BPAL: Spring Swaps
Jun. 15th, 2011 02:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwydionA package of goodies came from Tibicina last Friday, which I didn't get to test until today. A bunch of swaps also turned up.
The Frimps:
Thirteen (13) May 2011 (LE): (Company says: This 13 is all about getting lucky! A base of rich cacao absolute and honey with thirteen lust-inspiring oils: patchouli, vanilla absolute, rose otto, red sandalwood, devil’s bit, caraway, cardamom, cubeb, carrot seed, ginseng, yohimbe, saffron, and grains of paradise.)
In bottle: I am not familiar with many of the elements in this blend, which will make this rather harder to describe. There are dark dusty herbal elements in this that remind me of things from Rappaccini’s garden, like Devil’s Claw, without actually smelling like that blend. The patchouli blends with those dark roots scents to create the dominant impression. The rose and vanilla lighten it rather, but the effect is still rather dangerous, like a sweet cordial or pastille laced with poisonous roots. The cacao is dry and lies between the bitter roots and the sweeter elements, smoothing the thing out rather. It’s fascinating, rather, creating a unique scent poem. Wet: I normally don’t skin test rose as it and my skin chemistry do not get along, but I took a chance given the make up of this blend. The rose clawed its way to the top, along with something vaguely citrus. I can actually pick out the cardamom now. The patchouli and root-like herbal scents have been beaten down to a soft background. Really, it’s rose citrus with a hint of something dark swimming underneath. It’s a shame, as the in bottle scent was more interesting, but it’s not that surprising given my skin chemistry. Dry: It chills out to a soft chocolate, vanilla rose, with just a touch of spice.
FORBIDDEN FRUIT (Ars Amatoria): (Company says: As light and innocent as your first time should have been. The fresh scent of lotus hidden behind lightly scented flowers, amber, and citrus.)
In bottle: strongly floral and Lotus heavy. It’s a little like floral chewing gum, which I know from past experience is the amber interacting with the florals. It’s bright and strongly coloured flowers. The amber turns sexy once I parse it out. The citrus is very understated. Wet: It’s not as intense on me. The citrus is stronger as I amp it, but it must not be proportionately tiny, as it’s not that strong here. It’s less chewing gum on me too. It’s quite lovely for a floral, but my skin chemistry is not particularly good for florals. I’m guessing it could be stunning on someone else and it’s rather wasted on me. Dry: The amber really comes out as it wears. Seriously, if it smells this good on me, it’s got to be impressive on someone else.
THE GRAVE-PIG (Marchen): (Company says: Fig, oakmoss, mushroom caps, and patchouli.)
In bottle: on paper I should love this. It’s very soft, though and not all that impressive. It’s mostly patchouli and mushrooms, with fig a distant second, and the oakmoss barely there. Wet: The mushrooms are now stronger than the patchouli, though not particularly wholesome. The oakmoss warms up on the skin and edges it’s way to dominance fairly quickly. The fig also warms up and sweetens the other elements to their benefit, I think. This isn’t foody, but more a dried moss, mushroom, and patchouli sort of thing, even with the fig as a counter weight. I had no idea why one would wear this in the bottle, but on the skin, it makes sense. I am a bit allergic to fig, which prevents me wearing this beyond the small skin test, but it’s a pleasant, subtle thing I wouldn’t onject too if it weren’t making me itch. The effect gets wetter over time, so that the dried arrangement effect shades towards damp mossy, fungus covered log with the sweet earthy fig keeping it lighter and sweeter than one would expect. Dry: Surprisingly long lasting. Mostly oakmoss.
THE ZIEBA TREE (Rappaccini’s Garden): (Company says: A dreamlike, listless scent, misty and hazed, with wisps of white sandalwood, eddying musks the colors of eventide, shimmering pale resins, davana, lemon blossom, orange blossom, and white peach.)
In bottle: This is a good fit for the concept. It is heady, yet light. It is a little too fabric softener for me, but the blend of florals and resins creates a complex evening garden sort of effect. The musks blend beautifully with the sandalwood and other resins. The florals are dominant, but it’s not the standard florals. Given the contents, I’m opting against skin testing, since my che,mistry will break this all down into non sense, but it would make a pleasant breezy late spring sort of scent for the right woman.
Ordered:
BREAD-AND-BUTTER-FLY (Mad Tea Party): (Company says: Bread, lightly buttered, with weak tea, cream, and a lump of white sugar.)
In bottle: Tea and cream dominant. The next strongest scent appears to be anise, though that’s not listed, so I’m not sure where that’s coming from, although it may be me parsing the bread into components, since the anise scent appears to add up with some softer notes to almost make bread. I’m guessing it’s an accord. The sugar is folded into the tea, making it slightly sweeter. Wet: Pretty much as in the bottle. The tea and anise are about even now, the rest is a bit softer. It’s nice and pleasantly delicate, but hasn’t much throw. Dry: lovely cream, sugar and a hint of tea on the dry down. Alas, my skin rather eats it, but it’s quite pretty.
DANCING KOI 2011 (LE, Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements IV, Lupercalia): (Company says: Brown musk, leather accord, toasted sandalwood, clove, labdanum, and champaca..)
In Bottle: This is unusual. The clove, labdanum, and champaca form a team and climb to prominence over musk, leather, sandalwood team, though all elements are present and fairly easy to pick out. I’m not sure I approve of brown musk, or laddanum, for that matter, but I’m certainly fascinated. Wet: The labdanum moves up to lead its team, as does the sandalwood sandalwood in its own team. It is less powdery on the skin and a touch more boot polish. This is a particularly nice champaca. I rather wish the clove weren’t mostly in hiding and I still find the brown musk a bit dubious with my skin chemistry. Dry: it work out rather better in the long run. The musk is still a bit rough, but it’s playing better with the dominant leather, sandalwood, and the tail ends of the other elements.
MINAMOTO NO YORIMITSU CUTS AT THE EARTH SPIDER 2011 (The Salon: Holding Back the Night, LE): (Company says: Toasted sandalwood, tobacco flower, teakwood, castoreum accord, bourbon vanilla, and patchouli.)
In bottle: Mmmmm… Elegant! I don’t know what castoreum is, but process of elimination suggests it’s what’s doing that glorious thing with the tabacco flower. This is a rich green scent, with tobacco flower and castoreum dominant. The teakwood complements and grounds the scent. The vanilla and incense give it nuance. Wet: There is a bit more sandalwood and teakwood on the skin. It is still tobacco flower/castoreum dominant, but the woods are creeping up on them. All elements are pleasant and play well together. It suits well both the Japanese wood cut idea and the spring. Dry: A touch perfumey, and not as well balanced, but mostly a softer version of fresh.
RIVET.GOTH 2010 (LE, Bat’s Day): (Company says: Black leather, tobacco absolute, rust, gritty musk, and machine oil.)
In bottle: Strong thick black leather, modified by the machine oil, rust, and tobacco. The musk is very smooth. It fits its concept beautifully. It’s thick biker leather and hot machines. It’s a touch sweeter and less oily smelling than Mutant Hot Rodders and Mechanical Phoenix, while being an even stronger, tougher, leather scent. Wet: The leather softens on my skin, allowing all the nuances of the machine scents to come out. The rust is fascinating and a little alarming. I don’t recognize this musk. Gritty is a good description, actually, but it is not too strong for my skin, which amps most musk and it blends beautifully with the leather and tobacco particularly. I think there would be no point in wearing this if you don’t like leather, but it is an excellent addition to the leather scents in the collection. Dry: The oil really comes out and the leather goes subtly smoky. It’s attractive, comforting, and a little harsh and dirty all at once. It softens to something understated and masculine on me, but the person who swapped me had it amp like whoa, so how this will likely work on you is best judged from how your skin handles leather.
ROGUE (RPG): (Company says: Soft, well-worn black leather, hemp, and rosin.)
In bottle: Leather dominant. This really does smell like soft worn black leather. Delicious! I’m not familiar enough with rosin in the real world to judge the scent’s accuracy, but here it is utterly lovely with the leather. The hemp is understated. I’m in love. Wet: The leather softens and the rosin rises, the effect is sweeter and gentler in the bottle, but utterly sexy and gorgeous. I need a bottle of this stuff. Dry: Still lovely and leather dominant, now with more hemp and less rosin so they balance. I don’t love it quite as much as wet, but I do love it.
STEAM.GOTH 2011 (LE, Bat’s Day): (Company says: Oil-spattered brass, engine grease, and a warm splash of Victorian aftershave.)
In bottle: The aftershave element is particularly delicious. It is unusual, while still being clearly aftershave. The industrial elements blend beautifully with each other and support the aftershave in a particularly sexy fashion. Wet: The brass is dominant on the skin, which is interesting in an entirely different way. It is not quite is sexy as I thought at first, as one of the aftershave component turns a little on my skin, but I’m still loving it. Dry: I’m wondering if there isn’t a sandalwood component in the aftershave, as it smells rather like sexy sandalwood dominant men’s cologne now. I really do love it, despite its imperfections.
TEA 2011 (LE, Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements IV, Lupercalia): (Company says: Darjeeling tea, lemon verbena, star anise, and honeycomb.)
In Bottle: Lemon verbena dominant. It does genuinely smell like honeyed darjeeling underneath. The anise is very understated. Wet: Still verbena dominant, but the other elements are making a comeback. I’m fascinated by the honeycomb, which is unexpectedly nuanced. I think I’d loike this better with half the verbena, but it is still quite nice. Dry: Still a touch too much verbena, but much better balanced so as to allow the darjeeling to really show off.
Winners: Rivet.Goth, Rogue
Runners Up: Minamoto
The Frimps:
Thirteen (13) May 2011 (LE): (Company says: This 13 is all about getting lucky! A base of rich cacao absolute and honey with thirteen lust-inspiring oils: patchouli, vanilla absolute, rose otto, red sandalwood, devil’s bit, caraway, cardamom, cubeb, carrot seed, ginseng, yohimbe, saffron, and grains of paradise.)
In bottle: I am not familiar with many of the elements in this blend, which will make this rather harder to describe. There are dark dusty herbal elements in this that remind me of things from Rappaccini’s garden, like Devil’s Claw, without actually smelling like that blend. The patchouli blends with those dark roots scents to create the dominant impression. The rose and vanilla lighten it rather, but the effect is still rather dangerous, like a sweet cordial or pastille laced with poisonous roots. The cacao is dry and lies between the bitter roots and the sweeter elements, smoothing the thing out rather. It’s fascinating, rather, creating a unique scent poem. Wet: I normally don’t skin test rose as it and my skin chemistry do not get along, but I took a chance given the make up of this blend. The rose clawed its way to the top, along with something vaguely citrus. I can actually pick out the cardamom now. The patchouli and root-like herbal scents have been beaten down to a soft background. Really, it’s rose citrus with a hint of something dark swimming underneath. It’s a shame, as the in bottle scent was more interesting, but it’s not that surprising given my skin chemistry. Dry: It chills out to a soft chocolate, vanilla rose, with just a touch of spice.
FORBIDDEN FRUIT (Ars Amatoria): (Company says: As light and innocent as your first time should have been. The fresh scent of lotus hidden behind lightly scented flowers, amber, and citrus.)
In bottle: strongly floral and Lotus heavy. It’s a little like floral chewing gum, which I know from past experience is the amber interacting with the florals. It’s bright and strongly coloured flowers. The amber turns sexy once I parse it out. The citrus is very understated. Wet: It’s not as intense on me. The citrus is stronger as I amp it, but it must not be proportionately tiny, as it’s not that strong here. It’s less chewing gum on me too. It’s quite lovely for a floral, but my skin chemistry is not particularly good for florals. I’m guessing it could be stunning on someone else and it’s rather wasted on me. Dry: The amber really comes out as it wears. Seriously, if it smells this good on me, it’s got to be impressive on someone else.
THE GRAVE-PIG (Marchen): (Company says: Fig, oakmoss, mushroom caps, and patchouli.)
In bottle: on paper I should love this. It’s very soft, though and not all that impressive. It’s mostly patchouli and mushrooms, with fig a distant second, and the oakmoss barely there. Wet: The mushrooms are now stronger than the patchouli, though not particularly wholesome. The oakmoss warms up on the skin and edges it’s way to dominance fairly quickly. The fig also warms up and sweetens the other elements to their benefit, I think. This isn’t foody, but more a dried moss, mushroom, and patchouli sort of thing, even with the fig as a counter weight. I had no idea why one would wear this in the bottle, but on the skin, it makes sense. I am a bit allergic to fig, which prevents me wearing this beyond the small skin test, but it’s a pleasant, subtle thing I wouldn’t onject too if it weren’t making me itch. The effect gets wetter over time, so that the dried arrangement effect shades towards damp mossy, fungus covered log with the sweet earthy fig keeping it lighter and sweeter than one would expect. Dry: Surprisingly long lasting. Mostly oakmoss.
THE ZIEBA TREE (Rappaccini’s Garden): (Company says: A dreamlike, listless scent, misty and hazed, with wisps of white sandalwood, eddying musks the colors of eventide, shimmering pale resins, davana, lemon blossom, orange blossom, and white peach.)
In bottle: This is a good fit for the concept. It is heady, yet light. It is a little too fabric softener for me, but the blend of florals and resins creates a complex evening garden sort of effect. The musks blend beautifully with the sandalwood and other resins. The florals are dominant, but it’s not the standard florals. Given the contents, I’m opting against skin testing, since my che,mistry will break this all down into non sense, but it would make a pleasant breezy late spring sort of scent for the right woman.
Ordered:
BREAD-AND-BUTTER-FLY (Mad Tea Party): (Company says: Bread, lightly buttered, with weak tea, cream, and a lump of white sugar.)
In bottle: Tea and cream dominant. The next strongest scent appears to be anise, though that’s not listed, so I’m not sure where that’s coming from, although it may be me parsing the bread into components, since the anise scent appears to add up with some softer notes to almost make bread. I’m guessing it’s an accord. The sugar is folded into the tea, making it slightly sweeter. Wet: Pretty much as in the bottle. The tea and anise are about even now, the rest is a bit softer. It’s nice and pleasantly delicate, but hasn’t much throw. Dry: lovely cream, sugar and a hint of tea on the dry down. Alas, my skin rather eats it, but it’s quite pretty.
DANCING KOI 2011 (LE, Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements IV, Lupercalia): (Company says: Brown musk, leather accord, toasted sandalwood, clove, labdanum, and champaca..)
In Bottle: This is unusual. The clove, labdanum, and champaca form a team and climb to prominence over musk, leather, sandalwood team, though all elements are present and fairly easy to pick out. I’m not sure I approve of brown musk, or laddanum, for that matter, but I’m certainly fascinated. Wet: The labdanum moves up to lead its team, as does the sandalwood sandalwood in its own team. It is less powdery on the skin and a touch more boot polish. This is a particularly nice champaca. I rather wish the clove weren’t mostly in hiding and I still find the brown musk a bit dubious with my skin chemistry. Dry: it work out rather better in the long run. The musk is still a bit rough, but it’s playing better with the dominant leather, sandalwood, and the tail ends of the other elements.
MINAMOTO NO YORIMITSU CUTS AT THE EARTH SPIDER 2011 (The Salon: Holding Back the Night, LE): (Company says: Toasted sandalwood, tobacco flower, teakwood, castoreum accord, bourbon vanilla, and patchouli.)
In bottle: Mmmmm… Elegant! I don’t know what castoreum is, but process of elimination suggests it’s what’s doing that glorious thing with the tabacco flower. This is a rich green scent, with tobacco flower and castoreum dominant. The teakwood complements and grounds the scent. The vanilla and incense give it nuance. Wet: There is a bit more sandalwood and teakwood on the skin. It is still tobacco flower/castoreum dominant, but the woods are creeping up on them. All elements are pleasant and play well together. It suits well both the Japanese wood cut idea and the spring. Dry: A touch perfumey, and not as well balanced, but mostly a softer version of fresh.
RIVET.GOTH 2010 (LE, Bat’s Day): (Company says: Black leather, tobacco absolute, rust, gritty musk, and machine oil.)
In bottle: Strong thick black leather, modified by the machine oil, rust, and tobacco. The musk is very smooth. It fits its concept beautifully. It’s thick biker leather and hot machines. It’s a touch sweeter and less oily smelling than Mutant Hot Rodders and Mechanical Phoenix, while being an even stronger, tougher, leather scent. Wet: The leather softens on my skin, allowing all the nuances of the machine scents to come out. The rust is fascinating and a little alarming. I don’t recognize this musk. Gritty is a good description, actually, but it is not too strong for my skin, which amps most musk and it blends beautifully with the leather and tobacco particularly. I think there would be no point in wearing this if you don’t like leather, but it is an excellent addition to the leather scents in the collection. Dry: The oil really comes out and the leather goes subtly smoky. It’s attractive, comforting, and a little harsh and dirty all at once. It softens to something understated and masculine on me, but the person who swapped me had it amp like whoa, so how this will likely work on you is best judged from how your skin handles leather.
ROGUE (RPG): (Company says: Soft, well-worn black leather, hemp, and rosin.)
In bottle: Leather dominant. This really does smell like soft worn black leather. Delicious! I’m not familiar enough with rosin in the real world to judge the scent’s accuracy, but here it is utterly lovely with the leather. The hemp is understated. I’m in love. Wet: The leather softens and the rosin rises, the effect is sweeter and gentler in the bottle, but utterly sexy and gorgeous. I need a bottle of this stuff. Dry: Still lovely and leather dominant, now with more hemp and less rosin so they balance. I don’t love it quite as much as wet, but I do love it.
STEAM.GOTH 2011 (LE, Bat’s Day): (Company says: Oil-spattered brass, engine grease, and a warm splash of Victorian aftershave.)
In bottle: The aftershave element is particularly delicious. It is unusual, while still being clearly aftershave. The industrial elements blend beautifully with each other and support the aftershave in a particularly sexy fashion. Wet: The brass is dominant on the skin, which is interesting in an entirely different way. It is not quite is sexy as I thought at first, as one of the aftershave component turns a little on my skin, but I’m still loving it. Dry: I’m wondering if there isn’t a sandalwood component in the aftershave, as it smells rather like sexy sandalwood dominant men’s cologne now. I really do love it, despite its imperfections.
TEA 2011 (LE, Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements IV, Lupercalia): (Company says: Darjeeling tea, lemon verbena, star anise, and honeycomb.)
In Bottle: Lemon verbena dominant. It does genuinely smell like honeyed darjeeling underneath. The anise is very understated. Wet: Still verbena dominant, but the other elements are making a comeback. I’m fascinated by the honeycomb, which is unexpectedly nuanced. I think I’d loike this better with half the verbena, but it is still quite nice. Dry: Still a touch too much verbena, but much better balanced so as to allow the darjeeling to really show off.
Winners: Rivet.Goth, Rogue
Runners Up: Minamoto