alyelle

In the imp: Apple orchards, long green grass, and that slightly sickly creamy note I hated in Prunella. Wet: My favourite apple note from Snow Glass Apples! BLESSED. Flanked by a touch of grass and the kiss of cool pine and water mint. Dry: Utterly beautiful but incredibly short-lived. It barely lasts three hours, although for those 180 minutes, I smell delicious. It morphs into a fragile, pale pink thing, soft and fizzy. I didn't buy a bottle due to its poor staying power, but it would have made a heck of a substitude for SGA if it had lasted longer. Stars: ★★★★★

Freebie of unknown age, a gift with my 2016 unicorn decants In the imp: Lime and grapefruit, soothed by a wonderfully earthy sage and patchouli, capped off with bergamot and musk. Wet: Bergamot and lime laid over pink musk, sweet patchouli, and bushy sage. The description sounds like a hot mess; the scent is anything but. Dry: Sage, musk, and brambly nectarine; the final morph is less impressive than the early stages, and not particularly unique once the citrus burns away. A shame, really; the first hour or so was delightful. It does last for an awfully long time, so if you're a fan of the final product, you're in luck. Stars: ★★★

A freebie of unknown age that arrived with my decants in 2016. In the imp: Rose, benzoin, and resins. It reminds me of being at a monastery in the mountains of the Peloponnese. Wet: Rosey sandalwood, a slightly sweaty myrhh, and mastic. Dry: Lovely, but sadly short-lived. It's the perfect balance of florals and resin, and in the late dry-down, it takes on a beautiful moss note. If I could change anything about it, it would be more of this stage. Medium throw for the 6 or so hours it lasts. Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: Pale apple juice shot through with crystalline iris blossoms. Wet: A sweet woodsy base, freshly turned clod, dewy green foliage and a gentle waft of open apple blossoms. Dry: Light-coloured, sweet-fleshed apples and the smell of standing in a blooming orchard on a cool spring day. Very mild, and short-lived, but I am a sucker for apple and love it anyway. Stars: ★★★★½

In the imp: A rich, juicy apple, cream-infused musk, and a forgotten path through a wood. Wet: Almost strawberries-and-cream! This is extremely sweet, dripping with glittery juice and a sugary toffee base. It smells like a pack of tiny, heart-shaped erasers I had as a kid, completely synethetic fruit but somehow exactly the same as their natural counterparts. Dry: One of the strangest apple blends I've tried yet, with barely any apple at all by the end. It morphs into a woods-driven patchouli tempered by a light musk, an oddly earthy blend for something with such a sweet start. Fairly strong throw, and a decent staying power; it lasted for around 8 hours. Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: This could honestly be SN Pile of Leaves at first sniff, there's nary a trace of lavender to be had. Wet: On immediate application, the faintest whiff of lavender. I generally amp it, and sure enough, as this starts to dry those grey-green dried leaves emerge, fuzzy and a little astringent, along with the purple haze of flowers. It feels like a sunny winter's day, with a crackle of dead leaves beneath the blooms. Dry: A simply lovely blend of autumn leaves and fresh lavender shoots - a little lighter on the latter. Mild throw, with roughly a 6-8 hour lifespan. Stars: ★★★★½

In the imp: Blue chamomile, wet leaves, and ground tea, with a touch of sap and rosehip. Wet: Initially autumn leaves and full-blown roses, although as it's aged, the rose has faded back and the leaf/tea notes have taken the forefront. Dry: Crisp October leaves, billowing around dried rosebuds, sweet white tea leaves, and buds of chamomile. In its infancy it didn't last all that well, but its staying power has improved with age, moving from around 5 hours to easily 8-10. Mild to medium throw, quite lovely overall. Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: Almond, resin, patchouli, clove, and musk. A heady and complex scent. Wet: Wafts of smoke and leaves, but very resin heavy. There's a wee hint of the cherry/almond scent from the imp, and musk as it starts to dry down, topped with sweet wood- berry notes. Dry: Very little change - heavy incense with overtones of musk. A thick, hot scent that lasts for hours; it starts out with a strong throw and fades away to a gentle amber musk by the end. Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: Moss, yew berry and aquatics, and a dash of spice that may or may not have been from my chapstick. Wet: Musty agarwood with overtones of moss, topped with a sweet berry note. Dry: A warm, long-lived wood with a soft spicy musk spine. Best after the 3-4 hour mark when the morphing ends and it stabilises. Full lifespan is around 12 hours, with medium throw. Stars: ★★★½

In the imp: Ivy and moss, damp bricks decaying under their own weight, and the deep green astringency of rose leaves in the winter-time. Wet: Spicy moss (gorgeous, might I add) with a breath of musk. The roses smell very warm, but darkened by the barest shade falling over them. The whole effect reminds me a lot of Eve from the OLLA scents. Dry: Can't speak for anyone else, obviously, but the dry-down on me is almost exactly Eve: just as delicious, just as rich. A slightly sweet moss top note that drifts up and up continuously, backed by the moist scent of shadowy roses. Would make a great stand-in if you weren't able to get the OLLA's. Very generous in both life and throw, lasting upwards of 12 hours. Stars: ★★★★★

Decant from Denise, 2016 In the imp: Exactly, 100%, what it says on the tin. Wet soil on a foggy morning, daffodils poking out into a gloomy grey fog, thick green weeds and thin tendrils of frankincense. Wet: Daffodil dominant, with a nice slather of pond-weed, an underlying base of damp soil, and the reminder of incense clinging to cold parkas and mittens. Dry: Fog, grass, and frankinsence-smeared daffodils. I still love this and vaguely regret not buying a bottle. Mid to strong throw, fairly generous lifespan. Stars: ★★★★★

Decant from Denise, 2016 In the imp: Sweet incense, polished oak, and dried roses. Wet: Largely frankincense, with a hint of ambergris or vetiver underneath; oak and laquer, and the barest waft of dried rose petals on a pine-filled breeze. Dry: Age does little to this in the imp or upon immediate application, though as it dries, the vetiver strengthens. My original notes listed pine and I understand why my nose interpreted it that way, but after aging it for two years and re-testing, it is defintiely a very frankincense/vetiver dominant bled, with a splattering of oak. Long-lived and thought-provoking, with a medium to strong throw. Stars: ★★★★

Decant from Denise, 2016 In the imp: Pure, moist lavender Wet: Lavender with a sweet base of amber, like a lavender shortbread with a fluffy oozing centre. The amber sweetens a lot as it starts to dry down. Dry: To my nose, the exact lavender from TKO; powdery and herbaceous. The amber has a slight metallic edge, and for a scent so simple, the effect is truly lovely. Medium throw, very long-lived (pushing 12-15 hours) Stars: ★★★★

Decant from Denise, 2016 In the imp: Gentle clouds of Dorian-infused lavender and vanilla, with a wee astringent note of snowdrop. Wet: Lavender dominant, backed by a cool green snowdrop, and tempered with Dorian's sweetness. The vanilla is slightly synthetic in its early stages, but ages nicely. Dry: So beautiful! I might actually like this better than Dorian (which is one of my perma-bottles). It's a strong, lavender-infused vanilla team, served up with sweet shortbreads dusted with pearl sugar. Gorgeously long-lived, with a stong throw; a complete pleasure to wear. Stars: ★★★★★

In the imp: Hops, leather, and a vague metallic flint Wet: From the description, I expected this to smell like a brewery. It doesn't; the predominant note is warm leather, with a light undertone of golden hops and the occasional metallic pop of a knife being sharpened. Dry: Mostly a pleasant, rose-and-sandalwood coloured leather, a hint of powdered steel, the smell of the sun blanketed over fields of wheat. A wonderful surprise! Strong throw with a very long lifespan of 12+ hours. Stars: ★★★★½

In the imp: A lavender-strong fougere, rosewood, and musk. Wet: A pink, pale, shimmering musk that smells almost exactly like Lush's Fairy Dust Dry: Lavender-musk, barely perceptible after a hour. I like it very much, but it is so light. After four hours, it's vanished entirely, and the throw is next to nothing. Good perhaps if you're in close quarters with scent-sensitive folk. Stars: ★★★½, would have been 4 if it were longer lived.

In the imp: Rose with the strangest tang of fruit - raspberry, blackberry, cherry, apricot - and freshly cut green grass. Wet: A sweet, rich, red rose with a Turkish delight backbone and undertones of cherry musk. Dry: The most beautiful bush of roses you ever did see. Vanila-bark stems, dusky thorns, dewy musk, with flowers of sunny yellow and rich apricot. I have tried many BPAL rose scents over the years, some of which worked, many of which didn't. This could well be the best of the best. It has a very generous lifespan (8-10 hours or more) and a strong throw to boot. Stars: ★★★★★

In the imp: Ginger over white lily, the salty tang of river soil Wet: Lily, with a splash of spice Dry: Sweet, but thankfully not powdery, which lily of the valley/muguet tends to do on my skin. A hint of spice on the top notes. So light I forgot I was wearing it. I had planned to retest this at some point but ended up using it to make an atmos instead, which I suspect was a far better choice than attempting to wear it. Ginger never seems to add much to blends for me, aquatics are very hit and miss on my skin, and with the muguet being the dominant note (insofar as I could call such a light scent 'dominant'), I just don't think this would ever have been a showstopper. If the gardenia had been a little stronger, maybe. It makes me think less of the Lady of Shalott and more of a very particular type of genteel lady, powdered and pale, in a long 20's style sleeveless dress and a set of pearls.

A decant from 2015 - I was very unimpressed in my review then, and this has been in a dark box for swapping ever since. In the imp: My initial notes described this as "a truly horrible blend of decaying flowers, disinfectant, and dirty mop water". They are... not far wrong. From the vial, this doesn't seem to have changed much, although the eucalypt is a bit stronger, and the decay a bit less pungent than I remember. Wet: Definitely improved. This was sickly on me in 2015, with a strong pinesol note and not much else. Over time, the rose has strengthened; it is a vast improvement from the smell of the vial and after an initial dab didn't disgust me, I put on a regular amount. Dry: No comparison to its younger days, where it stayed like mop water; now, the rose amps up, backed by a softly spicy orris, and the eucalypt remains mellow and gentle, like the blossoms of the trees I grew up with and not some 1980's hospital corridor nightmare. I've never been so happy to be proven wrong about a fragrance, because this was one I really wanted to love when I first bought it and was gutted when I did not. It wears close to the skin, but well and for a reasonable amount of time. Stars: ★★★½, a great improvement on my original one.

A decant from 2015, which I've never quite disliked enough to sell. I decided to age it and see what happened; results below from several yearly wear tests. In the imp: Originally leather and tonka dominant, with a strange fir-like smell. Over the years, emerging notes of almond and tonka, and lately, a hint of vanilla. Wet: A cold and slightly damp leather, with vanilla overtones. I've never had any hint of amber from this; in the early days, you could detect bourbon but now, much less so. The almond was previously quite bitter but has now rounded out, and the suede has definitely come into its own as this has aged. Dry: My earliest wear in 2015 noted this as soft, with an imperceptible throw; I twice forgot I was wearing it. Aging has improved its strength and staying power - although it remains reasonably mild, it is discernible, and lasts around 6 or so hours. Shorter-lived than a lot of my scents but lovely. I will now put this into a regular rotation, it's a comforting wintery scent that suits this year. Stars: ★★★½

I have two imps of Bathsheba - one from ca. 2011, the other from ca. 2018. This review is for the 2018 version (aged to 3 years). Review for the 2011 version (now carefully aged to 10 years!) to be edited in later. In the imp: Carnation, tobacco, and a vague hint of aquatics Wet: Spiced musk, and soapy carnation. Dry: A very light and sweetly spiced plum, similar to the drydown I get from Every Day You Play With the Light of the Universe. It's extremely light on throw, and very short lived. Stars: ★★★½

In the imp: Copal, menthol, and smoke accord. This is strong, and hard. Wet: A tiny smoothing off at the base, tonka or patchouli. Wisps of woodsmoke and camphor laurel. Another reviewer mentioned vetiver, and while I can't smell it, I could see it being in amongst this. Dry: Warm earthy resins, and I definitely support the vetiver theory now, though it behaves differently in this blend to how it usually would on my skin. This is an odd, but comforting, scent - angry as the righteous are, powerful in the sense of a superhero protecting those weaker than they are. It's not something for everybody, but it suited me today. Very strong throw, with an average lifespan of 8 hrs. Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: Pine and lime, and a waft of juniper. Wet: Brightening lime with a slower-to-emerge gin - it's clear and cool, accompanied by snowy pine needles. Dry: By the end of the day, a lovely pine and juniper fragrance, smooth and comforting, like someone took a forest and made a blanket of it. Very long lived, reaching the coveted 12 hour mark, with a medium throw that grows milder through the day. A little sharp at the start, but otherwise lovely. Stars: ★★★★½

In the imp: Gorgeous - pink grapefruit, gentle musk, and a sliver of peel. Wet: Very similar in structure to the sniffie test; grapefruit and musk, a little powdery but prevented from being too talcum by the citrus. It's brightened by the lemon peel, and given a slight floral edge by the mandarin. Dry: Smooth grapefruit top notes with a base of creamy musk. It sounds like it could be a room atmos from the description but absolutely is not at all. 8hr wear time with a medium throw. Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: Patchouli and a hint of mint. Must be the 1920's. Wet: Cedar, and a lot more mint - been a while since I discovered a new thing I amp. This one is very pleasant, not candy or toothpaste-like, and it's rounded out by the base of vanilla-infused patchouli. Dry: A beautiful, sweet cedar blend, warmed by the vanilla and lifted by the mint. Would definitely track down a bottle. A good long 10 hour wear time, and a medium throw. Stars: ★★★★★