Diva Urd

In the vial: Dirt, leather and lemon. Sadly, it smells as though someone crumbled lemon candy into a shoe polish bottle... but let's try it on.

On: !!! Mold? It smells like... basement mold. As it dries, it calms down to mossy, muddy rocks in a dank cave. The lemon has vanished, I never get dragon's blood. I can't say this is my thing at all.

Later: The husband just came into the room, wrinkled his nose (he wasn't anywhere near me) and asked, "What's that nasty smell?" A quick verification later, we found it was "Thunder and Blazes". If it can stink up a whole room if I put it on myself to where other people are bothered, I am afraid it's definitely not for me (It doesn't help that I don't find it particularly pleasant, either). Doesn't even wash off with soap, yikes...

In the vial: A spring meadow! With dandelion and daisies! <3

On: Dandelions, daisies, maybe a hint of clover, and grass. This is green and yellow with just a bit of white and pink, and it smells like spring has just arrived. As it dries, I am starting to get a hint of cherry blossom. Spring in a bottle!

Later: Dandelions and cherry blossoms. I enjoy this a lot. However, when I let the DH smell, he really hated it I guess I can't justify hunting down a bottle if he doesn't want to smell this on me...

In the bottle: A ton of ozone with a hint of lemon.

On: Ah, there's some incense. The ozone actually retreats a bit as it dries (thank goodness, I usually amp that!), although it makes me cough a little.

Later: After half an hour, only ozone is left... which I am not exactly fond of. Not a winner for me, I am afraid.

In the imp: A bit of floral on top of... vegemite? OH NO. I just tested "Eros" yesterday, which smelled just about like that on me as this smells in the imp... *is scared*

On: YIKES. This scent is not good, but familiar. I just read a little in the reviews, and someone mentioned antifreeze. In one of my old cars, antifreeze somehow got evaporated through the ventilation system at one point. It smells EXACTLY like that. As it dries down, the edge starts to wear off, and from a foot away, it smells... not terrible. A bit floral, and a bit like an odd mixture of brown sugar and vetiver. The beginning still made me a bit queasy...

Later: The weird brown-sugar-and-vetiver mixture with a little floral. Rather blech on me. Swap.

In the imp: Cool and watery, cucumber with maybe a smidgen of honeydew melon?

On: Cucumber and melon, cool, but not as watery anymore, close to the skin. Interesting, although I do not currently see the potential of it becoming a major go-to scent.

Later: Very faint after half an hour, but not much changed from the scent in the vial. Interesting and pretty... might be good while exercising or in very hot weather. Will definitely keep the imp, though I don't know that I would order a bottle right now.

In the imp: It screams "LEATHER!!!!" and "VETIVER!!!!". There is a bit of freshness to it that I associate with musk scents while still in the bottle. It's quite similar to "Kroenen".

On: At first, the vetiver comes out to play without restraint, as it usually does on me. It starts calming down a little as it dries, but other than in "Kroenen", it does not seem to be as well-harnessed as it is in that scent.

Later: Finally the musk appears and takes a bit of the bite out of the vetiver. This is "Kroenen" with more vetiver and less of the assorted underlying deliciousness that blend has. I was hoping that "Iago" might be a cheaper alternative, but it doesn't nearly dry as nicely on me as the old leather nazi. Sadly, it's also not for the husband, since he amps vetiver to high heaven and seems to eat just about everything else in this... Too bad. Swap.

In the decant: Primarily vanilla, beeswax and ginger. Smells a bit boozy to my nose.

On: This is what I was expecting out of "Siren" - I primarily get a combination of vanilla and ginger, with a tiny hint of beeswax. At the moment, nothing else is rearing its head. So far, it's good, but not great (which still surprises me, considering "Siren" did not work for me at all).

Later: Honeyed vanilla with a slight zing of ginger. Will definitely use up the decant, but don't really love it enough to justify hunting down a bottle.

In the imp: I immediately pick out the sandalwood, everything else seems to play second fiddle. If I try hard enough, I get a minuscule amount of rose, which gives me hope that this will not turn into rosey soap on me.

On: The rose DOES amp on me, though the other notes seem to keep it from completely running off into soap territory for now. It's still quite prominent as it dries down...

Later: My nemesis has reared its pretty red head again. ROSE.

In the imp: I received an empty of this, but there was just a bit left on the wand for both the husband and me. On there, I get peppery and slightly musky clove.

On: Ohgod this is GOOOOOOOOD~ <3 The clove loses its edge along with the biggest whiff of pepper, and the musk becomes stronger on me. On the husband, the musk doesn't show quite as strongly, but the clove also softens in the most becoming manner. Can't stop sniffing him - or myself!

Later: On me mostly musk with a hint of clove, on the husband exactly the other way around. It's merely okay on me, but on HIM, it's delicious! Will definitely have to get at least a full imp for him.

In the imp: A bouquet. I honestly can't tell very many notes apart from each other in here, although I'm usually good at detecting flowers. It feels white and fresh.

On: White, fresh flowers. I am now getting the lily. This feels almost minty at first, it is this cold on me.

Later: Still fresh, but a bit nondescript... may be good for summer wear, but I can't say I crave it at the moment, considering it's still not exactly warm outside.

In the imp: Wow, this is so GREEN, with a light smattering of white and purple petals!

On: Initially, the lettuce goes "HI I'M GREEN!" Next follows a hint of white chocolate. As it dries and warms, I am beginning to get the coconut and the barest hint of flowers. A lot more interesting than I initially expected. It's cool, yet sweet, and feels amazingly ephemeral. If unicorns did exist, I could imagine them smelling like this. This reminds me a little bit of Snow White in mood, only greener and slightly sweeter, and without the vanilla I'm sure is present in SW.

Later: Now it's a hint of green with white chocolate and a sliver of coconut, with just a breath of floral on top. Unusual and GORGEOUS. This one goes on the bottle list.

In the imp: Dragon's blood and what appears to be a metric ton of musk. Yay!

On: Initially, the dragon's blood is VERY sweet, but as it dries, it calms down slowly but surely, and the musks are starting to peek out. I hope that, in a few minutes, I'll get just a bit less DB and a bit more musk, since I was hoping for a veritable musk fest with a drop of DB, not the other way around.

Later: Oh yeeeeaaahhh, there it is. Dry, deep and warm, with just a hint of sweetness. I'm not sure it's up there with my favorites of the Dragons (I prefer Dragon's Eye, Dragon's Claw and Ladon), but this is good, and the imp's a keeper. Too bad the DH can't wear dragon's blood (total bubblegum on him...).

In the imp: HONEY WINE!!! and RED TEA!!! x 1000. Not super-pleasant in the imp, but let's see what it does on me.

On: ... I smell like... Vegemite. Bzuh?! Please dry to something nicer, I don't want people singing "Land Down Under" to me...

Sadly, I don't think I'm in luck right now.

Later: Ah, there's the lilac... on a background of VEGEMITE. Ewww.

Even later: after about an hour, I finally get sweet, slightly boozy lilac, but it's too little, too late, I'm afraid. Stupid skin... this one goes on the swap pile.

In the imp: Faint floral with underlying freshness, probably the tea. Since it already is relatively weak in the imp, I hope my skin won't just gobble it up.

On: A LOT of tea with a bit of oakmoss and a breath of flowers. This is nothing like what I expected, and yet, I do quite enjoy this. If it stays like it is right now, it would be a good scent for hot summer days.

Later: ... aaaaand 15 minutes later, nothing but a bit of dust is left. I guess I will have to stick with "Nostrum Remedium" and "Velvet Cthulhu" for a tea fix.

In the imp: Just as advertised - plumeria, fresh pear, boozy fizziness.

On: Sweet and juicy pear with plumeria! The champaigne doesn't show up much on me. Very nice, though I think I may be detecting a slightly soapy edge right now... hopefully my skin will keep that in check, the last pear blend I tried (Endymion) died a soapy-dusty death on me within half an hour.

Later: Nope, the pear stays around, although it turns a bit bubblegummy the longer the scent stays on my skin. I think this one will warrant further testing, though, since at first, it was quite pretty!

Vial: Primarily lime, with a bit of fresh white musk and a slight zing of hibiscus.

On: Still mostly lime. As it dries, the musk comes out to play more. I'm getting hibiscus only once in a while, and I can't detect the green loveliness that is matcha at all.

Later: Airy fresh scent, now equal parts lime and hibiscus with the tiniest hint of musk, but very, very faint. I kinda like it and imagine that I will use it a bit more as the days warm up, but right now, it's not special enough to warrant a bottle purchase.

Vial: This smells like a leather saddle after a ride in the forest. Seriously.

On: Whoa, this turns SHARP on my skin at first. Also, it's a bit shoe-polish-y. Let's see how it dries down...

Later: Primarily shoe-polish with a little bit of leather. The only other scent I got the shoe-polish with was Anubis, which also contains balsam, so I have to conclude that is what's turning on me here. This one wasn't meant to be.

Vial: Somewhat sharp bluish-white floral

On: Ahh, there are the musk and sandalwood, with the florals in the background. It smells like moonshine to me, alright - cool, silver, with a slight wafting of flowers in the night breeze. Quite nice, but it seems to turn a bit softer as it dries.

Later: It turns into a relatively generic white floral - like "Midnight", but without the zing that one has... Will keep the imp around and try some more, but right now, it really doesn't bowl me over.

Vial: It's very hard to tell any of the notes apart in the imp. My nose tells me "pink, creamy, ever-so-slightly floral."

On: ... and it smells just like it on me. As it dries, I am starting to get the grounding musk, the slightly-powdery tinge of amber, and a slight floral-y zing from the jasmine on top. This is BEAUTIFUL <3 I can't stop sniffing myself. If I had to compare it to something, I'd say it invokes the same response from me as Bastet, only this has flowers where Bastet had the almonds.

Later: A musky-sweet skin scent, still very, very pretty. I really like this! Bottle list.

Vial: Bright, woody leather... a little artificial.

On: The leather and sandalwood BLOOM. The former has a vetiver-y tinge to it, but it starts calming down a little as it dries. Right now, it smells more like vetiver than leather on me, though.

Later: It turns pretty soft after half an hour. Even later, it's mostly bright sandalwood with a hint of vetiver-y leather. It's not bad, but I don't think I'll need more of this.

malinoir:

Coyote. Coyote Coyote Coyote

The Native American Creator / Trickster God of Chaos and Change. The warmth of doeskin, dry plains grasses and soft, dusty woods warmed by amber and a downy, gentle coat of deep musk.

Smells outdoorsy, but not in the regular foresty way, and is reminiscent of the animal coyote for many reviewers.

In a similar category (at least to my nose) would be Hunter, a Gaiman scent (unimpable, but I'm sure you can find a decant).

HUNTER

He turned, and standing there was a tall woman, with long, tawny hair, and skin the color of burnt caramel. She wore dappled leather clothes, mottled in shades of gray and brown. She had a battered leather duffel bag over her shoulder. She was carrying a staff, and she had a knife at her belt and an electric flashlight strapped to her wrist. She was also, without question, the most beautiful woman that Richard had ever seen.

 

Leonine amber, tanned hides, clove, and clary sage.

A personality match might be Liz, the pyrokinetic from "Hellboy" (also unimpable, but quite popular, so even if you can't find a decant or partial, you'd probably be able to swap or sell the bottle easily enough).

LIZ

A light, feminine vanilla floral perfume and a swirl of smoke and leather.

Finally, if you don't mind the cat association, Bastet might work.

Bast, Ubasti, Ailuros, Ba-en-Aset. Represented as both a domestic cat and a fierce lioness, she truly evidences traits of both. She is the Mother of All Cats, Goddess of Sensuality, Fertility, and a guardian and protector of women. She is also one of the Eyes of Ra, and in that aspect is an Avenging Goddess, seeking retribution and punishing enemies of her people. Luxuriant amber, warm Egyptian musk, fierce saffron and soft myrrh, almond, cardamom and golden lotus.

This may initially sound a bit too much on the floral or foody side, but the scent is more than the sum of its parts, as a lot of people have noticed. I got it in my first order, thinking I was taking a risk with it, and it ended up one of my two favorites out of that first imp batch

So what would ya'll pick for me? I'm currently a director of a child care facility, who also teaches the four year olds. I have a hard time sticking up for myself, even when I realize I'm being taken advantage of. I give people the benefit of the doubt. You're a good person until proven otherwise. And if I like you, I tend to ignore the negatives about you. I have a sweet tooth (love desserts!). I love celtic music and hearing it live (not so keen on pure traditional, but, it has it's moments). I can be friendly and outgoing if I pretend I'm someone else or if it "doesn't matter" what others think because I'll never see them again. I'm much more conservative/quiet with people I know, even slightly. Love fantasty/sci fi. My head's usually in the clouds. I'll come up with the crazy idea, but others have to figure out how to make it work/do it.

 

Notewise, only honey, and rose are usually vile on me, and I'm not too keen on pimeapple, jasmine or coconut.

I am a fan of dragon's blood when it comes to a little pick-me-up in the "standing up for oneself" department, and this scent is stunningly pretty, yet soft, and makes me think "fantasy novel" whenever I wear it:

Ladon: The hundred-headed dragon that guards the garden of the Hesperides: dragon’s blood resin, golden apple, apple blossom, white musk and hyacinth.

A very positive, uplifting and probably even child-friendly scent would be

Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Agreed to have a battle!

For Tweedledum said Tweedledee

Had spoiled his nice new rattle.

Just then flew down a monstrous crow,

As black as a tar-barrel!

Which frightened both the heroes so,

They quite forgot their quarrel.

 

TWEEDLEDEE: Ridiculous! Kumquat, white pepper, white tea and orange blossom.

This is a bright, fizzy orange scent. I personally don't wear it since it REALLY doesn't fit my personality, but I do keep an imp for the occasional uplifting sniff.

Finally, this one is an LE, but has come around often enough that it should not be impossible to track down:

SUGAR SKULL

Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits.

Of course, the scents differ based on the person who wears it, but on me, it's pure sugar, and even though I'm usually not one for sweet perfumes or foody scents, it actually works in this one! Some reviews have likened it to a creme brulee.

***

Like others here I'm just getting into BPAL. I've decided to start off with the six imp set, but I'm still a little unsure of my best options. I've already decided on trying Ranger and Rogue from the RPG category, but the remaining four are still up in the air.

 

I'm 22, a Political Science major with a minor in Art. I've been described as a problem solver because I'm capable of both compromising and "waging war" as the situation calls for it. I'm often the one people go to when mediation is required. This is going to sound so pretentious, but I really do value intelligence and wit in the people around me. I utilize a lot of sarcasm and self-depreciating humor, but I have zero tolerance for being insulted by some one else. I also have a long memory and can be just a teeny weensy bit vindictive when I've been wronged. That said I much prefer to have a healthy network of connections, and thus will bend over backwards to accommodate others. Close friends have described my demeanor as "sexual, but not intimate" which I can kind of agree with, and I'm most comfortable in rural, woodsy settings.

 

I'm not too fond of overly flowery tones, preferring darker or fiery scents. I do best with musky, bold, and some citrus fragrances. I'm leery of cinnamon because it can smell foody or holidayish, but I was thinking of trying Chimera for my multi-tonal personality. Aelopile also seems like a good bet for me. In all, I'm really looking for a scent that people will come to attribute to me, so the more distinctive the better.

I have two scents which I like to fall back on when I want to project, "She's intelligent and strong, appealing but all-business when this is called for." They're not flowery, but the first one is a rather cold fragrance, while the second one would fall under the "bold" category IMHO (and some have called it "dark", possibly because of the patchouli note).

First of all, Vechernyaya, one of the Zorya:

The Zorya: Also called the Auroras. The Slavic Triple Goddesses of the Dawn, Sky and Light, who govern the paths of the day. The guard the constellation Ursa Minor from the chained Hound of Doomsday; should they ever fail in their duty, and the chain breaks, the universe will end.

 

Vechernyaya: The Evening Star - Three white musks with poppy and patchouli.

Personally, Vech always gives me an air of soap opera villainess

And the second one would be Anne Bonny:

Named in honor of the most notorious female pirate to ever set sail. Wicked, cruel, beautiful, intelligent, resourceful and dangerous: a true role model. A blend of Indonesian red patchouli, red sandalwood, and frankincense.

**

cyan4c: Why hello there, fellow German-now-living-on-the-north-American-continent

i'm 36 years old, usually guessed to be 5-8 years younger. I'm overweight and constantly on a weight loss mission.

100% german, grew up in cologne (well known for its excessive karneval - mardi gras).

I immigrated to canada in 2006 because of my canadian husband who's an industrial musician.

we bought a house, i love my garden and my 2 cats.

we are trying for a family - i really could use some fertility magic.

i change my hair fairly often and had everything from blonde to pink to black, super short, very long.

 

I am outspoken, spontaneous, excitable, enthusiastic, loving, caring and huggy, sometimes pottymouthed.

i used to be fun and rather loud, but now in canada i am a rather quiet observer and i feel boring.

i am worried to be perceived as rude because of being "too german".

i am not homesick but i miss my best friend and my girl-friends and their spontaneous visits.

i can be quite obsessive and when i am interested in something i can spend forever on research - i tend to deep dive.

i love industrial, wave, electronic, punk and german fun punk. i also listen to classical, I currently love Muse.

I enjoy swimming, sewing, gardening, make up, cooking and i have the feeling i might fall for BPAL.

our house is still under renovation and we do everything ourselves.

 

I started out as a print graphic designer, then web designer, then web developer, then PHP programmer (self-taught), then user experience designer and now i'm an information architect in a very cool advertising agency. i work mostly on facebook apps for budweiser, honda, wonderbread and johnson & johnson which is the most exciting job i had so far and that gives me a great sense of accomplishment. i am very proud of my career. the scent must work in a professional setting.

 

 

 

wow... first time i summarized myself in that way. now is that an eye opener ... and definitely not as nicely distilled as others managed to.

note to self: "hang out more with my germans"

 

thanks a million!!!

Okay, so I get fun-loving, but currently contemplative, and the scent must work in a professional setting... lessee, a few suggestions from me would be:

51: Luminescent, glowing, and otherworldly: green mandarin, neroli, honeydew, white amber, guava, freesia, white and green musks hovering over desert scrub, smashed wood, and the dry, biting scent of night air over the Groom Lake salt flats.

It's a very well-blended scent, and nothing in it screams "I'M HERE, LOOK AT ME." It's slightly fruity, but not too fruity, while simultaneously not being too floral, either. Interesting, but not extreme.

Aizen-Myoo: A bright, bittersweet scent honoring the Japanese Deity of Love and Passion. Aizen-Myoo is one of the vidyarajas, the Shingon's Radiant Kings of Wisdom. Though Aizen-Myoo possesses the lust, grace and passion of both genders, he most often appears to his followers as male. His face is screwed into a fearsome demonic mask, but this is only the wrathful, fierce countenance he places over himself to guide and empower his children. Aizen-Myoo is the patron of prostitutes, of joyous, unbridled sexuality and of all forms of erotic love and is worshipped by all those in the sex industry, musicians, and - oddly - landlords. Yuzu, kaki, and mikan with cherry blossom and black tea.

Sounds crazy-wild in the description, but ends up being a beautiful citrussy blend that even people who HATE smelling like lemons or oranges (like me) can enjoy (I'd liken the scent to that of fresh pink grapefruits, only nicer). Once again unobtrusive, but unusual and definitely fun!

and finally (this one might be for more adventurous endeavors since it does contain noticeable patchouli... but I've never had anyone complain about it, even if they usually don't like the note):

Goblin: Dab a bit behind each ear, and you'll be instantly inspired to alter street signs, shake fruit from your neighbor's trees, and hide your roommate's car keys. Black coconut, gnarly patchouli, and sweet benzoin.

Like I said, the patchouli IS there, but it primarily adds a bit of grrr *cackle* to the beautiful coconut. I would have never guessed how well this combo works as a perfume, but it's definitely one of my favorites in the entire GC catalog.

Hope it helps!

I was giften an imp of this by a friend, who found it wasn't for her.

In the imp: Fruity and boozy

On: The gin goes off on me, making the fruitiness smell rotten. Occasionally, I get a "straight" whiff, including the coconut note some others seem to have noticed, and I kinda like it... but then I put my nose closer to my wrist, and there the wrongness is again.

Sadly, the gin is what stays the longest of all the notes in this. I really can't say I like it. Off to the swap box.

In the imp: Nose says "fresh citrus", but it's probably the ginger and verbena I smell.

On: Pretty much the same smell. As it dries down, the sharp lemony notes mellow a little, acquiring a slightly powdery accompaniment (probably the amber).

It's still very bright and uplifting, but it doesn't really fit my personality. Will keep the imp for an occasional pick-me-up.