mgrazulis

I'm allergic to tobacco flower...but I want to test this one! In the imp: honey, thick wine, grapes, plum blossom. Wet on the skin: herbally oakmoss and spicy tonka bean, a bit of dryness, then some more honey. Drydown: the blood musk is sweet and waxlike. It's not totally unpleasant, but it is very boozy. There's a lot blending in at this point that hard to distinguish what is in the mix at this stage. No trace of the carnation,tobacco flower or resins. I think they're dancing in the alcohol and can't hold their own! After a while, the sweetness built up and the wine turned soapy. (and I was worried about tobacco flower?) I don't see myself wearing this at all. It could be my chemistry or maybe this hellhound soul just needs to find someone else to share in debauchery.

In the imp: Pine needles, cedar and woodsy leaves, very natural. Wet: Sharp herbally ozone with blackberry leaf and tomato leaf . Dry: So very much softer than I expected !The drydown is fantastic! A subdued cranberry note with a very light sweetness that blends beautifully with the earth and wood notes. Refreshing and evocative of the outdoors...crushed pine needles, leaves and a delicate snap of cranberry underfoot. Very lively! I'll be hanging on to this imp.

In the imp, Jack is foody warm pumpkin wrapped up in peach cobbler. On the skin, there's an added nutty depth. Dry, the sweetness intensifies and I lose most of the pumpkin to the peach. This is fresh imp from the lab. Back to the imp box it goes for a while to age. Hopefully the pumpkin will return.

In the imp, Midnight on the Midway smells like sweet sugary jasmine. On the skin ,the jasmine is gentled by a sweet smokiness that reminds me a bit of funnel cakes. But when it dries, a soapiness invades. This is a strange one!!

In the Imp: Orange and a sweetness from the heliotrope, and red musk glowing with amber. Wet: Fleshy blood orange rind with a strawberry overtone. Amazingly, the musk stays clean and warm with trickles of vanilla and rose. This is bright oranges, reds and golds at this stage. Dry: A sparkling melange of amber, red musk, vanilla with a hint of orange. The throw is close and warm and the vanilla doesn't overwhelm. Not what I would wear everyday, but something to savor for a special occasion. Lovely and ambery!

I am amazed at how wonderful this smells. This is freshly turned dirt, earthy and fresh mixed with the mustiness of the moss. There is a calmness from the fresh green rose geranium and a hint of yew. The rose geranium is very refreshing albeit a strong aroma. A little goes a very long way. A thick oil that takes a long time to drydown.

Parlement of Foules is a breath of pure white rose petals dressed in a delicate cloud of myrrh resins. Stunningly simple!

Wow! A Carnaval Diabolique stunner! In the bottle: intoxicating salty aquatic notes and seaweed Wet on the skin: lush wet jasmine, seaweed and frankincense Drydown: A frothy, salty ozone that reminds me of summer days on the Gulf Coast. It does strengthen as it dries. The smokiness from the frankincense is lovely. The jasmine just a bit of sweetness, mixing with the ocean air. After a hour or so, the benzoin and the frankincense give the scent a wonderful resinous amber layer. To me, this is a true aquatic scent. In the end, the scent of seaweed and salty ocean air dominate. There is no fruitiness as in Selkie, just the true bracing scent of a salty wave crashing ashore.This mermaid is a masterpiece.

In bottle/imp: Warm chocolate with spices. Wet on skin: Mmmmmm....Bellagio sipping chocolate, gentle vanilla and warm sandalwood. After a little while: This morphed! It went from chocolate to almost all sandalwood. The chocolate is there but only lightly so. The sandalwood and vanilla plus a bit of myrrh are blending nicely. Nothing is oversweet. It does get a dry woodsy tone. Verdict: Velvet was soooooo yummy at first! It was warm gourmet chocolate with sandalwood taming the foodiness. Sadlly, I can barely smell the cocoa anymore. What remains is sandalwood and a tiny bit of myrrh/vanilla. Next try--the scent locket!!

I love old fashioned and antique roses, and I love Bram Stoker. And it so happens that Lucy's Kiss is one of my favorite rose scents. Beth has such a way with the roses and this one will likely go to my bottle list!. The first whiff from the imp is a gentle, sweet, pale pink cabbage rose. In the center, a spice that is carnation like. Wet it stays gentle and soft. As it dries it does get a hint of darkness and a fruitlike coldness, something sensual luring you in for a better whiff. Is that tinge a vampy Lucy waiting to expose her fangs? There's an ambiguity and a hint of corruption at this stage. On me, this is strong rose. But it isn't cloying at all. If you're a rose lover, be patient with this one. It does round out after a while, leaving a light, but sorrowful rose aroma. Well worth the wait...

Lusty ripe figs thick with sugared cloves and sticky mandarin slices. I want more!!!! On wet, Carnal is musky fig slippery with sweet juicy orange and dusted with sugary cloves. As Carnal dries, the fig becomes darker, swollen and decadent, smoky with the clove, sticky from the wet orange. Plumped fleshy fig debauchery...sensual and warm. The fig basks in the glow of the mandarin for hours...

In the bottle: a spring meadow of carnation, clover and heather. Wet on skin: aquatic Irish moss, the heather blooms, more wildflowers. Dry: Very fresh and beautifully botanical. A damp green scent with lush wildness, a soft rose. The carnation spiciness is there for a while. After a hour or so--a gorgeous field of heather and clover. Very bouyant and pastoral! Reminds me ofSinging Moon without the fires...another winner!!!!

In the bottle: dark resin with a basil and wormwood undertone, sweet and bitter. Wet on on the skin: a thick oil with a hazy warmth, musky and smoky; then the sweet incense of opoponax with more basil. Drydown: Wow! A gingery note--very stimulating--blended with the anise of the wormwood, and basil in a resinous myrrh and dark musky background. Thankfully, the dragon's blood resin stays murky. Usually it goes sweet on me. Scorpio is soft, passionate and sexy. I love how the notes layer and the opoponax is sooooo heavenly. Lovely reds, greens and smoky greys. This is a close to the skin scent, but without a doubt, if anyone gets close to you, they'll be wondering what scent you are wearing.

In the bottle: herbally sage, dandelion and chamomile Wet: sweet clove and an aromatic, presumably the balm of gilead Dry: This one goes through several stages. At first it is a very light herbal scent, very clean. The dandelion is a soft, freshly picked blossom, delicate and light. The green note is never grassy or weed-like. Here there is great throw, fragrantly herbal. After a few minutes, the sage fully emerges and the clove blooms. I get a minute fig--just a bit of its sweetness. The clove plays nicely, never sharp! So well balanced...even with the eucalyptus aroma of the balm. Finally, a wonderful sweet fragrance. A delightful blend of herbs, spice and floral. Very uplifting and soothing. Wow! Another winner fragrance from the BPAL zodiac series.

Glory be to the pumpkin, the fig and the frankincense!!! Opening the bottle for a whiff to behold warm buttery pumpkin, sweetened fig and smoky frankincense--lovely tops!! When Pumpkin V is wet on the skin, a bit of spicy carnation, red musk and cranberry peek out at the edges. Once it begins to dry, the frankincense and musk bind the notes together. The pumpkin mellows down with the fig and cranberry close by, the strawberry a mere twinkle. Overall, this is a gentle blend of autumn goodness! Nice depth from the pumpkin, fig and frankincense balanced with musky berries and spicy carnation.

In the imp: Lily of the valley, juniper and a camphor-like scent Wet: herbally cajeput, myrrh and juniper Dry: Subtle violet and lily blended together with cypress and warmed by myrrh. The flowers have a resinous ethereal base. The cypress and juimper give the florals a wispy presence. Light and illusory. The resins lift the air. It's as if I have effortless deeply cooled breath sweetened with subtle flowers. As much as this is an enjoyable experience for myself, DH has an adverse reaction to it. I'll be wearing it in my scent locket next time.

Haunted sounds lovely, dark and foreboding. In the imp, it smells a bit soapy but the amber encourages me to forge forward. Wet on skin, it's all amber. Once dry, the soap returns. After a half hour, a strong vanilla aroma. No black musk. Disappointment...I wanted this one to work.

In the imp: heavy narcissus Wet on skin: opium and myrrh, the narcissus goes in to hiding Drydown: The oil stays wet for the better part of hour before it soaks into my skin. Once it absorbs, the narcissus comes back rounded down by the myrrh with a smoky haze of opium. It stays close to the skin, almost an afterglow. The opium is rich, not sharp. Myrrh is mysterious with a sense of foreboding. Incredibly sultry and somber. I think Beth just captured the essence of an opium den...dark, sticky and smoldering in a haze of soporific gloom! I am especially fond of the balance of myrrh and opium. The sweet smokiness clouds close to the skin is like a protective veil. Darkness gets high marks from me. It is one of my favorite dark resinous scents.

In the bottle there is a gentle green floral and a tell-tale hint of wintergreen. Once wet, the notes are much the same but with a slushy moss. As it dries, I get the impression of a white flower, the herbally green recedes and a creaminess emerges. The air is still cold, wet and slushy. It's lovely!!!

In the imp: juicy sweet plum with nondescript bright florals Wet: More plum and the florals begin to distinguish themselves: jasmine, orchid and daffodil Dry: Mmmmmmm...regal and sophisticated fruity floralness. At first the jasmine embraces the orchid and daffodil. The jasmine is not heady at all and I love her playfulness. She truly reminds me of the clever fox spirits trying to engage and tempt the other notes. Slowly the orchid and plum win out. The traces of their sweetness lingers about until it disipates into a clean white musk many hours later. Delightful!!!! Kitsune-Tsuki is full of personality. Her plum stays strong amid the florals without being overripe. This is how I like my fruited notes. And the touch of white musk--divine!

In the imp: Warm wet woods, breezy air Wet: Slight fruitiness in a green background. Dry: Warm ambery breezes! Still green, but with something vaguely floral. This is how I imagine a rainforest would smell. I get hints of tropical fruits but I don't perceive distinct fruits. Lots of verdant plants, golden humid breezes and a hint that fruits are teeming and ripe---just waiting to open. The amber is soft and warm and stays at the forefront. Nothing too complicated. It's enjoyable and more of a mood scent for me.

Fixed air: the essence of idealism. Wisteria, myrrh, anise, galbanum, bryony, and pomegranate. In the bottle: wisteria, myrrh, pomegranate Wet on skin: slightly balsamic pomegranate, bright blooms of wisteria Dry: Gorgeous! Gently sweet, ripe pomegranate, lots of balsamic woodlike throw. The wisteria is barely there drifting in myrrh. Light purple and golden red...delicately balanced with fruit, herbs and resins. Sheer optimism personified...

A fresh imp from the lab... In the imp: sticky sweet strawberry, hit of black poppy Wet on skin: carnation dwarfed by strawberry overload Dry: the carnation and poppy have drowned in strawberry, a momentary peppery note attempts to resurface, but goes back under. The sweetness of the strawberry is akin to Hollywood Babylon...cloying and way too young for the post bubblegum generation. As much as I look forward to trying this one, I can't get it off fast enough. There is a one sided battle. An orgy in strawberry...no one else gets to enjoy it or even play.

In the imp: lillies Wet on skin: lillies, rose, frankincense Dry:a bit of rosewood, green florals Verdict: not really jumping up and down for this one. Smells like church flowers during a funeral to me. The lillies dominate. Headache material for me.

In the bottle, blue, white and purple seaside flowers and salty water. Once wet on the skin, the succulent white flowers of the Grass-of-Parnassas and nectar of the sea aster explode on the skin still drenched in salt water. When I breathe in, I can almost taste cold limestone in the back of my throat. Green willow and the pickley aroma of the sea aster leaf cuts the sharpness of the marine florals. Only a tinge of fruit from the primrose. The Gaelic name for the wildflower Grass of Parnassus is Fionnscoth and is native in the Burren. Selkie transports me there for hours...