Ghost of a Rose

I first noticed the pleasant scent of rich earth. Then moss, ozone, and an acidic tang that's almost citrusy, but isn't any citrus fruit that I recognize. It's probably the same note that someone else called unripe green tomato - I can relate to that. I didn't get the sweetness or florals that some reviewers have mentioned. I could see that carnations might be in this, with their atypical spicy scent. Or something like gerbera daisies. But to my nose (or perhaps in my batch), no traditional, sweet, feminine-type florals. It's interesting, unusual, clean, green, and is a non-foody air freshener that would appeal to men (as well as women.) In my bathroom, where most surfaces are hard (such as tiles), it didn't last long in the air as a distinct scent, but it did leave behind an ionized-air kind of freshness. In my car, with mostly fabric surfaces and a warmer temperature, I could still smell it two days later. I would buy a bottle of this if it was available. It might last longer if I sprayed it more lavishly - I had to be more frugal with just a sample amount. My rating: 4 stars ETA: Thank you for the sample, BPTP!

I smelled the camellia first, strongest, and last, but the grapefruit had a definite presence as well. It's kind of a strange combination, with the sweet floral scent of the camellia battling it out with the sour tang of the grapefruit. It's very pleasant, though, especially since I love both of those notes. I didn't particularly notice the verbena, perhaps because its scent is similar enough to the grapefruit to blend in with it. The fragrance didn't last as long in the air as the other BPTP sprays I've tried. But it did last at least as long, or longer, than supermarket air-freshener sprays do, and it smells so much more natural and beautiful. My rating: 4.5 stars

I mostly smell apples, cinnamon, and smoke. After about 7 minutes, I also get the scent of caramel. I really like this. It does totally capture the scents of Halloween, and the smoke note is so unusual - solemn and dignified - in an air freshener. The scent lingered in the air for a long time, with the caramel as the lasting note. My rating: 4.5 stars Later ETA: It did leave a lingering smell of smoke in my car. And I do mean lingering - 2 months since I've used this, my car still smells like a smoker was in it. It's not as bad as it sounds - not the really nasty stale-smoke odor of a heavy smoker's car or home. It's more like someone whose clothes were permeated with smoke rode in my car for a short time. Also, I keep my car windows closed all the time, so that would definitely tend to make it last longer - this might not happen to everyone. It hasn't stopped me from using this scent, but now I use it in places that have better ventilation.

I smell pomegranate and flowers. Of the flowers, the only note I could pick out was rose, which makes sense since (LOL, say that out loud) I don't know what the others smell like. But the rose is very subtle - I don't think I would notice it if I didn't know there was rose oil in this. It's really a mixed-florals scent, not a rose scent. I didn't notice any wood (poplar or willow bark) or herbs (mint or aconite.) I do like this very much. The scent in the air lasts for a medium length of time and remains fairly consistent, without any obvious changes over time. My rating: 4 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear, with just the palest tinge of yellow. The scent is strongly floral, with gardenia and lily-of-the-valley (muguet) predominating, and with a deeper musky undertone. I can already tell that I'm going to want a full bottle of this. On me, wet: It is softer on me, with a surprising, delicate, lemony note that is quite lovely and sparkling combined with the flowers. The florals are more subdued and no particular type of flower stands out. The deeper notes are in hiding. It is a light, bright, scent. On me, just dried: Pretty much the same except that the florals have gotten stronger, especially the gardenia. After 30 minutes: Now very soft, mostly gardenia. The lemony note is gone. After 1 hour: Mostly gardenia, with hints of musk and (white?) sandalwood. I've loved this all along, and now it is even more beautiful. After 3 hours: The sandalwood and musk are now also equal to the gardenia in strength, but the scent is quite faint. After 4 hours: The scent on my wrist is virtually gone, leaving just a ghostly lingering memory of gardenia. Verdict: A gorgeous, elegant, floral fragrance. The flower notes are so natural, and all of the notes blend together very beautifully. Yep, I'm definitely getting a full bottle of this. My rating: 5 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and a beautiful salmon color. I smell sandalwood first, then flowers, especially lily of the valley, magnolia, and rose. On me, wet: It is more perfumey, like a classic, elegant, and highly refined floral perfume. It's a designer scent, in which no particular element can be identified. On me, just dried: I'm startled by how quickly and to what degree most of the scent has vanished. The fragrance on my wrist might be more apparent to others, whose noses didn't just smell it wet and full strength four minutes ago. But to me, there's hardly any scent left there at all. After 10 minutes: Although very soft and delicate, the scent that remains is beautiful, still a classic floral perfume. But more natural, without the chemicals and alcohol. I can now identify some specific flowers, especially magnolia, lily of the valley, and rose; in that order of strength. After 30 minutes: Still the same basic perfume scent, but now there is an underlying hint of the white sandalwood and the spiciness of the carnations beginning to come out, and the overall scent is less sweet. After 45 minutes: Rose has taken over as the primary floral note (but there are too many other notes of nearly equal strength to consider this a rose-based fragrance.) Everything else is the same as above. After 1 hour: What little scent still lingers is mostly soft sandalwood and carnation. It's gone rather plastic-y, but that doesn't matter since it's barely there now. Verdict: Beautiful, feminine, and very formal. This is going on my wishlist for a bottle. But wear it in a perfume locket if you want it to last for more than four minutes with any significant presence, throw, or longevity. My rating: 5 stars Added later: I wrote the above review while testing the scent on my left wrist. Later, I wore it on both wrists. I was astonished to find that it was different on my other wrist, although I used equal amounts on both. On my left wrist, it was again the same as above. On my right wrist, the scent was stronger, had more throw, and lasted longer. It also went through a stage of about 45 minutes during which a gorgeous natural rose was the main note, obvious even from about 2 feet away. It made me love this blend even more. (On my left wrist, the rose note was barely detectable, and even then, only for a very short time.) I've noticed before that fragrances can smell slightly different on the inside of my elbow than they do on my wrist, but I've never realized that even which wrist you wear it on can make a difference. (Because essential oil blends are so much stronger than perfumes containing alcohol, I normally wear only one drop on one wrist. I only wore this on both wrists tonight because it had been so weak on my left wrist alone.) This goes to show the wisdom of the advice I've seen from several reviewers on these forums: to try a scent at least twice before you make up your mind about it!

I love the artwork! My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decants (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and a pale peach color. The first scent I notice is wood, then the fir needles, then hazelnut. On me, wet: Fir needles and wood, with the wood a little stronger. It is a somewhat sharp pine scent, but not nearly as astringent and sinus-clearing as pine scents usually are. The wood calms it down considerably. A very nice tree scent - more like pine lumber rather than Christmas trees. There are also delicate touches of hazelnut and patchouli to keep things interesting. I don't know what plum leaves smell like - like regular leaves, I would think? Or leaves blended with plum? I don't notice any fruitiness in this. I don't know what green cognac smells like, either. I didn't even know there was such a thing. This doesn't seem boozey to me, at least not at this phase. After 10 minutes: No change. This is a unisex-to-masculine blend. It's very nice - warm, woody, spicy (from the sharpness of fir), comforting rather than aggressive. I would love to smell this on a man. But I like it a lot on myself, too. After 20 minutes: I'm starting to pick up a little honey and some very subtle florals beneath the main notes. They are causing the scent to sweeten up just a bit. After 30 minutes: From a few inches away, I notice the honey, and then closer up - aha, there's the cognac, together with the fir which seems to be getting stronger, and the wood note which is now very realistic. The florals seem to be gone, after a very brief cameo appearance. After 45 minutes: A beautiful and totally realistic scent of fresh-cut pine lumber up close. With a layer of delicate honey floating a couple of inches above it. This may not be the most exciting blend in the world, but it certainly is gorgeous. After 6 1/2 hours: Not only is it still going strong, but it is even more beautiful and interesting, because the honey and floral notes now have equal presence with the wood. At this point, it is unisex rather than decidedly masculine. Verdict: My favorite wood scent. The leaves, patchouli, hazelnut, and cognac are all understated and short-lived. The florals don't have a significant presence until extreme drydown. This is basically a unisex wood, balsamic, and honey fragrance. It is beautiful at all stages. I might end up getting a full bottle of this. My rating: 4.5 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle!) In the imp: Oil is clear and a medium yellow color with a peachy tint. The fragrance is very sweet, and is hard to describe, although tantalizingly familiar. It's definitely a dessert, together with a touch of florals. Wait, I know what this dessert is - butterscotch pudding! On me, wet: On my skin, it is far more complex and fruity. Sort of like pineapple, but not exactly - very unique, and with a caramel note. And maybe some brown sugar. I am loving this so far, although I don't usually like foody perfumes. This is just so complicated and unusual that I can't help but be fascinated by it. On me, just dried: Still rather fruity, but becoming more floral. Underneath all the dessert-y sweetness, there's some kind of dry, musty, non-sweet note that I can't begin to identify. Or maybe I can - could it be the daisies? They don't smell sweet, and people sometimes even describe their odor as unpleasant. That must be what Edens Sixth Day was smelling. But on me, it's just a faint undertone, not strong enough to be unpleasant - just enough to add nuance and bring some balance to all the sweetness. After 15 minutes: It now smells completely different! It's now a bright, sharp, metallic, perfumey fragrance. I've been basing my descriptions on what I smell up close on my wrist, but I just noticed that when I lifted my head away to do something else, there was a cloud of the most heavenly, gorgeous, floral scent hovering around me. Wow! I am more and more impressed all the time by this! I'm ordering a bottle right now. After 30 minutes: Same as above, but with a bit more emphasis on the florals. After 1 hour: No further change. After 1 1/2 hours: The scent on my wrist has lost most of the sharp metallic note and now smells more like the gorgeous floral scent that is wafting all around me. After 2 hours: Now all of the metallic note is gone, and it is 100% the heavenly floral fragrance, although now rather faded. Verdict: I never noticed the ylang ylang (which usually overpowers everything) in this at all. This blend is the most unusual perfume I've ever smelled (um, of the pleasant ones, that is, LOL.) It's delicious, and it's gorgeously elegant, at different times. And always complex and utterly fascinating. I didn't even wait to finish this review before I ordered a full bottle. My rating: 5 stars

I chose this blend to try just because the combination is so bizarre that I was intrigued. My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle!) In the imp: Clear, colorless oil. In the vial, I smell the flowers first, then the cotton candy, and then the pine. On the wand, the pine needles take over so that I can smell little else - just a timid thread of cotton candy wafting behind the pine. This is sinus-clearingly sharp, reminding me of eucalyptus or used motor oil. On me, wet: On my skin it is the same as on the wand, but thankfully softer. And - again, thankfully - here it is eucalyptus rather than motor oil. On me, just dried: For all its initial aggressiveness, the eucalyptus-like note of the pine evaporates quickly and is nearly gone in the few moments it takes for the oil to dry. Now the fragrance is pine-tinged cotton candy, which is rather strange, but not unpleasant. After 10 minutes: It is all cotton candy, just sugar with a touch of vanilla. Not really my thing. I'm waiting for the wildflowers . . . After 20 minutes: Some florals have indeed appeared, but I'm not sure it's an improvement. It smells like the artificially-scented plastic of a child's toy. Like those small scented dolls that used to be sold for little girls - anybody else remember those? Strawberry Shortcake dolls. That's what this reminds me of. After 1 hour: Still Strawberry Shortcake dolls, and even more plastic-y. After 2 hours: No change. After 3 hours: The scent is the same, but is now very faint. Verdict: Wow, this goes from Head-Clearing-Nasal-Decongestant to Little-Girl's-Artifically-Scented-Plastic-Doll in 10 minutes flat! The scent doesn't do much for me in either phase, but you've gotta admire the sheer exuberance and ballsy-ness of such a bizarre combination. And neither phase is actually unpleasant. I'll keep it around as a novelty. I can't wait to see what other reviewers say about this! My rating: 3 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle!) In the imp: Oil is clear and a bright golden yellow. The scent is sweet and reminds me of Juicy Fruit chewing gum with some flowers. On the wand it is cloyingly sweet, mostly jasmine with honey, the Juicy Fruit gum, and some vanilla. On me, wet: On my skin it is much the same, but gentler. At first it is a mixed floral scent, but within moments the jasmine takes over like it did on the wand. On me, just dried: I can't smell anything but jasmine. Still, I can tell that other things are lurking in the background since the jasmine smells a little different than usual - less sharp and soapy. After 10 minutes: Jasmine is still the primary note, but this has already gone through a lot of changes in the supporting notes. First the honey came in strongly, nicely toning down the jasmine although adding even more sweetness. But it was very short-lived. Then I got a faint whiff of lavender, which was a beautiful blend with the jasmine. Then that floated away too, and now the undertone is fruity - no longer the chewing gum, but now more like berries. After 30 minutes: Jasmine, vanilla, and berries; in that order of strength. Considerably less sweet than it was at first, and the whole fragrance is already much faded. After 1 hour: Now the jasmine has backed down and it is a blended scent, without any particular notes that stand out. But if I try hard enough, I can pick out vanilla, jasmine (now secondary to the vanilla), and perhaps a bit of the amber starting to appear. It has gone a little powdery - another clue to the presence of amber. After 1 1/2 hours: Now mostly powdery amber, with a very muted smokiness - could that be the "black" from the blackened fruit gums? After 3 hours: The smokiness is gone and the sweet, powdery amber lingers on alone for one more hour. My rating: 4 stars ETA: I don't know what opium poppy smells like, so I could be smelling it without realizing it.

In the imp (decant): Oil is clear with a very pale yellowish-green tint. The scent in the imp is an unusually soft, sweet, sandalwood with what smells like flowers rather than greenery. On me, wet: Ah, now the greenery shows up. There is still a bit of a floral note, but the sandalwood went into hiding. This is a delicate, understated, and quite lovely scent. After 10 minutes: The floral note has also mostly gone now, and most of the sweetness along with it. Now it's pretty much all ivy. The ivy is a green note that is unmistakably something different than either grass or herbs. I don't like it quite as much as those - there's just a touch of sourness to it , or is it decay? - but I do like it, and also it is interesting and unusual. After 30 minutes: The scent is still much the same, except that the white sandalwood and floral-like note that I smelled in the imp is now starting to peek out a little, bringing some of the sweetness back. I especially like it at this stage - the sweetness from the sandalwood balances that slight sourness of the ivy. After 1 hour: Now the ivy and the sandalwood/floral notes are about equal. After 1 1/2 hours: The sandalwood/floral is beginning to overtake the ivy. I like all sandalwood, but I think I particularly like the white. It is softer and sweeter than the others, and may have a floral-like note (unless there are flower oils in this blend that are unlisted.) After 2 hours: All sandalwood/floral, slightly powdery. After 7 1/2 hours: I can still smell the sandalwood on my wrist very faintly. Verdict: An unusual and lovely, subtle, feminine, scent. I especially like it when both the ivy and the sandalwood/floral notes are present at the same time (30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.) They balance one another beautifully. And I also love the white sandalwood drydown. My rating: 4 stars

In the imp (decant): Oil is clear and a dark, brownish orange. The scent is patchouli, mandarin, and clove. Surprisingly unsweet, and (thus also surprisingly) rather cloying. On me, wet: Much better. A smoky, woody, clove. Unisex to masculine. On me, just dried: The smokiness disappears and the clove becomes stronger. There's an understated whiff of mandarin in the background. It reminds me of those clove-studded oranges we used to make for scenting closets. After 10 minutes: . . . but then some musk appears to remove that image. It's short-lived, however, and then the fragrance is pretty much all clove, but fairly mild - not too hot or in-your-face. There's a little patchouli and musk in the background that tones it down. After 30 minutes: Clove, with a hint of wood and an even fainter hint of musk. After 1 hour: Clove is foremost, with patchouli. I don't think this has really changed much since the first 10 minutes. It's more that I notice different notes at different times. Exactly 12 hours later, I can still clearly smell this on my wrist. It is weak but identifiable. Clove is still the primary note, and in the background there is the same cloying scent that I noticed in the imp. I think it might be the combination of patchouli and orange. Each of those can be syrupy and cloying when they are too concentrated, so blending them together may perhaps not be the most amicable of matches. I never did notice any vanilla in this. The flower might smell quite different from the vanilla bean. If it has a typical strong tropical orchid scent, that could be adding to the cloying characteristic of the patchouli-orange combo. However, I didn't notice any floral note in this, either. Verdict: Fortunately the cloying note appears only in the bottle and upon extreme drydown (when it is very faint, and also likely to be showered away.) Otherwise this is a pleasant enough unisex-to-masculine spice fragrance. But I'm not sure I like this so much that I want to be smelling it for 12 hours straight. And since writing that first sentence of the verdict, I've noticed that this oil leaves a strong scent on my clothes as well, that lasts even longer and does retain the cloying aspect. After reading the other reviews, I wonder if it could be partly the dark musk that I find cloying. But the mandarin orange is definitely part of it - it's like cough syrup. To give a male POV: my 17 year old son liked it very much, but suggested that it would be best used as a room scent in an oil warmer rather than a body scent. I tend to agree. This is an okay fragrance, but I probably wouldn't mind giving it up if someone wanted to swap a no-longer-available or LE scent that I really want for it. My rating: 3 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle!) In the imp: Oil is clear and a light golden yellow. It smells just like fresh grapefruit. On me, wet: The grapefruit is not quite as strong, and I can smell the honey and something that's almost floral - maybe the orris root? I really like this! I love grapefruit, and in this blend it is balanced by enough other notes that it isn't foody. On me, just dried: The grapefruit is disappearing rapidly, allowing some musk to come out. The floral note is stronger. After 10 minutes: The honey has taken over the musk and the grapefruit is gone, so now it's honey and floral. Sweet and pretty! After 30 minutes: Now mostly honey, with a hint of florals, a little musk again, and maybe some moss. After 1 hour: A soft, lean-in-close scent (with little throw.) Basically the same, except that now it's slightly powdery and there's just a tease of cypress. After 2 hours: Slightly powdery honey and musk. Verdict: Soft, girly, and very pretty. Wear some in a scent locket as well as on the skin, if you would like to retain the grapefruit note. My rating: 4 stars

OMG, I am in love with Death! In the imp: Clear, amber-colored oil. I don't smell anything in particular in the vial. There's mostly just an impression of sweetness. The scent develops when it is exposed to air, such as on the skin or if you hold the wand in the air for a minute and then sniff it again. On me, wet: An absolutely gorgeous, sweet, half fruity and half floral, scent. It's neither too fruity or too floral, but a perfectly balanced blend of both. I don't detect any of the specific flowers - they just all meld together seamlessly into a beautiful (and yes, funereal) floral note. I don't know what either benzoin or opopponax smells like on it's own, so I'm not able to recognize those notes if I am smelling them. On me, after 10 minutes: Pretty much the same, except that now I'm picking up a subtle undertone of the anise. After 30 minutes: Most of the pomegranate fruitiness has evaporated and the anise has gained strength, so that now it's florals and licorice, together with something I don't recognize which is probably the resins. After 1 hour: Now the primary scent is incense (the resins? or the champaca flowers?) and florals; with the spicy anise following close behind. After 2 hours: Mostly incense, with florals. After 3 hours: The scent has gone a little plastic-y, but it doesn't matter because it's barely there anymore. Verdict: This goes beyond death - straight to heaven. I MUST get myself a bottle of it while it is still available! I especially love it early on, when the pomegranate and florals are at their strongest - so (reminder to myself) do wear some of this in a scent locket as well as on your skin. My rating: 5 stars

Thanks for the frimp, labbies. You scored another hit! In the imp: Oil is slightly cloudy and dark brown. The first sniff gives me an note of slightly sweet musk. And then . . . whew . . . suddenly it's 100% Vicks VapoRub. I'm almost afraid to put this on. I was going to wear it when going out for an appointment, but after smelling it, chose something else instead. I tried it later when I would be able to stay at home. On me, wet: The same thing happens on my skin, but fortunately it's much softer. And within moments some woodiness appears to further gentle it and take away the impression of Vicks. This is so much nicer than it smelled in the imp. On me, just dried: Astonishingly soft and subtle considering the way it smelled in the imp. Pine, wood, and earth, with a layer of sweet musk that keeps it from being too Christmasy. It's a lovely mild forest scent. It is solemn, yes - but much too pleasant to make any association between this and death. I'm so glad I gave this a chance. It actually would have been perfect to wear to my business appointment. After 15 minutes: Same as above. After 30 minutes: Same as above, but already noticeably weaker. After 1 hour: No change. The scent remains consistent until late drydown, in about 3 hours. At that time, only a faint sweet musk scent remains. 8 hours after application, I can still detect the sweet musk, although very faintly. Verdict: Don't let the smell in the bottle scare you away from this. It's completely different - and quite lovely - on the skin. A unisex scent that would be ideal for wearing to work or for spiritual practice. My rating: 4 stars

In the vial: A sweet, perfumey scent - that must be the linen, which seems to include a hint of florals. (And maybe the laudanum as well - I have no idea what laudanum smells like.) With cherry, not an artificially-flavored-cherry-candy, but the mild cherry-like note of dragon's blood, On my wrist, wet: The cherry scent of dragon's blood dominates everything right at first, but the clean linen comes in at a close second. The cherry note evaporates within moments, leaving the clean linen scent to take over. After 10 minutes: This is surprisingly fresh, clean, and perfume-like for something inspired by Poe. Not at all what I expected. But very nice. I'm trying not to think of dryer sheets . . . After 30 minutes: It has gone from a woman's perfume smell to a men's cologne one. Must be due to the tobacco which is coming out to play. I'm not thinking dryer sheets anymore, I'm thinking men's cologne. One I like, not too astringent. It's almost like a fine pipe tobacco, but with the added sharpness of cologne. After 1 3/4 hours: As the perfume/cologne sharpness gradually faded away (it's completely gone now), the scent has warmed and darkened, the tobacco musk is more evident, and I could see the image from the description more and more. It remained men's cologne-ish, but became Edgar Allan Poe's cologne. The overall fragrance is pretty faint now. Interesting - when I put it on the inside of my elbow instead, I get little of the sharpness that made this smell like perfume/men's cologne when it was on my wrist. It is a much darker scent, more evocative of Poe's stories of horror. It must have something to do with the difference in skin temperature at the different places. My rating: 4 stars

Thanks for the frimp, labbies! Another hit! In the imp: i can easily smell all three oils. This is the patchouli I remember and loved in high school; and which I've never been able to find again until now. The ones I've bought or smelled more recently are never quite the same and I don't like them as much. But this is it. It must have been the red patchouli that I used to wear. Interesting. Back then, we didn't even know there was more than one kind of patchouli. It was just patchouli, and it always smelled the same. Overall, this is the perfect headshop blend; unisex of course. It brings back so many memories! On me, wet: The same as in the bottle. Ahh, I love this. Not quite as much as I love floral scents, but it's close. All three oils are equally balanced - the patchouli doesn't overpower everything else as it often tends to do. On me, just dried: No change. This is a simple blend, and all of the ingredients are similar notes, so I don't expect it to change much as time goes by. After 45 minutes: I was wrong, it does change a bit. I don't know if it's my imagination, if I'm just paying attention to different notes, or if it really happens - but it seems like the three oils play hide and seek with each other. First one shows up, then another and another, then the first one again, etc. They take turns being the prominent note, going back and forth. At this time, sandalwood is strongest, with frankincense close behind. And . . . a gorgeous, amazingly realistic, smoky note has appeared, like burning incense. Outta sight, man! The smokiness is the crowning touch that makes this special, different from all the other headshop scents out there. After 2 hours: The smokiness has disappeared, but the original lovely scent remains. Right now, patchouli and sandalwood are the most noticeable, and the overall fragrance is sweeter and softer. After 3 hours: Almost gone, but the lingering remnant is pretty much the same. My rating: 5 stars - a rare (for me) non-floral blend that makes it into the 5-star category!

In the vial: The first thing I notice is wood, then suddenly . . . chocolate, loud and clear. But there are too many other notes in this for it to be at all foody. Everything is underscored by a hint of bitterness that must be the matcha. On me, wet: Chocolate at first, quickly handing over the starring role to a note I don't recognize and find impossible to describe - probably the unique combination of several different oils. If I "look" for them, I can detect a little mandarin, clary sage, and a pine-like note from the galangal. Overall this is a mildly sharp, balsamic, non-sweet, unisex kind of scent. This does indeed smell like trees, pine trees especially. After 20 minutes: Ah, now a nice cinnamon-and-vanilla note comes out, courtesy of the tonka. It's mild and subtle, not strong like the oils of those actual things are. And it blends beautifully with the notes already there, still without any hint of foodiness. After 45 minutes: The fragrance has become soft and gentle, quite lovely. Cinnamon, vanilla, and wood. After 1 1/2 hours: Mostly vanilla, with a little wood. I don't usually like vanilla perfumes, but this is very gentle and not at all foody. The earlier, more complex, scent is still present, hovering in the background. From there, the fragrance remains consistent as it slowly fades away, in about 3 hours. A lovely unisex kind of scent that I think would appeal to just about anyone. It isn't foody, yet has notes that are almost universally popular; and none of those notes that some people love and others hate. For me it's not a 5-star scent, just because it is florals that I really adore. (So naturally Hygeia and Donna con Ventaglio are my favorites of the four scents in this series.) But I do like this one very much. Wearing it in a scent locket as well as on the skin would help to preserve those delicious and complex top notes (especially the chocolate!) My rating: 4 stars

In the vial: I can sort of see why people have compared this to Chanel #5, but to me it's only very slightly similar. It doesn't have that aldehydic sharpness, nor the soapiness of #5. Also, this is much gentler, and warm rather than bright and sparkly. Oddly, when I first sniffed it (before looking at the ingredients list), the impression I got was wood. And even after checking the list, I still don't detect any of the individual notes, just that vague and mysterious hint of wood. A true designer scent. It's pleasant, but doesn't make me go "oooh" like floral scents do. In spite of the flower oils in it, this is definitely not a floral fragrance. More like a headshop fragrance. On me, wet: On my skin, the orange pops out immediately, but then is gone almost as quickly as it appeared. The "woodiness" is even stronger, but I can detect a faint effervescence of ylang ylang floating over it. On me, just dried: It has developed a whang that smells chemical, almost medicinal, and which makes it resemble Chanel #5 a bit more. It also makes the scent sparkly and bright rather than soft and warm like it was in the vial. After 10 minutes: Wow, what a morpher this is - it transforms every few minutes! Now it's lost most of the "woodiness" and has gone floral, which makes me like it much more. There are hints of rose and violet. It still has that chemical sharpness, though, to give it the character of an expensive designer perfume. Emphatically NOT a headshop scent anymore! After 15 minutes: The lady is edging ever closer to Chanel #5 - now even a bit of the strong soapiness of that scent has appeared. After 30 minutes: The sharpness has softened, and once again I'm picking up some woodiness (but just a hint this time.) Otherwise, it seems to have stabilized and is pretty much the same as it was 15 minutes ago. I'm wondering if that woody note could be from the lotus root. After 1 hour: It has gone powdery, while still retaining the basic stabilized scent. Now this is indeed very much like the drydown of Chanel #5. Very intriguing! After 2 hours, it is almost completely gone. My rating: 5 stars

Thanks a bunch for the frimp, labbies! You really scored with this one! In the imp: Clear, almost colorless oil with a pale greenish-yellow tint. A very sweet scent that is fruity but not really in a foody kind of way. Something in this is tantalizingly familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe something like peach? - but not exactly. Not exactly pomegranate, either, although I do detect that note as well. Whatever it is, I really like it. Perhaps it's the Sweet Clover (Melilot) - I used to have a Sweet Clover essential oil. I don't know what myrtle smells like, so I can't ID that. And there's definitely those aquatic notes. On me, wet: Almost like pink bubblegum. Not nearly as complex as it was in the imp. On me, just dried: Luckily, the bubblegum note is gone within a minute or two as it dries, and a gorgeous floral scent appears that smells exactly like lilacs to me, although that's not listed in the description. Do peach blossoms or myrtle smell like lilacs? I love this. After 10 minutes: It's already lightened up considerably, becoming quite subtle. I hope that doesn't mean it will soon be gone. Soft lilacs, now with an aquatic note as well. After 30 minutes: If I think about it, there's still a note of pink bubblegum. But the florals do counteract it. There's a little rose in the background, but it's still mostly lilacs. A light, cool, pale purple, and very feminine kind of scent. It is so lovely for a hot day. After 1 hour: Pretty much the same as above, but a very faint undertone of pomegranate fruitiness has returned. From there, the notes remain consistent as the fragrance fades away and is pretty much gone in about 3 hours. I adore this! I can't wait to try it in my scent locket, to see if all those wonderful complex top notes will be preserved. But it's gorgeous either way. My rating: 5 stars

In the bottle: A dark, incensey smell: amber, frankincense, and myrrh, with the sweetness of orange and a touch of florals. On me, wet: Same as above. A headshoppy, spiritual, unisex kind of fragrance. Everything blends seamlessly together to create a unique scent of its own without any obvious individual notes, just a general impression of incense. On me, just dried: The cedar comes out just enough to be barely detectable. After 15 minutes: The orange, resins, incense, and cedar are all present. The orange isn't at all foody - there's just enough to add some sweetness and balance out the darkness of the incenses. The osmanthus serves the same function. I can tell it's there, but it's not strong enough to make this a floral kind of scent. After 30 minutes: Ooh, this is beautiful. The cinnamon has shown up, and is an awesome combination with the cedar, especially with the incenses which are now more of an undertone. And the florals are somewhat stronger, making the overall impression a little more perfume-ish, but perhaps not enough to keep it from being unisex. I don't smell the saffron and cumin specifically, but there is a subtle peppery note which undoubtedly comes from them. After 45 minutes: Cinnamon is now the primary note (but it is sweet and gentle, not at all hot, sharp, or foody), and the whole fragrance is much sweeter. The peppery spices are becoming stronger. After 1 hour 15 minutes: The orange top note is completely gone, as are the peppery notes. Now it's a soft cinnamon, incense, and amber. It has faded considerably - it doesn't look like this is going to be a long-lasting scent on my skin. After 3 hours: It did last longer than I expected, but is now very faint. The final notes are incense and amber. Verdict: Very nice - complex, sophisticated, deep and dark, spiritual, mysterious. I'm more of a flower child, so this isn't a 5-star favorite for me. But it's close. And it will be great for spiritual practice, work, or just a change of pace. A warm scent, best for cool weather. It seems fairly unisex to me, but leaning a bit towards the feminine. My 21-year-old son agreed that it was unisex, though. But that was fairly late in the drydown, after the floral notes were gone. And he didn't like it - he said it was too strong (at a time when I felt it had become soft and subtle.) My rating: 4.5 stars

Thank you for the frimp, labbies! In the imp: Oil is clear and a bright golden yellow. The scent is mostly sandalwood and ylang ylang, with other florals and a light hint of lavender. On me, wet: On my skin, the florals come out much more strongly. It is a beautiful balanced blend of flowers with no one type dominating. A light, bright scent. While wet, I can only smell the flowers. On me, just dried: It lightens up quickly as it dries, becoming fairly subtle within a couple of minutes after application. An undertone of wood returns, now a generic wood rather than specifically sandalwood. After 10 minutes: The wood has picked up strength and now almost equals the flowers. After 30 minutes: It now smells like a very classy, expensive, but subtle, perfume. After 1 hour: Same as above, but rather faint. A classy floral blend that is feminine but restrained enough by the wood note to make it sedate enough for the office. I totally agree with the description. This is a light, subtle scent - another quality which makes it ideal for work - but that also means it doesn't last long on the skin. Reapply often (about every 1 1/2 hours) and/or wear it in a scent locket. My rating: 5 stars

In the imp: Oil is clear, with a pale yellow tint. The scent is a dark, bitter note slightly reminiscent of black tea, with vanilla and lavender. It's surprisingly non-sweet considering all those sweet ingredients. On me, wet: Pretty subtle. At first, I just get lavender, but then the vanilla kicks in and they're pretty equal until it dries in just a couple of minutes. On me, just dried: Now mostly vanilla, with just a hint of lemon under the vanilla. And it's sweeter now, although still not super-sweet. After 20 minutes: The vanilla has overpowered everything else. Sigh. I'm not a fan of vanilla. I love most of the other ingredients in this, but now all I can smell is vanilla. After 30 minutes: Vanilla is still the main note, but now I'm also picking up some honey and creaminess to balance it out. And it has continued to get sweeter. After 1 hour: Vanilla and musk, in that order of strength. After 6 hours: A faint wisp of musk remains. Verdict: This isn't the Holy Grail of an authentic black tea scent for which I had hoped. I only noticed the tea note in the imp, and even then it only reminded me slightly of tea. It is a pleasant and interesting scent though, especially in the first 15 minutes or so before the vanilla takes over. Wearing it in a scent locket would probably preserve those nice top notes much longer. Otherwise, this is too much vanilla to be a 5-star perfume for me. My son really liked it on me, but then most people do like vanilla much more than I do. My rating: 4 stars

ETA: Thanks for the frimp, labbies! In the imp: Clear, almost colorless oil, with just the faintest tint of greenish yellow. My first impression of the scent is "men's cologne". But it is an unusual one, with undertones of mysterious and intriguing things. It's what I call a designer blend, meaning that all the ingredients blend in together into a unique scent of its own in which there are no specific notes that can be easily identified. But by trying hard (and already knowing what's in it), I can distinguish the orange, copal and/or incense, and non-specific florals; in that order. The florals are barely there - this is definitely a masculine scent with that astringency that men's colognes have. On me, wet: On my skin, the orange comes out strongly and dominates the scent. The astringency that I noted in the imp is almost completely absent. It's less like a generic men's cologne, and I like it better (it's still masculine, but more interesting.) The orange is not sweet or foody at all, due to the resiny incense undertone. After 1 hour: The scent has remained pretty consistent, just going a little powdery and fading slowly. And now the copal is the dominant scent, with the orange in the background. The overall impression is still "men's cologne." I like the copal, but the men's cologne - not so much. After 1 1/2 hours: Still mostly men's cologne, but now with a definite note of baby powder as well. All of the resins tend to do that on my skin, but luckily I do like the scent of baby powder. After 8 1/2 hours: I can still smell it faintly on my skin, and strongly on my clothes although I only put it on one wrist. Verdict: Meh. I never did notice the plumeria, unfortunately, as it is one of my favorite scents. Nor did I ever smell the smoke. I really like the concept of this and the ingredients chosen to express it, but to me the idea wasn't realized. Instead of Ancient Aztec jungles, I just channeled department store men's cologne. This is a pleasant enough blend, and long-lasting, but not one I would wear. It's too citrus-y and decidedly too men's cologne-y for me. I'll give it another chance, but I'll probably end up giving it to one of my sons or putting it in the swaps pile. A man might like this very much. My rating: 3 stars

Thanks for the frimp, labbies! In the imp: A clear, bright yellow oil. Both in the imp and on my skin, this is 100% pure unadulterated baby powder to my nose, and the scent remains consistent as long as I can smell it on my skin. I happen to really like the fragrance of baby powder. In the late 70's or early 80's, there was a cologne (Love's Baby Soft) that was supposed to duplicate the scent of baby powder. I loved the idea, and wore it often. But it was always disappointing, because it didn't really smell all that much like baby powder. It was an inexpensive cologne marketed for teens and young girls, and it mostly just smelled like perfumer's alcohol. Well, this one gets it right (whether that was the intent or not.) So of course I like this a lot, never mind if it isn't the most unique or exciting of BPAL's scents. It's very light, dry, feminine, and pretty. It would be great for a hot sweaty day, or for a young girl. I never did pick up the neroli at all, nor did any of the other notes stand out. I just immediately thought "baby powder" and from then on, that's all I could smell. I couldn't make any connection with the name except for this: The song "The Crow on The Cradle" - large black bird plus baby powder, get it? LOL My rating: 4 stars