yeahbutnobut

Debauchery In the imp: whoa. I get the sweet red musk and something which is like incense, which is gorgeous, but I also smell the civet, which is strong. Wet on skin: ooh, the musk in here is wonderful, and thankfully it’s blotting out the civet. I don’t get much opium here yet. Dry: holy crap, this is really nice! Instead of the feral civet scent I was expecting from the scent in the imp, I get a wonderful, sweet, smooth, rich and spicy musk. If this is Beth’s take on Egyptian Musk, I am in love. It’s not the barely there, subtle skin scent, translucent musk scent I get with other Egyptian musk scents from other companies-this is like a combination of red and Egyptian musks with added incense or spice (though that could be the opium too). I get something that, oddly enough, smells like jasmine. Yes, that’s right, jasmine-but good quality jasmine, like the Moroccan or Tunisian kind. Maybe that’s the musk reacting with another note? There is also something almost vanilla or amber like in here. The civet is barely there and isn’t going ‘bad breath’ on me. I am seriously and pleasantly surprised. After a while: whoops, spoke too soon. Civet has returned. And this little animal is threatening to take over the gorgeous sweet musky gorgeousness with it’s bestial scent. For now it lingers on the sidelines, idly biding it’s time, adding just a little bit of something feral to the scent. But will it pounce like a cat on the musk and cause the dreaded bad breath reaction? Only time will tell. Yup, the inevitable has happened. After an hour, civet did indeed pounce on the lovely sweet spiced musk and has turned it all animalistic and a bit like, you guessed it, bad breath and farmyards. Bad civet! Bad kitty! The musk is still there but the civet is a bit too strong for me now. What a shame. Verdict: at first, when I applied this to my skin, this smelt really promising. I got the most wonderful spicy musk scent-think smooth, skin scent Egyptian musk meets spicy, rich red musk with hints of jasmine and vanilla and incense (which may be an effect of the opium), it was absolutely gorgeous. But then civet comes along and spoils the party, adding that feral, almost farmyard like touch of bestiality. Which fits in with the scent’s name, but I’m not so keen on that strong civet-it’s too animalistic for me. Shame really, because if that musk stage lasted longer or if this scent had no civet, it may have become a favourite. I would love it if Beth could make more scents with this particular Egyptian musk note though, because it really is that good.

Dance of Death In the imp: dark, deep patchouli and black musk. A dark, earthy, ‘dirty’ scent. Wet on skin: patchouli and black musk with the powdery sweet scent of orris creeping up. Dry: whoa, this scent is very deep, gritty, earthy and dirty. I’ve noticed a lot of patchouli scents from the Lab have a lighter patch note that isn’t blatant, but not in here. The patchouli in here is very strong, competing with the sweeter darkness of the black musk as to which of the darker notes will dominate the scent, with the myrrh standing in between them, and orris just doing it’s own thing by adding a lighter, pale and powdery note to the scent. After a while: there’s an interesting duality within this scent. It’s dark, earthy, black, smoky and deeply sweet thanks to the musk, myrrh and patchouli. But lying on top of this is the ghostly and pallid dusty scent of orris, adding a touch of something ethereal and almost delicate to the scent, bringing to mind the image of dark shadows cast by the pale, cold light of the full moon. Verdict: this is a haunting, dark, earthy scent, gloomy and dark yet pale and wispy. A strong, rich patchouli merges with sweet, sinuous black musk and smoky myrrh to make a scent of deathly darkness, deep and almost mournful, very shadowy. But the lighter, powdery scent of orris lingers on top, this note is silvery and ghostly, dusty and almost fragile, the combination of this with the darker note is like the interplay of shadows and moonlight. A very atmospheric and well made scent, not something I need a bottle of but I’m keeping the imp-I quite like this. btw: this doesn’t smell identical to Tramp on me but there is a slight similarity-only this is sweeter and powdery, but it has a similar patchouli feel.

White Light In the imp: a gentle, nectar sweetened floral scent-maybe jasmine and/or gardenia, or honeysuckle. Wet on skin: wow, this scent blossoms into a full floral sweetened by honeydew. Dry: this is a beautiful scent. Luminous white floral notes with a hint of something like melon. It’s sweet, almost like nectar, and yet there’s a clean, almost soapy-one could even say cleansing-aspect to the scent-and it is a brilliant white scent indeed. It does seem to have an uplifting effect on the mood, I think, I feel good when smelling this, it smells very rich and heady, a full bodied glowing scent. After a while: if anything, the floral scent gets even more potent and heady, it’s a powerful scent-and I can feel that! But that’s all good to me-the flowery scent this has is so rich, full, and has an almost ‘protective’ feel to it-I don’t know why, but that’s the feel I get from this scent-that of a shield of scent hovering above my wrist, it makes me feel calm and at ease with myself-and all those worries I had before seem to have faded. It makes me feel stable inside. Verdict (scent): this is a glorious floral scent-light glowing blossoms of jasmine, honeysuckle and maybe a kind of gardenia touched by morning sunlight. It is sweet and nectary, yet also clean and fresh at the same time. A beautiful scent of luminous whiteness. Magical effects? At first, I did feel uplifted and positive-and even secure and protected-when I smell this powerful scent, that’s for sure. The first time I wore it, I was a bit foolish as I didn’t use it in a proper way, I was just testing out as scent…as a consequence something went a bit awry on that day-don’t know if it was the oil but I think it was a little alert that these TAL oils are not to be used lightly. The second time I tried it, it was New Year’s Eve, and I applied the oil with intent, thinking about clearing away all the negativity from the last year. And it worked an absolute treat. This is wonderful stuff if used in the right way. I may need a bottle, in fact, because the more I wear this, the more it seems to ‘work’…this stuff seems to radiate a positive, powerful energy that I cannot ignore.

Yesod In the imp: jasmine. And maybe lily-it smells a bit like one of my fav oils, Peitho. Wet on skin: this is a bit sharper and greener than Peitho, makes me wonder if there’s gardenia in here… Dry: ack! I think there’s evil gardenia in here! In the vial, this scent was so promising with it’s rich, full jasmine scent, but on the skin, it turns bitter and sharp, a bit green and almost pickle-y. there’s still hints of jasmine and lily in here, but there’s another ingredient that makes this smell astringent and a bit soapy on me. And also something reminiscent of olives as well… After a while: after a while the initial gardenia bite fades and the scent is a bit more pleasant. It now reminds me of Luna…a scent of jasmine and lily and other pale white flowers. There’s still something a bit off or odd about this scent on me (olives? wtf?) , but it’s not as unpleasant now. After an hour or two, still olives and dry green jasmine. Reminds me of the drydown of Somnus. After a few hours, a burnt scent appears. It reminds me of…bread? Or potato crisps? What is this scent doing on my skin? Verdict: this scent was so beautiful in the imp-it reminded me of Peitho, it was jasmine and lily, gorgeous and full. But when it hit my skin, it turned pretty ugly. I think ‘evil’ gardenia was the culprit, stamping on all the more pleasant florals with her sharp, acrid, bitter green scent (and cackling evilly in the process), but when that disappeared, and just after the scent had started improving and smelling a bit like Luna, a weird olive note appeared. And then the jasmine scent became dry and green, before smelling burnt. It’s a shame really because it smelt so gorgeous in the imp. Maybe my skin was being premenstrual? For now, I think I’ll put this on the swap pile, I don’t think this scent likes my skin much.

Red Lantern In the bottle: sweet, creamy caramel, with a hint of something floral-either the opium or delphinium? Wet on skin: now the tobacco and hints of opium start to appear in the sugary sweetness. Dry on skin: wow, it has changed dramatically. No longer the sweet sticky caramel it was before (though hints of it stick around), the scent now really reminds me of incense. Almost like headshop joss-stick incense but much nicer…it's almost like sandalwood or something floral and Asian. I think it's good quality opium incense, and it's gorgeous. It's got floral aspects to it, a little bit of spice, and a smoky tobacco base, with lighter notes of coconut and amber floating on top, and still a bit of caramel…but it's not the really foody sweet scent I was expecting. This smells sophisticated and mysterious. It also reminds me of a shop near mine that sells trinkets and objects from India and the Middle East and Far East, and there's always incense burning there (and also hookah pipes)…and it smells a bit like this, only this scent is much more interesting with many dimensions. After a while: the spicy tobacco scent is a bit stronger now, nice and darkly smoky, but with a lovely layer of coconut, a floral note (delphinium?) and a hint of sweet amber lingering over it. The scent fades nicely with a scent of sweet tobacco and incense with hints of amber and coconut, after a few hours the tobacco scent faintly lingers with the dry sweetness of toasted coconut. Verdict: this one far surpassed my expectations. I'm not usually keen on opium scents (they are either chokingly smoky or 'posh perfume-y' on me) and caramel can be very hit or miss, and the reviews before mentioned that this scent was very foody to many. But not to me. No, this scent was so much more wonderful than I expected. After starting off with a scent of slightly floral caramel, as soon as the scent dried, it changed instantly from something foody to a wonderful incense scent. I've noticed that many of the Lupercalia scents have a woody/sweet incense-like feel to them (Khajuraho and the Perfumed Garden were like that) and this one is no exception. It was a delightful smoky, spicy and floral incense scent with something reminiscent of sandalwood, as well as a lovely floral note, a hint of light coconut and sweet amber and with a dark, deep, tobacco background. The drydown is a lovely smoky tobacco with hints of amber and coconut. This is a very exotic, sensual scent with mystique and allure to it. It is also reminiscent of my local 'treasures and trinkets' shop which sells trinkets from exotic parts of the world, where the scent of hookah pipes and joss sticks lingers but this scent is so much better and has many dimensions. Beth has totally blown me away with these Lupercalia scents-this is just another one that I have fallen for.

Zephyr In the imp: gorgeous soft muted lemon and sugar with white musk/flowers. Could this be the sweet lemon scent I've been looking for? Wet on skin: mmm, white musk and lemon, with a touch of sweetness. Dry on skin: this is gorgeous! So fresh and so clean! Lemon, bergamot and neroli add their tang to a delicious crisp, soft layer of white musk, with a bit of floral and sandalwood, sweetened so nicely by vanilla. It's a clean and sunny scent that wouldn't be out of place on washed linens hanging on a line but not a really soapy scent, the white musk and vanilla help to stop the scent from going all soapy on me. and there's that hint of lemon sugar to it that I love. After a while: the scent retains it's hint of lemony freshness, but the musk is stronger now, making the scent soft, white and pure. There's a very slight soapiness to the scent but it's so minor, it doesn't distract the loveliness of this scent overall. There's effervescence to it, bubbly, zingy, airy and fresh, and I just love the vanilla's sweetening touch. It's a bit like a lighter, fresher Dorian. The scent also has a slight ozone feel to it, fitting with the clean, breezy feel of the scent. The final drydown is a clean, sweetish musk which is very slightly reminiscent of one of my Egyptian Musk perfumes. I like this stage a lot. Verdict: this is such a lovely, light, sweet white scent with a citrus zing. First I get a lovely lemon-sugar scent smoothed out by white musk, which then becomes a clean, fresh, breezy white musk with a hint of citrus still lingering and sweetened so nicely by vanilla (vanilla + musk = match made in heaven). The scent does have a hint of soap to it, but it's just a hint, gives the impression of clean laundry drying in the breeze (I wish there was detergent that smells like this!). this scent is soft, bright and will be lovely in spring and summer. I'm unsure as to whether I'll get a bottle (it is quite similar to Dorian, which I prefer) but I'm going to use up this imp, because I like this a lot. And it's got a sugary and almost creamy lemon scent to it, which is what I've been searching for in BPAL-and I found it.

And also Buck Moon, which has that added musk to it to make it a sexy night air scent. Try Urania as well-it's a scent that makes me think of stargazing by the sea, thanks to the ozone.

Nocturne Note: this is different to the Funereal Oil of the same name, so don't get confused. In the imp: sharp lavender and dried flowers-I’m guessing dry rose. I think there’s camomile in here as well. I applied this to the areas instructed. Temples, third eye, pulse points (in this case, wrists), heart and feet. Dry: The rose note comes out a lot more now, and there’s the dry scent of camomile in her as well, and also something sharply green. The scent is like a dry floral bouquet, and there’s a hint of lavender which isn’t as strong now. I shall now go to bed and see if this works on my sleep. After a while: the scent gets more and more rosy, a real dry rose smell, with hints of camomile and other herbs. The morning after: well, it didn’t make me drop off to sleep instantly but when I did sleep, it was undisturbed and I felt like I had slept better than most nights. It did induce some weird dreams though. Verdict: scent wise, this was a pleasant, dry floral scent, with lavender at first, then camomile, and then a strong rose note came through. A nice scent to sleep with-and it wafts a lot-especially if you place it on the instructed areas. And it seems to work-after a while I dropped off into a good natural sleep, I was undisturbed until morning though I did get some pretty bizarre dreams. I will try this again, and hopefully it will work even more effectively next time, and maybe I will use it in conjunction with one of the Somnium oils on those really sleepless nights.

Florence In the imp: this reminds me of raspberry ice cream/frozen yogurt for some reason! Or blackberry? Whatever it is, I get sweet creamy berries with sugar and a hint of iris. Wet on skin: mmm, now the berries get darker and a bit greener-you can smell the greenery around the berries. The iris in here is sweet and almost creamy-powdery in feel. I don’t get the amber or spices yet. Dry: ooh, I like this. It smells like freshly picked blackberries in cream with a hint of green, also something dry behind it which may be one of the spices (it smells more like a woody note to me though) with the iris adding it’s pale, gentle touch. But then the scent changes. The almost tart greenish berry smoothes out, becomes creamier and merges into the iris. I think the amber comes out, and I smell more of the spices (can’t tell what they are though) adding warmth. This is a very unique scent, so pretty. After a while: the scent has smoothed out nicely and now I get a pleasant yet unexpected creamy berry scent-it’s like blackberries and currants with raspberries mixed into whipped cream-it almost reminds me of some kind of dessert, I think, with iris just enhancing the paleness of this creamy scent, and adds a touch of powder (that’s good powder, btw). The scent is sweet, but not too much thanks to the slight tartness of the berries. Hints of spice flit through here and there, and I get something reminiscent of sandalwood too. Eventually, this moves away from the creamy fruit dessert scent to something more muted and sophisticated. It’s still very berry, but the iris comes into it’s own now, and the golden amber can be detected behind it with warm spices. The scent is velvety, indeed, with a feel of dust or powder to it. Verdict: this is a lovely scent, very unique, very different, elegant and soft. It starts off with a surprisingly creamy berry scent. Like blackberries, raspberries and blackcurrants in cream or even frozen yogurt. This berry note was slightly green and fresh at first, but the it becomes smoother, lighter, gentler, and the iris takes hold with it’s pale powdery scent-and in this fragrance, the iris has a creamy aspect to it. Then it loses it’s almost foody berry-cream scent as it becomes a lovely balance of iris and berries with a hint of dry spice and sweet amber. This scent is delightful, quietly sophisticated and with a uniqueness to it-I haven’t smelt anything like this. I don’t need a bottle yet but I’m keeping the imp.

Chokmah In the imp: I smell sweet myrrh, black musk, and something that might be root beer, but I may be wrong as I’m not 100% familiar with it-but it does remind me of a drink. Wet on skin: black musk! That’s the most obvious scent here, maybe with some myrrh and a dark amber, and possibly sassafras (root beer)? Dry: yes, this really does remind me of a soft drink of sorts. Except with black musk and some sweet dark resins. It reminds me a little bit of Haunted, but with a sort of herbal/boozy/medicinal twinge to it. Sweet, slick black musk loves my skin though and is the most prominent scent in here. After a while: the scent is now pretty much all musk and incense sweetened by amber. Now I also get a hint of deep red musk creeping in, swirling into the black musk, rich, deep, sensual. There’s also a little hint of spice to it, which may be an effect of red musk which is one of the spicier musk notes anyway. It reminds me of Sin as well, which makes me wonder if patchouli is in this as well. The sweetness in here may be vanilla, but I’m more inclined to think that it’s amber. Verdict: black musk is one of my new favourite notes, and this scent is pretty much all about the incense and musk. There are hints of other complimentary notes that may be myrrh, dark amber, and possibly sassafras. But the dominant note is black musk, dark, rich, sweet, sinuous, smoky. The scent swirls and lures you into it’s depths, and before long, red musk joins black, amber joins the party and a spiciness surfaces and the scent joins the ranks of Sin, Scherezade and possibly Haunted and Cracked Bell as one of those rich, musky/spicy/incense/amber scents, exotic and deep. The scent starts off as being medicinal and vaguely soft drink like, but ends up smelling sensual and sweet. I really like this one and will keep the decant I have-I don’t need a bottle yet but I am very fond of this.

Bordello In the imp: juicy sweet plums. This is Midwinter’s Eve’s sexier, darker, grown up sister-now I see the comparisons with MWE. Wet on skin: now I get the wine! It’s like plums soaked in wine, it’s gorgeous. Dry: ooh, I like this a lot more than I expected I would. Sweet, juicy plum with deep, rich wine. I think I get a hint of amaretto, maybe just an undertone of currant, but the dominant notes are plum and wine. This is really nice, a very authentic smelling fruit scent, sweet yet deliciously sexy. I want to drink this up! After a while: this stays the same, not morphing too much, still retaining it’s rich plum and wine scent, I think it sweetens a bit though, and the throw is impressive-I’m getting wafts of plums in wine all around…the scent is very clear, almost fluid, it’s a clear magenta red colour. Very juicy and full bodied. The scent stays constant for a long time-sugar plums soaked in red wine. I’m tempted to actually make that as a recipe. Verdict: I wasn’t sure whether I would like this since the really fruity, berry and sugar plum scents are hit and miss on me. However, this took me by surprise and wowed me. Think Midwinter’s Eve’s sweet sugar plum stripped of her innocence, grown up, naughtier and sexier, dressed in a magenta corset and sipping on red wine with a mischievous grin. That’s Bordello. It’s sugared plum soaked in rich wine with hints of currant. This scent is deep, full, sweet, fruity and juicy without smelling artificial. I want to drink this stuff. I’m not sure if I need a bottle but I’m definitely keeping the imp and using it up, because I’m very fond of this scent and can see why it’s popular-and now I’ve fallen for it.

Arachne In the imp: melon? Yup, that’s what I get-sweet, sweet, watery fruit and juice. Maybe some florals too but…melon. Wet on skin: no, that’s not melon, that’s lotus. What was my nose thinking? I now get lotus, sweet, sugared and watery with a hint of something fruity, almost like cherry. Maybe there’s cherry blossom in here? Dry: hmm, interesting. It now does smell dusty and pallid, yet also watery and sweetly floral. I get the dusty wood note, I’m guessing it’s sandalwood, or perhaps rosewood. I also get floral notes, I think lotus is the most recognisable, but I also get some blossom like notes, I think cherry blossom is in here. I also get the crisp, tangy green herbs creeping into the scent. After a while: over time, the scent moves away from sugared florals to dry woods and tangy herbs-the herbs in here are crisp, sharp, pale green, they remind me of Verdandi’s herbs, only more tangy. They seem to have taken over now, and the scent is a sharp green scent now with just a faint hint of the sweetness before. The scent seems to stay in that sharp gritty green stage for a long time. I want my lotus back…I much preferred the sweetness I had before. This sharp green scent may be a tea note? It reminds me a bit of something in Silk Road, and I like that note in that blend, but in here it’s a bit too tart for me. This scent has real bite to it-much like a spider’s bite, perhaps. Verdict: at first, this seemed really promising, a melon like lotus note, sweet and sugary, with hints of other blossoms, and dry dusty woods. But then the herbs creep in-and these are sharp, tangy, biting herbs, an astringent greenness, and the perfume’s tone changes dramatically from sweet and feminine to dry, gritty and biting, yet also somewhat slightly sad-an unwilling transformation. Like Arachne’s transformation into a spider. And I don’t like spiders...however I do prefer this scent to spiders, but not enough to keep it-I’d rather it kept the floral sweetness. I think this will be swapped.

Casanova In the imp: gentlemanly lavender cologne, with a hint of lemon and leather. Wet on skin: lavender cologne with a hint of leather and maybe amber/tonka. Dry: mmm, not bad. Overall, I get a citrus-lavender cologne scent, very manly and sophisticated. Underneath that I get hints of black smoky leather, and also the amber and tonka underneath. The scent is reminiscent of Old Scratch, and also Saint Germain-it’s masculine, a traditional, slightly old fashioned men’s cologne scent. After a while: eventually the sharp cologne scent mellows out, sweetens nicely under the influence of the amber and tonka, with leather underneath. The result is something almost like a fusion of Old Scratch and Saint Germain, but a little bit more manly and distinguished in tone and feel, yet with an edginess from the citrus. It brings to mind images of courtly palaces and decadent grandeur of the 18th century, powdered wigs and corsets. I don’t get much patchouli or anise. Eventually, the scent settles down to a softer blend of amber, tonka and leather with a hint of lavender, a nicely balanced mix. Verdict: this is another one of those gentlemanly scents which has a traditional cologne scent. A distinguished, dapper scent, it firsts starts off as a sharp, fresh lavender-lemon scent, very masculine in scent, but then the amber and tonka creep into the blend, smoothing it out and making it gentler, and the leather note darkens the scent. It resembles aspects of Saint Germain and Old Scratch, the beginning of the scent resembling the former, and the end stage resembling the latter. However, I do prefer Old Scratch to this scent (I find it softer and more unisex) so I’m unsure whether to keep this or not-I may swap it. I do like it, but I think it would be more suitable for a guy.

Chesed In the imp: cedar with a hint of something sweet and slightly buttery, maybe vanilla? Wet on skin: dry cedar with a sweet aspect, maybe some sandalwood too? Dry: mmm, this is nice. This is a sweet woody scent with hints of green and maybe pine, maybe some berries/fruit, maybe wine? The more I smell it, the more I think it may be wine or some other lightly boozy scent. I definitely get cedar in here, with hints of other gently fragrant woods-maybe rosewood or sandalwood. I get a freshness which could be a pine/evergreen note, and something sweet and almost foody. Maybe a bit of something smoky as well? It’s hard to pinpoint what the notes are in here, but the result is a dry, pleasant woody scent with a hint of winter forest and a touch of fruit or sweetness. After a while: I’m still struggling to work out what this smells like beyond cedar and other woods, but the scent overall is dry, hollow, with a feeling of antiquity, and yet holding the memories of something fragrant-it reminds me of a dusty cedar chest which once held all sorts of items that had something scented and aged to them-flower petals and potpourri, objects made of sandalwood or rosewood, autumn leaves and also maybe a bottle of wine. Or maybe an old book which has dried flowers pressed in its pages. Those items are now gone but their scent lingers in that chest. I do now get something I can recognise-dry, dusty autumn leaves. The scent is dry and cold in feel, almost nostalgic, brings to mind an attic…and yet a faint whiff of something sweet, creamy and fruity wafts over it-like the passing scent of autumnal baking in the kitchen downstairs. The scent smoothes out eventually to a gentle sweet cedar scent with a hint of dried flowers and dusty paper. I swear I get something vaguely incense or smoke like at times. There’s a really old feel to this, wise and ancient, yet comforting. I also think that mysterious note that provided a light, sweet, almost fruity creamy scent may be lotus…the more I sniff, the more it seems to be the case. Verdict: this scent is unusual and interesting-it’s very hard to put my finger on what notes this contains, but I’ll try: the strongest scent is cedar. There may be some other woods in here. Then a blend of varied notes comes through-foody, almost creamy scents, a hint of berries or wine, dried autumn leaves, light florals, a hint of dust, possibly some pine/evergreen notes or incense/smoke too. The overall result is a dry, cool, aged wood and paper scent with nostalgic whiffs of sweetness, dustiness and smokiness. it’s a pleasant scent, and feels almost comforting. It’s not something I need a bottle of but I’m keeping the decant-this would be nice as a grounding, meditative scent.

Aizen-Myoo In the imp: grapefruit? It’s not a listed note but I get lots of grapefruit, with a slight floral undertone. I must admit that the only note I’m familiar with in this scent is the tea, I am not familiar with yuzu or cherry blossom, and have no idea what mikan and kaki are and what they smell like…whoo, unknown notes, how exciting! Wet on skin: grapefruit with hints of black tea and a floral note which may be cherry blossom. Very pretty and fresh. Dry: a tart, tangy, sharp scent which is mainly citrus and tea. It’s predominantly grapefruit (I’m guessing that’s what yuzu is? The yuzu perfume I smelt at Gap smelt very grapefruit-y) with a hint of tea and softer and ‘pinker’ in the background. the overall scent is zingy and bright, very fresh and zesty, a scent that would be a good pick me up. After a while: eventually, sweetness creeps into the scent. It’s almost candy like, like a hint of something pink and sugary smoothing out the tart citrus notes. I really like that; it’s a hint of almost girly sweet pinkness appearing in the scent. I have no idea what’s causing it-maybe the cherry blossom? The effect is reminiscent of the way the pink peony smoothed and sweetened the tart teas in the Dormouse. The scent evokes the colours bright pink and yellow, and at times, it reminds me of sherbet powder and those sour sweets. At times, the candy scent becomes floral, and then goes back to it’s sugary state, flitting in and out of the citrus. Eventually, the yuzu leaves me, and the scent is cherry blossom-I can say that with confidence now because it's identical to the cherry blossom note in Kyoto. Verdict: this is a very pretty, zingy scent. The dominant note is grapefruit like yuzu, tart, bitter and sharp, fresh and citrussy, but soon, a gentler, sweeter note comes out…it’s like sprinkling a grapefruit with pink sugar. I think it’s cherry blossom, and it adds a nice round candy like sweetness to the scent, providing a delightful contrast to the sharpness of the yuzu and tea. This scent is refreshing and bright, it’s a lively scent which would be lovely for spring. I don’t need a bottle yet, but an imp is enough for now because I like this.

Alecto In the imp: dry cedar with some leafy notes. Wet on skin: ooh, I quite like the cedar in here. For some reason, there’s a slight leathery scent to this? I also get some herbal leaf notes. Dry: not bad! This is predominantly cedar-dry, solid and firm, a good strong wood scent, but darkened nicely by scents of crushed leaves and dry leaves, with hints of vetiver. I get a very slight fruitiness, which I’m assuming is raspberry leaf-it’s more of a green scent than a raspberry scent, in fact, it reminds me of blackberry leaves-it’s green and darkly fruity, and there’s something almost ivy like about it. After a while: after a while, I get hints of olive-which must be the olive leaf. it’s not too olivey though-I don’t smell like salad yet. The cedar and raspberry leaf still linger. This scent is very unusual indeed…and the olive note grows over time. Then the scent becomes something rather odd-cedar and olives. Like a plank of cedar wood polished with olive oil and a hint of ivy. It’s a very odd scent for a perfume. It’s dark, dry, gritty, unsettling. I like the final drydown of this a lot more-a nice mix of woody, dry cedar with vetiver, slightly reminiscent of Umbra but with a milder vetiver. Verdict: this is one of BPAL’s most unusual, unconventional scents. It starts off promisingly with cedar and ivy-like raspberry leaf, but then the olive comes in and it smells like olive oil. Which is nice as food, but not really something I’d expect in a perfume. The overall scent is both dry and oily at the same time, gritty, dark, green and shadowy. The drydown is nicer-a dry cedar and dark green vetiver scent. A unique scent which I think would be a lot nicer on a man, so this one’s going for the swap.

Amsterdam In the imp: a clear, fluid, bright aquatic with a hint of green. Wet on skin: now the grass note comes out in full-and it’s such a realistic grass note, like freshly mowed lawns. Dry: this is lovely. A crisp, fresh, tart mixture of green grass, watery notes and hints of gentle flowers in the background-I think I get a hint of tulip here. It reminds me of a perfume I’ve smelt elsewhere…I can’t really remember but it does remind me of a designer perfume I used to wear (either from Gap or Next), and that’s not a bad thing. After a while: the scent stays the same, still that lovely fresh and tangy watery scent reminiscent of one of my old perfumes. I think this is fabulous for spring and summer. After about 2 hours, the tulip note peeks out a bit more, and I can make out a soft background of peony under the grassy aquatics. Verdict: this to me is one of BPAL’s more ‘perfumey’ scents, ie it wouldn’t smell out of place in a department store. This isn’t a bad thing at all…in fact, this reminds me very much of one of my old perfumes-I think it was a Gap or Next perfume-which was fresh, light and tangy with green and slight floral notes. but of course, even Beth’s more ‘commercial perfume-like’ scents have something special and different about them-in here, there’s a delightful watery scent to it, and one of the most realistic grass notes I’ve encountered so far, as well as a faint hint of dewy floral to round it off. The result is a light, fresh, tart and tangy scent which would be lovely in the spring. I also recommend this to anyone who is weaning themselves off designer perfumes and onto BPAL, and fans of fresh scents, be they designer or not…I won’t get a bottle yet but I’m keeping the imp.

Ace of Swords In the imp: lavender! Lavender with something else, maybe a light floral. Wet on skin: lovely sweet lavender with other floral/spice/herbal notes, reminds me of Paris and Sophia. Dry: ooh, I like this. This is mellow lavender with other herbal notes and possibly a sweet floral note and a hint of something warm and spicy which reminds me of Sophia. A very pleasant herbal mix. After a while: gorgeous! I think I smell vanilla or amber now. This now reminds me of Old Scratch-soft lavender smoothed out with a sweeter note. I think I also detect sandalwood in here. The scent is smooth, soothing and gentle…it’s not the sharpness I was expecting from the name. As the lavender fades, I realise that the sweet note I smell in here is indeed amber, and I think it’s been muted nicely by sandalwood. I still gets hints of herbs and lavender here and there. The scent that remains after a few hours is amber (I think I’m the only one who gets amber here…my skin is weird) with herbal notes-maybe thyme and sage. Verdict: this is another one of my favourite Ace scents, after the Cups. It starts off with gentle lavender which then fades away to reveal a wonderful mellow amber scent with hints of herbs and possibly sandalwood as well. There may be some light spices and other floral notes in here too. The scent is also reminiscent of Old Scratch which I love. I’m not sure if I need a bottle yet but I really like this and will keep the imp.

Somnus In the imp: herbal lavender. I think thyme and basil may be in this as well? Wet on skin: still herbal lavender. Dry: hmm, this is a potent herbal lavender scent, almost sharp, very powerful. It’s like a dusky cloud of soporific scent, knocking you out with its dark, smoky lavender aroma. There’s a slight undercurrent of olives there but it’s predominantly deep, dark lavender… After a while: the scent is less lavender and more like…olives. Yes, olives. I don’t know what’s causing this but I get a definite olive oil scent here…maybe it’s some other herbs causing this? I’m not getting the same sleepy feeling that Temple of Dreams brought on but I’ll go to bed soon and see what happens. The scent after a while becomes a dry jasmine-honeysuckle greenish drydown. The morning after…this doesn’t work on me. I hade one of those scary night chokes where I woke up feeling like I couldn’t breathe and that my throat was blocked up. That was horrible…I was thinking ‘shit, I could have died if I woke up a bit later!’ not sure if it was the Somnus but I didn’t sleep very well that night at all. Verdict: as with other sleep related BPAL scents, this one is very lavender-y. this lavender is powerful and deep, a heady cloud of strong herbal lavender, mixed with other herbal notes. However, on my skin, lavender doesn’t last long, so when that fades, I get an odd scent…olive oil. Like lavender stalks macerating in olive oil, this is what it smells like, before morphing to sharp green floral notes. A very strange scent, not as nice as Temple of Dreams smelt on me, but that’s not the point. With the Somnium range, it’s all about the zzz-factor. So I tried this on the night when I needed maximum sleep for an early morning and a hard day…however, I didn’t feel that it worked for me sleep-wise. I got one of those ‘sleep chokes’ and had problems sleeping after that. I think I’ll stick to Temple of Dreams as my favourite Somnium so far.

Hellion In the imp: ooh, this is like a darker Snake Charmer! I smell plum here, possibly with musk and sandalwood. Wet on skin: now I smell the sandalwood even more-and it is scorched, indeed. It smells like smouldering sandalwood incense with hints of nag champa, patchouli and juicy plum. Dry: whoa. This stuff is incredible. This is, to me, Snake Charmer’s evil twin. Dark, fiery, smoky and with a smidgen of rebelliousness, this scent is predominantly the scent of incense, burning and smouldering away, giving off clouds of fragrant smoke. Dry, burnt sandalwood with a dark musk and hints of nag champa and patchouli incense, with the juicy sweetness of plum and a hint of narcissus adding a lighter touch to an otherwise blackened and brooding scent. I love the way this smells just like good quality incense in the process of burning and filling a room with scented smoke. After a while: the incense scent strengthens more, the plum fades away, so now the scent is sharp burning incense with a hint of bonfire, but the musk adds a smooth layer underneath it all. I think this will be a great autumn scent. Then after an hour, or so, the scent smoothes out into that wonderful ‘smoky autumnal fruity musk’ drydown I have smelt in a few other, totally random, BPAL scents (even scents without smoke/incense, musk or fruit notes). Only this time, this fruity musk is smokier. This reminds me somewhat of Hunter Moon, only more incense like, darker, and with hints of plum. Then it reminds me of Hunter Moon meets Snake Charmer, but without SC’s vanilla sweetness. Verdict: this is Snake Charmer on fire! Another one of the Lab’s wonderful incense/plum scents, this is a dark, smouldering, smoky scent of burning sandalwood, dark musk, patchouli incense and a juicy plum note softening it all out. Then for a while it smells blackened, charred and almost like a fragrant bonfire, before going into that fruity smoky musk stage that I get in a lot of BPALs…this scent will be really nice in the autumn. Whilst I still prefer Snake Charmer as my favourite in this family of ‘exotic, incense, musk and a bit of fruit/sweetness’ scents, I really like this and will treasure the decant I have.

Tempest In the imp: fresh, slightly salty, pure ozone. I quite like this-it’s like rain on the sea. Wet on skin: interesting, the scent gets a bit peppery now. That’s really odd. I also get a metallic scent. Dry: what an intriguing, unusual scent. At times, this is fresh, airy, slightly salty and wet. Rain falling on a stormy ocean, cold winds lashing your face. Very evocative of a coming tempest. At times however, it reminds me of celery, white florals, pepper/spices and something familiar…photocopying machines? wtf??? It reminds me of the ozone scent above certain electrical objects, heated metal and electrical currents warming the air and giving it a distinctive scent. Well, it seems Beth has nailed the ozone note in here very accurately-a bit too accurate for comfort at times… After a while: I’m afraid this ozone note doesn’t like me. usually ozone turns to soap if it wants to make a bad reaction, but this is just bizarre-it’s almost like warm plastic and heated metal, it smells like ‘office ozone’ like what you get around computers and photocopiers. Now that is weird. I wanted the rainy ocean scent I had before! The drydown is a weird mixture of fresh salty ocean breezes, hot metal, and now chalk or plaster. This ozone ain’t agreeing with my skin at all. Verdict: ozone notes are very hit or miss on me. I love Urania and Sea of Glass, like Nyarlahotep, didn’t like Storm Moon. This is another ozone that I’m not keen on. Not because it goes soapy, but because it smells very chemical on me…in the imp I get the wonderful ‘rain on the ocean’ scent I hoped for, but on the skin the ozone smells like the real ozone produced by photocopiers and other electrical appliances (yup, this ozone note sure is realistic, but in this case, it’s a bit too realistic for me!)…it’s that heated metal and plastic, with a hint of plaster and chalk on drydown. Shame really, because it had potential before my skin decided to ruin it. I'm not disappointed though since I never really liked storms anyway (I know, I'm in the minority here). Off to swaps.

Queen Gertrude In the imp: wisteria and a watery, greenish floral that may be chrysanthemum, but I’m not certain. Wet on skin: wisteria and a sharp greenish floral scent which reminds me of florists-yup, I think it’s chrysanthemum…or is it delphinium? Dry: as soon as the scent dries, the violet pops up, makes itself known, along with the wisteria. There’s also that fresh, dewy, greenish floral note which adds a sharp bite to the scent. It’s a moist floral, I’m always amazed at how a lot of BPAL florals smell so fresh and dewy, this is one of them. After a while: hey, this is softening up! The violet and wisteria are smoothing out the sharp, wet chrysanthemum and delphinium notes, adding a soft, powdery ‘purpleness’ to the scent but with the sharper floral notes still sticking around. I like this scent now. Over time, one of the floral notes in here develops a sweetness reminiscent of ripe fruit, with the violet and wisteria covering the scent in a gentle dusting of dusky purple. The scent no longer has the sharpness of the wet stage…I think it’s growing on me! And then the scent settles nicely. It’s not too sweet now, just a lovely wisteria-violet scent with a hint of fruity floral to it. Verdict: this is another pleasant violet scent. At first I wasn’t sure, as there was a floral note there that I feared would either go the sharp or the soapy route, but the violet and wisteria prevented that from happening. When wet/just dry, it was the scent of violet, wisteria and a biting, yet watery and fresh floral that may be chrysanthemum. But then the violet and wisteria joined forces to calm this floral note down and after the scent had undergone a fruity stage, the drydown is a pleasant dusky sweet violet scent which is very enjoyable. Not one for a bottle, but I’ll keep the imp of this, as I like it.

Blessings of Isis In the imp: light patchouli with a bit of sweetness, and maybe a hint of, dare I say it, civet? My nose must be off…I also get resinous notes, and something smouldering and incense like, and some vetiver. Wet on skin: patchouli, sandalwood and vetiver are now the dominant notes-and also something sweet. I also get a hint of incense. Dry: hmm, interesting. I don’t get the sweet, fruity kyphi incense scent I was expecting, but I do get incense-with sandalwood, frankincense, myrrh, vetiver and patchouli, and possibly some cedar, smouldering and smoking on an ancient censer. It’s a scent that reminds me of bonfires and autumn, but it’s warmer and more shadowy. It’s a dark, mysterious scent. I also get civet here. Luckily I’m one of the lucky few who can tolerate this feral little note in small amounts, like in here-I’m not getting a ‘bad breath’ reaction. But I swear there’s civet in here. This does resemble a less animalistic, more incense like Fire of Love, actually, which seems fitting with the scent’s purpose. After a while: holy civet! I’m getting a load of civet from this after 30 mins…with the dark undertones of smoky incense and vetiver. This incense/vetiver scent reminds me a little bit of Djinn, it’s very smoky and bonfire like. This intense civet then goes down, replaced by intense, dark vetiver with the scent of the ashes of the remaining incense. I’ve noticed a lot of TAL scents have a base of vetiver, I’d be interested in knowing the magickal qualities of this particular note. The drydown after a few hours is a dead ringer for Helping Hand-warm, dark vetiver and tobacco. It’s quite a comforting scent. Verdict (scent): warm, dry, woody, darkly resinous, smoky, unisex and a little bit animalistic, that’s what this scent is like. Totally not what I expected from an oil named after this great mother goddess…but Isis is a goddess of many facets and aspects. The scent seems to fit in with the oil’s purpose, it reflects Isis’s darker and more sexual aspects as opposed to her 'divine mother' aspect. I get dark resins, ashy tobacco and vetiver in here, the scent is very smoky indeed. And then there’s the civet adding a feral twist to the scent. This scent does have something sexual about it in both scent and feel, and to me it’s a cross between Fire of Love and Helping Hand-both scents and purposes. Scent wise, I like it, it’s an interesting scent but to be honest, I was a little bit taken aback by it-it wasn’t what I was expecting. It’s not for me. Purpose wise, right now I don’t need this oil for it’s intent as I am not in a relationship that has faded and needs rekindling, and smelling this oil has made me realise that this scent isn’t meant for me just yet. So I’m putting it up for swap or sale to someone who needs it more.

Tombstone In the imp: strong, sweet vanilla with woody notes of cedar, and possibly balsam. Wet on skin: vanilla and cedar, with the balsam (which I think is a fir note) adding freshness. Dry on skin: oh yeah, I like this a lot. This is vanilla, raw and rugged, with a solid dry base of woody cedar and balsam notes…I smell something else in here that I can't put my finger on, maybe it's the sassafras? (I'm one of the few people who hasn't drunk root beer before, I'm afraid to say!) the vanilla in this scent is identical to the single note I tried, it's sweet, deep, and slightly foody, in here it reminds me of vanilla extract and ice cream-it's very strong! I love the way the vanilla and cedar go together in this, vanilla always plays nicely with wood scents. After a while: this smells almost identical to Velvet at times…only with grittier, less gentle notes, with the sandalwood replaced with cedar. But the scent which dominates is pure, sweet, powerful vanilla. I think I'm getting a bit more of the sassafras at this point as well-or is that the balsam? Well, after about an hour or two…where's the cedar? The balsam and the sassafras? It's pretty much all vanilla now. Pure vanilla SN, and very foody vanilla which has incredible throw. Which is nice, but I was hoping the other notes would stick around to add more complexity. Verdict: not many BPAL vanillas amp up on me, but this one does, in a big way. It's not a bad thing, I like vanilla a lot, but I was hoping that the other notes weren't crushed by the vanilla…this scent started out very interestingly, with rich sweet vanilla on a base of dry rugged cedar, and the balsam and sassafras flitting through every now and then. But then the vanilla takes over and that's the only note I can smell-and it does get overwhelming at times. It also happens to smell very much like the Vanilla Bean SN which means it will be a good substitute when my imp of VB runs out. I do like it, but it's a lot more vanilla-y and foody than I expected.

Sepulcher In the imp: very sweet floral-I'm assuming that's rose and lily. Wet on skin: whoo, this is heady, but in a good way. Rich, dewy floral notes. Dry on skin: ooh, I like this. This smells like a bouquet of white lilies from the florist's-powerfully fragrant, mixed with the strong scent of rose and they merge to become one dominant floral note. The grass note adds a lovely hint of green to the scent, making the flowers smell fresher and more alive. There's a nice moistness here, almost like the flowers have been drenched by rain, and it's almost mournful at times-this is a funeral bouquet placed on a grave on a rainy day. I don't get any juniper, which is surprising since that's usually quite a bright, high pitched note that always peeks out of a scent. After a while: the lily then moves away from the rose, and the scent gets drier and a bit greener. The drydown scent is of dry lily petals, clean, papery and white. Verdict: this is a poignant, heady, emotional floral scent, which is predominantly the scent of rose mixed with highly fragrant lily. It's quite a melancholy scent, there's a lot of feeling in this, the floral notes sing on my skin, but it's a sad song, almost mournful. The lily note is made even more real by the presence of grass which adds a greenness to the scent which gives the impression of a bouquet from a florist's shop, or a bouquet lying on a wet layer of grass, as there's also a moist fresh feel to the scent. I really like this scent, only a drop is needed as the scent is potent and has a lot of throw. I don't need a bottle but I'm glad I have a decant of this gorgeous floral scent.