Usagi

Bottle: Creamy Gardenia, with a very vague hint of rice sweetness in the background

Wet: Strong gardenia perfume nearly eats all the creamy sweetness

Dry:gardenia perfume, lightly sweetened.

There is more sweetness in the throw, but up-close-and-personal gets you nothing but heady gardenia perfume. I've tried this aged, and the gardenia was much less sharp, and played very nicely with the rice-paper sweetness rather than pushing it out of the way, yelling 'me-me-ME!!!'

My bottle, however, is brand-spanking new, so I think it needs to have a little rest, so that it can be perfectly gorgeous right in time for summer.

LXXVIII(78)

Okay, here goes.

Bottle: Lemon verbena, honey, and some kind of sweet creamy candy that is not vanilla.

Wet:Sugary lemon verbena and vanilla. Trix! It smells like lemon Trix in the best possible way.

Dry: Powdery-sweet vanilla lemon verbena. About half an hour after that, there is a hint of honey, making the whole thing a light, creamy citrus with just a hint of spice.

This is wonderful. I can't wait to wear this once summer hits! I feel very lucky to have gotten this one, and I'm tempted to take another ride on the scent surprise merry-go-round, and see what other lovely chaos ensues.

Imp:rose, wood, cologne; tangy

wet: dry and woody. I'm getting rubbing alcohol also.

dry:It's either rubbing alcohol or scented nailpolish remover--rose-scented nailpolish remover.

Well, it started out nice. My skin chemistry just does not seem to agree with the Highwayman.

imp:green, tangy, and slightly smokey. Pine and herbs.

wet: pine and bac-os?!

dry: pine sap and cologne with a strong skin miasma of liquid smoke.

This is not me. The throw is a very nice men's cologne, but I keep catching whiffs of bac-os next to my skin.

If you can find it, one of last year's Halloweenies--Blade of Grass-- had a nice dandelion note in it. At least on me.

And for GC, maybe Envy? It doesn't mention dandelion, but it's a pretty grassy green scent.

In the Imp: floral, sandalwood; dry, and familiar somehow

Wet: on my skin it sweetens, the sandalwood is prominent, and also the powderiness I associate with amber, and some musks

Dry: sweet and powdery with a hint of sandalwood.

Conclusion: A sophisticated, dry scent. I think it would be great on a guy.

In the Imp: very green; apple and dragon's blood

Wet: the green becomes sharp, and the dragon's blood is relegated to the background. It has a very smokey feeling without actually smelling smokey, brings to mind dark green and black scales in a shadowed garden.

Dry: Stays very sharp and green; if this is the hyacinth, it must be water hyacinth, because the scent is bordering strongly on aquatic.

Conclusion: This is an interesting, complex blend, but perhaps a bit too sharp for me. The apples went away the minute it went on my skin. Too bad. Perhaps I shall retry later.

In the Imp: sweet almond, candied coconut, and...fried food?

Wet: SWEET coconut milk, and dry coconut pieces, with a faint salty, clay-like smell

Dry: sweet coconut floral

This scent, on me, is like a stronger version of Snow White; there's something in the background than adds an adult depth to it, possibly faint coconut rum, or some other tropical alcohol. Very nice.

I received a decant of this in a mystery pack a while back. This scent was super morph-tastic on me. The only constant was some kind of chocolate. Lots of fun to sniff.

In the Imp: Chocolate, probably dark or bittersweet--powdery and dry, but sweeter than just cacao, and the possibility of mint

On wet: chocolate bubblegum

Dry: chocolate, slightly salty caramel, and an elusive mint in there somewhere.

In the Imp: creamy, sharp, with some faint nuttiness underneath

Wet: grapefruit bath product

Dry: sweet, tangy citrus aquatic, with a hint of spice

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It's such a nice citrus smell, very bright and beach-ready; not ominous at all. The dry down especially is very subtle and wearable. On a personal note, I experienced a weird mental glitch when glancing at the imp label, and thought "BPAL has a scent called The Deftones?! " (In fairness, the label was slightly rolled)

I think this one is a keeper for summer use; at the beach. Or is that like inviting disaster?

eta: because I fail at spellcheck...

In the Imp, wet, and on dry down, this smells of only one thing: cedar. And it is strong; like being trapped inside a cedar chest. Except for a brief moment during dry down, where it gets an added hint of earthiness, this does not morph at all.

This is definitely not for me, but if you are looking for cedar, or would like a strong, masculine scent, you might give this one a try.

In the Imp: Dragon's Blood and something sharp and 'perfumey'

Wet: Light, sweet Dragon's Blood. This is much lighter than the other Dragon's Blood blends I've tried.

Dry: Creamy, sweet Dragon's Blood.

This is gorgeous! It really does have a dreamy quality to it, but not at all heavy; sort of soft and ethereal. This may also be the first time that something with amber in it hasn't tried to do a powdery perfume imitation on my skin. Or that the ylang ylang hasn't screamed from the rooftops. Apparently, the notes in this blend into absolute gorgeous without any quarrels at all. Definitely in contention for my favorite of the Ars Draconis (only a few more to go ).

I'm apologizing beforehand, because I usually do the whole imp to dry review. But this imp didn't change on me at all, and it is going to be kept and cherished simply for the sheer of scent that it was on my skin.

Basically, I got a decant of this in a mystery pack from a lovely forumite. I tried it on, and my reaction was "this smells so familiar...what is it???"

I had a friend sniff my wrist and she agreed it was familiar. I sniffed again.

"I know what it is!" "It's the baggage claim at LAX?!"

Honestly, this smells on me like the scent of industrial suitcases(fabric/vinyl, not leather) coming off of the conveyor belt while standing next to people who have been in their cologne so long that it has become skin-warmed and mellow.

This is probably one of the most unusual oils I have tried.

in the Imp: Jasmine, floral

Wet: Jasmine-- light, sweet, and heady (yes, that does seem contradictory)

Dry Down: Jasmine, or possibly stephanotis.

I'm am pleasantly surprise by this scent. I just received it as a frimp from the lab, and was leery of trying it, because of the high possibility of jasmine. It is jasmine, but in a soft floral, perfect way. Finally, a BPAL jasmine I can wear! Really pleased right now.

After about an hour of dry down, there is a hint of spiciness, possibly clove. But it just adds to the gorgeousness of this scent, rather than detracting from it, keeping the sweetness in check.

Not a lot of throw, but that works for me. I very nice, up close, 'you-smell-good' kind of scent. Yea!

Oh, wow. I'm so glad I'm not with the skin skank contingent on this scent! On me, it's more like a traditional cologne.

in the Imp: woody, sharp and slightly sweet. A dry, light wood

Wet: Men's cologne, sharp and woody; very classy

Dry Down: warm, powdery, sharp men's cologne.

It smells so familiar, but can't put my finger on it. I wanted to say sandalwood; it had a similar sharpness. But on dry down, I'm not so sure.

It's very classy. Subtle, doesn't have a lot of throw. Not for me, but it would probably smell great on a man or on women who can rock the more masculine scents.

In my mind, it's the conjure bag's male complement to Love Me.

In aromatherapy, I think anything citrus or Jasmine is supposed to be uplifting/energizing/happy. So, if either of those notes works on your skin, you might give scents that have them a try.

Personally, I'd say--

Shanghai: light, bright citrus, that reminds me of summer.

the Unicorn: it's more peaceful and uplifting, but still really nice.

Akuma: this might just be personal, but it smells like candy-- mostly Sweet Tarts-- and it just makes me smile.

the Hesperides: creamy, warm apple.

Absinthe: smells like anise milk, which I find really comforting and happy.

I think I'm going to have to go try some of the other suggestions myself, now.

It really is the scent of a coffee shop at the holidays.

Bottle: rich, dark coffee lightly sweetened with egg nog cream.

Wet: the coffee and creamer strike a balance of delicious intensity.

Dry down: sweet vanilla with a hint off holiday coffee in the background.

I'm not much of a coffee scent person, but this is awesome! Perfect to wear for cold, rainy weather. The dry down also lasts for a good while.

Imp: wood; resin, dirt and sharpness

Wet: not very strong, but lush and light-- the ray of sun penetrating the tropical canopy and warming the leaves, blossoms and dark soil. There is also a slight skin cooling sensation to the oil itself.

Dry down: citrusy shower product-- as in it isn't overwhelming like a classic perfume. It's very light, both in fragrance and composition; easy to get used to and forget you have on your skin.

Conclusion: This would be a great summer scent; perhaps added to unscented lotion. The ginger is a refreshing balance to the floral, with just enough earthiness to make Pele unique.

Imp: Candied cherries and something green, against a faint backdrop of alcohol

Wet: Creamy, sweet Amaretto

Dry down(2 hours later): sweet, waxy vanilla

Conclusion: This is definitely worth trying if you are looking for a rich, creamy scent with just a little bit of a boozy kick.

Imp: Very strong, more masculine with a nutty undertone

Wet: citrusy, bright

Dry down: very light; sweet citrus bath product.

Conclusion: I guess I get mainly geranium, with some calla lily sweetening it. Thank goodness, because cedar usually takes over my skin. And it's such a reversal from what I smelled in the imp; quite girly and soft.

This is actually quite nice on the dry down, not terribly strong, but really pleasant to catch a whiff of on your skin now and then. Lasts nicely also; at least three hours on my skin without fading much.

Imp: roses and something sweet; almost cloying.

Wet: faint rose, and overwhelming sweetness.

Dry down: Rose and powder, with something underneath that's a little off.

Conclusion: I'm guessing it's the musk at play, giving it that strange, foreboding sweetness. Not for me, but if you like rose and musk, give this a try.

in the decant: fresh, minty melon, with subtle floral background

on: smooth, creamy melon; green and sweet. It reminds me of a certain slushie made with fresh, ripe honeydew that I once had. After extended wear(2-3 hours), it becomes a little less bright and more mellow-warm summer melon, and feels a little more like a perfume.

Honestly, I ordered Earth Ox in the hopes that it might be a plum version of this incredible melon goodness.

I'd like to preface this by saying that this bottle came from eBay, and --I'm going to guess-- it's probably aged, since it's in a cobalt bottle. The liquid itself is this gorgeous, thick brownish red; goes very well with the scent description.

In the bottle: spicy, dry

on: sticky, some kind of woodspice, smoke/ash. At first cool, a feeling on the skin as well as a tickling of the nose when I sniff. At one point, it reminds me of the medicinal comfort of old herbal cough syrup, or maybe jaegermeister?

Later, it dries down in to a warm, sexy, herbal campfire.

I get no leather, much more spice and woodiness. Very rich and interesting fragrance.

In the imp: smells like a sophisticated men's cologne-- light and citrusy.

On: Green tea and lemon verbena( the plant; there's something woody, slightly peppery and warm, in it). It's a light fresh scent, with a surprising sour-salty twist. I agree with the people saying this is a summery scent. It would be great for summer, or for when you miss balmy mornings in the herb garden.

Not a particularly strong scent-- at least, on me, but I like that-- and nice staying power. Lovely.

Finally getting around to reviewing some of my hoarded imps!

So, Urania:

In the imp: White floral with some aquatic and/or citrus notes. There is also something smooth underlying, musk, and when I stir the little imp wand, perhaps the vaguest hint of almond.

On, wet: warm, complex white floral with a little tangy 'kick'.

Dry down: Straight white floral aquatic. Very complex and feminine.

On my skin, this scent kind of reminds me of White Moon '06. Urania is slightly sharper, but still very bright and light. Overall, a very classic, feminine scent.