Bluestocking

I'm also cosplaying at Azkatraz, as Rowena Ravenclaw. I've tossed around a few different ideas for a BPAL scent to match her, but I haven't settled on anything yet. I'm thinking something scholarly and dignified, but still very feminine. Any ideas? I know we talked about Dee as a good scent for Ravenclaw house (and it really is), but it's kind of masculine for the character I have in mind. I'll put on my thinking cap about Bathsheba Babbling, an Alecto scent without vetiver and Jupita's suggestions!

I'll third the recommendation for Jezebel, since you say that orange blossom is the only floral you've really loved, because at least for me, orange blossom is very prominent in that blend. There's sandalwood, too, for a touch of spice. Seraglio might be too much rose and almond and not enough orange for you, but Rakshasa is all patchouli and pink rose to my nose, so that might be a good choice, too.

Agrat-Bat-Mahlaht smells deliciously like caramel apples to me. It's apple blossom, but it has a distinctly crisp, very apple-fruit edge to it, and the caramel and honey notes make it smell like you just dipped your apple slices in something yummy.

Amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom and vanilla bean. In the imp: Peach and sweetness, but it's definitely a floral peach blossom, rather than the fruit itself. Beneath that, there's a touch of the soft, creamy heliotrope, but it's mainly peach blossom at this point. Pretty and light, with just that hint of fruit. On, wet: Very light. Still mainly peach blossom, but still with a faint whiff of heliotrope and now some dry sandalwood beneath. I think this may be one of the lightest BPALs I've ever tried, because it seems to just sink into my skin! Not that it doesn't smell good, but it isn't something that jumps out at you. I've never had a scent almost disappear like this before! On, dry: Much better throw now! This woke up on my skin during the dry down, as the heliotrope and vanilla bean have really come forward, very sweet and creamy and lovely. It smells like delicious peaches and cream now, as the peach is much less floral and much more like ripe, juicy, tart fruit. The amber and sandalwood are very light for me, but there's just enough of them to add in some richness and woodiness. Later: Warm, creamy vanilla and heliotrope with a touch of sandalwood, similar to the luscious dry down of Symmakhia. The sandalwood and vanilla bean are particularly nice together, a bit woody-sweet. Very, very faint again, though pretty. Overall: I love this, but with reservations. When Tamora kicks in, she's a heavenly, summery peaches-and-cream type of floral fragrance, delicious without crossing the line into overtly foody, heavy territory. The problem is that she seems to wax and wane—now so light that she's practically nonexistent, now coming through loud and clear, now fading within a few hours of being applied, now lingering very faintly, but for a long time. So I'll definitely keep and appreciate the imp, but I think it needs further testing to figure out how to make it stick around and be more consistent. (Because seriously, this is good enough to be worth that effort.) Still: yum. Great fragrance for those looking for a non-foody peach, and the heliotrope is particularly stunning.

In the imp: Soft pink roses and sweet lilacs, with a hint of spirited citrus from the mandarin and maybe just the tiniest sharpness from the moss. Still, this is mostly rose and lilac, and they're very lovely and fresh here, like they've just been cut from the garden and plunked in an elegant vase. I'm sure all those other notes are in there somewhere, but they're not obvious in the imp. This really captures the dreamy fragrance of just-bloomed lilacs! On, wet: Garden-fresh lilacs and roses, with a distinctly crisp, green quality from the moss. The calla lily is beginning to come out as well, musky and very fresh. The whole perfume has a very lightly aquatic, fresh, dewy feel to it, which contributes to the feeling that this is a lighter garden scent, rather than a heavy floral perfume. On, dry: Lilac and slightly fruity calla lily, with a very little bit of rose. It's less fresh and green now, more soft and sweet, with a subtly woody undercurrent and warmth and richness from the resins. Still, lilac is definitely the star of this show, and although the list of notes is a long one, must of these are very subtle, so there's nothing muddled about this. This smells like early summer out in the garden. It's elegant and feminine, but not at all stuffy. Later: Amber, sandalwood, rosewood and lilacs. It's sweeter now, woodier and less floral, although there's still the distinctive smell of lilacs. Very pretty. Overall: I think I was expecting something more complex from Viola, based on that long list of notes, but I can't say that I'm disappointed. It's warm, vibrant and feminine without being particularly prissy or heavy. The lilac note is the big diva here, and it's beautiful, very true to life, just the way I remember the lilacs in my mother's garden. It gets more interesting in extreme dry down, though, because then the woods and resins get to come out, and they really play very well together. I'll definitely keep the imp, since I'm always in the market for a pretty lilac scent, and I'm hoping that some aging will strengthen the woods and resins and add more complexity. If that happens, it will take Viola from "nice and pretty" territory to a certified knockout.

Aftershave, embalming fluid, and splatterings from a panoply of reanimation reagents. In the imp: …Huh. Somehow, I never made the connection that the embalming fluid would be, you know, Embalming Fluid! Nevertheless, that's what I smell in the imp: a slightly lightened but still tart and lemony version of Embalming Fluid. There's something else here that's more green and masculine, adding the kind of astringent, herbal chypre-twinge that I associate with men's aftershave, but I can't put my finger on what it is. Moss? Thyme? Bay? It's something along those lines. Oddly, it's an appealing and pleasant scent. On, wet: At first this is all LEMONY Embalming Fluid, but the astringent green-herbal element from the imp quickly comes to the forefront. It's a clean, fresh, citrusy aftershave-ish scent… I wouldn't say soapy, because people always mean that in a negative way, but there's a suggestion of somebody who's well groomed. Something about this actually reminds me a little bit of the sharper green note in Leipreachan, even though this has zero other notes in common with it. On, dry: This is so strange, but this really does behave a lot like Leipreachan on my skin, despite not having leather or any apparent metallic notes. The lemon and herbal green are still present, but they've blended together and mellowed out quite a bit, while an unidentified sweet undercurrent has become steadily stronger (behaves a bit like… white amber, perhaps?). Something about the sharp-sweet combination gives this a metallic feel, though, which is (I think) why some part of my brain keeps stupidly insisting that this is similar to Leipreachan. Perhaps one of those "reanimation reagents" is metallic? It's still a very clean, rather fresh and citrusy scent. Later: Sweet and clean, but not at all soapy, just… mmmm. Nose buried in my wrist. The metallic tinge is gone, and it's dried down to a lovely just-sweet-enough state—something like white amber, or maybe even vanilla tea—with a twinge of that lemony Embalming Fluid. Overall: Honestly? I expected to hate this one, just based on the description and inspiration, so imagine my shock this smells so clean and fresh and nice! Not for me, no—the aftershave just feels too manly for my tastes, although the dry down is entirely unisex—but I think this would smell great on a guy. It's like the smell of a really nicely-dressed, quiet, clean-cut guy after he's just had a shower and put on aftershave. The crisp lemon runs throughout the various stages of this one, but it's never overpowering, and the slightly metallic quality in the middle stages is very intriguing. I won't keep it, despite the great dry down, but I know a guy who will put this one to very good use.

In the imp: Well mixed and difficult to pick apart. I get some soft lavender and tangy-fresh ozone, over a sweeter backdrop that seems to be…amber? A twinge of fruit and some very light musk. It's a sweet and resinous yet somehow fresh scent—bizarre, but I think I like it. On, wet: Hello, black currant! The fruit blooms hugely when it touches my skin, and it blends very nicely with the amber-smelling resin, which adds some richness. The lavender seems to have nearly disappeared, but the mixture of white musk and ozone gives this a clean, shimmery, almost sparkling quality. Again, it's strange—I don't think this smells anything like any other BPAL I've tried—but it smells fantastic. Not horrific at all, but definitely luminous and hazy. It makes me think of purple storm clouds gathering in the sky, somehow, sort of dark and powerful and filled with potential. (Yeah, I'm not sure what I'm talking about either, but that's what it makes me think of!) On, dry: Round, deep and fruity, with the black currant above all, but it's blended with the ambery resin and gets some zing from the white musk and very light ozone. Very unique, very striking. Sweet, but not too sweet, and definitely the best black currant scent I've tried, by far. Exceptional throw, too. Later: Basically unchanged, just a smoother and better blended black currant-amber scent. Less ozone, more amber, but essentially the same. Good staying power. Overall: I've been putting off trying this one for quite some time, and I have no clue why. I got it as a frimp of indeterminate age from somebody else, so I wasn't expecting much from it, but WOW, this is actually quite stunning on me, and I'm now contemplating a bottle purchase. It's a deep mix of tart fruit, sweet amber and clean, refreshing ozone--not heavy, not too sweet. The black currant note is full of win here, the throw is excellent, it lasts for hours and hours, and it's truly unusual (and non-commercial) without being unapproachable.

Oh yes - wool robes! He may wear leather boots, but the robes (and the way they would hold the scent of the lab) would be so much of it. (the leather is just in my dreams) (omg, did I say that out loud?) Heeeeeee! Juni, I'm glad you showed up in this thread, because I was about to point you in this direction otherwise. Hmm, I wouldn't have thought of Aziraphale for Severus, but now I realize that I might have overlooked it in favor of "darker" scents. (Winter of Our Discontent definitely makes me think of him.) But the wood, dust and books are very him... layer it with a red wine scent, and that sounds like Spinner's End, doesn't it? And yeah, I think leather scents are more for Lucius than Severus. He's a wool sort of guy. So maybe he smells like the perfect schoolmaster scent, Ichabod Crane: Dusty black wool, tea with cream, black pepper, muguet, and beeswax candle drippings. It even has the candle wax and tea!

In the bottle: Coconut! It's a more sugary coconut than I've smelled in other coconut blends, and it makes me think of delicious macaroons. Beyond that, I get distinct fresh lilac, some smooth vanilla tea mixed with the musk and just a nice, herbal twinge from the hyssop. Tonka and tobacco aren't apparent right now. It's a sweet, slightly foody floral, but that foody aspect is paired with some nice, light freshness from the lilacs and hyssop. Very pretty, smooth and very springy. It makes me think of blue skies and lilac bushes and tea with macaroons. On, wet: Blooming lilacs and fresh, minty hyssop, sweetened with vanilla tea and smoothed with a touch of musk. The coconut has lightened up a lot, so it's just a light tinge now. I think I get a touch of tobacco, but nothing major, and the tonka isn't apparent. (Not worried about that. Tonka is always a latecomer on my skin.) Throw is gorgeous--mainly lilacs, vanilla tea and coconut, while it's more minty and herbal close to the skin. On, dry: Lilacs, coconut vanilla tea and tonka over the musk, with that perfect minty hyssop note making everything lighter, fresher and cooler. It's like… imagine this gorgeous old Victorian house with a veranda and a big old fashioned garden. Wearing this perfume, I feel like I'm sitting on that veranda, having delicious tea and cookies and smelling the clean, cool breeze scented with all the lilacs and herbs in the garden. It's feminine and graceful, straddling the line between foody and floral. Later: Gently musky, vanilla-ed florals mixed with warm tonka. It's really well blended now, just a nice balance of the sweet vanilla and creamy tonka with the lilacs. A little bit like Antique Lace. It's just… mmm. Heavenly! Can't stop sniffing myself. Overall: I've been looking for a lilac scent to love, and I think this is the real thing. The best part is that this isn't all lilac, all the time—not even close—and yet the lilacs never completely fade, they just soften and sweeten and add that touch of floral to the other richer elements, like the creamy tonka and vanilla tea and coconut. All the notes that I was hoping for here come through, and they blend beautifully together in a sweet, elegant, smooth way. (The tobacco is a no-show for me, but I wasn't hoping for it here; I have other tobacco scents.) For all that I love the lilacs and coconut and vanilla tea and tonka (and wow, I do), I actually think that it's the hyssop note that was the most amazing surprise, adding just the right amount of herbiness and mint to keep this fresh and light, instead of heavy or overly sweet; it's not usually a note I apprciate, but it's great here. This is one of those perfumes where I just have to sit back and appreciate the perfumer's art, because I never would have thought to combine these things, and yet they're wonderful together.

In the imp: Very faint, pale scent. Honeyed almonds and milk? Yup, almond extract, mixed with milk and a little drizzle of honey. It smells amazingly close to my milk-and-nut body butter, which is definitely not a bad thing. The honey is very light, not at all heavy or overly sweet, and the milk is adding a wonderful creaminess to the almond. On, wet: Wow, unexpected! This is definitely stronger on the skin than in the imp, and it smells for all the world right now like a direct relation of Snow White, only without the flowers and snow. It has the same glowing, ethereal sweetness, the same almond note, the same light, creamy quality. Definitely a fae sort of perfume, and very, very pretty and delicate. On, dry: This one doesn't morph for me, so it's still a sweet, light, milky almond scent. There's a touch of the sweet grains (not unlike the baked oatmeal I had for breakfast), but they generally just smell like delicious almonds to me. The honey is sweet, but very subdued—I like that, because heavy honey would wreck this one. It's soft and creamy, but in a light-as-air way, and although it smells less like Snow White as it dries down, it now has something in common with Obatala. Later: Basically the same. Creamy honey, with a much less grain and almond than before, but enough to be noticeable. For such a light and soft scent, this one lasts and lasts. Overall: I've really hit the frimp jackpot lately! Dana O'Shee was nothing like I'd imagined it would be, and I like it all the more for that. I was afraid that this would be really heavy, overly sweet and sticky, and it's really nothing like that at all. For me, it's a milky, pale, lustrous scent with distinct almond and oatmeal notes and a nicely restrained touch of honey. The early stages recall the almond note from Snow White, and the later stages had an almost shea butter-like quality that reminded me of Obatala's clean, creamy-sweet dry down. It's a light but very comforting, pretty scent, and one that would be good for daily wear. It's not nearly as foody as it sounds, and the lightness and long wear make me think that this will be a great warm weather perfume, especially when layered with that body butter.

In the imp: Mmmm, nice! Surprisingly bold and clear for that long list of florals—sweet, but not too sweet, and appealingly complex. The deep, almost fruity orchid is strongest here (the same orchid as in Phantom Queen), with maybe a little whisper of jasmine, grounded by spicy sandalwood and musk. It's a womanly, beautiful and powerful scent—and I mean powerful in the "I will mess you up" way, not in the sense that this perfume will knock over everybody who sniffs it. On, wet: Black orchid, nicely subdued rose and sandalwood with a touch of really subdued jasmine. Oh, rawr! This is so pretty and feminine and clean, but it is fierce. It's sort of darkly glamorous but merciless. I keep picturing this drop-dead gorgeous woman who knows how to get what she wants and stops at nothing to get it. It smells DIVINE. On, dry: Perfectly blended orchid and rose with sandalwood and musk. What very little jasmine there was in this blend is basically gone by now. The orchid is still the heart of this scent, but the sandalwood adds a great woody-spicy undercurrent, the musk adds sensuality and the rose really blends beautifully with that orchid, adding another dimension to it. Fantastic floriental. Later: Clean musk and florals with stronger sandalwood. Overall: I really need to stop finding new orchid-centric blends to love, because I already have way too many to justify. Having said that, I'm in total love with Queen Mab, and I intend to slather myself with her whenever I want to feel attractive and powerful. She's the more polished and exotic sister to Phantom Queen. She's lush, darkly beautiful and she just radiates confidence, at least for me—nothing even remotely powdery or meek here. I got compliments all day long on this one; it's most definitely a head-turner. She's probably not for those who hate orchids or floral-oriental blends, but I adore her. Best. Frimp. Ever.

In the imp: Sweet, fresh, gentle flowers, with a slightly aquatic, dewy feel and a hint of fruitiness. Sweet pea is most prominent, followed by lighter honeysuckle, musk and juicy pear. Feminine, fresh-faced and youthful, with a very slight resemblance to Titania. This has a clean feel to it, but isn't soapy. On, wet: Bright, sweet lilies are out in front, mostly the stargazers, but also the fruitier calla lily, backed with softer sweet pea and pear. This reminds me of Prague now, with that musky. fruity lily scent. The white musk ties it together and makes it a bit luminous. Very romantic and pleasantly light fruity floral. On, dry: Calla lily and pear blended together, sweetly crisp, fruity and floral, with the heliotrope and honeysuckle finally starting to warm up and add some sweet, creamy support, along with the musk. The sweet pea is still there, but much more subdued. This is definitely a garden scent to me, rather than a florist's shop, because it still has that fresh and dewy feel. Good throw, but not heavy. Later: The same, but fainter. More heliotrope and sweet pea, but still a very noticeable lily note. Overall: Juliet fits her namesake, definitely. She's sweetly pretty and young, sort of glowing with youth and new love. I can see how this would be too youthful for some, but it's a lovely pear and lily-centric perfume, a very classic and romantic type of fruity floral, but not too fussy. The Girl Next Door would most definitely wear this. It's also a relatively light, sheer sort of scent, which makes it perfect for spring or summer, and Juliet's no pushover--she's surprisingly long-lasting and tenacious. Even after a long, hot day of gardening and yardwork and errands, Juliet was still detectable more than seven hours later, fresh and pretty as ever. It's a great choice for lily lovers, especially if you like Prague.

I second all of this! I think your impression of McGonagall is a lot like mine, because I was also thinking of strong, unfussy, woody notes. To that end, I suggest The Red Queen, which features deep mahogany and rich, velvety woods lacquered with sweet, black-red cherries and currant. I also think this one is especially fitting because Carroll's Red Queen was always meant to be a stern-but-fair, governess type, and I think the same applies to Professor McGonagall. I also wanted to find something with books or parchment or even leather for Hermione, since she's always researching, in the library or looking for a book. But Dee doesn't sound right, and I do like the idea of some of the herbal scents that you mentioned. Hermione seems like a very non-fussy, herbal sort of girl, and I agree with you about the carnations and spice. And with that in mind, how about Queen Alice? It's carnation, posies, and white amber with a hint of inky treacle, sandy cider, and wooly wine. The combination of carnations, spicy cider, wool, ink and treacle seems a lot like her. (I seem to recall that she likes treacle tart in the books, although maybe I'm making that up. )

Man, I'm going to sound like a broken record here, but have you tried Tristran? It has both patchouli and crushed mint, and they smell fantastically earthy-fresh together. (Apparently, "Tristran" is the answer to every question in the world today. )

I just want to say that I love this thread, because I'm heading to Azkatraz in a few weeks, and now I have a lot of good ideas about which BPALs to bring! I'm sorry. When you brought it up I became all enthralled myself. I might get a Snape Six Pack too! lol. Me three! I love Snape to an almost embarrassing degree. I think Les Infortunes de la Vertu strikes me as more Lucius Malfoy than Snape (it's a little too refined to be Snapish, but that's only my take), but so many of these are great suggestions. I foresee a Snape six-pack in my future. Oh, and Aldercy, I LOVE that you included the Shivering Boy, because yes. Re: Les Infortunes de la Vertu. True that. Rose and "French florals" probably do belong on someone more aristocratic and deliberately fashionable. So good call. But it still strikes me as a "Slytherin" scent. Re: The Shivering Boy. Yay! That one kind of came a little out of left field, so I'm glad someone liked it. And, yes! I think "House Elves" was what I was trying to go for with my vague White Rabbit/"morning at Hogwarts" association, but you expressed it better. Oh, Les Infortunes de Vertu is definitely a Slytherin scent to me, too. But I have to think that it's a "pain-tinged, pleasure-soaked" scent that belongs to Lucius, especially with that combination of French florals and leather. On the other hand, your other suggestion of Winter of Our Discontent is perfect for Snape. I had a sniff of my bottle, and ooooh yes, that's it: dark, smoky, brooding. That and Severin. Best. Match. Ever. So, a few more associations: GIALLO Profoundly passionate and singularly sinister: opoponax, black plum, night-blooming jasmine, benzoin, red musk, violet leaf, orange blossom, mimosa, mandarin, smoky vanilla, tobacco, patchouli, and black amber. Okay, it isn't imp-able, but this is exactly the sort of perfume that I imagine Bellatrix wearing: a dark, smoky, passionate, beautiful but sinister floral. MARQUISE de MERTEUIL Stately, bold, aristocratic and cruel. Opulent galbanum and amber, glistening peach, and a bouquet of French florals, with a merciless undertone of jonquil and heartless vetiver. Narcissa Malfoy's perfume? It's the right combination of pretty, posh, haughty and cold. VEIL A quiet scent, soft, calm and enigmatic. A perfume of mystery, of whispers, and of secrets behind secrets. White sandalwood, lilac, gardenia, violet, orris, lavender and ylang ylang. The Veil in the Department of Mysteries? SZEPASSZONY The Fair Lady, Winter Witch, White Maiden of the Storm. Szepasszony is a Hungarian demoness that appears as a stunningly beautiful woman with long, silver-white hair and a blinding white dress. [sNIP] A chilly, tempestuous whirlwind of clear, airy notes, slashing rain, and a thin undercurrent of white flowers. Maybe this is a stretch, but this sounds like a Veela scent to me. FAIZA, THE BLACK MAMBA A sensual blend of twisting, exotic, serpentine oils: black amber, caraway, oakmoss, green sandalwood, bergamot, jasmine sambac, gardenia, orange pulp, vanilla, blackberry, black musk, white honey, ti leaf, and ginger. Also not imp-able, but this has to be the right blend to represent Nagini, don't you think? TIGER LILY A feisty bouquet of golden, warm, gently honeyed lilies Lily Evans! And I'm really, really surprised that nobody's recommended Tweedledee and Tweedledum for Fred and George yet.

Okay, after a look through this thread, I see that several years ago there was some discussion about a rough BPAL equivalent to VS Angels: Heavenly, but it seems like the only thing people could agree on was that there isn't an exact BPAL catalogue match, and it doesn't smell like Antique Lace. (Agreed, by the way. It doesn't.) But my mother's favorite perfume for the last decade has been Angels: Heavenly, and now that she's down to a dribble in her bottle and her two children have intrigued her enough about BPAL, she's ready to order some imps. She doesn't need a dead ringer for the scent, but I think she'd like to find something with some of the same elements. In the hopes of finding something as close as possible, I tracked down notes: Top: Quince, Cardamom, Ivy, Mandarin Middle: Lotus, White Peony, Freesia, Iris, Violet Bottom: White Musk, Sandalwood, Orchid, Vanilla Just from discussion with Mom, it seems that the notes she likes best are the Quince, Peony, Freesia, White Musk, Sandalwood and Orchid. She does frequently like vanilla products, so she was probably responding to that on some level, too. Any thoughts? I'm going to be using the search engine to try and hunt down a few, but if any similarity leaps out to you, let me know, please.

In the bottle: Warm, sweet, golden, musky spicy—delicious, and a touch exotic. It reminds me of Fascinum a bit—probably the amber and cedar combo, although I much prefer Inez. Anyway, it's very smooth and incense-y, and I think I can actually smell all the notes making some contribution here—some dark depth from the cedar, spice and resin from the myrrh and carnation and sandalwood, soft, musky sweetness from the vanilla musk. None of them dominates, but the amber is the heart of the scent, very warm and sweet and resinous. On, wet: Beautiful myrrh and carnation, layered over the dark cedar and sweeter sandalwood. The golden, musky sweetness of the amber and musk are much more subdued, making this a darker, woody-spicy perfume, but the carnation and cedar combo is fantastic, and the red sandalwood adds that sensual vibe that it often has. I seriously think I'm in love with this myrrh, too. Sometimes I can take it or leave it, but this is lovely. On, dry: The vanilla musk really came out on the dry down, and it's blending with the carnation and cedar to make this a sort of dark, sweet, spicy, sexy and musky vanilla. This isn't quite as warm and golden as it was in the bottle, and it isn't a foody vanilla at all, but it is sweet and intoxicating—voluptuous, even. Later: Vanilla musk, amber, cedar, sandalwood. Darker, drier and woody-sweet. This strikes me almost as a richer, more feminine version of the Bow and Crown of Conquest. Overall: Darkly beautiful and effortlessly sexy, a real head-turner. The combination of cedar, vanilla and carnation really does bring to mind The Bow and Crown of Conquest, which is just fine by me. This is sweeter, I think, more golden and warm, especially in the early stages, but there are similarities. The amber and vanilla musk bring all the sweet warmth you could want, but it's the subtle way the dark wood and myrrh work here that I think makes it special. (I've noticed that every CD scent I've tried is really subtle and well-blended, and Inez is no exception.) She's a little heavy for me to wear during the hot summer right now, but she's going right into regular rotation this fall.

In the imp: Clean, crisp green tea, with a pale squirt of lemon to make it fresher. Compared to Embalming Fluid, this is MUCH less lemony, so the green tea note is delicate and more apparent. A second sniff brings out the honeysuckle behind, light but a nicely sweet contrast. It's like a little of drizzle of honey stirred into my iced green tea. On, wet: More lemon, but it's nice, soft, herbal verbena and not harsh—it’s a very bright, clear smell, like I just crushed the verbena in my fingers. I still smell the clean, slightly grassy green tea beneath. The honeysuckle is very unassuming and just softens the verbena a bit. This is so gorgeous, cool and perfect for hot weather. On, dry: A clean, pale green floral mix of green tea and honeysuckle, with a light veil of verbena to add a little tart, herbal accent. Beautiful, subtle and delicate, and more tart and fresh than sweet. Later: Mostly soft honeysuckle with a whisper of green tea. Overall: This is it! This is the hot-weather blend of my dreams. It's so light, pretty and subtle, simple yet graceful, and it's probably the most perfect green tea note I've found so far. It's a very soothing, cool, watery green blend, with just enough herbal and floral to add interest and complexity. It's also to be commended for the restrained honeysuckle. (I love honeysuckle, but I'm not blind to the way it usually takes over a blend. It doesn't do that here.) Best of all, for a light fragrance, it lasts and lasts and lasts, even when the weather is hot and sweaty. I know this because I tested Shanghai today on the hottest, muggiest day of the year, and while everybody around me was crabby and smelled like sweat, I was very zen, just chilling while I smelled like light, clean refreshment. Win! This is going to be a big bottle for summer.

I'm sorry. When you brought it up I became all enthralled myself. I might get a Snape Six Pack too! lol. Me three! I love Snape to an almost embarrassing degree. I think Les Infortunes de la Vertu strikes me as more Lucius Malfoy than Snape (it's a little too refined to be Snapish, but that's only my take), but so many of these are great suggestions. I foresee a Snape six-pack in my future. Oh, and Aldercy, I LOVE that you included the Shivering Boy, because yes. So I sat down and thought about it, and made a few HP associations of my own, trying to stick to GC (and therefore imp-able) scents: THE KNAVE OF HEARTS Crushed roses and blackcurrant tarts. Yummy baking things plus cut flowers sounds like Molly Weasley to me. HERMIA Pink pepper, golden amber, honeysuckle, and passion flower. Feminine, but sassy and packs a punch. It reminds me of Ginny Weasley. WHITE RABBIT Strong black tea and milk with white pepper, ginger, honey and vanilla, spilled over the crisp scent of clean linen. I saw this mentioned upthread, but to me, this is the scent of the House-elves, since they spend all so much time in the kitchens and are always bringing tea. The linen, of course, is a freshly-pressed tea towel. Goblin Black coconut, gnarly patchouli, and sweet benzoin. Maybe a little on the nose here, but this sounds like the scent of the Goblins to me. (Either this, or Greed.) UNDERTOW Lotus and juniper with a hint of mint. A scent dragged up from the depths to the Stygian shore. This sounds like the lake at Hogwarts. CTHULHU Seaweed, oceanic plants and dark, unfathomable waters. And this sounds like the Giant Squid! I'm sure I'll think of more, given time.

In the bottle: Caramel apple! It's a perfect, crisp and juicy apple note, just slightly floral, paired with the combination of caramel and cream accord, which smells like luscious caramel. Otherwise, this one is a bit difficult to pick apart at first—very smooth and well blended. It smells somehow both delicate and sexy, not to mention delicious. On, wet: Apple musk. Sweet, sexy apple musk and honey—but a light honey, not the heavy, thick honey of Jezebel. The caramel is less overt now, just adding some richness, and the amber is beginning to warm up. The teak is barely detectable right now, but it's a nice, stable base for the fragrance. This is just sweet, golden, apple-y goodness! On, dry: Creamy, honeyed apples. The honey is just right; it really enhances the floral character of the apple note, and it's surprisingly light and beautiful. The amber adds a touch of warmth, the caramel is very subtle but rich, and the teak just adds some darkness and weight—really nice balance with some of the lighter notes, and amazingly smooth. The skin musk just adds some glow and sexiness. This is relatively close to the skin (because of skin musk), but I'm still getting surprisingly good throw on it. Very, very nice, and not really all that foody now. Later: Skin musk, teak and amber, with a whisper of honey and apple. Warm and very sensual, more woody-sweet. It's a skin scent now, and… uh. Yeah, did I mention the sexy? Because it's sexy. Overall: This is so warm and pretty and sweet and yet naughty! Honey plus skin musk is always instant win for me, but everything else blends together so seamlessly here; even with all the strong elements, none of them dominates the others. There's creaminess, woodiness, muskiness, fruitiness, sweetness that somehow manages not to be total foodyness, and great balance between light elements (apple blossom, white honey, cream) and dark elements (caramel, teak) that makes the whole thing sing. The teak is especially fantastic, because it's just mellow and deep and smooth, not at all dry or sharp. This one may require multiple backup bottles before the Carnaval packs up.

In the imp: Foody paradise. Buttery sweet pastry, the kind you just know is going to be all golden and crisp when you dig in. It's very buttery and fragrant, almost too much, like it's hot from the oven. It's sort of like the cake note from Cockaigne, but I like it more here, and there's a hint of something deeper, almost spicy. Smells edible. On, wet: Less overwhelmingly sweet, but still nice, buttery, crisp pastry. It really does smell like the perfect piecrust, with a hint of warm and fruity black currant. Maybe a hint of rose? If that's rose I'm smelling, it's very faint, but nice. On, dry: Big, full roses and black currants blended together, with a nice accent from the crisp, buttery crust. Yum! The roses have a wonderful spicy quality, which blends with the black currants to make me think the tarts are spiced. It's a nice balancing act between foody and floral, and it makes me want to eat my own arm. Later: Soft roses and black currents, with vanilla and just a hint of the pastry. Just sweet enough, a bit fruity—really lovely. Overall: Really nice, unexpectedly so. This is pretty much my ideal combination of foody and floral. The roses, currants and pastry balance each other out, even if this does smell like maximum-strength PASTRY in the imp, and I like the way the crust note evolves on my skin. Great throw, and astonishing staying power—seriously, this one keeps going and going, and it never stops smelling like a fresh-baked black currant tart next to a rose bouquet. It's beautiful and yet somehow also comforting and warm. Delicious.

In the bottle: A cool, hazy, silver-white swirl of nicotiana, which smells very floaty and heavenly—lightly sweet and clean, but with a smoky edge. (BlackLace was right on with the "cotton and tobacco" description.) I get a sense of the musks, very pale and silky, and a bit of the sandalwood beneath, but it's all very soft and sleek and blended together, with the nicotiana most prominent. None of the other notes jump out right now. At this point it smells quite a lot like Dia, only without the coconut. (And squeeeee for that, because Dia is one of my very favorites!) On, wet: Still soft and hazy lightly smoky, but more of the notes are popping out. The nictoiana is blending with the soft orris, with a little smidge of white floral from the stephanotis. The musks make this shimmer, and the sandalwood is a nice base—restrained, but enough to keep it all together. There's a whiff of sweet pine, too, from the elemi, and that's also beautiful. On, dry: The orris has come forward and blended with the nicotiana and musks. It's now a sweeter, soft, pleasantly musky floral, and it maintains that little bit of smoke. Very smooth. The elemi and sandalwood are just chilling out, a bit woody and sharper beneath that gauzy, softer layer of flowers and musk. I keep picturing a full moon shrouded in wispy clouds, or a woman dressed in these silky, flowing robes. Gorgeous! Later: Sandalwood, musk and orris. Still soft, but a bit more incensey--spicy, sweet and sensual. Mmmm. Overall: Guh. This is so, so lovely! It's an absolutely perfect interpretation of the poem and the artwork, and it smells incredible, too. Smokey Moon comes on a bit like Dia in the bottle and when wet, with a similar soft/sweet/clean/smoky nicotiana note, but it develops into something unique and different, a gorgeous, musky mix of orris, white florals and sandalwood. (I'd still wholeheartedly recommend this one to fans of Dia, though.) Wonderful at every stage, and its silky, gauzy lightness is a great antidote to hot summer weather. Love this one.

I love Leipreachan, too, and I haven't sniffed anything similar in the GC. The only thing I can think of is to layer De Sade with A Blade of Grass and something like Mechanical Phoenix or The Torture Queen. I'm not sure your brother is going to want to go to all that trouble, though. I had a feeling that would be the case... although I have to say, that would be a nice combo that I might want to try someday! Tourture Queen might be just the thing for that metallic/sweet twinge. You're right, though; my brother is new to BPAL and probably not going to fuss with layering that much. Ah well. It was worth a try!

This is probably a long shot, but can anybody think of a GC (or even a less-rare LE) equivalent to Leipreachan? My brother sniffed and loved it this morning, and it smells great for him, but he'd rather not get entangled with something that rare, because it's only going to break his heart. I'm wondering if I can find something with a similar feel that's available in bottle size. There are no notes available for it, but to me, Leipreachan smells like fresh green clover, warm leather and tangy, metallic gold, with a streak of something sweeter, almost like white amber, or maybe a white floral. Nothing equivalent comes to mind, but I'm hoping one of you all-knowing sorts will have better ideas than I do.

In the imp: There are so many unusual notes here that I did some research before sniffing… so now I can tell you that I get a big whiff of mai'a (banana) right out of the imp, a very true-to-life green banana smell—sweet, but with that little bit of astringency that fresh, just-barely-ripe bananas have. Behind the banana, I get a mix of lush, tropical florals, particularly the orchids, again with a green, fresh, humid quality. The ginger doesn't stand out particularly, and neither does the hibiscus. Yet. Smells like a clean, flowering jungle after a rain, like a Hawaiian version of Phantom Queen. On, wet: Lush, clean, light floral-fruitiness. The mai'a has died down, so the banana is a much fainter accent, and all the florals have moved to the front, blending together pretty seamlessly with the more dominant orchid note. It's a very soft and graceful perfume, and it does smell like humid air, perfumed with blooming flowers and ripe fruit. This is so well blended that it's difficult to pick out individual notes, because there are no "edges" here. There's a certain airy, light, green quality here that's very reminiscent of The Host of the Air. On, dry: Clean, soft tropical floral with a pale, spicy streak of gingery green banana. The orchid has backed off a bit to make way for what must be the pink lokelani, a lush pink rose. This has a less humid feel now, but it's still light, smooth and very well blended. Really beautiful and elegant! If I were in a jungle in the middle of Hawai'i, I would want it to smell like this. Later: Soft, sweet, airy florals, very faint but pretty. Mostly rose and orchid and fresh air. Overall: If the Host of the Air and Velvet Tiki had a baby, Hi'iaka might be it. As I love both of those scents, I love this. It's very lush and pretty and tropical, with a nice balance of flowers and some unusual fruit, and it has a very airy, clean, ozone-y vibe that suggests rain and green plants and soft breezes. It's an extremely gracious, feminine, smooth and well-blended scent, and light enough to be perfect for summer wear. I can see how this wouldn't be everybody's cup of tea, because of the florals and the clean, "fresh air" note, but on me, it's just lovely. The only thing that's holding me back from getting a big bottle is the fact that I already have Host of the Air and Velvet Tiki, and I'm wondering if this would be overkill.