laurahcory

Wow. Brimstone is bottled wet ashes, still smoldering. It's too harsh for me to wear on its own, but on a hunch I applied some Baron Samedi over it, and what a great combination! So I think I'll keep my Brimstone for blending purposes, again, not to wear by itself.

The Ghost smells like overripe flowers on me, maybe rotten honeysuckles. I definitely get an impression of sickly sweet death. Another one for the swap pile, methinks.

On me, Wolfsbane smells both woody and sweet. In the bottle, it's sharp green and woody, but once I put it on, a sweeter note emerges, and I'm not sure what it is, maybe vanilla? Definitely a keeper.

OK, I've found my first BPAL love , and it's Baron Samedi. What scents would you all consider to be similar to that one?

Patchouli and I apparently don't get along. I like it in very small doses, but when I applied a little Anne Bonny to the inside of my wrist, I had to go wash it off almost immediately. So, into the swap pile it goes.

Venus is pure rose on me. I'm not picking up any other notes than rose, and that's fine with me. On my skin, it doesn't have a particularly strong throw or staying power.

Mmm... spicy! Cloves, allspice, almonds, rum, and something I can't quite put my finger on, but I like it. The Baron is definitely a keeper and may be my first "big bottle" purchase. As others have noted, this one does have a lot of staying power. On me, it doesn't have a powerful throw, but what there is lasts all day. I'm hoping it's not too masculine a scent for me to wear, but if it is, that's too bad, because I'm wearing it anyway. Edited to add: Cherries! Another friend who has an imp of this said "cherries," and as soon as she said it I realized she was right. That's the first thing that hits me when I sniff this, but it disappears almost instantly on my skin.

First impressions: A wash of lime and mint, and something else, maybe bergamot? Then the coconut comes through. The mint fades almost immediately. Of the five or so imps I've tried so far, this is the only one I've liked well enough to apply more and wear it out of the house. It doesn't have much of a throw, but I can put my wrist to my nose for a sniff and it perks me up. I like this. I'm not sure if I like it enough to get a bottle, but I'll definitely use my imp.

Rose Cross: Alas, smells like dime-store hooker on me. Ugh. Not as overwhelmingly overpowering and headache-inducing as Nyarlathotep, but I still have a mild headache. I was careful and put on much less, too. First sniff: Bleah. Cheap, faux rose perfume. Overly processed, chemical-y, something trying hard to be rose, but just smells like fake rose. Dabbed on wrist: Same reaction. A dusty $5 bottle of rose "perfume" bought on clearance at that run-down Eckerd's that no one goes to anymore now that there's a shiny new Walgreen's three blocks away. Five minutes later: An undertone of... something dry and musty and baby-powderish. Now it's really smelling like cheap old-lady scent on me. Final impression: I'm dissappointed. I love rose scents, especially ones made with genuine rose essential oils (yes, I know how costly that is). Frankincense isn't one of my top favorite fragrances, but I like it OK, and I was looking forward to trying the blend of these two together. Unfortunately, it just totally and completely does not work on me. I have a few more rosey fragrances on order, including Seraglio and Venus, so hopefully one or the other ot those will work better for me.

I'm not sure where to start; Nyarlathotep is my first BPAL imp and maybe I picked too complex a one for my first. I primarily wanted it because of the name; DH and I both like the Cthulhu mythos, so when I saw the chance to order this one, I took it. It's given me a headache. I can't pick out individual scent notes; it just overwhelmed me when I opened the imp, and it did the same when I applied a dab to my wrist. The inside of my nose hurts, up to the area behind my eyes. A commercial scent that does the same thing to me is when my mother slathers on the Oscar De La Renta. It gives me a headache and I simply cannot be in the room with her. So I'm sorry, Nyarly. It's not you, it's me. I think I need to see other imps. You're too good for me, baby. You deserve someone who can make you happy.