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So far, I've only had the bad Cathode reaction (headache, nausea, amping up of the blend, metallic taste in mouth) with two other scents: Ultraviolet and Hollywood Babylon. Neither were as bad as the reaction to Cathode, but both were similar. I can't figure out what element would be common to all three, though? To be on the safe side, I won't be testing Numb or Nuclear Winter, though. It's a very unpleasant reaction.

Dude. It smells exactly like salty buttered popcorn. (How does she do this? It's magic! Made me hungry, too.) I really don't want to smell like I crawled in the popper at the local theater. Off to swap.

Nothing. But. Plastic. Bleah. Off to the swap pile.

Hmm. This isn't what I expected. When I first put it on, there was a pine smell, but not the green pine of Skadi. This was a bit darker, a bit more woodsy. When it cleared, there was left a cold scent that seemed very familiar, but that I couldn't identify. To me, it isn't anything like Skadi - and it really isn't the scent for me. Off to swap.

Well, I'm disappointed. In the bottle: Sharp, medicinal. Wet: Pine-sol. Nothing but nasty pine-scented cleaner. Dry: Stale cigarettes, I swear to Goddess. Stale cigarettes with a whiff of Pine-sol. Ugh! I'm so happy I didn't slather.

This doesn't smell like your normal floral blend. It's all dry woods and herbs, kind of a shy, retiring scent. It does remind me of Arkham - the quiet, unassuming facade that hides all sorts of interesting secrets. I don't know if I'll wear it often, but it is wonderfully different kind of perfume. ETA: A half-hour later, it has become sickly sweet, and I really really really do not like it. ::sigh::

In the bottle: an almost medicinal smell, a little off-putting. Wet: Nothing. It's like my skin drank it up and didn't even belch afterward. Drydown: Ok, I smell...flowers. The hell? There are no flowers in this! Dry: Now, I smell like pipe tobacco and flowers. No pine, no bonfire smoke, just flowery pipe tobacco. ::looks at oil:: Maybe the person I swapped with accidentally mislabeled a Dia de los Muertos decant? I smell like a tobacconist's shop. Bleah. Might smell good on a man, but definitely not for me. ETA: I notice that some of the reviews mention how strong this scent is - not on me. I can barely smell it when my nose is right up next to my wrist. ETA, Again: An hour later, I can smell the bonfire scent I was desperately craving, but it's completely overwhelmed by flowers. And I wanted so much to like this one.

Skadi is my OTP (One True Perfume), so when I started reading reviews which mentioned how like Skadi "Snow Bunny" is, I had to try it. It starts out smelling exactly like Skadi. Green, clear pines that clear my sinuses. They're a little more resiny and a little less green than Skadi, but I could work with that. The difference came in the drydown. Instead of the soft, sweet berries of Skadi, this has a slush, cold and white. I was disappointed when I first applied it, but now, an hour or so later, I'm admiring the wintry smell (all snow and cold and just a hint of pine trees in the background). I might order a bottle, for when my stash of Skadi runs out.

This is gorgeous. I'm not a big fan of florals, and probably wouldn't have tried this, except it was a frimp in my last order. In the bottle: Soft lavender. Wet: Lavender, with a touch of some other flower that I can't identify (maybe that's the Wisteria?) Dry: The sandalwood and rose mingle with the lavender to make a nicely balanced, and yes, very sad and somber fragrance. Dry, 20 min later: White musk has overwhelmed everything but the rose, but it is still a lovely scent. I may not order a bottle (florals, not my thing), but I will use the imp - it smells lovely on my skin.

In the bottle, it was OMFG ALMOND! Bleah. I hate almond-smell. In the interest of experimentation, I dabbed it on, and waited. Wet: It went on as almonds, and then suddenly became this dry, weedy, herbal-smelling mix. When my husband walked in, I held it up for his opinion. He said, "Ooo. That smells nice. But I thought you didn't like roses." Roses? I lifted my wrist back to my nose, and sure enough - all I smell is rose. Weird. I don't really like roses, so I don't think I'll wear this as a personal scent, but as a Voodoo oil it seems to have great efficacy. My husband doesn't like perfume (and in fact thinks my bpal obsession is silly), but he stopped to compliment me a number of times while I was wearing it. I think I'll keep it in reserve for those days I need to feed a little more attractive.

I approached this scent cautiously, as I had a really horrible reaction to Cathode, and I thought this might be more of the same. In the vial, it was wonderfully minty (so was Cathode). I dabbed the barest, tiniest amount on my skin, and hoped for the best. Wet, there was a delicious rush of mint. Drydown: Crap. There it goes, changing and twisting, just like Cathode did. Happily, my reaction to Ultraviolet was not nearly as strong or horrible as the one I had to Cathode, but still, I had an unpleasant reaction. Dry: It smells like...mothballs. Seriously. It's making me vaguely nauseous, and yes, indeedy, I have the metallic taste in my mouth that I got from Cathode. The difference in the reaction is that this time, my skin didn't amp it up, it washed off easily, and I didn't have the pounding headache with it. But it was bad enough I won't be wearing it again. Bleah. Guess I'll be steering clear of Nuclear Winter and Numb, too, since they're described as being similar. I don't know what ingredient is causing the reaction, but damn, I hate it.

This was a generous freebie from Babykitty! In the imp: A sweet, faint pine smell that reminds me my hometown. Wet: A burst of citrus smell, sharp and pleasant. Dry: The pine fades and softens, and there's a gingery citrusy, spicy smell that I adore. And woe! It hasn't been released! Verdict: Hurry up, BPAL, and release this so I can buy a bottle! ETA: I discovered that when I first tried it, there was still a bit of White Rabbit clinging to my skin - without the layering, I don't like it nearly as much. Go figure.

In the bottle: Ugh! Astringent! I really didn't want to put this on my skin. Wet: A burst of sweet incense that I can't identify, but it instantly brought back memories from when I was six years old, and used to go to mass with my mother. Dry: The bay really overwhelmed the blend, and it had a good throw, but the incense in it made it cloying. After a few minutes, it made me a little ill to keep smelling it, so I ran to wash it off. Verdict: So very not for me.

I've wanted to try this for months. I just had a feeling. I mean, I hate florals. I've tried to like them, but florals and I really have a hate-hate relationship. But something about this one grabbed my attention, and I just had to try it. Wow. In the bottle, it smelled sweet and candyish, and so strong that when my daughter opened it in the car, we could smell it for a while after she closed it up again. Mmm. Wet, more candyish smell, but sharp, not cloying. Dry, it is the most divine floral smell - clean, bright, and yes, like the first flowers of spring. I'll be buying a bottle of this one, I'm thinking - and I'm once more reminded that BPAL isn't like other perfumeries.

In the bottle: Cleaning fluid. Ew. Wet: CLEANING FLUID. Seriously, this smelled horrid on me. Dry: Cleaning fluid mixed with old-lady floral smell...wait, is that jasmine? There isn't jasmine in this! Is there? Man, it sure smells like it. And just like every other time, it overwhelms everything else. Bleah. I was really looking forward to trying this scent, because it just sounded fantastic...I'm so bummed.

In the bottle: Peppermint! Sweet, sugary peppermint oil. Mmm. Wet: Again, I smell all pepperminty. Love it! Drydown: Ugh. What the hell is THAT? ::sniff:: I get the 'suede' note that someone else mentioned up-thread. Dry: I smell like...vanilla. Except not the good vanilla smell (like Dorian or Snake Oil), but a waxy, cheap vanilla candle scent. The throw is still all peppermint - occasionally I'll wave my arm and catch a whiff, and it's nice - but up close I smell like a vanilla candle. Ew. So glad I tested this before I bought a whole bottle - and so very disappointed, because I adore peppermint.

In the bottle: Sharp and resiny, but actually quite pleasant-smelling. Wet: Wow. I smell...cedar. Like one of those little hinged storage boxes I had when I was a kid. Dry: It's a pleasant woody smell, cedar and juniper. Very nice. Dry, 20 minutes later: Rats. It smells like...sandalwood and baby powder. Dry, 1 hr later: Powder. Verdict: Nice, but no staying power.

In the bottle: A very green scent - it brings to mind fresh, wet greenery. Wet: Lemony! Dry: The lemon becomes very astringent, and I can smell the aloe. Frankly, it smells more medicinal than anything. Verdict: Not for me.

I've had this happen a handful of times, and it's really unpleasant. I'm glad it's not just me. It's made me wary of trying some scents, though (I passed on Ultraviolet & Nuclear Winter for fear I'd react the same.)

I'd have gone with something like "White Rabbit" or "Dirty" - a nice, clean scent that's pleasant but not slinky or sexy. Or maybe something like "Kingsport", which smells of the ocean (in a good way).

In the bottle, Dorian smelled of vanilla. Yum, I love vanilla! Wet, it was strong black tea with vanilla syrup. Oh, wow! I swanned around the house insisting that all and sundry smell me, for I smelled delicious. "This one is a keeper!" I happily exclaimed. "I thought this was supposed to be a men's fragrance, but it smells great on me." Dry, it was little less sweet, but that was ok. Dry, 20 minutes later? I didn't know there was musk in this. Whoa. Big musk, with a hint of vanilla. The tea disappeared completely. It was...um...nice, but I wanted the first stage back. This smelled like I was wearing the husband's cologne. Wah!

In the bottle: Ozone/aquatic. Wet: Hmm. My daughter says it smells like a kind of Japanese candy (Ramune?). I don't care for the wet stage, myself. Dry: Yeah, it does kind of smell like salt spray. Huh. I bet the husband will like this. Dry, 20 minutes later: Huh. There's a hint of floral there, under the sea breeze. Weird.

In bottle: Cinnamon! Wet: Cinnamon with a twist of clove. Happily, it's a real scent, not the horrid artificial cinnamon smell I get from Gluttony. Dry: Cinnamon/clove! Spicy, but not headache-inducing. Great for a room scent, but not as perfume, as it burned my skin a bit. Thanks to Sevensins for letting me try it.

This is brilliant. Wet, it smells just like a hot toddy (a bit too lemony for me!), but dries to a beautiful, soft fragrance of tea and some mild blossom (the linden?). I adore it. Now, how do I come up with the cash for a 5ml between now and the end of next month?

I wear White Rabbit a lot, and the baby doesn't seem to mind that she winds up smelling of it, as well.