PlasticBlue

I'm having a similar problem. I've emailed the lab three times now, from two different email addresses, about a bottle missing from an order that I placed back in March. No response so far, which is very unusual in my experience. Now, there would be no point in mailing the missing bottle out right now, given my location, but I am surprised that my emails so far have gotten no acknowlegement whatsoever.

Ditto here. Same order date, no CnS or anything else so far. I figure I'll wait another week or so before emailing, though.

It's pancake breakfast season around these here parts (I've been eating them all week), so what better time to review Pancake Breakfast? This was a gift from the lovely Puddin! Thank you Puddin! In the bottle: Pure, buttery-flavour pancake syrup à la Mrs. Butterworths et al. Just like they serve at real pancake breakfasts! On, fresh: Very cake-y. Not *exactly* pancake smell, at least to my nose, but definitely a sweet grain cake smell. There's also an undertone of something watery, but I can't quite put my finger on it. My mother says it smells like cinnamon. The cats lick their lips in appreciation but make no attempt to nom my wrist. Just as well, I suppose. After a while: It takes over an hour, but the boysenberries finally make an appearance. Verdict: Very sweet and hunger-inducing. There are several more pancake breakfasts over the next week I can wear this to, although I fear I'll be sick of pancakes and their smell by the end of it all - a little of this goes a long way. Just consider me grateful the Post left out the smell of the accompanying sausages!

In the bottle: Sweet, strawberry candy. As I said in my Velvet Unicorn review, I strawberry, although this one has just a little bit of a kick to it. On, fresh: WHOA HELLO JUNIPER. Seriously, it's like I've stuck my face into the juniper bush in our front yard, only without the painful scratches and bleeding that would result were I actually to do that. There is, however, a faint undertone of strawberry sweetness. The cats sniff curiously once or twice, then walk away. After fifteen minutes: Woo, this has really picked up! It's lively, sweet, refreshing, effervescent... No, this isn't a soft drink commercial, but... well, you know how they're making flavoured liquors now? This is like they took some strawberry flavoured gin, mixed it with club soda, and served it to you over ice in a tall, sugar-rimmed glass. Effervescent carbonated goodness bubbling up my nose... After an hour: Still going strong, although the juniper has stepped back a little and allowed the strawberry sugar part to take over the lead. Verdict: Since they aren't making strawberry flavoured gin yet (I've only seen orange so far), I'll have to settle for a drink made with my beloved Stoli Strasberi instead, as this scent has made me thirsty for the aforementioned beverage. Look, it purrs and twirls around my ankles! I love, love, :love!: this bright, lively kitty cat.

In the bottle: Candy candy candy. Sweet strawberry hard candies. I strawberry. My mouth, she is a-watering. On, fresh: Mostly strawberry hard candies, with hints of marshmallow fluff, cotton candy, a touch of lemon meringue (Huh? Lemon? Where did that come from?) and an undertone of powdered sugar. Comparing this to my other candy scent, Candy Phoenix, I prefer this one so far, although that could be because I generally prefer strawberry flavour to blackcurrant in my candies. The cats, after a curious sniff or two, appear unimpressed, although one must have gotten some on her fur when she jumped on my lap, as she promptly jumped off again and has been compulsively sniffing and licking at one spot ever since. Is that good or bad? After fifteen minutes: It's fading fast. I have to press my nose right to my wrist to get anything. After an hour: Hey, where did my unicorn go? It's as if he's galloped off into the distance, leaving behind only a dust cloud of powdered sugar and maybe a marshmallow poop dropping or two. Verdict: Maybe the stories about unicorns only wanting to hang out with pure-hearted virgins are true, as mine appears to have buggered off at the first opportunity. Still, it was delicious for the all-too-brief time it lasted.

CVII In the bottle: I can smell something cologney that must be the fougère mixed with something sweet, but it's all very faint. On, wet: The cologne smell is the strongest right now. I can smell what I think is bergamot? Quite nice, really. My mother agrees in her typically loquacious manner. The cats run away. After 10 minutes: The lavender is coming out and dominating the scent. After 1 hour: It's quite sweet now, with the sugary tea scent dominating. Most of the fougère has faded. Verdict: If I didn't know better, I'd swear this was straight Dorian with no additives. Fortunately, I only have Dorian in imp form, so it's nice to have a bottle of more-or-less Dorian to dip into! Me likey very much.

XXXIV In the bottle: wet greenery. No O in sight. On wet: Wet, rotting greenery with massive throw. Still no sign of O. My mom's reaction is "Bleargh! Smells like pine trees, and not the good pine trees!" She says the smell is making her sick. Oddly, the cats don't seem to mind it. After 10 minutes: No change. After 1 hour: No change. After 3 hours: Ah, there's the O at last. My mom agrees that now it smells nice, but really, taking 3 hours to get there? Verdict: It's funny, usually I like greens and aquatics, but something here just didn't like me at all, which is a shame as I really like O. What a disappointment! Let's hope I have more luck with my next dip into the O well...

A conversation between me and my mother: ME: What does this smell like to you? *offers wrist* HER: *sniffs* Hmm... fruity. ME: Fruity?! You're kidding! What kind of fruity? HER: I don't know, it smells kind of familiar, but I can't place it. ME: Familiar, like maybe... coconut? Or vanilla? HER: Yeah, that's it, coconut vanilla. ME: Weird, because all I smell is Play-Doh! HER: Play-Doh? ME: Yep. Salty Play-Doh. HER: What's wrong with your nose? Conclusion: I think I need a few more opinions before I decide whether to keep this or not. Perhaps some ageing will help?

Maybe it's because I really needed a soak after shovelling off the walk two days in a row... but... :D Sweet in the bottle, in the bath and as an after-bath moisturiser it becomes a lovely grassy resiny scent. Mostly sage and sweetgrass, I think. Which is fine, as I like sage and sweetgrass. It's not overly greasy on my oh-so-dry winter skin, either, which is a big plus. My bathrobe smells pretty now, so I think I'm going to wear it all day.

Wow! You guys did a lot of work! Thanks so much for the recommendations! I have some of these in imp form, so I'll check them out!

Aaand... guess what shows up the day after I post... I'm glad I didn't write the lab. Thanks so much for your help, though, guys!

I need some advice. I placed an order with the Trading Post on Oct. 16. It's been over a month, and nothing yet. I have a CnS that -may- be for my package sent on Nov. 19, but the tracking info I got back worries me, as I'm not sure what it means. It reads as follows: Am I panicking too soon? Should I email the Trading Post and ask about my order? I don't want to bug them without good cause to do so.

In the bottle: Whoa. Sharp stabby bitter needles in my nose. Not very promising. Freshly applied: Phew, that's better. It still smells very strong, but now I'm getting a dry wood and smoke vibe to it, and it's actually rather pleasant. Dry: Oh, wow. For something that scared me straight out of the bottle, this has morphed beautifully. I'm getting a warm, incense smell mixed in with the wood now. I'm really enjoying this. After an hour: Still lovely, and now the florals are coming out to play. This really does have an autumn vibe to it, not so much the outdoor type, but more like coming indoors after raking the leaves one last time and relaxing on the sofa, with a vase of seasonal flowers and woodsy potpourri on the nearby coffee table. Several hours later: Here comes the baby powder. I don't dislike it, but so many BPAL scents seem to finish as baby powder on me, and this is no exception. Verdict: Despite the powdery finish, this is a warm, beautiful scent, and oddly calming. I'm very glad I got a bottle. Edited to add: I'm wondering if my nose is broken, because both my mom and my SIL gave this a thumbs down, citing the baby powder smell. I'll let the bottle age some and see if anything changes.

Hello! Please help this relative newbie? I'm looking for BPAL equivalents to my two favourite perfumes from my childhood, both of which I'm pretty sure have been discontinued, as I haven't been able to find them anywhere for years. The first is Emeraude. This one suited me very well even as a youngster, and I got plenty of compliments on it. The second is Xia Xiang. I remember it as being something of a floriental, which is one of my favourite types of scent. Any help from someone who remembers these scents would be greatly appreciated!

Swarthy and vibrant! An elegant, full-bodied scent that ignites all the darkest passions. Bold red wine, mimosa, and a trickle of clove. In the imp: Sugary fruity sweetness, with a bit of spice underneath. I'm not getting any wine, funnily enough. To me, it doesn't quite smell like grape soda or cherry cough syrup, just heavily sugared red fruit. Freshly applied: CLOVECLOVECLOVE! Evidently I amp spices. Dry: The clove has calmed down, but it's still the strongest note. Now I can smell fruit wine, but of the low alcohol or de-alcoholized variety. It doesn't smell anything like the dry red I'm imbibing for comparison This doesn't remind me of Spain or Madrid very much... to me it smells more like a Christmas scent. After an hour: There's a definite dryness to it now, and I'm getting the faintest floral undertone. My mother gives her usual loquacious review of "nice." When pressed for details, she says "baby powder, with maybe something else?" Huh? I'm not getting any baby powder! Several hours later: Okay, NOW I'm getting the baby powder. It's not a bad baby powder smell, though, but one that's actually rather pleasant. This scent really has some staying power. Verdict: I like it, and will keep my imp. This would be especially good around the winter holidays, as it has that spicy/fruity smell that suits that time of year to my mind.