edenssixthday

White Chocolate and Strawberry - I love this. It smells like white chocolate and sweet, sticky, strawberry jam. When I sniff my skin up close, I pick up some of the dustiness that foody blends tend to acquire on my skin, but that's only if I'm sniffing really close and huffing really hard. It's very similar to White Chocolate, Strawberry, and White Pepper Truffle. I need to use this stuff in my oil burner so my whole house smells so delicious!

Dark Chocolate and Pepper-Smoked Caramel - I was scared of this scent because it has three of my least-favorite notes in it. However, I was frimped a bit, and when I smelled it in the vial, I couldn't believe how beautiful it smelled. It smelled smoky and sweet and sexy! So I ventured to put some on my skin, and it was really, really pretty: the deep, rich scent of cocoa blended with smoky pepper and a hint of sweet, buttery caramel. And then I let it stay on my skin and it all went to hell. Each of the three main notes did what they normally do on my skin: the chocolate went to plastic, the pepper got dusty, and the caramel turned rancid. It's like a freak show of horror notes on my skin. I'm glad I only tested a small patch. If I had a bottle of this, I would absolutely wear it in a scent locket, but since I have only half a decant, I can only do that a couple of times before it's all gone.

Ira Bath Oil - The heaviness of the vetiver in this blend kind of scared me, but as soon as I splashed it in the tub and it was no longer concentrated in a bottle, the strength of the vetiver eased up significantly and the orange was able to power through. The patchouli is really nice -- serves as a really nice base for the orange, keeping it grounded. The orange and vetiver blend really wonderfully, too. The overall impression is the scent is very earthy, outdoorsy and summery feeling -- full of the scent of heavy grasses and bright bursts of citrus. I like it so much in the tub I also add a little to some body oil and apply it directly to my skin, and my skin smells delightful and feels luxuriously silky. I know a lot of people are wary of vetiver, but I think they might find this is one that will work for them.

Opium Poppy Claw Polish - The color is stunning - it's bright, vivid fuchsia. It's got an incredible amount of gloss. The color is absolutely perfect for summertime in it's brightness and vivacity. I get tons of compliments when I wear this shade on my fingernails. The polish is also a very heavy lacquer, so two coats make my nails appear really thick to the point that a couple people asked if I wore acrylic nails. The chipping/tip wear for this color is about average compared to my normal wear/chip tendencies. It's so pretty I think I need to go put some on my toes right now...

Midnight on the Midway Claw Polish - This is a really pretty shimmery plum. The color is deep and intense, and catches the light beautifully. It doesn't seem as thick as the other claw polishes I've tried, and not only did I get tip wear within the first few hours of applying it, but by the next day, I had chips -- not just at the tip, but smack dab in the middle of the nail -- and that was with a good base coat, two layers of polish, and a good top coat. I don't think I've ever had a nail polish chip in areas other than the edges. It's very odd. I'll keep wearing it because the color is stunning, but I have to be prepared for touchups and possibly removing the polish and entirely repainting. I do wish this particular polish was a little stronger.

Bordello Claw Polish - This polish looks gorgeous in the bottle, but the instant I opened it and saw the fresh paint on the brush, I caught my breath because of how beautiful it really is. I was unprepared for the bright, vivid color of the polish. It's a brilliant raspberry color with loads of shimmery silver flecks. The silver is heavier than the polish, so when I apply it to my nails, most of the silver sinks to the bottom (when I remove it, the top layer of raspberry comes off first, leaving a thin layer of pure silver next to the nail!), but enough of the silver remains to give the raspberry a really beautiful flash and shimmer. There is nothing subtle about this nail color, and the first time I wore it, I had many, many people comment on my nail color (all positive comments), something that's never happened before! I love it. I think it may be my favorite nail polish color ever.

Gennivre L'Artiste du Diable is also backordered, per an email conversation I had with Bill yesterday about why my 5/27 order hadn't shipped yet. He said, "Unfortunately, it could be a while before we can ship that item." So if anyone has an order with Gennivre in it, that could cause a delay, too.

The Curator - This is light myrrh and lots and lots of herbs. The herbs reminds me of the "funereal" herbs used in blends like Eshe a Vision of Life-in-Death and the dust note is light and almost pretty, blending really well with the other notes. It's a sophisticated scent and very gender-neutral. I wish it had stronger throw and staying power.

Alice's Evidence - This is a spicy quince and prune scent. The prune is kind of plummy, but has more of a dried-fruit scent about it. It smells like a compote or a chutney. It definitely smells edible, but not in the typical foody kind of way. I really, really like this and in fact, I'm wondering if I should try to create a rum-quince-prune-ginger chutney at home.

The Lotus Tree - This is a very sweet honey mixed with a heavy, white floral. The honey is ultra-sweet and the artificial smelling and the floral is bright and piercing. There's a powdery feel to it, too, as if there's a hint of musk in the blend. Overall, it's a very perfumey scent that just isn't working for me.

PW12 - Definitely a fruity-floral. The first note I identified is either peach or peach blossom (I'm leaning toward the latter because it's not really "juicy"). There's definitely a bit of a tropical vibe to this blend, but there's also something extremely sharp and bitter, which could very well be the florals. It's a weird combination of pretty, tropical, fruity notes peeking through almost soap-like, bitter, green notes. I don't like this and don't find it pleasant in the least. It's very strong and offensive. Off to wash it off now...

E Pluribus Unum - This is a very bright, happy, fresh floral scent. There is a ton of greenery in the scent, as if the stems and leaves were crushed along with all of the blossoms. While I can't identify any distinct flower, there is a soft powderiness that seems to accompany one or more of the notes, a bit of fruitiness that may accompany another few notes, and a headiness from some other florals, although it's tempered by the gentle sweetness of other notes. It's a remarkably complex floral scent and I'm so glad I finally had the chance to try it out.

Comforting Plush Companion - There's so much love for this blend among the reviewers so far, but I just can't add to that love. I can identify each distinct note and I love each note, but when blended together, the overall effect is that there's something broken or not-quite-right about this blend. My first instinct is that the sugar plum and rose aren't blending well, but I know I adore Snooty Rose, which is all rose and plum, so that can't possibly be it. Whatever the case, something in this isn't blending well with something else, and to my nose it's really a wonky scent. I wish I could love it. I love every note in it. I'm sad this doesn't work for me.

The Harlot's House - On me, this is a sharp, bitter, white floral with lots of green stemminess. There's a hint of dry white sandalwood and the sweet powderiness of violet, but for the most part, it's entirely the unpleasant odor of angel's trumpet -- very perfumey and and unpleasant floral blend.

BTCS - Smells like Nutella and plasticky butterscotch. I can't wear any of the dominant notes in this blend, so it's an utter fail on me, but one that foodies will likely love to bits and pieces.

Eve v5 - Fresh, crisp, juicy, green apples. This is the same note that's in Snow Glass Apples. It's the one apple note I don't just tolerate, but actually like. If there's apple blossom in this blend, it would be the one time ever that apple blossom doesn't turn to soap on me. I'm more inclined to go with the white rose guess that a couple other reviewers had. I also think there may be a hint of golden amber to ground the scent, as there seems to be something a bit heavier and earthier in this blend keeping the fruit and florals from floating away. Overall, it's a very pretty scent, but sadly, it doesn't last long on my skin at all, and within 3 hours, I can't smell a thing. I'm so glad I got a chance to try this.

Miskatonic University v3 - This is way better than the released version -- it has none of the dusty quality of the released version, and it has none of the Irish cream from the released version that turns plasticky on my skin. Rather, this smells like the "snickerdoodle" coffee I make, where I mix cinnamon powder and a bit of sugar in with freshly ground coffee beans. It's strong on the cinnamon, strong on the black coffee, and light on the sweetness. If I were drinking it, I'd add some milk or cream to it, but for wearing it, it's absolutely gorgeously perfect the way it is. It's among the best coffee blends I've encountered.

The Festival of Anuket - This is a crisp, clean-smelling, metallic aquatic scent. It's really cologney, but it's not unpleasant. I wouldn't mind smelling it on my husband, but it's not my type of fragrance. It also fast ultra-fast on me.

Creature Feature - This is an AWESOME scent! I avoided it because a lot of musks scare me, but whatever this one is, it's awesome. It reminds me of the soft, velvety musk from Faunalia. It's soft, fuzzy, slightly (just barely) powdery, and warm. There are definitely resins in this blend, too, but I can't identify which ones...all I know is they're the darker, woodier, grittier types of resins...perhaps amber? All I know is this is a freaking GORGEOUS blend and it has a really nice level of throw and lasts on the skin for ages. I really love it. I may have to get a bottle.

Humanitas Bath Oil - This is delicious! It's in the same family (in my opinion) as Hollywood Babylon -- very similar, but without the heavy red musk. This scent is predominantly heavy, dark cherries, a bit of strawberry, a splash of gritty frankincense and spicy carnation, and then waaaay underneath is something sweet and foody (in a non-fruity way) that I'm guessing must be the helichrysum, which I've never smelled before, but a Google search said it can smell like a cross between burnt sugar and ham. I don't think this scent is hammy at all, but I do smell something in here reminiscent of burnt sugar, but thankfully it's not, since burnt sugar is a bad, bad note on me. Anyway, I kind of digress... overall, this is a delicious, fruity scent. The black cherry reminds me a lot of Gothabilly -- this bath oil would layer well -- again, in my opinion -- with both Hollywood Babylon and Gothabilly. It's really delightful!

Snow White v2 - This is definitely a minty scent. It's got an aspect of it that's heavy, minty snow over vanilla, but there's still the pretty, soft, delicate, light floral far beneath the vanilla-mint notes, too. It's really beautiful, and will be very loved this coming winter. The throw and wear length are much stronger and longer on me than the released version of Snow White, too.

Tiki Princess v3 - I totally agree with the Starburst assessment above. This smells like a big bowl of tropical Starburst candy chews. It's super tropical, sweet, and sticky, and there's nothing about it that I can pin down as a particular scent because it's all so syrupy-sweet and artificial-smelling. It also does something that fruit notes never do by themselves, which is take on a horrible dusty quality on my skin. The sweetness of it and the dustiness of it reminds me a lot of the blends that have a sweet fake cherry and/or bubblegum note in them. I really, really love the way tropical candy sweetness of this scent when it's wet and fresh. It's so bright and girly, but the way it turns on me is pretty bad. Even after it turns, I can still smell the fruitiness beneath the dust note of doom, so I know it's not the fruit that's turning, it's some other note that's sweetening up the whole thing. Bummer... but good thing I can still wear it in a scent locket!

Dido v1 - If there's fruit in this, I don't smell it at all! It's very much a delicate floral scent, in the same category as the prototype Gossamer v3, as well as the GC The Unicorn. It's wispy and ethereal, and hard to pin down. Nope, try as I might, I can't identify one single specific note in this. Sorry guys, I know that's not much help... all I can say is it's a light, wispy floral, and would fit in nicely with the funereal blends.

CD: Fire Dancer v9 - This opens up on my skin with a burst of bright, hot cinnamon, but quickly, the oozey scent of honey-sweet opium becomes evident, and as it warms up on my skin, the cinnamon settles down and it becomes mostly a smoky, sweet, heavy opium scent that's bolstered by splashes of fire-hot cinnamon, and something else in the far background -- possibly dark myrrh (?). I don't tend to like cinnamon blends, but the cinnamon harmonizes perfectly with the opium in this blend and it becomes something really, really amazingly gorgeous. Of all the BPAL prototypes I've ever tried, this one definitely stands out among my favorites.

Intensity - This is very green and herbal, almost medicinal like eucalyptus. As soon as the oil hits the water in the tub, the top medicinal note dissipates -- although not completely -- and the lemongrass, ginger, and sandalwood really begin to stand out. It's not a "loud" bath oil like so many others -- it doesn't leave my skin or my bathroom strongly scented after my bath, even though I apply some of the oil directly to my skin before drying off. When I've dried down after my bath, I smell a slightly soapy, sandalwood scent coming from my skin, but it smells very clean and natural, not perfumey at all. Also, when I entered the tub, I was quite weary from a long day (a long few weeks, actually) at work, and my back hurt. When I got out of the tub, I felt clear-headed and invigorated, but not euphoric -- more like, now I feel like I'm actually able to go to bed and go to sleep without the worries of my day interrupting my sleep patterns. I think I may use some of this on my skin tomorrow morning after my morning shower so I can start my day off in the right headspace, since it's sure to be another stressful day on the job.