LiberAmoris

I got a bottle of Tintagel unsniffed for the autumn because it sounded like something that might be good on both me and my boyfriend. Plus, I'm a sucker for anything medieval. It's like a jousting tournament in a bottle! The leather and dragon's blood are an unusual pairing, and the woods and berries really round it out and make it complex. The mulled wine takes a little bit to work its way forward on my skin, but once it does, it gallops along! This is another blend that would make a fantastic room scent. I'd love for my entire apartment to smell like this.

New Orleans is such a sultry blend, I only have one imp that I occasionally dip into, and that's probably all I'll ever need. But there is something gorgeously decadent about it that requires that when I wear it, I go out. For some reason, I never want to just wear this around the house. On me it's honeysuckle, the smell of a lemon tree, and the smell of the Gulf.

Sexy Earl Grey! I can't believe I waited so long to try Severin, it's positively criminal. The leather note here is divine. I wish the lemon note hung around a little longer, but I really can't complain, as the scrummy Earl Grey note lasts forever on my skin. Severin strikes me as Dorian's older brother in a distressed black leather jacket. There's nothing submissive about him to me!

Gaueko is a blend that just feels...dusky. There's something about it that is shadowy and mysterious. The lavender is uppermost for me in this blend, but the tobacco and the smoky nag champa come through after about an hour. The drydown on this is great, but for that first hour the lavender is a bit too medicinal-smelling for my tastes. I'm definitely keeping the imp, though, as it so evocative.

Snake Charmer is my latest find in this category. I wore it at work last week, and a guy who is about 8 years younger than me got all complimentary with me. It's not just the snakes it charms!

The Lion is great, so warm and sexy and just...gah! If you also like black musk, Haunted is very nice. And then there's always O---a classic BPAL amber favorite. But my personal faves (besides The Lion) are Spellbound and Sin. Spellbound is amber + rose and Sin is amber+ patchouli. I think they're pretty sexy blends, and I always get a little swing in my hips when I wear them.

Nuit is one of those BPAL blends that I don't wear every day but I'm so glad I have a bottle of it in my collection. To me, it's the smell of summer nights. The rose and jasmine and musk are enveloped in what smells like oakmoss. To my nose, it's like a cross between Moon Rose and Graveyard Dirt. It makes me want to go for a drive through the woods with the windows down.

Vechernyaya is also a very nice patchouli blend. It's got three white musks...so it helps if you like white musk. But if you do, and you like subtle patchouli, it's gorgeous. I absolutely adore it.

I'm not quite sure what note in Goneril turns the blend into something so sharp, but whatever it is, it is unpleasant on my skin. It's a great blend for the character name, but it's not one that I want to wear. I think this one will be going into the swap pile for someone else to enjoy. The cedarwood and lily are very nice, but something in the black orchid or geranium is disagreeing with me.

Violet is a very unisex floral, perfect for her role in Twelfth Night. I agree with Splendid Molerat above---this reminds me a great deal of Zombi, probably the combination of the rose with the oakmoss. This seems like a nighttime floral to me. It's bewitchingly dark and dangerous.

Desdemona is a very simple green aquatic on me. I've tried it a couple of times and it never changes on my skin from the way it is in the imp. It's very clean and yet there is something tragic about it that suits the name well. Something this pure can't last long in the world. It's mostly sweet pea and water lily, although on the drydown I get the slight spiciness of the carnation. It's very faint, though. I think I'll keep the imp for springtime, when I think this would absolutely set the mood for regeneration and freshness.

Juliet is what I wished Aeval would be on me...the sweet pea here is definitely noticeable but it's not overpowering. On me, it's mostly sweet pea and musk, and that's really okay. It's a very innocent and youthful blend, full of the kind of promise that young lovers have. It takes me back to the days when I believed, like Juliet, that love conquered all. OMG, I'm so bitter!

My review of Regan is much-delayed. I got an imp a year ago, tried it once, wasn't infatuated, and promptly put it into a pile to give to a friend who needed a little enabling. I recently got another imp, as a freebie from the Lab, and thought I should at least give it another try before sending it to the swap pile. It's so funny how my tastes have changed since I started wearing BPAL...now I love Regan. I don't wear it often, but it's an imp I like to have around. Regan is almost like milk and honey on me, with the teeniest smidge of mint. It actually reminds me a bit of Milk Moon. On me, it's Milk Moon with white florals. Here's to trying things twice.

I keep trying Tamora in an effort to make myself enjoy it as much on my skin as I do in the imp, but it's just not working. The amber and sandalwood are lovely here, but the peach and heliotrope are just too sweet for my tastes. I think I'll try this one in my oil burner in order to savor the base notes more.

Tezcatlipoca has elements of two of my fave BPAL blends: Velvet and Sin. It's got the rich cocoa and what seems like sandalwood from Velvet, and the spiced patchouli from Sin. And then it's got the leather! Of course, it's more than the sum of its parts, and the unusual combination of notes is really good, especially on my boyfriend. On me, I get a lot of the woods on drydown when I'd rather keep some of the cocoa and patchouli. On him it remains balanced all the way through, and it is gorgeous!

Vechernyaya is my favorite of the three stars...the white musk(s) are just heavenly here, the patchouli is warm and sweet, and I'm not sure what the poppy is doing but whatever it is, I like it. Once I have this on for about an hour or so, I feel like I can smell black coconut in it as well, which only adds to its allure. I love it so much I've already ordered a bottle. It just makes me feel...starry. There is something radiant about the white musk and earthy about the patchouli, and together they're just a knockout combination. Beth, thank you!

Wow, rose + violet + mint. It's an unusual combination. Utrennyaya reminds me a little bit of Queen Gertrude. Plus mint and lots of rose. Violets get very strong and sweet very quickly on my skin, so I'm not sure I'll be keeping this one. The drydown was lovely but I'm not sure I can wait two hours until the violet settles down on my skin. There is something very starry about this though, very true to the morning star. The mint makes it a very dewy and 'fresh' star, like waking up early when it's still dark out and the air outside is cool and moist.

I've always received positive feedback (from other people's boyfriends, no less) with Sin, Blood Rose, and Dorian. My own boyfriend is less attuned to scent. He thinks everything smells like 'spicy cookies.' Even the florals.

Oberon is a sexy musky blend. I catch a bit of juniper and a bit of bergamot, but mostly I get the musk and some wood notes. The patchouli comes out more the longer I wear it, but I wish it was even more prominent. It is a little bit soapy, mostly because of the combo of the musk and bergamot, I think. It has a freshly-scrubbed masculine vibe to it, like aftershave in heaven. This would be drool-inducing on a guy. I think I will be passing my imp on to my boyfriend with a warning about not wearing it out in public.

Arkham Revisited is such a lovely floral---on me it's just like Pink Moon without the sugar sweetness. In AV I get all kinds of wood and moss bottom notes, and a bit of darkness like shade. This one disappears very quickly on my skin, so I've taken to dabbing a bit in my hair in order to make it stick around. So glad I got a last-minute bottle.

Hod on me is pure O + more amber + carnation + a little bit of ylang ylang. If this represents God's judgment, God's judgment is sexxxxy. It dries down to a very gentle honeyed second skin scent, that smells like I'm wearing a glow rather than perfume. Love it.

Amsterdam is so pretty, and another good 'gateway' BPAL blend. It's very uncomplicated, just tulips and green grass, a springtime blend all the way. I like my scents a little bit darker than this, so my one imp is all I'll need, but come springtime, I'll be putting it into rotation!

The description for The Hanging Gardens was so gorgeous, I absolutely could not resist it. I'd heard of the Hanging Gardens as one of the wonders of the world, but I had no idea that they were so incredibly engineered. Beth's take on this wonder is just an absolutely mouth-watering blend of fruits and gardenia. It's lush and decadent. I get a lot of plum and pear, and even peach, even though it's not listed. The gardenia really shows itself on the drydown, where it luminously cuts through the fruits to glow nearly phosphorescently. Another Wanderlust beauty!

Eden is another blend I bought a full bottle of unsniffed due to the incredible description. I love it, but I really have to be careful how much I put on, as it is tremendously strong, and I find it cloying to the point of nausea if I overdo it. Eden goes on green, like the fluid from the inside of dandelion stems, green and bitter and milky. The almond has that near-cherry scent that is also uppermost. But as it dries down, the coconut, fig and sandalwood blossom and are just gorgeous.

Silk Road is my favorite cinnamon blend. I bought a bottle unsniffed when it first came out, and it's become one of my essentials. On me, this is like a less-foody, dry Chimera. I get lots of intermingled spices and a hint of citrus. On drydown I feel like there's a bit of coconut, although that's probably just my nutty sense of smell playing tricks on me. It's lovely and my bottle is aging so well, it's just getting better and better. ETA: 10 years later, it's still great and the aging has only improved it. The cinnamon has mellowed and the spices are burnished. So pretty!