KingMobUK

CT3: MXXXVIII - decant with a handwritten label. I think that's "1038"? I acquired this as a decant in a swap from amarissirama and although I lack the skills to determine notes and this is my first BPAL review ever, I kind of had the impression that reviewing Chaos Theories was something that had to be done, for the benefit of all, or something So here goes! This is a very heavy scent - of the musky/incensey/resin kind with some sort of floral over the top that gives it a talcum powder kind of feel. Maybe a little leather going on too - the expensive type, not the sexy type? Not the type of scent that I would wear or even try on my skin, usually. but I will brave it in this instance! One thing I will say for it is that it has a lot of depth while wet, and a lot of throw too. Unfortunately, once on my skin and drying, it reminds me strongly of the scented things my grandmother used to put in her wardrobe to keep moths away and which lingered on her clothes, especially her coats and gloves. In fact it's giving me a very "stern, elderly victorian lady" vibe overall - all starched black ruffles, lace edging and jet jewelry, with a hidden fascination for seances and ouija boards. It's fading surprisingly fast too and the floral has retreated a lot though the talcum powder impression is lingering. About as far from my thing as you could possibly get but interesting as an experiment. I imagine I will swap this out at some point and will look forward to seeing what someone else makes of it. Totes grateful to amarissirama for giving me the chance to huff one of these though!

changeling, I don't think anyone will take it that way. I certainly didn't - I used to have a friend who joked they were "allergic to everything except water and tea" and I am fairly sure that would sadly include pretty much any perfumes, oils or otherwise. At least I don't recall them ever wearing any or having any around the house of any description. They couldn't even use allergy-free soap.

How do I apply it? Hm, well that varies. If I am testing an imp for the first time I use the wand and then wipe it clean before replacing the cap. This is because they are the items I am most likely to later pass on. Though to be honest I have acquired most of my imps second-hand so I can't vouch for all of them fully. With bottles, I have started to test with a plastic straw or something similar for the first couple of wears. If I adore them and have no intention of trading them, after that I go straight for applying with a finger since I am something of a slatherer (my skin eats up oils), though I generally dislike the scent to linger on my fingers, so I am looking to switch to using glass essential oil mixing rods instead when I can find some at a reasonable price. I never apply on top of recently applied lotions because I have always been a bit fussy about mixing things in that way and my current lotions are themselves scented. I like to apply to skin that I have recently washed or at least wiped over with a damp cloth (this doesn't go for reapplying during the day, of course, and I have now acquired some decanting supplies so that I can make myself an imp for that purpose where I don't already have one. Again, most of my bottles are pre-loved and some from ebay - so they have variably traceable ancestry.But I'm not really too worried about it, to be honest. I try to pick up partials to start with and If I like a scent enough the chances are that I will go after a full backup in any case. Where that happens, I think that now I am starting to acquire a decent collection I will follow Chaoskitty's example from a few pages back of decanting an imp to use and leaving the bottle untouched - then topping the imp up as needed. I'll feel better then about offering people decants with confidence of their purity.

I would guess that the Lab try to blend their oils in such a way that they would not "burn" like some essential oils can (though not all do - it depends on the oil). If you have very sensitive skin then it might be best to test each oil (not all at once!) in a very small amount on your skin and check for a reaction. My skin can sometimes be prone to contact allergies of various kinds, including plants and vegetation, but I have not yet had a problem with BPAL, or Possets, or Nocturne Alchemy or any other of the reputable perfume oil companies whose imps have crossed my path. If you are worried, or know for sure that you always have a problem with oils, you could consider investing in a scent locket which will keep the oil away from your skin (though obviously be careful about what metal you buy if you also have issues with THOSE, like I do )

Apart from some of the past Yuies, I also have my eye on looking for and trying some or all of WOLF MOON, SNOW MOON, COLD MOON, CANDLES MOON, FROST MOON, DEATH OF THE GRAVEDIGGER, MOON OF ICE AND CLOISTER GRAVEYARD IN THE SNOW when autumn rolls around. They all sound deliciously wintry by their descriptions. And I haven't even really looked at the Yules themselves yet. This is my first year of BPAL and I already have lists in advance. Oh me. My wallet will never forgive me.

Yeah, I admit I really struggle for him. Ideally it would be an ocean aquatic with greenery, blond wood and a little smokiness or leather about it, I think. The tea is kind of optional I generally feel that a wanted outlaw wouldn't tend to wear scents but would rather blend with their surroundings (in as much as a 6ft plus sharkman ever can, natch ). Of the BPALs I have been lucky enough to test so far, Caliban is the closest - though I agree that a slightly more manly edge would be even better. (I'm glad I don't sound completely crazy by the way, heh!)

For the purposes of Livejournal roleplay, I generally have my own impressions in my head of what my characters smell like, but if I had to pick perfume oils for them I'd go for: Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney) - classic gentleman's fragrances are his bag, though he's fond of the deep scent of roses. From BPAL he gets Byronic Anti-Hero or Whitechapel Kyouraku Shunsui (Bleach) - a man of two parts. His (resting) reiatsu is the scent of plum and cherry blossoms on a warm summer breeze, with a grounding edge of fine sake. From BPAL he gets Lovers in a Ricefield or Manners Among Men and Women in the Red Light District. His flipside reiatsu is dank earth and rotting corpses drenched with tears of regret. So maybe Graveyard Dirt, I dunno? Hoshigaki Kisame (Naruto) - he was spectacularly tough, actually, because in my head he only ever smells of himself and of the world around him - so water, greenery, maybe tea, leather and a hint of woodsmoke. The best I could figure from BPAL is Caliban, but there are a couple of Violette Market scents I am eyeing for him - namely Poseidon or Eye of the Hurricane. Any other suggestions welcome! My "resting" characters also have their own scents but I haven't really identified a BPAL for them - maybe someone can suggest an appropriate blend? In my head, Manfred Von Karma (Ace Attorney) smells of bergamot tea, ink and lavender water. Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney) is menthol fresh with a side of cheap drugstore cologne and a whiff of coffee Kurotsuchi Mayuri (Bleach) smells of chemicals, machinery and ozone, with a whiff of poison gas. Possibly Skytyping with Chemtrails or one of the steampunk scents?

I have a love/hate relationship with coconut so I like it blended with other things. I just tested Harigata II and bought Beanman and Beanwoman unsniffed and both these have a lovely but not intrusive coconut note on my skin. Lovely for summer.

The most green-tea-ish one I have tried so far is Tweedledum, but yeah, I haven't found one that is quite the same as, say, my L'Occitane green tea scent. I shall keep looking and watching though. I HAVE FAITH.