JazzieCazzie

Freebie imp ... I wasn't sure what I was going to think. Now take into account that I LOVE red wine but more as drink than to wear (though admittedly there have been a few times when I have drunk so much I HAVE ended up wearing it). I love mimosas too, ditto. And I love clove. But my experience with mimosa note is that it tends to get bubble-gummy when combined with my body chemistry. Still, I was determined to show patience with this whether or not I liked the initial impression. IN THE BOTTLE: Whoa. I don't think I'm going to like this. VERY fruity and medicinal ... a lot of people have mentioned grade cough syrup, for me it was more cherry coughdrops but I'll concede the point. One small dab per wrist to be safe. I'm hoping for clove to emerge in a hurry. WET: Eeeeeek. Very cherry, my least favorite fruit when it comes to scents, probably because of the mental connection I make with cough medicine (I loved dimetapp but was forced to take Cheracol as a kid. ICK). DRYDOWN: Happily, the fruitiness fades in a hurry to make way for predominant mimosa on drydown. Still not my favorite scent but pleasant enough. Very orange-blossomy but still, alas, too bubble-gummy for me. NO cloves at all as far as I can tell. This is a definite regifting.

Received an imp as a freebie ... IN THE BOTTLE: Wow. This is really unusual, unlike any other BPAL scent I've tried. Very green and herbal and slightly foody but not sweet ... invigorating. Applies to just wrists because I couldn't decide if it was going to work for me or not ... WET: This is driving me absolutely nuts, because the predominant note is SO familiar but I can't put my finger ... or nose ... on it. I keep thinking it is something from our herb garden and I assume my hubby the gourmet chef and herb-grower will recognize it immediately ... I go down and barge into his piano lesson (teaching, not taking, even uncooler) ... I forgot that hubby has great tastebuds but no nose. He doesn't recognize it either. Lois, Damn! DRYDOWN: Interesting and herby and foody BUT both too soapy and too masculine for me. This would be awesomely sexy on a guy though ... also, it has major legs. It is still going strong on my wrists eight hours after application. But damn, I smell clean.

IN THE BOTTLE: Sugary and violet but no gardenia, as far as I can tell ... Applied to wrists. WET: Candied violets is the best way I can describe it. I can't place the vanilla on its own but it's definitely what is sweetening the violet scent to sugar on me ... but still no gardenia. It's a tiny bit little-old-ladyish and powdery but not in a bad way ... more in an austere, lacey parlorish way. Old fashioned. DRYDOWN: I thought my nose was deceiving me when I smelled pepper ... but JJ-J's post about violet being peppery made me realize that is simply the drydown scent of the violet. Not something I would wear much and will probably be regifted, but not something I'll be washing off in a hurry either.

IN THE BOTTLE: Very odd. Not like any other scent I could really put my finger on ... the closest I could come was red wine and vinegar salad dressing, just something very tangy. I did a double-dab on each wrist, afraid to do more than that ... WET: It goes on a little sweeter and a little less tangy. An herbal grassy scent came right to the forefront, something like a scent I used to wear in my teens that may have been called "Grass" or something like that (hey, give me a break, my teens are a long time ago and I burnt out many a brain cel in the ensuing years!) DRYDOWN: This scent is very interesting, how many changes it goes through on me ... upon early drydown it's almost sweet and candyish, though maybe more like candied fruit (raisins or cranberries). The more it dries, the sweeter and more pungent it gets. Plus an aura of warm summer late afternoon. This isn't hugely "me" as a scent, I can't see it being a signature scent for me or a big bottle purchase, but it is interesting and I can see keeping the imp and using it occasionally ... Also, it wears off very quickly. Within a few hours, nada. Unlike yesterday's application of Black Dahlia which lasted from 8 a.m. into the wee hours.

Wow ... this scent is not so much a fragrance as an experience ... but admittedly I put on a lot for a first time ... BOTTLE: Glorious, glorious, glorious scent! It was really transporting ... I love BPAL florals, and this one hit me immediately as one of Beth's best ... rich and lovely without being overpowering. I had thought I sensed lilac or gardenia, but am guessing it was either the magnolia or the orchid ... Though I am usually restrained putting on a new scent before going out for the day (in this case to work), I dabbed wrists, crooks of arms, behind ears and cleavage. WET: Just amazing. It really lifted me up with images of spring, summer vacations, and primping before a big night out filled with promise ... Such a sultry, sexy scent (yeah, probably not right for work ... luckily I am currently alone in my quad of carrils ... sp? ... so it didn't distract anyone). This reminds me a lot of my beloved Veil, but without the sandalwood that offsets the pure floral lushness. DRYDOWN: This one has MAJOR legs ... I kept getting little whiffs of myself all day and evening and even at night (I put it on around 8 a.m.) I could still smell it on my wrists and crooks. (I didn't sniff my cleavage ) I would probably not wear it to work again for fear of distracting others and giving them the wrong idea LOL ... but to me this is an IDEAL scent for anyone planning a "big" night ... it's like a floral version of Chanel No. 5 in the sense that, to me, that scent was what I thought of as "little sexy black dress, pearls and lace underwear underneath in anticipation of removal of little black dress." It would make a divine bath oil ... I am putting it on my January big bottle order list with that in mind.

BOTTLE: Spicy spicy spicy in a head-clearing way but also VERY cedar! When I was growing up in an apartment in NYC, we had a walk-in closet where my mom would store her winter clothes (and also hide the Christmas and birthday presents) ... it was all lined in cedar and creatively called "the cedar closet" ... as soon as I smelled this imp, it brought to mind when I would go and sit cross-legged on the floor of this closet as a child. Dabbed on wrists and crooks of arms ... I have never gone wrong with one of BPAL's cedar or resinous scents. Love 'em all. WET: This actually burned a tiny bit in my crooks upon application but it was brief ... it is SO woody! (Not to be confused with woodsy) ... I know people are saying ginger, pepper, musk and that's probably all there but honestly, I am getting spicy hot wood (not to be confused with a forest fire). DRYDOWN: Still resinous and woody. Quite strong so I'd be careful about where I wore this, since I can imagine there will be people who don't like it ... but I love it. It would make a great candle or room freshener as well.

This was one of the lovely generous freebies in my most recent set of two orders ... I wasn't sure when I read the notes whether I'd find something like Embalming Fluid, which TOTALLY doesn't work for me, or whether perhaps the fig and ginger would come to the forefront, making it more like Nemesis, another freebie I never would have thought of ordering but which remarkably and surprisingly jumped onto my Top 5. Sadly, 'tis the former ... BOTTLE: Citrus, sharp, yet to me somehow generic department store scent, which was also what I thought about Embalming Fluid. I'd guessing from other sampling that tea ranks right up there with cherry and fruits in the "notes that don't work for me" list ... Still, I wanted to give it a shot and see if the ginger and fig would come out and play once it was on ... but to be safe I just daubed a bit on my wrists rather than adding the crooks of my arms as well ... WET: Pretty much WYSIWYG with the scent in the bottle. I confess I couldn't get past the first 10 minutes and, like AnnetteL, this was a wash off. Unfortunately I can still smell it ... ah well.

Although most people here are referring to this as a floral, the fact that lotus and water blossom were the first two notes listed tipped me off that I might find this to be more aquatic than floral ... and while I love many of Beth's florals, aquatics are right behind fruity on my "sadly don't work for me" list ... but I swore to try each of the lovely generous imps I was gifted with and forged ahead. IN THE BOTTLE: Actually struck me more as fruity on first sniff than aquatic OR floral. Sharp and yet not unpelasantly so ... rather sweet and spicy and ineffable. Definitely couldn't place any of the notes. Swiped on both wrists and crooks of arms. WET: There was something slightly medicinal about this but not in a bad way, more in a healing herbal way ... the fruitiness I'd sniffed in the bottle disappeared and the aqueous notes came out. Like a flowery swamp in early spring ... DRYDOWN: At first dry the rose forged to the forefront but alas only briefly (I love Beth's roses) ... for a few minutes there I actually thought it might be a keeper! However within about a half-hour it dried to almost completely aquatic floral that just kind of assaulted me ... I know this sounds crazy, but I kept thinking "plastic toys in plastic boxes." It also stayed very strong for several hours until, I confess, I washed it off. It seems to be popular though, so I am sure whoever I pass this along to will love it!

Got an imp of this as a freebie in my most recent order ... and while I never would have chosen it on my own, I quite liked it ... for some reason, when I read leather in any scent description, I automatically thought kinky leather ... but this is more old library with rare collector's edition books leather ... BOTTLE: Something citrusy and fresh yet comforting, nothing I could put my finger on. Armchair leather. Applied to wrists and crooks of arm, one swipe each. WET: The leather has a nice touch. Definite citrus, though I couldn't quite place which fruit ... maybe lemon except that BPAL lemon and tea scents combined generally don't work as well on me as this one does. My daughter's reaction with no prompting was "oranges and leather." My husband only smelled leather but asked to sniff twice rather than recoiling as he often does. DRYDOWN: I knew this wouldn't really be me, I was more test-wearing it to figure out on whom I would regift it ... it "isn't" my husband either but it will go to someone I love (am thinking about maybe my dad getting a few imps). BUT I think it's a potentially unisex scent ... a good, sexy, solid, clean and yet comforting scent. But, like many others, I found it didn't have a lot of staying power. I put it on around 6 and now, almost 9, it is gone gone gone. It would make a good room scent or candle. Not a keeper for me, but simply because it's not me ... a very surprisingly likeable scent.

IN THE BOTTLE: I can tell right away this probably isn't "me" but it is pleasant enough ... I absolutely can't place a note, but it reminds me of Embalming Fluid, which wasn't me either ... it has something of a department store perfume smell to me ... Applied lightly to wrists and crooks of arms. WET: I still can't place any of the notes except it probably has some tea and lemon ... I call my daughter in and stick my wrist in her face. She looked surprised ... "It's nice but it seems a little fruity for you." Then she thought for a second and said "It has apples in it." Damn, I think she is right, though I haven't seen anyone else mention apples on here ... green apples, not apple pie apples. She thinks it smells a lot like Donna Karan's BDelicious but not as overpowering. DRYDOWN: Light, sweet, a little powdery and fruity at the same time. Weird, but it smells different in my crooks than on my wrist, isn't that strange? I like the crook smell better, a little tangier, while the wrists are more powdery and sweet. I don't dislike it. I'm not going to wash it off. But it's not me ... I think this could be a very popular scent though ... someone else said this upthread, I can see a lot of people liking it. It seems very accessible and it is not overpowering. I am putting asides non-keeper imps to gift to people these holidays (with all the BPAL info to go along with it) and this will be in that pile ... I can see it being something that will make new fans.

Oh. My. God. OhMyGod OhMyGod OhMyGod. omgomgomgomgomgomg. I don't think I ever would have ordered this on my own based on the description and my my my, what I would have missed out on!!! 6 a.m. application of this, prior to leaving for a very long day ... IN THE BOTTLE: Sharp, red, a slightly hot scent. I couldn't remember what the notes were and was thinking this might be cinnamon but am guessing now that was the ginger screaming for my attention. Applied to wrists and crooks of arms, but pretty lightly. WET: It burnt a tiny bit upon application but that subsided quickly, no redness. Within a few minutes, this somehow morphed several times, like a Willy Wonka everlasting gobstopper or something ... the patchouli rushed to the forefront (maybe not good for some people since I know there are a lot of patchouli hatahs here but I love it), and then something mroe woody ... maybe the cypress? DRYDOWN: This is a BPAL first for me ... trumpets please ... the scent got fruity (am guessing it was the figs) but it was GREAT on me!!! Suit yet spicy sugary fruit ... sort of like a dessert my grandmother used to make where she would use fresh figs and bananas and then pour kirsche over it. It dried down a very warm, somehow really comforting smell. I couldn't stop sniffing my wrists until it disappeared. Foody, warm, festive, slightly spicy ... my only complaint was it didn't last long enough but, as I mentioned, I used it sparingly not knowing what to expect ... I will be more lavish from now on and this is SO going on my 2005 big bottle list! (Beth, please don't discontinue this one until I get a chance to order a big bottle!!!!!) This has zoomed to my top five unexpectedly. REVISITED AND RE-REVIEWED IN UNUSUAL FASHION, MARCH 30, 2013: So, here's the thing. I'm working my way through ALL of my BPALs, imps old and new, big bottles, frimps and lagniappes, in the process of finally sorting out which are keepers, which will go into a massive swap list, etc. With just droplets left in my old imp of Nemesis, I ordered a new 5 ML bottle hit past week and decanted a new imp while putting aside the rest of the bottle to cure/age. I decided to actually test drive the old imp on one arm and the new one on the other to see how they compared, 8 years apart. I'm not sure if the difference is due to aging or whether the blend has changed at all. IN THE OLD IMP: Visually, this is a much deeper golden amber and almost viscuous. The scent in the imp is a deep dark marriage of wood and fruit, almost regal. IN THE NEW IMP: If the old Nemesis was a deep red, this is a light green. Visually, the oil is a much paler color, not quite clear but not quite amber, and has much more liquidity. In the imp, the cypress is notable, a bright fresh almost sharp light green, almost slightly fizzy. I applied the old imp to my left wrist and arm crook and the new imp to my right wrist and arm crook. OLD OIL WET: This is definitely less "figgy" than it was years ago, but the deep and morphy complexity is still there. The wood notes, the rose, the ginger are all fighting for my attention. I think I imagine it as regal because the colors it brings to mind are deep gold and crimson, like a monarch's velvet robes. NEW OIL WET: VERY green and fresh and bright! I think the cypress is the primary note here with the ginger adding the fizz and kick. This is very much a fresh spring blooming green and floral scent upon application, rather than a deep rich complex one. OLD OIL DRYDOWN: The fig is really prominent and long-lasting and divine. I feel like I can sense all of the notes beautifully and artfully combined. NEW OIL DRYDOWN: Almost NO fig in this at all and minimal ginger. Even the cypress fades. Light, slightly powdery but not in a bad way ... the florals are lovely and the rose is subtle enough to not make it wonky in the slightest. OVERALL: I am not sure if the blend itself is new and different or if it's a matter of aging. The two scents are really different, though both wonderful. My thought would automatically be that the old Nemesis has aged however, my read on it is pretty faithful to how I reviewed it back in November 2004. Now, it's possible that even THAT batch was slightly older from the Lab and this one is new since there is probably a bigger customer base. Either way, I really, really like the new Nemesis but I think I preferred the old one in terms of its complex drydown. That said, I also have Nephilim which is probably more like the old Nemesis than the new Nemesis is. Does that all make sense? On a scale of 1-5, I'd give my old Nemesis a 5 and the new one about a 4.7 because I did love my figgy ginger.

BB (before BPAL) I would never had thought myself a "vanilla" scent person ... don't get me wrong, I am a vanilla-holic when it comes to desserts, etc. It's just that most vanilla-scented items that aren't BPAL are too sickly sweet to the point of being nauseating. Because of that I never would have thought of ordering any of the scents that had it listed ... But the lovely enabler named Summer sent me both Snake Oil and Velvet imps in a swap and I fell in love ... I didn't, however, review Snake Oil when I received it because ... oh God, dare I admit this? ... I lost the imp after one application. I remembered how much I loved it, however, when I placed my recent September order and bought a 5 ML, which I am much less likely to misplace. Though most of the two dozen imps I received in said order are new to me, and all will be reviewed, I decided to wear my Snake Oil today (and review it as well) ... I have a hairdresser appointment and want to go with tried and true sicne she's going to be sniffing me for a few hours BOTTLE: Just like I remembered, sweet and spicy and delicious. More of a dark sweet than a light sweet. On top of that was a strange familiar scent that I took a few whiffs to try to place ... and I may see why a few people have used the word "medicinal" in their wet descriptions ... it smelled like the old drugstore I used to go to when I was little, where I'd go to the back and be able to order an ice cream cone. The word that came to mind wasn't "medicinal" but rather "apothecary." I swiped lightly on both wrists, arm crooks, behind ears and cleavage ... too much? Some people have said a little goes a long way. But I'm finding it to be perfect amount. WET: Sugary delicious goodness without being cloying. Probably the spices offsetting things there ... a little touch of cotton candy. I just want to lick my wrists but am resisting the temptation. I know AutumnViolet mentioned coconut and my husband also thought he sensed that (I am making him sniff each scent to get another person's opinion and if my daughter were home from school I'd be shoving my arms in her face as well). I don't sense that at all but it's one of the great things about BPAL, different people smell different things on the same person (example: when I wear Veil, all I smell are the flowers, and all he smells is the sandalwood). Interesting thing about Snake Oil? To me it's a real "what you smell is what you get" scent ... hours after application, it smells exactly the same to me as it did in the bottle and on application. And that is a good thing. It has the perfect amount og staying power without being overwhelming at any time and without fading. REVISITING AND RE-REVIEWING IN APRIL 2013: It sort of seems like overkill to be revisiting and reviewing Snake Oil again 8+ years later seeing as with 37 pages of reviews, who really needs what I think about it post-body chemistry changes ... however I'm in the midst of a project to review and revisit and retest every single scent in my collection and if I leave out Snake Oil I'll feel like I failed in my mission. So here goes ... this is a swipe from my own decant of a bottle about two years old ... IN THE IMP: Sweet sweety sweetness. Not pure vanilla but definitely more vanilla and sugar than spice. Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm because I know a little goes a long way. WET: As many have learned, it is difficult to perfectly describe Snake Oil, which is part of what makes it so unique and popular. Spicy sweetness that continues to evoke that "ice cream cone" pharmacy smell for me. DRYDOWN: Again, a little goes a long way and this is a strong, strong scent that stays with you for the duration. I find it, on its own, just a little too strong to wear with any regularity (which is why I swapped my 80% full bottle for another scent I adore and CAN wear regularly, but kept the imp decant). The middle eastern spices become a little more predominant as it dries but it's still more sweet sweet sweetness than anything on me. OVERALL: I love the basic scent of Snake Oil but to me it's like a Single Note. What I've discovered is that I like Snake Oil a lot better when it's a component in another blend that has something more resiny and sharp to offset it (for example, O where the amber offsets the vanilla and honey). On a scale of 1-5, I give it about a 4.

I didn't know what to expect on this one ... on the one hand, lilac is one of my absolute favorite BPAL notes and Blue Lilac was the one single note I had ever purchased before I grabbed a few other imps up in the discontinued madness. I also love Wisteria. On the other hand, tea and lemon notes have not done well by me in the past. IN THE BOTTLE: Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Wisteria. Lots of wisteria. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I could stand there and just open and close it and get that first delicious blooming sniff over and over again. But I don't. I swipe a little on each wrist and in the crook of each arm. WET: Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. WISTERIA. And something else bubbles up that I can't quite place, something sweet and sugary and a tiny bit sharp. Oddly enough, I cannot place ANY lilac in here ... DRYDOWN: The wisteria is taking a back seat to the sweet, sugary, sharp scent ... I wonder if it's the tea or the osthmanthus (which I still don't know what that is). it's getting more powdery and smells like an old maiden aunt. It's not bad, but it's definitely not what I want to smell like. I really wish I could have retained that initial bottle/wet scent. That was absolutely divine and amazing and faboo. But since you spend most of your time on drydown rather than those initial moments, sadly, this isn't a keeper. Happily, it is on the wishlist of my intended birthday girl so ... hope she enjoys it!!! By the way ... if anyone out there knows of a BPAL scent that retains that initial floral wisteria scent on drydown, please let me know!!! And I am an idiot for not getting the wisteria single note, aren't I??? REVISITED AND RE-REVIEWED FEBRUARY 2013: This was sitting in my imp box and I'm 99 percent sure it's not the same imp from November 2004, and I know I didn't order it, so am guessing it was a frimp from the Lab on an earlier order and that's not a bad thing. IN THE IMP: Still, happily, getting that lovely white transporting scent of wisteria, and this time I also sensed the lilac I didn't get last time. I also got the teensiest tea note, usually a dealbreaker for me, but not so bad this time. Dabbed on left wrist and in crook of left arm. WET: SOOOOOOOOOOOO lovely. Wisteria and lilac. I still have an imp left of that long-ago-bought 5 ML of the Blue Lilac and am still kicking myself for NOT buying a bottle of wisteria, these eight years later. (PLEASE Labbies consider wisteria as your spring SN). I am getting NO lemon (again a good thing) but with me florals tend to change, usually not for the better, on drydown. DRYDOWN: And indeed, the wet luscious floral dissipates. It is NOT as negative as last time. It's not old-ladyish or powdery. It's not bad at all. But it's nothing special anymore. The tea has amped up, as it's wont to do with me on drydown, and the wisteria and lilac fades. OVERALL: Could I live with this? Absolutely. But would I reach for it, on the rare occasions I go floral? Probably not. I'd be much more likely to go for my 5 ML of Pontarlier or White Moon. So with that decided, a tough call, into the swap pile with Cordelia. Score: A 3 on a scale of 1-5. A 4 when wet though.

I hope I don't lose my BPAL membership here for this ... but I have to admit I can't stand this! And I'm amazed because, with the exception of the apple part, I would have thought I would love this scent ... IN THE BOTTLE: I honestly thought it had turned. To me, the smell was like sour, turned fruit that somehow accidentally got stuck at the back of your fridge and you finally found it weeks or months later and like an idiot opened it instead of chucking it immediately. I did, however, ask my daughter to smell it and she didn't think it smelled off at all. She thought it smelled like wine (and I LOVE wine). I wasn't going to give up, though, so I swiped a bit on my left wrist ... WET: Definitely not nearly as bad when it met my skin. Not sour at all. In fact very sweet and sharp but the notes were ineffable and at the same time very familiar. It took me a little while to figure out what it reminded me of ... DRYDOWN: Dried apple potpourri. Like when you walk into a little Christmas store and they have all the different holiday-scented candles and potpourri battling in the air for your attention. Just so not me. For whatever reason I just seem to have a real problem with fruity scents. Which makes me sad because so many of them sound good (and I love to EAT fruit, but have never been a fruit-scented girl) The good news is I did leave it on all day rather than feeling forced to wash it off ... and I have already regifted it to a good BPAL friend who just un-celebrated her birthday and got a yooge bag-o-imps plus a 5 ML Samhain among other treats. Since 99 percent of the folks here seem to love this, hopefully she wil too ... if not, I am sure she can find many willing swappers.

I am not not chilling (wow, that sounds awkward but I can't figure out a better way to put it) but a tiny bit perplexed and here is why ... The first of the two orders included discontinued scents under the deadline. Given the fact that they are no doubt getting a ton of orders for those and had a strict deadline, I would have thought they might have done a "harvest" (or process, as I now know it's officially called) right after the deadline so that they would have all of the orders potentially including discontinued scents that were placed "on time" separate from the other orders ... I know they accidentally originally cut off CCNow orders a day early, which seems to coincide with their last process date, then realized the glitch and reinstated the original deadline for those of us ordering only discontinued imps (as I did). Just hoping those of us who ordered the next day don't end up in the discontinued cold. I mean, I'm sure I won't, but just a tad concerned because of that timing. I'm guessing there is a finite amount of the discontinued scents, but also feel confident that the Lab will not let its customers down. Just thinking that letting such a very long time elapse before processing at the tail end of what must have been one of their busiest order times perhaps ever seems mystifying ...

So what with my dozen imps I ordered and the additional dozen freebies the lovely Labbies threw in for good measure, I made a list of all the notes of my imps so I knew what I was trying ... Cazzie Lite decided she wanted to get in on the action, but she is very picky so I asked what she'd be looking for in a scent and, surprisingly enough, she said "something beachy" (I say surprisingly because she hates lying in the sun and we have to drag her to the beach by her ankles ... but I guess she loves the beach itself). The description of Jolly Roger intrigued her so we opened the imp to sniff ... and wow!!!!!!!!!! We both fell in love immediately. I couldn't try the scent on because I still can't wash off the remnants of the Masabakes I tried on this morning, but I daubed some on her wrists and this is officially the first 5 ML on my next wish list (post Christmas rush when the Labbies have a chance to recover) AND my daughter's first BPAL 5 ML as well. I just sniffed her wrists again for early drydown impressions ... and it's so lovely. It's beachy, but also very clean ... almost like being at the beach after you've been lying in the sun all day and have gone back to your room and taken a wonderful shower and are sitting outside on your balcony, letting your hair dry and watching the sun set over the ocean. Can't wait to try it on me next!!! ETA: Tried it on me today ... and though I know it's not listed in the ntoes I am convinced there is some coconut in here! I definitely see the John Frieda comparisons!

Sorry if this has been asked a million times before but I can't seem to find it anywhere ... On my last orders, which were placed Sept. 22 and 26, the orders were "harvested" by the Lab on Sept. 29. Now I have two outstanding orders from Oct. 27 and Oct. 30 and neither has been harvested. Given the fact that this timing of the Yule LEs also coincided with the deadline for the huge number of discontinued scents, I am guessing this may have been the biggest overload of orders the Labbies have ever had to deal with, and when you add in people trying to get in their Christmas/holiday orders, well, wow ... But I am wondering if anyone knows whether it is business-as-usual to have nearly two weeks elapse without their picking up any orders from CCNow. Luckily, I didn't order anything with holiday shopping in mind so I don't mind the likelihood of waiting until 2005 if necessary (I have so many goodies from my current 9/22 haul, with a few more bottles coming from the 9/26 order, that I am probably good to go till then anyway). I just don't start even thinking in terms of "just a few more weeks" until the "shipped" status shows up and I don't recall it ever taking this long before. Of course, my memory kinda sucks these days anyway. OK, off to review my last few scents!!!

Then my brain was making it up too ... I LOVE LOVE LOVE this scent, but when I put it on this morning (I think it's my third time wearing it), I got hit with a note that I recognized in a flash as lemon drops or lemon gumdrops. It was only for a few moments ... but it added an interesting layer to the cedary scent ... These "pencil shavings" scents have emerged among my favorite BPAL perfumes. Maybe they just work well on me or bring back happy memories of a day when I actually liked school. I don't know, but I can't stop sniffing myself. REVISITED AND RE-REVIEWED MARCH 2013: After some time off, and a long span where I was more occasionally buying/swapping for BPAL but not reviewing, I've re-organized my collection and have been working my way through all of it, old and new, imps and bottles, A-Z. IN THE IMP: Delicious and grounding, a perfect "incense" scent which reminds me a huge amount of Scherezade (no surprise, given the notes). Didn't have much left in the imp, but applied pretty lavishly to wrist, crook of arm and cleavage. WET: Though I couldn't put my "nose finger" on the cedar when sniffing the imp, I can recognize what it DOES immediately upon application. It might be what I called "pencil shavings" in 2004, but it gives a woody (as opposed to woodsy) SWEETNESS to the other spices for me, whereas the sandalwood gives a more rounded woodiness and the saffron is, simply, divine. DRYDOWN: Just a sweet, lovely woody incense. Thankfully, the lotus does not appear at all for me, and that is a good thing because lotus can sometimes go so wonky on me that it ruins an otherwise good scent. No lotus-wonk, no powder, just "band-aids and headshop" which weird as it may sound, is one of my favorite combinations. OVERALL: I'd been doing quite a bit of swapping of late, and occasional smaller purchases from some lovely forumites, mostly imps with a big bottle here or there. But I'd realized that I was getting way too close to the deadline for a big bottle on the recent Lupers and there was one I had to have, so I grit my teeth and placed and order for four "big bottles" and a six-pack of imps. And this was one of the four big bottles I bought, which says a lot. Though I do have several scents that are similar, a factor that has kept me from getting BBs of some of my other favorites, there is something about this that is just unique in and of itself and I don't know what or why. On a scale of 1-5, a definite 5. ETA: I didn't get anything lemony or lemon-gumdroppy this time around, by the way.

I don't dislike this, but there is something in it that is VERY bubble-gummy on me ... usually that means neroli, but in this case I can't figure out what it is ... I got this in a swap and all the ingredients are ones I like, but the combo is a little TOO sweet for me ... it's one of the lovely imps that has made its way through a few people and one more lucky recipient is going to be gifted with about a quarter of an imp ... I am updating this post a few months later (mid-November) ... I received a new imp as a freebie and decided to try it again ... and no longer got the buble-gummy vibe at all so here is my updated note-set: IN THE BOTTLE: A spicy, warm strong floral ... all three notes are ones I generally like on their own anyway. Did just wrists with this because I remembered it being quite strong, but did a double-dab on each wrist to get the full effect. WET: The BPAL night-blooming florals like this are one of my favorite "series" (I am sorry, can't think of the right word) ... Beth and her gang do such a great job with the lush florals and this is a signature one, really. DRYDOWN: Warm and sultry with a kick. This is not something I could wear every day because I think it would distract me from my mundane life, but I think it would make a great bath oil when you want to feel sexy and exotic. I could definitely also use it on an occasional day as a perfume. REVIEWED AND REVISITED MAY 2013: Was frimped with this from the Lab on my most recent order and, interestingly enough, of the 8 frimps it was the ONLY one I liked. IN THE IMP: Super-powered night-blooming jasmine. But I happen to like that ... Dabbed on my right wrist and crook of arm because was already test-driving another scent on my left one. WET: This is really overpowering. But fortunately it's a really awesome blend. The NBJ is uber-sexy. The myrrh, since menopause, has been more of a funky-drydown problem child note for me than it used to be but in this blend it's the perfect sweet note to offset the jasmine. And the rose is just faint enough to not make me queasy. DRYDOWN: There is something about this scent that invokes images of Boardwalk Empire-type 20s flappers and hot chicks in awesome dresses with dropped waistlines that I would love to wear. The beach, the heat, the old-time awesome. Sex and incense. OVERALL: As I said lo those many years ago, this is not a scent I'd wear every day but it is DEFINITELY a scent I'd keep and apply occasionally. And, as I said then, I think it would make a KILLER scent for Puddin' to do a lovely BPTP series with (bath oil, candles, etc.). ON a scale of 1-5, a 4+

That's what I meant (not that I was as clear about it) ... That it seemed orders which included Harvest Moon were in some cases arriving while, if the person had placed two separate orders and the LATER one included Harvest Moon, it was still coming before the earlier one ... I was guessing that the lab was putting a rush on Moon orders so that the recipients would get them "on time" for the lunar cycle. But I don't know much about that stuff ... Anyway, it seems that some people are indeed just happening to get all orders combined into one ... I'm gonna guess that IF the lab happens to have the person's separate orders in one place and it's easy enough to do, they'll do it, and if not, it's no big deal ... we'll get them all eventually anyway

What you say makes sense and I realize it is the likelihood, BUT it seems from what I've been reading here that certain LEs such as Harvest Moon have been shipping separately from other orders ... maybe because they are timed specifically with the lunar cycle and as such are made at a different time. So I'm not sure I would consider separate orders in which one includes one of the Moon Cycle items the same as two separate orders that only include items that are regularly available or pre-made. On the other hand, since I did include Samhain in one of the two orders, it may well qualify under those specifications anyway.

I am ecstatic, because my two recent orders have officially been "harvested" (that is the word I am going to use when CCNow lists them as "shipped" ... I know they're not actually shipped, but to me it's another step forward in the process when I know the orders are in BPAL's hands) ... It is appearing to me that they seem to be somewhere along the lines of three weeks-one month to shipping from order date, but I am also going to assume that with the recent addition of "Samhain and friends" their order load has probably skyrocketed. So here is my question ... for the first time I have two pending orders ... On Sept. 22 I ordered 5 MLs of Samhain, Sudha Segara, Scorpio and Snake Oil as well as 12 imps. Then I realized I'd forgotten to order VELVET, so on Sept. 26 I ordere a 10 ML of Velvet and 5 MLs of Rakshasa and Hamadryad (why yes, this will be my biggest and most extravagant BPAL bonanza!!!). In the "other comments" for the second order I referred to my first order and gave the order number. I don't expect them to be shipped together but I figured I would pass along the info on the offchance that if they were filling all those orders at the same time, it would save them a box. Both orders were "harvested" tonight ... So ... for those of you who have placed separate orders within a few days of each other, how often, if ever, does the lab combine the two into one lovely box?

Very, very soapy on me ... almost like pure Dial soap. I'm not sure which note in it makes it react like that ... it's not unpleasant, because it's very clean, but it is also VERY strong on me, too much so to wear as a scent. However, rather than being a swapper, I think this will make a really nice addition to a bubble bath on an evening where I want a refreshing rev-me-up bath rather than a relaxing pre-sleep one ...

I just washed my hair with Flying Fox and put on my Veil lotion (Veil mixed in with unscented Aveeno) and I smell mahvelous. Also, for anyone who availed themselves of the Lush discontinued order, 13 Rabbits shower gel with BLISS!!!!!

On me, at least. Spellbound and Le Petit Mort are VERY similar, with Le Petit Mort having a little less head shop scent and a little more rose.