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This was beautiful. I always have good luck with tea-based scents, and this was no exception. In the imp, it was sweet and light, and wet, there was a rush of sugary goodness that slowly backed off, becoming more integrated with the tea. A couple of hours later, the lychee has shown up, adding an extra level of sweetness. This reminds me a lot of Pink Phoenix, sans strawberry. I like it a lot.

In the bottle, all I could smell was amber, strong and headache-inducing. But once I put it on my arm, it morphed instantly into the scent of dried grasses and lazy afternoons. I don't smell the doeskin, but the musk is just warm enough to keep the grassy scent from overpowering me. This is a very unusual perfume; very complex. I think I'll have to wear it a time or two to decide how I feel about it. ETA: Dry, an hour later: All I can smell is amber, and it's giving me a headache. Off to swap.

The dreaded jasmine. I smelled of nothing else but, wet to dry. Wah! Haven't gone to sleep yet, so I don't know what kind of effectiveness it will have. We shall see.

Tea leaf with three mosses, green grass, a medley of herbal notes, and a drop of ginger and fig. This smells very green and herby. Dry, it...well..reminds me an indoor swimming pool. I don't mean it smells like chlorine, mind, but it has that same saturated-humid-moisture thing going on. I really don't like it.

Lusty myrtle and jasmine with red sandalwood, stargazer lily, and clove over an opulent, rich bed of warm musk and bourbon vanilla. In the bottle: Oh, dear. There's jasmine in this, isn't there? Wet: JAAAAAAASMINE!! Dry: JAAAAAAAASMINE! Well, crap. Another perfectly good perfume shot to hell by the hated jasmine. Dry, an hour later: Ooo. Myrtle. Vanilla. Hey, where'd the nasty jasmine go? This smells nice. Too bad it has zero throw and is fading fast. Hey, Beth, can I pretty please have a myrtle-based perfume without jasmine or weird throw-notes?

In the bottle...well, I couldn't really distinguish any particular scent. Huh. Wet: Oranges. Juicy, sweet, delicious oranges. It was so refreshing that it actually made me laugh. I thought to myself, well, there's one for the keeper box. Ha. Dry: One minute it was delicious oranges, and the next? I'm suddenly reminded of Halloween! Know why? Because my wrist smells like the inside of those rubber masks they sell at the party stores. The hell? I'm so very disappointed, because I wanted to adore this one - and if it had only stayed with the initial citrus tang, I'd have been thrilled. ::sigh::

In the bottle: sharp 'perfumy' smell. Wet: OMFGFLORAL! Dry: Ugh! A 'commercial' sort of scent, with a strong, off-putting tang to it. I waited to see if it would sweeten up, but it never got any better. Obviously, not for me.

In the bottle: A wave of amber, so strong it makes me a little ill. Wet: More of the amber, now giving me a big ol' sinus headache. Dry: Amber and roses. Thank goodness, the strength declined instead of amped up, but bleah! My nasal passages are still inflamed, an hour later, and I really do not like the scent. Really. Do. Not.

In the imp, and wet on my skin: OMFGALMONDS!!! Dry: Smells exactly like Sugar Skull and Gluttony - that is to say, it smells like those nasty artificial cinnamon brooms they sell at the grocery store. I'm not sure which component is reacting with my skin to produce that smell, but it's nasty, and it happens with nearly all of the 'buttery' blends. ::sigh:: Off to swap.

In the imp, there was that sharp, 'commercial perfume' scent which I usually identify with blends I won't like. Wet: Sweet lilac. Dry: Lilac, with a slightly sharper undertone. Whew! I smell like an old lady's sachet. So very not for me.

Warrior, Trickster and Goddess of Magic and Poets, she is one of the Tuatha De Danaan and the Queen of the Faeries. A very complex scent, both shadowy and fierce: black orchid, sandalwood, night-blooming jasmine, osmanthus, Somalian rose, and Chinese musk. In the vial, this was gorgeous. Wet? Complex is a good way to describe it. A dark and heavy scent, well-balanced. I can only distinguish jasmine and rose, though happily the jasmine does not overwhelm the rest of the scents the way it usually does on my skin. Dry: This has become a rosy blend that I frankly find a little cloying. I have no doubt that other people will adore it - it's clearly a well-designed fragrance - but it's really not for me.

Oh. My. God. Creamy, soft, sweet (but not too sweet), this is a perfect smell for me. It reminds me of Miskatonic without the coffee notes, and I find it very comforting. There's a faint vanilla note that warms it without turning it into baked goods. The perfect fragrance for a lactating mother. Why, oh, why, are all my favorites long gone before I try them? I'm hoping like hell that they re-release it in April. ::fingers crossed::

In the bottle: Pink and sweet. Wet: Bubblegum! Dry: Bubblegum! It's that 'Bazooka' type, with the white powder on the outside of the little square. How weird. Voodoo effectiveness: Good. It did seem to lighten my mood considerably.

This is the truly sinful scent of a sticky, thick, dark and rich fudge brownie. This smells like...brownie batter. In the bottle, wet, dry...it's an amazing feat to have completely reproduced that particular smell. And yet, it is incredibly vile as a personal fragrance. Bleah. I'm glad I got to sample it, but boy, howdy, I could never actually wear this on my person. Plus, it made me hungry. ::is craving brownies::

I didn't expect to like this one. I got it because the name appealed to me, but I haven't had much luck with BPAL's "dry wood" note. But this? Brill. In the bottle it was a green, refreshing scent. Wet, it smelled sheer and green, a light fragrance with just the barest whisper of flowers. Dry, it reminds me of a summer afternoon spent wandering in the woods. There's a pleasant, mossy undertone, but it's still light and beautiful. I'll be buying a 5ml of this, for sure.

Eccequambonum was kind enough to let me try this out. Wet, it was spicy - I could smell a little amber, but it was overwhelmed in a scent that reminded me of the kitchens. I wish I could put my finger on it. Cloves? Allspice? It continues to elude me. Unfortunately, it amped up until it was all I could smell, harsh and strong. Dry: Baking spice. Dry, 1 hr later: The harsh spice is gone, and what's left is the warm, sunshiney fragrance that others have reported. I'm glad I got to try it.

In the bottle: Yummy vanilla and the golden note of amber. Wet: Warming amber (I was a bit concerned, as I had a bad experience with another BPAL amber scent), and then... Dry: Baby powder. Dammit. Off to swap.

In the bottle, this smelled of green tea. It was a bit worrying, because I don't much care for how green tea smells on me. But once on my skin, it blended with other types of tea to become a light, refreshing scent. I think this is what Embalming Fluid should have smelled like, if it hadn't had that evil lemon component. There's just a whiff of the peony, lending it a little sweetness. I really like it - seems like it would be a good scent for hot summer days. After an hour or so, the peony has come to the forefront, but it's beautifully balanced with the teas. Just lovely.

In the bottle, sweet pine. Wet, resinous pine. Drydown: Pinepinepine....and suddenly, there's something spicy. Really spicy. Carnation? Is there carnation in this? I'm not sure if I like it or not. Dry, an hour later: Hm. Kind of a soft, dusty scent that's fading fast. Sadly, the rose never made an appearance, and I can only assume the spiciness was supposed to be the alder leaf. Hmm. I think I'll hang onto this and try it again in a few days, see if it changes.

In the bottle: Cotton Candy. Strawberry-flavored cotton candy. I approached cautiously, because I had a strong unpleasant reaction to Hollywood Babylon, and was afraid it had to do with the strawberry. Happily, that doesn't appear to have been the case. Wet: It smelled like...bubblegum. Bubbalicious Strawberry Bubble Gum, as a matter of fact. Dry: Um...pretty much strawberry bubble gum. Ah, well. It's not unpleasant or off-putting, but I just can't see myself ever wearing this as a perfume, so it's off to swaps.

Huh. Wet, this smells like fabric softener. Floral-based fabric softener. Drydown took an extra-long time, and yup, it still smells like fabric softener/floral soap. Bleah. Off to swap.

In December, the skeletal, ice-rimmed fingers of winter take hold, and the nights are long, chill and dark. The first flurries of snow touch the land, and the earth itself becomes quiet. A scent of purity and silence, soft with falling snow, as dark as Midwinter: an icy flurry over the winter blooms of narcissus, pansy crocus, dahlia, tulip, chrysanthemum and white rose, with a hint of fir and birch. In the bottle, this was a perfect dupe for Skadi. I eagerly dabbed it on, enjoyed the rush of sweet pine, and waited. And waited. And waited. Didn't matter how long I waited, this never became anything other than pine. No florals, no 'slush' notes, no nothing but pine. Not unpleasant, but not what I wanted. ::sigh::

In the bottle, this smelled wonderful - warm and spicy. Wet: Raw leather with a hint of cardamom. Dry: PatchouliPatchouliPatchouli. It's giving me a headache. Damn. Off to swap.

Soft, lush myrtle and dry, sweet melilot with wild rose, pomegranate juice and peach blossom against a background of deep aquatic notes and a twirl of melancholy autumn breezes. In the vial: Candyish smell of pomegranate Wet: Sharp (but pleasant) pomegranate scent that stays candy-sweet. Dry: I can smell the myrtle and rose and other wonderful scents underneath the utterly too-sweet pomegranate, but they're just completely overwhelmed. ::sigh:: Obviously, not for me. Why can't BPAL come out with a myrtle/rose scent without the added throw notes?

In the vial: Spring flowers. Wet: Smells like daffodils, pleasant if a bit strong. Drydown: Oh, hell. Jasmine. We meet again, my enemy. So long to any other floral note, because... Dry: JASMINE!! ::Jasmine proceeds to shake her ass in my face, step all over my feet and spill her drink on my carpet:: ::sigh::