joopjoop

I'm increasingly impressed with how well the Wanderlust scents evoke their namesakes. I've never been to Kyoto, but this is what I imagine an ideal version of it to smell like: wooden buildings, cherry blossoms and a little bit of something mysterious. Kyoto is very elegant and refined. I really love the cherry blossoms and the star anise together and the sandalwood grounds things nicely when it is wet and on the dry down. Once dry, the sandalwood becomes a little stronger than I'd like - I think I amp woods of all kinds, so I might try layering with Kabuki or another cherry scent to see if that counters the sandalwood somewhat. All in all I find myself admiring this scent - maybe more than I enjoyed wearing it. But I'm definitely keeping the imp around for a few more tests.

Ooo this is great! It reminds me a lot of Persephone but I think I like Delirium even better. The lemon and the apple are the perfect mix of tart and sweet together and the rose note is beautiful as always. I'm going to have to do a side-by-side comparison with Persephone but this might become my go-to warm weather rose scent.

Fresh imp from the lab. I had a feeling about this one - a feeling that it would be special in some way. And as soon as I opened the imp I knew I was right. Namaste is pure unadulterated sense memory to me; it is every wonderful smelling thing in Thailand all mixed together in a beautifully blended oil. In the imp and for the first 30 minutes to hour I want to roll around it and just be transported back in time and space. I've learned I amp cedar and patchouli is touch and go for me (I like it, but often find it too dirty and musty smelling, particularly blended with myrrh or musk), but the lemongrass cuts through the patchouli smell and uplifts it. I love lemongrass but often find it too 'lemon head candy' when combined with other citrus, so this works well in my opinion. A few hours later, the patch and the woods do amp up a little bit too much for my liking and I don't really get the rose and jasmine other than a suggestion just after application (which is too bad - I really love the lab's rose note and don't mind the jasmine). I'm going to try it again a few more times to see if it settles a bit or varies with skin chemistry In conclusion: I'm not sure how much I will wear this oil, but I will use it as a room scent and possibly in the bath and be transported to a warm, happy place. It's magical.

In the imp: ORANGE (with a tiny bit of something sweet - the raspberry I think) Wet: more ORANGE! It smells just like blood orange to me - I want to drink it. Later: This one fades quickly, but it is nice while it lasts - almost a perfect balance between the three different notes, with the raspberry coming out more strongly towards the end. After 3 hours I can only smell it if I huff my wrists. Overall: Berry scents seem to be iffy on me, but this one works. However it isn't very exciting, it's nice and if it were a soap I would love using it in the shower (hmm maybe repurpose as a bath oil?), but I don't get that 'I smell great' lift that I get from one of my preferred scents. I'll keep my imp for the bath or for when I need a pick-me-up, but I don't think I need a bottle.

Well apparently I amp the lab's tea notes - all of the BPALs I've tried so far with any variety of tea listed as a note have quickly become ALL TEA ALL THE TIME on me . That being said, Shanghai is a lovely lemony green tea with just the tiniest touch of honeysuckle, and it is my favorite of the tea notes I've encountered so far in my (barely begun) BPAL journey. It is very refreshing and I think it would be really nice in the summer, although I'm not sure how often I'll reach for it. I like tea as a scent but it is just too dominant on my skin. I may save it and use it in a burner as a room scent, though, it is very uplifting.

I was excited to try Bess as it was described by another forum reviewer as a 'prettier Catherine' and Catherine has quickly become one of my favorite scents. I think that description is accurate and I like that even though there are a lot of notes, I can pick out most of them. But the grape spirit is the dominant note on me, from start to finish. At first it is way too much - like grape syrup - but after a few minutes it settles down and the other notes come through. Bess is very pretty on me, but the grape spirit makes it too sweet and too girly for my tastes. About two hours in the grape note turns something similar to the champagne note in Bon Vivant and Thalia - I like this phase a little more than the straight grape, but the other notes seem to recede as well leaving a pleasant sweet scent that is sticking close to skin. I think that 20 years ago Bess would've been a huge winner for me, but it feels too young and sweet to me now. I'll stick with somewhat more assertive and 'mature' blends for my old fashioned florals. But it is nice to have the imp and I plan to save it and see if the grape spirit mellows with time.

A very sophisticated blend. Wet: at first it is strongly coconut with the hazelnut poking around the edges After about 30 minutes, this settles down with the iris and the musk coming forward to blend with the coconut and hazelnut. It is evocative of the sea, but not in a fruity tropical way (I also like fruity tropical scents, this is just a different kind of scent). It smells quietly sexy if that makes sense - nothing flashy, but also unexpected - not a 'typical' perfume scent at all. The overall effect is 'foody' but not in an overly sweet way that I associate with some of the other food scents I've tried. It lasts a long time but stays close to the skin. I think it would be lovely in the summer, particularly in the evening, when I'm looking for something less 'refreshing' and more suited to going out. A winner for me.

This was a frimp from the lab. Patchouli, sandalwood and gentle spice. It smells like really nice, good quality incense - the kind you buy in a sundry shop in Little India. I like it a lot, but in terms of a fragrance to wear, it is not really how I roll. However, the Joop-man tried it tonight and it smells sooooo good on him! Definitely a keeper.

I'm on the fence about Persephone. In the imp it is pure pom, which is not unpleasant but I'm not sure I want to smell like a juice bar. Once on, the rose comes out and it is a lovely rose indeed - the pomegranate does keep things nice and fresh and keeps the rose from going powdery. It is very well balanced. I waver between thinking it is a bit too sweet and really really loving the way I smell. It smells especially nice in my hair, but it is fairly consistent on the skin as well. Once thing I've learned is that between Persephone and my girl Catherine is that I love the lab's rose note. So for now I'm keeping my imp of Persephone close by, but my next batch of imps will be rose-intensive.

… Her scent is a bounty of golden honeyed almonds and a whisper of African and Middle Eastern spices. I've tried several of the BPAL almond scents now, and Queen of Sheba is the imp I keep returning to - but I still have mixed feelings about her. In the imp: pure almond extract wet: a blast of almond extract, then when it settles down, a dry, roasted almond and a touch of honey on the dry down: I like this phase the best - the almond is dry and nutty, not sweet at all, but the honey gives it a little warmth. The spices start to come out dry/later: mostly spices, very nice ones, but they are a bit dusty. overall: like I said, this is a scent I've reached for several times. I like it throughout and love it in the sort of 'middle' phase. I'm not convinced I need a bottle of this one, however, not yet anyway

This scent is my everything! It was in my first imp order and it was the scent I was most looking forward to trying. And I love it! Wet: This smells EXACTLY like the Crabtree & Evelyn White Ginger soap I used as a teenager, and that fact makes me SO HAPPY!! That soap (and powder and lotion) smelled fantastic I was so mad when they discontinued it! Dry/Later: Delicate tropical blossoms, particularly jasmine and gardenia - but a very soft gardenia (a flower that has a tendency to go screechy on me). I do wish it lasted a little longer, it fades a little too quickly for my taste, but I don't mind applying more for that white ginger nostalgia blast!

Their scent of their slick, rubbery hides is bittersweet, ticklish, and skin-creeping: something akin to yuzu, white grapefruit, and kumquat mixed with the snow-dusted flowers of Mount Ngranek. In the imp: grapefruit! delicious bitter grapefruit! yay! (I LOOOOVE the citrus - the sharper the better - and I'm on a search for the perfect citrus scent) wet: more grapefruit and what I think is the kumquat. I'm hopeful but wary - I've been burned before. dry: boo. almost immediately (within a couple of minutes), the lovely bitter citrus is gone and is replaced by delicate and slightly chilly white flowers. 1 hour later: if I huff my wrists I can get a little grapefruit/citrus, but the flowers endure. 2 hours later: almost completely gone. I like it, but not at all what I was hoping for and there are other floral blends I like better.

In the imp: lime & lemongrass - could this be the biting citrus blend I've been searching for? wet: now the coconut is coming through, along with some delicate florals - but still a lot of delicious lime dry: the green coconut is the constant, and the citrus remains. The flowers - particularly the Chinese peony - soften things up. verdict: LOVE ! It is not the bitter zingy citrus blend I'd hoped for (the search continues) but this is BEAUTIFUL! Ordered a bottle today.

After falling in love with the anise note in Absinthe, I thought I would enjoy Kabuki and I do! In the imp: cherries! smells divine - I don't get cough syrup at all, just boozy cherry, which reminds me of almonds, and I adore them both wet: cherry and anise, with something deeper underneath, must be the red musk dry/later: very sexy, and lots of staying power - this one isn't going anywhere verdict: I like it, and will use the imp, but I'm not sure this is really 'me' - I tend to enjoy scents with citrus and bright florals more. Will definitely test Kabuki out in the bedroom, however. :-}

Whoever said upthread that this smells like Poison by Dior is right on the money. Unfortunately, for me that is not a compliment - I had a roommate who used to slather on the Poison in our tiny shared bathroom every morning and it always gave me a headache. But if patchouli and ginger is your jam (I don't smell the orange blossom), you will probably love it. My imp will be going to a new home.

This was a frimp from the lab - so nice! I was curious about the chocolate and mint, but leery too. When I sniff the imp I get a blast of dark chocolate, replaced immediately with the scent of cedar shavings. Wet - I smell like a cedar closet. On the dry down and dry - I catch an occasional whiff of chocolate and mint as I go about my business, but when I sniff my wrist or elbow all I smell is the cedar - perhaps I amp it? Verdict - not for me as I don't want to smell like a cedar closet - but now I am very curious to try some of the lab's other chocolate scents.

My initial impression is big bouquet of flowers! It feels very stately and 'perfumey' and a little old fashioned. First on I get all florals and almost no citrus. It's a bit heady and overpowering - much like the abrupt change of going from the cold outside to an overheated building in Russia in the winter. When you get inside it is all warmth and color and strong floral smells and it is all a bit much. Later it turns powdery on me and smells like generic fancy perfume - perfectly pleasant but nothing special. A few hours later it fades into a lovely light floral, but that's too little too late for me. This one is not for me, but for the right person I think it could be amazing!

Gorgeous! As others have said, it smells exactly like Absinthe in the imp. On me this is mostly anise but tempered with lemon and something slightly herbal and warm - the hyssop? the cardamon? I thought this would smell weird on, but it is quite lovely. It seems like the perfect scent for a rainy date night where you sit in a cozy corner of a dimly lit but classy bar.

Of course I had to try an imp of Snake Oil in my first BPAL order. In the bottle and when I first put it on I smell delicious vanilla and some spices as promised. When it dries down the vanilla retreats somewhat and the spice comes out more. It really smells like an expensive market stall in Indonesia or Malaysia! Dry/later - ugh, this scent seems to get stronger and stronger on me and the vanilla is amping up and becoming very sweet. I'm not digging it and the joop-man is not a fan. It starts to give me a headache and I have to wash it off. I really wanted to love this - I love food smells and I haven't had any luck with the foody scents from the lab so far. I think that I need to face the fact that while I love vanilla, vanilla might not love me back. Oh well. I'll age it as many posters have suggested, and try it again in a few years.

Well, I have a pretty unsophisticated nose and I'm just starting with BPAL, but I find Delight pretty delightful. In the imp/wet - the plumeria/frangipani is front and center - smells wonderful - like Southeast Asia or the South Pacific. Once on I can smell the jasmine. I love a soft jasmine and it works well here with the frangipani. It is very front and center at this stage. On the dry down - I can smell a little rose now - I'm not sure I can pick out tuberose as I'm not very experienced, but it is still mostly the Hawaii blend of plumeria and jasmine. Starting to fade ever so slightly. Dry - Fading down to a lovely mix of the jasmine and plumeria. This scent would be nice in the hot weather. Conclusion - I like this very much and I suspect the SO will like it too with its suggestion of tropical vacations. But I am still learning what I like and there is so much BPAL to try! I'll hold on to the imp for now, but no big bottle yet.

I wanted to like this, but the first thing I smelled in the imp was sweet tarts, or as others have said, gum - juicy fruit gum. When I put it on wet the lavender takes over (mercifully) and it is a beautiful clear lavender. But with the dry down the lotus/gum smell undercuts it and makes it overly sweet. It quickly becomes cloying and starts to give me a headache. I get no spice at all. A little later - still sickly sweet. I have to wash it off. verdict: not for me!

This is my first BPAL review! I've been testing scents over the past week, and Catherine is the second one that has really 'clicked' for me (the first is Pele, but I want to wear it again before writing a review). In the imp and first on Catherine is pure rosemary - not a complaint! I love the smell of rosemary and find it very relaxing. As it dries down the rose comes out, but it is beautifully balanced by the rosemary (and perhaps the orange blossom although I can't pick it out). Dry - the balance between the rose and the rosemary (and the orange blossoms?) hums along beautifully. The rose smells light and fresh and not cloying or powdery (I'm looking at you Wicked!). It stays pretty consistent throughout and lasts a good long time. I find this scent very nostalgic for some reason, and it is invigorating and relaxing at the same time, strangely. I put it on about an hour before bed last night and slept wonderfully. Ordering a big bottle soon.