dorothy humbird

I was a little afraid of being disappointed in the super-lemony reformulated version of Shub, so I wasn't getting my hopes up when I swiped a bit on my wrist. Hooray!! I hardly got much of a lemony smell to speak of -- I could immediately understand why people have said it smells like "evil gingerbread." I was expecting sharp, edgy ginger, but even a few minutes into drydown Shub has already mellowed out into something that might end up being "creamy"... there is a spiciness that I am liking, too... reminiscent of Blood in that respect. Further into drydown it smells...somehow a little like Alice to my nose, in the milky/creamy-yet-spicy sort of characteristic. I quite like it, and I'll definitely hang on to the imp. Mmm, evil gingerbread with milk... ETA: WHOA. This is pure amazingness all of a sudden. Mind you, I am practically inhaling my wrist into my nose to smell it (so, it's not throwing like this) but, shit. It's FANTASTIC.

Got this in a swap from cybra111 -- thanks, lady! Initially on my skin this was all buttery caramel. My roommate took one sniff of my wrist and said, "Ooh, that's good." (I suspect she might be a bit of a foody, as she also adores Dorian.) Not necessarily being a hardcore foody person myself, I'm waiting to see what happens as it dries down. Shortly afterwards my nose is picking up on things that remind me of Lyonesse and Bastet -- I have to assume it's the amber. This particular smell that Bastet and Lyonesse and now Red Lantern have all shared doesn't really... make me swoon. It smells too mature for me, somehow. Nevertheless, I can also smell the tobacco a little bit, giving the blend a distinct, almost nutty sweetness. The caramel is still coating everything in creamy-butter-stickiness, and there is a bit of a floral fringe, which I suppose is the delphinium. As this has dried down, I am noticing the caramel more. I'm not sure if that's just my nose desensitizing itself to the other notes, or if it's part of the actual notes drydown. Either way, I like it. It's definitely growing on me... I may just age the imp a while and see how I like it in a few months.

Interesting; the first time I tested Ra I was convinced that it reminded me of Bastet. This time, I'm strongly associating what I smell with Belle Epoque. Regardless, I get a warm, golden vibe from Ra -- certainly citrusy, but it also feels like sweet amber underneath. I can understand why some people have said it smells "green," but that doesn't register right off the bat in my brain. I like this scent a lot; I remember it drying down to a soft, warm powdery version of itself (I've got nothing against a bit of powder). I may yet put Ra in the swaps pile since Belle Epoque is a close match to my mind. Tonight is not the night for making that decision, though.

So lovely! Wet, the Lady of Shalott smells very clear and pure. I get the gardenia (it's a damp blossom, just after a spring rain) and I think the musk is what gives it a little more body. There is a slight tang from the ginger... and the coolness of water. I don't get a lot of morphing from the Lady. It does remind me of what I think of as the 'linen' note from White Rabbit (they do share ginger, so that may be part of it) -- which can only be a good thing as I love White Rabbit. Overall, a lovely, clean and indeed crystalline sort of scent that I can see myself wearing one of these fresh spring days.

First on, Scherezade is all spices. There is something fairly dusky about her... dusky and mysterious. The spices and possibly the saffron remind me strongly of incense for sale in hippie shops... it's not bad, but not my typical style. An hour and change into wearing her, Scherezade has mellowed to show her musky side. If not for re-reading the reviews that point out Scherezade kind of smells like old books, I would almost be giving up hope... but I love the smell of old books, and in truth, Scherezade does have some of that worn, comfortable warmth. The atmosphere I get from this blend is a dark, wood-panelled library or study or attic-eyrie, with shafts of golden light slicing through the dust-motes in the air.... only intermittently, to preserve the gloom. I like it, though I don't think it'll see a lot of rotation.

Out of the imp, and on first application Lampades is quite heavily cranberry. It smells crisp, and invigorating... quite pleasant, if one likes cranberry. With more time, it dries down to allow more notes to come out to play. I can detect the lilies, and they are indeed smoky and dark as promised. The musk may be what is smoothing out the edges and keeping things from being too sharp and incisive; I don't notice ginger as much as a general spiciness, but that is very much in the background. It lasted a while (say, more than 4 hours?) on the few occasions I've tested it, and stayed pretty much stable after the initial drydown. For me, this blend is a little too much cranberry-floral; it reminds me of crafty candle smells, and while that's not necessarily an automatic deal breaker, I don't love cranberry enough to keep this.

Leanan Sidhe is a light, pretty floral with nothing offensive going on for my nose. Since the lab's description doesn't give us specific notes to look for, I have trouble identifying anything with a name. Wet, I get a little bit of the "aquatic" description others have noted, but as it dries it becomes more powdery, and not in the sweet-amber-vanilla sort of way that most of my favorites do. Leanan Sidhe actually reminds me of many "springtime floral" scents that deodorants and air fresheners strive to create -- though much more elegant and lovely. Unfortunately, I'm not a huge fan of this type of floral, so I think the Sidhe will have to find someone else to please.

Out of the imp it reminded me a little of fresh white lilacs for some reason. Underneath that I could smell the light ginger and white tea (reminiscent of Maiden - spicy because of the carnation), plus the grapefruit's astringent tang. A little softening with the drydown on my skin; the notes have blended into a light breezy-feeling smell, like gauzy white curtains billowing with a soft summer wind. It's lovely - not fruity or floral, just a beautiful blend. Something about it still reminds me of lilacs, but I guess that's how my nose insists on interpreting apple blossom. white Woman -- unearthly beauty -- hypnotic dance: I'd say these qualities were captured perfectly. Amazing work, Beth. Late drydown: there isn't a whole lot of change from early to late drydown, and it has a pretty good staying power. Lovely, and certainly a keeper.

*is shocked* I thought I'd reviewed this long ago! Well. I received Antique Lace from the lovely maribouquet... good thing I do enjoy it, eh? This is a lovely, rich vanilla to my nose, although when I wear it, the closer I get to my skin the more I can pick out the "linen" note. It lasts quite a while, and stays true to its vanilla-ness for the duration. Reminds me quite a bit of Victoria's Secret's Vanilla Lace lotion that my mom is fond of. I tend to use Antique Lace for layering, most often with Vixen... they make a loverly pair.

This was my first unsniffed bottle purchase, and it's gone straight to my top 10. So, so glad that all these glowing reviews promised exactly what was delivered. The Madame begins very fruity in the bottle, almost medicinally so - like cough syrup. This worried me to start with, but I waited her out... Oh bliss! After a few minutes on my skin I can smell the warmer notes blossoming: vanilla bean, creamy and luscious, but still tinted deep red by the pomegranite and the juicy plum. This is a very red scent, period. Red, juicy, and delicious. For several hours while wearing Mme. Moriarty I can smell her in wafts around my head, and it is luscious. Dry down renders the blend softer, more powdery, like most of my BPAL loves, and it's lovely. She doesn't stick around on me quite as long as my true love Blood Kiss, but she lasts long enough to ensorcel me with her charms. Absolutely worth the gamble.

I first tried this a few weeks ago and thought it was fantastic; now on re-try, I'm not so sure... In the imp, I smell a lot of citrus; it's almost lemony-citrus more than the mandarin I've smelled in Belle Epoque and Kuang Shi (perhaps the herbals and tea are lending a bite.) On my skin it's still lemon, with a darker element underneath -- the cocoa, I think. These notes are dominating over anything else right now; we'll see what happens... An hour or so later, it's mostly just softened lemon over... cocoa-tonka-tea? Honestly, the only discernible note for me is lemon, everything else blends together into indisctinct powdery-softness. It's nice, but I'm not a huge fan of lemon. I'll hang onto it (largely because the cap's busted anyway) and re-try sometime later; the first time still haunts my memory.

Quite animalistic, indeed... I smell a similarity to Fire of Love, as someone mentioned above... there is a dusty quality, too... possibly from my beloved opium. Debauchery is quite a rich, dark, musky scent. It isn't as horrible as I remember thinking upon first trying it, but I think it's too male for my tastes. I'm not going to bother holding on to it, as I can't picture my current flame slathering himself in this... and I'm not sure I'd want to smell it on him, anyway.

Straight out of the imp, Dragon's Musk smells like candied hyacinth to me. I don't remember enough about Dragon's Milk to say whether this is less piercingly-floral to my nose, or if I've just acclimated to the smell of dragon's blood... either way this isn't bothering me as much. On my skin, the floral note seems to spread out, or mellow as it sinks in... it smells light and a little soapy, but not in a bad way. The hyacinths are murmuring instead of screeching, and I think it's the musk that's lulling them. But this is all wild conjecture. This is a very sweet floral scent, and although it's settled down quite a bit, it's still not my style.

This is the second BPAL rose scent I've tried, the other being Wanton. As such I'm going to do some comparing... Black Rose is indeed darker feeling than Wanton; Wanton, by comaprison, smells sweeter and fresher. The rose of Black Rose smells headier, and the musk underscores that headiness. I can't detect the amber with the musk and rose overpowering it, but that might come out in drydown. As it settles on my skin it becomes more powdery (this could be the work of the amber). It's mellowed quite a bit in only a few short minutes, but... while I like the idea of rose scents, and I love smelling a fresh rose in a garden or even a flower shop, Black Rose is too heady for me to consider wearing.

While I'm no rose-hater, I think I tend to want my rose accompanied by some friends to spread the love. Wanton is far, far too rose-y for me. It smells so heady that I get the twinges of a headache almost immediately upon application; the other notes make this more perfumey than garden-fresh to my nose. It's probably beautiful on the right person, and I would love to smell this on a friend... but not on me.

Mm, Belle Epoque. So, so lovely. In the imp I pick up mostly the mandarin; it's light and sweet, but not overpowering -- something's taming it, and keeping it soft and slightly soapy (but not in a bad way). I'm guessing this is the sandalwood and lily of the valley, but my nose isn't trained to pick those out. Once on my skin there is some dissipation of the syrupy-mandarin smell. The mandarin blends with the other notes into a liquid golden warmth. I can smell the vanilla keeping things nicely balanced and smooth in the background, but playing on top there is a faint floral quality from the lily of the valley. Belle Epoque doesn't last forever on my skin, but while it does it's heavenly. One day when I'm not stupidly poor I may pick up a 5ml.

Lovely. My imp of Dana O'Shee tragically drained itself at some point a week ago, and I have been missing its soft, comforting almondy goodness. Eclipse is a little like Dana O'Shee's almond (I don't get a bitterness at all) -- initially very very almond, and then shortly into the drydown the cinammon whispers its presence. There's a lovely rich vanilla at the base, similar to how Antique Lace smells on me, without the linen undertone. I'm not picking up what I can detect as frankincense or heliotrope, but I'll chalk that up to inexperience. I think they're keeping it from smelling too much like a cookie, though. Eclipse... Just foody enough to be comfortingly delicious. ETA: This has dried down now to something much less foody, I think tempered by the frankincense and/or heliotrope. It's utterly gorgeous, says I... faint, but that's fine.

I placed an order for some BPAL goodies last night through CCNow, and whereas in the past I've gotten an immediate confirmation email that they'd received the order and processed it (CCNow had, not necessarily the Lab), this time I got nothing. There was that page of information that tells you what information you put down for shipping/billing address, and the status of your order -- you know, the one you're supposed to "print for your records," but I never do because I just assume I'll get the email -- but no email arrived. I'm thinking...maybe I mis-entered my email address? Twice? I'd like to email the Lab, unless someone has insight about waiting and seeing, and the email cropping up in due time. Thoughts? ETA: I checked my bank statement online, and CCNow definitely made a charge to my account but it's in processing.

Going to repeat La Petite Mort -- it's everything O promised and failed to deliver for me. Mmm, sexy honey. Also seconding Blood Kiss -- it's a very rich vanilla-honey on me after settling for a bit (and my imp differs from my bottle in that there's a longer sharp wine/vetiver stage to get through before the drydown, which also seems... deeper). I only recently realized how much I love BPAL honey scents... honey = <3!

Blood is pretty heavily clove on me, with a sweetness that reminds me of first putting a clove cigarette in your mouth (it's like candy!) It's dark red and full, in a mysterious spicy way. Once I was applying Blood Kiss in a car with my bf and he swore at one point it smelled EXACTLY like a clove. (But most people get varied results from Blood Kiss... often either very vetiver or very vanilla-cream.) Port-au-Prince was so clove I couldn't handle it, in a sickly sweet way. Might work better on someone else.

In the imp, Calliope smells almost like cleaner to me. Perhaps a natural cleaner infused with herbs, but still a cleaning product. Once on my skin that association goes away except for the very prominent citrus notes. It smells very lemony to me (bergamot) but I can also detect more notes fleshing it out -- thyme and lavendar giving a more solid base. I appreciate that Calliope is well-blended, but it's not a smell I want to experience throughout the day, so into the swap pile it goes.

Wolfsbane started out very dark and plant-matterish on my boy's skin. After a few minutes it had mellowed down into overwhelmingly pine-scented darkness, like a forbidding forest. Interesting, and not a bad smell, but not what I want to smell on him.

Alecto smells unexpectedly sweet and herbal on my boy's skin - sweet in a way that's almost like a certain candy... but not like any typical candy. Herbal throat drops? Raspberry leaf and cedarwood seem most obvious to me, and probably some vetiver grounding it. I don't recognize olive leaf, but it must be contributing to the herbal quality of the blend. It blends together very cool, fresh, and cutting - in the sense that it seems to really clear the way through other scents and fill your nose. The boy likes this the best so far of what we've tested on him, but I think we can do better still.

On principle I really like the smell of Blood Countess -- it's rich, dark, sweet, juicy fruit with a shroud of lilac blossoms (not floral enought to bother me, plus I love lilac) and that hint of opium smoke. I don't recognize gardenia easily enough to pick it out here, but that might be the fault of my scent recognition and not skin chemistry suppressing it. Something about this combination reminds me of country jar candles, though... or potpourri. If I can get myself to quit thinkng about that association (and if no one else picks up on it -- when I expressed my concern to the boy he waved it off and said it "smelled nice, though"), I think the Countess and I will get along famously.

Tested this one on the boy -- he proclaimed it "too girly." My guess is the floral notes are at fault for that declamation... I noticed something I thought was pretty citrusy-sharp, but I don't know what it was. Carnation??? The search for madness-inspiring boy-scent continues.