surf-tormented

In the imp vial: Very foody. But it is inspired by Alice's drinking of a vial that contains a mix of different foods, so in this case, what you read is what you get in the vial. Strong butter note like what would be found in Jack or someone of the BPAL Halloweenie pumpkin blends. On skin: At first, it is pure creamy butter, then after about ten minutes morphs into an unique turkey smell, like sandwich meat turkey. I can also smell a berry or cherry note in there too. After an hour, only a faint burnt caramel scent lingers. Towards the end: It smells like slightly browned baked goods. Not really like toast, but more like a pastry that was slightly over browned. When I mix it with a base alcohol, the pineapple upside down cake and pecan bun notes others talk about come out in the end, but the browned baked good scent still is stronger than these other notes on my skin. Conclusion: If you like oddball perfumes, this one would work for you. The turkey note is amusing enough, but that is edged out on me by buttery caramel scent and burnt baked goods, both of which I don't like on my skin, since my skin amps up any butter scent. But if you like butter, cream, baked goods like cake and food (you would also like turkey scent as well, or be willing to deal with that in the process of drydown), this might be one you may want to pick up in imp form to try out.

I'm surprised I've never tried an imp of this yet, being so drawn to the Wanderlust collection when I first joined the forum in 2004. I was cautious to try it, because it smells like cherry cough syrup in the vial. This is a nice floral, it's woody. I wouldn't have expected it from the list of notes. I guess the iris is woody or maybe the cross between floral and spice makes a woody scent? I don't know, but I really like it. It is sort of it the same family as The Red Queen and Kabuki, where a berry scent is conquered by a strong wood note. Then a bit of floral comes out, the iris and mixed with the spicy wood and berries. I would consider buying it once my Red Queen bottle is gone.

Welcome to the BPAL forum. or internet comms in general. That's true too! LOL! I am, however, finding out a bit more about synthetics and where to look up that information. I used to make oils for clients, but they were for bath or anointing purposes and made of Essential oils and a base oil. But these do not keep very long.

Welcome to the BPAL forum.

From everything I have read and based on everyone I have spoken to, I am under the impression that BPAL purchases component oils (some of which are synthetic) from small companies. None of those oils are pre-fabricated blends. I don't like being told by numerous commenters that the oils are "all-natural" and but then have the owner of the company totally avoid discussing that aspect of the perfumes in an otherwise very thorough post. I am honestly trying to be very polite while still getting clear answers. But if healthy curiosity from a consumer is "trolly" to you, then you really need to take a step back and examine yourself. P.S. LadyMedb, you hit the nail on the head. Obsessively truthseeking is a kind of painfully accurate description for me. I don't think asking questions is wrong and Beth's post was vague in that area, so I feel you have a right to ask. I am not sure who you would ask though. If their customer service is busy and their DSL is down right now, I am not sure how fast you would get an answer. Like I said before I assume Beth's oils are made of all-natural oils and components in most cases and then maybe natural synthetics or another category I would just label "other". I'm curious in a way about it, as you are. But be it, I don't have health problems or allergies to specific oils and I like the way BPAL's product smells, I am ok for the content of them to be vague. I've never, for instance, emailed AIRS or Ava Luxe to ask them how natural their oils are. I like those products as they are. People don't like giving up their sources and I respect that, but an yea or nay on the all natural front, could be given a simple answer. I should note, that natural is a very blanket term, covering many different components. The word natural is vague, even if it is said their oils are all natural. For all-natural can at times, not be healthy, there are a lot of toxic plants in the world. Of course, if the answer is nay, then there has to be a follow up of what is natural and what isn't natural and basically, that could take a long time. And a nay doesn't mean that the oils are bunk either, which some people might think. My only evidence to support the all-natural idea for BPAL is my own, being that people into pagan or magickal circles tend to want to use the best stuff possible for their items. Sure, some might use cheap stuff, but that isn't the norm from the people I hang around. And even if there is a synthetic here or there, it is probably only because the maker can't find something better to use. Perfume is a tricky business and it is a craft. It takes a lot of afford to set up perfumes and bring them into light and couple this with running a whole business, I am amazed of what BPAL has become. It's a magickal little being all its own.

Yes, i would also like to know if the oils are all natural,because i have severe health issues. Weird. I was going to say in my post that some people have health problems and therefore would probably want to know what it is an oil they use.

There are such things as "natural synthetics" which are blends of natural oils, made to resemble a plant that an essential oil can't be made out of, lilac comes to mind, but there are a lot of others. I know the term probably sounds contradictory, but it is an actual term. Then there are fixed oils, seed oils, essential oils, resins, essences, etc. The word natural can cover a lot of items. A lot of people get natural mixed with essential, and like I said before, some essentials can be harmful to the skin or the general health of people. Just because something is natural doesn't mean it is 100% healthy for a perfume. I'm assuming BPAL uses all-natural components or as natural as they can get components bought from small companies. This hasn't been broken down chemically if they are natural synthetics, fixed oils, etc or maybe a combo of a lot of items. I wouldn't expect any company to give up where they get components or their breakdown, because in a lot of way it is a creative work much like creating a song or painting. But people who are connected to magickal groups and pagan ideals tend to want to have "real" components in their oils, because for one, real myrrh oil, for instance will have a better magickal and aromatherapy benefit than a pre-fab or synthetic blend. The problem lies with plants and other things that don't have an essential oil or essence, there are many plants that don't and also anything that comes from animals, from civet to ambergris, is probably a blend of oils or natural synthetic. It is another reason why I tend to buy from small companies. Bigger perfume companies still use civet and ambergris and I am really against it, so I would rather not spray part of a dead animal, who was killed specifically to make me smell good. And also, it is nice to know that a natural synthetic was available, when it would take a ton of plants in the Amazon rainforest or some other threatened area to make a perfume, over just copying its notes with less expensive oils. And BTW, I don't really care if you inflame the emotions of me or people on this forum. I feel it is important for people to ask questions and not accept blindly if any consumer product is right for them. I believe it is totally fine to have an opinion that isn't popular and have complete freedom to express ideas on the forum how you choose.

and this is exactly why i stick with bpal. beth does use oils which appeals to me and works better with my wonky skin- but beyond that, i don't like wearing what other people are wearing. i knit for the same reason. i know that i'm not wearing a completely unique blend (i could go to strange brews down the street, get my own oils, and mix them myself if i wanted that) but it's a lot less common than the stuff that i can smell on five seperate people walking through the student union at the local campus. A lot of times, people like the typical perfumes because the overly alcoholic scent and other chemicals make part of the scent. They are used to the toxic parts of the scent, so when essential oils come along, they don't get it. I wore essential oils on my skin once when I went on a trip with my boyfriend and some friends and one of them said she didn't like perfume oils. But her scents are perfume oils, they are just masked by toxic agents that give off a certain smell when sprayed. I could make a scent using the notes of perfumes she likes, but she wouldn't wear it because it is an oil as opposed to a "real perfume". I am pretty certain that some people don't know what the notes in their perfumes actually smell like as "natural" since they are covered up with all sorts of filler. Then you have to understand, when a perfume is expensive and well known, you are buying for the name, not the components. As with all big name brands. You are paying a well known person in order to gleam off their image. It could be why people tend to buy a lot of the same perfumes from the same places. It is what you are supposed to smell like! Everyone else smells the same way!

Yikes. I thought the wonderbread grilled cheese and Yankee Candle comparisons were brutal... until I came across a thread in this forum happily comparing BPAL oils to Yankee Candle. Also in Luca's blog many commenters (many of whom are perfumers themselves) said things like: I came to the board to look for answers and I found the thread that talks about whether or not the oils are natural. The reticence from the Lab on the subject told me that they most likely weren't. So... Can anyone tell me more about the general source of the oils? I'm sure a lot of people are going to say things like "that's ridiculous! they don't know what they are talking about! they don't know bpal at all!" but do you have hard proof they are wrong? To answer your question, I am not sure. They used to say on their website that they used mainly essential oils, many of them produced in house. Now their website says "With the exception of our honey products, BPAL perfumes are vegan. Our 'civet' and 'ambergris' are bouquets, and thus, are composite scents created from plant-derived perfume oils combined to best aproximate the scent." No more mention of the in house essential oils. Which doesn't mean yea or nay, but I would think that would be a selling point if they did produce them in house. So my verdict is that you have to figure out what "plant-derived" perfume oils are. It's a vague term and the only one I can find on their website (in the past I have read that 75% of so of their oils was essential oils, but that has since been taken down or moved somewhere I can't find it). I'll look through the rest of it, maybe I can find something. I have to say first off, I am a no-nonsense, Mac and Cheese loving, Midwest girl. I'd probably couldn't tell a bottle of Two Buck Chuck from a better more expensive wine. And I wore AIRS perfume oils all through college and never got a taste for expensive perfumes. But I do know what I like. I am pagan and gothic, so this brand appeals to me in that sense. Just having a perfume oil company that will offer me Ode to Ares oils using his many names or oils inspired by Roman festivals (I am part Strega and part Roman Reconstructionist with a tiny bit of Thelema thrown in to boil the pot over), make me very happy. I like that they give back to the community via charity and work with other artists that I liked before BPAL made oils for them, like Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls, Neil Gaiman or Mike Mignola. I like their design and look of their website. And the forum provides a social avenue many companies just don't have. I know if I buy an item from BPAL and not like it, chances are someone will pay me my money back for it or swap me for it. And overall, BPAL is fun. They take chances with their design, they don't cut back or pagan or gothic angles because than normal people won't by their oils, they stay true to themselves. Their variety of scents insures there is something for everyone and I was drawn to them when I first spotted some of their oils on Ebay in 2003. I bought their hoodoo oils first, because I was into that, but then branched out into some of their more unique scents. Like Mati Hari is dead on coffee. I haven't smelled anything like it. Same with other favorites like Ultraviolet, The Red Queen, Lear, Kali and others. I also tend to buy their full moon oils to use in my own rituals. Because, again it is fun and makes the oils have a duel purpose for me. I am however, unsure of the perfume oils they use. They don't state they are essential oils. But I have also made my own oils and essential oils can't be used in certain situations, like within a candle, for example, some can be lit on fire. And many of them can cause rashes or health problems. But with expensive perfumes, they also have problems with alcohol and other chemical agents. I don't think many companies are 100% natural, Pacifica and Goth Rosary are the closest I've seen, but I tend to shop the same brands once I buy something I like from them. I don't branch out very far! BPAL currently has oils of different prices. From $15 for GC to $25 and above for Gaimans, Hellboy, etc. I think due to their large number of oils, it would be really hard, especially with people sending Paypal, to keep it all straight without a general price. I used to work in an occult store that made anointing oils with all natural ingredients and essential oils and charged the same per bottle. That kept the stock easier to manage and if you are using something pricey, like Rose Otto, then you only put a few drops in the batch you are mixing up, as opposed to more if the oil is cheaper. And we probably lost some money on the more expensive blends but made up on it with the ones that had cheaper components in them. It evened out in the end. I have heard BPAL buys fragrance oils from the same place another company I buy from does, but it is pretty much rumor, because I don't have evidence either way. I don't think I would have a problem either way, because for one, I've worn perfume oils since I was young and prefer this over more expensive perfumes and sprays. I mean, if I bought a $80 bottle of perfume from them and it had the components of a $15 blend, there might be disappointment, but I feel $15 for a bottle is fine. And their shipping is a bit high, but they do use Priority boxes instead of shipping first class (I wish buyers had the option of choosing first class or Priority, especially in the case of ordering only one bottle) which run about $5 to send, plus they send samples along with the bottles I can swap or sell, so that evens things out for me. Overall, BPAL is rather good. Not flawless and probably not eager to give up to people what is in their oils completely, but to me, it fits about 80% of what I enjoy about an indie company, so it works for me. But I have been told I do smell like a Yankee candle by people who smell me, so I don't think that metaphor quoted by you isn't that far off the mark, especially with it comes to their pumpkin blends. I don't think there is any problem with Yankee Candle, their tealights tend to burn a lot longer than Dark Candles or other brands I've bought. Then again, I don't want to pay $40 for a candle. That is just my personal taste. If I smell something and I like it and the price isn't crazy, I'll by a bottle of it.

In the bottle, it smells light and herbal. On my skin, it seems to go through three phases. First, a very light herbal floral phase. It's like I didn't even put on perfume. I thought I smelled it and I actually smelled my shampoo instead. Just as I think I may sell the bottle because it has next to no scent on me, the second stage comes. In about a half hour of wear. This is the anise absinthe phase. I don't like too much anise, so this is a perfect amount. It is still not as strong as I would like, but I fear that the anise would override all other notes if it was stronger. The last phase is herbal smoke powder. And sometimes when I wear it, this amps up to 11 and I can smell it from afar and something it is barely a whimper. This could be a good work or crowd perfume, something wear someone might take offense to what I wear if my perfume is too strong, but at the same time, being a more expensive blend than most of the GC, you would think the throw would be a lot better than their Absinthe GC, which it isn't. But if you are into very light floral perfumes with a slight herbal tang, this would be great on you. I still don't have a verdict on this one. As soon as I think about selling or swapping it, it gets stronger, like it knows.

This is the best absinthe blend I have tried from BPAL, BPTP, TAL, etc...like other reviewers have said the vanilla and spices that remind one of Morocco or even Snake Oil blend well with the absinthe notes, creating an absinthe that stays around rather than leaving the party early like Absinthe, L'Heure Verte or Pontarlier (I've tried them all!). I don't get much floral from it, more musky spice and herbs. It does stay for a few hours, ending up a soapy yet herbal scent which I like. I am, giving up my imps of it just because I want others to try it, rather than hoarding it. I'd buy a bottle of this if it was in the GC.

I won this in a lot with other oils and decided to pass it on to someone who collects a lot of the Christmas imps that come with the Inquisitions. But before I mailed it out, I wanted to test it. The idea of a somewhat metal yet leathery mint scent is most amusing to me and Spare Change doesn't disappoint, it does remind one of grandma's change inside her trusty old leather handbag, filled with the scent remnants of mints' past, tissues and medicine. It smells like my Italian Nana's house in general. A scent that reminds one of one's childhood and a grandma giving you change to spend on candy. It's leather mint with a metal note finished off by a tiny dash of cotton and flowers (like scented tissues or cotton balls). If they had this in the bottle, I'd probably buy one. The only problem with it is that it has a very light throw and doesn't last as long as I would like. Probably something better for summer than winter. I am glad I tried it though, I have never tried any of the scents from the Trading Post, even though this one has a BPAL tag on it.

In the bottle: coy lily On the skin: an intense burst of lily for the first hour, then it grows into a very complex blend, with the notes of ginger, frankincense and neroli adding their own charm to the perfume Verdict: thought the initial slathering of this perfume is very strong, it is worth it to wait for the dry down, about an hour, for the other notes to come to the surface, no fruit notes appear on my skin, and my only complaint is that there is an almost sooty cigarette smoke smell on my skin after it is done, that is hard to place, but with the amazing throw and long life, this smoke is hardly a hassle, just more usual than anything else Other than the weird cigarette smell at the end, I would buy a bottle of this once my imp is gone. I have been looking for a lily scent that isn't a single note and the spicy/resin notes of this blend make it charming and even a mood enhancer for me. Highly recommended, though if you like the old Tiger Lily, you may want to get an imp of this first, because the two aren't even remotely alike and I enjoy this one a lot better than the old one.

In the bottle: lemongrass note, though verbana it smells a lot like lemongrass essential oil On skin: the scent is first like lemon drop candy, very sweet, very sugary Later On: about 15 minutes in, notes of spice and floral emerge, it has a very innocent smell, reminds me of childhood, then changes into the lemon note from Tin Phoenix Even later: morphs into a more sophisticated blend, an hour in, it smells like an exotic spicy floral, none of the notes standing out too harshly After an hour: florals still there but a little powdery...which adds a bit to the blend, getting an almost absinthe type odor now...hoping that keeps up, topped off with iris...and iris is coming out now as the major note, backed with lemon and anise Verdict: to early to tell how long this lasts, but it would be a good daytime scent or a more sophisticated summer scent for those who don't like too sweet perfumes, as long as you let the perfume go from lemon drop to floral, might be a keeper, might take a few more wearings to see if it is right for me, it is pretty, smells like a walk through an herbal garden, not too strong, but where you get whiffs of scent here and there, it's smells very warm climate, exotic but not tropical

Delphi was horrible on me because of that note, but Port-Au-Prince I like. I have pale dry skin as far as skin chemistry goes. The bay note isn't "garbage-y" on me, which is what you probably mean by nachos. A sort of nachos in the garbage sort of nastiness. This does get strong but tapers on me so the other notes mingle with it and make a nice blend. It is strong, but it is more of sweet spiced rum smell with the butter note (another note that goes icky on me in some oils) staying underneath it. The clove and sassafras come out strong on me and the perfume lasts long on me. I guess if it is too strong for you, you could always put it in a carrier oil or vodka.

I would read up on the loas/orishas (they are sort of blended in this category) and see if any of them "speak" to me. Speaking to me would entail seeing a symbol of that loa, like their symbol animals, plants or traits. Even colors. Some of them equate nicely with Greek/Roman gods I study, so laos like Ogun or Shango would be good for me on two levels, the loa level and then the way those loa equate with Mars/Vulcan and Jupiter of the Roman pantheon. Are there any goals you want in your life? You could select a loa to help guide you. Of course, then you should probably offer them more than the oil, like make a little altar for them with their symbols and colors on it. I've taken hoodoo classes from a teacher that had Santeria ties. But I don't believe what some say about having to have this tie in order to talk to the loa. I feel the loa choose people as much as the Roman Gods choose their followers. So basically, look at the notes of the scent and what they do...you are sure to find one that pleases you and may help you with a goal you have. Or you may, with reading, find yourself attracted to one of them. Then, by all means, buy their perfume oil! My only other recommendation is if you buy Yemaya, buy Olokun with it, because those orishas make balance. Yemaya alone tends to make people too passive and too much Olokun makes them too active. (Note, since I have taken hoodoo classes, I also wouldn't take buying a loa oil lightly, because by putting on that oil, you are, in a way, inviting that loa into your life. And they can be a lot more demanding than other spirits. So I would only buy oils of loas I am working with or want to establish a relationship. I also do this with Roman, Greek and Norse gods, as well. )

I understand what you mean about the color. The old label in white fit the old cobalt bottles. I wish they'd bring those blue bottles back. I like them a lot more than the amber, though I know amber keeps out light better. But, I don't like the squarish new labels. I don't like the way they are designed or the font for the names of the scents. The names of the scents seemed forced into the square in the new labels. I liked the more sensual almost torso shaped form of the old labels. It looks like a rib cage to me. Maybe it is because I've bought BPAL from way back...even when the imps had black and white tie on tags and some of the LE came in little tiny chemistry like bottles. I miss those too! The black and white handwritten tags gave the Lab a very alchemist type look.

I understand what you mean about the color. The old label in white fit the old cobalt bottles. I wish they'd bring those blue bottles back. I like them a lot more than the amber, though I know amber keeps out light better. But, I don't like the squarish new labels. I don't like the way they are designed or the font for the names of the scents. The names of the scents seemed forced into the square in the new labels. I liked the more sensual almost torso shaped form of the old labels. It looks like a rib cage to me. Maybe it is because I've bought BPAL from way back...even when the imps had black and white tie on tags and some of the LE came in little tiny chemistry like bottles. I miss those too! The black and white handwritten tags gave the Lab a very alchemist type look.

In the bottle: Sharp lemon and a slight ozone note that tickles the nose. The label on this bottle is very well done. On skin: At first, it smells a bit Thai food on me. Like smelling the lemongrass in a Thai food restaurant. The ozone is there and I get a medicine type herb, which I think is the hyssop. My skin usually reacts bad to essential oil of hyssop, but it this blend, my skin has no reaction. Later: Very fresh bright lemon. But a natural thick herbal lemon. And a blast of fresh lightning ozone. Doesn't last the longest time, but it is a nice pick me up and the lemongrass note doesn't smell fake or candlelike. I can start to detect a metal note. Nice. I got a bit of the tonka and mint too towards the end. It takes a while to build up on me and it isn't a letdown. Verdict: A keeper. I bought this to wear when I do rituals for Tinia. It seemed very fitting.

In the bottle: The perfume smells rank. I mean RANK. Overly sweet rotting plant life mixed with garbage and general decay. I'd challenge myself to smell it again, because, frankly I am a masochist. Yup, I wasn't wrong the first time, this is RANK. SKANKY RANK. On my skin: I got up the courage to put this on my skin. Or stupidity, thinking this is going to be the one that lasts on me and the dying foliage smell will never go away and I may need a tomato bath like one does with a skunk. But it didn't smell RANK on, or even rank, small letters. As it sinks into my skin, it develops a nice herbal odor. It's woodsy without the wood, an odd concept indeed. Later on: It becomes a spicy resin herbal blend. After a half hour or so, the wood and musk notes make an appearance. It lasts a decent amount of hours. I don't think I've smelled any other BPAL that would compare to it. I am hoping with time the rankness that comes from the oil inside the bottle will go away. Verdict: A keeper. A strange morpher. A pleasant surprise. It does have a light blue quality to it, like Selene herself. I got this to wear for ritual on the Blue Moon and Blue Moons in the future. I am glad I bought it. It's more herbal on me than anything else and it is spicy. I am not sure what notes are doing this, but it is lovely. If you smell it in the bottle and get the rank smell, I suggest trying it out because it isn't rank once it gets on your skin, well, at least my skin. I don't want to get hate mail from the one person in which this blend goes unadulterated garbage on.

This perfume oil layers fantastically with Skeem's Cypress Bark spray. I think the timeless scent of the Aqua Admirabilis mixes well with the spice and wood of the Cypress Bark, like an old aristocratic vampire in a fancy dank coffin. Then the perfume morphed into a great smokey leather scent. The "blood" part of it is probably hiding in the spice of the Cypress Bark. I will try this after I shower and see if the blood comes out. I don't get cheap men's cologne from this. I get a feeling of Paris in the early 1700's. It's clean without being soapy. Fresh without being minty or too airy. The smokey leather and spice make it very unique for this style of perfume. Plus it has a very distinct citrus note I really enjoy, leather and citrus is a nice match up. I highly recommend it if you like Dorian, Severin or Whitechapel scents. Smells great on me, probably would smell even better on a man. My boyfriend would never let me slather it on him, so right now, that idea will have to be mystery to me. It's a good perfume to smell while watching O Brother, Where Art Thou? Which I am right now. It smells old timey and from a bygone area. Now if only there were vampires in that film.

Thoughts: First off, I don't know why this oil isn't as popular as others. It has the best name ever. Snowball Fracas. Come on, git yerself a bottle, pronto. It's got an awesome label, which is good, because I wasn't too impressed with last Yule's design of labels. This one is a lot more fun and readable, with the old timey Victorian devils on them. I only wish the devil on this one was actually hitting someone in the head with a snowball, but oh well, you can't have everything! In bottle: Smells very cold and snowy. It reminds me of Ice Queen, but there is a dirt like note in there too. It also reminds me of Black Ice, without the musk. On skin: This is like Graveyard Dirt meets a non-plummy Ice Queen. It does sort of smell like mud at first and then I get a nice creamy ice scent and fresh dirt. It isn't as strong as I would like it, but notes of the perfume last 8 hours or so. I put it on before bedtime and still smelled it behind my ears in the morning, it ended as soapy minty snow. I always feel I need to add my skin is white pale and dry. I have heard if your skin is darker or oily or any combo of the above, it can smell different. So if you are an albino and have really dry skin, this could be the scent for you. That is, if you like snow, dirt and grassy notes. Drydown: Wow, dirt. Wow, Ice Queen happiness. It gives off the notes I liked in that perfume, which I used two bottles of and then that scent never came back to the BPAL catalog as far as I know. This could be a replacement. I also get a whiff of a sort of green clover note at the end of its cycle on my skin. It's a winner. Conclusion: This is the scent for those who avoid foodie or fruity scents (what are there 18 of us out there since I notice the oils I get tend to have a lot less reviews then those in the sweet or food catagories?). It's a nice cold scent, since I try to trick myself into believing I still will see snow on Yule and Christmas. Waking up to a 80 degree Christmas isn't like my Midwest childhood, that's for sure. I do wear these Yule scents during the hot California summer when I want a quick chill. This would be great for that! And those who long for Ice Queen could probably get this instead. I'd call this one Hoodoo Mama Ice Queen if Snowball Fracas wasn't such a fantastic name and a good use of the word fracas, which doesn't get nearly enough use these days. We need to use words like fracas or else words like "phat" become accepted new words in the dictionary and words like skedaddle leave official printed dictionaries. It's true! So use fracas and use it widely!!!

In the bottle: Straight on deep dark cocoa. Like another review said, a more complex Vice. On skin: First the deep cocoa comes out, then it starts to smell a lot like 13th from March 2009, minus the musk and cherry. It tends to absorb into my skin quickly, so I reapplied it to my black sleeve, since it is a light colored oil (at least in my bottle). That seemed to make it stick around more. Later on: I don't know what to make of it. It is sometimes gone, sometimes fudgy dark cocoa (without the sweetness of oils with the same formulation) or deep fruit, which I guess is the punes. Those two notes work together well and make the scent more sophisticated over all. Even later: Where does this scent keep going? It's not here, then it is here. Odd. Get no vanilla notes, get no Sugar Moon like qualities (thank the Gods for that, I didn't like that scent at all) but some spiciness comes through. In conclusion: I had this on one wrist and the March 13 on the other. I originally was going to buy an odd number of 13s (consider it some Hoodoo throwback) and now I have two, so I thought I would sell the one I liked less. The March one is really strong on me, which is both a good and bad thing, since the cherry or some other note of it makes me sneeze as it comes forward in the mixture. In contrast, the Lovecraftian 13, is really mellow, it smells great, but isn't strong like I enjoy. But that one has the best 13 label I have even seen and who knows what it will do in six months of storage? I have had gentle scents become ones with great throw with time.I feel I have sort of lucked out with two chocolate scents that aren't foodie, so maybe I should keep both.

Bone-chilling, heart-stopping cold. In the bottle: faint mints and medicinal herbs. On the skin at first: Reminds me of Ultraviolet a little bit, without so much floral with an underlying heaviness, like vanilla creme. It does tingle the skin like crisp weather. (Others have said it hurts, I guess what tingles on me, hurts others, be warned.) After a while: It becomes very light on me. Almost too light. Though I do like smelling it close to get that tingle in the nostrils. Perhaps this is better as a skin experience of coldness rather than a scent experience. Verdict: A little disappointed it isn't stronger. If I apply it twice, letting the first layer soak in, it seems stronger. I am hoping it is one of those perfumes that becomes more powerful with time, so I will report back if it is so. End verdict: This goes away on my dry skin very fast. Like within an hour. But I don't own Snow White or any of the other "snow" perfumes and I do like the vanilla snow smell of it. Probably be good to wear to work or some place where I know people don't like me wearing heavy perfumes. For this one is truly the lightest of all. Or else I am just blowing out my nose smelling in super close to my face. I'm most likely going to keep my bottle to see how it ages.

I got my bottle of Faunalia 7 days before the holiday, so thank you BPAL for the promptness. I like the design of the bottle label a lot. Bright red, man riding a devil. I have noticed the labels always seem to have a trace of graph squares on them. Maybe it is intentional, maybe it is their printer, who knows? I just wanted to point that out if it is a printing error, I've seen it on a lot of bottles. In the bottle, it smells rather strong and musky, like a crazy Cat Lady's unkept house. It is not completely unpleasant, but it does make one cautious to apply too much. When it is applied to the skin, however, it changes into a really nice musk-pine scent on me. It reminds me of really good pine room spray. Normally I wouldn't put something like that on me, but I like the depth of this perfume oil. Coupled with the piney musk, is a nice doze of winter plants and furry warmth, an escape from December's chill. It lasts a long time on me. It is very strong for 5-6 hours but I went to sleep with it on after wearing it all day and the musky pine was there in the morning. I tend to only put a drop on my wrists, behind the ears, etc, so a little of this goes a long way. For a while, I wondered if this would be better as a room spray because it doesn't seem like perfume. But it doesn't seem like a candle or room spray either. So I think I'll just wear it as perfume. Sometimes I get a "you smell like an overscented candle" comment, but I did wear this to a dinner a friend was having and no one said anything, so maybe they got the weird, this isn't exactly perfume-ish, yet it works. As far as its Faunalia qualities, it does have that warm, fur pelt decadence to it. I imagine it would be a good scent to wear when running in the forest with Pan, collecting old witch herbs like mandrake and hemlock on the dark forest floor. It has an overwhelming Hecate feel to it. Even the balsam note seems very witchy and Hecate to me. Diana is usually associated with Pan in my coven, but Hecate can be an aspect of Diana, so maybe it works, a sort of seeing of a male god's festival but in a feminine sort of way. I wish it had a musical feel to it, since the flute is associated with Pan and Faunus, like maybe a reed or metal note, but overall it is nice with the warm musk, deep woodsy pine and other herbal notes and a backbone of spices. It's probably my favorite Yuletide scent I have gotten from BPAL, except for Ice Queen, which sadly, doesn't raise its head around these parts anymore. Note: I get NO Coca-Cola from this blend. I get just about everything else, but my skin doesn't vamp up any sugary notes at all. It is straight up musky pine with wood/herbal undertone. I didn't get a Coyote scent either, that oil smells very dry grass on me and Faunalia doesn't have that scent at all on my skin. I do have dry pale skin though, if you have medium tone to dark and/or combo/oily skin, I think perfume morphs differently.