torischroeder9

So I'm trying this well after the last review here. Safe to say this bottle is aged. I'm also trying it a long time after I've last smelled the regular Boomslang, so I can't make a direct comparison:

 

In the bottle: I do get chocolate as a first note, but the Snake Oil is detectable right after that. To my nose, these two notes are well balanced. 

 

On my skin:

 

The oil is darker than Snake Oil but lighter in color than I remember Boomslang being. I also seem to remember discussion about Lab Boomslang having sediment in some bottles. I can't see any of that in mine. 

 

As it starts to dry, this blend is Snake Oil and a note that might be woodsy. The chocolate is there too, sweetening and softening the edges of the scent. It's also slightly tingly on my skin (could be any number of notes but has not been Snake Oil or cocoa for me) though it does not cause redness or any real discomfort. 

 

Several minutes in, and there's definitely a woody note pairing with the Snake Oil. The cocoa has faded quite a bit though it's still detectable. 

 

 

In the bottle and wet on my skin, the evergreen almost overtakes the honey. It does die down as the blend dries, but on me, the evergreen note remains more detectable than I'd like. (I'd like a dominant honey note with other accents. This isn't it.) 

 

In the bottle: Honey, predominantly. But... complex honey. Honey as melody with high descant notes and lower alto notes. (In the bottle, this blend is very feminine to my nose.) There's something I'm reading as floral (the descant), but I can't pick out individual flowers. For the  lower alto notes, I cannot pick out individual notes but am getting impressions I associate with woods and maybe patchouli.

 

On my skin:

 

Immediately -- honey is still dominant, but the florals move more toward the forefront. I can pick out rose. What I interpreted as grounding notes in the beginning -- those have faded for the moment. 

 

A few minutes in, and the scent has deepened. It's still honey as the main note, and the rose is still detectable, but there is something more grounding that I can't quite name. That's often the case with me + musk: it's grounding and deepening and good, but I cannot call it any one thing. That's sort of what I'm getting here. 

 

The effect of the additional notes is nice. They keep the honey from being too cloying.

 

Several more minutes in, and this is what it's settling down toward: a honey blend graced by a rose floral top note and a more earthy, grounding bottom note. In that bottom note, I can get some very well blended musk and possibly some myrrh; patchouli never raises itself as an independent note for me, which is odd -- but I don't mind (I also don't mind patchouli, but I don't need it as the dominant note in every perfume that contains it listed). 

 

Ultimately, both the high and the low notes start to mute on me but never disappear. It's an exquisite BPAL honey perfume.

In the bottle: My first impression is one of caramel (I know it's not listed). Then I do get vanilla, and patchouli, and boozy, and fruity (could well be red fruits).

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, bourbon flies to the surface, followed by pumpkin. Vanilla is the next to make an appearance.

 

In the next phase, there is some patchouli going on and also some leather. It still has some bourbon vanilla hanging around the edges, and the sweetness is a positive factor for me.

 

And next, patchouli dominates, which is common for my skin chemistry. It's not great but not terrible. At this phase, Resistance reminds me most of Nasty Woman, though it's a bit sweeter.

 

Oh, yay? Something sweeter and nicer on me is coming forward again. Vanilla, yes, but also some of the pumpkin rind?

 

Minutes later, more fruit is returning, which is happier for me. The patchouli is still more dominant than I'd like but it's far from a patchouli-leather blend now.

 

Edit 11/1: Wore this blend to work all day. After a few hours, it settles to a boozy vanilla patchouli. After several hours, the vanilla note is actually the most lasting, though by this point it is very faint.

I've never been a first review before.

I will also note that I am emotional because I'm trying this the same day I'm trying Resistance, when we're a week away from an important election in the (not-California, but very close) desert that I love.

In the bottle: I smell the creosote first, though by the time I have a full inhalation, the dusty clove note is stronger. And "dusty clove" is a good way to explain it. It is dry but not overly biting.

On my skin:

Immediately, it's creosote and yucca. For people not from the desert, the closest parallel I can draw is that of sweet, live grasses. It's a little bit green and a little bit golden and a little bit woody and a little bit sun-kissed and just a touch smoky (which might be unique to the desert).

It is very much full of the spirit of live desert plants... creosote and yucca, yes, but also ocotillo and palo verde. It is not so sharp as a wood but not so delicate as a flower. It is earthy but not pungent, spicy but not biting.

It is hiking through the desert one week after a good rain.

It is earth and old plants and dormant plants promising .

It is gentle and lovely, and if I had to compare it to anything, it would be Fledgling Raptor Moon, though it is more for the soft woody feel than for any particular note (though yes, the general gentle spicy feel is the same on me for both).

If I have any sadness about this scent, it is that it is so close to the skin on me (as is Fledgling Raptor Moon). But I've never had such a grounded scent have much throw, so I suppose it's unreasonable to hope for this to be the exception.

In the imp: Aquatic plus something brightening it. Looking at the notes listed, I think it's the eucalyptus -- as an accent, not as the main feature.

 

On my skin:

 

At first, it's happy, light aquatic. I can definitely pick out the eucalyptus. I wish I could also detect the bergamot, but that's just because I love bergamot.

 

As it begins to dry, I can definitely see some Irish Spring potential, and I hope it can avoid that... Care to help, bergamot?

 

Oh, dang. No help from bergamot. This is full-on Irish Spring. (Which as soaps go, is a pretty good one, but it's not what I want my perfume to smell like, you know?)

 

...

...

...

 

Much time has settled it: Irish Spring, when it could have been bergamot.

 

I am not an aquatic person. If you are, maybe try this despite my review. If you are also not an aquatic person... this would not be the scent on which to break that pattern.

In the bottle: The creamy spice of eggnog spices, but condensed -- if that makes sense. It's too strong to just be regular eggnog, but in the bottle, at least, the scent profile is the same to me.

 

On my skin:

 

Glorious spiced eggnog comes leaping off of my inner elbow. It's great. It can't last.

 

As it dries, the sugary creaminess dies down, and a more truly peppery note appears. It's not unpleasant, more like that of a quite-spicy spice cake. A few minutes more, and I can pick out a cinnamon undertone. A little bit more and nutmeg comes back; the less peppery eggnog profile isn't quite ready to be done.

 

The throw on this is great.

In the bottle: What I'm struck most by is a sense of creaminess, followed by the spiciness of clove and the spicy floral of carnation. Given the scent description, bourbon vanilla is the only thing I can think would be causing that creaminess, but it definitely doesn't smell like vanilla to me.

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, the creaminess is still subdued but present. I can imagine it being toasted sandalwood. (I know, that is a far cry from vanilla.) It's a lot of beautiful carnation and a bit of clove.

 

Dry, it's lovely, grounded carnation. I'm definitely picking up carnation and sandalwood. Clove and other woods may be contributing notes. I'll credit vanilla with the fact that this is not a sharp wood at all; it's lovely and soft all around. No Bay on me (not unusual) or patchouli, either (unusual, but not unheard of).

 

Also, for such a soft and delicate scent, this has a good deal of throw on me. Not complaining.

 

All settled, and the creamy note is back just a bit, as a detectable background note this time instead of at the forefront. But it's lovely creamy carnation and sandalwood with a touch of clove.

In the bottle: Apricot and white musk.

 

On my skin:

 

White musk leaps off my arm before the scent is dry, which isn't usual for me and musk but is unusual for me and musk so soon. As it dries, the apricot emerges, and so does the orange blossom, keeping the scent from being heavy or syrupy.

 

As it settles down, the white musk amps more, and the apricot quiets down. I end up primarily with white musk along with a little orange blossom and and even littler bit of apricot.

In the bottle: Honey, with extra sweetness (floral -- in this case, probably the magnolia), and something deeper (the skin musk, yes; the patchouli, maybe -- I can't detect it specifically).

 

On my skin:

 

Sweet, deep honey. I get the floral aspect, and maybe the immortelle -- but the musk temporarily disappears (normal for musk + me: it's slower to rise up). This is lovely and luxuriant.

 

The next stage of the blend is carnation-spicy honey. You want this. I want this. I want more of this. My skin likes both honey and carnation, but it sometimes amps honey to the point of being cloying, and it sometimes eats carnation's spicy floral goodness. This is like carnation is riding the top of a wave of honey, so the honey showcases the carnation and the carnation occupies the aspect of honey that can go too sweet.

 

Several minutes later, the magnolia makes a bit of appearance, and... something (I'd guess the patchouli) is grounding the scent a bit more. These additional notes don't seek to compete with the honey and carnation, just accent it in different ranges.

 

Eventually, the skin musk makes itself known, softening the scent and making it more delicate. It's still quite nice this way, but I miss the absolutely divine quality of the pure carnation honey phase.

In the bottle: Is it weird that the first smell I get is chocolate? After that, it becomes immediately more woodsy and less sweet -- even that hint of chocolate was just a touch sweet -- even pungent.

 

On my skin:

 

Wet -- Again, there's the barest flash of something sweet -- this time I'd call it baking spices -- but it's gone before I can investigate further. The next phase is woodsy and almost sharp. At this stage, at least, I'm definitely having the "pencil shavings problem" with this blend. A few minutes later, and the sharpness subsides, leaving behind a slightly spicy wood.

 

A few minutes more, and I do get just the hint of the sweet smell again. It's still woodsy at its forefront and at its core, but there's something just a touch sweet peeking in at the edges. It's not strong enough to identify definitely, but it's a scent I associate with sweet baking or sweet bread products. Cocoa, sugar, vanilla -- none of them would surprise me if they were in here.

 

Okay, I'm calling it -- It's woods (no, I cannot tell what kind) with just a hint of spiced coffee cake. As it emerges on me, I'd call this scent unisex to masculine. Throw is on the lower end of average for me.

 

Though this is probably not a blend tailored to my unique skin chemistry, I am very much impressed about how some of the subtler notes had the chance to emerge here.

In the imp: sugared citrus candy

 

On my skin:

 

Grapefruit makes a beeline to be the top note. As it first dries, the grapefruit softens so we're back to sugared citrus again.

 

After several minutes, the lavender and oakmoss emerge. They ground the blend, but at this point, the citrus all but disappears on me, so it's almost all earthy greenery. And unfortunately, this is where it stays. I say "unfortunately" because with such a varied list of ingredients I expected something... more unique.

Trying out some Evil Gnome.

 

It starts out surprisingly well. Where Gnome was simple ginger ale fizz on me, this is ginger over something deeper, smoother, and darker. The ginger is completely overshadowing the actual notes in Evil, but its definitely lending a sense of substance.

 

Just over ten minutes in and... hrm... the Gnome seems to have taken over the Evil? Evil is usually a pretty solid scent on me -- lots of strong notes that stand up to my skin chemistry -- but there's barely anything more here than Gnome's ginger fizz.

 

Another ten minutes, and I can detect a bit more of the Evil again. The opium comes out under and a bit through the ginger. The result is almost... metallic? It could be one of the metallic notes from the Gnome, but it really does smell like the combination of ginger and opium. It's very unusual and difficult to place, but it's more pleasant than unpleasant.

 

But even the opium fades, and I'm left with... ginger, but not the same feel of effervescence that I get from Gnome. I do like this better, but I'm hard-pressed to say now the Evil is coming into play.

 

Fair warning: I do not know what all the listed notes actually smell like.

 

In the bottle: I can pick out opium, tobacco, and something round and sweet that could be the black plum. Overall, the scent is resinous and just slightly sweet. There's nothing I'm getting that's overly sharp or divisive.

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, something lighter -- that is not the green tea -- springs to the forefront, but it has enough of the other notes in the background that I can't really isolate the smell to describe it. That's fairly short-lived, though, and then we're back to the bottle scent.

 

This is "femme fatale as a unisex scent" kind of evil.

 

Several minutes more, and the scent loses some of its sweetness. The opium and tobacco become more pronounced. It doesn't smell bad on me, but I was really loving that sweet edge to it.

 

By the time it reaches a really settled point, a bit of that sweetness -- it could be partly plum but isn't completely so -- comes back, but opium remains the dominant scent. It's nice and very wearable on its own -- but the sweeter phase was absolutely fabulous on me, so I miss it.

 

Should definitely consider layering this with something sweet.

In the bottle: First orange blossom, followed by a resinous note.

 

On my skin:

 

Amber actually jumps out right away, which is rare for amber on my skin -- but orange blossom isn't an instant note for me, either, so --

 

Once it's dry, the orange blossom does come out at the top note. I don't say "dominant" because on me, this is a very gentle blend, without notes fighting for front row. A warm vanilla note emerges as well. The amber is still there; it's just happy to be accented by the other notes.

 

At this stage, it reminds me of a similar stage in O (the vanilla on me is wonderful but short-lived). Where O's honey eventually wins dominance, Khrysee's orange blossom isn't fighting anything. It sort of floats along the top of the amber but never really mixes with it.

 

Several more minutes in, the vanilla is the main note I smell -- totally unusual for me -- with a base of amber and an accent of orange blossom. It's very nice.

 

Seriously, tho. Vanilla never owns a scent this long on me. I think this is why I love this blend so much. Eventually, it dies down to perfectly nice but unexceptional amber on me that lasts for days. But it stays a harmonious combination of vanilla plus amber plus orange blossom for record time beforehand.

In the (aged) bottle: Mellow, earthy patchouli with the light floral sweetness of orange blossom and just a hint of ginger spice.

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, the patchouli dominates, though this patch isn't overbearing. A minute later, the ginger starts to creep through. At this point, while the orange blossom isn't detectable on its own, something is acting to counterbalance the patchouli and ginger.

 

A few minutes later, the orange blossom does become distinct, which adds a sweetness and lightness to the blend overall.

 

This remains multi-layered on me: All 3 notes are detectable, and I think that's why I like Vixen so much. The patchouli is earthy and woodsy, without being funky (like some patchoulis can get). The orange blossom is light and sweet, which adds a touch of femininity to the blend. And the ginger is a fun, spicy note that complements both of the others.

 

Throw on me is medium, but it lasts just about forever. I've worn it to work and out for the evening. It works in both places, and when I wear Vixen, I always get compliments on how I smell.

In the bottle: Mostly pomegranate and plum, with some other notes going on in the background.

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, the pomegranate jumps out most, with the plum quickly playing catch-up. After a few minutes, the fierceness of the pomegranate fades, and the other notes start to come forward -- rose first, then orchid, then pale musk.

 

(Interestingly -- I accidentally spilled a drop of the oil on a piece of paper while I was testing. At this point, I do very much smell apricot on the paper -- just not on my skin.)

 

Ultimately, it becomes a beautiful softly musky floral with sweet fruits in the background.

In the bottle: Juicy, tart, and fruity. The first comprehensive way I can describe it is that it smells like the green Lifesavers (the fruity kind, not the minty kind) taste.

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, I immediately get papaya as a distinct note, followed by the grass, and just a hint of the mint. Just a few minutes in, however, the cucumber, green musk, and green tea become the dominant notes on my skin. That's the only big morph I get out of this one. When it finally settles, the musk is the note in the forefront, with cucumber and green tea still detectable in the background.

 

The cucumber and green tea give this a very clean, fresh feeling while the musk helps it feel like it belongs on my skin, if that makes sense. Like, it does feel clean, but the musk keeps it from feeling soapy.

 

Throw is very light on me.

2008 version.

 

In the bottle: Dry sweet cocoa, like perfectly sweetened hot cocoa powder.

 

On my skin:

 

Cocoa with the amber peeking out as it dries. As it settles, the amber becomes a little more pronounced -- but not really all that much. The scent stays with cocoa in the forefront with the amber hanging out around the edges.

In the bottle: Honey with clove and cinnamon.

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, it's the same as it is in the bottle. After a minute, my skin starts to prick and tingle, which is definitely the cinnamon and possibly also the clove and pepper. At this point, the pepper starts to make itself known too. The spices now are mostly pepper and clove, but they're still well balanced by the sweetness of the honey.

 

Eventually the skin musk comes out, softening both the sweetness of the honey and the sharpness of the pepper and clove. After even longer -- several hours' wear -- the skin musk and spices both fade on me, leaving only the honey. (This is definitely a Thing between honey and me.)

 

On me, it's a very close to the skin scent, which is probably for the best since I think the spices could become overwhelming with a lot of throw. Still, I wish for just a bit more amp, because this is a delicious, exciting blend.

In the bottle: Patchouli up front, something musky (the oud?), and deep down, the round sweetness of the fig.

On my skin:

Wet, it's patchouli and fig in equal amounts, with patchouli very quickly snatching the dominant role. At this stage, it's earthy and almost smoky.

Ultimately, the fig does come out to play a little bit on me, but overall, the blend remains a sweet, smoky scent.

Sadly, it's not a scent that's quite "me" so I don't have occasion to use Nasty Woman all that much.

In the vial: Mostly fig, brightened by a touch of mandarin. The fig is very earthy in this; it definitely reminds me of the fruit directly rather than any sweetened or candied variation of it.

 

On my skin:

 

On the initial wet application, the mandarin comes out very quickly and brightly. It's pretty great, probably as close as one can get to happy sunshine in a bottle. After a few minutes, the fig comes up to meet it. At this stage, it feels really balanced. I can see where some people described it as candy-like because it's so well blended here, I can't quite pick out the individual notes. It's a fruity smell that's sweet and just a bit tart at the same time.

 

Ultimately, that's where this scent stays for me -- seamlessly bright and grounded. It's a great energizing fruity scent that doesn't smell like any kind of cleaner (a problem I sometimes have with citrus). It would be a great scent for a long workday.

 

My only complaints are that it wears very close to the skin -- it's not faint, but there's almost no throw -- and its wear life is relatively short on me. Both mandarin and fig are virtually eaten up within a few hours.

In the imp: Honey with a sharp edge, a smell that to me is almost like the tartness of green, unripe berries.

 

On my skin:

 

On the initial application, the green, tart smell rises immediately to the surface. Within a few minutes, that dies down, and I'm left with a soft, almost powdery honey. I could definitely see where it could turn soapy on some skin chemistries, but so far it's avoiding that with me. I also think the powdery aspect is keeping the honey note from becoming cloying, which is my main pitfall with honey.

In the (aged) bottle: Red musk.

 

On my skin:

 

Immediately, it's red musk with throw for daaaaaays. It's probably Schaerezade's fault any time I'm disappointed by any other red musk blend. After the initial drydown, the scent profile is deepened by spices that I can't quite place. They're spices that I'd describe as "gentle" rather than sharp, and they're ones I don't typically associate with sweet or dessert foods.

 

I agree with reviewers who described this as a bold, round scent. It's not a scent that's overtly sexy or seductive on me, but it's still very much a scent that calls attention to itself. It's a scent that couldn't help but get me noticed in a smoky bar or crowded room.

In the bottle: Vetiver and woods rounded out by... probably the vanilla. I think I am getting hints of both mandarin and anise, but I could just be projecting from reading the scent description.

 

On my skin:

 

Vetiver and more vetiver, sharp and woody and smoky. Anise does poke its nose out during the drydown; it doesn't take over, but I can identify it as a distinct note. As the blend warms on my skin, the dark musk makes itself known as well, softening the overall sharpness -- as the anise continues to strengthen in prominence. There's a bit of creaminess to the blend, so I'm thinking that's the vanilla trying to make its presence known, but with all the competing notes going on on my skin -- especially the anise -- that's about as distinct as it can make itself.

 

After several minutes, the woods (and maybe the vetiver too?) emerge as a grounding note, which I'm liking because they're substantive enough to stand up to the anise. The anise isn't gone, but it's now become an accent note to the woody base. Also, at this point, is it weird to describe the dark musk as both "soft" and "animal" in a way that does not at all imply "soft animal"?

 

Really? More morphing? Several minutes more, and woods decrease while the musk increases -- yay! -- but the anise also makes a comeback. Fortunately, the musk is the stronger of the two notes, but I'm definitely having a hard time loving the anise in this blend.

 

Finally, in what I believe to be its ultimate morph, the blend does settle down to be a balance of musk and woods and anise. It's not as sharp as it was in other phases, but it's also not really something I can categorize as a scent to enjoy.