parrot_suspect

Vixen is a gorgeous, glorious, seductive scent. Imagine LUSH Karma without the pine notes. The genuis of Vixen is that it blends bright, sunny, sweet notes (orange blossom and ginger) with the dark earthiness of patchouli, and the two opposites balance each other out. Anyone who thinks they can't wear patchouli needs to give this a try. This is a perfectly blended scent -- it's difficult to pick out the individual notes, they blend together seamlessly. The drydown is lovely. I should mention as well that this is a strong scent, not for the faint of heart, and it has considerable sillage. One of my top favorites -- I find myself reaching for this quite often. Bravo, Beth!

This is a nice, relaxing lavender blend. In comparison to Somnus, I'd say Oneiroi is more soft and gentle; Somnus is stronger and heavier on the jasmine. Oneiroi is a very pleasant scent to wear to bed, and I've ordered a big bottle. I don't know if it has been helping me to sleep, but I haven't had too many terrible nightmares since I began using it.

I find Snake Oil -- by itself -- quite similar to POTL, and have in fact layered the two on many occasions.

If you like Cashmere Mist, try BPAL Morocco. It's not exactly like Cashmere Mist, but it's in the same family (creamy, warm, woodsy, skin-scent). Others to try would be Buck Moon or Coyote.

 

Sorry, I don't remember what Realities smells like.

The description sounded awesome, and in general I love amber. So I ordered Haunted unsniffed. But alas, it just isn't right for me. I'm sure on some people this is awesome, but on me, the lemon/citrus note was overpowering. Haunted reminded me a lot of Shalimar, which is another fragrance that almost works for me, if I weren't put off by the initial citrus notes. The drydown of Haunted is lovely, but the first few hours aren't good. I would say that if you like Oriental-type fragrances and you don't mind citrus notes mingling with amber and heavier notes, Haunted may be just what you're looking for.

Samhain '04, of which I only have an imp, is a wonderful scent. Smoky, woodsy, spicy, mysterious.

 

Samhain '05 is reminiscent of '04, but not exactly alike. This year's Samhain seems weaker, more watered-down smelling, and sharper. At first whiff, I definitely get the "medicinal" note that many have mentioned. There's something spicy and sharp, but not pleasant, at first. As it dries down, it becomes tremendously fruity, smelling just like apple cider after a few hours. For some people, that's great, but me ...I don't want to smell like apple cider...I wanted the woodsy, smoky, mystery of Samhain '04. I get very little woods from this one. Ah well, it was worth a try.

This is like Girl Scout Thin Mints with an undertone of nuts. The description sounded perfect -- I was hoping for a smooth blend of cocoa and sandalwood, but it doesn't come across that way on me. It's foody, but not in a good way. Definitely a disappointment.

This is a lovely soft, slightly "dark" vanilla musk with a powdery, sweet drydown. Unfortunately the scent itself is so light, has almost zero sillage and disappears on me within an hour. If it had better staying power, I'd definitely buy a big bottle.

I seem to be getting something different from everyone else. I don't get leather, books, or any warm notes -- rather, I'm getting the scent of a forest filled with evergreens. Very, very forest-like; similar to Black Forest. The drydown stays green. Not to be insulting, but this reminds me of evergreen-scented air freshener or potpourri. It's not a bad scent, but I don't want to smell that way. I can see this as more of a room fragrance than a personal fragrance.

I really like this one. I like the idea of a chocolate scent, but I don't want to smell like a doughnut. Tezcatlipoca does a great job of balancing different notes to create a spicy, dark, yummy type of scent that isn't too foody. It starts out all chocolate, then slowly dries down to patchouli, with some spice along the way. I don't get leather at all, which is a good thing. This scent reminds me of sipping a xocolatl (spiced Mexican hot cocoa -- if you like this fragrance, you must try xocolatl!) on a fall day. Just beautiful.

Yggdrasil is wonderfully "woodsy," so you may like that as well. And definitely check out Samhain.

Hi Oro. Sounds like you and I have similar tastes. Just based on that, I'd suggest Snake Charmer -- it's not a super spicy blend, but it's similar to Snake Oil and quite wearable.

 

In the spicy category, I third (fourth?) the rec. of Bengal and would also suggest Baghdad and Sri Lanka. I think you'd love Bengal -- it's the closest thing I've ever smelled to a cup of chai tea. Other possibilities would include Red Devil, Jack and Sybaris. And if you can get your hands on some Hexxenacht, I can see that working for you as well.

Anyone else think this is a lot like Sudha Segara? There's that same sweet, fresh, gingery sort of feel to it...clean and almost soapy. I detect a bit of cinnamon and amber but not nearly as much as everyone else seems to be getting.

 

In any case, I agree that this is a "golden," warm and sunny scent, uplifting and pleasant. Like sunshine in a bottle.

Does anyone know if there's a catalog scent that mimics Harvest Moon? I got an imp last year, was dying to order a bottle this year and then up and missed it. 

 

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I think Jack (catalog scent) is quite similar to last year's Harvest Moon. They both have a similar buttery, candy-corn type of feel in the opening notes.

Oooh, I like this. It starts out uber-violety, then slowly dries down to a soapy white musk, with a bit of iris and violet hovering in the background. Very clean, very easy to wear.

Others have already said it, but it bears repeating. This fragrance is an amazing blend of patchouli and a sweet grape note. You wouldn't normally think of putting these notes together, but somehow it works. The sweetness of the grape takes the harsh edge off the patchouli, and the earthiness of the patchouli tames the sweet fruitiness of the grape. The overall impression is a clean, earthy, slightly sweet fragrance...almost soapy at times. Lovely! I'm going to have to get a bottle of this.

 

In short, if you're searching for a wearable patchouli, look no further.

This isn't bad -- it's nicely crafted, but it's a little too floral/fruity for my tastes. I was hoping it would be heavier on the amber. Florals just aren't "me."

Debauchery reminds me of other rich, heavy, musky BPAL scents. It's along the same lines as Sin, Scherezade, Vixen, etc. If you like those, you will probably like Debauchery.

 

This is definitely a cold weather scent, and an attention-getter as well. Sexy and deep. I can definitely detect the musk and the civet. The opium note seems to come out more in the drydown, and it eventually grows a bit soapy (in a musky way). I don't really get anything floral with this.

 

I like this, but I'm not sure whether I'll get a bottle, as it's so similar to Sin and Scherezade, both of which I already have.

 

UPDATE 05/09: I finally decided to get a bottle, and I'm glad I did. Ladies (and gentlemen), I have four words for you: Don't fear the civet. The civet is what gives this blend its unusual depth and sexiness. Give it an hour or two to develop, and you will be surrounded by a musky, sexy aura. To compare it to other "dark" blends I enjoy: I've decided it's not that similar to Sin after all, because it's not spicy. And it's not as soapy as Scherezade, nor as incensey as Event Horizon. There's no vanilla, so it's not like Snake Oil. The closest thing this comes to, in my mind, is Tarot:Judgment. Debauchery probably won't be one of my top scents for summer, but I'll let it age until fall. I'm sure it will be perfect come October.

Hooray! I've finally found a replacement for my beloved, discontinued Unseelie.

 

I never would have guessed Black Phoenix would be this type of scent. It starts out strongly cherry-almond -- sticky sweet, like candy. At first whiff, my thought was, "Yech, forget it." But then....ahhhh! Within 15 minutes, it dries down to a delightful powdery, musky, vanillic aura. I am almost certain there must be heliotrope in this blend. The powdery drydown is to die for, if you're into powder...which I am.

 

I can definitely see this blend layering well with other vanillic/powdery scents like Alice, Snow White, etc. What a find. And I have to admit I'm pleased to be able to wear the lab's signature scent.

 

A big bottle of Black Phoenix is going on my wishlist today!

Three similarities I've noticed:

 

Sin is very much like LUSH Karma

Anubis (not so much O, on me at least) is similar to Honey I Washed the Kids soap

Nocnitsa is similar to Tramp shower gel

There's a strong eucalyptus/pine note in the opening -- like being in a dark forest. Very woodsy-smelling. Then it loses the eucalyptus and slowly morphs into something reminiscent of Dragon's Musk. This is not a bad fragrance but I don't see myself getting a bottle, as Dragon's Musk by itself is just fine.

Honey is not listed as one of the notes in Anubis. But that's what I mainly get from it...honey. Not light, clover honey but deep, dark, rich honey...like honey that's solidified. This is an interesting scent -- I detect a touch of floral, a bit of fruitiness -- but also something dark and a bit woodsy under the surface. I don't get a lot of incense with this. On me it's a sweet, dark, deep honey type of scent. It smells "golden." I like it.

The bottle of Snake Charmer that I have is entirely citrus/perfumey/aquatic.  No resemblance to Snake Oil whatsoever & no coconut. 

 

I have to agree. I love incense, vanilla, amber, musky, etc...and the early reviews for House of Mirrors were promising. However, my decant is nothing even remotely like Snake Oil, or anything I'd consider a warm, amber-y skin scent. It's kind of citrusy, but not in a fresh, zesty way...on my skin it's kind of a bland, synthetic fresh smell, like fabric softener or the hand soap in public restrooms. I had high hopes for House of Mirrors, but clearly it's not for me.

 

I am so glad I didn't buy a 5 ml unsniffed.

All I got from this one was a very strong, almost unpleasant, jasmine absolute. Sort of a "dirty jasmine" smell, sharp and biting. I didn't find it pleasant.

I've got an ordering problem of a slightly different sort. I'm trying to order a 10 ml of Dragon's Musk. When I click on "purchase 10 ml," however, it takes me to the CCNow shopping cart and it says "Dragon's Milk 10 ml." Obviously this must just be a minor glitch in the system; does anyone know who manages the BPAL website so I could get in touch with them directly? I'd like to place this order, but I hesitate to do so before this problem is corrected, because I don't want to wind up with a 10 ml of Dragon's Milk instead of Dragon's Musk.

 

I e-mailed the lab last week, but have received no response, and I don't want to bug them too much because I imagine they're really busy, with Beth being sick and all.