Emma2403

In the bottle: strong, nearly cloying floral.

On my skin: eek, soapy floral plus honey. It doesn’t make a very nice mix.

After a couple of hours: still heavy floral. Very perfumey.

Verdict: not me at all.

In the bottle: sweet, fruity (plum) with a little bit of booze (but it's not cloying).

On my skin: still very sweet but the florals show themselves. I don't really recognize violet so far.

After a couple of hours: boy does it fade fast, there's hardly anything left.

Verdict: it's very purple indeed but I'm afraid it's not for me. Too sweet.

In the bottle: fruity bubblegum… if I go on sniffing really hard, I get some wine from time to time.

On my skin: sparkling fruit… I can't really explain, it makes me think of glitter (indeed) and champagne (although it doesn't smell like champagne). It's quite refreshing and very joyful. It makes me think of Stardust, there's the same seventies and festive feel in both of them.

After a couple of hours: still fruity, pear is distinctively showing up at last.

Verdict: thumbs up!

In the bottle: at first, it's quite bitter… I recognize kumquat and something a bit earthy (although I could not say what).

On my skin: grapefruit and kumquat, very "real", very strong and I really like that. It's unusual and pretty. There's still something bitter (and herbal).

After a couple of hours: in the drydown phase, I get soft flowers, and a hint of citrus.

Verdict: very beautiful, especially the initial kumquat phase.

In the bottle: lovely, delicate lilac… and some rose.

On my skin: tea rose, lily of the valley and still some lilac. I'm not usually a big fan of floral scents but this one is very pretty.

After a couple of hours: lovely pink rose… creamy and light.

Verdict: I'm not much one for florals but this one is a very beautiful one indeed. I'll have to try it again and decide whether I need a bottle or not.

In the bottle: jasmine and bubblegum.

On my skin: jasmine, jasmine, jasmine, and the tiniest hint of lotus. I really don't like jasmine, and lotus makes it a little watery, which I don't really appreciate either. It could even induce headaches, I'm afraid.

After a couple of hours: jasmine and soap. Bleh.

Verdict: the usual jasmine curse.

I've been waiting for this one for a looong time. I was dreaming of bright green, fresh apple, spiced by some dragon's blood. Let's see.

In the bottle: oooh, lovely, very green apple. And some bubblegum!

On my skin: apple and apple blossom. Strong, ripe, juicy. I love this!

After a couple of hours: it gets a little more floral and musky.

Verdict: quite nice. I'm not sure I need a bottle but the juicy apple I got at first was one of the best scents ever. It's a pity it has to morph into something more floral.

In the bottle: tobacco's jumping on me right away, along with something I would think is bourbon or any similar alcohol. Sickening (kinda makes me think of Death of Sardanapal, which is a very bad omen).

On my skin: patchouli (yuk!) and pepper. It actually made me cough (but well, I must admit I have a little cold)… It's really very peppery.

Verdict: certainly not for me.

In the bottle: Musk, leather and honeysuckle

On my skin: honeysuckle and some others flowers, plus lots of musk. It's a very nice way to be tricked.

Verdict: not totally indispensable but very nice indeed.

I ordered this one on a whim, really… and I was quite sure I'd ended up feeling sorry (as often when I don't think a long time before ordering), but no, I'm so totally in love.

In the bottle: rose and honeysuckle with maybe some amber.

On my skin: rose, lily and honeysuckle. It's such a beautiful floral. Rich but not cloying or too heady.

After a couple of hours: vanilla and tons of flowers. Very beautiful.

Verdict: I'm really surprised to like all that much a scent containing jasmine (my nemesis!), lily and rose (both can be killers combined with my skin chemistry)… it's lovely, really!

I've first tried Freak Show when it was released, but didn't write a proper review of it. I remember I kinda liked it (which is unusual for anything with cocoa as far as I'm concerned), but ended up swapping it.

As I've won another decant now, let's try and review it.

In the bottle: strong cocoa with orange (maybe it's the mix pomegranate/lemon that makes me think of orange).

On my skin: cocoa, honeyed vanilla and behind… tonka. Tonka is bothering me (think: nausea!) as usual, but it's not too strong here. All in all, it's a very rich scent…

After a couple of hours: fruity cocoa… chocolate covered pomegranate or something. And still a hint of honeyed vanilla! The tonka disappeared and it's pretty yummy, really.

Verdict: I'm not one to wear cocoa-scents but I must admit it's the most gorgeous one I've ever tried. I might end up keeping the decant and wearing it once in a while, when I want something different.

In the bottle: rose, incense and musk.

On my skin: smoky rose, with bergamot. The rose's both creamy and smoky. There's some bergamot coming from time to time, unexpectedly.

After a couple of hours: it goes back to encensy rose, exactly like the first sniff out of the bottle.

Verdict: I'm rather indifferent. It doesn't happen often, Bpal, for me, is more a "I hate" or "I love" experience, but Gypsy Queen just leaves me blah and uninterested.

In the bottle: disconcerting. Not like anything else. There's soap, there are spices and… flowers (can't be more precise)

On my skin: I'm sure I know this flower… maybe gardenia, but I wouldn't swear. The first reaction is "I don't like it" but then I find myself sniffing my wrist all the time… weird but not unknown of when it comes to me and Bpal!

After a couple of hours: it gets very perfumey, very traditional… but not bad…

Verdict: I don't know, this scent is very confusing. I think the best thing to do is keeping my decant but not chasing for a bottle… but then again, my nose's still glued to my wrist, so…. Confusing!

In the bottle: very light. A little citrussy, a little hairspray.

On my skin: it's a very faint scent so far… the only thing I'm sure I recognize is lemon. It's also kinda aquatic, very bright and goes quite well with the idea of glass (if glass had a specific scent).

After a couple of hours: it gets soapy… and there's still this hint of hairspray, I don't really know what it is but I kinda like it because it's a scent associated to my mother doing her hair when I was a child.

Verdict: not exactly my thing, but quite lovable.

In the bottle: sharp, sharp, sharpest cherry. And the trace of musk.

On my skin: still lots of cherries but it gets nearly watery. I couldn't say why. White musk is slowly and shyly showing… it makes it much better.

After a couple of hours: and now here comes lavender. It's all white musk and lavender now, cherries have totally disappeared.

Verdict: I'm not big on cherries, so I wouldn't become a fan of King of Hearts because of the initial phase. But cherry lovers should give it a try for sure.

In the bottle: agh, damn patchouli… it just kills everything else!

On my skin: applied very carefully as patchouli is really not my friend. And it's nearly the only thing I can smell. I'm really looking for the apricot but it's not there.

Verdict: I had to wash it off before even waiting for the drydown because it was a patchouli nightmare!

This is a frimp. I seem to attract only floral frimps those days. I'm not thrilled by this, but let's give it a try anyway.

In the bottle: ooh that's lovely. It reminds me the florist shop I wanted to open when I was younger (I love flowers scents, they just often don't work on my skin)… there's freesia and some green boughs.

On my skin: freesia and yellow daffodils. This is very joyful, very pretty and unlike many florals, it's not too heady.

After a couple of hours: it gets a little powdery but I don't mind…

Verdict: a very good surprise… I probably would not have tried this one if I hadn't been lucky enough to get it as a frimp. Nice, very nice.

In the bottle: violet and clove. Or tonka. Or both.

On my skin: violet and lots of clove. Very, very sweet, close to becoming sickening.

After a couple of hours: it stays very, very heady and goes more perfumey by the minute (there's no musk though).

Verdict: I usually love violets, especially Bpal violet, but this one is certainly not for me… It's just too strong and too sweet, and makes me feel sick. And I think it's official now: tonka is not my friend.

I nearly didn't order a decant of this one, because the description, without any notes listed, reminded me of Nuclear Winter, and Nuclear Winter had been a huge disappointment for me. Now I'm so glad I finally caved!

In the bottle: WOW! The same snow note as in Snow White. There were so many snow scents that absolutely didn't agree with me (such as snow bunny, snow moon, talvikuu…) and here, finally, there's something similar to snow white. Please, please, make it work on my skin!

On my skin: the snow white snow plus tons of mint. And some kind of dirt far behind. Okay, this scent has been made especially for me, right?

After a couple of hours: the most perfect comfort-scent. I can't really pick up individual notes anymore, but I'm in love.

Verdict: true love!

In the bottle: very sharp verbena, with some rose underneath.

On my skin: still tons of verbena, plus some wintergreen. I like it a lot. It's really evocative of Yule, time of rebirth and new beginnings.

After a couple of hours: it gets softer. Unfortunately, it disappears a bit too quickly for my liking, my skin seems to drink it off.

Verdict: very pretty. But considering the number of bottles I have of my "I absolutely need this"-list, I suppose, I'll have to pass on Yule and only keep my imp.

I was really in love with stardust 05, so I had to try the 06 version as well. Let's see.

In the bottle: champagne and musk and tons of bubbles and stars. I swear I can smell them. It's as beautiful as last year's.

On my skin: it doesn't morph very much. Musk and champagne mostly, with very white flowers hidden behind. It's so festive and also full of nostalgia, like evoking a time of insouciance I've never happened to experience myself.

After a couple of hours: it stays very loyal. Lovely white musk, with a bit of a smokey atmosphere. Still some champagne and flowers.

Verdict: I wish I could bathe in Stardust! I didn't notice any significant difference with last year's version.

In the bottle: lots and lots of cocoa and then quite a reasonable amount of coconut. Makes me think of a cup of hot cocoa topped with coconut powder (not something I would drink, though!).

On my skin: nearly only chocolate (milk chocolate). There's a hint of coconut from time to time. I used to hate coconut but some Bpal scents (such as The Star) taught me to love its smell. But not here… here it's the sickening coconut I'm a real fiend of.

After a couple of hours: milk chocolate and maybe something spicy. Still too sweet for my liking.

Verdict: off to swap.

In the bottle: pure watermelon with tons and tons and tons of sugar.

On my skin: pretty much the same. Watermelon candy (if there is such a thing). I don't smell any of the other fruit. Very kiddish, I'd say. Very happy scent as well. Very girlie.

After a couple of hours: in the drydown phase, all I seem to get is sugar… it fades away quite quickly as well.

Verdict: well, I don't know, as I said, it's a very joyful scent. Maybe I'm not happy enough those days to enjoy it fully… I won't start hunting for it, that's for sure.

In the bottle: rosewood and sandalwood. Rich and warm.

On my skin: Spicey amber and sandalwood. Plus a hint of booze (wine?).

After a couple of hours: woody and spicey sexiness... it has a very good staying power as well.

Verdict: it's a frimp and I was even reluctant to try it because well... I didn't like the name and I wasn't thrilled when I read the notes. But it's a definite keeper. It's so damn sensual!

This is a frimp from my lovely friend Chrysantza. She loves floral, I don't, so we'll see...

In the bottle: oooh rose! A little creamy, a little green but still rose. Quite right for Venus.

On my skin: wait, there's something more. Rose, of course, but... violet? Lilac? Some other heavy floral. Unfortunately, I don't get mint at all.

After a couple of hours: very rich bright pink rose (while Red Rose was dark red rose and the empress was pastel pink rose).

Verdict: it's very beautiful but I don't love roses enough to need another rose-scent, myself.