Batgirl

I just got my first BPAL shipment, and I looooove these fragrances! I'm getting married in July and I thought wearing BPAL would be nice, especially since so many of the BPAL scents have meanings. Can anyone recommend a nice wedding scent, particularly one that might bring my fiance and I good luck/health/happiness and all that other good stuff in the future?

I've seemed to have had a problem with BPAL oils fading on me really quickly (Rapture, Dana O'Shee, Cheshire Cat, etc.) Some of the stronger oils, like Sacred Whore of Babylon, work fabulously. What scents do you consider strong? Particularly for those of you who have the same fading problem I do.

I've looked all over for information on these, and I can't find it - and I'm insanely curious! The Chaos Theory oils were done before I started frequenting the forum, and I don't understand how they worked. Were these oils Beth had created previously (like prototypes) or were they new? Was there only one bottle of each number (for example, is there only one Chaos Theory V bottle floating around), did you get to specify what type of oil you wanted? Details please! Though I'm so sad I missed this one...it sounds like it was fun...

Tarot: The Star give me a pina-colada/tropical feel but since it's a Tarot oil no notes are listed, so we can't know for sure what's in it.

I had such high hopes for Delirium. I looove Beth's roses, I enjoy apple and (I thought) I really like lemon. Delirium is all lemon when it goes on and then within 10 minutes goes really soapy on me. I don't have the soap problem with my rose blends, so I can only assume it's the lemon that's doing this to me. Delirium is very light with little throw - it's pretty much gone on me within an hour.

From the commercial perfume world I would recommend Donna Karan Black Cashmere (which smells bonfire-y to me). For BPAL Hunter Moon (which was an LE and may be hard to find) is pure smoke/burning to me.

I'm writing this review stream of consciousness as I wear Jolly Roger - so I apologize if it doesn't flow particularly well. Wet this smells like a relatively sharp, white floral with an aquatic tang. It is sort of reminiscent of Irish Spring soap, actually. I have a tendency to slather since so many scents just disappear on me, but that was a mistake with Jolly Roger - this is really strong...like, really really "I'm choking" strong! As it dries the floral fades out and the ocean/tangy scent gets stronger. This really does have a beachy feel to it. For anyone worried about the leather note, I tend to amp leather and it doesn't show up at all in Jolly Roger. As I wear it this seems to be getting stronger, sharper and saltier. I think this could be lovely layered with something a little sweet, but on me this is too ozonic and sharp to wear alone (and this from a girl that really likes Storm Moon). Actually, I may try layering this with Tarot: The Star - I think that would amp the beachy-ness and tone down the sharpness. On further drydown this becomes even saltier - to the point where I can taste salt at the back of my throat. I have no idea how Beth managed that and it's really interesting from an experiential standpoint, but not pleasant. I'm going to try to wash this one off.

Wet this is really sweet - it seems to have the same sweetness as many of the voodoo blends, which I really don't enjoy. It almost immediately dries down to a smell that reminds me a lot of LUSH's departed Middle Earth Turned to Rock soap and the also departed Cosmic Dreamcatcher massage bar. It has a kind of woodsy-spiciness with a very faint sweet top note. I can't decide if I like it or not, but I'm leaning towards not. It has suprisingly little throw for such a heavy blend.

I first tried this in a scent locket because other honey based oils (O and Alice, for example) are really faint on me. In the locket I got lovely orange/honey. It lasted for a long time and I really enjoyed it. Then I tried it on my skin and got the mythical horrible, rancid honey smell some people experience. It's odd, because I've never had another honey blend go bad on me, so I'm not sure if Beth uses different honey notes or if my chemistry has gone wonky. I tried to wash Jezebel off, but it would not come off of me. After a few hours, Jezebel morphed into a baby powder smell (which I actually really like). The horror of the honey-stench isn't worth the eventual niceness, though. All in all, this one's a no-go for me though I will keep the imp for occasional scent locket use.

Black Cashmere is my all time favorite commercial perfume (followed by Pink Sugar - how's that for a weird juxtaposition) and I haven't found any BPAL to be terribly similar. The problem is that dry spicy smell that I love in Black Cashmere tends to be too heavy in BPAL scents. That being said I think Morrocco would be a good choice. I also really like Snake Oil (sweet, but with an incensy undertone) and Sybaris (which is sweet but also "dark" in a way).

The primary note I get from this is some sort of fruit - before I reread the description I swore this had to have pomegranate in it. I'm thinking this has to be the wine, but it's nowhere near the wine note I get from Lady MacBeth. I got very little cocoa from this, which is odd because my skin tends to amp chocolate notes. On the drydown I smell a faint floral undertone, but overall this one is a no-go for me.

To my nose, this has similar qualities to Azathoth. I agree with people that are saying this is a masculine blend, it has a definite cologne-y feel. It's a light citrus/aquatic and I don't detect amber at all. Nice enough, but probably something I won't be keeping.

To me Dorian is sort of reminescent of Pink Sugar, but there's no BPAL that's all that close to it.

Chaos Theory II: LXXIV (74) I am not good at picking out notes typically, and my CT is really hard to describe, but I'll give it a shot. Wet, out of the bottle: This smells very incensy with a touch of fruit. It's really familiar, and I'm not sure why. I can't tell if this smells like a BPAL I've tried, or if it just sort of has "that BPAL smell" Wet on skin: This scent starts to develop a little more, I'm still getting incense, but I think there may be some woody notes here, too. The fruit note is still here faintly, as well. Oh, wait! This has the same undertone as Ides of March, in fact this reminds me of a less sharp, incensy version of Idea of March with a slight fruit note. Drydown: Like Ides of March, this fades really quickly on me. Actually, no, it doesn't fade - I can smell it when I push my nose into my wrist. It's one of those "skin scents" I think. When I catch wafts, its more the fruit than the Ides of March base. And now I recognize the fruit note, it's the same sniff I get from Queen of Clubs, so it's either currant or pomegranate. I'm guessing currant, becuase this smells nothing like Swank to me. Conclusion: This is a really odd scent, I don't think I've ever tried a BPAL quite like it. My best comparison is the Queen of Clubs top notes over the Ides of March base notes. It's not entirely me, though, and the lack of throw is a bummer. I'm not sure yet if I'll keep or swap, but at this point I can't see myself reaching for it much.

Okay, so I'm not crazy - to me The Lion smells remarkably like tea. Not the milky, sugary tea of some BPAL blends, but plain unadulterated black tea. I love the smell of tea, so this is a very good thing. There is a definite faint cinnamon undertone, but cinnamon typically burns my skin and this doesn't, so there can't be that much in this blend. I think my impression may be colored by the fact that we're experiencing blistering temperatures and a drought right now in Chicago, but this blend does remind me of the African savannah - hot, dry, and grassy.

I'm loving this! I first put it on my skin and that completely disappeared really quickly (under one hour). Actually, if I sniff my wrists really closely I do still get a faint citrus scent. I do think this is a rather light scent, which is odd becuase the other chocolate scents have been really strong on me. I also put in it a scent locket, and it is lovely used in this way. The chocolate has managed to stay in the forefront for several hours now, and is nicely complimented by the citrus smell. This actually reminds me a lot of LUSH's new Sonic Death Monkey shower gel - I think the two will go perfectly together. There's another note in the background that's really familiar, but I can't place it. Maybe it's the iris? I definitely recognize it from another BPAL scent, but I'm not sure which one right now. In the future this will be a definite scent locket only scent, but I'm definitely keeping my bottle!

I was sorting through my imps yesterday and I noticed when I was done my fingers smelled like lemon (from Nero, maybe?). I'd love to have a strong lemon BPAL for the hot days of summer. Any recommendations? I'm thinking maybe Embalming Fluid, but I fear that's a faint scent. My skin eats all but the heartiest of oils, so I'm hoping there's a strong lemon out there (anyone want to pass along their June Gloom )

I don't get dirt or dust either. I thought there was gardenia in this, because to me it as a similar tone to Sacred Whore of Babylon. On my skin this quickly dissipates to a faint, herbal scent. In my scent locket it stays very sweet with a slight hint of incense underneath. Nothing in this really jumps out at me - it strikes me as kind of a generic scent so off for swaps it will go. ETA: I always write these before I read other review, but Witch's Dagger and I are on the same wavelenght with this one! However, I like Sacred Whore much more than Crossroads.

This starts out as an orange/honey mix but I'm getting a scent that reminds me of chewing gum. After reading the reviews I recognize it - that note is grape gum. I hate gum, so I don't think I'm going to be able to get over that association. I'm also getting a faint spicy scent beneath the fruit and honey (carnation maybe?) This is suprisingly strong for a fruit scent, but I'm not sure if it's for me.

Hunter Moon is pure smoke/bonfire to me, I don't get any of the wine notes everyone else mentions.

I've fallen in love with the (newly discontinued ) Cosmic Dreamcatcher massage bar. Does anyone know of any BPAL oils that smell similar to it?

Weird, this is pretty much pure honeydew on me too. This is a very unique scent, I don't think there's another BPAL like it. Unfortunately, this is really faint, so those of you who need to slather are going to go through this very, very quickly. I'm so glad I got two bottles - I think one is going to be split between an alcohol spray and a dry oil spray. This really is a lovely scent, I hope I can find a way to make it last!

I find that I am cold all the time. Even in the heat of summer here in Chicago, air conditioning usually leaves me reaching for my sweater. I find I've been wanting to wear something warming almost every morning, but I don't have much that fits the bill. Today I'm wearing Sybaris and that seems warm, somehow. Any suggestions?

Thanks for all the suggestions! Keep them coming...she says with a little fear. Between this, Chaos Theory, and the update Beth just promised us I'm going to be so broke...

I think I would have LOVED Antique Lace, but I don't think I'll ever get a chance to try it now. Morocco! I hadn't thought of that. Sadly Three Witches went pure cinnamon on me...which is warm, but not so pleasant to smell like.