Eemia

I love you mint. Without you I'd be forced to go fragrance-free anytime I get sick. When I'm even remotely nauseated everything smells rancid to me and I can't go near any of my bottles. When I attempt to be stoic and pick a random reliable anytime fragrance so I don't have to leave the house undone, I only end up scrubbing my arms raw in five minutes. Thankfully mint is always my friend whether I'm healthy or sick. It's gentler here than the high pitched, sharp and crisp mint I love in Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat. It's more like the vanilla butter mint smell in Tokyo Stomp. Just the right amount of sweetness. It smells like bergamot tea dreaminess once the mint cools off a bit, all rolled up with a less alarming Snake Oil. I love SO in it's own right but only when I'm in the right mood. I used to find myself wearing it more often than I do now for whatever reason. The SO here isn't as direct or strong. It smells more unfocused, diluted, and worn smooth, less overt in every way. Still sensual though and really beautiful with that incense/dark sugar/smoke smell that "is" Snake OIl to me. Very soft, bergamot heavy drydown with a lot of vanilla undercurrents. I feel like I gravitate to bergamot fragrances regardless of whether or not I'm aware that it's a note so I love that it's such a dominant presence in here. This isn't a strong scent where I have to be careful with how much I apply but it does have a sturdy backbone. Other than the stomach-healing-mint instances of wear necessity, it's one of my more adaptable fragrances and I tend to be haphazard in how I choose it.

The pearly, opalescent flames of the morning: pink rose, apricot, orange blossom, carnation, red sandalwood, lemon blossom, rose musk, Madagascar vanilla, white wine grape, pink grapefruit, and white patchouli. This Phoenix embodies liberty, renewal, vitality, and creativity. I've never been too big on fruity/floral scents but I love this one. It opens up as a grapefruit tinged pink apple, not too citrusy or tart. The fruit aspect smells delicate and a little sweet, a little fleshy. I don't know why it reminds me of apples but it does. At least that's the association I get from that type of soft, pale fruit scent. I expected the rose to amp on me (it usually does) but it's dampened down and blends into the other florals. Everything is creamy and plush without being too heavy or serious. The overall floral tone is more flirty or romantic in some way. It's all very complete and harmonious... I'm not picking out one thing or another as it wears on me. The transition into a muskier dry down is equally nice. I never notice when it happens but the flowers in bloom and saucy fruits beginning stage always lasts for a good few hours. It's not as flighty as some of my other fruit blends. So that's awesome, a fruit fragrance with lasting power. Anyway, when it fades I notice more sweetness and a lot less floral. There's a non-powdery musk, some hints of wood, and maybe something resembling incense. Frustratingly hard to describe but it still smells amazing. This is much more unassuming on my skin than most fruit fragrances tend to be. It's interesting, not something that usually comes to my mind when I describe a scent that I would put in the pretty category. I have a sad, neglected bottle of Dolce & Gabbana's Rose The One perfume sitting in my room somewhere (a random gift that I've only worn once) and this reminds me of a more personality ridden and complex version of that. They're not all that similar on my skin but they share the same light hearted, feminine, seamless fruity/floral vibe. Actually I doubt they smell anything alike but every time I wear this one I flash back to my D&G experience. I don't like the generic quality that the D&G type of fragrance has, but I've always liked the idea of something like that. The blend into the crowd sensation that makes me feel like ninety percent of the girls I pass at the mall. But of course I don't really want that, so this is my substitute fade-into-the-clutter fragrance, except it's not. I can still smell like a fruity/floral girl without feeling like a clone. So this has become a favorite of mine and I just love that it's so PRETTY.

I've been on such an up streak with honey notes lately but this one put an end to that. I was about 50/50 with honey for my first couple of bpal years and I was hesitant about trying anything with a clear honey mention in the description. But the last year or so I've lucked out and haven't had issues with it. Everything honey related has been good, or at least wearable on my skin so I thought this one would be another pick I wouldn't have to worry about. Unfortunately after the initial lick-my-wrists pear scent it quickly becomes funky and musty. It came out of nowhere after only a few minutes. Sort of a cross between a dry, dusty pear musk and a strangely synthetic masculine cologne. Maybe it's the mixture of the cream note (which has gone plastic on me a couple of times, like in Love's Philosophy) and the honey that just smells off on my skin. And it just doesn't go away! For long hours, even in hot weather, that mustiness lingered on and on with barely any fading in strength. Before I went to bed I washed my arms off a few times so I didn't have to smell it while I slept. I'm so disappointed about that since that pear in the beginning is unbelievably sexy. Worlds different from the lighter, softer Endymion, which is always my first pear pick. This pear was more thick and sweet like a liquor. Nothing close to fresh or natural but so damn good. This only works for me in a scent locket. It stays pretty pear oriented in there and smells nice enough to wear once in awhile. It's not as amazing as it is on my skin those first moments but it's still pretty, if a little underwhelming.

I can't believe how un-sweet this is! And I'm so happy about that because I haven't been in the mood for anything syrupy or candy-like lately. This actually reminds me of like a child's first fragrance kinda thing because it's so incredibly light, like the thinnest, most watered down eau de toilette. I had a "play perfume" (in a pink plastic bottle from a toy store I think) when I was little that reminds me of this, even though I'm sure they're not all that similar. The strawberry smells innocent and simple, not entirely like the real fruit but close. The strawberry note is fresh and natural, maybe because of the underlying green. But at first it's all wispy, gentle strawberry, like a single note but less dense and linear. I get more of the green later on after it's been on my skin for a few hours. It didn't disappear quickly either like so many of my lighter scents do. It really stayed put and didn't morph like crazy either. I could still recognize it as a strawberry fragrance first and foremost hours later. More of the soft greenness was showing through, and a little bit of dry honey but other than that it was the quiet strawberry eau de toilette that I got in the beginning. Really, really nice. I'm going to love this over the summer.

Parts of this remind me of Crow Moon 2007, which is one of my special scents. Must be the pine resin because I can really make it out on my skin. I love pine in all of its forms so I'm really happy that it stands out in this blend. It's the first thing I noticed even though it's not the most dominant note. The rest of it is more like impressions of things. I get honeydew for some reason, and sweet flashes of floral. For a few minutes there's watery bubblegum, which lotus does to me sometimes. Overall its light and doesn't last very long. I had to reapply after a few hours. I knew I wouldn't be able to describe this one well, but I do like it and it smells much more uplifting and pretty than I made it sound. I've put it on a few times when I anticipated a stressful day in the hopes it'd take the edge off. And the label is so beautiful!

This one really surprised me. It's much more complex than I would have thought. During the wear length it seems to unfold and reveal new notes in a beautiful way. At first it was a fresh and bright citrus with a sparkling lightness. Invigorating in a way. It wasn't sharp at all or too simple. There was an undercurrent of floral but it only really came into its own later on. I couldn't pick out the violet on its own, or a specifically rose note. The whole of it just becomes softer, smoother, with the addition of a dusky quality that leans into subtle incense territory. And it still carries the remnants of citrus. This fragrance feels delicate and quiet. Even with the citrus and the overall light smell it doesn't disappear quickly on me. Everything about it is lovely.

The honey in here is so silky and perfect. Honey is so strange on me sometimes but this a perfect honey. It's golden and sweet and never turns powdery or off in any way. It has a bit of an amber quality to it. This is one of the best leather notes I've ever worn too. Not a fresh or strong leather, more like someone wore a new leather jacket against bare skin, leaving the scent lingering behind once the jacket was removed. The rest is an impression of smoky sweetness. I agree that this is so well blended. It's soft and close wearing and very sensual. Love it.

Strangely, rum isn't the forerunner here. I've ampped it in other scents so I was surprised it didn't jump out at me. Right away it's champaca flower and dark vanilla, no complaints about that. I love both of those notes and I've been having a minor obsession with champaca for the last few months. I thought with the vanilla this might have some sweetness but it doesn't. Overall it's more of a smoky incense with undertones of booziness. Sometimes I think I'm smelling hints of leather but its not a new leather jacket or soft and worn leather shoes type of leather that I can pick out easily. I can't explain what it smells like, only that I think that's what I'm noticing in the background. It doesn't feel dark or too heavy for warm weather like I imagined it would be, given that these types of notes usually go that way on my skin. It doesn't have a strong throw but it has just the right amount of presence. Beautiful.

Simple and pretty. I can't decide if I've ever smelled peonies before... I'm sure I have sometime but I just don't remember. But this smells like fresh, light flowers and airy sweetness. There's some vanilla too and I can see why some other reviewers mentioned the candy scent. I get a hint of candy too but it's mostly hidden under the flowers. Surprisingly good throw for such a dainty scent. It dries down with a little creaminess and still retains that innocent little hint of flowers. This is really charming and perfect for Spring.

Lots and lots of intense cherry at first. Like congealed cherry syrup that was overheated in a saucepan... not that it's a bad thing! It's almost over the top on my skin but it only lasts for all of five seconds before it calms down. Then it's a strong cherry-almond that reminds me of the opening notes of Hecate, at least as far as the almond goes. Surprisingly the almond/amaretto is very rich and dominant, more so than the cherry after a few minutes. There's still an overall syrup or candy smell but I could make out a musky undertone as well. The strength of this fades quickly in a short time so that there's no cherry presence whatsoever after about an hour. The candy syrup is gone too. The lasting impression I have of this is a soft, sweet fragrance that smells like caramel. Like a brown, buttery vanilla. It may be the mixture of the almond and vanilla that smells that way to me. Foody scents aren't typically in my sexy list, but that buttery vanilla is just so good. It doesn't stay put too long and only lasts about three hours on me. This could be a nice one for a scent locket if I'm craving some cherry madness one of these days. Otherwise I like the drydown much better.

I got this as a gift, otherwise I probably wouldn't have chosen it for myself. I really can't wear foodie-spicy scents well... cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, etc. are all just straight up spice rack scents to me. In small doses they sometimes work but my skin tends to amp them. So a mixture like this had utter doom potential. Also, I was worried that this would be very gourmand, which is another murky scent area for me. I love sweet or sugary, and fruity areas of that world but that's about it. But! This works on me! It is very boozy and fruity at first with strong plum. I expected a more dry, sweetly saturated raisin note but it only comes off as wet, syrupy dark plum. I love plum notes so this was a big plus. Something about it at this stage reminds me of an opium-type smell. That sharp, boozy plum wears down shortly and it changes into a softer, more sweet fruitiness. I get a lot more of the orange. It stays sort of candy-esque for the rest of the time with a bit of a musk-spice drydown. It felt somewhat floral during the drydown too but not dominantly so. So this ended up being a small triumph of sorts to know that a spice scent can work so well on me. This was never overly strong or suffocating, but it does have great longevity. I really like this and I think it'll be another good one to pull out in colder weather.

This was all tangy and bright right away. It feels very easy to wear. I couldn't pick out the grapefruit but the lemon was definitely there. Like lemon syrup rather than fresh lemon or rind. It reminds me of a Lemon Drop, which is my (extremely) lightweight drink of choice. That might be because something in here is smelling a little like alcohol. I'm guessing it's the cold note. It doesn't hold the citrus very long. It starts smelling more vanilla with some very faint wafts of mint. I was worried the creamy note listed in the description would turn plastic on my skin but luckily it's more of a sweet, subtle vanilla. Not gourmand at all. That's pretty much the way it stays throughout the wear length. It all but disappears after about 3 to 4 hours, so I have to reapply a couple of times during the day. This isn't my favorite of my snow fragrances but it's pretty and I like the way it smells on me.

This feels like cold weather in heavy tropics. It's surprisingly seductive and minimal. I think it's the coldness that makes it seem so bare. I got smokey incense and sweet white floral right away. Some white florals can turn soapy or powdery on my skin but this does neither. It's very lush and wet smelling. As it dries I get a more prominent amber note showing up. Gorgeous. With a few exceptions I tend to wear my Yules only during cold weather, but this is one I can see myself choosing anytime of the year.

Initially verbena took over to the point that I didn't think I'd ever smell anything else. I don't have a range of verbena fragrances, and my skin must amp it. It didn't have an overpowering or obnoxious amount of throw, but it was too sharp for my taste. This verbena has a lot of bite and some bitterness. It started to smooth out and become cloudy, for lack of a better description. Almost like no specific note ever really shines through, it all just clings together in a subdued mixture. It evolved quickly from verbena to a powdery white floral. Usually sandalwood is fantastic on me, no matter the type, but I can't find it all here. Luckily it fades out fast. Unfortunately this just doesn't work with my chemistry.

This starts out as a robust, murky plum wrapped up in a mixture of cologne and spice. I couldn't pick out anything specific other than the plum, mostly because it reminds me of that dark plum note in Hellion. It's very well blended with so much depth. While it's very strong, it doesn't feel stifling or overpowering at all. On my skin it's very feminine and slightly floral, which is odd considering how masculine it smelled in the bottle. There's a beautiful chemical note that smells like the initial sharp hit you get when spraying an alcohol based perfume. I was excited that it didn't dissipate much during the wear length. That sharpness stays present most of the time, and then blends into the rest of the scent as it wears down. In the end this became powdery in a resinous, non-floral way. Still a bit spicy, like dried out incense. It lasted several hours before it changed into the softer, powdery stage. One of the longest wearing fragrances I've ever tried; the next morning I could still clearly smell it. Different than what I expected in the best possible way.

I love snow scents. LOVE them. So I was so excited to get this one. This is very much a snow scent, but with a glitzy quality that I can't place. It's almost like a twinge of some chemical is in there somewhere. I think it adds to the cold brightness. Sorta reminds me of the effervescence in Stardust '06. It could have made this too high pitched for me but the green is so starkly beautiful. Maybe evergreen, but I don't really get a pine smell. I wouldn't have minded the pine though since I have grown to love pine too. Not long after I put this on it softens out into a smoother version of snow. Something closer to a blankety, powdery snow. It sweetens up and becomes musky. Just a light, pale musk kinda scent. And through it all, it still has the green in there. I got kinda swept up in this and felt like it lifted my mood. This goes up there with my favorite snow fragrances.

This is my Halloween sleeper hit. In the bottle it smelled very strongly of dragon's blood to me for some strange reason, and I can only wear that in light doses. Once I wore it all I was convinced that I must have been crazy every time I sniffed it straight from the bottle. On my skin it's all soft, dry woods and tobacco. There's a drowsy effect, like everything is coming together slowly and in a hazy kind of way. I really love the way the carnation sort of amps up over the other florals. It smells powdery/spicy like only carnations do. It feels refined and beautiful. Wears well, lasts for a long time before sort of melting into a wispy incense on my skin.

One of my favorite vanillas. It's rich and heavy but never suffocates with the sweet notes. I never feel like I'm wearing an obvious vanilla scent when I put this on. It is very strong on the creamy vanilla at first, and there's a quiet vanilla musk at the drydown. But for most of the wear length it's more of a tumble. There's a dry spiciness that floats around in there, and it doesn't remind me of any of the saffron notes from anything else I've tried. The orchid is beautiful and adds a sort of milky quality on my skin. I love it alone, but it pairs so well with other fragrances too, something I don't often do. Usually I pick one fragrance for the day and that's it. But with this one I'm constantly pairing it up with Ninon, De Sade, Marie, and Robotic Scarab. I've actually started leaving this one out on my dresser because I end up with it at least once a week.

Most of the time I really love florals, but this was just noxious after a few minutes. At first it was a kind of dark, wet, murky floral with something odd in the background. I thought the floral portion was a strong jasmine, which usually works on my skin. But that other scent was just creating this strange wash of pungency that I couldn't figure out. It just seemed like two very separate entities that just wouldn't come together. But I hoped that it would change and settle if I was patient enough. Oddly though it only became worse. I didn't have a skin reaction to it, but I did have a bad fit of sneezing and watering eyes. So there's definitely something in here that I'm allergic too. I had to wash it off in under five minutes. Disappointing, because I wanted it to be another floral love. But I'm putting my imp aside to give to a friend and hopefully it'll work on her.

This is one of my all time favorites. It's a staple in my stash, something I hope I'll always have in rotation--just like Dorian and Ode on Melancholy. I feel more like myself whenever I wear it. On my skin it's very complex and beautiful. I gravitate towards floral fragrances, and the notes in this are what drew me to this originally. But while it has some of the floral aspects I love, I never think of it like that. It's just this mind blowing, artistic, stunning fragrance that I can never have enough of. It's such a mysterious scent, constantly changing and giving off different impressions. It seems dark most of the time, luckily without anything that feels traditionally heavy with my chemistry, like certain resins and musks can sometimes. Those typically feel dark to me. But there's an airy, breathless quality in this that seems like it floats on my skin all the while still feeling dark. I always call this my "brooder" scent since I never know what the hell else suits it. It's sexy though. The orange blossom is gorgeous and really stands out, making a sort of velvety impression with the other florals. The gardenia is only there in the beginning, and it's so fragile and quiet that I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't known it was a note. The ylang ylang is so smooth and understated. One of my favorite moments whenever I wear Dorian is that cologne bit that cuts through the sweetness, and I notice a similarity here. That little bit of unexpected fanciness that just makes this fantastic. There's a touch of spiciness that lurks around but it's not at the forefront at any point. The wood is always present and keeps this from being too feminine. I don't necessarily choose this when I want to feel girly, so I appreciate that quality in here that toys with being unisex. Maybe it's the whiskey or the absinthe, the wood/spice/booze combo, I'm not sure, but there's a deep undercurrent that really rears its head as it wears on my skin. So it dries down in a way that's not musky or sweet or powdery. It just sort of burns out. This is a special scent to me and I truly love it. I'm glad I found it so long ago and that it continues to be such a amazing experience every time I wear it.

Nothing else smells like this. It's such a strange scent and I couldn't recognize anything in it. The only part that seemed familiar was the wine, which was strongest when it was still wet on my skin. It's fruity but still very boozy. And it has a quality that reminds me of certain blood notes. It morphs into a sort of dry mixture of florals and incense. The wine seems more like a stain instead of a liquid as it wears. It's such a sultry and understated fragrance. There's more of an edge here than I would have expected. I'm really loving this right now and the artwork is fantastic too.

I get a roaring plum note right off the bat, backed by that super dark opium. The plum has a harsh, stinging quality rather than a juicy, sweet fruit scent. I like how bold it is... it just jumps off my skin. But it disappears so quickly and becomes all deep spice and musk. The spice aspect never smells familiar. I always think that I could pick clove out even with a full-on head cold but I never notice it here. I didn't even remember there was any clove in this until I double checked after I wearing it. It really tames after about an hour and seems like an entirely different perfume. It's soft and close wearing and much more sweet than I would have expected. The spice is so pretty too. This reminds me of what I imagine a rich, antique medicine would smell like. I think this will only get better as it ages too.

In honor of my various Elf 'toons on Warcraft, I had to have this RPG scent first. Plus certain of my favorite Elder Scrolls characters resemble elves so I have an ingrained love. I think I was way too excited to wear this, so hopefully I'm not too biased. But really, this is so appealingly natural and misty. I love it. I get green at first, some of it crisp and minty. Some of it sweet and vaguely resembling pine. Nothing too masculine or overpowering. It feels a little like the green in Crow Moon 07. There's some airy florals and the metallic tinge of violet. Violet usually smells either metallic or powdery to me and this is definitely more like silver metal. But it has a softness that's really beautiful. This becomes sweeter the longer I wear it and I find more of the berry notes appearing. I like how light this seems even though the wear length and throw are actually pretty strong. I don't smell like I'm dousing the room in heavy, outdoorsy atmosphere. It's like a little cloud of serene woods just for me.

Wow this is so beautiful! It's masculine and feisty at first with a very strong smoky note. I get dry-earth with lots of cologne topping it off. But simultaneously there's a mingling sweetness and musk that just makes this perfectly sexy. The honey is so smooth and lush in here and it really glows. This lingers for hours and even as it morphs it remains gorgeous and mysterious. I can't believe how many compliments I get whenever I wear it. I became attached to this scent the minute tried it, and it's possibly my favorite Bpal fragrance released this past year.

This is much more bright and fruity than I thought it'd be. The mango takes over everything and really amps on my skin. I love mango, and this really smells like fresh mango slices. It smells somewhat tropical too, with a milkiness that reminds me of a toned down version of coconut milk. I'm not a fan of coconut at all so that's a disappointment. There's no familiar buttercream note or anything that seems like that truffle type of filling. No creamy or heavy vanilla base, though there is an odd sweet note that must be the white chocolate. Usually white chocolate notes go powdery on me eventually but this one doesn't. At one point it goes sour for a short time, like milk that's on the cusp of expiring. Thankfully it's short lived though, and it dries down into a simple sweet base. I wish I liked this more since the mango is really delicious. But I can't get past that strange coconut fragrance! I'll keep this in the hopes it'll age differently.