innocent

Known as the Mistress of Bones and the Lady of the Dead, she is the Queen of Mictlan, the Aztec Underworld, who still presides over today's Day of the Dead rituals. Sometimes known now as La Huesuda, she brings peace and joy to the spirits of the deceased, and blesses the living who do honor to those who have passed before them. Copal, precious woods, South American spices, agave nectar, cigar tobacco, and roses. I've never done a first review before... I'm a little scared! What you shouldn't be scared of, if you dislike roses, is the rose in Mictecacihuatl. It's no more than a floral whisper beneath the resins, woods, and spices. I actually wish it were a little more floral (but then, I love me some roses). Mictecacihuatl is a lovely blend of copal (yum!) and wood (I'm not sure what kind, but I'd say NOT cedar, since that turns to hamster cage on me). The spices add a bit of kick, but they're not the sort of "dirty" spices that are in many BPAL blends, they're much lighter and cleaner. I worried that, with the nectar, tobacco, and rose, this might be too sweet, but it's really not. The sweetness just serves to make the other elements less dry. I really like this one, but I might layer it over something with a stronger rose to bring out that note. If you like woods and resins give this one a try!

Sweet, musky... this one gives the vibe of being light but still sultry. I like it very much (I was worried after some of the not-so-good reviews from the Will-Calls). Like most beeswax scents, I get a faint latex vibe once it's dried, but its not nearly as strong here as its been in others.

Yummy - this reminds me a bit of Antique Lace (though musk and coconut instead of vanilla... if that makes any sense), though Dia has an almost soapy undertone that Antique Lace doesn't. Very nice, but I think a touch too sharp for me to wear (seems like it might inspire headaches). I think it would make a wonderful room scent or linen spray.

2008 version Yummy, foodie. Not me. This is better than I thought it would me - it lacks the heavy butter scent of many foodies, making it something I'll wear from time to time - if I don't just pass it on to a foodie loving friend! Spicier than I expected, and (as others have said) more cupcake than cheesecake.

Word to the wise: I don't like Snake Oil, and I think Mme. M is "pretty nice". That being said: I thought Snake Charmer was "okay, sorta sickly-sweet". I'm happy for everyone who's been lusting after this for ages, but I think Mme. M is very similar and (IMO) better.

I wanted sugared pear... but after my recent success with Sugar Skull I had forgotten how strange the white sugar in Faith and Hope went on me. Candy Phoenix does the same thing - instead of lovely sugared fruits I'm left with oddly chemical Pez. Oddly chemical Pez are not good.

There are no surprises in Gelt. It smells just like it sounds: chocolate and amber. If you like both notes, you'll probably like it. If you dislike both notes, you won't. It you (like me) like one note (amber) but are indifferent to the other (chocolate) an imp for experimentation will probably be all you need. This faded quickly on me, and none of my co-workers commented on it, so I assume the throw is light (I can never tell on my own how strong throw is).

I like the hint of sugar and spice in this one but, like so many foodies, the butter smell makes me queasy. I'll stick with Sugar Skull when I want to smell good enough to eat.

When I first put this one it was amazing - just like a freshly blow out beeswax candle. I settled down to love it. I didn't let the subsequent orange candy smell upset me. Orange is a top note, I told myself, it will fade soon. And fade it did leaving behind wax with the faintest tinge of... latex? The latex demon that ruined White Rabbit strikes again. I'll probably try my imp in a skin locket to keep it away from my evil skin, but I guess I won't be needing that bottle. *pout*

Light... the lemon, green tea, and cedar are the strongest notes for me... accompanying them is something sweet and floral that makes my nose itch. Not bad, but not a stand-out for me. I don't really like cedar, and I have other light, airy scents that I prefer. On the plus side, I agree with others - this is floral without a hint of soap.

2008 I don't usually buy 5mls without getting a decant first. I didn't think I'd like Sugar Skull, since the sugar in Faith and Hope went weird and chemical-ly on me. I bought a 5ml of Sugar Skull unsniffed. Why? To celebrate the adoption of my new dog, Sugar Skull the deaf-defying pitbull of destiny (she's a little white & black pit mix who was born deaf). I love my dog, and guess what? My Sugar Skull perfume arrived this weekend and I love it too. As I was testing it a friend walked into the room, sniffed, and said, "It smells like Christmas." And you know what. it does? On me Sugar Skull is all brown sugar with hints of maple, fruit, and rum. It smells like a kitchen while yummy Christmas baking is going on. It hints of food, but is not cloying the way many foodie smells are on me (maybe because it doesn't have any butter or cake?). I really like it. It also stayed in my hair forever, so whenever I woke up last night I got this wave of delicious brown sugar scent. While I'd never perfume the pup's collar (since she's deaf she relies on her nose even more than your average dog - she doesn't even like hanging at the coffee shop because the ambient coffee smell confuses her) I'm going to wear this perfume to the ground and then go looking for more. It's become one of my top five scents (amazing, given the way I feel about foodie perfumes). So nice to have a tale of "Skin Chemistry that Went Right" for a change! PS - The boy likes to nuzzle me when I have this on. Extra score!

Dusty dry herbs with a hint of spice. Nothing bad, but nothing I want to smell like.

Blah. I smell like toliet cleaner.

As others have said - this a sharp herbal / floral out of the bottle and dries to a much softer herbal smell. Unlike some other BPAL blends, there's nothing medicinal about the herbs here. I agree that this reminds me of fine soap - but without the horrible SOAP smell that ruins a lot of perfumes for me. I'll keep the imp, but I won't be getting a bottle - Larentalia gives off too somber a vibe for me to wear it often.

Oh wow. This is nice. The notes are all very well blended - I had thought this combination and warm and cool notes might turn out strange, but its very nice. The cedar doesn't come roaring out, the amber and rose don't combine and turn to baby powder, and somehow the whole thing still smells cold without turning into soap or dryer sheets on me. The only downside is that this one fades very quickly on me. I'll be considering a big bottle of this.

Note to Self: Stop trying things that claim to have snow, water, or ozone notes. I like florals, and I like musks. Perchta smells like a musky bar of men's soap. I really need to learn that aquatics amp up on me in the worst possible way. *grumble grumble* wanted to smell like a hag goddess... *grumble*

The meeting of Heaven and Earth: golden amber, galbanum, benzoin, ambrette, rockrose, costus and tonka. Oooh, JL has a very classical, formal feel that reminds me a great deal of Shalimar (though the amber in JL is more apparent). It's a lovely golden scent that makes me feel as if I'm wearing my favorite long brown velvet dress. A bit too formal for everyday, but just the thing to wear to Midnight Mass...

Mostly dry sandalwood while wet, Belle Vinu dried into a lovely mix of peach, floral, and wood notes. It's lighter and woodier than I expected, with an understated peach. While sandalwood and I do not get along well enough to warrent a large bottle of this, but it has passed the initial sniff test to become today's Perfume of the Day.

I agree with the reviewers who liken this to the color gold, but for me its golden morning light shining through the perfume bottles on my grandmother's dresser. Golden. Warm. And evokes "old-lady perfume". I got not a hint of rose (one of my favorite notes). Not a winner on me, much to my dismay.

I must admit, I was hoping for a peachy version of Katrina von Tassel. Unfortunately the neroli and / or gardenia in The Gaoler's Daughter amps on my skin, turning this one into a piercing floral with pleasant fruit, cream, and honey undertones.

Oh, the moss in this is much softer than I'e generally found BPAL moss to be. As a previous reviewer mentioned, it does remind me of Dee, though I think Dee is slightly more complex. A soft, warm, and not too masculine scent. Mole is pleasant, but not remarkable enough for me to buy a full bottle.

Soapy This reminds me of Enraged Bunny Musk, which was piercingly sharp and soapy / floral on my skin. I do get a hint of apples, but the ozone note in this is giving my a headache, so off it goes!

The pines waves hello and rushes on, leaving me with a scent like lemon verbena (though that's not a listed note). There are hints of other things, brown seeds and streaks of fur... but on my skin the citris overpowers.

Dirt! I'm not a dirt fan, but its still amazing how Beth manages to get the scent of damp earth into a little bottle. I am getting the hint of celery that others have mentioned. Not one for me, but fans of soil scents should try it (though I'm sure they were going to anyway).

As others have said - The Rose is very much like Rose Red, but softer and less chilly. I love rose, and I love The Rose, but with the bottle of Rose Red 08 that just arrived in the mail (and the Katrina von Tassel that's on its way) I won't be getting a bottle of this any time soon. Still, this is lovely! ETA: The Rose + O = Yummy sexy girly good