Trish

In the imp: Sweet, a bit creamy, fruity - pineapple? No, maybe melon, it's not as tart as pineapple. I can smell herbs too. Wet: Wet, creamy fruit with a touch of frankincense. This is SO different to what I imagined. There's something underneath too, more earthy and not nearly as sweet. Drydown: Sweet fruity earthy incense, with a touch of dried herbs. It's not as sweet as it was, and it's not overly strong either. But it is very nice. Dry: This is starting to throw a fair bit, and it's sweetened back up again too. Sweet soft fruity incense. And herbs. There's something in this that reminds me of Osun for some unknown reason. The fruit smells more like peach now, but I wouldn't like to put money on what it actually is! Not long afterwards the olive starts to dominate and I'm not so impressed. A little olive is ok, but I do not like it dominating. However the throw - which is starting to fade - is much nicer and still fruity incense. Thankfully the olive starts to back off a bit within 15 minutes, leaving a soft slightly sweet earthy resin scent on my wrist. The throw has all but gone, as has the fruit. I wish the fruit had stuck around, which is surprising because I usually don't like tropical fruits (I'm a black/purple fruit person). But this really agreed with me especially in the drydown/early dry stages.

In the imp: Sweet cinnamon... cola. Wet: Same. I really want to lick my wrist! Initial Drydown: The cola note is fading quickly, leaving a warm cinnamon incense with a touch of vanilla and florals. I'm hoping this doesn't morph too much because I am really liking this! Later Drydown: Well it is morphing - and I like it even more! It's getting a bit smoky and darker, I'm thinking there may be a touch of vetivert in this maybe? Or perhaps patchouli. Dry: Oh wow, sexy cinnamon! This is a rich warm cinnamon and vanilla, with a touch of musk, resin and smoke. Maybe some woods way underneath too. There is the tiniest hint of floral but I have to go searching for it to find it. Strangely enough I am not getting any dragon's blood (although there is something resinous) from this and we have a mutual love affair. There's some throw, not a whole lot but enough to make me happy. Shit this is sexy as! Makes me want to go jump someone! Commanding and dominant are very apt words. Pity my partner doesn't like cinnamon Hey that's clove in there too I swear! I love clove but my skin eats it even faster than it does cinnamon. After an hour and a half the florals start emerging a little more, but are very nicely controlled by the other notes. Cinnamon is still very much dominant which is surprising and pleasing as normally my skin's started to eat it by now, Chimera being the only exception (and I've tried a lot of cinnamon!). Even more pleasing is that I can still smell cloves. This is definitely my favourite of the Voodoo blends, and will possibly be my first bottle from that category. Does it work? Well it does on me, but on him? Don't know yet but I intend to find out

I would class Chimera as a winter one too, because on me it's got a sticky syrupy quality to it, especially for the first hour or so. Mind you I love this so much I wear it in summer anyway! I tend to classify scents into certain seasons - and then promptly pay no attention. I also agree with Silk Road as a summery one. I prefer Sri Lanka in autumn/winter, it's a dry incensey cinnamon. Sin is definitely winter with it's cinnamon and patchouli. Even I find it hard to wear in summer!

The dragon's blood in this is dryer and more subdued than it normally is on me, with a rather nice peppery kick to it. There is some cinnamon and cloves, but it seems to be pepper which is the dominant spice to my nose. There's also a fair bit of dust, which I like. It reminds me of Aries 07, but without the honeysuckle and ginger, and quite a bit dryer. In fact I prefer this to Aries. This barely changes on my skin at all, just the spices subdue over time. It lasts a fair while, although not as long as the Ars Draconis blends, and has average throw. I like this quite a bit and I'm very glad I got hold of a bottle!

I ended up wearing Dragon's Blood and Snake Oil.

I got this as a frimp and had very low expectations of it. I like fruit but purple fruits do far better on me, and I was very wary of all the floral notes - none of which I had tried before except rose. And rose is not my friend! However I was pleasantly surprised by this! A light sweet fruity floral, and no rose! The grapes and pear were the most noticeable fruits which pleased me as I prefer them to peach. It had quite a bit of throw for the first 30 minutes or so, but as the scent started fading it disappeared. And alas this does fade pretty quickly on me. It's not really me but I do like it and I could wear it so the imp's a keeper for now. I think it will be far better in the spring.

I knew I needed Midnight Mass when I first read about it soon after I discovered Bpal - I'm not Catholic but I adore incense, resins and old churches. Unfortunately I then missed last year's version due to moving and being offline. Since then I've been trying to get my hands on some, but kept missing out as it never seemed to come up when I had the money or if I did someone else got in before me. But now thanks to Chaos the Crazy I have a bottle (2006) in my hot little hands! And I'm almost scared to try it in case it doesn't live up to my expectations. In the bottle: Omigod. Sweet woody incense, and exactly how I hoped it would! This has allayed my fears that it would be too like Cathedral for me (it was just way too much fresh cedar for me). This is a keeper already since if it doesn't work on my skin I will definitely wear it in my scent locket. Wet: A little sharper and less sweet than in the bottle, but otherwise very similiar. Drydown: The cedar is becoming a little sharper, but nowhere near Cathedral's level. It's much softer and smoother. There's also definite myrrh here and some frankincense as well. Maybe some sandalwood too. Warm and dry, calming and soothing. It's gaining some good throw too, which is very true to the skin scent. Dry: Oh God. This is everything I hoped it would be. The frankincense has really starting to make it's presence felt, reminding me of Penitance (which I like a lot) but it's more complex than it. I can detect the cedar - which has softened -, sandalwood and myrrh too, but it's far better just enjoying the scent as a whole rather than trying to pick out individual notes. After 45 minutes or so the myrrh takes it's turn on centre stage. Sometimes myrrh can be a bit bitter on me and this is slightly so, but only when I put my nose right up to my wrist thankfully. The throw has subdued a little but it's still softly wafting around me, and whereas myrrh is definitely dominant on my wrist the throw is more cedar and frankincense which makes me able to ignore that slight bitterness on my skin. In any case after another 30 minutes or so the bitterness starts to fade. Finally after 2 hours it has turned into a deep warm semi-sweet resin. All the bitterness has gone, and the frankincense is mingling with the myrrh perfectly. It's fading, but it's still definitely there (and I didn't put that much on to start with) so I think this will have average last on me. Lately I've found a number of Bpal incense blends that I've fallen for, and this is another to add to the list! In fact this may be my favourite of all the incenses since this has more noticeable frankincense than the others. I'm really hoping it reappears this Christmas!

Woah That's rather scarily accurate for me! I'm an Aries with the moon in Capricorn and Aries ascending. The rest of my chart contains some more fire, a heap of air (mainly Gemini), a smattering of earth and no water signs at all. I'm all about the woods, resins, incense and spice, and I like earthy scents ok. I do not do florals (with very few exceptions) or aquatics at all. Hmmm.. where would fruity scents go I wonder? *leaves that question to those with far more knowledge than I*

This could be interesting. African violet is new to me, but my skin doesn't like normal violet too much and it tends to go soapy on me. On the other hand it adores black plum and myrrh, and fig, orris and anything remotely connected to red wine do very well also. Lilac isn't bad either, and wisteria, plum blossom and cognac are unknown quantities. Hopefully this is more resin and/or fruity on me than floral. In the bottle: grapes, vaguely medicinal. Wet: Quite floral, which I wasn't expecting somehow. Drydown: Oh here comes the plum and grapes! Now this is more like it! It's still floral, but the rich fruits add a new dimenson to it. As it dries some more the orris comes out quite strongly. As does the violet. Uh oh. Dry: The violet is on the very brink of toppling into soapiness, but hasn't quite done so. The plum is surprisingly muted on me, in every other plum blend I've tried it's by far the dominant note but in this it's laying underneath the violet and orris with the grapes. Resin floral with fruit and wine underneath. I'm hoping the myrrh appears soon. *lol* As soon as I typed that it emerged! A soft myrrh, just adding something extra. And now it's moved from "hmmm" to "oh, maybe this one is going to end up ok!" because it's now more resin than floral. It's gaining a bit of throw now too, not a lot, just enough to waft up to my nose. And at last the plum is starting to do it's thing! Which in my case is amp up and throw like crazy - except it's still more muted than the plum in anything else I've tried. Plum, orris and violet - and thankfully the later has receeded from the brink of soapiness. Actually this reminds me a little of King Cobra of all things, no doubt due to the orris which goes a bit powdery on me. After an hour or so it ends up as a soft plummy somewhat powdery floral, and this is definitely the stage I like the most. I like this, but I don't love it. If the plum, myrrh and grapes were stronger and the florals less prominant I daresay it would be a different story. However the bottle is a keeper for now.

In the imp: Rich musky slightly sweet resin. Wet: Seems to disappear for about 1 minute, then slowly warms up. Definitely dark musk and myrrh here, and a lot less sweet! Drydown: I love musk and I'm on a myrrh kick right now so this is very pleasing to my nose! There's a tiny tinge of dark green which must be the olive leaf, and although I can't smell the ginger there is a sense of spice. There's some wood emerging in the background also. It's definitely a dark murky scent, but in the very best way. Dry: It's changed a bit, a little sweeter again, the spice has gone and the myrrh has subdued.. Musky resinous wood with some myrrh and opoponax floating over the top. I don't smell patchouli at all, and I wouldn't know what spikenard smelt like if it grabbed me by the throat. Hell I don't even know what it is (must look it up). There's still a tinge of green but it's a very dark green and buried in the background. It doesn't jump up and make my nose wrinkle like most green scents do. Doesn't seem to have much throw, and although I wasn't exactly light handed it's not all that strong either. The myrrh pops up again after a while, which makes me so very happy. Warm, deep, rich musky incense. Then suddenly there's a slightly plastic note when I sniff my wrist, similiar to what I sometimes get with vanilla based scents after an hour or so. And like those it's only noticeable when I put my nose to my wrist and not in the throw. But there's no vanilla in this. The plastic note doesn't go away unfortunately, it just gradually fades with the rest of the scent. However I do still like this very much - dark, murky, musky resins are definitely my thing.

In the imp: Sweet apples and soft dragon's blood. Wet: Uh.. nothing. Well, nearly nothing, there's just a tiny hint of apple on my wrist. Drydown: Huh? Usually dragon's blood takes off on my skin, but I can still barely smell it! There's just a very light apple with a tiny drop of dragon's blood and that's all. I can only smell it if I put my nose right up to my wrist and concentrate. *walks outside briefly* Oh hang on, there is a little throw that's light dragon's blood. And now it's starting to get a little stronger on my wrist as well. Light dragon's blood, sweet apple and there's a hint of a floral emerging. Dry: This does gradually warm up and strengthen and it was worth the wait! It's primarily apple blossom with a little sweet apple and light musk. The dragon's blood gives it warmth and depth, but stays very much in the background. Definitely the softest and lightest of all the Ars Draconis blends I have tried (which is all bar two). It does have good throw now but it's certainly not overpowering, although the dragon's blood is far more noticeable in the throw than on my skin. Ladon is a very pretty and soft hundred-headed dragon! After a while the dragon's blood does become more apparent, but it's still quite soft and subdued with the other notes on top. This is a keeper alright and it may be a bottle eventually. In fact change that may to a more than likely - every minute I wear this I like it more. It's also made me very interested in trying other apple scents since this was my first.

Thanks for asking this! I got a bottle of Tramp last week for the first time and I like it quite a bit. *adds imp of Dance of Death to order list*

When wet this is very strong very sweet opium and tobacco on me. I don't dislike it, but it is quite overwhelming! After about 30 minutes it softens quite suddenly and is much better - a soft smoky opium incense. A little dust has also appeared which is good, I quite like fragrant Bpal dust! It has quite good throw and average last. It's quite nice, but I'm not sure I'll wear it that often. I'll be keeping my bottle, although I may end up decanting some samples from it.

In the imp: Myrrh with woods and incense, and just the tiniest hint of rose. This is glorious in the imp!!! Wet: *dies and goes to heaven* The myrrh in this reminds me very strongly of Priala (which I am besotted with), but it's softer and sweeter, with the other notes mingling. Drydown: Oh man this is gorgeous! The myrrh and incense are the strongest notes on me, with just a little sandalwood and rose in the background - the only way I do rose! A light sweet incense that's softened by the rose. Dry: The rose has come out more but it's still very soft and not overpowering the other notes thank heavens. There's also a slight greenery from the moss which I'm not altogether crazy about. Or maybe it's mastic, that's a new note for me so I'm not sure. The throw is quite different from the skin scent, it's far more myrrh and incense than the latter. Later: *cries* The green is overpowering everything else! And I hate green notes. I can just detect some smoky rose underneath it, and the throw, while light, is still all myrrh and incense and much better than the skin scent. A little later: That's better, the green is fading quickly now! But in it's place comes rose, luckily it's still a soft subtle rose and mixed with the incense it's quite pretty if not me. I think I need to retest this, because I love the early stages and the throw, but the dry on skin scent just isn't me. I do have a feeling it will grow on me, although I can do without that green stage even if it only lasts 10-15 minutes. At the very least I will wear this in my scent locket however, and the imp is a keeper.

In the imp: Very sweet fruity patchouli Wet: Sweet and somewhat sharp patchouli with a tinge of fruit. Drydown: Dirty patchouli. I've got over my hate of patchouli since I discovered Bpal and found it works for me, but I still do not like dirty patchouli! However it also usually softens on my skin quite quickly so I'll wait and see. Hmm.. the apricot is quickly ripening also, very wet and very sweet. I haven't tried an apricot blend before and I'm not sure I like this. Dry: Urgh. Dirty patchouli with the intense sweetness of the apricot underneath. The combination does not work for me, instead it's making me feel a bit sick. Possibly because it's reminding me of this awful peach flavoured cough syrup I had once. It actually smells very similiar on me, even though this is apricot not peach. It's got a whole lot of throw too. A little later: The patchouli has settled down a little, but it's still dirty. The apricot though is still too much for me and the combination still smells like that cough syrup. I've got to wash this off, the throw alone is way too much and I only put a little on one wrist!

I just jotted down notes as I tested this, and decided to just type out what I wrote. Hence it may be a little disjointed. An almost sharp sweetness when wet that quickly starts to fades. Becomes mainly warm and smooth spiced musky woods but still with a sweet top-note which is somewhat jarring. The saffron is lovely. Gender neutral. Don't get the patchouli at all. Labdanum comes out a little more as it dries. Sweet top-note fades. Now I get the Morocco comparisons - it does indeed smell like a deeper murkier Morocco, yet in other ways they are quite different. Far more grown up and wordly wise than Morocco. A little throw but not a lot. Rich, smooth, musky, warm, dark, incensey, a little smoky. Sexy. Good last. Definitely a possible bottle.

In the imp: Berries with a touch of green. Quite a light scent. Wet: *pries nose away from wrist*. I love berries and musk and they are both definitely in here! There's also the sage which is not something I normally like, but so far it's just in the background cutting through the sweetness a bit. Drydown: Oh yum. It's more green than berries now and yet I like it! It's a soft round herbal green and not at all sharp, with the musky berries swirled through it. It's a very light soft scent, and I'm not sure it's going to last long on me, although berries and musk usually do. It has no throw at all. Dry: Now the berries have warmed and ripened, and the strength has increased. It's sweet, but nothing like Bordello. It's much softer and subdued than it, probably because Bewitched does not contain the plum that my skin adores so much. Actually it reminds me far more of Baneberry than Bordello. It's starting to throw a little. Soft sweet musky berries with sage tea in the background. After half an hour or so the musk really comes into play, darkening it and giving it added depth. The green has gone, now it is berries with a hefty dose of dark sexy musk. It's still fairly subtle with only a little throw, it would much rather stick close to my skin. I really like this a lot, and it makes a change from my other fruity oils that all contain plum. This is for when I want a softer more subdued fruity scent. Definitely a possible bottle!

Interesting. Usually dragon's blood would be the most dominant scent on me - unless it also contains sandalwood where it takes over instead. Yet this contains both but neither are dominant! Instead it's the cherry blossom which makes this very much a floral scent. Normally this would be the kiss of death, but this is a new note for me and it agrees with me quite favourably. Especially since the wood and particularly the tea are still noticeable underneath, with a bit of dragon's blood. There's also a tinge of green which I normally hate but it works with this, cutting through the floral a bit. It's quite strong for the first hour or so, then softens quite a bit. I'd describe this as resin, wood and tea overlayed with cherry blossom. It's a floral with warmth, strength of character and depth, and is not a summer floral to my nose. It has good throw and last as all dragon's blood blends have on me, and I like this quite a bit. Maybe not enough to seek out a second bottle, but this one I will keep. I'm going to a wedding in October and I think this might just be what I'll wear to it!

When wet this is all lemon on me, almost lemon pledge like. But as it dries the tea and jasmine appear and the lemon settles down a bit. The lemon remains dominant until the end though, with the jasmine and tea just peeking through in the background. It's a bright refreshing scent, and although not really me it is very pleasant and I'll be keeping the imp around to test it in the summer months.

So I get some decant imps today... *opens Green Tree Viper* *sniff* Ooooh! *puts decent amount on one arm* *sniff* BOTTLE!!! It's very minty at first, then gradually softens so I can detect vanilla and tea in the background. It's far less creamy or foody on me than Tokyo Stomp. I can't detect the bergamot at all, and thankfully my luck is holding up with Bpal bergamot as it has not gone sour on me. This is verrrrrry nice indeed!

You know, I don't get civet (and I don't mind civet!) or musk or patchouli or anything out of this except for a very dry somewhat astringent woody note (possibly pine), along with a hefty dose of spices that quickly fade. After an hour or two it's a soft dry woody note. I like wood so it's not unpleasant, especially when it's in the drydown stage. No idea if it works or not yet since I'm the only one here besides the dog.

Bordello's my Friday scent too for exactly the same reason! Although lately I've been alternating it with Tokyo Stomp because that strikes me as fun and happy too (although not as flirty). As for other days, I have nada.

Adding my vote for Scherezade! It's a wonderfully intoxicating spicy red musk.

Has anyone come across a GC oil that resembles Priala? I am currently besotted with her and although I don't plan on running out for quite some time I can see there's going to be much mourning and wailing when I do. I have read that Laudanum does, but I cannot wear it as it turned to burning plastic on me.

In the imp it's sweet and almost foody. Something nutty. On my skin it softens, and although it retains that nuttiness there's also warm resins and vanilla, and a touch of floral. As it dries the nuttiness fades and fleetingly becomes this wonderful warm sweet resin and vanilla scent. I say fleetingly because once again amber spoils the party and turns it all to powder. Admittedly it's a rather nice smelling powder but still... *sulks* I think I'll give this a go in my scent locket.