tziporra

This was so amazing in the imp I couldn't wait to try it. Kind of a pina colada explosion of fruit and nuts. But then it hit my skin. And then it was toasted coconut all the way. Not sunscreen coconut - toasted coconut sprinkled on cake. Very foody, and possibly pleasant for someone, but not me at all. I so hoped for some fig, but my stupid skin chemistry got in the way! Sigh. Tzi

Ooooooooohhhhhhhh.......... YUM. My Favorite "Lurid" Definition: terrible in intensity, fierce passion, or unrestraint Wet this is all currant with just a hint of lavender on me. As it dries down, the currant stays strong and I start getting the musk that loves me (as opposed to the musk that hates me, which I haven't narrowed down yet -- it looks like the musk that loves me must be the white musk though). Still lots of fruity currant, but the lavender seems to have gone into hiding in the spicy background. Sticky messy sweet, with lots of spicy base to ground and intensify it. I think "intense" actually describes this fairly well. It has amazing throw, and the scent is the first thing I noticed when I woke up from my nap this afternoon, hours after I applied it. I like BIG scents, so this is great for me, others might find Lurid overwhelming. Definitely going on my big bottle list. Best, Tzi ETA: Forgot to thank Shollin for enabling me to try this imp!

Oh Jazz Funeral, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways.... I love thee in the imp, when I smell rum and more rum, and maybe some bourbon to round it out... I love thee wet, when I smell smoke and booze with a hint of flowers... I love thee during drydown, when I smell dirt and more floral notes, plus moss... I love thee dry, when I smell warm rum edged with spiciness, and your throw is strong enough to satisfy my "big scent" desire... These booze scents are really working well for me. Although I thought Jazz Funeral might be too masculine when it was wet on my skin (I think rum says "aftershave" to me - must be a J. Peterman thing, eh?), the floral notes popped out during drydown and made the scent much more feminine. My husband's response wasn't overly enthusiastic - "It's not objectionable" - which I take to mean, "Go ahead and buy that big bottle you are coveting" - but I think his complaint is that when Jazz Funeral is dry it doesn't smell strongly of one scent or another. This is fine with me (actually it's wonderful, my skin tends to amp notes, and I'm happy to find a scent where there isn't one note that swallows all the others alive and runs away with the fragrance), but he's not used to a perfume that doesn't smell like <i>something</i> on me. Anyway, definitely a bottle for me. Best, Tzi

I don't know if any of you had a hippie mom, but I do. When I was little, she was forever stopping by the side of the road to pick weeds (for dried flower arranging). If I imagine she had been drinking a nice pilsner while stopped on the side of picking weeds, I smell Roadhouse. The dandelion here is lovely, it reminds me of The Good Home's Dandelion Sheet Spray and Laundry Rinse, both of which I love. The booziness tempers the wild green just-picked weed scent of the dandelion. I just wish Roadhouse had more throw, since I'm a big-scent person. It's definitely on my list to consider for a big bottle, though. Tzi

Oh, how disappointing..... First, a big thanks to Shollin for enabling me to try Dragon's Heart. But it's a no-go. I get no Dragon's Blood (a note I love, and the reason I was so excited about this scent) I get no Fig I get no Black Currant I get only musky musky musky musk. And it's not good. Bad skin chemistry! Bad! Tzi

Once upon a time I bought a bottle of Lolita Lempika Au Masculin for myself (don't worry, this is a review of Oblivion, I'm just taking a roundabout method) at Nordstrom. My Husband was with me when I bought the bottle, so he knew it was for me, but it didn't matter. In less than a month he'd purloined the bottle, going so far as to keep it at work with him so I'd have no chance of using it. I never saw it again. But he smelled SO GOOD all the time, I couldn't get too upset. I love Oblivion in the exact same way I loved that bottle of Lolita Lempika Au Masculin. It is sweet and spicy and homey and warm, just like cuddling up in a beloved man's cashmere sweater. In the bottle I got mostly saffron and black musk, and I could hardly wait to slap it on. During drydown it was all black musk and laudanum with a whiff of mint. YUMYUMYUMYUM. So Delicious. Later (an hour or so) it had settled down into woodsy goodness. And the next morning (I put it on pretty late at night) all that was left was lingering sweet warmth. Not surprisingly my husband really liked it (I can see the cunning plot forming in his head now!). And while this is definitely not the kind of scent that makes me smell "like a dude" (like, for instance, Velvet or Juke Joint), I believe that if I buy a bottle the same fate awaits it as did my beloved LLAM. It's interesting how body chemistry affects the "gender" of scents. I see myself as very very deeply earthily feminine, and LLAM was my only cross-scenting venture. BPAL scents that seem to work great on other women just turn all manly on me. But this is amazing. It's just that if I buy it, I'm pretty sure I won't have long to enjoy it. At least, not on myself. Best, Tzi

When I was growing up I had the kind of "cool" friend that gives every parents nightmares. She had cool clothes and lots (and lots) of boyfriends and drank cool alchohol got kicked out her parents' house at age sixteen and lived in a series of cool apartments (without paying for any of them) in victorian conversions in the coolest part of town. I wanted to be her so bad. If it sounds like she also had lots of problems, she did. For instance she couldn't bear for me to be the least bit cool, so when I found something to-die-for at the thrift store she either managed to talk me out of it or simply stole it. Not cool. Anyway, she wore cool perfume oils from a little shop downtown, and would lie to me about which ones they were so I wouldn't copy her (this actually makes sense, and I'm not bitter about it like I am about the stealing). So Burial smells EXACTLY like the patchouli rose blend she used to wear, at least once the initial dirt/rotting moss blast dries down. It makes me very nostalgic, even though that wasn't the healthiest time in my life. My husband doesn't care for it (I don't think he's wild about the patchouli note), so I don't think it's a big bottle, but I will keep the imp around for those times I want to google old friends and see what they are up to. Best, Tzi

Well, I'm not going to add anything here on the first impression, since this is all rose. But -- W-O-W, the drydown for me is a riot of wild rose with that sexy smutty undertone of burning wood. Grrrrr....... On one hand it reminds me of a sandalwood rose oil blend that an old friend used to wear constantly, except this one smells good on me. And on the other hand, this is a more fiery, scalding rose. I totally get the mother energy here, for me this smells a lot like giving birth. All feminine power and primal forces. Sadly, I didn't get the energy "zing" here that I've experienced with other PBALs that I've liked, otherwise this would be perfect for me. I know, I want it all. Best, Tzi

Oh yuk yuk yuk.... I can't stand Languor. It turns all to yuk on me. I don't think it's the opium though. Tzi

Sounds like TKO it is!!!! Re: medication - I'm nursing, so that's out. Tried some homeopathy, no success with that just yet. As for meditation, my thoughts are too out of control to reign in on my own -- I am searching for some guided visualisations on the web to help me out. ANy recommendations there would also be great! Best, Tzi

Another sleeping problem. Please help! 1. I'm involved in a competitive intellectual evening activity and I get incredibly keyed up and unable to stop going over every move in my head a million times. I'm a 100% head-person. When I manage to drag myself back into my body a little, I have an easier time falling asleep, but I keep escaping back out that hole in the top of my head! 2. Since I was a child I've had night terrors, where I wake screaming my head off. Since I've got a great set of pipes, this has resulted in calls to the police from my neighbors who were convinced I was being murdered. It can take me hours to get back to sleep after I've woking myself with bloodcurdling screams. 3. Have two small children (who'd I prefer not to terrify with screaming night terrors). As you know, this doesn't make for a great night's sleep all on it's own, even without the other problems. So I guess I need a deeply sensual sleep blend, something that will activate my heart or, er, lower and drag me solidly into my body. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. Best, Tzi

Wow. So I received a decant from a swapper, and the instant my fingers touched the imp bottle my energy just exploded. Very jangly, jumpy stuff, but in a very good way. So good, in fact, that I wish I liked the scent, since I would love to have this kind of energy explosion every morning. But alas, although it's been described by posters here as "spicy berry" I got all spice and no berry. Mostly cinnamon, but with the impression of stepping into my local tea shop. Much too foody for me to wear. After many hours I finally lost the cinnamon and underneath there was a lingering nondescript sweetness that might have been berry-ish on someone else's skin. I'll keep my imp, because I enjoy the energy of the scent, but I won't be wearing this one. Definitely going to try the others in this line, though, since I seemed to resonate so strongly with this oil. Best, Tzi

So one of my FAVORITE smells in the world is a big old vase of stargazer lilies a day or two after they should have been tossed out.... Spicy to the point of tickling your nostrils, heady, with a faint undertone of decay. But, I ordered a bunch of imps with Stargazer in my VERY FIRST imp set (yup, I'm a newbie) only to run into two big problems: 1. I'm not sure the Stargazer note actually reflects this scent. It might be more Lily-ish, less SPICE. 2. I appear to have the infamous "turns-lily-to-weird-soap" skin. All the lily fragrances I tried dried to sweet nondescript soap. So, can anyone recommend a really spicy floral that doesn't dry down to vague-floral-nothing? That evokes the blown vase of Stargazer without actually containing any lily? Thanks so much! Tzi

Can I go the other way for a second? I'm one of those girls who hated her entire first order of imps, and I'm dying to love something!!! My favorite "outside" scents: Michael Kors (love that tuberose) Eau D'oolong (Out of production -- WOE) Stella McCartney (but so much alcohol! yuk) Garden Botanika Sandalwood Oil (hording the last of this, its my favorite thing ever, but not really sandalwoody -- much creamier and less sharp than you'd expect sandalwood to be) Victoria's Secret Pear Glacee The vase of Stargazer Lilies on my table three days after I should have thrown them out Any help would be great. Thanks so much! Tzi