OctoberGwen

This oil vibrates on the frequencies of Jupiter, Saturn, and the element of Earth. It is an expansive, incorruptible blend that grants stability and wisdom, and will help bolster your internal strength when you’re under duress. I love this oil, and I will forever love Beth for creating it. It smells of courage; the scent (though secondary) is very grounding and comforting. When I smell this upon application, I feel like I've added a layer of steel to my aura. I anoint myself with it as directed (palms, soles of my feet, base of my spine), and it has gotten me through several stressful social situations - with flying colors. Normally large crowds exhaust me; with Fortitude (and Charisma) I was able to not just get through it, but shine. I was left feeling fine afterwards instead of drained, also. I am starting a new and very demanding job next week, and I fully expect Fortitude to be my right hand man. I am hoping to get another bottle while it's still available, in fact. ETA: I still use this oil almost every day during the work week, and on the rare occasions I forget to apply it, I really notice a difference in my stamina and mental acuity by the end of the day. I love this stuff. Oh, and it smells of vetiver!

I was thrilled to see another blend featuring orange, and the combination of notes looked almost too good to be true: it's like a "who's who" of some of my very favorite notes. This does not disappoint. Beautiful deep orange/tangerine over that magnificent patch and a whiff of tobacco to open, then as it dries down I get a lovely, dusty amber. I'm not picking up the white musk per se but I can sense it's there. I do not find this blend to be overly masculine at all, probably because of the sweetness of the citrus combo. I think this is gorgeous, one of my favorite anniversary scents to date. My only complaint is that it doesn't last all day.

Three white cakes, vanilla, and red and black currants. This smells exactly like the perfume, which is to say ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY DELECTABLE. I adore Eat Me - it's the only foodie scent I am ever happy to wear, and now my whole house smells like it. Luscious, delicious vanilla cake, balanced perfectly by the red current so it doesn't veer off into nausea-producing sweetness. It does not smell like butter or sugar, it smells like the sum of its parts: rich, gourmand cake. Not frosting....just cake. This atmo spray lasts and lasts; after one spritz, I could still smell it very distnctly several hours later. Warning: after a while, you will start raiding the cupboard for yummy things to consume.

After a couple of months of mellowing, this has become one of my favorite rose scents. It's really more rose-tinged than straight-up rose; I find it fresh and only slightly sweet, with a really captivating waft. It's very...womanly. I'm very glad I got this!

This is gorgeous. I love rosehip, and I definitely smell that here along with the sweet plum blossom and a beautiful, light incense. This may go onto my bottle list.

Ha - I would never, ever buy this because sugar is a no-go on me and I'm not a foodie gal. However, I am really glad someone frimped me a little tester (thank you!), because this is such a nice memory Beth shared with us. This smells exactly, precisely like Easy Bake Oven pink cake. Sweet, vaguely strawberry-ish, and PINK. Period. There is no butter, no yellow cake, no frosting (at least to my nose.) It's a childhood-happy scent for sure.

Gaaaaaaaahhhhh. This is lovely. First applied, it's slightly bitter and the dirt note is very prominent. Given a few minutes to develop on my skin, it becomes another creature entirely. Honey and fig are both notes that do not often agree with me: they can both be cloyingly sweet, which usually makes me nauseous. Here the honeyed fig lends a beautiful round sweetness that is an absolutely perfect balance for the slightly bitter/sharp quality of the ivy/leaves/cypress and the sourness of the graveyard dirt. Each element here is necessary and lends something vital to the whole, and something about this scent captures what I feel to be the true essence of Autumn. It's evocative, haunting, and really beautiful. I love the poem, too, and the scent nails it. My hands-down favorite Halloweenie this year, and perhaps ever. I am so glad I took a chance on a blind bottle.

First applied and for some time afterwards, Witch-Bride isn't so much astringent as it is medicinal: it smells like an old fashioned apothecary shop's mixture of tinctures and powders and roots. The resins don't do anything to deepen the pale, wispy quality of the scent, even into the far drydown when that medicinal smell has gone and the florals begin to shine a bit. These florals are witchy and greenish-white and mysterious; more sexual than sexy, if that makes sense, but in a slightly spooky way. Witch-Bride is interesting and evocative; pretty, even, but ultimately too pale for me.

This is, yes, a primarily soft and cozy scent. Very, very soft. I'm not getting red currant at all; there is not the slightest fruity quality to this blend on my skin. My beloved ambergris, yes, and something else that might be leaves although it's not the distinct LEAF note that every other BPAL with leaves contains. Quiet, unassuming, soft. I will probably reach for my Single Note or Humpback Whale when I want ambergris; this one is just sort of fuzzy and indistinct to my nose. It's nice enough, but it doesn't wow me.

The sea salt note starts off nice and strong - it's the same note from last year's My Mommy In a Boat, and it's delicious. After a few minutes the florals become more apparent and blend beautifully with the saltiness. This is pretty and fresh, and only very slightly aquatic-smelling. As Andyl said above: "this is an aquatic for aquatic haters, a floral for floral haters." It's a blend I'll reach for when I want something light and happy-making, smelling of the innocence and magic of childhood dreams. Another absolutely lovely blend from this year's Lilith update. I really hit the trifecta with my blind bottle purchases this time. ETA: On me, the vanilla-infused benzoin appears in the far drydown, lending a deeper resonance to the scent that is subtle and sticks close to the skin. This prevents the whole affair from being dismissed as too girly and/or immature, imo. Very nicely done.

OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOD. I love, love, love this. The almond is the star of the opening act, but it's quickly balanced out by the fabulous lime/absinthe/et cetera. For once, anise is not stomping on everything else, it's just giving a nice boost, a hint of freshness. This is so beautifully blended, and somehow it is bringing Voodoo to mind. It's like a lighter, fresher, more feminine version of Voodoo. Or maybe I'm just crazy, it's been a while since I've worn that one, but the lime and almond are evoking it for me, especially in the early stages. On the drydown the lily becomes the focus, but this normally-overpowering floral remains nicely balanced by the other elements. Gah, I am loving this and so damn happy I blind-bought a bottle. YAY, ME. It is utterly unique to my collection. I adore the label, too.

Mini Magdalene is so beautiful! It is, indeed, very reminiscent of the Candlelight atmosphere spray but is less smoky and has the addition of vanilla and a very subtle spiciness. It is a sweeter blend than what I normally reach for, but it stays close to the skin and doesn't overpower. And while sweet, it is not overwhelmingly foodie to my nose. The far drydown is a faint, creamy-smooth vanilla and candle wax scent. "Vanilla ice cream" has none of the plastic smell that I sometimes get from vanilla, and the spiciness is a lovely, delicate contrast to the sweetness. Really delicious.

This is really good: slightly spicy pumpkin with that unmistakable tobacco/cognac/something that says "BPAL Lace blend." I don't find this foodie at all; rather it's refined, slightly Victorian, very Autumnal...and delicious. I'm happy to add this to my Lace collection.

GAH. I absolutely love this. Sweet from the cacao and the exquisite vanilla flower, but not terribly foodie-sweet; a slightly poofy creaminess from the mallow flower, a groundedness from the honeyed patch and sandalwood. Really, really well blended. This is close-to-the-skin and the most completely inoffensive patchouli blend I own - I would wear this in even the most conservative work setting with utter confidence. It's got a slightly foodie quality and yet I don't smell like the dessert I just ate; the florals lend just the right amount of sophistication. This is absolutely lovely. A million thanks to kashmira, who picked it up for me the day after I left NYCC without it.

I have to say, I wish I'd grabbed this, too - I fairied a bottle and I bet the buyer is going to love it. Turns out red musk and apple are a match made in heaven - they smell wonderful together, and the patchouli and khus give it a nice edge. I got no clove at all. This is beautifully blended and is the only scent with apple in it that I've ever liked on my skin.

WTF, banana? I figured this would be "scrub it off!" awful, but at the NYCC booth it was the one blend I could not stop sniffing on my arm. Something about the incense and, yes, banana really works. It's sweetish and unique and...I bought a bottle. An utterly shocking hit for me. (I should note here that New Orleans is one of my very favorite cities, so...I dunno. Maybe that has something to do with it.)

This is a very strong, gorgeous coffee (love) and that wacky thing sugar does on my skin (not so much love.) If you are a coffee scent lover and have been looking for the perfect coffee blend - look no further.

I didn't think I would like this at all, despite the fact that the description moved me to tears. Frankincense often overwhelms, bourbon vanilla hates my guts, and I dislike the masculine fougeres I'd tried so far. At the NYCC booth, I dutifully dabbed some of this on for review purposes and I am so, so glad I did. This is absolutely beautiful, people. Beautiful. No notes stand out to my nose. It is a soft, sophisticated, haunting blend. The fougere adds a gauzy, dreamy cast over the classic-smelling frankincense/myrrh/vanilla combo, giving them a character that feels entirely unique here. I really can't describe it any better than that. I bought a bottle.

This was almost all grass, lots and lots of grassy grass, with a touch of what had to be cold iron. Evocative and both haunting and comforting, oddly enough.

This is very sweet on me, with lots of honey and pear. I got a bit of coconut, but not much. It's a happy, beautiful scent and I wish honey and pear were in my wheelhouse, but they are just too much on my skin. Pear never, ever works for me, sadly. If you like sweet, happy, summery scents this one is for you.

Clove. So much clove, all the time. Clovey clovity clove. HOLY FUCKING CLOVE is what I wrote down at NYCC.

This is beautiful. The cardamom is very present, giving it a delicious zing - the "ginger" in ginger milk is probably contributing, also. The pumpkin is smooth and creamy.

YUM. This reminds me of another BPAL, but I can't think what it is. Maybe Pinched With Four Aces? I love the tobacco/black sandalwood combo, and the myrrh gives it just enough sweetness to smooth it out. This one came home with me from NYCC. It is going to age like a dream.

I get a lot of orange blossom and champaca, with perhaps a bit of smoothing out from the myrrh.

I seem to be having an experience similar to Little Bird's with this one, and it's not working for me at all. I love vetiver, too. Oddly, the combination of notes smells almost like leather to my nose, and it's definitely got a medicinal quality to it. Weird. And just...no.