Katinka

I was rather "meh" about Thaleia when I first received it from the lab, about 5 months ago. A few components stood out -- apricot, orange, honey -- but the blend as a whole didn't seem very unified. I came close to swapping the imp on several occasions, but a little voice said that it might age well, and lo and behold, IT DID! I was blown away on my latest wearing -- it was as though all the notes had melded, ripened, and strengthened during their little time in seclusion. I'm now seriously contemplating a bottle, as aged Thaleia resembles the offspring of Tiger Lily and Cobra Lily, two of my other fav springtime blends. Yummy!

EOS!

The opening blast of Cobra Lily is simply delicious -- a thick, sticky, heady, deep-yellow/orange sweetness. Unfortunately, that stage (and the scent itself) doesn't last terribly long on me, but it really is wonderful.

I would have NEVER chosen this for myself (can't do rose...don't care much for lavendar...etc...), but I felt obligated to test the Lab's kind frimp. I dabbed a bit on, and didn't think much about it until several minutes later, when a sweet, lovely fragrance began to waft up to my nose. I definitely did a double-take then! This would be great at bedtime -- it's very soft and calming.

I haven't tried House of Night, but Bayou definitely has a wet, humid, greenness to it.

Dry, sun-baked desert sweetness -- amazing! I was reminiscing of my sagebrush-filled childhood all day. A 5ml is definitely called for.

Szepasszony seemed to have a daffodil-like quality to me. Prague is crocuses, but it, too, has a similar "early spring" vibe to it.

Definitely a white floral scent, but not cloying in the least -- there's a lush "greenness" to it, as though those first few crocuses are starting to poke their heads through the snow. Really lovely.

Like other have mentioned, Peitho starts out *really* sharp. But after about half an hour, the vanilla peeks its head out and the entire scent softens and mellows. It's rather nice, but I think I prefer sunny Eos a little more.

Aeval for the sweet pea, Amsterdam for the peony. It also feels a wee bit similar to Danube, another cool, aquatic floral. (I fell hard for Annabel myself, only yesterday!)

Of all the times to discover that Annabel Lee smells *fabulouso* on me... *sigh* The florals are sweet and crisp, the cucumber is cool and soothing, and the soft, muted moss note balances everything out. Absolutely lovely, and I must track down a bottle.

Yup, clean laundry. While this smelled nice and fresh on my skin, it smelled FABULOUS in my hair -- as though I'd just used the most wonderful shampoo.

Verdandi = Whereas the The Hesperides is an earthy red apple plucked straight from the tree, Verdandi is a tart green apple polished to perfection and placed in the middle of a elegant, gourmet fruit basket. Great throw, great longevity, and the amber in the drydown is just gorgeous. It reminds me a bit of Brisingamen, but the apple note is more pronounced. I'll be getting a bottle, definitely.

Eve seemed very much like Jezebel's younger sister to me (which feels rather sacriligeous to say!). I love BPAL's honey note, but not in combination with rose, and so this just didn't quite work out for me.

You're not a shy one, are you, little O? This has the most throw I've ever gotten from a BPAL scent -- one tiny dab on my wrist was all it took! I get honey and a gorgeous spiced amber, with a hint of vanilla permeating throughout -- a very "let's get it on" kind of scent. It's yummy, but a little too RAWR for playgroups and grocery shopping.

I don't detect any tea in this at all, only the soft, sweet lemon that I'd been hoping for from Shanghai and Enbalming Fluid. There's a trace of greenery and a whisp of peony playing in the background, too. It doesn't last terribly long, but it's so amazingly PRETTY that I may have to buy a bottle anyway. The Dormouse also has the distinction of being the first BPAL to which my husband has said, "Wow, you smell nice."

Bonne Belle's Dr. Pepper lip gloss. But as that's a sentimental favorite of mine, I've no complaints.

A million thanks to whomever suggested this as a GC substitute for Milk Moon! I get an almost identical sweet creaminess from each of them, although White Rabbit does seem to have a soft hint of lemon in place of Milk Moon's peppermint. Lovely!

My skin must amp up greenery, because I got pure aloe from Embalming Fluid. I'm going to keep it around, though, to see if it will tone down the rampant herbs of my Santa Eularia. On goes the quest for the perfect lemon scent...

My pathetic minimalist nose got freshly pressed ginger root from Sudha Segara...and only that. *sigh* It was a pleasant scent, but something that brought to mind Asian food, not perfume.

A million thanks to whomever recommended White Rabbit as a substitute for Milk Moon! I tried White Rabbit today, and it has an almost identical sweet, milky creaminess on my skin. You've saved me from the daunting prospect of hunting down more Milk Moon!

Oh, I know your pain! You might give Danube a whirl...I think of it as Amsterdam's older, more self-confident first cousin. Other scents I think would be lovely for spring are Szepasszony, The Ghost, Tiger Lily, and Eos.

I received this in a swap with a friend, and what a pleasant surprise! It has the same clear, cool aquatic feel as Szepasszony, but with a touch of green in place of the citrus. I like swiping a little of it on my pillowcase at bedtime -- it's very restful.

Woe. I was *certain* that Dana O'Shee and I would hit it off fabulously -- I've had success with other milky and honey scents -- but she went on as almond extract and mellowed out to plastic baby doll. I'm sure she completely deserves her following, but we're not meant to be.

This is the autumn scent that candlemakers everywhere aspire to, but never quite attain. Imagine sitting on the porch of a 100 year-old New England lodge, sipping mulled cider while you watch the leaves being raked below. Gorgeous.