The_Merf

In the imp: Exactly what the description says--amber and musk. Wet: Very true to the smell in the imp. Neither note dominates on my skin. Dry-down and wear: This is a very interesting result. The amber and musk have gone soft, but not powdery. On my skin, this scent is not as strong as I thought it would be--I'm having a hard time finding the test spot. It has really soaked into my skin and is 'highlighting' it. Even though the musk note doesn't usually dominate my skin, it seems to have the edge on the amber in this blend. This is another one where I will use the imp up and then have to decide whether or not to get a bottle. I do love the warm effect this has though--very autumny!

In the imp: There's the jasmine! I also smell the spices. I'm very excited about this one. Wet: Gorgeous--the florals are strong here, but I expected that... Dry-down and Wear: This scent moves me in the way that all of my favorites have done. I only visited New Orleans, but I adored the city and I adore the South, and this encapsulates all of it. On me, the perfume is 85% honeysuckle and 15% jasmine, but they are humid, true florals, with moisture dripping off them in the springtime. Simply magnificent--unquestionably goes to the top of my bottle list.

In the imp: Children's chewable tablets. Wet: Children's chewable tablets Dry-down and Wear: This smells like truer fruit when it dries out, but there is still a medicinal undertone. I really can't believe this didn't work out on me--I love all these notes, but the combination doesn't work on me. A shame, as I really wanted to like this one, just for the name alone!

In the imp: All patchouli. I was sort of disappointed, as I wanted to smell the nag champa. Wet: All patchouli. This is a bit sweeter and more complex than Umbra on my skin, which I assume is a function of the nag champa or the muscadine. However, this doesn't seem to be the answer to my "what patchouli will I wear when I run out of Geek?" quandry. Dry-down and Wear: What did Treebeard say about being too hasty? The nag champa has started to emerge a bit on dry-down and the patchouli is nowhere near as prominent. I wish I was getting more "incense" from this. It does get that nice earthy quality as it dries. I'm still not sure where I come down on this scent, but I do know that I will go through the imp, and then evaluate from there.

In the imp: This is a soft scent, and I'm having a difficult time picking out anything besides the lemon. Maybe the sage? Wet: This is very sharp. The lemon is very strong. Dry-down and Wear: This is one of three BPAL scents that have gone a bit soapy on me (the other two are #20 Love Oil and Water of Notre Dame). It's not dishsoap or body soap, but a bit of an astringent cleaner smell. This one is headed for the swap pile.

In the imp: This is a very pretty floral--quite soft. I'm glad this appeals to me, because I'm always on the lookout for lighter scents. Wet: This smells a little artificial to me--all the florals together are a little much. As is par for the course with my skin, the jasmine is the most prominent. Right now this reminds me of a much, much tamer version of Languor. Dry-down and wear: This makes my skin smell like I took a bath with floral-scented bath beads. Even though I don't consider myself a florals person, I don't mind the result. While I won't put this on my priority acquisition list, I will use up the imp and go from there.

In the imp: It's a fruit scent--but I don't mind it! My goodness, first Marquise de Merteuil and now this... Wet: I still like this. I don't like apricots in my tea, but I do like them here. The spice of the clove is strongest on me, however. Dry-down and wear: This is spicy clove with just a touch of something sweet. I love it, and I almost feel bad for doing so...my mother dabbed a bit of it on and really liked it. I told her that I'd probably be giving it to her, since I don't usually wear fruit scents. Oops...maybe I'll leave her the imp and give it pride of place on my GC acquisition list.

In the imp: Smells like a woodier version of Hymn. Wet: There is a woody smell underneath the frankincense. Like others, I thought there would be more smoke here. Dry-down and Wear: On the scale of "church" scents, this is stronger than Hymn and lighter than Penitence. This is a pretty scent, but of the three I listed, it is least evocative of "Catholicism" (and I am a practicing Catholic) to me. Still, I like it.

I received this over a month ago, and it has taken me this long to review it. I have worn it multiple times, and I can't decide whether it is too soft for my liking, or just right. However, I think the fact that it makes me think, as it were, so much is a good sign. In the bottle: This smells very clean. I don't usually like clean scents, but there is a softness to this. This smells very much like how I imagine Glasgow (a scent on my wishlist that I have not yet been able to try) would smell. Wet: This fades into my skin very quickly, and it is difficult for me to detect. The jasmine is not dominating the blend--save Morocco, I find that I have to buy LE blends to get jasmine and sandalwood that does not overwhelm everything--which is nice. I wish I could really smell the poppies, as that is what drew me to this blend in the first place. Dry-down and wear: This lives up to its name; there is a fuzziness around the edges to this perfume that is indeed sleepy (I wonder how this will compare to the upcoming Sleepy Moon?) and very comforting. It's a contradictory perfume--the best phrase I can use to describe it is "a warm cool scent." The jasmine, rosemary and oakmoss are strongest here.

In the imp: This smells sweet--it isn't mysterious like the other incense/church-y blends I have tried. This reminds me of the oils that are presented at the Easter Vigil, sweet and lovely. If Penitence and its ilk are the smells of a church in fall or winter, as the leaves are gathering or the snow lies on the ground, Hymn is the smell of the same church in early spring. Wet: A friend said this reminded him of his dentist's office. I wish I had his dentist--this smelled lovely and soft. Dry-down and wear: This did not change much from the wet stage. I haven't decided exactly where to put this yet; I know I want more than an imp, but I don't know if I want this in 5mL or 10mL.

This beats all for morphing on my skin... In the bottle: Lord have mercy, this is sweet! Honestly, when I smelled this for the first time, I didn't know if I'd actually be able to try it on. The combo of sugar and booze (and nothing else) almost made me sick on the spot. Since it was a LE, I figured I owed it to myself not to ship it straight to the swap pile... Wet: That combo of sugar and booze is not going away and it smells stale on my skin...wah! I almost washed this off about 10 minutes it, but again, it was an LE, so I decided to be patient. Dry-down and wear: I don't know how this happened, but this has become a beautiful smoky scent. I'm so excited, and I'm glad I stuck it out. I know I have to wait for ~20 minutes, but it turns out lovely. This is the smokiness that I wish Djinn had--this scent is softer, and reminds me of wood, not ashes.

In the imp: Oh noes--ze fruit! Fruit scents are very difficult for me; they always smell so sweet. Wet: Indeed, the fruit smell persists. On me, this is pretty strong. I can't pick out any particular notes, but I'm not familiar with the components of this blend. Dry-down and wear: This tones down a little bit, and I did prefer it to Machu Picchu. However, I still think this will go in the swap pile. It's a very summer scent, and I am just not a summer person at all.

In the imp: Although I was frightened by the peach, I was reassured by vetiver and the presence of some florals. It didn't smell too bad, although I had a problem coming up with a way to summarize it. On my skin: I can smell a bit of the fruit, which is upsetting... Dry-down and wear: This actually turned out quite nice. The stronger elements in the perfume came out and toned the peach down. The result is a lovely, bright scent (although it does not smell like Florence, I place it in the same category). I don't know if this is a purchase, but I will finish the imp.

... His scent is soft English leather, rosewood and tonka with a hint of incense, parchment and soft woods. In the imp: I smell the leather and something woody. The woody smell is quite green. I was hoping for something a bit deeper. Wet: This is still quite green. Dry-down and wear: This has become quite nice--I'll need to wear more to make it last, but the leather has come out. It has combined with the incense to create a smell that reminds me more of tobacco than anything else (not the sweetness of Santo Domingo, but something more smoky). I'll be wearing the entire imp, and this will probably go on my 5mL list.

In the imp: Very clean and regal. I don't necessarily smell the green, but I do smell the clean. Wet: As others have said, this is quite sharp. However, I like it. It smells powerful. Drydown and wear: This powders out a little bit (it stays longer if you apply more), but I hold with my initial assessment; it makes me feel quite strong, and I enjoy wearing it. Myrrh is the strongest note here (the leftover smell after it wears off on me is all myrrh), but the sharp cyprus and spicy black currant are the strongest on me before it dries off completely.

In the imp: Quite sharp--I think I'm picking up on the moss. Even though it is sharp, it doesn't smell like it has staying power. Wet: I had to try this twice. I put a little dot on the first time to sample it, and it vanished. I "slathered," as it were, the second time, and the lavender was overpowering. I could "taste" it in my mouth. Drydown and wear: It is a shame that this takes so long to move through the "overpowering lavender" stage, because the "moss stage" that comes after it is quite nice. The scent also lasts much longer than I thought it would--I did not have to reapply after a 10 hour day. I will probably finish the imp (and apply less, to control the lavender), but I don't think this is a bottle for me.

In the imp: This smells nice, but the first thing that jumps out is sandalwood. I really hope that the sandalwood doesn't completely overpower yet another scent on my skin. Wet: Hooray! I can smell the sandalwood, but wouldn't you know, I can smell other things too! I'm assuming that the beautiful golden warmth is coming from the spices and musks. Drydown and wear: This is simply gorgeous. It's my favorite "light" BPAL scent so far. I'm so glad this worked, because after Dorian turned out so-so I was afraid that every perfume oil I owned would have to have myrrh, leather or vetiver! There is a very sensual creaminess to this scent as it dries down on my skin. I can't believe that I actually really love a perfume oil that has carnations and cassia lillies in it, but I do (Beth + lab=amazing). I would wear this as a perfume, a lotion--whatever! Anyone who likes sandalwood, but doesn't like their skin's annoying tendency to amp it up to crazy levels should give this one a try.

In the imp: It smells a lot like Darkness, which is great, because I love that particular scent, but like just about everyone, I want to smell that opium den haze. Wet: This is more floral than Darkness--I can actually pick out the three main floral notes (lillies, poppies and narcissus). Drydown and wear: I claim to be one of those people who "can't stand florals," but what I really mean by that is that I usually dislike roses, carnations and lillies (though BPAL combines lillies with other notes in lots of interesting ways, and I'm surprised by how many BPAL lilly scents I like). When the flowers are deep and dark, like they are in this blend, I just can't get enough. Languid, sensual, intoxicating--Languor is fabulous!

In the imp: I smell the patchouli, and the patchouli only. 'Tis as shame, as I like vetiver and cinnamon. Wet: I had a strong negative reaction at first--as many other people have noted, the patchouli is strong with this one. I don't dislike patchouli, but I prefer that it mix with other notes. Drydown and wear: The scent mellows out nicely, but it also faded away in under 2 hours. I was considering Umbra as a substitue for the sad day when I run out of Geek, but Umbra isn't as complex as Geek, and I love that complexity. I think I may move this to the swap pile so it can go to someone who really likes patchouli.

In the imp: This does smell quite sweet. I can't really distinguish anything though. Wet: As I was raising the wand to apply, I finally figured out what this smells like--bubble gum. It keeps that smell when it is wet on my wrist. Drydown and wear: This gets much, much better on drydown. After it sits on my skin for awhile, it does smell like fairy dust, as it were. I was stunned that I actually wavered on the "swap pile or finish-but-don't-get-more pile" question, because it did not tickle my fancy when it was wet. However, I'm just not a light scents sort of person--a lighter scent just has to blow me away for me to wear it regularly. I'm sure that there are many people who would appreciate this scent. It turns out very pretty, but it's not me.

In the imp: So that's what vetiver smells like! Hmm, interesting. Wet: This is sharp and it is indeed masculine. This is the first BPAL scent that I've tried that almost seems like too much for me. I'm not usually a cologne person, but I would like to smell this on a man. Drydown and wear: Oh my. Here comes the leather, and as it comes out, everything settles down. This is exceptionally strong, but I love wearing it. I kept sniffing this test spot on my arm. I need lots of this.

In the imp: I smell sandalwood! This will be interesting--it pits sandalwood vs. myrrh; the two notes my skin amps up the most...I don't smell the myrrh though. Wet: Sandalwood is winning this battle at the moment. Drydown and wear: Hmmm...this is interesting. I accidentally layered Magus with Djinn and created this very spicy sandalwood that I really liked. Thanatos is turning into a more subdued version of that. I'll have to try this again, as I seem to have second thoughts about every sandalwood blend I try, but I like this right now. I'll admit that it has a warmth on my skin that I wouldn't expect from a "death" scent, but I like that warmth.

In the imp: I smelled the cinnamon and a hint of the "cola" that people are talking about. Wet: This is mostly cinnamon on me, though I'm also sensing some sort of resin note as well. Drydown and wear: This stays cinnamon and resin on me, though there is that "cola" thing lurking on the outskirts. I'm excited--the is the first Voodoo Blend scent that hasn't given me a headache...now I just have to see if it works!

In the imp: Smells like cabernet and myrrh. There's something very spicy here, and I love it. Wet: This is spicy on my arm. As always, the myrrh is strongest, but I can still smell the wine and a hint of the musk. Drydown and wear: The scent does not morph a lot, and I'm happy that it maintains its spiciness. I'm really a fan of this, and it is going on my bottle list.

In the imp: Wow, this is clean and pretty. I smell fresh berries, the iris, and a hint of the spices. I'm very excited to try this. Wet: The berries and spices are strongest. This is another complex blend, as I can smell the amber and the iris as well. This is so pretty. Drydown and wear: I want to love this and buy bottles of it, but it just disappears into my skin. Honestly, I can barely detect it after 30 minutes. I wore it out to dinner, and asked my friends if they could smell any perfume on me, thinking that maybe this was one of those cases where just the throw lasts, but they couldn't tell that I had any on either. This makes me very sad, as this is a beautiful scent. It is elegant, and befits the bright jewel of the Renaissance. If you like berry scents, give this one a try, and hope that it lasts longer on you than it does on me.