lizabelle

With this, I'm pretty sure my skin hates amber. This should be exactly the kind of scent I love, and it was shaping up to be a wonderful dry, deserty sort of wood scent, but then the amber started amping to an absurd degree and now it's all warm milk and baby powder. As with Dragon's Blood, my arm is also itching a bit. This will be going on the swap pile.

I'm suddenly questioning whether I've actually smelled teak on its own before, or even oak. This is dark and spicy and has a really strong, chewy tobacco note; it's almost boozy, like a cognac note. In fact my skin is amping the tobacco so heavily that it's making me cringe, and I will probably have to wash it off. Tobacco has been in a number of perfumes I enjoy, but I tend to like it much drier and further in the background--I'd rather not go around smelling like the real thing. I thought I would like this but it's wetter/sweeter than I tend to like my wood notes and it's not vanilla-y enough for me to really enjoy it as that, either. Also very heavy on tobacco, which I tend not to like as a main player. Overall it's a pass from me but it is interesting--I'd like to smell it on someone who doesn't amp tobacco as heavily as I apparently do.

I love the name/concept of this, but as someone who actually uses essential oils for pain (specifically lavender and mint)...this kind of just smells like I've rubbed that all over my arm. And then smeared extra lavender on. It's a gorgeous lavender but it's also not grabbing me in an "I need it" sort of way. As far as actual pain treatment, I'll stick to spearmint instead of pennyroyal. They smell almost identical to me, but menthol is what does the heavy lifting for aches and pains! As an aside, I don't actually find this all that sharp, at least for a lavender lover--it's subtle and soothing and would probably work well as a sleep aid.

Recently blind-bought this from a forumite based on notes, and I'm very, very glad I did. This reminds me of pumpkin custard rather than pie; whenever there's leftover filling from any pies we might be making, my family always bakes the remainder alongside said pies and then we eat it as a separate dessert. I actually prefer the custard version, and this smells just like it. Buttery, rich pumpkin, definitely not fresh but cooked with some sugar and spices. It also smells like someone upturned a full bottle of molasses into the pumpkin mix, which is amazing. Looking at the notes again I'm honestly shocked there's so much honey here, because BPAL's honey notes tend to completely take over on me and this is not all that sweet. Must be the oudh and resins keeping it in check! This is foodie, but the sweetness mostly just smells like the natural sweetness of a pumpkin; with all those dark, rich notes in the background I think it could easily be unisex.

I wondered why I couldn't find this under the usual sections, until I decided to look it up on the lab's site. It's been discontinued. Sigh. Clearly this one didn't grab my eye much amidst all my other imps; it's my very last tester for a while. Now that I try it, I'm sad I didn't sooner. (Maybe about three years sooner!) This is a dark, dirty patch that sits quite close to the skin, which is quite rare to my nose. Most of the dark patches I like that used to make my dad wrinkle his nose when I was in the room are also quite "big" scents. The cedar and vetiver blend in flawlessly, making this almost a spicy/aromatic scent with the cinnamon dusted over the top. It's spicy and woody but I would describe it as a very dark green scent, nearly black. By traditional definitions it leans masculine, but if you like wood/spice/aromatic (and obviously, patch) perfumes it can definitely be worn by anyone. If I can I'd love to hunt down a bottle.

In the imp: PURE LIQUID BUTTERSCOTCH. I'm trying to come up with a comment that's not me drooling but I've got nothing. On skin, wet: Still mostly butterscotch, although it's settling down slightly and getting darker. Sort of what I imagine butterbeer to smell like. On skin, dry: Butterscotchy still, with a light cidery fermentation note and an extra helping of golden apples. I did not expect this to be so nice, but it's actually an unusual, autumnal foodie fragrance. It's not as sweet as I make it sound by the time it gets to the drydown; it's definitely a crisp apple scent, with the butterscotch settled down into an almost resiny gooiness. I've already got tons of apple scents on the way thanks to this year's Weenies, but this will probably make its way into my collection before too long.

In the imp this is dark and a bit fruity, but once it hits my skin it utterly transforms. I get the feeling this is now what it's supposed to smell like(?), but on me it's warm, syrupy strawberries, like you might find in pie. No grapefruit here at all, unless it's amping up the tartness of the strawberry. There's definitely nothing "screeching" in here, though. Surprisingly wearable, especially considering I rarely wear fruit-heavy scents.

In the imp: Wood with some citrus On skin, wet: So much lemongrass, wow. Also some wood/patch coming in below. The opening reminds me a bit of Van Van with the warm lemon/wood mix. This is slightly brighter and Van Van is more resinous, but they're pretty similar. On skin, dry: Still quite a lot of lemongrass. The rose comes in over time along with the sandalwood, making this a very fresh (almost green) spicy scent. The rose actually stays in the background, for once, and is very fruity. Something (lemongrass and cedar mixing?) is tricking me into thinking there's green cardamom in here, which is not a complaint. The sandalwood is also pretty spicy and is a lovely background to the lemongrass/rose combo. Over time it settles down to be less citrusy and more powdery, but still retains the spicy quality. One of the more unisex rose/sandalwood combos I've smelled. I like this a lot and think it may replace Van Van in my wish list. They're similar on my skin (at least at the start) but this is fresher and feels more versatile. It could easily be a year-round scent.

Actually a retest, but again I didn't make any notes on the first go 'round. All I recalled was that I thought it smelled like dark beer and maybe bread, I loved the whole concept of it, and my mother physically recoiled when she smelled it (lol). That said, this totally does smell like beer. Something like a stout, dark and rich and a bit bitter. It starts out as smelling like dark bread and morphs into beer over time. Throughout there's a fresh green grass note, which to my nose is dewy and almost aquatic. This is an awesome foodie/herbal scent, not at all sweet except the freshness of the grass note. Another that's totally unisex. I love it but have no idea when I would wear it; I get the feeling most people would react like my mom. I really admire BPAL for going for it, though. This is like nothing I've smelled or even seen before.

This starts off like a cherry liqueur and slowly develops into a sharp almond/resin blend with a lot of powder. Unfortunately I think something (maybe the saffron and amber?) is blending to be a very baby powder-esque smell on me, which happens to be one of my least favorite things to smell like. Again, amber does not seem to be for me at all, and even my beloved almonds can't change that. I'll be scrubbing it off.

This smells exactly like Dragon's Blood, but this version doesn't make me itch. Too bad I'm not much of a fan! I keep waiting for the leather and smoke to show up but it's not happening. I guess it's slightly drier than Dragon's Blood alone? You might be better off trying to layer regular Dragon's Blood with a leather or smoke single note.

Oh my. In the imp this is the most gorgeous golden wood blend, and on the skin the trend continues. This is warm, dry, beautiful wood; I can pick out cedar and birch, but not much else. It's very well-blended. As far as herbs go, all I'm getting is a sweet, soft eucalyptus that's totally gorgeous. My nose is basically attached to my arm at this point. Totally unisex. Woody and herbal with just a touch of natural planty sweetness. I need a bottle or five.

This has gone completely powdery on me, which is unusual for a rose blend. This is definitely a pink rose, with some warm, soapy sandalwood underneath and lots of powder on top. The smell is familiar and I couldn't place it for a while, but suddenly remembered; I have a tin of fancy rose mints somewhere and these smell exactly like them. (For the record, they are not actually minty, just sugary and rosy.) I get absolutely no patch out of this, which is doubly odd because my skin tends to like it. On me this is pleasant and sweet, but not overtly sexy--more like a pretty girl getting dressed up for a party than a confident woman out on the prowl. I would love to see something like this with a fruitier red rose.

Hmm. I guess my reaction is "I don't hate it," but I don't think I would get a bottle. Amber seems to love going to powder on my skin so I get no gooey, resinous goodness; only a dry, dusty cinnamon/sandalwood/patch combo. While it's not bad as it is, I'm frustrated I'm not getting the resinous quality. It doesn't smell very sinful, unless it's the sin of leaving these lovely ingredients in a dusty room for so long!

So the syrupy note I didn't like in Dragon's Milk was this all along! It's quite odd on me, sweet like fake candy fruit but with a very sharp, almost metallic edge, and cold. It's also making my wrist a bit itchy, and while there's no visible signs of irritation it's getting scrubbed off right now. I'm not sure I can do the dragon blends, after all.

On me this blends together quite well, into a dense cake (or possibly scone) fragrance. There's a touch of marzipan-esque cherry on top, with maybe some syrup or extra sugar and cream. Very buttery and rich; I prefer it to Eat Me as a gourmand as it's less dry-smelling. However, I have a cake/cookie/pastry scent problem and I'm not sure I really need bottle 58* of things that smell like baked goods. Perhaps in the future this will earn a spot in my collection. *This is an exaggeration, but by less than I'm willing to admit.

Looking at the notes, this should be exactly my kind of fragrance, but something...happened, when it touched my skin. Something very bad. Instead of flowers, wine, and leather, I get an extremely sour fruit note (verging on vinegar), mixed with brand new patent leather. It smells squeaky. Wanda is drinking awful wine in a catsuit, I guess? I'll leave her be and try something else.

I would have guessed this would be a warm scent, but at least on my skin it's cold. There's an icy note at the start and something almost minty that I can't place. The opening is actually kind of weird, and I'm wondering if it's my skin amping something or turning it harsh. Once it settles a bit I can smell the jasmine, but it remains cool and not at all sweet. There's a smokey sort of note, more campfire than incense, and some wood/spice in the base. Those are all more dry than anything, and I find this scent completely unisex. There's no vanilla or rose on me at all. Overall I do like this, but it's nothing like I expected from the notes. I'll pass on a full bottle but I may try it a few more times and try to puzzle out the evolution.

So technically this is my second test of this one, but the first time all I really remember thinking/writing about it was "interesting," "dark," and "probably not a full bottle for me." Wet this is very fruity, almost more plums/prunes(?) than wine, but I guess I'll buy that it's a really dark, old red. It's also medicinal, with some kind of sharp herb that I can't place. It's similar to menthol in feeling but not as minty. As it mellows it's more like a cool spiced wine, which is actually very interesting. Instead of traditional mulling spices it smells like someone tried out some green stuff. I honestly have no idea what ambergris or galbanum smell like on their own, but I assume they're contributing to the deep green/brown spiciness going on here. The wine warms over time and becomes surprisingly pleasant--I'm not a big red wine fan in real life, but I might drink it if it tasted like this! There's also some earthiness in the base. It doesn't actually smell like dirt, but I'd believe the burned grasses (sort of like smoke mixed with hay) and dark woods. This is decidedly unisex--the wine is a bit sweet and the base is a bit dark, but it could easily work on anyone; it's also seriously evocative. Actually, after this second test the scent is growing on me quite a bit, and I might actually get a bottle. It's a moody, deep fragrance and I've never worn anything like it before.

I'm honestly confused by this one, and it's not helping that there are no ingredients/notes listed. In the imp it's rich and golden-smelling, definitely some woods and resins going on. On my skin, it's...a cedar closet. The house I grew up in had one, so I know exactly what they smell like; this scent reminds me of when I'd sneak down to the basement and open the door and just sniff. It's a very dry, sharp cedar, and if there's anything else in here it smothers it completely. I generally do have relatively cool skin but this takes a very long time to warm up on me. When it does it continues to be all cedar, although it takes on a zesty, spicy quality that is everything I love about cedar wood. It sits close to the skin and is not oppressive at all, but when you do get up close to it it has a big presence. Surprisingly I find myself very tempted by a bottle; I think it would layer magnificently, and it's a nostalgic scent for me.

GUH. This is a gorgeous sandalwood, similar to Palmyra's but less resinous and more spicy. There's definitely something fruity in here, although I don't think it's the rose; that's showing up as a soft powdery note on me. Maybe it's just that the sandalwood is so intense that it reads as fruity. I feel like I'm standing in a wooden room (ship's hold?) and I'm sitting on a box of spices, or something. As it starts to dry down there's more rose. It's definitely not a red rose; probably closer to pink or yellow. It's very gentle and soft and continues to be a supporting note to the sandalwood. I can only imagine how gorgeous this will be as it ages. I absolutely must get a bottle. ETA: I spoke too soon! Mere minutes after posting this the rose amped quite a bit. It's now a sweet, spicy pink rose with a rich wood base. Still absolutely gorgeous, but a surprise morpher. I love it in all its stages and may have to hoard it!

I'm starting to see a trend as I try BPAL's vanilla/honey blends--namely, that they're too sweet for me. BPAL's vanilla note is fruity compared to what I'm used to, and with their raw, animalic honey note it's almost too much for my nose. It also has a tendency to go to powder, which is usually not my thing. Because of that, this seems like something I would appreciate much more on someone else. It's light, sweet, and has a nice woody undertone, but the sugariness of it is just not doing it for me. Luckily the initial blast of sweetness does calm down after about fifteen minutes; at that point it settles into honeyed wood with extra sugar on top. I'm really liking the acacia in this and would love to smell it in something else, but otherwise it's a pass for me. Maybe I'm not as "good" as I think, because I'd have to dirty this up (maybe with leather, or smoke, or coffee...) to wear it!

Well, I can safely say now that I love BPAL's grapefruit. It's zingier and juicier than most I've smelled before, with much less bitterness. In this it takes over quite a bit at first, but then the herbs warm up and start to temper it. The chamomile note in this is impressively true-to-life, and the lavender is subtle and more herbal than floral. I've never smelled delphinium on its own before but there is a soft floral in there somewhere, and musk; I'm not sure I'm smelling the current, but it may be blending with the grapefruit. It's a bright salmon pink scent. I don't know that it's a full-bottle scent for me--as far as grapefruit-heavy blends go, I liked Baobhan Sith better--but I'm really enjoying it. It's like a spritz of citrus in a cup of herbal tea.

In the imp: Sort of a generic "clean" scent. Probably green tea and some citrus On skin, wet: Tea, with maybe a touch of peony. I was just about to be disappointed with this one, but then... On skin, dry: Wait a minute, it's bloomed! I've never tried a peony note before, to my knowledge, but it's gone creamy and light and exactly like a peony in real life. I adore peonies. The tea continues to do its thing in the background, but with the peony present it feels much more balanced. There's also something slightly lemony and tart in there...maybe even appley? It goes beautifully with the peony and makes me want to sniff again and again. The throw has even grown slightly as it's warmed to my skin, and I can easily picture myself wearing this all throughout spring.

Despite seeing it in the description, my nose wasn't quite prepared. This is a dead ringer for Irish coffee. There's a boozy note so far back in my nose that I almost taste it, which is nice, and there's an undertone of old leather, paper, and dust. It's actually a dry-ish scent, but it also leans warm. I can imagine it would be very comforting on a cold day, much like the real thing. Completely unisex, completely addictive, and I completely need a bottle right this minute, please!