Circaea

Not sure what year this is. It's spelled "Khajurajo" on the bottle. It's very beautiful when wet. Sweet fruity floral creamy insense. On my skin, after it dries, sometimes a slighlty rotten fruit smell comes out. Heartbreaking, because I love it otherwise.

I was afraid of the tobacco in this, but I didn't need to be. It smells like Playful Wooden Mallets layered with Boomslang when freshly applied. Dries to a soft smokey, slightly powdery sarsparilla. It's a good everyday scent.

I'm thinking Bathsheba, Jezebel, Lorelei, Seraglio... all those lovely curvy women in the romantic and Pre-Raphaelite paintings... And Belle Epoque.

Angel: Ave Maria Gratia Plena Wolf/Dog: Coyote Cat: The Lion New Orleans: The Conjure Bag oils... there are several

...And don't forget to check out the member sales forum, where you can get imps and decants for cheeeep - previously aged for your convenience. ("southern grandma" cracked me up! I had a friend who used to quote hers: "Well, isn't that elegant!") Good luck on your search!

I agree with Bow and Crown, Cathedral and Antikythera Mechanism. Also, in case you're judging scents on what they're like when they're fresh, I just want to mention that they change over time, especially the resiny ones tend to soften and mellow, so you need to retry them in a couple of months to be sure. You might also try Iago, Hellfire and Tombstone. Also - it's not a GC, but I always like to put in a good word for Hand of Glory, as something that's kind of manly and kind of sweet (beeswax, leather, smoke and spices.) Jareth is a newer scent that has been called a manlier version of Dorian. I haven't tried it yet, so YMMV.

I've had this one for a while now and I haven't reviewed it. Warm, sweet beeswax, with a touch of floral vanilla and a wisp of smoke. It's fine anytime of day, for any weather or occasion, but I like it for bedtime. If you found the honey note in O sour, sharp, or sweaty feet-smelling, then you might like the softer beeswax scent of Lights. It layers well, and has the pretty, soothing sexiness of some of the more popular but hard to find LE's, notably Giant Vulva and Blossoms in Springtime. I consider Lights of Men's Lives a BPAL classic, and I hope it never leaves the General Catalog.

This smells almost exactly like absinthe spilled on stale smokey lace. What was I thinking when I bought it?

I've been wanting to try Eden forever- it just missed making my first ever imp order, and it's been languishing on my wishlist from the beginning. So I was thrilled to get it as a frimp from a recent forum purchase. Can't tell how old this imp is, but the label looks new. First impression: fruity coconut cake. This is like Dana O'Shee and Eat Me got together, and one of them brought green figs and coconut milk to the party. It's sweet and creamy and a little cakey, but with a green edge to it. I like it a lot!

I came on here to post my review, which is "smells a lot like Womb Furie, with orange blossom. Fades quickly." But milo beat me to it.

First sniff - ack, horrible, wet, mouldy wood. But after a few minutes Grandmother of Ghosts mellows to a woodsy floral, softened and supported by a pleasant musk. I had to change my "HATE" rating to a Like. It's not bad. Not sure when I would wear it though. It's not bracing and cheerful, like my favorite citruses, or sweet and yummy like my foodies, or comforting and grounded like my wood blends. It doesn't seem to have a mood attached to it, or any associations, and as I sniff it, I don't get my usual impression-pictures. Strange.

Okay,Queen Alice is all death notes for me, and I was certain I would HATE it. But it's sweet, bright, spicy, confident, clever, sophisticated... I dunno. I don't smell carnation, wine, amber and treacle (eww!) I get sparkly warm candy and a wink. This reminds me of Jailbait's 18th birthday. It's sexy and fun. I want to wear this and break hearts.

Omen. Another frimp, unknown age. Patchouli is all I smell at first, and then it settles to what someone described as "sauna." Which happens to be one of my favorite places. It's just a beautiful, clean dry woody purifying smell. I like it a lot.

Received this as a frimp and was afraid, very afraid of the listed rose note. Turns out I had nothing to worry about. On me, this is almost exactly like When the Winter Chrysanthemums Go, another cool minty floral, and a favorite. It's a light delicate scent, without a lot of throw or longevity, but it does pick me up and might be good to keep at work, for a minty lift when I'm starting to drag.

Wow, I loved that list. It needs to be a spreadsheet, though. I could see myself spending several hours turning it into one... Must. Resist.

Before a young relative made off with my bottle (I love my family, I do, I do!) I was able to try this a few times as an after-shower moisturizer. I did, indeed, smell exactly like brownie batter. And it made me insatiably hungry all day. I do think this should be made into a GC, and it would be wildly popular. I might even consider replacing my pilfered bottle, but I would try it layered with something more resiny or woody, or mixed with unscented almond oil, to mute the ZOMG CHOCOLATE effect.

Wet: A sharp medicinal clove. Being a fan of medicinal herb and spice scents, Zenobia is right up my alley. Arid, uncompromising, unselfconscious. As it dries, it softens, and the clove takes on an airy quality. This is one witty, direct and courageous queen. I like her best as a layering note, especially with sweet foody scents, but she is compelling and imperious alone, as well. Maybe not for when I want someone to snuggle up close, but when I want to be in command of a situation. If you like Laudanum, I suggest this one.

source: frimp of unknown vintage. Seems fairly new, judging by the label condition. Wow, I think I may have found a wine scent I can wear! This smells like honey and spice, with a touch of grapiness. It's making me think of baklava and the last drops of wine in a small glass. The myrh for once behaves, too, and translates into a kind of clovey warmth. I almost can't believe this scent has two death notes, and it's still so delicious. I will keep this imp and wear it.

Playful Wooden Mallets is wonderful. And Blossoms in Springtime. Also Calligraphy Practise.

Violet Ray is amazing, and when I sniff my imp, I can detect the slightly green note you speak of. I like Ultraviolet, too, which is still available, but it's a strong eucalyptus and mint violet. I also have Time Does Not Bring Relief in the violet family, and Wings of Azrael.

Gennivre has a gentle mintiness. When the Winter Chrysanthemums Go has a stronger mint, but it's softened by the mums, and it's been out long enough to be aged to a nice mellowness. Green Tree Viper is minty, but the mint is kind of balanced by the bergamot and the warmth of the Snake Oil base. Of the Lick Its that I've tried, my favorite is Like You Mean It, because the vanilla is in the forefront, and it's just sweet and clean and comforting.

Super manly. Sharp, musky, men's cologny, aggressive, dry, strong, virile, balls out, in your face... MAN, this is masculine. I can feel black hair and a gold necklace spouting on my chest, fingers and back. It's starting to grow out of the back of my shirt, in a tsunami of proud manly fur. My voice is deepening, and I feel a raise and a sportscar in my future. I have to scrub it off before the testosterone takes over completely. This one might mellow nicely in time. Right now I mostly amp myrrh and tobacco. I wanted honeyed leather. Will retest in a few months, and edit this if I notice a change. Or if I turn into a man.

This is why I keep hundreds of BPAL imps and decants, arranged alphabetically, in little make-up cabinet drawers. I see the newest reviews and I think...Kitsune-Tsuki... don't I have an imp of that that somewhere? I do, received in a swap, of unknown age. I look at my database and my notes say "Floral plum and spice. Reminds me of Hanging Gardens. November 2011" hmmm. I need to try it again. Wet, it's the flowers that come out first. Pretty, with just a hint of something delicate and exotic, reminding me of other asian-inspired blends. Cool. Several minutes later the plum note emerges. Yeah, this is still Hanging Gardens on me, but more subtle and softer. The orchid and musk give it a creamy spiciness. I like Kitsune-Tsuki, enough to get more imps of it, when/if this one runs out. Drying down, it has a light sweet subtlety. Pretty, soft, and suitable for most occasions.

Very tangerine, and very much a lemon verbena feel. It's quite a sharp citrus, as someone else said, it has the feel of a household cleanser. As a soap or cleanser, or a room scent, I would like it very much. As a perfume, it's not grabbing me. Too clean, too bright, and not enough sweetness to make it approachable. (I'm not having much luck with the Lupers this year. I wonder if it's because I'm trying them all fresh. I need to put them away for six months and try again...)

Blossoms in Springtime reminds me a lot of Lights of Men's Lives and a little of Glowing Vulva. Very beautiful and would have been bottleworthy, but it dries to powder on me. I always have that problem with the BPAL ambers. Had to come back and edit my review: on the third or fourth testing, it is really lovely. I think it needed a little more time to come together. I'm definitely getting more of the Glowing Vulva vibe, minus the wood note, and the powdering is very minimal this time. It's warm, beeswaxy, sweet, lightly floral, sensual, pretty. The vanilla is not a main player on me, so much as the wax and a light citrus, like in Lights of Men's Lives. Although I put some on at night, and the next morning, there is the faintest wisp of vanilla, and everything else is gone. Because I love the wood from GV so much, I layered Blossoms in Springtime with some Brown Jenkin. Amazing. And very long-lasting, too. I think I want two bottles of this scent: one for wearing as a perfume and one for making body oil, to replace my beloved GV Bath Oil.