Katinka

I can't offer an explanation, although I had that reaction the first time I tried Milk Moon. I assumed it was the lunar oil. I liked the scent enough that I tried it again today -- with no tingling tongue this time, thank heaven.

Definitely tropical, although not overpowering...so not overpowering, in fact, that I can barely smell it. Wah! Still, Pele is quite pretty. It feels like a cousin to the also lovely Machu Picchu, but I don't think tropicals are quite for me.

This one is a shape-shifter. Upstairs in my house, it was mostly vanilla. Downstairs, it was mostly floral. But I think that's part of Regan's appeal -- you're not tied down to just one scent family! I've been looking for a scent that is predominantly vanilla without being "Hi, I'm a cookie", and this might be it. Must try Regan more.

A glowing, shining, elegant peach, with nary a bit of fizz in sight. This is a peach dressed up in her finest gold jewelry -- I swear, I can almost hear the swanky party music playing in the background. At first I thought this was too similar to a Body Shop peach oil that I already have, but in a side-by-side comparison, the other oil definitely came out the worse. After a few hours, most of the peach is gone, but a lovely amber is left behind. Mmmmm!

Light, sparkly peach...pretty, but I think I'm more likely to reach for the sumptious apricots of Yerevan or the gilded peaches of Aglaea.

This was a gift from a friend, and my first BPAL scent transportation experience! At first, Kostnice smelled like a vase of drooping roses in the foyer of a musty church...with a faint whiff of pickle juice. Roses aren't usually my thing, but I found myself inexplicably drawn to it. After gluing my arm to my wrist for 15 minutes, I finally realized why...it smelled *just* like the Orthodox churches in Kiev, Ukraine, where I once lived for over a year. All of a sudden, I saw cobblestones, green and gold onion-domes, aged doors, dim interiors, endless gilt-embellished icons, candles that had sputtered out, priests in heavy robes...the works. Very cool!

Mmmm....now I know what all the fuss is about! Milk Moon is creamy, creamy, creamy, with apparent background notes of peppermint? Coconut? Sounds odd, but it makes for a delicious blend. I will treasure my little imp. One odd reaction -- for a few moments here and there, it made my tongue tingle weirdly. I promise, I hadn't been trying to lick it off my arm!

After the similar-sounding The Hanging Gardens and various other fruity scents didn't work out for me, I dreaded the possibility that Yerevan would also make me . However... HOLY GORGEOUSNESS!!! The first initial burst is apricot so natural and ripe, it's two seconds away from falling to the ground. The apricot tempers with time, allowing the other fruit and floral notes into the background for balance. Consider my socks knocked off -- I bought a bottle that same night.

If you like BPAL's honey note, you might consider Tiger Lily, which I find lovely and calming. Szepasszony is another gorgeous scent, which I described to someone as "eating a lemon ice outside on a crisp spring morning, surrounded by daffodils".

My nose is having a bad night of it. I smell orange Tic Tacs, and that's really about it.

My nose must be a minimalist. All I can smell is wood, fig, and the teeeeeniest hint of gardenia. I know those other notes are lurking behind the pillars, but they don't want to come out and play.

Warm gorgeousness in a bottle. It seems to just seep into my skin...mmmm! I get mostly amber, with soft spices wafting in the background, bringing to mind lions sunning themselves in the savanna. For whatever reason, it also reminds me of Tiger Lily. Definitely a keeper!

Ooooh...I rather like this! It's one of my enabler's favorites, and I can see why. Santa Eularia is herbal and woodsy without being, "Hello, I'm a pine tree." The herbs and lavender are strongest, but everytime they threatened to get out of line, the citrus tempers them. It has a good amount of throw, too -- yay!

I was SO CERTAIN I would love Bordello, but it's not meant to be. On me, it smells like a Pier 1 candle, which isn't too bad, but it's not what I'm looking for in a perfume. It lasted all day, though, and became more pleasant at about Hour 9, when the amaretto came to the forefront, but I wouldn't want to have to wait that long each time I wore it.

Remember that Firefly episode that starts out with Mal and Jayne playing pool in a bar, while Inara stands by sipping a little pink drink? This is the BPAL equivalent of that little pink drink. Fizzy, fruity, frivolous. And oddly enough, I rather like it. My daughter does, too, but I suspect that's because it bears a passing resemblance to Juicy Fruit gum. I have to giggle at the idea of a man wearing Bon Vivant, though.

Oh, YUM. Tiger Lily is a very straightforward scent -- sun-warmed honey, laced with lily -- but again, YUM. Definitely big-bottle worthy.

A friend told me that the Morocco experience was like putting your head in a sandalwood box (one just back from an exotic journey, I might add) and inhaling deeply. Rich, sumptuous spices! Unfortunately, it doesn't suit me much at all (I'm a bit more freckled farmgirl than Arabian princess), but it is truly a gorgeous scent.

I racked my brain for over an hour trying to pinpoint just what was in this rather unusual blend...in the end, I can only describe it as water trickling down the damp walls of a sparkling cave. It has a very "mineral-like" element to it, but it melds surprisingly well with my skin and is rather pleasant. No evil grapefruits, sadly.

Rose, rose, rose, and...more rose. The pomegranate poked its head in for a moment and waved hello, but it was quickly ushered back out the door by the overpowering rose. I don't think we're meant to be, but I do have to give Persephone props for staying power.

Hee! I, too, get whiffs of the Shasta lemon-lime soda of my childhood, but in a classy sense, as though it's chilled in a cut-crystal bowl, with slices of fresh citrus floating on top. A lovely, lovely scent -- not too fruity or too floral, but utterly feminine. It doesn't stay around terribly long ( ), but I quite like it.

Sweet and creamy, with a tropical twist. I get a hint of coconut now and then, but I can't really detect the amber (my poor newbie nose!). I don't know that I'd use it for everyday wear, but it would be great in spring and summer when the "tropical" mood strikes.

My first exposure to BPAL was with a crisp floral (Amsterdam), so I thought I'd give the seemingly similar Danube a whirl... I was crossing my fingers for a grapefruit note from this, but alas -- pure flowers. Fresh-cut stems, to be sure, but not much complexity. It's a pretty and pleasant enough scent, though, and I'll enjoy the imp. ETA: Seven hours later, Danube has softened up a bit and is growing on me. I wish Amsterdam had this staying power!

My first BPAL review! If I had to pick any color to associate with Amsterdam, it would be a deep salmon pink. My brain does say, "Ew, old lady bath toiletries!" at first whiff, but the scent soon morphs into a bright, crisp, pretty floral. It makes me think of crocuses breaking through the soil and little girls in Easter dresses. One drawback -- it's not particularly long-lasting on me. I only get about 90 minutes worth. Still, it's a very lovely and calming scent when my kids are driving me batty throughout the course of the day. I also like to dab on a bit before bed. I'd like to try more oils before I commit to a big bottle, but Amsterdam was definitely a nice intro to BPAL.