caitilarkin

In the bottle: Sugary citrus and white musk

Wet on skin: The wood notes are appearing, but they are remaining light and don't overpower the tart but fragile citrus. The ginger is a distant spiciness, which is great because, while I love ginger, it tends to turn dirty on my skin in combination with any of the lab's citrus notes.

Dry on skin: The citrus becomes sweeter and less tart, the musk fades and the light, blonde wood notes are more prominent.

The citrusy lunacies work wonderfully well on me.

If you love the Lab's cream and vanilla notes, this one is definitely for you.

My dry, sensitive, ghostly white skin is generally half dead at the end of winter and needs oils (with few preservatives, please) to perk it up. This deliciously creamy bath oil is extremely moisturizing but is still absorbed quickly. I've been using this as an after-shower moisturizer, so the scent is stronger than it would be if it were diffused in bathwater. But it's still light enough to be layered with other BPALs--so far I've tried it with Snake Oil, several of the Snake Pits from the Carnaval and a few of the Lupers from this year.

Yum! Now I want to try the rest of the BPTP bath oils, too!

This is the first Ars Draconis scent I have tried so far--I've been afraid that dragon's blood notes will be way too sweet for me.

In the imp: Light, sugary vanilla and cream

Wet on skin: The vanilla cream vibe is deepening and becoming fruitier. I liked it pretty well in the imp but I like this stage even better.

Dry on skin: Fruit (cherry-like, almost) bathed in cream and honey. I've gone from trepidation to like to LOVE with this one. It lasts well over 12 hours on me and hardly morphs at all.

Now it's time to try the rest of the Ars Draconis scents to see if dragon's blood and I will always get along this well.

In the imp: Pink pepper--very strong--backed by faint amber.

Wet on skin: Helloooooooo, pink pepper!

Dry on skin: Yup, this is all pink pepper, all the time. This is the one BPAL pepper that always amps to high heaven on me and kills off any other notes. Sadly, it is inevitably too sweet and cloying on me.

In the bottle: Faint cherry blossom and moss--no vanilla musk! Pleasant, but very, very light.

Wet on skin: A little stronger, with yummy cherry blossom and moss (I adore the lab's moss note). But the vanilla musk is acting much more like white musk in this blend.

Dry on skin: Cherry blossom with a touch of greenery from the moss and some fizziness from the musk. This is the lightest of skin scents on me and will work well in hot weather or in no-scent environments.

In the imp: Grassy, woodsy musk--very pleasant and unlike any other scent I have in my collection.

Wet on skin: Now I'm getting a furry scent that must be the doeskin. No amber yet...

Dry on skin: Huh. This ended up as clean fur. Interesting, but too soapy for my taste.

In the imp: Vanilla sweetened by citrus and heady florals

Wet on skin: Deliciously creamy narcissus, with some tartness from the orange blossom

Dry on skin: This is one sexy floral...the narcissus is very bold, but the orange blossom is tart rather than sweet and the vanilla makes this a deeper, creamier blend.

VERY large throw and long wearlength. This will have to be applied sparingly in warmer weather but it is a definite contender for the favorites list.

In the bottle: I can definitely see why previous reviewers have compared this to Snake Oil. It's got the same musky vanilla vibe, plus a faint citrus.

Wet on skin: Yup, this is definitely a member of the Snake Oil family. It actually reminds me of Cottonmouth in intensity and level of spiciness. The orange blossom is registering as more fruity than blossomy to my nose at this point.

Dry on skin: Lovely, springtime Snake Oil! This has all the spicy yumminess of SO without the medicinal quality that it often has on me. The citrus is absolutely beautiful. This has tons of throw (a very little goes a very long way) and lasts nearly all day on me.

Khrysee is in my top ten. So glad I got a bottle unsniffed!

In the imp: Primarily cognac and leather; the berries are a faint sweetness.

Wet on skin: The alcohol is amping a bit, along with the cream. The berries are still present but still faint.

Dry on skin: This eventually turns into a delightfully boozy cream with just a touch of berry.

If this blend had been more berries on me and less cream, I would have been forced to buy a bottle. But as it is, I will cherish my decant.

In the imp: Mums with faint cinnamon and incense--much nicer than I expected! (Mum Moon was a syrupy failure on me and I have been wary of mum notes ever since.)

Wet on skin: The delicious mum and marigold are still at the forefront, supported by incense and sweet vanilla.

Dry on skin: This did not morph on me at all, but remained a deep, spicy, non-traditional floral. It's on my List of Luper Love.

In the imp: Pink pepper and sugary rose

Wet on skin: The pink pepper is amping and going sweet. Calm down, pepper, and let the other notes get a turn!

Dry on skin: Nope, the pink pepper is doing its sweet cactus blossom dance on my skin and has scared the other notes away. Oh well...

In the imp: Amber florals...nice, but not what I was expecting.

Wet on skin: Smokier than in the imp, but still much lighter and more floral than I had thought.

Dry on skin: I'm not getting any cedar from this, or any incense. It's all floral and becomes lighter and sweeter with time.

Huh. Like previous reviewers, I'm not sure what I think of this one because it's just so different from what I had anticipated.

The Lab's citrus notes are some of my favorites in the entire world of scent, and I adore their tea notes as well. The only thing that kept me from buying a bottle unsniffed was the tonka, which sometimes goes to medicinal baby powder on me.

In the imp: Heady, tartly sweet, well-blended citrus

Wet on skin: A gorgeous, musky tea appears to deepen the citrus, and now I can detect the seperate notes of mandarin, neroli (very green) and lime. The tonka just adds sweetness.

Dry on skin: Yup, I should have ordered an unsniffed bottle. This is citrus/tea love, just as I had hoped.

In the imp: White pear and light florals

Wet on skin: Oooh, this is deepening into a lovely pear orchard scent, thanks (probably) to the sandalwood.

Dry on skin: The vanilla is more evident, blending with the sandalwood to ground the gorgeous pear and florals.

I got compliments on this all day the first time I tested it--from strangers, my boss, my landlord...this will be another bottle purchase.

Mint and I are NOT FRIENDS, but I had to try this one because the other notes are full of win on me.

In the imp: The dreaded mint is in the background--right now this is primarily lovely fruit and resins.

Wet on skin: This is what I had hoped Hymn to Proserpine would be on my skin, minus the mint, which is lurking in the distance.

Dry on skin: Aaaaand, the mint is doing its trademark medicinal thing, as usual. I just can't get past it to enjoy the rest of the notes.

In the imp: Apricot wine

Wet on skin: The apricot is, luckily, more fruity than blossomy on me. The wood note must be keeping the apricot grounded.

Dry on skin: This has the same glittering quality that Fae has, except with apricot instead of peach. Lovely! I am trying to talk myself out of getting a bottle.

In the imp: Herbal lavender

Wet on skin: Oh dear, this is doing the same vaguely sweaty trick that Moon of the Terrible did on my skin...now I know it was definitely the lavender...

Dry on skin: Yup, it's all sweat on me. This will have to go to a new home.

In the imp: Plum and sandalwood, very rich and fruity-sweet

Wet on skin: The vanilla is coming out but seems very sweet--more than it usually is on me.

Dry on skin: Never got any nutmeg or rice, but the plum/sandalwood/vanilla combination is lovely, although a bit sweeter and more high-pitched than I would like.

In the imp: Sharply sweet gardenia

Wet on skin: The gardenia amps, as it usually does on me, but hopefully it will calm on the drydown.

Dry on skin: Gardenia and light honey, with the paper as a faint grace note.

I'll keep my decant, but it's too sweet to be a regular in my rotation. It will be interesting to see if the gardenia mellows with age.

In the imp: Muted, smokey-spicy vanilla

Wet on skin: The ginger amps a little--and it's lovely--and the fruitiness of the palm date (!) appears.

Dry on skin: A lovely light-smokey, faintly spiced vanilla that lasts most of the work day and becomes fruitier with time.

This was the runaway hit of the Lupers for me.

In the imp: Deep fruits and amber--smells wonderful, but seems similar to Hymn to Proserpine, which turned to hairspray on me.

Wet on skin: Uh oh. The fruits are being overtaken by something herbal (?), but they're not going down without a fight.

Dry on skin: Hello, hairspray. I was afraid you would show up. One or more of these notes doesn't like me. Is it you, fig?

Might have to try it out in my clocket...

In the imp: The Lab's delicious tea note, with carnation and another floral in the background...this blend is very spring-like and vaguely familiar.

Wet on skin: Aha! Now I know why Maiden smells familiar: it reminds me of my beloved Lady Lilith. The tea and rose are blending well and are backed by the spiciness of the carnation.

Dry on skin: Yup, this is a simpler, younger-smelling cousin to Lady Lilith. The lovely tea grounds and blends the florals. Maiden doesn't morph much over its 8-10 hour last on my skin (the spiciness of the carnation mellows a bit but that's about it).

Now I know what to get once my cherished bottle of Lady Lilith is gone. I also know to be careful while wearing it in public--judging from multiple comments/compliments from random men on the subway, it registers as sexy to some noses.

I threw a decant of this into a recent forum sale on a whim--I have no idea what I was thinking, since it contains two of my absolute death notes (cocoa and sage) as well as lavender, which is iffy on me.

In the imp: Rich, bittersweet cocoa blended with lavender; very soft and comforting

Wet on skin: OM NOM NOM NOM...the lovely cocoa/lavender blend is grounded by the vetiver and tar, thus keeping the cocoa from turning to cardboard and the lavender from amping into a screaming herbal monster as it is wont to do.

Dry on skin: The deep, non-foody richness of the cocoa is sweetened by the lavender and kept in check by the deeper notes mentioned above.

This has become my favorite bedtime scent. My imp is more than halfway gone so I will probably have to spring for a bottle soon.

A lovely, monumentally generous forumite frimped me with this lovely scent, which I am hoarding ferociously and only wearing on the most special of days.

In the imp: The Lab's lovely pine note, with clean snow and delicate florals in the background

Wet on skin: The pine mellows (!) while the snow and florals intensify just a bit.

Dry on skin: Beautifully blended pine, snow and wintry florals...this is one of my all time favorites and definitely my most loved lunacy so far. Nothing amps, goes bitter or too sweet, and it lasts for over 8 hours on me. Gorgeous.

In the imp: Musky vanilla, backed by sandalwood with amber very faint in the distance

Wet on skin: Slightly muskier and woodier, but still predominantly a sweet, mellow vanilla

Dry on skin: Gorgeous and very well-blended vanilla-based scent, backed by smooth wood notes...this lasts forever and doesn't morph much through its 8+ hour life on my skin. No carnation, though.

I've been wearing this a LOT since I got the imp because it's perfect for any environment and situation. There will be a bottle purchase in the near future.