torischroeder9

In the imp: Thick, humid, and faintly sweet. 

On my skin: 

Wet, the humidity and faint sweetness continue. It reminds me of cantaloupe or honeydew, though it doesn't necessarily actually smell like that. As it dries, the sweetness fades, and the salty brine becomes the most prominent note -- though the faint sweetness lurks in the background, keeping the brine from being overpowering. 

Given time to develop on my skin, it's what I think of as quintessential aquatic. It's one of the first that doesn't go soapy or otherwise icky on me. It's the smell of being out on the ocean rather than standing on a beach or other shore. 

It's a nice aquatic though aquatics aren't generally my thing, and this one does develop into a scent I consider masculine on me. 

The throw is good, and while I'm likely to wash it off before I can test its true wear length, it's been on me long enough that I can stay it doesn't pull a fast vanishing act. 

In the bottle: Icy, snowy evergreen and juniper. 

On my skin:

Wet, it's ice and juniper grounded by pine and fir. The snow + juniper is almost minty in quality. As it dries, something sweet begins to creep out, but it's sufficiently overshadowed by the snow and juniper that I can't tell if it's fruit or floral. 

Once it's been on for about half an hour or so, the sweetness -- in which I'm fairly certain I can detect currant and unidentifiable florals -- becomes more prominent, though the chilly note remains more so. The currant gradually develops more strength, warming the scent profile. 

It's definitely a scent evocative of a sparse, chilly, snow-covered landscape with just a few hints of cold-hardy plantlife. 

In the imp: Raisins with a little bit of... fizz? Sniffing again, I think that might be how I'm interpreting the rum portion of the note. 

On my skin:

Rum raisin with something that smells like animal fat. As it dries, I'd call it more like a butter crust note. As it dries, spices -- the mince pie -- emerge. (I do not know what either plum pudding or frumenty smell like. I do not detect a plum-plum note.) 

Given about a half hour to develop on my skin, it's lovely spicy mince pie close to my skin with some throw that has definite rum raisin and perhaps hints of plum. 

Doesn't morph on me much after that. 

I'm very intrigued by this blend and want to test it further. My initial impression is that it's most suited to a cool- or cold-weather scent. 

In the imp: Yuzu and kumquat predominantly. Some bitter citrus of grapefruit, some light floral. 

On my skin:

Wet, it's first dominated by the yuzu, then the kumquat. The grapefruit and floral are detectable as gracing top notes, but they're not prominent. After about twenty minutes, the wisp of grapefruit dries and fades, leaving the yuzu, kumquat, and florals. It doesn't morph much after that on me. 

It's pretty, but I'm not sure it's a "me" kind of scent. There's a humid, almost swampy quality to the scent that seems out of place with the dry air of the desert. 

On me, the throw is on the stronger side of medium. 

In the decant: Mead and fruit. 

On my skin:

Wet, it's basic honey mead. As it dries, I can make out nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and lemon. There's something very round and almost buttery about the quality of this scent. 

Given time to develop, however, the ginger and lemon start to become more and more noticeable in the blend. Neither of them dominates outright, but they both work to cut Mead Moon's sweetness. The end result is a perfume that's more like a ginger lemon tea with lots of honey stirred in than it is like a blend whose backbone is honey or mead. 

I like it a lot -- though I need to slather to enjoy -- but I can understand that it's not what some people might have in mind for a scent with this name. 

In the decant: Mead, honey, and maple. I can't detect the pumpkin as an independent note. 

On my skin: 

Wet, the mead, sweet and slightly boozy, is prominent. As it dries, the pumpkin also becomes detectable, softening some of the mead and honey sweetness. It's roundly sweet and gently spicy, more like a pumpkin + pumpkin pie spice scent than a purely pumpkin one. 

After the initial drydown, the scent morphs very little on me. It stays pumpkin-dominant, sweetened by the honey and mead. If the maple is present at all, I only notice it as part of the sweetness. The scent as a whole is lovely -- sweet and rich without being cloying -- and my only complaint is that it has so little throw on me. But I'll happily use up this decant. 

In the decant: The initial smell is green and herbal, reminding me most of the Lab's Belladonna. If I sniff again, there's something sticky and resiny around the edges of the scent. 

On my skin: 

The resin comes to the forefront of the scent, combining with the herbal smell to create something that almost smells like pine sap. As it dries, it becomes more resinous. I can pick out the frankincense, myrrh, and opoponax -- and I think the chamomile, though that's so much more a "thinner" scent that it's difficult to tell. 

It doesn't morph much after that. The end result is a very thick, syrupy resinous scent that actually doesn't have all that much throw on me. It's certainly nice for what it is. I'm just not sure if it's a "me" kind of thing. 

In the imp: Apple with an undercurrent of hemlock. 

On my skin:

Wet, apple still dominates, deepened by the hemlock. The impression I get is of a ripe, sweeter apple  -- something red rather than a Granny Smith. As it dries, the oleander also makes itself known. At this stage, oleander is the primary note if I sniff close to my skin; however, the apple still has the most waft. 

By about the thirty-minute mark, most of the apple has disappeared, and the scent is mostly oleander, opium -- now detectable -- and hemlock on my skin. It also has much less sillage than when the apple was prominent. Approximately one hour after application, all of the apple is gone, and only the "poison" remains. The result is soft, dark floral, with oleander as the top note backed by hemlock underneath with just a trace of opium thickening the scent. As someone who often amps apple in a blend, this is pretty interesting to me. That said, I don't know that this is a unique enough floral for me to want to keep it. 

In the decant: Okaaaaay... It smells like soap. I know what Sin smells like; I love Sin. I know what Snow White smells like (now, and I'm familiar with it as a component of other Frostbittens); I love that too. But this oil doesn't distinctly smell like either of them to me. 

On my skin:

Oh, okay. Wet, it's Snow White. And then Sin. And then Snow White again. And then Sin again. This continues for several minutes until Snow White basically wins. I note that Frostbitten Sin is a little less sweet than is straight Snow White, so I guess that's the sandalwood and/or patchouli influencing the blend. 

Hrm. These may actually be two great tastes that taste great separately. 

2012 version. 

In the decant: This is the note I recognize from the Yule 2018 Frostbitten series. It's a round and softly sweet coconut vanilla. 

On my skin:

Wet, it's just as it is in the decant, and dry, that's just how it stays on me. It's delicate and inviting without being too heady or cloying. Though it has very low throw on me, it's utterly gorgeous. 

Debating whether I need to try to hunt down a bottle. The scent profile is gorgeous, but I'm worried I'll be the only one able to smell me when I'm wearing it. 

In the decant: I can smell the dead leaves note but not much else. 

On my skin:

Wet, the dead leaves note is still the most prominent. As it dries, it develops a powdery quality that's neither leaves nor violet nor any kind of sugar or candy but may be the quality of a scent in flux.

But, no -- lies! Dead Leaves and Lots of Baby Powder is what stays on my skin for the next hour (until I shower to wash it off). I've not had this reaction to a sugar or violet note before; this is only my second time testing dead leaves. 

Review based on a tester decant. Amount of oil may affect my ability to review all aspects completely and accurately. 

In the decant: Gingerbread at the forefront, Snake Oil underneath. 

On my skin:

Wet, the gingerbread note comes to the forefront. As it dries, the Snake Oil becomes more apparent, though gingerbread remains dominant. 

After this has been on my skin some time -- about forty-five minutes from the initial application -- this becomes basically Snake Oil on me. By this time, it's very beautiful and aged Snake Oil, of course, but it's mainly Snake Oil nonetheless. 

Ultimately, not worth me seeking out as a specialty. 

Received as a tester decant. Amount of oil may affect ability to fully review. 

In the decant: Interestingly, when I sniff into the decant vial, I get mainly chocolate. When I sniff the wand of the decant cap, however, I can easily detect the ginger note as well. 

On my skin: 

Wet, the chocolate comes to the top first, though the ginger note is close behind it. As it dries, something odd happens. I get the slightly lemony note I sometimes get from ginger or gingerbread -- but without the rest of the ginger(bread) scent profile. So it's now chocolate and sour lemon. I'm cringing a little as I sniff my wrist. 

After about half an hour the unpleasant sour smell (almost like spoiled yogurt) starts to recede, and the ginger becomes more apparent. With it comes a slightly perfumey aura. Oh, and -- hey! Once that happens, this is a perfectly pleasant ginger (not gingerbread) scent on me. 

I'm guessing that something about the way the chocolate note and the ginger note interact in this blend and on my skin is what led to the spoiled dairy smell -- and that when the chocolate (often a short-lived note on me) receded, my skin declared ginger the scent war winner. 

I realize that with a tester, the decision isn't real for me, but if I'd had a larger amount of this scent, I probably would not have kept it. I have chocolate scents I like better for chocolate and ginger scents that aren't so persnickety. Better to send it to skin that doesn't get an unpleasant phase from it. 

Disclaimer: I received a tester vial of this. It is always possible that there may be limitations in my review due to the amount of oil. 

In the decant: Gingerbread, light pepper, and sugared vanilla. 

On my skin:

Wet, the pink pepper is dominant, followed by the gingerbread. Given sufficient time to dry and develop, the pink pepper becomes even more dominant, spicy and ever so slightly floral, though the gingerbread remains detectable. The vanilla sugar is present in that it's keeping everything feeling... almost candy-like (but not in an overly artificial way). It's basically all my favorite parts of Cinnamon Red Hots candy -- real peppery bite with just a bit of sweetness. 

I don't know how much occasion I'd find to use this as an all-day perfume, but I'm definitely not washing this off tonight. 

Throw on me is medium. 

In the imp: I get more rooty and woody than I do fig. I also smell something that smells... not quite vanilla-y... maybe tonka-y?

On my skin:

Wet, this is definitely a rooty smell that is by turns vanilla, spice, and mint. (At least, the scent has those qualities, not that it contains those actual ingredients.) Dry, the mint quickly fades, but the round, warm, rooty spice remains. 

As it develops on my skin, some of the roundness fades, replaced by a soft green note. It's the soft, deep green of living tree branches rather than the sharper, fresher green of grass or the drier green of herbal notes. 

This is definitely more whole fig tree than fig fruit, but it's pretty great in its complexity. It's rounder and spicier than most wood-central perfumes I own. It's not quite the same, but I'd place this scent as closest to the patchouli-plum-vanilla (minus the red musk) I get from the 2006 Madame Moriarty. It also has a similarly strong (but not overwhelmingly strong) throw on me. Definitely putting this imp into regular rotation. Will also keep the idea of a bottle in the back of my mind. 

In the imp: Mint, something musky, and something... almost vanilla or buttery?

On my skin:

Mint, yes, but I'm also sticking to that vanilla/buttery claim. As it dries, I want to call that note black musk and something else, though I don't know what the something else is. The white musk is also very definitely present, though it's more helping waft the other notes than it is commanding nose attention itself. 

Sadly, the black musk plus stage doesn't last past the initial drydown. Incubus becomes mint, nicotiana, and sage floating on white musk for me. It's ethereal in a way that's more haunting than angelic or pretty (though it's a very elegant scent), but it's just not me. 

Throw is light to medium. 

In the imp: That is some vetiver right there. Also, smoke. But the smoke note is distinct from the vetiver. 

On my skin: 

Vetiver, and... not quite smoke... more like char. 

After about 10 minutes, it turns to vetiver, woods, and soap. 

Yeah, folks. Vetivery, woody, charred soap is where this one stays on me. 

This is a BPAL secretly in love with someone else's skin chemistry. 

In the imp: Apple and hyacinth with dragon's blood underneath. The dragon's blood is fairly faint at this stage, so it's mainly the apple and floral. 

On my skin: 

Wet, it's apple and dragon's blood. Not too surprising since these are two notes that typically dominate others on me. It will be fun to see what they do when they have to compete with each other. 

And the winner is... hyacinth? Early in the drydown

At approximately the half hour mark, apple becomes the dominant note, with both hyacinth and dragon's blood detectable as accents. (I can't detect the apple blossom as distinct from the apple or the hyacinth.) 

For the next half hour, both apple and hyacinth fiddle around for a bit, vying to become the top note. Dragon's blood remains a detectable background note. This is... weird on me. If it was just apple and hyacinth, I might call it mostly floral. But with the dragon's blood, it's three very distinct notes that never quite blend into one perfume on me. 

Throw is just on the short side of medium for me. 

In the imp: Sandalwood with a touch of amber.

On my skin:

Wet, it's predominantly sandalwood, though there's nothing harsh about it, which makes me think the amber is affecting the blend, even if I can't detect it quite yet. As it dries, the rose-infused amber comes to the foreground. As someone who often amps rose to high heaven, this is a lovely variant on it. The note is definitely amber tinged by rose, not rose overtaking everything. 

Given some time to develop, however, the rose does amp considerably on my skin. It's not as overwhelming as rose often is on me -- and the quality of the rose is excellent, sweet and pure and not a bit soapy -- but this has become decidedly rose-dominant, with a faint undercurrent of amber and an even fainter undercurrent of sandalwood. 

After about an hour of wear, the amber starts to turn the scent powdery though the rose is still present. I can't see this ending well from here. It's a lovely scent in its best phase, but it's just not of the note profile I like to wear a lot. If, however, you are a person who would like to wear rose but on whom rose often becomes a hot screaming mess, this would be an excellent scent to try. 

In the decant: Very difficult to distinguish individual notes. It's deep and a bit sweet but not overly so. 

On my skin:

The first note to hit me is almost smoky, though gently so -- snuffed out candles, not raging bonfire. As it dries, I can pick out the redwood, myrrh, and fig -- in that order, so it's a woody scent rounded out by the fig. Given some time to settle, the fig develops into the main note, with myrrh, amber, and redwood all playing supporting roles. Sweet orange makes the briefest of appearances, and nutmeg is barely detectable, adding some gentle spice to the sweetness of the fig. 

Not too long after that, however, the black musk shows up and starts turning Aeronwen to powder, something that has lately been happening much more than usual. Let me stash this decant in the "retest in a couple of weeks or so" row. 

In the imp: Oleander with honey underneath. 

On my skin:

Wet, the trend reverses, and it's mostly honey with some oleander in the background. But it's not done sorting itself out yet. Once dry, the oleander redominates. 

It goes back and forth for a bit -- not wildly, just a little off center -- before settling down to be oleander and honey in fairly equal amounts. Floral oleader is the note in the forefront, but it's definitely sweetened and deepened by the backing of the honey. 

This may be one of the best balanced Apiary blends I've tried. 

In the imp: A sweet fermented scent, like a hard apple cider. If I sniff again, I can also detect honey. 

On my skin:

Wet, the apple cider note comes to the surface first. Quickly afterward, the scent develops a note I'd almost place as caramel. 

Dry, it's appley and carmely, but there's also an element of ginger spice to it. 

I've concluded that what my brain is interpreting as caramel must be the honey note playing funny with the mushrooms and/or apple rootstock. I can't tell if it really does smell different, of if my nose is smelling apple, and so my brain is going "caramel!" 

After about forty-five minutes, I have to admit defeat. It's very sweet and very appley, and it's just not working out for me. 

Medium throw. 

Aged (apx 7 years?). 

In the imp: Patchouli, sugar, vanilla, other spicy notes I can't identify. 

On my skin:

Wet, it's vanilla and patchouli. Dry, I get a lot of lovely patchouli with some spice -- and some sugar overlaying all of it. The sugar is enough to take the edge off of the patchouli, but it's not really a terribly sweet blend on me. For a time, the vanilla basically disappears, though it does reemerge -- as a backing note -- after about thirty minutes of wear time. 

Aaaaand that's about where it stops on me. 

I don't know that it's a particularly "sexy" scent on me, though I know Snake Oil does have that reputation. Even aged, the patchouli note is just a little... dirty? (but in the "dirt" sense of the word)... on me. The spice and vanilla notes let it veer somewhat near, but not into, foody territory. Of all the BPAL blends I've tried, Snake Oil "feels" closest to Vixen, not necessarily in notes (though there is similarity) but in overall... aura? 

It's a very nice, grounded scent that I never find unworkable. 

In the imp: White musk and frankincense. 

On my skin:

Wet, the frankincense is dominant. As it dries, the frankincense remains in the foreground, touched by a bit of white musk and a bit of bourbon vanilla. It's a soft, round, creamy, sedate blend. I'm curious to see how it will pair with both busier, more effervescent RPG scents as well as with heavier, darker ones. 

In the imp: Honey mixed with a sharp, deep, greenness. 

On my skin:

Wet, it's predominantly honey. As it dries, it develops a facet that's almost evergreen and almost waxy. 

Aaaand... this is where it stays on me. 

It's actually very nice on me. The green note keeps the honey from veering into cloying territory. Unfortunately, the fact that my skin reads hemlock like evergreen makes this a honey scent with limited usefulness on me. 

Medium throw.