ralenth

A disconcerting scent, heavy and oppressive, through which no light, no matter, and no spirit can escape. Black opium, labdanum, opoponax, black orchid, and benzoin. Source: Lab imp In the imp: Dark and smoky. Wet: Spicy, smoky and a wee bit floral. Drydown: Something astringent is lurking in the background. Warm, spicy and sweet, but that oddness is growing. Dry: Opium and floral like whoa. Chill out flowers, mama wants some more of that dark stuff. Overall: Interesting, but more floral than I was expecting on my skin. I will have to retest before delivering a final verdict.

Wet: Sharp, and citrusy. Drydown: Gentle puffs of baby powder mellow out my skin's reaction to lemon. Dry: Still soft and powdery, but wrapped in a light musk with teensy peeps from the citrus gallery. Overall: Minimal throw for me. Very soft and summery. It puts me in mind of cotton sheets drying in the early morning summer sun. It's pleasant, but I don't know that I would reach for it.

Warm, smoking wood with swirls of incense and tinges of sweetness. I'm glad I let this rest before testing it as my initial sniff when it landed reminded me of Liquid Smoke!

I get baby powder with a bit of smokiness. I didn't expect to like this, but I do. It must be my affinity for brimstone (or the cute devil child on the label, you know, whichever). As it dries, the brimstone becomes more prominent, though it never quite takes over...

At first, GH is a soft, incensy floral. Mysterious and compelling, I can't help but keep my nose to the skin on the drydown. And, then, the dreaded rose rears it's ugly thorny head (roses always smell sharp and green on me). It's mostly kept in check by the incense and clove (which showed up once it was dry), so it may be I have found a rose I can live with. Yay!

I've tested this one twice now. The first time, I got so uneasy that I didn't end up reviewing it. The second time, I was a little braver (a dabbed even less - a little goes a long way). At first PH is softly floral musk. I feel drawn to it, as it is very understated. As it dries, it gets a little more animalistic to my nose, with tinges of that soft floral. I also start to get the dreaded baby powder note. Dry, it's mostly baby powder and something sinister which makes me skittish. I love this one, but it creeps me out!

In the bottle, it's an amazingly intriguing red jam scent. As it dries, it's jam and powdered sugar (I can totally see raspberry donuts here). But, once it has dried, it is crazy plastic and strawberries. I wanted to love this (ZOMBIES!!!), but, alas, it's not for me.

Source: Dark Delicacies website Bottle: Bright beam of sour citrus - mmm yuzu! Wet: Straight up, freshly grated lime peel. Drydown: A bit more fleshy citrus, bright and green, with a dash of zest. This smells exactly how I normally want citrus to smell on me (but it rarely does). Dry: Bright and slightly sweet, mouth-puckering grapefruit with green undertones. Overall: I think this one is going to be a favorite for hot summer days.

Source: Lab Bottle: Warm, and resiny, like sensual liquid sunshine. It smells bright and warm, but a bit naughty too. Wet: Cinnamony and softly herbal. Drydown: A sexy romp at the apothecary? For some reason, I have the mental image of rolling around over herbs. Hee! Dry: Woodsy and herbal, with a tinge of something softly smoky and myrrh. Occasionally, I catch a bit of sweetness too. Overall: Sunbird is gorgeous. I don't even think I can communicate how stunned I am by it.

Source: Lab In the Bottle: Pungent incense and herbs. It really hits me in the back of the throat, almost like I'm sucking down smoke. Wet: Sharp green with a dash of charcoal. Drydown: The "charcoal" diminishes, and LS becomes a warm spicy cocoon weaving itself around my initial sharp green impression, which also has mellowed. Dry: A tinge of sweetness, but mostly resin and herby goodness. It's very different than most of the resins I have. Perhaps the addition of the herbs? Overall: It's very intriguing. I keep sniffing it. I think I'm expecting Labores Solis to whisper dark secrets into my ear. Together we will dominate the world (or so it tells me).

Source: Lab In the bottle: Slightly sour milk. Wet: Sweetened, condensed milk. Drydown: A bit of figgy goodness swirls in. The sweetness of the milk is still there, but less prominent. Dry: Creamy and sweet, with a little fig. I didn't get any myrrh, which is strange as I normally amp that like whoa, but NC is still pretty nice. Overall: Milk Moon smelled like sour Juicy Fruit on me, so I am pleasantly surprised that Nonae Caprotina works on my skin. It's probably not something I would wear all the time, but I think it seems like a nice summer scent.

Source: Lab imp Imp: Bright oranges and crushed raspberries. Wet: Very citrusy, like fresh squeezed orange juice. Drydown: Sweet and fruity. It's becoming less bright, though the citrus punch in the face is still there a bit. Dry: Bitter, then neroli, then bitter neroli. It's kind of waffling between these. It's almost sour on my skin. Overall: Interesting. If it didn't go sour, I'd definitely keep it.

Bottle: Pineapple, coconut and various tropical fruits. Wet: Very bright! Pineapple and papaya. Hello fruity umbrella drink! Drydown: As it dries, the orchid becomes more dominant, tinged with a bit of amber. The pineapple is still there, but it seems to be receding into the background. Dry: Still fruity and floral, though more the latter. A nice balance, in my opinion. It's tropical, but not fruity drinks in your face, thank goodness. Overall: Not sure how much wear I would get out of this, but it seems like a great summer scent.

Source: Lab Bottle: Citrus shaved ice with a tinge of floral hovering in the background. Wet: This smells cold and bright at the same time. Drydown: I'm getting a grassy note (hello rose, I hate you too) peeking through as it dries, though it comes and goes. Also, I experienced a brief minty burst, but it faded back into the citrusy ice scent I was getting before. Dry: Chilly, with a bit of bleak mint and a faintly tart citrus and berry. It's difficult to pick out notes. As time wears on, I get less citrus and a little more berry, but even that is still minimal. Overall: It's an interesting diversion for a summer day. I like it, but I'm not sure if I like it enough for a whole bottle.

Source: eBay Bottle: Delicate, aquatic, masculine. Think Cool Water goes Victorian. Wet: Citrusy and aquatic. Very delicate, but genteel masculine. Drydown: Irish Spring! Dry: Still Irish Spring. Overall: I need to figure out what note makes my skin scream Irish Spring. This will definitely be locket only. Sad.

Source: eBay frimp from BPTP Imp: Warm and a little earthy. Okay, on second sniff, very earthy. Wet: Dampened earth in a darkened space, with a tinge of toxic sweetness on my tongue. Drydown: The sweetness becomes stronger, but now I'm getting something fetid creeping up underneath the damp earth. I'm really not good with earthy scents, so it's hard for me to pinpoint. Dry: Sweet, rich earth with strange note skulking around on occasion. Overall: Death Cap is certainly a lot sweeter than I had imagined it would be. I keep sniffing my hand. I'm intrigued, but I don't think I'd reach for this one.

Source: eBay frimp from BPTP In the Imp: Warm, musky, sexy man, mmm... Wet: Subtle and warm, slightly spicy. Drydown: As it dries, Satyr becomes spicier. I can see how others compared it to gingerbread, as it has that same warmth to the spiciness. Cinnamon, perhaps, but no burning on my skin, so perhaps not. Dry: Definitely warm and masculine, though nicely balanced between rough and tumble and snuggly. Satyr does become more musk and patchouli as time wears on, but not overpoweringly, ripping your clothes off kind of manly. It also begins to take one a sweet tinge over the top after five minutes. Overall: For some reason, I have always been afraid of trying Satyr. I guess it was that I recall people at MNSes saying " Eww, Satyr, civet, gross!" or some such nonsense. But, as it turns out, I really like this (which i guess now is not surprising given how my tastes have evolved in my BPAL journey). I could easily buy a bottle of this and be perfectly happy to frolic with it on a regular basis.

Me too! :drool: Me too! Do we know who the artist is? Beth said elsewhere that it was Jennifer Williamson.

Source: Imp RIS from Dianora In the imp: Faintly citrus with a tinge of floral. Wet: Lime and a little bit of powdery floral. I've really got to keep my nose to my skin as this one is hanging pretty close. Drydown: Yuzu peeks in, but everything is still really faint. Dry: Finally, vetiver! Yes! Vetiver, though late to the party, takes and aggressive stance. Yuzu and lime climb into the backseat and trample the heck out of the powdery floral that I wasn't too keen on. Now we're talkin'! Overall: I agree that dry, DoaPH has a sort of gravity to it. I'm definitely going to need to retest to formulate a more coherent opinion when I am off of the painkillers, but I think it's safe to say that I do like it. Maybe not enough for a bottle, but it's too soon to tell.

Bottle: Herbal and a little sweet. It is reminiscent of something that I just can't pin down. Very pleasant, though. Wet: Bright and green, with a dollop of honey. Drydown: The sweetness of the yarrow floats across the top, swirled with carnation. As it dries futher, I'm getting a hollow sweetness on top of that. Not candyish, but oddly a more natural marshmallow scent? Dry: Sweet and a little green. Very light and summery. Overall: I'm not sure why, but when I tested this the first time around (before I was ready to review), it was all smoky and sexy. Obviously, my test this morning was far from that. I'll be keeping my eye on you, Litha '09, you tricksy thing. Either way, I'll be keeping it.

Bottle: Strawberry syrup - sweet like whoa. Wet: Bright candyish strawberries tossed among vines. I get both the sweet sugary note and a green note (very similar to the green note I get from roses). Intriguing. Drydown: Mostly green, but still tinges of the sweetness. Dry: A whisper of strawberry candy and a teeny bit of the "green" note. I've almost completely lost this one on my skin after two minutes. Overall: I guess my backup bottle will be off to swaps. Sad, but there will be others to love...

She beckons you to part with that cash. So adorable... cannot resist...

Bottle: This scares the bejeesus out of me in the bottle. It's like a drunken roadside worker rolled around in a candy aisle. It's very heavy on the booze and some tar while maintaining a sickly sweet smell. Well, in the name of science, we must test this. Wet: Red licorice ropes, smashed in with circus peanuts, something boozy and some tar. Umm... Drydown: The sweet red licorice comes to the fore with a dash of whiskey. It smells like what it would be like to drink whiskey through a licorice straw. Oddly appetizing. Why is my mouth watering? Dry: Sweet and a bit musky. It's strangely nice. I'm kind of curious how this will wear after a few hours. Overall: Quite a surprise. I have been holding the bottle at arm's length while decanting, but I kinda like it on my skin. That'll teach me, won't it?

Bottle: Tobacco and bar wood. This Bandito is hanging out in the saloon for sure. Wet: Warm and woodsy, but dried woods. It reminds me of visiting old saloons in dusty border towns. Drydown: As it dries, V. Bandito becomes spicy, almost reminiscent of red hots. Dry: A deeper cinnamon, more like clove cigarettes than red hots, not at all foody. Decant amount of throw. Overall: I had hung my heart on V. Bandito, but sadly our love was not meant to be. It is a very lovely blend that does not work with my skin chemistry. Hooray for lockets and perhaps also for aging.

Not sure if you moved already, but... I recently moved 1500 miles with my ridiculous BPAL horde. Granted, I drove, so I just added strips of bubble wrap (folded over) in between the rows of bottles in my tea boxes). Nothing moved by the time I was done, so I felt okay not threadseal taping them. We all arrived in California without any unsolicited exchanges of fluids. If you're putting them in a bigger box (like packing boxes), I would definitely tape the bottles then.