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BPAL Madness!

lmaunu

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Everything posted by lmaunu

  1. Tinkling tiny feet scuttle across a massive oak desk, navigating through a flurry of papers and a maze of discarded books, wires, and bolts. Glistening green venom beads at its chelicerae, and a ruby hourglass flashes from the creature's underbelly as it begins to weave. Pinot noir, dark myrrh, red sandalwood, black patchouli, night-blooming jasmine, and attar of rose. In the bottle, the pinot noir and myrrh dominate, but once I applied this, the attar of rose actually became the most pronounced scent on my skin. It reminds me of a darker rose scent like Blood Rose and Black Rose, both of which I love, but with hints of the jasmine poking through. It feels dark and resinous on, and is really beautiful! It's sexy and mysterious, too! Love it!
  2. Golden goggles fitted with zinc and copper plates dangle heavily by their leather straps from a hook mounted to the wall. Its crystal lenses are effulgent with residual electric energy. Metallic notes with Indian musk, tobacco flower, and African balsam. I was worried that the metallic notes on this would be too strong, but they subtly blend in with the musk and tobacco. The tobacco flower is also very light; it doesn't overwhelm the scent. I really like this one, and it's definitely gender-neutral. I'll report back on its wear length, but so far it seems to have really nice throw and wear length. Edited to say: After wearing this one a few more times, I think that I'll pass it on to my husband to wear. It definitely worked on me, but it feels a little more like "cologne" than I'm used to wearing. It's a sexy, elegant scent, and the metallic notes definitely come out more after wearing it a few hours. If you like clean yet deep scents, you'll really like this one!
  3. lmaunu

    Pumpkin IV (2009)

    The pumpkin note on this fades pretty quickly on me, leaving the black musk and myrrh behind. It's a sexy, dark scent, and it reminds me of 2008's Pumpkin II because of the black musk, but it smells different enough to make it its own unique blend. The tobacco doesn't come through very much on my skin, making this appropriate to wear to work during the day. It's a keeper!
  4. lmaunu

    The Girl

    I'm not getting the vanilla sugar scent that others are picking up on. Instead, my skin is giving me white crystalline . . . soft, shivering, with a touch of jasmine that breaks through the crystal aspect of The Girl. I'm also getting the white musk and amber, but they are softer and more in the background. It's softly floral, but with an edge to it that is chilling. I really, really like this one, and, as some others have said, it's one that I can definitely see wearing year-round.
  5. lmaunu

    Pumpkin V (2009)

    This is pure pumpkin spicy/cinnamony latte, and it's divine! The hazelnut adds such a nice touch to it, too, and it really has a strong throw and nice staying power. I was surprised by the strong cinnamon note that I'm picking up with this since the description doesn't have cinnamon listed. I've had bad skin reactions to cinnamon in other BPAL scents, but this one hasn't bothered my skin at all. The coffee scent also seems a bit more subtle on me with this one than does last year's Egg Nog Latte. This one is delish!!! I think I've died and gone to heaven with this one! If you love spicy, foody, coffee scents, you'll love this one for sure!
  6. lmaunu

    Boo

    I'm not getting Midway from this one, so much as I'm getting the creamy, vanilla-like scent of Beaver'versary. As some other reviewers noted, it also reminds me of the marshmallow-vanilla of TKO, without the lavender. Yum! If you like scents that border on the foody, you'll really love this one!
  7. lmaunu

    Mircalla, Countess Karnstein

    This one is divine!! My skin is not picking up the patchouli note that some other reviewers are getting, but instead really amped the red musk. Two of my favorite scents are Penumbra and Midnight Kiss, and it reminds me of those, but is different enough to make me happy that I ordered a bottle. It's sexy, but in a kind of way that didn't make me feel uncomfortable wearing it to work yesterday. It also has a nice, strong throw; while it started out light, it really blossomed as the day wore on, and I could still smell it when I got home from work, 15 hours later. Love this one!!!
  8. This one lasts and lasts on the skin, and the smell is sparkly and bubbly and chocolate-y. Like Teggy said, the chocolate scent in this one is similar to the cocoa chocolate in Gent, and it smells divine. I'm not picking up too much of the cheap sex scent, except for a slight muskiness that remains in the background, but maybe I'll have to ask the hubby more about that note. The champagne note in Bon Vivant does not stay on my skin for too long, but it definitely does in this one and in the other holiday champagne scent I picked up, Champagne and Roses. Yum!
  9. lmaunu

    Champagne and Roses

    At this past weekend's Will Call, Puddin' mentioned that one of the champagne scents smelled a bit like Pepsi to him, and I think that this is the one that does -- but only in the bottle. In the bottle, I smell Cherry Pepsi, but, once on the skin, it's pure champagne and roses (red or pink ones), and it smells sexy and party-ish -- perfect for New Year's Eve or for going out. Both notes are also staying pretty consistent on my skin; neither one dominates. It has a medium throw to it, and seems to have nice staying power. The champagne notes in Bon Vivant also don't last on my skin, but this does. It smells bubbly and tingly, just like champagne. I really like it.
  10. lmaunu

    Ho Ho Ho

    I'm not getting apple cider from this, but, like Violet Chaos and deleahrium, I'm getting a fruity cider. The spicy note is very subtle, with just a tinge of cinnamon. I'm also having a hard time identifying individual notes, but it's a lovely scent and perfect for evoking the holiday season! Thank you, Beth!
  11. lmaunu

    Gelt

    Source: Bottle from the Lab My skin usually amps up any amber notes, so I was a bit nervous about getting this. I am so glad that I did! The amber is very, very light, and just adds to the background in a subtle way. This is mostly pure, dark chocolate. As several people have mentioned, it smells just like brownies or a dark chocolate cake. It also doesn't have the creaminess of Candy Butcher, so it smells very different from CB (in case, like me, you need to justify having more than one chocolate scent ). Yum!
  12. lmaunu

    Eggnog Latte

    I think that the creaminess of this is reminiscent of Misk U, but it smells just like it sounds: like a delicious egg nog latte! On my skin, both notes play out, with neither one taking over. It's pure foody heaven!
  13. lmaunu

    Tilt A' Whirl

    I tried this at the Dec. 08 Will Call, and it's pure cotton candy! It smells divine! It also has nice throw and staying power. I woke this morning, and the faintest whiff of it is still there. Can't wait until this comes out.
  14. lmaunu

    Lady Lilith

    As others have mentioned, mandarin tea really is the focus of this blend. It's definitely more complex than just that, though, with the musks, rose, and other notes also playing a role. This is lush and beautiful, and definitely a more "grown up" scent than Lilith Victoria (which is also heavenly)! I really, really like this. It's a more adult floral! As I smell this, I get images of women in Victorian gowns having tea on a beautiful, sun-lit English lawn. It's beautiful!
  15. lmaunu

    Lilith Victoria

    Oh, this is lovely! On my skin, it really smells like lavender Dorian. I'm getting very little of the Snake Oil so far; it's there, but it's very subtle. I was honestly worried (and yet intrigued!) by how Beth would manage to combine these two scents, and, as usual, she did an amazing job of blending notes/scents that I otherwise couldn't imagine together. It's gorgeous! On a side note, my bottle is different from how others are describing theirs. Mine has a girl with a wall clock behind her, and a ribbon upheld in one of her hands . . . . Edited: The second time I wore this, the Snake Oil was much more dominant, with hints of Dorian. It's almost as if Lilith Victoria is sometimes showing more of her mother's side, and sometimes more of her father's. I love the way it morphs! Beautiful!
  16. lmaunu

    Pumpkin II (2008)

    This is a warm, buttery pumpkin scent that is made of win! Like gysysingleton, I actually thought that I had maybe ordered the wrong bottle since I get very little of the musk and leather with this one. If you like foody scents, you will love this one! On my skin, it has nice throw, but not a lot of staying power. I have to slather it on a bit and then re-apply, but Pumpkin II is definitely worth it!
  17. lmaunu

    Katrina van Tassel

    Oh, my! This is a lovely, lovely scent! I have several red rose BPAL scents, but this is my first white rose one, and it's divine! Sometimes honey amps up too much on my skin, but this honeyed cream stays nicely in the background. Lookingglass called it "a virgin O," and I definitely agree; it contains overtures of O, but the white rose really is the dominant note. It's wonderful -- innocent, and yet sexy at the same time.
  18. lmaunu

    Sugar Skull

    For 2008 version This is pure brown-sugary-goodness! When I first put it on, the fruit notes are a bit more prominent, but, after it's been on my skin a few hours, it smells like pure brown sugar. It's delicious! I've worn it twice now, and both times I've been pleased by the moderate throw and long staying power. If you like foody scents, you're love this one!
  19. lmaunu

    Schwarzer Mond

    This review is for SM 08. This is my first bottle of Schwarzer Mond, and it's incredible! I was really worried that it would smell a bit too much like a head shop b/c of the patchouli, but it's far from it. As others have said, it's definitely a dark scent (as befits the moon), and yet it's also spicy, perhaps because of the opoponax and myrrh. I'm also picking up a little bit of the cola scent that some people have mentioned, but don't let that scare you off since you really have to seek it out; this scent is much more complex than that. I'm not familiar with many of the notes in this, but it's definitely gorgeous! I think that this is going to be in my top 5 for sure!
  20. lmaunu

    Hellhound on My Trail

    This is a deep, dark scent that leaves the overall impression of spiciness on my skin. Whereas the bay rum in Port Royal is too strong for me, but works great on my husband, the bay rum in this is nicely tempered by the vanilla, so that it is definitely more wearable for me. Although some reviewers mentioned that this is more of a man's scent, don't be put off by that since I think it works really well for women because of the other notes, which aren't as strong as I thought they might be. The individual notes blend together to create a warm, spicy, autumnal blend. My skin usually amps tobacco, but I'm hardly getting any tobacco from this, even after wearing it for an hour. This has really nice throw, too. So glad I picked up a bottle!
  21. lmaunu

    To Autumn

    This is a gorgeous fall scent! It's a warm, spicy apple scent, but the leaves and wood mellow it out and keep it from being a foody scent. On drydown, the smell of wet trees in a forest drying after a hard rainstorm comes out more. This complex and lovely!
  22. lmaunu

    Gluttony

    If you love foodie scents, you will love Gluttony! As others have mentioned, it's a wonderful mixture of hazelnut and caramel and chocolate! Delicious!
  23. lmaunu

    Sturgeon Moon

    Fresh and clean. This reminds me of a fresh shampoo. I'm allergic to grass and was worried about how the grassy notes in it would affect me, but I get more cucumber, sweet water, and melon (perhaps the agave?). It's a fresh, lovely scent for summer, and I'm so glad I got it!
  24. lmaunu

    Penumbra

    This smells like a purple version of Midnight Kiss, which is one of my top 3 BPAL scents. In the bottle, it smells more herbal than anything else and it reminded me a bit of Dragon Moon, but once I applied it to my skin, the purple musk took precedence, as did very faint tobacco notes. The lavender is there, but it's very faint, and lets the other notes take the center stage. It's definitely a purple scent, but a purple without any violet in it. Love it! So glad I bought a bottle!
  25. lmaunu

    Chaos Theory IV: Edge of Chaos

    CCXXXVII (237) The gold numbering on the bottle really is fun! Wow! This is my first bottle of a Chaos Theory blend, and I love it! It really is so hard to figure out what's inside when you don't have a description or other people's impressions to fall back on. In the bottle, it reminds me of Sweet Tarts, which is sort of what Tiki Queen smells like in the bottle. On my skin, though, Tiki Queen turns floral, whereas so far this is staying in the Sweet Tart realm. It's red and sweet, but in a different way than my other red scents. Love it! Thank you, Labbies, for such a fun treat!
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