steffanina

The Shivering Boy-

In Bottle: A much spicier and resinous scent than I expected. I think that's the benzoin.

Wet: Grape sweetness and resin. Again, not at all what I expected!

Dry: This isn't bad at all, but it doesn't feel cold; it feels like ritual and wine and peace. Not one I'll want to wear, though.

Overall: Interesting; not quite for me.

Rose Red 2007-

In Bottle: Ooh, juicy fresh on-the-stem rose, covered in dew, just covered.

Wet: Fresh rose with the green stem coming along for the ride. Just a hint of the earth it was in, too.

Dry: On me, it doesn't last quite so long; the joy of the fresh juicy rose kind of winds down in a mish-mash but still doesn't go sour on me, which is great. I have Peacock Queen on one wrist and this on the other and the difference is amazing. The in-the-bottle of this one is making me really want to use this in scent lockets. I think I'll have to.

Overall: An amazing scent, this fresh rose--I love it best in the bottle and wet, and I do love it.

Peacock Queen-

In Bottle: This is rose scent. Not rose, but rose scent. There's a difference.

Wet: Again, rose scent.

Dry: This really is what I expect from a rose scent--I see why this one gets a "haughty" label; it's that classy rose perfume scent, and--miracle of miracles!--does not go sour on me as so many rose blends do. I don't think I'll wear this much as I'm not into florals generally but I think I want to be sniffing it again and again.

Overall: One of the best rose scents I've found for myself!

November-

In Bottle: Oh, my, yes, a snowstorm in a pine forest.

Wet: Almost eucalyptus, that pine scent--almost! There's a nice little cold scent above it.

Dry: This scent trembles on the verge of being a pine scent like Jolasveinar or Knecht Ruprecht, and a winter, snowy scent like Black Ice or Snow-Flakes. That makes it unique to me!

Overall: A nifty, edge-of-pine and edge-of-winter scent.

Noche Buena-

In Bottle: Mmm, some nice fruit and sugar and something a little minty in the midst of all these sugary fruity florals.

Wet: Fruit, plus florals, one of which has an edge. A sharp (but not acrid) green edge.

Dry: Far more fruity than floral, but light fruits! A yummy blend!

Overall: Yummy!

Mistletoe 2007-

In Bottle: Whoa, not just pine but pine sap, oozing all over.

Wet: Such intense pine!

Dry: Whoa, this doesn't last as long as I thought it would. It recedes into a light, clean, green soapy scent. It's nice, though.

Overall: Clean, pleasant scent.

Midwinter's Eve 2007-

In Bottle: Sweetly fruity. And maybe a hint of resin?

Wet: Berry fruit--whoa, what is that? Is there a dirty note under that?

Dry: --Not a dirty note, but one of the flowers has a sort of...earthy tone? Almost like red musk has snuck in here. That roasted potato smell. Overall I hardly notice it but there is a hint of it there. I do love the fruit of it, though!

Overall: Generally yummy!

Lick It One More Time-

In Bottle: Hellooooo, peppermint!

Wet: Strong, strong peppermint. Not obnoxious, but just intensely peppermint.

Dry: Huh, this one doesn't seem to stick around long. It's a brief intense peppermint orgy and then it's "Hey, aren't you coming back?" I'm not sure if the previous blends were like this--I think I may like the previous blends a bit more. Time for a comparison test, one of these days!

Overall: Minty fresh but not as long-lasting.

La Befana-

In Bottle: Ooh, a candy sweetness, and something sharply floral--that's violet, isn't it? I love violet in the right blend, I do.

Wet: Sudden bloom of green in the candy sweetness. Like a crushed floral stem.

Dry: Candy and violet and a little bit of crushed green mustiness, but not in a bad musty way--this is nifty scent. Delightfully floral-foody.

Overall: A nifty scent!

Krampus 2007-

(Last year's blend was fascinating--I loved the dusty smell!)

In Bottle: Hmm. Not sure if it's just like last year's--roasted potato smell, something a little sweet and cloying.

Wet: Oh, there's that dust-and-leather! And the red musk. Hm, I think today is a "not in the mood for red musk" day--it often seems cloying on me--so that's why it feels a little different from the first version. I think it's the same, I do.

Dry: Yeah, this is a "no red musk, please" day--so I won't let that influence my review more than it has to. It's like last year's Krampus, and that's good with me. Roasted potato, red musk, dust and leather.

Overall: A novel scent that I really like.

Jolasveinar 2007-

(I really liked this one last year--yummy foresty pine!)

In Bottle: Light lovely pine-and-snow-and-fruit smell.

Wet: Pine, sharpness but not acrid--more like soap.

Dry: Smells like last year's version. A lovely yule blend, with pine the dominant note but with something grape-fruity with it. Not heavy at all!

Overall: I really like!

Haloa 2007-

(The previous incarnation was interesting but a little too cloying for me.)

In Bottle: This one smells of grapes and something creamy-sweet.

Wet: Clean soapy smell, sweet, and a hint of fruit.

Dry: Very like last year's blend--a tiny bit cloying, like overripe fruit, with a hint of resin.

Overall: A bit too cloying for me.

Gingerbread Poppet 2007-

In Bottle: (The previous blends of this have long been one of my favorite BPAL scents.) Smells like previous incarnations--darkly gingery and nutmeggy with a hint of lemon extract. Yummmmm.

Wet: True to its in-bottle scent. Dark baked sugar with deep dark ginger, nutmeg, and a lemon hint.

Dry: True to itself, not musty at all. Long-lasting and delicious with its dark baked sugar-ginger-nutmeg.

Overall: Still one of my very favorites!

The Fruit of Paradise-

In Bottle: I smell pine. That can't be because it's a Yule scent and I'm all influenced, can it? But I do smell pine and fruit.

Wet: Fruity pine! Juicy, dark fruit--pomegranate, yes. Pomegranate growing on a pine tree!

Dry: The pine hint recedes and I'm left with a dark pomegranate scent--it's really nice! I still like Swank best for my pomegranate needs but this is a close second.

Overall: Very nice! That pine hint works great for Yule.

El Dia de Reyes-

In Bottle: What a beautiful creamy chocolate that is with a cinnamon hint!

Wet: Cinnamon and chocolate, WOW. I would love it if this didn't go musty on me. It's a wonderful chocolate scent.

Dry: Does this go musty? Only a teeny, teeny bit. And it almost seems like it's no more than the cinnamon. This is wonderful; such a delicious chocolate scent! One of my favorite chocolate scents, certainly. That cinnamon makes it amazing.

Overall: I love.

Egg Nog 2007-

In Bottle: Very lightly alcoholic--not as intensely creamy or spicy as I'd expect.

Wet: Oh, that's YUMMY once it hits. Deliciously nutmeg and cream! I hope this one lasts longer than the earlier blend.

Dry: Drat and double drat, my skin just eats this up. I have to slather it to get anything like lasting--and it's a little musty-turning, in that quantity. Well, I will have to stick with my hoarded bottles of Sugar Cookie 2004 for my nutmeg fix. (Or the egg nog blends from a few rival companies! )

Overall: I would love, if my skin didn't eat it up.

Diwali-

In Bottle: Resinous, and sweet, and spicy, and amberish. Mostly resinous!

Wet: Resin and spice. Something sweet and fruity. The resin seems to go away a bit in favor of the sweet fruitiness.

Dry: A very nice resinous scent! Not heavy or cloying, not at all. It really seems to be a rich blend; I can believe all the things that are listed as being in the ingredients, including the cedar, the raisins, and the coconut.

Overall: A very nice resinous blend.

Christmas Rose-

In Bottle: Something a little mint-menthol and a touch of pine. Not very floral at all! And a hint of smoke, maybe.

Wet: Pine and sweetness. Ooh, it's a lot like other pine blends I like, like Skadi! There is something powdery-sweet in it.

Dry: This really does put me in mind of Skadi, with its pine and sweetness. It stays true on the dry-down, very little morphing. Lovely blend!

Overall: I like a lot!

Chanukkiyah-

In Bottle: Sweet, a little buttery and sugary, and a tad fruity, very nice! A foody fan like me loves that.

Wet: Very faintly sweet initially.

Dry: This is really evocative of the name, with a hint of amber and beeswax balancing the sweetness. There's a tiny bit of must that comes out on me, and I wonder if that's the pomegranate, because that seems familiar with other pomegranate blends of BPAL for me.

Overall: A lot of lovely things in this blend. Might try in scent lockets.

Archangel Winter-

In Bottle: Oh, YEAH. Not aquatic, but cool and almost vanilla minty with a very light ozone. Oh, I hope this works for me!

Wet: A light clean scent, like laundry detergent. I bet those who really like Dirty would like this one!

Dry: Clean and light, not so cold or ozone-y, maybe a little too cloying for me to fall in love. But it is nice!

Overall: A nice scent, will try again.

Angeronalia-

In Bottle: Citrus and something lightly resinous.

Wet: Light lemon-orange, sweetness.

Dry: This is very pretty once it dries! It is not a scent I will want frequently--probably not getting a big bottle--but it dries down to something yummily sweet, not quite floral but like the lightest of resins. There's that roasted potato smell I associate with a few of Beth's blends, too.

Overall: A nice scent, though not one I will crave.

Empyreal Mist-

In Bottle: Very "green," clean-smelling.

Wet: A tiny bit overpowering on the clean, detergent smell.

Dry: Fades quickly! I can't smell a thing ten minutes later.

Overall: Fast fader.

Aglaea-

In Bottle: Soft and fruity-citrus. The merest hint of powder.

Wet: Faint and sweet.

Dry: This is incredibly light--I'm not even sure I know it's there. There's a tiny pleasant sweetness present but that's it. I guess I suck this one up like crazy.

Overall: Almost undetectable.

October (LE)-

In Bottle: Whoa, there is something sharp sharp sharp and choking in this. I smell it occasionally in commercial scents.

Wet: Ooh, really acrid and eye-watering, not like mosquito repellent men's aftershave smell, but herbal or something.

Dry: Stays acrid. I was hoping for something more like Beth's "snow" scents; oh well. This one is not for me.

Overall: Not for me.

Lenore (LE)-

In Bottle: Very "cologne"-y, sharp.

Wet: Lemon and herbs.

Dry: Soft and pretty on the dry-down, sweet, a little honey-ish, a tiny bit of the plum. Herbal, just a touch of the patchouli. Overall a nice soft blend, and surprisingly different from the bottle scent (yay)!

Overall: Not one I'll wear a lot but a nice scent.