torischroeder9

In the decant: Yup. Sweetened weed with an undercurrent of something green (like, normal plant green).

On my skin:

Wet, it is sooo much honeyed weed deliciousness. I say this as someone who unabashedly loves the Lab's honey notes and weed notes. As it dries, the green undercurrent becomes discernible as... have you ever crushed a dandelion stem and seen the milky sap stuff come out? And smelled it? That's what it smells like. It's nice sharp, bitter note to bite through the honeyed weed.

This is where it stays on me. I actually wish I got a touch more of the dandelion since that would absolutely give me a reason to bottle it (as it is, I have no small number of honey and weed scents). But this is lovely. Maybe I will see how it ages....

In the decant: Cacao and sharp black leather.

On my skin:

Wet, while the leather does come through, it's the cacao that first blooms on my skin. As it dries, though, it's a lot of black leather coming up. I can still smell the cacao near my skin -- and a bit of smoky incense there too -- but it's the leather that by far dominates the throw.

Um. I had high hopes for this one, and I might still sit with it a little while and retest the decant after it's had time to age. But right now, it's too much screeching leather and too absent on the other notes for me.

In the decant: Musk and patchouli. I definitely get more woody (pun intended) than metal, though.

On my skin:

Wet, there's a little bit of metal and a lot of stank. Like, I'm double-checking that there's no oud listed. As it dries, the stank dials back, though so does the metallic note. The green cardamom also starts to come out, so it's that plus patchouli now.

Um. And that's where it stays.

So. I think this is not my favorite.

In the decant: Smooth and sweet, though not cloyingly so. It reminds me of my decant of Mad Sweeney, actually, after I've worn it for a while and the whiskey's burned off -- so I'm guessing what I'm smelling a lot is the oak and whatever is smoothing it out (I want to think vanilla, but it really could be amber).

On my skin:

Wet, it's just like in the decant but better, all smooth, slinky, silky woods.

(Note: My husband has just smelled this from several feet away. He says it's nice and that it smells like cinnamon. I don't get cinnamon, but I do think I smell nice.)

As it dries, the lovely headiness of this fades back a bit, and I get more of what I'm sure is the bamboo and amber (and less of the vanilla and oak). I also get a note that I can't identify but that is decidedly similar to something I pick up in Stung by the Cock Tree in Hell, so I'm wondering if it's the mushroom note.

While the drydown here is very nice -- it's warm and smooth and sweet without being cloying -- I think I love Mad Sweeney's rough edges a little more.

I bought this for the title alone. If the scent works, that's just a bonus.

In the decant: Something creamy and buttery and utterly unexpected, grounded by something that could be patchouli or moss or even oud. And then ti leaf.

On my skin:

Wet, it's ti leaf and some of the other notes -- maybe tobacco leaf, maybe red pepper -- combining to give a milder sensation of... almost menthol. And still that creamy, buttery note, just once -- but it is fleeting. As it dries, I get more of the hinoki wood and moss, though tinged with some ti leaf as well, giving it a... it's not a sharpness, but it is a high note.

Given more time to develop, I get more of the moss and patchouli. The hinoki doesn't disappear, but it does hang back, as does the ti leaf. I'm not getting discernible red pepper or tobacco leaf. The mushroom could be anywhere.

Eventually, the ti leaf does fade, and I'm left with a woodsy, mossy scent. I like it, but it's probably not a distinct enough iteration of this for me to want to bottle it.

In the bottle: I can definitely pick out apricot cream, clary sage, and white tea. The combination is a little jarring, but mostly because I don't have a good mental scheme of these notes together.

On my skin:

Wet, it's sharp, crisp white tea first, followed by clary sage and then coconut milk. As it dries, the scent's throw stays mostly about the clary sage for me, though I can detect the apricot cream rounding it out -- and the coconut milk close to my skin. Given more time to develop, the apricot cream comes out a lot more, to the extent where I can say it's the blend's main note on me -- but not to the extent that the supporting clary sage disappears. The coconut milk, however, does seem to fade from detection, but that's not a bit unusual on my skin.

This ends up being a very skin-close scent, which I prefer for this blend, I think, because the apricot cream could be cloying in a scent with lots of throw. But it's fruity and creamy and cut through with some nice herbal greenery. It's bright and cheerful and... maybe not quite as delicate as some of the peony and cherry blossom Shungas that I've tried, but much closer to that vibe than, say, boozy musk and leather.

In the bottle: Black musk and lots of rich, deep myrrh.

On my skin:

Wet, it's just like in the bottle. As it dries, the black musk tempers it and makes it go just a little powdery.

It evokes stickiness, but I don't actually get any motor oil.

I have never smelled a street in Detroit like this, but I like it.

In the bottle: When I first got this, I noticed a lot of sweet ginger, like ginger candy. Now (after resting 2 days because I can't help myself), I'd say it's a little less sweet and even more gingery. And fizzy, almost like ginger ale. Like, if a "little ginger buzz" is the bees, this is an entire swarm.

On my skin:

Wet, the honey peeks out to make sure it's not just gingery bees. As it dries, the ginger comes back out again. I do still get some sticky honey sweetness, and the ginger has lost a little of its fizz, but this stage is a lot of ginger backed by a little honey.

It stays really steady after that, a lot of ginger backed up by a little honey. I like this a lot since I have a lot of honey perfumes already, but my number of "keeper" ginger perfumes is pretty small. (Just one. It's Vixen.) I do anticipate that the honey might strengthen a little as the blend ages, since that's what I've know BPAL honey to do in the past, though I hope it doesn't overwhelm the lovely ginger note here.

In the imp: Cherry with a touch of floral, almost inverse to the scent description. The floral here is not super distinct, such that I almost envision cherry plus cherry blossom.

On my skin:

Wet, it's screaming cherry candy all the way. As it dries down, more of the lily comes through though cherry is still very prominent on me. The longer it stays on me, the more the lily comes out, such that it morphs into lily with a touch of cherry. It's a little rounder than just floral, but it's now mainly a strong floral.

I will be honest and say that neither lily (any kind) nor cherry are notes that I wear particularly well. I was fully prepared for this to be a hot mess on me. It is not necessarily to my personal taste, but it is surprisingly un-mess-like.

In the imp: So very much bitter almond.

On my skin:

Wet, it's basically alcoholic almond extract, bitter almond with extra alcohol bitter at the end. As it dries, something -- I'm guessing the frankincense -- makes it go a little powdery. I also get some of the vanilla. This stage is considerably nicer and softer than the bitter almond extract first act.

A little cinnamon comes out later, but it's not much. While I'm happy the almond doesn't end up taking over, the final scent is pretty but not terribly remarkable on me.

I have, in the past, loved this scent. I have, apparently, not reviewed it.

In the imp: Musky carnation, mostly. I'd believe plum if someone told me, but it's not something I'd pick out unannounced at this stage.

On my skin:

Wet, it's a big swirl -- carnation and then plum and then musk. As it dries, it feels like both the plum and the musk work to support the carnation. They're very strong supporting notes, but I'd say the blend is plummy, musky carnation rather than any other way around.

This is where it stays on me. The musk grounds it and adds depth, the plum is juicy, but carnation is the strongest on me. I like this a lot, but I think the plum makes it a little too sweet for my skin chemistry.

In the bottle: Honey, benzoin, and cedar. I get the comparison to baby wipes, but only, I think, because I read it first. I don't think my brain would have made the association unbidden.

On my skin:

First, this oil is thick and sticky. It's not as viscous as my aged Boomslang or even regular Snake Oil, but it's definitely a notch above the consistency I normally see in BPAL perfumes. Wet, it's honey and benzoin. The resin makes the honey less overpowering without contributing too very much strong scent of its own. As it dries, I get a touch of the cedar but not much.

In the bottle: Amber and orris with a bit of lemon peel.

On my skin:

Wet, it's almost powdery amber and orris. The lemon peel is only detectable on the very initial application. It disappears immediately when the scent starts to dry. As it dries, I get the distinct tang of agarwood. Maybe lemon peel too. Still definitely amber and orris.

Hrm. As the agarwood tang fades, so does the scent's whole throw. It's dusty amber and orris but now very faint.

In the decant: Honey and myrrh, which makes it really deep and rich, followed by rose otto.

On my skin:

Wet, the rose and lily jump to the top of the scent, though they're immediately followed by something rich and spicy. It might be the warm musk, but it's not terribly unlike spiciness I often get in scents with fig leaf as a note. As it dries, the spiciness plays up in the scent's through, though it's still quite a lot of rose close to my skin.

Um.Though. The rose gets bigger and bigger the longer I let it sit on my skin. It is a beautifully overwhelming, intoxicating scent and a superb representation of its inspiration. Ultimately, however, I do not need this much strong, heady honey-rose.

In the decant: Super spicy amber with a hint of patchouli and hyssop.

On my skin:

Wet, it's a very deep golden amber. As it dries, the spices come back out, but the rich, resinous quality of the amber remains.

It stays pretty amber-heavy on me. I can't say there's no patchouli and no hyssop, but they're not at all prominent. It's mostly deep amber and spices. It is quite nice though personally, I have some amber blends I like better.

In the decant: Ginger and lime, with something else rounding it out.

On my skin:

Wet, it's ginger, lime, and vetiver. While not necessarily lining up with my scent preferences, it's not actually a bad combination. As it dries down, I regret my word choice. Spoken too soon. This stage is definitely reminiscent of an aftershave or cologne my dad used to wear. (To be fair, this is my memory of my dad when I was a kid, so, like, a man in his later 30s or early 40s. It is not Grandpa Old Spice.) After time, the scent stays fairly stable, but the throw dials way back (to the extent that I can smell another scent, applied much earlier this morning, on my other arm over Spider).

Yup, faint reminder's of dad's cologne.

I feel like I tested this once long ago, but I did not review it then. Also, I am now definitely re-testing since having seen the American Gods TV series (unfinished as it is).

In the decant: Straight up smooth oak whiskey. Like, I am going to put this on my skin, and my husband is going to wonder why I'm drinking at ten o'clock on a Sunday morning, it's that distinct.

On my skin:

Wet, the oak actually amps up a lot, smoothing out the fiery whiskey edge of the scent. As it dries, I get a little  of the whiskey back, but it's predominantly smooth -- almost vanilla-smooth -- oak.

My tiniest nit to pick is that this seems way smoother and more elegant than any iteration of Sweeney I've imagined or seen. But. The scent itself is gorgeous, and I would consider needing it in larger quantities.

In the decant: Very light florals and spice. I can pick out ginger but not pepper.

On my skin:

Wet, everything runs together even more. It's florals and light spice, but I can't pick out any individual notes. As it dries, gardenia becomes the dominant note on me. I can still detect the ginger and a bit of the pepper, but the other floral notes are pretty hidden behind the gardenia.

This is definitely a fun, spicy floral. I was (as I always am) hoping for more spice and less floral.

In the decant: Mostly honeysuckle, tempered by a light skin musk.

On my skin:

Wet, the throw is all skin musk -- but light and sheer -- while the skin scent is still dominated by honeysuckle. As it dries, the skin musk becomes by far the dominant scent, though it's tinged with both florals and milk.

This is exceptionally pretty and sexy on me. I kind of want to get a bottle of it immediately. Given how temperamental milk can be on me, I should definitely wait and retest. But the spectacularity of this scent is tempting.

In the decant: From the scent description, I can make out balsam, citrus rind, and "strange." 

On my skin:

Wet, it's really got the "innumerable" thing going for it. It might be a bit of balsam and a bit of citrus ring, but it's also got so very much cacophony. As it dries, the citrus unmuddles itself a bit from the rest of the scent. I also get something almost like menthol or eucalyptus. Also, the skin where I'm testing this scent feels cool, like it might if I'd rubbed some Icy Hot on it.

Given time to develop, it becomes slightly herbal and slightly smoky. A lot of the citrus dissipates fairly quickly, and the menthol vibe goes too, though that takes longer than the citrus. It's still a lot of notes together, though, and I don't know that I love the melange they become, though there's certainly nothing unpleasant about it.

In the decant: Much candied plum with a little bit of patchouli underneath.

On my skin:

Wet, I get an ultra sweet bubble gum note. Not sure where that's coming from, but it's very distinct and very powerful. As it dries, the bubble gum goes away pretty quickly, and it's back to very sweet sugar plum with a hint of patchouli.

Aaaannnd... that's where it stays. Phenomenal cosmic sugar plum, itty bitty Snake Oil. As a Snake Oil lover, I am disappoint.

In the decant: A blast of sugar cookie first, though I can detect the Satyr musk under it.

On my skin:

Wet, it's even more sugar cookie. The musk doesn't disappear completely, but it does dial back even from the scent in the imp. That doesn't last too long, though, as the musk becomes apparent as the blend dries down. I'll echo others' reviews of being like Snake Oil in its vibe, in that it is decidedly sweetened, spiced musk. The fresh version of Sugar Cookie Satyr feels more in your face than Snake Oil ever gets on me, but it comes without the stank that fresh patchouli can get. (I mean, I love that stank, but I also know it can be a polarizing note.)

I got a decant of this on a lark since the combination (Sugar Cookie is usually too sweet on me, Satyr is usually Too Musk) seemed like they might cancel out each other's objectionable bits.This they do, and it is wonderful. I might need a bottle, come next payday.

In the decant: White musk, cacao, and damask rose.

On my skin:

Wet, it's cacao competing with rose. My skin chemistry history says rose will win, but you never know. As it dries, true to my skin's form, it's all rose. I maybe get a little effervescence from white musk and a little grounding from patch, but right now, this could absolutely be an iteration of a rose note on me.

Given more time to develop, the rose becomes even more dominant. At this point, the cacao and white musk are only the barest hints of ideas on me. It's mostly damask rose with just a touch of drier grounding from the sweet patchouli. The effect is a damask rose that's not fresh, green, or growing, but that's neither wilted nor completely dried, either.

The throw is very far on me, but that is generally true of me and roses of any kind, so YMMV.

In the decant: Sweet spice cake.

On my skin:

Wet, the nutmeg and clove leap off my skin. As it dries, the honey comes out more, and so does what I think is the spelt, because it develops this vibe of being like very sweet, spiced oatmeal. I want to put raisins in it.

Once it settles, this doesn't really change on me. It reminds me a fair bit of the RPG Halfling scent. Cakes of Joy starts out with more spices, but those dial back pretty fast, and I'm left with a sweet porridge scent.

Apparently I have never tested this? I must have scared myself away with mention of both rose and apple in the notes. But this was a frimp in a recent Forum purchase.

In the decant: Apple and peach are at the forefront of a number of different notes. Skin musk is detectable underneath, but I can't pick out the others in the swirl.

On my skin:

Wet, I immediately get more of the grounding notes, frankincense and myrrh. Now I could not necessarily pick out the skin musk among those. That said, the initial drydown quickly becomes like my impression of the scent in the imp. Very peach-forward, a little musky, becoming also a little rosy -- but peach is the star of at least this part of the show. I do get more of the musk and myrrh in the skin scent, but they never throw very far from me.

This is actually really nice on me, though I can appreciate the tendency it will have to become cloying, especially in the warmer weather to which it is most suited. Still, I'm tempted to hang onto this imp until springtime to see how it works when sparingly applied.