yeahbutnobut

Cathedral In the imp: oooh, lovely woods and resins. Probably cedar, myrrh and frankincense. Wet on skin: mmm, there's certainly frankincense in here, it reminds me of the frankincense in Anne Bonny, with a similar wood scent. Dry on skin: this is beautiful, rich resinous incense and woods. It's just like church incense with polished wood. Not sure what kind of wood-but it could be cedar. The frankincense is lovely in here, and I think there's also myrrh underneath it all. I even get a little hint of candle smoke. After a while: this fades to become a gentle incense scent, I can smell soft resins on my skin, it's not overpowering or overly smoky, I just have this lovely frankincense with a waft of smoke with myrrh and woody background kind of smell close to my skin. However, I am worried that this may be fading too fast. Verdict: another wonderful incense-wood scent. It has a similar scent to Anne Bonny, with the wood and frankincense, but with more resins and a little bit of smoke instead of patchouli. It really is church incense, think a great church with frankincense and myrrh wafted through it, and deep, polished wood. It's a calming, profound, spiritual and holy scent. Really does evoke what it is named for-it's ages since I've visited a church but this reminds me of the scent of the incense, the light through the stained glass windows, the polished wooden pews, the gothic architecture…I'm not sure if I'd wear it often though, and it does fade quickly. But I really like this, and I'm sure it would make a lovely room scent too.

Asphodel In the imp: a fresh, dewy, white lily-like floral with a strong 'garden like' note. It smells moist and freshly cut. Like a rainy garden scent, with crushed leaves. Wet on skin: a crisp, wet green scent and floral. It's like being in a florist shop. Dry on skin: this is quite amazing. This smells like a fresh flower but also its leaves, it's that clear, sharp green scent of chlorophyll, cut stems, crushed plants. The flower here is like a lily, or lily of the valley, and it smells moist, like it's covered with dew or rain. There's a definite moist flower scent. After a while: it still smells of strong green lilies of the valley and now also honeysuckle. It reminds me of spring, and rain or mist. Like raindrops on waxen blooms. Misty fields filled with ethereal, pure flowers. It reminds me of my holiday in Devon where the weather was pretty damp and dreary, but the rain really brought out the scent of countless honeysuckles blooming all around, it smelt so beautiful... Verdict: this is a very interesting floral scent, because not only is it a floral, but it's a freshly picked floral scent. It's reminiscent of a bouquet brought in from the rain. You can smell the leaves, the moisture, the greenery as well as the flower. It's a fresh, dewy flower scent, I think it is a kind of lily, a I'm thinking lily of the valley, as well as honeysuckle-as it dries down, I get a 'honeysuckles in the rain' scent that I smelt when I was on holiday in Devon. It's a lovely, clean floral scent that I think will be even better during springtime. Gorgeous.

OMG!!!WTFBBQ!! have any of you seen the Beatrice label? I saw a photo of it on Ebay. It's beautiful! Think similar to the artwork on the BPAL site, a shadowy black and white picture of a shady garden full of flowers and plants, and I think there's a peacock in there too. Amazing label!

Bastet!! Definitely Bastet.

Heliotrope In the imp, this smells like almond, but with a soft, 'juicy' quality. I don't get alcohol at all, just something I can only describe as 'juicy almond'! On the skin, it becomes truly beautiful! A gorgeous, sparkling, light, soft and powdery floral scent with nuances of vanilla, sugar, marshmallows, cherry and almond, but without being foody at all. This is the drydown of Eclipse I love so much… I remember going into a garden which had a heliotrope plant with white-lilac coloured flowers as opposed to the usual purple flowers, which had a lovely sweet powdered vanilla like scent. The drydown of this smells very similar, I think, but it also has the cherry-like bite of the purple variety. I'm so glad I have an imp of this, it's complex enough to be worn alone, and to experiment with layering.

The Caterpillar In the imp: mmm, dark patchouli, incense and neroli. For some reason, it reminds me of something from Lush. Wet on skin: the dark smoky notes are nicely balanced by neroli, carnation and bergamot. Dry on skin: I don't know why, but this reminds me of the smell of a B Never shop/perfume-in fact, this reminds me of Covent Garden! That place in Covent Garden between the market and the other side of the piazza, where Lush, B Never and L'Occitane are, this smells like wafting fragrances from all three shops. The moss, incense, patchouli, and a bit of vetiver provide a dark background for a bright, tangy topping of neroli, bergamot and maybe carnation and some jasmine. It's a nice contrast, and adds complexity and a multi faceted aspect to the scent. After a while: this gets more and more B Never like as I smell this. The floral and the darker notes become balanced. It reminds me of the general B Never shop scent in the same way that the wet stage of Venice was, for me, the general Lush shop scent. After a few hours, this dries down to Tramp on me! Must be the patchouli and oakmoss...but actually, this reminds me of B Never's Smagradine, which smells slightly different, yet still similar to Tramp. In fact, I've come to realise that Caterpillar smells a lot like the Botanomancy section of B Never. Verdict: this was a very pleasant surprise. If Venice, to me, was Lush, then Caterpillar is B Never. I was expecting a slightly headshoppy blend with florals, but instead the florals, tangy citrus notes and deep incense, moss and patchouli mingle to create a scent reminiscent of B Never. Or more precisely, smelling all the different scents in the Covent Garden B Never branch after stepping out of Lush, with the smell of Lush still clinging to my clothes. It's a wonderful scent and it makes me smile, it's very complex and full of different notes, yet nicely balanced so they all mingle as one on the drydown…it's a keeper!

Spectre In the imp: sweet florals, no doubt the lilac and lily of the valley, maybe tuberose too. Wet on skin: floral! Smells like dewy, fragrant blossoms. Dry on skin: now a slight greenish note joins the soft, pure flowers. I think this could be the white sandalwood, because this smells woody but also fresh and green. I'm not sure what palmarosa smells like, but that could be there too. There's something cooling about this green scent, dry and cold, ghostly even. It's both sweet and floral but with an undercurrent of cold, sharp, dark greenness. After a while: this improves with wear. The greenness retreats to the background without leaving, letting the soft floral scents become strong again. This is a very clean, white floral scent, but it has a darker, colder feel to it. I'm thinking the unusual scent in this may be the lilac, here, this floral note is unusual, because it actually reminds me of both fresh blossoms and lilacs on the verge of decay-but not in a disgusting, rotting way. It seems quite appropriate for such a ghostly, solemn scent. Verdict: this is an intriguing one. There's a lovely blend of dewy, rich, white florals here that I love. An almost innocent, pure floral scent. but as the scent dries, there's also an undercurrent of something slightly sharper, greener, a bit harsh…it adds a cold, ghostly aspect to what would normally be a pretty flower blend. And as I smell more, it actually reminds me of lilacs that are starting to decay…this seems to match the spectral theme of the scent. However, because of this strange note, I don't love this blend, but I do like it. I might keep the imp, as this is quite an interesting, mysterious, quite melancholy fragrance, the name is very fitting.

Nine Muses In the imp: sweet and sugary, but also herbal, and with a hint of citrus. Reminds me of lemon and sugar, with herbs I'm thinking lavender, rosemary, maybe bergamot too? Wet on skin: this is a sweet, almost candy like citrus, like lemon sherbet, or lemongrass/verbena, with herbs… Dry on skin: this smells lovely! Sweet citrus, possibly bergamot and lemon balm, with herbs-I'm not sure what herbs-maybe thyme, or rosemary, there may even be olive here? It smells very pleasant indeed. It's a nice, mind clearing scent, it seems to make me feel quite focused and calm inside. Now I need to see if the creative juices will start to flow… After a while: it starts to get soapy as it dries down, this reminds me of the clean, 'clothes drying on the line' drydown of Catalyst, in fact. It seems to work though…I've been getting back to my arty projects, and continuing the ones I've been putting off for weeks, and not being distracted by little niggling things like I usually am. Verdict: at first, this has a very pleasant, sugared lemon scent, with some herbs. On the skin, bergamot and a lemon scent come out, along with some warm herbs. It reminds me a little of Calliope (a blend named after one of the nine muses, funnily enough). The drydown is soapy though, not unpleasantly so, but I prefer the wet and just-dried scent. But then again, this is all about intent, not scent…and purpose wise, I think it works. I haven't done anything arty for some time, and I've been getting back to doing some of my old, unfinished projects on Photoshop again, and not being distracted from it. I also find that this scent makes me feel more calm and focused. I'd like to try this when getting back to drawing and sketching, and writing too. This one's a keeper!

What about imps/bottles leaking on the plane? Has that happened to any of you, and how do you prevent that from happening?

Jailbait went cough syrup/cherry Strepsils on me... Hollywood Babylon has a very nice cherry note, along with heliotrope and red musk, vanilla and strawberry. Heliotrope smells like either cherry dessert (like Carnivale) or soft golden vanilla (Eclipse) on me. Try Carnivale if you can get a decant from someone-it has a bittersweet black cherry like scent from the berries and heliotrope. It smells like real cherry sauce to me, but may be too candy for your liking?

It's a hard to obtain scent, and it's not really a 'perfume' as such, but TAL's Temple Daoist has a definite blown out candle note in it. It's a gorgeous scent, I think it would be very nice for meditation.

I have some myrrh essential oil and it does smell quite bitter, however i have heard there are many varieties including, I think, a 'sweet' myrrh. Some of the myrrh scents in BPAL are quite sweet, but in a dark way, not golden-sweet like amber. There are also 'light' and 'dark' myrrh notes in BPAL, I don't know the difference between them though. I adore Anubis as well-there's something about it that smells 'honeyed' to me, like golden honeyed resins. If you like cinnamon you should give Chimera a whirl-it has a dark, sweet myrrh scent to it. The honeysuckle note in it is barely noticeable. And also, La Petite Mort. It has ylang ylang but that's not too strong-it's mainly a skin musk with myrrh, and it's quite sexy, I think!

Today, Queen of Sheba is quite nutty on me, in a honeyed roasted almond kind of way. Not the bitter cherry-almond scent it has at the beginning when the scent is wet, but more nutty. Hellcat was nutty, but the rum ruined it for me. It was way too rummy for me, but you may be lucky. I wish Bliss was Nutella on me...it turns to watered down Options (low fat chocolate drink) on my skin.

Psyche In the imp: lavender and a bit of rose. Very nice. Wet on skin: mmm, lavender! I think I can also smell the white musk and orchid, and possibly the rose. Dry on skin: lavender, rose and orchid, possibly musk and frankincense too. This is a very soothing scent, soft and floral, gentle and feminine. It's lovely. Reminds me of Magdalene, Queen Mab and Sophia, it has elements of those scents. After a while: the orchid and musk are now more noticeable, the orchid has quite a green scent to it, I think. The rose and lavender are in the background with the musk, creating a soft, slightly powdery backdrop. I'm not sure, but something in this scent smells a bit dark maybe even smoky, but that could be my nose/skin acting weird. It's not unpleasant though, this is still a lovely soft scent. After a short while, that odd scent disappears, leaving a gentle lavender musk scent behind. It hasn't got much throw but I really like this stage of the scent. Verdict: Psyche is a mixture of different elements of Queen Mab, Magdalene and Sophia. and This is a gorgeous floral fragrance with a strong lavender note, with orchid and sweet white musk, and a bit of rose. It's a soothing, feminine scent, a very pretty fragrance. Despite one moment when it turns a bit odd on my skin, I really like it-especially the wet and just-dry stage, although I prefer Sophia as my soft lavender-musk-floral scent, and Mab as my white musk floral.

Kunstkammer In the imp: orange! Pure sweet orange with sugar. Candied orange and squeezed orange. All the aspects of orange in one. ORANGE! Wet on skin: still sweet and orangey, but it calms down and sweetens a bit, softens up. Dry on skin: mmm! I can now smell something else with the orange-like a sweet, amber-sugar scent, and something faint that reminds me of cherry candy. I can't smell any pepper here, but I think that I can smell the olibanum (which is, I think, a kind of frankincense), and I think that the sweet scent might be benzoin. It's very soft now, it's not the full on ORANGE that it was before, it's now a sweet, gentle, candy like scent, but it's slightly faint. After a while: now the throw improves once more, and it's so sweet! It reminds me of ice lollies, boiled orange sweets, fruity soft drinks, and the sugary syrup from an orangey fruit salad. It smells sunny and youthful, reminds me of summer and childhood. But when you take a deep sniff, you can make out the individual notes-the bright, resinous olibanum, the juicy orange, the sticky sweet benzoin. No pepper as far as I can tell-though if it is there, it probably is adding a definite sense of warmth to the scent as opposed to full on spiciness. There's also something in here that reminds me of sweet cherry soda and raspberry sorbet! It's truly yummy. Verdict: this is such a fun scent! It's bright, sweet, and playful. At first it's a full on orange overload, but on the skin, the resins come out to play. The scent overall has a sticky sweet candy like scent, like fruity ice-lollies (not just orange, I swear I can smell cherries and raspberry too) and boiled sweets. This scent makes me feel young inside, like I'm six years old once more, it reminds me of the local playground where there would be an ice cream van that sold ice lollies that smell similar to this. This fragrance makes me smile.

Kweku Anansi In the imp: dark herbs and spices. Pepper is prominent, as is thyme. Wet on skin: pepper! Lots of pepper, and also thyme, nutmeg, grass and moss. Dry on skin: oooh, spicy! This is a definite nose-tingler! Pepper and nutmeg add a crackling warmth with green grass, thyme and vetiver. This is a lovely scent with something quite culinary about it, though the grass and moss stop this from becoming too much of a savoury food scent. After a while: it still retains that warm pepper-nutmeg scent, but with more of the green earthy background coming through. Apart from that, it stays pretty consistent. Verdict: this is an interesting mix of spice, herbs and greenery. Hot pepper and nutmeg with an almost savoury thyme make this scent somewhat foody in a savoury way, but the grass, vetiver and moss in the background adds a contrast to this scent. It's quite sharp, very spicy, dark and earthy. It's also quite a masculine scent, but I do enjoy it, and may keep the imp.

Love in the Asylum In the imp: sweet, 'honeyed' rose. Mmm, rose. Wet on skin: oh, this is lovely. It's a sweetened, sugary rose. Like a fresh rose covered in vanilla sugar…and I detect some carnation comes creeping in. Dry on skin: wow. This is beautiful! It's a light and crisp rose coupled with a deeper rose, with a profound sweetness from the vanilla and tonka, and possibly the balsam and ambergris, and also a nice soft spiciness from the carnation. It has similarities to Magdalene, Alice and Maiden, and yet, it is different, more complex…it's truly sublime. I can't even smell the tobacco here. After a while: still predominantly rose-but then again, I love rose so that's a good thing. All the deep, sweet notes mingle and balance out, forming a lovely background for the rose. I think I can smell a hint of tobacco smoke, wafting gently without smelling overpowering. The scent becomes mellower and the rose seems to melt into the sweet vanilla-tonka-balsam-tobacco backdrop really nicely. Verdict: I can't believe I never bought this. This is one of the loveliest rose scents out there. this is a rose sweetened by vanilla, with a little hint of carnation, and a host of other deep, sweet notes that make this a wonderful and complex rose fragrance. I was worried about the tobacco and the vanilla being of the 'evil' kind (ie it becomes cloying and too sweet on my skin), but in here I can hardly smell the tobacco-though it could account for the slight smokiness, and the vanilla blends in fantastically. The complex variety of scents eventually settles and becomes rounder and smoother in the drydown. I adore this scent and will be hunting a bottle down.

Sekhmet Again, many thanks to Ultraviolet for letting me try some of this. In the imp: soft smoky mint. Reminds me of Helping Hand. There's something woody/spicy in the background. Wet on skin: this is quite nice-it's still a smoky mint-and is that chocolate I smell??? Dry on skin: this is really good-I can now smell cinnamon, though it's not too prominent-it warms the scent up, adds a touch of sweetness. It's still minty…in fact, it has that same 'After Eight' dark chocolate-mint scent as Helping Hand!! I love After Eights! And in the background, I get smouldering incense, that same bonfire-smoky scent as Djinn…and is that vetiver? It can't be, but there's something here that reminds me of vetiver. And possibly tobacco leaves as well. It's interesting because the scent is warm and quite fiery/smoky but the mint gives it a contrasting coolness. After a while: the mint has faded slightly, leaving a dark, brooding scent of smoking woods, incense, and dried aromatic spices and leaves. Something about this scent reminds me of gently smouldering embers. I can make out vetiver or tobacco here, and also a little hint of cinnamon, some dark chocolate, maybe some resins too? It's a very complex scent, I can't really place what's in it! Verdict: I have a great affinity for the Egyptian pantheon, so it's no surprise that I've been dying to try this scent, named after the fearsome lioness goddess of Egypt. While not as incredibly 'omg wow!' inducing as Horus, Nuit and Bastet, I really like it! It's an unusual mix of minty, spicy, smoky, dark and sweet. I can make out a scent of mint and something that reminds me of dark chocolate, and also some vetiver or tobacco which makes this similar to Helping Hand-but in here there's an even smokier scent, reminds me of smouldering woods and incense, or bonfire smoke. There's also a little bit of spice, probably cinnamon. The warm, smoky and spicy aspects of the scent contrast with the piercing mint, yet there's a dark sweetness to the scent that rounds it all off. It's a fascinating fragrance, a brooding and smoky fiery scent yet with many contrasts, it's complex and unusual (and also reminds me of After Eight mints, which is always a good thing!!!). I really hope it gets released some day, as I wouldn't mind getting more of this.

Buck Moon In the imp: a soft, faint, green and herbal scent with a warm sweetness behind it. Wet on skin: this is nice. Green herbs, grass, crushed leaves, fresh night air and a warm background of musk. Dry on skin: mmm!!! Now I can see why this is so loved-it's quite beautiful! The musk in here is sublime-it reminds me of Morocco's soft sweet musk or of skin-scent musk, and there's maybe also a white musk note that is clear and sparkling. There's a fresh scent of herbs and grasses and a scent like the air in the forest on warm summer nights with the crisp light of the moon shining. It's lovely. After a while: I can now make out the lunar oils-it's that clear, crystalline scent that I found in Blue Moon…or maybe that could be a white musk? Whatever it is, it brings images of moonlight, silvery and cool, into my head. The musk and forest scents now blend together as one. There's something about this scent that reminds me of summer nights when I've been away on holiday. The air has the scent of herbs and pine trees, and it's warm, yet fresher than the daytime, and the stars are so bright, the sky so clear, you can see the milky way…and here it has that smooth, velvety musk, the scent of warm skin, which gets even nicer as it dries down even more. Verdict: this is a blend of a green fresh fragrance of crushed leaves and herbs, with warm night air, and a wonderful soft musk, which is sweet and sensual, a real skin scent. There's a scent here that really does remind me of those warm summer nights, it's so accurate…and the musk isn't animalistic in the slightest-it's like that gorgeous musk in Morocco which I adore. Soft and velvety, with the sultry warmth of a summer night. I am glad that I have an imp of it, and I'm regretting not getting a bottle.

Fire Eater In the imp: dried flower petals. It's an odd floral-it smells like dried flowers but with fresh nectar and pollen as well-quite hard to describe really. Wet on skin: hmm, this is quite an unusual scent. I'm thinking fresh blossoms mixed with dried faded petals with something green and sharp? Very strange… Dry on skin: this isn't too bad actually. It's definitely a floral scent, but I can't pin down what flower or flowers are in here. It reminds me slightly of flowers from a florists-maybe carnation, sweet pea or freesia? Or perhaps stargazer lily? The more I sniff, the more I think this could be lily. It's like a pink-red bouquet of rich flowers-it no longer smells dry and sharp, it smells more fresh, even quite dewy now. It's got a definite warmth, but no discernible spice. I'm also wondering if there may be dragon's blood here as there's a clear red scent to this. After a while: there's a clearer, sweeter, richer floral scent coming through now. Like someone stuck a bunch of fragrant blooms under my nose. Thing is, I still don't know what floral this is! It's so intriguing, it's like I've smelt it before but I can't remember what it is. However, I have a hunch that it is a lily of some sort. I can even smell the pollen, the nectar, and the stamens of the flowers here. The more I sniff this, I can recognise another smell in here-candles!!! There's something here that reminds me of candle wax/smoke. Or something flammable but not overly chemical and off putting, sort of like paraffin or candle wax. It fits with the name and theme. It's warm, waxy, like a gentle flame from a candle. It even feels warm on the skin. Verdict: this is one of the most unusual floral blends I've ever smelt. It's hard to put my finger on exactly what this smells like, but somehow just 'flowers' cannot even begin to describe what this smells like. It's a pink-red scent, at once both fresh and even moist, but also warm, like a softly glowing fire-but with no blatant spices. It reminds me of a sort of lily, maybe with dragon's blood, but I could be wrong. All I know is that it's a fascinating and different flowery scent to the usual. But as time passes, I start to make out a scent of candles or paraffin, that really does evoke fire, flammable and flickering. I really like it, but it's so baffling that I'm unsure if I want a bottle, but I'm keeping the imp of it, as I think this is another scent that will grow on me.

Geek In the imp: dark, slightly sweet, pine and wood scented, with a spicy tingle. Wet on skin: oooh, nice! This is a sweet, woody-resin-spice scent. Dry on skin: this is really nice! I can smell the grass (omg it really smells grassy!), the patchouli and leather (which is really nice in here!), the cedar and pine, the moss, there's a little spiciness to the scent that's no doubt from the cinnamon. I'm not familiar with opoponax but that might be what's causing the resinous sweetness in the background. I really like this scent-it's quite masculine, but in a sexy way, it has a similar feel to King of Clubs even though it smells different. After a while: there's a sweetness which reminds me of pine resin and possibly the opoponax and cinnamon, but on top of it all is a scent of greenness, from grass, moss, cedar and pine needles. It's a very genuine grass scent. The cinnamon isn't very noticeable, but it does lend a certain warmth and spicy dryness to the scent. The leather in here works wonderfully with the rest of the notes. After an hour, the grass and pine note smells quite burnt-it really is dry grass now. It's dry and quite harsh now, but doesn't lose that leather-patchouli scent with sweet pine and resins. Verdict: another pleasant surprise from CN. I was a bit worried about the leather in this scent, but it actually works very nicely in this blend. There's a dark and sweet resinous background, a fantastic green grass, moss, cedar and pine note, with a spicy cinnamon twist and a sexy leather scent-and what a great combination this is. This is quite masculine without being totally manly. After a while it develops a slightly burnt, harsh note, but this isn't too bad and seems to fit the theme and the overall scent. I don't need a bottle of it, but I'm definitely keeping the imp, and I think it will be really sexy on a guy!!!

Tulzscha In the imp: cool, sweet mint and cucumber. Wet on skin: oooh, fresh, tingly, cool mint, with cucumber. Dry on skin: this is a nose-tingling, cold, fresh, sweet mint with cool, watery cucumber and maybe the slightest hint of pepper. It feels lovely and cool on the skin too, as well as on the nose! After a while: hey, this is cool as a cucumber! The mint is still there, although more subdued, but the cucumber scent strengthens. I can't believe it still feels cold against my skin, even though it's now really dry. It stays cool for about an hour, before that sensation fades and still leaves a cucumber scent and something slightly reminiscent of the minty-moss scent of Cathode. Verdict: a cold rush of mint, mint and more mint with cucumber. It's sweet mint, reminiscent of mint sweets like Polo and various chewing gums, with the wet freshness of cucumber, and the barest hint of pepper. This is a very nice smell for summer, like today-it's really, really hot and this scent is perfect for this kind of weather as it really cools the skin as well as the nose! I quite like it, and though I do prefer Undertow and Cathode as my minty-fresh scents, I think I'll keep the decant I have of it.

Blood Amber In the imp: dragon's blood, sweetened by amber. Wet on skin: yup, still dragon's blood and amber… Dry on skin: mmm…this is quite nice! The clear, red, fluid scent of dragon's blood coupled with the rich sweetness of amber. It's a simple, yet unusual combination that makes for an interesting scent. After a while: after a while when the dragon's blood and amber seem to alternate as to which note is more prominent, the scent seems more balanced, and the qualities of both scents are apparent in the overall fragrance. After an hour or two, there's something musky that comes out! maybe a red musk? Perhaps that's the dragon's blood, but there is something musk like here-bordering on the almost animalistic, but not quite there. Verdict: this is a very simple combination-just two scents, dragon's blood and amber. But they make for a very interesting, unconventional perfume. the dragon's blood and amber mix to form a resinous, clear scent which is both red and golden, sweet and fluid, both notes change and alternate. It's a nice scent, not an outright favourite, but I do like it.

I got a reply from Sara, and yes, they do accept e-checks even for LEs and Lunacies. However they process those orders only when the check clears. Just thought I'd let everyone know.

Jezebel has an orange blossom note along with rose and honey... Also, the Lovers and Santa Eularia Des Riu have strong orange blossom notes, though they are mixed with lots of other notes...