kourika

I think that Moscow may be one of the few rose scents I can actually wear since the strongest note, for me, is the tangerine rather than soapy rose. Initially, it is very floral and a bit sneeze inducing, but it dries down to become a glowing orange tangerine note with a hint of sweetness peaking out through the sharp citrus. Just lovely!

Yerevan was one of the first big bottles I purchased because its gently sweet scent is perfect for me to wear to work and other locations where a stronger scent would be inappropriate. It's also quintessentially "me" because the scent isn't overtly feminine, but it doesn't scream of masculinity either. Just a lovely, pastel, soft scent.

I rarely enjoy heavily floral and fruity perfumes, but The Hanging Garden was wonderfully sweet without overwhelming my sinuses. There was a deep lushness that kept the power of the smell from being cheap or trashy. I'm still debating whether or not I want a full bottle of this because I'm not sure how often I would use it. I will definitely use the remainder of my imp though when I'm in the mood to be a bit more sexual and assertive.

I got a bottle of Kyoto in a swap, and I was a bit nervous about how sweet it smelled in the bottle because I wasn't sure if I could tolerate it on my skin all day. On my skin it is still sweet, but the anise perks up a bit, so there's a light bite to the cherry smell. Overall, it's a very pink scent though, so I mainly wear it outdoors. I suspect that it will be lovely during the summer months.

*sighs* Morocco is one of those scents that just seem to have been made for my skin type. The initial imp I bought was gentle and warm, but I was afraid it was too close to Yerevan, another favourite. However, I bought a big bottle anyway, and I'm incredibly pleased that I did! Out of the bottle Morocco turns into a warm blend of vanilla and chocolate scents that just envelop me as I move through a room. It has a decent throw as well, since I have gotten compliments from people who are a few feet away from me. Overall, a very warm, comforting sort of blend that has a hint of sensual spice.

I didn't have a terribly strong reaction to Machu Picchu when I tried it mainly because I didn't have much to compare it to at the time. I liked the scent in the imp, but it seemed a little too floral for me to wear. I'm bigger on spicy or foody scents. I've kept the imp to use for simmering oil, but it still hasn't stuck out in my mind as anything exceptional.

I got Bayou as a frimp in a swap, and I quickly learned that it and I are not good friends. In the imp Bayou is a gently floral scent with an undertone of watery smells. It brings to mind a deserted stretch of bayou with large tropically blooms hanging off of old cypress trees, etc. On my skin, Bayou becomes a still bayou filled with mud and silt. Nothing moves because noting can survive in the dark, murky water. The only flowers present are tattered and dying, rotted and old. Off to the swaps!

Something in Neo-Tokyo reminds me of a Japanese toothpaste or bath product I came across while I lived there during my study abroad. It's a sweet fake peachy type scent that mixes a soft baby powdery scent in with the fruit, which softens the sharper tang. After a few hours the baby powder peach scent faded away to more of an airy scent that was less to my liking. Overall, I will enjoy the two imps I have, but I don't think that Neo-Tokyo is a scent that I will rush out to buy a large bottle of.

Bengal is one of the few BPAL scents that stays true to the way it smells in the bottle once I put it on my skin. The deep spicey chai smell wafts up around me as my body temperature changes throughout the day, and it lasts for hours. The only downside is that I have to be careful to not overapply this oil because my skin is sensitive to the cinnamon and peppers. I don't get red reactions, but I can feel my skin itching and burning a little.

I'm not sure what the problem is, but when a scent doesn't work for me, it usually goes out with a bang. Rome was lovely in the imp, but when I put it on my skin it went heavily herbal and vaguely menthol smelling. Since I don't wear BPAL because I want to perpetually smell like Ben-Gay, I passed my implet along to a friend who might enjoy it more.

Incantation was simply a sneeze-inducing, herbal scent on my skin. Not the worst thing in the world, but not something that I'm dying to wear again either.

Highwayman ended up smelling musty and sweaty on me, not really a scent I need to go out of my way to create! On the right person, I'm sure it's a lovely scent, but he's definitely not for me.

I have to admit that the imagery behind Voodoo is more my reason for wanting to try it rather than the scents in the blend. However, I was not disappointed with my little imp. There's something dark and sensual about this blend as it warms on my skin, and I felt a little more powerful, confident, and sexual in some way. It's not a perfume I'd use every day, but I will definitely do my best to keep an imp around for special occasions.

I was so excited when I got my imp pack with Chimera from the lab because the reviews made it sound like one of the GC Holy Grails of BPAL. I eagerly dabbed some on to experience the magic and...nothing. There was virtually no scent on my skin at all. I don't know if my imp was a bit off or if my skin chemistry just didn't do anything with the stuff in the blend, but I passed it along to someone else for her sniffing pleasure.

For whatever reason, La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente smells like dry, musty herbs on my skin without a hint of fruit or florals. However, when I passed the imp along to my younger sister I could smell a wonderfully sweet scent on her skin. It's not as heavy and in your face as some other blends, but if you have the right skin chemistry it's a lovely, light smell.

Because of the tonka in Aeval, I thought that I'd probably love this particular blend. However, when I got a frimp from the lab, I was overwhelmed by the heavily sweet scent pouring from the imp. I've learned that my skin frequently morphs even the oddest things into lovely scents, so I gave Aeval a try, only to discover that whatever causes the cloyingness in Aeval is true on my skin. It was so sweet that it made me feel sick to my stomach, so off to the swaps she goes.

Yum! Dana O'Shee is such a sweet creamy blend that I wanted to slather it all over except I was afraid that the dogs would want to eat me! Unfortunately, my skin seems to suck up the scent almost immediately, and it was completely gone by the time I got to work, about thirty minutes total.

Magus turned out to be a heavy smell that made me seem old and apeing masculinity. While I'm not the world's girliest girl, Magus just smelled wrong on my skin. I'm also slightly allergic to something in the blend, so it goes off to a friend who loves the darker, more masculine scents.

I impulsively bought a bottle of Black Opal unsniffed because it sounded like it could be my perfect vanilla scent. Unfortunately, my skin soaked up the vanilla, so I smelled like dirt! Off to the swap pile it went.

I got an imp of Intrigue in a swap, and it's easily the scent that has lasted the longest amount of time on my skin. When wet it sort of smelled woody and made me sneeze a bit, but after dry down Intrigue smells dark and mysterious. I'm not sure if I want to buy a big bottle, but I will definitely pick up another imp when this one is empty!

In the bottle, I honestly thought that Mata Hari smelled horrible. The rosey scent was more like rotting, moist flowers than the fresh rose scent I was used to in the previous rose scents I'd tried. Upon application, I immediately got the "soapy rose" smell I get with most rose blends, so I decided it was probably a bust. However, after a couple of hours it dried down to something sweet and gentle. I don't think I'd buy any more Mata Hari, but it was a rose scent I could almost wear.

Right from the start, I suspected that Bluebeard was not going to work with my skin chemistry. It was a very faint scent before application, and it faded into a clean, soapy smell shortly after hitting my skin.

Wow, is this ever a woodsy scent! Loup Garou smells to me like a northern mountain forest with perhaps a cold wind blowing through the pine trees. While I like the smell, it's a little too masculine for me to wear, so I'll probably pass it to a friend. On a funny note, the dogs at the Austin Humane Society, as well as my personal dogs, are big fans of Loup Garou!

In the imp, I got a whiff of lovely dark plum with some other lovely notes. However, a few weeks later when I put it on my skin, the plum turned to a sort of sour rotting scent. When my dogs like the perfume better than I do, I know that it's not the right scent for me.

When I tried this last week, I wasn't sure what to expect from this scent. Yum! The fruity smell from the blood orange turns to a sort of citrus/peachy smell on my skin that keeps me awake and is just lovely. Definitely on my list of large bottles!