Rho

Nice choices! Maybe Bordello for a different tone of plum from Kitsune-Tsuki, and Maiden or The Sea Foams Milk for things somewhat like Alice? Mine: 1) Tamora 2) Obatala 3) Hollywood Babylon 4) Snake Oil 5) O

I agree. I particularly like Callidora. It may be worth a try to poke around the forum's For Sale threads, or post in the Wanted section to see if somebody's selling these lovelies.

Was it Callidora, Lavina, and Sylvia from the Trading Post's halloween update? If so, they are now discontinued, but you can see the release info here (scroll to the bottom): http://www.bpal.org/topic/81842-its-halloweentime-at-black-phoenix-trading-post/ And more specifics: http://blackphoenixtradingpost.com/shop/lavina-halloween-perfume/ http://blackphoenixtradingpost.com/shop/sylvia-halloween-perfume/ http://blackphoenixtradingpost.com/shop/callidora-halloween-perfume/

Fresh, this is all soap, soap, SOAP. Hand soap. An hour or so later, I get sandalwood cushioned with soap and a sort of minty cologne. Not really my thing.

I got this one because I thought wearing roses in autumn sounded very charming. Wet, it's soap with a bit of purple rose. It is undeniably soap, like the hard little white bars we kept by the sink in my childhood. There's also something clearly PURPLE going on here. Is it violets? Later, I think I can pick out violets. How pretty! The soap gradually settles down, and I've got a smooth floral to enjoy. Creepy? Maybe so. There's something musty, dusty, or long forgotten in Wretched Rose Window. Not too shabby. :>

I don't know how old my bottle of this is, because I bought it off the forum, but it's not brand new by any stretch. Should have some decent age behind it. First off, this is intensely different from what I expected. I thought it was going to be spice cabinets and musk; strong and exotic. What it actually is, is a close-wearing, subtle blend of scents. It does have a little musk, but it's not much on me. I get the carnation, and can imagine red sandalwood in there, too. Morocco is just a little scratchy due to a hint of spice. Overall, it's kind of faint and non-offensive; nothing stellar; hardly any throw. I would define Morocco as snuggly, just because you have to snuggle up to it to even pick up on it. Definitely a cozy, warm concoction, but demure. It could serve as a second-skin kind of fragrance if you like the idea of your skin smelling like heated sand and carnations. In conclusion, Morocco has its place in my collection, but I think I was hoping for something louder.

Hygeia is so beautiful. I've had a tiny amount of this for awhile, and have been slowly rationing it out. At this point, I may be able to get one more use out of decant, but that'll be it. It's going to be GONE. And what a shame, because this is gorgeous! The red musk is the scent-equivalent of a steady hum. It's not scratchy or pitchy; it's even-keeled and full of vibration. On me, that red musk is the main player, start to finish. Utterly captivating and womanly. The amber adds to a feeling of glowing. A red, gently pulsing glow. Something in Hygeia goes a little powdery on me. That's okay. It's only a minor element. Everything else still feels "right" to me. Easily one of my favorite red musk blends that I've had the pleasure to smell.

You are wonderful! I've never thought to try L'Estate. I will totally search some out. Thank you for your suggestion!

I tried searching, but I haven't come up with an answer to this question of mine: Is there anything in the BPAL catalog with similarities to Hanae Mori Butterfly? These are the notes I found: Strawberries, Bilberries, Black Currant, Bulgarian Rose, Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang, Sandalwood, Almond, Praline. For me, this smells mainly of the praline and fruits; the flowers are barely noticeable. It's a close-wearing scent that's warm and feminine. Butterfly fades too fast for my tastes, and has that hair-spray base that so many commercial perfumes have (that I hate), so I'm sure BPAL has something better. I'm particularly after something with the pretty praline base. If it helps, some of my favorite "girly" BPALs are Tamora, Mouse's LAST, Belle Epoque, Maiden, Fae, and Alice. Thanks for any thoughts or help on this one! ^_~

Something in this smells artificial and makes me sneeze. Just thought I'd get that out of the way first. I don't get pine from this at all; rather it brings to mind the sticky stuff left all over your hand after picking pine needles - something I used to do as a child. It's high-pitched and has a menthol quality. There's a slight sweetness to Slobbering Pine that I like, but the menthol element gets stuck in my nose and even my eyes start watering. After reading some other reviews, I can tell my chemistry just isn't doing this one justice. It's overly simple and allergy-triggering on me. Oh well.

I've had a frimp of this sitting in my box for ages. Every time I've popped it open to sniff it, I decide on something else to wear instead. Today, I finally put it on my skin. In the imp, Strangler Fig is straight vegetation. It's vaguely sweet and reminds me of the leaves in the cherry tree I used to climb in as a child. The second this hit my skin though, WHOA. Sweetness and humidity explode onto the scene. The sweetness is almost candy-like. Berry, pear, and grape candy, all together in a garden. Everything smells sodden and heavy with moisture. Once dry, Strangler Fig calms down and transitions from "candy in the garden" to "the plant that grows ambrosia." It's intoxicating and I would eat something that smelled like this. It's green, but has a brown sugary element that works well for me. It still smells moist and healthy. It's truly lovely. I'm kind of kicking myself for not wearing this sooner. It's a winner to be sure, and I like it for the hot weather we've been having here.

Jack is my favorite pumpkin BPAL. It just does exactly what I expected it to do: smell like my kitchen on Halloween day. This is a foody, spicy oil. Warm pumpkin is the star. It's not overly sweet, nor overly plain. Just a really nice, oven-heated pumpkin scent. Wonderful! There are beautiful, seasonal spices in Jack that take it to the next level. There is clove, which is usually not good on me, but here it is subtle enough to work. Nutmeg is detectable, too, warming everything. I can't pick up on the peach. Maybe it's just keeping the blend smelling fresh and bright. I keep hoping I'll find it in there someday, because I love peach. Definitely try Jack if you're looking for a pumpkin-heavy blend, or if you want to channel the feeling of autumn.

I've worn Aureus several times now, and I really like it! This is the imp I reach for when I want to surround myself with a sense of austerity. It's dry and serious, but forgiving. It's like a reminder to do my best while remembering that I have human limitations. In terms of notes, I would say patchouli is foremost. Possibly a dry sandalwood, too. I never get a strong impression of amber like other reviewers have mentioned, but the oil does start to glow after awhile on the skin. After being warmed thoroughly it's like a splintered wood being heated by direct sunlight. Aureus is kind of hard to pinpoint or describe, but I really appreciate it for its overall feel.

I decided to try this because I pretty much always love lily of the valley. Bernardino Dotted Blue opens a bit harshly with strong violet leaf, a bergamot that's on the bitter side, and just a hint of mint. There's something "herb garden" about this stage, and while it's not offensive, it's not my favorite part of this scent. I like it much better once it settles down. On me, that's a process of about an hour, during which it morphs and changes. New notes start to bloom on my skin and they envelop the bergamot, toning it down. Much better! After the hour mark, I'm left with a perfectly lovely perfume. I finally get my lily of the valley, a light hint of chocolate peppermint, and a mix of other earthy things playing in the background. It's really pretty, and reminds me of Belle Epoque, which is one that works particularly well on my skin. All in all, I wish it'd settle down faster, but once it does, it's a keeper.

This one is a morpher on me. It goes through these stages: Peach! Pretty, and eastern smelling. Like another review said, very Japanese incense-esque. Cranberries! Oh, and how. It spends at least ten minutes being cranberry single note. Very believable but very strong. Red musk! Red musk pretty much creeps in from the edges and smushes everybody else together. For awhile, I get strong red musk... of pretty much the regular kind. Nothing "vegetal" about it to me. Finally, I get the potpourri that others have alluded to. Spicy, dry fruit. I wouldn't mind this as an actual potpourri, but as a skin scent, I was hoping for mostly peach and musk. Oh well.

In the imp, and fresh on the skin, this is LOADS of salt in midnight waters. It is also soap. Dial soap, I believe. As it's drying down, the salt disperses and is gone entirely. I still have all this Dial soap to huff on though. Mmmmm... Dial soap... And now Cthulhu's dried down! And what do we have? (drumroll) Dial soap! Inconceivable! In conclusion: Yeah, my chemistry turns this into straight soap. This doesn't smell like Cthulhu to me, but I can tell that what was in the imp had a different quality than what my skin morphed this oil into. Ah well. Not for me.

In the imp, Brisingamen smells strongly of what I think is myrtle. It's lovely and breezy. Much like eucalyptus or a mint. For the first five minutes on me, all I get is the myrtle as well. It's sort of sinus clearing. Now, something is creeping in alongside the myrtle to warm it up and muddle it somewhat. Oh, I hope it's the amber, because that's what I want most out of Brisingamen. I'll wait and see. (wait) Okay. While this was drying down it went through some weird phases where notes where whirling and colliding and kind of souring each other. I was quite concerned, if not intrigued. After the dust cleared, I'm left with a mellow amber that is highlighted with myrtle and apple blossom. Like the myrtle and blossom are actually "reflecting" off the amber, if that makes any sense at all. This is not SUPAH DUPAH amber on me, which I was actually hoping for, but it is nice. I was definitely expecting something more distinct, but you can do a lot worse than a pretty, mellow amber scent.

In the imp: Possibly sour florals. A touch of soap. Wet: Undeniably the most complete violet smell ever. Kind of like smelling a hothouse FULL of violets and nothing else. This isn't fake smelling like a candle; it's like being surrounded with violets. Drying: The violets are being pulled into a cloud of something poofy smelling. I'm thinking it's the other flowers in the blend, but they're hazy and indistinct. I hereby dub this phase the "bouquet of clouds." It's kind of lovely! Dry: Sandalwood has crept in to support the cloud of flowers. Things feel settled yet dreamy. Veil is just a bit sweet. Innocent. Verdict: Fits the name exactly. Completely gorgeous, light floral fragrance that's reading as graceful and innocent on my skin. Veil makes me feel happy and feminine. I like it!

I love this one as a skin scent and as a room scent. Just good stuff! On me, it opens as a cherry lollipop: tangy, hard, and smooth. It's super sweet and ever so slightly spiced for interest. It carries on like this for hours on my skin, and it's rather delightful. Down the road, Dragon's Milk leave behind a vanillic spice that just works wonders as a "my skin but better/sweeter" vibe. Completely awesome for me, and my favorite from the Ars Draconis line so far.

This was a frimp from the lab that I wouldn't have picked out for myself. I'm more the pretty-sweety kind of fragrance gal, but what the heck? Might as well try everything once. In the imp it's patchouli. I'm not against patchouli, but that's all I can smell in there. On me, it's also patchouli! The smell is kind of a mix between new soil that you buy from the good greenhouse places, and an acrid patchouli. I honestly can't find fig. I wish I could... As this settles in, it mellows and blends, but it's all dirt to me. If the fig is anywhere it's a "round" aftertaste I get when huffing the oil up close. Things are also a little spicy. In the end, I would use this imp to demonstrate what patchouli smells like to the uninitiated. (Yes, I've had that come up before.) I would only dig this one out of my imp box if I was seriously craving a potting soil vibe though. Not really my thing, but I can't say I hate it.

Er... nothing at all like I expected. The notes sounded great, but I just get stale flowers over a murky musk. Alas! I think I sense a pinpoint of caramel trying to sweeten things up, but it's being smothered by... what? Moldy flowers? I just don't get it, and definitely don't like it.

I have to agree with the other reviews that mention candy; my nose smells Gobstoppers in the Bordello imp, and on my skin. It must just be some people though, because my husband doesn't smell candy; he gets rich wine and fruits. Even though my primary impression is colorful candies, Bordello is good enough to wear. It's sweet, but round and amiable. I'm happy to have an imp!

When wet, I totally get the "perm chemical" smell that others have mentioned. It's rather striking how similar it is to that, actually. I didn't put on enough that it was stinging my nose at this point, and I wouldn't call it terrible, but still... chemically. After it settles in, I pick up on sun-baked coconut, swirled in a salty, sweet breeze. It's pretty awesome, but if I didn't know this was meant as a body fragrance I would have assumed it was intended as a room (candle) scent. After quite a long time, Body Remember blends into the skin and really does make a great, wearable fragrance. I like it. My overall impressions are coconut... warm... beaches. Will keep my decant!

I can't personally think of a perfect match for that fragrance (I bet someone more experienced will), but I can think of a weak match: For bread, maybe Bread and Butterfly: Bread, sugar, tea, and cream.

2011 Version It's hard for me to review piney scents since I usually avoid them, but this is definitely a Christmasy smell. I can definitely pick up on the thyme and evergreens. In the beginning, I also detected the berries, but they've been blurred with myrrh as time has gone on. Very festive and fresh! If I were to liken Yule to anything, it'd be the whiff on opening an herb cabinet with a fresh Christmas tree in the background. On my skin, this all plays out more like a candle than a body scent, but it's nice enough. I definitely wouldn't seek out a bottle, but it surprised me by being attractive.