Penance

You're welcome! I never would have thought to look for it myself except I remembered reading it somewhere around here before.

Oh, also...I don't know if you saw this thread, but it discusses the Perversion/coconut question and it appears Beth says there is coconut in it (look toward the middle of the thread): Does Perversion have coconut in it? I knew I'd read about it somewhere... EDIT: Spelling.

Well, I don't smell coconut in it and it's not listed in the notes, but honestly I can't say...if you think there's a chance that it does and you can't get definite confirmation from the Lab, I'd say maybe it's best to avoid it. Of course, I know Beth's got a lot on her plate right now, but I PM'd her about Snow White and whether there was almond in it in spite of the lack of almondy evil in the description around the time when the last batch was shipping (a long time ago, I know) and she was really helpful, so you could try that. God, I hope I'm not going to swamp her by saying that...

I don't know that anyone can answer this, but I'm dying to know why this is... I'm allergic to BPAL's "sweet" aquatic scents...I don't know if anyone else has noticed that some of the aquatic scents BPAL makes are kind of sweetish...sort of like sugar water or watermelon and aquatics while the others are strong on ozone or have citrus, but whenever I wear the sweet ones I break out in hives like you would not believe. I'm curious as to what it is in them that's causing the reaction. It's strictly limited to the "sweet" aquatics as I call them. Thunderbird doesn't do it, Storm Moon doesn't do it, Water of Notre Dame doesn't do it, but something like Sea of Glass does. Bad. I'd love to find out what's in there that I'm allergic to so I can avoid it, but I can't figure it out for the life of me. ETA: Also, I'm seriously allergic to something in Malkuth. The instant it hits my skin it raises huge red welts and they hurt like you would not believe. I'm not allergic to cinnamon (which Malkuth smells like it has), so I don't know what's causing it...anyone have any ideas?

I'd say Wrath and Three Witches are pretty different. The dragon's blood is really pronounced in Wrath and Three Witches is extremely spicy. Personally I think The Heirophant is a decent replacement for Three Witches. They're not perfectly similar and it may be a skin chemistry thing, but they're close enough to get me through the interim.

Origin: The Pumpkin King circular swap. First sniff: Wow, I like this! Cinnamon and wood of some sort. I don't know that I'd wear this, but it's interesting and quite nice. Wet on skin: Some kind of dry wood with a light dusting of cinnamon over top of it. It's a sort of less intense, less spicy relative of Three Witches. I like this a lot. Dry down: Spicier than it was when it was wet, but otherwise the same. I'm surprised I didn't try this before...assuming I could have gotten ahold of some, that is. The bottom line: Vaguely reminiscent of potpurri, but I like it.

Origin: The Pumpkin King circular swap. Preconceived notions: I've been looking forward to trying this blend for a while now, both because people said it was cinnamony and because of the purpose (I could really use a windfall right about now), so I'm excited to get to try this. First sniff: Cinnamon and something I can't quite place...orange, maybe? It smells a little like orange, but I can't really tell with the cinnamon in the foreground. Either way, this reminds me both of Christmas and Constant Comment tea (although it's normally cloves that remind me of Constant Comment). Wet on skin: I'm fairly certain that is orange I'm smelling here. It's very nice and warm smelling. Comforting. It's less spicy than it was in the imp, but I still like it. The question is whether or not it works. Dry down: Cinnamon and orange. It smells vaguely like potpurri, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I haven't gotten any beneficial effects from this, but who knows...it could just be that it needs more time to work. Either way, I still like it. The bottom line: Can't say for sure whether it works, but I can say it smells good.

Origin: The Pumpkin King circular swap! Thanks, QS! First sniff: Mmm, this is what I wanted from Jack. Whereas Jack makes me a little queasy for some reason and smells a little funny (and not like pumpkin, really), Pumpkin King smells like...pumpkin and lacks all of Jack's stomach-turning properties. This is soft, mellow pumpkin with a hint of spice. I really like this. Beautifully autumnal. Wet on skin: Now that is bizarre...when I put it on, Pumpkin King morphs into...Scarecrow! That is too bizarre for words. There's no pumpkin, no spice, just slightly scorched smelling straw/corn stalks. This is dead-on identical to Scarecrow on me at this point, which makes me wonder if they share a common ingredient that's getting thrown out of whack by my skin chemistry since Scarecrow is turning nasty on my skin lately in the same way that Pumpkin King is. Dry down: The pumpkin's slowly making a minor comeback after masquerading as Scarecrow, but the scorched straw smell is still there in the background. In a way, it's a good thing this went crazy on me...at least this way I won't be lusting after it anymore. The bottom line: Lovely in the imp but a disaster on my skin. I'd say this was a blessing in disguise.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab! Preconceived notions: I've been curious about this one, but never got around to ordering it because there weren't any notes listed and I'm quickly learning that I've got several scent allergies, but since the Lab chose to gift me with this I fully intend to try it out. First sniff: How odd...I don't know what flower this is, but it's familiar. When I hold it far away from my nose, it smells like honeysuckle (something I'm noticing more and more in BPAL - the way they smell different depending on how far away you are) but up close it's...sort of astringent, smoky and fruity but definitely floral. This one's lost on me since floral notes aren't my forte. Wet on skin: I know I've smelled this before, but I can't remember what flower it is. It's one that I've only smelled in BPAL scents and never in nature, I know that much, but I can't remember what it is and it's somewhat annoying. It's definitely a unique floral and definitely not me. Dry down: Smoky, slightly astringent flowers. I keep thinking of Black Dahlia when I smell this although I don't think they're really similar...something about this just reminds me of Black Dahlia because I remember it being referred to as smoky and floral. ...Okay, there's rose in here, too, for sure. It's suddenly just popped up out of nowhere and its really making itself known. Unfortunately, I don't like roses, so this is even more definitely not for me now. The bottom line: Totally not me by any stretch of the imagination. This would be better for someone with a penchant for florals, especially rose.

Origin: I got an imp of this from Sarada. Preconceived notions: I didn't order this because it sounded completely wrong for me, but I've heard it compared to butter mints which sounds damn good, so I'm definitely curious. First sniff: Wow, that is butter mints! There's something vaguely floral here, too, but mainly it's delicious butter mints. This is actually making me hungry. Wet on skin: Butter mints and heavy cream. I really didn't expect to like this, but this is actually gorgeous! I can see myself needing a bottle or two of this, pronto. Dry down: The butter mints are gone and now Chaste Moon is all soft cream with a hint of light mint. I really like this. This one was a definite pleasant surprise. The bottom line: This is the first Lunacy blend that's agreed with me (and I mean really areed) since Blue Moon and, just like Blue Moon, it was one I never would have picked on my own. I really like this!

Preconceived notions: QS informed me quite a while ago that Chesed has one of my favorite notes in it and I'm guessing it's cedar. I've been waiting to read the reviews because I want it to be a surprise, but I'm getting antsy about finding out, so I'm glad this finally arrived! First sniff: Yay, cedar! I had a feeling that was what it was going to be, so I'm glad I was right. It's not only cedar, though. Somehow it reminds me a little bit of Alecto. It's not raspberry leaf like in Alecto, but they seem to be in the same general vein. Whatever it is, I can't place it, but it softens the cedar and sweetens it, making it much less dry. Wet on skin: I still have no clue what else is in here. It might be fruit of some kind, but honestly I can't tell. It's semi-sweet, but not overly sweet. It actually reminds me a lot of Alecto, even though there's clearly no raspberry leaf in here. Whatever it is it's pretty, but I'm also feeeling a little bit sick to my stomach, so it may be something I'm allergic to. Dry down: Now Chesed smells almost like cedar and frankincense. That may very well be my nose pulling a fast one, but that's what it smells like. To me, anyway. It's a sort of sweet resin/something else (technical term) and cedar scent to my nose. I really like this, but it's making me a little queasy for no apparent reason. The bottom line: I really like this a lot but something in it doesn't like me. It's been a while since I had a reaction like this to anything other than almonds and occassionally carnation, so I have no clue what's causing it, but it looks like this is going to have to go.

First sniff: Another floral. I'm ridiculously inept at identifying all but a small number of flowers by smell, so for comparison I would say...think Eternal or something similar. They're in the same ballpark. Light florals...white smelling and slightly aquatic. Similar to honeysuckle and maybe white rose or lily. Wet on skin: Smells like honeysuckle to me now, although that may be wishful thinking...honeysuckle and rose, actually. Or maybe it's jasmine...it's a hard call. I love honeysuckle (it's one of only two florals notes I genuinely like and even love) but I hate rose and don't care for jasmine, so I'm torn on this one. Dry down: Back to smelling like honeysuckle again. I don't normally wear florals, but this isn't half bad, assuming the rose (if that is rose I'm smelling) doesn't decide to stage a comeback. The bottom line: Not my usual style, but nice all the same. Soft, white, creamy florals. Very feminine and understated.

First sniff: Resin...I can't say much more right now. It smells like there's either wood of some sort or red sandalwood in here, too, but it's hard to pin it down. Wet on skin: Almost astringent smelling. I know I recognize this, I just can't place it. It's one of those naggingly familiar scents that I know I recognize but can't put my finger on. It's astringent and slightly herbal, but also slightly woody. It's somewhat similar to pine, but not quite... Dry down: More like dry wood now. The astringent note seems to have disappeared and I'm left with a generic dry wood scent...like oak maybe. Definitely not cedar, pine or redwood. The bottom line: I'm not sure if I love this or hate it. It's one of those scents that I'm really ambivalent about. I think if I could place what I'm smelling I could decide, but until then I'm up in the air about this one.

First sniff: I smell roses...more like attar of rose, which has always smelled different to me. I don't like roses, so this doesn't bode well. Wet on skin: Yep, that's rose, alright. Have I mentioned that I don't like roses? Well, I don't. At all. I honestly can't smell anything in here apart from the evil roses of doom. Dry down: Roses, roses and more roses. That's all I'm getting here, but my skin amps up florals (and rose in particular) to an insane degree, so it may be my skin chemistry that's responsible for the overwhelmingness of the rose note in this. The bottom line: This would be great for a rose lover. Unfortunately, I am not said rose lover.

First sniff: Fruity, definitely fruity. I think it may be pomegranate I'm smelling, but for some reason I can't quite decide. I'm reasonably sure that's what I'm smelling, though. Wet on skin: Cinnamon and fruit? This actually reminds me of apple cider, which is great since I was just thinking that I'd love an apple cider scent. I don't think there's apple in this, but it does smell like apple cider anyway. Strange. Dry down: I still smell mulled cider and it's gorgeous! There's definitely cinnamon in this. It's leaving a nasty red welt on my arm where I tested it, so those who are allergic to cinnamon might want to steer clear (I don't normally have trouble with cinnamon, but this is really causing a reaction). I love this, allergies or no allergies. The bottom line: My new favorite Sephiroth, even if it does provoke a nasty allergic reaction. I'm actually surprised by how much I like this one.

First sniff: Salty smelling with leather in the background. For me, this is Jolly Roger meets De Sade. Unfortunately, that doesn't bode well because most aquatic scents give me hives, but we'll see. Wet on skin: The salt note is the predominant one on me, although the leather is pretty intense. I'm not sure I like the combination...of course, I'm not sure that it's salt I'm smelling and not just my nose playing tricks with the leather. Dry down: Salty leather. This is a weird one for me and it's starting to burn, so I think it's safe to say Geburah doesn't like me. The bottom line: I don't think Geburah likes me, unfortunately. This one's probably going to be finding a new home. EDIT: I sniffed Geburah again and damned if that isn't leather in there.

First sniff: Is that sassafrass? That's certainly what it smells like to me. The oil's dark brown, so I expected something earthy but it smells like root beer to me, which almost invariably means sassafrass. I think I smell vanilla, too...it's almost like Tombstone sans cedar. Wet on skin: Still smells like sassafrass, which I happen to love, by the way. It smells like a root beer float, to be precise...like root beer (sassafrass) and vanilla. It's actually isomewhat similar to super fresh Snake Oil, only with a root beer note. I like this! Dry down: I smell like a frickin' root beer float and I love it! This is so weird and totally unexpected, but I like it! The bottom line: This one was a total surprise and I really like it. I think I like it even more than Chesed, which has been my favorite Sephiroth so far.

First sniff: Oh, man, this is familiar! It's...jasmine, I think, although I could be wrong. It reminds me of Temple of Dreams, but only in passing. Wet on skin: That's what I'm smelling...fennel! I don't know that there's actually fennel in here, that's just what I'm getting from it. It's more like Baku than Temple of Dreams now. Dry down: A sort of non-agressive fennel scent with maybe some jasmine and rose. I definitely smell rose now. I'll be the first to admit I could be entirely wrong about this one, but that's my best guess. The bottom line: I rather like this in spite of the fact that it smells (to me) like two things I don't much care for: jasmine and fennel.

First sniff: Whoa, is that strong! This smells damn near identical to the inside of an Indian trading post/general store we had in my hometown when I was growing up...more specifically, it smells exactly like my beloved mocassins from there that I wore until the soles were completely worn through. I love the smell of leather and this is a real nostalgia type of scent, but somehow I don't think it's "me." Wet on skin: More rawhide than leather and, again, it brings back lots of good memories, but it's not something that I want to smell like for reasons that I can't quite figure out. I normally like leather scents, but I think Dead Man's Hand is a little too intense for me. I never thought I'd say something was too strong for me, but there's a first time for everything. Dry down: I swear, it's like Beth bottled the scent of that store. It's uncanny and it really evokes good scent memories, but I just can't see myself wearing this. It's definitely got appeal, it's just not working for me as a perfume, unfortunately. The bottom line: This is dead on accurate and unbelieveably realistic, but it's just not me, so I'm going to get rid of one of my bottles and give the other one another chance before I make a final decision.

Preconceived notions: I'm fully prepared not to like this one. Having read QS's original review, I decided it was pretty unlikely that I'd like this, so if I don't it won't be a disappointment, at least. First sniff: Oh, wow, so far I like this! I smell red musk, vanilla and a hint of something spicy with some sort of floral in the background that's just enough to soften this without making it girly. This could work! Wet on skin: Way more floral now, but my skin does tend to amp up florals like crazy, so maybe that's why. It's not a bad floral, though, which is good. I'd prefer if it stayed true to the way it smelled in the bottle, but it's still not bad. I'm no good with florals, so I can't say what this is apart from saying it's floral and it's not rose, lilac or honeysuckle. Dry down: Huh? Wha...? Damn! Something in this has turned into pure baby powder once The Living Flame dries. I don't know what the culprit is, but whatever it is, it ruined this one for me. I can't tolerate smelling like baby powder, unfortunately. The bottom line: Another potentially great scent ruined by skin chemistry.

Preconceived notions: Juke Joint is one of those scents I was pining for without knowing it until it showed up on the site, if that makes sense. Sort of like "I'll know what I'm looking for when I find it"...that kind of thing. I'm really looking forward to trying this, but I'm hoping it's not all mint on me. I love the smell of bourbon, so hopefully it comes through in this. First sniff: Oh, yeah, that's what I wanted! This is dead on accurate! The mint is definitely noticeable, but it's not all I smell. The bourbon is definitely there right behind the mint, giving it some depth and making it richer. This smells like the perfect summer scent for me! Wet on skin: The bourbon note really picks up once this hits my skin, which is just what I'd hoped for. The only other mint julep perfume I've tried was Demeter's and it smelled like pure Doublemint gum, but this is totally different. It's the perfect mix of bourbon, sugar and mint, in that order. This is absolutely, utterly gorgeous! Dry down: Almost pure, smoky bourbon and sugar, which is fine by me. I was worried that this would be too strong on the mint, but it's perfect. The bourbon has a slight smokiness that's just right and the sugar is sweet without being too sweet. I feel like a southern belle wearing this and I have a feeling it'd be sexy as hell on a guy, too. The bottom line: Juke Joint not only met my expectations, it exceeded them. The perfect mix of bourbon, sugar and mint. I'm in love.

Origin: I was gifted with two imps of this on the same day by emunymph and the BPAL powers that be (read: lagniappe)...it must be a sign! Preconceived notions: I'm a bit worried about the iris in this since florals aren't really my thing, but the rest of the notes are right up my alley. First sniff: Sweeter and much less intense in the resin department than I was expecting. I think it must be the iris I'm smelling that's throwing me off. Underneath the sweetness there's a hint of herbs and a bit of incense, but it's nowher near as intense as I'd hoped for. Wet on skin: That's better. On my skin, the iris mellows quite a bit and lets the herbs and sandalwood through. This (once again) reminds me of another BPAL scent, but I can't place it. Anubis, maybe? I honestly can't remember, but it's familiar. Dry down: Resin and herbs but with a sort of waxy floral to it. This is actually quite nice, in spite of the florals. It has three of my favorite resins in it and the herbs give it a nice depth that sets it apart from my other BPAL resin blends. The bottom line: Better than I'd expected although not as strong in the sandalwood department as I'd hoped for. I really like the dry down on this one, though, once the iris mellows out.

Origin: I got an imp of this from oatmealneko. Preconceived notions: I love myrrh and clove and I'm pretty keen on dragon's blood but I'm not sure about the cherry. I have a feeling this could fall into the "It'd be great if it weren't for __________" category. First sniff: So far so good. The clove and myrrh really balance out the cherry and the almost-cherry smell that dragon's blood has. This is a dark red scent for me, not a bright crimson red the way dragon's blood scents normally are and I definitely prefer it this way. Wet on skin: More cherry-like now but still nice. The myrrh is really coming out nicely and counteracting the cherry note so that it doesn't take over. The clove is lending a nice, comforting spicy note to it, too, and rounding it out. So far, I think this is hands down my favorite BPAL dragon's blood scent yet. Dry down: I really like this! I was worried about the cherry in here, but it's not even asserting itself now. All I'm getting is clove, myrrh and dragon's blood and they smell gorgeous together. The bottom line: Gorgeous! I love the spiciness and the sweetish incense in this and I'm glad the cherry wasn't overpowering.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I don't normally do florals or fruit, but this sounds like it could be pretty. I actually like honeysuckle and white musk and I'm learning to like pear, so it may actually work. I know the last thing I tried with stargazer lily in it (Grandmother of Ghosts) was gorgeous, so I'm curious about whether this will work or not. First sniff: As much as I dislike florals, I like Juliet so far. I smell honeysuckle and pear for sure and probably sweet pea, but I'm not too good at identifying most flowers by smell. It's a soft, unoffensive floral like...well, like honeysuckle, but slightly different in a way I can't describe. This actually has potential. Wet on skin: Honeysuckle and pear are still dominating but the musk is creeping in, too, slowly but surely. It's actually very pretty, even to me, a self-admitted non-girly girl and hater of florals. I can definitely see myself wearing this...I'd even consider wearing it to my wedding. Dry down: Juliet has settled down into a lovely white musk scent with a hint of pear and some sort of floral that I can't place. This is feminine without being overwhelmingly so and I actually like it quite a bit, which amazes me since it's the antithesis to the sort of scents I normally wear. I'm glad I tried this instead of passing on it without testing it. The bottom line: I don't know if I'll wear this often, but it really is lovely.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. First sniff: Huh, that's weird...this reminds me of F54, which must be because of the combination of alcohol, rose and musk. They're more like cousins than sisters, but it's still noticeable. I smell the wine and myrrh most prominently, but the musk and rose are lurking in the not-so-far background. Wet on skin: I swear, this is like poor man's F54. I never would have imagined the two would be similar in any way, shape or form, but Lilith definitely is similar. It's not as rich or expensive smelling as F54 is, but that's why it's the poor man's version. Dry down: This has a much sweeter dry down than F54 does, but they're still variations on the same theme. This is like F54 plus sweet myrrh, only lighter and less dramatic smelling. I really didn't expect to like this since I don't like roses and black musk is finicky on my skin, but I do like this! The bottom line: For me, this is poor man's Formula 54. I doubt I'll ever run out of my precious F54 stockpile, but if I do Lilith will be the replacement.