angelmecha

In Imp: Breathing in deeply I can tell that there's pomegranate, but it's honestly not the front-runner; I get much more lilac musk (strange note) and red rose. Wet: Hmmm. A red, rosy scent with a splash of lavender (color) thrown in; it smells clean. I don't get honey or pomegranate at all at this stage. Drydown: It's well blended and I don't get much in the way of individual notes; but that also is making it kind of hard to describe. It's warm and clean, wearing a flowy white dress and floating around in a flower field. It's quite floral and I am sad that I really don't get any honey or sharper notes. Even the pomegranate is almost like a suggestion in it. Like... a bunch of intact pomegranate pods sitting in a garden. Not juicy or vibrant. Just kinda pom-my. Verdict: Hmm. I don't really know if this is for me. There's nothing wrong with it or putting me off, it's just not remarkable to me. I'll give it a 1/5. ETA: Scratch that. After about 10 minutes of drying it's morphing into something quite nice. A more dry, fruity red blend. Hmm. Ok, 3/5 and I'll try it again in the future.

In Imp: I remember my last imp that I had of Samhain (I think 09?) was a lot of mullein, dried dark apple, and gritty fir. This year, though, is definitely more earthy. Dark and sharp woods. I get pumpkin, patchouli, and apple pretty clearly when I breath in very deeply. Wet: Woods, woods, woods. Something in Samhain tends to powder on me, but it almost seems like it fits. Like there just happens to be powder in this warm, brown little cottage in the middle of the darkest woods. I do get a bit of nutmeg, I'm surprised though that the apple isn't amping or sweetening on me. I feel like this year's blend is definitely different from the one I've tried previously and it also somehow different from the soap. Hmmm. Drydown: This is a brown, slightly clammy scent; apples strung up between gray, brown and hunter green trees. The apple is coming out slightly more, still tempered by half-dead woods and spices. Verdict: It's not terribly autumnal to me, to be honest; but I've never lived somewhere that has these particular aspects during fall (New Mexico smells the same all year and Colorado smells more like chilly wind and pine and maybe some fire; in other words, we go straight to winter.) It's not a bad smell, but there's always been something in it that's a little odd to me. I'm not ready to give up on Samhain! I will say that the throw is lovely and it's a much different scent than it is close up; very apply and bright. I'll give it a 3/5. ETA: This stuff has one hell of a long throw on me. After I tested this I had to wash my whole arm because I couldn't smell my other testers anymore!

In Imp: Mmmmmmm. Spicy, strong, sweet pumpkin coffee. It smells just like a pumpkin latte, but (IMHO) even better because it's a bit stronger and more complex. It does make me jones for a fabulous latte, though. Wet: It softens and nutmeg comes out a bit more than I'd have thought it would. Mmmmmmmm. It smells delicious. It could actually even coast through as a scent for holidays from Halloween to New Years. YUM. Drydown: Man. I almost didn't *want* to like this. Pumpkin Latte? It seemed too simple, without the sort of in-depth imagery I prefer. Plus I like to tell myself I'm not a foodie lover; no, I prefer more complex and esoteric blends. But, damn it, it smells amazing; like coffee and warm baked goodness. Even if I didn't wear this, it'd be amazing in an oil burner to make strangers, family, friends, and random passerby on the street think that I can actually bake. Verdict: 4/5

In Imp: Pumpkin and super sweet orange fruits. (And oh, look: guava, sweetened by meringue-- yes, that's what I'm getting.) Wet: It morphs a LOT on my skin. Pumpkin, which was hugely apparent in the imp, fades almost completely and leaves the chocolate and amber. The guava is still there, but it's just a faint juiciness in the background. Mmmmm. This is much softer than I expected after hearing all the Hawaiian-fruit reviews... I'm getting amber, chocolate, and vanilla. It's a more mature sweetness than I thought. I want to eat it. Drydown: Once it's fully dried the pumpkin peeks out a little more again. It's a sweet, guava and pumpkin.... I like it! Verdict: I think it's a 3.5/5.

In Imp: Most of what I'm getting is sandalwood and tea rose. It smells like incense, in a good way. Soft and like a warm and inviting metaphysical shop. Wet: Hmm! Dry sandalwood-y-ness with veils of vibant florals. I wish I knew florals better so I could pick out what it is I'm smelling. I think it's carnation and magnolia; I don't really get a lot of tea rose (which I *do* know the smell of!) now. Drydown: This is so warm and soft. I'm really not a floral person and I've thrown many imps to the wayside because of it, but I'm really really liking this. There's something soft, ethereal... yes, just *ghostlike* about this blend. It's an elegant perfume wafting through sheets of earthiness. The sandalwood is amping a bit as it keeps drying. Verdict: Likey. 3.5/5 ETA: After an hour or so this morphed into way too much powder. I blame the white sandal, but it lost all of it's other nice aspects. I guess it's a good thing for my wallet, but... Sorry, GIL... 2/5

In Imp: My biggest impression is that it's clean, in a very sharp, dry and soapy way. There's a hint of white apple underneath it; slightly juicy, but very much "white". Wet: Soapy and floral. It is really light on my skin; it's almost like there's no perfume on at all! Slightly juicy, crisp apple surrounded by dusky, soft, powdery notes. Drydown: I can see where the "dry apple" impression was coming from in previous reviews now. To me the apple so far has been juicy, just dimmed by the other notes; but now if I sniff it and try to pick out the apple, it's like an extremely dry apple sparkling cider. But, sad to say, it's still pretty soapy and florally on me, and extremely light. Verdict: Honestly it just doesn't stand out enough for me. It stays really close to my skin, almost disappears, and just smells as though I took a shower... which is good, but I'd like a little more from perfume! I give it a 1.5/5... although it is a nice blend.

Sporting the Changeling until tonight when I'll don Trick or Treat 09.

In Imp: It's very dry and woodsy. Wet: Along with calivianya up there, this sweetened once it hit the skin. I detect something *like* vetiver but not moldy (as vetiver always is on me)... it must be oak, because it's woodsy and strong, vibrant and bright. There's something a little cologne-y about this one; which makes sense, since it's meant to be an "upstanding citizen" sort of scent! It continues to brighten and get more effervescent as it dries... Drydown: This turns into a soft woodsy scent. I feel like rhubarb is making it a little sweeter, redder, more rounded. Still has a hint of cologne, but the sharpness it had when it was wet doesn't stay. It's clean, bright, ... everything a lawful person should smell like! It really is a brilliant blend of very pure, clear "aquatic" and soft earthy leafy woods. Verdict: I like this a lot and will be interested in layering it. I'm sad that I only have a sniffy of this; I'll have to track down more! (And make an RPG character that actually IS.... Lawful!) I need moar.

In Imp: A martini surrounded by piercing, juicy red fruit. (i.e., pomegranate!) It really smells just as its description indicates in the imp. Wet: POMEGRANATE! It's lightly dry, but juicy and mouth watering. It has a huge throw at this stage too! The booze has mostly gone away but give the pomegranate a little extra jab. Drydown: The pomegranate sweetness is subsiding a little, mellowing and leaving tart, lovely pom. Really the notes don't seem to morph or fluctuate much, which is nice. Verdict: Delicious, identifiable, and not like anything else I have. I'm keeping this to see how I like it in day to day wear. 4/5

In Imp: Very foody, but I can detect the milk (oddly) making it not-too-cakey. I actually don't get any wine from the imp. Just buttery, honeyed cake and warm milk. It's warm, golden and sweet and reminds me a bit of Lyonesse; like a nice, amber scent. Wet: The sweetness subsides as it hits skin. I can still pick out the milk (though it's not a cloying or curdling warm milk; just.... milk)... with a slight hint of warm, light sponge cake. I just can't shake the feeling that I'm detecting amber in this! The wine is unlike any of the other wine notes I've smelled from the lab; it's not red, sharp, or dry. It must be a wet, white wine? Drydown: Mmmm, soft, sweet white cake drizzled with honey on a sunny morning with a nice tablecloth and white ceramic plate. I do kind of get the oatmeal cookie feel that other reviewers got, but it's not overpowering. Verdict: I like this. It's soft and not overly foody; like the Diet Pepsi of foody. It's warm, yellow, and sweet and *still* ambery. I'll keep this and see how it fares in my circulation. I'll be especially interested to pare this against Lyonesse. 4/5

In Imp: All I get is Dragon's Blood (definitely not a mercurial style blood; this is full out Dragon's, which explains the red color of the oil) and salt. Wet: Salty, frothy DB. It smells like it should be from the Ars Draconis line; but I may amp DB a little more than most. As it rests, some more oceanic smells come out; salt and sea foam. It's quite realistic, to me! But almost a little too soapy. Drydown: Getting a bit more of the nice, clean aquatic that I love from BPAL. Verdict: It's almost too Dragon's Blood-y for me, but as far as a DB scent goes this is quite nice; would probably top Dragon's Hide and some of the other Ars Draconis blends for me. I'll call it a 3/5, but I think this will go in my swap/frimp pile. It's just not a genre that I tend to reach for often enough.

In Imp: Florals... yeah, I'm terrible at picking out floral notes... and I'm not sure what olibanum or labdanum smell like. I'm hopeless in this review. Sooo, um... it's definitely a lot of rose, kind of a classic perfume scent, I guess. Wet: I must be getting lily now (I know and love the note of stargazer lily, and this is less aquatic but similar), but there's a dark red rose note underneath it. I'm not getting any incense from this, despite the myrrh and frankincense. Drydown: Bubbles. I don't know why so many floral BPALs make me think of bubble formula, but they do. Otherwise, as far as florals go, this isn't bad... but they're just not my thing. It's rosey and bright, holy and mysterious. I just feel that florals never hit me with as much of a mental image as some other blends do. I'll be the first to blame my complete inability to comprehend floral notes; therefore I can't really associate anything mentally with them. Verdict: 3/5 . Nice for a floral, but not for me... it's too "proper-young-churchgoing-gal-wearing-gran's-perfume" for me.

In Imp: Pine, cedar, and wood, edged with a specific, almost sweet softness. Wet: Some of the other woodsy smells are fading; pine is left, but much sweeter. I think the maple leaves may be lending a little sweetness as well. The amber and juniper are there, too, dark and yummy. This is a pretty complex blend to me. Drydown: It's morphing between threatening to get powdery, and becoming almost sort of sour. The woods are fading and leaving just the sweet smell and a hint of pine-sol. I think it's the orris that's powdering a little. Finally, though, after about 5-10 minutes it's rounding out; neither Pine-Sol-y or powdery. It's a round, robust, warm-fur juniper and woods scent. The woods in it don't jump at me; it's like I know this perfume is "in" the forest, but the individual notes aren't overpowering. Just chillin' here in a clearing, is all... Verdict: I like this a lot once it settles down. It's sharp, wintery, woodsy, and warm. Mmm. I'll hold onto my imp and see if I need a bottle someday. 3.5, probably at least a 4 once I get some "street cred" on it.

In Bottle: This scent is so hard/impossible for me to describe. I don't smell any of the notes individually, even if I sniff for them. It's a dark and musky cool night and a full moon, a flap of wings and soft feathers. Very well blended at this stage. Black and mysterious and intruiging. Wet: Spicy smooth musk; but it, as many Lunacy musk blends do on me, threatens to powder at this stage. The nutmeg brings a soft, spicy sweetness and vibrant warmth. Drydown: This fades into something playful, light and spicy. By light, I don't mean it's got low throw; it's pretty strong in that category, but it's got an uplifting sort of feel to it. It's bright and powdery and seems very indicitive of it's namesake. Verdict: While I wore this a lot when I first got the bottle, and though I still think it's really pretty, I don't wear it much anymore... maybe my tastes or signature scents have just changed. Still, I can't see myself giving this one up just yet... 3 stars.

In Bottle: This is actually quite bright and sweet in the bottle; not what I was expecting (I figured that with clove as a main ingredient it'd strike me more like Raven Moon as a black, dry, sharp scent). I definitely can pick out bay and vanilla, and the sandalwood is absolutely the "feather down" feeling. It's bright and playful, but, as all the Lunacies I've tried have been, it still just *feels* like a night-time, full moon in pitch blackness scent. Wet: I think it must be a mix of massoia bark, carnation, and bay that's really noticible to me here, because they are all definitely notes that I've never noticed or picked out before. I feel like the bay (a note I -do- recognize from cooking) is brighter than it's got any right to be, so I'll attribute that to the carnation. It's only a matter of time before clove starts to amp on my skin and get dry and powdery; but it feels like the toastiness of the sandalwood and the creaminess of vanilla is keeping it from going TOO crazy on me. It's quiet, unassuming, and just a little bit menacing, collected into a fluffy package. Beth really did a great job with the *imagery* of this blend. Drydown: The clove *did* powder a little, but it's only succeeded in making this blend softer. I like this a lot. It's a good cold weather smell (maybe that's just because it happens to be snowing out right now and it feels appropriate)... really warm and soft. I wish that Wolf Moon had had a fur-musk that was this soft and warm. Verdict: This may become my winter signature scent! Plus I'm pleased to notice that this blend was from my birthday month (I was abroad, and sadly devoid of BPAL). I just need it not to powder more than it already does... time will tell! 3 stars

In Bottle: Mmmm. This blend is really sweet and sugary to me. Like a sugar syrup. Definitely blended with booze, but the only musks I can make out are warm, soft, inviting musks... not sharp and dark and powerful as I'm used to. Wet: Warm and sugary. Drydown: Boozy sex musk. That doesn't sound as appealing as I mean it to. I can definitely see where some people thought this year had grapey notes in it, but I don't care. It's like grape juice with porn inside. And something *really* weird, it kinda has an edge to it that reminds me a LOT of these stuffed toys I collected way back in the early 90's that smelled good. In particular, a mouse that was grape-scented. I loved that toy. Verdict: I love Smut. It was one of my first BPAL loves in a frimp I got once; I'm happy to finally have a bottle.

In long-ago Arabia, harem girls rubbed an herbal poultice formed from a blend of sensual, luxuriant herbs and oils onto their bodies to prepare themselves for the Sultan’s pleasure. This lush, indulgent perfume is based on that ancient formula. Sweet almond and Mysor sandalwood enveloped by a heady veil of Bulgarian Rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove and orange peel. In Imp: Utmost citrus peel. It's an EXTREMELY realistic orange peel smell, as if a real orange were being peeled right in my imp! There's a FAINT hint of floral in it, and if I try hard I can pick out the almond rounding it out (it's probably lending some sweetness at least) but really I pick out the orange peel the most. Wet: Ummmm, hello? My skin ate this. o_o *waits* Now I'm getting a bit of neroli peeking out with the orange peel. I can't believe how faint this got on me. Uh oh. Is that powder coming? Drydown: Faintly orange rosey powder... but not a bad powder, actually. It's quite clean and pleasant. Verdict: I'll keep my imp and see how it goes in daily wear. It may be too faint for me to get much use out of.

In Imp: Bitter, bitter almond and something underlying and kind of sour. Wet: It sweetens a lot on me, turning into an amaretto-ish almond. I'm surprised myrrh and musk aren't completely overpowering at the get go! However, it is REALLY faint, and kind of clean/soapy smelling? (Like if you bought a bar of generic soap that's meant to be almond scented. Weird!) The sweetness is going a little further than necessary too : Drydown: Maybe a little myrrh? It's not as sharp as musk. Still fairly clean smelling and very faint; a sweet, soft almond. Luckily it's not powdering much, though I can tell it's trying to come out. It's sweet, faint, quite lovely. Verdict: I will keep this as an imp and try it more in the future to see how it fairs on the street. I'm happy it seems to do better on me than on others; I was really fearful of this turning powdery! And since she's a deity I have some affinities for, I'm happy...

In Imp: Vetiver. Dark, woodsy, musty, moldy, dry vetiver. While it's a doom note for me, and I don't like it, I think I'm slowly getting used to it. I can see the appeal it has for some in how dark and earthy it is. But bleh. Wet: I still don't know how to describe vetiver. It's black and green and dry and rotty smelling to me. It's so dark that the patchouli actually *brightens* it a little, but really all I can pick out is vetiver, strangling, killing, and laughing maniacally over the corpses of patchouli and me. Drydown: Keh, keh, keh! *does the Zoolander cough* Why does vetiver do this to me? It seems like it's calming down a little. It's not the worst vetiver I've ever had, but I think I just need to give up on this as a note. Verdict: Wah. I feel so bad posting so many negative reviews for (vetiver) scents... It's not the perfume. It's me. I love you BPAL!

Ok, honestly there's too many notes here for me to begin to hope picking them out: I'll go with overall impressions. In Bottle: Fruity, bubbly explosion. I got this because I fell in love with Earth Rat at a Meet and Sniff; all I can say, though, is that where Earth Rat gave me the impression of something bright and green and vibrant, Fire Pig is also vibrant and bright, but *orange* and *red*. Like more currants and cherries. Wet: Florals come out on my skin, but I still get a brightness that must be lent by the lychee or mandarin. Something dish-soapy is emerging. It may be bamboo, oddly enough, giving a sudsy-sappy impression... Drydown: Bubbly, bubbly, soap formula... but, as it dries further it kind of subsides and turns into ... melon? That must be lychee, or even kumquat. Something round, juicy, and yet soft and surprisingly one-dimensional. For such a vibrant and complex blend, it almost turns into a single note on me. Verdict: I'll give it a few more test runs, but it's a little too much like a scent I feel you'd find at a body works store or even general lotions/body washes for me. I like things with a little more depth. Maybe this will surprise me later on?

In Imp: I get mostly a sudsy floral in the imp. I can detect a hint of the ginger which is quite nice because it rounds out the soapiness of the rest. So far the florals are covering up the aquatics. Wet: Super faint floral with a slight tinge of the ginger. The aquatic is more of a "feeling" than a tangible note to me so far. I think the overwhelming note is gardenia. It really does have an old-fashioned floral perfume feel to it. Drydown: My skin is *eating* this. All that's left as it dries down is a sharp, sudsy floral. Verdict: It gives me an Antique Lace vibe, though that's probably just because I got the same sharpness from the florals in that blend. It's just a little too clean and sharp for my tastes, though it is quite lovely. This is something my mom or maybe my sister in law would appreciate.

My surprise hit is The Changeling. I haven't received my decants yet, though, so I've only tried that and Sonnet, which is fantastic as well. However, it'll be hard for the other scents to top The Changeling for me. But, they can try... Bring it on, Weenie Decants!

In Imp: It's suuuuper sweet! The almond takes on a hyper-sugared marzipan-syrup quality... maybe it's the sassafras making it more syurpy. Wet: Sweet sweet sweet. A bit of the bay rum starts to come out as it settles, and the almond and other notes slowly begin to separate just a bit. Yay, clove to the rescue, adding a hint of spiciness that was desperately needed to this really sweet blend. Drydown: Y, halo, clove. All the sweetness rushed out of this one quick. All I'm getting now is clove with a little roundness that I think is probably the sassafras (my only exposure to sassafras is soda-- and it does have an inkling of that soda flavor in it). Almond is doing it's usual trick... powdering. Verdict: Moody and ends in disappointment. I already swapped my bottle, but I was kind of glad to have a new imp to re-test... yeah, Port-au-Prince and I were just not made for each other...

In Imp: The first whiff I took, I totally could smell amaretto, currant, and even plum, but ever since I glanced at one of the other reviews all I can smell now is.... Nerds. Yep. Dead-ringer for Nerds candies. I don't pick up any wine, nor did I before I got the Nerd association. Wet: Sweet, sweet, sweet!! This is bright and fruity, with a bit of creaminess that must be lent from the amaretto. I still smell Nerds. Drydown: Oh, yay. It's starting to mellow and get a bit more of a dusky fruit smell. I still don't get "wine," per se, but the booze of it seems to be what's bringing this scent back down to earth and giving it almost a musky quality. After 10 minutes or so, the musk starts to subside and leaves simply a slightly spiced sweet fruit. Verdict: I'm gonna have to try this one again on a day that I'm wanting a sweet fix and see how it fares. Probably not a bottle buy, though. It's just too fruity for me.

What an interesting mix of notes! I'm not huge on eucalyptus; any menthol-y things just don't scream perfume, or "I want to smell like that!" to me. In Imp: WOW! Super strong eucalyptus and pine-- just as described by the lovely reviewers before me. Something about it reminds me of kitty litter. I must be thinking of the pine... Fresh step, anyone? I can BARELY detect some citrus.... barely. Wet: Hello, orange, we were wondering where you were! Honestly, it gets quite a bit sweeter on my skin. It is quite energizing, I've got to agree with other reviewers. Drydown: It's really not so terrifying as I thought it'd be. It's an extreme piney orange on me with the tinge of eucalyptus that stings your nose (I talk to my dogs too much; I almost typed "nizz," which is my dog's word for "nose.") As it continues to dry, it gets even more piney. It doesn't last terribly long; by the time I'd reviewed a couple other scents and gone back to this, it's faded quite a bit. Verdict: I'm intruiged. I'm not sure this is a scent I'd go to often, but it might be worth another try or two. I'll hold onto it for now and give it another couple test runs.