olympia301

I got to try this one thanks to em and her generosity. Surprisingly well mannered and resinous, even more astounding that it is light enough to be a stunning summer scent. If it reminds me of anything, it reminds me of Tezcatlapoca in it's hint of chocolate in the beginning. But the chocolate is bolstering up the rest of Storyville, it's not a particularly foody scent but the elements of sweetness and suavity are very much there. It dries down to an alluring mix which you need to get very close to to smell. Sounds like a dream for a high class lady of the night who would exercise a certain amount of discretion. Storyville is not real strong. I think it would be great in a scent locket, or on a cotton ball tucked discreetly in your fancy expensive bra. It's also wonderful dabbed on the backs of your hands, that way you can smell it as you type or rest your head in your hand. Most beautiful.

I love this one. Starting off with almond topnote (not overwhelming just right) and slides into rose and lemongrass. The lemongrass is faint and supplies that citrus/green backup that marries well with a good rose. This one keeps on percolating for about two hours, really smells so fine from the first note to the rosy drydown and stays there, finally to degrade gracefully. Wonder of wonders, CCCII=302. Hmmm, guess it was meant for me. I am treasuring this bottle.

Milk Moon...there is one of the great components of Milk Moon in Obatala. It's the one that gives it character. Sort of a lime, with a nod to coconut but not quite.It's not like The Star because the lime isn't that limy, and the coconut isn't that strong. But they are here. It's very comforting, like the god it's named after. some people get mint out of it, I don't. Just the perfume of a real coconut which is at once subtle and tenacious. So, when I run out of Milk Moon, I will get Obatala and not worry that I have no more.... About the icon, Obatala is often represented as Our Lady of Mercy. The icon is the very famous Renaissance painter, Piero dela Francesca's Mater Misericordia (Our Lady of Mercy). It's my favorite painting of that entity, very quirky in a heartwarming and personal way.

Obatala is a lot like Milk Moon. Not exactly the same, but contains one of the particular notes in Milk Moon. Ravenous is just like Hunger without the civety lash. It is what I wanted Hunger to be...just like I ordered a customized version of Hunger.

Yea, Ivy and Peony has hit the nail on the head. I also get a shot of red musk out of Eat Me. It's really delightful.

This is one scent that had me scurrying to my wishlist because I wanted to get some right away. It is gorgeous. Very lemony with just a small becoming hint of peony. It is small, like a mouse, but so pretty that I think it will do well in a scent locket. I don't know why I didn't try this one before, I am sorry I didn't know about it earlier. So perfect for hot hot summer days and having to deal with loud people, The Dormouse is restful and refreshing. I highly recommend this blend. Perfectly summery and perfectly ladylike.

Flowers, lots and lots and lots of flowers. There are nothing but flowers in this one. Jasmine especially. It is very strong in the bottle and an overwhelming concentration of Flowers. It's like working in a jasmine factory all day long, picking, sorting, placing, picking off, boiling down and do it again. If you like flowers, this is a great one. I can't really detect anything other than flowers. Did I mention that this one is flowers?

If you like Antique Lace...well. I am one who thought that there was some passing connection between Snake Charmer and Eat me. The latter is a foody spicy resin to my nose and that's its charm. I really love what Beth did with it and the spice keeps it from being cloying. The Mouse's LST, on the other hand, was rather incense--the kind you get in Chinatown, with a huge backdrop of the sweetest sweetpea. I love sweet and sugary scents and incense but the Mouse was too much for me. I just had to pass, which is a pity because I loved everything about it, even the way it was done. But for me it was tooooo sweeet. But don't be put off by that, you might like it. Since shipping times are getting so short, why don't you give all 3 a try as imps? Or go cruising for them in the Swaps and Sales area? That is the best way of all of seeing if what we are saying is your taste.

This one is very long lasting, full, and quite a perfume. It also has a really well defined personality, you won't confuse it with anything else. So, it either suits you or it doesn't. If it does, then grab as many bottles as you can before it disappears because I suspect this one may be The Holy Grail of honey/amber sunshine. When I first got this one, I really did not care for it at all. But like a bottle of fine wine (and quite a few of BPAL other creations) you really have to discover this. It may need air to breathe to shake off the doldrums of being in the bottle on that long journey to the East. I can smell something very familiar in here. Of course there is the lemon/citrus part of it, that is in evidence without question, but there are (or is) an accord which I have smelled before, is very pretty and very familiar. I wish I could name it but I can't. It's been in other BPAL's and I like it a great deal. *argh* That wasn't much help but...I'm only human. *sigh* So I will wrap up this rambling and incoherent review by saying: don't just give this one a sniff and make your decision and close your mind. It does blossom and get better as the air hits it and as you get used to it and start to unravel it's combinations. It's new but familiar and intriguing. It's just hard for me to come down on the side of "I like it" or "not me but it's well done indeed". Let me just say "it's well done indeed" and let you decide.

Thank goodness, I have been waiting for months, maybe a year to review this one and it was worth the wait. One of the best moons ever put out. It's sophisticated with a ring of citrus but not an obvious one like too much grapefruit peel. It's just there. Trust me. Not real fruity, subtle. You won't say "Oh, pears and apples and bananas!" with HGM, it's the suggestion of fruit. Really a small whiff of fruit suggested. The rest is very musk like to me. This is a sweet but non cloying musk, it's also subtle and you won't be able to put your finger on it, but it's sure there in the drydown. There is green in here as well, wonderful cooling greenness. Terrific for summer, the citrus blends into the musky perfumy part and really dances. There might be a drop or a hint of anise in here, I am not sure. It is blended with a very knowledgeable hand for sure. I am beyond happy to have gotten a bottle of Hungry Ghost Moon and tickled with the way that Beth put it together. Really beautiful with a bit of whimsy, it's gown up but not stuffy, really exceeds my expectations. It doesn't broadcast wildly but it is fully satisfying as a special summer scent. I would highly recommend it for a silver scent locket on a 99% humidity day like today, when the temps are in the 90's. Balm for the summer soul.

Love that Hungry Ghost concept. The lable is out-tastic! I am very pleased I got one and the shirt is Boss! Also like the choice of artwork for Et Lux Fuit. Real fitting, very alchemical with God and the compass from Blake. I can hardly wait to get mine.

Again, one of the very very sweet jasmine blends. Real floral and very perfumy. In some ways it's almost quaint and could be overwhelming if you doused it on too strong. This one is saved by the perfumy undertone with is much better crafted than you might imagine at first, the jasmine being so "in here". Rapture bears being sniffed close up to really appreciate the foundation of it. There is just a hint of burning mixed in with the sweet, which gives it all a more complex and attractive air. I can smell honey, but in the best and most sophisticated way (I know that honey is not listed among the notes but something is simulating honey to me). I would say that this is a righteous blend and one for floral lovers to try and keep an open mind about. I was sent Delight and Rapture as frimps and am really impressed with both of them. I will be passing them on to a fellow forumite who is a fan of florals and I bet I will enable her with these two.

Delight seems to have gotten a fairly bad rap which is a bit unfair in my opinion. It does indeed contain a great deal of jasmine and it does smell like a blend that came out in the day when the lab used jasmine much more than it does now, so it doesn't smell like the Black Phoenix offerings from early 2005 on. Yes, that is so. And it does go on uber-floral in the wet stage, too sweet, too heavy, too over-the-top-Indian-smells something like "you know what". OK, you are right about that. However, there is a "second scent" which emerges as Delight starts to dry down, with is breathtakingly beautiful. I found this in House of Night and it is definitely here. Try it on the back of your hand and then cruise the forum. That "second scent" will rise up and it really is delightful. This may be a case where the perfume smells "loud" and unpleasant in "mass tone" but you need a good deal of atmosphere between the source and your nose to bring out the gorgeous maturity of it. If you can do that, you will be rewarded with the perfection of the beauty of this big floral and really see where the Indians would use such an overwhelming combination to heartbreakingly lovely effect. You will be gassed out if you just splash it on like Jean Nate, Delight has to be treated with respect, if you can do that you will see how beautiful and artistic this tidal wave of white strong flowers can be, how very sexy. So, if you are someone who loves florals please don't pass up Delight. Give it a try in a restrained way. I think you will find something which is very very very good if not a staple in your scent wardrobe.

You might want to try Hollywood Babylon. It's more red musk to me. Also Vixen is great for the red musk shot without any patchouli that I remember.

Cool, grapefruity, and aquatic, Shattered is just right for summer. It almost makes you pucker with its tart notes. Its drydown is pretty suave, by that I mean it does slide into a somewhat perfumy drydown with is very much in keeping with the opening but less of a crescendo. So that makes Shattered very wearable. If you run into a muggy miserable day like today, Shattered will be your best friend, and a good one to switch between Embalming Fluid and Shattered so you would have some variety. Edited because I kant spel and I just found my new Firefox spellcheck which made my review much less ignorant sounding. *snicker*

I swear I can smell every named component in Bess. It is very pretty, somewhat old fashioned in a charming way, more like 4711 than "Ye Olde Rosemary Water from which One Mae Taeke His Leasures". Neroli gives it the old time feeling, and the grapiness makes it very 21st century. This is a great one for warm weather, it has a bit of a fruity feel as well as the herbs. Nicley done.

This one is at once familiar and thoroughly foriegn. It reminds me of things like Lex Taleonis and Saturnalia, but then again there is the ring of something I have never smelled before. I would have to say that Lucretia is an important scent which deserves all of the attention you give it. Complex and beautiful, there is a lot which went into it. I smell Beth's violet very well, like the violet in Marie. It's a dry and tart violet rather than soapy sweet. I get the impression of Big Woods in here, but these are feminine woods. That is a major triumph in itself, to make a scent which contains wood but make it feminine. The initial wet phase really will have you thinking that you know what this is, but believe me you don't. It becomes woodier with the drydown, and then miraculously goes back to the perfume you smelled originally. Very much the change artist in ways that many perfumes couldn't. I would say that for all it's power, Lucretia isn't in it for the long haul. I would recommend the scent locket for wearing it, along with putting it on your skin, too. I could smell it for about an hour overall, but that could be my nose falling under its spell. People have said that violets deaden your nose, so ask a friend if they can still smell it after you think it's gone.

Everything that everyone else has said and more. The lavender really showcases cherry and fruit in this one. Really a nice nice man's blend and I would recommend it for lesbians. I have never said that before but I really mean it. There is something masculine but feminine in King of Hearts, like the intersection between male and female. This is done very well, I would heartily (oops) recommend it for summer wear, and the rose is really subdued in the imp I got, and adds it's unifying power to the whole. A remarkably good fragrance.

Excellent choice for summer.

Aquatic like The Mock Turtle's Lesson, but with flowers instead of mint and fruit. Pool of tears is quite salty and a good deal stronger than The Mock Turtle. If you want flowers in the background, this is a great one for you. It lasts a long time and it really reminds me of suntan lotion, and I mean that in a positive and cheerful way, even if I am taling about a Pool of Tears. Very nice summer beach scent.

Usually I don't care for the sportiness of aquatics but The Mock Turtle's Lessons combines mint and fruit along with the aquatic notes in a very lovely way. A great scent for summer and workouts. It dries down to a sandalwood finish, and has small throw overall. This is a classy aquatic, as most are more active, thanks to the including of the other notes. A real nice addition to The Mad Tea Party group.

Deep, dark and incomperably earthy.Oddly enough it wasn't that long lasting but it is not for the lightly skipping sort of occasion. If you like Shango, you might want to put it in a scent locket, I am sure it would keep very well and broadcast spectacularly. Shango really paints quite a close portrait of the god Shango and I would say it is very successful as a Very African Scent. Tres sexy.

Dirt and flowers. Crossroads have always been a strange and creepy intersection a place where you have to make choices, now what are you going to do? Well, you can be sure whichever road you take, you will have regrets but you might have joy as well. I can think of plenty of crossroads where I changed my mind and look back on the experience shuddering to think what would have happened if I had just plodded on or missed the chance to change. So, this scent makes me think about that. Dirt for mortality, flowers for a chance at life and betterment.

Embalming Fluid, Shanghai and Wilde are three of my favorites for summer. Alas, I can wear none of it because of my chemistry destroying the tea note, but for you lucky peeps who can wear that tea note, they are great. Failing those, I love Severin for summer with its Earl Gray and lemon. Short staying power is not an issue if you use a scent locket, believe me the cool silver in the summer is refreshing, and even Severin will work wonders all day long in a locket. Essential for hot weather survival. Dorian or most of the aquatics are great summertime BPALS. Dirty is very classy and cooling. Nuclear Winter or the evergreen Yules which were so much in evidence this past Xmas are good choices. I bet Water of Notre Dame is a winner in the summer. Cathode always reminded me of cold and Martians. 2,5,and 7 was a great choice, and Rose Red is good too (but not in large quantities), Aizen-Myoo is very citrus and cool. Alice is a beautiful small and exquisite summer scent. Amsterdam, Antony and The Apothecary would be very nice. Baneberry was always a sort of cooling and clean scent. Eden is greenery and Elegba is a suntan lotion/coconut smell. The Hamptons and Hanging Gardens work for me, one because of its alcoholic astringency, the other because of its greenery. House of Night and Ingenue are good. House of Night is a heavy and moist scent but it's cool like marble, as is Black Opal (someone mentioned that...the mineral smell is cooling). Kumiho is wonderful in the summer (tea and citrus). The Lion works for me but it reminds me of drying grasses, it's a summery scent but not a cool one. Maiden is great summer prettiness. Pain is damned cold, and Paris is lavender which is always associated with cooling comfort. Quietude is in the same lavender family. Sea of Glass is grapefruity goodness. Skadi if you can get it is cooling pine forests. Snow Bunny and Snow White both give me a cooling jolt. The latter is a great all around the year scent which broadcasts well and is pretty beyond belief. Sudha Segura has been mentioned before and I second that thought. If you can't do tea scents, Sudha will cool you down beautifully. Tintagel and Torture King are forests and citrus respectively. Ultraviolet is cold, very cold but you don't want to use too much. Utrenyaya and Vechurnyaya are cold as well (could be heavy too if you use too much but in the right amount they are really fine). Veil and Whitechapel are good summer scents. Veil is the cold violet though not as cold as Ultraviolet. Whitechapel is a bit warmer but I still like it for summer. It's very sexy. Yog Sothoth always gave me chills, it's a bit menthol-like in my estimation.

Not one plum do I get...not one! However, I do get heaps of ginger and honey and a lot of carnation here. They all perc along together with harmony and I find it a real treat. It is an earthy scent overall, I don't know how that happens, but I feel more like the ginger, honey, and carnation are laid out on a slab of slate in the sun. This is a very good GC substitute for Shub Niggaroth to my nose, and I would recommend it highly to anyone who fell in love with Shub. Very good for the spice love who doesn't want to go for the usual cinnamon and clove combinations. Very creative.