butcherbaby

i picked up a bottle of this when it was available, but it's taken me forever to review because, well, i don't quite know what to think of it. sometimes i think it's awesome, and others i'm ready to swap it away...but always change my mind. it's an odd scent and strangely malleable- it smells different on me all the time. i really wish i knew what it was that gives it that vanilla-y note. it's almost sarsparilla, and i think that when i amp it, it can be cloying, and probably what i don't like, at times. i love the ylang-ylang/jasmine combination, i can pick those notes out quite well- enough so that when i tried "i died for beauty", which has ylang-ylang, my first thought was "this has something similar to 'the girl' in it". it's a delicious warm creamy floral, but doesn't seem overwhelmingly so at all.....if only that damn sarspar-vanilla note would back down! ;-) also, i don't know what note it is, but there is something in here which is not always, but sometimes- -very faintly, almost imperceptibly "off' on my skin. rather than being a bad thing, to me it seems to actually highlight how lovely the scent is, the way a small mole or scar can sometimes enhance, rather than detract, from a person's beauty. this is a deceptively heavy scent, so go sparingly at first. i like it in small dabs rather than the slathering i am wont to do. it blends very well with my current favorite scents too, so if it's an "amp the vanilla" day, i can slather something else over it and not have to worry. i'm sure i'll end up keeping this, but i may decant some as i don't know if i'll ever go through it all.

i bought a bottle after testing this at will call, and i'm not sure if i confused it with another scent or it just blended with whatever i tested closest to it, because sadly, emma just doesn't seem to like me at all. based on the notes though, it *should* have been a shoe-in (LOVE jasmine, LOVE patchouli, LOVE rose, pink pepper & vanilla bourbon are usually winners too), but i get nothing but the rose, and it's not what my brain interprets as "tea rose". this rose is sharp with sort of a fruitish candy-ness -someone above said jolly ranchers, and i agree. it's not at all like the tea roses i've grown in my gardens, or the classic tea rose perfume spray that is the only scent i wore with any kind of regularity before BPAL. i've tried her several times over the course of the last three months and the notes haven't settled at all, so i think it's time for emma to find a new home.

for some reason that line really cracks me up as for my, very simplified review- this is the perfect incense scent. unfortunately it doesn't linger long on me, but while it does, it's beautiful. maybe if i use it as a hair scent....

Here is the one that I got with the shirt from the trading post: http://www.flickr.com/photos/miss_twilight/2780188662/ I believe it is the same label as the one from the Lab but not 100%. looks just like mine from the lab and my goodness, how well this scent has aged!

god i hate to give beth's hard work a negative review...but then i have to remember that it's my skin chemistry, not her skills that are at fault. that said, on me, this smells like fruity BO. i can only guess that it's the amber mint, because it's the "unknown", and none of the other notes are red flaggers for me. ah well, can't win em all. NEXT!

i bought this unsniffed because it sounded like such a winner- nearly all the notes are for me, and the bottle art is my favorite pic of the series. tobacco can go either way, but i've only found it horrid in one scent- red lantern. the only real "iffy" in there is the red currant. fruits are one of the notes i don't do well with, but some work really well (snake charmer, madame moriarty). in the bottle it smells soft and spicy delicious- a little like an herbal liqueur i used to drink that was similar to jagermeister, but thinner and less intense. so as soon as i put it on- WHAM - nothing but RED CURRANT OMG HORRID FRUIT EXPLOSION. i wanted to cry. where is my lovely musk? patchouli? teak and frankincense? it's seriously the BPAL Murphy's Law that states if every note except one is your favorite then that one is going to be all you get. nest day, try it again. hmmm, getting a little of the other notes, but not enough just yet. still much too curranty, but there's hope. i'm going to hold on for this a bit and see if time and aging help before i give up completely. 03/13 ETA: i think this may work out after all....subsequent tests have had varying results from fruit to smoky spices. into the dark drawer she goes, for a month or two, and we'll see how she's settled. 04/11 ETA ah, this lady is a tricky one! no more red currant, today she smells of spiced tobacco and dark patchouli. very interesting.....another month of aging and we'll see if she's a keeper or not.

i had high hopes for this but what i get is....cooked celery. almost the same as in dia de los muertos, though i don't see any notes they share. ugh. it's almost nauseating. if i leave it on long enough some of the yumminess that other people describe starts to come through but the celery part is too gross for me to even contemplate waiting for the rest of it to bloom. and in the bottle, it smells awesome. poo. sadly, swap or sell this.

two words: CAKE BATTER!!! this is not the scent of cake. this is the scent of cake BATTER - specifically, cherry/strawberry chip cake batter. i love it. LOVE IT! i am not a big fan of cake, unless it is in liquid form. i always liked the batter more than the finished product. this is my beloved batter in wearable form. every time i smell it, i want to run down to the grocery store, pick up a box of aforementioned flavor cake mix, whip some up and eat it like pudding. i am most definitely NOT a foodie scent person. i've got my sugar skulls and eggnogs, and i picked up Huesos more for the concept than the scent. beaver moon smells like old sour cheesecake on me, gluttony is disgusting, eat me- BLEAH. i like the 07 carnation-y pink moon far better than the fruity one. but this.....this is heavenly. i will just sniff it randomly, or put it on over whatever i've already got on just for a hit of that battery goodness. this was the surprise hit for me out of all the DD b-movies and x-mas scents, and i'm really glad i was able to swap for a bottle.

My god, those are so beautiful. Made me contemplate buying the whole set, irregardless of the perfume within! i agree...the labels are gorgeous!

i got frimped with a few drops of this in a recent swap. i was still quite a newbie when this was available, hadn't been to a will call yet, had no idea how to assess notes, and was wary of trying things un-sniffed since the couple bottles i *had* tried were awful on me. still, even now, i would probably pass it by because the notes just don't seem that interesting, and it smells like sour milk in the imp. OH how wrong i was! now i know what all the fuss is about! this scent is GORGEOUS and it smells NOTHING like i imagined it would. it's heavy and heady, a very exotic oriental type but in a class of it's own. it's perfumy without being "department store" or cloying, but it *is* strong. I, who must usually slather the oil on my greedy scent eating skin, can wear just a reasonable swipe of this without it disappearing. nice long wear too- i put a little on tonight before i went dancing at a hot sweaty club and i can still smell it quite clearly ten hours later! if this ever gets resurrected (or i win the lottery ), i'm definitely buying a bottle or two. til then, i'll just keep ferreting outs decants to tide me over.

second try on this- first try wqas "this smells good, but i've tested too many today to be sure" it is confirmed- it's very lovely! and big bottle worthy. the notes in this blend very well together and i get one strong impression: creamy, honeyed roses. honey? don't know where that comes from, but that's what i get. i slather, so it's not a light floral at all for me. can't comment on staying power just yet, but it's so pretty i'll be happy to liberally re-apply.

wow- from the ingredients listed, i think this is either going to be a "love it" or "hate it" because every note is a good one for me, even the black currant- one of the few fruits that doesn't go sour on my skin. but we all know how some scents that seem "perfect" on paper don't work at all. not this time! this scent is GORGEOUS!!!!! utterly, completely, fantastically beautiful. one of the best florals on the list, i think. in the imp it smells really good, but in a way seems like it's holding back from it's true potential. and once on skin, i see i'm right. first i get a powerful explosion of the ylang ylang- so good! i love ylang ylang and seldom is it done right. here, it's perfect. as the initial burst starts to fade the night blooming jasmine and the lily make their way forward. these round out much softer and with a smooth almost powdery scent....hmm, not baby powdery, but as if the scent of these flowers has been made itself into a powder. is that a bit of the fruit i detect? oh yum. it's warm and juicy, like it's fresh pluck from a branch in a sun filled orchard. as it wears on the sandalwood and frankincense merge with the smooth powdery floral to create a more incense like blend which is highly fragrant yet not smoky or overpowering. my only critique on this is that it fades too fast, but it's winter, and dry, so i'll try it again with lotion and as the weather warms up. i usually like to try a fragrance at least twice before i add it to the big bottle list but this is a winner either way.

vial - lavender EXPLOSION!!! wet- URGH! lavender & BO! wtf? later- sharp strident lavender & a little jasmine with BO around the edges. wash off...... not for me

AAHHH! <----- exclamation of happiness this scent is heaven, it really is. i like this much better than the original, which i (regretfully) sold my half bottle of *just* before this was resurrected (i wasn't wearing it much- because it was rare & near irreplaceable, and i felt a little guilty hoarding when so many others really wanted it.) not this time...i have four bottles and am planning on four more- at LEAST. a baker's dozen would be ideal- i want to be rubbing this into my wrinkles when i'm 80 years old. and to compare the only scents i have more than one backup of are pisces 07, lilith victoria, & Mme Moriarty (total four of each), and the sleeper & evening star (3 bottles each.) i'm not a huge hoarder but this scent is the exception. if only it came in bath oil or shower gel! i can just see it: Lush Presents Bpal. hahaha oh yeah, the actual scent. *ahem* still getting a likeness to snake oil, but it is superficial at best. they're like two people in the same family who resemble each other, but really aren't alike at all when you get down to it. doing a wrist test for both at the same time the difference is immediately noticeable- SO is dark & moistly earthy, full of warm patchouli, while SC is brilliant- bright, sharp and golden. is it the musk? the amber? the benzoin? i don't notice the coconut unless i slather, but isn't the burnt kind that i got from death adder and to a lesser amount, original SC. the vanilla is not obvious either, though i can just detect it sweetening up the blend as a whole. the plum hides until i've had it on a while, and even then it's just a whiff. the throw is awesome- i just dabbed and my hubby could smell it several feet away. (he said the combo of both reminded him of the Swedish Chef's Croonchy Stars cereal i don't find either of them foody- and SC is sex on a stick. or snakes on a plane. a sexy plane) and i know from wearing that it LASTS. you know it's good when you get complimented even after being in a hot sweaty club. beth, i can't thank you enough for bringing this back!

WTF!? this one should have a been a NO BRAINER. i was expecting dark opiate incense, but instead i am getting some sort of weird bubble gummy *fruit*. it smells more true close to the skin, but i don't want to smell like a pack of hubba bubba all day. i seem to be striking out hard on *all* the yules i thought would be faboo. i think i'm going to wait a week and try them all again, just to be sure, but so far only one out of six is even remotely what i expected.

hmmm...... i have tried this scent a total of four times and it has not smelled the same any of those times. i'm not THAT close to my period yet..... in the imp and fresh on skin THIS time is pure bittersweet cocoa powder. it is NOMMY! it drys down to the scent of the yummiest cup of hot cocoa ever. creamy and not too sweet- no swiss miss here! more like the mexican hot chocolate that comes in discs with grandma on the box, but without the cinnamon. nice strong throw. i'm only getting a little amber so far, very faint. ten minutes later i still don't get amber but the cocoa is deepening. from previous tries, i know this lasts awhile. i tried this at second to last will call and i could smell the amber quite strongly, which is why i got a decant (i can never really judge a scent i only tried at will call because of the sensory overload). the first time i tried this imp, it was chocolately meh, and last night's test was a disaster- it smelled horrible, like chocolate vomit. same imp, same skin, three different results. i may sends this to a friend of mine who loves choco scented bath stuffs, but it's just not really me. i was hoping amber would come through and save the day- ah well! every yule that doesn't work just leaves more money for snake charmer!

gluttony this is very aptly named. it smells like being surrounded by fresh baked cookies, creme filled donuts, rum soaked fruit cakes, perfectly toasted smores, cakes & pies hot out of the oven, and all washed down with a nice steaming cup of the richest hot chocolate EVAR. with marshmallows. i'm not into "food" scents* but even so i can tell what awesome mix this is. just pure straight out NOM NOM NOM desserts. so, not for me, but if you like sweet foody smells - grab it post haste! PS it lasts a LOOOOOOOOng time, even after you've washed it off.

i gave an imp if this to my hubby awhile ago, since he loves the movie of the same name. well, that was back when i was still really new, but now i realize nearly all the notes in it are favorites of *mine*. so i give it a whirl. well, that was a no-brainer! opium? check! Black orchid? check! oppoponax? well, i don't reallly know what it smells like on it's own but it's in a lot of blends i like so...check! labdanum? probably the only iffy note here but it works. super dark opium incensey with deep black orchard and a resiny, smoky richness. there is a note somewhere that is a little off, a bit discordant, but here it's like the small intentional flaw that sets off the perfection of the whole. love it. big bottle for sure. and i don't think hubby's getting the imp back

errr, um...violets. vanilla violets. very sweet and perfumey on the skin. powdery but not in a bad way- this is the expensive fine-milled perfumed powder that a well to do sexually adventerous damsel of another decade would douse herself in after the bath, before an evening of flirting, drinking, and dancing. this is pretty, but it confirms my conclusion that i am not a big fan of violets. not enough gardenia in it to make a difference. violet lovers will adore this, i think, but while it's lovely, it's just not for me.

this scent is nearly impossible for me to describe. in the imp i get a strong astringent lavender, almost camphor-like as someone else said. something alcoholic that i'm assuming is the absinthe since it doesn't have that sickening whiskey edge. it's almost mouthwashy or medicinal. on the skin i can smell a little of the florals trying to pull their way to the forefront. is that the ylang ylang? a bit of gardenia? a hint of orange blossom? ahh i can pick up a little of the gardenia, it's unique spicy white/green smell. now something is edging in that seems almost minty- sugary and minty. sugared minty gardenias. the whatever-is-making-me-smell-mint note gets just strong enough to slightly overpower the lovely florals that tried so hard to show up. i get a lovely strong gardenia when i whuff right next to the skin, but the throw is far to weak for me to smell it otherwise. sadly, that does it for this scent for me. it is rare for me to like anything minty, and this is no exception. it *IS* a beautiful and complex blend, lovely to try, and for those that love it, an olfactory treasure. it's just not for me.

i would never have tried this scent if it hadn't been frimped to me, because i think whiskey (any type) is the nastiest smelling/tasting alcohol that exists. i would drink it only as a last resort, but never liked it and it often made me sick. the smell of it still nauseates me. this though, is really unusual. in the imp it actually smells WORSE than whiskey to me- it's just straight up nail polish remover. YUCK. on my skin however it quickly turns into a much sweeter, spicier boozy smell- a hot toddy perhaps? it's not unpleasant at all. soon after that i start getting the woodsmoke- very fragrant, just this side of incense, though it stays a little too smoky to purely so. someones burning some especially fragrant wood in that fireplace, or maybe they tossed a cone or two into the blaze, and there's still that spiced boozy scent in the background. the throw is fantastic on this. even though this is unique and i like it, it's not a scent i would want to wear very often, if at all- though i think my husband might find it very intriguing. if it works on him he'll be getting a bottle, which i just might be tempted to test from every now and again to sample beth's unequaled olfactory skills ETA: layering this with Egg Nog is OUT OF THIS WORLD yummy! i think i need to keep this imp.

so far, this is my favorite marchen of the few i've tried. in the imp and wet on the smell is quite strong and distinct- vetiver, smoky & charred. but it's not unpleasant or harsh in the way some strong vetivers are. and well i do like me some good vetiver now and again. the vetiver stays strong with the same smoky tang, but is now in the background and melding with something sweeter, incensey. could this be the dragon's blood i seem to be missing? hard to say, as it's held in check by the smoked grasses. it settles into a lovely, dark, smoky sweet incense, with that sharp burnt note always hovering in the background behind the smoldering purple red sweetness. this on s a winner and int he big bottle list already!

another frimped from bat's day! and another scent i wouldn't have tried on my own, because i amp spices and figured this would just be another red hots of doom scent. in the imp- boy this IS spicy! SPICE SPICE SPICE is all i get- no earth, no blood, no dessicated skin. just pure hot spice with a teeny bit of sweet and some lemony fresh...something. on the skin- did i mention this was spicy? oh lordy hallelujah is it! the lemon fresh note is amped on my skin, but not in the throw, which is strong enough to clear my sinuses. yes, really. every time i've tried it. i should wear this every day during allergy season. after dry down the lemon disappears, and i just get the most lovely warm sweet spice. it's like smelling all the spices in the cabinet at once. it doesn't go red hots like fascinum or phantom calliope, or cinnamon rolls like shub. it's just pure spice with no foodiness. i absolutely love this on it's own, but just thinking of the scents i can layer it with fills me with SQUEE- snake oil? snake CHARMER? sugar skull? czernobog? Ivanushka? i want to slather my entire arm with this and experiment away! BIG BOTTLE FOR SURE! ETA: a couple months later the sinus blasting spices have mellowed and blended a bit more, making it even better. i think aging is going to do this scent some real good. i really need to get a bottle of this and hide it away for six or seven months. only, i need to decide if i want this, ghulheim, or knucklebones, because they all seem to have a similar "non-foody hot spice with citrus" flavor to them that i really like. some serious testing and experimentation is in order, i think. and i really want to try this layereed with huesos de santos as well.

wicked_goddess suggested i try this for my husband, who likes earthy & deep foresty scents. he may never get a crack at it because i LOVE IT, heh. in the imp i get a rich loamy patchouli over all else, a bite of something astringent, and a soft sweetness in the background. wet on skin the sweetness becomes much more pronounced- the champaca? smells like sweet champa incense but also sometheing else that is almost candylike, like a lighter verison of the bubble gummy lotus note, but i can't imagine which note is doing it. i'm not amping the pepper or ginger to hell like like i usually do. the throw is delicious & resiny, though i'd like it to be stronger, this is still a winner. i love how well blended and subtle the salons are- i can't pick out a lot of the separate notes here (oakmoss, leather, vetiver) but they are meld together so beautifully i don't need to. i'll see how this wears through the rest of the day, but it's a good candidate for a the big bottle list.

this is much lighter than i would have expected from the deep red-orange color and thickness of the oil. wet, it is a nice blend of head shop, patchouli, and a little citrus. but the darker notes seem to fade with the lemon becoming slightly more prominent. this stays close to the skin with not much throw. what i get smells a little like a fragrant dark tea with lemon and herb, in the back room of a gently scented new age bookshop. the citruses fade on me (as they tend to do) but i can still detect them an hour later, a little. i'm just not sure on this one- i am not real big on fruits, and i like my scents strong. this is appealing, but may end up being too soft or citrus for my keeping. i'll keep the imp for now and see if it works better at a different time of month or something.