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BPAL Madness!

Invidiana

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Everything posted by Invidiana

  1. Invidiana

    Shanghai

    I usually hate--and I mean hate--lemon verbena as a dominant note, and it looks like one of the dominant notes on the list here, but strangely I didn't get any at all I sniffed this without looking at the note list, and I got a sense of plum and/or cherry blossom that dries down to a hazier and very slightly spicy version of itself as time wears on, like a road in the red light district of Shanghai lined with blooming plum and cherry trees. Guaranteed it's my skin that worked this unique magic, so no one take my exact word for it unless you have the same DNA, because I see it came out as a lemony floral on most people. In my case, I'm pleasantly surprised!
  2. Invidiana

    The Robotic Scarab

    Very peculiar, this (I think I have Yoda syndrome today). Starts out as a bright pepermint gum scent that dries down to something smoky and still slightly minty. Maybe when leather mixes with either frankincense or star anise on my skin, peppermint gum is what happens. It's an interesting and well-blended scent that really does evoke a scintillating scarab in some weird way, and I'm glad I tried the imp, but it's just not one that screams my name.
  3. Invidiana

    Peach Moon

    A dusky moonlit peach on me; I believe the jasmine, musk and ho wood are mainly responsible for adding a shroud of mystery to the peach, which on its own can potentially turn cloying (bad body cream experience). For me, this is a good summer scent, because I dont do the pina colada/mango/papaya thing. It's lovely and ethereal.
  4. Invidiana

    Hay Moon

    At first, when this is wet, there seems to be a sharp lemony undertone, but give it a chance! I was a little wary, afraid it would go all lemon verbena-ish on me...until the drydown. It just turns into the most wonderful honeyed-golden-fields scent...the lemony undertones go away and the honey intensifies with the drydown. This is absolutely wonderful and the perfect summer scent for people like me who don't do scents (i.e. pina colada) that are stereotypically "summer".
  5. Invidiana

    Havana

    This is like a sweet, almost fruity smoke with added body from the leather. Like a non-flowery tropical city in a haze of cigar smoke, overshadowed by something sinister (that must be the snakeroot, whatever that is--how can something called snakeroot not be sinister?). I've never been to Havana, but this scent goes hand-in-hand with how I imagine it.
  6. Invidiana

    Shadow Witch Orchid

    I'm not a huge orchid fanatic myself--I don't hate it, I'm just not insane about it--but I resolve to try every imp that comes my way, so I gave this a chance. If I was to wear an orchid-dominant fragrance, this definitely beats the pants off any other orchid scent I've ever come across; it's got an intriguing purplish darkness to it. While it's not my holy grail, I can tell it would be for diehard orchid lovers.
  7. Invidiana

    New Orleans

    This is another dark floral along the lines of Midnight, with all manner of tings that don't bloom until the moon comes up. I wanted to love it so badly, especially since New Orleans is the birthplace of Anne Rice and the setting for many of her novels. Like all of Beth's blends, I can tell it's extremely well crafted, but unfortunately something--and it's probably the combination of two or more notes in this, because none of the ones listed react like this on my skin in other blends or individually--turns into a cat pee undertone with my body chemistry. *sigh* At least I have my Midnight.
  8. Invidiana

    Dee

    I could have sworn there was clove in this (which I love) but I guess that's just the leather and incense blending together, and I'm sure the rosewood and tonka are responsible for a bit of it. A lovely, mysterious and intriguing scent; reminds me somewhat of Samhainophobia.
  9. Invidiana

    Rose Red

    Though this is a strong rose as Black Cat is, what sets Rose Red apart is the fact that it's more of a deep, velvety, voluptuous rose. As it dries down, there's a crisp snowy feel and at the same time what seems to be warm spices underscoring the deep rose, which I imagine to be a rich burgundy in color.
  10. Invidiana

    Black Cat

    Very rose-y, and while there I'll stress there is no BPAL that ventures into old-lady rose territory, it's just too strong a rose for me, like sticking my nose directly in a bouquet of them. Too bad because I love black cats, ah well *sigh*
  11. Invidiana

    Languor

    Of all the fabled seven deadly sins, I'd say that if there was one I could identify with the most, it'd definitely be wrath, and Wrath is definitely a fitting scent for me, too (greed isn't that far off, either...have you seen the bottles on my bookshelf?) I don't know, I'm not feeling Languor...a little too much of a green floral for me...I would have wanted a darker opium den scent because I'm just personally attracted to darker stuff. As it dries down it starts to get the "cat pee" effect on my skin ...so Languor doesn't agree with my personality or my body chemistry. Oh well. I'm not too lazy to seek out stuff that does
  12. Invidiana

    Wolfsbane

    First of all, I love the story Rappaccini's Garden by Nathaniel Hawthorne, so I have to try all the scents in this series at one time or another. I'm also a huge fan of Remus Lupin and cried when Voldemort finally took him down This is a dry, smoky and sinister wood...definitely smells like something that would be poisonous, something in the garden told you not to touch but you did anyway. I can definitely detect plenty clove in here, and I both amp and love clove. If Lupin was real and smelled like this I'd be all over him
  13. Invidiana

    Pride

    I actually have reverse ego problems--often not enough confidence--so I think I could use a dose of Pride. This really does bring to mind rabitdhauteur a la The Devil Wears Prada...not an in-your-face rose like I feared, but not a "me" scent either. Maybe the scent that will help give me a confidence boost is out there by a different name *sigh*
  14. Invidiana

    Horn of Plenty

    I think we could all use some sort of horn of plenty in this recession I'm detecting red fruits, a hint of wood and smoke...it really does bring an actual cornucopia filled with apples, cherries, berries and pomegranates sitting in front of a warm fireplace. It gets even more fruity-berry delicious as it dries down and still retains a nice warm base of wood and smoke...this is the number what imp that's convinced me I need a bottle?
  15. Invidiana

    Manhattan

    I don't live too far from Manhattan, so I definitely had to try this imp when I got it, because I wanted to see if it had anything at all in common with my personal impression of that part of New York. It's not really me; a very bubbly white-tea-and-grapefruit scent that I can definitely see Carrie Bradshaw types wearing, but on the whole I generally gravitate towards darker, more sinister stuff. The amber does come out more on the drydown, but I would have loved the leather and amber notes to really be dominant.
  16. Invidiana

    Red Devil

    Juicy and delicious--what is this stuff? It reminds me of those giant cinnamon gummy bears that stick to your teeth like Jujubes, seriously, on me it smells exactly like them I have heard that cinnamon helps spark male arousal, so I"ll have to test that out for myself...
  17. Invidiana

    Hecate

    Hecate is one of my favorite ancient Greek deities, and I was crossing my fingers for this one...it didn't disappoint! This reminds me of these chewy Italian almond cookies my aunt used to bring over when I was a kid, and I nearly ate the entire box. However, it isn't all innocent dessert foodiness, as much as I love dessert scents--there's the deep, dark, rich play of amber and musk in there, making it into a deliciously sweet darkness...another to add to my GC wishlist!
  18. Invidiana

    Blood Kiss

    This is diabolically delicious. The name "Blood Kiss" alone had me dying to try this, and I forget which kind swapper stuck this imp in the package but I'm very grateful! I'm definitely getting monious shadows of sweet, earthy, murky clove entwined with vetiver, the sweetness of the vanilla and cherries, the irresistable warmth and tangibility of skin musk...it gets even better as it dries down, with the rich golden honey making itself known and the vanilla amping more...bloody, earthy, decadent and feral--definitely another "me" scent I'm adding to my GC bottle list!
  19. Invidiana

    The Jersey Devil

    I'm from New Jersey, and I've been hearing this legend all my life. I was a little bit worried about the tomato leaf, but it doesn't show up on me at all. What I get is dark, juicy reddish-purplish berries with a pine forest background. It's positively gorgeous and very much a "holiday" scent too, and I'm a huge sucker for holiday scents. Lucky I have many imps of this, and definitely getting a bottle after they're finished!
  20. Invidiana

    Pumpkin Patch I (2005, 2006)

    YUM This is my favorite of the '05 pumpkins, though all of them are lovely, but it's the dessert foodie in me speaking here. It's exactly what it says--classic spicy mulled cider mixed with warm buttery pumpkin. Two favorite autumn treats rolled into one! This has inspired me to seek out a recipe for apple-pumpkin cider to see if it really is possible...
  21. Invidiana

    Pumpkin Patch V (2005, 2006)

    This is a dusky and deliciously woody pumpkin, like a pumpkin pie sitting in the corner of a log cabin in the woods, complete with an ashy fireplace. The galangal adds this lovely creepy-forest feeling to it, kind of like Hansel and Gretel stumbling upon a house made out of pumpkin sweets instead of gingerbread in the forest. The tangle of woods is really at the forefront here, with the pumpkin adding just a hint of sweet spiciness in the background. A great mysterious autumn scent for sure!
  22. Invidiana

    The Ecstasy of Passion

    Bourbon vanilla, red musk, galbanum, ambergris, sweet clove, petitgrain, and golden amber. Unabashedly sexy and unbridled, just like passion should be Sensual red musk takes the forefront with a supporting splash of intoxicating vanilla booze, deep sticky resins, earthy and sweet clove...what's not to love? Irresistable for an insatiable scent-ual appetite
  23. Invidiana

    Wolf Moon 2007

    This is one that ends up being one fierce and deliciously feral scent It starts out as what I'd call a diabolical Christmas tree; I had to wait for it to dry down to really get the full spectrum of this complex blend. The evergreen forest is still there (with the juniper berry realy adding a nice touch), but it's been challenged by musky and bloody (dragon's blood, which turns into this delicious dark bloody berry on me) overtones that are just blatantly and unapolagetically sexy. It's also strong enough that just a couple dabs will bring out the werewolf in you. I've developed an unquenchable lust for this that only grows the more I keep smelling it
  24. Invidiana

    Bitter Moon

    Not "bitter" in the literal sense but rather evocative of the feeling of bitterness, this is a tart and shadowy scent which brings to mind the sting of jealousy when everyone else but me seems to have a date on Valentine's day. The blackberry makes itself prominent on the bed of florals--this is not a super-sweet blackberry but again, a mostly tart one with a hint of sweetness that is proabably contributed to in some part by the florals. I love how the vetiver and sage darken this blend and the tonka adds a bit of sexiness. This is bitterness I don't mind wallowing in
  25. Invidiana

    Hony Mone

    I was a little nervous about the honeysuckle in this (go here to see why), but it far exceeded all my expectations. The honeysuckle is really a background note, slightly discernible but not in-your-face. What really takes the stage in this are the rich golden honeys and the delicious earthy sweetness of the fig. There's a little more honeysuckle when this is wet, but as it dries down the honeys and fig become more and more prominent until it makes me think of some sort of honeyed fig concotion I really wish I could have a bite of right about now. I'll be honeymooning with this!
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