Lunasariel

In the imp: My very first whiff was almost foody - why TF do I get coconut from this?? After that, though, it's mainly lemongrass, although the tonka is definitely present as well. It's not a main player, but there's something smooth and almost creamy-sweet, but not quite, rounding out the edges of the lemongrass. Wet: Still like 80-85% lemongrass, but I do get the tonka. It takes the scent from pure, bright, citrus-y lemongrass to Lemongrass Plus. The tonka grounds it and gives it some body, and I love it! Dry: The tonka becomes more and more prominent, although it never eclipses the lemongrass. Sweet and earthy indeed! Although, in this case, "earthy" = "herbal and citrus-y."

In the imp: Hello, daddy, hello, mom, I'm your ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb! This is a big splash of sweet, syrupy, cherries, and that's about it. Occasionally I think I get just a hint of very perfumey rose, but I have a lot of blends that mix roses and fruit, particularly cherries, so I think that might just be my nose having certain expectations. Wet: Ah, there's the mahogany! It balances the cherry bomb out wonderfully. "Lacquered" is definitely the right word for this one - it's definitely a heavy, opulent, red-velvet-drapes-and-lacquered-furniture kind of scent. Dry: The mahogany becomes more and more dominant, going from 60/40 to 80/20. There's a subtle, fruity presence throughout, but now it's soft enough that I can't tell whether it's cherry, currant, or both. This one has a surprisingly good throw! All throughout today, I kept getting whiffs of something elegantly fruity and elusive, and towards the end of the day, I realized it was me. This rarely happens to me, so I learned two things today: that the throw is much fruitier than the skin level scent, and that, especially from afar, this smells AWESOME. The throw is such that I might not be able to wear it in to work, which strongly discourages perfumes or other strong smells, though.

In the imp: Woody and smoky, with a very subtle figgy sweetness. Leaving the imp uncorked, I get wafts of a fascinating sort of smoked cocoa butter. Wet: At first, there's a blast of dry, woody notes. Then it settles into...the exact scent of a Lush store! That subtly fruity, herbal, sandalwood-y, cocoa butter-y smell is EXACTLY how it feels walking into a Lush. I can almost feel the texture of a bath bomb in my hand. Dry: Less Lush, more definitively sandalwood. The cocoa butter is soft but still present, and I wouldn't be able to identify the vague background sweetness as fig without help, but it's still there as well.

In the imp: Creamy vanilla-fig, but nothing like you'd imagine. It's not really a foodie scent, for one, and for another, this is a gentle, mellow fig, not growly like in Nasty Woman or humid and sensual, like in Eden. Combined, they almost read as coconut. Rice flower is a note I'm unfamiliar with, but there's something light, floral, and almost but not quite mouth-watering here, rounding out the vanilla and fig and keeping them from going sticky-sweet, and I'd bet this is it. Wet: Uh, wat? I get an effervescent, pleasantly chilled, fruity tropical drink. I can almost get something like the dash of pineapple juice added to smoothies and drinks to make them taste "tropical" without being definitively pineapple. Where did this come from??? I still get a whiff of vanilla way down at the base, which is about the only thing that I was expecting. Dry: Ah, there's the clove and patchouli, roughly in that order. Neither are too far forward, though - it's a softly creamy, fruity scent, with that light, ethereal rice flower proving unexpectedly tenacious.

In the bottle: My first impression was "warm cookies," but after reading all of the "caramel/butterscotch" descriptions, I can see butterscotch chip cookies, warm from the oven and making the whole house smell amazing. It's a warm, sweet, vanillic hug in a bottle - thanks, doomsday_disco! Wet: From afar, it's still sweet, sweet butterscotch cookies. Up close, that effervescent note that I think is the cognac briefly comes to dominate, and distinctly honey and tobacco notes also emerge. Oooooohhh boy, this is delicious! I would have been 100% happy with a sweet, warm, foody hug of a scent, but up close it's an intriguing medley of sweet, smoky, and effervescent - especially once the cognac calms down. Dry: It settles into a honeyed-burnt sugar-tobacco scent, with just a lingering hint of cognac-y effervescence and the tobacco becoming stronger as time goes on. It's still a sweet scent, but less of a foodie, butterscotch-y kind of sweet, and more resinous and honeyed. This is an AMAZING warm, sweet, comforting scent, as well as being for a great cause.

In the imp: Yep, this right here is the smell of the color pink. A bright, sparkly, fun floral, it brings to mind ruffled sundresses and picnics in the park. It's lighthearted and carefree. I don't think I've ever smelled pink amber before, but I like it! Wet: WYSIWYG. Amber and peony, yup. It's still very light, bright, and sparkling. The floral note is almost fruity, but not quite. There's energy and zing to this scent, but it's not at all citrusy. Dry: Pretty linear - soft, pretty amber and florals all the way down. It gets quieter and mellower over time, but no less pretty. A simple, lovely scent.

In the imp: Spicy, but not distinctly peppery, with a cozy, woody warmth hiding out at the base. Wet: Mellower, with the spices fading back and the sandalwood taking center stage. I keep going back and forth on whether this is a more incense-y/resinous sandalwood, or a more woody sandalwood, but sandalwood it is, rounded out by the ghost of omnidirectional spices. Dry: This one gets real soft, real fast. It dries down to a soft, cozy, barely-there sandalwood with just a hint of spices. This one would be great for layering!

In the imp: A dark, musty-dusty, feral scent. Occasional hints of burning-rubber vetiver, but the almost syrupy or sticky patchouli is dominant. Wet: I almost thought mesquite or some other barbecue-adjacent scent when it first hit my skin; it's that smoky! This is definitely a dark, growly, smoky, feral scent - extremely sexy, under the right circumstances. Exactly as it says on the tin (which I just mistyped as "sin" - hello, Freudian slip!) - filthy. Aggressive and definitely not office-appropriate. My SO said he got something dark and foresty in addition to the patch. Dry: Pretty linear. The vetiver chills way way out, and I can now definitely pick up on those amazing vegetal notes, but other than that, it pretty much just gets softer and gentler over time. After eight or nine hours, it finally burns down to this lovely, mellow, sweet-ish patch; it's almost honeyed but not quite. Wow, this was an Experience! It came on a lot stronger than I'd anticipated (although, given that we're talking both vetiver and patchouli here, I don't know why I was surprised), but also ended up a lot mellower than I would have thought.

In the imp: A light, cool, almost watery scent. Is this BPAL's snow note?? I'm actually pretty unfamiliar with this note, but it does kinda remind me of Pink Snowballs, the only other snow note I have. Otherwise, I'm getting mostly terebinth pine (I think? definitely resin/sap, not wood) and omnidirectional white florals. I wouldn't be able to identify them as magnolia and just a whiff of jasmine without knowing that's what they are beforehand. Wet: This gives a very early-spring impression, like icemelt swelling a stream or grass and flowers just starting to peek out from the snow at the roots of a tree, but at first it's so well-blended that I cannot for the life of me pick out any distinct notes. After a few minutes, the magnolia makes itself known, and just a breath of jasmine, subtle but distinctive, arrives shortly thereafter. Terebinth pine is a note I'm also not super familiar with, but if that's whatever is rounding out and grounding the florals, not overwhelming them but giving them another dimension, then sign me up! Dry: I'd say that by now the terebinth resin (lighter and less abrasive than other pines) is dominant; the florals are soft but still present. The jasmine might be eclipsing the magnolia, but again, it's so well-blended that it's hard to tell. This is a wonderfully subtle scent overall; it wears close to the skin but I get the most lovely, elusive whiff every so often to remind me that I'm wearing something gorgeous.

In the imp: Mellow, bright, omnidirectional greenery; I keep going back and forth on whether it's fresh-cut or dried. If there's any honey or amber present at this stage, I think my nose is just picking them up as facets of the greenery. Wet: The greenery resolves itself into hay, like shoving your face into a big pile of cut grass that's been left out to dry for a good long while. The amber just barely starts to peek out at the base, giving the hay a fascinatingly elegant, perfumey aspect. I'm still not getting a lot of honey - if it's here, it's cool and bright, mingling with the hay, rather than the usual golden syrupy sweetness. In fact, there's almost an aquatic element here, fresh and cool, that I really can't place. It's very "unicorn's enchanted forest"-smelling - could this be the amber??? Dry: It stays hay and amber for most of its 8-hour (or so) duration, with the honey only putting in an appearance towards the end. That fresh, aquatic element also proves surprisingly tenacious. I came for hay, and hay I got! The greener, fresher notes were a delightful surprise, and the amber brought an elegant aspect that I loved. I hope some aging will bring out the honey as well - that's all I need for this to be my perfect "sunlight in fall" scent.

In the imp: I don't think I'm getting any leather at all??? Instead, this is a soft, cologney-y/perfume-y scent, with light, almost aquatic florals, an enticing hint of a smoky/peppery kick, and a general feel of soap just washed off of skin. Wet: An initial flash of aggressive black leather and smoke, tempered by lilac, before it settles down into a very close-to-the-skin scent, with everything very soft and well-blended. I think I can pick out the leather, musk, lilac, and maybe even the bay rum, but it's actually hard to tell. Dry: Ah, now this is the black leather/bay rum/musk scent I was expecting, with an unexpectedly prominent but undeniably sexy smoky note. As time goes on, the leather and smoke fade away, leaving a soft, resinous, faintly musky scent. Looooooove this!

In the imp: A voluptuously floral apple - I'm totally willing to see jasmine in this, but sniffing it blind, I'd be tempted to say apple blossom. I'm also getting notes of honey (light and springtime-floral, not heavy or sticky) and beeswax, as well as a hint of uplifting, clarifying sage, with amber way down at the base - present, but not overwhelming. Overall, this scent reminds me quite a bit of Brisingamen, one of my all-time favorites. Wet: Way more herbal, albeit with a floral edge. I think I'm mainly getting the sage, with copoiba and champa giving it a vaguely incense-y (but not hippie) vibe. More beeswax than honey now, and amber still glowing at the base. I get occasional, surprising hints of apple and (more commonly) jasmine. I definitely need to test this one against Brisingamen. Dry: A good balance between honey, floral, and amber notes. The champa becomes more prominent over time, and an interesting honey-fig(-sage?) scent develops on my right wrist, but not my left. Fascinating! Eventually, it , deepens into a sexy, herbal-honey musk.

In the imp: My first thought, straight out of the gate: gummy bears! Fancy gummy bears! My sister concurred, and sad "artisanal sour gummy worms." It really does remind me of some fancy gummy bears I once saw at an upscale grocery store - they had flavors like champagne & strawberry, or brut & nectarine (I think?). A bright, citrusy-fruity sweet scent. I really love the effervescence of the champagne! Champagne is one of those notes that usually doesn't play well with my skin, but it's been a few years since I tried anything with a champagne notes, so here goes... Wet: Mainly lemon verbena (definitely *not* lemon - more herbal, less astringent), with a lively-but-not-overpowering little kick of ginger, and some omnidirectional fruit that I wouldn't be able to identify as apple without reading the notes. The sparkly, effervescent feeling remains, but I can't tell whether that's the champagne actually hanging around and doing something great on my skin, or the generally fun & uplifting combo of lemon verbena/ginger/fruit. This is a great spring/summer scent, light without being insubstantial. Dry: After only about four hours or so, this is a barely-detectible, lightly fruity scent, not strong enough for me to determine what kind of fruit. There's also just a hint of something...resinous? herbal? Anyway, something else complicating the fruit, but like I said, it's barely the ghost of a scent; I really have to shove my nose into my wrist and huff to get anything at all. Overall, this was a "light, bright, and sparkling" scent; grown-up gummy bears.

In the imp: A luxuriously spiced, buttered rum, with emphasis on the "buttered." The spices are subtle but present, and the butter is REAL butter, hot and melting - the kind you get in extremely fancy restaurants, in a little crock. No preservatives, dyes, or additives here, and as DiZZysTARdust mentions above, if you're afraid of a movie theater popcorn-ish note here, fear not! That butter note is dominant but not omnipotent, and the honey is also putting itself forward - so much so that I almost want to call this a spiced mead scent instead of rum. Wet: Ah, there's that brown musk! It's not quite the same warm-kitty-fur note as in Coyote, but it still produces a warm, cuddly effect, especially as it melds wonderfully with the honey. Overall, the scent moves away from foodie land and more towards something resinous. The tonka and labdanum make themselves known, and that wonderful buttered note takes a big step back - it's still present (although it does a slow, graceful fade as the scent dries down), but no longer the main player. Dry: It goes through an interesting spiced honey phase, with musk playing backup and some lingering warm creaminess from what could be either the butter or the tonka. After about three hours, it settles into a surprisingly hippie-reminiscent musky clove scent with a hint of honey, and my nose wants to say there's some patchouli in here as well, but it's likely just my very hippie upbringing talking. There's definitely some tonka, or perhaps labdanum, to smooth things out, but it's more of a background note. Huh, this was a turn I didn't expect, but I'm glad it ended up here! It's a warm, comforting, textured scent.

The second series commenced at 15, Southhampton Row, on Wednesday evening. Into the present course, the medium, Mr. Shepherd will introduce some of the more marked peculiarities of his singular performance. He sings at each concert in the soprano voice. A marked peculiarity: tonka bean and red sandalwood with orris, lemon peel, and leather. In the imp: A very light, almost powdery scent. I'm getting mainly the orris, with just a touch of leather and vague sweetness - maybe the tonka? There's a hint of a zing at the tail end, which I'm guessing is the lemon peel, although it's not identifiable as so at this stage. Wet: The orris is still dominant, although now the leather runs a close second. No zing, lemon-y or otherwise, though. No tonka or sandalwood that I can detect, alas. Dry: Tonka and sandalwood arrive to save the day! Now the orris/leather (mainly orris at this point, tbh) combo is elegant and subtle, not overwhelmingly powdery. This now smells like the dusting powder an elegant Victorian or Edwardian lady would use. Still no lemon peel that I can pick up, but perhaps that will improve with age.

In the imp: If this is gingerbread, this is a fascinating nutty, smoky, maybe even chocolatey gingerbread. Now that Soupy has pointed it out, I do get the El Dia de los Reyes comparison - it's the same kind of smoky, gritty-smooth chocolate-coffee combo. I really, *really* hope this continues on the skin, because El Dia de los Reyes is one of my favorite BPALs of all time. Wet: A candied citrus note emerges, giving the impression of Mexican hot chocolate garnished with a twist of candied orange peel. I think I'm picking up the ginger from the gingerbread as cinnamon? Dry: The candied orange peel fades, leaving a pleasantly dry, smoky vanilla bean/coffee bean (not vanilla extract/brewed coffee). The cinnamon-but-probably-really-ginger is more noticeable at skin-level, but still present.

2018 edition In the imp: As classic an amber as you could wish for - light, perfumey, and just a little powdery, with a lovely, subtle floral note as an accent. Wet: Soft and subtle amber and resins. This almost smells like one of the RPG scents meant for layering - it's so soft as to be elusive on its own, but I'm worried that actually layering it with anything would overpower it. This smells like something out of a cut-glass bottle on your glamorous grandmother's vanity. Dry: A little warmer and dryer, but pretty linear overall. It's amber all the way down, with some tonka and benzoin also notable, and less rockrose than ITI, but still present.

In the imp: Gingerbread???? The oil itself is a gorgeous mossy green, and reading the listed notes, I was expecting something along the lines of Hemlock - a dark, musky-green scent. Instead, I have straight-up gingerbread, fresh out of the oven and gently cooling beside a cup of chai with plenty of milk and honey. I guess this is the saffron and "wood spice" at work, but this is definitely a foodie blend right now. Wet: Briefly balanced between foodie-spicy and woody-spicy, before the woodiness takes over and the musk comes out. Especially close to the skin, I definitely get the cologne comparison - it smells clean and woody-musky-fresh, almost austere but not unfriendly. From farther out, I get some of the warmer notes - patchouli, labdanum, maybe even an echo of gingerbread and chai. Dry: The spices become woodier, and I can see the incense comparisons now. It's heavy on the patchouli, labdanum, and musk, more or less in that order. From afar, however, I still get the occasional whiff of gingerbread/foodie spices. Interesting, and comforting, in a weird sort of way.

(Yes, I'm still reviewing Weenies. >.< I love my job, but only being able to test new perfumes on the weekends is one of my less-favorite aspects.) In the imp: My first impression was "fresh night breeze." I think this is the ti leaf and sage - BPAL's sage generally reads as softly, broadly outdoorsy to me, while ti leaf makes things fresh but not ozone-y or aquatic. I wouldn't immediately peg this as a floral, but there is some jasmine in there, twining around the sage. Maybe just a hint of woodsiness or smoke, but not an awful lot Wet: And there's that smoke! It wavers for a few moments before resolving into definitely pine smoke, but it's not at all sharp or astringent. The sage is most likely to thank for this - on my skin, sage generally provides a gorgeous green-tinted, soft-focus filter over everything, and this is no exception. I think the ti leaf is also still going strong, providing the feeling of elusive curls of smoke on a soft nighttime breeze, instead of the snootful of smoke that you get from standing right over a campfire. The jasmine becomes an unexpected addition here: at first it felt incongruously elegant and ladylike in what is otherwise a campfire-on-a-beautiful-summer-night scent. However, after a few minutes, it melds into the smoke and sage wonderfully, becoming a little wilder and earthier. Dry: As expected, the fresher, lighter elements burn off. This leaves the smoke more prominent, and the patchouli makes itself known. Overall, it's now a resinous, herbal scent, much darker and more appropriate for the witching hour.

In the imp: A cool, smooth, sophisticated, musky amber, very a la Haunted. And maybe with a hint of lemon, also as in Haunted? Wet: Musky, resinous, and maybe a little soapy? I'm definitely getting the ti leaf, which reminds me strongly of certain Shungas, White Rabbit, or maybe even Dorian. But Dorian goes *very* soapy on me, so that might be appropriate, too. Dry: After a few minutes, the soapiness fades and the musk comes forward, making it warmer, cuddlier, and, yes, fuzzier. It remains a musky amber throughout, with the ti leaf being a persistent accent. It's the ti leaf that takes this away from being a Haunted clone and into something softer and a little bit fresher.

In the imp: A rich, fruity, spicy scent. Primarily apples, but these are warm, cooked apples, as in pie or cider, not fresh off the tree. It's a pretty sweet scent, but just the way fruit is sweet, not over-sugared. Wet: This scent showed up to the holiday party to have a good time, and boy is it going to. A boozy, festive cider scent, and whoever's making it was generous with the spices - whole cloves and cinnamon sticks, none of this wimpy powdered stuff. Dry: Sweeter and drier, but a honey-like or sugary sweetness, not just the fruit. The milky, creamy notes finally show up as the booze burns off, and the spices are now very mellow and blended-in, like the drink has been simmering for a good long time.

In the imp: A strongly green, sappy scent (if I didn't know better, I would say dandelion), overlaid by juicy apples. Wet: The vegetal green notes, now with woody overtones, clash with the almost floral and/or green apples for a few seconds before settling down into something smoother and richer. Now it's still a green scent, but a very "perfumey" green. It smells classic, like something my grandmother or great-grandmother would have worn. Dry: The green notes last longer than anticipated (usually they burn off within a few minutes on me), but after an hour or two they're mostly gone, leaving sophisticated rosewood/vanilla/benzoin - pretty, but a little soapy. Hints of beeswax still hang around, as does a certain woodsy greenness, but the latter in particular is very faint.

In the imp: A subtle, jammy rose and a dusty, vaguely organic scent that could be the clay, the tobacco, or both. Soft, elusive, and intriguing! Wet: Oh man, that rose tobacco! I don't think I've ever smelled this particular combo before, and I love it! It's rich and syrupy like rose jam, but drier, less sticky, with a wonderful smoky element. Further from my skin, I also get more of the oudh and tonka, rounding it out for a glorious oriental. This is a rose-dominant scent for people who hate rose. The clay note emerges after a few minutes, blending wonderfully with the dominant rose (rose tobacco?) instead of just drying it out. Dry: The tonka comes out a little more over time, as does the tobacco. The rose stays noticeable until the very end, though. It ends up with a sort of omnidirectional sweetness that's as much tonka as it is rose. I don't really get any clay at this point, unless it's whatever is reining in the rose and making it blend so well with everything else.