filigree_shadow

Had absolutely no idea what to expect from Cairo. At first I didn't like it -- it smelled a bit sharp to me. Not like fruits or even like incense, actually a little edgy. It made me feel a little uneasy. However, as it dried I started to like it more.

It's been about 3 hours since I put it on both wrists, and I still don't know what I'm smelling. It smells yellow to me. Sort of like honeyed figs and incense.

To me, it smells exotic, but in a rather bright way. It's intriguing, but I don't think it's for me.

Initial impression: Dark amber and musk. A little smoky, in a sultry smoldering way, not in a hazy way.

While wearing: I LOVE THIS. I don't find quite as much leather as I was expecting, but the other notes are balanced very well. And it never gets sweet or powdery -- on me, it was the same scent Hour 1 through Hour 8. It has a lot of throw, too.

Sensual? Oh, hell yeah. "Lascivious" is the perfect word for this blend. I didn't look at the notes before trying it for the first time, and I put it on right before going to chemistry class, which proved to be problematic. I could barely concentrate.

Husband's reaction: "It kind of reminds me of Pez. In that dusty way." [Note: He's wearing Casanova right now, so his sniffer might be a little off.]

Initial impression: Amber and a bit musky. Smells like perfume, rather than food, flowers, spices, etc. Promising...

While wearing: Jacob's Ladder is faint, but I wouldn't call it light. When I catch the scent, it is deep and luxurious. Golden. On me, this does not smell masculine at all. "Glowing" is a good word for it. Unfortunately I'm not familiar enough with the notes in this one to be able to say which ones are prominent. But this one smells a lot more like "perfume" than other BPAL blends I've tried.

Mr. Gree is sitting right next to me and can't smell it, and I nearly slathered. I'm enjoying it, though. I like it more and more as the hours go by and it softens a little.

Hubby's reaction: First 30 minutes: "I like it, but Alone is better." After 3 hours, with a surprised look on his face: "Mmmm, that's niiiice. Can you get more of that one?"

ETA on 5/14/07: I got a decant of the 06 version in order to compare it to my bottle of the 05 version, and I can't really tell much of a difference. The 05 version smells a little bit deeper and a little less bright, but I think that's to be expected since it has amber, galbanum, and benzoin in it. It's a barely noticeable difference, and I wouldn't have been able to tell if I didn't have them both on, right next to each other. I like the 05 version better, but I always like aged resins best.

Initial impression: Wow. Fresh and clean. I'm getting a powerful, wet citrus. Must be the bergamot. Whatever it is, it's bold.

While wearing: I really, really like this, and I didn't expect to. I usually like the darker, smokier blends. But the crisp citrus scent fades within the first 20-30 minutes, leaving a really lush, round floral with just a hint of woodsiness. For some reason I feel like sitting in a rocking chair on a verandah sipping mint juleps, and I don't even know what mint juleps are.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to last very long on me. It's wispy after about one hour. But when I catch wisps of it, it's wonderful. I completely agree with reviewers who said it would be great spritzed on bed linens.

Will just use the imp, since hubby crinkles his nose a bit at this one, but I'll love using up the imp.

Husband's reaction: "Smells like old-lady purple."

Initial impression: Started out sharply and strongly clove, and I couldn't find the cherry in it at all. In the first 30 minutes the clove overpowered everything else, and it was making me slightly dizzy. Perhaps that was because I could not stop myself from repeatedly bringing my wrists to my face and breathing it in. (The dizziness was kinda fun.)

While wearing: Resin-sweet (must be the Dragon's Blood), but still no cherries. Also I have to get pretty close to my wrists to get any clove. After about an hour, it turned a bit powdery, but the sweetness never faded. The myrrh lends a subtle undercurrent of smoke.

The spiciness fades a lot over the first couple of hours, but the sweetness lingers quite a while. I put it on at 8 p.m. and could still smell it the next morning. After about four hours I still like it, but I want to re-slather to bring back some of the beloved clove.

For me, this is a singularly winter scent -- it feels red, and too hot for summer. Probably don't need a bottle, because I was really hoping for more clove and cherry. But I know I will use my imp.

Husband's reaction: "You smell like chai. It's nice." In the first couple of hours, he noticeably keeps coming round and being affectionate. "Strangely alluring, isn't it?" I ask. "Mmmrhhrmmm-mmrhhmm," he says, snuggled into my neck.