darkitysnark

Tombstone Whoa, nelly! This one keeps morphing on me (in a mostly good way). Let's begin: In the bottle: I've started taking multiple sniffs of BPAL in the bottle lately, as it seems even in that small space of time that different notes can be drawn out with consecutive inhalations. At first I got the lichen/mossy/earthy dirt smell. Then, will additional sniffs, I started drawing out a clear, bright, sweet smell... I thought it was the vanilla, but it was sharpened by something else to make it more assertive and insistent. Wet: Hello vanilla! Wow! I think I went a little heavy with this one, and it turns out to be a stronger scent anyways, so I was completely bowled over by vanilla. Just as quickly as the vanilla knocked me over a nice calm woody note (cedar) sort of swept up behind. Interesting. Drydown: Here's where it got even more interesting. The vanilla morphed into sarsparilla sodie. At the same time the cedar got drier and darker and something like myrrh tickled the back of my throat. At one point I got an unpleasant myrrh/playdoh combination, but that was quickly enveloped by the sarsparilla. In fact, I've had "sarsparilla" going through my head for the last two hours. Aside: about 1.5 hours into wearing, I got my second unsolicited compliment (the first was for Morroco, and actually, it was the same person). She stopped by my desk and noted "something smells really good over here!". I almost gave her the imp then and there due to the weird playdoh period. But I held off. Something about Tombstone has got its hooks in me and I want to try this one at least one more time. Later: I'm only about two hours into it, but I can tell that this is going to be an all-day long-lasting affair. The myrrh/playdoh is gone. There's a delicious, warm, manly vanilla that sort of wafts up while I'm typing. It seems to carry my body heat with it. Every once in a while I get a bit of the cedar wood. I have not detected the bright, minty note since huffing the bottle. Conclusion: wow. This was a freebie from the lab. I'm glad they included this as it was probably a few orders down in my list of priorities... but this definitely has me curious about the other "vanilla" scents (Snake Oil et al) since this traditionally foodie scent has been treated so well. Now I gotta go find me a sodie pop. ETA: about 11 hours later, the scent is still there, albeit very faint. The Mr. couldn't really pick it up due to a cold, but I have decided this one's a keeper. When his schnozz is back in working order I'm going to have him try it out (and then probably ravish him)

Lightning (This was one of many generous freebies from the lab. Thanks lab!) In the bottle: sharp, clean, slight citrus and what must be "aquatic". Just... sharp and clean. Very much the opposite of my usual oils (dark and, um, dirty? more gritty/earthy/ambiguous) Wet: the sharpness recedes and is replaced by... Bounce fabric softener. I'm think I might be one of those people on which "aquatics" turn into "clean, cleaner, powder" type smells. Dry down: still Bounce-y, almost distractingly so. Though I do not mind the smell of Bounce (heck, it's my fabric softener of choice) I would like some of that sharp ozone back in exchange for fresh static-cling-free goodness. Ah well, this one is gonna be a swapper. Later: this oil lasted about a medium amount of time. Not short lived, nor did it carry over into the evening. After eight hours I could make it out very faintly but only at very close range. One odd thing: my right wrist took on a yummy incensey tone at the end of the day while the left wrist remained Bounce-y. Odd. I would not have picked this one out on my own, and am glad I had a chance to try something in a family that I have so far ignored. Still a bit gun shy of the aquatics, but perhaps someday I'll find the one that I can love (and that loves me back!).

Sudha Segara In the bottle: Clean. I got a very light, soapy, clean smell. Hiding in the back of my throat is a slight sharpness, which must be the ginger. Wet: The ginger warms up and briefly shoulders the clean smell to the side, but soap wins out. Drydown & Later: Unfortunately, it was a crazy day. I didn't really have an opportunity to check myself every hour or so to see how it smelled. I remember thinking at one point that the scent was extremely light, and wondering if I had applied enough to last throughout the day. Eight hours later when I met up with my Mr. he said that he could smell something reminiscent of Indian incense on me, but I had been slathering Avon's Christmas hand lotion (smells like bug spray to me) and had been around food all day, so I'm not sure if he was picking up my oil. So, I reapplied, and got this reaction from him: "Grandma". This is the dread verdict for all bath/beauty/perfume products I test out. Being declared "Grandma" requires that I no longer use said product if I want to avoid being associated with older ladies. He hasn't really been able to qualify exactly what consitutes the "Grandma" but I have narrowed down some aspects: cold cream smell, roses, and now, apparently, whatever this is. He did concede that to him, this smells like "Clean Grandma". I did apply (more liberally) a second time since I felt like I didn't give him (yeah, this one's a him too) a fair shake. I'm getting the ginger, and even a bit of the milky smoothness, but the soapy smell overpowers everything. Ah well, it's off to the swap pile!

Somnus In the bottle: Sharp, green lavender and jasmine. As noted by others, this scent was brighter and more assertive than I was expecting. Wet: The lavender retreats behind a soft, yet also oddly insistent jasmine. As per my Nyx review, I've got issues with jasmine. For the sake of my and my Mr.'s intermittent insomnia, I kept the oil on. (Incidentally, I swiped on both wrists, over the collar bone, and on pulse points on my neck.) Dry down: Jasmine, jasmine, jasmine. As I settled down to sleep, suddenly I was OK with the jasmine. The Mr.'s opinion: "It's OK, but not as good as some of the other ones." Later: Wish I could say something here. Immediately after my head hit the pillow I felt extremely relaxed and sleep-heavy. I didn't fall asleep right away, but it felt so good to just not move and sort of drift off to sleep. The Mr. was snoring about five minutes after I turned out the light, and it didn't even bother me. I woke up several times in the night (which I normally do) and was in such a rush this morning, I didn't ask the Mr. how he slept (I'll edit to add his experience later) but I think I slept well. Too well, maybe. My schedule was different this morning and I set the alarm for half an hour later than my usual time. I just could not get up. I fell asleep solid for another half hour (thus the rushing around like mad this morning). I will try this one again to see if I get the same results... but maybe not until the weekend. Just in case. This morning, about 8 hours later, I could not detect even a hint of jasmine. Somnus and French Creole are the only blends of the ones that I have tried that are intended to effect the wearer in some way. And both have. I'm not much of a believer in very much at all, but these two really seem to do the job.

Brimstone Oh my goodness. I am-three hours later-still overwhelmed by the absolute menace of this oil. It's the first BPAL to utterly confuse and confound me. Most of the others have been casual dates compared to this love/hate co-dependent roller coaster ride of a blend. This is coming off as melodramatic, but I can’t describe it any other way. I’m thunderstruck. In the bottle: overpowering dirt. My first reaction is “ick!” and the Mr.’s close behind with his own nose wrinkle. Gritty and charred. Not the freshly turned earth of spring planting, but the hard cold aftermath of a winter inferno. The remains of a childhood home after the Christmas tree exploded. Still… after reading other reviews, I am compelled to stick this one out and give it a chance (after a week of thinking about it). Wet: I dab very lightly, knowing that this blend is really strong on others. Again, the dirt fills my mouth, I get fidgety. The nervousness settles down to unease as a strong incense sweeps over the dirt. I smell ancient, and angry. Malevolent. The word “menace” springs to mind and sticks. Drydown: I’m a little scared of my wrists for some reason. A little on edge. Do I dare sniff? Just the incense is wafting up, but there’s something dark behind it. I’m drawn to and conversely repelled by this. I’ve never had this kind of confusion with BPAL before. What’s going on? 3.5 hours later: Still strong as ever. I’m getting Indian grocery store. A combination of food spices, Nag Champa (sp?), and that rosewater soap they have in little cellophane wrapped bars. It’s not that I smell rose, but there’s a touch of that creamy, clean, sweet something I can’t pull out from the incense enough to identify. That sweetness is slowly, very slowly, softening the mean edge that was freaking me out. I’m not sure what to make of this. My gut reaction is “no sir, don’t like it” but then why do I keep sniffing my wrists? Maybe it’s just a matter of wrong scent, wrong day. Death has been on my mind quite a bit recently, and something like this evokes too strongly a feeling of finality without a chance for redemption. Or maybe a buried memory is trying to surface. A lot of my smell-induced memories are rooted in old family visits to Hong Kong. I’m not getting specific moments right now, but this smells of that time. I will try this one again when I feel more centered.

Queen of Sheba (...another gift imp from clover) In the bottle: Very green crushed nuts... tart, sharp, a little scary. Wet: The green is almost overwhelming, but there is a hint at warmer spiciness behind the wave of green. Drydown: The green is subsiding (thank goodness!) and a warm, well-blended mixture of spices is blossoming. This has the same feel as Old Morroco to me. The scents are intertwined enough for me to have trouble discerning individual notes. Hours later (approximately 8): Mostly faded, but still a hint of honeyed, spicy goodness. The almond is still a bit green, but not nearly as sharp as fresh out of the bottle. I like this one, but I don't love it. Given the choice of Old Morroco or this, I would still go with OM. This one seems a bit lighter, and the green tang, while it does subside, is enough to give me pause. Definitely using up this imp though.

Old Kathmandu I got this as a prize from clover's scavanger hunt contest. In the bottle: lately I've been biking to work, which means that this phase is done after I've Supermanned myself into working clothes in the restroom and am rushing to get the last traces of street grime off of me before heading into the office. That's just a long way of saying I kind of speed through this part, and am affected by the smell of institutional bathroom cleaners so... maybe that's why I wasn't getting all the spicy strong goodness most of the other reviewers have. I could faintly detect cedar, and something ... fruity? This imp came in a package with other imps, including Tintagel, which I could smell when I opened the envelope, so I think that was probably what I was smelling... Wet: whoa. I get Chinese medicine. The stuff my parents would keep in the medicine cabinet--tiny little vials (about imp sized, actually) of little black beads that I would take when I had a cold. So, not the vicks-vapo-rub other people seem to pick up, but definitely something medicinal. Later: the morning fog started to lift, sunlight amping up the fall colors... then suddenly it clouded over, and the fog resumed wrapping around the buildings and houses and cars. Right now Old Kathmandu is mirroring this sort of quietly spooky insular feeling. I'm getting the incense notes now, and some wood that is somewhere between sandalwood and cedar. There's a little of the incense stick smell I got with Eidolon, though this does not have the citrus edge. I'll write more when I've determined lasting power. So far it's the perfect scent for contemplative, foggy mornings! ETA: At the end of the day I was going to add that it had faded completely; however, right before bed (and after going to the gym and biking home, no less!) a little bit more wafted up from my wrists. A pleasant, peaceful surprise ending to a pleasant, peaceful day.

My husband has actually requested that I get a bigger bottle of French Creole.

Nyx This was a freebie in my first order. I have found through testing Queen Mab and Catherine that I am definitely not a rose person. Unfortunately, in the bottle and wet, that's all I could smell in Nyx. In fact, and I'm a bit ashamed to say this, this was the first BPAL I washed off before going through the complete drydown and keeping it on to see how long it lasted on me. I just could not get over the rose. I think I detected the jasmine too. I love jasmine blooming at night, but I don't think I like it on me. The first perfume oil I ever wore was a jasmine oil my father brought back from Egypt. It must have gone off because it never smelled lovely on me and I ended up throwing the rest of it away. I'm either gong to swap this or find a rose-lover and gift it to them.

Witch's Dagger, I've been doing the same thing this whole thread. What wonderful and well thought out suggestions! (scribble scribble) Of my first BPAL order (ten imps total) my favorites were Old Morroco and French Creole. I'm definitely most at home in the mysterious/musky/spicy family.

I'm not one for florals, apparently, so please keep that in mind during this review (and on my Catherine review as well). In the bottle: I'm getting the fruit that some of you got. Sweet, honey, floral. An instant recollection of little plastic Japanese figurines that my cousin played with in Hong Kong. Wet: ROSES! There's something about roses, no matter what the blend the rose smell dominates when the oil touches my skin. Drydown: The roses are politely stepping back and allowing some other florals to come to the forefront. Whew! Three hours later: Mmmm... there's still the florals, well blended now, but now I'm getting a warm waft of sandalwood behind the flowers. Very nice. This is still too flowery for me to want a big bottle just yet, but I will use up my imp when I want to feel a little more feminine and naughty.

I received this as a freebie in my first order. I am, for better or worse, rose averse, so I was a bit hesitant to try this on at all. But the weather has been dreary and awful and I thought a dab of something completely different would help to distract me from worrying througout the day. so.... In the bottle this smells purely of rose to me. Probably because that's what I was looking for. Wet and just on, ROSE! Ack! No! Drydown, still a very rosey smell. I can't pick up any other notes. I'm about to wash this off, I can't take it! But I decide to override my prejudices and wait it out. Later... (about three hours in) The rose is still there, but it's holding hands with something else, and I kind of like this friend of hers... the orange blossom? I don't detect the rosemary so much, but something is in there toning down the sheer rosiness of before. This is still likely to either become a gift or a swap, but I need to reform my judgement on rose scents. I figure if anyone can reform my flower hatin' ways (does that make me a florist?) it will be the talented folks at BPAL.

Old Morocco Ohhhh.... I've tried six of my ten imps from my virgin order and this is the one that is the most simpatico with everything I thought I wanted in a fragrance. In the bottle I got the same creamy spiciness a lot of y'all seem to be picking up. Once on me I couldn't stop sniffing my wrists. The spice was still there, but smooth and rounded like a warm river pebble under my tongue. A floral lushness blossomed as well. I'm not normally one for flowers, but the overall effect was so sensual and made the perfect antidote for this rainy grey day. I felt like a woman walking through the world with a delicious secret kept close to her heart. The lasting power is pretty good on me. I can still (now almost 12 hours later) smell the ghost of it if I breathe deep. Which I do. Often. The Mr., probably tired of my five day "How's this?" "What about this?" "And this?" test-a-thon, had this to say: "S'good. Not obnoxious." I think this is going to be my first 5 ml bottle order. No. I know it is. ETA: name of oil

I'm getting the same green herbally pleasant soapiness (and misplaced lemon) a lot of folks here are getting. It makes me think of late Spring/early Summer and I think it will make a great neutral scent on me, and a fabulous "nibble me" scent on the Mr.

Tintagel Hm. I seem to have sped through the other notes very quickly to arrive at a subtle fruit/flower smell. By the end of the day I picked up nothing but a powdery femininity. I think I'm going to be one of those "needs to try it twice/thrice" to really get the gist of it. ETA: name of blend

French Creole I second (third? fourth?) the strong cloves impression. I've been dealing with a toothache this past week and have been sucking on cloves at work to soothe myself... this smell really put me at ease. The Mr.'s first impression was of myrrh, actually. Granted, he current has a bit of a cold, but he put his nose right on my wrist and inhaled deeply to pick up that note. I'm only about 20 minutes into wearing this, so I can't comment on lasting power yet, but the cloves have now been joined by a corrupted floral/masculine scent. Something forceful and assertive. Hm... maybe I should build a scent library to sharpen up my descriptions... ETA: The Mr. has deemed this one his favorite scent. Last night, over 12 hours after initial application, he sniffed my neck and made with the "rowr".

In the bottle: It's a big green fist full of crushed woody herbs rolling up into my sinuses... that's the last time I sniff in a hurry in the morning! Just on: The lemon tones take a back seat to an incredible, full mouth herbal. First 1/2 hour (drive to work): I don't know how else to describe this, but the car is filled with the scent of used incense sticks. Not the actual incense, but the skinny wooden sticks upon which the resin is applied. It's a charred wood smell that reminds me of my grandmother's little shrine in Hong Kong at which we used to offer sticks of incense and little oranges. I can almost feel the frail, bendy sticks between my fingers as we kowtow. Hours later: If feels like my aura has been imbued. I can smell the lemon more prominently now, and it feels like my body heat is radiating the stuff. The wood went away (pity) and there is now an earthy undertone (the sage?). This one is growing on me after that herb-slap from my initial snort. Gotta pace myself better. This feels like a more androgynous scent for everyday use.

Ah... my first ever review! Dabbed on some Swank fresh out of the box on our way out to see "Hero" this evening, so my first impressions are a bit rushed... In the bottle: Sweet! Fruity! A little bit boozy! Mostly I smell red, if that makes any sense. Initial application: After the first few minutes (and several not so subtle wrist-sniffs) I got a huge wave of booziness. Not straight up alcohol, just sort of a rush of "adult beverage". The sweetness stays in the front of my mouth while this rolling, darker feeling is in the back of my throat. Over the course of dinner-and-a-movie (about three hours): The booze-effect dies down and is replaced by... more of that red smell. And something tart on the very edges. There's a soapy aftertaste when I inhale deeply. I haven't decided if I like it or not (which means probably not). It's really incredibly sweet (baby powdery, even), but I can almost feel the pithy seeds and membranes on the edge of the sweetness. Staying Power: Since this is my first BPAL scent, I don't have anything with which to contrast and compare. I don't wear perfume, but am extremely picky about my toiletries. I'm almost four hours into this first test, and I can still detect it pretty strongly. My control group (the Mr.) is suffering from a summer cold, so he's no help this go 'round. His gut reaction, btw, was to call it "nice, like potpourri". Sheesh. He keeps this up and I'm not sharing my imp of Wilde. ETA: I ended up gifting this to my best friend. She instantly fell in love with it. It smells wonderful on her (not so crazy sweet) so I'm happy it found a good home.