Magycmyste

In the imp: Soft and sweet, like dryer sheets touched with sugar, with a hint of pine.

Wet on skin: Same as before, but the pineyness has become a mintiness - not peppermint, but more of a wintry spearmint. The mint doesn't overtake the scent, though - there's still a soft, clean, dryer-sheet-y floral blending nicely with it.

Dried down: This is gorgeous! Soft, powdery, minty clean!

Throw: This is actually competing and blending with Chocolate Stout Cupcake on my other wrist - with the throw that one gave me, I didn't think I'd be able to smell this at all! But I don't have to sniff my wrist to get the beautiful minty softness. The chocolate is giving it a little more sweetness too (but not too much, considering the chocolate isn't all that sweet).

Verdict: ***** Another Yule love for me! I think I might want to get one more backup bottle of this.

In the imp: Mmmmmm....... dark, dark chocolate, with just the slightest hint of booze!

Wet on skin: Same. There's a sweetness to it, but also a darkness shadowing it.

Dried down: This is freaking gorgeous! Again, sweet, but not too sweet, just delectable, complex dark chocolate. I admit, I was afraid the booze note would overtake this scent, but I barely even notice it - like all it does is keep the chocolate in check.

Throw: This has a fair bit of throw on me.Not overwhelming, but there's this cloud of chocolatey scent around my head, and I've only swiped it on one wrist!

Verdict: ***** I need this to come back in stock, so I can buy a bottle or three.

In the imp: Roses with a touch of sweetness, like honey and wine. I suspect the "wine" I'm getting is the fruitiness of the apple, and the honey is the bourbon vanilla.

Wet on skin: Apple and rose, mostly. Only swiped on my left wrist because I have Practical Occultism on my right.

Dried down: Rosy apple.

Throw: Tiny bit of throw, with the rose and apple blended beautifully.

Verdict: **** I almost love it. And I kind of want a bottle. It's definitely a contender for a bottle purchase, especially since I want to see how it ages. This could definitely grow into love.

In the imp: Sweet wine and wood, almost a little nutty.

Wet on skin: Swiped on right wrist so I can test another oil on the left. I'm still getting wine and nuts, mostly, with a hint of incense (I haven't learned to identify kyphi incense yet).

Dried down: The wine has faded, leaving the nuts and incense.

Throw: I'm getting little to no throw off of this. I have to sniff my wrist to smell anything.

Verdict: *** This is nice enough, but nothing I need more of.

In the imp: Herbal green.

Wet on skin: Green and mushroomy. Hello, morels!

Dried down: Kind of an evil (but not rotten) smelling herbal.

Throw: Didn't get much throw off of this.

Verdict: ** I don't feel the need to wash it off, but this one really isn't for me.

In the imp: Benzoin, plum, patchouli and a tinge of vanilla. This is sweet, but not overly sweet, something between a dried coconut husk and a not-too-sweet melon.

Wet on skin: Same as before. I can smell the vetiver tar darkening this in the background, but it's very slight.

Dried down: This is mostly a dusty patchouli-benzoin now.

Throw: Not much.

Verdict: *** This is pretty, but it doesn't really stand out to me. I'll pass.

In the imp: Dark, dark, tobacco and patchouli.

Wet on skin: Dark, and a little bit sharp. I'm not sure this one agrees with me.

Dried down: Still kind of an acrid smoke.

Throw: Not much, thank goodness.

Verdict: ** This doesn't scream "wash it off!" to me, but this is way too dark for my tastes.

In the imp: Smoky bergamot.

Wet on skin: Smoky citrus - the bergamot, and probably the neroli. I'm not getting the star anise yet.

Dried down: Still smoky bergamot and neroli, with just the slightest hint of star anise around the edges coming into play. Perhaps the longer it stays on, the more it will come out.

Throw: A very little bit. Mostly the bergamot.

Verdict: *** Not bad, but I don't think this is something I need.

In the imp: Tea. Earl Gray. Hot. (which I had for breakfast this morning!) And Inky.

Wet on skin: Still inky earl gray.

Dried down: Earl gray.

Throw: I'm not getting much throw off of this.

Verdict: **** So, this is pure earl gray tea on me. I like it. The question is, do I like it enough to get a bottle? Will I reach for it often enough?

In the imp: Sharp mint softened by.... something. Is this the eucalyptus blossom?

Wet on skin: On my skin, I'm picking up the oudh and eucalyptus.

Dried down: This is softening down to something floral and oudh now.

Throw: I'm getting almost nothing.

Verdict: *** Not bad, but I'm not really picking up anything that makes me really want it.

In the imp: Very strong wine. Lots of grape.

Wet on skin: A little more grapey, less winey (I used a coconut sugar scrub in the shower, so I expect I'm getting whiffs of that, too)

Dried down: Softer (and sweeter),, but still winey. If I were to pick a single note wine, this would be it. I'm not getting the toxins at all, but that might be because of my scrub.

Throw: Soft, boozy grape throw.

Verdict: **** Nice, but I think I prefer Obsidian Widow for a wine scent. But I might pick up a bottle of this if I have the funds.

In the imp: Sweet and bright.

Wet on skin: Still sweet and bright. I'm getting the plum, but it's kind of adding to the general brightness of the scent.

Dried down: Sweet, bright amber, with undercurrents of plum.

Throw: Not much, but I've got way too many scents on for that to be reliable right now.

Verdict: ***** Bottle, please. I'm not usually the biggest fan of plum - I don't dislike it, but my mouth doesn' water when I think of it or smell it. But here, it's gorgeous. I think it's because I'm getting more of the amber in this blend, but the plum is beautiful, too, even as a background note!

In the imp: Ugh, sharp, sour herbs and woods

Wet on skin: Still sharp and sour. I really need to figure out what's in the blends that do this on me. Frankincense does it, but normally with black pepper for me.

Dried down: Still the same. I'm glad I didn't put much on.

Throw: Not getting any, but I'm fine with that.

Verdict: * So, this one didn't work on me.

In the imp: Dark rose.

Wet on skin: Dark, dark rose. Very deep.

Dried down: As it dries, the myrrh is starting to come out and play. This is getting prettier by the minute!

Throw: Not too strong, at least at the moment, but I'm wearing a lot of different scents. Plus, I think if this one was really strong, it might give me a headache.

Verdict: **** 1/* It took some waiting, but once the rose blended with the myrrh, this was beautiful!!

In the imp: Sweet, like peach or nectarine.

Wet on skin: nectarine, definitely. This isn't overly sweet on me, which is nice. But it's fun and fruity.

Dried down: Definitely more of a honeysuckle now.

Throw: This has a light, pleasant throw on me. I'm a little surprised, given how many scents I'm wearing now.

Verdict: *** This is nice, but nowhere near as special as I'd like. I might seek out a bottle in the future, but for now, I'll be happy with the decant.

In the imp: Not what I was expecting. Almonds?

Wet on skin: Still almonds. Seriously, out of all the BPAL I've smelled, this is the closest thing I've smelled to a single note fresh almond. So, it's possible my nose is going nuts after testing as many anniversary scents as I could before they came down (had my mail on hold over the holidays, so I got my decants today). And I'm not getting any real cinnamon out of this at all.

Dried down: The almond has faded to a slightly rubbery scent. It's not bad, but not what I was expecting, or looking for.

Throw: Tiny bit of throw on me.

Verdict: *** I don't know what it is I'm smelling out of this, but I don't think I can justify a bottle right now. I'll try the decant again in the future, and hopefully if I love it, I'll be able to track down a bottle.

In the imp: Bright, bright multivitamin candy fruit. This pomegranate almost reads cherry to me.

Wet on skin: There, that's a bit more pomegranate.The poppies are pretty, but it's like they're sugaring up the pomegranate a bit. Well, sweetening it - like a floral sweetness.

Dried down: Pomegranate softened by the floral poppy.

Throw: This has a very little bit of throw, very pomegranatey.

Verdict: *** This is nice, but it doesn't feel special to me. Especially after A Rosy Colour. My go-to pomegranate scent is still She Crushes for Dead Men Deadly Wine.

In the imp: Interesting. I smell something sweet and tangy, almost grapey - nothing like what I expect a frankincense/myrrh blend to smell like.

Wet on skin: Ah, there's the frankincense and myrrh. It's possible I was getting a whiff of something else I was testing when I held up the imp. This is a soft ashy, incensey blend.

Dried down: Still soft and sweet, powdery and peaceful.

Throw: Not much throw on me at the moment.

Verdict: **** I like this one a lot, too. I think I'm going to want at least one bottle of this... but I might have to find it secondhand.

In the imp: Sweet, creamy coconut sugar! Give me that coconut milk!

Wet on skin: Still creamy coconut and sugar.

Dried down: Have I mentioned that coconut and sugar kind of make me want to dance? A faint bit of incense starts coming out as it dries, the benzoin and frankincense, giving this a little more complexity.

Throw: Light, but sweet and pleasant

Verdict: ***** I think I may needs me a backup bottle of this. Or two or three.

I LOVE BPAL's aquatic note. Dragon's Tears, Plovers Under the Waves, Mermaid - it always seems to work on me and make me happy.

In the imp: Bright, bright, rose water.

Wet on skin: Rose water with an undertone of lemon. This is still very beautiful.

Dried down: This is still lovely, but going a bit soapy on my skin.

Throw: While soapy on my skin, the throw is still that gorgeous rosy aquatic.

Verdict: **** I might pick up a bottle of this in the future, if I find it at a good price. In the meantime, though, I think I'll be happy with my other aquatics, and something rosy. The soapiness on drydown throws me off a bit, even if it's only when I sniff my skin.

In the imp: This is an interesting one. Clove and myrrh take center stage, with a sharp, herbal woodiness in the background. (I have no idea whar cabreuva is, so I don't know where or if to find it.) I can find the jasmine and even a bit of rose if I try, but they're definintely backups to the clove and myrrh.

Wet on skin: Cloves,cloves, nothing but cloves.

Dried down: The other notes are coming out again now,not so much above the clove, but softening it.

Throw: A little bit, all clove. Although an inch or two away from my elbow, I get a bit of rose and jasmine mingling nicely with the clove.

Verdict: **** I may pick up a bottle of this sometime, but not yet, I think. This is very pretty, just not the type of scent I would see my self reaching for on a regular basis.

In the imp: Interesting. This is sweet, but like dry, desiccated coconut and lots of sugar. Maybe dates. This reminds me of a particular Indian sweet that I can't name.

Wet on skin: Ok, I'm losing the coconut now. It's sort of melon-y instead. A tangy melon. One that I probably wouldn't eat (I'm not fond of any melons except watermelon), but I really enjoy sniffing.

Dried down: Still melon. This is actually still very nice, not what I would expect from a scent where I smell melon.

Throw: This seems to be wearing pretty close to my skin. I have to sniff my wrist to really get anything (of course, A Rosy Glow from my my other wrist might be taking over).

Verdict: **** I actually really, really like this. Which is what I expect from a blend containing wild lotus and vanilla. But it doesn't smell quite special enough for me to want a bottle. At least not right now.

In the imp: A sweet golden rose. Like a rose dipped in honey.

Wet on skin: Same. On my skin, it's more floral than sweet, though.

Dried down: Yeah, this one is not morphing on me. Good thing I like the scent.

Throw: This actually has quite a bit of throw on me. Mmmmm............

Verdict: ***** This one's definitely a keeper. I may need to get me another bottle of this...

2014 version:

In the imp: Mmmm...... sweet patchouli incense and.... something else. A bit of fruitiness behind the incense.

Wet on skin: Mostly incense and woods.

Dried down: Mostly incense with a background of apple cider.

Throw: Not a whole lot, but my nose is kind of stuffed up.

Verdict: **** This is actually really beautiful. I'm not usually a fan of wood notes, as they tend to turn dark and bitter on me, but I'm getting mostly incense and apple cider from this year's batch. I might need to go ahead and order a bottle of this.

In the imp: Ugh. Ok, I'm a little scared now. This is sharp and BITTER! Is it those dead dry leaves doing this?

Wet on skin: Still bitter. Like biting into a fresh, green bellpepper (no, not my favorite thing).

Dried down: Same, though a little softer. I can smell the ambergris (I think) coming out to play now, in that soft, woolly way.

Throw: Very little, but 1) my nose ais still a little stuffed, and 2) I don't think I really need this one to have a throw.

Verdict: ** No. No, no, no. It gets an extra star for the drydown stage, where the ambergris takes this to a place that I don't actively dislike, but this one is not for me.