Donnababe

Moon Rose This is almost pure rose on me. I'm reminded of Othello without the spice and the touch of warmth. Where I associate Othello to be a pale orange colour, Moon Rose is a pink with lilac flecks. It's very fragrant, quite ethereal and a bit powdery. It's most likely too girly for me but I will give it another go.

Kali Normally red fruit and red wine notes sing on my skin so this and the possibility of wearing a chocolate floral made me buy an imp. I sniff from the bottle - Just honeyed tobacco. I apply to my wrist - More tobacco and honey. This time with a chocolate note but not a trace of wine or a floral Throughout it's time on my skin (5+ hours) there is not one trace of wine here. Similarly, the floral element is barely detectable. I may try it again with hope in finding the wine next time but as it stands Kali is not for me

Tintagel I was rather reluctant to try this as I despise cinnamon but seeing as it was a freebie I couldn't really refuse. It is very much dragon's blood and a sharpness that is probably the leather, but my nose can't identify leather easily so it maybe something else. From touching the skin until the very late stages this smells of mixed spice. It reminds me of baking biscuits when I was little. Right at the end there is a touch of berry and leather sharpness but for the most part it's wintery spice. Much nicer than I'd expected, but not me.

Blood Amber From the very start the DBR is the dominant scent here. It's very sweet, slightly cinnamon like and it reminds me of Dragon's Milk. I prefer DBR when it's calmer and not so spicy. The amber is very shy for the most part and although I can detect it I don't find it as enduring and comforting as my beloved Haunted. This has a darker, smokier hue. I so wanted to love this, but I don't.

Desire At first smells like a candied apple, it's quite tart and thankfully totally different to the sickly sweetness I got from The Hesperides. There is an additional fruitiness too but I can't detect any neroli or lemon. The rose is very subtle on me, most of the time I don't notice it. As time goes on the scent changes considerably, it's now very warm and mellow thanks to the teak and vanilla. This is nice, but it doesn't merit a big bottle yet.

Rakshasa On first sniff this is a very bright rose with just a hint of spice. On the skin it's a bit like Othello with a slightly earthier edge. During the drydown the rose is taking over...... I normally apply my oils across the neck and shoulder blades and along my wrists and arms. After a few minutes I notice that a small area of my neck is red. My arms are too, but strangely my wrists are fine. It doesn't feel sore but it looks a bit unsightly. I have tried dozens and dozens of BPAL and this is the first time I have had a reaction like this. Perhaps it's the sandalwood, I know I'm fine with rose. Despite the reaction I would have persevered with this if it wasn't for the fact that it turned out to be a bit too rosy. It reminds me a lot of Black Rose in this respect. I loved Black Rose initially but had to swap it because the rose was too overpowering.

Clicking here may help a little

Dragon's Eye On first sniff this is warm Dragon's Blood Resin with a hint of a floral peeking through. On the skin the flowers immediately come to the fore but the DBR is still apparent. I am unaware of how lilacs smell but the floral here is very blue and quite sharp. I do like it but it's turned a bit powdery over time and lacks a little of the warmth and depth that I like to enjoy. That said, I don't dislike it. Wearing seems to give me a sense of clarity and awareness somehow (quite appropriate for a Dragon's Eye don't you think? ) and I will certainly enjoy using the rest of my imp and will probably buy more to use on the days when I need a bit help focusing.

Oh dear. Coconut and I don't get on. Oh well, I'm still very keen to try it.

I don't get along with violets but I tried this regardless. Sadly I couldn't smell much else. It has a sweetness which makes it similiar to the Parma Violet sweets. Just as the description mentions it's a very cold scent indeed. It's very prim and proper, a bit 'snooty' but not me.

I get the mint immediately from the bottle and intitial application but it seems to fade within two minutes of hitting my skin. All I'm left with from then on is a sharp sweetness that makes my nose wrinkle. It's an extremely aquatic fragrance too so this one goes into my swap pile.

Arcana The masses of lavender and frankincense remind me of Psyche a little. For a great deal of the time it's all I can smell despite detecting the verbana in the bottle. The neroli does come through towards the end but then the scent takes on a strange medicinal quality that reminds me of a ghastly old fashioned cough medicine my Dad swears by....

Hunger I can understand why people find this sexy but unfortunately this was not my reaction. At first this is a sharp floral and soon the orange comes along sugaring everything up. I can't say that it's cloying but I don't like it. I actually find it rather unsettling and erm malicious almost. It's a sweet innocent drink that's been spiked.

Loviatar For some reason I seem to have trouble with blends with leather, I can't smell it I wasn't too surprised with Severin as there were lots of other smells going on but I had high hopes with this one. On application I do get a sharp almost tangy note but I can't identify it as leather. As time goes on the amber dominates and there's a musky smokiness left behind. This is nice, but didn't live up to my expectations.

Nyx This is practically the same as Wicked on me except I don't get the 'scorched' stage. It's pleasant enough for the most part but then is goes sugary sweet and I don't like it.

I really dislike this one. It didn't smell that good in the bottle but I tried it regardless. Sadly it was far too bitter for me and didn't last much longer than a minute on my skin.

La Bella Donna ....... I was keen to try this because of the name but was worried by the mention of aquatics in the description. I have worn this several times now and I don't get anything aquatic at all. I can't find much rose either but never mind, this is lovely. Initially I get the sharp pomegrante that I in Swank and then a delish juicy peach comes in with a big splash, sweetening it up just a touch. The sharp fruit note doesn't last as long as I'd like but it's still there in the background while a warm, mellow slightly floral note comes to the fore. This is very nice indeed. I haven't completely fallen in love with it but I have ordered another imp so I can have a bit more time to make up my mind about the possibility of a bigger bottle. This is a lovely scent for the autumn.

Tiger Lily I tend to find Lily very overpowering but I was hopeful that the honey would cut through the headiness. Sadly it was not to be, Tiger Lily is far too strong.

The Dormouse I can add little to the above comments. It's light, fresh and very cheering. I get a delightful apple feel slightly after the dry down. It's only drawback is it's poor staying power. I'm kicking myself for not ordering a big bottle last week

I asked the lovely allamanda to order a bottle of Blue Moon for me as I was to be away during it's availability - I had no idea of the blend notes but ordered it on name alone for many a sentimental reason *sigh*. When I finally read the notes and I saw the word cucumber my heart sank, I despise cucumber. I do not like aquatic notes and I had fears of Blue Moon ending up like Ingenue, WoND etc etc. Blue Moon is a beautiful blend. Yes, there is cucumber/water note here but I don't find it too green or sharp and for me it's only on initial application. The notes are far too blended for me to pick out any of the florals but I love what I'm smelling so that's good enough for me. Blue Moon is calming, comforting and quietly sensual. I like to wear it in the evening or when I need a hug.

First Sniff Sharp narcissus. Drydown Very strong this one. Still quite sharp but heady wafts of the rose soften it a little. After a While Sweet rose. Good staying power. Final Verdict A little too haughty and prim for me.

First Sniff Pure sugar. Drydown Rich vanilla with an occasional powdery floral. At the moment this is far too sweet for me. After a While After two hours or so this warms up a lot on my skin. It's not quite so sweet yet I can still catch a wisp of the heady orchid. Much better. Final Verdict Once this has mellowed this is beautiful. I need to try again before I decide on a 5ml. Fingers crossed.....

First Sniff Stinky jasmine. Drydown Smell number one - Soot Smell number two - jasmine and a little rose Smell number three - Allamanda's 'scorched' note After a While Rose and a touch of myrrh. Much nicer. Final Verdict The early stages of this are not enjoyable for me. Pretty towards the end but not nice enough for a big bottle.

First Sniff Very sweet berries, I was hoping for this to be much sharper. Drydown Ooooooh this is like a tart fruity cough syrup. I don't often get scent 'visions' yet I'm reminded of Mary Poppins giving the medicine to Jane and Michael! After a While This keeps changing one sniff means sweet berries, the next is blackberry and herbs. Either way is lovely! Final Verdict Alas in the final stages this turned sickly sweet. The lasting power is poor on me too. I shall probably give it another chance is it's very warm here at the moment and that may have influenced the poor performance but I fear this has failed to live up to my expectations. Sob. ETA Since reviewing this is now one of my favourite blends and a very likely a future 5ml!

First Sniff Resin like, slightly dusty. A touch of neroli. Drydown As above. Surprisingly nice. After a While Sorry to be boring but this hasn't changed at all at any stage. Final Verdict Not at all bitter like I expected it to be. Slightly dark but very pleasant. This has excellent staying power. Not a scent I would have chosen but I will consider more imps in the future.