MaidenGenevive

Venice First impression in vial, complex and mature. It reminds me of something, a perfume from the past, though I can't place what or where. First thought wet, lemon. A bouquet of florals immediately rush in and take charge. There are so many notes, it has a dizzying effect. This is mature and classy. I can picture a well dressed Venician woman in her 30's wearing this. This is predominately a floral, although the fruits are mixing things up, giving it a fresh edge. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 3 : The florals were a bit too much for me, although they do become more subtle as it wears.

The High Priest Not To Be Described First impression, peppery incense. Then, a whiff of cinnamon. A flicker of tea. Overall, it's mostly a spicy incense so far. I'm hoping the leather doesn't make much of an appearance, as Severin's leather note really bothered me. I'm expecting it to change, but it's remaining in something of a mild cinnamon candy; almost a quieter version of the Dodo. I'm still not really detecting leather, if it's there, it's behaving, thankfully. The tea was just a flicker, and was gone practically as soon as it arrived. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 4 : I am a sucker for warm, spicy, incense laden scents.

Monster Bait: Tokyo Stomp I just received this in a swap Thursday evening, and smelling it in the vial made me a little more than anxious to try it. My husband and I both felt that it smelled absolutely delicious, and I was curious to see how wearing it would be. Even though today was to be a crazy day, and I normally wear tried and true scents for such days, I couldn't resist. I applied it as if it already were an old friend. No regrets, either. Upon first application, I can't help but think of Girl Scout Thin Mints, or mint chocolate chip ice cream. It's not that I'm getting chocolate notes, (although, you know, chocolate does have vanilla in it, as does many sweets) but the combined mint with vanilla made my mind think that. Fresh, and a crisp sweet. The kind of sweet that isn't thick, but both comforting and energizing at the same time. I loved the way these notes meshed. Unfortunately, that stage doesn't last. I wish it did, I really do. But the mint gradually fades, until you're lucky if you can pick up on it at all. It becomes a gorgeous vanilla. It's so simple, it feels like a single note. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 4 : If the mint had stayed, this would have most definitely been a 5. Without the mint, it's practically a dead ringer for my other vanilla perfume, which I wore waaaaaay too long. So, despite this being lovely, I can see how I wouldn't wear it often.

The Organ Grinder I had high hopes for this one. In the vial, it smells fantastic; almond milk and sarsaparilla. On, it smells the same. Then a slight hint of tobacco smoke arises and I start to question how it's going to turn out. I love the smell of unlit cigarettes, but tobacco smoke is yucky. Fortunately, the tobacco smoke fades into the background. Overall, this scent makes me think Father or Grandfather. I can picture an old man smoking sweet cigars; this scent also reminds me a little bit of hugging my father. He's warm and loving, with the slightest hint of smoke in his clothes. I wonder what this would smell like on him, actually. Hmm. I reapplied, and I'm not really getting cigarette this time. It's just sweet, earthly, and only mildly smoky, but in a complimentary way. *Sniffing deeply* Oh, oh, hold on, there it was again... [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 4 : If it weren't for the off-and-on again cigarette smoke, I would love this. Although, it is completely masculine to me, so I'm not sure if it's something I would wear much.

Hermia Warm and spicy, a soft floral. This really is Hermia, lovely and more than a little bit spunky. This dries strong, so I'd apply it lightly, and I get the impression it will have decent lasting power. This scent truly oozes a confident femininity. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 3 / 4 : This is girly without being mature or demure.

Depraved In vial, nutty. Initial wet stage, nutty fruit. Almost instantly the apricot amps up, fresh and sweet. As it dries, the patchouli steps in. It's sharp and commanding. It's more dry now, and suddenly I'm catching whiffs of barn. I'm totally serious; I smell the wood stalls, with fresh hay on the floor and warm, clean, animal. At times, when I move my hand, I catch a throw of apricot. This is strange. It's going between the black patchouli with apricot, and other times barn. Not unpleasant, and unique to be certain. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 3 : Apricot is warm, sweet, and lovely; but I'm starting to think it's not really my fruit scent of choice.

Debauchery Impression from vial, a heavy musk. Wet on skin, a heavy, spicy musk arises. I can picture a football player, or some other big athletic guy wearing this. This is unmistakably masculine. Sweaty, gritty, masculine. Not the kind of masculine that I'm attracted to. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 1 / 2 : My husband likes light and fresh scents, and that works for him. This is not something I'd want him to wear, and definitely not for me.

Dragon's Blood Woah, not at all what I was expecting. I was thinking something spicy, incense-y and heavy. (Maybe along the lines of Blood.) Instead, this is bright and floral. Of course, I would have known that if I had read any of the BPAL reviews on this, but I tend not to read those until after I've already tested, so as not to sway my first impressions. Some say this is like lilac, and I can see that. Despite it being nothing like what I thought it would be, I still happen to like it as much as I had hoped I would. It's simply lovely, and somewhat energizing, might I add. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 4 : Anything that resembles lilac is win to me, as that's one of my absolute favorite flowers!

Moon Rose Ah, the first rose that doesn't feel like grandma to me. It fits it's description perfectly, it is crisp and pale, with a wet freshness to it. I almost feel as though I just washed my hands with a really fine rose scented soap (I tested this on the back of one of my hands). It's a lovely floral that isn't aggressive, like florals tend to be on me. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 4 : I'm happy to see that roses actually can work on me. I was becoming skeptical.

Kurukulla A sweet, light floral with a touch of tartness. I was worried that the three roses would mean grandma-city, but, the three lotus blooms really give it quite a different feel that's a bit hard to describe. Oh, and since it's so airy, it is fragile; I would recommend a heavier application than you otherwise might with other florals. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 3 : I'm not really sure how I feel about this one.

Jack This is delicious. It smells like an Autumn dessert, baked sweet pumpkin and peach in spices. It's everything it promises to be. Certainly a late September through early November feel; it makes me want to go out to an apple orchard to pick apples fresh off of the trees for some seasonal baking. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 5 : This is very nice!

Shanghai Upon first application, this is so faint and delicate that I can barely smell it. I apply a second time, but it's still just as light. It smells like green tea. Fortunately, as it wears, it amps up. The green tea is still there, but the lemon verbena is louder. This reminds me of Phantasm, without the sweetness, although the honeysuckle keeps it from being completely tart. It's already starting to fade a bit. I have to press my nose against my skin and breathe in deeply just to catch it. I reapply. It's fresh and clean. It reminds me of my method hand soap. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 3 : What I can smell, I love, but it's so fragile that it's hard to appreciate, and it certainly lacks staying power.

Tavern of Hell First impression in vial is "Yuck!" I hesitate to put it on, but do so anyway. Wet on skin, still yuck. It certainly smells aged, like maybe a bitter expired fruit. I resist the strong urge to wash it off. Dry, it's transforming. The booze notes are strong, like some actually splashed on me. Mixed with the booze are florals. This is interesting. I feel like I'm wearing florals while sitting in a dirty bar. There's the warmth of wood, and a bit of a citrus tang. The booze notes have taken to the background by now, but are still present. It's slowly becoming more pleasant. It's actually starting to remind me of baby powder. Weird. I think it's time to wash it off now. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 1 / 2 : It became less vile to me as it wore, but it still wasn't my idea of nice.

Dragon's Milk I just knew that I would love this; my experience with Dragon's blood resin has been a positive one, and I do love honey and vanilla. Despite knowing that this would likely be a hit, I kind of put off trying it, and reached for ones that I wasn't sure about, or thought I wouldn't like. I guess it's kind of like eating your brussel sprouts so that you can have dessert. Sure enough, it's everything it promises to be and is all around lovely, each stage of it. Warm, sugared, but not too sweet. It's comforting, both delicate and assertive at the same time. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 5 : This feels like me. I used to wear single note vanilla daily (for ages, it seemed), before getting bored of it. Here, a more layered, complex vanilla.

Seraglio A sweet tart orange scent that's floral, with hints of warm spices. I don't pick up on the almond, like I had hoped. It's mostly an unusual mixture of florals teamed with orange peel, that's both bitter, tart, and cloyingly sweet all at once. The mixture of all the different notes is mildly nauseating. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 2 : I think I would have liked it better without the florals.

Santa Domingo Boozy baby wipes. Whenever I try to analyze it otherwise, that's what my mind returns to. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 2 : I could make a joke here, but I won't.

Vixen Bitter, warm, and a little spicy. It's difficult to peel the different notes apart, they really seem to love each other, and my skin. This is spunky and sexy. The orange blossom made me hesitant to try this, but it really exceeded expectations. Vixen is as sexy as it should be. Oh, and I must add, that as it wears, the bitterness softens and becomes a flirtatious sweetness. Almost like a soft almond vanilla, with a shy hint of sweet orange to it. Beautifully done! [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 5 : Mmm, I can't stop smelling my wrist.

Severin At first this came off lemony-fresh to me. Then it transformed to tea, a light, refreshing green tea. It was tea to me, but certainly not black. The leather wasn't present at first, but slowly started to creep in. But, it's not the leather I expected. It smelled like sickly animal to me, and mixing with the green tea did not make for a pleasant effect. The leather grew stronger and stronger to the point where I couldn't take it any more; I washed it off feeling mildly grossed out. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 1 : Not at all what I thought it would be.

Baneberry Wet, it's an herbal fruity perfume smell. It's fresh and heavy; it reminds me of a bathroom air freshener. It mellows as it dries, of course, but it's scent stays essentially the same. Warm and heavy to the point where it's almost cloying, but too perfume-y to be foody. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 2 / 3 : It might not be bad if used as a room scent, but, it really wouldn't stand out to me against any other fruit or flower air spray.

Moscow My first thoughts are, this is a high quality, mature floral. I like that it's complex and layered. It has a quiet warmth that keeps it from being piercing. The tangerine adds a subtle sweetness. Also, this has a lovely fade to it. It's never overpowering, but as it wears, it's gentle. It's a richer floral that doesn't suffocate even upon reapplication. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 3 : Most florals give me a migraine, excepting light florals. This is the first heavier one that I could handle. It's a bit too mature for me, but I think I'm going to hold on to it for now, as florals really are complicated on me.

Ladon First sniff - fresh cut apple and apple blossom. It warms up, but it's a quiet so that it compliments and doesn't dominate. The hyacinth arises; what a strong distinct floral. One of my favorite florals, it's much heartier (both physically, and in scent) than lilac, but certainly scent-related. I grew up with lilac bushes near my house, and later on mom planted hyacinth near the house, so these scents have a strong pull for me. The apple is present, but it doesn't have the presence that it did initially. Which is too bad, it was gorgeous and I wouldn't have minded if it played a more dominate note. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 4 : This is a floral that I enjoy! (Those are few and far between, it seems.) It's definitely one of the heavier florals that I've liked so far.

Utrennyaya Dry, it's a sweet floral, slightly cloying. Before that, it had an icy freshness that it. It's quite layered and goes through stages. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 3 : I don't dislike it. But, it surely isn't me.

The Hamptons Delicious! This smells like sweet and sour candy. Sweet tarts, or sour gummy worms. It also reminds me of an extra tart berry lemonade. This is fresh and fun. I've never had a Cosmo before, so I looked it up on Wikipedia. A Cosmopolitan is a cocktail made with vodka, Cointreau or Triple Sec, cranberry juice, and fresh-squeezed lime juice or sweetened lime juice. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 4 : This is a keeper, I love how it's fruity, but in a fun sweet and tart way.

Strangler Fig In the vial, this is fresh and green. It smells just like freshly cut grass, or new ferns, or some other wild greenery. When applied, it quickly disappears from that and enters a warm, sweet stage. I no longer smell greenness. It's lightly honeyed wood. I'm not sure what fig, fresh or otherwise, smells like (such a shame) so I can't really compare. But oh my, this is so nice. It smells nothing like it did in the vial, and it's not what I would have expected from the description, but I absolutely love this. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 5 : A part of me wishes the green lasted, because it was so dead on and unique, but I adore the way this smells, so I can't really complain!

Umbra I thought it appropriate that I try this imp today, since I just learned what an umbra is in Astronomy class today. I also anticipated loving this scent, as I like the notes involved. However, first sniff and even as I continue to wear it, I'm just not sure. I expected a warm, deep forest smell. This isn't warm at all to me, instead, it's sharp, cold, and harsh. I'm not quite sure what's causing that, but it reminds me of the astringency of Juniper. I'm conflicted, this isn't an unpleasant smell, but it is very unexpected and not a way I'd want my skin to smell. Maybe an air freshener? But I don't know, that sharpness is bothering me. I really was expecting the homey feel of a forest, which is deep and warm, and energizing with it's fresh air. That's not this. [1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love] 2 : Too sharp. So sharp it actually stings my eyes and sinuses.