merebrillante

For the first four hours, it's all boozy sweetness. I told my friend what the name of the perfume was, and she said, "I do want to bite you." But after four hours, it smells like Republic of Tea's acai berry green tea. That's not bad, it's just ... different.

In the bottle and wet, all I can smell is chocolate. Once dry, all I get is incense. Nice, but not a keeper.

Wet: Caramel. Caramel and butterscotch. And, ooh! Booze! Dry: I can smell the apple now, but unlike Pomona, this apple doesn't smell like room deodorizer on me, and I can still smell the hint of caramel in the background. I'm not a foody-scent person, but I rather like this.

Oh, how I lovelovelove this scent (2009). It evokes the musky florals of my long-lost love, Wilhemina Murray (from 2005's Order of the Dragon collection). This one is going to be my go-to scent for the next two years.

It's funny. What I smelled after about two hours was Snow White (2008) -- that same frosted, sugary smell, with maybe a touch more vanilla. Not bad, but I already have Snow White.

2009 - Way too much jasmine on my skin, even after two hours. This goes straight to the swap pile.

On me, it's sultry and sexy and very strong. I agree with the reviewer who said that this jasmine is subtler (or perhaps more well-blended) than the usual jasmines I see from BPAL. I'm getting rid of all my "lush floral" imps and relying on Black Moon for when I want to wow the room.

In the vial: Honey and flowers. Wet: White flowers and honey. Drydown: Powdery flowers, like violets mixed with sweet pea or apple blossoms. Dry: Oh, this is awfully pretty. The honey is rising back up to the surface now, not overwhelming the floral notes but rather enhancing them. Wow, looking at the description, I was off on everything except the white flowers. I never would've guessed there was patchouli in here. I swear, this is so redolent of honey to my nose (but I've got a cold, so I might not be the best judge right now). Whatever is in here, I love it. This was a frimp from the Lab, and I'm definitely keeping it. I might even spring for a bottle.

In the vial: Fresh, light flowers. Wet: The flowers fade, and ozone rises to the surface. Drydown: For a minute or two, this takes on that sharp-edged note that always makes me think of men's colognes. Dry: The sharpness fades, leaving one of the freshest, cleanest scents I've smelled in a long time. If an ice storm had a scent, this would be it. In a remarkable bit of synchronicity, I wrote about Szepasszony this morning. I was struggling to find a suitable story about why a particular forest was said to be haunted, and I thought of the Fair Lady's name. After I was through, the mail came, along with my latest order from the Lab. A frimp of Szepasszony, a scent that had been on my To Be Tried list for a long time, had been tucked in with the other goodies. I was so delighted, I ignored the three bottles I'd ordered and tried this one on. Even in the midst of my allergy attack, this fragrance is pleasant and soothing. She really is a Fair Lady. Thank you, Lab Folk!

Vial: Fruity and green. Wet: Greener, with a sharp tang, but not quite aquatic. Drydown: Oh, wow. Something dark and warm and sweet is struggling to the surface. Dry: Holy cow, this is complex. I can smell the honey, but it's tempered by all the herbs and spices. Oh, God, I am in love. I want I want I want, oh please oh please let me have it! I promise you my first-born son if you will let me have a bottle of this! Twenty-four hours later: This is it. My One True Scent .

In the vial: Herbs. Wet: Pretty, sweet herbs. Drydown: I think I smell lavender, lemon balm, maybe a hint of rosemary or marjoram. Dry: So soft and pretty and gentle. It's also got a bit of that New Age Bookstore funk. Ha, just looked at the description. I was totally off again, at least until I got to the New Age Bookstore point. That's the patchouli and incense. The herbal notes must've been coming from the vetiver, neroli, and mosses. Final verdict: After a couple of hours, I find I really like this. It's gentle, but in a totally non-Numb/violets kind of way, and very comforting. I probably won't spring for a bottle, but I'll certainly use up my frimp. Thanks, Lab-folks!

In the vial: Pretty lilies. Wet: Lily still, but with a swash of perhaps patchouli? Could be sandalwood. Drydown: Light and delicate, with a hint of bite underneath. Dry: This one goes on very light. While it's pretty, and I'll probably keep it, it's one I'll have to slather myself in. Almost no throw. Note: Frimp from the Lab.

In the vial: Lovely fresh flowers. Wet: Oh, my God, how beautiful. A bouquet of daffodils and hyacinths and irises. Springtime in a bottle. Drydown: Ooh, underneath the flowers, there's a bite of spice. Where did that come from? Is that cinnamon? It smells like Red-Hots. Dry: The flowers are reasserting themselves and blending with whatever spice that is underneath there. This is exquisite. I bought this oil because this is, numerologically, a Temperance year for me. How lovely, how perfect a scent to waft across one's nostrils after being dead for a year. I wish every year could be a Temperance year. On looking over all the reviews, I don't see that anyone else noticed cinnamon. After careful consideration, I've come to the tentative conclusion that what I was picking up on was the peppery note present in hyacinth. Don't even try and tell me there's not hyacinth in here, because it's been my favorite spring flower since I was a child, and the first flower I planted when I moved into my new home five years ago.

In the vial: Very complex. I can't detect one single note. Wet: Ditto. It reminds me vaguely of Blood Moon (after a significant drydown period), warm and spicy. Drydown: A slight aldehydic note is rising to the surface, one that grows stronger with the passing minutes. I'm wondering if this was one that was mislabeled, and it's really House of Mirrors. Dry: No, this is definitely Snake Charmer. I can smell the vanilla coming out now. But that memory of Blood Moon remains. I have to say, as much as I disliked Snake Oil, I wasn't expecting much of this scent, but it's a lot more sophisticated than Snake Oil, I think due to the amber, plum, labdanum and ambrette. Not a great deal of throw, though. Later: After five hours, it's almost gone, only the lingering powdery ginger smell to remind me of its presence. Nice, but I wouldn't spring for a bottle.

In the vial: Light greenery and herbs. Wet: More of the same, only lighter. Drydown: I thought I smelled lavender and oakmoss, but I see now that I was picking up at least the dry tea scent. I'll have to get out my perfume book to know what orris smells like. However, on the drydown it was lightly sweet and fragrant. (N.B.: I didn't know there was such a thing as a coffin tree.) Dry: This goes very soft and light on me, but the tea scent remains. Holiday Moon had tea, but it was much brighter than this perfume. Spirits of the Dead is sweet, soft and green. A very calming, centering scent. In reading over other reviews, I'm surprised, because I never got any citrus from this at all, and lemon is usually the first thing I smell if it's in a scent, as with Somnus and Namaste. Curiouser and curiouser.

In the vial: Guy scent. Aquatic. Wet: Guy scent. Aquatic and green. Drydown: Chanel for Men. Dry: This is the truest any scent has stayed on my skin to its first impression in the bottle. I've already wrapped it up for the swap pile.

Disclaimer: I note my initial impressions before looking at the description from the Lab. My notes may not be your notes, nor anyone else's. In the vial: Cough syrup, but whether cherry or grape I can't distinguish. Wet: Chocolate and spices. Drydown: Chocolate, sandalwood and wine, maybe? Dry: Okay, so I got the wine part right. I don't know where I got the chocolate impression. I still can't distinguish spices like sandalwood, frankincense and myrrh from each other. Right now, this is all myrrh on me and nothing else. If I really concentrate, I can maybe pick up a little bit of rose way back there. Ten minutes later, and the rose is rising up to blend with the myrrh. Let's hope it doesn't overtake it, because rose and I just do not get along. Later: This settles down very nicely. The rose has come out more, but rather than overpowering the myrrh, it's blended with it, and the black musk helps hold it down. It's mellowed into something softly sweet, the wine re-emerging. After seven hours, it's really morphed. This is perhaps the most complicated scent I've gotten from the Lab. The wine has reasserted itself in cahoots with the musk. It's like Bordello's older, classier sister. Very sophisticated and mysterious. I'll keep the imp, but I don't like it well enough to spring for a bottle.

Disclaimer: I start all my reviews without looking at the Lab's description. My idea of notes may not be yours. It's okay. In the bottle: Peppermint and lemon. Wet: Same sort of feeling, light and bright and minty. Drydown: Greener now. I never would've guessed tea, since I don't drink it that much, but now that I see it in the description, this does put me somewhat in mind of a tea scent that Elizabeth Arden used to put out, although this is much prettier. Dry: Very bright and pretty, without being floral. Crisp. Don't really think it's me, though.

In the vial: Fruit and perhaps some wine? Wet: Spice (sandalwood or myrrh?), and maybe vanilla. Drydown: The fruit returns, along with a floral note - lily, maybe, or lotus? Something wet and delicate. Description review: Oh my gosh, I can't believe I got some of the notes right! There was wine and lotus in there. The fruit smell must have come from the wine, and I mistook chocolate for vanilla. I don't know where I got the impression of spice from. Dry: Floral, green and light. Not a lot of throw. Final thoughts: First on, this is much sweeter and more floral than I would've expected for a perfume dedicated to Kali. I would have thought there'd be lots of dark notes, like patchouli, black pepper, amber, sandalwood. An hour later, it's gone all green. Three hours later, it's settled down to what I call the "hairspray" smell, a very faint whiff of something artificial. Alas, because Kali is my family goddess. To the swap pile.

Disclaimer: I always note my initial impressions before looking at the Lab's description. I'm not insisting that the notes I detect are in the scent. In the vial: Pear and cucumber. Nice! Wet: More cucumber, and some green, growing things. Maybe ivy? Drydown: Wait, is that vetiver? The pear and cucumber notes have morphed into peach. Dry: Wow, looking at the description, I was way off. What I thought was vetiver was actually amber, and I totally do not get apples from this, either in the vial or on my skin. For some reason, this reminds me a lot of Marquise de Merteuil. I get that same feeling of a cool, distant beauty. Later: Man, I love this perfume. It's got some of the best throw I've experienced from BPAL scents, and makes me feel happy just like Fruit Moon does. What's really amazing is that the fruit keeps the amber from going powdery on me, as amber is wont to do. Verdandi came as a frimp with my last order, and I'm ordering a bottle, if Elizabeth hasn't banned me from the store yet.

In the vial: Oh, so pretty and sweet. Very light flowers. Wet: Soapy flowers, but in a lovely, fresh way. Not at all offensive, and very charming. Drydown: This one says, "Oh, please take me home with you. I'll be ever so nice. I'll clean and cook and not get in the way. And if you want a true heart, mine is yours forever." Dry: Ah, a little tang in the afterglow. Once you get her home, you see her masculine side, but it's well hidden by her charming manners. A lady so intent on pleasing and ingratiating herself, how can you help but like her? A pretty scent, but not overwhelming. I'll keep it, but I don't regret not having a bottle.

In the vial: I can barely pick up anything. Faintest hint of flowers, that's all. Wet: Same reaction. Drydown: If I hold my wrist to my nose and inhale deeply, I can pick up some fruit and maybe some musk or herbs. Maybe something's wrong with my sniffer today. Dry: Almost gone a half hour later. This is bizarre. I re-applied several hours later and got some decent throw for an hour or so, but within three more hours it was completely gone again. Sadly, this one goes to the swap pile.

TRICK OR TREAT The sticky sweet scent of candy corn! In the vial: Candy corn. Wet: Sugar and butter and ... black pepper! Yuck! Drydown: Ew. Burnt sugar and rancid butter and black pepper. Dry: Scrubbed my wrist raw to get it off me. I am so not a foody. What's even worse -- it last 18 hours, even after the scrubbing!!!

... Luxuriant amber, warm Egyptian musk, fierce saffron and soft myrrh, almond, cardamom and golden lotus. In the vial: Cherries. Wet: Fruity sandalwood. Drydown: Wow, the spices are really spreading out and flexing their muscles. This is so warm. Woody and resin-y notes are rising up as well. The fruit scent is completely gone now. So far, me likey! Dry: While waiting for it to dry, I looked at the official description. Why does almond always smell like cherries to me? At any rate, that note is gone now. Wow, what a punch that Egyptian musk packs! This is all the spicy goodness a girl like me could ask for. Truth be told, I expected something a lot softer than what I'm getting right now. This kitty has claws. Later: Six hours later, alas, the Goddess has departed. She was lovely, though, while she was around.

In the vial: Softly briny. Wet: Ocean tang, sharp. Drydown: Smells very "guy" to me, sharp aquatic notes on top of a powdery base. If there are flowers in here, I'm not smelling them. (Note: I looked at the description after noting my initial impressions. The violet must be the source of the powdery smell.) Dry: Still way too "guy" for me. This one goes to the swap pile.