twistygirl

This is one of those I-can't-stop-smelling-myself oils. It's absolutely gorgeous. Snake Oil and Snake Charmer are my two favorite BPALS (funny since the only thing I fear in life are snakes!) and the frankinscence and YUMMY Nag Champa blend so beautifully with the original notes. This is seductive and mysterious, but with a spiritual side to it (must be the frankinscence). Good throw and staying power. It's very warm and cozy and yet sexy as hell. Just a hint of sweetness. Gotta get more of this. I LOVE IT.

The first word that comes to my mind is "pretty." This is an incredibly pretty, feminine, soft, yet complex fragrance. When I first applied it, it was a very rosy floral with just a hint of something green. It smelled very light and springtime-y and fresh. A nice, perfectly lovely smell, not something that blew me away... but... then it dried down, rather quickly, to the most heavenly creamy smooth blend of soft florals and vanilla-y. It's VERY, VERY feminine. It makes me want to put on a long lace skirt and a velvet blouse and smile sweetly at beautiful boys. It has a decent yet not overpowering amount of throw, and lasts a reasonably long time. I seriously can't remember the last time anything made me feel so sweetly feminine and romantic. This is just fabulous.

Somebody pick me up off the floor and call 911, I think my heart just stopped. This is *maybe* the BEST fragrance I have ever smelled. Ever. Reading the ingredients, it doesn't surprise me that I love it like I do... amber, vanilla, coconut, Arabian musk, and spices are all things I adore. What blows me away, though, is the way that Beth has taken these oils and made an incredible, perfect, sexy yet creamy-smooth fragrance. On first application, there was just a hint of something sharp in there... not sure what it is, although I think it might be the way the plum smells on me before it mellows. And mellow it does, rather quickly, too. On my skin, it dries down rather quickly to an absolutely heavenly blend that's powdery and creamy and spicy and warm all at the same time. Yes, there is a similarity to Snake Oil, but on my skin, not so much as most people seem to have experienced. The amber is definitely reminiscent of O, but this is a fragrance that deserves to be known as much, much more than just a cross between Snake Oil and O. Absolute exquisite perfection.

Mmmmm, leather. Not cold, whips-and-chains S&M leather, but warm, cozy, snuggly leather. To me, it evokes the smell of horseback riding, of a well-worn saddle, without the accompanying equine smell. Cowboy indeed. For such an earthy scent, it has a surprising amount of throw on me. Most earthy scents (and I think of this as an "earthy" smell, even though it doesn't smell of the earth itself), especially Graveyard Dirt, clung close to my skin, Dead Man's Hand wafts more, yet not so much to be overwhelming. This is not the sort of scent that I would choose to wear - I'm more of a spicy-foody girl - but I would love to smell this on a man. It's got a very subtle masculinity to it. And even though I don't see myself wearing this, it is a fantastic scent. I might hang on to this one, just to sniff it from time to time, because there's something incredibly comforting about this scent.

When I first applied this, it smelled like mushrooms on me. That's the only way I can describe it. It smelled exactly like mushrooms. As it dried down, it mellowed out and like others have said, it does smell like real, freshly-turned dirt. It's unbelievable how evocative this scent is, what a realistic dirt smell this is. Dirt and moss. Earthy, earthy. I am not an earthy or outdoorsy type at all, and I can't see myself wearing this, but for anybody who wants that purely earthy smell or wants an earthy oil for ritual work, I can't imagine anything more dead-on (no pun intended) than this. I might not wear it, but once again I am amazed by Beth's incredible artistry.

So this is what Hell smells like.... Wet, I didn't care for it much. Cypress mixed with something medicinal. But as it has dried down, it has morphed into something much more complex and wonderful. It's very rich and full-bodied. Normally, my chemistry does not like ambergris at ALL - it smells like I was urinated on - but I get nothing putrid or urine-y from this. THIS is an ambergris I can wear. I can detect a touch of the cypress, I can detect a bit more of the narcissus. It's earthy and smoky and incensy without being overwhelmingly any of the three. On me, it has very little throw, staying close to the skin. Good staying power, and as I've already mentioned, lots of morphing as it goes through the various stages of dry-down. This is most definitely a gender-neutral scent, and in fact, it's unlikely that I'll wear it much, as it's a bit more masculine than I like to smell. I would LOVE this on a man, though. And it's not so masculine that I wouldn't wear it occasionally. I think this would smell spectacular in an oil burner as a room fragrance on a chilly night. There's something very comforting about the way it smells. Who knew Hell could be so comforting? It smells like a bear hug from a kinda big, kinda burly friend.

Another one of Beth's magical creations that takes notes I would not normally choose to wear and somehow morphs into something altogether different and wonderful. I only get a mere hint of fir, and that's only when I'm trying to find it... mostly, on me I detect the smokiness and some herbal notes, but not GREEN herbal... more a warm, almost toasty herbal. There is an underlying subtle sweetness that I just adore., but the sweetness is earthy, not cloying. This one definitely changes on me from application to dry-down. On first application, I wasn't knocked out - there was something almost medicinal about it. Kinda cough-syrupy. But about ten minutes after application, it became this warm, sweet-yet-woodsy, fantastically sensual smell. In fact, if I had to sum this up in one word, that's what I'd choose - sensual. Earthy sensuality. I don't find that it's got a lot of throw - it's definitely a lean-into-me scent. Good staying power. It's very sexy without trying to be. Sexy skin - that's it. It smells like sexy skin.

Ides of March is a perfect example of Beth's ability to take notes that you may not normally like and blend them together into something spectacular. I normally don't care for bergamot, vervain, or anything citrusy, but I LOVE this scent. No one note stands out... instead, it's just a delicious, lovely blend that captures the first days of spring perfectly. As others have said, this could definitely be a unisex scent - it's subtle, clean, green, and fresh - and yet there is something very feminine about it on my skin. I suspect that it may be the sort of shape-shifting scent that would become more masculine when worn by a man. On my skin, the scent stays pretty true from bottle to dry-down. It has a decent amount of throw, but not too much, and good staying power. This would be a great scent to wear in hot weather, or on those occasions when you want to smell clean, fresh, and subtle. Very appropriate for business wear, or when you're feeling a bit sporty.

I have a problem with Jasmine. It turns sickeningly sweet on my skin. Having said that, this is one of the BEST jasmine scents I have experienced. It's deep, it's sexy, it reminds me of something that a screen goddess or femme fatale of the '40s would wear. Very, very womanly. It's the perfect type and amount of Jasmine for my skin. We like each other. It's a dress-up scent, a night-time scent, a special occasion scent. It's that sexy. Beth, you've done it again. It has a lovely "throw," too. It doesn't cling closely to the skin. It makes me feel like a goddess.

Finally, something I can wear when I use my LUSH Figs 'n' Leaves soap. I love figgy smells, but it has to be just the right sort of figgy... not too sweet, not too earthy. This is it. It's deep, green without being too fresh, there's just a hint of sweetness to it... it's absolutely delectable. There's an exotic mood to it. It is, in a word, spectacular. Beth, once again, you have outdone yourself.

I'm... in... LOVE This is definitely one of my new favorite scents, and perfect for a foodie like me. I smell butter (but REAL butter, not the synthetic crap that makes me barf whenever I walk down the microwave popcorn aisle in the grocery store), I smell some caramel, a bit of almond, a bit of cotton candy, a touch of vanilla, a bit of honey. It makes me want to lick my wrists. It's scrumptious. Beth has once again proven herself to be a genius beyond compare. If you are at all a foodie, GET THIS. You will NOT be disappointed. And it dries to a sweet-yet-mellow fragrance that will undoubtedly have people asking you "what are you wearing?"

Wet, this is very clean and green and slightly soapy on me. I don't pick up any of the frankincense at all. It's very aquatic and fresh. As it dries down, though, the frankincense makes itself known, and it becomes something much more intriguing... it's still aquatic and fresh and yet a touch resiny and incense-y at the same time. The frankincense gives it a nice little kick underneath, it warms up the coolness of the aquatic feeling. Good staying power, it stays a bit close to my skin but has enough waft so that I can smell it without having to stick my nose right up to it. I prefer my scents to be a little sexier, a bit more provocative, and so as a personal fragrance, I don't know that I'd choose to wear this often, but it will be great for those days when I'm in the mood for something a bit more subtle and serene. I think it would smell fabulous as a room fragrance, too.

Wet, this is, as everybody else has said, violets, violets, violets. The violet stays predominant throughout the entire drydown process, but it does morph from Violets And Nothing But into something more subtle, more sophisticated. This is a really lovely scent - it's clean and florally and the height of good taste. This is the fragrance of a refined, dignified, gracious woman. It's the scent of manners and good breeding. While I personally like my fragrances to be a bit less proper, this would be something great to wear on a special occasion where one wants to evoke taste and elegance, like a formal wedding. Great staying power, too.

Water of Notre Dame is glorious. You might also want to try Pisces... it's a very lovely aquatic scent. Szepasszony is a gorgeous floral-watery smell, too.

Wet, I smell violets. Purely violets. This is fine, as Beth's violet notes are remarkable. There's something lingering behind the floral of the violet, though, and as it dries down, the complexity of this scent makes itself known. The clove is there, but it's subtle... not at all overpowering. The Tonka bean adds a creamy feeling to this. It's gone from almost a purely violet floral to a spicy/creamy/powdery floral. It's very sophisticated, not at all overpowering - it's almost perfect in its strength. Highly recommended.

On first application: I smell something fruity and sweet that I can't immediately identify. It's the fig. Wow, two scents in a row that I've tried with fig that don't smell like moldy mushrooms on me! This is a rich, juicy fig, and it's what I predominantly smell when first applied. As it dried down, the cocoa began to surface, very subtly... it's a rich, almost toasty cocoa (likely the woody notes are adding to the toastiness). The dry-down scent is a gorgeous blend of this rich, rich cocoa with the juiciness of the fig. It's very sophisticated and understated and yet very sexy at the same time. I would never have chosen this for myself based upon the notes, but I am finding myself very drawn to this scent and will seriously consider buying a larger bottle. It's just yummy.

This is a lovely, fresh, happy floral scent. The aquatic notes are very predominant on my skin. It smells like wonderful fresh water and beautiful tulips. It's a very simple scent, nothing changed on me from first application through the dry-down. A great light springtime scent that would also be an excellent choice for a young girl, as there is such a freshness and innocence about this. A bit too innocent and fresh for me to wear often, but it is very, very pretty.

Xiuhtecuhtli lasts a good 10-12 hours on my skin.

Oh, this is stunning. Absolutely stunning. On my skin, I don't get any of the citrusy notes that others have mentioned. Wet, it's a sweet (but not sugary) floral with a bit of a spicy/mellow kick. As it dries down, it just morphs into this exquisitely sophisticated, creamy, exotic spicy-sweet floral blend. It's definitely a womanly scent. It's subtle and sensual and sexual. It reminds me of something a courtesan would wear. It's the scent of a woman who starts the evening with intellectually stimulating conversation, somebody who probably speaks several languages fluently, who knows about culture and can pick out a great wine or a fine cigar, and who finishes the evening with the sort of sex that makes a man think that he has encountered Aphrodite herself. It is also probably the longest-lasting of any BPAL fragrance I've tried so far. Perfection.

Beth never ceases to amaze me. In Nephilim, she's taken a few notes that generally don't work for me at ALL (fig and vetiver) and combined them with some notes that work well on me (frankincense and patchouli) along with a lot of notes that I haven't worn enough to determine how I get along with them, and the result is just gorgeous. It's sweet without being cloying. It's earthy without being dirty. It's woodsy without being too masculine. It doesn't seem to fit into any one scent category very easily. The fig is definitely the most prominent note from first application through dry-down, but this is a lush, ripe fig, not the fig that usually smells like moldy mushrooms on me. I find that, on my skin, the scent stays pretty true throughout all the stages of dry-down, and it stays fairly close to my skin, but has enough waft to propel it beyond my own nose. Finally, finally, something that I can wear when I wash with Figs and Leaves. I love this.

Beth threw this in my latest order as an extra, and since I generally find vetiver to be overwhelming, I didn't think I'd like this much. I was wrong. This is a very clean, warm, rich, aristocratic scent, but it is, to me, a distinctly masculine scent. It's absolutely gorgeous, but I associate vetiver pretty much exclusively with men's fragrances, so although I love the way this smells, it's not something I'll wear myself. If I were a man, or if I had a man in my life that I had to smell every day, I'd definitely be getting a large bottle of this. It's very sexy, and it's blended perfectly. It's not too lemony, not too vetiver-y, just a perfect smooth blend of fantastic masculinity.

Spellbound is the most glorious blend of three roses, amber, and a touch of red musk. It's ten steps beyond gorgeous. I don't think it's the innocently creamy rose scent that you're looking for, SilverGarland, but for anybody who wants to try a rose/amber blend, you can *not* overlook Spellbound. It's one of my absolute favorites.

Whenever I try out an Imp that's one of Beth's choices, I always try it on before reading what's in it to see if I can figure it out. Had I read that this has wine in it, I would have been less eager to try it, as wine scents inevitably turn sour on my skin, but nothing in this turned the least bit sour. Wet, the merlot is very distinctive and predominant, and surprisingly agreeable to my skin. Rather grapey, a deep sweetness. Then the leather starts to nudge itself into play, which smooths out the merlot and makes it a much rounder scent. Dry, it's a very pretty but not-at-all-coy floral blend, with the violet being the predominant floral. The merlot and leather remain to give the violet a bit of a boozy edge. This wears very close to my skin, with little waft. It smells purple to me.

I'm really liking this one a lot. It's an unusual blend of green (but not the normal grassy or herbal sort of green one thinks of a green scent smelling like), sweetness, and woodsiness. The green is very, very fresh, and I also think it's got a cucumbery/melony smell. Cantaloupe. It smells like cucumber and cantaloupe. That green note isn't overpowering, and it seems to waft in and out of the fragrance, especially once it dries down... now you smell it, now you don't, oh! There it is again! I'm assuming it's the ivy, or maybe the ivy/poppy blend. It softens up very nicely on the dry-down. It's really different from anything I've ever smelled before. Clean and soft, and even though it's got some warmth to it from the sweetness/woodsiness, it's a great hot-weather scent.

This seems to be reacting very differently on my skin than it did on the other reviewers'... wet, this is almost purely myrrh with just a hint of something sharp - the currant, perhaps? - that is not the least bit fruity or pickly. As it dried, it retained its almost-purely-myrrh smell, but the hint of sharpness has mellowed out to something deep and mysterious but completely unidentifiable to my nose. It's very dry and very, very smoky-myrrhy. It's a great smell but I was hoping for something a bit more complex, something that smelled less like a single-note myrrh. I'm going to try layering some of my favorite spicy smells on top of it and see what it combines well with. It has more wafting power than I'd expect from something so dry.