In the bottle: Sweet and fizzy, if that makes sense. I'm not familiar with elemi, but I'm not picking up any of the other notes listed except for some jasmine. Right now, I'm a bit worried this will be stronger than what I'd usually wear.
On wet: "Effervescent" is definitely a key word. It's got that same sort of fizziness I got from Fizzy Jack O' Lantern, though I wouldn't say it smells like it. It's sweeter on skin than it was in the bottle, and I can smell the jasmine better now as well as some fruitiness. It reminds me of some sparkly alcoholic drink.
Dry: Still fizzy, still sweet. It's gotten softer. The vaguely boozy fizz prevents it from being a truly light scent, but this is actually very pretty. I would say jasmine as the most evident, followed by either the blackcurrant or plum...my nose is not yet refined enough to really pick out notes, I'm afraid. If I sniff long enough I'm pretty sure I can pick out the carnation.
Not something I might have taken home if I'd just tried it in passing, but I'm planning on hanging on to my bottle so far.
In the imp: I don't wear many dark oils, so I'm surprised at what a deep red color this is. It smells like a darker, heavier Snake Oil. I'm a big fan of Snake Oil, so I like this, but I hope there's something to set them apart on the skin.
On wet: There's definitely something sharper that sets this apart from S.O. I'm wondering if it's the patchouli leaf? I like this a lot, and I'll be disappointed if it changes much once it dries down. It starts turning sweet pretty quickly.
Dry: This still smells a lot like S.O., but it's smokier and I think I can pick up the sweetness from the plum, or maybe the pomegranate. It's definitely a fruity sweet. A few hours later it almost seems a little powdery on occasion, and the vanilla has gotten more prominent, but I'm still enjoying it. It's also earned me my second BPAL compliment ever from a coworker, who called it "soft and sweet." The imp is definitely a keeper, and I will certainly be picking up a bottle (or two) when the Carnaval comes back to town! I can't think of a better scent to associate with Beth.
Before I'd even placed my first BPAL order I heard a rave review of this on a Popstuff podcast. Reading the scent description didn't convince me to order it, though, so I was pleased when I received it as a frimp.
In the imp: extremely fruity sweet, almost too sweet.
On wet: There was a pineapple soda I grew up drinking called Jupiña - that's a lot like what this smells like. It's making me feel a little nostalgic! I really, really like this. After a while it starts to grow a little more complex. I can pick up something like peppers now.
Dry: This is really impressive. I can see that tropical smoothie comparison that previous reviewers have made, but the spiciness of the pepper is there too. Throw is decent, but it starts to fade after a while. This is definitely going on the bottle list.
I put off trying this one on for a while because I'm not a particular fan of minty scents. But I got it as a frimp, and my "not yet tried" can was starting to overflow, so I figured I might as well.
In the imp: Chocolatey, minty, a little musky? Thankfully not that harsh spearmint scent that comes to mind when I think "mint."
On wet: Chocolate.
Dry: This is...this is Dorian. This is a very faintly chocolatey Dorian. I don't really smell mint, exactly, though there's definitely kind of a fresh quality to the scent that's absent from actual Dorian. I like this a lot more than I thought I would, but I don't know that I'd spring for a full bottle. I'll definitely use up my imp, though.
I took notes on this when I first received my decants some time ago, but never got around to posting the review.
In the imp: a light, sweet floral.
Wet: Roses!
Dry: Roses and chamomile. So much love for this!
1 month+ later: I still wear this fairly often, but I'm sad to say that with aging the pineapple and cinnamon have come out more. It's not that I dislike the scent now, but I was so in love with the roses and chamomile phase that I'm disappointed by the change. I will, however, most certainly be keeping my imp, and may try to snag a bottle if the opportunity presents itself.
In the imp: smells smoky, spicy, and sweet...a bit syrupy, maybe? So far, so good.
On wet: Almost as soon as it hits the skin, it turns into diet Dr. Pepper. What on Earth happened here? It stays firmly in the real of diet Dr. Pepper for a good while, too. It's much sweeter than it was in the imp, when it was more spicy. Kind of disappointed and hoping it improves.
Dry: Diet Dr. Pepper is gone, and it's more smoky now. Unfortunately it's not a good smoky. It smells a bit like BBQ, almost. I'm pretty sure my skin chemistry is to blame and I suspect this would smell much better on someone else, especially on a man. It's going to the swap box.
Sweet, spicy floral. It doesn't smell of gingerbread at all. Throw is good - I put a bit around my neck and on my wrists and I was catching little whiffs of it all day. After reading other reviews I think I can pick up hints of notes mentioned - ginger, honey, and resins, maybe. But unfortunately my nose is not yet expert enough for me to be sure. This scent is definitely not what I expected, but I find that I really like it regardless! I'll be ordering a full bottle before the Yules come down.
