jena

In the imp: Amber and Juicyfruit gum. On the skin: The amber amps waaaay up, too much almost. There's a fruitiness, but I can't pin it down. Really, I know it's not very poetic or descriptive, but I'm getting warm Juicyfruit. After a few minutes: It fades down quick to just amber, which is lingering pretty strongly. It's alright, but it's too nostalgic smelling for me.

In the imp: Yuck... too strong. Not sure, but I'll put it on. On the skin: It's all cherries and almond... kinda like cough syrup and amaretto, but not in a good way. Not my first choice. Oh well, a recently BPAL-ed friend likes it, so she'll keep it.

In the imp: The sweet pea comes to the front, very clean and floral. Fresh on the skin: It's a lighter form of Juliet, almost... very floral and light, very fresh. The sweet pea is still the most prominent note. After a few minutes: This one, unlike most BPAL I've tried, doesn't seem to be changing with time. It's a very light scent, reminds me of stepping outside in spring on the first day that you can really smell the flowers blooming. I like this one a lot.

In the imp: Hmm. Minty? It has a certain "fresh" smell to it, but I can't figure out what. Fresh on the skin: Same as above, but now it has a wide-open space sort of smell... fresh and unidentifiable. After a few minutes: I'm getting some sort of non-scent sort of smell from this. It's hard to pin down, but it's definitely not reminding me of the air before a storm. It's more like an unscented soap sort of smell. I think I'd pass on this one. It doesn't smell like much of anything, which doesn't really make it wearable in my mind.

In the imp: Strangely, I'm getting the smell of baby wipes. I'm sure that's just my nose being strange. Fresh on the skin: This is much more subtle than I expected. Both notes are clearly there, cinnamon and rose, but with a perfect balance. It is a sweet cinnamon, not the fire that I anticipated. After a few minutes: I can't stop sniffing my hand. It's such a light smell, flowery and pretty but not at all boring. The cinnamon seems to have faded a little bit and is now just punctuating the rose. My only concern is that the spot is a little bit warm now, most likely from the cinnamon. I'm not bothered by it, but I certainly wouldn't slather it on without caution.

In the imp: Very sour smelling... and definitely champagne. Fresh on the skin: Wow... this smells exactly as described, strawberries and champagne. The closest thing I can compare it to is Arbor Mist (the cheap-o strawberry "wine"), but in a good way... all the sweetness of strawberry but not in a sicky-sweet sort of way. After about five minutes: It has faded now to a very lovely smell that I can't define. The fruitiness is there, but it's now just a very feminine scent. It reminds me of a quaint country shop that sells homemade candles and hand-sewn quilts, this light and sweet smell that isn't at all "manufactured". I definitely like this one!

In the imp: I can't even sniff this one deeply... it's very strong and does not agree with me. It almost feels in my nose like being too close to a strong cleaning fluid. I'll give it a try anyway... On the skin: Mint and juniper, clearly, but not in a pleasant way. I'm still getting a very "chemical" smell and it's completely disagreeing with me. This one just isn't meant for my skin. I have to wash it off. Oh well, I'll find it a new home.

In the imp: Very floral and clean. Freshly applied: Same as the imp... floral and clean, light. Dry: This is possibly the most beautiful scent I've ever smelled... the flowers have gone from "general floral" to individually beautiful. The sweet pea is clearly evident, as is each of the other flowers. I can't detect a musky smell at all (perhaps white musk is very subtle?) and the pear may be there but is not clear as a single note. I LOVE this one.

In the imp: Very balanced... almost every note was evident, with the musk and sandalwood clearly detectable. On the skin: It smells very nice, but I'm having a hard time pinning it down to any particular notes. The sandalwood is probably the only one I can discern. Dry on the skin: A nice balanced smell, a little bit masculine if you sniff closely, but in a very pleasant way. Reminds me a bit of a classic aftershave, but very subtly.

In the imp, this one was hard for me to identify... a bit spicy, very overwhelming, very cloying and sicky sweet. I decided to give it a try anyway. On my skin, I could smell the fruit and something else, minty and dusty almost. It took only a minute, but what I assume is the amber became very strong and prominent. It reminds me of a smell from my childhood... maybe an aftershave my father once wore? Either way, the amber is warm and rich, but too memory-linked and hypnotic for me to wear myself. It's been quite a few hours and one handwashing (with good antibacterial soap) and the smell is faded a little bit, but still there. If amber works for you, I highly recommend this one.

In the imp, it smells a bit like Pine-Sol with a touch of lime. Hmm. Strange. On my wrist, wet, it still smells the same, but sweeter. Let's give it a few moments, shall we? About three minutes later, it's dry and very candy-like. Much more like a real cosmo, but sweeter. There is definitely lime in this as well as a cherry/cranberry overtone (as there should be). It's not as crisp a smell as I expected, but it's definitely a fun scent. I don't detect the "booze" smell that others have mentioned, but that might be my chemistry versus theirs. A few more minutes later, it's candy candy candy.

I just got my very first imps ever and one of them HAD to be Bess, between the description and the ingredients. In the imp/fresh on my wrist: I can smell rosemary and mint, mostly. Very very quickly, though, it transforms and the lemon comes through, then the orange flower. A few minutes later: Roses roses roses, with a very clean smell on top of it. Not "old lady perfume" roses, but more the smell if you were in the backyard sitting between a rosebush in full bloom and a clothesline with fresh clean laundry on it. A little bit later than that: The orange flower is back along with the roses. Wow. This is just DIVINE. What a great first experience with BPAL! I'm hooked... I think I definitely will order at least a 5mL, if not a 10mL, of Bess.