Sushi-n-Sake

In bottle: Fresh mint leaves and herbs Wet: Mint leaves, herbs, ivy, faint lily of the valley and soft resins. Dry: Lily of the valley and white roses Later: Soft florals grounded by resins Verdict: I tend to amp rose and this is no exception, though happily it's not to the head-splitting degree it usually does. I really like the wet and late dry phases, but the jury's still out about that rose.

In bottle: Candy! The kind that your mom warned you would rot your teeth out. Wet: Primarily tuberose and ylang ylang. Can't smell the candy over the strong ylang. Dry: Faint florals - probably hibiscus - and a faint candylike smell. Verdict: I thought this would have more white florals, but I really only smell candy.

In bottle: Fir and amber Wet: Fir, herbs, and woodsmoke Dry: Sweet fir and skin musk Verdict: Very evocative, this does call to mind the Northwoods as a previous reviewer mentioned. I can almost hear the loons calling across the lake in the gathering dusk. I don't think of a frenzy of witches when I smell this. I think of a quiet summer night spent on the porch of a lakeside cabin. Definitely a keeper.

In bottle: Heady tropical flowers, with orchid in the forefront. Wet: Sharply floral, with some greenery in the background. Dry: Orchid, gardenia, and a touch of spiciness. Verdict: Very much the scent to reach for if you need an instant vacation to the tropics. It will be a wonderful summer fragrance.

In bottle: Creamy coconut with hint of lemon. Smells a bit like suntan oil. Wet: Coconut, lemon blossom, and wood. This is definitely lemon blossom and not straight up lemons. Dry: The lemon is mostly gone. Now it is primarily coconut and wood. Verdict: I do like it, but it fades super fast on me.

Bottle: Extreeeemely smokey. I likes it already! Wet: More smoke and ash but I can smell the palm equally. Something about it reminds me of when I was in the Philippines a long time ago. Dry: The smoke settles a bit, but it's not a morpher. Still equal amounts of smoke and palm. Verdict: I can see why this scent would turn some people off with its acrid smokiness, but I like that kind of scent, so I am thrilled. Fans of Djinn should love this one. It's got a similar vibe yet smells very different.

In bottle: Clean, ozone, cologne Wet: This reminds me of something I already have - probably Thunder Moon. It's all ozone and men's cologne at this stage, with maybe some sage lingering around. I agree with the reviewer who stated that this is a sharp, clean scent. Drydown: Now I am starting to smell the clean oil and metals. It reminds me of a well-lubricated brass hinge. The cologne has moved further back and I'm picking up some kind of floral - maybe that's the incense. It's strong - a little goes a long way. Later: Much the same as in the drydown, but the oil and metals have faded. The wearlength is extremely long - 14+ hours and I can still detect it. Verdict: It's a bit more ozone-y and cologne-y than I like, but the man likes it, so it's a keeper!

In imp: Sandalwood with floral background Wet: Cedar?? with sharp rose. Don't know where the cedar is coming from but that's what I smell. Later: I amp rose like crazy and this is no exception. Sharp, overwhelming rose and cedar. A lot later: It's now a very nice sandalwood-rose scent. I don't know if I can get past the initial Rose Migraine, though. I never did get any patchouli from this.

Old Moon is beautiful. This is the crystalline quiet of a cold winter's night in the forest. I wish I had more than 1 bottle! Bottle: Snow and Christmas trees! Wet: Bayberry jumps out at me, along with the juniper and an icy, minty veil covering all. Additionally, the lunar oils really stand out in this one. Dry: The berries come out, and they seem more tart than sweet. The evergreens linger in the background. The fragrance is fleeting and doesn't last more than a couple of hours on my skin. On me, this is very different from The Snow Storm - while that was primarily balsam, this is mostly bayberry. I absolutely love this! ETA: This oil is incredible in a scent locket! The frosty mint sticks around and I keep getting wafts of it throughout the day.

Boomslang is probably my most favorite BPAL evah. I have a bottle aged almost a year and wore it again today. OMG what an amazing oil! Bottle: Chocolate over Snake Oil. Wet: As others have mentioned, this looks like motor oil on the skin - but it smells very chocolatey with a SO background. Dry: Creamy Snake Oil with an aura of chocolate. Heaven!

I've been wanting to order Priala for awhile, but just got her today. Bottle: Must be myrrh, but I could swear that was vetiver I smell. No trace of the cinnamon yet. Wet: Smoke and Big Red gum. Weird! Dry: The cinnamon becomes more bark than Big Red, and the myrrh lends a nice dark background note. It's very nice now. Sadly, it fades pretty fast.

Wet: Old Spice? Definitely a Grandpa's cologne. I put the imp in the reject pile, but then... Dry: Aha, here is the scent of leather-bound, dusty tomes. Now I can't stop sniffing my wrist. *returns imp to keepers pile*

Wow, I love All Souls 2007! At first, I get the frankincense with a strong rush of currants and sweet cake. During drydown, everything evens out so that no one scent overwhelms the others. This is beautiful, meditative, with just enough sweetness to lighten the darkness of the frankincense. I'm so glad I ordered it and am contemplating another bottle.

Received as a frimp from the lab while a bottle is on order (thanks Labbies!!) When first applied, this was overwhelmingly sweet and fruity. These are not my types of scents, so I was quite disappointed. However, it quickly morphed into an incensy, musky, gorgeous fragrance. I am a happy camper and so glad I have a bottle coming.

Samhain 2007 In bottle: Mulling spices with a slight hint of astringent fir. Wet: A swirling mixture of candle wax, smoke, earth, and spiced cider. I really like this! Drydown: The pumpkin comes out more now, and the candle wax gets stronger. It's like burning a spiced pumpkin candle. One of my hobbies is candlemaking, so this is a very cool sensory experience. Dry: A melange of pumpkin, spices, and a bit of dirt. The smoke and candle wax is still there, but has calmed down a bit. Verdict: This reminds me strongly of how a jack-o'-lantern smells: Candle wax and smoky pumpkin. During drydown, the candle is still lit, and when it's dry, the candle is out and the pumpkin has cooled down a bit. It's like enjoying a mug of spiced cider on Halloween night, with glowing jack-o'-lanterns all around. Nice!

Pumpkin II In bottle: Buttery pumpkin and spice. Yum! Wet: Oh no! It's changing on me, and becoming sweeter and more like cheap sugar candy. Where has the pumpkin gone? Drydown: It's becoming overpoweringly sweet. Now it smells like Lush's Creamy Candy BBS. Not a scent I'm a fan of, unfortunately. Dry: Still Creamy Candy, but has settled down somewhat with the toothache-inducing sweetness. Verdict: I will try it once more, but at this point I likely won't keep it.

My first review! The Forbidding Foyer In bottle: Wood and incense. It smells a bit like Midnight Mass. Wet: It's quite a swirl of scents, with some masculine overtones. Hard to pin any one scent down! Drydown: To me, this smells a *lot* like Crow Moon. It's got the same almost-minty-but-not-quite quality to it, with a soft floral background. I happen to like Crow Moon, so this is a good thing. Maybe there's a touch more wood in this than in CM. Dry: The mahogany comes out more now. There's still a faint breath of floral and dust. It's a quiet fragrance. Verdict: Fans of Crow Moon will probably like this.