Katlyntje

Ohhhhh I would ABSOLUTELY check out Nephilim and/or Nemesis!!!

I didn't get much fig from Nephilim. I shall have to re-test it to see if I can detect it.

My personal favorite is Strangler Fig from Rappacini's Garden. I have a few others with fig in them but you can't really detect the fig very well if at all.

I sprung for a full bottle of this and I am so glad I did. I'll admit, the thought of something themed on a mosquito kind of turned me off at first. But then I thought about it again "This is actually almost perfect since I live in Maine where we joke about the mosquito being the state bird." Then I actually looked at the notes and realized that it just might actually be perfect. So I bid on it. And I won. And victory, well, victory smells spicy and green and sweet

 

In the bottle I get a fragrance that is resinous and sweet with a little spicy bite lingering behind the rest, like that barely-heard whine of whirring wings that heralds the presence of that tiny summer vampire, the mosquito. Wet on my skin I'm getting a lot of wet geranium and tomato leaf, as if I were spending the cool summer morning before the sun gets too high in the sky to weed and water and generally spend some time in the garden. As it dries down I start to get that little bite of spice again with some beeswax and resin. The tiny vampires have scented blood and are coming to claim their rightful prey, ie anything bigger and slower than them that pumps the sweet red nectar of life through it's veins. The longer this stays the less of the geranium there is and the more the spices come to the fore. The sun has come up enough to assert it's influence and evaporate the dewy freshness off the garden plants, turning the day hot and muggy, perfect mosquito weather.

 

Hours later this ends up smelling very much like gentle chocolate and leather A little confused on that but it's pleasant so I guess I'll just go with it

I got this as a frimp with my last order. In the imp it smells very aquatic with perhaps some light florals. Wet on my skin, a murky aquatic with . . . lily of the valley? Definitely a floral of some kind. As this dries the floral sweetens up the aquatic note quite nicely. I'm not really one for aquatics but I could almost see myself using this on occasion.

I bought an entire bottle of this because I loved the later stages of Water Dragon, once the herby notes had died off. In the bottle Water Snake is a syrupy, bubbly citrus overlayed with the fruity notes of peach, lychee, and quince. Wet on my skin it is still fruity-citrus but as it dries the pine resin comes through a little, not a lot but enough to be noticed. 20-30 minutes later and this is staying pretty much true to the beginning of the dry down, not much morphing at all. I am very glad I sprung for a full bottle, this is exactly what I wanted Water Dragon to be, none of those herbal notes getting in the way.

*attempting to resurrect the discussion, because I have a craving for tea blends* I thought Mrs Gorse, from the 2012 Yules, was a very successful black tea blend.

Indeed! The Sound of Insects from the Luper update is also a very nice tea blend

When the Luper update first went up I KNEW this was going to be a full bottle purchase so I just skipped straight to it.

 

In the bottle this is all citrus and tea with just a hint of something fruity-juicy-red from the currant. Wet on my skin the tea takes the lead role with a hint of tangy citrus and ginger in support. As this dries the citrus becomes stronger then fades back a bit to let the currant shine through, all the while the tea note is singing the soprano line over them. Gradually the other notes fade to a soft hum, supporting the tea and blending harmoniously.

 

I am so glad I got a full bottle of this. This is such a lovely addition to BPAL's tea note family

First sniff of my decant and I'm all "Ooooooooooooooo!" I can smell all the different notes at once and though I can tell they're all there they all meld together seamlessly in one beautiful whole. Wet on my skin the rose, fig, honey and pomegranate take center stage. As it dries the rose fluctuates in strength, dancing in and out with the pomegranate.

In the decant I can definitely pick out the juniper berry, amber, a trace of leather and ouhd, and just the barest waft of black current. Wet on my skin the juniper berry is still the strongest note. As it dries the black current comes through with the leather and the amber. Unfortunately the currant fades away quickly. This is certainly more subtle than The Jersey Devil or Thanatopsis, it might be just the right juniper blend to wear in the summer when I'm looking for something lighter.

In my decant this blends beautifully. It's difficult to pick out individual notes . . . except for the orange blossom and a touch of myrrh. Wet on my skin the tea jumps out into the lead role with the beeswax, myrrh and florals in support. As this dries the florals become more dominant, but not in an overwhelming way. The myrrh, musk, and copal mingle with the florals and gradually overtake them, asserting their own dominance in the dance.

 

I need to get a full bottle of this

In the decant this is almost all chocolate with just a hint of fruit. Wet on my skin I'm getting lime and dusty chocolate, it smells exactly like Dark Chocolate and Key Lime Truffle of which I already have a bottle. Twenty minutes later and I'm finally detecting a bit of fig.

In the decant I am smelling a light, creamy chocolate and something greenly nutty which must be the annatto seed. Wet on my skin the anaheim pepper lends a touch of spicyness to the annatto seed and chocolate. As this dries I do detect a tad bit of the sour body odor that a couple others have mentioned but luckily it fades away after a bit leaving behind creamy, nutty chocolate.

This is Very Strongly Lemon in the decant with a dusting of dark chocolate. Wet on my skin and the lemon jumps out strong and sharp with a creamy chocolate in support. Twenty minutes in and all I can smell is a slightly creamy lemon verbena SN. Phoey

While I love BPAL's chocolate scents their cherry note, so far, tends to disappear on my skin so I decided to get this one to test the disappearing act.

 

In the decant I can definitely smell the wine and cherries and chocolate. Wet on my skin there's a slightly dusty dark chocolate and anise. As it dries I think . . . yes, I am definitely smelling the wine-infused cherries! Sadly the anise is completely gone and there are only the barest remnants of the chocolate. I am pleased that I can smell the cherries in this but, while it is a lovely scent, I don't think I need a whole bottle of it.

In the decant I am getting mostly juniper and cedar with a touch of lavender and olive oil.

Wet on my skin there is still a lot of cedar but the tamarisk ( I think) and almond are definitely making their way to the fore front. As it dries I am also detecting the sesame, myrrh, and a faint floral which must be the rose. Gradually the rose is pushing it's way through the rest of the scents and the almond, sesame, and tamarisk have taken up a supporting role with their nutty fragrances. There is a touch of cedar and juniper behind that and the honey lends a unifying though gentle sweetness that blends it all together beautifully.

Overall this has a nutty-woodsy aroma drizzled with honey and a scattering of rose petals. I am definitely going to need to get a bottle of this

I think this is the decant I have been most excited to try, the apricot with the other notes sounds quite intriguing. In the imp this is sweet honey with a touch of fruit and spice. Wet, the cayenne jumps to the fore with the honey sweetness in support. Actually, it rather reminds me of a honey menthol cough drop, though rather more pleasant. Drying down this turns into cinnamon, cream, and honey. I'm not getting any apricot or fruit of any sort . . . unless I concentrate really hard.

 

About fifteen minutes later and the spiciness has retreated a bit allowing the apricot to peek out a bit more. Still not as much as I was hoping however. I think I am glad that I ordered a decant. It's possible the apricot could become more prominent with aging but I think I shall content myself with the contents of my little imp.

If anyone is in love with Bakeneko and can't find it anywhere you should try looking for Pet Magah Bird. The two are nearly identical on me.

Okay...I am going to ask if anyone would be interested in doing a "12 Eggs of Ostara and Easter" swap. The parameters are that you fill out a questionnaire, shopping is limited to Dollar Store/Five Below/Walmart etc. I want this to be an affordable swap. The most expensive items you purchase should be the plastic Easter Eggs. And then like the 12 days of Christmas swap...you open one Egg a day until Easter/Ostara. Thoughts?

That sounds like lots of fun!

In the imp this is a lovely floral. The rose and lilac melded together with a touch of wisteria.

 

Wet on skin, still mostly rose and lilac

 

On drydown I'm definitely getting a bit of amber coming through. I admit I was a little afraid of the lavender but I cannot detect any. This is a nicely demure floral with a touch of resin.

This is for the 2012 version.

 

Bottle: Very strong and sweet fruity, boozy port wine. Yummy!

Wet on skin: Sweet, fruity, boozy. Actually this really reminds me of jellied cranberry sauce soaked in red wine.

Dry down: This stays true on dry down which I am VERY happy about. I have got to get myself a full bottle of this!

I love tea and I love chocolate. Sadly I'm not getting much of either from this.

 

Bottle: Lime. Sparkly lime soda and chocolates.

Wet on skin: Smells like a fresh-cut lime . . . no . . . more like lime zest.

Dry down: I'm still getting that strong lime zest smell and no chocolate. Ten minutes later and I'm getting a powdery, citrusy green tea with a light touch of chocolate.

 

As much as I want to love this I think it's going into the swap pile

I would like to recommend How Doth The Little Crocodile: Chocolate peppermint, mint-soaked vanilla, pistachio, oakmoss, and green cedar. On me it's mostly chocolate and cedar, a very yummy combination

Awesome! Many thanks to both of you! Now I can update my list with the correct notes

Does anyone know which Blue Moon has a label with artwork of the Cat and the Fiddle nursery rhyme on it? I know it's not 2007 or 2009 so it has to be either 2004 or 2012 but I can't figure out which.

In the bottle this smells like caramel chocolates wrapped around a gummy lime candy. Or pixie stix, if there were such a thing as lime pixie stix. I'm getting a very deep, vibrant GREEN! vibe from this.

 

Wet on my skin I get sticky, sour lime candy.

 

On dry down the chocolate comes back into the mix but now it's more powdery, like the cocoa powder coating on a truffle. About fifteen minutes in it went rather plasticy on me but it seems to have recovered though it has lost all but a tinge of the lime now. The jury is still out on this one. I ended up buying a full bottle before my imp arrived so I'm trying really hard to like it.