Scylla

I was so excited about Talvikuu, especially when Beth had posted that it smells similar to my beloved Skadi when mixed with Yew Trees. Granted, I haven't layered it with Yew Trees yet, but I am not getting anything even close to Skadi from Talvikuu.

 

It's probably my darn chemistry, but I think I'm gonna have to swap Talvikuu. It smells like a clean, fresh men's fragrance on me.

In the bottle: Tuberose and ylang ylang

 

Wet, on my skin: At first, the ylang ylang beats all the other notes into submission and all I can smell is that! Then I can smell the tuberose and musk. Not really getting any champagne notes, but this definitely strikes me as a "going out" type of fragrance. You'd wear this out clubbing, or, as Macha mentioned, for a special night out like New Year's Eve. It's a beautiful, decadent floral blend. You'd wear Stardust when you want to be noticed!

 

On drydown: To me, it smells "golden" and brings to mind some of the expensive perfumes my mom wore in the 70's!

In the bottle: Pure, pepperminty goodness! This is the "iciness" that I had hoped I would experience with Numb.

 

Wet, on my skin: Definitely minty candy canes. I DO want to Lick It! (But I promise I won't, Beth. )

 

On drydown: Stays minty for a little while and then it starts to morph. The peppermint has faded away to leave something else...something perfume-y yet light, perhaps a light musk? Whatever it is, I love it!

I would check the "Job Interview Recommendations" thread that's pinned in this subforum. I think it has just the sort of suggestions that you're looking for.

 

My own personal recommendation would be Embalming Fluid. Nice, clean and fresh.

The other day, I was trying out Milk Moon, and he wanted to smell. I held out my wrist and he literally recoiled and said: "Eww! Mommy have an owie?"

 

Wow, that's funny you should say that. My 3 year old son recoiled when he smelled Milk Moon also! I asked him what it smelled like and he said "Yucky!"

 

Another blend that my kids like when I wear is Silk Road. I love it, too! I'm going to have to get a 5 ml of that!

Detox is certainly a straightforward lime, but to me it is not a sweet "limeade" lime. It strikes me more of lime as it is as an ingredient in Caribbean or Latin American cooking. I can almost detect a hint of cilantro. Definitely refreshing and invigorating, but I was hoping for something sweeter. (It's probably just my wonky chemistry, though!)

In the vial: Definitely minty and herbal. I'm not getting any cinnamon.

 

Wet, on my skin: Still minty, but the mint is fading back and, wait...is that pine I smell? It's quite sharp and "in your face."

 

On drydown: I smell myrrh. The same myrrh that is present in Velvet, I think. And I don't know if my nose is tricking me, but I swear I smell something like cedar, too. So the finished product, at least on my skin, is pine, myrrh and dry wood. Not really what I would normally wear, but, oddly enough, I can't stop sniffing my wrist! It's THAT interesting a scent.

 

ETA: The cinnamon note has "popped" out after about an hour of wear. Surprise!

Snowblind strikes me as minty and creamy, but not necessarily buttery. I detect similarities between Snowblind AND both Spooky and Snow White. It's delicious smelling! I can totally smell the previous comparisons to those old fashioned buttermint candies.

 

Oh, I hope this is eventually released!

I love me some Bengal. I want to layer it with everything.

 

Yep! Bengal is spicy deliciousness! Al Shairan is great, also!

I recently got a sample of Rock Star soap in a swap, and I think it smells a LOT like Kunstkammer, but without the orange. It has the same creamy candyish smell.

Black Opal has rocketed to my Top 10 List after just two wearings.

 

It's a gorgeous, feminine combination of vanilla and musk that reminds me of Antique Lace and Morocco, and it also reminds me of Pink Sugar. My daughter LOVES Pink Sugar, and I asked her to smell my wrist and tell me what perfume she thought I was wearing. She thought it was Pink Sugar!

 

But Black Opal is not a dupe of Pink Sugar--it's an IMPROVEMENT on Pink Sugar! If you love Pink Sugar, you MUST give Black Opal a try.

 

I put on some Black Opal the other day and a little while later was eating and licked my finger. It tasted like vanilla, and I couldn't figure out why. It was the Black Opal!

In the bottle: Fresh, clean lavender and what I thought was vanilla, but now realize must be tonka.

 

Wet, on my skin: Eeep! I forgot there was amber in this. The big bully amber knocks every other note out of the way at first. Then it calms down a bit and I can smell the lavender and something that reminds me of Dorian, which must be the fougere (fern). But then the amber comes back with patchouli at its' side.

 

On drydown: This is a nice scent, but my chemistry must be really whacked because it smells like men's cologne on me.

In the vial: Roses and jasmine

 

Wet, on my skin: Rose, amber and jasmine, oh my! Blends with rose and amber notes NEVER work with my skin chemistry and, sadly, this is no exception. The rose and amber notes beat the jasmine into submission and completely obliterate the orris. After drydown, Versailles gets very powdery and "grandmotherly" on me.

 

Those of you who like strong florals will really like it! It does smell very regal and refined.

In the bottle: Smells like March Hare meets Three Witches and Kunstkammer. Peachy, orange-y, spicy goodnesss! I love all three of those blends, so this should be great!

 

Wet, on my skin: Ouch! The cinnamon (I assume) caused a raised, red, burning rash similar to what Inferno did to my skin. The burning and rash only lasted a few minutes, but my skin must be very sensitive to cinnamon. Oddly enough, I don't have this problem with Three Witches.

 

Rash aside, Al Shairan is a great blend for lovers of gourmand, spicy, fruity scents. I don't get "Christmas" out of it, but it definitely reminds me of autumn. It's fruity and sweet, yet spicy and deep. The patchouli is a good counterpoint to the sweetness of the fruits.

 

I might also give this a try in my oil burner. I'll bet it will be fantastic!

I was afraid to try Swank, because Persephone smelled really bad on me! I thought it was the pomegranate, but apparently it was just the rose because I LOVE the way Swank smells! It's crisp, tart and lip-smackingly juicy. I don't get any alcohol smell--maybe just a little nose tickling "effervescence."

 

Swank might be replacing Bordello as my favorite fruity BPAL scent!

Asphodel strikes me as a gentle, pale yellow, fresh, dewy floral. I'm not usually a floral scent kind of person, but I really like this! It's light, airy, green, dewy and clean. Not at all what one would expect the flowers of Hell to smell like! Smells like Heaven to me!

 

Florals usually go powdery and soapy on me, and Asphodel did not. Absolutely lovely!

A disclaimer: Amber + Rose + Scylla =

 

At first sniff in the vial: Smells familiar. And then I realized--at first whiff, it smelled similar to Avon's Sweet Honesty!

 

Wet, on my skin: OK, once it hit my skin it didn't smell like Sweet Honesty any more! I wonder what the common note is. Probably orange blossom. As usual, my skin chemistry amped up the amber and the rose, to the detriment of every other note. I didn't get very much leather (which I usually really like), but I smell the resiny incense in the background. The incense adds depth and "grounding" to Les Infortunes de la Vertu.

 

It's an interesting scent and I'll bet it will be popular, but, alas, it's not my thing. And I agree with others who said this would probably smell great on a man.

Rosalind is wildflowers and green grasses.

Most of the scents that I wear are either fruity, spicy or gourmand. I am not a big fan of heavy florals, resins, dark patchouli, etc., so most of the scents I wear are pretty light and kid-friendly. My kids seem to favor fruity and foody BPAL blends, also. My 7 year old daughter's favorite BPAL blend is Bliss. Whenever I end up with an imp of Bliss, I toss it her way!

 

My three year old son insists on smelling every imp, and he proclaims every one to smell like apples! Except Tezcatlipoca. He smelled that one the other day and proclaimed "It smells like chocolate!" I was impressed! That's a pretty good nose for a little kid.

 

There is no ONE signature scent that my kids associate with me. They are very aware of my BPAL hobby (obsession?) and know that I have a bunch of bottles and dozens of imps to alternate. Some of their favorites on me are Antique Lace, Dragon's Milk, Morocco and Three Witches.

I'm not a floral fan, either. In fact, most florals hate me and get amped up by my chemistry. That said, I would highly recommend these favorites of mine:

 

Morocco

Dorian

Bordello

Dragon's Milk

Perversion

In the bottle: Very fruity--mostly melons and citrus, but I'm a little scared because something smells a little over ripe. That is what happened to me with Forbidden Fruit--it smelled like rotting fruit on me.

 

Wet, on my skin: Mmmmmm! Very nice! Very fruity, but I can smell the slightly minty lunar oils beneath the surface. This is totally what I had hoped Mi-Go Brain Canister would be!!!

 

On drydown: Still very fruity. Delicious, juicy exotic fruity goodness. Dripping down your chin, ripe juiciness. If I had received this earlier in the summer, it would have been my everyday scent. But then again, I probably would have been constantly attacked by bees! Yummy!

I don't get any ice-rimmed chilliness from Numb at all. It is a very strong violet and white floral blend on me. And, I'm sad to say, it gave me a sinus headache. I'm very bummed, as I was really anticipating this one!

I have tried many, many BPAL perfume oil blends with rose in them, including Rose Red and 2, 5 and 7 and none of them has worked with my chemistry. Until now, that is!

 

Seance is a blend that I never would have tried on my own, since I avoid rose notes like the plague! But the Lab included an imp in my Carnaval Noir order and I first tried it today.

 

It smells liked dried rose petals, rosewood and damp, forest greens. It is all at once comforting, earthy and warm and slightly dusty and otherworldly.

 

ETA: My three year old son came into the room just now and said, "Mommy! You smell like flowers! PRETTY flowers. PINK flowers!"

 

That just about says it all!

Dia de los Muertos + Bliss = chocolate donuts

Very citrusy/crisp to me in the bottle.  Same on and then goes way perfumy.  Headache perfumy   I've had it on for not quite three hours and the strong, designer perfume thing is all I'm getting.  Quite a bit of throw. 

No vanilla, no coconut, no amber, etc.

ETA: Hubby's review~

"Clean, fresh, like an after-shower spray.  Not getting any of the notes in the description but still, very nice!  A little soapy smelling but like this very much.  No sneezing, gagging or headache."

 

So, looks like this one is a keeper after all, for Him.   <---He picked the emoticon 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I had very much the same experience as Eros. Snake Charmer was not at all what I was expecting! It is light, green and fresh. From the description, I guess I was expecting something slithery, sinewy and deep--like Venom. No vanilla, no coconut or amber here. Or musk, for that matter.

 

However, I think my husband is gonna LOVE this one. He loves soapy, clean fresh scents for himself. Time will tell!

 

ETA: It seems that what I received was actually House of Mirrors, and not Snake Charmer at all! So this review will be moved to House of Mirrors.