monsteralice

Two words: Swamp Thing (that's not a complaint, btw) Bayou is one of the more interesting scents I've tried; it delivers all that the description promises, and more so. The first notes to come out are yummy, heady flowers with something else woody. When first on the wrist this one is strong! Then it calms down into a watery smell with lighter flowers. The finish was sweet and muddy, like mud between your toes. I don't think I'll keep it, it wasn't really my thing, but I admire how well the concept was played out.

Wet: Sharp and sweet, like hard cider (or in this case, perry). Dry: Soft and humid - the pear didn't last very long, neither did the champagne. Finish: Soft tropical floral. Duration/throw: Still wafting at 3 hours, present at the wrist at the 8 hour mark.

Very little scent in the imp. Wet: A warm "perfume" smell with just an edge of honey. Dry: Natural smelling lilies with a layer of honey. Finish: Warm honey.

Wet: Lavender and rose. Evcelt comments that it is not a young woman's perfume (not a problem for me ) Dry: The lavender fades back and jasmine comes out, along with musk. Finish: Soft jasmine and musk. Duration/throw: For the first hour everything was peachy, with nice wafting. However, it had faded back to the wrist by 3 hours. Nice, but not my thing. Off to the swap pile.

The perfect scent to wear during the first snowfall of Winter. Wet: Cold apple, then floral. Dry: Light floral. Finish: Lighter floral. Duration/throw: This is where the problem lies - it just doesn't last on me. By the 2 hour mark I needed to be nose-to-wrist to smell it. I think I'm going to swap this one, just because it disappears quickly on me. I've seen from other reviews that not everyone has this problem, so I hope it will find a good home.

Wet: Long grass, a faint rose scent, fruit. Not as fruity as Yerevan, though. Dry: A dry floral with fruit. Finish: A completely blended scent. Duration: Still present nose-to-wrist after 4 hours. Verdict: Nice, but not outstanding and not particularly evocative. It goes to the swap box, where hopefully it will find someone who loves it as it deserves.

Wet: Carnation and coconut Dry: A blended spicy floral. Duration: Retreated to the wrist by the 4 hour mark. Completely gone at 9 hours. This one gets a second chance before I decide what to do with it.

Wet: Sweet and fruity with a sharp edge. Dry: Plum, a little smoky, some floral and some spice. The spice is probably the carnations. Finish: Soft, spicy musk. I wish it kept the plum! Duration: Good for at least 3 hours. This might be a swap. Depends on whether I can think of an occasion where the plum can show off. I like it, but I'm not sure it's one I'll be reaching for often.

Wet: Mostly lily-of-the-valley, with a whiff of pear. Dry: Warm musk with lily-of-the-valley and a little rose. Duration/throw: Not much throw after it dried, still strong at the wrist at 3 hours, gone by 5 hours. I like it, but probably not enough to get a bottle.

Wet: A bouquet of roses plus some other sweet flower - might be honeysuckle. Dry: Essence of rose - smells like what "attar of rose" makes me think of. This is a cheerful rose, not an Edgar Allan Poe flower. Finish: No change from dry. Duration/throw: Still wafting at 10 hours. Had to wash it off the next morning so I could try something different. All of the rose scents I have tried have lasted a long time on me - I think rose has a reputation for lasting, but there may be some body chemistry issue here too. I think this would be very effective as a tool for magical work. I'll be keeping it.

I really wanted to love this, since it is the signature scent of BPAL. Alas, it was not to be Wet: Woody, almond and anise Finish: Powdery and a bit spicy In between? Nice, but didn't evoke an emotional response. I'm swapping this one. It deserves someone who will love it, not just give it the polite nod and move on to something louder.

Wet: Mostly mint. Dry: Lotus with a little mint - I never got the juniper. Finish: Lotus Duration/throw: I got some wafting at the 6 hour point, after scampering a block or two. Conclusion: It is okay, but not really me. Someone else will love it, I'm sure. Swap.

Wet: Thin Mints. A very fresh scent, a little cold and breezy. Dry: Slightly sweetened mint tea. Finish: A faint breath of cool air. Duration/throw: I used more from the bottle than I would have from an imp, which must have affected the duration and throw because it was still wafting at 7.5 hours. This is the longest I have gotten waftage after application. I love this scent. It works great in chilly weather, which matches the effect, but it should be grand on hot days when you need a cooldown.

Wet: Jasmine Dry: A floral blend plus incense. Finish: Flowery, with a sweet incense-y feel. I like it. It's much warmer than I associate with Morgause from the Morte D'Arthur, with that semi-tropical jasmine, but there is a reason I'm not the perfumer... Duration/throw: Had a good throw for the first 3 hours. Still strong on the wrist after 9 hours.

Wet: Crushed leaves and cedar. It's reminiscent of an herb garden or an apothecary's store. Dry: A pleasant green and cedary smell, like a walk through sunlit woods. Finish: A cedar closet filled with richly perfumed costumes of silk and velvet. I like this a lot - it goes on the bottle list.

ON me, pure sugar cookie, very innocent smelling. But oh what a difference body chemistry makes - on the Tall Guy it was completly sexy.

Wet: Peaches and musk. Dry: The peach fades a little bit and the amber comes out. Finish: Amber predominates, but a little peach is still there. The musk blends nicely with the amber for a warm and friendly scent. I'm not sure I could ever pick the myrtle out of the blend. Duration: Still there at the 5 hour mark and still sniffable when I went to bed that night. All-in-all, Aglaea is a nice warm garden-party sort of scent. Regrettably, it's just not me, so off to the swap box it goes.

Wet - menthol and resin Dry - wintergreen plus cedar or sandalwood Finish - It's a very dry scent. Mostly sandalwood, I think, with something sweet and a little spicy. Duration/throw - It stays close to the wrist, even at the start. Every once in a while I get a whiff of something like pencils or resin incense. After the initial fade there hasn't been much change in four hours. It's a keeper, but I don't know if I'll put it on my big bottle list.

Wet: Rose and lemon with a little sweet fruit. Dry: A very fresh scent - the idea of Venice, lush in the sunlight, with canals that don't stink and no mold problem. A little gem, like the Fenice theater. Finish: Sandalwood and something flowery, but not straight rose. Duration/Throw: Still good at 4 hours, present at the wrist after 8. This is definitely a keeper for me.

Wet: Mixed fruits, with the rose rising rapidly. Dry: Nutty, almost like marzipan. A little fruit and floral underneath. Finish: Edible rose and musk. Duration: This one lasted a long time for me. At 6 hours I was still getting occasional wafts, and at 9 hours it is still strong at my wrists. This one is a keeper for me; I don't know if I'll get a bottle, but I will happily use up the imp.

Family get together - Verdandi - the crisp apple worked really well with the occasion and the food. Xmas - We drove home Xmas day, so it was kind of depressing. Kumiho was nice and bright (for as long as it lasted). New Year's Eve - probably Parlement of Foules, which is strong enough to be noticed.

Wet: Leather, apple, a little wine. Dry: Less leather, something sweet coming out, maybe the dragon's blood? Spicy and woody, the blend is so nice it's hard to pick out individual notes. Finish: Soft and spiced. Duration: Some wafting at 2 hours. Gradually fades until at the 4 hour mark I have to have my nose to my wrist to smell it. I want to test this one on the Tall Guy. I like it, but it's not an attention grabber on me, and I think it might be on him.

I'm a luddite, so I use notebooks. I print out review sheets for the scents I get, and paste one on each page. Then in the front of the notebook I put a list of what the notebook contains. I write review notes on the pages and check them off when I've posted the review to the forum. The notebooks I use fit in my purse, so I can take them to work to take notes on how the scent evolves over the day.

I'm in love with this scent! If only it lasted... Wet: Strong ginger, with an edge of lemon. Dry: Lemon tea. Finish: Lemon tea. Then it fades <sobs>. Duration: Faded very fast in a room with electric forced-air heat. It might last longer in muggier circumstances. I love the scent, but I won't be getting a bottle because the duration is so short. I'll use up my imp and be happy doing so.

This one was a disappointment, because it had no staying power on me. It was completely gone in 2 hours. Wet: Cinnamon and cardamom. No fruit, oddly enough. Dry: The patchouli came up, but little fruit. Finish: Slightly fruity, with strong cardamom. Throw/Duration: No throw and the scent disappeared quickly. Off to the swaps wit' ye!