Perfume Reviews

[lunabee34]

I promise I will review some perfumes I actually like this round. LOL


Dragon's Milk: A truly fae nectar! Dragon’s blood resin and honeyed vanilla.

Nobody likes this very much. I think I just don't care for dragon's resin. Josh thinks it smells weirdly plasticky. It's too sweet on me; on Emma it smells like honey, fruit, and flowers but is just shy of being cloying. Not a keeper.

O: Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla.

This is another one of the popular scents whose appeal doesn't register with me. Everyone smells honey and vanilla, and there's a roundness to the scent that I am assuming is the amber. It's okay, but it's not a sexy scent to me, and this is marketed as being "the scent of sexual obsession." Emma likes it, I'm neutral, and Josh dislikes it because it smells powdery to him. Not a keeper.

Sonnet D'Automne: Tenebrous Love: a shivering white musk with vanilla-infused white cocoa, amber incense, and dead, dry leaves.

This one, however, is a keeper. None of us can smell the vanilla. To me it smells of incense, musk and leaves and is the closest to classic, commercial perfumery I've smelled from BPAL. Emma think it smells warm, spicy, and musky. Josh's mom tried it and liked it as well although she likes it less as the scent morphs over time.

Shanghai: The crisp, clean scent of green tea touched with lemon verbena and honeysuckle.

Love it. This is in the same family as Embalming Fluid--a lovely green and green tea smell. Emma doesn't like it, and it's too sweet for Josh at first but the sweetness tamps down over time.


I can't wait for September to roll around. I've got so much perfume I want to swap or give away but no money for postage until we finally get paid again. LOL

Comments

[kore]

LOL we are opposites except for Dragon's Milk -- I also really don't like the dragon resin whatever note, ugh. O goes VERY honey and musky on me and I love it (my husband REALLY loves it -- TMOI). The Sonnet is too high and white for me -- it's like a sharp sent -- and leaves turns to green mush on my skin. Shanghai is also no go -- I amp lemon so I avoid that BPAL note.

It can take a while to find a BPAL you like! Trying lots of imps is the way most people do it, I think.

[lunabee34]

Rose always goes insane on me; I usually have to avoid it because it just ends up smelling loud and one note.

I'm excited to try the rest of the imps I have.

[kore]

I love rose, but my skin makes the BPAL note go WHOOM and it also goes a little sharp and/or soapy. But I have so many rose imps!

[lunabee34]

Do you use it on cloth or objects? It'd prob stay true to the smell you love if it's not on your skin.

[kore]

People have told me about scent lockets, but I haven't ever gotten one, mainly because I don't like having stuff around my neck. I do think I've heard of pinning the locket on a shirt, tho....

[lunabee34]

I'm not real huge on my scent locket. It's a pretty necklace, but I don't wear it often. The throw is not all that great from one.

You could put some on a scrap of fabric and put it in your pillow or something like that. I did that with several of the lavender scents.

[theora]

Came over from smellsgood...

Shanghai is probably my favorite BPAL so far. On me it's mainly green tea with a hint of lemon and a sweetness that must come from the honeysuckle, but I don't actually smell honeysuckle (which is a tad disappointing, since I love honeysuckle). It makes me feel sophisticated and womanly and is not at all overwhelming (I'm easily overwhelmed by scent).

I've been reading your recent posts, and agree with a comment you made elsewhere about most BPALs falling into broad categories, and within those categories smelling basically the same. But boy do they draw you in with the descriptions. And the testing is entertaining (if frequently disappointing).

Not sure if it's inappropriate to ask, but I've been wanting to try O and would totally send you postage if you want to be rid of it.

[lunabee34]

That's not inappropriate at all. :) I'm always happy to give away or swap what I don't want. I don't do paypal or anything, so I always just foot the postage myself and pay it forward.

When I get paid at the end of August, I'll put up a big swaps post and save O for you (along with anything else you want; I prefer to send multiples if possible anyway).

A couple of honeysuckle recs for you: Kate Spade Beauty (discontinued but probably around in decants), Chanel Beige, and Chanel Eau de Cologne (from my review: When I first apply this perfume, it smells exactly like the stamen of a honeysuckle. It does not smell like honeysuckle but rather that glorious green smell you get when you pull the stamen through the bottom of the flower and lick the delicious nectar on it. This only lasts for a few seconds, and then it starts to smell exactly like Earl Grey tea with a backdrop of other citrus besides bergamot. The only drawback to Eau de Cologe is that it just doesn't have a lot of staying power which might work for you since you get overwhelmed). You can get inexpensive decants of the last two from Surrender to Chance.

BPAL's Has No Hanna probably has honeysuckle in it, too. It's an expensive smelling white floral.

[lunabee34]

Oh, shoot. I'm looking at my perfume masterpost, and I already sent O to somebody back in the spring and didn't remember.

I've still got loads of stuff up for grabs, though, so keep an eye out for my post toward the end of the month.

[theora]

Oh, no worries, and sorry I hadn't replied to your other comment yet. Thanks for all the honeysuckle recommendations, more things to add to my want-to-try list :).

Will be looking for your post. I've got a fair few unwanted imps stashed in the closet, would be happy to swap for untried stuff.

[lunabee34]

Yay!

I'm looking forward to reclaiming the surface of my dresser.