jewelbug

Well, for vanilla, I enthusiastically second Dorian. And for not-too-foody chocolate, I LOVE Velvet. For other sweet/foody scents that I didn't already see listed, I'd suggest hellcat (sweet and nutty, but somehow isn't sickeningly sweet like gluttony was on me) and eden (how can one NOT love "fig leaf, fig fruit, honeyed almond milk, toasted coconut and sandalwood"?). Oh, and if you really do like moonflower, I'd try midnight. It sounds dark, but its light and clean and wonderful floral (this coming from someone who's not the floral type). If you're at all into spicey/foody, queen of sheba is a great mix of spice and almond. Bagdad is interesting and complex, too--kinda a spicey rose scent on me, so if you like rose and food, it might be for you. Aunt Carolines Joy Mojo smelled like christmas spice cookies on me, but judging from reviews, your results could vary. Good luck!

I think silk road would work well, it strikes me as kind of a spicey floral. Its warm and sexy and gorgeous. And I also really like your idea for queen of sheba--I am wearing it today! You should also look here, for a similar (but short) thread: http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=13888&hl=dance

I'm also in love with hamadryad (in case my icons don't give it away). I also like yggdrasil for a woodsy scent (lighter and more summery than hamadryad, but no cinnamon.) And if you like yggdrasil, i was recently told to try grandmother of ghosts--they said it was like a sweeter version of yggdrasil, though i've not tried it yet. Also, if you do like cinnamon of the non-candy type (which i assume you do if you like hamadryad), you might wanna give faustus a spin. Its got deep cinnamon and frankincense (instead of wood like in hamadryad). Its darker, less sweet and more masculine than hamadryad, but its delicious. I'm a girl and i like it anyway.

Imp: All sweet almond. Wet: As soon as it hits my skin, the spice comes out. It's still got almond, which is rather buttery smelling, actually. But overtop is a tongue numbing spice--cardamom? Clove? It's sweet and rich and luxurious smelling. This is warm and round. And lovely. The nuts in it remind me of Eden and hellcat, since they strike me as sweet an buttery, but on applying Eden to compare, I realize how much less buttery and spicier Queen of Sheba is. Drying: I really start to lose the almond now, and the spice is taking over. It's a wonderful spice, but I really liked those sweet almonds. It's also got just a hint of baby powder to it. 30 min: Spices and powder. This is the type of powder I get from amber blends, so I wonder if there is amber in here? The whole spice/amber with the sweetness of honey to it makes me think of a spicier O, without the vanilla bit--which is absolutely wonderful in my book. This is sweet and warm and hot and sexy. 2.5 hrs: this really does smell like an amber blend on me. Its melds to my skin, getting powdery like amber, but retaining a honeyed sweetness and a spicy intricacy. There is something green in with the spices too, and I can't put my finger on what it is. It’s a lovely blend, though. 4 hrs: Still there, still melded well. I think one of the spices is anise? Whatever they are, I like them…. Overall: This has great throw, and lasts for 6-7 hrs. It melds to my skin, and I think its powdery spice is wonderful. The problem is that hubby keeps saying it smells like grass. He's nuts. Despite what he says, I like it. I think I need to put this in my pot of "to compare" between O, Dragon's milk, and petit mort. I know I want one, but I can't decide which, and on my skin they're all similar and related.

Imp: I smell cinnamon and incense but also a hint of what smells like dill. Weird. Hubby says there's an Italian herb garden in there somewhere. Him: Wet: Musty woodsy resins with only a hint of cinnamon. Still a hint of dill, but much less so than in the imp. Drying: This has an almost green smell on him, over the deep resin incense smell. I guess that's from the violet. The violet makes it kinda flowery, and not really as manly as we were hoping. 20 min: Yeah, he definitely gets much more of the green violet type smell than I do. Its still resinous and spicy, but has a touch of vegetable and flower that we're not too fond of. 1:30 min: This goes green bitter, and not as woodsy spicy on him (like it is on me). His skin ruins this one, cuz on me its lovely!!!!! Me: Wet: First on, this has a dark musty basement kinda of smell, then a kick of sweet spice. If I had to guess the spices I'd say cardamom, cinnamon and anise. Very cool. I don't really smell violet or anything green. Drying: Ooh, this is great cinnamon/spice cuz it manages not to smell like potpourri or big red. Great fall/Christmas smell. There is still an undercurrent of musty darkness, but I actually enjoy it. Late Dry: I get no violet (which in my book is great, since I'm not all that fond of it). I keep getting wafts of warm frankincense and cinnamon Christmas. Its fun and beautiful, but maybe not something I want to smell like all the time--its definitely a bit masculine for me. Overall: This has great throw and great staying power. I love this, but it doesn't work on hubby, and it’s a little masculine for me to wear straight up. Update: I mixed this with velvet to food it up a bit. And WOW. Mmmm. Christmas chocolate spice cake and holiday decorations. I'm so keeping Faustus just for blending. It will help me seasonalize my other scents!

Imp: He says minty lollipops. I say fumey green cleaner with a possibly piney aftertaste. Clearly we smell differently. Him: Wet: Hmmm, I'll be…. It really is minty on him. Minty, definitely very green, and fumey. Despite all that, it’s a wee bit creamy and round smelling. Not at all what I expected from this. 10 min: green, creamy violet and mint. 25 min: faint clean, green, slightly creamy plantlife. But this doesn't have much throw on it. 1 hr: very faint. Fades away by 1.5-2 hrs. Me: Wet: Smells like a fumey cleaner, slightly pinesol-y. And whew! Something almost camphorous. Its clearing my sinuses right up--must be the eucalyptus…. Also, this is odd, but there seems to be a bit of barn hay in this. Fresh hay, not old dry hay. Drying: More mint/eucalyptus during the drying phase, with a very grassy/hay-like background--fresh, green and minty. I should also mention that my arm is tingling where I put this. Fresh tingle, not bad tingle, but interesting. 10 min: Holy crap, its really tingling now. Its like my arm is eating a coughdrop--or like I just rubbed icy hot on there. I'm really disturbed. The smell is green, fresh, sweet and minty/eucalyptus at the same time. It's really interesting. This could make an invigorating bath soak or body wash. Unless it melts my skin off first. 30 min to 1 hr: It tames into more of a sweet green violet with a hint of mint. The continues to diminish, and the eucalyptus and mint are both gone by 1.5-2 hrs. This has great throw, and lasts for 4-5 hrs. Unfortunately by the ends its that green bitter vegetable smell that I've come to greatly dislike in violet blends. Overall: This is a very interesting scent. It's different. And it's actually a very pleasant fresh scent (except for the bitter end). But it's not something I would wear if it were competing with all my wonderful other bpals. It would make a kick-ass wake me up in the morning shower gel, though. I'm glad I tried it.

Imp: Smells kinda of sweet almond and myrrh in the imp. Don't know why, as there's not almond in this. Him: Very baby powdery as soon as it hits his skin. It fades really fast too. On the order of 20 mins or so. Me: Wet: This is very powdery on my skin, too. But on me, its not just powder, there is also strong myrrh in this. It’s a ritualistic powder. Pretty, strong and heady. I think this really is a passionate smell. It's very mature for me, though. 1.5 hrs: This is mostly wonderful amber powder on me, with a ritualistic kick from the myrrh. This is very pretty, has great throw and great lasting power. 3 hrs: This is growing on me. It feels far less "too mature" --It's beautiful. Still not me, but lovely. Late in the drydown, this takes on an almost vanilla creaminess. Mmmmm….Reminds me a bit of O, but not as sweet. Still, this late dry down phase seems mostly powdery amber with a bit of vanilla. Very similar. Lovely. Overall: On me, this is still pumping after 5 hrs--Amazing staying power (funny that on him it had nil). As the scent matured, it really grew on me. Hehe. Now I wish I still had my O imp to compare. And my Dragon's milk too, for that matter. Mental note to collect all three at some point in time. Lovely scent, would consider it as a bottle. Try this!

Imp: No chocolate or fig, which is what I was hoping for. Something oddly medicinal. I put this on my hubby, cuz we decided to watch the really cheesy sci-fi movie of the same name. Hehe. On: Wet: I CAN smell the walnut, but there is something "off" to it--like its half rancid. I also smell the rum. But there is no fig (the reason why I got this). NO chocolate. Only rancid alcoholic fermenting nuts with something even stinkier overtop, which I can only assume is cubeb--it's kinda medicinal smelling, and I really am not a fan. 2.5 hrs later, the evil smell is mostly gone and there is actually fig there, along with non-rancid black walnut smell. This stage is actually nice. But it's so not worth it, since the process of getting there is…intense. Overall: At the start, this scent is horrifying. Like the mythical creature, I guess--its a close tie for my least favorite bpal ever. I don't know what cubeb is, but I suspect it's largely responsible for the ultra-ick smell at the start. It calms into a figgy walnut, which is unique and nice. But this is DEFINITELY not for me. ETA: This review makes me sounds so mean! I LOVE beth to the ends of the earth, and appreciate all the heart she puts into her blends. I blame my wonky skin chemistry for this--since it sounded like it worked so spectacularly on so many others. Wish it smelled like that on me! I also wish I could figure out what it was that smelled so bad on me so that I could avoid it at all costs. Hehe. Unless I want a husband repellent....

Ew. Strong catpee jasmine--damn my non-cooperative skin chemistry. I don't know why I keep trying jasmines. This happens about 90% of the time. But I guess its worth it to find the 10% that work!!!!!!! This one really wasn't as cat-pee-y as some others, but its there. It's strong. And it's unpleasant. I am getting rid of this ASAP.

Imp: A crisp almost fruity scent with a nutty tinge. It’s a bit creamy, and green apple might be a good description of the fruit smell I'm getting. This is not what I expected at all. It's not really foody, but has a lot of qualities that make me think food. Him: Wet: Faint, not much throw on him. Smells like a tart but slightly sweet green apple smell with a hint of dry woodsy nuts. His skin eats this alive, and it's gone in about 10 mins. Me: Wet: OMFG!!!! Sweeter, creamier, nuttier a slight baking spice, like nutmeg or cinnamon--a barky/woody spice. Still has a green apple tinge. I describe this as fruity and nutty, and there is even a tinge of caramel on my skin. This is AMAZING for fall. Totally not what I was expecting from the description. (I wonder if this was mislabeled, but I see similar reviews in this thread….) Dry: Still green apples and warm and woodsy spice--hubby compares it to a not-overly-foody apple crisp. After dry down, it's not as nutty smelling. But it's still gorgeous. This lasts 6-7 hours and wafts up gorgeously the entire time. Mmmmmmm….. Overall: I think I'd like to wear this for the rest of the fall!!!! I'm in LOVE! I went pumpkin picking wearing this. The wafts of wonderful spicy apple woods were just incredible. And despite sounding foody, its really not. I need a HUGE bottle, ASAP!

Imp: Flowers and herbs. I can't identify them--I don't even know 3/4 of the names in the description! Sweet, non-heady, relatively light flowers. Wet: Sweet, light, beautiful, pale flowers. Along the lines of honeysuckle, even though its not. But it IS clean, light, sweet and pretty. This is a very familiar floral smell, though I can't put my finger on it… Drying: Ah! I think this reminds me of the old BBW flowering herbs spray. 1 hr: stays true to the light sweet florals. It's simply lovely, and I'm not usually a floral girl. Still has pretty good throw/lasting power, despite being light, which is a great combo! Overall: This is a great sweet and clean smell, and I would love to have this again come spring. I would also consider this for scenting bath products/shampoos and what not. I’m just not in the mood for it right now, as I'm feeling like I want warm, cozy, spicy, thick autumn and winter scents. I think I'll get this again come spring, since it’s a floral I really like a lot, and that's rare. Its beautiful.

I only tried this on him. Imp: Leather and bergamot. This is kinda what I was expecting from Severin--like earl grey with more leather. Wet: Herbal and lemony and leathery, but clean leather, like it was in Jolly Roger. This reminds me of Jolly Roger a great deal, actually, but it's got something a bit rounder, creamier, sweeter to it. Jolly Roger is salty instead. But both are shower-clean man smells. 30 min: clean leather and a sweet herb/spice. But overall still very much like a sweeter, rounder, Jolly Roger. 1hr20min: The spices on this really come out in the late try down. That's the anise, I guess, but it really doesn't smell like licorice. This is still clean and fresh and has the clean leather tinge. By this point in time, though, Jolly Roger and Casanova have definitely diverged. Overall: Casanova is a great shower-clean man smell, with a sexy hint of spice and a kindof creamy roundness. As far as shower clean leathery man smells, I like Casanova better, and he likes Jolly Roger better. Figures. But ultimately, he's the one that's gotta wear it all day, and I did like both. So this one will go to the swaps, and we'll be keeping Jolly Roger. I might have him revisit this one some day.

Imp: Sweet and fumey, like alcohol. I think it smells like salty leather and pale woods. I only tried this on him: On, wet: Very shower clean. Sorta with a cool water vibe, though it really doesn't smell like that. Very fresh and clean. Leather and man's shower soap or deodorant. Also a bit tart, like citrus, even though I don't think there IS citrus listed. 3 hrs later: Still that wonderfully fresh clean lightly tanned leather/aquatic blend. So shower clean. Great man scent, and good staying power. Overall: Clean, masculine and ultra sexy in a preppy kinda way. We're gonna hold onto this one for now. Yay--another scent for the hubby!

Imp: Cinnamon, fruit and chocolate. (I realized after reading the description that this is wrong, but well, that's what I smelled….) Wet: Sandalwood, cinnamon, floral? Wait, not cinnamon. Its anesthetic--clove? Or licorice? Drying: This is lovely, spicy, sweet, lightly floral (for the people like me who like florals as long as they don’t overpower) with that hint of woodsiness. Its like grown up licorice candy (weird that I like this, since I can't stand licorice candy). 30 min: Still spicy, but this has taken on a slight soapy cherry blossom quality, and isn't as sweet as before. It retains a dusty sandalwood. This is nice, but not as nice as it was earlier. Definitely feels very eastern to me, though. 50 min: OH, I change my mind!--this is not soapy at all. Its sweet and slightly licorice and just has a bright cleanness to it, like a pale gentle flower. Surprising, since the other cherry blossoms I tried were super overpowering and powdery. This is light and fresh and clean. In about 90 minutes, it loses the anise. Now it's just sweet, clean floral, but its far away, and fading fast. Lasts a total of about 2 hours. Overall: Lovely smell. Its just so interesting with the sweet blossoms and dusky sandalwood and spicy licorice. I will look into getting this again come spring. The only downside was the lack of staying power...

Imp: Fresh grapefruit? And sorta aquatic. Clean and fresh. Wet: Tart citrus and a slight powdery floral. Definitely aquatic--hubby compared it to cool water. It's very fresh and clean and light. Mostly its just fresh wet fruits and some powder (maybe that’s amber?). Drying: VERY citrusy. Lime, grapefruit. Pale bright tart citrus, with a floral/powder tinge underneath. Clean, sweet and a little grassy with that rainy aquatic. An hour later, its still clean, watery, fresh, with citrus (much lighter on the fruit now, though). There also seems to be a slight spice to this. Mostly its white/green, herbal, clean and refreshing. Overall: This is a lovely light refreshing clean scent. I would consider it for spring, but I’m in an autumn/winter mood, so I’m passing it along. I may be interested in trying it again in a few seasons.

Imp: Tea with lemon. Mmmmm…I love tea. Me: Wet: Stays true to the tea with lemon smell. Very fresh and clean. The earl grey is unmistakable. Drying: The lemon is super strong during the drying phase. When its dry, the lemon calms down and its earl grey again, with a lemon twist. Clean, fresh, and an amazingly accurate blend representation of the tea. I don't get the leather. Just the tea. It's wonderful. It lasts about 1:45 min before it fades away completely Him: same great early grey smell, but its gone in about 30 min. Overall: This is a very light happy scent. I love it--it’s the most amazing earl grey and lemon smell, and I wish it were drinkable! But the lack of staying power pushes it off my "must have" list.

Imp: Very manly smell, woodsy? Perhaps a touch of lemon and spice? HIM: Wet: Woodsy and fumey. Wet on his skin, this reminds me of cleaning product. Drying: Smells like a fumey wood shop. This is definitely not a smell for him. Smells like a musty wood cabin after cleaning with pine/lemon sol. Like, clean, but the dust is still hanging in the air. This is musty clean. Fades in about 1.5 hrs. ME: Wet: Fumey and spicy, with a bit of creaminess to it. Still has the touch of lemony/pine cleaner, but mine is not musty or stifling like on him (I think his skin amps dirty patchouli smell). Drying: Is there eucalyptus in this? I'm getting a coughdrop vibe. Dry: Light Eucalyptus and white woods with pine. Resinous and actually refreshing, though manly. About an hour later, I think I'm getting that frankincense and patchouli everyone keeps talking about. More frankincense than patchouli, though. Overall: Bad on him, nice on me. This has good staying power and throw on me, but its just not my kinda smell. Glad I tried it, though. It was refreshing but resinous, which I think is a very interesting blend.

Wet: Spicy citrus, dark mushy vanilla. Dry: Dark and sweet. This has the same feel to me as a non-minty undertow. Which is weird, cuz there isn't lotus, to my knowledge. It's quite nice, and surprised me for a jasmine blend (which usually smell like cat spray on me). It also reminds me a little of succubus, I think. Overall: This is a very nice dark dusky heady scent, and I'd consider trying it again, but for now, it's not what I'm looking for. Great throw and staying power.

Her: Wet: Biting, sharp, something a tinge unpleasant. Odd, but it sorta reminds me of a jasmine blend. I wonder if narcissus and jasmine share some common qualities? It's got mustiness too it, which succeeds in making it feel dark. It's kinda making me claustrophobic. Dry: Ah, glad I waited. Definitely lost the unpleasant tinge. Now I smell an anaesthetic quality, but it’s a bit sweet and a hint powdery at the same time. I think I get mostly narcissus, but there is an undercurrent of what I think is myrrh. It's much nicer now, but totally not "me". Him: a slightly medicinal greenish smell. I think that's the narcissus. Spicy in an anaesthetic, numbing way. Same as me, but with more powder. Overall: Something in this reminds me of succubus. It’s a pretty blend, but is just too dark, floral and "old" for me. More mature than I am. And still a wee bit stifling. Definitely too girly for him.

Imp: Spicy and green. This is lovely in the imp. Me: Wet: Green citrus? Smells tart like a citrus. Incredibly fresh, and tickles my nose oh so wonderfully. Drying: The spicier notes start to come out. There is something very deep and dusky in this, but then there is a light green herbal almost citrus note too. It’s an intriguing blend. It's like being in the deep dark woods in an oasis where the sun shines through to the smaller foliage. This is so wonderfully earthy. It definitely is a masculine type feel, but wow, I feel like I'm hiking in this, so I really like it even for me. It seems clean, natural and fresh to me, even though it's definitely a darker blend. On him: This is wonderfully dark and spicy and earthy still with that green freshness, similar to on me, but somehow even more masculine. Overall: I love this on us both, and wish it would be released, already! Hehe. It would be a great fall scent for either of us.

Ooh, I love the addition of all night long and follow me boy. This is such a fun little activity! What about a tour of the orient set: You could serve it up with a cute chopstick or hairsticks set and maybe a little tea or saki set. Kyoto Neo-Tokyo Aizen-Myoo Kabuki Kitsune-tsuki Kumiho

With regard to sex sets, and a little dirtier, an S&M set is crying to be made: De Sade, Whip, Wanda, Severin ,Pain, Perversion Along with a pair of fuzzy handcuffs....hehe. Also, a renaissance-inspired set could be fun: Bess, Catherine, Florence, Venice, Cathedral, Lady Macbeth (or any illyria scent, really). Ooooh, and a poet's set: Languor, Absinthe, Raven, Twenty One, Highwayman and either something with opium/poppy or mata hari for the coffee. This could be served up with a cool little notebook and pen.

Imp: Butter and sweet vanilla syrup. Very similar to the hazelnut candle I get at Yankee, actually. Buttercream and hazelnut. Smells delicious, but not necessarily something I wanna wear, you know? Wet: The same as in the imp. Resisting the urge to lick my wrist. It’s an exquisitely delicious smell. SO very sweet. Praline candy shop sweet. I'm having honeymoon flashbacks (we went to New Orleans and ate ourselves silly on praline pecans.). Hubby says caramel filled donuts from krispy kreme (if they existed). Drying: Spicy pralines. A buttery, vanilla sweet nutty spice. Like a little cinnamon in pecan pie. Mmmmmm… This makes me long for sticky sweet treats. Several hours later, this is much less sweet dessert/caramel/buttercream scent than before, and it feels nuttier. I don’t' know what else it is that I smell, its faintly spicy, and kinda green. Is this maybe the hops? Overall: Faded, this smells just like hellcat did faded. Very interesting. And yummy. Still foody, but no longer like a food candle. Its more….savory? I don't know how to describe. I like it, though. This lasts a good 6-7 hrs and has great throw (in the beginning). I don't quite know what to do with this one. On one hand, I think it's really interesting after the candle food part burns off. But the initial 1-2 hrs of candle shop is kinda turn off in a perfume. This could be a wonderful home scent, too. I think I'll hold onto the imp and wear it for days when we cuddle and watch movies with a cup of hot cocoa.

Imp: Crisp, clean, rose. A bright rose--white? Its also green/fresh. On: Rose. All rose. Now, this rose stays true--it does not go powdery or soapy like most rose blends. It's very pretty, just not me. My skin notoriously amps strong florals. Overall: Lovely feminine blend, and the throw and staying power are way up there. This is not something I'd wear, but it’s a great rose scent for those who like rose. I'll be sending this imp to my swaps page for someone else to play with. Edited to add: Several hours later, this has morphed into something puzzling. Its good. Its sweet. ALmost berry sweet, but still with the rose in there. How surprising. I love when bpal throws me surprises. This is good, and I actually like it at this stage. I just don't like the overpowering rose at the beginning.

Imp: Can't tell, really. I spilled some jack on the label of this one, so I get a lot of jack, and then a bit of a musky earthy floral. Wet: Strong cat-pee floral. Ew. Drying: The cat-pee gets less invasive. This is strong with great throw, but the combo just doesn't do it for me. It's very heady (poppy?) and perfume-y, and a little powdery-- and taking over. I need a bit more subtlety. I also don't think I'm a huge civet fan. Too feral for me. After a while, it does calm down into a perfume-y heady floral, with a feral edge. Much more stomach-able at this point, but still totally not something I would wear. Overall: I have feeling this one would last an amazingly long time, but I can't leave it on.. It's just too feral, overpowering and mature for me.