sunshinedaisybliss

I need to preface this with a full disclosure: I am a big fan of coconut – in particular; the dark, meaty and gnarly black coconut (think Red Lantern, Snake Charmer, Death Adder or Body, Remember). So when a dear friend sent me a decant of this precious old treasure, I was very excited! I definitely agree this is more of a coconut oil smell than actual fresh coconut meat. It’s not really sweet, and it definitely has more depth than some suntan lotion or Malibu cocktail type coconut, but for me it’s just a wee bit too foodie. It also sways a little into the dreaded plastic-smelling zone initially on my skin, although that does go away after about 30 minutes and it dries down to a nice warm coconut but still retains that same coconut oil feel.

Oooh boy, this is some wild coffee! It’s not the coffee you sip demurely on your porch in the morning and enjoy the feeling of it slowly warming your veins as it whispers softly, gently waking you up… oh no. This is the coffee you drink when you get home at 6am after a debaucherous night of unmentionable naughtiness and realise you have to be at work in two hours. It smacks you in the face and says WAKE UP MOTHERFUCKER! And the funnel cakes thing? Yeah, that is equally wild. These are not the sweet funnel cakes from the church’s bake sale at the local county fair – nope, these are the funnel cakes from the devil’s bakery. Feisty, ferocious cinnamon filled cakes of spicy red hot fire – like Satan himself just ate six of them then burped in your face. It’s delicious, deep, and intoxicating. It’s the dark and evil twin sister to Midway’s cotton candy carnival prettiness. Had this been available at the time, all those people on Elm St could have avoided being killed by Freddy Krueger, because there ain’t no way they would have fallen asleep.

This is like being a kid and putting your favourite snuggly soft hoodie on when it’s fresh from the wash, and as you pull it down over your face you think “oh mmmm.. Mum’s using that lavender fabric softener again!” Except it doesn’t smell like laundry liquid – it just has a lovely soft lavender that feels like a hug.. not sweet, not herb-y, just right. I definitely get the cotton reference, but in the way it feels rather than how it smells. I can’t really say I’m picking up the “books” part, but it does have a certain dryness to it. Overall, it’s soft and comforting and I really liked it for about ten minutes.. but unfortunately the lavender fades very quickly on my skin and I’m left with just a “clean” smell, so this isn’t something I personally would reach for.

Starts off unexpectedly nutty, like opening a bag of warm roasted hazelnuts. But then it turns into a glorious earthy fig with a beautiful dusty vanilla dancing on top. I wouldn’t say this is “foody”, nor is it particularly sweet – it’s like the fig and the vanilla bean have agreed to merge together perfectly so that neither really stands out, but you know they’re both there. Lovely.

My Country perfectly captures the scent of my beautiful country, Australia. It’s the smell of sitting on the beach and soaking in the last warmth of a summer’s day, watching the sun set over the sparkling ocean as the sky turns the most beautiful pinks and oranges you have ever seen, and a gentle breeze passes across your face – carrying with it the salty, musky breath of the sea.

Wow. This really is… shadow-y! It’s like walking into a room where someone was wearing a beautiful perfume – the person is long gone, but their scent lingers. And you want to go find this mysterious person, because you simply must know what they were wearing, but you know it’s too late so instead you just stand in the room and enjoy the moment. Soft, dusty plum with a hint of vanilla cream plays perfectly with the rich cognac and tobacco leaf. I’m not really picking up the patchouli individually, but I suspect that’s contributing to the warm dusky base of this one. The oponopax adds a lovely gentle smokiness. This is absolutely one of BPAL’s nostalgic Lace blends, and it’s hauntingly beautiful – I have to agree with the eloquent review by @VioletChaos – for me it brings to mind an elegant lady’s sitting room full of rich velvet chaise lounges and Venetian mirrors, with a soft light coming in through the windows.

Some suggestions for you (and seconding some already mentioned!) Veil: Soft and pretty (White sandalwood, lilac, gardenia, violet, orris, lavender and ylang ylang). Side note – I wouldn’t say Veil is woody at all – the sandalwood gives it a beautiful dusky softness but isn’t a “wood” smell. Le Serpent qui Danse: A sweet violet with lovely vanilla softness (Violet entwined with vanilla and gardenia). Nocturne: Deepest violet touched with lilac and tuberose. Les Fleurs du Mal: The rose in this is gorgeous together with the lilac and wisteria (A rose base, softened with lilac and wisteria). Marie: A blend of sinuous violet and elegant tea rose. Faith, from the Carnaval Diabolique collection, (sugared violets) is lovely but not available in imp form – you could probably find a decant of it here on the forum though. The Lilac Wood, from The Last Unicorn collection – also not available in imp form, but you could probably find a decant. Elf: Pale golden musk, honeycomb, amber, parma violet, hawthorne bark, aspen leaf, forest lily, life everlasting, white moss, and a hint of wild berry. You can also use the search on blackphoenixalchemylab.com to find specific notes – it will bring up *everything* containing the word, including things that are no longer available, so you have to do a bit of scrolling to get through the search results but it’s a good way to find things 🙂

I’m sure you’re going to find many lovely things to add to your ’makes me happy’ list, there’s so many to choose from! Since you’re new-ish to BPAL, I would recommend sticking to the ones with less notes at first, so that it’s easier to identify what you like / love (and don’t like so much!). Some suggestions for you, from the General Catalogue so available as imps: - Seconding Aunt Caroline’s Joy Mojo – it’s a good one - Mouse’s Sad and Long Tale, gorgeous sweet pea + vanilla - Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat - High Strung Daisies (like a perfect sunny day) - Fae - Schrodinger’s Cat - Twenty One - Katharina - Tamora - Titania And if you want to look at bottles, check out the Fraggle Rock collection – I think you would like Wembley and Gobo 🙂 https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/fraggle-rock/ Edited to mention that you’ll find people selling imps at very fair prices in the For Sale section of the forum 💛

There’s been so many vulvas over the years – a triumphant one, a glowing one, an ivory one. We have also been treated to a burning vulva, and a giant vulva. There’s even been a medley of vulvas. And so many more! I think it’s fair to say that BPAL’s vulvas are legendary. But now we have a convivial vulva, and I must say… she’s a pretty one. Sweet, soft, and very pink – yes it’s giving sweet and innocent, ok “girly” even, but it’s also quite seductive and mysterious – it’s like “oh, you smell nice” but then OHHHHHH, you smell NIIIIIIIIIICE”. The cherry blossom is creamy soft and beautiful, and the marshmallow is cloudy and fluffy (cute though that it’s blushing – I mean.. it’s in a vulva, and I bet it didn’t have that on its 2025 bingo card). I love the tangy hit of strawberry, which balances out the sweetness very nicely, and the amber is perfectly dusky. This is equally appropriate to wear with your pretty pink sundress if you’re going to the park to play with fluffy kittens, or to wear with your black leathers if you’re going to your local alleyway to fight ninjas. It’s something you could wear any day, anywhere, because it’s just a really nice way to smell.

Many of you may remember that in the early 80s, Robert Smith took a break from being the frontman of The Cure and played for a year or so on tour with Siouxsie And The Banshees. He and Siouxsie were old mates, their bands having toured together previously. Returning from their travels in 1983, both Robert and Siouxsie found themselves seeking more fulfilment in life — something more fun, and less pressure than being on stage every night. They decided to buy an icecream van, thinking it would be lovely to travel around England making kiddies happy. Taking inspiration from the very popular Mr Whippy brand, they named their van Mr Gothy and off they went! In only a few short months, Mr Gothy became well known throughout the villages of England for its sweet treats — including the most popular of all; the neopolitan icecream cone with its creamy layers of sweet vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. However... as hard as they tried, Robert and Siouxsie were unable to embrace the sweetness and pinkness of the whole icecream van ethos and it wasn't long before people started complaining that their appearance and their habit of chain smoking clove cigarettes were upsetting the kiddies. One complaint sent in to a local council said the icecream had a weird smoky smell and "the people in the van look scary". Sadly, it wasn't long before the children who used to scream with joy whenever they heard the Mr Gothy van coming up the street would hide and refuse to go outside, crying their little eyes out and peeking fearfully through the curtains until the van was out of sight. Robert and Siouxsie would drive around for hours trying to attract business, but it was clear that their best days were behind them and eventually Mr Gothy closed its window for good — Robert returned to The Cure, and Siouxsie went back to being a banshee. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 1997, Robert was asked if — given his inability to give up the wild hair, lipstick, eyeliner and chain smoking — he felt responsible for the failure of Mr Gothy and the fear and sadness he caused thousands of kiddies across England. He responded "No, in fact it inspired me to write 'Friday I'm In Love' because weekends were the best of times in the Mr Gothy van.". Now here we are in 2025, and I'm so happy that BPAL has released this lovely tribute to Mr Gothy! It has all the classic flavours of neopolitan icecream, mixed with a warm smoky clove — exactly how the inside of the van used to smell after a few days on the road. But without the crying children. PS if you don't believe me, here's a rare photo from the good old days of Mr Gothy.

For me, this started out with a strong juicy dark and zingy grapefruit blast with a slightly rich and sticky vibe – something kinda like a brown sugar toffee but not sweet – like the one grapefruit to rule them all, the best grapefruit you have ever smelled. Then the marshmallow steps in, and now the grapefruit has gone from juicy and dark to sweet and soft – it mellowed out the citrus zing almost immediately. I don’t think this is a vanilla-forward type of marshmallow, and it’s not the uber sweet type of marshmallow either – it’s more soft and squishy, like a pile of marshmallows that were left out on a hot day and they’re all melted… warm and gooey. I enjoyed the first ten minutes of this when the grapefruit was rich and juicy and the marshmallow was doing its thing, but it all faded very quickly and I was left with only a faint hint of both. It’s like I just used a citrus-y handwash... the scent is there, but only just. So unfortunately I can’t rate this one too highly – yes it’s nice, but it just doesn’t knock my socks off. And within half an hour, I can barely smell it on my skin even if I get my nose right up close in the exact spot where the oil was applied.

You’re so very welcome! There’s been so many fantastic ones over the years, it’s hard to pick just a few! The wild strawberries one is gorgeous, sorry for recommending htf things but the BPAL universe will never let you down, they will find you 🙂 The other option is to get hold of the BPAL patchouli single notes – to me, the Sumatran Red Patchouli SN is warm and rich and snuggly, and the East African Black Patchouli SN is more punchy and sharp – and layer them with your favourite fruity or sweet BPALs. A combo that I particularly love is the Red Patchouli SN + Tamora… it creates a gorgeous sweet peachy patch!

Oh there’s been some good ones over the years!! You’ll need to hunt these down since they’re no longer available, but here’s some that I would recommend – Wild Strawberries and Patchouli https://www.bpal.org/topic/101089-pink-moon-wild-strawberries-and-patchouli/ Mandarin, Black Vanilla and Patchouli https://www.bpal.org/topic/100253-mandarin-black-vanilla-and-patchouli/ Feed Me and Fill Me With Pleasure (black patchouli, honey, and thick vanilla amber) https://www.bpal.org/topic/80012-feed-me-and-fill-me-with-pleasure/?do=findComment&comment=2288133 Tricksy (patchouli, aquilaria aguillocha, and Manuka honey) https://www.bpal.org/topic/81866-tricksy/ And if you haven’t tried it already – Goblin from the GC (black coconut, gnarly patchouli, and sweet benzoin) is a gorgeous sweet patch 🙂 You might also enjoy some of the Snake Pit collection, like Asp Viper (Snake Oil with King mandarin, myrrh, and almond); Coral Snake (Snake Oil with blood orange, blood apple, lemon peel, plumeria, and red gardenia); the beautiful Cottonmouth (Snake Oil with blood orange, blood apple, lemon peel, plumeria, and red gardenia); and of course Boomslang (Snake Oil with cocoa, teakwood, and rice milk).

Hmm. I’m really not sure what to make of this one… I am not typically attracted to “dirt” or “mud” type notes, nor do most things “alcohol” – particularly any ‘white’ alcohol notes such as gin – work for me, but I do love a rich vanilla so I was intrigued enough to give this one a chance. But right at the start, I got a strong blast of the ethanol – sharp, alcoholic, bitter – and although it did mellow out after about ten minutes, a haze of alcohol remained and it kind of smells like a very cheap after shave. I can smell the mud, and it’s not really “dirty” as such.. it’s quite dry and soft but I can’t honestly say that I particularly like it. The alcohol + mud together reminds me of vodka breath. And the vanilla? Well.. these “masticated vanilla pods” have been masticated to the point of being almost vanilla-less – I was really hoping for that authentic heady vanilla that you get from a pod but nope, on me it’s a soft / sheer and rather generic sweet vanilla. I see previous reviewers have had a more positive experience with this one, so I think for me it’s just a skin chemistry fail because of the alcohol (ethanol) situation, which never really plays nice for me.

This started out as very fresh aquatic and soapy greenish floral on me – a slight sweetness, but not the pink bubblegum sweetness of the lotus flower – definitely more green/ plant-like. As it dried down, the soapiness faded a little and more sweetness came through but the aquatic vibe remained. No amber yet. Half an hour in, and the amber is now there but it’s a glow-y type rather than a dusky one and it’s not really a main player. The lotus root still has some sweetness, but it’s no longer a floral sweetness.. it’s a little more earthy. Still smells aquatic and soapy. I’m not sure what I was expecting from this one – I guess I had a softly sweet amber in mind? But overall this is just kind of unremarkable on me – it smells like I’ve used a hand wash named something like “Floral Springs”. Or just used a roll-on deodorant that claims to smell “fresh”.