Soniadevi

So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein-more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation. The deepest mysteries of creation: wild frankincense, rose otto, hyssop, and oude. Preconceived notions: based on the notes listed (wild frankincense, rose otto, hyssop, and oude) I'm expecting something resembling Rose Cross/ All Saints/Ecclesiastical excesses. A church scent, something sacred, devotional. Sniffing the bottle: soft rosy hyssop. Wet on skin: resiny rosy hyssop. As it dries: the hyssop comes forward. This is starting to smell like the cake/incense from All Souls. Ironic. It doesn't smell foodie in the slightest though. It's more like a suggestion of cake, rather than a full on impression. Drydown: the frankincense is coming forward. The hyssop slumps back, very relaxed, into the frankincense armchair, with a cashmere throw made of Oude, whilst hugging a soft resiny Rose scatter cushion. The rose is not really obvious, you really have to slump back as if you were the hyssop, and then you'll detect the faintest whisper of a rose. For those who don't deal with rose too well, I wouldn't worry. Overall impression: this scent is SOFT, SUBTLE, DELICATE. It is absolutely lovely, and I'm sure it will age beautifully. In fact, it would benefit a lot from ageing. I would highly recommend this scent, it feels sheer on the skin, like a veil of gentle loveliness, or a soft, peachy beige angora sweater. It's not offensive in any way, and will not frighten your colleagues at work, if you work in an office like I do! It actually makes me feel quite beautiful, wearing this, like I feel when I have just washed my face in the morning and my skin is fresh and plump. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. It may deserve an extra star depending on how it develops with age. I'm not saying it's not perfect, but this isn't a wow blend that screams, it's a soft blend that whispers. I can only give 5 stars to blends that shout SEX, but I think that's more down to me, than down to the blend.

Mine were an old people, and were old even when this land was settled three hundred years before. And they were strange, because they had come as dark furtive folk from opiate southern gardens of orchids, and spoken another tongue before they learnt the tongue of the blue-eyed fishers. And now they were scattered, and shared only the rituals of mysteries that none living could understand. I was the only one who came back that night to the old fishing town as legend bade, for only the poor and the lonely remember.
 Memories of alien gardens that crawl with wide swaths of vivid, soporific blossoms: gargantuan orchids, blood-purple poppies, and monstrous black peonies. At first sniff, something repulses me a little, like rotting flowers, but it's kind of... evocative... What was I expecting anyway from a blend that suggests "alien gardens"? However, the initial iffy scent burns off fairly quickly, and all is left is a soft, dark floral scent that stays quite close to the skin. It seems like a COLD dark scent - so that's kind of fun in a way. In fact, the more I think about it, and sniff my wrist, the more I like this - I feel it's one of those scents that could grow on me, especially if I let it settle for a while. I'm actually kind of glad to have a bottle, because it's fairly unique and a nice addition to the BPAL collection :-) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars for now.

I really wish that I felt the same as the other reveiwers, because the notes listed sounded like a real win to me, but... as soon as I put this on, I just thought PINK SNOWBALLS! It smells like a dead ringer for pink snowballs to me, which was a real surprise because the notes listed didn't add up to pink snowballs in my mind when I purchased this. Maybe it's just my skin chemistry that makes it smell this way, but when I get home tonight I'm going to have to do a side by side sniff test to figure out the differences, because it's always really disappointing when you buy something untested only to find out that it smells like something you already own and only marginally like! Having said that, I have been surprised time and time again with how much a scent can develop when it's been left to mature for a while, so I might have to retest this in a week or so once it's had time to settle down from it's transatlantic journey :-) In any case, I'm being really picky here because it IS a pretty scent, a pretty, PINK scent, and perfect for when wearing pink, and feeling soft and girly and sweet

Can the colour purple be conveyed in a scented snowball form? The answer is yes, it most certainly can. Like this. With Beth's ability to turn a synaesthestic concept into a tangible "perfume". I love this. It smells to me like a snowball fight on an alien planet where snow is actually purple, and the air naturally smells of candy and incense. I love how BPAL transports me to these other worlds without my needing to leave the comfort of my mundane, consumerist human life. It's like watching Star Trek in 3D at the cinema.

I can only describe this scent as MAGNIFICENT. In her profuse creativity, Beth concocts innumerable wonders, and sometimes, due to their sheer volume, there is always that chance that some will slip under the radar, relatively unnoticed. This may be one of them, though I would not presume to be capable of recognising a genius scent any more than the next BPAL addict. However, there is something about the absolute artistry involved here that takes my breath away, and humbles me back to that wide eyed place where I used to be a BPAL novice, a time before I became somewhat jaded. I do not have the words to describe how beautiful this is. All I know is that when I apply it to my wrist, magic happens. An explosion of poetry, just like the poem it recreates on an olfactory level, every note unfolding seamlessly into the next. Maybe it's my skin chemistry that allows this to happen, but in my HUMBLE opinion, this is one of Beth's Masterpieces. I will not bore you with a recap of the notes: this scent to me is much more than the sum of its parts.

Perhaps my nose isn't as discerning as everyone else's, because all I can smell is Snow White. Maaaaaaaaabye it's softer, I would be lying if I said that was a definite. NONETHELESS: It is still absolutely lovely, so I'm glad to have a bottle of it :-)

Once the marzipan has dried off (almond scents are made with benzaldehyde, which burns off very fast) what remains is a replica of Fizzy Jack O Lantern from last years Halloweenie. Since I already have a bottle of Fizzy JOL, I won't be needing this, but if you loved Fizzy JOL and didn't buy a bottle, get this to satisfy that particular craving. It's very nice, but I can't see past the fact that it's so much the same as Fizzy JOL, which makes me feel a bit cheated to be honest.

I'm not sure I'm smelling the same thing that everyone else is smelling, because I simply cannot stand this scent on me. It starts off ok, quite foody, then it all goes downhill, burning into a strange stale cookie with the eggs that have curdled. Awful. I love most BPAL's, even the questionable ones, but this is the first time I have actually hated a scent. I couldn't wash it off fast enough!

The best way I can describe this is HEAVY GREEN MUSK. Thick, herbal, musky, slightly woody, and VERY well blended. A unique scent that becomes better as you wear it. Very skin like, and sexy, but leaning slightly masculine I would say. If I smelled this on a man, well... I just wouldn't be accountable for my actions. Rating: 3 out of 5 on me. But it would be a 5 out of 5 on that dream man. The tall, dark, muscular type. Hot!

The dawning of hope and the blossoming of charity: vanilla, orange blossom, white sandalwood, mate, red tea, and carnation. I must admit that when I saw the description of this, I sprung for a bottle immediately. But when it arrived, I was more than non plussed. I don't know what I expected, but this wasn't it! I didn't even feel it was worth reviewing, so dissappointed was I with the result! It just felt like a strong blast of orange blossom and a load of other stuff- just couldn't understand it. But now, NOW, it has aged for two years (really? does time move so fast?) and I hate to admit defeat with any of my oils (except when I can give them to a family member or friend who will love them so much more...)- and this one, I had wanted it so much that I was desperate to give it another chance... So I tried it on last night tentatively in the crook of my left elbow before bed... and went to sleep with this divine scent wafting gently around me... I wore it again this morning, and now I can finally smell clearly the effect that it was meant to have. I can smell every single one of the notes listed- this has aged extremely well, with the orange blossom coming out on top, followed very closely with the the sweetening effect of the vanilla- then the other notes start to come forth, with a final crescendo of spicy carnation teas, subdued slightly by the sandalwood. It has strong throw, and it sort of swirls around me, like a cloud of butterflies... changing the shadows indeed. Sometimes, you really do have to let a scent develop, and become what it's meant to be. Is Beth really that genius that she has the foresight to know how good a smell will become once it's settled down? Her artistry goes beyond what I can comprehend. Amazing. I bow sincerely to such magnificence! Now, I feel like my (extensive) collection of bottles is more at peace: because the black sheep that was Changing the Shadows has found it's place in my heart, and I no longer feel that stinging void of having a bad apple in the proverbial cart.

Suck It 2012. Well, I had high hopes for this one. I mean, Black cherry brandy? Come on! However, there is nothing sexy or suckable about this one, but rather, "let's hope it's wash offable"! I rarely encounter this with BPAL, and I usually try to love even the ones I don't love because all of the concepts are just too darn good, but this one is a huge, monumental FAIL! Upon application there's a faint whiff of cherries, then it dries down to something alltogether unpleasant, like some kind of weird antiseptic, or no, you know that smell of face cream or body cream that's gone rancid? The more it settles into my skin, the worse it gets. I am very, very dissappointed, especially considering that I almost sprung for a bottle before even getting my decant (I usually LOVE cherries, and love alcoholic notes) but I am so glad I was patient. This stuff is never going anywhere near my skin, ever again.

Never has a scent been so perfectly described as it is in the original lab description! I can actually smell every single metaphor in this scent, like a perfectly told story. The patterns, the leaded glass, the sickly dance of violet, smoke-grey (oh yes!) blood red (I can smell blood) and blackened plum light on oaken walls (deep dark fruity wood with an incensey vibe). I don't smell any rose as mentioned by other reviewers, so I can't tell if there's any in there, since it's not actually listed. It dries down quite musty dusty, like dried plum/blood smoke. A sinister scent, like the very bottom of the cathedral, or even, the light filtering into the crypt. A warm presence, stillness in the air, a memory, a longing, pain. Head resting in your lap, a beautiful face, one last kiss, eyes close. Silent tears, a suffocated sobbing.

2012 version: This smells very sharp and sweet greenery at first, but then I eventually get the scorched tree scent, and the suffocating ivy is like a damp cloak. It is very dark green herbal. There's something very familiar about this, though not a perfumey smell at all in my opinion, I wouldn't wear it to smell nice (because I'm pretty sure noone would think I smelled nice wearing this!) but it has a definite vibe to it! Beth really is a genius, because she takes this story about an oak tree, and tells it through scent. I want to go and meditate on the blackened oak tree now, it's making me feel inspired. That's what I love about these scents: they make me fantasize!

I must amp tobacco like crazy because it's all I can smell, but then I do get whiffs of opium, lilies, and... crumbling decadence, buried perversions... It's wonderfully evocative, strong, a little plum gives it depth, grounds it and keeps it from being all smoke... I think this would make a good room scent. Too much tobacco for my skin though :-(

2012 decant from the wonderful Mellifluous! At first I just thought, "Lurid Library? What's all the fuss about? It's just a sharp incensey smell!" But that was before the drydown. To a wonderfully smooth, sweet, paper scent, like the paper that Shakespeare is busy writing a bawdy tale upon with his fluffy quill... There is romance in this scent, poetry, and a little musky spice. It can be anything you want it to be. I know I like it very much!

Wow! This smells just like that lovely row of trees growing like a fence to give privacy to your garden. It's actually very pleasant, not overly rosemary like, but quite woody/green. In fact, if you really want to get into the fantasy of it all, imagine you're lost in a labyrinthine structure of hedges, cloaked in a damp mist- with that thrilling feeling of being lost, but knowing that you'll find your way out eventually... Or will you? It truly is perfectly described, and I like to really go with the description given by the lab, enter the world that has been created for me, as Beth does such a perfect job of conjuring up these concepts, and in this case, this thorny, almost menacing green labyrinth, where your only enemy is your own fear...

I can smell the Oleander very distinctly, then a very overgrown, swampy green garden scent. I like it because it is so evocative of the description, and it really hits the nail on the head. It's very wet green heady floral, almost headachey, though I'm lucky because it doesn't smell bad on my skin, just really strong... One things for certain though, this dries down kind of sexy...

First thing you can smell is benzaldehyde (almonds) then it comes on STRONG cognac lace and mahogany, with a distinct tobacco scent. It seems to get stronger by the second. Very evocative of the imagery, you can imagine almost close your eyes and see the dilapidated wainscoting and the lacey cobwebs, and hear the rats scratching the rotting wooden floor boards as they scuttle past with their sharp little claws... There is a definite "old" quality to this scent, like the old furniture that you can smell when you enter those old houses (there are a lot of them here in England, and I LOVE to visit them! Byrons old house was most definitely haunted, I felt something in there!) and I can also smell something like a dusty old bouquet of flowers... Very weird. Must wash this off because it's just so damn strong, it's almost knocking me out! Might wear it next time I visit a haunted house...

This is such a fun concept of a scent! I thought I'd be non plussed by this one, but in fact, it smells really nice! I do get the rough hewn stone floor- it's very atmospheric- it really does feel like the scent of a stone castle, but with life in it, like things have been happening recently in this castle... I must say, apart from that, the scent itself is almost floral in a pleasant way, which is weird because I seriously have no idea what produces this stone like scent (with flecks of gore) but I would have imagined something far less pleasant! I can however recognise a bit of the blood note, along with something a little weedy, like acrid dandelion stems or something, but drying down to a wet bloodied stone smell that strangely, reminds me of one of those memory flashes were you're not sure if it was a dream or if it really happened... Verdict: I'm not sure I'd buy a bottle, because I don't exactly want to smell like this all the time, but it certainly is evocative, and a good one to wear when you're reading any sexy highlander in his castle type of story (think, Karen Marie Moning and her Highlander series).

My first thought was SANDALWOOD! But truth be told, the scent morphs and wavers between sandalwood and something else, something like, I dunno, dark and oppressive shadows? It's so weird, how does Beth do that? I can actually smell the darkness at the top of the stairs, I can picture the bloody bannister, and the surroundings are red velvet drapes, it's like the scene from Gone with the Wind where Rhett takes Scarlett up the stairs... Woody, musky, floral. I like this very much

Ooh wow! This scent is CUTE! In fact, to me it smells EXACTLY as described: mainly a sweet soft vanilla, with loads of popcorn and cotton candy. I can just imagine all the cute little mice scurrying around with their cute little noses and whiskers and hats, doing little tricks... After a little while, the wood tempers it all a little, and deepens the scent. It's a good one to have on hand when you just need sweet, warm, sticky, furry, pink, vanilla-ry, CUTENESS. Will I buy a full bottle? As yet, undecided, I'll use my decant (thank GOD this isn't LE!) and then I'm still waiting for my weenies decants, so it just depends on the overall budget. Who knows, it may just turn into one of those that I suddenly start to obsess over, or I could just get over it. We'll see. PS: a good one to wear to the cinema, the theatre, or the circus. I might just have to buy a bottle after all... Edited to say: Well, I have had to order a bottle, because I just can't get over how much I love this! It's a good one for the collection, besides, I haven't had the good fortune to test either Midway or Monsterbait Underpants so I have no point of comparison, but I NEED this, for when you need the ultimate pink, sweet, vanilla, foodie hit. Also: I was wondering what this reminded me of, then it came to me: it's my Vanilla Cupcake car freshener! No wonder I needed a bottle of this!

A lot of fuss has been made over this scent, to the point where it had taken on an almost mythical quality in my eyes, so I had to order an imp to test it out. At first I thought "what's the big deal? It's ginger". Then I tried it again. WOW!!! GINGERBREAD INCENSE!!! OH MY GOD OH MY GOD LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! Now, after trying it several times and attempting to bathe in it (unfortunately, I cannot fit inside my imp) I realise that it was a big deal all along. To not own a bottle of this, I could not call myself a true BPAL addict. I must rectify this immediately! This is the absolute definite on my next order! I can't believe I waited this long. I can imagine all those Shub lovers out there, shaking their heads in dismay that I didn't think to try this sooner. Edit: I before E except after C. Yes, yes, my brain won't let me forget it.

Wow! This makes me feel like I took a jar of the best quality blackberry jam with the finest, loveliest local honey, and spread it all over my body. Seriously, the scent wafting up towards me is fantastic, pure blackberry fruity smooth herbal sweetness! I don't think I can live without this. This is going on the bottle list for sure! Now where's my scones and tea?

Sweet, smooth musk, with a red undertone. There is a honeyed floral fruity element to this that keeps it from being too simple- but it's still simple enough to be great for those days when you want to reach for something unfussy that ticks all the boxes. At first I thought this would be perfect for layering. Now I think it would be perfect any which way. I love this. I would be more than happy for my skin to smell of this naturally! Bottle worthy for sure!

I bought this as an imp ages ago... and hated it from the first sniff! I really tried to like it, but there was always something really sharp, acrid, like leaves burning in the forest, not nice- the sunlit forest was more like the sun went through a lens and started a fire, anyway, you get the drift. After that episode, I seem to have received a frimp of this in every single subsequent order! Like a ghost haunting me! I kept sneaking them to my friends as "gifts" and felt really evil about it the whole time! Today, I was wondering what to wear, and at the last minute I thought: "What the hell, I'll give this another try!" since the little devil was sitting there in the bottom of my BPAL hatbox, lonely, friendless, unlike it's fellow imps who have their own baggies per BPAL run inside a larger box... and the strangest thing happened... It no longer smelled of acrid burning forest! Now it smells exactly as described. A soft dry bed of leaved, warmed by the sun streaking down, with a faint whiff of flowers and fruits, with incense burning very gently. All of a sudden I can't stop sniffing my wrist, disbelievingly. Maybe my skin chemsitry changed? God knows. But now the Forest Reverie smells exactly as it should. Perhaps I'll allow this imp back to the fold with it's other fellow imps friends!