BPAL: I can't Believe I Lucked Out This Much on Swaps Edition

[gwydion]

The Frimps:
AUNT CAROLINE’S MONEY BAG (TAL): (Company says: Keeps you from spending money unwisely, making foolish investments, and wasting your hard earned cash.).

In bottle: When I was little there were these cinnamon red licorice gummy coins we could get at the penny candy store run by two nice little old ladies in my neighborhood. This smells like those, with a rough herbal undertone. Wet: More spicy incense, roots and earthy herbs, relatively less cinnamon red gummy licorice coins, though that is still there. Dry: Mostly cinnamon with a hint of spicy incense.

BEDBUG 2010 (LE, Event Exclusive, New York Comic Con exclusive bonus imp)

In bottle: Gingerbread, primarily, with candied fruit. It’s a clever and delicious combination, with a pleasing spiciness. Wet: more ginger and other spices, less cake and candied fruit. Less unusual than in the bottle, but still quite lovely, in a warm brown sort of way. Dry: mostly spices and candied fruit with a hint of gingerbread.

KHRYSOPÊLÊX 2010 (LE, Lupercalia: Ode to Mars): (Company says: Helmed in Gold, Caraway, amber, saffron, bergamot, and neroli.)

In bottle: They are not kidding about the caraway. So, it’s caraway dominant with neroli a distant second, and saffron a more distant third. The amber and bergamot are soft but discernible. It does give an impression of gold. Wet: more complex on the skin. Still caraway dominant, but less overwhelmingly so, which allows the other element more play. This isn’t my sort of thing, but it certainly is unusual. Dry: The caraway backs way off, becoming a well blended element in a complex whole. It’s now amber, bergamot, and neroli on top, with caraway and saffron giving it an exotic edge. I genuinely like it at this stage of it’s development, and it is certainly unusual.

LEANAN SIDHE (Bewitching Brews): (Company says: Her kiss infuses a man with depth of vision and feeling, otherworldly passion, and a sudden and ineffable understanding of the unending sadness that plagues mankind. Her perfume is a crush of Irish herbs and flowers, Gaelic mists, and nighttime dew.)

In bottle: Delicate and softly floral, though a touch shampoo. I like the soft aquatics, but the flowers do not particularly impress. Wet: less shampoo on the skin, the florals become a touch more interesting and distinctive, the mist and dew fade into the background. Not bad, but not me. Dry; fades fast, sharper, but in an interesting way. Still slightly misty flowers.

LES BIJOUX (Bewitching Brews): (Company says: Skin musk and honey, blood-red rose, orange blossom, white peach, red apple, frankincense and myrrh.)

In bottle: really pretty. The fruits and incense give the florals an unusual amount of body and maturity. The musk and honey lend a touch of sexy decadence. Very well balanced, with the rose and apple slightly more dominant, and the myrrh, honey, and musk slightly less. If my skin didn’t turn rose into a nightmare, I’d love this. I think the use of peach here is extremely clever. I must add that the rose in this is outstanding and unusual.

ODIN (Excolo): (Company says: His scent is dry elm bark, amaranth, warrior’s musk, and Odin’s Nine Herbs of Power.)

In bottle: Ashy and herbal, with a hint of herbal sharpness. Wet: more interesting on the skin. The ash softens, and the herbs pop and separate. It has a scooch of non-foody sweetness. It’s quite gentle and meditative. I like it, but not nearly enough to purchase. Dry: mostly soft and sweet herbals with a touch of something a little more edgy.

OLOKUN (Excolo): (Company says: His ofrenda is the scent of the lightless deep: the glorious, unknowable gloom of the ocean floor.)

In bottle: A particularly lovely and rich version of the ocean scent common in BPALs, with a soft sweet floral edge. Wet Much as in he bottle only saltier. It’s been over a year since I could wear ocean scent, but I think with med changes I can just barely wear this, for which I’m grateful, as I miss jolly Roger and the Phoenix. Dry: A touch more aftershave and about half as salty.

OPS 2010 (LE, Will Call November 2010)

In bottle: Mmmm.. orange scones mabe? Or cake with citrusy glazing. Something like that. Yummy. Wet: I’m leaning towards the scones with sweet citruus glazing as it’s not that sweet, but more vaguely sweet. The spices are lovely with the orange glazing. I can’t normally do citrus, but this doesn’t amp, so I can actually wear it! Yay!. Dry: Fast fading, faintly cakey, faintly orange.

VOODOO LILY (Rappaccini’s Garden): (Company says: Amorphallus, indeed. A breathtakingly exotic, wild, and grossly erotic spicy gold, purple-black, and burgundy lily.

Ordered: Lily, spice, and sweetarts. It does smell like the colours sound, but there is a touch of over ripeness to the tone. Wet: The sweetness is less cheap candy on the skin. I do love the spiciness of this floral, but the intense feminine purple is a touch weird with my skin chemistry. The over ripe undertone is still not fortunate, but less jarring here. Fascinating on the right woman, but not so much on me. Dry: shockingly lovely once it settles. It really does smell like the concept lily. I love it on the dry down in a way I could not wet.

Ordered:
CRYPT KING 2011 (LE, Etsy Limited Edition Halloweenie): (Company says: The CRYPT Queen’s dapper consort: pomegranate juice, black pepper, oakmoss, coriander, black ginger, patchouli, dracaena, and a splash of lilac fougere.)

In bottle: Wow! Rich, complex, and unusual. Pomogranate dominent. The oakmoss, ginger, fougere, and an unfamiliar note that I’m guessing is dracaena come in a strong second, with the other notes all distinct and present. It’s quite heady and powerfully peculiar in a masculine way. I do think it would go well with crypt Queen, and is subtly dangerous and a touch disturbing in a thrilling sort of way. The dracaena smells sharply plantlike and goes really well with oakmoss. I am thinking if you like one, the other will probably apeal. Wet: Still pomegranate dominant, though now the oakmoss is second with the other elements fading back just a little. I really like the earthiness of the aged patchouli under the spices and moss, which definitely suggests mummification and the grave. As it warms, the ginger rises back up dragging the other spices with it. It has less throw than I expected from the bottle, but it’s still intriguing. Dry: Dry and sharp, it’s moss, dracaena, spices, fougere, and a touch of patchouli at this point, very reminiscent of tombs and an even better match for crypt queen. I love this and it breaks my heart that all I have is a decant, because it’s glorious and different. I am not normally a patchouli fan, but it’s understated and oh so right here. I’m in love.

DUNGEON CRAWL 2010 (LE, San Diego Comic-Con: Geek Girls Tweetup): (Company says:Wet stone corridors, gobs of candle wax, crusty abbatoirs, rusted caltrops, nefarious necromancer incense, kobold musk, and dragon droppings.)

In bottle: Omnomnom. Metal, stone, and leather dominant with something sweet that may be part of the incense and a soft musk. Wet: There is now a deliciously sharp green note that is now randomly dominent, with the stone and metal backing it. The incense is pleasant and gentle, bending well with the blood and other elements. This is glorious and complex, perfectly capturing the concept without getting into anything unaesthetic. It’s a cousin to other stone and blood scents in the collection, but the green note and this mix makes it unusual and irreplaceable. Dry: I swear it smells like a particularly sexy species of mold I’m thinking it’s insence and musk making a strange accord. The stone has unusual staying power here, with metal and blood more hints that statements. It still smells leathery, though more gently. The wax is just there, but the wonderful dark green note burns off. I still love it. Yum.

FIERY WALL of PROTECTION 2006 (TAL, Crossing and Uncrossing, LE): (Company says: An incredibly strong protection blend. Protects you from the baneful effects of random negativity as well as directed malice. Rebounds attacks on the caster. Use in conjunction with a white figure candle representing you.)

In bottle: Bright and sweet. It’s heavy on the dragon’s blood, with a floral and herbal undercoat. There is a pleasant hint of metal that goes well with the dragon’s blood. My sample is very aged, and I think that accounts for it to be mostly dragon’s blood at this point. Wet: still mostly dragon’s blood, but with some other incense and a hint of earthiness in with the metal. Wet: The herbal and earthy qualities come out a little more, but it’s still dragon’s blood dominant.

THE LADY OF LAKE RONKONKOMA 2010 (New York Comic-Con, LE): (Company says: Lake Ronkonkoma is rumored to be a bottomless lake and conduit to the netherworld. The gods of the Lake demand an annual sacrifice, using the restless spirit of a long-dead Seatauket maiden to lure unsuspecting men to their doom. Balsamic, reedy water, sweetgrass, algae, loosestrife, and lady’s slipper.

In bottle: Sweetly aquatic, and a touch more floral than expected. The balsam goes beautifully with the water, sweetgrass, and lady’s slipper. I like the way the algae counterpoints the sweeter notes. I now with there were more blends with reeds in them. This matches the concept well, very ladylike and aquatic. Wet: Even lovelier on the skin, with my natural musk, combining with the balsam and aquatics to make it subtly more sexy. This is the loveliest use of balsam I’ve seen in a while and the way it blends with the other elements is so delicate and liquid. It’s not my usual thing, and would be much prettier on the right woman, but even on me it creates a scent poem about reedy banks and long hair. Dry: Balsam, algae, sweetgrass, and florals in the order of strongest to weakest surviving notes. Quite pretty.

LEO STELLIUM 2011 (LE, TAL): (Company says: Through working with this energy, we can reinvent ourselves through serious and profound reflection regarding who we want to be and how we want the world to see us.

In bottle: This is not good. There is something I can’t identify that I’m reacting badly to. It’s also got a lot of lemon and frankincense, both of which are not good with my skin chemistry. I do like much of the herbal undercoat, but I know I will amp all the strongest notes. It does make sense as a Leo themed scent.

SMILING SPIDER (Salon, Exhibit III): (Company says: Bitter clove, black musk, mahogany wood, and patchouli.)

In bottle: Polished mahogany dominant. I love the way the clove and wood interact, adding a sweet spiciness. The musk adds a rich sexiness, the patchouli is soft and earthy. This sample is aged, and the patchouli in it reminds me a little of Crypt King’s. In other words, it is soft and rich and deep, blending smoothly with the other elements without overwhelming. This is wonderful and I’m going to be very sad if the musk is too heavy on my skin as black musk often is. Wet: The blend is still mahogany dominant. If anything, the mahogany is more complex. The patchouli and musk are stronger on the skin, but not overpowering, though the black musk is at the edge. The clove is softer, but wow, so lovely. The wood really makes it pop. Delicious. I suspect that fresh, this would be a bit harsher and less smooth, deep, and dangerously sexy but I’m loving this bottle oh so much. Dry: Clove dominant beautifully supported by rich dark wood, with a hint of musk and patchouli.. Wow, I’ve been longing for something that smells like this.

SPRINKLECAKE 2011 (LE, Forum only): (Company says: This is the scent of the cupcakes that her (kind, generous, and wonderful!) Aunt Sarah made for her birthday! Lilith's request was for sprinkle flavored cupcakes ("sprinklecakes!") with pink and purple glitter frosting, and that's what she got. That's what you're getting, too: this cupcake fragrance is the sweetest of the sweet, the sugariest of the sugary! Rainbow sprinkles baked into rich vanilla cake with thick, creamy frosting topped with glittery candy flakes.)

In bottle: It does indeed smell like sprinkle cup cakes. It also smells like… rum maybe? Or Scotch? Anyway, it does capture that sugary whiteface with delicate frosting scent I was hoping for. Wet: Much as in the bottle, only less boozy and more realistic. There is something in there that does suggest purple glitter. The frosting separates out rather more, as do the candy sprinkles. I’m not sure I like the purple glitter, but I’m certainly intrigued. Dry: The sugar sprinkles pop more as things fade. I really love the cake batter. I’m still not sure about the glitter, though I like it better as the icing gets more icinglike. Really, as it wears, the major difference is it smoothes out and the individual elements untangle a bit.

Atmosphere Spray:
VILLA DIODATI 2011 (Prototype - Atmospheric Linen & Room Spray)

I’m guessing maybe tonka, maybe palm, maybe stone. Certainly some wood. It’s vaguely spicey in a pleasant way. It gives a sunny feel. There is a hint of ozone and sea. It’s pretty, faintly masculine, and definitely creates a house on the coast feel. I like it, though it hasn’t much throw.



Winners: Dungeon Crawl, Crypt King, Smiling Spider
Runners Up: Bedbug, Ops