OctoberGwen

When first applied this is very sharp and unpleasant. (My immediate thought was, "Ugh! Smells like BO.") After a few minutes it becomes soft, mossy, woody, and oddly comforting. A very, very interesting scent.

I am all about the Snake Oil and I love most of the Snake Pits I've tried, but this one simply doesn't work on me. The leather and sage are great notes alone but together they equal a scent that is just too masculine on me.

The snow/icy darkness note is quite strong at first, but after a few minutes it fades and I'm left with a lovely, soft, haunting wisp of fragrance. This embodies the Thomas Hardy poem just beautifully, with the sad sweetness of the violet and just a brush of amber. Quite lovely, but fleeting...like the thrush's song.

Mmmmmm...I like this one very much: crisp and fruity with a slight bite. It's quite similar to Golden Wave, though, so I'll get my "fruity alcoholic beverage" scent fix from that, instead. (At least while my imps last!)

I normally dislike smelling of food, but this makes me very, very happy. 100% milk chocolate, alright - no ifs, ands, or buts. As someone else said, perfect for bedtime and/or child cuddling time. Probably a cure for PMS-induced rage and crying jags. Like the real version, I plan to keep some of this in the house at all times.

Good Lord, this is fabulous. Utterly intoxicating...the red musk (a new fave of mine) and the amber really deepen and complement the roses. This is the first rose scent I actually love - usually rose is simply not a friend to me. I'm about to go out and do yard work, but I refuse to wash this deliciousness off even at the risk of being attacked by every bee within miles.

I'm not a much of a wearer of "fresh" scents, except on very hot Summer days. Shanghai will be perfect for those days...it's absolutely lovely. The honeysuckle rounds out the green tea and lemon verbena (one of my favorite "fresh" smells) perfectly, and that's why this one has the edge over Embalming Fluid for me. I just wish this lasted longer! I find it bottle worthy for slathering's sake, for sure.

I literally said, "Whoa" out loud when I first smelled this on my wrist - not even knowing what the description was. It has a metallic tang that is unlike any human-created scent I've ever smelled. I DO NOT want to smell like this, but it absolutely nails what it is supposed to represent, in my humble opinion. This would be most excellent for ritual work. Wowza. Beth the Scent Witch never ceases to astonish me.

Zombi nails it: so creepy and disturbing, I can't wear it.

One of the few rose scents that I actually love. Perfection! A juicy, soft, feminine blend.

I'm not a fan of berry scents in general, but this was a very pleasant surprise...the sharp/sweet acai is beautifully offset by the vanilla and spice. I've never smelled anything like this. Really gorgeous.

I love this one - it's a gorgeous, complex blend. I think this is my first try with red musk, and I have to say, it's the only musk I can stand so far. I love that this scent manages to be both creamy and dusty; slightly sweet (I hate too sweet); a tad fruity (normally I do NOT wish to smell like fruit at all); with just enough spice to make it interesting. It's also not too faint on me. Not sure of the staying power yet, but I don't mind reapplying. This is probably my new "date night" blend! ETA (April 2014): Red Lace is one of my Top Five BPALs, I absolutely adore it. Grownup, sexy, classy, and utterly unique, it also smells terrific on me during red tide. I was thrilled when Dark Del put some bottles back up for sale recently...now I don't need to hoard this quite so jealously.

I adore this description and I find it very apt. Masquerade is complex and interesting; the lovely sweetness of the orange blossom is balanced nicely by the patchouli, and on occasion I'm getting whiffs of what smells to me like tobacco (or possibly tobacco leaf.)

I'm not sure wtf is going on with this one, but it completely smells like brimstone on me. Nothing but smoke, seriously. Weird. ETA: Hahaha, I'll bet this is a mislabeled imp. This HAS to be Hellfire! EATA: 10/22/11 Well, imp #2 of Hellcat turned into yukky cigar smoke also, and I'm now suspecting the hazelnut note! I had the same reaction with Gluttony, and the only notes they share are hazelnut and buttercream. I suppose it could be the latter, but I strongly feel it's the former.

This smells like Eu de Old Lady on me.

What a lovely and elusive scent this is! It started with a whisper of lemony amber on me and faded into a slightly powdery musky smell...then it's gone, only to reappear very softly in a little while. I keep getting whiffs of it and wondering what it is. Haunting. Yes.

I would have loved this if not for the carnation, which is a death note on me. It ends up very sharp and unpleasant and I detest it. Otherwise, the rich smooth smokiness of this blend is very nice indeed. Boo, carnation!

BPAL keeps breaking my personal 'scent rules', and I am so glad! I got Golden Wave as a frimp from the Lab, and I'm thrilled. I love it. Light, bright without being sharp, fruity without being...too fruity, it's a very happy and delicious summer scent. Just what I needed today. For those who (like me) do not usually go for fruity scents, I'd recommend trying this one out.

Depraved is disturbing: something about the bitterness of the black patchouli fighting with the sickly sweet, overripe fruit smell just puts me right off. It's just not me. After scrubbing with soap, I could still smell it on my wrists for quite some time...that faint, it was a bit more bearable but really this one just makes me think "ugh."

Hoo boy, do I love Voodoo. I've been wearing this aged version since last night, when it immediately shot to the top of my Top Five list - right next to Hell's Belle. I've never smelled anything like this. I don't find it particularly feminine, but it's not a masculine scent, either. (I dislike anything which smacks of men's cologne on me.) It also contains notes that I don't often feel drawn to: patchouli, pine, vanilla; but somehow Voodoo is much more than the sum of its parts. It is complex, deep, unique, and very magical. Definitely big bottle worthy for me. ETA: 4/7/12 There are BPALs that I love and hold onto as experiences rather than perfumes, and Voodoo is one of those. While not my personal style to wear, it evokes the concept so well that I keep it almost strictly for that reason (although I like how it smells very much, too.) It also happens to belong in the group of scents that make up my very first BPALs ever tried, along with Black Forest, Samhain, House of Night, Hexennacht, and Hell's Belle - all blends that will forever remain huge sentimental favorites for me.

I love House of Night; for me it conjures up an abandoned farmhouse, surrounded by wildflowers and full of ghosts. Starts sharp green, deepens into dark florals, and finally softens into a woodsy scent haunted by faint floral memories. Beautiful, evocative, elusive. In my Top Five.

When I put this on it smelled just like rain (which I love the smell of outdoors, but not at all on my wrist.) Just a very aquatic scent that didn't change much at all. I can detect a vague floral smell but mainly it's just watery. Not my cup of tea. I should probably note that this is a well aged version - 2007 or earlier, so perhaps it simply hasn't aged well.

(I am reviewing an aged imp of this - 2007 or earlier.) When this is wet I get crisp apples, and then it dries into a misty, complex scent. The apple is still there but blends nicely with the other notes - not too sweet, not too sharp overall. It really does smell exactly like the description of it: sitting in the back corner of a magical garden at twilight, next to the apple tree. Beautiful.

(I'm reviewing an aged imp of this: 2007 or earlier.) This starts off as pure pine trees on me, and then after a minute it smells like cold air. No menthol, but I swear my skin felt cooler and when I inhaled I was standing in a pine forest in the cold. Incredible. This dries into a beautiful musky-with-a-hint-of-cedar smell, but those cold trees are still in the background. What a magical, evocative scent. I didn't actually think I would want to wear this but it smells gorgeous on me. WOW. Later: I really, really love the drydown phase of this, but the initial cold blast of pine is too much when applied to my cleavage. Great for evoking a mood, not so great for wearing. I'll have to try and find some scents with those drydown notes for sure!

A brilliant, ethereal scent: white musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss. I like florals with complexity and this one has it in spades. It's a really lovely, well blended scent that I would easily wear all Summer long. ETA: A year later, I've just tried Fae again and I decided to revisit my initial review, which in hindsight was both uninteresting and inaccurate. This scent is mostly white musk and peach, with a bit of zing from the bergamot and a touch of brightness from the heliotrope. The oakmoss is like a fuzzy background note to my nose, one that I dislike in most scents. The smell of oakmoss almost wants to get stuck in my throat. Fae has a sentimental place in my heart as one of the earliest BPALs I tried, but it's not really something I reach for or even like on me very much.