Leopard403

This is my first time trying Samhain, and oh how I wanted to love it.

But no.

Because all I smell is BandAids.

If Opuhi were still available, I would think I'd received a mislabeled bottle. Because this smells identical to Opuhi to me; in the bottle, wet on skin, and on the dry-down. Good thing I love Opuhi, since I no longer have to ration it quite so frugally.

Lune Noire is a lovely blend, but altogether too familiar for me to swoon anew.

SGA, you are a sneaky, sneaky wench! You smell like crisp apples in the bottle, but on my skin you morph into something surprisingly sophisticated, slightly soft and powdery but still very fresh and cold. This doesn't have the the straight-up, fades-too-fast apple note I've tried in other scents; instead the apple is almost floral and dewy-smelling. It is just lovely. And I heart the cold blue bottle!

In the bottle and wet, this is WAY too perfume-y for me. A "geddit away!" reaction if I ever had one. (Ima lookin' at you, resins!) Luckily I was brave enough for a dab on the wrist, because as it dries it mellows into something rather nice and almost totally floral. Damn, I have strange skin.

In the bottle: Wow there is a lot of this going on! I can't identify one particular scent in the bunch, but I get distinctly fruity overtones.

Wet on my skin: Blueberry pancakes. Totally seriously.

On drydown: Smells like blueberry tobacco.

Funny how things work, as in my two-bottle order I expected to love Dionysia but be wary of Clemence, and as it turns out this is opposite day.

Is it the benzoin that does it? The frankincense? This smells like a perfumey grandmother to me, all impostor Opium and Chanel No. 5 (neither of which I like). I get no fruit. I get no wood. It is all cheap perfume and sadness. This goes up for swaps.

Thank you, random internet addiction, that you made me order Clemence!

I am anti-patchouli. Period. But after all the raving (and way too much champagne) I decided I *needed* this. And I am so happy I did!

This is a wonderful earthy-spicy floral without any of the hippie-ish associations I have toward Big P. It is sexy and sultry and overwhelmingly spicy carnation on my skin. Just delightful, and the first CD scent I must must must stock up on!

Damn you, ylang ylang! I and my migraines curse you.

Rose, gardenia, tuberose, and sandalwood all at once? Oh how I want you!

But DAMN YOU ylang ylang!

I was expecting all caramel from this, planning on all foody and sweet. And it is, but to me, these apples have bite. Crisp, on top of the sweetness.

I just got around to testing an imp I've had for a while, and oh how I wish I got the lovely cherry so many others smell. To me, this is medicinal and almost smokey. I coughed and put it away.

Oh how I wish this were in the permanent collection! This is a wonderful amalgamation of all the things I like best in a scent: Sort of creamy-foody, with a bit of spice and a hint of sweet fruit and candy. I loved wearing this in cooler weather, and had some misgivings about how it would react on my skin in the summer heat... but it continues to be just glorious in the most fun way. And this is the scent that does not fade: A whole work-day later and people are still telling me I smell nice!

Of the four snakes I've tried thus far, this is my favorite. Snake Oil alone is a hard scent for me to wear; it makes me smell sort of sour. But here, tempered with the almond and the almost ammaretto-like top notes, it is very sweet. Slightly syrupy for the first few moments of wear, it mellows out to a nutty, creamy tang. And for some reason, it takes on a softly floral note after a while. Whatever is happening on my skin, it works!

This is a scent that seems to morph back and forth on my skin. Sometimes I get a deep, ripe guava base; a dark fruit with a hint of that spicy pepper. And other times, I get straight up gummi worms. Luckily, both "versions" smell quite good.

This is the scent that made me realize I am allergic to ylang ylang. It's the floral of florals, right? And I love the scent, but it really induces migraines for me. So sad that this apple-y crisp, sweet floral blend doesn't work.

I've been trying to slowly branch out, and I was drawn to Thanatos because of its sandalwood and rose notes. Sadly, the benzoin and incense notes make this too smokey and resin-y for me to truly enjoy it. This is a perfume that smells like perfume, which is definitely not for me.

This is the only BPAL rose blend I have not been impressed with so far. The "translucent" part is right: Where is the scent? I think I smell rose, with a hint of something else that may be floral, but the whiff is here and gone so quickly I'm not quite sure.

Viola always was my favorite Shakesperean heroine, and this scent captures her in such a lovely way: Sweet, but sort of brash. Strong, but not overbearing. Not overtly feminine (well, how could she be? ) but very soft and sultry at the core. Slightly reminiscent of the dry floral of London, there is a bit more fresh greenness here, with just a hint of something smokey at the bottom. Sexy in a sneaky way, just like its namesake.

Mmmm, I love this. It evokes scenes of Victorian London's petticoats and cobblestones, and the desperate attempt for women to remain "proper." The rose is sort of dry and dusty, as if it longs for just a sip of sunshine to bring it to life. It isn't a very "deep" scent: It isn't a perfume to be worn out on a hot night out, but it would be perfect the next morning, underneath sexy cotton sheets with brunch and a mimosa.

On me, this smells like cheap incense and drugstore perfume. Very sad.

I have said elsewhere on these boards that I am a slut for rose, and this certainly does not disappoint. This is a big, bursting bouquet of a dozen different kinds of roses. It is thick heady petals with just a whiff of their fresh green stems. Exactly as described, exactly what you would expect.

So many violet blends become sickeningly sweet on me, which makes me awfully sad. Luckily, the vanilla seems to really ground the floral notes here and this turns very clear and cold on my skin. It is such an interesting scent, and such a sneaky one: When I smell it, I feel as if I have just taken a nasal decongestant. (I know, I know: WEIRD!) But truly, I smell that creamy floral and rather than lingering in my nose it seems as if the scent goes straight into my brain in a whiff of cold air.

I literally get compliments *every time* I wear Rose Red 2007. But not in an "I like your perfume" way; in a give-me-a-dreamy-look-and-say "You smell goooood" way (which can be uncomfortable coming from my coworkers and patients ).

 

I admit I am a slut to all rose scents. (Must be the old soul [read: grandma] in me.) But this. THIS is the rose to end all roses. Lush and velvety and wet and fresh, with just a hint of green stem and sharp thorn. This is a sultry rose, a sinister rose, a farthest-you-can-get-from-grandma's-rosewater rose. It makes me feel young and vibrant and sexy. Just glorious.

Just like a greenhouse... and, sadly, just awful on my skin. I mean, it smells like freshly-turned earth, all right, but I don't think I like smelling like earth. This is much more of a novelty scent: "Hey, sniff me! I smell like dirt! Seriously!"

 

And admittedly, I almost kept the bottle simply because I fell in love with the label... but it ended up going to a loving home via swaps.

Sadly, I do not smell the crisp fruit notes so many others love in this blend. To me, this is a floral that starts out overly sweet and sours terribly on my skin. And it gave me a headache.

My boyfriend gave Fairy Wine its best compliment: He is a very logically-minded man, all business and numbers, not really into "fantasy" or any kind of serious fiction, but the first time I wore this, he loved it. I said, "It's new, it's called Fairy Wine." And he buried his face in my hair and said, "It SMELLS like Fairy Wine!" So very unlike him.

 

But he's right! This is a delicate sort of scent, very ethereal. A little floral, a little sweet, a little like fresh sunshine amidst the pixies. Good stuff.