mspixieears

Been a very long time since I tried a fragrance with amber in it and it’s been a welcome change. I can smell the amber along with the chrysanthemum and oud (I think that’s what it is) and a little later the camellia which is just gorgeous – this is what made the fragrance bottle-worthy to me. I don’t smell the dead leaves so much but I don’t mind that at all.

I get a huge reaction from my husband on O, Snake Oil and Bathsheba. Of those three, I'd say that O and Bathsheba are most suited for "day wear". Snake Oil can be a bit strong, especially during the summer. I wear it during the day, but that's just me...

 

Zomg, I totally agree with Bathsheba. I totally feel like teh sex with that stuff on. Last time I wore that scent I got lucky if you know what I mean *winks*.

If you can find it, Swan Maiden is one that screams gardenia to me, it's wonderful.

Admittedly I just got this for completion’s sake, not at all being keen on the sound of the notes. It’s very manly smelling, like cologne but I don’t get the notes listed at all. I hate to say it but it just smells like a cheap man’s cologne to my untrained nose.

Initially a gentle toilet water sort of fragrance which turns slightly powdery and bubblegummy. I’m having trouble picking out the individual notes and it seems to smell very different from afar than it does up close. Could be worn on a man though the honey does make it quite sweet.

For the Resurrected version:

 

Yummy sickly sweet stuff! I can see why this is so popular. Might even have been something I should have got a bottle of? I can’t really pick any notes in this – it’s just nice and sweet like hard candy. It definitely smells like something I would love to eat. The lasting power is not so good sadly, you have to really slather it on to get it to smell strong, or it could be one of those blends that my body chemistry really eats up. At the bottom of the sweetness there is an odd plasticky note, rubbery even, or like burnt plastic, it smells more like that since I slathered it on. Perhaps it’s not meant to be slathered? Actually, it only smells like that up close but it’s still quite annoying.

Very foody, hint of lemon peel as specified in the notes. The pumpkin in this blend is quite strong. The bourbon vanilla just makes the pumpkin seem foodier. To me this smells very similar to blend III.

So far, this one smells the least like pumpkin to my nose. I love the sage in it (mind you I love sage in BPAL blends), it makes it quite a savoury fragrance overall.

This blend is pumpkin with caramel. There is a hint of tartness so that must be the pomegranate. Very yummy and foody.

Pumpkin with sweet pear. I get the tiniest hint of jasmine and maybe the tea? This isn’t so heavy on the pumpkin like I expected it to be.

I firstly detect something quite citrusy in this blend and none of the notes that it purports to have! Perhaps I need to wait for it to dry down to detect the other notes. At the moment it reminds me of unsweetened homemade lemonade with a touch of something extra. As it starts to dry I can detect the fougere but am hoping for more of the white musk and jasmine. I’m a bit surprised I’m not loving this as much as other people seem to love it. I think it deserves another chance so will be retested. Much later, its true beauty seems more apparent but will definitely retest.

Ooh, this is glorious! Soft, floral and lightly musky, it’s also very hard to describe. I swear I get hints of peach amidst all the beautiful Asian florals. Probably what I can pick up is the white sandalwood which I’m a big fan of and the ginger as well as a greenness that reminds me of green tea. Delicate and subtle. I only put on a little bit and the throw is just amazing.

I got this specifically for the blackcurrant which I can’t quite detect – what I do get though is the black amber. I think this would be wonderful on a man. I can’t really detect the other notes though there is definitely something very woody which must be the cedar? As it dries down there is something sweet evident in it – must be the blackcurrant. Not sure that this is bottle-worthy, might need to sell this. Would have been better if I only got a decant.

I’m not sure what chrysanthemums actually smell like but I definitely get the ginger and pulsing musk – the musk is very strong. Not sure if it’s to my liking. There is definitely something very Oriental about it, however. There is also something slightly medicinal about it too. It gets a lot more floral after drydown, absolutely lovely.

This is surprisingly very floral and not as honeyed as the name suggests when it is applied and still drying. There is a slight hint of the mildest spice – I’m wondering if those are the herbs of passion? I really like the honeysuckle in this, makes it a very youthful, exuberant fragrance just like a marriage in first blush. Have decided the herbs make it very sultry. Despite dousing my arm in it accidentally, it is quite a gentle fragrance. I like that there is a touch of innocence about it.

This is mouth-wateringly good! The vanilla cream is just delicious and the strawberry is tart and juicy just like ripe berries should be. I can actually smell the strawberry more than the cherry. A wonderful foody scent though it does remind me of a less cakier version of Eat Me. Lasting power is not as strong as I’d like but am very happy to reapply.

Another one for Old Moon, just tested it today and it's so wintry!

Smoky with a hint of sweetness. This is one of those fragrances that smells completely different in the vial than it does on skin. I can’t really smell the beer but that’s okay as not really sure I’d like to smell of beer! Great throw. And it really does smell of a bonfire!

This one smells lovely! I can definitely smell the Snake Oil upfront. As it starts to dry down I detect the frankincense and maybe the labdanum but would be hard pressed to detect the other scent notes. Very earthy and manly – I think this would smell fantastic on a man.

This is slightly smoky – I think it’s the leather. I do believe I detect the sage as a herby presence in this but the scent of Snake Oil is very faint. One for the retest pile I believe.

Instant scent of cinnamon – very strongly. This doesn’t smell so much of Snake Oil though. It reminds me of something else I’ve tried in the BPAL catalogue but can’t recall what. Not one of my favourites.

I quite like the frankincense blends so was looking forward to trying this one. The frankincense is very heavy and none of the Snake Oil seems apparent initially. I fancy the floral I can smell is the orris but that might be wishful thinking? This is another I like because it’s so different to Snake Oil – there is virtually no similarity.

Another Snake that I’m sceptical about because it contains mint, however, it’s much nicer than I thought it would be and has excellent throw. It actually reminds me of something else I’ve smelt before – the chocolate mint plant at my parents’ place. I don’t get any of the bergamot or green tea but I would expect the mint to overpower that anyway. A while later the mint fades and it smells like Snake Oil proper again.

Do not like in the vial or on me initially – cannot smell the Snake Oil and red apple generally doesn’t like me. I do love plumeria and gardenia but I seriously doubt I’ll be able to detect it in this fragranc. Not liking at all, I want to wash it off!

This is a very floral snake! I actually like a lot of the flowers listed in this blend but it doesn’t really smell of Snake Oil at all. The most striking of the bunch I’ve tried so far. I would consider getting a bottle of this. Very summery and love how much throw there is.