mermaiden

I almost didn't even try this imp because the description seemed too masculine to me, but I'm glad I did. I received a frImp of this with my last order. I can see wearing this on a crisp, cloudy fall day, or on a snowy day in early winter. It reminds me of the smell of a fireplace burning in an old house, in a room filled with a lot of old books and tapestries. Goes with my big baggy sweaters, baggy khaki pants, boots, and a long scarf. In the imp, it's a bit sharp / acrid, and not at all what it morphs into later. Wet, I smell the cedar, which begins to gently morph into this amazing smokey smell. The FIREPLACE smell.. it reminds me of the small chimnea (fireplace) a B&B I once visited. There is this middle ground where it kind of smells like.. dare I say.. Polo (Ralph Lauren's creation that just about every teenager and 20-something wore back in the 80s). I didn't much care for this transition, and perhaps it was my chemistry that brought this on (not sure even which element was creating this phenomena) but it changed once again to this earthy, smokey sweetness that (like others have said) had me sniffing my wrist for hours. Sandalwood is one of my favorite scents - if not my absolute favorite. I'm guessing that the sandalwood in this blend may not be a synthetic variety and/or is some really lovely stuff from India. I may have to order a full bottle of this at some point - but I'm going to try Cathedral first before I decide.

A refreshing scent! GET IT?! Aloe, white musk, lime peel, fresh mint, seaspray, verbena and green tea. This scent smells almost exactly like Stila's "Jade Bouquet" on me. Jade Bouquet is green tea, cucumber, and verbena. On drydown, F5 smells very minty and perhaps a bit boozey - I do get the mojito comparisons when its still wet on my skin. Slowly the green tea begins to emerge, and by the end of the day the green tea is dancing with my senses. My only issue with F5 is that the green tea could be a bit more herbaly - for some reason it amps up very sweet on me. It could also be that this is was upon first wear. .I get nothing but fresh and green from this scent - it's a wonderful daytime fragrance. I quite adore this scent and wish I had purchased 2 bottles instead of 1.

Lurid, to me, is an almost indescribable scent. I got this as a frimp with my very first BPAL order some 6+ months ago. I keep reaching for it time and time again, like an old photograph I can't stop staring at. In the bottle, it's intriguiging, ozone, something organic. On my skin, it's like the feeling I get when I put on a favorite baby tshirt - soft but sexy. Draws attention to itself without hitting people over the head. I think the most overpowering part of Lurid for me is the ozone mixed with whatever resin might be in there. I don't smell the black current at all, or it manifests itself to me in the soft sweetness that I smell. To me it's the smell of my favorite copal incense (a crystalline, resin incense that you burn over charcoal) combined with the smell of the air after a summer storm. The musk combines beautifully with the other elements - this is a musk that I can actually wear (because my skin amps up most musks and I end up smelling like old gym clothes) Definitely very sexy. Definitely buying a bottle.

I ordered an imp of Xiuhtecuhtli because I liked the description (copal is a favorite of mine) Wet.... it's spicy, smoky, with the incense note being strongest. It reminds me a lot of a smell I associate with a trip I made to Taos, New Mexico years ago. Ritual incense and wood burning fire... I love the smell of this smoke! Once dry, it's this amazing sweet and subtle orange. Dark bittersweet chocolate and tangy sweet orange (the sweetness must be the copal). This is very southwestern... mountains, bright colors, warm dry air and blue sky. It definitely gets better and better as the day goes on, and I can see wanting to wear this a lot over the summer. Maybe I'll see if I can get a 5ml of this at some point. lovely lovely lovely...

In the bottle I smell sweet candied flowers, but to me it smells more like rose than peony. Peonies are my favorite flower - and this doesn't really smell too much like peony to me. Perhaps its the addition of the plum blossom that adds extra sweetness. Dry down into the first hour or two smells like a lovely sweet floral - very very pretty and spring like. After that, something begins to peek out that I'm not liking very much, and I think perhaps its something woodsy.. the reeds? the aquatic notes? it smells like bit like a kitchen sponge left sitting in the sink too long. Not a very nice "funky" smell. I think I may try this on again but with some body lotion on, or layer it with something like sandalwood. I love the flowers in this very much, but I need to work with the reedy/woodsy component of it a bit more. The jury is still out on this one. I may also just let it sit in the bottle for a while. There have been a few scents that have grown on me the longer they sat, or have worn better depending on which day I'm trying them on. Addenda... it's now a full 6 hours since initial application and the funky moldy woodsy smell has been beaten into submission by this lovely bright pinkred floral... with just a hint of sweetness to it. Definitely a keeper... definitely need to play with the application a bit.

mmmmmmm I love this scent. Reminds me a lot of the old "Woody Sandalwood" that Body Shop was selling as an oil some 15 years ago. In the bottle it's a much different experience than on my skin - too much patchouli and sharp wood in the bottle. I was afraid to try it - but today I figured I'd give it a shot since all I was doing was some grocery shopping. On my skin it warms quickly revealing the softness of the sandalwood. This wears incredibly well on my skin, the cedar and cinnamon lurking in the background, with the primary note being the sandalwood (my favorite scent of all) I got this as a free imp, I may end up looking for a full bottle of this at some point. By far MUCH much prettier worn than in the bottle. If you like woody, earthy scents do not fear the Umbra - it mellows very quickly.

In the bottle it smells like honeyed nag champa to me. I put a bit into my hairline on the back of my neck so I would smell it during the day, and it was quite lovely. For the most part it smelled like good nag champa, it reminded me a lot of an old friend whose college apartment smelled heavily of nag champa, old books, and coffee (oddly enough - since there's no coffee in this one). However, towards the end of the day I noticed the rose lurking in the background. I was hoping it would be more floral, but rose tends to mellow on me. Never got to the sandalwood, and the vanilla was invisible on me (which is good). I have really strange body chemistry. Some florals smell ghastly on me, and others (like certain types of rose) smell incredible. Honey works well for me, but vanilla does not unless it's mellowed by a woodsy scent. Overall.. I like it quite a bit. I may blend some of this into some body butter and wear it that way just to see if it morphs differently.

I would be very curious as to your impressions on these comparisons. I adore Chanel No. 19 and Coco. No. 19 reminds me so much of a best friend I had in my early 20's (it smelled great on her, but different than it did on me because of body chemistry, and the fact that we smoked different brands of cigarettes.) It smelled different, but still great on me even after I quit smoking. The notes I recall in No. 19 were primarily green and fresh. I smelled mossy/grassy notes, something sharp and almost "soapy", and a very nice soft rose. If there was any jasmine at all in there, it was well tempered by the woody elements. I would say there's white sandalwood in there. The notes I remember in Coco were clove, musk, cinnamon, and amber. Similar to Shalimar, but not as flowery. I've been looking for a combination of rose elements and grassy/green/woodsy elements in a fragrance for a long time.

Jasmine jasmine jasmine Reminds me a lot of an oil I wore when I was in high school. Jasmine doesn't smell bad on me, but it is very sweet. Luckily dry down is very fast on my skin (especially in the winter). I can smell the rose lurking underneath, but none of the vanilla/coffee/tonka that I was hoping to find.