olympia301

Here is a scent that really grows on you. The first time I tried it I was underwhelmed, but then again I had just received a big shipment of imps and my nose was pretty worn out. Tried it again and found it a very good scent. I am not so sure that it has enough character to be in my 5ml lineup, but it is pleasant and a keeper as an imp. Who knows, I might change my mind tomorrow.

Violet and vetiver, those are the two notes in Saturnalia which ring out from the bottle. It is a great scent for those who love vetiver, but to my nose there is just too much of it in there to make me feel comfortable. I feel dominated by this scent. I will take my hat off to the Lab for thinking of it, and I did trade it to someone who dearly loves it. Follow up 1/19/08 Well, this has become the BPAL nostalgia scent forever for me. I smell this in January or any time to about April and it will always say "When I first found BPAL". That makes me happy indeed. Also, I have learned the ways of Vetiver and have learned to love it. I think that Beth is the mistress of vetiver and it certainly shows in Saturnalia. Overall, it is the unexpected and not quite entirely remembered photograph in the scrapbook of the past several years and when I smelled it again I realized how far we all have come and how fiercely happier we all are, and how much more cold we have to get through before we can reach the warmth and, miracle or miracles that Beth is pregnant and her child will reach the warmth and join the rest of us mortals and smell the earth and know what Saturnalia is all about. How fine.

Somehow, this smell is too tame and too pretty. I think there is dragons' blood in the blend, and that blunts my impression of anger. The cinnamon scent is good, and it certainly belongs here. But where is the smoke and brimstone? If I were doing this scent*, I would have added cloves, thrown in a drop of vetiver (hit the dirt, creep), canned the dragon's blood, injected a good shot of cumin (sweat from working up a real blasting rage), and gunpowder (if I could have gotten that) failing that, smoke. Alternatively, a big splat of tobacco would go well here. I would have also thrown in a rum or Bourbon backlash (ah, there is nothing quite so enervating as alcohol and firearms in the hands of an angry man). This scent is just too "nice" and could have so easily been a replica of the real thing. *Yeah, run the world. Oh, well, this is a subjective opinion area.

Like Velvet, this one has a chocolate theme. However, this is milk chocolate and not some hybrid between dark and milk or cocoa powder. This is Mars Candy Company chocolate. I can't detect anything else in there. It goes on strong and gives you the impression it will last. It sticks around for about 20 minutes on me and then it disappears utterly. It is delightful while it is happening but in a mundane way. It would make a good scent for a child, though.

Martian perfume. Very fresh and citrus-like. Actually, this scent is so well blended, I defy you to pick out any of the individual ingredients. You can't do it! The mint has been coaxed into a lemony-tart tango with oakmoss and ambergris. It is fresh, lively, citrus-like, cool and not cloying. It isn't astringent, it's like leaning up against a smooth white marble statue on a hot day. Cathode is smashing, for the individualist and definitely for summer. As an added bonus, it lasts and lasts.

"Shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather. Whiplash Girlchild in the dark. Severin your servant comes and whines 'please don't forget him'. Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart." Venus in Furs The Velvet Underground, late '60's. Damn... Oh well. Yes, I'm stalling here. Hard to cast into words what I want to say about Wanda (the subject of the lyrics above). I really see this as a silly scent. There, I said it. It really isn't. It's floral and it has character. Maybe I've known too many Wandas who were silly or ridiculous and I am being influenced by that. Straight out of the bottle, there is something which smells slightly (sorry to say this) vomit-like. That is a bit of a turn off, but...wait. Wanda settles down to a beautiful flowery smell which has some kind of smooth artificial backstop and can end up smelling like the inside of the ballet school I attended as a child. There is a resin-lash to this Wanda. Sort of a Grand Lady scent, with a dose of humiliation. If I were going to administer a good punishment, I would bring along a vial of Wanda to slather on me.

This was one of my first BPAL scents and I think I got it as a freebie from the Lab. I didn't see much in it at first, but one day I was bored and decided to put it on. Very pleasant indeed. Lavender is fine in this blend. It is unisex, and it does have a meadow-like sweet background to it. I don't think it will ever be my favorite, but it is awfully good.

I was pretty new to BPAL when I got Hellfire in a swap. I wasn't familiar with the tobacco smell and interpreted it differently than I do now. It did remind me of a men's club (it's named for a famous men's club called The Hellfire Club), and I think if I had gotten the imp now, I would have kept it and probably bought a 5ml of it. Alas, I traded it away. However, there is good news. It is very similar to Perversion. That flavored tobacco smell is in Perversion as well as Hellfire. Here is the Lab description of Hellfire:" A swirl of pipe tobacco, hot leather, ambergris, dark musk and the lingering incense smoke from their Black Mass." Perhaps it was the musk that made me turn away from Hellfire and toward Perversion. I like the rum smell in Perversion and the vanilla-like Tonka bean, that was missing from Hellfire. I think that Hellfire is a fine scent, and if you are looking for something a little less fruit, vanilla, and booze smelling, this one is for you. And if you like musk, I would choose this one over Perversion as well.

You could not imagine a more beautiful scent glorifying violets. This one is strong and sharp out of the bottle but immensely attractive. Veil calms down and just becomes hypnotically beautiful. It's like bottled desire. The Lab says its ingredients are:"White sandalwood, lilac, gardenia, violet, orris, lavender and ylang ylang." I have never smelled sandalwood so well behaved, and the lilac and gardenia blend in perfectly in order to promote the violet. This blend is like a wedding with violet as the bride and her gorgeous attendants. If ever there was a spectacle of a perfume, this one is it. Secretly, I refer to Veil as 'Ultraviolet's Beautiful Sister'. Veil does have some musk in it (which I do not like) but it is very well masked by the other scents and does the service of making the smell last. The first time I put it on, I had to fight the feeling that I was the sexiest woman alive and that I wanted to... Oh, you know.

Lemon and leather, just beautiful. This is a subtle scent and the lemon which was chosen is really gorgeous; not the sharp and cheap rind type, but something that contains the sweetness within the sour like a Meyer lemon. You will have to search for the leather, and may not detect it at first, but it's there lending a wonderful sophistication and depth to the lemon. I wish this scent would last longer, it is pretty fugitive, but the fleeting nature of it is worth the pain. Buy a big bottle of it to compensate. Please Note: This is one blend that really should be worn in a scent locket. If you wear it that way its staying power is almost unbelievable. I could smell it distinctly for well over 24 hrs when I had it in my silver pendant.

One of the benchmarks I use regarding how successful a perfume is on me is: do I daydream about it, do I suddenly say to myself "Oh, wouldn't it be great to be smelling some ______ right now!" Well, I do that with Perversion. Actually, Perversion has become my regular perfume, I default to it because it is comforting, blends well with many other scents, and is always "right"--boardroom or bedroom. Perversion has a candy-like component to it, but it's some kind of grownup candy. The Lab description is: "Smoky rum and black tobacco with a whisper of steamy leather with a splash of crystalline chardonnay, layered over a sensual, sweet, and deceptively magnetic base of tonka." You can indeed smell all of that. It is never cloying no matter how much sweetness it radiates. It is a very grown up scent but it retains its whimsy in a concentrated whimsy sort of a way. Unique, Perversion really had to grow on me. At first I wasn't intrigued by it, smelled pretty much like the rest in a way. But after I trained my nose to pick out and appreciate individual notes, I relished Perversion. I really liked my icon for it, too. It was the first time I tried a dash of humor with BPAL icons, and I think I was inspired by the scent itself.

"Lovely" is the only word that can describe Tamora. The essence of femininity in a bottle. You might say it's like a mighty rose, but there is no rose in the formula. Spice? Not really. Soothing, somewhat maternal (in a very sexy way) it's flowers with no flowers to speak of, peach or apricot? Not so that you could pick it out particularly. It is so well blended that it reminds you of that day that made you so happy, but you don't remember what really happened that day. What a scent. This one is a real classic. There is nothing animal or "puey" about Tamora but yet it is quintessentially "come hither". It's the antithesis of astringent, not a smell for those who want to be seen as hyper intelligent. The scent lasts and lasts all day long. I'd say it's the scent that Venus wore when she was in the lineup in front of Paris. How could he resist?

Another of the Mad Tea Party series which is excellent. Again the notes of: tea, carnation, and a very light musk are brought into play, but this time there is a licorice or anise note playing in the background which is utterly delightful. There is a deep nod to organdy pinnafores and hair bows, to the musk (which reminds you of clean laundry), but the anise kick in Alice gives it a flowery whiff that sets it apart from the happy dignity of The Lion. Lots of staying power. I usually do not like musk in any form at all, but Beth has managed to blend this form of musk in to matching one of the elements of the head or middle notes, so this base note seems right for the application. Bravo! One of my major favorites.

Sheila, Assume your BPAL order will take about 5 weeks (unless you are international). I think the CCNOW message just means that the BPAL folks have your order. I'm still fairly new myself, but I have learned not to pay any attention to the CCNOW status. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Regarding the above confusion, I got caught by that one from CCNow. To top it off, my order status page looked like this: Order Number: 123-45-6789 Order Status: Shipped Order History: 25 Mar 2005 - Received 31 Mar 2005 - Order Shipped Supplier: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Now, that might lead one to conclude that the order had shipped. I know better than to think that it shipped on March 31st, but that "Order Status: Shipped" at the top had me elated. I called CCNow and they couldn't tell me if the order had really shipped. What a bummer. So the Order Status link isn't really of any use to us, I think. Am I wrong? I have not gotten a CnS, but others who placed orders when I did seem to be getting them now and seeing that their packages have shipped out. I suspect that CCNow doesn't send you a CnS, but PayPal does. Am I right? Arggh! So close but yet...so faaaaar away.

Could someone help me regarding Severin and Shanghai? I love the good lemon smell of Severin. Several people have enthused about Shanghai, especially for summer. I love Severin, I wish it would last longer (I just bought a scent locket), can you compare Severin with Shanghai for me? Is there anything else out there which has tea and lemon notes and lasts longer than dear old Severin? I would love you if you would tell me about it. Thanks.

*Sigh* This is sooo good. I can hardly wait for my Pink Moon to get here, the Springtime in Arkham. EEEEEE. *I collapse*

I swaped for an imp of The Lion which sounds good from the reviews. The imp arrives, I smell it and I am deeply and immediately in love. There is carnation, sweet grasses, tea, and amber which blend together seamlessly. There is only enough musk in it to let it last a bit (I think it is white musk which is beautifully used in this blend). It lolls on my wrist with: spiciness, gingery fur, sweet vernal grasses. It has some elements of Alice but is much more playful. It smells stronger on my skin than it does in a scent locket (this is one fragrance which I would recommend you not put in a scent locket, that's a new one). The Lion wants to snuggle up next to your flesh, it lasts a very long time on me and its drydown is as elegantly exciting as its Grand Entrance. I recommend The Lion without reservation. It is superb. I find that The Lion is a scent for cooler weather. In warm weather it can be too hot. At the first cooler days of autumn, I took out the Lion and it was the schnitz!

Love from the first, mad-passionate-forever hot love. I love Florence with its suave iris, mannerly spices and its charm. So sophisticated. Utterly beautiful. Another scent that is just at home on your wrist at a State Dinner or at your favorite diner. Always lovely. I am incoherent over this one. Remarkably enough, when you put this on the smell of iris is so strong it smells like peanuts. Yes in the wacky world of scent, that can happen! This olfactory illusion only lasts for a second, but it is a really funny side effect of it all. I love that. Like a great Italian lover, he makes you laugh then he seduces you. This is just a beautiful perfume. It begins as irises, then turns into berries and does that gracefully. Finally it becomes itself after the fanfare and prelude. Like the entrance of the Grand Florentine.

Goint to the Isle of Malta for a month. Here is who I am taking with me: Perversion Florence Tamora Veil Sea of Glass Ultraviolet (2) Bluebeard Danse Macabre Cathode Anubis Velvet Wanda I hope I can make it for a whole month without a 5ml. I am considering taking a 5ml of Velvet and Perversion. Ahhh, such madness.

A great portrait of the sin of "Gluttony". Too much, I am afraid. The butter was not what I wanted to smell like all day long, and the rest was almost a lecture on the evils of unbridled gourmandery! I swapped this scent to another curious person. I just couldn't wear it as a pretty smell. I salute the feat of making something so much like the name that it totally translated an idea into scent. Unfortunately, it succeeded too well.

When I placed my first BPAL order, I had to have Snake Oil if for no other reason than its inspired name. Love that! It was the most popular oil, so I wanted to see what the shouting was about. When I got it and put it on, I said "Hippy Perfume...not me." Swapped it away. It just smelled like the inside of a headshop to me at that time. Later I got Perversion, and I thought "Phffft, big deal. Pleasant, can't say 'headshop' but close." Tried it again, and started to daydream about Perversion, then got a 5ml and it is a backbone of my scent wardrobe. Perversion has some of the notes of Snake Oil in it, so I started to think hard about Snake Oil. The point? My nose was getting attuned to BPAL and away from the artificial fragrances. I reordered a 5ml of Snake Oil which I just got. To me, it's TONKA BEAN. At first I thought it was amber, but now I am believing it's TONKA BEAN. That's what gives it the "I'm a relative of vanilla" smell. But it lingers far more and has a toasted spiciness that vanilla doesn't have. Bottom line, it's an acquired taste for many of us. I love it and consider it wonderful for itself as well as a dandy "back up group" to a lot of scents which need a bit of depth. If I had a scent which was much weaker than Snake Oil (like Severin) I think I would put Snake Oil on my skin, and Severin in a scent locket and watch the fun!* If I had to guess as to what makes up the blend, I'd say Tonks Bean amped by vanilla and amber. That would be a blend of true genius, especially in these vanilla loving times. Snake Oil will always be in my perfume tray. I have learned to appreciate it and love it. It lasts and lasts and loves my skin. It's never intrusive and has a great deal of head as well as heart. *Nothing like putting a world class machochist in a cage over a pit of hissing snakes, now is there?

Ultra Violet.

I had huge hopes for this one. Everyone's description of it made my mouth water. Since I love Velvet, I was hoping this was revved up Velvet and truly considered buying a 5ml bottle unsniffed. However, I did get an imp in the swaps first. Good move. In the bottle it was somewhat stinky. This is not a turn off, Velvet smells pretty bad in the bottle and I love it. On my skin I started to get the disappointment. Headshop. I couldn't get much cocoa from it, there was cherry in there and a lot of confusion in the background. I just wasn't pulling out components which were companions out of the blend. Once it was "set" on my skin I could not smell much. Then it was gone, utterly gone. I am glad I got to try it out. I loved the concept and I still think that it inspired some of the most delightful prose on the board. I wish there had been more cocoa and a more directed note in the blend, as well as staying power. I am willing to believe that much if not all of this is due to my skin chemistry. It seems to be a popular scent and I hope that whomever gets it in the swaps just falls for it and loves it forever. P.S. I really love the icon I did for it, too. Seems like the blend inspired some mighty artistic efforts in writing and design. I don't want to take it down. Maybe I'll start a category called "Scents that broke my heart", that would be Wilde and Totochin.

When I first tried it the smell was unique and very pleasing. I thought that I would love it. I didn't get the vanilla or tea from it that some folks do, but it was blended so well that if I couldn't sort out the different scents, that was the genius in the blend. My disappointment was in the drydown. It became musk. Oh, I am so tired of musk. So, I think I will swap it to someone who likes musk. Oh, well...my loss is someone's gain.

I didn't get a seperate confirmation from the lab when I placed my first (and only so far) order). I think the only thing you get is a "click 'n ship" to show that they are going to be sending your order out now that it's finished. They are very very busy and really can't be re-confirming, I think that is one function of companies like PayPal and CCNow, to let the customer know that they did place and order and give them a confirming number. Of course, there could be more to it than that. I only have made one order and that was my experience.