mandragora

Frimp from the lab In the vial: Very mild, unobtrusive scent. Smells clean and floral. Wet on me: Ooh nice, the musk and the tea comes out to blend with the wisteria and lilac. Drydown: Citrus now comes to the forefront but is tempered by the musk, tea and flowers. Very beautiful and relaxing, it remains on the skin. Verdict: Lovely, lovely blend. Like a subtly sweeter version of Dirty. I'm definitely keeping the imp.

Queen smells spicy and sweet with the emphasis on the spicy. It also has some earthy notes, almost like fresh-tilled dirt. On the drydown, develops some metallic "taste" to it, but the sweetness lingers in the background. Later on, turns to a spicey powdery scent. Very interesting, but I don't think I'll be wearing it.

In the vial: Woodsy, heavy florals with a slight bitter note. Amber? Wet on me: Floral giving way to sweet vanilla. The woody, incensey note fighting for attention. Drydown: This complex blend morphs from one scent to the next. The florals softens and is sweetened by vanilla and honey and amber rounds out the smell. This is a gorgeous blend. I'm just sorry I didn't get a 5ml bottle.

In the vial: Woody with a dominant cherry note. Cherry coke? Wet on me: Has an effervesence feel to it. Like a fizzy cola drink still with a bitter woodsy note. Drydown: A very complicated blend. Can't really tell individual notes. Just resin-y, smokey and sweet all at the same time. Impressive. 20 mins later: Turned generic powder scent

In the vial: Smells like black licorice. Anise? Wet on me: It turned minty cold but still strong licorice note. Drydown: Citrus comes out to play. The mint morphs into a gorgeously green and yellow scent. Very refreshing, but also very faint Verdict: Quite nice but does not seem to have lasting power.

What she said!

In the vial and on initial application, Budding Moon reminds me of Dirty. It has same fresh, clean smell and basically the same "feel" to it. The drydown is where they start to differ, Budding Moon's plum and peony gives it sweeter, berry-ish scent that is just captivating. I'm half tempted to duck-tape my wrist to my nose . It's like Dirty's sweeter, younger version, with a lunar oil tang. Alas, the scent is gone after a couple of hours. On a scale of 1-5, Budding Moon rates a 4. Would've been higher if it had lasting power.

In the imp: Hello Lime! Very much like lime peel and citron. Wet on me: Still lime and citrusy but the lilac is subtly peaking through. As if it slithers beneath and between the lime and citron. Drydown: The white musk provides a nice background for the softened lime and white florals. Not quite as masculine as I expected. Verdict: Nice! Will have to try it on hubby. ETA: Hubby doesn't like it, says it's too feminine. Guess whitechapel's all mine

In the vial: At first sniff, it smells like artificial banana-flavoring. Wet on me: The banana smell morphs and is joined by the sampaguita blossom. Drydown: Turns to a pretty tropical island in the summer smell. It's like walking on a sandy beach peppered with palms and coconut trees swaying in the gentle breeze. 20 minutes later: It's fading fast. I can hardly catch a whiff of it on my wrist. :sigh: Verdict: The imp is a keeper, I wish it had lasting power though.

In the vial: Chocolate? No, not chocolate but cocoa. Smells like when you open a can of Hershey's unsweetened cocoa. Hmm, very interesting. Wet on me: Still very much cocoa but incense-y. Oooh and there's that leather smell. Drydown: Incense smell is more defined and is surrounded by the patchouli and leather. Whatever floral there is in this scent, it's very faint. A unique blend. Can't see myself wearing it though.

Got this as a frimp from the lab In the vial, Baneberry smells very dark green with a cloying sweet note clamoring for attention. I'm guessing it's that plump black fruit. Applied on the skin, the berryish sweetness bursts as it tries to overpower the green note but fails. As it dries down, they both blend together beautifully to an almost refreshingly clean scent. Wow! Talk about morphing! A very unique and complex blend.

I must admit, I was never a big fan of roses in a scent. Smells good on the flower, not so much on me. But BPAL has proven me wrong on so many instances when it comes to florals so why not give rose a shot. First sniff in the vial: Ooof :backs away for an instant:, smells like sour milk ?!? Not the usual smell that I associate with roses. Wet on me: Sourness goes away (thank goodness). And the scent blooms right under your nose. This scent is ROSES with capital letters. Drydown: Sweet, full bloom, blood-red rose. A great big bouquet of 'em. And now, it's giving me a headache (damn allergies) Verdict: This would be lovely for someone who adores rose. Once again, my skin (and my allergies) has proven that rose and I do not agree with each other. Off to the swap bin.

In the vial, the jasmine is strong and applied on me I can smell the zing of the lime in the background. As it driesdown, there's a bitter smell that rounds out the green sweet floral, makes it interesting. But, ten minutes later it morphs into that generic powder smell. I liked it, starts out nice but drydown is a bit of a let down.

Evening Star is a very elegant scent. It's clean white floral. This scent is best suited for dancing to slow music in moonlit gardens. Very soft, very romantic, almost ethereal. Its got good throw too. Definitely a keeper (and if I can find it, a bottle). ETA: Thanks to the extension of the DiMV (went down 2/2), I was able to purchase a bottle (yay!).

Got this as a freebie from another forum member. At first sniff in the vial, this is woody and spicy with a slight hint of mint. On my skin it sweetens but keeps the spicy, woodsy notes in the background. As it dries, I can detect the cinnamon and nutmeg but it keeps morphing between the mint, wood and the cinnamon. Very interesting scent. It's sweet but not girly and I love it. I see a big bottle in the future

In the vial, Sin is heady and strong. Wet, sandalwood is very noticeable with undertones of patchouli. As it dries down cinnamon notes waft here and there. Very good throw as well. Frustratingly, it turns to a powdery scent on me. Another lovely scent that did not work with my chemistry.

I tried this on hubby and true to the lab description, Herr Drosselmeyer is indeed pipe smoke, leather and tobacco. Wet to dry it does not change much. He didn't like it and I didn't like it on him either.

In the imp, very heavy and musky. Wet on me: Went slightly powdery-ish on me. Drydown: Ooh boy, this is one heady, sexy and quite daring scent. Very nice blending of the civet, red musk and opium. Later: It's giving me a slight headache . Just as well, I'm not sure I can pull off wearing Debauchery.

A master storyteller who possessed unfailing courage and compassion, a sharp, quick wit, and a true understanding of human nature. Saffron and Middle Eastern spices swirled through sensual red musk. As plenty have said already, Scherezade is a strong musk scent. Warm, spicy and a touch of incense. However, it dries down to a baby powder scent on me :sigh:. Off to the swaps. ETA (more than a year later): Either my sniffer has matured or my taste has changed considerably, but I love Scherazade now. It's smells sexy, confident, a woman who knows what she wants and how to get it .

This is a very soft and sweet scent. Wet on me: Very subtle ... or perhaps hazy is the right word. Clean tea fragrance with a green hint to it. Drydown: Stays true to the smell when wet. Still very light and quite relaxing. It's very lovely but it doesn't seem to have staying power on my skin.

In the imp, smells like green herb, slightly sharp. Applied on skin, goes immediately sweet pea on me (almost as if it's a single note scent). There is a bit of a plastic smell that is off-putting. Driesdown beautifully though as the sweet pea mellows and the sage, tonka and musk rounds out the scent. Very lovely scent. Sweet pea really agrees with me. Will have to remember this scent for when I run out of Annabel Lee.

In the imp: Very dark patchouli. Heavy and incensey. This gender-neutral scent leans more in the masculine side, imo. Wet on me: The incense softens a bit and a powdery-ish sort of scent emanates from my wrist. Drydown: Very interesting. Spicy, herby and sweet with the floral notes lightly seeping rounding out the lovely softened incense. Verdict: A complicated blend, not sure if I can pull off wearing this one. However, I'll keep this one for hubby to try. I'll come back with his verdict.

Another winner scent. Tempest smells like just rained on rockies overlooking a "tempest" sea. It's ozone, green and aquatic. There's a very slight citrus tang when wet but dries down beautifully clean, crisp and fresh. This is something I could wear daily, though I think Phantasm would be quite jealous . Another big bottle order for the future.

I got a 2 decants of Holiday Moon from wolfgrrl. Am excited, I'm always intrigued by the Lunacy oils. In the vial: It's green and citrusy like fresh-squeezed lime but different, maybe that's the bamboo. Wet on me: Lovely sparkly green scent, the citrus fades a little making it more pleasant. The smell reminds of the holidays for some reason (ergo the name), like when putting up a wreath or decorating the tree. Drydown: I smell tea. HM morphs into a refreshing, clear and sweet scent yet still remains green ... but not really too green. Verdict: Loving this, I'm getting a bottle.

Smells very fresh, exactly like the lab's description, salty sea breezes with the alcohol tang of the rum. I feel like I'm walking on a Carribean beach very early in the morning. And when it dries down, it softens and sweeten a bit on my skin but still that aquatic freshness. I got this imp for my hubby, but I think I'm gonna "steal" it from him from time to time . I definitely need a bottle.