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This came as a freebie gift from the lab with my most recent order. I opened it a little too enthusiastically, so a bit spilled, and I rubbed it on me well away from the other scent I also spilled a bit. I got excited! I can't help it. Anyway, straight from the imp, this smelled so much like a perfume and also bath powder my grandmother used to wear it took my breath away, not the strength of the scent, but the strength of the memory. I was right back in her adorable pink and white bathroom with the claw foot tub. I can't recall the name of the perfume. Maybe White Shoulders? I recall it was White something. I could instantly pick out the Lily of the Valley, way more than the lilac. The dragon's blood gave a sort of slightly incense-y undertone. Very nice, I thought, after recovering from the time travel memory incident. It was literally that strong of a visual, like being there. So I rubbed it on higher on my forearm than the other small spill. Wet, the lily scent amped even higher, drowning the lilac and the dragon's blood entirely. On drydown, the dragon's blood returned and anchored the floral. Now it all smells a little soapy after a little over an hour, but it's not an unpleasant soap scent, more like expensive soap you've washed with a little longer than you normally would just because you love the fragrance. As much as I love this scent, and I truly, truly do, I'm not sure I can wear it, because every time I catch a whiff, it makes me tear up and want to cry from missing my grandmother who passed away over twenty years ago. I will never wear this around my mother. I think it would have an even worse effect on her. Still, gorgeous scent, not at all "old lady" or old fashioned. If you like lilies, give it a try. ETA: I got over the wanting to cry bit and wore this before a hard workout. Even after I had sweat pouring off my body, I could still smell the lovely lilies. I think I'm a little bit in love with this!

I got my new order in today, so the moment I ripped the box open I was totally The was so strong that I was a tad careless popping open two of my imps. Slight spillage dictated what I'd be wearing today. hehe That was OK, because both of them are lovely, and I was able to put them on me far enough apart that I can follow each of them as they progress on my skin without one interfering with the other. Two, Five & Seven is everything, and I do mean everything I hoped it would be and then some. In the imp, it smelled more of grass than roses to me, a really fresh, sharp, green grass scent that reminded me exactly of stepping out into the yard in the early morning when the dew is still down and the blades crush a teeny bit under the bare feet. That is such a yummy smell. So I rubbed what little bit spilled on my wrists. There's the rose! The grass was still there, too. For a few heady moments while it was all still wet, I smelled exactly like a rose garden, not like a perfume oil interpretation of one, but like the garden itself. Bliss. Heaven. Joy. Insert appropriate word of delight of your choice here. In the initial dry down phase, a soapy note came out, but it wasn't at all an unpleasant, chemical-y soapy note. It was expensive French milled soap fresh after washing your hands and dabbing them dry on a plush, decorative towel. I'd say that lasted maybe twenty minutes before rose came back to the fore, a very intense, sophisticated rose, not tea rose. The grass note faded to the background, yet even now I can detect a slight hint of green. I'll come back to edit later to reveal how long this lasts on me. If it has decent longevity on the skin, I think I may have just discovered the perfect rose for me. Apparently, my skin adores this and vice versa. What a great way to start the newest sampling cycle!

I haven't tried this by itself yet. I just did a French manicure tonight with Maiden and white tips, then did three coats of Embalming Fluid over the top and finished with an ice finish top coat. My nails look like opals! It is such a lovely, lovely effect over Maiden. It went on very smoothly and dried very quickly. The top coat keeps it from feeling too textured. So of course, I had to test it in the dark. I went from chic and sophisticated to thirteen and squealing with delight. The glow was *bright* and very neon green-ish. I adore, adore, adore this polish. It allows you to create a lovely, age appropriate look and still indulge the inner kid.

This polish is so sophisticated and lovely. Even with three coats, it's still slightly translucent, a pinkish nude that is very flattering on my skin. I am fair with a bit of pinkish undertone. This actually gave me a little illusion of a gold tone to my skin. I did a French manicure on my fingers with white tips, and it came out salon quality. The polish applies very evenly, no streaks. I'm far from a nail polish professional. For most of my life I refused to wear it, so it's not like you need expertise to get this looking good on you. So then I coated it with Embalming Fluid polish because I can have sparklies, and wow! My nails look like opals in the light and neon green glow in the dark, best of both worlds!

This was the other free sample goblin squirt I got with my most recent order. I tried one downstairs and this one upstairs. This scent is making me cry, not in a bad way at all, but it smells exactly like my aunt and uncle's old house on the lake. My aunt used to sell Avon and all sorts of other things from her home, and the whole house had this general nice, pleasant fresh scent to it that I've never smelled again, until this day. I have such wonderful memories of staying with them during the summers, so I can't really get anything coherent out in this review except to say what a lovely, unexpected blessing, and yet it makes me miss them so much.

I just got this as a freebie Goblin Squirt with my latest order, and OMG, I am so in love. I don't smell much in the way of roses. What I got was violets, lots and lots of violets with possibly an orris note, something a little dry in there. It's beautiful! I can't wait to sleep on clean sheets misted with this tonight. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

This was an imp gifted to me from the lab. As I'm not familiar with any of the floral notes listed for this blend, I can honestly say I would never have chosen it for myself. Those Lab folks know what they're doing! Of my first BPAL order ever, Ether is actually my favorite on me. THANKS!! In the imp, there was a bit of a sharp, sort of chemical odor, a touch of white floral, but overall, it was faint and hard to smell. I was a little hesitant, but I've already learned not to judge these babies by the bottles. They do all sorts of interesting, unexpected things on skin. Wet it tickled my nose. I applied it very sparingly, then BOOM! This fragrance exploded on me like I had stepped into a Victorian hothouse. Huge florals. They actually remind me of a bouquet of frangipani I had at my wedding. There's something a little smoky keeping them from totally flying away, and still something a little sharp and tangy. Maybe neroli? I honestly can't tell which citrus; I just think it has to be one of them, one of the sweeter ones. I swear, I just did two tiny wand dabs, one to each wrist, and it smelled like I dumped the entire imp all over myself. Over an hour later, I feel like I'm sitting in a cloud of this fragrance. It hasn't changed much from the wet. It's delicious and cooling, very, very feminine. A tiny, tiny little dab appears to be plenty for my body chemistry. I wouldn't have thought I'd want a bottle of a blend called "Ether". The associations I made mentally were very medicinal and chemical. The reality of the blend is nothing like the real thing, thankfully. I declare this bottle worthy.

This is such an interesting blend. I bought it because initially I had bought the soap, and even though I haven't used it yet, (using Shub first), I liked the fragrance, and I like layering same scent products for added longevity. Normally, I'm not big on citrus blends, with grapefruit or orange notes making me physically ill. Lemon and lime are more tolerable, but still not my favorites, one reason this blend pleasantly surprised me. Strangely, I can't smell this too well in the imp. Little light, clean bursts of scent hit my nose almost flirtatiously, a little lemon, a little tea, something sweet I can't quite put a name to, maybe the white musk? Wet on me for about five seconds it smelled like a very strong, chemical lemon dish soap, or maybe Pledge. I applied it very sparingly, and I was amazed at how strong it came on. I was horrified, but that sharp burst of lemon almost immediately tamed and transformed. On the dry down is where this blend really shone. The lemon settled into something refreshing, crisp, and cool. The tea amped up significantly, but not in a foodie way, just very fresh. This sounds so weird, but it's a scent that quenches thirst without actually making you want to drink it. Perfect for hot summer days. It has nice staying power, too. Seven hours later, there's still a lingering sweet, clean scent, not at all overpowering or overbearing, but friendly. I'm not 100% sold on whether I want a bottle of this or not, but I know for sure I'll be happily using the imp to scent me, not my house. I definitely see this as being a blend I could learn to love, particularly when the mercury starts hitting 100F plus.

In the imp, I could really smell the amber more than the musk, a sweet, calming scent, rich and almost creamy. On me wet, hubby turns to look at me and says, "Are you wearing baby powder?" Gawd. Baby powder. The kiss of death. Dry down, still baby powder. Usually, my skin does really well both with amber and musk. I can't figure out what's going on here, unless my body chemistry is wack right now from that time of the month. I'm leaving it on to see if it'll morph out of this phase, and I'll try it when the hormones are less wonky. If I can't get out of the powder phase, this one will have to line up for a swap. EDIT: For a brief moment, the fragrance bloomed on me after about an hour, very lush musk and amber, both in equal measure. Then the whole thing went playdoh! I have never had that happen to me with any fragrance before, but I've seen a few others on the forums talk about getting that scent from various blends. I had to wash it off. It was super strong playdoh, and it showed no sign of changing. I'll still give this another chance in about a week or two, just in case, but I'm not feeling too hopeful for this blend at the moment.

I really wanted to love this one. It has a lot of notes I adore. In the imp, it was delicious. A big, voluptuous dose of magnolia supported and courted by rose and jasmine. I couldn't smell much of the amber in the bottle. On wet, the rose started climbing to the fore. And kept climbing. Then something horrible happened. I don't know what did it, but it took on a ghastly, sickly sweet smell, like funeral flowers that have been out in the sun too long, cloying, almost rotting. It kept going downhill from there to the point I washed it off at the three hour mark. I'm going to give this one another shot when I'm off my period. I'm hoping my body chemistry at this time of the month is what made it go haywire, because I hate that something that smells so wonderful in the bottle smells so wretched on me. EDIT: I'm glad that I gave this another chance. The second time of wearing, it settled into something really nice, kind of evocative of Old Hollywood. It's a grown up scent. I'll use up the imp, just avoid it at that time of the month.

Venerable Victorian Tea Rose… twisted, blackened and emboldened with wickedness. This was a gift from the Lab with my order. When I opened the bottle, I was instantly transported to my Grandmother's rose garden. Strong, old fashioned tea rose all the way. I dig roses, so that was a pleasant surprise. Good pick, Lab! On wet, still tea rose, but there's something a little dry, a little astringent under it. It keeps it from being frou frou and stodgy. As it dried, it didn't morph. It stayed tea rose with that little something extra. My biggest complaint is that my skin ate it all within three hours. I prefer roses in a blend rather than as a single note, so I doubt I'd buy a bottle of this, but I'm sure I'll enjoy using the imp. It made me feel feminine and lightly flirty.

There was something in the imp that smelled really sour, a very unpleasant note. However, I've told myself to give anything I buy a chance on my skin before saying yes or no. With this one, I'm really glad I made that decision. I didn't catch so much as a trace of whatever bothered me in the bottle on my skin, either wet or after the dry down. I've seen a lot of people mention sweet notes with this blend. It didn't come out super sweet on me. Wet, the tobacco scent came on strong with something dark and almost smoky under it. I'm assuming that's the musk. After about five minutes there was a pretty strong incense effect. It was difficult to pick out any specific note during this phase for me. I liked it, but it also reminded me of a couple of metaphysical book stores I used to frequent. I wasn't too sure I wanted to run around smelling like a bookstore. Within an hour, that was gone. The honey and wine started to amp up a little and stayed grounded with the musk. Seven hours later, I'm left with a pleasant, sweet scent. The tobacco seems to have come back to say a little hello. The throw is still medium on me. I keep catching whiffs of this without bringing my wrist close to my nose. I was sparing in application to begin with, because this had a very strong scent on me. I liked the way it morphed over time. I'm not sure I'll go for a whole bottle, but I'm going to enjoy using up this imp. ETA: After just a couple of months of aging in the imp, this has gotten even more lovely. It's one of the most sophisticated BPAL scents I've tried to date, complex, heady, and beautiful. Lots of resin, sweet-ish tobacco. I'm loving it more with a bit of age to it.

Heaven...I'm in heaven... I mean, seriously, if Hell is supposed to smell like this, it's no Hell to me. I opened the imp and apparently said, "Oh, my frickin' God," so loudly my husband called up the stairs to ask me what was wrong. Wrong? Au contraire. Right. So very, very right. In the bottle, the magnolia jumped out, grabbed my nose, and gave me a little slap. Right under her was the subtlest touch of mandarin giving a little peek-a-boo and promising great things later. The spice note reminded me of my favorite spicy floral, miss carnation with her cheeky, flirty bite. I put this on. I thought I'd need the fainting couch for just a moment. The magnolia bloomed so lush it nearly knocked me out. About five minutes later, mandarin made good on her promise and tamed the floral. Carnation had staying power. This scent was morphing faster than my nose could keep up with. I don't really know what oleander smells like. They grow like crazy around here, but when I've sniffed them, I've never gotten a thing from the petals and never tried crushing them because I don't have a death wish. About 2 1/2 hours later, I am so happy this scent loves my skin and vice versa. It has softened down without losing any of its wicked charm. This is a grown up perfume that I couldn't have carried 20 years ago, but I can't wait to get a bottle now. Sexy, sizzling, and Southern through and through.

In the imp this was candy sweet, berry and fruit that reminded me of something I couldn't put my finger on. It was a happy memory, but it wasn't coming to me, so I put a tiny drop on my wrists. For about the first 15 minutes, I wondered if I'd be able to stay with it. The sweet wet on my skin was nearly overwhelming and gave me that tickling sensation in the back of my throat I saw another reviewer mention. I waited it out, and it started to fade down. Two hours later, a more subtle note started to emerge, not quite cherry, not quite licorice. I could smell a little bit of the wine, as well, but unfortunately, the fruit really amped up on me, too. I finally realized what the scent reminded me of. It was something I used to find at this tiny little trading post in Booger Hollow, Arkansas, some little scented bulb that you could put in your drawers to make your clothing smell fresh, a nice scent, but just too sweet for me. After five hours, I decided to scrub the remainder off. It was still way too sweet for my taste, something I'd probably love to smell on someone else but not for me. It didn't help that my husband, who was in the next room, asked me what I was burning and said it was giving him a headache.

I am very impressed with the staying power of this polish on my toenails. I've had it on over a week, and not only has it yet to chip, it is still as glossy and shiny as it was the day I applied it. My hands haven't fared nearly as well, but I am utter hell on nail polish, so this is hardly an indictment of the quality of the product. The color is so red as to be nearly black, very rich and beautiful. I think it would be flattering on a variety of skin tones. It took three coats to get it fully opaque for me and not streaky, but it was well worth the effort. The brush applicator is forgiving. I didn't have any glop accidents like I have with other polishes in the past. I can't wait to try more colors!

This is the first soap I've ever tried from the trading post, so I have no base of comparison to other products. First of all, the look of this soap is a sensual treat all its own, rich, deep cinnamon brown with a light dusting of bronze across the top. It was so pretty I just admired it for a while after unwrapping it. The scent is incredibly rich and spicy, lots of resinous base tones. I have extremely hard water, and I still got a decent, silky lather from the soap. I can only imagine how lovely this would be in softer water. Unlike the previous reviewer, this scent lingers on both me and my husband for hours after the shower, even in hot, sticky weather. It's not such a feminine scent that he won't use it. He's very picky about things like that. I've actually had to "fight" him over this soap, as he uses way more than is needed in one shower just because he likes it so much. I don't shower with this soap at night anymore, because the first time I did that, the scent left on me was so powerful I couldn't get to sleep. Maybe it's all the ginger, which is very energizing. Not only will I be buying more of this, it has inspired me to buy the oil, too. It's addictive! EDIT: Last week we finally used up this bar. This is one of the only bars of soap I have ever had where I fanatically used it down to the last tiny sliver. The scent was still there, from start to finish. This soap held up very well to heavy use and frequent showers. It never got soft and gooey like some vegetable soaps can. I feel like it was well worth every penny.