FeatherQwill

Hi! I'm new to BPAL and I'm interested in getting scents that improve with age, or at least won't go off if I keep them around a couple of years. I would really appreciate it if some of you vets could recommend things for me. (I've already decided to order Snake Oil) I'm not really a floral person, but I don't mind subtle undertones. Nothing too strong or candy-sweet either! What I'm really looking for in the long run is to acquire a signature scent, something to wear all the time - something that's subtle, a bit sexy, a bit unusual (at least to non-BPALers), and something that won't begin to bore or irritate me with everyday wear. Please help! I'm really looking forward to experimenting, but I don't have the money to spend wildly, and anyways it's impossible to know how well a scent ages without the experience that you guys have.

Recently received as a frimp in a swap. () Wet: A very potent aquatic note. +20min: Pretty much the same except that, oddly enough, it smells "fresher" now. Overall: Well, this definitely suits me better than The Sea Foams Blood. But I don't think that aquatic scents are really my thing, so I think this'll be going to the swaps.

Dewy, wet, whiplike and sticky. Wet: Very very sharp, piney, clears my sinuses like a Halls. Dry: That sharp edge softens and the pine fades away. Overall: If it would stay at about the 10-minute mark, this would definitely be a bottle purchase, but it just disappears too quickly on me. Very nice smell, though.

Wet: Kind of fruity-vanillay-mainstream perfumey. Not unpleasant, but not my thing. Dry: a warm, mild sort of vanilla-honey smell with a very slight hint of baby powder. Overall: Not a top fave, but I'll keep it unless someone who wants it has something I particularly want.

Wet: I got cloves, for some reason - must be the spicy carnations, which I've never smelled. Very nice! +20min: Mellows to a very pleasant floral. Overall: I'm not generally a floral-scent person, but this is one of those lovely BPAL exceptions. I quite like both stages.

Wet: I got a sort of soft, hard-to identify scent that was vaguely reminiscent of baby powder. +20min: Became more clearly defined as a baby powder and soap smell. Overall: Not for me - it's yet another lovely-in-the-imp that turns to baby powder on my flesh. I'm cursed.

Wet: Bright, sharp, citrussy, friendly - I loved this! Unfortunately . . . +20min: Soap. That's pretty much it, just soap. Overall impressions: I loved the wet stage, but was quite saddened by the way it reacted to my body chemistry. If I had a scent locket, I would see how well the "wet" stage smell that I got held out, but as I don't, this is unfortunately not for me.

Wet: Warm and sharp and clove-y and a bit soapish Drydown: Cloves and a hint of baby powder; as time passes becomes baby powder and a hint of cloves. Overall: Nice clove smell, but I'm not too keen on baby powder. Not a bottle purchase for me.

Wet: Warm, yummy, vaguely foodlike. Dry: A bit of spice comes out, but still the same scent in general. Overall: 7/10, a bit heavier than I would like, but quite nice all the same.

Smells like a man's aftershave or soap, but 'BPALy,' if that makes any sense at all. Exactly what the description says - but not, I think, for me.

Wet: Herby, quite interesting, but not really "me." Dry: Faded away rather quickly to almost nothing. Overall: Meh.

Snow White 2008 A lovely sort of vanilla & floral scent, but it unfortunately developed a sort of plasticky undertone as it dried. Curse my skin!

Wet: Very grown-up and floral. Dry: Stayed much the same. Overall: Quite nice. Not my everyday sort of scent - for more formal/professional occasions, I think. Most likely a bottle purchase.

Something in Salome did not like my skin at all. I got a hard, incensey smell with a note of diaper. Bleh. Why is my skin so finicky?

I got a similar gummy-bear/fruit smell that I got from Serpents With Glittering Eyes and Forky Tongues, but somehow I don't like it as much.

Wet: Deep with bright undertones. Different. Makes me think of summertime. Drydown: Subtle, but nice. Not extraordinary, but good for variety. Overall: I'll keep the imp but I probably won't get a bottle.

Wet: Odd, very greenery-ish, not unpleasant Dry: Sweetens up with the floral notes. Nice, unique. Overall: Not a bottle-buy, but I'll keep the imp around for variety.

Wet: Bubblegum and, strangely enough, charcoal. Dry: Fades fast. Overall: Not for me, really.

Wet: A very fresh, sharp, cut-grassy sort of smell. Definitely green. Unusual, but nice. Dry: The grassy smell very quickly fades, leaving a mellow, barely-there smell. Very natural. Overall: I'll keep the imp but I don't think I'll get a bottle. While Envy is very pleasant, I generally prefer something with a bit more oomph. Fans of natural (is that perfume or do you smell that way?) would really enjoy it, I think.

Wet: Exactly like a candy cane: sweet and pepperminty. Dry: Mint fades a lot, but is still present. Overall: A surprisingly wearable scent, good for winter but pleasant any day. A favourite.

Wet: A very sharp, black, hard sort of smell, if that makes any sense. Dry: Softened somewhat, but still quite unpleasant to my nose. Overall: Ugh - this blend did not suit me at all. I don't know if it was the patchouli or the sandalwood or the combination of both, but this blend was just completely unwearable on my skin, and I didn't really like it in the bottle either. Better luck to those with different chemistry!

Wet: Very Chocolate-and-Cherries ish, with a huge helping of Yum. Ridiculously rich and indulgent. Dry: It lightens up somewhat, but still very chocolatey. Overall: I completely fell in love with Vice - after I tested it, it was 2 weeks before I could test anything else from my order, because I couldn't bring myself to not wear it every day! Probably my favourite so far.

I got this as a frimp from the lab. Wet: Subtle, sharpish, and sort of perfumey, but good. Elegant. The sort of perfume my mother would wear - classy. Dry: Unfortunately fades rather quickly on my skin, although a trace of the smell stays on, it's very hard to detect. Overall: If it didn't fade so fast, I'd buy a bottle. I think I'll test it out on my mom and see how she wears it. I'll try it on myself again in a month and see if some aging or skin chemistry changes does anything for the staying power, too.

In the bottle it smelled absolutely divine, so I couldn't wait to try it on. Wet: Urgh. Baby powder. Dry: Still baby powder. Overall: I guess my skin just doesn't like one of the notes.

Wet: I got a very department-store scent when I first put it on. Bleh. Dry: MUCH better. Sweet, fruity, and slightly herbal. Really awesome. Overall: Definitely a favourite, and probably a bottle-purchase, but not something to put on right before going out. It needed a good 45 minute of skin-time to be palatable.