Chrysantza

When I put this on, some kind of bitter metallic note almost knocked me backwards. Dried down, it's still way too strong, aggressive and in-your-face for my taste - the musk and patchouli have combined into a deadly duo. Normally, I like musk but this is a dark (read: strong) musk, and patchouli and I do NOT get along in any case.

Those who like a thick, earthy scent will probably love this, though.

Got this as a decant in a swap.

In the imp: Light, sweet and girlish.

On me: Cleaning supplies! Alas, this reminds me of the Method stuff I use to clean the bathroom - it's cucumber/melon. When the flowers try to come out and play, the cucumber smacks 'em down. It gets better and more floral as time goes by, but this isn't really "me." Floral and green lovers will adore this, however.

I test-drove Harlot and got itchy, burning red welts on my wrists. I'm pretty sure it was the cinnamon. Since I love the scent anyway, it's going to be relegated to my oil burner.

In the bottle: This actually reminds me of a commercial perfume, which name I can't recall but it's a heady musky floral like this one. Definitely "rich-lady perfume."

On me: Well, the description wasn't kidding. Whoa, this is about the sexiest BPAL blend I've worn. This is heady, hot-older-woman, femme-fatale perfume.

Verdict: I really really LOVE Spellbound A LOT. It's utterly hawwwt, less roses than musk and amber (unlike Black Rose which is basically rose with a musk/amber ballast). But definitely an evening-out, or special-occasion perfume. It's much too much for jeans and T-shirts, or for every day. I do want a bottle, to break out judiciously.

Got this in an imp swap.

In the bottle: Strong, clovey, rummy almond.

On me: All clove, all the time. In-your face clove drowning out every other note. Just a little bit too much for me.

Verdict: Swap.

Received this in an imp swap with a friend.

In the bottle: Sultry spicy rose/cinnamon.

On me: It starts off gorgeous, but within five minutes I smell like soapy Red Hots. Worst, the cinnamon irritated my skin so I had to go wash it off.

This is so pretty in the bottle and before the drydown, however, that I think I might save the imp and use it as a room scent. I think it will be nice in the bedroom or bathroom. But I have been warned - no cinnamon-on-skin action for me ever again!

I swapped for this one.

In the bottle: Sweet blend of neroli, jasmine and rose with a spicy bite (the myrrh?).

On me: Starts off strong and sweet, dries down to a flowers-on-skin smell. The mandarin does NOT go sour on me (yay), and the myrrh does NOT amp up. It's a sultry, sexy, red-velvet-dress scent.

The only drawback is that it has faded rather fast; however, I'm about the worst scent-eater around and it's more remarkable if a scent does NOT fade on me.

Verdict: A winner! Bottle-worthy if I have any cash to spare after getting all those LE's.

In the bottle: Pine-Sol.

On me: Pine-Sol.

I don't get incense at all from this one. All I get are cleaning products.

Swaparoonie time.

This arrived as a frimp from the Lab.

In the bottle: Sweet and delicate watery white floral with an almost crystalline note.

On me: Lilies and roses - fortunately no wonky note from the latter. It's delicate, pure, and as the description said, wistful - a pastel chiffon kind of fragrance.

I like this. It's not something I normally would have chosen - I like my florals with a musk or resin base - but Ophelia is just pretty. There is no other word to describe this - it's like a fairy princess fragrance. I think I'll keep the imp and maybe get a bottle later.

In the bottle: Very very very sweet - I smell the quince, the pear and the gardenia all mingled together. Mmmm.

On me: Delectably sweet and fruity and gardenia-y. The pear, pomegranate and quince are especially prominent. Makes me want to eat a pear (or dare to eat a peach). The gardenia's sweetness blends beautifully with that of the fruit, making this a lush, rounded blend.

Quince is one of my all-time favorite smells and I'm glad it's included in this blend. When I was growing up we had two dwarf flowering quinces in the backyard, and their fruit was not edible but it had the most luscious smell you could ever imagine. I'd sit by the trees and just inhale. And now I was holding my nose to my wrists and just inhaling.

It really does give the sense of being in a luxurious palace garden with delicious ripe fruit, fragrant flowers, and splashing fountains everywhere. This blend makes me feel like a glamorous empress wearing beautiful silk robes and precious stone jewelry, attended by some gorgeous Jason Isaacs clones.

Verdict: Swooooooon! I want a bottle of this! The only drawback is that it doesn't last as long as I would like - which is about me, not the scent, as I'm a scent eater and only blends with musks or resins last on me. But I think this will be a lovely warm weather perfume (when scents last longer anyway). I might also blend some into body cream. This is one of the most gorgeous BPALs I've worn.

I got this in an imp swap.

Wet: for some reason, this smells very green and herbal, though there are no herbs in this blend.

On me: Oh no, something went really sour. I think the roses in this don't like me and neither does the honey. I think it might be the roses because I am getting that grassy, almost urinous note that I get from some roses. And I know the honey is going sour because it's amping up and it smells like Pooh Bear just jammed his jar of "hunny" up my nose.

I so wanted to like this but it's off to the swaps.

In the bottle and wet, this was the prettiest white floral with a touch of fruit. Sweet and delicate, like the name implies.

Alas, ten minutes after I applied it, it turned to dish soap and after a half hour disappeared entirely. I'm so disappointed as it smelled so wonderful in the bottle! I guess my skin chemistry is flipping the bird at one of the ingredients.

Off to the swap pile. This would be so lovely on the right person - and I wish it were lovely on me.

This smelled so pretty when wet - a light, crisp, very feminine floral/musk - that I had high hopes for it.

Alas, it dried down to pure 100% Aqua Net hairspray. Plus there's something that is making me want to sneeze, which has NEVER happened before with a BPAL scent.

Verdict: Off to the swap pile.

This was a frimp from the Lab, and it just happened to be on my wishlist of scents to try! Yay Labbies!

Wet: Tangy woodsy/greenish floral.

Dries down to: Sweet, creamy, sparkly and feminine white floral with a definite sandalwood base. All three elements - neroli, ylang-ylang and sandalwood - balance each other perfectly.

Verdict: I think I want a bottle of this! Once spring arrives and warm weather hits I like switching from my spice and incense perfumes to florals and this is like Katharina, a feminine and sparkly-sweet scent perfect for springtime.

I think this also might be nice layered over more resiny/woody scents to add a more girlie or floral touch.

Mmmm, gorgeous. Beth has somehow managed to distil the very essence of a full-blown, fragrant, deep red rose into a perfume. In the bottle and on my skin, it's rich, pure rose that stays rich, pure and rosy. No weird toothpaste, soap or urine notes that I sometimes get from rose scents - this is ROSE.

I used to go to this little shop in San Francisco called "Uma's Tools of Magick" where I bought this perfume oil called Shameless Hussy Oil - a mixture of different varieties of rose that became more than the sum of their parts. In The Peacock Queen I have found a substitute for my long-gone and much missed Shameless Hussy Oil.

I do not get "haughty" from this (not like Black Rose) just pure undiluted essence of roses. Oh Peacock Queen, where have you been all my life?

Verdict: Stockpile and update wish list!

In the bottle: Fruit punch and bubble gum

On me: Pure bubble gum! Unfortunately, the smell of bubble gum makes me nauseous so I had to go wash it off. I think this would be a fruity and fun scent on a lot of people but I just cannot abide bubble gum and this is what it smells like on me.

Verdict: Off to the swaps.

This smells very strongly of lavender and rose.

I'm an insomniac and a light sleeper when I DO get to sleep. I tried this last night and I slept better than I have in a long time and woke up feeling refreshed. Somnum really works for me (so far!) and smells nice to boot. The only drawback is if you're a guy, or a girl who hates rather fussy floral smells because this is an old-fashioned floral/herbal. What I did to make sure the smell stayed in the bed and not on me was put a few drops on a tissue which I then tucked into my pillowcase.

I want a big bottle of Somnum. I also want to see if I can make this into sachets and a linen spray.

In the bottle: Light amber with a sharp herbal note.

Wet: Amber, a vanilla note (the tonka I presume) and a bit of herbs.

Dries down to: This is a beautiful, refined and sophisticated amber scent. It puts me in mind of silk dresses and expensive gold and precious stone jewelry. I'd wear this when I want to feel all posh and aristocratic. It would make a good "formal" perfume, though it's a bit much for T-shirts and jeans.

Verdict: Maybe keep, maybe swap. I usually love amber and resinous scents but this isn't quite as "me" as Bastet and Fenris Wolf (perhaps I prefer scents named after animals?). I like it but it's just a little formal for me. I'm going to try it again after it's aged and mingled a bit.

Got this in a swap with a friend:

At first, this was a combination of resiny-sweet and woody-sharp; I could smell the amber AND the musk AND the rosewood. Then it calmed down to a warm, sweet amber-woodsy blend. I absolutely love it and want a bottle. I think this would really work as a base layer for some of the more uncooperative or fugitive florals I've tried, and it smells wonderful in its own right too.

I got this in an imp swap.

A beautiful, sweet, light fruity/floral with a rather delicate, old-fashioned feel to it. Unfortunately, this has little throw and no staying power on me. If I keep it I will have to layer it with white musk or something similar to keep it from going *poof* in fifteen minutes.

This would be lovely on someone who isn't a "scent eater" and wants a light, sweet scent.

For the dark day when I run out of my precious, hoarded All Saint's 2005 - what catalog scent is closest? Is Rose Cross a reasonable facsimile?

Sol is pure Constant Comment tea, in the bottle, wet and at drydown. I mean it smells exactly like Constant Comment! The same blend of spices and citrus with a herbal background (the herbs must be what is giving that tea note).

I got this to use as a ritual oil, so the smell is actually quite pleasant, but I wouldn't wear it for an everyday perfume as I am not really keen on smelling like spicy tea!

As far as the "intent" of this oil, for what it's worth I had a presentation to give tonight so I dabbed on a bit of Sol and I did feel confident and empowered, so it works for me as far as bringing out those Solar qualities.

Origin: Frimp from the Lab!

In the bottle: Roses, to be sure, many many roses of all different kinds. Also, a really strange note that reminds me of mint toothpaste.

On me: Well, they ain't lying when they say "Roses!" If you've ever promised someone a rose garden, give them Two, Five and Seven instead. This is a very sweet, pure rose that is like a rose garden or being surrounded by bouquets of fresh-picked roses.

This also did NOT turn soapy on me (which some roses do). All in all this is a really nice scent, especially for day. I like it better than my former pick for daytime roses (Moon Rose). But it can't quite measure up to my very favorite rose which is Black Rose. I don't know if it's the grass or what but every so often there is that toothpaste note! I think I need some musk or resin in my florals to balance them out.

Verdict: Keep, use up, but I don't think I'll get a bottle. It's nice but not "must have."

I got Anne Bonny in a swap from a friend who LOVES this scent.

I really wanted to like it because of the name but - on me, Anne Bonny goes totally patchouli head-shop. I smell less like a pirate queen than a hippie chick. It's the patchouli, which I have never been able to wear well.

Off to the swap pile.

I got this in an imp swap with one of my BPAL-addict friends, who thought it would be perfect for me.

In the bottle: A sweet/sharp fruity scent with a touch of floral.

On me: Champagne! That was my first thought - "I smell like champagne!" This is a very sprightly sweet white musk/fruit scent. The orange blossom serves mostly to round out the edges of the apricot.

I don't get "willful" from Katharina - I get "youthful" and "springtime." This made me think of sipping mimosas on a deck surrounded by flowering trees.

I would definitely get a bottle of this come springtime. This is a nice change from my usual resin/spice/incense scents and would be especially lovely for more casual occasions. The mood Katharina evokes is fresh and sweet.