Mountaingrrl00

Robin Goodfellow, Luperci.

Tenochtitlan has prickly pear cactus.

I have what I think is an aged imp, which smells very different from the fresh stuff. Where fresh, the sweet-tart acai dominated, aged, it's a much softer floral-meadow scent warmed by the honey. Very pretty, very natural-smelling. Wearing this in winter, it's like a breath of gentle warm weather.

At first it's SN lavender, After the initial rush of lavender fades, this is a delicious tea scent with something faint and intriguing behind it. There's a fresh hay-like aspect and a smoky bite. It's refreshing, a scent that makes me thirsty for it. I have to put my wrist to my nose; there's little throw. After a night's sleep, I'm pleasantly surprised by the blot of inky resins drifting up to me.

This starts out sharp, with the greenish leaf note found in several of this year's Weenies. Then it goes soft and warm, still slightly vegetal, but with a light vanilla sweetness - actually very much like Autumn Overlooked My Knitting in its middle stage. Then it goes spicy, in a lovely, subtle way that stays close to the skin.

Like autumn, it's gone all too soon.

Back in the mid-80s, I loved to wear a patchouli oil my sweetheart had given me. My work supervisor objected to it, saying that it smelled like liniment. That's my initial scent impression of Bruised Violet Compound: earthy, camphorous patchouli. It really fits the old-fashioned medicinal concept. It amuses me, but that kind of fragrance is not my style anymore.

The brash patchouli phase lasts about 15 minutes on my skin. Then something gorgeous happens. The patchouli softens and moves back to support the violets and moss. Now it smells like a misty, shaded forest in autumn, with violets and rich earth underfoot and moss on the rocks and trees. It's lovely and delicious and absolutely worth the initial phase. Low throw at this point, and long-lasting.

I've found a new BPAL love. Thanks so much to my circular swapper who surprised me with a bottle!

I layered The Coil with Pumpkin Spice Everything, and the result reminds me a lot of Anthelion.

Red musk is the star of this scent, and everything that surrounds it makes it more delicious and huffable. It's like Smut and Queen of Clubs had a sexy royal baby. I love it!

Uncomplicated, cheerful spices: clove, cinnamon and nutmeg. There may be a tiny bit of ginger, and a trace of something that reminds me of sweetened condensed milk. Good throw. Doesn't morph. This will be a fun scent for layering.

Edited to add: I wore this to work today, and one of my first-graders remarked "It smells like pumpkin pie in here."

On me this smells mostly like benzoin. There's a bit of an alcohol/cologne bite at first, that I associate with BPAL's dry leaf note, followed by a lightly sweet and resinous smell on my skin. I think there's a similar musk to the one in Morocco. It's very pretty and soft. It also reminds me a bit of Dolly Kei, minus the dark tobacco.

I smell the lipstick and the balloons! Also sugary pink frosting, artificial strawberry, and Duncan Hines mix. This is amazingly evocative, youthful fun. I'll definitely bust out the decant when I want cheering up. So much love and humor in this one.

Copal and vanilla are the dominant notes on me initially. It's like a combination of Xuihtecuhtli and Celeste. Dolly Kei stays close to the skin and lasts for hours. Over time it becomes a soft, slightly powdery mix of resins and smoky sweetness. I really do get the vintage shop comparison above. I used to have a Gunne Sax dress that smelled much like this.

Initially, I get a Kahlua-like impression, with the intensity of the chicory reminding me of alcohol. The coffee smells rich and fresh. I love that it's not too sweet, and that the milk is a subtle supporting player. I find the smell very comforting. I have a feeling I'm going to be wearing this a lot on snowy winter days.

Super-buttery, super-sugary with a little bit of vanilla extract and nuts. That's what I get in the vial, wet on skin, and dry on skin. It's a really happy scent, but unfortunately too in-your-face buttery for me.

This is instant top ten for me too. I already love Zombi, and the spices give it such a delicious new dimension. The dirt and the roses smell edible, too. I bought a decant, and I'll be looking for a bottle.

rawgirl, I agree about The Atrocious Attic. Thank you!

The oil has this icy-hot thing happening on my skin. It smells like menthol and eucalyptus and it gives me a refreshing tingle. I don't smell the citrus, except as a slight sweetness on dry-down, but I do get a citrus *feeling* from this oil.

Just a little dab does the trick; nice to be able to carry it around in an imp on hot summer days.

elbow, I'd say try Tombstone and No. 93 Engine.

Bette Noir, you might like Lyonesse, Tamora and Witchblade.

Insupportable Misery has become my favorite springtime scent. I can imagine the lilacs are already in bloom.

Check out the recommendations section -- there's discussion of scents by season.

The scent of lavender is associated with air, Mercury, and cool-headedness. You might want to try this one, which seems to fit "old English botanist" pretty well too:

Arcana - "The essence of magickal enigmas and long-forgotten esoteric mysteries. Frankincense, rosemary, lavender, neroli, and verbena."

Edited to add: Check the Sales/Swaps forums for fellow Canadians.

Okay, I'll play - recommend away!

My favorites are:

1. Queen of Clubs

2. Lady Lilith

3. Temple of the Loas

4. Mrs. Grose

5. Sybaris

I think you would love Courtney. Reviews here: Courtney

It's an Unreleased But Available TAL. http://www.bpal.org/topic/25516-unreleased-but-available/ You can order from the regular TAL address and just put the name of the oil in your order comments.