hangingfire

In the bottle: Sweet! So very sweet and sugary. Where's the musk? On, wet: Still very sweet, but the musks are finally showing up. What a great combination -- sharp and warm and sweet all at once. Drydown: The sweet notes fade off, leaving warm sexy musk. Thumbs up!

In the imp: Crisp, light, ozone-y aquatic. There's a touch of something faintly floral, but it's really all about the aquatics. On, wet: Stays absolutely true to the imp scent. Drydown: The faintly floral aspect is a little stronger, but as with other aquatics, it stays pretty consistent on me throughout the process. I *heart* aquatics, and this one is gorgeous. It might displace Demeter's Gentle Rain/Rain, which up until now was my favorite.

In the imp: My first impression reminds me strongly of vetiver. After reading the notes list, I'm guessing it must be the lavender fougere right out there in front; I get a bit of rosewood as well. On, wet: The rosewood and tonka are certainly reminiscent of Dee, but the lavender fougere gives it a less esoteric feel. I'm not really getting much amber, but that's okay; I like it. Drydown: Rosewood and tonka, mostly, with a slight zing from the patchouli and possibly a little floral-vegetal from the lavender. Normally lavender hates me; it goes sour and damp-smelling. Clearly lavender fougere is another thing altogether, and I definitely like it much better. This is a pleasant masculine scent; I'll have to compare it with Dee.

In the imp: Primarily gardenia and jasmine, with a spike of tea rose. Not really getting much vanilla yet. On, wet: Oh, there's the vanilla. The florals are still out in front, but the vanilla provides a pleasantly creamy background aroma. Drydown: The vanilla grows stronger, but it's not overwhelming; it balances nicely with the florals. This is a really lovely blend. The florals bring out the vegetal qualities of the vanilla, and the vanilla mellows out the floral notes. I like.

In the imp: Lemongrass and sandalwood, mostly. Which I like, in fact -- the sandalwood keeps the lemongrass anchored. On, wet: Jasmine is noticeable now, only definitely not the star jasmine that I had trouble with in Salome. Still primarily lemongrass; the woody notes are present, but very subtle. Drydown: Still mostly lemongrass, with the rest of the notes as a well-balanced "backing band". I find this a very soothing and pleasant blend. Interestingly, on the Kleenex that I used to mop up splatter from opening the imp, the lemongrass is less strong, and the wood notes are very strong. Definitely a scent locket candidate. Edit, some hours later: The long-term drydown is jasmine, sandalwood, cedar, and patchouli -- no lemongrass left. I still like it, though.

In the imp: Smells like a bakery. Hints that remind me of Lump of Coal and Gingerbread Poppet, plus a lot of buttery sweetness. On, wet: There's a faint buttered-rum character to it. Also sugar, spices, molasses, vanilla, and caramel. Drydown: As usual, the chocolatey notes go wandering very quickly. What's left smells like gingerbread pancakes with tons of maple syrup and butter on. Well, this is ... something. I can't say I dislike it, but I don't know if it's something I want to wear. I like food scents, but I think this one is a little over-the-top, even for my taste. It's a little sickly after a while. This may be a swapper.

In the imp: Soft rose with a resiny undertone from the franckincense. On, wet: Doesn't change much. The rose seems a little lighter than on first impression, and the franckincense becomes more of a suggestion than a particularly prominent note. Drydown: The rose takes on a dry, slightly astringent aspect, but now it's better balanced with the franckincense. Rose Cross is very similar to All Saints (the 2005 version anyway, the only one I've tried), but AS is a richer, more complicated blend. Not that there's anything wrong with RC, though -- it's a very beautiful blend (and every bit as Catholic as AS and Midnight Mass).

In the imp: Patchouli and franckincense, sweetened by sandalwood, just as advertised. On, wet: Hmm, there's a bit of a varnish-like smell at first, but it calms down pretty quickly. It's strong, woody, and resiny, and of course I like it a lot. It's more brash and in-your-face than some of the other scents I have in this family. Drydown: Stays pretty true throughout; I think my skin amps the sandalwood and franckincense notes, which mellows the brashness as it dries. Thumbs up!

That is some excellent research ... and frustrating, from the sound of it once the contradictions get thrown in. I'd heard about the enfleurage technique from Patrick Suskind's novel Perfume. Thanks for your hard work!

In the imp: TEA. The grass and herbs are present, but it's mostly tea. Not getting any fig or ginger. On, wet: A little sweeter now -- the fig and ginger coming out to play? Drydown: Unlike Holiday Moon, which I also tried today (it's green tea day, apparently), The Apothecary has more of a dried-herbs character. Recently dried, that is -- nothing stale about it at all. But it doesn't have the cool freshness of Holiday Moon; it's more of a ... well, an apothecary shop. Go figure. As the drydown progresses, the fig and ginger become much more pronounced, which I like a lot. Ginger scents make me happy. This imp is definitely a keeper!

In the bottle: green and fresh, faintly citrusy (although it doesn't seem as specific as lemon or lime to me). On, wet: the citrusy sharpness is somewhat less, or rather it's clearly more of a light tea note than citrus; the overall impression is now very green, with a slightly resinous undertone (the oude?). Drydown: Stays fresh and lovely. I really like how the resinous aspect anchors the bamboo and tea notes, keeping them from shooting off into the atmosphere. Love love love it. I'm so glad I got a bottle.

In the imp: Dragon's blood and amber. Doesn't get any more straightforward than that. Initial impression is mostly dragon's blood. On, wet: Ah, there's the amber. There's also a slightly cinnamony note to it, like Bastet, or Blood Moon. In fact, right now it reminds me of Blood Moon but without the nutty creaminess. Drydown: Mostly warm amber, not so much on the dragon's blood. Lovely scent -- the kind that, given my preferences, is impossible for me to dislike.

In the imp: Super-fruity, similar to Mi-Go Brain Canister, but without the gingery notes. On, wet: Still fruity; the florals have now announced themselves. There's a note in there that reminds me of white musk. Also possibly some jasmine. Drydown: The jasmine and florals grow more pronounced, and the fruitiness tapers off. Very pretty, but maybe too similar to Mi-Go, which I like better. On the other hand, whenever my bottle of Mi-Go runs out, I know that Eris will be a perfectly good substitute.

In the bottle: Yep, fresh-mixed brownie batter. Cocoa, bits of chocolate, flour, sugar, vanilla ... makes me want to bake. On, wet: Still brownie batter. The vanilla aspect of it is more pronounced; no surprise, as my skin amps vanilla and then hangs onto it for an eternity. Drydown: One thing I've noticed about every BPAL blend I've tried with any kind of chocolate note in it is that the chocolate fades very fast. Lump of Coal is no exception; the strong cocoa-chocolate note has now faded down to a faint hint of cocoa, and what's left is a very thick, sugary vanilla. Nothing wrong with that at all, but I have SO MANY vanilla scents -- if I want a foody vanilla, I'll wear Beaver Moon (girly vanilla = Antique Lace; womanly vanilla = Serpent Qui Danse; sophisticated vanilla = Black Opal). Still, I love the bottle impression. I plan to keep this and use it in a diffuser as a room scent, because it's very tasty-smelling. If you were showing a house for sale, I'd put a big dab in a scent ball or diffuser before bringing in prospective buyers.

Wow, that was a really informative post. It also goes a long way toward explaining why Nyx works better for me than any other jasmine blends that I've tried.

In the imp: Sage, berries, and musk. On, wet: Sage and green tea -- green notes, anyway. The berries are fairly subdued. Just as well, since while I like berry scents, they don't really seem to be something I want to smell like. Drydown: Drat. It seems that my skin really likes to amp the berries. Berries berries berries, with a little dry greenness. Unfortunately, as a result, the whole affair takes on a distinctly potpourri-like character. Darn. I liked the sage. I'd use this to scent my room. But not me.

In the imp: Whoa, plumeria! I love that scent; always have since I went to Hawaii when I was a kid. The rest of the elements are definitely there -- the pear in particular -- but it's the plumeria that's most noticeable. On, wet: Pear and plumeria continue to battle it out. The rose and tuberose are more obvious now. Drydown: Aw, where did the plumeria go? It's an echo now, behind the rose and tuberose. Such a sweet, feminine, floral scent. The sort of thing I would have turned down out of hand before; I find that I really like it a lot. (I just hope that the pear isn't the bit of Pink Phoenix that I was allergic to...)

In the imp: first impression is powerfully violet. There's just a haze of gardenia, and a touch of vanilla to temper the violet. On, wet: Not so much on the gardenia now; really just violet and a gloss of vanilla. Floral and sweet. The violet really brings out the flowery, vegetal aspects of the vanilla. Drydown: Maybe it's a little too vegetal? There's a faint harshness to this that actually reminds me of Snake Oil. I wonder if this, like Snake Oil, would benefit from some mellowing time.

In the imp: The rosemary is pretty strong -- it's the dominant first impression, with just a little rose. The orangeblossom adds some sweetness to it, but it's mostly the green, herbal scent of the rosemary. On, wet: Rose and orangeblossom. The rosemary is a lot less forceful. Drydown: The rosemary retreats further, providing a green backdrop to the florals. The rose ends up being the dominant note in the end./ A very old-fashioned (by which I mean really old-fashioned, like before the 20th century) kind of perfume. It's straightforward and very clear about what it is. I like it a lot.

In the imp: Sweet and almond-like, similar to Bastet. Possibly that's the wood aspects of the scent talking, with an underpinning of musk. On, wet: The musk is a lot more obvious now, and the almond-like character has faded off. Drydown: A very pleasant musk, sweetened by the amber, with a dash of green grassy notes. I like it, although it has similarities to other scents that I like more. I'll probably swap it, but I think it's a good one all the same.

In the imp: Wow, it smells ... like absinthe. The licorice-y note of anise and wormwood, the herbal qualities, the slightly tooth-aching sweetness. And a bit of lemon, which is surprising, but not bad. On, wet: Oh dear me. My skin is amping the lemon something fierce, pushing it right out in front of the herbal notes. Now it reminds me more of Limoncello than absinthe. Drydown: ...interesting. The lemon has calmed down a bit, and now it's more of a balanced lemon-herbal with a strong licorice/anise topnote (similar to the anise note in Kabuki or Kyoto). The lemon gives it a slightly antiseptic vibe, but on the whole I like it better now that it's dried a bit. I think I like this. Will be keeping the imp, anyhow.

In the imp: Cedar right up front, with white musk. On, wet: First impression is of the leather; combined with the cedar and musk and the very light vanilla, it smells oddly like sandalwood, one of my faves. There doesn't seem to be enough lavender at the front of this blend to do the lavender thing on me and go all sour, so that's good. Drydown: It sweetens on the drydown, but not too much so; it's still primarily a woody, savory kind of blend. Of the Come and See blends, this and Death on a Pale Horse are my favorites.

In the imp: Lavender and frankincense, mostly, with a slightly citrusy zing. On, wet: Aw, damn. It's doing what I can only call the "lavender thing" on me, going slightly sour and sharp. It's a pity, because I like the frankinscense and sandalwood -- two elements that by themselves are generally very flattering to my skin chemistry. Drydown: The lavender thing persists and dominates. Woe. I love the scent of lavender; why does it have to go all sour on me? This one is going more sour than usual, in fact, and combined with the other elements, doesn't smell like something I want to wear. I was leery of the Muse and Come and See blends because of the prevalence of lavender in so many of them. It turned out to not be an issue in Death, but in Scales, it's a dealbreaker. Dammit. However, if your skin does not hate lavender the way mine does, you'll probably really like this one.

In the imp: The musk is right there up front, backed up by patchouli and a little vetiver. The darker scents are cloaked in a light floral haze. Not so much as a whiff of mint. On, wet: Patchouli mostly, softened by sandalwood and musk. Yuzu and lime offer a welcome sharpness. Drydown: Well, I was a little worried about the lavender in the mix (a scent which I really like, but cannot wear), but this one dries down very nicely. It ends up being a musky, woody blend; primarily sandalwood as others have said, softened and enriched by the other elements in the mix. The imp is a definite keeper. I'd also recommend this to any fans of Guerlain's Shalimar.

In the imp: Initial whiff of cocoa, followed by straight-up red musk. On, wet: Huh? Where did the cocoa and musk go? Now it's primarily mandarin -- sharp and citrusy and a little sweet, with a faintly vanilla-like note from the tonka. Drydown: A muskier, sharper version of Haunted Palace, without the amber. A very beautiful scent. It merits another test or two before I decide for sure whether to keep it; will run a comparison with Haunted Palace, just to see.