Celogrl

I agree with the lovely jj_j on this wholeheartedly! She was kind enough to send me an imp of this (and many others and I was not sure I'd like it at first, but it is a keeper. It was a surprise- it developed beautifully, and after an hour or so, the predominant note was the red currant (or at least I think this is what it was!) I noticed a bit of waterlily and jasmine but it was so well balanced that it was subtle. It is definitely a complex scent and I will use up the imp and maybe purchase more.

This company also sells amber chunks and much more- hope this helps! http://www.mountainroseherbs.com

I can't wait to get my Ultraviolet and Utrennyaya. The violet blends found here are incredible. Nocturne is my violet when I am a mellow girl, when I want more presence I switch to Saturnalia, which definitely anonunces itself and me!

A master storyteller who possessed unfailing courage and compassion, a sharp, quick wit, and a true understanding of human nature. Saffron and Middle Eastern spices swirled through sensual red musk. Gorgeous from the start to the finish. What a lovely, Middle Eastern harem-y type of fragrance. I really didn't notice the saffron that much, but this stayed very linear on me, and it was very light musk and heavy on the sultry spices all the way through. This is most likely the first imp I'll get a big bottle of! I walked past my husband, and he said something to the effect of: "Bring that back over here!" He couldn't get enough of the smell, and honestly, neither could I. I am going to apply another wee dab before bedtime. Maybe I'll go to the Casbah tonight in my dreams!

Whoa! My first-in-the-bottle sniff reaction was: Swap Pile! But I dabbed a little bit on and immediately was glad that I did. It is very strong and chocolatey at first, but it mellows for me quickly. The cherry was never predominant in the mixture, and as it dried down I was left with a toffee type of scent. It's very nice! Astonishingly, I am a real chocolate fiend, but I didn't want to eat any either when I had this on! I am still not sure I would buy a larger bottle, but I will happily use up my imp. It's delicious

I am still deciding about this one- hubby loves it on me, and I still am undecided about the verdict! The violet is lovely, but at least on me, it becomes unbalanced by a very strong vetivert. Good lesson for me, everything does not have to balance! I am a symmetrical type of person, and the lack of balance in this stymies me, but I keep coming back to it because it's a fascinating fragrance, as is par for the course with Beth! For all I know, I like it a lot more than I realize. I'll use the imp, then who knows?

Oooooooohh! No doubt in my mind why this is BPAL's top seller! I loved every single nuance and stage it went through from application to drydown and beyond. The vanilla was always at the forefront, but so much more complex than vanilla alone. It had a lovely sugary touch and the throw and amazing tenacity of this fragrance makes it a must have IMHO. This was an imp I ordered, and I will surely acquire a large vial of this magic elixir! Lovely job, Elizabeth

I went to Scotland for Mother's Day, courtesy of Glasgow! Wow, is this lovely. I got a predominant note of Blackberry all the way through, from application to drydown, and the scent remained pretty stable. The heather did come out more towards the end before Glasgow faded into a powdery loveliness. The berry was not too sweet or cloying. I adored this- it had a relaxing, cheerful effect on me that I needed badly that day. Thanks Glasgow

Oh. My. Goodness. This is so far my favorite scent of all the imps I have tried. It sounded like something I would like, but I am raving about Nocturne. I took a nice bath, then applied my Nocturne. Immediately I was surrounded by violets! Ooh...lilac, too! This is so absolutely gorgeous- I am stunned. I have had it on for quite a while, and the drydown is turning out to be powdery violet with a hint of the lilac. I was mentioning earlier today that I have had problems finding a BPAL oil that really lasts on me. This one has great staying power. It is dreamy, soft, and I am going to put more on before I go to sleep! It is comforting and a little pensive. I adore this and WILL order a bottle.

Penance? I didn't know I'd done anything wrong...every time I hear the word Penance I remember my Catholic upbringing and it makes me a little wary! But as for BPAL's Penance, that's my kind! I got this (ordered it) in a batch of imps that I am making my way through. Wet- Am I in a church? I get a deep, wet Myrrh note that is sharp and demands attention. Middle of dry- the Incense-y notes are becoming more predominant. Nice! Dry and a few hours afterwards- I thought this had faded really fast, but I still get a dry scent of the frankincense and myrrh coming through. It is faint, but mixes wonderfully with my skin. I am a little worried that I haven't found a BPAL oil that really lasts on me though. I moisturize before using my oils, but maybe my dry skin earts it up. All in all, Penance is lovely.

This one has me wondering. I still can't figure out what the first note that hits my nose is! Cherry-ish, but not sweet- almost an overripe winey, cherry type of thing. It changes fast to a warm, dry cherry/berry over powdered spices fragrance. Then it morphs into a lovely impression of powder before **poof**, it's gone. I have to say I LOVE this! ADDED June 11: Black Phoenix drives me crazy! I just wish I knew what the combination of scents was! I put it on, try to figure it out- it's like I know what it is, but can't remember...grrr. I love it, but it haunts me and I just wish I knew. Almond? Not on me This HAS to be the most enigmatic scent ever!

Ice Queen...my frozen friend! I received my first bottle of the chilly Ice Queen today in a swap and I am in love. My initial impression was one of pine, winter, frost, spruce and Christmas! Next after a bit of a dry down, the berries or cold fruits came to the surface. I can't stop smooshing my wrist to my face to take another sniff! It keeps developing into a gorgeous winter scene right in front of my nose! Ah, this is SO beautiful. I love Snow White, but this is what I hoped for when I ordered Snow White for the first time. This is going to be a major stock up item for me.

Amazing how different these scents are on each of us! I like Alice, but she does not seem to want to hang around for me. I got a big whiff of honey and a milkiness when first applied and poor Alice did not even hang around long enough to go to the powdery phase I so wanted. This is just my first try with Alice, so I'll keep using my imp because the fragrance is so alluring and we'll see how it works. Update 5 days later- Alice wants to play! I gave Alice another try today, and I am so glad that I did. I'll not ever know what the difference between the 1st try and today was, but I absolutely love Alice at this moment. What a clean, powdery (I love powdery) delight! The carnation, amber and honey balance perfectly. No milk to my nose this time, the bergamot was very faint, but I can see this becoming a favorite; I keep sniffing my wrists and sighing

Count me among the many fans of Snow White. I get a predominantly almondy, pear-ish type of feel from this, but my only disappointment is that it does not feel like a "cold" smell to me. That was my original intent when I first heard of Snow White. That said, I think this is a lovely, lovely fragrance. On me, it has hints of sweetness, and it goes through a funny Play Doh transformation for about 5 minutes, then it settles in and becomes very rich. It reminds me of cookies baking. I will keep this one in my repertoire. I have now gotten my hands on some Ice Queen and maybe it will give me the chilliness I desire, but Snow White always has a friend in me! ADDED June 10: Dear Snow White~ it's 90 degrees here today, with 67% relative humidity and while driving along I-95 thinking how HOT I was, I remembered that I had 5 ml. of Snow White in my purse. In between traffic jams of beach-bound families with squalling youngsters, I slathered on a nice helping, cranked the AC up a bit, and within moments, I swear that I felt chillier and more comfortable! I kept sniffing my arm until I arrived home. Oh, I love my Snow White

A nice swapper included this in a swap for me, and while I was appreciative, this fragrance is not for me. It did not do anything for my mood (which is usually fairly good- thankfully!), and the combination of different notes in it clashed. It is strong, with good throw. If you like this one, you are indeed fortunate 'cause a little goes a long way! All in all, I am still glad I tried it; you nevver know unless you do.

I keep saying that I don't like fruity scents, but here is another BPAL fragrance that I adore. It's complex, and as the scent unravels, I keep getting different dimensions. The cherry is pronounced on me, but it is not obnoxious. The amber is a faint undertone on me. I haven't even waited for the complete drydown yet, I am so excited about this one. I don't find it a youthful scent, especially. It's kinda lusty IMHO. ADDED May 9: Beautiful fragrance in the imp, very soon after I applied it, the lovely smell went away and left me with...nothing. It faded on me so quickly! Hubby loves it and I do too- when I can smell it! It must be a body chemistry thing, because I do not usually "suck up" fragrance so fast. It is everything the description said it would be though. It is truly lovely. Maybe I'll just apply more?

Oh, do I love this! I got my imp of it last night, and my first impression was a chilly pine scent. It mellowed to a wintry, soft forest. Contrary to my friends here who feel energized by Nocnitsa, it relaxes me. I also like the "Slovak" connection in the description. I am part Slovak, and had not heard of Nocnitsa before, but she'll be a regular around me now!

This is a "make me happy" kind of scent. I don't usually like fruity fragrances, but I might actually purchase a larger bottle of this. I ordered an imp, and I like it more than I expected. I like it wet, and dry- it fades gradually to a powdery fruitiness. Very pretty.

Oh so sexy, sexy, sexy! I think I'll use this when I want my husband to say "Mmmmmmmm...what is that you're wearing?" He notices everything. It's not too strong, and the drydown is perfect amaretto.

Beautiful violet with a twist all its own. I love this stuff! I think it is very unusual, which is what I love about BPAL...not everyone wears it (well, we do here but that is another story!)

I can see this being an end of the day, evening scent for when I want to be really mellow (which, funnily enough I am right now even without it).