curlsandpearls

Bottle: Musky rose, which is surprising; I was expecting woods with a hint of rose rather than the wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am rose that comes barreling out of the bottle. Wet: Rose is coming out prominently, but there’s a warm, golden-brown smell underneath it—the musk and amber, presumably. I want the moss and oak and soft woodsy smell to come through, but the rose is a bit overpowering. Dry: The rose is amping like no other. It’s got that musky warmth to it, but I can't identify any other notes, the rose is so strong. Later: It’s dissolving into baby powder-rose. Man. I was hoping for another soft woods scent. Swap pile.

Bottle: An indistinguishable spice blend. I can’t make out the patchouli, so that’s a good sign. This looked like such a good blend that I ordered it even though it had patchouli… fingers crossed! Also part of why I ordered it: vetiver is love and campfire is one of my all-time favorite smells, and lots of reviewers said it was an amazing campfire scent (or not amazing, if you don't like that kind of thing). Here's hoping. Wet: Wet, spicy ash. I’m not getting campfire yet. It’s a mix of wet forest and ash and a nutty spice. Why am I not loving this? I should love this. Dry: [insert sad face] I wanted to heart this scent so bad, and the patchouli has finally showed up and effectively ruined it, though there wasn't much to ruin; the campfire never really showed up. Oh well… Later: This scent has some throw, but it’s melded into some indistinguishable spicy hodgepodge. You win some, you lose some, I guess. I knew it was a risk since patchouli amps on me like no other. Swap pile.

Bottle: So weirdly enough, I get the rum/chardonnay/tonka blend straight out of the bottle. Almost foody sweet. Wet: It’s that sweet-sticky rum/chardonnay/tonka blend with a hint of smoke—a bare hint. Come on, tobacco and leather. I know you’re in there. I’m really hoping that tobacco comes out soon. Dry: Tobacco, where are you??? This is sticky-sweet on me; it’s drying out but it’s still sticky-sweet. I am desperate for black tobacco and steamy leather, but they are nowhere to be found. The chardonnay has to be what’s twisting this, since tonka usually works on me and rum is completely unpredictable - though I guess rum usually strikes me as foody. On the one hand, it’s a really intriguing scent — I can’t stop smelling my wrist — but on the other, it’s so not me. It’s foody. I did not think Perversion would be foody. At times, it's strongly reminiscent of coconut. Later: It's got some throw, but meh, not for me. My skin did not pick up the tobacco on this one. Swap pile.

Bottle: Soap. Dirty soap. Weird. The first time I’m getting soap off a BPAL scent. Wet: Now I’m getting incense, but initially it’s still weird, wet, soapy incense. The warm resins slowly come out. After a few minutes, the oils—frankincense, myrrh, maybe?—begin emerging. But they’re not strong enough; I still have a limp soap scent hanging around. I close my eyes trying to picture the various Catholic churches I’ve attended with my family over the years, and there’s something just a little too clean about this scent. It’s not “full” enough, if that makes sense. Dry: It’s picking up in strength, and the oils and resins are slowly coalescing, but it’s not strong enough, not full enough, not warm enough—just not enough. A little on the thin side. When I’m told that I’m going to be transported to a cathedral (or basilica, or around-the-block Catholic church, or whatever) with all the smells and bells and chants, then I want to be transported, to be there, practically choking on the incense. Honestly, this doesn’t even smell like incense to me. Also, in the drydown it starts to smell like something from my spice rack, but damn if I can think of what. Later: Basil-cilantro. Not even an hour in, that is what I’m getting right now. Not incense, not oils, not pure resins, meh. Washing it off. Swap pile.

Bottle: Usually I wouldn’t go for a violet-based scent, but the description (and the promise of vetiver) got to me. Straight out of the bottle, I get violets. Lots and lots of dark violets. Wet: The vetiver is definitely acting on the violet in interesting ways—like it’s a foggy black ring around a field of depraved, dancing violets. With the vetiver, the violets aren’t nearly as crazy saccharine-floral as I’m used to. Color me intrigued. Dry: Not sweet—surprisingly spicy. It’s not at all floral or green, just dark and gritty. Not warm enough to be musky. The spice dies down after a while, leaving a velvety, rich, intriguing blend of violet and vetiver. The violet is so not me, but it’s different and just downright interesting and so unless something goes drastically wrong in the next few hours, I’ll be hanging onto this one. Later: I will say, the reason this violet scent works for me is because the vetiver is right there in the forefront, wrapping itself around the violet in sensuous ways. I cannot emphasize how prominent the vetiver is here—it is strong, yo. For those of us who love vetiver, that is Win. For those of who don’t, stay away. Also, it's got a decent throw; I only applied a little to my wrist but it's been going strong for 4+ hours. And the husband thinks it's sexy. I am really loving this scent. Given that I usually avoid florals at all costs, that is the surprise of the day...

Bottle: Ooh, this is shaping up to be good. The wood is prominent, but it’s noticeably warmed by the vanilla. Must get on skin ASAP! Wet: Oh, this is all kinds of love. The vanilla is stronger on the skin than in the bottle, but it’s not a foody vanilla—it’s dark, warm, and works beautifully with the teakwood and oak notes. I’m not getting the tobacco yet but am really excited for it. Dry: The tobacco creeps in to create an almost musky effect. It’s a warm, smoky vanilla, wrapped up with woodsy bark and gorgeous tobacco. Later: Three hours and still going strong, given that I didn’t put much on my wrist. It’s a delicious blend of everything in the description, and it’s so warm and complexly layered that it’s hard to tease the scents apart at this point. It just smells wonderful—woodsy and warm with vanilla and grainy tobacco. Fabulous scent, the first I’ve been wholeheartedly Bottle Happy about since Dee. The husband is a big fan, too.

Bottle: Musky, warm sandalwood. Wet: Still musky sandalwood, but there’s a damp wetness to the smell that’s reminiscent of a greenhouse. The violets and assorted florals are coming out to play. I think the vetiver is keeping it from getting too floral-y; very nice. Mm, vetiver, how I love you. Dry: Wait, what’s happening? Something bad is taking over as it dries. Something citrus-floral that’s sharp and cleaning agent-esque. Ick. I’m getting orange off this, weirdly enough. The sandalwood-musk blend is still there, but the citrus-floral strain is equally strong, and that doesn’t work for me. Later: Yeah, this is the indistinguishable citrus-floral-sort of murkily sandalwood smell of wood floor cleaner. Not for me.

Bottle: It’s a dark cherry-almond—sort of like the slutty cousin of Jergens Original. Wet: Still cherry-almond. It gets tarter and sharper, but not as much as I was hoping; a dark spice starts to come out, gritty (vetiver and something else), and the cherry slowly drops off, but again, not as much as I’d like. Dry: Man. This scent is almost likable. It’s full of vetiver and spice and rum and general twisted darkness, which I love, but the cherry-almond is really spoiling it for me. At this point, the cherry-almond is so slight I’m sure most people wouldn’t notice, but I’m not a fan of cherry, so the little bit just ruins it, which is unfortunate. Reminds me of when one of my aunts likened a sex scene in a movie to a drop of shit in brownies: a little bit will spoil the whole damn thing. *snrt Later: There was no later; the cherry-almond was overpowering and I had to wash it off.

Bottle: The vetiver and florals come stampeding out of the bottle like they're on a race track. Wet: The sweet florals and sharp vetiver/leather combo definitely compete for attention. There’s a spicy grit sending the sweet notes—the gardenia and the rose, most notably—into a tailspin; it’s like a tornado of scents refusing to settle down and coalesce. No cinnamon yet. Dry: I can't detect the jasmine, the rose is subtle/supporting, and the gardenia becomes really strong as it dries. The florals settle down after a while; they fold themselves into the vetiver, which is a really nice effect, but it’s still just a mite too floral for my taste. I can't smell the cinnamon, but the cinnamon has to be what’s warming the scents, helping them gel together. It’s a very warm scent, like you’re walking through a wildly overgrown garden bordered by the woods at twilight. Later: Someone who can do scents that are both vetiver and gardenia-heavy would probably love this. Personally, I love the vetiver, but the florals take too long to settle down, and even in that lush dry stage where the scent unfolds, the gardenia is too strong for me.