jewelbug

Pink pepper, golden amber, honeysuckle, and passion flower. Wet: I get something very citrusy out of this wet. Citrus, golden, and slightly sweet, a bit powdery. Drying: While drying, there is a distinct “hay” note from this. Citrusy-floral and hay. When DH sniffed it, he said: “Mountain Dew.” You know, there’s something to that. As soon as he said it, I could smell it too! Dry: Now the hay is gone, as is the Mt Dew-ish scent. I get a sweet, citrus toned floral with a fairly strong wooden note (like sandalwood) and a hit of spice from the pink pepper. Overall: The waft on this one is actually very amazing. It’s a beautiful and unique scent that I can't describe very well. I can’t see going through a bottle of this, but having an imp around when the mood strikes would be a good thing.

Imp: A lightly spiced honey with a wee bit of lemon. Its sweet and smooth and smells drinkable. Mmmm! Wet: Sweet honey mead, yes, but also something more…effervescent…for lack of a better word. And also a little minty, though I’m guessing that I’m just misreading the herbs (rosemary is a likely culprit). Whatever I’m smelling, its FANTASTIC. I :luv: bpal's honey notes. Drying: Rosemary spiced mead (still smells minty) with a bit of lemon. There is also something that just smells of “LUSH” store—particularly a bunch of their honey scents (HIWTK, Honey Lip Balm, Mange Too, etc). I LOVE the lush honey stuff, and this would go so well with all of them!. Fantastic throw, too. After a few hours, this is just a warm sweet wafting honey scent with barely detectable spice and herbs. It’s a little powdery, very sweet, golden, and just absolutely beautiful. Overall: When I first got this and tried it on, the scent was so light and had little throw and didn’t last long…now with some aging on it, its become a more gutsy mead, and i can still smell its faint sweetness 12 hours later, even after washing my wrists by accident. I see what all the fuss is about with this one—its really lovely. I want more!

Imp: First thing that hits me is a sweet fruit, then a sweet floral, and then a hit of something citrus-y (which may actually be the bamboo?). Wet:Citrusy bamboo supported by sweet fruits (pear especially, but a pale plum, too). Dry: Still lemon-like bamboo with a sweet fruity floral underneath. Its also a bit creamy (not in the vanilla or milky sense, but I dont' know how else to describe it), not sure what that’s from. Overall: Reminds me of some of the asian moons, and I also see the similarities some have mentioned to Black Moon. I'm SO glad that jasmine didn’t rear its ugly head as is its usual MO. This is a lovely sophisticated blend--floral, sweet, green, all in a lovely balance. As pretty as it is, however, its just not a "me" bland, so I'll be passing it on.

Imp: Honestly? It smells like acrylic paint. Wet: Wet paint, red clay and, yes, a bit of spice and floral. But mostly paint. Dry: Yup, this continues to smell predominantly like paint. Wet paint. Not pretty. Overall: Note: I'm testing this from a sniffie, but there was enough oil to get it on my skin, so I went for it...still, I'm not sure the sniffie was in the best of shape (maybe it'd gone off?), because what I experienced isn't at all what I'd expect from a list of notes that I'm usually okay with. If it hadn't gone off, my nose is weird and somehow perceiving this particular note blend in a very bizarre way--it wasn't just skin chemistry, because it smelled like paint to me even before I put it on my skin.

Imp: A sweet fluffy vanilla with a pink tinge. Like marshmallows and some gossamer threads of cotton candy. Wet: Same as in the imp, but with a slight fruitiness making the “pink” element stronger. Like pink fluffy marshmallows. Reminds me of Midway because of this, though they're different. Drying: Pink marshmallows mostly…but if I close my eyes I can also imagine a pink lemonade-like zing and a bit of coconut. Unfortunately, I can also smell a bit of burny plastic, which I also got from midway, though its less pronounced in puff. Alas, some sugar notes just don’t agree with me. Lasts ~6 hrs, fades to a sorta powdery marshmallow sugar. Overall: Sweet, pale pink and high on fun, but this doesn't perform as well as it could on my skin. I'm glad I got to try it, but also sorta glad it doesn't work 100% for me, since its relatively rare.

Imp: Egg custard with a bit of a floral overtone. Wet: A very floral egg custard. Light florals ( lilies, maybe?) and a bit of clean linen and a wee bit of egg custard underneath. Dry: This is predominantly a floral on me. Floral with some vanilla support, and a honeyed sweetness. I can see how people say carnation. I’m crappy at identifying florals, but this does have that spicy floral quality to it. So, I’m guessing honeyed carnations and creamy vanilla (loses the egginess). The throw increases the longer it stays on me, and the scent loses a lot of the spice/floral and ends as a creamy honey scent. Overall: I was expecting something really foody and creamy and eggy (and hoping for something stronger than egg nog 07, which I liked but which didn’t have much throw on me). This wasn’t what I was expecting, but it IS lovely. I’m tempted to hunt for a bottle, but as that may prove difficult, I’ll at least be keeping and loving my imp! ETA: I'm more familiar with the scent now (got that bottle I mention above!), and wanted to add that there are times when I wear this that it just smells like the perfect summer day. Its like sitting and eating an egg custard flavored snowcone in the sunlight, the summer flowers blooming in the distance, and smelling just a hint of your coconut sunscreen as it wears off. Mmmmmm.

Sweet brandy, dark rum, heavy cream, sugar, and a dash of nutmeg. Bottle: Very boozy (mmm, rum and brandy), with a sweet creaminess underneath. This doesn't strike me as the lab's typical rum note, which often seems butterscotchy to me (and also often goes to plastic with my chemistry). Wet: A very creamy sweet vanilla, with booze and a wallop of nutmeg that hits you at the end (mmm, I LOVE nutmeg). I have to say, it lacks that “egginess” of egg nog, even though its delish.. For a little bit, while its drying, I get a hint of that plastic-ness that some creamy/rummy/vanilla scents do on me, but it doesn't stick around (yay!). Dry: Why is the rum gone? Why is the rum always gone? j/k. But yes, the booze goes away, and I'm left with a buttercream icing, cake batter and nutmeg scent. About 5-6 hrs later its hanging around as an almost marshmallow-y creamy sweet scent, no more spice. Overall: This is delicious. Unfortunately, its very light, and has almost zero throw on me. As delicious as it is, I don't see myself wearing it often. It'd be a nice comfort scent, except that I can’t smell it unless I have my nose pressed to my wrist. I was so excited about this one when it was re-released, especially with my nutmeg love, but its just too subtle. And since I'm trying to stop my hoarding, I think I'll pass this bottle on to a less-neglectful home.

Bottle: Very light, sweet scent. A hint of fruitiness, soft sweet roses, and golden syrupy copal. This is promising! Wet: Creamy sweet rose, with an almost honeyed sweetness (assuming that’s the agave). Dry: Sweet creamy golden scent. Hints of rose, but it doesn't go soapy, I can’t describe it well enough to do it justice. I don't really get woods or spices, but what I do get is just beautiful, with a hefty syrupy sweetness that I can only assume is the agave nectar. Overall: I really enjoy this, but probably not enough to have a whole bottle. I think I'll work on building a little imp collection or find a partial of this to enjoy when I want to feel sweet and purty. eta: Over 24 hrs later and several washings (and I mean actually scrubbing the perfumed area with soap and water) I can STILL smell the sweet nectar of this scent. Its PERSISTENT. I like that. So few scents cling to me for that long, that I'm considering a partial/bottle a bit more seriously now...

Bottle: I find that this oil separates a lot, so I needs a good mixing everytime I use it. Light, slightly spiced vanilla with a piney overtone. Wet: Smooth vanilla, bayrum, and something like a sharp herbal. Quite oddly, this reminds me of my grandmothers art studio—the woods, paints, solvents and air freshener. The herbal note(s) have a camphorous, almost minty eucalyptus quality to them. Dry: Herbal, cool, woody scent, with hints of dark vanilla and a camphorous what-I-now-think-to-be-clove-note. Its quite masculine to me, and something I think my hubby might like. The late dry down (several hours later) is a masculine vanilla clove. Hubby: Unremarkable and fades pretty quickly. Too bad it doesn't smell on him like it did on me. Overall: With all the hype around this particular scent, I’m kinda glad that its not an OMG, must have more now blend for me. It is very nice,and I think it’d be especially nice on the right guy, but it didn’t give me grabby hands. I think I’ll tuck it in my box to age for a while and see what happens.

Imp: A cool evergreen scent. Wet: Lots of chilly pine with a sweetness to it. Maybe even a hint of lemon? Dry: The cedar gets stronger, but still there’s a balance of pine, something light and citrusy (I dunno, maybe its ozone/air?), and pine. Its actually a pretty light scent, compared ot what I was expecting. Eventually, this settles into a light airy cedar with a drop of myrrh. Lasts about 5 hrs. Overall: Pretty, masculine to my nose, and much lighter than I expected. Still, not something that would find its way into my rotation, so I'll pass it on.

I sniffed this at ECWC and made a note that I was to procure an imp to properly test it. At ECWC, it struck me as wonderful tropical-coconut pumpkin, which intriqued me since its an unconventional blending of seasons. Imp: Buttery pumpkin, lots of myrrh, and a little bit of mango. Wet: Buttery pumpkin with hints of tropical fruits (they have a citrusy quality, actually), and some smooth, creamy coconut. This is a beautiful coconut note. Drying: For a while this is delicious coconut pumpkin and a spiciness comes out, too. And then… myrrh starts to take over. Its that super sweet, maple/burning treacle sort off thing that myrrh sometimes does on me. It was so lovely before…I wish the myrrh would butt out. Overall: It had some shining moments at the beginning (love that summer + autumn/winter thing it does), but ultimately not meant for my skin chemistry. DH review ( cuz I love hearing his 1-2 word impressions): “sweet potatoes”

Imp: First I’m hit by a fruity sweetness, then a strong herbal (mostly lavender) component. Wet: Fruity mango supported by peppery lavender and some almost wooden notes (sage stems?). Dry: This dries to a very pungent herbal (lavender, a hint of sage and something almost like earth) sweetened by subtle mango. It still verges on woody to me.. Odd, but I can’t really pick ou the musk or amber. Its just herbs, wood and mango in that order). Overall: This is very nice and I like it, but not enough to hoard such a rarity. I’d rather pass on the love.

Bottle: Citrus, sugar and cream. Wet: Still citrus and sweetness, but something spicy is there, too. The spice reminds me of shub, so I’m guessing it’s the ginger. Its also a little buttery. It’s a delightful citrus scent with a nice balance of foody/spice. Dry: The spices and buttery/creamy/cakey-ness of this combine to remind me strongly of some of the pumpkin blends I’ve tried, though obviously there’s no pumpkin in sight. After a bit of time, the spices (ginger definitely, but I presume the pepper’s in there, too) really take the forefront and are supported by a citrus buttery cake scent. The spices are dry and almost incensey, and the cake is moist and delicious. In the hours-later dry stage, it reverts to a lightly spiced sugar/cream/cake scent, with a hint of the floral (not much citrus left). Overall: I like this a lot more than I expected to, since I don’t wear a whole lot of predominantly fruity/citrus blends! It wasn’t at all what I expected. I want to sniff it next to some of my pumpkin oils—pumpkin queen and PPV ’07, especially.

Sugar cookies with bay rum, tobacco, and lime. Bottle: Edible. Butter-cream frosting. Wet: Sweet, deep, boozy vanilla, with a twist of lime. Dry: As this dries, I get a big hit of lime for about 20 min or so, but after that, its pretty much gone. Instead, the blend becomes a deep, sweet, vanilla with hints of a woodiness and smoke (tobacco maybe?). There's a boozy spiciness to it, and the smoky vanilla + darker spiced notes remind me of the evil baked goods scent in shub. Only this is more lighthearted. Overall: I was worried that the foody vanilla note in this would go plastic on me as some others tragically do, but it stayed completely true, and I lurve it. This is a wonderful snuggle up and cuddle sorta blend, and I've been wearing him to bed relatively frequently. Me, hubby and Mr. Nancy makes three. Mmmmmmm...

Bottle: Super sweet sugared florals. Something’s a little camphorous smelling right now, too. Wet: Super sweet pink flowers, a wee bit spicy from the carnations. Very pretty. Dry: All I can think is that the phlox is a little weird on me. Cuz something is reading a little bit…urine-y. Not a lot, and not enough to ruin the sugared carnations..but when I really sniff, yup, somethings off. Luckily, that weirdness seems to burn off relatively quickly. I’m left with sugared carnations. This reminds me quite a be of Midnight on the Midway, though I don’t have it anymore, so I’m going purely from memory. Overall: Very pretty, but not really me.

Wet: Delicious dark vanilla, resins, and leather. Dry: The leather gets stronger, and I suppose it’s a little masculine because of it, but the snake oil vanilla keeps this sweet so that I can imagine both sexes wearing it. After a few minutes, I get something almost minty/camphorous out of this, but I can only assume that’s the sage and my nose is misreading it. Still, that’s a back note, hard to catch, and mostly I have leather+dark vanilla. Its lovely. Later, the leather is mostly gone, and this reminds me strongly of snake chamer/snake oil in their late dry (duh)…just lovely dark vanilla that so many have come to know and love. Overall: Possible bottle...I want to wait and compare it to some of the other snake pits before i decide. Update 7/2014: Bottle: dry dusty snake oil; Wet: dry sage snake oil with a hint of leather and wood; Dry: this does read as very desert-like, quite arrid, I think that must be the dusty sage/sandalwood combo. Of the Snake Pits, this is not one of my faves, and as I'm trying to keep my collection sanely sized, I will be passing it along.

Imp: Buttery cake, a little bit spicy. Actually, it reminds me of a pumpkin blend with how buttery it is. Wet: Ah, there's the orange. Lots of orange over a buttery cake (less pronounced butter than in the imp, though). Dry: As this dries, the anise does come out, but its not a sharp licorice scent, more of an understated creamy baked cookie sort of anise. Yummy. I, personally, think bpal needs more anise blends!!! Unfortunately, as it dries down, something goes a little bit off/synthetic with my skin chemistry. Its subtle, and only there if i really hunt for it, but still...it obviously doesn't work as perfectly on my skin as I would hope. Overall: Alas, I will have to wait for another delicious anise blend.

I got to meet darkling today, and she very kindly let me test her spooky (thank you!!) In the bottle, this smelled like coconut and dirty girlscouts, a cocktail we used to make in college (milk, baileys and creme de menthe). Really delish! Wet, this was mostly minty coconut with a little bit of cocoa support. For a minute I thought I smelled something akin to burny plastic (rum is often a danger to me). Luckily, it doesn't stick around into the dry phase (so relieved!). Dry, this is predominanty a sweet, dried coconut scent. Really lovely. It reminds me of a sweeter version of Lush's powdered coconut deodorant. It has a great wafting throw, too--I could smell it coming up from my arm, even over the cacophony of scents at the Cheesecake Factory! This is the strongest bpal coconut I've smelled, and since I love coconut, its something I've been looking for from the bpal offerings. Too bad its so rare!

Imp: Light citrus floral, with a sweeter fruit as well, presumably the nectarine. Wet: Same as above, but a dustiness comes out—the sage? The citrus and nectarine with dusty sage and some sweet floral (so far rose is behaving and not going to soap—yay!) Dry: Dusty sage and floral with sweetness from the fruits that blend all together so I can’t pick one from another. Overall: Fruity, light and fun. A rose blend that behaves itself on my skin. Still, not my usual genre, so I'm passing this along.

I don't know if there's ACTUALLY cucumber in it, but I felt that Dian's Bud had a cucumber vibe, and many of the other reviews mention cukes, as well.

Since 1928, Mother Shub and her brood have been providing the snack shacks of the Miskatonic Valley with a bevy of otherworldly sweets and baked treats. This year, Mother Shub has created a promotional perfume oil that embodies the scent of her famous Peanut Brittle Caramel Popcorn. Iä! Shub-Niggurath! Thank you for an eon of community support! Imp: brown sugar and butter Wet: Yup, a very sugary, buttery sweetness, with enough salt to let it satisfy sweet and salt cravers alike. Just like caramel popcorn. I don’t really get peanuts (yet?). Drying: Ah, there are some peanuts, afterall. But its not overwhelmingly nutty, which is good in my book (I didn’t want to end up smelling like peanut butter). This is like crunch’n’munch—mostly sweet, buttery caramel, with only a few nuts tossed in. Yummy! As this progresses, the sugar gets darker, like a cooking caramel. Its not going to burnt sugar, but it gets close enough to flirt with it, and even takes on something sorta coffee-like. Overall: Delicious. I want more than my decant, I think.

Imp: A very sweet, fresh, green springy sort of scent. Wet: Fresh green, maybe grass, sweet to the point of being lightly fruity (melon, cucumber?) and even a little bit of a light citrus—maybe lemongrass? Dry: Fresh and clean and a bit aquatic. Like newly cut white flowers sitting in a vase next to a pitcher of cucumber/melon infused water like they’d serve at a posh spa. Overall: Lovely, but not my sort of scent.

Imp: lots of buttery pumpkin and creamy foody notes. Delish. Wet: A lot like Jack, with a bit of a tangy cheesiness to it. And some spicy graham crackers. YUMMY! Dry: Unfortunately, what I get is cream cheesy jack (yum) over burning (yuck). Yup, this is one of the foody blends where one of the notes goes to burny plastic on me. Ah well, I suppose its for the best, since its such a bugger to find/afford.

Bottle: Apples, apples and more apples. Wet: Apples with a zing of orange zest and a touch of spice. I *think* the apple note is the same one as in The Hesperides. Dry: The apple in this was so like the hesperides, that I swiped that on the other arm to check. What I get from the Fearful Pleasure side is "Hesperides Plus." At the start, its Hesperides plus orange zest/spice dust. After about an hour, its Hesperides plus smoke (the smoky note you get from a nice lapsang souchong tea). At the end, its Hespirides plus a faint creamy sweetness. In all stages, its beautiful. And this sucker has some MAJOR throw. I kept getting glorious whiffs of apple perfectness. Overall: Definitely a keeper. Now I just have to decide if I need additional bottles or not...

What better scent to test on Talk Like a Pirate Day?! Bottle: relatively dark and musky, with a bit of sweet citrus. Strikes me as masculine, and possibly something in my DH’s realm of scents. But this is MY review, not his. *swipes* Wet: Dark and musky, a little sweet, a hint of citrus (guess the lime?). I’m also smelling a bitter green vetiver-like scent, and a little bit of cherry (tobacco maybe?). Dry: Whoa, the throw. It is potent— slightly powdery musk, woods, resin, leather with whiffs of dark greenery. They blend into a nice incense vibe on my skin. Overall: Powerful. The net effect is 1) very masculine, 2) very strong, and therefore, 3) totally awesome pirate-y-ness. It’s also not at all for me. And really, I think this is too masculine a scent for my sweet-loving DH, but I’ll try it on him and see what he thinks.