columbus

My initial impression is to like this one, mostly because of the colour. It’s a splendid bright orange! Who couldn’t love that? In the bottle, I’m getting a strong resin with just a hint of amber underneath. Once it’s on it gets a bit sweeter, and becomes a nice, fresh floral: cool and refreshing. I generally don’t like floral blends, but this one is just right: the amber sweetens it nicely and balances out the poppy and ylang ylang. Definitely a keeper!

In the bottle Pride’s all roses, and it’s not until it actually hits the skin that I get narcissus at all. This blend is actually one that stays pretty true from bottle to drydown, and for me is far more of a strong rose scent than any other that I’ve tried (actually, this is exactly what I was expecting Two, Five, and Seven to smell like). Unfortunately, I’m not much a fan of roses and even less of a fan of pure floral blends, unless they’re balanced out by something else. However, if you love roses, you’ll love Pride. This one’s got a great throw and a wicked staying power, and is one of the most authentic rose perfumes I’ve ever tried.

In the bottle this is straight brandy, which is probably why I’ve shied away from trying it for so long (bad memories… * shudder * ) Once it’s been on the skin for a little bit, though, I do catch the apricot, and it’s actually the strongest apricot note I’ve gotten from a BPAL blend. However the strong fruity scent doesn’t really last, and pretty soon my chemistry morphs this into something almost unrecognizable. It’s something very earthy and dirty with a side of alcohol; almost like an old crate of dried apricots. Which could be fine if that’s your thing.

In the bottle: Citrus! Very citrus, in fact. This is a good solid grapefruit, not sweetened or altered in any way. Once it’s on I can get a hint of booziness from the white wine, but it’s still predominantly grapefruit. After about ten minutes, though, this morphs into a very aquatic scent. The note listing says “aquatic blooms,” but all I’m getting is the aquatic! I guess that’s what I get for being a Pisces. Shattered is like drinking lemonade on the Jolly Roger (well, maybe grapefruitade. But close enough). In the end, though, it’s the grapefruit that really has staying power, and lasts throughout all the phases of this blend. In the final drydown, Shattered is a perfect bitter grapefruit with a decent throw and some pretty good staying power. I'm actually rather surprised, considering so many reviewers find a lot of mint in this blend... None for me!

In the bottle, this smells heavily of juniper with just a hint of light florals. Once it’s on the skin, I’m assuming that the floral is the orchid, because lilac usually amps very heavily on me, and this does not. After a while this morphs into a very woody scent with just a slight overtone of soap. The juniper is still the strongest note for me. All in all, I really like this blend, but I don’t think I’ll be buying a big bottle of this one any time soon: it smells VERY much like Wings of Azrael when I wear it, so I’ll probably just keep wearing WoA when I get on a Juniper kick and avoid that soapy/clean scent (because we all know that being a goddess of sexual desire isn’t conducive to smelling like soap. ).

In the bottle: Woah, there’s a lot going on in there. Straight of the bat there’s neroli, but I definitely get frankincense and lavender too. Woody and green. On the skin: At first I overlooked the fact that there was lemon verbana and got very confused, because I can definitely smell the lemon as soon as it hits my skin! For a while, this is all I get. But it’s a very nice lemon, a perfect mean between tart and sweet, not artificial at all. Drying: Yep, still lemon. Dry: Ah, finally, something else! This seems to be a pretty straightforward combination of rosemary and lemon on me. Actually, I kind of want to marinate some chicken in this. I bet it would be delish. (I kid!) After a good long while, there’s a bit of a soapiness about this (I’m thinking it’s the verbana, which is known to do this with my chemistry), but it’s still generally citrus/herbal. And then, at the end, Frankincense completely takes over. All incense, all the time. I really like all of the stages of this blend! The only problem is they’re all so distinct from each other that I don’t know if I’ll ever be in the mood for all of them on the same day!

In the bottle: grass, clover, and dandelions. On the skin: Still very wet and green, like a freshly cut lawn on a spring morning. I’m a bit disappointed there there’s no berries here! Drying, it becomes less grass and more flowers, and once it’s dried, there’s a definite feeling of spring to this one. It’s light and subtle, and reminds me of a certain Enraged Musk of a Bunny-type persuasion. Very fresh!

At first, this is a very aquatic scent that becomes very floral on the skin. Unfortunately, I have the problem that apparently many other have had: an almost immediate transition to soap. Ah well.

In the bottle, this is a very green floral scent. The instant it hits the skin it gets even greener, which I’m guessing is the geranium rose? It’s cool, and crisp, and smells like broken flower stems and running water. As it dries down, I do get a little bit of soapiness, but nothing too alarming. The incense you get from this is very mellow, and not smoky or cloying. This smells like a church that’s been long forgotten and overgrown by the surrounding foliage.

In the bottle: mmm, berries and sage! On the skin, this is very herbal, in a kitcheny sort of way. It smells like my mother’s spice drawer, which doesn’t have any spices in it (go figure!) but is full of dried herbs. Once it starts to dry, though… what a change! The berries come right out, and they’re so nice! I love the scent of blackberries, but most candle or perfume scents that I’ve tried with berry in them are very artificial smelling and far too sweet. Bewitched is not like that. This is a very realistic berry scent, which is delightful! Oh, and the sage is still present (and I’ve gotten no hint of tea, which suits me just fine), but the longer you wear it, the more berrylicious it gets! The final stage smells like fresh raspberries and blackberries to me. Divine! If you’re looking for a great berry scent, Bewitched is for you!

In the bottle, this is a very pale floral. I guess that’s why it’s called white musk, right? Once it’s on, though, I can definitely smell the lemon, and the florals that seem to stick out are the iris, with just a hint of carnation. It balances very well with the lemon, and manages to smell clean without smelling soapy. After it’s dry, Euterpe is powdery (that is to say, has a powdery nature about it, not that it directly smells like baby powder or anything of the like) fresh scent, that’s light and feminine but definitely not overpoweringly floral (I think the white musk is what’s doing this). Which is a great combination, if you ask me.

In the bottle: Vetiver with just a hint of leather Wet on the skin: Oh no. How could I have forgotten the way my body reacts to vetiver? Total ampage. As it dries, I can catch just the slightest hit of leather underneath the vetiver, but the teeniest amount imaginable. I really like the concept of this oil (Iago was always a favourite Shakespearean villain for me), but sadly my chemistry has to say no to the vertier. I can imagine that, given the right person, this would be a very sinister, masculine scent, but on me, it’s just a headache.

In the bottle: green tea and lemon pledge (not that that’s a bad thing! It’s just a strong lemon scent). On the skin: very, very lemon. But definitely not a fake lemon scent. Just a strong, sweetened one. As it dries it gets a little sweeter, almost sugary. It smells like lemondrops, actually. Quite nice. After the drydown is complete, however, the tea comes back, and it smells just like a cup of tea with lemon. The scent doesn’t last very long on me, but while it’s there, it’s quite lovely.

I'm going to second what's already been posted, in that this is really a perfect caramel apple scent. In the bottle, it definitely smells like Miskatonic University, which is how I knew that I would love it! But the foody, butterscotchy scent isn't all that you get, there's just a hint of crisp apple that's similar to the apple note in Punkie Night or Harvest Moon '06. Once it's on and starts to dry the apple becomes much more noticible until it hits the perfect mean of apple and caramel. It actually smells sticky. Go figure. There's something else, too... I don't think it's the rum (well, at least not the coconut part of coconut rum) that reminds me of the way the air smells right after you've raked leaves: that musky, organic bite that scents the air. I adore this. It's foody but not too foody (if that makes any sense at all), and is SUCH an autumn smell. I'm going to go make caramel apples, now. I think I have the ingredients left over from the night the update went live.

Woah golly, this is the apple blend I've been looking for! In the bottle, it's a very "apples and..." scent. It reminds me of Harvest Moon '06, which is probably the cranberry mimicking all of the berries in that Lunacy. Once it's on, the "and" vanishes, and it's just a perfect apple! But it's a fresh, crisp apple. This is the apple that you pick in the orchard and eat it outside in the fall breeze as the leaves fall all around you. And, just as Kimocean said, once it begins to really dry down, that hint of spiciness comes in and it's a wonderful apple cider. Not only is this a great perfume, but I have a feeling it will make a spectacular room scent once on the cold and blustery October afternoons that will be soon upon us. I'm'a gonna have to buy more bottles of this one! Beth is a genius! 11/10

I totally know what you mean. I'm just starting to get the hang of discerning notes now, and I bought my first BPAL in March, I think? I remember the first time I recognized a note, I was so proud: I was wearing Alice and realized there was something in it that reminded me of Pink Phoenix, and the only note they had in common was honey. So now I'm really good at picking out honey notes. And sniffing De Sade has gotten me pretty good at getting leather notes, and I can grab Orange Blossom 'cause it's GROSS and I hate it. That's how it tends to be. Slowly I'm getting better as I've smelled more and more. You'll get the hang of it with practice! (Which is a statement that is totally just an excuse to buy muchos BPALitos). And I would second trying things you don't like twice. And also, if you smell something that you hate in the bottle, you should still give it a try, because you never know what your chemistry will to do a blend.

I'll second Alice and ELF, although I'd like to add Pink Phoenix, which has a wonderful honey drydown for me, and Les Bijoux.

Hmm. Well, this is sort of depressing. I've read all of the wonderful reviews for Moxie, and knew that I needed a bottle. In the bottle, it was... nice, sort of a grapefruity citrusy scent. However, as soon as it touched my skin, well, EW. I smell like melted Ziploc bags. It's the strangest thing. I'm insanely jealous, though, because everyone else seems to love their Moxie. Curse you, wonky body chemistry!

I apologize, this is going to be more of a gut review than a discussion of notes and the like. But that's the sort of scent this is. As the great Shelldoo said, I doubt anything I say will do justice to this Lunacy. Mum Moon is such a lovely synthesis of notes that I really can't pick out any individuals, more the vague sense of their existence: there's a spice, which can only be the ginger, and it's musky too... but it's a very creamy musk. It's also reminiscent of incense, but certainly not any incense that I've ever used. It smells smoky without actually smelling like smoke. As it dries, it gets softer (that is to say, it gets a softer edge. The throw is not effected at all) and sweeter. There's a bit of a floral here, but it's very subtle and pleasant. And the opium's there, too. It hits this wonderful stage of warm, thick and creamy spice, and it just stays. Bah, I doubt any of that made much sense. Anyway. I loved the concept of this moon, the idea of the opium den done up BPAL style. And this blend is very true to that concept. It's intoxicating, hazy, rich, and warm. I love it. I wore it today, and I'll probably wear it again tomorrow, and for days after that. Bravo, Beth. This is exquisite. Divine. I feel the need to pull out a thesaurus to come up with some more adjectives, but I won't bore anyone with that. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to smelling myself.

In the bottle: Thick, rich, dark chocolate, like the best chocolate ganoche that you could ever imagine. Once it's on the skin, it definitely smells like chocolate cake batter (maybe it's the cream that does it?) I don't really care why, or how. All I care is that it is a perfect, creamy dark chocolate scent. I'll probably be buying another bottle of this before the Carnval goes away.

I was wary of purchasing this in a big bottle without sniffing it, because it contains my Arch-Nemesis, orange blossom, so I got an imp. So glad that I did! In the bottle, this is a perfect red delicious apple. Juicy and delightful! If there was a "red apple" single note, I would kill to get my hands on it, because this is what it would smell like. On the skin, the apple is the prominent note for quite a while. As it begins to dry down, there is a definite similarity between this and the final stage of The Hesperides for me (which makes sense, considering they both have apple, but at this point it's more of a complicated apple; if I were to guess, it would be the frankincense and myrrh kicking in). Once it dries, Les Bijoux is really a wonderful combination of notes. The apple is still there, but I can only catch the slightest whiff of it. I can definitely smell the peach and the rose as well, and the honey lends a smoothness, but not necessarily a heavy aroma. With my nose plastered to my wrist, this scent is sweet and smooth (and, most importantly, completely devoid of orange blossom!). However, when I'm not actively sniffing at my skin (which is hard to do, mind you), I do get a sense of musk about this scent. As time goes on (a couple of hours, I'd say), the musk really kicks in and blends ever so nicely with the honey. I can see why Reedsong would call this a lighter Honey Moon. This is a very sexy scent, but definitely sophisticated as well. Sultry but not aggressive. My only complaint is that it doesn't have much throw on me (but then again, what does? ;p), so I guess I'll just have to get a 5mL so I can slather. I adore this new blend.

This review is going to be very similar to many that I've read... I guess this is a straightforward blend! In the bottle: Straight up, delicious almondy joy. Wet on the skin: Still almonds, with just a hit of cinnamon. I love this stage. Drying/dry: Wait? Almond? Where did you go? Hey now, cinnamon. No need to get violent. Once the almond goes away, the BURNING begins! I know, I know, it's an inferno.... ;p Sadly, my skin cannot handle this blend, which is a shame, because I really enjoy it. This guy's destined for the oil burner, or maybe I'll make a room spray... Overall: 9/10, even with the welts.

Another complicated blend! In the bottle I can’t quite grab any of the individual notes, but sadly, once I put this on, it turns to minty toothpaste. That’s the birch, I’m assuming. My body must vamp it like Woah! And stays that way. Ah well. I really liked the concept of this one, so mebbe I will try it again in a couple of weeks and see if the body chemistry has changed!

In the bottle this is very floral, which is a bad sign for me. But I’ll give anything a chance once! Once it’s on and drying, it *is* very floral. Not cloying or overpowering, mind you, but very floral. However, I don’t think I can wear this because it smells exactly like a funeral home when there’s a funeral going on. I guess that makes sense, considering Asphodel is meant to be the flowers of Hades, but it still doesn’t give me good memories.

In the bottle: Mmm.... oranges! But ooh! Vanilla and Lily of the Valley are right there too. I am really enjoying this! Wearing / drying / dry: That great citrus is still there... Delicious. The Lily... too. Definitely resembles a fruity Wings of Azrael. As it dries the opium does become a bit more noticeable, as does the vanilla. ETA: When this is finally dry, the orange does fade away almost completely (awww), but vanilla and Lily of the Valley are a stunning combination. Very smooth with just a hint of spice... This is definitely a “full bottle” scent.