faylie

I only just got this today and gave it a dab straight out of the box. That was a few hours ago now. First huff reminded me of the burnt gravelly note in Brimstone which I admit I haven't had a wiff of for at least 15 years and I was none to fond of then. Then a few minutes later I could smell a lemony breeze wafting over the ashes which was a little more pleasant. Then after a mad run around in unseasonably warm weather it has completely morphed into a wonderful vanillary candle warmth that I love. None of the ash, that all got swept up before the candle was lit for the evening. Now the pets are settled in for a cozy nap by the fire too. Slightly smoky vanilla with a touch of warm fur. Lovely and all I hoped for.

I had an imp of this many years ago (10+) and tried it once and gave it away, it thought a bit like many people have found, that the coffee was stale. A few years ago I felt a need to try it again and ordered an imp, but promptly misplaced it. It resurfaced in a bag I've not used for a good 2-3 years. I tried it on and fell in love. It is like drinking a milky coffee in a rose garden while wearing a soft vanilla perfume on a sunny day with a cool breeze. I can't say for certain how long this will last on me as I applied when going to bed, but I could still smell a touch when I woke in the morning so I think it should last well for day wear. I didn't get much jasmine if any, but it could have given the roses a bit of oomph and I think the mahogany lent it a bit of warmth, no figs but I don't mind, it was beautiful and I will be ordering a bottle of this goodness.

This is gorgeous. It is a right but not heavy floral with enough amber, vanilla and musk to stop it being just a floral. The amber is not powdery, the vanilla is not foody and the musk isn't in your face. It is blended perfectly. I have no idea why I hesitate to wear this. I feel pretty but not girly wearing it, it is more of a grown up scent but definitely not a typical 'old lady' scent. I think I would wear this going out to dinner, but today I am just going to wear it at home, enjoy it for me and feel good.

This was very heavy going on, more than I had expected and quite incensy too, it isn't overwhelming though, just heavier than I wanted on a hot summer day. It dries down beautifully though, a lovely warm rich vanilla resin. I love it, I keep finding my arm stuck to my nose to take sniffs. It is a very soothing scent, one I would wear if I know I am going to have a rough day and need a little calming oomph.

It definitely does smell beautiful. I think it is a bit more incensy than I expected and a bit more heavy, but the bottle smells wonderful. I had on Crystal Phoenix this morning which has worn off enough to give this a try now. Hmmm, it's good. Even if it is wonky I still like it.

I got a bottle of Wynter Wakeneth in a swap yesterday, the oil is separated into two layers. The bottom layer is clear as most of my bottles are, the top layer, which is about 3/4 of the oil, looks kind of like it is in frosted glass. If I roll it to try and combine the layers it looks almost bubbly. Is anyone else's like this, have I been sent a dodgy swap or might it come right after letting it rest for a while? I have never had a bottle go like this in more than 10 years of using BPAL so am a little worried

Can anyone suggest a rose scent with pepper in it? Or something similar?

Also give Dana O'shee a try with it, It isn't vanilla, but the sweet softness of it could calm down the sharpness of Heartsong. Plus it's just a great everyday, easy to wear scent.

Oooh, I have an imp of La Petit Mort, I will try it out again tomorrow. I put on some Hemlock Honey today, it has some of the same sort of feeling to it, but again without the fruityness, I will get him to give it a sniff when he gets home. Maybe I need to try some layering.

Mata Hari: I know I have an imp of this somewhere, but I just can't find it. I can't entirely remember how it smells but have really been wanting to wear it again. Is there anything that smells similar?

My favourites chop and change a lot, but currently I keep reaching for these Mysterious Warning Skuld Mad Kate Kali Haloes

I have Door, while I quite like it, I know he doesn't. Something in it goes rather powdery in me, while I usually dislike powdery perfumes I do find Door somewhat comforting. I do know it took me quite a few wears to decide if it was a love or hate for me. Against Idleness and Mischief is one I will have to give a try, it sounds lovely to my tastes and promising to his. Fruits don't seem to be much of a success with me, and Magnolia turns quite heavy on me, so I think Josie wouldn't be good, but then again ylang ylang can be quite heady too, so I think I may give it a try, the reviews sound like it could go either way. I don't like my chances of getting hold of Honeyed Apples, and as said before, fruits can be iffy, but I will give it a try if I do. Thanks.

Finally, after 12+ years of wearing BPAL, I was standing next to a fan having just applied my BPAL for the day, my husband says "What's that smell? It smells nice, sweet." I had just put on Skuld. Any ideas of what else he may like? I think it was the honey/ylang ylang combo. I couldn't pick up any musk in there, I could smell more honey than ylang ylang, but that's my nose, he may have picked it up differently. I asked what he could smell but he couldn't identify anything in particular, he just liked the sweetness but he's never liked foodie scents on me. He says he thinks he prefers florals but he's not liked any jasmine, tolerates rose but is very meh if I wear any. Violet is all powder on me so I don't go there. He does not like strong perfumes or patchouli, vetever or anything like that. TIA

This is everything I had no idea I needed in a very feminine scent. I find it sweet, a little musky, just enough to ground it a bit and more floral than most scents I like. I don't usually go for florals but I do like ylang ylang. The honey is that from O, it keeps the ylang ylang from being too heady or overpowering. I get no labdanum at all, which for me is a good thing. To begin with it has a burst of throw but then settles in nice and close as a wonderful second skin. It loves me as I love it. I applied about 5 hrs ago, I can smell it well on my clothes but I do have to snurfle in close to smell it on my wrist now, however when I put some on last night I could still smell it in the morning, it may well have washed off more than I thought when I did some dishes.

Hey, could anyone compare Velvet and Gelt for me? Similarities, differences? Also, where would Boomslang vary from these? Thanks

Door confounds me. It smells like a clean floral powdery smell with a light musk, but I like it, I don't like powdery smells. Not at all. So I don't know why I want to wear it, and I keep reaching for it, so the only conclusion I can come to is that I like it. I am guessing it is the honey that is going powdery, and if I don't moisturise directly before applying then I can sometimes get that plastic note others have commented on, but moisturising will stop that for me I have found, so may be worth trying if you get the plastic note. Door, you are taking me out of my perfume comfort zone, I thank you for it though, it is not good to typecast oneself as BPAL is good for surprises.

Liz may well be my holy grail of BPAL. It is soft with an inner strength and stamina, feminine but with an edge of someone who has been through a lot in her life and is not unaware of how hard life can be. I get the feeling (as someone who has not read the story or seen the movie) that Liz is world wise, she has grown to have an inner strength, this girl is really strong, but she hasn't given up hope that she can have a happy ending and she will fight for it. The scent itself is musky, but I don't think there is musk in it. There are flowers, but I wouldn't call it a floral scent, Liz is no girlie girl, the vanilla is there, but it isn't taking the lead role which is unusual for me, the smoke too is there but it's not like sitting around a campfire, more like the wafts of a full candlabra just blown out, the leather is supportive of everything else, like some well fitting, well worn and well cared for boots. Everything in this is playing so well together, it has melded perfectly into a beautiful long lasting scent that I adore. Beth if this is ever discontinued please give me good warning, I need to buy enough to last me the rest of my life. Now I'm going to go get me some Hellboy to read, I need to know more about Liz.

Wow, this is lovely. In the first five minutes I didn't know what ti think, it started off pretty sharp, went through numerous morphs, then settled down. For a few hours it smelled similar to Velvet even down to smelling some chocolate in it somehow, maybe he licked a few drips from Coraline's Other Hot Chocolate (which I will be trying after I shower tonight), but a bit more woodsy and sweet, then slowly more honey came out, this smells like a different honey to the one which tends towards powdery plastic on me. It really is lovely, I can see it becoming one I will wear a lot this Autumn. It is keeping true with my theory that all cat related scents of Beth's smell wonderful on me.

I was digging through my imp box today and came across an imp of this which looked like it had had no more than one use out of it, the oil level was easily above the label. I am pretty sure I ordered this when it first came out, at the very least it is a minimum of 5 years old. It has aged beautifully, so wonderful. There is no green-ness to it, it is a warm, dusky scent, sweet but not too much. I really can't pick any one ingredient standing out, it has melded completely. At a push to describe it I would say a handful of sun warmed soil sitting on a wooden board dusted with cocoa and vanilla sugar and a drip of ripe fig juice, but smelling it from a distance, although it's not hugely soft, it has a bit of throw. And I love it. It even got a positive response (upon inquiry) from my husband "It's alright." counts as glowing praise from him. He generally has little if anything to say, and extremely rarely is it of a positive nature. I am ordering a bottle of this, but it would appear I will need to tuck it away for a while.

What have you tried which didn't work? Some simple ones, which to my nose tend to haveone or two standout notes, I would suggest are Dana O'Shee Velvet Sudha Segara Morocco TKO (only if you need a nap!) Dragon's Milk Apologies if any of these are discontinued, I haven't been around for a few years, so these are all older blends.

Gosh, I am so out of the loop with BPAL, I've been on a forced hiatus from it for a good few years now (gosh darn children) but from your list I would suggest Tombstone, it's got the same warm rugged feel that Kubla Khan has, or if you can get hold of it then The Wild men of Jezirat al Tennyn. White Rabbit didn't work with me, but maybe try Dorian, I remember a similar feel to them. Jolly Roger, hmm, maybe to keep in the vein of pirates, Calico Jack or Anne Bonny. I am afraid I haven't come across The Death-horse or Light and Swift before, so can't suggest what might be similar. My enduring top five are (It is so hard to pick just five) Haunted Kuang Shi Velvet Snow White Sudha Segara

Give Tombstone a whirl, it's a beautiful smoky vanilla. Does anyone have suggestions for Womanity or Bonbon? Womanity is a sweet savoury mix, with the only notes I have been aboe to find being fig and caviar. On me it's a light, slightly crisp, but not tart, a little sweet, but not overly so and a little wood. Anyway, I found it's been discontinued 6 months ago, and I have always dithered about buying a bottle. So I figure Beth could probably do it better anyway, so anyone any ideas? Bonbon has the following description The key note is caramel, surrounded by aromas of mandarin, orange and peach at the top; flowers of orange blossom and jasmine in the heart; and cedar, guaiac wood, sandalwood and amber in the base. I think on me a smell a little vanilla in it and I don't think I get much if any peach, but the orange, woody caramel is there in spades and is backed by the jasmine, but it's soft jasmine, not a bold one.

Definitely not Dana or Dragons milk, I have both of them. Its not as bold as Dragons milk and there is no dragons blood. It's not milky or grainy like Dana but it does have a bit of the same sweetness. Pretty certain it's not Daya, as much as I would love to, I've never been to a will call and I've not been able to buy much in the last 4 years. I had another look at what's left of the label and it's one that has the old phoenix logo on it, there is the tip of a wing left on the imp. I'm not sure when they changed the logo but it must be something that was available before that.

Yes, it is a lab imp, not a decant. Is not sounding like either of those, I have a bottle of Diwali and definitely not that, and it's a very smooth creamy scent, no lemon at all, so not the Dodo. Shelly - haha, yes, it does sound like Eat me could have been a candidate. Right now I am really missing my spreadsheet that got lost when my old computer died a few years ago.

I have come across an imp in a tin I haven't opened for quite some time now. It has lost most of its label, all except the part that it stuck on the glass. It has most of a D on it but that is all. It smells wonderful, kind of like a berryish version of Tamora, it has the same creamy goodness that I get from the amber and vanilla bean but like it has been mixed with crushed currants and raspberries or something like that. I know it is at least two years old and maybe anywhere up to 6 years old but I think about 4 years old. I can list many I know it is not (Dee, Doormouse, Dracul, Dorian etc), but am not sure what it is. I am starting to worry it has been discontinued as I have looked through the catalogue and can't find any likely candidates, but I really like it and I may well want a bottle. Help me please! Edited to add: It is a pale yellow colour and is a lab imp, not a decant.