MCS4096

In the Bottle: Resins and cypress.. moist woody and herbal. The floral aspect is very very light. Wet: Starting to smell the narcissus more, it becomes much more floral and resiny-- the cypress dies down. Dry: Definitely has a masculine, herbal scent up close, but the throw is mostly peppery floral with a little green edge on me. Hm.. is ok, but not real high on my list of bottles to get. ETA: I take it back! This is turning into an amazing spicy floral.. no moist wood to be found! I'll have try it a few more times, but I really like it

In the frimp: Lavender mostly. A little rose or orchid. and a dash of frankincense. I love lavender, but as a perfume, I find it a little too astringent. We'll see.. Wet: The lavender fades away some, and it becomes balanced.. now I can smell the rose and orchid (which is lovely) better. The warmth of the frankincense is in a tug of war with the coldness of the lavender. Dry: Very fresh and nice.. smells like a gorgeous moisturizing cream. Clean florals balanced perfectly with that distinct lavender note. The frankincense and musk just tie it together, adding a creamy base. Overall: Very pleasantly surprised! I tend to prefer heavier, resinous sents (even year round), but I might like this on an especially hot day. I might buy an imp, to give it a proper test before I'd consider a bottle.. this is a light one, and I imagine to get some throw would take a lot of oil.

In the imp: MMMMmmm yes, peaches. A very slight resin scent as well, in the very background. Like the scent of the whole peach tree. Wet: The peaches back way off and the musk is coming forward Dry: The amber lends a vanilla note, and this is the perfume version of peaches and cream.. not straight foodie, but still perhaps a little too foodie for me. Smells amazing and yummy though! I never would have thought musk and peach would be deliscious

In the imp: Gardenia! Grounded with the vetiver and leather.. This gives the gardenia a dirty/sweaty vibe. The cinnamon is ever so slight. Unisex at this point.. we'll see if that lasts. Wet: The rose and leather are coming out. Actually, I think I can distinguish all the flowers. Dry: Pretty much same as wet. Not as dirty as in the imp, in fact more feminine on me now I think.. although the vetiver does give it a little cologne edge. I think this is pretty nice! I'll have to give it the slather test, but on my skin this is straight strong florals, dirtied up ever so slightly. No cinnamon that I can tell. A surprise hit.

In the Bottle: VERY bitter, but sweetness lurks beneath the surface. To me this is not a dry autumnal scent, but a wet one. This is crawling through the undergrowth, the spicy bitter scent of decaying leaves and the green floral of crushed weeds. I get no smoky aspects. Wet: The florals and spice immediately come forward and the bitterness dissipates some. The musk is finally visible. Dry: This goes completely floral drier sheets on me. Nothing left but drier sheets, which I actually find kinda nice and clean smelling.. but completely opposite of the initial vibe. Overall: Short wear time, as others mentioned. And I was hoping for more of a dry/smoky feeling, which is what fall smells like to me.. so I'm a little disappointed. But still glad I got to try this one as it's one of the more interesting things I've had the pleasure of smelling.

Got this as a frimp in my first order.. upon opening to give a first sniff test I thought PEW! and immediately sorted it into the "no thanks" group. But I'm a good sport, and plan to give it a go. In the imp: PEW! Mostly lilies, peonies and woods, although I also get the musk (in the form of a standard "perfume" aspect) and the mandarin. Makes my nose tingle a bit. Wet: More of the same. This smells very familiar, though I can't quite place it. Dry: Very very perfumey. I do like the woods in there under the florals, but it makes me feel like sneezing (while I unfortunately don't consciously smell the pepper, maybe thats what's doing it). I do like this actually, it's mellowed quite a bit, but I'm still not sure it's interesting enough for my tastes. I'll upgrade it to the "maybe" group

In the imp: Hello cedar! Pretty much all I smell at this point. Wet: Still cedar, but a little smokier. I may have to wait awhile for the incense to kick in. My father is a carpenter (lol.. not starting in on a Jesus thing here, my actual father is a carpenter) and he loves working with cedar, so we always had it around when I was little, and that's more what I'm thinking about than of a church. Dry: Wow.. SO cedary. As time goes by some smokiness comes out, but I don't get much in the way of resins here. Still very nice, I'll think about a bottle

2008 blend In the Bottle: Incense (duh) and a fruitiness actually, like apple maybe. Wet: Pretty much the same.. sweet incense with cedar. I'm still thinking apples It makes kind of a wine note.. so I'm thinking wooden pews in a dark church, the taste of sacramental wine on my lips. I don't get anything smoke like here. Dry: Like others have said, this is a pretty straightforward scent, it doesnt change much over time for me. It's not very complex, but as a newbie BPALer and incense fan, I'm glad to add this blend to my collection.

VERY excited about this one! I love the steampunk aesthetic and this is the one of the bunch that jumped out at me most.. plus the reviews paint it in a very good light! In the bottle: I smell the sage strongest actually, maybe because it's so identifiable to me. I can smell the beeswax as well. Overall what I'm reminded of is this paint thinner my grandma uses in her painting, but it's in a good way. Lemons, sage and oily resins. Wet: Really herbal and medicinal. Like trampling through an overgrown kitchen garden... on the way to the machine shop out back perhaps? Dry:haha, I can tell how people smell Coke from this I think it's lemon combining with the resins.. it has an effervescent quality. Mmmm the beeswax is warming up. The herbs drop back some and I'm getting the wood aspect now. I'm imagining someone building a.. contraption, out of wood and metal, carving and sawing it so it's hot, and the wood and metal are being rubbed and shined with beeswax. This is amazing! It smells very different than in the bottle. Overall: It's not entirely evocative of the concept on my skin.. it's lacking a certain dirty grease note. I imagined the scent of the engine would be there too, but this is as if you are moving along its assembly line, examining the contents of the beakers it's filling. But as a perfume for wearing I love it, it's gorgeous Glad I bought a bottle unsniffed!

I got this as a frimp, and I after I sniffed it and loved it I was surprised to read it had coconut in it.. a note I've sworn to avoid, because while I love coconut in candy, I don't want to smell that way Guess the lab fooled me! In the imp: buttercream.. and actually, to me it smells a bit like sandalwood and vanilla as well. Wet: Yep.. that water note is showing up a bit. Still yummy shea buttery goodness though! This truly smells like a "sandalwood and vanilla" oil I have from another company (much much better though! ) Dry: Ok. I smell that coconut now.. Shea butter is still strong. This reminds of a bit of a lovely suntan oil or something, with the butters and coconut. Really delicious... but I still think that coconut is a bit of a deal breaker.

In the Bottle: Chocolate and roses The chocolate aspect must be a combo of the wood and spices. Yes, the more I sniff, the more it's like I have my nose up against a beautiful old carved wooden dresser warmed in the sun. I get a bit of an alcohol component too. And of course those roses.. lovely understated roses. Nice! Wet: The tobacco comes forward, and I'm getting a dried flowers and dried grasses vibe. Theres a slight mint tang here too. Very strong, almost single note of what I guess is copal (although I'm not familiar with it except in principle) Dry: Pretty much dried grasses, roses and spices.. kinda sorry I lost that chocolate and rose thing, that was interesting. But this is really nice. The agave is FINALLY coming forward, tempering that weird minty note I was smelling (and didn't care for). Mmmmm... This is unlike anything I've smelled before. I can't wait to try it slathered all over for maximum effect! I bought this bottle pretty much on a whim, and I'm glad I did, I think this is one of the more exotic scents I've tried that is still wearable, and I'm guessing it will illicit compliments! ETA: Ok, a little while later this becomes even more wonderful! I'm getting a beautiful powder aspect (I luuurv powder) and the sweetest spicy tobacco. Man oh man.. I'm in love!

Super excited about this one! The concept (and passage from the story it's based on) is so awesome! In the bottle: Woooow I personally am not well versed enough to distinguish each floral note here, but it is a beautiful cool floral, only very slightly green. Pretty much straight up floral. Wet: The ivy comes out some I think, something is giving it a bit of a soapy tinge. Hemlock is coming forward.. hmm.. a little "cleaning product-ish" at the moment uh oh.. it made me sneeze. Dry: The ivy and hemlock are only discernible when sniffing up close.. The throw is all beautiful florals. I think it's a bit "cleaner" smelling than I would have liked. I would have liked a bit more swampiness in the background to give it a little creepy edge. This to me is a very pretty, mature scent. And I do love night blooming flowers. Over time it turns a little "drier sheet" and generic.. bummer.

I'm a bit nervous to do this one, because I'm totally in love with the concept (the whole Sleepy Hollow series actually). Anyone interested in hearing the story read should check this out, by the way. I'm afraid of the possibility of being disappointed because I want to like this scent so much! Here goes: In the bottle: The black pepper is most predominant, with a kinda sour undertone that I think is the combo of cream and honey. Only the slightest whiff of florals at this point. It's strange.. these notes combine to smell a little like peppermint candy to me. Little stinky/funky Wet: Woah the floral comes out fast! Oh my... I smell lilies, beeswax and that amazing hit of black pepper tickling my nose Dry: This dried fast on me, so essentially the same as above. All sourness is gone (thank god) and this is a creamy, peppery floral. Really delightful, although not as complex as I imagined it might be on my skin. I'm searching for the wool.. but not really finding it at this time. Smells completely different on than in the bottle! Wow, I'm glad I went ahead and bought a bottle of this to try! I think it's going to require multiple uses to try and pin down all the notes (maybe in the oil burner), but it's wonderfully wearable on me! Yay! ETA: I tried slathering this the other day, and the first hour or so of wear was a little difficult to get through-- that sour note is reeeally strong at first. It made me a little nauseated After that it was lovely, but I'm not sure Ichabod is meant to be slathered.

Thick, sugared and bloated with sweetness. Dark chocolate, vanilla, buttercream, and hops with pralines, hazelnut, toffee and caramel. When I opened my BPAL package, with nine 5mL bottles and 18 frimps in it.. I smelled delicious chocolate. I sat down to sniff all my little frimp beauties.. wondering when I'd discover the source. I love smelling sweet foody smells, but for some reason I generally don't think a grown person (or me at least) should smell like that, unless they work in a sweet shop In the Imp: Holy smokes! I can pretty much discern every note listed in the description, and it is AMAZING. If it reminds me of one food in particular, it's these chocolate drizzled cinnamon sugar-candied pralines I make around Christmas. Wet: More of the same, but the chocolate, cinnamon and liqueur aspects are amping. It's kinda burning the roof of my mouth when I sniff it haha Drydown: This fades sooo quick. It turns into spicy hazelnut dirt (as someone above said) and is actually quite nasty on my skin within about 30 min. Overall: For me this did NOT retain it's complexity on my skin.. and it just completely vanished. I might actually buy a 5 mL bottle to keep and sniff, or try as a room scent, because it is sooo yummy wet. This is something I NEVER would have ordered for myself.. if I hadn't received it as a frimp I would have been spared the heartache!

A fiery Martial blend that embodies primal rage, lust for conquest, and all-encompassing desire. Dragon’s blood essence, heavy red musk, Indonesian patchouli and swarthy vetiver with a drop of cinnamon. This is my first experience with Dragon's blood.. some I'm actually not sure which part of what I'm smelling is it.. In the Imp: Red dirt (fitting for a Dragon's blood blend)... I smell strong patchouli and vetiver with slight cinnamon. Little bit of musk too. I'm getting a bit of a boozy feeling from it. Frankly it's making me sick to my stomach to sniff it too closely I'm a bit afraid to put it on my skin. Wet: Cinnamon comes forward some, sweetening things in addition to adding spice. Getting mostly patchouli.. but a slight resin note I guess is the Dragon's blood. Dry: Patchouli and cinnamon with a touch of vetiver. Sweet mother of God this totally stinks Not sure I can find a use for this one. I might have to put it in the stocking of an unsuspecting victim this XMas

I got this as a frimp, and before I even looked up the notes, I could tell from an imp sniff that it was tea and fruit of some kind, because it smells JUST like a "white tea and current" candle I used to have In the Imp: I smell strong fruity figs with a touch of green grass (which I generally hate, but it really works here) and the bite of tea. Beautiful! Wet: Primarily tea and grass with a subtlety that must be ginger, but still very sweet Dry: Oh man, where to start? I find this one pretty complex.. I get a bergamot aspect, but definitely sweeter. It's tea leaves sweetened with candied figs and a hint of ginger (NOT like what's in your spice cabinet!) and the grass gives it the slightest green tang. I don't find any one note predominating on my skin. Smells delicious.. almost edible, but not even close to a traditional foody scent. Overall: It doesn't really bring to mind an apothecary to me.. it's much too light and sweet. That said, this scent is amazing! It's clean and crisp, but warm.. a 5 mL bottle will be mine. It'll be wonderful in an oil burner in addition to as a perfume!

This oil is amazing to look at... I'm new to BPAL, but I imagine green oils aren't that common! In the imp: Herbal and medicinal.. it actually smells like pine and eucalyptus to me, with the slightest hint of sweetness.. a sugary sweetness rather than floral. Wet: Not a lot of change, the eucalyptus comes forward over the piney smell a bit, and the sweetness develops some. Dry: I'm getting some BO scent here.. I think that may be some florals mixing with that dreadful pine aspect, or maybe a bad vetiver? It does become a lot more muted-- the medicinal sharpness goes away. As time goes on it finally becomes somewhat lovely.. sweet cedar with a hint of green. Long Wear: If you can stick it out through the medicinal phase, this becomes sweet, herbally, and woody (almost bamboo to my nose).. but that BO lingers just below the surface unfortunately. Overall: Boy.. this one clears the sinuses at first. I have to say I'm a bit disappointed, as I would have loved to love a scent honoring Belladonna. This one is just a little too funky for me I think... I might try it in an oil burner next time I have a cold. I should note it seems to make an excellent cat repellent!

Reviewing another awesome sample given to me by GirlinDenial In the Imp: Very strong musk, balsam and myrrh notes.. nothing really sweet when it's this concentrated Wet: Same as above, but a sweetness and herbal aspect appear which lighten that musk up a bit Dry: PERFECTION Seriously amazing... sweet, spicy myrrh with a lovely musk base. Like the world's best incense. Like you've been given a spice rub haha. Long Wear: Moderate throw and moderate lasting power on me. I wish it stayed a little stronger longer, but it fades to a wonderful sweet myrrh that smells exactly like this "honey amber" resin (whatever that is) I scent my apt. with. Overall Experience: Seriously.. This is amazing stuff. I'm so sad now that I've realized just how difficult it would be to get 5 mL bottle at this point in time lol This is pretty much what I look for from a perfume, and I would wear it year round, even though most would probably find it more of a cold weather scent. I imagine this is what people would douse themselves with in ancient times rather than taking a bath.. It would just build up in these amazing layers until you smelled like this forever... *sigh* ETA: If this were ever resurrected it would sell like hotcakes

Smut! Smut! Smut! Three swarthy, smutty musks sweetened with sugar and woozy with dark booze notes. I'm reviewing a wonderful sample of Smut from the lovely GirlinDenial (I'm pretty sure that's Dita Von Teese she's got on the label too.. god I love Dita ) Anyhow, In the Imp: A naughty (musky) nurse curing what ails you with a spoonful of sickly sweet cherry cough syrup and a swig of booze.. Wet: The fruit dies back, the musk notes come straight to the front and for a moment this is somewhat masculine as the nurse leans in close for.. Dry: A sugary kiss with liquor on her breath. The fruit pretty much dies out completely for me and I'm left with sugary musk. Totally smells like a hot, drink fueled make out session.. Long Wear: The fruit reappears a little, and combined with the sugary note makes this musk super feminine on me. Overall Experience: I loved this one immediately, and was happy the fruity aspect died down. This oil is pretty heavy, and while I love it, I tend to under perfume myself in general for fear of applying TOO much.. thus it did last all day, but with a small throw considering it's assertiveness, I think I'd like to apply a bit more in the future. I see this one as sexy and cozy or sexy and... sexy, depending on how much is applied.

I'm reviewing a sample generously gifted to me by GirlinDenial.. I'm unsure what year it is. From Imp: Big time patchouli! Dirty, must be oakmoss.. Wood and pine forest, that's the balsam and juniper.. a bit of spice, and the slightest hint of beeswax. Walking in a musty forest... towards a beehive? ahaha Wet: The pine-ness and beeswax immediately amp up and the patchouli lessens. Dry: Pretty strong beeswax and honey at this point, with slight musk. Practically no woods right now.. This lasts about 10 minutes, then moves on to... Long Wear: Patchouli and juniper reappear, with spice, and this becomes quite masculine. I don't have the odor experience some of you more experienced BPALers have, but to me this becomes what I think of as a pretty "classic" men's cologne scent. Overall Experience: Every stage of Luperci was distinct for me. I could smell it on me all day at work, and up close I can actually still smell it on my skin 12 hrs later! (Although it's a little soapy at this point) I've worn it a few times now, and I really enjoy it when I'm alone at home and can appreciate it's different aspects. I wore it in public the first time today, and I work in very close proximity with other people, and I have to say I was a little uncomfortable with it's masculinity.. I almost washed it off. I think I would prefer to smell it on a guy, rather than myself. In fact, I think I used to date a guy that wore a body spray or something with a scent very similar to this (Emporio Armani I believe) .. Must be why I like wearing it to bed... and why I'm embarrassed to smell like it at work! lol

I love this thread! Putting together gifts like these are so much fun! Of the above I really like the Physics and Uppity Women (ahaha). Unfortunately no one else in my family or close circle is really into perfumes/bath products etc like I am. I would just LOVE to put together little sets for all my female family and friends, but I don't think they'd use them I have thought about including an oil burner in the set though... Personally, I think a set based on a book(or movie I guess) would be amazing.. essentially like Sleeping Beauty suggested above.. I'd like someone to actually use each scent in succession as the story moves along.