BPAL - Amsterdam, Shanghai

[chomiji]

Just real quick write-ups, because I seem to have like, no time lately ...

Amsterdam (9/10)
Tulips, peony, fresh flowing water and crisp green grasses.

• in bottle: lightly floral
• on skin: sweeter floral - but fresh; faint water
• drydown: Gets faint very quickly - still pleasant, fresh floral.

But it seems to be giving me a tiny bit of a headache. Best so far, though.

Shanghai (8/10)
Green tea, lemon verbena, and honeysuckle

• in bottle: fake lemon
• on skin: lemon/herbal - honeysuckle starts coming through
• drydown: lemon's gone almost entirely; smells nice, and vaguely familiar.

But ... I was coughing from this a bit. It seemed to irritate my throat.

Still haven't found anything that makes me go "Oh wow!" - and most of the nicer ones don't last very long.

Comments

[chomiji]

Yeah, I guess that's where all the artistry comes in - getting the scents layered so that there's something nice left when the citrus goes bye bye. I guess the honeysuckle is the Shanghai base note - you wouldn't think that would do it. But then, I had trouble figuring out what the long-lasting components of Acqua di Gio and Calyx were too. Those certainly change rapidly, but there's still something nice-smelling there after an hour.

[chomiji]

I'm wondering what the stuff that stick on my skin from the Thymes Green Tea is ... it smells rose-like, so maybe it's simply that. I think that's the scent Caroline means when she grabs me for a hug sometimes and says "You smell like Mommy!" (It's certainly the scent that tends to hang out on the clothes afterward.)

Re: P.S., before I forget again...

[chomiji]

So how do they do it? Buy bottles of stuff and decant it themselves? The manufacturers don't care?

I think BPAL is enough for now, but heaven knows I may get to this point eventually.

Re: P.S., before I forget again...

[chomiji]

Thanks!