kjirstiben

This is a strong, sharp, smoky pine as it goes on at first. The rosemary and bay are noticeable with it, and there's a smoky quality to the whole combination that is reminiscent of vetiver. As it dries down, this becomes a scent that's all about spicy, sweet pine and herbs; it's very nice, a piney greenness. Over time, it softens up and becomes sweeter, purer pine. A very foresty-smelling scent. Recaplet: Smoky, then sweet pine and herbs. My rating: 4 of 5 (I really like this!) Color impression: A deep emerald green.

Upon first putting this on, I'm struck by its interestingly pungent character--fruity, spicy (that's the frankincense), floral-herbal all together in one aromatic swirl. Upon drydown, the olive comes out smelling like fruit (but not like candy, which is what fruit scents tend to smell like on me). Over time, this develops into a peppery olive and herb scent, then the peppery edge of the frankincense gradually wears away. The end stages of this scent are simply gorgeous… a lovely herbal-resiny subtlety that hovers just above skin level. The late stages of this were definitely my favorite, but the whole process is delightful. Very different than anything else I've smelled yet, though at a certain level I'm reminded of Hanerot Halalu (the olive oil?), without the beeswax. Recaplet: Pungent olive-herbal that softens into a resin-herbal skin scent. My rating: 4 of 5 (I really like this!) Color impression: Olive green.

Initially on, this is a definite lemon, with something water-lily-esque and plant-like alongside. It smells bright. After a while, on drydown, I am reminded of something--I think it's like laundry detergent, perhaps. Yes, after another hour, it's definitely smelling like an "ocean-fresh" laundry detergent, or maybe the same as a room freshener scent. It's not a bad scent, but probably better as an environmental scent than on my skin. A little later, this has gone a little funky on my skin--an unpleasant-soapy scent. (I'm pretty sure this is my skin chemistry combined with aquatics.) Recaplet: Ocean-fresh laundry detergent that turns into soap. My rating: 1 of 5 (I'm not fond of it.) Color impression: Pale blue-green.

Initially applied, this is a strong burst of lavender, but after that, it dries down to a sweet herbal. Or perhaps what I'm reading as "herbal" is the smell of tea; tea with sugar. As time goes on, this becomes very distinctively a sugared tea scent… with a perfumey vanilla overtone (as opposed to a foody vanilla), and over time it develops into a sweet, non-foody perfumey vanilla scent, a soft scent. Recaplet: Tea with sugar, then soft perfumer's vanilla. My rating: 3 of 5 (Nice enough.) Color impression: Lavender and cream.

First applied, this scent is floral and honey, with a slightly herbal tinge. It's got an earthy character to it--I can't tell if it's the patchouli or the fig (or both!) giving it that character. A low-key scent. After an hour or so, the honey starts to amp on me (typical--probably skin chemistry), and I'm getting a slightly spiced honey scent. Now this I quite like! Over time, it becomes an earthy, figgy honey (with some patchouli grounding it). Nice--a less in-your-face-sexy version of a honey scent. (I love O, but it can be a little too much for some occasions.) Recaplet: Earthy, figgy honey, a casual interpretation of honey. My rating: 4 of 5 (I really like this!) Color impression: The deep gold of a dark honey.

OK, got a question here: I enabled my mother, who has promptly fallen in love with Gunpowder, a Halloweenie '08 LE. Its notes--carrot peelings, hay, chaff, molasses, maple oats, red apples, stable wood, and musk--are really quite unusual in the BPAL catalog, and I've been trying unsuccessfully to think of similar scents that she would like from the GC. Any ideas what GC scents have similarities to Gunpowder? Thanks for your help!

Chaos Theory IV - MCCCXCVII (1397) My Chaos Theory order was one of my first… and I was still timid about certain notes, like vetiver--and this CT is all about vetiver. I remember trying it on, being slightly horrified, and trying to get it off or cover it up. However, upon my second go-round, months later, I'm finding it's quite different than my initial impression. In the bottle, this is a sweet and piney scent. Indeed, when I first put it on, it's a sweet pine scent with a citrus tang to it. Not long after that, however, vetiver blooms in the scent and pretty much takes it over. Over the first hour, the scent develops a dark, warm and evergreen quality. It turns rich, tart, and dark. I can still smell mostly vetiver here, but I think I'm starting to smell some woods with it--maybe cedar or balsam? Over time, this is a fading vetiver and wood scent, with a touch of piney sweetness to it in its latest stages. Recaplet: Warm, evergreen, and foresty--but a dark and spooky forest. My rating: 3 of 5 (Nice enough.) Color impression: Deep, deep greeny-black.

Hellhound goes on all about the brimstone, but as it dries down a sweetness emerges and combines (playing nicely) with the brimstone. Over time, it turns soft--vanilla but not foody--and in the course of a few hours turns into a hint of lingering boozy vanillaedness… And then, around the 4 hour mark, it disappears completely! I like this scent, which I got on a bit of a whim, though I do wish it would stick around longer. The sharpness of the brimstone with the sweet vanilla is a really interesting and fun combination! I may experiment to see if lockets or hair application would keep the scent around longer. Recaplet: Sharp, otherworldly, and sweet--vanishes with a puff of vanilla smoke. My rating: 4 of 5 (I really like this!) Color impression: Gray like smoke and gunpowder.

Hay Moon goes on grassy--smelling of a hot summer wind over a field of yellow dried grasses. For a bit, at first, it's almost lemony in character. After a few hours, it's a clean, grassy scent with (unfortunately) a touch of the "scorched grass" that I seem to get from most green or grassy scents. After a while, though, it sweetens up again (the scorch goes away), and the scent has become a clean-smelling one, less green now, but still with some of that dried-grass quality to it. Definitely an aptly-named scent! Recaplet: Hot dried grasses that dries to a clean summery scent. My rating: 3 of 5 (Nice enough.) Color Impression: The gold of hay.

Beaver'Versary, Nov 2008 to Jan 2009 This scent was all cream-cheese frosting when I initially applied it, sweet and heady, though as it started to dry down, it developed a slightly scorched smell (something that a lot of sugar scents do on me). After a while, it's a smoky, cake-y cream cheese frosting and very good… though possibly too sweet or too strong on me--it overpowered everything and hung about me in a cloud. I may have to apply this one with some caution. After about four hours, the slightly scorched or smoky smell goes away and the scent is pure frosting goodness. Oddly, the scent seems to grow stronger, rather than fainter, through the day (I've had this same experience with Eat Me--I'm pretty sure it's the cake note). Very sweet, very edible. Fun! Recaplet: Sweet, sometimes smoky cupcakes heavily frosted. My rating: 4 of 5 (I really like this!) Color impression: Cream-white frosting with rainbow sprinkles.

This oil goes on with the lovely spice and earthiness that I remember loving in Schwarzer Mond. As it dries down, the plum and some sweetness emerge and the earthy spices retreat to form a backdrop. A few hours later, this is distinctly a plum and vanilla scent. Mmmm. It continues to get richer over time, rounding and deepening, and is at all times truly delicious. Late in the day, some of the spiced character re-emerges, blending with the vanilla and plum to make the whole concoction even lovelier. Oh yes, I love this scent--I can see why it's so popular! (I can't wait to try it aged, too.) This is a lovely scent with a long life. Interestingly, when I've put it in my hair, I get much less of the plum and vanilla sweetness and a lot more of the earthy spices. Still good, but a very different character overall. Recaplet: Plum and vanilla deliciously layered over deep, earthy spices. My rating: 5 of 5 (I LOVE IT!!!) Color impression: Plum-toned maroon.

Initially applied, this scent is almost buttery, with a heavy-duty amber as the most prominent feature. On my skin, however, it sweetens up immediately, to a warm, spiced amber--oh, that's the carnation! Cedar is an undertone in this scent, an almost-there note that doesn't try to take over. Vanilla emerges after a while in perfect concert with the amber--truly delightful. This a long-wearing sweet, spiced amber. Delightful. Recaplet: Sweet and spicy amber that sticks with you. My rating: 5 of 5 (I LOVE IT!!!) Color Impression: Light golden-brown.

The Illustrated Woman goes on soft and incensey with a touch of pine pitch sweetness. It's very, very soft--almost faint--in its first stages and I wonder if this one is going to do a disappearing act on me. After an hour or so, it's a soft incense with pine pitch, not much altered from how it smelled when I first put it on. Lovely! For a few hours it continues to be soft incense with pine pitch, then vanilla emerges from the background to flesh out the scent into a low-key, lovely sweetness. It's a casual scent--something I'd imagine for a Saturday with jeans and a t-shirt. Delightful! Recaplet: Casual, low-key pine, vanilla and incense. My rating: 5 of 5 (I LOVE IT!!!) Color Impression: Soft light tan.

Going on, Wulric smells 100% of lavender until it hits my skin--and then all I get is cocoa! As it dries down, it starts to turn a little weird on me, like lavender plastic or something of that nature. (I have a on-and-off relationship with chocolate notes.) Over time, I smell herbal, dusty cocoa, and to me it smells as though this scent is losing a battle with my skin chemistry. I think I may have to try it in a scent locket or in my hair… By several hours into my trial, I'm convinced that my skin chemistry doesn't like Wulric, from the unpleasant herbally/plasticky smell that I'm getting. What a shame--it's so lovely at first! I'm definitely going to try this one in my locket because I really, really like it before it gets ruined by my (annoying) skin chemistry. Recaplet: Herbal dusty cocoa plastic. Stupid skin chemistry. My rating: 1 of 5 (I'm not fond of it.) … with potential to change if it works in a locket or my hair. Color impression: Pale dusty brown with green.

This scent smells like honeyed almonds, sweet, when I first put it on. The sweetness is lotus, probably with myrrh giving it some roundness and depth. There's an almost-buttery scent to this right at first. The lotus kind of takes over after a while--while it's pretty, the scent is almost too sweet to enjoy after a few hours. Continuing through the day, it's the lotus-only show (I'm starting to suspect I may amp lotus). By the end of the day, while it's pretty much a lotus single-note, it's fainter than it was for a while, and thus more bearable. While I do like lotus, I think I like it in moderation--tempered by other notes. What's odd is that when I first got this--it's from my first BPAL order--I remember liking it quite well. I wonder if my nose has changed, or if the lotus takes over as it ages? Recaplet: A promising beginning hijacked by single-note lotus. Very, very sweet. My rating: 2 of 5 (Meh.) Color Impression: Water-lily pink.

This oil goes on the skin with an immediate rush of cloves and cinnamon. For the first few hours, it's all sweet cloves, and that's about it. After a while, some fruit comes out--not a distinct type of fruit, more as a juiciness that rounds out and mellows the cloves and cinnamon. At this stage the scent is very, very pretty. In its later stages, after a few more hours, most of the distinctive first notes have died down and this begins to smell heavily of incense and patchouli. I'm not as fond of this stage, though it's not bad, either. Just a little "dirty hippy" for my taste… Recaplet: Cinnamon and cloves with fruit, then heavy hippy incense. My rating: 3 of 5 (Nice enough.) Color Impression: A deep orange-brown.

This oil goes on my skin sharp-smelling and dry--it's the cedar in it. As it dries down, it becomes cedar and a deep kind of leafy green--the kind of green you get from geranium leaves, not like grass. After a while, a sweeter note emerges with the cedar, hard to pinpoint, but definitely sweet. Its final stages are cedary and woodsy, and quite understated. I will probably revisit this one in the summer. I love cedar, I'm finding, though it's a more rugged and outdoorsy scent than most of my winter favorites. Recaplet: Cedar with fleeting traces of green and sweetness. My rating: 3 of 5 (Nice enough.) Color Impression: The rough red-brown of cedar wood.

A sweet, spicy scent as it first goes on. Sweetness as of candy--that's the pomegranate and dragon's blood--and the spiciness of cassia. It burns my skin a little, too, which is definitely the cassia. In the background, a slight patchouli presence lurks. After a half-hour, this has become nose-wrinklingly sweet--a sweetness of Red Hots or Big Red gum. A while later, there's a lingering cassia-cinnamon scent. Behind it a slight tang emerges, possibly the blood accord. But in its later stages, it starts to take on a scent that is unpleasantly reminiscent of generic cinnamon-scented room spray or potpourri. Then the cinnamon vanishes entirely, leaving behind a sour scent that is definitely my skin chemistry disliking one of the other notes of the blend. Sigh. Recaplet: Spicy cinnamon candy that fades into cinnamon room spray. My rating: 1 of 5 (I'm not fond of it.) Color Impression: Deep candied red.

This goes on me smelling a little scorched--wow, I can definitely smell the dried woods in it! After a while, it becomes oddly floral, with woods added, but after that all other scents go away and it's a one-note dry wood scent. Smells like bleached dragon bones. Recaplet: Dry, dry woods and nothing else… My rating: 2 of 5 (Meh.) Color Impression: The white of driftwood.

Initially applied, this scent is a pure root beer--like natural root beer, with a slightly herbal and medicinal quality to it. (When I first tried it, there was a strong initial butter note, but that has thankfully disappeared over a few months of aging.) Drying down, this is a scent of sweet, herbal root beer, that becomes more and more indistinct until it's a fuzzier, less sweet scent in a couple hours. After a bit, this starts to go sour on me, confirming my growing suspicion that certain BPAL vanilla notes do this on my skin… Interestingly, over the next few hours, pure sweet root-beer swaps out with fuzzy sour-staleness seemingly every half-hour or so. This is probably not a good skin scent for me in the future, but I will probably try it elsewhere. Recaplet: Natural root beer, but then the vanilla goes bad. My rating: 1 of 5 (I'm not fond of it.) … with potential to change if it works in a locket or my hair. Color impression: Pale root-beer brown.

This went on as a floral with a funny, almost molasses-like spice behind it at first. Interestingly, the scent was a very tart, almost sour one, like a citrus, only not with the citrus "tang" to it. Without a doubt, this is the red currant that I'm smelling, though unlike my other experiences, it doesn't smell like jam. After an hour or two, it is a tart fruit over an earthy base… with a touch of dustiness from the Spanish moss. Not long after this, it went through a slight "bitter powder" stage, but thankfully that didn't last too long. The eventual end-state is the scent of soap-cleaned skin: fresh, low-key, and casual. Recaplet: Tart fruit over earthiness with a clean skin finish. My rating: 2 of 5 (Meh.) Color Impression: Pale yellow-green.

Going on, this is a fruity-floral, almost apple-like, and sweet, especially at first. Yes, I definitely smell apples. (It's probably the acai berry--I'm still learning to distinguish between fruits, particularly unusual ones.) Over time, it becomes a sweet, fruity smell without any overtly floral overtones, in contrast to the florals that I smelled originally. After a few hours, I have a blend of apple (acai berry) and honey and powder… Recaplet: Floral-starting apple-freshness that dries to powder. My rating: 2 of 5 (Meh.) Color Impression: A clear golden yellow

Initially applied, Death Cap is a spicy dirt scent. It's reminiscent of Graveyard Dirt but with an edge and not quite as loamy in quality. It dries a little spicier, and some sweetness emerges--quite interesting, I can see why this makes a good base note for layering. In its later stages, the scent goes faintly sweet--the scent of clean vanilla. Still quite earthy but definitely a sweet note. Recaplet: Spicy dirt that grows increasingly sweet over time. My rating: 3 of 5 (Nice enough.) Color impression: Pink-tinged taupe.

When I first got this imp (seven months ago), there was a heavy-duty butter note to Eat Me, but at this point, it has completely disappeared, much to my relief. This oil goes on smelling like currants (a tart jam-smell that, oddly, makes me think of grape juice) and cake, or maybe even more like Birthday Cake ice cream… I can distinctly see sweet yellow cake in my mind's eye. On me, the cake note takes on a gingery-buttery quality and starts to amp uncontrollably after about an hour… each passing hour makes the scent stronger and more heavily sweet-cakey. I think I might be able to like it if it weren't amping out of control… I'm afraid that this is another one of the foody scents that won't play nice with my skin chemistry. Recaplet: The cake of doom, after a spoonful of currant jam. My rating: 1 of 5 (I'm not fond of it.) Color impression: Yellow cake.

In the bottle, this is sweet, distinctive amber. On my skin, it's amber but without the sweetness. It dries down to a sunny, dry amber scent--a pure amber, making for a nice, clean, skin scent. I like amber quite a lot, but I've got other amber scents and this one doesn't stand out particularly to me. I will hang on to it, though, to see what it does with aging. Recaplet: A pure, dry, unsweetened amber. Slightly blah. My rating: 2 of 5 (Meh.) Color Impression: Lion's fur gold.