puck_nc

Origin: Straight from the Post

 

Initial Thoughts: In the last year I've discovered a whole new avenue of notes I can play with. I learned early on that a dark/red/black musk would amp on my skin and steamroll the rest of the blend, but that white/blue/light musks work reasonably well. Then Beth brought out the *white* patchouli in Butterflies, Flowers and Jewels Attending and I found one of my all-time favorite scents. So patchouli is no longer an automatic deal-breaker the way it once was. And hey, there's iriis, mimosa, and vanilla to boot!

 

In the Bottle: Gentle musk and patchouli, a nice sweetness, and an airy quality that could be the iris or mimosa. Very pretty.

 

In my Hair: Applying it to damp hair, I got mostly the musk and vanilla. Once it was in, it turned a little more floral, but not hugely so. Now, 12 hours later, I can barely detect it at all.

 

Verdict: It may be a matter of applying a little more, but if it remains a quiet scent it'll still do for work and help my hair stay shiny-soft.

Origin: Straight from the Post

 

Initial Thoughts: This sounded like it was exactly my kind of thing: lots of sweetness, lots of florals, and a touch of something like bergamot to keep it from causing cavities.

 

In the Bottle: Very sugary-sweet flowers with a strong citrus zing from the bergamot. Yesterday when it was just unpacked with all the rest of the things, I thought it smelled like last Yule's Nice Glop (honey-coated honeysuckle & sugarcane). But that must have been the very hot weather and the proximity of the Phlox bath oil, because today that bergamot zing is much stronger.

 

In my Hair: When applying it (again, just after using the sweet Phlox floral bath oil as a post-shower moisturizer) at first I had that overwhelmingly honey-sugar impression spraying it. But once I rubbed it into damp hair and began blow-drying, it took on a much cooler, herbal element. Now, 12 hours later, I can barely tell it's there in contrast to the faint Phlox leftover on my skin.

 

Verdict: I need to try it without using the Phlox bath oil, but my general impression is that it's a likely keeper for using on work days.

Origin: Straight from the Post

 

Initial Thoughts: At first when I was looking through the update, I was thinking "No more bath oils!" as I have an embarrassing amount of bottles in my shower right now. But then someone pointed out the "single note" characteristics of the bath oil descriptions and I took another look. I love phlox along with most other floral scents and that was enough to convince me to grab it.

 

In the Bottle: Sweet and floral in a classic perfume sense - it really makes me think of a rich sophisticated perfume from decades ago. This reminds me of a perfume my mom wore when I was little and in this case that's a good thing.

 

On the Skin: The faint suggestion of alcohol that made me think "perfume" goes away and leaves behind undiluted glorious summery floral. I think if this doesn't overpower in the shower tomorrow that I could be coming back to buy another bottle or two.

Origin: Straight from the Post

 

Initial Thoughts: I like Drink Me after finally opening a frimp and trying it for lulz, but had avoided Eat Me as being too foody and thinking currants had been the downfall in a couple of otherwise pretty scents. But after a few Lunacy polls of scents that were definitely too dark/musky/patchouli/dirt/etc. for me, I voted for Eat Me as a sort of protest vote, never realizing that it was that popular. And having voted for it, I decided I should follow through and buy it.

 

In the Bottle: First inhale - rich sweet cake. Second inhale - dark fruity currant on top of the cake. It is indeed a yummy scent. Might toss an imp into my next BPAL order to see what this would do on my skin.

 

Applying: I have straight and really thick hair, so I bend and hang my head, spritz the hair gloss on hair that's still damp, and use my hands to try and work it through. It usually takes me 6-10 sprays to get it all. Then I blow-dry it. While I was applying I expected to smell the gloss - that's what happens with my CVBT gloss and Lightning Storm. But I didn't really smell anything and when I held my wet hair to my nose all I got was the shampoo.

 

Drydown: Again, I usually have no trouble smelling my other hair glosses all day long. But I have to sort of hunt for Eat Me in my hair against the shampoo (not a really strong shampoo, but a light citrus-fruity one). Every once in a while I'll find a lock with some sweetness to it, but there's no way I can say this is strong. I even tried asking my husband what my hair smelled like and he could only say my hair smelled clean.

 

Verdict: Undecided. It's doing the usual job of making my hair nice and soft (but maybe not quite as shiny as the others?), but I'm not really getting the benefit of the scent this way. I'll try again tomorrow, but since I have a couple Butterfly hair glosses en route, I might look to give this a better home rather than overstock. But I'm definitely trying the perfume at some point.

Origin: Frimp from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: It's a Friday. The mister and I have strawberry wine. Why not?

 

In the vial: Cinnamon, clove, and a nutty undertone.

 

Wet: Very cinnamon. I'm not getting a skin reaction that I can tell, but then I've dotted it very sparingly on my chakra points. I do feel a bit of heat around the heart chakra, but it's not uncomfortable.

 

Drydown: The cinnamon gets richer, a touch more foody-sweet, I really can't pick up anything else. But I am enjoying the scent very much as I lift the neck of my shirt and sniff where the scent is trapped.

 

Verdict: I'll edit in any results as far as intent. I would call last night a success...

 

I have a smidge of Cinnamon SN and am tempted to try a side-by-side test of them.

In the Bottle: Rich sweet florals with a thread of fruity plum.

 

In the air: A light gorgeous floral - I can pick out my beloved wisteria - that gently spreads through the room and stays very subtle.

 

Verdict: This is the first time I’ve actually tried a room spray bigger than a goblin squirt. I think I’ll keep this one.

In the bottle: a lovely dark floral musk, a little sweet and a little cool, with a trace of spice.

Wet: Dark and smoky, enough to have me re-reading the note list for something related to tobacco.

Drydown: The musk emerges, as usual when it comes to my skin. The flowers are there, but muted at the moment, which makes me sad since star jasmine is a favorite of mine. I’m not getting a lot of the cinnamon - anyone who hesitated about this because of a sensitivity is probably okay as long as they’re not super-sensitive to it.

Later drydown: The musk has backed off, which is good. Indigo musk will not amp and mow down everything else in its path like red/brown/black. The florals are a bit stronger, but no one note of them is standing out. I’m getting that persistent impression of wood/smoke…perhaps it’s the olibanum. I’d forgotten that that was another name for frankincense, a note I usually avoid because of amping issues.

Verdict: I’ll try it again to be sure, but this isn’t the floral treasure I’d hoped for. May be passing it on.

Initial Thoughts: White musk is doable. I like iris and apple blossom. We’ll see what the fruits do.

 

In the vial: Very sweet and fruity but with a cool edge that evokes the dawn rather than a foody scent.

 

Wet: Orange. Lots and lots of orange. I can barely detect anything else.

 

Drydown: The musk amps as musk does on me, but not overwhelmingly. The other notes are a vague jumble of floral and fruit with a thread of the nutmeg. The whole thing has warmed up compared to in the vial.

 

Verdict: There’s nothing in here that’s bad on my skin, but not a scent that grabs me.

Initial thoughts: The musk sounded promisingly light so as not to amp. I adore honeysuckle in any variety. Vanilla is good. The rest is something of a crapshoot.

In the vial: I can definitely smell the musk and, I believe, the bergamot. There’s something herby-citrusy going on. My precious honeysuckle is buried deep, if there at all. The impression is of a classic and sophisticated perfume.
Wet: That’s a lot of bergamot. My impression now is of leafy watery lemon. We’ll see if the usual amping of the musk brings out any of the sweeter notes.

Drydown: Yep, there’s the musk, right on cue. While the amp isn’t overpowering to the degree that a really dark musk would be on me, it is cutting off the bergamot at the knees. Now I’m getting some of the vanilla and perhaps the benzoin and the scent is a much warmer one than before. The honeysuckle is a supporting player at best, but the violet leaf isn’t behaving like skanky violet does on me and the carrot seen and lettuce are not being overly herby.

Verdict: Not a bad scent on me but not one I’m in love with.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I will always stop and take another look at a scent with magnolia. Grey musk will hopefully be light enough not to amp like a guitar and I know little of orris root.

 

In the Bottle: Elegantly floral. My initial impression is that this is something my mom would wear and she went for classics like Chanel No. 5. There's the tiniest edge of something sour.

 

Wet: The edge of sour blasts out and then fades quite a bit, leaving mostly magnolia and musk.

 

Drydown: This isn't morphing a whole lot. That bit of sourness lingers and I'm trying to convince myself that it's a feature, not a bug. The musk is smoothing out the magnolia, reducing the greeny factor one would get sniffing a fresh magnolia and preserving that air of mature elegance.

 

Verdict: I think I'll keep this one. I can think of so many places I might go where this slightly older and elegant scent would be a good fit.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I love sweet pea. I like cherry blossom. I have no objections to sugared cream. It sounds girly enough for me.

 

In the Bottle: Definitely an unexpected fruity character to this, given that my usual experience with fruit blossoms is that they are *floral*. This smells like juicy fresh fruit to the point that I can't tell where the sweet pea might be and the sugared cream is only there to suggest the idea of a dessert.

 

Wet: There's the sweet pea! But it smells like it's dragged in a watermelon from somewhere. Very pink and summery.

 

Drydown: The sugared cream comes out and I think this is what is giving the coconut impression. It definitely feels tropical.

 

Verdict: I am waffles. In and of itself, it's a pretty scent. But it's so not what I was expecting and it doesn't seem to have that vibe of "Oriental" that I look for in the Shungas. I'll give it another go and see if it grows on me.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I have had good success with several of the BPAL Oriental-themed scents, with plum and rice wine and such. I also like lavender and was curious about white ginger, having recently discovered that the white/light side of certain notes behaves well on my skin.

 

In the Bottle: I agree that this is a very lavender scent to begin with. I think I get a hint of the ginger, but not much.

 

Wet: Rice wine and ginger! A complete 180 from the bottle.

 

Drydown: The lavender comes back out, but is now side-by-side with the other notes rather than in front. I agree that it's a bit like Needlework and I also find it a bit like an Oriental version of Butterflies, Flowers, and Jewels Attending with the light blend of spicy and floral.

 

Verdict: I believe I'll hang onto this one.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

Initial Thoughts: I have known for quite some time that when it comes to musk, I need the lighter side of the spectrum: white/pale/skin/crystal all tend to work well on me while black/red/brown/dark all amp to a hideously stinky level. I would get the same amping problem with patchouli, incense, and amber scents as well. I only recently learned that such a thing as white patchouli existed--thanks to Butterflies, Flowers and Jewels Attending--and that white patchouli smells nice on me. So when I started seeing white *amber* as well, I definitely wanted to try that, too. This was the first scent in that quest that didn't have other deal-breaking notes along for the ride.

In the Bottle: Honey-drenched amber, with the mimosa creating an intoxicating floral zing. This is a sexy caramel of a scent without being the least bit foody.

Wet: Hello, honey! For a moment I might as well be huffing a bear-shaped squirt bottle. Then the mimosa springs out with a burst of pink-and-green springtime.

Drydown: I get the amber now, but hallelujah, it's playing WITH the other notes, not stomping all over them. It continues to be very come-hither, but with a light and playful tone rather than the in-your-face sense a darker musk or voluptuous rose would offer.

Verdict: I am giddy at the thought of being able to explore scent families that I assumed were closed to me because of my skin chemistry. The fact that BPAL can still surprise and excite me like this going on nine years later is a real testament to Beth's genius. More white amber, please!

 

Origin: Straight from the Lab

Initial Thoughts: I want to like Snow White, but every time I've tried it, it's gone odd and plasticky on me. When I started seeing reviews of "kind of like Snow White but not", I figured I'd give it a try.

In the Bottle: Light and smooth vanilla mint. Just a bit too greeny to be frozen winter, with an undertone that suggests floral and spring without actually being floral.

Wet: There's a quick burst of minty sweetness, and then it seems to disappear completely on me. There's the faintest trace of vanilla sugar, staying extremely close to my skin.

Drydown: It does strengthen a bit after drying down, into a very soft vanilla sugar scent. The green/mint edge that was in the bottle is barely there on me.

Verdict: I'm on the fence. The first thing I can think of is wearing this in a situation where I'm not supposed to wear perfume, because no one would know I was wearing any but me with so little sillage. On the other hand, so light as to be undetectable isn't exactly why one wears perfume. I'll ponder.

Okay, I know I reviewed this, but it looks like my post got eaten.

 

In short, it's yummy foody-sweet mint in the bottle. I get the marzipan first on my skin and then it dries down into a lovely creamy and sugary cooling mint. If you want to love the Lick It series but the mint is just too overpowering, give this one a try.

Origin: The Trading Post via one of the pair of lovely forumites who agreed to split an Inquisition with me.

 

Initial Thoughts: I almost clapped when I saw this lovely tempting lotion with beautiful notes. And then I almost cried when I saw that every single Nice bath oil and perfume had deal-breaking notes. But now I get to enjoy the sugar-coated goodness of one of my favorite flowers.

 

In the Jar: It's a bit runnier than I expected from something called "Glop"; more of a sauce consistency than a batter, if that makes sense. The scent is divinely sweet honeysuckle, all drenched in sun and gold and honey.

 

On My Skin: I tried it on one elbow, since that's a particularly thorny problem as far as dry skin goes. It did take a moment to rub in and sink in, but once it did it improved the situation immensely. The scent isn't quite as tooth-achingly sweet on my fingers, though it's still very much sugary honeysuckle. I shook the jar up before trying it on the other elbow, just in case anything had settled or separated in transit. It remained that slightly runny consistency but treated the second elbow just as nicely.

 

Verdict: I would like Glop to become a Thing, please. While I'm at it I'll shoot for the moon and hope that Nice Glop in particular becomes a Thing, although I'll take it in any combination of notes that I can wear.

Origin: Swapped for it.

 

Initial Thoughts: While I love me some pumpkin and I love me some pecan pie I wasn't sure about committing to a bottle. So I was glad to get the chance to try a decant.

 

In the bottle: The force is strong in this one. I can clearly smell it from the closed imp. Very nutty, very sweet, and a bit pumpkin-y.

 

Wet: The pecan comes out in full force, swimming in sweet sugary treacle. This is so very pecan pie at the moment.

 

Drydown: The pastry develops strongly, enhancing the pie sentiment. The pumpkin never really comes out strongly, though the pecan settles down a bit.

 

Verdict: Quite foody and mostly true to the name. If you love your foody scents, you should consider it.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I hoard the original Lick It and have tried the later ones over the years. But none of them have ever seemed to quite match the original. Since my Skadi needed traveling companions, I figured it was time to try a new bottle.

 

In the Bottle: Wow...that's different. Maybe it's a byproduct of trying slightly minty Skadi and then very minty Mother Shub's Unmentionable Peppermint Creams before this, but the candy cane I was expecting isn't there. There's almost a syrupy quality to the sweetness, and a tinge of alcohol that makes me think of peppermint schnapps. But when I sniff my original Lick It from 2005 and Lick It Now side by side, they do seem quite similar, with Lick It Now suggesting a bit more sweetness.

 

Wet: Nostril-clearing warm mint rises from my wrist. I'm rather astonished how it can be so bracing and yet not chilly at all.

 

Drydown: The mint calms down a little, but only a little, and the sugar emerges. The sweet candy-cane of the Lick Its comes into full force, still holding onto that odd strong-but-warm mint.

 

Verdict: Definitely a keeper!

Origin: Straight from the Lab, ordered the minute I saw it.

 

Initial Thoughts: I have been hoping and begging for this scent to be brought back for ages. I acquired a half-imp of the original 2004 Skadi sometime in 2006 or 2007 (though I only got around to properly reviewing it in 2011). It's the most natural-smelling pine I've ever encountered in a perfume, and with the snow and winter berries it's such a gorgeous snowy-outdoors scent. I've found consolation with a couple of blends like Mistletoe or BPTP's Hollyberry and Mistletoe. I've missed out every single time a bottle of Skadi appeared on eBay. So that shriek you probably heard in three states a couple of weeks ago, soon after Yules went up? Probably me.

 

In the Bottle: I'm comparing it to my imp, which I've tried to keep carefully over the years, but has certainly aged. The imp is more strongly pine with snow, while the new bottle seems to have more berry to it. There's the slightest tinge of fruity/citrusy something to the new bottle that I don't get at all from my decant.

 

Wet: A cool but not cold blast of pine with that rich multifaceted fruity undertone quickly shifts into an almost minty pine. The aged Skadi is much chillier and is missing a lot of that fruity layer.

 

Drydown: New Skadi stays wonderfully sparkly and blended, keeping the minty pine and tang of berries under a lovely blanket of snow. Old Skadi is more straight-up snowy pines, but still beautiful in its ability to be natural rather than fake-candle smell.

 

Verdict: I am still in love and will almost certainly be grabbing more bottles before this treasure gets away.

Origin: Straight from We Love Fine. Yes, I spent the $100 just to try this, but now Christmas is taken care of for the boys in my life.

 

Initial Thoughts: On the first read, this was a WANT! I love carnation and peach blossom and vanilla. I like pear in several BPAL blends. The only thing that might be iffy is the sugar note.

 

In the vial: Oh, wow...so sweet and pink and girly! My mental impression is actually bubblegum, even though it doesn't smell a thing like bubblegum. I smell the flowers and pear, simply dripping with sweetness.

 

Wet: I get pear and peach to start with, anchored by that lovely sweetness.

 

Drydown: The carnation asserts itself fairly quickly, bringing in that unique spicy element. Now it's not quite so "hosed down with Pepto Bismol" pink...there's a welcome edge to it that keeps it feminine and sweet but not quite so innocent. Further drydown calms it more as the vanilla bean starts to make itself felt. There's a very brief stage of plastic impression that could be something about the sugar, but thankfully it is brief and settles down to mostly carnation with that sweet undertone.

 

Verdict: Please, please, gods of retail, let these become a bottle line!

Origin: Straight from the Trading Post

 

In the Bottle: Strong green citrus, all yuzu and lime.

 

In my hair: I spray it on and rub it in wet, then dry my hair. I get the usual wonderful soft shiny results as with my CVBT hair gloss. The scent warms up a bit for me and the tea and ginger come out to play. The mint never really comes out other than keeping this a cool scent.

 

Verdict: This will be a nice contrast to my CVBT gloss. That one makes me think of warm summer days while this one is the refreshing iced drink for said summer days. Glad to have it!

Origin: Straight from the Trading Post

 

In the Bottle: Green citrusy mint. The lime and mint are all up front with a tinge of greeny herb that is probably the rosemary.

 

On the skin: I slathered this on after my shower, as I always do with the bath oils. What I smelled was mostly the citrus notes, while the mint made it very cooling on my skin. Whereas Exhibit Hall Fatigue had the hot/cold thing going - warm under the skin and cooling on top - this is just the cooling side, but not so intense. It did help me wake up - I was sick this week and had an unexpected nap before taking the shower and am now feeling a bit more alert.

 

Aftermath: It went through a stage where a lot of sugar emerged and that was very nice. It has settled quite quickly - I could easily use this before work and not offend anyone at all since it has almost no throw on me.

 

Verdict: I like it. I like the less powerful wake-up compared to Exhibit Hall Fatigue and how it calms down fast so I could wear just about any perfume after it without clashing. I might get another bottle before the Weenies go away.

Origin: Straight from the Lab in record time!

 

Initial Thoughts: It's a floral SN. It's for Philippine relief. No-brainer.

 

In the Bottle: Incredibly sweet jasmine. It's like the star jasmine vine on our garage in full bloom and dipped in sugar syrup.

 

Wet: And for the first time that I can remember, I get the soap note. Clean, fresh Ivory soap with just a hint of flowers. Now I understand the phenomenon that I've seen so many reviewers complain about.

 

Drydown: Something tones down the worst of the soap impression and it has edged into white floral territory, just barely.

 

Verdict: I can see using a lot of this in a scent locket, and eventually it calms down from SOAP! If you're a jasmine lover who has no trouble wearing the scent, do consider a bottle!

Origin: frimp with my order of SN Sampaguita

 

Initial Thoughts: I had no designs on this one as I generally am not fond of chocolate in my perfume. I'd rather eat it than wear it.

 

In the Vial: Interesting. It's more like a pumpkin-mocha latte than strong chocolate and pumpkin. It's rich and creamy and if this were a candle or room spray I think I'd rather like it.

 

Wet: And now it's a blast of chocolate settling down into spice, with very little pumpkin. We'll see what happens.

 

Drydown: Interesting. The chocolate fades, the pumpkin doesn't really stand out. I have a wrist that is mostly pumpkin-pie spices of cinnamon and nutmeg.

 

Verdict: Well, it's not what I expected, but I'm not sure if I'll wear it. The husband doesn't care for foody scents. Again, if it were a candle or other room scent, I'd quite happily use it up. I might do better offering it a new home.

Origin: decant circle

 

Initial Thoughts: I got to sniff this but not test on my skin at Dragon*Con. I'd never tried Morocco because of the warm musk and red sandalwood, two notes that are often hideous ampers on me. But the nose scent seemed to possibly be the closest match to my memory of sniffing someone's Pumpkin King some years ago, a scent that I have pursued in vain ever since.

 

In the Vial: Rich, somewhat buttery pumpkin, but without the usual accompanying strong spices. Yes, there's spice, but it's subtle. The scent is slightly more forest/garden than foody.

 

Wet: A quick surge of sandalwood and spices with a hint of the carnation. I'm guessing Morocco came out to play first.

 

Drydown: The pumpkin emerges, but it continues to seem more fresh and woodsy rather than foody, in spite of the continued presence of spices. And while the sandalwood is making its presence felt, it's not swallowing everything else up.

 

Verdict: This is quite interesting and I think I see a bottle in my future. It's almost as if the original Pumpkin Patch #5 (pumpkin & woodsy & ivy) decided to drop into your kitchen, poke at the spices a little, and stick around.