lothien

Also, "yucca" is of Spanish origin - I grew up in Southern California, where some yucca lives, and we pronounce it "YUCK-uh" - I don't know what its actual Spanish pronunciation is.

I really like this combination, the balance of the tea and cookie vibe, and the way it shifts. I get awesome orange frosting at first, and buttery cookies. Slowly that all fades across into the ginger tea (definitely not black tea) with the fading orange and some spiced sugar cookie. I was afraid it would be all too-sweet cookie after the raucous beginning, but it has a delicious start that mellows into a very wearable, sweet, fresh (by my measure) scent, both gingery and citrussy without either one taking over. I like spices, so I don't find these to be overbearing at all, and I don't seem to get a lot of any one spice. So, my verdict: Yay, tea and cookies. =) ETA that I was deathly afraid of the "cake" - cake can go horribly horribly wrong, but I just realised that these reminds me a little more of those crisp ginger cookies with the bits of candied ginger!

I was sad to learn, early on in my BPAL experience, that once, long ago, the Lab had single notes - one of which was carnation. At the time it didn't look likely that they would carry them again. I detest most florals, but I love carnation, and wanted a BPAL SN carnation with all my iddle heart. So I about dropped my teeth when I checked in to see what might have been released with Singing Moon to find SN Spanish Red Carnation. Holeeee Crap!!1! Sign me up! I was not disappointed. This starts out an authentic, fresh-cut, slightly damp red carnation. Not white, not pink - red. I haven't stuck my face into a carnation flower recently, but when I was younger (like, decades ago... ) I used to love to put my nose right into fresh red carnations and soak in the scent and the soft tickle of the petals. For the first half hour or so, it smells just like that childhood memory. As time passes it mellows into a rich, slightly creamy scent, losing some of the green smell it started out with, but very wearable. I don't feel the need to layer it with anything, but it might be fun to try it with some of my carnationy scents to give them an extra bump. So far (this is a fresh-from-the-mailbox review), it only lasts a few hours. It will be interesting to see if it changes after the usual settling-in time. Either way, I am delighted to finally have it in my grubby little mitts. You can find me in my bathroom vanity huffing my bottle...

This was sort of a craps-shoot for me. One of those "if everything behaves, this should be awesome" sort of bottles. Right out of the mailbox it was so intensely sweet floral that I had to wash it off, so I put it aside for a few days. So, round two... In the bottle and wet, as Joyfulgirl said, musk and cloves. As it dries, it's still unquestionably musk, slightly woody, sweet. But no naughty honey, which sometimes goes musty on me, just a hint of "honeyness" and the jonquil is there, but not crazy, like the first try. There's enough clove to remind me of carnation, but it doesn't smell like the spice, per se. Actually, aside from the musk, nothing jumps to the fore. A really lovely, sweet, long-lasting scent, even applied discreetly. I'm even pleasantly surprised that I can apply this and walk out the door - there's no half-hour of letting it settle before I'm not self-conscious. Wears nicely, doesn't morph much at all. Subtle enough that I'm comfortable wearing it to work, and yummy enough that now and then I stick my nose down the neck of my shirt for a fresh huff. In the beginning, I wasn't sure I loved this scent, but the longer I have it, the better I like it, and I have wound up wearing it every day. Glad I bought a bottle. ETA: I don't seem to get any tea from this. Once in a while I will think I have a ghost of tea, but I can't be sure I'm not imagining it.

Heehee! Yay for differences in skin chemistry and the aging of oils.

I don't think there has been a "VII" series yet... 2010's was VI, and there were four kinds - here's the listing from the Lab's "Shiny and New" page (nothing is removed from "Shiny and New" - It's a sort of history of LE releases) All of the bottles have a number when they leave the Lab, but often they end up smeared/rubbed off/generally unreadable. The only way to get a review is if your CT bottle was decanted and other people have decants. Then you have to look under the reviews (under Limited Editions) for that Series for the bottle number that matches yours, but if the decanter couldn't read the number on the bottle, s/he may not have been able to list it on the decants. There are no notes - as stated above, even the Lab does not keep a list. Part of the fun is the randomness, if you're into that. Possibly you have a VI version 7, and the 7 looks like a 1? If you love it, enjoy what you have, because it may be all there is of it.

THIS. This is what I expected Black Lace to smell like. I am one of those who got an appley bottle from DD earlier this year. I let it sit for several months, thinking that maybe the apple would fade, but no, not really. Still hit with apple every time I opened it to sniff. On the skin it remained same as in the bottle. I was disappointed... Recently, I found a bottle on LJ of the non-apple version, and though I am on a perfume-buying moratorium, I had to pick it up. It is exactly as the description led me to believe it would smell - vanilla-ish cotton, lovely tobacco and incense. There is some cognac (I don't really find it boozy, but I love BPAL's cognac note, so I may be biased, there), and nice deep musk that makes its appearance as the other notes settle in. Dry, it doesn't morph much, though the cotton aspect fades a bit. Overall, sweet and comforting, and definitely one of my favorite BPAL scents. I have a bit from the bottle of the apple one I sold to someone who would appreciate it more, and I would not guess that these are the same perfume. Wacky, but I am very glad I tried again; this one is really beautiful.

Warm, soft tufts of down and gleaming tawny feathers: clove, toasted sandalwood, aged patchouli, bourbon vanilla, carnation, massoia bark, hinoki wood, and West Indian Bay. I have a horrible track record with the Lunacies, so I was seriously surprised when I LOVED this one as much as I do. I grabbed a decant, which turned into acquiring two bottles with two more on the way. I don't have a lot of scents I want multiple back-ups of, but this is one of them. In the bottle I get a lot of bay, and not much else. On the skin, at first the bay, and a spiciness that almost comes across as cassia, but must be a clove I haven't tried yet, because it definitely doesn't jump out as clove. Hinoki wood and bay give a forest-in-summer sort of feeling to start with, then the forest recedes into the background after just a few minutes, and the most beautiful, soft carnation appears, and what must be massoia bark, with the faintest breath of vanilla. Later I get more of the toasted sandalwood, but all of the notes blend so well that it really does have a soft, cuddly feeling to it without anything really standing out, and the woods keep it from being too sweet. I don't get patchouli from it, which is more than fine with me. It stays close and soft, enough so that I can wear it to work without attracting attention, and even if I don't reapply, I still smell the scent several hours later if I put my nose to my skin. Curiously enough, I have found that if I apply it to my neck or cleavage, the bay sticks around and doesn't fade nearly as much - this is a scent that I apply mostly to my forearms/wrists to get the above results. Really, really lovely, and goes on the list with Banded Sea Snake as the two I would take to the desert island.

I just got one CT this time because I am broke but I had to play. ^^ But I got a win (I may have to order all future CTs through ralenth... She may be good luck...) and I'm happy with what I got! No death notes, and actually very promising. I am going to decant myself out a vial of this and put the rest of it away, because I think this one has awesome aging potential! #200 In the bottle I can't say I like it, to be honest. It is gingery and sugary the cream note is not heavy but it gives it an icky edge. As with the other CTs I've gotten new, it is nearly full to the cap. ^^ I am a little worried, because I am not the foody sort on a general sense, but it has this ginger-sugar thing I really like, sooo... Wet on the skin, the icky part of the cream smell is gone in less than 5 seconds. The cream forgets why it was here and wanders off, and the ginger goes to sit in the back with the sugar. The sugar remains standing. =) It transforms from a potentially too-foody scent I will swap, to something intriguing that I am definitely going to keep. Wow, reminds me of... Haunted Palace, kinda? Yay! As it dries I am starting to get the blood orange/toasted vanilla thing I got from HP. I have to say I am not 100% sure if it's blood orange - it could be a touch of dragon's blood, too, or red musk, all of which I all get a similar "candyfloral" thing from. As time passes and the musk warms up, I rule out red. I really don't think it's red. Rich and awesome. Dark, maybe? Brown? I can't place it for sure, but I wish I could because it gets better as goes. I gets whiffs of it around me and go "ooh!" It's not bucketloads of vanilla - but what's it got supports everything nicely and has that toasted quality from HP and Snake Charmer I really like. The creamy sugar ginger bit is still back there, it hasn't gone. After the initial trick, it doesn't really seem to morph much. I look forward to future tests of this one. ^^

I'm kind of at a loss to describe this one - I just know I love it and whatever lameness I write down is not going to properly explain my 13 perfume experience. =) It's unique and interesting and yummy. It is sort of fascinating to experience the morph. Starts out fudge, but as soon as it's mostly dry the chocolate is joined by incense, and I love the combination. Then there's the other things that join that make it even better: musk and vanilla and prune, cypress and flowers. The fudge never quites bails out. What it all blends into is gorgeous, although I like that it's not super long lasting, because as much as I love it, I wouldn't want to smell like it all day. Sort of like real chocolate. I've never had a good experience with a 13, so this amazes me. Finally a good combination of herbs/stuff for me. The cherry one was close, but the cherry too much and the chocolate wasn't right. This one does what I wanted from that one. Plums, even dry ones, seem to be a winner almost always, so I had hopes. Well worth tracking down a bottle, partly for the awesome label. ^^

I've had good success rubbing in plain ol' vegetable or jojoba oil (also Villainess Ennui Whipped, which is unscented) to get off the evil ones that won't go away. ^^

Snake Oil with oakmoss, sea moss, and olive leaf. I have to start this out by saying that Snake Oil is usually not my friend. It's either too medicinal (fresh), or (aged) the vanilla goes all playdoh and nasty on me. Banded Sea Snake is none of those things. It's more what I was hoping SO *would* be. It's definitely Snake Oil, creamy vanilla and spices, balanced beautifully by the mosses and olive leaf. I have to say that I don't think I have tried anything that has olive leaf in it, so I couldn't pick it out, but something definitely tempers the moss, which can be overwhelmingly "fuzzy" in some scents I've tried, and can drown everything. I'm not sure of the age of the decant I have, but this is amazing and smooth, with no astringent quality to it, and the vanilla is creamy and beautiful under and around everything else. I am loving this and already have contacted a forumite about a bottle for sale. Yay for frimp WIN! Really a sweet surprise after the SO family members I've tried that just didn't go my way.

This is about the funniest result I've gotten yet(caveat - straight out of the mailbox). This smells like... ...brown cardboard? I think I really really need to let this one sit for a few days. I wasn't sure I would like it, but cardboard is an unexpected note.

Wow, this is nothing like I expected, and awesomely so! I'm not a huge fan of aquatic scents because they often turn manly on me, but the DH likes them so I keep trying. This was a decant I added to my Yule circle order as an afterthought, and I'm glad I did! The lichen seems a cousin to moss, but without the fuzzy quality that moss has. It has a nice aquatic quality that's not overwhelming, with that touch of lime citrus and incense. I don't get anything really sweet, fruit salady, or bubblegum. I am not sure what the pitch might smell like, so I don't know if it's "missing" on me, or if it just blends in nicely with everything else. It's a really pretty aquatic scent with some earthiness to balance it. This is definitely a surprise winner! ETA: I managed to grab a partial decant-circle-leftover bottle of this and I definitely seem to get more incense from it (which is totally yay, as I love incense) than I did from my decant. So glad to have discovered this one!

I'm going to go ahead and put in my 2 pennies on Hod, too, now that it's coming back. To start with, the original Hod: I LOOOVE this scent!!! What I don't get: skin musk, honey or almonds. Skin musk and honey can be relied upon to do really evil, rancid smelling things on me and I just don't get any of them here. Honey is particularly bad, even in the tiniest amounts. Almond is nasty, too. Almond and/or honey stuff goes right in the swap box. Beautiful creamy carnation, maybe vanilla musk? It's vanilla without being obvious, and reminds me of vanilla musk in other things I've tried. Cream and amber might be there - I'm trusting the others who say there is amber because they are with amber the way I am with honey, and milk and cream scents don't stand out on me so I couldn't say for sure if that's there or not, but there's something that gives it a creamy vibe. I think the spiciness is mostly the carnation - I don't get cinnamon or clove - I suppose they could be there, as I suppose there could be a touch of nutmeg, but it doesn't really strike me as foody. Under the Harvest Moon seems really sweet alongside, as a comparison. Hod Rez: Nearly identical to my decant of the original (yay!). Nice to know it's just as awesome fresh and resurrected as the aged and original one, even barely out of the mailbox.

I've noticed a difference between Snow Whites of varying years. I first got an imp of SW '07, and really loved it. It smells like very soft, snowy, fruity flowers. This prompted me to order a bottle, but I purchased SW '08. I found '08 to be heavy on the coconut to the point where it ruined it for me... I'm no aficionado, but have been lucky enough to get testers of Snow White '04, '05, and '08, and at one point had a bottle of '07. I quickly sold the '07 as it was a very sweet, powdery almondy coconut and NOT what I expected nor wanted from a blend called Snow White. I couldn't detect much difference between '04 and '05, but I'm fairly sure I preferred those over the '08 tester. But all of them have that sweet element, but to my nose, some years are definitely more coconutty than others. I haven't tried any of the other Snow Whites, but '08 was definitely off into the pina colada neighborhood, for me. Also NOT expecting that from it. Coconut is just not my favorite perfume smell (often just too much reminds me of suntan oil). My first thought when I tested it was "Well, I guess coconut is white..."

This is officially the first real "foody" scent that I love. Yay! I have a horrible track record with food scents - anything bakery turns musty spelling, sweet scents are just too much at first for me to deal with, or I ultimately don't want to smell like <blank>. Or I can't stand the smell of it in my clothes later. I had pretty much given up on finding a food scent. But I picked up a bunch of the foody Halloween '09 scents in half-decants because, damnit, one has to be awesome, eventually, right? Of all of the 'Weenies I grabbed, I think this one is the winner. ^^ In the vial I get butterscotch, not-super-coconutty rum, and not much apple. Sugary sweet, but not scary enough to not test. Wet, right away, a lot of the rum and butterscotch, but that is joined by amazing, tart apple. After a few minutes, the rum is very much a background scent, and the butterscotch is becoming more caramel as everything warms up. The caramel is amazing. For a long time it remains a very authentic, grown-up-caramel-apple style scent; I really don't get anything floral. It's not morphing into anything else. The caramel doesn't turn plasticky or sour - it stays smelling like cooked sugar. It's enough to trick my brain into thinking there is a real dessert when there isn't one. ^^ I continue to enjoy smelling like this. I really really like it. Unless there is some nutmeg deep, deep in the background, there are no spices to get on my nerves after a few hours (clove, I looks at yoo). I also do not feel like I'm wearing room scent. There is not anything identifiable as coconut, to my relief, the rum is subdued after the start, but gives it a lot of depth with a hint of tropics. I reapply to see if it will still be good a second time - if it's headache land, it would go to swappies - but it is the same the second time, and I still want a bottle, and a dessert. I make a note. So, if I'm happy with the way my hoodie smells in the morning, and barring some other chemical weirdness, I am going to grab a bottle of this. It's a yummy, lighthearted *foody* scent for my favorite time of year (finally!). I'm glad I had the time to let these sit for a little while, because I'm sure I didn't love this as much when I first tested it, but it's becoming a must-have. ETA no weird after-smell - it just vanishes after 4 hours or so. I found a bottle from a forumite and it's the same as my imp, so I'm all set.

This is really lovely. My first impression is that it reminds me of the smell of an clean, well-kept old book with flowers and leaves pressed in its pages. At first I get soft, dry sandalwood, but after the first few minutes (literally - 3 or 4 minutes) the notes are seamless - I don't get any note that I can pick out. It's gently sweet, probably the rose and the moss, but I don't get either one distinctly - with the caveat that rose is usually well behaved for me, and something I like. It's a scent that doesn't scream "I'm wearing perfume!" at all - as someone else has said, like skin but better. I don't care for the usual "bedtime" scents with lavender (which I amp, making it not so good for relaxing/sleep) or chamomile (spicy on me and also not relaxing), but this will work awesomely for me for winding-down time, or after a rough day, or any time I need to chill the heck out. So glad that the Fall scents are/were still up so that I can have a bottle of this for my very own. ^^

I haven't tried Lilith Victoria, but I have Zephyr, and it doesn't really come across as citrussy to me. It doesn't smell like "lemon" in the traditional sense (I was expecting furniture polish when I first tried it). I don't like care for lemon, so I was a bit afraid. What I get is more of a "bright" quality over powdery musk. I think of it as being in the Dirty/Wensleydale/White Phoenix category. Now, I was frimped the imp I got, so I don't know the age, and the bottle I bought from someone is a few years old, so it might have a more lemony quality when it's fresh, but neither the imp nor bottle I have smell like lemon/citrus.

I am thinking that this is just the normal separation of the blend, and perhaps you didn't notice before. I roll all of my bottles or tip the imps to blend the oils together, because most of them separate to some degree whether you can really see it or not. I doubt you wrecked your oil shaking it once. But when you decant you want to make sure you roll the bottle well first, so you don't just pull from one layer (which will change the balance in your bottle and result in an "innaccurate" decant). If you've made it frothy shaking it, the bubbles should settle out if you leave it alone for a while.

Myrrh, dark musk, attar of rose and ylang ylang. Yeah, somebody needs to pull this thread out of "Discontinued" cuz it isn't anymore. ^^ Unless there is something I should know, in which case I need to stock up... Wow. This was one of the first scents I tried when I came to BPAL. It was one that stood out in a big batch of noob imps I bought from another forumite. As was mentioned elsewhere in this thread, nothing has edges - it is so well blended that it makes it difficult to pick out notes (er, keeping in mind that I love everything in here ^^). It's rosy and musky, but no one stand in front. It's so comforting and warm. I do have to admit, my mom wears (wore? I'm not sure how often she does perfume anymore) Patou Joy parfum which she would let me wear on fancy occasions, and I have a warm spot for rose. Dark musk is still my favorite BPAL musk, and the depth of the blend in the dry stage is wonderful, having an almost carnationy feeling (!!yum!!). I think that was one of my best surprises from this one: I get a whiff of carnation mimic! Once in a while the damned chemistry thing actually falls butter-side up! I was very sad when I discovered that it was discontinued, and wasn't into tracking down that sort of thing at that point. BPAL has loads of nice roses, I was sure I would find another. I like rose, and the DH likes rose, but I need a rose that has a lot of accompaniment. This continued to be a favorite even after I tried a lot of others. I was overjoyed when the Lab brought it back! I didn't buy a bottle right away because I still had about half an imp left and it wasn't dire. Now I have a bottle. ^^ So I tried out the new one, hoping it would have the same balance as the old and I wouldn't have to age it forever to get the same loveliness. No waiting necessary! The imp I have is 05 or 06, and I cannot notice an appreciable difference from this, except that the rose scent is a tiny bit more crisp in the new one and I have no problem with that at all. It still has that carnation spiciness to it, something I was afraid might be different new. I'm so glad to have at least one bottle and I am going to make sure to add one to a Lab order now and then, and put them away. ETA I have to come back and say how nice this is again. It just doesn't morph much on me. Lovely, warm, dark, spicy rose. Lasts forever. Never got a second bottle because it just takes a drop. =)

I have been rooting around for a summer scent. It's been hella hot and most of what I have right now is overbearing in the heat. Fortunately, recently someone frimped me a decant of this. Again, it's not one that I would have picked out. I tried it on without looking at the notes, but intrigued by the color - dark oils are usually a promising sign. omg, it's beautiful! I cannot pick out the notes, which is something I really like in a blend. I have to go look it up and I am not shocked to see why I didn't key on it when it was out: Golden pear, amber, fig leaf, oakmoss, bronze musk, mahogany, patchouli, and a smattering of glittering pyrite. Aside from the musk and amber, all of the other notes are the sort that I might like, depending... I hate the lack of certainty of "depending," so I pass them by. Pyrite? No idea. Totally a crap shoot. But the list of notes doesn't help me, because I still can't pick out anything. ^^ I get pear - like pear skin, not fruit, which is nice without being too sweet as I was afraid it might be, but I can't tell where the pear ends and anything else begins. But I am all swoony with happiness. As it dries, I start to be able to separate things. This is gorgeous for summer. It's almost aquatic but not, floral but not, with musk that holds its ground. Maybe it's the musk keeping the moss in check. All of the unknowns are amazing together, and a little goes a long way. A water spray version kept in the fridge might be really awesome for summer heat! It's even a patchouli I can get away with because it doesn't stand up and holler "HAI! PATCHOULI!!" I love a little pat, but I can only wear if I can get it past the DH. It's the *only* scent he truly hates and will grumble about, if it smells like the hippie kids at the liberal art college across the street. This pat is a beautiful support for the other things. I think it adds a gorgeous depth to a lot of blends and this is one of those. It's muskier as it dries, and I will have to look for more with bronze musk - I really like this - like red musk without the candied smell. What I think is the pyrite sticks around - beautiful with the pear. I'm giddy to have a scent I want to put on in the morning! AND I just found a half-bottle of this. Should get me through summer. Just not what I expected. I love that. ^^ ETA: my bottle arrived today. Normally I don't like the smell of BPALs in the bottle - often the topnote is too much, but this is awesome to open and just sniff. Gorgeous pear and amber, amber and pear. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this changes - provided I don't use it up first. Maybe I will have to keep an eye out for some to put up for a while...

This one fascinates me. I don't know if I like it or not! I was curious about the citruses here: sometimes citrus works and sometimes it's a rush to the sink... I like the citrus - it doesn't take over the way, say, blood orange can and i don't seem to have an allergic response (*always* good! ^^ ) I am not bothered by vetivert - it tends to work for me in general without overwhelming, but I agree there is a lot of it at first. What's got me walking in a circle around it is the citrus/licorice/teak combo. As someone else mentioned it has an almost tequila-like edge while it crosses over the vetivert, and I like it more once the V is burned off a little. I think what i'm going to do is keep it, and open it up in a couple of months and see what it's done. Perhaps once it has aged it will blend/smooth out some. I think I would prefer if I couldn't tell where one note ended and the next begins quite-so-much.

Ah! Infuriating! There's definitely something that I amp in both this and Gingerbread Poppet. This smells identical to me. =( Not in a good way. It's a weird, dry, undelicious, scent. Fie thee, mystery component!!

Wow, this is really beautiful! The initial cologney-ness of it definitely has the feeling of formal-party perfume, but it doesn't last very long on me, and is quite distant on dry-down. As someone else said, this shares qualities with Jacob's Ladder without being as heavy. Resinous, soft, with a bare greenish edge. I love the golden, airy feeling it has once it dries, and the the warmth it has. I will have to retest it, but this may be a keeper, and may be bottle-worthy. We'll see how quick I go through this imp. ^^