boomtownrat

In the bottle it's a bit like a woodsy men's cologne, in a good way. When it's wet on my skin the smell is green and russet, a bit sharp, and unisex. As it dries it's like a living tree, green and slightly earthy with a faint sweetness like sap. It softens over several hours, but I never get much if any of the creamy or vanilla smell that others have described. I like this and find that it suits my Taurus nature. Still being new to BPAL, I think this might be one of the most complex fragrances I've tried so far. Updated October 19, 2013: Now that this is almost two years old, it's time for an update. It's a stunning scent that's unlike anything else I own. The wood has mellowed now and there's a faint sweetness, but it's extremely well blended. At his point it doesn't have massive throw. Oak was one of the first notes that I learned is a great match for my chemistry, and that's even truer now. Updated January 9, 2021: The subtle, sweet woodiness of this scent at just over nine years old is exactly the security blanket I need right now. There's nothing green or cologne-like about it at all anymore. Maybe I need to start wearing it more than just a couple of times a year, but the longer I let it age, the more wonderful it smells, so hoarding was the right thing to do.

I don't know if this is a lab imp or a decant because I got it in a pack of Wanderlust imps from an eBay seller. My family and I made many trips to the North Carolina mountains when I was growing up and there were always plenty of rhododendron bushes lining the twisty roads. Even though it's called Danube, it's more like French Broad for me. Florals and aquatic notes aren't usually my thing anymore because they're the most likely to trigger head pain or a full-blown migraine, but I can do them sometimes. I've tested Danube once before and I decided to wear it again today because my mom just passed away and I wanted a scent that reminded me of happy times with her. When I first put on Danube, I get mostly rhododendron and bellflower with very little watery scent. After about half an hour the water is becoming slightly more pronounced. It smells pretty true to the imp when it's still wet and in the beginning of the drying stage. I can't say how strong the throw is because my DH is the only one I can ask at the moment and he has bad sinus congestion. My migraine brain is most likely to object to floral and aquatic notes, so I can't put on much. It could turn very perfumey if I put on too much, but it's pretty in small doses.

This was a frimp I got from the Lab. In the imp it smells like I've stuck my face up close to a berry bush and inhaled. Wet on my skin it's more like berry-scented bubble bath. As it dries, Baneberry starts to smell purple and juicy. I'm not getting much of an herbal scent from it, but there's a hint of greenery. After a couple of hours the scent morphs into something vaguely like a berry-herbal soap. After four hours it's still going, although it's beginning to fade. For some reason it reminds me strongly of my middle brother's first wife. Baneberry is a subtle scent on me and it doesn't trigger any head pain. My DH has a poor sense of smell, so his opinion of the throw might not be the same as many other people's, but he didn't seem to notice it until I was standing right next to him asking what he thought of it. It feels like I'm wearing a pretty outfit that was tailored for someone with a different body shape, in a colour that doesn't flatter my skin tone. Baneberry isn't "me" at all, but it would be pleasant on someone else. In fact, I can think of a friend who might like it. The friend I have in mind is an Aquarius and so is my ex-SIL whom it reminds me of - make of that what you will.

This is the 2011 version. When I opened the bottle for the first time, it smelled exactly like pumpkin spice syrup that would go into a foofy coffee drink. Nutmeg screams out for attention when I put on this oil. The first time I wore this, it smelled like nutmeg with maple and a hint of cinnamon... until it died out into a sort of dusty spice scent in less than three hours. Today I'm trying it again and getting a little more of a pumpkin smell in place of the maple, which is good, as I'm not particularly a fan of maple. It's dying out into the dusty spice scent after a little less than two hours. I get no coffee and only a little pumpkin out of this. The smell isn't bad, it's just not what I wanted it to be. It would probably be better in a scent locket or an oil burner, but I'm going to keep trying as it ages and hope that the pumpkin or the coffee will awaken. ETA 23 November 2011: So far this is the only BPAL I can slather without getting a headache or migraine. The more of it I put on, the more the pumpkin scent emerges, but I never get a coffee smell from it. Yesterday my DH said he could smell pumpkin latte when I got in the car, but he said it smelled more pumpkin than coffee. It smells delicious, but I'm going to go through a bottle pretty fast at this rate. Since I got it, I've probably worn it three times. 4/5 ETA 29 January 2012: This has already aged beautifully into a creamier blend and I can finally smell the coffee, both in the bottle and wet on my skin! Now I would give it a 4.5/5.

I received this as a frimp with the order I just received, and I ended up liking it more than what I actually bought. Morocco is not quite what I was expecting. It's soft, creamy, lightly sweet spices from the moment I smell it in the imp until it's dying down on my skin a while later. There might be a hint of musk way at the back there, hiding under all the sweet spices. Picking out individual notes in something this well blended is beyond my capabilities this early in my BPAL obsession, but I have to agree with Klolly that it's very similar to cream soda... maybe a slightly spicy one. It's strange that I don't smell more sandalwood or musk, as I tend to amp those scents (and I love them). Maybe this imp is really fresh or hasn't settled from the shipment yet -- I did just get it yesterday. All day I've been huffing myself, trying to suck in as much of this delicious fragrance as possible. It's a warm, irresistible scent that isn't very strong on me. That's probably a good thing due to my fragrance sensitivity; the wrong kind always triggers a migraine and too much of a safe scent will also trigger one. Morocco reminds me of a sweeter, softer Baghdad. It could probably be a little stronger and it doesn't last as long as I'd hoped, but I can't seem to get enough of it. If I keep loving Morocco on subsequent tries, then I'll be getting a bottle for sure. ETA: I've already worn this three or four times since I got it, so I'll probably be buying a 5ml before the imp runs out. It has to wait in line behind Snake Oil now that I've tried that scent.

In the imp and wet on my skin, this reminds me of flowers in an amber-hued vase, but I can't identify the exact kinds of flowers. White, purple, red, and gold are my colour impressions. As it dries, it's more of an amber-hued velvet blanket and a clove-studded orange is somewhere nearby. The colours are deep gold and burgundy. This stays close and wraps around me like a blanket. Four hours after application it's mostly spiced amber, but it's still a subtle, comforting lilt of fragrance. I don't know if I'll buy a 5ml, as I'm just getting started with BPAL.

The first time I wore this I got a musky, resin-ish smell that seemed a bit horsey, which was appropriate for my Halloween costume (My Little Pony's Princess Luna). Today it has a sour, sweet quality that comes on strong. I can't pick out any notes other than incense. As it begins to calm down into something more powdery-soft, it's easier to tolerate. I'm a migraineur and this absolutely could trigger an attack if I'm not careful how much I wear. Applying a bit on my neck after lunch, when it had faded from this morning's wrist application, was a bad idea. After trying to wash it off, it's much better. I thought it would work if applied in a different place, but I should have left well enough alone. I don't think I'll wear this often but I'll keep the imp anyway.

This was a freebie, but since the novel is one of my favourites, I was happy to try it. I used only a tiny bit to test it and found that it was a soft, slightly lemony floral. It's not nearly as sweet as I was expecting and I don't get any citrus from it. Since I'm not sure what heliotrope smells like, I can only guess that was the dominant note because it wasn't honeysuckle (unfortunately for me, because that's one of my favourite scents) or anything I could immediately recognize. Lolita is not the sort of thing I would normally wear, but it would be good for early spring or possibly summer when I want something light.

This smelled like liquored-up raisin bran in the imp and when I first put it on my skin, which is probably because I used to think unlit cigarettes smelled like raisin bran. Soon it bloomed into tobacco dipped in cognac. Gradually the honey emerged. After about four or five hours it started to smell mostly of tobacco and honey. After about six hours it was almost gone, so I dabbed on a bit more to make it last through the rest of my work day; big mistake. The smell was intensified, especially the boozy-woozy part, and I noticed a syrupy fruit smell (quince, I guess, but I've never smelled that). I began to get the familiar migraine-ish lightheaded sensation with occasional twinges in my head. Now, another six or seven hours later, it smells only of honey and tobacco and I'm no longer feeling like I might be getting a migraine. Although I liked it when I put it on this morning, I hope that syrupy fruit smell won't be there when I wear it again because that's what made my head feel light and start hurting. Hopefully that was just because I had on too much of it.

I received a 1/3-full imp of the 2009 version of Snow-Flakes as one of the extra goodies in a package from an eBay seller. In the imp I smelled mint and cucumber. Wet on my skin, I smelled cucumber and a trace of dill... not a pickle, but separate notes. I remember what dill smells like because my mom used to make her own pickles, so for while the dill lasted it definitely wasn't violet on me. After about five minutes I smelled dill, mint, and pine. After fifteen minutes it had morphed into mint and a powdery sweet scent, maybe sugar. After almost three hours it had morphed again into a violet musk. After about five hours it was almost gone, but there were still traces of a vanilla mint that would've been nice had it appeared sooner. Snow-Flakes is a pretty and cool scent that sticks close to my skin. Five hours of wear is more than I thought I'd get out of it. It was a nice surprise and I wouldn't mind having more of it, but I don't know if I'll seek it out. Edit: I wore this again and it overpowered me even though I'd only put on the same amount as before. It threatened to give me a migraine before I washed it off. White fragrances and I often don't agree; I'm not sure what note it is that bothers me. It'll get one more chance before I decide what to do with what little is left in the imp.

Thanks for the recommendation and for the icon compliment! Those are two of the scents I was already curious about, so thanks for telling me I'm on the right track.

This is my first BPAL, so please be gentle if my review leaves something to be desired. In the imp it was hard to isolate any particular smell, maybe because I got this with three other imps in a plastic bag that, when I opened it, already had a pretty strong aroma of some/all the oils blended. When it was wet, I smelled mostly sandalwood followed by what I think was bergamot and spice (I guess that would be the nutmeg). As it dried the amber and musk began emerging, along with perhaps a bit of saffron. I'm not sure I've smelled any mandarin, but a bit less than two hours later the lingering scents are sandalwood, amber, musk, and a hint of rose. I should note that at first I put on so little that it seemed like it was going to vanish in less than an hour, so I unwisely dabbed on what I thought was only a little more. My husband could smell it from across the room, which is what I don't want, and I started to get a headache. It's mellowed out considerably now, but this is one I'll have to use sparingly. This is the imp I was looking forward to the most out of what I bought and Florence was what I expected not to like too much. Now that I've smelled all four of the imps I bought, I think this might actually end up being my least favourite. It's nice, but I'll have to try it again and use less of it. ETA: A week later, I'm trying it again and have used MUCH less of it. Now that it's dry, amber and sandalwood are predominant (I seem to amp them) but it's also musky and spicy. So far, it's a much more pleasant experience.

Can anybody please recommend a BPAL that smells like Bath & Body Works' Sinful Vanilla lotion? They've cleared out all their Halloween stuff everywhere I've looked and I foolishly only bought one little bottle of it that I'm sure to use up by the end of the year at this rate. I'm not experienced at trying to pick out notes. I guess it would be a dark vanilla with some sort of subtle spicy notes, but on me, it sort of smells like a softer Calvin Klein's Obsession. Thanks in advance. (Also thanks to LiberAmoris for the mention of Mastermind, because I've really missed Colors! I hope you're saying it smells like the one from the late '80s.)