Chrysantza

In the imp, I can smell the orange blossom along with something sharper. On me, everything went to soap. And I mean S-O-A-P. A thick, perfumey hotel soap. The orange blossom was fighting valiantly to get out from beneath all that soap but it lost the fight. Off to the swap pile.

In the imp: Rose On me: Ph34r the rose! Very strong rose with a sharp green undertone that I suppose is the narcissus, though it does not smell like my paperwhites. Verdict: I actually wanted something that would smell more like my paperwhites, and this is very rosey; plus the sharp green whatever-it-is doesn't agree with my skin chemistry. I have other rose scents I like a lot better. So off to the swap pile.

This smells just like musk and caramel. It's sex with dessert afterwards. Very rich, smoky, and dark with a LOT of sweetness and a LOT of throw. I am notorious for eating scent, and even I find that a little Smut goes a long way, has plenty of throw and lasts a loooong time. I am definitely keeping this but breaking it out for special occasions. Smut is heady, strong and willful. And it is love.

Wet: This smells just like...miso broth. Dries down to: Note to self - "Cold" scents and your skin chemistry do not mix. It starts off really pretty but then there is an odd wet-cardboard tang. After a while, the frankincense and musk start to battle it out for supreme ruler of my wrists. Not really me, alas.

This starts out as a sweet, haunting soft fruity/floral with a touch of herbal green (the thyme?). Unfortunately, it doesn't have much throw on me and dries down to something just generically perfumey. This is probably going in the sale/swap pile.

In the bottle this is a fruity, sweet floral. On me: A very complex blend. Definitely amber and sandalwood, but still the sweet, fruity floral. Unfortunately, every so often a weird nail-polish type note keeps wafting in and out. I'm not sure what that is - could be the honey, as honey is decidedly iffy with my skin chemistry. On edit: It's been an hour and the nail-polish smell is gone for good. It's settled down into a sweet, woody floral. I think I like this one!

Medieval romance and courtly love. White rose and soft resins. In the bottle this was a beautiful soft, sweet rose layered over resins. Alas, it appears that one of those resins is myrrh. And on me the myrrh is doing what it tends to do when in contact with my skin - turn to VoldeMyrrh. It's gotten medieval on the other ingredients' asses. About all I can smell is myrrh. Darnit. I think I'll put this away for a week or two to see if it smells less VoldeMyrrh when it's had a chance to blend.

In the bottle: Almond liek whoa. I don't smell anything but almond. On me: Pure almond extract, then d'oh - as in Play-Doh. This is the first scent that I've gotten the dread eau de doh from. Absolutely nothing but almonds and Play-Doh. Alas, this doesn't work on me.

I wanted to like this because it has some beautiful floral notes. But alas, the aquatic and "cool" notes amped way up and smelled like hairspray on me. Plus it fades really fast. Off to the swaps.

In the bottle: Orange juice + pumpkin pie spice. On me: It starts off very perfumey, almost like Guerlain's Shalimar. Then it dries down to a lovely blend of spice, floral and musk with a touch of citrus. The latter is usually a disaster on me but this is a blend with citrus I can wear. Baghdad is very much in the mold of Morocco, Scherezade and even Othello - they all have that spice + musk "Middle East bazaar" feel to them. Verdict: A keeper. Baghdad is lovely on me.

In the bottle: Very perfumey and floral. On me: This is what I was hoping Pele would be - an exotic tropical floral. I definitely smell the tuberose and frangipani, also the jasmine. The rose not so much - the other flowers are too aggressive for it. But I got this mostly for the tuberose and frangipani. This reminds me very much of some perfume I got in Hawaii years and years ago. Delight is a delight on me and I think I'll get a bottle.

My. Very. First. Lunacy! In the bottle: Sweet, delicate floral. I get the impression of white florals yet I know it's not really - must be the peony and plum blossom. On me: Another blend I put into the category of "Fairy Princess Perfumes." It's a lovely, haunting, sweet, ethereal floral with a touch of fruit. Luckily, the fruit isn't a "fruit punch" note; it's more like standing in an orchard. Budding Moon is the olfactory equivalent of one of those very delicate Japanese brush paintings, or a pale-green celadon vase. It's just lovely. No other word for it. The only drawback is that it has little throw and doesn't seem to be lasting on me. Take with a grain of salt, though, as I am the Queen of All Scent Eaters. Verdict: Definitely keep! Maybe even hoard. This is so lovely for spring and summer casual occasions.

Another swapped-for imp: In the bottle: Spicy lavender and rose-petal sachet On me: Gorgeous spicy floral, heavy on the lavender. This makes me think of the "back to the land" sort of woman who quilts, makes her own jam, and of course her own sachets! A sweet, wholesome floral ideal for daytime. Verdict: I love the imp and might get a bottle of this for warm-weather wear.

Swapped for this from a friend who thought I'd love it: In the bottle: Pale, translucent, white florals On me: A very delicate scent, wispy roses and jasmine with a touch of musk - which is keeping everything else grounded. This is another fairy-princess blend like Ophelia. It's a nice change for me from my usual heavy spicy scents.

I plan on putting Harlot and Alice aside for scent-locket use. Harlot because I love the scent but the cinnamon irritates my skin, and Alice because I also love the scent but it fades within ten minutes. As for the lockets themselves, I want to see what the Trading Post puts out as I'm sure they will be lovely.

I got this in a swap. It's a light, spiced milk both in the bottle and on me. Think of a much gingerier, spicier Alice. Unfortunately my skin soaks in and devours the light, creamy scents and Sudha Segara is no exception. This disappeared on me after 15 minutes and had absolutely no throw. I think this would be great on someone who likes a light, milky scent and is not a "scent eater" like me.

In the bottle: smells like a Creamsicle, or orange sherbet On me: A citrus I can wear! I'm sure it's the amber and red musk keeping the citrus pretty and orangey and not "cleaning products." It's vanilla/orange/gardenia atop amber and musk, very sweet, bright and sunny. It reminds me, believe it or not, of Katharina - the same musk/fruit/sweet floral. And like Katharina, it's sunny, sparkling and lively. The Palace is haunted by playful kittens.

I got this as a frimp from the generous Lab, and I've been dying to try it. The description sounds so lovely. In the bottle: A lot like Scherezade (which I also love) plus something almost like candle wax. On me: At first the rose goes sharp and soapy, but within five minutes it mellows out and I get a sweet spice/musk/rose blend. It's warm and very feminine - despite the name! After a while this mellows into an almost second-skin scent. My skin takes on the Arabian musk almost as its own. Othello is beautiful, warm, and surprisingly soft and mellow. Verdict: Bottle time! A new "Top Ten" BPAL for me!

This just arrived, and I could not wait to try it. In the bottle: A sweet and tender white floral. It smells wistful, if that makes any sense. On me: I get mostly tuberose and iris, this is very much a white floral to me. Sad and haunting, wistful and gentle, this is the perfume of a beautiful woman who dies young and is mourned by all who know her. It's a rare "cool" scent that doesn't go chemical on me; I think the musk is keeping it from going all cattywampus. This particular blend evokes a mood much more than many perfumes do. It makes me feel a bit sad and dreamy. So I won't wear it if I need to be cheerful and energetic. Also, it doesn't have a lot of throw on me, but my skin tends to eat scent. Verdict: A keeper. I don't know if I will get another bottle but I will definitely keep and use this one.

The scents of the blossoms of darkness, condensed into one perfume. Features a rose base, softened with lilac and wisteria. I swapped for this one because I really love wisteria, and wanted to try a BPAL with wisteria in it. In the bottle: A sweet old-fashioned floral (I think it's the lilac giving that old-fashioned feel) with a sharp note. Oh oh, not the dread green floral, please... On me: The sharp green note fades away, thankfully, and what is left is a soft, sweet blend of roses, lilac and wisteria. I don't get a funereal mood from this one at all - it's very springlike, evoking images of chiffon gowns and tea parties. Delicate and old-fashioned without being too girlish. And very sweet, which I like. Verdict: A keeper! Yum!

This came as a frimp from somewhere, and has been sitting in my imp box for a while. In the bottle: Sharp and citrusy On me: Lemon Pledge and chlorine bleach I always give blends a chance (unless they have anise in them ), because I've been pleasantly surprised before. Alas, the citrus and ozone reacted as predicted, turning all chemical and harsh on me. Off to the swaps.

I wanted to like this, as I love ylang-ylang and musk, but alas. On me, Skuld turned to nail polish remover. I suspect the labdanum, as I amp up resins liek whoa. At any rate, it was pure chemical and I had to go scrub it off.

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the bottle: A sweet floral - I can pick out the narcissus and tuberose - with an almost papery undertone. Like a very sweet bouquet in a used bookstore. On me: At first it goes plasticky and then that fades and I am left with an ultra-sweet floral. Very lily, narcissus and tuberose. And it lasts, too. Once the initial plastic note fades I really like this one. Verdict: Keep and use imp, maybe get bottle when spring arrives, as the lilies and narcissus make this a lovely spring scent.

This came as a frimp from the Lab. In the bottle: Very fruity On me: Oh no, it smells like my mom's HORRID "Green Apple" dish soap! The fruits hate me and have gone all vinegar-y and chemically. Almost always, citrus + my body chemistry = bad. Verdict: Swaparoonie.

Got this as a gimp in a swap. In the bottle: Fruity rose On me: A juicy, fruity rose. Thankfully, not soapy like some roses. It's not quite "me" - I prefer a more sophisticated rose a-la Black Rose or Peacock Queen - but this is very pretty, sweet and springlike.