luna65

This is more sugary in the vial than on my skin. On my skin it takes on a pink tone which is not wholly candy, there is some kind of flowery aura to it, somehow. It's very interesting, and just the slightest dab is incredibly strong. It brings to mind the sweetness of green label 13 to me, but more palatable than that one was on me.

5 ml purchased from my friend, the lovely Opernimalus, with many thanks for co-dependent enabling! Bottle: Frosty sugary peppermint. Skin: More of the same, with the peppermint really taking hold. Drydown: Sugar fades on me but the peppermint is very strong. When I first wore this it seemed a great deal softer and more sugary than the original Lick It, but with aging the peppermint is just as present, I find, which I enjoy. This is great for getting in the holiday mood, of course, but also a welcome breath of coolness in the summertime. But don't wear too much unless you want to feel all tingly on the outside.

I got this in an eBay imp lot, again, very excited to try another BPAL classic. Imp: Mostly honey, very sexy! Skin: Initially the sweetness of the honey and the vanilla is nicely prevalent. Drydown: This eventually settles down to powdery amber. *sigh* Though it's not horrid, just rather anti-climatic. But for those people it does work on, I can only imagine how very SEXAH it really is.

Thanks to lorajc for the decant. Vial: Sweet and warm, it really does smell like walking past all the concession stands at the carnival. Skin: The salty note comes out immediately upon application, sort of floating over the sweet elements. Drydown: This stays mostly salty on me as well, turning into a sort of aquatic scent, I suppose. It's very soft. I'm disappointed that it has this reaction, but it seems that anything with a salty note has that reaction, unfortunately.

Thanks to beachbabealways for the imp. Imp: Sweetness with a fresh sort of tang. Skin: The amber blend comes out, slightly powdery but not too much. I think the sandalwood might be keeping it in check. Drydown: This is really lovely, just slightly floral, mostly sweet. The kind of pretty scent that I feel like I can get away with wearing. Yet another triumph for the Mad Tea Party.

I bought this as part of a lot sale on eBay and I was so excited to try another BPAL classic! So imagine my dismay when. . . Imp: Initially all I can smell is the chardonnay, and I get that "pickle juice" thing that people have noticed with other blends. Very astringent. Skin: Luckily that top note burns away fairly quickly and I start to get more of the tobacco and leather. Drydown: I really like how this evolves although I wish it weren't so much of a skin scent, I'm afraid it's going to fade too fast on me like the DPPs do. It's got a dark type of sweetness which suits the character of the inspiration. But it's definitely masculine and sexy and right up my (scented) alley. RAWR!

Thanks to lorajc for the imp. Imp: The sweetness of red wine and the resins. Skin: The smokyness of certain elements combined with the ozone and leather, which I love, that mixture of leather and fresh/cold air. Drydown: I do get the sense of desolation, of emptiness and ruin. It's sort of like the tragic version of Tezcatipoca. This is an unexpected enjoyment for me, even though the ozone is a little overpowering and I wish some of the other notes were noticable to me. Still, I'm destined to like anything Beth makes with leather in it.

Thanks to lorajc for the decant. Vial: Like stepping into a garden of peonies in full bloom. Skin: I get the slight edge of green when I apply this, and a smooth quality from the woods. Drydown: This remains fairly consistent, in that I'm left with the heartnotes of peony and plum. I'm not normally that much of a floral person but I like this; it's the kind of "lighter" floriental I can appreciate.

Thanks to kmasden for the imp. Imp: The tang of cedar and the sweetness of lotus. Skin: I like the combination of the cedar and the sandalwood, it has a lovely smokey quality to it. The spices sort of sit under those notes, especially the saffron. It really does give a wonderful evocation of a sacred space high above the cares of everyday life. Drydown: I get more of the spices in the drydown, the wood notes have shifted to provide a base. I get just the tinest bit of sweetness with the lotus, but this is primarily woods and spice - two of my favorite things - and one of my favorites of the Wanderlusts.

Thanks to kmasden for the imp. Imp: An overwhelmingly thick and decadent sort of sweetness, like an uber-orchid accord. Skin: Initially this has sort of a green quality, fresh-cut, very realistic. Drydown: It becomes more of that spicy smoothness that I associate with the orchid, although instead of the "creamy" quality I get more of a "velvet" sort of evocation. I would recommend this without hesitation to anyone who wants to experience a real orchid.

Thanks to lorajc for the decant. Vial: The lily is the most prevalent note for me. Skin: Very heady upon application, with a classic perfume feel. Drydown: This dries down to a sexy dark sweetness; mainly the musks, black currant, and poppy. The other elements aren't really discernable so much as I can sense their weight, so to speak. The combination of all of them really does give the impression of being seduced by something that one might find repulsive in the conscious mind.

Thanks to beachbabealways for the decant. Vial: There's a tangy, green sort of sharpness to it which I attribute to certain elements like the iris and white sandalwood. Skin: As with other BPALs containing iris, this is all I smell for quite a while. It overrides the topnotes, unfortunately, as I thought they might make for a refreshing interlude. Drydown: It gets softer after a time and has a very quiet characteristic to it, very appropriate for its' fine art pairing. Unfortunately, this type of blend doesn't really work on me, but there are many who I'm sure would enjoy it, especially those who like aquatics.

Thanks to lorajc for the imp. Imp: I've only ever drank absinthe once and smelling this in the imp took me back to that occasion immediately. The layers of herbs, spices, and sweetness meld together perfectly. Skin: At first the herbs give off the oft-smelled soapy evocation, but then the "barest hint of lemon" becomes much more than that on me. Drydown: The anise really comes out in the drydown. This has good throw, I keep getting yummy wafts of it periodically - a nicely comforting yet refreshingly light scent. Perfect for summer.

Thanks to kmasden for the imp. Imp: Pungent, in a distinctly herbal sense. Skin: Initially it's primarily spicy, very piquant. Drydown: I enjoy the way this reveals itself in layers; by the end I can envision the spices and the flowers and other elements which give the sense of being in a place filled with different fragrant items. So evocative and complex, yet another olfactory adventure!

Thanks to Gale for the decant. Vial: Mainly chocolate and tea, slight hints of spice and fruit. Skin: Becomes incredibly herbal on me. I respect that it has a lot of body and layers, but I have to say that it's not really what I prefer. Drydown: This dries down to a very warm and snuggly kind of scent, primarily buoyed by the sandalwood. I like it at this stage but it doesn't last too long. It's got a nice sort of spicy feel to it, not entirely gourmand. '

Thanks to djuna for the imp. Imp: Pure milk chocolate, although the milk note is a little off to my nose. Skin: Luckily, when I put this on it turns to Essence of Brownie. *swoon* Drydown: This fades pretty fast on me, evolving back into milk chocolate. It's yummy and fun, but I have to say that I prefer other blends with cocoa notes instead.

Thanks to the Lab for the frimp. Imp: Unlike some of the other BPAL rose blends, this one is so incredibly sweet. Not a sugary sweetness, but such an enormous bouquet of roses that their inherent sweet quality is all I can fathom. Skin: I get a bit of the green edge, but just the slightest hint. Drydown: This does not vary in strength or intensity. If you want a real ROSE then this is the one. Or should I say. . .these are it.

Thanks to djuna for the imp. Imp: Very wet and perfume-y. Rich and intense. Skin: Mostly fruit and amber, I get that "golden" impression. Drydown: Turns floral, with that same sense of perfume, which I imagine is the amber at work. It's a little heavy for me, but I think the elements work very well together.

Thanks to lorajc for the imp. Imp: Very rich almond-cherry scent, on the order of a liqueur. Skin: The oil retains the same characteristic when I apply it, with the cherry becoming more prevalent; a nice impression of black cherry. Drydown: Turns completely to powder within 15 minutes.

Thanks to the Lab for the frimp. Imp: A sort of dry, green quality; mostly the vetiver, geranium and sandalwood. Skin: Normally white musk goes rather sharp on me, but this has a pleasant freshness to it, I think the citrus gives it that impression. I get the suggestion of mint rather than the actual note. Drydown: This has a very nice woody evocation in the end, with some traces of herbal and citrus. This is a great scent for a man, IMO, it has all those great qualities of classic men's scents but with more obvious depth and craft.

Thanks to lorajc for the decant. Vial: Mmm. . .cocoa absolute! Skin: The cocoa lasts about half an hour with the best elements of SO. I don't really get either of the topnotes, unless they're giving me that sense of creamy spicyness. Drydown: In the end this reverts back to Snake Oil and still smells the same as the original on me, alas. I think it's an great concept, though, for everyone whose chemistry works well with these blends.

All praise and thanks to the Lab and the Trading Post. Bottle: VANILLA with the slightest hint of citrus. Skin: I get that "fluffy" evocation which others do, almost a marshmallow type of smell. The gardenia and VANILLA are very strong upon initial application, I have to be very careful not to use too much (I over-applied during one test). Unfortunately the grapefruit topnote doesn't come out for me at all, I think the VANILLA ate it. Drydown: This ends up being mostly floral on me with slight VANILLA traces. I think I like it better after the drydown in terms of the floral notes, the gardenia is not so overwhelming and the jasmine is rich without being overly sweet. This is the type of pretty I can appreciate in a gourmand floral, it makes me want to twirl and giggle.

Thanks to kmasden for the decant. Vial: The cardamom and cassia are entirely overpowering on first sniff. Skin: The cassia is very strong at first, it makes me think of Underbed except with fruit. Drydown: This turns into a wonderful black cherry incense on me, the fruitiness atop a lush base of patchouli and verbena. Something unexpected and yet utterly gorgeous.

Thanks to djuna for the decant. Vial: I love the way this smells in the vial, it's not so much "masculine" as it is deliciously gourmand, but not overly sweet. Sooooo delicious! A wonderfully spicy coffee with nuances of wood. Skin: I get a sort of sharp sweetness when I apply this, I'm figuring it's the tobacco accord. The coffee bean husk is less noticable once it's on me. After a few minutes there's a lovely wood evocation with just the slightest hint of cinnamon. Drydown: Much like A Bachelor's Dog, this one doesn't last long on me at all. Within an hour it's almost completely faded on me, with a slight soapiness remaining. But I think this is my favorite of the Dogs I've tried in its' formulation and evolution, a great unisex blend. I can see it becoming a cult favorite.

Thanks to the Lab for the frimp. Imp: Berry resting on a bed of green, a fresh type of scent but not overwhelmingly so. Skin: I get more of the herbal nuances when applied. Drydown: The berry comes out again after a time, but there's no real sense of sweetness with this, rather it's more of the tart quality which the fruit can possess. A very interesting take on berries, to be sure.