tajana

Ultraviolet was one of my first unexpected loves, and Utrennyaya shares the mint and violet, so this blend needed to live up to some high expectations! It smells pleasant enough in the imp, all light and tasty mint melded with a swirl of gentle flowers. On, I can certainly feel the violets and the mint. It doesn't smell bad at all: very pretty. Pretty mint, pretty mess of flowers (I can identify rose and violet but the others are unfamiliar to me) with a definite green element. It fades pretty quickly, but most importantly, it's just not me. It's an interesting scent if you pay attention, but I feel like the overall effect would actually just come off as very traditional and a bit like soap/body wash/lotion. On the bright side, the white sandalwood note behaved on my skin and I'm sure this would smell lovely on the right person.

This was a frimp that I was hoping to try ever since I saw the note description. In the wet stage, ALMONDS! Pure almond. Queen of Sheba was also total almond on me, but Hecate's almond has a buttery instead of a powdery finish. It's much like Bastet's almond note to my nose, but much, much more prominent. For a brief time, it's still all delicious almond, but in a gradual, linear way, the scent unfolds. A deep, musky element is the first to emerge. Dark musk seems to have a quite dry aspect on me, and its presence nixes the foody aspect. Still later, the warm scent of myrrh takes on a bigger role and for about two hours this scent is of incense smoke and dark musk blended with buttery almond, mmm. However, after two or three hours... it smells a bit like... marshmallows! Not in a bad or artificial way... it smells comforting and a bit cute. Not really reflective of its namesake, but whatever. Myrrhshmallows! I'll keep the imp around, and perhaps someday I'll buy a bottle. This would be *great* for layering because it's simultaneously a straightforward scent and one with some 'depth'.

I can definitely identify all the flowers here. Familiar sweet pea and gently spicy carnation, along with aquatic water lily. It doesn't smell unpleasant- these are all flowers I like. But flowers alone can't carry a perfume for me- it's missing an element. Without any other distinguishing notes, it smells too simple and not me at all. It's light but not refreshing. Very girly, innocent, and unassuming. There's no twist. Carnations usually have a bit of zest but it's diluted in watery lily and pillowy soft sweet pea. It smells like something a fairytale princess would wear. I'll try and swap this one to someone who will appreciate it more and stick to Maiden for my light, floral fix.

I love the taste of cinnamon, but I'm learning that cinnamon in perfume blends is trickier. It needs to be paired with just the right notes to work well on my skin. Unfortunately, cinnamon + peach and orange = potpourri on me. I love patchouli and incense and orange, and for a little while I thought I might end up liking this blend anyway, but after the potpourri-esque initial stages it just faded into something unremarkable. Not bad, per se, just... not very good. It's just not for me. It turns out that I don't like the smell of peaches on my skin at all, and the peach + cinnamon combination just felt unpleasant and craft-store like on my skin. As time passed and the fruit grew less distinct, the incense and patchouli were still present, but as grounding elements to this generic-fruity sweetness. It has pretty good lasting power, though, and would probably smell better on someone whose skin amps these notes differently.

This is like Bathsheba... but much, much sweeter. I got this imp for the Amaretto, but got only the barest hint of it. Instead, I got pure, intense CANDY FRUIT. Like hard candy. It reminds me of Jolly Ranchers. There isn't much else to say about it. Just powerfully strong, cheap candy. It doesn't smell perfumey, it doesn't smell pretty, it just smells like somebody melted a giant vat of high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and artificial flavorings. Nothing else! The plum aspect is particularly strong, as I recognize it from Bathsheba, but overall, this was just too much... I waited for it to dry down, but I had to wash it off, because it was all candy, all the time.

I thought that I would love this. Almond, neroli, nutmeg, orange peel... it sounded like it would be great. But, from the moment I put it on, things started going wrong! The rose here was especially strong. Rose isn't always my enemy: it worked very well in Maiden, but here it really dominated almost everything else. The notes I hoped to smell here were detectable, but besides the rose, there was something overwhelmingly wrong, almost rancid about this blend on my skin! The rose's influence on the sandalwood results in a damp, strong, heady smell. So, in summary, Seraglio was full of promise, but ended up as moldy wood and nasty roses.

Oh, yum! I got this as a frimp, and I am so lucky that I did! This scent is in my top two for sure. This is my first experience with BPAL red musk and now I'm sure that I love it! On my skin, it was beautiful, delicately earthy patchouli and this sensuous red smell... spicy, gently sweet, and definitely sexy. I detect a bright touch of bergamot as well as the sweet, clean scent of lotus (a bit different from lotus like I've tried in Bastet; perhaps because this one is lotus root) that brightens this up and keeps Marianne from being too dirty. There's some other soft floral notes in there rounding the scent out, and the currant, thank god, is almost lost in the mix: there's just a touch of fruitiness, which largely dissipates as the hours wear on. And wow, does this oil last and last and last... even after ten (!) hours and using just a dab of oil, a noticeable hint of scent remained: rich and spicy patchouli melded with red musk, sweetened delicately by lotus. So good!

Of all the BPAL scents I've tried this is the one that changes LEAST from imp to dry on the skin. Gingersnaps, delicious and warm, from start to finish many hours later. Not much else to say: I don't really get any other resins or herbs, just spicy ginger cookies. Not that I'm really complaining: I love ginger. This scent reminds me of curling up under a blanket with a mug of hot tea and fresh ginger things. I put some Shub my neck and that I could smell it wafting up throughout the day. Very foody, very spicy. It's a great scent to have around during the dead of winter and around the holidays. I'll hold on to my imp for sure, but it's too foody for me to wear on a daily basis. EDIT: I've worn this a few times since my initial review and I've found that Shub is particularly susceptible to changes in my skin chemistry throughout the month. Sometimes it's gingersnaps, sometimes it's dry spices and ginger, with a prominent, dark resinous note that really ties it all together. Mmmm.

Straight out of the imp, juicy plum and spicy carnation. As it dries down the plum and carnation swirl into a pleasant, sensual musk... but simultaneously, the plum gets louder. The carnation in this smells lovely, but the plum is SO sweet! Later on the plum calms down a little and the scent actually seems to have a pleasantly creamy element. Two hours later, and for several hours after that, the scent stays much closer to the skin, and it's much subtler and more sensual; the sweetness of the plum is less overtly fruity, and the carnation's floral touch is much softer. It's a pretty smell, but the noisy opening act and the very light finish (I really have to hold my wrist up to my nose to sense it) mean I'm not going to hunt for a larger bottle. I'll probably try this scent in a couple weeks to see if I have better luck with it on another day.

It didn't smell like anything special in the imp, but I decided to put it on anyway because I love violets and enjoy cinnamon. For the first few minutes, it was pure frankincense. Frankincense can be good in a blend, but it was straight-up churchy here. I never got any cinnamon out of this, and the violets were almost completely smothered by the frankincense. Smoky and nice, but it's practically a single note on me. I'll pass on this one. If the violet and cinnamon hadn't been lost in the haze, this could have been really nice.

Not what I expected! In the imp, it smells like pine, sweetened with berry-flavored candy. On the skin, it turned to sweet pine. It was hard to place the sweetness, but it felt floral and fruity. Quite delicate, and not the least bit cloying. However, I didn't get any night-time air, dirt, or moss out of this! It was a pleasant smell, quite pretty actually, but in its later stages got to smelling quite soapy. Nice soap, with a lovely soft pine element, but soap nonetheless. It didn't have much throw and lasted only a few hours on me. I sort of liked it, but I'll try to pass it on to someone else. ETA, months later: Trying this out with a new imp and in an entirely different season, I find that I'm smitten. It's true love! My chemistry seems to have shifted a bit earlier this year, and currently it's more forgiving. Since the listed notes for Nocnitsa are so amazing, and the Eastern European inspiration resonates with me, I sought it out for another go. Well, it's pretty much wonderful. A sweet fir forest, dappled light and shadows... the bright lime-y note adds the brightness, I think. When that burns off, I'm left with a totally awesome cold forest air note, a hint of clean moss, and pine and fir sweetened with juicy red berries. The berries are very natural feeling, not candyish, and after a few hours it's a soft berries and fir scent. There may be a hint of cinnamon in here as well. My only complaint is that the lasting power isn't very good. Nonetheless, this is awesome. A wondrous forest scent with a sweet, girly edge.

This was just tragic! I was looking forward to elements of this scent... I love almonds, saffron, cinnamon, incense, and patchouli is often good as well. Alas, as soon as I sniffed the imp I began to feel less optimistic. Jasmine. Jasmine, jasmine, jasmine... my sworn enemy. On my skin, I smelled the incense, patchouli, and other flowers, as well as a little bit of almond and spice, but the most prominent note? Skewed, warped jasmine. My skin warps this particular note to a headache inducing, horrifying hybrid of old lady and wet dog, and amps it to the exclusion of all the other notes in Uruk.

In the imp, this smelled promising. As soon as it hit my skin, it was all downhill. I could definitely pick out the peach, bergamot, heliotrope, and oakmoss when it was wet. My skin quickly amped up the sweetness, and the peach scent began to go awry. As it dried down it turned into a vaguely powdery, sweet and sour kind of smell, with too-strong bergamot and synthetic-smelling peach. The oakmoss was a nice note, but it couldn't save the overall scent. The throw was dramatic, but I don't know about the lasting power: I had to wash it off after an hour. Nice in theory, but didn't jive with my skin.

In the imp, it smells primarily like rich cocoa powder, layered over something soft and warm. Wet, it briefly smells like dark, dark dry chocolate, and then unfurls into a beautifully blended scent. The overall impression is spicy and almost delicious, but not sweet at all. It turns to lovely dark incense and earthy patchouli, with a unique, seductive note that I can only assume is leather blended in, dusted with cocoa and underpinned by a breath of flowers. It's spicy and it inspires lustful thoughts like nothing else I can ever remember smelling. It eventually fades down to a soft, subtle, scent with little throw, but when I lift up my wrist I still get a whiff of something that's just deliriously sexy. I will use my imp again a few more times to see how much I like it on myself, but I think that I would LOVE this even more on my boyfriend. Mmmmmmm.

I thought I reviewed this before. I can see why I didn't, though. I'm heartbroken. Morocco, when wet, is gorgeous. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Spiced sweetness, laced with musk and perfect carnation. I inhale and enjoy. For about all of five minutes. I barely get a chance to appreciate Morocco's magic, because it's gone fast. Almost as soon as it dries, there's nothing left. No throw, no lasting power, nothing but the brief memory of a perfect scent. I tried this three times with the hope of better results, but it's time to give up hope. Morocco would have been perfect, if only it hadn't disappeared on my skin.

The other oils I have (which are very few) range from clear to clear yellow. Vixen is dark dark red brown. On my skin, it leaves a yellow-orange stain. I didn't like this when I first used it but it grew on me after a few uses. As it dries down it has a phase in which it seems almost fruity rather than floral, but in the end I get orange blossoms and the sharp bite of ginger, blended smoothly into a base of deep patchouli. Even though it feels like there's a scrap of orange fruit in here, the overall scent is not sweet. It's long lasting and has intense throw. It's not bad but it's not my favorite thing, for some reason. It smells a bit too simple, too brash. As a side note, my boyfriend sniffed the imp and thought of Indian food!

Bastet is the first blend I purchased a full bottle of! (At the time I am writing this, my only bottle.) Mine is quite aged. In the bottle, it smells like almonds and smoothness. Wet on my wrist, it still smells like that. There's a definite Egyptian/desert vibe to it, with the hint of watery lotus giving it a bright twist. The blend of musk, amber, and myrrh is perfect. After it's completely dry, I'm sorry to say that the almonds aren't there in full force anymore. Though there's the nuance of the other notes, the dominant scent on becomes that of gentle lotus and soft amber, which is to say, delicately floral and a bit powdery. Not that that's a bad thing- it manages to smell clean, warm, and huggable all at once.

Almonds, almonds, almonds. I love almonds, but on me, this simply smells like almond extract. When it dries down it smells just like a drier, more powdery almond extract. I love almonds, but ideally a perfume would have more nuance than this! Queen of Sheba is best used for layering with something when I need a boost of almond power, I think.

I never would have thought to get this on my own- I'm so glad I got this as a frimp. It's amazing. It's striking, it's metallic, it's pure. Frozen mint and eucalyptus are the main characters, shifting between visions of a desolate winter (totally a powerful "ice queen" sort of scent) and a chrome-colored, futuristic dystopia. The eucalyptus fades fast, leaving behind the cold mint and the purple gloss of violets. The neroli rounds out the scent delicately. After Ultraviolet rests on the skin for a while, the mint fades out more, and I'm left with slightly chilly sugared violets. A lot of perfumes are "warm", but few are this striking and unabashedly cold. It's a work of art, to be sure. It sticks in your memory and stands out. I can see why not everyone would like this, but I love it and unless I'm sick, it behaves well with my chemistry. My boyfriend also, who seems to go "meh" at all the super-vanilla forum favorites, says this is one of his favorites on me. He thinks it smells clean and refreshing, yet also like purple lollipops. I'm thrilled that he picked up on the color! Since I first tried this scent in 2006 I've almost always had an imp in rotation. I get sidetracked by shiny new scents, but whenever I go back to Ultraviolet I'm charmed all over again. Before 2009 ends, I think I'm finally going to commit to a bottle. I don't want to run out of this, it's a classic.

Wet: Straight out of the imp is a lush blend. Sweet and faintly flowery, with a tinge of something deeper beneath it. On the skin, it automatically heats up a little. The suggestion of citrus is made, but no true fruitiness emerges. The complexity takes only a few minutes to unfold. Dry: I have no idea how copal smells like, but I suspect that’s the center of this scent. It's warm, resinous, and blends almost seamlessly with a smoky wisp of incense. It’s not the spicy flare of open flame, but the aftermath of a fire. There's a lush floral twist (I'm only getting a whiff of plumeria: it's mixed into a larger bouquet) and a light burst of sweet orange within it all that pulls it together into a scent strongly reminiscent of a jungle. It's the cool shade of a verdantly blooming rainforest, the heated, illuminating glow of embers in the burning dark coal... as paradoxical as the description would make you believe. It's perfectly balanced in other respects, too: smoky heat without cloudiness, and it's not too floral or cloyingly sweet. It’s unique and nuanced while remaining stealthily subtle. It doesn't go powdery, but after wearing it a few times, I've noticed that, when standing on its last legs, the smell falls apart into something that evokes imagery of sticky, syruppy flowers. Verdict: I was hoping for more of a citrus punch, but this is so pretty that I forgot about looking for that orange. It's there, but it's diffused into a whole that exceeded my expectations in terms of complexity. I really like smelling it, but I don't reach for it any old day. It's got an exotic, unique edge, but it also strikes me as sophisticated, like someone well-learned and successful, who's been places and is still going places.

Wet: In the vial and initially, I was underwhelmed. I expected something really punchy from these reviews. It smelled tangy and vaguely floral, but a bit distant, as if everything was hiding. What I imagine is the yuzu seems to be dominant, but it seems nebulous at first. (But now that I spilled a drop on the label, my corner of imps smells strongly. Oops.) Dry: After the scent developed, I kept smelling my wrists. The first hour of wear is definitely the high point of Aizen-Myoo. The first phrase that pops into mind is a "juicy floral". And, oh, is it juicy! The underlying cherry blossom is drenched in copious amounts of irresistible, tangy fruit, primarily citrus, with a bit of perfectly balanced tea. Very evocative of Spring, and delicately exotic. It's attractive in its zingy brilliance. It is such a bright scent, and I feel it wafting around me, like a glowing nimbus of playful olfactory goodness. Later: After a while (a little over an hour), the tartness of the citrus is seriously tempered. While it was reminiscent of grapefruits before, it fades down to something sweeter and tamer. The tea rises into the foreground, which isn't too bad of a trade-off: I like smelling like tea. It smells as if the tea has cherry blossoms floating on the surface, with crystallized fruit sugar for sparkle. It's never cloying, but it doesn't have the zing it had before. In this stage, the throw diminishes considerably, and it's much closer to the skin now. It lasts a few hours before even the tea fades away, leaving behind a sweet, vaguely tasty cherry blossom. (It turned a tiny bit powdery on me once, but hasn't done that again.) It's not bad at all, but it doesn't hold on to its original delightfulness. Verdict: This is the first ever BPAL oil I've tried! I'm happy that the fruity stage is neither overripe, nor sweet, nor fake or generic. I'm a bit disappointed that my body chemistry softens the yuzu after a while, but I'm happy that of the other notes, it chose to amp up the black tea, and the more I smell it, the more I love the opening stages. I enjoy it every time I wear it, and it's a potential candidate for a big bottle. I know that I'd use it a lot, because it is a "young" scent that lends itself to everyday wear.