fairnymph

Light amber oil. Slightly sweet from the tonka and leather, definitely incensey, a little soapy-cologney (in a bit of an herbal way), and plenty of dry woods. The leather is indeed light and I'm not sure it's the typical De Sade style leather. Also vaguely floral and rosy from the rosewood. Softer, less syrupy sweet and less drily woody; more floral (rose, especially, but a gentle rose) and more of the parchment and leather. I'm surprised by how clean and fresh this scent is. The leather note is definitely not the De Sade note, nor is it the note from Dead Man's Hand - it reminds me more of the note from Poe and Sacrifice - a subtle, sweet, suedey leather. Sweeter and sweeter - I fear this tonka is amping out of control as it often does. Also, I think this is the same incense note from Black Lace, which especially in the newer version goes soapy on me, too. The parchment (which is almost grassy or green, quite surprisingly fresh and leather notes are so lovely, though, and I get some white sandalwood that's softly musky. I don't even mind the rosewood - it's not too dry or dusty here, and I like its slight rosy floralness. But the tonka and incense - blech. Also, this oil is extremely slow to dry. Super sweet woody leather and parchment with soapy incense and a rosy-floral tinge. I really like the leather note in this - it's very wearable, a skin-close scent. Pretty unisex overall a blend, I'd say. Good throw and decent longevity.

In the bottle: Strong, sharp, sweet. Bitter almond and bright red cherries. Fruity-medicinal. Wet: Bitter almond and maraschino cherries. I actually really like the almond note in this - it's very natural and nutty, with a touch of sweetness and a pleasant bitter herbalness. There may be some other herbs too, maybe florals, lurking. Dry: Whoa - this has totally morphed in a matter of minutes. Almost no cherry remains, and it's become almost straight ROSE. Still, a noticeable current of bitter almond remains, as well as a sharp, spicy-herbal note, sage? And a spice, too, that's very bold - clove, definitely. Summary: Potent rose, strong clove, with milder, slightly sweet and nutty yet also pleasantly bitter almond and faint hints of herbal sage and cherries. Powerful throw & lasting power. Possibly unisex. Not for me; clove = nemesis, and it's too sharp a blend overall. Still, incredible how it morphed. Totally unexpected and radical!

In the bottle: Cypress and chamomile - a very woodsy-herbal topnote - with fainter rose and juniper underneath. Bracing, a little citrusy. Wet: Definitely some citrus, and it jumps out at me immediately, followed my herbal-sweet chamomile, cool-woody cypress, and true tea rose. The sharper, astringent juniper is a faint afterthought. Dry: The rose, loving my skin as it usually does, is completely taking over. Still, the fresh, invigorating cypress and chamomile manage to hold on noticeably. Juniper remains well behaved. Summary: Herbal-woodsy, citrusy tea rose. Bright and stimulating, yet elegant. On me, the rose is the strongest note, making it a very womanly blend, but I could see this working on a man with different skin chemistry, too. Great throw & lasting power.

In the bottle: Ripe plum, rich fruity wine, and juicy black currant. Hints of warmer sweetness and spice. Wet: Plum, grapey wine, currant. Intensely fruity and quite sweet, but not cloying. I can smell a bit of sweet liqueur, though it's only faintly almondy. Dark and sexy and lush! Dry: The amaretto is amping, providing a sort of bitter-warm and almost creamy depth which checks the ripe plum and grape-wine notes. Black currant remains juicy-tart and strong. Summary: Ripe, intense plum, deep fruity wine grapes, and bitter-almond (not at all the almond extract benzaldehyde type), alcoholic warmth. The bright currant note fades a bit, but not too much. Sweet, rich and complex, without being overwhelmingly dark or cloying. Decent throw & lasting power. My favourite plum blend so far! I'm definitely holding onto my imp and may want more.

Sniffed in imp: Sharp, dusty, spicy and sweet. I suspect poppy/opium and possibly patchouli. The narcissus and orange blossom are distinct, but the vanilla is a more vague sweet note. Wet: Very dark and heavy - I suspect almost red musk, or opium or something incensey. The narcissus combined with orange blossom is quite heavy on my skin. The vanilla has a plastic, fake quality. Oh - and visually, this is a very dark orangey brown oil. Dry: The incense notes fade somewhat and the orange blossom becomes quite deliciously both fragrant and fruity, but the narcissus is still quite acridly sharp, and the vanilla unpleasantly artificial. Later: It becomes increasingly sweet; the fruitness of the orange (no citrusy tartness here!) and especially the vanilla are likely responsible. Still, despite the cloying sweetness, the bite of narcissus and myrrh or whatever it is keeps this unisex. Summary: Sickly sweet fake vanilla candle, candy-orange fruity orange blossom, sharp narcissus, and something else that's dark, bitter, smoky, and incensey. Good throw and lasting power. Made me a bit queasy, and overall - very PLASTIC. Clearly, not one for me...as I suspected.

In the bottle: Light, sweet but not cloying, floral, green, fresh. Mmm. This must be the best in-bottle BPAL so far. The floral notes are somewhat traditionally perfume-y but nice and light. The greenness is not that strong considering all the greenery in this oil. Wet: Sweeter, more floral. Barest hint of musk. Not as fresh or green, but still delicious. It may be too sweet for me - it's on the verge - but it is a very good type of sweet. Not foody, not even fruity. I'd love to know the source of the sweetness. Dry: Sweetness has faded alot, exposing more floral. There is still some of the freshness, surprisingly. It's lasting quite well, considering how light it is in the bottle. Barest hint of soap lends a nice clean scent. Summary: Orchid, davana, green tea, cucumber, aloe, herbs and woods. It's a blend that is green and light, yet cool and soothing, with some heady floral notes and woody depth. Wonderfully complex and balanced; sexy, feminine, and nocturnal. Good throw and great lasting power. I have 2 bottles of this.

In the bottle: Green, zesty, resiny, fresh and aquatic. Bamboo and green tea, and maybe some white grapefruit zest. Cool and clean. Wet: Very similar, with the tea and citrus notes amped, and a hint of white florals. At this point, extremely clean and unisex. A green-white scent. Dry: Zesty green tea, hint of bamboo and a resiny wood note, maybe the oude? Very fresh and bright, greener than before, even. Not going soapy, amazingly. Summary: Fades rapidly, even though initially it has really amazing throw. The citrus zest fades the most, but so does a fair deal of the green tea. This exposes the lighter white tea note and watery bamboo, as well as the pale oakmoss-like resin, which gives the scent some woody, slightly sexy depth. Still, it's very fresh and cool and unisex. Reminds me of Ebisu. It has that same, unripe-zestiness and greenness. A bit too much so for me - and I like Ebisu more and have plenty of that.

In the bottle: Sharp, floral, lightly sweet. Orange blossom is the only thing I can pinpoint. Wet: Very light, fresh - not sweet on me at all. Almost masculine, cologney. Still a bit sharp, and a bit green. Orange blossom, maybe a hint of white peach if I strain. Dry: The white peach has emerged further, as have the honey, apple and skin musk, sweetening and deepening the blend. The orange blossom remains the dominant note, keeping this a delicate scent. No rose or incense/resin notes. Summary: After a couple hours, this is light honey, skin musk, and white peach. It's a soft, mildly sweet and delicately feminine blend. Honey and musk dominate. Eminently kissable! Moderate throw and lasting power. I'm very surprised the evil myrrh and frankincense didn't show up! This might be bottleworthy.

Sweet, cold pine. Alas, I am not a fan of pine. But, it's one of the nicer and more feminine pine smells I've smelled.

Sniffed in imp: Malty, sweet, rich milk chocolate. Extremely foody. Smells like melted, crushed chocolate malt balls.

Venerable Victorian Tea Rose… twisted, blackened and emboldened with wickedness. In the bottle: A slightly sharper version of Peacock Queen 2007. Wet: Same, but sort of oddly plasticky-artificial, though that note is extremely mild. It doesn't have the noble purity of PQ. Dry: That plasticky note must be leather, and it's amping over time. This oil dries very slowly. There's a very faint lemon/citrus note, which adds to the freshness of the rose. Summary: Fresh, citrusy PQ-like tea rose, with a very faint hint of leather underneath. Quite lovely on the whole, but I like my PQ 07 more and have plenty of it. Great throw, good lasting power.

Sniffed:This is sweet, heady jasmine and gardenia. My two floral nemeses, combined in full force. Oh boy, this would probably knock me out. *backs away slowly* Wet: Sweeter, like lily or honeysuckle of some sort, with a powdery edge. Much less jasmine, though gardenia's still strong. There's something almost fruity here, a vanilla? Maybe some hyacinth? Dry: A sharp green note emerges, like jonquil or narcisissus, and the vanilla becomes increasinly sweet and cloying, while gardenia is blaring away. Later: Oooh, it's sharp, soapy, and powder all at once now, with an underlayer of fake plastic vanilla. I'd almost say there's dragon's blood, bc I get that Febreze thing, Summary: Nasty, badly behaved florals and too-sweet vanilla. Heavy on the gardenia, jasmine, and something sharply green. Powerful throw & longevity.

In the bottle: Honeyed blackberry, herbal lavender, and fainter spicy floral dianthus. Sweet, fruity-herbal goodness. Wet: Stronger, especially the blackberry and lavender notes. The blackberry is SO real, and sort of earthy and herbal as well as intensely tart-ripe and fruity. The lavender is playing very nicely - it's a sharp green note, but not astringent, and cuts through the honey and sweet fruit perfectly. Dianthus remains faint. Dry: Dries rapidly, amping all the time - the blackberry and honey notes especially. The dianthus picks up a bit, a light but lively floral note, and the lavender recedes slightly. Wonderfully summery and evocative; I'm deep in a forest in late summer, staining my fingers with sweet-tart berry juice. Summary: Tart yet juicy, almost earthy ripe blackberries and sweet, pure honey balanced by fresh, herbal lavender and a touch of bright, floral dianthus. Gorgeously blended, summery and feminine; joyful and fertile. Good throw, excellent lasting power. I am ever so glad I swapped for a bottle of this unsniffed!

In the bottle: Honey-sweet (storax?) and herbal, with a touch of light resin. A delicate scent. Wet: Darker - incensey myrrh and resiny balsam emerge, but are held at bay by the potent honey note in the fore. The fresh green herbs remain. Dry: Sort of oddly soapy or powdery (amped myrrh?), and less fresh-green herbal. I'm still loving the darker green resiny balsam note and the honey-sweet storax. Summary: Slightly resiny, delicious HONEY after a few hours. Decent throw and great lasting power.

Sniffed in the imp: Sweet coconut, deep musk, and sandalwood, with fainter orris and incense underneath. Surprisingly light and playful.

In the bottle: Pear! Melon! With hints of peach and grape, and fainter rose and light flowers. Wet: Oh delicious, fruity but not too sweet pear and melon. A hint of white peach, but I'm not getting the grape anymore clearly. The rose is extremely faint. I detect a hint of sweet pea, and a sharper floral I don't know - snapdragon I presume? Dry: That goddamn moonflower is doing its evil soap routine, but so far, only when I sniff very closely. Otherwise this is all pear and melon, from a distance. Mid-range one gets peach, and light, blended florals. This has gotten quite sweet, and is totally reminding me of a Victoria's Secret body spray. Summary: Juicy, dripping, sweet pear and melon and peach, just verging on sugary. Sweetpea, musk rose faintly soapy moonflower lie just behind, a delicate, ethereal backdrop for the powerful fruit, but it's truly hard to distinguish individual notes - instead this feels like heavy fruit over light floral, two distinct layers which are each extremely well blended internally. Amazing throw and great lasting power. Hanging onto my imp for now, but it *may* be too sweet for me. I do so love the pear note, though...

I didn't test this on my skin because I don't like spices, but sniffed: Sweet grapes/wine, spices, and abundance of woods, dragon's blood, a hint of warm musk. Perfectly fits the description.

In the bottle: Musk, basil, galangal. Fresh, herbal, citrusy, wet and dark. The basil note is very true and gorgeous. Wet: Similar, but basil amped a bit - it's very lovely, sort of edible but still green and planty. There is a faint sweetness now too - dragon's blood resin? A hint of that anise-y wormwood, but it's very light and pleasant here and adds a touch of spice. Dry: Thick, slow drying oil. It's getting bit more resiny and sweeter, with opponax and dragon's blood amping, and the dark musk is a very powerful note in this blend. The green, herbal notes come next, and then in the distant is the fresh galangal. Summary: The fragrant, herbal basil and spicy wormwood amp up, balancing the sweeter, darker resin notes and that ever-present, deeply sexy dark musk. Only the tiniest bit of galangal remains. It sweetens slowly but surely on me over time, otherwise I'd say it's a pretty masculine scent. Too sweet, spicy, and murky for me, but an intriguing blend and the basil note is awesome!

In the imp, I sniffed sweet apricot, clove, and cinnamon. I don't like apricot much and strongly dislike spices on my skin, so I have no desire to test this one more.

In the bottle: Honey, fresh, citrusy lilies, a hint of greenery, a little bite of sharpness. Wet: Honey, lilies, greenery. Clean but a little heady. Dry: There is definitely a citrus note present, thought it's light - verbena, perhaps? It cuts through some of the heady-powder that of the lilies in their dry stage. There's still that delicate honey note, too, and a hint of greenness. Summary: Of all the predominant lily blends, this one is the best on me - mildly sweet honey, clean powdery lilies, and a hint of fresh citrus - with great throw and good lasting power. Still, I can't handle the powder without stronger notes to temper it.

In the bottle: Sweet, sharp, green lilies. Fresh, bracing. Wet: Fruit. Clean, almost soapy. Still very green and a bit sharp. Strong! Dry: The fresher notes have faded, making this seem sweeter. It's also headier, and turning quite powdery. Summary: Sharp, sweet, powdery lilies. Amazingly strong throw and good lasting power. I wish I could pin down the fruity note! It's an intriguing blend but too sharp and powdery on me.

This is the most nauseating and revolting blend I have ever smelled. Cinnamon, very hot and spicy, maybe some cardamom, and rancid peanuts. Somehow a drop splashed somewhere on me (I don't know where, unfortunately) and I can smell it so strongly and I am on the verge of throwing up. I dislike cinnamon anyway, but so spicy and with that rancid note...dear lord. Simply awful. I might have to go dunk myself in bleach.

In the bottle: Almond extract and lightly honeyed milk. Wet: Definitely that benzaldehyde-y almond scent, which is personally one I like. There's a nuttier scent underlying it, though, more like almond oil, and grains. The honey is light, the milk even lighter. Dry: Dries rapidly, almost instantly, losing a good portion of the benzaldehyde note and revealing nutty grain notes - barley, I think, and wheat - others as well perhaps. They're muddled togther to me. Honey and milk still there and still distant. Summary: In the final drydown, this is honeyed grains with hints of almond and milk. Sweet, but not overly. The grain notes, especially the barley one, recall The Flower Song to me. A soothing, warm scent, though not my style. Light throw, and fades quite quickly.

In the bottle: Fresh, sparkling, citrus with dry woods. Wet: The citrus is orangey - tangerine, maybe. On my skin this is slightly sweet, but still fresh and tart. Faint florals, perhaps? This sort of reminds me of Lovers Parodies. The wood note reminds me of cedar or sandalwood. Dry: A green, spicy note has emerged - cardamom, is that you? It could also be a spicy floral, like carnation or dandelion And that along with slightly amped wood makes this scent verge towards masculine. The floral note could be lilies. Summary: Light tangerine and soft lilies over faint dry woods and spicy greenery. A scent that both invigorates and soothes - truly amazing. Low throw and fades very quickly, though. I do feel....strengthened. I feel solid, grounded - rare for me.

Oooh, you are exactly right, I'll go back and edit that! You'd think 'artiste du diable' would make one recall CD, but alas! Thanks for catching that. On me, persephone and libra share the same ratio of rose to fruit, with a maybe 70% rose bias - but then I amp rose like no tomorrow. Imp didn't smell like red musk IMO - the only listed musk is 'golden' - but it felt very dark and smutty to me!