GemmaCat

In the imp: warm and soft; cats zonked out in sunbeams On my skin: Woah! Another crazy morpher! Now I get sweetgrass, amber, clove, and cinnamon in equal measures. Actually. . . it's starting to smell like a really good cup of chai tea. Drydown: sweet, lightly spiced tea scent; proper black Indian tea, none of the fake stuff, with a slight hint of Earl Grey too. Overall: tea and spices? A BIG keeper. I'll probably get a bottle of this.

In the imp: VERY sweet, quite surprising! Spicy and dusty as well. On my skin: this is another morpher! It's now sweetgrass and sand. Drydown: really fresh, bringing to mind images of empty grasslands with long, dried out plants blowing in a hot wind. Overall: This fades quite quickly, so I'm rather undecided about it as of yet. The grass notes are very beautiful, though.

In the imp: sweet berries with a hint of something dry that I can't place. On my skin: very tart berries with a powdery-perfume scent underlying the fruit. Drydown: even tarter, almost sour, and the powder scent amps up. Overall: it's nice but not my cup of tea. If you like the tart berries like blackcurrent and blueberries, you will love this one.

In the imp: strawberries and champagne! On my skin: the strawberries are stronger now, and they're sweet with a tart afterbite. This isn't a fake strawberry scent either; it's real and red and beautiful. Drydown: exactly the same as before, but with a smidge more sparkly champagne goodness. Overall: Another winner! I was so hopeful that this would smell exactly as it was described, and it does! Sadly, it fades relatively quickly, but is still worth a bottle.

In the imp: light, fresh, and bubbly; like really well-made lemonade on a hot summer's day. On my skin, initial: lemon! Lovely, fresh and sweet lemon actually! Just like lemonade again. Drydown: the green tea scent starts to come out now and the lemon graciously fades into the background. Overall: Bloody beautiful! It's scents like this that make all those hits and misses worthwhile. It smells exactly like a very expensive designer perfume I wore years ago, but which faded within five minutes. This lasts for about an hour, and is so invigorating. I'm going to have to order a bottle sometime soon. Perfect to wear at the gym or on days when you need to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

In the bottle: light, spicy wood On my skin, initial: spice! definitely sandalwood drydown: nothing but sandalwood. It sweetens ever so slightly, but then it's just SWEET sandalwood and nothing else. Overall: my biggest disappointment to date. I was so looking forward to this scent (honey? vanilla? amber? I'm there!) but my skin just amped up the sandalwood to yucky proportions. I've already sold this.

I bought this before learning that bpal jasmine and I do NOT get along. In the bottle: heady florals, predominantly jasmine. On my skin, initial: Oh no, the jasmine is taking over! This is SO strong and pure that I got dizzy and started feeling ill. I was determined to stick it out to the drydown, though, incase other notes emerged. Drydown: Nope, still just buttloads of unwelcome jasmine. It doesn't morph into a putrid floral monster like other bpal jasmines; this stays true to the flower scent, but it's just WAY too much. Overall: this makes me physically ill. Off to the swap pile!

In the bottle: really strong, rich caramel and creamy coffee with a woody undertone. On my skin, initial: woah! this is a surprise. Suddenly there's almost no caramel and just a strong wood note. It's kind of spicy, even resinous, with a creamy undertone that can only be the caramel struggling to reappear. Drydown: the caramel comes back to the fore, but it's light and sweet; not too rich. That weird woody (sandalwood?) note is still lurking around, and it's making me think of really old, dusty libraries filled with ancient texts. This smells a lot like what I imagined Miskatonic Uni would have. Overall: I actually don't like this at all, but that old book smell makes me want to keep it around (I'm a nerd, what can I say?). This'll probably be swapped/sold in the future, though.

Traditionally, Beaver Moon is named thus for a very obvious reason: during this time of year, beavers are hard at work building their dams and preparing for the onset of winter. Because it was too hard to resist, BPAL’s Beaver Moon is sillier, sleazier, and full of camp. This scent is of cheesecake and cupcakes, more in line with its cheekier connotations, and really hasn’t a damn thing to do with Luna at all! This was recommend to me many times, so I eventually managed to hunt down an imp and spent a week harassing the mailman until it arrived. In the imp it's vanilla, sweet, cakey goodness! Foody scents usually make me feel ill, but this is so beautiful and decadent! I'm not sure if I want to wear it or drink it. On my skin it is ruined. My chemistry does something awful to it, and it smells like sweet, burnt plastic. It's bitter, almost sour, with that heavy vanilla note becoming almost syrupy and sickly. After an extensive drydown period, the burnt smell fades but doesn't completely leave. I can't bear to be parted with this imp since I spent so long hunting for it, but it's a scent that clearly doesn't work for me. Maybe aging it will help. . . . *ever hopeful*

In the bottle: very soft resin. On my skin: Oh my! SO beautiful! I can smell something sweet, like cherry, and this gorgeous, complex swirl of resin/incense notes. The throw is fantastic, and the drydown only deepens this truly gorgeous scent. If this is what musk smells like on me then I'm even more tempted to place on order for Smut. But then, booze notes clearly do NOT work on me. Ahh, decisions! *breathes deep* Must be strong. .. must avoid Paypal. .

In the bottle: sweet, girly florals. On my skin: Lily and rose; very deep without being overpowering. This is light, airy, and very very pretty. I'm not entirely sure whether to keep this or not. As a scent it makes me think of women older than myself (30s or 40s), or even a funeral or wedding blend, something sweet and gentle that you wear whilst remembering or celebrating someone's life. For now it stays just because it's so darn evocative, but it might be swapped away at a later date.

In the bottle: Oh yuck! Cloyingly sweet and very heavily foody. On my skin: deep, over-sweet coffee and caramel. *gag* It's like Elegba all over again! Dun like it! Bleck! *scrubs it off* Again, like Elegba, this is clearly a complex scent that must smell *gorgeous* on other people, but on me it's just too much and makes me nauseous.

In the bottle: floral and very, very sweet. On my skin: Cola syrup. Very odd. ^^;; Then the florals come out and they're very deep and pretty, but not my thing. I was all set to put this in the swap pile, but 30 minutes later this turns into the most delicious cherry-floral scent! It even has a light, spicy undertone that reminds me of incense. And look! OMG! There's jasmine in it and it doesn't make me sick! Hmm, actually, an hour later all I can smell is ylang ylang. Is that even in this one? Either way, I'm not a fan.

In the bottle: I can't place any of the notes, actually. Maybe a little smoky? On my skin: This one is surprising because it's so fresh once it makes contact with my skin. It's very much like Niflheim, but with a smokier, woodier undertone. Like with a few other bpal scents, though, my skin eats this up in minutes. Usually I'd swap this, but a kind soul gave me a tarted frimp of this, so I'm keeping it for that.

In the bottle: bright, sharp citrus and something that is similar to wood or even tea (maybe the bamboo?). On my skin: Not what I expected! I thought it would be very fresh and light but it's very sweet, even syrupy, with an odd note that almost smells like spearmint (which makes no sense when you look at the description). As it dries down, I like this less, however. It loses some of the sweetness and throw, and just isn't as impressive. Another "maybe" or possible swap.

In the bottle: stale wood? On my skin: light and airy, quite cold, with a citrus bite. There's still that woody scent, which settles into a complex undertone. On the drydown this is a light, pretty, and fresh scent; nothing gloomy or impenetrable about it, in my opinion. I'm unsure about this one, so it's going into my "maybe" pile.

In the bottle: Mmmm, sweet berries and a hint of sharp pine! On my skin: Woah! Where did that delicious spice come from? This smells like really fruity mulled wine on my skin, with that gorgeous spice and pine undertone. It's delicious! This works beautifully as a winter perfume or room scent. Again, alas, my skin tends to gobble this up, but it's worth re-application. I *thought* this was a keeper, but after wearing it for the day, it turned a little sour and sharp on me. Now, hours later, it's sweet berry goodness. I really hate the sharp scent, but love the drydown, so I'm thinking I'll keep this as a room fragance and see what it's like then.

In the bottle this smells sweet with a touch of sharp pine. On my skin it is very fresh, and reminds me of expensive men's cologne. As it dries, it gets sweeter and less masculine in scent, though I'd still hazard that this is one for the men of the room. It's a nice, winter scent but my skin gobbled it up within seconds. One for the swap pile, but a real pleasure to have tried.

Elegba and similarly heavy scents, as well as the stronger florals (like jasmine) give me awful headaches. Pumpkin notes make me horribly sick. If I don't wash them off straight away, I'll throw up.

Reading the description, I worried that this wouldn't work for me due to the disaster of the Pumpkin Patch scents. However, I was pleasantly surprised! In the bottle this is spicy and warm with just a hint of foodiness. On my skin it's all about the mulled wine and a warm note of apple. The pumpkin is VERY subdued, so instead of making me want to throw up, this makes me think of curling up infront of the tv, watching Practical Magic, whilst slurping a huge mug of mulled wine or spiced hot chocolate. Definitely a winter/autumn scent, and absolutely beautiful. There's even a hint of smokiness in this, which reminds me of bonfires.

In the bottle: *sniffsniff* It smells like freshly cut plant stems, maybe even a little grass. On my skin it's gross. eeeuuk! I'm not getting any of the honeyed almond milk, the coconut, or fruit; I'm just getting this overpowering, bright green, sweetness. It really is a deadringer for the smell you get when you cut a ton of flower stems all at once; that acrid, green, flower-blood kind of scent. I'm positive this would smell divine on someone else, but on me it simply doesn't work. A really fabulous scent in regards to matching the fabled place, however.

Another surprise, I bought this one for the name alone, not the description. ^^; In the bottle it's sweet and flowery. On my skin it's the freshest rose. It's distinctly reminiscent of rubbing rose petels across my skin; it has that pale, fresh scent. On the drydown it's incredibly sweet and pretty. I do like it, but it's not really a "me" scent. I'll either keep it as a room scent, or throw it in as a frimp on my next sale.

In the bottle this smells fruity and sweet, but I can't pick out individual notes. On my skin it's all about the peach; very bright and sparkly. With time, the amber note slowly emerges and it settles into a gentle, fruity scent that is extremely pretty and feminine. This is the kind of scent that I'd wear ALL the time in the Spring.

This was my frimp so I had no idea what to expect. In the bottle: ARRR! Men's cologne! So Strong! Gack! *chokes* *falls over* *twitches* On my skin: the florals.. . they're trying to kill me. . . *wheeze* This is such a huge NO-NO on me. Looking at the ingredients, I see why: jasmine. BPAL jasmine just does not work on my skin. Another one for the swap pile! Uhm, but to make it clear: I'm still grateful for a frimp!

This one is surprising. I expected my skin to ramp up the fruits like it usually does, but instead I get this bland, slightly smoky, foody scent that is quite unpleasant. *wrinkles nose* Not a fan of this one. I was hoping for something Autumnal and fruity, and I've got something stale-foody and ick. Bleck!