Lunasariel

In the imp: Like y'all are saying, a fresh, springy floral with a hint of lemon. But down at the base, there's something funky going on, like dirty dishes or garbage - I'm tempted to put this down to jasmine, as that's how other people have described it, but jasmine has never been anything but wonderful-smelling to me, so I don't think that's it. Wet: A big ol' initial burst of lemon, which is constantly threatening to lean into cleaning product territory. But that calms down soon enough (although it certainly does make its presence known for a good long while), letting creamy jasmine step forward. While it's primarily a jasmine scent, I'm also getting some sort of omnidirectional spring florals underneath. Dry: Soap. Straight-up, slightly floral soap, so much so that I can taste it in the back of my throat. A whiff of vanilla at the very end, but overall, something in here has gone straight to Soaptown. Booooo.

In the imp: I can tell right off the bat that, whatever this is, it's going to be STRONG. I'm getting minty chocolate even before uncorking the imp! When actually uncorked, I'm still getting some first-rate dark chocolate and mint, but now with that nutty, "toasted" edge a couple of people have mentioned - I'm tempted to say almonds rather than pistachios, but maybe that's just because I associate almonds with chocolate. Wet: Still heavily chocolatey, but now definitely more nutty than minty. The mint is still there in the background, providing a lovely cooling note, but what are more notably pistachios have taken a big step forward. The cedar also makes itself known, but it's a gentler, softer cedar than what you may be thinking of - nothing fresh-cut here. Dry: Fairly linear; nothing unexpected. The mint burns off first, of course, and the pistachio does a surprisingly graceful fade, leaving only the woodsy chocolate. Out of these two, the chocolate lasts the longest, but I can't say I'm particularly enamored. I've never been much of a one for gourmands/chocolatey scents (to which El Dia de Los Reyes is a HUGE exception - it's pretty much the only chocolate scent I need, and I love it so), and I already have my fill of woodsy/cedar scents, so I may either age this one to see if it develops into something interesting, or swap it.

In the interest of full disclosure, I bought this one for the bottle art first and the notes second. That toad always cracks me up, but I'm not saying no to amber, vanilla, carnation, patch, and lemongrass either. In the imp: Promising, very promising. My beloved amber is dominant, along with vanilla and a blessedly non-foody coconut. Carnation and perhaps some patchouli provide some spicy mystery in the background. Wet: Hoo boy, THERE'S the lemongrass everyone has been mentioning! Combined with the coconut and vanilla the result is certainly startling, but not in a bad way (nor, surprisingly given the description, in a foody way). Alas, the amber, frankincense, carnation, and patch have faded to pretty much nil. Dry: And the startlement continues! It's now a wonderful summery scent, coconut dominant but in a lovely amber-vanilla-sunscreen kind of way (and this is from someone who hates coconut-flavored anything), over a patchouli and/or carnation base. The lemongrass is still in evidence, but now in a softer, subtler form. It should be noted that my boyfriend commented that this one smells like pumpkin pie, but I think he was picking up on the spicy-sweet combination of what strahlend described as "cinnamon without being cinnamon."

In the imp: Neroli and tea are the most dominant notes, but the oudh and benzoin are also making themselves known. Surprisingly little tobacco so far (or, at least, tobacco as I've experienced it). Wet: At first I thought it was going to head towards a lovely neroli-tobacco area, but, nope, when I asked my BF to sniff it, the immediate reaction was licorice. XP Oh, well, at least there's an undertone of oudh keeping things from going straight-up candy, but it's a small victory if that. Dry: Up close, I'm still getting whiffs of neroli, but from afar, it's still pretty much straight licorice. Eeeeehhhhh, maybe this one will age well.

In the imp: It's amber-dominant, but a dark, smoky amber - thanks, tobacco! The vanilla is also there to sweeten the deal with maaaaaybe the faintest whiff of florals in the background. Ironically, this is simultaneously both the most complex (note-wise) and the most simple (scent-wise) of the Odes to Mars I've tried so far. Wet: Alas, that wonderful warm smoky sweetness is gone, leaving something much more cologne-y and "clean"-smelling in its place. The tobacco is still there, but now more directly masculine than unisex, as it was ITI. The benzoin and/or vanilla sneak back in over time, but they always hang around in the background instead of coming forward. Dry: A tobacco-amber scent, but nothing like as sultry as that might sound. It's definitely more clean, even soapy. This is what I imagine to be the cologne of the teacher you had a vague crush on in high school, or maybe a youth pastor (not that I've ever had a pastor, youth or otherwise, but this is what I imagine one would smell like). Somebody you would trust with your kids, but is still reasonably attractive. EDIT: After about a year and a half...woo, now this is what I was looking for! Woozy, boozy smokiness - caramelized tobacco is the most dominant note, but the amber and dark, smoky vanilla round it out beautifully. But at the same time, I get the impression of sticky-sweet resins, melting in the sun, like going for a hike in the Sierra Nevadas in the summer. Mad, bad, and dangerous to know, but soooooooo good. Aging takes this one from mediocre to outstanding!

In the imp: Not as sharp as I would have thought - the leather is very dominant, but it's a smooth, sophisticated sort of leather. There's also something musty-musky-herbal which I assume is the sage. No juniper as of yet. Wet: Okay, there's the sharpness. The juniper and sage take a BIG step forward, while the leather fades to the background. It's now a very masculine, cologne-like scent - I'm definitely getting the gin comparison above! (Sidenote/random train of thought: it's ironic that gin is considered such a sophisticated dude's drink now, as it was the cheap swill of the masses, and actually a mark of a LACK of class, not too long ago. Divergence over.) However, the pure juniper-sage stage turn out to be just an initial blast, and it quickly settles down into something much smoother, but also much more difficult to describe. Let's put it this way: in my notes, I have a category called "fancy lady grown-up scents", and this is the perfect male equivalent of those. It's smooth, sophisticated, self-assured, and at once classic and modern, if that makes any sense. Dry: It settles down into something eerily like the smell of the leather armchair my grandfather used to sit in, in his cabin in the Sierra Nevadas - I'm guessing that's mostly the leather and sage. But it really does smell like a very lived-in, well-loved leather armchair. Alas, this one doesn't last too long on me (none of the Ode to Mars seem to do so), but really having to shove my nose into my wrist to get at it just enhances the sense of coziness.

In the imp: Sweet in an almost salty-citrus-like way that must be the combination of white musk and ambergris. The chamomile is also making itself known, as a lovely soft herbal-bordering-on-floral scent. Wet: My first thought was "oh, dear...well, every Luper I've tried so far has hit it out of the park, so one dud ain't too bad." What is probably the white musk goes very synthetic-sweet, almost high fructose corn syrup, overpowering the more delicate ambergris and chamomile. But I should know better than to give up on BPAL so quickly - the white musk quickly settles down into more of a supporting player for the sweetly herbal chamomile and warm, barely-salty ambergris. So far, this is turning out to be a surprisingly complex scent for just three notes! Dry: Throughout the day, I kept getting wafts of this delicate, not-quite-feminine scent from my wrists and cleavage. It's pretty much exactly what it says on the tin, notes-wise. The ambergris occasionally threatens to lean soapy, but never quite gets there. Later, at about the four-hour mark, it dries down to entirely ambergris, but I love ambergris, so I'm A-OK with this development.

In the imp: Primarily vanilla bourbon, but without the alcoholic tang (which, to my mind, is a plus, making the whole thing smoother). There's definitely something floral going on here, but it doesn't announce itself as jasmine right away. There's a base of something...citrusy? Which could be either the tea, if it goes Earl Grey, or amber, if it's the same kind of amber as in Haunted. Wet: Starts out fairly true to ITI - vanilla bourbon and amber are dominant, there's some unidentifiable soft floral playing second fiddle, and the odd citrus note is still hanging around. However, the jasmine develops into itself fairly quickly, but on me, it's not a jasmine soliflore - it actually does smell something like a really well-made cup of jasmine tea, but the vanilla bourbon changes it from a foody or tea-based scent to something full of old-world elegance and, for lack of a better word, class. Dry: It becomes tea-dominant for a while, but eventually the jasmine fades, followed by the tea, and ends up as a vanilla-bourbon-amber (in that order) mix - faint, but at once comforting and elegant.

In the imp: I would probably call this a citrus-dominant scent, but not citrus the way I'm used to it. This is a citrus beautifully blended with soft, intoxicating florals. The beeswax may also be in there, but I've only experienced beeswax in one other BPAL blend, so my nose isn't as attuned to it as it could be. There's a lovely, strong, almost creamy base that is almost definitely beeswax, though. Wet: The blood orange begins to distinguish itself from the creamy florals a bit more. It's retained that refined, sensual tone, though, although that may be the amber, which loves my skin and anything on it about 80% of the time. (The other 20% it goes to baby powder, but at least it's sexy baby powder.) No cedar or honey yet, although this is probably a good thing in the case of the latter, as honey can get kinda overpowering on me. Dry: Ah, THERE'S the beeswax! It settles down into a lovely beeswax-amber blend, with both the citrus and the florals still there, but now more in the background. If The Phoenix, Having Burst Her Shell and The Lights of Men's Lives had a beautiful, beautiful lovechild, it would be this.

I tried to look for ones with similar scents, but given the different blends, who knows how similar they'd be? Eh, worth a shot. The closest I can find, kinda sorta are: Moscow - "A rich, bold blend of imperial rose, carnation, lush jasmine, lily of the valley, dark musk, amber, bergamot and gilded tangerine." The Little Wooden Doll - "rose-infused amber and soft golden sandalwood." For Each Ecstatic Instant - "velvet-red roses and sensual aged patchouli with night-blooming jasmine, caramelized bourbon vanilla, labdanum, black amber, and oudh." The above is a limited scent, so if it sounds good to you, get it while the gettin's good. In Templum Dei - "Oman frankincense, cistus labdanum, white sandalwood, and liquid ambar." Lady Death: Savage - "White musk, grey amber, Calabrian bergamot, vanilla absolute, French labdanum, styrax, wormwood, caraway, and bois de jasmin." Bette Noir - "Benzoin, wild plum, smoky amber, bergamot, orange blossom, myrrh, and dark berries." Spooky Action at a Distance: "rose-infused sandalwood with violet leaf, frankincense, geranium rose, and a spark of elemi." And that's the best I could do. Hope this helps! Ooh, thanks! LOL, most of these are on my wishlist anyway (except for The Little Wooden Doll, which I've already tried and which goes a little too maternal for my tastes), especially For Each Ecstatic Instant (mmmm Lupers), so thanks for the extra incentive to try them out.

In the imp: A sexy-foody scent, like caramel body butter warmed to just the right temperature. Not getting much coconut (which I was afraid of, as coconut always smells like disappointing birthday cake to me), but also no amber (which I miss, as it's my One True Scent Love). I don't want to eat this QUITE as badly as El Dia De Los Reyes, but it's still making my mouth water more than a little bit. Wet: WOW, talk about your morphers! This one goes from straight-up sexy caramel to an immensely complex smoky-sweet-sexy-spicy thing that I think I'm in love with, but don't quite know what to do with, if you know what I mean. I'm having difficulty wrapping my head around everything that's going on here, but I believe that the "sensual blend of Asian spice" is making itself known, as are the tobacco and opium. The amber is probably hanging around at the base somewhere, but TBH there's so much going on that I'm hard-pressed to discern it among all the other notes. If I had to sum it up in a sentence, this would be the scent of the kind of girl your mother warned you about. Dry: It settles down into something not quite as complex as the wet stage, but still sweetly warm, with some notable spices. Thankfully, that smoky note from the tobacco and/or opium turns out to be in for the long haul, turning this from a gourmand to a slinkier, sexier sort of scent. (Sorry-not-sorry for the alliteration.)

In the bottle: A cleansing, herbal-citrus scent. There's definitely a touch of sweetness, but the sharp herbs are so distracting I can't tell whether it's foody, floral, or both. (Based on the notes, I would say floral, but my nose can't tell.) Wet: Citrus is definitely the main player here - both the herbs and the sweetness take a huge step back. However, this isn't just citrus. It's complicated by something way deep down at the base, something lovely that I can't quite put my finger on. (Violets, perhaps? Something that cuts the sharpness of the citrus, anyway.) Both here and ITI, it reminds me definitely of some sort of candy I used to have as a child. (EDIT: Thanks to the boyfriend, I finally put my finger on it: it smells like Otter Pops!!) Dry: The sugary sweetness has dried down, and the herbal notes have moved up to about equal to the citrus. Now, it has a slightly odd, astringent, even medical aspect to it that isn't entirely unpleasant.

In the imp: Like Dwarf itself, this is some POWERFUL stuff - it actually made me jerk my head back a bit when I first popped the cap. There's definitely something fermenting in there, but also something sweet and butterscotch-y that has quite the throw to it, while the fermentation stays pretty close to the oil itself. Wet: Holy foodiness, Batman! After an initial blast of sweet honey/butterscotch, it dries down to something completely unexpected - dry, woodsy, and just a bit spicy. I would call this closer to the cask dwarven ale is aged in than the ale itself. I'm still getting the sweet foodiness from afar, but close up, its very woody. Dry: Develops a resinous, incensey edge from god knows where. Otherwise, still getting the same woodsy-spicy scent with some foody-sweet accents all the way down.

In the imp: Surprisingly jasmine-domiant. WTF? Like, I can smell a subtle hint of dragon's blood (and dragon's blood has never been a subtle or hinting scent to me), and maaaaaaybe some salty aqueous-ness, but mostly, that's some jasmine right there. Wet: Quickly settles down into a heavy, wet floral, with the saltiness emerging more and more over time. From afar, I'm still getting mainly jasmine, but up close, the saltiness is more apparent. Dry: Soap, as aquatics tend to go on my skin. Nice floral soap, but soap nonetheless. There's a hint of warmer, sweeter dragon's blood towards the very end.

In the imp: A creamy and, yes, voluptuous floral. Jasmine is dominant, but definitely not the only floral in town. Interestingly, it has a hard-to-pin down "fresh" quality, which must be the lemon, although my nose isn't picking up any lemon per se. Wet: Woooo, there's a lot going on here! The lemon is actually recognizable as itself, for one. For another, what I think is the violet leaf is coming on strong, giving everything a fresh, green, and slightly wet vibe. The other florals are coming out - rose and wisteria definitely, with the waterlily possibly lending to the above-mentioned wet vibe. Jasmine is usually a little too heavy to be worn in summer, but this smells so fresh and cool that it might go in my summer scents pile. Dry: It's pretty much jasmine-dominant florals all the way down. There's a brief flash of something that may be sandalwood, but it's a sweeter and fainter sandalwood than I'm used to.

In the imp: A spicy-woodsy scent. It's dark and mysterious, but not in the sexy way a lot of my "dark and mysterious" BPALs are - this one is more than a touch menacing. But not necessarily in a bad way, if that makes sense? Wet: A masculine, don't-mess-with-me smell - sort of a male equivalent of my usual "power bitch" scents. The vanilla is making an appearance to sweeten up the base, but this is still primarily a dark, *very* complex, spicy-woodsy-almost-incensey blend. Dry: It's settled down to primarily patchouli, but still unusually complex. I'm getting definite hints of clove and probably myrrh, and there's still something subtly sweet (vanilla or almond) hanging around. EDIT: ...So apparently I'm allergic/sensitive to clove oil. I noticed a bit of itching around my collarbones when I first applied it, but that could have easily been the chain of my necklace, my shirt, etc. But when I got out of the shower the next morning, there were patches of angry red bumps, sort of poison oak-looking (but, thankfully, without the FIREY ITCH OF DEATH I was so familiar with as a kid), where I had applied it on my wrists. Interesting that these didn't appear when I applied the perfume itself... Maybe some combination of the hot water, scrubbing, and body wash brought out the worst in it? This is such a lovely scent that I'll hang onto it and see if I can layer it over lotion or something - the rash looks pretty nasty, but doesn't really hurt. I guess I'm just mostly annoyed that I'll have to be extra-careful instead of just slathering it on any old way, especially since my skin doesn't react to cinnamon-based scents at all.

In the imp: Ooh, a DC'ed frimp! Serendipitous. So far, it's a fresh citrus-honey scent. Honey and I generally don't play well together, but right now it does indeed smell fresh and lovely and golden. Wet: ...Yup, there it goes. The freshness is now mostly gone, so now it's hovering between "woooo heady florals!" and overwhelming/headache-inducing. I'm even getting hints of something like a too-long-uncleaned bathroom into which someone has sprayed nice air freshener. Thankfully, the eau de bathroom doesn't last long, and settles down into honey-heavy, heady florals within 20 minutes or so. Dry: Faint florals, but now just the slightest bit warm/ambery/musky. Finally, oddly enough, it regains the wet, fresh tone it had ITI.

In the imp: A light, fresh scent in the best way possible. Right off the bat, I'm detecting the citrus (the grapefruit perhaps even moreso than the lemon), mint, and light (green?) tea. But like all lighter summer scents that I love (and right now I do agree that this would make an exceptional summer scent), it's anchored in something with a bit more weight. The kush? Amber? Leather? Can't tell right now, but I like it all the same. Wet: Complex, yet not heavy. It's now a more generalized citrus-and-tea scent, but backed up by what I can now identify as the subtlest leather. There could also be a touch of amber, which I love with a slightly unhealthy passion, giving me such a positive reaction to everything, but it's not apparent at first sniff. Dry: Amber and soft, sweet leather. Now warmer and cuddlier, but still not heavy. Yup, this one is going in the regular rotation, especially in summer. It's funny - I've been organizing my BPALs lately, which has gotten me wondering what I'm going to do when warmer weather comes, because I'm so married to my deep, warm spices, resins, and ambers. But I think I'm going to be wearing this preeeeeetty regularly. Like, I could EASILY see this becoming my signature summer scent, and this is from someone who doesn't do signature scents. It just smells like someone who's got her life together, y'know?

In the imp: Odd, even a bit off-putting. For once, the spiciness of the gingerbread and the sugary-sweet fruits seem to be working at cross-purposes, instead of together, creating an odd jarring effect. I feel like there's two different levels here that should be melding, but aren't. Wet: This started out with a big ol' blast of wtf - I was honestly unsure what to do with this scent for a good 5-10 mintues after application. There's still that element of conflict, of two things that aren't quite coming together as they should. It could be the sandalwood and oudh conflicting with the foodier scents, maybe? IDK. Luckily, however, it settles into a MUCH more manageable lemony gingerbread before too long, like someone grated a bunch of lemon zest into a batch of gingerbread dough. From afar, I still get a whiff of something that my brain interprets as nutty, but I'm fairly sure is the woods in what is otherwise a very foody blend. Dry: Warm, sweet, red musk. The foodiness still lingers in the remnants of gingerbread that have proven unexpectedly tenacious, but this is now primarily a musk blend, which is much more my usual speed than a straight-up foody scent.

In the imp: A beautiful musky smoky patch - commanding and mysterious, yet still feminine and seductive. Mmmmmm... Wet: A murkier, less feminine scent, with the tobacco starting to show its dark side upon first application. But luckily it settles down pretty quickly into something very close to ITI, albeit without the sweet, tart honeyed currant there. Which, at least in my case, is a bit of a blessing in disguise - I tend to amp fruit like whoa, so while I'm sorry to lose that interesting note, I'm glad it's at least allowing the others to shine. Dry: Primarily patchouli, but still notably dark and smoky. As the weather gets warmer I may not reach for this one as much, but for now? Yesplz.

In the imp: Woodsy, but a sweet, slightly soft woodsiness. My nose is still relatively untrained, but I think I can pick out the myrrh and bay. Wet: Something spicy-woodsy and powerful. A slightly medicinal, camphor-like smell emerges fairly quickly and lends a sort of dustiness to the overall scent - like a wooden chest or an old building (perhaps a church?) that's been shut up for years and has just been re-opened. Dry: More directly incense-y. Specifically, in the last few hours, pretty much every incense blend I've tried goes sour on my skin. Not an entirely unpleasant sourness (this in particular has a sweet, creamy edge that I rather like), but sour nonetheless.

In the imp: Someone above called this a "rose-forward" scent, and I have to agree! I'm not great at distinguishing red musk, but I think that's in there, too. Overall, this is a soft, feminine scent, but with a bit of a bite to it. Wet: Interesting. Rose and I usually get along just fine, but here, the geranium takes a smart step forward and becomes pretty much the only game in town. Still floral in a rose-adjacent way, but now in a more powdery (dare I even say musty?) and citronella-y way. Dry: It fades very gracefully into a positively gorgeous red musk and vanilla combo, which on me works out to "oh, this? I'm not wearing perfume, I just naturally smell amazing." So while the first stage was pretty but didn't blow me away, I'm really loving the drydown.

In the imp: A lavender-citrus blend, just like it says. Citrus-dominant (alas - I love lavender!), but the lavender is going a strong second. I don't have much experience with fougeres, so I hope this one doesn't go straight soapy on me like Venustas did. Wet: ...Woop, there it is. I've done a bit of research, and a couple of places say that fougeres are supposed to have a soapy edge thanks to the coumarin. In that case, apparently that's what I'm amping to hell and back - barely a hint of floral sweetness; just soap all the way down. *grumble* Dry: The soapiness gradually morphs into a general baby powder note, gently scented with lavender. It's a very soft scent, and not unpleasant, but has too little grip for cold January mornings. I'll re-test this one in the summer to see if a gentle, fresh, clean scent works better then.

(Usual disclaimer: I'm the World's Worst Drinker, so I don't have a scent profile of a real martini to compare this to.) In the imp: Erm, not appealing. Sharp and kind of soapy. At least the piney/herbaceous note that is probably juniper is interesting? Wet: Much less soapy. Still sharp and juniper-y, but now in an interesting way. I agree with above posters that there's a fizzy note, but not the way Bon Vivant (can you tell I've been working my way through the Imp Pack: Booze? ) was fizzy, if that makes sense. Dry: A fairly linear drydown, but the fizziness departs and leaves a sort of soapy note in its place. Can't say I'm overly enamored with this one.

(Usual disclaimer: I'm the World's Worst Drinker, so I'm afraid I don't have any real rum scent profile to compare this to.) In the imp: Very, very rich, but in a more buttery-sugary-sweet way than anything, with some slight spice to it - I almost want to call this a gourmand. Wet: The first thing I get is, of all things, burnt sugar??? Still pretty darn rich, in a foody way, overall. I'm going to have to add my voice to the legions describing it as butterscotch(y booze). Not quite the intense, heady, badass scent I had imagined, but just as enjoyable, albeit in a very different way. Dry: A soft, spicy amber-vanilla - think The Lion meets slightly aged Snake Oil. Delicious!