Scylla

In the bottle: Very fruity--mostly melons and citrus, but I'm a little scared because something smells a little over ripe. That is what happened to me with Forbidden Fruit--it smelled like rotting fruit on me. Wet, on my skin: Mmmmmm! Very nice! Very fruity, but I can smell the slightly minty lunar oils beneath the surface. This is totally what I had hoped Mi-Go Brain Canister would be!!! On drydown: Still very fruity. Delicious, juicy exotic fruity goodness. Dripping down your chin, ripe juiciness. If I had received this earlier in the summer, it would have been my everyday scent. But then again, I probably would have been constantly attacked by bees! Yummy!

I don't get any ice-rimmed chilliness from Numb at all. It is a very strong violet and white floral blend on me. And, I'm sad to say, it gave me a sinus headache. I'm very bummed, as I was really anticipating this one!

I have tried many, many BPAL perfume oil blends with rose in them, including Rose Red and 2, 5 and 7 and none of them has worked with my chemistry. Until now, that is! Seance is a blend that I never would have tried on my own, since I avoid rose notes like the plague! But the Lab included an imp in my Carnaval Noir order and I first tried it today. It smells liked dried rose petals, rosewood and damp, forest greens. It is all at once comforting, earthy and warm and slightly dusty and otherworldly. ETA: My three year old son came into the room just now and said, "Mommy! You smell like flowers! PRETTY flowers. PINK flowers!" That just about says it all!

Dia de los Muertos + Bliss = chocolate donuts

I had very much the same experience as Eros. Snake Charmer was not at all what I was expecting! It is light, green and fresh. From the description, I guess I was expecting something slithery, sinewy and deep--like Venom. No vanilla, no coconut or amber here. Or musk, for that matter. However, I think my husband is gonna LOVE this one. He loves soapy, clean fresh scents for himself. Time will tell! ETA: It seems that what I received was actually House of Mirrors, and not Snake Charmer at all! So this review will be moved to House of Mirrors.

In the bottle: Green, spicy and perhaps a bit, well, medicinal. Interesting. Wet, on my skin: Well, phooey! Apparently my skin amplifies tobacco because really all I am getting is tobacco. And as an ex-smoker, that is NOT a good thing! I swear I'm getting amber in here, also, but it's not listed as a component. Hmmmm.... On drydown: Still pretty much the same. It's really sad that I'm not getting any of the other notes because I had really high hopes for this blend. I asked my daughter to smell my arm and tell me what she thinks it smelled like and she said "You smell like the tobacco shop where dad buys his cigarettes!" I did not mention the components to her.

In the vial: Almond oil. My first thought? "Penance would HATE this!" Wet, on my skin: Almonds to the infinite power! But then something green and leafy emerges--I'm assuming it's the fig leaves. The almonds fade back, and then I can smell the coconut. Lovely! On drydown: Sweet, juicy figs mingling with honey, almonds and coconut. Quite fruity and delicious. A lot more fruity than I expected, but that's OK because I love fruity scents! I don't really get anything "milky" or "creamy" though. Something about Eden reminds me of March Hare--kinda like March Hare with the addition of coconut and almond.

That's not a problem at all. If you've paid by CCNow, you should have received an order confirmation e-mail from them by now. Have you? Then, you're fine. You can either use the online order processor (CCNOW) or, you can order via PayPal as if you were paying for an ebay auction or something, and then list your items in the "Instructions" field. The payee name for BPAL is paypal@blackphoenixalchemylab.com. Those who have paid by Paypal should receive a confirmation e-mail from them regarding payment received.

I got a freebie imp of Tezcatlipoca in my 13 order. Thanks, Lab! It's not something I would normally have ordered, because Centzon Totochtin didn't work on me, but this one's definitely a keeper! In the vial: Patchouli and leather Wet, on my skin: Patchouli, leather, something incensy/woody and spices. Interesting. I'm not getting any cocoa, though. On drydown: Wow! I love this once it has dried down and the patchouli has stopped trying to elbow all of the other notes out of the way. Once it dries down it is a beautifully balanced blend of leather, incense, patchouli, dry cocoa and spices (cloves?) It reminds me of Christmas, for some reason. Tezcatlipoca definitely seems gender neutral, but I can't wait to try it on my husband!

Chaos Theory CDXC (490) In the bottle: I smell grape and lotus and something spicy--ginger or cardamom, perhaps? Yep, there is definitely lotus in this. The bubble-gumminess is unmistakeable. Wet, on my skin: Fresh, green, fruity and "juicy" all at the same time. This is a carefree, happy, summertime kind of scent. On drydown: The grapey smell has faded a bit, and a "juicy" floral blooms! It reminds me of the floral from Dia de Los Muertos, so it might be cereus. Whatever it is, combined with the lotus it is juicy and luscious. Now I'm anxious for another get together with the Chicago BPAL contingent so we can sniff and compare our "one of a kind" gems!

In the bottle: Wait.....Did I get a bottle of Bliss by mistake? It smells almost exactly like Bliss in the bottle. I thought that, and then my daughter smelled it and said the same thing! Wet, on my skin: It starts out VERY chocolatey--like Bliss or Vice, which is weird, because I didn't expect that at all. The white chocolate (which smells like regular chocolate to me) stays predominant for less than five minutes, then fades WAY into the background. The tangerine, currant and mandarin come to the forefront, making 13 smell like the love child of Bliss and Akuma. On drydown: The (white) chocolate continues to fade, but is still detectible. The fruits have also taken a step back and the iris (and perhaps some other florals) has come forward to take a bow. Then the fruits come forward again. 13 is definitely a shape-shifter of an oil. It's complex, delicious, ever-changing and I enjoy every stage of it! So glad I bought two bottles! ETA: The tea note comes out and mingles with the florals on extreme drydown. (3-5 hours later) Very nice!

I think Bewitched would complement Falling in Love nicely, although I wouldn't say it's similar in a dupe kinda way.

In the vial: Sweet, resiny and incensey Wet, on my skin: Death match between cedar and sandalwood! With incense in the background. Also a wisp of something herbal and green. Perhaps the galangal? (I have no idea what that smells like!) On drydown: Cedar and sandalwood remain the predominant notes, but they have settled down. I like Magus very much once it has dried down for at least 1/2 an hour. It's a very dominant, commanding scent. Unfortunately, after about 3 hours it has pretty much disappeared.

In the vial: rich, sweetened, condensed milk with a bit of honey and lemon zest Wet, on my skin: Milk Moon definitely captures a comforting "closeness between mother and child" vibe. TMI alert: When I was breastfeeding my children I would frequently catch whiffs of something warm, creamy, sweet and milky--very similar to this. And then I realized it was ME! Scent of a mother and baby. I think those members who have breastfed will know EXACTLY the scent I'm talking about. On drydown: The milky note has faded away and Milk Moon has morphed into a combination of Snow White and Spooky! The mint and lunar oils have taken over, and I'm catching a hint of the plastic-y smell of Snow White. Darn it! I guess I'll have to keep it for my oil burner, as it truly is a lovely, comforting scent.

In long-ago Arabia, harem girls rubbed an herbal poultice formed from a blend of sensual, luxuriant herbs and oils onto their bodies to prepare themselves for the Sultan’s pleasure. This lush, indulgent perfume is based on that ancient formula. Sweet almond and Mysor sandalwood enveloped by a heady veil of Bulgarian Rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove and orange peel. In the vial: Whoa! Pure almond oil! Wet, on my skin: Very almondy. I like it, as I really like almonds. I smell the sandalwood in the background, but I don't notice the spices or orange. On drydown: Darn. The rose pops out, amps up and completely takes over. Rose and I don't get along. Ever.

I second Muse and Phantasm. Both wonderful, but both very different!

Perversion is a great choice. Here's the description: The perfect scent to wear to your next bondage ball, dungeon adventure or sojourn to your favorite pleasure dome. Smoky rum and black tobacco with a whisper of steamy leather with a splash of crystalline chardonnay, layered over a sensual, sweet, and deceptively magnetic base of tonka. (Gender neutral) It's smoky, yet sweet and VERY sexy!

I would think anything light, fresh or fruity would be great. March Hare is a good choice, as andrabell mentioned. Alice would be great, also!

I definitely agree with Perversion and Venom. Two of my favorites! Another one that just OOZES sexiness is Follow Me Boy. If memory serves, you are in Japan? My brother lives in Japan, and I sent a bunch of imps to his fiancee for Christmas. I can't remember every one I sent, other than Intrigue, Wolf's Heart and Delight. In particular, she REALLY liked Delight and said that she had gotten MANY compliments on it. Everyone wanted to know where she got that perfume!

Manila definitely evokes tropical locales, and as such, I brought it with me on my Caribbean cruise last month. It was a perfect choice! In the vial: Fruity and "tropical" smelling Wet, on my skin: Still fruity and tropical, but that quickly fades and I get light florals and woods, like bamboo. On drydown: The fruits have completely faded away, but I smell the tropical blooms and wood. It reminds me of walking in a hot, humid rainforest.

Count me in as one of those who smells olives! But it was driving me CRAZY because it smelled familiar and I couldn't place it. The really weird this is, when I smell Succor in the bottle I can't smell ANYTHING! But then when I put it on my skin the smell develops. It definitely has a green, earthy, raw olive oil smell. But then there's something herbal that makes it smell sweet and a little medicinal. Chamomile, maybe? And then there's a smokey note also, way in the background. Succor smells very comforting and outdoorsy to me. There really isn't much throw on me, but I don't think I'd wear it as a perfume, anyway. I have been wearing it on the back of my hand for sniffing and also rubbing a little into my temples. It evokes the feelings of serenity and closeness with nature that I get when I go camping. Wonderful aromatherapy!

In the vial: Rosemary, bay leaf and basil, oh my! Wet, on my skin: Heh. Now that the lemon has popped out, I smell like an Italian marinade! On drydown: The lemon has faded way back and now the pine has come to the forefront with rosemary in the background. Very herbally. There was a men's cologne back in the 80's called Herbissimo, and this kinda reminds me of it. Definitely too manly for me. Honestly, I don't see my husband liking this one either, but I'll have him give it a try. He's surprised me before with which BPAL he likes.

My vote is for Moxie. It has a zingy, refreshing tangerine/grapefruit peel scent that is a real eye opener!

In the vial: Grapes 'n Patchouli -- Hippies in the Vineyard! I like it in this stage! I can also smell the "juiciness" of the cereus. Wet, on my skin: The fruity grape smell fades and Urd becomes more incensey (I guess that must be the Nag Champa) Drydown: The grape faded away completely and just left the hippie-ish smell of dark patchouli and nag champa. I know lots of people love scents heavy on patchouli and nag champa, but they're a bit too incensey and heavy for me.

Sigh. I am just not a rose person. I like jasmine. I like musk. I like moonflower. I like rose, even, but rose doesn't like me. My chemistry amps up anything with the slightest bit of rose in it so that I smell like "a rosey old lady," as my husband puts it. Unfortunately, Nuit was no exception, so my bottle of Nuit has found a loving home with fulltiltredhead.