hangingfire

Thanks to the lab for the frimp! In the imp: A very busy fragrance: green, floral, woody, musky. On, wet: Not so floral now; mostly about the green and wood notes. I'm not really getting the mandarin at all. The blend is underscored by the musk, which gives it a nice sweetness. Drydown: Green, foresty scent, although not in the same way as Black Forest -- no pine, for one thing. Also, there's the sharpness from the pepper. I appreciate this one from the craft standpoint -- it's well-balanced and blended, no mistake. I'm not completely sure if it's for me, but I'll hang on to it for the time being and see how it works.

In the imp: Spicy and ... is that a horse barn I smell? Egad, this stuff is feral. On, wet: Well, the cinnamony, clove-y, gingery sort of note would be great if only it weren't for the horse-goat smell. I guess that's civet? I like horses and goats, and I don't mind the smell ... just not on me. Drydown: I'm sorry to admit that I didn't make it through the drydown. The animalic notes were just too strong, and too persistent. And they seem to be sticking around even after the wash-off. Oh dear. At least I didn't put much on. This is going to the swap/sale pile, I fear. Hopefully there's a guy out there for whom it's dead perfect. I think, though, that I can safely say that my Acqua di Parma-loving husband would run away from Satyr, screaming all the way.

In the imp: Dark green and aquatic. Slightly citrusy and a little spicy too. On, wet: Now it's more of a blue smell, but still very aquatic, and a little stony too. Drydown: Aquatic, a little spicy, with a touch of vegetation (cucumber?) and stones. I loves me some aquatics. It doesn't seem all that "dark" to me, but then I'm someone whose favorite BPAL scent is Yog-Sothoth. I don't know what that says about me, but I suppose I'm consistent, at least. Anyway, I like this one a lot -- definitely a keeper.

Thanks to the lab for the frimp! In the imp: Herbal jasmine. I'm beginning to wonder if my nose has a block on citrus when it's blended with jasmine, because I'm not getting any citrus at all. On, wet: Stronger jasmine now, less herbal. Drydown: Oh, there's the citrus! It's become the top note, a sharper layer over the jasmine. Very pretty scent; REALLY different from my other jasmine faves (Salome and Nyx). I think I'll set it aside for the summer. ...Or not. Something sour has crept in -- I think it's the lavender, which I learned from Baku is something my skin does not like. *sigh* Yep, there's the "clean bathroom" smell I got from Baku. This may end up in the swap/sale pile.

In the bottle: Creamy orange -- dare I say, a Dreamsicle? -- with florals and amber around the edges. Very rich and bright. On, wet: Ah yes, my skin does love the amber. Now it's primarily amber, rose, and gardenia. The orange and vanilla is more of an accent now, rather than the primary scent. Drydown: Creamy, rich, floral amber, with the orange as a sweet spiky note throughout. This is a real winner. I think it might actually edge out Brisingamen as my favorite amber scent, although Brisingamen is more AMBER. The Haunted Palace is more than that -- just a gorgeously balanced mixture of floral, fruit, amber, and vanilla. I love it.

In the bottle: Moss, dirt, bourbon, something floral. Just the slightest bit sickly. On, wet: The sickliness is gone; now it's primarily about the flowers, shot through with a sharp green note from the bay rum. It puts me directly in mind of Audobon Park, one of my favorite places in all of New Orleans. It's like walking through the park on a late spring/early summer day, just hot enough to feel it. Drydown: Floral, sweet, and green all the way. I really like how the green note balances the flowers, and how it's all underscored by the darker, mossy, earthy notes. This one's a big ol' winner. Good thing I bought a 5 mL.

2005 version. Bottle: Roses and lilies! There's an earthy sweetness that I guess comes from the franckincense and myrrh, but overall it's a lot more floral than I expected. Still, I like the roses, so that's not a bad thing. On, wet: Mainly it's the roses. It's reminding me a lot of Magdalene, although All Saints is less ethereal, more grounded. The resiny notes are understated, and the other florals fairly subdued. Drydown: While the rose is still the main note, the spicy resiny aspects come through a lot more strongly on the drydown. Really lovely balance of the florals and the spices. All Saints is similar to, but much more "me" than Magdalene. Like Magdalene, it's a melancholy scent, but it also brings me back to my first communion, and to the churches I visited in Europe. Definitely a keeper.

There seems to be some kind of quirk in Paypal's formatting technique. I had the same thing happen. But when I got my Paypal receipt, and when I checked the history after I'd sent it, the list appeared all proper, thus: So I wouldn't worry about it too much.

In the imp: Jasmine and spices against a floral background. Pretty! On, wet: Hey, where did it go? (Waits a few minutes.) Ahh, there we go. Very jasmine. Not as sweet as Nyx, not as feral as Salome. It's the most intensely floral of the jasmine blends I've tried so far. Drydown: Am suddenly reminded of Yog-Sothoth. After dabbing a bit of Yog on, I wonder if the floral elements in Yog aren't the night-blooming flowers that are mingling with the jasmine in Zorya? The two are similar, although by no means do they smell at all alike. Zorya is more feminine, less chilly (most likely thanks to the jasmine and the musk). Another jasmine winner. What with this, Nyx, and Salome, it's an embarrassment of riches: when jasmine is called for, which to choose? I think, though, that I won't need any more jasmines for quite a while now...

A stirring yet gentle perfume. The scent of love and devotion mingled with an undercurrent of heart-rending sorrow. A bouquet of white roses, labdanum, and wild orchid. In the imp: spicy, almost incense-like. I guess that's the labdanum. Not getting ANY rose at all, at least not as far as I can tell. On, wet: Still incense-like. A little more floral now; I guess that's the orchid coming out. There's an odd, coconut-like note in there too. Drydown: Ah, there's the rose -- a lighter, sweeter rose than tea rose, I think. The orchid and labdanum recede somewhat; now it's pretty much all about the rose. I like this one. It's kind of intense, actually -- sniffing it for too long makes me a little dizzy. It seems to be more my style than the other rose blend I've tried (Fleurs du Mal), so I'll hang on to this imp for the time being.

In the imp: Oh MY. The pine, juniper, and cypress notes are right up front there, although I can detect the ambergris and musk in the background. What a lovely, wild scent. On, wet: Not so piney now; sweeter and muskier with the pine in the chorus instead of as the leading lady. It gives a delightful freshness to the musk and ambergris. Drydown: Pine, musk, ambergris, in more or less equal measure. It's a dark, spooky scent: nighttime in a dark forest, and catching a whiff of smoke from a fire. I LOVE IT. This will be an awesome winter scent, when it finally gets cold enough for it here in Texas. Edit, hours later: Hmm, not much of the pine left. But the ambergris and musk just keep on keepin' on, and I like it. Good stuff.

I haven't tried enough BPALs to offer a suggestion, although I do like Thunderbird very much for that. But in the non-BPAL world, I must confess that Demeter's Rain (or Gentle Rain; I can't remember which it goes by these days) is marvelous. Not for everyone, though, some have reported smelling like a beach after a summer storm (which is NOT a good smell: think seaweed and dead fish) when wearing it. Fortunately, on me, it smells very fresh and clean. Based on what I'm reading here, it definitely sounds like I should give Szepasszony a shot.

In the imp: Almond and jasmine. I like the almond smell a lot; it's interesting in combination with the jasmine. On, wet: Where'd the almond go? Now it's mostly jasmine. I think I can detect a little sandalwood making itself known. Drydown: After going through an intensely jasmine period, it's now about 60% sandalwood, 40% jasmine. As I like both scents, this is a Good Thing. As an experiment, I dabbed Nyx on my other wrist for a comparison. Both start out very jasmine, but Nyx stays that way -- maybe 70% jasmine, 25% myrrh, and 5% rose. Salome is totally different in the end -- less sweet, more feral on account of the sandalwood, and I guess the oak moss as well, although I'm still not quite clear on what that smells like. Sexy stuff. Chalk another one up on the "I didn't think I liked jasmine until now!" list. The imp is definitely a keeper, and I'll probably spring for a bottle eventually as well.

In the imp: Magick shop. There's just no other way to describe it. The frankincense and High John essence are right up front, with the sandalwood and cedar providing a backdrop. On, wet: Stays true to the imp smell. Very specific smell-memory impressions evoked here. Drydown: Frankincense, High John, sandalwood ... and beeswax? It really smells like beeswax candles on me. Beeswax candles in a magick shop, anyway. I really like this. I don't know if I like it enough to buy a whole bottle, but I'm so keeping the imp. I think I'll use this as a quasi-ritual scent, for embarking on creative endeavours. And I think I've got a guy friend who could use an imp as well.

In the imp: A very soft, sweet vanilla. On, wet: ...eh? I can barely smell anything. Drydown: Okay, there we go. The vanilla warms up and blossoms prettily, and there's something faintly musky or sandalwood-y in it as well. It's subtle but sweet. And goddamn, I need a bottle, stat.

Freebie imp from an ebayer. In the bottle: FLORALS. LOTS AND LOTS OF FLORALS. IN YOUR FACE! On, wet: The rose is predominant; the lilac barely there. Something about it reminds me strongly of a perfume I had when I was a child -- smelling it summons up powerful childhood associations, although I couldn't tell you what that perfume was. Drydown: It's pretty much all about the roses. It's a good, mellow rose, very pretty, but I'm not really sure that it's my style at all.

In the bottle: It smells like I've stuck my head in my spice cabinet -- sweet, peppery, spicey. On, wet: Peppery root beer -- I guess that's the sassafras talking. Drydown: The root beer smell isn't quite as marked; I can get a little of the myrrh now, and the overall smell is making me think of pre-Hot Topic goth clothing stores (there was one in Houston -- Timeless Taffeta, wasn't it? And another that was in an old church, and which was replaced in that building by a restaurant.) I really don't know what to make of this scent. It's fascinating, but I have absolutely no idea whether or not it really works on me. I'll experiment with it some more; maybe there's something it can layer with.

Frimp from the lab -- thank you! In the imp: Musk, musk, and musk. Right. On, wet: See "In the imp". I'm not feeling the love for this just yet. Drydown: Ahh, now we have something going on. The dragon's blood finally comes out from wherever it was hiding, and the musks go all sweet and heady. Wow. It's very nice, although perhaps a little strong for work! Right, now I get the fuss about dragon's blood. Very pretty. ...although it's now blending in a weird way with the Mi-Go traces on the mousemat wrist-rest. Edit, later: Something in there -- the dragon's blood? one of the musks? -- goes very sharp and weird on me. This didn't work out quite as well as I'd hoped, sadly.

Imp: All the floral notes jockey for attention at once. What's interesting is that the bit on the cap smells powerfully of coffee, but not the main part of the imp. On, wet: Warm, dusky florals. Hard to distinguish one note from the other. For some reason I'm just not getting the rose at all; it mostly seems to be about the jasmine, the tonka, and the vanilla. Drydown: Jasmine and vanilla, mostly. Hours later, all that's left is a trace of vanilla. It's a pleasant, sexy blend, but it didn't bowl me over. I'll probably swap it for something I feel more strongly about. I'll give it another test run before I decide for sure.

In the imp: strong on the lilies and what I guess is the opium. The other elements not so much. On, wet: Still lilies. A little harsh, but stately. The sandalwood starts to make itself known. Drydown: Wow, the drydown on this is NICE. The sandalwood is much more prominent. The vanilla isn't really obvious, but it supports the other elements well, providing a sweet, earthy background. A very elegant perfume, for dressing up and going to the opera. I like it a lot, and may end up getting a bottle.

Poking at an old thread... I just got a frimp of Nyx from an ebayer, and while I would have never picked something so floral for myself, I was pleasantly surprised! I can't stop sniffing my wrists. Pre-BPAL, jasmines usually went all waxy and weird on me -- no matter how well-blended, they always smelled artificial on me. Nyx, however, works beautifully, and I'm guessing that's because the myrrh counters the jasmine and the rose sweetens it. So if you like Nyx, what other jasmine scents are you likely to enjoy?

Nyx was a freebie imp from a generous ebayer. Not something I would have picked for myself, but I find I'm pleasantly surprised. Imp: Jasmine-o-rama. Also something that reminds me of Yog-Sothoth. There's rose in it? Where? On, wet: Yep, jasmine. Something a little musky too, which I guess is the myrrh. Still not getting any rose. Drydown: There's a point during the drydown where the myrrh goes kind of spiky and metallic, which was weird. Now, it seems to be settling down into a nice balance between the jasmine and the myrrh. Not too floral, not too resiny, somewhere in between. It's like a darker, more feminine version of Yog. Yog is a very regal scent; Nyx flirtier and more approachable, but still cold. Still not getting any rose, though, at least not so's you'd notice. Thumbs up. Maybe not a bottle scent, but I'll definitely use up the imp. Edit: Okay, I think I see what the rose is up to. It's sweetening the jasmine/myrrh blend, but steadfastly refuses to call attention to itself. That's pretty neat, actually. The whole blend is really making me rethink my attitude toward florals. Edit, again: Interestingly, some of the traces of perfume on my fingertips have done what I usually don't like about jasmine -- they've gone kind of waxy-smelling. The wrist dabs remain sweet and balanced. Interesting.

In the imp: Cherry, and ... cherry. That medicinal tang that reminds me of Kyoto -- ah, right, anise again. On, wet: This is like Kyoto's wicked sister. The anise is MUCH stronger; it pretty much stomps all over the cherry and kicks it out of the way. Not noticing any musk yet. Drydown: Ah, there's the musk. It's pretty much all musk and anise right now. Sweet but tricksy. As it dries further, the musk becomes more noticeable. Not quite as keen on this one as Kyoto. Husband really loves licorice, though, so he might like it -- on me, anyway. It might be a little too feminine, what with the cherry, for him. Anyway, I don't dislike it; we'll give it a few more tries.

In the imp: Cherry and anise. Yep. The anise gives the cherry a somewhat medicinal quality, which probably accounts for the "cherry cough drop" effect some people are noticing. On, wet: Still primarily about the cherry and anise, although there's a nice musky sort of note around the edges. I guess that's the sandalwood. Drydown: The cherry and anise have mellowed out considerably, leaving the sandalwood to take center stage. It's very sweet and pleasant, in fact. A little soapy to my nose, but clean. Kind of like a luxury bubble bath. I like it. I'll definitely keep the imp around for a few more tries.

Baku has the distinction of being the first BPAL I've tried that really disagreed with my skin. Not just "enh, nice, not for me", but "oh god, this won't work at all." In the imp: It started out so nicely too -- gorgeous lavender, very crisp and clean. Quite strong in small doses, too. On, wet: Still lavender, very nice. Initial drydown: Hmm. Licorice. Still, it sorta works... An hour later: ...oh, this won't do. It's pretty much gone now, leaving behind a scent that reminds me of nothing so much as a clean bathroom. I like clean bathrooms, but I don't much like smelling like one. Still, I did like the lavender. I'll have to give this another shot as a pillow scent. Husband is not crazy about lavender, though, so I'll have to use it judiciously.