grashopper8

Would you be willing to take the time to write down all of the scents you tried? I'd love to see if I can help make some recommendations based on my years of perfume obsession/collecting. Hugs! All is not lost, there is a huge market for BPAL and your money is not down the drain!

I agree that Sea of Glass goes on this list. I'd also add Singing Moon and Succubus.

BNNU = brand new, never used. Lets keep adding to this!

I looked real quick and didn't see anything that stuck out to me - the forum FAQ and BPAL FAQ sections have answers to more specific questions, but I don't see a Newbie Guide. (I bet there is one - or several! - but I didn't find it quickly.) Some abbreviations: LE = Limited Edition GC = General Catalog DC = Discontinued (D)ISO = (Desperately) In Search Of Limited Edition scents are typically around for a couple of months. Some great giant annual updates include Lupercalia (near Valentine's day), Anniversary scents (in the fall), Weenies (near Halloween), and Yules (near the Winter holidays). Lunacy scents come out once a month and celebrate the full moon. They are only available for purchase for a couple of days. General Catalog scents are available at all times, but occasionally GC acents have to be discontinued due to things like component availability issues. Forum-only LE scents are sneaky hidden scents that come out on a whim. When one comes out, the secret link is typically at the bottom of an Announcement in the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab section of the forum. There hasn't been one for a little while. Scents become rare when they are Limited Edition scents that people really love, and therefore they become hard to find after-the-fact; and GC scents that are popular but become discontinued (such as Antique Lace - that scent now has a cult following, it has been DC'ed for over a year now and its value is skyrocketing). New LE scents (outside of the annual usual update times) come out periodically and are kind of unpredictable and glorious. They are insanely creative and wonderful and fabulous.

Gingerbread Poppet has been released several times with the winter Yule update (2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010). Here are links to some people selling bottles: http://www.bpal.org/topic/80559-ladywenchs-sales/page__p__2294424__hl__%2Bgingerbread+%2Bpoppet__fromsearch__1#entry2294424 http://www.bpal.org/topic/80234-captainoats-sales/page__p__2282317__hl__%2Bgingerbread+%2Bpoppet__fromsearch__1#entry2282317 http://www.bpal.org/topic/78672-vintage-bpal-5mls-march-hare-mr-nancy-orig-perilous-parlous-original-and-more/page__p__2213611__hl__%2Bgingerbread+%2Bpoppet__fromsearch__1#entry2213611 Mother Ginger is less easy to find, but sounds glorious - now I want some too! Here's some links for decants (imp-sized samples) of it for sale: http://www.bpal.org/topic/80212-sales-of-sheena/page__p__2280778__hl__%2Bmother+%2Bginger__fromsearch__1#entry2280778 http://www.bpal.org/topic/79601-shadesongs-destashing-party/page__p__2255044__hl__%2Bmother+%2Bginger__fromsearch__1#entry2255044 http://www.bpal.org/topic/79201-yummy-les-and-a-tee-oh-my/page__p__2236991__hl__%2Bmother+%2Bginger__fromsearch__1#entry2236991 If you want help learning how to use the advanced search function to quickly find things for sale that you're interested in, PM me and I can give you details.

OMG do I ever. I am obsessed with BPAL sleep aromatherapy!!!! Firstly - if you like Somnus, then you will absolutely love the unreleased Twilight Alchemy Lab (TAL) scent, Nocturne. (This is different than the BPAL scent Nocturne, which is floral - gardenia etc.) TAL Nocturne is a rose-lavender based scent in my opinion. It is lovely but more important it is very effective for me, I can easily say that it is the most effective sleep scent I own (and I have probably upwards of 30 sleep scents). You can order it if you put in an order through Paypal to the TAL. Currently each TAL bottle is $25, and shipping rules are at the bottom of the TAL site (for the US, right now orders under $150 are $7.50 shipping). So you just list what scent(s) you want in the comment thread when you make a payment to the TAL (twilight [AT] twilightalchemylab [DOT] com) Review thread for Nocturne here: TAL Nocturne Reviews Link to the TAL site: TAL Link to the "Unreleased but available" TAL thread, which has an awesome listing of the scents currently in that category: Unreleased but Available TAL oils If you like jasmine, another scent to try is from BPAL's Somnium series called Oneiroi. It's a sweet white floral blended with lavender to my nose. It is a nice sleep fragrance (again, that's if you like jasmine - jasmine is a hate it or love it kind of note). Sleepy Moon is a hard-to-find Limited Edition scent but I find it to be intoxicating. It's hard to describe - white floral and opium tar...but so much more than that. It's my favorite BPAL of all time, hands-down. TKO is awesome for me but I can totally see how the marshmallow/vanilla note could come off as cloying for some noses. I'm not always in the mood for it for that reason - it can be intense. But it does work for me, and when I have a desire for it nothing else can fill that void! I also love the TAL scent Peace for relaxation. It is a soft, subtle lavender that isn't sharp or harsh like some varieties can be. It is very soothing and I love it! Another scent to consider is from BPAL's Panacea line called Quietude. For me, it's a gentle lavender with almost a hint of lemon, and it's not a knock-out sleep scent, but is very soothing and calming and is great for meditation or reading or other quiet moments. Some other scents that I enjoy but don't wear as often include Nanshe, Temple of Dreams, Baku, Bluebeard, aged Ode to Melancholy, Lady Amalthea, and the LE scents Beaver Moon '11 and Lady Lilith.

Black Lace, no question.

Sin Event Horizon Mme. Moriarty

The vanilla and tobacco are sweet, and the sandalwood is subtle and musky. This scent is as smooth as maple syrup. Heavy, deep, and wildly addictive. The bourbon vanilla tobacco comes to me as one note, must be a scent memory. The incense/resin notes are subtle on me and not easy to recognize. Yup, I get the hype. I think this is one I will wear several days in a row to try and figure out.

I suggest hunting down a decant of Her Voice. Have fun sniffing!

I got neroli (orange blossom) from this right out of the imp. On my skin, the sharp orange-peel neroli scent quickly changes to a soft white floral, which is normal for me and neroli. The honey is powdery and sweet, and the fragrance overall is similar to Honey Moon 05, but sweeter, almost like Dragon's Blood to me. I like it, but I like Yellow Jessamine Honey better.

This starts off with a dry woody cinnamon spiciness. Intense!!! I'm going to let it dry down and see what happens when the spices calm down. Right now, I can't smell any snake oil spices or vanilla at all. Later (30 min): I really am not liking the ginger. I can detect Snake Oil now but the ginger puts a sour edge on it that isn't working for me. After an hour: Not my favorite scent. Reminds me of Shub or Gingerbread Poppet, but without the swirl of smoothness/sweetness that make those work on me. People hunting for a drier ginger/cinammon scent should die over SSV though!

Spicier on the skin than it was in the imp. In the imp, the sweetness of the wine and fruits is nice, but once it hits my skin the spices and musky dragon's blood take over. I love BPAL's dragon's blood note, but I prefer the sweet creaminess of Dragon's Milk to the spices in Tintagel. I think I would dig Tintagel a lot more if there was more sweetness from the wine and if the spices were dialed down (although I wouldn't want them completely gone). Maybe I could layer this with Symmakhia or Montresor....

I really liked this at first, but all of the sweetly fresh floral notes that flirted with me disappeared after a few minutes. What's left is an uninteresting sharp bitter jasmine note that doesn't really love me all that much. Oh well!

Initially: I get the lemon and mint straight away, and underneath I am thinking carnation. I will give it a while and see if the lavender, orange, and sweet pea resolve into something softer than the initial intense carnation impression. Later: I still feel like there's a spicy floral happening, like carnation or geranium. It's sweetened just a bit, and I can now pick out the sweet pea note from Juliet. I never really got any lavender or orange from this (granted, the bottle I'm testing is about 8 years old now at this point). There is a powdery overall quality to the scent. I'm glad I got the chance to try this. The first 10 minutes are definitely the best on me - lemon and mint, a joyful blast of happy goodness!

I know you said GC, but definitely look into having her try Honey Moon 05! Also, Anactoria is a great one to try, and Mead Moon, and Gennivre L'artiste... And I second the GC Yellow Jessamine Honey. Have fun! I'd decant these for you but I'm out of decanting supplies at the moment!

A beautifully bright fragrance, floral and sweet, a hint of lavender mint, almost fruity. Sweeter and less herbal than what I was expecting, but lovely all the same. Reminds me of Sea of Glass.

Wensleydale!!!!!!!!!!!

I suggest trying a decant of Khajuraho. Although there is a drop of rose, it's not dominant on me. It's one of my favorite lush exotic scents! It is a recurring Lupercalia LE.

Hahaha these are super cute! Checking out your blog now : -)

This is pretty but it's just too intense for me. The honey and florals are overwhelming, and the fig is a bit cloying on me. I think it might be nicer on someone whose chemistry doesn't amp every single note in here.

I heard this rare complaint from one other forumite many years ago. I think it could be your chemistry reacting to the carrier oil that BPAL uses. Do other people smell the baby powder too, or is it just you? Using a scent locket is a great way to overcome the complications of your chemistry interacting with your scent. You can wear it under your shirt to get it extra warm, and the scent will waft out gorgeously! The Trading Post has the most amazing ones: Locketz

I didn't read reviews before trying this scent, so I was fairly surprised that this wasn't a cloying sweet scent like the Martinelli's that we have around during the holidays. It starts out crispy and green, with the fresh apple scent from Snow Glass Apples, and the fizzy Champagne note from the Champagne blends. The soapy champagne note fades fairly soon for me. The apple becomes warmer, yet still fresh. It's a gorgeous apple scent and I'm very glad that I have a 5mL!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TINKERBELL-Fairy-Perfume-Make-Young-Heart-Gay-/190568953412?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c5ecb7644 For your reference, I think this is the scent. Also other pictures of the scent in different package designs: http://www.bonanza.com/listings/Tinkerbell-by-Tom-Fields-Spray-Cologne-and-Powder-Vintage/36487947 http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/very-rare-vintage-tinkerbell-cologne-perfume I definitely used to have one of the nail polishes. When I saw this photo I was totally time warped! http://kittytreats.org/coppermine/displayimage.php?pid=2208&fullsize=1

Cherry and strawberry candy with a hint of musk. Layer this one up with a Beaver Moon scent and prepare to ride the happy bus to bliss town. That's where I am right now. See you there!! :wub2: