Extispex

This one has me confused. I love frankencense. I love myrrh. They both tend to smell glorious on me. So a combination of the two should be magnificent, right? So why do I smell soap? I just don't understand. And the longer I wear it, the soapier it goes. To the swaps, then...mumblemumble...stupid skin chemistry....

I've had pretty good luck with Illyria so far, and many of the Illyria fragrances are among my favorites. In the imp, bubble-gum. Not a big fan of the lotus. On my skin, rose mostly. A very pretty, somewhat watery rose. Nice, but not very me.

In the imp I get lilac and lavender. Nice combination, but I smell lavender every night when I go to bed, so I don't want to wear it during the day. Its a scent I prefer to associate with sleep, so it will continue to lull me to sleep. Wet, on.... mmmm this is really nice. The lavender fades into the background, and I get a sharpish greeny-white floral. Its like stepping into a flower shop, with all the cut stems and ferns. Its very true on me, and I like it a lot. This does very nicely on me, surprisingly so. As it dries, it picks up a hint of powder, but not so much as to be offensive. If I were a floral gal, I'd wear this often. But I'm not, so the imp should be enough for me.

In the imp, I get cocoa and citrus. On my skin, wet, LEMON! Even the mandarin, which usually loves my skin so much, doesn't make an appearance over all that lemon. I'm pretty sure there's lemongrass in here, which I tend to amp to high heaven. As it dries down, other notes begin to make an appearance, though the lemony scent still dominates. It becomes darker, dryer, more complex, but not enough. I still get no mandarin, the cocoa is just a whisper, and the other notes are barely detectable over all that lemon-pledgy lemon. It doesn't smell like war at all - it smells more like I just dusted the furniture. I really had high hopes for this one, but my skin chemistry is totally to blame for this travesty. Off to the swaps it goes.

I love this. Love love love. But orange always does nice things on my skin so... love. In the bottle, very fruity and kind of fizzy. On my skin, wet, its just a yummy, straight orange, with a hint of booziness. Kind of like a mimosa! No! EXACTLY like a mimosa! As it dries down, its pretty much stays mimosa on me, but develops a wee bit more complexity. A little 'twist' of something (ketchup, maybe?). Whatever it is, if it were a drink, I would surely guzzle it. Its absolutely lovely, and makes me want a mimosa. ETA: by 'mimosa', I mean the drink, not the flower.

I've been looking for a 'peachy' tea scent since... hmmm.... since first arriving at BPAL. I cannot believe I've finally not only found it, but it has surpassed my wildest dreams. Tamamo-no-mae is a gorgeous, beautifully blended scent. In the bottle its very fruity to me, with an underlying sharpness that vanishes when it hits my skin. On, wet, its actually quite heady on me, very rich with lots of throw. A very abundant scent, bursting and ripe and intoxicating. It lightens a bit on the dry-down, and thats when the peachiness comes out. It doesn't smell like a peach, but rather hints at it. This one is really a bit hard to pin down. Its neither fruity nor floral nor woody, but elusive and ethereal. A ghostly beauty.

I the Somnium blends. I tried Somnus recently, and then got an imp of Oneiroi. I haven't had a single sleepless night since I've been using them. Scentwise, I prefer Oneiroi over Somnus. Somnus is slightly sharp when first applied, where Oneiroi is a much gentler scent. Oneiroi is mostly lavender, but a deep lavender, with a hint of sandalwood spice. The jasmine in this is present, but not overpowering. Its very lovely blend, and most importantly, it works. I still have other Somnium blends to try before deciding on a bottle, but Oneiroi is definitely in the running.

Thank you everyone for your recommendations. I now feel equipped to venture into the foodier side of BPAL, and actually made a modest GC order today, which included some recommended items. If this goes horribly wrong, I know who to blame. However, I get the feeling I'm going to find a lot of new goodies to love. I always do. Thanks again!

This has been on my wishlist to try for a while. I finally picked it up in a swap and I kinda wish I hadn't, because it just adds yet another bottle to my growing list of needs. The Illyria line has been good to me. I like all the Illyrias I've tried, and I LOVE most of them. Turns out I love this one too. In the imp, this is light resins to me. A little too pretty and not at all manly. But mmmm.... wet on my skin it goes all amazing. The leather and grasses I love SO MUCH from Black Tower are in here, but the mood is entirely different. Black Tower is so dark and stormy, where this is much brighter. After a moment or two I begin to get a hint of the sage and the frankencense, and Antony takes on an almost clovey aroma. No, very clovey. ... where'd that come from? Dry, Antony is unexpectedly light on me. Herby and grassy, with a touch of sweet resin and just the barest hint of leather for depth and warmth. Earthy and sensual, without being heavy or brutish. I really really love this. And I really really need a bottle.

\ Thats the wonderful thing about BPAL, once you think you know what you like, something comes along and surprises you, takes you off in another direction. I love that. And Dorian was one of my first imps. I remember liking it, but my niece claimed it as her own (she loves BPAL too) and I haven't seen it since. I may have to revisit it. And Elegba is another one I really love. I never really considered it 'foody', but its damned good. But I've had good luck with the Loa scents I've tried so far, so I think a few more of them will have to go in my next order. Mr Nancy sounds awsome, and gives me an excuse to try more Gaiman scents, and I've been wanting to try some snakes but have been intimidated by the huge choice, so Boomslang gives me a place to start. (I almost wrote Boobslang ) Thank you both for all the good ideas! Sounds like my next order might be a big one.

Please be gentle with me. Initiate me into the world of foody (but not too foody) scents. I've been avoiding the foody stuff like the plague. I don't want to smell like a cookie! But then that caramel note in BLWB snuck up on me and seduced the crap out of me. I want more like that! Where the food aroma is balanced by the other notes, and just enhances the overall scent, but doesn't make me smell like something that just popped out of my granny's oven. I might one day be brave enough to smell like a chocolate cake, but right now, just a touch of food amidst other notes is all I think I need. I've already decided I'm getting a bottle of Tiresias with my next order, because it sounds awsome. Can you recommend some foody (but not too foody) GCs for my imp pack? I favor woods, spices, resins, herbs and mosses. I'm growing very fond of BPAL's leather and musk notes. I also like fruits - orange, fig and currant smell especially nice on me. Some I'm considering so far: Kali Tezcatlipoca Velvet maybe Bien Loin D'ici

Melpomene is a more feminine Hymn to Pan, to me. And Black Arts (the unreleased, not the temple oil) is like a much darker Minotaur. (Black Arts is the mother of all dark resin blends - I've never run across anything darker). Temple: Black Arts reminds me a bit of Hades, but only in mood. Its not a dead-ringer or anything. Temple: HOGD reminds me a lot of Fallen.

In the imp, I barely smell it. A light minty scent. On my skin, this smells just like hymn to pan - lavender and mint! I love the smell of Hymn to Pan on me, so its nice to have found a non-TAL approximation. I kind of wish I got more cypress out of this, but I like it as it is. After a while, the other florals begin to assert themselves a little more, but they play nice with my skin chemistry. No soap or powder. They stay pretty true. As it dries the scent becomes a little more feminine. Hymn to Ms. Pan, I guess. I definitely like this.

In the imp, this is light and herby. On my skin, lemon tea. Lemongrass goes crazy on my skin, so I'm pretty sure thats one of the herbs in here. I wish I got more of the mosses and fruit, but its mostly lemon tea on me. I like it, but I get the feeling my skin isn't doing this blend justice.

In the imp, mostly almond. On my skin, the almond deepens and wraps me in an old memory. There's something familiar about it, comforting. I keep seeing my great-grandmother's kitchen, which is my earliest memory. I love the way Oya smells on my skin, a brisk, sweet and fruity almond, and I love the way it makes me feel. It does fade on me quickly, but I don't care. Its just such a content, calming scent for me. (I guess I'm not getting much of the 'war' aspect of it). Its beautiful.

Dragon's blood is invariably potent on me. Generally I need other strong notes to balance it in a fragrance (which is why I love the leather, smoke and spice notes in Bloody Sword). With Dragon's musk, its very nicely balanced in the imp. Very rich and heady. On my skin, the dragon's blood does amp up and take over for a while, but on the dry-down, the musks assert themselves and wow, this becomes very sensual and mysterious and yummy. I really want a bottle from the Ars Draconis series, and Dragon's Musk just became a serious contender for my choice. Not only that, this blend also furthers my appreciation of the BPAL musks, which I feared in my early BPAL days but which I have now grown to truly love.

In the imp, bubble-gummy lotus. On my skin, the dragons blood amps way up, and the lotus note goes soapy. I generally like dragons blood, but the lotus note just isn't working out for me in this one. I can really see this being pretty on someone whose skin chemistry it loves.

This was a frimpie from a lovely forumite. Yeah, and I WOULD fall in love with it, now wouldn't I? I may have to find a bottle. This blend is nigh on indescribable. It really is bitter, and I do like a certain bitter edge to my fragrances. Its very hard to pick out individual notes with this - it may just be that this has aged particularly well, but its very well blended. Its neither floral nor fruity nor herbal, but some transcendent aroma that partakes of all those and more. I can detect a hint of a vetiver twist, but it isn't VETIVER. In other words, the vetiver doesn't take over like it often does. Bitter Moon isn't what I'd describe as 'pretty' - its a very edgy scent, but its just so damned compelling and evocative. I can't keep my nose away from my wrist. This is the kind of unique fragrance I search for, and now I guess I'm going to have to go out and search for it.

Yeah right, like I could resist an oil named Sol Invictus. Of course I had to have it. And I love it. I kinda knew the notes would work on my skin anyway - I love the way orange and tangerine smell on me. My skin tends to amp citrus, but its generally okay with tangerine or orange because they're lovely on me. In the bottle, its surprisingly light, almost floral with a slight citrus tang. Wet, on my skin, blammo. The citrus goes wild and amps up just like I thought it would. Its a beautiful bittersweet citrus though, really gorgeous and warm with a hint of spice, but not so spicy as to smell like potpourri. However it doesn't quite smell edible. It smells more like an offering of fruits and flowers left upon an altar, with the faint remnants of spicy incense wafting heavenward. As it dries I get more of the amber sweetness but on me, Sol Invictus remains mostly bittersweet, very well blended. None of the notes really slap me in the face, though the citruses are certainly detectable. Its definitely an aroma with a solar glow to it, and all aspects of the sun seem to be represented, everything from the bounteous to the brutal. Sol Invictus definitely lives up to the name, and I couldn't be happier with it.

I wanted this imp for a friend of mind, but kept forgetting to order it. Then the lab sent it to me as a frimpie! Thanks lab. I agree with the above poster that this is a very 'true' scent, and hooray! its a pine that really works on me. In the vial its kind of light, more fruity than woodsy. On, wet, the pine and cedar mingle gloriously on my skin, fresh and woodsy. The cedar imparts a warmth to the chilly pine and as it dries, yum. The berries and leaves assert themselves without overwhelming, and it becomes a blend that is truly its own, a unique scent with a ton of personality. Very bold, wild but gleefully so. Its an absolute pleasure to wear. Its sweeter than a Loup Garou, brighter than the Black Forest, friendlier than Nero. I think I've finally found a pine scent that loves me. And though I thought to keep the imp for myself, I've decided to go ahead and send it to my friend, and buy myself a big bottle. I love it that much.

In the bottle, this definitely has that ozone kick. A beautiful, edgy calm-before-the-storm kind of aroma. Smelling it actually makes me want to run out into a thunderstorm. Now if we'd only have a thunderstorm. Once it hits my skin, eek! Aqua-velva. Very soapy, after-shavey on me. I really really wanted to love this. Everything about it sounded so wonderful, and I imagined to be kind of like Black Tower, with amber instead of leather, summer blooms instead of wine. But it didn't go that way at all on me. Bracing, yes, but in a sharp astringent kind of way. It does eventually go very pretty, and after a long while I get the amber warmth and smoky grasses, but its such a long wait for it to really bloom. I think I'll give it another try when my hormones settle down later this week, but I may end up sticking with my beloved Black Tower when I want a stormy kind of scent.

And the test-fest continues.... Selkie was the one I was uncertain about, because of the flowers, and also honey tends to amp on me, which can be good with stronger aromas like delphi, but I was afraid it would overpower a light scent. I ordered it anyway, because we were in the middle of a drought and I wanted watery aromas, and also because, hey, Selkie. In the bottle, I get the watery melon scent that others have mentioned. Its very refreshing and pretty. Once on the skin I get a blast of fruity-ish floral that is a bit too much for me. Fortunately it tones down quickly, and grows more subtle as it dries. The melony aroma comes back, and surprisingly the honey doesn't amp on me, just lingers nice and sweet in the background, like a little bee flitting among the wildflowers. This is a very cool, fresh scent, very light and lovely and I think it will be great for summer.

I haven't had a whole lotta luck with the astrological oils so far. Aries had the dread honeysuckle in it. Taurus... too many flowers. And though I'm a Gemini, I skipped it because I felt like I had enough lavender blends. I'm not a Cancer but when I saw those notes, well... I had to try it, even though I tried to talk myself out of ordering it. I am so glad I did! This is awsome. In the bottle, its quite fruity and has a sour edge that was a bit off-putting. Like under-ripe fruit. On, wet, the fruit hangs around just a wee bit longer, grows sweeter, and the florals begin to assert themselves. The dry-down is drop-dead gorgeous. Miracle of miracles, the sweet-pea manages to stay true on me. Doesn't go soapy or powdery. The fruity smell all but vanishes (just enough remains to add some body to the scent), and there's just a hint of bitter-sweet cool wild lettuce. I get nothing light or watery from this. In fact its just the opposite on me. Its strong with a lot of throw, sweet but bold, and very unusual. And to think I almost didn't order it! This one is a winner.

Wow... just... wow. In the bottle its a complex melange of tonka, citrus and the sweet-spicy edge of benzoin. I would happily sit and sniff this from the bottle all day. In fact, I kinda been doing that since my order arrived. I can't seem to put the bottle down. On, wet, yummy. I agree with other reviews that the tonka dominates. And at the wet-stage kind of combines with the lime rind to create a kind of smoky coconut smell. It is utterly delicious. Upon drying, it sweetens a bit, and the citrus fades. Tonka still dominates but its beautifully enhanced by the other notes. The musk adds a subtle sensuality and everything about this blend is so rich and sweet. Sniffing it from my wrist makes me grin like an idiot. I am SO HAPPY I went ahead and got a bottle of this.

First sniff from the bottle, mossy and deep and inviting, like slumbering on a forest floor. Wet on the skin, this is incredible! Everything I hoped it would be and more. The mosses and woods and musk combine to create something stunningly wild and beautiful. Its not the freshness of an evergreen forest, but deep forest, ancient and virgin, untrod by men. The wet stage is my favorite, but the drydown is gorgeous too. It grows sweeter as the heather begins to assert itself, gains a hint of the ethereal. I love it, I just love it. And it just made my top ten list.