lizardskin

I had wanted to try Mage since I first discovered the RPG line, since I tend to play magic-users in video games, but I was scared off by the number of unfamiliar notes. I finally received it as a frimp, and I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I like it! Initially, I get some of the balsam, but it doesn't last very long and is replaced by a sweet scent--something like caramel coffee. I thought this was the dragon's blood, but in other scents dragon's blood has a distinctly floral smell on my skin, so I'm not sure. Whatever it is, it's very comforting, rich and sweet without being cloying. To be honest, this isn't really how I expected mage to smell--I expected the frankincense to be much more predominant. However, this could be a mage at work in her study-- not the blast of magic but the hours of slow, dedicated study that lead up to it. I may need a bottle once my imp runs out.

Desert Places starts off with a blast of white tea and orris, and those remain the dominant two notes for at least an hour. I did get a bit of the minty note others mentioned, but it doesn't last very long. At some point the tea/orris fades completely, leaving sandalwood incense with a touch of vanilla. This is much more of an early spring scent than a winter one to me, especially in the early stages--it's light and bright. The dry down suits the name much more, as it feels less fresh and wet. The sandalwood reminds me of the residual scent of incense, like the ash leftover after you've burned it. As it is, I like it a lot, although I'm interested to see how it will age. It's very different from most of the other scents I have, and I think I'll enjoy wearing it throughout the spring.

I haven't tried Firethorn Berry Tea, but Tyrannophobia smells EXACTLY like raspberry tea. If you like to drink raspberry tea, I would definitely recommend it.

This is a beautiful light winter floral that really suits the artwork inspiration. The most prominent notes are the cherry blossom and cypress. Initially it's a slightly sweet blend of ti leaf, cherry blossom, and ylang ylang that dies down to mostly cherry blossom. Eventually that fades a bit as well, leaving the cypress. I haven't tried other scents with cypress notes so I don't know how this compares, but this smells more like freshly cut wood or sap rather than the needles, and can get a little 'perfumey' in heavy applications. Overall it has moderate throw, but it lasts all day. I don't normally think of floral scents for winter, but this is one of my favorite yules so far!

I really like this one! It's the perfect autumn scent--a bit dark and spicy. The cloves are stronger at first, but as it dries it turns into a well-blended spiced vanilla leather. The leather and cloves are the most prominent notes on me--the vanilla is mostly in the background. I can't really pick out the dead leaves, but there is something else grounding the other scents. I'm impressed that I can really smell the leather in this one, since in some of the other leather scents I've tried it just disappears or gets overwhelmed by everything else. It doesn't have a lot of throw, but it does last for a long time.

I have mixed feelings on Rogue. It starts off very sweet, but eventually dies down to a very subtle leather. Most of the time the hemp note is the strongest on me, and even though I don't dislike it per se, I don't love it either. When I've mixed wit with other RPG scents, it's the hemp that sticks around. It is a very comforting scent, and worth keeping for that, but it just doesn't feel very . . . roguish to me.

"Urban and sophisticated" is the right description for this one. Where Elf channels a living forest, Half-Elf is all refined, polished woods--a city dweller. It also feels a lot more unisex than Elf. The wet stage is a little sharp, but it doesn't last long, and settles down into a nice light sandalwood-beeswax. There's something else in there lending it more complexity, but I can't tell if it's the musk or oud. I was a little worried that the oud would go weird on me (pencil shavings), as it has in other blends, but I haven't had any problems. I haven't had much luck blending it with other rpg scents, but honestly it doesn't need it. It's a fairly simple blend, but it holds its own.

This is my first time making personality recs, but I've got a few ideas Dorian (an artful deception: a sweet gilded blossom lying over a twisted and corrupted core. A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea) For English lit, and for being a dark and elegant. Could also imply a scary sort of charm, perhaps? Philologus (Ancient books, crackled parchment, faded incense, and candle wax) For epistemology and studying in general. Ultraviolet (Electrifying, mechanized and chilly — the scent of crushed blooms strewn on cold metal. Lush violet and neroli spiked hard with eucalyptus and a sliver of mint) Sci-fi/Shiny and chrome. The Robotic Scarab (Polished metallic notes, glossy leather, frankincense, star anise, and thin lubricating oils) and Smokestack (Creosote, coal, and industrial waste) For Furiosa and Fury Road. Ok now I've just descended into coming up with Mad Max-themed scents. I hope these are somewhat helpful!

I really thought Jareth would be a safe bet since Dorian is one of my all-time favorites, and in the wet stages, this is perfect. It has the same fougere as Dorian, but with different, less sweet undertones--I think the tonka and leather, I don't get any lilac. Unfortunately, once it dries everything vanishes except for the oudh, with maybe a hint of leather in the background, and the oudh mostly smells like pencil shavings to me It would be perfect if the other scents hung around to balance out the wood!

Wet and freshly applied this smells like fruity gummy candy. As it dries the red musk comes out, which is where I got worried--I'm not a huge fan of red musk and in other bends I've tried it tends to take over--but this time it actually behaved pretty well! After a while the gummy candy faded into more of a natural fruity smell and blended nicely with the musk. It has pretty low throw, but I didn't really mind because it kept the musk to a minimum. I'm not sure I want a whole bottle, since I don't really want to smell like candy most of the time either, but it is making me rethink my dislike of red musk.

I really thought I would like this one because of the amber, but unfortunately I think there's something up with my skin chemistry. Even fresh in the bottle I can't pick out anything piney, though I do get some of the amber and what I think is the oak. Once on my skin it changes to something sweet and sort of sticky, and after a while it turns into the play-doh another reviewer mentioned. I wish I could figure out what is causing it--I haven't tried anything with white oak or pine pitch in it before so it could really be either one.

I got Good as a frimp and probably wouldn't have tried it otherwise, but I've really been enjoying it--especially layered with Elf. When it dries down the sugar cane helps balance out the violet in Elf and makes for a very nice sweetened floral. Based on the notes I would have expected this to be too sweet, but it's actually quite balanced. The sugar cane is the longest lasting and most noticeable note on me, although I do get some floral and honey when first applied. Sometimes honey gets overwhelming on me, but this one is pretty subtle. I had been ignoring the alignment scents, but now I think I'll have to try some of the others!

I was a little worried about this one at first because I've never tried any soil-heavy scents before, but it turned out to be perfect. This smells exactly like the kind of forest floor that's covered in pine cones and dead needles. At first the soil scent is most noticeable, but there's a slightly piney, sappy scent blended in, and something else that's either acorns or oak. The pine isn't overwhelming--it isn't a 'fresh' Christmas tree pine. I can't pick out the berries. This really captures the feeling of the painting-- a late autumn/early winter type of forest, when everything but the pines has died back.

This has a very nice warm, slightly spicy smell. It almost reminds me of Christmas cookies, although I wouldn't necessarily call it a foodie scent--the spiciness of what I assume is the cedar/sage mixed with the vanilla just reminds me of baking spices. I'm not sure if I just don't know what carnation smells like (likely) or if I just can't pick it out, but I mostly get a warm base of vanilla/leather topped by the sharper cedar/sage. I couldn't pick out lavender at all, although it may just have been a short-lived part of the initial application. It's long lasting without being overpowering. I think this would make a nice winter scent because of the warmth, but it's not so strong that it's too much for summer. EDIT: I've retested this a few times, and now I just get a really weird pencil shavings-headed towards band aid smell, the same problem I had with Jareth I have no idea what weird skin chemistry thing is causing this, but it's bumming me out.

The first time I tested Black Forest I was disappointed--I couldn't smell any pine at all. I'm trying it again, and now I can smell pine in the imp and when first applied, but it is very faint. It's a deep, rich pine smell, more like dead pine needles on the forest floor than fresh ones, which definitely gives off the feeling of a dark, fairly ominous forest. When it dries down the pine vanishes and something gets powdery on me (I think the ambergris or black musk). I might try it again in the autumn, but overall this isn't really the forest scent I'm looking for.

For some reason this smells like incredibly sweet Easter candy on me, not roses at all . . . I think I'm just not familiar enough with some of the varieties of rose to be able to pick them out from the sugary sweetness, and the type of rose I do like is overwhelmed by everything else.

I've been hunting for the perfect foresty scent, and while Ranger isn't exactly what I was looking for it's become one of my favorites. Ranger doesn't smell so much like a forest to me as someone who lives in a forest--it dries down to a warm, leathery, earthy sort of scent. At first I was worried about the patchouli, but it isn't noticeable at all on me. I also don't get much of the pine, except maybe very faintly when first applied. Edited because I forgot to add: I do get a resinous scent, which may be the pine? It isn't fresh, spiky pine, if that's the case, but something deeper or more aged.

2015 version: This was my first limited edition scent, bought on impulse because I've always loved the story of Frau Holle, but it quickly became my favorite scent for winter. Starts off with a fairly strong pine that fades to herbs and flax--the flax in particular was the most noticeable and longest lasting note on me. I didn't notice much of the florals or musk. Long lasting but not overwhelming.

Oooo... I like a lot of these too. For Aizen Myoo, try Nightgaunt. They share the yuzu note, but Nightgaunt is a little less sweet and bolder on me. For Elf, try Egle, another bright, light, foresty floral. For Morocco, I've heard Light of Men's Lives is a must try for vanilla lovers, but I've never sniffed it myself. And for Bard, one of my favorites, you might try The Witches' Kitchen. It has a sharp, berryish/herbal blast at the beginning, but dries down to something very akin to Bard on me. Also, I don't know how you feel about rose, but Hedylogos has a really nice, warm, light honey smell. Thanks! I haven't tried any of these yet, they look great! I actually really like rose scents, but for some reason I haven't tried many of BPAL's.

If you like the soft cozy spice of Morocco, you shoudl try Snake Oil eventually. I just added Snake Oil to my list of scents to try next, so I'll definitely check it out!

I tend to end up in ruts where I wear the same thing all the time, so I could use some recommendations! And I just joined the forums so I figured I should post something 1. Dorian 2. Aizen Myoo 3. Elf 4. Morocco 5. Bard (although I have to be careful with this one, it can get overwhelming fast)