saralaughs

Thank you Dark Alice, for coming to my aid in trying this!! On, the red bush tea comes out strong and dominates with a kind of spicy base that stays pretty strong. I get the peach as well but it's a gentle peach, not in your face and not too sweet but there and very juicy smelling. After a bit, the vanilla comes through and sweetens everything up a bit...but not too much. It's more a very subtle vanilla that you can't really tell it's VANILLA than anything. I don't get much mandarin at this point or myrrh but that's ok with me. It's settled into this spiced tea/soft peach/vanilla scent that I really like. Soft yet alluring. I just don't know if I would wear it enough to warrant a bottle.

I'm an amber lover. And I adore vanilla like there is no tomorrow. It was a no-brainer for me to try to track some of this down at one point in time. I didn't do it sooner as I didn't want the trouble of loving something I can't have. Anyway, on me its awesomesauce. Beautiful, golden amber with a creamy sweet vanilla. It's not foody at all though. The orange blossom is the one that definitely makes this blend unique. It's a bit florally sweet and bright yet smooth. Very elegant and sophiticated yet sexy. And it lasts. The throw is moderate on me.

How crazy! This really does smell a bit like a clean penis! Beth is damn talented. It's that tonka and galbanum coming together beneath the wood, vanilla and lilac that really gives it that clean, private skin feel. It's gorgeous and a bit cleanly naughty (it's a well washed penis at least) on me with the lilac adding a touch of sweetness and light to the smoky vanilla behind it. The ho wood is there, balancing everything out...and behind that is the tonka and galbanum swirling together to add depth. Very nice. I'll keep my bottle but I don't think I'm going to need another like I thought I would.

Mag Mell is a definite must try, especially if you are looking for citrus to be your "sparkling" aspect. It's still very warm and a bit floral as well. I dunno though. If amber is what made Lyonesse go to powder on you, you might not have any luck with Mag either. I dunno your skin chemistry though, so I would take a chance. I'll second the Amsterdam rec as well. You are totally on the right track with that. It's a lovely, light floral with some sweet green mixed in with this cool spring water scent. I love it and own a 5ml myself.

This starts out as really medicinal on me from the hemp. It almost smells like cough syrup for 10-15 minutes. And it's strong. The patchouli is in there as well. It's a raw, herby kinda patch as well. The vanilla hides for a bit. After about half an hour though, it starts to warm and the vanilla comes through. It's a syrupy, raw vanilla too. Not too sweet but sweet enough to take the sting out of other components. The medicinal quality from the hemp is still there, although it is moving into the background while the patchouli is taking over with the vanilla. After about an hour, this is warm, warm raw patchouli and deep yummy vanilla. The hemp is still there but it adds just a tang and keeps it from being too sweet. It's lovely. And lasts. And lasts. It's strong.

I'll second the U rec. It's gorgeous.

Weird. First applied and for awhile on drydown I get hibiscus. Like, Tiki Queen hibiscus. Anyway, it's hibiscus and musk and resins at first. Slowly the sharp yet magical floral quality of the Hib goes away and fades into this glorious yum that is resins and plum/coconut. The resins stand out a bit more but there is a fruitiness behind it that really lightens it up and rounds it out. Vanilla and amber are backrunners in this but without them, the blend wouldn't work half as well as it does. It's creamy and deep and warm and sexy and yum. Love.

This is really good. I'm happy it worked on me. It's been a while since I've purchased a lunacy and liked it enough to keep it. Anyway, it goes on and is very floral. But it is also windy. For real. It's weird. I think it's the musks, oakmoss, and that frosty note that is sometimes used in the Yules. Combined they make this really airy feel that is joined by a beavy of floral accents. As said above, I can't really pick out an flower individually and it isn't a smack you in your face floral either. It's actually quite unisex. And OMG. The amber in this is just YUM. It reminds me of Ded Moroz a bit, in the feel of it. That amber that doesn't go to powder but is warmy and snuggly yet still a bit cold? Yes. Lovely. Glad I took a chance and got a bottle.

This is gorgeous. I think this one even surpassed my expectations. :love!: When first applied, the balsam is very green smelling, I will say that. It quickly deepens into a rich resinous scent that is joined by vanilla. But not foody vanilla. No, not at all. It's a vanilla that gives something age and quickly lends that ancient feel. It's kinda creamy but not. More smooth than creamy is the feel I get. It's very deep, brown, and slightly dusty but smooth. The leather is there as well but not as a star runner. It's not in your face, it is more a "part" of the scent. Like a leather book cover is part of the book, as a whole. That's kind how this scent is. Very, very well blended and comforting to me. I think it would smell awesome on a man but it is very woman friendly as well. Not really a sexy scent, per se but very comforting and casual.

I'm the one that brought charity into it. I apologize for that. But I did it to make a point. A point about The Lab's goodwill and integrity and why I choose to support it instead of some commerical perfumer with fancy-pants on (besides the awesomesauce that is the actual product I buy). While jayne could go look on her favorite perfumers website to see which charitable causes they have donated to, I don't have to do that and didn't. Puddin let us know exactly how much was raised for Haiti last month. I didn't need to search out the info, it was shared with us, down to the last penny. How much more of a sense of community can you get?

That's awesome. There is a difference though. If you don't get it, that's ok. I do and that's all that really matters. I hope you saw my list of recs on the last page? I'm a huge amber lover as well so hopefully you find one that works on you.

And you will only uproot it by giving the product a fair chance and allowing yourself time to experience it. I think you've hit the crux of what makes folks around the forum so defensive (and make them suspect trolling) -- I don't think most of us give a rats ass about whether anyone likes the product. It's no concern of mine what you do and don't like. But BPAL really is a community. Beth and the other lab staff are active forum members. They hang out with customers every month at will-call. We are well acquainted enough with the people who make the product to know their motivation and their passion for what they do. And they're incredibly warm and giving people to boot, so we feel protective. Whether you like the product is entirely up to your own tastes. Whether you think the business owners are cheating you is something else. If you do spend some time around here, I think you'll learn better. THIS........and we stand by a company that operates with integrity. Exactly. I can tell you that my favorite perfume house has donated at least $1,100 towards relief efforts for Haiti this month. How about any of the big houses? Any of the "fancier" houses? How about them? Can you tell me that off the top of your head? It's called community. And caring. Beth & Co. do it all. ETA: I'm done now. I'll behave.

Ok, ok. Fair enough. I suppose we can both stand a bit of honest from the other side, however misinformed we think each other are. Thanks for keeping it civil. Notes that I like? Hmm. Amber, incense, smoke. Grass and woods (sandlewood, cedar, cyprus). Vetiver. Cardamom. Vanilla. Lavender. Citrus, but not too heavy. Even though this should go into the reccomendations sub forum, but since I asked, I'll tell ya... TKO for your lavender and vanilla love. Lyonesse for amber/vanilla Sol Invictus 09 (it is limited edition and is coming down Feb 2 and no...you can't get samples of it) for amber/citrus/resin Liz (out of the Hellboy collection) for your vanilla and smoke cravings. It also has leather. It's beautiful and one of my favs. Inez out of the Carnavale Diabolique collection for amber as well MME Moriarity Misfortune Teller (which is a representation of Beth herself) out of the CD as well for musky/plummy/resinous goodness. Amsterdam for a sweet wet grass with a bit of "not-in-your-face" floral. I'm not big on sandlewood (it hates me), vetiver, or cardamom (I hate it).

I'm sorry but that sentiment makes me really angry. Here. Have a grilled cheese. It's ok. I was a bit pissed when you posted what you did. I just didn't go to your "home base" and post my thoughts there. No, I was polite enough to do it here. Seriously though, I didn't mean to offend but I was expressing myself in a true fashion and how I feel just as you did in your first post. No hard feelings. Maybe you should tell us a bit about your favorite notes and we could possibly point you in the right direction as far as blends to try. The ladies here are extremely helpful and very lovely when it comes to enabling. May you enjoy whatever floats your boat and refrain from stepping on my grilled cheese while doing it. I mean that in the friendliest way possible.

Bpal isn't for everyone and to some...it may be like grilled cheese compared to filet mignon, say. For me though? I've found more perfume oils that Beth has made that work on me and that smell better on me than any supposed fancy house, commerical perfumes. They are the grilled cheese of the perfume world to me. I spit on them. Phoowee. Besides, I can not stand how they are mass marketed with little to no real inspiration. You want unique? You want inspiration? Go through *just* the general catalog for Bpal. I dare you not to be inspired by at least one blend. Double dog dare. Anyway, I hope you like your samples. Everyone should know the magic that is Bpal at least once in their lives.

Again, thank you to sunshinedaisybliss for being a wicked enabler! This goes on very buttery and slightly boozy. Like there is a lot of scotch in this butterscotch or something. After a while I do pick up a slight chocolate smell but no nuts or anything. It's very bakery/foody-ish and rich. Nice but not me.

I got to try a bit of this thanks to the lovely sunshinedaisybliss. It's a rich chocolate that isn't dark but isn't light. It's somewhere in between. It goes on very creamy and stays that way. No weird notes that I usually get with cream, which is surprising (and bittersweet, considering). After a bit into the drydown, there is a light hint of spice, perhaps nutmeg? and I swear I get musk. This almost reminded me of the Yule BTBT and how it smells after drydown on me. For a minute, I even got the tobacco. Then it went away. I'm left with a very creamy chocolate that is beautiful and I like but don't NEED. Thank the might Bpal gods for that one.

This is very pretty. I wish I loved rose because I would snap up a whole vat of this scent. First applied, I get the honey and sweet orange but mostly the honey. The orange is very subdued and just makes it feel fresh, not citrusy. The apricot comes out quickly as well, adding a bit a sweetness to the honey. About 10 minutes later, I'm getting the rose. It's center stage but is very calm and smooth. A bit into the drydown (like a couple hours) I start to get some amber and a *bit* of patchouli...I wish there were more of it. Never thought I'd say it but I want more patch-u-stinky. Like I said, I wish I was a rose lover...

Verbena. Yeah, I get lemon in this. When first applied, it's WHOA lemon. After a bit, it calms down to just regular lemon. The amber is getting in here and warming things up a bit. Those that have issues with amber going powdery on them will probably encounter that here. Slightly powdery yet resinous. About 15-20 minutes later, I'm starting to get helitrope and frank, which means a bit of sweet powder (heli) mixed in with the amber and lemon. The lemon is still front and center in this. NOT what I wanted. I may keep the bottle to see how it ages and because the label art is fantastic.

Liz.

Ha!! I'm so glad I'm not the only one that got bubblegum. Yes, I get bubblegum but it's not just any bubblegum and it doesn't stay that way for long. I'm getting some lovely fruity stuff from this and it does go bubblegum-ish for a bit during drydown but then I get something that drags it deeper. It's not a yucky something but a beautiful bit of dark that makes this bubblegum somehow sophisticated. It's light but very bright in a weird way. I have no idea if I like this or not.

This seriously is GORGEOUS after drydown. It's not bad on its way to absofuckinglute prefection but at times it can be really dry, sharp, and really powdery. First applied, I get the cacao, straight up. Not sweetened but fresh and just ground cacao beans. This is soon joined by the musk which starts to sweeten it up *just* a bit without it becoming foody at all. It is then that it gets a bit sharp. The musk actually starts screaming at me! It settles fast and gets powdery. But even then (when it is ALL powder, all the time) it's a good powder. I never thought I'd say that. I hate the powdery-like smell and avoid it in all my Bpal. Anyway, after about an hour, the powder goes away. At some point, I'm sure the tobacco snuck in and calmed everyone down. I'm left with this magical cacao that is just sweet enough, tied down with this awesomesauce of BROWN. Yes, it smells brown and yummy, sexy yet comforting. Wearing it you could be the vixen with the leather and whips that likes to cuddle after. Finally, this is what I wanted Boomslang to be. Bottle. At least.

First applied, I get this wet wood smell. It's frosty but not snow. It's also wood. Definitely wet. After a bit, I get the leaves and the camellia petals. It's lovely here. Gorgeous wood mixing with frost, leaves and a bit of a floral to sweeten it up *just* a bit. Lovely. Then the musks come in. Those change everything. Everything starts to go a bit moldy, almost, on me. Instead of anchoring the scent, the musks almost blow it apart. It's jumbled. Too jumbled for me. I love the one part but that is very short lasting. Interesting, different, but not for me.

This is really nice. The chocolate is realistic and rich. I get a lovely spice that isn't nutmeg (not my favorite) and it really warms the chocolate. The coffee is there but isn't overpowering. I don't get any brown sugar, which is good. It's so well blended that it really does smell like one scent. It's lovely. Not something I'd wear but I'm still glad I got to try it.

I had hopes for this one. On, it immediately goes to a nutmegy plastic prune. Then it got boozy. Lemony boozy. I ended up with a plastic mug of nutmeg lemon ale. I wanted it to work but my skin had different ideas. Obviously it wanted some booze, of the plastic variety.