JazzieCazzie

I really thought I would love this based on the descriptions here but it didn't work on my skin at ALL ... it actually made my skin burn ... and my daughter hated it ... I like the basic premise so, as with a few imps ears where I kind of like them but not enough to wear them as a perfume all day, I think it would make a really nice bath oil with some LUSH Amandapando or a Softy or Tisty Tosty ballistic (all rose scented). ADDED Aug. 6: This isn't the first time this has happened with me ... where I try a scent a second time with a different imp of the same scent and it's completely different on me. I have no idea if it's the imp (the formula being slightly different or whatever) or my own body chemistry changing or what ... Anyway, I received another imp of this in a not-really-swap, more of a trading-imps-with-a-friend ... was carefully pouring two or three tiny drops into a bath, and the scent on my hands just mesmerized me this time. So today I tried it again as a scent ... NO burning of my skin like last time, and my daughter even liked it. The head shop allusion? DEFinitely. Which is not a bad thing ... it kept transporting me back to my teens, LOL. Now, several hours later, it is still quite strong on drydown and a little more "old lady rosy" like someone else mentioned, but not in a bad way. I really like this ... I don't think I would buy a 5 ML of it but I will definitely wear it till the imp is gone. REVISITED AND RE-REVIEWED APRIL 2013: Working my way alphabetically (well, mostly) through my entire BPAL collection and it's interesting to see where I am often 9 years after my first time with a scent ... trying from an older imp but certainly not one as old as 2004! IN THE IMP: Very dark, visually and in concept, for me. Rich, deep, resiny and floral and complex. Dabbed on one wrist and in the crook of one arm. WET: The amber is predominant on me, followed closely by the musk. That combination then melds with the rose in such a way as to make this a very non-floral scent for me, and yes, that's a good thing. Rich and resiny with that rose in the background. DRYDOWN: Oddly enough, though not listed in the notes, I get a subtle yet distinct scent of orange rind when this dries down, more notable in the crook of my arm than on my wrist (I try to test drive scents in both places because the moistness of the crook will often amp different notes). Later on it dries down to a faint resiny rose. OVERALL: I am not a big fan of rose, and now that I have years of experience knowing which rose-heavy scents don't work for me and which ones, where it's more in the background, DO, I might not have ordered Spellbound, being scared off by the rose. However, having had past experience with the blend, I knew that despite the description, for whatever reason, the rose was a secondary note on me ... so I'm glad I knew that. On a scale of 1-5, about a 3.8 which for me is a keeper in an imp though not a big bottle purchase.

Chin, I am with you on the "soapy" aspect, which in the long run made it too strong for me to wear regularly. But I really liked the deeper notes of orange blossom, which were evocative of childhood memories ... I think the perfect use for this, for me, would be to find a way to use it as bath oil (any suggestions???).

Maybe my nose isn't very discerning but I've found Veil (my favorite) to be quite similar to Twilight (my second favorite) ... or perhaps that's because both bottles leaked a bit onto each other.

Yay for Ebonykawai! I can do happy dance vicariously for you as I still have "awaiting shipment" almost two weeks after my order was placed ... but I was about two weeks behind you so my fingers are crossed that if they really are trying to pick up the pace here, maybe I'll be promoted to "shipped" status in less than two weeks and feel like I am ahead of the game!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree with Koumori ... I'm not sure this is a matter of "needing to reiterate" anything ... I certainly didn't know we were looking at a 4-6 week backup when I placed my order. I was under the impression it was still at about a 2-4 week scenario even taking into account that the first order would get lost in the mail :D ... Since my order from nine days ago apparently hasn't even been received by BPAL yet I would be confused had I not been trying to keep abreast of things on this board ... (if I'm understanding things right, "awaiting shipment" means that BPAL has not yet "taken" the order from CC Now. Once it says "shipped" all it means is that the order has moved into BPAL's hands and it will probably be another 2-4 weeks before that gets taken care of and shipped at the current back-up rate, yes?) I'm not saying that had I know how long it would take to receive the package I wouldn't have ordered it ... I absolutely would have! But I know, also, that some people are buying things as gifts or to travel or situations where time IS of the essence (ha, I made a joke) and it would probably be good if they knew that without having to read a separate message board/forum ... Just my two cents. (And also, I cut the frayed ties off anyway because it is very hard to wrap them and ship them in swaps with the ties on).

Possibly stupidest question posted here in awhile but here goes ... The imps ears come with the little tester tops, so that hasn't been a problem. But my 5 ML bottles don't, and I don't want to accidentally pour it out all over theplace, nor do I want to use something that might ruin the perfume itself to dip in to apply ... so what do you folks use to actually apply the perfume? [merged duplicate topic ~qs]

I can't stop sniffing my wrists. It's almost addictive. Veil was one of the three scents I ordered a 5 ML of based solely on its description, and it's the first one of the three I've tried (I went through my 12 imps ears first), and I have to say I hope I am half as lucky with the other two ... this is an absolute keeper and by far my favorite of the ones I've used so far. Wet, it was an intoxicating and intriguing combination of the florals. On one sniff I'd pick up the lilac, on another the violet. Drying for the first half hour it was a sweeter floral with a slightly sharp tang to it. Now, five hours later, it is sweet and tropical and yet a little tart as well, and I am definitely smelling the sandalwood which is very calming. This will definitely be a 10 ML purchase once I pay off all my bills and return to shopping mode (hopefully by May or June, which would be a lovely time of year for this ... it is the essence of lovely spring/summer nights). ETA: Almost 10 hours after applying it and my wrists are still divine. I am so happy to finally have found a scent I adore and which seems to adore me ... right now the almost ineffable final scent has some definite lilac to it, but in that perfect hint of spring way. I am just delicious. REVISITED AND RE-REVIEWED APRIL 2013: Completing my journey through the Vs as I am almost done retesting and reviewing every single BPAL in my collection, and I saved the best two for last with Veil and Velvet. This is from an imp purchased from the Lab in an impapalooza spree. IN THE IMP: So many, many wonderful floral notes come bursting out at me but the most prevalent on first uncapping is the lavender. Dabbed generously on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: The lavender is a big "amper" with my body chemistry which is a good thing since it's one of my favorite notes but I still recognize nearly all of the other notes, each one individually greeting me as I move my arm here and there, especially the lilac and ylang ylang. This is somehow "juicy" without being fruity, and I'm not sure why. DRYDOWN: A full, lush and complex floral scent, like a truly fine wine, it is one of my favorite florals and goes a long way towards explaining why, for the longest time, I thought I was a "floral" person on the BPAL front (I'm not, actually ... I'm a resiny/woodsy person with lavender thrown in). OVERALL: This helped make me a BPAL slave for life and nothing has changed on that front. Going on my "big bottle" list. On a scale of 1-5, a 5.

I like this one so far ... and don't laugh, but I am getting a sensory memory of sugarless bubblegum.

On me, the fruity notes were overwhelming. I'm not even sure what they were, since it seems like it's aqua and flowers, but I felt like I smelled like a cherry gumdrop. At first as it dried it seemed like the red fruitiness would calm down into something more spicy and gingery, but, alas, no ... after almost an hour of smelling like a gumdrop I had to wash it off (is that what someone meant when they said they felt like it smelled like the outside of a gingerbread house???) This will be a swapper.

This is the first one I've tried where I thought it smelled like something I would get at a department store cosmetic counter ... offhand I'm thinking it smells like Calyx by Prescriptives but I could be wrong ... First sniff the tea is the primary note to my nose, but then it gets sharply sweet. I definitely get the "Lemon Pledge" feeling. It doesn't work for me at all but I could see why it would work well for others. This will definitely go on my swap list ...

I'm fascinated by this one. I think even if it had been clear in the bottle it would still smell so red, almost a vermilion! Very spicy but still sweet and definitely a sexy scent ... for the first few minutes I kept trying to figure out what it reminded me of ... the image in my mind was hot summer with flecks of gold and glitter ... and I finally realized it has a definitely similarity to the old Bain de Soleil orange gel, which is one of the single most evocative images of summers and beaches and vacations and hedonism. Half-hour dry and it's less Bain de Soleil and more part pepper and part cinnamon gum, with the cloves finally starting to emerge. Definite keeper, probably 5 ML bottle buy. REVISITED AND RE-REVIEWED APRIL 2013: The last review in my first go-round alphabetically of ALL of my BPAL scents so I can finally launch my swap page ... and I am baffled why I never got around to ordering a 5 ML bottle of this. I do, however, have three imps so that's almost as good. The funny thing is I wrote down my notes on this before re-reading my review from nine years earlier. IN THE IMP: Bright red red red red red with an orange glow. The dragon's blood is NOW a note I am very familiar with and is recognizable, but would not have been when I first tried it. I think the cinnamon actually is stronger than the DB though. Dabbed on my wrist and in the crook of my arm. A slight burn. WET: Awesomely deliciously and florally-cinnamonly spicy-mc-spicerson. It reminds me, when wet, a lot of my Mercury and Mars celestial blends. DRYDOWN: There are two very strong sensory memory associations. The first is absolutely the old Bain De Soleil No. 4 gel. Visions of slathering without guilt or concern at the beach or by the pool when all that mattered was getting tan and wondering :do I look fat in this?" ... The other is of the little red-hot cinnamon candies that would come as "pills" in toy doctor's kits. OVERALL: Must. Have. More. On a scale of 1-5, a 5.

My first (though I am sure not last) absolute, definite keeper ... received this as an Imps Ear and will definitely be ordering a big bottle of it ... In the vial, my first thought was sweet white flowers, but with an edge I couldn't quite put my finger on ... When I put it on wet, though, it brought me back to the first perfume I ever loved, which a friend brought me from Bermuda when I was about 8 -- it was called "Passion Flower" and I'm guessing it's the calla lily and/or the wisteria which transports me so ... This perfume, though, is such a perfect example of how different noses pick up different notes ... to me, it was strictly floral and I really didn't pick up on the sandalwood at all. But I walked into the living room where my husband (who generally doesn't have a strong sense of smell) was sitting ... I didn't say a word because I didn't think he'd notice I was wearing it ... instead he looked at me and said, "Whatever perfume you are wearing smells so much like incense that I feel like I should be lighting a joint." Now, a few hours later, it is a very light almost powdery floral. I wish it had a little more staying power (I am really questioning my body's ability to hold a scent these days) but I really love it ... I'm waiting till I've gone through my whole collection to figure out my next shopping list, but this is definitely on it!!! REVISITING AND RE-REVIEWING APRIL 2013: Working my way through my collection of BPAL, A-Z, every imp, every bottle, to finally make both a comprehensive swap list AND wishlist. To that end, I did place a few impapalooza orders to fill in some of the blanks of scents I loved (based on re-reading ALL of my reviews) but no longer had all these years later. I'm not a big floral person and definitely not a big white floral person, but this original review prompted me to add an imp of Seraphim to my most recent order and I am SO glad I did. It is from this fresh imp that I tested for this follow-up. IN THE IMP: Wisteria is the predominant note for me. And since I'm on record as having every pair of fingers, and a few toes, crossed for a Wisteria single note this next update, it goes a long way towards explaining my love for this. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Wisteria, with sandalwood and frankincense softening and making the wet scent more complex. The lily is very faint which is good (for me, lily is one of those scents which I like very much in real life and in theory but which, more often than not. goes so soapy on me that it becomes a dealbreaker). DRYDOWN: The lily never amps and the wisteria and resins stay the predominant notes throughout the life cycle of this blend, making it, indeed, one of my absolute favorite BPAL "white floral" blends. The rose does come up more on drydown (which it always does for me) but not to a huge degree. OVERALL: I still don't really get the strong sandalwood note on this but i also haven't paraded my arm in front of my husband, so we'll see if he notices it -- again -- when he is finished recording in about two hours. This definitely goes on my next "big bottle" purchase list, though. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.8

Was I the only one to also detect a note of hazelnut? It is really powerful in the vial ... definitely not my style to wear but I could see carrying it around and just taking a whiff when I wanted to satisfy my sweet tooth without the calories!!! UPDATED JULY 10, 2005: This was one of the first frimps I ever received and I was so unsophisticated in my BPAL-dom that I didn't even try it ... this time I ordered an imp and was frimped with it beforehand so I have two coming (AND AM ABSOLUTELY BUYING A 5 ML WITH MY NEXT ORDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!) HOW HOW HOW did I not try this and fall in love with it first time around??? This is absolutely divine ... to me, it is Philosophy Hot Cocoa 3-in-1 in perfume form. I am addicted already ... A definite 5. REVISITED AND RE-REVIEWED IN MAY 2013: Ordered a new imp of this in a recent blockbuster purchase and am making a point to revisit and/or review every (well, ALMOST every) scent in my collection as I prep my swap list AND wish list. IN THE IMP: Just pure, lovely, sweet chocolate Dabbed on both wrists and in the crook of one arm. WET: Just nom nom nom. To me, there is something -- faint, ineffable -- that keeps it from being 100% chocolate but doesn't keep it from being 100% delicious. Maybe hazelnut, which I posited the first time I tried it, except that nuts tend to go wonky on me and this doesn't. Vanilla? Something ... can't quite put my finger on it. DRYDOWN: So very, very delicious. To me, it smells like a chocolate-flavored Tootsie Pop. How it manages to keep from being TOO sweet is a neat trick and a wonderful accomplishment. OVERALL: This is a scent I need to add to my big bottle wish list so that I can use it as a layer/blend for other scents. There is no need for a chocolate SN because this practically IS one. And it's a great scent for me right now, since I've been on a liquid diet for the last few days for medical reasons and it helps assuage my hunger! On a scale of 1-5, definitely a 5.

I was a tiny bit concerned when I saw that one of the notes was blackberry, since generally I don't get along well with fruity scents, but this is my first official keeper ... At first, I kept getting this evocative and pleasant sensory memory of something I couldn't quite place from childhood ... though since I grew up in a city, it certainly wouldn't be that of fields of heather ... maybe a child's cologne or one of those Liddle Kiddle dolls that came in its own bottle of perfume??? The heather is the overriding scent on me, though I definitely keep getting whiffs of something rosy ... It isn't strong but six hours after putting dabs on each wrist it is still faint and lovely ... Both my daughter and my husband like it on me as well, which is very rare ... I don't think it's something I'd wear everyday, but definitely something that makes me feel good, doesn't get cloying, and everyone likes. REVISITED AND RE-REVIEWED MAY 2013: This may have been the first BPAL scent I ever reviewed because I can't find anything earlier offhand, though based on my first sentence it wasn't the first one I tried. And while I know now that it's not something I would order (again, based on the notes) I was interested in trying it again so ordered an imp in a recent big purchase. IN THE IMP: A lovely scent of spring, slightly moist as if a light rain had fallen. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: So very delicious when wet. I feel like if it were stronger it would be too perfumey for me, but it's very light upon application so I can see why I liken it to some of my early childhood smellies. DRYDOWN: Sadly, now, the drydown is just too strong and, indeed, department-store perfumey. OVERALL: I think this would be a great bath oil, the assessment I often make of scents that are wonderful when wet but not so much on me when dry. On a scale of 1-5, about a 3.

I would definitely suggest Maiden to any Potion lovers out there ...

I like the scent in the bottle and on my wrists, much more minty than lavendery, but I've tried it twice and in both cases it was virtually gone within a half-hour ... not sure if everyone else has had the same experience or it's just one of those things where it evaporates on me but would last longer on someone with a different body chemistry. When on, a very clean scent ...

I realize I am completely incapable of sussing out the individual scents the way others here are, so I apologize in advance on this, my first review, for how totally unevocative it is ... at least compared to the remarkable posts on this board. On me, the scent was almost 100 percent carnation, almost as if it were a single note. I couldn't smell the tea or the rose at all ... I'm not saying this is a bad thing, since I quite like carnation, but am not sure I'd wear it solo as a perfume. I think I may try to figure out how to put it into some bath oil because I would LOVE it like that ... (I will have to go search other threads, because IIRC there are some that discuss ways of using the scents in other fashions, right???) I know one other person mentioned this, but I have to say that if you are a Lush POTION fan, this scent is absolutely for you! They would totally compliment each other.

Just had to come on quickly to say "squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!" My package came today!!!!!!!!!!! I had ordered three 5 MLs and one set of six imps ears but got 12 imps ears, including three that I had narrowed down as future possibilities!!! I will try to describe each one as I test them over the course of the next few days but I know I won't be able to touch the amazing descriptive talents of the others on this board ... I am just so excited!!! Beth, thank you sooooooooo much!!! The whole box just smells amazing ...

Byrdie, have you tried Ice Hotel? I ordered Envy in my pending BPAL order (my virgin BPAL order!!!) because I thought it sounded like it might be similar, but someone told me that Pain was probably more like it (I hadn't realized that Pennyroyal was a mint). If you've tried Ice Hotel, can you tell me if you think Pain is similar? I'm hoping that maybe I'll get lucky and find Pain as one of my random Imps Ears but if not, then since I would love a lavender/mint combo I will just have to wait until my second BPAL order (and I somehow already know there will be one) ... Looking forward to meeting you in three weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a great thread ... add me to the long list of Lushies who are also looking for complimentary scents (I am just not big into Karma or Ginger, and "my signature scent," Andiamo by Borghese, has long since been discontinued so I am on my personal holy grail to find something new ... BPAL seems to be the place even ifit takes me a few orders to find the right thing!) I did order Veil, Twilight and Envy as well as a random six imps ears and look forward to getting them ... But can anyone tell me if there are any BPAL scents remotely like Waving Not Drowning, my very favorite Lush scent???? Or Ice Hotel? Someone mentioned Pain being like Ice Hotel and I hadn't ordered it because I didn't know what pennyroyal was but maybe I'll get lucky and it will show up in my imps ear since I mentioned I loved lavender and mint!!! But Waving Not Drowning ... now THAT would be a scent I'd love (lavender, Ylang-ylang, fennel and orange blossom but not quite as flowery as it sounds).