Heaven_Star

Imp: Straight up violet and rose. This could almost be a blend of two SN's, they're both even and true to scent. Wet: Ooh, there's a sweet, creamy note here. It's like sugared violet and rose petals. I can't normally do food but there's certainly something else in there - a white musk or something perhaps? The violet and rose are still in there and beautifully matched. Dry: Sweet, creamy violet and rose. A little bit powdery but I think that's the creamy note going rather than the flowers. I can see why some people are thinking "soap" with this one, but I'm quite liking that aspect of it. It sticks close to my skin and it sort of feels like I've washed in it or something, it's a really benign sort of scent. It doesn't reach out and punch you like a lot of my favourite woodsy/resiny scents, do. I don't know if I need a big bottle, I've got a few florals that fit a similar niche to this that I love and either have big bottles of already or which I would get big bottles of ahead of this. That being said, I'm keeping the imp. I think this is going to rock on hot days because it's so pretty and low-impact. Note: I tried this on someone else at a Meet 'n' Sniff, turns out this blend is awesome for finding out if rose dies on someone. "Smells like violet and something gross!" That'll be the rose, then...

Imp: Pretty aquatic. Little bit of citrus, little bit floral. Wet: Powdery. There's a bit of an aquatic floral thing still going on, but it's mostly baby powder. I'm hoping this figures itself out, because this smelled so promising in the imp! It's also quite faint, it's got barely any throw to it, I've really got to push my nose up against my wrists to find it. Dry: Very, very faint vaguely baby powder citrus aquatic if I really look for it. But it's basically gone. A bit disappointed. I've seen lots of comparisons between this and my beloved DC'd Ophelia. In the imp I can spot the similarities - they're both pretty, aquatic florals! This one never gets there for me, though. My skin turns it to baby powder, and then eats it. Swap pile to see if someone else's skin can do it justice.

Imp: cedar and incense, quite green wood Wet: CEDAR. It deserves to be yelled because it's big initially. The incense pulls it back fairly quickly and it's straight up catholic incense - I didn't know I had a clear idea of what that smelled like until I sniffed this. I'm not getting a lot of rosewood or smoke here like others are, maybe it'll come through later. I'm loving it right now, though! Dry: It doesn't really morph on the drydown. It's bright cedar and myrrh/frankincense. The cedar is really beautiful, though, it's fresh cut and the resins are great! This is one of those super evocative scents that make you appreciate BPAL genius. This smells like a cathedral. Not a run down one, not a modern progressive one, not a sarcastic or ironic twist on the idea, it's what a cathedral smells like when everything's working as it should. When it's clean and the same old ladies go to pray there who have been going since they were born. The wood is well polished, there's a lot of light. This was stored fairly deep in my imp collection, which is strange because I'm sure I liked it as much as I like it now when I put it on for the first time. I think this is going to be moved into a more regular rotation, because I'm really having a moment with it here.

Imp: lemon-y aquatic with something floral, too. It's not straight up citrus. Wet: Aquatic, white florals and lemon. It's a non-obtrusive, clean floral. Dry: The citrus has gotten a bit sharp or sour or something? This doesn't seem to settle into what it could be on me - it's a little too citrus-y, a little too sharp and the wrong flowers. It's not bad, I'm not going to wash it off or anything, but it's not something I'd choose to wear again. It's appropriately floral and lemon-y. It's quite clean and 'nice', but I tend to like my florals either warmer or more obviously floral than this is. This doesn't get it quite right for me.

The essence of holy Kyphi, beloved incense of the Egyptian Gods. Imp: Incense. Sweet - honey and myrrh or wine? Definitely honey and something adding sweet, spicy depth as well. (And it’s BRIGHT yellow on my skin.) Wet: Citrus! Honey coming in after. little bit of incense spice. I think there’s cedar in here? Adding to the lemon? And certainly something honey-wine like. That’s where I’m at here, cedar lemon honey wine Drying: Ugh, it’s turning somehow, there’s a distinct sour note at the bottom. Syrupy is probably the right word! It smells like cheap lemon/honey candies - like throat lozenges? Dry: nope. Washed off and into the swap pile. I'm part of the headache brigade for this one, too.

According to legend, the birthplace of King Arthur. The scent of a castle's great hall in the midst of joyous feasting. Spicy mulled wine flowing through the musky heat, warm leather and bright clash of armor, the damp branches of Cornish hawthorn, blackthorn, juniper, English elm and bayberry, and the magical tingle of dragon's blood resin. Bottle: Sweet mulled wine and dragons blood. Super rich. Wet: more sweet mulled wine and dragon's blood. The leather comes in pretty fast and there's a sparkle of armor at the top sharpening it and stopping it all becoming too heady. The woods start to come out a bit here, too. All of the notes are sort of coming out one after the other and trying to find where they're going to fit in the blend. Dry: Beautiful sweet dragon's blood. This smells like a sweet, valiant heart. It's doing well aging in my collection, and it's the first dragon's blood blend I really love. I was super sad when it was DC'd!

Imp: sweet frankincense! Wet: Frankincense! Sweet, beautiful frankincense, a little sweet leather, something shiny at the top. A lovely sweet musk in the mix too. I suspect the vanilla is helping the sweet along, but I can’t pick it out specifically. Dry: Beautiful, bright sweet frankincense. It really doesn’t morph much on me, but I’m ok with that because it’s great. This is the knight on the white horse, people. This is probably my favourite lab frankincense. It’s completely gender neutral (I know all the RPGs are, but this one really impressed me with how very easily I could see the smell on a girl or a guy. Probably not a big bottle purchase, because I’ve got lots of lovely incense blends already. I’m going to try this on my man tonight to confirm the gender neutral status.

A paean to true holiness, spiritual purity, and sacred enlightenment. Based on an incense blend sacred to the Virgin Mary: perfect rose absolute and Palestinian Lily of the Valley with olibanum, labdanum, frankincense and myrrh. In the imp: Rose and myrrh, not a lot else Wet: it goes a little soapy at first but deepens into a rose incense. The frankincense, myrrh are adding weight and the lily of the valley helps round out the rose a bit. It's a beautiful floral (rose dominant) incense when wet. Dry: Softer version of what it is when wet, has a fair bit of staying power on me due to the resins and doesn't go powdery. I can feel the Virgin Mary connotations here, it's got that heavy Catholic sort of incense vibe but it's distinctly feminine. I'm supremely sad this is either discontinued or currently not available, this is a perfect rose incense blend on my skin and I'd love a big bottle of it. I'll find other ways to hoard it though, I'm sure

In the bottle: sweet, spicy carnation Wet: it gets woodier and sweeter but the carnation is still dominant. It's really warm and comforting right off the bat. Dry: This is a really sweet, warm carnation blend. I don't get a lot of spiciness from it dry, it's much more sweet and warm. The sandalwood and cassia don't amp on me, either, they just round out the carnation. This is a classic for a very good reason! It's creamy, sweet, floral and incredibly wearable. I can wear it every day and it's never inappropriate for the location or event and it's often my go-to when I'm dithering about which scent to pick or I've got no time to choose. I've gotten lots of compliments on it, it's just a lovely sweet floral that hugs. I would love a candle of this from BPTP - it's a really, really versatile and non-offensive scent!

Haunted is lovely dark amber on me the whole time. I was going to do my usual impressions in the bottle/wet/dry but honestly this really wouldn't add much to the review. It doesn't morph much from the bottle to my skin except getting a bit spicier and at the start a little bit citrus-y - the lemon isn't massive on me like it seems to be on others. Basically, it's a great dark-edged amber the whole time. It's almost an ambient scent, it's a mood rather than something you're sniffing actively. Mine's aged about 12 months and I think it's gotten better over that time. Top 10 for sure!

In the imp: Ozone and salt "sea air", kelp. Turns out I've developed a nose for what 'kelp' smells like. Awesome. Wet: Leather pushing the kelp/ozone out of the way, a little bit of slightly spiced musk coming through - it's a man's cologne musk. The sharp saltiness is pulling back a bit, too. Dry: Sea air, salty wood, a little bit of man's cologne, and maybe some leather? This is hard for me to pull apart but essentially it's a rugged, smokey pirate man! This was amazingly evocative. I probably won't wear it much but if a pirate captain had a smell this is it with all the nuances, salty, smokey, leather-y, somewhat cologney. It's a really great example of the BPAL magic gift of being able to make you smell something and go "yes! That's it!" without ever before smelled such a thing. This. With a pirate captain. I'm going to try this on my man at some point in the next few days because it's begging to be put on an actual man (though it works fine on my girly skin!). I'll update this with brief results. I'm hopeful Update! Tried it on the boy, surprisingly it didn't change much on him. It was maybe a smoother blend of the parts and the leather was nicer on him, but it didn't turn into anything more exciting than it had been on me. If anything it was more manish on me! He wasn't a big fan, it didn't go bad or anything, he just tends to prefer fougere/cologne scents.

In the imp: Sweet, candy rose. Not as 'fresh' or robust a rose scent as I was expecting! Wet: Sharpens almost instantly and we've got a proper rose scent happening now. The sweetness goes away pretty quickly for me and I'm surrounded by roses. I couldn't pick them apart easily but I don't think being able to do that is the point of this blend - it feels like it's supposed to be a robust, well-rounded rose scent. The grass is in there, too, keeping it all from losing contact with reality or something - it makes it smell more 'real' with that in there. Dry: Really lovely rose scent. It's not old lady rose or potpourri rose or fake rose it's fresh cut roses in a vase or your nose shoved into a rose in the garden. I get little to none of that original sugar from it (which is good for me), it's just lush roses. I really like this blend, I like having a solid rose scent in my collection for girly spring or summer days. Right now it's roses, pearls and diamonds but I'm wondering whether this warrants a big bottle buy because it fills a different niche to roses, pearls and diamonds, and I'm a hoarder. Seriously, though, if you want a straight up rose scent with no vanilla, musk or other competing scents this is it.

Full disclosure, this died a bit on my skin - it wasn't terrible, but it didn't rock my world. The blend never settled right for me, but then I put it on my man... In the imp: Giant lavender with a bit of patchouli lurking behind. But seriously, biggest lavender in the world. Wet: Still lots of lavender but the fougere and patchouli push forward to pull it back and balances it really quickly. (His comment at this stage: "oh, this one's going to be really good!") Dry: Beautiful! Musky lavender fougere. It's got a nice sweetness from the tonka and a bit of darkness from the patchouli. I'm not noticing the amber but there is something baby powder-like in there which might be it. Great on my dude! It's a total everyday man scent, too. It hasn't got loads of throw, and the lavender fougere is classic and non-girly so he wouldn't wig about wearing it in public. It's not as sweet as Dorian either and therefore more likely to get some regular wear. Victory! Villain works on him too, and I feel the need to do a quick comparison between the two because they are similar but Old Scratch is probably better. Villain is lighter and a bit sweeter, it's the smiling, calm-headed style villain, whereas Old Scratch is heavier and a bit darker - still totally dapper and charming, but it's carries weight. It's got confidence and a boldness to it

In the bottle: red musk and spices. I'd like to think I can pick out the saffron, but realistically it's well spiced red musk. Wet: Now I can spot the saffron in the spice mix! Red musk with big spices. It's evocative when wet! Dry: Beautiful, soft spicy red musk. It doesn't have a lot of throw so it's almost luxurious and cosy, I could curl up on a day bed wearing this and feel exactly at home. This, as someone else has indicated, is the perfect red musk blend. The spices round it out so it's not straight red musk, but it's complementary rather than challenging it. I wear this a lot. Everywhere. It's also one I get the most random compliments on, there's something about red musk that doesn't fail to smell beautiful. There's never any mixed interpretations about what they're smelling, or that they like it. This is the only scent I've so far needed a second bottle of. It's really, really lovely.

Imp: Exactly what it says in the description: juniper, pine and musk. Straight up and no frills. Wet: Sweet juniper with a little bit of pine that gets stronger as it goes. There's very little musk showing up, just the juniper and pine playing off each other really nicely. Dry: Really lovely juniper and pine. The musk never really showed up for me, or if it has it's super subtle and mixed in well. I was never not going to love this - it's Black Forest without the amber that can be powdery on me, it's a perfect "woods" scent. I don't know if I'd get a big bottle, because I already have lots of similar scents, but I really am enjoying this one so I might cave. It really doesn't morph on me, it's juniper and pine in a bottle and that's enough to make me fall in love. I would have liked a little bit more musk to it, but it's still great even though that note doesn't show up for me.

In the imp: Patchouli! Big, dirty, earthy patchouli. I can spot a little bit of violet but really the patchouli is too big for anything else to show up much in the imp. Wet: Still lots of patchouli but the oakmoss amps quick behind it (me and oakmoss have that sort of a relationship) and it keeps the patchouli in check with it’s lovely moss-y, musky scent. The violet is there in the top, it’s not a big floral but it really works well with the patchouli and oakmoss, it’s the perfect complimenting flower! Not getting much red currant at all, which makes me sad because I usually really like it in blends like these. Dry: Really even blend between the oakmoss, patchouli and violet. Dirty, almost herby patchouli, beautiful oakmoss - a little musky, a little citrus-y, and the violets. It really ends up like a floral “Omen” for me! That's probably the oakmoss association talking but really, this is a great floral and patchouli blend for me. It's pretty, herbal and dirty, but it's something I wear a lot of. When I'm through my two frimps I'll probably grab a big bottle of this.

In the bottle: Almond essence/fake cherry flavouring. I can smell the doctor pepper associations, but I'm really getting straight up almond - like amaretto or something! It's seriously offputting (I hate almond essence and fake cherry smell). Not boding well here. Wet: Almond but it starts to morph almost instantly and get musky. My nose isn't experienced enough to pick out what sort of musk it's picking up but at a guess it's myrrh or dragon's blood. There's still a little bit of the almond/cherry in there but it's fading back. There's something akin to rose or vanilla (perhaps both?) coming forward, too. Dry: Sweet, dark musky rose. Heady and sexy. The almond/cherry has been absorbed or overwhelmed by the other notes and I don't mind! This is a big morpher, it smells nothing like what it does in the bottle on my skin! I didn't get any baby powder problems (I suspect that might be rose? Rose and I are good friends, but I know it goes powdery on some?) and the almond could have been really terrible, but it wasn't! Black Phoenix is my sexy goth scent. It's way too heavy to wear during the day, but it's firmly in the going out to gigs/cocktail bars rotation! Love it.

In the bottle: Sweet coconut, it almost feels like there's vanilla in there it's quite a deep and well rounded coconut scent. It's probably the milk and shea butter in there. Wet: Sweet, milky coconut. It gets sharper on my skin - something aquatic or ozone-y. It's reminding me of suntan lotion but I tend to get that association with some aquatic notes and the coconut here probably isn't helping. I doubt it actually smells like suntan lotion, really, it's an association problem I'm having and it's gone pretty quickly. Dry: Sweet, milky coconut. This one doesn't morph much and it sticks close to my skin but it's really lovely. It's a great scent for summer when I don't want to wear anything too big or sweet, but can't stand the thought of not wearing perfume. It's quite 'neutral', too, so it gets a surprising amount of wear!

Imp: JUNIPER, maybe a smidge of vanilla and pine. Mostly juniper. Wet: Juniper, pine, rosewood. In that order, one after the other. The juniper is mostly dominant, still, no sign of the amber and vanilla so far. As it dries the amber and vanilla start to find their way forward and the woods (still juniper dominant) blend a little better. Dry: Rosewood, little bit of juniper and some pine. Honestly this is a bright woodsy scent on me, there’s little to no amber or vanilla. I’m ok with this. I quite like amber and vanilla but I amp woods and love them like nobody else I know, so I’m entirely fine with this being woodsy. It's quite masculine, but I'm not opposed to wearing masculine scents when the mood strikes me and this is such a great woods scent that I don't even mind. Not sure if I'm going to upgrade to a big bottle, but I probably will because the other woods scents I have are all darker or sweeter and this is much more straight forward.

Imp: spicy gingerbread! This is usually a problem for me, foodie scents are bad for me, but I'm hoping the spices and resins will help me here. Wet: spicier gingerbread! I’m pushing the resins and spices over the ginger here. It’s bright and warm and yummy! I’m picking it apart easier now as it dries - there’s fresh ginger there as well as something sweet and similar to molasses. The spices are like pumpkin pie spice or allspice - an indistinguishable mix. There could be cinnamon in there? It’s all so deliciously dark, too. I can’t stop sniffing my wrists! Dry: Delicious spicy gingerbread. It hasn’t morphed much, it pushed the spices harder at the start but it’s softened now. It’s also got giant throw on me. As in my boss just walked past my desk and asked if I was eating cake and if he could have some. I really like this. I don't know how often I'd wear it, because it's a bit obvious and foodie for my tastes. Also it almost provoked the "Miskatonic U" response in the boy (not in a good way, he refused to come near me until I'd showered ) so it's not likely to get heaps of regular wear, but I'm going to keep and replenish the imp for when I want to be delicious.

In the bottle: Salty sea moss, golden vanilla, amber, sandalwood - pretty much exactly what's listed for the scent! It's a sweet, salty, golden vanilla! Wet: The sandalwood starts big for me, because woods work strong for me. There's a lot of good vanilla there, too, but it's richer and deeper somehow than it was in the bottle - suspect the amber and musk rounding it out. There's still a good kick of salt, too. Dry: beautiful, sweet, golden, salty, musky vanilla. This ends up really well balanced and blended, nothing dominates. My mum used to wear this vanilla musk thing from The Body Shop, which was nice, but it always had this sharp, almost chemically feel to it that I sort of associate with vanilla now, but this blend changed my mind. Admittedly there's a lot of musk and sandalwood and amber in here, too, but ultimately I didn't know vanilla could be like this. It's comforting, warm and golden. I love Lyonesse. It was the first frimp from the lab that I used until I ran out and had to buy a bottle. I wear this all the time. It's great for work and everyday wear because it's feminine without being a big floral or heavy on the musks or resins, and it doesn't have huge amounts of throw on me. Top 10 for sure. It's also my man's favourite scent on me, without fail if I'm wearing it he'll stop and ask me what I'm wearing (heh) and I always tell him it's Lyonesse. "Of course".

In the Imp: white musk, leather, lavender, cedar. Quite leathery and male. Wet: sage and leather and a little bit of white musk/vanilla. The leather is really the star here. Dry: Pale leather, sage, rounded by the carnation/vanilla/cedar, but this is really all pale, warm leathery-sage. Overall: It’s quite male, but not unwearably so? I keep sniffing and thinking I can smell someone's cologne... but it's me. I think this imp has gotten more leather-y as it’s aged as well? I remember it being milder on the leather and more a cedar/musk/vanilla thing. I've never really gotten any lavender from this blend! I wear this all the time - it's my favourite leather blend. I’ll certainly replace my imp when it’s time, but it probably doesn't warrant a big bottle for me.

In the Imp: Violet with cypress, juniper and something green. There's a little bit of myrrh in the background. Wet: Green and white. Woods and myrrh, not a lot of floral. It’s almost off-putting-ly green, like a sour note? Not sure if that’s the myrrh going strange or the cajeput being a wood that doesn’t work on me. Lily of the Valley is in there but swamped. There's no violet around. Dry: The over-the-top green wood scent falls back a little bit and the violet/myrrh/lily of the valley sweetens up. It's starting to come good but the green in just hanging around over all of it. I think I’m getting a headache... I ended up having to wash this off. It was an imp I kept after a testing day that worked on me, but I must have mixed it up with something else because this wasn't great on me. I doubt it's the violet, because that works on me in other blends, I'm blaming the cajeput or the myrrh which can be hit and miss for me. This one's going into the swap pile.

In the imp: Brine and seaweed and, oddly, something sweet? It reminds me of juniper berry or something similar - maybe it's the coral? Wet: Brine! A whiff of something that reminds me of sunscreen? But that disappears almost instantly so it could be some sort of exciting brain association rather than anything in the imp. This really does smell like the sea. As it dries the brine remains but adds a clean, green kelp smell and that sweetness starts to come back. Dry: Soft saltiness with a hint of sweetness. It smells like I've stepped out of the ocean and let myself air dry. The Deep Ones indeed! I don't think this'll be big bottle worthy but I'll be keeping the imp, it's my favourite aquatic scent so far and I think it'll get a lot of use in summer when I'm too gross to want to smell too strongly of anything, but not able to stand not wearing any perfume at all. Side note: the boy thought he smelled a nutty "undercurrent", I think he was getting some sort of earthy sweetness I wasn't. I'm blaming the coral. Everything in this scent that I don't understand is being chalked up to "coral"...

Villain is my industrious scent. It's not so much a scent that keeps me alert or pushes me, but it makes me feel "bossed up" and capable. It's my interview/boardroom in a power suit and a big smile sort of scent.