stardreamer

This is clearly in the same scent family with Bordello and Jester, though not as sweet as either of them. I don't get the sage or tea notes at all, the berry drowns them out and all they do is modify it. R. didn't like it when fresh, said it was tolerable after a few hours; I suspect that's the musk. This would probably be a good scent to wear when Bordello would be overwhelming, or to layer with Bordello to cut the sweetness a bit. I like it enough to keep it, though I think it's going to be in the "not while he's around" group.

A freebie, and one I wouldn't have ordered for myself. I think I was right. On first sniff: I don't think this is going to be popular. Very dark, very musky. Best apply lightly! After a couple of minutes: Patchouli? Egad. Not my favorite fragrance! Several hours later: Patchouli-like scent still very evident. I smell like a NewAge store. I guess that must be either one of the musks or the myrrh, but whatever it is, it's not for me. Ironically, R. classes this one as "not obnoxious". It figures -- but that's not enough to make me want to keep it. If he wore fragrances, I'd let him try it, but he doesn't. ETA, later: Now I know what the problem was. This scent contains red musk, which I absolutely cannot wear. It gives me the "I smell like a NewAge store" reaction every damn time, no matter how minor a component it is in the blend.

Got this in a swap for the Wrath that didn't work on me. On first application, this is very sharp and citrusy, almost a grapefruit scent. After an hour or two, the aquatic/rainy notes come out very clearly; there's no noticeable floral in this. It fades faster than the sweeter scents tend to, but still remains present for an acceptable length of time. It reminds me strongly of Tempest; I'll want to do a direct comparison sooner or later. I like it, but as usual with non-foody scents, R. says it's headache material. Definitely one for the "not while he's around" group!

Milk, honey, and grains. Well, that explains both the slight nuttiness I noticed on first application and the similarity with Sudha Segara as it dried down! I like this, and R. doesn't find it objectionable, but I'm not sure I really need two milk-and-honey-based scents. This is probably going to be "keep and use up, but don't worry about ordering more". I can definitely understand, however, why this is one of BPAL's more popular scents; it's mild and sweet without being cloying or obtrusive. If they ever discontinue Sudha Segara, I could switch over to this without even a blink.

The description doesn't sound promising, and on first sniff I thought it was going to be much too strong and dark for me; I do better with the lighter, sweeter scents. But it's slowly grown on me with wearing. I really don't catch any particular note, but it's a deep, sexy scent -- certainly not something I'd wear for everyday, but if I were on the prowl... mrrrow! My cat Penny seems to like it; she was on my lap, and licked at the base of my neck where I'd put some on. R., of course, puts it squarely into the "Phew!" category (quote: "Don't wear that while we're in the car!"); apparently frankincense is one of his special hates. He also says it seems to have permeated the den/kitchen area like a miasma, so I suspect I should apply it more lightly. But I don't think I'll get rid of it yet. If I go clubbing with the girls again, it might be a good fragrance for that.

Not very much to be said about this scent. It's floral. There's a bit of sharpness when it first goes on, but that fades fast, leaving what can only be described as a pretty standard mild floral aroma, neither outstandingly good nor obnoxious. R. described it as "floral soap", and that's not far off. I might have been happy with it if I hadn't already found half-a-dozen BPAL fragrances I really love; but as it is, it's headed for the swap pile. Why settle for the bronze when you can have the gold?

Got this as a freebie, but it was on my list for a future order, so I'm happy to have the chance to sample it. In the bottle: oh my, I like this already! On first application: rich, sweet, juicy, fruity! Not getting any almond scent at all; it's more like fruit punch, similar to Jester but darker, sangria (minus the alcohol smell) as opposed to Hawaiian Punch. Several hours later: it doesn't change much as it wears on. Still sweet and fruity, with good staying power. I really like this! R. finds it "acceptable in small doses and at arm's length", which is quite an encomium coming from him. It's a yummy summery fragrance, but with enough oomph to wear during cooler weather as well. In summary: Bordello has everything I liked about Jester, with neither of the latter's two major disadvantages (a slightly unpleasant undernote, and R. didn't like it at all). So it's moving into the regular rotation, and Jester is moving from the "not while he's around" group into the swap pile -- there's no sense in keeping it when I like this one so much better, and can wear it on more occasions to boot.

I had high hopes for this one, even though I'm not fond of grapefruit; I thought the other elements might balance it out. And at first I thought I was right. In the bottle, it's a light, crisp scent, citrusy but not overwhelmingly grapefruit. Unfortunately, on me it just... vanishes. Well, not completely -- but I put it on fairly heavily, and within minutes it had faded to a level it's taken the other scents hours to reach. I can still smell it faintly some 8 hours later, but the other thing is that it doesn't do much with my body chemistry. Not unpleasant, just blah. Between that and the fading business, I don't see much point in holding on to this one. Blast.

This was a freebie, and the "description" doesn't say a thing about what's in it, which is one of my pet peeves. But like Old New Orleans, it's extremely floral and doesn't appeal to me very much. I think there may be more honeysuckle in it somewhere, and perhaps gardenia. R.'s comment: "Well, it's not as bad as that other one." If you think this sounds like damning with faint praise, you're right. At any rate, I don't think I'll be keeping this one either.

I wanted this because a friend gave me some White Tea & Ginger liquid soap from Bath & Body Works, and I like that a lot. Unfortunately, either there's something else in one or the other of them or this is a significantly different formulation. It's extremely sharp and doesn't seem to react well with my body chemistry, and R. hates it. It's got a lot of staying power; 14 hours after application, I can still smell it fairly distinctly on my wrists. At this dilution, I can trace its kinship to the B&BW formula and it's not obnoxious, but I'm not willing to wait thru the hours-long not-so-pleasant phase to get to that point. I don't think I'll be getting any more of this. I might try it again, after I've gone thru all the others, at a lower starting application and see if that makes any difference. ETA, next morning: man, that stuff REALLY has staying power! It didn't completely go away until I'd washed. And R. woke up with a headache, probably from being in bed with it all night. Looks like this one is just not a keeper.

Very mild and sweet, very pleasant. It was still faintly present after a full day at the RenFaire, which is damn good! I'm not sure I was able to identify any particular note, but I like the effect, and R. doesn't find it objectionable. Having worn it a second time, I like it even better! It's a light, fruity scent which can be applied fairly heavily without becoming overpowering, and which lasts for a good long time. I still don't pick up the clove very much -- to me, it's more like apricot-and-vanilla. Not that this is a bad thing... This one's a definite keeper.

I agree with that assessment! Another freebie. This is very sweet and fruity, almost a "fruit punch soda" kind of smell. There's something down in the background that's a little unpleasant (probably the neroli), but I only catch that from extremely close range -- if my nose is even a couple of inches from my wrist, I just get the fruit punch. R. is dubious, but not absolutely negative. I rather like it; a fun, summery kind of scent. Decent staying power, too -- 12 hours after application, it's still detectable (and the whatever-it-was that I didn't care for has faded). I think I'll want to compare this with Lady Macbeth when my imp of that arrives.

This was a freebie, and my first chance to try one of the Voodoo Blends. In the bottle, and on application, it smelled like nothing in particular, just very sharp. After the first couple of minutes, there was only one word to describe it: MOTHBALLS. Four hours later, it still smells like mothballs, with a touch of baby powder underneath. Needless to say, I'm NOT keeping this one!

This was a freebie, and I suspected it was going to be too floral. Also, I don't like bergamot. In the bottle and on first application, it has the same kind of unpleasant undernote I noticed with Vice. Must be the orange blossom, that's the only thing those two have in common. Again, that note faded quickly on me, so it's not a contra-indication in and of itself. 15 minutes later -- okay, but nothing special. R. puts it in the "ew, yuck" category; maybe it'll be easy to let go of. Several hours later... spoke too soon. This ages, on me, to a light note almost exactly like the Jovan Musk that I used to love on an old boyfriend. Fortunately, it's not one that stays strong for a long time; 8 hours after application, it's detectable but faint, and probably wouldn't be noticed by anyone not slow-dancing with me. Another candidate for the "not while he's around" pile.

This was a freebie, and one I never would have ordered -- I'm not at all fond of rose smell. But I decided to give it a chance; after all, Roadhouse worked out much better than I'd expected. In the bottle: Ew, I don't think I'm going to like this, it's all rose. Applying *very* lightly. After 15 minutes: Still rose, rose, and more rose. I'll see if I can hold out for an hour or so; maybe it'll settle, or something else will come to the fore. After 30 minutes: Ew, ew, multiple ew. I can't deal with this, I smell exactly like the secretary at my old job who *bathed* in cheap, stinky rose-scented stuff! Scrubbed it off and slathered on some Bliss to cover, and tossed the shirt I'd been wearing into the laundry. There's still a detectable rose tinge under the chocolate, but at least now I can stand myself. No need to even ask R. about this one -- away to the swap pile it goes! Someone who likes smelling roses would probably love this, but it's not for me.

In the bottle, this does smell sort of crisp. On me, the first impression is "green". There's definitely some water in there, but it's more like light rain on grass, or the smell/taste of water from the garden hose. (Which I happen to like, so that's not a downside!) After 6 hours, it hasn't changed much. Not very tempest-y at all; this reads as more of a peaceful scent to me, like a gentle spring shower. I'm not madly in love with it, but I definitely like it. And once again, R. finds it eye-wateringly obnoxious. *sigh* Another one for the "not while he's around" pile, I fear.

I perceive a certain amount of similarity between March Hare and Siren. Since no one else has suggested this, I thought I'd put my two cents in!

I was afraid this one was going to turn out to have been a mistake, and I was right. WAY too floral for me, and far too much of it is the honeysuckle, which I like only at very mild concentrations. (As in, a fence-line of it about a quarter-mile away is lovely; a fence-line across the back yard is overwhelming.) Now, 15 hours after application, it's finally down to a more-or-less pleasant level. R.'s comment: "I chopped down a whole hedge that smelled like that once -- and dug out the roots!" *Sigh* Much as I loved my last visit to New Orleans, this one's got to go. Oh, well.

Now *this* is the scent I was hoping to get with Kumiho! Even though the formulation is completely different, it struck me immediately as being like my B&BW White Tea & Ginger liquid soap. The honeysuckle isn't strong enough to blast me; I think most of what I'm picking up is the tea. It was so light that I think I might have put on too much -- for the first time, I had a headache threaten to develop, although that could also have been from lack of sleep. But I kept getting gentle whiffs of soft, flowery tea aroma all afternoon long. I was at an outdoor party in the evening, and it faded pretty fast with the heat[1]; I couldn't smell it at all by the time I'd been there an hour, but that was at the end of a fairly long day. Unfortunately, R. reacted *very* negatively -- he didn't even want to be in the same room with me until it was several hours old. But I am NOT getting rid of it; I'll just put it aside with Siren, to be used when I'm not going to be near him for one reason or another. [1] Yes, heat. I'm in Houston, where the high today was 90 and the overnight lows have been hovering around 70. In October. LATE October. The heat is one of the few things I really hate about living here. And it was a bonfire party, which made things even hotter.

Very strong, very sweet, not much orange that I can detect. R. doesn't object to it, but I've been thinking it's too sweet for my taste. I think I'll have to try this one a second time before I make a final decision about it. Something I definitely notice about the BPAL oils -- they don't give me headaches! Even when the scent is really strong and not terribly appealing, I can go all day wearing one of these without problems. That's very unusual for me in the perfume world, and I'm beginning to suspect that it's something else in most perfumes that I'm reacting to, not the odor per se. EDIT after second attempt: I put less of it on this time, and I like the result better. I can smell more of the orange, and it's not as sweet. The fact that it doesn't get an "Ew, yuck" reaction from R. is a strong reason to keep it! I think the key is just to take it a little easy on the application.

A scent aflame with rage, swirling in the red haze of hatred: dragon's blood spiked with black pepper, clove, and cinnamon. I ordered this one on a lark, and because a friend waxed ecstatic about it, although I was dubious about the "dragon's blood" because I don't know what it is.[1] In the bottle it's bright red; my first reaction on opening it was "Wow, cinnamon!" Unfortunately, the cinnamon doesn't hold its own against the other elements once it's on, and R. and B. both found it very objectionable.[2] I still rather like it, but not enough to make them put up with it -- and I'm going to wash it off before I go to bed, because R. said it had headache potential. [1] I do now, having seen Beth's link to a botanicals site. [2] Apparently I chased B. out of the den by sitting down with her to watch a figure-skating competition on TV. R. said this could be considered payback for the times she's stunk up the back part of the house with a particularly vile B&BW "berry-scented" shampoo! I still want a cinnamon scent. Maybe I'll check out Three Witches, which seems to be a similar formulation but without the dragon's blood.

This was a freebie, and is something I would NEVER have considered ordering for myself, given the description. I was also really dubious about it in the bottle, and decided to try it mostly to get it over with! However, I've been pleasantly surprised. It's not obnoxious; it's a little floral, but somehow darker than the other florals I've tried, and it works surprisingly well on me. R.'s opinion was neutral. I don't think I'll be ordering a larger bottle, but I'll definitely keep the sample for occasions when I want a more "mainstream" scent rather than a food-based one. Everyone else talks about all the different notes and how one or another comes out at different times. I'm finding that by and large this doesn't happen for me, and Roadhouse is a prime example. I couldn't smell dandelions, or beer, or booze, or tobacco/hemp. It just... is, and it pretty much stays as it is all the way from first application to hours-later. Maybe that's my lack of training in scent discrimination coming thru.

In the vial and on first application, this had a very unpleasant undertone that almost made me hesitate to try it. Fortunately, that faded after only a few minutes, leaving primarily the chocolate. The holding power is superb; after 14 hours, it's still very present on my wrists. R. said it smelled like coconut to him, which might be the orange blossom. I like it, but I'm going to compare-and-contrast it with Bliss before I make a final decision on whether or not to get more, because of that initial unpleasantness. Later edit, having tried Bliss: on me, these are very different scents. The Vice is almost lighter and sweeter, while Bliss kicks out more of a smoky-chocolate note. No reason not to keep both! Edit again, after second trial of Vice: the unpleasant undertone is still there (I think it's the orange blossom), but it fades quickly once applied. I liked it better the second time around; I was able to pick up some of the cherry this time. I'll probably get a 10ml of Bliss and a 5ml of Vice.

Those URLs give error messages now, as the item number has aged out of eBay's database. What's the seller ID? That can be searched any time.

It went on pretty strong (though that could just have been me not knowing how much to use); I was worried that it might give me a headache, but it didn't. Very sweet, but not cloying; I didn't pick up much of the ginger, but overall I like it. And 14 hours later, I can still smell traces of it on my wrists, so the stuff has real staying power! Edit, after trying it a second time. I really like this; it's a sweet, creamy fragrance with good staying power. I still can't pick up a ginger note, though it does seem as though there might be something floral way down underneath -- maybe that's the ambrosia? R. is neutral about it, which is about the best reaction I'm going to get. I think there's at least a 5ml of this in my future!