columbus

Oh, hooray! I figured out why it did it for me... apparently the credit card I had as backup expired, and you can't do instant transfers without a credit card backup. But I can't cancel the pending order, so I'm glad that it's okay to do delayed e-checks! Phew!

Okay, so I have a question about PayPal. Usually I just go to PP, fill out my order, it goes through, and within minutes the money has transfered from my bank account to PP to the lab. THIS time, however, I get an email saying my payment has been "initialized," and that it can take 3 to 4 days for me e-check to clear. On my main PP page, it still says the two payments I made yesterday are "uncleared".... What did I do wrong? If the money doesn't get to the lab on time (I made an order of Pirate Moon stuff!), did I miss my chance, even though I placed the order yesterday? It says the expected clearing time is October 2! How do I get my account to go back to doing direct transfers? WILL I EVER GET SMELLIES AGAIN? The horror! D:

My personal view of this is that the single notes are the least likely to come back of all the discontinued scents. (But I would be really, really happy to be wrong). The reason most discontinued scents disappear is either ingredient unavailability or low sales not warranting to keep them in the catalog. In the case of the single notes, however, I suspect their retirement was more of a business decision to concentrate on the creative side of things. Plus, I have a feeling that if ever single notes went back on sale, the BPALadins would eat poor Beth out of house and home. She'd suddenly have a huge PayPal balance and no oils left! It would be a tragedy!

This may sound strange, as they have absolutely no notes in common (that I can remember), but 51 smells strikingly like Hungry Ghost Moon on me. Not sure why!

Yes, they do... check this out! That's number one, but if you look on the bottom you'll see the other four bottles as well. Hope that helps! (You might also want to check out this thread out, which has a good discussion of all the labels and such.)

Brilliant!

If I didn't really love the title "Tokyo Stomp" (I mean, how cool is that), I would rename this Monster Bait: Mint Girl Scout Cookie. Because that's exactly what it smells like to me. This is one blend that generally stays pretty true from in the bottle, on the skin, and drying. It's a nice, crisp mint (it amost smells crunchy, if that makes any sense). It's not overwhelmingly peppermint, like Lick It Again, or any specific type of mint: it's just generic, wonderful mint. The vanilla for me isn't a straight-out vanilla note: instead, it's just adds this sort of creaminess to the mint, like the coating of a mint Girl Scout cookie. Together, the vanilla and mint are light, smooth, and wonderful. This is the perfect vanilla mint for me: it's what I was hoping Lick It Again would smell like, and what I've dreamed that Snowblind would smell like (having tried the former but not the latter). After some dry-down it becomes much more subtle, but still crisp and creamy. My only complaint is that it doesn't seem to last long on me, but that's okay. I've decanted myself an imp to carry around with me and reapply. If you've ever wanted a great vanilla mint, this could be your Holy Grail. I've already ordered a second bottle, and I might have to pick up another. It's really a superb blend.

That is one of the greatest threads ever. I've always wondered why Two, Five, and Seven isn't searchable, even if you use the words... does the search engine automatically convert the words to numbers or something? (Though this doesn't seem to be an issue for Thirteen/13... curious!)

This is a spectacular idea! You should mention it somewhere in the posts about the first BPAL convention... this should TOTALLY be one of the events!

Blockbuster is VERY clove on me. I totally use it as a smoking alternative, as I lurve the way that clove cigarettes smell.

With difficulty! Ba-dum-ching! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I am also curious about this one!)

In the bottle, this is a very green scent! Mostly juniper with a bit of cypress, and no sign of roses whatsoever. On the skin: Ah, there are the roses! I’ve never realized until now that pine and roses go together really well. There’s just enough tang in the juniper to balance out the really strong, almost cloying scent that I usually get from roses. As it dries it becomes more and more of a traditional rose scent. There’s still a sense of “green” about it but I can no longer pinpoint the actual source of it. Overall? A very nice, very fresh rose scent. The rose gets a bit to strong after it dries, so I guess I’ll just have to continue my search for the perfect rose

In the bottle, this screams “FLORAL!” My poor nose can’t quite pick out individual scents. Fortunately this initial phase doesn’t last too long, and before I know it I’m catching a very delicate primrose and gladiola combination with a light backdrop of dusty florals. I was hoping for the moonflower to be a bit stronger, but that’s okay! Overall it’s a very dark, brooding floral scent. Very nice.

In the bottle, the first thing I catch is vetiver with a hint of general leafiness… I can’t quite tell if it’s the raspberry or the olive leaf. As it dries it definitely remains very woodsy, between the leaves and the cedar and the vetiver, and very authentic. If this is supposed to represent anger, it’s a very natural anger. I think I shall rename it Enraged Ent Musk!

They weren’t kidding when they called it complex! It is at the same time strikingly floral (well hello there, jasmine!) and sweet and juicy with just a little bit of citrus tang. As it dries a lot of the other florals but the jasmine seem to fade, along with the redcurrant and plum. What I’ve got after the drydown is a mix of jasmine, lemon, and sandalwood. It has the feeling that it should be a nice subtle blend, but in actuality it’s quite strong, even with a tiny dab. If only it were a bit less powerful!

In the bottle, this is coconut milk! Delicious! Once it’s on, this Pearl is extremely sweet, almost sickly sweet. Coconut and hazelnut are the strongest notes by far. It’s creamy and rich and very strong. After the drydown, at first I thought I could catch a hint of rum, mostly because this smells like a coconut rum I used to get, but I’m pretty sure that it’s actually the iris playing tricks on my olfactory memory. I think I’d like this a bit more if I could smell more of the musk (this is so sweet that it could use another note to bring it down a little), but all in all, I like it! And I definitely think this would be great for layering. (Black Pearl and Bliss, anyone?)

In the bottle, this smells very strongly of tobacco, and very little else. Once it’s on it gets a bit boozy (rum, to be specific), and very heady. It’s a bit strong for my liking, actually. Once it begins to dry, I’m getting the sense of flowers, but I can’t put my finger on anything in particular. The floral scent definitely plays down the other two notes, which is nice, because they were definitely overpowering at first. It's become a very cool, breezy scent. Overall, one this has it its final stage, I rather like it. If only there were a way to accelerate the drydown period…

In the bottle, this screams “NEROLI!” Bitter and sharp, almost acrid. Once it’s been on for a bit it mellows out, and I’m getting the raspberry, and just the slightest bit of citrus in the background. The berry is very sweet, more of a raspberry candy than an actual raspberry, if you know what I mean. This is one blend that pretty much stays true to its original form; after it’s completely dry this is a mostly berry scent, with a dry neroli (to me, neroli smells like cardboard after it’s dried. Go figure. Actually, the combination of sweet berry and cardboard reminds me of lollipops) that becomes less and less apparent as time passes. Sweet and subtle. Very devilish if you ask me.

In the bottle: Almond/cherry with a VERY herbal backdrop. On the skin, that herbal becomes much stronger and very sharp; it almost makes me cough if I sniff at it too much. As it dries, however, it softens quite a bit, and now I’m getting roses and… lavender? I think? We’ll just say “florals” to be safe. Soapy, though. I can practically see the suds. All in all, I’m not much a fan of the way this smells. But hey, it’s a voodoo blend and not a straight perfume, right? It doesn't necessarily have to smell good.

In the bottle: Woah now. This is ridiculous! Such a strong pepper scent that this makes me cough. Once it’s on, this is one of those complicated blends where every note is apparent. I’ve got the fruitiness of the kumquat (very citrusy! The orange blossom only adds to this) in a cup of tea with a dash of pepper. Okay, more than a dash. Someone apparently was being tricksy and put white pepper out at the tea party instead of sugar. Which was not very nice. Because it’s ruining my citrus blend! I must say, I am not a fan of this combination: there’s too much going on and not enough harmony between the notes. Fortunately, after it’s dried down, everything starts to come together. What you end up with is a very peculiar citrus blend that’s not too sweet but still bright and fresh. It’s a bit foody: if I could find a cup of something that smelled like this (or tasted like this, I should say), I’d drink it right up. It’s thick and almost creamy. Very nice. As for strength, ‘Dee has a great throw (in fact, it’s almost *too* strong for the first ten minutes or so; luckily, this doesn’t last) and lasts for a good long while. Overall, I’m glad I gave Tweedledee a chance (I almost didn’t, after smelling it for the first time! ). He is ridiculous, but he grows on you if you give him some time.

In the bottle: Cherries and cinnamon! On the skin: Orange slices! But not actual slices from an orange, but those candy orange slices with sprinkled sugar on them. There’s still a bit of spice here, but not it’s lost most of its strength. I really like this blend! The only problem I have with it is that it doesn’t last very long on me (story of my life: my chemistry loves to eat BPAL), so I think I’ll be making a spray of this. Or maybe just scent my pillowcases?

In the bottle, this is bright and fruity! Magnolia and mandarin. On the skin its much more complicated. The sweet side stays, but it gets musky and a little bit darker. As time goes by I still get a sense of “sweet,” but can no longer pinpoint the fruit or floral notes. Unfortunately this blend doesn’t last very long, which is a shame because I really like the dichotomy between the sweet and the spice.

In the bottle, this is a sweet (almost overly sweet) almond scent. Once it’s on, it mellows out and there’s a lovely bit of spice here: very clovey, and just a hint of booze. At first I was a bit confused, until I realized that the description is probably referring to Bay Rum as the early 20th century cologne, not the beverage. Silly me not to realize that from the get-go. This is a very strong scent, and I can definitely see it being a generally masculine scent as well. Although I’m inclined to keep wearing it, because it’s the only almond scent I’ve tried so far that doesn’t go to powder or burn me (for some reason, Beth loves to pair almond with cinnamon, which gives me hives!), and the sweetness of the almond works so well with the spicy overtones!

In the bottle, I’m getting something sweet, almost chocolatey (which I know can’t be right!). I have no idea where this is coming from, but it’s my honest first impression; chalk it up to an inexperienced nose not knowing what to do with the complex notes at work. On the skin: THERE we go. Now we’ve got elementals at work. It’s earthy, but a very damp earth; I remember someone calling this “swampy,” and that’s just about spot on. There’s definitely atmosphere and aqua at work here. To me, this smells like a combination of Destroying Angel and Tempest. All in all, this is a very good example of an elemental scent! In fact, the only thing I didn’t get from Jezirat was fire.

In the bottle, I’m getting a very strong incense from this blend, but it’s a very dry, hot incense. It makes my nose itch just to sniff at it. Once it’s on the skin, this is a very “perfumey” blend to me, mostly because it smells just like the perfume my grandmother used to wear, which I can make no real account for as I do not remember what her perfume was called, nor what was in it. After it’s dry, though, I can see where the ideas of desolation and destruction come in. Beth is so good at her atmospheric blends. There’s a definite dryness to this, that gets stronger as time passes, until you’ve got the dry atmospheric note as the strongest scent and the incense/perfume way in the back, until eventually you can only catch the occasional whiff of it in the wind. I really like this one, and am glad to have gotten an imp! Maybe when the imp has run out I’ll get a bigger bottle.