kerikeri

This was a nice free surprise from a fellow forum member It's a very sharp ginger on me. I'm not getting gingerbread cookies from it so much as really strong ginger ale, because there's no buttery or cakey note at all here. I'm getting a little cinnamon on the drydown, and something dark and smoky underneath. Shub is an interesting twist on my usual foody scents, and I think I'll really enjoy wearing it in the fall.

On first application, it's a strong, creamy almond, but it dries down to a very light, subtle scent, just a touch of mingled almond, spice and amber. Mostly the amber's in the forefront once it dries, so it's not very foody overall, but now and then the almond peeks out. I like it, but I don't think I love it. It's very faint, so much that mostly I can't even tell I'm wearing it, and I like my scents with a bit of throw. And I'd rather have more almond and less amber, like it was on initial application. I'll still use up my imp, though. Edit: I wore this to class one day on a whim and it completely changed my mind-- now Bastet is one of my absolute favorites and I definitely plan to get a bottle. All day I was surrounded by the most wonderful cloud of warm, sweet, golden scent. It's equal parts alluring and comforting, and just completely gorgeous. Definitely in my top 5.

If there was ever a blend that proves you have to look past first impressions, give the scent time to develop and trust Beth's expertise, this is it. In the imp: augh, something dark, pungent and medicinal. It's probably vetiver. I've never tried a blend with vetiver before. So far I'm not a fan. Wet: ewww. Me and vetiver are definitely not going to be friends. It's sharp and acrid and combines with the cherry to make me smell like a cough drop. (At this point I assumed this blend was a failure, but since it wasn't actively making me sick I didn't wash it off, and went about my business.) Dry, after about half an hour: Something smells like honey. I sniff my arm to check and yeah, it's this. The mustiness of the vetiver burned away completely and now it's a rich, delicious honey-spice-cherry. I smell like one of those flavored honey sticks they sell at tourist shops, and that's a good thing. I'm glad I gave this blend a chance! Though I won't wear it unless I have some time to let it get through the nasty stage before I have to be around anyone.

In the imp: sharp and green, almost piney. Definitely forest-esque. Wet: Very, very green. Like sticking my face in a fern. Dry: The green-ness is gone, and now it's... pretty much Bordello. Slightly sharper and less creamy/vanilla than Bordello, with the green tea replacing the amaretto, but I swear it's the same berry note. I thought my nose was off or my skin chemistry was doing something really odd, because they don't seem to directly share any notes, but I see that others have made the comparison so now I know I'm not crazy. Verdict: ...um, well, Bordello is my number one favorite BPAL scent, but since I already own a bottle of it, I'm not sure I need something that smells so similar. I was hoping for a more forest-y scent, more balanced between berries and greenery, but apparently my skin wants to grab hold of the berry and toss out everything else. Oh well.

In the imp, this is sweet, candied violets. On, it's a faint, slightly soapy violet-clove scent-- if I'm getting any tonka or incense, they're staying well in the background. I bought this one because it shares several notes with Lush's Skinny Dip, which I adore. I was hoping for something that smelled like Skinny Dip with more throw and lasting power. Unfortunately, this is the former but not the latter-- it wears very close to the skin, and with that clean, soapy feel, it's really no different from the faint lingering scent you get from washing with a scented soap. This might be a good candidate for making into a perfume spray, though; it'd be a subtle, refreshing scent to spritz all over.

A sultry, exotic scent that inspires devious plotting and clandestine affairs. It is a scent painted in artifice, veiled in deceit, and slithering with whispered secrets. Black palm, with cocoa, fig and shadowy wooded notes. I can't usually wear anything with too much wood in it, because most of the time I amp wood to headache-inducing proportions. But I've discovered that fig is great on me, and here it sweetens the wood and makes it behave. If the cocoa's making an appearance, it's very subtle-- I'm not getting anything that screams chocolate, and it's not a foody scent at all. I second the comparison to Eden above-- this is Eden after dark, shadowy and mysterious but with that same lush fig note. It's a good gender-neutral scent, a little masculine but not to the point where I walk around all day looking for the guy wearing the great cologne before realizing it's me.

In the imp: Hmm... spicy and fizzy. Wet: Two words-- Dr. Pepper. Everyone else in the thread is saying cola, but I'm getting its spicier, more cherry-tinged cousin here. I had a Dr. Pepper-flavored lip gloss when I was little and it smelled exactly like this. Dry: ...spice potpourri? Odd, because there's no cinnamon or clove listed in this-- nevertheless, it's started to smell like a craft store around Christmas. There's maybe a little hint remaining of the cherry and whatever that "carbonation" note is, but otherwise, yeah, spice potpourri. This one confuses me... with all those notes I expected it to be a lot more complex, but somehow that whole interesting combination boiled down to plain old boring cinnamon on my skin. It's still kind of pleasant, but I don't think I'd spring for more, especially since it's a limited edition.

This is a great thread. So nerdy! Mrs. Norris made me think of Brown Jenkin, what with the whole creepy scurrying familiar-like animal association: A small, furry, sharp-toothed scent that will nuzzle you curiously in the black hours before dawn: dusty white sandalwood and orris root, dry coconut husk, creeping musk, and the residue of ceremonial incense. Anything for Tonks? I haven't seen her mentioned (unless I missed it) and she's one of my favorites... She'd need a cheery, ever-morphing scent, I think.

Oh wow. This is weird. I like it. In the bottle: Sweet banana and something sharp I can't quite define. Wet: The most delicious banana custard ever. I don't get a pie crust note-- it's just rich, creamy banana and vanilla. No sign at all of the blood or grease yet, nothing but sheer dessert heaven. I am seriously considering chewing on my hand. Dry: Oh, there's the weird stuff. Still delicious, but now there's a dark metallic note lurking beneath. I don't quite smell it as much as I feel it at the back of my throat when I sniff, if that makes any sense. It's odd, but not unpleasant at all-- it just makes this an absolutely unique blend. I adore this-- it definitely captures the goofy, campy, bloody feel of films like my beloved Evil Dead series, but is somehow wearable beyond what you'd expect from a "novelty" blend. I might have to seriously think about a bottle.

Very, very sweet-- my initial reaction was that if somebody dumped strawberry syrup all over a bed of flower petals, it'd probably smell like this. Dry, it's less syrupy and more powdery, but still just this side of sickly-sweet. I don't get any vanilla or black cherry, just straight-up strawberry amber. Something about it reminds me of champagne, but that may just be a psychological association with the strawberry. I don't love it, but it's nice enough, and has really great throw. It's getting a lot of use right now because it's one of the only blends I own that's light enough for summer. Edit: Ooh, I always forget that this one actually gets much nicer after a few hours. It loses its initial sharp, cloying tendencies and becomes more subdued and creamy-- I think I may actually be getting a little of the vanilla now. There are still a lot of other scents I prefer, but this last stage is almost good enough to merit a full bottle purchase.

This was very generously frimped to me. It's definitely a gorgeous beach/seaside scent-- it smells like sun, sand, salty air, and ship's wood. It's not exactly my usual style, and the wood makes it feel a little masculine, but it's probably the best mood-evoking Lab scent I've tried so far. I agree with the above commenters that it's a very comfortable, natural scent. I'll save it for warm summer days spent outdoors.

Wet: Shaaaarp. Very sharp and medicinal. My housemate said it smells like Sea Breeze astringent. Dry: Almost completely gone. If I put my nose right up to my arm I get a faint whiff of dry, singed wood. I'm not familiar with any of these notes, so I can't pick them out, but this was pretty strange on me. It was a frimp, and probably not one I would've chosen for myself. The drydown scent is sort of pleasantly reminiscent of a wood shop, but that's not really something I want to smell like.

In the bottle: This smells exactly like Starbucks gingerbread latte truffles taste. I know there's no coffee in it, but the bittersweet dark chocolate scent reminds me of mocha. Wet: Still all chocolate, clove and cardamom, rich and spicy. Dry: A sharp herbal note comes in on the drydown, making the blend more complex and mysterious. The chocolate is much less pronounced, reduced to a sweet warm drizzle on top of the herbs and spices. I like this a lot! It's not like anything else I have, or have ever tried before. The only drawback is that it doesn't last long on me at all... I think my skin eats clove, because I had the same problem with fresh Port-Au-Prince. Good thing I've got a bottle so I can slather/reapply

...ouch. The first time I tried this one, it went on rich and alcoholic but almost immediately faded into a very dry spice that disappeared completely within the hour. But since I normally like booze and spice notes, I thought I'd try it again to see if a year's aging improved it any. This time? Instant soap. Slightly spicy soap, maybe, but still soap. And then my skin started to turn red and irritated on the spot where I'd applied it most heavily. I had to go wash it off. Looks like I should give up on this one.

This one has definitely grown on me. At first I was disappointed because although it's very sweet and foody when wet, the sandalwood pushes to the front on the drydown-- still warm and sweet, but no longer quite so edible. After wearing it a few times, though, I've come to appreciate it. It's a very comforting blend, without being too rich for warm weather.

This was a frimp, and I might never have tried it otherwise because I avoid floral notes, but I liked it a lot more than I expected. It's very soft, sweet and feminine, predominately a creamy, warm blend of amber and vanilla on me. I usually prefer scents with a little more of an edge or twist to them, but I suppose for days when I want to feel young and innocent this would be good.

Wet, this is precisely the scent of pineapple upside-down cake straight out of the oven-- moist, gooey yellow cake covered in caramelized pineapples and cherries. As it dries, the pineapple and cherry stay strong and the cake note morphs into something a bit more powdery and dry but still sweet, like the soft dough of my grandmother's Christmas fig cookies. Just delicious. Couldn't ask for a better gourmand scent.

This is a complex, pretty, feminine blend. Despite the name and description, I don't really get much of a marine feel from it, though. And I expected it to be more foody, with the coconut and hazelnut, but on me it's mostly floral musk with just a little added richness and warmth from the 'nut notes. This is bordering on too traditionally perfumey for me-- I think the coconut and hazelnut saves it from old-lady-land, though. Sometimes the throw goes a little plastic on my skin, and starts reminding me in an odd-but-not-necessarily-bad way of... baby wipes? So I'm not rushing to buy a bottle, but I'll wear and enjoy it occasionally.

Bleh... this is the first and only BPAL blend I've tried that I strongly disliked. I don't normally like florals, but the background notes on this one sounded so awesome that I had to try it. Unfortunately, when it goes on all I get is roses and a sharp, sour note unpleasantly reminiscent of dirty socks. Thankfully it stops smelling like a locker room after a few minutes, but I'm left with nothing but a bland floral. I never get any of those tasty background notes that could've made this complex and interesting. After reading other reviews, I'm thinking it's probably the jasmine that's not playing nice here. Sigh.

This is the scent that dragged me kicking and screaming into BPAL-land-- books and coffee are my two absolute favorite things in life, and I'm a Lovecraft devotee, so this sounded like it was tailor-made for me. Unfortunately, as much as I do love it, I have to admit it doesn't work quite as well on me as I'd hoped. Wet, it's perfect-- all sweet, creamy Irish coffee. Once it dries, though, if I've used too much, my skin amps the wood note to headache-inducing proportions and I smell like somebody's dusty attic. I've had to stick to using this sparingly on my skin, or putting it in my hair, where it works much better. I don't think wood and I get along very well.

I didn't expect to love this one, but I do. On me it's mostly sweet and warm, the tonka and chardonnay in the forefront, with the leather and tobacco in the background giving it a nice edgy bite. I don't get "perverted" from this so much as sexy, slinky and sparkling-- it's a great night-out scent, or for anytime I need to feel confident and in control. Great throw and lasts for ages, too-- I put it on in the morning yesterday and it was still going strong around 8 pm. My full bottle's on its way.