lucycat

As a vanillaphile, I was not initially tempted by a chocolate scent--I like chocolate, I just didn't think I wanted to smell like it. However, this is part of the new Gourmand themed imp pack, and to my surprise, it was the one I wanted to wear first when I sniffed them all. Bliss is indeed pure milk chocolate. It's sweet, creamy, and rich. It doesn't morph much from in the imp to the drydown, except to become ever so slightly less sweet. It wears close to the skin and is long-lasting. It does smell delicious. This is a good comfort scent, and I will keep the imp for those times that I want something sweet and simple.

On me, Horn of Plenty smells of herbal cherry tobacco. It doesn't morph, and it lasts and lasts: at over 11 hours as I write this, it's still going strong. I really like it; it's sweet but not overly so (I never get the smokiness or vetiver that some reviews mention.) It also works well on my skin in both warm and cold weather. I wore this quite a lot in the spring and summer when I was hoping for my financial circumstances to improve. As of late summer, they did, though I can't say how much Horn of Plenty had to do with that. It certainly didn't hurt. I wish I'd thought to wear this for Thanksgiving; it would have been perfect.

This was part of my first imp pack, and this particular imp is now over nine months old. In the imp: Honey. Wet: Sexy honey. When this imp was newer, those impressions were reversed. I got sexy honey—or to be really specific, sex and honey—in the imp, and an almost pure honey note on the skin. Now that this imp is aged, there’s a musky undertone to the honey when it’s wet. As this dries, I can pick out both the honey and the amber, which again, I couldn’t do when O was new. The honey comes first; it’s the same honey as in Alice. Then the amber becomes more prominent. It’s the same amber as in Tamora, one of my favorites. I can’t really isolate that touch of vanilla, but the combination of amber and vanilla smells very similar to the same notes in Tamora, and like Tamora, O is a warm, golden scent on me. O has definitely improved with age. It didn’t smell bad when it was new, but I didn’t really want to smell like a single-note honey. While this is still a simple blend, I like it much more now that aging has brought out the different notes.

This was one of the imps in my first imp pack. In the imp and wet, I get herbal licorice. I've never tasted absinthe, so I can't say if the scent is accurate that way, but I love licorice and anise in all its forms. As it dries, the anise predominates. In fact, this is almost a pure anise scent on me. This imp is now over nine months old. When it was new, I seem to remember getting more lemon and mint, but I wasn't writing reviews then, so I can't be sure. In any case, those notes seem to have aged away.

I chose Bess as part of my first imp pack. Elizabeth I is my favorite historical figure, so I had to try a perfume inspired by her and the Earl of Leicester. My imp is now just over eight months old. In the imp: Herbal grape. Wet: Still herbal grape, with the rosemary and mint coming out to give it a sparkling quality. As this dries, the roses emerge. I’m not drawn to rose scents, but despite the “five rose variants” listed in the notes, the rose does not overwhelm. I do remember it being more prominent when I first tested this imp when it was new, so I’m pleased with the way Bess has aged. Bess is very well-blended. I can smell almost everything that’s in here: grape, rosemary, rose, mint, lemon peel. The only thing I can’t pick out is the orange flower. It all adds up to a sweet, feminine herbal scent. It does have a very…historical?...feel, in that these components, together, do not smell like a modern perfume to me. It’s also very dignified, which is perfect for its namesake. Bess is light and fades fairly quickly. Because of that, and because I love its inspiration and it works on my skin, I think I need a bottle.

It sounds as if we have very similar tastes. I don't seek out floral notes (though I'm usually okay with blends that have one floral note along with tea/vanilla/citrus/what have you, as long as that floral isn't heavy) and I love lemon, vanilla, and spices. Have you tried Dorian? On me it's lemony vanilla tea, and has terrific lasting power. I also love Morocco (yes, it has sandalwood, but it's very smooth, creamy and spicy) and Snake Oil, which is sweet spicy vanilla. I second Baobhan Sith for the grapefruit and ginger. I've found that many citrus scents don't last long. I gravitate to them in summer, when I like lighter scents anyway, and just plan on reapplying during the day. I also echo the recommendation for Embalming Fluid (white musk, green tea, aloe and lemon.) Shanghai smells very similar to Embalming Fluid to me, but with even more lemon: its notes are green tea, lemon verbena and honeysuckle, but on me it's really just lemony green tea. Today I'm wearing Bess, which has both lemon and mint. It also has rose, but I get very little of that, and since that's the one floral you said you find tolerable, it might be worth trying. Speaking of rose, that was the one floral I was sure I wanted to avoid...and in my latest order I got a frimp of Roses, Pearls and Diamonds, which is soft rose and coconut on my skin. I was amazed at how much I liked it. Which is just to say, if you're new to this--and I'm still quite new to BPAL myself--don't be afraid to try something with a note that doesn't immediately appeal to you.

The Lion was a frimp in my first order from the Lab. In the imp, it’s sweet spicy amber, somehow almost sparkling. Wet, that sparkling note is almost lemony. This dries down to resiny amber and cinnamon. There is a faint grassy note that gives the impression of sun-warmed grass that others have mentioned, something almost haylike. It’s definitely a warm scent. Other blends containing cinnamon have irritated my skin, but I have no problem with the Lion, which is very wearable. To me, it smells sweet and spicy without being foody because of the amber. However, one of the first times I wore this, someone at work commented, “It smells like cookies in here!” when I was nearby, and I’m sure it was because of the Lion. The Lion is a very comforting scent for cold weather.

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: Oak. Wet on skin: Oak with a fruity sweetness from the rhubarb and possibly the fig leaf. Dry: The same. I never do smell chamomile, which doesn’t really surprise me, because I amp wood notes, and I think the oak is drowning out any chamomile. Lawful veers very close to a too-sweet, heavy, craft store potpourri scent, but manages to avoid that. It’s pretty and…foresty? I’m glad I had the chance to try this.

This was a frimp in my first Lab order back in February. I ordered an imp pack, and vacillated between O and Morocco. I picked O, and was delighted that the Lab seemed to have read my mind. The Lab knows best. I’ve worn Morocco many more times than O since that first order. I’ve put off writing a review because I don’t know how to usefully describe something that’s so lovely, it makes me sigh with contentment when I smell it. On my skin, Morocco is vanilla (even though that’s not a listed note,) sandalwood and spices. There is a little musk, but it’s very soft. The sandalwood is also soft and smooth, not sharp at all. When my first imp was new, I did get carnation for the first hour or so, but now that the imp is more than eight months old, I don’t smell that note. Despite the vanilla and spices, Morocco is not foody, though it is creamy and sweet. Morocco feels very classically feminine; the drydown reminds me of Shalimar, which my mother’s sister used to wear. It’s also extremely comforting. I wore this on the day of a snowstorm specifically because I wanted to feel warm and cozy, but Morocco also works in warm weather for me, because it’s subtle and wears close to the skin. I don’t always get color associations for scents, but to me Morocco is creamy pink with gold around the edges. If for some reason, I had to limit myself to five blends to wear for the rest of my life, Morocco would be one of them. This is crazy, but I promise I'm not making it up: in the middle of writing this review (I draft my reviews as a Word document and then copy them to the Forum) I got up and went to the kitchen, where my roommate had just made some herbal tea. I remarked on how good it smelled, and we started chatting about herbs and their smells. She said, "I've been looking for a good sandalwood vanilla." I went to my bedroom to get my extra imp of Morocco, and handed it to my roommate. When she smelled it, she said, "Oh, yes. THIS." I gave it to her, because it is an extra, and Morocco is so lovely that I just had to share.

Samhain 2013. I'm working this evening, so I won't be able to give out candy, but we're having a small party at work. I don't have a costume as such but I'm wearing a black tee with a jack o'lantern design, and a little witch's hat with black and orange feathers.

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: Fresh red roses. It smells somehow juicy. Juicy roses? Wet: Red rose. There’s a soft creaminess underneath that’s very slightly coconut. This is not an overpowering rose to begin with, but that creaminess keeps it from becoming too strong. Dry: The coconut and what must be the orris come out more and more. If I put my nose right against my skin, I smell this lovely creamy soft scent that’s hardly rose at all. I would never have thought of combining rose with coconut, but it works fantastically well. I’m not usually drawn to rose scents—I like smelling my next door neighbor’s roses, but I’m not inclined to put roses on my skin. Because Roses, Pearls and Diamonds is light on me and wears close to the skin, it’s quite wearable. I don’t foresee needing more than an imp, but I can see this suiting certain moods, and outfits, very well.

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: Greenery with a touch of ginger. That must be the lemongrass. Wet: GREEN. It’s almost overpoweringly green for the first few moments. It smells like being inside a florist shop, with the cut greenery, water, and flowers all mingled together. Dry: As it dries down, Namaste smells like old lady perfume. I think the jasmine and rose are interfering with the cedarwood and sandalwood, notes that usually work well on my skin. If I put my nose right against my arm, I do get a much nicer, sweet jasmine. I may try this in an oil burner as some reviews suggest, because it doesn’t work well on my skin.

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: Sweet and boozy. And I mean really sweet. Wet: Heady, boozy, sugary sweetness. Dry: As it dries, the honey emerges more and more. The oak makes it less sugary-sweet. I dabbed on some more of this about four hours after the first application, and then it went much more quickly to oak and honey. It gave me the mental image of oak barrels full of honey. Though this is definitely sweet, Kill-Devil is so light on my skin that it’s not cloying. The oak does make this feel appropriate for this time of year when leaves are falling, though it’s oak wood and not oak leaves.

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: Woodsy, musky men’s cologne. Wet: woods and musk. As it dries, there’s a soft herbal undertone. Dry: The musk goes soft and powdery, and though amber isn’t a listed note, I’m getting amber. In fact, it’s very similar to Haunted, which was an imp I chose in the order this came in. When I put my nose right against my arm I get soft, resinous sweetness, almost like vanilla. While I could definitely see this working on a man, it’s not at all overwhelmingly masculine, which surprises me considering the name and inspiration. On me it’s quite unisex and somehow soothing. Nice.

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp: Fresh green woods with a minty undertone. Wet: Birch beer! I love birch beer. One of these woods must be birch, because this smells very similar to Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, but it’s birch beer, not root beer. I see that other reviewers have mentioned wintergreen, and that’s definitely in here. I would have loved for the birch beer stage to linger, but as Yggdrasil dries down it becomes all dry woods on me. I can’t pick out one particular wood, just a blend of freshly cut woods. My skin does tend to amp woodsy scents, and this lasts and lasts on me. It’s somehow reminiscent of classic vintage perfume, though I couldn’t name exactly which one. Something with lots of woodsy notes. I would never have picked this out for myself, but I like it. It’s both wearable and interesting. Also, I could still smell this on my skin after I showered! The lasting power is fantastic.

This was a frimp from the Lab. In the imp, it has a very specific medicinal smell that I’m going crazy trying to place. I thought it might be cherry Chloraseptic, and actually did a side-by-side sniff test, but that’s not it. This doesn’t smell anything like the listed notes, which is fine, because they scared me a little. When this oil dries, it’s a warm floral scent. It actually smells slightly different on each arm: the right is floral only, while the left has a faint smokiness over the floral. After a couple of hours, it becomes floral soap. Many hours later, it has morphed again, to a spicy floral. A couple of reviewers have mentioned clove, and if it’s in here, I’m not surprised, because that’s a note my skin amps.

In the imp: Plum and black currant. Wet: The same. I can't pick out a separate wine note, but something is there underlying the fruit, making it even richer, and I think that's the wine. I don't get amaretto at all. Bordello smells delicious: sweet but not overly so, dark and juicy.

In the imp, I smell tea and green grass. Wet: The same. It’s very green, light, and fresh, with the grass, moss, and herbs blending together. The ginger adds a slight lemony sweetness. As it dries down, a very slight soapiness emerges, but it never overpowers or becomes unpleasant. I think The Apothecary is a perfect unisex scent; I can imagine it working very well on a man. It is very light and fades quickly. It will be perfect for summer, when light fragrances are what I want, and I’m sure it will join the rotation of tea scents with Embalming Fluid, Shanghai, and Kumiho.

In the imp it's pungent, like a strong herbal cleaning product. It's not unpleasant, though. Wet, I get that same pungency, which I think must be the myrrh. Briefly, Laudanum becomes a spicy root beer scent. Then, sadly, that vanishes. When it dries down, this smells just like YSL Opium. Unfortunately, that equates to stale old lady perfume on my skin. Oh well, they can't all be winners. I bought this hoping for the spicy root beer that others have described, but I have Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener for a root beer scent.

In the imp: Earthy patchouli: that is, actually like soil. Wet: Cedar pencil shavings. Dry: The coconut appears, and the sweetness that must be benzoin. Earlier this week I tested Hope and Fear Set Free, and I noticed that many of the reviews mentioned a benzoin note, though it wasn't listed in that blend. Now I know what they were talking about, and I realize that I was smelling it too, though I didn't know what to call it. BPAL is very educational! Goblin is warm, dark, and sweet. It lasts for hours, and I think it will be even better after some aging.

Obatala is sweet, creamy coconut. I can't pick out a separate milk note at all, but it's probably adding to the creaminess. I don't get water or any sort of aquatic at all. This is rich and sweet but not at all cloying. I love coconut, but it's an easy scent to get wrong, and fake, plasticky coconut smells ghastly. The note in Obatala is that of true coconut and is not overpowering. The shea complements the coconut perfectly and emerges more and more as I wear this. After hours and hours (twelve hours after I applied, I could still smell this, so yes, it does last) it became more of a shea with coconut scent than coconut with shea. Obatala will be wonderful for summer. I think it will also be great for winter days when I want to remind myself of summer.

In the imp: Zesty citrus with amber underneath. Wet: Amber. Amber generally works well on my skin, and this is no exception. I’m glad to see that others have mentioned a lemon or citrus note and my nose is not just confused. As it dries, the musk emerges, and while the hint of citrus remains, the amber becomes sweet and vanillic. It’s powdery and soft, but powdery in a very good way. Haunted is lovely. It has a very feminine, classic feel. It’s also perfect for a cool, overcast October day such as today. I definitely see myself wearing it again.

In the bottle: Frankincense Wet: Ditto The frankincense is very strong initially, and then, after about half an hour, fades to a soft resiny sweetness. It's lovely, though was hoping for stronger vanilla from this. I love vanilla. I do not amp vanilla. Sigh. Still, I will see what some aging does.

I love Anne of Green Gables, so I probably would have bought this even if the notes were those of the Cuthberts' cow pasture. Luckily, A World Where There Are Octobers smells much better than that. In the bottle I smell green leaves and maple sap. The sweetness is not nearly as sweet as that of maple syrup, but it's there. On my skin, this smells green. To me at least, these aren't October leaves, but green, wet ones from earlier in the season. After hours, the greenness fades and more of a wood smell emerges. It's as if the leaves actually go through the process of turning color while I'm wearing the oil. The subtle mapley sweetness comes forward. I agree with tinyvulture that this really captures early autumn. This smells very unisex to me; the sweetness is so subtle that I think it would work on a man as well.

Samhain 2013: In the bottle I smell apple and honey. On my skin, this is apple, warm spices, honey (I do keep getting honey even though a honey note isn’t listed) and autumn leaves. The notes I’ve listed sound as if they would be craft store potpourri. Instead, Samhain is the essence of autumn. I wanted to go around all day with my nose buried in the crook of my arm, but that would have looked weird at work. I’m so glad I decided to get a bottle unsniffed.