LizziesLuck

I really dislike pomegranate, and yet I feel compelled to try all things Snake Oil, so here we are. Wet: Ugh. I also often forget how much I dislike the patchouli note in Snake Oil when it hasn't aged at least a year. This is all dirty (literally, smells like dirt on me) patchouli and bitter pomegranate on me. Not good. Dry: Nope, not or me. I am sure if it aged half the problem (the patch) would be solved, but that wouldn't fix the fact that I just don't like pomegranate. You would think I would learn my lesson one of these days!

Wet: I loooove cardamom, so I could not pass up trying this, but milk hates me and that is all I am getting here. Blarg. I can't even smell the cardamom. I get tiny hints of nutmeg, but am amping the milk like crazy - and milk notes often smell sour on me so it's not pleasant. It seem to be settling a bit over time though, so maybe there is some hope... Dry: Dries down much the same, all milk with only hints of spice. Not for me!

Wet: Immediately identifiable as a "Lace" scent. Then the amber comes through and it gets even more glorious. This may be my favourite Lace of all time - it's like Black Lace and Hesiod's Phoenix had the most gorgeous baby...WIN Dry: I really like this. Black Lace (Res, specifically, and the one I identify as being slightly "apple-y" plus really warm, lovely amber.

Wet: Soft, musky, perfumey. Slightly powdery. It opens with prominent lavender but seconds later it melds with the musk. This is very light, somewhat clean. "Sheer" is a good overall descriptor. Totally wearable. I would think this would be appropriate anywhere. Dry: The lavender fades mostly away, and this becomes a gentle, glittery musk scent. Really soft and feminine and pretty. I quite like it.

I don't know why I felt compelled to try this - I actually really hate the smell of weed. I guess this just seemed like a "must try". WOW. That is accurate. It smells like someone is sitting beside me smoking weed. Faints whiffs of a really great patchouli note and some incense which I am really liking, but still overwhelmingly WEED. It's fading out as it dries. I think I would really like this without the weed, but with it....nope. Not for me!

The golden vanilla and hints of amber cream in this are lovely, but sadly the oudh and very bitter neroli ruin it on my skin. I need to learn my lesson about oudh….

Wet: Tons of lavender. Hints of coconut. I haven't worn Daybreak (a fave) since summer, but I think this is fairly different. It's a colder coconut. More tropical. I can detect hints of jasmine, but only because I know Beth said it was there. Otherwise it would just be something floral I couldn't put my finger on - no hint of cat pee here for those worried about it, this is the tiniest bit of jasmine. I can't smell the lemongrass Beth mentioned. This is primarily sweet herbal lavender with cold, frothy, tropical coconut. Dry: The lavender goes through a weird "BO" stage that sometimes happens on my skin - not pleasant. Then it settles and the coconut and jasmine become dominant. It's nice and tropical, and I sort of enjoy the jasmine in this, which is rare, but it's something I really will want to wear to bed often (I got it as a sleep scent for summer). I'll keep what I have but don't need more.

So I lost my computer, and my BPAL spreadsheet along with it, and now I am a disorganized mess and have missed testing like, a zillion things *sigh*. Now I am so behind that the stuff I am testing is no longer available...pitiful. Wet: The green amber smells green in an almost limey way - or my mind is playing tricks on me because I am thinking "green". The leather is noticeably black, but not horrible and chemically on me like black leather sometimes is. It's not quite the crisp black leather or Whip. I can't place it to another scent for comparison. It's interesting though. Soft and muted. The musk is more of what I think of as a "wooly" sort of musk. At moments this is a soft, comfortable skin scent on me and at other moments it's somewhat unsettling and sinister. Very interesting. Little throw, and it's sadly already fading quickly. Dry: So I was crazy, there's no lime. Just soft leather, with hints of wooly musk, and just a touch of sweet amber. It's really pleasant, but not jumping out as something I would reach for frequently.

All of these notes are loves for me, so I admit I have high hopes. Also, on a side note, this scent is actually called "When Colors All to Black Are Cast" according to both the bottle and the poem. Wet: Yassss. This was just what I wanted. Evil , sexy blackberries. Dark syrupy opoponax and labdanum, hints of gritty black musk (this is not that clean, somewhat lemony black musk the Lab sometimes uses, at least not to my nose) and tangy-sweet-tart blackberries. As advertised, but with a hint of...angst. Yes, this scent is angsty. Dry: This takes quite a while for the notes to all really warm and blend together beautifully on my skin, but once they do, this is magic. Dark, tangy blackberry and syrupy resins. This will get even better with age. I really love it, and hope those who thought it would be amazing but were underwhelmed find they love it too with some age. I am actually really glad this has sat waiting to be tested for several months now, otherwise I could have passed it up! A reminder of the magic of aging some scents...

I am woefully behind on testing/reviewing/sorting out my BPALS - woefully! I have been on an extremely low-buy for months, but could not resist the combo of sandalwood and ambergris. Wet: This goes on like straight up white bar soap. There is something so clean and classic about it. Very pleasant and nostalgic, but not at all what I was anticipating. Quite wearable though, and will be great for work because it's so light and clean and unobtrusive. Dry: Much the same. Slightly powdery, classic perfume. Clean, but no longer soapy. It reminds me of Closet Raid, only much softer. It reminds me of my grandma in a wonderful way. I will wear it to work and be comforted when I catch a whiff.

Wet: This is the dead leaves note that is my favourite out of all of them (well, the only one I like, really). It's not aquatic or cologne-like as a couple of them are. It's lovely. I get faint hints of sugary vanilla. It's nice, but not wowing me. Dry: Poof! Gone, so I can't tell you.

Wet: Oooh. The apricot in this one is gorgeous - bright and tart, and at the forefront. Hints of musky ambergris. I don't get any of the leaves, but I am not even mad about it. Dry: Dries down to a very quiet, soft apricot and ambergris. I never get the tobacco or leaves. It's somehow melancholy. I like it. I need to give it a full slather test, but I like it.

Anything with vanilla and honey is pretty much instant blind bottle.... Wet: Wow, that's instantly gorgeous. I was expecting something like O with leather, but this is a totally different honey note, more floral, and it blends with the sugar note to create something really special. The leather is soft, well worn, the exact leather note I love. This is exactly what I had hoped so far. It's feminine and sexy. Dry: LOVE this. Leather, sugar, and soft floral honey. Gorgeous. It's simple and sexy and super wearable. Really glad I snagged this.

The combination of Dorian and Snake Oil pretty much assures a blind bottle purchase for me, though I have to admit I hesitated a bit with the addition of Slime Queen, which I confused with the guava one and thought would not be my jam. Now I see Slime Queen is Dorian and Cotton Candy and I am extra stoked about this! Wet: WHOA. Patchouli. A big old hippie slap in the face. I never find the patch very strong in Snake Oil, on me at least, so this is surprising. I also get lots of slightly fruity cotton candy. This is....different. Not what I expected. I can't detect any Dorian at all. Dry: Not sure how I feel about this! The intense patchouli calmed down a lot. Now it's like fresh Snake Oil with candy. I think I'll age it before I make any decisions.

I am super behind on reviews. My computer crashed, taking my ability to access my spreadsheet with it (new computer doesn't have excel yet, so while I had the spreadsheet backed up, it's useless. Awesome.) and that has made me lose my enthusiasm for testing properly and documenting like I have always done. *sigh* This was a blind bottle Wet: Sweet musky lavender. Very comforting. Dry: Not much of a morpher. The musk note is unexpected, but so pretty and soft and sweet. It really does remind me of the smell of a much loved stuffed animal that's been sprayed in lavender. This is a new bedtime fave.

What I have come to call "Lilith Lavender" scents are my fave for bedtime. Hoping this will be a good edition to that collection! Wet: Lots of strong herbal lavender, and some sugary musk. Really great. Very simple. Good throw. Pretty much what I hoped for! Dry: This is totally perfect for bedtime. Really herbal lavender (which I love) and hints of sugary musk. The rose never shows up on me, but that's OK. I wanted this to be all about the lavender, and it is.

This was the scent I was most drawn to from this whole collection. All these notes are faves! Wet: Oooooh that is good! Big whiff on fresh dandelion backed by shimmery white musk. Lovely. Hints of something slightly floral - I think I was expecting blackcurrant fruit, but this is more like the flower (makes sense, as it was described as "bud"). Dry: Really lovely. Soft dandelion, slightly sweet fruity/floral blackcurrant notes and a light musk. A gorgeous spring scent.

Wet: Smells quite a bit like Dragon Mlerm to me, but with a rich almost buttery undertone. Very gourmand. I don't get any coconut or vanilla really. Or marshmallow, actually. It's mostly sweet fruit and something I can't really identify other than a yummy "baked goods" kind of smell. Dry: Wow, once dry this is totally Mlerm on me. I haven't done a side by side, but smells just like the HG from my memory. Slightly powdery marshmallowy apricot. It's nice and light, but not wowing me. I already have a ton of scents that are "nice and light and work appropriate' so I may let this go to someone who is dying to try it.

Wet: I immediately really like this. It's fruity and beachy and summery. It's also very unique, I don't have another scent that smells like this. Ugh it's good! The ambergris is salty and mixes really interestingly with the slightly aquatic skin musk. Hints of fruit. A background of gentle sweetness. Overall a really lovely summery skin scent. Dry: The skin musk amps up quite a bit, and dominates the scent. I'm a bit sad about that, as I really liked the beachy aspect of this, and it is now there only faintly on me. The hints of fruit are still there. I do like it, and will get lots of wear out of it, as skin musk scents are what I often wear to work to be "incognito" with my scent. It's just not as magnificent as I thought it was going to be when it was wet. Or as unique. Now I would call it a "slightly different skin musk" on my chemistry, at least.

I feel like this is one of those frimps I have received a million times, and kept thinking I must have already tried it, and passing it on...but eventually I realized I never did try it. And then of course I didn't get one for ages. LOL. Wet: Some kind of familiar candy...or maybe fruit punch? It's just on the tip of my tongue, exactly what it reminds me of...that's frustrating. Sweet, fruity, slightly herbal undertones. Interesting! Maybe a hint of spice too. Dry: Powdery fruit candy! Like make sweet tarts? It has gone back and forth between that and fruit punch. Sweet, fruity and fun! I like it but it's not something I would wear. Unless I all of a sudden come into some money tomorrow, and then I will slather it daily forever! LOL

Wet: The paper note is really strong in this on me, and I really like it! I was expecting cologne, but this is really nice. It's somehow warm and clean at the same time, and has an ineffable quality I am having a hard time describing. I can't really pick up the leather or coffee. It's mostly just paper with hints of an almost green or herbal sort of cologne. It does smell kind of like an office, the more I sniff at it. It's different, and interesting. Not completely masculine so far, I would say more unisex leaning a bit masculine. I don't think it would be particularly wearable on me. but I am enjoying it all the same. Dry: Dries to a skin scent, still mostly paper but now a hint of smoky leather comes through too. It's actually kind of great. I can't see myself wearing it, at this point I just have too many amazing perfumes to choose from, but I am really glad I tried this, it was not what I expected. Lovers of paper/book scents should give it a shot!

I always love catching up on testing some GC imps while on vacation! I know I have tried this years ago, but forgot to review it. My tastes have changed a lot, so I like retrying things occasionally, and I do adore the combo of rose and Myrrh. Wet: Jasmine - heady and sweet, but NOT indolic like it usually is on me. No cat pee! Instead I get popcorn and the plastic bowl it was served in....whaaa? This smells slightly like popcorn and burning plastic, and I don't know why. No idea the age of this imp, and I wonder if it has gone off. Dry: The throw is lots of jasmine, somewhat nice since it's not indolic, but still not a fave note of mine. Nose to skin, smells like burnt plastic and popcorn. SO. WEIRD. Not for me!

Catching up on some imp testing while on vacation! Wet: A soft, woody, salty aquatic that I actually instantly enjoy! Reminds me a bit of Snake Can with the salt mixed with lovely musk (Just in the same vein, not a dupe or anything). I LOVE sarsaparilla, and it comes through nicely here. I don't like aquatics, and was not expecting to like this, but it's not a typical aquatic at all, and I am really digging it. It actually feels perfect for vacation! It's slightly beachy, slighty "hot tropical night", a bit sexy-gritty. It's kind of a bit of everything! I am loving it more and more. Dry: This is really great. Sea salt, warm woody patchouli, a hint of sarsaparilla and musk. I think if the musk and sarsaparilla came through more once dried this would be an instant bottle buy for me, but as it is there is just a touch more patchouli than I want, and the whole scent is just a bit drier and not as sweet as I would want. I may try a whole day full slather - maybe to the beach! I sometimes wish for a beachy scent that isn't coconut, despite how much I love coconut.

Not gonna lie, I wanted to try this mainly because of the name, because neither oudh nor jasmine typically work for me. Wet: OMG so much jasmine and oudh, aka cat pee and feces. This was a stupid stupid idea for my skin chem. I have much regret. I smell like a perfumey outhouse. Dry: The oudh settles and fades out, but the jasmine is still somewhat "pissy". That's just how it rolls on my skin....Anyway, the perfumey part of this scent that I can smell past the outhouse is lovely, so if you don't have my skin chem issues, give this a go!

I had been on a BPAL hiatus and came back shortly after the OLLA's were released - the really popular ones had already sold out. I tried to track most of them down to try, but there were a few I missed, so I was really stoked when they came back (and of course to snag back-ups of all my faves!) Wet: Immediately that gorgeous teak note comes to the forefront - like the teak from Antikythera. But then the cedar comes and stomps all over it. I was hoping a few months would be enough aging to take the edge of the cedar - it wasn't. I do like cedar, but I have learned the hard way it's gotta age quite a while before it's good on me. I can't even smell the rose in this at all, and the teak is only barely detectable beneath all that cedar. Maybe it will dry better? Dry: It does settle a bit, and some syrupy rose comes out, which is nice. The teak is there, and it's gorgeous. But that cedar...it really just needs to age. It's hovering somewhere between pencil shavings and BO and the wonderful warm woody scent it wants to be. I'll keep the decant and age it and see what happens!