Meg

In the bottle: ... feet? I'm suspecting it's ozone with an orangey tang. But it still mostly smells like sweaty socks to me, with a touch of chlorine. Wet: Same as in the bottle, more or less, and it smells herby. There really is a chlorine kind of smell, and an ozone scent. It's not pleasant. Drydown: Hmm... I get a bit of herb, something thick and tart that I can't really identify, possibly the ozone still, probably an aquatic note and possibly some flower. People who sniff it on me say bluebells, and I say "huh?!", because I don't smell it at all. It dries down to a powdery rubber smell. There's clearly citronella in this one, it becomes very obvious after a while. Overall: A very weird smell that mostly evokes the smell of a swimming pool (chlorine and water), and that I'd rather keep far away from me. It's mostly ozone, I think, with its worst manifestation as rubber. There might be a flower in there, but clearly my skin isn't cooperating to bring it out and my nose has trouble getting through the aquatics. Really not my thing. Edit: okay so 2 hours after drydown I'm left with a very pleasant scent, actually. It smells vanilla-ish, a bit bubbly, with a hint of flowers. I suspect that it's black musk combined with a flower like lily, which always clings to my skin with this vanilla type of scent, and it's the last thing that stays after the rest has gone. It's the only part I like for this scent.

In the bottle: So many things! I think I get wine and spices, and possibly plum, along with all kids of flowers that I can't pick out. There's a buttery note in there, too. Wet: Definitely a buttery note, flowers and herbs, and a hint of spice. Drydown: It turns into a rather fresh scent, quite possibly ivy over mulling spices, and probably some more of those flowers. It's a pity I can't pick out any single one, but it's rich and warm. I think the wine comes out again, and everything blends perfectly, with a gentle apple scent coming into the mix. Overall: This reminds me a bit of a spicy, happier version of "The Black Tower", without the leather and the ozone. I can smell the ivy and wine components very well, but also some of the fruits, probably the plum. There's spice here, and quite a lot of sweetness. Despite all the flowers mentioned, I smell mostly wine and fruit. Very well blended and very yummy, intoxicating, even.

In the bottle: Flowers... but which ones? I don't recognise any, but they smell soft and herby. Very fresh. Wet: Same as in the bottle, but subdued. Then bubbly flowers start coming out makes me think of white flowers. Drydown: Jasmine and gardenia, and possibly wild white flowers that I can't quite pinpoint. It's all very subtle, and it's all mixed with some rather sharp herbs, possibly a bit of mint. It becomes rather powdery and bubbly, which is probably the type of jasmine in it. Overall: A pleasant springtime blend, it does have a happy, flowery Beltane feel to it. Unfortunately there's a slight bitterness and one of the herbs smells like feet to my nose. So while I find it very representative, there's something that doesn't quite work out on me. Pity, it's generally nice.

In the bottle: Thick resin which only just lets some rose through. Wet: It's very dim, oily more than anything else. Drydown: Eh? Where's the rose?! All I can smell is resin, and it's not particularly interesting. Finally a bit of rose comes out, but it's drowned in thick resinous and musky scents. It's very perfumy and thick, and quite difficult to describe, really. Overall: Well, it does smell medieval, it's true, the resins and the rose would probably be used as a perfume in those days. But the rose that comes out is really elusive, and the resins are really too strong for me for at least the first hour - then they finally let up and some rose comes through. Great for resin lovers, I guess, and pretty light on the rose.

In the bottle: Apricot, a pretty acidic one at that, with a flowery undertone. Wet: Like most musks, the blend disappears for a while, before reemerging with tart apricot. Drydown: Tart apricot, fruits and the aquatics of pomegranate attack my nose. There's a slight bitterness from the pomegranate now. I can smell a faint rose through the tartness of the apricot. I think that a lot of this is drowned in white musks. It veers into coconut, for some weird unknown reason (perhaps one the musk has some?). Overall: Um... I don't think much of it. It's too tart and too musky at the same time, without a good balance - it makes me think of having heartburn. It really had all the elements I like, sweet fruits and flowers, but the end result is unpleasant to my nose. Besides, it goes powdery. Ah well.

In the bottle: Lemon and jasmine. Wet: Still lemon and jasmine with honeysuckle. Hmm... Drydown: Spicy, honeyed jasmine and lemon. Very pleasant. The jasmine ends up dominating the blend, and there's a spice that I can't really pinpoint that tickles the nose. The lemon is still there in the background for an extra tang. Overall: A very pleasant blend, with the lemon that keeps the jasmine from becoming obnoxious or plasticky, and a lovely honeysuckle and spice undertone to make things more interesting. Definitely a keeper.

In the bottle: wood and... something slightly chocolatey? Wet: Still rich cedar wood, mostly. Drydown: As it dries down, the cedar becomes spicy - apparently this is sassafras. I don't get much vanilla, but maybe that's what makes this blend a bit smoother. It's hard to describe, I don't know the ingredients that much, but to me, it smells like wooden stables on a scorching hot day. And tobacco, somehow. Overall: A very masculine blend, lovely woods and spices. It reminds me of nature... hay, sunshine, freshly chopped wood and fresh tobacco. The vanilla becomes stronger on me after a while, and the blend sweetens, but I think it would be much nicer on a man. Still a keeper, though, it's a very comforting scent outdoorsy summer scent.

In the bottle: a fresh vegetal scent. Wet: A slightly tart berry scent appears out of the greenery. Drydown: A very breezy green scent, possibly ozone in there. From underneath it comes a pink, slightly woody heather scent. The berries are extremely discrete. Overall: A very fleeting scent, breezy and green with a hint of pink flowers, nice if you're into very fresh perfumes. It has more staying power than I'd expected (I thought it would fade after less than half an hour), and it smells pleasant. However, I'm not a huge fan.

In the bottle: Honey and rather strong herbs. Wet: Honey becoming richer and more waxy, with laurel and bay mixing to it. Drydown: It dries down into a rather waxy scent, like beeswax and honey. The herbs have gone to the background and only give a slightly fresh edge to the honey, and there's a slightly smoky quality to it. Overall: A very rich honey wax scent that reminds me of a delicious summer. It's very pleasant and certainly is reminiscent of Greece. While it's a pretty simple blend, I find it very yummy.

In the bottle: ozone, plasticky bamboo and almond. Wet: ozone and green, slightly weedy bamboo. Drydown: Citrusy ozone, a slightly soapy scent, very clean. There's a slightly metallic tang to it, and an airy feel, too. There's bamboo in there, too. Also a slightly sweet, possibly floral scent that I can't really pinpoint - possibly the cherry blossom. Overall: A very atmospheric blend, smells of metal and air and rain, with a hint of bamboo. The flowers are extremely discreet, I don't smell any fruit, and the general result is slightly soapy. I'm not sure what I make of it, it's pleasant, and develops that nice ozony "dryer sheet" scent after a while. It has a mysterious, rainy/metallic atmosphere that really fits its name.

Venerable Victorian Tea Rose… twisted, blackened and emboldened with wickedness. In the bottle: White tea rose, very sweet. Wet: The rose goes a bit greener, nearly with a hint of apple. Drydown: There's a dark, slightly gritty scent alongside the rose that I can't really pinpoint. It smells a bit musty and woody, perhaps like an old spice cabinet. Overall: The scent of a perfect tea rose, with a crisp apple-like scent and a slightly spicy, mysterious undertone - possibly a hint of myrrh or even tea? It's a relatively straightforward rose scent, rather warmer than other pale rose blends (such as "Lucy's Kiss"), and with a good staying power.

In the bottle: A very green, astringent scent of juniper and cypress, I think, with a hint of rose in the background. Wet: still a sharp green acidic scent of juniper and cypress, that slowly gets toned down as it dries. I think I get hints of bitter chamomile and very slight whiffs of rose. Drydown: The rose comes out and it's lovely and pink - nearly like a wild rose mixed in bitter and sharp greenery. I still find the juniper pretty tart, though, sort of thick with acidity. This reminds me of "Burial" with roses, or of a tarter "Venus". Overall: There's a definite scent of warm greenery in this blend - sharp juniper, cypress trees and sweet small roses mixing on a hot sunny day, it smells of southern Europe. I still find it too tart for my liking, I'm pretty sure it's the juniper and it confirms that I don't really like that scent. Fortunately, about an hour after drydown, the juniper evaporates, leaving a lovely chamomile and rose scent that's very soft and long-lasting.

In the bottle: Honey, vanilla and white linen, with something licquoricey. Wet: It warms very fast, smelling of honey, vanilla, spices and milk. It smells thick and sticky. Drydown: Very much the same as wet, a very sweet scent of honey, vanilla and now of white starched linen. The linen becomes dominant and the sweetness is slightly subdued - for a while. It comes and goes in very sticky and slightly spicy whiffs. Overall: A very sweet - practically cavity-inducing - smell of honeyed milk and white linen, with a touch of spices. I didn't get any tea whatsoever, my skin tends to amp honey notes like hell. The scent doesn't have much staying power, most of it disappears within half an hour, but it does stay with a very faint trace of milky honey.

In the bottle: Violently sweet plum with some boozy notes. Wet: Plum and booze notes, with something slightly tart that must be the blackcurrant. Drydown: Yuck, plum and amaretto - which smells more like chocolate somehow - don't get along at all, they smell acidic and fake. Besides, the plum has this "juicy" aquatic note that doesn't agree with my nose. I think that the booze has become a shrill, aggressive acidy note too. Overall: It's hypersweet, very heavy, with a chocolatey tang and at the same time, acidic. No, I don't think it works out well on me at all, actually it's nausea inducing in large quantities because of the sweetness. Bleah.

In the bottle: Very sweet coffee. Wet: Coffee and something very dry and papery - wow, really the scent of paper! Drydown: Very much the same as before, coffee with hints of walnut and toffee, and white paper. It doesn't really smell of old books as much as of white pages that have never been used. There's also the scent of wood, probably as a base note, you only smell it if you concentrate hard. It's a really dry scent overall, with a very good throw. Overall: I'm happy to have been able to give this a try, as it's quite a fascinating blend - there really is a library scent to this, of coffee and books and studious people. It smells dry and papery yet somehow polished and rich as well, and it definitely smells like shades of brown. This fits its description perfectly and is very evocative. However, I'm not a huge fan of coffee or of the papery note, and I'd see it better as a room scent than as a scent to wear.

In the bottle: Very aggressive, cold, eye-watering mint. Wet: The mint is fortunately subdued once it hits the skin, and is accompanied by another herbal scent, very green. Drydown: It smells mostly like dill and a vague cucumbery scent with a background of mint. It smells... herby, kitcheny, and as it develops, smells more of dill than of anything else, which is a pity. Overall: Fresh-cut herbs, dill and vague mint, with perhaps a watery hint of cucumber. It really smells like something you'd smell in a kitchen rather than anything threatening or mysterious. All it does is make me feel a bit hungry and remind me of lamb in mint sauce, and I don't think that's quite what the scent was supposed to achieve.

In the bottle: A traditional oceanic ozone, slightly salty and a bit lemony. Wet: It disappears for an instant, before coming back with a chilling zing. There's a vegetal scent in here along with the ozone. Drydown: This is a really subtle scent. The citrusy ozone and vegetal scent stay there, but they are very discreet. I get various whiffs when I smell it... sometimes sand and stone, sometimes salt, and something undefinably bitter in the background, perhaps vetiver, that reminds me of rotting driftwood. Overall: It smells more of a classical masculine aftershave with an oceanic note than something truly dark and evil. It's rather pleasant and it really does evoke the ocean, but it's generally a bit of a weak scent that disappears too fast on me, leaving only a slightly bitter note drowned in ozone (which, admittedly, is a bit darker than the rest, but it takes a long while to get there). I prefer R'lyeh in the same category of scents, more feminine and much more grounded.

In the bottle: A herby mix that smells pretty sweet but also rather weedy - there's the classical "forest" scent that I find smells a bit like sweaty feet. Wet: One of the flowers dominates - I don't know which, but it smells very pink. There's a very fresh side to this scent and a very sickly sweet one at the same time. Drydown: The flower scent is still going strong, now I can smell violet added to the mix, and the bouquet smells a bit richer, deeper. There is definitely something of a bunch of wildflowers in this scent. I think I can smell the orangey scent of bergamot, and the scent of birch in the background. There's also a slightly aquatic note in there, that adds freshness to the scent. It develops quite a strong throw. Overall: It's a weird scent, a mix that doesn't smell like nature at all in the end, even though it tries to give all the scents of a wood and its flowers. It's very flowery, but the flowers aren't traditional scents, so they're hard to pinpoint. Their smell is both very sweet and a bit tart at the same time, and some of the woods smell very resinous and medicinal, like turpentine. For me the scent isn't very evocative, and it actually ends up smelling a bit perfumy. Weird, definitely not me.

In the bottle: Pine, buttermint and a tingly, slushy snow scent. Wet: Pine and mint, there's a definite forest scent. Drydown: The forest scent is very obvious, it smells of wet pine needles, wet leaves and vaguely of ice. The mint's gone into the background, but it leaves a coolness that gives the impression of being in a snowy forest. Overall: A slightly buttery and tingly mint over a strong pine forest scent, with a hint of ice. It smells cold and clean, and pretty masculine. I don't think I would wear it, but it fits its description perfectly and smells very pleasant. Would be a good head-clearing scent.

In the bottle: Ozone, black musk and bitter grapefruit. Wet: The ozone, musk and grapefruit sweeten and battle for dominance. The grapefruit smells bubbly with ozone, hmm! Drydown: The grapefruit and ozone are slightly pushed into the background by black musk's very vanilla-sweet scent, that really grounds the blend. There may also be myrrh in the blend, somewhere. When all has settles, waves over waves of ozony-grapefruit come at my nose, over the sweetness of musk. Overall: An unusal marine blend, very feminine and pretty fruity. The grapefruit is really realistic, with a bitter bite that makes it credible. The overall result is the smell you'd get eating a sugared grapefruit by the seaside, watching the gentle waves, in a hot country. I don't see it as particularly dark or broody, but it's certainly mysterious and a bit exotic. And it lasts for a long time, with vanilla dark musk grounding the grapefruit. Nice.

In the bottle: Very sweet roses and... er... gastric acid? bile? sulphur? rotten eggs? I can't quite tell, but it doesn't smell pleasant. Wet: Pure sulphur. This reminds me of the smell of the spring waters in Bath, and it's really not a good thing. Our tour guide described it as "the smell of water in which you've boiled eggs for a very long time" - this is just that. Eugh. Drydown: Still sulphurous, and now very dry. It smells like some kind of chemical leak that people have tried to cover up using synthetic rose perfume. Very slowly, the roses come out and really cover up the sulphur, but they smell rather oversweet, fake and weak. There's still this "hard-boiled egg" smell in the background, too. Overall: Even though this doesn't have me retching and running to wash it off, it certainly is one of the nastiest BPAL smells I've ever had under my nose. Powdery sweet rose deodoriser and sulphur - well it is a perverse smell. I'm not quite sure what it was trying to evoke, though.

In the bottle: Red musk, dragon's blood and thick cocoa. I'm dreading this. Wet: Mostly cocoa, with hints of dragon's blood coming through. The cocoa starts fading fast to give way to my nemesis, red musk. Drydown: Okay, this is already sickening. The cocoa, dragon's blood and musk have congealed into some kind of sickly sweet, overpowering scent. It doesn't help that my skin usually amps anything sweet like hell, because the scent becomes positively cavity-inducing. And red musk still doesn't like me at all. Overall: Very soon, everything but the red musk has faded to the background, and there's a very light appearance of the pepper note from time to time. I'm really not a fan of this kind of scent, as the red musk just comes and hangs around on me like a single note forever, bleah. Chocolate, red musk and dragon's blood lovers will really enjoy this, but it's really not my type. It does represent the Tell-Tale Heart very well, though.

In the bottle: Fougere and white musk, perhaps a hint of mandarin. Wet: The fougere and mandarin become more intense, and there's a hint of mint there, too. Drydown: It stays pretty much the same, but gets stronger, specially in the mint department. The tea comes out too now, black dry tea. The mandarin has been pushed into the background, but still comes back periodically. The blend is very smooth thanks to the white musk, soft and rather soapy. Overall: A traditionally masculine blend, light and luminous. I don't get any blackcurrant or anything ominous about it, it's mostly mint, mandarin and tea on me. A nice, mild blend, elegant and gentlemanly. Not my style, though.

In the bottle: GRAVEYARD DIIIIIRT! Okay not quite, but it's the closest to my nose. There's a cypress note that makes it slightly sharper, and a floral hidden in there, probably the orchid. Wet: Divine! Earth, orchid and cypress, it's like Medea and Graveyard Dirt met and had kids - have I mentioned that those are two of my favourite BPALs? Drydown: Still dirt and cypress, with the dark orchid floral. It's extremely refined dirt, hmm! Unfortunately the earth note dwindles quite fast, it always does with me. I'm left with mostly cypress and orchid, and wood notes at last. And ooh, the earth note gets a second wind and comes back, sometimes, with patchouli. I'm not a big patchouli fan, but it's a nice mix... Overall: I've tried many earthy perfumes in the search of the perfect one... I think this might be it. I really love the mix of rich orchid and cypress with the earth notes. Hmm! If only the earth didn't evaporate so fast... *sighs longingly*

In the bottle: Dark and bitter incense, I think. Wet: It disappears and I don't smell very much while it's wet. Slowly, I start getting smoky notes, a rather spicy but bitter kind of incense. Drydown: Dark, bitter smoke... not much else. It's rather light, and I can't really distinguish any particular notes. Overall: Hard to describe, but pretty one-dimensional, and not particularly pleasant if you're not an incense fan.