LiberAmoris

I love the first twenty minutes of Machu Picchu, but then it goes bananas. Literally. After twenty minutes it smells just like bananas, which is not one of my favorite notes. I'm so sad, as the outset is so fruity and tropical with a touch of ozone and is perfect for summertime.

Mmmm, sparkling grapefruit sourball! R'yleh is one of those imps I've had kicking around forever but never seem to get around to wearing. I'm not sure why because it's so refreshing and for whatever reason seems to really improve my focus and concentration when I wear it. In many ways, R'yleh reminds me of a darker, murkier Danube, which is also a favorite. This is the kind of aquatic that I absolutely adore. When I finish the imp, it's time for a bottle.

Florence was a gift from the Lab and I'm so glad, because I've been meaning to try it for a while based on the reviews. Berries, amber, and that green edge from iris bulbs....it is a little powdery, but here I think I like the powder scent as it somehow makes everything hazy and kind of sexy. I wish the berries stuck around on my skin, though. Berry notes just disappear on me. I'll be trying Florence again in the hopes that I can convince the berries to stay.

Cairo is all lemony honeyed golden resins on me, and is so much better than I thought it would be! It does start off candy sweet, but the drydown is almost second-skin on me, very earthy and sexy and natural. I'm going to try this in my oil burner as well. I'd love to smell this around me in the air!

I think there's an existing thread for this topic here. And I second ephemera. Although it does sound possible from your description that the imps were mislabeled, the best person to ask is the person you received them from.

I can't believe I never reviewed this! Count me in as one of those 'boomerang' Snake Oil reviewers. Meaning, I tried it, it reminded me of the perfume Emeraude which I used to douse myself in as a teen, I 'flung' it away from me...and it came back and hit me upside the head. After much time and many, many other scents in between, I have definitely arrived in a place where I not only enjoy Snake Oil, but feel like I need to have a bottle in my possession. The waft from Snake Oil is just divine, I get compliments on it every time I wear it out, it makes a terrific blender, and it is Classic BPAL that carries lots of nostalgia for that very first Lab box I ever got in the mail. And aged Snake Oil kicks all kinds of ass. My imp that's at least 14-15 months old is only getting better.

Every time I wear Aglaea, I wish there was more amber. I love amber and Aglaea's peach just drowns out every other note on my skin. I've been steadily working on my imp in the hopes that maybe I'll hit on a day where the ambers gloriously assert themselves, but so far it's all peach.

Prague is like early spring flowers under frost near a juniper grove. So pretty, and it's been perfect for warm days when I want a chilly floral at my wrists. This is one that I'm going to consider buying a bottle of in the winter to have by the spring. It bears a resemblance to both Flower Moon and Beltane but has a certain frostiness to it that I really enjoy.

Yum! Elegba is Perversion and Grog in a blender, served up beachside. It's a lot foodier than I thought it would be (although how dumb is that of me, because the description says rum and coconut!) and has a slight butter note that makes it even more drool-worthy. This is a definite contender for a big bottle. How great would this be in the winter time?! It smells just like a beach vacation. Delicious.

I wish I got more amber from Blood Amber, but on me it's mostly Dragon's Blood. I enjoy the DB here but I wish it was a little more complex. It's so faint that about an hour after application it's nearly gone. Blood Amber's like a blush on a cheek---a quick flush of warmth and then it quickly recedes.

I'll preface this review by stating that I've already purchased a 5ml of this based on how much I love the imp's worth I have. Peitho is a gorgeous blend of jasmine, vanilla, musk, and sandalwood. The lily does not overpower here and the clove gives it a little roughing up around the edges. It's a creamy, dreamy floral. I just Peitho!

Wow, Skuld was not at the top of my list because ylang ylang is my mortal enemy. But I got this one as a freebie and thought I would give it a proper try. And it's wonderful! The ylang ylang only lasts a minute or so on my skin and then it's all honey and musks. It's definitely in the same vein as O and La Petite Mort, and has the same raw, sexual edge to it. But Skuld is sweeter and is more about the honey than the 'honey', if you know what I mean. I will definitely be using up the imp and after my Honey Moon is gone, this might be my honey blend of choice.

Cider with honey and bay. Delphi just does not develop well on my skin. I think this could be a great autumn scent on the right person, as it is slightly reminiscent of bonfires, but on me it smells sort of like sweet potatoes.

Oh, if only Endymion's pear note had lasted on me! I adored the first ten minutes of this on my skin, as the pear was so yummy. Then it went straight to rose-musk, which is not a horrible thing by any stretch, just not as lovely as when the pear was participating. There is something about the florals that reminds me a bit of grey moonlight but the pear added a glittering golden note that I miss.

Dove's Heart was a freebie from the Lab that I initially thought I did not need. I've been in a relationship for the past six years with the same guy---any heartbreak I have had is far in my past. But the Labbies always know best, don't they? Because in thinking about the purpose of this oil, I realized that loves from my past (and the heartbreak that came with them) were still very much a part of my life even though I didn't think about them on a daily basis. And then I thought about the family and friends that I have lost as well. Dove's Heart is mostly lavender on me with what smells like vanilla or tonka and perhaps light rose. It's very delicate and calming. It makes me sleepy and there is nothing better for heartbreak than sleep! It is a very gentle blend. It's the equivalent of someone stroking my hair and telling me to sleep, sleep, tomorrow it will not hurt as much.

Eidolon, sadly now discontinued, had that blown-out candle note to me. Perhaps you could track down an imp or a bottle through swaps, though. I would offer mine, but it was long since used up, as I also enjoy the candle smell. I second (or third?) Gypsy Queen, as a blend that is currently available. And this is probably just me, but I think The Caterpillar also has that smell (among many other notes), although not quite as strong as in Gypsy Queen.

I second Quietude. It's mostly lavender on me and is so gorgeously understated. I also want to add Sophia. I love this blend, it's just radiant. The Lab's description: The Gnostic goddess of Wisdom. A solemn, deeply profound draught of lavender, soft musks, star jasmine, black rose, delphinium, and gentle spice. I think it really showcases the power of lavender to bring a dusky scrim down in front of notes that might otherwise be overpowering on their own.

BPAL has many lovely jewel-toned blends. It's totally subjective, of course, but here would be some of my picks. I'm sure if I were to compile another list tomorrow it would be different! Rubies: Bordello, Lady Macbeth, Dragon's Blood Blue Sapphires: The Moon Emeralds: Mistletoe Amethyst: Hanging Gardens, Queen of Spades, Bathsheba, Urd

Santa Eularia Des Riu is very reminiscent of holidays to me, beaches and sunshine and cocktails and flowers tucked behind ears. It starts out as mostly lavender and orange blossom, with a milky green note that orange blossom always has when first applied to my skin. Ten minutes later it's predominantly jasmine and mellow lavender, with the citrus working to take the edge off the sweet florals. I enjoy jasmine in most blends, and this one reminded me a lot of both Sophia and Twilight, with an orange blossom twist. I think this would make a fairly nice sleeping blend because the lavender is so relaxing.

Like a honeymoon in Hawaii! Honey usually does pretty well by me, but this is just outstanding. The white flowers and ginger really draw out the honey note and give it a somewhat earthy feel. If you've ever had Really Raw Honey, you have a sense of what Honey Moon smells like. It's like a bee's wet dream.

Love, love, love Midway. Right out of the bottle and on my skin it smells exactly like...chalk. But 5 minutes later it is the most rapturously delicious blend ever. For some reason it just needs a few minutes to develop...not sure why, it's the first BPAL blend to do this on my skin. I've hooked at least three people on BPAL in the last month on the power of Midway alone. It's THE gateway blend! I have 2.5 bottles and I'm actually wondering if I might need one or two more...

Pine, patchouli, cinnamon, cedar, leather...how could Geek go wrong? This is a great blend: earthy, foresty, urbane, and adventurous. On me, the cedar comes out a little too prominently and kind of crushes the other notes, but on Mr. LiberAmoris it is gorgeous, and oh so effective.

Orange Pez and fruit punch! Kunstkammer is lighthearted, candy-sweet, sunshiney orange-sherberty goodness in a bottle! This is one that I will be pulling out mid-January to help get me through the long dark winter days.

Medicine Show is really calming and centering, and it's one of the biggest surprises from the CN series for me. It does smell very medicinal in the bottle, but once on my skin it just blooms. The tobacco comes forward and makes everything slightly smoky and hazy. Then the rosewood and ginger step up and sweeten the tobacco. The balsam only lasts about ten minutes on my skin before it burns off. In the end Medicine Show is a very comforting herbal, yet the tobacco gives it edge. I don't think I need more than one bottle of this, but I'll definitely enjoy what I've got. ETA: To second what quikslvr said above, people who enjoy the tobacco note in Perversion might want to give Medicine Show a go. On me it's an herbal Perversion (!), with no coconut, of course.

Love in the Asylum is all incensy rose on me (must be the mix of rose and tobacco leaf) with the tonka and carnation just underneath. I love rose blends, and Beth does such amazing things with them, but I think that some of the supporting notes are clashing with each other on my skin. Something about the blend reminds me of a mix of the Queen of Clubs and The Empress. I'm going to give this one a couple more tries. It's very pretty and I really want it to work!