BoneBone24

Wet: sparkly and yellow

Drydown: I detect the wormwood and herbs first, followed by the anise and then the lemon.

Dry: An equal mix of lemon candies, wormwood, and herbs with a touch of the mint and anise mingling throughout. This is light and becomes even lighter as the hours go by. By the end of the day its morphed into a soft powder note.

Absinthe is a well-blended, sparkly scent with a slightly sinister edge to it. This green fairy is up to no good. It’s light but not too girly, which I appreciate. I’d declare it my go-to keeps-me-awake-at-work/refreshing-type scent if it didn’t disappear so darn quickly. I think I’ll save my imp for summer use to see if the higher temperatures increase its strength at all.

Wet: The herbal note hits me first, followed by something sweet.

Drydown: The sweetness and herbs blend together, creating the impression of a floral.

Dry: It's a light and fresh fig supported by a mix of greenery. This is softer and much more feminine than I had expected.

This is a pretty one. I like the pairing of the fig with the herbal/green notes but I find myself wishing it had a little less fig and a little more of the greenery. The fig makes it a bit too girly for my tastes.

6 out of 10 bones

wet: a light, non-foodie vanilla

drydown: ooh, the white musk is coming out a bit, or perhaps it's crystal musk?

dry: this is reminiscent of burnt marshmallows - something ash-like paired with sweet & creamy goodness, but much quieter than that image. at times it goes a bit powdery and at other times it goes a lot powdery, then back to the subtle burnt marshmallow niceness.

I was excited to actually get vanilla from a BPAL because usually it disappears on my skin. This is a really pleasant, nuetral-type scent. It's incredibly light on me, so I see myself using this to layer with something that needs to be subdued a bit. I thinks it's perhaps too light to become a favorite on its own, but I can imagine really loving it if my skin chemistry amped vanilla instead of swallowing it up.

6.5 out of 10 bones

(Edited for spelling fail)

Wet: Nothing specific stands out, but the word sophisticated comes to mind at first sniff.

Drydown: This is a warm and sexy floral. The amber begins to grow until it becomes the dominate note.

Dry: Sexy amber softened by a hit of floral. Slightly powdery but not overly so. The other notes quietly add sophistication and complexity without drawing too much attention to themselves.

Verdict: This is sophisticated, warm, womanly, and soft. It sounds like the sort of perfume I normally dislike, yet the Marquise doesn't bother my nose the way other sexy/heavy floral-types do. I think it's because the florals play more of a supporting character role rather than the lead. Not sure if I'd wear this much, but I do like it.

6 out of 10 bones

wet: This smells like apricots and bergamot. There's a hint of something anise-like in there too. (is that the oakmoss??)

drydown: The same but softer and sweeter. This scent is warm but there's a touch of something cool too, probably the heliotrope.

dry: Here's where the fun happens. Fae has three distinct final stages on me depending on where it was applied. On my left wrist it's a soft anisey-peach, like the drydown but even lighter. On my right wrist it's a soft, straight-up sweet peach. On my decolletage it amps that mystery anise note big time.

Verdict: Really really pretty. I'm not sure where the anise note is coming from, but it's gorgeous and I want more of it. The only improvement I'd make would be to make Fae a bit stronger.

7.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Holy Butterscotch Batman! This smells like hot butterscotch being made from scratch on the stove. The booze packs a kick!

Drydown: Thankfully this becomes less in your face. It's sweet buttery rum. I think I've smelled this before... oh yes! It's Butter Beer!!!!!!

Dry: Oh noes. It's taking on more of an artificial quality. Ummm, perhaps I'm losing my mind but this smells pre.cise.ly like a scented My Little Pony. WTF?

Verdict: What the hell is wrong with my nose? I ask my husband if it smells like My Little Ponies to him and he agrees...that I'm losing my mind.

Wet: Mmmmmm, opium

Drydown: Powdery opium w/ a shadowy note lurking behind it. It grows warmer. It reminds me of a fire that has just gone out.

Dry: This is a primal and fearless opium. It evokes a night sky full of possibilities. It reminds me of a bonfire on a cold night - not so much the smell, but the feeling.

Verdict: Me like. This scent is badass yet incredible comforting. I can see myself putting this on right before bed or wearing it when I'm in a take-no-prisoners mood. It'd work equally well for both situations. I will be wearing this again many many times for sure.

I seem to be one of the unlucky few that snake oil goes wonky on. On my first try it started as medicinal baby oil and turned into straight-up medicated chapstick (w/out the pleasant tingling sensation). Suspecting that hormones may have been interfering, I waited a week and tried again. The second time around it smelled like medicinal baby powder. An improvement, but only a slight one. Definitely not the spicy vanilla I was expecting.

I'll give the aging idea a try, but I suspect my skin chemistry just isn't going to allow this one to work on me. I wish I knew which note was causing the problem so I could avoid it elsewhere. Luckily O is heavenly on me so at least I can wear one of the superstar scents!

Update -

So I’m finally giving an aged imp a shot, and I must confess that it is, in fact, one thousand times better now.

It starts out as sugared spices and musk over a woody/resinous base. It’s slightly tingly at the top and slightly creamy at the bottom. As it dries it becomes smoother and creamier. Eventually it settles into a soft and resinous vanilla musk.

Note-wise, my guess would be vanilla, skin musk, patchouli, sugar, opoponax, cardamom, oud, & amber. Maybe clove, frankincense and/or almond too.

Fresh: 2 out of 10 bones

Aged: 6.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: lemony cantaloupe

Drydown: This is a fresh, sweet melon. It starts to become more complex and then suddenly a mystery note appears and weighs down the "lightness" of it all. Now it smells like melon rind. It's not pleasant.

Dry: Thankfully the rind disappears and suddenly the champagne and lime appear. It becomes a very pretty lime that almost reads floral rather than fruity. It's quite nice.

Verdict: I'd wear this again when the weather gets warmer. Hopefully it'll skip over that rind moment next time!

Wet: This has a bite! The salt air and leather are opening up my sinuses hardcore.

Drydown: It sweetens and become pleasantly spicy. I am suddenly transported to a pirate ship no question about it. The gunpowder and leather are there but somehow it doesn't read too masculine.

Dry: Still spicy and adventurous. There are moments where it goes powdery and moments where the leather amps up, but generally it stays true.

Overall this is an impressive depiction of the concept. It is a pirate's life. Yet, it's female.

As the day wears on I tire of the leather, but leather fans and pirate-types will love this for sure.

5 out of 10 bones

O was thrown in as a frimp and I cannot thank the lab enough. After snake oil went medicinal on me I wasn't likely to get around to trying it anytime soon, and that would have been a mistake.

(first time wearing it)

Wet: Whoa Amber! I suddenly have a strong memory of a large bottle perfume that my Grandmother used to have - this smells exactly like it. I wonder what it was? (note - my Grandmother is the sassy and strong type, not the tea and doilies type)

Drydown: It's amber. It's sexy. ...but not my kind of sexy.

Dry: Hello Honey! Oh boy - the honey is taking over and I like it! For a moment this is pure honey, and then the amber returns as a supporting character and very slowly the vanilla sneaks in too. Wow is this nice. It becomes softer and sweeter with the amber giving it a sexy kick. Truly beautiful.

My second time wearing it the honey is present from the get-go and I love every second of it. This might not be an everyday scent but it is certainly a go-to for special "O"-ccasions

Wet: I could smell the holly and brandy along with the plums when in the bottle, but the second it hits my skin it's grape jellybeans.

Drydown: It gets lighter but still smells like candy.

Dry: Piles of jam on a tiny piece of buttered toast. Mostly just jam. Then slowly it all begins to fade away.

This is a weird one. I like it, but it behaved unexpectedly on me. My skin seems to eat up all the different notes at various paces. I'd recommend it to a friend, but it's not for me and my skin chemistry.

5 out of 10 bones

(edited for typos)

Wet: This screams DEODORANT to me. No question about it, this is pure deodorant. My husband asked me why I smelled like baby powder.

Drydown: Okay, that's better. It's becoming softer and sweeter. A complex violet.

Dry: A soft, incense-y violet. The clove and tonka seem to be absorbed by the violet completely. Occasionally I catch a whiff of soap/deodorant/powder.

Bottom Line: The drydown was intriguing, but Sybaris is not for me. Probably nice if you like powdery violets though.

3 out of 10 bones

As someone who's usually not a fan of florals, I must say this scent is gorgeous.

On me it pretty much stays the same wet or dry, aside from being a bit more powdery during the first ten minutes. The three notes are blended so well that I can't really distinguish them at all. Which is great, because I was worried about the violet being too strong for me, but it's not at all. Nocturne smells light and dreamy, feminine and innocent with a subtle sexiness beneath the surface. It seems to alternate back in forth between being creamy and fresh, both aspects being equally nice. Just lovely.

Ohhh...this sounds like fun! I'd like to get some ideas for myself, and then once I'm more familiar with everything, give out recommendations as well.

 

Let's see..... I'm in my late 30s but regularly get guessed much, much younger. I'm bi-racial, olive toned skin, long black curly hair. I'm a pisces, love to read (usually 60 books or more a year), make soaps, pretty much any craft. Looove hiking and being in the mountains and used to kayak regularly.

Right now my passion is gardening, especially herbs.

Child free by choice. I work in emergency services...hmmmmm....what else?

 

I am incredibly blunt, sometimes to the point of rudeness, though I usually don't mean to be. I curse. A lot. I am usually pretty introverted, by choice, because I am not shy. I have a very dark sense of humor. I am also very sensitive, though few people will ever see that side of me. I don't have a lot of friends, but the ones I do are friends for life and closer to me than family.

 

Is that enough information to go on? What do you guys think would suit me?

Well, I'm new to BPAL myself, so I haven't yet tried any of these, but based on the reviews I've read, I'll suggest:

The Jersey Devil (pine, blackberry leaf, cranberry, cedar, tomato leaf) - described as a woodsy, berry scent

Poisoned Apple (apple, opium, oleander, hemlock) - described as an earthy and crisp scent

Apothecary (tea, moss, grass, herbs, ginger, fig) - described as a fruity, herbal scent

All three fit with your outdoorsy, herb-gardening side, and I think Poisoned Apple might also capture your blunt nature and dark sense of humor.

This is such a cool thread! I'm a n00b, so I can't offer any recommendations yet. But perhaps you guys can help me select the final 2 of my first 6 imp selections.

Let's see...

I'm a Pisces and I work in a vaguely-creative corporate job that sounds more exciting than it is. My personality tends to change in response to my environment and the people in it, but mostly I tend to get pegged as an old soul. My main passion is life is art - everything from doodling anime characters to realistic oil paintings. Most of my artwork features females in one way or another and I would describe my style as neo-art nouveau. I'm a bit of a dabbler when it comes to my other interests, which include writing, belly dancing, and watching sci-fi. I am constantly starting creative projects and rarely finishing them. I love playing pen&paper rpgs when I have the time. I'm married to a hard-to-peg-down gamer/mechanic who doesn't drink and believes he was a wolf in his past life. I love to cook and enjoy sushi and dark liquors. My favorite season is the fall.

Aesthetically, I am a pale, glasz-eyed (changes between blue, grey and green) gal with straight black hair. I am curvier than I realize. I tend to favor darker colors like deep purples, reds, and peacock feather colors, but I also have a soft spot for iridescents like opals and moonstones.