Aredhel

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Martini! Preconceived notions: I'm sure it'll hate me (booze in perfume and I, we do not agree), but as my 21st birthday very soon, how can I not, for pure short-lived novelty alone? That said... booze. In the imp: Juniper! I don't love it, but I like juniper a fair bit. On skin, wet: Pine-Sol. I have to say, I hate the fact that things like Pine-Sol smell of real things, and that so many people can't help but associate things with other things (such a horrid sentence, but you get the idea — like saying "cough syrup!" when something smells strongly of bright red cherries, or "Pledge!" when sniffing strong lemon). Anyway. Juniper and gin. On skin, dry: Sharp and almost crystalline, this. It has a distinctively aquatic quality on my skin, which, given that it is supposed to be based on a drink, doesn't surprise me. It definitely is the scent of a martini, but, as martinis aren't my bag (give me a Bloody Mary or straight vanilla vodka instead!), I'm not big on this. I do like juniper, but not this much juniper, and I don't dig gin. Conclusion: Perfect for those that 1) love juniper, 2) like gin, or 3) want to smell like a walking martini. Me, I don't like gin, don't "love" juniper, and don't care for smelling of liquor, so this isn't for me. However, I may have a hard task convincing myself not to wear this out come my birthday, for the novelty of it.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Almond soap? In the imp: Huh. Marzipan-like almond. On skin, wet: Almost instantly the myrrh and dark musk come forward, and strangely, I must say, the almond/myrrh/dark musk combination is... beguiling and beautiful. On skin, dry: Nyarg. Just... narg. Something about this has turned horribly bitter-sweet, and of course, I suspect it to be the almond. Myrrh isn't helping matters. It's almost... soapy. I'd give my skin a "WTF?!" lecture, but it seems I'm not the only one on whom Hecate turns to soap. A lovely soap, mind — a lovely herbal/almond — but soap all the same. Conclusion: I'm holding a friend's imp-box hostage this week (er, I mean to say, I've borrowed it for sniffing/testing), and it is my intention to swap something away for this Hecate imp; I mean to give it a whirl in my scent locket. If it stays fairly true to the wet stage, I'll most certainly be snagging a bottle.

Rating (on skin): 5/5 Summarised in a word or two: *Beautiful* Preconceived notions: Wellll, I'm kind of hoping it's like my much-beloved Milk Moon. In the bottle: Very much like Milk Moon. I have a bottle of MM and smelling them side-by-side, I barely notice a difference. Cool, sweet, rich milk. I am loving this indeed. On skin, wet: Warm, rich cream. I can only think of comparing the smell to a texture, and that's the way thick cocoa butter feels (or, similarly, unrefined whipped shea). Warm and pure and comforting. On skin, dry: Obatala is very similar to Milk Moon, but it is also something all its own. I do get coconut, but it is rich and muted such that it doesn't lend that distinctly-unhappy dusty/chalky thing to the blend that coconut almost always does. I love the fresh, watery quality it has. Conclusion: I am floored but this. This is Obatala in scent form. As Macha said, don't let your fear of coconut steer you away from this, because it is a most divine coconut. I am fully in love with this, and I will be ordering a 10ml with my next order.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Poppy! And opium! In the imp: Four words: It made me sneeze. On skin, wet: Poppies! I don't come across poppy often, but when I do I always think "Ooh, I forgot I like poppy!" Also, the unmistakable smokey scent of opium! On skin, dry: I have to agree with the person that said this falls somewhere between smoke and flower. It's almost intoxicating. It reminds me of an Aunt of mine: she loved smokey perfumes like this. She might actually love this, and I must remember to get her to give it a sniff. Conclusion: This is terribly interesting, mellow and intoxicating, but really, honestly not my thing -- a little *too* dark and smokey.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Efficacy (if applicable): N/A Summarised in a word or two: Lemongrass. In the imp: Lemongrass! On skin, wet: Lemonrass and... sugar? It does actually kind of smell like Froot Loops, though I never would have thought of that if aidenraine hadn't said it. On skin, dry: Hmm. Creamier now. It's not vanilla (I don't think so, anyway), but it has a similar, soft, almost... wide quality. This is the rare sort of lemon/lemongrass I don't dislike! Conclusion: This is surprisingly stimulating -- but then, for such a fresh, bright, citrusy blend, that's not surprising. I haven't used it as intended yet, so I can't comment on that aspect.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Efficacy (if applicable): N/A Summarised in a word or two: Frakincense. In the imp: This reminds me of Mi-Go in the bottle, though darker, and not nearly as sweet. On skin, wet: ILike RavenVelith. first on this is absolutely awful -- something this is just... not good at all with me. It didn't smell like this in the imp, so I'm confused. On skin, dry: Well, whatever that was has passed, and it's now a... is this lotus? Frankincense? Huh. A bit sweet, and almost bubblegum-y, with with a dash of spice. Not bad, but as I don't really dig lotus or frankincense... Conclusion: Yeah, not me. I don't have a clue what happened when I applied, but I'm glad that didn't stick around. All the same, well, I won't be wearing this as perfume. I can't comment on its intended purpose just yet -- soon, though!

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Efficacy (if applicable): N/A Summarised in a word or two: Lemon, herbs and amber. In the imp: A weird lemon candy and herbs. On skin, wet: Lemon, amber powder and herbs. If it weren't for the lemon, I think I'd love this. Soft and powdery, but with that sharp lemony edge. On skin, dry: Amber and herbs! Lovely, this one. The lemon still lingers below. Again, if not for the lemon. It gets a fair bit... musky? further into the drydown. Conclusion: Nice. Kind of smells like a Vanilla Canelle roll-on I have from an etailer, but lemony. Just not my thing, because I don't usually care for lemon. I haven't yet given this one's intended purpose a go, but I plan to.

Rating (on skin): 0/5 Efficacy (if applicable): N/A Summarised in a word or two: Roses and lavender. In the imp: Rose and lavender -- two of my very least favourite notes. On skin, wet: Rose. And lavender. Together. There's not much more to say about it, because I can't sniff the scent long without wanting to gag. On skin, dry: Both floral and herbal, and very strong. It's not that I dislike lavender or rose -- it's that I really freaking hate them. Nothing against Anahata, mind, nor against Beth or the Lab; it's not *their* lavender or rose I dislike so much, it's the notes in general. Don't like 'em; not digging Anahata. Conclusion: I'm not sure why I've been tempted for some reason to review the Chakras as scents before testing out their real uses. I do intend to use them as I imagine they are intended, but I haven't yet, so I can't comment on that aspect. I can say, however, that I will not be wearing this as perfume.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Efficacy (if applicable): N/A Summarised in a word or two: Jasmine. In the imp: Hmm. Darkly floral. A bit like newer Love Me. On skin, wet: Oh, lovely. Jasmine! Sweet, creamy, and floral -- but not a bright, sweet floral; a darker, cool floral. Lovely indeed. On skin, dry: Uh, ylang? Actually, I'm not quite sure, but something that reminds me of ylang. I do like jasmine, but this is a strong jasmine. So far, it's too floral. Conclusion: I like jasmine, and I like gardenia, but both in small amounts. This is too floral for me, however lovely it is in the imp and wet. I can't comment on its intended purposes yet, but I'll add that later.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Perfumey. Preconceived notions: I love orchids, but orchid notes in perfume don't tend to work with my skin, so. In the imp: Oh, orchid. On skin, wet: Orchid! Soft, velvety, white-purple orchids. Very fresh, and cool. And yes, I get ylang-ylang, but it's not strong at the moment, so it's not interfering with this lovely, almost musky orchid. On skin, dry: Ugh, ylang. Not unbearably strong, but not pleasantly weak, either. Besides that, the orchid's taken a perfume-counter nose-dive on me. It isn't uncommon with florals to me. Conclusion: I love orchids, but as I've said, they have a way of ending up as musty, Neiman-Marcus-y perfume counter-type scents, and SWO is no exception.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Cocoa and patchouli. Preconceived notions: So, cocoa? Flowers? Armor? Yeah, I'm guessing this won't end well. In the imp: Cocoa and patchouli. Huh. An interesting combination, I must say. On skin, wet: I already love the patchouli in this. At times, patchouli is Dirty Hippie, but here, it's something else entirely. The cocoa, however. The cocoa is fast becoming dusty and chalky. On skin, dry: Leather, patchouli and cocoa. Surprisingly pleasant, and very unique. If I sniff close to my wrist, the incense note(s) is/are very strong, but a few inches away is a different story -- the incense then is a bit sweet. The cocoa is, as it almost always is on my skin, dry and dusty. Besides that, I just don't like wearing cocoa. Conclusion: Pleasant, but not for me. I don't care for perfumes with cocoa, and not only because my skin does bad things to cocoa. It might, however, be divine on the boy-thing.

Rating (on skin): 5/5 Summarised in a word or two: Gorgeous! Preconceived notions: I really don't know. Maybe... well, hell, I don't know. In the imp: ....Wow, this is gorgeous. Blackberry, woody vanilla, musk and coconut. This could be trouble. On skin, wet: This is pretty much what I wanted Tombstone to me: a gorgeous, warm, musky vanilla. KoS, however, also has a lovely blackberry/plum twist to it. A tad sweet, but not sugary or particularly sweet. On skin, dry: I love the vanilla in this. Hell, I love *everything* in this. Berry-y and musky and coconuty and vanillic. Conclusion: Of course I fall for something that's not only an LE, but an LE from ~six months before I found BPAL. I've never seen a bottle of this up for grabs, though I fear that were I to, I would sell my soul for it.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Lavender! Preconceived notions: I hear (see?) tell of lavender, and knowing my skin as I do, I suspect this'll end up as a purely lavender scent. In the imp: Lavender and citrus. Maybe lemon? On skin, wet: Ew, lavender. I really, really dislike lavender. I especially dislike lavender with something citrus. On skin, dry: This smells... horrible. My skin does such icky things with lavender. Dirty diapers and mouldy lemons. Conclusion: Lavender and citrus do not a happy scent on my skin make. As much as I do dislike lavender, it does do good things when I have a migraine headache, so I'll keep the decant (thank you, SeaMonkey!) for such occasions, and use my scent locket to keep it away from my skin.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Anise and lemon. Preconceived notions: Another "tried it long ago, don't remember what I thought" scent. I have no clue -- I love the way Absinthe tastes, but what of a scent based on it? Hmm. In the imp: Mint, wormwood and anise, emphasis on anise. On skin, wet: Lemon and anise. Not Pledge-lemon; more like black liquorice twists dipped in melted lemon drops. No sign of mint or cardamom, sadly. On skin, dry: Sweeter now, like dusting sugar over the above-mentioned liquorice-in-lemon-candy. There is no mint, herb(s) or cardamom, so I don't really think "Absinthe!" when smelling this. Conclusion: This is, on me anyway, closer to the way Absinthe tastes than how it smells. It also reminds me of Ouzo, perhaps more than it does of Absinthe. While I love both drinks, I'm not a big fan of anise in scents, so Absinthe the scent and I are not to be.

Rating (on skin): 5/5 Summarised in a word or two: Spiced plum! Preconceived notions: I'm really wary of this -- because if it's horrible on me, I might cry. In the imp: Plums! And... metal? Something sharp and cold. Weird. On skin, wet: Plums. Plum in scents is starting to grow on me. Plums, carnation and musk. Strangely, it's not a warm scent at all; no, this is very cold. On skin, dry: Plums, spice and musk! This does smell a bit like a Yule/Christmas candle, but really, that's not a bad thing. If I sniff deeply, I could swear there's clove in this. Conclusion: Yes indeed, I do really, really like this. It borders on love. It would be love, but my attentions been drawn to more spring-like/cooler scents lately. I think I'll pick up a bottle -- 10ml, methinks -- come July or August.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Shower gel? Preconceived notions: I really don't know! It could be lovely, it could be horrible. In the imp: Light and airy, this one. Apple, mint and a bit of lime. On skin, wet: Lime and vodka, and a little bit of mint and apple. This is very aquatic besides. Is there anise in this? On skin, dry: Ambrette, vodka, green apple, mint and lime. Very odd, this one. I can't shake the undertone of something anise- or liquorice-y. The vodka in this makes it a very unique scent, even BPAL-wise. Conclusion: I completely understand the "shower gel" comment - it does remind me of something you'd find in a shower gel, perhaps called Apple Martini or Apple & Mint. It's not bad, and I don't dislike, it's just not something I'm too keen on. I think it's the lime and/or apple.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Mi-Go + Lipstick Preconceived notions: On my skin? I'm guessing a yicky mess of ylang ylang and apricot, since those notes both hate me. In the imp: Ylang, apricot, gardenia and blood orange. I'm hoping the latter two save the scent! On skin, wet: ...Huh. I shouldn't like this -- ylang! apricot! -- but I... do. It's sugary, but a little spicy as well (almost gingery, to be specific). Fruity, but not OMGFRUIT! a la Mi-Go. Unfortunately, even in the wet stage, the ylang gets stronger. On skin, dry: Ylang ylang and apricot. Now it does sort of smell like a muted Mi-Go with ylang ylang. I'm not digging it. It's too fruity and plastic on my skin. Conclusion: I'm sure this is fabulous on other people, but on my skin, it's Mi-Go smeared over lipstick (that wet-chalk, almost plastic smell lipstick has? That's what Ylang ylang becomes on me).

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Sticky strawberry Preconceived notions: I'm not sure. Maybe... strawberry and vanilla? In the imp: Ooh. Amber, vanilla, lovely musk and a bit of cherry. On skin, wet: OK, this is really nice. Something in it -- the musk, maybe? -- reminds me of Vixen, but without the patchouli. Vixen with amber and vanilla? Yes, I'm loving this. On skin, dry: Aww. Strawberry. As it dries, the strawberry becomes much stronger, amping much the same way rose does -- to the point of blanketing everything else. Kind of smells like Pink Phoenix, minus the sweet pea. Musky Pink Phoenix. Sweet and almost sticky. Conclusion: If this had stayed true to its wet stage, I'd buy a 10ml without thinking. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of sticky-sweet Strawberry. Maybe I'll give it a go in a scent locket...

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Metal. Preconceived notions: Honestly? I have no idea. In the imp: Something like... ozone? Oh...kay. On skin, wet: Oy, ozone. The sharp tang of ozone that leaves a strange trace in my nose and the back of my throat. On skin, dry: Ozone. No wood, or anything like it. Just sharp, biting, wholly unpleasant ozone. Very cologney to me, but that's really only because I tend to associate ozone with cologne. Conclusion: The ozone-as-metal in Bed of Nails, for me anyway, is more along the lines of the scent of what metal tastes like (and yes, I'm well acquainted with the taste of metal -- I have a thing for it [metal/steel/etc]), rather than what it smells like. Definitely not for me. Now, had this been, say, the scent of bloody metal? I may've been much more keen on it.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Aquatic Preconceived notions: I know I've tried this before, but I don't remember anything about it, and the description lends me no clues. In the imp: Citrusy and a bit floral, and definitely aquatic. Interesting. On skin, wet: Bright, but not as sharp as I was expecting. Citrus and something like ozone. On skin, dry: Something's turning what could be a lovely Dressing Up scent for me into a distinctly soapy... something. It reminds me of a hand soap my Aunt uses, that she gets from some small company in France -- it's a lovely smell, fresh, bright and aquatic, but it's definitely soapy, and beside that, a bit too... I don't know, girly? Light? Conclusion: Odd; not bad, but odd. Soapy. Not my type of thing at all. I'm more along the lines of vanilla and herbs and spices, not so much aquatics and... whatever else is in this. Nice, but not for me.

Rating (on skin): 4/5 Summarised in a word or two: Tea and apples? Preconceived notions: Honestly? I have no idea. Mist? In the imp: ... Light, clean and crisp, but totally unknown. I don't even have a clue of what I'm smelling, except that it may slightly resemble tea? On skin, wet: Tea! Tea and... something else. Something bright and impossibly ethereal and soft. Very green, but not grassy, and very clean, but not soapy. Hard to pin down, this one, but exceedingly lovely. On skin, dry: This reminds me of Dublin in some unknown way, which, as much as I love Dublin, is not a bad thing at all. I think it may be the crisp/fresh/green qualities in Dublin I'm getting in Empyreal Mist. As it continues to dry, I get something distinctly... apple-y. Tart green apples. Similar to an apple blossom shampoo I used as a kid, actually, but that's not a bad thing, either. Conclusion: Way back in March of '05, I bought an imp of this. Unfortunately, it arrived completely shattered and scentless. I forgot about it until fairly recently, putting it back on my wishlist but not giving it much priority. And then VenusFlyTrap sent me an imp of it. This is hardly my normal fare, but I quite like it. My only "problem" with it lies in how terribly faint it is. I think I'll give it a go in a scent locket soon; if it's even a wee bit stronger there, I'll be picking up a bottle.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Dragon's blood! And... myrrh. Preconceived notions: Dragon's blood and cherry? In the imp: Clove, cherry and dragon's blood! Not at all cough syrup-y, at least not yet. On skin, wet: Annnnd cue the sneezing. It's the myrrh. Myrrh never fails to make me sneeze, the evil thing. Beneath that, a wisp of dragon's blood -- which is odd, as my skin usually loves to amp DB -- clove and cherry. It would be lovely, were it not for said myrrh. On skin, dry: Hmm. The myrrh backs down a bit, but never disappears; I don't sneeze anymore, but it gives me a headache. Besides it, it's a lovely scent -- earthy, rich and spicy. I love dragon's blood, so I'd likely want a 10ml, 'cept for said myrrh. Conclusion: I'll definitely be keeping the imp around; maybe eventually myrrh will stop being cruel, and will let me enjoy what is otherwise a gorgeous scent.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Rose. Preconceived notions: It's a blend based on Taurus, so I'm expecting something earthy. Hopefully not dirty. In the imp: Sandalwood, oakmoss and... motherf*cking rose. Yick. On skin, wet: Rose and ylang ylang -- two of my most hated of notes. There's a bit of oakmoss, but already the rose is asserting dominance. On skin, dry: True to form, however, the rose puts on its stompin' boots and crushes the ylang ylang and the wee bit of oakmoss to dust. Dusty rose. Conclusion: I'm a Taurus, so I've wanted to try this for ages. For some reason, I conveniently ignored the mention of rose and ylang ylang in previous reviews while hunting this down. If I could get over my deep hatred for rose (overpower-er of all and ruiner of perfectly good blends), I'd probably like it, if not love it. As it is... not my cup of tea as a scent.

Rating (on skin): 0/5 Summarised in a word or two: Dirt and candles. Preconceived notions: Hmm, dunno, really. Berries? In the bottle: Orange peel, berries and patchouli. This shows promise! On skin, wet: The patchouli in this is already disagreeing with my skin, smelling of sickly, rotting hippies. The berries are underripe and bitter, and the orange is... bad. On skin, dry: Oh, this is not turning out well for me at all. It smells of... something bad. The sherry peeks out, and throws itself at the patchouli, berries and orange peel in a most hideous way. It smells like the remnants of a freshly burned-down candle shop. Conclusion: Most definitely not for me. It showed promise in the bottle, sweet, rich and earthy (not dirty) as it was, but my skin did such horrible things to it. Wonky skin.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: O - Honey + Pine Preconceived notions: Pine? In the imp: Pine and juniper! On skin, wet: Whoo, pine. Strong, heavy, sharp pine. Not bad, but very, very strong. On skin, dry: The pine eases up a bit, giving the vanilla and amber room to play. I can definitely why some people consider GP to be a "masculine" version of O -- the vanilla/honey is very similar to O, but without the sweaty sweetness of the honey, and, of course, the pine! Kind of like Black Forest meets O, though I'd imagine the layering of those two scents would produce something much stronger than GP. It's also a bit similar to Snake Oil, though not nearly as spicy or sweet. Conclusion: An interesting and lovely scent to an O-lover like myself, but a bit too heavy on the pine for me.