couscous

OOOH, LunaSea-thank you thank you thank you!! I bought this off of her after a STUPID moment of doubt kept LickIt out of my yule order. I heard 'candy canes' and had a completely different memory of them being sickly sweet and gross. It wasn't until the holiday season rolled around that i smelled the real thing and knew I must have been thinking about another peppermint candy. I'll be ordering a bottle from the lab, but luna allowed me to wear it today, on christmas. It's exactly like a candy cane- sharp, bracing mint with sheer sweetness. Not so much vanilla as sugar syrup on me. WONDERFUL, fantastic, and so damned cheerful that i smiled as soon as I opened it. I'll wear it as often as I can, considering that I have about 15 other "must wear daily" bpals. I think it was a great addition to the yule lineup.

I agree with the reviewer who said that this would be a sleeper hit. Even as I ordered it, I did so with a "here goes nothing" attitude. I was worried about the "metallic" thing, too. As I smelled it in the bottle with my yule order, it was my favorite of the bunch. Sweet amber...this is very much like my beloved, Blood Amber! Oh, it was GORGEOUS. Sweet resin, but so light, so soft, so sexy. As it dried, I got some spices and some sandalwood, with a slightly masculine herbal edge. The final verdict is that the Cracked Bell is complex, resin-tinged, with a slight bit of metal (VERY slight), but not enough to turn anyone who doesn't enjoy that quality off. It doesn't evoke horror for me, because I find it beautiful, but it does evoke stillness and life- perhaps life lost. Ambers always give me that "pulsating" feeling. If I'd had more imp vials, I would have sent out some with all of my recent swaps. I'm going to try and get hold of some so that at least one other person can try this before it's gone. I feel a need to convert with this one, because I truly feel that those who missed it will be sorry. If you ordered midnight mass or Jacob's ladder and have some paypal to spare, try a bit of the Cracked Bell.

I swapped with duckmountain for this one- thank you, sweet one!!! I am an insane lavender fan, even before bpal but ESPECIALLY now that I've smelled Beth's. I'll try anything with this note in it, and that's why I wanted to try Old Scratch. I had Paris and Nanshe, though (insert enthusiastic love for Paris and Nanshe here), so I was able to put him off in favor of others for a while. I'm so happy that I traded for him, because who knows how much longer I would have waited. In the bottle, and on the skin, I get lavender and patchouli, too. This is very headshop, which is a compliment in my book but may be kiss of death for others. It's also quite masculine, and I'd say it's one of the most wearable lavenders for a man. As it wears on the skin, the patchouli acts as a supporter for the green, and the lavender combines to give it a very diabolical herb feel. Sadly, I don't get the tonka or the rosewood, but that's okay, since the main players in this are so lovely I don't need much of anything else. It smells a bit more like a potion or tincture (what i imagine them as) than a perfume, but it's very dark, very elegant, very sort of Dandy-esque, and very fitting for Old Scratch. I love it, and it's so 180 degrees away from my current lavender favorites that it will be a welcome addition to my scent rotation.

OOOH!! labbies, thank you thank you THANK YOU for your extreme generosity in including this with my last order! I LOVE lemon, and I LOVE Val Sans Retour. It is rare that I find a bpal with sharp citrus. I found it in Kuang Shi and Whitechapel and Severin, and a bit in Shanghai, too, and now I've found it here. Wet and immediately on the skin, I get sharp, clean, gorgeous lemon. I have a small need to defend my beloved lemon here, because so many people link it with cleaning products. Even if you DO get that feeling from some lemons, you won't with this one, so please do not write this off! It's too fresh, too "just juiced", and too bright to evoke anything but the actual fruit. I'd also bet that there might be a bit of grapefruit in here, because the citrus has several layers and lasts through much of the drydown, mixing with what i thought was fresh grass but many people felt was pine. I don't know whether or not there is pine in this one- I suppose anything is possible- but i didn't get christmas tree from this at all. In fact, I don't think you could find a scent more evocative of sun and fields and lush green if you tried. There's also a flower in here, which I will try to guess at the next time I put it on. I find it hard to wear right now, because I want to save it for warmer days. Beth, I don't know how you feel about this, or whether or not you're happy enough to call this "ready", but, as a fan, I don't think you could make it much better. It's feminine and bright and cheerful, with maximum throw and lasting power. I love it.

I recently swapped for an imp of this because I was extremely curious about it, and I thought it would be a good way to expand my scent preferences. I fear I keep buying the same types over and over! Wet, it's a bit unpleasant, because the wine note smells a bit "off", a bit tangy, and, alas, it's the strongest note you smell. It's not really ugly, just a bit shocking. The acrid wine really does make you think of blood. There's no dragon's blood in this, I am reasonably sure of it, and so the "blood" notes more than likely come from the slightly metallic quality of the wine note. I urge everyone to put it on the skin, because the cocoa comes out almost immediately and takes over. It's powdery cocoa, very light and not too sweet, and it's lovely. Throw is medium, too, so it's not overwhelming. This is nothing like it is in the vial. As it dries, the red wine comes out more and more, mixing with the cocoa to evoke...mexican sauce? the chocolate kind you put on chicken. Savory cocoa. There's also some woody note I've smelled before. Is this sandalwood of some sort? A very dry one? This is not spicy at all; it's very dry and soft. Funny that Beth suggests revelry and chaos with this, because it evokes high-end partying for me. If the Centzon Totochtin are having an orgy of fun somewhere, it is most likely in a place I couldn't get in to. This is very sophisticated, and, as reviewers above have said, it would be a perfect scent for foodies out there who want to stretch out a bit and try something with an edge.

I didn't order this one because I kept hearing cinnamon, cinnamon, cinnamon in the reviews. Cinnamon NEVER smells like the actual spice on me; it's always red hots. I passed on this one despite loving beth's sweet vanillas. I don't know if the 2005 version is very different, or whether my skin finally decided to play up what I love and downplay what I don't, but Sugar Cookie 2005 is fantastic- light, flour and vanilla at the top with rum, (must be; it's the cake soaker liquor I smell), vanilla and spices on drydown. This is my favorite stage, as I love booze notes. Sugar cookie 2005 is very much sugar cookie dough rather than baked, and it lasts a long time with very little throw. As typically unimaginative as this sounds, it's comforting and innocent and very evocative of christmas treats. I think it's incredibly pretty and fun, and I'll be buying another bottle for...I don't know. For being inside in cold weather days. It would be very, very useful then.

2005 Version I STILL get a hell of a lot of Ivy on Snow White. I don't know if I'm imagining things or what, but it's real to me. Luckily, I love ivy, and I love snow white. I sold it off last year because it smelled...odd on me. Like no other bpal or perfume I've ever tried before. Slightly musky, slightly cold, and even...tangy? It felt unfamiliar and unpleasant. However, a funny thing happened- Beth put up the yule LEs, I saw snow white listed, and I could breathe in and remember the blend as if I'd had a bottle right in front of me. That's how distinctive this scent is. I could remember it 10 months later with ease. Once that memory was triggered, I found myself craving it more and more. When i got the bottle in my hands, it was a revelation. I found that it was just as wonderful as I'd remembered- and that my skin likes Snow White much better this year!! Woo-hoo! Long courtship, I guess Snow white goes on cold and pure and clean, yet it's warming on the skin. There's a second-skin element that has to be the musk, but it's green. It's floral, but creamy -sweet, like milk. Frosty milk- like the smell of a vanilla milkshake when you can't smell the vanilla so much as the slush and dairy of the milk. I'm keeping snow white, and ordering more bottles of her for all year. No matter what stage she's in, or how much I may like certain parts, the truth of the matter is that this scent is the most fascinating, mysterious, how-the-hell-did-Beth-do-that blend I've ever smelled. There is NO equivalent in the general catalouge that I can think of. Order without hesitation. Go, go!

I ordered two bottles of this, because I was sure that I'd love it. When the reviews started pouring in, and so many mentioned cherry tobacco, pipe tobacco, etc., I thought I was all set. I would get it and love it, no problem. I was wrong. Drosselmeyer witholds all of his tobacco notes from me, all of his woods, all of his warmth, and gives me instead linen and candy and.... spearmint? There's a very dull, soft mint note here- maybe an herb. A tiny hint of leather comes out after a while (DeSade leather, not Dead Man's Hand leather), but overall Herr Drosselmeyer is very "white" on me-old fabric, with mint and candy sweetness. There's also something dusty green here at this stage; maybe oakmoss. While linen is not bad, it is not what I was looking for. My skin has cherry-picked incorrectly. For anyone upset that this smelled *too* much like pipe smoke, I can only hang my head in sadness. *All* pipe? Oh, if only!! I wrote this review in case someone else had the same reaction as I did- but, if you are reading this and have not tried Herr Dross yet, I wouldn't let this put you off-or on. This was totally my skin's fault.

I agree with the above who say that Midnight Mass is sweet incense. It's remarkably church-like (bear with me, it's been a while), but really wearable, with surprisingly light throw. Midnight Mass is also not smoke...these resins have not been burned yet. It smells alive. There's not really much more to say, because Beth has made a true representation of the ritual. Those of us who thought we would love it probably will, because this one delivers exactly as it promises. More than anything, I'd like to stress the scent's wearability for anyone thinking that they'd like to smell it but wouldn't like it on the skin. This would be lovely in a burner, yes, but it honestly sweetens on the skin, and it most appropriate wafting up from warmed wrists. It's NOT too strong, it's NOT terribly heady and thick, and if you have any inclination towards this scent family, I'd suggest taking a chance on this beauty. I'll be buying a second bottle of this. I'd buy even more, but it's so incredibly evocative of the season that I feel I may have to break my all seasons/all scents rule and reserve this one for special occasions- including all of the upcoming holiday celebrations. I love it. I just knew Beth would nail this one. Bravo!

In the bottle: Beaver Moon wet smells...exactly like cheesecake. I mean exactly. We're all familiar by now with Beth's foodie scents. If she says something smells like a particular food, believe her. On the skin: As soon as I put it on, I got a sinking feeling. No, it didn't 'turn' on me, and I did start to smell cake batter as well as the cheesecake, but Beaver Moon smelled thin, without substance. Flat. Cheesecake and yellow cake. Good smells that lay on the skin. Ultimately, it came down to: "okay, now what?" Midway had that salty smell existing alongside the sweeteness and burnt notes...it had depth, and that's what made it fantastic. Beaver Moon had no depth at this point. It smelled yummy- make no mistake about that- but it needed something more. Dry, an hour later: Just as I was wrapping up my bottle to go into the "swap" pile, I got graham crackers and spices! I'm not sure which spices- couldn't be cinnamon, could it? Definitely not nutmeg. Not a particularly exotic spice, either- this is one we've all baked with. Vaguely pepper-y, but not as sharp. NOW we get a bottom to this, and it couldn't have come at a better time! How the hell does Beth do this? How did the crust come an hour after the cheese and batter? I mean...sometimes she just floors me. Verdict: Love it. This one is silly, but it's so much fun. For this time of year, it's just great.

Congratulations to you for quitting caffeine and cigarettes, LadyFair! I planned to do the same thing on my birthday (late october), but have only managed to cut back a little. (sigh) It's so, so hard. I hope to get a second wind of discipline on January 1st. Please let us know how you are doing, and if you need to create a board-resolution-ring, I'd be happy to join up and encourage you. You can dooo eeeet! I agree that Bergamot, which is so clean and uplifting, would probably help a lot in the positive energy department. My favorite bergamot bpal is Severin, by far, and, since it smells very much like earl grey tea, it can also help you get a bit of a caffeine-fix. Also, if you haven't seen it already, there is a great thread in the food section of the board on teas. Ive been lurking there for weeks, culling choices. It's a great place to start looking for a coffee/black tea susbstitute!

Cute For whatever it's worth, Fallow, I remember that Dissipation was very strongly Ivy, very green and almost medicinal (but pretty). Granted, I smelled it many moons ago, but I'm pretty sure that it was not strongly root beer-ish. 99.99 percent sure. You know...just in case you wanted to cross one other possibility off the list

Let the record show: You can never guess with BPAL. When my Samhain order came in, I skin tested Samhain and Dia de Los Muertos first, thinking that both of those would be the "problem" scents. I was particularly disappointed with the reviews of this year's DDLM, because I had been looking forward to cocoa and candles and tobacco, and I'd read that thie year was more floral. I only sniffed sugar skull out of the bottle, got a butterscotch-y, rum-y sweetness (very much like Grog, but browned and slightly burned) and figured I had a no-brainer winner. No need to "test"- I'd just start wearing it in regular rotation. I finally got to wearing Sugar skull. Sniffed it again out of the bottle, all is well in the world. Then I get it on my skin, and this very strong hazelnut coffee note comes out. I kid you not. Hazelnut coffee. Like Gluttony. Very much like gluttony. Sugar skull is sweet, and dark, and I can see where people get the maple syrup note, but I cannot ignore that gluttony-esque bloom. I'm going to swap both of my bottles, hopefully to someone who liked grog AND Gluttony. It's not a "bad blend" at all. I would have loved it, I WANTED to love it. I just have this thing with flavored coffee smells. Balls. Oh, and DDLM? The one I was worried about? I love it, love it, love it. See? You NEVER know

Wet: a yellow-white floral blend, along the lines of Eos and Beltane. Luckily, these types of florals- warm and creamy rather than dried, juicy, powdery, or grassy- are among the few I like to wear. So far, I think it's really pretty. On skin: DDLM is getting....a bit heady. I can feel my head getting a bit smaller. Still nothing terribly evocative of offerings. I am keeping this on my skin because I like the flowers, but so far, it's a bit TOO floral for me. Dry: Holy hell, this is amazing. It takes an hour or so for the tobacco to come out, but when it does, you end up smelling like the sweetest, smokiest pipe, with just a bit of warm flowers in the background. Verdict: Dia de los muertos 05 can be a bit much for a few minutes, but this dry down is so worth it. It's like standing in the heat a few feet away from a tobacco shop with an open door, eating a pastry. 4 stars, at the very least. This one was my favorite Samhain blend so far. Now I have to see if I can afford another bottle tonight before she goes away...

another gifty imp!! Thanks, guys!! Wet: Very green! I'm actually quite surprised by how green and light this is. I figured that it would be syrupy sweet. On skin: Still fresh, almost like ivy, but now with fig and coconut. Dry: Milky coconut away from skin, and spicy green figs and leaves close up. This doesn't have much throw, but I get the faintest wisps as I move my arms. VERDICT: So fresh. So REAL. The fruits in this are REAL- they are really here in front of me!!! One of Beth's ultimate triumphs. She took what could have amounted to "way too much" and somehow made it just right. There is nothing cloying or vulgar about this at all, and one really does get the feeling that they are standing in the middle of a big pot of ambrosia. Most importantly, though, I love Eden because no one does fig like Beth does fig. Amazing.

Received as a gifty imp from the lab! Wet: All amber, extra sweet from a floral (you cannot yet tell that the flowers are roses, but you can detect a floral note) and spicy. This smells wonderful. On skin: The rose comes out, sweet and dusty, with musks giving it some sex and the amber keeping it close to the skin. This is one of the first rose blends to not give me a headache in who knows how long. I suspect that the amber takes credit for smoothing out the floral aspects. Dry: Amber, slightly spiced, and the red musk is felt rather than smelled. It's that heated air that comes off of your skin, and the undefined "skin smell". Dry, hours later: All that's left is one rose, very juicy, very fresh. Juicier than Persephone's roses. Very, very bright. Not at all powdery. VERDICT: Well, I must say...I hate, hate, HATE the smell of roses. The fact that I even left spellbound on to bloom is a huge testament to the beauty of this fragrance. With one notable exception, spellbound is the ONLY rose blend I would consider wearing- and, if I weren't already hopelessly and completely in love with Scherezade (which does indeed resemble this in some ways), I'd buy a bottle. The rose hater would buy a bottle of a rose fragrance! That's how good this is! For those of you wondering how it compares to Scherezade, I will try to help in a non-biased way. Both are sexy, womanly orientals, and both are warming and comforting. Spellbound is sexy like red-satin lingerie and smoke-rimmed eyes, however, while Scherezade is more like cocoa lace on flawless skin. Spellbound is more classically feminine, and Scherezade is darker and more aggressive. Try both- you won't be disappointed.

hrmmm....to me, Baku had a VERY strong anise note. I love it in Kabuki, but no so much in a lavender blend. I'm a huge fan of both Paris and Nanshe, though Nanshe is the most pure lavender I've found. It's absolutely gorgeous.

The high priestess is a weird one, because it IS medicinal, with a sharp woodiness, but it's still extremely pretty, and I keep sniffing my wrists. If I had to guess at some of the notes, I'd say cherry, definitely, with the same spearmint-y note you can find in Tarot : the Fool, spiked with pepper and grounded in something twig-like and woody. It's definitely pepper-y! It's not really a "sex siren" smell or a "nondescript office scent" , nor does it seem appropriate for any of the traditional "perfume goals" women may or may not have. This is a scent to wear for you, and you alone, when you need it. In many ways it seems more appropriate as aromatherapy than perfume, and it would be amazing as a linen spray. Complex, a bit harsh, but ultimately very easy on the nose and quite fascinating. It would be good for vetiver fans (though I don't smell any, High Priestess has an extreme earthiness to it), and those who enjoy bracing, almost clinically clean smells as opposed to warm, languid ambers and gourmands.

I had major problems with both Gluttony and jack, so when I heard about Grog's ultra-sweet impressions I held off on ordering it, though I was incredibly curious. It seemed impossible not to compare it to my experiences with the other two scents. Enter the lab with a frimp, and...what do you know? i love it! Grog starts out all butterscotch- so sweet that you can almost feel sugar grains between your teeth as you sniff it. Next comes rum, and then...whiskey? In any case, the sweetness is perfect (especially in the context of autumn), and the booze makes it a blend rather than a butterscotch single note. Grog doesn't smell like a terribly complex creation, and thank goodness, because one more step in any direction would have propelled it into the realm of headache-inducer. Instead, Beth created an a crystalline sort of sweetness that, if applied sparingly, is evocative and comforting and childlike.

So much like a leather jacket that it's almost scary. I mean REALLY, REALLY all leather, all the time. I think people should drop a bit on a blanket or something and feel the comfort of this. It's as true to saddle leather as anything you'll ever find- ever!

I was really, really hoping for mint, but I also knew that mint would be a little...obvious. Still, I never expected violets, and I NEVER would have ordered it had I known. Violets are on the list of notes I will not wear, not ever ever. So...yeah, numb smells like violet baby powder on me, with a tangy soapy note. There are plenty of powdery scents I enjoy, and I count myself among those who are NOT turned off by a scent described as "soapy" (the majestic Incantation has been described as such, for example), but violet soap or violet powder is just an automatic deal-breaker. I'm writing this to warn people- I feel that violets may be one of those "love it/hate it" notes, so make sure you know which camp you fall into before you swap/look for this one. The Raven and bluebeard both have strong violets in them (and, I'm guessing, Ultraviolet, too ), so you can use that as a guide. If you love it, and them, you'll love numb!

i really wanted to love Shub-Niggurath, and I definitely see how people would adore this one. On my skin, it was almost exclusively gingerbread, with heat. It dried down to get sweeter and even more foody, like ginger CAKE, and at times it smelled a bit like a candle/craft store during the holidays. Boo. I wanted Shub to be more of a savory ginger, kind of along the lines of Pele. I swapped her within two days

yes, lotus is sweet. Depending on preference and skin chemistry, it can either go way too sweet or just sugary enough. Thankfully, lotus is exactly right on me. So....black lotus on: I get lotus, sandalwood, smoke, and an as-yet unidentified incense. I get halloween candy, candy corn, maple syrup, and other assorted autumn-only sweets, with a touch of smokiness. LOVE it. love it, love it, love it.

I can't really "review" this one, just help in confirming that there is, indeed, civet in this one, and if you have problems with this note, beware, cause its coming to get you. I am someone who absolutely has problems with this note, and so I couldn't leave it on for more than 5 minutes. But wet, it has a salty patchouli quality very much like Anne Bonny. For advanced civet users , this is probably gorgeous

Ack! I never reviewed this one? I've burned through a 5ml of this already since January, and I just got a 10ml of it a few weeks ago. This scent goes on the list of BPAL I will order consistently as my supply runs out so that I shall never be without it. It's extraordinarily light, cheerful, and clean-smelling. It isn't what i normally go for, but its the best "after-shower", job-interview, meet-the-parents scent I've come across so far. The most prominent notes in High John for me are grapes, olive oil, herbs, and something like lotus' lighter sister. The "olive oil" I'm imagining comes from the fact that the grape note in High John smells almost savory, NOT at all like kool aid or juice. This smells like green grapes in a salad, if that makes sense- cool and refreshing. Its savory, grown-up grape made complex by LIGHT herbs ( no sage, basil, rosemary that i could smell, for instance) sweetened by something that could be lotus but probably isn't. Lotus gives me a cotton candy sweetness, but that sweetness feels and smells sheer, like I'd dusted my skin with sugary water. This note gives that same sugared skin smell but without the candied associations. The combination smells like fresh, sweet grapes in a mildly sweeter syrup, like you hadn't washed off all the syrup from a can of fruit salad . Grapes and leaves with sprinkled parsley on top. Delicious. The oil is also thick- thicker than any bpal I've tried. I guess Beth uses a different carrier for this little guy, or perhaps there really IS olive oil in this one . This gives it great staying power despite the extreme lightness of the fragrance itself. And if you're a slatherer, like I am, you can reapply throughout the day and never scare anyone out of an elevator. I LOVE this fragrance, I love Beth for making him, and I will love him and squeeze him and train him .......er....never mind. As for the voodoo properties- I wore this to my first new job interview in 4 years and I got called back for a second and then a third. It's been a week and they have not called me, so I guess I lost it right at the finish line. But getting so close definitely upped my confidence and made me think that looking for something better wasn't such a waste of time after all.