kourika

I was just glad that I didn't get the Agony scent with rose in it, but I was pleasantly surprised to get Passion, especially after sending in a story about one of my dogs. I was a little turned off by the oil's smell from the bottle because it seemed a little more boozy and busy that my usual preferences. The oil is also a red-brown, probably from the musk, which made me worry. A lot of the darker coloured oils go bad on my skin. However, by the time I was driving to work, the scent had dried and morphed into a beautiful spicy blend. It's a little more confident and sexy than I usually feel, and it's definitely not a work place scent for me. However, it will be lovely for dressing up, going out, and planning to turn heads!

Apparently, ozone type scents and my nose are not in agreement. While Tempest doesn't smell bad per se, it smells like fresh scent dryer sheets, not something I strive to scent myself like on a regular basis. I suspect this wee imp will be a gift to one of my friends.

When wet, The Red Queen is wonderfully sweet and soft on my skin. However, my skin sucks up the oil almost immediately, so there's just the merest wiff of scent upon dry down. What a pity...this is a lovely perfume oil.

In the imp, Antique Lace barely had any scent at all, which made me wonder if I'd gotten a mistake frimp from the Lab. When I dabbed it on, a soft, gentle odor became evident though. Overall, Antique Lace smells sweet to me although a male friend said it was very floral. It's a nice scent, and I'll continue to use the imp, but I doubt I'd get a big bottle of it. It's just not me enough that I'd wear it on a regular basis.

Initially, Harlot is a wonderfully sweet, sexy scent on my skin. Unfortunately, as it begins to dry down, I experience the nearly inevitable onset of "Eau de English Hand Soap" that most roses morph to on my skin. The main plus is that my skin sucks Harlot up fairly quickly, so I don't smell soapy all day.

In the imp, Has no Hanna smelled almost like bottled honey. It was gently sweet and beguiling, and I was sure it would be as beautiful on as it was in the imp. Unfortunately, it morphs to a sort of soapy smell when it dries on my skin, which isn't wholly unpleasant (unlike the soap smell I get from rose oils), but it is enough to keep me from wanting a big bottle even though I can use the extra pick me up the blend gives me! Has no Hanna doesn't make me feel happy, per se, but I feel more capable of dealing with the difficulties of living and the various "obstacles" that I meet during the day.

Overall, Maiden is a lovely, soft scent on my skin. However, the carnation totally dominates when wet, which makes me sneeze just a tad. Then there's the faintest hint of soap from the rose before the final sweet, gentle dry down. I do like the blend, but it's hard for me to wait for the components to finally settle down and for the carnation to stop amping up uncontrollably.

Generally, lily scents like me, and honey seems to be perfect for my skin. Unfortunately, Tiger Lily smell like honey when wet and then dries down to a sort of weird soapy/spicy floral. It's not an awful smell, but it's not something I'd strive to smell like either. Ah well, some of the blends have got to not like me of I'd be bankrupt in no time!

Oddly enough, the strongest smell I get from Masquerade once it's dried down from the initial "what on earth is in this?!?" is almond. It's not overpowering like some of the almond scents I've tried, but it certainly seems to be formost to my nose. It's not a bad scent, but it's doesn't wow me either. Overall, I'll enjoy my imp, but I don't think that I really need a big bottle either. It's just nice, nothing exceptional, to me.

When I received Euphrosyne as a frimp from the Lab, I was a bit nervous because I expected the tea rose to go soapy on me like most other rose blends. The initial application made me smell herbal and sort of grassy, but once Euphrosyne dried, my skin smelled sweet and creamy. Yum! I will have to seriously consider a big bottle of this one.

I don't know what note in Wanda hates my skin chemistry so much (I suspect the merlot), but she goes on my skin easily and then reeks of cherry cough syrup. Fortunately, Wanda fades away quickly, so I wasn't stuck with the weird medicinal smell for too long, but this one is definitely a pass!

I find it highly amusing that while most people who know me in real life consider me a "dominant" personality, Wanda smells horrific on my skin while Severin, one of BPAL's scents of submission, loves my chemistry. It's a crisp, clean scent that has a lemony herb smell that makes me think of soft spring days and fresh laundry drying on a clothesline. I'm debating whether or not I want a large bottle though because Severin isn't a scent that I'd wear on a regular basis simply because I prefer perfumes that last a bit longer. My skin sucks up the oils, and I'm left with a hint of sunshiney lemon and leather wafting across my wrists and cleavage. It's a lovely, light scent though for days when you're looking for a perfume that's subtle rather than in your face.

The first time I tried Hell's Belle, I loved the scent, but one of the notes irritated my sinuses enough that I wasn't sure I'd be able to wear it on a regular basis. However, my wee imp sat in its box for at least a month before I tried it on today, and wow! Hell's Belle mellowed over time, and there was no sneezing today! It goes on with a hint of tropical smells and fades away to a sort of almondy scent, at least with my chemistry. Unfortunately, it doesn't last very long though, so there's just a hint of perfume left on my wrists.

Based on the rave reviews, I really hoped that Snake Charmer would work on me. It has several notes that I love, and the remaining notes aren't bad on my skin. Unfortunately, my skin seems to suck all of the scent out of the blend, so I'm left with a sort of odd absence of smell on my skin where Snake Charmer is applied. After dry-down I smell faintly of plum with a touch of amber, but it doesn't feel me. Ah well. Off to the swaps for this one.

In the imp, Sacred Whore of Babylon smelled sort of florally/herbal. It was strong enough that I had second thoughts about even applying the oil because most heavy florals don't agree with my sinuses. After application, the floral smell dried down, but all that's left is a sort of powdery musk scent. It's not unpleasant, but it's not something I have a burning need to wear on a regular basis either. I'll use up the imp I have, but I'm not going to run out to get a big bottle because this just doesn't do much for me.

*sniffs wrists again and again and again* While I can't tell if Lust really sets my senses to burning, I must say it's a lovely blend. All of the notes mix together to form a sensual, dark smell that hints at naughty things to be done behind closed doors. On my skin it starts out as something very woody, but as it dries I get a mellow spicy sweet scent. All in all a wonderful perfume!

I received this as a lab frimp from my 4/1 order, and I was initially a little concerned since the description includes tuberose. Roses and I are not good friends, so I had low expectations for this blend. Initially, it was so spicy/sharp that Languor made me sneeze, which I'm sure was not the intent of a languid, sleepy blend. Now that it's dried down, it's a softer, creamy smell that I enjoy quite a bit, but my sinuses are still flaring up some. Final verdict: A lovely scent on drydown, and I'll enjoy the remainder of my imp. However, I'll skip on the big bottle because my allergies are bad enough as it is!

I received Delphi as a frimp in a sale, and it's turned out to be a wonderful find because I wouldn't have chosen it for myself! Initially, Delphi was very herbal, and I really didn't think I'd like it because it was so herbal and green it made me sneeze. However, once it dried down, the blend mellows into a sweet, gentle smell that feels like scents on a breeze. It's not the most feminine scent in the BPAL collection, but it's worth a try for anyone looking for a more subtle sweet scent!

I finally got around to retesting my imp of Midnight, and while I do like it, I've realized that it's a little more floral than what I usually enjoy wearing. When wet Midnight smells sort of spicy floral to me, but it calms down to sweet, gentle floral as it dries. At the same time it fades so much that I can barely perceive it on my skin. Unfortunately, I do get a case of the sneezes when I first put it on, so something is irritating my allergies. Ah well, I will use my imp sparingly and enjoy it while it lasts.

I received Hurricane through a sale, and I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure if the aquatic/airy notes would work on my skin. They didn't. I smelled like I was wearing some demented version of "Country Air" or "Fresh Linen" dryer sheets, so off to give away to friends it went!

R'Lyeh was the scent that confirmed that my skin definitely does NOT like aquatics. I did get the scent of cold, dark water, but it wasn't the ocean...it was a cold, dark puddle of standing water that was beginning to grow algae and mold. Yuck! I passed it along to a friend who loves Lovecraft scents, and she adores it!

For whatever reason I got no florals at all from New Orleans, just the sense of decay. It wasn't the worst blend for my skin chemistry, but it was like trying to wear a shoe that was a size too large or too small. The basic design isn't bad, just not for me.

Sybaris is one of those scents that is just sweet enough to smell feminine on me without screaming "I will rot your teeth out!". It feels sophisticated and deeply purple, and the hint of spice balances the sweetness perfectly. I really didn't smell any violets in this, which is a pity because I love violet scent. Overall, I suspect I shall have to get a large bottle of this.

Kathmandu's description sounded wonderful, but I am apparently allergic to something it because I sneezed the entire day I wore it. I may simply not be able to handle the combination of spices with cedar wood. Fortunately, one of my friend's skin chemistry adores anything with cedar in it, so I passed the imp off to her!

The Hamptons is another very pink scent on me...I didn't smell any sort of cocktail or booze notes. It was just strong strawberry/berry scent with heavy amounts of sugar. It's just a bit too sweet for me.