ziggystardust13

Banded Sea Snake is sooo good!!! This is one of the snakes where I can definitely pick up on the snake oil. Which is great considering some of the others I could hardly detect it. I was afraid after reading some reviews that this would turn soapy or to dryer sheets. Not at all! This reminds me very much of Lyonesse, but sexier (I credit the snake oil for that!) So far of all the snakes I've tried, this is the one I have to order a bottle of. Bonus: husband loves this one also! Win/win

Definitely The Lights of Men's Lives and Loved to Death!

Very more subdued than I imagined and sticks very close to the skin. It's soft and ambery with a whisper of soft leather. Slightly powdery, but in a good way. This is nice! And reminds me of something.... Haunted! If you like Haunted, definitely give The Black Rider a try. I originally purchased this for my hubby, but glad I inherited it! I think this one leans more feminine.

Wanted to add a few recommendations for some oils I like to wear at bedtime. Jacob's Ladder - it is resiny but soft and a little sweet. It just lends a peaceful feeling. Bewildered in a Dream - I just received this in a swap, but can already tell this will go into my night time rotation. I love lavender, and this one has a blend of lavender and tea. It's a lighter scent also. Great for relaxation and promoting a sense of calm!

I second what Kris said above. I apparently love the lab's fougeres! And I love it in Jareth. At first sniff, I got Dorian all the way. I think Dorian is wonderful, but wasn't expecting it to smell so similar! But as the oil dries on my skin, Jareth comes out to do his magic dance... The leather and oud come to the forefront, while Dorian's fougere lend the notes an ethereal quality. The leather I'm getting is not strong or black, but more of a soft brown or suede. This is definitely gender neutral. This is THE scent of Jareth! Love it

I definitely recommend Snake Oil, Vixen, and Mme. Moriarty.

I was so excited to try Josie. The scent description is lovely and I am a huge fan of Magnolia and all the beautiful scents of the South. Unfortunately, my skin does not bring forth the heady magnolia I was hoping for. I've only tried two scents that have turned synthetic or "plasticky" on me. Snow White and this one. I guess peach is now headed to my list of notes to avoid. I think that this is a matter of skin chemistry, and Josie could be so lovely on someone else. I have just tried this fresh out of the mailbox, so I will definitely give it another try to see if things change.

Ooh, thanks for those recs, @PrinceofcatS! I'm only familiar with Yvaine (but never actually had the pleasure of sniffing it. I will be adding the others to my wishlist.

I was possibly considering an EO as well. I know many of the Osmanthus ones are very pricey. There are also some local Nola perfumeries that carry Sweet Olive perfumes. I was considering those as well, but I haven't worn alcohol based perfume in so long. Not quite fond of it after getting into bpal oils. example site: http://store.neworleansperfume.com/sweet-olive/

Hi Ziggystardust! Looks like we are both continuing on the quest! I have not yet found the osmanthus of my dreams (but remember, both you and I have our noses in the real thing, so we are pretty hard to please.) I do like the osmanthus in Blacker Than Raven Wings at Midnight. It is the only floral in that blend and so can be identified. Actually, I love this perfume overall. But still...not enough of the magic O! I did see the two Luper blends with osmanthus (including the one you mentioned, Trappings of a Tea House). I am waiting for reviews before I take the plunge. Have you tried Bell Vinu? I do like this immensely, although the peach can overshow the osmanthus. Yes, a single note would be to die for!!! ETA My best osmanthus is in Pouring the Strains of Sacred Song, Anniversary Phoenix 2014. Thanks for your input! I think it is hard to capture the scent of the (magic O!) haha. I wonder why the search feature on bpal's site doesn't pull up all the scents with certain notes. Seems a lot get left out. I am adding those to my wishlist! And I need to still acquire Bell Vinu for sure.

So curious, which of all the bpal scents scream Osmanthus the most? Of all the ones I have tried, I cant even detect its there. I have Blacker Than the Raven Wings at Midnight and The Trappings of the Tea House on the way to try. I just want a Single Note so badly!

Hi! Just wanted to let you know (if you didn't know already) that Tea Olive = Osmanthus. You may come across many more bpals searching that note. I didn't know that because in Louisiana we always refer to it as "sweet olive" and I've also learned its other name is "tea olive". It's pretty much my favorite scent in the universe!

I too am craving more Magnolia. I love all the heady southern florals! Hell's Belle is a fave of mine. I think Josie is a must try but I do fear the honey will go funky on my skin. I would love to see more scents with this note!

First off, this label rocks. Lady Death is awesome in the wet stage. I can already tell this is perfumey (In a good way). The vanilla, white musk, and grey amber seem as though they are seamlessly swirling around together. The jasmine is present but very well behaved! It actually compliments this blend without doing what jasmine usually does... Taking over! My favorite note is the wormwood! It lends something unique to this scent and really draws me in. I wish the wormwood lingered longer, but it seems to get lighter the more it dries. There is something about this that reminds me slightly of more kick ass version of 'vanilla fields'. I'm surprised this blend doesn't get more love. Somehow it manages to be feminine and classic yet edgy. Has a similar feel to Liz. eta: Even though I love this scent, I have found that this one is a little headache inducing for me. Too bad.

I feel confident when I wear Snake Oil and Mme. Moriarty, which makes me feel sexy! And my hubby loves both of those too, so that helps

I just placed an order for a bottle. I love Masquerade! This smells very similar to Karma to my nose. I've always loved a patchouli/orange combo. The carnation spices things up. The ambergris keeps things seamless and smooth. Masquerade is pretty and bright yet earthy and sexy. I'm digging this and it's totally a "me" scent!

Oooh I'm adding Lady Death Savage to my list!

Thanks for the recs! I need to retest Antikythera Mechanism. I remember it being a little on the masculine side and I ended up swapping it. I did try Gypsy Moth though and I def get that Cardamom/vanilla combo like in the hair gloss. Loving it! And Revenant Rhythym is sooo good. A generous forum member sent me some to try and I am hooked. I also recently tried Goblin and thought it was Banshee at first! The dry down is different with the coconut but the benzoin gives it a sweetness. Very similar.

Our signature oil. A dark, languid scent. Promotes hedonistic tendencies and extreme self-love. You won’t stop kissing mirrors for a month. I was so disappointed in this one! Especially because I loved it when I first sniffed it out of the imp and upon applying... But all that cherry almond deliciousness completely vanished and I was left with powdery rose. And I like rose, but not this! How sad. With a name like Black Phoenix, this should be amazing!

I am really loving Tombstone! This is one I have tried years ago, and decided to try again recently. I had a very negative scent association with this blend in the past which completely ruined things for me. I still get that smell when Tombstone is first applied wet. I have searched through this thread to see if anyone else thought that tombstone (when wet) reminds them of anything... because it smells just like something that I am too ashamed to admit I have done in the past. Anyway! That wet stage is very short lived. So I guess now that years have passed and my troubled youth is far far behind me, I can wait this stage out! *holds wrists away and waves them in the air* lol Upon drying, the magic starts to happen! Root beer float anyone? I also sometimes just smell the most wonderful vanilla wafting out of a cedar chest.

I second Hell's Belle! Its definitely got that southern floral thing going on without the scream of Jasmine thats present in so many other scents. I think you should give it a try! Its pretty & sexy at the same time

I didn't think the rum note was very strong. And I love Perversion also! It's definitely worth trying Link to my review: http://www.bpal.org/topic/18102-jazz-funeral/page-9

Jazz Funeral! Don't think I've seen that one mentioned yet. Louisiana native here

Thanks! I'm gonna try and hunt down a bottle

Thanks for the recs SophieCedar! Unfortunately I've tried many of those and the ones with honey all ruined the scent for me. For some reason, honey translates to funk on my skin. I will definitely look into the others And super idea, Annemathematics! The scent does sound nice. Wonder if it's got a smoky-ish quality to it? That would be so pretty with the lemon+vanilla. Kind of what I wanted Carnival Diabolique to be!