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Sweet and dark with a creamy, deep sort of feel. It reminds me of white chocolate mints... the three most prominent notes are very well-balanced: the mint is there, cool and edgy without being overpowering, the lotus adds a sort of dessert-like sugary smell, and the juniper rounds it out with just a touch of spicy. Soothing but a little menacing, too: like swimming in the ocean at night. This is just gorgeous, it really is, and I'll enjoy smelling cool and watery and wonderful on hot days. At first I was so taken I was sure I'd need a larger bottle, but on the drydown I seem to have become a little disenchanted for no reason I can articulate.... ah well, just call me fickle. The Imp will surely become a regular in my rotation, but I don't think I'll be buying a 5ml.

I got a dab of this on my finger from opening a very full Imp, and I have to say, it's not what I was expecting. It fits the description perfectly-- it is, indeed, roses and dirt-- but I wanted deep, rich, black earth... like a freshly turned garden after a rain. Instead this dirt is red and decaying and musty and really rather unpleasant... even a little eerie and sickening, and waaay too strong for me. It certainly does justice to its name. After sniffing for a few minutes I washed my teensy drop off, because I was already wearing Florence and I didn't want to mix the two. I'll give Zombi a proper wrist test at a later date, and see if I get that mossy, slightly earthy rose that seems to spring out on the drydown... but if it stays like it did the first time, roses and polluted earth, it's for swaps, I'm afraid. [later] I can't even bring myself to try this properly... it makes me feel suffocated and nauseous. Props the Lab for creating such a wonderfully evocative scent, but it's off to swaps with you, my lady!

Florence is a classic example of the principle of try-before-you-swap. This was a frimp from the generous Lab, and when I first opened the vial, all I could think was, "Oh no! It's Venice all over again..." Since Venice is one I'm not particularly crazy about, I was afraid this was going to be far too elegant and old-lady for me: in other words, straight to the swap pile. I decided to give it a test run, though, and I'm glad I did. The berries warm this up much more than I was expecting; it's sweet and fruity and floral and a little musty... sort of honey-ish. It almost smells a bit like Lady of Shalott, but backed by golden tones rather than white ones, and soft rather than crisp. The spices underneath are keeping this from being too high-pitched, and something in there makes it go on like a natural skin-smell rather than a perfume. This is what I was looking for in Venice, and didn't get... It's a little more adult and classic than what I usually wear, but it's a keeper nonetheless.

I'm sorry, I seem to have died and gone to heaven. Seriously though... I got an Imp of this in my last order, and it was so full that when I opened the cap a little oil spilled out over my hands, so I just sort of rubbed my hands together. In the vial, this is pure milk chocolate, with some almonds. Like one of those big Hershey bars. On my skin, it becomes-- I swear-- warmer, somehow, until it smells like warm, slightly powdery milk chocolate. The almonds fade a bit, but they're still there, and I'm pretty sure there's a slight hint of vanilla as well. The throw on this isn't spectacular, and we'll see how long it lasts, but if this sticks around for any length of time I'm going to have a hard time not licking myself. This is the purest, most spectacular chocolate-scent I've ever been exposed to. If I could make the whole world smell like this, I so would. [edit] I tried this again today and while it is simply divine (and smells exactly like the square of Hershey's I just ate... I mean exactly), it doesn't quite have the throw I'm looking for. I'll purchase a 5mL if I come into some unexpected cash, but it's not a "damn the rent, I must have this NOW!" scent. At least, I'm trying to convince myself it isn't...

Oh man. I got this in my most recent order, which came today, and while opening the Imp I accidentally smeared the tip of my finger with oil. So I swiped it across the inside of my wrist and now I cannot stop sniffing. This is gorgeous. It's a light, clean smell, but also very round-- the citrus is prominent, but it's not jangly, cleaning-product lemon, it's lemon as in actual fruit. There's a bitter green note backing it... definitely the tea.... and the musk gives it some substance and keeps it from being too thin. I think the aloe is partially responsible for the soothing qualities of the blend... this stuff is fantastic. I want to roll in it. This would make a brilliant room scent or... imagine if my sheets smelled like this... I'm in love. This is just.... fantastic.

This one was a frimp with my last order, and when I first looked up the description I scoffed. "Oh, I won't need that!" I said to the world in general, and then promptly fell madly in love with a boy who lives 3000 miles away. Eheheh. Whoops. Since then I've used this oil several times when I've been really missing him... it's a really wonderful, comforting, melancholy blend. It doesn't make me perky, but it does make me feel better about feeling sad, if that makes sense. It's floral and soft on me, lavender-ish and violety and just generally a light purple sort of smell. It does indeed smell like I imagine purity would, and is noticeable without being a slap in the face. [edit] I noticed the top on the Imp was coming apart today, so I put on a new cap and swiped the old wand across my wrists a couple of times. I've thought this before, but this time I'm really sure-- there's something sweet/slightly foody in the drydown that anchors the florals. Creamy and yum... like vanilla without the vanilla smell, if that makes sense. Tonka, perhaps, or even a sweet floral like magnolia? And jasmine? Anyway, this one just keeps growing on me.

This was a frimp from the Lab with my last order (thanks, guys!)... not something I ever would have ordered for myself, but now I'm really glad I have it. Out of the bottle this smells like pure straight-up old school cinnamon to me, and that's it. Mind you, I love cinnamon with a passion, so no worries there. Once on me, however, the cinnamon fades a teensy bit and I start to get really warm, really wonderful sweet florals and a bit of a greenish herbal note in the far background in addition to the spice. This is so relaxing and invigorating... it makes me feel comfortable and intelligent at the same time. It blends with my natural smell very well, too, and stays on a good long time. I expected a strong mover-and-shaker of a blend here, but this is even better. I'm the clerk of a large Quaker Youth organization, and I wear this to our business meetings: it really helps me center down and puts me in a creative and flexible frame of mind. I'm tempted to whip out the imp next business meeting, pass it round, and have everyone take a big ole sniff!

Uh-oh. I got this is a frimp from the Lab (thanks, guys! I do so love your fabulous customer service and your awesome freebies), but I had just tried my Dragon's Bone and was rapidly coming to the conclusion that dragon's blood and I were never going to be the best of friends. Unfortunately this reinforced that. I'm not a huge florals fan anyway, and that's what this was to me: spicy red florals. Very strong spicy red florals, I should say. A teensy dab stayed on me all day, to the point where I actually got tired of smelling it. Far too warm and soft-smelling for me... I suppose I'll try this again another day, maybe layer it with something, but I don't have high hopes. If I ever start swapping, this will be the first to go.

Hmmm... this one smells like dried flowers to me. Dried flowers in the middle of a desert, anyway. It is a very hot, dusty smell, and does indeed feel a little thin without being shallow. To me it has some of the same woodsy-type notes as Jolly Roger.... hunh. Must be the blondewood, whatever that is. This one goes on warm and dry and floral, and then vanishes completely about an hour later. Darn. I was hoping for a dry, library-type smell, too. I don't despise it or anything, it just doesn't excite me a whole lot... I'm beginning to think dragon's blood and I may not get along too well. I'll use up the Imp unless I find someone who loves it (in which case I'll pass it along), but I won't be getting more.

Venice is so complex I can't pick out a single note by itself-- which, oddly, is not something I'm fond of. I can smell florals, citrus, backed by a little spice and maybe some fruit if I close my eyes and really concentrate, but mostly it's a big muddle to my nose. When applied it stays pretty much the same; I can start to smell a little bit of the jasmine and the citrus... this is a very red scent, sophisticated and grown-up. Of all the BPALs I've tried, this one smells the most commercial to me; the most generic. It is very lush, but, weirdly, it feels "thin", like over-the-counter perfumes. I by no means despise it, it's a lovely scent, it's just very much not-me. I think I will see if my grandmother likes this one, it reminds me of her; if not, I will save the Imp for formal occasions only.

Ah, Hellcat. My first ever boozy, foody perfume experience... this one is really quite delicious. It's hard to pick out individual notes; I can smell some almonds, and definitely plenty of rum, and so forth, but mostly it just smells good: nutty and sweet and a teensy bit fruity. I have to be careful when I apply because this stuff is strong, and too much of any scent makes me headachey. On me, it turns into butterscotch and maple syrup; one hundred percent sugar and booze. It's nice, it has lovely throw and spectacular staying power (if I put it on in the afternoon I can still smell it the next morning), and a good "time to party" scent... but it's not quite me. I was looking for a signature going-clubbing scent... I'll use up the Imp, but I think I can do better.

In the bottle, this one smells like freshly cut grass and flowing water to me-- pleasant but relatively unremarkable. Putting it on, however, brings out the ginger and the florals in such a combination that it goes almost fruity-- very round and sweet, but in an organic sort of way rather than a candy way. It was nice but pretty "Eh", until I wore it at... (TMI Alert, whooop whooop), ahem, that time of the month. My skin yanked Every. Single. Note. Out and amplified them a hundred times; it turned my opinion on this one from relative indifference into mild awe. It's still round (I think it's the musk that gives it that depth) and floral in an aquatic sort of way, and a little spicy, but it's beautiful and has incredible throw and staying power... I'll be hanging on to the Imp and slathering myself in it around the full moon, if you know what I mean.

Received this as a frimp from the Lab in my first ever order.... I don't think I ever would have picked it out for myself, but I do like it. This is exactly what it says: strawberries and champagne, very festive and bubbly and summery. The strawberries aren't artificial-smelling and plasticky, thank goodness. They smell... well, like strawberries, like the big beautiful red ones at the height of summer, the ones that don't even need to be rolled in sugar. The champagne keeps behind that at first, a tickly, powdery, golden alcoholic note. This one doesn't morph on me at all, it stays very sweet and uncomplicated, with the two notes alternating in strength for several hours. I like it, but it's a little simple for my tastes.... I'll save the Imp for when I'm feeling cheerful, but it won't be a big bottle purchase.

I got this in my first ever bundle of Imps... it was the scent that explained the genius of the Lab to me. This one is just.... *swoon* Indescribable. It starts out pretty sharply-- crisp clean salty air smell, definite ocean rather than just beach, but with a curious, creamy undertone (I think it's the rum) that keeps it from being all top notes. Once applied, a more organic woodsy sort of note sort of pokes its head out and says hello: it's never very prominent, but it adds another fabulous layer to an already gorgeous perfume. The leather is in there somewhere, mixing with the rum to provide that fabulous smooth background. Jolly Roger never morphs drastically on me; just gentle wafts of salty air and wood and rum and leather, smooth and spicy and sharp all at once. It's very much gender-neutral: it would be fabulous on guys or girls, particularly ones who didn't want a floral. It goes on like a second skin, too: decent throw, but nothing that screams perfume... I could see how people could think this was just the way you smelled if you wore it regularly. It lasts about half a day on me; not a whole lot of stamina, but enough. Playful and soothing and even a little sexy, all at once. I'm restraining myself from buying 5mls at the moment, just because there are so many scents I haven't tried yet, but when I finally break down, JR is on the top of the list. This one could become a habit.

I got this in my first ever BPAL order as an Imp. The notes sounded lovely, and I'm a sucker for masculine-ish scents anyway, so I had high hopes. And, as it turned out.... not so much. Sad. True to its name, this one leapt out of the bottle and mugged me, which I like, but unfortunately it's vetiver, vetiver, vetiver, (my skin must love that note and pull it out or something)... and then, maybe an hour later.... nothing. No cinnamon or florals or leather; just vetivert until it's gone altogether. Mind you, I love the smell of vetiver, so I'll use up the Imp, but it won't be a 5ml order. [edit] Changed "vetivert" to "vetiver" as in description, because apparently there is a difference...