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!

In the bottle: As described - I can pick out the individual notes if I’m looking for them, but mostly it just smells like fairy magic! So pretty! Wet on skin: Very different, but still pretty! The notes are all swirling around & rapidly switching dominance here, so it’s hard to tell how it’s going to go. SO much throw! Dry on skin: It’s much calmer now & very sweet. Still hard to describe & more honey-ish, but it definitely smells like a fairy wine! After a few hours: About the same as dry, only a little more faded. Verdict: Very unusual, but SO pretty! Sparkly & fairy-like!

Ocean water, hyacinth petals, star jasmine, and fir. In the imp: As described - aquatic & floral with a little bit of fir tree. Wet on skin: Ocean is the dominant note by far with a hint of the florals & tree, but it's morphing rapidly. Dry on skin: Mostly the florals, with a little bit of fir & a hint of ocean water - subtle, but really pretty! After a few hours: Much more faded & blended together. Hard to pick out any individual notes at this point. Still nice though. Verdict: This is kind of a weird one, but nice & a lot more wearable than I thought it was going to be!

In the imp: Exactly as described Wet on skin: Same as in the imp, except there’s also something green Dry on skin: The green note is much more prominent now, but it’s still very breezy & lineny. I love this! After several hours: Very faint breezy linen Verdict: This perfume is SO pretty, while also being fairly subtle. I feel like I’ll get a lot of use out of this!

In the imp: As described. The grain-scent is stronger than expected, but still nice. Wet on skin: Like a cinnamon roll without the cinnamon. Almost like a finger bun, but not quite as sugary-sweet. Dry on skin: Somewhere between wet & in the imp. It’s blended nicely now & this is quite nice. Pretty subtle too. After a few hours: VERY faded & subtle, but otherwise the same as newly dry. Verdict: This is very subtle, but very pretty! A good everyday-type perfume when you want something food-y but subtle.

In the imp: Exactly as described! Wow! How do they do this? Wet on skin: A bit richer & slightly more solid, but otherwise exactly the same as in the imp. Dry on skin: A little musky & slightly less wet (a little more like wet skin next to the ocean instead of *in* the ocean), but otherwise pretty much the same. After a few hours: Much more musky & dry now, like the eerie ocean has completely dried on my skin instead of being in it (so basically, what happened to the notes when it dried continued to happen to them). Verdict: Wet & dry on skin (& in the imp) I LOVE this, but it's not quite as nice a few hours later. It's not bad at all, it's just not quite as amazing as it starts off. I'll definitely be getting a fair bit of use out of it though!

In the imp: Exactly as described - herbal, minty, citrusy & bright! The lavender is quite potent at first whiff, so I hope it doesn't overpower everything on my skin as lavender is quite hit & miss for me. Wet on skin: Lavender with a few other herbs in the background. It's not going bad yet, so that's something! Dry on skin: Surprisingly soft (though I did apply this sparingly), the lavender is blending nicely with the other herbs & there's just a hint of lime. It smells rather like a really fancy soap, even though it's not soapy - just has a similar combination of notes to some artisan soaps I've smelled. After a few hours: Very soft & subtle - lime is the main note now, sweetened by the herbs. Verdict: I was expecting this to be very different to what it was! It's a lot more delicate & subtle than I was expecting, but I quite like it!

In the imp: WOW TARTS! There's maybe the teensiest bit of roses in the background if you're looking for it, but this is basically just sweet, blackcurrant tarts! Yum! Wet on skin: Same as in the imp only the pastry smells slightly sharp (some other pastry scents do this on my skin too too)! I love this! Dry on skin: It's softened a lot & the roses are slightly more noticeable. Absolutely gorgeous! After a few hours: About the same as dry, maybe a little more faded. Verdict: I'm going to need a bottle of this! I absolutely love it!

In the bottle: Ooh, this is cool - incensey & mysterious without being too overpowering! Wet on skin: The incense disappeared really quickly, this is a clear floral (the calla lily & tuberose), with a soft red musk in the background & a little bit of plum. Very different to in the bottle, but very pretty! Dry on skin: Softer & more blended now. The incense is back, but it's subtle. The red musk, plum & incense are the main notes now with everything else blending nicely into the background. After a few hours: Even more soft & blended than before. It's hard to describe, but so very pretty! Verdict: Oh man I love this! I was worried that it might be a bit too intense on me, but it's lovely & very wearable! It definitely suits the character too!

In the imp: Like a magical, fairytale beer! I'm not a fan of real beer, but this is so enticing! Wet on skin: Sweeter & much more floral than in the imp. It still has the feel of a fairytale beer, though! Dry on skin: Even sweeter & more floral still! There's a hint of fairytale beer, but it's very subtle. This is much more wearable than I expected it to be. After a few hours: About the same as dry, only more faded. Verdict: I was expecting this to be something I'd only wear very rarely, but I was so curious about it that I had to try it anyway. This is actually something I will probably wear a lot! It's interesting without being too weird to wear regularly & pretty without being even a little generic!

In the imp: Daphne flowers & beeswax drenched in honey. Very sweet. Wet on skin: Daphne flowers! SO pretty! There's a slight beeswax-honey undertone, but this is mostly just fresh Daphne flowers! Dry on skin: Somewhere in between what it smelled like wet & what it smelled like in the imp. Not quite as pretty as wet on skin, but still a lovely scent. After a few hours: Same as dry only more faded. Verdict: I'll definitely get a fair bit of use from this one! It's so pretty!