yeahbutnobut

Beltane In the imp: fresh, green and with a hint of light florals. Very 'springy'. Wet on skin: this reminds me of a perfume I sometimes wore when I was younger. This is so green and bubbly, with light spring florals. It does smell a bit soapy, but this isn't too bad, for now. Dry on skin: this is such a green scent, but more of a spring green, like buds and new leaves on the trees. There's a scent of blossom here, adding a gentle floral note. It makes me think of a sunny spring day, it's cheerful and playful. But now it mellows out and I can make out jasmine and maybe some rose and loads of spring flowers. It gets less soapy and more floral now, but still with a crisp green note, which is also quite aquatic. This brings to mind meadows, and blossoming trees growing by clear streams. After a while: this reminds me of little bit of the wet stage of Nuit, but it's a greener, sunnier and moister daytime equivalent, I think it's the jasmine. It really does remind me of a perfume I wore when I was younger though. Verdict: this is a lovely, light scent which is the essence of spring. It makes me want to go skipping in dewy meadows and then lying under blossoming trees and letting the petals fall on me. It's bouncy, it's fresh and green, with blossom and jasmine scents, and possibly rose. It's slightly soapy, but in a pleasant, 'child's soap bubbles' kind of way. There's something youthful and playful about this scent. However, I do prefer Nuit or Queen Mab as my jasmine scent, but this is really nice. Edit: I was hoping to love this scent. But after an hour, it smells just like Raid fly spray, and stays like that for ages. It's a nice sweet flowery scent but it reminds me too much of insecticide for me to love it

Ra In the imp: fresh, sweet and quite herbal-floral with citrus. I'm not sure but there's something in this I can recognise, but I can't remember what it is! It reminds me of cologne? Wet on skin: oooh, this is nice. It's very zingy, slightly citrus, with some thing floral or herbal, backed up by warmth. It's gentle though, and quite sweet too. Dry on skin: this gets better! There's a lovely sweet herbal mixture here. I'm wondering if there's geranium or carnation here? I'm not sure, but this is a sweet, warm smell, like the gentle warmth of sunrise as opposed to the full heat of noon. I can't tell what the notes are in this though…I think that it's either amber or honey that provides the sweet note, and there are herbs in this-maybe lavender, or sage, or rosemary? There's also a prominent citrus note giving this a nice kick. I think it could be lemon, or lemongrass/citronella. I think there's frankincense too. And some spice, cinnamon and/or pepper maybe…damn, it's complex, but so nice! After a while: I think there's apricot in this. But it's not a sickly sweet apricot, but a gorgeous spiced apricot that blends so nicely with the other notes, it isn't dominant or overpowering. It's a bit like my mum's apricot jam, in which she adds cinnamon and vanilla…I'm not sure if that's what's in this blend, but it is slightly reminiscent of that. There's also a spicy-herbal smell that gets stronger with time, this adds an element of 'heat' to overall scent, adds a bit of oomph. Then it has this lovely sweet-spicy smell, similar to Eclipse but with more of a spice kick, and probably something herbal too. The smell is similar to Ahathoor as well, but stronger with better throw. Verdict: I love the Stations of the Sun, and this one, the one that, as the name suggests, is the most 'solar' of them all, blew me away. It's got a gentle yet powerful energy to it, bright, youthful, warm and golden, the morning sun captured in scent. It's sweet, herbal, spicy, fruity, floral and resinous all at once. It makes me feel warm and positive inside. This could be the scent that will turn me into a morning person. Another favourite, and yes, another Egyptian scent I have fallen in love with! Ra Ra Ra!!! Now that I've tried and loved every SoS oil, I'm considering buying a Solar Collection pack

Skadi The Snow-Shoe Goddess, Giantess, the Norse embodiment of winter. Frost-rimed winter berries, crisp pine needle, and a slush of bright snowy notes. In the bottle: wow. This is one of the loveliest festive scents. There are berries there, with warm spices, cinnamon and cloves, with a chilly menthol/pine scent, which smells less medicinal, and more like a winter forest. On skin: this smells more medicinal now, but also with a warm spiciness. It smells like pine, menthol, cloves, but with sweet berries and mulled wine there too. It also reminds me of a remedy my mum dropped on my pillow when I had a cold-it came in little capsules and smelt similar to this. But that's no bad thing. It's like a biting winter wind, but with an undertone of heat, like a log fire in a forest cabin, sheltered from the cold. Very interesting! After a while: this doesn't morph much, but the smell is quite complex as it is-an explosion of hot and cold notes, very clearing to the head and nose, making me feel chilled and warmed simultaneously, which is seemingly impossible, but there it is-a paradox in scent! But it does tend to get sweeter, similar to Midwinter's Eve but not as sweet, because of the spice and pine. Verdict: this is an incredible scent-it has the amazing capability of smelling both hot and cold at the same time. There's pine and menthol-similar to a cold remedy but more pleasant-adding a chill to this scent, but the spices and berries bring a gorgeous, comforting warmth. It brings to mind a snowy forest, and your looking into a welcoming log cabin with a warm fire and the smell of mulled wine is wafting from the cabin, inviting you in. this would be fantastic as a room fragrance. Please bring it back this December! This is much better than Midwinter's Eve, this is the best Christmas scent!

Midwinter's Eve In the bottle: sweet berries and watermelon? Not a scent I would associate with the Yuletide period, but with summer. It's very pleasant, but very sweet-like candied berries. Wet on skin: very very sweet berries. Reminds me of a soap from the Body Shop. And yes, there's still watermelon, it's got a coolness to it. Dry on skin: sweet berries, candy and ice. This is very sweet but quite pleasant. The scent is cool, like chilled cranberry/blackcurrant juice-I think I can smell cranberries in this, but without their distinctive dryness. There's probably plum in this too. It smells just like fruity sweets, so edible. I want to lick it off. After a while: the scent gets more tart. It still retains it's sweetness, but there's a fruity tartness, like cranberry juice, that comes through. in fact, now it smells similar to the Body Shop's Cranberry scent they released last December. However the tart note also reminds me of white wine or champagne! But there's still that cool, almost watermelon like, background scent-gives a feel of ice or snow. Verdict: this is really nice, but incredibly sweet. This is just like chilled fruit juice with fruit candies sprinkled with icing sugar. A nice cheerful, delicious sweet scent, bright and bubbly, an antidote for winter, and quite nice for summer too, strangely enough. I think this will be fantastic as room fragrance. Edit: This fades too fast on me-and changes from crisp berries to plasticy scented candle wax.

Rapture In the imp: whoa, posh French perfume! Rose and musk are dominant, but there's a tartness that must be from the citrus notes in this. Wet on skin: wow, rose, musk, jasmine, and other fruitier notes blended into a sophisticated mix. Dry on skin: this reminds me of Othello, but much nicer. It reminds me of something my mum wears, or my godmother wears-it's very perfumey. Very mature and posh, quite sexy. The jasmine adds a light floral touch, white the rose becomes more defined and the musk and possibly the myrrh adds a decadent depth. After a while: this doesn't change too much, it just remains a sensual and sumptuous blend of deep musk and rose and jasmine. Verdict: this is really nice, gentler than the other 'perfumey' BPAL blends, but very sophisticated, floral-musk mix which is both subtle yet sexy-the rose and jasmine are defined, yet well blended with the musk-I think the myrrh adds depth but is not as prominent as the florals. However the fruit doesn't really show up. This is a very mature blend, the sort of thing to wear to make me feel posh and ladylike-and this is a great scent for hot dates and romantic evenings out. Not one to get as a big bottle, but I really like it as an imp.

Forbidden Fruit In the imp: fruit bubblegum!! bubblegum, but there's also a soft floral aspect…must be the lotus. Wet on skin: this reminds me of something I smelt at the Body Shop-either their new lotus and frangipani bath cream or the monoi oil-I wonder if there's gardenia and/or frangipani in this too? This is so sweet and yummy, soft florals and candy like fruit. It's an innocent and cutesy smell-no bad thing. Dry on skin: the florals become prominent…this is a gorgeous blend that reminds me of lush tropical blooms and sweets. This is so light and so sweet, but more than just bubblegum-I think this blend is bringing out the floral-ness of the lotus as well as the candy sweetness. It also reminds me of a lovely sun lotion my mum bought some time ago. After a while: I'm wondering if there's jasmine here as well. This isn't really 'fruity' as the name suggests, but it develops into a beautiful exotic floral blend. I'm guessing there's frangipani, honeysuckle, gardenia or jasmine in this, or all of these, or maybe there's something that brings out a more developed lotus scent. Verdict: this makes me feel so girly and young, it's a lovely and innocent feminine scent of sweet fruity candy, which then changes to a beautiful and more sensual exotic floral smell-lotus with probably some other flowers, this becomes stronger as time goes by. This reminds me of sun lotion, but in a good way-it reminds me of summer holidays, and would be perfect for summer. Apart from Black Lotus, I love BPAL's lotus blends, this one's no exception.

Calliope In the imp: sweet almonds with fresh green herbs and something lemony or citrusy. Wet on skin: the almond begins to fade and the herbal citrus smell comes forward. It's lemon verbena, just like the one growing in my garden, and some mint and perhaps orange and thyme. Dry on skin: the almond is gone, as usual, and it's verbena, thyme and lavender that are now strong on my skin-a herbal lemony scent with the warm and fuzzy lavender and thyme, and I think I can make fresh mint. It's like a Mediterranean evening, when the sun goes down and you can smell the herbs all around. After a while: thyme and possibly lavender are dominant now-this is so herbal, like my mum's herb cupboard. Smells like dinner. There's a hint of something savoury in this, probably the thyme, but it also reminds me of olives or sea air…yes, this is the scent of an evening in Greece. This also reminds me of herbal tea-that could be the bergamot aspect, which is probably why I'm thinking of tea, because that's the smell of Earl Grey. Verdict: this is a lovely, potent herbal blend. It starts off almondy, but then becomes very herbal and warm, and soothing. I love the way the smell reminds me of holidays in Greece, those warm evenings with the scent of herbs in the air, ah, pleasant memories…or like my mum's herb cupboard. It's a nice blend, because of the lavender, it's more of an aromatherapy blend than a perfume to me, and it smells like something I'd add to season my lunch thanks to the thyme. It's calming, warming and medicinal in a good, old fashioned herbal remedy kind of way.

Pink Moon In the imp: holy moly, strawberry milkshake! *licks lips* this smells just like fresh strawberry milkshake with something flowery in the background. Wet on skin: the sugary sweetness is still there, but there's something darker there…almost like burnt wood? What is my skin doing to this? It's bizarre, and slightly worrying. Dry on skin: oh this is interesting…this doesn't smell very strawberry-ish any more, there's something crisp and green, or crisp and woody in this. With a hint of warmth. Reminds me of sandalwood, but crisper. It's underscored by a lovely sweetness…maybe this is the scent of strawberries with their leaves. And it improves as time goes on…the sweetness gets richer, but still with that biting green woody note to start with, but the sweet smell underneath is quite delicious-and the strawberries return. After a while: after about 5 minutes, the sharp green note fades away leaving a wonderful sugary sweet note on my skin, like warm syrup, like strawberry juice left in the sun, like candy floss that's melted, like pink flowers in the springtime. But there's an interesting bite to this, like a twist in the scent, it's spicy and intriguing. It's not sickly sweet at all. After ten minutes, the sweetness develops again. I swear I can smell banana in this? Strange, but pleasant. Maybe that could be the honey reacting with another note. There's a floral quality to this, added to the squashed strawberry and sugar smell. There's a lot of sweetness in this, including sugar and honey, plus strawberry juice, plus a green note like spring flowers or grass or leaves. I have no idea what dogwood, muscari and phlox smell like, but maybe that could be it. After fifteen minutes, the smell becomes ever sweeter, the fruity and sugary notes get stronger. After 20-30 minutes, this smells like strawberry fudge or candy floss!!! Yum! As time goes on, it gets sweeter and pinker, and there's a light floral note there that also seems to intensify. Verdict: like Chaste Moon, these lunar oils are unbelievably complex, they morph so much and reveal great assortments of notes. I was hoping this would smell of pure strawberry milkshake when I applied this, but it changed so much…at first I didn't like it because it had a scary astringent note, this quickly faded to a wonderful sweet fruity-floral with a hint of something spicy or green and woody. This smell is like a sunny April day, with sugar and honey mingling with warm strawberries over spring flowers and foliage. It's gorgeous and delicious, so girly and springy, and yet so interesting with it's complexity.

Val Sans Retour In the imp: cut green grass and pine. Like a lush green valley. Wet on skin: omfg I've been wondering if BPAL would ever make a cut grass scent, and this is it. This is like a freshly mown lawn in the summer sunshine, with pine. But the pine note gets stronger as it dries. Dry on skin: it's faded and the smell has softened, but the smell is of overwhelming, unadulterated GREEN. Grass, mint leaves, pine needles…it's like a grassy valley with pine trees growing on it's slopes, but it's gentle, soothing, slightly sweet, but a bit too faint…I have to go right up to my wrist to smell it. But wait a minute, as this fades, I smell a hint of floral? Or is it honey? Or maybe fruit? It's something sweet, that's for sure. After a while: I have a feeling the sweet note could be apple. I'm uncertain, but that's what it reminds me of. But then I smell it again and it reminds me of a floral note of sorts, and then I smell it again and I swear I can smell herbs, maybe rosemary, sage or thyme. But pine is still a dominant note. This scent is intriguing, it's changing, releasing more scents, teasing me… Verdict: this is the scent of true green. Mint, pine, grass…it's like summer in a lush fairy valley, but unfortunately it's a bit faint on my skin, but it’s amazing…it's got that mown lawn note, with pine, but also something more mysterious, a collection of assorted notes that show themselves as the smell dries. It's really interesting and intriguing and if it was a bit stronger, I'd love it.

Magdalene In the imp: very powerful heady floral. Rose and a greenish floral that must be the orchid, with a sweet honey like note. Wet on skin: wow! The orchid is awesome in this, blending with the rose and the sweet resin-honey note, it's a very sweet floral. Dry on skin: this is really lovely, very feminine with a blend of heady and exotic florals-it reminds me of the tropical orchid garden at my aunts…and there's a sweet note in the background, sticky and resiny, like honey or amber. I'm assuming that the labanum although I have no idea what that smells like. It's really lovely, and has amazing throw, but I mustn't apply too much as it is very intense. After a while: the orchid is still there but is pushed to the background by a scent I can only describe as 'honeyed rose' or resiny rose blooming on my skin. The rose in this a lot of oomph! Verdict: this is another gorgeous blend that to me is just so feminine and mature, but sweet and sumptuous too. It's a heady rose mingled with a tropical green floral smell of orchids, with a sticky sweetness in the background. It's an almost overwhelming sweet floral, but that's no problem for me because I love florals, and I love the poignant 'honeyed rose' smell in this. This blend smells wonderful and womanly, yet very powerful-it's not 'sad' but it does have emotion.

Glitter In the imp: light, sweet florals and fruits. No doubt lotus, heliotrope and pear. Wet on skin: sweeeeet!!! This smells like a sweet shop! Pear drops and bubble gum and wine gums! Yummy! Dry on skin: now the smell is more defined and refined. There's a sparkling tartness from the wine (champagne!) and the pear adds a nice juiciness, I think the lotus and heliotrope adds to it. It's light, sweet and glitzy. After a while: the wine becomes drier and crisper without being sharp, boozy or 'cheap and chavvy' lol and the lotus is distinctive as a background note, which gets more and more prominent as time goes on. Verdict: this is so sweet and light, it's perfect for summer. It's got the lovely lotus which adds it's delicate sweetness to a crisp white wine note with juicy pear. It's sweet without being sickly, it's an effervescent, playful and girly sweetness, and it really does sparkle. This would be perfect to wear when I go to Chessington (a UK theme park) tomorrow…since Carnavale Noir isn't out yet, and I don't have Midway, so this is the next best thing, because it smells so FUN!

Wicked In the imp: this reminds me of Kheprha, but more floral. Must be the myrrh and jasmine and rose. Wet on skin: wow…this reminds me of heady posh perfume, but nicer. I love the depth and resinous sweetness that the myrrh gives to the florals. It darkens it nicely. Dry on skin: the notes in this blend really nicely-it's an intense scent but not overwhelmingly floral, but trapped under the myrrh I can make out the jasmine and rose, these become stronger over time. After a while: pretty much the same, the same mix of sweet myrrh and heady florals, but it gets darker and darker. It's got really powerful throw, so next time I only need apply a little. Verdict: this is the sweet resinous smell of Khephra (which probably contains myrrh) with flowers. It's a gorgeous, sumptuous scent, with a dark side. It's floral, but the myrrh keeps the rose and jasmine back and adds a mysterious depth, however it's very intense and only a little bit needs to be applied. I love this scent, it feels mature and sophisticated but with a touch of the sinister. It's wicked!

Kostnice In the imp: freshly cut waxy flowers, with a background of green or wood. Wet on skin: fresh, green, with something bright and a hint of wood. I think I can smell the lily, it's a crisp, moist smell, with the leaves as well as the flowers of the lily. Dry on skin: sharp and crisp, with hints of green. A bit too sharp, but not off putting just yet, but this sharpness does get tempered quickly. It reminds me of a bouquet of flowers in a church, or white lilies touched by raindrops…I can make out the rose wood underneath. An interesting mix of smells, but it seems to give off a solemn and meditative, perhaps even quite sorrowful feel, but with a lightness and reassuring calmness. After a while: I think I can just make out the geranium? To me geranium is a 'warm' floral whilst the lily is cool, I think I can make out the frankincense adding a distinct, bright tart resinous note to this, blending with the powdery lily, with geranium and rosewood at the bottom, grounding it and adding a warm depth. There's something calming and peaceful about this scent. After a few hours this becomes pure lily. Not soapy lily, but freshly cut lily, even the smell of the leaves. Verdict: this is an intriguing one…it's green, fresh, quite astringent at first, the sharpness was slightly too strong, but it does mellow out, bringing out a woody and incensy depth and soft fresh white florals. It's a contemplative, yet quite mysterious, even melancholy fragrance, yet with a soft warmth and peaceful lightness beneath it all. A lovely, interesting blend. I think it will be one of those scents that will grow on me.

Rose Red In the imp: wow! Pure, fresh, crisp, frozen rose. And a hint of green. Wet on skin: whoa…this is not just rosy perfume, this is a fresh cut rose bud, but chilled, like it's growing in winter. But it's pure rose. Beautiful. Dry on skin: now it's got warmer and fuller, and less green, now the rose is showing its beautiful bloom, the petals have opened. This is a fresh, crisp rose, and such a magnificent scent. After a while: it softens out and fades a bit but still retains that gorgeous, gorgeous fresh cut rose scent, now lingering close to the skin. I am worried that this will fade away though...I hope it doesn't! Verdict: I am hooked on BPAL rose scents. London was dried English rose petals, Rose Cross was pure and sanctified rose, and this is the fragrance of rose petals on ice. This is chilled rose, frozen for eternity and captured in perfume. And so beautiful-you can even smell the rose leaves, the buds, the dew (or frost)…it's crisp, it's pure, it's beautiful. And it truly 'blooms' (hehehe) when it hits the skin, becoming warmer and richer. I sure hope this is being released again this Chrimbo-I'm getting a big bottle, or three. (Now I'm looking forward to 2 5 7!)

Aglaea In the imp: peachy! This is more a bright, crisp peach, with a hint of sweet amber. Wet on skin: still sweet peach, I think there's amber there too and something herbal and earthy-that could be myrtle? There's also a hint of musk. But I'm worried the peach will turn to 'air freshener' peach… Dry on skin: same as above, it's very bright and welcoming, and now it's pure sweet peach-right down to the deeper tart smell that peaches usually have, with bit of powdery musk. Something in this reminds me of summer holidays, or summer in general. It's very cheerful as a scent, and quite edible, I must say… After a while: the tartness of the peach is much more apparent now, but I was hoping for more amber, not just full on peach. But there's still the light musk attempting to tone down the peach, but not really succeeding...it's still purely peachy. Verdict: when it was wet I was worried it would smell like air freshener but when it's dry, it's like a real, ripe juicy peach. It's sunny, cheerful, optimistic and so sweet, with a bit of tartness. I think the amber adds to the peach's sweetness, and there's a hint of musk there. it's a wonderfully summery, joyous scent, but I'm not sure if I would want a big bottle-I prefer Fae as my peach scent. But this is lovely as an imp.

Dana O'Shee In the imp: honeyed almonds!!! I can see why people compare this to Lush's Snowcake. Wet on skin: soft, creamy, honey and almonds. This is gorgeous and soft, quite yummy, in fact. Dry on skin: oh no…the almonds have faded and the smell is ever so faint…just the barest hint of creamy honey, but it's a really nice smell, none the less. It is reminiscent of Snowcake but mush more honey and creamy smelling, and very gentle. But the throw is very weak…the fragrance has the strength of a body lotion than a perfume. Mind you, it does get gradually stronger and more apparent as time passes, but never gets overpowering, which is good. After a while: this really is so gentle, luckily the smell gets a bit more apparent…but the sweet smell is so lovely-there's still a hint of almond, loads of honey, maybe some vanilla too. It smells like a yummy dessert, like ice cream, I want to lick it off. (It also smells like I could replicate this scent by mixing Lush's Smitten and Afterlife together as there are notes in there from both scents!) After a few hours, the smell is just like Snow White's was after a few hours-creamy vanilla, only this time with honey. Verdict: I love the smell of this-so gentle, soft, sweet, gorgeous, delicious. Honey and almonds and milk, yum yum,…but the problem is that I have to go right up to my wrist and sniff really hard-it's a 'barely there' smell. This might be a good thing though, because it may prevent the smell from becoming sickly or cloying. I love it, and there's something about this smell that reminds me of childhood…makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I'm not sure if I'd want a big bottle as the smell is not very strong on me, if it had a teeny bit more throw, I'd be in love.

A raven-haired Fairy Queen of Ireland. One of her eternal duties dictates that she must hold a midnight court every season and hear the pleas of married Irishwomen. The court serves only to determine whether or not husbands are adequately serving their wife’s sexual needs. A judicious yet powerfully sensual blend, a mingling of justice and sexuality: sage, sweet pea, bold pale musk and warm tonka. In the imp: sweet and light…must be the tonka and sweet pea. There's also a hint of something green and herbal, maybe the sage. Wet on skin: fresh and green, light and sweet. I think the sage is becoming more apparent, it's herbal smell is prominent, but the tonka sweetens it. There's a light floral, which must be the sweet pea. Dry on skin: interesting…it's more herbal and green now, it's a tart, crisp, fresh greenness but there's that sweet tonka note, and white musk. It reminds me of a garden in springtime after being watered...or a fairy garden? After a while: the green note is less strong now, now the tonka and musk are apparent, adding a warm, soft, powdery (in a good way) sweetness, it is almost like a baby oil or glowing skin like smell…wow! Verdict: I could just imagine a fairy queen smelling like this it is very green, very herbal, yet with something sweet and magical in the background. It's a very nice, fresh, very 'outdoors' sort of smell, like an enchanted spring garden, but there's a light sweetness, and a soft hint of musk, warm and comforting, that becomes more apparent as the minutes pass by. Another lovely fairy themed blend! I like it, not sure if I'll get a bottle, but an imp of it is fine for now.

Salome In the imp: almonds! Sweet almonds, and maybe a hint of musk. Wet on skin: almonds with a sweet undercurrent, I think I can smell jasmine in this now. And maybe musk too. Dry on skin: as usual, the almonds fade fast, and now I can smell the musk. Lovely Egyptian musk, reminiscent of Bastet's musk, but with jasmine instead of amber and spice. I think I can smell the sandalwood in this too. This smells sexy! It's a dark deep smell as opposed to a light golden aroma, I'm wondering if it's the oak moss deepening the blend? After a while: there's something spicy and incensy about this-the musk strengthens, and I think the sandalwood does too. It's a warm, slightly sweet, yet dark fragrance. Verdict: I'm a huge fan of these exotic blends that BPAL concoct, and this one is really nice-sensual, mature, gorgeous. There's a deep rich musk and sandalwood note in this (a bit like Morocco but more 'feminine'), and it's lightened by jasmine. It's a very indulgent smell, and it's also very sexy, very grown up and sophisticated, with a hint of darkness. I love it.

Succour In the imp: church incense mixed with dry white wine and olives??? Bizarre. A bit sharp, but, then again, never judge a BPAL by it's imp. Wet on skin: the salty sharp olive smell fades, and now there's something that smells of incense. It's like either church incense or new age shop incense, or a mix of both. Dry on skin: same really as wet, a resiny incense smell. I can see why this is touted as a meditation blend, it's a spiritual smell reminiscent of churches or temples. There's probably frankincense and/or amber in this, but it's not a sweet amber, this is not a sweet blend. There might be woodsy smells in this too, maybe cedar or sandalwood? There's something there that brings to mind wood. After a while: this smells a bit salty? like olive oil or the brine that olives are kept in? I like the resins which remain, but I don't really want to smell like salad... Verdict: another interesting smell-at first the olivy smell put me off, but the dry down is nice. It brings to mind a great cathedral, or one of the new age shops I frequently visit, or something that would be burned during yoga, or a temple of some kind which has had incense wafted through it-it's resins and woods, that's what it's like. There's something calming about it, I think, and I love the smell of frankincense or resin incense in general. It's a very soft smell, and quite comforting too. But, I'm afraid, it's a bit too 'savoury' for my liking, like olive oil and salt under the nice resiny smell-I like the smell of savoury food, but not as perfume!

I'm just imagining what the labels of Carnivale Noir will look like, and I keep getting images in my mind of dark, gothic style silhouettes of fairground rides on the labels...

Snow White In the imp: a very fresh, cool, watery smell. Snow? It reminds me of a scented candle called 'Snow' or 'Winter Woods'. I smell hints of green, mint, pine and something sweet. Wet on skin: there's a hint of pine in this, and something sweet, maybe a hint of white musk? There's also something that reminds me of cut grass-it's green. It's not very strong on me, but there's a slight note in there that makes me feel uncomfortable, it smells slightly rubbery… Dry on skin: oh no, it's gone really quiet on me, I can hardly smell it! there's that dark pine note with a note on top like crushed green grass under snow, but so faint. But a minute or so later, this gets stronger, the smell becomes lovely again! It's fresh, it's crisp, and complex-I can smell mint, pine, grass, moss, coconut, night blooming flowers, white musk (no almonds for me though)-but they blend so nicely to form this wonderful fresh cool smell which is soft, cold and watery with a bit of green-it is like snow in a forest, because it's not just fluffy and fresh, there's a darker, greener, earthier undercurrent, like a shadowy winter forest on a dark winter night. After a while: the mint/pine/moss/green note in this is really strong, I was hoping it would be more foody as others mentioned, yes, the coconut vanilla note is still there, but only slightly, but it's nice none the less-very crisp and clean, like freshly washed white sheets. After a few hours, the creamy vanilla sweet note mentioned in other reviews comes to the fore, and reminds me of the wet stage of Chaste Moon, without the really soapy note I got. It's a gentle, creamy, innocent sweetness, really lovely. Verdict: this was so nice in the imp, but I was worried this would turn horrible on me, as it was faint and slightly rubbery when wet. But after a minute it went wonderful and got stronger-fresh, cool, clean, and crisp, a hint of green, a hint of icy water, a huge combination of different notes melting into one. This would be perfect for Xmas-we never get white ones where I live, but with this, I can fantasise! This would also be nice for summer because it's fresh and cool. I was hoping I'd get the creamy sweet notes that others got. I might get a bottle of this if it's being released again this year, but I'm unsure.

I'm looking forward to the CT labels-will they come with certificates? I'd be intrigued as to what the 13 bottles have on them-4 leafed clovers? Black cats? Horseshoes and broken mirrors?

Actually, I found that Seraglio smelt very much like a cross between Fever and Amondopondo on me. That would make sense, as Fever contains rose and sandalwood, and Amondopondo contains rose and orange. I also thought on me, the first stage of Cairo smelt like a bit like Whoosh or Party On balm, that lemongrass scent, before morphing into something more incensy and woodsy, dusty and Egyptian. And Ahathoor has a similar carnation note to Potion, but with frankincense and herbs added, I think the two will go fantastically together. And yes, I did get a Snowcake smell from Chaste Moon, it also has similarities to Sympathy for the Skin and Milky Bar. In the imp, Venice doesn't smell like one Lush product...it smells like an entire Lush shop. Yes, that's right, you know that explosion of scent rushing up your nose when you go into a Lush shop, that was it-liquidised Lush in a bottle. But those are just my views-as every bpal experience is different.

Tum Hail unto Thee who art Tum in Thy setting, even unto Thee who art Tum in Thy joy, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Down-going of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Day! In the imp: sweet and fruity, red grape juice. Smells like I should drink this, but no, I apply it to my skin. Wet on skin: still sweet, juicy grapes but I swear a bit of spice is coming through. Dry on skin: oh wow. This is really interesting, it smells sweet and fruity, but there's a dry spiciness here, reminds me of the desert, it's also quite tart. I'm wondering what could be in this…saffron? Amber? Cinnamon? All of these? Grapes, definitely but now it's turning into sweet wine more than grape juice. The spicy smell reminds me of an Egyptian spice market, where you see huge piles of spice powders and smell them on the breeze. And I can smell honey, yup, that's definitely honey in this, and it's very strong on me. I am tempted to lick it off. After a while: this is very, very sweet! There's lots of honey, and squished juicy fruit there, and something else-possibly amber. I think there's also fig or berries of some sort in this, as well as grapes, with the spices underneath. After an hour or two, this smells just like the delicious Elderflower and Honey Cordial I sometimes drink-which is very nice indeed! Verdict: this is a very nice one. On me, it's lots of honey and grapes and sweet fruits. And like the other Egyptian scents, it does conjure up images of ancient Egypt in my mind, relaxing by the Nile watching a sunset with a glass of honeyed wine done in the ancient style, whilst the smell of spices from the nearby market waft by on the breeze. It's honey sweet with a slight tartness that prevents it becoming sickly, and a hint of warm spices-it smells so sweet and edible, and I want to lick it off. It's gorgeous and very laid back, the perfect evening scent. I can't wait to try Ra now, these Stations of the Sun are incredible.

Seraglio In the imp: almonds! That same sugared marzipan smell I got from Bastet. Yum. Wet on skin: oh yummy, this is very similar to Bastet, that almond smell mingling with spices, but here I can smell orange peel, it's like spiced Xmas cake with marzipan icing. Dry on skin: the almonds take a back seat, and now, other scents come out. Orange and soft florals-I can make out rose (and what a wonderful rose it is too) and neroli, and a hint of warm spice. This is lovely! After a while: this is like a cross between Lush's Amondopondo and Fever (which I love)-a lovely smell of rose and orange, with sandalwood. So sexy. There's a hint of spice (nutmeg, no doubt), but it's not strong, it does add warmth though. Verdict: I'm a huge fan of BPAL exotic Middle East inspired blends, this is another one to add to my favourites. A gorgeous, sumptuous mix of sweet, spicy almonds that give way to a rose and orange mix which is not heavy or cloying-it's light and lovely, yet sexy and sultry, but also warming and indulgent. The sandalwood adds exotic depth and the rose is sublime-and both together make this smell very similar to Lush's wonderful Fever. I love it loads, and this would be fabulous as a body lotion or massage bar.