Ranna

DADDY Chalk on chalkboard, 2012 This is my daddy. Sometimes he has a mustache, sometimes he doesn't. Black tea and a sweet lilac fougere with a dash of red licorice. I just got my bottles in earlier today, and though I know I should have let them settle before testing...frankly, I couldn't wait In the bottle: Lilac, first and foremost. It smells almost a bit astringent, maybe kind of medicinal? Wet on skin: Still lilac. I'm thinking of dryer sheets. It's sweeter than it was in the bottle, though. Dry: The tea and licorice notes come out. It's a bit difficult to describe now. I've still got the lilac/dryer sheet impression, but I can make out the licorice as well, and it's quickly going softer and is now much less medicinal than it was initially. There's not as much of the tea as I would've liked, but that might change with some time. I'm not quite sure it suits me, but I'll give it time to age before I make a final decision. As it stands, I do like it and will wear it again. It'll be good for when the weather really heats up.

A classic vintage musk. In the bottle: Baked goods, sweet and buttery. I wasn't expecting this to be so foody! On wet: Smells just like it did in the bottle. As it dries down I can just pick up hints of tea. Still no sign of musk, though. On dry: There isn't much change from start to finish. Now that it's been dry about an hour or so I'm getting a soft and sweet foody scent. The tea is just barely there. It's not at all what I expected, but I'm planning on hanging on to my bottle - I got it in just a few days ago, and I suspect as it settles down and ages I'll be able to pick up more of the musk. I'll probably experiment with layering this with musky scents like Smut and see if I can get something with a little more oomph.

MY HAPPY DAY Washable acrylic on economy craft paper, 2011 This is my happy day. My happy day is always purple. Plum sugar, blackcurrant bud absolute, pink jasmine, effervescent elemi, purple carnation, honeysuckle nectar, and champagne grape. My Happy Day In the bottle: Sweet and fizzy, if that makes sense. I'm not familiar with elemi, but I'm not picking up any of the other notes listed except for some jasmine. Right now, I'm a bit worried this will be stronger than what I'd usually wear. On wet: "Effervescent" is definitely a key word. It's got that same sort of fizziness I got from Fizzy Jack O' Lantern, though I wouldn't say it smells like it. It's sweeter on skin than it was in the bottle, and I can smell the jasmine better now as well as some fruitiness. It reminds me of some sparkly alcoholic drink. Dry: Still fizzy, still sweet. It's gotten softer. The vaguely boozy fizz prevents it from being a truly light scent, but this is actually very pretty. I would say jasmine as the most evident, followed by either the blackcurrant or plum...my nose is not yet refined enough to really pick out notes, I'm afraid. If I sniff long enough I'm pretty sure I can pick out the carnation. Not something I might have taken home if I'd just tried it in passing, but I'm planning on hanging on to my bottle so far.

In the bottle: Sweet and fizzy, if that makes sense. I'm not familiar with elemi, but I'm not picking up any of the other notes listed except for some jasmine. Right now, I'm a bit worried this will be stronger than what I'd usually wear. On wet: "Effervescent" is definitely a key word. It's got that same sort of fizziness I got from Fizzy Jack O' Lantern, though I wouldn't say it smells like it. It's sweeter on skin than it was in the bottle, and I can smell the jasmine better now as well as some fruitiness. It reminds me of some sparkly alcoholic drink. Dry: Still fizzy, still sweet. It's gotten softer. The vaguely boozy fizz prevents it from being a truly light scent, but this is actually very pretty. I would say jasmine as the most evident, followed by either the blackcurrant or plum...my nose is not yet refined enough to really pick out notes, I'm afraid. If I sniff long enough I'm pretty sure I can pick out the carnation. Not something I might have taken home if I'd just tried it in passing, but I'm planning on hanging on to my bottle so far.

In the imp: I don't wear many dark oils, so I'm surprised at what a deep red color this is. It smells like a darker, heavier Snake Oil. I'm a big fan of Snake Oil, so I like this, but I hope there's something to set them apart on the skin. On wet: There's definitely something sharper that sets this apart from S.O. I'm wondering if it's the patchouli leaf? I like this a lot, and I'll be disappointed if it changes much once it dries down. It starts turning sweet pretty quickly. Dry: This still smells a lot like S.O., but it's smokier and I think I can pick up the sweetness from the plum, or maybe the pomegranate. It's definitely a fruity sweet. A few hours later it almost seems a little powdery on occasion, and the vanilla has gotten more prominent, but I'm still enjoying it. It's also earned me my second BPAL compliment ever from a coworker, who called it "soft and sweet." The imp is definitely a keeper, and I will certainly be picking up a bottle (or two) when the Carnaval comes back to town! I can't think of a better scent to associate with Beth.

In the imp: I don't wear many dark oils, so I'm surprised at what a deep red color this is. It smells like a darker, heavier Snake Oil. I'm a big fan of Snake Oil, so I like this, but I hope there's something to set them apart on the skin. On wet: There's definitely something sharper that sets this apart from S.O. I'm wondering if it's the patchouli leaf? I like this a lot, and I'll be disappointed if it changes much once it dries down. It starts turning sweet pretty quickly. Dry: This still smells a lot like S.O., but it's smokier and I think I can pick up the sweetness from the plum, or maybe the pomegranate. It's definitely a fruity sweet. A few hours later it almost seems a little powdery on occasion, and the vanilla has gotten more prominent, but I'm still enjoying it. It's also earned me my second BPAL compliment ever from a coworker, who called it "soft and sweet." The imp is definitely a keeper, and I will certainly be picking up a bottle (or two) when the Carnaval comes back to town!

Before I'd even placed my first BPAL order I heard a rave review of this on a Popstuff podcast. Reading the scent description didn't convince me to order it, though, so I was pleased when I received it as a frimp. In the imp: extremely fruity sweet, almost too sweet. On wet: There was a pineapple soda I grew up drinking called Jupiña - that's a lot like what this smells like. It's making me feel a little nostalgic! I really, really like this. After a while it starts to grow a little more complex. I can pick up something like peppers now. Dry: This is really impressive. I can see that tropical smoothie comparison that previous reviewers have made, but the spiciness of the pepper is there too. Throw is decent, but it starts to fade after a while. This is definitely going on the bottle list.

Before I'd even placed my first BPAL order I heard a rave review of this on a Popstuff podcast. Reading the scent description didn't convince me to order it, though, so I was pleased when I received it as a frimp. In the imp: extremely fruity sweet, almost too sweet. On wet: There was a pineapple soda I grew up drinking called Jupiña - that's a lot like what this smells like. It's making me feel a little nostalgic! I really, really like this. After a while it starts to grow a little more complex. I can pick up something like peppers now. Dry: This is really impressive. I can see that tropical smoothie comparison that previous reviewers have made, but the spiciness of the pepper is there too. Throw is decent, but it starts to fade after a while. This is definitely going on the bottle list.

I put off trying this one on for a while because I'm not a particular fan of minty scents. But I got it as a frimp, and my "not yet tried" can was starting to overflow, so I figured I might as well. In the imp: Chocolatey, minty, a little musky? Thankfully not that harsh spearmint scent that comes to mind when I think "mint." On wet: Chocolate. Dry: This is...this is Dorian. This is a very faintly chocolatey Dorian. I don't really smell mint, exactly, though there's definitely kind of a fresh quality to the scent that's absent from actual Dorian. I like this a lot more than I thought I would, but I don't know that I'd spring for a full bottle. I'll definitely use up my imp, though.

I put off trying this one for a while because I'm not a particular fan of minty scents. But I got it as a frimp, and my "not yet tried" can was starting to overflow, so I figured I might as well. In the imp: Chocolatey, minty, a little musky? Thankfully not that harsh spearmint scent that comes to mind when I think "mint." On wet: Chocolate. Dry: This is...this is Dorian. This is a very faintly chocolatey Dorian. I don't really smell mint, exactly, though there's definitely kind of a fresh quality to the scent that's absent from actual Dorian. I like this a lot more than I thought I would, but I don't know that I'd spring for a full bottle. I'll definitely use up my imp, though.

I took notes on this when I first received my decants some time ago, but never got around to posting the review. In the imp: a light, sweet floral. Wet: Roses! Dry: Roses and chamomile. So much love for this! 1 month+ later: I still wear this fairly often, but I'm sad to say that with aging the pineapple and cinnamon have come out more. It's not that I dislike the scent now, but I was so in love with the roses and chamomile phase that I'm disappointed by the change. I will, however, most certainly be keeping my imp, and may try to snag a bottle if the opportunity presents itself.

I took notes on this when I first received my decants some time ago, but never got around to posting the review. In the imp: a light, sweet floral. Wet: Roses! Dry: Roses and chamomile. So much love for this! 1 month+ later: I still wear this fairly often, but I'm sad to say that with aging the pineapple and cinnamon have come out more. It's not that I dislike the scent now, but I was so in love with the roses and chamomile phase that I'm disappointed by the change. I will, however, most certainly be keeping my imp, and may try to snag a bottle if the opportunity presents itself.

In the imp: smells smoky, spicy, and sweet...a bit syrupy, maybe? So far, so good. On wet: Almost as soon as it hits the skin, it turns into diet Dr. Pepper. What on Earth happened here? It stays firmly in the real of diet Dr. Pepper for a good while, too. It's much sweeter than it was in the imp, when it was more spicy. Kind of disappointed and hoping it improves. Dry: Diet Dr. Pepper is gone, and it's more smoky now. Unfortunately it's not a good smoky. It smells a bit like BBQ, almost. I'm pretty sure my skin chemistry is to blame and I suspect this would smell much better on someone else, especially on a man. It's going to the swap box.

In the imp: smells smoky, spicy, and sweet...a bit syrupy, maybe? So far, so good. On wet: Almost as soon as it hits the skin, it turns into diet Dr. Pepper. What on Earth happened here? It stays firmly in the real of diet Dr. Pepper for a good while, too. It's much sweeter than it was in the imp, when it was more spicy. Kind of disappointed and hoping it improves. Dry: Diet Dr. Pepper is gone, and it's more smoky now. Unfortunately it's not a good smoky. It smells a bit like BBQ, almost. I'm pretty sure my skin chemistry is to blame and I suspect this would smell much better on someone else, especially on a man. It's going to the swap box.

Sweet, spicy floral. It doesn't smell of gingerbread at all. Throw is good - I put a bit around my neck and on my wrists and I was catching little whiffs of it all day. After reading other reviews I think I can pick up hints of notes mentioned - ginger, honey, and resins, maybe. But unfortunately my nose is not yet expert enough for me to be sure. This scent is definitely not what I expected, but I find that I really like it regardless! I'll be ordering a full bottle before the Yules come down.

Sweet, spicy floral. It doesn't smell of gingerbread at all. Throw is good - I put a bit around my neck and on my wrists and I was catching little whiffs of it all day. It's definitely not what I expected, but I find that I really like it regardless! I'll be ordering a full bottle before the Yules come down.

A bounty of chocolate coins! Dry cocoa and golden amber! In the imp and wet on the skin, it's kind of sickly too-sweet milk chocolate. Once it dries it's Swiss Miss hot chocolate powder. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I'll probably hang onto my decant, but it won't be a bottle purchase.

Received this as a frimp with an order a few weeks back. In the imp and on skin it was straight up strawberry sugar. Definitely a very PINK scent. It made me think of some sugary breakfast cereal - fruit loops, maybe? Managed to hunt down a bottle not long after, and on the first sniff I could detect more pastry than just sugar. It still dries down to that same strawberry sugary sweetness on skin, though. I'm not a fan of strawberry scents at all, but I LOVE this and am so happy I managed to snag a full 5 ml!

This is much lighter than I thought it would be. On wet it was a very sweet, slightly smoky vanilla. Once dry, it's faded to something creamier and more tea-like. I can't say I'm getting much citrus or coconut, but no complaints...I like it a lot as it is. Verdict - it's a keeper. Glad I snagged a bottle!

Red Pumpkin Floss!

This is the first BPAL scent that's gotten me compliments! From two different people in one day, no less. One said I smelled like cinnamon, the other like fresh pumpkin pie. Probably one of my favorite scents thus far. My first thought upon sniffing it in the bottle was "Pumpkin candy? YUM." On skin it really does smell like fresh pumpkin pie, with an extra sweetness that I think might be the currant. Throw is great - a little goes a long way - and it lasts for hours. I suspect I'll be wearing this one well out of Fall/Winter.