vanillabean

I received Peach VI from two lovely nameless fairies whom I love to the moon and back for their kindness and generosity.

In the bottle: Sweet, with something earthy to round it out. Not quite sandalwood, but a nice scent nonetheless.

On, wet: This is the juiciest peach I have ever smelled. This is like, the juice running down your face after you bit into it. The sandalwood peeks in to say hi, and the pepper makes the whole thing a little spicy. I get no blackcurrant yet.

Dry: The peach has calmed down to more of a "peach perfume note" but is still nice and juicy. The blackcurrant makes it sweet and almost candy-like. The sandalwood is dry and beautiful and keeps the whole thing from being too overwhelmingly fruity and sweet. And the pepper. Oh my, the pepper. The pepper transforms this from a summer scent into a fall one, adding some lovely sprinkles of spiciness that just tickle the nose.

In the imp: Sweet and smoky goodness. Mmmmm.

Wet on skin: Pretty much the same as in the imp, but with some of the beeswax coming through.

Drydown: Perfection. Sweet, sultry, resinous, mysterious. LOVE IT. It doesn't have much throw or staying power on me though.

In the imp: Foody lemon.

 

Wet on skin: Mr. Clean, lemon edition! (though muted)

 

Dry on skin: I think I really don't like ambergris. I love incense and sandalwood, even though I am getting neither from this blend. I don't smell anything remotely floral that could be wisteria. And the verbena has faded. So the smell that is making me want to scrub this off NOW NOW NOW must be the ambergris.

 

No thanks.

In the imp: Dragon's blood?

 

Wet on skin: Ohai patchouli. Go away. You are making me smell like a mud puddle >.>

 

Dry on skin: The ylang ylang is starting to peek out, giving this a sweeter feel. Eventually it takes over and smells like something sweet and floral with a dark and dirty undertone. I am really not sure how I feel about this one. The patchouli listened and went away, but it is almost going soapy instead?

 

Hmm... into the "OK" box for now.

I could have sworn this had peach in it??

 

 

In the imp: Sweet and sand-like, and floral and yum.

 

On skin: This is the perfume I would wear if I wanted a traditional perfume. It blends everything perfectly and just sings "sophistication" at me. The floral aspect to it is not overpowering in the least, and it is awesome. I still swear there is peach in there.

 

This is going in the love pile.

In the vial: Sweet and bright without being astringent. There is definitely fruit in here and something a little more grounded. (At the time of putting it on I couldn't remember the notes)

 

On skin: Mmmmmm this is sweet and sophisticated in all the right measure. I could see this being a great everyda.... HEY WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING, PERFUME?! GET BACK HERE AND LOVE ME!

 

I love this, but it vanished darn near instantly. If I stick my nose riiiiight up to my wrist and inhale like mad, I can get a whiff of orange, but nothing else.

WHY DO ALL THE THINGS I LOVE BETRAY ME?! NB: The short staying power could be because I tend to heat-amp my oils with my blow-drier. But I didn't blow-dry my hair today. So I will keep this and try it again.

So I tried this out last night. In the imp it smells exactly like I thought it would from the description. Smoky, boozy and sweet.

When I put it on my skin, instantly it turned into bug spray. Woohoo! I am safe! I won't fall in love with a scent I can't get anymore. Right? RIGHT?

Wrong. Wearing, it morphed back into a sweet and slightly smoky/musky thing of wonderful elegance. I LOVE IT.

*cherishes the imp she has forever*

In the imp: Sweet and juicy with a hint of woods (which is awesome because I don't remember seeing any woods in the note list?)

 

Wet on skin: Oh no! As soon as this hit my skin it turned into cherry cough drops! Uggggh.

 

Dry on skin: Thankfully the cherry cough drop phase didn't last long. This very quickly turned into something sweet and a little dusty (in a good way) with some warmth and spice. Mmmmmm. *hugs wrist* I like you.

In the imp: That whole "So almond-y, it is fruity" scent.

 

Wet: But... but.... Where did that almond go? *whimper* As soon as I put it on, it lost all almond scent, and went almost dusty.

 

Dry: This is sandalwood, right? Not cedar? Because all I can smell is walk-in-closet.

 

Another one for the "try it later before I trade it away" pile.

In the imp: Sharp rose.

 

Wet: Rose and jasmine. There are hints of something warm and foody there, but it just barely wafts every now and then. This is very floral and edging towards soap-y

 

Dry: Rose soap.

 

This is nice, but I get none of the complexity that others did. Oh bother.

In the imp: This almost smells nutty to me.

 

Wet on skin: Green and tangy, with something warm (leather and incense probably) grounding it slightly.

 

Dry on skin: This is very soft and feminine on me, which is completely in contrast to what I expected. It is almost powdery, which to me isn't a bad thing as I am pro-baby powder as a scent. Really nice, but not what I expected. Not much throw.

In the bottle: Sweet clove, and nothing else. *grabby hands*

 

Wet on skin: Sweet clove.

 

Dry on skin: The cognac starts to come out and brighten up the clove even more. The vanilla is sweetening down the clove. But clove is still the most present note, which is entirely fine with me.

 

This.... might be my holy grail of BPAL so far. It is sweet and spicy and just... DIVINE. It is everything I love. WANT MORE.

In the bottle: Coconut tea with a hint of vanilla, and something sharp hanging out in the background.

 

Wet on skin: Citrus tea with a hint of coconut. This is making me think of an amped up version of Snow White 2010.

 

Dry on skin: Definitely a more citrus-y, amped up version of Snow White 2010. It is creamy and cool, and really quite lovely.

 

Glad I got a bottle of this.

In the bottle: There is something masculine about this. I am not sure what note it is that sticks out, but something makes me think "men's cologne" when I smell it from the bottle. Under that is a perfect autumn day. And butterscotch.

 

Wet on skin: Sweet butterscotch and something almost floral.

 

Dry on skin: Sweet butterscotch, something floral, and spicy incense.

 

This is amaaaazing. I am so glad I snagged a bottle when it was available!

I am bouncing out of my seat as I open my imp to try this.

 

In the imp: Very green and fresh. Hmm, not what I was expecting at all...

 

Wet on skin: Grass-stained leather. I can smell the leather trying to come out and play, but it is being overpowered by the greenness of the balsam (I assume).

 

Dry on skin: The vanilla is coming out to play, but with the balsam so present, I don't get anything resembling books. This reminds me very strongly of the leather seats in my grandpa's old truck. We would take that truck fishing, etc, which is what the balsam is evoking for me.

 

Overall, this is completely not what I expected. I was hoping for something more along the lines of a library, dusty books, etc. It is a nice blend, once it dries and the vanilla comes out... but it isn't what I thought it would be at all.

In The Imp: Spicy and warm with a hint of something sweet (heliotrope?). This seems like the perfect winter day blend.

Wet on skin: Musky and spicy. This smells (on me) very masculine. I get a hint of something almost plant-like or sap-like in here. When my wrist was given to my husband for his opinion... he smelled mandarin orange.

Dry on skin: Now I am getting the sweet and almost floral scent of the rooibos coming out to play.

Overall, this is a strong scent... lovely and warm. I can see wearing it a lot. LOVE!

Edit: About ten minutes after this, the Chaotic has faded and morphed into something really even more lovely. It is a soft spicy sweet blend without much throw. I am very much a fan.

2012 Version

 

In the imp: This has the same smell that, at first, made me shy away from O. Must be one of the honeys. FTR, I love O now.

 

Wet: I have never worn Snake Oil (I have an imp, untested as of yet) and I am thinking it might be ruined for me after this. I love how this is all at once spicy and sweet and sexy and just... Yum. It is like O and Snake Oil made love. The amazing, hot, sweaty kind.

 

Dry: Vanilla, honey, sexiness, a little patchouli that stays nicely in the background. This is all sorts of awesome. I wore it all day and went "OMG, I smell so good!" It also gets the husband seal of approval.

 

I hope the versions aren't too terribly different, I might snag a bottle of this the next time it comes around.

In the imp: Rose and lavender.

 

Wet on skin: Rose, lavender, and citrus? (Where is citrus coming into it???) Overall a very soapy scent, but pleasant.

 

Dry: Sweeter rose soap. But more soap than rose. Not a headache scent by any stretch, but not one of my faves.

In the imp: Initially all I could smell was mud puddle, but letting the wand sit out for a second or two, I get some of the spiciness of the clove coming through. So... spicy mud puddle?

 

Wet: Sharp, earthy clove.

 

Dry: The clove is definitely front and centre. I get a little of the floral note, and some sweetness from the honey and the fig. But then the patchouli comes smashing through it all and splashes muddy puddle water all over it.

 

Verdict: If it weren't for the patchouli, I think I would like this scent a lot more. Maybe a layering note, but definitely not one I would wear alone.

In the imp: Rose. Real rose, like when I go outside and stick my nose in the flowers growing there. Occasionally I get a waft of something sweet, and sometimes something powdery.

 

Wet: Rose and lychee soap.

 

Dry: Rose and lychee soap.

 

Verdict: I like rose. It is one of the florals that doesn't give me a headache, so while this is not something I would a) slather or grabbyhands for a bottle of... it is a wearable scent. It might also be fun to try layering it with others, since this is pretty much single note rose on me.

In the imp: Almondy goodness, but grounded. Not too sweet. Just pretty much perfect.

Wet on skin: Sweetens up almost instantly. This isn't a bad thing. I can still smell the spiciness of the Snake Oil, but it is playing SO nicely with the sweet almond, and the mandarin is giving it all a juicy feel.

Drydown: No.... no no no no no! Plastic. Powder. Dust. Why can't this have stayed like it was wet?

 

I don't hate it, but I don't love it. Wet I was thinking to myself "Oh my gosh, WHY do I only have an imp... WHY didn't I discover this while it was still around?!"

But wearing, I am happy with an imp. It will go in my "Wearable" case, but it is not a *grabbyhands* scent

In vial: Cool and creamy coconut, hint of floral.

Wet on skin: Vanilla and coconut. Still that really tiny hint of floral, but it is behaving.

As it is drying down, I get more of the floral and less of the coconut. The hazelnut is just king of hanging back, trying to ground it all out.

Dry: The coconut and the iris are battling it out. Sometimes one is on the top, and sometimes the other is.

 

Verdict: I like this coconut better than Tiki Princess. This still smells suntan-lotion-esque on me depending on how it is playing, but it is a much more mature suntan lotion. The coconut is far more true, more like fresh coconut meat rather than sugared coconut flakes. But, when the iris is winning the battle of the notes, this blend gives me a headache. So, while I am quite a fan of it, it might not get much wear for a while. Also, definitely a summer/warm weather blend. Not something I would wear in the winter, I don't think.

I just tried Veronica from the set of Courtesans decants I got forever ago. Finally a floral that doesn't trigger an immediate headache!!

Is there something similar to this in the GC?

Sleeping Nymphs and Satyrs was very woodsy/cologny on me.

It lists rose and vanilla (twice), and I normally amp vanilla. But I got a really deep woodsy scent from it.

I am getting married in June (like, a month away) and am trying to find my perfect scent.

 

I also want to find one that I don't feel embarassed saying the name of.

i.e. I love Copulating Mice, but if my fiance's mother asked me what I was wearing, I would have a fit.

 

Some of my go-to scents:

- Tamora

- Dorian

- The Mouse's Long and Sad Tale

- Harlequin and Columbine

 

I don't want anything too terribly heavy, more of a... "My, you smell lovely!" type thing. Maybe something more on the floral fruity side (but not to floral, I get a headache from say, The Unicorn). I love vanilla. LOVE. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE.

 

Congrats! I don't like all vanillas but I do love Dorian so I'm hoping our tastes are somewhat similar

I think some of my favorite summer scents would appeal to you: Lady Una (if blackberry works on you), Tattered Lace, Black Lace (the appley version is pretty rather than overtly sultry), Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand (reviews are very mixed but I love it).

 

I'm also one of those who likes Snow White as a bridal scent. Though it smells a bit like a Pina Colada on me, I still think it gives off a lovely cool confident vibe & your chemistry may be better with it than mine.

 

Thanks! Lady Una, Tattered Lace, and Black Lace are all on my to-try list. Autumn Moon looks interesting, but I tend to amp boozy scents. I don't want to smell drunk...

 

I have some Snow White... 2011 I think (maybe 2010). I should pull it out and give it a whirl.

 

I am getting married in June (like, a month away) and am trying to find my perfect scent.

 

I also want to find one that I don't feel embarassed saying the name of.

i.e. I love Copulating Mice, but if my fiance's mother asked me what I was wearing, I would have a fit.

 

Some of my go-to scents:

- Tamora

- Dorian

- The Mouse's Long and Sad Tale

- Harlequin and Columbine

 

I don't want anything too terribly heavy, more of a... "My, you smell lovely!" type thing. Maybe something more on the floral fruity side (but not to floral, I get a headache from say, The Unicorn). I love vanilla. LOVE. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE.

You might be really liking Blossoms in Springtime, it's a very lush vanilla scent, and that isn't a bad name.

I suggest you wear Copulating Mice, just tell your MIL "Oh thank you! It's Mice F**ing!" could you imagine....

 

Blossoms sounds amazing.

 

Also LOL I think I would die.

I also have an imp here somewhere of one of the Vulva scents (burning, iirc).

"My, you smell lovely. What is that perfume?"

"Oh, its just my Burning Vulva."