ivyandpeony

I was beyond excited to find a gift imp of this in a recent order... could Beth be dabbling with this one with plans of eventually re-introducing it? If so, I'd be thrilled. I'm hoarding most of this imp for warmer weather, because this one smells so lovely and summery to me. Very fresh, wet early morning blossoms blended with sweet but not overripe melon. It makes me feel like I'm walking barefoot through dewy grass... this evokes much more the ingenue before her deflowering to me. Really lovely.

Tintagel would be wonderful - what instantly jumped to mind was Catherine, since it is based upon the formula supposedly worn by Catherine de Medici herself.

Ah, JK... zee great minds, zey think alike: (ETA - this was in the Lush thread, in the fashion & makeup subforum )

Spell-soaked herbs and flowers, cold iron, broom twigs, bundles of moss and patchouli root, and moth dust. Baba Yaga is one that I search for with every update... I've managed to acquire 5 imps through swaps and made one of those into a parfum spray, which I am wearing today. It's perfect for a day like today, bright, sunny and cool, that will fade into a cold night smelling faintly of smoke. After all, it is still February. Baba Yaga starts out very bright and fruity, if not pure pineapple to me she's definitely candied fruits to tempt little children or to top tiny Russian cakes. The fruit mellows as some creamy floral notes emerge and I get the faintest notes of smoky incense. After a few hours, the incense note is prominent although the fruit and floral notes do stick around to color it. I can see why Baba Yaga isn't a darker perfume - after all, she seems like a witch with a sense of humor. I mean, she flies around in a mortar and pestle, has a house with chicken legs... she's not totally bitter, hateful and SCARY like Black Annis. If I was forced to meet one of them, it would be Baba Yaga, no contest. I'd love to be able to buy a big bottle of this one day!

Oh gosh - hope everything is OK! Poor Sofie. I feel bad b/c I think that's one of the imps I sent her for being such a good helper with the fund-raiser. Please let us know how she's doing... hope the "trauma" is the worst part of it. And I will decant a new imp and send it if it got spilled, if she still wants some after all this... Hugs...

Another option for carrying several bottles in your purse or carry-on is a plastic travel soap case/dish. I recently sold 3 bottles to another forumite and was brainstorming for a little more protective way to ship them in a bubble mailer. I realized I had an extra 99 cent soap dish for travel, and put them in there. A few gift impies and a little bubble wrap filled it up so there would be no shifting or clinking together, then I put the whole thing inside the mailer - if you are traveling you could just use cotton balls or Kleenex to fill in any empty spots and add a little cushioning. Or, if you want to feel like you have a professionally made piece of luggage for your preciousss: Padded travel case for bottles

Aurianrose, don't know what your medical insurance situation is. But if you can afford it, you should see an allergist and try to find out if they can pinpoint your allergy. Here's my little hives story - Last year I had a reaction to something (we suspected peanuts or shellfish) and broke out in hives all over... treated myself at home for 24 hours with Benadryl and Benadryl topical and it wasn't really helping that much, so I finally went to the ER. They were completely freaked out, loaded me up with all sorts of stuff and gave me a prescription for Epi-pens. The doctor told me that it's hives this time, but it could be anaphlytic shock next time. Scared the you know what out of me - although I know they have to over-warn you because of the malpractice situation. So I immediately got an appointment with an allergist and underwent the complete skin-prick test all over my back. Verdict: I'm not allergic to any foods, not peanuts, nuts, shellfish (I was so happy because I love shellfish). So we have no idea what it was that gave me hives! I had a massage on Saturday afternoon... hives started Saturday night... but I had hives in places my massage therapist never touched and she didn't use any essential oils on my body... I have never had a reaction since... so my allergist told me not to worry, sometimes these things just happen and you don't know why. But, if YOU are truly allergic to hazelnuts, you could also be allergic to other nuts like macadamias or even trees in the same family, you could have a major reaction if exposed to them in the future (even unknowingly). So that's why I was going to suggest you try to find out if you can. It's just much better to know, than not to know.

In the bottle, Dorian is unbelievably gorgeous - sugary notes, vanilla, tea, something intangible that must be the musk... completely and utterly swoonworthy. Must get a hold of myself. Slathering on Dorian... sniffing arms... Dorian, where are you? Slather more, slather neck, bosom, more on arms... ah, there you are. An hour or two later... Dorian, oh Dorian? Where did you go? Am I such a saucy wench that I scared you away? I am going to have to invite Dorian back when it's a little warmer - or maybe when my hormones aren't in this stage - or maybe both. Perhaps he recognized me for the insane, PMS-crazed bitch that I have been lately and took off for Andrabell's to sit the week out.

White Rabbit zoomed into my top ten the first time that I wore it and is by far my favorite of the BPAL tea-based scents. On me, it's a spicy gingery-peppery tea blend with the smooth milk and honey creaminess of Alice as its foundation. I don't get the linen note from the description that some do pick up on. It is a lighter fragrance, so I have to slather a bit more, and I have scented some body cream and decanted an imp to slip into my purse for touch ups. But I think it's worth every bit of the extra trouble!

Alice is a scent that I don't think I will ever grow tired of. On me, it is perfectly balanced sweetness, creaminess and spicy floral notes that is simple and elegant. Although many of the BPAL rose blends have gone way too rosy on me, resulting in that overwhelming powdery grandma rose that we all dread, the ones that work are so gorgeous. Alice is one that works and I love the way that the rose harmonizes with the spicy carnation to offset the milk and honey. This is a truly inspired blend and one that makes me shake my head in awe at Beth's creativity every time I wear it.

I was disappointed that March Hare doesn't work as a perfume for me, but I may still try it as a home fragrance or try it in some lotion after reading those suggestions here. I can't decide whether I just don't like apricot, or whether there might be something specific going on in March Hare that turns me off. I can't smell clove, which is a favorite note... I don't detect a buttery note, which is something that generally doesn't work for me, a la Jack and Harvest Moon. Whatever the cause, it's one of the few BPAL blends I have tried that sadly has sent me to the sink within minutes to get my scrubbin' on. But it sounds like when it works for someone, it's absolutely beautiful.

This little imp had been patiently waiting for me to try it for... I don't know how long. And I don't know what finally led me to grab Queen of Sheba and think, Hmm, let's give it a go! But... I am smitten, head-over-heels. The Queen and I have no unpleasant moments together. From the start, when I am immersed in a cloud of sweetness and spice which mellows to honeyed, spicy almonds over the course of many hours, I am completely blissful. Comparisons to O, Dana O'Shee and Snake Oil are accurate, but Queen of Sheba's spices are unique and when I am craving this blend, nothing else will do. The Queen also gives Snake Oil a run for the money as far as staying power - those two are among the few that I can still sniff on my wrists "the morning after."

Ulalume intrigued me from the first time I read the description, but it took me a long time to try it. I thought it sounded fascinating and romantic, but that the combination of notes surely had to be bizarre or even.... icky. I was so, so wrong. Ulalume is one of my favorite BPAL blends now. In the bottle, it smells like the woods to me. We didn't have much in the way of woods growing up, mostly scrubby little oak trees and pine trees with a little creek running through, right behind our house. But the fresh air and the smell of the trees, blended with the earthy, mossy smell of the floor of the woods, is what I get from Ulalume at first. It isn't the deep, dark brown earth of Burial or Nosferatu, or the lighter smell of dry earth of Zombi, but more of a living earth smell. Once applied, I get the scent of lilies and I'm amazed by the way that this light, glowing floral works with the mossy scent of the woods. I adore lily notes of all types and this one is just beautiful. Others have mentioned that Ulalume seems like a blend of two different perfumes, and I tend to agree - but it is a blend that works in wonderful harmony. It's a great blend to wear when you want the feminity of a floral but feel like you need something to help you feel strong and grounded too.

What about Hymn?

Andrabell, when we get together you will have to check out Tarot: The Star (I picked up a bottle in RedHotMama's Unicef Auction). I can decant an imp for you. It is very light to my nose but I do love the lime-coconut-mint vibe. I'm picturing a very refreshing scent for the 98 degree / 100% humidity Georgia summer days.

Smitten - the new handcream that has debuted in the UK - keeps that Snowcake & Dana O'Shee vibe going. I had to order some stuff from the UK and pay the $$ for shipping, I just could not wait. Ianastar, you are going to LOVE it.... I use it for body cream... the consistency is about the same as Dream Cream, it's rich so a little goes a long way and it's not much more expensive than D.C. if you compare grams to grams. I like it with Snow White too, and I think it will go wonderfully with lots of honey - almond scents (I'm thinking Queen of Sheba next....) Not that I don't love Dream Cream, but I usually don't go for lavender during the day, and that's what Dream Cream smells like to me.

I can't really smell the lotus on its own in Kali - to me everything is blended so well, it's just this gorgeous, rich chocolatey floral. But it is absolutely worthy trying! It's one of my very favorites of all BPAL scents. And I second Inkstone's suggestion of Kurukulla - that one stole my heart immediately. I am rationing my imp until my big bottle arrives. The roses and lotuses together are beyond beautiful. If you are a fan of those, this one will take you over the moon, baby!

Have you thought about hunting down some of the BPAL fig single note? You could use that to layer & amp up the fig in whatever you're wearing a bit... I haven't tried all the blends you listed, but I definitely get lots of fig in Carnal. The fig and the mandarin are really nicely balanced on me. Cerberus is much more complex, a blend of many more notes, as is Nemesis, but I get a lot of rich figgy fruit in both - Cerberus is a sweeter blend and Nemesis drier. BTW, I love the title of this thread - I picture the Fig Newton commercial from the 70s with the guy in the fig costume signing and dancing every time I see it!

B-pal, the lab, or black phoenix, all interchangeable... usually I say bpal or the lab only with Andra since she's the only labhead I actually SPEAK with. Black Phoenix around family or friends who aren't converts.

Yeah, Andra did bring up a valid point... I am kind of surprised you haven't been scared off of perfumes and fragranced products, period, Marty,since it's so hard to ascertain exactly what's in them. Have you considered obtaining pure essential oils that are guaranteed to contain nothing but that particular plant (as opposed to fragrance oils) and making your own perfumes, or scenting your own products, with those? Might be fun, definitely would be safe...

I can really appreciate your frustration... it made me think how difficult it must be for you to shop for all of your cosmetics, bath items and everything. At one point within the last year I thought I might have developed a peanut allergy and was just amazed reading how dangerous it could be, and how much it hindered the lives of families whose children were highly, highly allergic. I was very relieved to find out that I was not allergic to peanuts or any food products... Echoing what everyone has said, I am sure the lab will be more than happy to help you - once you have found scents you are interested in that don't seem to have patchouli, rose or your other allergens, they should surely be able to eliminate any from your choices that have hidden ones, and who knows - they may be able to give you an entire ingredient list since you have unique circumstances. I believe their choice not to do so on the website is half poetry/marketing, half keeping their trade secrets. For example, Lush comes out and tells you that they lump a lot of the fragrance ingredients together and list it as "perfume" since it's legal to do so, in order to prevent competitors from duping their products - not that it's any comfort to someone with allergy issues like yours. Good luck finding some blends that you like... so far, I hope you at least are having fun reading some of the descriptions

I recently got one of those little car scenters that uses the cotton pads - like the Scentballs for your home - Anyway, a drop or two of Snake Oil is fantastic and certainly won't deplete the precioussss too quickly since that stuff is so intense. The Hesperides is very nice in there too - fresh, woody, apply goodness. I don't think it would be intense enough for the large rooms in my house, so it's nice that I can enjoy it as a "room scent" while I drive around (I like it as a "me scent" too!)

Chupa, are we sharing a brain now? I noticed the same thing about Chimera and Sugar Cookie just about 10 days ago, while Jeff was in the hospital. I forgot about it until you posted though. Shelldoo.... how can you NOT STAND KALI?! I have half a mind to come over to your house and hold you down and tickle you until you say you LOVE IT!! Only the fear of being attacked by an iguana or maybe even a whole army of small animals, and children, is keeping me away. Kali is probably my favorite of all the regular catalog BPAL scents - can you tell? And I love DDLM too, but I haven't worn it very often. I will have to do a comparison of the two and see if my nose picks up any similarities.

Some of the ones that seem to get noticed and complimented by others when I wear them are Nemesis, Snake Oil and Le Serpent Qui Danse. Neither Rapture nor Desire really worked with my chemistry enough for me to love them, but both had lots of throw and staying power when I wore them (don't you love when that happens? I don't really like the way I smell, but I sure do smell... STRONG!) Other people liked my strong smell, however.

I never had the opportunity to try Rose Red 2003, but by the time I had discovered BPAL she was a legend. So I knew the moment I saw the Yule update that I would order a bottle, and it wasn't long before nagging thoughts led me back to order another "just in case..." And I'm so glad I did. This is my favorite of all Beth's rose blends that I have tried. The scent is almost eerily real in the bottle and I am so grateful that my skin refrains from screwing it up. Rose Red never seems to take on that powdery note that sometimes ambles along, trying to convince the world that I'm actually a 78 year old grandmother. Rose Red has even elbowed Havisham to the side as my favorite BPAL floral... for the moment. This is a beautiful, natural, intense rose that you can almost touch and taste if you close your eyes. I'm so thrilled that Beth chose to bring this back for 2004 so I could have the opportunity to try it!