zeldaZ4

Decided to try this right away to see if the Jasmine would behave herself, since my disastrous trial of Ceanothus Silkmoth (yuck!) is so fresh in my mind. Phew! There she is! Strong & sickly sweet. But I will brave this out and see if something else shows up. Almost immediately a hint of leather appears, like the guest room closet in my mother's house where she keeps her out of season clothes, suitcases, shoes, & belts. But why is there Jasmine in there??? Go away, Jasmine! An hour later, Jasmine has stopped screaming at me, but I'm afraid Iole just isn't going to work for me. In another hour, the whole thing is very faded. What's left still doesn't mesh with my chemistry. I'll sit it aside to age. Perhaps if Jasmine calms down, I can detect the other notes. But right now, I agree with the other reviewers above. This does not say "studious" to me.

In the imp, this was sharp and sweet, almost like cough syrup. On my skin, it was lovely, floral and fruity, but faded fast. Familiar. Reminded me of a perfume from the 80's? Can't think what. Charlie, perhaps? Not offensive, but not special enough to warrant a whole bottle. This would be good for people who like dreamy, floaty, soft scents. It's not powdery, thank goodness, so I will enjoy my imp.

This is my lesson to give Patchouli another chance! I've always loved Patchouli. But perhaps I loved it on other people, but not on me? Because when I tried this - whew! It was too strong and dirty. And all the reviews claim this is the "softer" Patchouli, ha ha! I really wanted to smell the osmanthus, my favorite flowering shrub, but I could smell nothing but Patchouli. But - after putting my imp aside for a few days - I gave it another try. Mmmmm... The Patch isn't as dirty, and it faded into a spicy, dusty floral that lasted throughout the day. Light and close to the skin, but still there in the evening. Added more. Kept sniffing my wrist. Hmmmmm… Definitely a lesson here. Give an interesting BPAL another chance.

This is really complex & rich. Definitely a winter scent on me. Reminds me of Christmas, and eagerly dumping out my Christmas stocking, looking for goodies. First to roll out would be the Hershey kisses and nuts, then finally the huge fragrant orange that had filled out the toe. My grandfather would be sitting in his upholstered wing chair, the scent of his pipe tobacco mingling with the smells of the fruity, chocolatey pile on the floor. LOVE this! It lasted all day, chocolate, orange, & tobacco, lingering on my clothes the next morning, the haunting smell of Christmas Past.

Testing my decant from the lovely Ralenth: In the Imp: Immediate return to trips to Montgomery Ward when I was a child, the smells of caramel corn heavy in the air. My mother could never resist my pleas, and I usually ended up with the caramel corn AND the cotton candy (she liked it herself!) We would always look at the Barbie dolls but could never afford the new ones I wanted. She'd buy me the tiny clothes and shoes, though. And one day, she got me a giant bright pink balloon filled with helium. I let it go in my Grandmother's front yard. I still remember watching it drift away, puzzled that the "ceiling" of trees didn't stop it... On my Skin: The sugar, popcorn and wood all blend together equally, like the leftovers spilled on the floor when the circus is over. A little barefoot girl is under the stands, picking up the pieces. The wooden floor is cool beneath her feet, but she is delighted to find some of the popcorn is still warm. Interesting how this scent, to me, seems both bright and foodie and fun, yet slightly melancholic as well. I'm thinking that "polished golden wood" is the cool note I'm detecting. The juxtaposition is fascinating. ETA: Is it just me, or is there something from Snow White in here? It's been a few hours and I smell nuts (the Cracker Jack carmelized peanut kind), and a bit of Snow White.

Tea Olives... The elusive, mysterious scent that you catch on a sultry afternoon in the Deep South. A perfume so rich and rare it makes the heart ache and can only be taken in small doses. Thankfully, this is Nature's perfect design. The smell of tea olives in bloom can be as hard to pin down down as a ghost drifting through daylight. You know it is there. Or is it? Years ago, I was an 18-year-old innocent in her first year at a women's college in Macon, Georgia. Sitting by the open window of the freshman dorm, I was homesick and melancholy. An intensely sweet fragrance wafted in the window, haunting in its familiarity. Why does this place smell like my Grandmother's back yard? A hard mystery to solve, because the scent wasn't constant. Now-I-smelled-it, now-I-didn't. A summer trip to my Grandmother's house in Columbus, Georgia, revealed the answer. My Grandmother grew Tea Olives. Oh heavenly Osmanthus, the lovely Tea Olive. This is Mokey. The osmanthus note floats in and out, so glorious, yet so hard to catch. One of my favorite commercial perfumes is Gucci's Flora. Same osmanthus note. No wonder I love this, and will forever thank the wonderful eBayer venus_mantrap for including it as a frimp with my order. I treasure the gift.

Delicious!!! My fave so far of the Metamorphosis series. Starts off as lemon icing with warm sugar underneath, then morphs into lemon gummy Lifesavers, becoming warmer and yummier as the day wears on. Like a Lemon Poppyseed cupcake from Gigi's Cupcakes covered in a perfect mound of decadent lemon buttercream frosting. I want to eat my wrist!!! Definitely getting at least one bottle of this!

A sliver of chilled apple between silent red lips. This IS Snow White, lying in her coffin of carved alabaster on snow-shrouded ground, her beauty pure and frozen beneath the casket's crystalline lid. She is cold, but not dead. Somewhere within her unbeating heart is a spark of life. I am in love with this perfume as much as I am in love with the vision of loveliness it evokes. This oil is every bit the masterpiece it is renowned to be. In the bottle I detected minty, cold, sweet apples touched with a warmth I couldn't decipher but that reminded me of my mother. On my skin, it stayed the same - perfection. When I finish the bottle I purchased from Ralenth on this forum, I will be compelled to seek another! My version is from 2010.

My first review!!! And as I scan through the others before me, I get a sense of the joy and mystery that is BPAL. Some find the Jasmine too strong, some the Orange. Some find this scent to be complex, some find it boring. I'm beginning to understand the need to know my own desires, my own skin, what works and what doesn't. Sadly, I don't think Jasmine works... From my experience with Lush, I didn't think Jasmine would work. But I am trying decants of all the current Metamorphosis scents before they are discontinued. Tonight, it was time for the Silkmoth to fly. My First-Whiff-in-the-Bottle got me so excited! This was heady and rich. I was surprised at how badly I wanted to swipe it on my wrists. The Jasmine was strong, but so was the Orange. Their dance in the air was a sultry, perfumed tango. Both giving, both taking. Wow! On my skin, their partnership was less enthusiastic. Their steps faltered, then the Orange left the room altogether. It wasn't long before the Jasmine seemed lost and alone. Pretty enough, but not exciting. Although she wasn't the loud, obnoxious Jasmine of my expectations, she was nothing special. On to try more of these butterflies! ETA: Tried this again, just to be fair. Eeek! Jasmine. Yuck. Okay, I've learned my lesson. Poor little Silkmoth...