Lycanthrope

In the Bottle or Imp: Myrhh, it's mostly what I get. A hint of frankincense too, this is like snorfing a bowl of mixed resins before they're lit with charcoal. Very true to the resins. Wet, on Skin: This is great! I feel calmer already... this reminds me of very holy places, where I feel out of place for being an atheist but can feel the energy faith has imparted to a location. Drying/Drydown: Whoa, this myrrh is dark, and bitter. Over Time/Longterm: Eep. The myrrh just took over, and it's too much. Pungent. Final Verdict? It was good up until the myrrh, very true, took over. I might keep the imp and use it as a room scent.

Probably no new stunning revelations, but how can I get away without reviewing this? In the Bottle or Imp: Vanilla, with a hint of peppery spices. Wet, on Skin: Vanilla... maybe a little ginger, cardamom, pepper. Drying/Drydown: A warm, ambery vanilla... creamy and sweet. Over Time/Longterm: Doesn't change much. Final Verdict? Fairly one-dimensional for a BPAL scent, but it's nice. I can see why it's wildly popular... I've never really been a vanilla guy myself. Keeping the imp for tradition's sake.

In the Bottle or Imp: Lavender, with sweet honeyed amber and a drop of musk. Wet, on Skin: Oh! That's tonka, not honey. I'd recognize that slightly burnt vanilla anywhere... mmm. The initial lavender burst has subsided into light floral with amber and spice tones. Definitely nag champa incense, I can envision the wispy smoke. Drying/Drydown: An incensy, floral musk. Very exotic, and unique. Over Time/Longterm: Sweetens a touch due to the tonka, stays a nice, spicy musk with light sharp floral remnants. Final Verdict? This is good, very good. I may have to bottle this one.

In the Bottle or Imp: I think this may have the 'barest touch of juniper' mislabeled, because that is all that I smell when I uncork the imp. It's very potently eucalyptus, refreshing, astringent and medicinal all at once. Wet, on Skin: Cool and minty sensation on the skin, a pure eucalyptus tempered with a little sweet pepperming. Drying/Drydown: Peppermint, dry woods, cedar and eucalypt. Over Time/Longterm: Sweet, mild, rosemary mint with a touch of eucalyptus. Final Verdict? Really not what I was expecting from the name and description, and certainly doesn't bring to mind werewolves. Maybe a refreshing, misty forest, but not lycanthropes

The pearl of the Italian Renaissance. Elegant iris, bright berries, gilded amber and velvety spices. In the Bottle or Imp: This is a sweet and delicate floral in the imp, with maybe a hint of amber, plenty of gentle iris/orris over it all. Wet, on Skin: There's a burst of berry, but it's not overpowering or strong. It stays just underneath the soft resins and sweet, somewhat aquatic iris. Drying/Drydown: Iris, woodsy wildberries and soft sparkling resin. Over Time/Longterm: Wet and powdery floral amber. Final Verdict? Not bad. But, not big bottleworthy.

In the Bottle or Imp: Grapefruit and citrus, mostly. A touch of yuzu? A little floral. Wet, on Skin: Still a very bright citrus, there's ozone trying to get past it but I amped the grapefruit up Drying/Drydown: Here's a tiny grassy note peeking meekly, I think it's a bamboo freshness. The citrus is fading some, and the blend feels colder than it did before. Over Time/Longterm: Citrus with a light grass note and powdery floral. Final Verdict? Not my thing. Swap!

In the Bottle or Imp: Sweet, fresh vetiver, bright citrus and a touch of spices. Wet, on Skin: Wet soapy herbal, with a bright grassy topnote. Drying/Drydown: Sandalwood, lemon, and a slightly pungent dry wood base. Over Time/Longterm: Minty fresh with dry woods. Final Verdict? This is very much like Bath and Body Works' 2003 release of Vetyver, a slightly spicy, sweet and warm herbal blend with a very grassy feel. There's even that similar mint-yet-not-mint aspect of the fragrance.

In the Bottle or Imp: Um. Cauliflower. Oh my. That's all I get. Oh no. Wet, on Skin: A rousing blend of dragon's blood and... steamed cauliflower. Not working on me. Drying/Drydown: No, no, ugh. This has become steamed vegetables on my skin. It's the vetiver, which in this case doesn't work with me and makes it very... pungent. Not in a good way. Over Time/Longterm: Eventually becomes a cinnamon resin, but I cannot completely shake off the vegetable aroma. Final Verdict? Ah, this time vetiver turned bad on me. This must be the famed vetiver reaction Swap to someone who this works on!

In the Bottle or Imp: Apple floral with a gentle herbal base, maybe some light wildflowers. Wet, on Skin: Fruits have appeared... it's kind of apple-pineappley, very bright and airy florals here, not rose, jasmine, or any deep, potent floral. Drying/Drydown: Oops. It's gone nondescriptly soapy. Maybe with a touch of dry herbs. Over Time/Longterm: Kind of like LUSH's Rainbow Worrier, what with the dry and dusty herbs at the base. However, the soapy floral never really goes away. Final Verdict? Sigh. Soap. Swap.

In the Bottle or Imp: Kind of rosey floral with mild peppery herbs... and vanilla. Wet, on Skin: Creamy vanilla with a hint of sandalwood, rose, ylang-ylang and jasmine. Drying/Drydown: Oooh! Patchouli and sugar? How strange! And the jasmine really pops out here, but the entire fragrance is sweetening... Over Time/Longterm: Patchouli and strawberry? Rose and Jasmine? It's a very feminine, alluringly sweet and yet similarly sexy fragrance... Final Verdict? ... just not on me. I can't pull off sugared vanilla strawberry

In the Bottle or Imp: Dragon's blood resin with a slight minty green herbal essence to it. There's also a tiny pungent cherry-musk kick. Wet, on Skin: Warm, sweet and sensual resin with a touch of fruity green, earthy berry. Drying/Drydown: Slightly tart, berry scent hovering above the wet, resinous notes. Over Time/Longterm: Very red resin notes with a light fruit overtone. Final Verdict? Pleasant, but the fruit sort of knocks this one out of possible loves. Keeping the imp for when I feel like it... but not a bottle.

In the Bottle or Imp: Pine, cypress, and other forest woods mixed with a pungent musk. Wet, on Skin: Pine, pine... a hint of brighter green, but not much. Eucalyptus? Drying/Drydown: The musk comes out to play with the pine. An interesting combination, like an evil forest glen. Over Time/Longterm: Deep, slightly woodsy musk... Final Verdict? I like it, but there are lots of other much more complex BPAL blends that I prefer. This is very remniscent of Dracul to me, without the extra sweet and complicated top notes.

This starts out so weird on me, but turns into absolute wonder. In the Bottle or Imp: Bitter resins and dark green, mulched herbs, with a citrussy, sweet and yet dry punch. It at this point is not pleasant to me at all... I get a hit of benzoin and galbanum mixing together that just makes me cringe. Wet, on Skin: A very lightly honeyed, basil-like herbal with a bunch of sweet resins and incense notes roiling underneath. Drying/Drydown: I get cypress at this point, but the primary fragrance is still that of a deliciously honeyed resin, coupled with dry, crushed herbs and sweet incense smoke. Over Time/Longterm: Deliciously mysterious. Even weak, it's like nothing I've ever used before. Final Verdict? Oh yeah, this is a big bottle.

In the Bottle or Imp: Musk with a bright lily or tuberose overtone. Wet, on Skin: A very well blended floral! I can hardly pick out any of the notes individually, but it just sings 'Hail, for I am a glorious floral,' all the while dancing carefully over the musk base without overpowering it. Drying/Drydown: Jasmine jumps to the front here. I must amp it like rose and lily, but not to the same degree. Plus, I like jasmine, so no beef here. There may be some rose as well, but all the florals hold together and nothing goes out of check. Over Time/Longterm: This reminds me of Aveda. That same spicy, musky, woodsy floral with primary notes of rose and jasmine... I do like Aveda, however, and this is just like their Chakra line, complex and natural aromas that are unisex and unique. Final Verdict? Mmm. I don't know if this is bottleworthy since I have so much Aveda stuff leftover, and this is also another 'in the mood' fragrance.

In the Bottle or Imp: Spicy resin with a slightly aquatic floral. That would be the iris/orris... It's not as dark or deep as I expected it to be, and was my first Ars Draconis tested. Wet, on Skin: Sweet, with a hint of light musk, still with the pungency of dragon's blood resin. However, here it's very severely tempered by the dry notes of sandalwood and orris. Drying/Drydown: Odd, somewhat disturbing light floral woodsy note... with something richer trying to get out. Perhaps bones steeped with powerful magic. Over Time/Longterm: Goes mildly citrusy and powdery on me. Too bad. Final Verdict? Swap. It's nice, but just... eerie, and not my thing. Same effect with most of the Funereal Oils as well... they just don't sit well with me.

In the Bottle or Imp: Smack! Honey and wine. It's very sweet, very potent. I get a strong cherry whiff, too, which knocks me back some. Little imp. Lots of power. Wet, on Skin: Very edible honey aroma - it's dripping from the combs, and I'm sitting in full sun chewing on a touch of comb with some sweet red wine in my other hand. Drying/Drydown: Very syrupy, sugary honey. The wine is receding a bit, but this scent doesn't shift much. Over Time/Longterm: Potent golden honey. Final Verdict? A mood scent. The imp will last me... I have to be in the right state of mind to enjoy this one, as it is very luxurious, heady, bright and golden, which I'm... not

In the Bottle or Imp: A delicate floral on a base of darker, mellow woods. Definitely not cedar, pine, cypress, or darker woody scents like patchouli, more rosewood, mahogony, teak. Wet, on Skin: Punch of rose, which thankfully retreats behind the lilac curtain (to torture me some other day). Definitely getting more and more of the creamy teakwood aroma. Drying/Drydown: Rose curse returns, althought the pungent, grounded teak is doing its best to repel the screamin' rose on my skin. Over Time/Longterm: Less rosy than most rose-included blends that have gone wrong on my skin. It is definitely evocative - I think of a wooden chest or cabinet used to store perfume for years that has captured the combined little droplets of perfume from time to time, and now smells like none of them and all of them at the same time.

In the Bottle or Imp: Smells like... anise and bananas? That strange uberfruit scent that one gets when mixing a shake and you've just thrown in the banana. Very odd. Wet, on Skin: Quite pungent, very powerful citrus, and definitely a strong hit of anise. There's a slight alcoholic note here too, and a touch of mint. Drying/Drydown: Um. This smells like ouzo. Alcohol and anise. Over Time/Longterm: Faint minty anise ouzo. Final Verdict? I envision ouzo more than absinthe, because this scent doesn't scream 'green' to me, but I see more glasses of clear, potent and very alcoholic anise.

In the Bottle or Imp: Minty herbal, with a touch of lavender, not too much, and a definite citrus base. Wet, on Skin: Sweet peppermint and lavender, with a strangely pungent cooking herb undercurrent... Drying/Drydown: Slightly leathery, fabric scent, minty with a touch of bitter tea. Over Time/Longterm: Goes to a soapy, faint mint on my skin. Final Verdict? Interesting, but not a keeper.

In the Bottle or Imp: Delicious cocoa, chocolate and vanilla. It's really nice here. A touch of nut? Wet, on Skin: Mmm... chocolate. Oh... wait... Drying/Drydown: Dry sandalwood appears here, and the cocoa vanilla fades. Over Time/Longterm: The chocolate doesn't return... it's mostly a dry and powdery sandalwood now. Final Verdict? Applying this to my clothes or to a burner maintains the scent much better. It's not for wearing on me however...

Ugh, had hopes for this one. In the Bottle or Imp: Lemongrass and a swirling of dry, acrid woods. Wet, on Skin: Lemongrass, oh my goodness. I also get cedar. Drying/Drydown: A distinctly to my nose unpleasing combination of lemongrass and bitter sandalwood. Over Time/Longterm: Sweet and still quite lemony, with a dry woods base. Final Verdict? I cannot pull off lemongrass or lemon. Oh, well. Swap!

In the Bottle or Imp: Sharp, light herbal floral. A bit astringent. Wet, on Skin: Hello, deep and dark berries! There's a hint of grassy, very green herbal. Like when you're in a field and crushing grass between your fingertips and there are faintly fragranced flowers around. Drying/Drydown: Gets a touch lemony, and adopts a currant-like fruit tone on top of the green floral. Over Time/Longterm: Basically goes floral with just a hint of berry. Kind of Body Shop Dewberryesque. Final Verdict? Pleasant, but not really a keeper.

In the Bottle or Imp: Lemon, a hint of lemongrass, and perhaps a minty eucalyptus. Lemon always turns on me, so keeping my fingers crossed... Wet, on Skin: Geez! Soooo lemon, and it goes from rind-oil lemon to an herbal lemongrass. I was expecting hemlock to be... less bright! Drying/Drydown: Slightly minty lemongrass herbal, soapy florals emerging... Over Time/Longterm: Soapy lemon. Um. Final Verdict? Yikes. Not my thing at all. I think my skin decided to spite me by mutating this beyond all reason.

Again, crossing the gender boundaries I smell like a bouquet of flowers. Heh heh. In the Bottle or Imp: Lilac and jasmine. Both are blended well, so it comes across as a sweet, balanced, slightly spicy and powdery floral. Wet, on Skin: Lilac, my word. Drying/Drydown: Something here grips my lungs, oddly... I don't know what it is. Regardless, it goes away (thank goodness) and now the florals suddenly combine to make a tuberose, lilac and jasmine blend... with a hint of something dour and wet. Wisteria? Over Time/Longterm: Muguet and a touch of lily (well, actually, I amp lily so it's probably not...) A very well blended, dark and moody floral. Final Verdict? Pretty. Keep imp.

I really could have sworn I reviewed this one already. Hm. I guess I'm getting it mixed up with Storm Moon. In the Bottle or Imp: Bright, very much like Sea of Glass, a perfumey, sharp ozonic aquatic. Definitely not a seashore or breeze aroma, this is air rent by energy. Wet, on Skin: Gardenia and grapefruit to me, immediately, with a touch of green, plantlike aquatic notes. Very sharp, and reminds me of standing in an orchard or garden, the wet leaves around me shivering as thunder and lightning play above. Drying/Drydown: Oops. It's getting a touch of the dryer sheet here, but it's a dryer sheet that is crackling with power. Power, I say! Soften those sheets! Crack! Over Time/Longterm: Even with a reduction in overall strength, there's still a sharp bite to the fragrance. Impressive. Final Verdict? Maybe a touch too sharp for me, as excessive amounts eventually cause a slight headache. Not a salty ocean drydown like my beloved Kingsport.