kolibri

It's funny that I ran across this topic while wearing Blackberry Jam & Scones.

Decant, purchased from Venus Starfire. Preceded by El Dia De Los Reyes. In the imp: Mm, cool green fruits. This reminds me so much of Serpents, with that grass note plus fruits. The difference mainly seems to be the lack of current. But the lime rind is there, along with the cucumber and papaya. Wet: Ack, this turned immediately to laundry detergent! Dry: Whew, that detergent phase passed... I'm getting the slight stinkiness of the amber, now. There's a fruit war going on, they each want to have their say. Later: All of the fruits are gone, it's just musk and grass, now. Which is okay, that's how Serpents ends up, too. The amber has stuck around; I have a love/hate relationship with that one, because it can be so mercurial on me... But it works in this one. Overall: I'm wondering if I could make this one emulate Serpents by layering it with a berry note.

Decant, purchased from Venus Starfire. Preceded by Sachs. In the imp: This is exactly like sticking your head over a cup of steaming hot cocoa. DELICIOUS! Wet: The cinnamon is popping out, adding a depth to the in-the-imp sniff. Great throw. Dry: *huffs wrist in bliss* Overall: I'm a fan of chocolates, and this is the ultimate milk chocolate scent. And it lasted for hours. If I could, I'd get a bottle of this, and it's going on my wishlist STAT.

Decant, purchased from Venus Starfire. Preceded by Delight and Consternation. In the imp: Sugary. There's a sharpish note that's not quite green, not quite spice, so I'm thinking that's the Roman chamomile. It reminds me of conventional cologne somewhat, but only because of the depth and subtle complexity of its unified scent. Wet: Sweet apple and vanilla sugar, but again, there's that cologne-like note. Dry: This is hard to describe, it's so well-blended. It's still sweet and vanilla-y, but it's also skin-scented, and it's not my skin. Overall: I have to give props to the lab - this was like wearing someone else's physical smell, and the skill it would take to replicate something like that just boggles my mind. To be honest, it smells so much like someone else, that I'm creeped out wearing it... I should smell like me - even wearing perfume, I have my own indigenous scent, and this does an amazing job of re-scenting me completely.

Decant from ralenth's Lascivious Lupercalia decant circle. Preceded by Dolce Stil Nuovo. In the imp: Vanilla custard. Soft but woofy base note. Little bit of floral. Wet: Lemon scone and hot cocoa. Then, it's a lemon blossom perched on top of a just-caramalized crème brûlée. I wanna ROLL in this - but the foody notes are mostly close to the skin, while the throw is all powder and rose. I can tell this is going to go to powder on me, which makes me sad. Dry: Yep. Powder. Later: Something's happened (body heat? chemistry shift?), and all at once, the scent came roaring back. Overall: I love it. So weird that it powdered-out, then came back with a vengeance to wreathe me in sweet deliciousness all over again. And when it returned, it was as a unified scent; there was no more morphing or changes, but instead it stayed lemon blossom/crème brûlée until the moment it faded completely around 8 hours later. I was going to pass on this one, but now I may add it to the bottle list.

Decant from ralenth's Lascivious Lupercalia decant circle. Preceded by Night Thoughts. In the imp: Jasmine and carnation/lavendar, in ya face. The sharp nopes of the carnation and lavendar are very well blended. The amber is definitely there, but not too heavily so. I have hopes for this one. Wet: Sparkling sharp top notes. Sweet mids. Slight spice from the musk. That sweetness is interesting, almost foody. Lots of throw. Dry: Expensive soap if the first thing that comes to mind. That's the jasmine and rose talking. Later: I've lost most of the top note florals. All that's left is rose-clad amber and stinky musk. Overall: Dolce Stil Nuovo is not as funky on me as Brisingamen, and the lavendar/carnation seems to cut though the funk while the jasmine marries the two together. But those top notes fade so much faster than I would like. I gotta say, though - this is a very well-blended scent that didn't morph much after it dried, and the resulting sweet/musk hung around for hours with decent throw. This is a "I'm a grown-ass woman" scent, like a key fashion accessory that can either dress up your jeans/blazer combo or pair elegantly with a cocktail dress. I don't think I'll wear it much, but I don't see myself culling it from my collection, so I'll stick with the imp.

Decant, from ralenth's Lascivious Lupercalia decant circle. Preceded by Water Snake. In the imp: The lilac and neroli stand out the most for me. It does have a cool, sharp underpinning; I imagine that's the cedar, ozone and herbs. Wet: Again, largely the lilac and neroli hit the nose first. A few minutes in, the sharpness comes forward, then falls back - it's like a focusing lens, or like your eyes adjusting from the bright lights of the indoors to the dimmer light of moon. It reminds me of the feeling of sitting under a confederate jasmine arbor in early May, hearing crickets in the woods beyond the yard. It also reminds me of . Dry: I'm losing the florals. They're being overcome by the blue musk. Later: The whole thing has fallen to powder. Overall: I was suprised that I liked this; it was more floral than anything I've tried yet, but the sharp notes tempered the florals in the just the right way for me. However, my skin ate all of the parts I liked about it, leaving me with the most animal parts of the musk until even that powdered-out. Next wearing, I'll try different areas of the body and see how it reacts; following that, I'll see how it behaves in a scent locket.

Decant, acquired through ralenth's Lascivious Lupercalia decant circle. Preceeded by White Chocolate with Mate, Hazelnut, and Banana Cream. In the imp: Pretty zingy. Lots of citrus and something cool (like, minty cool), with a side of florals. The deeper notes are present, but murky for me. I can't smell the dragon's blood at all. Wet: This blend has a great soprano section - lots of high, bright notes that support one another. (I'm reminded instantly of the 'ordered cacaphony' section of .) The citrus stands out first, then the florals bloom on top of that; the peony stands at the apex, on top of a pile of fruity-flowers. Love the lychee in this. For a little while, the fruits turned it into an almost gumdrop-like scent, but not for long. Something about the narcissus and pine combo introduces a cool bite that makes me feel like I'm wading in a swirling mountain spring. It started to fade before I left the house to go about my day, so I did something I never do: I hit the imp again. Throw seems to be pretty much in keeping with the amount you put on, which is a trait I like because it allows me to better gauge how much I'm wearing (I hate to be that That Girl who's overwhelming the world with her smell). Dry: I'm glad I hit the imp twice, because it's faded quite a lot. (I'm not sure if this is related to Water Snake or me; I've had several typically long-lasting BPAL perfumes die quickly when worn, and I'm beginning to think my skin is eating them.) The swirling quality of Water Snake wet has blended into a sophisticated unity of lightly floral snake skin with a fruity sweetness underneath. Later: I never got a bit of dragon's blood out of this one, but I'm certain it must be playing a supporting role to balance out the sweetness. Overall: I was almost scared away by the dragon's blood (which had a tendency to stink on my skin), but with all of those sweet florals and crisp citrus notes, I couldn't resist ordering it. So far, anything offered by the lab with a 'snake' in it has been a big hit - and this was no exception. It's a bottle for me.

Decant from malibusunny's Feb/Mar 2013 decant circle. 4th scent tested (preceded by Anactoria 2013). In the imp: Whoa, sweetness. Slightly tangy, but more like a hint of tanin than citrus. Banana and chocolate jump out, in that order. Wet: Oh MAN this is good. Besides the expected sweet/foodie qualities, that mate is springing out, turning the whole deal from merely a walk through a homey kitchen where a sweet something has been baked into something more luxurious, like a very fancy dinner party that ends with a gourmet dessert. I'm getting the white chocolate as a heavily vanilla note, and it spins nicely with the banana, which is, in fact, creamy like a pie filling. Good throw. Dry: I smell like the world's best cheese pastry and toasted banana cream pie had a three-way with a nutella-infused cup of mate. The mate part has receeded quite a bit, so the scent is all warm roundness, now, with the hazelnut dominant in the bass notes. The throw has backed off, but I bet on a warmer day (it's cold out, and I'm a little chilly), it would be stronger. I'm not a slatherer, so I think next time I wear it, I'll take the imp with me and reapply when it fades. Some scents don't reapply well (on me, anyway), but I'm certain this one will. Later: Oh HAI, white chocolate! Now I'm definitely getting a strong chocolate note above the others. But the scent overall has lost its throw and you have to get right up against the skin to get a whiff. Overall: I gotta get a bottle of this. Considering making a massage oil with it. And I want to try it in a difuser.

2013 version. Decant from malibusunny's Feb/Mar 2013 decant circle. 3rd scent tested (preceded by La Vita Nuova). In the imp: Incense-y. Sweet. Powerful. Wet: I can pick out the amber, honey and dragon's blood. Strongly spicy; I'm thinking that's the kush and musk. I'm getting zero current from this one. There's an interesting bass note that reminds me of dried palm fronds and salty beach sand. Dry: Still no current, but the separate elements have blended together very well. The unified scent delivers on the promise of the description: blood and sweat, surrounded by a dense and closely-hovering nimbus of sexy spice. Overall: The only time I got the current was in the imp; all of the more 'savory' notes came out on me. During the wet stage, I was worried that the dragon's blood would continue to remind me of the incense in a new age shop, but it got better with drying. It's still sort of stinky on my skin, but it adds something along the lines of the violence implied by its description. I'm intrigued by it, and I wonder how aging will affect it. Not sure if this scent works on me, but this is probably the most musky-spicy thing I've ever worn that I actually liked. ETA: Much later, the dragon's blood stink factor amped, making me slightly nauseated - but after that spike, it then faded a lot. I don't think I could ever slather this one, I have high doubts for the success of a reapplication and I know I couldn't wear anything else until it faded from my skin completely. I'll probably keep this decant to pass around to others who enjoy this type of scent.

Decant imp from malibusunny's Feb/Mar 2013 circle. 2nd scent tested (preceeded by Belgian Chocolate, et al). In the imp: sweet, grape-y. Not booze-y, but wine comes to mind. Wet: Giant fruit notes. I was kind of overwhelmed at first. Then I started to pick out the different facets. The effect is mostly light and bright, and that combined with the rose makes it smell 'expensive', if that makes any sense. Drydown: Morphing... We've got fruit. Then, we've got floral. Something slightly spicy/sharp. Later, soap/dryer sheets....and that's where it stays. Overall: The bits I liked best didn't last very long, and then I spend the rest of the wearing feeling like I'd just washed my hands at someone else's house (if that makes any sense). The Apothacary has a lemon balm note, and La Vita Nuova has a lemongrass note - I'm wondering if that's where the dryer sheets thing is coming from when I wear either of these. Since I accidentally ordered another imp in another decant circle, I'll probably swap one and keep one.

Lab 5 ml bottle. My first purchase from the 2013 Lupercalia set. The description sold me, so I nabbed it unsniffed. In the bottle: This reminds me of champagne, ginger chews and candied orange peel. The mint is a cool tang at the back of my nose. It's sweet, but not cloying. Wet: The scent unfolds effervescently - my immediate thought was, This makes me feel so happy! It's like being carried away on a peel of laughter. It's interesting that the top notes aren't what I'd normally think of as citrus-y, but they retain that bright quality that citrus has. The musk and the elemi are dancing together nicely. Great throw. Dry: Reminds me of that scent you get off a fresh stick of incense (unlit), just pulled from the package. A little while later: The laughter is fading, and now it's all flirty smirks and sultry smugness. Sweet flowers and musk. It's more fluffy-dusty than sharp/bright. Not much throw at this point; you'd have to get in close to smell it. Even later: There's just an echo left on my skin, and I have to put nose directly to wrist to capture it. It didn't last all day, maybe about five hours. Wish I had brought the bottle with me so I could hit it again. Overall: It made me feel light-hearted and hip-swishy, and was a pleasant distraction every time I got a whiff. I liked the wet and just-dry phases best; the fade-out was powdery on me, but not unpleasently so. A keeper, and one I will wear frequently. Much later, ETA: Aging has made this one sweeter. It amps dessert wine and candied fruits when I first apply it. Eventually, the whole thing blends down into something that's sweetly sexy and sophisticated. This one loves my skin - every time I wear it, I'm complimented. What a fortuitous choice I made in getting a bottle!

Lap frimp; received in Sept 2010 with my purchase of Mabon '10. In the imp: Medicinal. Hard to pick out any particular notes. Wet: Lemongrass and ginger. Something sweet, but not like honey or current; maybe that's the fig. Decent throw. I kind of like the depth it has, but it's very commercial perfume/cologne, which turns me off. Dry: Dryer sheets. WTH? Overall: I immediately thought of a guy friend who I think this would smell great on. The dryer sheets thing leaves me underwhelmed. Swapping this one.

Lap imp, purchased in Sept 2010 (along with my bottle of Mabon '10). In the imp: Zingy lime, crushed cranberry. Sweet and tangy at the same time. Wet: Oo. Wet and dry grasses. Lots of fruit. I can just feel slippery snake skin and see jewel-red eyes. Dry: This morphs a lot. One minute it's all fruits, the next it's all grasses. Just when I think the scent is done, it pops up again, as fresh as it was when I first put it on. Overall: Total adoration. I am an idiot for not buying a bottle of this when I had the chance. Now I just have to pray I can find more of it through the grapevine.

Lab frimp, came with my shipment of Mabon 2010. In the imp: YUM, chocolate. Wet flowers. Wet: Even more flowers, with crushed stems. Vanilla, cherries. Good throw. Dry: Still lots of chocolate, with a side of roses. Something chalky and sweet, like conversation hearts. Behind that, hint of spice. Overall: I am in total love with this one. I smell DELICIOUS. There will be a bottle in my stash!

5 ml bottle. My first BPAL purchase, Sept 2010. In the bottle: APPLE!! (Oh, and maybe some berries and other stuff, too.) Wet: Spiced cider, sage, ivy. A flash of wild, crisp autumn wind that carries the woodsmoke from a nearby cottage. Damp leaves and fresh rain. Dry: I'm wreathed in sweetness. Baked apple pie, blackberry cobbler and vanilla ice cream, and hot herbal tea. Body heat makes the scent rise quickly into sharp cut apples and the memory of fresh blackberries, but it settles back into a warm embrace of late-year seasonal comforts while the dry leaves are whipping by in a fall frenzy outside. Overall: Maybe it's because this is my first BPAL love, but I adore this scent. I usually only wear it during the autumn and early winter, so it will probably last me a while.

Lab frimp; received Feb 2013 (with my shipment of Lips Full of Lust and Laughter). In the imp: Looks like sorghum syrup, a rich and earthy honey-brown. Opened it upon receiving it, and it smacked my nose around. When am I gonna learn to leave it be for a few days post-shipping?... Subsequent in-the-imp sniffage revealed a deeply rich and well-blended product - high notes of evergreen floating above a sea of spices and incense. Wet: Whoa, this one's got throw. A little dab'll do ya. Lots of spice. Reminds me of raisins soaked in spiced, mulled wine. Dry: Rounded, sweet notes of vanilla and sweet cream butter. Less raisin, more tree sap and burned myrrh. Still very spicy. Later: This one has throw that just won't quit. A little body heat, and it rev's up again. Overall: I immediately wanted to slap this on my man. It works on me, but I think it would be best worn during night time events, while he could wear it any time or place. Since I really amp the spiciness in this, I think less is more with this one, so subsequent wearings will be more conservative in application.

Lab frimp; had in my collections since Sept 2010. In the imp: Ascerbic. And so minty fresh, you can taste the coolness at the back of your tongue when you take a whiff. There's a crushed herbal greenness with a lighter halo, like someone stepped on a wildflower. Wet on the skin: All of the above, and a woodsy-leather underpinning. The overall effect reminds me of herbal tea, cleaning products and old church pews. Dry: Vaguely minty, with a tiny hint of crushed flowering herbs. Very little throw. Later: The memory of a cough drop. Reapplication needed, because the scent is almost gone. Overall: I wasn't sure I'd like this one. The first wearing, I was pretty underwhelmed. But upon subsequent wearings, I can see the benefits. When I asked others to smell it (on my skin), they tended to be either indifferent or meh about it, but they became sober and focused during our subsequent interactions, a reaction I found interesting. My only real gripe is, my skin eats this one and I had to reapply several times through the day. Additional tests needed: In a scent locket. On closely-worn clothing. In hair.

Background: Brisingamen was purchased in Sept 2010. I'm certain I bought it because of its name. I don't remember why, but I set it aside and never touched it again - until today. First impressions: I can easily imagine that I was probably turned off, when I received my order 2.25 years ago, by its chemical-ness while sniffing it from the imp. Someone else mentioned, in her review, the smell of perm solution; I was reminded of the fake quality of big-box perfumes and harsh chemical cleaning solutions. Almost didn't put it on. Wet: A cutting chemical blast (and the thought, 'Am I going to have to shower this off?'), then a burst of flowers and sunshine. I've been stuffed into a wicker basket with a thousand carnations. Dry: Finally, some depth - a sweet chime of apple, and a resin-y underpinning that must be the ambers. Still getting a whole lotta carnation, but the whole thing is rounder, now, and less HI I'LL BE YOUR PERFUME FOR TODAY. Later: Hate to say it, but - I smell like a cross between an anciently musty, hand-tatted doily and the sweet cleaning agent they use to (try to) get rid of cigarette smoke smell in rental vehicles (but never really succeed in doing). Conclusion: While wearing Brisingamen, at first I got a heavy thrill of feeling sexy, yet completely unattainable. Unfortunately, on me, the scent didn't stay there, and now I smell like vomit, so I'm going to go take that second shower. Funny side note: This is my first review, and my first rejection of a BPAL scent. Now I feel like I need to go do a review on something I really like to make up for it. ETA... Experimentation with single body areas reveals what others have observed: totally different aspects of this one come to the limelight. On my wrist, it was all carnation, but at my hairline (sort of behind the ear close to the hairline) the ambers come into focus. I think maybe the first wearing, I got overwhelmed - slowing it down and trying it on single spots made a big difference in the experience. Going to try this in a scent locket and see how it behaves, also.