LiberAmoris

Les Bijoux is just so pretty. On me, it's a second-skin apple and honey with just the barest breath of rose. The peach, orange blossom, frankincense and myrrh are supporting players. The apple burns off after a bit and I'm left with a honey-rose. It's golden and just all-around lovely. This is another blend that would be great for work I think, and I'll be taking my imp with me tomorrow.

This was maybe my most-anticipated blend out of my last order, and although it smells nothing like I thought it might, it's still one of my faves from this last batch. The description reads like a who's who of notes I can't say no to. Lilac in particular is such a favorite of mine because it's just so gloriously heady, and Beth's lilac note is absolutely divine. Happily, lilac dominates Pontarlier on me, along with the green fern, lavender, and sugar. The absinthe, rose, and blackcurrant round out the blend but stay out of the way. I get loads and loads of sugared lilacs and greenery with every sniff. It's just wonderful. So pretty. I have a feeling I'll be wearing this one often.

I have to say, I love the aloe in F5. That kind of makes the blend work for me, even though I'm not so much of a fresh scent type of girl. But I like the aloe and the seaspray. This is just the feeling of being clean. The mint here is only when wet on me, once it dries, it's green tea, aloe, and seaspray. The verbena and lime peel are also in the background. I will definitely keep my bottle for update nights and I might use some to create a spray for my bedroom. This is refreshing, but it's also relaxing.

Jezirat Al Tennyn is such an intriguing idea for a blend! And it does smell elemental. I can smell something smoky, like the smoke that's used in Hexennacht and Devil's Night. Then I smell something fiery, like maybe a bit of dragon's blood or a spice? There's also the mineral note that I recognize from Black Opal. Lastly there's something a smidge ozoney, but it's very slight. It's very difficult to describe, but the overall feeling is of the 'primordial paradise' in the description. I really enjoy it, but it's not something I'll want to wear every day, so my little imp will more than suffice.

Tavern of Hell has an amazing note list, and I was more than curious to smell how those notes would work in conjunction. What's strange is that I'm smelling notes that aren't even in here, like lemon. How on earth could I get lemon from this? But that's what I smell. As it dries down, I can smell the ambergris and lavender fougere, along with something that smells like caramel. There's a smoky side to this that reminds me of Carnavale Diabolique. An hour later, this is a hazy floral with that same bright note that somehow my nose reads as lemon. It must be a combo of the gardenia and the orange blossom. And the caramelly base is still going strong. This is one that will require additional testing. I like the complexity but there's something too sweet at the top, on this wearing, at least.

Eeek! This is violets and vetiver, alright. Wow. It's some powerful strong stuff. If you like violets and vetiver, this is for you. I am not a vetiver fan, so this is not for me. However, I'm really glad to have tried this because it shows me how restrained the vetiver actually is in most BPAL blends.

Finally, Shattered! I missed the boat the first time around with this one, and then it was discontinued. Now it's back in stock and I'm finally getting around to trying this one, more than two years later. I can't smell any champagne notes, but I do smell the grapefruit, lotus, and loads of mint. I get a slight shiver of an aquatic but it's very faint. It reminds me of one of the muses (can't recall which one) and Cold Moon, sans slushy notes. The lotus here is behaving quite nicely, and I love the grapefruit-mint combo (it's zingy!). This really feels like a winter blend, and I think I'll save my imp until then. This would also be very nice in shampoo, I think.

Port Royal is another semi-aquatic. There is a bit of ozoney seaspray in this, but it really is a rum and wood blend. Even the rum note here is not what I would consider to be obvious, and the wood is not heavy-handed. The 'prostitute's perfume' smells far away and faded somehow as well, and it contributes to the overall feel of the blend which is of a place that is awash with fresh air carrying a breath of the sea. For some reason, the notes here combine in a way that smells like bubblegum. I don't know how that's possible, but that's what my chemistry is doing to it. It's like a rum bubblegum. There's a certain kind of charm to that, but this might not be for me. I put some of this on my boyfriend and it smells great. The rum is almost like caramel on him, and the wood notes are very nice as well. So I think this imp will go into his BPAL box for days when he consents to let me dab some on him.

Caliban, I've waited such a long time to smell you! This has been a pending blend for a long time, and I've really looked forward to it. On, it's a crush of green. The palm and ferns are so green, it's like the smell of plants after a tempest has come through and bent them all, releasing that strong smell from the inside of leaves and branches. There is a salty aquatic note much like the one (most appropriately!) from Tempest, but it is subdued compared to that blend. Here, it's in the background. The island is the focus here. I really don't get much bittersweet wine out of Caliban. I feel like I can smell a little something around the edges---it smells like rice wine. Aquatics almost never work on me, so I was unsure as to how this would play out on my skin. But this is really more about lush greens than water. The tempest has already come through, the people have all left, Ariel has been freed, and Caliban is left alone on the island, surrounded by the aftereffects of the turmoil. I'm not sure I'll need a bottle of this, but I will keep and enjoy my imp.

I am enamored of the name Isles of Demons, so had to give this one a try. It's definitely like a lush island---tropical flowers, a tiny touch of coconut perhaps, dark musk, and something green. I'm with sarada, this would be a great blend to wear when I watch Lost! This is going to sound nutty, but the musk here kind of reminds me of the musk in Devil's Night. It's yummy. And I'm not getting a lot of volcanic gas either, although maybe I'm ok with that, since I think volcanic gas smells like sulphur. I'll definitely be keeping my imp for the next Lost season! I used to wear Eden, but I think this is much more appropriate.

Blood Lotus was a generous freebie from the Lab, and I was eager to try it because I'm always looking for lotus blends that will prove my aversion to lotus unfounded. On, it's berry-bright dragon's blood and perhaps the wine note that makes such a nice combo in Blood Rose? The lotus doesn't appear on me until the drydown. When it does, it's relatively mild and blends with the other notes. But it still isn't my favorite smell and is always a bit unsettling to me. Ultimately, this is not for me, but I'm glad I got an opportunity to try it!

Ladon is my new favorite Ars Draconis blend! I think it's the apple and apple blossom that really put this one over the top for me--I love apple blossom ever since falling hard for The Perfumed Garden, and so Ladon was an easy sell. The white musk and hyacinth really round it out and give it good staying power. The dragon's blood in Ladon suffuses it with such a warm red glow and the florals are calibrated to hold that resinous warmth in tension. This is the first blend that comes close to capturing the same feel as one of my all-time BPAL faves, The Living Flame. Love this, and am considering a bottle.

Wow, Xanthe really does smell like pink bubblegum! After a few minutes though, it calms down and the apple blossom really comes forward. The guava and orange start to separate a little bit too, so that it's more like fruit candies than bubblegum. It's almost like fruit-flavored cotton candy. I can barely smell the white pepper. People that loved Kunstkammer last year should definitely check Xanthe out. It's another happy, fruity, carefree blend.

Gennivre is so refreshing, like drinking down an iced green tea that's been embellished with mint, honey, and a sprig of orange blossom. It's a 'light' blend, but it has great staying power and throw. The honey gets stronger and stronger the longer it wears, and it's wonderful, like touring an apiary surrounded by wildflowers. The tea slowly wears off on my skin but infuses the blend with a green edge that melds with the honey. Love this one. Macha, you smell good!

Antonio is another CD blend that uses verbena to advantage (at least on me), like Phantom Calliope. It's primarily verbena and lavender, with white musk. I would love to get more black coconut (I can never get enough coconut!) and less vetiver, but I'm actually fairly surprised and pleased that the vetiver that's here does not completely take over the blend, as it usually does with my chemistry. Because I can still smell the small amounts of spiky sourness that vetiver imparts whenever I wear it, this might not be for me. But I'll definitely be trying it again, as I love the way the plum and fig come out after a while and give this a rich purpley feel.

Carnaval Diabolique is like tropical coconut meets lemongrass meets opium smoke on me. It's only after ten minutes or so that the floral notes emerge. I am very happy that the tuberose is behaving itself---it normally smells like bananas on me, but I think it's held in check by the other notes. I really like this, and it strikes me as a great summer nighttime blend, as it's got that tropical side but also the darkness of the opium smoke and black musk. At points it smells like a lemony-floral Perversion on me, which is great, since I love Perversion. This is very bright and cheerful on me without being twee. I'll wear it if we get some more warm days before the fall and then put it away for next summer.

The Phantom Calliope is dark spiced cherries in the bottle, cherries so ripe they're nearly black. I'm not even a cherry note kind of girl, but this smells gooood. Like a topping that might be spooned on top of a dessert at a fancy restaurant. Once on, the verbena puts a greenish yellow spike through the heart of the blend, like an exclamation point. It is such a strange combination, and yet it really works. The patchouli, cassis and cardamom are indeed reminiscent of Blood Moon, Alone, and Red Phoenix. It's also similar to the spices in Bengal. As it dries, the cherry note holds and it's almost like brandied cherries on my skin. Spicy and dark, with an almost raisin-y note that's rich like figs. It's truly unusual and will be great in the fall and winter when I reach for the spicy blends.

I'm not sure I'm in teak or cedar's prime demographic, because wood notes are not generally my favorite, but I really wanted to try Pulcinella & Teresina for the rose. I cannot resist a rose blend. In the bottle and first applied to my skin, there's an acrid, bitter, almost pickley and briny note. I'm thinking it might be the labdanum, since I believe I recall smelling the same note in both Magdalene and Hymn. Whatever it is, it's strong. It merges with the cedar and teak to smell like tangy fresh-cut red wood. It does fade slightly as it dries, but it remains dominant. The red rose is in the background, and serves to kind of scallop the edges of the blend a bit in red. Overall, this smells a bit like church incense to me. It's far too strong for me to wear on my skin, but would be incredible in my oil burner, so I think that's where I will happily use it.

Melisande is sweet violets and jasmine with a heavy musk base. It's a simple and straightforward blend that smells both juicy and powdery, even though that sounds contradictory. Really, the violets and musk are the star here, at least on my skin. After a few hours this still smells like violet-jasmine-musk. There's very little change. Although it's not a complicated blend, the violet really works for me, and I'm always a sucker for musk. I have a feeling this is another CD blend that will grow on me.

Dorian. On. Steroids. This is pure earl grey tea on me, just lightly rounded out with the jasmine leaf and white musk. The vanilla bean is very slight, just enough to keep the tea from being bitter. I love it on myself but will also put some on the guy when we go out. I can wear Dorian and we can waft yummy sexy tea goodness.

The Organ Grinder is really perplexing to me---I love the almond milk and sarsaparilla, but I'm not sure if I like them with the other notes. Like zenvodunista, I also smell coconut meat, which is another plus for the blend, but there's a combo of notes in here that on my skin, makes it smell a little bit like a crayon for some reason. It's got kind of a waxy smell, almost candle-like. The longer I wore this though, the more it mellowed until it finally settled into a combo of almond, milk, coconut, and smoky patchouli . Hmmm. This might be a blend that I keep coming back to out of curiosity and eventually flat-out enjoy. In the meantime, I think this would make an excellent his-and-hers pairing with Obatala.

I have to echo what others are saying above---Midnight on the Midway reminds me of nag champa! And I love nag champa. I tried a few drops of this in my oil burner last night and my entire apartment was filled with smokeless incense. My neighbor came by to say hello, and he was utterly amazed by how good it smelled and couldn't believe that it wasn't actually incense. There's also something about this that reminds me of Snow Angel. On my skin, it's kind of like Snow Angel (minus the slushy snow note) plus nag champa. This makes me very happy. After I few hours I smell a slight buttery note that reminds me of Midway, but it's very faint. This truly is midnight on the midway, with most of the sweets put away and just the lingering smell of them mixing with the smell of night flowers and incense. I think I might have to get another bottle of this before the Carnavale ends just to use in my oil burner!

Lyonesse is one of my favorites from my latest order---smooth, nearly liquid vanilla, unearthly warm ambergris/grey amber, stargazer lily, and the musk and white sandalwood...it's absolutely luscious. The sea moss does give this a marine feeling, although this is no aquatic. It's just a very subtle sea note, like sea minerals. Lyonesse is brilliantly simple without being simplistic and rich without being foody. It's tremendously evocative and even elegant. It's the kind of blend I would include if I was putting together a Just-Try-To-Resist-BPAL-Introductory-Imp-Pack for a friend.

Manhattan is an oil I've been looking forward to for a long time. I work in the city and have lived there in the past, and the experience of the city is so rich---overwhelming, enriching, frustrating, wonderful, and full. I was really excited to see how Beth would envision the city through perfume, and I'm very excited to find that I really love it! Manhattan strikes me as a very upscale and sophisticated citrus-floral centered on the solid base of amber, leather, and teakwood. It reminds me of a glossy, modern skyscraper. This is what living well in the city smells like (not that I'd know, ). The throw is mostly grapefruit-orchid-teakwood on me, but it's tempered by the other notes so it comes across as more complex than that sounds. Because of the citrus oils, the top part of this blend doesn't last very long on my skin, but the drydown is warm and comfortable. It reminds me of when I first moved here and would get lost. If I walked a few blocks, eventually I'd turn a corner and recognize where I was and how to get home.

Doc Constantine smells like coming in from being outside in late fall. Like the way one's clothes might smell after taking in all of those scents from the outdoors. Very sexy in a natural way. The leather here is just perfect. Not too much, not too little. Eventually this becomes a smoky black amber on me, like the smell of burning leaves in the air. It's something I would love to smell on my boyfriend, not just to see what his chemistry does with it, but also just because. Like nineveh, I also smell parallels between the good Doc and two other amazing blends---Dee and Geek.