ljaylh

Oh my.. this is lovely! As a diehard anti-gardenia person, colour me shocked

 

The stars of this show is the mandarin and orange flower, which combine with the amber to produce a beautiful waxy/creamy orange tone that's perfectly balanced between dry and sweet. The sweetness of the spices provides a beautiful foundation for the creamy orange - there's really nothing here that isn't working beautifully for me. There's a vanilla-like tone to this which reminds me of the boozy vanilla in XCDL13, but since vanilla isn't a listed note I can only surmise that it's the amber producing that vanilla tone.. or maybe there's some vanilla-like spices in the mix.

 

And the gardenia? Well.. normally this is a note of certain death for me - it usually goes sharp, sour and cat-pee like on my skin. But not here.. it's soft and subtle here in a similar way to how the jasmine in The Girl is. Actually, Cabaret Goth reminds me a little of The Girl - but CG is definitely orange, where The Girl (in my mind) is pink. It also reminds me of the creamy orange in Lilith vs. the Giant Crab, although CG is more complex and less sweet.

 

Glowing, creamy, soft - this really is a beautiful scent.

My roommate got an AWESOME scent in a PIF pack today that wasn't a BPAL oil. It's Lemon Sugar from Starring...! Fragrances. It smells exactly how Lemon curd smells, right when you pop open the jar. That fresh, sweet, sugary smell with a Lemon twang. Absolutely delicious. Too bad I can't find the smell anywhere, so this imp will have to suffice for now.

 

So if anyone knows of a BPAL that smells like Lemon curd, let me know. I'm desperate to replicate this delightful imp.

 

You can actually still order that one from Starring! Fragrances - it's in their 'Single Note Scent-sation' section - in the 'Fruit Stand' collection. You can order it here

 

Bones Trombone is probably the closest to a lemon curd BPAL that I can recall, although it does have other notes in there along with the lemon.. it's very yummy.

 

Lolita was super-lemon on my skin.. but it's lemon verbena rather than the sweet type of lemon I think you're looking for.

I'm really happy with Bones Trombone, because the lemon actually behaves in this one! Unlike in Knockout Drops, where it was very loud and a big bully to the other notes.

 

Considering the mix here, I'm finding this clown to be surprisingly un-foody - I think the credit for that should probably go to the hemlock, for keeping it real and balancing out all that tooth-achingly sweet stuff. YO hemlock, you're a good little fellow

 

The blueberry marshmallow cream is, as you would expect, completely delicious smelling - again, not too sweet - I really like it. I'm not getting any pie crust really at all (this is a good thing), and although I can smell a top note that has a definite citrus edge.. it's not overly lemon-y at all.

 

I keep having to remind myself that although I love the way these foody BPALs smell, I rarely actually wear them as perfume. But I dunno - I actually might wear this one, because it's just in that little groove in between yummy-smelling and foody-smelling.

Upon first sniff and application, this is all dirt-dirt-DIRT! But as it dries, the dirt mixed with grass, and I would get a whiff of errant sweetness every so often (the lemon candy?) until putting my wrist closer to my nose. Then, again, all I could smell was grass and dirt, yet still when my arm moved the sweet slightly citrus-y note was in the air. It wasn't until about an hour after application that the most delicious leather note crept out, and even then the dirt remained a bit. This is a nicely complex scent, and waiting for the leather to come out is so worthwhile! 3 stars of 5 stars are awarded this LE blend. If the leather note had come out a bit sooner, the score would've been higher.

awww.. stellans wrote my review already for me!

Here's how it went on my skin:
Stage 1 - damp, dirt, grass, kinda mouldy smelling. Duration: 40 minutes
Stage 2 - yummy soft leather, a slight sweetness, dirt/grass in the background. Duration: from here to infinity.

I didn't like the first part very much at all - I almost went and washed it off... I really don't dig dirt/mud/grass smells at all. But the winner here is the Sangre de Grado with its gorgeous resin-y dragon's blood vibe and smoky vanilla-like tones - I think that's what is mixing so beautifully with the leather. Sadly, the mud/grass/dirt business never quite goes away for me - it grows fainter over time, but it's still very much there as a bottom layer all the way through the life of this oil on my skin. Bummer, because that leather/Sangre combination is fantastic.

I'm tempted to get a bottle and see how it ages, but.. no.

Holy nasal cleanser, Batman!

 

This little clown packs a punch to the nostrils when it first goes on! The mint is strong and a little sharp, but the absinthe is right there with it - together, they are a powerful combination that I think rather than knocking someone out, would actually have the power to revive someone after a knockout.

 

Once the blast of mint and absinthe dies down, I can really notice the lemon which is tangy and sweet (exactly like the smell of lemon meringue pie as per the notes). For the first 10 minutes or so that Knockout Drops is on my skin, it's all LEMON with the mint-absinthe combo in the background, but no sign of the bourbon vanilla or white chocolate. But lemon always amps on my skin, so nothing unusual there.

 

It's really only after about a half-hour that the lemon finally fades enough for me to notice the bourbon vanilla. And what a shame it didn't come out earlier, because it is gorgeous in here.. it's just completely overwhelmed by the other notes. And I recognise the same white chocolate note from last year's Box of Chocolates Valentine's Day blends - it merges nicely with the bourbon vanilla - they're lovely together, kinda dry and dusky and not overly sweet or foody.

 

So, I would love this a lot more if the lemon would just go away! As it is, my arm smells a bit like bathroom cleaner.. the other notes are just so subtle that I really have to hunt around for them. And for something that started out so strong and powerful, it does fade pretty quickly.

Hmm.. I'm really not sure what to make of this - there's so much going on in this little spray!

 

It's spicy, but with a musky edge.. tangy and fresh from the lime, slightly woodsy and green, and a bit rich from the cacao and rum. The coconut just plays at the edges of the fragrance - it isn't a major player, and I'm not really getting anything overly sweet, so I'm not sure where the sugar cane syrup is at.

 

I dunno - it's not that I don't like it, I just don't know what it's supposed to be - it's kinda confusing. Perhaps it's the pine note that's spoiling it for me, because I really don't like pine smells due to their sharpness. And maybe that's what's bothering me abot Hispaniola - it's kinda sharp, in a HEY sort of way, and it tickles my nose a bit

How can people not be raving about Harikata II in this thread? Sexy, sex-ay coconut!

 

GRR.. did you mean Harigata II (I don't remember Harikata having coconut)?? If so, then yes - Harigata II is definitely a sexygood coconut! I love the way the coconut blends with the anise, it's just sublime.

 

Haley actually mentioned it up-thread, but a few more raves about its loveliness would definitely be appropriate

There's a whole thread for this over in the BPAL FAQ section right here.

 

SNAP! I was just about to post that

 

And there's also a "Where do you apply your oils" thread, in case anyone was wondering about that too

Does anybody else think there's an enormous difference between coconut and black coconut?

 

YES!! There is a huge difference, for sure. In general, I like most of the various styles of coconut that BPAL has given us.. but the black coconut is by far my favourite because it has that beautiful dark tone without the sweetness/suntan-lotion-ness of regular coconut.

 

Death Adder has a magnificent black coconut note, as does Tiki King and Goblin. And I think the black coconut is the best thing about Boneshaking Antique Velocipede. Sadly, the caramel in Red Lantern hated me, but the black coconut in that one is lovely. Oh - and Snake Charmer, another one with lovely black coconut!

 

Aldercy.. I've never tried Antonino, but I'm going to go hunt some down now

I am very lucky that coconut works nicely on my skin - it always does, and it's always good. My favourite is black coconut, but I like all kinds really

 

This Coconut SN is lovely because it's not suntan lotion/Malibu liqueur smelling on me at all. It's also not overly sweet like candied coconut. It smells like real, natural coconut pulp - what you get from an actual raw coconut. It has a lovely freshness to it, and it's very clean. Unlike some of the previous reviews, I'm not getting a 'cream' from it at all. What I like most about it is that I can wear it without it being obviously COCONUT. People won't be hanging around me saying I SMELL COCONUT all the time - it's a really subtle coconut smell, rather than being all in-your-face-coconut-y.

 

My only complaint is that it doesn't stick around for long on my skin, but unfortunately that's true of many BPALs for me

 

I would definitely grab a bottle of this if one ever came my way. If it came without me having to sell a kidney in order to buy it, that is.

So.. with me being a fully paid-up member of the I LOVE BOO club, this proto had a lot to live up to

 

Wowsers - when it first goes on, it's STRONG. But strong in a kind of icky way - really buttery to the point of being almost cream-cheese-y. That same tang of cheesecake that's in Beaver'versary/Beaver Moon. And the vanilla has a different tone.. it's slightly sour, rather than the rich/boozy feel of the vanilla bean in the released version of Boo. And I am picking up something slightly citrus-y in here too - it doesn't smell like an orange citrus, nor a lemon - maybe it's lime.. or possibly grapefruit? It's quite subtle though, so I might just be imagining it.

 

But then, just as I'm leaning in to have another sniff while I'm writing this.. it's gone! In the space of about two minutes since my last sniff, it's almost completely disappeared - I have to really search for it on my arm, and when I find it; all that's left is a faint hint of buttery vanilla.

 

Putting aside the disappearing act, which is just plain weird, I don't really like this prototype version and I'm glad Beth continued refining the blend to get to where she did with my beloved Boo 2009. I prefer its clean/crisp feel, and I like that version of the vanilla much better. Although it's very yummy, this proto version is just too buttery for me.

 

Special goes out to the lovely forumite who sent me this

Mmm.. juicy strawberry!

 

When I first put this one, I thought ooh this one's nice, it doesn't smell too 'fake' or candy-like.. it's actually pretty true to a real, fresh strawberry. There's a bit of muskiness behind the scenes, but mostly it's all fruit on me. It reminds me of the smell of actual strawberry fields - summer days spent picking strawberries.. and the way my hands would smell afterward when they were completely covered in smushed strawberries and juices.

 

But.. the longer it stays on my skin, the more green it becomes - what started off as a blast of juicy fresh strawberry changes over time to a more musky strawberry with greenery.

 

However.. as good as this one is, it's still not 100% 'real' strawberry to me. As far as the BPAL strawberries I've tried go, this is definitely one of the better versions, but it still has just the teensiest touch of the fake and a hint of the plastic that infiltrates the lovely fruit smell.

On my skin, this seems to be creamy honey, vanilla, and a bit of wood.

 

Yep.. this is me, too. I'm finding Half Elf v5 reminds me a lot of Haloes, but without the warm/golden tones - this is less golden than Haloes but I definitely recognise the same oak note. And Half Elf v5 is very honey-ish, where Haloes doesn't have honey. But they are similar, honest!

 

My other comparison would be with O, I don't deal very well with O - the honey is very cloying on me - and the honey in Half Elf v4 is borderline cloying, powdery sweet. I don't see the comparison to Glowing Vulva though - I really don't think there's teak in Half Elf v4, nor the cream that GV had.

 

And I am picking up a floral in here somewhere - there's a slight purple tinge, violet perhaps.. or iris? Maybe orchid? It's very very subtle, but I think it is there, mixed in with a nice soft vanilla. And do I detect a whiff of chocolate? Maybe!

 

So after a full dry-down, Half Elf v5 gives me mostly a soft clean honey with a nice background of soft wood and a hint of vanilla. My colour pick would be honey blonde.

I second Cheshire Cat. This is Beaver Moon 05, with better throw. Yum to the yummiest.

 

And I third cheshirecat! Plus, I totally her for sending me a tester of this

 

Ayup - Beaver Moon '05 meets Cake Smash. The cream cheese/cheesecake smell is really strong at first, for about a half-hour or so, but then it starts to settle back a bit and the cake-y note comes out more.. until eventually the two meld together nicely.

 

In the end, this gives me something that smells like Beaver Moon + Beaver'versary + Cake Smash + MB: Closet all mixed in together. It's got good staying power, and once it's fully dried down it doesn't really morph around at all. In comparison to the released version of Cake Smash, this prototype is more cream cheese and less cake.. and I think it's more sweet. The standout in this proto for me is the lovely rich vanilla - French vanilla, maybe? It's delish.

 

Uber-foodie, full of nonsense and sweet silliness, this is the one to grab when you want to smell lickable. Not recommended for wearing to children's birthday parties, or days at the zoo!!

Hmm.. interesting.. this one was a little sharp and had a slight plastic/alcohol smell to it when I first put it on (as did Celeste and the Elf v4 proto, which makes me think the vanilla in PP is of the same variety as those two).. but thankfully that mostly went away after about 15 minutes (it never really went away, with Celeste and Elf v4) - every now and then I notice it's still kinda hanging around, but it's not bad enough to be annoying.

 

Once fully dried, what I have is a softly sweet vanilla with a hint of woods and greenery. Just a hint though - the overall tone is sweet, not woodsy. There does seem to be something slightly fizzy in here - I see other reviewers have mentioned sassafras and maybe that is it, although usually sassafras is more obvious on my skin so perhaps there's just a wee bit in PP. And I'm going with either white musk or skin musk, and maybe a very slight touch of amber? I agree that there's probably some tonka in here. It ends up smelling a bit like a sweetened version of baby powder, but without the powder - which I realise doesn't make sense.. what I mean is; the smell of baby powder, without the powdery bit.

 

I'm not really getting the 'creamy' tones that others have mentioned - to me, this is pretty much a straight up soft/sweet vanilla musk. It's nice, and but since I already have a couple of favourite vanilla-based BPALs, this one just isn't ranking up there in the top shelf category for me.

So.. as a card-carrying member of the Vanilla Lovers Association, I was desperate to get my hands on some Elf v4. When I read the reviews talking about it being like XCDL13 and Antique Lace - two of my most beloved BPALs - I thought this was going to be it.. The One..

 

Alas, it is not. On my skin, the vanilla in Elf v4 does exactly the same as the one in Celeste - it puts out a chemical/alcohol tone that really turns me off. Where Celeste had pink tones, Elf v4 has white ones.. and again, that's problematic for my skin - there's a musk of some sort in here (my guess is white musk or skin musk) but not the kind of musk that works nicely for me. I'm not picking up any particular floral elements, maaaaaaaaaybe some orchid if I try really hard to find it, but it does have a forest/floral kinda vibe about it - not in a 'green' forest sense.. it's more a feel than a smell.

 

When I can get my nose to put aside the bits that it doesn't like, I can see why this is so nice on other people.. it has a beautiful clean feel, a lovely softness, and a smooth sweetness without being obviously sweet as such. It's pretty, and kind of ethereal - it's shiny in a white light kind of way. And it's not horrible on me, it's just really not all that nice and I wouldn't choose it over either XCDL13 or Antique Lace - to me, it's not in the same category at all as either of those. If you held me down and tickled me, I would probably eventually admit that it has slight similarities to Antique Lace.. but I don't think I would ever say it is anything like XCDL13, no matter how unbearable your tickling became. Because.. it just isn't.

 

Obviously, going by the other reviews before me, I am in the minority here.. but vanilla is a fickle beast and not all types work well for me. Sadly, Elf v4 just has the wrong type of vanilla for my skin

I'm not sure I can add much more to the reviews already here.. but I have to agree, this is a very very pretty blend. I feel it is perfectly suited to the Courtesan in this Asian-inspired context - it's feminine, sweet and golden, but there's also a bit of mystery in there.

 

On first application, everything was very sweet and fruity - it took a few minutes for the coconut to come out. After about 20 minutes, the 'golden' aspect comes into play and the scent develops a kind of glow to it - it really came alive beautifully, and that was actually my favourite stage of the perfume.. before it lots its shine a little and kind of collapsed into a fairly flat fruit/carnation/coconut smell.

 

After a full dry-down I'm left with a nice soft pear that's not overly sweet, a soft hint of coconut, and a top note of carnation. I definitely found this blend to be more interesting on my skin before it flattened out at the end, but it really is very pretty and definitely worth a try if you enjoy these golden Asian type fragrances.

Firstly, I have to say that "Dick Fancy" is such a great name

 

But this is all about the Captain, and oh my.. Captain Cully, if I smelled this good all the time then I too would be merry twenty-four hours a day!

 

I see other comparisons have already been made, but to me.. CC lacks the sharpness/strength of the leather in Dead Man's Hand, and the sweetness of the leather in Quincy Morris. It doesn't have the oiliness of Olisbos, but I agree with cfrancesca that it's reminiscent of Enkhespalos. If I had to pick a 'smells like' for Captain Cully, I'd go with Brom Bones.. the leather has a similar musky smoothness and a light sweetness - it's not as rich as Brom Bones, but the tones are similar.

 

On my skin, I get a lovely soft leather - tempered by a very soft musk which I find is there in feel rather than actual smell. Tonka and woods is always a great combination, and it works really nicely here to provide a nice earthy base for the musky leather to sit atop. The porter only really comes out after the full dry-down, and it adds a layer of depth that just finishes the whole effect of this perfume off perfectly. The leather was definitely the top note at first, but once that porter comes into effect it melds everything together.

 

I think it's great to have such a lovely leather blend in the GC line-up! Captain Cully is exactly what I was hoping for when I read the description - a beautiful soft, natural leather that's totally wearable. A must-try for leather lovers

Smells gorgeous in the bottle.. but on my skin, what a disaster! Lemon has never been a friend of mine, but I had to give this a try.. but no, it's not for me.

 

On my skin, all I got was lemon. As in.. LEMON. And not a pretty lemon either - a nasty, sour, sharp and overly sweet/cloying lemon. It smells a bit like furniture polish. So sadly, this is not for me

 

I do think it would work beautifully as a room spray though!

I would suggest you try Grief - the notes are lily of the valley, hyacinth, calamus, muguet, hydrangea, and elemi, and reviews are here.

 

For me, Grief was that 'florist shop' smell - fresh cut flowers with the aquatic/water tone. I'm not sure it has the 'cold' that you're seeking, but I think it's definitely worth a try

 

I'm also thinking Waltz of the Snowflakes might work - reviews are here (it was a Yule blend from last year, so you'll need to search the sales area to find a decant) - it's more 'forest' than 'flowers', but it does have a very fresh/cold feel and it's very very pretty. Another Yule blend you might like to read about for cool florals would be A Cold, Clear Winter Day.

I agree with mxtine - Obatala really is beautiful, and Tiki Queen is gorgeous but kinda hard to find these days.

 

Little_Rowan - I love Shango, but I find it to be a little more 'heavy' than a typical summer-fruity-cocktail kind of fragrance.

 

First up.. if you haven't done so already, check out all the Atomic Luaua Lounge blends, they are being discontinued soon but those are some of the yummiest tropical/summer blends around.

 

And my suggestion would be Velvet Tiki - gold-washed frangipani, vanilla flower, vanilla bean, coconut, hibiscus, papaya, pineapple, bouganvilla, passion fruit, and three orchids - it was a Limited Edition blend, so you'll need to go hunt it down in the sales area, but it's tropical summer in a bottle

hihi

 

I think there might be a thread already for this kind of question, so your post might get moved by one of the mods. But while it's still here - I can try to help with your questions

 

- Someone mentioned a cap of 12 bottles (or equivalent) in an international order from BPAL. But in the BPAL FAQ it says up to 20 items and 1 item = 1 bottle. Was the 12-bottle cap more of a "to be safe" sort of cap? Leading to that--I assume I shouldn't force 20 bottles/items in one order?

 

It's definitely 20 bottles for the limit on the $14 international shipping cost from the Lab.. I've done a couple of 20-bottle orders so I know that's right. If you go over 20 bottles, your shipping cost goes up to the next rate which is $29.00. But remember that if your order totals $500 or more, shipping is free

 

Oh.. and if you're ordering from the Trading Post, just be careful because the rates can be different if you're buying things like bath oils and atmosphere sprays since they need a bigger box.. so it's always best to email first and ask for a shipping quote on Post orders.

 

 

- International group orders! I haven't seen a lot (or any?) in the Decant Circles/Group Orders forum here, so I have no idea how they go or if people are interested in them, and how exactly they go about (aside from what's said in the guidelines). As a complete newbie, I don't want to bite off more than I can chew with a decant circle but I certainly want to minimize the shipping cost that I'm taking on; but I realize that people who live in the same area probably know each other and just organize their own group orders off-forum. Is this the case?

 

I do recall seeing group orders posted here, but I don't think they're done very often. They do happen on the LJ BPAL communities quite a bit though, mostly in the US - but most people are happy to have international people join in, so that can be a good way to save a few $$ when you only want a couple of things. There is an Aussie BPAL community on LJ, and I think there's also a UK one, but I'm not sure if there's one for Singapore or the Asia region - if not, maybe you could set one up! Group orders are a great way to save money on shipping, but they can be a lot of work to organise (and decant circles can be a LOT of work) so I would suggest that you take some time to get to know other BPALers a bit first - see if you can find people in your area/region and maybe start off small by sharing an order with a friend or two, before jumping in to running decant circles or group orders.

 

I hope that helps!

When this first hit my skin, I didn't quite know what to make of it - there was something slightly medicinal/herbal about it, almost like a balsam smell, and I immediately recalled that pine had been mentioned in earlier reviews. As a fully paid-up member of the anti-pine club, I though uh-oh.. this isn't good!

 

But oh.. Saqqara.. much like your namesake, you are intriguing and complex - your secrets are hidden beneath your exterior. After only a minute or two, whatever that pine-y business was has disappeared and a lovely spicy mix has emerged. Clove is definitely a major player, but I think there's also some red musk (or some dark/darkish variety of musk) at play, and some cardamon as well. I'm reminded of The Arabian Dance at this point - the spices are similar, but there's no coffee in Saqqara. There's also some similarity to Spanked, but no leather.. and Saqqara is more heavy on the spice.

 

I see other reviewers have mentioned amber.. hmm - yes, there might be amber here, but it's not a 'fresh' amber (which generally goes powdery on me) - I'm thinking it's likely to be an Egyptian amber which would make sense in this blend but also explain the slight smoky tone that it has. The clove here is really lovely - it's sweet, not sharp, so I'm not getting the 'ewwwww dentist' association that clove sometimes gives me.

 

Ultimately I find that Saqqara dries down to mostly clove with a hint of spice - the other spices fade over time but the clove stays true for quite a long while. The throw is quite strong, so a little dab is more than enough! A very very nice blend, and if it ever makes it to release then I know the spice lovers out there will be hoarding this one

Thank you to the lovely Dark Alice for sending me a tester of this!

 

When first applied, I got milky chocolate and butterscotch/buttercream, as others have mentioned. Then about 3 minutes in, I got banana. What, banana?!? Yep, banana - the fake/candy/syrup kind of banana. So for a couple of minutes, it was all chocolate and banana then suddenly.. the banana vanished. Then it was back to chocolate (which has lost its initial milky flavour and become more deep) and butterscotch, but the butterscotch has done its usual thing and turned into a burnt sugar smell which isn't as bad as some other butterscotch/brown sugar experiences I've had, but it definitely leans towards the 'burnt' side.

 

Despite my lack of love for butterscotch, this is actually quite yummy. For people whose skin tolerates brown sugar related notes better than mine, I think this would be delicious.

I agree with ZZ's review above - it is slightly medicinal at first, like a strong balsam perhaps. Actually everything about it is pretty strong at first - it's kind of pungent for 5 minutes or so before it starts to dry down.

 

10 minutes in, and I can finally lean in close for a smell now that it's settled down. And what I get is like a gorgeous leather - not the soft and subtle type, but also not the harsh/chemical type - it's a strong leather type of smell, but it's more 'rugged' than 'harsh', like it's well-worn. Vetiver? Hmm.. yes, probably - but it's not the evil vetiver of doom.. there's just a nice smokiness to the base. And there's something musky in here too - a dark musk, but with a hint of sweetness - perhaps a brown musk, or a black musk - it's nice. And there's something that tickles the very back of my nose when I breathe the fragrance in deeply.. that may be the vetiver, but it could be a touch of ginger. Every now and then, I think I can smell something nutty in there, but I can't quite pinpoint it so perhaps that's imaginary.

 

Despite its somewhat rude introduction, LUES II dries down into something really special - warm, musky, leathery, and smoky. The longer it stays on my skin, the nicer it gets!

 

 

EDIT to add - the dry-down of LUES II is very similar to Burning Vulva, but less powdery.