undream

I had forgotten the description of Lady M before trying her this evening, and smelling this one right out of the imp, I thought, "Mmmm, wine & berry?" I'LL TAKE IT! Wearing, it stays pretty consistent, a mix of wine and sweet berries, and a delicious tang, as of green apple. This a deep red/plum scent, a very fruity oil, and I LOVE fruity scents. A big bottle it is!

This is one oil that has definitely surprised me. I was dubious going in, because I did not particularly think I'd care to smell like peppermint, but this oil? It's a delicious mix of peppermint & a light, sweet vanilla, and I really do like it. I feel as though I should be curling up with a hot cup of tea beside a lit, decorated Christmas tree, watching the snow outside. Mmm.

All rose in the imp. Beautiful, soft, feminine rose. I love rose, so I am encouraged already. On skin, the leather slowly prowls to the fore. Whip is equal parts rose & leather on me, a gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous scent; I am slightly drunk with it. Yum.

Ohmygod, yum. Dark, spicy, with a sweet throw. Very seductive. And somewhat elegant? Deep, deep plum, both scent & colour (not of the actual oil, but if it were a colour . . . ) I am all kinds of distracted in love with this one . . .

based on the description alone, i had enormously high hopes for thalia, & i am so happy to say that she has absolutely come through! i am in love with thalia right out of the imp. my god, what a light, gorgeous scent!! i cannot pinpoint what i am smelling at all, but it is sweet & light, and yes, it is bubbly; sunlight through a flute of pale champagne. just. breathtakingly beautiful. i MUST have more of this one!

In the imp: soap & orange. I love fruity scents, so the orange had me thinking, "Ooh, this has promise!" On, the orange melts away; the clean, soapy scent is still there, but it has warmed into a musky perfume - it was driving me crazy trying to figure out what it reminded me of, but I think this one really does actually smell like Jovan White Musk, which was a favourite perfume of mine all throughout high school. HoM is a very nostalgic scent for me, for this reason. Overall, a very lovely, warm oil.

First smell out of the imp gives me cedar, which makes me nervous (I don't think I want to smell like cedar!), but with the second whiff the cedar has melted back into an aquatic, subtle floral scent. On, I immediately love it. It is foggy, damp, gloomy. It also smells green, airy, clean; like walking through a foggy park at night after a lush spring rain. I occasionally catch fleeting whiffs of light, sweet florals, but they are elusive. Still, they quite add to what I am already madly loving about this oil. This one is absolutely me, big bottle wishlist, for sure.

First whiff out of the imp gave me strong honey. Second whiff gave me, oddly, cherry. Third whiff gave me neither of these, but instead smelled like cake! This is a very sweet, warm scent, very foody on me. I cannot pick any one note out no matter how hard I concentrate on doing so, it is that well-blended to my nose, but longer drydown does bring out the vanilla more & more. I usually adore vanilla in its pure form (as opposed to cheap vanilla perfumes or fake vanilla soaps & dthe like), but I think that the amber is making this vanilla just too heavy for me, too something. It is making my tummy a little uneasy. It is a rich, delicious scent, definitely, but one that I would much rather smell wafting from a kitchen than on me, I'm afraid.

Like shriekingviolet, this one, to me, also smells exactly like your typical fancy women's perfume. In the imp, I am also getting a ghost of a grape smell? It hits me briefly somewhere in the back of my nose. But this does not last long and disappears once on my skin; it is all perfume from there. Up close, there is something that also smells particularly clean about it, and it takes me a moment to realize it is exactly like fresh, clean laundry, or like walking into a laundromat; the sharp detergents, the clean, heady fabric softeners. And wow, this oil keeps fighting with itself on me! One minute, I can detect incense in it, the next, it is a much lighter, sweeter scent sans any incense at all. Very interesting. Occasionally, I catch a gorgeous sweet floral note in the throw as well, but she is fleeting. And too bad, she could make this oil a definite keeper. Wish I knew which note she was. This actually is a very beautiful oil. I never was one for the type of perfumes that this oil brings to mind, so I am thinking that Seraphim is just not for me - but this one is complicated. I suspect she'll be going up for swaps, but I may need to test it out a few more times before I make up my mind.

Nyx stays pretty consistent from the imp to my skin, reminding me of a somewhat floral Johnson's Baby Powder. My nose still has a long way to go in being able to recognize BPAL notes, but this oil is definitely a dusty Jasmine on me. It is not until a couple of hours later that I begin to detect a little bit of rose as well. Overall, a very soft, feminine, beautiful scent. ETA: after a few hours' wear, Nyx does something very similar to what Veil eventually does on me & turns from a beautiful floral into a sharp, unpleasant hairspray smell. The throw is still a gorgeous jasmine, but up against my skin, it is a nasty hairspray-like scent. I had wondered if Veil & Nyx have one particular note in both oils that might be the hairspray-causing culprit, but. No such luck. I am at a bit of a loss as to what to do with Nyx now as I really love the jasmine in this! Perhaps I will keep it purely for sprinkling on clothes & such, or until I find someone else who loves the jasmine as much as I & will hopefully have better results. :(

Imp; a fresh maraschino cherry, right out of the jar. Wearing; it immediately warms into a deep, gorgeous red rose. I am getting no other notes here at all, it is simply all rose all the time. Beautiful. I love rose scents, I find them very soft, very comforting and peaceful, and so I very much love Seraglio. I actually own a bottle of non-BPAL rose oil spray, but I think Seraglio is a richer, more heady rose, &throws more than the lighter non-BPAL rose oil that I own. I will give it another try in a week or two to see if it reacts with my skin the same way - BPAL oils tend to be fairly consistent on me throughout the month, I've noticed, but you never know when you might have found a moody imp! ETA; this oil changes on me after about an hour or two of wear, when what I am pretty sure is the sandalwood comes out & to the forefront. The rose is still there, but it is lighter now, letting the sandalwood steal the show. A very beautiful, calming scent. Definitely keeping my imp.

My god, Wanda is just gorgeous. So unique, sexy, pleasant. I'm immediately hit with the merlot, it is all my nose wants to focus on. There is more going on, something very lush & sweet and beautiful, but I'm so honed in on the wine . . . ! On, it fades quickly, but breathing in deeply, I can now detect the leather, and I am SO surprised by how much I am loving it - I really did not think I would be very keen on smelling like leather! There is also a sweet companion scent to the leather, but I've no idea what it is - the florals, I suppose - and a slightly musky tinge, mmm. And of course, I can still smell the merlot, faintly, but definitely there. God, I love love love this. I really do wish it was stronger on me - it is such a subtle scent on my skin - but I think I want a bigger bottle, regardless!

first impression; mmm, smells like the fruits & vegetables isle in a grocery store. is it citrusy? more green & vegetable-ish? i can't pin it down! i am mystified for a moment or two, but then it suddenly snaps into a zingy grapefruit with a greener companion note? like peeling grapefruit while sitting in freshly-mowed grass. so far, i am loving it! the citrus softens considerably after about twenty minutes of wear, settling into a lovely, gentle, sweet scent. i keep catching whiffs of it and am just, nnghh, helplessly in love. tea, cherry, a lovely sweet herbal. it is wonderful up close on my skin, but this wafting, my god, this is beautiful. just a gorgeous, gorgeous scent. if my skin can manage to keep this from fading into a too-sweet powder on me, as machu picchu did, then i will definitely be wanting a bigger bottle.

the dormouse is one of those scents that i was not initially interested in trying, but my wonderful BPAL angel, quikslvr, included it in her gracious BPAL introductory package to me. from my very first whiff, i am loving this. it behaves very strangely on me in that it seems to completely disappear once it hits my skin - i really need to deeply inhale in order to detect it on my wrists or arms. this made me sad, because i had so loved it in the bottle, but then i began noticing this most amazingly pretty scent wafting up around my head. mmmm, oh my god, what is that? i'm looking around, smelling my hair. then i realize it's the dormouse! somehow unseen (on my skin), but hovering around me, sweet & ghostly. how very coy. truly, this is SUCH a beautiful scent, very light & refreshing, very Spring-like. i am thinking of tea in a fresh meadow, greenery & light white flowers, clean sunshine. personified, it would be sweet-mannered and soft spoken, smiling, occasional peals of lovely, bell-like laughter. i definitely recognize the lovely tea notes, but there is something else there as well, sweetening it just a little bit; i am guessing that is the peony. i'm also getting a subtle lemony feel? but it is so subtle, more like the idea of lemon. which i am glad for; i am not certain i would like a very overtly lemon scent on me. overall, i am feeling the kind of flushed excitement one feels around a crush, or a new love, which is a clear indication of how much i am loving this one. oh, big bottle, for certain!

in the imp; mmmmm, cherry. i want to compare it to cherry cough syrup as other reviewers have, but not in the sense that it has a medicinal feel? it is just a deeply lovely, heady cherry scent. wearing, the cherry disappears into a gorgeous sweet, spicey, warm, musky scent; thick, dark and decadent. it is a mysterious scent to me, it reminds me of quiet, dimly lit new age shops, & of this heartbreakingly beautiful incense that i once bought for an ex-boyfriend - incense which i can no longer remember the name of. it's also fairly strong! a friend was able to smell it from a few feet away - said it was really nice but made him dizzy, ha. i tend to slather, so i'll have to remember to go easy on this one. final verdict? i don't know if i'll be wanting a bigger bottle, but the imp is a keeper!

my first thought on smelling this one in the imp was, "OMG, Jovan White Musk!" (which was one of my favourite perfumes for years, so already, gold star!) i then noted that another reviewer mentioned sweet honesty, & i could see why! but THEN, i came to the end page of reviews and saw that jasper had compared it to Love's Baby Soft; & i thought, "THAT'S IT! that's it exactly." they all three ring true for me, because this is such a soft, sweet, feminine scent on me, distinctly musk/powder (no lemon for me). &i do love my musks! i am getting a luscious & languid vanilla note as well, which is adding a subtle creaminess to it, and just nnnngghhh, i love it. i love it!!

i don't think i'm smelling rose at all with this one, but whatever i am smelling is positively singing on me. it is a warm, sweet, dusty scent on my skin, like incense & powder, very soft & calming. it is almost making me sleepy. reminds me of old love letters found in a warm, sunny attic. another winner! i'll definitely be wearing this one again.

oh, i am beside myself with how in love i am with this one. the ghost is absolutely gorgeous on me!! i think it may easily be my favourite BPAL scent so far. right away, it was all crisp, clean, green and floral - no fruityness for me! - but strangely, the scent completely disappeared for me after a few whiffs from the imp - just there, and then quietly gone (very aptly named) - and then i could not really detect it on my skin for about five or ten minutes, either, save for a faint but lovely crisp, green smell. i was already quite in love despite this, figuring i would just need to be rather generous when applying, but then it blossomed into this amazingly beautiful cloud of scent!! i do not know what i am smelling, what notes i am getting or any such thing, but i CAN describe it as very clean & fresh, delicate & light, floral, atmospheric, exactly as it would smell to be in a lush garden of white, light flowers & greenery during a summer rain. it is making my heart ache with how much i wish to be doing just that in new orleans, my favourite of all places, come springtime! this is the PERFECT scent for such wishes, for such places. this is the perfect scent for me. truly, i cannot keep my nose out from the crook of my arm, i am nearly drunk with it. i absolutely want a bigger bottle of this one. simply glorious.

imp; cordial cherries! it is exactly like biting into a cordial cherry. (&i LOVE cordial cherries!) on; this is a lovely scent(!), &it seems to be playing coy on my skin. i can smell cherry and something of a woodsy scent, but there is also a very elusive, playful licorice note that keeps playing hide-&-seek with me. i was intrigued by kyoto upon reading its description before ever having the chance to try it, but the licorice scent that so many seem to get really put me off, as i strongly dislike black licorice. but as i'd hoped, this scent on me, so far, is just lovely. light, spicy, sweet, &at one point i was getting a very fresh, green scent from it, like the stems of freshly cut flowers. the anise is much stronger after about thirty minutes of wear, but it's not turning me off, to my surprise. it is still a lovely scent; it reminds me of making anise cookies with my ex-boyfriend's mother for christmas one year. i think this one's a keeper.

Out of the imp: sharp, green, herbaly. I keep thinking eucalyptus. Wearing: at first, I don't know what I'm smelling, and this is yet another time I found myself really wishing I knew all the notes better (or rather, at all!) - but it isn't something that I am adoring on me. It is a scent that is in no way floral or pretty, all I am getting is something that is just woodsy and terribly peculiar on my skin. But after about fifteen minutes, ohhhh, here come the lovely florals! It is a much softer, prettier scent now, and I am feeling relieved! After reading the reviews here, I very much wanted to like this one and had high hopes for it. The longer it is on, the more gorgeously floral it becomes - I can detect different florals, but again, being so unfamiliar with BPAL & all of the different notes, I don't know exactly what I'm smelling! Still, this is a scent that is truly lovely & calming; it just needs time to blossom on me. I don't foresee a bigger bottle purchase, but I will definitely use up my imp! It will be perfect for those calm Summer nights when I just wish to curl up with a good book. EDIT: Two hours later, and it has turned into hairspray on my skin. I asked a friend, to be sure, and received the same response! "Aqua Net." I'll give it a week or two and try again. I really liked this one while we were feeling so affectionate with one another!

A twisted teatime tart: apricot and sweet clove. I was sooo excited to try this one, and it promised to be !looove! at first sniff, out of the imp (which at one point reminded me of red kool-aid! YAY childhood summer memories.) alas. :D As soon as it touched my skin, it's all cheap & waxy holiday candle, or one of any cheap vanilla perfumes that I simply cannot tolerate. Just: ew. I would definitely like to use it as a room scent, perhaps, or utilize it in some other way, because in the bottle? OMGYUM. As long as it is not touching my skin.

Soft, warm, spicey sweetness. Chocolatey, a powdery calm; soothing. A quiet cocoa incense. I love this one.

It takes me a few whiffs out of the imp, but then I recognize the orange scent - which I am excited about as I love orange - very warm and lovely! On my skin, it becomes a orange & chocolate. Like others here, it immediately reminds me of those fantastic chocolate oranges, mmm. I detect vanilla as well, &it is altogether just very warm and lush and deeeeelicious. I am loving it sooo much, but after about only five minutes on my skin, it turns into a prickly medicinal smell! To be fair, it's not a BAD smell - I can see someone liking it - it just really is not a good smell for me. Too prickly! Like someone dropped that luscious chocolate orange into a cactus with some vicks vapor rub. It mellows after a bit, but that sharp, medicine smell is still there, sadly. I'll give it another shot in hopes we can warm up to one another, otherwise I'll pass it on. And I was so loving this one for a moment!

My god, another keeper, this one is absolutely amazing . From the imp to my skin, it remains relatively consistent; sweet, floral, it reminds me of a certain kind of candy that I can't recall just now, but it's delicious. Almost syrupy sweet, but not cloying in the least, which makes all the difference. Just very warm and calming and completely yummy. Magic!!! After a short while, it changes somewhat, slightly, but I couldn't even begin to tell you how, just that it becomes even more glorious, if that is even possible! It is reminding me of days spent at the pool in the summer when I was a little girl. Not in an icky chlorine way, but something about it . . . I feel deeply happy, wearing it. Almost heartbreakingly so. I definitely want a bigger bottle of this one. Ahhhhh, so so so in love!!!!!

Wow! Citrus citrus citrus. I love fruity scents, and this is no exception. Right out of the imp, Machu Picchu is alllll citrus for me. Very grapefruity, zesty. On, after about ten minutes, it becomes a much creamier scent - still citrusy, and very wet and fresh, but warmed & softened by something else in it? Like eating fruit & cream. On the front porch. Surrounded by lush greenery and lovely flowers. In a warm, light rain. Over time, it somewhat fades into a powdery sort of scent on me, which makes me sad as it is less a scent that I love - too sweet - but up until that point, I love it!