Surioara

Sounds scrumptious, no? I thought so. But when I opened the vial, all I smelled was death. Which is most appropriate. I just took the one whiff and closed it back up, blinking in a stupor. I would have sniffed again, but I was in the back seat of a moving car and didn't want to risk spilling any on myself. Though now that I'm thinking of it, I'd like to sniff it again, and apply a bit to the wrist that isn't slathered with Snake Oil. Hold on a sec. . . Second sniff. . . yup, still smells like death. Vaguely fetid, but with a sharp hint of tobacco. The hibiscus is there, too, adding a strangely sweet note to the spice of a soft rot. On my skin, it smells more like stale chocolate and heavy wine, and I think I may smell some of the lotus. This scent is true to its description. I can tell this is going to be a complex scent, morphing into the musks and roses and honey as it warms on my skin. This is actually a very intoxicating blend, sweaty-hot and dark, dangerous, but somehow elegant. There's an element of raw sex and regal grace, bloated corpses and lush gardens. Yes, the wine seems to be growing stronger, but the florals and the chocolate are still very noticable. This is incredible. I'm totally ignoring the spicy vanilla of Snake Oil in favor of Kali. Hell, I'm trying to *not* lick my wrist. The Kali blend is proving to be incredibly intense and compelling. It's dark and heavy and sexy and raw. I love it. I think a 5mL is needed. Soon.

Ooooh, this exotic little blend is most delicious. It's a warm scent, something of a sugared spice. It's a hot, steamy sort of vanilla. I'm really going wild over this one. I just have to figure out an elegant way of describing this blend. Or I could be lazy and just leave it at the "sugared spice/ steamy vanilla" thing. Even though I prefer to expound upon BPAL scents a little more, I doubt I'll be able to stop sniffing my wrist long enough to actually compose a decent review. All I can say is it's no wonder that Snake Oil is one of BPAL's top-selling blends. Now if I can just stop drooling. . .

In the bottle, this little Love Potion smelled incredibly sweet; the honey was fairly overwhelming, and the amber spiced things up just a tad. Wet: the first thing that popped into my head was "baklava." That's all I can think about while smelling it. It's the only way to describe it. It's really taking a lot of willpower to keep from licking my wrist. It smells delightful, but it's a little too sweet and cute for my tastes, as far as perfumes go. Drydown: Still got the baklava thing going. I don't know where the slight hint of almond is coming from, but it's very nice. The amber has warmed things up a bit, so it's vaguely musky-spicy-sensual. The honey seems to have powdered a bit, as honey notes are wont to do, but it's not unpleasant. The faded honey kind of gives this scent a more mature feel to it, as opposed to the saccharine sweetness from before. To be honest, I don't get the whole "sex-in-a-bottle" thing with this scent. Perhaps that's because I associate the act with something a bit more raw and primal, rather than sweet and honeyed. ::shrug:: It's a very lovely blend, but I'm passing this one on to my mom. Overall, it's too bakery-fresh for me.

Oof. In the bottle, this blend is darkly sweet. The image that comes to mind is that of a pinched face, distorted in a wicked grin that's been stained with sugary red wine. I was so overwhelmed by the heavy sweetness in this blend that I didn't plan on wearing any, but because this was a gimp and I still suck when it comes to opening those things gracefully, my hands are splattered with the stuff. It's sickly sweet. It's not so strong and unpleasant that I want to wash it off; rather, I'm curious to see how it will dry and morph with my own chemistry. Drydown: All right, I can't figure out what it is I'm smelling. I admit I don't know what the individual ingredients smell like. But an image comes to mind. I keep thinking of that scene from Anne of Green Gables where Diane drinks all of Marilla's homemade currant wine (or was it brandy?). I'm picturing Diane slumped over in the corner, that dopey, drunken, giggling grin on her face, dribbling the sweet liquor onto her blouse. I've gotta say, it suits the nomenclature of this particular blend. While it's not a particularly unpleasant scent, it's a little too much for me. At least I'm not smelling the aftermath of Diane's little foray into debauchery.

Another blend I would have passed over had it not been included as a freebie. As I've mentioned in other reviews, I'm the poster child for spiced-up musks. But I've gotta admit I'm most taken by this cirtusy-floral, even though it's considered to be a masculine blend. Being ex-Army and having completed BCT with a broken back, I think I'm "man" enough for this scent! ::wry grin:: In the bottle, the only discernable note is lavender. It's a nice, dusty lavender, so I happily applied some to the inside of my elbow. Wet, it's still predominately lavender, but there's some musk mingling with the floral, much to my delight. Very Victorian, very elegant. I need to wear my granny boots and corsets with this one. Drydown: A bit of the lime has poked through and has blended seamlessly with the musky lavender. I never would have imagined that lime and lavender would compliment each other, but this really is a brilliant union. I haven't noticed too much lilac, but this really is a spectacular blend. ::flounces off to blend a few drops with the sachets tucked into my velvet and lace skirts::

As a musk-and-spice fanatic, I was somewhat dubious towards this clean, floral type blend that the Labbies had thrown in with the gift imps. But, curiosity got the best of me, and I dabbed a few drops into my scent locket. . . . . .and I fell in love. As mentioned in many of the preceeding reviews, Ultraviolet starts out heavy on the sinus-cleansing mint and eucalyptus notes. It's very sharp, with a very icy bite to it. It almost glows, a cold shimmer like the Northern Lights. It cleared my head in more ways than one-- not only was I breathing better, but that minty-ness helped me to focus and think with crystal clarity. After about an hour or so, the blizzard of mint and eucalyptus died down to a crisp hoarfrost, allowing the rich, dark violet to emerge. This is where it really got me. I don't much care for florals, but this is utterly divine. Many people have mentioned that it fades quickly on the skin, but its staying power on a bit of cotton tucked into a locket is quite impressive. Seven hours later, and I'm still enjoying the elegant, sultry violet with a slight rimey bite. Methinks my next order will include a 5mL of this baby.

Vanilla, clove, musk, red wine. . . dear lord, I think the Labbies have been spying on me! In the bottle, this smelled very strongly of vetiver and red wine, which would have put me off if I hadn't read the other reviews in the thread before ordering. Because others reported that this scent changes dramatically after it's applied to skin, I ignored the bottle-scent and dabbed a bit of Blood Kiss on my wrists. I must say, the improvement was quite dramatic. Wet, it smelled like a musky vetiver (which is much more pleasant than straight-up vetiver), and the sweetness of the cherries was very prominent. I think I may have detected a bit of the poppy, as well, rounding things out. Alas, my beloved clove and its vanilla playmate are MIA. But I'm patient. I'll coax them out. Upon drydown, my wrists smelled quite chocolatey, but not sweet. It was more a dark chocolate/baking chocolate scent than a milk chocolate. A tad bit musky, vaguely sweet, and. . .what's this? There's the clove! The clove's not all that strong as it's embraced by vanilla and a bit of that pesky vetiver, but my precious is there, and I am happy. This is a very tantalizing blend. I wish the clove note was stronger, but I'm not complaining. This scent is long-lasting, very soft and elegant with a sharp bite. I'm quite impressed, and am currently at the mercy of the Lab.

First review, let's see how this turns out. . . Being a sucker for clove and musk, I invested my faith in this blend and bought a 5mL right off the bat. I'm quite pleased that my trust has been well-placed. In the bottle, this blend smells very dirty (as in earthy, not unclean), very dark and heavy, vaguely putrid. It's very reminiscent of an old, musty wine cellar, particularly one found in a castle on a heavily wooded mountainside. After application: while wet it smelled a bit sweeter as the orange blossom came through, supplemented by a touch of mint and fir. Very wintery, very tasty. As it dried, it warmed up, and I found myself dancing through a luscious dark, spicy musk. Several hours later, it's still going strong; a slight sweetness shies around the soft subtle clove and fir notes, and the musk and tobacco blend very nicely to create a scent that belies strength and seduction. It's a very dark and mysterious scent, but cozy enough to draw you in and hold you. I submit to Dracul, I surrender. This one is going to be a staple in my collection.