Nemo

I blind-bought this because I love Mysore sandalwood. It's a genial sort of madness and apart from the odd disappointment, the results are pleasing. Pyramid of Skulls was my first Halloween scent, and I was interested to see if Elizabeth would be able to harmoniously blend all four kinds of sandalwood. In the bottle: Wet, this has a pleasantly strong, resinously wooden smell. Like freshly sawn flooring planks, this is clean and nose-clearing. Full of that 'new' scent that makes me want to dance on wooden floors, or sit next to unfinished furniture. You can almost see the pale wood exposed to the air for the first time. On my skin after a little time to dry: There's a golden warmth that creeps in and softens the wood as the wood creeps down towards it's sandalwood dryness. It doesn't entirely hide the woodyness, but it softens it a little bit. The drydown may not have Mysore's buttery, creamy note but the breath of warm, medicinal powderiness is all I could ask for, I will use the 5ml up but probably not buy more.

The first time I tried Western Diamondback, I hadn't let the scent settle after arrival. This, after some time to settle, the scent is very different. In the bottle it is..a strangely ambiguous scent. I almost think I smell a hint of lavender in there, though I think it's really the clary sage, reminding me of a long-gone lavender-sage blend I loved. On: Almost at once, it's a glorious bloom of clary sage, amber, vanilla. A warm and generous green-golden scent, like the sunlight through the leaves. It gives you a little while to luxuriate, and I use that to spend as much time huffing my wrist as I can. The drydown is more gradual, though not very slow. Golden sunset light slowly fades to a soft and dusty whisper. Maybe a bit of leather but I suspect it's just the musk of clean skin and a hint of the spices from the Snake oil. It's mostly imagination, though, as the throw is very slight, and the duration isn't long. I don't mind, as I have a nervous dread of being someone who bathes in perfume. It's a lovely evocation of my time in Arizona, both loving, and feeling very much like a stranger in the desert.

I let this one sit for a bit, before I tried it. Wet, from the bottle: Brown, supple leather. On my skin: Brown leather. It's a very rich scent, though it doesn't last long. It reminds me strongly of getting new braces. All the buckles jingling and the leather so shiny and fragrant. I'd sit down on the floor and figure out how to get them on, while Bob, my calico cat, would climb into the braces, and bat the straps, and chew on all the leather covered edges. I will hang onto this for a while and see if any other notes come forward after ageing.

Question please: Tangental to the actual scent, is this perfume inspired at all by the Chinese classic novel "Dream of the Red Chamber" and it's heroine (one of them) Lin Daiyu? I am not familiar with the scent but a longtime fan of the novel, in it's translation by David Hawkes. It is a novel of the downfall of a noble family during the Qing Dynasty, the romance of Lin Daiyu, Bao Yu and Bao Chai. The Qing Dynasty tale is framed by a supernatural story of one of the stones of Heaven, and his tender care of the fairy Crimson Pearl Flower.

In the vial this is sharp and bright, with both honey and saffron prominent and the sandalwood lingering behind, looking bashful. I love love love honey scents, and I know I'm not the only one. By the time I discover them, they're usually sold out. Dry(ing) down, the sandalwood is more prominent. There's a lovely, lovely dry, powdery sweetness with a wood note that I am infatuated with. Not just sandalwood incense but a GOOD sandalwood incense. I want more of this. This is potent enough that I don't end up with my nose glued to my wrist while I breathe in the scent, but it isn't so strong that I'm afraid I'd clear out a room. Never thought I'd fall in love with an RPG scent but I want a bottle of this, and probably more than one.

I received this today, and I couldn't wait to try it on. On the initial swipe -- sweet maraschino cherry 'juice'. Not the fruit, but that in-your-face, screamingly sweet red liquid the cherries come in. I don't get much else, the cherries dominate everything. This phase doesn't last long, my skin is thirsty. Within minutes, the cherry is gone, and I'm left with a vaguely rose-ish dusty note. Sweet, desiccated petals crumbling into dust at a touch. My results could well be due to medical conditions. I have type 2 diabetes and chronically dry skin. I lotion like mad, but there it is. I may buy some unscented lotion and use this to scent it and see what I get. It may change my results.

This is my first BPAL after the Great Tea Chest Disaster. In the bottle, this is dark, in-yer-face-and-no-apologies frankincence and myrrh nuggets. Dark, raw, unkissed by fire. On my skin though.. It warms, and softens. Persuasively sweet and sensual, the resins cuddled by musk, and persuaded to dance with something..benzoin, sweetgrass, maybe a little bit of vanilla? A floral whisper that doesn't ever get loud enough to demand attention.This scent is definitely like Coke: So well blended that the senses don't get tired of it. More-ish. One good sniff leaves you pleased, but also wanting more. In order to make application easier for me, since my hands shake, I dipped a clean, untouched Q-tip into the bottle, then blended the oil into a jar of Nadina's Cremes Country Spice. It definitely brings out the cinnamon and cloves, but blends nicely. Neither in your face resin, nor Christmas cookie. Just a beautiful accident. I am very curious as to how it will age.