maijasu

On me, this is vetiver and vetiver only. Where is my beloved ginger? This scent is entirely too earthy and masculine for me, so into the swap pile it goes.

This is just much too floral for me. I like to smell the gardenias in my front yard, but not to wear them. The chamomile lends a smooth herbal character to the scent, and all the other notes are very well blended. I think this would be stunning on someone who is a fan of florals. Alas, it is the first of my new Salon imps that will be finding a new home in swaps.

Ummm....where's the honey? And the sugarcane? Don't get me wrong, this is a lovely scent, just not what I expected. It's actually almost entirely florals, and they smell very fresh and wet. There's a sharpness about this blend, but I don't mean that in a negative way. It's more of a bracing, uplifting feeling perhaps. I agree with other reviewers who've said that this would be excellent to wear during the summer. I'll be holding onto my imp and testing it again once the weather gets warmer.

This is a gorgeous blend. I smell citrus and amber and tobacco, and the vetiver stays in the background where it belongs. I only wish it had more throw and lasting power, because then it would be perfect. I'll hang onto my imp but don't know if it's bottle worthy, since I don't like to have to reapply too often.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this scent. It's very perfumey, soft, and feminine, definitely floral, which means I should hate it. But I don't. Something is keeping it from becoming too powdery or soapy or cloying (all favorite words of mine to describe florals). It's actually quite beautiful. I'm not sure I'd use it enough to warrant a bottle purchase, but the imp is staying here with me.

I can't stop sniffing this one. I wasn't sure what to expect, but as others have noted, this blend is surprisingly foody. It's a little bit nutty, a little bit sweet, and a little bit spicy. The musk is absolutely gorgeous, and the florals are barely detectable but are enough to keep this from being too much of a gourmand scent. The scent does indeed evoke the colors and mood of the painting, and it does actually smell "victorious" to me. Another winner from the new Salons!

This is the first BPAL caramel scent that I could actually wear! Underneath it, I smell something deep, probably the black patchouli, and it reminds me a little bit of Samhain without the smoke. It stays close to the skin but lasts a long time. I will need to grab a bottle very soon.

I just knew I was going to love this one, ginger and cinnamon fan that I am, so imagine my surprise when I applied a drop and smelled something that turned my stomach. It's hard to describe, but it might be what others have described as "dirty" and "feral." It was very strong, slightly sweet, and just slightly "off" smelling, for whatever reason. Thankfully, I left it on, and it dried down almost immediately into something absolutely divine. It does remind me of the older version of Shub, although it's not quite as strong or long-lasting, at least on my skin. Before it fades completely away, the Snake oil comes out faintly. This is a beautiful blend, and I will definitely enjoy wearing it now that I know that the initial whatever-it-is doesn't last long. And if it ages well, I'll be hoarding more before the Carnaval leaves town.

This blend is definitely mostly Snake Oil. Some of the Snake Pit blends are so different that I can barely smell the SO in them, but that is not the case here. Add rich cocoa and something creamy and smooth and you have Boomslang. The cocoa is more apparent at first and the Snake Oil dominates once it's dry. I'm not so keen on fresh Snake Oil, but this is , and I know that it will only get better with age. Sadly, I have none left, as I tested only the very last drop in my decanting pipette, but happily, another bottle will be on its way with my 1/31 order. I truly cannot wait.

I get almost all dragon's blood from this, and it's the kind that turns into a sweet, almost cloying floral scent. It does have just a hint of spice, but the sweetness is overpowering. I fear this is not a scent for me.

This is all sharp, dirty patchouli and pine on me. My skin just doesn't get along will some patchouli blends, although there are a few exceptions. It's very masculine smelling to me, and it just doesn't work with my skin chemistry.

I have an older imp of this from another forumite, so I don't know if this review will apply to this oil when it is fresh. From the aged oil, I get a very faint grapefruit, very faint herbs, and then...nothing. It disappears within half an hour. I do like the scent while it lasts, and I think it would be worth testing a fresh imp when I'm looking for refreshing summer scents, so I may put one in a future order.

Mmm, spicy honeyed almonds, just like the description says! I still prefer Bengal, but this imp is a keeper.

This really does smell just like brownie batter to me. Nothing fakey or plasticky here. Alas, all I have is a decant, but if this scent were ever to make a reappearance, I would hoard it madly.

This is a very sweet banana at first, morphing quickly into a very light tropical floral. It's nice enough, but not something I like enough to need a bottle.

This is just gorgeous. Musky, spicy, woody, and sweet but not too sweet. Sexy but subtle. I can see why so many people love it.

I too was expecting a stronger scent. This is very soft and smooth, and I can't really pick out the individual notes. No spices to my nose, but I do tend to like my spicy scents very spicy. I can see this one being appealing to a lot of people, and I'll probably keep my imp around and test it again.

What would have been a lovely, minty, delicate floral was ruined by the interaction between rose and my skin chemistry. This turned from pure mint to pure soap.

Even though the description doesn't mention fruits, I get a distinctly fruity vibe from Olokun. It actually works quite nicely; it's clean and crisp-smelling, aquatic and fruity and fresh all at once. I will definitely need more of this before springtime.

This is a very pretty, slightly floral honey musk on me. I'm not getting anything resembling cat pee, luckily. I'd actually even consider a bottle, except that when I'm looking to smell like honey and musk, I've got a perfectly swoon-worthy bottle of Sed Non Satiata already in my BPAL box. Still, if the description appeals to you, I'd highly recommend this one!

This starts out as a very strong mint and morphs very quickly into something much more complex: I smell grapefruit, something floral, and something aquatic all melded together. It works really nicely and would be especially good for hot weather. Another keeper!

This is a fresh, invigorating tea scent with ginger, exactly as it's described. It would be the perfect scent for summer, although I'm enjoying it in January too. Lasting power is shorter than average, but I still think I'll get a bottle eventually.

Mmm, sweet and smoky goodness! I thought, with all the notes in this one, that it might be too masculine or overpowering, but it's really not. I don't like it quite as much as Perversion, which I would consider to be in the same family of scents, but it's still very good, and I'll probably keep the imp around.

I really love this in the imp--sweet, herbal, and beautiful. Unfortunately, something goes horribly awry once it hits my skin, and it just smells "off." Luckily, it fades within an hour.

How is it that I haven't tried this wonderful oil until today! I have a decant from another forumite, and based on some of the above descriptions, I think it may have aged a little while. It's very smooth and sweet, not nearly as aggressive as I was expecting. The leather, tonka, and tobacco blend just perfectly into a surprisingly warm and comforting blend. Not something I'd associate with the name, but hey, it works, so I'm not complaining. This blend is absolutely swoon-worthy, and I must once again bow down to Beth's olfactory genius. I will be purchasing a bottle or ten just as soon as I recover from the massive update.