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BPAL Madness!

Brianne

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Everything posted by Brianne

  1. Brianne

    Milk Moon 2005

    In bottle: In the bottle, this is exactly what most other people thought of it - creamy, warm, smooth, just a little hint of mint. Promising On me: It did not go onto me the way it smelled in the bottle. Nor was I as lucky as some to have a nice smooth, creamy vanilla/minty smell come from this. On me, this is terrible. It smells like baby formula. Just warm baby formula. I don't want to smell like that. I had so hoped that the minty or coconutty smells other people described was going to be there. But it isn't. Final note: I will be getting rid of this as soon as possible, it really doesn't agree with me
  2. Brianne

    Miskatonic University

    In the bottle: Bailey's Irish cream! Woohoo! On me: Ahhhh... I really wanted this to work. I had high hopes for this scent, and as a coffee lover, I thought this was going to be perfect for me. Sadly, it is not. The coffee never really makes an appearance on my skin, it's all irish cream at first - it's boozey and sweet and wonderful. But after just a minute it all but disappears and is replaced by wood and dust. And to be honest, though I knew that was going to be present in the scent, that's not what I want to smell like. The irish cream is gone, and now I smell like an ashtray. Final note: Anyone who can get the irish cream note to stick around and be the predominant scent from this, is very lucky indeed because it's just wonderful. Unfortunately, people with skin like mine get stuck with smelling like dust.
  3. Brianne

    Whip

    In the bottle: Rose, but....it's odd. Not in a bad way, it's just not the usual impression I get from rose scents, it's not that prim and proper tea rose that gives me headaches. On me: I'm surprised by this. This isn't too rose to me, on me it's rose and leather quite equally. The leather offers a nice warm, grounding base to the rose so this doesn't become overwhelmingly rose. It's a little sweet in a way, I can't pin down what's giving me that impression but this is really not what I expected from this scent, and yet at the same time, it's flat out rose and leather. Final note: I'm really glad the lab including this as a gift imp in my last order. I do not particularly care for rose scents, and thus far I've never really found one I liked (except for GothRosary's Tea and Sympathy). In my last review of Lucy's Kiss, I said I doubted I would ever find a rose blend that would be for me, and yet here is Whip and I quite like it. I wouldn't buy a bottle of this, because I just don't like anything floral that much, but I will definitely finish off my imp. And that's saying quite a lot for something with rose in it.
  4. Brianne

    Lucy's Kiss

    In the bottle: Rose and that's about it - a soft rose though On me: It goes on as just rose and nothing but, so I wait around to see if those spices are going to show up. After a few minutes, it's a little bit soapy smelling, so it makes me think that either there is a bit of lily in this, or rose goes a little soapy on me like lily does. I keep waiting for those spices. No spices here it seems. Final note: There is one thing I trust about my judgement on notes, and it's that rose isn't really for me. I am very glad that the lab generously included this as a gift imp in my order, because I love to try the things I wouldn't have picked out for myself - but this solidifies my belief that there is probably no rose scent out there for me. Not that I mind. This is pretty much just rose on me, those spices never came around. It's a very soft, gentle rose and very feminine, just not for me.
  5. Brianne

    The Fool

    In bottle: Midly fruity in a weird, medicinal kind of way. Not very pleasant On me: This is not what I expected. I guess because I have never tried pennyroyal before but everyone has described it as "minty" and because I love mint, I thought this would be right up my alley. I don't think this seems minty at all. It's astringent and either it smells a lot like anise or it this also has anise in it. I smell a floral in there too, maybe it's just me but I think I smell lilac. Somewhere at the bottom of this scent there is some kind of weird fruity smell and it doesn't work out well with the anise smell I'm getting. Final note: This turned out to be really awful on me. I'm not sure if it's just me, or if it's that my nose doesn't particularly care for this combonation of scents. But, I think it smells like a floor cleaner with that strongly astringent smell. I swear there is anise in this, either that or pennyroyal smells just like anise to me.
  6. Brianne

    The Star

    In bottle: Tart and bright, fresh limes! On me: Wow this is gorgeous. Obviously, as everyone has said - there is limes. It's beautiful and tart and a little bit sweet. It takes a few minutes before I start to smell the coconut, it's so light and very much in the background on this scent. It's not too sweet, but this scent IS still a little foody in my opinion. As shriekingviolets pointed out, there is some pineapple way way in the background I think. More than just lime, I am smelling something light and tropical fruity. I believe it must be pineapple. After 15 minutes this mellows a bit but that lime still comes through loud and clear. I smell like Key Lime Pie. Final note: I do think of this as a foody scent, but it's not so much so that I wouldn't wear it. It's not too sweet and it's very uplifting and cheery. It's a hopeful, youthful scent that I think could lighten anyones mood. Though I certainly wouldn't wear this on a daily basis, I have to get a big bottle of this because it IS a really beautiful scent that I can certainly appreciate. Might be great for days when I'm feeling in a rut
  7. Brianne

    The Chariot

    In the bottle: Cough drops, really. On me: I can say this much - there IS anise in this. I can smell it pure and simple, it's the strongest note on me and this is not something that smells particularly good on me. After a few minutes, something fruity is coming up with the anise - I think people are right in saying it's apples. I think there might be lotus in this as well because there is a slight bubblegum scent in the background. Final note: This is like licorice apple bubblegum. It's not pleasant. It's very unusual but it's not something that's working on me and the combonation just isn't my cup of tea.
  8. Brianne

    The World

    In the bottle: Light, green, and a little bit crisp On me: I thought that Penance's review most closely resembled my own experience with this scent. I actually got this imp of The World because of all the mentions of cinnamon, and I was quite hoping that there was going to be more of it. I have tried this oil on 5 times now, and the cinnamon only popped up the FIRST time and has not been back since. Even that one time, it was gone within a couple minutes. Every single time I get eucalyptus though - a spicey green scent. I NEVER get floral or fruity, and if there is in fact lemon in this, it's not coming out on me. Final note: It's nice, and I will probably keep the imp because every once in a while I like a nice eucalyptus scent. This actually makes me think a lot of Hemlock, it's quite similar really. It's not quite what I was expecting, and it probably isn't the sort of thing I need a bottle for - but I do think my Mom is going to flip for this since spicey green is totally her thing. I do have to say though that this fades REALLY fast on me, usually after half an hour, I can't smell it anymore.
  9. Brianne

    Different smells/colors, same perfume

    yay I'm so glad I could help! And I'm really glad Hamadryad ended up being exactly what I was expecting with that earthy cinnamon! <3
  10. Brianne

    Dracul

    In the bottle: Strong! Green! I definitely smell that fir! On me: This is pretty damn sexy. I'm already really diggin this scent. It is very masculine, and oh so nice. I smelled the fir quite strongly in the vial, but on me that fir is way way in the background. This is musky, warm, with clove creeping in around the corners and mint seeping through that musk just ever so slightly. The tobacco gives this a nice heady, smokey sweet vibe. I can even smell the orange too, but it's very very faint, just a nice compliment to the other notes. Final Note: This imp is actually going to my brother since that's what I bought it for, but a 5ml of this is getting purchased for my fiance in the very near future. Even though it's quite masculine, I'd probably consider wearing it myself even.
  11. Brianne

    How much is shipping between $350 and $500?

    That's a good question, I hadn't noticed before. If I add over 350 dollars worth of stuff to my cart, it says shipping is $20 though
  12. Brianne

    Blood Lotus

    In the bottle: Lotus. Sweet, thick, bubblegum smell On me: There isn't much to say about this scent that hasn't already been said by everyone else. What most other people have said about this, is pretty dead on to what I think too. Lotus + Dragon's Blood. I don't hate lotus, but I don't think it really works well with me either. I'm not fond of that bubblegum fruity floral effect it has. It's pretty much just lotus on me too, until a bit later when that dragon's blood, resiny woodsy smell comes around. But it's too faint for me to truly enjoy much. Final note: Lotus fans will probably like this, but it just didn't come off as complex enough for me and was too much straight up lotus. I will probably try to give the imp to my sister in law who loves fruity florals, but will keep the imp if she doesn't want it. No bottle in my future though.
  13. Brianne

    Hamadryad

    In the bottle: Kind of perfumey smelling and different at the same time. I can smell that cinnamon but it's not overpowering On me: I didn't know what was going to come of this one because there is no hint of cinnamon in the description but everyone saying there was cinnamon was what made me purchase this (I do love my cinnamon). This goes on really nice, I can smell the cinnamon but it's very natural smelling, and earthy. There's a mossy smell in there too, and normally I wouldn't like it but paired with the cinnamon, it really works. I do smell a tiny little hint of nutmeg which makes this earthier but I don't smell any clove like other people picked up. After a while those florals start to creep in, but for once it's not something I mind. It's very light and compliments the woody smell well. Final note: This is just woodsy enough to keep me from hating the floral part, and I love how natural this smells. This also has a lot of throw, I had worn this for a couple hours and was still smelling it, and that usually doesn't happen for me. I think I will probably get a bottle of this at some point.
  14. I've looked over most of these posts, and I can't find anything on a Dorian sibling scent. On me, I get NO lemon at all from Dorian. Not at all. It's wonderfully warm and sexy, and has this bit of *kick* that's kind of cologney in a way, so I'm guessing that must be musk. I don't actually know what musk smells like by itself, so I'm only assuming here. I ADORE this scent though, is there something that smells really similar to Dorian (not the lemon part everyone else seems to get). ?
  15. It's entirely possibly that this just came out this way on me, and won't for other people, but I found Siren to be very similar to Hunter Moon. Obviously, it's not exactly the same, but it had a similarity that sent me squeeing with delight! The smokey/incensey feel of Hunter Moon is very present in Siren on me
  16. Brianne

    Different smells/colors, same perfume

    I am 100% positive that this imp of Hamadryad I have is The Hesperides lol. I KNOW it's the Hesperides, it smells exactly the same and I had the same reaction to it. Luckily, Phaedra is being kind enough to send me her very NOT appley imp of Hamadryad to me so I can experience the wonderful cinnamon that interested me in Hamadryad to begin with!
  17. Brianne

    Tempest

    In the bottle: VERY BLUE, it's strong and sharp On me: Hmm... I'm not sure this makes me think of rain at all. It's not quite as fresh in an airy/rainy sort of way - it is fresh and clean though in a laundry sort of way. Like most others, I do smell lemon - but it's so faint that I find myself questioning whether or not I really smell it. So I definitely wouldn't qualify this as a citrus scent by any means. This scent makes me think of something very specific, but I can't put my finger on it. I have smelled something that smells just like it, but I can't for the life of me remember what. Final note: This isn't a bad scent, I find it to be pleasant in a clean laundry sort of way, but it does not make me think of the ocean or rain at all. It's a little too perfumey for that in my opinion. This would make a great room scent however, and I intend on keeping my imp solely for that purpose!
  18. Brianne

    Dragon's Milk

    In the bottle: Very sweet and warm, nothing particularly bad or great either way On me: Oh yeah I can smell the honey. I don't dislike honey at all, but it has a way of turning slightly powdery sweet on me. It's not really the powder smell, just powdery if that makes sense. I smell the vanilla a bit in there, but I'm not sure I can smell the Dragon's Blood at all to be honest. I'm picking up mostly just on the honey and not much else. There is something way way in the background of this that is vaguely floral smelling, but not in a bad way. It's a barely there hint of a flower. Final note: I do really like this, it's not so sweet that I can't wear it, but it is pretty simple and I don't think I'll find myself reaching for this very often being that it primarly smells like honey to me. I'll be keeping my imp though Actually, come to think of it, this smells exactly like Dana O'Shea to me, only with more throw.
  19. Brianne

    Imp

    In the bottle: GRAPE KOOLAID! I'm not even sure why it smells like that to me, but it definitely does lol On me: Okay on me it starts to smell more like peach instead of grape, and now it's rich, tart, sweet, ripe peaches. This scent is like the wet *smack!* of biting into a peach. The amber and musk do a beautiful job of grounding this scent so it's not too much. I don't get any patchouli on me, which I suppose is quite fortunate since it rarely works on me! Final note: I don't normally care for really fruity scents. But to be honest, I actually really enjoy this one! With the hot weather rolling in, this is the kind of scent I could see myself wearing to Barbeques or a theme park. Something fun to reflect the season. I'm not decided on whether or not I'd actually use a whole bottle, but I'll be damned if I give this imp away! EDIT: It took a good hour or more before patchouli started to creep into this, and even then it was so light that it just made a nice compliment to the fading peach smell, rather than being obtrusive.
  20. Brianne

    Siren

    In the bottle: Hmmm....this smells oddly familiar. I know this scent. Where do I know this scent from? Oh yes! Hunter Moon! It smells quite like (though not exactly alike) Hunter Moon does in the vial. On me: This is strangely like Hunter Moon on me, it's smokey with an undercurrent of something sweet and fruity - and it makes me think that there must be one or more of the same ingredients in Hunter Moon. Like others, this makes me think of a wood polish, but I don't think it smells like that in a bad way. It's reminscent of it, but not exactly like one. The smokey overall impression of this does not go away, and this is far less sweeter than I expected. Final note: I had decided not to buy this because it sounded like it was going to be too sweet for me. Luckily, the lab included an imp as a freebie in my last order and I'm so glad they did. I really do like this, and I think this calls for a big bottle. I am still undecided if I like enough to get a bottle, but I'm wearing it to a party tonight and if I get any compliments on it, it will go on the bottle list. This is a situation where I think I need someone else to make up my mind for me, but I certainly like it enough to seriously consider!
  21. Brianne

    Oberon

    In the bottle: The bergamot is coming through loud and clear! I definitely smell the juniper in there as well On me: So far, I'm getting a very clean, Alpine-y, masculine impression from this. I'm thinking of after shave, but not a generic smelling, comes in a can after shave - the real deal. This is FANTASTIC. Final note: To be honest, I don't have much more to say on this - mostly because it's just a great scent, plain and simple. I do think that this is way too masculine for me to wear though. I'm all about gender neutral scents, but this definitely strikes me as something a man would wear, not a woman. But it is just SO.GOOD. - this imp is going right to my fiance! EDIT: I wanted to add that this has some *serious* lasting power! I just took a shower and I have never before been able to smell a perfume on me after I shower, and yet... I can smell Oberon on my arm still, clear as day!
  22. Brianne

    Mata Hari

    In the bottle: Is that.....diaper cream and dirty diapers? Why, yes it is. Somehow the awful smell coming from the vial gives me even higher hopes for what it will smell like on me, since so far the worst smelling ones in the bottle have smelled great on me. On me: Oh no, that's definitely a lot of rose right there. Oh no and jasmine. I'm scared. Someone hold me. I'm gonna ignore this for a few minutes and hope I'll come back to sniffing my arm to find that the tonka and coffee are coming through. Nope, that's still diaper cream. Only now there's something bitter coming through. And it doesn't smell like coffee. This is positively awful on me. Final note: When I first came to BPAL, Mata Hari was strongly suggested to me based on my scent preferences, and after reading the description I really thought it would be great given the tonka and coffee. I was so desperate to LIKE this that I ignored what my gut was telling me about the roses. I know now that I should learn to trust that instinct, because this is awful on me. At least now I know that I do have a fairly good understanding of what will and won't work on me! If someone loves roses, this is probably a good bet for them!
  23. Brianne

    Black Pearl

    In the bottle: I definitely smell coconut but more than anything this smells floral ;_; On me: I am SO disappointed right now. I had such high hopes for this and all I can smell is VERY strong Iris. It's giving me a headache it's so strong. After about 15 minutes it tones down a little and I think I smell a little coconut and musk, so it warms up a little bit but the Iris is still too much for me. I wasn't really expecting that from this scent. Final note: Someone who enjoys Iris will love this, and I might keep my imp just for the late stages of barely there softness, but I won't be buying a big bottle. EDIT: June 28th - I needed to come back and say that I tried this again today. I had much better results this time, and though the Iris is still quite strong on me, the coconut came through quite well finally. If this happens again, I might have to reconsider the bottle
  24. Brianne

    Velvet

    In the bottle: Very strong cocoa, but it's not so foody that it turns me off of it, it's like a dark, dusky cocoa. On me: At first, I'm still getting just cocoa. But like I said, it's not so foody that I don't want to wear it. It's dark and smooth, and it fits perfectly with the name Velvet. Then the sandalwood starts creeping in and it balances out that cocoa vanille so wonderfully! But, unfortunately, this wonderful phase ends about 4 minutes in, and now the myrrh is beating down the cocoa vanille and sandalwood. Before long, it's in the front seat, taking over for this scent and I smell like pencil shavings with a tiny bit of sandalwood and cocoa. Final note: It's actually not bad, despite that I wish that the myrrh wasn't as prominent as it is. I will definitely keep my imp but I don't think I'd buy a big bottle of this. EDIT: Wanted to add that this, at least on me, had NO throw at all. I had to smell my arm VERY closely to smell Velvet at all.
  25. Brianne

    Muse

    In bottle: *POW!* JASMINE! On me: Wow still jasmine. And a lot of it. Tuberose starts creeping in a bit but it's too shy to stand up next to jasmine, it just hangs out in the background hoping it's friends lime and lotus show up. Wait. Is that....? Is that lime....? Nope. No it isn't. It's jasmine. Final note: Jasmine kills yet another scent for me. I guess I just amp up the jasmine big time, but it always seems to drown out everything else. I would have loved to have smelled the mint. EDIT: I now know what people mean by the diaper smell, because now I'm totally getting diapers from this, so weird.
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