MonkeysInk

I realized that I never put this in the tub to soak, so I’ve started using a few drops as body moisturizer in the shower. It’s mainly musks with some very faint floral undertones. Morocco is my go-to daily wear perfume, and the combination of the two is heady - all the swirling warm musks is delicious.

I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I bought this in a swap In 2008 and never opened it until today. It has a delicious clean, outdoorsy smell that is very unisex and fresh. I get some woods, but they’re white and in the background - like polite, well/behaved trees waving hello. Here in North Texas, it’s just starting to get cool and this is the kind of scent perfect for our October days. It’s fall without being heavy or overly spicy, it’s cool outside without being smoky or dark. In short, I love it and I wish I had more than a single imp.

2017 Version: I put some on just before getting in the car with my kids. My four year old yelled "Mom, you smell like marshmallows!" They're his favorite treat, so this is high praise. I get delicious vanilla with a soft ivory floral underneath. It's sweet but not foodie and hasn't tended toward plastic. At the end of the day, I get old, gauzy lace - like a doily in an old library...there's something a little dusty and book-ish underneath. When it was announced this was available, I bought some without even reading the description because I knew it was such a cult favorite. It totally deserves the hype it has gotten for so long.

This is so amazing, even hot from the mailbox. I stood in front of my house and sniffed and sniffed this one - it reminds me of something that my great-grandmother used to wear (Chantilly, maybe?) in the most perfect of ways. I'm going to let this settle for a few days and then try it again, but if it smells like this even under the worst of conditions I can't wait to see what it's like when it's had a few days to cool and settle. ETA: I went and read the scent notes and reviews of Chantilly, and I suspect it's the jasmine and musk in this that's giving me that scent memory. Part of me wants to go smell Chantilly somewhere to see how close I am about how similar they smell. Another part of me wants to continue letting Miss Addie give me this memory without spoiling it with whatever contemporary Chantilly smells like. I'd be curious to see if another BPALer has the same association.

I used to volunteer at my produce co-op, where we'd wait in the morning air for the truck to arrive with the crates of vegetables. We'd open the back of the truck and this blast of cool veggie-scented air would spill forth. That's what this smells like - lettuce and squash and fig all rolled together. As it dried, I got some of the cream, but it's mostly vegetables. This is not a scent that I would reach for, although I'm thrilled to have gotten it as a gift from a sweet Forumite so I could try it.

This smells like green and white florals (is there green floral? If so, this is definitely it.) and clean, outdoor air. This didn't have much throw or last very long, although it was lovely for the short time it lingered. This is one I think would smel especially lovely spritzed onto my hair, to have the fresh, clean smell follow me around.

This is a pretty, white floral. I would say think this could be sold on the shelves next to any traditional perfumes and not be out of place. The grassiness keeps the florals from being too bright and gives this a nice earthiness. This is one I picked randomly out of a jar of unworn imps, and I'll keep it in the pile of ones that I'd enjoy wearing again. It's very lovely and fresh.

I usually avoid the Lab's honey (I know, I know...) as my skin amps it to the point of annoying everyone around me. Being from the South, this sounded like sweet tea in the afternoon in my Granny's garden. I was not disappointed - this smelled exactly like sitting in the shade with a big, cold glass. The mint kept the honey in check, and I wore this all day enjoying the light smell. I definitely get home, honey, honey, but not in a bad way this time.

I'm wearing The Unquiet Grave today. Lovely, chilly florals + sandalwood. Perfect for a hot summer day!

1. How about Shattered? A blend of white champagne notes, grapefruit, lotus, slivered mint and crystalline aquatic blooms 2. Maybe some Dormouse - A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony or Soirs d'Automne from Pretty Indulgent lily, tulip and rose shimmering in the moonlight, brushed by a quiet autumn breeze. 3. That's a tough one. Akuma? blood orange, neroli, and raspberry. 4. Even harder! Ginny, The Reaper of Vengeance Sharp tobacco flower and white cognac, a thin layer of smoke, and dusty black pepper pierced by the amber of her eyes. (I am not even sure why I think this'll be in the same vein....) 5. I don't think there's anything remotely similar to Morocco. But maybe you'd also like Lyonesse Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss. These all sound absolutely fantastic, especially Akuma - blood orange and neroli? Yes, please! Just looked at the reviews for Ginny. It's been around since 2014 and only 9 reviews? I'm thinking this sounds like a hidden gem. I'm going to order some imps of these and report back. Thank you so much for the thoughtful suggestions! The current LE Leo has the spiced carnation in common with Morocco, with more saffron, and is more of an herbal take on the theme (chamomile, angelica), which may or may not also appeal. I love them both. This past week after a bad day I showered and put on some Morocco lotion (just Morocco I mixed with unscented lotion) and layered Leo on wrists and neck. Then I was floating in spicy floral heaven. Coral Snake also makes me think of Akuma. Akuma is much simpler, and sans the apple-spice thing, but worth a try? I've been thinking about Leo, but haven't pulled the trigger. Layering it with Morocco sounds amazing and may be just the thing that sways me. Neat about Akuma. I'm definitely giving that one a try.

Reached my hand into my imp jar today and pulled this one out! As I put it on, I thought "oh, pretty florals!" I got a whiff of frankincense, and was glad it passed - I use the essential oil in my face cream at night, so my association with it is vaguely medicinal and less like a scent I want to wear in perfume. Dry, I get prominent sandalwood with light florals in the background. It's 100+ degrees here today, so I love that it's very mild throw with a very cool feeing scent profile. This is strangely perfect for a summer day, even though it's a Halloween fragrance.

Oh, I'd love some suggestions - I adore: Baobhan Sith Amsterdam Coral Snake A Holy Man Advises a Woman to Invoke Mary Morocco

Wet, I smell tea and flowers. I adore neroli and it is definitely featured here. What a pretty scent! It just seems pretty and feminine and fresh. Dry down: ahhhhh, there's some leather. Soft, tan leather, like the inside of new ballet shoes. Simply gorgeous. I've waited all this time to wear it and missed the window to buy some from the Lab - I'll have to hope I can find some in the swaps. This seems like a very fine, very expensive perfume (in a very good way) - like something a lady would buy at an old fashioned department store, one that she would save the empty bottles of to tuck into her lingerie drawer

Tinyvulture, I wore this for the first time today and have been planning all day to write how much this reminds me of Lemon Scented Sticky Bat...then I see you had the same thought! The opium smoke scared me, but I ordered it because 1) it's the title figure in this LE and 2) coconut and lemon are my favorites. The opium smoke seemed to take away the sharp freshness of the citrus and the florals, and transformed it into something deeply, softly sexy. It doesn't smell smoky or gritty in the least. I'm going to wear this a few more times before I decide I need a bottle, but I suspect I will. This is a lovely, light summer scent.

I reached into my jar of imps this morning and pulled this one out. I have to admit, I wondered what eight year old Halloween candy would smell like.... Imp: Caramel. Straight up caramel. UGH. I despise caramel. Wet: Caramel. Candy corn. Yellow candy. All yellow, yellow, yellow. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in my car in traffic smelling like all things caramel. Please, let me get there soon so I can wash my arm! Drydown: The yellow passed during my commute and now it's strawberry spun sugar, raspberry bubbly soda, all pink, pink, pink with a tiny whisper of fabric softener. Yum! I never really got any throw from this one. I only put a little on my wrist, so I may try a slather of it when I leave my office just for fun to see how it performs when I put more on. (I'm always hesitant about how much I wear because my boss is very sensitive to smells and won't come into my office if there's noticeable fragrance.) This is not one I would buy, as I'm not particularly into sugary fragrances, but I'm super glad I pulled it out this morning and got stuck in the car wearing it. I think if I'd been at home, I would have quickly washed my arm and then I would have missed all of the fun pink, bright scents.

This was in one of my very first orders from the Lab and it was too...everything. Dark, musty, strong, unexpected - you name it, I didn't like it. I had a very visceral, negative reaction to this one. I've even tried to sell it a few times to no avail. Fast forward six years...my nose has matured a bit and I think this one has settled down into a more mature, cohesive scent. I got carnation in a dark wooden vase, handed to me by a man wearing the tiniest bit of bay cologne. As it fades away, I finally smell the hint of clove. It's warm and perfect for this cool spring that we're having today and I think it will be even more lovely in the last few hot days of summer. Now I'm glad I kept it and sad I didn't keep some of those first bottles that I was sure were just all wrong for me, as I suspect there are some others that also aged beautifully.

Morocco! It smells like delicious sandalwood that's been warmed in the sun. I adore this one, and I wear it in the dead of winter when I'm ready for it to be summer again.

Love this one! It smells like crisp apples with cinnamon and spices in the vial, and the apple really comes out while it's wet. I put a bit on the ends of my hair and all day long, I got the delicious apple scent. On my skin, it dried down into a lovely warm blend of spices. This is one of my favorite all time BPALs. I got an imp of this in a decant circle and I will absolutely be getting a bottle. I can only imagine how delicious and spicy this is going to smell when aged.

In the imp, I got jasmine and other flowers. On my skin, I got all powdery jasmine. It's okay, just not for me - especially the powdery part - but it's a really pretty scent that seems like it would be just as at home in Neiman Marcus as at BPAL.

2011: Nothing but sandalwood when I first put this one. As it dried, I got more and more carnation and tea rose. When I hugged my four year old, he said "mom, you smell pretty" and I agree - this is a pretty floral-oriental scent. After aging for four years, it has some serious staying power and projection. It has gotten so bold on my skin that I had go to wash it off my wrists. I'd rubbed some through my hair and that smells just perfect. This is one that my great-grandmother would have worn, both in a powder and in a perfume that she decanted into a pink atomizer. She was a tiny wisp of a woman, and this is one I think she would have loved. I'm glad I got a decant of this and not a bottle. I'm not particularly in love with it, but it definitely captures the ethereal idea of Ghosts in Love and I'm glad I got a chance to wear it.

I only ordered a decant of this because it had violet in the description. Otherwise, everything else about this is a total no-go for me: I don't like "death" scents, I don't like purple fruits, I don't like tobacco scents. I should have stuck with my gut on this one - it's really unpleasant to me. Something about it (maybe the way the fruits smell so boldly) makes me think of sniffing a balloon. It's a big, round, dark, scent. I did get some violet on the dry down, which was nice, but not enough to make it palatable. This one is off to the swaps!

I'm just now getting to the 2011 version, nearly two years later. (Was pregnant in 2011 and 2012 and everything I smelled made me queasy, so I just put everything away for a while.) This is lovely and I'm a bit sad it's taken me two years to get to it. In the bottle, I just get leaves and grass, grass and leaves. On the skin, I get the dry, rustling leaves and the incense. Oh, the spicy incense - delicious! As it starts to dry down, I get that hint of cocoa and vanilla, but it's underneath the incense and leaves. This doesn't go super-sweet for me, I don't smell anything chemically or man-made....it's all autumn leaves with incense from the neighbor's house wafting by. Love this, so glad I got a decant.

I like this one! It's all chrysanthemum in the imp and goes on very floral and yellow-orange-green smelling. The flowers aren't precious, they're every day flowers growing in the bright light of the sun in the midst of an herb garden. This dries down more green than yellow and fades quickly on me. I really like this one, and think it might last longer in a locket or on my shirt than on my skin. It's one I would enjoy wearing every day, especially in the fall as the days of summer fade.

In the imp, I smell nothing but pumpkin. Like bright, raw orange pumpkin cut open straight from the garden. On the skin, I smell the caramel note strongly (blech, I don't like caramel), but thankfully it fades quickly into vanilla tiare floral rounded out by a bit earthy pumpkin. Quickly, it fades away into nothingness...just a wisp of powdery amber on the skin.

A truly lovely autumn scent! It smells just like juice-box apple juice in the imp and when first applied to the skin, then dries down into a lovely blend of spices. I smell nutmeg and cinnamon and orange and allspice jumping to the top, almost what the kitchen smells like when you're cooking mulling spices slowly on the stove. I am embarrassed to admit that I bought this in the fall of 2011 and have never opened it until today. I will search the B/S/T forums for a 5mL, that's how much I like it!