Juliamon

In the bottle: All vanilla, all the time. Sugary vanilla cream and maybe some honeycomb. If there's Snake Oil in here, it's very well hidden. Wet: The honeycomb blooms and soaks up some of the vanilla and I can finally smell some of the Snake Oil spices. Not a lot, just enough to let you know they're there and keep the perfume from becoming overwhelmingly sugary-sweet. It still leans very gourmand though, like a perfect buttercream frosting. I don't particularly get the lemon others seem to be getting, but there is a crispness. Dry: Sugary vanilla musk with a dash of Snake Oil's spices. I think the honeycomb is the musky note here, it's not really present otherwise. Fades pretty quickly. For fun, I put this on my wrists and Dragon-Smooched Snake Oil on the backs of my hands to compare the Snake Oil content in each. I'm still new to BPAL and haven't tried many Snake Oil variants so I wondered whether there was enough of a difference to justify keeping both. And yes, there's a hell of a difference! DSSO is much more intensely Snake Oil, very spice-heavy and sultry. Snake's Kiss is far lighter and friendly, I actually almost like it better because it's less likely to stir up a migraine.

In the bottle: whoa, I can smell it before I even open it! Dragon's blood lollipop for sure. Wet: The dragon's blood is the most prominent note, backed by tons of sweet fruity berries that I wouldn't have identified as strawberry specifically. Despite it being a floral dragon's blood, this actually smells more like what I expected from Lady Macbeth... not sure what that says about how I perceive wine. It doesn't do the horrible sour thing Lady Macbeth does on me though! Dry: Now I can tell there's strawberry in here! It balances out the dragon's blood very nicely. Simple but lovely. Decent throw, only lasted a few hours on my skin but that's not unusual for me. Glad I was able to catch this on etsy!

In the imp: earth, green plants, wildflowers, mint? Wet: Loamy, mossy soil and various green things. No mint of any kind though. Did I imagine it? Maybe it's one of the herbs and got lost in the mix. There's florals, indistinct and mild enough that they don't irritate my head, and something sweet and slightly vanillic that must be the incense. Dry: Everything green and foresty has been left behind, and only the sweet incense remains. Even that barely lasts an hour. My preconception of druids is that of forest-dwelling hermits with intimate knowledge of nature's aspects. This druid is a young, inexperienced one that doesn't quite have a grasp on their spells yet and tries to make up for it with enthusiasm. They're fresh-faced and cute and fun to hang out with, but will probably flake out on you if the adventure gets dangerous. I'm going to keep trying ths and hope I can get better longevity out of it somehow. It's SO promising.

Snake Charmer: Sensual, sibilant, sexual and hypnotic: Arabian musk and exotic spices slinking through Egyptian amber, enticing vanilla, and a serpentine blend of black plum, labdanum, ambrette, benzoin and black coconut. A Snake Oil-based blend? In an atmo spray?? There was no way I could resist this. And though my bank account protested, I made the right choice in buying it. I have yet to experience the original perfume oil so I can't compare directly, but this is incredible. It's certainly a Snake Oil, but more like a well-aged one with extra warmth from the amber and benzoin and just the slightest touch of fruity sweetness. I only used one spritz on my bedsheets and my entire bedroom is perfectly lightly scented. It's warm and inviting and quite hypnotic indeed! I had things to do today... but maybe I'll just spend the day in bed... I went out for an hour to do some errands and it's much fainter upon my return. It's still detectable though. Just enough to make me go "oh, I should spray it again. And again. Make all the things smell like this!" But I think maybe I'll hold off until bedtime. I want this bottle to last!

Used to open up options in your life, overcome obstacles, and create opportunities. This blend increases your potential for success, inspires creativity and quick thinking, and helps you to be more flexible, adaptable and open to change. an imp of this as a traveling companion for my bottle of Blacklight-Reactive Poster, as my body has been reluctant to respond to the therapeutic cannabis extract I've started taking and I'm hoping the two of them will help encourage it to be more receptive. (Also, the reviews made it sound right up my alley anyway!) If I were to give this an alternate name, it would be "Single Note: Boston Market Cinnamon Apples." There's probably a bit of pear in there too, and clove, but it's mostly just stewed cinnamon sugar apples. Even if it doesn't end up helping, it's already earned a place in my imp box for giving me a calorie-free alternative to the only thing worth going to Boston Market for.

In the imp: Gummy bears! It's all berry, not a hint of anything else. Wet: Imagine if you got home from grocery shopping to find that the carton of milk you bought was leaky and got into the car rug and no amount of washing ever got it out entirely. On a nice cool day it's not noticeable at all, but in the heat of summer that car becomes a metal box full of sour milk stink. You can't afford a new car or to get it reupholstered, so you eventually sigh and buy an air freshener (not the cheap cardboard trees but a nice fancy one designed to stick in the vents and boasts a "real berry scent!") to cover it. And it mostly works! Except there's always that hint of sourness lurking underneath, haunting you forever, or until the car finally kicks the bucket at least. I'm totally not speaking from experience or anything. Dry: The air freshener needs to be replaced. This is my first time trying a BPAL wine note to my knowledge. I don't know what to think of it going bad in a manner eerily similar to my experience with the blood musk in Drunk Astronomers. Am I reading too much into the theme? It's worth noting that it isn't boozy at all, and has excellent throw. I'm putting off scrubbing it to type this up and it's still punching me in the face from the keyboard. This would be amazing on skin that doesn't do what mine did!

Bought an imp of this because lotus is a floral I'm okay with, all the other notes are ones I love, and I'm a MtG nerd who'll never be able to afford the piece of cardboard bearing the same name. In the imp: single-note amoxicillin? Wet: SINGLE-NOTE AMOXICILLIN. Bubblegum lotus with an edge of sandalwood. Dry: It took 30 minutes, but the amber and myrrh are finally joining the party. It's still mostly bubblegum (and I don't even amp lotus) but less medicinal and more... meditative? Like, I want to use this for meditation rather than as perfume, it's putting me in that sort of headspace already. Low-ish throw, decent wear length. Sweeter than I expected, probably would layer great with a darker, heavier resin blend.

Wet: the amber from The Lion, but with a thick layer of sharp citrusy musk over it. The comparison to the Dragon's Egg bath bomb makes me think there's bergamot involved, it doesn't smell strictly lemony to me. It's really intense for the first 10 minutes, then softens dramatically to let the amber shine sweetly. Dry: This keeps getting sweeter, like someone keeps adding sugar, and I have to try not to lick my skin. It's kind of leathery if I sniff too deeply, a dusty crumbling leather. I like it, but I don't know that it likes me. Doesn't seem to have great longevity, but may be good for layering with something that does.

In the imp: pure ozone and aquatics. Wet: Something... is going bitter? Some sort of floral maybe? I'm not super thrilled about it. The rest of it's good though, like standing on a beach as a storm rolls in. Dry: Doesn't change much, just becomes a touch soapy. It's both stronger and less scary than I expected. The lightning cracks, but it doesn't come down and strike anything. This feels more like an atmosphere than a wearable scent. Judging by how many people are comparing it to Sea of Glass I may have to give that a try next.

In the imp: jasmine tea and amber. Light, sweet, warm, happy. Wet: Sour sweaty blood musk. Ughhhh. Where did all the nice stuff go? Dry: Most of the musk burns off after 20 minutes and I can finally smell the jasmine tea and amber again, but... I just can't deal with that opening. The memory of it lingers. I flew down to visit relatives that lived in the path of totality so I could get the full experience. I was so excited... and then clouds came in literally just as it happened, and passed promptly after it was over. It was infuriating, and then my uncle (who was definitely drunk) and aunt started revealing how transphobic they were and the whole day ended up pretty sour. I was hoping this would be a better memory of the trip as a whole (which was wonderful outside of that one afternoon) but such is life I guess. Keeping it for now as a keepsake, but I probably will swap it away at some point.

In the imp: Very foresty, oakmoss-heavy and vaguely fruity but specifically NOT lemony? It's quite odd. I get the impression this will be too masculine for me somehow, even though I wear oakmoss all the time. Wet: Oakmoss and lemon rind primarily. The vetiver and patchouli weave in and out. The amber takes a minute to show up, and serves mostly to keep things from getting too bright green. Dry: The amber has bloomed and is making friends with the lemon in a gorgeous way, taking turns with the greenness from the wet stage The two halves never really combine, unfortunately, and one hand smells much more lemony while the other much more green. It is at least not nearly as masculine as my first impression. The description is apt, it's definitely a bright glowing core surrounded by darker earthiness. I wish I could just lift that bright core out and wear it alone, it suits a much different mood than the opening darkness so I don't really know when would be the right time to wear this. Low-average throw, good wear length.

I sprayed my decant on my bed, sniffed, and then looked at the notes with confusion. "Wait, isn't there supposed to be cedar in here?" I don't know if it's because it's had a year to age or what, but this is barely woody at all, in fact it's quite gourmand! Sweet and rich, probably the caramelized sandalwood doing most of the work there and supported by the amber and vanilla. The cedar and patch are utterly unnoticeable unless you're actively looking for them. This is beyond delicious and perfect for relaxing.

In the imp and wet: Beeswax coated in honey. Intensely sweet and filthy with patchouli. I had my mom (who used to roll beeswax candles) have a sniff and her verdict was "Ugh, yup, that's beeswax candles that have just gone out." Dry: The patchouli vanishes and the beeswax/honey mellows out. It's quite beautiful (mom even says it's her favorite of the dozens of BPALs I've tried) but it is a very simple scent. Good throw and wear length, and probably good for layering. I'm good with just my decant though.

For Devil's Nightcap, give Kinoko a try. It's sweeter but the minute I put it on I thought "oh, this is Devil's Nightcap! But better!"

In the imp: Sweet earthy musk, almost cologne-like Wet: The cologne aspect morphs into a lovely woodiness. This is gloriously woodsy and earthy, very organic without smelling like decay. Dry: The oakmoss is coming out more and tempering the sweetness a bit, but not too much. This is bright and fresh and I feel like a nature sprite. I adore this. Great throw, and oakmoss always lasts forever on me. If you like earthy scents that are more leaf/dirt than tree, you need this.

In the bottle: LILAC. Very, very lilac, and maybe some parchment? Wet: The lilac calms down to a reasonable level and a vanilla-like sweetness develops. I think it's from the musk? The labdanum may also be contributing to it. The parchment is old and stained by the bitter lampblack, it's remarkably evocative. Dry: Most of the lilac has faded now, and the parchment and musk have taken the lead. It's very delicate, fragile, except for the inkiness of the lampblack. Decent throw. I'm not sure about wear length because this is turning into a very "me" scent and I think I'm noseblind to it now that the lilac has faded. This is probably my favorite of the lupers I've had opportunity to smell and I'm tempted to get a backup since I only have a partial bottle.

In the imp: smoke and screeching florals. I hate florals, why did I get this? (Answer: a mix-up with similarly-named Shungas.) Wet: The florals immediately tone down when it hits my skin, and the smoke amps up. It's a cool smoke though, gentle and not trying to choke me. The patchouli is intertwined with the jasmine and keeping it in check. I don't get any plum, but I also don't really get along with plum so that's fine with me. Dry: Mostly still poppy smoke and light jasmine, but the patchouli has traded places with a slight hint of warm plum fruitiness. The jasmine has gone a bit soapy, but not disgustingly so. It's definitely a lot cleaner-smelling than I expected. This confirms my suspicions that jasmine is one of the florals I CAN do, as long as it's not the star player. It's still not really my style, but I'll keep the decant for special occasions where I need something less incensey than what I usually gravitate towards.

People who know me know I love cheesecake, I love coffee, and that I hate chocolate being added to either. No idea why, maybe I just prefer chocolate to be its own thing instead of hijacking other, better things. And yet, when I saw the description for this, I immediately stuck it on my wishlist. There are some desserts you'd rather eat than smell like, so maybe there are some you'd rather smell like than eat? In the imp: Oh yes, this is delicious indeed. Smells exactly like the description, and I actually think I would eat this cheescake, or at least have a bite. Wet: The cheesecake immediately backs off, letting this turn into a caramel mocha with a trace of smoky spice. Alright, I'm less interested in eating it now. Dry: I keep trying coffee blends, but I think I just have to suck it up and admit to myself that my skin doesn't like the Lab's coffee notes. It's gone bitter-burnt again and the chipotle is amping it. Ugh! On the upside, this has better throw than usual for me, and it's less burnt-smelling in the wafts. I might give this a few more tries, but otherwise it's getting sent to the locket-only corner of my decant box.

I was intending on reviewing something else today, but Bastet was feeling impatient and splashed me when I opened the imp for a curious sniff. Who am I to deny a divine sign like that? In the imp: Uh-oh, that's a lot of almond. I had a bad experience with almond in another blend recently. Hopefully some of the other elements will take over. Wet: Almond almond almond and some lotus. There are hints of resins but they're drowning in almond. Blargh. Dry: Ahhh, the myrrh and amber overtake the almond about 30 minutes in. Now it's quite dreamy, almost buttery, with the saffron and cardamom adding an interesting spice edge. The musk is barely there, and I blame my skin favoring the resins. I'm having a strange urge to give my sister's cat a cuddle. It does smell like burying your nose in a cat's fur! Not a lot of throw, but I didn't slather because of the almond. Seems to last decently long though, and that beautiful drydown makes me understand why this is a best-seller. I think I'm a fan? I don't know. That almond never fully goes away, but everything else is SO good...

I will admit that a large part of why I wanted to try this is due to Lush discontinuing their Yuzu & Cocoa products. They introduced me to yuzu and got me addicted. (Not that it was hard to do or anything, I tend to love every citrus I come across.) In the imp: Yuzu and mikan. Nothing more, nothing less. Wet: Wow, this is strong! Glad I didn't slather. Zesty, bright yuzu and mikan, and I'm not familiar with kaki but it's probably in there too. There's a soapy edge that I attribute to the black tea; it's not a BAD soapiness, per se, but it does make this remind me of a shampoo or body wash. It doesn't smell like tea unless I shove my nose against my skin and really huff. Dry: The citrus is giving way to gentle sakura petals fluttering around. Cherry blossom is one of the few florals I can do in moderation (yeah, count me in as one of the B&BW Japanese Cherry Blossom fanatics back in the day, before I had migraine troubles) and it's at the perfect level for me here. Gentle and sunny and warm, like a perfect spring day. I can almost pretend I've gone cherry blossom viewing even though it's just barely above freezing here in NH today. Good throw, good wear length. I think a bottle may be in my future.

In the imp: sweet cherry dragon's blood and honey. Wet: more of the same. It's almost too sweet for me. Dry after an hour: There's the vanilla, finally! It's turned from 'meh' to 'ooooooh.' The sweetness has died down to a reasonable level, it's now just warm and comfortable. Crazy longevity (12-ish hours) so to me it's worth that difficult first hour.

In the imp: I'm mostly picking up the honey, fig, and almond. More almond that expected. Smells like a gooey honey-coated dessert. Wet: MUCH more almond than expected. I haven't tried a blend with almond before and it must have been instinct warning me I would amp it. Either that or the ambrette is amping it. No milk and the fig is doing little more than add sweetness to the almond, making it unpleasantly cloying. Dry: The honey finally reasserts itself, but it's still not enough to stop the almond. It's basically honey almond buttercream, and while it smells like something that would be tasty to eat I don't like smelling like it. At least I learned a thing about myself from this.

In the imp: sugary sweetness! Like red currant jam on a buttery scone. Mmm. Wet: I totally get that lemon poppy cake smell mentioned above! Sugary lemon, tangy currants, and a hint of bitterness to balance it out. It does veer a bit too close to cleaning product for my liking, but I'm hoping it backs off as it dries. Dry: Patchouli usually vanishes in minutes on me, but it's so entwined with the lemon peel here that it's actually stuck around for a full hour. The red currant is the MIA note instead, and it's a shame because I was rather liking it. It's mostly sugary patchouli and bitter lemon peel now, sitting in buttercream. The lemon is definitely in cleaning product territory now. Sigh. Betrayed by the lemon! On the one hand, good longevity. On the other, lemon cleaner. Oh, fickle fate, will any of the Fool's scents be right for me? edit: it's been 6+ hours and the patch is STILL THERE. I don't know whether to chalk it up to the blend or hormones, but I think I'm gonna have to keep this to retest in a couple weeks and see how the patch holds up. edit 2: it's been a few weeks and nope, the patch didn't hold up this time. The lemon has even gotten worse! I'm glad so many others are liking this, it should be easy to find a new home for my imp.

In the imp: Wow that's dark! I'm mostly getting the labdanum, oakmoss, and patchouli, but there's a lurking floral somewhere. Wet: WOW that's dark. Definitely an uneasy black-as-night feeling. I'm not a fan of violets and they are, unfortunately, joining forces with the oakmoss and clove to stamp out the lilac. I tested this on both my wrist and inner elbow, and interestingly it's becoming more delicate on my wrist. The lilac is finally peeking out as the clove and violet back off. I guess the Stranger has been properly introduced there. It remains uneasy and dark on my arm though. Dry: On my wrist it's vanished, but still going strong on my arm, mostly violet and oakmoss now. Shame, I'd really hoped the violet would have been a minor player. It feels pretty masculine on my arm, though on my wrist it was definitely more unisex. I liked when it started to dry on my wrist, but it was gone so fast. Sorry, Stranger, guess you'll be moving on to a new town. It was lovely to meet you though, however briefly!

Creamsicles are one of my most favorite things in the world, so when I discovered BPAL this was one of the first scents I tracked down a decant for. And it's pretty darn close to the perfect creamsicle scent... only, not quite, it's lacking the chill of a frozen treat. (Perhaps some day we'll get something similar with a frosty note?) This is no creamsicle, but rather an orange Creme Saver, and it's making me horribly nostalgic for them. Fortunately for me, while Creme Savers are long discontinued, Gobo is not. This is a deliciously sweet blend of citruses and the creamiest vanilla. It has a low throw but it also feels like a scent you wouldn't really want to be projecting, as it would likely tempt someone into ruining their diet. It does stick around for a decent length of time on my skin, which is prone to eating citrus but holds onto vanilla for days--it's mostly the vanilla cream after half an hour, but traces of the grapefruit and tangerine keep swirling in and out. They threaten to go soapy but never quite do. A perfect lighthearted mood-lifter. There are still more creamsicle-like scents for me to try, but they're gonna have to really wow me to beat this one.