White Raven

Wet: Musky jasmine in the lingering heat of a summer evening. The myrrh does add some warmth to the mix. Drydown: Rose finally appears, although it's very faint in the background. The jasmine still dominates. A very sweet floral mix. Will be perfect when it gets warmer.

Mossy and slightly aquatic, like wandering into the depths of the marsh as the late afternoon sun sifts through the tree branches. As it dries, the violets come out along with more of the aquatic, as well as a sliver of fruit. It's unfortunate that violets often get shafted as "old lady-ish" considering the fact that it was once one of the most expensive extracts on the market (1 kilo costing about $310,089). For me, the violets in this blend lends the perfume the somber air of a funeral procession. A wonderfully complex blend of aquatics and the inevitable darkness that awaits us all.

Ginger ale with a little lime and a lot of fizz. Doesn't morph much, but is a fun scent for parties or the holidays.

Wet: Something sour and slightly bitter. It's hard to describe, but it's somewhat like fermenting lilies under a canopy of swamp trees. Dry: The sourness finally leaves and a very faint smell of fresh lilies and sweeter aquatics. Wish it could've started off like this instead of the musty sourness from before.

The coconut makes it smell like Thai green curry-- albeit a slightly floral, soapy curry (coconut always makes me think of curry somehow). Somewhere down the line the coconut fades and the rose comes into the foreground. Elegant, but unfortunately a no-go for me because of the coconut.

In the imp: As many have said, pure almond. Wet: All almonds, but the incense comes through rather quickly. I'm getting a faint whiff of smoke too, as if someone really lit a stick of incense in the nearby vicinity. Drydown: A complex mixture of florals and incense. It's quite a sophisticated oriental blend, which fits with the whole ancient Mesopotamian theme. Dry: Smoke and jasmine. Smells like a Buddhist temple I visited in China where the incense smoke hangs thick in the air. Very calming. An unexpected favorite.

Wet: Smells like one of those Blueprint kale, apple, and lemon drinks. There's an inkling of mint in the background. Not as grassy as some other BPAL perfumes. Drydown: Woods and resins start to take over. The sillage goes down significantly, to the point where I can barely smell it on my wrist unless I press my nose up against my skin. Dry: A complete surprise. Something warm and spicy emerges, which must be the incense, but I'm detecting some vanilla too (must be my skin). A definite morpher and one of my new favorites.

Wet: Fresh pine needles and something sour. Drydown: Sourness goes away and the pine becomes more apparent. Smells like one of those pine car fresheners Dry: The darkness slowly seeps in and transforms the innocent pine scent into something more sinister. I'm getting dried berries, woods, and some spice. A nice suprise since I wasn't liking the air freshener top note.

Red sandalwood, vanilla, rosewood, osmanthus, and white peach. In the imp: very green, like freshly trodden grass Wet: Still very green. All I can smell is sandalwood Drydown: Rose slowly emerges, as well as the vanilla with some peach in the background. Unfortuantely florals don't last very long on my skin so this, at most, lasted an hour.

Wet: Preserved blackberries with a slight minty edge that keeps it from being too foody. Drydown: The berries fade into the background and the herbs really come through now. It's very astringent, like cough drops. The faint sweetness does keep it from being too herby and it's very well balanced.

Wet: Very herby, like the interior of a Chinese medicine shop. Drydown: Faint smoke intertwined with a sweet and meloncholy floral, the kind you get from sniffing black tea bags. A trace of pepper revives it a little. Definitely a morpher.

This is very very green both in the imp and on my skin. I can pick out the honeysuckle, but the green note is overpowering. It kind of reminds me of the relish mayo they put on McDonald's Filet-o-fish for some strange reason.