rayvn1

Light sweet lemon, vanilla, and juicy huckleberry right off the bat, sugary and refreshing. More of a light and feminine perfume scent than I'm used to going for in my BPAL, but this is lovely! Dries down to very light sugar and a hint of fruit. Perfect for the summer!

Lots of clove in this one for me but that's not surprising since I often amp that note. Didn't drive me away form the blend as overbearing clove usually does though.. I think the hyssop, orris, and frankincense save this one for me.

I could have sworn there was apple in here! There's something juicy and crisp in here, not quite floral and a little more fruity..Maybe the verbena, orange, and lime together? This was bound to be a favorite with all the patchouli and tobacco that I tend to love. Thank goodness the clove and amber don't dominate, just add interesting touches in the background. It's a dark, night time scent for me. Luxurious and beautiful. Really gotta get me a bottle for that beautiful artwork as well!

Sooo good! Sweet, lovely peach and vanilla with a floral undertone. Fresh and perfect for the morning.

The beer was a bit of a wildcard for me since I was not a fan of John Barleycorn, but this blend is delicious! Even better now that it's aged a few months from when I first tried it. The cake comes through right away with a milk and cream base. The incense hovers around in a light cloud that's barely there and the beer gives a malty kick. Very reminiscent to me of Shadwell with its condensed milk note. Keeper indeed!

This is the floral I'll reach for whenever I want to feel sultry and sexy The musk and blood orange combine fabulously with the smoky amber and benzoin. Hints of incense, sweet flowers, and the darker scents of poppy and violet are also layered in there. Perfect! Absolutely a keeper.

This is a very sweet and light floral on me with generous touches of bourbon vanilla. Mostly sweet pea and carnation rather than the other notes I was hoping would take center stage. Dries right away to almost nothing even though I accidentally sloshed much more than usual on Beautiful label but doesn't really work with my skin.

This was a frimp from a really generous forumite I've been putting off trying this on way too long! It's a yummy, foody scent of dark, rich cake and my nose is picking up almost a hay or straw note like in Gunpowder or Sleipnir. Wish it stuck around longer!

Warm, cozy, and extremely boozy! Not much apple for me but loads of caramel and rum. Probably not a keeper but I could see how liquor/foodie folks would like it.

Patchouli, frankincense, olibanum, thyme, cocoa absolute, Peru balsam, oakmoss, and juniper. I remember this one being thick, cloying, and pretty overwhelming when I first tried it back when it came out and kind of smelling like a can of Coke. A few months later has done wonders I can see where people get the medicinal, but this is warm and sweet like herbs and caramel. Very interesting! Not sure if it's particularly for me, but I'll let it age a bit more. ETA: Sorry self, but after a few months of sitting on this one it went back to Coke. Boo.

Wonderful! Lovely lovely lovely Warm and earthy patchouli, warm leather and a gorgeous touch of fig. A favorite! I've reached for this one most this week even over my beloved Marquis.

I was sure that this would be doomed to amber dust and floral on me since some blends with those notes have gone down that rather unhappy path. Straight up incense! A real surprise but nice. Very Midnight Mass-ish. Lovely, dusty and rich.

My favorite. Hands down. My favorite Neverwhere character and probably one of my favorite "manly" bpals too Spicy leather and opium with something tickling around in the background that was almost like coconut husk..the massoia maybe? Fantastic!

Dark and biting The tonka and musk really make this blend and the bourbon geranium lurks in the background giving it an interesting twist. One of my favorites of the series.

WOOD! when wet <img src="http://www.bpal.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="icon_smile.gif" /> The perfect scent memory of my mom's workshop when she designed furniture and had piles of pine and cedar around. Slightly dirty smelling and perfect. Then it dries and I get slightly powdery amber and light rose. Pretty and nice, but I wish so much that it would stay as it is when wet <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mecry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="mecry.gif" /> Edit: Recently retested over a year later and now the rose is even more prominent and dominates from the get-go Alas.

Sweet and sparkling when on wet. Dried I get a light and sweet strawberry scent with a liquid background. Perfectly true to the description.

Wow! just...wow! This is a super sweet, sugary blend when wet. As it dried it became an airy, fresh, sweet scent. Very nice I would have thought seaweed or fresh air, but I'd have never guessed the listed notes!

Oh my I love my musk blends and this is no exception! It is really distinctive and so true to the description! Even before I read it, the oil made me think of a wild nightime forest adventure with a fantastic contrast between the rich, aggresive musk and the cold wind and night sky.

This is a floral on me, but tempered with the smoky frankincense and sandalwood. There's a hint of dark tobacco and in general it is a golden floral scent. Very nice, but not something I'll wear often.

Deeply, deeply meh about this one. I was concerned about the wine note and blood, but was hoping the clay would predominate. It did at first, but eventually my skin started amping the unfortunate notes. ETA: Trying it again nearly a year later, I must admit it is a VERY evocative scent. Very much a scent picture.

Lots of bright green and floral in this scent. Never really darkened into what I was hoping for. I may give it another go if I ever run across another imp, but this one is off to the swaps.

Apple cider and spices. Not much milk or ale (thank goodness). Sort of what I always expected Samhain to smell like. I think I might like this better than Fearful Pleasure - stronger cider and less fall candle.

Smells like roots, smoky herbs, a pinch of vanilla, and a tiny bit of orange when I first put it on. Dried to a smoky, root-flavored blend. Very grounding!

This is the rosiest of the summer's rose blends on me. It's aged a few months and I don't get a whole lot of the other ingredients I'd hoped for. This one is most likely off to the swaps.

I got this primarily hoping for leaves and grey musk. It's aged from a non-descript rose scent on me, into a light blue and grey musk combination. It's fairly sweet as well and not overly rosy. Pretty! Think I'll keep it and hopefully can find an empty bottle to store it in.