torischroeder9

In the imp: Apple with an undercurrent of hemlock. On my skin: Wet, apple still dominates, deepened by the hemlock. The impression I get is of a ripe, sweeter apple -- something red rather than a Granny Smith. As it dries, the oleander also makes itself known. At this stage, oleander is the primary note if I sniff close to my skin; however, the apple still has the most waft. By about the thirty-minute mark, most of the apple has disappeared, and the scent is mostly oleander, opium -- now detectable -- and hemlock on my skin. It also has much less sillage than when the apple was prominent. Approximately one hour after application, all of the apple is gone, and only the "poison" remains. The result is soft, dark floral, with oleander as the top note backed by hemlock underneath with just a trace of opium thickening the scent. As someone who often amps apple in a blend, this is pretty interesting to me. That said, I don't know that this is a unique enough floral for me to want to keep it.

In the decant: Okaaaaay... It smells like soap. I know what Sin smells like; I love Sin. I know what Snow White smells like (now, and I'm familiar with it as a component of other Frostbittens); I love that too. But this oil doesn't distinctly smell like either of them to me. On my skin: Oh, okay. Wet, it's Snow White. And then Sin. And then Snow White again. And then Sin again. This continues for several minutes until Snow White basically wins. I note that Frostbitten Sin is a little less sweet than is straight Snow White, so I guess that's the sandalwood and/or patchouli influencing the blend. Hrm. These may actually be two great tastes that taste great separately.

2012 version. In the decant: This is the note I recognize from the Yule 2018 Frostbitten series. It's a round and softly sweet coconut vanilla. On my skin: Wet, it's just as it is in the decant, and dry, that's just how it stays on me. It's delicate and inviting without being too heady or cloying. Though it has very low throw on me, it's utterly gorgeous. Debating whether I need to try to hunt down a bottle. The scent profile is gorgeous, but I'm worried I'll be the only one able to smell me when I'm wearing it.

In the decant: I can smell the dead leaves note but not much else. On my skin: Wet, the dead leaves note is still the most prominent. As it dries, it develops a powdery quality that's neither leaves nor violet nor any kind of sugar or candy but may be the quality of a scent in flux. But, no -- lies! Dead Leaves and Lots of Baby Powder is what stays on my skin for the next hour (until I shower to wash it off). I've not had this reaction to a sugar or violet note before; this is only my second time testing dead leaves.

Review based on a tester decant. Amount of oil may affect my ability to review all aspects completely and accurately. In the decant: Gingerbread at the forefront, Snake Oil underneath. On my skin: Wet, the gingerbread note comes to the forefront. As it dries, the Snake Oil becomes more apparent, though gingerbread remains dominant. After this has been on my skin some time -- about forty-five minutes from the initial application -- this becomes basically Snake Oil on me. By this time, it's very beautiful and aged Snake Oil, of course, but it's mainly Snake Oil nonetheless. Ultimately, not worth me seeking out as a specialty.

Received as a tester decant. Amount of oil may affect ability to fully review. In the decant: Interestingly, when I sniff into the decant vial, I get mainly chocolate. When I sniff the wand of the decant cap, however, I can easily detect the ginger note as well. On my skin: Wet, the chocolate comes to the top first, though the ginger note is close behind it. As it dries, something odd happens. I get the slightly lemony note I sometimes get from ginger or gingerbread -- but without the rest of the ginger(bread) scent profile. So it's now chocolate and sour lemon. I'm cringing a little as I sniff my wrist. After about half an hour the unpleasant sour smell (almost like spoiled yogurt) starts to recede, and the ginger becomes more apparent. With it comes a slightly perfumey aura. Oh, and -- hey! Once that happens, this is a perfectly pleasant ginger (not gingerbread) scent on me. I'm guessing that something about the way the chocolate note and the ginger note interact in this blend and on my skin is what led to the spoiled dairy smell -- and that when the chocolate (often a short-lived note on me) receded, my skin declared ginger the scent war winner. I realize that with a tester, the decision isn't real for me, but if I'd had a larger amount of this scent, I probably would not have kept it. I have chocolate scents I like better for chocolate and ginger scents that aren't so persnickety. Better to send it to skin that doesn't get an unpleasant phase from it.

Disclaimer: I received a tester vial of this. It is always possible that there may be limitations in my review due to the amount of oil. In the decant: Gingerbread, light pepper, and sugared vanilla. On my skin: Wet, the pink pepper is dominant, followed by the gingerbread. Given sufficient time to dry and develop, the pink pepper becomes even more dominant, spicy and ever so slightly floral, though the gingerbread remains detectable. The vanilla sugar is present in that it's keeping everything feeling... almost candy-like (but not in an overly artificial way). It's basically all my favorite parts of Cinnamon Red Hots candy -- real peppery bite with just a bit of sweetness. I don't know how much occasion I'd find to use this as an all-day perfume, but I'm definitely not washing this off tonight. Throw on me is medium.

In the imp: I get more rooty and woody than I do fig. I also smell something that smells... not quite vanilla-y... maybe tonka-y? On my skin: Wet, this is definitely a rooty smell that is by turns vanilla, spice, and mint. (At least, the scent has those qualities, not that it contains those actual ingredients.) Dry, the mint quickly fades, but the round, warm, rooty spice remains. As it develops on my skin, some of the roundness fades, replaced by a soft green note. It's the soft, deep green of living tree branches rather than the sharper, fresher green of grass or the drier green of herbal notes. This is definitely more whole fig tree than fig fruit, but it's pretty great in its complexity. It's rounder and spicier than most wood-central perfumes I own. It's not quite the same, but I'd place this scent as closest to the patchouli-plum-vanilla (minus the red musk) I get from the 2006 Madame Moriarty. It also has a similarly strong (but not overwhelmingly strong) throw on me. Definitely putting this imp into regular rotation. Will also keep the idea of a bottle in the back of my mind.

In the imp: Mint, something musky, and something... almost vanilla or buttery? On my skin: Mint, yes, but I'm also sticking to that vanilla/buttery claim. As it dries, I want to call that note black musk and something else, though I don't know what the something else is. The white musk is also very definitely present, though it's more helping waft the other notes than it is commanding nose attention itself. Sadly, the black musk plus stage doesn't last past the initial drydown. Incubus becomes mint, nicotiana, and sage floating on white musk for me. It's ethereal in a way that's more haunting than angelic or pretty (though it's a very elegant scent), but it's just not me. Throw is light to medium.

In the imp: That is some vetiver right there. Also, smoke. But the smoke note is distinct from the vetiver. On my skin: Vetiver, and... not quite smoke... more like char. After about 10 minutes, it turns to vetiver, woods, and soap. Yeah, folks. Vetivery, woody, charred soap is where this one stays on me. This is a BPAL secretly in love with someone else's skin chemistry.

In the imp: Apple and hyacinth with dragon's blood underneath. The dragon's blood is fairly faint at this stage, so it's mainly the apple and floral. On my skin: Wet, it's apple and dragon's blood. Not too surprising since these are two notes that typically dominate others on me. It will be fun to see what they do when they have to compete with each other. And the winner is... hyacinth? Early in the drydown At approximately the half hour mark, apple becomes the dominant note, with both hyacinth and dragon's blood detectable as accents. (I can't detect the apple blossom as distinct from the apple or the hyacinth.) For the next half hour, both apple and hyacinth fiddle around for a bit, vying to become the top note. Dragon's blood remains a detectable background note. This is... weird on me. If it was just apple and hyacinth, I might call it mostly floral. But with the dragon's blood, it's three very distinct notes that never quite blend into one perfume on me. Throw is just on the short side of medium for me.

In the imp: Sandalwood with a touch of amber. On my skin: Wet, it's predominantly sandalwood, though there's nothing harsh about it, which makes me think the amber is affecting the blend, even if I can't detect it quite yet. As it dries, the rose-infused amber comes to the foreground. As someone who often amps rose to high heaven, this is a lovely variant on it. The note is definitely amber tinged by rose, not rose overtaking everything. Given some time to develop, however, the rose does amp considerably on my skin. It's not as overwhelming as rose often is on me -- and the quality of the rose is excellent, sweet and pure and not a bit soapy -- but this has become decidedly rose-dominant, with a faint undercurrent of amber and an even fainter undercurrent of sandalwood. After about an hour of wear, the amber starts to turn the scent powdery though the rose is still present. I can't see this ending well from here. It's a lovely scent in its best phase, but it's just not of the note profile I like to wear a lot. If, however, you are a person who would like to wear rose but on whom rose often becomes a hot screaming mess, this would be an excellent scent to try.

In the decant: Very difficult to distinguish individual notes. It's deep and a bit sweet but not overly so. On my skin: The first note to hit me is almost smoky, though gently so -- snuffed out candles, not raging bonfire. As it dries, I can pick out the redwood, myrrh, and fig -- in that order, so it's a woody scent rounded out by the fig. Given some time to settle, the fig develops into the main note, with myrrh, amber, and redwood all playing supporting roles. Sweet orange makes the briefest of appearances, and nutmeg is barely detectable, adding some gentle spice to the sweetness of the fig. Not too long after that, however, the black musk shows up and starts turning Aeronwen to powder, something that has lately been happening much more than usual. Let me stash this decant in the "retest in a couple of weeks or so" row.

In the imp: Oleander with honey underneath. On my skin: Wet, the trend reverses, and it's mostly honey with some oleander in the background. But it's not done sorting itself out yet. Once dry, the oleander redominates. It goes back and forth for a bit -- not wildly, just a little off center -- before settling down to be oleander and honey in fairly equal amounts. Floral oleader is the note in the forefront, but it's definitely sweetened and deepened by the backing of the honey. This may be one of the best balanced Apiary blends I've tried.

In the imp: A sweet fermented scent, like a hard apple cider. If I sniff again, I can also detect honey. On my skin: Wet, the apple cider note comes to the surface first. Quickly afterward, the scent develops a note I'd almost place as caramel. Dry, it's appley and carmely, but there's also an element of ginger spice to it. I've concluded that what my brain is interpreting as caramel must be the honey note playing funny with the mushrooms and/or apple rootstock. I can't tell if it really does smell different, of if my nose is smelling apple, and so my brain is going "caramel!" After about forty-five minutes, I have to admit defeat. It's very sweet and very appley, and it's just not working out for me. Medium throw.

Aged (apx 7 years?). In the imp: Patchouli, sugar, vanilla, other spicy notes I can't identify. On my skin: Wet, it's vanilla and patchouli. Dry, I get a lot of lovely patchouli with some spice -- and some sugar overlaying all of it. The sugar is enough to take the edge off of the patchouli, but it's not really a terribly sweet blend on me. For a time, the vanilla basically disappears, though it does reemerge -- as a backing note -- after about thirty minutes of wear time. Aaaaand that's about where it stops on me. I don't know that it's a particularly "sexy" scent on me, though I know Snake Oil does have that reputation. Even aged, the patchouli note is just a little... dirty? (but in the "dirt" sense of the word)... on me. The spice and vanilla notes let it veer somewhat near, but not into, foody territory. Of all the BPAL blends I've tried, Snake Oil "feels" closest to Vixen, not necessarily in notes (though there is similarity) but in overall... aura? It's a very nice, grounded scent that I never find unworkable.

In the imp: White musk and frankincense. On my skin: Wet, the frankincense is dominant. As it dries, the frankincense remains in the foreground, touched by a bit of white musk and a bit of bourbon vanilla. It's a soft, round, creamy, sedate blend. I'm curious to see how it will pair with both busier, more effervescent RPG scents as well as with heavier, darker ones.

In the imp: Honey mixed with a sharp, deep, greenness. On my skin: Wet, it's predominantly honey. As it dries, it develops a facet that's almost evergreen and almost waxy. Aaaand... this is where it stays on me. It's actually very nice on me. The green note keeps the honey from veering into cloying territory. Unfortunately, the fact that my skin reads hemlock like evergreen makes this a honey scent with limited usefulness on me. Medium throw.

In the imp: Dragon's blood, pepper, and the cinnamon-candy kind of cinnamon. On my skin: Wet, I can only smell dragon's blood at first, though my skin can definitely feel the spices. (Just a warm tingling right now, which is common for me.) As it dries, I get more of the cinnamon-candy smell. I can still detect the dragon's blood underneath, and I suspect that hours from now, it's the dragon's blood that will remain longest. But for now, the scent seems content to be cinnamon candy on me. I have many fond memories of cinnamon candy, so this scent doesn't exactly evoke Wrath for me, but it's fun nonetheless. I'd be interested to layer this with something like Sin (which purports to contain cinnamon but which always leaves me wanting additional cinnamon). Throw is on the stronger side of average on me.

In the imp: Have you ever peeled cucumbers and then left the peels in the garbage in the hot sun? This smells like that. On my skin: Still more hot, rotting cucumber peel. As it dries down, that note becomes strong -- but no longer unconscionably strong -- vetiver. I also detect the roughly cured leather. At about the half hour mark, the musk starts to be a factor, and for me, it is, by this time, a very welcome note indeed. It smells... kind of like fog. So now, it's grass and fog and also some rough-grain leather. So it's still weird. But much more manageable than hot garbage cucumber. Finally, at the hour mark (it may change beyond this, but I'm seeing a definite trend), it's musk in the foreground over leather and vetiver. It's fairly dry, but it's loads nicer than in the imp. I'm curious to see how it pairs with some of the lighter, more effervescent RPG layering blends.

In the imp: Lavender, rosewood, and amber. On my skin: Wet, lavender and rosewood are strongest, with the fougere having an almost citrusy quality. As it dries, the citrusy element tamps down, and it's mainly lavender and rosewood on me. Even at this stage, it's very well-blended. Though I can pick out elements of the individual notes, they're not fighting one another for supremacy. At approximately the half hour mark, I can detect the floral-type notes receding just a bit and the tonka and patchouli perking up. After about forty-five minutes, however, that slight shift in balance is holding steady. "Deceptively genteel" is an excellent descriptor for this. If masculine, it is quite genteel, though it could easily be a scent for all genders. And yes, just a bit spooky. Throw is on the stronger side of average.

In the imp: Caramelized brown sugar. On my skin: Wet, it still wants to smell like caramelized brown sugar, though the honey is quick to make itself known. It actually doesn't take long for this to become mainly sugar cane and honey on my skin. Though it's still very sweet, it loses the caramelized, almost burny note that it had when wet. After about half an hour, the oak also becomes discernible, though just enough to be a grounding note for all the sweet. It's actually pleasant enough on me, though it's potentially cloying enough as to be a cooler weather scent -- and I have cooler weather scents with more complexity already.

In the imp: Grassy vetiver, sharp leather, and slightly powdery black musk. The notes are fighting with each other, and I'm almost afraid to put it on my skin. On my skin: Wet, it smells a lot like the fumes from very cheap plastic. As it dries and develops, I get whiffs of pleasant enough black musk and leather from afar. However, sniffing up close, it's still plasticky and kind of hellacious. After about half an hour, I can say that it has calmed down a bit, enough for me to pick out the vetiver and the wet leather. But to my nose, this is very sharp yet. Once an hour has passed, the scent has calmed down some more thought the scent profile hasn't changed. It's better now that it isn't screaming throw, but as this turns out on my skin, it's nothing I want to wear -- or that I want anyone else to wear while they're near me.

In the imp: Amber and black musk. It's gently sweet, resinous, and the musk is a bit powdery. On my skin: In other blends, both black musk and amber tend to be slow to develop on my skin, so I was curious, in a blend with just these two notes, which would be first. Turns out, it's completely powdery black musk straight out of the gate. I should note that this powder is quite a bit nicer than baby powder and evokes more images of ornate, antique dresser mirrors than it does of diapers. That said, after about 45 minutes of wear, it's still powdery black musk. I know the amber exists because I smelled it in the vial, but it has yet to make a noticeable appearance on my skin. It takes an hour for the amber to arrive, its resinous scent profile beginning to counterbalance the black musk. And in fact, it seems like my skin starts to eat up the blend before the amber can really get going. Not quite ready to give up on this one yet. Will try again in a week or two when my body chemistry has recalibrated. Edit 2/18 -- Tried again. Lightly lemon-scented powder. Not objectively bad on me, but not what I'd wanted from this blend.

In the imp: Steel with an undercurrent of leather. On my skin: Wet, the steel note is initially strongest, but the musk note makes a play for attention as well. [I ended up getting distracted during the drydown and development and so don't have record of it. That said, it really didn't change much on me.] An hour in, and the metallic note is by far the most prominent. The musk, I think, is giving it good throw. The leather is detectable only as a trace grounding note.