mineralgirl

This is lovely. It's very 'fall' to me... it's much less sweet and berry than I was expecting. The berries are there but so is the musk and the brandy. It's rich and warm. I get whiffs of the berries, cherry and apricot when it's wet but everything falls into line with the musk and brandy as it dries and then I can't smell any specific notes..... it just smells really yummy! It's win for me

First of all, I hate lavender. It usually gives me an intense headache and I avoid it as much as possible... I won't even try a frimp if lavender is listed in the notes. That said, I still wanted to try this because I was hearing all these rumblings about marshmallowy vanilla cotton candy goodness along with the lavender.... and the rumblings were right! The first 10 minutes I get full on herby lavender which I still don't like but it doesn't give me a headache at least ... then when it dries down it's this most amazing marshmallow, vanilla, cotton candy, sugary cloud scent. I love it. I already have a bottle ordered. The lavender totally evaporates on me. I plan on using this as a body oil/fragrance. Big thanks to Dana who graciously sent me the oil to try before buying. I am forever grateful and I'll pay if forward!

I bought imps of NEUTRAL and HALFLING as those were the two that appealed to me. I loved them each enough on their own that I turned around and ordered bottles the same day I got my imps... and then I remembered they were meant to layer so I did and now I am IN LOVE with the two even more! My husband even said 'that actually smells really good'

This is beautiful and I think, bottle worthy. I'm a foodie but there is enough sweetness in this to balance out the floral component I'm getting. It smells clean and sweet.

well... I get Cap'n Crunch with Crunchberries from this and I love it.

Bottle: I got a toothache just sniffin’ this bad boy! Wet: it smells sugary and sweet, very much like the effervescent pixi stix description someone else posted. It has a sour-ness that makes my mouth water and surprisingly, there is a floral quality to this but I don’t think it will cause me any problems. I also smell that gumminess of jelly beans and gumdrops. I think this is what Honeydukes might smell like in Hogsmeade. LOL Dry down: stays the same on me. Sugary but fruity too.. kinda sour and I can finally smell the taffy! I don’t get the mint. It’s also pretty strong.

Bottle: This is way more sophisticated than what I was expecting. It has an almost masculine quality in the bottle. Wet: Based on other reviews, I wasn’t expecting ‘cookie’ gingerbread.. but it’s more bakery than I thought it would be. I was expecting full-on ginger ale or something. The nutmeg is anchoring this in a way that it makes it more elegant. I can see my hubby wearing this! (but I love it too). It isn’t sweet.. it’s kinda dry. It’s actually really gorgeous. Dry down: marshmallow cream sprinkled with candied ginger! It got really light. I'm getting more of the ginger ale scet the longer it sits. WINNER!

Straight out of the bottle, I get a cinnamony goodness... then a little floral kick and some sort of sweetness. As it dries down, it begins to mellow out and get alittle creamier. I'm a foodie but the floral that is in this is playing nicely and I don't notice it as being overly flowery. it does sort of give off a forest vibe... warm, dark with a full moon overhead and sweet. It's a keeper. It's kinda sexy.

In the bottle is straight up pumpkin pie! On the skin, the candy floss pushes its way up to the front while the pumpkin takes on a more spicy and sugary note. It has a scent of a sweet and spicy blended drink of some sort. Finally, the berry brings up the rear but it’s subtle. On final dry down it’s all spicy pumpkin sprinkled with sugar but it’s a keeper even tho I wish it was more candy floss! This will be a perfect fall scent.

Just so you know.. I'm a foodie and I hate almost all florals. That may help when you're reading my reviews. In the bottle .. my first thought was that it was ‘warm’ … on the skin it is spicier and stronger. I can smell the sweetness of the honey but it’s balanced by the champaca. It’s an herby spiciness… but it’s really kinda cool. The pink pepper that I love so much is there but not overly noticeable. I barely get the chocolate but it’s playing nicely. This one is very well blended, I think. The longer it’s on, the more cocoa I get. At final dry down it’s more of a sweet herby scent. It’s a keeper.

well, shoot. I have a pic of Blue Pumpkin Floss and Ghoulish to post but I don't know how. I thought I could attach it but it seems not. if anyone wants to post mine, I can email you the pic... my email is shellysmith@watkinsonline.com

In the bottle: lemon! On skin: it’s lovely! It’s a sugary lemon but not overly tart. Definitely has a lemongrass vibe. As it dries, it gets creamier and smoother. It still does have that undertone that gives it an almost metallic or mechanical vibe but in a good way. Impression: perfect for summer. It’s fresh and light. Side note... I wore this today and I let my husband sniff it and I said 'do I smell like lemonheads?' to which he replied 'you smell like thai food' and then my face did this - and then it did this - and then he said 'you know, that gingery-lemon kinda of smell?' um... ok. Anyway... it's sugary lemon and I love it!

In the bottle: Spice! Musk! Darness! On skin: I was expecting this to be sweeter. It’s definitely vanilla-y with the cardamom pull up the rear.. but the tonka is keeping it from being too sweet. It reminds me of something I’d get from Nocturne Alchemy, which has to be the egyptian musk. It kinda reminds me of something I’ve tried from them. Impression: Don’t hate it but it isn’t love at first sniff right now. I think it’s going to age well.

citrusy and sort of lime sugary with a pear syrup… it’s kinda herby as well. It mellows nicely and smooths out the longer it’s on. The tea is there to hold it together.

In the bottle: I got bottle number 74. Holy bake sale Batman! First impression is baked goods, spice, sugar. I'm so bad at determining notes. On skin: Ok, this is weird. I swear I smell cotton candy but it’s sort of behind maybe some chocolatey nuts? Something baked or fried with sugar and something a little berry-like… caramel? I dunno. It’s fun tho. I like it. It might be a floral. How about I just say.. I dunno, it’s good? Impression: I feel like it’s notes that I know but I can’t really think of what they are. It gives me the impression of being at the fair and being with a group of people and everyone has something different.. cotton candy and an elephant ear, maybe some chocolate peanut butter fudge and lemonade. Oh, and cherry taffy. Or bubble gum! Now, I’m getting a little bit of bubblegum.

In the bottle: coconut with pepper sprinkled on it! On skin: This is kinda bizarre and totally me! It’s creamy coconut with an edge. I love it! The angelica gives it a coolness. Impression: it’s creamy and lovely. It’s definitely a sweet coconut with a sort of sharp edge. If you sniff it hard, it’s all pepper!

I got bottle 114. It smells like something familiar but I can’t identify it. Sort of citrusy but I detect no vanilla, oddly enough! On skin: herby, clean, fresh, citron or lemon peel, maybe? There is some sugar too. It sort smells like fresh lemon. It’s tart and makes my mouth water! But still no vanilla whatsoever. I think there may be a floral lurking. In fact, the more I sniff it, the more I think It has my dreaded note of doom - lavender. I HATE lavender. I think this needs to head to the sale page.

This smelled lovely in the bottle but when it hit my skin it turned into a boozy acetone scent that dried down to a dollar store candle (waxy). I'm gonna have to sell this one.

and that post is why we love Beth and BPAL so much!

I realize I'm not the only person wearing Snake Oil in the world, but I'm the only one wearing it in MY world.... oh i can't even argue that at this point, most of my friends have the same blends that i do...lol. I do have BPAL friends but none of them are very local.., and we all seem to like different things so even when we are all together, we're wearing different things! I'd actually LOVE to run into someone wearing BPAL that I didn't already know. I'd ....

and this is exactly why i stick with bpal. beth does use oils which appeals to me and works better with my wonky skin- but beyond that, i don't like wearing what other people are wearing. i knit for the same reason. i know that i'm not wearing a completely unique blend (i could go to strange brews down the street, get my own oils, and mix them myself if i wanted that) but it's a lot less common than the stuff that i can smell on five seperate people walking through the student union at the local campus. I realize I'm not the only person wearing Snake Oil in the world, but I'm the only one wearing it in MY world....

ok.. wait.. I was kinda misquoted! I did not say "I'm certain the mall scents...lack creativity. I prefer not to smell like everyone else." my comment was this "I'm certain the mall scents are far from 'natural'.. they are almost all alcohol ... they also lack creativity. I prefer not to smell like everyone else." I didn't say I'm certain they lack creativity... in my personal opinion, most department store offered scents DO lack creativity but the few words left out changed what I as trying to say as I'm no expert on big house scents so I can't say for certain they lack creativity.. it's just my opinion. Am I making sense? I bet if I walked outside and grabbed 10 random people, not one would know what BPAL was (unless they know me) because I've never met anyone that did before I told them about it. When I worked retail at the mall, nearly everyone that walked in had on a scent that was familiar to me because I had smelled them at Macy's! I like wearing scents that no one has heard of.. I like telling people I'm wearing Snake Oil and have them give me a blank stare. Like it's been said... it's personal and you have to TRY things to see if you like them. Don't let anyone's opinions determine if you should be 'nervous' about imps you ordered. You choose some great scents to start with so I hope you find a winner.

I think BPAL isn't for you, Jayne.

I had a whole big reply to this but I feel like it isn't worth my time, energy or disappointment... I ask you - Is there some reason why you can't try the samples you ordered and form your own opinion? Does it even matter if the oils are 'natural? I'm certain the mall scents are far from 'natural'.. they are almost all alcohol ... they also lack creativity. I prefer not to smell like everyone else.

How about The Black Rider? (Marchen series)