Below are the 18 most recent journal entries recorded in relentless_07's LiveJournal:

Thursday, January 7th, 2010
1:56 am	BPAL - Ouija Lush parlor rooms draped in thick velvets and gilded in gold, unearthly whispering in the distance, fleeting flashes of wraithlike figures rushing just outside your vision, the chill of a phantom presence brushing by your cheek, the inscrutable knowledge that disembodied eyes are peering at you from darkened corners this is the essence of Victorian-era spiritualism: rosewood, oak and teak notes with wispy blue lilac, tea rose, dried white rose and ethereal osmanthus.GC Bewitching Brews scent, nearly new frimp.Initial thoughts: Argh... woods, lilac and osmanthus is a wearable combination, but those roses are gonna spoil it for me, I can just tell.In the imp: Wispy, wraith-like roses.On the wrist, wet: Sticky roses and a breath of other florals... not my kind of thing.Twenty minute later: Wispy, powdery pollen heavy florals... no go, I'm afraid.Verdict: SwapsTl;Dr: Pale, powdery florals with the ghost of some wood notes underneath. (Comment on this)
Monday, January 4th, 2010
9:17 pm	BPAL - Gingerbread Poppet 2007 Warm, cozy gingerbread spiced with nutmeg, clove and cinnamon.Limited Edition Yuletide 2007 scent, bottle is six months-ish old.Initial thoughts: Gingerbread men. YUM.In the bottle: Overspiced gingerbread men. YUM.On the wrist wet: Gingerbread men heavy on the nutmeg. YUM.Twenty minutes later: Ditto the above, only not so pungent. YUM.In short - my skin eats cinnamon and clove, so unfortunately this is a bit nutmeg and not much else on my skin... but it's warm and tasty and YUM.That is all.Verdict: Keeper.Tl;Dr: YUM (Comment on this)
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
6:01 pm	BPAL - Freak Show A strange, disconcerting embrace... to some, alarming, and to some, intimately familiar: fig, pomegranate and cocoa bean with lemon, bergamot, vanilla, mellow honey musk, calamus and tonka.Limited Edition Carnaval Noir scent, bottle is (Shudder) three years old.Initial thoughts: Dude. Just... look at those notes. Just LOOK AT THEM. Fig, pomegranate, cocoa, vanilla, honey musk and tonka = yes please. Lemon, bergamot = Why not? Calamus = what on earth is that, exactly?In the bottle: WEIRD. Just... weird. It's fruity but without any of the body I normally associate with that... it's not sweet but it's not un-sweet... it's dark and light in equal measures, a hint of warmth, a hint of sharpness... weird.On the wrist, wet: Sweet, fruity, slightly musky, slightly sharp, slightly heavy. This is busy and confusing, which I do kinda like, but... this is confusing to the point that it makes me feel slightly unwell.Twenty minutes later: I'm beginning to think fig doesn't love me - it always goes fuggy and sweet and PURPLE on me. Nevertheless, this is intriguing - it's a study in opposites. I can't decide whether or not it's a warm or a cool scent, fruity or not, whether there's a hint of sharpness or a hint of dusty honeyed resin. Sometimes I sniff and get a distinct honey and vanilla on top of the fruits, other times it's dusty cocoa and a tang of lemon and tonka. I'm gonna have to give this another test another time, because I just cannot decide.Verdict: Keeper... for now.Tl;Dr: A bizarre, confusing blend that shifts from one extreme to another. (Comment on this)
Friday, January 1st, 2010
2:43 pm	BPAL - Samhain Truly the scent of autumn itself -- damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.LE Hallowe'en scent, unsure of bottle vintage - it's the cobalt (Pre-2006?) bottle with a witch, bat and moon label, no year.Initial thoughts: I don't know whether it's the dark or the light patchoulis that behave themselves best on my skin, bu that's pretty much the only thing making me wary of this scent. The rest sounds like a match made in heaven (Or possibly Hallowe'en Town)In the bottle: Dried leaves, cooked fruit and a hint of spice. Not exactly foody, it doesn't have the comfort quality, but it's warm with a hint of outdoorsyness (Lookit I made up a word)On the wrist, wet: My first thought is spices, but they're not overwhelming. I'm definately picking up on the wood/fir needle/patchouli thing as well. Not much pumpkin and apple yet, which is a shame.Twenty minutes later: This is primarily a spices thing on me - patchouli is behaving itself, only a hint of delicious dried fruit but still that odd sense of dried leaves. This is definately my kind of a scent - it's distinct enough from my other spices scents that I'm wanting to keep it, but it's also gentle and comforting which my other spices scents aren't. I can see myself using this as a sleep blend in the autumn.Verdict: I'm not in love, but it's definately a keeper for later in the year.Tl;Dr: Soft dried fruit and autumn leaves, dusted generously with gentle comforting spices. (Comment on this)
Saturday, January 31st, 2009
1:29 pm	Fuck me sideways why did I not know they were making a film of Watchmen Fuck me sideways why did I not know they were making a film of Watchmen?We now return to your scheduled programming. (Comment on this)
1:52 am	BPAL - Bastet Bast, Ubasti, Ailuros, Ba-en-Aset. Represented as both a domestic cat and a fierce lioness, she truly evidences traits of both. She is the Mother of All Cats, Goddess of Sensuality, Fertility, and a guardian and protector of women. She is also one of the Eyes of Ra, and in that aspect is an Avenging Goddess, seeking retribution and punishing enemies of her people. Luxuriant amber, warm Egyptian musk, fierce saffron and soft myrrh, almond, cardamom and golden lotus.GC Excolo scent, sniffie frimp.Initial thoughts: Oh my. I am a fan of teh kittehs - a BIG cat person - and now I'm staring down something with amber, saffron, myrrh and cardamom. Yum. Lotus can aparantly go very sweet on some people, but I have yet to try it so I can't really comment.In the imp: Mmmm... this is good. Golden and warm are the right descriptions for this - it's a cardamom and saffron laden resin, with a whole pure golden honey floral topnote holding it together into something that smells like it should be covered in cream and eaten. Yummeh.On the wrist, wet: Honeyed camomile and spice tea. I don't know what it is that is giving me the camomile - possibly the almond and something? The honey actually seems to be the lotus. I can just pick out the myrrh and the amber, and the musk gives it a definate feline purr. This smells like an Egyptian temple cat, and makes me want to curl up and preen like one too.Twenty minutes later: Most of the overt floral edge has died down, and now this is a sweet, spicy skin-hugging musk. It's got the slightest of 'odd' edges to it - can't quite identify what it is, but I have a feeling it may be the amber behaving 'powdery' as it sometimes can. I don't know that this is something I would necessarily wear often, but at the moment it looks like it could quite happily join the ranks of my sleep blends. I would definately welcome a chance to test this more extensively.Verdict: I'll take an imp of that, thanks.Tl;Dr: Sweet, slightly spicy, skin hugging resinous musk. Warm, golden, and cat-like. (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 29th, 2009
9:58 pm	BPAL - Djinn An ancient, free-willed race created from the essence of Fire, much as man was created from Earth. They prowled the land at night, vanishing with the first rays of dawn. Myths surrounding the Djinn paint them as many things: benevolent champions of mankind and slaves to mad sorcerers, malicious incubi / succubi and energy vampires, or malevolent harbingers of madness and disease. The Djinn are ruled by Iblis, the Prince of Darkness, who bears unspeakable contempt for man. The scent of black smoke, of crackling flames, and smoldering ashes. GC Diabolus scent, lab-fresh imp.Initial thoughts: I have an unhealthy love of the smell of burning things (Nice things, like toast and wood, obviously, not like burning plastic). That, and I have a certain soft spot for any creature that falls into the 'servant of the Prince of Darkness' catagory - even before reading Terry Pratchet, I imagined it was something like being an underpaid civil servant in a really sucky office with the boss from hell. Literally. They aren't actually mean, honest, they're just taking out their frustations on you because as long as they have your passport/drivers license forms/student loan application they have one tiny little iota of power.I'm a weird kid.In the imp: Smoke, wood ash and Lemsip o.OOn the wrist, wet: No, that's not Lemsip... I'm tempted to say either tea tree or eucalyptus. This is definately more herbal than burnt on me, although there is a vague sort of wet woodash kick to it.Twenty minutes later: Hmm... this smells unendearingly like burnt Vics Vapour Rub, wet vetiver and hot ash. It's a no go for me - for one thing, it's a bit too similar to the bastard child of Ligur and Snake Oil, without any of the redeeming qualities of either. Shame really - I was so looking forward to a nice potent smoky blend.Verdict: Swap pileTl;Dr: Vetiver and burnt ich. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
7:46 pm	BPAL - Kumiho Nine-tailed fox demon of Korean lore who transforms into the visage of an irresistible beauty in order to seduce men and lead them to their doom. A sharp, biting blend of crisp white tea and ginger.GC Diabolus scent, lab fresh imp.Initial thoughts: Whoah momma. Love tea, love ginger, love the various fox demons in all their nine-tailed varities. I want, and I want bad, and I really hope it loves me as much as I want to love it.In the imp: The ginger is so sharp it's almost citrus, but there is an unmistakable pale tea underneath. This is definately the kind of light, pungent scent you'd get if you leant over a steaming cup of one of those exotic herbal teas.On the wrist, wet: Ginger. Sharp, biting, acrid ginger. This is a fox with sharp little teeth! I'm a big fan of ginger, but this might be a tad too potent even for my tastes unless it mellows in the dry-down.Twenty minutes later: This still smells just like the steam coming off a particularly potent blend of ginger tea. It's very yummy, but a bit sharp and potent for my tastes. This could potentially be a really good layering blend, however.Verdict: Keeping the imp, but undecided on a bottle.Tl;Dr: Hot, steaming and delicious, but sharp, ginger tea. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
4:04 pm	Hmmm Hmmm. I swear I didn't mean to spend my entire day reading, but after flooding the garage (The washing machine malfunctioned and overflowed) which put paid to my other plans for the day, I picked up one of the books I bought the other day with my Birthday book tokens and decided I'd skim a few chapters.It was Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. I think you can guess how this ends.It has been so long since I've had a decent book to read and the time to read it, this was like water in the desert. Doesn't hurt that it's one truly spectacular book, too. I might have to hold off on my other new book - Anansi Boys - if I don't want to be left without nothing to read for months again. On the other hand, my shiny reserved leatherbound copy of Necronomicon should be coming in this week, so... (Comment on this)
Saturday, January 24th, 2009
8:22 am	BPAL - The Red Queen Deep mahogany and rich, velvety woods lacquered with sweet, black-red cherries and currant. GC Mad Tea Party scent, lab fresh imp.Initial thoughts: Is it wrong that the first time I saw this scent, I didn't think 'Oh, Alice through the Looking Glass!' but 'Oooh, evolutionary hypothesis'? Hmm... I'm not an overwhelming fan of cherry, and currant is a bit watery on me. I have, however, been looking for a nice deep woody scent that isn't going to be dry on me. Fingers crossed, queeny!In the imp: Cherry. Cherry cherry cherry cherry cherry. That's all I got.On the wrist, wet: Still cherry, but more subdued - must be the woods grounding it. Not unpleasant, but the cherry is a little medicinal for my liking.Twenty minutes later: It's a woody cherry - it hasn't quite lost the medicinal edge on me though. A bigger fan of cherry might enjoy this better than me - it's just not something I'm going to wear.Verdict: Swap pileTl;Dr: Mild mannered woody cherry. (Comment on this)
Friday, January 23rd, 2009
6:30 am	BPAL - The Dodo In that case, said the Dodo solemnly, rising to its feet, I move that the meeting adjourn, for the immediate adoption of more energetic remedies Speak English! said the Eaglet. I dont know the meaning of half those long words, and, whats more, I dont believe you do either! And the Eaglet bent down its head to hide a smile: some of the other birds tittered audibly.What I was going to say, said the Dodo in an offended tone, was, that the best thing to get us dry would be a Caucus-race.What is a Caucus-race? said Alice; not that she wanted much to know, but the Dodo had paused as if it thought that somebody ought to speak, and no one else seemed inclined to say anything.Why, said the Dodo, the best way to explain it is to do it. (And, as you might like to try the thing yourself, some winter day, I will tell you how the Dodo managed it.)First it marked out a race-course, in a sort of circle, (the exact shape doesnt matter, it said,) and then all the party were placed along the course, here and there. There was no One, two, three, and away, but they began running when they liked, and left off when they liked, so that it was not easy to know when the race was over. However, when they had been running half an hour or so, and were quite dry again, the Dodo suddenly called out The race is over! and they all crowded round it, panting, and asking, But who has won?This question the Dodo could not answer without a great deal of thought, and it sat for a long time with one finger pressed upon its forehead (the position in which you usually see Shakespeare, in the pictures of him), while the rest waited in silence. At last the Dodo said, everybody has won, and all must have prizes.Red musk, lemon peel, sugar cane, cassia, white sandalwood, mango, and agarwood.GC Mad Tea Party scent, lab-fresh frimp.Initial thoughts: Ah, the Dodo. Living in Oxford, I get enough Alice in Wonderland every week of the summer to last a normal person their lifetime, and am on reasonably good terms with what remains of the original Oxford Dodo, being that I visit it every few months or so. So I have a soft spot in my heart for this particular blend even before I've thought about it.This was on my wishlist, but way down the priorities as a 'heh, this might be fun sometime'. Nothing was jumping out at me until I noticed the mango. Lemon peel is making me a bit tentative, as that tends to amp very sharp on me, but I've been looking for something else with sugar cane and - momma - mango. I love the smell of mango and I'm really hoping it's prominent in this.In the imp: Wow, this is... quite indescribable, but I'll try. It's sweet-ish, but mango and sugar cane juice sweet not sugar sweet. It's fresh, but not heavy on the citrus - it's not fruity but it has a hint of fruit - specifically the mango. It's got what can only be the musk, cassia, sandalwood and agarwood grounding it without making it heavy, musky, musty, woody OR dry. It's really complex and strange and perplexing and wonderful and MAN, I hope I like it on my skin because I'm about ready to keep it based on the imp sniff alone.On the wrist, wet: Mostly, it's that weird not-quite-spice-not-quite-wood-not-quite-musk mix that I'm REALLY liking. This is seeming very appropriate to the character, y'know! Oh man, I love this. Love it love it love it. The lemon peel isn't amping like crazy yet, which is a real plus - wish I was getting a bit more of the mango, that's my only problem with it.Twenty minutes later: Oh god. Oh god. Oh. God.MORE mango! Okay, it's a little sharper now from the lemon peel, but that in no way detracts from this scent. It's discreet but bubbly, not in-your-face but it's got great throw - this is an awesomely happy scent, ranking right up there alongside Shango as something I want to slather myself in and then kick down doors. This. Is. Amazing.Verdict: GIVE ME A BOTTLE. RIGHT NOW.Tl;Dr: Bright, happy mango with sweet fresh sugar cane juice, held in check by playful cassia and agarwood. OMG WOW. (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
2:17 am	BPAL - Sin Thoroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon.GC Sin & Salvation scent, imp of indeterminate age.Initial thoughts: Hmmm... not sure about this one - on the one hand, amber and cinnamon. On the other... black patchouli. Ick. I'm looking for something dark and smouldering, rather than dark and wet like Ligur, and with staying power, unlike Bloodlust. Let the Sin begin!In the imp: I do get the black patchouli most of all, but there are some really complex, spicy things going on in there that I can't quite describe. However, I amp patchouli, so I'm worried I'll lose some of that in the testing.On the wrist, wet: Cinnamon. Dark, luxurious cinnamon - this is no gingerbread cookie. A smoulder of patchouli, but it's really playing quite nice. The cinnamon is really the most prominent at this point, when the patchouli is usually going VROOM on my skin, but it's very unlike any cinnamon blends I've tried before in it's darkness and depth. And it's throw. Man, this is potent.Twenty minutes later: Amazing - it's still that awesome, dark, sultry cinnamon I really liked in the wet stages. The patchouli has not only behaved itself but gone above and beyond the call of duty. This is very aptly named - it's dark and dangerous, sure, but that delicious cinnamon topnote is sitting there, tempting you to come and take a bite...Verdict: Keeper, and maybe even a bottle when it runs out.Tl;Dr: A dark, sultry, smouldering blend with a tasty cinnamon topnote. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
12:19 am	BPAL - Kabuki Compelling, complex, and utterly enigmatic: a luxuriant, exotic blend of cherry, red musk, and star anise.GC Ars Amatoria scent, new-ish imp.Initial thoughts: Hmmm... I was all set up to love this, love it with a fiery passion, and yet... someone pointed out that the ARGHALLERGY note in Black Phoenix might have been cherry. Crap. On a crap stick. Now I'm almost not wanting to test it, which is a real shame.In the imp: Oh man. Licorise and, if I'm being kind, Carte D'or black cherry ice cream. If I'm being unkind, old-style cherry flavour medicene. Awesome!On the wrist, wet: I'm actually testing this on the fleshy part of my forearm, where I figure it can do less damage if I do have a reaction. It's much the same, if slightly less potent, on my skin - cherry and licorise. Yummeh. Now please don't kill me.Twenty minutes later: No itching, no redness - I'm tentative to call it golden, but I don't think I'm allergic to cherry. Hallelueah!Oh yeah, it smells of something!Mmmm... musky licorise. This is really rather good - something bold and sensual without being overpowering. It's the kind of scent you'd notice even if you didn't realise you had. I really like this.Verdict: Provided no nasty flareups in the next hour, keeper and an eventual bottle!Tl;Dr: Bright, medicinal cherry sombers down quickly into rich, sensual musk and star anise.ETA: After an hour and a half, or a little longer depending, the licorise settles down and you get sticky, musky cherry - vaguely similar to the cherry-esque version of dragon's blood I get on my skin. It's not AS awesome as the licorise, but it's still very pleasant. (Comment on this)
Monday, January 19th, 2009
9:46 pm	BPAL - Black Phoenix Our signature oil. A dark, languid scent. Promotes hedonistic tendencies and extreme self-love. You won't stop kissing mirrors for a month.GC Diabolus scent, imp of indeterminate age (Old style label)Initial thoughts: Normally, no listed notes = I don't go for it. However, this one was on the list when I was making a big purchase, and I thought well, why not? It'll be a good test of my IDing skills! Not to mention the fact that it's one of those you probably just have to try at least once.In the imp: Whoah momma. Almond. Bakewell tart. Almond. ALMOND.On the wrist, wet: For science! Almond, still, but... more complex. Much more complex. It's not bitter or sharp anymore, it's... almost green... hard to say what I'm picking up on other than almond, but still, there's something there.Twenty minutes later: Well, the almond's gone... this is dark and musky and a bit... sticky. And - a heads up to those with sensitive skin - it itches a little, and this is the first one to do so. This is on the back of my hand (where I have very thin skin) so it might do better elsewhere, but still. I'm really not sure about this - I can't decide what it smells like - and unfortunately my initial reaction is that I don't like it. Oh well.Verdict: Swap pile.Tl;Dr: A powerful almond that fades into something musky and dark. Beware those with sensitive skin.ETA: After about fifteen minutes or so, I didn't care what this smelt like because my skin itched like crazy and the veins on the back of my hand (Where I'd tested it) were bulging. I washed it off with no further ill effects, but I'm gonna have to find out what it was in that that I'm allergic to because, to paraphrase, itching is at one end of a scale that includes 'death' and there's a history of allergy-related deaths in my family. Ouch. (Comment on this)
Sunday, January 18th, 2009
6:36 pm	BPAL - Blood Countess Elizabeth Bthory, also called Erzsbet Bthory in Hungarian and Albeta Btoriov-Ndady in Slovak, was the Bloody Lady of Hungary. In order to preserve her youth and loveliness, the brutal and incomparably savage countess captured, tortured and slaughtered innumerable young women and bathed in their blood as part of her beauty regimen. Ah, vanity. Corrupted black plum, smoky opium and crumbling dead roses covered by a deceptive veil of Hungarian lilac, white gardenia and wild berry.GC Diabolus scent, lab fresh imp.Initial thoughts: Rose. Crap. Why do I keep picking scents with rose in them?I really want this to work on me just based on the concept - ah, Countess Bathory, in my teenage Goth phase I spent a lot of time reading up on you - and eyeing up the list of notes, I want this to work even more. I'm really hoping the gardenia and the plum come forward, and the rose doesn't mess it up too much for me.In the imp: Gardenia and plum! \o/Okay, I can kinda get the 'berry' and maybe the lilac (Can't really remember what lilac smells like) but the gardenia and the plum are very prominent. I now remember why I sniffed this at a friends house and immediately went DO WANT.On the wrist, wet: That's potent. Hmmm... gardenia, yes, an unidentified floral (Must be the lilac) but the berries are coming forward more than the plum. Strange. Oooh, but this IS good... incredibly good, in fact. I'm pretty much sold on a bottle now, and I'm REALLY hoping it doesn't do anything stupid in the drydown.Twenty minutes later: Potent, but very nice. Gardenia, lilac - a hint of rose 'fuzz' - and while the plum isn't very strong, the sweet, ripe squishy red berry note is quite prominent. This is strong, but it's got great character. It's sassy and playful, not overly sweet but not overly womanly either. I'm really liking it!Verdict: Keeper, and a bottle before too long methinks.Tl;Dr: Fresh gardenia and lilac with a hint of rose, hovering over sweet ripe red berries. (Comment on this)
Saturday, January 17th, 2009
3:09 pm	BPAL - Bloodlust A fiery Martial blend that embodies primal rage, lust for conquest, and all-encompassing desire. Dragon's blood essence, heavy red musk, Indonesian patchouli and swarthy vetiver with a drop of cinnamon.GC Diabolus scent, imp of indeterminate age (Nearly new, probably)Initial thoughts: Oh yeah. Yes, this one's going to be... and at this point I noticed the patchouli and the vetiver.Patchouli doesn't like me, but sometimes behaves itself. Vetiver does like me - A LOT - and I like it, but it does tend to amp like crazy. Dragon's blood sways me neither way, musk likewise... cinnamon, I kill for. Could be an 'ARGH PATCHOULI DIE', could be a new addition to the 'Vetiver, with hints of-' catagory. We shall see.In the imp: Vetiver, vetiver, some more vetiver, and I thing that's... vetiver!On the wrist, wet: This is dull, damp and smouldering. I kinda get the vetiver. I kinda get the patchouli. I have no idea what dragon's blood smells like on it's own but I think I smell it too. I almost think I can smell the cinnamon but it's not behaving like cinnamon. This is dark and rich and powerful and amazingly enough, the patchouli and the vetiver seem to be keeping each other in check. Oh my.Twenty minutes later: This is unbelievable - stick patchouli and vetiver, two scents that amp on my skin, one of which I usually dislike, side by side and you should have something that makes me want it OFF, NOW, RIGHT NOW. Like, I dunno, Snake Oil. But this...This is smoulderingly dark. This burns underneath a velvet veneer. This is sexy and firey and threatening violence. This, pretty much, lives up to it's namesake. It's potent as hell so I'll have to wear it a little more sparingly than I have done today, but man... this is good.Verdict: Keeper, and possibly a bottle.Tl;Dr: The patchouli and vetiver hold each other in check to create a potent, smouldering, vicious blend.ETA: This one doesn't actually have the greatest wear on me - after an hour or so it becomes "Vetiver, with hints of dragon's blood". I think I may use the imp, but I'm not getting a bottle of this. (Comment on this)
Friday, January 16th, 2009
12:40 pm	BPAL - Catherine Named for the ambitious, vengeful poisoner Catherine deMedici, who used perfumes to perform her dark deeds. A sinful blend of orange blossom, rosemary and rose... allegedly the exact perfume she utilzed in her work.GC Diabolus scent, lap fresh impInitial Thoughts: Rose. Crap.Now, that's not fair - rose CAN behave itself on me. Sometimes. Maybe. Not often, that's true - but still, I sniffed this at a friend's house and decided I needed to try it, probably because of the orange blossom. I love orange blossom.In the imp: Potent orange blossom and rose. Not cloying or sickly, just WUMFF! Hello, I'm Catherine, welcome to Los Angeles, I'm here to hit you [/stupid cross reference]. If this works, I might be quite pleased with it - there's a tone to it which reminds me slightly of a more mature, slinkier Marae, which is my floral blend of choice at the moment. Unforunately, rose and I have a history.On the wrist, wet: The rose... is behaving itself! On the other hand, maybe it's because the orange blossom is smack-you-in-the-sinuses overpowering. And sharp. This is wearable but not very 'me' at the moment, but I'm quite looking forward to the dry down.Twenty minutes later: My skin's drunk this up quite well, I think - it sits very close to the skin. The rose is behaving itself, and the orange blossom has settled down nicely. I'm even getting some of the rosemary. This is a nice, simple, well rounded floral - not youthful, but not overly mature either.Verdict: Not sold on a bottle, but I'll hang on to the imp.Tl;Dr: A subtle blend of orange blossom and a well behaved rose with a hint of rosemary. (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 15th, 2009
8:03 am	BPAL - Incantation Though thy slumber may be deep, Yet thy spirit shall not sleep; There are shades which will not vanish, There are thoughts thou canst not banish; By a power to thee unknown, Thou canst never be alone; Thou art wrapt as with a shroud, Thou art gather'd in a cloud; And for ever shalt thou dwell In the spirit of this spell. A profound and entrancing potion. Deep, wispy, and unfathomably dark: vetiver, dark woods, crumbling and burnt black sandalwood and a drop of lemon rind.GC Bewitching Brews scent, lab fresh imp.Initial thoughts: Great name. Awesome name. 'Incantation' is one of those really great words to say. Notes wise, this may or may not go vetiver mad on me, but even so - it could be a nice addition to my "Vetiver, with a hint of-" collection.In the imp: The vetiver doesn't stand out so strong, actually - it's more of a lemony sandalwood. Tempting, but a little on the 'clean' side.On the wrist, wet: Rich, well aged woods with lemon scented beeswax polish. It's not at all what I was expecting, but it's rather awesome. A moment or two later, of course, and the citrus is doing it's thing on my skin - should calm down in a bit - but the vetiver doesn't seem to be rearing it's head yet.Twenty minutes later: Lemon is not my best friend and he's not placing nice in this one - it smells like lemon scented funiture polish. This isn't foul on me but it's not something I'm going to want to wear.Verdict: SwapTl;Dr: Lemon scented polish on old wooden furniture. (Comment on this)