purrbox

this is no good. in the bottle or on me, it smells just like play doh. i mean, identical.

i can't even tell you how much i love this one. this is an extremely nostalgic scent for me because it smells EXACTLY like a voodoo oil called "mi hombre" that i used to get at abe schwab's on beale street in memphis. i can't think of a better description than that... i cannot pick out notes or anything. it just smells like *real* voodoo oil. and i love it.

hmm. i never would have tried this one, but it was a frimp, and i didn't expect to like it. it is rather nice, however. at first anyway. i get mostly lilly, but there is a clean linen scent there too. but it's not overpowering or anything. i don't find this particularly "aquatic" like a lot of people have mentioned. it's pleasant, and soft. unfortunately, when it's been on for about 45 minutes or so, it does something weird and incensey on me, and i don't care for it near as much as when it's first applied. i don't know what it is about my chemistry that is turning so many bpal scents to generic incense lately, but i've got to say, it's driving me mad. just this past week this has happened with the great sword of war, mi-go brain canister, sundew, phantom, nemesis, and most upsettingly, devil's night. and now berenice. all of these, when dry for an hour or so, are completely interchangeable on me. which is just bizarre considering there isn't any real similiarity between those scents! i wish this one stayed true to what it's like when first applied, and first dry, because the lilly and linen scent is really nice. ETA: i noticed a few people mentioned it had a vague hair spray note- and now that i think about it, i agree that on me, it does. (before it does the incense thing.) it's not unpleasant though, in fact, it's kind of 8th grade nostalgic. the note reminds me a little bit of stardust, but not as strong.

mmm yumbly! i get pure honey from this, no florals. but i'm not complaining. it's wonderful if you're a honey fan like me. it lasts a good long time and has an above average throw on me, so it's a definate winner. i wish i'd get lucky enough to locate a bottle, but i'm not too optimistic. you never know though, stranger things have happened! meanwhile, i'll definately savor the precious in my imp!

hmm. to my nose this is indistinguishable from midway. which is fine, as midway is one of my all time favorites. but i don't think i'd go out of my way to pay for a bottle of beaver moon or anything, when i have plenty of my beloved midway to tide me over.

gack! fresh burst listerine. mint *explosion* horrible. i am a firm believer that mint has no place in perfume, and this scent is no exception. sometimes i can tolerate mint smells in say, a foot scrub or lotion or what have you, but as a perfume, no way. and this one in particular doesn't just smell minty- it's got a distinct listerine odor, complete with the faint undertone of bad breath that you'd use the listerine to cover up. one of the worst i've tried yet. the name is apt, because this is truly painful to my nose.

a VERY small amount of this goes a long way on me. the first time i applied it i really went overboard and it actually started making me nauseaus after a while. so until you know what your chemistry is going to do, use a light hand. this stays very true on me to what it smells like in the bottle, but something about it is very STRONG on me, so i've got to be careful not to slather myself when i use it. like most people have said, it smells pretty much exactly like the description. this is definately one of the most evocative scents i've tried so far. cemetary is definatley the first thing that comes to mind. but i've got to add my opinion that i feel this is a very goth scent. i mean, this one makes me want to light a clove cigarette and go read poetry in a cemetary, while listening to the sisters of mercy. even though i've loooong ago outgrown such things, heh heh heh. the rose is definately a dried rose- dusty almost. if you've ever gotten a bouquet and hung them upside down to dry and preserve them, you'll definately recognize that smell in zombi. imo, zombi is very very dry. if it could make a sound, it would be the sound of those dried rose petals rustling against each other. does that make sense? the dirt note starts out pretty overwhelming at first- it's almost sharp. and make no mistake, it is the scent of DIRT, not patchouli, or other plant derived smells that mimic dirt. it's uncanny how realistic this smells. zombi is very unique and natural smelling. i enjoy it, but i don't find myself reaching for it very often when i go to the imp box. *shrug*

adjectives that would describe this blend: foul, evil, vile, horrid, repugnant. need i go on? thank god this was a frimp, because if i had paid for it i would be seriously disappointed. i thought this was going to be really nice. with the exception of hazelnut, which i've never tried in a perfume before, all the other notes are at the top of my favorites list. unfortunately, this was not to be. in the imp this smelled like poison. like something deadly- i don't know.. cyanide spiked cherry kool aid or something. poison cherries, for sure. i guess that's almond? whatever. i tried it on anyway though, and at first all the evil cherry smell went away and it turned into pure black walnut. not black walnut flavor, mind you, but the real black walnut, that you find half rotten in your yard, gnawed by squirrells, with the green outer shell and everything. it's a bitter, dirty (as in earthy), overwhelming odor. when i was a kid there was a walnut tree in my back yard, and i would pick up the fallen walnuts, complete in their tennis ball sized green shells, and lob them at my mean neighbor's garage, because when they split on impact they'd leave a big black stain on the paint. haha. i guess i was a naughty kid. anyway, at first hellcat is the exact smell of those half rotten walnuts. gross. then it gets even worse! after about 15 minutes the walnut smell fades and it becomes pure, unadulterated cat pee! excellent!! yes!! that's JUST what i was looking for in a perfume! </sarcasm> i don't know what it is with my chemistry, but i have been getting cat piss from a lot of blends lately. *scratches head* anyway, hellCAT is the operative word here. the dry down of this blend was the odiferous, ammonia laden stench of un-neutered male cat whiz. (from hell.) yikes. i eventually had to scrub it off.

hmm. i don't get a citrusy vibe from this. it does smell similiar to daffodils. actually i wish it smelled more like daffodils, because they're my favorite. but it's along the same line. definately yellow. but there's something incensey and herbal underneath the floral top note, so when it dries completely it's more of a spicy floral. it does have a little soapiness on me after about an hour or so, but not overwhelmingly so. it's light and breezy and summery, for sure. i got a bottle of this unsmelled, and it's not entirely "me," but i'm definately not disappointed.

i got this one simply because a lot of reviewers likened it to freak show, which i *adore.* since this is not LE, i was hoping it would be similar enough to tide me over when my beloved freak show bottle eventually runs out (i'm dreading the day!). and in the bottle, this was VERY similar to freak show. i could definately smell the same cocoa note, and what seemed to my nose like the fig of freak show. this was virtually identical in the bottle, except gsow had a *tad* bit more of an orange tang to it. well, once i got it on, the similiarity abruptly went away. on me, i get a whole lot of orange, with something herbal and incensey underneath (the ambiguous herbs of conflict, i assume.) once this is totally dry i don't get a whole lot of cocoa or tonka after the dry down, so i was a little disappointed, but it's still a nice scent. there's definately a touch of saffron in it, which blends nicely with the tangy mandarin. i think there's something resiny in there too, if i'm not utterly mistaken. dragon's blood or something very similiar to it maybe? if that's the case i suppose that would account for the strange red-orange color of the oil. have you read good omens, by neil gaiman and terry pratchett? this scent totally reminds me of the war character in that book. i could see her smelling like this- scowling at you, with her hair blazing red. this is the scent you'd catch as her motorcycle screamed by, kicking up dust. (not that the scent is dusty, mind you, i'm just saying, this is the imagery i'm getting from it. ) i enjoy this one quite a bit. it's very unique, and as a few people have said before, i think it would work well on a man as well as a woman. it's weird though because every time i smell my wrists it seems to change a little bit. i keep getting whiffs of something totally different each time, but nothing that sticks around the next time i smell it! go figure! maybe it's those herbs again, conflicting with each other? hee. in any event, it's a nice blend, i'm glad i got a 5ml of it. also, i love the artwork on the label.

i was really, *really* hoping not to like this one, for the simple fact that it's so popular, and so rare that anyone wants to part with any i've seen bottles of this go for over $50 on ebay, so when i finally found an affordable imp, i was really just wanting to see what the fuss was about, but hoped it would be one that would not inspire the compulsive NEED to purchase a bottle, no matter the cost. unfortunately, this is fucking wonderful. heh. now begins my pursuit of the ever elusive underpants bottle! man alive, it's good. i don't think it's particularly foody, actually. it stays true on my skin to what it smells like in the bottle, which is mostly sweet sandalwood and saffron with a *touch* of vanilla, but not enough to make it gourmand. it's incredibly well blended, and smells warm and creamy and delightful. i don't get any butter rum from it, but that's ok, i like it just fine the way it is. the sandalwood isn't powdery, like it sometimes gets on me. it's *perfect.* this is actually very sexy, so the name underpants is fitting. but it's also sophisticated. mb: closet was like a hot girl being silly, playing at being child like- lolita-esque, while underpants is her understated, grown up sister, who knows she's hot but doesn't have to flaunt it. does that make sense? heheh. this is beautiful, definately one of my top 5 so far. a bottle must be procured, oh yes.

this one is pretty nice, but i was kind of disappointed because it smelled pretty much identical to pumpkin patch 4 on me, and in the bottle. which is fine- i love pp4, so it's nice to have something so similar that isn't LE. the pumpkin does stay a little more prominent on the dry down than pp4 does. in the bottle the buttery, foody pumpkin is ALL i can smell. but it mellows out to a rather nice pumpkiny, incensey, cidery scent when it's dry. it's pleasant, but i was hoping for something different.

Bourbon blackberry buttercream over red velvet cake. yu diddly um!!! this is EXTREMELY foody, even more so than midway, imo, but damn, it is delicious. in the imp i can smell all of the listed notes, with the buttercream and red velvet cake being the strongest. the bourbon is really light, but definately present, and the black berry i can only smell if i take a really deeeeeep breath- then it's like the last thing i detect, but it's there too. mostly i'm getting red velvet cake, with really rich, creamy frosting and the *tiniest* touch of berry. which, by the way isn't necessarily black berry, to my nose. it could just as easily be strawberry. but it's really yummy regardless. once i have this on for a while the bourbon and berry notes all but diminish, which disappointed me a little. this is one that i really hoped would smell EXACTLY the same on me as it did in the bottle, but it did change a little bit. it faded down to all red velvet cake, which was still good, as it's one of my favorite confections! unforunately though, about an hour after slathering myself in this (i used over half my imp on the first application!!) it had totally disappeared. the throw is next to none on me too, but those are the only down sides to this. otherwise mb: closet is definately a winner and i'll be tracking down a bottle, the sooner the better!!

good lawd all mighty save me. did you play with strawberry shortcake figurines when you were a little girl? i did. i liked the bad guys, the purple pie man, and sour grapes the best. when i was a kid i thought they just smelled *divine.* now, not so much. especially not as perfume. and especially not when they smell as if they were rolled in poop. puck is the purple pie man that got dropped into the litter box. on the positive side, however, my cats seem to be attracted to it.

this is a weird one. i don't really know what to think of it. when i first opened the imp i was excited because it smelled wonderfully fruity and summery. i couldn't really place exactly what i was smelling, but it was delicious and oddly familiar. everyone says they thought it smelled pink, but i'm definately getting yellow from it. maybe the pineapple is influencing me to think of it as a yellow scent? anyway, it stays about the same for about 10 minutes after i apply it. unfortunately after about 10 minutes a strange, slightly musty, stinky undertone starts to come out... i don't know what it is. it's not like... poop, or cat pee, (like i got from blend that started off fruity and turned foul- iambe) or anything i can put my finger on, but it smells... off. i think i'll try this in a scent locket when i get one. or as a room scent maybe? i really enjoy the initial fruity yellow stage but that bizarre underlying rank note when it's dry is really turning me off.

eh? men's blend? really? i don't see anything even remotely masculine about this. it is VERY powdery. in fact, on me it turns unfortunately to nothing but baby powder. with maybe a *tiny* smidgen of lily. like baby powder dusted lily, with the powder dwarfing the lily's scent. in the bottle it smelled mainly herbal- green but in an incensey kind of way. totally morphed on me. i'm disappointed.

speaking as former resident of new orleans (transplanted to the midwest) i was hesitant to try the scent named after my beloved home town for fear i would be disappointed. but i was actually pleasantly surprised at how well this scent conjures up nola. smells like new orleans allright. like jasmine and magnolia blossoms with a slight undertone of river. when the air is so stifling the flowers/trees are just heady- almost foetid. it's making me homesick, but this is definately a winner.

i can't believe i'm going to say this. you ARE going to think i am completely mad, but i can think of no better description for this scent than this: this smells like the word "sproing" sounds. sproinnnnnnnng!!! i don't get any plum... it smells green, and... weird. that is all.

this one SCREAMS disco 70's. it's extremely evocative and nostalgic. i can't pick out any individual notes, but it reminds me a lot of charlie perfume. it's not a bad smell, but not particularly me. it is the most traditionally 'perfumey' bpal oil i've tried so far. it stays true on my skin to what it smells like in the bottle, which is nice, because i've got the wierdo chemistry that morphs a lot of fragrances into something completely different than what everyone else seems to get from them. it's fairly strong, with a wide 'throw' and good staying power. it's nice, but i don't know that i'll wear it often enough to justify the bottle i bought. i might make an imp or two and swap the rest to an owner that will apreciate it more. my mom really likes this one- she was in her hey day during the disco era, after all, and she said this one definately takes her back. ETA: the more i smell this, the more i like it. i think i'll keep the bottle after all. it's a little heavy for summer, but i think i actually will end up wearing it more often than i first thought.

hmm, maybe i'm totally insane, but i don't smell any of the things most people have listed here. in the bottle, and on my skin, it mainly smells of clover. it's light and pleasant smelling, but definately not what i expected. it does conjure up "rabbit" though- like if the white rabbit lived in a clovery meadow. i don't get any tea from this at all- which i was really hoping for. it's a strange one, but not entirely disappointing.

wow, talk about evocative. it's *the* smell of the midway, period. delicious. however, most carnivals/fairs have the onion ringy/ cooking meat smells added with the funnel cakey, carmel appley scent, but rest assured, it's just the sweet stuff present in this oil. i ADORE this one. it's surprisingly light and wearable, and all out scrumptious! in a word: YUM. smells exactly the same on me as it does in the bottle, which is good. this one would have broken my heart if it morphed too much. it has a certain note that i can't pinpoint, but it reminds me a bit of creme brulee scented lotion from the tutti dolce line at bath and body works. i'm definately a fan.

holy shit! this is the first scent that i have absolutely LOVED at first sniff. enough to make this my signature scent til the end of time love, i mean. it smells pretty much exactly like the description, but i don't think i could even adequately summarize how unbelievably DELICIOUS it is!!! only problem is it fades fast. other than that, definate 11 out of 10!! ----- ETA: ok, yesterday my bottle of devil's night from ebay arrived. i am sad to say, it's doing something that is seriously breaking my freakin' heart. in the bottle it smells like devil's night, dipped in fruit. on me it smells like devil's night... for about 15 minutes. then it does some weird appley, cidery thing that is seriously making me want to cry. it is absolutely unrecognizable from the boozy, musky devil's night i came to know and love. wtf? the devil's night from my imp did nothing of the sort. why should the bottle do something totally different? is it possible that my body chemistry changed *over night?* i had the devil's night from the imp on all day, and then reapplied from the bottle at night and bam, apple cider. do you suppose one is aged and the other is not as much? what the hell! i am absolutely crestfallen. ETA again: last night i put the devil's night from my original decanted imp on one arm, and the devil's night from the new bottle on the other arm. i am not insane- the two are so different it's not even recognizable as the same perfume. not even remotely. *ROAR* i *hate* the apple cider version. it has a faint undertone of cat pee! it's awful on me!! will the real devil's night please stand up? what happened to the sweet, smokey, musky devil's night i've fallen in love with from the imp? Edit #3: Maaaaaaan I give up. Last night I got a *second* bottle from another kind seller on one of the livejournal communities. It was more of the cidery version. My heart's officially broken for good.

Nature spirits and protectors of the world's groves and forests that appear as breathtakingly beautiful women. Hamadryads are born into a tree that serves as both a home and an anchor for the creature's soul. They are sometimes tricksters, sometimes seducers, sometimes helpful and benign, but they are always fierce and furious protectors of the natural world. Seven dry woods with mossy lichen and a gentle breeze of forest flowers. wint o green life savers/ ben gay. i hadn't read the reviews before trying it (it was a frimp with another order), but i had read the description from the lab, and the wintergreen smell was so completely different than the description, and such an assault to my nose that i wondered if i'd somehow gotten a mislabeled imp. evidently i had not, since many people have written the same thing. vile and evil. dry woods? unless they were cured in a ben gay factory, i can't smell them. this cements in my mind the fact that this much mint has no place in perfume. that is all. ------ ETA: it retains the ben gay smell when it's on my skin, not just in the imp. yick.

holy crap!!!! watermelon bubble gum and cat pee. 'nuff said.

ok, it's official. i hate, hate, HATE sweet pea. this reminds me a lot of desdemona, which also has sweet pea, and is one of my top 5 all time stinkers. i don't smell a lot of sweet pea in the imp. actually, in the imp this is kind of reminiscent of leanan sidhe, to me, anyway. so i was thinking maybe this would be different. but when i get it on, as usual the sweet pea dwarfs everything else. it's huge, it's powdery, it's overwhelming. disappointing too, because i generally enjoy tonka and sage, but i can't smell any here. i hate that my skin will pick one note to latch on to like this, but something about sweet pea stands out on me to the exclusion of all else. this was a frimp with another order, or i never would have tried it. i've learned my lesson that if there is even the slightest *dribble* of sweet pea in a blend, my skin will pull it forward and turn the scent into a murky, powdery, motion sickness inducing nightmare.