sofaking6

Ah okay...I just got an imp of Bluebeard and I think the vetiver is really standing out in that blend. It's florals...light musk...and then some smoky dirt. Thanks

This is stop #2 on the Beth's Aquatics hunt that Undertow sent me on. Sea of Glass is all about ocean. A lot of salt, a lot of ozone, a lot of citrus. On me it has amazing throw, and no morph, which is very cool. I still have a lot of blends to try, but I have to say I have a hard time imagining there is another blend that is more straight-up SEA than this one is. It's almost tide pool strong.

Snow-Flakes is beautiful and I wish I could tell what was in it...definitely mint, maybe lotus? Some light floral and ephemeral aquatics. Something sweet, giving it almost an after-dinner mint flavor. Big bottles, many.

Well that works out, I actually have Azazoth! One of my psycho-newbie-ebay purchases.

Well and The Snow Maiden is an elusive nymph! At first blush this actually reminds me of The Darkling Thrush - it's icy cold without being minty and with a high, bright note just singing out at you. I get about 10 minutes of that enjoyable combo, then about 15-20 minutes of sweet floral and pine, then presto, it's gone. Not even pine-sol left. ADDED Dec. 5: This is a moody maiden! Sometimes sharply frosted, sometimes sweet and coy, sometimes haughty and elegant. Lots of morphing on me. The Snow Maiden begins with the same icy blast as The Darkling Thrush and even Snow-Flakes. One she starts to dry, the pine and berries show up, and are so well-connected that it smells much more like sweetened sap than like needles. After that, and not long after, she dries to a light, misty floral. I would like some more staying power in this blend, especially during the first two scent-phases, but it's very lovely all around.

Sparkling citrus musk On wet, Mania has the strongest throw of any of the BPAL I've tried so far. Which is a good thing. This is a great all-day every-day blend because at first, it's hectic grapefruit and sweet strawberry with an musky underbelly - it's ennervating, pleasing and a little sexy. As it dries, the grapefruit fades out leaving strong red musk (which is hella yummy) with a little sweet strawberry tang, and the throw dies down a lot as well. Another little dab before my 10:00 meeting and I'm good to go! I've tried Hollywood Babylon and I found it a little sicky-sweet. This is more nature-sweet which I much prefer. I have a good time with Jailbait but it's too candylike for me to wear all day. If you like sweeter fruit and musk, I heartily recommend giving Mania a try.

I got The Empress as a gift, and it's got me scrambling to try other BPAL rose blends. I see that I prefer my rose as straight-up as I can get it. This is a very soft rose, but hovering over the rose is something bright - I think maybe lemon or lime? It doesn't detract from the rose note but rather keeps the whole blend from seeming muted or boring. I definitely keep going back to my wrist. I'm not a good judge of rose (yet), but The Empress had me at hello. Today I have this on one wrist and Black Lily on the other, it's a nice, nice day!

Black Lily IS lily. Very fresh, almost dewy lily. Triggering memories of fresh-from-my-garden lillies laying on my nightstand. There is almost nothing distracting from the floral here. It's a true dedication to one of my favorite flowers. It smells like lily in the bottle, on wet and for hours after. Many Many thanks to the lab for this one.

I'm glad someone mentioned hazelnut, because I could not for the life of me put the name to what I was smelling. Not good on me. This actually made me slightly nauseated, like a hazelnut liqueur might. Maybe a bit of cocoa, and a lot of deep resin. I never get anything green or floral. Swap!

In the bottle: very tangy citrus, sharp, but I can definitely make out the amber warmth already. On wet: same - actually a little bitter more than tangy On dry: oh yeah, that's the stuff. Saffron and orange! The bitter and the tangy faded on drydown and Sol Invictus became VERY soft on me. The warmth of the amber and spice combined with the brightness of the citrus just radiates. It's very sunny. I love this.

Argh, soapy on me, too. Any chance the soapy will age out of this? It's the first snowy blend I've tried. And it's SO gorgeous in the bottle. Very icy and sweet.

I definitely recommend giving Xanthe a try: Guava, orange peel, white pepper, spun sugar and apple blossom. It's light, fresh fruity enough to hopefully turn your boy on, and sweet/foodie enough hopefully for you. The orange peel is just bitter enough to give the whole thing a bit of a tea quality, but it's still very sweet. Also maybe Azazoth: tangerine, saffron, vetiver, black amber and cedarwood. The tangerine is pretty muted but it might be another scent that you both enjoy.

Well I'm surprised I never logged a review for Undertow, since I've been hyping it around town ever since I tried it. At first it's very strong pine/mint. Let's call it...REFRESHING! Not bad but it didn't make me think I'd wear it again. The drydown got me though. When the lotus makes its play the blend settles into a deep, dark oceanic scent. I could not stop sniffing. It gives the suggestion of saltiness and a feeling like you're at the water's edge on a cold, windy day. I really love this and it's got me wanting to try more of Beth's aquatics.

http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=26783 UltraViolet always posts a picture in her reviews.

Interesting - at first sniff, the almond/cherry of Black Phoenix. On: Almond and pepper Shortly thereafter: PEPPER! (sneeze, sneeze) Shortly therafter: sweet honey almond, little bit o'pepper Shortly thereafter: amber/powder I was surprised how quickly the mophing and fading happen with this scent. I like pepper, and the honey/almond/pepper minute is great, but doesn't last. I'm trying a layer with Bastet. So far so good.

An olfactory serenede. A somber, contemplative scent -- dreamy and subdued. Deepest violet touched with lilac and tuberose. In the bottle, strong violet with a little rose. On, at first..LILAC! I love lilac. My old house was surrounded by lilacs and my favorite time of year was when they were in bloom. It's such a heady floral but without being heavy, if that makes sense. Later, the violet comes back strong along with the tuberose which seems to amp on me. I'd prefer the violet! After giving up on wearing this (come out violet!), I schmeared some on my A/C filter and it's glory glory glory all through the house, mega violet with a little lilac on top. I have also used Nocturne in the dryer to much happiness.

Deelicious. At first, it smells a lot like Snake Oil, the vanilla is very strong and sweet. But very quickly that fades and the patchouli leaf, which to me smells a little bit tobacco-y and a little bit resin-y, stands out clearly. It fades to a gorgeous, perfect balance of musk, patchouli leaf and pomegranate. I don't get much berry but that's fine, the way it is is so restrained that I have no complaints. Much love to my enabler for this one

I got an imp of this in my very first order and held off trying it for a long time, because I didn't really get why someone would want to wear chocolate that couldn't be licked off. In the bottle Tezcatlipoca is all spicy cocoa. Wet, pretty much the same with some incense floating up. It is a really nice deep chocolate, definitely sniffable. But one this starts to dry, it floors me! It morphs expertly and gorgeously. First, the head shop moment, which is tempered by a clean leather scent. Then...transportation. This smells like the heat of the southwest...the air, the sand, the plants, everything. It actually smells hot! I am fascinated and totally thrilled. Fantastic!

I am generally not a rose fan, but Parlement of Foules has sent me on a (guess what kind of) errand since I love that scent. Sadly, I do not also love Venus. In the bottle it is nice albeit somewhat too floral for my taste. Wearing it though, was pretty much just soap and grandmas. *wah* on the next...

I'm glad I got a bottle of this, I just couldn't resist the name and the notes. In the bottle and at first dab, it definitely smells like Jailbait's bubble-gum lollipop. But the sugary sweetness fades very quickly and what's left is a subdued kind of sweetness struggling with the pepper/bitter notes. It almost has a tea-like quality. It's not really my thing for wearing, but it's a really lovely scent. 6

The Glorious Grand Dame of the Pumpkin Patch! Regal Egyptian Amber, red ginger, orange peel, mandarin, cardamom, fig leaf and warm pumpkin. Well, this is my first Pumpkin bottle, so I can't compare it to anything else. But why would I want to? I love Pumpkin Queen! From start to finish, love love love it. In the bottle it came at me like warm gingerbread, sweet and hearty. Wet: Pumpkin and ginger with the brightness of orange flitting around it. Drydown: Yah the cardamom makes my skin pretty warm as well, but I gotta love it because it comes on with the amber and the fig and I get that happy contrast of coziness and excitement that makes me worship the lab. It's all so smoove except for the wild citrus. Later: The orange keeps it up the longest, the pumpkin and spices linger nicely though. I give it a 5 out of 5. Wearable and a great room scent.

Electrifying, mechanized and chilly -- the scent of crushed blooms strewn on cold metal. Lush violet and neroli spiked hard with eucalyptus and a sliver of mint. Hm, this is a dilemma. Imp: eucalyptus, very strong and nice Wet: CAT PEE! Eeeeeek yuck yuck 20 minutes later: VOILET! mmm yum yum. It's definitely earning its name with a steroidal burst of power-violet, pure and hyperactive. So...what do I do? I LOVE this once the cat pee has faded, but that first 20 minutes are very nasty.

Mmmmmm just like a caramel apple...with a little chaser! I love Creepy. This is the first real "foodie" scent that I've tried, besides Punkie Night, and it's so fun! It really tickles me to smell like a tasty snack, but really I just enjoy taking deep whiffs from the bottle. It's frickin' DELICIOUS.

This is much more floral than I thought it would be as well. It's VERY feminine, a little too pretty for my style but I can definitely see this scent having a lot of fanatic devotees over time. I never did get cream or spices, and the florals are...right in the middle? Not light, not heavy. Very balanced and more than a touch on the sweet side.

I had a craving for a floral embrace so I tried some Medea in the burner and it was Not Good. Way too strong.