JazzieCazzie

Frimped with a sniffie of this in a swap. It was on my lengthy wish list but not a holy grail scent, just one I was curious to try. Very interesting how far down this thread was and how long it's been since someone has reviewed this scent, since it seems to be on a lot of people's "available for swap or sale" list. IN THE IMP: First a whiff of perfume but then spun sugar. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Pretty much what other people have said. It's very sweet and sugary, like white cake or cotton candy, but I like it ... it's not plasticy or burnt or cloying like a lot of the marshmallow scents tend to go on me. DRYDOWN: This is really nice. Just nice. Pleasant. And if that sounds like I'm damning with faint praise, it isn't. There is nothing that makes me think "wow, this is an amazingly gorgeous and complex scent that I will reach for to make my signature scent." Rather, it's an "ingredient" scent ... a lovely, light, sweet, candy scent with nothing nauseating, cloying, fruity or boozy to my nose. OVERALL: I wouldn't wear it alone, but I would definitely keep this on my wish list to get another imp or two because I think it would be something I'd really love to try layering with other blends that need that extra touch of sweetness. On a scale of 1-5, a 3 alone but a keeper because of the magic I think it could do with other blends.

Tested from a partial imp received in a swap. But let me give a little preface here. During a period of inactivity awhile back, I went through the anal-retentive project of not only completely updating my collection to prepare a complete swap list (which is now being updated once again this weekend) but also going through EVERY review on this site to create a comprehensive "wish list" of blends, many or most of which, I had missed during a less obsessive gap between about mid-2005 and early 2013. Since I had been periodically perusing the site, and making occasional purchases, I was pretty familiar with most of the GCs and lunacies, etc., but I had a lot of homework to do with the LEs and, especially, with the "event exclusives" so a lot of my wishlist is of blends like this that just sound interesting based on reviews. And, like IvyAndPeony said in her review back in 2009, while there are no specific notes listed in the description, virtually every note listed or projected or offered by reviewers are notes I love, individually and collectively. So when I was able to nab a partial imp of this in a swap, I was half hoping it was a holy grail and half hoping it WASN'T because I know it's really hard to find. That said ... IN THE IMP: Cloves and carnations, yes. But there is an odd scent that makes me think of the the ladies' suit department in stores that I associate as being for women "of a certain age" (Lord & Taylor's, etc.). Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: I am getting that image of old ladies and old ladies' perfume and I don't know why. Linen? Clothing storage? I can identify the cloves, the carnation, the spices, etc. but instead of them smelling exotic and exciting they smell musty and cloying and old. DRYDOWN: Same thing but stronger and longer. This is not working for me AT ALL despite my liking every note "listed" ... it's sharp, acrid, cloying, strong and old ladyish. OVERALL: My efforts to wash this off were not completely successful and the clothes I was wearing when I tested it have all gone into the laundry bin. But honestly, I'm relieved by how much I disliked it because now I don't have to try to track anymore down. On a scale of 1-5, a 1.

Received a bottle of this in a swap. Tested from a decant from that bottle. IN THE IMP: Super resin goodness. Dabbed in crook of arm. WET: Getting the first whiff of this is more amber/resins than clove/cardamom but it's all good ... and I know from experience that clove tends to amp big time on me when it dries down, long and strong (hello, Scorpio 2004, I miss you so). DRYDOWN: This is an amazing drydown ... the resins and ambers remain delicious, the clove amps and the cardamom is OMGWTFBBQ. My arm smells like the most stupendous confabulation of incense and mulling spices minus the fruit. OVERALL: Thrilled to have gotten this in a swap. It is divine. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.9

Frimped an imp. IN THE IMP: Lavender lavender lavender. Dabbed in crook of arm. WET: Super duper lavender with a sharpness which, perhaps prompted by the list of notes, I recognized as tobacco but not smoky tobacco, rather like the smell of one of my dad's unlit unfiltered Camels. DRYDOWN: Still lavender with tobacco and musk. I get NO vanilla, which is good. The musk is more noticeable on the drydown. OVERALL: I love this and am glad I received this frimp. I need to add this to my wishlist. I know I had a bottle of this when it came out (I did not review it at the time) and I did love it but though I don't remember the details I know I swapped it for a holy grail scent. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.8

Purchased bottle on forum. Testing from imp decanted from that bottle. IN THE IMP: Dragon's blood and lavender evenly balanced. Dabbed on wrist. Would have slathered but am test driving four scents today. WET: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh yes. The lavender and the herbs offset what is usually a very ampy dragon's blood on me (and I loves me my dragon's blood, so that's not a problem) and they all blend together into something impossibly awesome. I'd say the calming lavender and herbs are more predominant, but the DB gives this wonderful, lush base for them to lie back and relax. Amazeballs. DRYDOWN: I only applied this to my wrist and not the crook of my arm (which is where scents go to either die or bloom), because I was pretty sure this would be great and I didn't have to find out if there were dealbreakers in here. It also generally means the scent is less "throw-y." But this is freaking awesome. One of the most beautifully balanced blends. OVERALL: I have had this on my wishlist since reading the reviews, plus I LOVE my bottle of DM 2008. I was able to purchase this for an amazing price because of "water damage" to the label. I don't care what the label looks like. It's what's inside that counts and to me this is priceless as a result. On a scale of 1-5, a definite 5.

Frimped an imp in a swap. IN THE IMP: This is very odd and unusual in that I can't put a finger on ANYTHING on first sniff. Pepper, maybe? Dabbed on one wrist. WET: This is surprisingly sweet, almost candied floral and medicinal ... something. Yet it's also kind of exotic. I think the ginger may be what is causing the sweetness. It's very nice and hard to pin down. I'm not even getting images or colors. DRYDOWN: The notes blend quite beautifully, which makes it even harder to identify any of the individual notes. Overall, I'd call this an herbal scent which doesn't really make sense looking at the components, but it's what my nose and brain are insisting. At the very end of the drydown, something funky rises which turns this from a keeper into a swapper. OVERALL: I would have thought from the name this would be male or at least gender neutral but it's surprisingly feminine. On a scale of 1-5. a 4.

Decanted from a bottle received in a swap. IN THE IMP: OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH yes. Shmexy Coca-Cola. Dabbed ... lavishly ... on wrist and in crook of arm. Oh, and maybe in cleavage. WET: OMGOMGOMGOMYESYESYESYES. This is pretty much everything I love about BPAL scents, and given that the comps mentioned in this thread are almost all other top faves of mine (Scherezade, Schwarzer Mond, Gaueko, etc.) that shouldn't surprise me. Lots of dark gorgeous sexy musk, awesome champaca, dark spicy ginger. I smell like a headshop-flavored Coke float and couldn't be happier. Dark,sexy, sensuous and medicinally mysterious, this is amazing. DRYDOWN: The musk and ginger and nag champa amp the most but honestly there isn't a bad note in here. Even the myrrh plays nice on me. OVERALL: This is where the swap gods smiled upon me. Somehow, when going through all the old scents I'd never tried to put together a massive wishlist, I missed this completely. But when I was approached by a forumite for a swap, because she was interested in a few scents on MY list but didn't have anything on my wishlist, I looked over what she DID have and when I saw the notes for this, I was just ... HOW DID I MISS THIS? And I am so glad it happened because this is a Top 10 for sure for me now. On a scale of 1-5, do you have to ask? A 5.

Decanted from an bottle received in a swap. IN THE IMP: Freshness. Can't pick out a note. There are so many. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: I get the outdoorsy and spring but to me it's more like something -- laundry detergent or fabric softener or Febreze -- that's spring-scented. DRYDOWN: I admit I was hoping it would have that overall bright fresh scent of when spring first arrives but instead, to me, it's just fruits I don't particularly like and florals that don't smell right on me. I get a lot of orange (death note) and rose. OVERALL: When I worked out this swap, honestly, there were two bottles I knew I wanted and I was swapping away three bottles so it came down to either this of Strawberry Moon 2005 which I had tried and liked-not-loved. I thought it would be better to try something completely new to me and rare and I'm not at all sorry I made that decision. Instead, someone else will get to give this a good home. On a scale of 1-5, a 2.5

Frimped an imp. IN THE IMP: Almonds. Dabbed on wrist and crook of arm. WET: This is super odd and interesting. Oddly, I don't get almonds once it's applied. VERY herbal when wet. Can't put my finger on which herbs, though, though I THINK there is chamomile in here. It smells like facial toner. Very clean. DRYDOWN: Here I get the rose, though to me it's more like rosewater since I'm still getting high end organic face treatment smell from this (thus, the chamomile and roses connection). Despite the rose scent on drydown and the almond note when I smell it in the imp, I would totally put this in the "herbal" category. OVERALL: Just too strongly clean smelling for me. Not that I don't want to be clean, but I don't like smelling like soap. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.5

Frimped an imp. IN THE IMP: Almond and resins. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Very sweet. Yes, I get the almonds, but not as predominantly like a single note as it smells in the imp. There's enough musk and myrrh to offset the "candied nuts" note of almond. It reminds me of a resiny Eclipse. DRYDOWN: Definitely getting something fruity here (others have mentioned cherry) and while it's faint enough to not make me wash it off, it also is the note that moves this off the bubble from the keep pile to the swap pile. It reminds me a lot, still, of Eclipse and Salome, the two almond scents I like. OVERALL: Like, don't love. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.

Frimped from the Lab. IN THE IMP: A surprisingly sweet woodsy resin. Wondering if there is cinnamon or nutmeg in there? Not what I expected. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: This is REALLY sweet. The sweet overpowers the woods and resins a lot. And it's super strong (or maybe I overapplied because woods and resins tend to need a little more liberal dab). It's like someone's baking sugar cookies in the woods. DRYDOWN: This just gets more and more cloying the more it dries. I liked it a lot more in the imp than I do on my body. There's also something that reminds me ever-so-slightly of Van Van, except that I really like Van Van, so I'm thinking there's just more of whatever it is. Ever-so-slightly lemony snickerdoodles. OVERALL: Just no. On a scale of 1-5, a 2.

Frimped an imp. IN THE IMP: Super-musk. I have this weird feeling it will turn on me, but it smells amazeballs in the imp. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Spicy delicious musk and opium. I'm still not sure what civet smells like but if my recollection is that people say it smells like cat pee, then it's not amping on me because I do NOT smell like cat pee. Or what I think cat pee smells like. It's very musky and dark and mysterious. DRYDOWN: Upon initial drydown, I continue to love this way more than I would have expected. Oddly clean and not debauched, just shmexy. But then ... the more it dries down, oddly, the cleaner it smells until at the end I smell like soap. Sexy guy soap but still soap. OVERALL: This was a toss up as keeper/swapper but in the end, my collection is so overwhelming that if there's any debate, to the swap list it goes. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.

Received an imp in a swap which turned out to be quite less than full (sad face and I wish I had checked levels by removing label before I gave high marks on feedback but that's water under the bridge). Was an item on my wish list. IN THE IMP: Flowers and Chinese food. No, I'm not sure why either. But that's what it smelled like. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm. WET: Eh. I get all the individual notes but don't love them. The florals dominate, making it much more perfumey and less complex and interesting. I get vague hints of the musk and incense and amber but stronger ones of the iris and violet. DRYDOWN: Just meh. I won't say "department store" perfume but not something I'd choose to wear. And then as it dries down something decidedly stinky on my amps up. Oh well. OVERALL: While I was unpleasantly surprised, once I removed the label which covered the level, to see that this came in at less than 3/4 of an imp, in the end, it doesn't really matter since I won't keep it (though now I'll have to put it in my partial list instead of as an imp I'd feel comfortable swapping for another imp. Chalk it up to "I won't change feedback but I won't swap with that person again" experience. No harm no foul, I guess, since I don't love it.) On a scale of 1-5, a 2.

I had this on my wishlist and an amaaaaaaaaaaazing forumite from whom I bought a different bottle gifted me with a half-bottle of this ... my first FROTTLE! IN THE IMP: Patchouli Dabbed in crook of one arm. WET: OMGOMSGFSKNSDKBKDBKJABKJA. Delicious cola scent!!! The patchouli is joined by the musk and resins that make my arm smell like shmexy Coca-cola, and whatever that slightly sweet note is (the one that I think we're all ID-ing as cinnamon) kind of makes it a coke float! The frankincense also mellows out the dark and scary notes. DRYDOWN: Dare I say that this hell is absolutely heavenly??? It's just divine. It dries into a beautifully complex, spicy, resiny awesomeness. OVERALL: I am in lurve. The surprise winner of my batch of sought-after testers so far. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.9.

Had this on my wishlist after my marathon of reading up on all the old blends I'd never tried, because I am always looking for the great deep green scents. Received an imp of this in a swap. IN THE IMP: Deep, dark and green. Dabbed in crook of arm. WET: Deep, green and rich. Evergreens are predominant but I also am getting the cypress and the sandalwood. Veryyyyyyyyy yum. DRYDOWN: This is lovely. May I quote some poet or other (kidding! studied this in 4th grade!) when I say these woods are lovely, dark and deep. There is nothing "haggy" about this at all. OVERALL: Just clean and wonderful. I think this would make a fantastic bath oil and candle as well. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.3

Picked up a bottle of this in a swap (it wasn't on my wish list but the swapping partner really wanted something I had and so of the bottles she had available, this was the only one that looked even remotely up my alley and I was willing to give it a shot), and then was also frimped an imp of it the same week ... what are the odds? IN THE IMP: Clean. I don't really get the lavender or the cedar on first sniff which is a shame since they were the main notes that intrigued me. Dabbed on one wrist. WET: This is odd. It's definitely fruity, which I don't tend to like, but also there's something really creamy in it which I really don't like ... I don't know if it's one of the notes I am unfamiliar with (awapuhi?) but it's how I sometimes associate ambergris (which has ruined more than one otherwise promising blend for me over the years). DRYDOWN: It's just okay. There's really nothing about it that stands out for me. Whoever said it smelled like shampoo came close to my reaction. I don't get any lavender or cedar, just a clean generic perfume. OVERALL: Definitely not me, but that is part of the wonder and awe of swapping. You give up something that isn't "you" and maybe you get something that is, or maybe you get something that you also swap but either way you discover new scents and become more and more attuned to what works for you. So it's a learning experience that goes into the swap pile. On a scale of 1-5, about a 2.

Had this on my wishlist based on reviews and received an imp in a swap. Because I loves me frankincense. IN THE IMP: Booze. I don't know why but I am getting strong alcohol on this. Dabbed on one wrist. WET: The main scent I get upon application is rubbing alcohol with a slight burn. Whether that's a note or just a sign of aging, I have no idea. But then as that evaporates I do get the frankincense. But it's a sharp burnt acrid frankincense, not one with lovely rounded notes. DRYDOWN: I don't get the "sugar" notes that some others have mentioned but I can't quite put my finger on what the other notes are, either, for that matter. It's still alcoholic to me. And it goes perfumey instead of holding the frankincense. OVERALL: It's not bad, but it's not me and it will be passed along, eventually, via swap to someone else who wants to try a rarity. On a scale of 1-5. a 3.

Had this on my wishlist and was gifted with a partial imp in a purchase. ETA this is the 2013 version. IN THE IMP: Ruh roh. Ubersweet and cloying. Dabbed on wrist. WET: WAYYYYY too sweet and creamy and sticky for me right off the bat. The vanilla doesn't even wait to dry down to become super-plasticky. I am getting ALL of the sweet and creamy notes with NONE of the woody or resiny ones to offset the cloy. DRYDOWN: Tuberose keeps wafting up and assaulting my nose, surrounded in a haze of plastic vanilla. No amber, no champaca, no sandalwood. And of course it's got legs and it knows how to use them. OVERALL: This is just all kinds of ick on me. On a scale of 1-5 a 2.

Received an imp in a swap (was on my wishlist). What happens when three of your very favoritest notes in the world (lavender, frankincense and benzoin) get together to hang out with your death note (orchid)? I don't know either but apparently I didn't want to find out for 7 years, Then when putting together my wishlist I figured it couldn't hurt to put it down if I could pick up an imp to try out without laying out real money and was near a shower just in case. IN THE IMP: Lavender. Yay! With a little medicinal kick to it. Dabbed in the crook of one arm. WET: Still mainly lavender (still yay!). I also get a bit of the frankincense and benzoin and, for now, no orchid. Still yay! DRYDOWN: The bad news? It just goes perfumey on me, which is definitely the orchid, drowning out the other three. The good news? The other three fought off the evil that is orchid on me enough that it wasn't horrible (there was one orchid scent which, I kid you not, I happened to test while at work and I had to leave work and go home to shower, that's how sick it made me). So instead it was just icky generic perfume but not horrible. OVERALL: Not a keeper but not a washoff so that's actually a win compared to what might have been. On a scale of 1-5, a 3.

Decanted an imp from a bottle bought from the Lab on release of the Lupers. IN THE IMP: Spicy frankincense. Dabbed in the crook of one arm. WET: Unlike the first reviewer, the first note to amp upon application is absolutely the jasmine, but it's slightly more subtle and not in-your-face headache jasmine. There is something odd about it that I can't put my finger on which I wonder if it might not be the pimiento (I only associate pimiento with Italian deli sandwiches). I DO get the cinnamon kick but though I could smell the frankincense and benzoin in the imp, I am not getting them on the wet notes. DRYDOWN: Rose rose rose rose rose and then, finally, frankincense and benzoin as it dries. The jasmine remains, giving it a wonderfully funky (good funky, not sweat funky) blend of the hothouse lush floral of jasmine, the spice of cinnamon and the awesome sauce of frankincense, with rose sitting in the background which is just where I like it. OVERALL: I would not recommend this for jasmine haters, and I know some of you are out there, but if you can live with jasmine, this is a really awesome keeper and a great surprise. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.4

Decanted an imp from my own bottle bought during Luper update. IN THE IMP: Heavy rose with an oddly fruity note ... maybe the oudh? Is that a fruity wood? It reminds me of a hair tonic my dad used to use. Dabbed on wrist. WET: Rose and hair tonic (this isn't a bad thing, I liked his hair tonic, but I just can't identify the note). I think the musk may have something to do with it as well. Then there is a sweetness which I believe is the myrrh which can go powdery on me on my wrist. And something else medicinal. I like this much more on me than I did in the imp. DRYDOWN: I know it's not listed anywhere in the notes or description and there aren't enough other reviews to confirm or deny but I swear there is fruit in here somewhere. My thought is fig. The more it dries, the more darkly fruity it gets on me. OVERALL: I like this a lot. Despite the fact that I generally don't like fruity blends (and my nose may be totally off base but I swear this is fruity to me), it's very cool and unusual ... it reminds me a lot of Nemesis and Nephilim. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.3

Kind of shocked I had never tried this before, or if I had I hadn't reviewed it and didn't remember it. But bought an imp during my "let's revisit some favorite GCs missing from my collection" period and glad I did. IN THE IMP: Fresh, sharp, unique. Dabbed in crook of one arm. WET: Somehow medicinal and fresh and light at the same time. A golden scent. The patchouli is the predominant note at first but the carnation and OB lighten it up, Francis. Delicious complex and demanding my attention. DRYDOWN: A teasing, playful and mysterious scent all at once, which, if you think about it, is perfect fit for its name. I can't really put my finger on any of the individual notes, they're so well blended, but I am testing four scents at once (two wrists, two crooks of arms) and this is the one I keep coming back to huff. OVERALL: Glad I got this and will probably get more. I really, really love it the more I smell it. Probably NOT a big bottle purchase at this point because I have a lot of scents that are similar enough to have the same effect. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.5

Decanted an imp from a bottle bought at time of release. IN THE IMP: Syrup? Odd. Yes. Syrup. Dabbed in crook of one arm. WET: Upon application, the rose immediately amps noticeably but it's a sweet almost soda-like rose, which may be the musk and oppo since they both tend to go cola on me (a good thing). Thus, there is still something darkly sweet when I huff the crook of my arm. Yet when I start to type, what wafts up to my nose is tea rose. DRYDOWN: Definitely more rosy than anything else at the end but in a really mesmerizing way. And the slight syrup-y scent remains, reminding me a bit of Al Azif. OVERALL: A keeper, yes. Not sure how often I'll wear it but I WILL wear it. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.

Decanted an imp from a bottle purchased unsniffed. IN THE IMP: The sharpness of the patchouli but with a lurking sweetness. Dabbed on one wrist. WET: The chocolate amps so quickly that I can smell it as a single note before I even bend my head to sniff my wrist. It's a more sweet chocolate note for me than some of the cacao/cocoa/chocolate blends and I get a touch of hazelnut in it, which I suppose could be the cinnamon. Meanwhile, the floral and musky notes of lust blend very nicely with this. DRYDOWN: This is unusual and unique and sweet and floral and musky and resinous all at once. I'd say when all is said and done it lands on the lighter sweeter side instead of the darker sinuous sexy side. That's not a bad thing, it just is what it is. OVERALL: I like this a LOT. I don't love love love it as much as some of my favorite cocoa blends (Velvet, Tezcat, etc.) but I like it a lot. On a scale of 1-5, a 4.3

Another one of the "I have this imp and didn't realize it and kept it but never reviewed it" ... and I will add that my own notes on it clearly show that even celebrating my 10th anniversary of being part of this forum, I am clueless on notes. IN THE IMP: Spicy, sexy something with a little Snake Oil kick to it. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of my arm. WET: WOWZA. How on earth did I not order a big bottle of this? On me this is Snake Oil-scented cola. Now, I know notes aren't listed but usually, for me, cola is either oppoponax or musk so I'm guessing this is the musk. This is like the GC version of my beloved Schwarzer Mond or Minotaur. DRYDOWN: Okay, I admit I didn't read every single review on this long thread but I read the first two pages and the last two pages and did not see anyone mention myrrh. However, I am convinced that there is myrrh in this (or else something I have ID'd as myrrh for awhile is not myrrh) ... it's a funky scent I get ONLY in the crook of my arm on a resiny drydown. It makes me still love this blend like wow but reminds me that I will have to keep it away from my active sweatglands. OVERALL: I totally love this and it is on my GC big bottle wishlist. I know it's defined as a "guy scent" but it smells awesome on me. Plus, I am looking forward to mixing and matching this with some of my other scents like Bliss, etc. On a scale of 1-5. a 4.9