Precis

I've only tried a couple so it's hardly like I can compare the lot but regarding warmer weather scents, sugar plum fairy makes me think of flowering trees and spring on the cusp of summer. Also, fruit loops.

Oh heehee, that's a cute idea. I might have to nab it I'm thinking maybe Red Lantern (or Miska U!) for da movie and then Blue Moon for the next book. Not that I'll remember this in a month. (I preordered with Amazon! )

My first impression of Cancer, on my wrist but from a bit of a distance, is that it's light and sporty and encased in a cocoon of water. Up close it smells lighter and more pillowy and I can almost detect something like cotton up close (probably the sweet pea or chamomile?) As it dries I am getting more and more of the pear, with the rest of the notes weaving into a sweet, aquatic incense smell behind it. I can't decide if I like this or dislike it, it's crazy. It's upbeat and nice for summer, but it reminds me of a scent you would find in a mall's bath and body works/body shop/victoria's secret garden products section as if it were a soap or lotion.

Hemlock is a GREEN oil, which is super cool, but it smells like nail polish remover and hydrogen peroxide and stuff, which is not.

Twenty-One is clean, crisp juniper! I actually could not place "juniper" as a note and I did not know gin was made from juniper but after asking around ("HEY SMELL MY WRIST TELL ME WHAT THIS IS") and being informed that it was junipery, it all made sense. I did not think I would want to smell like a martini but I got this as a frimp from the lab and it's different, but nice. It's a swank scent, though it does flirt with pine-sol smell without ever delving into that arena, and I like it. Perfect for nights~

Ginger never works on me but I just had to try the famous Shub-Niggurath! Wet: I can make out the most gorgeous and amazing spices in this blend... underneath two tons of pencil shavings ginger. To be precise, a test run with Shub sounds something like "oh BLAHghh-- wait! It smells PERFECTLY like gingerbread cookies-- NO THE PENCIL SHAVINGS ARE BACK AGHG--now it's spices and ginger--AGHGHGH" etc etc. It comes and goes. One of the good flashes of smell I get from this is, as another poster noted, exactly like delicious pumpkin bread! Dry: Subtle, warm, spicy, and more consistent. The nastyginger note is still there but it's completely tolerable and I barely notice it. I can't decide if I can put up with the wet stage long enough to ever wear this.

On me, Swank does not morph much from application to drydown, except the edge is tempered and the pomegranate really grows. The juniper is a perfect companion to the pomegranate, keeping it sharp and exciting! I love the crisp effect that results from this blend so much that I need to find more opportunities to wear it. I also should note that it doesn't strike me as so boozy that you have to avoid it so you don't smell like a lush or anything. Just tarty and playful and fun! (EXCEPT: depending on the time of the month, super juicy fruits can turn gross sometimes, so a note of caution!)

For some reason, my first impression of Bliss was exactly the scent of a milk chocolate bar, bottle to drydown. Upon further testing, I sometimes get the richer, warmer smell of hot cocoa. It's all great, but it makes me want to lick my wrist so I think I need to stick to foody oils that smell at least a little less than perfectly edible. The imp will be kept around for layering purposes.

I love the name Luilekkerland, I love the simplicity of the listed notes, and I love the oil Cockaigne to death. In the imp it is identical to Gluttony for me, buttery, nutty, and brownie-esque. On, the ovewhelming buttery scent lightens and the cake and wine notes appear. It's luscious and cakey in a yummier way than Beaver Moon, and it's less heady and spicier than Haloa. As a matter of fact, Cockaigne seems more fitted to the winter holiday season for its spicy edge. The throw is extra spicy for me and while I get a noseful of luscious cakey foods when I am right against my arm, the smell I get when it just wafts out is completely Christmas spice. Another bonus is that it seems like it wouldn't be too cloying and sugar encrusted for innocent bystanders who have to smell me when I am out and about (as the other foody scents I love may be ). I want a bottle of this so I can stretch Haloa longer. I love the fact that this is GC.

In the imp, Dragon's Bone is straight sandalwood. Wet, it smells like nothing so much as the smell my mom and grandmother's old perfumes become after decades of disuse. This is only so for a minute, but it's bizarre! Dry, early: I get just a hint of dragon's blood amid a very dry dusty smelling perfume. It reminds me of the beach! Small little gardens in the front yards of beachside property. There's just a hint of sweetness and something that smells like sunscreen (the beach!). I like my dragon's blood stronger than that, tho... Dry, later: SOAP.

In the bottle, Utrennyaya is a bag of mint tea! Applied, wet, it's a cup of mint tea! It almost smells like chamomile is in there somewhere but this may be due to my mental bias interpreting it in terms of tea. As it dries, more flowers unfold, notably the violet. It seems to be one of those light scents that disappears into the ether after an hour or two. Verdict: very very nice, but I prefer Dorian for tea perfume.

Yipe! Reading comprehension problems, sorry about that and thank you thank you both for the help

I hope this is the appropriate place to ask... I placed an order on 3/25 for six imps and four bottles (it went through and everything, too, I'm sure -- I got the confirmation email and I've been charged for the order already), but the address to which the order will be shipped is on-campus housing, which I'll be leaving within a week. It was pretty short-sighted of me to use this address instead of my summer one, but I've been doing it all year so I put it down without thinking. Could I still email ted at blackphoenixalchemylab to have the destination address changed if the order has not shipped at this time? I ask because this post was made in 2004 so this may no longer be the protocol... The website's FAQ seems to imply that I should instead direct this sort of question to answers at blackphoenixalchemylab? Thank you for your assistance, anyone who happens to know

I got a huge lot of imps from eBay, two of which were missing labels, and I knew that one was Marie the instant I sniffed it (and the fact it was clear like the labeled imp of Marie I had tried confirmed it in my mind). As for the other, I have no clue; but it isn't a scent to die for that I absolutely must start hoarding immediately so it's no GREAT loss. I guess if your unlabeled imp isn't familiar enough that you know by heart and you can't do a side-by-side comparison with another, it will have to remain a mystery unless you feel like nabbing another imp of the suspected culprit, won't it? (admittedly, I don't know if TAL offers imps...)

I don't know if it's exactly what you're looking for (I haven't smelled Gennivre) but Lick It Again is incredibly pepperminty and live until February.

Right upon application, my first impression was that Horreur Sympathique was a lot foodier than I expected. The first thing that comes to mind is "fruity purple honey." It smells good enough to eat (or drink)! As it dries, it becomes less foody and more wearable, I think, and the musk emerges. It also becomes increasingly heady and almost intoxicating! The tobacco and resins give it a sultry thickness that keeps the oil from being overwhelmingly girly despite the sweetness. It reminds me of the decadence of Bordello, but it doesn't turn to nerds candy like Bordello does on me. This scent seems a little... upbeat for the accompanying poem, but it's far too awesome for me to question the inspiration involved. Conclusion: A winning oil!

If that isn't an excellent excuse for hoarding a ton of BPAL, I don't know what is

Oh my gosh, I wasn't sure that I'd like this from the description because I had bad luck with other berry and forest scents but Bewitched is GORGEOUS. I get the blackberry sage tea impression and the cute witchy forest impression as well. Adjectives that come to mind include crisp, lush, and happy because just wearing it makes me smile, it's such an incredibly nice smell. I need a bottle of this one!

Dee sounded appealling but I avoided picking it up due to bad luck with these notes in the past. I'm getting the chance to try it now as a frimp from the lab! In the imp: Something smells dark green and foresty and something else smells like an office. On, wet: I get tonka, something vaguely evocative of "forest" to me, and something else... I struggle to identify a note for a few moments when I realize that, oh my gosh, it's LEATHER! The Highwayman instantly turned to motor oil on my skin so I didn't know I could wear leather this way. After a minute or two, it's a little sweeter (rosewood?) and the leather seems to be threatening to go bad. On, dry: From a distance, I'm now getting an awesome forest from the woods, tonka, and incense. A close sniff reveals parchment and an almost motor-oily version of leather that makes me cough. There's less leather as the scent fades, but you lose the subtlety of the nice notes at the same time.

Imp: On first sniff, Bordello is delicious and on second, a little bawdy too. This smells like an oil that should be thick, dark, and purple. On, wet: It's juicy and purple and it really is evocative of the cheesy cramped bordellos you see in western movies. It's all juice and no booze or amaretto, though. On, dry: Blahhh it dries to Nerds on me. I'd heard such good things about this one, too. Verdict: Swapping or aging this, I guess.

In the imp: It's saltwater! Awesome! On, wet: The saltwater ran away! Not so awesome! There's a sickly sweet floral that might be lily mucking up the "lightless deep" impression. I'm also getting an ozone impression that's nice. On, dry: Okay, the marine note is awesome on drydown and it almost reminds me of the aquarium but I don't like the other stuff interfering! I'd probably call this a light, sweet, green, slightly herbal aquatic. It's a much more tolerable version of Lightning. With less floral involved, this would be an all time favorite, but as it is, I'm not feeling it.

In the imp: DUSTY COFFEE? I guess in that tiny little vial, there isn't room for all the notes to spread out so it smells like they've been poured into a single mug. On, wet: Same as in the imp! That delicious Irish coffee smell is so wonderful and spot on that I wish the dust wasn't there; it would be a WONDERFUL foody scent all on its own. Miska U almost smells like a kitchen where something unsweet is cooking and interfering with the smell of that yummy coffee. Rice? Pizza? Pasta? Play-doh? On, dry: There's less coffee and more of that weird other note I'm getting. Verdict: the booze-cream-coffee portion of the scent will keep this imp around but that odd interfering note won't let me get a bottle just yet. I have high hopes that this will age deliciously, though; I know some people get play-doh from fresh Snake Oil as well. Verdict postponed!

Dia de los Muertos 2006 the bottle: I can't identify anything but it smells like autumn night. It's a little sweet and I think I can smell the "dry, crackling leaf" note which is really cool and something smells like a weird candy. On, wet: It goes on a little sharp but after a few minutes, something smoky/musky is coming out (I am guessing the tobacco). The sweetness (which was sort of bothering me in this particular blend although I am usually a fan of all things sugary) has become very muted, which is wonderful because the florals here are just gorgeous. Sometimes I think I catch a whiff of cocoa but it works here. On, dry: The tobacco/incense/crackling leaves are at the forefront now. There's also the soft and slightlly morose desert florals and just the memory of the sweet foody notes left. The scent progression from application to drydown makes me think of time elapsing, starting at twilight and proceeding on as it grows colder and quieter and later. There's a lot of stuff going on here so I'll probably need to reapply a few times to solidify my opinion, but DDLM is a unique and lovely scent. I could see this being a nice alternative for Santa Muerte if you didn't like what the vetiver did in that blend.

In the imp: Y'ha-Nthlei smells complex and aquatic, but no notes are jumping out at me yet! On, wet: Oooh! It's wet and wicked and a little foreboding. The earthy ambergris note is dominating the scent but I can smell eucalyptus and just a hint of the bergamot if I sniff hard enough. On, dry: Very much like the wet version except even more of an ambergris single note with a little bit of chilly eucalyptus left. After drying, it's a little more earth than water to my nose, as a matter of fact. Y'ha-Nthlei is a lot darker and colder than the (few) other aquatics I've tried, most of which tend toward the fresh and clean "white" scent category. It's a nice change for a wet scent. I'll have to try the other Arkham aquatics and compare!

Sugar Skull 2006 Having fallen in love with SS05, I was incredibly anxious to try this baby out. The sweetness is much fruiter in this one as opposed to simply hot and sugary, especially right out of the bottle. It's also very sharp on first application. As it dries, it becomes much more palatable, though. I like the sugar overload much more without the fruits, but I can see this aging into something as delicious as last year's batch.