childoftime

I should've reviewed this ages ago! In bottle: sharply boozy with a slightly fruity undertone and plenty of musk. Wet on skin: It's warm, still slightly fruity and now I'm getting vanilla musks under the booze. Drydown: The longer this is on, the more subtle it gets, the scents start to really come together instead of competing for the top spot. This is the sexiest BPAL I've ever had. Dry:Sweet, vanilla-boozy musk that has the tiniest hint of leather underneath. Still sexy as hell. This is one of my must-have favourites, I hope it comes back in 2010 so I can hoard like it's never coming back.

In bottle: Sweet, smokey, and a bit medicinal. Wet, on skin: The poppy is coming out and mingling with the smoke and spices to make this a really interesting scent with a bit of sweetness. Drydown/Dry: Spicy, heady, opium smoke and warm brandy. I love this!

In bottle: Like sniffing a bottle of almond-infused honey. Wet, on skin: Sharper than I expected, but still warm. The honey is a sort of floral honey now, it's less foody than I thought it would be. Drydown: I'm still not getting the caramel, somehow. Now the croquembouche is coming out to play, and it's effect is surprisingly to lessen how sweet this scent starts out. This may be a foody BPAL for people who don't really like to smell like food.

In the bottle: Delicious sugar-drenched linen. I want to lick this! Wet, on skin: It warms right up, and the spun sugar warms into sticky melted marshmallow. Drydown/Dry: A nice warm vanilla has come out to play, and I smell rather like a melted vanilla cream marshmallow. The nice cool cotton keeps it from being too sweet.

Wet, in bottle: Wow, hello almond liqueur! I love almond, and booze, so I'm not unhappy to smell it straightaway. Wet, on skin: This is definitely warm. I'm getting something smoky in this scent, almost like incense, though I'm not sure where it's coming from. The booziness I got from the bottle is still present, but it's not as harsh. Drydown: The almond has calmed WAY down, and shifted into the background, and incense-y note is definitely staying. The buttercream has come out to play, too. This is a delicious scent, like hot toddies by the fire, only less foody. Dry: Dry, this is all sugary, smoky cream. A definite win for a cold-weather pick-me-up!

Wet, in bottle: Sharp, warm, and sweet. Definitely getting the amber and vanilla, with a sharp honey note. Wet, on skin: The honey and vanilla are warming up, and the sharpness is fading, but it's a little powdery. Uh oh. Drydown: Oh good, the powder seems to be backing off a bit. It's turning into a nice vanilla and honey perfume, warmed by the amber, and comfortably sweet. Dry: If I can sniff past the powder, this is a beautiful blend. Sadly, the amber definitely turned to powder on me and didn't back off enough for it to be a nice scent for me. It's not a bad powder scent, but it's too powdery for my taste. Sad, this is one that I really wanted to love.

Got this years ago and it didn't like me, so I aged it in desperation, and now it's time to try it out again: In bottle: Holy wow, I forgot how delicious this one smells--I want to roll around in this! Cherries and cream and sugar and butter. DELICIOUS. Wet, on skin: Cherry pie, with spices! Delicious and fruity and just a little bit dark. Drydown: Wait, what is happening to my delicious cherry spice and cream? It smells like plastic, or maybe burning, and it's giving me a stabbing headache. Dry: I finally gave up here, I can't quite pin down what went wrong here, but I couldn't stand it anymore. Got my wife to sniff it and all she could contribute was, "Ew, wash that stuff OFF. What is that? " Oh, Bloody Mary, WHY do you hate me so? I loved you! Off to swaps.

In the spirit of holiday *ahem* indulgence, Thanksgiving was Mad Sweeney!