sh1mm3r
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Everything posted by sh1mm3r
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For opera diva drama, I would say Red Queen or Living Flame (an LE which I'm sure you can find someone willing to trade).
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Thanks to wickedgoddess for seeing my posting of desire for Honey Moon and sending me some! I adore this scent, perhaps more than my top two (Snow White and Dorian). At first, I smell thick, rich, syrupy honey. Then it turns into a heavy floral. The first time this happened, I yelled "Noooooo!" out loud and my husband thought something happened, but after it dries it goes to a pure, sweet, honey note that is great on me. In the past two days I have learned that it is even better if I am warm or have just exercised, so definitely a good summer scent.
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This makes me think of Easter. A mouthful of juicy jellybeans and bouquets of spring flowers, all in one scent. I actually like it. Most florals are too overpowering, but the juicyness helps to balance all of that out. Just sweet and.... pretty!
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I tried this because I'm on a mission to try all the BPAL honey scents, since some of them have been wonderful on me. Jezebel. I'm so sad, because most reviewers got honey + orange + rose and I get... powder. Ah well. It turns to powder on me just the same way O does. I'm not sure what the two of them share, but they need to stop it. *pout*
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Thanks to vyvyan for the swap. This is the first blend I've tried that has been really headshoppy on me. I feel very witchy with this on. The predominant note on my skin is the sage, start to finish. The sweetpea gets sweeter as it dries, which almost feels like it doesn't belong. Like... who is chewing gum in here? Off to the swap pile.
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Got this in a swap with vyvyan. I've been holding off on trying this one because of the rose and ylang ylang, but honey usually works really well on me, so I took the plunge. At first sniff and when I first applied it, I got the apple blossom that is sweet but not too sweet. A second later, I was hit with the roses. The ylang ylang kept trying to make an appearance, but the roses kept rising to the surface. I never got any honey at all. Oh well, at least this means I am becoming more consistent and knowing what will work and won't work on me. I knew this probably wouldn't, but tried it anyway.
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This one brought back an immediate scent memory for me. Every year before Christmas, my Dad would manage to pick the coldest possible day to drive up the mountain to a tree far, and we would tromp around until we found the perfect blue spruce tree to cut down. I would hold the top as he sawed the bottom, and my gloves would get a little sticky from sap. It would be so cold that we would be shivering by the time we got back to the car. One year I distinctly remember there wasn't any snow, but it was so cold that the dirt was frozen with dirtsicles. This scent is exactly that air - fresh, clean, and cold air with acres and acres of trees. *sigh* Wish I had some of my own!
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Thanks to batgirl for bringing this to the Chicago meetup to try! Although this is not as change-o-matic as Black Cat, it is similar in its numerous phases that seem completely different from each other. First it is sweet, then the florals come out and then I distinctly start catching whiffs of smoke and cactus (a shocker, even though I have been impressed by Beth before, I guess I never expected to smell smoke and cactus so distinctly!!). I don't think it ever got to the point where it was a unified single note, it depended on how far my nose was from my arm, what I was thinking about when I sniffed it, etc. Even if you don't think you would like the notes in this, I would recommend trying it just for the experience.
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I tried this at the Chicago meetup. I got a very strong cranberry impression, which quickly faded into a more potpouri-type smell (I think it has some kind of Yule-ish tree in it, which to me always smells herby). I would love this as a room scent, but not as much on myself. ETA: (11/06!) - Woe is me for passing it off so quickly back then. I just swapped for a bottle of this at the Atlanta MnS and it adores my skin. Although I'm not sure which year's version I'm trying, so that might make a big difference. This one just loves my skin - it turns into a sweet and creamy combo of pine and cinnamon, and is lovely lovely lovely.
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I don't know if sugarplums are real things (like in the Night Before Christmas) but if they are, this is what they smell like! I tried countrymouse's bottle of this during the Chicago meetup and it was very sweet, but the floral seemed to balance it out and not make it "OMG I want to kill myself" sweet. I'm curious to see which Yule scents make a reappearance this next year.
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I tried a small swipe of this from batgirl's bottle at the Chicago meetup (I promise only the smallest swipe, as I know how precious this one is!). I do not like rose. In fact, I usually don't order any oils with rose listed. But this one could almost make me willing to wear it. It was so natural, so much like fresh roses, that it was truly unique.
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I decided to try this even though from the description I wasn't too interested in it. I ended up trying it twice, once alone and once on an arm where I was comparing the few aquatics that I have. I would call this a yellow-green aquatic, rather than just a green one. Unfortunately, with my body chemistry, anything yellow-green ends up smelling of cleaning fluid. Compared to the other aquatics I was comparing (Tempest and Kingsport), this was lacking the ozone aspect, which made it a lighter scent as far as thickness goes, not necessarily strength or throw. I'm not sure about the effects, since in general I am not a very high-stress person. I will happily swap this with someone who can use it more than I can.
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Thanks to shelldoo for the decant! I was debating between hunting down a decant and ordering, and well, this time I'm glad I didn't order. I don't know why I think of myself as a green girl, when I never end up loving the green scents. Wet: The bamboo jumps out at first, but then as it dries, the mossy and juniper smells become stronger. Drying: I'm starting to get a whiff of something that I can't explain other than saying "citronella," you know, the mosquito candles? Dry: It starts to get a little spicy, but the citronella type smell doesn't ever leave. Unfortunately for me! I was really hoping for chai green tea! I'm going to a BPAL meetup in Chicago this weekend, where I hope to swap this. If I don't, I'll have it up for swap shortly!
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I tried this again this morning, as I was comparing all of my aquatics. I'm not sure what it is, but aquatics just don't stick around long on me. Kingsport is ozoney, salty, and definitely a briney stormy scent. Doesn't change a lot on my skin before it disappears!
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Free from the lab! I tried the same amount of Machu Picchu on that I typically do with new imps, but I could barely smell it. So I'll review this once and go home and apply more to see if things change. I like how this is fruity, but not apple or berry or anything typical. It's definitely tropical fruits. The amber seems to add an element of spice, but isn't overwhelming like amber usually is on me. I don't hate it like I expected (I'm not usually a fruity/floral girl) but I think my little sis would love it more than me. Nothing better than spreading the addiction, right? ETA: Nope, no matter how much I apply, my skin eats it within a half hour. I've never had such a rapid flight of a BPAL oil!
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In the bottle and wet: I smell a lot of wood, and I am immediately skeptical. Drying: Wow, super apple! I echo many who have already reviewed in saying I didn't expect liking apple. I stay away from apple-flavored or apple-scented candles or body products (too country home for me) but this is so real, I do like it. Particularly in its honey/caramel stage. Dry: Still very apply, like picking apples on a late summer afternoon. Also cycles back through the caramel apple stage, and I am immediately transported to a friend's annual Halloween party as a child, where we would bob for apples and have a hay castle. I want to keep this one around for fall. I love it when I put off trying imps because I think I won't like them and then I do!
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I put off trying this one for a long time, because frankincense scares me. But I got it in a swap with joseybird, and I'm glad I did! I have tried other scents with almond, and my skin eats them. This one stayed strong a lot longer. In the bottle, I could smell the cinnamon. For some reason, cinnamon never shows up on my skin, but I'm still hoping it will happen as this dries. I keep getting mental images of making cherry pie, but I think that is because we used to add almond extract at the tearoom; I'm not sure I'm smelling cherry. The frankincense is not overpowering, which is what I was afraid of. I think I'm going to keep this one around for the fall/winter, but I can't imagine wearing it in the summer. It would be better when I'm shivering and need to be warmed up!
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I put off trying this for a while, because while I love vanilla, most chocolate scents from the lab were way too sweet on me. But as I discovered that sandalwood works well with my body chemistry, I had to try it. Thankfully, I never get the myrrh from this. It is a pure trio of cocoa, vanilla, and sandalwood. It is so much like being wrapped in velvet. I think of drinking hot chocolate and sitting on a velvet couch. I couldn't wear this scent during the day, because it is too sensual and comfy, but I love it for evenings and blustery weekends. ETA: This is sexy, sexy stuff. Sandalwood me. I've taken it to wearing it during the day after all, and it's kind of like knowing you are wearing sexy underwear and nobody else knows.
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I was surprised I liked this one (thanks to the lab for the freebie). It didn't change a lot on me, there seems to be a clear note that stops it from being overly sweet, which I assume is the champagne, but I never get the distinct alcohol that some have gotten. I could smell strawberry for almost 8 hours, and I applied very little!
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In the bottle: Wow, I smell really sweet coffee. Sweeter than I expected. Wet: I think I put too much on, it's a really sweet hazelnut coffee scent. Much like one of those Yankee candles. Dry (within an hour): Still very strong, sweet coffee. Dry (4 hours later): Ah, I'm now getting some of the dusty tomes and oak. In one of my librarian jobs, I added old journals to the online catalog, and this is totally that smell. The next day: This time I applied much less, and it moved to the dusty/oak stage much more quickly, while retaining the sweet and coffee-ness of the original. I like this, but think I would be more likely to burn it or add it to lotion than wear it straight. Or maybe I will like it more when it is colder outside. But it is mine, no touching.
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Beltane reminds me of Bayou, but is lighter. Kind of like Nuit during the day, walking away from the pond toward the sunlit clearing.
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Normally I don't try anything with jasmine because it doesn't agree with my skin. But I adore meadow scents. Wet: pure jasmine. I'm worried, but decide to wait it out. Drying: moss and roses, but pure and wet Dry: It seems to waver between the moss/roses and a more aquatic flower scent. But not at all sweet. This is like a meadow at night with a pond or stream. Wonderful. Worship Nuit? How could I not?
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No matter what, scents with woods in them become almost single-note woods as soon as they dry. At first, I could smell the smokiness and incense, and along with the woods it was intriguing. As it dried, it becomes woods, like deep in the redwoods or an evergreen forest, not the kind of forest with high variety and mosses and flowers. An old forest. I would like to smell this on a guy, methinks.
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Got to try this at springsea's house. When I first put this on, it made me think of lilies, but not quite lilies, and thinking back, it was dogwood and tulips. Oh, how I wish that stage would last. As it dried, it just got sweeter and sweeter. And ended up as Strawberry Bubblicious. I just can't think of a time that I would want to smell like that, but it is amazing how distinct the different layers were. How does she DO that?
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I tried this again today before I put it up for swap. For some reason, grapefruit beats everything else out when it is in a blend. And it is STRONG. Like Hall's fruit drops grapefruit-flavor strong. I had to wash this off because I couldn't live with myself in my office with the door closed! I love grapefruit though. Wah!