YAAAAAAAY

*kermit-flail*

I was getting a bit worried that the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab hadn't sent me a confirmation email for my order. Sent them an email about it, no reply yet, whatevs. I wasn't overly concerned, they did say that orders could take up to two weeksOHMYGOD IS THAT PARCELFORCE AT THE DOOR

That was really quick. I mean, that was nine days, including weekends.

In their nifty little box, I not only found my six requested imps and the two requested by my ordering buddy Emma, but a darn fine postcard and three freebie imps. Three!

I got Roadhouse, Miskatonic University, Blood Kiss, Brisingamen, Hellcat, and Phoenix Steamworks.
Emma got Prunella and Aeopile.
Freebies were Catherine, Vechernyaya, and Ave Maria Gratia Plena.

So this is the bit where I ramble on about each scent, or at least as much as my admittedly limited nose can tell me about each scent. Although I love quirky BPAL scents, I don't think I'd be suited for a career as a perfume tester. My nose is almost constantly about a quarter blocked up (as if you needed to know that) and I have trouble really picking up the nuances of subtler scents. Having said that, lets go! I'll update as I try more, because right now I need a break from sniffing things. I've started to sneeze a lot.

Freebies first, as I gave all three a crafty sniff so I can tell Emma more about what they're like.

CATHERINE - Strong lemon straight out. It mellows to orange after a while with a rounded flower scent- very soft. The overall effect is kind of simple and sharp, though. Named after a famous poisoner.

VECHERNYAYA - A crisp peppery musky smell. A bit woody. Tiny bit... aniseedy sweet? It's cologny- a guy could wear this. It dries more sweet and dusty, with a peppery touch. I like this, which is fortunate because when I was sniffing it I accidentally stuck my thumb in my nose, so now I don't really have a choice whether to smell it or not. Mrs. Cunningham always said my hand-eye co-ordination was terrible.

AVE MARIA GRATIA PLENA - Means 'Hail Mary, full of grace.' Unfortunately, the first thing it smelt of right out the bottle was a guy's bathroom. Wet, it's got that semi-urine patchouli stink I really don't like. There's a bright lemon smell too, once it stops smelling quite so obnoxious. When the first smell fades it leaves a grassy, lemony smell which isn't bad at all. From a distance, which is the bit where i hold my hand at arms length and flap it at my face, it smells a bit floral. So it's not horrible, but, uck, that patchouli smell.

Now, the ones I actually ordered. Obviously I won't be testing Prunella or Aeopile, I'm not gonna open another lady's scents.

ROADHOUSE - Haha! Grass and shandy, and that wet, sappy smell you get when you crush a dandelion. Lemony beer (I'm wondering if my nose just makes everything smell a bit like lemon) sweet, mellow, with a dirty edge. As it dries the sappy smell gets more prevalent. From a distance you get this great honey beer smell. I really like this. I even caught a note that smells like what my town smells like on the days when the brewery is working. And I keep getting this little back-of-the-nose touch that's like sniffing a box that's had tobacco in it- I'm getting a memory of something to do with my grandad- his glasses case, maybe? Holy heck, I just remembered that he kept peppermints in the pockets of his green padded jacket, and I'd always beg them off him when we went around the park walking the dog. The really weird thing is that I can't even remember if he smoked, or what the heck the tobacco smell has to do with the mints in his pocket. They were Trebor XXX mints, these white powdery discs in a white, red, and green paper tube.

Um... wow.

Few hours later, I try another couple.

MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY - Very sweet when wet. I was expecting a straight coffee and leather smell, but it's very sugary coffee. More like almond toffee. Most of it is a creamy brown smell, and I sort of get books, but it's more a sort of chemical note, like burying your nose in a book that hasn't been open since the seventies, mixed with toffee popcorn. I'm a bit disappointed, it's saying more student movie night than arcane library at the moment.

BLOOD KISS - A sharp menthol smell when wet, sort of floral. DAMN I did the nose thing again, in an effort to make out something other than menthol. I think I smell cloves or aniseed. It lightens as it gets dryer...

(Okay, here I have to admit I've been going the wrong way about this. I keep dabbing the test stick of each imp on my fingers or thumb and smelling them, not wanting to commit to wrists in case i really didn't like it. Turns out this is false economy, because this scent smelled totally uninspiring until I gave in and rubbed it on my wrists, whereupon it took off like ZOW KERZAP.)

Whoah! Warm, fruity, spicy, mellow. Still not sweet, almost earthy, an incredibly warm, golden-crimson scent. It's really Christmassy, actually. Roadhouse made me want a beer. This makes me want a hot mince pie.
When I started typing, an unmistakeable mulled wine scent rose up from my wrists. Spices and red wine.

PHOENIX STEAMWORKS - Wet, I smell camphor, something like Vicks, but warmer. On my wrists- it's a bright, electrified smell, sharp and twangy. I smell beeswax and it's making me think of blue glass bottles, shoe polish, and still that warm chest rub smell. It's very wafty and medicinal, this'd be great if you were in bed with a cold. On a waft it's sleepier and sweeter, and up close it gets a bit overbearing, with a smoky bitter scent to it. It's nice, but very chemisty and industrial. It's more the kind of scent I'd wear on the days when I make a point of getting up and dressing nicely just to sit down and work on a project, a good zingy productivity smell, than something I'd wear to a resturant.