cchampio

Chuparosa was all floral and cinnamon on my skin, both in equal measure. It’s a pleasant combination. Is the floral really roses, or is my brain tricked by the name? It starts out rose to me, then becomes a more complex floral when it dries. Unfortunately it doesn’t last long at all, so I didn’t get that more complex smell for long. I can’t vouch for the voodoo effects of this one. However, considering my unadulterated bitchiness over the past few days, Chuparosa may have kept the simmering marriage conflicts from boiling over. I’ll give it a few more chances to do its work. Keep the imp, but no plans for a bigger commitment right now.

I can’t decide how I feel about Lampades. On me, the cranberry is definitely in the forefront, tangy and sweet, but mostly tangy. It’s not a “foody” smell to me, though. It doesn’t make me hungry, and I don’t think I smell like a cocktail. There are other notes back behind the berry that make this more complex, but none of them stand out enough to me to be identified (likely the fault of my inexperienced nose). I can just tell there’s something nice back there. And that’s just it- it’s nice but no more. A light, lasting, sweet-tart smell on my skin, but I don’t love it yet. And there are so many others I do love, so I’ll keep the imp and see what happens.

My husband's first impression of Dragon's Heart is, "You smell like a (Hindu) temple." I can't disagree. Something about the combination of the incense note (the dragon's blood resin?) and the sweetness (the fruit notes?) combines into a smell that seems sacred, very warm-- hot even, and just a little bit exotic and potentially chaos-inducing. Wearing this makes me feel strong and all prowl-ey. Like I'm the goddess of the temple. Doesn't last terribly long, will need this in 5ml increments to allow for the inevitable re-applying. Also, note to self, try other dragon scents.

I was cautious about Vixen, due to the patchouli. I associated it with, well, hippies and headshops. Silly me. I just smell delightful! It seems to me like a light floral with a deep underpinning of spice and sweetness. Hubby says I smell like vanilla, but I don't get a foody vibe off this one. Just roundness and warmth and smoothness. And sexiness. I think there's definite sexiness in this one... Something I'll wear around the house on a cozy, lazy, bed day. Damn, the 5ml list is getting long.

When I started researching what BPAL scents to order, I immediately picked out Belle Epoque because of the Lily of the Valley note. She didn't let me down! In the imp and wet, I get something that reminds me of candy, maybe the vanilla. Ordinarily it's not my favorite, but here it's nice. The dry scent is more developed, especially over the course of the day. I'm getting my beloved lily of the valley with notes that compliment it and mkae it more sophisticated. My hubby immediately picked up the sandalwood. He says the scent makes him think of a peaceful temple. I can't disagree. I would be happy to smell like this every day. Of course, I can't because I'm coming to love too many scents and couldn't settle for one. Belle Epoque goes on the 5 ml list!

Has no Hanna is BPAL number four for me. It's a very stressful time (buying a house, getting ready to go on a short road trip with extended family, then a trip overseas, and more!), so I could use a little uplifting and good luck. Wet, and in the imp, I get ? melon? Watery, with some herbs behind it. Later, mmmm.... it's dried to a slightly sweet, but not overpowering floral, and again, the herbs are behind giving it depth. I like it a lot. After three re-applys today, it seems like it's going to last about 3-4 hours on my skin, which is okay because I like both the wet and the dry versions. As for the voodoo potential, our home inspection today turned up no big surprises, and acutally a few things were better than we suspected about the house Also, I was worried that I didn't have enough cash on me to do all the copying and faxing, but the bill came out one dollar less than the cash in my pocket. And my husband was waiting for a call for several days from a colleague, and the call finally came with good news. I told him some of the oil must have rubbed off on him! Last, this is the point before a trip when I would usually be snappy and running around like a chicken with its head cut off, but instead, I think I've got it pretty much together this time. Must keep HNH on until the plane takes off! Has no Hanna is a keeper, and on the 5ml list!

Florence is immediately VERY sweet and floral on me. Virgin nose here, so I can't pick out the note exactly, but something in this smells exactly like the air freshener or fancy soaps that my grandma had in her bathroom when I was a kid. Maybe the Iris? For me, it's all bathroom. Maybe someone else can love it without any weird childhood connotation. Sorry, Florence, off to the swap pile for you.

Oh, Bastet. I wanted so to love you. Oops, newbie imp-opening accident means I applied substantially more than I intended. Note to self, more wiggling, THEN pop the top! In imp, and wet, she seems mostly spice, in a very nice way. Like opening up my (Indian spice heavy) spice cabinet, one of my favorite "naturally occurring" scents. Must be the cardamom and saffron. Later, now I smell what people mean by something going to powder. I guess she's a nice powder. A musk-y, incense-y, very sweet powder. And she seems to be lasting forever! Damn, it's been more than 12 hours since I applied and a couple of hours since I scrubbed my wrists while I was washing dishes, and I can still smell her. Well, I'm glad she works for so many, but she's not to my taste. Another chance, and then maybe out to swap.

Okay, my first "taste" of BPAL! I decided to start out with Twilight. I love honeysuckle, and I like lavender and jasmine. I wanted to see how they play together. At first, the lavender is so assertive, it's almost piney. I can't smell much else, hope the other florals jump in soon. When it dries, it's so nice. I smell the jasmine most strongly now, with a nice lavender under it. It's like a duet, with the lavender a grounding alto and the jasmine a light soprano. But where's the honeysuckle?!? Is it just too quiet behind all that jasmine? I keep catching sniffs of myself and thinking, "ooh, that's nice." Relaxing, but not sleepy. After about 3 hours, Twilight has faded, and I need a re-apply. I guess it's sort of like its namesake: transient and beautiful.