Elvena

This scent is like my best friend personified. She lives over a thousand miles away so I was incredibly pleased and very wistful when I first took a wiff of this perfume. I didn't smell it in the bottle but when I first put it on my skin I got cocoa and even smelled a little cocoa butter. I can smell the plumeria which isn't a usualy favorite scent of mine but it's not over powering. There is also something mysterious and smokey which I am guessing is the insense. I can pick up a citrus note but it's so delicately balanced with the others that I barely notice. It's a very warm scent and makes me think of laying out in the sunshine. I put this on in the evening and when I woke up it was still going strong. It is a very lovely delicate scent. Not too overpowering, perfumy or rich. I love it.

Sugar Skull to me isn't too different to Sticky Pillowcase, except for the light fruit scent.

I tried this on my ten year old son as I needed a patch of skin. Here is his take. Out of the bottle it was really green and sharp kind of peppery seasoning. On dry down he got wet yellow waxy autumn leaves. Pumpkin and a hint of lemon. As it wears it's a little sugary. We kind of like it but we don't love it. My take is leaves/herbal with Avon Country Roads men's cologne.

In the bottle: Smells like a cold, snow covered Christmas tree. Wet on skin: I don't get mint. What I get is lemon/lime soda, but not just any lemon/lime soda. The lime soda I'm talking about has been sitting in someone's stomach and then puked out while still cold. Even though this sounds wretchedly unpleasant, it's bearable as this wet phase is short. Dry: O. M. G! Seriously this has to be the most beautiful scent EVER! I don't know about cold, it smells like early spring. It smells like the early spring sister of The Lady of Shalott! The scent is very green and aquatic. It's achingly beautiful but sunshine warm beneath the chill that never really happens. Over time I get vague wiffs of aged patchouli. This is like winter in the bottle, new years wet, then spring dry, which slowly morphs into summer. All and all I love this scent and all it's weird transitions

Wet: At first yummy ginger candy. I thought this might be great. I love ginger! Dry: Lemon drop candy...meh, but then...then it turns into Murphy's Oil Soap! Agghh Makes me think of cleaning church.

Most bpal scents last and last on me. I have very lucky skin that way. However, White Rabbit for me is a very weird anomaly. I could smell it in the bottle, faint and promising. I couldn't name the notes but I know there is a fragrance there. I put it on my skin where the white rabbit, without apology told me that it was very late for an important date and was gone in an instant. I had to check the imp again to make sure it had a smell, because on my skin it just does not exist.

OMG my mother's apricot cobbler!! I smell so heavenly! Warm apricot, spicy clove... I can almost taste the warm syrupy goodness!!! I can even detect a bit of crust in there. This scent settles down into a warm fall scent which is perfumy enough to keep it from being too foody. I slept wearing it and just had such a comforting night. I am one of those people I guess for whom perfume just lasts because this has a decidedly nice throw on me and lasts and lasts and lasts clear to the next day. *kisses skin* Oooo I love you March Hare. Marry me!!!

I have three words. Avon Sweet Honesty. Of course without that yucky undertone all Avon scents have. It's lighter and less cloying than Sweet Honesty by Avon, but it is Sweet Honesty. I have very traumatic scent associations to Sweet Honesty so it's a emphatic NO!

So I bought a bottle of this and now I am going to cry. In the bottle: Rancid Custard Wet: Rancid Custard and anise Dry: Rancid Custard, anise, and dill pickles (which is how BPAL rose smells on me). What am I going to do with this horrid bottle of horrid wretched nightmare?

In the imp its cough syrup, leather and juniper. Wet: I get the leather, I get the juniper. I get the Dragon's Blood. Dry: Apparently my skin amps dragon's blood to the tenth degree. All I smell is straight up dragon's blood and nothing else. If I want cinnamon and dragon's blood I'll reach for French Love. For this though none of the other notes are strong enough to sing with that darned Dragon's Blood.

Sticky Pillow Case is the first BPAL I've bought a bottle of without testing. I was scared. When I first put it on I was upset. It smelled like I walked into a Yankee Candle Store during fall. All I could smell was caramel pumpkin and fake wood. I waited and then it turned into... The most gloriously lovely creamy caramel apple, spun sugar autumn smelling thing ever. It smells like sticking my head into a bag of Halloween candy (sans chocolate of course). I don't smell strawberry, and if I do it's only faintly. There is a brief plastic phase but it hits me that it's more reminiscent of plastic in the bag rather than a fault in the perfume. There is a Bath and Bodyworks Pumpkin Pie Spice thing working in there but that goes away pretty quickly. I am in love love love love. I have my fall scent.

Caress Exotic Infusion - Morocco same SMELL, sans the vanilla and carnation. I am so happy. I love this, it smells so comforting, warm and wonderful I'd review better but I can't believe I have a body wash and a BPAL perfume that match so well.

I got this as a frimp with my last order and have been putting off trying it, but I was in an adventurous mood today so I thought, lets give it a try. In the bottle: The dragon's blood is there. I smell cherry and something spicy, must be the clove. Wet: Dragon's blood. The cherry fades off and I smell cinnamon and wait. Wait? What? What does that smell remind me of!!?? The dentist! Dry: I am sitting in a dentist's chair, his assistant has swapped my gums with ...Clove oil...GAAAHHHHH!!!!!!! NO! HELP!!!! I've been strapped to a dentist's chair and there is a huge big needle coming at me. NO!! So, when I was a little kid I had some very bad experiences with a sadistic dentist right out of Little Shop of Horrors. Oil of Cloves is a common natural analgaesic as well as an anticeptic. I am very unhappy. I do not like walking around smelling like cloves. I love cloves in general, I like them on baked ham. I like cloves poked in oranges. I do not like Oil of Cloves. Therefore, I do not like Blood. Ixnay on the ovesclay and the scent would be great. I love dragon's blood. But Cloves!!! No! No no Blood is not for me.

I just received this as a frimp from the lab, and I don't know what to say, but to whomever plucked this out and put it into my box, I'm not sure if I should bless or curse you. I didn't read the description or the notes in the perfume. I knew nothing about it. 8 years ago I moved from the New Mexico desert to New England and...Centzon Totochtin IS the southwest. I don't care what the description says. I do smell the hint of chocolate and rum, but beneath it is a pungent sharp cedar. This is what sitting by a bonfire in the desert smells like. EXACTALY. It also has hints of leather. My father used to have an incense burner, it was really cool it was an adobe pueblo and it burned this ceder/juniper incense which smoked from the chimeny. I loved that burner. This scent also reminds me of that incense. It reminds me of Sunday afternoons with my father. We lost him in a car accident almost ten years ago and smelling this makes me profoundly homesick. I expect to walk outside and see sun scorched soil, blue gray sage brush, and gnarled ceder trees. I should be hearing the hum and click of the desert bugs. Smell the desert soil. Instead I am in moldy, mossy, green New hell England. My heart hurts now. I am in tears. I don't think should be opening this imp anytime soon. But you know I will.

I don't know what to say except Medea is Morgause's older, deeper, more mature and musky older sister. This sent is so lovely, while Morgause is purple, this is more burgandy. It's velvety floral and deliciously incensy. It started out on me with a dark red fruit layer (current?) and then had an almost tobacco smell and is now lovely incense and floral musk

Oh darling Dragon's Eye at last I have found you, my friend. You wrapped me in your sweet floral embrace evoking memories of happy childhood moments. My Lilac sented Lisset. My Lilly of the Valley scented linens. Then you threw in the spicy lovely dragon's blood and ohh I am in heaven There is a little bit of a plasticy smell to this, so I'm thinking a good aging will help that. Otherwise, perfectly loverly and happy scent. It is very sharp in it's florals. I haven't decided which stands out best yet but next to my soul-mate, Night-gaunt...This would be my very best friend.

I read through reviews for this and despite the fact that it has patchouli my sworn enemy, it seemed to work for so many people that I thought I would try based on the vanilla, sugary, popularity. I opened the bottle. All I could smell was wretched, nasty Patchouli. I hesitated and hoped and put it on my skin. Plastic and dirty smelling greasy , disgusting, horrible patchouli. I hate you patchouli and I hate you snake oil..hate hate hate! YUCK. ETA: A little later! It smells like the thick sickly yellow hand degreaser my mechanic father used to use. Dirty engine grease and the weird perfumy "soap".

This is my perfume for when my hormones go insane and my body chemistry wants to eat all my favorite scents. On the norm The Raven starts out heavily violet then drifts down into a very expensive and rich incensy violet powder. BUT, when my hormones go out of wack oooh baby! It turns into this rich and complex scent full of deep dark violets, sandlewood and other beautiful florals along with something oddly comforting, like I am wrapped in the friendly arms of a stately, golden eyed fellow with long dark raven hair and a mysterious regal smile. I love The Raven.

I received this as a frimp with my last order and was a bit skeptical about it. I looked it up on the sight before even opening the imp and made a face of disgust (anything lime is YUCK so I assumed citrus eww). I'd tried nothing in the Arkham list and really wasn't too terribly interested. I opened up the imp anyway. A lesson to me to not be closed minded about the names of perfumes and holding citrus against them. When I opened the imp I winced, it was slightly astringent and fruity (Citrus). About ten years ago, something bad happened to my sense of smell and since then fruity anything just is bad for me. I put this on anyway knowing in the imp and out of the imp are two different things. Confession, I love oranges and the rind of the orange has been the only thing exempt from the weird fruity hell and sometimes I'll rub orange rind on me cause I love the smell... On my skin the weird fruity ood smell morphed into something incredibly delicious, wonderful and lovely. I wish I could describe, it's candied citrus and floral. It would be a great summer scent, it's just clean and happy. My skin really, really amps florals so the citrus floral is just perfect for me and has a wonderful throw. I feel like I have an orange rind perfume, only better! I see by reviews that this hasn't been lasting on people. Wow! This lasts! I put some on Sunday today is Tuesday (I missed my shower yesterday please don't hold it against me) and Night-Gaunt is still going strong and beautiful. This is my favorite scent period. If I was only allowed one BPAL scent for the rest of my life, this would be it..until death us do part.

All I get is the smell of cat litter, fresh out of the bag Tidy Cat, cat litter. I wanted to scream all day.

I don't truly smell the vanilla in this perfume. I am however so in love with it that after wearing the imp for a week I've ordered a bottle. Is there really musk in this scent? No way. Seriously NO WAY. Why? Musk..all musk without a doubt turns into moldy bread on me. I have to avoid musks my body hates it. But you know there must be musk in this. I smell it! Why has it not turned to mold? My mother's signature scent was a perfume called Chantilly Lace and Antique Lace is extremely reminiscent of it, so much so I feel as if I am wrapped in my mother's arms (she's passed now. I miss her). BUT, this scent is deeper, lovelier, more sophisticated and yet less elderly than my mother's (drug store counter) perfume. It's younger and lighter and I love it. There is a beautiful floral undercurrent. Dried flowers? Which I adore. I am one of those people whose body chemistry was made for florals yum yum and maybe its protecting me from moldy musk. So so so much love for this comforting scent.

I'm very new to describing but this scent is just perfect! Out of the bottle, incense and something woodsy kind of makes me think of running through a dew damp garden at midnight in the summer after standing at a bonfire. On the skin it is heavenly. I smell the violets and the incense....But then it's alarmingly like grape kool-aid. On dry down this has turned absolutely heavenly on my skin. It's like dark dark purple velvet. I still feel like I'm standing in a summer garden with violets and plums and it's just fantastically wonderful. I am seriously in love. I'm going to use the imp a few times to make sure but I truly believe I want a bottle of this!

This smells like an elderly lady making a tuna sandwich heavy on the dill pickles, directly after church. Not for me. So sad. It's so funny, on my son... yes I know. This bloomed into a full and beautiful rose, though more of a peony than a rose. Wish it smelled like that on me. Florals usually love me so. Not fair.