Juliamon

2014 version. In the imp: Whoa nail varnish. Yikes. Wet: Okay, so the 'nail varnish' is actually just the patchouli and fir fighting for dominance, and once they touch my skin they calm down significantly. Or at least the patch does. I can smell apple and pumpkin now, sprinkled in spices. This is... wow, it's good. This is for sure Halloween, without being anything like craft-store Halloween. More like a harvest festival in full swing, with delicious pies and pumpkin-carving contests and fallen leaves swirling in the autumn air. Dry: The throw is becoming a bit more craft-store, I guess the spices are taking over. I can still smell the sweet apple and pumpkin if I get close to my skin though. The woody notes from the opening are but a memory, though the fir is trying hard not to vanish entirely; it's coming off as a vague smokiness. The throw on this is insane, you could easily mistake this for a candle--except it smells better than any candle I've ever had. I'm now eyeing the various years on the Lab's Etsy, wondering if I should grab one just in case it doesn't come back this year--I think I need a bottle in my stash.

This is a strange one indeed! In the imp: old dusty books, ginger, perfume? Oudh? I swear there's oudh. Wet: For just a second it smells the same as in the imp... and then it begins to morph. Spicy gingerbread is the main note, but gingerbread that's been dropped and ground into the dirt, along with some old tobacco and stale coffee. So far, so not great. But it keeps going: like time rewinding, the tobacco and coffee retreat, the dirt and gingerbread become less entwined. Further back, the gingerbread is still in the oven, and someone toils in the garden while they wait for it to be ready. And this is where it finally comes to rest. Dry: There is a woodiness lining this scent, like an old worn bench. I think that's the 'dusty books' or the oudh I was smelling. The spices are light, the dirt is moist, the wood is comfortable. It's not really a 'me' scent as it feels a bit too mature, but it was a very interesting experience and this is a particularly aggressive morpher. Definitely don't judge it before giving it a wear.

Frimped to me, I never would have picked this myself due to "rose" appearing more than once in the scent description. Roses and I do not get along and have ruined many a scent for me, even when not listed as a note (LUSH's Cardamom Coffee I'm looking at you). In the imp: not a whole lot of scent, but grape and grapefruit lead, with some citrus blossoms behind. Wet: .....bubblegum? Fruity, powdery (sandalwood?) hollow gumballs from a machine. I first tried this blindly one night and assumed there was lotus in it, but even now with the notes right in front of me I still swear there's lotus in here. Maybe it's the rose musk? It's sweet and only vaguely floral to me. Dry: Vanilla emerges faintly, but otherwise very little change. A deep sniff picks up a bit of floral that might be rose or carnation, but only then. While I don't hate it, it's still a light skin scent that went so weird on me as to not smell like any of the listed notes at all. Perhaps age has not been kind to this imp. Perhaps it's mislabeled, though the initial sniff doesn't seem to indicate so. It's a mystery to be passed on to someone else.

Sniffed my 2018 decant straight out of the mailbox and could only smell dragon's blood, so I opted to give it a couple days to rest and see if it got any more interesting. In the imp: still primarily DBR, but there's something else... soapy floral? Wet: Definitely some floral that isn't from the DBR. I put Dragon's Musk on my other wrist to compare. The musk in Blood Popsicle is rather light. I don't think it's blood musk because that goes REAL bad on my skin and this is behaving well. I'm getting that 'freezer' smell in the background, which is kinda fun! Dry: There's a spiciness emerging! Oh, this is a fun morpher. I can see the floral being jasmine, but not an aggressive one. The frostiness has gone away and the DBR is getting fruitier. I guess the popsicle is melting. I can't smell it on my wrist but in the throw there's a definite bloodiness to it, not enough for others to identify it as blood, but rather just a light tang. This is unexpectedly nice on me for something with this much of a floral element. Light throw, reasonable wear length for me. I don't know that I can justify the price of a full bottle but I'll hold onto the decant for sure.

In the imp: Whoa, nostalgia! I can't pinpoint any notes other than the tobacco, and only then because I just tested another tobacco blend. Mostly this is just a scent I recognize. Wet: Ah, now I'm getting the champaca and orange. Definitely shares strong similarities with Lush's Karma, particularly the Karma Kreme lotion that reminds me so strongly of summer camp (orange juice, bug spray, candy cigarettes, dirt, damp clothes) that I can't wear it in the winter. The tobacco makes a great replacement for Karma's patchouli. It's a little headshoppy, but it doesn't scream it on me. Dry: The clove and vanilla start to peek out and the tobacco backs off. It smells less like Karma now: better, more balanced, more nuanced. The clove isn't going crazy on me like it often does and the vanilla is lending the most gentle sweetness. It smells like a heavy scent but feels so much lighter. Decent throw and wear length. Really happy with this one, I can see myself using it a lot this summer.

In the imp: a bite of honey, something green, a hint of mandarin. Wet: Floral orange honey, with the green stem sap keeping it from going sweet. No vanilla but just the lightest touch of mandarin. Really nice but also rather light. Dry: The floral aspect of the honey starts to take over as the mandarin burns off. Still no sign of the vanilla. Guess I need more than just the husk to notice it! Incredibly light throw on me, pretty strictly a skin scent. I get a couple hours' wear from it, don't really love it enough to take the time to reapply though. Leans a little too soapy for me.

In the imp: tobacco and orange blossom. Wet: Holy tobacco, Batman! I can pick up the cinnamon and myrrh, but this is primarily a tobacco blend. Very perfumey, I don't hate tobacco but I don't exactly love it either so it's kinda disappointing. Despite typically amping it I'm getting no vanilla at all, it must REALLY be blacked. Not that it matters much, because... Dry: Gone in less than 10 minutes. My skin smells faintly of woody ash, very similar to how BPAL's coffee note dries down on me. The rest of it's just gone. Blargh.

The dry, thin scent of a draconic ossuary. Dragon's blood resin with white sandalwood, dusty orris and crisp blondewood. This has confirmed my suspicions: while I don't strictly amp dragon's blood, if it's the primary component of a scent it takes over entirely. I received this as a freebie with a couple other Ars Draconis blends, and they both end up as pretty much single-note DBR. The lilac note in this one is a bit more prominent than usual, which could be a result of the orris since they have a similar feel to me, but yeah. Nice but, for me at least, not a necessity.

Decant with no date on it. Inherited from Soupy Twist so probably 2007, but I have a 2017 decant on the way so I will compare and edit this when it arrives. In the imp: Pom! Sweet tangy pom arils, freshly crushed. Wet: The pom is a bit more bitter now, in a lovely way. I do detect a hint of Christmas craft-store spices, mostly cinnamon, but it's at a level where it won't give you a migraine. It's more the platonic ideal of Christmas potpourri. Dry: I've finally figured out more precisely what I'm smelling: the most amazing mulled cider, made with pomegranate instead of apples. Light throw. Doesn't last super long on me but I'm okay with reapplying something this yummy. UPDATE: 2017 decant has had time to rest, so let's compare. It's less sweet and less craft-store, more of a pure pomegranate smell. It's also significantly weaker. I like it a little bit better and hope it ages into more strength!

I'm having a similar experience to Joyleaf, though I'm unsure of my imp's age. No sign of the fig or blackcurrant, just cherry-leaning DBR and musk. Admittedly I did a very reserved test as this oil is quite dark and I worried about staining. It is nice, but not the most exciting Ars Draconis scent.

In the imp: strawberry gummy candy, very artificial Wet: Less artificial now, but still sort of wavering between fake and genuine strawberry. More like sliced strawberries in syrup that you'd put on ice cream or a Belgian waffle than a pint from the farmer's market. Sweet and tangy. I agree with puck_nc that there's some sort of musk in here, acting as a facsimile of strawberry leaves to attempt to ground it a little bit. Dry: Pushes more artificial again. Not as fresh as advertised, but still very tasty. Very single-note. My decant's probably enough for me, it's honestly not different-enough from a mass-produced fragrance oil to justify a full bottle.

In the imp: all citrus all the time. Reminds me of the lime-neroli combo of Lush's Calacas. Wet/Dry: Citrus-forward aquatic with musks and a whole lotta freesia that comes off as a generic clean floral. Hint of wood in the background. The white amber is more of an aftertaste, I can't find it if I'm looking directly for it. It doesn't change at all on drydown for me. I took a nap after applying and it was abducted from my skin while I slept. This is not a citrus that wants to stick around on me. It leans a bit feminine. I like it but it's not a LOVE. If you're more open to florals you may like it more. I'm still glad to have tried it though!

In the imp: Very vegetal. Pepper, both in the peppercorn and capsicum sense. Wet: Prickly pepper! A bit of mint, a bit of cinnamon. If Plunder is a spice rack, Server Gremlins is a natural-foods store with a prominent organic bulk spices section and herbal gum (that disintegrates in your mouth if you stop chewing it for even half a second) at the register. A bit of ozone, but not enough to overpower the spices. The overall color of the scent is a circuit-board green with brown diodes. Dry: The pepper(s) didn't stick around long, it dried down to mostly just that herbal chewing gum. I always quite liked that smell. The longer it dries the more I get the impression that there's a bit of vetiver in here. This is a really interesting scent (though rather a bit different than I expected from the name) and seems to have decent lasting power on me. I don't know how often I'll reach for it but I want to keep it in my arsenal just in case.

In the imp: amber and sugary sweet pea. Wet: The sweet pea immediately takes over, clean and sweet and... boring. If I press my nose to my wrist I can smell some amber. Dry: The vanilla finally showed up, just a bit. I'm catching a teensy bit of a dusty, woody note that could be the sandalwood, but just as easily could be my skin (which is still stubbornly clinging to the unpleasant 'aftertaste' of a coffee-based BPAL I put on two days ago) or the similar sweet amber vanilla perfume from another company that I'm deathmatching it against on the other wrist. So now it's sweet pea and vanilla, with amber hiding away somewhere. This is the second BPAL I've tried this week with white sandalwood and both times it's failed to make any impact. That aside, if you love sweet pea this is a scent you should have in your collection. It's light, cheerful, and utterly inoffensive. Just not quite right for me.

I opted to give this a shot because I'm still trying to narrow down which florals are migraine-safe for me, plus anything sandalwood-vanilla is something I gotta try (especially with amber/ambergris)! In the imp: sweet florals and salty ambergris Wet: Ooh, beachy aquatic. The florals are very prominent and I'm a bit concerned as they're pushing it a bit too commercial-perfume for my taste. That's the orris doing that, I presume. Behind that is the sandalwood, moss, and ambergris, with the vanilla and musk coating it all in a creamy soft glow. I'm having several scent associations at once: a small beach in Gloucester, MA; older, more sophisticated relatives visiting from Rhode Island; a Neutrogena sunscreen sample that smelled strongly of lily. Very summery, very coastal, very feminine. Dry: Unfortunately, the sandalwood has gone MIA in short order, and the florals are really getting to my head in a bad way. Ah well, at least it's a winner for plenty of other folks. Time to add lily to my 'nope' list.

Got a mystery bottle in a swap, the number is long worn off entirely. Came with the description of "Snake Oil + Smut Lite." Which is amusing to me, as while I haven't tried Smut a lot of the review from the same timeframe say it's similar to Snake Oil. In the bottle: Very little Snake Oil, a whole lot of musk. I'm not an expert on musks yet but I'm pretty sure there's some red in here, possibly brown. Definitely not black or white. Wet: It's just Snake Oil? Weirdly enough it doesn't even smell very aged on me. However, it does smell a bit fuzzier than rubbery, which is probably the musk. The Snake Oil really smothers them though. Dry: The Snake Oil vanishes in an hour, which allows the musks to come back into play. My skin holds on to vanilla so it's a lovely vanilla'd musk with a light throw.

In the imp: Boozy syrup? I had to read over this entire thread to make sure I wasn't the only one who got a boozy note out of it, I was so worried I had a mislabeled decant. A bit of research shows that it might just be how I perceive oudh, which I will admit I'm not familiar with yet. Wet: The booziness continues, but only for a brief moment; it's quickly overtaken by the coffee beans, champaca, and labdanum. It's a gorgeous, rich scent that's almost gourmand but a bit too incensey to commit. I'd still classify it as 'delicious.' Dry: Unfortunately after 5 minutes the coffee fades and the oudh reasserts itself in its place. It becomes oudh-forward, woody and dark with light wisps of incense, staying right against the skin. It's nice but it's not anywhere near as nice as the wet phase. While I'm disappointed the coffee didn't linger, it DID behave better on my skin than any other of the coffee blends I've tried from BPAL. I'm glad to have this anyway, and will keep trying to make it last longer on me.

In the imp: I gave this a sniff before looking up the notes (it was a frimp) and guessed peaches, but upon looking at the notes I don't think I've ever smelled a fresh apricot before. My family prefers peaches and nectarines and I've only tasted dried apricot dipped in chocolate. Apricot seems to lean closer to nectarine. Anyway, it's mostly that and a bit of musk. Wet: Am I sure this isn't just Imp? No, wait, it's a bit different. Imp is very heavy on the musk for me (though it says golden it feels very red to me), while this is much lighter, more young, innocent. I think it's the orange blossom more than the difference in musks. White musk is one that can be hard for me to pick up, and it's getting overshadowed by the orange blossom pretty handily. Dry: The orange blossom is in control now, just a bit powdery, but still letting the apricot and musk through enough to keep it from being headachingly floral. I am incredibly happy to have been frimped this by the Post. Somehow it wasn't even on my radar, but it's absolutely me. I adore Imp, but sometimes it can be too musky, so I'm glad to have a lighter alternative!

Got both this and Bloodlust as frimps in the same order. In theory, I should like this. In practice, the clove just takes over and while I LIKE clove, I don't LOVE clove. The myrrh starts to step up to it after an hour, but the cherry and DBR might as well not even be in there. This could be one of those that needs to age for a long time, but I have other DBR scents that I like better anyway. The throw on this is impressive!

The Leap of Faith or the Apex of Irresponsibility. One foot remains precariously touching the earth, the other hovers towards enlightenment or oblivion. Green tea, neroli, and osmanthus, patchouli root, Spanish moss, tobacco absolute, and vetiver. In the imp: Neroli and moss, with a hint of patchouli. I'm worried this will be mostly neroli on me. Wet: Ooh, there's the tea! Fresh green tea, spilled over tobacco leaves and moss. The neroli has turned more into a citrus twist in the tea, thankfully. The osmanthus and vetiver are just dancing around the edges with the patchouli. Dry: The vetiver has fallen off the cliff with the patchouli and is lost, along with much of the tobacco. What remains is sweet green tea and moss, unexpectedly cheerful and bright. I don't think I expected this one to dry down so similar to Embalming Fluid, but here we are. I don't mind at all though! Not super long lasting so I don't think I'll commit to a full bottle, but will keep this decant for sure. Worth taking a leap of faith to try.

This is a weird one! I'm not really familar with any of the notes other than some of the musks used (red and black are definitely in there), so I couldn't tell you what's going so menthol on me, but this smells like a cough drop. A cherry menthol cough drop. With musk. That also manages to smell kind of mainstream perfume? I tried layering some Neutral for my preferred alignment and it just vanished into it. It's not bad, but my head doesn't seem to like it.

In the imp: champagne and a hint of strawberry. Wet: A dry strawberry champagne. Not sweet enough to be ginger ale on me thankfully. The strawberry occasionally jumps out in front, but only for a moment and then it's back to pure fizziness. Dry: The strawberries have mostly faded away, leaving only a slight sweetness in the champagne. This has the biggest throw of anything I've tried, only settles down after two hours. Very cheerful and uplifting. I don't think I need more than an imp though.

In the imp: grapefruit with a bit of apple blossom. Wet: Grapefruit, but not a sour one. I walked past the old apple tree in our yard today and it's almost in full bloom so the scent of apple blossom is fresh in my mind, it may not be as present as I think but it IS there. The overall effect of the grapefruit, apple blossom, and ginger is that of a very crisp tart apple, one with the texture of a honeycrisp and the flavor of a granny smith. The tea comes in to support it and keeps it fresh. Dry: The tea takes the lead after awhile, gently floral and ever so slightly gingery, with a twist of citrus. It's very similar to Embalming Fluid in this stage, and does the same thing where it's pretty much gone in a few short hours. But it was really nice while it lasted! Lowish throw. Very pretty, a nice alternative to Embalming Fluid. I think I like it a bit better as the grapefruit works better on me. Guess there was a reason I got frimped this twice in one week!

In the bottle: Yep, that's cannabis, like the smell of the dispensary (I'm also a patient as of the day this oil launched, which is why I bought it). But also the nag champa and patchouli. I will confess to not really having any experience with headshops, having been in one precisely once and having no scent memory of it, but I'm familiar with the scents. Wet: That's odd. I don't smoke but I know what it smells like and this is definitely weed smoke as I know it from walking by the apartment of a recreational user. I'm a bit disappointed because I liked how it smelled in the bottle more, like the unsmoked flower. It's also overpowering the nag and patch. I can see where people would get a sweaty smell from it! Dry: Finally the weed smoke settles down and the nag champa incense picks back up. It's more pleasant now, but I think my skin did the thing and ate all the patchouli. I knew it would happen, but I held out hope that there would be enough in the blend that I wouldn't soak it ALL up. Unfortunate, but such is life. I still appreciate the nag champa, but overall the scent is just less... interesting, I guess. It needs that dash of patch. As time passes the weed smoke loses the 'weed' component and becomes just smoke. Probably wearable in public if you let it dry down first, moreso if you live where weed's a more common smell. Good longevity. I feel bad that I'll probably end up swapping this because of the disappearing patchouli.

In the imp: Really similar to Lightning. I would have trouble figuring out which is which if someone had me sniff them blind. Watery ozone. Wet: Oh, no, this isn't Lightning at ALL. That ozone must have been a trick of the imp, this is actually... floral? I'm fascinated by how some folks get floral and some get citrus. I would have preferred the citrus myself, but as florals go this is a gentle one like in Neutral. Gentle enough that I opted to test it while riding out the dregs of a migraine and didn't have a bad reaction. Clean and clear like a polished crystal, but not a pointy one, more like a tumbled quartz or maybe those little glass baubles you put in fish bowls. The Fish Bowl of God. Dry: The aquatic-ness has tapered off significantly, as though there had been rain but now the sun is coming out and drying off the wet flowers. Even more gentle now. Low throw at first, but quickly becomes a skin scent. It feels appropriate for the scent, as it seems very intimate and personal in a spiritual sense. It never goes soapy or dryer-sheets on me. It is beautiful and definitely my favorite of BPAL's aquatics that I've tried so far.