ivyandpeony

I popped in to write a brief review, read the newest arrivals first and realized that Little Bird and I had very similar experiences with Soothing System. And she said it all very well, so I may not add much to what she's said about this one. On first sniff I immediately picked up the wine note from Gluhwein too - totally Gluhwein without all the spices! And I'm a big fan of that scent so that got me giddy right away. It stays sweet on my skin, but doesn't really morph to the super-sweet grapiness or bubble gum that a lot of reviewers have mentioned. My chemistry doesn't tend to make most sweet things sweeter, and dry scents stay really dry on me, which may work to my advantage with Soothing System. As it dries down a bit, I sense a little bit of woodiness, like grapevine or wine barrel oakiness? One thing I really love here is that BPAL's red wine scents can sometimes get a little tart or sour on me, veering towards BPAL pomegranate, while grape notes can just be a little weird and heavy on my skin (Bess and Urd for example, just didn't work) - but somehow this one stays right in the middle, light and grapey and cheery (perfect word, so why change it? ) My preconceived notion was that this would be a dark, sexy nighttime scent, but I really think this will be more of a bubbly daytime perfume - but once again, with credit to Little Bird, layered with other scents it could really go to some new and exciting places too. If you loved Gluhwein and had trouble scoring a bottle, I'd grab a bottle of Soothing System and get to experimenting.

I love this scent and I am looking forward to wearing it as it ages, too, since the patchouli and resin will only get better and better. Currently, I get lots and lots of white rose (my favorite rose note) and frankincense. Of all the resins, frankincense is the hardest for me to wear - it can get sharp and kerosene-y on me, especially when the blend is new from the Lab. The fact that it isn't doing that here makes me so happy. I wonder if one of the notes that I don't really pick up (neroli, which is not a favorite, or the orris root?) could be tempering that quality. For me, this scent exemplifies the fact that you never know how great a BPAL might be until you skin test it! I might not have even looked for a decant of this due to my dislike of neroli and lack of enthusiasm for frankincense in general. But I was lucky enough to get to the Georgia will call, decided to try it and here we are. I think this one will go over well if you like Parlement of Foules - you've got the white rose and the resin, then the spicy and woody elements of the sandalwood and patchouli to take it in a different direction. Good stuff!

When I left last month's Georgia Will Call, I couldn't believe I loved this scent enough to order a bottle! One sniff and it evokes autumn, yet in a unique combination of notes (at least unique to me, since I usually run from anything described as smoky, brimstone-y or with black musk ) The clove is sweet and gorgeous, there are some lovely rich resins underneath and there's something that reminds me of being outside in the cold air with maybe just the faintest hint of smoke from a far-away fire that you smell every now and then when the wind shifts. I agree with the comparison to Minotaur and I'd add, Minotaur ultimately didn't wear well on me - it was a little too masculine and dry, I am the girl with no natural sweetness in my chemistry. I think the clove sweetens Hell-Gate and makes it work for me, so if anyone else wanted to love Minotaur maybe this one will happen for you. And if you love Minotaur, definitely grab this one up.

This is my favorite of all the Halloweenies this year - and between my order(s) and last month's Will Call, I think I tried almost everything! That being said, it isn't something that you will smell and think, "Ah, autumn! Halloween!" The Girl is a scent you can and will wear year-round. For a passage that's so chilling, I didn't expect the perfume to be so... pretty! It is indeed crystalline but without having any cold or aquatic elements. I don't find any single component to be dominant (which was a relief, I can amp ylang ylang in an unpleasant fashion, jasmines of all types can take over a blend on my skin, and I was concerned about the silver birch since birch can sometimes get wintergreen-y on me). I'd describe this as a perfectly balanced white musk scent, sweet from the florals without being predominantly floral and anchored by just a bit of amber, the kind of amber that is reminiscent of vanilla.

Hmmm, Perchta had something in it that really clashed w/me so I may not be the best source for smell-alikes But I am familiar w/Prague and I am not sure it is what you want in this case. I don't find that it has a snow note at all. Instead it's very floral, like spring flowers that bloom from bulbs, if that makes sense. Since it is a GC scent, though, it might be worth the $3.50 or the swap for an imp - I didn't get floral from Perchta at all, so it stands to reason that our chemistries differ a bit and you might prove me wrong! The scents that come to mind for me when I hear "chilly smelling light woodsy floral" would be Snow Bunny or The Snow Maiden. Neither has anything minty at all (Cloister Graveyard is too minty for me, too, so maybe our chemistries have some things in common as well).

For those who are newer to Lab ordering, the number of orders the Lab gets on update days can number in the thousands, so it really can take quite some time to pack and ship the orders from just the few days surrounding an update. And from a few years hanging out and ordering, I'd say Halloween is one of the biggest if not the biggest update (Yule is pretty big too). So it could take a while for just the first day's orders to make it out the door, and then as more popular scents run out and they have to blend and bottle new batches, you may see subsequent days starting to get CnS's before all the August 5 (or whatever the Lunacy update day happens to be) orders have gone out. If any scents have components that are back ordered, that can also slow down specific orders and the Lab will move ahead and fill the orders that don't have backordered products in them. You can keep up with any backordered scents, as well as the Lab's packed-through date, at the very top of the Lab's announcements subforum. Like a real idiot, I ordered the day AFTER the Halloween update So I'm doing my best not to develop premature squee syndrome but no matter whether it's your first order or your 21st or your 51st or whatever, it is hard!

BPAL has never released a scent called Jade Gardens, so the link ephemera found may be your best bet.

Colored bottles are designed to protect their contents from the light, so it does seem logical that minimizing the light exposure of perfumes in clear bottles would provide some of the same protection - but I don't know if anyone could really quantify how much of an advantage you'd get leaving your oils in their amber (or cobalt) Lab bottles vs. decanting them into the clear ones, there are just so many variables. Before going all-in, you could try with a smaller selection and see if you're pleased with how they're holding up over the course of a few months.

I am not the best at picking out notes without a description unless they are super obvious or impossible to ignore, so I am glad that I read a few reviews before adding my own! I did pick up an elegant floral note immediately that made me think of Casablanca lily, deep and a tiny bit spicy. I was having trouble identifying this rich, sweet undertone and have to agree with the previous speculation that it's cognac. It isn't really boozy, it's nowhere near as fruity as a true grape or a red wine note, and thinking back to The Imp of The Perverse (which is cognac to the extreme) I do find this similar. There's a little something heady and smoky about this scent, maybe a drop of opium or poppy offsetting the sweetness of the lily and the cognac and there also seems to be a rich, darker musk anchoring it as it dries down. This is a very sophisticated and gorgeous perfume - not one to wear to work every day but a special occasion perfume, one to put on when you are feeling beautiful and sexy and want to feel even more so, dressing up for a date or a celebration. I would be hoarding bottles if this one wasn't so scarce and expensive!

My skin amps vetiver, smoke and leather notes to the extreme, so at first I found Kroenen just as frightening in perfume form as he is on page and screen. I braved the skin test, though, feeling very lucky to have the chance at this sneak peek. Much as expected from my chemistry, I had lots of vetiver, smoke and leather for quite some time. But when I sniffed the back of my hand after allowing Kroenen to dry down for an hour or so, I was greeted with a really gorgeous and complex scent, although it's still quite manly for my tastes. The many, many BPAL fans who can wear blends that are on the dry and masculine side as well as those who love vetiver, leather &/or smoke should be head over heels when this goes live, though.

Liz is my favorite prototype that I've tried recently. In the bottle and in all stages, I get lots of vanilla. There's just the lightest suggestion of smoke, not even as strong as a blown-out candle but like lightly charred wood. As Liz dries down, it becomes more complex and spicy - I get the impression of a slightly smoky vanilla combined with whatever perfume it might be that Liz wears. This is going to be a multiple-bottle acquisition for me when it goes live!

Just that every-once-in-a-while bump FYI. <img src="http://www.bpal.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="icon_biggrin.gif" /> <!--quoteo(post=1046382:date=Mar 14 2008, 08:50 AM:name=ivyandpeony)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ivyandpeony @ Mar 14 2008, 08:50 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1046382"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Please feel free to PM me with any questions or feedback. <!--quoteo(post=695788:date=Jan 23 2007, 11:19 PM:name=ivyandpeony)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ivyandpeony @ Jan 23 2007, 11:19 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=695788"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I've noticed that people are recommending non-BPAL perfumes in their posts here a little more often lately. This really isn't appropriate here, and I'd like to ask you all to keep such discussions of other brands in the subforum designated for them, Retail Therapy, from now on. (This does not apply to posts seeking BPAL scents that are similar to a favorite perfume from another source - those continue to be welcome, of course.) Recs is part of the section of subforums dedicated to Lab discussion, and its intent is for members to be able to seek others' advice about BPAL blends they aren't familiar with themselves. For another member to respond to a request by recommending a scent from a department store line, another e-tailer, or any source other than the Lab defeats this subforum's purposes and confuses people, especially the newbies that we want to welcome and assist. Please feel free to PM me if you have any comments or questions about this or other issues in Recommendations. I don't feel like this is a huge problem yet, and I'm certainly not angry with anyone who may have done this previously. However, since we now have over 6000 members and are adding new members every day, I felt that spelling this out was important. Thanks, everyone, for your enthusiastic participation in Recommendations! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="icon_biggrin.gif" /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> I'm bumping this because this has been happening a little more than I'd like lately. With the increased size of the catalog and the huge increase in membership, I think it's important that this area remain devoted to BPAL only. If members are interested in recommendations for other brands, we have Retail Therapy for that. It's hard enough to navigate the longer threads about more popular notes (vanilla, patchouli, etc) and keep track of the BPAL recs, and I don't like the idea of turning this General Perfume recs subforum for that reason and the reasons I stated in my first announcement. The one exception that I think may be appropriate is when there truly is no BPAL scent that can be recommended - for example, the recent thread about cilantro or the bakery scent earlier this year, where someone wanted something that smelled like bread. So if you are looking for recommendations for general vanilla scents or what have you, by all means visit Retail Therapy, it's there for you to enjoy and the sky is the limit. This subforum needs to be limited to BPAL questions and recommendations. Thanks. <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

June Gloom 2009 for sure. My skin really amps most wet, aquatic, or rain notes but that one has a very genuine "fresh wet air" smell that's beautiful. It is one that you'll have to seek out in swaps or sales from fellow members, so if you aren't quite ready for that, I do have some other ideas for scents you can order directly from the Lab. In my opinion, the one that sounds closest to what you want is Garden Path With Chickens, from the Salon category. From the list of notes, you might expect it to be more floral (Damp grass, ivy leaves, morning glory, daisy, rose geranium, heliotrope, white gardenia, climbing roses, peppery nasturtium, phlox, begonia, verbena and sun-warmed herbs) but it's predminantly wet grass with that spicy, woody smell of ivy. Like being in a rain-soaked garden after the sun has come out. This one is only available as a full bottle or as part of the Exhibit II imp pack, just so you know as you plot your order. From the GC, there's also Szepasszony (from Diabolus), which I find to be rainy, fresh air scent (description: clear, airy notes, slashing rain, and a thin undercurrent of white flowers) and Amsterdam (from Wanderlust) has a wet green grass and flowers-that-don't-smell-too-flowery quality (notes are tulips, peony, fresh flowing water and crisp green grasses).

that's a great list, thedarklady! I've got to rush off and make dinner, but I will stop back in and see if I can think of anything else a bit later.

Hey, catattack, I am seeing a broken link there? Maybe your cut and paste didn't work correctly or something. Let me know if I can help w/anything modly

I think that's a possibility - there are some cinnamon scents that I know will burn me (they didn't name it Inferno for nothin' ) and some that don't at all, like Bakeneko and Chimera for me as well. It might be that different varieties of cinnamon could contain different levels of the substance or substances that cause skin sensitivity. I think that it could also (or instead?) have something to do with the concentration of cinnamon in the formula, which I think isn't always as ascertainable by the nose as I would have thought it would be. Bengal doesn't smell dramatically more cinnamon-y than Chimera to me but it is a definite burner. When I first tried Bengal, I diluted some in a roller bottle and found I could wear it that way - one of the things that made me think about the concentration issue. But I ended up layering it so often with Sudha Segara (unscented lotion first, slather SS then a little Bengal on top) I finally Franken-ed it and mixed some of them so I'd have my favorite layering combo handy. I don't like to dilute or mix my perfumes together like that in general, but I figured diluting Bengal with Sudha Segara was no certainly no worse than diluting it with jojoba, especially if it enabled me to enjoy something I couldn't otherwise

I adore every note that the previous testers have picked up in this prototype and couldn't believe my good fortune when I was able to snag a bottle. And wet, this beautiful, spicy amber blend was leading me to believe I'd found the holy grail. So flabbergasted hardly describes my reaction when my skin morphed Lamia into a powdery, perfumy cloud of borderline unpleasantness. Given the scent in the bottle and the other reviews, I am sure Beth could release this one tomorrow and it would shoot towards the top ten in no time. Nonetheless, I thought it might be good to share my experience so that the legions who are pining for Lamia will feel a little better and I hope that my bottle is being enjoyed in its new home. =)

I think that Maiden v2 might be my new favorite BPAL scent. *swwon* Two of my most beloved GC scents are the GC version of Maiden and Alice, and to my nose, this beautiful scent is a cousin to both. I get mostly honey, carnation and rose from this - the sweet, delicate honey that's in Alice, a spicy and fresh carnation, and a dainty sweet rose, maybe tea rose or white rose. In contrast with the released version, this one doesn't have the prominent crisp white tea note - it's a scent with a creamy feel although I don't really detect a cream note, if you get my drift. (I don't think you can ever have too many honeyed florals in your BPAL box, so maybe Beth will pull out this old formula card one day, be struck by a bolt of inspiration and realize it's perfect for a concept that she's had on her mind - I can dream!)

I love this latest round of labels! In particular, the Julie Dillon artwork for the blockbusters (which I love) came out really well in miniature for those labels.

Red currant, Moroccan musk, sage, and frankincense. I'm completely surprised by how much I love this one! Sage is usually a note that sends a blend straight to the swap pile for me (and that's if I was foolish enough to think it would work in the first place ) My skin takes it and produces that weird, slightly burnt rubber smell that you get from a freshly opened, old-school Band-Aid. No such thing happening here, and the frankincense that can sometimes get a little sharp on me is also cooperating perfectly. It must be the gorgeous musk that brings all the other notes into harmony with one another. Like so many other reviewers, I'm definitely getting lots and lots of musk and it's a really beautiful one, warm and sweet and a little bit spicy. The currants give it just enough sweetness but don't really make it fruity. It's a really gorgeous blend in every way.

This has the lightest throw of the three scents from Le Mat. I get lots of pear when it's wet, but as it dries down the pear recedes a good bit and allows the spicier, more resinous notes to bloom. So it's definitely not a sweet pear scent like The Perilous Parlor, or even as sweet as Endymion is on me, yet it's definitely feminine enough for a woman to wear. I didn't get any impressions of pyrite, although trying three scents at once can sometimes interfere with picking up the subtle pleasures of a scent like this one Definitely a keeper, though!

I knew from the start that Motley probably would not be a scent for me, due to my poor history with mushroomy, earth notes as well as champaca. And I was right. It smells lovely in the vial, deeply fruity with a spiciness from the mushroom and an incensey vibe from the champaca. Then my skin takes over and turns this combination of sweet fruit notes and earthy mushroom into a sticky sweet soil base with a cloying champaca on top; as it dries down the earthiness amps more and more, which is what happens with almost all notes in that family for me. I can't say that I'm disappointed since I pretty much expected this one to clash with my chemistry - I definitely wanted to try it when I read the fascinating combo of notes and I'm glad that I got to try it alongside its companion scents. It is unique among BPAL scents, so those whose chemistries love these notes may really have a treasure on their hands.

If you haven't tried using the search engine tools that help narrow your search, looking for reviews by title would be a great way to practice with them (not necessarily just "you" Pendragon, but anyone ) It is much easier than scrolling through page after page of reviews looking for one scent name. (You can open a second window or tab to go through these steps if you need to.) On the search engine page, put in your keyword - try "Minotaur" - in the main keyword box on the top left. Immediately below that box, there's a pulldown menu - use it to highlight "Reviews" (this will keep you from finding all the Swaps and Dead Swaps with Minotaur in the title). And before you finish, look at the four boxes at the lower right. Leave the top two alone for this search, the bottom left one has two radio buttons and you want to click the one that says "search titles only." The bottom right one also has two radio buttons and the default should be "show results as topics," which is what you want. If it isn't, click that one. Then search. The only topic that should pop up is - Minotaur, in reviews. As long as you don't make any spelling mistakes in the scent name, that should be an easy way to find most scents, particularly if you aren't sure which subforum it might fall within.

Oh, I can't touch vetiver either - it amps like crazy on my skin to the exclusion of everything else. The one Gaiman I recall having a strong vetiver note was Stormhold, which also had some aquatic-ozoney qualities. So you should probably put that one on your never-never list. I don't find any one note in Jasmine Cottage to be dominant and I was worried about some of them, too. It is more of a green, outdoorsy wildflower blend. I had the same experience as sqwook with Mr. Ibis, which made me sad! I have smelled it on other women and it's gorgeous, many reviews say the same. And there was also a little something in Mr. Jacquel that my skin took into men's cologne territory, but it's beautiful both in the bottle and on lots of other people

have you tried Hi'iaka or Ether yet? Those are two I always recommend to people who are loving Pele! And a lot of Pele fans also end up loving Xiuhtecuhtli.