ReallyZeb

This is certainly unlike any other BPTP bath oil I've tried! In the bath I get quite a well balanced blend of eucalyptus, rosemary and mint. It's very fresh and zesty, but also not overpowering, it felt quite subtle while I was in there. Now I'm out of the bath, the whole house smells of it, and my skin smells of herbal lime - again very subtle. it makes my bathroom smell clean even though its not!

I found it strange to have something so energy-inducing in the bath as I tend to have showers for that and baths to relax so I'm not sure about it yet - it might do better as something to slather after a shower, but it layers beautifully with Lavinia.

When wet mine reminded me strongly of spice cookies and I would have loved it to stay that way, but once it dried I get a metallic edge that has me thinking of blood, so I suspect Sylvia nipped out for a quick snack. There is carnation spice and a walking through a pine forest in winter sort of vibe which is rather lovely. I'm betting this will age really well.

Strongly minty when wet - and I could have sworn that there was lime in it.

 

It dries down to a milder mint with a citrussy edge but now I can pick up the currant and cassis too ... the best thing I can think of is one of those long cool summer fruit punch drinks crammed full of fresh mint leaves. I like it a lot but will hoard it for summer

This is so comforting, the overall feel from it is one of security. It all plays so nicely together - I think I get a little of the honey musk and a little of the lavender but mostly its just creamy snuggly goodness. I definitely need a bottle, maybe several.

Smut would be fitting for Burlesque. Also Casanova.

Yes, Casanova -

! Or otherwise something like Menacing Ionospheric Research Instrument, or Aelophile or Phoenix Steamworks.

Did you know the Trading Post does atmosphere sprays? Their thread is here

Wet and in the bottle it is a pure blast of mint on me. On first drydown I get almost vanilla mintiness with a faint zing of lime. Within an hour all of that has gone leaving only a trace of incensey hay if I sniff right up close.

Wet and on first dry down I hate it - vetiver dominates, with a bit of myrrh and its hard to get anything else.

 

After about an hour though there is a gorgeous transformation and I can't stop sniffing my arm - mellow coconut, bergamot and a slightly powdery amber all blend beautifully, with a quite gentle resinous green peeking underneath. Now I need to work out if I can stand the first hour in order to get to the beauty afterwards.

I feel like I have a different bottle to everyone else - I get no strawberries, no currants and certainly no lemon.

 

When wet all I get is a pleasant laundry detergent sort of smell, slightly herbal. Once it's dry I can barely smell it at all - I get a tiny bit of pine, a tiny bit of green tea and a little mint but it has no throw on me and vanishes really quickly

I was going to review this, but then I read sunshinedaisybliss' epic. All I can say is this patchouli is to other patchoulis what sdb is to reviews. This is the Harrods of hippy shop smells, the perfect, wonderful, high-end patchouli of your dreams.

 

Did I mention that I could smell it through a sealed bottle?

 

I don't think I will wear it very often because I don;t know if I have the confidence to, but I am really really glad that I bought this.

Overall I can find about 3 distinct honey smells in here: wet is an overpoweringly sweet runny honey, when it first dries it is a rich, almost buttery set honey, and after a few hours it is a quite beeswaxy version.

 

I get some florals when I first apply it, but not overwhelmingly so and happily no trace of jasmine. After an hour or so it is the thyme that sticks around, and maybe some of the ginger, but the honey dominates on me throughout. I love it!

 

ETA: but apparently it is a partner repellant ... I'll have to stick to some of my other honey loves

Mmm, sounds an intriguing one! How does the chilli come out on you?

It gives a spicy kick and for me, the idea of heat, toward the end, but somehow doesn't burn my skin like cinnamon would

You could also try Ogun - heavy and dark cigar tobacco, gin and juniper, melon, chili pepper and a touch of honey.

 

On me it gets my award for oil that morphs the most - starts out all melon but then gets more and more complex.

This is a really silky lather with very gentle scrubby bits. The scent stays only faintly on the skin afterwards.

 

As for the scent, a good waft of coffee backed up by the oak. I don't get the dusty books vibe from this, so rather than reminding me of the library at MU, it is more evocative of maybe the Miskatonic University men's locker room. Ah, sweet memories ...

For things that you like initially but then can't stand after a couple of hours, you might want to consider getting a scent locket rather than actually wearing the scent directly on your skin. That will give you much more of the initial scent and it won't be affected by skin chemistry.

 

The other thing I thought of was wondering if you're putting too much on - I thought this because although I love Snake Oil, if I put too much on or sniff it up close when it's fresh then I feel quite nauseous, whereas if I apply it very lightly I don't get that problem. Some scents I slather on, but not until they've had a decent testing.

Wet: rose with a strong kick of mint behind it. I swear I didn't drop any in my tea but this is so strong it seems like I'm drinking it.

 

Initial drydown: Overwhelming rose of the dried red rose petal variety, like falling into a huge vat of rose petals. I thought it was giving me a headache but actually I think it's taken the headache I already had and just beaten it into submission. If I sniff close up it's a dusty, herbal sort of scent, but the rosey throw is so overpowering it was quite hard to make myself do that.

 

Later: after a couple of hours the scent is much less intrusive, a herby, dusty rose that's actually quite pleasant. I'm wearing it at work so other effects might not be apparent, though I'm more relaxed than usual.

No guava suggestions from me, but a couple of fruity 'must tries'

Titania - A nocturnal bounty of fae dew-kissed petals and pale fruits: white grape, white peach, iced pear, musk rose, sweet pea, moonflower and snapdragon.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat - A sparkly, batty little scent: green tea, melon, mint, lime rind, and champagne grape with lemon balm, mullein, and toadflax.

 

Skin, why do you do this to me?

 

I wanted to love this, I want to be a sleek, dark, clever, slinky cat. Sadly, while wearing this, I am a plasticky chewed-up squeaky dog toy.

 

I get a lovely musk in the bottle, I get a lovely musk with a bit of cedar after a few hours, but in between I get this:

This really is a morpher

 

In the bottle I get vintage musk, but this changes immediately on my skin to sweet pastry. The musk creeps out a little once it's dry, but for the next couple of hours this really reminds me of how my Grandma used to smell - biscuits and musk (she used to work in a cake shop). After that the pastry goes and I get a quite strong dark musk, which is not for me at all.

 

There's quite a lot of throw on this, I much prefer the version that wafts rather than sniffing close up.

When wet I mostly get myrrh and little else. It dries down to a soft gentle resinous spice - quite powdery but very comforting. It most reminds me of a gentler version of Morocco or the smell of clothes in a hippy shop. Now I'm going to have to hunt down a bottle.

Another vote for Josie, but then also Machu Picchu: Sweet tropical fruits burst through deep, wet rainforest boughs, enormous steamy blossoms, over thin mountaintop breezes, mingled with the soft, rich golden scent of Peruvian amber.

I've given up on cinnamon blends, especially after I started to associate the smell itself with the itching, burning sensation - even sniffing it in the bottle makes me uncomfortable

 

The only one I persist with is Chimera, since the cinnamon is light (despite the description calling it "fiery", haha) and well-blended with creamy honeysuckle and myrrh, but I still don't risk it on skin - I wear it in my hair (apply to back of wrist; brush wrist through hair; wash wrist). It smells gorgeous in hair: I get wafts of it all day long, and it lasts at least 24 hours (basically until I shower).

 

Yep, good idea. With Chimera I didn't get a reaction until the 3rd straight day of applying it. But let's say that after that my skin was f'ed. I couldn't use anything, even the stuff I'd used without a problem before, like snake charmer, my very favorite BPAL, without breaking out in welts. this lasted for a long time and I finally gave up and quit BPAL for years. :/

Have you thought of getting a scent locket? It's on my to buy list so I can wear the cinnamon things without burning vast swathes of flesh.

Lovely buttery toffee popcorn, both wet and dry, but with a hidden dark note behind all that. Nearly as wonderful as Midway but a bit less complex.

Sweet flowers and fresh green grass when wet, mellowing to hay and clover after a couple of hours. Sweet but not foody, a very lovely summer scent.

TOL - Top of label

SN - Single note