Diva Urd

A friend of mine ordered an imp of this, based on the notes, I would have never ordered that myself - clove and cherry? Urgh! Or so I thought. In the imp, I primarily smelled musk, cherry and clove. It made me very nervous. On me, it amped clove and vetiver at first, and it made me sneeze for a bit, but as it dried down... Spicy, slightly creamy cherry, and despite me not being into foody scents, this was actually quite nice. And it got better and better as time went on! About three hours after application, it was still spicy, musky, creamy and fruity, and yet not too foody for me. The throw is perfect - not enough to bowl over everyone in the room, but strong enough to definitely detect and love the scent hours later without having to sniff one's wrist. So, even though I was nervous trying this, I have to say that I ended up liking it quite a lot! It's now on the bottle list.

I had pretty high hopes for this, as I absolutely adore "Vechernyaya" from the Zorya blends. In the imp, this smelled like a relatively nondescript cool floral with herbs that smell almost medicinal. On me, this turned into... "Midnight"'s colder, lighter and more sour little sister. The "midnight flowers" in this must have quite a few notes in common with the florals of "Midnight". It doesn't seem to have a lot of staying power, despite the musk. Since "Midnight" already does a better and longer-lasting "Zorya" impression on me, I think I'll stick with that and trade this lady for something else.

I have to agree with everyone saying that this smells fruity - despite the fact that no fruits are listed as ingredients, this smells sweet and almost edible in the imp, although by no means foody (trust me, I hate foody scents). On me, it's pretty much the same. If you don't like florals, but enjoy fruity scents, this might be the floral for you to try! As it dries down, I get a grassy note toning down the sweetness of the scent. After about an hour to an hour and a half, it turns quite faint, probably because it doesn't have anything in it that would anchor it on my skin (I need a solid base note of the wood/chypre family for that, which this seems to lack), but it's still there. In fact, it seems to attempt to become a nicer skin scent, with very little throw but more appeal when sniffed up close and personal. I am not sure yet whether I will get more of this. I have only tried it on skin so far, will see how it fares when applied to cloth - if it lasts a little longer then, I will get more, if not, I will only hold on to the imp and leave it at that.

In the imp: WINE! Strong, strong, boozy wine, made from bulging, overripe grapes, with a hint of leather in the background. On me: Wet, it's all wine with something almost rotten in the background. I got scared at that point. Thankfully, the rotten-ness goes away pretty quickly and the scent turns into something predominantly floral, made heady by wine, anchored by a tiny bit of patchouli and sandalwood. This is complex and interesting, and has quite a bit of throw - not for the faint of heart! After four or five hours, it turns a slight bit dusty, possibly due to the myrrh, but the wine keeps the rest of the scent alive, and I still enjoy it quite a bit. Very nice. This one has earned a spot on my bottle list.

In the imp, I get the metallic notes, ozone (uh-oh...) and a very cologne-y vibe. On me, while it's fresh, it seems almost citrussy to me, and still very much like a standard men's cologne. Thankfully, the ozone at least doesn't seem to turn soapy on me. Dry, it's pretty much all generic cologne, and has quite a bit of throw. Overall, this smells far too much like a generic men's cologne to tickle my interest. Quite sad, considering I had had high hopes based on the notes. Oh well, they can't all work... will trade that one.

In the imp, this primarily smells of violets and mint. On me, fresh, it's also just that. Violet and mint. Upon drydown, it goes a slight bit powdery, but it's still violet and mint. It has very light throw and doesn't have a lot of oomph even when holding my nose directly to it. It lasts quite a while in that stage - 4 hours later, what strength it had left after dry-down still remains in full force, as does the mint/violet combination. It's not bad, but I'm not in love with it, so I don't think I'll need more.

In the vial, this smelled green and fresh, with a hint of sweetness in the background. On me, I can detect all mentioned notes right after application - black tea, honey, and a sharp green note that must be the wasabi but smells nothing like the stuff I smear on my sushi The wasabi pretty much claims center stage upon drydown, but soon thereafter, the honey shows up again and sweetens it to where I almost get an intensely green, fresh and clean floral. The freshness is similar to that of "Jolly Roger", but without whatever is in there that makes me woozy sometimes. This is a wonderful summer scent, and I definitely want more of it!

In the imp: BOOM! Juniper! On me, the initial juniper blast fades with the drydown, and the patchouli comes out. Something else (a musk? Amber? Maybe one of the flowers mentioned?) adds a tad of powder to soften the blow. A floral component (I can't tell which) peeks through a few minutes after complete drydown. Overall, this is decent, but it doesn't blow me away. I will use the imp, but I don't think I'll order more.

In the imp, this smells really weird... a mixture of something creamy and spicy, sort of like... shoepolish. Freshly on me, it smells the same as in the vial. Uh-oh. I think the combination of vanilla, apricot and ginger is clashing on me. Once it dries, there is a short period where I probably get what the lab intended - ginger dominates through a fruity-creamy sweetness. It's not superb, but at least it's not weird anymore. Very light scent, almost no throw. And within less than half an hour, it's almost completely gone, except for a very faint remnant of vanilla. Yeah, this one didn't work out for me. Will end up trading this one.

In the imp, I smell... minty bathroom cleaner? On me, it doesn't fare much better. Fresh on, it's bathroom cleaner with extra soap. As it dries, it doesn't change much, but it sure as hell makes my sinuses swell up. In short, this was sadly a complete disaster on me, and I will try and find it a better home.

In the vial, I get nothing but the patchouli. On me, it also stays primarily patchouli when wet, but gets softened up considerably by notes I can't identify from prior experience upon dry-down. For a patch scent, this sadly gets weak in the knees quite quickly, and ends up turning into something resembling Play-Doh in the end. As a lover of the lab's patch blends, I was hoping for something a bit more impressive, but this one sadly doesn't seem to like me. Trade material.

In the imp, I get the tangerine and something that initially smells almost like patchouli - in that combination, it's probably the vetiver. On me, the tangerine... vanishes immediately into the background to make room for VETIVER! and CEDAR!. Once it fully dries down, the musk and amber take the edge off these two combatants and add a bit of powderiness. The tangerine has completely fled the scene. The scent stays that way until it vanishes. It has quite a bit of staying power - to be expected with base notes with that much oomph. Overall, I don't mind it, but I was hoping for something that would turn out a bit more complex on me than VETIVER and CEDAR. Will keep the imp, but won't need more.

In the imp: Plum with lots of lilac. On me: Wet, the lilac kicks all the other notes' butts, but it starts behaving itself a bit more once it dries. Now the leather is starting to come out and grounds the lilac and the plum. A few hours later, I am left with leathery plum. Ever since I recently discovered that fruit aren't, in fact, the devil, I've been looking for a plum that's a bit more grounded than the one in Kitsune-Tsuki, and this one fits the bill! Congrats, Bensiabel, you got a spot on the bottle list, although you aren't the highest priority at the moment.

Thank you so much guys, now I can place my order with peace of mind

Hi there guys! I'm sorry if this is in the wrong spot - if it doesn't belong here, feel free to move it, I just had no idea where else to put it. I have been out of the BPAL scene for a while, and I am now thinking about finally ordering a new pack of imps again. So I went to the website and saw new categories like Steamworks, Marchen and Pharmacopoeia. These aren't listed as un-impable in the Imp's Ears category, but I wanted to make sure they are in fact available in imps before I place my order. Could you please confirm for me that I can get scents from these categories in imps? I'll be forever grateful!

In the vial: Smoky and sweet. Oh boy, I can't wait to try it! On me: The orchid comes out to play, harnessed by the smokiness of the opium. This is amazingly beautiful - a dark floral, its sweetness tempered with smoke. Languid is a good way to describe it. Other adjectives that come to mind: heavy, heady, elegant, gorgeous! I had to order an imp of this as an astronomy geek, and I am very happy that this is going to have a spot on my bottle list!

In the vial: Benzoin at the front, with coconut and patchouli right behind it. On me: WOW. Gorgeous creamy, almost vanilla-y coconut beautifully grounded by the patchouli. For those worried about getting hippie BO from patchouli: I don't think this blend will do it to you. In this, sweetness and earthyness are in perfect balance. It has all the goodness of coconut without being too foody for me (and I am VERY picky about not wanting to smell too foody), and yet smells like patchouli WITHOUT being overt about it (which is quite rare for me, since I amp patchouli. While I am not worried about it since I like the scent, it's nice that it stays a bit more in the background this time, though). This blend seems both sensual and innocent. Lovely! Big bottle!

In the vial: This reminds me a LOT of Jolly Roger. That same fresh aquatic note, probable the rum-sans-alcohol note they share. On me: At first, it does smell mostly like Jolly Roger, but it has more solid underpinnings than the former. A little while after it has completely dried down, the musk, leather and sarsaparilla notes come out and mingle with the freshness. This is great for a hot day! On the whole, I enjoy Mary quite a bit, but I'm afraid Anne Bonny stays my favorite women pirate. I'll keep her imp near and dear, though!

This was a generous frimp from the lab. Thank you! In the vial: Sharp-toothed and furry, indeed. It's really hard to define the scent of this, but it is sharp, has an undercurrent of wood, but also of something animalistic. On me: Hm, peppery, with a sidenote of patchouli and something nutty in the background. Sadly, it also has something that reminds me a bit of BO to it... maybe the orris? So far, me and orris haven't gotten along too well... The BO seems to fade a bit as time progresses, but it lasts a bit too long for my comfort. Maybe I'll let it age for a while and see how it fares then.

In the vial: A very intense flowery smell with a very sour tang to it that seems rather unpleasant On me: On drydown, after maybe two minutes, the unpleasant sourness vanishes and I am left with a huge, fat bouquet of white flowers I can't identify. They're sweet, yet... tangy, if you can describe a scent with that word, and very very powerful! This one lasts intensely long on me and has extreme throw, so I have to be very careful about how much I use... but it feels like a scent that would cool me down some in summer, and it will also withstand any unpleasant sweatiness with ease. Yep, great summer blend for me! Do I like it enough to get a bottle? I'm not sure at the moment... will use up the imp and decide then.

This was a generous frimp from the lab. Thank you! In the vial: This smells like... band-aid adhesive?! Uh-oh... On me: Cinnamon and clove with honey in the background. Sadly, the scent of either of the former two notes makes me GAG, but since it was a freebie, I felt I had to be fair and try it (you never know, right?). But sadly, this one did just what I expected... and it's strong too! If you like cinnamon and clove, get this. Otherwise, stay far, far away! Off to wash my arm... Swap pile for you, Bengal!

This was a generous frimp from the lab in my last order. Thank you! In the vial: Very sweet fruity/flowery mixture. On me: Upon dry-down, the sweetness lets up a bit, turning the mixture into something resembling a sweeter department store perfume. It's not bad, and I'm happy I got to try it. I think I'll just keep my imp for now, though.

This was a generous frimp from the lab. Thank you! In the vial: Very sweet, primarily DB and ylang. Oh boy, this scares me a bit... this has the potential to go extremely sweet and bubble-gummy on me... On me: Once dry, the amber and poppy notes ground the sweetness, adding a smoky incense scent that is irresistible! I can't believe I can wear a scent with dragon's blood, ylang-ylang AND amber in it! Hot damn! Both strength and wear length are decent, so this one is definitely a keeper. Again, thank you so much, lab - I would have never ordered it, and it was a bull's eye!

In the vial: Lilac with a strong herbal-lemony background. On me: The lilac comes out beautifully, tempered and made interesting by the green, herbal smell and a subtle hint of lemon. This might well be the first blend containing a noticeable lemony note that doesn't go bad on me! It stays a fresh, springy and green lilac all the way to the finish. Being a huge fan of lilac, I adore this! Oh yeah, that one is going to go on the big bottle list!

In the vial: Lots and lots of DB, with a tiny hint of sandalwood in the background. Uh-oh... DB-heavy blends tend to go plasticky-sweet on me... On me: Whew! Here comes the sandalwood to rescue me! Wet, it's mainly sandalwood with a bit of dragon's blood, and once it dries down, it settles into a nice balance of sweetened wood, without any of the regular plasticky, PEZ-y side effects DB tends to have for me. It has decent throw, lasts long... whoo yeah, I really like this! Bottle for sure!