theal8r

I just can't figure out if I like this or love this. In the bottle I was scared of it. The jasmine immediately went for my head and sinuses. I, as someone above, seriously considered not testing further. Wet: The sweet and the jasmine fought with each other HARD. Periodically the honeysuckle sticks itself out, but runs away again. The notes here just did not want to blend, so one sniff was all nasty floral and the next was sweet smoothness. I put this in my swap box. Dry down: Oh. My. It smells like warm, soft skin. Subtle, sweetly floral without whatever it is that makes most florals go grandma on my skin. I don't detect any powder and no single note is stepping forward on my skin to announce itself. Instead this is just a thoroughly happy and charming marriage of scents. Figures that they were fighting first I've now added a bottle of this to my ISO list...

I really adore this perfume! In the bottle the spice is a tad strong (mine is from the first batch), but that very quickly settles to a subtle, sophisticated aura (really, it is less a smell than just a feeling!). I miss the buttery notes, but find it is a nice vacation from my usual sweet and foody smells. This sweetness is mild and deepened by the sandalwood and a spice that seems cinnamon-y/peppery. When I first put this perfume on I can actually TASTE spices, but (thank goodness) that fades before I'm ready to drink my morning coffee.

Bottle: fruity, sort of creamy smell. I think it is the honey that I love -- maybe the grape or fig, I'm not sure. I really wanted this to go well on me. Wet: Oooookaaaayyyy... sort of... Something is amping to sneeze-worthy levels, but seems to be fading back fast. In fact, the whole thing seems to be fading and going almost powdery on me. The honey and whatever that fruity is smell soooo nice, but I just can't smell it unless my wrist is attached to my nose. Dry: Gone. Nothing, nada. However, on the daughter-- she just smells lovely! Like you imagine a fresh, clean child dappled in sunlight SHOULD smell (but never does). I guess this one goes in HER box!

Bottle: Oh. No. It smells like... like... KAOPEKTATE! Chalky, minty... anti-diarrhea medicine... wtf. There's a definite plastic undertone. I have some serious misgivings about this one. Wet: minty vanillia with a weird twist. The plastic smell is amping a bit, but not too bad. Mostly just weird, and I really wasn't too sure about this at all. Dry down: funky vanilla candle that my grandmother had in her linen closet. But... it took a long time, bt it finally settled into a really mellow, warm and creamy vanilla with just a little twist in the undertone. The throw is excellent, I'm not totally overwhelmed with vanilla. I'm still not sure if I like this, but I did move it from the swap pile to the "hmmmm" pile. There is something about it that seems comfortable and soft... But not a grab me by the throat with scentlove. If nothing else, I have been as intrigued by a scent like I am by this one. On one wrist I layered this with some Red Lantern (okok, it was an oops) and it was OMFG amazing.

In the bottle: caramelly goodness. This reminds me faintly of Velvet and Mme. Moriarty and Elegba (they're kinda mixed up in my lingerie drawer via various tester cotton balls). I really hoped this would go well on my skin. Wet: chocolate. *ruh* A slightly spicy undertone that quickly mellowed. Dry down: Sweet, sensual with just a hint of spiciness. This is softly sexy without amping to amazingly awful levels. The tobacco rounds the sweet out so nicely, I have my wrist attached to my nose. This reminds me of the good old days of eating fine chocolates while smoking cigars in a local brew pub. Love it.

This was frimped in a recent order. In the bottle it was sweet, but light. I didn't pick up the citrus, but noted heliotrope (and started sneezing). I tried it on a wrist, because once in a while a floral will mellow (very rarely!). This just got sweeter and more perfume-y on me. I never got any citrus, but when I dabbed my daughter with the cotton ball she was all sunshine and sweet citrus-y goodness. Dry down went powdery on me, another smell I can't tolerate. On the daughter the citrus mellowed and the heliotrope (?) pulled to the front and amped to the point that I needed to wash her to tolerate her on my lap. She thought it was great and would have kept the imp if I'd let her

I recently was frimped a bottle of Nosferatu which smelled wonderful in impy and when first applied but faded to nothing at all in short order. Today I got an impy of Jazz Funeral. In the bottle I smelled that wonderful greeny-dirt smell I loved so much in Nosferatu, so fearing the worst, I slathered my wrists. Wet it was this wonderful green, dirt, sweetness that I couldn't seem to get my nose away from. This lasted for quite a long time! Now, 2 - 3 hours later, I smell this subtle, sweetness with a hint of something darker. This is a more mature smell, but definitely hints at some hidden naughtiness. I don't get that nose-twitching sensation florals of any stripe usually give me. This is a new most-loved for me!

All the other leathers have smelled too... floral. This leather is just perfect and smells like pure sex on my hub. Leather on me just smells like an old horse; not good. This even smells pretty nice, although too mannish, on me. The leather amps very nicely and has a good amount of staying power. The lime sweetens the mix a little without making it smell like a fruit bowl.

I love fig, but a lot of the fig scents have other notes that go all wrong on me. Mata hari is the most notable stand out for utter badness on my skin. Strangler Fig is one of my favorites -- is there something similar to *that* but maybe with some darkness or sandalwoody-ness?

In the bottle this smelled like Old Man, so I was scared to put it on. Old Man generally turns into Headache for me, so you understand my hesitation. At first I got a lot of the old man smell, but it slowly sweetened and mellowed into a perfectly lovely, slightly smoky scent. It amped pretty nicely without becoming the White Elephant In The Room and also didn't fade instantly (I'm looking at you, eggnog) I like this. I'm not certain it is bottle-worthy for me, but I do like it. I'll have to try it a few more times.

This is by far the best chocolate scent I've tried yet. The throw was AMAZING without being overpowering and the spicy dot of cinnamon just makes it such an interesting blend (especially as compared to Bliss). It lasted nearly all day, too (NONE of my perfumes make it all the way through my day). The coffee seemed to deepen the chocolate somehow -- it wasn't a separate note on my, but added new dimensions to the chocolate. So much love for this one.

My 7-year-old boy likes to sniff, some, but won't wear them. He does get excited about bath bombs and soap, though. I think, maybe that doesn't seem as girly. My daughter (5) has her own BPAL box (an old purse of my grandmother's) and her own stash, which I apply for her at bed time or if we go out for special occasions. She gets just as excited as I do when i get a new package of smellies. I like the lotion idea -- I also will add a drop or two to a bath if the kid in question is into it. My daughter likes the rose -scents -- ones I consider sort of "pink" smelling, actually. She isn't as fond of my favorites: Mme. Moriarty, Elegba and Samhain 2007 as I am (good thing), but we both love Bliss and Velvet. Wouldn't it be awesome if Beth came out with a li'l imps line just for the shortlings?

Overall, this is nice, although it doesn't have the staying power on me that other scents have. This starts out too perfumey, but ends woodsy with just a hint of sweet and dark. Sadly, by the end of the work day, it is gone, daddy, gone. This is a favorites list, but not a holy grail for me.

Just received in my 'weenies order. I had such high hopes for this! Bottle: sweet, maple sugar-y. It made me miss Michigan in the fall just a bit (and also made me nervous to put it on). Wet: Normally the foodie scents do pretty well on me. I expected this to be brilliant as the sweet foodies seem to just love me. No. I smelt like... some crazy old lady's bakery gone mad. And with such throw! Oh, my. I've never had a BPAL with so much throw. Drydown: Becoming more and more perfumey and just... pungent. There is a definite undertone that I want to pull out from under the crazy bakery smell, but it just sharpens and sharpens. Must. wash. Off. so very, very sad. This is most certainly not a winner for me.

Velvet is my first BPAL purchase and I love it. I have noticed, since moving from Michigan to Florida, that it doesn't smell the same on me any more. It gets an almost sour smell. I don't get it and it makes me so very sad.