JuliskaMarie

In the imp: Sickeningly sweet chocolate - very much American chocolate, not the kind of chocolate I’m used to. Wet on skin: Slightly richer, like the chocolate coating on biscuits. Dry on skin: Slightly faded, but otherwise same as wet. After a few hours: VERY slightly soapy/floral-perfumey tinge to the freshly dried scent, but not in a bad way. Verdict: Yeah, I think this is going to get a fair bit of use.

In the imp: Linen with a hint of sweetened black tea. Wet on skin: Light, sweet, floraly linen - lovely! Dry on skin: The honey & vanilla have moved to the front now, the other notes are faintly in the background. After several hours: Very subtle now (forgot to check it earlier) - a sweet, honeyed, spiced tea with a hint of linen. Verdict: I love this! It’s pretty & yummy, while still being subtle & wearable.

In the imp: As described - rich, mysterious & slightly smoky. Wet on skin: Same as in the imp, except the violet is taking centre stage. Quite a bit of throw on this one. Dry on skin: A rich, slightly fruity, very *purple* floral. Very good throw - I can smell it without trying to, but it’s not overpowering. After a few hours: A smoky, incensey, slightly fruity floral. Pretty nice! Verdict: A little on the heavy side for casual day-wear, but for evenings or if I’m in the mood for a slightly darker perfume, this would be great!

In the imp: As described, absolutely gorgeous! Wet on skin: A slightly-rosy cinnamon- like a potpourri almost? I knew this would happen. Rose disappears on me. There’s a fair bit more rose left than I was expecting though. Dry on skin: Cinnamon potpourri, fairly faint. After a few hours: Almost nothing left. The faintest hint of soapy potpourri. Verdict: Won’t be wearing it like this, but I’ll probably use it in a scent locket.

In the imp: Exactly as described, this scent is light, clean & fresh! The notes are all easy to pick & fairly evenly balanced. Wet on skin: The green tea is taking the lead as the main note, but the others are still there too. This smells really refreshing! Dry on skin: Slightly "dusty" (can't think of any other way to describe it) now, but still nice. After a few hours: A dusty, faded green-tea scent. Very different to how it was wet. Verdict: I’m surprised that it went on so nicely but changed so drastically after dry-down. I think I’ll save this for use in a scent locket, because apparently it doesn’t play nicely with my skin.

In the bottle: As described - it smells like a cold breeze in a creepy, magical place. Wet on skin: Much less breezy, closer to the ground in the same magical place, digging in the dirt, surrounded by the herbs, moss & flowers. Dry on skin: Earthy & herby & magic, with just a hint of floral - so pretty & yet rather creepy! After a few hours: Herby incense. Very pretty. Verdict: Not an everyday perfume because incense can be a bit strong on me, but very pretty! Definitely one that’ll get used a fair bit.

In the imp: Exactly as described, but sweeter than I expected. Almost cake like. Wet on skin: Much richer than in the imp - tea with buttery cake or biscuits/cookies. Dry on skin: Something rich, sweet & buttery, like a cake or biscuits/cookies with a hint of tea in the background. Delicious. After a few hours: Very faded, a vague, sweet baked-goods scent. Verdict: Fades quite significantly, but a lot nicer than I was expecting! Definitely something I’ll wear!

In the bottle: A wild honeysuckle bush in a grassy field! Wet on skin: Slightly warmer, but about the same as in the bottle Dry on skin: A little dustier & muskier, but similar to how it smelled wet. After a few hours: Very subtle & slightly beeswaxy, but the honeysuckle note is still there if you’re looking for it. A sweet & subtle perfume. Verdict: Not the most exciting BPAL I own, BUT very pretty & sweet, without being particularly foodie. It’s quite subtle not long after it dries down, so it’s good for when I don’t want anything too dramatic, but still want something unusual!

In the imp: Aquatic (& slightly citrusy) floral with a little bit of ginger Wet on skin: Citrusy-gingery aquatic floral Dry on skin: The ginger is doing that lovely thing BPAL’s ginger note tends to do & now it’s a ginger with white/aquatic floral notes swimming around it. Unusual, but pretty! After a few hours: A very faded/subtle version of how it smelled dry. Verdict: A bit more confusing than what I normally go for, but pretty & very wearable!

In the imp: Exactly as described- very herbal & fresh! Wet on skin: Exactly the same as in the imp Dry on skin: A little softer/more muted & slightly more “perfumey”, if that makes sense? The ginger & fig are coming to the forefront & doing those yummy things that BPALs ginger & fig always do on my skin, but with a nice surrounding herbal scent. After a few hours: A faded gingery-fig with a subtle hint of herbs. Weird, but nice! Verdict: Not quite what I was expecting, but a very nice scent that I can see myself getting a fair bit of use out of!

In the imp: As described - bright, tart & sweet. Wet on skin: The tartness of the berries has toned WAY down (though there is a berry-ish hint to it) & there's a tiny hint of beeswaxy-honey, but mostly this is just a REALLY pretty floral! Real life poppies don't smell anywhere near this nice! Dry on skin: The beeswaxy-honey note has strengthened & the berries are more noticeable now, but it's still really pretty &... kinda spicy? It's amping a bit more than I was expecting, but it's not too potent. After several hours: About the same as dry, except the beeswaxy-honey note has strengthened a little more, but it hasn't taken over. Verdict: I really like this one. It's not as thrilling as some of my other BPALs, but I can see myself getting a fair bit of wear out of this one.

In the imp: Oh wow, this is a spicy, woody rose, with a little bit of citrus & almond! It smells amazing! The rose is holding this all together & that tends to disappear on my skin, so I'm a bit nervous about how this will go! Wet on skin: No rose. Neroli, orange peel & almond with a little bit of spice. Completely different to in the imp, but not bad! Dry on skin: Clove, nutmeg, neroli & orange peel. In that order. It's not a *bad* smell, it's just... Not something I'd really want to wear as a perfume. After a few hours: Oooh, this is much nicer now - like a softer version of what it was like wet. Verdict: This is nice, but I can't really see myself wearing it without a scent locket.

For Jenny, with love. Crocus with snowdrop and three lilies. In the imp: Exactly as described - so pretty! Wet on skin: More... sparkly? I guess? I’m not sure how to describe this! Dry on skin: Musky & floraly & a little bit sparkly. Very pretty, light & delicate! After a few hours: Barely even there! Verdict: Very pretty & subtle - a good “everyday” type perfume

In the bottle: SO MUCH SWEET FOOD! I can’t even really pick out all the individual notes, there’s too many of them! I want to drink this! Wet on skin: Different sweet foods are taking over & this is amping hard, but SO YUMMY! Dry on skin: Slightly different sweet foods in charge, but still super yummy! After several hours: Fainter (though still surprisingly strong!) & ever so slightly soapy, but still delicious! Verdict: I. LOVE. THIS!

In the imp: Oooh, this is warm & fruity, with a hint of floral & rich frankincense & myrrh base to it. Interesting & pretty! Wet on skin: Very different! Much colder & less floral, the frankincense & myrrh have melted into the musk & are *just* barely there, adding a hint of dusty spice to the fruit. Dry on skin: This is not an especially strong scent. Dusty, warm resin & musk with a small hint of fruity-floral. Very pretty & quite subtle without being dull. (2:43pm) After a few hours: Very similar to dry. Sweet, fruity, resiny musk. There's a tiny hint of floral if you're looking for it, but not much. Still almost the same strength as when dry too. Verdict: This is a very pretty & warm scent. Interesting, while still being subtle. Seems to be quite long-lasting as well!