Chimera

[merivelle]

The fiery, volatile scent of cinnamon, thickened by myrrh, honeysuckle, and copal.

I truly love this fragrance! I love cinnamon and myrrh. This scent is sweet and cinnamony, and it's long lasting. I wear this to work when I don't want anyone to mess with me, not becasue of the scent, but because of the name! Harness the power of the Chimera! Edited January 7, 2006 by Shollin

[binkyboots]

it's cinnamon, lots of it, and honey?

 

it's got a really sweet slightly creamy drydown on me and lasts, a few hours, not bad

[moon_lemming]

Is that really cinnamon? Somehow the combination of notes in Chimera end up smelling exactly like gingerbread on me when wet. Yum. If I concentrate, I can pick out the cinnamon.

 

Once it dries, it changes into a thick, sweet, spicy vanilla-dipped floral. I love it. I can't think of many situations in which I'd wear it, but it's lovely and I'll probably gather a few imps.

 

The only drawback is that when I sniff it for a while, I have a little bit of a reaction, I guess because of the cinammon, but no welts on the testing spot, so that's no biggie.

[wanderingredhead]

Really cinnamony. This was the oil that convinced me a I didn't like myrrh- it just smells too soapy/SHARP to me.

 

Chimera ended up being very sharp cinnamon, and I didn't like it all that much.

[try_infrared]

Wow, this is the first BPAL scent that I've absolutely loved!

 

In the bottle/imp: This smells like sweet, thick cinnamon frosting. Tons of cinnamon and vanilla. I want to eat it!

 

Wet on my skin: The cinnamon is still very strong but the sweetness fades a bit and the myrrh and copal start to emerge.

 

Drydown on my skin: This scent lasts for hours! eventually it becomes a beautifully soft hint of spice and resin. Super sexy! I love it!

[HappyLoveJoy]

WOW!!! Okay, right off the bat I have to say that this smells like Snake Charmer Lite on me, and I love it! They are so different in their genetic make up but there's a common rich, sweet, spicy and creamy-smooth end result. Chimera is spicy cinnamon but more like the way that powdered cinnamon smells---the softness of it. Then I get a short transition of Snake Oil blended with O and Dana O'Shee and I can pick out different components. Next is the Snake Charmer Lite phase and that's where it all comes together as one---not too sweet, very sexy vanilla with a warm, golden honey glow.

[Aurelius]

At first I smell like a big blob of creamy frosting. I smell rich, sweet, and sugary. As this dries I pick up cinnamon. Then, for a brief period I am a giant red hot. Finally dry, I smell like a mix of the two: frosting with a hint of cinnamon. This smells devious, the frosting all sweet and innocent to lure people in, the cinnamon ready to jump out and attack 'em once they're close enough to do naughty, naughty things.

[Hawke]

In the vial: Cinnamon maybe, or clove. Also a sort of doughy scent. Like a cinnamon roll. And something with a slight alcoholic bite.

 

Wet: Instant cinnamon explosion on my skin. Wow and yum! Cinnamon roll goodness without the overly sticky addition of frosting.

 

Dry: Ah, now there's the sweetness. Fortunately, it's still not sticky-smelling. I'm still going with cinnamon roll, though. I get no flowers at all, just spicy, delicious scent. Definitely one of my favorites.

[qwerty0]

Chimera is the very first scent I'm buying a bottle of -- from my first pack of imps I kept coming back to it, and now it's gone and I'm craving more. Starts out bitingly cinnamon (which is fantastic first thing in the morning after being up studying for way too long) and then transitions into a sorta-softer but still dangerous blend with delicious creamy vanilla undertones. I adore it -- count one new lab addict, right here...

[theling]

Rating: 10/10

 

In the bottle:

One of my first BPAL loves... smells like a cinnamon with a honeyed layer to mellow it out.

 

Initial Scent (on skin):

Very fiery cinnamon with a powdery honey (maybe this is the amber/copal note?or the honeysuckle) note that takes over.

 

Staying Power:

This last FOREVER on my skin and has a very WIDE throw... I've gotten tons of complements when I wear this.

[CapricornSister]

I've had this imp in the "test" pile for a bit. I know I've sniffed it before, but when I tried it today I fell in love!

It smells creamy to me in the imp, kind of like cake batter. When I put it on the cinnamon comes out. The cinnamon sits on top and the cream scent is in the background. So far it seems to have staying power, without much morphing. As someone else said, this is reminiscent of Snake Charmer to me too.

 

I must buy a bottle!

[Rock Goddess]

Another strange reaction...I only picked up a faint hint of the cinnamon in Chimera. It wasn't fiery for me at all, and I LOVE spicy scents, and they usually love me back. The top note was creamy and sweet. Nonetheless, I really liked this one, and I'm going to keep trying it to see if I can pick up the cinnamon.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: sweet, with a hint of cinnamon. i can understand why so many people like this one so much. it smells positively edible.

on: amazing. i want to eat this. it reminds me of beaver moon, but spicy.

half an hour later: the cinnamon is hotter now, but it's still sweet and lovely.

overall: this lasted for a really long time on me and stayed pretty true to its initial scent. a definitely keeper and a possibly bottle purchase when i run out of beaver moon.

[LadyWilde]

At first, cinnamon buttercream. Yum. Then, spicy cinnamon beautifully balanced by sweet honey. Also lovely. A couple hours later, cinnamon Play-Doh. Not so pretty.

 

Booo.

 

I will be trying this again, as the first couple hours were so lovely, and I am hoping that the Play-Doh was just a temporary chemistry malfunction.

[seamor]

Wow, I had been hearing so much about this one that I was really excited to try it, but...

 

Wet: Oily vanilla. No cinnamon.

Dry: Clean naugahyde, with a touch of vanilla and petroleum. (Think of a newly washed vinyl car seat with a chemical vanilla car scent in the background.)

 

Also, it makes me sneeze. Darn! Sometimes being alien is just not as much fun as the stories say...

 

So sad...

 

 

On the other hand, if they all worked on me, I'd probably go bankrupt.

Edited February 12, 2006 by celtimor

[WidgetAlley]

Got this in a swap with the beyond fabulous cal_steph. Since it's actually snowing here (first snow of the year... in February? WTF?), I thought this would be appropriate. My expectations are of something sweet, spicy and snuggly.

 

In the Imp: Oh yum. Heavy cinnamon, something rich and creamy and clear that can only be honeysuckle, and a golden resiny sort of smell shot through with the dry spice of myrrh. Oh wow. Mmm. This smells... freakin' incredible. It reminds me of Beaver Moon, only more spicy and complex. Can I drink this? Please? No? Oh well. Maybe I can satisfy my craving by dumping this Imp all over myself, letting it drip to the floor and then rolling in it? *slathers gleefully*

 

Wet: Cinnamon! Powdered, though, not the stick kind, or even cinnamon frosting. It doesn't burn on my wrists, but I stuck my face in it, and got some on the tip of my nose, and that's a bit ouchy. I'll have to avoid rubbing my eyes, in case I have any on my fingers.... This is drying out a teensy bit, becoming more like a very very sugary cinnamon incense rather than a cupcake, but I'm okay with that. It has a teensy tiny bit of the same slightly round playdough scent that Beaver Moon does on me at first, but I'm hoping that, like the Beaver, that will burn off as this dries. It's still.... oh, let's face it. This is orgasmic, playdough note and all. Sticky cinnamon buns and cinnamon incense and sugary golden warmth; if it keeps on like this, it's going to end up being the ultimate cuddle scent.

 

Dry: Honey, cinnamon, spice, warm resin... mmmm. Still a tad playdough-esque, but it's not enough to bother me.

 

Verdict: Logistically, this is strong, has good throw, and I think will last quite a while. Aesthetically, this is a little more bakery-esque than I'm used to, and, unlike most of my other blends, it's very friendly and sort of puppyish, rather than aloof or sexy or downright beautiful, but I'm willing to expand my usual repetoire if it means I smell like this. This wouldn't be an everyday scent for me, but it would suit certain playful moods perfectly.

 

Unless something goes drastically wrong, this goes on the big bottle list... maybe not at the top, but not exactly at the bottom, either.

[PirateMaggie]

Wet, this is deliciously sweet cinnamon and honeysuckle, with the resins lingering in the background preventing the blend from becoming cloying. Unfotunately, when it dries, it starts to smell musty-sweet as the myrrh and copal overpower the cinnamon. I'm a bit disappointed--I was looking forward to smelling like Red Hots!

[VenusFlyTrap]

I just love this scent! It is one of my favorites. Comes off cinnamon and copal on my skin. Lovely, warm and subtly sexy! A winner!

[Neely]

Frimp from Mandragora, and I got another right after from the lab!

 

In the bottle: very soft vanilla smell, can hardly smell it in the bottle. This is very subtle.

 

Wet: vanilla and cinnamon. I am not getting any honeysuckle, which is good, florals tend to go overboard on me. Nor am I getting any myrrh. Just vanilla cinnamon.

 

Dry down: vanilla and cinnamon. This isn't morphing much on me at all, unlike other BPAL scents.

 

30 minutes: creamy soft cinnamon.

 

Conclusion: Unfortunately I smell like cinnamon red hots melted in a glass of water. Nothing but cinnamon, cinnamon, cinnamon. Which my chemistry tends to love and amp.

 

Rating on my skin, this is a 2.5.

[Memnet]

I first received Chimera in an imp and wasn't really sure about it. After I tried it...love. I am partial to cinnamon containing blends, but I believe this one is my favorite. The cinnamon's sharpness is moderated and enriched by the sweetness of the honeysuckle, but it isn't a sickening sweetness...it is fresh and clean, almost tasty.

[MistressTera]

Fresh From The Imp: The combination of honeysuckle and cinnamon have combined to bring me... ALMONDS. Hmm.

 

Wet On My Flesh: The cinnamon is stronger here, but I'm still smelling almonds.

 

Drying Down: Pretty much the same as it was when I first put it on, along with a faint burning sensation. I'm hoping I'm not sensitive to the cinnamon.

 

Hour To Integrate: Argh! I'm a PlayDoh person! I can still smell the almonds, but it's as if someone stuck them into a jar of preschool's finest.

 

End Of Day/Final Report: Into the swaps with you.

[dnipbhsw]

I got a frimp of this with my first order. Right out of the imp, it's sharp, hot cinnamon, with a bit of sweetness underneath, but on my skin, all the sweet goodness just disappeared, and I was left with pure cinnamon. Not for me, I'm sad to say.

Edited February 24, 2006 by dnipbhsw

[Rewth]

sweet, cinnamon, with al almost buttery sense to it. a solid hint of "frosting" this smells like a cinnamon roll. Not a mall cinnabon atrocity, but home made yummyness. But… its not for me. Just too much torment knowing I can't eat the cinnamon roll without a day of pain n suffering (celiac).

[aymee]

In the Imp:Cinnamon bears! Fine by me, because I can eat mountains of the little buggers. I love cinnamon!

 

Drying:Cinnamon and honeysuckle. This is the second honeysuckle scent I have tried (the first being Lolita), and my skin loooooves honeysuckle. The feeling is mutual

 

Dry:Cinnamon, amber, and just a lil bit of honeysuckle. Reminds me of O, which is a good thing! Must be the amber. Love it.

 

Overall, if this ends up lasting as long as O does on my skin, I will definitely buy a big bottle.

[hologhost]

Cinnamon sugar - Yum! I can't stop sniffing my arm...