starfish327

Agreed! (Also, I don't want to appear to be backseat modding, I just wanted to put my two cents in that I'm not getting the troll-vibe right now.) Hmmm, not gonna lie. When I was a newbie to this forum, it was difficult to find information like that, even with the search function. Lol, I just gave up, made an introduction and hoped that somehow, it would take me to an answer. honestly i do have to admit that this board does have one of the worst search engines of the boards that i frequent. i normally just poke around the relevant sub forums until i find what i need.

most likely, but compared to the trolls that i normally have to deal with this is pretty low key...and i'm just cranky.

Well... I'm not trying to disparage BPAL or anything. Honestly, I just started learning about it recently. But I've been buying $3 samples from The Perfumed Court for the past year. I can get just about anything from there. BPAL is actually a little more expensive. I guess I've just been immersed in the world of traditional perfumery for awhile. People take a lot of pride in craftsmanship, on assembling their perfumes molecule by molecule or using the finest essential oils. Maybe I am being a bit prejudiced... i think the problem for a lot of people is that you're implying that without knowing the source, bpal is automatically at a lower level of craftsmanship. even if she did order her oils from somewhere else, how do you know that beth isn't "[taking] a lot of pride in [her] craftmanship" or 'assembling' the perfume molecule by molecule?

it is my impression that they are eo-s sourced from other companies. from what i understand from people who actually distill their own oils for ritual use, it's really not all that easy to on a mass scale unless you're planning on just distillation, it's much easier to just purchase from a source.

the cynic in me would want to know if you, or they, have any documented proof that they're right. the first quote is a critical statement- not all critical statements on anything are going to be positive, and the quote itself states that she's not all that familiar with the company. okay, some people may put weight behind that, but i treat those types of reviews the same way as i do yarn reviews of a similar nature. you're reviewing a product line with that many items in it and you're just going to bash the entire thing? sorry, but i'm going to take it with a grain of salt- the reviewer may be well known but she's admitting to not having a strong familiarity with what she's reviewing, and to each his own. however, i do find reviews of anything suggesting that what i like is lowbrow to be frankly insulting. i also wouldn't put too much weight into what commenters are saying- so they're claiming that they're perfurmers. there's no proof. they're just stating opinions at this point. maybe i just spent way too much time on snark boards but if anything someone stating that they're x or y is enough to make me stop reading unless it's a respected source. e-comments like that are not respected sources in my mind. beyond that, i'm confused with your general statement. are you interested in the source of oils? because if you are, i have to agree- based on the quotes that you posted from the critic that you appear to think highly of, you already have your answer.

i was born in st johns so i was interested in seeing what this blend was like, and was lucky enough to be frimped some off the boards. in the imp: really heavy smoke and vetiver. the first time i opened the imp i thought bbq and didn't test until now. wet: spicy smoke. this really does smell like hot ashes. dry: it looses some of its smoky-ness and becomes much more spicy. i can almost get something sweet but i'm not sure if that's just because i know that it has rum in it now. luckily i'm not getting rose out of this at all because i normally amp rose into a floral mess. this is nice. this is really nice.

in the imp: wine. this is bright red. this is screamingly bright red the way that suck it is for me, but this is wine instead of koolaide. wet: sharp and boozy. this isn't just red wine this is berry wine in particular, and something dark like gooseberry or elderberry. this smells like summer nights at my grandfather's when he was still doing his own distilling. dry: warmer, dryer, almost spiced- i'm getting something that's turning almost plasticy on my skin like amber does when my hormones are raging. but the plastic fades after awhile. this is STRONG, to the point that i was actually almost concerned about what would happen when i made it to work today- i smelled like i had been rolling in wine. this is winter wine, not something light and summery. i don't normally see scents being seasonal but this is definitely a cold weather blend. coincedentally this smelled AMAZING with the oil from the tangelo that i had for breakfast this morning. it lasted forever too- close to 12 hours later and my boyfriend told me to wear less next time.

This will be an ongoing and updated list! Bolded entries are what I'm willing to swap away immediately- bad, bad skin chemistry issues. Italics are ones that I am not interested in swapping/selling at this time. absinthe aelophile akuma Arcana baku bordello chaos theory v clxxxi chimera crib girls crossroad-needs to be relabeled, using as a ritual oil danse macabre ded moroz dee 2x dioble en bote Dragon's Heart dragon's hide farewell to false love hecate incubus J Horror king of hearts ladon Laudanum Le Père Fouettard lump of coal mason and jenkins port jelly mother shub's toothsome banketstaaf nemesis nephilim 2x perversion P Horror plunder prurience (sniff) riding the goat Santa Eularia Des Riu sapphics sleipnir (spelling?) snow maiden spooky res st. john's eve suck it sugar skull tavern of hell 2x the coil- partial the coiled serpent the great sword of war 2x the music of erich zahn tisiphone torture king the ides of march[/b tushnamatay vice yew trees tea party- new, sale only NOT FOR TRADE (wedding favors) queen of hearts high strung daisies wishlist: German Expressionist Horror A Bachelor's Dog The Grand Inquisitor's Heretic's Fork -any of the four lick its -any weenies AEVAL Anne Bonny Aperotos Eros Archangel Winter BARON SAMEDI belladonna BELLE ÉPOQUE Bengal BLACK FOREST Block Buster Bonfire Night Brimstone Calico Jack chimera clemence Crowley CZERNOBOG de sade (but only in a sniffie) Death of Autumn dee Devil's Night Djinn Doc Constantine, Act II: Fiat Nox Faunalia fenris wolf GRANDMOTHER OF GHOSTS hades Hellfire Hexxenacht HIGHWAYMAN Himerus holly king Jabberwocky Kali LAMPADES Loup Garou Love and Pain Mama Ji mata hari oak king oberon On Darkness Pais de la Canela Priala Red Devil red lantern Rumpelstilzchen Samhainophobia Sin skadi smut snow moon Strangler Fig THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM THE BLACK RIDER THE BLACK TOWER the catapillar the dodo the Goblin Ride The Great He Goat THE JERSEY DEVIL THE LIGHTS OF MEN'S LIVES the music of erich zahn THE OBSIDIAN WIDOW Tintagel Titus Andronicus torture king Ulalume Van Van White Light wraith YEMAYA

in the imp: musky and light. it's not sweet though. wet: musk and patchouli dry: musk and patchouli with a hint of other notes in the background. my sinuses are screaming at me today but it's nice from what i can tell, so i will probably continue to like it.

lab fresh imp in the imp: light white floral wet: sweet, creamy, white floral. there's nothing black about this. dry: delicate, white floral- really feminine. the word pretty comes to mind.

lab fresh imp in the imp: sharp and sweet. i have no idea what this actually smells like beyond that, no notes are sticking out for me. wet: sweet and then sour. i have a feeling this isn't going to work out on me. dry: soap and then something underneath it that's starting to rot. i still have no impression of individual notes, it's just a mess of ick on my skin. and it burned, so i think i'm allergic to it anyway.

lab fresh in the imp: mint and chocolate and earth. i'm not sure how i feel about this one. wet: earthy and masculine. i don't want to say that this is rugged or he.avy because it's not, but this is definitely guy all the way. dry: there used to be a commercial that knocked one of the body washes and sprays at young men that went something like "and this is what you wear when you want to smell assertive without reeking." this is like that. it's clean and confident and sexy as all hell. it's definitely masculine but not so heavy that i don't see myself wearing this. yeah i could see how this is an incubus. this has caramel in it? really? i normally amp the sugar in caramel to screeching levels but i'm not getting that from this blend at all.

fresh from the lab. THIS ONE HAS TO AGE. the vetiver is so screaming that to be honest, that's all that it is. i'm sure that this will be nice once it's calmed down a little.

fresh from lab in the imp: so um hespy why do you smell like my root cellar? cuz you do. you smell like carrots and parsnips. i prefer my parsnips in me not on me for the record. wet: soap, spice, and parsnips. now i'm just getting annoyed. really? parsnips? parsnips, my most loathed vegetable in my youth behind beets, why are you haunting me? dry: CERTS MINTS? how did we go from parsnips to breath mints? i'm really not sure how this happened actually, but that's what this blend just did. sorry hesps, this isn't going to work.

lab fresh imp in the imp: cherry and orange blossom. this is nice- it does actually remind me of orange blossoms, which doesn't always happen with floral notes for me. wet: light cherry and orange blossom. this is really pretty. it's not overly strong either. this is the cherry that i like in suck it but not nearly as searingly loud or sweet. dry: sweet sweet florals without being overpowering. i'm not getting chocolate from this at all. which makes me quite happy. i'd replace the imp. not sure that it's bottle worthy though.

lab fresh in the imp: OH HAI THERE BLOOD ORANGE I LUV U WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE. this is one of the few blends that i've tried that i've liked straight from the imp. it smells like bubble gum, like really sweet fruity bubblegum. it's all overly sweet berries and citrus. and my beloved blood orange, imo one of the most under appreciated citrus notes. wet: more wonderful citrusy goodness. it's sweet and happy. i guess if temptation is coming in the form of fruit and florals then i'm hooked. dry: this is nice. i mean, this is nice. mid range white florals that are not bugging my sinuses, the blood orange, berries, and citrus. this will be used, and it will be replaced. and then probably used and replaced again.

decanted today in the botte: clean. it's hard to describe- it's not like soap or cleansers, it just smells...clean. i'm guessing it's the lab's snow/frost note (i've never tried any snow blends before today) wet: mint and snow, still clean. it does smell like middle of winter when i'm at home and there's not as much traffic. dry: water and watermelons, still with the same biting cleanliness. crap this is pretty. it's not delicate though, this is definitely a guy-ish snow and not a girl-ish snow like the snow maiden was.

2009, decanted today. in the bottle: light mint, sweetness, and berries. i'm not getting any florals at all, just mint and berries. wet: more minty sweetness. it reminds me of frozen mixed drinks actually. dry: light, still sweet, and almost boozy. i'm hoping that some of the florals come out more as this ages.

Tested without the note list, but the notes don't surprise me either. Graham crackers. stale, spicy cinnamon graham crackers all the way through the scent. i was underwhelmed. i need a much more assertive spiced fruit blend, and this just didn't stand up to my chemistry.

(res version) i wasn't going to try spooky because it sounded way too sweet and foody for my tastes but it turned up at testacopalypse that i had this afternoon so i gave it a shot. in the bottle: good coconut rum. this has perked my interests, which is odd because i don't normally like coconut scents. wet: warm coconut. it's comforting. it's not foody though, or it's not registering as foody. i'm actually excited to see this dry. dry: MOUNDS BARS. YAY YAY DANCE DANCE MOUNDS BARS. this is EXACTLY like mounds bars on me, and three hours later i think i know why- i'm getting a scent memory now that i think about the smell (i couldn't place it then). my grandfather used to take extended hunting trips in the winter when my grandmother was still alive, and the female family members would get together and make cookies and candy for christmas. this smells like the part of the night where we would make candy. a decant came home with me.

in the bottle: chocolate. maybe a hint of cherry. mostly chocolate like. very foody. not liking this at all. wet: pastry. lots of sweet flaky pastry. not as fruity though, but creamy. dry: sugary, slightly musky, creamy, pastry. it's not as foody when dry as it was wet though. beaver moon has always fascinated me and i'm glad that i tried it, but it's way too foody for me.

lab fresh imp imp: dark florals. i have no idea what florals, definitely dark and definitely not white. wet: same dry: still just dark florals, just lighter than in the imp. it's a nice floral...but it's very floral on me and florals and i don't normally get along (and they make my partner sick) so pass.

oh, ladon is absolutely lovely. this imp is lab fresh, traded in with a bunch of florals that i can't wear. imp: apple! apple! and some apple! did i mention that i got apple? .... and that's it. just straight up wonderful glorious red delicious apple. wet: boozed apple. hard cider. kind of jagged overly sweet fermented apple. nom nom nom. dry: granny smith apples. yay apple! i don't normally like really foody/fruity scents but this is glorious. i had really hoped to be able to try ladon after i saw it scroll by on the reviews yesterday, and it got frimped to a friend of mine i did a massive imp test with today. this will be replaced, and probably layered with every spiced scent i own at some point.

in the imp: pine and something sharp, but not too sharp- just enough to be noticable. wet: pine. just pine. dry: sweet pine. this is a lot less intense than what i had feared after my run in with wolfsbane- i had been afraid to try any of the rest of the garden series. this isn't an overpowering pine but i don't know how much i'd actually wear it. it's not an instant trade item but if i were offered something for it i'd trade it.

in the imp: something vaguely earthy and whiskey. it's good. this is the first imp out of several that i've tested recently that didn't make me cringe in the imp- most blends strike me as wrong in the imp. this didn't, but it was definitely a good top shelf alcohol- i'm surprised that there isn't one listed as a note. wet: OH HAI THERE OLD SCHOOL SCENT MEMORY. this smells like Ferndale. oh crap does this smell like Ferndale. I was born in newfoundland and then my parents were stationed in Ferndale CA for awhile. Ferndale was all painted lady victorians and small little specialty shops. there was one that sold a lot of imported german products- and this smells like that store. it's spicy without being foody, it's herbal without being green (thank goddess- i normally amp herbs into a giant green hell), and it's warm. it's quite nice. dry: now it smells like the candy store that was across the street- it smells like good black licorice, but not necessarily annise. it's sweeter now and warmer bordering on hot. it's comforting. i'm getting the sassafras without smelling root beer per se. there is a vague floraly note which i'm guessing is the black poppy. i'm not sure that i would ever wear this enough to want a bottle and it doesn't have the type of knee jerk, must replace the imp reaction that i've had with some blends but this nice. this is really really nice.