skyturtles

Wet: It smells Middle-Eastern, or perhaps Arabian, with jasmine & amber & myrhh. Roses? It's getting more floral the more I wait. It started off sexy & bold but is softening down to a powdery, innocent seduction. This isn't my jam but it's an interesting, well-made blend, to start off with. Now it's just kind of a baby wipe scent. Lolita...? Lacey & racey? I'm done.

How have I not written a review for Rose Cross yet?? The imp of unknown age that I have has been getting a lot of love from me in the past couple of months. The first time I sniffed it, I was taken back to a winter over a decade ago spent as a very poor college student in frozen Norway. Something here reminds me of that time. Rose is quite hit or miss with me; in fact, I think this is the first rose-forward BPAL scent to be a winner with me. The frankincense is soft and not smokey. This is also the first GC bottle that I've purchased new from the lab. It is clean and soapy, yet churchy, and floral. It's a funeral mass for that old lady who just loved her pink roses.

I was hoping this would have a stronger frankincense base, but it is definitely a floral scent. The hint of musk keeps it from being toooo house cleaner in a spray bottle, but it definitely teases. I'm going to save this for the springtime and reassess. It's pleasant and office-friendly. Just perhaps too clean for me. I imagine this might be what Lestat smells like...

Not what I was expecting - this is nice! Wet, I get herby spices held together by a floral sweetness. I swear it makes sense and blends beautifully. I keep sniffing my wrist because everytime I do, I get something different.I agree with others' opinions on it being juicy, and also potpourri-esque. It is dry brush meets winter candle meets some herbs you just snipped from the garden. I think one of the reasons that I'm enjoying it so much is that there are a lot of notes here that you don't see very often. It's unique and different and fun. Yay! I do think this qualifies as a winter scent - not a snowy winter, but festive nonetheless. I'll want a bottle for next year methinks.

Wet on my skin: Wow, this is indeed sexy. There is sweetness, there is smokiness, there is musk gluing it all together, in a lusty syrup.. As it dries, an unfortunate leather note arises. It must be the oudh. I don't love it as much anymore. The sweetness is gone, replaced by something masculine & metallic & worn. For a moment I thought I might need a bottle, but that need has passed. Sigh.

My latest OLLA bottle; a much-appreciated gift from my partner's mother. Make your BPAL wishlists public, my friends! Wet on my skin: Woody and clean. Old and fresh. Warm and loved, but no nonsense. As it dries, some Catholic churchiness comes out. The smokiest of frankincenses and wooden pews with 40 year old cushions and leather kneelers that screech. This isn't the "I reject your lifestyle" side of church; this is the crack of dawn mass whose old and dusty attendees are there because they want to be, because they need it. This is bold and yet soft enough to wear at work (I work at a funeral home so maybe I'm biased?) My anti-religion, atheist partner likes this scent too so WIN-WIN.

Wet on my skin: Sweet red fruit. Definitely a sugary blend of strawberry and mango, like a smoothie from the mall. As it dries, the red musk says hello to add a tad of maturity and/or sexiness. It does not overpower. This fruitiness is not a usual choice for me, but I'm glad I'm getting out of my comfort zone and finding some other fun things for my rotation. I love strawberries, and this makes me smell like the candied variety that you find at Japanese matsuri. I also feeling like this is a warm-weather scent. I'll keep that it mind and reevaluate in the spring or summer.

From the imp of unknown age, I smell sweetness, which I was not expecting given the notes. Wet on my skin, this is lovely. It's spicy and sweet and dusty and metallic. Thankfully the leather is not overpowering at this point, because I kind of hate leather. The frankincense and star anise somehow go beautifully with the metals. I am a goddess of bronze being worshiped in my own temple. I'm keeping this one! Maybe think about getting a bottle...

Woodsy! The description feels spot on. It's the cabin in the woods where Princess Aurora grew up with the faerie godmothers. It's warm & cozy, but also herby & fresh in that garden work kind of way. As it dries, the patchouli & slight floral notes come through the dust & iron. I didn't think I would like it, especially because of the moss note, but I'm going to hold on to this lab frimp for a nice springtime scent. I'm almost getting vanilla as the dry down continues. Half an hour later, & it's still absolutely lovely, but now in a citrus way?

Leather & cedar don't usually work on me, and this is no exception. This is complex & expensive-smelling, & I would put it in a masculine cologne category. Thank you labbies for the frimp; I will be passing it on!

From the imp: SUGAR. Wet on my skin: ALMOND. This is absolutely the scent of a sugar cookie drowning in almond extract, moist & served with afternoon tea. As it dries, I'm getting a woodiness that wasn't there before. We're quickly moved out of baked goods territory. Someone has brought our almond goodies to a dusty cabin, warm & ready for the season. Further dried down, is that apple I'm getting? Maybe there was something in the cottage oven after all. I like this, but I don't love this. I think this would make a good spring scent for someone who isn't into florals but likes big cozy sweaters.

The lemon peel and lemon balms makes this a bright, clean scent. There is definitely a floralness about it, thanks to the passion flower herb perhaps? This isn't my usual thang but I'm thankful for getting to try it. Thank you to the fellow forumite for frimping!

Clean and fresh and slightly herby and soapy and I don't really like it. Bergamot needs something muskier or smokier to contrast its shine. I'll be passing this imp on to someone else!

I have a decant I purchased from an awesome fellow forumite. Woah, spices! I thought it was cinnamon at first, but it's obviously the clove getting hot and steamy with the amber and saffron. I totally pick up on how others get Dr. Pepper. Sandalwood is usually a turn-off for me, and I do wish it was less prominent here. Not perfect for me, but it's very interesting and I'm glad I gave it a try!

I have a decant and I LOVE it! It's the Nightmare Before Christmas - part weenie; part winter holidays. Wet on my skin I immediately get the gingerbread, but the spices aren't overpowering due to a slight earthiness that I'm guessing is the bread meeting the herbiness of the rosemary. The apple pulp gives me the perfect amount of sweetness to maybe make a cookie out of it, and the citrus is only slightly there, enough to lift it a bit. It's great. It dries nicely, letting the bread and pulp take over mostly. I'd not say no to a bottle, just sayin'.

I've got a frimp that I received from a fellow bpaler. I don't love it, but I don't hate it? Wet on my skin, I get a sort of incense with like, lemons and candy grape candy. As it dries down, I'm getting some roses and the slightest bit of powder. It's sweet! It's not overpowering, but it's memorable. It's just a bit too floral/soapy for me, I think. I can see why people would like this!

Fresh out of the imp (lab fresh) I get green, fresh, a bit of floral but soapy soapy soapy. As it dries down the soapiness disappears. It's replaced by a woody leatheriness. There are many notes here that I'm a fan of, but the addition of some others turns me away unfortunately. It just did not work on my skin. This might be my first experience with olive blossom, and I already know that sandalwood is usually a no-go. Champaca flower is also an unknown. Oh well, off to someone else!

Wow, this is so much more complex than I imagined! I have a bottle purchased from a fellow phoenix forumite. In the bottle, I get a fresh and clean herby mintiness. By oh how things change! Wet on my skin the scents jump alive as if they are flavors. I get non-nauseating leather (not listed) and a bit of smoky vanilla, all kept together by some sharp herby poultice interwoven with dusty patchouli candle wax. It takes me back to middle school, staying up late reading Amelia Atwater-Rhodes novels from the library. I purchased this for someone who fits the title; a fighter for land conservation and native species restoration. I hope she enjoys this as much as I do!

Fresh bottle from the lab; waited about a week for it to settle (I dunno if that's actually a thing). Wet on my skin, it's a lot of jasmine. There is definitely wood there in the background keeping if from being a basic floral. It's warm and golden. Time has passed and I think I'm getting some honey? More time is passing and not much is changing... I wish the woodiness would amp up a bit. Like, this is nice, but I was hoping for something a bit more complex given the listed notes. Maybe I need to hold on to it for awhile and let it ~age~. If I'm still not sold, I have a friend in mind to give it to who loves jasmine.

Sweet almond dominates while wet, almost cherry-like. The myrrh softens if up as it dries down. There's some musk in the background throughout. Interesting and lovely, though almost simple. It does seem to fade rather quickly. I don't think I need to keep this brand new lab frimp for myself.

I do not get much blood from this at all. It's just salty soap, really. I love the actual smell of the ocean, fish decay and all, so this was a little disappointing. I'll be passing this brand new lab frimp forward.

I. Am. Yummy. From the bottle sniff, I get shisha overridden by baking spices. But we need to talk about this tobacco. I usually am pretty meh about tobacco. I associate it with leather, a scent that I loathe. This tobacco, however, has a sweetness and richness that will not make you think of any old cigarette. Wet on my skin, the coffee and cardamom pop up. But we need to talk about this coffee. I do not often drink coffee. It, like some other acidic foods, do not make me feel well. So while some people loooove the smell of freshly roasted drippy coffee or whatever it is, I'm pretty ambivalent. So I am quite glad that the coffee is not overpowering everything else going on here. Rather, it has joined hands and they're all standing in a circle singing girl scout songs. In Arabic. Drying down, I can pick out the cinnamon and sweet shisha. There is a woodiness about this as well. It is a well-worn cafe whose chairs, tables, and walls have absorbed smoke, caffeine, and little spiced desserts over the years. I'm a fan! Lovely scent for the winter season ahead of us.

This is my fourth BPAL nail polish; second from the Crimson Peak line. Here is one coat: Here is two coats: Very smooth application, and forgiving. Takes a good while to dry. I think 2 coats is good enough for me (with a top coat of course) but I can see why some would prefer 3.

A sniff from the bottle: Bitter! What!? Wet: Sharp green, little hint of floral, honey smearing through. Drying down: There's a slight spice, as the bitter greenness calms the eff down, and the honey gets a little creamy and less sharp as well. I can see where some people may get amber or coconut. There's that slight warm nuttiness. I'm giving this to a friend for her birthday, and I hope she likes it!

YES! This is one for red musk fans. I absolutely adored my decant of Pumpkin Pie Musk, and had the super sads when I lost it. When I read the notes for Pumpkinville, it reminded me of it and knew it had to be the one Halloweenie I would get, if any. I'm glad I took the plunge! From the bottle I got a very sweet and buttery funnel cakey scent, which spiked fear in me. Thankfully that recedes quite a bit on the skin, as the spices and musk take over. It's actually quite complex. The search is over; I've found a musky pumpkin spice scent. ❤️