Invidiana

A really generous swapper sent me a (well aged!) bottle of this in a package, and I can't for my life remember who it was but I just want to extend an enormous thank you to that person. It's absolutely gorgeous. I hadn't even put it on my GC wishlist but now that I have it, it's not going anywhere. Aeval is an utterly seductive scent--the tonka and white musk come out on me the most, backed by the florals (which emerge as dark and not at all prissy) in a combination that only screams pure sex. Overall, Aeval reminds me of a darker version of ridiculously upscale sunblock and that for me is a very good thing.

There was no way I could resist a scent based on a morbid museum, not a chance. I have to admit I was a little skeptical when I first saw the description because there was a chance it would be eau du musty attic--I assure you it's anything but. The raw vanilla in this is nothing short of amazing. It's rich, wild, a bit earthy, just sweet enough without being cloying. It starts out a bit "green" at first, but that quickly disappears on my skin and only gets deeper and sweeter as it keeps drying down (my skin has a tendency to amp sweet notes and sweeten stuff up which I don't mind one bit ). It's like jungle vanilla, if that makes any sense. The vanilla rests on a bed a deliciously deep and resinous balsam that blends so well with it you'd think the two were one note. Then comes the leather background. This isn't the really butch leather in Iago or De Sade, which I love to just smell, but not on myself; this is well-worn, buttery, I daresay even lightly spiced brown leather that gives the vanilla a smooth "vintage" background that stays true to the concept of dusty libraries without literally smelling ancient and dusty. This stuff is nothing short of incredible and I can't wait to see how it ages.

Now I know I might get shot for this, but Set v3 smells like the "red" version of Snake Charmer. Forgive my synaesthesia and possible Snake Charmer blasphemy, but at least that's what it comes out like on my skin. It develops into a beautifully complex dark, resinous, incensey, musky scent--there must definitely be red musk in this, and red musk is a huge YES note for me. There are plenty of warm spices which blend harmoniously with the other "red"elements. It's a very deep and mysterious scent that somehow manages to evoke the mystery anda allure of ancient Egypt without being too dry at all, more evocative of the decadence and debauchery going on in Cleopatra's palace than the desert. If you're looking for something undeniably drop-dead sexy, you've come to the right place.

For a malignant tentacled sea creature, this is absolutely gorgeous on me. Wet there is some salty/seaweedy thing going on, and I was skeptical, but as soon as it dries down it morphs into something completely different: a deep dark chocolate with a dark floral and slightly earthy background. Possibly some patchouli in there which adds to the mystery. There's just a bit of tang to prevent it from getting too sweet, but I like my perfumes that way. I predicted it was going to be like a chocolate-covered Roux-ga-Roux, and it is, at least on me. If the stench of Cthulhu is going to smell like this, drown me in it please.

My skin rarely turns things powdery, but it decided to play that game with Ivanushka, which thankfully made off to a happy home a while back. Unfortunately Iago is all butch man leather on me.

Agreed. I always strive to give people the benefit of the doubt, but as this drags on and on I'm just rolling my eyes. I think that question was more than fully answered by Beth's post. Reread it carefully and in depth. Many times we think we've read things to the point of understanding them fully but have actually missed some crucial details. I'm sure writing such an epic post and getting that specific took a considerable amount of time (I should know, I'm a writer), and that was time taken out of her grueling schedule to respond to someone who kept prodding for answers. Beth is probably up to her eyeballs in work and has no obligation to divulge her creative process to you or anyone else. By doing so she would be putting her business in jeopardy, and perfume is a tricky business because blend recipes cannot be copyrighted. Hell, I don't blame her either; when people ask me what my novel is about I only give them a 1-sentence summary and still worry about them leeching off my idea. It feels to me like you're just trying to draw her back in and be an instigator at this point. Please cease and desist and wait for your order to arrive before passing any more judgement. Note: if you want to email the Lab, their Facebook page notes they're experiencing a major power outage so responses to emails will take longer than usual.

This is just wow. Since I amp vanilla I knew I was safe from it turning too hippie-ish on me (no offense to people who dig that stuff, it's just not my personal style). I was a little wary smelling it in the bottle and wet, because at that stage it's mostly patchouli and hemp, but once it dries down the vanilla, which is definitely a dark, rich vanilla, comes out singing and tempers the equally dark patchouli perfectly, turning this scent into a sexy breed of amazing. There's a bit of hemp in the background, but it's barely noticeable on me because I amp the vanilla and there's probably more patchouli in the mix than hemp, or at least that's what happens with my chemistry. This stuff is teh shiznit and I'm so glad I took a chance on a bottle all the way from Dirty Jersey. ETA: We need Sweet Life in its own topic! Review of that one in a nutshell: it's no pansy white floral, but actually really rich and heady and makes me think of that scene in Marie Antoinette where she's lying back fanning herself while a maid does her nails.

Not to mention the classiest. I feel you, Beth. In the process of writing my novel while doing my master's, I've gotten hammered by professors questioning the publishing/selling potential of X or Y; in the end, though, it's my love of the craft that wins out, and I go with my gut, with what I enjoy writing. I don't follow how-to books or stick to rigid plot and character formulas. In the end, if I know I'm enjoying it, I have faith it will keep my future readers interested when it's finished. I feel that's exactly what you've done with your company, and what you're trying to convey in that post: your love of the craft that is evident in the final product has made others love your craft as well. Whether or not people like Luca agree with your perfumes' methods and concepts does not affect their undeniable quality and artistry. Love of Lovecraft, however, is a different story...hehe

Well said. I can't wear commercial stuff anyhow because I'm highly allergic to perfumers' alcohol and it makes me break out in ridiculous hives. I didn't think there was an alternative unitl this past summer, I Googled dark perfumes, found a link to BPAL and basically enabled myself.

Also, to get the best out of the reviews, after you test your imps and have a rough idea of your skin chemistry's tendencies, try to pay attention to the reveiwers' skin types too (if they make a mention of it). It takes a bit of effort, but it's worth it for more informed decisions. For example, my skin's two biggest tendencies are amping sweet stuff and turning (most) jasmine sour. So if I'm looking at reviews for, say, a floral blend with vanilla I'm going to take special note of a reviewer who amps the vanilla, because I tend to amp vanilla too and therefore the way it will most likely turn out on me will be most similar to her than another who's getting all florals and little vanilla. Copy-pasting particular reviews in line with your skin type onto a Word file is a big help.

Proof this forum isn't just for evil enabling of the shopping kind...my longtime craving for one of these has officially been switched on to full blast....where are those Kraft singles...

To add to this, it's common that the way perfume reacts to your body chemistry changes around your period. It can also depend on and differ with changes in your diet, stress level, activity level, and many other factors. If there is something that tends to go rancid on you during that time of the month, or something you love the smell of in the bottle but goes wonky on your skin, try a scent locket; BPTP has really cool ones.

MG, Jayne can really only reach a final verdict after she tries the oils for herself. Speaking from a fragrance perspective, the thing with oils is that you need a trial-and-error-period to figure out what works on your skin and what doesn't, and in accordance to that which notes are really "you". For example, I know honey turns out beautiful on my skin while my chemistry turns many types of jasmine to instant cat pee. When you do get your imps, have the note lists handy in front of you while you test them and jot down what's working and what isn't; then you'll have a better idea what you might want to swap for.

First of all, I'm a rabid Poe fan and this is among my favorite poems of his. That said, I think Beth did a fantastic job with capturing it. The florals are not overpowering, and the velvety rose blends deliciously with the other notes. It's something of a reddish-orange scent (forgive my synaesthesia). The blood orange gives it a certian dark fruitiness and the vanilla a sweet warmth. The red musk actually makes it very sexy along the lines of Mircalla (not the same at all, just a similar note). A darkly beautiful blend for a darkly beautiful poem

This is a true fresh coconut with a plenty of sweet rummy goodness and a light smoky background. I can't stress enough that tobacco in an oil is very different from cigarette smoke; it just gives it an ethereal hazy quality but doesn't reek of smoke. Of course, I also love anything with rum, especially sugary rum, and the rum in this is just that without being too alcoholic. Then again I'm personally just a sucker for booze notes in general, so take that as you will.

Hearth 05 is as cozy as Hearth 04, just with different notes. This one is more sticky, buttery goodness; I definitely get the rich candied chestnuts, deep oozing golden honey and just a hint of a smoky, woody background. I'm not really getting any pine out of this one becasue my skin tends to amp the sweet stuff so whatever pine there is isn't showing up. Not that it matters, because it's still delicious.

This is beautiful. It goes on a s pure tangy cherry goodness. Over time, the cherry remains predominant but darkens into something of a black cherry, and the whole blend deepens and develops rich woody and smoky undertones with just a hint of leather. The leather just blends smoothly into the background; it isn't a butch leather like that in Iago or De Sade at all (both of which are guy-sexy but just not for me). Hearth 04 is just warm, cozy and delicious, kind of like a yummy cherry dessert by the fireplace.

This is actually what I was hoping for Black Ice (which went terribly wrong on my skin) to smell like. If I smelled this without knowing what it was I'd probably call it Black Snow, because that's what it turns out like on me; not "dirty" at all but a darker version of the concept of snow. It's actually minty, sweet and creamy, and the earthy notes don't come out as dirt or earth or anything green at all but give it a sinister depth. I'm so glad I took a chance on this one because it's lovely on me.

I seriously think this is the sexiest, smuttiest Christmas scent I've ever smelled. I definitely get the red musk (which is one of my favorite notes) giving it a hot-sex-when-the-relatives-aren't-watching feel, along with a whirlwind of other favorite notes: red berries (definitely some hollyberry in there) warm spices (must be cinnamon, cardamom, clove), sugar cookies baking in the background, a faint whiff of evergreen from the Christmas tree in the distance. It really does encapsulate being naughty at Christmastime. Thank you to a very lovely forumite for this--you know who you are!

It's so sad that the jasmine in this does not play well with my skin, because I can tell the other three notes are lovely. Most types of jasmine just pull a cat-pee thing with my chemistry. It's a successfully done spicy-foody floral, but unfortunately, that particular floral doesn't like me.

Libertine definitely made me think of a Victorian dandy. Most of these ingredients were popular during that time, so the blend makes a lot of sense. I wouldn't say it's masucline--more like unisex. It's not really a "me" fragrance, a bit too perfumey/cologney for my personal taste, but I can appreciate the authenticity, because it really does bring to mind velvet smoking jackets and gold-tipped canes a la The Importance of Being Earnest.

Surprisingly, despite the mango (I just don't like eating the things) this actually worked really well on me. Apparently mango as an oil on my skin smells very different from the taste of actual mango in my mouth. It's actually somewhat reminiscent of a more lighthearted version of Mircalla, especially with the red musk coming into play, and if I hadn't known the fruit was mango I would have thought it was plum, one of my favorite notes.

I love the scent just as much as the label art. Once it dries down, it's a gorgeous golden honey musk with a hint of creaminess from the milk note. My nose is also detecting what seems to be a gentle background of warm woods and just a hint of spice, which is probably the "fuzzy brown" part of the honey musk in the description. There's also a touch of what I can only describe as night air--this is probably the whole trampled flowerbed element, though thankfully it doesn't come out green or distinctively floral on me at all, just like a night breeze wafting in through a crack in the window. Thankfully my chemistry doesn't turn this one all cloyingly powdery like it did with Ivanushka. It's a warm and comforting scent, perfect for giving me the illusion I'm just a little warmer in the freezing office I work in. It's right up there with Cake Smash and Lilith Victoria in my book. Hey Lilith! *waves from NJ* Keep inspiring your mom to make more fantastic scents like this!

This is a light, ethereal greenish floral, with the pear probably adding to the "green" quality. I appreciate the rendering of the concept--I imagine this to be the fresh innocent Juliet before her twisted venture into that whole pseuicide potion thing--but it's really not my type of scent.

This is mostly red fruits on me, and made me think of the Queen of Hearts' heart tarts for a moment till I realized this was a totally different queen in the same book (d'oh) with a background that reminded me more of piecrust than polished wood, thankfully.