twistygirl

Personally, I'm glad you've decided to switch to UPS or FedEx. Their reliability and speed of delivery and tracking abilities make the few extra dollars for shipping well worth it. And they give you options for what type of shipping you want, so you get to determine how much extra you are willing to pay for faster shipping. And as for raising the price of the oils - like others have said, your oils are (IMO) already so reasonably priced for the quality and the tiny bit you need to use that an increase of a few dollars will not impact my ordering at all. And as for Paypal - I use them all the time for things and have never had any problems. I see this as nothing but good news.

GOD, this is GORGEOUS. When wet, the cinnamon was a bit more prevalent than it was after drying down, but dry, I can still smell the yummy cinnamon along with those fabulous sandalwood and patchouli notes. They blend together so wonderfully, and I don't think of this as a hippie head-shop scent, but more a very, very sexy, enticing, seductive scent (I don't equate head shops with seduction ). I will be ordering a larger bottle of this, to be sure.

This smells completely different on me than almost everybody else has described it as smelling on them. On me, this is a very soft, sweetish ambery, velvety fragrance with just a tiny hint of something darker lurking below the surface to give it a woody tang. This really does smell "golden" to me, like rich gold velvet antique drapery. This is another one I will wear again.

Here's another BPAL that changed on me immensely from wet to dry-down. I hated the smell of this for the first ten minutes - the lotus was just too sweet, too cloying. But it dried down to a really gorgeous resiny scent with just the right amount of lotus wafting about. It's very soft on me, too - I had to reapply it to really get a good feel of the stages of this one. This is definitely an interesting floraly twist on a resiny scent, I will wear it again.

WOW, did this one ever change drastically from wet to dry-down. When I first put it on, all I could think of is, "this smells like the Pacific Northwest" (I live in Seattle) - all I could smell was wet, cut-down wood and pine. I thought "this would be nice on a man, but not for me." But knowing how much BPALs can change from wet to dry, I decided to reserve final judgement, and this is NICE. I was raised Catholic and I can't say that it really reminds me of the church, not on me, as it is very light and not the smoky-incensy fragrance that I relate to the church. On me, this is just a lovely blend of resins - I would love to know exactly which ones are in this, as I LOVE resiny scents, and I seem to be able to wear all of them well with the exception of dragon's blood (smells like metal on me). If there is dragon's blood resin in this, I have finally found a dragon's blood resin scent that I can wear. I can't really pick out any particular resins with the exception of amber and some myrrh or frankincense, but whatever is in this, it's lovely, and while a man could easily wear this, I find it quite feminine.

Yes, this is a husky, dark, heavy scent. On me, the sweetness is a very heavy sweetness which is most definitely the gardenia. I also detect some myrrh in here because I'm picking up on that smoky smell. It is a most complex fragrance. Gardenia is not something that works well on me except in *minute* doses, but this is so interesting that I will give it another try before making my final keep-it-or-swap-it decision.

In the BPAL world of roses, we've got innocent rose scents, womanly rose scents, mournful rose scents... Harlot is definitely a sexual rose scent. I love rose scents and this one is one of my favorites thus far. The cinnamon adds the perfect touch of ravage-me naughtiness to the roses. It's a very, very seductive scent, it's stilletto heels and garter belts. The cinnamon totally transforms the rose in this. This is the perfect rose scent for people who thought they'd never like a rose scent.

Both wet and dry, this is a very sweet, sweet rose. I happen to love the smell of roses on myself, so I am loving this one, but if you don't like really like roses, and I mean REALLY like roses, I think you'd be disappointed in this one. Ylang-ylang is very sweet, so I'm guessing that is intensifying the already-there sweetness of the rose. Rose lovers, however, should definitely give this one a try. Definitely reminds me of the sort of rose smell one smells when you go to a funeral viewing. And I don't mean that in a bad way, although it does have the ability to evoke some sad memories of funerals I wish hadn't had to happen (my parents, my grandmother).

Wet, this is very, very green, with (as jj_j said) that underlying soapy-clean smell that's common in the Voodoo blends. As it has dried, it has retained it's greenness/cleanness, but with a touch of floral (yes, I do think it is rose) to add just a touch of unexpected sweetness. I don't detect anything spicy on my skin. This would be a good choice for somebody who really likes clean, green scents but wants something just a little different. Even though it does have that green clean presence, this is a strong, somewhat cold scent, cold definitely as in "without mercy." As usual, Elizabeth has captured the intended mood perfectly.

When wet, this is the ultimate girly-girl scent. This is a sunny spring day. It feels pink and green on me. A very pretty pink-and-green floral print. The rose is really balanced out by the ylang-ylang, and the honey adds a taste of sweetness, the apple blossom adds the touch of green. It's definitely the Garden of Eden before the fall. As it has dried down, I sense the serpent entering Eden. It's turned into something far more womanly than girly-girl, yet there is still a touch of innocence. The honey has strengthened and it's not really pink anymore, it's more golden with slight splashes of green. Golden is good. I like golden. Eve's sexuality is coming into play, and I am loving it.

This is a feminine, lovely, soft fragrance. At first, I can ever-so-barely detect the honey, what really comes out on me is the rose and carnation, and they appear in about equal levels. Carnation by itself sometimes is a bit off-putting to my nose, and the rose just mellows it out to an absolutely gorgeous floral blend. As for the milk, I don't really smell anything milky, but the overall impression of this scent is that it has a creamy feel to the nose, so I'm suspecting that's the milk, lying quietly underneath, smoothing everything out. Now that it's dried down, I can definitely detect the honey rising above and further softening the carnation. Oooh, I like this one. A lot.

Mmmmm, this is quite yummy. And not in a foody way. I love almond but sometimes find that almond is too sweet, too overpowering for me, especially when first applied... but the almond in this is so subtle, it's perhaps the perfect almond for me. As it dries down, the myrrh is becoming more apparent, but it's not that call-the-fire-department smoky that myrrh sometimes is on me. The dark musk must be softening it up. This is a great, great choice for people who generally find almond too sweet and myrrh too smoky. A really lovely blend that can expand the range of scents to include these two smells for people who have always wished they could wear either or both of them.

As much as I love to eat chocolate, I never, ever went anywhere near a fragrance that contained so much as a hint of chocolate because I thought smelling like a Hershey bar would be too, too much for me. Velvet has dispelled any doubts that I've had. Wet, all I can smell is rich, rich cocoa, really good quality cocoa. It dried down very quickly and the vanilla and sandalwood has become more predominant. This is, on me, an incredibly soft fragrance... I needed to reapply a few times to get a really good idea of the scents. Yes, this is a very rich, bronzy-brown velvet cape. I adore the way this smells, but it is so soft on me that I think this would be another one of those I-can-smell-myself-but-nobody-else-can scents. I showered with a honey-scented shower gel before applying this and the honey added an interesting twist to the cocoa/vanilla sweetness. I didn't intensify the sweetness, I think it just made it richer.

I first applied this to my inner elbow pulse point, and I could smell a combination of the sweetness of the almond along with the fire of the cinnamon. About three minutes later, I could FEEL the fire of the cinnamon, as my skin felt on fire and I had a large red welt where I had applied. I was heartbroken as I absolutely adore this fragrance. This is the perfect compliment to Lush' Snowcake soap, which is one of my absolute favorites. Fortunately, I decided not to give up on this scent and applied it to a few other areas of my body where the skin is a little thicker and I didn't have the burning, welty reaction at all. So this is a keeper for me, and something that I will very likely order a larger bottle of. Now that it's dried down, it is predominantly softly cinnamon with rich (not sweet) almond. And the welt and burning of that sensitive spot went away quickly enough not to frighten me from even trying it there again, to see if it was just a quirky reaction due to that-time-of-the-month sensitivity.

Oh, yes, this is the scent of a Jezebel, for certain. On first application, I picked up on the orange blossom and rose, but now that it's dried down it's smoothed out to more of a gorgeous, predominantly honey/rose blend. Yes, this is sexy in a very sophisticated, delicate way... roses always seem to make me feel a twist of both innocence and sophistication. Rose scents smell very good on me and don't turn too sweet, and the mixture of honey and rose with a hint of sandalwood is glorious on my skin. This is something I will definitely consider ordering in a larger size.

This is a really distinctive, provocative scent. When I first applied it, the almonds were all I could smell for the first fifteen minutes... then the other oils started coming into play and now, about an hour and a half after application, I mostly smell the buttercream and the rum. It's got just the slightest bite, enough to make it interesting without being *too* bitey. It's a very adult smell. I'm liking it quite a bit. There's also something unusual about it in that, although it smells very "womanly," I think this would smell great on a man. Probably the rum. I'd want to nuzzle the neck of a hot guy who had this on.

When I first read the description of this... honey, amber, and vanilla, probably my three favorite scents right now... I ordered a 5 ml without even trying an Imp's Ear because I knew I'd love it. What I didn't know is how MUCH I'd love it. This is mysterious sexuality. This is garter belts and finally sleeping with somebody you've wanted for a long time. This is absolute temptation. When I first applied it, the amber was the most prevalent note on me... after about two hours now, it's... mellowed is definitely not the right word... it's SMOOTHED out to an absolutely decadent luscious honey/amber richness. The honey and vanilla give it a touch of deceptive sweetness, but this is rich, rich, rich, not sweet. This is a secret affair, this is the smell of being ravaged in all the right ways.

I'm going back to Pittsburgh for a week to visit what remains of my family... when I'm there, a good friend from Boston who is a Lush Addict is coming down for a few days to visit. The FIRST thing she said to me was "can you bring all of those BPAL samples you keep raving about?" One by one, the world succumbs to the powers of Beth...

I recently went on a few job interviews, and I wore Water of Notre Dame each time, mainly because there is something about it that makes me feel very calm and clear-headed. And it's not an overwhelming scent. It smells clean. Of course, I didn't GET either job, but I don't think it's the WOND's fault.

Glad to hear you're getting better, doll... I've been sending good health thoughts your way.

Yet another vote for having a fee paid by the customer for mandatory insurance. Hell, I've paid up to $25 extra for FedEx or UPS shipping, and didn't even really mind doing it, because it meant I got my stuff within two days of ordering it. I honestly don't think there's one person who has ever experienced your oils who would think twice about paying a bit extra to lessen the burden on you, Beth. Plus, the popularity of the Lab is growing (I've already got my friends in Pittsburgh begging me to bring ALL of my BPAL scents when I go to visit next week) and as the business grows, you can't put all this stress on yourself (sorry if I sound like I'm getting into my Social Worker mode). It sounds like there's a consensus here to take that stress away from you. Take advantage of our offer, doll!

First and foremost, Beth, you take care of yourself and don't put a single thought in your head about delaying emails, shipments, whatever. Your health is the important thing. There are few things more painful/annoying than girly troubles . I hope that for your sake the doctor at least had the good sense to prescribe you something to take the chill off the pain, like Percocet or (at the very least) Vicodin. Sandy, the walking PDR (that's the Physician's Drug Reference, for those of you who may not know)

Hey, then TED ROCKS!!! Say what you will about Aerosmith, but this Rock Whore loves them to pieces. Great guys, and you have to give them all the credit in the world for being Survivors in the first degree. And Joe Perry is a God... I'd dig a "Jaded" scent... the song is really well-crafted, plus that's one of my fave Aerosmith videos, Mila Kunis is gorgeous in it and it's nice in a really kind of commercial-yet-dreamy way. And even though it's far from my favorite Aerosmith song, I'd like to imagine what a "Love in an Elevator" scent would smell like, hahaha. There's a topic for the "Suggestions" sub-forum... "Aerosmith-inspired scents" Then again, don't even get me started on any "rock-band inspired scents," because I could run with that one like a freakin' crazy person.

I am betting that you will be most pleased (more like enraptured) with Snake Oil and Dana O'Shee. I love vanilla-based scents and they are two of my favorites. Can't speak for O but I recently ordered a 5 ml, scent unsmelled, just because I KNOW I'll love it as it combines my two favorite things - vanilla and amber. I didn't find Carnivale to have that much of a vanilla scent on me - the carnation was by far the predominant note - but, as always, that could just be my body chemistry. Regardless, it's a very nice scent.

I would just like to add that an order I placed in early February got fucked up and Elizabeth was amazing in getting everything straightened out. It turned out that it was definitely a problem with CCNow sending me the improper ship date (seems like it might be their Modus Operandi?), but our Lab Goddess was typically goddesslike in investigating the problem. We love you, Beth!