Bangles

This is a creamy vanilla scent on me, rounded out by the amber and musk; it's an oddly comforting scent. No hint of any of the other notes when it's wet, but once it was dry I found myself wondering where that delicious spicy smell was coming from. The vanilla still dominates, but with these tantalizing hints of spices. And it lasted for hours and hours.

A pleasant, natural woodsy herbal smell; on wet, it was very green, almost minty, but quickly settled into a general evergreen/wood chips sort of scent. Although I like it, I wasn't sure whether it was something I'd want to smell like very often, but that point turned out to be moot - three hours later, it's gone entirely.

When I first put it on, I couldn't pick out any individual notes, it was just very, very heavy. But that lightens up to something manageable almost immediately. I've been seeing previews for a movie called Blood and Chocolate (which looks awful, though I'll probably go see it anyway 'cause, werewolves!), and this scent brings that line to mind: blood and chocolate. And somehow I'm reminded of cherries. Not that artificial candy flavor, but true cherries smothered in dark chocolate. It remains a very heavy scent; not in an overwhelming, too-strong sense, but in the sense that it seems to hover around you, almost tangible. Definitely a winter scent. It was pleasant enough when I put it on, but when I was walking out in the freezing air, this was divine!

Sweet, powdery floral from start to finish. I'd call it light, but that clover's pretty strong and almost sharp, acts as a sort of focal point. Verdict: A very pleasant, springtime, feminine scent - and thus not for me.

Wet: Musk, fur; congratulations, this does indeed smell like a rat. Question is whether I like smelling like a rat. Wait a sec, what was that, pine? A few minutes later: GAH, MUSK! Never thought I'd say this, but TOO MUCH musk. Dry: Aaand we're back to smelling like a rat. Dusty, woodsy... this smells something like sweet wood shavings, but always with that feral musk as a base. I really can't make up my mind whether I like this or not. Verdict: Well, it sure fits the description. Glad I tried it, but it's not a keeper.

Wet, I mostly get the hazelnut and the musk on my skin. Love that hazelnut! For a while as it faded it started to smell kind of soapy, but that didn't last long, rounded out to this creamy musky scent - which does indeed remind me of the sea, good job BPAL - and every once in a while during the drydown I'm surprised by wafts of pure coconut. Verdict: I like it, it's pleasant, but it doesn't wow me; this is a scent I'd like in a candle, not on myself.

Wet, it's all plum with a slight background of floral scents. I very much like the fruity scent though, which surprised me since I usually don't. Juicy. Mmm. The plum fades and the musk comes out as it dries, but the floral stays faint. It's a nice light scent, makes me picture Japanese gardens by night. I don't like wearing fruity scents myself, so I don't see myself using this that often, but it would be great on anyone else.

My lasting impression of Black Phoenix isn't the scent itself so much as the mental image it inspires. Picture an old Edwardian-style parlor by candlelight. You're reclining in a leather armchair by the fireplace, a bowl of hard candies on the table and a brandy in your hand, spending a few pleasant hours listening to the nosferatu in the chair across from you spin a tale of gory death. On first sniff, I thought I really wouldn't like this, it was very perfume-y with that slightly chemical sense that most modern perfumes have; on second sniff, it had turned into soap. But that faded away, to be replaced by a sort of hard candy scent mixed with smoke and dried flowers, wine and musk, all fading in and out. It rounds out to become this smooth, dark, sweet smell. It's not something I'd buy - I keep wanting it to have a little more of a kick - but I'll use up the frimp.

On me, this is potpourri, pure and simple. Slightly misty potpourri. Which makes for a very pleasant room scent, but not something I particularly want to wear.

This started out smelling exactly like the Cotton Candy Bubblicious that I chewed all the time as a kid, and ended up smelling exactly like Strawberry Bubblicious (which I never chewed as a kid, on account of yuck). And in between it turned into this awful sour/bitter thing trying and failing to be disguised by a layer of powdery artificial sugar. Me and Jester just plain don't get along. However, on the sister, it's all sweet fruits and berries, which is presumably what it's meant to do.

Not at all what I was expecting. This is ocean breeze and lavender, very light and fresh and clean. No salt, no wood, no rum, not a hint of leather; it's quite pleasant, but it's not for me.

Dark and honey-sweet and earthy and just slightly metallic, I like this. And when I say earthy, I mean it: it smells like I've been out digging in the herb garden and struck gold along the way. The heliotrope ties everything together, I can't stop sniffing my wrist!

This is the 06 version. I fell in love with this in the bottle - which is unusual; most oils in the bottle just smell boozy or medicinal to me no matter what they are. But this one gave me a light, nostalgic impression. On my skin, I have a hard time picking out individual notes: it smells almost exactly like a hair salon. Not in an unpleasant way; it's light and sweet and slightly floral (though florals usually go to soap on me and this one doesn't). At the same time, I can see this being worn to a nice party - by someone else. Although it's pleasant, it's not really my style.

Delicious! Incense mixed with something sweet and spicy and positively edible-smelling - is that the blood? - this one's a keeper for sure!

Torture King was not good to me. I liked everything in the description except possibly that lemon peel... so guess which note decided to amp way, way up on my skin and drown out everything else. It does eventually calm down, and I can tell there's something dark and sweet and earthy and vaguely spicy underneath, but that lemon - it reminds me of these nasty lemon cough drops my mother used to have - is so cloying that it sticks to the roof of my mouth and stays there long after the oil itself has faded. And I so wanted to like this one. But at least the King's taught me a lesson: lemon and my skin just don't work!

I had high hopes for this; love the character, and all the notes sounded like things I'd love. On me, wet, the cedar amps way, way up and goes sharp, almost drowning out everything else. The other notes are clearly in there, mixing to create an almost mineral-ish background, but my first impression is that I'm smoking a cigar in the middle of a forest, and apparently inhaling the trees. It's not truly terrible, but it's not something I want to smell like, either. Thankfully, the cedar dies down after a few minutes, the leather comes out, and this is the Quincey I was hoping for! Warm, brown leather, and that cedar forest has turned into a dusty plain. The other notes are barely noticeable, and there's not so much as a hint of that pear, but that's all right, I'm in love with this leather all on its own. And the leather lasts and lasts once it's dry. Verdict: Not a fan of those first few minutes of cedar, but I'm enough in love with the drydown to make this a keeper.