Phaedra

This was a frimp from the Lab in one of my recent orders. Wet it smells like chocolate and orange. When first on there is a very sharp, bitter herbal note- blech! It is overpowering the chocolate but fades quickly, leaving a soft chocolate note with a hint of cherry. At this stage it smells very familiar- like "Angel" by Thierry Mugler which I absolutely can't stand the smell of. I don't like this stage of Vice at all. After about four hours it softens to a faint chocolate and cherry blend. This is an interesting blend but I can't handle the earlier stages enough to wear it.

This one was a frimp from the Lab in one of my recent orders. When first on this smells sweet and syrupy, almost like root beer. It makes me think of dark brown wood and water. It also smells like a fancy soap for me. This one is very hard to describe- very mysterious, interesting and somewhat masculine. I'm really glad I got to try this one but don't need to keep it.

Wet this smells like light florals, rose and fruity. When first on this smells like peach and white flowers. To me it smells similar to Mi-Go but less fruity and more floral and sophisticated. This doesn't change much on me. It is a soft scent and doesn't last very long on me either. This one is very pretty and feminine but for some reason doesn't wow me like some other LE blends do (such as Queen of Clubs for example). I will either swap this or give it to a friend for Christmas. I am glad I got to try this one though.

This one was included as a freebie in one of my recent orders. Wet and when first on this smells like sweet almond marzipan with a hint of orange. After about five minutes the rose comes out. Something in this made my skin red and blotchy! I never had this happen before with BPAL. It could just be that my skin was irritated when I put this on. The almond fades pretty quickly and a jasmine or gardenia note develops. This one is okay but not as sensual or exotic as I had hoped it would be. It smells like a generic BPAL blend. I will probably pass this along in a swap.

WOW Macha!!! Seeing the bottles all together is really impressive. Now I really want those CN tee shirts to be on the Trading Post asap!!

I got Queen of Clubs about two weeks ago which I am in love with!! I just tried Arachne today and found it to be quite similar to QofC but less complex. I think it makes a pretty good substitute- good thing I ordered two QofC though

WOW!! This is and Ace of Hearts were my first experience with forum only limited editions. This one is spectacular on me (Ace of Hearts is just okay on me). Wet this smells like mossy damp earth with some fruit in the background. It is similar to Zombi at this stage. When first applied it is fruity, floral and earthy all at once. Very quickly a spiciness develops. After probably 30 minutes an lovely incense and rose blend comes out. After several hours this blossoms into a rich, full bodied blend of fruits and florals. The drydown is a gorgeous blend of honey, vanilla and figs- sort of like a cross between Zombi and Hetairae. This is stunningly beautiful and complex!! I am so glad I ordered two bottles of this one. I just knew I would it because it has most of my favorite notes in it. This one is quite a masterpiece **I forgot to add that I just tried Arachne this week and have found that it is quite similar to Queen of Clubs but not quite as complex. It may be a good substitute if you like QofC.

Wet this smells like lily of the valley mixed with fruit- possibly pear. When first applied it has an aquatic quality to it. A rose note develops and it becomes very soft, wispy and powdery. This is another one that is pretty and feminine but that I don't find stunning or outstanding.

This is a light floral which is also very faint on me. It reminds me of spring and daffodils, also lily of the valley maybe. It's a bit similar to Fae but not as sweet. This has a wispy and watery quality to it. This dries down to a soft rose and at that stage it reminds me of Moon Rose. This is very feminine and pretty but not one I have to have more of.

I got this as a freebie from the Lab in one of my recent orders. I most likely wouldn't have ordered it because the description and some of the notes don't really appeal to me. Wet this is very sharp, herbal and strong lime. It almost smells just like Coke which is odd. When first applied I start to get a hint of cherry. It quickly develops into a pencil shavings/cedar note mixed with cherry and wood. This is a very masculine scent. After about 30 minutes I found this to be too strong and manly and ended up washing it off.

Wet in the bottle this smells very buttery and sweet. It reminds me of that Indian dessert of the "squishy cottage cheese balls in condensed milk" (sorry but I don't know what they are called). It's a bit similar to Chaste Moon in the bottle but not quite as sweet or fruity. When first applied Milk Moon smells a lot like these milk flavored hard candies that they sell in Chinatown. The buttery note fades and this softens nicely. After about three hours a faint hint of honey comes through which is very nice. I'm finding that I absolutely adore the honey note in Beth's blends This is a very comforting and warm scent to me. It's good to wear for bedtime too as I find it quite relaxing. I really love this one and am glad I have two bottles. Interesting to note that on me I don't get any mint at all.

I was lucky enough to receive an imp of this as a freebie from the Lab in one of my recent orders. THANK YOU LABBIES!! This is a warm, creamy vanilla; sweet and a bit powdery. It is very feminine, delicate and comforting. It reminds of the candy coating shell on the almonds that they give out as favors at Greek weddings. This is develops into the most gorgeous vanilla. It is fairly long lasting on me too. I really love this one and will cherish my imp. I bet it would be lovely layered with Snow White too.

In the imp the oil is a deep, rich cocoa brown, the color of root beer. Wet it smells spicy and musky, very exotic. It goes on a bit sharp at first with a hint of cedar (aka pencil shavings on me). I was worried this note would take over but luckily it doesn't. After about five minutes a sweet almost floral note develops. Then it warms up into a blend of sandalwood and vanilla- spicy and exotic. On the dry down it smells a lot like the single note oude. I really love this one!! This is the sexy, exotic, incensy blend I've been looking for!! I am a bellydancer (as a hobby) and this is the PERFECT scent for bellydancers. Seriously, if you are a bellydancer RUN AND GET SCHEREZADE!! This is what I was hoping Mata Hari and Salome would smell like. I think this would even work on some men. It reminds me a bit of how the Muslim men in my neighborhood who sell body oils and incense smell. I am getting a 5ml of this in my Carnival Noir order

This was a freebie included in one of my recent orders. Wet it smells a bit musty and fruity. It goes on as strawberry but with some bitter note to balance out the sweetness. After a couple of hours it develops a smokey quality and reminds me of strawberry incense. This is an interesting fruity and herbal blend, really unique.

This was a freebie in one of my recent orders. It goes on as bright, crisp lemon with some soft, almost watery note underneath. It softens into a honey and vanilla blend and reminds me of some other BPAL blends but I can't remember which ones. I don't get any of the herbal notes at all. I'm going to try this again before deciding if I really like it or not.

This smells a bit sour and pungent when first on. After a couple of minutes jasmine comes through- heavy and sweet. After about ten minutes the rose develops and it still has a bit of a sour or "off" scent to it. It dries down powdery on me. This one is just so-so for me and smells similar to some other BPAL blends.

I'd also recommend Hetairae!! I love this one It is very complex and changes a lot on me while wearing. It dries down to a lovely fig and honey scent. To quote my own review: "When first applied it smells slightly resinous and spicy with some floral undertones. There's also a fruity note which I guess is the fig but it smellls more like deep purple grapes to me. This has really good staying power and changes alot the longer it's on. In the very final stages it smells very faintly of figs drizzled with honey. This is a real stunner for me, beautiful and complex!"

The overwhelming agony of passion crystallized into a singularly dark and magnetic blend: bittersweet neroli, black patchouli and black musk, gilded by apple, bergamot, blood red rose, teak, and vanilla. Wet in the imp this smells sweet and citrusy. When first applied it goes on bitter, herbal and floral with a faint orange note. I'm guessing this is the neroli. The bitterness fades fairly quickly on me. After about five minutes this starts to sweeten an warm up with the rose note coming through. This is a very nice blend- feminine and sensual. I really like the constrast of the bitter and citrus notes with the rose- that is what makes this an interesting and more complex blend. This might be one for my ever growing bottle list.

Lush, velvet-red blooms born from the blood shed in the eternal battle between Set and Horus the Avenger. Inspired by Tammy Roth. Wet in the imp this smells like bubblegum. When first applied it smells like a lighter bubblegum with a hint of spice. It's fairly light and not very strong on me. It reminds me of Harlot but without the rose note. This develops a nice floral sweetness on the dry down. This is nice but not a "must have more of" for me.

Wet in the imp this smells- confusing? It's a bit like some type of solvent and also pungent. It goes on smelling like bitter almonds. It is fairly faint and almost a "no smell" smell. After several minutes it begins to smell like sweet cookies. Up to this point I didn't really understand what was so mystical about this blend that everyone was raving about. But after about an hour, this sweetens and deepens. This is the sexy stage!!! It must be the honey and vanilla. I still don't think it smells like actual "human sex" on me but it is very sexy indeed. Absolutely wonderful!

In the imp this smells like the typical artifical ocean smell found in commercial products. When first applied it is sharp and sweet. It really reminds me of some bathroom air freshener from my childhood. I was hoping this would smell more electric and metallic but instead it just smells like fake ocean to me. Oh well.

When first applied this smells softly of violets. After a few minutes a dark fruitiness develops. This has a nice richness to it and is very pretty smelling. I really like this one and will try it again to see if I want to get a bottle.

This goes on as soft rose and is a bit powdery. After a couple of minutes a fruit note develops- peach maybe? Overall this is a very sensual blend. I will enjoy the imp of this but probably won't order a bottle.

I got a freebie imp of this with an eBay auction. I would have never chosen this scent to try otherwise (no offense). This one is extremely masculine. It smells strongly of vanilla mixed with cedar which on me smells like pencil shavings. I really hate the way cedar smells on me. It would be interesting to see how this smells on a man. I had to wash this off after a couple of minutes and ended up swapping it away.

In the bottle this smells like honeydew melon mixed with kiwi and berries. It goes on light and fruity while retaining the melon and berry notes. A peppery note comes through very quickly which balances out the sweetness of the fruits. This has a similar quality to Pink Moon. It's very light, upbeat and happy. I'm really glad I got this and will enjoy wearing it in warm weather.