Couldn't resist. I've been playing with these for the last week and it turns out that for me, the ones that work, WORK.

And does anyone have advice/a favorite method for applying the oil from a 5ml bottle? Someone on the forums mentioned using a toothpick, but that's wood, and that would soak up some of the oil, wouldn't it? Maybe I need swizzle sticks?


So Three Witches first, which I got from voleuse, because the Nov 2005 anniversary LEs included the return of this scent and oooh, cinnamon and clove, I really wanted to know if I'd want more.

Three Witches 2004
Warm cinnamon, husky clove and white pepper. (Illyria, discontinued)

In the bottle: I can definitely smell all three in there. The white pepper is what comes through last and makes one hell of an impression, though.

Wet: Ahhh, thank goodness, the cinnamon and clove rise again.

Drydown: Half an hour in, it's still almost entirely about the cinnamon and clove. Pretty good throw for a small dab (if that white pepper was going to win out, I didn't want to give it too much ammunition), but not overwhelming. It's tempting to try mixing a dab of this with a dab of Jack or March Hare...maybe later.

A couple hours later, it's mellowed, and if I sniff my wrist directly, I can tell the pepper is there, but it's still pretty much all wonderfully soft cinnamon and clove. ::quiet squee::

I still can't imagine needing an entire bottle, but if any of you are getting a bottle of the 2005 mix, can I beg an imp off of you?

~~

And on to the real excitement! Thanks again to sophia_helix for organizing the decanting circle! (And shaye! Pretty labels!)

Pumpkin Patch

* Pumpkin with apple cider and mulling spice.

This is the one that I really wanted this set for. REALLY.

In the bottle: Mostly the warm pumpkin -- not as peachy-butter as Jack -- but the cider is there, too.

Wet: About the same, maybe a little mellower on the pumpkin.

Drydown: As time passes, there's more of the cider and spices. Warm, not as cloying Jack, not sharp but there's a bite. Yummy. And about an hour in, it's more cider and spice than pumpkin, although that's there. Three hours later, it's definitely mainly the cider, and it's still stong. Oh my, love.

Tried this again at a later date, using more than the dab I'd put on the first time, and wow, I'm going to have to do some experimenting with how much I use. A dab is clearly just barely enough, but a full swipe on each wrist is almost overwhelming.


* Pumpkin with cocoa, hazelnut and walnut.

In the bottle: Ohh, exactly like the description, with the pumpkin a back-note instead of the predominant note. "Rich" is the word I think of, like a deep chocolate torte.

Wet: The cocoa backs off a little, and the nuts come out. I'm not sure that I can tell the pumpkin is there at all any more.

Drydown: After the first half hour, it's almost entirely nuts with just a warm hint of pumpkin and maybe the cocoa. I actually quite like it. That first wiff from the imp itself was waaaay strong.

Not much throw, with only a dab on each wrist. but an hour later it's faded to a mellow, wonderful scent that's pefect for a windy cold day. Three hours later it's still at that scent but weak enough that I have to have my wrist at my nose to smell it. I'll have to try again at a later date, with more.

And later: Oh yeah, I need to use something in between a dab and a swipe, because like with the cider and spices, a swipe on each wrist comes close to overwhelming. Will experiment.


* Pumpkin and pomegranate.

In the bottle: Again, the pumpkin is the main note. The rest is something bright and sharp that I wouldn't peg as pomegranate if the description didn't say so, but then I didn't think Swank smelled particularly pomegranate-y, either.

Wet: Wow, okay, on my skin the pomegranate comes out, almost overwhemling the pumpkin.

Drydown: One dab -- less than a dab, really; I got a bit of it on my fingers when I was closing the imp after sniffing -- goes a long way. I like it. The fruit brightens up the pumpkin, and the pumpkin tones down the Sno-Cone vibe I get off BPAL's pomegranate.

Trying again later with a real dab: The fruit does take center stage, but the pumpkin keeps it warmer than Swank (thank goodness). It's almost berryish, but more like Lady Macbeth than Bewitched. Very much like, indeed. A full swipe is, however, overwhemling again. I think that's officially a pattern.


* Pumpkin with sandalwood and orris.

In the bottle: Orris = violets. I need to remember that somehow. Anyway, I guess it smells like it says. I haven't really been around much sandalwood, and don't really remember violets having a smell.

Wet: I get something almost woody. Like, damp forrests woody. Which is just weird.

Drydown: This is more pumpkin-y than any of the others, but it never goes buttery. There is something flowery about it, or something that makes my nose itch, at any rate.

Yeah, doesn't really change from there. Pumpkin with flowers. Not horrible -- and the itch never develops into a full-blown needtosneeze! -- but not really my thing, either.


* Pumpkin with five woods, English ivy and galangal root.

In the bottle: Hrm. It...well, I got a hint of pumpkin, and then a hint of kinda fir, but then...it's like it all cancelled out, and suddenly I was smelling absolutely nothing. How very odd.

Wet: Oh, there's the pine again. And the pumpkin underneath.

Drydown: As time goes on, this goes back and forth between the pine and the pumpkin, although both mellow out after the first half hour. It's kind of like being stuck in the day after Thanksgiving, when you've still got pumpkin pie everywhere, but people are pulling out their trees and decorations.

After about an hour, it settles into an amazingly smooth combination of the two, sweet pine, and not at all Lysol or soap. But trying it with more than a dab starts my nose itching and, after a while, the beginnings of a headache. Bah. I have no idea what in there set it off, but something did.

~~

So, final verdict on the Pumpkin Patch set:

Three out of five is not at all bad, considering my overall batting percentage with BPAL. Even the ones that I don't think I'm going to keep didn't turn outright evil. I really am going to have to play around a bit to get the "right" amount on those first three, though.

~~

sophia_helix got a bunch of frimps from the lab with this order, and I ended up with two:

Lucy's Kiss
Created to represent the essence of Bram Stoker's tragic herione, Lucy Westenra. Seductive, wanton and deadly, but underscored with a soft, wistful innocense. The gentle scent of rose and a blend of Victorian spices. (Love Potions)

In the bottle: Ohwowyeah. ROSES. Um, think I'm just gonna stop right here on this one.

(Traded this away for Siren, actually. Which works nicely, since that's the frimp that Anna got to before I could ask Sophia for it. *g*)


Xiuhtecuhtli
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. (Excolo)

In the bottle: First of all, I had to look up copal. It's a resin/amber type note, which makes me a little nervous, but sniffing this...it's not bad. Kind of floral, but not overwhelming like the ROSES of Lucy's Kiss. And I definitely get the sweet orange.

Wet: Light. It's actually hard to tell what I'm smelling in that first moment. Nothing unpleasant, certainly.

Drydown: Well, this stays pretty floral, kind of sweet, relatively light. I might try it again on a day when I'm not already kind of stuffed up, but I'm inclined to say it's just too floral to be me.