Trish

In the imp: sharp, strong, sweet floral Wet: sharp, strong, sweet floral that's almost soapy Drydown: Urgh it's getting stronger. Very heady, but the soapiness has disappeared. Dry: Just a hint of opium in the background which is the only thing stopping me from washing it off. I can't detect any vetivert and I'm one of the seemingly few who like a bit of vetivert. 1 hour: This is better. The opium has fully emerged and it's a much deeper, darker smoky yet floral resin. And it is still fairly floral. Swap. I cannot put up with that overpowering heady floral for an hour just to get to a scent that I like but don't love.

This is a fairly uncomplicated scent on my skin. When wet it's all orange, but as it dries the raspberry quickly emerges lending a sweetness to the more tart orange. My partner is still trying to work out exactly which lolly from his childhood it smells like! The neroli never appears. I got this as a frimp and despite the orange I actually like this! The raspberry stops it from going sour on me. It's not a bottle scent, but I'll be keeping the imp for spring and summer.

In the Imp: Mmmm.. dragon's blood, pepper and ginger, with a touch of sweetness. Wet: Oh yes, this is peppery. Although it's far from being all pepper on me as the ginger is certainly making it's presence strongly felt as well! The dragon's blood isn't overly strong but it's quite noticeable also. Actually this is reminding me of Wrath, must be the DB and pepper. Drydown: This is getting sweeter and a little incense smokey - no doubt that's the opoponax. The ginger is fading away quite quickly and the dragon's blood is staying in the background. However knowing me and dragon's blood it will end up outlasting everything else. A sweet, spicy, slightly smoky resin. Early dry: Hello honeysuckle. Sweet, floral, spicy dragon's blood. Far gentler in some ways than I thought Aries would be, but it's still a strong scent. Strong in a confident take no prisoners way! Still reminds me of Wrath, although it hasn't gone weird on me like it did thankfully! Later dry: Ah here we go! The dragon's blood is becoming more noticeable and the honeysuckle is becoming a little more subdued. Still not an overly strong DB though (than again I've been wearing the single note a lot lately). It's got a little bit of throw. After an hour: Mmm sweet spicy dragon's blood. It's certainly not spicy hot, but it's still got that dry peppery scent. Surprisingly feminine and soft, but still with that strong don't mess with me vibe. The honeysuckle has all but gone, just leaving a lingering memory behind. After two hours: Dragon's blood, soft with still a little lingering sweetness and spice. I'm an Aries and a dragon's blood fanaticand a spice fan so needless to say I had HUGE hopes of this. And I do like it a lot, especially after about 45 minutes. I just wish the db was a bit more pronounced and that the ginger had stuck around some more. It's a note I've only recently tried and I'm discovering I like it quite a bit (but then I've never met a spice I didn't like). Definitely a keeper. Especially for when I need to kick arse and take charge.

I really like this a lot when wet and in early drydown, it's a musky floral with a hint of fruit and spice. However it gradually gets more floral when it's dry and the mandarine becomes more prominant, threatening to turn sour as citrus sometimes does on me. I could wear it occasionally though, and the imp would probably have been a keeper. Unfortunately however someone decapitated the imp when he decided he wanted to wear some Bpal when I wasn't around. Why he decided to try an imp from my "to be tested box" I have no idea.

On me this was a pleasant enough floral, with a little rose and something that's familiar but I couldn't quite place. I also got a sense of something underneath giving it depth, but before I could work out what it was it turned to powder. *sigh* There's at least one floral that's turned a few scents to powder on me but I haven't worked out what it is yet.

On me this is nearly all floral, mainly lily of the valley, with just the tiniest hint of ginger after it dries. It's actually fairly strong on my skin, and the throw is almost suffocating it's so strong! And I only put it on one wrist! Way too floral for my tastes, in fact I had to wash it off after 30 minutes because I just couldn't take it anymore.

I find this very hard to describe, possibly because aquatics are something I've never ventured into before. Warm yet with a cold edge, floral, incensy, a little musky, a little sharp. Quite complex and I think I might like it. It needs some further testing though.

I really dislike lavender. So when I opened up the frimp I nearly passed out from the overwhelming lavender and very nearly didn't try it at all. But I have sworn that I will test every Bpal that comes my way. In the imp: Lavender. Wet: Lavender Drydown: Lavender Dry: Lavender. With something softer making it somewhat more bearable. And at that stage I fell asleep and it was completely gone the next morning. Probably just as well if any anise was going to emerge. I may really dislike lavender, but I hate anise. Admittedly I did sleep rather well, but I think I'll stick to other scents when I want help sleeping (like sandalwood).

I'm not too good at identifying individual floral notes, so to me Goneril is just floral. The cedar is quite subtle at first, gradually emerging over time but never overtaking the flowers. Instead it just gives it added depth and interest. I'm so not a floral person but this is rather lovely, although after 3 hours it's barely there and after 4 it's gone. Not a bottle scent, but the imp will be enjoyed.

....and that hopefully more loving home is with me. I love Snake Oil and spices so I have very high hopes for this. In the bottle: Definite ginger here! Also cinnamon and cassia, and there's a little smokiness too. Wet: Freshly sliced ginger and a hefty dose of cassia. The cinnamon has disappeared. It's not nearly as hot or harsh as I thought it might be, although it's certainly spikey and reminds me of Indian food. Drydown: It's getting sweeter and a little less like Indian food, as well as more rounded and not as spikey. Early dry: Mmm the cinnamon is reappearing and merging with the other spices. There's a hint of Snake Oil vanilla in the background too. Oh woah, this could be love.... Later Dry: Snake Oil with a hint of the extra spices. My skin tends to eat spice, especially cinnamon, (except Chimera for some reason) so I shouldn't be surprised they've nearly all gone. However there's enough left to distinguish this from regular Snake Oil. In short, this has definitely found a more loving home! I do wish it had stayed in the middle dry stage though, where it was definite Snake Oil but still very spicy as well ETA 6 months later: This really does age wonderfully! It's much smoother and a little sweeter now, and not as harsh or spikey when wet. Also the spices seem to be lasting longer on my skin now.

I got this as a frimp, otherwise I never would have tried it as amber and I don't tend to get on very well. But I am very glad I did now! Yes the amber does turn to powder as normal, but before it did I was finally able to get a good sense of what it smells like! A wonderfully golden sweet resin, and now I really hate it that all bar two blends containing amber have gone to powder on me (and I can't smell it in those two - Sin and Fenris Wolf). So before this turned, it was lovely! A smooth sweet golden scent with a touch of berries, noticeable fragrant spices and a touch of iris. Damn you skin chemistry! *shakes fist*

I started testing this without looking at the notes, and since it was a frimp I had no idea what was in it. In the imp: frankincense and something sharper, almost green? Wet: Frankincense and sandalwood. Damn I love both of them! Drydown: Oh wow, this is gorgeous! The frankincense is becoming softer, and I'm sure there's musk in this along with a little floral. Soft musky frankincense and sandalwood with a little floral. Dry: The floral is really coming out now. I'm not a fan of florals but I like this one. It's familiar but I can't quite place it. 5 minutes later: Oh CRAP!! It's going powdery. Amber no doubt... *checks notes* Yep. Amber. *sigh* And neroli which I do like. But now it's just floral baby powder. This is a swap sadly, because I did so love it for about 20 minutes.

In the imp this is strong sweet herbs and something quite fruity as well. On my skin it softens immediately before the herbs really emerge as it dries. And when dry, ah what a thing of beauty Osun turns out to be! These aren't green herbs to me (except briefly during very early drydown) thankfully as I generally hate green notes. These however are dried herbs on me, soaked in honey. The honey is not your normal honey though, it's not nearly as "sticky" and far more subtle, and it's a fairly dry scent. It's a pale golden sundrenched scent to me, and really makes me picture a field of wheat waving gently in the breeze under a cloudless blue sky. It has good throw and has extremely good staying power. It's only the second non-dragon's blood blend that I can still clearly detect on my wrists after working for 9 hours! In fact it's 11 hours since I put it on and it's still definitely there. I really like this a lot and it's a very possible bottle. The lab knew what they were doing when they sent me a frimp of this in both of my two recent orders!

I'm finding this hard to review actually, because my nose was mighty confused when testing it! On one hand I love the dark resin spicy smokiness and the almost dust like quality. But there's something that turns sour on me in there too which I couldn't deal with. I'm assuming that's the tamarind, mimosa or ajowan as I'm not familiar with them whilst I love musk and opoponax, and don't have any problems with vetiver. I think I might keep the imp around for a bit though, as it is definitely intriguing.

When wet this is all floral - and much to my surprise it's a floral I really really like. I assume this is the plumeria as it's a new note to me. As it dries the pear bursts forth all sweet and juicy, and just a hint of wine in the throw. It doesn't really change on me too much, the pear dominates the plumeria until it fades away after a few hours. I normally much prefer fruit to florals but in this case I wanted the flowers back! Having said that I do like this and I'm glad the lab sent me it. It strikes me as being perfect for spring or early summer.

I got this because I'm slowly trying all the plum scents since I've discovered my skin adores it. I'm not so keen on florals though (although I do like jasmine). In the imp: Plum! And sweet flowers, including jasmine. But plum! Wet: Sharp, like wine can be. The plum almost completely disappears (now that is a first!) and it's light florals with just a touch of fruity sweetness. The throw is rather like tart sparkling wine. Drydown: Woooo here comes the plum! Plum wine actually, a bit like the plum wine I get from Bordello but a lot softer and more subtle. There's only a hint of floral, and the throw is all plum. This makes me very happy! {Note: This does not play well with Sheol. I still had a little left on my other wrist and in comparison it smells terribly sour.} Dry: The plum has toned down far more quickly than it usually does on me, allowing the florals to appear again. I can smell the jasmine but it is very subdued indeed, although it still gives me the brief headache it always does. Daffodil is an entirely new note and orchid may as well be too, but at least one of them is there as well. I suspect it's the orchid and I rather like it *gasp*. The throw is still plum wine, and there's quite a bit of it. Not surprising, plum throws like crazy on me. Occasionally I get a little sour wine in the throw too (that isn't nearly as bad as it sounds!). 5 minutes later the plum comes to the front again. And then the floral. Ah... you're going to be like that are you? This is gorgeous, but I've recently fallen for Blood Countess, another plum and floral blend. They're quite different, but plum is the major player in both on me and I'm not sure that I need a bottle of both. Yet. Maybe....

The final burst of the soul’s light and joy before passing into the depths of the earth, and into the cords of Sheol; Sheol, who is never satisfied, and who makes wide her soul to all. Vibrant gladiola, graceful stargazer lily, triumphant iris and bright heliotrope flare, and is finally made somber by heavy copal, a drop of labdanum, and tonka. I got this in a swap even though I'm not sure of the florals, Iris is the only one I'm at all familiar with. In the imp: floral with something else I can't distinguish. Bit of resin too I think. Wet: soft warm floral. Deep and a little dark, not light sweet florals. Oh it's the labdanum I'm picking up! Drydown: Oh wow is that copal? It must be, it's like a note I can detect in King Cobra. Warm resin that's a bit smoky. Labdanum is present also, which I love. There's a floral coming up as well, goodness knows which one except it's not iris. It's lending a bit more light and sweetness to the darker notes, but it's still a sombre melancholy scent. I've got a horrible suspicion the flowers may go powdery on me though. Dry: It's become a lot more floral on me, although it's still quite resinous and smoky as well. A warm, feminine, sophisticated, complex, and mature scent. Definitely melancholy too, which is my kind of thing. Doesn't have much throw, then again I only have a little on one wrist. I rather like this, although I'm still worried about the flowers and my skin. Later: No powder! The iris has appeared too, with it's soft almost watery scent. This is quite floral now with the other notes underneath ensuring it retains that darker melancholy feel that I Iove. If this was less floral on me it would probably be a bottle. That early drydown where the copal dominated was absolutely superb! Having said that however it's still lovely and I'll be hanging on to this imp for the odd times when I feel like wearing something a bit more feminine and subtle than my usual blends. Actually this could be a creeper, one that I decide I need a bottle of when I finish the imp.

This one had interested me for a while but I'd never got round to ordering it because I wasn't sure of the notes. Namely the cocoa because I wasn't overly fond of it in Velvet. Plus I really have no idea about black palm or fig. But the Labbies must have read my mind as they sent me a frimp. In the imp: Cocoa, woods and something fruity which I assume is the fig. Quite strong and a little sharp. Wet: Wow this softens immediately! Woods, a little cocoa, a little fig, a little smoky and incensy. Drydown: It's getting softer and more subtle by the second, in fact I fear my skin might eat this completely. However I like it far more than I thought I might. All the notes are beautifully blended, with the woods just a tiny bit stronger than the others. Intrigue is definitely the perfect name for this. Dry: Forget what I said about my skin eating it, this baby has warmed right up! It's fairly strong and has heaps of throw. It's mainly what must be the fig now, with some dark unsweetened chocolate and dry woods keeping it from becoming too sweet or foody. It's a little smoky, almost incensy, which I love. After an hour or so the cedar becomes dominant without overpowering the other notes completely - I love woods so that's ok! The throw however is the thing - it's a wonderful combination of wood and figs with a dash of cocoa. Heavenly in the extreme. If I could get hold of a Labbie right now I would kiss them! I love this and it is definitely a bottle. It's a bit dark, a bit mysterious, a bit sexy and so very intriguing.

In the imp: Cedar and something else, quite sharp. Wet: Cedar and lots of it. Drydown: Oooh this is my kind of cedar! It's not as strong and sharp as Cathedral, nor is it as soft as in Kathmandu. It's my perfect cedar. Dry: This is still predomnantly cedar on my skin, but there's quite a bit of frankincense too along with an almost spicy note that I don't recognise. I guess that's the galangal or high john. It's very dry and there's also a bit of incense smoke. I'm not getting the citrus note others have mentioned at all, nor any sandalwood. The latter would normally disappoint me but in this case it doesn't. I really like this a lot! After a while the frankincense starts to take over from the cedar and it reminds me very strongly of Penitence. I need to test them at the same time I think, to see how alike they actually are on me.

In the imp: Narcissus Wet: Narcissus. Luckily narcissus is a floral I get on with quite well. Drydown: Predominantly narcissus. As it dries it becomes periously close to being soapy which surpised me as none of the listed notes in this have ever done that before on me. But just when I think it's going to turn to soap a smoky note appears and makes the narcissus back off a little. Dry: About 30 minutes after putting it on the opium and to a lesser extent the myrrh really make their presence felt. It's a dry smoky incensy perfumed narcissus, and absolutely lovely. More than lovely, it's intoxicating and rather sexy too, in a languid heavy lidded way. Actually it brings to mind the old time Hollywood movie stars, like Greta Garbo, with the smoky eye makeup and dark red lipstick. Wonderful, and I cannot stop sniffing my wrist. ....and at about the hour mark it turns into powder. *cries and wails and stomps feet* I don't know what made it turn into powder, unless there's some amber hiding in it. I've never had problems with myrrh or narcissus, and although my experience with opium is limited it didn't turn on me in Blood Countess. In any case I am very sad about this, because that smoky incensy narcissus was absolutely gorgeous and so very me.

In the imp: plum and florals Wet: Nearly all floral, and quite "meh" ones at that (note - most florals are meh to me). Drydown: Oh here comes the plum! But it's a less sweet and softer plum than other Bpal plum blends I've tried. Usually it's quite sweet and strong on me, and tends to dominate all other notes at least briefly. But this isn't, it's just swirling through the florals. Dry: There's something around the edges that make me think of dried herbs. This is a soft, delicate plum and floral with a hint of dried herbs which give it a slight incense quality. This is very feminine, very soft, very pretty. After about 40 minutes the plum starts to deepen and become more sweet, but the florals are still there. This is lovely, but it's probably a bit too soft and light for me. I prefer something with a bit more oomph, throw and lasting capabilities - this was gone in 2 hours. Maybe if I hadn't fallen for Blood Countess so recently it would be different.

In the imp: sweet and sharp woods. There's a kind of menthol note too. Wet: Same. Drydown: The cedar emerges quite quickly and tones down the menthol a bit. Dry: This is far better now. The menthol has almost completely gone and the cedar hasn't gone overpoweringly sharp on me as it sometimes does. In fact it's quite soft. A little spice has appeared, not a lot though. After a while a smidgeon of sandalwood appears and then lotus, making it even softer. And more floral than I'd like. I'm not overly fond of lotus I have to say. Swap, but only because of the lotus.

makhsihed pretty well said all I wanted to! The only thing I found different is that it lasts for 10+ hours on me. Seeing dragon's blood and I adore each other and I've enjoyed the couple of leather scents I've tried, I was pretty sure I was going to love this. I was right.

In the imp: A blast of patchouli followed by an equally strong dose of red musk. Wet: Pretty much the same, although the red musk is a little more predominant. Drydown: The ylang ylang emerges and sits on top of the darker notes, making it lighter and sweeter. In fact it seems to have almost completely smothered the red musk particularly. Now I like ylang ylang ok (although I haven't worn it before), but I much prefer the darkness. Interestingly the throw is nearly all red musk - I've noticed before that although I can sometimes barely smell red musk on my skin it is quite strong in the air around me. As it dries the ylang ylang is getting stronger. I actually want the patchouli back. Yes folks, hell has indeed frozen over! Dry: The ylang ylang settles down a little thankfully although it's still very noticeable, making the red musk and patchouli far lighter than they would otherwise be. After 2 hours it has faded considerably and after 3 hours it is all but gone. I would have loved this completely without the ylang ylang and if it lasted longer. However I will still have fun with the imp while deciding if I want a bottle or not.

I'm not overly fond of foody scents, but I got this in a swap anyway. It finally got tested when I was in the mood for sweet stuff. When wet it's all hazelnut and caramel on me, then as it dries it reminds me strongly of Elegbra. I suspect it's the toffee combining with something that my nose interprets as butterscotch. Surprisingly I liked it! Not enough to get a bottle, but I'll keep the imp around for the odd occasion I feel like wearing a foody scent.