n3m3sis42

Would you believe that I've had a half bottle of this since 2007 or so and never, ever tested it? Um, me neither. There is something wrong with me. :-p In the bottle: A riot of florals with a touch of vanilla. Wet: For some reason, I am only smelling the amber. I fear this is going to be yet another BPAL blend that goes "generic headshop" (as my husband is fond of saying) on me. Drydown: As this starts to dry down a bit, the florals are coming out to play a lot more. I tend to be frightened of blends that have many floral notes (maybe that's why I never tried this one before?) but so far, this is nice. Violet, rose, and honeysuckle are all florals that have worked well on me in the past, and in this case, they are mostly what I smell and they're playing well together. Dry: This is a really nice, gentle floral. I am mostly smelling creamy violets and honeysuckle, with maybe a hint of the amber underneath. I'll hold onto this for now, as it seems like it will be a nice spring scent.

The Atlanta-area Will Call was discontinued after last July's. There's more information in the Dirty South Will Call thread. Thank you!

I've been out of the loop for a while, and I noticed today that the Will Call posts don't seem to mention Atlanta anymore. What happened to the Atlanta Will Calls?

I'm revisiting all of my bottles and imps due to a major skin chemistry change. This is the 2007 version. Goes on smelling like generic flowers and a muted version of the purple note from Purple Phoenix. Not awful, but not something I need in my life, either. Dries down to a blander, more boring version of Purple Phoenix. I like Purple Phoenix, but I already have multiple bottles of it. No thanks... off to the swap box you go.

Re-reviewing this due to a major body chemistry change. Very, very sad... where once this was pure creamy, sugared-violet love, it's now the cloying scent of artificially-scented Kleenex tissues. Predictably, my skin amps it quite a bit, too. Boooooo. Oh well, I was at least halfway through my bottle, and now I won't have to worry about scoring a new one.

I reviewed this blend back in 2007, but I am now retrying all of my bottles and imps because of major body chemistry changes. On me, this blend now turns to nothing but nag champa incense sticks. BAD nag champa incense sticks. Of course, because it's a smell I don't like, it also has major throw. I was not even in the same room with my husband when I told him I didn't like the perfume I was testing, and he said, "Oh, thank God." Guess I won't be wearing this one again.

I second the opinion that this blend is quite reminiscent of the Gap's "Grass" scent. I was heartbroken when they stopped making that fragrance (which was well before I discovered BPAL). For those who don't know that scent, on me, this is very grassy with just a hint of added sweetness. It has very good staying power, too.

This smells SO MUCH like Sagittarius on me. Lest you think it's just me, my husband actually thought it WAS Sagittarius when he smelled it on me. The really good thing is that it retains its beautiful dandelion-y smell much longer than Sagittarius does. Sagittarius tends to fade into sweet almost-nothingness pretty quickly. And I don't exactly know why it smells like dandelions when that isn't even one of the notes, but I'm not complaining!

In the bottle: Strong, artificial orange and vanilla scent. It's either like a Creamsicle or that industrial bathroom cleaner they used to use in my grade school. Wet: At first, it's the same as I described above. For some reason, this isn't entirely unpleasant, as you would expect it to be from my description. The "artificial orange" scent calms down quite a bit after this blend has been on my skin for a minute or two. It starts to gain a more floral element (which one would expect from the listed notes). I definitely smell a vanilla-like scent as this dries down a bit more. My skin tends to eat vanilla, but I am hoping for the best. Another poster compared this to a more grown-up Marshmallow Poof, and I can see where they are coming from. Poof works well on me, so here's hoping that this blend will, too. Dry: I think this one is a keeper. If anything changes upon giving it a full wearing, I'll update this post. But as of now, it's a very warm vanilla with a hint of fruity, floral spice and I really like it. Huzzah!

This blend was a light, cheerful, slightly "shallow" citrus on me when I first applied it. After a little while, it pretty much totally disappeared. I'd blame my nose for being too stupid to pick up all the undoubtedly complex notes, but the husband couldn't smell anything, either. I'll give this blend another try or two just to allow for any random weirdness that might have occurred with my chemistry that day, but if it doesn't do better then it's off to the swaps.

I just received a bottle of this blend yesterday, in a swap with the lovely TwilightEyes. In the bottle: It smells a LOT like Sugar Skull. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Sugar Skull (I own both the 2005 and 2007 versions). But I'm sort of hoping that this will smell at least a little different. Wet: At first, this DOES smell almost exactly like Sugar Skull after I apply it. Same molasses-y scent. Then I notice a definite floral undertone. This is fine by me because I'd expect it from reading the notes for this blend, and because Hope and Faith both work quite well for me in all their sugared-floral glory. As it dries down a bit more, I find that it's sort of like a more floral La Befana. So far, I don't smell any of the woods, which is okay with me because woods often go YUCK with my skin chemistry. Dry This is taking forever to dry down on me, but I think it is mostly there now. It really does remind me of a very well-blended cross between La Befana and either Hope, Faith, or maybe the pair of them. Only somehow much calmer than any of these blends on its own (I guess that's the "well-blended" part, hmmm?). Anyway, I think this is everything I hoped it would be. If I find out differently from continued wearing, I'll be sure to let you know.

I don't know why this blend seems aquatic to me, because based on the listed notes, I wouldn't expect it to. However, I read some of the reviews before I tried it, and so the fact that it was slightly aquatic did not come as a surprise. I normally cannot STAND aquatics, because they remind me of this awful body spray that people used to always wear in the 90's that made me nauseated. And I think that my skin amps aquatic notes as well, which is really too bad since I can't usually stand them. (Why can't I amp vanilla or honey? Wahhh, so unfair!) Anyway, for whatever reason, this blend DOES smell aquatic to me when I apply it. But not in the bad way (which is probably because it's not even really an aquatic blend). As it dries down, it doesn't really smell aquatic at all. Unfortunately, I don't really know how to describe it. I'm going to have to say that on me, it's more or less what the first poster on this thread was hoping it would be: a little earthy, but sweetened up by the nectarine. It also received the husband seal of approval (*sniff sniff* ...Mmmmmmm!), so I think this one is a keeper.

Green sandalwood, rice wine, black tea, tonka, and moss. I bought a bottle of this unsniffed (well, actually my husband bought a bottle of it for me), because I just NEEDED to own a bottle of it based on the name alone. The notes in the blend SOUNDED like they would work for me, but honestly, it could have said it was made of grated butt shavings and I probably wouldn't have been able to resist it just because of the name. The first time I wore this blend, I thought I was going to have to come back here and post a sad tale of heartbreak and woe, because I really wasn't sure that it was working on my skin. It had an almost aftershave-y smell to it when I first applied it, and dried VERY sharp in a way that sort of reminded me of generic men's cologne. Of course, because I so wanted this blend to work for me, I gave it another shot this week. I don't know if I over-applied it the first time, or if my nose just needed a second chance to understand the notes, but it was much nicer that time. It has a very aggressive aspect to it, which I am assuming is a combination of the green sandalwood and moss, but throws the nicest tangy scent at times. I can't pick out the tonka or the tea at all, which doesn't surprise me because my skin tends to either eat those or integrate them so fully with the "stronger" notes in any blend that they aren't individually recognizable. I'm still working on getting to know this blend, but I do think I like it. If I can figure out more specific details of my Bell/Penises experience, I will update this review to add them.

In the bottle: Sweet, heavy cream with a hint of amber. Wet: More of the same. This blend quickly goes a little powdery on me, in a way that The Perilous Parlor also does. It's not awful, but I can't help but feel this isn't exactly what it's "supposed" to be doing. However (I didn't get around to reviewing this blend until I'd tried it a few times), I've found that if I don't slather, it doesn't do the "powdery" thing as much. Although then it goes rather faint on me after a while. Dry: This dries sweet and creamy on me (but somehow not exactly foody), and the powdery element isn't nearly as strong as it was when the blend was wet. It's definitely a "glowing" blend, and I am rather enamored of it.

My husband bought me this blend after I asked him to get me some of the Novel Ideas blends as a birthday present. I picked a few (Glowing Vulva, Men Ringing Bell With Penises, and I think Harikata) and asked him to pick whatever else sounded good to him. Anyway, I was a little concerned about this blend, mainly because I cannot STAND most aquatics. To me, they all smell like that ocean-inspired body spray that everyone used to use back in the '90s when I was in college. I will never understand why people feel the need to BATHE in that stuff, but I digress. The strange thing is that this blend doesn't really smell at all aquatic on me. Well, it does wet, but not strongly, and normally ANY aquatic smell is a turn-off for me. On me, this dries down to a musky, sort of woody honey scent. I can't figure out what other blend it reminds me of, but it does remind me of another blend. I like it, although I'll have to try it again later because it's a day or two before that time of the month and so who knows if my results are typical?

This was overwhelmingly cardamom and cinnamon for the first 45 minutes or so after I applied it. After that, it calmed down a lot. It's mostly amber musk on me after drydown, with a slight fruity note. I think I like it.

In the imp: Something spicy and herbal (probably the sandalwood), with something very sweet. Wet: Mmmm, sugar and butter rum. And a hint of spicy sandalwood. Dry: OMG... sugary, sweet, and spicy... but with almost a minty element to it. I need this.

In the bottle: Sugary marshmallows. Wet: Weird, it's almost fruity and seems to have a hint of coconut. It calms down to a white, fluffy sugary scent after a few minutes. Dry: As this was drying, I actually questioned whether it was going to work on me, but I think it has come out a winner. I will give it a full wearing to be sure, but I am pretty sure it's love.

In the bottle: Woods, mostly. Wet: Really strong woods, the kind that normally go to pencil shavings on me. Dry: No pencil shavings, but it's all wood and I'm not sure that's something I'd wear often. If you like woods, this is for you.

In the bottle: All I really smell is the wine note... no vinegar so far. Wet: A sweet, maybe ever-so-slightly rotting fruit/wine note. And something sort of dusty or woody. So far, I like this a lot more than I expected to. Dry: There is something in this that reminds me of Mme. Moriarty, not sure what. In any case, it's really nice. Edited to add: When I actually put this on all over and wore it for the whole day, it turned wayyyy too "rotting grapes" on me. I know that's one of the listed notes, it just didn't seem so strong on my wrist. This one is going off to the swaps...

In the bottle: Soft, sweet fruits. Wet: Delicious fruits--citrus and persimmon are the most prominent initially. After the first couple of minutes, I can also smell soft florals, so well-blended that I can't pick out which one is which. Dry: Sweet, juicy citrus and other fruits, with a soft floral undertone. This is much more gorgeous than I expected.

In the bottle: I don't know how to describe it, other than "strong" and "chemical". Wet: Light and fresh, something floral but also a little citrusy, amd I can definitely smell the lavender note. Dry: This dries musky, softly floral, and strongly herbal. I *think* I like it, but it's a little on the soapy side and will need a full wearing or two before I can decide for sure. Edited to add: This is totally a new favorite. I would never have expected to like it so much, and I almost didn't even order a bottle.

In the bottle: Grapity grapes! Wet: Oddly enough, no grapes, at least not initially. It smells sweet and creamy and cakey, and as it warms up, I start to smell the frankincense as well. Dry: Frankincense, myrrh, and cakes... this is what I had hoped All Souls would be like. Yay!

Bruise-tinted hellebore blossoms pushing through snowdrifts. In the bottle: Seriously? Soap and 7-Up. I am not right in the head. Wet: Less soapy, more aquatic. I don't really like aquatics for the most part, and I don't understand why I keep ordering things with "snow" notes. Durrrrrrrr. Still, one of the new travelling Salons had aquatics and worked on me, so maybe this will be okay. It seems calmer and spicier than a lot of the aquatic blends I've tried, and I still smell something that makes me think of 7-Up. Dry: This is pretty aquatic on me. I'm so not-fond of aquatics that it's really all I can find to say about it. I'll let it age and see how I feel.

In the bottle: Brown sugar and molasses. Wet: This is very reminiscent of Sugar Skull upon initial application. As it dries down, I start to catch hints of the violet as well, and a little later, the charcoal/dust note. Dry: This dries down a little faint on me, but I'd say it's sort of a cross between Sugar Skull and a weak-ish Faith, with hints of charcoal and dust. I think I had to let Faith age a couple of months before she really blossomed on my skin, so there is hope that this one will become a favorite in time.