svelterose

I went out this Saturday night and used both French Creole and Mantle of Venus. I wasn't so much focused on the important people (French Creole) or the love (Mantle of Venus) parts of these oils. I just wanted to have a fun night and I figured these two would play well for me. Honestly, I used both because I'm dumb and figured, two-times the power can't hurt right? You never know what'll happen. Now, I'm going to go right off the bat and say it could have everything to do with what I wore that night. I wasn't anymore skimpy or overdressed than I usually would be for clubbing but then again, I'm biased because I'm wearing the clothes and therefore, not an objective third party observer. Saturday night...goddamn. I've never been approached by so many guys, one guy wouldn't let me go for the longest time. I'm a "have-fun" type of gal so when he asked for a kiss, I gave him a peck on the lips. Short, simple, friendly. He wanted more and honestly, I was just looking to dance and have fun with my girl that night. Now jump to another part of the night...my girl and I had been following around this tall military fellow. Cute, very good-looking. However, his friends were the ones who noticed us and came over to start chatting it up. I am not looking for some manly lovin'. I just want to make sure my friend has fun because the week hadn't been so friendly to her. In any case, I figured I'd play wing-woman and just keep the dude busy while she chats up the other guy. I'm just being my usual self, hamming it up. I don't know how much of a ham I was because by now, I'm a couple of drinks in. I'm pretty sure I stuck up two thumbs when he tried to joke about being 'umemployed' and 'homeless'. He was apparently in the military (which I knew because honestly...y'all travel in packs and have the same haircut). Cue into another scenario, we're at the bar ordering drinks and another group of guys start talking to us. They're friendly and my friend is definitely having fun. She's claiming she can kick his ass, he's claiming he's super-secret-agent-James-Bond and can take her down; honestly, I think I started laughing like a hyena because the conversation was so outrageous and this is while trying to carry a conversation with his friends. Unfortunately, a girlie and her friend came by and cut right between us and his friends. They were part of his group. She did not want us there. I've never gotten such a frostier look in my life. Yikes. We come across him later on and this time, while they (my friend and him) are talking, the girlie is tapping his shoulder hard and he's just ignores her while chatting it up with my girl. At this point, I'm having fun because my goal of the night was to make sure my girl had fun and the banter they had going on seemed to be the highlight of her night. The other girl's frustration made it so much better. I don't mean to sound so nasty about it but there was a little part of me that gave a fist pump in the air. There were a couple of other guys, a bunch more stupid stuff but yeah. That's my first experience with TAL voodoo. This might have just been a lucky coincidence. I'll be using it again and let y'all know what the results are. x-posted at my beauty blog. Edited to comment on the scent...it smells strongly of anise.

I don't know why but this perfume just meshes SO well with my skin chemistry. I don't get floral, airy-fairy, little girliness. I get a luscious, voluptuous woman wherein a man will see her, lay down belly up with the only words coming out of his mouth as: "take me. Just take me right now." She has crazy sex appeal. In any case, of ALL the BPAL I've worn, this is the one that gets most people complimenting. I was out drinking with one of my closest friend's that night (he's like a brother to me) and as liquid truth keeps getting tossed down our throats, this is what he screams out across the bar: "Yo, are you wearing perfume!??" "YEAHHH. I did it up tonight. Bow-chicka-wow-wow-heyyyyyyy!" "Cuz you smell freaking AMAZING!!" "WHY THANK YOU." /end obnoxious drunk screaming I absolutely love it. I am saving up my money to attack the other plum scents Beth has created (most of which are found in the Salon) and I'm furiously hoping that she'll create more for future updates. We don't have enough I say!

Honey, quince, vanilla, white cognac, Spanish mandarin, and golden tobacco. It smells like a tart candy to me in the bottle. On my skin, it smells a bit like those dried plums my dad *loves* to chew on. The ones you get in those Asian markets? Yeah, it's a bit sweet with a definite tang. If I move my nose close, I get whiffs of the tobacco. I'm not getting the cognac but I'm no connoisseur so I might be smelling it and not even know I am. It's a STRONG femme fatale smell. I'm not sure I'm sexy enough for it.

Omg. What is this? I think it's the narcissus. Looks like my skin's predilection for amping up florals is back. This makes me dizzy, it's so strong. Smells strong.

On wet, smells like a fizzy drink. Dry, it smells like a man's soap. I can't quite figure it out but it's strong, not too feminine, a bit sweet but only if you stick your nose in it. It isn't a favorite but I do appreciate the many notes. Dry down - smells like perfumed spit.

Strong floral but not pungent and nauseating. Another favorite. Don't usually do well with rose or vanilla but they balance each other out perfectly despite my tendency to amp florals.

I give this 5 stars. It's definitely worth all the hype people have given it on the forum. It smells fresh, crisp, beautiful and very, very pretty. It's creamy and for some reason, I want to say it's got the vaguest hint of almonds but not. Totally try this if you can.

Wet: Smelled like watermelon jolly rancher. Dry: Smells like watermelon bubblegum. Ergh, I thought I would love this but it's simply too sweet.

Freebie in my Weenies order. The description has me. I don't read the notes or if I did, I forgot. I sniff the bottle: it's earthy. A sharp earthy. I put it on my wrists: it's STILL earthy. A bit sweet but god, why does my nose sting and why are my eyes tearing up? I try enabling a roommate with the Pumpkin Set, starting with Tattie Bogle. We both love Tattie Bogle. I email her the website. I get whiffs of my perfume here and there and I get curious. Very curious. So I finally read the notes. There's patchouli. Patchouli. I don't panic because maybe, just *maybe*, it'll work on me this time. While emailing, I sniff my wrist once more. D: D: D: D: D: WTF. WHY. WHY DO I SMELL LIKE MANLY ARMPITS OF DEATH!? Sad. D: I so wanted to be a vixen. Sexy, voluptuous, femme-fatale, I will take you up against the wall in front of a crowd of voyeurs VIXEN. ...Not a sweaty, unkempt, man who eats onions like apples.

I am definitely getting the sweet, not sure what spotty and hairy is suppose to smell like, and the purple part must be the tanginess in there. Wet smells like a yummy sour candy and on my wrist, it's morphing between good scrubbing soap and something fruity/floral/ozone-y at the same time. It's the day after and I'm getting something between one of those scratch and sniff grape flavors and pixie stick. It's not a complicated scent at all. Very young girlish, like single digits young girl. Not for me though.

Agreed! (Also, I don't want to appear to be backseat modding, I just wanted to put my two cents in that I'm not getting the troll-vibe right now.) Hmmm, not gonna lie. When I was a newbie to this forum, it was difficult to find information like that, even with the search function. Lol, I just gave up, made an introduction and hoped that somehow, it would take me to an answer.

FYI- I think Beth started her training when she was a teenager. She's 35 now so I don't think she started when she was 5 So it's probably more like 20 years experience which is still a pretty long time. Also don't forget that Brian creates some of the scents too LOL duly noted! I knew I got the time wrong. D: And I know Brian creates some scents too but my post was totally gratutiously fan-girling Beth.

$25 on perfume samples is a luxury for me, so it does matter. I was just about to edit my post saying that, LOL. I *hate* Chanel with a passion so I never got the appeal and certainly not the price that came with it. I've used Guerlain's facial products and that stuff is pretty heavily perfumed. It does it's job the same way any soap and water will do its job with 15x the price tag. Careful though, it doesn't necessarily mean there's a lot of that artistry involved. Certainly, they take care with their products but research has shown that it's really just an R&D department. :/

Ahhh. I actually used to blow a lot of money on 'brand-name' perfumes. Unfortunately, they bore me. They smell good but I'm bored. I got into BPAL due to a friend at el-jay posting some very lovely reviews that made me want to go and try it out. I perused the forum for six months, picking through the catalogue and since it was at a point in my life that I did not want to spend too much money, I got six imps. I joined the forum and someone so very lovely sent me a bag of samples. I tested, I tried and while I have my favorites in what you call 'traditional perfumery', BPAL is a never-ending source of wonder for me. I didn't mind the inquiry and I thought some of the responses here were a bit more defensive than required but then I read your "traditional perfumery" part and needed to give my two cents. Beth has been studying perfumery for ohhhh...I think 20 years now? Please correct me if I'm wrong, I read this from somewhere and it was so fascinating that I had to repeat it. She's the sommelier of perfume in my opinion because damn, you don't study something so specific as perfumery unless you absolutely love it. That's a lot of the appeal for me. That is what 'traditional' to me implies. Self-made, uniquely-mentored, and everything she does comes out of her love for her work. You don't put all that work into developing a series of scents for 3 years (and counting), days writing up descriptions, putting yourself out there in the community if you don't 'love' it. Gucci's Envy Me, Armani's Black Code and Mania, Dior, etc. are among some of my favorite commercial perfumes out there. Old school perfumery is gone with these companies though and I know for a fact that these guys have a lab of white coats creating their scents for them. That's all well and good because they have the capital to do so. Beth is one person and the fact that all these scents come from one person - well, it make it that much more special. No one can beat BPAL and I just can't seem to stop myself from becoming fascinated with every update that comes. I look in despair at my credit card bill each time there's an update but hell, I still happily pay it. But that's just my bias. ;]

This smelled like those chewy, yummy, pieces of caramel at first but a second whiff, it packed such a bite my eyes started to water and itch. I can smell florals, bark, and something so very woodsy about it all. On the flip side, it's super creamy so I'm not sure what to make of it. I think I might like it? More or less, it definitely needs to age before I go trying it again. =X

Would you believe I got two bottles of these based on the friggin description alone? Damn BPAL for making me want their items! LOL. Bottle Art: Pretty and purple. I love that it's got a bit of color to it. It truly is very lovely. Wet: Smells like blueberry gummies with a bit of musk and grass. The musk is definitely the honey coming through which is odd since I generally have a hard time picking up the honey scent. Skin: Definitely smell the blueberry but it's not sweet. I think the fig is helping it from becoming too much like candy which is nice because it makes it smell like a musky fruit scent. The blueberry is blending in very well with the other notes: honey, fig, etc. It smells a bit like one of the commercial perfumes I have but just infinite times better. I love how well evenly all the notes are distributed. As for the 2 bottles, I may end up decanting one because I've got so many scents I can use now. =X

When wet, it smells super sugary. One my skin, however, it smells like creamy girlyness and everything dresses, frills, and little sparkling tiaras. I don't get that overly perfumy sense but I had heard that there was a tea note in this? I don't know. But I think that might be tapering down some of the sweet vanilla and keeping the floral from going powdery on me. I like it. It does smell fae-like and effervescent. =)

It turned super tart on me and after several hours, it smells like swine. I don't know why - maybe it's because I don't wear honey well? They honey is sort of woodsy/grassy to me so maybe that's just not agreeing with the red currant. It was fruity for the first 30 seconds and quickly turned tart - almost sour. It might just be the way it mixed with my legs - I don't know but I'll have to give it another try... Swiiine. T_T

Ooo, this is much more warrior like than the bath oil. Don't get me wrong, I loved the bath oil but the sandalwood in this makes it that much stronger but doesn't completely disregard that this is a Queen and dammit, you best respect! It smells like something I'd wear on a cool winter night to a dinner with expensive champagne. Like an indulgent modern day Warrior Queen where we take it to the executive level. The sandalwood is awesome in this. I don't know how to describe scents very well but I think it's the note that makes Jingu, Jingu.

Since this was the bottle that leaked a wee bit, I got some on my fingers and it was practically love at first sight. Despite my crazy excitement at finally having received my BPAL Warrior Queens order, I was hesitant to try them - because I didn't want to use it up. Isn't that silly? I bought them to USE them and now, I'm afraid to because of their LE status. Onto the actual review... Like I said, Jingu's bath oil was practically love at first sight. I say practically because I thought I might have been dreaming and mixing the scent up with something else in my room. It's sweet, floral and I can definitely catch the plum wine and sakura in there. I don't know what rice flower smells like but I think it's the note that blends the two together so well. It's super feminine and definitely smells elegant. It's the type of elegance that sneaks up on you and sticks to you, nails and tooth all the way. It's definitely a Warrior Queen - she takes pride in the fact that she's a woman (not the kind that sleeps around and is all LIBERATING SEX YEAHHHHH! sort of woman). Watch out for her though. Her attacks are very subtle, so much so to the point that you won't even notice she's taken you down because she's enchanted you so. Either you don't notice or you don't care. I don't care. The bath oil is beautiful and I can't imagine wasting it by pouring it into my bath. Using it like perfume makes it last so much longer. ARRRRGH. They should totally make these a permanent set.

It smells like a fresh baby's butt on my skin. =/ Maybe I got a super old bottle where the myrrh got super powdery - I don't know. I just know that I smell like a baby's booty.

The raw, untamable power of chaos. Rosewood, amber, red musk and a dribble of red sandalwood. In the vial, it smelled like sarsaparilla. I don't know if anybody has ever drank sarsaparilla but I've always considered it a root-beer-type soda. It was a pungent woodsy and tree bark smell. I actually thought it smelled a little bit like oil but that's because the first picture in my mind was that of a wooded tool shack with one of those old oil canister's. I had to try it on after a shower because I had just tried "Seraglio" earlier this morning and couldn't wait another day to try "Fenris Wolf." That, and my friend was sort of pushing me to do it also. With the shower, there might be a bit of scent from the Dove soap I use but "Fenris Wolf's" woodsy smell is definitely overpowering anything that might be there. My friend was disappointed because she wanted it to be something of a sex in a bottle and as I mentioned before, I realized I have NO idea what sex would smell like to me. Maybe I should send the bottle to her and see what she though. Blast, too bad you can split these vials in half. =( In any case, I would definitely describe this scent as masculine. Originally when I kept sniffing my wrist, I thought of a forest, thick with foliage and in the middle of it was a beautiful wooden cottage. To the side, near a pile of logs, was a man - much like a lumberjack. That could be considered sexy to certain ladies, right? I tried to picture a women wearing this and it might be because my skin is amplifying the sandalwood (what else would make it smell so much like tree bark?) but I can only see a very self-assured guy wearing this. In fact, if I had to attribute this to a certain type of male, I can see a business man who has a taste for expensive Cuban cigars. I see a pretty thick but groomed mustache along with manicured fingernails. He is not adverse to the million-dollar suits but he can be just as comfortable in the Bahamas, wearing one of those tropical shirts. Did I just paint the picture of a mafia member? o_O Hmm...taking another sniff, it does smell like something/someone from the Godfather. It's about an hour later. I can sort of imagine a women wearing this scent as the sweeter notes are showing through. This woman seems somewhat of a very spiritual person. Preferably one that works a lot with herbs and is much in tune with nature. She's got to have a bit of frizz and curls in her hair, with streaks of silver/gray to complete the distinguished look. She's a unique character and she is certainly more than meets the eye. It's several hours later and I can still smell Fenris Wolf on my skin. Despite the masculine scent, I really quite like it a lot. It's definitely got that earthy smell going on but it's sweeter than I originally thought it to be. For me, this is one of those 'rare scents' I'd wear every so often just to put a bit of variety in my life. I think I sort of like this a bit more than Seraglio and Marquise... Hmm. Maybe I should revisit those two in the future. =/

I finally got around to trying Persephone and I have to say, it does not disappoint. Of the 6 scents I ordered and 8 scents I received, both this and Marquise de Merteuil were the ones I anticipated wanting to experience the most. The Marquise wasn't exactly what I expected as the floral notes were super strong on me but that doesn't mean I won't give it another shot in the future. In Persephone, I was expecting the worst since it had rose and I tend to avoid rose scents as it has the side effect of nausea and headaches for me. Regardless of how my skin picks up on floral notes, it seems that the pomegranate is really balancing out the floral scent! Don't get me wrong, I can still smell the rose as clear as day but goodness, I can also smell the sweetness of the pomegranate. Some people have reviewed this to be too sweet for them but for me, I think it's just the right amount. The best part is that it has remained pretty true to how it was in the bottle and then on my skin. Albeit, it may have been a tad bit sweeter in the bottle but like I said, it's pretty nice on my skin. I'm so happy that a fruit note is actually staying on my skin! The only problem I have with this scent is that it disappears pretty early on. The other scents - especially Fenris Wolf - stayed on at least 4-5 hrs. This one only remained for at most, two hours. That's fine, the imp should last me and if I run out, I can always get more. =) I have so many other imps to go through and have no severe dislike for that I'm not sure I'd have the need to buy a bigger bottle just quite yet. I admit, I'm somewhat frightened for my bank account; I saw pictures of people's BPAL collections and damn, I am a newbie at this. I sort of like that aspect, I'm still exploring all my options at BPAL. =D Not to mention, a super awesome forumite (I think that's what they call them...) sent me a lovely package as she was cleaning her collection out and I have to tell you, the Saw-Scaled Viper smells absolutely divine. It's got vanilla and cinnamon in it too. Two notes I generally dislike due to over exposure in my youth. I'd like to leave all with this final note...this is what Persephone smelled like just before she gave into temptation and bit into the pomegranate. Honestly, I think Hades is quite the romantic fellow - kidnapping and cohercion aside. =X

Initial impression when I opened th vial and sniffed the tester stick - wow, I can definitely smell the almond and floral scent. It's the two notes I picked up first and they certainly smell the heaviest. Hmm...I guess it's something like when you're baking and you can't help but sniff at the vanilla extra bottle? Yeah, weird imagery, maybe it's just me. In any case, it's like that but almond instead of vanilla. I thought I smelled jasmine but it turned out to be the Bulgarian Rose. On my skin, I can smell the rose tint moreso than anything else. There's a bit of spicy kick that I can only attribute to the combination of clove and nutmeg. Where's the orange peel, sandalwood...and what the heck is neroli? I generally can't stand the scent of roses unless it is very, very faint. In fact, it's a favorite flower of mine and my family and I used to tend a full garden of them. The scent tends to make me nauseous and annoyed. However, I'm agreeing a bit more to the rose BPAL used. It's a strong note but I don't dislike it. Ugh, I had to put some lotion on because my hands were becoming so uncomfortably dry. I can definitely smell a bit more of the clove now that it's been on for a good half hour. I think that with clove and nutmeg, it could be such a spicier scent but I think it's either the almond or orange that's tapering it down and giving it it's creaminess. While typing that, I sort of had a eureka moment. It smells like when I first walm into an AC Moore store! Originally at least. The spices were so overwhelming, I couldn't really pick up the other notes. Maybe my nose just isn't trained well enough for it. It smells like cinnamon even though there isn't any. I'm kind of sad...I'm not really picking up a picture of a harem girl at the beck and call of the Sultan. In fact, it doesn't smell as heavy as I think the picture of that would lead me to believe. Who knows. =/ I've been reading a few reviews at the BPAL Forum and a lot of the users said that it went 'sickly sweet' on them. Weird, I pick up the rose more than anything. I think my skin just adheres to floral scents really well. I'm still try to figure out what scenarios this would be perfect in... It's close to an hour in now. I really do not mind the rose smell which is odd because as I mentioned before, I tend to dislike it. There's something about this scent that makes me think the person just stepped out a of a rose petal filled bath. It's soft scent, mainly roses (I can't pick up the almond anymore, never even picked up the orange and I STILL don't know what neroli smells like), and the best part is that it smells clean. It definitely smells like lush, naked skin. I can see more of why it's about the harem girls now. It definitely has a sexy edge to it. It isn't my type of sexy but I can definitely tell why this scent was considered sensual and seductive by the other users. I don't know what I was expecting. I guess I expected sex to smell so much more different but then while I was thinking about it, I'm not quite sure what I think sex should smell like. This scent lasted me four-five hours. It definitely smells much, much creamier. The rose is definitely not there anymore.

I am still basking in the afterglow feelings one gets when they've finally received a present they've been waiting for. As such, this may alter my review a bit and since it is the first time I have ever done a review of the scent, please bear with me as I may sound incoherent, scattered, and all around confused. I will most certainly be repetitive but hell, I'm doing a perfume review. A little about my body chemistry...I just woke up from bed and brushed my teeth. While brushing my teeth, I went outside to check for any packages and wala, there it was! The pretty red, white, and blue priority box I'd been waiting for ever since I placed my order on the 28th of March. I took a shower before I went to bed - that's part of my routine - so there's no freshly out of the shower scent (shampoo and soap) or deordorant to confuse my olfactory senses. I have a pretty normal pH level on my skin and since it isn't too hot out, I am not sweating. It's a bit chillier than room temperature - I mean what the hell, it's snowing in April. =O In the vial, it smells strong and rich. It actually reminds me of a set of perfume samples I got years ago. Has anyone ever heard of the Crown Perfumery Co. located out of great Britain? Well, it reminds me of that. Aristocratic, old money, and several manors located all across the continent with a few beach houses for modernity. It smelled spicy when I lifted the top from the vial and sniffed the stick. The florals definitely came through really strong. I am reminded of those late 19th century paintings I saw in a museum. She's holding a bouquet of non-descript flowers and can't really be bothered. I feel like it smells a bit too floral for me - I'm not too much for that because it usually ends up making me nauseous. I'm not nauseous yet so something is going right. =) Side note: I have no idea what galbanum, jonquil and vetiver smells like. In fact, BPAL is the first time I ever encountered the idea that those items could be used as notes in a perfume. Honestly, I bought this because I have a love for peach scents and in this perfume, I cannot detect the peach all that much but I KNOW that it's because I have a set idea of what peach should smell like. I may actually be picking up the peach really strongly but my brain is just attributing it to the mystery scents I have no idea of. In fact, when I first put it on my wrist, I thought it smelled a bit sweet. It probably was the peach. On my wrist, it still smells just like it did in the vial, but less sharper and all the notes seem more even. There's a bit of a kick and I cannot figure out where it's coming from. I'm kind of peeved about how I opened it because when I was struggling with it, I applied too much force and it popped out, spatters and all. I got some on the label and on my homework. Argh, a waste I tell you! I'm so OCD when it comes to new possessions and it just transferred to these perfumes. Again, I can't really detect the peach but that's because I already had an idea of how peach should smell. About an hour in, the spicy note sort of tampers down and I can smell a bit more of the peach. Oops! My friend just told me how he has a really strong sense of smell and that's why he doesn't like perfume or cologne. I offered to go wash it off if it was bothering him and he said that it wasn't bothering him too much. I asked him what he thought of it and he told me he doesn't really know. It mirrored my own sentiments exactly. I don't know how I feel about this perfume. I don't think I'd buy a 5ml but wouldn't mind putting it to use if I ever did get one. Another hour in, the scent seems kind of calmer now. I want to say that it smells powdery but the thing is, it doesn't smell powdery at all. I only say that because it's the only adjective I can think of to describe the picture that's most prominent in my mind: It's a lady, she's about her 2nd or 3rd season in and she's received her first gentleman caller. He exceeds all expectations and has requested for permission to take her out on a carriage ride to the park. She's wearing an expensive day dress with just the right amount of flounce and lace. There's a large hat - the milliner spent hours on the design! - and the edges by which she's holding it is becoming wrinkled from her nervous handling. Whether or not she holds affection for this guy, she is excited about this outing. She's shy, a bit unsure of how the ride will go - mainly due to self-confidence but nevertheless, she can't wait. It's about another hour in and I'm sniffing my wrist every so often to see if I can figure out something else from this. It's even lighter now and reminds me of a sunny, lazy afternoon while I'm taking down nice, clean bedsheets. In conclusion, it really does speak of opulence that characterized the late 18th century in France. I think the strongest note that appears is the flowers. I figured out that it doesn't smell at all like the flesh of the peach but it does smell like peach. It's not the juicy, fleshy center you bite into when you're eating a peach. Rather, it's the outside skin, the baby soft fuzz and pretty pink color that draws you to bite into the fruit. Be forewarned, single gentlement! Don't touch, else you might find yourself shackled to the lady in question quicker than you can blink an eye. This is a proper, well-mannered lady. She's more mature (the musky, spicy note) than the average girl straight out of the schoolroom but still very much a lady. I can't imagine myself wearing this daily but it doesn't mix bad with my body chemistry. Usually, if it doesn't smell awful on my skin, I'm pretty much a go for any perfume. I'm starting to think I might just be one of those people who collects, tries something once, likes it, but is too lazy to do anything else further with it. LOL. In any case, I did a little imagination exercise and these were the crazy ass scenarios I thought up of: Where this perfume WOULDN'T work.... - A night of clubbing with your friends - A romantic date - A picnic lunch on a sunny day Where this perfume WOULD work... - With an elegant formal gown you wear to a dinner party thrown by the 60-yr old president that people can go to, to network, listen to speeches by distinguished members, and sip on expensive wine - A lady surrounded by her maids, she's reading a book and sipping tea from a Winchester tea set I can't wait to try the others. =D