BoneBone24

Wet: Lightly spicy with a bit of zing from the neroli.

Drydown: Peppery and more masculine. It smells like there’s a dark, dry wood note in there, like cedar or burnt sandalwood. The clove, pepper, and opoponax come together to create a beastly deep and dark vibe.

Dry: Masculine spice that is slightly mellowed by the tonka as it joins in. Peppery spice and cream. Like a masculine version of Snake Oil except this actually works on my skin. I like it on me, but I think I might like it even more on the hubby.

7 out of 10 bones

Wet: Fresh and green. Almost vegetal.

Drydown: Smooth wine and a grassy note. The salt water fizzes into the picture and blends the wine and greenery together. It’s a soft, slightly fizzy aquatic with a pale green base and a touch of sweetness borrowed from the wine.

Dry: A little bit sweet and a little bit salty over a base of earthy green. Surprisingly perfumey. The combination of the wine and greenery creates the impression of a fresh floral note. Classy.

6 out of 10 bones

Wet: Fresh, sweet pine and cypress.

Drydown: More sweetness. Cool, sinus-clearing evergreens. Almost a menthol-vibe. The ambergris mixes in bringing complexity and a touch of warmth to the cool evergreen notes.

Dry: A dense evergreen forest with shafts of amber-hued sunlight sneaking through every few yards. Fresh and dark. Very outdoorsy and rugged with just enough softness and sweetness to qualify as gender-neutral.

Wet: Vegetal and earthy. Like a bulb with dirt clinging to it.

Drydown: Bright green at first. It smells just like raw green beans with a touch of menthol in the background. It becomes sweeter and fresher until it almost smells like an evergreen.

Dry: There's still a touch of the menthol/evergreen in there, but now it’s primarily in the earthy/dirty/dusty category. It almost smells like cedar or tobacco but it's more subdued than either of those are on my skin. It reminds me of Colonial Williamsburg - Specifically like drying herbs and tobacco hanging from a ceiling built with unfinished wood and a touch of hay and dirt and leather in the air.

7.5 out of 10 bones

The Dodo! It has that spicy, cassia-red musk combo going for it that warms you up when cooler breezes start to come in, but it also has a hint of a tropical vibe with the lemon and mango to help you maintain the vacation mindset.

Defututa, O, and Anubis are also great this time of year

Wet: Masculine and piratey. Arrrr!

Drydown: Equal parts leather, wood, and salt air. Well-balanced. After 10, 15 minutes, the bay rum splashes into the ship and takes over. It’s spicy and sweet.

Dry: This is nearly a single note of bay rum on me, save for a hint of wood anchoring it. It smells a lot like a Christmas candle. Spicy, tingly, cool, and woodsy over a sweet, almost waxy base.

Delicious!

Wet: Bright, almost golden.

Drydown: Bright cologne with a touch of woods and smoke. The amber and saffron are blended together at the center. I have a hard time detecting the tangerine, but it’s probably where the brightness is coming from. A bit more cedar and vetiver emerge as the minutes pass.

Dry: Primarily cedar highlighted by deep and smoky vetiver. The other notes bring an uplifting and golden energy to the cedar but remain mostly hidden in the background. In two words? Cedar cologne.

My skin and nose both love masculine wood notes, so this is a winner for me

 

What BPAL scent would Pam from True Blood wear?

The first thing that comes to mind is Whip. Or, in a similar vein, Wanda.

Whip: black leather and damp red rose

Wanda: deep red merlot with a faint hint of leather, sexual musk and body heat over crushed roses, violets and myrtle

Wet: Ooh! Very golden and bright.

Drydown: Is that ambergris? Sparkly gold with a tangy quality. There’s a moment that reminds me of Twenty-One, so I’m guessing gin is one of the notes. I’m getting a metallic, almost-salty vibe, which must be the ash. It reminds me of glittering sand.

Dry: Smoky and smooth. Grey and bronze with a deep smoky note emerging from the background. Smoldering. My best guess at the notes would be ambergris, gin, civet, frankincense, woodsmoke, and some sort of metallic ash.

Every moment of this morpher was full of win. The drydown stage had a tangy, glittering gold vibe, while the dry phase had more of a deep, smoky elemental thing going for it. Both are fabulous. I can see myself putting this into heavy rotation once the weather starts to cool down.

Wet: Sweet and fresh. Spiced banana.

Drydown: Banana leaf and damp wood lightened with ocean air. It smells like venturing deep into the rainforest. My left wrist decides to amp salt big time for about ten minutes. As it dries I’m getting two distinct smells; the banana + damp woods, which reminds me of banana bread; and a lush, leafy aquatic. They really don't go together. My nose is confused.

Dry: A damp, dark brown aquatic. Light and just a touch floral. Primarily dark, wet woods and ocean air.

There were some odd moments for sure, but ultimately it's not bad. An earthy & tropical aquatic.

4 out of 10 bones

Wet: Gentle and neutral

Drydown: This is not a raging fire, but is more like the glow of an ember. An apricot-hued musk sprinkled with an earthy metallic note that must be the coal. Slightly sweet. There’s a clean element that is growing and subduing the coal note.

Dry: I would categorize this as an almost-aquatic. Pale woods and pale musk(s) with whatever that clean note is. A hint of ash and fruit - apricot or grapefruit, I think. Something earthy/woodsy is in there too, but it’s too subtle to pinpoint. Light, sweet, and clean with something brooding in the background.

6 out of 10 bones

I don't watch enough True Blood to make a recommendation, but may I ask the ladies and gentlemen for advice on another matter?

 

The following are my costumes for DragonCon. Which would you recommend for the following:

 

Boltie (Super, movie)

Clara Beane (The Guild, web series)

Carmen Sandiego (computer game, game show, cartoon)

Enchantress (Amora, Marvel Comics)

Clara! <3

Well, since Clara's plays a frost mage, and since she's Clara, I'm thinking something icy, foody, and/or naughty.

So perhaps Perversion, Incubus, or some combination of Chaotic, Good, Halfling, Dwarf, and Mage from the RPG line?

Wet: Sweet orchid

Drydown: Primarily orchid at first. It reminds me violet but it's not quite as sharp or powdery. Velvety myrrh and incense deepens the blend. Smooth, sweet, and purple. I briefly catch the slightest hint of currant which highlights the orchid nicely. This smells like a darker version of Wings of Azrael.

Dy: Calming myrrh and incense flavored with smooth florals and cool breezes of cypress and myrtle. A drop of of sweetness from the currant can be detected every now and then. Deep purple and enchanting. A velvety and romantic nighttime scent.

6.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Light amber

Drydown: Musky amber, dark and soft. Only a very subtle hint of apple, which smells more like the skin of the apple than the fruit. A dose of floral spice from the carnation builds and blends with the amber.

Dry: Soft. The amber has yielded just a bit. Lightly spicy and sweet with the sexy glow of amber. The apple becomes a little more noticeable as the day wears on, but remains a side note to the carnation and amber.

6 out of 10 bones

Wet: Sweet purple flowers and bright green notes. Similar to how lilac and grass would smell together.

Drydown: Fresh cool greens. Soapy, but in a good way. The notes are all so similar I’m having difficulty telling them apart. Juniper is the only note I can really identify with any degree of certainty.

Dry: More of the same. Fresh, soapy greens. Soft and sweet.

Wearing this makes me smell like I just took a shower. And I did just take a shower, so now I smell like I just took 7 showers.

6 out of 10 bones

Wet: Sugared tonic water

Drydown/Dry: Sweet and sparkly. A bit of a lemon-lime soda vibe but with an evergreen undercurrent. Bright, fresh, and a touch herbal. Very similar to Absinthe, but sweeter, stronger, and with less wormwood. Invigorating.

A perfect summer scent!

Wet: Zingy and sweet. Gingered mandarin and vanilla.

Drydown: Wow, there’s a lot going on here. Vanilla, jasmine, and amber at the top. Champaca, sugar, and something smoky below that. Perhaps mandarin, ginger, and hay beneath that layer. Beyond that I have no idea. Very glowing. Like a non-foody version of cream cheese icing with a tiny side of smoke and gold-dipped florals. The zingy and sweet description still fits, but in a softer way now. Sometimes it starts to skew soapy but never quite gets there and other times it starts to smell foody, but again, never quite gets there. And sometimes it smells a bit like soda in the flavor of awesome. Twirly and glowing and beautiful.

Dry: Amazing and bizarre. The most incredible vanilla ever holding together this crazy dance of every color glitter. It’s smoky, sparkly, floral, sweet, spicy, golden, creamy, clean, earthy, hazy, and bright all at once. And glowing. Did I mention glowing?

Final Thought: Are we sure this isn’t a Conjure Bag blend called “Give Me All Your Sex. Now.” ? - Because this has everything I’ve ever known a man to respond to - glowing rich vanilla, sweet entrancing smokiness, tingly spice, a clean and fresh vibe, and touch of tropical je ne sais quoi. Yowza.

Final Thought the Sequel: If you like vanilla but typically find it too boring, this one's for you.

Wet: Honeyed and fresh.

Drydown: Glowing nectar and flowering herbs. Tarragon I think, and maybe rosemary, citronella, and hyssop? There’s a tiny hint of soapiness which makes me think that a root of some sort might be in here too. I’m not sure why, but something about this seems very French to me. Like a bouquet of delicate french wildflowers and herbs.

Dry: Sweet, fancy herbs and waxy wildflowers. Sort of clean and sort of floral. Color-associations are pale blue, faded green, and off-white. Ladylike in a grown-up Anne of Green Gables sort of way. Every so often I catch a whiff of play-doh when my wrists are away from my nose.

Osun was a really interesting one for me. Firstly, because it gave me my first Play-doh moment of the over 100 imps I’ve tried so far. Secondly, the mix of honey and herbs really created the impression of a light floral, without the soapy/headache-y side effects that I usually get from light floral notes, which is a pretty cool alchemy trick. An thirdly, this is so totally not my type of scent at all, yet I was utterly fascinated with it the entire time I wore it. Ignoring the play-doh phenomenon, I kinda like it!

4 out of 10 bones

Wet: Light hyacinth

Drydown: Beautiful sweet hyacinth becoming fuller and bolder. The jasmine is deepening the hyacinth without really drawing specific attention to itself. Just a hint of coolness from the fir rounds it out.

Dry: Soft hyacinth tempered by a salty ocean breeze. Much lighter now. A clean and cool floral-aquatic.

I love the first hour of this! So much glorious hyacinth! After that if fades so much that it kind of makes me sad. Still this is a must-try for hyacinth lovers and those taking their first steps into the world of aquatics.

5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Clean-spicy.

Drydown: Warm metals - not at all sharp - and well-worn, soft leather. This is a very comforting scent, it's slightly sweet and spicy, but not in a foody way.

Dry: Frankincense seems to be at the center, although it doesn’t dominate. I don’t know how to describe the oils but they are coating everything in the loveliest way. Slightly sparkly and almost clean. Well-worn and nostalgic.

The Robotic Scarab smells like a discovering forgotten treasure in the back of an antique store or stumbling upon your grandmother’s old jewelry box when cleaning out the attic. It's familiar, surprisingly delicate, and cherished. A must-try.

7.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Lightly fruity sandalwood

Drydown: Warm and soapy. Clean, bright sandalwood with a touch of musk.

Dry: Clean, warm, and feminine. Mostly musk with a touch of sandalwood, resin, and what I think might be the davana.

Wet: The oil is very dark brown. I'm not sure if that's typical or not. In the bottle it smells sweet and bright.

Drydown: A light aquatic with a splash of citrus. After ten, fifteen minutes it begins to amp. Now it’s an incense-y aquatic. A little bit powdery and spicy.

Dry: Darker and more complex now. As far as notes go, I’d guess saltwater, melon, grapefruit, black patchouli, and a touch of tobacco. Maybe some ambergris too. It’s spicy and salty with just a hint of aquatic fruit.

This really changes from start to finish. It’s very bright and light at the beginning, like water would be at the surface. And as you dive deeper it becomes spicier and more powerful and complex. Very nice.

9.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: When I first put this on it reminded me of my Aunt’s powder room, which smells like fancy old-fashioned soaps and herbal potpourri. It’s a nice, comforting smell.

10 Minutes in: A peculiar wood note appears. It’s earthy and possibly rotten. All of a sudden I’m getting a campground latrine. Not pleasant.

15 Minutes in: Fresh lavender appears and tries to assert itself against the latrine note, but never quite wins the battle. It alternates between the pretty powder room scent and the lavender-infused latrine scent for the remainder of my waking moments.

Eight hours later a trace of light herbs is all that lingers.

I wasn’t expecting this to remind me of a bathroom, let alone two! Scent-wise it’s an oddball. Sleep-wise I can report that I slept like a log and woke up fairly refreshed, so I’d say that it works. If I had any dreams I was too knocked out to remember them.

4 out of 10 bones

Wet: Fizzy and sweet.

Drydown: LOTS of vanilla zapped with somewhat sharp CO2. There's just a hint of oak in the background. I’m not really getting sassafras, it smells more like cream soda to me.

Dry: Sweet, creamy vanilla with a light touch of spice and fizz.

7 out of 10 bones

Wet: Clean, earthy, and sharp.

Drydown: Warmer. Slightly sweet and musky. Spicy sandalwood and musk are most prominent. Urban is definitely the right word to describe the musk. Wow, this is so much sexier than I was expecting. I’m not sure what oud smells like, but there’s something in here that smells like a cross between faded leather and ambergris, so I’m guessing that’s it. The beeswax adds just a touch of sweetness in a way that reads more floral than foody. The white tea adds a clean freshness that is sort of fascinating in combination with the other notes.

Dry: Is that lime I smell? I think it might be. Citrus-y sweet, earthy, and sophisticated. Bright and musky at the same time. A lovely morpher this is.

Ok, this is amazing. With buzzwords like “clean,” “sandalwood,” and “sophisticated musk” I would not expect myself to like this so much but goshdarnit it’s really really good. Perfect for a sexy urbanite who loves to go camping on the weekends. Gender neutral in a 'best of both worlds' sort of way. I can't stop inhaling my wrists!

7 out of 10 bones