angelfish323

For some reason, Spider immediately came to mind. I think that's my "dead sexy man" scent.

Ooh! Right after application, this is a really fizzy scent. I immediately get effervescence - like I stuck my nose in a glass of sparkling water. (How does Beth do that? Seriously?!)

It's a fruity, fizzy beverage, without being overly sweet. Blueberry is the dominant of the two fruit notes, which is lovely. I adore blueberry, but can't think of many (any?) other scents with it as a note. Smooth papaya remains in the background, if it's there at all.

This is a gin and tonic (one of my standards ) with a splash of blueberry juice. Very unique. Very refreshing. It's quite yummy!

Stays quite close to my skin, and if I huff too hard or too close, it's that same sensation that tingles your nose if you did the same to a glass of soda water!

I do wish the blueberry was more prominant, but still a fun blend!

ETA: Actually, I think this has a bit more throw than I originally gave it credit! I'm working at my computer while testing, and every once in awhile I get a whiff of scent, as if I actually had a fruity, fizzy beverage next to me. (Which, very sadly, I do not.)

And, my brain is mush, but is there lemongrass in here? I think I remember seeing that as a note. It's coming out more, alongside the blueberry.

This is growing on me.

ETA the second: Scratch that. 90 or so minutes later and it's stale gin and tonic on me. No fruit. Just . . . blech. Ah well. Silly chemistry.

I would go with Alice. Ther rose notes in Alice are very, very light...in fact, I really can't detect them at all. So, if you are worried about the rose taking it all over, you don't need to be. Alice is lovely.

 

 

I second this. Alice is one of the very few BPAL blends with rose in it that works on me and that I love. Carnation and honey/milk are the dominant notes on me. I get almost no rose.

I don't think this is me, but that's not necessarily a badness.

 

It's very woodsy, very spicey. The cardamom and balsam combo is beautiful and rich. Warm, but dry. Smokey.

 

Very woodsy. Polished, smooth, wood. The very few times I've been in a place where wood is being worked with, it's that sort of fresh smell that lingers after a piece has been carved or sanded.

 

Hm. Interesting. Camp fire? Camp fire. A smell I actually love.

 

And a touch of cardamom.

 

Very unique. Those before me who have said they've never smelled anything like this . . . well, I'm inclined to agree with them.

 

I can see this being popular. Not a way I particularly want to smell, but a very interesting scent.

Alright, I took a chance. Sure, I saw the rose water at the end there, but . . . it's water, right? I mean, rose water, but . . . diluted rose? Maybe?

 

I thought - mmm, sugared absinth. Sounds lovely.

 

Rose. All I'm really getting is ROSE.

 

And, well . . . that is not a good thing for me. Because most BPAL rose, on me, goes to powdery play-dough.

 

So, mothglitter, I envy your inability to get rose out of this blend.

*sigh*

 

I had high hopes for Inez. I loves me some spicey carnation. But . . .

 

Well, at first she's pretty. But instead of going "oh my god LOVE" I'm kind of "meh" about her.

 

So I wait.

 

And she morphs a bit.

 

But . . . she becomes woodsy and myrrh or something? I'm failing to remember the other notes. If I inhale too deeply, Inez is almost sharp. She kinda hurts.

 

And, while I can tell my beautiful carnation is still there, she's buried under too much not-for-me goods . . .

What a beautiful blend!

 

It starts out fairly herbal, a green lilac.

 

But very soon it morphs into something so much more. Coconut, hints of vanilla tea, the slightest undertone of musk, and rounded out with the lilac.

 

Just enough floral, without being too much so. I had no idea how the coconut and vanilla tea notes would work with lilac (my favorite flower), but - well - it works! And beautifully so.

 

Stays relatively close to my skin. I could see it working both for everyday wear and for its sex appeal.

 

ETA: 10-15 minutes later . . .

 

I just sniffed my wrist and my first thought was - SOAP. Very pretty, feminine soap that I wouldn't mind sniffing AS SOAP, but . . . but, but, but . . . I don't generally like to smell like soap.

 

I can still smell most of the notes, but I guess it's morphed a bit more or something.

 

Beautiful soap. But still, soap . . . I iz a very, very sad girl right now.

Hod...oh, Hod. Hod is one of those you'll almost never find. It's a discontinued GC. It only came in 10mL bottles. It is the closest to Carnation SN as I've found in the catalog.

 

Reading this resulted in my mentally kicking myself for not ordering a bottle of Hod when I had the chance. I did. I remember seriously considering it and deciding not to.

How . . . strange? But not in a bad way.

Immediately I get peach. But dark peach. Naughty peach? This really beautiful floral, honeyed peach grounded with . . . cocoa? Seems like such a bizarre combination, and yet . . . I'm really liking it. Blend is still wet, however.

Something slightly acquatic after a moment, but still gorgeous peach in the front.

Oh no. No, no, no. There's the patchouli. There, in the background. Hiding under the beautiful peaches, waiting until I fell in like, hard, to come out.

"A-ha! Thought you were going to love Eisheth, didn't you? Think again! Bwahahah."

Sad face. It's a sharp, unpleasant patchouli. The sweet peach is still there, but it's not enough to make up for it. *sigh*

This is the first of the handful of the new acts in CD that I may be adding to my bottle purchase list.

 

Right away, Dionysia is rich and juicy - bursting with plum and pomegranate notes, with a touch of raspberry. Just delicious. Not cloying or too sweet, just true deep red and purple fruits. As she dries, a really subtle woodsy note sneaks into the background. A touch of something earthy. Whatever those other notes are, they ground Dionysia so she's adult, provocative, actually quite sexy. All the while allowing the plum and other fruits to stay in thr foreground. She reminds me a bit of Lady MacBeth, actually, but richer. So far, I'm in love . . .

Oooo . . .

 

This is a beautiful foody, yet sexy and not really all too foody, blend.

 

It's crisp from apples, sweet from the caramel and honey, warm and musky from the amber, and has a woodsy bite to it in the background.

 

Still wet, as I just applied it a minute ago. We'll see how it does on the drydown. So far, a winner!

 

ETA: The association with Red Lantern is spot on. Red Lantern's younger, more innocent, sister on me. This is lighter, less incensy, and sweeter on me than Red Lantern is.

Ahh, love the new Gaiman labels.

Oh my. I love, love, LOVE all those labels. Especially those Atomic Lua bottles. Fun, fun, fun! I hope I fall in love with some of them, so I have an excuse to purchase several of the bottles.

Incredible. Another BPAL blend with rose in it that works for me!

 

The dominant note in this is the carnation. Spicey pink carnations.

 

It reminds me an awful lot of Alice, for obvious reasons. This is a less creamy, less sweet, brighter scent, however.

 

I love the white tea - it's crisp, without being biting. It adds a fresh brightness to Maiden.

 

And the rose blends beautifully in the background. This is the rose from Khajuraho - which is just so, so pretty.

 

I probably don't need a bottle, but I'll definitely hang on to the imp.

I can't believe I have waited so long to try this . . .

First applied, this is marzipan. Delicious, sweet, sugary, almond paste. Yum, yum, and . . . yum.

As it dries, the vanilla and cinnamon come out to play.

So far, I am very glad that the frankincense is hiding, as I'm not usually a fan.

The cinnamon avoids overpowering the other notes, which is greatly appreciated. This becomes a very pleasant bakery type scent on me - almond, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mellow and warm, definitely not overwhelming. A comforting foody blend. Not too sweet at all. The initial sweet and sugary almond paste has subsided.

Makes me think of snickerdoodle cookies. Subtle and unassuming, but yummy just the same.

ETA: It acquires a not unpleasant powdery flour note after awhile. Which only makes the bakery association stronger . . .

Wow. So far, this hasn't turned to playdough on me, and it has roses in it!

 

At first, it's a really juicy red plum and berries scent on me. I can barely detect the lilac in the background, which makes for an interesting mix.

 

As it dries and my skin chemistry gets to work on it, the lilac note calms down and the opium warms up. But never becomes overpowering, just balances the plum and berry notes, which lose some of their sweetness.

 

I'm 10 minutes in and it's turned into a wonderfully spicey red floral blend.

I am finally trying to be more consistent with sniffing GCs . . .

 

Wet, this starts off as a woodsy vanilla with a touch of golden amber.

 

As it dries, the sweet pea comes out, adding a beautiful sweet floral note to the mix.

 

It's creamy and much lighter than I expected. Fragile, almost, with light throw.

 

All of the notes stay through drydown, which is nice. And they blend beautifully.

 

Something wistful about this blend . . . pretty and not overwhelming.

If I could, I would give GRR a hug and buy her a beer (or her drink of choice ) for doing a Will-Call pick up of this bottle for me. This is beautiful and everything I hoped it would be.

 

It's a sweet and beautiful floral on me. Wet, I get vanilla, carnation, lilies, honeysuckle . . . the Oval Portrait is girly floral, without going overboard. Without making me go WHOAH!, it settles in quite beautifully and as it dries, all of the notes just blend, blend, blend so that I can no longer pick out a single one. In some ways, it reminds me of a mellow combination of Pink Moon 2007 and Tamamo-No-Mae (I suspect it's the carnation and rice flower doing lovely things together) - which is a very good association and combination as I adore both of those blends.

 

I am SO glad I have a bottle of this. Floral's aren't really my thing in the winter, but I can't wait to pull this out in the warmer months. I suspect it will be a new favorite once the sun comes back . . .

I had to be patient with Mad Kate.

 

My first instinct was to hurry up and find an alcohol wipe.

 

OH MY GOD GARDENIA! That's what she did on my skin. And it made me feel a bit nauseous.

 

But once she's dry, she's gorgeous. Not usually my kind of scent, but oh so pretty. This is the perfect slightly sweet white floral. Blooming gardenia and freesia, with very light notes of honey and vanilla in the back.

 

No currant on me, however. Wish I did, as I love currant.

 

Don't need a bottle, but I'll keep the decant around for awhile.

 

ETA: Now that she's hung around on my skin for an hour or so, she's grown on me! I could definitely see reaching for this in the warmer months. She's just not a winter type scent for me, but I'll keep her around until the sun returns!

Holy CHRISTMAS TREE!

 

Upon first application, this is pure, strong, Christmas Tree. Christmas in an imp. Sharp, almost too sharp, evergreen pine.

 

Gorgeous, but not something I personally want to smell like. Perfect as a room scent, I suspect.

 

But I waited, and 15-20 minutes later, it's mellowed a lot. It gets sweeter and lighter, more like something I'd wear. It's more gentle, prettier, less pungent. I'm starting to overdue it on the pine scent collection, so not sure I'd need a bottle of it. Particularly since it could be rough getting through that first stage - I'd want to make sure to apply 20 minutes before leaving the apartment!

I'm so glad someone nudged me and said "hey, angelfish, dummy, Christmas Rose isn't rose, it's what they call hellebore . . . "

 

Oh, really?

 

Because otherwise, I wouldn't have tried it!

 

It's probably not something I need a bottle of, but it is quite pretty. I have no idea what hellebore should smell like, but this is cold a green, a bit herbal, a musky floral. Mossy. I definitely get that effervescent note some people are mentioning - it has a bit of that effect champagne sometimes has on my nose. it's not strong in terms of throw, necessarily, but there is something strong, and pleasantly pungent.

 

It reminds me a bit of ginger ale, which is an odd association, but it comes to mind. Not a bad association, by any means, as I love the stuff!

 

It's also making me think of another BPAL blend, I swear . . . but I totally can't think of what it is. Hm.

 

Ooh . . . that pungent quality fades on me after a few minutes, which makes this even nicer.

This is SO pretty. It's red, ripe, juicy, slightly-but-not-too sweet, a tad tart, red fruits.

 

If you love pomegranate, you need to try this.

 

Gorgeous.

 

And like alicia mentioned, it's different from the pom note in something like Swank, which is very bright. This is deeper, darker red (let's pretend we can smell red for a moment! ), with something grounding it. It's not candy, girly red fruits. But the slightly more mature, grown up version.

 

It's only been a few moments since I put it on, but I love this so far.

 

ETA: Power of suggestion? I started reading up and noticed steffanina noticed a pine note. I sniffed my wrist again and . . . sure enough, could that be pine underneathe all that juicy pom?

 

I'm very susceptible to suggestion, so you may or may not trust me . . .

 

Not overbearing at all as it dries. Fades a bit, but it's so pretty.

 

Did I mention how pretty it is? I definitely need a bottle.

It's incredible how dead on this is on me. (2007 version) It's spicey and only very slightly sweet gingerbread. Foody, but not too much. Definitely spicey - cinnamon, nutmeg. More spicey than sweet. And so good. Now I have a craving for some gingersnaps.

This is delicious. It's reminding me of something that I can't quite put my finger on . . . but chewy chocolate cookie comes to mind. There's definitely coffee in there too, which I love. A hint of cinnamon.

 

Oh! I thought of it. One of my favorite Mexican restaurants back home brews their coffee with cinnamon in it. (Mix cinnamon and coffee grinds, then brew. Delicious.) This smells like that with a chocolate cookie on the side. Which is a very, very good association.

 

It warms up a bit over time, and then reminds me of thick and rich Mexican drinking chocolate, minus the chili powder. You know, that delicious stuff with seriously high viscosity you drink out of 1 oz cups because any more than that would be serious overkill? Yeah, that stuff.

 

Regardless of which yummy thing comes to mind when I sniff, it's all fabulous.

I am ordering a bottle of this. This decant is immediately going into my imp carrier for my purse. I can see this being something I want to wear through the fall and winter. I love it so much more than I anticipated!

It's a beautiful combination of sugar and smoke. It's foody, without being too much so. It's eating treacle (although I confess I've never had treacle, but I imagine this is what it smells like) around a bonfire in the middle of the woods. It's woodsy, smokey, with hints of malt, caramel, brown sugar. If I try, I can imagine there's beer in there, but it's not alcohol-y - it's sweet and malty.

It's a tad masculine, which I don't always want to wear myself, but I definitely want to wear this. I imagine grabbing this on days I want something slightly sweeter than Samhain when the weather is reminding me (like I could forget) that Autumn is here.

I suspect it would be super sexy on a guy as well. Now if only mine would comply with my wishes to test things on him . . .