Lunasariel

In the imp: An elegant, sophisticated, grown-up rose. Wet: A little drier, almost spicy, but very true to ITI. It's like the drugstore English Rose body splash I wore in junior high grew up, went to college, maybe did a year abroad in Europe, and now wears black velvet and diamonds and probably owns an art gallery or something. Dry: It grows deeper and broader over time, with the oudh actually being distinguishable as itself, but overall, it's a fairly linear drydown, and I mean that in the most wonderful way possible.

In the imp: Exactly what it says: thick, spicy, sexy Snake Oil with a dollop of beeswax-y honey. While this works out to a spicy-vanilla-honey scent, it's very non-foody. I'm actually a little nervous at this point - Snake Oil amps to hell and back on my skin, and honey is usually a pretty strong player, too. Good thing I decided to test this on a day I don't have to go anywhere. Wet: An initial blast of SO as I'm used to it - big, bold, and brassy. But within a couple of minutes, it becomes...springtime SO? Like, I'm still getting the sexy spices, but it doesn't smell as thick or heavy as usual. In fact, I'm getting something almost brisk or fresh. This is Snake Oil's sweeter, milder, more innocent little sister, but there's still a definite family resemblance. Dry: Becomes more and more straight-up SO as it dries, losing that "breezy little sister" aspect. Now the honey is just intensifying the sweet, slinky feeling.

I'm thinking a dark, slinky floral (jasmine or ylang ylang, for preference, but I could see her going for something fresher and younger, like rose or violet, if she's trying to seduce poor innocent d'Artagnan) with a heavy undercurrent of vetiver. Or maybe patchouli? One of those scents that could go epically wrong, but she makes it sort of darkly seductive instead of skunky. It would be sexy and enticing on top, but once those notes burned off, BAM! Vetiver city. I did a bit of checking around, and it looks like Marquise de Merteuil, Serpent's Kiss, Tombeur, A Countenance Foreboding Evil, and Highwayman (oddly enough) all fit. This is actually a question of great interest to me, since my plan to go as Milady for Halloween last year was sadly thwarted by being unable to find a costume that cost less than like $200. But if I find one this year, I'm totally wearing one of these!

In the imp: My first impression was "soap and water." I'm a little worried, since aquatics usually come out soapy on my skin, so to smell soap ITI does not bode well. There are some lovely light spring florals under there, though - here's hoping these come out more strongly on my skin. Wet: At first, it can't seem to decide which to settle on: fresh water, light florals, or soap. As time goes on, it settles more firmly on soap, but it's a pleasant, nicely-scented floral soap. Dry: Unusually for my skin, it leans more floral and less soapy as time goes on. But it was never strong to begin with, and even the the faintest of florals are gone by about four hours. I think this one is going into the swaps box - my "soft, feminine, princess-y florals" category doesn't really need any more rounding out, and this one just has so little oomph to it. Plus, the whole soapy thing.

In the imp: Soft, lush nighttime flowers, primarily jasmine. And, yeah, I agree with LexieBlom; I would have sworn there's apple in here! I realize this sounds WAY too sweet, but there's something reining it all in - herbs, maybe? It's a dignified, almost austere take on florals right now. Here's to the next stage staying true to ITI! Wet: A restrained, dignified jasmine still. Mostly jasmine goes very va-va-voom on me, but this is a jasmine that likes to play behind closed doors. Perhaps just the barest touch of moss (hey, that could be where I'm getting that refined, austere vibe), but no dirt or incense yet. This is actually a plus for me - dirt scents have never been my favorites, and incense tends to go A) strong and sour on me, but neither of these have happened yet. Dry: I've been dragging my heels on trying this one - I've been drawn to warmer, amber and/or leather and/or vanilla and/or boozy scents while the weather is cold - but I'm sorry I did! Now it's soft jasmine, anchored by moss and/or (non-sour!) incense - delicate without being fragile, understated, and utterly lovely. Still no dirt anywhere, surprisingly.

In the imp: Mostly musky sandalwood, with the woodsy note putting its own spin on things. There's a touch of sweetness from the rose and/or amber (I'm thinking rose, since it doesn't have much of the expansive, warm sweetness that I associate with amber), but it's a faint second at best. Wet: After a worrying initial blast of dry woods, it settles down into a musky, woodsy amber. Still not quite as primal as I would have expected from a scent called Fenris Wolf - more subtle strength and femininity. Oddly enough, this melds with my skin chemistry incredibly quickly! After the aforementioned initial blast of dry woods, I went to sniff my wrist and got... nothing. Maybe a hint of sweet musk. But my boyfriend confirmed that he could smell it from a foot and change away, so I guess this is just something that melds with my natural skin-scent (at least to me) incredibly quickly? Some determined sniffing revealed the musky, woodsy amber mentioned above, but I don't notice it nearly as much as usual. Dry: Musky sandalwood, with a touch of amber for sweetness - nothing groundbreaking (this is a scent combo I'm drawn to, so I have plenty of variations on this theme), but brings a smile to my face just the same. It grows woodsier over time, but my old friend amber keeps it from veering into plywood territory.

In the imp: A woodsy-herbal scent, but a very dry woodsy-herbal scent. Instead of fresh-cut timber and herbs right out of the ground, these are dry, dusty planks of wood, cut long ago, and dried herbs hanging in bunches in a kitchen. Alas, I can't pick out any specific woods or herbs. Wet: Ooh, now that's more like it. The herbs are more dominant and a bit greener. I can almost pick out...pine? basil? Something brisk and fresh-smelling, on the verge of foody but not quite. There's also a sweet element rounding it all out, but it's more of a resinous sweetness than a floral one. Now it's a brisk, outdoorsy smell, like walking in the forest after a heavy rainstorm, smelling the sap from the trees and the wild herbs crushed under your feet. Dry: Like others are saying, this one fades FAST. Barely an hour after application, it's a barely discernible, vaguely herbal soap. Very "meh" and underwhelming. I know aging can bring forward a great drydown to compensate for an unfortunate opening, but is there any way to extend an opening and nix a disappointing drydown?

In the imp: Primarily an earthy scent (from a combination of the saffron, incense, and "vegetal" musk, I think), with the amber and/or honey casting a soft, vaguely sweet golden veil over everything. The citrus is notable, but it's a soft citrus, not an in-your-face citrus like it usually is. Wet: There's an initial blast of incense, but the citrus quickly becomes dominant. I'm really liking what this vegetal musk is doing to it, though - combined with the amber, it's an earthy, gilded citrus, not a juicy and/or bright and glittering citrus like I'm used to. This is going to be perfect for days like today, when I need a little pick-me-up but can't stand the aggressive cheerfulness of straight-up citrus. Dry: A soft, herbal, musky amber. Cuddly, unisex, and delicious! There's little to no citrus left, but citrus does tend to burn off quickly instead of hanging around (at least on me), so that's to be expected. A whiff of honey turns up at the veeeeery end (around 11 hours on me - great wear time!), after being notably absent throughout. This is the blend I was most on the fence about for my Yules/Anniversary order, but out of all of them, I think this is my favorite! I really don't have anything in my collection like it. I've got some dark, juicy, sexy citruses, some bright, get-up-and-go citruses, and plenty of lovely glittering citrus-amber combos, but nothing quite as earthy and mysterious as this.

In the imp: When I opened it fresh from the mail (I know, I know - I'm terrible at waiting!), I got a massive blast of cinnamon that had me worried (lately, spicy scents, especially cinnamon and/or clove, have caused my skin to react in a... non-optimal way). But upon opening it again a day or two later, this was gone - thank goodness for settling! Now, it's a smooth, sweet, and VERY sexy tobacco-leather blend, sort of the more masculine equivalent of my beloved dark, smoky vanillas. Actually, maybe it's bourbon vanilla giving me the scent association - I'm not a big drinker, so I'm not great at picking out boozy notes, but the impression is very similar. Whatever it is, it's thick and sexy enough to sink my teeth into; just this side of gourmand-sweet. I can also detect just a hint of incense and/or spice way at the back, but I have to pay close attention to do so. Wet: Fairly linear, albeit drier. The tobacco especially feels dried, lacking that almost vanilla-y/juicy aspect. Similarly, the leather is now that of an old book cover or armchair, not warmed by body heat. The woody and/or incense notes are also more prominent, but the spices have fled entirely. It's still definitely a sexy man-smell, but now more austere and less front-and-center sexual. Dry: Slowly but surely warms back up to something close to ITI, although it never regains that lovely, juicy, overtly sexual element. The incense fades into the background, and the leather becomes more prominent. There's still a faint, woozy note of rum running throughout, giving the leather some depth, although the sharp alcohol element is pretty much gone. (Huzzah!) Throw is okay, but not enormous - which is a plus for me, since I occasionally amp sweet smells to high heaven. I have a weakness for tobacco/leather/rum/wood masculine scents, and this is an excellent addition to the collection! Nothing incredibly outstanding, just sweet, sexy, and comforting on a cold day.

In the imp: Soft, sweet, woody florals, but with a chilly edge that reminds me of traditional perfume. Specifically, it reminds me of the glamorous women of my grandmother's generation. It feels nostalgic, almost sad - I imagine this to be the scent my grandmother would have worn when my grandfather went off to war. Wet: The woods and greenery take a huge step forward. Holy crap, this is indeed like walking through a forest with just a dusting of snow on the ground! The I can almost taste the sweet, crisp scent of the snowy air on my tongue. After only a few minutes, the snow note (if this is what BPAL's snow smells like all the time OMG WHY DIDN'T I BUY ALL THE SNOW NOTES THIS YULE) becomes dominant, and the woods, sage, and oddly unmistakable tree moss take a backseat. Dry: Fairly true to ITI. Soft, sweet, and nostalgic, and stays close to the body. In my mind, this is the perfume of a girl just growing into womanhood in the 1940s or 50s.

In the imp: A sharp, herbal-resinous smell (most likely the frankincense, but may be the sage as well), coupled with a honey-floral sweetness that is almost definitely the honey myrtle. Right now it's simple and pleasant. Wet: Jasmine and sage - what a combination! The jasmine is fresh and mysterious, in a real "magic conducted outdoors" way, not languid and overtly sexy like it usually is. There's still a honeyed edge from the honey myrtle, but I'm not getting any patch or oudh so far, and the frankincense has done a disappearing act. But instead, I could almost swear there's a note of lemon blossom honey or something in here - I'm getting something distinctly zingy and citrus-y. Dry: Fades into a skin-scent remarkably quickly - four hours, tops. But while I can still discern it, it moves more and more jasmine-dominant, with just a hint of incense/resins. These tend to go a little funky-sour on me, but the jasmine (which, on the other hand, plays quite well with my skin) keeps this from getting too bad.

In the imp: A smooth, warm, golden scent. Amber and vanilla are prominent (two of my favorites!) as is sandalwood. There's also a whiff of resins/incense way deep down, but they're not immediately apparent. Wet: I got a big ol' whiff of cinnamon before I'd even finished applying, but that faded almost immediately. Instead, the incense and leather take a big step forward - very unisex! But that warm, smooth amber-vanilla-and-a-bit-of-sandalwood from ITI is still there; I just have to sniff a bit for it. Overall, it's a very cuddly scent, but not in a "grandma's house, fuzzy crocheted afghans, a cup of tea, and a purring cat" - cuddly in a sexy way, like getting a hug and a thick blanket from a sexy dude when you've had a bad day and it's cold outside. Or maybe I'm just projecting. ;P Dry: The incense/resins are mostly still dominant, but the amber manages to keep them entering funky-sour territory, as they so often do on my skin. Instead, they blend beautifully with the amber and the leather at the base. But this is a smooth, well-worn leather, as in Paladin or Blood and Judgement So Well Commedled, not the sharp, new leather of Whip or Iago.

In the imp: Strong, sharp woods, almost turpentine-smelling, with a spicy, peppery note also very distinguishable. All this sounds pretty un-promising, and yet there's something oddly sweet and mellow lurking in there, drawing me in. Could be the lotus, could be the sandalwood, idk. Wet: The sweetness is much more prominent (almost cloying or bubblegum-like, as lotus tends to turn on me, but not quite), but the base is still strongly spicy-woody, like a cedar cabinet that's been used to store cooking spices for decades. At this point, I can't decide whether I like this scent or not - it's definitely very different from my usual warm, slinky ambers or bright, brisk citruses, but that's the beauty of frimps. Dry: The bubblegum-sweet lotus does a surprisingly quick fade, leaving me with 95% pure cedar (albeit a soft, wearable cedar - the turpentine from ITI is gone entirely). There's still a hint of spice, but it's no longer distinguishable as pepper.

In the imp: Fruity fruity fruit fruit fruit! Apricot so strong it almost gave me a headache upon first sniff, and I can still catch whiffs from the uncapped imp from half a foot away. If there's any orange blossom or musk in there, it's buried in the landslide of apricot. Wet: Ah, there's the orange blossom - it's still playing second fiddle to the apricot, but at least now it's discernible. And I'm not sure whether I'm actually getting the white musk, or that's just me wanting to smell what's in the description, but there's almost definitely something anchoring all the fruit - still sweet (as white musk tends to go on me), but giving it something to grab onto. In fact, right now it's reminding me of Grand Guignol (albeit a little more floral-sweet and less boozy-sweet). Dry: That lovely orange blossom note emerges more fully, with the apricot slowly but surely dialing back. Hmm, now I'm not sure whether to file this under gourmands or florals! But either way, it's a keeper.

And second! In the imp: A soft, spicy-smoky smell with a bit of traditional perfumey sweetness. I agree with Aviatrix - it's so well-blended that it's difficult to pick out individual notes, and the overall impression is difficult to describe. The closest I can come is a calm, bright, golden top over a smooth, strong, brown base. Wet: Holy cannoli. From up close, it's identifiably a woody-leather scent, with some soft sweetness rounding it out. But from afar: HHHNNNNNNNGGGGG. It really is difficult to describe the notes; it just conveys a sense of kindness and strength. It's also unexpectedly sexy - I don't find myself having "mmmmmmm ;)" reactions like this that often, so this is really outstanding. Dry: Primarily amber. The smoky wood and leather are both there as accents if I really look for them, complicating the amber, but they're not really discernible on their own, even if I huff for them. There's an extra bit of sweetness that may be the honey, too, but mostly, it's just my old friend amber making my skin go "I LOVE EVERYONE IN THIS BAR."

In the imp: Mostly the cherry-floral sweetness of, yes, dragon's blood. There's something vaguely warm and spicy at the base, but I wouldn't immediately identify it as amber. Indeed, instead of the cuddly, slinky warmth I usually associate with amber, this feels decidedly fresh, even brisk. Huh. This should be an interesting experiment - amber has a tendency to either go to powder, or turn the whole blend into pure gold on my skin, while dragon's blood tends to go either too sickly-sweet, or morph into a bog-standard department store perfume. I wonder which one will win out? Wet: I got an immediate sense-memory of some mainstream perfume or other, but I can't really put my finger on it. Something containing jasmine, perhaps? Anyway, I'm getting brisk, subtly spicy florals, with that cherry note still hanging around. But after a few minutes of this, the florals settle into heady, slightly indolic jasmine, and the cherry burns off. Still no amber. Dry: The dragon's blood burns off after six hours or so, leaving a soft, powdery, skin-level amber. A little more subdued than I'd like, and I do miss the oddly jasmine-y dragon's blood, but I can live with this just fine.

In the imp: Dominantly sweet, wet black cherry. Which would concern me, since I amp fruit like nobody's business, but there's something else here, taking the cherry half a step down from being sickly-sweet into something more interesting. Maybe it's the rosewood, maybe the red musk, maybe the rose...I dunno. Wet: Now there's a change! The cherry is almost entirely gone, leaving a sort of sweet, woodsy lavender in its place. I get the impression of lavender buds kept in my grandmother's massive old wooden armoire, sprinkled with sugar water or rosewater. I can maybe pick up a touch of cherry in the underlying sweetness that keeps the lavender from going too herbal. Dry: The rose and/or rosewood quickly eclipses the lavender, but the warm, cuddly woodsiness remains. And boy howdy, is it some good woodsiness - broad and sweet without cloying, the cherry becoming almost almond-like (sort of a reverse process as in Blood and Judgement So Well Commedled) just the thing for a cold blustery day like today. In fact, this smells so divine on me that I'd almost swear that amber was in here - it's that good! But it's probably the red musk giving me a false positive. Maybe. On me, red musk can do anything from amping fruit into too-sweet territory, settling for a bland sort of office-appropriate pleasantness, or occasionally making a good blend GREAT, as in here.

In the imp: Not as dry as I imagined. There is a dry, woody note that I imagine is either the broom twigs or the moss, but mostly I get slightly...woozy(?) herbs. I'm in week 2 of fighting off a cold/the flu, so maybe that's just me, but I do get an unsettling, hard-to-put-my-finger-on-it feeling. Wet: Wow, this one's a morpher! Now I'm getting sort of light, omnidirectional florals, with maaaaybe just a hint of patchouli at the base. But it still feels dry and chilly, and constantly threatens to veer into soap territory. Dry: It settles down into an inoffensive, barely-there generic perfume - the kind that could be mistaken for "I just washed my hands with nice soap." I was all ready to give up on it, when I got a random whiff of myself ~4-6 hours in, and was surprised to find that it had morphed into this fascinating mossy-woodsy scent, with the florals as a faint accent, nothing more. Hmm! Instead of consigning this one to the swaps box, I think I'll age it for a while, see if I can bring forward that fascinating forest scent (which I really haven't found anywhere else, even in supposedly foresty blends such as Druid or Arkham).

In the imp: A harsh, synthetic cherry smell, like that awful cough syrup, and nothing else. If this is what almond works out to, uh-oh... Wet: Ah, now that's more like it! The almond quiets down into something smooth and sweet, and plays EXTREMELY well with the leather. Speaking of which, the leather starts out a little newer and sharper than I'd like, but also settles down into something I like rather a lot. And this may be my post-cold stuffy nose talking, but I could almost swear there's an aquatic undertone hanging around somewhere at the base...? Dry: Got a random whiff of myself, and...HNNNNGGGG. Amber can turn pretty much anything to magic on my skin, and clearly it's at work here - I'm getting something broad and sweet, masculine (or maybe unisex), and utterly delicious. At this point, it's so well-blended that, from afar, I can't even pick out any individual notes - it just smells awesome. There's a touch of sharpness from the bourbon vanilla and/or almond if I get close, but basically I'm trailing a cloud of "I am a good person"-smell. (Seriously, HOW does Beth manage to capture such specific, ineffable concepts in scent?)

In the imp: I'm getting primarily tea, with maaaaaybe a hint of citrus and/or florals. Right now, this is one I'm regretting waiting to order - this is promising to be the perfect light, cooling summer scent, in the vein of Juke Joint or Manhattan. But will it have enough grip for a cold, rainy day like this one? Wet: Starts out with a big ol' blast of citrus and mint, slightly cut by honey. Man, is this a turnaround! I can't distinguish the tea at all, and the florals not a bit. But it quickly settles down, and the citrus and mint start playing better with the others. From afar, it's this delicious complicated honey-citrus-mint-floral (and my skin looooooves it some honey and mint), but up close, it actually becomes less complicated and settles down into a citrus tea with maybe just a hint of florals. Right now, I'm totally getting both the White Rabbit and Alma Venus comparisons. Dry: Honey-mint tea, but not as warm or cozy as that might sound. In fact, this has an oddly... hollow feeling to it? I keep getting whiffs of it here and there, but mostly it's just a sort of cold, vague sweetness. If I really shove my nose into my wrist, I can get something approaching the lovely warm zingy orange blossom honey that I was hoping for, but only then. I'll probably let this sit for a few months, and see if it's more suited to springtime than cold October.

I like to make perfume an element of my Halloween costume, which BPAL happens to be perfect for. This year, I'm thinking of going as Agent Peggy Carter, and we actually know what her perfume smells like! Bésame Cosmetics Decades of Fragrance: 1940 is described thus: After prohibition, NYC jazz club, 1940s Aromatic, Floral, Ambery Top notes: bergamot, cognac, davana Heart notes: rose, clove, labdanum Base notes: sandal wood, amber, benzoin Can anyone help me out?

In the imp: Zingy! Interestingly, this is definitely lemon verbena, rather than lemon itself - softer, rounder, and more herbal-feeling. There are also some very soft florals, but they're very much in the background. Wet: Starts out with the same lovely bright lemon verbena, but all too soon, it turns to soap! WTF? I have a sneaking suspicion that jasmine is the culprit here, since I noticed it at the same time as the soap started to develop, but jasmine usually behaves on me. *grumble* Dry: Yup, it's soap, soap, and more soap. There's at least some fresh/floral overtones for the first few hours, but they smell very synthetic, like the soap is called "Forest Breeze" or "English Wildflowers" or something. But even those don't last long - after a few hours, it's pure soap. Bleh.

In the imp: I dunno about the oil itself, but it smells syrupy and heavy - mainly honey, but the olibanum and definitely the rose are also making themselves known. Right now, I'm thinking that it might be too heavy for a muggy summer day like this, but for a warming winter scent? YUM. Wet: And there go my expectations! It's a delicious honeyed rose - my first thought was rose jam that does feel languid, but not too heavy for summer. There's just the faintest suggestion of incense hanging around in the background, which is just the way I like it. Srsly, this is one of those scents where I have to remind myself that BPAL is not for eating, no matter how much it may smell like it. Dry: And again away with the expectations, albeit in a different direction this time. Instead of staying with the honeyed rose, it morphs into an incense-rose blend, which, as usual, goes sour on me. And I have a zillion rose-incense blends that go sour on me, so I really don't need another one. Hmm, I wonder if there's a way to prolong that yummy, unique wet stage, and avoid this entirely...

In the imp: I agree with JuliskaMarie - there's a lot going on here! Florals (primarily rose, but I can also detect something creamier) mix well with the citrus, over a strong, smooth, almost masculine/cologne-y base (woods? incense? something else altogether???). This is appropriate, given the character - both masculine and feminine aspects. Wet: Brisk, fresh roses. I can also smell the citrus, but right now it just smells like another facet of the roses, not its own independent scent. There are also some creamy floral overtones that I'm fairly sure is the lily at work, or possibly the lilac. There's a brief flash of...sandalwood? Wood of some kind? Maybe? But it doesn't last long - mostly it's florals, florals, and more florals. Dry: Ah, there's my old friend amber! Along with sandalwood and maybe rosewood, it becomes much more prominent after several hours, even becoming more notable than the florals. Right now, it's exotic in a smooth, creamy way and I LOVE it.

In the imp: Sweet, smooth woods, but somehow it feels light and airy rather than heavy. There's an interesting edge that I can't quite put my finger on - perhaps metal, or some sort of sharper wood, or frankincense? I really want to say I can pick out the parchment, or maybe it just gives the overall impression of parchment. Right now, I'm agreeing with Claudia - a snuggle up with a good book day, indeed! Wet: From afar, this is DELICIOUS. Amber and parchment and just a touch of incense - smooth and sweet and warm and light and lovely. I probably look like an idiot bobbing my head back and forth, trying to get a whiff of myself, but it smells so good I don't even care. Up close, however, the woods grow much sharper, especially the cedar. Everything else is still there (I think), but the cedar (which, unfortunately, reminds me of pencil shavings and rodent cage litter) rides roughshod over it all. Dry: Thankfully, the cedar settles down after not too long, and lets the more complex scent shine. And boy, does it shine! I'd even swear there's something in the vanilla/tonka/benzoin family there - it's wonderfully comforting, in a smooth, elegant sort of way. That lovely old book smell, rounded out with warm woods, and amber and that vanillin-y whatever to keep it from getting too dry, and the faintest drizzle of incense. I think I'm in love.