AEris

This is for Haunted Palace '07. Woah, this is one of those scents where I can smell every note!! At first, it's musky, rosy amber, and I can smell gardenia, and vanilla, and.... ....and then, it quickly morphs to smell like incense. Specifically, myrrh. I don't know if it's the combination of notes that cause this effect, or if there's myrrh in the blend and it's not listed as a note, but it just doesn't love me like it did when it was wet. It ends up smelling very simple, plain, and flat on my skin. Cursed chemistry!! This started out so awesome! 3 out of 5

This scent does not use the same kind of jasmine that I've found disappointing in other BPAL blends. It is not the sharp, piercing type of jasmine; it's the smooth, heady, dewy, fresh blossom. However, the jasmine note is not a dominant force, as others have pointed out. For this reason, I was pretty bummed out the first time I sampled it, because (good) jasmine is one of my favorite notes. The second time I tried it, I kept more of an open mind. I had the scent description in front of me as a guide as it wafted up to me, ready for examination. Jasmine Cottage is a beautiful symphony of wildflowers and herbs and greenery. I can pick up notes as I focus on them, including freesia, orange blossom, wisteria, and heather. As a whole, they blend together to create a happy, sunshiney flower garden. This is a joyful blend, and would be perfect on a fresh, bright spring day. I like it a lot, but it's raining out today, so I'm going to save the full-on-slather test for nicer weather. 4.3 out of 5

A very soft, feminine floral blend. The rose and the lily balance one another perfectly, as if they're on a fine-tipped fulcrum, and the effect is interesting. I think I am also picking up on faint white musk, and there is something strangely aquatic about this blend, although I can't put a finger on what is creating that quality. I wouldn't reach for this to wear because it's not to my taste, but I appreciate it and find it pleasant nonetheless. For pretty, romantic girls. 3.8 out of 5

This is a soft, soapy herbal floral. The lavender in this blend is not sharp, piercing, or medicinal at all. It blends with the other notes in such a way that it becomes a background note. The orchid is actually more prominent than the rose, in my opinion. I can't say that I'm even picking up on any rose. The musk and frankincense also play in to soften the edges of the floral/herbal notes. I can see why some people would love this blend. However, my personal overall impression is that it smells too soapy and ordinary on my skin. 3.3 out of 5

I'm stealing all of these recs, by the way.... Succubus smells like green, sharp neroli in the imp, but it is one of the most morphy BPALs ever - it immediately changes into a lovely soft floral as soon as it hits my skin. It's absolutely lovely, a must-try for a neroli/orange blossom seeker!! Succubus is one of my favorite GCs, I really don't wear it often enough. Now I want to get home for some slathery goodness!

When I opened the imp and smelled the warm myrrh, I got excited and slathered the wand on my wrist, something I don't typically do without confirming true lurve with a drop-on-the-finger test. Oops. Looking at the notes, I fully expected to be blown away, but I'm actually not digging the narcissus here at all. It smells spicy rather than powdery, and reminds me of carnation, which I totally hate. Also, the opium isn't resinous, it's floral like in Opium Poppy, and I'm bummed. And stinky. Gotta get this off.... Not for me. 2.4 out of 5

Hmm, this is almost too sophisticated for me. It reminds me of classical commercial perfumes, but it doesn't stoop that low - it's still got BPAL class to it, don't get me wrong. An interesting sweetness emanates from the copal and tonka, which nicely balances out the old-ladyish florals, which I'm not wild about. I could see this working very well on some people, but it's outside of my range. 3.5 out of 5

oh WOW, this is unexpectedly wonderful!! Anyone who likes Anactoria absolutely must try Hellfire. It has the same gorgeous honeyed amber musk, just Addictively Perfect!! I can also smell the leather, which actually is working very nicely. The tobacco, I'm not picking out quite as much, but it's there, adding depth to an already deep scent. Gorgeous golden musk, I love it!! 4.6 out of 5

Wow, what an interesting scent! Wet, the lavender is potent and dominant. Immediately upon skin contact, it morphs into something completely different!! It's a resinous scent with a lovely contrasting creamy woodiness from the sandalwood, and a swirl of sweet tobacco. An expertly blended work of art, and I'm very impressed that it's this nice on me. Not too sweet, not too woodsy, not cloying, not sharp. Just pleasant. I would love to wear this on a snowy winter night, nestled cozily indoors, near a stone hearth with a crackling fire blazing....sipping on a fine scotch. Mmmmmmmmm.....can't wait for winter! 4.5 out of 5

I can smell musk, dragon's blood, tobacco, and ginger. I can not detect cinnamon or pepper. This is a glorious, resinous, distinctively BPAL, yum-yum-yo-yeah scent. It has a masculine feel to it, but it's also smooth and warm and welcoming, without the sharpness that I sometimes associate with classically male blends. My overall impression is of a soft incense. It's lovely. Dragon's Blood fans will love the sweetness of the resin to be complemented by musky tobacco and a hint of spicy ginger. A winner! 4.3 out of 5

I'm not getting the same experience as those of you who love this scent. I smell a soft, unremarkable floral jumble, with no tea, mint, or red currant. I'm sad, because after reading some of the reviews, it should be high up on my list of lurve. Sadly, none of the good stuff is coming out on me. My encounter with The East matches that of soonyi. Bummer! Off to try some more BPAL.... 3.2 out of 5

Asian pear, white musk, bamboo pulp, violet, ambergris, sugar cane, night-blooming jasmine, plum, freesia, and moss. Peacocks is a nice scent, but for my taste, it's a little too sweet and fruity, along the lines of Cheshire Moon, Sugar Moon, and fresh Juliet (although Peacocks is a different scent altogether). Wet: The first impression is that it's heavy on the pear. There almost seems to be a hint of citrus, but this may be from the dominant pear note. I can't seem to pick up on the rest of the listed notes, as the fresh fruit note is right up front, along with the sweet sugar cane. After a few minutes: Now I'm starting to pick up on the freesia, and maybe some other notes, which give the sweet pear an herbal/floral background. In fact, now I'm reminded of Singing Moon. Overall: It's a pleasant scent, but a bit too much fruit to be something that I'd reach for (I'm not all that drawn to fruity scents, they really have to blow me away to impress me). I'm also disappointed that I never picked out jasmine, violet, or musk. 3.8 out of 5

The pinnacle of wealth, luxury, self-indulgent pleasure, voluptuousness and sensuality. Bright violet with sweet clove, Mediterranean incense notes and tonka bean. This smells like violet and Dragon's Blood on me. It's absolutely to die for, I totally love it! A must-try for those of you who are open to both powdery florals and creamy resins. It does have great lasting power. Win!! 4.7 out of 5

Yeah, I have to agree that there's something *else* going on here that differentiates Wensleydale from Dirty. There's a hint of sweetness....whether it's gardenia, sweet pea, pear, or what have you, I'm not sure what it is (or even if it's fruit or sweet floral). It's just an immaculately clean scent, heh. I liked but didn't lurve Dirty, as it's outside of my range of scent categories to obsess over. However, Wensleydale is encouraging me to make an exception. I would say that it's more feminine than unisex on me, but that's mainly due to the sweet note wafting through the clean soapy cotton. After wearing it for a few minutes, I am also getting the slightest hint of the fairest, palest musk. I was going to wear Snake Oil today, but now I feel like smelling bright, fresh, and clean all day. I chose it over Snake Oil! !!A Winner!! 4.6 out of 5

The sweet, woody, and leathery notes combine to smell like a soft, creamy sandalwood on me. It's a lovely scent, not too overpowering, and decidedly not exactly masculine with my chemistry. Unfortunately, after about an hour or so, it starts to smell plasticky. It was a promising start, but just didn't end up working out. 3.5 out of 5

A soft, light scent. I do get "banana" when I concentrate on it, but I don't think I would have thought of that on my own : -) I don't smell sandalwood at all. This is not an incensey scent like I expected; rather, it's a sweet and understated scent. It's kind of hard to describe because it's so mellow. I see above that this blend apparently has lotus in it, which has a candyish, bubblegum fragrance. I can't say for myself because I've never smelled any lotus-dominated scents, but maybe that's what makes people say banana...? It's so faint, I will have to try it out sometime when I just want to do some meditation or centering. 3.8 out of 5 Edit to add: Hmm, some of the older reviews say that the oil is a deep golden brown color. My imp is a light, clear oil, almost completely colorless. I wonder if that's why I don't smell any sandalwood?

This smells medicinal. Wet, it's more intensely sharp and pungent than it is dry. It starts out strongly minty/menthol, and as it dries down, a lavender note comes out. Once it's dried down more, it just smells faintly of mint until it disappears. I can see why this might help with headaches. It's not perfume to me, though. 2.5 out of 5

A clean, soapy floral. I can't pick out any notes or components, but it's a nice wildflower scent. A little too powdery and fresh for me to wear often, but it's pretty nonetheless. 3.5 out of 5

1st impressions on skin: I'm so bummed! I don't know if I got a bottom-of-the-batch bottle or what, but the cedar is the only note that comes out on me. In the bottle, it's an interesting herbal scent with a hint of sweet resin, but 2 minutes on my skin, and all I can smell is "pencil shavings steeped in perspiration" (thanks to CordeliaSeduced for that quote). I guess Dragon Moon 08 just wasn't meant to be for me. It sounded so awesome, too! Sadness. 15 minutes later: Hmm, the cedar note (sawdust B.O.) has really faded considerably. Maybe I judged this one too quickly. I was kind of jealous, reading all the rave reviews and just getting cedar once it touched my skin! But now that it's dried down, it's really strange. My overall impression is that I smell myrrh, and that it smells kind of like a drier, herbal-tinged version of Queen of Clubs. Which doesn't say anything too useful at all, now, does it? I'm still not sure how I feel about it, I'm going to have to slather it on someday where I'll have time to give it more of a chance. Also, I feel that Dragon Moon 08 could benefit significantly from being set aside to age a few months. Feeling waffle-y....that cedar drydown is just truly awful on me! For now, I'll say: 4 out of 5

I get a creamy vanilla tobacco from this. Maybe a swirl of musk...I can't pick up on the leather. I bet if this was layered with Antique Lace, it would be reminiscent of Black Lace. It's pleasantly decent, and simple. It's unremarkable and plays it safe with my chemistry. I like it, but I'm not swooning. 3.5 out of 5

Yum! This definitely has some cinammony-type note going on, with a smooth, rich amber. It's a little masculine, but still has a warm sweetness to it. I'm reminded of Chimera....This is like, Chimera for Him. I don't know why I feel like it's manly, I just do. I'm sure tons of ladies pull it off just fine, but with my skin, I'm feeling like I smell like a guy. A warm, slightly spicy, proud scent. Impressively accurate to its namesake. 4.2 out of 5

Wow, add me to the list of people who are amazed by the clean-laundry Dead On scent. It's not just the smell of laundry detergent, it's the smell of sticking your face in crisp cotton sheets warming in the sun. It's a wonderful scent-memory kind of scent. I don't see myself reaching for it on any regular basis, but for people who love clean, fresh scents, this is a must-try. 3.8 out of 5

Frimp from the lab - Thanks guys!! Wet, this smells cloyingly buttery and foody, and I'm a bit put off. However, after a few minutes of mellowing out, it dries out into a yummy, sweet, pumpkin-ey autumn spice blend. There's still a foody buttery note, but it's more in the background, giving the blend a foody quality. I'm surprised at how much I like this. It makes me want Fall to be here! I can't wait for the leaves to start turning and for the cool autumn air to start breezing in. I am going to hold on to my imp 'till then, and if it gets a lot of rotation, it's a potential 5mL purchase. This is like Pumpkin Pie, whereas Pumpkin Cheesecake is the creamy, more decadent version. This could help me stretch out my PC decant even longer, like eating an apple when I'm craving apple streusel heheh Over 400 reviews! How have I missed out on a scent this popular for this long?? : -) 4.5 out of 5

A flirty, heady, happy fruity floral. It really smooths out after it dries down a little bit, and it's yummy. It smells like drinking tropical mixed drinks with gorgeous, lush blooms bursting out everywhere. It starts out a little candy-ish, but after a minute or two it just blossoms into fantabulasticness. Love it! Absolutely appropriate, a summer scent that everyone should try!! 4.7 out of 5

Yeah, I have to agree with those that said this smells like Snow White, yet more pleasant (because SW was a dusty, awful mess with my chemistry). Dana smells like any commercial "almond/milk/honey" product to me, someone above mentioned Burt's Bees almond hand cream and I was reminded of the same thing. Still, it's really soft and pretty and subtle. If someone else was wearing this, I would probably sniff away. It's not really my style, but I can see its charm and popularity. Pretty, just not me. Wayyy better than Snow White, in my opinion. 3.7 out of 5