PrinceofcatS

This is for my mom, I'm looking for some imps from the GC to maybe scoop up as gifts for her in her next order, so, these are her favorite BPAL scents (limited edition and GC): 1. Drink Me (her all time favorite and she's used up half the bottle) 2. Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo 3. Mr. Nancy 4. Père Noël 5. Miskatonic University I don't hate food scents but I don't share her preference for candy and sweets scents so I haven't paid the most attention to them - the kinds of sweet scents I like, like Alice, have notes she won't touch.

This really doesn't evoke dusk for me; it evokes snowfall at night, the way it's sort of grey in the dark. It opens with a dominant but soft opium note, then Lily of the Valley, ever fresh and almost-wet, comes to the fore. When plum and carnation show up, initially they're a sweet syrupy note, but they fall away to form part of the base. Later on the muguet isn't so wet for me and the carnation has widely dropped away, but the snow note, swirled with opium, and the lily of the valley (with that sweet base) are the strongest element of the scent. I've never worn an "ozone-y" scent from BPAL before, particularly not in a snow note - I've only tried that really piney snow and the really sweet powdery one - but now I recognize it as clearly an ozone smell. This is alarmingly pretty, very unusual. I think of the Snow Falling Faintly scents I've tried (all but Noon), this is my favorite. Midnight was sadly rather soapy, Dawn sadly powdery, but this one strikes a balance between all the notes. It's not predominantly dark or heavy, not predominantly sweet, nor floral, nor fruity. Just soft grey snowfall in a black night, the resins and opium lending to the darkness and the lily-of-the-valley therefore the contrasting bright snow amidst all of it.

I've never worn Snow White or Pink Snowballs, but I do have this year's Yule The Snow at Dawn, which has the same "sweet" snow note in it. My mother gave me a rose head the day this arrived and I wore it and it's the exact same sweet rose smell as the actual fresh rose. The white amber and the snow note don't stand out particularly much as separate scents to me - they just seem to deepen the rose note here. Whereas I found Rose Red all dew, overwhelming the delicate rose, this is a chilly fresh rose that I can actually detect as rose-dominant. The Snow at Dawn leans really sweet, almost too sweet, but this one is absolutely perfect. The amber really grounds it, and the rose itself leans tart and fresh.

I love hyacinth, and since this is about a story the hyacinths are telling Gerda in The Snow Queen, I expected hyacinth to become the dominant note of this. But this is almost entirely "snow-dusted honeysuckle" for me! Just predominantly an incredibly sweet honeysuckle with the same dusting of the very sweet snow note that's in The Snow at Dawn and Fresh and Blooming as a Rose (sweet, but not cold). I can tell there are other scents - I've heard irl asphodel smells like daffodil, so I do get a bit of that and the watery smell of hyacinth - but they're so far behind it that it doesn't come off very strongly. I think I might be getting honey now in the drydown, but I don't get anything recognizeable as vetiver, and I still get honeysuckle. I'm quite sad as earlier reviews made it sound like hyacinth came out quite forcefully and on me it absolutely does not. Of course, "snow-dusted honeysuckle" isn't at all a bad scent to wear, but how I am sad, for hyacinth is my favorite flower smell.

I didn't buy this when I was buying Crimson Peak scents because only one of the reviews I read sounded appealing, and I thought it was a fluke of that person's skin chemistry! But, no! I bought a decant of this, and I didn't even want to, because I have All That I Possess and I was like, do I really need a second leather scent, really? I'll never wear it! But a decant seemed like just the right amount. Oh, I am KICKING myself because I have no idea if I'll be able to afford another large purchase from the lab and I was waiting for the Lupercalia update before I made any plans and I'm planning a trip out to visit a friend of mine, etc etc etc... but I have to get a bottle of this, it's imperative. This is exactly what I think Edith's signature scent should have been like - maybe a bit creamier, maybe a bit sweeter, but this is it. Wet in the bottle it's an incredible, effervescent wet green scent, beautiful as can be, which makes no sense, right? I put it on and the green scent becomes freaking INK. This sweet, chilly, green scent that is completely recognizeable as ink. I could not believe it; it functions exactly as a pretty floral would on me but it's not a floral at all. It lingered, this strong, black-and-swirls-of-blue chilly ink note, for half and hour to an hour before it consented to let some other notes come forth, while maintaining its dominion over them all. First an almost creamy parchment smell came out - not quite vanillin, but definitely yellow paper - and then, proportionate to the parchment as the binding would be to a big thick stack of paper, a hint of sweet, powdery leather comes out. This is the same leather note as was in All That I Possess, but it's fainter here, adding nuance and soft loveliness to the dry crisp paper and that wet, sweet ink. (I haven't tried any of the leather blends in the GC so I can't tell you if it's the same as anything there - but it's not a hard and masculine leather that reminds me of a Western, as I've tried in department store perfume blends. It's like a soft, worn leather that reminds me of very well-used clothing - in this case, a lady's gloves, or, you know, the binding of her personal novel.) I really want to reiterate that this is mostly ink, and that the ink is like a beautiful wet flower note (my favorite kind of floral), but is, I remember from my days of trying to write with a fountain pen, most definitely ink through and through, and that it's goooorgeous. This has immediately become one of my favorite scents of the Crimson Peak collection. It's not the tragic, dusty black flowers of Lucille or the bright ballroom amber of Fairytales, but it's also something I picture myself wearing more than I wear either of those. And it's the only one I got as a decant! I'm gnashing my teeth. I must have it before it goes or I will never forgive myself.

I forgot to review this back when I got it. The second review up there comparing it to the tea note in Dorian decided me on this one, and I was anxious about it being bitter and poisonous, but no, it's glorious. If you like tea scents (which I do - every tea scent I've tried from the Lab has been really lovely on, whether it was green, white or black) or if you like kind of food or drink scents that don't smell like "foodie" scents, ie, thick and edible with sugar or vanilla. This is a naturally sweet but unsweetened, very strong tea - I was agreeing with the black tea comments from earlier but I wore Maiden the other day (which is white tea, rose and carnation) and that one stood out as the same note - with a hint of berries, only bitter in that no sugar has been added. I think it may also be a rosehip tea, as others have mentioned, given the ways in which Maiden reminded me of it - but I don't think Maiden and this scent are similar enough to compromise Firethorn Berry's singularity. It's not a scent with a lot of nuance or development, but it's unique, very beautiful, and extraordinarily worthwhile to anyone who likes tea scents or who really liked Crimson Peak.

This is so many roses! I had heard that Rose Red and Two, Five and Seven were very similar, and assumed that the latter would be as rose-less and all-green-sap on me as the former - is that not so then? I actually own The Waltz, but I don't find the rose a very strong note in it, so I didn't mention it. I don't think rose amps on my skin, but amber definitely does, so that scent is mostly amber and whatever the champagne musk note is on me.

I got Rose Red from the 2015 Yule update with super, super high hopes, but unfortunately, I get very nearly no rose out of it at all; it's predominantly green sap on me. :c I'm now looking for a new rose scent to hitch my hopes and dreams to. I'd really like one that's close to a soliflore, but it's not important that it is one; I thought rose + dew and sap sounded dreamier than just rose, for instance (but dew + sap alone, less so). But I'd also love to know about any lovely oils where rose is one of the main notes. Rose is a background player in so many blends it's hard to go through the rose product tag and find them, and I'm sure it's been in a lot of LE scents that I could probably still track down eventually. I'm especially craving a heady red rose, but I love all rose notes just as much. My rosiest scents are A Young Woman Appealing to a Witch, Alice and Maiden, and I have Fresh and Blooming as a Rose ordered, but I cannot, personally, have too many roses so tell me your favorites!

This is very, very bright, very clear white lily. (Which is funny, because in real life cobra lilies look like alien snakes. But real life voodoo lilies smell like dead body, so.) I agree with the above posters that reference it as strong, grounded, not powdery, not soapy, and not particularly long-lasting, but a pure and lovely lily. This isn't the exact way I like my lily note - the drydown stage of Voodoo Lily would be that - but I've found this layers perfectly with every scent I've ever sniffed and thought, "Hm, kind of want a lily in there."

I really just get pale lemon, pale sandalwood.... and soap. Sandalwood doesn't generally go soapy on me, but in this one it definitely did. I wouldn't say it smelled like lemon floor cleaner, it was definitely recognizeably pefume smells, but with a strong, undeniable soapiness overtaking everything. From what i recall from wearing it in the warmer weather, it didn't go soapy on me then, but it was also a paler smell. I got listless out of it then - it wasn't a scent for me, but I'm sure it is for somebody.

A friend of mine sent me her old imp of this. I'm so sorry to see it's discontinued; I'm not sure I'd purchase a bottle of this or not, but it's pretty enough that I wish i had the option. I don't get too much jasmine from this, but I'm not familiar enough with honeysuckle (or buttercup) to know for sure what they are. It does have a warm skin scent to it. Someone mentioned it smells like baby shampoo, and I honestly get that! It's like a clean, floral-bathed skin, but it doesn't smell like baby powder on me. It isn't as fresh as I'd like, but that might be its age. I'm not certain what buttercup smells like, but there's a plainish, warm floral in this that's not the sharpness of jasmine and doesn't seem to be honeysuckle to me, and that's the predominant scent. This really does manage to be maternal and spring-time-y; it's not the kind of floral I generally go for at all (I gather I like stuff that induces headache for other people!) and, if it were still around, I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who wanted to like a floral scent but had had poor luck with sharp, noisy blends.

This smells heavenly but has a bitter sadness to it. Sandalwood always reminds me of perfumey tears and beachwood a little bit, and even though there's no water to this, the flowers + this scent really make it smell like the topic of a woman drowning herself for love. The lab's neroli note doesn't always work on me, but this one seems to go wonderfully with the other two notes. The main floral note, which I assume is ylang ylang, is incredibly sweet, warmed and enriched by the sandalwood, and I keep inhaling it deeply. This isn't something I'd normally wear, but it's very atmospheric and beautiful.

2015: I wanted to love this, but it's all cold green appley sap with a faint rosewater background that, on me, stays cold green sap until the whole thing becomes nearly undetectable for the rest of the wear time. I'm really, really hoping that aging will bring out more rose to this. I love the idea of a dewy green rose, but, well, I wanted some rose. There's no rose on me whatsoever. And I'm heartbroken because while I love the other rose blends from the Lab, I was dying for a scent that was all rose.

Thank you so much, this is so comprehensive - a couple of your recommendations were already things I was thinking about trying, and looking the others up they sound like things i would love! I've tried Spellbound, and I agree it's similar to Lucille, but it seems like red musk mostly doesn't agree with me, so I passed the imp on to a friend who will hopefully enjoy it more.

I only just started purchasing from BPAL again after a six year hiatus, but I haven't purchased any imps yet - I've only bought from collections - so I would love some general collection recommendations if anyone has any! My favorites are: 1. Egle 2. A Young Woman Appealing To a Witch 3. Leanan Sidhe 4. Lady Una 5. Lucille Sharpe I warred with putting Voodoo Lily on here, which I got as a frimp with my Crimson Peak order and ended up wearing more than anything in the order, but it's pretty basic. eta: I get along with a wide variety of scents, but I really hate patchouli.

This is a Halloweenie, I apologize! But it's come out a few years so it might come back, and you might be able to find a bottle online, but on me, I swear The Vampire Bride has the exact same base as Morocco, plus a little bit of a chilly dark-green vine note laid over it. A friend of mine has said the frequent Yule scent Rose Red (out now) has the same rose scent as Two, Five and Seven. Based on your other interests, I'd recommend Maiden (white tea, carnation and rose), because it's a light, almost spicy, delicate but rich rose scent, and Penny Dreadful, which is one of my all-time favorites - it's like a spices-laden women's perfume in red grave loam, which sounds vile, but is in fact THE BEST. I also think you would like Belle Epoque ("Sweet opium, Lily of the Valley, vanilla, mandarin and red sandalwood"). And depending on your budget, the scents from the Crimson Peak collection Between Your Heart and Mine and The Waltz might appeal to you - they both have a rosewood, vanilla and white rose base, iirc, but The Waltz also has amber and "champagne musk" (on me, champagney musk, truly warm and musky and not at all soapy like champagnes usually go on me). eta: Lucy's Kiss! This is "the gentle scent of rose and a blend of Victorian spices".

A friend sent me her decant of this and I need a bottle. Agreeing with the reviewer above who said their bottle is very old; my decant is from 2009. This is a truly ethereal and fairyish blend. It's a sparkling, bright honey with a hint of something almost berry, almost green, but not quite either - it does remind me of a field of blackberry bushes in the sunlight: sun-dappled, but thick with shadows. The honey isn't down to earth, thick and smeary like my other honeys - it's got an almost white, supernatural glow to it. Also serves as a reminder that if something's disappointing instead of actually awful, letting it age might be wise!

Years and years later, but I figured I'd post a review anyway. A friend passed this on to me as a Christmas present and I'm in love with it. When first applied it smells like the most dazzling collection of light, but heady, wildflowers - I can't pick out every note, but I do get daffodil, one of my absolute favorite scents. The first time I wore it I could barely sniff any honey out and then it blossomed over time into a pure, thick, sticky honey smell that lasted for hours on me. The second time, I wore less, and the honey remained light, almost "pale" and floral, and the flowers stayed on the skin. It's a versatile and beautiful scent and I expect it layers well, though I haven't tried that yet.

The reviews of this vary so much! I agree with the earlier person above me who said it smells like lavender and Ivory soap. I didn't find this soapy in the sense that is usually meant by that phrase, but it does smell just like a bar of drugstore soap now that I've read someone say that. I really want to love this, but I think lavender might not be a scent i enjoy, and while I love jasmine and honeysuckle I can't really smell them. It's all lavender and soap for me. Though I do think there's a similar note to this as there is in Mata Hari (which I enjoy), so maybe that is jasmine I'm picking up and it just doesn't work for me in this blend. I'm going to give it to a friend who may like it more.

The sun-bright flare of all-consuming passion: a ravenous yellow crème. I love yellow, it's easily one of my favorite colors, but even I wasn't sure if this would be a particularly wearable one (so I got two of the other Edith colors alongside it). Well, this is a BEAUTY. It was opaque with two coats (any streakiness is me sucking at applying it) and is the perfect dead center between cool and warm tones. Bright, rich and beautiful. I would even say this was worth 14 dollars! If their regular polishes are this wonderful they are more than worth ten. I might have to pick up some more colors really. (Pardon my terrible nails and cuticles! I work in a stockroom and my nails always look terrible. I can't judge the wear time of this or any other polish either because nothing can withstand the trashing my nails get from work, unfortunately.)

A semi-sheer, elegant lace shimmer. Socialite applies like a perfect dream and is paler and whiter as a sheer than, say, Essie Mademoiselle, but is still very much in that nude category. However, this has an ethereal light glitter or shimmer that reminds me a little bit of snow. I only applied one coat as its leaning toward whiteness made me fear it would get drastically more opaque and white with another coat, which is really unflattering on my skin color. The glimmer effect was hard to capture, but it's very pretty and makes my nails look glassy and, well, polished.

This was the scent I wanted most from the Weenies, and I received it from a dear friend as a Christmas gift. I was eager to put it on and I haven't been disappointed. The closest scent I have to this idea is Alice, and this is similar in execution, but with very different notes: rose and myrrh blend with honey and cream against an herby, sweet grass backdrop that smells like that stage in autumn when everything's going yellow but still smells very much alive when you're outside in the brush. It was very well-blended, and I wouldn't say I picked up any single scent above the rest, but I could definitely tell I was getting honeyed, creamy flowers against that wild dying greenery background. It also lasted forever and had great throw, and never went soapy or powdery on me. A Christmas miracle, maybe? The sweet scents and the boggy scents balance each other out beautifully. I felt this wore exactly like its description, which was wonderful; if anyone really wanted this i hope they manage to nab it before they're gone!

This goes on frozen blackcurrant with a faintly woody, very cold snowy background. It has an almost fizzy, bubbly, chilly smell to it that reminds me of elderflower liqueur but doesn't fall into a lemon-lime soda scent, thankfully. As it dries later the resins make it shadowy and velvety and the blackcurrant gets a little sweeter, but not quite unfrozen. It's quite pretty and feels a little fairy-esque, but it's never particularly complex. January 17th, 2016: I'm so disappointed saying this, but this has gone soapy on me every time I've worn this since. I don't know what I'm doing wrong! It was so nice the first time. >:{ February 22, 2016: I'm wearing this for the first time in about a month with some trepidation, and it's lovely! my skin is so weird. It still starts out "frozen blackcurrant" - i recognize now the same ice/snow note that's in The Snow Maiden mixing with blackcurrant - then softens into sweet blackcurrant and velvety resins/woods again. I think I am glad I got this.

wet: Sharp, wet, starkly chilly snow that feels kind of piney, but not in a forest sort of way, along with the unmistakable scent of an old house with a huge hole in the roof, the floorboards rotting away into being earth again. It stays this scent for a long while, maybe an hour. It's not particularly feminine, and I was like "well, i don't know what else i expected"; it's not a bad smell, but I'm not used to things where that sharp wet scent lasts after the oil has technically dried. I saw a lot of reviews about how this didn't smell like decay and I'm baffled as to what people think decay smells like. I assume people think decay and they think mold wallpapering a wet wall indoors or something, or rotten garbage? This does smell exactly like a decaying wooden house left to the elements. Trust me on this one. dry (hours later): The decay note is warm and almost... spicy, but in an herbal-ish sort of way, a little bit like sawdust. It reminds me a little bit of the loam in Penny Dreadful, but not quite, so I assume it was the red clay. The chill is surprisingly not entirely gone and it has a distinctively soft white floral. I think this is common to the snow note, actually, but it's rather pretty. So it's Allerdale Hall in the early stage, and Allerdale Hall with Edith walking the hallways after it's dried down considerably. I agree that this feels like a Yule scent. It actually feels more like a Yule scent than any of the Yules I bought, which is a little sad for me. ETA: Those white flowers were definitely accompanied by a vanilla note, since, HOURS later, vanilla is almost all I smell. A slightly nuanced vanilla, but how strange to think it died down to that! This is a really unusual scent that could only have come out of this story and perfect expresses not only the house, but Edith too.

I got this as a free imp and I'm really glad I did, because I may have to purchase a bottle of this. I literally got this with the purchase of six Crimson Peak scents and I've worn it more than I've worn any of those scents, even though those scents are gorgeous. When it first goes on, it's a spicy, almost syrupy floral. Everyone's said cinnamon, but I don't get anything out of it but carnation. Truly, I really hate carnation, even though it's a scent, and a strong one, in a lot of scents I do love (like, say, Alice or Maiden). That lily is in the background, though, and the carnation stage only lasts the first hour - then it fades into a warm, sweet, soft white lily that I wouldn't describe as sultry, sexy, spicy or any other hypersexualizied, exotifying term. It actually makes me feel like a secluded, solitary girl in a white dress reading by candlelight or some other thing. I'd also say that this scent lasts a really, ridiculously long time on me, which I adore.