fairnymph

Light yellow oil. Clean, fresh, slightly herbal. Strongly cologney with maybe a metallic note - it reminds a lot of Torture Queen. Definitely white amber and white musk. One of the herbs is a tad sharp/bitter. Sharper, with that herb amping. I do also think there is a metal note in here, iron I suspect - because it has that nutmeg quality that iron does on my skin. Something a bit citrusy, zesty - maybe bergamot? This reminds me now of Hunger Moon. There's a hint of fruity sweetness that I suspect comes from the citrus. More metallic, and the nutmeg isn't coming out much, so I think there is actually a chrome note, but this is mostly about the white amber and amazingly, the citrus which has amped up a bit. I think it must be some sort of citrus peel/zest note, as that's the only type of citrus that holds on my skin. The chrome has amped further but the iron is still there, too, and it's more spicy and warm now. The citrus is holding well while white amber remains in command. This is a very clean, bright scent without being too sharp or soapy.

Deep golden oil. Dry, spicy woods and cologne. Cedar, sandalwood and maybe some herbs. The spice could be coriander. Clean and masculine. Same, perhaps a bit smoother, sweeter and less sharp, with a stronger cologne base to tie everything together. The cedar is very light, and so far not amping. Sandalwood reigns, and it strikes me that maybe there's two types - red and white. Not a morpher. I also don't get any eucalyptus or oakmoss, although this is increasingly warm and sort of muddled smelling, which makes me suspect the bark note from Whoso List to Hunt and maybe some brown musk and amber, too. There is a definite warmth to this. The spice has faded on me, but I know that there's some white pepper in this, because it's the same note from Tulzcha. I still think there is a hint of coriander though which gives that green/fresh, cologney feel (and I still suspect a light fougere base). Dry woods, white pepper, tree bark, amber, musk and a faint hint of coriander. An oddly warm but still sort of bright, almost-refreshing scent. Definitely masculine. Good throw and great longevity.

Extremely pale yellow, virtually colourless oil. Clean cologne and fresh, bright gleaming chrome. Reminiscent of Torture Queen, but simpler. Softer, much less bright and noticeably metallic. Almost powdery, and a distinct linen/cotton note has emerge. I can see where people get 'inside of a purse' and I'm not sure how Beth accomplished that! Still zingy metal if I search below, though. This has sweetened up quite a bit - I think it's the effect of the cloth note, which is definitely cotton, very fluffy, and I get some skin musk in this too, with the light gleam of chrome in the distance. Very much a subtle skin scent on drydown - totally different in this regard from TQ. Final drydown is amber, musk and dryer sheets. Really really delicious snuggly dryer sheets - not soapy, but plush. Still very cottony but the metallic tang is very faint. This is not like anything else I've tried in BPAL, but I like it. Very low throw but good longevity.

Colourless or virtually colourless oil. Honey, fizzy champagne, and that slightly soapy (diswasher detergent) 'soda' note. Smells like a delicious cocktail. Boozier -now I get a little juniper-y gin. This is harsher (plastic/chemical?) and more powdery-soapy; more of a bite. The honey is very rich and syrupy, heavy, as in Thaleia. Perhaps too cloying for me. Soapy boozy gin and honey. The latter is less cloyingly sweet now, but the powder/soap from the detergent note has amped. I sort of like it in that way that I love to sniff powder detergent, but I'm not sure about it as a perfume. The sweetness of the honey clashes with it. The drydown reminds me a lot of Golden Wave's drydown, that same gin drydown, but sweetened by honey. The champagne and soda and soap/powder are long gone; that was just a short pahse, oddly. I really want to like this one, but it's just not working for me. Low throw but great longevity.

Golden oil. Honey, vanilla, amber - reminds me a lot of O, but much smoother and less powdery. Maybe more fruity? Very sweet and warm and golden. AMBER, and yep it's that same amber note from O that goes plastic on my skin. The vanilla, too, is quite cloying here, 'fake' vanilla, and the honey syrupy and heavy. This is not quite as sweet as O, and still not as powdery, but more plastic (and O is pretty damn plastic on me). The amber has amped even further, and some ginger (the dry spicy kind) and carnation have come out. This is now honeyed, spiced amber. The vanilla and honey have lost their cloying edge and are much smoother and more pleasant. I don't like the spicy turn this has taken, but it's now radically different from O. It reminds me now of Hod! This amps up to have moderate throw and great longevity on me. It's a sexy, warm-sweet-spicy skin scent, but too warm and spicy for my tastes, alas (or thank god, considering its rarity).

This smells utterly DELICIOUS - it was my favourite in-the-bottle scent of all the scented products, perfume or bath oil or sprays, at the trunk show. It is pure, fizzy, sparkling, bright, true-to-life, not too sweet and only lightly boozy, strong and realistic champagne. It's not sour or soapy and it's not wimpy and faint, either. I love dry champagne notes, as in the Champagne & ______ scents from a year ago, and this is that same note, but alone. Champagne SN. If only I could wear/use bath oils! This is just incredible. Damn mineral oil.

I scrub with soap (sometimes like, detergent, if needed), then rub vigorously with rubbing alcohol, then rub vigorously with vegetable oil a few times, then repeat the soapy scrubbing. That's for the ones that really won't come off, but usually unless a scent makes me feel really foul the soap wash will reduce it to tolerable levels. I have also learned to test VERY SPARINGLY so that in the case of something dreadful, I don't run into such a large problem. I have the biggest problem with CLOVE and CHOCOLATE scents that nearly always turn into pure evil on my skin and have insanely strong throw. Oh and fucking WISTERIA and PENNYROYAL.

TwilightEyes, thanks for always putting these up! A bit off topic, but I was browsing some fantasy art wallpapers my roommate sent me, and this one SO LOOKS LIKE IT SHOULD BE A BPAL BOTTLE LABEL: http://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?p=676386.jpg&i=74589 Don't you think? Maybe a creamy dark vanilla, chocolate, blood, metal & tobacco scent.

Sniffed: Slightly soapy/powdery/cologney incense, deep dark and surprisingly sweet woods, lovely, sweet & mild pipe smoke. Wet: More incense; even darker and spicier, though still oddly soapy-powdery in a masculine cologney way. The woods are more individually distinct; the mahogany is a bit overly heavy (much like a dark oak note, but sort of sickly sweet), but the ebony is dark and rich and smooth, like good tobacco. The pipe smoke is lighter, but still very mild and very lovely. Dry: Sweeter and sweeter, to the point of nausea - there is definitely some tonka in this, and I'm not liking it at all. The sweet-spicy-heavy woodiness with the smoke and incense is very intense, and this has amped on me to epic proportions. Also more soapy and powdery. I almost suspect leather, as well as a type of soapy cologney floral.

Sniffed: Golden oil. Rich coffee, tobacco (almost a foody tobacco note), light cinnamon. Almost-foody, very rich and deep and luscious. Wet: Tobacco really blooms on my skin, and the dry woods come out - sandalwood and mahogony and teak. This is one of those foody-masculine scents. Almost buttery on my skin, and quite sweet - definitely some tonka. The coffee note is very light and like real coffee, not artificially flavoured stale coffee as the lab's note usually is. And the cinnamon doesn't amp like crazy on my skin! Dry: Not a morpher, this one, although it does become more beautiful over time. The woods are dry, but not too dry, and they are deep and masculine - they cut the sweetness of the tonka and the almost-foody, super-rich tobacco. The coffee and cinnamon are very light notes on me - these are notes I can never ever wear and yet they are true on me here - no weird morphing, they just smell exactly as they should. Summary: This is too rich, foody, and masculine for my tastes, but I absolutely understand its popularity. Tobacco, tonka and woods (with the teak really standing out on drydown) dominate with lighter touches of coffee and cinnamon. It is a very well-made, superbly blended scent with intense throw and fabulous longevity.

I love fizzy/sparkling blends. LOVE. Below are those I found to have that quality perceptibly. GC: Akuma All in the Golden Afternoon Bon Vivant Czernobog Eau de Ghoul (Graveyard Book) The Great Sword of War Kuang-Shi Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat Snake Oil (when aged 1 year+, it's like sparkling cola on me) LE: Android v2 Aqua Vitae v2 Blue Fire any of the 2008 NYE Champagne scents, obv Delousing Powder Glitter Golden Wave Hamadryad (discontinued GC) Independent King of Clubs King of Diamonds La Vita Nuova Lovers with Rutting Cats Love's Philosophy Marianne (discontinued CD I think) Mead Moon Men Ringing Bells with Penises Opuhi Orange Phoenix Phosphorous v5 Playing with a Loaded Gun PW7 Rangoon Riptide Sea of Tranquility Spiked Punch Spinning Metallic Mulitcolor Pinwheel Te Po Val San Retour Vampire Tears Vishpala Pretty much any of the ones with ginger in them are 'ginger ale-ish', fyi. Others are like cream soda, or seltzer, or tonic, or sprite, or cola.

I have a great deal of trouble with 'snow/ice/winter' scents, and the only really WINTRY one I have found that I can wear is Talvikuu, although though that has trees, it's NOT piney at all - I hate pine. It has a lovely Birch note. Snowballs isn't too piney, either, although it didn't work on my skin - it was too much like Snow White, too much of that almond-coconut creamy note. As noted, Archangel Winter is one to try - although I find it distinctly masculine, it's a very neutral yet very wintry scent, quite cologne-y. I really like it on men but don't wear it myself. Also, I definitely agree re: The Macabray. I forgot about that one - definitely icy without being piney. I get a sort of cucumber-soft floral-ice, unisex-ish. I ADORE Night-Gaunt but I don't find it to be an 'icy' scent at all, personally.

Cool watery green things, herbs, cucumber, bitter lime, something minty, and vodka. Very green, but also very light - not heavily boozy. Extremely faint throw in the bottle. More herbal, sharper. Also stronger on my skin though it's still low throw. This smells a lot like fresh parsley to me, with maybe a little grass and some white sage (I get a bit of a Bat of Longevity feel). I do get the fresh, almost juicy cucumber, but it's a cucumber-peel note, not a melony-pulp note. The lime is the same note from Scurvy, which goes bitter and harsh on my skin. I think the minty note is hyssop. Very light sort of booziness, same vodka note from The Mock Turtle's Lessons - this is similar in feel to that blend, overall, too. MUSK, whoa. Green musk, in particular. Cool, minty-herbal musk. The vodka wears of completely and this smooths out and deepens greatly over time. It also amps up and up throw-wise. This drydown reminds me a lot of Serpents with Glittering Eyes, but this is more herbal and less fruity, though there is a bit of fruitiness to this scent. Quite nice, but I have a lot of scents like this that I prefer more. Eventually good throw and great longevity. I need to retest...I like this, but I'm not sure it's something that I totally need to keep.

Grass, cologne, skin musk galore, metal, leather and indeed, some rubber. Really just like it sounds! Light and masculine but with a faint almost candied/syrupy sweetness below. Grassier, soapier, and almost floral, in that sort of 'spring wildflowers' soapy-fresh way. The metal really gleams - a lovely chrome note, just as in Torture Queen. The skin musk is less cologney and smoother, and the rubber and leather are light little touches, totally wearable and pleasant. This is quite green, and I'm getting some dandelion. The soapiness calms down and the musk really comes out. That sweetness could be the leather or the musk - I'm not sure. The drydown of this is very soft, metal, cologne and musk mostly with a little bit of leather and fresh grass, dandelion and DAISY (I love daisy). I like it much more than I ever expected and will be getting a bottle or two for myself!

Sweet and foody for sure, definitely sugar-glazed butter cookies though not necessarily lemon ones. But there is a lot of oak and incense, a dark heavy base to this. I do get the leather and ink and the faint herbs, too. Very complex. Lighter on my skin - I get the lemon, which is really delicious, a lot more of the leather and ink, and the parchament note which is sort of airy and dry and clean. I do also get some spice now, clove and nutmeg. It's still very very complex. The oak remains a strong, heavy presence but it's very nice, not overload. This softens greatly as it dries down, though it doesn't fade much and it has fantastic throw. The parchament, leather and oak hold best but the light touches of lemon-foody and herbs and ink are there too, with a definite incense note grounding the whole blend. It's unlike any BPAL I've tried and I think would suit both sexes. Too spicy-incensey and not the right sort of leather for me, but this is a well-made scent.

Golden oil. Bubblegum, yellow cake, lemon buttercream frosting (but pink coloured!). Sweet and foody. P013 meets bubblegummy lotus!

Goldenrod coloured oil. Citrus, herbs, dry woods. A little boozy. Sweet orange and cypress make up the citrusy/herbal aspects. Something smoky comes out, maybe a little vetiver too as this is a bit cologney, definitely masculine. A little tobacco, perhaps a cigar note? I also get some De Sade style sharp leather. I think teak is one of the woods, as well as sandalwood. This is getting very sweet and heavy and amping like crazy on my skin. I get a whopping dose of black musk (how appropriate) and maybe some tonka or benzoin, and the vetiver and cigar notes really amp. I agree with others who suggest the booze is whiskey - it has that sour-sharp element. Reminds me a bit of John Barleycorn. Drydown is too-sweet, the black musk and tonka and teak are just overwhelming, and then the sharp leather, stale cigar, and vetiver don't help at all. However, I am really glad I don't like this scent! Very strong throw and longevity.

The 2007 version is one of my favourites, a very lush, appropriately regal, full and velvety rose scent that's true, potent, undiluted and unmarred rose in the bottle and on my skin. Tremendous throw and longevity. I wear it for fancy events - the symphony, fine dining, museums. It feels expensive and classy to me, and it's like a rose essential oil - very pure, no leaves, no thorns, no fruitiness, no soap or powder - just fresh rose petals. The 2005 version is a drier type of rose - it's the same rose note from 2007, but the roses are no longer fresh - they're dried roses, crumbling a bit. I thought this might be age, but I tried it in 2007 and now that I've had my 2007 bottle for 2 years, I can tell it's not age, because that one is still fresh. The 2009 version is not quite like either. Again, it's the same note, and in the bottle is smells just as good as 2007, but on my skin it goes quickly soapy - something rose doesn't usually do on me. It's not a very nice soap, either, but rather chemical, almost plastic - and it makes me very sad! Thank god I have two bottles of the one year that works for me.

Sniffed: Golden oil. Rich, sugary, buttery cake and nutmeg! It's like Eggnog Cake, quite eggy and creamy actually, as well as cakey. Possible even a little rum-butter type note. Wet: Spicier on my skin, as usual (I amp spice), and now I get a little ginger too - this is starting to remind me of Gingerbread Poppet (& Shub), it's that same spicy-dry-hot ginger note with the foody-buttery cake below. More buttery on my skin, but not more sweet. Very rich. Still eggy and quite creamy too. It's sort of like eggnog custard poured over gingerbread with a hard butter sauce on top. Dry: Eggnog and Gingerbread Poppet had a baby. It's very creamy, eggy, rich, buttery foody and a little bit sugary sweet (but not cloying at all), with loads of nutmeg and dry, spicy ginger and maybe even a dash of boozy butter rum. Really intense throw & longevity. I don't get any apple or any cinnamon AT ALL.

Sniffed: Slightly brownish amber coloured oil. Sour rose (see: The Empress, The Miller's Daughter) and some heady white florals, a little soapy and powdery. Wet: Same, but instantly more powdery. There is definitely a massive amber base. The rose is SO sour, almost makes my mouth pucker to smell it. For the other white floral(s) - I'm getting magnolia, I'm almost positive. And something else that goes straight to soap on me, which could be any number of things. Also, orris/violet for sure is contributing to this powderiness. Summary: Rose & violet powdery soap with rich, warm amber. Decent throw and good longevity. Yech!

Sniffed: Colourless oil. Rich hot chocolate, the thick European kind, both milk and dark chocolate notes. Very rich, but not too sweet, and not buttery, though it is creamy - sort of like Candy Butcher's creaminess. This is very much like Candy Butcher but with extra vanilla - a sort of super creamy vanilla note on top of CB. Wet: Instantly disgusting nutty chocolate, like Bliss. Nasty rancid hazelnut, with fake cloying vanilla, extremely nauseating. Very much like CB's drydown which is also disgusting on me though it smells delicious in the bottle. It's like nearly all the rich, strong chocolate of the bottle has just vanished and this scent is also going sort of musty/oddly floury as many baked goods blends do on me. Summary: Eventually it's just rancid peanut butter. Off to sink. Very strong throw and impossible to remove, of course. But I'd bet with different skin chemistry this would be the extra-chocolately, extra-creamy, extra-vanilla-y CB that I get in the bottle. That's how it is on my friend. NOT FAIR.

Sniffed: Colourless oil. Vanilla, amber, and something fruity - a light red berry note, or maybe a type of cherry? The vanilla reminds of the note in Antique Lace quite strongly. This appears to have the same base as AL. Wet: Boozy, in a way that reminds me of Montresor - that same sort of sherry note, but no black currant. The AL base is very strong now and absolutely definitely AL. This is like an AL Chaos Theory (which would be a great idea!). In fact, the AL aspect is strongest note. I do get a bit more amber, the 'perfumey' sort that smells almost-floral even though it's not, for lack of a better word. It's the same note that's in AL, but it's just in higher proportion here. The vanilla isn't weak by any means, though! It's that same rich boozy vanilla. Dry: Slow to dry, and this has very strong throw - if anything it is amping as it dries. I still get the tiniest hint of berry of some sort, and I think it's either wild strawberry or wild cherry, because it's tart and red and juicy, though as said, there's only a little dash of it in here. This is going the tiniest bit powdery on me, just as AL does. And this is much boozier than AL, though the booziness does appear to be fading. Later: After a while this is really almost identical to some batches of AL I've had - it goes just a taaaaaad too powdery in an almost soapy way that makes me feel like sneezing if I inhale too deeply, too close. The only difference I can pinpoint is the additional amber - this is a warmer blend, more golden and sort of languid in feel than AL is. Actually, I think this has a more 'lineny' feel - it reminds me a bit of Berenice that way, though the linen is not THAT strong here. Summary: The booze and the berry gradually fade to faint whispers after 30 minutes but then linger steadily, and this is nearly all vanilla, amber, and that mysterious faded floral blend that AL contains. Like I said - Chaos AL, one with extra amber, a bit of linen, and those berry & sherry nuances. Fantastically strong throw & longevity.

Sniffed: Pale yellow oil. Black cherry/harvest fruits & berries with mulling spices and some woods and maybe light herbs. Very autumnal. Reminds me a little of Mabon, or a black cherry version. Wet: Much spicier, a bit more like potpourri - CINNAMON, ginger, nutmeg, allspice - total mulling spices. A ripe red apple note now in addition to the black cherry. Then there's something woody below it, a little dry - oak, I think, and sage. Dry: It really is greatly like Mabon, but less boozy, and no blackberry - black cherry fills that role, but the apple cider note is very similar if not identical. This is also much spicier with a much stronger cinnamon note in particular, though I am cinnamon. Summary: The spices settle down! And note that on my friend, there is almost no cinnamon - the spices are very soft as in Mabon, on her - so it's my skin amping that cinnamon note. It's still a tad too potpourri-ish for me and the fruit notes fade on my skin, but the oak and soft sage (not harsh) hold nicely. Lower throw but decent longevity. I don't get any caramel, sugar, or tea. Not at all, not the least bit.

Sniffed: Slightly cloudy pale yellow oil. Foody, slightly boozy. Pancakes, maple syrup, butterscotch, and coffee? Very sweet, but not heavily or cloyingly. Oh wait...I know what this is - BANANA BREAD! But delicious. I usually recoil from banana, but not this. Wet: I take it back, it's not maple syrup - it's fake pancake syrup with a hefty dose of butterscotch, over rich, fluffy, buttery banana pancakes. It's much sweeter, a bit tooth-achingly so, on my skin. Corn syrupy. The buttery note is not like the lab's typical butter note - it's not a savoury note, or artificial. It's a very TRUE buttery note. I can even smell the buttermilk and baking soda (very very slightly tangy) in the pancakes - it's that realistic. Amazing. Dry: My roommate thinks it smells like caramel corn, and I do agree - that corn syrup/butterscotch note is quite caramel-corny indeed. This is getting increasingly buttery, and it's going TOO buttery for me. Wet, the syrupy sweetness was in command, while dry, the butter is definitely in command. The light, natural banana note holds. I detect a slight trend towards that sort of musty/powdery drydown that many baked good foodies do on me. Later: I think there is definitely some tonka in this. Also, this is now reminding me a fair bit of Eggnog Latte's later drydown. Also, those golden-orangey-yellow butterscotch hard candies that come in the sort of orangey plastic twisted wrappers, with a faint hint of flavoured coffee & buttery creamer. It's odd how the coffee note comes out so much more on drydown but isn't really present in the earlier stages. This also reminds me of Splatter Comedy, but it's a much richer scent and the banana note is much, much, much lighter and totally different (realistic). Summary: Morphs alot, and it's very complex for a foody. It never actually goes musty, but stays bright. It's very rich and very sweet. I pick out butterscotch, butter, natural banana, pancakes, corn syrup, coffee, and cream - with probably some combo of tonka and vanilla. Definitely some tonka, actually. Strong throw and crazy strong longevity.

Does anyone have a pic or the time to take a pic of Night's Pavilion 2006? I am trying to determine if a friend has a the 06/07 version for a swap, since I already have the 06 version and want to try the 07, and her label has no year marked. *hopes* I also need to take a pic of one of the Misk Yules not yet posted that's totally awesome. The steampunky one. It's my favourite after Pet Magah bird.