Nisaba

I didn't have the description of this scent in front of me when I first tried it on, and yet the very first thing I wrote after it hit my skin was "green... moss... damp velvety moss". How Beth managed to capture that scent I don't know. Then something sharp, a touch metallic, slowly mingles in. It really is quite an experience.

Oh this is just lovely. Every time I sniff it I think I smell a different flower. It's light and clear, soft, wistful, beautifully clasically feminine. Just stunning.

A lot of people have said they don't particularly like the smell of Bitch. I have to say, I love it. It is very strong, possibly the most throw of any BPAL I've tried, so you only need a touch, but it wafts around beautifully. There's one note in particular that is driving me absolutely bananas trying to put my finger on it, it's so familiar - someone else suggested camomile, but I'm really not sure. Hmm, while writing this review I've put my nose close to my wrist a lot more than I have while wearing this oil previously. Don't do it kids - there is something sharp and astringent close up, especially if you're a slatherer. On my other wrist I've barely put a dot and *sniffs* that smells lovely, just as nice as the throw. I don't get the camphor or eucalyptus other's are smelling - on me it's a very soft heavy scent, rounded and comforting. And Bitch is definitely kicking my PMS into place - I've been an utter irritable cow these past few days, and Bitch has helped soothed that grrrrrrrrKILL knot that's been living in my chest most of the time. Thank you Beth; I, my boyfriend, and everyone within a five mile radius of me, are all very grateful for Bitch.

CTIII #CLXXIV (174) In the bottle, this was dark and strong. Once on, I get a hint of vertiver, then tobacco wafts up. I tobacco. As it dries I get a touch of something sweetly boozy, maybe cognac, but it's still mostly dry, sultry tobacco. This CT is gorgeous to my nose, and I'm gonna when it's all gone. Thankfully it's super-full though, half way up the neck, and it really has a lot of throw, so it should last even a slatherer like me quite a while CTIII #CLXXVI (176) Only two little numbers up from the previous CT, yet this baby couldn't be more different. In the bottle, quite light, sharp, aquatic. On me, the citrus comes out. I'm finding it hard to pick out individual notes - maybe lemon, maybe lime, maybe grapefruit - but it's drying down into a soft light clean citrus, with a slight aquatic tang. It is really very nice, but it's not very me.

Could be that someone decanted/dumped imps into an empty bottle with the wrong label. Josey, hun, where did you mean to post this? It ain't got nuthin' to do with aging... I'm one of the silly sods who unknowingly sent her a wrongly labelled Baghdad, and I swear it was straight from the Lab, albeit a quite few months ago (checking my records, I ordered it October last year, so it would have arrived late November/December). (Sorry it's off topic, just wanted to answer, please move this with joseybird's post to wherever it's meant to be!)

I have All Saints 2005. I wasn't in love with it at first, but liked it enough to hang on to it for a bit and see what happens. Just recently I was going through my bottles and realsied that I barely had any memory of what All Saints smelt like, so I dabbed(who am I kidding, I'm physically incapable of 'dabbing' BPAL, sometimes to my distress when I'm stuck with an awful whiff all day. One day I'll learn. Anyway...) slathered it on and went out to the supermarket. And hot damn if All Saints hasn't just shot up to my list of top ten (or so...). Deep warm spicy apple cider is the closest description that I get come up with, except I don't like it as I'm really not a foody scent person. But really, so so yum. The woman at the checkout said I smelt lovely and asked me what I was wearing, I wish I had a business card for BPAL to hand out at times like these (I rarely carry around imps, I'm sure I'd end up smashing them the way I throw my bag around). This aging thing is no myth. Wow. Long live All Saints 05!

Chaos Theory II - DCLXVII (667, the scent across the road from the Beast) In the bottle, it's richly sweet. It reminds me of the dry-down of Pink Moon. On my skin, oh me oh my, it is Pink Moon, but fuller, richer, deeper. I love Pink Moon, it's become my homely comfort scent, and this Chaos is Pink Moon New and Improved. Yum. Chaos Theory II - DCXLIV (644) In the bottle, this is very sweet pink. Wet, it's bubblegum. The dry down goes through three distinct stages, morphing from sweet fruity bubblegum, through to grapefruit, then citrus, lemon I think although it doesn't go fabric softener on me so I think it's lemon verbena. Very nice but not very me.

Chaos Theory II DXIII (513) In the bottle, it's sweet, floral/berry. Wet I get a brief hint of mint before it goes a little fruityand dry. It dries down to a floral lemony citrus, lemongrass maybe? It's really nice, clean, fresh scent, reminds me of lemon sorbet. Unfortunately, I don't like citrus scents! I've tested this one three times to try to love it, but it's just not me. Time to let this butterfly fly off.

In the bottle - lily, a touch of rum. Wet, rum, with a floral twist. Dry down is turning rosey, where did that come from? Powdery roses too. Damn my skin, I swear it plucks roses out of nowhere sometimes. After quite a long time, it turns back to rum, and eventually the tobacco peeks out, and it's the scent I was hoping for in the first place. I need to decide if I can put up with the rosey stage before I pick up a bottle of this.

My skin has a habit of picking up roses, and unrelentingly throwing them back at me. Guess what happened with Santa Muerte... In the bottle I got heady white florals, with a sharp tang on the end. Wet it was smoky vertiver, which overwhelms everything, as vertiver is wont to do. But that fades pretty quickly, and I was left with roses. Powdery talcum roses too. I actually do like rose, but I have enough scents that do the rose thing for me, and powdery rose is far from the nicest.

One of the best things Beth has done for me is introduce me to the concept of aquatic scents. I'm generally into spicy, heavy, woody, warm scents, but I'm finding more and more that aquatics make gorgeous everyday scents light enough for me to wear to work (discovered this wearing certain Voodoos, and at work I need every hand I can get!), and that I just downright love them! So meeting Leanan Sidhe was bound to be a good experience. In the bottle it's very sharp, aquatic. Wet, it's, well, wet, tangy and slightly citrusy. The dry down is aquatic tang, the tang I guess coming from the herbs. It's so so nice, and unusual, I love this

In the bottle - sharp perfumey florals. Wet, sharp floral, lemon, fabric softener. And that's where to journey ends for me; it stays lemon fabric softener. Nice, but really not me.

In the bottle I get dry, spicy musk. Wet the musk bursts out and won't let anyone else play. On drydown however, the patchouli and myrrh come out, and it's very very dry. That might be the orris, I don't really know what that smells like. It lasts a long time on me and now, hours after applying it, I'm getting a very dry patchouli. In short, it's sexydivine. But then, I love patchouli

I've just read on the reviews and it seems the pear disappeared for most people, but I've been wearing Endymion for a few hours now and it's still there, pear pear pear. Nummy. In the bottle it was crisp light pear. Wet, it was still light bright pear. As it dried down, the light sweet florals came out to play, so perfectedly blended I can't pick out the single notes, and they softened and filled out the pear. This scent is just gorgeous, and so unusual. Mmmm pear (Ever repeat a word so many times it stops making sense? Pear)

The name of this moon refers to the color of wild ground phlox, a primary component of this Lunacy Blend, which is one of the most widespread floral signposts of springtime in North America. This Lunar blend is soft with phlox, tulip, daffodil, dogwood and muscari, dusted with pink sugar, carnation and honey, and a touch of the first strawberries of the season. I was worried about this scent - I'm not sure 'pink' is really me. When I smelt it in the bottle, I nearly put it up for swap/sale then and there - far too sweet, sickly pink candy for me, Urgh. Wet, it was just as bad. But within about ten minutes or so, it dried to a gorgeous dark smoky brown sugar. Still sweet, but in a burnt way, or like high quality maple syrup. I never ever thought I would want to smell like maple syrup, but this is just gorgeous! It lasted hours on my wrist too, possibly the longest lasting scent on me yet. Just lovely.

In the bottle, this is sharp, astringent. Wet, I detect some aniseed, and a woody scent. On dry down it's still sharp, then morphs into a very spicy scent. This keeps morphing - for a bit it went eucalyptus, now it's floral... I can't keep up! As this was part of a swap cricle, I didn't get time to make up my mind on this scent. Certainly an experience!

In the bottle, this is sharp, sweet wood. Wet, this is the smell that used to greet me when I went down to my grandfather's garage in the summer. Sawdust. He used to build a lot of wooden furniture, and I used to love helping him. This scent takes me straight back there. On drydown it becomes loam, earth. Really a very incredible scent, very comforting in it's way, although I'm not sure I'd want to smell like this when out. An amazing creation though

In the bottle, this is sweet almod. Marzipan I guess. Almond unfortunately is one of those scents I just can't stand. Wet, still almond but there's some mint coming through. On drydown it got slightly aniseed-y - the other scent I really can't stand. The High Priestess and I were never destined to get along, I'm afraid.

Isn't all BPAL supposed to be vegan? Because I swear, in Dead Man's Hand Beth has taken the side of a dead cow, cured it, stretched it, tanned it, then liquified it and poured it into a bottle. I love this. It's leather, through and through, and utterly gorgeous.

Another SNAP with Love Me and Cosmic Dreamcatcher. Incensey goodness.

A Lush and BPAL snap with: Chai and Dragon's Bone Amazonian and Obeah Yummy

I wanted to love this, I really did. The description was just so breathtaking... But my skin just eats it. Gobbles it right up. This is the first time I've had a scent disappear so fast on me. I've slathered my wrists today in an attempt to smell something, and all I get is a very faint air-freshener floral scent, if I put my nose right to my wrist. And within half an hour it's gone. Oh well - next!

I've just fallen big time in with this one. In the bottle, I just get sandalwood and vetivert (although maybe I'm confusing sandalwood with red patchouli). On me though, I can't pick the individual notes but it's spicy and dark and just plain yummy. Has some real throw and staying power as well. Every time I've worn this out I've had compliments. I need a big bottle of this!

Got this in a swap, and I'm very glad I did! In the bottle - spicy warm orange. On me - warm, earthy, spicy, like an orange cinnamon candle. Smells just like Lush's Amazonian massage bar. Yum. I'd be seriously tempted by a bottle of this if it comes out.

An infusion of incalculable power and irresistible temptation. Truly an exercise in megalomania and self-gratification: frankincense and cinnamon, darkened by violet. In the bottle - woody, spicy, can detect frankincense, and barely violet. On me - Not sure what I'm smelling. Something deep, must be frankincense, and the odd whiff of dark cinnamon. There's also something is adding a touch of warm sweetness to the mix, violet I imagine. Like this a lot. Drydown - I think I may have to drown in this. Deep, warm, soft smelling somehow. Intoxicating. Sensual. Sadly after 2 hours it had mostly faded away, but it was sooo lovely while it was here... Oh my word how I this.