milo

Siberian musk, black clove, opoponax, tonka, black pepper, and neroli. This is pretty much a warm, dark musk. It smells very much like Panther Moon to me, but the musk is slightly different. I think that one was black musk and this one is Siberian. I maybe get a touch of clove, which is good because clove usually amps on me. This is very well blended and fans of Panther Moon should give this one a whirl, or those who never got to try it, as this one would be a close cousin. I just may spring for a bottle, as I think this will age magnificently.

This is an odd time of year to try this, at 25 degrees celsius, but here goes! I'm getting lots of Christmas spice, and yes, it does remind me of mince pie, or plum pudding, a VERY spicy one at that, with lots of cinnamon, ginger and cloves. This reminds me of Christmas, and making me crave some plum pudding, as I'm not really a fan of mince pie. Very evocative, but I think it would be better as a room scent for me, but given the rarity, I'll just have to make due with my cranberry and pine blends. I don't really get anything else but the spice, and possibly apple, but it is sure getting drowned out. Fun to try!

Wow, this is really strange. I'm getting peppery, sweet vetiver with a healthy dollop of caramel. I'm not a pepper or caramel fan at all, but something here is kind of nice, I think it's the splash of fresh evergreen, the Balsam of Peru? At any rate, this is pretty much an utter fail on me, the notes seem really disjointed to me, and don't go together at all. Still, something intrigues me about that one fresh note, and must explore this Balsam of Peru some more.

At first, caramel sugar and a touch of fresh floral. Dry, still the sugar and dried fruits with a touch of floral. This is quite similar to the first Sugar Moon, and reminds me a lot of Sugar Skull with the caramel vibe. After about an hour, I don't get the caramel anymore, but it is still sweet, candied fruits. Alas, I really can't stand caramel or dried fruits, so this one is definitely not for me.

I thought for sure there was vetiver in this. What I'm getting as vetiver must be the red patchouli, as I've never smelled that note before, it's kind of a sour smoky smell to me, like pickle juice. I'm getting lots of resins and spice here as well, and boy is it STRONG. I'm used to slathering as most bpal blends are fairly quiet on me. Not this one. I'd like this if it wasn't for the sourness that I get. I also wish it were a bit more sweet, as this blend is quite dry on me. Happy to try this, but I won't need to upgrade.

Very nice, soft patchouli. It really smells a lot like Tricksy, only not as strong. I can't wait to try this meditating to see if it helps my mind from wandering.

Wet, very fresh airy floral, you know the kind of floral that floral haters like. After a bit, it is still fresh and airy, but the red musk comes out to play. Very nice combination on me. The rose scared me off, but I don't get it here, but I think the cherry is providing the freshness. This kiiiind of reminds me of Hollywood Babylon. Not really my style, but it is quite nice.

At first, this is a fresh floral with a touch of dirt. After a bit, it is mostly dirt with a bit of the minty freshness. My daughter said I smelled really good, but when she put her nose to my wrist, she said it wasn't so great. She said I smelled great from a distance though. I'm not a total dirt convert yet, but they kind of intrigue me in a way, and I certainly won't turn down the opportunity to try them. This is interesting, and I can see me wearing it in the winter when I'm craving spring. No bottle needed, but I'll probably try the imp again.

Sheer glitter nail polish. It does not glow in the dark for me, but the bottle does. I'm not sure even why I bought this, as it isn't my style. I was hoping for a more smooth, shiny polish.

So I finally get to see what all the fuss is about! I have not tried the original Spanked, so I can't really compare. In the bottle, this kind of reminds me of Saw-Scaled Viper, but on, it is spicy, but with cardamon rather than the cassia. As it dries a bit of leather comes out, and it ends up being spicy cardamon with only a bit of leather. I wish I got some bourbon here...So this is what the fuss is about? It's nice, but I don't think I need the two bottles that I purchased. It'll be nice in the cooler weather, and maybe it gets more special with aging? I will say that I tried a bit of each from the two bottles I purchased, and one seemed to fade much faster than the other. They both smelled the same, but one was definitely stronger. I guess all the hype made me think that this was going to be amazing, though it is quite nice, I think I'll swap my extra bottle for something that I really love.

I was anxious to try Lemon Bats, as I really like citrus blends as a rule, but very few make it to a bottle purchase for me. In the imp, a nice tart realistic lemon with a touch of sugar. On, less tart, more like a shortbread cookie with lemon buttercream icing and lemon zest on top. Somehow this is kind of cookie-like on me, not really what I was expecting. I was hoping this would be more fresh and tart on me, like real lemonade with less sweetness. Not really me, this is a bit too foody, but I can see why others may enjoy this blend. I'll stick to Embalming Fluid for my tart lemon blend.

Not sure what the culprit is here, but Veronica is going horribly wrong on me. I'm getting strong, musky floral, aka female axe. Sometimes pom smells like fungus on me, so yeah, perfumey fungus. Not for me.

I keep wanting to love Morocco, as the notes should be perfect on me. I thought I'd try the bath oil to see if it was any different, as I'd heard somewhere there was a bit more sandalwood in the bath oil. This is pretty much a softer version of the perfume oil, as others have noted. A sweet musky, slightly floral very close to the skin scent. I'd probably like Morocco if it didn't remind me of Avon's "Pearls and Lace", which many elderly woman in my home town used to wear. Still, it is a very warm and comforting blend, and I'm sure I'll use up my partial. My associations with this oil is my own problem, and fans of Morocco will probably love this.

From wet to dry, this smells like dried cranberries with a bit of nuts. It actually smells like one of those bars you can get in a health food store, like a Larabar and the like. I really do not want to smell like this, but my husband likes it on me. He doesn't like it up close, but around me, he said I smell like chocolate. After a bit, some mint pokes out, but I really can't stand the smell of myself, I do like larabars, but don't want to smell like one. Off to swaps.

Wet, I get banana (WTF?), plus a bit of tropical floral. This really seems like an Atomic Luau blend to me. It dries to a plasticy vanilla, with a touch of sickly sweet pear. Some blends (very few to the many of bpals I've tried) turn to plastic, and I blame a certain vanilla. It smells like a scented plastic doll left in the car to bake on a hot summer day. I blame my skin chemistry, as it smelled just fine in the imp and on. Quite surprised that I think banana may be a note to explore...

Very pretty metallic magenta in the bottle with lots of sparkle, both magenta and silver. The bottle seems smaller than your mainstream Opi's and others, though. On, it goes on very easy and smooth, same pretty metallic raspberry magenta, though I'm not getting any silver sparkle on my toes, still I like it well enough. It's nice to try The Post's polishes, but to me they seem smaller and just the same amount of money that I'd spend in the drugstore for good quality polishes. That with customs and shipping, it's just not worth it for a Canadian gal to buy on a regular basis. I will say, though, it's high quality polish, very pretty and nice to try. I'll definitely enjoy this one on the toes!

In the bath, this is STRONG honeysuckle, and I hardly even used any, just a squirt. I do get the other notes, too, a clear mint along with the amber. It's an unusual blend, as it smells warm and cool at the same time. I wish it were a bit less on the honeysuckle, and more white chocolate showed up, as I think it would smell amazing with the mint and amber. I don't really get any Christmas rose, either, though there is some 'coldness' here as well. I'm a tad disappointed that the honeysuckle is just asserting itself here, but I still like it, and will use up my bottle for sure!

At first, this is all about the red musk. As it dries, it get's kind of 'cologney' on me, which I get is the musks coming out. The sandalwood pokes out after a bit, and now it has morphed into a sandalwood red musk blend. Nice as I don't recall ever smelling that combination before. I like this, it's kind of incensey with red musk and a bit of sweetness. Contemplating a bottle, will need to think on this one, and see how it develops for the rest of the evening!

Three words, French Milled Soap, the kind that you get wrapped up in hotel rooms that makes your skin feel really tight. Not sure what is the culprit here, but I don't need a blend that smells like soap on me.

Wet, I get strong tangerine and a bit of red musk. Dry, lovely tangerine, no other notes to speak of, though they may be adding effects to the blend that I'm not aware of. Very true juicy tangerine, I really like this, it is kind of reminiscent of the Atomic Luau theme, though not as sweet and fizzy. I'd probably go for a bottle of this, but I have enough of orangey scents already.

This is one of the Japanese relief blends I was most looking forward to trying, but it doesn't smell quite like I expected it to. I thought the sandalwood would dominate, (which I love) and I love vanilla and patchouli together, so I thought this would be a win. However, the tobacco flower seems to make everything a bit high pitched with an unpleasant ashtry vibe. A few posts up, someone mentioned the comparison to Black Lace, and indeed there are some, though I find this one with less vanilla and more sharp. Nice to try, though!

If grape kool-aide could be alcoholic, this would be what it would smell like. Kind of fake grape, honeyed with a winey booze note to it. The honeyed part does not smell fake, however, it's the grape note. This kind of reminds me a bit Gluhwein and other red wine blends. Glad to have this empty sent in a package, but ultimately, this is not for me.

This ends up being strawberry cream vanilla, with the emphasis on strawberry. Kind of a fake strawberry on the wet stages, but dries to a beautiful vanilla strawberry. This kind of reminds me of the flavour of Campino strawberry candies, only in scent form. I like this, but I think my decant will suffice, as I don't wear fruity/foody scents very often. Surprising, as strawberry blends rarely work on me, in fact, I think this is the first!

Wet, very medicinal and astringent. As it dries, it is less astringent, but has a more sour vibe to it. This is kind of a masculine blend, a bit musky, fresh, and that odd sour note, which does fade more and more as time goes on. This is nice to try, but it is just a bit too masculine for me. I do like the brown musk in here though!

On first spray, this is STRONG floral perfume. I left the room for awhile, as it was a bit too much, and started sneezing. I was at a loss to describe the florals that I was smelling until Invidiana described this like Sakura, I think it was from a couple of years back. I wasn't a fan of Sakura on me, but don't mind it as a room spray once it settled down a bit. A little does go a long way here! I'll enjoy this when it is too hot to light candles.