The Great Perfume Quest! (updated June 23, 08)

June 23

I know her beauty and the moonlight overthrew David, but I've decided I'm not a Bathsheba girl. It's too strong--I couldn't even wash it off with lemon juice.

June 22

BPAL SO FAR:

Alright, I think I've tried all the bpals at some point. They don't seem to be itching me anymore, unless it's just certain scents. I've narrowed it down to 7, but it's hard to compare perfumes all in a row. Just opening the box she gave me makes my hands all smelly from a mixture of perfumes.

I just retried on the cucumber, and it really does smell like cuces. So while I like the smell, I think I can get my kicks from eating salad instead.

Left to retry:
Nuit, Dormouse, Melancholy, Ephemera, Bathsheba and Hellfire.

But I still haven't tried the Possets brand, or Arcana! As Midnightstreet would say, It's all very distressing. But it should be easier to track now that I'll have the laptop here in the room with me. Never give up! Never surrender!

Dormouse (and Miss Mabel's Allergies)
"A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony."

Well, I really liked this one, but after doing some cooking it basically was washed off. So I put some by my ears, but that's all gone now too. But I'm also finding that most (all) of these perfumeries make the skin on my forearms burn a little bit, and this one did especially. With other scents the burning wore off; but with this one, when I added some to my neck, the burning started again on my arms and was pretty bad til I washed my arms.

I've also realized I'm mildly allergic to latex, which is why bras torture me, and even my stretchy shirts (most shirts these days) are a bit annoying. I stopped wearing necklaces years ago because the tickling against my chest drives me out of my head. (So I don't know if I could wear perfume in a locket instead.)

I'm not used to being a Sensitive Person! I don't like it!

*

Squirting Cucumber

"Yikes! A spurt of wet, grassy greenness."
(these are the descriptions from the BPAL site by the way)

Sep 1: I really like this one, but I had to put a lot on. By the time I got to work (walking again) my initial bit was basically gone. It was non-existent after a few hours. I had to put a good dollop on both wrists when I got home. I really like it... apparently I'm a squirty cucumber kind of gal. But even with the Good Dollops on, I can only smell it when I stick my nose to my wrist. I feel like this would cost me a lot of money, because I'd have to pour it on to get any effect. ;-) But I do like this scent.


*
French Love
"A warm, soft, sexual blend. Sweet and alluring."

Wore this to work today, putting on more than I did BP. I was bold! But actually it was very faint by the time I got there; but maybe I sweated it off by walking to work in hot weather. It seemed very rich, like, I should only wear it once I'm 60 years old, and dripping in diamonds. I'm too young for this perfume!

*

Black Phoenix
"A dark, languid scent."

Didn't make a big impression. I wore it to work, but could hardly smell it.

*

Sundew
"A carnivorous enchantress: diverse, lovely and graceful, emitting a sticky, glowing golden, sweet and terminally inviting scent"

This was way strong when I put it on (ruined my breakfast, my tongue tasted like perfume), but I liked it better later. I'm not sure I want to tell people I wear a perfume that sounds like a fruit juice, though.

*

Bathsheba
"Carnation, sensual plum, and Arabian musk."

Was overpowered by whatever I was wearing on the other wrist. Guess I'll have to try again.

*

Hellfire
"A swirl of pipe tobacco, hot leather, ambergris, dark musk and the lingering incense smoke from their Black Mass."

This was nice, floweree. But it puts that song in my head from Hunchback of Notre Dame, Disney, where the priest is lusting after Esmerelda. Not sure I want that song in my head every day. The description sounds far more violent than it smelled!

*

Euterpe
"Carnation and white poppy, honeysuckle, lemon, iris and white musk."

Smelled like my health food store, though I liked it better as the day went and certain layers or whatever disappeared.
*

Dragon's Hide
"Dragon’s blood, leather and a hint of smoke."

Meh. It smelled chemically or something. Maybe that Hint of Smoke. How the hell do they get leather in perfume? I'm going to assume that's some freaky code.

*

Ephemera
"Sorrowful violet and chamomile with muguet, white geranium, calla lily and tea rose with a hint of autumn leaves."

Liked this a lot. (At the end I'll go back and re-sniff the ones I liked best.)

*

Nuit
"Dazzling white musks, white rose and night-blooming jasmine with the soft moss of moonlit meadows, a waft of Egyptian incense, and a gentle breath of moonflower."

I had to wash this off right away--hoo baby! It was so strong I couldn't function. Maybe I would have to try again with a tiny amount, though I didn't put more than a swipe with the mini wand.


* * *
These first scents are all from the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab,
courtesy of Maggie's double samples, which she let me take home to try.
They are vegan. (They had better be, or she'll be in trouble for leading me
down a false path!)

If you are NOT a perfumia expert, my reviews will make much more sense than the ones on all those BPAL fan sites. ;-) Heh heh. I never know what they're talking about. Maggie's boyfriend has a Four Label system whenever she makes him smell a scent--something like: Chocolate, Forest, Flowers, Spices. She'll have to Commentify and remind me.