forspecial_plate

Hmm....for a scent with so many notes...it's surprising that my skin only broadcasts 2 of them, mandarin and tobacco leaf. The cocoa is there in the background, just a little. There is an ashy undertone, maybe to the tobacco, or maybe that's just my mind playing tricks. It reminds me of an ashtray unfortunately. This one's not for me. I'm glad some other folks like it, I can add it to my growing swap pile! I am so happy that the lab recently sent me an Imp of this with an order. It deserves much more praise than I gave it in my first review. I don't know what changed....I don't think the scent changed. Maybe my tastes have changed, or I'm better able to appreciate the scent's subtleties now. Whatever, it doesn't really matter. This is a deep, spicy and almost earthy orange scent. Very appealing to me now and doesn't go ashy or dusty on me any more. Lasts a long time, too. I bet someone standing next to me would just smell orange or citrus. But I don't care! I smell a nice, complex scent that I want more of. I will eventually have 5ml of this!

Definitely rose, immediately, although deepened by the other notes. I mostly get rose and I guess lily at first. You know, on paper, all these together sound cloying to me and I wouldn't have tried this on my own. But I try everything bpal that comes my way and this is actually quite lovely. Somehow not cloying, just well balanced, bright and dizzying, yes, but not over-the-top in my opinion. As it dries and fades, there's the frankinsence and myrrh, emerging and taking over. 4 hours later the rose it mostly gone, I think this is the incense that's left, still pretty powerful. Still a great scent but just not for me. I'm giving it to my ex, he likes florals and incense so I think he'll appreciate this.

Not much for me to add that hasn't already been said...very pleasant, sweet spicy almond with clove flirting in and out. For me this was gone within 4 hours. I love almond, and this has more depth than Demeter Almond (which is also sweet and a little smokey), but somehow I've come to expect more. This will probably be a freebie I can use when I eventually begin to swap. Someone else will enjoy it more than me.

I don't know my florals much at all, but to me this smells golden. I'd be interested in tracking down some single notes that are in this to pinpoint the one that stays with me. Then I would most likely avoid it in the future. It doesn't smell bad. It's just a very strong association from childhood. In a review for Et Lux Fuit, somebody mentioned the little Avon solid perfumes in novelty pins. They said daisies, the ones I remember were ducks and frogs. I remember wanting one, but I knew that they were for girls and I couldn't have one. I took every chance I got to open my mom's and smell hers though. That's what this smells like to me. Dead-on. And it doesn't change much from initial application to drying and fading. Like I said it's not a bad smell, just kind of sweet and impossible for me to escape that memory. I wouldn't choose to wear this, so, another for the growing swap box!

Complete revision of my earlier review: This starts out a wonderfully dark blend of equal parts citrus and deep, rich sandalwood-like incense (am I really the only one that gets sandalwood out of this?). I am absolutely in love with this for about an hour....then I think the ozone takes over. A clean, fresh note starts to come through, and I've heard other people describe ozone as dryer sheets. Well, that's what's happening here. The ozone (if that's what's doing this) gets stronger and stronger until it is a sweet powder nearly drowning out the beautiful incense/citrus that this started out with. I may keep this just in case there's ever a situation where I want to smell absolutely wonderful.....for one hour. Then I'll be like Cinderella, having to leave before midnight, when my fragrance turns into powder.

I already know I'm not going to try this again, so... Sharp out of the bottle, I don't remember much mint but did get the eucalyptus in a big way, but that faded after a short while. Pretty soon, all I could smell was an emphatic soap smell, very much like a commonly used commercial soap but I couldn't remember which one (I want to say Ivory, but maybe not)...turned up to about 11 (you know, the dials that only go up to 10). After that it didn't change much and I just had to wash it off! I really wanted to like this one but it's actually the first bpal that I just can't get along with, I'm afraid. This will be a good addition to my budding swap pile!

I hesitate to review this yet...but what the hell... Just got it today and it's definitely a favorite already. I think this is the one I've been looking for. Not much to add as far as descriptions....dry and very woody, and yes I get the 'golden' in the lab's description. Not a bold fragrance on me, a little sharp but mellow at the same time, and doesn't throw a lot, I don't think. Also doesn't change much on me, it smells the same now as when I put it on, just not as strong. This is a good thing. I like a scent to be in a small area around me, smellable only if you're standing right next to me (or closer ). To really give an idea of how much I like it, I have 6 other imps to try, just got my order today. But as soon as I put this on, I knew I just wanted to smell like this for the rest of the day. The others can wait. Definite 5ml for me. I don't want a 10ml because I don't think I could use it up fast enough, and I don't want it to age and lose potency. ETA: I think Aureus replaced Kingsport for my daytime scent. I think of Aureus as a professional, intelligent scent and it actually clears my head when I wear it to work. I think Djinn will always be my night scent.

What a coincidence...I got my imp of sugar skull '05 from elfmaiden (see directly above)! Anyway....I was apprehensive at first because in the bottle it was just weird to me, and it sort of overpowered every other imp in the cute little box elfmaiden gave me. Like you just open the box of 13 imps and the sugar just wafts out. I have never worn a sugary/cookie-y scent and that's what this smelled like to me. But I tried it today and actually liked it a lot. It's yet another scent that I'm not sure I would wear going out, but definitely will enjoy it around the house, on a rainy day, or just taking a nap. It stuck around for a long time, too...I did actually take a nap and kept smelling my wrist....mmmmmm.....and didn't even wash it off before work, just kept smelling the faint sweetness. Hmm, not a very descriptive review. It smells like brown sugar in the oven. Pretty straightforward to me.

What a fun, interesting scent! I really wanted to try this but was also a little apprehensive about the black musk, because I wasn't sure how that would react on my skin, never having tried it. And really wasn't sure because this sounded like it might be kind of medicine-y ('paroxysm of pennyroyal' doesn't exactly sound subtle!). So I finally tried it today and really enjoyed it. Very light, refreshing, sort of creamy purple and minty scent, with a little green herbal darting in and out (that must be the paroxysm). Didn't change a whole lot on me, just sort of nicely faded until all that was left was a sort of powdery smell, not in a bad way, which I am assuming is the musk. If Djinn is my favorite bpal so far, this would be a great opposite-of-Djinn for when the mood strikes. edited: second and third time around I noticed that this fades really fast on me. After a couple hours it diminishes a lot and mostly what's left is a sweetness from the musk (I think).

Oh, I wanted so much to like this, based on the beautiful description and reviews! On me the jasmine stands out above all else, unless it's just my untrained schnozz blending the florals together and naming it 'jasmine'. I can sense the neroli and possibly the other florals but it boils down to heavy jasmine, at first. As time goes by I can start to smell some smokey incense notes swirling around in the background, but never quite competing with the jasmine/florals. I do like jasmine so this isn't bad. Then, after maybe 3 or 4 hours, it all fades into a sort of cloying, sweet, powder smell, sort of like what silk road did on me. Almost the same smell actually, making me wonder if they have a note in common that's doing this. Not once did I detect any patchouli or vetiver at all, and the powdery finish prevents me from wanting to try it again. I can think of a couple friends who might like it though, so at least I know I can find a good home for it! ETA: held onto the hope that this would work for me, and tried again a month later. This time the incense is more prominent right away, although there's still some jasmine or other florals right up front. Then the powdery phase. Then the powder actually backs off, and the mossy green herbal notes come out....maybe this is the patchouli or vetiver making its presence known. Or maybe just the mosses. At any rate, it's very faint by this time with very little throw. Still not quite a keeper, but I'm glad I tried it again.

This is really nice, someone threw it in for free when I ordered some imps. I wouldn't have chosen it on my own but I'm really glad I got to try it. It's a comfort smell for me, and I find myself putting it on at home when I'm about to take a nap or lay down to relax. It's so nice and sweet, I wouldn't really wear it out and about. Always makes me think of condensed milk, then as it dries it softly fades into a sweet coconut summer-y smell. Very nice surprise. First time I've tried anything with dragon's blood so I wasn't able to really distinguish that from the other notes. Maybe I'll try some of the other ars draconis now. : ) edited: Today I noticed that this is a 'barely-there' scent on me. I put on a whole lot and could barely smell it, then it disappeared after an hour or two. I don't know if this is just something weird going on with my skin today or if it will always do this...I'll keep trying! editing again, because I got a brand new imp of this from the lab and it's much, much stronger than my older decanted imp. Also the newer one is paler and more orange in color, the older one I have is bright red/pink. It's like the older one is just a ghost of the smell of the newer one. It does still remind me of sweet, pale coconut. Maybe the older one was *too* aged, like past its peak.

This scent might be the most straightforward bpal that I've tried, as in, it didn't change for me from the time I put it on until it faded almost completely. On me this has a lemon-y smell from the get go, kind of sugary sweet. I can also smell the jasmine in the background (yay for my novice nose picking up subtle notes!!), which might be contributing to the sugar-y sweetness I'm smelling. With this (and also Lurid), I didn't smell any lavender at all. I really like lavender so I'm starting to wonder why I can't pick it up when I know it's there or when other people can smell it. It's not as though lavender is exactly a subtle or faint scent... This has had the shortest duration of the bpal scents I've tried, although I haven't put a large amount on. It's now 5 hours later and I can barely smell it at all. I probably won't wear it much, not because I dislike it (I don't), but it's just not the "wow" scent that I'm really looking for to match my personality.

My very first thought was: 'this is a lady's perfume. I can't wear this'. I gave it a while than decided to wash it off. Then just before washing it off it slightly changed on me and became something I felt I could live with. Kind of like the scent was telling me in this silky voice, 'don't be so hasty. We might just get along if you give me a chance'. I washed it off anyway but tried it again a few days later. On second try I liked it much more. For me it's a slightly smokey, very berry or fruity scent. Kind of purring and sultry. I can't smell the lavender at all. I think what's happening to me is I get one note out of a scent and can't pick out the other, more subtle notes. My nose is still learning. Eventually this dies down and the berry turns into elderberry cough syrup to me (the currant, I'm sure). Not unpleasant mind you. Overall something that smells nice to me, but I honeslty can't see myself wanting to wear this out in public. I may keep it around just for rainy days, or maybe some situation will present itself where I want to wear it out somewhere.

I guess I had better review this since I've been talking sh*t about it in other threads... I really wanted to try it based on reviews and the description. I like the sweet spiciness at first, and I'm a novice so I couldn't really pick out individual notes. But it did keep reminding me of something and I couldn't quite place it. I get the green/fresh/spicy goodness that most of the other reviews mention. Gradually a floral/powdery scent emerged and eventually bullied all the other notes into near submission. I don't know what this particular floral is but it smells exactly like my departed great grandmother's house, some perfume or powder that she wore. Actually the first time I tried this I fell asleep and when I woke up it was like....BAM, great grandmother's house! I would love to know which note is giving me this association, out of curiosity and also so I can avoid it in the future! To be fair, it's not an unpleasant smell. Just too sweet and powdery for me to ever wear and the association in my mind is too strong for me to enjoy it.

Rubbing alcohol? Salt and lemon juice? BLEACH?! Wow, be good to your skin....on top of removing your bpal oil you're removing your skin's natural oils which are there for good reasons...and people go to the e.r. for contact with bleach, don't forget! I did feel a need to get Silk Road off because I was tired of smelling like my great grandmother's house (as nice as those memories are)...so I just jumped in the shower and used Kiss My Face Olive Oil soap. But I haven't had big problems like some of you, where something stayed on me for days. I guess that calls for drastic measures!

I've never tried Delerium but I did read that apple is a smell that can wake you up: "Non compos mentis, indeed! A contrary, conflicted scent, bubbling with merry madness. Contains apple, rose, and lemon".

first impression: Fairly leaps from the bottle, sharp ginger/soapy smell. settling in: I love this! Very reminiscent of burning incense, and I finally placed what it was reminding me of: Trivets, a store that used to be in downtown Cincinnati. It was an antique/gift/clothing store that specialized in 60's memorobilia and such. This reminds me of their basement, in the back, they had a sort of tunnel lit by blacklight, full of posters you could rummage through, and lots of posters on the walls and ceilings. Their store always smelled like burning incense and this reminds me of that. as time goes by: Doesn't change or morph *much* on me, I am getting more vetiver and the ginger is fading. More woodsy and the smokiness is backing off. Still love it. bottom line: Not sure if I'll get a big bottle, this is only my 2nd bpal scent. It's sort of contradictory because it's so bold at first, but at the same time very mellow, smooth, sexy, and masculine. Very nice. edit: I have to say, almost a year later, Djinn is one of my top 2 GC scents (the other being Snake Oil). I wear it pretty often when I go out. I am not going to change my review, although now I don't think it smells like burning incense. It's just perfect for me, and I can't imagine being without it. It ages really well too, gains some depth and roundness I think, and even a hint of sweetness comes out.

My first bpal scent, and my first review!! first impression: Sharp, clean, almost dizzying soapy scent. Very reminscent of some men's cologne, or soap, or aftershave. Sporty and masculine. settling in: The sharpness backs off pretty quickly, still a soapy smell, but the saltiness comes forward (wow...this is that morphing everyone talks about! cool!). As time goes by the saltiness remains, actually making me thirsty the first time I wore this! Also it made me long for a sweet/fruity scent the same way that salty food makes me want a sweet icy drink. hours later: Faded faster than I expected. All that's left is this faint sex/salty smell, and honestly it *almost* reminds me of the play-doh smell that people talk about in here (which to me isn't a bad thing). Actually I can barely tell anything's there. bottom line: Basically this reminds me of Irish Spring soap, or something similar. I can see wearing it in a formal setting. Very masculine to me. edited: On second wear I liked this a lot more, and also put on more. So it lasted a lot longer. I will definitely enjoy the rest of the imp!