lupidog

This was an early experiment for me, so my review contains some weird comparisons, as I was learning to pick out notes.

first sniff from the imp: horrifying lemon pledge sickly sweet, plus salt.

Initially, I tried this on a friend, and at first it smelled of salt and flowers. The salt dissipated, and turned into delicious wisteria. We were all amazed at the transformation it was going through, except the poor test subject, whose sinuses were blocked.

Emboldened by its success on someone else, I gave it a go. My initial reaction was: WHOA. Lemony tears. Must be the grapefruit and salt. Vampire Tears is an otherworldly scent, larger than life, but not part of it. Either that or lemonheads. Feels like the male cousin of Kitsune-Tsuki to me, thanks to the jasmine. The grapefruit remains intense, but the jasmine twirls in and out. The white grapefruit and ginger are reminiscent of the citrus in Schrodinger's Cat. A powdery (in a good way) floral note seems to be emerging. What I assume to be the tonka is an insanely good base for all of this. Far less throw than the aforementioned kitsune. Somehow the citrus manages not to overwhelm, letting the florals gently shine with the tonka as base.

10 hours later, it is mostly gone, but the merest hint of powdery flowers remains. I loved this, and promptly bought a bottle. It is a little strong for some of my moods (I often balk at citrus, but the tonka keeps it sane), so I would likely not wear it to work. Recently, I realized a good GC match to this would be Shoggoth... it isn't an exact match, but there is the wisteria and citrus and other background florals that tie them together. I found that after they had dried down a great deal, Vampire Tears had a higher pitched top note thant Shoggoth, which merged down into its primordial self... but the overall feel and general scent were almost spot on. Otherworldly, monstrous lemonheads for the win!

I tried Marie a while ago... it was one of my first imps! I still feel very "new" to BPAL but I feel like I all ready know so much more. Anyway, as it is due a review:

first sniff from imp: "...flowers." Just like that, a hesitant pause and dull delivery. I had been excited about it because I love the historical figure, but the initial sniff put me off.

Upon actually trying it on: GAG GAG GAG. Bitter and stinky! Man, I cannot even begin to describe my aversion. The violet (I have to assume, as few things have made me recoil this way w/out being related to a specific memory or allergy) is terribly off-putting. I tried it specifically to see if I had a sinus reaction to the rose after a reaction to Whip (later determined to be caused by the leather note), but fortunately I do not think that is the case - I think it was just gross. I was very happy to wash it off. The first BPAL I've tried that I've disliked this much. Danse Macabre may have smelled like a park bathroom to me, but I found that more interesting/tolerable than this. I may give it one more try before I swap it out, as things do something change on you, but I'm pretty sure this is just not for me.

from the imp: bizarre strawberry bubbles.

Sadly, my review of this will be brief: My earliest memory of vomiting was throwing up Hawaiian Punch outside, and once on, Bon Vivant is unpleasantly reminiscent of that hot summer day. I had to wash it off. It also weirdly reminded me of... tomatoes?

Sad. I love champagne, and I love strawberries, but it was not meant to be.

Sniffed from imp: inky black night time from my childhood, not harsh, just quiet. Something about it really reminds me of my grandmother Omi. She used to keep a beautiful garden with roses, fruit trees, herbs, etc. I would spend summers with her, often sneaking out late at night (sometimes alone, sometimes with my best friend) to play in her wonderful yard in the moonlight, dodging my mean old grandfather who would yell at us to come inside, the risk adding to the fun, whispers required!

Going on, it smells like a herbal rose soap. Not a gross soap smell, just clean. It becomes a bit stronger as time goes on, quite clearly rose but in my opinion never getting TOO rosey (I like rose but I dislike when it completely dominates or smells too "wet"). This becomes a gorgeous, subtle rose with a dusting of herbs. Unbelievably pretty. For such a delicate scent, it was still lingering 10 hours later, and I smelled it often during the day, just a sweet reminder now and again. This is a perfume I would wear in honor of my Omi, who just passed away. Not because it smells like old lady perfume, but because it captures her grace and beauty, and reminds me of her wonderful rose bushes. It is the kind of scent I wouldn't wear just casually, though... it has a stateliness to it. This will go with a tasteful dress. I've purchased a bottle and I'm very happy.

Got a bit of this as a kind frimp from GoldenRubee!

I am getting more skilled with picking out individual notes in certain kinds of blends... But anything with a strong aquatic note always becomes "aquatic with.... other stuff?" This definitely has that liquidy effervescent note, and the associations with varnished wood seem accurate to me.

I did find the scent immensely evocative. Words and concepts that came to mind at different points while I was wearing it: dangerous candy, the heady, complex, transition of innocence to adulthood. a brutally masculine man on the cover of a romance novel, wood, rum, copper/brass, crisp autumn air filled with the scent of spring flowers, and money.

Dry, as someone mentioned, this is a lot more feminine. It is really an amazingly crafted blend, but since I amp up aquatics to OH MY LORD levels, I probably won't ever wear this. I'll treasure my little imp for the artistry, however, at least for now!

I think I have discovered that I am allergic to the Lab's leather note(s?). It makes me sad. I discovered this after Whip left me all snuffly and miserable and almost unable to attend a party. I Married a Vampire from Planet X had me wake up from a nap in a similarly snuffly haze and I felt deeply compelled to wash it off immediately (despite kind of liking the scent). I tried Wanda last night, and wanted to wash it off immediately - at this point I don't know if it was suggestion or a real reaction, but it seems that I'll be avoiding blends with leather in them from now on. What a shame, it is a good scent!

first sniffs from the imp: heavy on the leather. makes me feel BAD!

Once I put it on, the rose is wet and pronounced, but I immediately detect the leather. It's just how it says it is! There we are, rose and leather. What's this? More rose and leather! I really love the mix. As it dries, it gets slightly less leathery but turns into this mature, dusty rose. If you don't like rose you won't like this, but I absolutely love this smell on me.

Unfortunately this story does not have a happy ending. The morning following the night I tested this, and several other scents with some friends, I woke up feeling horrible. Sinuses all shut up, puffy eyes, etc. I had no clue which scent might have been the culprit, and I suffer from seemingly random seasonal allergies as it is, so I didn't come to any conclusions. That night, I put on Whip to wear to a party... and half an hour later felt dreadful. At this point I'm not 100 percent sure it is Whip, but when I smell it I start to feel bad just from the association, so I am afraid it has to go. I Married a Vampire from Planet X also made me a little sniffly, so I am guessing it is the leather note. I wore Dyan Moon today with no problems so at least it is not my beloved roses! Still, I enjoy the smell of leather... I won't write the note off completely, but I will be very cautious with it...

Ah well, not every one can be a winner. If you like leather, and you like roses, and you don't have a dumb allergy - You will like this one!

This was a freebie from the lovely savage_rose!

First sniff from imp: intriguing, but there is a harsh note that I am not familiar with.

On: It had one dominating note I did not like, to start. Seemed low in the mix, but powerful and strong. I think it was the cedar but didn't register "cedar" in my brain, so it could have been the balsam or sassafras I suppose. Thankfully the culprit receded some and it became more or less vanilla over a strong, grounding cedar.

It is kind of growing on me. I like it, but the cedar is just a nab too strong. I keep switching between "oooh that's a GOOD, manly vanilla" to "oh god I've been taken hostage and locked in a brand new cedar closet nooo god why," in pretty rapid succession. My best guy friend said it smelled, "Brown. Light Brown," which I thought was great, and fairly accurate.

I've got some O on the other side of my wrist (added hours later) and wonder if layering it would pump up the vanilla and tame the cedar ever so slightly. Intense throw (I walked into my friend's living room and her daughter was like WHOA, and I only had this on one wrist), and really lasts! Verdict is out on the final judgment.

I got a decant of this because I am a noob and wanted to start exploring the Lunacies. I liked the German name; my grandmother is from Germany and I am interested in the culture.

From the imp: angry "mint."

Initial Application: Evergreen trees. The "evergreen" (which I realize isn't evergreen) then dies down some, and this blends more peacefully, though is undoubtedly complex. A dark, dark nighttime scent. My friend Rebecca remarked it smelled like Chanel (this is her standard gross old lady perfume smell comparison). I am not sure about that, but it does remind me of a heady european perfume.

I am getting a lot of patchouli after it has been wearing for a while, but with a more sophisticated edge. I like the way this smells - It reminds me of some of my mother's scents (which did in fact include Chanel No. 5) and of an older time. It has decent throw, but it's not blasting me or others, and the lasting power seems reasonable.

Ooh, I am learning! I Married a Vampire from Planet X also has black amber, and that blend and Schwarzer Mond both give me a similar sharp note to start, and have some other similarities. I usually love amber, but I think I am figuring out that black amber is a very strong one for me. This may be what is keeping the patchouli from signaling "head shop." I respect both this and I Married... but feels too powerful and masculine for me to sport (even though neither strike me as an exclusively manly scent). Also, too dark. I usually keep my dark side below the surface, impish and suggestive, and this has a kind of opulent in your face darkness that I may possess deeply within, but rarely want to exclaim in my day to day life.

I madly respect this scent, but I may pass the decant on to someone else who will love it more.

Decided to wear this to work today.

sniffed from imp: cherry chocolate and something really bitter and mean.

After I apply (which I did rather liberally, since I am finding out the timid approach isn't serving me too well), that bitter (acrid?) mean note still is sullying what is clearly chocolate bliss. Seems to be fading, thankfully. The flowers keep it smelling like "perfume" which is a little confusing to my nose. Food, or perfume? Perfume or food? One wonderful thing is that this has much better throw initially than some of the others I have tried so far. I can walk around enjoying myself, but I don't get the impression that I am stinking anyone out.

After about three hours, this is still around, and kinda nice, though I'm not 100% in love. The artificially "perfumeyness" has receded and leaves a kind of pleasantly artificial chocolate behind. I can relate to the person who mentioned tootsie rolls, and also the chocolate chapstick comparison. I don't dislike it though. It makes me want to try other chocolate scents, as I wonder if the chocolate/floral combination is throwing me off. I'll keep the imp, and maybe it will win me over before I am through with it!

Almost 8 hours later... still have the faintest hint of scent right at my skin. Natural and feminine and just a teensy bit foody. I really like that it has much better lasting power than some of the other scents I have tried. I was starting to think there was something completely wrong with me, especially with how Ghost and Dana O'Shee fizzled into nothing almost immediately. I think I may just have picked light scents to try initially, and this is a little heavier.

from imp: sugar in milk, butter?

When it first goes on, it is more of the same. Then baby powder. Almond powder. Nice, reminds me of some super healthy (but delicious) cookies I made with almond flour and extract. Grr, deoderant interfering... but not in an unpleasant way, at least, and it will pass. This is really nice. Gently lingers. Just soft almond powder sweetness. White and gentle. I reapplied early on because I just wanted MORE. I find that I am either most drawn to lighter scents, eat up oil like crazy, or have a broken nose, because I have had to slather most things so far to get the scent I want. Even though this was fading, it was still hovering close to my skin and I was curled up with my wrists close to my face just to have it surrounding me. Such an innocent, pure aroma.

Was going to put on more for bed but then decided to layer some Morocco over, just to see. It wasn't tragically bad, but I instantly missed my Dana.

This is a pretty perfume that makes me feel young and innocent again. I have an imp of Alice coming, and based on the earlier reviews, I will wait to try her as well before deciding on a big bottle.

My slightly disjointed review:

Initial sniff from the imp: powerful fir trees.

How much did I want to love this scent? I mean... that name! Putting it on only reemphasized my first impression... fir trees. Or maybe fake fir trees. I got a momentary flash of the green christmas tree air freshener. What could that be? Reading the note list I wonder if I am reacting to the clove. Clove has the potential to be wonderful, but most of my association with it has been in the "overkill" range.

Knowing that there were a plethora of possible changes ahead, I resisted the urge to wash it off. It is a good thing, too. Now that the seriously dominant note wanes slightly, I'm getting a much more appealing blend. Musky, manly, but still sweet. I don't know if I want to smell like this, but I wouldn't mind being snuggled up against someone who did. Wait no, now it is getting less manly, more citrusy. Oh crap, I'm starting to love it.

--Ended up falling asleep for a bit. Still wearing nicely a few hours later. It IS a nice blend, but I think I have decided this isn't a "me" smell. Too much cedary/clovey Christmas store. I will hold on to my decant and perhaps try it again when the mood strikes me... Smells really great in my cleavage, but just isn't quite right. Wish I knew which note it was. I will guess cloves + something else.

When I went to shower (with some relief that this would be coming off, despite half of me loving it), the steam mixing with the oil made me think this would be REALLY nice in a bath. May have to try that sometime, if I don't decide to pass on the imp.

A lovely extra included in my order from nightchylde! This made my cut of the first things to try out of a rather large acquisition of samples.

In the imp: florals followed by a note of... ghostiness. how is this possible? I look forward to becoming more well read with notes. I cannot even begin to name this scent but it is lower than the flowers and kind of twists and turns downwards. It is almost not pleasant, like something a little ill, but that is fitting for the Ghost!

Actual wear - The first thing that comes to mind is flowers and wet dog, which is the larger manifestation of the mystery note. That sounds really negative, but somehow isn't - just odd. It is not overpowering. Reading other reviews makes me think this is ozone, but can't be sure. Saw another person think it smelled of semen ( ) and I actually can see where they got that. Fortunately the association is not so close as to get gross, for me at least. The note reduces quickly and the flowers began to surface more strongly. Nice.

After a bit, this got REALLY lovely for an all too brief moment, and then totally disappeared (like a GHOST HO HO HO). The mystery "ghostly" note took a back seat giving just the right level of "somber" to the peaceful flowers. Peaceful is a good word for this, the silence of the service, the silence of well deserved rest. Will need to slather more of this on myself to know how I feel about it in the long term, because it makes me grieve when it disappears! Didn't even last an hour, and it is relatively warm and damp today. For a bit after that, I could smell it just at my skin, clean and gentle. Now, unfortunately, it has gone away completely. Sadness!

This is the third blend I've tried, but first one I have reviewed. So apologies for the newbie-review...!

Smells crazy in the imp, high sharp note assaults my nose. Is that the opium? Reading earlier reviews makes me think it is Jasmine. Either way, DID NOT WANT. This made me (prematurely) sad, because it is such a bitching poem and the note list was so intense and strange. But I knew I should get over my reluctance and try it, since the in bottle smell can be so deceptive.

On, this smells SO much better. Like an oriental shop, the scents of all the exotic products mingling. Not note savvy, but it really seems like this is a creamy, seamless blend. The shop is nice, but I probably wouldn't want to work there. Maybe sleep on some cushions in the back. I don't smell this on myself after a few minutes unless I go sniffing (which makes me feel like I'm huffing and gives me a headache!!). But not being overpowering can be a good thing, especially for work. Not sure yet if I would wear this out. Need to actually try it during the regular day to be sure. Definitely gets less complex over time, settling into a sweet and understated flavor. Pretty delicious.

More experimentation needed, but this could be a keeper!