etienne

I got a Lab fresh imp of this at first and when I tried it I thought it was alright - not unpleasant but not amazing, either. There was something sharp in the way it smelled.

 

But as I had read about aged Snake Oil, I got a bottle from eBay. I've just tried that about an hour ago and NOW I get what all the fuss is about! It is patchouli (which I always love) softened with vanilla, mixed with something slightly spicy, and I think I detect something smoky, too. Not smoky as in bonfires, though.

 

I can see why everyone thinks this is a very sexy oil.

Even aged I don't think this will be my favourite but I can see this becoming something I wear every week when I want to wear something sensual that others will notice, too.

Amsterdam is a very light, soft, happy floral. It's the perfume of sunny days of the early summer, walking on green grass in pretty red shoes. It doesn't go soapy on me as it has on some of the previous reviewers. It doesn't have much throw, though.

 

This is a very pleasant scent. I like it but it lacks the kick I usually want in my perfumes. It's off to another forumite in a swap.

This review comes with a disclaimer: I got this as an extra in a swap with just a tiny drop of oil in the vial. Reading these reviews I'm thinking it must have been old/contaminated because what I smelled was nothing like others are describing.

For me this was actually the first BPAL I've tried so far that I really disliked. The smell reminded me of something chemical - the closest I could think of was one of the chemicals used for perms. Glasgow to me smelt really overpowering to the point of making me feel ill.

Thanks so much for this hackess! I've just spent a long time adding my notes into it and I know it will be so useful as my collection grows and I try more blends!

I'm going to answer my own question in case anyone else happens to wonder about the same... And just because I'm super excited about it, too!

 

I was frimped Dragon's Milk in my last order and I've just tried it earlier today and suddenly thought "hey something smells familiar..." and yes, it is so much like Fyrinnae Pharaoh's Mistress - or at least has the note I loved the most about PM.

 

My life is perfect again.

 

This is a long shot but did anyone use Pharaoh's Mistress perfume oil from Fyrinnae? They discontinued all their oils so sadly I didn't get to order more. Their website never listed what notes it had and it's really difficult to figure out... but would love to find something similar if anyone can help!

2007 version

 

In the bottle: I had forgotten the description by the time my bottle arrived. My first impression upon sniffing was that it was very fruity but I couldn't pin down which fruit I was smelling. Having read the description again it makes perfect sense it's plums!

 

On my skin: Very sweet, round, the plums are the strongest note I pick up but I can also smell a light floral in the background. This is very wintery, this is what I imagine Christmas could smell like. Usually I associate fruity scents with joy and happiness but the description for this is spot on - there is a sense of nostalgia in this. It's very purple as some others have said in their reviews before me.

 

This is a very interesting scent. I like it a lot although I don't see it becoming one of my favourites to wear but I'm glad I have a bottle and know there will be some perfect occasions to wear this.

 

ETA: I wore this the day after - I put on quite a lot at about 8am and my skin had eaten it by lunch time.

I had high expectations of Angeronalia because of the description and how it felt so right for my life just now. And it certainly didn't disappoint!

 

In the bottle: Fresh, fruity smell. I smell the citrus notes, it's a very light scent - light as in lightness, happiness, brightness.

 

On my skin: Love, love, love! I put some on my wrists and knew immediately that this was amazing on me. Initially a very warm, inviting scent - I wanted to wrap myself up into it's gorgeousness. I didn't think I liked fruity scents but I absolutely adore this - the combination of fruit and floral is perfect on me. I think it's the softness of the patchouli in the background that does it. It has a fair bit of throw - I kept smelling it on myself on my way to work even though I was wearing a jumper and a coat and had only put this on my wrists.

 

I could smell something slightly masculine in this - or perhaps not masculine as such, but maybe a note that is often used in men's colognes? In any case it only makes this a more interesting scent.

 

I put it on at 8am in the morning and could still smell it at 8pm in the evening although not as strong so staying power is excellent too.

 

This is my new favourite and I must hunt down another bottle!

Wet on skin the citrus scent is very strong, as is a general spicyness. On drydown, I smell TEA - yes, very strong tea! Tea, citrus and possibly the clove. After about an hour it has turned into a very Christmassy scent that reminds me of potpourri. I find it slightly old lady style scent, definitely very overpowering. (It probably doesn't help that I slathered...)

 

I wanted to love this but unfortunately don't think it's working very well on me. I imagine this could be quite a nice room scent when used in an oil burner, though.

Initially very sweet and soft. I like it from the first whiff from the bottle and it's just as delicious on application.

 

After several hours on the rose has become the main note. It's still sweet and feminine, and will definitely become one of my everyday scents. I'm glad I got a 5ml.

I got an imp in a swap and I don't know how old it is but I have a feeling it's aged - comparing to some of the other reviews on here, I don't really smell any of the floral notes.

 

Very, very heavy in the imp and when wet. It is a sweet, smoky heavy-ness.

 

Gets a bit more pleasant when dry but still very heavy, and I can't really distinguish any of the notes. There is something sharp and slightly spicy in it, and it definitely fits the lab description very well.

 

Not for me but certainly an interesting blend.

That's really useful as I've been wondering about the same thing, thanks Jenesis!

 

They get delivered by Royal Mail when they reach the UK, don't they? So no ParcelForce or anything? Just wondering what to expect...

I don't usually like pure florals but Queen Gertrude is love at the first sniff!

I'm wearing this for the first time on a dark December evening and it gives me a sense of something really soft and comforting. It must be the violets, this has a very purple feel to it. A bit dark but soft, soft, soft. Mmm, I need more of this!

This is a long shot but did anyone use Pharaoh's Mistress perfume oil from Fyrinnae? They discontinued all their oils so sadly I didn't get to order more. Their website never listed what notes it had and it's really difficult to figure out... but would love to find something similar if anyone can help!