, for example -- exotic and feminine without being cloying or overpowering. And you may want to explore some of BPAL's musks even though you don't care for the scent. I say this as someone who not only doesn't care for the smell of musk, but is outright made nauseous. Much to my surprise I've found that I don't even notice some of the BPAL musks (such as whatever is in Bewitched, sent to me as a gimp by the lovely Firewaver), or that I can tolerate the scent (such as Silk Road -- I can pick out the musk, but it's not unpleasant and it doesn't give me a headache or churn my stomach).

Thanks for the warning darklorelei. Perhaps I'll have to come up with something else that's fruit/musk. And thanks for the amber/musk suggestion Miss Lynx. That wouldn't have occurred to me, relative newbie that I am. Hmm, more to ponder...

I'm hesitating over Alice because it's a floral, and my friend has said she doesn't care for florals. I'm well aware that BPAL tends to break the rules in terms of what people do or don't care for, scent wise, but for this first order I think I'm going to err on the side of caution. For something fruity in place of Hollywood Babylon I'm thinking of Katharina, since I actually have imps of Tamora and Fae on order for my mother. If she doesn't care for them, I can always pass them on to my friend, so I should order something different for her.

Thank you all so much for your help. After much deliberation I've settled on: 1. Antique Lace 2. Dragon's Milk 3. Dorian 4. Zephyr 5. Black Opal 6. Hollywood Babylon Snake Oil and O really had me waffling back and forth but I ended up omitting both because I'm not certain how much of a sexy vibe she'd be comfortable with (being a doting grandma and all). If she doesn't find something she loves in this batch, I'll just have to compile another list -- or get her hooked on the site herself.

I'd like to ask for some help with selecting a set of imps ears as a gift for a friend. She's an older lady who loves the good things in life: good food, good company, live theater, and lots of laughter. She was telling me that she hasn't found a perfume that she likes since her favorite -- a vanilla musk -- was discontinued. This made me think that a BPAL sampler would be the perfect gift. My problem? Musk usually makes me sick (although I can tolerate BPAL's), and I'm not wild about foody scents either. So I thought I would ask wiser heads which would be the best choices. I've already gone through the recommendation lists for vanilla and white musk and compiled the following list: (My friend also said she doesn't like florals, but likes the idea of fruit.) 1. Antique Lace 2. Dragon's Milk 3. Dorian 4. Sudha Segara 5. O 6. Snake Oil 7. Hollywood Babylon 8. Black Pearl 9. Fae 10. Zephyr 11. Katharina 12. Endymion 13. Salome 14. Aglaea 15. Eclipse 16. Siren 17. White Rabbit What would be your recommendations for vanilla & white musk & possible fruits? I'm certain that Antique Lace and Dragon's Milk should be in my final cut, but I don't know which four of the others to pick. Your help and recommendations (including anything I may have neglected to list) would be much appreciated! (I would like to avoid L.E.'s, though, because ideally she should be able to easily acquire more of any scent she loves.)

Nine-tailed fox demon of Korean lore who transforms into the visage of an irresistible beauty in order to seduce men and lead them to their doom. A sharp, biting blend of crisp white tea and ginger. In the vial: smooth white tea and ginger Wet: Wonderful, this stays true on me! Smooth tea, not astringent or bitter, and crisp, tangy ginger. It gets a little sweeter as it dries, as if there is clover honey in the tea, but it never becomes overly sweet or cloying. Dry: tea and ginger As others have stated this is not a complex scent. That doesn't mean I don't love it. This is definitely a scent to wear on days where one wants clarity and focus, or if it's very hot and muggy out. This will be a big bottle purchase for me!

In the vial: ozone and rain Wet: stays ozone and rain, but there are some faint other notes twitching about -- some sort of sweet citrus which I can't identify. Dry: sweeter, but still ozone and rain on me. I'm shocked that this one didn't turn into some too-sweet monster on me. I suspect I'll be buying a bottle at some point in the future.

One word review summary? Wow! If you can stand me rambling on, here's the longer review: Yggdrasil is *amazing*, and precisely the type of thing I was looking for when I came to BPAL. It's a green, natural forest scent that I can wear to ground me on the worst busy bustling big city day. Wearing it the asphalt, concrete, and exhaust fumes vanish and one is transported to an earlier, older time when forests covered much of the globe. In the vial: strongly green and mossy. Wet: At first this scent is an overwhelming rush of fresh evergreen and deciduous woods and leaves. It's dark and ominous and powerful and raises the hair on the back of my neck. This is the scent of clinging to slippery, moss covered bark at a tricky stream crossing. The water is running icy cold and fast over slick stones and you're struggling to get up onto the bank before your numb legs give out and you are swept under the steeply undercut bank amongst the wet dirt and exposed tree roots, trapped in the dark swirling water. Drying: You've managed to make it safely ashore, and are warming yourself on a sunny spot on the bank -- all moss and grasses with the scent of trees and water around. It's lost that potent, ominous edge and that's a relief because it wouldn't be suitable for everyday wear if it remained so fiercely primal on me. Dry: Fresh sweet woods and grasses, a sunny glade in a mixed wood in late summer. Do I need to add I'm completely blown away by this scent and will be ordering a big bottle when I can afford it?

I wonderend myself because I'm one of the people who gets apples in Hamadryad, but there is no cinnamon in the Hesperides. My apple-y Hamadryad is also dominated by dry cinnamon, so I don't think there's a mix up and it's just body chemistry. I'd also second Vinland as a mossy, woody scent.

In the imp: a salty green scent, very reminiscent of the ocean On, wet: green and salt with a minty tang. This is lovely and watery, but it's a cool ocean on a calm day, not the violence implied by the name. It's calm but envigorating. Drying: Is that coconut? Odd, it's becoming light and sweet mint, with an edge I can only define as coconut (fresh, not dried). This isn't a good thing, since I don't like coconut. The salty scent hovers over top, detectable at a distance but not close to the skin. Dry: now the scent is mint and white chocolate, very soft and subtle, and not at all unpleasant -- even though I don't care for sweet or foody scents. There's also a subtle salt and floral waft. This is a fascinating, playful scent, but I'm not certain it merits a bottle since foody scents aren't really my style.

Since I love cinnamon and woody scents I was very much looking forward to trying Hamadryad. In the vial: dry cinnamon and several woods. This is very interesting, since all of the cinnamon BPAL I've tried before has been sweet cinnamon. Wet: a quick rush of damp woods and moss, and then some apples appear. They're sweet but tart, like good MacIntosh apples ripe on the tree. Dry: this scent was very interesting. Close to the skin I got tangy apples and a touch of green, but the dry cinnamon hovers over top of everything and can only be detected at a distance. The waft is a lovely mix of all three scents, and very appropriate to a forest spirit. Unfortunately I think the apples in this are a little too sweet for my liking. That doesn't make this scent any less astonishing -- I've never encountered a scent with distinct layers which can be passed through in proximity to the skin!

In the vial: cedar, but a dry, restrained cedar Wet: Wow, the cedar gets richer and softer -- very nice, very simple and understated Dry: The sage and the bay leaf are there as faint, dried counterpoints to that lovely, classy cedar. I love wood scents, but I don't think I'll end up with a big bottle of this even though I like it. It's a powerful, quiet scent, made for dealing from a position of power. Since I don't find myself unobtrusively wielding authority and exerting influence often, I don't feel the need to aquire Lear.

I don't know enough about how notes blend to claim it would actually work if formulated, but I would be clamoring to try a lilac and sandalwood scent if it existed!

In the vial: cedar and sandalwood Wet: on initial application the cedar rises and sharpens, and then gradually the sandalwood and spices rise up to balance the scent. It's cool and fresh and woody and I like it a great deal. Drydown: oddly enough this becomes a very clean, astringent floral backed by woods on me. It reminds me of wildflowers in a forest glade after a cold rain. I think I'm going to be ordering a larger bottle of this one.

In the vial: flowers and sandalwood and a spike of green. The flower/greenery scent is a trifle sharper than I like, but we'll see what happens. Wet: Lillies and sandalwood, switching positions of dominance back and forth. Drydown: Strong lillies over sandalwood. I love the sandalwood in this, but I'm not certain about the strength of the flowers (which are a little too present for my liking). This blend has promise for me, but while I like it I'm not certain how much I'd wear it. I'll have to try the imp a few more times to decide. Edited to add: after a month of waiting and three more wearing attempts, I really like Shroud. The flowers have become less pronounced, and it's a lovely blend of green and sandalwood. There's a big bottle in my future.

In the vial: light, sweet cinnamon. Wet: The cinnamon is there, but very light. I'd actually like more spice. This scent is very sweet, all milk and honey, but for once I don't mind the sweetness. I may actually grow to like this. I've never had a sweet scent that didn't become cloying on me, but this stays put in a very pleasant fashion instead of swelling to gagging proportions. Drydown: This certainly lasts, since I can smell it the next morning after having bathed. The initial drydown was very pleasant, sweet and spicy with a lovely play of resinous notes in the background. Unfortunately the resin didn't stay, and this scent is reminiscent of oatmeal cookie dough on me. It's certainly pleasant, but not my style. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to try this blend, because I've never encountered a sweet scent I could tolerate for very long before. My scent horizons have been broadened by Chimera, even though I won't keep it.

In the vial: light and sharp and sweet. While the scent is pleasant, I have my doubts. That sweetness may well be *too* sweet for my liking. Wet: There's a pleasant green freshness, but the top note is too sweet for my liking. The sweetness (the fig, I assume) keeps growing and growing, and I really don't like it. Washed off before drydown, and I'll find a nice home for the imp with someone who likes light, fresh, sweet scents.

In the vial: lemon and sandalwood and something green. Is that the vetivert? Wet: This scent stayed much the same, except the green scent became more prominent. It reminds me of the citrus scented soap (Fa) I used to love before they changed it. This is wonderfully clean and tangy. I've read over some of the other descriptions and am astonished that anyone would characterize this as "dark". Everyone's perceptions are very different, aren't they? To me this is a chilly, rainy day in early spring -- while it may be cold and wet, everything is green and growing and tingling with vitality. Drydown: Stayed essentially the same as out of the vial. Long lasting, clean, and fresh. My only hesitation in buying more of this is precisely because it is *so* remeniscent of soap to me.

In the vial: cinnamon, almond, and a touch of vanilla sugar Wet: Cinnamon! I love cinnamon, and this smells like it should be edible. Just the faintest whiff of almond in the background. Drydown: Cinnamon! This scent is mouth watering, but disappointingly simple on me. I smell like cinnamon candies, and nothing else.

In the vial: lime, lavender, and mint Wet: Initially sugared lime, and then the lavender and green scents combined to remind me of the tropics. It stayed freshly mowed lawn and sugared lime until the end, but faded very quickly. This is lovely and zesty and fresh, but doesn't linger long enough for me to really enjoy it.

The dry, thin scent of a draconic ossuary. Dragon's blood resin with white sandalwood, dusty orris and crisp blondewood. Out of the vial: sweet cherries and spice and a touch of wood. I'm not familiar with Dragon's Blood, so I'm assuming it's the cherries and spice. Wet: sweet cherry and indefinable spices. I normally don't care for sweet scents because they become too sweet on me. I dislike smelling like I've been dipped in syrup. While this is sweet (reminding me of candy), it's not turning sickly. I may even learn to like it. Drying: It's very curious how much this scent changes as it dries. First it became blazingly warm and faintly salty, like a hot day on a pebbly beach. Then the cherry bled away -- a very good thing in my opinion. It became all sweet spices and soft wood, which was absolutely lovely. I love sandalwood, but this sandalwood is very retiring, lending a soft, smoky backdrop. Then a floral emerged, and suddenly I could smell the dryness, and the bone that others have described. The floral resolved itself into something like violet (which I assume is the orris), coupled with warm woods, and just a touch of spice. At this point it became very nice indeed: dried violets pressed between the dusty pages of an old book in a library where incense is regularly burnt. Long term: unfortunately the woods receded and the flowers once again became sweeter than I generally like on me. Overall this scent is fascinating and I like it, but I'm not smitten. I'll have to try it again later and see.