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Well, after the pimping of like half my friendslist, I've finally given in and bitten the BPAL bullet. (Okay, okay, not half, but there are some very prominent scent-pimps on the flist -
pekeana and
jokersama especially.) So I currently have an large order of imps from the Lab winging its way to me (eventually...) and in the meantime I've picked up a few imps off the
alchemylab community. So, without further ado...reviews! :D
BON VIVANT
An effervescent blend of crystalline champagne notes and sweet strawberry.
In the bottle: Wow, that's very...boozey. There's a faint hint of strawberry, but it really does smell for the most part like champagne.
Wet: The strawberry is coming out much more, very sweet (with maybe the tiniest bit of florals in the background?). The champagne scent doesn't really leap out anymore, but it does a good job of cutting the strawberry sweetness a bit. It actually smells kind of like a strawberry wine cooler. XD
Dry: It started out pretty much the same, though the strawberry did seem to pick up in sweetness and intensity a bit. (It did kind of give me a headache, but that's probably because I was lifting my wrist up to my nose every two seconds and going “ooh, strawberry!”) But after about an hour or so the scent kinda shifted - the champagne just vanished and the strawberry went REALLY artificial-smelling. (Like, Strawberry Shortcake hair artificial.)
Verdict: I really liked this at first. But once it went all artificial-smelling...I might have kept it if it had stayed the nice natural strawberry, but now? Not so much. I might sprinkle some on linens or in a bath or something though.
XIUHTECUHTLI (I totally typed that from memory, go me)
Patron of the Aztec pantheon, he is the personification of light within darkness, warmth in the cold, and life in, and after, death. He is a creative and destructive God of Fire and Light, and is appeased only by sacrifice, trial, and the slaughter of his people's enemies. Copal, plumeria and sweet orange and the smoke of South American incense and crushed jungle blooms.
In the bottle: It's very...flowery. And feminine. In fact, it smells like a very nice department store women’s perfume. Ack!
Wet: It turns sweetish and less flowery and feminine, but still very much a floral perfume. It smells kind of like I’ve been out in a very nice tropical garden. The scent is kinda familiar…I think it smells like a perfume my sister used to wear. It would be a nice room scent, but it's way too feminine for me to wear.
Dry: The florals settle down even more, and it smells a bit sweeter and smokier. Maybe the orange is kicking in, or a faint trace of the incense? It’s actually a nice warm scent, kinda beachy-smelling, and it seems to be approaching a level of unisex that I’d be comfortable with. It never quite gets there, though, and after an hour or so it gets a kinda sourish tinge, blech.
Verdict: I think I'll give this one a pass. I guess I expected the orange and incense to be a bit more prominent and the flowers a bit less so. For some reason, I was expecting a scent named after a destructive Aztec sacrifice god to be a bit less, I dunno, garden party-esque? XD
YEMAYA
This one had no description, actually, since being a Twilight Alchemy Lab oil it's not sold on the BPAL website, just in a couple of stores affiliated with it. (Though I guess a TAL website is in the works as we speak, so that one can order their oils off the Intarweb, yay!) But anyway, all I really knew about it is that most of the reviews say it's very melony. (And it's named after a voodoo goddess.)
In the bottle: It is indeed melon! Of some sort!
Wet: Still melony, but with a warm, cinnamony(?) undertone on my skin. Melon + spice sounds like it would be really nasty-smelling, but it’s actually turning out quite nice.
Dry: The spice has only intensified, to the point where it’s overtaken the melon a bit (though the melon is still prominent). Being so melony, I figured it would be a cool summery scent but it’s actually a really nice fall scent, wonderful and warm. (And not particularly girly!)
Verdict: Now this’s what I’m talkin’ about! I really like Yemaya, and will totally be wearing it again. Not sure yet whether it's worth getting a full 5ml bottle, but I'll certainly use up the imp.
And a meme from
enkiae:
Dunno how spirit ended up so high, and I'd put friends/family higher. (I think it's due to the fact that, while I do have very good friends and family, they live far away and I haven't had a chance to make really good friends here in Iowa City yet.)
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BON VIVANT
An effervescent blend of crystalline champagne notes and sweet strawberry.
In the bottle: Wow, that's very...boozey. There's a faint hint of strawberry, but it really does smell for the most part like champagne.
Wet: The strawberry is coming out much more, very sweet (with maybe the tiniest bit of florals in the background?). The champagne scent doesn't really leap out anymore, but it does a good job of cutting the strawberry sweetness a bit. It actually smells kind of like a strawberry wine cooler. XD
Dry: It started out pretty much the same, though the strawberry did seem to pick up in sweetness and intensity a bit. (It did kind of give me a headache, but that's probably because I was lifting my wrist up to my nose every two seconds and going “ooh, strawberry!”) But after about an hour or so the scent kinda shifted - the champagne just vanished and the strawberry went REALLY artificial-smelling. (Like, Strawberry Shortcake hair artificial.)
Verdict: I really liked this at first. But once it went all artificial-smelling...I might have kept it if it had stayed the nice natural strawberry, but now? Not so much. I might sprinkle some on linens or in a bath or something though.
XIUHTECUHTLI (I totally typed that from memory, go me)
Patron of the Aztec pantheon, he is the personification of light within darkness, warmth in the cold, and life in, and after, death. He is a creative and destructive God of Fire and Light, and is appeased only by sacrifice, trial, and the slaughter of his people's enemies. Copal, plumeria and sweet orange and the smoke of South American incense and crushed jungle blooms.
In the bottle: It's very...flowery. And feminine. In fact, it smells like a very nice department store women’s perfume. Ack!
Wet: It turns sweetish and less flowery and feminine, but still very much a floral perfume. It smells kind of like I’ve been out in a very nice tropical garden. The scent is kinda familiar…I think it smells like a perfume my sister used to wear. It would be a nice room scent, but it's way too feminine for me to wear.
Dry: The florals settle down even more, and it smells a bit sweeter and smokier. Maybe the orange is kicking in, or a faint trace of the incense? It’s actually a nice warm scent, kinda beachy-smelling, and it seems to be approaching a level of unisex that I’d be comfortable with. It never quite gets there, though, and after an hour or so it gets a kinda sourish tinge, blech.
Verdict: I think I'll give this one a pass. I guess I expected the orange and incense to be a bit more prominent and the flowers a bit less so. For some reason, I was expecting a scent named after a destructive Aztec sacrifice god to be a bit less, I dunno, garden party-esque? XD
YEMAYA
This one had no description, actually, since being a Twilight Alchemy Lab oil it's not sold on the BPAL website, just in a couple of stores affiliated with it. (Though I guess a TAL website is in the works as we speak, so that one can order their oils off the Intarweb, yay!) But anyway, all I really knew about it is that most of the reviews say it's very melony. (And it's named after a voodoo goddess.)
In the bottle: It is indeed melon! Of some sort!
Wet: Still melony, but with a warm, cinnamony(?) undertone on my skin. Melon + spice sounds like it would be really nasty-smelling, but it’s actually turning out quite nice.
Dry: The spice has only intensified, to the point where it’s overtaken the melon a bit (though the melon is still prominent). Being so melony, I figured it would be a cool summery scent but it’s actually a really nice fall scent, wonderful and warm. (And not particularly girly!)
Verdict: Now this’s what I’m talkin’ about! I really like Yemaya, and will totally be wearing it again. Not sure yet whether it's worth getting a full 5ml bottle, but I'll certainly use up the imp.
And a meme from
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This Is My Life, Rated | |
Life: | ![]() |
Mind: | ![]() |
Body: | ![]() |
Spirit: | ![]() |
Friends/Family: | ![]() |
Love: | ![]() |
Finance: | ![]() |
Take the Rate My Life Quiz |
Dunno how spirit ended up so high, and I'd put friends/family higher. (I think it's due to the fact that, while I do have very good friends and family, they live far away and I haven't had a chance to make really good friends here in Iowa City yet.)
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 03:43 am (UTC)*douses self in Yemaya*
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 05:00 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 10:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 05:04 am (UTC)I happened to notice you look generally interesting (I just finished an MFA in English, for one thing, and am currently re-watching Buffy fifth season and Angel third season, for another). I hope you don't mind that I friended you?
(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 05:39 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 06:35 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 01:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-10-30 04:22 pm (UTC)...I'm afraid I'm hooked. -_-;