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This was a frimp from the lab with my last order. It...really didn't work on me at all. There's something in this that echoes The Chicken Legged Hut. In the imp, sharp, medicinal, kind of bitter lavender and something almost musty underneath that, like a failed attempt to dry flowers that led to mildew. Wet the lavender got even sharper on me with an under-scent of stale smoke. Dry down didn't make it any better. The throw was medium, which was bad news for me. I kept smelling it even though I didn't want to. Fortunately, it was gone by about three hours. I have to put this one in the DNW category.

I wanted to wait until tomorrow to try this, and I just couldn't make myself do it. It smelled way too intriguing in the bottle. It reminds me of bottlecaps candy, a kind of fruity, soda-y scent. So, on the body it went! Wet: Woah! Pink pepper and pimento pop all spicy, and for just a split second, I got some sort of dill pickle thing going. That went away almost immediately, the sharpness toning down. Sweet berry goodness, and yeah, strangely cherry cordial without being precisely cherry. No cocoa yet, which I was really hoping for. Dry down: Suddenly, this is all root beer fizz, but like a real root beer, not the sickly sweet cheap brands, something home brewed, rich and deep. The root beer hangs around, too, root beer and sweet tobacco, like smoking a cheroot on the back porch in late July and drinking your soda. Medium throw. I'll have to edit for how long it lasts. It's an intriguing, constantly morphing, playful scent, not at all what I'd call sexy or sensual, but fun and flirty, a little bit girly. I never thought I'd like smelling that way, yet I do. I'm glad I bought this. ETA: Several hours, and the scent is still going strong, but man, it is so strange! In the crook of my arm, it's sweet berry, like bayberry, and honey. On my wrists, it has now morphed into a clone of Yewberry Infused Honey when it has been on me a few hours. This scent is such a chameleon! ETAx2: So I wore it again, and this time I finally got some of the wonderful cocoa people have been talking about. I dunno if it was a skin chemistry issue or the bottle having a little time to settle. I gave it a good roll before applying. So delicious and subtle. It's not a terribly foody scent, more like a suggestion of food. I'm totally in love with this and sad I only bought one bottle.

I received this as a frimp with my last order. Another win for the lab! In the imp, strangely enough both my husband and I thought this smelled like a really high quality sandalwood with something a little sweet underneath. I couldn't pick out patchouli at all, which I usually can. Wet on my wrists, it went through an odd, dry hay scent. Not quite smoky, more dusty. It was like walking down a dirt road in late August, when some of the hay balers have started working and left some of the straw on the ground. Very evocative of late summer. In the dry down, some more sweetness developed and a sort of peppery scent twinged me in the back of the throat. After about four hours, the scent is still very lovely. It always stayed skin close, almost no throw. I think the tonka and myrrh are making good friends. They're so sweet and resiny under the pepper and dry wood. It still has a sandalwood quality to it. I think this is beautifully blended. I'm a little disappointed that I never smelled the smoke others have mentioned, as vetiver is usually very smoky on me. It's still lovely and different. I'll have to wear it more to decide if this is one I need a bottle of. I could definitely see at least buying an imp.

So far the ones with the most throw and lasting power both for me are: Malediction. Number one on both. I was applying a tiny, and I do mean TINY dab from the wand to one wrist and rubbing my wrists together. My husband was downstairs about to come up and yelled up the stairs to ask what the smell was. (Fortunately in a good way, not a bad way.) It has black patchouli and vetiver for a one/two punch and is a seriously dark, smoky blend that stays and stays. Hell's Belle. This turned out to be a bad thing for me. I LOVE the scent in the imp. On my skin, magnolia does terrible things, becoming half rotted and funerary. It didn't want to wash off. It wanted to linger and torture me for hours, and that's exactly what it did. The throw was also huge from a tiny application. I wanted to cry. Black Dahlia was very similar in this respect. Bordello. Huge throw. Lasted forever. Went sickly, cloyingly sweet on me thanks to the plum. Doh! But if plum works for you, it's a really pretty fruity, kind of boozy scent. My husband and I both enjoy this one as a room scent. Darkness. Those of you who like Opium (the perfume, not the drug) will probably really like this one. It's one of the closest BPAL scents I've tried to a commercial perfume. Shub Niggurath. I always get unsolicited compliments when I wear this. It doesn't go too foody on me. The ginger plays nice with the darker resins, and it lasts for hours and hours. I don't ever have to work to smell myself when I've got this on, and I'm not a slatherer. (If you're prone to contact dermatitis, be careful with this one. If I apply it fresh out of the shower, I get painful red blotches. If I wait until my pores have closed, it goes on more gently.) Medium throw and/or lasting power: Snake Oil. Another one I get complimented on, but usually when people are sitting close to me. I don't have people run up like I do when I'm wearing Shub. Scherezade. This is one that I wish lasted longer on me. I adore how it smells and that I don't have to work to smell it. Saturnalia. The violet and the vetiver in this have equal balance with my skin chemistry. Pretty much anything with vetiver I wear tends to throw. Jezebel. The orange blossom part of this lasts the longest on me and also throws the best. The amber, honey, and rose take supporting roles. Dragon's Eye. I get more lily than lilac from this one. It's very pretty. My husband really likes it on me and always notices when I'm wearing it. Since a scent pretty much has to jump off my skin and beat him over the head for him to notice, like with Malediction, I'd say this is pretty indicative of a good throw. If I wear it at night, I still smell like it the next morning. I'm still pretty new to BPAL, but I've definitely found so far that skin chemistry plays a huge role in whether something works for you, gets eaten by your body, lasts, throws, etc. Only through some trial and error and some fun experimenting will you know for sure. All the recommendations in the world can't predict what a perfume oil will do on your skin. The great thing is that whatever was death in a bottle for you is probably somebody else's bees knees. It's pretty easy to find people willing to swap, trade, or buy, maybe not for every scent, but for a lot of them. Enjoy playing around with your oils!

In the bottle, fresh, evergreen, and a little sweet. I bought this one untested because I grew up with a Japanese yew tree right next to our house and was constantly rubbing myself with the sap. Probably a bad idea since they're toxic, but all anybody ever told me was not to eat the berries, so I didn't. But the sap...I adored it. I'd break off little pieces of leaf and branch and rub it on my clothes and skin. Mom hated this, which just made me do it more. So, wet on, it's delightfully crisp and sappy green. More evergreen comes up and not a lot of honey at first. I usually amp honey like crazy, so I'm not too worried that it's not sweet right now. There's something almost minty in an understated way. Dry down, here comes the sweet. It blends so nicely with the green scent. Maybe that "minty" wet scent is actually more clove. It's spicy goodness. There's something just a little astringent and dry, like bark. I really, really like this, and I am so glad I ordered it. I'll come back later for how long it lasts. I'd say it has a low to medium throw, closer to the skin than something that screams for attention. It makes me eager for cooler weather, darn it! I want this all over my favorite red sweater. ETA: This had huge lasting power. I went to bed with it on and woke up still smelling like it a little bit. By that time, all that was left was the dry woodsy scent. Still very pretty.

This was a frimp with my latest order. In the imp, strong mandarin with something sweet underneath, hard to put a finger on what it is. Wet, the mandarin amps for all of about a hot minute then completely disappears. That sweetness manifests as fig, no real friend of mine. On the dry down, the fig does what it likes to do on me best, turns artificial and waxy, like a cheap scent candle. I had to wash it off. Me no likie.

I'm still pretty new to BPAL, so I haven't tried a whole lot of scents, but I'll give this a go! Shub Niggurath from A Picnic in Arkham sounds like it might be a really good fit for you. It's bold and spicy with an underlying sweetness that comes out on the dry down. It has long lasting power and is a very energetic scent, great in the morning for getting up and getting after it! Scherezade is sweet and complex and would fit right in with a love of literature and books. It's not a total "pay attention to me" scent, but it will get you noticed in a more understated, sensual way. And if you want to go totally different, smoky and earthy, try Malediction. As for me: I am extremely blunt and outspoken when I do decide to speak up. Usually, I prefer to sit back, watch, listen, and assess a situation or conversation before jumping in. I'm quick to defend the defenseless, either verbally or physically, and I am an ex-police officer who got out of the job because I hated the internal corruption. I don't compromise my morals and will sooner walk away from a person or situation than allow them to put me in that sort of position, even if it costs me to do so. I'm not shy, but I am reserved. I don't like PDA's, either giving or receiving, but in private I'm very loving and quick to offer a touch or a kiss. Most of my intimate relationships have been open ones with good, solid communication. I don't like the idea of anyone tying me down (metaphorically) or getting anything from me that isn't freely offered and given. I'm bisexual and very comfortable with my sexuality. I've done and tried a lot of things that society frowns on, but IMO, if it's between two or more consenting adults, it's nobody's business but those involved. I don't readily display emotion around people I don't know and trust, but I don't have contempt for or discomfort around people who do. I wear primarily blacks, purples, blues, and reds, and I like a classy, tailored look as opposed to anything overtly frilly or feminine. My hair is short and black, my eyes blue-green, and my skin pinkish pale. I am 5'7", very solidly built and curvy. (I sink like a rock in swimming pools despite the curves.) I'm 40 years old, but most people tell me they think I'm in my early mid-thirties until they find out differently. My interests are wildly varied, from the metaphysical to the biological sciences; however, I am not at all religious. I love to read and write, fiction and non-fiction, particularly history, horror, and sci-fi, play RPG's, cook, garden, kayak, and SCUBA dive. I was a roller derby skater until a non-derby related injury destroyed my skating ability. I am extremely competitive, quick to anger, and can hold grudges forever. It's something I'm working on to limited success. I don't mind being the center of attention, although I don't actively seek it, and I actually enjoy public speaking, poetry readings, and story telling. Once in a blue moon, I dust off my art supplies and sketch or do pen and ink renderings. Most of my creativity runs to word smithing these days.

Aside from the fact that there was hardly any salt at all on the top of the soap, just a couple of small pieces, I have to say I really like this soap. It's not Shub...but then, what is Shub other than Shub? It's a nicer texture to me than Embalming Fluid and an even more appealing scent. I'd categorize it as unisex leaning toward the masculine side, nice bay rum, something a little woody, something a little perfumey and salty. It has a light, clean scent in the shower with no cling to the skin afterward. The lather is silky and luxurious, and there's something I really love about clay soaps, a richness and weight to them you just don't get with other soaps. The color is a beautiful dark gray-blue. So far with these soaps, I'm 3 for 3.

Thank you so much!

I'd really like to order the "13" that came out today, but I can't find a link for it anywhere on the website. It's not under LE's or the moons section, and there's no link for it in the Shiny and New section. Am I missing something?

We all have them, notes of doom. Maybe it's something you don't like, or maybe it's something that doesn't like you. I imagine as my BPAL inventory grows, this list will grow, too. Some of them make me sad, because I love the scent. It just does terrible things on my body. Some of them I just don't like, period, on or off me. Black musk- Turns straight to baby powder and then play-doh, every. single. time. Magnolia- Becomes a cloying mess of decaying, sickly sweet flowers. Arabian Musk- Smells like ass on my skin. Literally. Cherry- Turns plastic and gross. Plum- Gets so cloying and sickly sweet it makes me nauseated. Opium- Love the smell, but it gives me a headache from Hell. Cinnamon- Love the smell, really do, but it gives me contact dermatitis. As an adjunct to notes of doom, these are the BPAL scents that haven't worked for me so far, some much worse than others. The Chicken Legged Hut- just...NO. Haunted- Baby powder, followed by play-doh, but SO lovely in the imp. Odin- Baby powder and pencil shavings. Black Rose- Baby powder and elegant rose. Hell's Belle- Magnolia funeral flowers of death. Black Dahlia- The same as Hells' Belle. Drink Me- Plastic cherry ick that burned the back of my throat. Bathsheba- Cloying sweetness that nauseated me. Darkness- Headache from Hell. Bordello- See Bathsheba.

This is the last of the frimps that came with my last order. In the imp, sweet amber, rose, musk, and something sort of earthy and green, just a hint of a sharp note. Wet, my body really amps rose, but this was more the dry, kind of crumbly rose of Zombi rather than the fresh tea rose of London or the lush rose garden of Two, Five, and Seven. The amber got even sweeter and richer. The musk started to amp, but thankfully, it didn't do the baby powder thing on me that black musk does. This must be a different kind of musk. It was kind of...furry. Now I recognize the earthy/green scent. Moss. It comes out strong and clear wet. Lovely! Dry down, it became harder to pick out individual notes. This blend is surprisingly sweet and rich on me, with the musk, moss, and oak notes keeping it from ever being cloying and making the rose behave. It never went powdery on me at all. After about three hours, this smelled exactly like Zombi smells on me after the same amount of time. No dirt note, but all roses and moss. I really like Zombi, so this didn't bother me, but it surprised me. However, this has more lasting power than any other BPAL oil I've tried to date. It has been close to 24 hours since application. I put it on after a shower last night. I can still smell this fairly strongly! Now it's rose and musk. I did not slather at all. I never do at first test. I'm impressed with the balance and lasting power of this scent, truly impressed. I can see a bottle of this in my future.

For the longest time, I wasn't much of a girly-girl. I played piano for many years which never gave me occasion to grow my nails out at all, and always having short nails made me not care about polish. Add the fact I was a spazz with a nail polish brush and always made a huge mess and that I am ridiculously prone to chipping it within less than a day, and it was a given I wouldn't bother with it much. For the first time ever, I've started growing out my nails to a decent length. BPTP claw polishes can claim a lot of credit for that. I've decided to talk a little bit about all of the ones I have so far rather than doing separate entries since I don't have that many yet. The first I bought was Blood Countess. I adore the color. It's a true red, a very deep, dark, dried blood red without either brown or purple in it. I use three layers over a base coat for the most even color, letting it dry between each layer, and top it with a top coat. Dry time is average. The polish is high gloss with a very professional looking finish. I had it on my hands and feet two weeks the first time I tried it, with no chipping or fading at all on the feet and very minimal chipping at the tips for the fingernails. Second up were Maiden and Embalming Fluid, which layer with each other very well. The finished product looked like opals on my fingertips and toes. The only complaint I have with Maiden is that it seems a little more chip prone than Blood Countess, with or without Embalming Fluid. Embalming Fluid glows a bright, white-green in the dark. Just be careful and gentle when removing it. The glitter can rough up your nail surface and leave scratches. Lastly has been Hell's Belle. The color is drop dead gorgeous, a metallic pink with a gold sheen and the tendency to look a little bit lilac in bright sun. However, I think I got a bottle that overheated in the mail or something. The cap was gunked on, and the polish seems unusually thick. I've had to shake it between every nail and wasn't able to get a perfectly smooth, even coat. It also took three hours to dry fully. I like the color enough to try this again in cold weather, and since the other colors have been so high quality, I can't help but think this was probably a fluke. On the plus side, I had it on two weeks before it started to chip, a record for me on my hands! BPTP an BPAL, you're turning me from my tomboy ways, slowly but surely. All I need now is a fan and a fainting couch.

This was a frimp. In the imp, strong and incense-y. My husband's family is Catholic. I know this scent well. I love myrrh, so I was really hoping it would come out more on my skin. Wet, instead, I amped Frankincense like nobody's tomorrow, and it gave me a slight headache, just too sweet. I could catch the myrrh under it, but it seemed there was also something really sickly, sticky floral, like jasmine. Dry down, the headache inducing property faded, but so did the overall scent. By the time myrrh started making itself known, the scent had faded very close to my skin and was almost gone within 3 hours. I think I'll use this as a room scent for days when I feel a little more formal, but it just didn't wear well on my skin.

This was a frimp from the lab with my last order. In the imp: butter, caramel, custard, and a sharp cherry note that burns the nose. Wet: butter, caramel, custard, cherry and a brief, very distinct whiff of pineapple. Dry down: The cherry note goes sharp and plastic, and the blend develops an unpleasant, dense heaviness that is vaguely cloying and nauseating. I never got an actual meat note, but it was suggestive enough of meat that it kind of grossed me out. I had to wash this one off, pronto.

Oh. My. God. This was a frimp, and thank you lab! I love this. I adore this. In the imp: smoky vetiver, bitter and strong, over a little curl of patchouli. Wet: The smoke curls and licks the skin, and the patchouli warms and deepens. My husband, who usually hates patchouli with a purple passion, was walking up the stairs shortly after I lightly, very lightly, dabbed this on my wrists and asked what the smell was in a good way, not the OMG what in the hell is that foulness way. So needless to say, this has HUGE throw. Dry down: Vetiver and patchouli really have this thing going together in this. They're holding hands, getting to know each other, twining around and having hot hippy sex. I alternately smell waves of sweet smoke and earthy patchouli. If this scent had a color, it would be a swirl of deep, almost black green and rich, reddish brown. This lasts like nobody's business. I've had it on since early this morning, and at almost 10 PM it is still going strong. Once it settled in, it didn't morph any more. I believe there may be another note in this, something just a little sweet. I just can't sniff it out. While this probably isn't the best summer scent, I can't wait to let it shine this fall. I felt kick ass confident in this and got a few random, unsolicited compliments on it from strangers while we were browsing some shops today. The only reason I may stick with imps instead of full bottles is because a little bit goes such a very long way!

This was a frimp from the lab with my last order. They were super generous, and I'm so grateful, so many things I probably wouldn't have tried on my own. In the imp, strong scent of neroli and honey, almost off-putting in how sweet and sharp it is. Wet, rose rises very quickly and blends with the neroli scent in a surprisingly pleasant way. There was something a little dry under it. I couldn't smell it as sandalwood and wouldn't have guessed that without seeing the scent description later. I also detect a little vanilla or something adding a creamy note. I had high hopes that the rose and the orange would stay balanced for me. Dry down, sadly, they did not. Orange blossom amped in the sickly sweet way it has with my skin. It doesn't help that I have a negative scent association with this sort of orange due to a cleaner my mother used years ago that nauseated me in the worst kind of way. On the plus side, something a little spicy emerged, too, reminding me a little bit of carnation. If the orange won't behave, I just can't play with this. I have a feeling that without that particular note, this is a scent I would've adored. It's very feminine and sexy, a little playful, a little naughty. I've had it on a couple of hours now, and it's still going strong. I'll give it a few more tries. It wouldn't be the first time with BPAL that something grew on me or got better for different skin chemistry days. While it's a definite no on a bottle, I'm keeping the imp. ETA: And here's a perfect case of something growing on me and perhaps behaving a little better on consecutive tries. The orange blossom still outplays the rose overall once dry, but somehow it seems a little better balanced, less sickly, more feminine and lovely. My husband has a really good reaction to this scent, too. Whenever I wear it and he walks into the room, he immediately says, "Yum!" and goes wrist grabby.

As a fellow gardener ignorant of your climate, might I recommend purple cone flower, also known as echinacea? I planted just two last year for the fun of it, and this year they've come up by the dozens. They re-seed themselves, are pretty much impervious to most pests, and very tolerant of neglect and drought. They just don't like for their feet to stay wet. I used to have a black thumb, too. Experience and experiments will turn it green in no time. Best of luck!

Dad is still alive, by the way, but he's indirectly the reason I decided to try this soap. He raised me on stories of his days as an ambulance driver and mortuary worker. Back in the day, the two were often one and the same. He wasn't the mortician; he was the mortician's assistant, sort of like the sorcerer's apprentice with a little less music and mopping. Well...there was lots of mopping, come to think of it. The soap! Marbled blue, green, and purple, rather like the flesh of a corpse, it's prettier than it sounds. The scent is refreshing and thirst quenching, exactly as I imagine embalming fluid is not. The lemon, aloe, and green tea combine with a minty freshness. This soap is a lovely summer soap, but the scent doesn't linger beyond the actual shower. It's a little more vegetable soapy than the Shub Niggurath. Don't leave it wet, or it will go a little slimy, and we're back to the corpse theme. I wonder if I should get a bar of this for Dad...

This was a frimp from the lab with my last order and the first of the Voodoo blends I've been able to try. In the imp: Dragons blood, lilac, and something faintly spicy, possibly cinnamon. That made me nervous as I sometimes have dermal sensitivity to cinnamon. Wet: Dragons blood, even stronger floral lilac, a hint of vanilla, and more cinnamon. It itched a little, so I watched the small spot like a hawk. Dry down: The lilac scent dominated and overpowered most of everything else, except something musky rose up and made itself known. It's not any of my enemy musks, or this would now smell like baby powder or ass. Red musk maybe? No reddening or further itching, thankfully. If there is cinnamon, it's not strong enough to put the hurt on me. It's a pretty scent, a bit too sweet and floral for my taste. Hubby says it smells chemically, and since he's currently under the weather, there's no telling if the intention of the oil is effective or not. I'm still happy I had the chance to try it; I just don't think I'd buy it. Throw: medium Lasting power: medium. Faded within 4 hours to a soft sweetness.

This was another generous frimp from the lab with my last order. In the imp, it concerned me a little bit. The almond scent was bitter and strong, overwhelming what little bit of sweet honey I could get to come out. It was very sharp and made my nostrils tingle. Wet, for about 30 seconds the bitter almond grew even more bitter, and then it settled itself down. I always seem to amp honey notes. Thankfully, this was no exception. As soon as the honey warmed, this scent became really delicious. Drydown, the almond and honey seemed to be playing together very nicely, and a melange of spices emerged, warm and sweet. Maybe cardamom, grains of paradise? If the oil were more yellow, I'd think tumeric was there, because there's still something slightly dry and a little bitter that isn't the almond. And I'm thinking there's a musk, maybe white or red, not one of the ones that hate me. What I really appreciate about the scent is the balance. Once it dries down, the hint of bitterness and dry is pleasant with the sweet and the richness of the almond. I fell in love with O in this order, but now I'm completely torn between a bottle of that or a bottle of this. I'll have to try them again close together to decide. This has a medium throw and decent lasting power. Five hours and going strong without a lot more morphing. It reminds me some of Scherezade, only less perfume-y. God, this is sensual and positively lovely!

My first order actually came from the Trading Post, two soaps and one wicked little claw polish. The first soap I tried was Shub Niggurath. I should back up a little bit. *beep*beep*beep* Hey, baby got back, a'ight? I got addicted to introduced to H.P. Lovecraft at the tender age of 13 by a Louisiana History teacher who knew I was a little off even then, I guess. I was young enough that some of the stories scared the bejeebus out of me, which means I read them alone as often as I could. So I saw this soap named after an Old One, the Black Goat of the Woods, no less. I was enthralled intrigued and thought, why not? Why not indeed? Soap is too common a term for something that created a bathing event, but if I were to call it fthgngth, you'd have no idea what I was talking about or maybe be inclined to hand me a tissue and say, "Gesundheit," which in certain circles has been known to open a gate or three, so let's keep it simple and call it soap. The color: rich, deep cinnamon brown marbled with lighter brown and coated with metallic gold dust all along the top. Gorgeous! These soaps themselves are works of art all their own, I tell you, and I never lie unless it will get me out of trouble. The scent: well, I've seen it described as the Devil's ginger snaps and a pumpkin pie that has gone through Hell in the review section, and I'd have to agree with both and then some. It's not foodie. You'd be insane--yeah, we all know that's what the Old One's want--ever to eat anything that smelled like this. You'd still probably want to eat it anyway and be happy when your belly bloated to twice its normal size, a small price to pay for something so delicious. It's soap. Don't eat it. Bathe with it. Luxuriate in it. Let it worship your skin with rich, silky lather. Let it leave behind its scent mark in every open pore. Go to bed and find yourself unable to sleep because of the energetic ginger goodness. Better yet, save the bath until you want to wake up. This soap means business. If goats smelled like this, nobody would have dogs. But if the Black Goat of the Woods smells like this, assume that you now understand why She is also called "the Goat with a Thousand Young". Ladies, be prepared to beat the men away with sticks, or the women if that's how you swing. Men, this goes for you, too. The scent is unisex and wonderful for shower sharing. A final word. Beware. This soap will make you: late for work late for bed buy a full bottle of Shub Niggurath oil susceptible to the darkest magics (maybe) highly huggable even more highly sniffable beg for more, more, more! It's official. I'm a cultist of the goat, and I'm looking for converts. Any takers?

I've been telling myself for the past month that it would be a good idea to start keeping track of scents I've tried, how they worked out for me, and any interesting things that happen as a result of sniffing or wearing. This seems like a perfectly logical place to keep it since I come here all the time anyway. In addition to a scent diary, I may post random nonsense, recipes, little stories, or anything that seems like a good idea at the time. (But probably isn't!) So sit back, have a whiff or two, throw back a bottle, and enjoy if you care to spend a little time with me.

This was a generous frimp from the lab. In the imp, yeah, wow, this was seriously living up to its name. My first impressions were of something very tropical and lush. It smelled very coconut-y, but not in a foody, wet coconut way. More like the dried meat. Kind of woody. A little sweet and juicy, and something almost minty or like eucalyptus, but just a touch. I'm not super familiar with fig, but I'll go ahead and say that fruity sweet scent must be it. Wet, this smelled exactly like the furniture section in World Market! I have no idea why or how. I'm not complaining or saying that in a negative way. It smelled like polished teak wood and palms. Maybe that's where the coconut part of it was coming from? I dunno. Wild. On the dry down, more wood came out. Still made me think of teak. That mint-ish/eucalyptus-ish note was back, too, cooling off the warm wood and coconut. I still didn't smell any cocoa. Man, this stuff lasts and lasts. Medium throw. It got much more woodsy after a few hours. Kind of like cedar and teak. The coconut went away. I'll probably use up the imp just because I really like the whole tropical vibe, but it's not "me" enough to buy a bottle. Very neat, unusual scent! I'm not at all sorry to have gotten the chance to try it. Thanks, Labbies!

In the imp, gardenia! That was all I could pick out, wet, lush gardenia. Wet, gardenia! Almost cloying, sickeningly sweet gardenia. Dry down, violet rises up, throttles gardenia, and throws it to the floor in the smackdown of the century. Vanilla, where are you? The flowers are getting mean. An hour later, all I was left with was a faint whiff of...swimming pool at the YMCA. WTF? I don't think this one is for me.