telesilla

Why it was on my list: It sounded interesting because I like green and herbal scents. In the bottle and wet: Green and a little citursy. Drying down: Whatever made Belladonna smell like bandaids on me is in this one too. Otherwise it's lighter and still a little citrusy, but on the sour side of citrus; I'd guess lime or lemon. Dry later: Sadly I still smell like I just peeled off a bandaid. *beats body chemistry with a trout*

This one sounded too yummy to pass up. In the bottle and wet: OMG almond! I sure hope this calms down. Drying down: The almond's receding some and both the heliotrope and the vanilla are coming out. Well I assume the floral is the heliotrope. There's a little bite that is probably the cinnamon. Dry: The almond is still the underlying note, but the combination of frankincense and heliotrope are going kind of powdery on me. I normally don't mind that kind of thing but I want this to be a little more about almond and spice. I like the way it smells, I just don't know that I want to smell like this. It's not the kind of scent I associate with myself and although I'm broadening my horizons, I'm still not sure about it. Turned out that a friend of mine was really trying to get her hands on an imp of this, so it's going out to her.

Um, how you get Kali out of any of these notes, I have no idea. I think I wanted to try it just to see if it worked. In the bottle and wet: Once again, too many notes. It's sweet and kinda dark. Dry: Ah rose, my old nemesis, we meet again. Soap. A really nice rosey soap, but still, soap. Off to the swap pile if Nancy doesn't want it.

I love blue/aquatic scents so I had to get this one. In the bottle and wet: Mint! And something cool and watery, but mostly, mint. Drying: The mint is fading and I smell something like cucumber only sweeter. It's probably the lotus. Dry: I hate to break it to the lab, but this isn't dark at all. It's settled into a lovely wet floral scent with the mint and the juniper providing a nice little bite. It's cool and refreshing and I want at least a half gallon or so to keep in my fridge so I can pour it on it when it's 102F outside. GF's reaction: She likes it too!

I'll eventually try everything the lab says has Middle Eastern spices, unless it has rose in it too too. And even then I might try it. Plus, yay for almonds. In the bottle and wet: Maybe it's my nose or just that the almond really is this strong, but like Eclipse, this was ALMOND! Drying down: OK much better. The almond fades and I'm getting that Middle Eastern spice thing I got with Scherezade. Yummy! Dry: This is a lot like Scherezade, only with the almond undernote. I'll need to try them opposite one another to see which I like better. BPAL deathmatch! *grins*

I had this on the list because I figured if I was going to try a floral I wanted it to be a green one. Wet: OMG pine! And something bitter/sharp and rather unpleasant. Drying down: It's not as bitter or as piney, but it smells medicinal. Or more accurately like the inside of a first aid kit that's been sitting in a hot car. There's something that smells like band-aids going on here and I really don't like it. It's not giving me a headache so I'll give it more time. Later: Well it's gotten a little sweeter, but it's still oddly artificial smelling. I'm assuming that this is a body chemistry thing, so this one's going in the swap pile. It's a real pity too as it had one hell of a throw on me and enough staying power to last though washing a sink full of dishes.

Ginger? Fig? Tea? This one was a total no brainer; I knew I wanted to try it. In the bottle: a smell I'm beginning to associate with the green masculine or gender neutral scents. Wet: Very green and I think I can smell the ginger now. I like it so far. Drying: Damn, does every last BPAL with tea in it have to vanish on me? It's getting sweeter as it goes; I think that's the fig, but it's hard to tell. Dry: Honestly it's been 15 minutes and it's all but gone. There's a faded sweet green scent left.

Got this one because I was curious about the notes and, of course the name didn't hurt. In the bottle and wet on me: As Salieri said in Amadeus: "Too many notes." It's a dark, sweet, strong perfume. Drying down and dry: It's still strong and dark, and almost sickly sweet. I'm getting more of the tobacco -- fresh leaf not smoke -- and a slightly floral note that might be the cereus. I wish I could say more about it but it's just this heavy perfume. It's not morphing at all, just sort of hanging there on my wrist like syrup. The weird thing is that I can't decide if I like it or not; I think it would be too much if I was actually wearing it on my throat, behind my ears, and down my cleavage as well as on my wrists. As the other opinions in the house are mixed -- Nancy doesn't like it much and our cat Joxur liked it so much he licked my wrist -- I think this is going in the swap pile.

In the bottle and wet on me: Apricot and clove. Drying down: It smoothes out a little, but it's still a nice straightforward blend of apricot and clove; just the right balance of sweet and spicy. For very specific reasons, I think it smells foody (see below) , but Nancy says it's more fruity than foody. Over all impression: Back in the 70s when we lived on the beach north of Santa Barbara, Mom used to make her own apricot jam. We'd get the apricots from this "pick your own" place and then all hide while she took over the kitchen and I occasionally heard words an 8 year old probably didn't need to hear. She always used cloves in the jam, and this smells exactly like opening up a jar of Mom's jam. The "twisted tea time tart" made me laugh because she'd make a jam tart with her jam and a shortbread kind of crust, although I don't remember it as being twisted. Then again, I was pretty young. GF's reaction: She really likes it.

I added this to the wish list after liking Swank so much and wanting to try more of the fruity blends. In the bottle and wet: Mostly I'm getting apricot here; the same apricot that's in March Hare. Drying down: The orange blossom is coming up now but it's not as thickly overwhelming as orange blossoms can sometimes be. And there's still a lot of apricot happening. Dry, later: It's lighter and sweeter than March Hare. I'm still not getting any actual musk, but I suspect the musk is toning down both the apricot and the orange blossom. I think I like March Hare better, but I'll make that call when I try March Hare again and review it.

This is a forum purchase. It was on my wish list because of the lavender. In bottle and wet on me: OMG lavender! This isn't a bad thing; I love lavender. Drying down: Still heavy on the lavender but it's going a little sweeter and I think I'm getting the neroli now. Later: It's gotten even sweeter now with a slightly resiny base, that's probably the frankincense, but I can still smell the lavender over it all. It's very smooth now; it's a total keeper, possibly a big bottle, depending on what else I try that has lavender in it.

This was the "one of these things is not like the other" imp in my first six pack order. I added it when I realized that almost everything I was ordering was spicy or incensey. Wet: this sounds weird, but it smells like sweet WD-40. Even weirder is the fact that this isn't necessarily a deterrent; when I was a kid I loved the smell of WD-40. Drying and initial dry down: Still with the WD-40 smell, but it's going a little powdery on me. I wonder if that's the lilac. Dry: Well it's not WD-40 anymore. The musk's a little more evident and it's kind of powdery and pretty. Not at all what I think of as a "gentleman's blend," but I like it.

With no notes listed in the catalog, and me buying this six pack before I really started reading the forums, this is strictly a name and association sort of purchase. In the bottle and wet: Oh dear; there's rose in here. And other stuff, mostly floral so far. Drying down: It's fading like crazy. Literally two minutes and it's a ghost of some faded florals. Maybe I just didn't put enough lotion down first. Reapplying gets me something a little greener than the first time, but this isn't exotic or really much of anything, as it's dying again. I'd suspect I got a diluted imp but this one's straight from the lab. Weird. I'm going to see if it's something Nancy wants and if not, put it on my swap list.

Mostly I got this one because the notes sounded interesting. Well and because Sybaris is an ancient city in which the people lived so well that they gave their name to the word sybaritic. In the bottle, wet on my wrist and a tiny bit on my keyboard: quite sweet and more than a little floral, specifically violets. Drying down: still sweet, and I'm smelling something kind vanilla-like under the violets that might be the tonka bean. This is a very heady blend, possibly too heady for me. Dry: OK this is weird; it smells like coconut to me. Which is a real pity as I don't like things that smell like coconut. I'm sure it's chemistry and perception; Nancy says she can't smell coconut. Overall: It's a little too much for me, too sweet, in fact it's almost cloying.

This was a frimp from the lab, and I'm afraid this review is going to suck. Seems I can only tell what note is in something if I've been told what notes to look for. In bottle and wet: Sweetly green. Drying and dry: I have no idea what I'm smelling here, but I really like it. It's green and sharp and a little sweet. It's a gender neutral scent and it does smell like a slightly sweet men's cologne. I think there might be a touch of mint in it, but that could just be my weird skin chemistry. It's going to be a good summer scent; it's cool and just a little aggressive. It doesn't strike me as being all that light and gossamer.

*blinks* Second review, wow! I had to order this one even though it has rose in it because I like every other note in it. Plus, again with the Middle East. In the bottle: too many notes; it just smells like a woody perfume. Wet: Sandalwood and something sweet. Initial dry down: it's woody and sweet and really really complex. My nose can pick out the sandalwood and maybe the amber, but I think this is going to be one of those where all I can say is "it just smells good." I'm not getting the strong Middle Eastern connection I got with Scherezade, but I still like it. All I can think right now is "please, Bulgar rose, don't ruin this for me." Dry, later: Yay! The rose hasn't gone either soapy or metallic on me. There's a sharpness that I think is either the bergamot or the mandarin; it's cutting the sweetness down quite a bit. I really like this one, it's almost a cross between Cathedral and Scherezade, and I'm pretty sure it's going to go on the big bottle list.

I ordered this one because I didn't know if I actually liked dragon's blood as a perfume and I know I like amber, so it seemed the perfect way to test. In the bottle and wet on me: I'm not really noticing the amber much and unlike the dragon's blood in Dragon's Milk, this smells almost cloying and thick. Drying: still a little syrupy, but I think the amber's coming through. Dry: The amber's finally showing up and the spiciness is settling in. I think the imp's a keeper but I want to try some other dragon's blood scents before I move it to the big bottle list.

This delicate, spectral perfume gives rise to an eerie distortion of of the senses. It bestows an ephemeral, ghostly, and truly haunting quality to your presence. Green tea, lemon verbena, jasmine and neroli. This was on my wish list because it sounded like a really nice light summery scent, even if it has jasmine in it. In the bottle and wet: Lemony! Far more lemony than I expected from just the verbena although I know that neroli can be pretty citrusy at times. Dry: The lemon's fading some and I think I can smell the neroli and something a tiny bit bitter that might be the tea. Sadly I can also smell the jasmine. A few minutes later: Lemon soap. Not a terrible lemon soap, but soapy enough that I don't like it. Nancy says she's not interested either, so this one is a swap/sell candidate as well. And I think I need to just accept that anything with jasmine in it simply doesn't work on me.

One of the haul from a friend; it's something I wouldn't try at all, because roses are tricky on me and I'm coming to expect that, plus I'm also discovering that jasmine appears to be a no no. In the bottle: OMG nasal onslaught. Wet and just starting to dry down on my wrist: Get this off NOW! It's giving me a headache. I had to hit the dishsoap and wash up right quick; I just couldn't risk a headache in order to find out what it would be like in the dry down. Nancy doesn't like it either so it's going on the swap list.

I'm not a huge fan of florals, but I couldn't resist this one between the name, the fact that it's got some fruit happening and that bit about the medieval incenses. In the bottle and wet on me: A nice heavy but sweet floral. Drying: It's still floral but there's some fruit now showing up, as well as a little bit of resiny smell that I think is the incenses. Dry and later: This is just like Spiritual Skies violet incense I used to love back in the '70s. If there is rose in here, it's well hidden and isn't going either soapy or metallic on me. It's still a floral, but it's a dark smokey floral. Don't know if it's a big bottle or not, but I do really really like it. GF's reaction: Another big hit; I think she'll end up trying it too.

This also came from the fanfiction groups meet and sniff. It was on my wish list for more reasons than the just liking the notes listed. I'm all about the story telling, and the Middle East, and the Rimsky-Korsakov, and Dad reading Arabian Nights to my sister and me and doing all the voices, and the whole thing. So um ... yeah. In the bottle: Oh dear. This is just generically perfumey. Wet: The minute it got on my skin it was suddenly spicy and sweet and lovely, although I wasn't pulling any notes out of it yet. Kind of incensey but not smoky, more like unlit incense. Drying: There's the saffron and something sweet, maybe just a little honey. And the musk is really light on me, with just a little edge to it. A little later: I can't remember what the more obscure Middle Eastern spices are, so a little googling gives me sumac, which I'm guessing is in here along with cardoman, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and maybe a little cassis. What you might think of as the sweeter of the spices, although they're used on meat as well as in pastries. GF's thoughts: Nancy really really likes it on me and wants to try it for herself. ::hides it:: Final thoughts: OMFG big bottle! This is fighting it out for second place with Swank for second place (after Athens) on the big bottle list. It doesn't exactly smell like the bazaar, which is a good thing, trust me on this; real Middle Eastern bazaars are kinda smelly. It smells more like one of the small stores in Iran that sell spices, odds and ends, some perfume and some food items. If you've ever been in a sari shop that also sells Indian spices and food, that's pretty close to what I'm talking about.

This one wasn't on my wish list, as I tend to avoid rose scents as not being "me." But our local fanfiction writers gathering turned into a sniffing party yesterday and a friend gave this to my gf and I. Rather than just hand it over to Nancy -- who does like rose scents -- I decided to try it. In the bottle and wet on me: Mostly rose with at little of the spiciness from the carnation. Dry down: The honey shows up a little and cuts the over all roseness of it. I'm not incredibly wild over it, but unlike most rose scents on me it also isn't turning into something that smells like Mom's favorite rose soap that you could only get at Boots back in the 70s & early 80s. A little while later: Nope. It's not soapy but the other thing rose often does on me is go metallic. Nancy say she can't smell it and I can't smell it on her, but when I sniff my own wrist, it smells like roses wrapped in tinfoil.

I just had my first serious "yuck" reaction to a BPAL scent. I think the lily in it is turning to soap on me. And not a particularly nice soap but a kind of piney soap. I know it's not the frankincense, because I love Cathederal with a deep abiding passion and it's got frankincense in it. It's probably my body chemistry; reading the reviews, I notice that some people had the same reaction and some people just loved it. To prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that I make wierd mental associations, I kind of wanted to like it because it's named after the Bone Church in Prague, which makes me think of Ewan McGregor who called the Bone Church a "serial killers wet dream."

In the bottle it's sharp and sweet and I think most of what I'm smelling is either the orange blossom or the neroli. Wet -- same thing and it's pretty overpowering too. Dry down -- it's morphing a bit, I think the bergamot is cutting the sweetness a little. I'm liking it. Dry after an hour -- It's orangey without being citrusy; I think that's the neroli. The bergamot is still underneath it all but not enough to make me think "Tea, Earl Grey, hot." Final opinion -- the imp is certainly a keeper. I want to try more stuff before this goes on my bottle list, but the chances are good I'll want more of it. GF's opinion -- she likes it.

Old Morocco went really sweet on me with none of the spiciness that most of the reviewers mentioned. I couldn't tell any of the individual notes at all and it just had a sort of generic perfume smell that wasn't bad but didn't wow me either. Since it didn't change on the dry down, my initial thought was that I'd use the rest of the imp but not replace it, but then a friend offered to swap for O, so I'm sending it to her