LiberAmoris

Scherezade was like a BPAL Greatest Hits album for me. At first, there was a flash of cinnamon and amber that was similar to my beloved Sin. Spellbound came next, as my skin was suffused with the glow of roses. Then it morphed into O for a few delightful minutes. Finally it seemed to lean into the spicy loveliness of Old Morocco. I loved every phase of Scherezade! Clearly, like its namesake, it has many stories to tell.

One of things I love about BPAL is how different the oils can be even when they contain similar notes. Mabon and Harvest Moon share apple, sage, wine and ivy. Yet they are completely different autumnal experiences. Mabon for me is a delicious herby apple cider enjoyed by a fire built with sage and sweetwoods. To me, it's more foody than Harvest Moon, but it's such a complicated blend that it really outgrows that category as it dries and the myrrh and ivy play on the surface. This is my favorite of the two autumn limited editions so far. I'll be using this one as the temperature dips at night and I pull out my sweaters and jackets.

Harvest Moon smells to me like late summer/early autumn and again I'm reminded of the artisinal quality of BPAL's blends, as this certainly fell under the category of 'experiences in a bottle' rather than simply 'personal fragrance'. The apple, sage, and ivy were most prominent on me at first, but they mellowed into a bouquet of fall florals and what reminded me of pumpkin---not the fruit but the leaf. The image that kept coming back was a cornucopia overflowing with the season's bountiful vegetables and flowers. The wine note is lovely, like the aftertaste from a fantastic red. This is Bacchus and his wreath, an All-Hallown Summer, and the last embers of a bonfire all in one bottle. I'm reminded of these lines from one of my favorite Keats poems "Ode to Autumn": Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store? Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find Thee sitting careless on a granary floor, Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind; Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep, Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook Spares the next swath and all its twinèd flowers: And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep Steady thy laden head across a brook; Or by a cyder-press, with patient look, Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

When I tore into my latest BPAL box, my little imp of Sudha Segara kept beckoning to me. In many ways it's the antithesis of my favorite BPAL oils which tend to be dark and incensey---and Sudha Segara is definitely light and creamy, with rays of ginger, peachflower, coconut milk, honey, and a herbal viridescence that's almost reminscent of dandelions. Like dandelion seeds, this oil drifts in the air and on my skin with an airy sweetness and serenity. It's gorgeous. This smells like peace to me. Like rest after suffering. Sudha Segara knows much and says nothing.

Calliope started off for me as a blast of mint with the astringent, herby scent of lavender. As it dried, the verbena and bergamot added a citrus note and I thought I could smell lotus (although in retrospect it was probably just the almond). I think this would make a good clarifying/morning scent because it's very fresh and invigorating due to the citrus/mint combo. Like Nine Mysteries, I would use Calliope when I needed to clear my mind in order to look at something anew. On a side note, the drydown reminded me of those special erasers I got when I was a kid---the kind that came in little shapes and colors with a print of an image on the top. They didn't erase very well, but they smelled so good!

Queen of Spades is regal, commanding, dark, and exotic. On my skin, I detect dark berries, woodsmoke and mahogany, the myrhh, and the flurry of sweet florals. I also can smell cloves, as mentioned by an earlier reviewer. This is a thick and heady scent, and a little bit goes a long way. I put on a couple of drops four hours ago and my skin is still amplifying it like incense. It’s reminiscent to me of The Red Queen in that it is also a blend of berries and woods. But whereas The Red Queen is strictly a room scent for me, Queen of Spades is very wearable, very sexy. It makes a great autumn scent and will be one of the ones I turn to now that the temperature is dropping at night and I’m starting to pull out my sweaters. This is how I want my winter jacket to smell.

Obeah was for me a lesson in waiting for the drydown. When first applied, I also got Eau de Cleaning Solution. The citrus (it does smell like verbena) and combination of cedarwood and patchouli is a bit heady. But within a few minutes it had dried down to a gorgeous citrussy-woody-green scent with a dusty edge. It reminded me a lot of Namaste, and I can see it being quite calming (voodoo properties aside) and centering. I'm really glad I waited it out and caught the mellow drydown.

Wow…Old Venice is juicy bursting florals on me. Probably the first BPAL oil I’ve tried so far that my mother and I would love equally. It’s very elegant and wearable, but it has a kick to it that makes it far superior to a more traditional composition of the same notes. The red currant, lemon, and violet plum add a fruity lusciousness to the florals in much the same way that Perspehone’s rose is augmented by the pomegranate. The result is a cascade of flowers (wisteria, rose, jasmine, and violet) drizzled with the tart and mouth-watering fruit juices. I wore it to work last week and was amazed at the power of this oil to lift my spirits. There’s something effervescent and bright about it that makes me feel like I’m applying color to myself, as well as scent. Every time I think I’m not a flowery grrrrl, I’m going to pull out my imp of Old Venice…

Queen Gertrude reminds me of the Ice Queen for some reason, although I'm not sure why. The florals should evoke summer, but there is something distant and clean about this fragrance that seems like purple flowers strewn over snow. Perhaps it is the 'regal iciness of delphinium" per the BPAL definition. Violets amplify themselves on my skin every time, and always strike me as being too dense and sweet in the air. But this is a lovely blend, and I think I might try adding it to a carrier for a diluted body oil.

Mmmmmm.....Follow Me Boy smells like lemon poundcake and jasmine! I did ask my BF for a read on the scent and he said "Nice." Not quite the reaction I was hoping for. But the night is still young. It does make me feel sexy, though!

Hollywood Babylon is what I really wanted Bon Vivant to be. I love the smell of strawberries, but BV was far too sweet for me and actually made me a little ill. With Hollywood Babylon, the sweetness is kept in check by the amber and musk, which deepen and balance the blend. It smells just like a strawberry incense I used to burn in college. True to the name, there is a streak of darkness running through this one. I was reminded of Lynch's film Mulholland Drive.

Another blend aptly named. Moon Rose is so delicate, it clearly evokes the soft grey light of the moon falling on a serene and motionless garden. As at night, when flowers close, the rose is also muted here in the most delightful way. A cool, pale white haze settles over it for me, blurring it until it’s met with an almost marine note. It’s noctural and lovely. Like radiating a dusky white light. I love BPAL’s rose blends and this is no exception. It’s so gentle and calming that I find I want to wear it to bed at night.

It's funny that you ask, because I was just wearing Jezebel the other day and thought it bore a certain resemblance to Monyette Paris. Jezebel blended with single-note Gardenia might even bring it closer. Or perhaps single-note Honey and Gardenia with a touch of Vanilla?

Like the goddess, Kali goes on fierce, with many well-blended notes throbbing for attention—and then it suddenly softens and turns into a tempered floral that seems to rise off the skin. I was reminded of Kali’s four arms: one which holds aloft a bloody sword, one that grips a severed head, one bent in posture of fearlessness, and the last which proffers a warm and welcoming motherly grace. On my skin, the oil goes through much the same cycle. It is first a warrior and destroyer of ignorance with the flood of scents that appear after application. Most prominent to me at this stage was the cassia, lotus, chocolate, balsam, and honey (in that order). Then it shifts and becomes a hazy glowing scent that seems to envelop me with its protection and favor. At this stage I smell the honey, chocolate, rose, and cassis most strongly. Kali has garnered compliments from unexpected quarters: a total stranger on the train, my boyfriend (who usually thinks that everything I wear smells like a ‘spicy cookie’ WTF?!), and a scent-oblivious ex-coworker who has been known to drink milk way past the expiry date. Not sure about the last one, perhaps that should cancel out one of the other compliments? Regardless, Kali is beautiful. I’ve already ordered a bottle so I can go through the destruction/creation cycle at my leisure.

O is truly what others have said: grippingly sweet with an undercurrent of sexual venom. It’s fantastic for days when I want a scent that’s not too complex or overpowering. Wearing O is like donning something luminous and powerfully attractant. But it’s also one of my favorite BPAL blenders. It lends warmth and kind of ambered glow to almost everything I layer it with.

Sin has officially rocketed into my top ten. There’s not one element in it that I don’t love: sandalwood, patchouli, amber, cinnamon, yum! It reminds me of Nag Champa and homemade root beer---and for those Lush fans in the house, there’s something about Sin that is reminiscent of Karma (perhaps the sweetened patchouli?). Whatever it is, it’s delectable. This one hangs onto my skin until I wash it off. It’s one of the longest-lasting BPAL oils I’ve tried. And it is awesome layered with O. Sin is In!

I was so delighted when I put Bruja on for the first time this morning, because it has that sexy BPAL amber base that I love. Dry, it smells like Haunted or Snake Oil with lilac instead of lemon or honey. And it shares the same dusting of spices I find so tasty in Sin. It’s delightful. In short, if you like Snake Oil, Haunted, and Sin---and you like lilac---Bruja might be for you.

When first applied, this one has a whoosh of mint and what I think is lotus, as it's almost melony. There's a touch of something slightly medicinal and a twist of dill which usually means there's some rose in the blend (sometimes my skin turns rose into a pickle). Once it dries, the mint evaporates and I get an herby rose, like a rose bush growing in the center of an herb (dill and mint) garden. It's better than it sounds. The herbs keep the rose from being too sweet or simple. As for its voodoo capabilities, I have felt a 'youthful sense of fun today. ' But more than that, I've felt very 'solid,' with people coming to me for reassurance or compassion which I then find I have more than ample resources to give. So I think there might be something to it.

Old Morocco has turned out to be one of the blends I go to when I want comforting, along with Velvet and Bordello. It is sexy in a bedroom eyes sort of way. But it’s also tremendously mellow. There’s nothing sharp or jarring about it and the golden spices simmer on the skin but don’t demand overt attention. I put it on at night when I get home from work and the most amazing blend of buttery carnation and what smells like hazelnut/vanilla lulls me into a relaxed state, usually against my will. I love it.

This is a sprightly blend that uses oakmoss really nicely. Oakmoss seems to usually be used as a base anchor note, but here it’s given equal time with the peach and it adds a downy green note that can be appreciated in itself. On my skin, the peach blossoms and unfurls over the oakmoss and musk, leaving me with the overall impression of a clean, springtime breeze. It also smells to me like the inside of a branch when it’s twisted and the green moist marrow is exposed and wrung of its scent. It’s very fae and very light, although it lasts and lasts on my skin. So far, it’s one of my favorite BPAL fruity florals.

Jezebel smells to me like O with flowers. The base is that same warm ambered honey I like in O, but Jezebel adds the rose and orange blossom. And what a difference it makes. To me, this is absolutely heavenly. It smells like nectar. And unlike O, this one sticks around on my skin. The honey note was most predominant on my skin, with orange blossom, sandalwood and rose following in that order. It was a little powdery but it didn’t distract from the beauty of the scent. Overall, it’s very polished and feminine, and would be just as appropriate for a hot date as it would be for a business meeting. It’s truly lovely. ETA: I'll definitely use up the imp and consider getting a bottle!

Brimstone in the vial smells incendiary, like liquid smoke. It’s dark and pungently sharp and undeniably powerful. It’s like the air from the Underworld. I’ve been waiting for the right mood to carry off this oil, but then I realized that might not happen anytime soon. So this morning I decided to be brave and apply it to my skin. When I dragged the applicator across my wrist it was as if I had drawn the olfactory equivalent of a searing trail of sulphurous fire across myself. I smelled coals and smoldering ashes. There’s grit to it too, like basalt or some other kind of volcanic rock. For the first hour it chuffed off a grey haze of smoke. Then, suddenly, it mellowed a little and I was able to detect notes beneath the smoke. It was like inhaling a carboniferous cloud from an outdoor fire and smelling what went into the fire—what the fire was built with. There were some wood notes and something that almost registered as sweetness, something tangy like sap. So far the scent has lasted 6+ hours and it’s still going strong. At one point today I thought I smelled a BBQ, and then I realized it was me. My boyfriend said it reminded him of Iceland’s Mount Hekla. All in all, this is not an oil I’d wear again, but it’s amazing all the same. It’s like being cast into the fabled lake of fire and brimstone—disturbing and unsettling in the best possible way. I’m so glad I had an opportunity to try it.

Like Perversion, Hamadryad, and Kali, this blend was one that literally made me utter out loud: I have never smelled anything like this before. For no other reason, I feel so lucky to have sampled The Red Queen, because it is a testament to the quality of BPAL oils and Beth’s innovative formulation. The Red Queen is truly bright red berries and fresh hewn mahogany. It reminds me of a nice mahogany chess set on a table under a window pooled with sunlight, next to a glass of dark red wine. It’s an extremely evocative scent. On my skin, the smallest dab from the imp sent the odor throbbing through the room, and it was gorgeous. But in the end, I think I’ll enjoy it best as a room scent, as it carries so nicely on the air.

Like Hunger, this one was almost overwhelming sweet on me (must be the orange blossom). Like another reviewer, I smelled Sweet Tarts, or more specifically, a powdery sweet tart-type lollipop I used to get after swim lessons when I was a kid. Also, I smell ylang ylang for some reason, though it must be the patchouli. Regardless, I think I’ve decided that blends with orange blossom are too strong on my skin. I will keep the imp, though, simply because this is the first BPAL blend to evoke childhood memories for me (I thought it would never happen!).

Today I took a bath with some Karma stuff, then dusted off with the Karma powder and applied Seraglio. Mmmmmmm....they are so good together. They aren't so much a direct match as they are complimentary. Karma provides the great base of patchouli and orange and Seraglio adds a polish of rose and spices. I highly recommend it!