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BPAL Madness!

mhickle

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Everything posted by mhickle

  1. mhickle

    Verdandi

    I got this as a frimp in my last order and tried it without reading the description. On first sniff, I get sugared melon, which sticks around for the first few moments on my wrists. After a while, as it dries, it ends up smelling a bit like one of those wax tarts you put in a tart warmer to scent your home. Maybe that's the apple coming out (I've since read the description), because that smell softens and it's definitely more appley. It's pretty light on me, and the staying power isn't looking good, but I think this will make an excellent warm-weather scent.
  2. mhickle

    Endymion

    This is a very lovely scent, but it's just not for me. The flowers are nicely blended, the pear is a nice touch, and it seems like a much nicer version of a "perfume" (I don't get the "perfume" feel from a lot of the other BPAL oils I've tried. It would be gorgeous on someone else, but I typically go for richer, deeper scents. It was a nice visit, though!
  3. mhickle

    Bess

    In the imp, I just can't place the smell. Sweet, maybe a little of the rosemary? I sniffed again, shrugged, and dabbed it on. Wet, it smells like...hmmm...yes, a mint jellybean. And then...it disappears...Bess sounds so lovely, but she just doesn't stick around very long.
  4. mhickle

    Calliope

    I received this as a gift from the lovely strangemodegirl when she noticed I was lamenting the disappearance of the muses. So I felt really bad when, the first time I tried Calliope, I didn't like it. I was determined, however, to give this muse another try, and I am so glad I did. This time, I gently rolled the bottle in my hands before applying, letting things mix up. And what a difference it made. Or maybe my body is just responding differently today...whatever the case, I take back my dislike. For a moment, Calliope is all lemon on me. However, it quickly becomes sharp and herbal, and that is where it stays. This is what didn't agree with me last time - the sharpness was almost acrid. But today it is just asserting itself, mostly thyme, a hint of lavendar on me. I find this scent rather invigorating, and am sorry to see it go. Thanks, strangemodegirl!!
  5. mhickle

    Danube

    In the imp, this is very floral, but I can't really place what kind of flowers. When I put it on, it definitely takes on that "watery" scent, and I rather like it. As it dries down, the weirdest thing happens, though. It kind of smells like...spit. Clean spit, not gross, and I'm not really sure how to describe it, but it smells like I just licked my arm..It's not a bad smell, but to me it is very distinct. Once it's dry, it's all flowers, kind of green and grassy, with the water. Not really my cup of tea, but pretty all the same.
  6. mhickle

    Haloes

    When I smelled this last night at ECWC, I had no idea what notes I was dealing with, only that I thought it was yummmmmy. I tried it, nodded, and bought a bottle. Wearing it today, I'm able to give more of a review. Last night, had someone asked what I thought, I would have just made grabby hands at the bottle. This morning, in a more thoughtful state, I sniffed before putting it on. Very sweet, a little bit of fruit, definitely vanilla. Wet, it stays sweet for a while, but then gets woody and soft as it dries. The vanilla is still there, and so is a bit of the fruit, but it all comes together in this warm, comforting blend with just a touch of spice. Love love love.
  7. mhickle

    Lucretia

    I adore Lucretia. I'm finding it has become my oil for when I need to feel beautiful and sophisticated. When I wear it, I feel confident. On me, the violets really pop, but in such a way that they are a perfect blend with the musk and vanilla - not too flowery sweet, but definitely absolutely violet. The wood and amber are there, giving foundation to the flowers. It's just a gorgeous, perfectly blended oil. While I don't get a great deal of throw, Lucretia does last a good amount of time on me, which makes me happy!
  8. mhickle

    Lunar Eclipse

    I bought this on a whim, after reading the description and thinking I just knew it would work on me. And I love it! Lunar Eclipse goes on sweet and fruity, all berries and spice on me. It softens up and the fruit backs off a bit, letting the tea and spices play with the musk. At first, there is a strong throw, and I think perhaps it will have lasting power, but unfortunately on me it doesn't last more than half the day. I've noticed that with most blends - I'm definitely going to have to start carrying the bottle of whatever I'm wearing for the day with me!
  9. mhickle

    Siren

    In the imp, this is all sharp sweetness. When I first apply it, it's still sweet, and the sharpness disappears for a while. I am definitely getting vanilla out of this. It's not very floral, as the jasmine seems to blend right in with the other notes. Then, the strangest thing happens for the first hour or so of wearing this - every time I sniff it, I get the sweetness, but an unmistakable whiff of wax crayons. It's not like "hmmm, this sort of smells waxy." It is full on crayon. I thought I would be sending Siren to the swap pile. After that hour or so, though, it goes away completely, and I'm left with a blend of jasmine and vanilla that is so well done you just don't know where one stops and the other begins, with this sharp ginger floating on top of it. As we walked into our building, my husband commented on how good this one smells. It was before it had made the shift away from crayon, so I said "no, it must be the coffee someone just made." But then I had him sniff and then I sniffed and he was right! Guess I'll be keeping it, after all!
  10. mhickle

    Brown Jenkin

    A small, furry, sharp-toothed scent that will nuzzle you curiously in the black hours before dawn: dusty white sandalwood and orris root, dry coconut husk, creeping musk, and the residue of ceremonial incense. In the imp, this smells sweet and musky. When it hits my skin, it suddenly smells like I opened a bottle of spiced rum! Weird! But good...and it dies down a bit into a musky, sweet softness. The coconut never really asserts itself any more than just lending sweetness to the overall experience. It fades a bit faster than I'd like, so next time I shall slather it on and keep it in the purse to reapply. It's a very warm, comforting scent, and it was a good choice for the dreary day we're having here.
  11. mhickle

    Hamadryad

    Whooooa BenGay! In the imp, I got spicey and sweet, but the very second it hit my skin, it was all BenGay. And what a throw in those first 20 minutes or so! I was in a cloud of BenGay! In the drydown, this scent calms considerably, but also fades quite a lot. It's only been 3 and a half hours and it's pretty much gone. Which is a shame, because once the woods come out, it's really nice! If it lasted longer, I would definitely buy a bottle before it's gone in a couple of days!
  12. mhickle

    Faith

    Oh, wow. I was NOT expecting to love this as much as I do. I am not a floral person (I think I've said that in a bunch of reviews now!). Violets, however, seem to work on me. And Faith reaaaaally works on me. In the imp, it's so sugary - and a REAL sugar smell, not some fakey perfume-trying-to-be-sugar smell. Pure sugar. On my skin, the violet pops out, and the sugar blends perfectly. When I walked into the room, my husband immediately said "Wow, you smell good!!" and then asked which one this is (he's gotten used to my wearing a different scent every day since I'm trying to test the ton of imps I've acquired in the past couple of months). As it dries down, there is a softness that emerges, almost like the flowers and sugar combined with vanilla. The flowers are never too "floral" - there is more of a candy sweetness. Want. Bottle. Too bad I am so not into rose, so I would have no use for this lady's sister!
  13. mhickle

    The Lady of Shalott

    Normally, I steer clear of florals, but The Lady of Shalott has been a pleasant surprise. In the imp, I smell the ginger and sweetness, and on my skin it dries down to a green, watery, beautiful blend. The flowers don't scream out, and it ends up an unusual, feminine scent. I think I will wear this in the springtime. I do wish it lasted longer, though, and that it had more throw. If I ever get a perfume locket, I will have to experiment!
  14. mhickle

    Jezebel

    In the imp, I'm getting sweet citrus and something sharp behind it. At first dab, the sharpness takes over a bit, almost an acrid scent. But that fades, and as the oil dries, it unfortunately goes quite powdery on me. It's sandalwood (which I normally really like), mixed with baby powder. I wish it worked - I was excited about the honey and orange blossom. It's also making me feel sneezy! There is a constant tickle in my nose. Oh, Jezebel, I wanted us to get along!
  15. mhickle

    Diwali

    I really thought I was going to love this one, but I'm surprised at the results. In the imp, I smell coconut and sweetness, and that's not a bad thing. On my skin, though, it goes more "perfumey" than I expected. Where I thought I would get a slightly foody, complex scent, I'm getting more floral than anything else. I'm definitely up for giving it another try, though!
  16. mhickle

    Madeline

    Normally, I am decidedly not a floral person. But there is something about this that works. It's floral, yes, but there is an earthy quality to it that makes it sing. In the imp, it's very green to my nose, and at first application it remains green, almost tropical - grassy but no grass I've smelled around here. The flowers start to emerge as it dries down, with that earthy quality keeping it, well, "grounded," so to speak!
  17. mhickle

    Incubus

    In the imp, this smells so familiar, but I just can't place it. It's sweet, but with a sharpness to it. Wet, it's sticky sweet with smokiness in the background. As I drove to work, it kept making me think of eating bacon with maple syrup. Of course, I was also hungry! As it dries down, it loses the stickiness and becomes more complex. I never really get mint out of it, or rather the mint is well-blended and no one note screams out from the rest of them. It's a smokey, musky, sweet scent, and I really like it! At first I wasn't sure, when it was still in the wet phase, but now I'm really into it! ETA: Hours later, it has sweetened again! It is like pure pancake syrup now!
  18. mhickle

    Tamora

    In the imp: Sweet, but very soft. And there's a sharpness there that I just can't place... Wet: Still quite sweet. Fruit starts to come out to play, but mostly just that soft sweetness. As it dries down, the peach becomes more pronounced. This is incredibly light on me, but a very pretty scent. The lightness would prevent me from buying a bottle, as I can only smell it when I shove my nose into my wrist. It's a shame, too, because it would make a nice summer scent! ETA: I wore it again today, and it might just be a tad too fruity for me.
  19. mhickle

    Nefertiti

    I really can't decide about this one. It's more floral than what I usually like. In the imp, it's very, very floral, and I hesitated to apply it. On me - It kind of smells like jasmine to me, but maybe that's iris, since I'm not really sure what iris smells like. What I like about it is that the spice definitely cuts the floral, and creates a very sophisticated, feminine scent. It changed a lot throughout the day, and has a decent throw. My husband seemed to like it. But I just don't know...
  20. mhickle

    Envy

    In the imp: Green, green, green! On me - this reminds me of the "Grass" perfume Gap had a few years back. I really liked that fragrance, so it's nice to smell something like it again. It's very fresh and, well, green! This has a pretty strong throw, which kind of surprised me because it's such a fresh, clean scent. It blends nicely with the rosemary-mint hand lotion I've been using lately. So, yeah, I like it. Not sure it's very wintery, so I might revisit in the springtime!
  21. mhickle

    Viola

    I bought this as part of an imp pack because I just *had* to (the name and all). I had to ignore the fact that there's rose, as rose does not typically work on me. However, I was pleasantly surprised when the rose was not horrible on me - it's nice. Very different from what I normally wear or what I am normally drawn to. It's fairly powdery, but light enough that it seems to work. Still not a favorite, but doable. I have to say, though, this doesn't scream"Viola" at me - my skin really amps the rose, and it's just too floral. Someone else mentioned that it's androgynous until the "third act," but unforunately I'm not getting that, though I was expecting it. It sounds like it would be, but on me it just lacks the strength and boldness I see in the character.
  22. mhickle

    All Night Long

    I am so sad. I love the way this smells! But, moments after putting it on, my skin had turned BRIGHT RED in the places I'd applied it. Like crazy red - as if I had just painted my skin. When I got in bed, my husband said "Mmmm, you smell good." And then I showed him my arms and he said "But you can't wear that!" If your skin can handle it, this is a great blend. Sharp spice with a yummy sweetness going on. Man...
  23. mhickle

    Paris

    I do not get ANY lavender out of this. Weird! In the imp and on my skin, it's just this weird sweet smell that smells almost exactly like the home of a friend of my husband's parents. It's weird and fruity and just not working out for me. I guess the closest scent I can point to is the bubblegum that others have talked about, which seems to be the lotus. This is odd, because I used to have a lotus flower perfume that was just great... I wish I could place what's up with this scent on me!
  24. mhickle

    Namaste

    At first sniff, this is pretty lemony, and that continues on my skin. It begins to soften to a woody, incensey kind of smell, but now, about an hour later, it seems a bit...musty. It's weird, and it's not with every sniff, but it's definitely there. I'm going to give it another try on another day, just in case, because I really want to like this!!!
  25. mhickle

    Vice

    In the imp, I suppose it's cocoa - really just says SWEET to me, but a distinctive kind of sweet that must just be the cocoa screaming out at me. It's thick and rich upon application - it smells as if it should be sticky and syrupy! As it dries down, it becomes really...interesting. I like it. Definitely getting the flowery fruity scent of the orange blossom and cherries, with the unmistakable chocolate, like a high quality candy bar. Yum! It starts out heavy, but dies down to a very subtle fragrance, as they all seem to on me...
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