Posted 01 July 2009 - 12:26 AM
In the imp: Well mixed and difficult to pick apart. I get some soft lavender and tangy-fresh ozone, over a sweeter backdrop that seems to be…amber? A twinge of fruit and some very light musk. It's a sweet and resinous yet somehow fresh scent—bizarre, but I think I like it.
On, wet: Hello, black currant! The fruit blooms hugely when it touches my skin, and it blends very nicely with the amber-smelling resin, which adds some richness. The lavender seems to have nearly disappeared, but the mixture of white musk and ozone gives this a clean, shimmery, almost sparkling quality. Again, it's strange—I don't think this smells anything like any other BPAL I've tried—but it smells fantastic. Not horrific at all, but definitely luminous and hazy. It makes me think of purple storm clouds gathering in the sky, somehow, sort of dark and powerful and filled with potential. (Yeah, I'm not sure what I'm talking about either, but that's what it makes me think of!)
On, dry: Round, deep and fruity, with the black currant above all, but it's blended with the ambery resin and gets some zing from the white musk and very light ozone. Very unique, very striking. Sweet, but not too sweet, and definitely the best black currant scent I've tried, by far. Exceptional throw, too.
Later: Basically unchanged, just a smoother and better blended black currant-amber scent. Less ozone, more amber, but essentially the same. Good staying power.
Overall: I've been putting off trying this one for quite some time, and I have no clue why. I got it as a frimp of indeterminate age from somebody else, so I wasn't expecting much from it, but WOW, this is actually quite stunning on me, and I'm now contemplating a bottle purchase. It's a deep mix of tart fruit, sweet amber and clean, refreshing ozone--not heavy, not too sweet. The black currant note is full of win here, the throw is excellent, it lasts for hours and hours, and it's truly unusual (and non-commercial) without being unapproachable.