changeling

In the bottle: Interesting: honey but not cloyingly sweet Wet to dry: A warm honey with an initially bitter note. As the oil dried on my skin, the bitterness faded, giving place to an herbal note that nicely balanced the sweetness of the honey. I received this as a frimp from the lab. I had assumed that the scents from Rappaccini's apiary would be too sweet or too pale on my skin but this was a nice surprise. Thanks, lab!

My friend and I discovered that standard hand sanitizer works well for removing unwanted scent. She tried one of my BPAL scents and began breaking out--I tossed her a bottle of hand sanitizer, she rubbed that on, washed it off, and quickly recovered. Just to save BPAL's reputation, this friend is allergic to a panoply of items, and this was back when she seemed to develop a new allergy every month (I wish I were kidding about that). Anything that removes other oils, such as poison ivy, should also work--Dawn dish detergent, for example. You know, I'm sure I could put this more diplomatically, but it's late and I'm tired. Thus, my apologies to the Lab. I love the Lab, it's my sole supplier of scented delights. I would never intentionally draw invidious comparisons without disclaimers, so please consider the appropriate riders attached to this reply. Thanks.

I second "Death on a Pale Horse" for the Ringwraith, but what popped into my head immediately on reading that was "A Countenance Foreboding Evil".

This was a frimp from the lab (thank you!) In the bottle: A cool, penetrating scent Wet: Cool and masculine Dry: This scent warms as it dries. For a few minutes, I was worried that I had chosen the wrong scent for a workday--it seemed too much like cologne. Then the scent changed. It was warm and bubbly. I smelled something I recognized. It seemed gritty or granulated, and pleasant, with a woody overtone. Hours later, I came on the forum and read the scent description. It was the tobacco. The smell of the tobacco in my grandfather's pipe, as I blew bubbles on their sun-warmed deck. This scent (as you may have noticed) has a nostalgic value for me. The tobacco and vanilla blend very well (not something I thought I would ever say), and the woody note comes forward just enough to provide variety. I wouldn't say it smells of ancient Greece, but it certainly has a steampunk flavor. I like it.

In the bottle: floral but not, for my taste, overwhelmingly floral Wet: I'm surprised. The first time I tried this scent it turned to powder. Now, for the moment at least, it is a fine mixed bouquet Dry: For over twelve hours, the scent remained a smooth mixed floral. I tell myself I can pick out the moonflower but I don't think that is accurate. The notes are too mixed for my poor nose to discern. Above all, this scent is smooth, finished. I never caught a hint of a sour note.

According to legend, the birthplace of King Arthur. The scent of a castle's great hall in the midst of joyous feasting. Spicy mulled wine flowing through the musky heat, warm leather and bright clash of armor, the damp branches of Cornish hawthorn, blackthorn, juniper, English elm and bayberry, and the magical tingle of dragon's blood resin. In bottle: Warm, bright and berry Wet: Warm berries--not fresh berries, but berries in jam or wine Dry: Spicy and sweet, juniper and smoke This is a great deal milder than when I first purchased it. At that time, I would not have worn it on my skin. Now it has the same notes, but 'tame' enough to wear, more smoothly blended. It can still be detected on my skin nearly twelve hours after application. I can't say how strong the throw was during the day because I was in a lilac-filled office (brought them myself, only myself to blame that I couldn't smell me). Perhaps worth acquiring another to age.

In the bottle: Strong, familiar scent, though I can't clearly identify notes. It is a strong sweet spice. Wet: Strong sweet spice but with a new, almost smoky undertone Dry: The warm sweet spice remains after nearly 12 hours, though it is only detectable near the skin. This scent did not change much on my skin. It reminds me of a piece of amber. It's too bad this one was discontinued--it has aged well.

Word of caution: this review pertains to a bottle of aged Seraphim In bottle: lilies Wet: Lilies and sandalwood Dry: This continued as a fine white floral with low throw. The scent is long-lasting, still perceptible near the skin after about twelve hours of wear. I wore it because I needed to calm down this morning. While a fine scent, it is not one of my regular choices.

I found this in my stash. In bottle: A cool herbal citrus Wet: Cool herbal Dry: Low throw, the herbal citrus continues. It lasts a few hours (three or four). This scent doesn't change much on my skin. I like that. It's quite different from the first time I tried it. I would say that aging has made it more true to its description--or perhaps it is just alterations in my skin chemistry from that time. A fine summery scent.

In the bottle: Cool mint Wet: Cool mint Dry: Softer, powdery mint Hours later: Soft powdery mint with very low throw. I could see this being a nice scent for a day when it just isn't cool enough. It might be better slathered (I tend to use scents lightly).

Disclaimer: this is aged White Rabbit In the bottle: Tea with a kick--I surmise the kick is the pepper and/or ginger Wet: Tea and pepper with a little something sweet and soft. I don't recognize it as vanilla; honey, perhaps. It's rather nice. Dry: The spicy note is dying away and the scent is turning powdery Two hours later: A lightly scented powder If White Rabbit hadn't morphed, I would have enjoyed it. As it is, this scent was not particularly successful on my skin. A carrier oil might help.

In the bottle: Flooded flowers on a hot day Wet: Wet cut flowers--a very strong floral scent with strong throw Dry: The strong floral continued for at least an hour. After that, the aquatic notes started to come back into the picture. In the middle of the day, I wondered why I was smelling a salty backwater in the office. Bayou. Right. The salty aquatic tone lasted for hours. Bayou never became a strong deep green aquatic, at least not when I was paying attention. Still, I suspect that it might, given different body chemistry. I will have to try this periodically.

In the bottle: Earthy, grounded leather Wet: Leather, a hint of what I imagine to be the balsam note. At this stage, it came across as too masculine and I began to regret wearing it on a work day Dry: The scent is less masculine now. I could try to describe the individual notes, but I think the best description would be to say that if you want to smell like someone who has been out for a long ride on horseback, without actually taking the ride, use this scent. Speaking as someone who now has access to horses again, I doubt I will wear this much, but there were times in my life when it would have been perfect, just to allay the homesickness. It could also be useful at a Renaissance faire or an RPG/LARP, for characters who have come a long way on horseback.

In bottle: This is a complex scent, dominated by the sandalwood, coconut and chocolate notes. Wet: The chocolate note comes out first, followed by the sandalwood. From a short distance, the base note is a warm woody chocolate with undefinable extras. Dry: The sandalwood predominates as the scent dries, and something like coconut (or am I fooling myself?) starts to appear. For me, the imagery this conjures up is petals scattered over wood. This scent is a surprising interpretation of The Last Unicorn. The more I smell it, the better it seems. It's best from a short distance away, which is appropriate. I've tried this twice, and I can safely say that my body chemistry has a strong impact on my skin's interpretation of the scent. I feel like there is a note missing, but on the whole, this complex, warm scent will see a lot of use with me. *edited for typo*

Ageless trees, everblooming flowers, brilliant grass, and soft shadows. In the bottle: Strong lilac Wet: Strong lilac Dry: As it dries, the wood notes appear. By mid-day, this seemed to be a lovely green floral. It's spring here and I've worn this scent several times over the last two weeks. Over that time, the scent has stayed consistent: lilac, followed by a woody lilac, followed by a softer, green floral. It's lovely.