jewelbug

I had a good experience with Santa Eularia's jasmine the other week, so I'm giving this jasmine blend a shot as well. Bottle: Smells mostly of non-descript department store perfume. Musky, some florals--'tis generic perfume, and not distinctive to me. Wet: Lily and musk with jasmine behind (not cat pee jasmine yet). Already a hint powdery (my skin and florals), so my hopes are not high. Drying: There is a (thankfully) VERY short cat pee phase. Within 10 mins, though, I get a good (non-cat pee) jasmine with a bit of lily, some musk, and slight sandalwood. I’m not getting the spices or the vanilla, which is what I was hoping for. My skin amps florals. I know this. But I still try. Over time, this blend darkens, and is anything except generic department store. This is deep jasmine, with warmth to it. Still not distinctively vanilla-y or spicy, but definitely a warmth, some of it from sandalwood, I assume. Even later, it evolves into a dark jasmine (not bright like it was in Santa Eularia) and I think I'm actually getting a hint of the dark vanilla now. Overall: If I were a floral girl, I'd be all over this, since it's actually unique to a lot of florals I've tried. It's so well blended making it difficult to pick up anything under the jasmine. But it's definitely more than just straight up jasmine. A wonderful surprise after my dept store suspicions. I have gifted this to a faraway friend, but if I ever happen upon another imp, I will likely snatch it up to try again.

Imp: Clean, light, herby floral. Wet: Herbaceous floral with something bordering on jasmine? Drying: I was expecting lavender, but if so, this isn't the type of lavender I'm used to smelling. It's very soapy. I don't think this works for me. Oh my-- something in this has my wrist burning, and its taken on that cat-pee jasmine hint that sometimes plays tricks with my skin chemistry. Overall: My skin + anything jasmine-like=bad. This is DEFINITELY not for me. I washed it off, but its still hanging around. I wouldn't be able to sleep with this. My skin chemistry is too disturbing.

Imp: Fresh lavender and lime?. And something unsettlingly over-ripe. Wet: The lavender seems to fade, and I'm left with mostly citrus. This is very fresh and herbal. It's not really lime OR lemon. Maybe its lemon balm? Or lemon verbena? Lemon grass? Something like those. The over-ripeness I smelled in the imp didn't show up on my skin, which is VERY good. There is a fresh sawdust smell to this, according to hubby. I can't smell it. This is such a very familiar scent, but I can't put my finger on it, and its driving me crazy!!!!!!! The first time I tried this, I was thinking that with all the fresh citrusy wonderfulness, it couldn't possibly be sleep inducing. Oh, boy, was I wrong. I fell asleep almost as soon as I laid down for my nap. It was gone when I woke up an hour later. Sneaky, nanshe is. When I tried it again, it lasted about 1.5 hrs before it had faded away, which is just fine, since you're asleep by then….. Overall: I'm not in the market for specifically sleep bpals right now, but I might be someday, and I'll remember this. Its a deliciously clean fresh herbal. Soothing and invigorating all at once.

Bottle: Green. VERY green. Almost like fresh picked green beans, actually. This is very reminiscent of vegetables Me: Wet: Extremely green. The greenest most freshly crushed plant smell I've smelled from bpal. I assume this is the violet. It is not bitter and sharp like I'm used to from violet. Just. So. Green. It's very interesting. After a bit, this is not a sweet green, a grass green, a floral green. Its like mom's trying to get me to smell my vegetables green. Interesting, and very unique bpal, but not up my alley. Him: Wet: Green. This is fresh cut grass, crushed flower stems and the sap from green young trees. After about an hour, it's still very green, but now it’s a bitter green. This is the bitterness I usually associate with violets. It remains a green bitter violet floral. I don't quite know what vetiver smells like, but I think all I smell on him is the violet. It’s a touch girly on him, actually. Overall: this is a very interesting scent. I'd almost call it pure chlorophyll. A truly amazing and unique blend, just not something for me. I’m really glad I got to smell it! Now I'll pass it along for someone else to love.

This was a generous frimp from the lab, so I wanted to love it, but alas, this was not meant to be. Something (or several things) in this blend rubs me the wrong way. ANd I'm pretty sure its not the dragon's blood, as I was quite fond of Dragon's Milk. Anyway....My apologies to the lab for writing this blaspheme: This smells like the disinfectant that they use in public campground bathrooms. Don’t' get me wrong, it doesn't have any sort of human waste quality to it. Its definitely clean. And woodsy. Basically, 2000 flushes + campground forest=Dragon's Bone. At least, on my skin, it does. Not a good smell for me or hubby. To the swaps! Someone will love this more than I.

In the bottle this is a very lovely dark vanilla with amazing complexity. On me, wet, I can smell a dark coconut (not suntan lotion at all) with strong deep vanilla and pungent amber. There is a tinge of something I can't identify, but its lovely (i guess its either the labdanum or benzoin, but I don't know what either smells like). It does smell of the spices in Snake Oil, but this isn't syrupy like snake oil was. This is a gorgeous scent. I feel like I can just toss O away for good--this is so much more complex and wonderful. Later drydown, it does that wonderful powdery amber smell (the only kind of powder i've found i like), with vanilla--so the combo is much like O--but then there is something dark, something intriguing. I even think there is some earthy sweetness from the plum coming through. This is still faintly detectible about 12 hours later, which is REALLY impressive for me. Workday bliss. Yup. I am now ready to part with my O imp. Snake charmer is my new vanilla love. Snake charmer vanilla for fall/winter, Dorian vanilla for spring/summer. Mmmmmm.... Now I kinda wish I'd bought more than one bottle. Why do so many of the ones I love have to be LE's?

In the bottle: Smells like a delicious store full of halloween/thanksgiving candles and decorations. On: I smell tons of mulling spices and some dry leaves. This is just gorgeous on me. The spices are incredible. Its slightly sweet, but not an overly sweet like I had feared from reading the sugar and fruit notes. Its wonderous. Later, I can smell more of the flowers and the lunar herbs, with the spices more faint, but still there. This is even better, as it smells less like the decorations in a store, and more like REAL autumn. I LOVE this. LOVE!!!! Its just so rich and warm and slightly sweet. It is exactly what I had hoped!

Imp: Pure RED lollipops. Nothing else. Nothing could possibly compete with delicious red lollipops. Wet: Lollipops and a sharp perfumey note, which I can't identify. Drying: Bear with me, cuz this is gonna sound so friggin' bizarre: Red lollipops and PEPPERONI? WTF? I have no idea what my skin chemistry is doing to this one. It's just wrong on so many levels. Overall: Lollipeperoni. Like red lollipops and cheap Ellios pizza. My skin has never behaved so strangely. Apparently, my body thinks that " breath of heady womanly perfume"="cheap microwave pizza with pepperoni cubes." That's all folks. I'm too old to be Jailbait anyway…

Got this brand new from the lab!!! Bottle: Lemon and grapefruit with unidentifiable florals….and jasmine. Sigh. I try all the scents I get, but oh, how I dread jasmine… Wet: Citrus melange--lemon, orange, grapefruit--with flowers in back (including the aforementioned jasmine) Notably, the jasmine hasn't gone catpee yet (like it normally does). This is sweet, musky pretty jasmine, like jasmine should be. Makes me wonder if Beth uses more than one type of jasmine, cuz this one really seems to be playing nicely? Drying: Good thing this jasmine is playing nicely, cuz it's mostly jasmine now. There is but a slight hint of citrus. It's GOOD jasmine. I am so astounded by my first non-catpee jasmine. It's sweet and fresh and clean smelling. Hint of lemon, but mostly a fresh heady jasmine. Can't pick out any herbs really (unless that's the clean smelling part). This is a completely non-powdery floral on me. Impressive. This lasted 3-4 hrs before I went to bed, so I don't know its full duration. Overall: Mostly pretty, clean jasmine. A bit soapy in its cleanness, actually. It's soft and feminine and pretty. As a typical jasmine hater, I'm proud to say that Santa Eularia worked for me. I am in a foody-perfume mode right now, but if I ever get into a floral phase, I think I may search for Santa Eularia again. Beth has surprised me once again!

Bottle: Grass. Vegetables, but with a sharp boozy tinge. This is really hard to identify. This I got mostly for him, but I'll try it, too. Him: Wet: Brisk bitter grass. I can only assume this is the violet again. It’s a touch powdery and a little earthy. Mostly it's bitter and green. Drying: very green--the crushed bitter green of violet. This also has a musky woodsiness to it--vetiver? It’s a good man scent so far, but I just don't like violet, and don't want my boy smelling like it. Dry: In about 30 min it progresses to crushed green violet covered in baby powder. Decidedly non-manly, and most definitely NOT something I dig (being a violet skeptic). The powder dies down a bit later, and it goes back to being very vegetable-like with a mild powder. It's also fading fast by 1.5 hours. Overall, Him: Not a scent for MY man. Yup, though I keep trying, I just am not keen on violet blends yet. Her: Wet: Once again, green bitter grassy violets. But this is tempered by something almost creamy. Drying: Well, the redeeming creaminess is definitely gone. Cold bitter violet with something salty and animalistic--is that vetiver and musk dueling it out? I have no idea. Dry: This seems salty to me (could be the name influencing me). Actually, this kinda smells like Chinese soup--like salty green seaweed--veggies and salt. Very, very weird. Too bizarre to describe aptly. At about an hour, the soup is gone (thank god), and its back to crushed bitter greens with something peppery (peppery like lavender leaves). And getting more powdery. Overall: Okay, I confess. This is not bad on me after the soup phase ends. It's just VERY green florals with a touch of salt. It's pretty and fresh. Flowers on the side of a sea-facing cliff? I just really don't like violets, so I'm biased--I think they're bitter and cold. I also really don’t see this being a man scent (it wasn't manly on me or hubby). Glad we tried it. Ready to swap it.

Bottle: This smells exactly like minty kid's bubblegum toothpaste. Bad dental office memories, anyone? I have serious doubts about this one, but well, there is that "try everything" rule that I have… Me: Wet: Mostly mint, with a bubblegum in back. That means--still kiddy toothpaste. Drying: First mint, then sweet lotus. Kinda aquatic, but the lotus is very bubblegum on me so far. No juniper that I can discern. The mint mellows during early drydown, and the lotus gets a little less bubblegummy. Less of the toothpaste now, but not something I'd like to wear. Dry: After about 30 min, this gets very interesting (in a good way). The mint becomes a far away undernote, and the lotus matures. I think I might actually like lotus. I don't know what it's SUPPOSED to smell like, but it seems to be a sweet, slightly powdery in a pleasant way, and a bit…buttery? Something creamy, if not buttery. This is a very pleasant surprise after the bubblegum scare. Dumbfounding. 3 hours later the smell hasn't changed much, though it has faded significantly. I'm still trying to describe the lotus smell to myself. You know, there is a bizarre scratch-n-sniff quality to this, though which scent thereof I can't think of. Overall, Hers: Lotus also appears to have a good throw. As in, it’s a light scent, but it still manages to waft around me nicely. It also melds with the skin very well; much like amber does on me--feels like it becomes part of me. I went to bed, so I don't know how much longer it lasts past 3 hrs. I am fascinated by lotus and will definitely try more lotus blends (this was my first). But undertow's beginning toothpaste phase is too much for me. Him: Wet: Kids toothpaste and cough syrup. And I thought he couldn't possibly make it weirder than it was on me… Drying: This takes on a lemon/pine (juniper) fruity (lotus?) smell. Far less mint on him than me. Dry: Wow, there significantly more pine for him (I guess any at all would be more since I got none). Where mine was mint and lotus, his is pine and lotus. Interesting. But the lotus on him is much the same as it was on me, a bit sweet, a tad fruity, and unidentifiable/indescribable. More importantly, feminine. Not a scent for him. An hour later its all girly lotus on him. Overall, His: Nope, not a manly smell.

New imp from the lab! Wheee! Bottle: Initially I think of dark tea. This is sweet, a bit of warm spice, but not overly foody, since there's some floral to this too. We'll try this as a his and hers. Me: Wet: Wow, orange and spice, but its also almost creamy smelling. Also floral. The spice strikes me more as a mellow cinnamon bark than a nutmeg. Drying: Warm musky spice. No longer orange, still some bergamot at the end. Very nice. Also still a bit of floral (if I had to guess I'd say musky dark rose). I like this floral. And since it's rosy, that's surprising. It's very sexy with the spice. I'm also thinking it’s a bit christmasy. Late dry: Yes, this is a dark spicy, musky floral. It's very well blended, working nicely together. Its also powdery--but not the bad sort of powdery. The sort of powdery I get from amber so that it clings to my skin and becomes part of me. Amber powder with spices ground in. It's very nice. I’m not sure if its "me" or not, but damn, its beautiful. There is something green to it too, which sounds odd with the rest of the mix, but damn, it works. This lasts for 4+ hours (I went to bed), and ends in a warm amber powder still spicy with sandalwood. I love how amber melds with my skin. The throw is good, too. Him: Wet, it is much weaker than on me: sweet musky spice, dry, warm, bergamot at very end. A tad powdery Drying: Mellow cinnamon bark like on me, but with a hefty bit of baby powder floral. Too much powdery floral for my man. I still think its got spice but he's totally un-enthralled with it (powder), so it's definitely not for him. Overall: well, not for him. For me…. I love it for its complexity. The problem is that my husband doesn't seem to think it's all that impressive. "Run of the mill floral" says he. The fool. Oh wait, now he says he likes it. But is that cuz he doesn't wanna offend? Grrrr, I can't tell. I will keep the imp and test him again later. My poor little guinea pig…

The sublimely beautiful, fiercely independent, impeccably cultured, fascinatingly worldly and witty courtesans of ancient Greece. A seductive and dazzling blend of golden honey, fiery patchouli, sweet fig and clove, and a blushing touch of ylang ylang. Bottle: First I smell honey and fruit, followed up by a non-dirty-hippie type of patchouli and some spice. The very last impression is that of an unidentifiable floral. Overall the scent is quite sweet. Wet: This is more floral now, perhaps a citrusy realm of floral. There is that sweetness in the back. Right now, it's not much more than that. It's also not as intense as I would have guessed from the imp. It's very warm, and I actually just got horny all of a sudden. Don't know if that was the perfume or my impending womanly cycles--I should test this again later. Drydown: Floral and perfumey--like generic perfume. I can smell the fig slightly, but not as I'd hoped. This reminds me of a not-as-good Gomorrah, but it's got a bit of sweet honey right at the end. Oh, wait--I take that all back, its turning lovely. It's getting much sweeter (about 20 mins), there is some smooth round fig, with a warm floral combo and HONEY. A tiny bit powdery. Still thinking this is similar to Gomorrah. I've noticed that from far away its more honey fig and from close up its more like the more floral/herby notes in Gomorrah. It ends here with sweet honey and powdery/herby fig with woodsy fig in the distant background. Overall: This lasts FOREVER. I could still smell it when I woke up the next morning, which was like 20 hrs later. Its throw and staying power are amazing, and it’s a wonderful honeyed floral with a hint of fig by the end stages. I really REALLY like this (I'm a fig lover), and I must compare it to Eden and Gomorrah before I make more decisions. edit: I'm retrying it now and comparing to the others. Its FAR more floral and patchouli than I remembered from last time, and less sweet. Compared to my other fig scents, this is too much in the vein of dept. store perfumes, and I think it will head to my swaps. Its also not as smilar to gomorrah as I'd thought. I'm crazy. it still ends many hours later as a blissful light honey, but I don't think that's enough for me.

Bottle: Musty, spicy homemade rootbeer. I moaned in audible pleasure when I first smelled this--a fresh new imp straight from the lab. My very first Bpal lab order arrival (but now I've got 2 more on the way). This it to test as a his and hers (yes, i know its traditionally masculine, but I try EVERYTHING i get). Him: Wet: Fresh warm spicy root beer. Drying: Rootbeer, but more myrrh than me. Lightly spiced. Further into trying, tis develops something almost musty smelling--like a basement. One of his favorite smells is basement, oddly enough. Still has the rootbeer, but its much less. Final stage: Warm resiny myrrh with a hint of rootbeer--no more basements. It stays at this scent for the duration. Which is not very long, actually--2ish hours? Him, Overall: Though he likes basement smell, he didn't think this was as good for him as the others we've tried and loved on him. I liked it, but I also agree with his judgement. Me: Wet: Warm dry rootbeer. Almost a numb smelling medicinal feel to this sassafras on me, actually. Drying: Spicy rootbeer--less medicinal, but still a bit of anesthetic fell too it. Even so, this is so unique and awesome. It really captures the numbing quality of sassafras. WE used to make homemade rootbeer with it. We also used to pull the saplings and chew the roots. This is it. It's awesome. Dry: Smooth rootbeer barrel candies. You know, the old fashioned kind. No more anaesthetic quality. Like dark rootbeer candies with a bit of spice. At this point (1 hr), the nutmeg has made its unmistakable appearance. Nutmeg and rootbeer candies. At around 2 hours, myrrh joins the party--nutmeg myrrh and rootbeer. It's all melded together very well now, though, so it's hard to pick out the notes. Her, Overall: I really like this, but it is not exactly a "me" scent--a tad manly for me. I wish this had worked better on the hubby. I’m so very happy I tried this, though. It's SO unique. Wow.

I was so excited when I first tried this blend that I went straight to purchasing a bottle and must've forgot to review it. So, now I've used an imp, and have my bottle, and I guess I really should review it, eh? Bottle: First, tart lemon, then vanilla, then musk. Wet: Musky, tart, citrusy vanilla. So indescribably wonderful, and perfectly balanced. This isn't a sweet foody vanilla. This is vanilla combined expertly and perfectly with pale musks and gorgeous light earl grey. The throw is amazing. Dry: This stays as it was wet. Delicious. I don't get the tea, but I get this incredible musk with dark sugary vanilla and a bright true-lemon smell. Its musky (not dark musk, but pale and wonderful), its sweet, its bright. It's perfect. Overall: Perfection. I could wear this everyday, but then I wouldn't get to enjoy my other bottles…. This has one of the best throws of any BPAL I've tried AND its lasts for a very long time on my normally scent-chugging skin. Like so many others, I this!

Bottle: This is a very poignant floral. I am not good at separating floral notes, but luckily this only has three notes, so even I can handle this. So, its sweet gardenia followed by sharp violet. I don't know why, but every blend has this incredibly sharp/bitter smell to me, so I assume that's what violet smells like. Kind of cold, actually. Wet: This is a creamy sweet floral. The gardenia here is almost fruity, which is a good thing. There is a very little bit of vanilla, but not much to speak of, really. The biting violet is at the end. Drying: Initial drdown, the violet takes over and this is a very sharp bitter green floral--the whole plant just crushed--bitter plant smell on me. In about 10 minutes, the gardenia starts coming back at the end of a whiff with just the slightest hint of creamy vanilla. The sharp violet mellows over the span of the scent, and the gardenia gets a little spicy smelling. The whole scent sweetens as it matures. Somewhere between 2-3 hours, this changes a great deal into a lightly floral vanilla. A very pretty blend. It lasts well for about 6-7 hours. Overall: This is a very interesting blend. I think someone who likes florals, and particularly violet, will enjoy it greatly. The last flowery vanilla stage was a bit powdery on me, but then, my skin has a talent for turning florals to powder. The last bit was still very pretty. The initial strong violet stage was definitely not for me--violet strikes me as a cold bitter smell, even though that's not how I associate them with my childhood. I've not really been a fan of any violet blend I've tried thus far, but I'll keep trying. This, meanwhile, will enter my swap pile.

This totally wasn't on my list until I read the reviews that included honey. Then I couldn't resist. Glad I didn't. Bottle: Very sweet--far sweeter than I expected from the description. This really makes me think of honey, even though its not in the description. There is a very slight woodsy sharpness in the very very distant background. At the very end of a long sniff, I swear I smell some burnt dark sugar and something tart and almost citrusy. So maybe I'm crazy, but that's what I smell. Him: Wet: A warm and woodsy combination with tangy orange. Drying: Spicy, woodsy, tart, not nearly as sweet as in the imp. He also gets a tinge of powder in the early drydown, and some definite myrrh. This develops over about 30 min into very warm, slightly spicy wonderful woodsy myrrh. Very well blended and hard to pick the notes apart. This is absolutely sublime on him. It kicks Dracul's butt, and makes me want sex, ASAP! Me: Wet: Sweeter citrus than on him, and less woodsy, but still warm. That honey/dark sugar smell is at the very end. Drying: As it dries, a light floral is added to the above mix, as well as some warm sweet myrrh. This is very dry, and has that "make me thirsty" effect. The woodsy evolves into a warm sandalwood/myrrh smell, a little manly but my skin sweetens it so that I can actually pull it off very well. This is almost as much SEX on me as it was on him, and yet it's significantly different. It ends on a warm honey-sweet lightly resiny woodsy with a touch of floral. VERY VERY sexy. Warm and alluring. Come hither, baby! Overall: Amazing--on him it was more manly woodsy/resin notes, slightly sweet but masculine. ON me it was a honey laden sweet floral with the warmth of spice and wood/resin. Best of all--this was pure SEX on both of us. Wow. Must try this again tonight. And the night after that, and the night after that. I think this is a bottle! Note: I also wanna compare the late dry down of this to the late drydown of O. Just for curiosity....

Bottle: Complex. First I get an almost astringent leafy/woodsy smell. Followed up quickly by an almond coconut pair. No fig yet. No honey yet. Wet: Sandalwood and almond. And most importantly, there's the fig. (I love fig) Floating in the background is creamy sweet coconut, but not of the suntan-lotion type. Drying: The almond disappears. The fig is doing its cedar thing on me--I love that. It's sweet and creamy on top of the fig. This is warm, round, earthy, sweet, creamy, and downright sexy. This goes to a sweet coconut/almond tempered by woodsiness (sandalwood and fig/cedar). It gets a sharp freshness at the end--is this fig leaf?--it helps to brighten the scent. The warm sandalwood grows more predominant as it dries, but it's backed by a warm sweet fig and almost smoky coconut. Around the hour mark, its starts to sweeten considerably--very honey, but still with the wonderful cedar of fig and sandalwood and coconut. This is just so complex and wonderful. Overall: This ends as a mostly honey and sandalwood blend. I can still get the coconut and fig, but predominantly a wonderful honey and warm wood/fig. Intrigue has been my favorite scent since I started Bpaling (about 60 scents ago). But this beats intrigue--its more earthy, more woodsy, warmer, and has more throw (intrigue definitely has more fruit, though), and lasts far longer. Eden is so complex, mysterious and sexy. Wow. Simply wow. I need a honka-honka-big-bottle of this!

Bottle: This is very sweet and fruity. I think I am getting mostly grape and pear, but the combination actually smells a lot like melon to my nose. No peach that I can discern. Wet: This is initially kinda like watermelon jolly ranchers with a powdery floral after. Another floral at the end is a bit more biting--don't know what it is, but reminds me of the sharpness I smelled in queen Gertrude (except I don't think they have common notes, so no idea why). Luckily, the watermelon recedes into grape. This is pretty. Drying: This is mostly flower--a sweet flower with that same harsher sharper flower I mention above. In about 40 min, its less powder, and has a sweet juicy grape, with the florals as an after-note. After another hour, I can smell more pears, though its still behind the sweet grapes, still with the floral background. Overall: I don't know what to do with this. I really like it--its dewy and definitely the juiciest BPAL i've tried to date. Tt’s a bit more fruity than my normal scents--beth has surprised me again! I think it could make a really cool grape--fresh candle/home smell. And I don’t' mind wearing it either. I will keep this around and test again soon. This floral likes me. Probably cuz it's more fruit than floral. Hehe. Lasts well for 3-4 hours, sticks around faintly after that, though.

Bottle: Very citrusy, this definitely has the right bitterness for a pithy grapefruit. Wet: Bitter grapefruit pith, along with the tart fruit, but with a sweet blossom in the background. The blossom is also undeniably powdery on me. The whole scent is so far very clean and fresh. Drying: I am getting a lot more powder flower than I am citrus now. The citrus is still there, but not like I expected it to be--this is powdery blossom with just a hint of citrus. It's still incredibly light and clean, though. Fresh, I'd say. Later, the powder settles down. It isn't overpowering anymore, and the grapefruit is still there. Still later (2.5 hr), its even more timid, and I can begin to smell the ginger, but it’s the fruity type of ginger rather than a spicy one, if you know what I mean. Overall: A light, clean, non-foody citrus/ginger at the end. I think the light clean scent is a good bit of white tea, and a hint of the slightly (but not badly so) powdery blossoms. This is very pretty. I just don't think it’s a "me" smell. I would never reach for it given all the other amazing choices currently in my imp box. . Too light. Too powdery (at least, to start). To the swaps. I'm actually glad I didn't love this, since its discontinued. But I'm glad I got to try it--it was a very generous frimp in one of my forum orders--Thank you! Oh, yes, this had great staying power. I could still faintly smell it after 7 hours, which on my thirsty skin is very impressive.

Bottle: This smells like the chocolate oranges we get at Christmas. Upon initial sniffing, I have lofty plans of putting this on after my LUSH sonic death monkey showers. Mmmmmm…. Wet: So far, this is the same as the bottle. Chocolate oranges. I could lick myself, but I know it wouldn't taste like it smells. Drying: This takes on a more floral note, and now I can also smell a hint of dark cherries with the chocolate. The floral is keeping it from being too foody, which is a good thing. Its also turning out to be one of those oh so interesting scents where wafts smell of chocolate and proximity sniffs smell of flowers. This dualism continues, so that in about 10 mins, up close is a syrupy sweet floral with little chocolate, and far away is a dusty dark cocoa. How fun--this chocolate is like a star you can't see clearly until you're not looking directly at it! Later Dry: This is cherry up close now and chocolate and blossoms from far away. Its also slightly bathroom cleaner on me--you know that wonky cherry bathroom cleaner some places use? Hrm. Overall: I'll give this another shot in a week or so, to see if my body chemistry changes. The initial chocolate orange is great, so even if this turns to clean cherry bathroom cleaner on my skin, it might be a kick-ass room scent. Edited to add that this was relatively short lived on me--2ish hours?

Bottle: Wood and orange. Him: Wet: Woodsy (a lighter wood--balsam, I think), with a good bit of bitter orange, and mint slightly detectable. So far YUM. Dry down: Incensey, kinda powdery, with the sweetness of orange. In 2 hours, this is just strong, woodsy, incensey (in a good way) musky goodness. It's downright lustful. We both like it, and it inspired wild monkey sex (okay, TMI, I know). Overall: Lust. He likes it and says he will consider a larger bottle of it, but he wants to try other stuff before committing. Typical man, eh? Me: Wet: Woodsy, (cedar?), slightly powdery, hint of citrus. Drying: OOOOOH! Coves--I love cloves. This is musky and dark. There is also the slightest hint of something refreshing--mint? And something that smells a bit….creamy? Dry: Uh oh, the orange blossom is exerting. Yup, I'm not pumping powdery orange blossom floral. And its still a bit manish for me (even with blossom pumping). Overall: I liked this on hubby, and so did he. It certainly was not for my wearing, though (I hate overpowering blossoms). As much as we liked dracul on him, we've since found ones we like better, so dracul has made its way to my swaps.

Bottle: Something astringent and also some berry type smell. A bit spicy and warm. But it's definitely "fumey", like Clearasil pads. Sandalwood and chemical (like perfume alcohol). Him: Wet: Alcohol (like in a non-oil perfume) Also, I think juniper--perhaps its smelling like gin. ;-) Drying: Going "berry" very quickly. Also a hint powdery. Dry: Sweet, slightly berry fruity, powdery, hint of sandalwood, and a tint of musk. Despite musk and sandalwood, a little girly on him, from the sweet berry like smell. Late dry: Still there, kinda fruity powdery floral. Not much woodsiness. Pretty, but not for him. Lasts 4-6 hrs. Her: Wet: Sweet citrus(bergamot?), also something spicy and warm. Still fumey--I guess those are the wood notes. Drying: Goes a little powdery (3 min), I think what few florals there are in this are taking over. I can't smell the woods or musks. In about 15 min, it's still powdery/floral, but now there is something sweet cutting through. It actually smells like a berry, even though there's no berry listed in the notes. Late dry: Woodsy kinda berry. Nothing too exciting so far. Just a nice smell, but not something I must have. Overall: I really don't know why this is berry to me. But its sweet berry with a bit of floral woodsiness. Actually, it reminds me enough of pink moon but a hint less sweet and lacking the lunar herb notes. Similar enough that I don't need to keep himerus. And it DEFINITELY wasn't flattering on him (despite me getting it for the woodsy man-ish notes)--made him smell girly to me.

Bottle: Beth's Bliss with sandalwood added Wet: Astringent sandalwood with a hint of chocolate. But more of a dusty, dry cocoa than a creamy chocolate. No worries, the sandalwood mellows to warm instead of astringent. This is a wonderful way to make chocolate less foody. Drying: There is less cocoa, now. This is very earthy, and I think mostly sandalwood, but I'm not really picking out specific notes in general--it's well blended and just complex and lovely. It's warm and slightly sweet. I am also feeling like I'm getting some vanilla. Unfortunately, the throw is nil--45min-1.5 hrs on me and its nearly gone unless you're close up. Its sticks around in this ultra faint phase for a total of 9 hours, but I get just a hint of sweet vanilla sandalwood if I put my nose ON my wrist. Overall: Hmmmm, the staying power is good, but the throw is small. I love this blend. I'm not letting it go quite yet….we will see what the future brings for me and velvet. I think that this has great combination potential!

Imp: Cherry and vanilla with a slight spice. A bit bubblegummy. Wet: Musky first, then black cherry and vanilla. Pretty. Lighter than I expected from the description. Drying: Musky sweet cherry vanilla. It's warm sweet, innocent and seductive all at once. Like sexily tonguing a lollipop. Yum. This reminds me of a sweeter Blood Kiss with less incense (the incense was the iffy note for me in BK). I like HB better. As it dries, I get a hint of strawberry (?), but it doesn't last long. Dry: There is less musk, more vanilla and cherry now. It's pretty but maybe a little too sweet without the musk rounding it out. There is a hint of spiciness, though. Like the type of spiciness that Halloween mix bubble gum candy has to it--you know, the gum in the cheap-o mix. I actually like that smell… Late dry down: All of a sudden at the 1 hr mark--musky spicy goodness, much stronger than only moments ago. I still smell the vanilla cherry, but now its way smuttier. Hmmmm….I could layer this with so many things, I think. Overall: The staying power is good, the scent is yum. I think I like this sexy schoolgirl cherry vanilla better than the headshop cherry vanilla of Blood Kiss. Buh-bye, blood kiss ! Hollywood Babylon is a keeper!