Magycmyste

In the imp: Interesting - this is dry and sharp, a little bit woody, but not unpleasant. Wet on skin: Same as before. I was expecting some sweetness from the iced wine, but I don't seem to be getting that, at least not yet. Maybe on drydown? Dried down: Honestly, same as before. I thought I got a whiff of sweetness, but it disappeared pretty quickly. Throw: Not much. I tend to find that drier scents don't have as much of a throw on me as sweeter ones Verdict: ***?? I honestly don't know what I think of this scent. I actually do like it - a lot - but I don't see myself reaching for it often. But it's also pretty different from the other scents I have - most of which are sweeter and more incensey. So maybe the solution here is for me to keep my decant, but not order a bottle? (I have to admit, a half-bottle sounds perfect for me - oh well). I get the feeling that if I run out, this may be a very hard bottle to find in the future - but I'm not sure I'm going to run out. I guess we'll see how it plays out over the rest of the day.

I am a little nervous about this one, since it does have narcissus as a note (Crowned With Calm Leaves She Stands was the first bpal I've tried to turn truly funky on me, and the only two notes were narcissus and daffodils, so...). I'm hoping it doesn't hate me, or that the other notes will overpower it, because I haven't had problems with any of them yet. I'm not quite sure what muguet and davana smell like, but I don't think I've had problems with them yet. In the imp: Mmm..... hello gardenia! Sweet floral and white musk, mostly, although there is a sharper floral and woodiness in there. Wet on skin: Definitely a sharper, sourer floral, and some of the sandalwood in coming through now. Dried down: There's still a hint of the gardenia in the throw, but mostly, this is just the sharper floral now. Honestly, I think I liked this better when the gardenia was mixed into in in the beginning, and played with the sharper note. On the bright side, the narcissus has not, in fact, turned stinky on me. Throw: Not a whole lot - there's a bit of gardenia and a bit of something sharper. I do actually like the throw a fair amount. Verdict: *** 1/* Not bad, but not for me, I think. It just gets too sharp too quickly.

So, I'm guessing this is what a marigold is supposed to smell like (I know what they look like, I just don't usually stop to sniff them). I've never really been all that fond of marigolds - they're pretty enough, but I tend to gravitate towards other flowers. In the imp: Sharp, kind of sour floral, at first - like a really dark rose. Wet on skin: Same as before. There is a hint of sweetness, but it's on the very edge of the floral. Dried down: The sharpness is still there, but the sweetness is coming forward more. Throw: A little bit. Verdict: *** This isn't bad by a longshot, but it's nothing I'm going to rave about or keep sniffing, over and over. I think it's headed to the swap pile.

In the bottle: I'm getting a sickly sweet floral from the bottle, which makes me a little bit nervous. Hydrangea, maybe. It's like something sweet just got watered down. My nose is a tiny bit clogged, so maybe I'm not quite getting but... I hope this is better on. I had kind of high hopes from the notes in this one. Wet on skin: There is a bit of a sour floral in the middle of the sweet. Dried down: Ok, now it's sweetness with a hint of rose, which I do like. I'm surprised I'm not getting the sandalwood and frankincense out of this, though I think the beeswax is mingling with one of the sweeter florals (I'm still thinking hydrangea, though I don't know what kantuta blossoms smell like). I think I'm getting hints of the cocoa leaves and tobacco, but those are very mild hints among the flowers. Throw: Strong throw. Verdict: **** I really didn't like the sickly sweetness I got at first, but I may need to give it another chance. I'm starting to suspect this might work out a bit like Yvaine, where I thought it was ok at first and wondered what all the hype was about, but loved it more the longer it was on my skin. Honestly, I'm going to have a tough time picking out what bottles I want from the Weenies.

I have to admit, I'm a little nervous about the cigar tobacco note in here, but after discovering that I LOVE using cigar boxes to store my BPAL in, I've also come to realize that I don't necessarily hate the smell of tobacco - just some kinds of tobacco (cigarette, and whatever's in Alkemia perfumes' Miel de Savage et Tabac, so far). The actual cigar shop smelled rather pleasant, moreso on my second visit than the first. We'll see which camp this falls into. In the imp: I am getting tobacco and spices, and the tobacco is strong... but it's also a bit sweet, probably from the agave nectar. And I think I detect a hint of the rose. Wet on skin: Sweet woods, almost hay-like. Dried down: Sniffing my wrists, I get the hay-like wood and the agave nectar. The tobacco keeps floating around me, though. At least it's sweet. Throw: I think it's mainly because the throw is almost pure tobacco for me, but it's a little too strong for my tastes. It's not a bad tobacco scent for me - I almost like it. But it doesn't quite make me smile. Verdict: *** This strikes me as what might be called a very adult, sophisticated scent, but the tobacco doesn't quite strike the right chord with me, and it's a little too strong for me to really like this perfume. I won't try to scrub it off, but I think I'm going to layer something else with it to see if I can soften up that tobacco a bit.

In the imp: So this is the first of the pumpkin blends I've tried where I've also tried the original. In the imp, it smells like Snake Oil with an extra hit if spice. Honestly, so far, all of the pumpkin blends have smelled a bit more pumpkin spice than pumpkin-y to me. Not that I have a problem with that (i'm not really fond of most pumpkin desserts, so I've kind of avoided pumpkin-y scents till now), but it isn't what I was expecting. Wet on skin: Similar, but I think I'm getting a little more of the squash now than just the spices. It blends together pretty well into the Snake Oil, though. Dried down: Same, but softer. Throw: Not a whole lot, but very Snake Oil-ish. Verdict: **** 1/* Honestly, out of the pumpkin blends, this is my favorite so far. Might be my growing love of Snake Oil, but.... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.............................. I really may have to get a bottle. Or two. Or more.

Morocco is another of the GC scents I hadn't had much chance to try yet, but I've been wanting to. I've been nervous about pumpkin scents for awhile, mainly cause it's not really one of my favorite foods (especially in desserts), but since Samhain itPP, I think I'm ready to give more pumpkin scents a try. (Plus, while I usually prefer savory foods to sweet, I've discovered this year that i actually prefer sweeter scents) In the imp: I'm getting a similar candied pecan scent as I did from Samhain out of the imp. Whe I set the imp down, there's a throw with a blast of sugar and a hint of spice and nuts Wet on skin: Same as before. Sugar sugar spiced nuts Dried down: Same as before, with the spiced nuts becoming a little stronger again. Very pretty, but this smells pretty close to the Samhain version for me, just a bit more sugar. Throw: Sugar sugar. Mmmm....... Verdict: **** This makes me want to bake cookies. Sugar cookies that I can cut out with my ninjabread men cookie cutters.

In the imp: Pecans and cinnamon and brown sugar. I think I'm getting some of that pumpkin, too. I've never been much of a fan of pumpkin desserts, but I think I could give these a whirl. Wet on skin: You know, I'm not sure what it is I'm getting here, but I like it! Woods and patchouli and spice, andI'm definitely getting a bit of pumpkin mixed in here. Dried down: Pecan and patchouli. There's a little bit of floral there, too. Throw: Not much. Verdict: **** This is actually very nice. The woods aren't overwhelming, and are lightened by the spices and nuts. I have to admit, I haven't tried the regular Samhain yet, but I may have to seek some out.

In the imp: This reminds me more of a blend between rose and jasmine than just jasmine. Wet on skin: Still a bit sweeter than I expect rose to be. This is nice though. I'm not sure what the Victorian spices are, but I'm not really getting them. Dried down: Yes, this is definitely jasmine on me. Good think I like jasmine. It's a sweet one, but not overly sweet. And maybe there's a hint of rose, there - just on the edges. Throw: Jasmine., with a hint of rose. Verdict: **** This is very pretty. I think I'll definitely be keeping the imp, but I'm not so sure I'm going to get a bottle. It'll need another go before I go that far.

Huh. I'm surprised there are so few reviews for this so far. I guess this one is relatively new? Oh well, I'm adding another. In the bottle: Ginger brew/soda. I'm not quite sure I would call it cider (I always associate cider with apples, but I guess it's that fizz - and I could probably pick out an apple note if I tried hard enough). Wet on skin: Similar to before. Gingery, with a bit more apple (I might be tricking myself into thinking that, but still). The sweetness present is apply, rather than fruity. This is very pleasant. Dried down: Same. This is a fun, fizzy scent. I think I may have finally found a great ginger scent for me,where the ginger lasts all the way through. Throw: This seems to have very little throw on me. I get a hint of sweetness (apple) around my head, but in order to get the ginger, I have to sniff my wrists. Verdict: **** I am glad I got this. It's a fun scent, and I hope it stays around for a long while. It's not as complex as Jareth, but it doesn't really need to be. Plus, Labyrinth!

I got a free sniffie from someone in an earlier order - it smelled very sugar cookie-milk tea-ish, so I decided to try out a full bottle. In the bottle: Sugar and lemon - it reminds me a little of lemon bars. Mmmm..... Wet on skin: Lemony green tea, with a hint of sugar cookie. Dried down: The sugar cookie/vanilla tea's come out a lot stronger now, but there's still the lemon in the background tarting it up a bit and making it brighter. This is a happy scent. Throw: It took awhile for the sugar cookie to come out, but once it did, the throw is almost entirely that - but the lemon is still there, too. Verdict: ***** I am glad I went for a bottle of this, and I hope it stays in the catalog for a long, long time.

In the imp: Sweet florals. Honestly, I can tell you, I would not be able to tell theses notes apart individually, but this is gorgeous. I hope this doesn't morph on my skin. Wet on skin: Same as above. A sharper floral, almost lemony is coming out on my skin, and the sweet floral is turning slightly aquatic, but it's still beautiful. Dried down: Same as wet. Throw: This has some decent throw to it. And I love that sweet, almost aquatic floral in it. That sharper floral, I only get when I sniff my wrists. Verdict: ***** These imps are definitely keepers for me. It might be awhile before I grab a bottle, but I think there is one in my future.

I really ought to read more about Anne Bonny. I only vaguely know who she is, and she sounds like she'd have an awesome story! In the imp: I'm getting kind of a sweet smell, with a little bit of spice to it. Not sugary sweet, more like beeswax Wet on skin: Stronger sandalwood and incense. I think I''m also getting the patchouli, too, but these three notes blend into each other so well, it's hard to tell where one stops and the next begins. Dried down: This is very incense and patchouli heavy, but the patchouli isn't too overpowering for me, like with #occupywallstreet. I think the sandalwood maybe tones it down a little bit. Throw: This has some decent throw, and besides the incense and patch, there's still that beeswaxiness I was detecting earlier. Ihave no idea where it's coming from, but it softens this cent, and makes me like it that much more. Verdict: ***** I seem to have had a very different scent experience from other people with this one. I know I say I have too many incensey scents already, but I think this has entered the competition for a bottle.

This is the first of the Norns that I'm trying, and I'm excited. Admittedly, I don't know much about the Norns beyond Ah! Megamisama, but still. In the imp: Herbs with a hint of juicy apple. Wet on skin: Same as above. Actually, on second thought, I don't think that's the herbs, I think that's the black amber I'm getting with a splash of apple and just a touch of the herbs. I'm hoping it doesn't change much on drydown. It's beautiful and I love it. There is something about the black amber that brings the Skyfall theme into my head. It's deep, it's sexy, it's sultry, but the apple freshens it up and brightens it. I could see that note going beautifully with roses, and taking it a whole other direction. Dried down: It's more apply now, like the apple and the amber have blended together to to form one uniform note. This is a little less sexy and more "lady going out for a formal evening in a dazzling gown." The sexy's still there, but it's almost ethereal. Throw: This has a little bit of throw to it, though I'm not exactly sure how much I actually got on my wrists (I think the oil level in the imp was about half). The throw is kind of faint but hints of apple. Verdict: **** 1/* Frankly, I think this may be one of my favorite GC fruit scents, and may very well become my go-to apply scent. I think a bottle of this is definitely in order when I start ordering more GC scents from the lab.

In the imp: Ginger soda. Though I could see a bit of gear lubricant playing into that. Wet on skin: The ginger goes deeper on my skin, and the smoke note comes out. This is like bonfire smoke, with a deep wood undertone (balsam?) no nice scent to it, but nothing bad either. Dried down: Same as wet. Actually, I don't know - I think this may have dried too quickly on me, and I never really got a "wet" stage. Throw: Bubbly ginger brew, still. I do like this a lot. Verdict: *** 1/* I do like this a lot. I love the ginger. But I don't know how much I love it. Enough to keep the imp, surely, but I don't know if it's enough to buy a bottle.

In the bottle: Pure white chocolate. With an edge of something. Kind of like almond. O_o I guess this is aged a few years. Wet on skin: The coconut's starting to come out now. It's a soft coconut. Kind of reminds me of.... Is it angel food cake that has that sweet, shredded coconut frosting? Dried down: Oh, this is beautiful. I'm getting the marshmallow now, but it's blending very well into the white chocolate, so it's a little harder for me to pinpoint. It's like moist coconut flakes gently swimming in a sea of white chocolate with marshmallow crests. With a touch of buttercream. Throw: This has some decent throw. Verdict: ***** This makes me happy. I don't know if I'll seek out a second bottle - one's probably good enough for me. But oh yes. This is one I will enjoy.

Well, I finally get to test this. I've only bee n able to watch Stardust recently, and I loved it. I need to read the book soon. I only discovered BPAL this year, and besides the Last Unicorn Scents, this was one of the ones that really caught my attention, and I was a little disappointed when I found out it had been discontinued. I snagged a partial bottle on eBay though, so we'll see... In the bottle:Sharp, astringent floral and ozone. I'm not really getting lavender or magnolia at all.... Wet on skin: I can't seem to get much on my skin without upending the bottle, which I don't want to do. I am getting a bit of lavender out of this now, but it's a very dry lavender, in line with that ozone scent I'd gotten before. Dried down: Pretty floral - the sharpness has died down a little bit, though it still borders on ozone a bit. I am getting a little bit of sweetness that seems more akin to sugar cookies than magnolia. It floats around my head very subtly. Throw: Sugar cookie, very faint. Verdict: *** 1/* It's pretty, but didn't impress me as much as I'd hoped. I'll hang on to the bottle for a bit, maybe give it another try, but I think this one may need to find a more loving home. At least I won't feel too bad about missing out on it. ETA: **** Ok, so it took a bit longer for the magnolia to come out than I expected. I'm enjoying this a lot more now, so I'll bump it to a 4. I think I'll definitely have to try it again before thinking of giving it up.

Ooh, looking forward to this.... mmmmm.....Jareth...... In the bottle: Something sweet and tempting, with an edge of floral and leather. I can definitely smell the similarity to Dorian, but that's such a small part of this smell, though enticing, like a sugar cookie with that creamy, melt-in-your-mouth sort of frosting... Wet on skin: The sweetness is still there, but I'm getting the leather, and something almost incensey, even more. Is that the oudh? I think it might be. The lilac and ti leaf blend together beautifully into a pleasant sour note (sounds a bit more oxymoronic, doesn't it?) Dried down: About the same as before, although the leather has faded to a bit of a back note. I'm still not really familiar enough with tonka to be able to place it in this scent,if I can smell it. Throw: The throw is sweet vanilla sugar cookie, while sniffing my wrists gives me the incense, lilac and ti. The throw is decent and enjoyable. Verdict: ***** Oh, I am SO glad I snagged a bottle of this. I'm going to have to keep getting it, too. I like it well enough on me, but I am so tempted to see if I can get my SO to try it (he doesn't really wear cologne at all, but I didn't really wear perfume before discovering bpal either. It was hard enough to get him to try Wilde, but he seemed to like it once he did try it. ::shrugs:: well, whether he'll wear it or not, I'll happily keep the bottle.

I got a decant of this mostly for the Balm of Gilead, though I'm surprised I haven't gone after more pomegranate scents, since they're probably one of my favorite fruits. In the imp: Pomegranate with a bit of booze - honestly, I'm not completely familiar with opium or poppy, so that's one of those scents I'm probably getting, but don't know. Wet on skin: fruit - more cherry than pomegranate at the moment - still has that alcoholic edge, though. Dried down: The incense came out in the drying down, though it faded a bit to the background in the end. I don't think the Balm of Gilead ever came out for me, which is a little disappointing, but I do love what's here. Throw: Sweet pomegranate, with whiffs of incense. This is lovely. Verdict: ***** Yes, I'm going to need a bottle of this. And I'm going to try to restrain myself, but I'm thinking of getting two. I just haven't smelled anything like this yet!

In the imp: Florals. the not quite astringent greens. Wet on skin: Green dandelion. Also, I still had the imp open and a funky smell wafted out. I don't know what it is, but I've alrady got it on my skin and I'm nervous. Sure enough, the funky smell stayed after closing up the imp. It almost reminds me of manure. Or vomit. Dried down: Well, it looks like it's soaked into my skin, but I'm getting the same as before. Ugh. Throw: The throw gives me the manure/vomit scent. And, unfortunately, it's a lot stronger than a lot of others. If I sniff my wrists, I get the light florals I was hoping for. Verdict: * Well, that's my first 1. I need to scrub this off, like, now., and cover up what's left with Touched Twice. ::sigh:: At least I have it narrowed down to two notes, neither of which I've tried before. I might try another perfume with these notes, and see if I can identify which one it was. Whichever one it was, it'll be my first death note, I think.

In the bottle: Heavy on the incense and the patchouli, but I am getting a it of cumin off of there. Wet on skin: Sweet incense Dried down: Patchouli and incense. The sweetness (which I think might be the labdanum)I think this is actually a little too patchouli-heavy for me. It's too bad, though, I'm still looking for that scent that brings out cumin on my skin. AndI didn't really get the almond at all. Throw: This has some decent throw on the patchouli and incense. I'm not sure why, but I'm also getting the faintest whiff of Snake Oil. Unless there's labdanum in that, I'm not sure where it's coming from. I keep wanting to sniff past the patchouli and incense to the Snake Oil. Verdict: *** Great if you love patchouli, a little overwhelming if you don't. Me, I don't mind it most of the time, but I really prefer it not to take over (I think my skin might amp patchouli a bit) I might keep this on my second chance pile, but I think it may be destined for the swaps.

In the imp: Mostly sweet fruit and myrrh, probably the pomegranate juice and myrrh, with maybe the faintest hint of rose. Wet on skin: I'm not as familiar with French cypress or orris root, so they may be somewhere in here and I'm just not recognizing them. This is still primarily pomegranate and myrrh on me. There is a little woodiness behind the myrrh that might be the cypress (makes me think of sandalwood). I'm not really getting much rose or any other floral out of this right now. Dried down: Pomegranate and sandalwood. Not what I was expecting, but I like it. Throw: Not much. I can almost smell the pomegranate floating around my head, but it's less a scent and more of a presence. I have to sniff my wrists to really get the scent. Verdict: **** This is not at all what I was expecting from this, but I think I'm going to want to upgrade to a bottle. This is very different from anything else I have, and I think it's perfect for the upcoming months. A juicy pomegranate, but not too sweet.

I've been looking forward to this one. BPAL's converted me to vanilla blends, and I love incense In the bottle: Huh. That was not what I was expecting. On opening the bottle, the scent I got was more of a sharp licorice, anise seed scent. Wet on skin: Less licorice, but still a sharp, green scent. And it sounds like a weird juxtaposition, but while it smells very green, it also smells like dry wood. Maybe I haven't done much with bourbon vanilla yet, but I feel like I'm not getting any of that. Except I love Sachs (moreso on my second try than my first - maybe this is the same way.) Dried down: The vanilla is coming through faintly now. It's a much softer scent than it was when I first put it on. Throw: Not much. This is a wrist-sniffing scent for me. Verdict: *** 1/* Maybe that'll change. I think I need to give this one one more try before i decide whether to get a full bottle of this or stick to my decant. Because I think I like it dried down, but I'm not certain yet, and I'm not a huge fan of that green, woody stage.

I got a sniffie bottle of this along with the decant from my gracious circle host,so I'm going to use the sniffie to test, and follow up with the decant if I can't get enough on my skin. Also, I'm not familiar with oudh, but if it's as strong as other reviewers say, I'm hoping I'll be able to identify it in this blend, since I know lavender and I think I've gotten to know benzoin enough. In the bottle: Huh. In the bottle, I think I'm mostly getting the oudh, a very spicy, woody scent, with a touch of benzoin. I don't think I'm getting much lavender at all. If any, it's very light, and blends almost seamlessly into the oudh. Wet on skin: Primarily benzoin. Dried down: The lavender's coming out now, blending beautifully with the benzoin and oudh. Mmmmmm..... I can understand what Jazzie said about it fitting in with the Somnium series. I could see myself wearing this before going to bed, maybe dabbing a little bit on my collarbone - I think it would fit nicely with my Nocturne TAL. Throw: Not much, but I didn't get much on my skin, as I tested from the lip of the bottle. What little is there is primarily the oudh, I think. Maybe a little bit of lavender. I get the benzoin more if I sniff my wrists. Verdict: **** I like this a lot, and the decant is definitely a keeper, but I haven't decided if I'm going to get a bottle yet. I'm a little afraid of my Halloween order getting too large, but we'll see.

My gracious decant circle host gave me an extra sniffie of this scent, along with the decant, so I used that to test. In the bottle: There's only a sniffie amount in here, but it fills the air with the scent of tuberose, with the barest int of anise. Wet on skin: Still primarily tuberose, but the carnation comes out more now. Dried down: Primarily tuberose and carnation. I'm not really familiar with the smell of lilac, so I'm not sure if that's joining into the florals. I don't really get much of the anise at all, except as an edge to the tuberose, and I'm not picking up the benzoin at all, although it could be blending in with the anise, and I'm still not completely familiar with it - I just know I've liked everything that contained it so far. Throw: This definitely has some throw. I have this cloud of tuberose floating around my head, grabbing my attention. All of the other notes I get seem to be a background to the tuberose. Verdict: ***** This is just beautiful. I've never really been drawn to tuberose before, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be in for at least a bottle, maybe two. My mom is a huge fan of tuberose, so I might need to share.