Christine Daae

The essence of innocence shattered: glittering Egyptian amber and heliotrope, infused with the sweetness of strawberry and vanilla - dragged into debauch by lusty red musk and a dribble of black cherry. In the bottle: Strawberry-sweet! Wet: Still sticky-sweet strawberry, plus the sweet cherry, and a bit of the musk, too. Very sweet! Drydown: More strawberry, less cherry, and the vanilla starts to peek out. While wearing: Oh, I am so-so-so glad that I ordered a 5mL of this. This is so sticky-sweet and glittery. This is so very Hollywood ingenue, I can't even stand it. More Marilyn than Grace or Audrey. This has the same vibe as Lolita, to me, but it's like Lolita in her glamourous red-lipsticked wannabe-starlet phase. Definitely encapsulates the idea of a girl going off to Hollywood to become a star and getting lost on the casting couch. Vanilla-strawberry-heliotrope sweet yumminess.

In the bottle: Soapy vanilla. Wet: Still a bit soapy, but definitely more vanilla. Drydown: This gets warmer and vanilla-y-er as it dries. I can still smell the flowers...it's such an odd, pretty, "white" combination. While wearing: This is very lovely. This is the second that I've tried today that's made me wish I had held off making an order yesterday (the other was Fae). This is very warm and nostalgic and still a little soapy (I imagine that there must be lily in here somewhere), but not in an unpleasant way. Pretty. <3

In the bottle: Fruity! And...I swear I smell anise. Wet: It still smells like fruity, warm anise. I don't know what could be making this smell like anise on me. Drydown: Oh, okay, the anise smell is gone now. Warm, pretty peachyness. I like! I'm not usually a fan of fruity smells...but that could be because most of the other fruity smells I've worn were lemon, and lemon and I do not get along. I can still smell the heliotrope, which I adore, and it's sort of warm and bright and sparkly and summery. While wearing: Mmmm. I think this might be my summer smell. Too bad that I put in an order yesterday, or I'd have gotten a 5mL of this!! But no matter, I'll have plenty of time to order more later.

I'm going to second Fae, and also add Bon Vivant. Very flirty - sweet and sharp at the same time (strawberry & champagne). Yummy!

In the bottle: ...Patchouli? Wet: Sort of musky. I'm not sure if I like it, but I'll give it time. Drydown: Oh, okay, THERE we are. Vanilla goodness! Ooooh, but this is yummy. While wearing: This is definitely beautiful. I'm not any good with picking out notes to begin with, but this is just so well-blended that it's...warm sugary vanilla spicy loveliness. Not something I would have originally picked for myself, but I smell YUMMY. I got a compliment from a guy who played my father once, saying I smelled "pretty and girly." Love it! Must have more!!

Bottled happiness. Helps reverse misfortune, brings light and laughter to even the most troubled and discordant place, and aids in alleviating the stress and discontent that accompanies so many of life's daily trials. In the bottle: !!!! Bubble gum! Wet: Still very bubble-gummy - the full-sugar pink kind that my mum wouldn't let me have when I was little. Drydown: Hmmm. Interesting. Becomes less OMGSUGAR and a bit warmer, with a little bit of...herbal something? I'm not very good at picking notes out, hee. While wearing: This continues to be pink bubblegum, right down to the powdery residue that's left on the wrapper. But it's not as sweet. I think it might have a bit of the vanilla that's in Antique Lace in it, too - that might be the 'warmth' I'm smelling. This has lasted all day, but has very little throw, after the initial rush of sugar. I'm not sure about ritual use, yet - but it's put me in a cheerful mood today! Most certainly a happy smell.

In the Imp: Pretty, bright floral. Wet on skin: Ummmm. Lemon. Drydown: Continues to be lemony. I'm kind of overpowered by the lemon-ness of this, actually. I feel like I smell like cleaning products. I wanted this to be more lilacy and green tea-y, I guess. Wah! Final Impression: After trying out Venice, as well, apparently my skin just amps up lemon (but doesn't seem to have that problem with lemon verbena, thankfully). Blah. That's unfortunate, because I really like the other notes in this. It fades to almost nothing on my skin after about 6 hours. I guess I'll have to go looking for a different lilac scent!

I second Alice and Maiden (carnation, rose and tea is my new favourite combo!), also The Unicorn (lovely white flower prettiness!) and Phantom Queen.

I got this as a frimp. In the Imp: Very, very sugary-sweet (the strawberry) with a little...tingly feeling. Mmmm! Wet on skin: Still very strawberry-sweet, but I can definitely smell the champagne now. This is LOVELY. Dry on skin: There's really not much to say about this other than yum. I'm not a fan of alcoholic notes usually, but this is light and, yes, bubbly enough for me. The strawberry is so good, and the slight tingle/metallic sharpness of the champagne balances the sweetness out so nicely! Drydown: I'm so glad I got this when I did - it ended up being the perfect Sara (a character I played in a show called A Little Quickie) scent. She's sweet but with a bit of sharpness. Plus she drinks a lot of champagne. It's grown up, but bubbly and sweet and as it dries, it becomes more...champagney, but the sweetness of the strawberry still sticks around. I <3 it. Final Impression: Doesn't last very long, sadly - but while it did it was absolutely perfect, especially for the show. A going-out-and-dressing-up sort of scent (which I don't get to do often enough, sadly). Evokes an image of a classy woman in a black dress, holding a champagne flute, wearing red lipstick and throwing back her head in laughter.

Yay, frimp! In the Imp: FLOWERS OMG. Denise said, "This is a Chrissy smell!" Wet on skin: Whoosh, hothouse flowers. O-leeee-ander. And the ylang-ylang. Dry on skin: The throw on this is amazing. It smells like...I don't know how to explain this...a New Orleans lady. It smells like sitting on a verandah surrounded by oleander blossoms on a hot summer night in the South. Drydown: This has changed very little - and has not calmed down at all. I feel like I smell like Blanche DuBois. Very womanly and sort of dark...but sweet and heady. Summery, not springy. This is extremely strong on me - I'm not really one for Very Strong scents in general, but I like this. Feminine. Maybe I'm just not familiar enough with it, but I really can't smell patchouli at all. Final Impression: No, you know who this smells like? Dark Persephone. I didn't care much for the regular Persephone scent (pomegranates make me queasy), but this is Dark Persephone as I've always envisioned her - Queen, lovely, remote, sort of sad, but her skin still smells of white, sweet, warm flowers. The one bit of brightness caught by Hades... And it lasts forever. A sometimes-scent, I think. ::keeps::

::eyes description warily:: ::raises eyebrow:: Promising! In the Imp: Hrrrrm, sharp, but with a warm undertone. Wet on skin: Whoa, incense!! Not like Hymn or Seraphim (which both are very incensey on me), warmer... Dry on skin: Very warm and dark - very incensey (the two things my skin loves are incense and roses), slightly sweet (probably the rose), but mostly the impression I get is "warm." I don't know how to describe it, it's...comforting. But still dark. Like...black velvet and candlelight? Mmmm. Definitely not something I would have picked for myself based on the description, but utterly lovely (if a tad masculine for my tastes). Drydown: The rose and whatever this incense is are the strongest notes on me. (Again, my skin <3s incense-y scents.) Still warm, but sweeter. God, what do I smell like? I keep sniffing my wrist going, "what does this remind me of, other than church?" (Incense always reminds me of church.) I keep thinking this is something I want someone to wear when I cuddle with them. Or it is what someone smells like...? It reminds me of something and I can't figure it out! This is bothering me, because I feel like I ought to know! It's...funereal, really...dark, sad, final but beautiful. Warm like...like a coat or a cloak that someone gives you that they've been wearing. My imagery is going haywire here. Final Impression: I figured it out, actually. I really like this, and it's a beautiful, warm, comforting scent for many reasons, but it's not me. I can see putting this on my pillowcase to fall asleep with, though. I'm definitely keeping it, if only for the memories it brings back.

...okay, yes, I bought this one because of the name even though the description has nothing to do with anything and didn't sound like me at all, especially since I have no connection to the Morrigan. But really, my skin is like whoa in love with florals, so... In the Imp: Oooh, flowery. Wet on skin: ....ooh, flowery still. I'm not really familiar with any of the notes other than the orchid, which I can pick out, and is reaaaally sweet. Drydown: Ooooh. I really like this. I guess I ought to look at ingredients more than descriptions, because this is really pretty. Hardly any "throw" though, I have to keep sniffing my wrist. I'm smelling the apple blossom now. Very warm and feminine, but not girly or motherly or matronly. Final Impression: Okay, now that this has settled, I get more throw than I did. It's really hard to pick out the notes, for me, but I feel like this is mostly orchid on me. Every time I turn my head, I get a little "whoosh." It's strong and feminine, but not overpowering in the least - on the contrary, it's a tad ethereal, though warm. This is a very poweful scent in a different sense - a more "I'm not going to take any of your games!" scent which is, sadly, something I very much need right now. And at the same time being warm and sweet. Not at all what I normally go for which is generally ROSE ROSE and MORE ROSE. I have no idea what clover smells like, incidentally. Or moss? I really like this, though! I'm surprising myself!

The tale of Cupid and Psyche is both a perfect love story and an allegory for the soul's search to reunite with Deity. This is the scent of true love, your heart's deepest, purest desires. Bulgar rose, Chinese white musk, lavender, orchid and frankincense. In the bottle: WOAH, lavender! Really, that's all I get. Wet: Still WOAH LAVENDER, but not icky lavender that I'm used to, not as sharp and manufactured-smelling. A very pretty, still sharp, lavender - I like this a lot, and I usually can't stand lavender. Drydown: Oh yay, it's become a rose-lavender smell -- one of my favourite combinations, ever, and so beautifully done here. There's I think the orchid weaving in and out, but it's mostly the rose and lavender on me. While wearing: Oh, I think I'm in love with this. It's absolutely gorgeous. It becomes powdery and sweet eventually, the lavender fades slightly, and the frankincense comes out...This is beautiful. Mum likes it on me, too...I couldn't stop smelling myself! This is beautiful - a Fall scent on me, I think, or maybe just a scent I'd wear out. It's a sort of womanly, grown-up innocence in a bottle.

Persephone In the bottle: Not quite agreeing with me. It must be the pomegranate that doesn't like my nose, but it just smells...icky. I can't put my finger on it. Wet: Oh, no. I still don't like something in this. I was wondering if I was going to love all my BPALs, but I didn't want to not love this one! Drydown: Finally, the whatever yucky smell I had before has faded, and I have the juicy pomegranate and the fresh rose. This is good, because I really wanted to like this one, and I like it better now. It smells ripe, extremely juicy, and yet rosy at the same time. It's like Persephone's two temperaments battling each other for dominance. Verdict: Eventually, on me at least, the rose wins out, though the pomegranate doesn't leave altogether, it's just not as strong. It's warm and sweet, sort of "green" smelling...it reminds me of the Garden of Eden, the innocence before the Fall. I keep getting 'warm' vibes from it, and fruity. I think it evokes Persephone perfectly, and I'm glad that it's finally worked out with my body chemistry. I'll have to wear this a few more times to see if I like it enough to buy another bottle of it.

In the bottle: Exactly as I imagined it - light and aquatic. (This is the scent description that made me want to try BPAL, kids.) Wet: I think this has a bit of an incense in it, underneath - but it's still mostly a green aquatic, watery floral scents. It's absolutely gorgeous. Drydown: The aquatic is a bit of a background scent now, with the watery florals at the front - though I've noticed that my skin really, really likes florals in general. It's clean and pure and very "wearing a white dress while walking on the beach"-smelling. It's a perfect summer scent for me. Verdict: Another big bottle for this one, for sure. It's absolutely gorgeous on me, relaxing and almost holy-smelling...I think that might be the undertone of incense I smelled. This stays very true to itself, with only the aquatic fading into the background. I've been asking people to 'smell me' all week, so that they might help me make descisions, and my friend Tom from work really liked this one. He kept coming back to me and asking to smell my wrist again. It's gorgeous and light and crisp, and perfect.

Lolita In the bottle: Orange flower and lemon verbena - sharp, sweet. Wet: Bright, heady orange flowers - almost too overpowering. Heady is the perfect word for this, yes - it's almost intoxicating. Very citrusy and sweet. Drydown: Ooooh, I was surprised with this one. I really love this scent now - it's turned brighter and sweeter, less heady, more innocent. Very sweet, I smell a lot like candy. Verdict: I can already tell that BPAL is going to be a very troubling addiction for me, because I want a big bottle of this, too! I wore this two days straight because I liked it so much. It becomes sweeter and sweeter as the day goes on, I smell a little like powdered sugar and a little like Juicy Fruit gum, but with the florals mixed in as well. This is extremely surprising, as I added this one in last-minute to round out my order, but I absolutely love this. Unfortunately, it doesn't last very long, so I'll have to keep reapplying.

Lucy's Kiss In the bottle: WOAH, roses. Candy-sweet roses. I love rose scents, so yay! Wet: This is still mostly roses on me, but I can smell the spices in the background, a little bit. I like this, a lot...it smells extremely Victorian and old-fashioned to me. I don't smell the 'wantonness' so much. Drydown: Oooh, this turns absolutely lovely! Extremely sweet-smelling on me, the roses mixing with whatever other floral is in here (it smells almost like jasmine or orchid). They seem to fade back and forth. While wearing: I think I'm in love with this scent. I adore rose scents, so it really shouldn't be a surprise, I suppose, but...it's lovely. After a little, it fades slightly, becomes a pressed-roses-in-a-scrapbook sort of scent, powdery and light and sweet. I really love this, I feel that I smell exactly like Lucy must have. There's hardly any spice. I really, really love this - it's light and sweet and I smell almost edible, in a floral sort of way. Utterly lovely, I will have to buy a big bottle of this