Wench457

This is quite herbal on me at first - I definitely smell the rosemary, which is good, because I love it. Once it dries, I smell exactly like my favorite occult bookstore. I love the scent, I'm just not quite sure I want to walk around smelling like an occult bookstore. Keeping the imp, though I will probably use it more as a room scent than as perfume.

A witch here, complete with creepy spider hanging from the brim of my hat. (Yeesh, I HATE spiders!). Spooky, of course!

Oh wow, this is gorgeous! I also get the scent of violets, but for a wonder it doesn't go all wonky on me. As it fades, which takes several hours, I get a warm, almost vanilla feeling from it, which of course I adore. So glad I scored a bottle off of ebay, and I may need to get another.

Well, I really wanted this to work on me. It has so many notes I adore, bergamot, orange blossom, mimosa. Alas, it went all citrus soap on me, before fading out entirely within a half hour. It wasn't unpleasant by any means, but two tries with the same result means it goes to a better home.

Hmm. I'm beginning to think I may be able to determine whether or not I will like a scent from the color of the oil. I just looked at all the oil in the "keep it" section of my imp box, and they are all clear, or very pale gold. Nephilim is a medium amber, like the syrup on flan. And it supports my thinking that I simply cannot wear patchouli and vetiver. Although I must say, that of all the blends containing patchouli that I have tried, this one came the closest to being pleasant on me. It has a strongly spicy edge to it that I almost liked. But still. Patchouli and vetiver. So not me.

Wow, I didn't expect to like a scent named "Zombi," but I love it! Initially, it smells like astringent lemons to me, but quickly mellows down to a lovely, light rose. Quite evocative, and very nicely balanced.

In the imp, Magdalene had a bitter scent which seems very familiar, but I just can't quite place it. On, the roses come out a bit, but only very briefly. I was so hoping for this to be my rose scent. Dry: Alas, the roses are gone now, and what is left is not unpleasant, but smells more like hand lotion than perfume. Faded very fast, within ten minutes, although I slathered. ETA: Okay, so a half-hour after I post my review, I'm talking on the phone and thinking, "What is that lovely rose smell?" It's my wrist - egads! Magdalene just moved from the swap pile into the "try it again" pile.

Ah Kumiho, I hardly knew ye. This is the first bpal I've tried where I get no scent at all from the imp. Perhaps just the faintest whiff of something sweet. On, it's a very, make that extremely, faint lemon tea. Then it's gone within two minutes. So I put more on. Now the lemon tea scent is just a bit stronger, but again is gone before it really has time to develop. I like the scent, and I'll probably keep the imp to see if slathering helps.

In the imp, I smell lovely fresh lemons. On, they show their aggressive side and become very strong, bitter lemons. For some reason though, I like it anyway. Dry I get cloves. Why am I smelling cloves? A bit later it smells as though I were standing on the edge of a cliff, watching a storm out at sea. My, this is lovely. I think I need more.

I also get a violet hit from this, but after the drydown, it becomes more spicy, with just a very slight "masculine" edge to it. I also get an incense hit from this, though I'm not sure if its sandalwood or something else. I work in the criminal justice field, and I am so glad that I like this one! It's going to be my "wear to court" scent from now on.

ITB: cherry and almond tarts - Yum! On: uh oh, some sort of chemical cleaning product. Fortunately, this phase only lasts a minute, if that. As it starts to dry, I get a whiff of tobacco, but not burning tobacco, like high-quality pipe tobacco, or the way the inside of a tobacco drying barn smells. Dry: A lovely floral, with a hint of rich tobacco. Later on, I start to get frankincense. This is an amazing fragrance, and I am so glad that I have a 10ml. I think I'll need a few more wearings to really wrap my head around it. All I know is that I love it!

In the imp: Sweet and light, though I get no tea hit as yet. On: Oh my goodness - now I see what all the raves are about! This is delicious vanilla tea on me. Definitely need a bottle of this one!

In the bottle: Civet - yikes! I probably wouldn't even have tried this one on, except that when I opened the imp I got a drop on my fingertip. So I put it on the inside of my elbow. On: Civet + me = well, in an effort to keep this family-friendly, I'll just say Something Very Unpleasant. Dry: This blooms into an absolutely gorgeous spicy floral - along with Something Very Unpleasant. Take out the civet, and I would adore this perfume. As it is, not only is this imp headed for swaps, but its in solitary confinement in a film canister until then.

On me, this smells exactly like Southern sweet tea with lemon. My super power seems to be amping honey notes, so I am very happy that isn't happening with Sudha Segara. I also find this to be a "close skin" scent, with almost no throw. I'll have to try again, putting more on, or it would make a fabulous scent for linens. Definitely a keeper either way! (Edited because I can't spell today!)

Is it wrong that I want to have The Unicorn's love child? The symbolism of the unicorn would answer "yes," but frankly, I'm so blissed out right now, I couldn't care less. I was so excited when it arrived today, that I washed off the Spooky I was wearing. Yes, the Spooky that I adore, and have been jealously amassing and hoarding since I discovered bpal only two months ago. ITB: linden, perfect fresh linden, just as I had hoped. Wet: A bit sharper, yet sweet still. Dry: Ooooohhh my. First, allow me to preface: I am a huge linden fan. I have been known to hang out on street corners, sniffing the air when the lindens are in bloom. Therefore, I was seriously all over this scent when I read the description, and bought a 5ml, unsniffed. Also, I had therefore braced myself against the possibility that it would go all wonky on my skin. I should have known The Unicorn would not disappoint. Even DH, whose best reviews of bpal scents so far has been, "better than most," (Bearded Lady and Numb) said: "I like this one!" This is such a heartbreakingly beautiful, wistful scent on me, that it literally brought tears to my eyes. It is linden blossom, but linden blossom enhanced by delicate florals and rounded with gentle herbs. It is a perfect, utterly delightful expression of The Unicorn. Thank you, Beth. I am truly moved by this scent.

ITB: violets. On: slightly violet soap. Dry: this is still a bit soapy, but for some reason I get a strong feeling of "potential" from it. I'm going to age it for a couple of month and see where it goes.

This was a lovely frimp from the lab in my very first lab order. In the imp, I get a light floral. On: a whiff of something clean. The only thing I can think to compare it to is deodorizer, but nice. Is that sweetgrass? I definitely can see why this is a calming blend. Very wistful and light. Dry: Florals are coming out more. I'm terrible at individual notes, but I do detect lavender. And while I don't need the soothing right now, I have a very dear friend who does. I will be gifting her with this imp tonight. Thanks labbies!

ITB: Sweet, with just a hint of florals. On: Florals come to the fore, but I still get a whiff of the fruit. Nice throw. Dry: Nice, medium floral that sort of floats around me. It's pretty, but doesn't wow me. I may have to try it again.

ITB: Sweetly spicy. I wonder if there is lotus in this. On: spicy, and a bit masculine. Dry: The sweetness is coming back to the fore, and I'm getting stronger hints of the Juicy Fruit smell I associate with lotus. Later, it goes all Old Spice on me, and there's something in there that's making me queasy. Alas.

ITB: Exactly bubblegum. How does Beth do that? On: Now it's gotten a bit sharper, like that edge that Bazooka bubblegum has, you know, that stuff that comes in the comic wrapper. Dry: Now I get the cherry lollipops, but very softly. Later it morphs into a light floral. Overall, a fun scent to follow as it morphs, but not really me.

ITB: I can definitely smell the pomegranate, very yummy. On: The pomegranate is gone now, now I get just the sharp smell of alcohol, then alcoholic soap, then alcoholic lemon soap. Later: Just soap. And soapy soap at that. Gone within the hour. Drat, I really wanted to like this one.

Ack! Patchouli! Get it off me! Seriously, I had hopes for the bpal patchouli, having heard that Beth's was different. Not on me. Still gag-inducing. But good to know. Anyone want an imp?

ITB: Apricot and clove, just as advertised. On: Cloves, and not just cloves, but CLOVES. Dry: apricot is mellowing the cloves, just a bit. Apparently I amp cloves. I do wish I had gotten more apricot, I might have liked it better. Overall, this very masculine on me. Off to swaps.

I smell like the cone incense section of Pier One. Not a good thing for me. Poor little impy, off to swaps to find a better home.

In the imp it smells sweet, with just a hint of Juicy Fruit gum. I had previously associated that smell with lotus, but maybe it's the grape. On, it stays very consistent, a lovely sweet scent, but still light and airy. It faded quickly on me, about 2 hours, but I was sparing in applying it, so I will have to try a more liberal application next time. Definitely keeping the imp, but not yet sure if it's a bottle scent.