Scylla

In the vial: Deep, brooding florals and incense. Wet, on my skin: This brought back a scent memory of a perfume my grandmother had bought me eons ago called Coquette. I have no idea what the notes in Coquette were, but the sharpness of Darkness totally reminded me of that. Probably narcissus. On drydown: I'm not very familiar with the notes of narcissus and opium, but this scent is very evocative. This smells like a fancy, expensive perfume that an aristocratic woman might wear to a masquerade ball in a black silk ball gown and a black mask. Very interesting, but not me.

I received a mess o' imps from the Lab today and Kali was the first one I reached for. I have been dying to try it! In the vial: Smells like honey and wine Wet, on my skin: I am detecting no honey or wine--just chocolate and some bright yet understated florals. I can definitely smell the tulip. On drydown: Honey and chocolate with florals in the background. I am in love with Kali! I am not a floral person--I usually go for more the gourmand or spicy scents, but I am really enjoying this! I would have to agree with other reviewers that this is a very difficult to describe scent. It smells nothing like what I was expecting--I guess I was expecting something very dark and sweet, but instead it was surprisingly light. Before trying it, I thought it might make a good fall or winter perfume, but instead I think I'll order a big bottle in the spring.

I'll second that! Dragon's Milk is one of my favorites!

In the bottle: Buttery baked pumpkin! Wet, on my skin: Something piney/woodsy jumps to the forefront for a few minutes, then I smell spiced apple cider. Where did the pumpkin go? On drydown: the woodsy/piney notes fade into the background and the spiced apple cider notes come to the forefront, but then I can smell the patchouli. They are all there, but nicely balanced. This is a really wonderful blend, and it does bring back fond memories of autumn. After only 1/2 a day of wearing, it has displaced Jack as my holy grail of Autumn fragrances! I will definitely be wearing this through the holidays (or at least until I receive my Snow White! )

In the bottle: Sweet, syrupy, rich and foody Wet, on my skin: Foody, very much like Mexican candies and the egg-rich baked goods you would find at a panaderia, with perhaps some cocoa in the background. After a few minutes I can smell some flowers peeking through. On drydown: Dia de los Muertos dries down very nicely. The florals and smokiness come out on drydown, yet I can still smell the rich, sweet food offerings. On me, it is a wonderful balance of foody, autumny and floral. I am not a big floral fan, but the florals in this one are not the "Attack of the 50 foot Bouquet" variety--they are understated and really lovely! It is what I had hoped Harvest Moon would be! I love it! Great job, Beth!

I would recommend Juliet for your sporty sister and Bewitched for your girly sister.

In the vial, and wet on my skin: The first thing that came to mind was "this smells just like a funeral home!" Funeral home flowers! Ack! On drydown: Green grasses and headstrong flowers. Very long lasting.

In the vial, and wet on my skin: Does anyone remember those bubble gum scented Hello Kitty erasers that Sanrio made circa 1976? The kind you wanted to bite, they smelled so darn bubble gummy? Wet, Jailbait smelled just like that! I wanted to bite myself, I tell you! On drydown, the bubble gum scent has faded a bit and there is definitely a more floral scent coming out, but I can't quite pinpoint the notes. It is a very youthful, fun scent. I think this would be a great choice for an older teen / young woman. I'd buy it for my 17 year old stepdaughter if I didn't think her mother would be offended!

YESSSSSSSSSS! I agree with ladylatemar completely! Those little weedy things are indeed exactly what Tzadikim Nistarim smells like! I remember loving to rub them between my fingers when I was a kid and sniff them.

Well, if I get Samhain in time, I will wear that. If not, I will wear Jack II. Either way, I'll smell terrific!

In the vial: Dragon's Blood Wet, on my skin: Dragon's Blood, but then the cinnamon jumps out. On drydown: Tintagel stays very cinnamony / spicy for a while and then it tones down and I start getting the mulled wine, sweetness and some spices coming through. It is a chilly, damp, blustery autumn day in Chicago, and I am so glad I chose to wear Tintagel today! It is a very comforting, home-y and "holiday-ish" scent. Well done, Beth!

So I thought I'd update you all on the mystery scent... Well, it might be Vice after all. I sold it to another forumite because I didn't like it that much, and she said it smelled a lot like the imp of Vice that she has, but fruitier and less chocolate. The weird thing is, it smelled NOTHING like the imp of Vice I have, nor the 5 ml of Vice that I swapped to yet another forumite (those two smelled the same, BTW.)

Bewitched, most definitely!

In the vial and wet, on my skin: Green, herbal, Christmas-y pine. Thankfully, I'm not getting "Pine-Sol" or "Vapo-Rub!" On drydown: There is something citrusy underneath, but I can't quite pick out what it is--and perhaps some cinnamon. It reminds me of an Aveda hand lotion I have that has cinnamon and lemon in it. But the pine is still in the background, albeit faintly. Not a lot of staying power--only about 45 minutes on my skin and now I can barely detect it.

I am DEFINITELY not a floral gal, and my favorites are: Dragon's Milk Jack Dana O'Shee Three Witches Embalming Fluid Venom Sudha Segara

I second Muse. It is about 1/2 lotus and 1/2 jasmine on me, also, with some lime added in for interest. This is a very unusual perfume oil--you WILL get comments on it!

In the vial: This reminds me a lot of Velvet, but much stronger. Wet, on my skin: Still reminds me of Velvet, but spicier and more floral. On drydown: Less like Velvet, but more floral and quite spicy. I will have to make a point of wearing this when my husband gets home, but I suspect he's not gonna like it.

Hmmm... this one is quite long lasting. I put it on about 4 1/2 hours ago and can still smell it wafting around me. I can't pick out any single note, but it is a bright yet soft floral with green notes. It is really an artfully, beautifully blended oil, and smells very expensive. It's very lovely, but it's just not me.

In the vial: Oh my! It smells like Devon Avenue (in Chicago) where there are at least 10 Indian restaurants or grocers on each city block and the air is thick with the scent of Indian spices and Indian cooking. At first, in the vial and on my skin, all I smell is curry and I want to run and wash it off. I REALLY don't want to smell like an Indian restaurant or a cab! But I waited, and the curry faded away and other spices came to the forefront. It's one of the more interesting, evocative BPAL scents I've tried. I think this one should go in the Wanderlust category, as it transports me to India. And it definitely made me crave Indian food!

Yeeeeeow! All I got from this one from application to drydown is a sinus headache inducingly strong floral. That refused to die! Black Cat was extremely long lasting on me, but not in a good way! Thank goodness this little kitty found a new,loving home with another forumite!

Apparently, Prada perfume is composed primarily of sandalwood, patchouli, labdanum and benzoin. The search engine on the BPAL site says that Rakshasa, Namaste, Anne Bonny, Shadow, Typhon, Wanton and Sin all contain both sandalwood and patchouli. Gaueko contains both sandalwood and labdanum. Hymn, Magdalene and Medea all contain labdanum. (Benzoin does not show up as a component on the BPAL search engine) Hope this helps! I'll bet some other forumites can recommend some other spicy, woody scents--whether or not they smell like Prada. Laurin

It is my understanding that there is a big difference between ESSENTIAL oils and perfume oils / oil blends. Perhaps Beth will chime in?

This smells lovely in the vial, but my body chemistry has ruined Blood Amber! I am not kidding -- on drydown I smell like the car of an old man who chainsmokes cigars!

Definitely a fresh, piney scent. Not a Christmas-y pine, though. More like a walk through a forest, enjoying the clean, crisp air and green scents of moss and stepping on pine needles. It also reminds me of the rosin I used on my bow when I played the viola. If I recall correctly, that was made of pine also.

In the vial: I smell roses and herbs--Wolfsbane, presumably! Wet, on my skin: Uh oh. I smell civet...and roses. I usually HATE fragrances containing civet and rose does not usually like my body chemistry. But... I actually do like this! Not enough to buy a big bottle, but I'll definitely use and enjoy the imp!