harmonyfb

In the imp, and wet: dirt and roses. Literally, a wet garden scent. Not my idea of perfume, but not unpleasant.

Drying, and dry: Dried roses with a slight underlying sour note that must be the mosses.

Really not my thing.

In the bottle, this smelled heavily aquatic, with an overtone of...well, hairspray. Huh. Cautiously, I dabbed it on my skin.

Wet, it was a soft yellow floral, sweet, but not cloying. As it dried and warmed up, the honey came to the forefront - and I think it's the honey that my nose interprets as hairspray smell. Now it's just kind of a soft honeyed floral with a slightly spicy undernote.

It has no throw at all - I have to have my nose right up against my wrist to smell it - and it's not in any sense offensive. It would be a good perfume to wear for work or at meetings. It's not my kind of scent, though. (After a while, I smell like a perfume that one of my great-aunts used to wear.)

I'd been a little worried about it, because early reviews compared it to "Jack", which smelled godawful to me. I shouldn't have worried.

In the bottle, this was buttery-sweet, almost mouth-watering. Wet, it was all candy-sweet pumpkin, which was a little much, but as it dried, the ginger and amber warmed up and melded perfectly to make a bright and spicy scent that's just a tiny bit foody. After a few hours, I get a hint of vanilla deliciousness. Small throw, and not overwhelming. I imagine that once this ages up a bit, it'll be amazing.

We'll see how often I wear it, but I might have to have a second bottle of this one. It was worth the wait. ETA2: Since I got this in the mail, I have worn nothing else but. It smells so soothing and beautiful; it has the distinction of being one of two scents that I own more than one bottle of.

ETA: This has phenomenal staying power - I applied it at 2:00 pm, and at 11:00 pm, I could still smell it on my wrists. And it still smells beautiful.

Selene, the Moon Goddess, fell in love with a beautiful shepherd named Endymion. She appealed to Zeus, asking him to cast Endymion into everlasting slumber so that she could be with him for all eternity. Her wish was granted, and every night the Goddess visited her love as he slept. A sweet, wistful blend of d’Anjou pear, Lily of the Valley, bois du rose and white musk.

This is all Rose and Lily of the Valley...and it is giving me a huge headache. ::runs to scrub it off::

In the imp, this smells like cocoa, deep and rich. On my skin, it smells like...well...it smells like a coconut cream chocolate. Bleah. I hate coconut creams.

ETA: After about 15-20 minutes, there's a pronounced sour note (I had the same problem with 'The Candy Butcher'.) Very unpleasant, and obviously not for me.

In the imp and on my skin, this is a very 'commercial' scent. It has kind of a generic 'floral' approach that resolves into nothing but apple blossom. No fruit, no sugar, just a bland floral. Go figure.

ETA: After half an hour, I can finally detect a bit of the guava, but it's still fairly light and bland. Obviously, not for me.

In the bottle, this is sharp, sharp kumquat. Hmm.

Wet, there's a sweet rush of ruby red grapefruit coexisting with the kumquat.

Drying, it's still mostly grapefruit, sharp and mouth-watering, but I can vaguely get the snowy notes beneath it.

Dry, there's a hint of soft flowers, but they're the faintest note beneath the citrus and the snow. It's very soothing and fresh - a really unusual scent blend.

Since I'm at a weird place in my monthly cycle, I'll revisit this one before making a determination of how much I like it and whether it's a keeper. ETA: On revisit, this is absolutely beautiful. The citrus is cheerful and invigorating, and the snowy notes have kept me huffing my wrist all day. Good throw, nice and long-lasting. Definitely a keeper.

This smelled like...well, rancid butter going on my skin. It has dried to single-note frankincense. Ew. I smell like evil church.

In the bottle, this didn't have much of a smell at all.

Wet, the opium smoke was the predominate note, spicy and rich. It was a bit masculine, but I really liked it.

Dry, it was a cloying floral. The hell? Some sweet, sweet flower that made me want to ditch the bottle entirely and scrub my skin.

Dry, a few minutes later, the flowers have been subsumed beneath a flurry of sweet ginger and pepper. It's not much like the scent of the wet oil, but I like it.

Since I'm at a 'everything smells funny on me' stage of my monthly cycle, I'll put this back and revisit it next week. Watch this space. ETA: On revisit, this was vile. Cloying and sour incense. I never thought I'd find a perfume that smelled better on me during my period. Ugh. Not for me.

Oh, man.

Ever since I discovered BPAL, I've been searching for a men's fragrance to replace my hubby's 20 year old cologne.

Most of the ones he tried smelled awful on him (he has weird chemistry.)

This one? ::melts::

In the imp, it was sharp and a little sour, but on his skin it bloomed to a spicy, rich scent, with just a tiny undertone of manly musk.

I'd like him to bathe in it.

Wet, this was a light, aquatic floral. Drying, it smelled...lemony. Huh. Dry, five minutes later, it's....soap.

Oh, well. ::tosses in the swap pile::

BPAL's food notes are total hit-or-miss propositions for me; either they're divine or they smell abysmal on me.

This is the latter. It went on like rancid butter (no joke), and dried to an acrid, weirdly spiced scent. It was horrific. Obviously, not for me. ::sigh::

When I smelled this in the imp, I was loath to touch it to my skin. It smelled acrid and bitter, not something that I'd want on me. But I was brave, and dabbed a bit on.

As it dried, the acrid note disappeared underneath a bloom of creamy raspberry scent, until it was completely gone. Now it smells like a sweet raspberry. It's a little too girly for me, I'm afraid.

In the imp, this was a very 'commercial' smelling fragrance.

On my skin, it turned immediately to powder.

Miskatonic University is my sure-fire, nearly everyone goes insane over it scent.

Others that have garnered good reactions:

1. White Rabbit

2. Mercury

3. Smut

If you like florals, you'd love this. On me, it smells of honeysuckle and lavender. Pretty, if a little strong. Unfortunately, I am just not a florals kind of person, so I'll be swapping.

On my skin, wet or dry, this is a very sharp tea scent; it smells like tea that's been allowed to steep too long. ::sigh:: This is the first tea-based fragrance that didn't smell good on me. Off to swap.

When I first put it on, all I could smell was sharp red cherry. It was nice, if a little loud. Then the cherry faded out as it dried, and now it smells kind of perfumey, and VERY VERY LOUD.

The dry scent is mostly carnation and musk, and it smells very like a commercial perfume (which means it's a no-go for me.)

Why do the scents I dislike always have such a big throw? ::scrubs arm a third time::

I figured I'd either love this scent or hate it utterly.

When I cracked the lid of the bottle, I swooned. Picture me, crossing my fingers, saying, "Oh, please let this smell as good on my skin as it does in the bottle".

When I first applied, there was a rush of sweet, sweet pine, almost sugary in tone, but with a darker base underneath. In a few minutes, it had morphed and changed into a wet hillside, full of dark herbs and sharp air. I was afraid it would wind up being too masculine, but it suddenly bloomed into sweet, sharp cranberries, so juicy I can taste them in my mouth.

Wow. This is a complex, brilliant scent. ::sniffs wrist:: (The only down side is that it seems to be inflaming my sinuses. Ow. Woe.)

This was a sour citrus smell with a hint of mint lurking beneath.

Sadly, it made me seriously ill when I applied it to my pulse points - mostly from my stomach being all flippy when I wore it. I don't believe it is the oil for me.

This was a beautiful, clear fragrance that was in fact very calming. It was refreshing, but I couldn't begin to pinpoint what the notes where. As it faded, I detected the scent of sugared lemon. It's definitely a keeper.

Chaos Theory III: CCCXLVIII (348)

I traded for this with another forum member. She described it as a 'smoky rose'. When I opened it, I thought, "Why does this remind me of going to the hair salon?"

Well, once I put it on my skin, I knew why.

Hairspray. It smells like nothing but hairspray on me. ::sad sigh:: Off to swap.

Previously reviewed by sookster.

This is a very light, refreshing scent of bamboo and white tea. In fact, on my skin, it smells like a dead ringer for Kumiho. Not my thing, but my daughter should love it.

Recently I just went through a bad breakup and had a few deaths in my family. I really need a comforting scent. I am also considering a TAL order too, but I want something I can wear as a perfume. My favorite blends so far are: Nocturne, Gingerbread Poppet, Brisigaman, Perversion and Neo Tokyo. Any recs?

I find that White Rabbit is my 'comfort scent'. Mild and sweet and calming. But your mileage may vary.

In the bottle, this was thick cocoa, like I stuck my nose right in a tin of it. When I put it on my skin, though, the cocoa was overwhelmed by a sour note that I'm guessing is the cream? The throw is all cocoa, though - from 12 inches away, my arms smell fabulous.

I don't know whether I like it on me or not. I think this one will have to be hoarded back and allowed to mellow (and be tried on at different points in my monthly cycle) before I make a decision one way or the other.

ETA: The sour cream note continued to get more and more obvious, until finally I went and washed it off. Woe.