amyberries

Sadly, this is one of the BPAL scents that just did not work for me. I got it as a frimp from the lab, which is always lovely, but although it smelled vaguely pleasant - fresh and fruity - in the imp, on my skin it was just sickly, fake-smelling and bad. Woe. But then, my skin is a tricky minx, and amps up anything sweet like crazy in any case - looks like it destroyed any subtlety that Forbidden Fruit should have had. Off to the swap box with it.

Well, this is the first bottle I've ever bought - this year, 2008, and it's definitely at least been interesting. In bottle: Oooo. Spicy fresh fruitiness which is very intriguing. On skin: APPLES. It's just... apple juice, really incredibly so - not fake or sickly at all, just sweet fresh apples. Drying: The apples just round out more, and a hint of spice comes back. It smells exactly like stewed apples - very pleasant, but very sweet. I'm terribly sad that there's no hint of the woods, or any more spice, since I'm not so much for sweet scents. Dry: Yes. Ends up a very nice indeterminate scent, but just a little too sweet for me. I'm going to try aging this, I think, see if the sweet apple calms down a bit, because it really is lovely, just very in-your-face.

Oh, this is wonderful! I initially bought it for my mother, but after her disparaging remarks about 'dodgy perfume retailers' I bthought I'd play it safe and keep it. So I tested an imp, and... guh. The soft, earthy spiciness is just perfect on my chemistry, which tends to sweeten anything already girly to headache-inducing levels, but brings this to smooth, delicious softness. Mmm-hmm. A darker, deeper Dublin for me - I may end up keeping this for Winter/Autumn with that my Spring/Summer. !

Having just put some on... oh my god. This is so lovely! It reinds me of candles, but I love candle-scents far more than generically 'perfumy' ones and this is perfect for me. Spicy, spicy clove sweetened by fruity, mouthwatering apricot. Definitely a Winter/Autumn scent, but utterly delicious. I think I need a bottle of this...

Man. My skin always amps up the vanilla, and this is no exception. In the bottle: Almond. No room for anything else, just that marzipan smell. On skin: It softens quickly... almost soapy for a little while there, then evening out into vanilla, vanilla, vanilla. I didn't have much of a chance to smell it at college, but that's all I got. I tried it again tonight, and got a little more depth - I can sense the incensey feel at the beck, but its really no more stronger than that, and the cinnamon is barely there. The heliotrope melded with the vanilla, as it likes to do, and the almond vanished after the initial burst. It's a very rich, but somehow ticklish vanilla - not as smooth or musky as Snake Oil, and much sweeter. Definitely pleasant. Might keep the imp.

I adore Dublin, and don't find it woodsy at all - very misy and green, with a slight spicy sweetness, which is meant to be rose... might be what you're looking for?

I agree with Eden, I think - very sweet, but pure, toasty coconut. That might work, especially if you like sweeter, foodish scents?

In bottle: Yet another traditionally perfumy one. I'm beginning to think I should stick solely to the less complicated scents. Has a promising sweet woody tone to it, however. Wet on skin: A darker, more mysterious tone. Light but slightly musty, that's really quite good... Going light on the florals seems to have worked, as I can smell the musk and amber notes clearly. Dried down: A bit nose-tickly, this one. The dry scent isn't possibly for me, but it does smell nice, and interesting too, the way it balances the softwarm notes and the drier woody ones. Decision: Possibly try again some time.

In Bottle: Very black-smelling, appropriately. Wet on skin: Lighter than before... with floral notes coming out, which I do not think is going to work... Dried down: Almost powdery, but still intense. Sadly, still reminds me of one of my Grandmother's perfumes... Just better, and muskier. This is actually quite a nice skin fragrance - subtler than it seems at first, like incense clinging to hair after leaving a satanic church. Probably very nice on men - though sadly I don't have one of those wandering around to test it on. Decision: Swap, I think. The narcissus isn't for me.

So far, Dublin is my absolute favourite. Damp and misty with the softest spiciness, just sweet enough not to tickle the nose. Smooth and subtle and mysterious and feminine without being in the least girly. I'm in love with it. I think I will have to get a bottle at some point, though I'm still trying out a few more imps before I start buying bottles. Love. *Clings to imp passionately*

In bottle: Very bright and fruity, almost bubblegum-y, but juicier. The strawberry and cherry are definitely taking the front. Wet on skin: Cherry, cherry, cherry! The vanilla comes out fairly immediately, too. Definitely muskier, too, the intense sweetness of the fruit is fading - good, since I'm better with subtler sweetness. I think that's amber I'm smelling now... can't tell exactly, but it seems likely. Dried down: More amber and vanilla - nice combination. Still sweet, but now with that darker undertone, I like that very much. Decision: Might keep this one. Probably won't buy a bottle, though.

In bottle: That same strange scent I associate with something of my Grandmother's, however, there's a fresher tone than in Darkness, which is nice - that'd be the herbs and mosses, then. Good, I was hoping I'd smell those. Wet on skin: Immediately lighter, but somehow musty. Quite a crisp tone now, with herby-lemony undertones. There's a nice light floral suggestion there, too, just on the top. Getting the incensy note, too. Dried down: Ha, I know what that reminds me of - magnolia. It's floral, but not sweet, due to the musky/musty base, but balanced out by the freshness. Might be the narcissus - I smelled that in Darkness, so it should be. Not my thing, evidently. Sadly the herbal note has diminished as the floral developed, but it's still not too girly. After a while it softens rather nicely, blending the notes and lessening that ozone-y layer. It's fairly feminine, mixed like this, but not too sweet still, which is good. Decision: Hmm. Undecided. Sent it to a friend, instead, since she wanted to try it, and I wasn't keen.

In bottle: Oooo, Marzipan. Yes. Almost solely almond, there, slightly bittersweet. Wet on skin: Oh, getting the lighter notes, now. There's clove threaded through the almond now, and there's bay, too. The clove comes out very quickly, overtaking the almond. I can just about get the buttery layer, though it's really faint. Dried down: There's an almost lemony note now, but still predominately clove on my skin. Pretty Christmassy, really, but not sickly sweet. Can't smell any rum, sadly, though I like this a lot. The sharpness of the clove softens down as I wear it, letting the buttery notes come through. It's now this rather delicious spicybutterysoft scent cut through slightly with that lemonish note - the sassafras? - which is most definitely wearable. I like this one. Decision: Keep. Mmm.

In bottle: Strong almondy/coconut scent with something lighter... Wet on skin: Marzipan-y, huh. That almost ozone note is coming out, too, what is that... Must be the fig. Hmm, interesting. Will update after wearing it a bit. Dried down: Much softer, more coconut than anything with a liiiittle bit of fig making it more exotic. Nice, but even after a few hours, when it's a little toned down, it very sweet. Good, and interesting, especially if you like foody scents, but just a little bit much for me. Decision: Swap.

In bottle: Very perfume-y. Reminds me almost of a lighter version of Darkness for some reason. Wet on skin: More complex and slightly bitter with a powdery overtone. Dried down: Not much easier to define, other than generically perfumy. It has a soft sweetness to it that's appealing, but... Too busy, I think. Decision: Swap.

In bottle: Ooo, good balance. There's a lot of rose, making it almost traditional smelling, but I can really make out the leather, too. That's really nice. Wet on skin: Very leathery, sweetened by the rose. Almost musty-toned, very nice. The dusty leathery tone stops it feeling too light and sweet, though the rose is still very feminine, and indeed damp - like bruised petals. A traditional smell twisted by the mustiness of soft leather. Exactly as it says on the tin. Dried down: Mostly rose, which tends more towards the powdery as time goes on. The leather twists it just a bit, but it's almost impossible to make out after a while, leaving it very floral. Decision: I'm keeping the imp, for random occasions when I feel feminine, but I don't think I'll buy any more.