jkfagtongpun

Boo. Hoo. Hoo. I was so excited about this. Halloween/fall is my most favourite time of year. Pumpkin pie is the most wonderful comfort food for me. Sadly, this was just too sweet and synthetic smelling for me. It reminds me of Yankee Candles - nice, because they remind me of home, but I don't want to smell like one (been living outside the US for 11 years). Dang it! The search goes on for the perfect autumnal scent that will work on me!!!

A frimp from the lab and I so wanted to love it. In the imp and whilst wet, it's a really gorgeous, creamy, heady mix. Oleander, musk and spices. It was heavenly. Drying down - powder! Darn that magnolia. I left it for a bit and the husband said 'ew, you smell like an old lady'. I've not tried it again.

This was a frimp in my last BPAL order and it's never even been on my radar. I was pleasantly surprised. I definitely get myrtle, jasmine and lily with a touch of musk in the background. I get no clove, no sandalwood and definitely no bourbon vanilla. On me, it's a nice floral but not too floral, not cloying and not sweet. Surprising as most florals are all of those and too much for me. I just wish it had better throw and lasted a bit longer. Jury's out on going for a 5 ml or not...

Rapunzel is lovely and light - as a lot of others have said - very 'spring'. Unfortunately, it reminds me of my friend, Hywel's, Neal's Yard deodorant...I think it's the orris root. I love Hywel, but I don't want to smell of his armpits.

Ethereal, otherworldly, delicate: ambergris, white musk, water violet, ylang ylang, magnolia, and white sandalwood. Slight disappointment with this one. It was murky and dark when I first put it on then, poof, straight to powder and a bit headachey. I've learned that it must be that magnolia and I don't get on. Boo hoo, the rest of the notes don't even get a peep in. Perhaps I'll give it a year or so and try again.

This really is a beautiful scent. However... it reminds me way too much of my former mother in law. Whilst I love her dearly, I do not want to smell like her. Shame because it's a gorgeously warm, soft, soothing scent. Ah well.

This is not a scent I would have picked on my own because I don't know any of these plants, with the exception of coriander (which is shameful as I spent a lot of my chilhood in the US southwest). Luckily, though, it was a frimp in my latest BPAL order. I wasn't expecting much, I assumed it would be an unmemorable and perhaps too 'natural' scent for me. Not at all! It's green and juicy, sweet and spicy, almost effervescent. On me, it smells like a juicier, fresher Blood Countess. Big bottle already on order! In fact, I think I need to put more on, RIGHT NOW! Edited to add: received 5ml yesterday and OH MY GAWD, I love this more and more. It's definitely becoming a favourite. Yum. Yum. Yum.

Innocent, soft and pure: sweet pea, carnation and water lily. I love sweet pea. I love carnation. So, naturally, this seemed it would be a good one. It is a lovely, beautiful, feminine scent. BUT, just not for me. It's a little too light, no surprising sharp edge, no hidden depth for me. I guess I just prefer something with a bit more bite or oomph.

This one is very sweet and floral - too girly 'la la la' for me. It's a beautiful scent and I'd be happy to smell it on someone else... but not too close.

All spicy-ness, no depth. I'm really sad I don't get anything else from it. I'm going to let it age and try again in 6 months time or so. I like all the notes separately (except chrysanthemums because I have no idea what they smell like) so should love this scent. Let's hope time works for me.

In the imp this smelled very much like puke to me. Needless to say I couldn't bring myself to trying it.

Wet to dry this one doesn't morph. But it is a very sweet, very green scent to me. Unfortunately, it really reminds me of the Carpet Fresh powder my mom used to use when I was in high school - it was the one in a green canister. Dormouse is nice but I just can't get Carpet Fresh out of my head.

Floral candy on my skin. Disappointed because I was so looking forward to saying 'The Queen of Hearts, of course' when someone asked me what I was wearing but I couldn't bear smelling like candy so had to wash it off before leaving the house.

I was very excited to get this as a frimp as it was one I was curious to try but not brave enough to order - thank you! Wet: definitely green vines, salt and the iron-y smell of blood. Quite liked it. Dry: Turns to soap - dang it!

The name is appropriate - never seen a real life strangler fig but the scent was very thick, hot, humid, choking and sweet. Almost a chocolately-wood sweet. It was ok, but not for me. In the end I had to wash it off, it was too much!

This was a frimp - thank you! - and seeing as I don't like lavender as a scent to wear and it's a Somnium I figured wearing it to bed wouldn't be too bad. As I got into bed the husband said 'mmm, lavender orange tree'. It was kind of nice and soothing. A dreamtime scent it is, then.

I'm confused as to why I ordered this... I never buy lavender scents because it reminds me of grandmas. This was no exception. The main note in this on me is lavender, VERY strong lavender. Nothing else comes out, even after drying down. Must remember: me + lavender= no no

Upon application I didn't think Hecate and I would get along. BUT THEN... I got a bitter, burned smell - it conjured an image of a ritualistic bonfire on a hot August night - with something deep, rich and sweet behind it. Almond is not a scent I usually go for, I fear smelling like a walking piece of marzipan, but this is fabulous. I think I love it.

In the bottle: just sweetnesst Wet: Soap, soapy, soapy, soap Dry: Headachey floral. :cry2:

It's all peach on me. Do you remember Strawberry Shortcake dolls in the 80's? (Gawd, I loved them!) Fae made me feel as though I was a grown up Apricot. It's nice and delicious smelling, but it didn't last long and it's just not me.

All I get is lemon thyme, which I don't like, it makes me feel like a piece of chicken.

The fiery, volatile scent of cinnamon, thickened by myrrh, honeysuckle, and copal. Dang my body chemistry, all I get is Red Hots. Red Hots and more Red Hots. No other notes even try to poke their heads up. I will give it another try when I'm in a different mood... just in case!

Wow. Wow. Wow. This scent triggered a very visceral reaction in me. It was that feeling of losing your stomach when on a rollercoaster. That plus reminding me of what I love and miss most about my childhood home: sitting on the porch in hot, humid, bright, midwestern summers. I love this. It's mainly tobacco leaf on me with subtle sweetness backing it up. I never thought I was a fan of tobacco leaf but clearly I was wrong. I couldn't stop sniffing my wrists all evening.

Anything with fruit is generally a no go with me BUT... after chasing a forum trail that started with Blood Countess I was convinced I had to give it a try. I nearly used half the imp the very first time I smelled it. That tangy, sweet (but not too sweet) musky smell was amazing. My husband came up the stairs and, before he even entered the room I was in asked 'what is that beautiful smell?'. I couldn't get enough, it smelled fantastic, had great throw and lasted until the next morning. SO, I bought a big bottle. Sadly, and this also happened with Aeval, the oil in the big bottle is not as potent and it has been fading by 10am. It's definitely not as dark or thick as what's in the imp. Maybe I'm just unlucky... maybe I should just buy imps... but I love having a big 5ml bottle that I know I can slather on. Dang it!

Aeval came as a frimp with a lab order I placed last Aug... I had never even thought to try it. It sat around waiting for a while as I was obsessed with Unicorn at the time. (Of course, I wonder if they threw it in knowing that Unicorn was about to be discontinued and that I'd fall for Aeval!) When I eventually got around to trying it, it instantly became my new favourite. Wet: very luminescent, sweet but not too sweet, probably mainly the sweet pea coming out. Dry: warm, the musk and tonka come out. Sadly, no sage for me. The Aeval in the imp had really great throw (my husband always said 'what ARE you wearing today, mmmm') and lasted pretty much all day. I've recently ordered a 5ml and it isn't nearly as strong and doesn't last very long. I'm a sad bunny. I'm hoping it's my body chemistry at this point in my cycle or something. I'll try rolling the bottle as someone suggested earlier. At any rate, this is why I love BPAL - you KNOW everything is made upon ordering and sometimes there are subtle differences from one order of the same scent to the next because it is handmade. Yay but boo for me right now.