AnnieB

I am a member of another non-BPAL forum, I suspect most of us are, being the perfume fanatics we are. Anyhow, I've noticed a fair bit of... trying to think how to say it... anti-bpal snobbery (is a bit strong, but you get the gist). I'm part of an extended decant round robin over on the other board, and I really want to convince the other people in the RR that BPAL is really well crafted of fine materials and perfectly able to stand alongside Serge Lutens, Chanel les Exclusifs, Annick Goutal etc. To this end, I really want your recommendations about what oil(s) to send along in the round robin from the BPAL missionaries in the room. I've got a bit of a deadline since the 'box-o-smellies' is on its way to me now, and I'd like to put some BPAL into the box since I'm vocal about loving BPAL on that other board. Thanks for any and all help you can give me!

See, that's the thing! I think the people who have *sniffed* a leetle bit down their noses haven't SMELLED bpal. If you figure the cost per ml, BPAL oils are -more- expensive than a lot of exclusive niche perfumes for sure (and worth it). So I really wanted to knock some socks off (figuratively speaking ) Thanks, great suggestions both of you, I will definitely do that... keep em coming?

With all the negative reviews I opened my decant with trepidation. I was pleasantly surprised to sniff a pure patchouli/sandalwood pas de deux. There's a tiny bit of soapy citrus which smells exactly like lemon balm (the herb) to me but by far it's just patchouli/sandalwood (mostly patchouli). On my skin I suddenly get a leather smell coming along with the patchouli. Maybe I LOVE this scent (and love is the right word) because it smells -exactly- to me of warm comfortable broken in tack. There's a little bit of that neat's foot oil smell... such an earthy and wholesome scent of warm leather, well conditioned and used, healthy skin wearing patchouli with an underlying rounded fig and sandalwood. It was funny because when the Husbandguy walked in today he immediately said 'Oh, you've been riding, how was it?' This is earthy and pure and really wholesome and a little bit 'hippie' smelling. I -adore- it and in fact, have rushed off to buy a bottle. Definite LOVE. If you love patchouli/earthy/wood/leather scents you must not miss this one. It's expertly blended top to bottom. If you've ever leaned your head against a horse and just *sniiiiiiiiffed* this is for you. If you're someone who can wear and likes earthy scents, this is definitely for you. I am going to test this on the Husbandguy tonight and plan to pour the wine light the candles and Stay Inside All Night Long. I will absolutely use it with carrier oils as a massage/bath oil scent also. Pure pure pure unadulterated love. My favourite BPAL by far. PS Forgot to add.. the throw is great, the lasting power is by far the best of any oils I've worn. I didn't slather last night, tested sparingly, and yet this morning I could still smell a lovely ghostly whiff of it. PPS It might not be an extreme-summer scent for those of you in very hot climates. This is definitely a cooler weather scent. Beautiful, just beautiful.

I know it's a little brutal of me to praise this to the moon considering that it's not easy to get hold of, but it really is an amazing scent. This is the best perfume I've seen with amber and rosewood and compares very favourably with Givenchy Organza, though less complex and more direct (in this case a virtue). The sillage is amazing but not overpowering, elusive, classic and teasing. I literally had 2 people walk past my office (the door was open).. stop, turn around, walk back and *sniiiiiiff* (I'm known as a perfume freak around here) and say 'hey, what on earth are you wearing, it's divine?!' The last few years there've been an avalanche of rosewood/amber orientals released and I think I've tried them all, from Wood & Absinth by Mark Buxton, to Frankincense & Myrrh by Czech & Speake, and Ded Moroz surpasses them all. In the bottle, I do get the wet minty top note that a lot of people are reporting, but it's overshadowed by the looming rosewood and amber. It smells very much like I imagine a trade ship or caravan would smell in the winter... full of spices and crates of precious woods and amber. Fresh out of the bottle on my skin I get some strange peppery/chocolate vibe going on... imagine a crate full of unwrapped York Peppermint Patties inside a velvet lined rosewood box. I wouldn't want to -eat- them necessarily, but they still smell really good. Almost immediately the minty accord dries down and you're left with sage, rosewood and amber. As a test today, I asked my non-perfumista friend to sniff and identify all the notes she could, in the bottle and dried down on my wrist. She picked out the rosewood (it smells like those oriental/Indian boxes at Pier1, she announced), the amber and she couldn't decide if it was cinnamon or mint, but pegged mint when she smelled it wet. She also picked up a faint woodsmoke note that I'm not getting, but then surprised me by picking out sage by name. This lasts and lasts and lasts and lasts. I've had it on all day without feeling like reapplying once. I bought a bottle from Mrs. Black (bless you!) and had decanted off an imp to carry with me in my backpack and gave the imp to my sniffy friend who was my sniffing buddy today. I also sent her directions to the forum, so if you're out there, A, don't blame me for a burgeoning addiction to BPAL, blame Mrs. Black!

I am crying and dying on the inside because today I officially used the very very last bits of the last bottle of Penhaligon's lime EDT (from 2002). The new re-purposed lime is nothing to the vintage juice which is so sad. I am sure you guys can help me, being the evil wonderful enablers that you are. Does BPAL have any real -POW- knock your socks off lime? How does it last? I'm realistic, lime just doesn't really last, which I know.. (which is why we have roller ball travel sized decants of course!). If there's something out there with Lime and sandalwood, or you guys can recommend something, I'll love you forever! Thanks! PS Edited to add: I do have Villain which I love, but I meant moooooore limmmmmmeeeee, if possible. I only get vague whiffs of lime in the drydown of Villain.

For my nose, this is a one note symphony. If any of you have ever smelt rose-scented geranium (Pelargonia graveolens)... this is -absolutely- it. In liquid form. Every single nuance, every bit of rose-spiciness ... exactly a dead ringer. I love it. Gotta get a bottle. Definitely.

In the bottle... Just as almost everyone else has said... lots of dragon's blood/jasmine-y heavy floral with a strange cherry cough-drop undernote...and salt Wet on me sharply floral and a bulging roundness.. almost like a balloon filled with salt water ready to burst... add in some tropical floral jasmine, maybe stephanotis or something similar... sharp salty tang, almost like coppery blood smell. Dries down into a synthetic ersatz jasmine on me unfortunately... I get a fair bit of sillage from this, and it's not an unpleasant scent, I like it quite a bit.. I have gotten 2 imps of it recently, so I'll keep and use them but don't think I'll be buying a big bottle. Little funny aside... Husbandguy and I use a particular house brand of sex oil from the local adult toy shop. This smells a LOT like it.. enough so that Husbandguy *erm* 'reacted' quite notably when he walked in the door and smelled it! Pavlov, anyone?

Chanel Chance is my SOTD today.. It's definitely not a typically 'me' fragrance, but I LOVE it and would really really like to find something thematically similar from BPAL.. if any of you perfumistas out there can help, I'd be grateful, thank you so much!