tharsei-thanate

In the imp: That is a dead ringer for Watermelon Jolly Rancher! Wet: Blast of Watermelon Jolly Rancher. It calms down a little after the initial blast and there's a bit of fresh honeydew, grapes, and water just beyond the candy. Drydown: The candy is more subtle now. There's a touch of moss in the background, just enough to keep it interesting. There's also a very soft floral emerging. Dry: Hmmm. Fresh fruit scents sometimes go weird. They're doing that now. Kinda like they're hard candies sticking to their plastic wrappers. This was ok in the wet, nice in the drydown, and disappointing in the dry. Too bad, I was hoping melon would be a fruit that works.

Spell-soaked herbs and flowers, cold iron, broom twigs, bundles of moss and patchouli root, and moth dust. In the imp: Flowers and a hint of cold iron. Not bad. Wet: Gorgeous, sweet flowers! I think they're white flowers, though I can't pin down anything specific. Ohh, this is nice. Drydown: There's something wafting in the background adding depth to the sweet flowers. I honestly can't place it, it's too subtle, but it miiight be a sweet herb of some sort? Some sort of wood from the twigs? Musk??? All I know is that there's nothing bitter or metallic in here and I don't think the patch is making an appearance. Dry: That mystery something in the background is so so soooo lovely. It's just making the sweet florals smell even better. Also, I swear I caught a berry of some sort just now. Oh wow, yes, it's amping now, there's berries! They're behaving nicely on me. So berries, sweet flowers, and a rich, subtle something. Wow, this was a surprise winner! It's not a me sort of blend so no bottle, but this imp will certainly get some use!

I had gotten this in a decant circle when it went live. I tried it shortly after getting it and I recall not really digging it, so let's see if aging it made it better! In the imp: Cool sweetness and lavender with a touch of green. Wet: Warm, sweet honey and musk and ambrette seed splashed with cognac. This is nice! Drydown: Bit of sharp greenness now, and I'm catching whiffs of lavender. Dry: Much of the same. Overall it smells like a fantastically complex flavored honey. I feel like I'm catching tea, too. Maybe that's from the red musk? So a jar brimming with honey next to a little cup of tea. Aging really did wonders! I quite like you, Lesbia. Da mi basia mille, deine centum!

In the imp: A cologne/aftershave sort of smell with citrus in the background. Not unpleasant but not my cup of tea either. Wet: Blast of vetiver followed by bergamont. There's a weird sort of bitter greenness that's probably artemisia, which I'm not too familiar with, and waaay in the back is a drop of lime juice. Drydown: I can faintly smell the king mandarin now, but interestingly I'm not getting the spices. I usually amp those. The strongest note now is the artemisia, which I'm not really liking that much. Dry: Ah, there's the spice. It's adding a gentle warmth overall but artemisia is still king. Sigh. Nooot really digging this. The artemisia's too strong for my taste. I really wanted to like you, Spider, but I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Got Courtney in a decant circle a few months ago, and I placed her aside and forgot about her. Whoops! I just found her in my purse so I might as well review her. In the imp: BUBBLEGUM! Loud, pink Bazooka bubblegum. Very yummy. Wet: It's a blast of Bazooka, but it slowly becomes warm and a little bit musky and a bit cinnamony, like there's Big Red gum in here, too. I can also sense the tanning lotion behind all the gum. Drydown: The gum becomes a bit more subtle and it actually doesn't smell all that bad. It's a musky Bazooka and Big Red combo. The tanning lotion smells a little bit artificial (coconut doesn't like me :<), but it could be worse. It's a bit plastic, but it's not Play-Doh. Dry: Just a sugary-spicy-musky gum mix with a hint of plastic. It's surprisingly wearable, even with the plastic. It's making me nostalgic, it's like I'm a kid again, sitting at my little plastic pink and white table with my barbies and carefully chewing a giant wad of gum, preparing to blow the world's biggest bubble. Verdict? I like it but I don't think I'd be able to wear this when I'm with other people, tbh. I'm sure they'd smell the plastic in it and make a face at me. I'm fine with just my imp for those times when I'm alone and want to reminisce about my childhood. (:

In the imp: Flowers and light spices, very warm. Wet: Sweet flowers lightly coated in warm baking spices. It's very smooth and it feels sunny, like the scent is being held together by golden light. Throw isn't much, but that's ok. This is a very intimate sort of blend. Drydown: Much of the same, but the flowers are a bit more prominent. I feel like the flowers are on the verge of becoming soap but they're standing their ground so far. I wish the spices would amp more! Dry: Soft, smooth, slightly powdery flowers with vague spice and incense. Further on: Nutmeg amps a bit, but it's still mostly flowers and incense. I actually think this is quite pretty and I do like it but there's not nearly enough spice for me. I'll certainly keep my imp, maybe grab another if I find one, but I don't think this will be a bottle purchase, not unless I get lots of yummy spices in subsequent tests.

Wow, the other reviews sure are encouraging. Let's see how it works with my skin chem. In the imp: White, somewhat powdery florals. Smells like a mix of calla lily and jasmine to me. I actually quite like lilies and jasmine's ok, so this is promising. Wet: Oh, wow. The powder present in the imp disappears completely. This is a lovely, sweet floral scent, not overwhelming or gross at all. I think it's all asphodel on me because I'm not detecting lily or jasmine anymore. It's very smooth and soft but it's not a clinging skin scent, it does have a bit of a throw. If there are aquatics in here they're either very light or not present. Drydown: Pretty much the same as the wet, only sweeter. Bittersweet and beautiful. Dry: I can detect a hint of aquatics now. Asphodel petals on moonlit water, indeed. Absolutely gorgeous. This is one of the loveliest floral blends I've ever worn. Further on: There's a vegetal greenness emerging that's making me think of Karme, and I loooove Karme so I'm totally cool with it. I usually don't get bottles of floral blends because I have so many various floral imps but this? This I might need a bottle of. If white florals work with your skin chem, definitely give it a shot!

Yay, my decant arrived in the mail yesterday! I'm very excited about this blend, I hope it works on me. In the imp: Tobacco, apple, and caramel over opium and vanilla. Perfection. Wet: Oh man, that is indeed effervescent. It's tickling my nose! Yum, apple blossom and mandarin and honeysuckle are all mingling together nicely. Catching what I'm guessing is the green cognac, too. Nothing about this blend is too loud or offensive, it's just perfect. My only issue is I want some caramelized tobacco! Drydown: Lovely warmth is emanating. Opium is emerging, and while creaminess has replaced the effervescence I can only sense the vanilla, which is totally fine me seeing as vanilla can easily become Play-Doh on me. There's also a freshness to this blend that I really like. Dry: Tobacco is stepping forward a bit, but it's not the caramelized goodness I was hoping for. It's smoky and dark, not really rich, but not bad either. It's just different from what I want. Still, it's adding an interesting depth to the fruits. Verdict? This needs more tests. I love it, I really do, but it's not me. I don't think it's bottle-worthy unless I get some rich, caramel tobacco on my skin. Here's hoping subsequent tests yield the results I want!

Ok I just got this in the mail but I have been craving it so hard so I must test it now. In the imp: Chocolate, but dry chocolate. Cocoa powder, really, which I suppose is fitting! Wet: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA THAT IS ACTUAL HOT CHOCOLATE THAT IS A LEGIT DEAD RINGER FOR HOT CHOCOLATE JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL omg omg I can smell mini marshmallows in there and even a bit of milk oh my god I'm in heaven Drydown: The same, really, but much lighter. Dry: Where did it go???? Wowww, my skin drank this up. I know it's delicious but come on, skin. Of course, like I said, this is just out of the mail so I'll have to do a retest once it settles, but I'm really glad it's not clashing with my skin chem. This is going to be so perfect for fall and winter.

Ok, I had gotten an imp of this ages ago and when I tried it it was awful on me. I put it aside and forgot about it but recently I've been retesting blends that haven't worked and some of them have actually started to smell nice on me (maybe because I cut down my coffee intake?), so I may as well give this another shot! In the imp: A mix of tobacco and teak. Veeery polished, I can almost smell the shine. There's also small hints of oak and vanilla. This isn't that bad, actually. Wet: There's a gorgeous blast of tobacco but then something not so gorgeous goes charging after it. I guess the polished teak but the polish takes on a sort of chemical quality that wasn't present in the imp. Also the oak is emerging a little, too, and it's a bit... wet? Musty? Basically not pleasant. Drydown: I feel like this blend is trying to smell nice, like the tobacco is fine but the other notes are just weird on me. I can feel this lovely warmth behind the chemical polish and vague mustiness but it can't break through. Dry: It's gotten a bit better, the tobacco is amping while the other notes are fading, but it's still weird. It's like. I dunno. I know I've been saying chemicals and mustiness but it has the feeling of metal and motor oil, which is perfectly evocative for a steamworks blend but I am just not digging it on me. It's making me feel a little queasy, tbh. Further on: Oh, that's better. Warm, sweet tobacco with only a touch of that metal-and-oil weirdness. This is more tolerable, for sure. Verdict? Well... I guess I don't hate it as strongly as I did the last time I tested it, but it still just doesn't quite work on me. A shame, really.

Oh wowww, this girl is yummy. I thought this would be a light scent, but first applied it's all heavy, dark, gooey honey, then the honey is poured over orange blossoms, and finally the orange blossom and honey mixture is added to a hot cup of tea. Eventually the tea, unstirred, is drunk and there are globs of tea-and-orange scented honey left over in the cup. Further on I can detect a hint of warm mint that adds a lovely touch to the tea-and-orange honey. Very nice! I'm happy with my imp for the time being, but Gennivre is definitely a blend to consider when the Carnaval comes back.

I got this in a decant circle and I don't remember ever trying it! Time to rectify that. In the imp: Jesus take the wheel Marshmallow and sugar and cream with a light touch of strawberry and an ever lighter touch of rose. I wish I could eat this, it's amazing. Skin, please don't ruin this. Wet: Gets a bit boozy, and the strawberry becomes more prominent. Actually, this smells a bit like a strawberry shortcake. The sugar has a burnt edge but it's not all that bad. The marshmallow and cream and rose are very light. Drydown: Hi, plastic. Vanilla really needs to get a restraining order against you. At least the throw suddenly disappeared? Wait, the throw just came right back, what the heck. And now it's boozy strawberries! Strawberry daiquiri, not too bad. Dry: Shortcake soaked in strawberry daiquiri sitting on plastic with slightly burnt sugar crystals sprinkled on top. The scent of the plastic comes in waves, sometimes I catch it, sometimes I don't. The throw is waxing and waning as well. I have no idea what's up with my skin chem today. Obviously this smells best in the imp, and it smells nice wet, but then plastic joins the party and chaos ensues. It's really like a tide of scents going in and out. I'm keeping this, of course (this would probably be fab in a scent locket!), but I think I definitely need to do some retests once my skin chem stops going haywire.

Got an imp of this a few days ago and I tried it twice (with positive results) but I think I should do a proper test and review. (: In the imp: Rum on the rocks with a huge slice of lime. My mouth is actually watering, haha. There's also the gentle suggestion of sugar cookies. Wet: Lime! Lots of lime with the other notes way in the background. Very refreshing and delicious. Drydown: The rum and tobacco step up and mingle with the lime. I can practically see Mr. Nancy sitting on his porch, drinking and smoking. The sugar cookies are still in the background, probably cooling on a counter in the house. Dry: Mmmm, smells like someone brought the sugar cookies outside. Overall, very yummy and so very Mr. Nancy. Interestingly, my last two tests ended up as nothing but sugar cookie with maybe a hint of lime, absolutely no tobacco or rum. Skin chem can be funny like that. Still, it's consistently been a winner so I'm glad I have an imp of this. I don't think it's completely me though (maaaybe if there was a heck of a lot more tobacco it would be ), so I probably won't get a full bottle. Maybe a partial.

Got this lady in a decant circle a few months ago and I just realized I haven't tested her yet, haha. In the imp: Straight up anise cookies. Wet: Yummy, buttery cookies with a hint of anise. I love bakery blends so I'm really digging this. Drydown: The anise... hmm, how do I describe this? It brightens up and smells sweeter. It's still anise but it's not as anisey??? Like, that licorice smell is more subtle. Overall the blend is still delicious butter cookies with crisp golden-brown edges, gently flavored with anise. Dry: Mostly the same except I'm finally catching that musk now. It's pretty light and blends pretty nicely with the cookies. I really like this! I don't know if a bottle is in order, but this imp is going to get plenty of use.

Wow, this is much much softer than I thought it'd be based off the notes. Soft and smooth and comforting, like a silk blanket. The scent itself is a gentle blend of aloe and vanilla flower and light musk on my skin, very fresh and clean and a tad sweet. I'm very surprised, I really quite love this! I think I might have to upgrade from an imp to a bottle. (:

Salve! Wow, you sound similar to me. I majored in Classics and I love the same books as you. Gonna have to echo others before me and say Athens and Yorick. I also feel like tobacco blends would suit you. I definitely recommend Wolf Spider (Tonka bean, patchouli, bourbon vanilla, Cuban tobacco, coconut, clary sage, galbanum, white musk, and chamomile). I think #occupywallstreet might work, too (This is a filthy friggin' patchouli, dark, deep, rooty, and strangely sexy, with cocoa absolute, tobacco absolute, and bourbon vanilla).

Bought a bottle of this untested from evanescence. :-) I slathered some on yesterday after I got it in the mail and my reaction was essentially "HOLY SHIT THIS IS GOOD" but I think I should do a proper review, haha. In the bottle: This is very complex and masterfully blended. The notes are all swirling together so intimately that it's hard to pick any individual note out. Well, except the tobacco, that I can certainly recognize. Occasionally I get isolated whiffs of other notes, like the sugar or the cognac or the laudanum, but overall it's primarily just one single beautiful scent. Wet: A blast of gorgeous tobacco followed by soft linen infused with sugary vanilla sweetness and a drop of tea. The other notes in there too, but they're all blended together in the background, adding a wonderful coziness. Drydown: The cognac peeks its head out, more tea is poured, and the tobacco becomes richer and smokier. There's also the vaguest hint of leaves. Dry: The tobacco is front and center and the smokiness of it is blending nicely with the leaves. Tea and cognac are swirling about. That coziness from the wet stage is much lighter, giving the blend a colder feel overall. Very evocative- it certainly brings to mind a dreary autumn day. If I close my eyes I can see the grey sky and the red and brown foliage littered across the cold ground, a half-smoked cigar lying among the leaves. Further on: It gets dustier as it goes on, but other than that it doesn't change all that much. Verdict? Definitely worth the purchase! The wet stage is the best, but even the smoky dry stage is great. I love evocative blends, and this blend especially fits today- it's July but the weather outside is unseasonably cold and the skies are a dreary grey. This is going to get quite a lot of love once autumn rolls around. [EDIT] Wow, two hours after I posted this I sniffed my wrist again got that sugary vanilla linen from the wet stage. Yum!

Out of all the Pickman decants I ordered, Humpback Whale was the only one I ordered because I felt like I should. At least with the others they had notes that caught my attention, but Humpback Whale sang to me and I had to get him, despite my merely cordial relationship with mint and my unfamiliarity with ambergris and sea buckthorn berry. Let's see how that feeling paid off! In the imp: Oh wow, that's pretty sinus clearing! Minty, but with a grayish, almost salty something that I'm assuming is ambergris. There's the faintest myrrh but I'm not catching tobacco leaf. No berries, either. Still, I really like this. It's like a wintery ocean. Wet: Ambergris with a very strong blast of mint. Getting a lot of blues and grays and greens and white- it's still very much a cold, wintery ocean (cold enough to chill the tip of my nose where it touched my skin!). This is definitely perfect for hot, humid summer days. It also just smells really nice. Drydown: The mint starts to settle down. It's still pretty dominant, but it's not a cold, minty explosion anymore. The ambergris is still here, adding a nice marine muskiness, and I believe I'm faintly smelling the buckthorn berry and the myrrh. Oh, I really love this. Dry: Much of the same, but with a calmer mint. And man, the ambergris is really something! It's musky and salty and sweet and a bit earthy, too. The mental image I'm getting is grey skies over a steely blue-grey ocean and a grey-white shore littered with seaweed, seafoam, and driftwood. This blend definitely has character! Wow, what a fantastic surprise! I'm really amazed that that good feeling paid off! I'm going to need a bottle for sure.

Bought an imp of this from a fantastic forumite. As a fan of Supernatural, I'm super excited to finally test this! In the imp: Sweet, spicy, boozy. Reminds me of Port Royal, actually. Not bad at all! Wet: Hmmm. Not sure what this green scent is that's coming out. The hyssop? HJC root? Life everlasting? I'm not too familiar with any of them so I'm not sure which one this is. Also something smells like... citronella??? Drydown: The green calms down but that citronella sort of smell is getting stronger. There's also those light Port Royal type spices and a splash of rum. Not really bad but nothing to write home about. Dry: Wait a sec, that citronella smell is tobacco! It's becoming more smoky so now it's easier to identify it. I'm also smelling faint brimstone, and brimstone's always had a citronella sort of tang on me, too, now that I think about it. The brimstone and tobacco are glistening with spilled rum. Not really getting vanilla, and there's only a faint suggestion of the plant portions of this blend. Further on: It's gets nicer the longer it's on, namely because it's getting spicier and I love spice. (: Verdict? Well, I think my allergies might be screwing me up a little! I certainly like this blend, but I don't love it because the wet and drydown stages aren't wowing me. I'll have to do more tests once my allergies calm down. Also I can't really imagine a Winchester smelling like this. It's not quite gritty enough. Jo, on the other hand? I can definitely see her rocking this blend.

When the new Coralines were announced, Mr. Bobo instantly caught my attention. Just reading the notes brought my grandmother, my babcia, to mind. Babcia is always growing her own herbs and cooking with them, she makes her own pickles (and they are to die for), and while she has no mice, her little cat Mateusz can always be found sitting by her ankles. I'm hoping this smells just like babcia's house. In the imp: This is very pleasant! It's very herbal, a weeeee bit astringent, and while I can smell certain individual herbs if I concentrate (like dill and thyme), none of them are overpowering each other. There's also that fur note, and it's not really fuzzy but it adds a lovely sort of softness to the blend. This is quite wearable, in my opinion. While it doesn't really smell like Babia's house (not nearly enough dill!), it's still a nice, comforting sort of smell. Wet: Huh. It's predominantly astringent. It's like menthol/eucalyptus, but not quite as gross- it's kinda minty. There's also a more general sort of high-pitched herbal smell in the background. Drydown: The weird herbal/minty eucalyptus is registering as a pickle smell. The scent itself hasn't changed much but I can definitely feel that it's supposed to be pickles. Not enough dill in these pickles, though. They're not all that sour, either, but I have to remind myself that this is a perfume, and smelling like 100% authentic delicious pickles might be a bit much. Dry: Yikes. Not sure how I feel about this. The pickle smell is stronger, and it has a wicked herbal bite, but the pickles are covered in fur. Sadly, the eucalyptus is still there, too, linked arm in arm with the pickles. Verdict? Not a thing like babcia's house. Her house is dill dominant with the other herbs and Polish food smells gently lingering just beneath the dill. There is not a lick of eucalyptus at her house. Ugh, this is upsetting. I can only just barely tolerate eucalyptus. I need to wash this off. I'll keep the imp because it smells nice in there, but I don't think a bottle will happen unless my skin chem shapes up.

Yum! Initially it's all kukui nuts, then it becomes tasty nutty porridge, and finally settles into super delicious nutty oatmeal cookies, with spices and apple present in the latter two stages. Certainly a winner, and totally worth buying an imp of! Not sure if it's worth a bottle, though, since this smells very similar to some other blends I own.

Bought an imp from a forumite! In the imp: Smells just just vanilla cupcakes and frosting, with a fruity touch. Not as yummy as fresh baked cupcakes (it's too cool and it smells a tiiiiny bit stale), but man, Beth really knows her stuff. Wet: Yikes. That doesn't smell very nice. Mix of that weird fruity touch and staleness and toothachinly sweet frosting. It also smells a little burnt? And there's plastic from the vanilla, which I was hoping to avoid. Drydown: It's all sort of melding together into an unpleasant but still oddly compelling batch of terrible cupcakes as made by someone who's never baked in their life and can't follow directions. I'm a bit impressed by how thoroughly my skin ruined this blend. Oh, wait, there's that chocolate note others have mentioned. It's not even a tasty chocolate. Wait, now the fruit is getting boozy? And it smells decent? What is happening. Dry: All the gross staleness and burnt bits and plastic parts of the scent are calming down and a light and sweet boozy fruit syrup with a dash of vanilla is emerging. I mean, it's still not the most pleasant scent overall- all the yuck has morphed into a single note of Play-Doh- but wow, it's waaaay better than the wet stage. Further on: Less Play-Doh, more syrup, with a bit of buttery cake. Verdict? Bit of a no, really, even if it does get ok after wearing it for a while. I'll save the imp for another test or two but if it continues to be horrible death in the wet and drydown, I'm throwing this in my swaps pile.

Bought a bottle from AAddictson! Being a dog lover with a precious doggy of her own at home and who knows the heartbreak of losing a four-legged best friend, I had to get a bottle of this. In the bottle: Oh wow, that is blast of beautiful and nostalgia. Grass, musk, and flowers. I can even sense the sunshine in here, though it smells cool overall. Wet: Musk and florals and grass and warm sunshine and sweetness and bright blue skies and happy puppy tail wags. Even the scent texture is a bit rough and furry. This is so beautiful, I'm tearing up a little. I just want to go home and cuddle my dog. Drydown: The grass is the most noticeable note, but it's so wearable. It's recognizable as grass, but it isn't loud green clippings. It's a meadow perfumed by the wildflowers and warmed by the sun. As for the musk? Think of a dog sleeping in that sunny, grassy meadow, his little paws twitching as he dreams. Dry: The perfumey florals become a bit more prominent as it goes on. I'm finding that wildflowers are one of my good florals- there's no powder or sourness or anything bad about them. The musk and warmth fade a little, but it's still easy to pick out the grass. The longer it's on, the more it fades until it's simply a soft floral skin scent with a touch of grass and a suggestion of musk. I adore this. It's best at the wet and drydown stages but it's still a wonderful blend throughout. It's completely evocative of sunny meadows and puppies and it's totally appropriate for daily wear. It was so worth it to get a bottle.

This is all very true! It's good to explore options, since a lot of notes have tons of variety. It never really occurred to me that black coconut would be different from regular coconut, I've just been assuming it would be awful (which was a silly assumption since I try all different kinds of vanillas when I know that vanilla is iffy on me- not sure why I've never given coconut the same courtesy). Super excited to order some black coconut blends when I have some cash on me! Even if it still doesn't work, at least I'll know. Is this any tea or certain kinds of teas? Maybe, say, white tea doesn't work but black or green tea might? I think the other notes interacting with the tea might have an impact, too. Maybe a tea note with milk might not work but a tea note with honey will? My top three tea blends are The Apothecary (tea leaf with three mosses, green grass, a medley of herbal notes, and a drop of ginger and fig), White Rabbit (strong black tea and milk with white pepper, ginger, honey and vanilla, spilled over the crisp scent of clean linen), and Nostrum Remedium (black tea leaf, invigorating wasabi extract, sweetened by honey). Have you tried any of those before? Admittedly, the tea in White Rabbit isn't quite that strong on me (it smells like I had some tea with my honey, not the other way around), but Apothecary and Nostrum Remedium smell like pure cups of sweetened hot tea.

(Apologies in advance if there's already been a topic like this! I looked around but didn't see one.) If there's one thing I've learned about BPAL, it's that it always manages to surprise you. Blends that you think won't work smell great, blends that you think will work fall flat, blends that smell just ok become fantastic with age or vice versa, etc. But everyone has their good notes and their bad notes, and sometimes bad notes ruin every blend you try. And yet, occasionally you come across a blend with a death note that works- maybe the bad note doesn't appear at all, or it smells like it's actually supposed to! So this is a topic for that, people who have shared bad notes recommending blends that don't get ruined by the notes o' doom. To start, coconut smells awful on me. I've tried Snow White 2010, The Last Unicorn, and Obatala, and the coconut turned into Play-Doh in the former two and into sour death in the latter. Totally not fun. What I'm wondering is, is there anyone else who has trouble with coconut but managed to find a blend with coconut that worked? I'd love to find a coconut BPAL that actually smells like the real deal and not sour plastic!