AbbyNormal

I tried this fresh from the mail when I first got it and was more than a little intimidated. It was way harsher than I expected and I wasn’t too sure, but knew it needed to rest before I made any real decision. I tested it again today and it has definitely smoothed out a lot. I get all of the listed notes, and while I was hoping for something a bit sweeter I’m still happy I bought it. In the imp: sugared patch and spice Wet: this is when the leather really comes out. I can see the comparison between this and the leather in Snekhellden, although it’s more of a feel of the leather rather than the actual leather smell. Dry: the florals from the nag champa throw a lot more than I expected which definitely brings and overall sweetness to the scent, but it’s still very patchouli forward. The clove just kind of hovers around in the background, and it becomes mainly a leathery, floral patch. It’s definitely growing on me the more I smell it, and I’ve already reapplied once. It wasn’t really fading, I just wanted to amp it back up a bit.

In the imp: it’s definitely bread-y but not gingerbread, more like a spice cake that wasn’t made with a lot of sugar and before the frosting has been added. Wet: there’s the cookie! It’d definitely a gingerbread/molasses cookie and add me to the list of people picking up a touch of peanut butter. There’s also something else here that I can’t place and I keep sniffing to try to figure it out. I normally don’t react to the oils but a spot on my neck is feeling a bit burny. Not bad enough yet to do anything about it, but definitely burny. Dry: the ginger bite tones down and it becomes a lot softer overall. I still can’t place the mystery scent underneath it all, but it still smells so hauntingly familiar.

When I first got this I got a very strong savoriness that really reminded me of the stuffing note I pick up in Drink Me, so I never even tested it and put the bottle away to think about what it did. I finally ended up testing it tonight and age has helped a lot. I still get a bit of savory but it’s tolerable now (mostly), and I do get all of the listed notes. It starts out mainly as a baked cookie with almond paste. There is citrus present but not strong, a bit of rum, and the dates and figs are in the background. After a bit the fig/date combo comes forward and the citrus falls back, and it becomes more prominently spiced. I'm going to let this age a little longer and see if I can wait out whatever that savory weirdness is. If not, to the swap pile.

I can’t quite tell if this is cologne or men’s deodorant. It’s not bad but definitely not what I was expecting. In the bottle it was very strong but once applied it settled down quite a bit and is wearable without smelling like my husband’s clean armpit. I may let this age a while and come back to it, or just keep it for more masculine days. *edit* within minutes of hitting post this shifted and went aquatic. Absolutely not what I expected but it works. It’s still very masculine but it’s much more my style now.

This stuff is GOOD! It starts out smelling very boozy in the imp, like a cross between two of my favorite cocktails to make at home, a Poisonappletini and a Liquid Christmas cosmo (despite not picking up anything remotely cranberry in this) Wet, it’s initially cucumber peels with a touch of apple. Then the patchouli shows up and it’s a much earthier patch than I’m used to, followed by the matcha. Then it all kind of settles into something that can only be described as green. Just green and glorious. I think I might need a bottle! *edit* I reviewed this last night before it had a chance to fully dry down, and dry this is a light green tea with really nothing else hanging on. It sounds boring but it smells super delicious and I can stop huffing myself.

Based on the description I was expecting something much sharper, but this is very mellow and lovely. Sweetly spiced resin and incense, with not a lot of throw, but I can’t stop huffing my wrist. I can see how people are making the fall comparison, and I’m really interested in attempting to layer this one.

I had no clue what I was getting myself into when I saw wasabi was one of the note. I cautiously opened the imp and took a sniff…this stuff smells divine! In the imp: a sweet floral musk with a touch of spice green. Not at all what I was expecting, but I love it! Wet: pretty much more of the same, but the wasabi tones down and the floral becomes more dominant. Dry: here’s where the magic happens. It turns into aged Lust somehow! If I put my nose to my arm I can tell that I’m not wearing Lust, there’s something subtly different, but the throw is all my beloved aged Lust. I’m guessing the red musk has taken over everything else in the blend and I’m not complaining in the slightest. I’ll definitely be getting use out of this imp while I’m waiting for my full bottle of Lust to get a little older.

I can’t pin this one down because it shift like nobody’s business. In the imp: patchouli, a bit of aquatic, and some florals. Wet: still patch, some musk, and a touch of florals. Dry: the patch is gone, the florals have turned to rose, there’s a hint of spice, now the rose has disappeared, and it smells like a spiced wood that has the tiniest dusting of baby powder. Every time I think I’ve figured it out it changes again. Unfortunately the powder seems to be getting stronger, but I don’t want to wash it off yet in case it shifts again.

I was a little leery of trying this one based off of the notes but I had to give it a shot and I’m not upset that I did. in the imp: some unidentifiable florals mixed with something green and dusty smelling, I’m guessing the moss. There’s a hint of dirt but nowhere near as strong as Burial. Wet: the dirt is much stronger and the florals are still present, but it’s as if I’ve completely forgotten how to smell flowers and buried my nose in the pot instead of sniffing the flower directly. The jasmine is starting to make itself known, but there seem to be some other flowers there that I can’t put my finger on. Just a wisp of incense in the background. Dry: my first test (just a dab) dried down to a light, pleasant floral with a touch of incense. Every now and then I’d get a pop of jasmine, but it was fleeting. I reapplied a bit more before bed to see how it dries down when I almost slather. The florals are quite a bit stronger with the second application, so I’ll need to remember to be careful about how much I put on and try to Goldilocks it next time.

I recently received a bottle of 2015 Smut from a forumite and tried it today. It’s doesn’t have quite as much red musk as I had hoped, but I’m still glad that I got to try it. I’m also getting something reminiscent of rum and coke when I sniff closely, but the weird thing is that it seems to be throwing a tiny bit of masa/hominy. Luckily I think that smell is delicious, but it’s still a little unnerving to smell it coming from me. I did apply it right out of the shower so there are virtually no skin oils to grab onto the scent, so I’ll have to reapply in the morning and see what it does then. *edit* ok, there’s the red musk I was looking for. It took its time showing up, but it absolutely making its presence known now. And the masa has disappeared and I’m in love!

This was by far my most confusing test to date. I was really struggling with opening this imp, and ended up with my first dreaded imp explosion, with a rather large glug all over my hand. In the imp: this is straight up paint thinner. I’m not getting anything remotely creamy or leathery, or tobacco-y. Just paint thinner. Very strong paint thinner. Wet: there is a hint of something clean, but it’s hiding under the paint thinner. Still none of the other notes at all. Dry: (this happened less than two minutes after the explosion) Gone. There is the absolute faintest hint of something sweet on my hand, but if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I would never have believed that my hand was all but covered with a large amount of oil. I’m talking about 20% of the imp in one shot and it’s just…gone. I’ve heard of skin doing this but it’s my first time experiencing it. If I literally put my nose on my hand I can get a wisp of sweet leather, and the paint thinner is nowhere to be found (scratch that, just found a tiny spot on my cuticle that’s still thinner-y). But overall I might as well have not put anything on for as faint as it is. Definite swap because I don’t need two minutes of paint thinner and then nothing. But at least I didn’t have to scrub it off so yay? *edit* I am so confused now. It’s about 5 minutes later and now I’m smelling the tobacco and leather, but it’s still light. I do really like the combo but it’s just bizarre how it went paint thinner—>absolutely nothing—>tobacco and leather, all in under 10 minutes. It’s like my skin was some sort of black hole that also had my back, that sucked up every drop of scent, and then said “here, I heard you like these ones” and spit only the good stuff back out. I don’t know if I like it enough to deal with the paint thinnery minutes to wear it again, but it was definitely a journey.

This was the imp I drew today, and I opened it before I could check my phone for a scent description. Based on the name along I thought it was going to be some kind of Snek, and I can’t believe how wrong I was. In the imp it’s straight up patchouli. I’m getting better with patch, but it needs to be blended with something else to smooth it out, and this one didn’t have that for me. When I was closing the imp a little splashed on me so I was able to give it a bit of a wet sniff without technically applying any, and I was getting dark, grimy patch mixed with a floral that took a few minutes to identify. Jasmine! A much darker jasmine than I’m used to, but enough that I kept asking myself “who put patchouli in my green tea???” I know I committed to trying everything out, but I think that little splash was enough to let me know that this isn’t for me. If I applied it like I normally do I would end up washing it off. So I think I’ll sit this one out today. *edit* I couldn’t sit it out, I had to try it. At first I was really regretting my decision as it was pure patchouli and jasmine, and my brain just couldn’t grok the combo, plus it is way more patch than I’m used to. Luckily it dries down to something much softer and the patch is only very obvious when I shove my nose to my wrist. But it’s throwing the jasmine like nobody’s business, and it’s turning my stomach just a tad. Don’t get me wrong, I like jasmine but this is a bit of an overkill for my taste. Swap pile it is, but at least I really did test it to make sure.

LUST. OMG LUST. *ahem* I may really love this one. I just hope my ordered bottle is as amazing as my imp. If not, I’ll let it age and wait for it. OMG LUST 😍

Years ago, when I was first learning about BPAL I would have taken one look at the scent description and wrinkled my nose, and if I had somehow been convinced to give it a sniff I would have done it but run away rather quickly. I guess my tastes have changed over the years, or I’ve just become able to appreciate different scents better, and now I’m really happy I tried this one. In the imp: dirty licorice, but not in a bad way if that makes any sense. It’s dark, murky green (scent, not color), woody and dangerous smelling, with a child’s licorice candy that was dropped in a dirty puddle when they were snatched. Wet: this is so much sweeter than the imp would have you believe. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still dark and foreboding, but it manages to be sweet about it. The licorice is still there, but it’s toned down significantly. Dry: this is fantastic! It doesn’t have a lot of throw but when I put my arm up to my nose I get a light, spicy, musky (maybe the civet, this is my first civet that I know of) with just a whisper of licorice. This was quite a ride, and now I’m cursing past me for not trying more stuff at the one Lunacy event I was able to attend a few years ago. I kept to my “safe” scents and missed out on so much 😭 I don’t know yet if this is big bottle worthy for me, but I’m going to enjoy the hell out of the imp while I can. *edit* I just checked and I have a second imp of this! I thought it was one of my duplicates, and I may have gotten a little more excited than I expected when I saw the second one. At least it gives me a bit longer to decide if I need a bottle.

Today’s imp was Burial and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Opening the imp I got wet, dark earth in the middle of a forest and was very intrigued. I put it on and completely got the cemetery notes, so much that I instantly thought of a specific scene in Pet Sematary. I was planning on making a cup of coffee and then putting on the movie for a very immersive watch, but then the scent morphed into very strong rose. I’m not a fan of rose scents, and this one actually isn’t bad for rose, but it’s really not what I want to smell like, and it won’t go with the movie at all now. I can still get flashes of damp, dug up earth, but it’s mostly rose. Think I’m gonna go shower instead.

I tried this one on a few years ago when I first got the imp, and while I got the sweet fruity notes I also got some serious stuffing scent. Like straight up Mrs. Cubbison’s stuffing from a box, once the celery, onion and broth have been added but before baking. So I put it away and tried to forget about it. I drew it today and since I’m trying to stay committed to my challenge and not cheat I reluctantly opened the imp. Pineapple! And stuffing 😭. But I couldn’t stop there so I had to dab a little on to give it a chance. The fruits all but disappeared and I may as well been wearing a life sized stuffing box. In addition to the cut veggie scent I was getting a really strong celery seed smell, and had my partner sniff my arm to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. He couldn’t smell the stuffing at all and said it smelled nice. Nevertheless, I had to wash it off. Don’t get me wrong, I do like stuffing, but just not on me. Swap pile it is.

I’m not sure how long I’ve had this imp but it was today’s draw so I had to try it. I was expecting much more of a floraly floral based on the description, but when I opened the imp I was very surprised by a lot of wood. Fresh cut wood. Wet, I’m definitely picking up the carnation, the tiniest bit of the chamomile, and something peppery that I’m guessing is the angelica based on what other people are saying (I’m not familiar with either angelica or heliotrope so honestly who knows what I’m smelling). There are brief flashes of fresh lumber but only when I’m not looking for it. I’m really liking this so far and I’m glad I tried it but unless it really does some serious morphing I don’t think I’ll need a full bottle.

This is by far the foodiest of the foody scents I’ve gotten from the lab so far. It smell’s EXACTLY as described, and it’s almost unnerving how spot on it is. In the imp: fresh baked apple, slightly effervescent, with cinnamon and nutmeg. I’m smelling melting vanilla ice cream even though it’s not listed. Wet: very cinnamony, with a touch of crust. The sweet potato is starting to show itself, and the apple and spices shine. I’m not normally sensitive to cinnamon and the skin on my arms are fine but my neck is burning a bit and a little red where I applied. This one will probably have to be an arm only scent. Dry: the apple has faded a lot, the spices are still going strong, and there’s a doughy smell now. It’s almost like the crust somehow unbaked itself. Overall, I’m glad I was able to get my hands on this one and I’ll definitely wear the imp but I don’t think I need to track any more down. I wouldn’t be mad if I ended up with more though.

This was an absolute floral nightmare on me. I don’t know how it smells dry because I couldn’t wait that long before washing it off. Two washes and an alcohol wipe later and I can still smell it. I’m going to hop in the shower very soon. Instant swap pile. It might also be because I tested it the day after I tested Lust, which I fell head over heels for, and it’s the complete polar opposite of that one, but just no.

For the longest time I was very leery of heavy musky/patchouli scents so I avoided even opening this one when I first got it based off of the description. Over the past couple of years my tastes have changed and I trie this one today. DEAR FSM WHY WAS I HESITANT? I want to roll around in this like a happy dog in a mud puddle. I think this my be my new non-seasonal signature scent!! Of course, I still have well over a hundred scents to go before I try everything I’ve collected over the years, but this one is GOOD. I’m trying to rein in my full bottle purchases since I’ve gone a little overboard last year, but I need a bottle of this like I need air. It’s really tempting me to give up on my scent a day challenge and just wear this one on repeat. As far as the scent itself, it’s reminiscent of both SO and Black Phoenix, while smelling like both and yet neither. It’s definitely their grown up cousin who has SEEN THINGS. It’s deliciously musky, sweet, and dark. I don’t get the almond I get from BP, and while I wouldn’t necessarily call it sexy, I can see why many would. I can’t stop sniffing myself. **edit** Now I get it. this Lust isn’t for a partner, it’s lust for myself. It’s like my very essence has been bottled and then released for the first time. Smelling this, I’m smelling ME.

I’m so happy to have found this thread. I tried on my imp of MU last night and picked up some serious cheese and thought I was losing it, because I didn’t get cheese at all from smelling the imp. At least now I know I probably got one from the weird batch. Yay, it’s not me!

I bought this imp a couple years ago if memory serves me and tried it once back then but preferred something else in my order more so it’s been sitting in the random imp pile ever since. Tonight I tried it again and the jury is still out In the imp it smelled like a very strong boozy coffee and it took everything in me to not taste it. I went and hopped in the shower to remove the last traces of today’s oil so I could properly give it a test. Wet: Irish coffee, dust, and…cheese??? A rather stinky cheese, like grated Parmesan when it’s sprinkled on a pizza, only without the pizza. Luckily the cheese mostly disappeared after a couple of minutes, but the scent wasn’t very strong so I hesitantly added another swipe. Cheese again, but nowhere near as strong. This time the coffee took the stage, but with an undercurrent of old cooking oil. I’m hoping that it’s just reacting to my body wash or something because it’s nothing like the delicious smell from the imp. I’m going to reapply again in the morning and see if things have calmed down. I’m hoping it’s not a funky skin chemistry thing because it smelled so wonderful until I put it on 😭

I’m picking up something akin to a virgin key lime martini rimmed with crushed graham crackers, but with just a touch of cumin mixed in. There’s the faintest whisper of coconut and zero coffee. More like I had been eating curry and took a drink of my martini but could still smell traces of the food on my hand as I sipped. I’m going to wait and see if it develops into something more to my liking before making any snap judgements and adding it to the swap pile.

I’m suddenly feeling the need for dalliances with Blackbeard and to play turtle vs. crab. This is an absolutely lovely, somewhat masculine scent. I don’t know if I need a full bottle or if I’m ok with keeping Port Royal as my main pirate scent, but either way I’m super happy I ordered an imp. In the imp: very aquatic with musk and wood. No real signs of spice, but I’m picking up a bit of salt and a little soapiness. Wet: mostly the same as in the imp, with a tiny bit of leather and a spot of greenish something. It’s not what I’d expect from kelp, but im not sure what else it could be. Dry: The salt. OMG the salt. My mouth is literally watering and I can taste the sea spray. I can sense the spices now, but in a spilled on the floorboards and washed away by salt water splashes. The musk and leather are there, but like a shipmate almost out of scent reach. This is pure freedom on the water, sun in my face, a good breeze, lips covered in sea spray, and absolute happiness.

Today’s imp drawing was Bloodlust and I have to admit I was really excited for this one! So far my random imps have been kind of subdued and I was ready for one with some bite. In the imp: since I’m really not familiar with either dragon’s blood or vetiver I’m not sure what it is that I’m smelling, but it’s dark and green and powerful. Slightly sweet, but just dark and powerful and evergreeny. Wet: looking up the vetiver scent description and I think that’s what I’m picking up on. Along with something patchouli-adjacent, but it might just be a different patch than the single not I know and try to steer clear of. A little bit of dark florals, and something kinda root beery, but like real root beer, not the basic A&W stuff. Like if I found some little general store butted right up against the woods somewhere that sells an unauthorized, family recipe root beer. So far no primal rage or lust, but I really want to try that root beer. Dry down: a little powdery, still a bit musky, way less root beer, and now mainly smells like the delicious bark of some unidentifiable tree that I want to nibble on. I won’t, because I don’t know if it will kill me, but I keep asking myself “Surely one little taste won’t hurt, will it?” Well, hello there vanilla! I know it’s not a listed note but suddenly this is a strong, rich, grown up vanilla. No frosting or anything candyish, just sexy vanilla (a phrase I never thought I’d use) mixed with some lightly spiced musk/incense. I ADORE this. Dammit, I don’t know whether to be sad or relieved that it’s out of stock.