erikasilverstein
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Everything posted by erikasilverstein
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Soapy, aquatic, slightly earthy floral. Light and airy on the skin. Not really my cup of tea.
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ooohprettiness! Holiday Moon is a very nice warm-weather scent. As many other reviewers pointed out, it's oddly strong for a scent that has 'lighter' notes. It's wonderfully blended, and no one note sticks out. Grassy, lemony, tea-y, maybe a very light floral element in the background. Very bright, fresh, comforting. Lasts for AGES. I could smell it days and days later, on a shirt that I had on while wearing Holiday Moon!
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On me, this is very sweet. Berry scented (I wouldn't have guessed 'sugared plums' had I not read the description -- might have said blackberries or raspberries). It's sweet, but also tart. Slight aquatic undertone. Also, an artificial plasticky quality developes after a while -- it gives the overall impression that I am smelling a strongly scented Strawberry Shortcake doll. That said, the plasticky element actually tames the Whoa!Berry! scent rather nicely, and it's only obvious to me when I ram my nose against my skin. I like this blend quite a bit and find it very nice in warmer weather. (I have the '05 version)
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A chilly, bright perfume: flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers. Snow White is all cream on me -- reminiscent of Milk Moon, and maybe Chaste Moon. I also get the coconut-pulp scent, complimented by understanded 'white' florals. No snow, no pineapple. It starts off really lovely and soft. Alas, alack -- and like the Milk/Chaste Moons above -- the cream note eventually goes a bit sour on my skin. And musty, or plasticky, like a dusty My Little Pony toy. Off to swaps -- hopefully for more Gingerbread, which I LOVED!
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In the bottle, Snow Bunny smells just lovely: Snowy, fresh, slightly sweet and fruity. Everything I was hoping for... Gosh -- but how I wish it stayed that way on my skin! It's starts with a punguent aquatic topnote and morphs into something apporximating BPAL's glorious Dublin with an unfortunate undertone of (yes) Bounce Mountain Fresh dryer sheets. It's actually headache inducing. Damn it, I had high hopes for this one.
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I can't really add anything that hasn't already been said about PP#1. To my nose, it's The Hesperides, Harvest Moon '05, and Jack blended together. And in ascending order of smell-strength: I.E. The apples/apple cider smell is the strongest, then the mulling spices I recognize from Harvest Moon (powdery, fresh-grated baking cinamon, not red-hots -- thankfully). On me, there is only a small hint of Jack's pumpkin -- I smell it most of all right out of the bottle, and it disappears almost entirely on application. Actually, as it develops, the spices might rival the apples for prevelence. Either way, it's quite a yummy autumnal scent. I will be trying to swap off PP#5 for this one!
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PP#3 has a very tart, juicy quality. It really reminded me of this delicious cranberry-orange room oil I use. I have tried PP1, 2, 3, and 5 -- this one has lasted the longest on me and seems to have the most throw. I don't really smell the pumpkin element (nor did I in the others, come to think of it) though on drydown this one has a smokey, and also waxy quality. Like a candle about to go out.
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On first sniff, this reminds me not of Jack or other pumpkin-based scents I have -- but of Tombstone. It must be the '5 woods' -- cedar and/or balsam? There's a bit of a musty woodshop smell. Then something sharp and gingery, and also fertile and leafy. And in the background, a very earthy pumpkin element -- that I never would have pegged as pumpkin if not for the scent's theme. And then there something (the ivy?) that makes me think of witch hazel. Will have to try this again; leaving me with mixed opinions.
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Harvest Moon '05 Smells sort of like what I was hoping Samhain would smell like (damn you, patchouli!). Home-made apple pie filling, desert wine, and autumnal potpourri Baked apples (definitely NOT The Hesperides freshly picked-apple scent) heavy on the mulling spices (dusty cinnamon, allspice, and cloves). It's not too sweet, and somehow not too foody. I imagine the florals are keeping the foodie elements in check? I admit, it smells a bit like a Yankee Candle store around Thanksgiving. But I like that smell. (Thankfully, though many reviewers smell a similarity, this does not share whatever sour note is in Mabon that made me think of moist cat litter).
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The Haunted Palace starts as a rich, juicy citrus with hints of florals. The blood orange fades pretty fast, and I'm left with a spicy, slightly powdery citrusy floral. Reminds me of the florals in Alice. I'm not a fan of flowery scents, but Alice and this are pretty! The vanilla amps up gradually, and adds a creamy element to the mix. Lasts fairly long (if it gets me through the train ride to work, I am impressed). Very well blended...not of the notes really stand out, and they all compliment each other nicely.
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2004 VERSION (purchased from a forumite about a month ago). Reminds me of Elegba. Similar in it carmelized, smokey richness. But there is also something sweet and doughy (brings to mind Midway), and then something floral... But not a floral I have smelled before -- sort of fruity -- I assume it's the cactus blooms? Gets spicy in the drydown. No chocolate. At least, not a recognizable chocolate. But that's okay, because none of the cocoa scents have worked on me.
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Danube is a very pale scent, and fades fast on my skin. Light, watery florals, and something juicy (honeydew melon?) wafting to the forefront. Reminds me a bit of Rosalind (also aquatic florals, and also faded very fast). Really nice, actually, but too light to wear.
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Ack! Floral soapy powdery artifice. Love the city (go Celtic!); not sure about the imp. Evocative of these horrid little flower-shaped soaps that my grandmother uses to decorate her bathroom. And strong! It's always the ones I don't like that waft beautifully and last FOREVER after a small dab (if I don't scrub it off, first)
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Gomorrah is one of those lovely scents, that fades way too fast on my skin. It also morphs quite a bit: Starts as a fruity, tea scent evocative of White Rabbit. Then warms into a rich fig -- I have never smelled a real, ripe fig but there is a definite Fig Newton similarity here (only not quite. And it's rounded out with a tea/herbal backdrop). But just as I am starting to enjoy it, it fades it nothing within half an hour
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Intrigue, to my nose, is a very masculine Eden (they both include fig, perhaps that is the connection?) Also, getting that ubiquitous 'pencil shavings' note that other reviews mention of woody oils. I have not yet had this reaction -- till now. Interesting. But off to swaps.
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Tombstone is the most masculine BPAL scent I have tried so far. 'Rugged' in the lab description is pretty accurate! I suspect this would smell quite nice on the right type of guy (now, if only I had one of those handy) On me: It starts woody-vanilla, then increasingly starts smelling like a warm, woody root beer/new-car-smell combination. The sassafras gets stronger in the drydown. But the vanilla keep it from getting too resiny/woody. Now, to find a suitable gentleman to slather this on....
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A light, pure scent: white musk, green tea, aloe and lemon. I am trying to find a good warm-weather scent to compliment the muggy New York summer. To that end I am working my way through every light, non-floral scent that has been described variously as 'aquatic', 'fresh', 'citrusy', 'clean', and 'breezy' (etc.) Embalming fluid is sort of all of these: Mainly lemon. And the tea note that I get (I think) in Dorian. It almost-but-not-quite smells like cleaning products (er, Pledge). I'm not sure that I could identify the smell of aloe, but there also seems to be an 'herbal' note in there.... This may be a contender for a Summer Bottle Purchase. We shall see
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Ulalume is very herbal and aquatic (also, lightly floral, I think) on me. Reminds me of The Apothecary and Tempest. And Rosalind....? I was hoping for something more Samhain-y (more woodsy, leafy, etc.), but instead I'm getting something a little too 'perfumey' for my taste.
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Voodoo is complex -- alot of conflicting scents competing for attention. Overall I get a warm, spicy Cherry Coke syrup smell. After a little while, it gets more earthy, and a little tangy -- not much vanilla, but I guess the 'cherry' smell is the almonds? It sorta-kinda reminds me of Freak Show. With...a little Queen of Sheba(the almonds?) But I can't shake the Cherry Coke/syrupy element (now it's almost medicinal) that keeps wafting to the forground. Interesting, but not a keeper. Though perhaps I will try it again; the notes all seem so promising.
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Almonds and spices, indeed. Starts out very strong (and caused a burning sensation in the crook of my elbow) Starts quite bitter and sharp. Almost like patchouli. Or really cheaply perfumed soap. Then the bitterness mellows out and the sweet almond scent dominates. Almost foody. Delicious. Reminds me of Snake Oil, a bit. But Sheba is a very specific *almondy* smell. Not sure I like the initial aroma...but the drydown is lovely. I will have to try this one again to decide if I really like it enough to purchase more (I think I prefer Snake Oil).
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Vinland is all woodsy florals on me. More than average throw and staying power. I have Rosalind on one wrist, Vinland on the other, and Vinland is winning by leaps and bounds in those catagories! There's something about the scent that reminds me stongly of scented Dial soap, however. I think invigorating is a good word. Not sure it's me, but I am glad to have tried the scent.
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Rosalind is a very light scent on me. It goes on as strong grassy/aquatic notes. Then quickly mellows into a lovely -- but faint -- tart berry smell with hints of something slightly bitter (mossy?) It's quite lovely, but too 'pale' a scent for me to wear. I can barely detect it after half an hour.
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Got this one as a frimp -- and it is not something I would've ordered on my own (not a floral person). On my skin, it starts very rosey. Then morphs into a moist, decaying, wet-soil, rotting vegetation smell -- and the rose is always there in the background. It smells almost like a rain-soaked garden that hasn't been tended in a long time. Very true to the description, anyway! I swear, I can still smell it nearly 12 hours after initial application -- and that was only a swipe along one wrist. Strong! Why is it that the scents I wouldn't wear (florals!) are always strongest -- in terms of throw and lasting power. While the ones I love seem to fade within a couple of hours, almost without fail (except Jack).
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Recv'd this one as a frimp on a recent forum order (thanks!) I would never have ordered this on my own. Not a patchouli fan (excepting Samhain), and not an incense person either (though I like Snake Oil, which has that sort of heady quality). Evidently, there are grape notes in this (wah?). Well, that's what it smells like on my skin: something tart and sweet. Not quite grape medicine, almost-but-not Manishevitz, yet not exactly fresh grapes or grape juice either -- but definitely grapey. And under that, something sweetly incensey. It's not my taste. Not bad, but not something I would wear. However, I love trying things that I wouldn't think of, thanks to generous forumites (but it's off to swaps for this one, since it apparently has a lot of followers, and someone should enjoy my imp).
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This one really morphs on me. Starts very almondy. Then honey and nutmeggy spices. Then citrusy and spicey-floral (carnations?) I like it, and will enjoy using my imps, but will not invest in a bottle. A little too floral for my tastes(which tend towards the foody and green/herbal scents). For a floral scent, this is very nice though -- I keep getting delicious little whifs of spices, honey, and (lord know why) almonds!