SultryWolf

In the imp: An almost-citrusy herbal, a bit soapy. On: Bright, with an almost-mentholly feel; citrusy without being strongly lemon.

OMG, Glasya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am too swoony right now to even post a proper review, which I promise to come back and do once I recover my senses.

A distillation of force, conquest, power and fury: dragon’s blood, myrrh, black pepper, labdanum, benzoin, leather, fire, and steel. Gasp! I love this. Bottle: A faint herbal. On: A wonderful, spicy herbal with just a touch of sweetness; myrrh and pepper over leather, and a touch of the "glassy" note from House of Mirrors (whatever it is!) here plays the part of steel. The Dragon's Blood isn't strongly recognizable - rather, it ties everything together and sweetens it up a bit.

Bottle: Sweet flowers waft over a dark, almost peppery current. On: Fruity vanilla (though there's no vanilla in this) - complex and definitely "hypnotic" and "seductive". I almost want to say there is something Fierce about the scent. Throw and staying power are moderate. While it will never be the first bottle I reach for {Ah! Haven't you learned to Never Say Never when it comes to BPAL? Silly girl!} I will certainly wear it on occasion. The other day, I wore it shopping and bought all kinds of sexy stuff.

Poor Kindly got a bit lost in a rush of other bottles which arrived around the same time. Twice I picked up the bottle because I didn't recognize it by label out of the corner of my eye! But I really like it, and now I am ready to tell the world. Bottle: Sweet and fruity. On: Gentle sweet florals of just the type I have been loving lately (Annabel Lee, Arkham, Wolf Moon). Too many for any one to truly dominate. There's almost a tea note, as well (though there's no tea in here) - something crisp and light.

Heh. I was replying to this, apparently while the thread was being merged, and my computer went all "AAAAAUUUGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" when I hit post Anyway, I was saying: I know my husband would get me BPAL gift certs, as sure as I am that he would never bother to go through my wishlist, pick scents, and order them. But, as a biz owner, I also know what a hassle GCs can be: the risk of unathorized duplication, keeping records on GCs issued, redemption concerns including taxes ...

Going to a costumed meet-n-sniff tonight, so right now my costume (super-secret so as to surprise my meetup pals - sorry!) is in a duffle with my entire collection, picking up that glorious entire-drawerful-of-various-BPAL aroma. I'm all thrilled just thinking about it; I think I have to open my bag and inhale now!

This review is for the 2006 version. Thanks to evilmistressoftoast for running the decant circle which allowed me to try this before committing to a bottle. I was concerned that it might be too foody, what with the cakes, and I found that my instinct was (for once!) correct. Imp: Sour honey cakes. On: Much the same; the incense does come through much more strongly on the drydown, and it's a bit reminiscent of Resurrection of the Flesh.

Imp: Patchouli (though, apparently, it is a musk ) On: Lovely, gentle, "bookstore incense". (Heh Heh - I see articwolf felt the same!) Sultry and beckoning, with moderate throw and wear length.

Bottle: Aquatic sharpness over earthy moss. On: Really smells like damp mossy bricks, with a bit of pine or cedar. I love. Side note: Hubby can't get past the name because it makes him think of carfax.com, a website where one can check the collision history of a used vehicle. Don't worry, he's read Dracula - it's just that the durned television commercial for carfax.com is on twenty times a day!

Imp: Greeny florals, and a hint of tea. On: Much the same, with a light spiciness from the carnation. Gentle and feminine.

Imp: Crisp, fresh, and light; lemon tea. On: Lemony and bright, and the musk gently appears. While this is not the sort of scent I'd usually wear, I have become hooked on it as a relaxing bedtime scent. I'll get a bottle, eventually.

Imp: Patchouli, woods, and a hint of florally sweetness. On: Marvelous sensual resins and woods; actually does smell a bit like a pirate ship! Moderate throw and wear length.

Imp: Butter rum candies. On: That's just not going to happen. No offense meant - this just isn't my thing.

Imp: Something sharp, but not pine or cedar - actually, smells a bit like cut ivy - over floral; can't smell the amber. On: Too cologney; whatever that something-sharp is, I don't like it. On the drydown, a bitter floral with, if I strain for it, a bit of amber. I'm sure open to trying this again, perhaps from a bottle to get a better balance of notes (this one should have been a love, based on the description and reviews). But for now, it's a no-go for me.

Bottle: There's that something-I-don't-like-that-reminds-me-of-envelope-stickum (one of these days, I'll figure out what note or note combination that is!). Also, something sweet over a touch of neroli and spice. On: Much the same, at first. The leather and cinnamon develop, and the envelope-stickum mellows into a manly cologne. Count Dracula would, indeed, have loved this! It's not for me, but its complexity intrigues me; I agree with those who suggest it should age well - in any case, it'll be going into the Gentleman's section of the BPAL drawer.

I'm not a big verbena fan. I don't despise it, but I don't get any pleasure from it, either. When I saw so many reviews touting the verbenicity of this scent, I despaired of liking it. So, let's see how it went! In the decant: Musky verbena. On: Verbena + lavender is almost piney (perhaps the vetiver contributes a bit here, too); as it dries, the fruits assert themselves, while the coconut and fig sidle up to darken it - "swarthy sweet", as I've been calling it. This is complex, unique, and not at all too strongly verbena.

In the decant: Cardamom and a bit of fruity sweetness. On: At first, it doesn't grab me. Smells nice, yes, but nothing special. But before long I am getting wafts of "OMG! What smells so good?" It's sort of a gentle sweet incense, though that doesn't really describe it at all. Actually reminds me of another BPAL scent, but so vaguely that I'll never be able to place it. Lasts for several hours with a faint throw. This is my favorite scent name from Acts I and II, so I'm glad to find that I love it. I'll be getting a bottle (or two!) before the Carnaval leaves town. ADDED Feb. 22: Loved this one in the decant I received, so I bought a bottle. Sadly, the cardamom was much stronger in the bottle (while the decant realized more of the cherry note), and I am not fond of cardamom. In the bottle: Cardamomy and sweet. On: The sugar-incense of Midnight on the Midway is here, and a sweetness from the cherry, all with the warm spice of cardamom.

In the Bottle: A spicy herbal, and black pepper. On: A masculine patchouli with a light feel - not sure what note is adding that! - and a gentle waft of pepper. Yeah, there's no pepper listed in the notes, but something sure is reminiscent of it! This is masculine in the sense that a fella wearing it would smell quite manly; however, on a woman - such as myself - it is sultry, not "masculine". After several hours, it's settled into a sweet patchouli-myrrh. Fairly strong throw, and lasts well. Layering with Black Moon adds a whole new level of scentual assault. Actually, rather than true layering, I have one on one side and one on the other, so that the layering effect takes place in the throw, and changes subtly in the air. That was, of course, a by-product of testing both at once but I adore the effect and will do this again intentionally. Many times.

In the Bottle: Florals and black pepper, a waft of fruits. On: The 'decadent gardenia' aroma of orchid; the fruits continue to gently waft in and out. As it dries, the pepper rises. Yeah, there's no black pepper listed in the notes, but something sure is reminiscent of it! Wonderful balance, fairly strong throw, and lasts a nice long time. Layering with Schwartzer Mond adds a whole new level of scentual assault. Actually, rather than true layering, I have one on one side and one on the other, so that the layering effect takes place in the throw, and changes subtly in the air. That was, of course, a by-product of testing both at once but I adore the effect and will do this again intentionally. Many times.

bottle: What I like to call "Beth's Dark Jasmine" - it's not the sweet jasmine of our girlhood, but a sultry womanly jasmine. Reminds me a bit of Sacred Whore. On a second sniff, the violet just peeks through. on: Much the same; on the drydown, the violet begins to dominate, while the sweeter flowers weave in and out. There's a soft, gentle throw - and I can't tell you right now how long it lasts, because I'm currently obsessed with reapplying

This scent is tricky to describe. You might like it, or you might not, but you will never konw for sure unless you smell it in person! In the bottle: When I read the description "sugared incense" I thought, "Huh?" - but that is exactly what it smells like, with a touch of ozone. On: A crisp, clear olfactory sensation, like that from mint, though it's not at all minty. Flowers waft in and out as on a night breeze. Has a reasonable throw, and lasts quite a while. I may need a second bottle of this!

Bottle: Sweet and a bit astringent. On: floral, with just a hint of smoky frankincense, which intensifies as it dries. After a few hours, mostly frankincense with a bit of sweet florals. Some may get a pencil-shavings phase, which doesn't bother me, but I know (even if I don't understand ) that some people don't like that.

imp: spicy with a sort of dark fruitiness on: if I concentrate, I can pick out the cedar, sandalwood, patchouli, and myrrh, but it's so nicely balanced that no one takes the fore. Incensey, but the cedar keeps it feeling green.

Really wanted to love this one; a scent called Port Royal? How cool! Read on to see how it fared. imp: Spicy, with an undercurrent of ... something piney? Or a fougere? on: Pure cardamom! After several hours, settles into a fougere. So: nice, but it's not for me. Might try it on Hubby if he doesn't mind smelling like cardamom for an hour or so ... or perhaps it will smell completely different on him!