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A Corral for my Reviews . . .

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Velvet Nudie

I didn't expect to like VN. I sniffed and lightly tested when I got my decant and thought it was kind of bland and unimpressive. This morning I grabbed the decant as I ran out the door. I'm not sure what she's been up to on her two week vacation, but VN has really 'developed'.     As others have noted, there is a decided citrus vibe and clean musk. I don't get any florals from it, which is a relief. It's summery and light, not at all the dark, heavy, oppressive velvet I'd expect from a velvet blend. Actually, unlike its namesake, VN is sophisticated, polite, demure and dare I say, tasteful.     I'm contemplating a bottle because I could see wearing this often. In a way, it reminds me of Manhattan, Tushnamatay, Van Van and maybe a bit of Zephyr.
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Velvet

This was the first imp I tried out of my last order, because it just smelled so terrific in the imp. I'm happy to say that it worked very well for me - of course food scents and woods and resins like me. I'm not sure exactly what myrrh smells like, but I could detect a spiciness with the cocoa and the sandalwood that I'm pretty sure was myrrh. It didn't really transform itself as so many other BPAL scents do, it stayed nicely balanced.   I had to reapply at mid-day and the throw was light to moderate. I could smell it, but nobody told me I smelled like any thing in particular today. (So far in my BPAL journey, I have been told I smell like: a bookstore, incense, cherry ice cream, a hippie, an old lady, vanilla, a candle and a "stench" )   You guys are not going to believe this, but I've never smelled Snake Oil because the description just never really tripped my trigger and I'm just not a huge vanilla fan. Today I kept thinking maybe Velvet is like a chocolatey version of Snake Oil??? Perhaps I will try it.   I'm currently working my way through several cocoa scents, I hope they're all this nice.
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Troll

Happily, the lab frimped Troll in my latest order, because I probably would have never gotten around to ordering it on my own.   It is not as dark and fearsome as the description would have you believe. Actually, it is a pleasant, soft green scent that is very grounded. It reminds me of a damp conifer forest floor. It does seem a bit foody, but that's not my first impression.   This scent would be marvelous on a man, nice as a room scent (especially if you happen to have a lodge or cabin), and daring and unique on a woman.
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TKO

I TKO and it's become a staple for me. I'm about to order my 4th bottle. I use it almost every night and I do think it helps me sleep. As much from the lavender as the comforting ritual of applying it. Pre-bpal I would have scoffed at the idea of wearing a perfume to bed, but now I've wised up and I'm sleeping better too! Most days when I wake up, I slightly regret having to shower, because the scent lingers a bit on my neck and wrists.   It's not too complex of a scent, it smells like fluffy purple marshmallows. It gets better, so much better, with age. The lavender loses the sharp edge and the vanilla becomes sweeter and softer. It's just glorious.
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Titus Andronicus

According to the description, and in the imp, Titus smells like something I am sure to love. Mmmm. Spicy resins and lovely bergamot!!.   So, I put some on, and immediately a big pile of clean fresh diapers looms into view. Uh oh. I adore amber and I thought I could do it in any form, but not here!!   After a bit, I get a sour, spoiled scent that makes me a bit nauseous. I have to wash it off. WTH? I was really looking forward to this scent.   I'm going to try it again in a couple months and see what develops.
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The Unicorn

Thanks to the lab for a frimp of The Unicorn   It's a clean, white floral that starts off with an effervescent bit of gin and tonic. It's not soapy at all.   During the drydown it reminds me a bit of Manhattan, without the wood and leather - it might be the more feminine version of that scent. It quickly fades to a light skin scent and then disappears entirely. It's as elusive as the mythical beast it portrays.   Lovely, but too fleeting.
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Stimulating Sassafrass Strengthener

I'll add my voice to the throng of endorsements for Doc's SSS. It is a thing of wonderment, a divine gift of buttery rootbeery delicousness. I'm all agog.     I get no snaily bits from this.   Disclaimer: The Pharmacopoeia is not responsible for injuries sustained whilst walking around with your nose buried in your own cleavage.
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Sticky Pillowcase

Mmmmm. Not nearly as sweet as I was expecting, but quite nice. I get a bit of booziness (?!?!) and oddly enough I get the blue spun sugar too. Very pale, powdery blue. I'd bet my bottom dollar there's just a drop of lavender in this. I get no fruit, no strawberry, which makes me sad.   Actually, in a blind-sniff test I would have guessed this was from the Atomic Luau Lounge.   I like it. I'm not sure if I'll get a full bottle though because I'm currently swimming in a lot of sugary, sweet, foody scents. If it had strawberry for me, I probably would.   The label is cute and I adore the concept of this scent.
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Snake Oil

**pouts**   I put off ordering Snake Oil, because the description was just too vague, but since everyone loves it, I decided to give it a chance.   In the bottle SO smells of nice spicy vanilla. mmmm. As soon as it touches my skin, it turns to a gigantic pile of clean disposable diapers. Since diapers aren't really that sexy IMO I'm going to age it for a year, and it if doesn't shape up, SO will be up for adoption.   It actually reminded me quite a bit of Titus Andronicus, only a bit more feminine. Like pink diapers instead of blue. I have a mostly unfounded and untested suspicion that benzoin is the culprit in my diaper/play-doh/band-aid problems and that aging really smooths it out and 'cures' it. We'll see.   ETA: Fast Forward to June 19 2008 - OMG! Snake Oil from the Cellar has absolutely done wonderful delicious things during its banishment. Luckily, I am too lazy to swap or sell things. I wore it today and NOW I see what all the fuss is about. No diapers, it's just deliciously spiced sugary vanilla. I hope my other cellared oils turn out this good! I want to age it forever, but I'm afraid I'll use it all up so I can see I'll have to order some more. F
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Skuld

Skuld is a frimp from the Lab. Thanks guys!!!   I would never have ordered this on my own,because I don't get along well with ylang-ylang and I did not have good luck with Urd (I know that shouldn't matter . . . but).   In the imp it is quite floral and honied. I've had recent success with O, so I decide to give it a shot. After a few moments of worrying ylang-ylang, things settle down to a sweet verging on cloying scent that reminds me of fermenting fruit or maybe mead. Once the ylang-ylang dissipates, I am left with a gorgeous honey with light resins.   After it passed the home test, I put a drop in my hair and wore it to work. One of the guys at work followed me around all day flirting with me. He said "there's something different about you today. . ." I don't know, maybe it was the Skuld. I did smell pretty good.
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Sea of Glass

Cleanliness is next to Godliness.   This smells overwhelmingly of soap.   Clean, Holy soap. I'm not a fan of aquatics or ozone or florals, so I would have been surprised if it had worked.
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Ravenous

Is there really civet in this????   Anyway, I'm surprised at how much I like this. I ordered an imp, purely because I liked the name and then realized, uh oh, it has patchouli! I smelled it in the imp and thought "No Way" and put it aside for awhile.   Turns out, it actually worked quite well for me, I'm not getting any sweaty socks patchouli, just a warm creamy orange. There is something dark there though, it is reminiscent of chocolate for me, which some other people have mentioned. Actually, it is uncannily like dark chocolate & raspberry.   This oil is incredibly strong. I put on a normal amount and over 4 hours later I am still radiating great clouds of scent. The cashier at the grocery store said she liked it, but I feel way too 'smelly'. I also noted that it kind of burned or tingled. Hmmm. I will apply less next time.   I'm curious to see if my mother can detect the patchouli. She loathes it and can smell it a mile away. If not, then red patchouli may be possible for me.
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Poisoned Apple

A wonderfully perfect, evil, dangerous apple. It's red, but tart. Not a terribly complex scent, but lovely all the same.
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Peitho

Peitho was one of the very first imps that I ordered because I liked the name and I didn't know that I can't wear florals. So, I tried it 4 months ago, deemed it too old-lady-ish and sadly put it away.   Recently I have come back to it because I'm having terrible luck with florals and I need something more spring/summery (hey, it's coming eventually). In my initial notes I had remarked that it didn't turn to sour dead plants on me unlike practically every other floral and I am tired of being told that I smell "like incense" every freakin' day no matter what I wear.   Well, I have to say that I do like this. I think this is about as light and floral as I am going to be able to go, and it is very pretty. Normally, I amp jasmine to a sickening degree but it is actually present and yet polite in this blend. The throw is mostly jasmine and lily and girly and pretty. Next to my skin is a lovely light vanilla musk.   I'm so happy I can smell like a girl when I want to. (that's me in the bow). I'm getting a 5ml.   UPDATE: Peitho is still one of the very few florals in my collection. I don't turn to it very often because I gravitate to resins and woods and foody scents. Nearly two years later I pulled it out on a whim and wore it today. I am in utter lust with this blend. It has sweetened and mellowed. The vanilla did that magical thing and the jasmine is a positive delight. This went from being a solid 3.5 to a five star blend. O Beth! How I love you!   I'm ordering another bottle for cellaring!   PS if you like this, you might like Eos
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O O

O   O is the second most popular girl in school, but she's certainly the most interesting. This bottle of precious, like most women, is much better aged and mellowed.   O is one of those Love it or Loathe it scents. Happily, I it. It's sweet, but not cloying. Ambery, but not overly powdery. Vanilla makes it yummy, but not too foody. The combination produces a skin-musk scent that is very evocative of clean, sea-salted, sun-warmed skin.   O is okay fresh from the lab, but give it 8 or so months and you'll have a real treasure on your hands. My older bottles have started to develop a breath of chocolatey/nutty/beurre noisette that I really like. It takes the scent from being pure golden clear generic honey to being an artisanal honey from happy, sexed up bees.
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Midnight Kiss

The lab sent me TWO frimps of this with my last order and it's a darned good thing. I've already ordered a bottle and I should've ordered more. Please, please don't run out of this before I can get more!!!!   BTW, this breaks my rule of not ordering imps of limited editions. I don't didn't want to get all addicted to something that I might not be able to get. See how the fates conspire against me. I also would not have ordered this because of the wine note and a bad experience with cocoa. In general, the lab is doing a better job of picking winners for me than I am. I think my next sample order will just say "you choose for me please".   Anyway, on to the review. This is everything I had hoped Boomslang would be and just wasn't (it was plastic chocolate band-aid). However, Midnight Kiss is yummy chocolate (more milk than dark) when wet. As it dries I get a lovely floral fruitiness (uh, fruit?) that is grounded by a smoky woody wine. I'm in love.   This has patchouli in it, and I'm going to have to quit saying I hate patchouli, because Beth is proving me oh so wrong.
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Mania

Mania is one of my favorite scents and I can't believe I haven't reviewed it - but then I'm a lazy reviewer.   To my nose Mania is a very juicy, summery scent. It evokes a pale strawberry red tinged with green. I do well with red musk and fruits and that's precisely what I get with Mania although it leans far more towards the fruit end. For me, there's no grapefruit and it seems practically like single note strawberry grounded by red musk. I can't recall that I've ever smelled a strawberry leaf, so I can't speak to the subtle distinction that may exist between leaf and fruit . . .   Mania has quite a bit of throw and duration. Two drops in my hair serum is all I need for 12+ hours of fruity loveliness.
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Manhattan

Manhattan was a frimp from the lovely labbies.   This is a wonderfully light and clean scent. It is lemony and minty with a touch of tea wafting about.   It smells like a very expensive spa in a good way. For all this clean smelling goodness, it does not smell of soap or cleanser.   Unfortunately, Manhattan is all top notes on me and fades quickly. I get no leather, teak or kush. I'm left with a faint amber-lemon on the skin and no throw at all.   It's so lovely that I'm going to order a bottle for those times when I really want to wear a scent, but shouldn't (on an airplane etc).
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Madame Tracy

Pah. My stupid skin turns rose (especially pink and red roses) into nasty, sour rotten dead things.   Why are florals so difficult for me?   It was pretty in the imp - and there it will stay.   /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ THE REVIEW/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/THE OTHER (irrelevant) THOUGHTS\/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/   sniff. my name is tracy (well, tracEy). I am stout and middle aged. Dominatrix is my dream job ------- If ever a scent description captured my imagination, it was this one, so why why why can't this work for me. stupid vile skin.
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Lysander

The first time I tried a bit of this it was changing so quickly it was hard to keep up. At first sniff, I got an intensely foody smell, that i couldn't specifically pinpoint. My brain just knew it was food. On, it was a bit like cologne, a brief, weird chemical smell that makes my nose feel all prickly and funny. Finally, it settled down to a nice floral violets or lilac I presume with a bit of lime. Overall it was very intriguing.   The next day, I confidently dolloped on quite a bit and went out to do errands. Unfortunately the entire time, I was enveloped in a cloud of weird chemical tangy-ness that I just didn't care for. No floral, no lime, no food. I think it's the benzoin that is doing this to me. This is the first real encounter I've had with it and I don't think it works for me. I'm sad, because I love resins and the description of this sounded so perfect for me.   If you get along with benzoin, I think you should try this. I think it has the potential to be truly fabulous on either gender.
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Juke Joint

Bourbon is my very favorite spirit, so I was excited about Juke Joint.   It's weird, I almost wonder if my imp is labeled incorrectly. I can't smell any bourbon or mint or sugar. To me, it just smells like a wood scent and then it quickly disappears.   Actually, Delirium1009's description of a gritty dirt scent is quite apt.   My skin eats this up and it's completely gone in 20 minutes. I am
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Imperious Tiger Lily

sigh. I adored the 'other' Tiger Lily, so I'm sorry but this review is largely a comparison to the other one. I know they're supposed to stand alone and one is not the substitute for the other, but I just can't separate them in my mind.   so, plain ol' Tiger Lily was saturated, indolent, thick, warm, peachy honeyed lilies with a lot of throw while Imperious Tiger Lily is cooler, fruitier more delicate and whimsical. It just strikes me as a more candied, more youthful treatment of lily. Not really more imperious.   So, even if the concept goes a bit awry on my skin, I like them both. I wish Tiger Lily was still around, but this is a very nice lily scent. :love!:
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I Died For Beauty

I got this as a frimp. Thanks!   Too bad I can't give a positive review. Wet: An overpowering floral that I think is the ylang-ylang. YY is not something I'm familiar with though.   Dry: Oddly this seems to come and go on me. After a short time, I think it is almost entirely gone, and then I get a few moments of very pleasant, soft, violets. So lovely. They fade away too quickly and then I'm left with really strong paint thinner or turpentine smell. This is strongly evocative to me of my grandmother's china painting studio. The only other thing that has (so far) reminded me of that was a single note of Red Mandarin - though only when wet.   I have trouble with florals in general. sigh.
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Hellcat

Hellcat is wonderful!! Smelling it in the imp it seems like the perfect shot, sweet, delicious and ready to knock you on your butt.   I'm not sure such a food/alcohol smell is a good idea but, WTH I slather it on and wear it to work. By the time I get to work, I can smell a wonderful spicy warm, toasted caramel. It stays pretty much like that all day, after about 6 hours, I can still smell a little, but I'm loving it so much that I reapply a little. Mmmm.   I smell like the world's largest hazelnut candle, but I don't care, I'm in love and I can't believe that nobody says how great I smell. Oh well, if they don't like it, that's tough because I'm going to wearing a lot of this all winter long.
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Green Tree Viper

This scent is a gorgeous contrast between the warm sugar of Snake Oil and cool mint. Culinarily speaking, I'm not a big mint fan, but this scent is everything I wish mint could be.   Like others have remarked, it almost has a chocolate vibe. With aging, the mint smoothes out, but is still perfectly obvious. The mint lasts longer in my scent locket than it does on my skin - so I wear it in the locket and on the skin simultaneously.   I mourn the eventual demise of the Snake Pit, there's really nothing else quite like my favorite snakes.
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