yeahbutnobut

Priala In the bottle: oh wow! This smells like the most wonderful cinnamon and a little hint of soft myrrh. Wet on skin: mmm, now the myrrh really starts to show itself, a wonderful deep resin topped with fiery cinnamon. this reminds me of a spicy myrrh based incense I bought some time ago. Dry on skin: whoa, this is beautiful! really, really good. It's mainly myrrh, and this is one of the best and truest myrrh notes I've smelt in BPAL, it smells just like the resin, gently smouldering but not charred or burnt in the slightest-this isn't the one problematic myrrh that smells really burnt on me. At times this resin smells quite boozy, intoxicating is the word that comes to mind. Warming it up is a sparkling, dry, heated layer of cinnamon-this isn't a foody cinnamon though, but a darker, less sweet, incense like one. After a while: the myrrh develops fantastic dark golden and aged tones and it smells so much like a sticky fragment of the actual resin. It even smells a little like amber in some ways. It does smell almost church like, or Christmas-like, at times, but this is much darker, more like a ritual incense scent. I could definitely imagine a beautiful phoenix combusting into a scent like this. The cinnamon is still fantastic but doesn't take over, it doesn't smell like 'red hots' or cakes at all, but like the little bits of cinnamon bark I have in one of my loose incense blends. This is a hypnotic scent. Over time the myrrh note becomes more golden and drier, which is what many natural myrrh scents do on me, they take on an almost hay-like tone, golden and pale and dry and warm. It almost seems like there may be some opoponax in here as well because at this point, it is also deeply sweet, and resembles a spicier Schwarzer Mond. Indeed this does take on the almost Coke-like resinous dark sweetness of opoponax after a few hours, and I love that. The cinnamon just adds the perfect level of spice to this. Verdict: when I heard about the ancient legend of the phoenix, in which it was reborn from a pyre of cinnamon and myrrh, I though 'Beth needs to do a phoenix scent like this!' And now she has, and I think it is the best of all the phoenix blends! It is the most wonderful mix of deep rich myrrh resins, over which dance sparks of hot cinnamon. I am strongly reminded of an incense or oil I bought once, it was Egyptian-inspired, and it smelt strongly of cinnamon and myrrh, and this smells very similar to that (maybe it was a kyphi blend?). I adore the myrrh note in here-in fact, I love the myrrh Beth has been using for the recent CT scents, like Eshe, Asp Viper and in here as well-it is rich and sweet and smells just like myrrh should. Wonderful and deep and with a slight dry reedy golden drydown. The cinnamon in here is beautiful-not 'red hot' smelling, but it doesn't smell like baking either-this smells like the finest quality cinnamon sticks. At the end, a delightful sweet brown resin sweetness highly reminiscent of opoponax comes out. This is one of my favourite myrrh scents from Beth, beautiful from start to finish. I'll need more than one bottle, I think this will be worn a lot in winter. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes! I want more of this fiery lady, she's going to be stockpiled! And I bet she'll age wonderfully. If you like this, try: Chimera, Red Phoenix, Eclipse, Al Shairan, Three Witches, Sin, Schwarzer Mond, Black Phoenix

Asp Viper In the bottle: dark bitter almond with just a tinge of sweetness. Wet on skin: the almond becomes nuttier when it hits skin, smelling like home made marzipan. Dry on skin: wow, I've never had almond last so long on the skin…it doesn't seem to be fading! For now, this smells like boozy marzipan, or marzipan soaked in wine or amaretto, but the deep rich myrrh and hints of Snake Oil seem to whisper underneath this almond layer. Then it morphs slowly from mushy booze soaked marzipan to dry sweet toasted almonds (ie now it's the smell of almonds as nuts, not cherries), and I get a very slight resemblance to Queen of Sheba-the same feel of toasted almonds and 'desert spices', but without honey. This is so exotic and luxurious. I don't smell mandarin though. After a while: it's not long before the almond mellows out (but still retains it's toasted, dry nutty scent) and the Snake Oil starts to wind it's way into the scent, adding it's distinctive vanilla-sweet deep richness. This smells like a drier, dustier SO, a desert serpent slithering through the sandy ruins of antiquity at sunset. In addition to SO, there's a feel of incense to this, the myrrh note seems similar to that of Priala, which I love, but there also seems to be a sharper, more burnt myrrh to this too-but such a small quantity, making this smell a little smoky but not fully charred. But the Snake Oil aspect of the scent has the most throw, all around me is that sweet vanilla incense scent. And it's the SO that comes out even more over time, so this scent seems to turn into a more incensy, dry, hypnotic take on Snake Oil. I can't wait to see what happens when it ages! The scent smoothes out and becomes a gentler cousin of SO, almost like a delicately powdery SO with a soft dusting of sand and incense ash. It now also seems to be a fusion of Bastet and Snake Oil. This is beautiful stuff! Verdict: I adore this wonderful variant on the Snake Oil theme…it certainly fits the theme of Cleopatra's serpentine companion…first it smells like marzipan (the good kind) with booze, then turns into some kind of decadent almond dessert I could imagine an Egyptian queen eating, sweet spicy almonds. Then it morphs into ground toasted almonds giving the impression of warm sand over a rich smoky myrrh note and then out comes the Snake Oil to make this mysterious, alluring scent even more delicious. The drydown is the most beautiful mix of Snake Oil and Bastet or Queen of Sheba, soft almond powder and incense with the shadowy scent of myrrh swirling around the familiar sensual vanilla sweetness of Snake Oil. This is entrancing and yet also smells like a less heavy version of Snake Oil. It is seductive and warm and dry, dusty, a scent of desert sunsets and ancient temple incense, but sweetened with that Snaky vanilla spice I love so much. I can't wait to see the effect that age will have on the gorgeous myrrh in here, not to mention the Snake Oil base…I love this to bits. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? How could I not keep this? To use the predicted-to-be-much-overused pun, this kicks asp! I need to stock up on this scent! If you like this, try: Snake Oil, Bastet, Queen of Sheba, Hecate, Black Lotus, Black Phoenix

Proshitapathika In the imp: lemon sherbet! The verbena is strong here and it smells sweet and fizzy as well as lemony. Wet on skin: verbena instantly sharpens, but hints of musk and iris start to come out. Dry on skin: mmm, another surprisingly good Heroine. The verbena is strong here, but I smell soft iris and deep musk underneath this lemony layer. And the anise/fennel are actually very nice here-not the liquorice-fest I was dreading, they add a slight herbal edge to this lemon-iris scent. It also reminds me of Jonathan Harker. After a while: as the verbena starts to take a back seat, the scent is all about the musk and iris, fringed with just the barest, most acceptable hints of anise. It now reminds me of the musky, soft, almost velvety iris of Morella, with the musk taking the place of the barely-there civet in that scent. The iris also develops Harker's fruity tones. It's much nicer than I expected. Then, the scent becomes a really musky iris after a few hours-in fact, I'm quite surprised at how feral this musk is! Not on the level of civet, of course, but it's quite animalistic…dark and shadowy and a little wild, slightly masculine too, but with a sheen of purple-blue iris to calm it. It reminds me of Siberian musk, but without the sweet spice that SM has. And oddly, it dries down to patchouli…I have no idea why but I get patchouli appearing here after a few hours. It reminds me of when the musk in Krampus suddenly transformed into patchouli on my skin. Verdict: when I saw the notes for this, I saw fennel and anise and thought this would be the 'attack of the rampant liquorice bootlace'. But that was not so-in fact, this scent is more interesting and less anise-y than I expected. It starts off smelling like another sweet altogether-lemon sherbets, thanks to the fizzy, bright verbena. This then leaves to reveal the iris, a soft fruity-floral-purple scent, and a surprisingly heavy, animalistic yet sophisticated dark musk which has a slight patchouli like feel to it. This musk is quite masculine, and actually makes me think of the scent of the boyfriend who left, and the heroine who waits for him to return inhales the scent of his clothes and his perfume for comfort. I thought that was quite fitting for the scent's theme. The iris softens this rugged musk nicely. This is a very evocative and well crafted scent-and I like the way the anise and fennel are very discreet, adding a little spice but not smelling overpowering. I'm not sure how much I'd wear it, it does smell a little too manly at times, but in a nice way…I'm glad I got to try it, it pleasantly surprised me…if you fear anise, do not fear this scent! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Maybe not-it's not me, but it's very pleasant. If you like this, try: Whitechapel, Jonathan Harker, Morella, Mad Hatter, Krampus

Vipralabda In the imp: warm hay layered with various herbs. A herbally-medicinal scent. Wet on skin: mmm, this is actually quite lovely. Soft, gentle herbs and sun warmed hay. Dry on skin: this is surprisingly good! It's a very soothing, warm scent of spices, herbs, hay and a hint of moss and sweet benzoin. The hay note is soft and golden, like a warm summer's evening in a golden field, that golden dryness enhanced by the camomile-this blue camomile seems a lot softer and deeper than the Roman kind. I also smell something spicy, like saffron-I have no idea what that is? The sage note in here is gorgeous too and the moss adds a touch of green powder whilst benzoin really smoothes the scent off with it's gentle sweetness. This is actually a very therapeutic scent, calming and healing. It reminds me of a summer evening in the South of France or Italy. After a while: the spice and sage tone down a bit, the hay still rules the scent. This is what I hoped to get from Scarecrow, a real genuine 'harvested fields in August' scent, but this one smells almost like an aromatherapy blend as well, soft calm herbs still peek out here and there. I'm wondering if this warm spice I get is the melaleuca ericifolia (which, apparently, is an Australian tree also called 'rosalina', according to one e.o. site)? There really is a feel of 'herbal remedy' to this, and it's very reassuring. It then starts to over-sweeten a little, gaining the 'very ripe fermenting fruit' scent I get from some herbal scents, only this doesn't smell sickly or cloying. It's actually a very pleasant, smooth fruity sweetness overlaid with the hay. It also smells like herbal incense, there's a slight smoke to this, like sage burning. I also smell something reminiscent of either rosemary, basil or juniper. It also reminds me of Bitch now, funnily enough! The scent's fruity scent does fade and reverts back to warm herbal hay again, with a hint of something almost reminiscent of vetiver. Verdict: despite this scent being described as the scent of a sad, rejected, betrayed woman, this actually smells more like the kind of scent to soothe and alleviate such feelings. It's very therapeutic, almost cathartic as a scent, it makes me think of taking a brisk walk in the countryside to clear your mind when emotions are too overwhelming, the fresh air does you good…and so does the herbal, healing scent of this oil. It's like a warm summer evening out in a field, or like a Mediterranean evening with the scent of herbs and dry grasses in the air. Golden and dry and warm and herbal, soft camomile and hay, a little sage, and a few spices. The benzoin adds a welcome comforting sweetness to it all. There are a few moments of fruitiness to it as well, and this blend is similar in feel as Bitch, I suppose I could also use it for the same purposes. I was expecting this scent to be harsh, an off-putting herbal, but I was surprised at how good it smelt and how it made me feel. This really does calm me down, I also agree that it feels more like the Panaceas, and thus could be used as aromatherapy rather than perfume, for moments if I ever feel bitter, hurt, rejected or betrayed, or even just stressed out or irritated for any reason. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Just the imp for now. If you like this, try: Scarecrow, Antony, Scales of Deprivation, Bitch, Bitter Moon

Svadhinaopatika In the bottle: a very faint honey over strong sandalwood. Very, very woodsy. Wet on skin: lots of wood! It smells more like cedar than sandalwood now, but I get a hint of something spicy to it, as well as honey. Dry on skin: mmm, this is lovely. Honeyed woods, that's what this smells like. mainly sandalwood, though I think the oude or massoia may be the other woody note. over the top of these heavy woods is a gentle drizzling of sweet honey. I don't get any amber yet, but I get a slight tinge of fruity sharpness which could be from the currant…it's a dry currant smell. After a while: the wood takes a back seat as the currant note comes out in force now, and it smells like raisins. I don't mean that in a bad way though, I don’t mind the smell of raisins…but it does remind me more of dried currants than fresh or sugary ones that I usually smell in BPAL. Sharp and dry and dark, and sometimes a little bit like wine. So now it smells like honey and raisins/wine over deep fragranced wood. Interesting combination, and quite nice. And then, another morph. The raisin scent starts to mellow out with the honey now taking it's turn to become the central note. And what a lovely honey this is, very much like the Honey SN, a wildflower honey which has a tang to it, but has absorbed the scents of the woods and the fruit. Underneath is a slight whisper of amber. I also get a hint of champaca like floral to this, but it's not overwhelming. It's like a less sweet, less floral version of Khajuraho. Then the currant starts to sweeten and resemble the currant in All Souls, and the amber really is starting to surface now. Then the currant comes out again and sharpens to it's raisin state again, then the honey returns and turns O-like, and then the woods make a comeback, and then the amber shows up, and so on…this is quite a changeable scent! I also smell the hint of salt that Babylon mentions-this is quite a sexy scent. There are even moments where the amber really shows itself, and I love that. After a few hours of complex morphing the scent eventually settles into the loveliest drydown-beautiful honeyed amber with a hint of sandalwood. Sort of like honeyed Jacob's Ladder. This gorgeous amber is very reminiscent of Egyptian amber, and it's layered with the sharp golden honey that came before. Verdict: this is a sexy shapeshifter of a scent! Starting off strongly woodsy (when I feared it would be too masculine), this then moves into stages where honey and currant dance seductively through the scent. At times both notes have their sharp moments, and their sweet moments. And at times it reminds me of Honey SN, at other times it's like honey soaked raisins, with stages of wood and honey and fruit changing all the time. But the best bit happens at the end, when the amber comes out and mixes beautifully with the amber. this is a gorgeous, rich golden amber, and I just love the golden, luscious, rich golden fragrance that comes out of the union of honey and amber at drydown. This is what I wanted O to be like! This is a wonderful exotic honey scent and I'm glad I went for a bottle of it! now I need to learn to spell and pronounce it… Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes! Not sure if I need another bottle but this is a lovely honey scent with a fantastic drydown. If you like this, try: O, Khajuraho, Queen of Sheba, Osun, Jacob's Ladder, Cupid Complaining to Venus

Dolce Stil Nuovo In the bottle: a soft, fresh, almost soapy, lavender and white musk scent. It reminds me of Lurid and, oddly, Et Lux Fuit. Wet on skin: this is pretty! But it does smell like ELF with lavender. I'm not sure why I'm getting lemon and honey here… Dry on skin: this is very nice. It's a light, gentle scent, predominantly lavender and musk…an airy, breezy, clean white musk. I don't get much rose or jasmine here but I think I smell some carnation spicing up the scent a little. But this really does smell like Et Lux Fuit meets Lurid. Maybe it's the amber, carnation and musk doing this? I like that…though I was just expecting more in the way of the rose and amber. After a while: what the? After five minutes of pleasant, gentle breezy white musk and lavender, this has just turned very weird. I now smell rose, but something in here smells odd-it smells almost salty and wet, but not in a nice way. In fact, it reminds me of…potatoes. Wet salted potato crisps, in fact. I know, that's a weird thing to say but that's what comes to mind. It also smells like brine. I do smell the musk and the flowers, but I have no idea what that sharp, salty, wet, pickled brine scent is. Could it be the jasmine? Sometimes this note can be beautiful, or it can be troublesome…but I've never had it turn to potatoes/brine before. The bizarre thing is that away from the wrist, this scent gives off a lovely throw of delicate floral musk and dried rose petals rounded with sweet amber every now and then. But sniffing my wrist close up, it's sharp, strange, and aggressively salty! Then, it doesn't have that weird potato crisps scent but when I smell this close up, it's still salty. Like soft gentle flowers caked in thick salt. Really strange. This saltiness does fade over time and the scent becomes pleasant after a few hours, like a more floral, rose touched version of Et Lux Fuit. I smell the vanilla and amber now. I really like this stage, I just don’t know I can deal with the salty stage, which is a shame because the final scent is so pretty! Verdict: this was quite a heartbreaker. I thought that it would work spectacularly. The notes listed usually work like a dream on me, and it sounded like one of those rose-based sweet oriental opulent florals that I adore. But something went very, very wrong a few minutes after I applied it. I don't know why or how but after a pleasant Lurid-style white musk with white musk a scary salty note suddenly went rampant through the scent, giving this scent either the smell of potato crisps soaked in brine or flowers covered in thick white salt. It was very unsettling and unusual, especially since this odd salt note was only detected near the skin, and the throw was really pretty. And to add insult to injury, the drydown is very pretty and what I was hoping to get from this scent from the start. I think scents that turn beautiful after a horrible first hour or two (or turn horrible after a beautiful first hour of wear) are worse than scents that just smell bad all the way through, because they make me torn as to whether to keep them or not (indecisive Libra Moon that I am). And I'm puzzled by this scent because theoretically, it should work-but it didn't. I think I'll swap/sell it because even though it smells nice at the end, it's very much like Et Lux Fuit which I like but have enough of. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? probably not. I'm sad about this turning so strange on me. I really wanted this to work. If you like this, try: Lurid, Et Lux Fuit, Sophia, Three Brides, Lucy Westenra, Queen Mab

Basil In the imp: mmm, this smells like real basil, but oddly, it also smells slightly anise-like. Almost like liquorice. Interesting. Wet on skin: anise and herbs…this smells like liquorice and basil! Dry: oh no…I was hoping for basil but this smells like anise and fennel. It also smells just like Bonjela! I was hoping this would smell like Italian herbs, even pesto…but I get mouth ulcer gel from this! Slightly herbal but a little too anise like for me. After a while: ah, after about 30-45 minutes, the anise like scent dies down and a more characteristically herbal scent appears. Now this begins to smell like pesto! But in a good way-it doesn’t smell too savoury-in fact, I smell something almost fruity-sweet to it. It smells like a blend of herbs as opposed to pure basil, or like dry basil leaves. It then becomes dry basil leaves and starts to become fainter and fainter. Verdict: I was hoping this would smell just like the fresh basil that grows on my mum’s kitchen windowsill. The stuff that smells so Italian, so much like pesto and delicious pasta dishes (but without the tomato sauce and garlic and mozzarella etc). But this smelt predominantly like anise to start with. That really surprised me. It smelt like ouzo and Bonjela and I wasn’t expecting that. This anise note fades away though and is replaced by some rich herbal green scents (basil with other herbs like oregano and a little thyme or tarragon), which then fades into dry basil, which smells much more true to the basil scent I was expecting than it did when wet-that’s when it gains it’s pesto like scent. It’s an unusual, intriguing herbal scent but I don’t think I’d wear it much as a perfume-though it may work better in blends. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? I might swap this.

Lime In the imp: oh yeah, this smells like lime. More specifically, a lime fruit pastille. Sweet and fizzy and vivacious, this is a happy lime note. Wet on skin: still pure sugared lime. Dry: oddly, this smells a little bit like swimming pool when dry-but that’s no bad thing, as I like the smell of swimming pools (brings back happy memories). Apart from that slight hint of chlorine, it still smells like sugary lime. This isn’t a sour, sharp lime, but a sweet and effervescent citrus note, like lime flavoured sweets-the green ones are always the ones that get ignored, but I adore the scent of lime sweets that I get here. After a while: the scent starts to fade, the lime loses it’s tang but actually lasts longer on the skin than I expected! I still smell warm sugary lime sweets here, with just the barest hint of swimming pool to it. then it really does fade away completely, it’s barely there after a couple of hours. Verdict: this lime is bright, happy and zingy, and smells like sipping a margarita (though this has the salt replaced by sugar) by the pool…right down to the scent of the pool itself! This is such a fun, lively lime scent, a real ‘feel good’ fragrance. Sadly, like most citrus scents, it doesn’t last. But it was so good whilst it did! It's really sunny and fizzy and 'happy-making' stuff, one of the best lime scents ever. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? I only have an imp with a tiny scraping of this oil-I’m keeping it but I think I’ve used up the best of this oil!

Slobbering Pine In the imp: pine, but with a soapy wet greenness. Wet on skin: now this really does smell like pine cleaner. Dry: lots and lots of green, wet pine. Now it doesn’t smell like toilet cleaner, but it’s like being attacked by a giant pine tree. Imagine being whomped by the Whomping Willow but instead of this monster tree being a willow, it’s a pine. It’s a full on pine explosion, like I’ve been rolling in Christmas tree needles for days. There’s a wet, dewy quality to this pine though. it also reminds me slightly of Wolf Moon’s pine, but less cold and sweet. After a while: now I smell the ‘electric aquatic’ scent of Tempest and Lightning mixed with the ‘waxy wet cardboard’ scent I got from Tears appearing behind the pine. It smells like dry pine bark backed up by an aquatic/ozone note that doesn’t really agree with me-it smells like the ‘static drier sheets’ scent I get with stormy ozones. It now smells like a pine tree with lightning flashing all around it. And I don’t like stormy scents…then this becomes a green version of the likes of Tempest-lots of peppery, electric ozone here, and I also smell moss here-not delicate powdery oak moss, but the scrubby, gritty, lichen like moss of RM Renfield that I wasn’t crazy about. Verdict: I was hoping this scent would be of pine sap, that’s what the name brought to mind. I love the scent of pine resin, exactly like from the Mediterranean pines Medvssa mentions-it’s messy stuff but it smells so good. I don't get that at all here. This smells like a pine tree overgrown with thick moss caught in a thunderstorm. Which may sound wonderfully poetic to some, but on my skin, that smells like a mutant Christmas tree covered in masses of suffocating scrubby swampy moss, draped in drier sheets and with an overwhelming whiff of ‘photocopier ozone’. I actually preferred the first stage where the pine was truly dominant in this scent, and not the electrified tumble dried mossy bark scent I get at the end. This one will have to go, it ain’t my thing, I’m afraid. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Nope. If you like this, try: Wolf Moon 07, Yew Trees, Hemlock, Black Forest, Knecht Ruprecht, Thanatopsis, Jersey Devil

Rosewood In the imp: roses, but woody. This rosewood note smells like roses. It reminds me of Winter of our Discontent. Wet on skin: roses, but now more of the wood comes out, and a hint of the bitter quality of rosewood e.o. also appears. Dry: this is a very high quality rosewood oil that Beth uses, most of the rosewood e.o.’s I’ve smelt have a bitter, medicinal scent to them. This has that distinctive scent, but toned down so it’s not as medicinal, but the wood smells like roses as well. This really lives up to its name! It smells like dried roses in a wooden box, with a hint of something almost geranium like to it. After a while: the scent isn’t as light and soft as the rosewood in Séance, but a little more rosy than expected. It is, however, starting to turn a little sour now, darker and a bit sharper. Kind of like ‘pickled rose petals and wood’, that’s the best way I can describe it. Edenssixthday mentioned it smelling like Imp of the Perverse, and I definitely see the comparison here. Verdict: surprisingly complex with a greyish-pink woody tone, hints of the fragrant yet slightly bitter scent I associate with rosewood, and gorgeous accents of dry rose petals, it smells like a box in which rose petals were kept for centuries, it’s an ‘old’ scent. This is the rosewood from Winter of our Discontent and Cup of Death, and reminds me of a darker, drier, sharper version of Séance. It’s a much nicer rosewood than most, very good quality, but I’m not as keen on the drydown when it turns slightly pickled on me-I much prefer the light, airy, dusty and delicately fragrant wood of Séance. But I’m glad I gave this rare scent a try…I prefer rosewood as a scent component than a single note though. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? I think I’ll see if I can swap this SN sniffy for another one.

I'm really worried about my kitty Tingle now. She's not been eating or drinking and she's worryingly thin and frail. I went to the animal hospital and she was given a checkup and put on a drip because she just won't eat. The vets think it may be a kidney infection, I hope it's curable (and not too expensive) but I'm just worried it may be something worse. I just don't need my only other kitty passing away at this time, not when I'm already bogged down with study stress and loads of coursework. I'm actually a little scared for her-I know she's old but I don't want her to leave me now. Anyway, my idea. I'm toying with the idea of writing an article for the uni newspaper about BPAL, I'm sure there are many people at my uni who'd be interested (and I'm getting bored of the stink of Lynx spray and Eau de Chav that I often smell round my campus). I'm also a little nervous about having an article and having it published since I've never been involved with the uni paper at all, and I'm also a little scared about being 'a little bit famous', and having people at uni-even friends-suddenly come up to me and ask about the article...I know that sounds really stupid but I am terribly shy with subjects that I don't normally talk about outside the internet (my talk about BPAL is strictly online, with the exception of meet-n-sniffs) I think one idea would be to wear BPAL to uni and note any compliments/comments, I'd take that as interest, and maybe I could get writing. I also need something else...lots and lots of TIME. Which I have none at the moment, with coursework and all.

The Agony of Longing In the bottle: a soft, gentle sweet rose with drops of pear juice all over. Wet on skin: roses and sweet sugared pears, now with freesia. This smells like Ace of Hearts. Dry on skin: this is very, very pretty indeed. In fact, it's quite gorgeous! It's mainly the most delightful rose sweetened gently with pear syrup, just like sprinkling sugar on a pear and pouring the sweetened juice on rose petals. The violet and Queen Elizabeth root (I think it's orris?) adds a delicate powdery feel, and the freesia note is so good, sweetly fragrant and recognisable. This is reminiscent of Ace of Hearts, but whilst that (sadly) sometimes turns to air freshener on me, this doesn't. It's almost traditional and old fashioned as a scent but not 'granny-like' or 'frumpy'. After a while: the violet never takes over this scent, it never threatens to make the scent a little too old fashioned for me to pull off. In fact, after an hour or two, the freesia becomes the star of the scent, and as freesia is such an underused note in BPAL, I'm glad it's so noticeable. The rose isn't as strong as before but it supports the freesia beautifully, and the pear note here now smells very true and fruity. Over time, the balance of power switches to the rose once more and the scent ends on a slightly more melancholy scent of dry rose petals. Verdict: this was the Agony scent that appealed most in terms of scent and especially concept-longing certainly applies to my relationship situation right now (or lack of it) as I am longing for a lover, so I found it rather apt that this was my Inquisition offering. And it's a lot nicer than I expected. I totally agree that this is a wistful scent, nostalgic, emotional but not heartbreakingly sad. It brings to mind a young woman from a Jane Austen-style romantic novel, waiting expectantly for her loved one to return, or longing for love to come in to her life, a feeling of yearning with a sweet hint of optimism. The scent itself is a delightful scent of rose, pear and freesia with a hint of violet. The scent is slightly traditional but not musty and old and granny-like at all, there's a fruity sweet wet freshness from the pear. But it's the freesia which I love most about this scent, it's nice and strong and smells just like a bunch of those fragrant and colourful flowers, and I'm so glad to smell this note in BPAL. It's such a touching fragrance and I do love rose scents-and this is a new favourite, thanks to the freesia. I'm not sure whether to swap this or keep it-but I'd be happy if I was destined to keep it. It really does capture the feeling of longing for love in a scent. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? this is so beautiful but as I have a decant of this on the way, I'm still considering doing a swap for a bottle of Passion (ha ha, yeah right!) If you like this, try: Marie, Ace of Hearts (if you can find it!), Maiden, Moon Rose, Bess, Kurukulla

Dark Delicacies In the bottle: whoa. This is a beautiful black orchid-dominated sweet floral scent. Heady and mysterious, a garden of night blooming flowers. It does smell similar to Black Moon. Wet on skin: it's still black orchid, but now I can smell smoke, patchouli, fruit and coconut winding their way through the flowers. Dry on skin: mmm, this is good. It reminds me of another BPAL but I can't remember what right now…oh yes! It reminds me of Black Moon meets Mme Moriarty! I know, maybe my nose is delirious, but I'm getting a hint of MM's patchouli and fruit scent here, along with a bouquet of hypnotic floral notes, and creamy coconut. The orchid and osmanthus are prominent (I don't know what devil's trumpet smells like), and I can smell the smoky resins and sweet tonka, as well as patchouli and dark sweet fruit. This is a stunning scent, exotic and mysterious, a mix of dark sexy smoky sweetness contrasting with heady, light blooms and soft coconut. After a while: this doesn't change too much except that it smells more and more like a floral Mme Moriarty, which is good because I love MM and the flowers in here are divine. It's a little smokier now (which I love) and there's something almost like tobacco about it, but the coconut adds the nicest touch of creamy whiteness to this otherwise deep, dark fragrance, whilst tonka lends a broad sweetness to it. I swear that I can smell plum though. I have no idea where and why I smell plum (one of the fruit gums?) but I get something like that in here, which just reinforces the similarity with MM. It also reminds me of a few of the recent Chaos Theories I got this year that also had the 'Moriarty base'. This distinctive smoky-sweet-woodsy patchouli and fruit gummy resin gradually becomes the dominant scent, and the flowers fade slowly. It smells almost like there's tobacco and woods at the end. Verdict: this is a dark and totally delicious and delightful scent. It's like Mme Moriarty with night blooming flowers and coconut, a stunning blend of orchid and smoky woody patchouli with a hint of fruity-tonka sweetness, with lighter touches of osmanthus and coconut. I'm actually quite surprised at how much of the darker, less floral notes I'm getting-it's not overwhelmingly floral, in fact. All the notes are very nicely balanced, a nice mix of ethereal yet heady blooms floating over an incense-like base of patchouli and smoky resins, sweet tonka and fruit (which smells like plum on me) and creamy coconut meat. This is so good! A beautiful, feminine fragrance with a shadowy yet confident streak to it, it's sophisticated and mysterious. I'm so glad I have a bottle-I knew it would be good, but I had no idea it would be this fabulous. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Oh yes. I'm definitely keeping the bottle, may get more one day. If you like this, try: Mme Moriarty, Queen Mab, Black Moon, Eshe, Shadow Witch Orchid

In the imp: pretty honeyed flowers and a hint of sugar cane juice. Wet on skin: beautiful honeyed floral nectar! Dry: this is so beautiful! The honey is the most prominent note, and it’s a gorgeous liquid honey which is sweet and soft and much paler than the usual ‘golden-toned’ honeys. The sugar cane also helps to sweeten the scent more, and it smells just like juice from the cane, warmly sweet but not cloying-sugar cane is a ‘fresh’ sugar scent. Underneath are the gorgeous floral notes of hibiscus and osmanthus, but for once, the osmanthus isn’t dominating like it sometimes does…indeed, the osmanthus here is like the one from Queen Mab. There’s something about this which reminds me of Hungry Ghost Moon, probably the ti and sugar cane (I think the ti is causing a slight herbal-green scent here?), in fact, this smells like a cousin of Honey Moon, Gennivre and HGM. After a while: the osmanthus here is unusually subtle! It doesn’t show off like it does in Brides of Dracula and Kindly Moon, instead it stays hidden behind the ti leaves (which smell cool and freshly green, almost like a cross between moss, cucumber and aloe), the honey and sugar are still the main notes of this scent. I love the gentle honey and sugar-juice scent here, with a hint of crisp hibiscus coming through. This is sweet and delicate, dewy and fresh, honey and sugar with a watery coolness. It stays as a delightful light sugary honey fragrance, and warms up a touch. It really does remind me of the drydown of Gennivre now, but with a softer, less sharp honey note. The sugar cane note is really beautiful in here right now. Verdict: it seems the recent bunch of Japanese scents are working very well on me-first Bakeneko, then Lantern Ghost, now this. I don’t get soap or designer perfume at all from here, I don’t even get too much floweriness-just the most gorgeous scent of honey drizzled over and sugared flowers, with a touch of cool greenness. I adore this new ‘white honey’ note that Beth is using, it is sweet and soft, a gentle honey which isn’t as sharp as the one in O, for example, it is almost like a honey nectar. This sweetness is enhanced beautifully by the sugar cane, a wonderfully fresh and juicy sugar note which isn’t overwhelming or too foody. These are the dominant notes, sweet fresh honey and sugar cane juice, with a soft floral undertone (with surprisingly subtle osmanthus-this note usually is very ‘loud’ on me) and a hint of cool, green ti leaf adding a little more freshness. This honey scent is elegant, light, and beautiful-this is definitely one I’m getting a bottle of for the warmer months. One of my new favourite honey scents. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes! This is a wonderful summer scent, I think. If you like this, try: Lantern Ghost of Oiwa, Hungry Ghost Moon, Kindly Moon, Gennivre, Brides of Dracula

In the imp: lilac cologne. It smells like a herbal (bay rum) cologne with lilac. Wet on skin: fresh green manly perfume! In fact, this reminds me of Propaganda Bath's Orion (not to be confused with the Possets blend of the same name, which smells totally different). Dry on skin: green, slightly soapy-herbal, manly aftershave with a background of leather, crisp linen, dry palm and ship's wood, and the barest hint of lilac. The sad thing is that the aftershave scent also reminds me of washing up liquid. But I don't get coconut. I wanted the coconut meat note to show itself-I love that creamy coconut meat note, but I get hardly any. Just a green, slightly soapy scent of men's perfume/shaving gel and leather and the linen of sailor's uniforms. Having said that, I swear I now smell coconut wafting off my wrist but when I smell my wrist directly, there's no coconut. After a while: ah, now I smell coconut near my skin! And it's soft, creamy coconut, more like coconut milk and doesn't have the dry 'coconut shreds' scent of usual coconut notes-but it is very faint, and it mingles with the orris which has now just surfaced and added a dusting of pale powder to the scent. The bay rum cologne and leather and woods are still dominant notes here though, it still smells of clean soapy aftershave. After 2-3 hours the orris is really strong and has softened the bay rum quite a bit, this light, delicate and dusty note contrasting nicely with a deep smoky leather note. I still smell aftershave but now I also smell more oak wood. This is a scent that would be very nice on a man. Verdict: this smells like a really fit guy who's washing dishes. He wears clean clothes and a leather jacket, his hair with the faint scent of coconut oil, he wears bay rum aftershave and the scent of washing up liquid lingers clings to his fingers. Ah yes, the dream guy who actually cleans up after himself, the good house-husband, always nicely dressed and always clean and neat and romantic. Only in dreams though, it seems, as none of the boys round my uni smell like this or do the washing up. But back to the scent. This is very much a masculine scent, but I also find it oddly soapy. Bay rum may be the culprit-sometimes it's nice, and at other times it is soapy. And indeed, the bay rum here smells like a cross between aftershave and washing up liquid. The coconut meat is not as strong as I hoped, the leather is nice when it does show up, but the scent becomes a nice dusty orris-oak-coconut-linen scent at drydown, which is much nicer, softer and less masculine than before. it's a lot more wearable than Jolly Roger was on me, but it's not my kind of scent either. I prefer Black Pearl which is similar, but much nicer on my skin. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Not really. If you like this, try: Jolly Roger, Black Pearl, Baron Samedi, Blood Pearl, Obatala, Villain

The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed With the Sun In the imp: a bitter floral scent full of red dragon's blood and some odd wet green notes. Wet on skin: I now smell more woods coming out, but it's mainly dragon's blood and greenish flower notes like muguet and sweet pea. I have no idea why this smells so green and wet. Dry on skin: this is such an unusual fragrance, I can't make head or tail of it. It's a strange greenish floral scent, it smells like dewy leaves and grasses for some reason I can't understand, but with the sharp clarity of dragon's blood running through it, and surprisingly strong notes of lily of the valley, sweet pea and orchid. It brings to mind a hothouse, wet and steamy leaves and vines, with flowers growing. It actually smells like a more complex and interesting version of Dragon's Eye. I also get the soft warmth of sandalwood, and maybe a hint of copal too…even a hint of something nutty which must be the hazel. I don't get any vanilla or amber yet, just a deep green scent with soft wet flowers and piercing red dragon's blood contrasting with a dry, nutty, woodsy base and a faint glow of copal. After a while: dragon's blood is taking over! That's all I can smell now, green wet woods, waxy floral notes, and lots of dragon's blood. Where's the sandalwood? Or the vanilla, or amber, or hazel, or the copal…where have they fled? I was hoping for more of the 'woman cloaked in the sun' and less of the 'great red dragon' which seems to be the dominant theme now. Dragon's blood and greenish flowers. It also reminds me of something I've smelt at a new age shop. However, the flowers (I blame the muguet, probably) are turning to soap now. And then, it's soapy flowers. Soapy sweet peas and lilies of the valley on the almost soapy sharp scent of dragon's blood. It's now almost indentical to Dragon's Eye but much soapier. The vanilla, amber and all the other sweet rich notes never do show up even at drydown, where the scent becomes all soapy dragon's blood and lily/sweet pea, and that's it. Verdict: I was hoping, from the notes, that this would be a darker, more complex version of Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, but it was nothing like that. In fact, I was a little bit taken aback by the scent's greenness and the strength of the daemonorops (dragon's blood) which seems to take over the scent. I didn't mind the lush wet green scent I got from this scent but I was very disappointed by the way this quickly turned to a sharp soapy floral. The hints of sandalwood, copal and hazel that pop up are too fleeting, and the vanilla and amber never show up, which is such a shame. For all it's complexity and myriad notes, it could have gone either way, and it decided to turn very bad on me, with the waxy florals amping up and the scent becoming an unpleasant soapy screeching floral until the end. I'm quite sad that this was such a letdown, it seemed so promising…but my skin chemistry wouldn't let that be. (I suppose I could call this the Dragon's Long and Sad Scent, because of the way it disagreed with me.) Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? No.This is a confusing scent, and I don't like the soapiness. If you like this, try: Dragon's Eye, The Emperor, Silk Road, Aeval, Juliet, Wilhelmina Murray

The Arrival at the Sabbath and Homage to the Devil In the imp: smoky caramel, just like Red Lantern, Gluttony, Creepy etc. Wet on skin: oh wow, now I get an almost boozy vanilla extract appearing, as well as rich sandalwood and flowery notes. Dry on skin: wow! This is gorgeous! It's foody caramel, that's for sure, but it's more than that. the beautiful Bourbon vanilla adds a rich roundness to the caramel-it is reminiscent of vanilla extract, the iris adds a creamy floral touch, there's a trace of spicy carnation and a delightful sandalwood base. I can just about make out the deep patchouli darkening the scent but for now it's a wonderful rich caramel-vanilla with a hints of flowers and sandalwood. It's like Underpants but with caramelised brown sugar on top. After a while: the iris gains a fruity aspect, as it has done in some other scents, which swells and adds even more richness and complexity to the caramel. The effect is almost like that of caramelised plums, apricots or cherries, oddly enough, infused with vanilla beans and with a slight splash of dark rum. It now reminds me slightly of this year's Sugar Skull. The sandalwood and patchouli add a delicious warmth and prevents the scent from becoming too foody. But caramelised brown sugar is still the dominant note here. The iris fades away, and scent does like most of Beth's caramel scents and dries down to pure treacle crossed with maple syrup and with a sprinkling of muscovado sugar, only this time with added vanilla beans and a hint of sandalwood. The covering of caramel is so thick though, that this wood can only just be smelt. After a few hours, the patchouli gives a smoky effect to the caramel, it smells more like boozy treacle now, or maple syrup, with just a scraping of sandalwood. It's still nearly identical to Sugar Skull, especially at this stage. Verdict: this is the unholy lovechild of Underpants and Sugar Skull. If Sugar Cookie was the 'devil's bake sale', this is the devil's sweet shop. Evil caramel, evil in the best way. It's very, very caramelised, indeed, but there are lovely notes of iris, vanilla, patchouli and sandalwood that pass by and take it in turns to support the sticky cooked sugar scent. It lacks the 'nutty smoke' scent I get from a lot of BPAL's caramelised foodies, this is a purer caramel scent, smeared over sandalwood and patchouli-and there's nothing buttery about it either on me, it's melted, browned sugar. it's sophisticated caramel, deep and dark and delicious, with a fantastic sandalwood-patchouli base and moments when the Bourbon vanilla really shines. I'm not sure if I need a bottle just yet because I have enough caramel scents for now-I like them a great deal but at times they can be too heavy for me-but I'm certainly using the imp up. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Oh yes. I might get a bottle once I finish my imp. A great scent for the colder months. If you like this, try: Red Lantern, Sugar Skull, Gluttony, Cockaigne, Creepy, Monster Bait Underpants (if you can get it!)

In the imp: a dark, lemony, resinous incense with a hint of booze. Wet on skin: lemony patchouli! This is an intriguing mix of dark patchouli-resin and bright citrus. Dry: mmm, wow, this is really nice. The lemon and tangerine are the notes that hit me first, and they are warmed and spiced by the saffron, but underneath those sparkling spicy fruity tangy notes is a wonderful dark layer of patchouli and myrrh and incense. This is almost reminiscent of the Masque but with lemon replacing the spicy rosy honey, and the patchouli-myrrh scent also reminds me of Schwarzer Mond. I also smell booze here, probably from the brandy, but this note seems to work in here. The scent is a mix of golden sunny citrus and a shadow of smoky patch and resins. I don’t get much musk yet, but I think the geranium is mingling nicely with both the deep and the tangy layers of the scent. After a while: wine? Why do I smell wine here? I suppose that’s the brandy coming out a little more…the scent is now a boozy lemony geranium (I adore bourbon geranium) on a base of earthy patchouli and myrrh. It smells a lot more fruity now as well, like there’s a ripe fruit note to this, almost reminiscent of the ‘fruity’ scent I got in Malkuth, actually. This eventually becomes a resinous earthy-dirty patchouli with a feel of ‘squashed ripe fermenting fruit’ to it, but the patch in this scent is very strong! I love the myrrh note as well, it’s really showing up at this point and it smells rich and incense-like. The drydown after a few hours is strong rich patchouli surrounded by myrrh and a gorgeous skin musk with fruity nuances reminiscent of plums or grapes, this combination of notes is the sort of drydown that is distinctive to BPAL, I’ve smelt it in a few other fragrances, and it always strikes me as being quite an autumnal scent. Verdict: this is a fascinating, rich and earthy-resinous fragrance, lots of patchouli, deep and complex with a citrus bite to it. At first it is very citrus-tangy, but the dark and heavy patchouli and myrrh really contrasts nicely with the sparkling fruity top notes. eventually the lemon fades, being replaced by a boozy wine like scent with a patchouli base and with geranium on top, before moving into a gorgeous boozy-fruity patchouli-resin incense with a hint of delightful musk appearing at the end. This is a very interesting scent, with lots of complexity and contrasts, and it has a very decadent, slightly sinful feel to it. I really like it a great deal, especially the incense and that deep patchouli, reminiscent of the patch in Schwarzer Mond…not sure if I need a bottle but I have a feeling this will be a great autumn fragrance. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Certainly the imp, not sure if I need a bottle but I like this. If you like this, try: Polyhymnia, Death of Sardapanal, Malkuth, The Masque, Omen, Voodoo, Schwarzer Mond (if you can find it)

In the imp: smells like a dewy garden! Crisp wet greens and flowers. Wet on skin: the ivy comes out most, and perhaps the nasturtium too. It’s all green and garden-y. Dry: wow! This is a garden in liquid form! It’s very, very green, pure chlorophyll, crushed leaves, stems, grasses, everything good and green in here. The ivy, damp grass, nasturtium and some herbs are the foremost notes, with hints of soft dewy flowers here and there-but they don’t smell ‘floral’ as such, I don’t smell rose, gardenia or heliotrope just yet. Just an amazing GREEN scent of mushed up leaves and stems. After a while: the flowers don’t show up much in this scent-occasionally I get a hint of something floral but really, they are very subtle and not heady. Indeed, the scent is still heavy on the ivy and nasturtium, and the grasses and herbs, maybe with hints of morning glory and other creeping vines. I now get a crisp, clean, springtime flower petal scent, almost like that of daffodils or camellias. The overall scent is a lot fainter now but hasn’t lost any of the fresh dampness that it had at the beginning. After a few hours, the scent is much fainter and doesn’t have as much complexity as before, but it’s a very pleasant ivy scent, fresh and deep green, just like the ivy growing in my mum’s garden…with a layer of something fresher, wet and green, which reminds me of aloe. It’s also airy, like clean unpolluted air with the scents of mist and plants lingering in it. I want to take deep breaths of this. Verdict: no chickens to be smelt here. At first this was an amazing explosion of GREEN! It smelt just like the garden in the picture-not so much the smell of flowers, but very much the smell of the leaves and stems of all the plants, covered in dewdrops. It’s a fresh, cool scent, like a garden in the early morning, just before it gets warm and there’s dew everywhere, and the scent of greenery is all around. I smell lots of ivy winding through this scent, and the nasturtium is very strong here, sometimes there are hints of petals and herbs, but the florals don’t show off, and the best thing about this scent is how natural it smells, how genuine it is, and the way that none of the notes go off on my skin-instead the scent fades off gently (I wish it didn’t fade so fast though) into a soft mix of deep green ivy and airy dampness, a peaceful and serene scent of soothing green. I’m not sure if I need a bottle but I’m very impressed at my little ‘garden in a vial’ so I’m keeping this. I think it’ll make a lovely room scent too. (and yay for another gardenia scent that works on me!) Emoticon rating: (though this one really needs a chicken emoticon...) Is it a keeper? Definitely keeping the imp. If you like this, try: Envy, Arachne, Orpheus, Aeval, Asphodel, The Ghost

In the imp: iris, frankincense, and dry camomile, and a little bit of spicy wood…no gardenia yet. Wet on skin: oh wow, this is pretty. Soft white flowers with a spicy background. Dry: this is what I’ve always wanted to smell with gardenia. This smells like true gardenia, the most wonderful and realistic gardenia scent, nothing sharp, acrid or ‘mutated burnt celery’ about this gardenia at all, just full, creamy, tropical blooms, it reminds me of Tahitian monoi oil. The deep purple-powdery iris and golden-herbal camomile support the gardenia beautifully. But this flowery layer has a gorgeous background of amber and gently smoky frankincense, and a fantastic spicy wood scent. Is this agar-wood, the legendary oude? It certainly smells a bit like the oude note from Possets Orion, exotic and spiced and rich and incense like, but with flowers on top. This is a stunning scent! After a while: eventually this becomes a smooth, soft, creamy gardenia scent. there’s a hint of spicy incense and oude at the base but the gardenia is the star of this scent now, and it smells very much like tropical blooms, like sniffing a true gardenia flower, it makes me smell like I’m in Tahiti. This is the kind of gardenia I love! After a long period of almost pure floral, the wood and frankincense notes begin to show up again under the thick mass of gardenia petals. Verdict: I never thought I’d fall in love with a BPAL gardenia note since many BPAL gardenias (apart from most LE’s with that note) smelt awful on me, until I smelt this. I adore the gardenia in here to bits, it’s everything I hoped gardenia would be. No sharpness or acrid celery or screaming burnt greenness here. This is like sniffing a true gardenia, heady and exotic and full bodied. And it even smells like monoi oil, and I’ve been looking all over BPAL for a monoi-like scent, and this is it. And the other notes here are just as beautiful-the iris, the camomile, a delightful frankincense note, and the wonderful rarity that is agar-wood (oude!), which adds a mystical, rich, incense-spicy woody note under the gardenia. Despite the sometimes ‘tropical island beauty’ scent that I get from the gardenia, this really does fit such a wonderful sculpture, the gardenia is feminine, lush, and white as marble, and the frankincense and oude incenses smell heavenly and gloriously exalted. This is a stunning scent-in that it’s a gardenia scent I love, and with that incense background it smells truly magnificent. I hope that this gardenia note is used more often in future blends. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Definitely! This is now my favourite gardenia scent. I might get a bottle some day. If you like this, try: Euphrosyne, Hanging Gardens, Sacred Whore of Babylon

The Cup of Death In the imp: melon? I’m getting herbs, lavender and for some bizarre reason, cantaloupes. Wet on skin: whoa, this has gone dry and almost scrubby, gritty like dried grasses, and with that odd melon/cucumber note. Dry: this is a very unusual scent. I think the herbal, ‘dried grass’ notes I’m getting here are the yarrow and myrtle? The woods are very strong and enhance the dryness of this scent. I don’t get much peach, but I get a little lavender. There is an odd watery-cucumber like note at the back. Overall, this is the scent of a wooden chest of rosewood and sandalwood filled with dry grasses and herbs. It’s intriguing. After a while: the almost astringent herbal scent has calmed, and the woods are more prevalent now. I also smell the peach blossom, which is very similar to the fruit on me, with myrtle and lots of rosewood now. It’s not the ‘really rosy’ rosewood, maybe the sandalwood is stopping this wood from smelling like roses like it usually does, but the dry fragrant woods are very strong and warm at this point. Eventually this fades to pure rosewood and dried grasses…it now smells very similar to Libertine, a herbal rosewood scent with myrtle and peach taking the place of the camomile. Sometimes a greenish note peeks through the dry, dusty woodsy scent. But overall, this scent eventually dries down to soft muted herbs in a wooden box…or maybe a wooden coffin. It also reminds me of attics. Verdict: this is a very unusual fragrance. After an odd burst of melon at the start and momentary flashes of peach, the scent is predominantly that of wood and herbs, and the scent is very dry and almost faded and dusty in feel. The woods are very rich and warm, and the myrtle and yarrow smell like dried bundles of grass or medicinal herbs. The scent often reminds me of wooden boxes, antique wooden chests, lying somewhere in an old attic. It’s very evocative and atmospheric as a scent, woods and herbs and forgotten memories. I like it, but out of Salon II’s two ‘peachy scents’, I much prefer Cupid Complaining to Venus-although this almost feels like an older version of Cupid Complaining. It’s very unique though. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Not sure. It’s a little too herbally dry but it’s quite an interesting scent. If you like this, try: Séance, Chesed, Magus, Libertine

Cupid Complaining to Venus In the imp: honeyed peach. Sweet and sticky golden honey over sweet white peach. Wet on skin: this is gorgeous, like Thaleia with peach instead of apricot. Dry: this is so good! It’s peach and honey, with hints of thyme and fig and apple blossom, maybe a touch of sandalwood but mainly a herbal honeyed peach scent. It is very similar to Thaleia (the peach smells a bit like apricot), and also reminds me of my beloved Honey Moon, but with peach replacing the flowers and with a touch of sharper honey, like the one in O. this scent is very pretty indeed. After a while: now this smells like honeyed figs and peaches! The fig note has crept in and it smells less like the usual green fig note, and more like a sweet dried fig soaked in honey, and served with peaches. The honey also smells a bit sharper, and more crystalline now, not as nectar-like or sticky. And there’s a gorgeous undertone of sandalwood to it all. This gradually fades to the scent of honeyed fruit and sandalwood-but with more honey and wood now. It’s like fruit flavoured honey (but not an artificial scent at all) smeared all over sandalwood. It’s a warm and golden sweetness, and there’s a very mellow, relaxed feel to this, like chilling out in the afternoon sun. It makes me think of summer holidays even though it doesn’t contain the usual ‘summer holiday’ notes. It seems that the sandalwood and dried apple blossom petals seem to come out more after a couple of hours. Verdict: this is a delightful honeyed fruit scent which really took me by surprise. It’s like Honey Moon with peach, a cousin of Les Bijoux, or Thaleia’s older sister. The scent is of golden, translucent honey drizzled all over peaches and figs (the figs come out more at drydown) with a hint of thyme and a lovely background of sandalwood. It’s warm and sunny and laid back, yet delicious and cheerful. The ‘honey absolute’ here is one of my favourite BPAL honeys (I think this a note extracted from real honey) which is the perfect balance of sweet and sharp, and the fruit notes are lovely-the scent is sweet but not sickeningly so. This is a very relaxed scent and brings to mind lazy summer afternoons…I have no complaints about this scent, I love it more than I expected, I’ll get a bottle once I finish my imp. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Definitely-and I may get a bottle once I’ve finished my imp. If you like this, try: Thaleia, Tamora, Les Bijoux, Imp, Lilium Inter Spinas, Strangler Fig, O

TKO FizzyBoom Now, I’m one of those very few people who wasn’t keen on TKO (the oil)…sadly it turned to burnt rubber vanilla on me which was so heartbreaking. However, I love the TKO bomb so much! The scent is like a fluffy duvet of lavender with a bit of vanilla, both when the bomb is dry and when fully dissolved in the water. No burnt rubber here. The bomb fizzed very nicely, leaving a very slight froth and making the water very soft, smooth and milky. It’s a very luxurious bathing experience, and the scent in the water was nice and strong. I stayed in there until my skin went all prune-like, which seemed to take longer in this bath, probably because of all the nourishing oils. And I slept really well. I went to bed earlier than usual and had a lovely undisturbed sleep and woke up without problems either. There were a few weird dreams but apart from that I’m very impressed with the TKO bomb and will get more-they are a fantastic insomnia cure! Come to think of it, I’d love to see TKO lotion or body butter as well. Emoticon rating:

In the imp: cool mint and a hint of sweetish rice wine. Wet on skin: mint, rice wine, cherry blossom and a little bit of ho wood (I recognise the scent from having sniffed the essential oil, it's like rosewood with a kind of camphor-ish note). The mint is cooling my arm! Dry on skin: oh wow, this is prettier than I expected! It does smell very similar to Hungry Ghost Moon (but without the complexities of the citrus and vanilla and ginger etc) with it's rice wine and ho wood, but with added black tea, and I get a hint of cherry blossom which is surprisingly good. After falling in love with Bakeneko, it seems cherry blossom may not be as bad as I originally thought. I now wonder if this blossom is in Snow White because I do get a similarity here as well! And even the calla lily is behaving and not turning to soap…wow! The scent is very serene and pale, and very cool. After a while: this sweetens dramatically. I think the rice wine and cherry blossom are doing this…but still, no soap. The scent is a pretty and light, almost sugary and pink, cherry blossom tea and ho wood with rice wine scent. Very delicate and ethereal, and indeed, it's ghostly. The scent becomes creamier and sweeter as it dries down, to give an almost fluffy scent of pink and white, like soft white snow and the first blossoms of spring, it is a cool scent. The ho wood is very soft and soothing, and I start to realise that this wood, and the rice wine, were very noticeable in Hungry Ghost Moon. The scent becomes a little bit dry and more woodsy, and even smells a little bit like sweetened rice (as opposed to rice wine) now. It's a very pretty fragrance. Verdict: another scent that makes me change the way I feel about cherry blossom! I was a little scared of cherry blossom at first since so many blends with that note went wrong on me, but it seems this blossom wasn't the culprit, as I love it in Bakeneko, and I like it in here. At first it's a chilly wintry mint scent and I get a slight resemblance to Snow-flakes, but on the skin this is very similar to Hungry Ghost Moon, the rice wine and ho wood really showing themselves, and for once I can pick them out and recognise them. The scent is soft and fluffy and white like snow and pale woods, but then the scent seems to change from winter to spring as the pleasant sweet pinkness of cherry blossom starts to bloom in the scent. It is so peaceful and calm-think Japanese gardens in spring where cherry blossoms carpet the ground like snow. The scent is light, delicate and indeed, it is ghostly and luminous. I'm also surprised at how creamy and gently sweet the scent is, almost comforting, and the calla lily didn't even show up-or at least, it didn't turn bad on my skin. This will be nice for the warmer months. I prefer Hungry Ghost Moon but when I run out of that, I might get this as a good replacement. But I'm surprised at how good this smelt on me. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? maybe…I do prefer HGM and this seems more of a spring/summer scent to me. If you like this, try: Hungry Ghost Moon, Kyoto, Aizen Myoo, the Fox Woman Kuzonoha, Snow White, Snow Flakes

In the imp: LILAC!! It's pure lilac. Just like sniffing a blooming lilac bush in May. Wet on skin: still lilac, but now I smell the narcissus and cypress. Dry on skin: lilacs and narcissus. It smells like spring! The ylang, stargazers, and a garden-like floral that may be delphinium wind their way around the scent of wet lilacs and narcissi on a rainy spring day, with a pale woody base anchoring the flowers. But for now this smells like a garden during a spring shower, rain drenched lilacs, in a way there is a quite melancholy feel to it, grey skies and mournful floral notes similar to those of White Moon. After a while: this has turned to almost pure lilac, with a trace of narcissus. It doesn't have the freshness of when this scent was first applied, it's not as wet and dewy, they've turned a little bit sharp now. But it's not as bad a reaction as I feared-this isn't a lilac blend that 'screams' on my skin with acrid sharpness like some do, the lilac still smells true and genuine. It's like I've brought the lilac blooms out of the garden and now they are in a vase, away from the scents of the garden. The drydown is still pure lilac, maybe with a little bit of ylang, but mainly lilac. Verdict: I thought Whitechapel was the lilac-iest of the lilac once the lime had toned down, but now I think this is the most lilac-scented BPAL of all. at first, it's like going out into the garden in the rain and sniffing a freshly bloomed lilac tree full of fragrant purple blooms. Little hints of lily and narcissus come through, but it's mainly fresh wet lilac. One of those scents I'd call 'bottled springtime'. It does seem a little melancholy as a scent, either the image of flowers dripping with rain under a gloomy sky, or the slightly wilted scent it gains as it dries (but thankfully not too wilted-this lilac stays true on my skin and doesn't turn to sharp sour hell), and reminds me of the Funereal Oils. It's almost all pure lilac by drydown, like a sprig of lilac which is starting to wither slowly but still retains a gentle fragrance. This is a more wearable version of White Moon on me, I do like it but I'm not sure how much I'd wear it. It's one of the better lilac scents though and I'm impressed at how purely lilac-y it is, it is very pretty indeed. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? maybe, maybe not. If you like this, try: White Moon, Whitechapel, Les Fleurs du Mal, Nocturne, Purple Phoenix, Villain