Naomi Kelsey

An unusual, fresh scent. I have a few other "ozonic" scents and this is different. I can make out the dandelion and grass, but it has a wet, bright scent that other "grass and hay" scents do not. I can't smell marble or metal but I know that they're in there. Glad I got it--a light, fresh, delightful scent with no off notes. 4.5 out of 5.

Moonlight over grave grass, meadowsweet, marsh hellebore, rock sea-lavender, Irish Lady's-tresses, melancholy thistle, and wood bitter-vetch, with the scent of autumn fires in the distance, sprayed by wind howling over the Atlantic. Lovely. Light florals with a touch of aquatics at first application. Dries down to a slight dirt/woody scent but keeps just a touch of the florals in the background. There's a definite "misty" feeling to this. Will be delightful with a snuggly sweater in the depth of winter when you need a pick me up and something springlike and floral but not tropical.

Initially this has a distinct "Christmas Potpourri" scent on me--a mix of slightly creamy vanilla with cinnamon overtones. Fortunately it dries down to a delightful mix of ever so slightly fruity spice with a hint of cream. The description of honey with dusty spice and roundness from apricot is dead on. 5 out of 5. Would wear several days a week if I didn't have so many to choose from!

I agree with most posts that say it's a single, albeit complex, note fragrance. On me it's warm, floral, and "golden", with a bit of a fuzzy amber/powdery dry down. Bright and floral without being too sweet, which I like, or too heady. There is a bit of spice to it, as others have noted, and just a hint of vanilla or amber. Overall, a 3.5 out of 5. A solid fragrance that performs well, but not something I'm in awe of.

This is a lovely, light scent. Green, light grasses with a hint of florals up top, similar to Pa-Pow, which is a favorite of mine. The dry down is similar--a clean, herbal woody scent. The Hay Absolute is a slightly dusty, dried grassy smell with a hint of lemon. Kind of like Jean Nate body wash, only a bit creamier. 4 out of 5. Not blowing me away with how amazing it is, but highly wearable, lovely, and what I've come to expect from The Lab.

One of the deadliest mushrooms to ever pop through Gaia’s soil. Papery white notes evoke the grace of this fungi, grounded by thin, crisp soil. This is one of the few fragrances that I just don't like. It's too sharp and bitter and very "in your face white floral from a department store" for me. It smells like a potted lily--there is a slight dirt fragrance but it is totally overpowered by the white florals. It reminds me of grandma's guest room soap. A bit of a letdown, but it was a frimp, so no great loss

At first application, it's a slightly sappy maple leaf scent. Very green, as others have noted. It doesn't have the complexity of some other scents, but it is perfect for its description: maple leaves slowly turning gold and falling. The amber is lovely--reminds me of the copal top note in El Dorado. It dries down to a "book amber" type scent--hard to describe, but a slightly papery or dusty amber that smells like a lovely cedar chest (without the mothball bite some chests have). I don't know how she did it, but it is very evocative and reminds me of the red maple tress in my childhood front yard--piles of leaves with the slight smell of burning leaves in the background and the crisp air of fall all around. Delightful. Perfect for fall. 4 out of 5.

I love this scent. The warmth of the chestnut gives it a slightly foody feel, as others have noticed. The rice and and chestnut blend lends this a very sophisticated perfume note. Another of the lab's more "commercial" fragrances, but I love it nonetheless. Powdery, soft, warm, slightly nutty with a hint of floral. Kind of like the most expensive guest soap in the world...in a good way.

This is a powerful scent (on me). I get the jasmine that others mentioned, as well as a strongly medicinal amber/patchouli mix and a bit of sandal wood or ylang-ylang in it--that sharp, woody, almost citrus bite. It's not bad, but just not as subtle as I'd like, based on the description. Heady.

The first scent I've gotten a compliment on (from a stranger!). She asked "is that essential oils you're wearing?" In the bottle: a fresh, slightly green, slightly bitter scent with a sweet edge. On skin initially: oh dear, it smells like A&D ointment (must be the Epazote). It varies wildly between A&D ointment and aloe type scent, finally drying down to a soft, greenish gold amber scent with a sweet edge. Complete dry down: soft, pear scented amber with a slight cottony smell. Just lovely. That A&D period can be offputting but once it passes through that stage, it's just lovely.

There is a slight "fondant" scent to this, but I'm not getting as much sweetness as others are in the thread--my body tends to amp any amber/powder/honey notes so that almost all scents have a sweetly powdery drydown. This is a delightful scent. It's one of the more "commercial" scents that I've worn by BPAL (others include Pa Pow and Peony Moon) with a warmth and sweetness to it with no spiky edges or odd notes. For me, the pink pepper and carnation notes perfectly balance the sugary notes. Great for summer. Love it!

This is (thankfully) not a sweet as I thought it might be. There's a very dark, caramel-ish smell to it, but it's lighter and more layered than Calaveras. It does strongly resemble Calaveras, however. A rich, brown sugar smell with a tinge of "burnt" to it. Not a super complex scent over all, dries down to a slightly spicy brown sugar. Warning: a little goes a long way with this one! Tons of throw--doesn't last forever, as other caramel/sugar scents are wont to do, but it's POTENT. Overall: a strong 3.5. Might use it to layer with Dia de los Muertos, which I find a bit too bitter right now.

I get two very strong notes here: bergamot, and ginger/pepper. It's got a lemon-peel brightness to it that I like. There's a slightly cottony/warm buttery note to it (I assume that cactus flower/tobacco). Dry down is lemon curd, as others have pointed out, with a slightly sweet amber/powder note (that almost all BPAL fragrances dry down to on me).

I think "balsam" (or perhaps saffron?) might be a "death note" for me. This seems so amazing in the imp, but on my skin it's straight up mothballs. Rare is the BPAL fragrance that I rush to wash off but this just didn't like me. So sad! My skin tends to amp pine/mint and wood (weird, since I'm not one of those naturally fresh smelling people, I tend to smell warm and musky in my natural state, go fig!) so that might be the issue here. Very disappointed, but the blend itself is not the issue. So, warning, if you amp wood or if saffron/balsam is your death note, beware!

Unexpectedly lovely! It's slightly similar to Cthulu and Olokun--a softly ozonic aquatic feel. I can smell the date palm here very clearly-- a rich, nutty, creamy scent with a hint of green around the edges. Dries down in about 2 hours to a rich cream. Not much throw---it might be good as a layering scent. It evokes lazy days by a private pool sipping on sweet wine. Very pretty.

Straight out of the bottle, this was amazingly gorgeous--a rich, golden scent with depth and character. It does go through a "scrub it off!" stage where it turns bitter and cat pee ish on me, but thankfully rapidly settles into a lovely resin, woody, slightly spicy (like a wooden spice cabinet) clove like scent. Warm and rich, strong--a deep, woven, long pile rug texture, if that makes sense. Not sure if it's bottle-worthy due to the odd middle stage but I do love the imp.

When I was a kid, the Avon Lady still came around, and my mom bought me a little scented pin shaped like a gingerbread man. The drydown on this lovely, very foodie scent smells a lot like this---warm, molasses-y, brown, rich, carmelized sugar-y goodness. It is by far the most lingering scent I own--it's very rich and smells just like food when you first apply it. Notes of gingerbread, nutmeg, dark brown sugar, and vanilla are certainly there. This is the only scent (so far) that doesn't dry down to an almondy vanilla musk on me as well. There's a slight fragrance of rich fruit as well--like the currants used for gingerbread men eyes. Recommended for fall or for holiday--it's a bit much for warm summer nights, I think!

This is rapidly turning into one of my favorite scents. I took a chance on it, and I'm so glad I did. It opens with bright flowers, light, and very summery. In the middle there's a hint of grasses--very dry, summery, yellow grass. Then there's a deep, rich, tan scent that is almost off putting, but, as the others have noted, it is very "furry' smelling. Almost all BPAL perfumes dry down to a sweet, almost honeyed almond musk on me (I have super-potent body chemistry apparently!) and this one is no exception, but it has a very slight cocoa or chocolate smell that is very nice. Overall, it's in my top 5. Wonderful, sweet, and delightful scent.

To me this has a lemon-y, green, slightly creamy scent that is just beautiful. It's so wearable and delightful. It immediately reminds me of something else, but of course I can't put my finger on it. It's one of the more "commercial" fragrances that BPAL makes, a kind of 'everyday' scent for work, interviews, or visiting churches on vacation to the Continent.

I took a chance on this based on the reviews, and got it from the etsy site. I really like it. Some posters have noted it has a cedar chest smell, which I find very accurate. It's very dry, spicy, and very woodsy, without being green. There seems to be a slight graphite smell to me, like freshly sharpened pencils. A fine metallic smell mixed with a cedar-wood smell. Very unusual--I might pass it on to my sister or sister in law, as they like to wear neutral scents and I prefer more lush, creamy, spicy, or deeper scents. But I do like it!!