Cariad

Another good one I've been using is www.basenotes.net/directory It's the same sort of thing - really useful when looking for a bpal fragrance that my mother would like (she's an Estee Lauder fan usually )

I'm glad I finally got around to trying this one, because the drydown is worth it. In the imp, it smells like germolene! I think it must be the 'crisp northern wind' element that gives it that medicinal tinge... On my skin, it stays quite medicinal for the first few seconds, but quickly mellows out into a lovely soft floral and berry blend with a bit of wintery sharpness, like roses and loganberries over frosty leaves. Like all the wanderlust scents I've tried so far, it's wonderfully evocative. To me, this seems like a January scent. It's very wintery, but not spicy or indulgent like a festive scent. It's like the cold, bleak but beautiful light of day at the dawn of the new year. I'm definitely saving my imp.

Sultry is definitely the word. Santo Domingo smells much lighter + sharper in the imp, though the tobacco is definitely there in the background. On my skin it turns much richer and I'm sure I can smell bananas. The overall scent is so beautifully blended that no one note stands out, but there's definitely a rich, golden tobacco-and-rum base with a hint of honey. The Caribbean blossoms aren't too floral but they're definitely there, softening the rich base. I agree with Brianne - a scent to wear with a silk dress, in a wooden bar, with Bebo Valdes on piano in the background...(ok so he's Cuban but you get the picture...) eta: one day later... with completely different hormones singing in my bloodstream: this has mellowed out into a laid-back floral scent. I don't generally go for generic florals, but I'm liking this a lot.

oh, wow. I can't say much about the scent of this one, but it really works. I ordered it as a little extra to make the postage on another imp worthwhile. I'm up to my eyeballs in MA dissertation at the moment and finally got round to trying out my imp when I realised I'd been staring blankly at my computer screen for several minutes. Sniffing my wrists, I feel much more clear-headed and able to think my way out of whatever mental cul-de-sac I've worked myself into. It has really stemmed the rising panic. I wouldn't wear it for the scent alone (burnt olives!) but I'm definitely keeping this imp - at least until September!

quick review while it's on my mind (and my wrist!) I got a bottle of this yesterday and dabbed some on the boyfriend's wrist to see what it would smell like. On him: nappies. Soiled nappies and baby powder. How could such a lovely bottled scent go so horribly wrong? Not willing to give up - because it smells so lovely in the bottle, and anyway, what welsh girl could resist a perfume called dragon's heart? - I put some on when I got home this evening. On me: a sophisticated, powdery-musky and slightly fruity blend. I'm so relieved! In the bottle, I can pick up that almost-floral note that people have noticed, along with a sweetness that must be the fruit, and a resiny depth. On my skin, as I've said, the first 5 mins are *powder* (which I think is the black musk coming on strong) and then it settles down so that I can smell the fruit and something warm at the base of it all. Still not too sure about the powdery-ness, but I think this one will grow on me... eta: several hours later this has mellowed into something deliciously sweet without being foody. Mmm! eta: several weeks later... this must be a hormonal thing: it's turned to baby powder on my skin. Huh. This is quite a powerful blend. When it works, it's lovely, but... I think I'll swap my bottle for an imp.

My first bpal experience! In the bottle, Maiden smells almost citrussy, very clean, not at all what I was expecting... I suppose that must be the green tea, with the flowers gently mingling in the background. On, it retains that clean tea scent but with a sort of creamy softness from the carnation which turns to cloves every time I'm out in the sun. I couldn't smell the rose, though I guess that must have been what was providing the lovely floral depth to the perfume. Overall it developed into a very gentle, not-very-floral floral which is lovely to wear I love the way this perfume makes me feel. It's a self-sufficient scent, if that makes any sense. It doesn't feel as if it's trying to appeal to anyone other than yourself. It's beautiful, sophisticated and very innocent. I hope all bpal pefumes are as good as this!

mmm...I like the idea of the juicy/fruity undertone, it's just how I imagine a perfect wine-y blend would smell can't wait to try Madrid! and blood rose sounds like such a perfect rose scent, I can't believe I missed it on the site!

ooh... now I want centzon totochtin as well... good advice about trying them out (of course now this means I have to buy them - I think I'll get some wine-y imps to go with my dragon's blood imps...) What about the grape liqour in Bess - is that something similar?

Adding to my ever-expanding wishlist... I'd really love to try Old Madrid (love *love* that city + am all set to move there this September!) but I'm not so sure about the wine note in it... I'm also pretty tempted by Blood Rose, but again... I'm a wine lover so I'm intrigued by the idea of smelling like wine, but I can't imagine what it would smell like in a perfume What do the wine-y scents smell like to you? Is the wine note really boozy, or more like a full-bodied fruity sort of scent with less of the alcohol? p.s. I wasn't sure where to ask - the search for wine turned up so many results! So it must be pretty popular...

hmm...thanks for the advice! I'm going to take the plunge and order some Dragon's Heart from the Apothercary's Cat. By the time the next big order from Britain comes around I should have saved up enough for a stash of imps, and then some...

ooh - loving the sound of Blood Rose, thanks! it's so easy to miss so many lovely oils on this site