Balame

Heather, clover, Irish moss, English ivy, tea rose, and carnation. In the Imp: Super green. Or maybe Super Green. Like a fresh spring plant hero, POW! Wet: Fresh grass, the "fuzzy" pink sweetness of carnation, a bit of rose, and clover. Dry: This begins to feel like the notes are swirling around in a spring of fresh water. Bright and so cheery it's almost saying, "Aren't you happy? Are you happy now? Are you excited for it to be spring? ARE YOU!?" Verdict: Yeah, this is one is a little over the top for me. I have no qualms about an oil being reminiscent of spring, but this takes it to such an idealistic level that it's just overkill. It does get softer as it dries, but not enough to save it. I'm not really a big fan of florals, anyway.

In the Imp: Violet is in this, great (/sarcasm). Thankfully it smells pretty purely of lavender, and surprisingly not BPAL's usual astringent type, but the fresh plant variety. I'm safe from rotting corpse smell. For now. Wet: I get all the notes except violet. Please, please stay like this. The lavender and white narcissus are delicately sweet with the balsam making things sleek and... oily, I guess you could say. Ever notice that it's in a lot of the Steamworks scents? This is why. But it's not a gross car oil, more like a natural cooking oil or a near scentless herbal oil you would use in a facial product. Dry: I think this is the first time violet has ever let me enjoy a scent it was in. Score! It remains exactly the same as in the wet stage, except with even more balsam coming through. Verdict: I think this scent just confirms my love of balsam, but other than that it isn't anything that spurs me to hunt down more decants. I peg it on my general dislike of florals, but at least I wasn't horribly repelled like I imagined.

In the Imp: I love the name of this, but then, I'm violent. I smell the tobacco, tea, and saffron, which reminds me of yummy Indian food. But really dangerous Indian food. Wet: It's so nice that this is fiery without resorting to the old standbys of cinnamon and ginger (both of which I loathe). It's kind of difficult to describe. It's juicy because of the tea and mandarin, but also dried by the cocoa and tonka. Great balance. I do smell a bit of red musk, which I normally don't like, but it nicely grounds the scent in this instance. Dry: Mostly the same. I'd say that though the dry notes are there, the "wet" feel wins out in the end and actually makes this quite refreshing. It's pretty much mandarin tea with some spices. I think the Great Sword must be powerful, but used to put an end to fighting rather than continue it. Verdict: A scent that has an understated strength. Attractive. I'd like to keep an imp.

Just got a bottle of Banshee Beat... it's good, but to be honest, the patchouli is throwing me off. I like vanilla. I like patchouli. But together? I think my nose is just confused. It's very good as a slightly smoky vanilla though, sort of like s'mores over a campfire. This makes me think that Tombstone would be too woodsy as well though. Boo.

I just tried Cheshire Cat and it's awesome as a summer scent. It's got a great, bright grapefruit that is tempered by gentle musk and currants. Extremely good and yummy.

I don't mind rum, but at the same time I've noticed I don't end up reaching for scents that have it very often. But more so I'd be worried about the pineapple in Upa Upa - I really enjoy fruit, but find that in a lot of the tropicals they take over for me (which is what happened with Velvet Tiki). Tattered Lace sounds like it may be worth a shot though, thanks! Tiki Princess, from the reviews, sounds a bit too candy-ish, cool, and piña colada for me - that and it doesn't have vanilla according to the note list. I have tried Obatala but sadly all I got was a fake plastic/crayon coconut. And Black Pearl, oh yes. It was one of the first imps I ever ordered and remains my favorite BPAL to this day years later (though some have been giving it a bit of competition lately). BP is indeed dark and sultry to me, however. Maybe it's just my skin chemistry but the hazelnut amps as amaretto with the coconut and florals playing around in the background - always has reminded me of a sexy female pirate captain. But it doesn't have vanilla either, and it's more intense than what I'm after. It's interesting to me that Black Opal is a soft vanilla though - maybe I could figure out a decent layering combo. Appreciate the recs! *edit* Hey ladies, so I just realized Tiki Queen sounds almost exactly like what I want - vanilla and coconut with some pale florals in the background (not sure what the neroli would do, but hopefully it would be low key). Essentially Velvet Tiki without the fruit. I know that one happens to be quite popular in addition to being dc'ed though, so we'll see if I can get lucky!

White sandalwood, rice flower, honey, black pepper, and oakmoss. In the Imp: I'm so worried about the pepper in this. I just got off of reviewing Rhinotoros which was PEPPERDEATHPEPPER so I'm a little leery. Thankfully it doesn't smell too strong. It's actually rather hard to pick out particular notes - I guess it's mostly the sandalwood and rice flower, though I'm surprised the sandalwood doesn't smell stronger off the bat. Wet: So far so good, I can tolerate this. This is... pretty nice, actually. It smells like a real honeycomb, which is pretty amazing since almost everything with honey in it from the lab has been a miss for me (save for Lights of Men's Lives). Which is sad, because I love honey in the real world. But this is even better than Lights, it's stronger and richer and everything I've wanted in a honey note. Wow. I also get the delicately sweet rice wine, and the sandalwood makes it a little "wild" around the edges, in a pleasant way. Dry: Oh-! NO. Now the pepper is coming, there it bloody is. The wet stage of this was actually good to the point that I would be hunting down a bottle, but as usual pepper has ruined everything. I don't like it at all plus it amps on my skin like crazy. It's essentially the same otherwise, but I just can't take the ashy/obnoxious pepper rampaging around all the other lovely notes. Verdict: Could have been so good! I guess my experience was almost exactly like Windbourne's - started out fantastic, ended up funky.

Apple blossom, white rose, lemon balm, and champagne grape. In the Imp: Fresh green apple and rose. Wet: Light, refreshing, reminiscent of springtime. All of the notes are noticeable except for the grape to me. Mainly it's the crisp apple with a soft rose and lemon supporting it. Maybe I'd even call this romantic, which (for me), is rare in scents that are so bright. Dry: The main theme is still there, but it went soapy on me. Still not bad or something I'd recoil from, but it reminds me more of generic soap now than a clear spring day. Verdict: Not my style nor all that memorable for me, but nice.

In the Imp: Gah. It smells like ashes. If you've tried Gomorrah it's a lot like that, except even more realistic. Wet: Yes, I can smell the vetiver in here. It's pretty much the standard earthy/grassy type (which is cool, I love vet), but what KILLS it for me is the pepper. It overwhelms everything and I can't stand it. The pepper is so strong that it definitely reminds me of the ashy remnants of... whatever, after a war. Not pleasant at all. Dry: It's the same. Ashes, spicy ashes, and funky nastiness. My mother wanted to try this and she loved it, what!? On her at least she definitely seemed to amp the patchouli much better than I did, actually giving this some redeeming, rich sweetness, but otherwise? No. Fail. And I'm sure as heck not getting grapefruit, of all things. Verdict: Not for me at all!

Glad to hear that Tombstone isn't a float. Definitely going to find an imp of it at some point, and I've never had to worry about woodsy scents getting absorbed by my skin, so it shouldn't be a problem there. And in regards to skin chemistry, it can definitely make or break things - it'll be an experience finding out how something with a lot of notes, like Lyonesse, plays out. I did just manage to snag a bottle of Banshee Beat via Ebay from the lovely Herb Girl, so I hope it turns out as single note-ish as people are suggesting!

Would someone mind helping me find a killer coconut/vanilla blend? I got a partial of Velvet Tiki and the wet stage was staggeringly good. It was almost purely delicate coconut and vanilla cream. So soft and warm. I was very frustrated when ten minutes later, the fruit came out more and made it perky/way too playful than the dainty beauty it was earlier. Is there a rec for something like this? I've looked at some of the other coconut/vanilla blends in this thread, but they seem to be on the musky/dark side of things, and I was hoping for something lighter. Black Opal, maybe?

In the Imp: All right my dear cat, you sound like you could be amazing, so I'm hoping you won't let me down. First sniff and that is some powerful, mouth-watering grapefruit. I can definitely tell there are richer notes swirling around as it's not as wildly citrus as it would be if alone. The musk and currant and quite nice. Wet: Crap, it's good. DAMN. Sorry, having a bit of a fit here. I love currants and this one is right smack dab in the middle of everything. The grapefruit is still held in check and contributing the perfect amount of citrus kick, with a hint of uber sexy musk in the background. I really like chamomile as well, and it's making the whole thing smell like a delicious tea. Dry: I'm not familiar with delphinium, but there is something vaguely reminiscent of vanilla in this, and I'm guessing that's what it is. Whatever is going on, it's very good. It's somehow morphed beyond being a clearly citrus blend, to a both bitter and sweet creamcake with a side of tea. Seriously. And it's really, really yummy. The musk is the hottie sitting down for dessert. Thankfully, I haven't gotten a lot of noticeable lavender, which tends to become overly astringent on me. Verdict: Didn't have a clear idea of what to expect from this, but it turned out fantastic. I've been looking for something a bit lighter during the hotter days and this is right on. Fresh and a bit juicy, playful, but with an adult feel overall. That and it has the perfect balance of feeling slightly foody without being cloying. I want to lick my wrists!

In the Imp: I keep wanting to call this The Cup of Love. I guess the notes and image just seem so sweet as compared to the darker aspect of its name (though sure, Death can be romantic too)! Anyhow, it smells like a fresh, delicious peach juice. Wet: A very true peach that is made greener by the herbal myrtle and yarrow. Extremely refreshing. I'd say it's light without being delicate. It's bright and energizing more so than dainty and fragile. Dry: Almost exactly the same, though I get hints of the lavender. It makes it feel a bit more like a liquid such as wine, or some sort of drink (as its namesake would suggest) than simply biting into a ripe peach alone. Verdict: Close call with this one. I would have really loved a deeper, richer peach, almost verging on a peach musk - so that it was more mature and yet innocently sexy. But as it is this is just a very neutral, albeit pleasant, herbal peach. Not quite what I wanted, but it's not bad. If the sandalwood had come out at all it might have made this more grounded. Still, perfect for a spring or summer scent.

In the Imp: Technically I tested this last night, with overwhelmingly good results... but here's my follow-up review. First off, was this the musk I smelled in Othello? Because I remember that as being the first not-horribly-cloying musk I've ever experienced, and the musk here reminds me of it. Okay, Arabian versus Egyptian and African. So I suppose not. But anyway, I think these musks are fantastic. Cats above me hit the nail on the head in saying it's like a freshly showered body. It's clean, fresh, and delicate, and yet somehow familiar and makes you want to cuddle up against it. From the imp, it's very light and soft "skin" with a whisper of vanilla. Wet: Ugh, how do I describe Mr. Ibis? I feel that this one is really a scent that needs to be experienced. I, at least, have never smelled anything else like it. At first you almost feel like it's clean linen - not the kind washed with harsh chemicals in the laundry, but water-washed, air-dried loveliness. How is that pleasant, you ask? It just is. And behind that, there's a distinctly human freshness. Like clean skin with aloe slathered on it. There's technically hardly a scent from that sort of scenario at all, and yet it's there and amazing. Dry: When this dries, it does dry. In a fantastic display of morphing, it remains largely the same, yet the tail note goes a bit dusty. I am not saying a funky dust, I'm saying a perfectly crisp book that somehow got a bit of debris on it that has just been wiped away. As a book nerd, I adore the smell of new books, and yeah. This gets it. How cool is that? Yet that sexy "clean human" quality is still present as well. How is a clean human sexy? Well, let me describe my experience last night a bit more. I put on Mr. Ibis and find my nose is suddenly magnetized to my wrist. After a good ten minutes of scent consumption, I suddenly get the undeniable urge to write a sexually charged (but not blatantly so, more tension than smut) short story about a scribe and a dancer set in ancient Egypt in a palace. I give this to my hubby, who is speaking with me over the computer at the time, AS I'm writing it. After I finish, we are both. Well. "Engaged." Uber yumminess follows. Verdict: Best thing I've smelled in a while, and apparently it has the added benefits of curing writer's block, soothing the mind, and making hubby and I naughty (as if we needed any additional help). Uh, win!

In the Bottle: Delicious. Weirdly enough, I am indeed distinctly reminded of velvet by this scent. It's the wave of rich, warm, and creamy coconut and frangipani (I get fuzzies thinking about this, since my hubby was born in Fiji and had an affinity for them), followed by the dry tang of the fruits (mainly pineapple). Like your finger running across a smooth fabric followed by the touch of its slightly harsher ends. Wet: Truly an island paradise. This does not start out harsh like some oils do. Upon application, it's indulgent soft coconut and vanilla amidst dainty florals, with just the slightest hint of fruit in the background. Very romantic and lovely. It's a bounty of amazing scents, and though I would consider it dreamy, there's something invigorating about it as well. Dry: As this dries the fruits come out and contribute more zest. I admit I liked it more during the initial stages for its soothing quality, but it's still playfully charming. Amazingly, when it was still fresh, I liked the coconut in this even more than my beloved Black Pearl, since it wasn't as weighed down by richer notes. Instead, it's gently rounded out by the vanilla. Verdict: I'm glad I bought a bottle of this. I originally thought it might be far too sweet because of the florals, but instead they're only hazily present and not at all overwhelming. I probably won't hunt down more of this if my partial runs out because of the overly bossy fruits (for my taste), but I will definitely enjoy it from time to time.

I'd never even considered Tombstone! The sassafras made me think it would essentially smell like a root beer float, though if you don't think it's foody then I'll give it a shot in my next imp pack. Lyonesse has been on my "to try" list for a long while, though I didn't imagine it as a big vanilla scent either (many people seem to say it's mostly amber/musk) - it'll be interesting to see what my skin chemistry does with it, considering the amount of notes. BB seems pretty popular, but I'll keep a watch for it nonetheless. Thank you!

Thank you both so much for the recs. Figures they'd be on the rare side, but after a quick search it seems like Celeste has a few decants floating around at least. I'll have to try her sometime.

Been watching this thread for a while, but unfortunately BPAL's vanilla tends to be horrid on me. I'm literally just looking for a good ol' "vanilla extract" sort of smell, perhaps a bit softer, but that is a "true" vanilla in my mind. Everything I've tried, even forum favorite O, just smells funky or like plastic to me. I'm also not wanting something that's weighed down with eighty other foody scents. Ironically there was this Sephora exclusive body wash that I got for free which was a vanilla/honey scent and it was gorgeous. I wished they'd made a perfume of it, because I might have broke down and got some it was so delicately lovely. Dorian has been the best oil for me that has vanilla IN it, but really it's so well-blended that I don't specifically notice "vanilla" when I smell it. More of the overall soft lemon tea instead (which isn't at all bad, but I'm still looking for my "vanilla as the star" scent). Maybe Detestable Putrescence could work...

In the Imp: Oh yeah, sharp pop of citrus and ozone. Refreshing. Wet: If you're familiar with BPAL's ozone note, this is definitely it in spades. Unfortunately, when ozone is one of the major players and not in the background, it tends to remind me of Tide or other laundry detergents. Kind of chemical and very bright, but a wonder? Nah... more like electric circuitry than the wild spark from nature. Dry: Largely the same, except a bit more sedate. Overall: If you like laundry cleaners, or very "energetic" scents that are a bit on the astringent side, then go for it.

In the Imp: Dry, slightly smokey but sweet woodsiness. Wet: Dry bark and incense. Very nice! A lot of people seem to be saying this is intensely foody and sweet, but I'm almost solely getting the woods and khus. For some reason it almost verges on being peppery, but to me it feels like being under an immense tree with curls of sweet smoke caressing it. Nice to find a forest scent that isn't dominated by pine or juniper. Dry: My skin is drinking this up. It turns largely into a skin scent for me, but then, it's definitely a cuddly smell. The mallow slowly peeks out and provides a delicious creamy background. Reminds me of an incredible outdoor smores roast. Not smelling much coffee. Overall: This is really good, but I wanted the mallow and sweetness to come out just a bit more in order to contrast the peppery incense vibe it has going on. It's not harsh, just hasn't quite struck the proper balance for me. It's right on the verge of a bottle for me. *edit* Just an update, my skin chemistry pulled through and thank goodness for that. I don't know what was going on during my first day of testing this, but Atlas is no longer peppery in the least. It starts out with warm, smoky woods then eases into the delicately soft mallow that almost smells vanilla-ish. It's delicious, beautiful and incredibly snuggle-worthy. So good, in fact, that I consider it my favorite BPAL scent ever!

In the Imp: Taking a risk with this one. I'm not a huge red musk fan, and while I love fruits, they're generally hit and miss since I like them realistic and not candy/plastic. From the decant I get a very nice and juicy cranberry/pomegranite mix. Wet: Wow, the red fruits are definitely jumping to the foreground. Very tart and yes, a little bit Bath & Body Works lotion. Dry: This is trying hard not to be as goofy as the Atomic Luau scents, but it's just managing. Mostly thanks to the herbal notes chilling on the edges of the scent. Not getting much red musk, which actually would've turned this more mature if it had made an appearance. Overall: Tart and dry, but still super sweet. Not quite fruit candy, but a sugar-laden fruit juice, sure. Sadly too much for me.

In the Imp: Dry straw, hemp, and the milk. Like being on a (much nicer smelling than usual) farm! Wet: I was a little scared of the "almond blossoms" in this, because generally any sort of almond is an instant death note for me. But, it really is pleasantly sweet without the usual overpowering dry/cherry scent. This kind of feels like having a cup of English tea with milk in it amidst a fresh stack of hay. Comforting and outdoorsy. Dry: The nuttiness of the acorn and almonds, along with creamy rice milk, are the top players in this. Still very soothing. I get flashes of the tree sap every now and then, which gives this just the perfect hint of a "green" feeling. Overall: It's a little too sweet and foody for me personally, but this is obviously a very well mixed and unique scent. If you want to smell like the most glamorous farm fields on the planet, this will be for you. It is definitely evocative of its given description.

In the Imp: Ha, I've been wanting to try this one forever just for the name. On first sniff I get powdery and delicate florals, with jasmine being the most recognizable note. Wet: Baby powder and jasmine. Not really a winning combo since I'm not fond of either of the notes. Dry: A soft honeyed lemon comes out in the background, which could be nice, but it's still overwhelmed by the initial two notes. Somehow it manages to have a feel of astringent (probably due to the citrus) powder, which is an interesting if not very pleasant grouping. Overall: Blegh, not my thing. Gets way soapy on the drydown and is far too reminiscent of a (sorry) "baby prostitute" in my opinion.

Great, best of luck! And good catch on Momma Fortuna, didn't even think of that - but gunpowder and honey (i.e. donut-y smell?) - it might be the winner!

I can actually, there's Agnes Nutter (gunpowder, charred wood, smoke, and rusty nails) from the Good Omens collection... I just wonder if that would be too RAWR for a generally goofy and kind-hearted kind of guy. I haven't tried it myself though, so it may be worth a shot if the metallics get too sweet on you. There's also The Phoenix, but it's a very old LE and would be way too nautical regardless (sea air, gunpowder, lime, salt-crusted wood, a splash of blood, and a dribble of Snake Oil).