galahad

In The Bottle Sharp and fruity On Application I really get the tea on first application, which is great as I seem to be having difficulty getting ANY tea in the tea blends so far. Dry Down Sweetens as it warms. This is not too fruity with the fig and the patchouli keeping it grounded and slightly earthy - almost becomes a bit peppery towrds the end of the drydown. This is really unusual and absolutely wonderful. Love, love, love! Rating (0-5) 5

In The Bottle I don't get alot of anything in the imp, just a soft waft of vanilla On Application Wow. A nice melding of amber and sandalwood with the vanilla giving a smokey roundness. Dry Down This is my first experience with white sandalwood, I think, and it is DRY and really lovely. Such a shame I don't detect the sweet pea as I love how they smell. Started off as almost masculine and becomes sweet and girly. Still, I like very much and may consider a bottle. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle A coolish scent from the imp - cypress, leather On Application The pimento and pepper at the forefront makes for a spicey scent which catches at the back of the throat. Nice! Dry Down A brief stage of leather and musk amping up and then this starts to smell like quite strong cinnamon. This gets really dry and almost woody-spicey as it dries down, smelling more like a wooden chest that has been storing spice then the spices themselves. Love it Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Fresh, not quite ripe honeydew On Application Honeydew with something bitter behind it. Very refreshing Dry Down Sweetens and deepens with the bitter edge fading as it warms, almost as if the melon is ripening. Very nice. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Light cherry (thankfully) and vanilla with an undertone of amber. On Application Very different when first applied. Amber first then the cherry with less sweetness than I expected Dry Down Really quite surprisingly light. The cherry dies down after about 5 minutes, but it is still there, and the strawberry wafts up softly. 10 Minutes in and the cherry reappears a bit stronger. I am really liking this one considering the cherry/almond notes do horrible things on my skin. Rating (0-5) 4

In The Bottle Veeery herbal bay, rosemary and pine. On Application Deep and aromatically rich. Resinous Dry Down Sharp and austere. I like the herbalness and resinous quality of this - it smells wild - but not something I would wear. Rating (0-5) 2

Jazz Funeral. I am not a floral guy but this is still my stand out favourite and so unlike anything I have tried so far. Just stunning and seems to be doing some intersting things with aging. Namaste is kind of interesting as well for me. Starts off lemony incense and goes all lemon sherbert on me. I also agree with someones else's vote for Black Annis. Vicious, violet and fantastic.

Actually, I found Namaste went kind of lemon sherberty on me. Sort of incensey then lemony and then soft and creamy sweet lemon.

In The Bottle Sweet and deep, with some green notes in there On Application I really get apple (maybe unripe apples) with some sweet florals. Unusual Dry Down Pretty much as above. There is a real green sappiness to this scent which balances out the white florals. The apple is till discernable 5 minutes into the drydown. From there it goes all sweet and powdery which is actually quite nice but so not me. Rating (0-5) 3

In The Bottle Frimp. Very floral. I'm scared On Application As above Dry Down Not unpleasant if florals are your bag. Would actually be not too bad if there was a strong earth note to this, like Jazz Funeral, but this isn't going near my skin again. Rating (0-5) 1

In The Bottle All I can smell in the bottle is butterscotch, not too buttery On Application Almond and honey. Actually quite nice but strong Dry Down The almond starts to take a back seat soon into the drydown leaving the honey and allowing the buttercream and a touch of the hazelnut through. My initial trepidation about the buttercream seems to be unfounded as it hasn't turned rancid on me at this stage. While there are stages I like in this scent it is not something I would wear. Rating (0-5) 3

This is a frimp that I have put off testing as I wasn't sure about the scent from the bottle. In The Bottle Lemon and incense. Quite strong in the bottle. On Application Really stong lemon. Lemon just doesn't do it for me but this is quite nice. All of the elements seem to keep other pretty much in check. Still stong incense (the woods and patchouli) but not unpleasant. The Drydown This becomes really soft and nice. A lot of reviewers have mentioned the calming properties of this scent which I agree with. I won't be buying a bottle but I will use up the imp and perhaps get another one when that is gone.

Thanks. BTW of the ones you have listed, I would go for Mag Mell. I think it might go interestingly with what you are planning on wearing as well - almost like a contradiction which is good. Ross

Well, have just finished my 6 hour (!!!!) interview in Auckland. I am completely exhausted and looking forward to having a leisurely dinner. Coyote again for rhe first 2/3 and then changed to Bewitched (was forewarned about the interview perspective for the CEO - wanted to a go with something with a bit more of a quirky personality). Will see where we land on Tuesday. Ross

Thanks. As I suspected pretty casual and just an information download but went well. Expect I will be flown up to Auckland this weekend. I ended up forgetting to take the imp with me to top up but Coyote seemd to last well on my first full day test with it. My review of it was so-so but I really like it now. Yeah I was wondering how many BPALers are in NZ. Did a member search by country a while ago and I think there were about 10. Ross We are down by the Antarctic so generally the further south you go (and Christchurch is located on the east coast of the South Island), the colder it gets. There are lots of places to ski in both the North and South Island ski fields.Ahhhh, now what kind of scent would you wear to a job interview at a ski field?? Or even the international science station in the Anarctic (or would you take The Precious that far given the harsh environment???)?

Hi Paperrose Funny you should say that because I decided on Coyote in the end We don't get a lot of snow in Christchurch but it definitely does snow more further south. the best skiing in the world! Ross

Hey, Alex. I'm in Christchurch. The job is in AKL but being interviewed down here. Hotel industry and the job is Executive Assistant Manager. Ross

Hi all Have an "interview" tomorrow for a position which could see me doubling my salary (+) I have put interview in quotes as it appears it's going to be very casual (GM wants a chat over coffee and they are already making plans to fly me up to see the property) I am a guy being interviewed by a male so I have been agonising over what to wear (and yes, I would prefer not to be scent-naked). Don't want to do anything floral or too heavy or foody and have pretty much settled on Shrunken Heads which is fresh and doesn't turn bitter on me. Was considering going with Perversion, No. 93 Engine, Coyote, Wilde or Dorian. It's freezing here at the moment with some snow so have considered that something warmer than Shrunken Heads might be better. Hmm...

In The Bottle Another rose frimp. On Application Unashamedly rose Dry Down The BPAL rose scents are great but one of my least favourite notes. The frankincense gives this a depth which is lovely. Will pass on though. Rating (0-5) 2

In The Bottle A nice bouquet of wild flowers On Application As above. Jasmine, lily, stephanotis, narcissus. Quite beautiful Dry Down After the initial floral blast this really softens out to an airy floral scent. This blend goes through stages of almost going to air freshener floral but pulls back. Nice but not me Rating (0-5) 3

In The Bottle Almond plus On Application Almond and rose. This was a frimp with 2 of my least favourite elements Dry Down The drydown isn't too bad. The rose is not the most prominent note initially. Almost dirty and dusty rose and sandalwood after 5 minutes. This is actually quite nice at times and then the rose amps up. Nice but not me Rating (0-5) 2

The crisp, clean scent of green tea touched with lemon verbena and honeysuckle. In The Bottle Honeysuckle and green tea On Application Fresh and floral Dry Down Thankfully I don't get much of the lemon verbena initially. Linear drydown. Too white floral for me. Rating (0-5) 2 Edit: After further testing (and some aging) I absolutely love theis scent. Fresh and tea-like. A bottle for sure.

In The Bottle Scorching and smokey On Application Piney and very smokey harsh Dry Down 5 minutes in I can pick ginger over the pine. This is a very pungent scent totally evocative of the concept. I am really liking this 20 minutes into the drydown. It has actually got a lot drier and smokier. I was tempted to say that I wouldn't wear this but at this stage I can absolutely imagine using this on a regular basis. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Menthol/eucalyptus wet and dewy On Application Wow. Leather and fresh broken green stems Dry Down The leather is really beautiful and accompanied by sappy wetness, not pine sap but green ferny sap. This gradually turns sweeter while still retaining it's fresh qualities. This is a really delicate and masterful blend. I'm glad I got a bottle before the carnival leaves town. Rating (0-5) 5

In The Bottle Really strong almond and leather On Application Overall this smells like very strong anise (yum) with leaher beneath (similar to when I layered De Sade with Black Annis). Dry Down Burn-your-nostrils-out strong. 5 minutes into the drydown I get the spiced rum reference. This is becoming very nice as it softens. 20 minutes on it's.....Bay Rum occasionally with a strong clove kick. I will enjoy the imp but don't think this is bottle-worthy. Rating (0-5) 3.5