rockchickie

Tried this on him. Indeed, it is very cold and metallic. As it dries, it's ozone, alcohol and, not necessarily steel but maybe brass. No leather. Pretty good throw. I imagine this working best on one of those love 'em and leave 'em kind of guys.

For the record, I *think* I have the first version but I'm not sure.

 

Wet: Vanilla and buttercream! Yes!

Dry: Gardenias. No jasmine (thank goodness) but the vanilla bunch has taken a backseat (wah). I mean, it's nice and all but I'm a vanilla girl through and through. As time goes on, I can only get the vanilla if I close my eyes. Overwhelmingly floral on me.

Wet: Expensive French perfume.

Dry: Seriously, this is still perfume. Light musky rose. Not smelling much else, unfortunately. Reminiscent of L'air du Temps but I also like the French milled soap comparison as it gets drier. Pretty, just not for me.

Wet: Musk, soap and bubblegum?

Dry: I take that back! There's the prickly pear. And...cinnamon? No, not cinnamon...something else I can't put my finger on. This is a rich, sweet, semi-spicy blend but well-rounded and not suffocating. And boy, do I love it. I'm a little biased in thinking this smells like Arizona, even though this is an Aztec inspired blend.

 

However, does it hold up in our desert heat? Heck no! Definitely a scent for cooler temps...either those that want to feel warmer or those that miss the desert. Haven't decided whether to keep this or save it for winter. Either way I very much appreciate this complex and different blend.

Wet: Stinky jasmine and orchids. Kind of old lady-ish.

Dry: Yay, it's no longer stinky and old! This is very light, stays close to the skin but it's lasted a few hours. I definitely pick up some honeysuckle. It's soft musk and creamy flowers.

 

I really expected the jasmine to go wacky but golly, this is good.

On him...

Wet: Perfumey.
Dry: I definitely detect some ozone in there but that's all I recognize. Incredibly neutral. Gender neutral and the blend doesn't evoke any emotion. It's dry, physically warm but it evokes a cold stoicism.

He didn't mind it, I got some bad juju from it.

Okay, completely edited!

 

With dry skin:

It's not really milky to me, it's more of honey with a ginger kick, maybe a hint of almond, that I just want to bathe in. However, I can't get this to last more than an hour.

 

With lotioned skin:

Wet: Pure ginger.

Dry: Sweet milkiness, no ginger. Fading faster, if that's possible. *sigh*

 

The imp is of no good to me but the moment BPTP comes out with soap or something, I'm so buying it.

Wet: Starts off really sort of generic perfume like. I can smell the orange in there, which unlike every other BPAL orange does not crush all the other notes.

Dry: Mmm, and it develops! Wow this is complex but familiar. Smokey, floral and the orange is still very much there. There's something in here that reminds me of a feminine Tweedledum. Not as rounded but definitely in the family, it's got the same sort of kick. Strong aura.

 

I keep trying this one and I'm conflicted. I like it but I don't think it's for me.

Wet: Ugh! That is some strong stuff. Really artificial, like regular over the counter perfume and the plum smells a little more blossom-like.

Dry: The orchid is more prominent now but it's most of the same. Yuck. I'd put this along the lines of Bordello in it's...fakey fruity strongness.

Wet: Lemons. Crap, citrus doesn't work with me. Hope this doesn't stick.

Dry: Phew, it didn't. There's a bit of peppery lemon (I guess that's the black tea) but it's not dominating. I get a little bit of vanilla but the rest of it smells waxy, not linen-ish. It's complex but really not that great on my skin.

 

I'd like it as a room scent or candle but that's it.

Wet: Wet. Rainy. California in the early morning.

Dry: Um, that was about it. Fades *very* fast on me even with moisturized skin.

 

Could be fun as a room scent if it lasts long enough.

Wet: This is weird. So when I tried this, I had just hennaed my hair with henna leaf powder and apple juice and...this is what the scent smells like. Henna and apple juice.

Dry: I recognize that the myrrh is what reminds me of the henna but I cannot get that association out of my head.

 

Stays close to the skin. It's interesting and sort of hippie-ish but not for me, I'm afraid.

Wet: Yummy pomegranates and...almonds? Odd.

Dry: Okay now it's morphed and is mostly apricots but they smell artificial to me. Remind me of flavored antibiotics I had to take as a kid. I'm not getting any florals at all.

 

Liked the wet stage but the association is too strong.

I'm not even gonna try commenting on this wet or dry because it's confirmed my fears: BPAL citrus never needs to be on my skin ever again. I cannot smell anything except the orange, which smells more blossom like than mandarin to me. Very intense throw.

 

So gone.

Wet: Almonds. Mmmm.

Dry: Now there's a definite, noticable shift to being warmer. The amber and musk really come out. I do detect the cardamom but it blends much nicer here than in the one other blend I tried (Enraged Groundhog Musk). Not very strong so it could be good for daily wear.

 

I'm not having an OMGMUSTHAVE reaction to it but it's verrrryyy nice. I'll keep my imp and see where we go from there.

A deceptively sweet orchid vanille with a faint trace of stephanotis.

 

Wet: Sweet orchid. Very fresh and clean.

Dry: Softens a lot now. Vanilla takes a backseat. Long wear. It's pretty but it's...unremarkable in a way. Like it's appropriate for work or a family reunion, not for a date. Maybe a garden party. I understand the dryer sheet comparison.

Smells very similar wet and dry to me. It's wine, grapes, plums. Bright purple. It's fruity and alcoholic but smells kind of commercial. Very reminiscent of something you'd find at Bath and Body Works or VS. Or even a car air freshener.

 

Overall it's nice, probably a great way to enable people but it's quite strong. The scent lingers for a while even after I've washed it off.

This was pure lemon Pledge on me. Very little morphing, no matter what I do, except into the soapy stage. Wah!

When my skin's really dry I can barely smell this at all.

 

Wet: Strawberries. Yum.

 

Dry, moisturized skin: Sweet creamy, cherries. There's something reminiscent of O in this, I believe it's the way the vanilla and amber are mixing together in a way that my nose just loves. I can't really identify them on their own but oh, I know that mixture.

 

Oh wait!!! I know what this is! So when I was back in high school, I used to have this lip gloss from Victoria's Secret. Strawberries and Champagne, though not really champagne-y. Tasted divine. The boys loved it. Discontinued in 1999 or 2000.

 

This is a keeper. Mainly for the nostalgia factor but it's still a scent that works with me.

Very close to Vasakasajja is Shadow Witch Orchid + La Petite Mort. I want to try SWO + O but this is a good start.

 

EDIT: SWO + O doesn't work.

Wet: Honey and flowers. And soap. Not faded powdery soap like when a scent goes wonky but honest to goodness bar soap.

 

Dry: Ylang ylang soap and...musk? Sweetness is virtually gone and this is quite sharp. Not gross though. I'm not a fan of ylang ylang and even though it's prominent in this, it's not as...horrible as it usually is on me.

 

He liked this on me more than I did. I think it's okay but I prefer O. I will say that because of the sharpness, it's definitely much more of a sex scent than O is. And this one might be loads of fun for layering.

Wet: Herbal and woody. I feel like I'm back East.
Dry: Dirt and woods. Some kind of conifer. It might be fun for nostalgia purposes but uh, I'm not getting anything remotely golden or amber, which is what I had hoped for. This is green through and through. And more manly than unisex.

I'll try this on him, in hopes that we don't amp the same notes.

Wet, dry, no matter what I do this is just pure orchid on me. Strong at first but it doesn't have much staying power (completely gone after 3 hours). Would be great to layer with other scents but I don't think I'll be wearing this one by itself.

Wet: Cherries!

 

Dry: I don't know. It's definitely floral. There's dragon's blood buried deep within it but there's something funky that I can't identify. The best I can describe it is soap and dirt.

 

Rats...I wish I was better at identifying notes so I could figure out what to avoid.

This smells different on moisturized vs. dry skin to me.

 

Wet: Oh god, it feels so nice and cool. Our temps are back in the 100s so this is a relief. Definitely Thin Mints. I'm hungry now

 

Dry, dry skin: Oh no, it's getting rubbery! Don't do this! I want to love you! It smells like this Philosophy peppermint patty lip gloss I swapped to someone because it just didn't work on me.

 

Dry, moisturized skin: Thankfully this is only rubber if I'm up *really* close. Much much better. The vanilla is a more prominent and a bit warmer.

 

I fully intend to edit this post once I've experimented with how it holds up in the heat for a while. But now I'm going to grab a box of Thin Mints...