Myrrha

In the imp -- Sweet, with a slight pine-y scent. It doesn't smell like a pine bough, it doesn't smell like pine-sol. Wet -- Ozone comes out first on me. It actually smells a bit too masculine at first but then the flowery sweetness comes out a bit. Drydown -- On me this gets sweeter and more flowery as it dries. The flowers are pale, creamy, frosty. It smells interesting as it wafts around me. I like it and it no longer smells too masculine but it wouldn't really be described as "floral" either. It reminds me a bit of "Cloister Graveyard in the Snow" only a bit sweeter and without the incense note.

Thank you!! I am so glad the lab sent this to me as a frimp because it is probably not one I would have tried. Although I think now that when I see blends of white musk and flowers I will take notice. Wet -- Lavender. It is a dry, astringent, herbal smelling lavender. Usually I don't like herbal scents or straight lavender. 5-10 minutes -- The flowers start to come out. I think I can pick out the rose but it is more of a real blend than a patchwork of notes. It just turns into a really elegant perfume. It is still a little crisp, not overly sweet or girly, but at the same time feminine. It is a little on the "classic" side but it has character. Drydown -- It gets a little sweeter. Still fresh smelling but I can't really pick out the Lavender anymore. On me it seems to last a couple of hours. I'm not sure because it is a bit of an ethereal, transparent scent and it could be that I still smell like it to someone else after two hours. It does not turn to powder at all or do anything strange on my skin. I will be buying a bottle of this! Edit to add: Well, I've discovered several scents that are more interesting on me than Psyche. I still like it but I'm not sure I love it enough to buy a bottle. Also, of all the BPALs I've tried this is the one most changed by the time of the month. It only really smells amazing for two weeks out of the month.

In imp: Soapy! I’m wondering if I made a good choice with this one. Wet: Still a little soapy, perhaps that is the orris? Dry and powdery but not like baby powder. Surrounding this is a red, fruity smell. This must be the dragon’s blood. After about ten minutes I’m wondering if it is too fruity for me. 20 minutes: The softness and the dryness makes it seem grown-up and sophisticated. The notes blend really well and add up to a rich, utterly delicious (but non-foody) scent. It smells really special and unique. One hour: Unfortunately the soapyness came back and it is also much too powdery at this stage. I can smell the remnant of that unique and delicious scent from before but it is all surrounded by the powder which doesn’t smell good on me. I suspect that Dragon's Blood doesn't work well with my skin chemistry as I love Black Pearl and some other DBR scents have also gone soapy in the drydown.

Wet: -- Very sweet. A kind of thick, cloying sweetness like incense or air fresher. The amber that sits underneath it is not sweetish like those cakes of amber you can get, it is a dry, sharp amber. 5 minutes -- Better now, the sweet note now seems to be a vanilla and also something fruity. It is not as strong now and balances better with the amber. The amber itself smells very resiny, almost harsh. It smells like an amber that would work better in a blend for men. Maybe it just isn’t working with my skin chemistry. 10 minutes -- Now something interesting is happening. The sweet fruitiness and the amber are balancing out, becoming one scent. There is something in this scent that really does feel playful and happy. Is it just the power of suggestion? I really do feel a purring kind of cat-happiness. Still, it is too masculine a scent for me to enjoy wearing. At the same time I think it would be a bit too sweet for a guy.

Wet -- orange blossom air freshener? Some kind of sweet fruity air freshener. It is a thick very sweet scent of orange blossoms and honey. 5 minutes -- OK, now it has settled down a little. It is an unusual scent. Smells very attention-getting by virtue of its unusualness. It is sexy not by pumping out overtly sexy or spicy notes but just by being heavily sweet and a little strange. There is another note lurking in the sweetness, something ugly. 10 minutes -- That ugly note buried in the sweetness is the rose and sandalwood. How strange. Usually I like rose. The sweetness has calmed down a bit to a “hot honey” smell. It smells a bit rotten. 1/2 hour -- It is much better now, I can see the appeal. The rose and sandlewood have come out a bit more and no longer smell ugly they are balancing out the honey-sweetness. drydown -- I think the orange blossom not just didn't work on my skin. It was not a convincing note on me, remained fake and overly-sweet. I may try it again in a much smaller quantity as I put a good toothpick-tips worth on my wrist. I should just learn to stick with cooler more reserved scents.

Wet -- Can smell the coconut but it isn’t as sun-lotion like as I feared it might be. It is dryer and blended with other notes. Slightly foody-vanilla aspect to it. Perfume-y. That must be the Iris. 5 minutes -- Sweet! And it has that smooth, rounded glorious beauty that a pearl has. I like this one! Oddly, I think I can make out a little bit of violet in the blend. It is the kind of scent where the notes really blend and add up to something unique. 15 minutes -- softens out . Yummy. Sweet but just perfum-y enough to balance that. Usually I like scents that are a bit more reserved than this one is, but I can tell I am going to be wearing it sometimes just to sniff. Might be a good passion potion too. 1 hour -- still lovely. On me the iris is coming out more. The musk and iris must be working with my body chemistry as this is not turning or doing anything odd. I like this much better than Blood Pearl. It is a little lighter and sweeter with no soapiness as it wears on. EDIT: I love it when the rag-ends of a scent that linger after a few hours wear still smell good. This one just gets softer and softer and seems almost more enticing as it wears away.

In imp: I can smell the dragon’s blood. Wet: Sweet but not foody, floral, spicy. This has a transparency that I like. Either it smells like skin or I can smell my skin through it. There might be some musk mixed in with the dragon’s blood and perhaps a little cinnamon? Or is it that the dragon's blood resin has a slightly cinnamon-like scent? 20 minutes: It is a bit more floral now but somehow the floral element is also transparent. Dragon's blood smells a bit like lilac on me. Drydown: On me this remains a somewhat transparent creamy/floral/spicy scent. This makes me feel attractive and sexy but it it is still pretty and doesn't seem too blatantly seductive. I've been wearing this frequently. It is strong so a few drops is enough and it lasts for hours. Edit 7/09 -- French Love remains a favorite BPAL. It is enticing while still smelling fresh. Something about it makes me feel confident as well as attractive. Edit 1/10 -- I no longer wear the other "sexy" scents I liked when I first discovered bpal: Lilith, Sed non Satiata, Blood Kiss, Blood Lotus... but I still like and wear French Love. --Myrrha

In imp: spicy, warm. Wet: still spicy. A bit flat somehow, like there should be more to the scent? 6 minutes: WOW!! Now the scent is rounder. I can smell clove as well as the floral scent. It seems to be doing nice things with my chemistry, although it smells too strong. Wait, when I don’t smell my wrist directly but just sit here and let it rise off of me like steam…it smells amazing. Is there some vanilla in here? Something creamy along with the spicy floral. 20 minutes: It does seem to be doing well with my chemistry. It smells beautiful. I can’t pick out individual spices anymore. Either I’ve gotten used to it or it has settled down some because it no longer smells so strong. Although there is a definite “floral” note it doesn’t sit on top of my skin and smell fake like most florals but seems to sink in somehow. It might be a little overbearing for work but it isn't as strong as the old 80's YSL scent. It is lovely. 1 1/2 hours: It still smells lovely on me and seems to have sunk into my skin so it smells like me only wonderful. --Myrrha

In imp: very floral, a high, sharp floral. Wet: lilac, lots of lilac. Where is the DBR? This smells too dressy for me. I’m not in the mood for this so will try it again another day. Drydown: Still very much LILAC. I would have enjoyed this one more if the lily of the valley and resin had stood up to the lilac a bit more. Another day: Today it is very hot out and I appreciate the high, clear tone of this scent. I guess that must be what they mean by “piercing” in the description. The lilac is behaving itself, not too much throw and it isn’t overpowering. Still, it doesn't smell very interesting on me. --Myrrha