porcelina

i can't say too much about rose red that hasn't already been said- it does have that juicy, fresh, blooming rose smell and it is quite gorgeous, but the green notes go funny on me and it turns all sour. i'm sad. i think i will have to try this in a scent locket. edit: after a few minutes, the sour note disappeared and this is all lovely and rosey again. i never thought i would actually like a straight-up floral, but i guess i do like this after all!

mmm. in the bottle, it's sweet, buttery and nutty, like those roasted candied nuts they sell in paper cones at fairs and such, and there's a hint of fresh pine. it doesn't smell much different on my skin except that the smoke comes out a bit. it's chestnuts roasting on an open fire in a cozy wood cabin with a great big fresh-cut christmas tree. it's comforting and warm... like many of the reviewers above me, i think this would be a fabulous room scent and i think i am gonna have to buy more sometime before christmas just for that purpose.

purple is my favorite color, so i just had to try purple phoenix. i received a decant of it today and it is quite nice! in the bottle: i mostly smell the violet and lilac, with a bit of grape- and a tiny bit of myrrh? wet: tons of lilac and violet again. i smell a faint grapey/winey note which is surprising because my skin normally amps anything even remotely boozy (what does that say about me, i wonder... haha) dry: it is stll very floral, but not an annoying, powdery floral- it's fresh and lovely and decidedly purple! i want more of this.

bottle: all i smell is the prickly pear. it's juicy and sweet. wet: i love this. it smells like warm wind (i'm sure the amber helps with this) and flowers and yes, i still pick up on the yummy prickly pear. dry: as it dries it just gets warmer and more pleasant, with sweet florals (and i don't typically enjoy florals!) and an herbal spiciness. it is dusty in a good way (not necessarily powdery). i really really love it. maaaarrrrvelous!

bottle: this is pine, make no mistake, but it is not dark or powdery like a lot of pine-flavored things tend to be (or perhaps i just have a powdery, spicy association with pine because of this pine incense my dad used to burn?)- this is not a woody pine, it really is green and wet and fresh and sappy and sweet and wonderful! wet: just fresh, green, maybe sticky pine. i feel like i'm in a forest. dry: augh! it turned to crappy pine-scented soap! nooo. i so liked this one. whatever.

first, a warning- i put bengal on my wrist with no problems, but when i dabbed it behind my ears and on my neck the next day, it BURNED like CRAZY for a couple of minutes. in the bottle: for some reason this smells like gulab jamun (sp?), a dessert i've had at lots of indian restaurants, only spicier, although as far as i know that doesn't have cinnamon in it (it does have cardamom in it, although that's not listed in the description for bengal). wet: definitely get the skin musk, some pepper plus the cinnamon and it's waaay heavy on the cloves which is fabulous because i love cloves. dry: all musk and saffron and pepper with a hint of clove and a little honey sweetness. i like this. a lot. it's hot and peppery and delicious. the honey is mostly overpowered by the spice, unfortunately, but i can't complain because this is a really amazing scent on me!

in bottle: cherry cough syrup. wet: ludens wild cherry cough drops and incense. dry: cough drops and licorice. dry, way later: licorice and a tinytiny bit of musk. eep. this is not for me.

bottle: rose and jasmine with a hint of bitterness- the myrrh wet: rancid cigarette smoke dry: pure burnt plastic with a hint of rose and jasmine alas, i must not be cut out for the business of being a wicked queen.

In the imp: Dormouse smells like lemon tea. I don't get any peony, sadly. Wet: No more tea. LEMONS Dry: Quickly fading lemons. It's a very fresh, tart, sweet kinda lemon, like lemonade. Sometimes lemon cookies. Definitely not dish soap lemon. It's nice, but not for me- it fades too fast

in the bottle- a really heady, sweet, full-bodied but fresh green floral... the boozey notes make it a lot richer. it is somehow darker-smelling than any other floral i've tried (they usually don't work well with my skin or my nose at all). wet- it's a lot more pungent; the scent is sharper and i smell a little beer but combined all together you don't really notice that it's beer... this is indescribably lovely. dry- dandelion with a whiff of fresh tobacco... wow, i absolutely love this. roadhouse was a random "haha i wonder what the hell THIS smells like?" selection in my first BPAL order... and it is still my absolute favorite. i have never smelled anything like it and it's absolutely divine with my skin chemistry. i really think this is one that you just *have* to try.

I get no banana. In the bottle it's vaguely green and fruity but on me it's just generic florals and some sort of salty aquaticness. Definitely swapping this one!

Bottle: Buttery rum. But more butter than anything. Wet: BUTTER BUTTER BUTTER. A little sweet. But man, does this smell like BUTTER. Dry: I get the spices, but it smells too much like a crappy autumn candle you'd buy at Hallmark or something. I smell something a little bit crisp, which is exciting because that's more how I expected this to smell- a combination of crispness and warmth and spices and pumpkin and oh, I love fall. But I don't love Jack. I don't smell any pumpkin at all! How can this be?!

In bottle: Deep, dark chocolate. I normally hate chocolate-scented lotions, scents or candles, but this is the real deal. Wet: Deeper, darker chocolate! I pick up the wine, too- it makes it very rich and rounded. If I didn't know there was supposed to be wine in here, I wouldn't be able to say what it was, but the overall effect is delicious. It starts to smell kinda like coffee after a few seconds- really good coffee. Dry: Still chocolate, though less rich. I get a LOT of wine now and a vague coppery scent. Overall this is fantastic, although I don't think I would use it as a personal scent.

Imp: First sniff all I get is rose, but it's not the really fresh, blooming rose I expected, just an artificial perfumey sorta rose. Then the leather takes over. Me: Whether it's wet or dry makes no difference- the instant this stuff touches my skin, it turns immediately to a very realistic portrayal of burnt plastic. Yech.

In the bottle: First it smells kinda like almond oil or baby oil or something, but after inhaling for a second or two it develops into full-on honey. Mm. On me, wet: Honey, somehow extra sugary-sweet. On me, dry: SICK. O has gone completely rancid on me after all of two minutes. It just smells absolutely rotten and vile! This is apparently another of those scents everyone raves about (like Snake Oil!) that my skin utterly despises. I will try it again in a week or so as I've noticed things smell different on me at different times of the month but for now... ughh.

Port Royal actually reminds me a lot of Caliban... it's got a similar sort of semi-aquatic salty spicy thing going on. The floral perfume is there but it fades quickly. Once it's dry, all I can smell is salt, spice, maybe a hint of rum (I wish there was more!) and a trace of wood. It has a lot of depth to it. I like it, but not as much as I expected to... I'm not crazy about it.

bottle: a clean smell (linen) with something sharper- the ginger, i think. after the i get a lingering spicy undertone of pepper. interesting. something darker- the tea and pepper, i think. on me (wet): wow. strong tea, lotsa pepper. definitely smell the linen, but it sort of blends in with the tea. the ginger comes across as oddly citrusy. on me (dry): all linen. still a lil pepper. i love the pepper. later: it got much creamier- no more tea, lighter on the linen, and darkened by pepper. i like this. it's unusual in a good way. i think i may have to spring for a big bottle! i also think it would be very nice as a room scent.