BPAL: the Imping

[gwydion]

The Frimps:
AVE MARIA GRATIA PLENA (Ars Amorata): (Company says: Rosewood with Sicilian lemon peel, red Mysore sandalwood, pale musks, sweet mountain sage and a dusting of lily, night-blooming jasmine and orris.)

In bottle: I am not skin testing, as this has a plethora of things that go badly on my skin. Well blended, with lily dominant, and jasmine a close second. A distant third are the orris, rosewood, and lemon. The other elements are soft, but decernable. It’s a rich, lovely floral, with a darker undertow. It’s genuinely a gorgeous floral blend.

DIWALI 2007 (LE, Yule): (Company says: Lotus root, mogra, mango, tamarind, cardamom, clove, almond milk, cashew, rice flower, coconut, supari, raisins, and incense crafted from aloeswood, red sandalwood, cedar, and spikenard).

In bottle: Richly spiced and pleasingly sweet. The almond milk and cocoanut make a smooth canvass on which the complex of other elements can be beautifully displayed. I think the raisins in this is the best use of any grape related scent I’ve encound=tered. The lotus blends well with the other elements, while remaining distinct. The woods ground the blend. The spices are perfect with the other elements. Wet: Less stunning on my skin, where the coconut, cedar/sandalwood, and cardamom/clove are the main elements. It’s still quite nice, but my skin steals the nuance. Dry: Mostly sandalwood and cardamom with almond milk.

HALOA 2007 (LE, Yule): (Company says: Wine grapes, myrrh, frankincense and olive leaf, and the warm scent of offertory cakes.)

In bottle: The cake is by far the strongest note. I would swear there was a touch of orange glaze in this, though I could be miss parsing the grape. The incense is very soft, as is the olive leaf. Wet: Still cake dominant. This is a surprisingly clever use of grape, which doesn’t usually work on me, but does here. They are soft, but I am really liking the olive leaf in this and I think this is a particularly good myrrh. Dry: surprisingly like cotton candy or pipe Tabacco. The cakes and grapes are just really interesting together.

OLD AMSTERDAM (Wanderlust): (Company says: Tulips, peony, fresh flowing water and crisp green grasses.)

In bottle: An unusual floral blend, rich and dark, but unfortunately a touch chemical. My sample is very old, and I think the grasses have broken down. Wet: Very faint on the skin. I think that’s the peony on top, with a faint fresh water aquatic touch and that chemical sting that I noticed before. No dry down info, as it faded too fast.

ON DARKNESS (LE, Yule): (Company says: (An embrace: black poppy, lavender, thick black incense, black amber, rose geranium, Brazilian rosewood, and benzoin.)

In bottle: That’s a lot of rose geranium and rosewood. The benzoin and incense are rather harsh. The amber manages to make a solid third. I honestly can barely pick out the other elements. Wet: The benzoin is strongest on the skin, but the rose geranium really tries hard. This is really not working on me, though I can see how the insense and rosewood would work really well on someone else. On me it’s rank and cloying. I can pick out the lavender now. This is giving me a headache. It’s really strong. Dry: I normally love lavender, but hear it has ganged up with the benzoin and rose geranium and some of the incense to do terrible things to my sinuses and head. I did not wait as long for the retest as I normally would because the resulting headache is rendering me rapidly in need of a shower and a lie down. I think I need to add rose geranium to my do not wear list. I’m not fond of benzoin, but I think I would have noticed it making me ill before this. Sorry, I can’t be objective here.

RED TIDE (Atomic Luau Lounge: The Bar, Discontinued): (Company says: Raspberry liquor, cranberry juice, gin, mango pulp, and a mint garnish.)

In bottle: Surprisingly dry. Cranberry and gin dominant with raspberry second. The mango lends a touch of the sweet. Mint is barely detectable. Wet: I’m not a juniper fan, so I’m surprised at how well the gin is playing with the berries here. It’s still cranberry dominant. Actually, it’s mostly cranberry with the raspberry and gin in support. I did not expect to like this but I do. It’s a nice, bright red summer scent. Dry: There is more mango on the dry down, shifting the balance into something just as interesting, but completely different. I’m not picking up the mint at all, which is just as well. Consider this an all around pleasant surprise.

Ordered:
AUSTRALIAN COPPERHEAD (Carnivale Diabolique, Act III: The Snake Pit): (Company says: Snake Oil with acai berry, amber, cardamom, neroli, and smoked vanilla.)

In bottle: Acai berry dominant. The acai berry blends well with the snake oil, extra vanilla, and neroli. I haven’t the age of this sample, but judging from the snake oil, I’d guess this is well aged. The amber is understated, the cardamom is mostly gone. Wet: My skin eats a lot of the berry and gently amps the amber. The result is a heady, berry sweetened incense heavy snake oil blend. It’s very well balanced on my skin, with enough berry to give it a fruity edge, but not enough to overbalance the complexity. Yum. Dry: The berry comes back up, highlighted on a background of aged snake oil.

THE BLACK RIDER (Marchen): (Company says: Black leather, oppoponax, tobacco, and black amber.)

In bottle: The oppoponax is rather strong and bringing out a chemical quality in the leather, while the amber is doing that cottonelle thing that amber sometimes does. The effect is rather unfortunate. Wet: The tobacco comes out on my skin and tries to make a bridge between the elements. This is a big help to the leather which suddenly pops as a distinct element instead of breaking down into components. The amber starts smelling like amber also. The oppoponax stays rather sharp, but is now an edge rather than overwhelming, It’s still not as good as some of my other leather favorites, but it’s not bad. Dry: Mostly leather with some amber.

CHOKECHERRY HONEY (Rappaccini’s Apiary): (Company says: Chokecherry Honey).

In bottle: Rich cherry scented honey. Wet: This is the cherry scent that smells least like cough syrup on me. I know this sounds like faint praise, but it is literally the only cherry related scent that didn’t go instantly nasty on me. As it warms, the cherry smells more like tart true cherry, and the honey rises in a wave. It’s maybe not a scent I’d pick to where often, but it is lovely, and it’s clearly the cherry scent for people who normally don’t do well with cherry. Dry: Perfectly balanced honey and cherry, almost creamy in it’s affect. I can’t believe how good this smells on me.

DWARF (RPG): (Company says: Iron filings and chips of stone, Styrian Golding hops, and soot-covered leather.)

In bottle: It really does smell like iron and stone. It is very earthy, the hops and leather combining with stone to suggest rich loam, as well as the leather and hops intended. I really like this, but it may not be to everyone’s taste. Wet: Still iron dominent, the hops are stronger than stone and leather on the skin, creating a vaguely floral edge. It smells less like dirt on the skin, though there is still a hint of it mixed with the soft leather and stone. It’s nice, but not as brilliant as in the bottle. Dry: Surprisingly aftershave like. It bears little resemblance to the notes previously detected. It is aggressively masculine and has tons of throw.

HALF-ELF (RPG): (Company says: White sandalwood, beeswax, white tea leaf, oud, and a hint of sophisticated urban musk.)

In bottle: The musk and sandalwood form a dominant team, very dry and sexy. The beeswax is particularly lovely, as is the white tea leaf. It is a touch polished wood, but in a good way. Wet: Sandalwood beats out musk, with the beeswax rising. Musk would be a strong third with the other elements mostly subsumed. Dry: Mostly sandalwood with a touch of musk and tea.

HALFLING (RPG): (Company says: Porridge, kukui nuts, and pastry crumbs.)

In bottle: Rich, nutty porridge with a hint of pastry lending a touch of sweetness. Wet: Very soft on the skin, mostly vaguely nutty pastry. Dry: A lovely soft pastry with powdered sugar. This would be perfect if it had more throw.

HESPERIDES (Discontinued, Bewitching Brews): (Company says: The Hesperides are the Nymphs of the Evening who dwell in a verdant garden located in the Arcadian Mountains, guarded by the terrible three-headed dragon, Ladon. Within their garden lives the tree that bears Hera’s sacred Golden Apples. Their perfume is that of sturdy oak bark, dew-kissed leaves, twilight mist and crisp apple.)

In bottle: The apple is indeed crisp and it spars for dominance with the oak. The leaves add a green shade to the blend, and the mists lend a softness. Wet: The apple wins, though the oak stays strong. This has a shady, late August, early September feel. The elements balance well on the skin, and it is different enough from my collection of Halloweenie apples to be worthwhile as a separate entity. Dry: sweet crisp apples with a hint of oak and mist.

LOVERS WITH RUTTING CATS 2009 (LE, Lupercalia, Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements II): (Company says: Vanilla, red ginger, oakmoss, palm date, and oud.)

In bottle: Unusual. The ginger in this is really different than the usual note and is doing fascinating things with the palm date. The vanilla softens it and the oakmoss gives it edge, but the ginger/date combo is very dominant. Wet: The red ginger really pops on the skin. The palm is less interesting on the skin, and the whole blend goes rather contenelle with my skin chemistry. Heartbreaking. Dry: The oakmoss and ginger have staying power, and the oud comes out rather as the other elements fade. It ends up surprisingly floral and shrill on me. This is likely my skin chemistry not working well with the oud and to a certain extent the red ginger.

MOTHER SHUB'S TOOTHSOME BANKETSTAAF 2009 (LE, The Miskatonic Valley Yuletide Faire): (Company says: A treat sure to please even the most finicky cultist! Tubular pastries oozing with spijs, glazed with apricot jam, and dotted with glace cherries.)

In bottle: Almond pastry with a touch of apricot tang. The cherries are clear, but not overwhelming. Wet: Slightly more apricot on the skin, but still almond pastry dominant. I normally don’t do well with cherry, and while it turns a little on my skin, it manages to stay subordinate to a degree that means this could really work for me. Dry: Smells vaguely like the linen note for no logical reason. The apricot stands out more strongly as the other elements fade to a soft background.

ON DARKNESS (LE, Yule): (Company says: (An embrace: black poppy, lavender, thick black incense, black amber, rose geranium, Brazilian rosewood, and benzoin.)

In bottle: That’s a lot of rose geranium and rosewood. The benzoin and incense are rather harsh. The amber manages to make a solid third. I honestly can barely pick out the other elements. Wet: The benzoin is strongest on the skin, but the rose geranium really tries hard. This is really not working on me, though I can see how the insense and rosewood would work really well on someone else. On me it’s rank and cloying. I can pick out the lavander now. This is giving me a headache. It’s really strong.

OUIJA (Bewitching Brews): (Company says: 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.)

In bottle: I’m not skin testing due to the terrible things my skin does to roses. This is weirdly chemical, dry and sharp. It does indeed smell like white roses predominantly, and the ozone quality does suggest the ethereal, the wood notes suggest the board, while the dryness does suggest ghosts. It really does fit its concept, though it’s not exactly my idea of pleasant.

REDOUL HONEY (Rappaccini’s Apiary): (Company says: Redoul Honey).

In bottle: Pleasantly tangy dark berries over honey. Omnomnom. Wet: Sweet rich tangy berries over honey. It’s not quite like the other berry notes, and in a good way. Dry: A little less natural, a little more drier sheets. Disappointing.

THE WHITE RIDER (RPG): (Company says: White leather and sandalwood.)

In bottle: The white leather note is very gentle for a leather and plays well for the sandalwood. Where many sandalwood blends smell dry, this is wet and lush. Wet: The elements are more distinct on the skin. The effect is rather leather and bone, and more sinister than I was expecting. Now that the leather is stronger and clearer, I’m thinking I may not be a white leather fan. I do think the sandalwood is interesting with the white leather, but I’m thinking my skin is just not that into this. Dry: Soft dry sndalwood with vaguely flowery leather.

THE WITCH'S GARDEN (Marchan): (Company says: Morning glory vines twisting around a patch of rampion, carrot, and parsley, with monkshood, hemlock, elfwort, sage, wormwood, and mandrake.)

In bottle: Gnarly dark green roots, vines, and herbs. This perfectly embodies it’s concept. It is very much a late summer working garden, with hints of poison under the carrots. I really like this. Wet: still carrot dominant with the vines second. Despite my bad history with some of the poisons in Rappaccini’s they are well blended here. Dry: Surprisingly floral, but in a good way. All that dark gnarly greenness is transmuted to purple flowers. Not what I’d wanted, but certainly interesting.



Winners: Australian copperhead
Runners Up: Diwali, Half-Elf, Red Tide