Belladonnastrap

First sniff: Oh this is lovely lovely. Pomegranate is the overpowering smell here which is natural given the subject matter of the perfume. Smells as lovely as springtime itself!! After wearing it: Oh you my darling Persephone are most definitely getting bought in large quantities. Once I put this on the rose bloomed into full bloom and mingled with the pomegranate into this lovely bouquet that actually had me reeling. Neither scent overpowers the other they are in perfect balance. Rose breaks down a bit of the tartness while the pomegranate prevents the blend from getting too old lady with roses smelling. This is the scent that caused the most beautiful boy I have ever met to talk to me. Persephone lasts for ages on me and is quite a girly scent. If there is one rose blended scent from BPAL I recommend it is this one!

First off a big fat to Elizabeth for sending me a 5ml bottle of this as part of her contest on LJ for free. You are a GODDESS. First sniff: Upon first smelling it I got a vision of a woman sitting in a pile of moss reading books. It's very earthy which is understandable as Virgo is an earth sign. All I could smell is the oakmoss and the white musk so I was a bit put off. The 5ml bottle this came in is a gorgeous cobalt blue bottle with the label that says Virgo green and has the astological sign for it underneath. It's so cute! After wearing it Holy crap this is GREAT. Wet it takes on this wet moss smell...very very green but as it dries down it blossoms into this wonderful woody floral scent just brimming with apples. It's definitely an earth scent so if you dislike more earthy smelling (ones that invoke images of woods, green grass..things like that) I suggest you stay far away from virgo. It's very very subtle and wears off a bit quickly (sort of like me and my attention span ha! ha!) so I don't think it would be good for everyday wear but would be best for when you want to get in touch with the more virgoy aspects of your personality (or if you're a virgo like me tapping into that energy). It's a lovely earthy, green scent.

First sniff: Like wrapping yourself in a liquid cocoon of dark chocolate. The cocoa hits me early on and only after the tenth zillion inhalation do I detect the vanilla. Sinful. After wearing it: While it smells like nothing but chocolate in the vial when I put this on the vanilla kicks in (I have noticed with any scent containing vanilla my body chemistry almost always picks up on it and makes it the dominant note) and it smelled like I had dipped myself in chocolate covered vanilla beans. The myrrh actually enchances the chcoolate smell, giving it a bit of a darker edge...most definitely living up to its name.. Again I found Velvet long lasting...I found myself catching wiffs of it more then 5 hours after application. I'll be using the imps ear up to get more a of a feel for the scent but on me it's like sinking into a dark velvety blanket.

First sniff: Mmm Berries! Very gushy (that was the first word that popped into my head) and a spicer scent too which might be the myrrh. It smells red and definitely invokes images of the more..carnal side of nature. After wearing it: Well this turned into a very very red and musky scent on me. When I first put it on the berry smell was extremely high but as it dried down it turned into a lovely musky sweet scent...sort of the scent of post-coitus but not entirely. Wearing this I get various images of all sorts of depravity..it definitely invokes images of Lust. The myrrh is most potent on me for some reason and the patchouli is almost non existant. Lust has amazing staying power, I went to sleep last night with it on from 7 hours ago and woke up this morning with the scent still wafting in my nose. Not entirely sure if I'll buy a bottle of it but I'll most defnitely use up the imps ear.

O, Snake Oil and Psyche have gotten the most responses for me...and Persephone got hot boi to talk to me as well. Can't wait to try out the Voodoo Blends either...those work really well I hear.

Inital Sniff: WOW. Extremely buttery with a hint of cookies underneath its almost overpowering and a bit sickening. After wearing it Oh my. This is delicious. First put on its like someone smeared butter all over you and added a dash of cinnamon but as it dries down so many scents assault you. Caramel, chocolate, toffee...at one point I smelled like Gingerbread another a sugar cookie covered in caramel. This really is the epitome of the word Gluttony..it's every sweet scent you could dream of all wrapped up in a lovely heady perfume. It's very very long lasting too...I got in an elevator about 5 hours after I put it on and my friend remarked he smelled a candy shop

Inital Sniff A very very white floral...I can smell the lillies and it also smells like..the color white. I can't go into any more depth. After wearing it For some insane reason whenever I smell this I get visions of a classic Victorian lady serving tea and finger sandwiches on a beautiful spring day. It's a very feminine and lovely scent but it doesn't drown you in it. Very lovely and white...I would scent my linen with this. Doesn't invoke images of "Off with her head!" or anything. Very recommended...a beautiful scent for spring.

Initial Sniff Smells like berries drenched in rum. A very heady and potent scent..the smell lingers in the air. After wearing it Oh I like this. When first put on all I can smell is berry berry berry...defintely more of a fruity scent thena nything else. As Sarah said it has echoes of Lady MacBeth but this nearly isn't as sweet and bubbly as that one which I assume is the result of the wine and currant. It's definitely a red scent..invoking images of women fluttering about in bustles and corsets giving straling glances at their hefy bosoms. I'm not quite sure if this is a colder or warmer weather scent...it might be suited for both. It's deifnitely a night scent though

When I first smelt this all I could dtect was oranges with some headier...musky smell. Definitely something that made me stop and take notice...it wasn't a straight citrus scent. Afterwards the muskier scent became more noticable on me and I kept having visions of Lillth or Lloth (for our RPG friends) in my mind. Very musky and sweet but ultimately as this dried down it smelt a lot like 404 Orange Wipes...meaning disinfect smelling and hence not good for me. Also for the Lush heads this smells a lot like Rainbow Worrier so if you love that give Succubus a chance. Apparently Citrus/Sandalwood doesn't work well for me which is sad but you live and you learn. Try this if you like your citrus with a bit of punch.

When I first put this on it smelled a bit like O..that sort of amber honey smell I adore..but as the scent dried down on me it became a cirtusy floral and then morphed into a Rose scent. Everytime I thought I had it nailed down another note would waft up into my nose and I'd set off again trying to pinpoint it. Alice has pretty good staying power...I had to reapply after hour 5 so that was great. Not entirely sure who I would recommend this too but I think everyone should give it a try...it's a scent that completely changes depending on the wearer.

Masquerade is divine. If the color gold had a scent this would be it. The oranges and cinammon work so well and normally this would be a fall scent but it's also perfect for summer. Very bright and fun..like Mardi Gras in the bottle. Also this smells almost exacly like Lush's Hot Toddy so if you are a fan of that lovely bubble bath go buy this. Now. Wearing this made me break out my Labyrinth DVD and watch the ballroom scene over and over again. It's lovely and I need a bottle.

Liegia for me smelt a lot like Shroud and Veil with more of a Shroud feeling. It's a very sweet floral..the Jasmine is very noticable but not overpoweringly so. It doesn't feel as if you are saturated in Jasmine. It most definitely evokes the feeling of the story "The Tomb of Ligeia" (which if you haven't read you must it's very good...hunt down the movie copy with Vincent Price too!)...that sort of strong willed person. If you adore Jasmine you should get this as it's the most "purely" Jasmine scent I've found...however I have tons of Jasmine so up for swap it goes

MASSIVE hugs for you Elizabeth Get well soon

Ladies and Gentlemen: Elizabeth has outdone herself. I had been wanting to try O for the longest time and had been waiting for the right oppertunity to do so..which did not present itself until tonight. First off O lasts. It smells a lot like what a room smells like post-coitus which is both interesting and a bit odd. It's sensual and languid and a bit sweet as well...definitely a scent made for getting close to someone. Just make sure you make your intentions KNOWN. I wore this tonight to have dinner with a "friend" and while he was totally into how I smelled and mentioned it...the timing was very off Big bottle of this must be ordered

This scent invokes images of Venice in the time of Dangerous Beauty (for those of you who have seen this film and if you haven't YOU MUST. So great). If I had to pick a color this would be red trimmed with gilded gold. Floral and fruity, mysterious and playful this scent has it all. So delicious and ...well SEDUCTIVE. Very very very highly recommended and I am getting a 5ml of this ASAP.

If you love Rose scents you must try Psyche. If you hate Rose scents you must try Psyche. This stuff smells SO good...like a true rose but nothing overpowering at all. I kept catching wiffs of it as I moved about during the day and everytime I would catch something new. Very complex and very simple at the same time. As it fades even more scents seem to come out so by hour 6 I was all "I should reapply because I don't want the scent to fade completely but I want to know if anything else pops up!" but in the end reapplication won. I can definitely imagine the namesake wearing this...innocent yet not. Lovely lovely stuff. Might have to get a big bottle of it.

March Hare smells like a lovely warm fruity pie baked by you and your best friends on a blustery October afternoon. The apricot is very strong but I had showered with Lush's Skinny Dip so that really brought out the cloves in this. Very spicy and sweet at the same time it's a scent that makes you want to have tea. It very much smells like a candle and has really long staying power but again that might be the influence of the Skinny Dip. Not really sure if I'd buy a bottle of this but I'd wear it again.

Oh I so wanted to love this the description made it seem lovely. However on me this just doesn't work out at all. It smelled like a cross between musty old perfume and dust. There was NO sweetness at all, the lily was non existant. It did invoke the genre but it most definitely does not agree with me. It has huge staying power though...I washed it off a couple of hours ago and it still can be smelt. Bleah

Name: Karyn URL, if applicable: http://black-dove.net Photo, if you don't mind: Me and Me with Neil Gaiman Sin of choice: Lust followed closely by Wrath Virtue you embody: Loyalty and Honesty. A lot of ty's in general Astrological Info: Virgo Sun, Sagittarius moon and Gemini rising. Born in the year of the Ram and my celtic sign is Hazel How you found out about BPAL: My friend Sarah emailed Diana and I about the site when she found the link on the Lush forum. The rest is history. Any comments you'd like to add about the Lab or life in general: I've never really worn perfume daily as I couldn't find any scents that really struck a cord with me...but the Lab has changed that. Not only do the oils smell absolutely divine but they're inspired by things I adore which makes it even better. The customer service is outstanding too (but you already knew you guys were awesome right?) and the little community we have here is uber shibby. Plus the Lab is the only place that has perfumes that genuinely make me feel sexy as hell

Shroud smells a lot like Veil to me..but there are some subtle differences. Unlike Veil this is a bit more melancholy and I think that might have to do with the herbs. It reminds me of standing in a haunted graveyard on a cool misty sunday morning . This is definitely a soft scent and one to wear when you're in a reflective mood perhaps...or are willing to not give up some secrets. Shroud and Veil are very much alike but I think Shroud edges out as the winner simply because it has the whole darker thing going on.

Oh Bliss...invoking the memory and smell and sights of Hershey Park. This smells like chocolate...rich sinful milk chocolate with maybe a bit of hazelnut or toffee. This is very good if you're trying to cut down on sweets, smelling this satisfied my craving. Bliss also happens to have serious serious staying power...I put it on around 11am and I only had to reapply at around 6pm so that's a good seven hours or so. This is so getting brought.

Old Cairo smelled like incense and figs in the bottle but once I put it on me it smelt strongly of...lemons. Once it settled it turned into this wonderful sweet kir smelling scent that invoked images of relaxing on a boat while muscled young men fed me grapes as lightly tanned women with kohl lidded eyes fan my hot body. Staying power is sort of middle ground, arund hour 5 I had to reapply. Not entirely sure if this will be a repurchase but its moving on up.

In the bottle this smelled really sweet and yet bitter but once I put it on I smelled like the old Strawberry Shortcake dolls...you know the ones that smelled like their respective names ? Yeah it sort of smelled like that wet on me. But as the scent settled in with my chemistry it warmed up to this lovely bitterish vanilla with just a hint of something strong which probably is the Dragon's Blood. It's sweet but not overpoweringly so. I love it but I'm not sure if it's a MUST HAVE BOTTLE but we'll see..

Yay congrats to you Elizabeth! *stumbles home after late night*

Yay for Elizabeth! Thanks for the email and I'm sorry you've had to go through all this crap. We love you though ...and new scents you say? Oh my you rule