Wwindy

Wow, that cubeb comes off really citrus-y! This seems like it's all lemony pink pepper on me. I wonder if maybe some of the notes didn't hold up well over time, or if this decant didn't get an even distribution of notes...

Hee! It's true, Lamia and I are pretty much textbook examples of scent opposites. I plead innocent on this particular failure, though... it's The Sportive Sun that I adore! However, I have to echo tartchef's well-written comparison of Sportive Sun and Labores Solis -- there really are strong similarities between the two, with Labores Solis having a more shadowy, cool-toned, almost "blue" feel. This one hovers much closer to the dreaded baby-powder amber effect for me (I don't have that problem with Sportive Sun at all), but the frankincense and the light fresh herbal aspects seem to keep it just on the right side of the line. Oh, look, Lamia... you were right! I like it.

Wet, this seems like it's going to be really nice -- I get the sweet lily, with a little bit of tang -- and then my skin turns it into an uncanny imitation of that cheap sanitizing soap you find in institutional bathrooms.

If I weren't looking at the note list, I would describe this (post dry-down) as dry, spicy carnation and incense with a touch of unsweetened coconut. Looking at the list, I'd say it's the clove and herbal/woody qualities of the hyssop and orris (maybe?) that are making me think of carnation. Don't ask me about the coconut, I don't know! The patchouli seems stronger in the vial than on my skin -- wet, it reminds me a little bit of its incarnation in Melainis. Dry, it isn't particularly prominent in the blend, but patchouli and I are suchveryclosefriends that it may just be playing super-nice with my chemistry. I like this a lot, but it's definitely got (appropriately enough) what one of my friends would refer to as "a strong personality"! Not for the faint of heart.

I love this scent. Litha '06 wasn't fantastic on me (too sweet and too faint), but this... this is something else! Note list be damned, when I first apply this it smells exactly like ivy and grass on a bright sunny day, with an overlay of warm golden honey. As it dries, the lovely rich frankincense comes out more and more. I get only a tiny hint of the florals -- I wouldn't have picked them out if I didn't know they were there. Hints of sweetened frankincense do stick around on my skin, but overall this doesn't have much staying power -- I don't mind, though, it's absolutely worth reapplying. This is the only BPAL I've ever had make it to *three* unsolicited compliments in one day of wear. Also... uh... my husband likes this. A lot. Like, he really likes it. This is exactly the summer blend I've been looking for! Thanks to tartchef for recommending it, and to hlinspjalda for swapping me a bottle! (and, hlinspjalda, I am sorry it didn't work out for you... but awfully glad to have my hands on it!)

This starts out all honeyed musky almonds. Over time, the amber comes out, but I'm not really getting much of the other notes. This blend does a weird thing on my skin -- for about five to ten minutes, it has virtually no presence or throw. I kept layering more on after my initial application, and now (two hours later) I still get almost nothing when I put my nose close to my skin, but I can tell I have a perceptible scent aura floating around me. Huh! I like this, but am not sure it's bottle-worthy due to the throw issue.

This is almost all jasmine and ylang-ylang on me, with maybe a touch of lily. There isn't much throw. Given how much I generally dislike florals, it's not *awful*... but I am surprised that there doesn't seem to be any resin, wood, or spice showing up. Not a keeper for me!

That's very helpful! Thanks so much.

*listens to crickets* Was this a dumb question? Were all the Lupercalias from that year the same label?

I love the label art on this, but am less keen on the actual scent... The most straightforward description I can come up with: Muddy butter swirled with dark, sticky fruit. Unfortunately, the butter smells almost like it's gone off, adding an oddly sour, almost rancid overtone. If it's my chemistry doing this, my nose is involved as well -- I get the same weird combination just sniffing the bottle as well as on my skin. It's *possible* I should've just let the bottle sit longer after being in transit, so I'll try this again in another few days. I'm not real hopeful, though.

I'm another person who usually gets lilac out of dragon's blood, and that's the case here. The aquatic aspect is slightly salty -- definitely ocean, not lake or river! -- but my nose insists that the combination of the light floral and the blue watery notes equals fancy hotel soap. *sigh*

I just got my DD Dolce Stil Nuovo with "vintage 2007" label and now I'm curious -- does anyone have a picture of the original? I searched here and at Flickr, but couldn't find one...

Lemon drops all the way! Bright, sweet, candied lemon is pretty much all I'm getting. I have a vague sense that if I someday happened to have a very good skin chemistry day and this dried down exactly right, I might get a bit of the jasmine and possibly even the tea... but as it is it's all lemon drops.

Such a great blast of cool fresh mint and chocolate-y sweet goodness when this one first starts out! Like everyone says, it's very edible and very refreshing, although a little sweet for my usual taste. The mint note is fantastically vibrant when wet. As the blend dries down, the foody aspects shift towards vanilla and away from chocolate, and the mint fades a lot. I still like the throw, but -- ack! -- sniffing up close gives a strong plasticky scent. Not a winner for me.

An unusual, intriguing blend! When first applied, the pear note is amazingly juicy and appealing. As the blend dries down, it gets muskier and woodier, but stays fresh and relatively light given all the heavy-hitting notes here -- there's a faint hint of something cold and rocky (the pyrite, I guess?) perking everything up, and a little bit of warm greenery blending beautifully with the musk, amber, and patchouli. That patchouli is very light, in case it worries anyone -- it's not a O HAI HIPPIEZ HERE kind of note at all. As people have already said, this is lovely for summer! I just wish the pear stuck around longer.

Another BPAL lavender that just doesn't work on me, much to my dismay. This smells <i>amazing </i>in the imp, but turns on my skin into medicinal eucalyptus with a bright harsh edge. Might be good on fabric, though! ETA: Aha! I've discovered the secret! The trick is I dab this one on my husband: It smells wonderfully herbal and soothing on him, and it makes us both sleep better. Ta-da!

Echoing other reviewers here... This comes off as very much a green/aquatic men's cologne while wet. On my skin -- Irish Springs and nothing else.

I love the strong lavender note in the decant, but on my skin all I get is peach and verbena -- and even that doesn't last all that long. I wish I got the long-lasting lavender other reviewers are describing!

This just DOES NOT WORK on me, and I can't figure out why! The notes should all be good... but somehow all I get is a strange sharp smell, almost like nail polish remover. I'm blaming the sage. Might be a fluke, I guess, but I've gotten the same response from two different tests. I'm posting this so in case others should happen to have a similar reaction, they'll know they aren't the only ones!

Wow, a sweet floral I kind of like! This is definitely strong on the honey; at first it was giving me almost an orange blossom impression, but then my husband suggested clover and that struck a chord. I'm not picking up much ginger. Very tasty!

Ouch. The tobacco in this is much too strong on my skin -- I love everything else I'm smelling, but the pipe smoke part is just too overwhelming.

I should preface this by saying that my skin doesn't seem to tolerate anything high-concept, poetical, or abstract. If the scent is supposed to be evocative and scene-setting and providing an elaborate scent "journey"... my chemistry thumbs its nose at it. (so to speak) Anyway, all I get from Planting Moon is faint dirt with a hint of ozone. If you tried really really hard, you might be able to convince yourself that there was something slightly vegetal about the ozone-ish smell, but you'd have to put some serious effort in. I'm disappointed, but not blaming the blend. It's not the perfume's fault my skin is so literal-minded!

I know it may have come up once or twice already in these reviews... ... but whoooooo boy, is this a snootful of burnt grass and anise when it's wet! If you can get past the initial smoky black searfest, the spiced orange does come out to play a bit, but the vetiver and licorice are absolutely dominant here. I don't seem to get much amber at all. The occasional whiffs of spicy mulled orange punch that do manage to make it through are fantastic, though...

This starts out almost mouth-puckeringly tannic with a hint of greenery, but morphs -- the peony comes out more and more until that's mostly what I get on my skin. The tea shifts from strong green to lighter black with sugar, so the end result is a floral sweet tea. Nice and very likely a good, mild-mannered office scent for some people, but not really my thing.

PATCHOULI! Plus a bit of sage and smoke -- that's really all I get on my skin, and the sage and the smoke don't even stick around as long as the patchouli does. Fortunately, I am a total patchouli hoor. I would have said "prickly" about this scent rather than uncertain, but yeah... something along those lines. It's not soft or inviting or comforting, that's for sure.