Penance

This was one of the many generous freebies in my last order from the Lab.

First sniff:

This is complicated smelling! Bergamot is the most prominent note for me, followed by violet. I can't smell any of the other notes distinctly, but I get the impression that they're there.

Wet on skin:

Bergamot and violet with a hint of sandalwood. It's a mix of citrus and powdery florals and dry sandalwood incense on me. This is definitely an unusual mixture, and sadly it has two things I can't normally wear in it: powdery florals and citrus.

Dry down:

No real change from when it was first applied. The violet gets a little stronger and the sandalwood a little weaker, but other than that, it's a very linear scent for me.

The bottom line:

This one's definitely not for me. Citrus and violet generally aren't my thing, but the sandalwood note was nice.

This was one of the many freebies in my last order from the Lab.

First sniff:

Very clean smelling, like a meadow full of fresh cut grass. I can smell the barest hint of berries if I inhale very deeply which is fine because berries don't generally work on me.

Wet on skin:

Oh, there's the berries...they were hiding. They're picking up quite a bit now that it's on my skin, drowning out the fresh-cut grass smell. They remind me of pokeberries for some reason. I have no idea what sort of berries are supposed to be in here, but that's the first thing that comes to mind. It's not an overpoweringly sweet berry scent, more of a juicy, fruity berry scent.

Dry down:

The berries have receded a little, but they're still the dominant note for me. This scent reminds me of spring in a meadow; very fresh and happy smelling.

The bottom line:

It's beautiful, but not for me. I prefer a heavier, darker scent to a lighter, fruity one.

Okay, I can now safely recommend Old London as (in my humble, rose-hating opinion) the perfect rose scent. I got an imp of it free in my last order and gave it to my mom who adores roses and she's head over heels for it.

Got this in a swap from Clover.

First sniff:

Cedar, something vaguely peppery and a hint of grapefruit. This pepper and citrus temper the dryness of the cedar and lessen its impact, making it softer and less harsh smelling while leaving its general character intact. So far, I love this even if the cedar is less prominent than I'd hoped.

Wet on skin:

The patchouli comes out a little and mingles with the cedar and grapefruit and the pepper seems to disappear quite quickly. It's not a fruity or citrusy scent in spite of the grapefruit, which is fine by me, but I wish the cedar was more...well, cedary. I love a good strong cedar note and I wish this was stronger on the cedar and patchouli.

Dry down:

Light cedar and the slightest hint of patchouli. This scent's lasted about 5 hours on me, which isn't too bad. Cedar, for some reason, tends to fade quite quickly on me, so I'm not complaining.

The bottom line:

Lovely, but I wish it had a stronger impact in the cedar and patchouli areas. I still like it a lot, though, it's just not going to be my new signature scent is all.

I was really looking forward to this one since I love thunderstorms so much, but sadly it doesn't appear to work for me.

First sniff:

Ozoney but with a hint of lemon that's already turning me off. I love pure ozone scents, not ones with citrus in them and, sadly, Lightning appears to be in the citrus/ozone cateogry.

Wet on skin:

More lemony than ozoney and with a hint of soapiness. It reminds me more of Pledge than a thunderstorm. I don't know why, but almost all of BPAL's aquatic scents seem to turn into some sort of cleaning products on me.

Dry down:

It smells like cleaning fluid now. I'm pretty sure it's my body chemistry and not the oil, but it's still a disappointment. I was so hoping for a good electrical ozone kind of scent, but I got lemon Pledge instead.

The bottom line:

Off to swaps it goes. I'm not giving up my search for the perfect thunderstorm scent just yet, though.

Got this as a freebie from the Lab in my latest order.

First sniff:

Ozone. This smells like what I imagined Lightning would smell like...it smells more like lightning than Lightning does.

There's a hint of something else aquatic under the ozone but I've never been able to pinpoint those particular notes. I love the smell of a good thunderstorm and, so far, this is right on the money.

Wet on skin:

Almost lemony smelling when it hits my skin, but it settles back down into a pure aquatic/ozone scent almost immediately. This is very fresh and clean smelling, definitely a good after-shower scent.

Dry down:

No change from it beign wet. It's clean and almost metallic smelling with the ozone popping out of it and making me feel like I've just walked outside after a storm. The unfortunate thing is that while I love the smell of a good thunderstorm in general, it doesn't seem to work on my skin for some reason. It's not that it turns into something unpleasant, it just doesn't work if that makes sense.

The bottom line:

As much as I love thunderstorms, I'm learning that aquatic scents generally don't work for me. I like the way they smell but end up gravitating back towards heavier resin and woodsy scents. Off to swap with it, I guess.

I'm in the same boat you're in.

I, personally, prefer woodsy or resiny scents like:

Anne Bonny

Cathedral

Damnation

Loup Garou

Black Forest

Malediction

But then that's because I love woodsy and resin scents, which aren't for everyone to be sure.

I do have to disagree with the Laudanum suggestion. On me it's very sweet, it smells like root beer as a matter of fact.

I second the Somnus suggestion. I tend to talk and twitch (and I'm not talking little twitches, I'm talking full body, knock you out of bed twitches) in my sleep and Somnus knocks me out cold.

I'm another Angel lover who can't seem to break the habit.

I'll have to try Snake Oil and Three Witches with it. I've never tried Noir at all because no one's wanted to swap me some, but I might have to try that, too, if I get my hot little hands on some.

I would think Snake Oil would probably be a good choice or O or maybe even Le Petit Mort.

Ahh, patchouli...I'm one of those people who absolutely adores it, so Malediction and I are a match made in heaven.

First sniff:

Patchouli most strongly, but not the kind of patchouli I'm familiar with (I must be used to the black variety). I also smell something dark green smelling which must be the vetiver. It's almost musty smelling like when you turn over a rotten log and that's not a bad thing at all for me. I love patchouli, so this is a wonderful smell in my opinion, although I think I prefer black patchouli to red.

Wet on skin:

All I smell is patchouli now. It's a musty patchouli rather than the dirty patchouli I'm used to, but I like it. A lot. My dad swears I smell like cedar, but then he says everything I wear smells like cedar.

Dry down:

Malediction has settled down into a slightly more traditional patchouli scent and it's lighter than it was in the bottle, but this oil is strong. I barely swiped any on my wrists and my dad claims he can smell me from about 6 feet away. I love strong earthy scents, so for me that's wonderful, but for those who shy away from strong fragrances, I'd go very easy on this one or avoid it altogether.

The bottom line:

I love it, pure and simple. On me it smells like pure patchouli, which is perfectly fine because I love patchouli. I was a little worried this might be too musty, but once it settled down, it was pure patchouli perfection.

Got this as a generous freebie from the Lab in my most recent order.

First sniff:

I'll be the first to admit I have no idea what pomegranates smell like. My parents swear that when I was little I loved them, but I have absolutely no memory of that at all and I haven't eaten a pomegranate in as long as I can remember, so I can't say if this is accurate. What I can say is that this is sweet and fruity and pulpy and red smelling if that makes sense. I thought I'd hate this based on the description, but this actually quite nice.

Wet on skin:

Slightly boozy smelling, but the predominant impression I'm getting is one of gummy bears for some reason!

Dry down:

Yep, that's gummy bears, alright. I'd know that smell anywhere. I, of all people, know what gummies smell like a little better than would probably be considered normal since I used to play with them on a daily basis when I was little (I was a weird kid, don't ask). This is a nice, strong, pleasant scent, but I'm not sure that it's for me since I don't generally care for super fruity scents.

The bottom line:

I'll have to give this one another go before I decide if I want to keep it or swap it. I don't think fruit works on me, I prefer woodsy or resiny scents, personally.

I got this as a generous freebie in my latest order.

First sniff:

Cherry! It reminds me of Luden's Wild Cherry coughdrops, which isn't at all a bad thing. This is so different from The Red Queen, which I absolutely despised, that it's amazing. If I get my nose right down to my wrist, I can smell the faintest whiff of flowers.

Wet on skin:

Cherry, but more natural smelling now and less like artifical flavoring, with a flowery undertone. The flowers are coming out more strongly now that it's on my skin and, surprisingly, I like what I'm smelling. I don't normally care for fruity scents or flowers, but this is quite pretty.

Dry down:

The cherry and floral notes have balanced each other out now and it's much lighter than it was in the bottle. This is surprisingly nice in spite of my aversions to fruit and floral notes in my perfumes.

The bottom line:

This may end up being too light of a scent for me, but, for now, it's a keeper.

I tried this hoping for a replacement for my beloved Damnation ( ), and while it's not anywhere near being the perfect replacement, it's lovely.

First sniff:

Cedar and something sweet that smells liky myrrh. I'm not sure what it is, to tell the truth, since I have no idea what galangal or high john essence smell like...I guess maybe it's one of them. This is nowhere near Damnation, which was dry and strong and almost arid smelling, while this is sweet but woody, but I love cedar, so I'll give it a go.

Wet on skin:

Cedar and sandalwood. The sweetness disappears as soon as it hits my skin, which is okay because I don't care for sweet scents. I wish this was more cedary, but it's quite beautiful all the same. I love both cedar and sandalwood, and this reminds me quite a bit of Tushnamatay instead of Damnation.

Dry down:

Very light sandalwood. It went strong for a couple hours and then started becoming fainter and fainter and losing that wonderful dry cedar edge, but I can deal with having to reapply this one, it's too pretty to pass up just because it doesn't stay strong on me.

The bottom line:

This reminds me of Tushnamatay but more cedary. I was hoping for a Damnation replacement and, while this isn't even a close contender, it's still beautiful. I'll definitely be wearing this one quite often.

Thick, sugared and bloated with sweetness. Dark chocolate, vanilla, buttercream, and hops with pralines, hazelnut, toffee and caramel.

First sniff:

Whoa, mama, is that sweet! My teeth ache just smelling it. I smell toffee very strongly and a soft nutty note underneath it. It reminds me of MunchNCrunch - that toffee-covered popcorn and nut concoction that tastes so damn good but makes you sick as a dog if you overdo it. I'm actually afraid to put this on. I'm not a foody scent kind of girl and this is almost making me gag it's so sweet, but I'll give it a go, I've got a reputation for masochism to preserve, after all.

Wet on skin:

Pretty much the same as in the vial. It puts me in mind of those pralines you get down south and it's walking the fine line between nauseating and tolerably decadent on me. I'm admittedly not a person who enjoys super sweet scents for the most part, so maybe I'm just not used to smelling like I've been dipped in toffee and rolled in chopped pecans and vanilla extract. Either way, I'm sure even now that this is not for me.

Dry down:

Not so cloying or nauseating now, but still rot-your-teeth sweet. I don't think I'm the right kind of person for this scent, actually. I don't really like candy or sweets in general very much and smelling like them is even worse, although there are exceptions to that rule; Sugar Skull for example.

The bottom line:

Aptly named, that's for sure. I feel like a glutton just wearing this. So far, it's the most apltly named of all the Deadly Sins scents I've tried, but it's definitely not for me. I prefer potato chips to candy.

Got a 5mL of this from lorajc.

First sniff:

Oh...my...God. Juniper and musk and pine? Can you say love at first sniff? This is gorgeously woodsy smelling! I love this already. It reminds me of the deepest reaches of a pine forest where even the trails don't reach. I wouldn't say this smells solemn. To me, it smells peaceful and calm and perfectly tranquil.

Wet on skin:

The juniper and pine are even more prominent on my skin, which is a wonderful thing since I love both of them. This reminds me of a mix between Loup Garou and Burial, two of my absolute favorite BPAL scents.

Dry down:

This, like Black Forest, goes slightly powdery on me on the dry down. I'm guessing it's the juniper that's to blame and it gets more prominent the longer it's been since the oil has been applied. I don't really mind it, but I wish that it wasn't there. It's not enough to make me dislike this scent, though; nothing can stay my love for juniper and pine. Nothing!

The bottom line:

If Loup Garou and Burial mated, this would be the kind of child they'd have. It's gorgeous and woodsy and tranquil smelling although I wish the dry down wasn't so powdery.

I got a 5mL of this from belladonnastrap.

First sniff:

Very strong pipe tobacco, it smells almost exactly like the inside of a fresh packet of the stuff. This isn't pipe smoke, it's the tobacco itself: dark and rich and deep. I can't smell anything else right out of the bottle even though I know there's more to this scent than tobacco. This is very masculine smelling and I don't normally consider too many scents to be clearly masculine. I don't shy away from strong masculine scents though, so that won't put me off.

Wet on skin:

Much lighter than in the bottle somehow. It's not as overpowering as it was straight out of the bottle, either. I can smell the faintest hint of leather now that it's on my skin and maybe even the tiniest hint of incense. I really expected this to be much stronger than it is. On me, it reminds me of the smell of a library in a mansion somewhere. I can just imagine some rich aristocrat smoking a pipe and reading Le Mort D'Arthur. But, at the same time, it's very cozy smelling, like the inside of my grandparents' house when I was very small and only knew pipe tobacco as the smell that I associated with grandpa.

Dry down:

A light waft of pipe tobacco mingling with the faintest scent of a leather sofa that's been polished with wear. If I inhale very deeply, I can smell the faintest breath of incense smoke, but mainly it's a very warm, comforting masculine scent that makes me feel warm and protected. An odd association for a scent named after the Hellfire Club, to be sure, but one I can't seem to shake all the same.

The bottom line:

Surprisingly comforting and deceptively subtle. An enigma and a paradox; simultaneously sophisticated and folksy and full of conflicting associations. I really like this one in spite of my worries that it might be a bit too masculine even for me.

EDIT: It would help if I could spell.

Thanks, Andra!

Those of you who have actual bottles of Formula 54...was it labeled or just the plain bottle? I'm just dying of curiosity to see what the final product looks like.

I know what the bottle itself looks like, but I've been feverishly wondering about the label (if there even is one).

Whoo! I was right about Ulalume! I feel all smart now.

Even though no one's asked, I'm just tossing my two cents in on pronunciation of one of my favorite scents...I figure someone out there is probably wondering and, besides, it makes me sound all smart and sophisticated to know how to pronounce it.

Loup Garou is pronounced LOO GAROO, but I have a tendency to pronounce it the way it looks, even though I know the correct French pronunciation.

My french is very rusty...very rusty indeed.

And, on a side note, it should be hyphented rather than two words, but that's beside the point...I'm rambling now, so I should go to bed...

And on the subject of Ulalume...I always said OOH-LA-LOOM. But, then, I could be entirely wrong.

*Edited because apparently my English is rusty, too. *

I keep meaning to review this and keep forgetting to, so here is the world's most overdue review.

First sniff:

Vanilla, but not the artificial, rot-your-teeth sweet vanilla most people think of when they hear the word "vanilla." I'm talking about vanilla bean. Dark and rich and almost spicy smelling. This smells goreous and expensive somehow.

Wet on skin:

The spices really pick up once it hits my skin and I get the most wonderful combination of vanilla bean and sultry spice. No matter how many other oils I try, this one remains one of my favorites simply because it manages to smell sultry and innocent and womanly all at the same time.

Dry down:

Snake Oil mellows somewhat as it dries, becoming more rounded and blended and reminding me somehow of aged rum. The difference between Snake Oil wet and Snake Oil dry is like the difference between fresh-malted scotch and 12-year-old scotch. At least on me at any rate.

The bottom line:

A perenial favorite and one I'll keep coming back to time and again. It's rich and dark and seductive and innocent all at the same time. Snake Oil was love at first sniff and will always hold a special place in my BPAL heart.

This is the first one of the Tarot oils I've tried and I have to say, I think it's going to remain my favorite.

Preconceived notions:

Green and loamy at the same time. The oil itself is a light green color, so I would expect something woodsy but earthy at the same time. Maybe with a hint of aquatic notes. This is the interpretation of The World after all.

First sniff:

Sandalwood and something spicy. Cinnamon, maybe? I wasn't expecting this at all. This is beautiful, but nowhere near what I thought it would be like. This almost reminds me ofa cross between Sin and Tushnamatay straight out of the bottle.

Wet on skin:

The cinnamon seems to have disappeared and been replaced by eucalyptus. There's the green I was expecting! It's beautiful, fresh and invigorating but calming at the same time and quite lovely.

Dry down:

Resiny and spicy and vaguely herbal. This one's a real shapeshifter on me. I've loved all the stages so far; it's really lived up to what I expected out of it and even exceeded those expectations.

The bottom line:

I love this. I was afraid that it would be too complicated for me or that there would be one note that would ruin the entire scent for me (like lemon, it tends to pop up and ruin a lot of otherwise wonderful scents), but this is absolutely gorgeous. A definite winner!

First sniff:

Dragon's blood. Very strong dragon's blood. I don't know what else is in this (I don't have the description in front of me) because all I can smell is that beautiful resin right out of the vial.

Wet on skin:

Still almost pure dragon's blood. It's resiny and vaguely spicy and thankfully there's none of that dreaded rose scent coming out to play. I expected this to be more woodsy smelling, but it's very resiny and spicy instead. This is really beautiful.

Dry down:

Pretty much the same as it was wet. There wasn't really a change from the initial bottle stage on this one. Even dry it's almost pure dragon's blood with a hint of spice. There's no florals to be found, which is fine by me because I don't care for floral scents and the woodsy notes that I was anticipating seem to be completely absent, which is somewhat of a disappointment, but more than made up for by the beautiful resin smell.

The bottom line:

Lovely. I love dragon's blood as long as it doesn't turn into cherries on me and Wildfire passed that test with flying colors. I expected this particular scent to be more complex, but I love it just the way it is.

Whoa, this one was a total surprise! I was convinced I'd gotten a mislabeled bottle until I read the reviews, but apparently I didn't...how odd.

That being said, here's my review as originally written...

First sniff:

Did I get a mislabeled bottle or something? This smells exactly like a lighter version of Dia De Los Muertos. I don't smell anything resembling incense or flowers. What I'm getng is almost like what Harvest Moon smelled like...buttery and warm and cozy rather than eccelsiastical. That's really bizarre...I can't wait for my other bottle to come to be sure that this is right, it's so differnt than what I was expecting.

Wet on skin:

Still very buttery and autumnal smelling, like a cross between Dia De Los Muertos and Harvest Moon. I dpn't smell anything even remotely resembling incense in this. Maybe it's Hunter Moon instead? I really have no idea since I haven't smelled Hunter Moon and haven't gotten my second bottle of All Saint's yet. I could very well be mistaken and this is how it's supposed to smell, but it doesnt' smell anything like the description.

Dry down:

Now it smells exactly like Harvest Moon. Slightly buttery and autumnal smelling and [i[very[/i] foody. If I didn't know better, I'd swear this was Harvest Moon.

The bottom line:

Beautiful, but it doesn't smell like I thought All Saint's would smell like. I was expecting strong, dry resins and a touch of florals and instead got something very sweet and foody smelling which is beautiful but nowhere near what I was expecting.

Okay, this is one of those love/hate scents for me. I love it because it works wonders and I hate it because I really don't care for the smell.

First sniff:

Lavender, I think. It's more herbal than floral and it reminds me of the last time I smelled fresh lavender flowers. It's not a bad smell, but not one I would have picked. But then, I didn't buy this for the scent, I bought it to help me sleep.

Wet on skin:

Almost unpleasantly herbal smelling. It's got a strange soapy herbal smell to it that's not agreeing with me at all, but at the same time I already feel more relaxed. I can only compare the effect this has on me to the effect that strong painkillers do. When I put it on, all the tension drains out of my muscles and I feel almost like I'm floating. Needless to say, it's a wonderful sensation.

Dry down:

Honestly, I have no idea what it smells like once it's dry...I fell asleep before it finished drying and it was gone when I woke up in the morning.

The bottom line:

I don't care for the scent, but, my God, does it work! This stuff is fantastic.