spicyelenore

I actually thought this was not going to work on me. It sounded like it would be one of those way-too-sweet scents. It is very sweet, but not icky. The apple and sweetness are wonderfully balanced. My first thought when I put it on was that it seemed like a combo of Poisoned Apple and Gingerbread Poppet. In fact, I layered those two on my other arm to compare. They're not really the same-Poisoned Apple has a much sharper, greener apple, and GP has more ginger in it than SSCA. So: this is a much smoother, creamier scent. It just got better and better, but then it faded away rather quickly. Sad.

I got this even though none of the Lab rose notes have worked on me thus far. But I just couldn't resist giving it a try.

I had a very interesting experience with this decant. I wiggled it a bit to pry off the lid, as usual, and the overeager wand cap just FLEW out of my hand, flinging drops of Libra on me and skittering to the floor.

Ow. After making sure none had actually entered my eye (I felt a drop splash quite near it), I rummaged for a new wand cap and proceeded to analyze the scent that was all over my fingers. As soon as the vial was open (and the oil splashed on the counter as well) I got several whiffs of something lovely like cherries and plums. Getting excited, I started sniffing my fingers. Ew! Wait! Some got in my mouth! It must have splashed on my lips too. oh, totally gross. Bpal is not meant to be eaten. Spent some time washing mouth out, then returned to sniffing only to find that it was turning-lemony? Wait...I went to check the notes...there's no lemon in here. Maybe it's the carnation? Something is strong and citrusy, in not a good way.

After 20 minutes or so, it's starting to calm down and the rose is coming out. However, it seems to be a gentler rose than others, I might be able to live with it. There's still quite a bit of fruitiness and I can smell the plums again.

I'm going to try this one again-without quite as much excitement and distraction, and also I know from experience that rose scents can change drastically depending on my chemistry at the time, etc. It seems like a lovely scent, very well-balanced, but it's just a question of whether it will work on me in the long run.

First on, this smelled sweet and a little spicy. I immediately got the clove ciggy that everyone's talking about.

Then, the muskiness started to come out-I got wary because musk often does not work on me. It also started to smell kinda dusty-woodsy?-in a way I was not sure I liked.

Hanging on...the patchouli comes out a little, but it's subtle.

Ok, weird. When I smell a few inches from my arm, I get cloves. Up close (sticking my nose in it) I get the muskiness and wood.

A very interesting scent-but it seems too manly for me. I think I will try aging it though, as someone else said. I'm not quite ready to give up on it.

First on, I get the weird nutty smell I get with all the Pumpkin scents, but I've learned to just hang on and ride it out. Nutty, nutty nutty...ok there it goes. Now to settle down and enjoy the scent. Oh yum. I like this. I really really like this. First something fruity, wafts of the red ginger (is it just me or is red ginger more mellow than regular?) balancing perfectly with the fruit. No sharp lemon scent on me, thank goodness (I have fear of lemon.) Then it starts to get sweeter, the vanilla comes out, a bit of spice, sort of creamy like something you'd want to eat, but not excessively sweet. Oh and you know what else I smell? Constant Comment tea!

The notes continue to balance just right until...alas, 2 hours later I can't smell it anymore! I love this and I can see that I'm going to be slathering it on all autumn. It may even be my most favorite pumpkin scent. I agree with the poster who said it's like Pumpkin Queen but lighter. And maybe a bit spicier.

sigh.

I was so excited about this one. However, all I get is a manly, cologne-like scent. I kept it on, hoping on the drydown it would settle into something more fall/leaves/smoke-like, but the cologne just lingered. This one's going in the swap pile. Darn.

At first, it's like maple sugar dusted over incense.

Then, whoa-this deep, warm scent comes out that totally reminds me of something-but what? a scent I used to wear, I think-in high school? a musky scent? is this musk I'm smelling? I'm trying to decide if I like it. I'm totally distracted by how it reminds me of this other thing. It's very strong. I also get weird whiffs of warm baby powder. This is too strong for me, though I liked how it smelled at the beginning! But I don't do well with musk.

Wowee! I'm glad I tried this, even though I passed over it initially. It started out a pleasing wintergreen, sweet but definitely sharp. The sharpness intensified and mingled a bit with woodsy herbs. This smells like a real wintergreen smell, not like wintergreen gum but like some of the spices in home made (or quality made) root beer. The wintergreeny smell fades a bit and becomes more well rounded and herbal, less sharp. I think this would be a great scent for waking up when you feel sleepy or out of it. Keeper!

Preconceived notions: I thought for some reason that this 13 was supposed to be the most chocolatey one, which is why I went ahead and got some.

 

In bottle: Nice, milk chocolatey smell.

 

On, wet: chocolate, nice and sweet, but not too, I think, but then very quickly a fruity smell starts to surface. WHOA! this is getting very strong fruity, very quickly. Is that the starfruit? For the first few minutes I thought it was kind of floral too, and I was afraid. but I guess it's just strong fruit.

 

drydown: that fruitiness is still there, overpowering all. i can smell the chocolate dancing around underneath, trying to fight its way in, but not much. there's a hint of vanilla too. but mostly i smell fruit-there's peach and a kind of melon smell. this is not a juicy or tart fruit, it's very sweet and melon-ish.

 

a bit later: hmm. the strong fruit has simmered down a bit but it's still so melon-y! i used to have a scented Honeydew oil that eventually made me sick, this is reminding me of it a bit. too sweet. i'm disappointed that it's not chocolatey on me. I'll give it some more time...

 

1/2 hour later: I don't think this is really working on me. I might give it another try at a different time of the month, or something...but so far I am disappointed.

I was in such a hurry to try this that i forgot to sniff it in the bottle.

 

Excellent. Smells like a clove cigarette with orange. Little bursts of cinnamon.

 

Drydown: the cinnamon is totally amping on me. Mmm. Mm. Underneath the peach and orange are all swirling around. The clove falls back a bit.

Wow, now the peach is peeking out...this scent is a shifter!

 

Dry: a dusty, spicy warm cinnamon/clove. Must keep. Mmmm.

In the bottle: faint spicy smell.

 

On, wet: I smell the violets at first, but then the cinnamon and frankincense starts to come out. After a minute the frankincense is dominating. Whoa.

 

Drydown: the violet is coming back out...but it's a subtle violet, not soapy. It mixes well with the spicyness.

 

Dry: a warm floral. I kinda wish the spicy would stay longer. I can smell the cinnamon ever so faintly but the floral dominates on me. I'm not so good with the florals.

Bottle: hmmm, tea with lemon?

 

On, wet: like Lemonheads candy with a hint of floral.

 

Drydown: uh oh, this is turning Lemon Pledge on me...I think the lemongrass is overpowering everything...

 

Dry: yah, way too sharp and lemony. Phooey, I was really hoping for more of the tea and mint. Lemon is just not working for me so far at all...

This smelled a lot like baby powder to me, in the bottle, although maybe a more mellow, slightly spicier version. When I put it on, at first I could hardly smell a thing. I kept sniffing my wrist in puzzlement. I caught faint whiffs of something light and powdery that might not be too objectionable. Later, though, it started to amp up, and eventually all I could smell was baby powder. (Although I don't remember when I last smelled actual baby powder.) I gave it a chance for a while cause I had heard it might and I wasn't sure if I liked smelling like baby powder or not. however, I decided not. It became really strong even after I tried to wash it off. So, if you like the powder smell, this definitely has throw and lasting power.

In the bottle: whoa. buttery caramel corn?

 

on: uh oh. I'm getting that "nutty" smell I got with Jack and some of the other pumpkin scents...but I'll wait it out...cause some of those did get better...I have hope...

 

minute or two...hmm, the nutty smell is getting fainter, and it's definitely getting sweeter...caramel

 

15 mins: uh oh, the nutty came back again. and it is cloyingly sweet on me. This may not work out.

 

dry: it's like really sweet hazlenutty syrup. Too sweet for me and while there may be some chocolate lurking under there, mostly I smell the nuts and caramel.

In bottle: mmm! Candied cherries!

 

On, wet: Sugary and very candy like-but not too sweet; there's a tangy fruitiness that comes out more as I sniff. Starts to remind me of...Skittles!

 

Drydown: a weird buttery scent came out for a while-is that the cream? kind of a dusty, nutty note I associated with the buttery-ness of some pumpkin scents that don't work on me...I thought uh-oh...but then it mellowed...became more like cherry vanilla ice cream perhaps?

 

Dry: about 10 mins later: Very fruity. I'm surprised at how fruity this is. I hardly get any vanilla or cream. that's ok though.

 

About 2 hours later: It's become a nice light fruity blend, still faintly there on my wrist. I like it. Good summer scent.

bottle: i smell the mint but also a rich buttery smell that is different from lick it again. it smells like peppermint frosting.

 

on: oh ,wow! minty like LIA but with that richness and creaminess. yummy! definitely vanilla here.

drydown: getting a stronger mint.starting to smell more like breath mints

 

dry, hour later: it gets a sort of woody smell-kind of the way the Tombstone smells on me. weird. a woody vanilla. not a bad thing, but if it ends up smelling like Tombstone, I kind of feel like, well what's the point? i wish it stayed with the frosting...

mmm! This smells really good. It smells like cocoa and orange. Like those chocolate oranges people get at xmas? Or an orange Milano cookie. (Only not that sweet.) As it dries on me the cocoa and spices come more to the forefront and the orange recedes a bit. Dry, the cocoa fades and leaves a hint of spices and orange. I love it. A keeper.

When I got this I was a little overexcited, having not recieved any imps in a while, so I barely smelled it in the bottle before putting it on.

Instantly got a sweet whiff of cake. Held wrist over SO's nose exclaiming, "Smell this! It smells like CAKE!" He smelled cherries. I put it back to my nose and sure enough, there was fruitiness starting to come up under the cake! After a minute it smelled like cake with the gloopy frosting and fruit in the middle. YUM! OMG I LOVE this! Drydown it gets a little fruitier and the sweetness calms down, it gets a little more tarty. Some vanilla comes out. Yumyumyum! I'm such a sucker for the foody scents, particularly if they smell like dessert...

ETA: I meant to say, this is the '05 formulation.

Spring cleaning the BPAL stash; realized I hadn't tested this one out yet, so figured I ought to.

in bottle: warm pumpkin. I tried it before I went to look up the review, so I couldn't remember which note it was supposed to be.

On, wet: uh oh. Getting that nutty pumpkin smell that I got from Jack (which made me sick.) However, I've since learned with the pumpkin scents to ride it out a little and see what happens.

drydown: sure enough, the overwhelming nuttiness is calming down. it's getting sweeter. still pumpkin. i smell something warm and spicy like cocoa-at this point i went to the reviews to see what it was supposed to be. oh. pomegranate? I guess the warm sweet thing I was smelling was the pumpkin.

dry, 5 mins later: I am smelling the tartness now a bit, but unfortunately this one is fading fast, and I'm rapidly not smelling much of anything...just a faint sweet scent.

Maybe I'll give this one more shot, and try really lathering it on...

In the bottle-cedar and something sweet.

 

On, wet: bubblegum? with cedar in the background? hmmm. I like the vanilla but I'm not sure about the cedar. Hmm. It's very cedar-y. I don't know if cedar works on me.

 

Drydown: now the sassafrass is coming out, and it's smelling a bit like rootbeer! (rootbeer bubblegum?) Still a very woody note though. I keep sniffing...

 

Dry: faint rootbeer, cedar retreats a bit. hmmmm.

 

This is a very interesting scent. I can't decide if I really like it. I mean I do like it but I'm not sure if I want to smell like it. Maybe I'll try it again.

In the bottle: spiced orange tea.

on: at first i get mostly the satsuma and cherry blossom. then it gets a little more spicy. cardamom and tea come to the front. cardamom! mmmmm! smell cinnamon lurking in the background. it gets a bit stronger as it dries but never overpowering. I love the tea smell. Love it!! As it dries, it almost smells a little like chai. but not too strong. Soo glad I got some of this!

First on: Apples and...uh oh, there's that weird nutty/buttery pumpkin note I've gotten in every pumpkin scent. Maybe it will go away (it does with Pumpkin Queen and PP4!)

 

Drydown: still nutty...oh dear...and the cider smells soo good! go away, nuts, you make me ill!

 

Few minutes later: Hooray! It went away. All that's left is yummy apple cider and spice. Very warm, with almost a pumpkin pie smell underneath.

Yay! Keeper.

 

In the bottle and first on, this smelled like coconut, sweet and creamy. The shea butter came out once I put it on, making it smell a bit like suntan lotion. Then on the drydown the water started to come through. It's fresh water but I swear I smell something almost salty (just a little!) and sandy (that's my interpretation.) Dry, it's well-rounded, with the coconut, shea, and water all balanced, no one dominating. I put my wrist up to the SO's nose to sniff, and he said "It smells like the beach." Sure enough, it does! Beth is an amazing alchemist; how did she get the smell of a summer beach in a bottle??

In bottle: Pine, sharp, green.

 

First on: Sharp, definitely a green piney smell. Wondering if this may be a room scent for me...

Drydown:Begins to warm up...now it's getting spicier...I think some of that cider-y smell is poking through.

Now I can smell the berries, and it's still very spicy and rich, with a bit of woodsy pine lurking in the background. Very intriguing.

 

Dry: I really like the spicy smell-almost cinnamon, but with some other stuff thrown in...wilder and woodsier. And definitely a berry smell, but not bright berries like summer. Definitely a winter berry. There's something it reminds me of that I can't put my finger on. Maybe it's mulling spices.

 

Yum.

In the bottle: cinnamon, paired with something spicy and alluring. Mysterious.

 

On, wet: Cinnamon candy! yum!

 

Drydown: Still smells like sweet cinnamon. I love it. After about 10-15 mins, a touch of incense starts to get stronger and stronger. It's starting to remind me of the cinnamon "incense matchbooks" I used to pick up from the head shop as a teenager. (Sounds hippie, I know, but the cinnamon was my fave because it was the least incensey-smell.)

 

Dry: the incense smell fades a bit. The cinnamon is holding strong. The sweet is rounded out well by the spicy.

 

Throw: good. Stronger than most of the other scents I've tried so far.

 

Final verdict (for now): Cinnamon-sugar-incense. I love it. My new fave. Oh, and I held out my wrist for my SO to sniff, and his response was to try to chomp on my wrist (he's been doing that a lot lately, with all the foody scents I'm trying)

In bottle: very orange, but with a strong perfumey scent that reminds me of samples you get in magazines. (that's not good.)

wet: hmm. It might be calming down a little.

drydown: still very perfumey. getting sharp-is that benzoin? (I don't know what that is)

dry-getting warmer, but still too strong.

 

Unfortunately, there's something in there my nose just does not like. It's too perfume-y. Off to the swaps.