Magycmyste

In the imp: Hmmmm.... there's something very sharp and bitter in this imp, and I'm not sure I like it. Wet on skin: Same as in the imp. I'm not really sure I can identify what this reminds me of, but I don't like it. It's too astringent. Dried down: ::Sigh:: it's softer, but the bitter astringency hasn't really calmed down in the drydown Throw: Almost none. Verdict: *** Well, this isn't for me.

This will be my 500th post! Whoo! In the imp: Crimson, voluptuous rose Wet on skin: Still a lovely rose. Dried down: As it's drying down, I'm getting a better sense of the myrrh. It's very pretty. And the sandalwood's starting to come out, too. Throw: Blended myrrh and rose. This just makes me want to keep breathing it in! It's like Velvet, but with rose instead of cocoa. And the sandalwood peeking out from behind the myrrh, just at the end. Verdict: **** 1/* I may need to test it one more time, but I'm fairly certain I will want a bottle of this. Or two.

This oil is a gorgeous dark red. In the imp: Hmmmm....... smells like cocoa and patchouli tome. It's very incense heavy. Then again, I'm not familiar with the scent of copal yet. Chapapote appears to be a synonym for asphalt - I could see the incense scent I'm getting being a variation of stone. On skin: Ok, the heavy patchouli I was getting in the imp has softened into a few other notes. Based on the wikipedia article, I think it is the chapapote, but now a bit of floral is poking through. I'm guessing the cotton blossom, or maybe the copal? I'm not really getting the honey or maize. Throw: Almost pure chapapote with a touch of cocoa. Verdict: *** 1/* I'm rather torn on this one. It's a very complex scent, and I love it for that. I like it a lot, really, but not as much as I wish I loved it. I just don't see myself reaching for this. Oh well, can't love everything.

In the imp: Fresh, juicy, tart apple! Wet on skin: Same as in the imp. Dried down: Sweetens up just a hint, but really, it's mostly the same. A little more apple candy-ish, like the apple Jolly Rancher. Which is one of my favorite flavors Throw: Fairly faint, but it's there. Same Jolly Rancher scent, same Jolly Rancher flavor. Verdict: **** I do want a bottle of this. I'll have to test between this and Verdandi to decide which apple I like better.

In the imp: Gorgeous rose sweetened by honey. Wet on skin: Rose with a little extra sweetness. Dried down: Still a beautiful rose, but I think the sweetness I'm getting now is more of the olibanum than the honey. Throw: There is a little throw here, soft and sweet. Verdict: **** I am loving this! Especially in comparison to the Wood Horse on my other wrist (that I want to wash off). This makes me happy. I just have to decide if I want a bottle. I'll have to compare it to Rose Cross.

I'm a little wary of the new year's blends because of how many notes there are, but I'm giving this a try! In the imp: This is pretty - sweet orange candy right off the bat. Wet on skin: The candyness has faded to a floral, but it's still very orangey Dried down: Er, still orangey, but this is developing something very stinky in the throw. Throw: Something stinks. Narcissus - one of the two notes in Crowned with Calm Leaves She Stands, which is the first BPAL ever I have really felt the need to wash off immediately. I think it's official. Narcissus must hate me. Most of the time, anyway. Funny enough, it does nothing to me in Cleric. It's possible it's something else. Verdict: This went from a *** to a *, unfortunately, and it's starting to give me a headache.

In the imp: Sweet and green, like fresh grass and flowers. Wet on skin: Still fresh and green, with a tiny hint of limey tartness to it. Dried down: Faded to a tart, fresh green. Throw: Not really getting much. Verdict: *** 1/* Pretty, but I doubt I'd reach for it too often. I do like that it's not a bitter green, but I think for this tye of scent, I'd reach for Shanghai instead.

I don't know about olive blossom, but most of these notes tend to work pretty well on my skin. I'm wondering which ones will show up the most. I don't think it can go wrong on me, unless the olive blossom does something really funky. In the imp: florals and honey sweetness. Wet on skin: this is beautiful. Right now, the jasmine is coming out the strongest, with a lovely vanilla edge. I think the olive blossom is keeping it from becoming too sweet. I'm not really getting the sandalwood or champaca at all. The vanilla and honey sort of blend together - I can pick them out, but they're almost the same note. Dried down: as it dries down, it gets sweeter on me, almost pure honey and vanilla, with a little bit of jasmine. I'm still surprised I'm not getting more champaca or sandalwood from this, as I usually amp those. Throw: the throw is light and sweet. I wonder if I'm going to get more champaca as it stays on my skin longer, as that's where I usually get the special, ethereal quality champaca often gives. Ok yes, there it is. I just needed to wait a little bit longer. Mmmmmmmm...... Verdict: **** 1/* ok! it will be awhile before I get a bottle of this, since my bottle collection is starting to get out of hand, but I think I'll definitely get one at some point. We'll see how often I reach for my imp.

Amorphallus, indeed. A breathtakingly exotic, wild, and grossly erotic spicy gold, purple-black, and burgundy lily. In the imp: Interesting. This is dark and sweet at the same time, like an exceptionally tart SweetTart. Wet on skin: Ok, it doesn't smell like a sweettart anymore, more like a sweet orange, with a floral edge. Orange blossom? Dried down: Hmmmm........ this is getting a little greener, more herbal, but not to the point of bitterness (yay! I've had too many green blends go bitter on me). Throw: There's a tartness to the throw, dancing with the floral. This is really pretty. Verdict: **** Definitely keeping the decant. A bottle? Maybe. It's different than the ones I normally like - I'm just not sure how often i'd reach for it.

In the imp: Fresh and floral, like floral scented fresh laundry, or a dryer sheet. Wet on skin: Still makes me think of clean laundry, just out of the dryer, that you snuggle up in because it's warm, and breathe in the fresh dryer sheet scent. Dried down: Soft florals, still a bit dryer sheet on me. Throw: I'm not really getting much off of this, but my skin does seem to like to eat up a lot of scents. Verdict: *** 1/* This is really very pretty, and I love the scent. But in the way I love the scent and warmth of fresh out of the dryer laundry, not something that I would think of putting on as perfume. Which is sad,really, because it would make a fabulous perfume for a hot summer's day. I just don't see myself reaching for it. As much as I love the smell of dryer sheets, I don't really seek them out for scent. I do think I'll keep the imp, though, maybe use it as a linen spray.

Ambergris and frankincense with sage, and basil. In the imp: Sweet and green. Honestly, so many green scents have given me bitter that this is a pleasant surprise. Wet on skin: Still very green. I definitely get "grassy hills" out of this. Dried down: Extra sweet and green. That frankincense takes this over the top, really. But the sage and basil kind of counteract it with that greenness. I'm not really sure what ambergris smells like, so I'm not sure where it comes into this. Throw: This has some serious throw at first, but it fades to something light after about fifteen minutes or so. Verdict: **** 1/* I really, really like this. I'm kind of surprised by that. I don't know if I'll get a bottle or not, mostly because as much as I love sweet, incensy scents, I have plenty. If I can convince F to try this on, though (so far, I've only managed to get him to try Wilde), and he likes it, and I like it on him.... this will be a bottle buy.

In the imp: Sweet oranges and flowers. Wet on skin: Mostly orange, but I'm also getting a sweet wood smell - or skin maybe. Is that the copal? Dried down: Hmmm....... this is weird. It's still orangey but fading into dust on my skin. Throw: I am getting something here, but I can't quite tell what it is - flowers with a touch of orange, or dust, with a touch of orange. Verdict: ** This was pretty nice until it went dusty on my skin. Oh well.

Arabian musk with two roses and a bevy of Middle Eastern and Indian spices. In the imp: Rose, sandalwood, and musk. Wet on skin: Spicy rose and sandalwood. Dried down: Same as wet. Throw: I'm not really getting any. Verdict: ***** This is pretty, but it also gives me the impression of strength. I'm curious what this would be like with a champaca note, because I could see the heroine in my novel wearing something like this, but with that quality champaca seems to give everything I try it in.

In the imp: Dirt. Wet on skin: Corn cobs and dirt. Dried down: Heavier on the dirt again, but there's still a little corn cob there. I'm not even getting any wine to temper it. Throw: Not very much at all, and I'm kind of glad of that. Verdict: ** Dirt scents almost always have a tendency to go corn cob on me for some reason, with the exception of... I think it's Burial, and this one is no exception.

Base and earthy, yet glittering with golden notes: patchouli, heliotrope, copal and oakmoss. In the imp: Dusty incense and amber. This is a glowing yellow scent. Wet on skin: Patchouli and incense. Dried down: Still very patch-heavy, but there's something soft trying to blossom underneath. I think the copal? Gratned, I'm not too familiar with heliotrope, but I think copal usually reminds me of skin, and what's trying to peek out does, too. Like lightly talcum powdered skin. Throw: The throw is mostly patchouli on me right now. Verdict: *** Eh, I certainly don't mind it, but I don't really need something this patchouli heavy. It's almost one-note on me.

In the imp: Saccharine rose. Wet on skin: Honey. And something. Darkened by the bergamot and rose, possibly. Dried down: Hmmm...... I tried on Whip a little while ago (on the opposite arm), and I'm starting to get leather out of everything now, whether or not the blend actually has any leather notes. My arm does still smell sweet, though. Throw: Um, I can't tell, since Whip seems to have overtaken my senses. I definitely smell something, and it's nice. Just not sure where it's from. Verdict: *** 1/* This is very nice, but I don't think I'll be getting a bottle in the near future. I would be willing to give this another try later, though.

In the imp: Sweet citrus, like tangerine. Wet on skin: Much more floral now. I'm getting much jasmine. Dried down: Still jasmine, with a hint of baby powder deodorant thrown in. Throw: A little bit. I can smell the jasmine a few inches away from my skin. Verdict: **** I like this one a lot! I don't know if I'll get a bottle, or how soon, but I need to remember this one.

In the imp: Fruity, herby dark musk? I think I'm getting the musk more than anything else. Wet on skin: The grapefruit and currant blend together pretty well, although the grapefruit is stronger. The herbs and musk are still there, darkening the fruit. Dried down: Interesting. I'm getting herby leather. But I've got Whip on the other side of my arm, so the leather might be coming from that. Throw: I'm getting a little, but not a whole lot. Verdict: *** Eh, this is definitely an interesting scent, but not one for me, I think.

In the imp: Interesting.I get lemon juice out of the imp. Wet on skin: Make that citronella. Which isn't bad, but I don't really want to smell like bug repelling plants and candles, so I'm kind of hopping this morphs. Dried down: The incense comes out to play a bit more as it dries down. Still a little citronella-heavy for me. Throw: Tiny bit, but I went a bit light on this application. Verdict: *** I don't feel the need to wash it off, but I don't think this scent's for me.

Ooh, I've been looking forward to trying this one for awhile. In the imp: I'm primarily getting the damp red rose. Wet on skin: Still very rosy, although the leather's starting to peek through. Dried down: Rosy leather - there's almost a touch of sandalwood there. This is beautiful, like the leather is slowly blossoming on my skin. Throw: This has a little bit of throw, but now a whole lot. Verdict: ***** This is definitely going to be a bottle buy in the future. Heh, I'll have a little collection of bottles for my variations on leather scents.

In the imp: Bubblegum, with a bit of darker cherry. I never liked cherry flavored candy, but it works well here. Wet on skin: Still bubblegum, but the fruit's a little stronger here. Dried down: Still the same as before, but with the perfume added in, I think. Throw: Definitely has a little bit of throw. Very floral bubblegummy. Verdict: *** 1/* This isn't bad at all, and not what I feared it was going to be. Still, I think I'll pass on this one. I've got plenty of other scents that are more suited to me at times when I think I would pull this out.

Well, generally I prefer my green tea completely unadulterated by things like acids or sweeteners (although acid is definitely preferable to sweet), but my tastes in foody perfume don't always match up to what I like to eat and drink. In the imp: Tart, tart, lemon verbena with a mingling of tea and a hint of honeysuckle. Wet on skin: This is really pretty, actually. The honeysuckle adds the perfect floral touch to this blend. Dried down: This hasn't morphed, and I'm glad of it. I was afraid the honeysuckle would go a little sweet on me. Then again, I seem to like sweet scents, but Ithink it would be a little disjointed here. Throw: It has a little bit, but I'm not getting much unless I sniff my skin. Verdict: ***** This is a different scent for me, and one I think I should get a bottle of as soon as possible. I'm just not entirely sure when I would reach for it over sweeter scents, but I kind of want to have it for when that mood arises.

In the imp: Sharp lemony amber. Wet on skin: Very lemony with the teeniest hint of sugar. I think. I'm not entirely sure just what this scent reminds me of, actually, but I'm not entirely certain I like it. Dried down: Lemon candy, that's what it was. And it's fading now, thank goodness into a soft, dark musk. This is really pretty. Throw: Dark, sexy musk. Verdict: **** That wet stage took away a star. I would consider getting a bottle of this in the future, though. But probably not for awhile.

Muscadine, black and red patchouli, cereus and nag champa. Ok, so muscadine is grape, and cereus is cactus, basically. Those were the two notes in this I hadn't heard of before. In the imp: Mostly grape and patchouli. Wet on skin: There's some sweetness from the grapes, but it's heavily tempered by the nag champa and patchouli. Dried down: Soft and fruity, but tempered by incense. This is really pretty! Throw: There's both fruit and incense in the throw, but I'm getting more of the grape. Verdict: ***** This is another beautiful scent I think I might want a bottle of in the future.

In the imp: Dark and sweet. I've noticed some reviews compare it to maple syrup. I get it - it has that richness and feeling, but it smells more like chocolate syrup to me. Wet on skin: On my hand, the incense comes out more, and a floral note. Dried down: Same as wet, but a little softer. There's definitely something dark and sinister and sexy about this one. Throw: This definitely has some throw to it. Verdict: ***** This kind of makes me think of Snake Oil, but without the vanilla. It has that sexy oiliness to it, and a little bit of sweetness, but not as much as with the vanilla.