strahlend

I like mint and eucalyptis. I'm not opposed to flowers. Since Mad Hatter (mint/floral) is a favorite of mine I was excited to try this. In the imp it smells like amonia to me. A dab on the wrist and it smells like, well, not fresh cat litter. I'm pretty surprised, all the lovely reviews.... oh well.

I love the smell of apples. This does not smell like apples to me while it's in the imp. After the first unfavorable sniff I set it aside in my 'sniff later' group. Came across it today and upon first snif remembered that my initial impression was of wet dog. I wish I smelled the wonderful apples everyone else smells. In the interest of fairness I put a little dab on the back of my hand. It stayed wet dog for about 30 seconds and then changed to craft store cinnamon-apple and about two minutes later faded away into a very faint apple. What a weird eperience. I realize that I'm the only one who has a bad association with the scent out of the imp, so it's obviously a weird nose-glitch on my part.

I totally expected to open this imp and get overwhelming banana action. This did not happen. It's a BEAUTIFUL earthy scent - and I may be the only one on this - graham crackers. Earthy graham crackers is an unexpected delight. Never in a million years would I have guessed that I would love this so much. This is my favorite Gaiman scent I've had the chance to sniff and I believe also one of my favorite earth/dirt scents I've come across as well.

(double posted)

Cancer is my rising sign and when I came across a bottle for sale on the forum I knew I wanted to try it. Florals are not normally my favorites but I do really love green/herbal scents, I generally stay away from anything described as aquatic because they smell like soap to me. That said, Cancer is a BEAUTIFUL aquatic floral blend and I'm really happy to have a bottle. In the bottle - it smells kind of boring. A little floral, something kind of sharp. On my skin - WOW! It comes to life on my skin creating an intoxicating aura of beautiful flowers and a light green fruity scent. I can't stop sniffing my wrist. I put a little on then opened the bottle and dabbed more on my neck and chest. There's a depth to this scent that surpasses my ability to describe it. I've smelled other fruity florals and I could detect the notes that created the fruit element or the floral element, but Cancer isn't so obvious - it just comes across as a beautifuly blended sweet, green, clean scent that's not soapy and not cloying. Love it!

In the imp - something sharp and smokey. Like a campfire in a bottle. Neat! On the skin - mint? why mint? I like mint, but I wasn't expecting to find it here. A little later - band aids? something kind of earthy and smokey is mixing with something antiseptic and medicinal and it's making band aids for me. Kind of a neat trick, but not what I'm looking for.

This is a beautiful blend. Normally I prefer scents that are either darkly patchouly, incense like, or perhaps sometimes foody but 51 shows me once again that with BPAL there are always surprises. 51 is lightly fruity, lightly floral, lightly musky, and then some herbal/cucumber is thrown in for good measure. It makes for a perfect (non-soapy) clean scent that would be appropriate for use any time of year. 51 also reminds me of my visits to a friend's beach house, and it seems like other people have picked up similar feelings from it - a sort of salty, fresh, sea air quality. It's a surprise favorite and I will be keeping my eye out for a bottle or ordering one soon.

I Gunpowder. It stays the same in the bottle and on my skin - fresh, mildly sweet and clean without being in any way floral, soapy, or foody. I smell the warm oats, delicious sweetgrass, and maybe a little extra sweetness. I'm not getting the strong maple or apples that other people have mentioned, so perhaps this is one that mellows with time. This is a fantastic wear-it-all-the-time scent for me, I don't have to be in any particular mood or mind set for this one to work. It strikes the right balance between being present and being unobtrusive. I've been looking for an earthy smell that's not too heavy and a sweet smell that isn't too candy-like, Gunpowder fits the bill perfectly. I'm on a mission now to track down other oils with similar notes. ~edit to add~ After looking high and low for any scent that might be similar I've given up. If there's anything even remotely like Gunpowder it's hard to find. I'm delighted that a fellow forum member had a bottle for me to have as a backup. Yay!

When I saw an imp of Gore Shock come up and I read the reviews I was completely fascinated. I couldn't imagine anything so unappealing coming out of a BPAL bottle, but I had to see for myself. Let me preface this by saying that I am an unusual smell enthusiast. Weird doesn't bother me. I love unusual blends. I am not prone to headaches, nor do I feel so fragile that I must scrub a scent off of my skin. That being said... Gore Shock is the most unpleasant smell I think I have ever smelled out of a bottle of any kind, ever. In the imp - I smell burnt plastic or rubber. I can smell something sweet and maybe spicy vanilla in the background. I know I must put this on. Even though it smells gross I have to find out what happens. On the skin - more of the same, burnt plastic or rubber. The sweet soft note in the background is trying to hold it's own, but failing. After about an hour or more - This is really disgusting. I'm not saying that emotionally, frankly it still fascinates me. I just can't believe something can smell this bad. I'm impressed. The burnt plastic or rubber keeps wafting up toward my face from my arm and at this point it's kind of making my nostrils feel burnt, like I've been huffing toxic fumes. I'm actually starting to feel a little sick to my stomach. I sware that I'm not a delicate flower, it is a testiment to the power of this scent. It is awe inspiring in it's disgustingness. Allrighty then... I'm glad I had the opportunity to experience this scent. I think it provides yet another interesting facet to the BPAL experience. And I can honestly say I will never, ever wear this again.

First of all, I really love almonds - always have. THIS scent is almonds unlike others I've experienced. It has salty, smokey almonds... not bitter almonds, not sweet almonds, not almond oil. It seems like a relatively unusual choice for an almond note. On the skin - starts out pretty strong but mellows out pretty quick and the slight floral tang I get from the honey note comes out just a bit. Those almonds just stay salty and smokey and start mixing with some really lovely spices. It fades off my skin pretty quick though, and that's too bad.

First sniff – I'm getting the myrrh, bit of cinnamon... I think the smoke is vetiver. On my skin – I'm getting my first understanding of what people call the burnt plastic or rubber type smell. Oh, but it only lasted for a second...that was NOT vetiver. This is changing into the most interesting cinnamon I've ever smelled. It's not craft store like, it's not medicinal, it's not red hots.... this is a whole other kind of cinnamon. I can't really say it's a favorite, but it is interesting. Well, I have to say I'm willing to give this one room to grow on me. After some dry down time - Pretty much staying the same as it was minutes after application. I think it may be turning slightly powdery with time but this warm, gentle cinnamon is just sticking it out getting warmer and softer as time goes on. Summary - not a smash hit or instant success but it does have all the things I like about cinnamon and none of the things I dislike... it is warm and a bit woodsy without feeling too soapy or synthetic. The more I ponder and sniff the more I like it.

In the bottle I can't pick out any particular notes, which is weird because it's a really STRONG scent. Something a little earthy, something acidic and sharp. Hmmm.... On the skin it goes straight to lemon, do not pass go, do not collect $200. After a bit of a dry down it becomes lemon with musk, which is an odd combination. Once in a while I get an odd feeling like I'm smelling the inside of a vitamin bottle. Antonio helped me clarify that things in the lemon family are not my favorite. I think he'll be better off with someone who loves him.

I went looking through the reviews because I wondered if anyone else smelled bubblegum. I thought maybe my nose was crazy or something, but it looks like I'm not alone. On my skin a little later the cedar comes out and things seem much more woodsy and there seems to be some incense drifting around, a whiff of pine - but whatever made that bubblegum or pepto scent is still hanging around. I don't think this one is for me since if I'm going for cedar I want something a little more intense, but it was fun to try.

First sniff - Vetiver. Deep, rich, delicious vetiver. On the skin - vetiver for sure but mmmmmmm warm vetiver, not the pungent, earthy vetiver. This is blending into my skin so beautifully. It smells rich and warm and musky without being that generic 'soft musk' that I can't stand. I'm getting an amber-musk type vibe from it. I've read about people talking about blends that sink into the skin vs. sitting on top of it and I really wasn't sure what exactly that meant, but now I think I get it. As it fades away it smells sweet, warm, musky, and just a little woodsy.

I ordered a bottle guessing that I would love it, but never having sniffed it before. In just a few months I've come a long way toward knowing what I'll like and what I won't. Which is really cool. I this oil so very much. It's one of those where I want to gobble myself up when I have it on. *ahem* My bottle has a tan label and a simple star graphic. In the bottle - sweet, rich, heady, delicious... reminds me of caramel, but I smell the coffee in there giving it a little edge and just a hint of burn from the booze. It smells a lot like toffee to me. On the skin - the leather comes out here but I'm mostly getting something that reminds me of hazelnut. Still delicious. I know I'm using a lot of food adjectives, but I'm really not thinking of it as a strictly foody scent. It's more complex than that, but I'm having a hard time articulating how fantastic it is. On the dry down - I'm getting some woodsy notes now but it's such a perfect companion to the hazelnut that they morph into something beautiful together. The blend they create is like a perfect state of warmth, sexiness, and comfort. I'm SO glad I have a bottle of this. I think I need another one. I don't want to be without this one.

I got this for my boyfriend to try since he's a big Hellboy fan. He was surprisingly excited to try it and if it worked it could have easily been his gateway bpal. Alas, such was not the case. In the imp: I just get brimstone. He sniffs, pulls his head back, sniffs again, shrugs and slathers it on. On the skin: We both got a very intense 'old spice' vibe. The aftershave note, I assume. After some dry down time: It's turned powdery. He seems to turn resin notes to powder and this was no exception. I'm glad he got to try it though. It was fun to see him actually want to try a scent on.

I ordered a bottle of this before I knew that cocoa is a very hit or miss note for me. The other place I came across cocoa was in The Great Sword of War, and I love how that one smells in the bottle, but on my skin it didn't turn out so well. However, I'm pleased to say that 13 was a much better experience. In the imp - it's all chocolate and fruit to my nose. Something is reminding me of sweetgrass, I'm thinking it's the honey-peach combination. On my skin - if someone asked me I would sware that there's gardenia in here. It's reminding me of a gift shop I used to go to that carried chocolates, flowers and scented candles. I don't mean that in a bad way at all.... it's really a much better combination than I would have guessed. After a little while - the cocoa fades into the background and it dries down into a rich, spicy, vanilla with a nice floral companion.

I don't think I'm fond of the lab's dragon's blood as a general rule. It tends to smell too fruity. The fruity-spice combination reminds me of chewing gum or some artificially flavored product. It reminds me of the clovy-cinnamony scented things at a doctor's.

First sniff - Holy crap that's pungent! All I'm getting is the red wine.... and LOTS of it!!! wow... it smells like I stuck my head inside of a wine cask. Sour grapes. I'm curious if the other notes ever come out. I keep sniffing it and it just keeps smelling like overpowering wine. Other reviews say chemistry is a big factor with this one... so I'm curious to see what it does. On the skin – The exact second it's not in the bottle that pungent red wine smell goes away. What's left is very lovely mildly sweet woodsy smell – I'm not getting any floral here, the honey lends a sweetness but it's not cloying.... it simply smells like a lovely fragrent forest on a mild day.

First sniff of the imp: Honey. Pure honey. I'm curious to see where this goes on my skin. On the skin: I'm getting something tangy, no, wait, I think that's going, it just lasted for a second while it was wet. Now it's sweet and warm but not sugary... I'm not getting patchouli or fig or clove though... it's hard to describe...I guess it's still the honey I smelled in the bottle but a little deeper. I'm getting a honey-amber type combination. I like it but I'm not sure if I'm in love with it. I'm more than willing to give it another try though. I was just frimped Hetairae and came to read the reviews. I didn't realize I had already written one. Basically my feelings are the same. I've smelled more blends with honey in them now and I recognize the warm sweetness is pure honey goodness. In this imp I smell a bit of the fig, but no patchouli or clove. On my skin it really does go to honey and stay there. My feelings are about the same, it's a nice scent and I like it, but it doesn't make me feel like I need to track down a bottle.

In the imp: I've never smelled anything like it. It astonishes me. My first impression is of slightly burnt chocolate biscotti, but it's really not a foody scent. Cocoa, musk, tobacco in that order. I love it. On my skin: Lemons. I'm bummed. Something happened with my chemistry that turned it to slightly musky lemons. This doesn't seem like mandarin, it's more like something went sour on my skin. I've tried this multiple times because I keep wanting the cocoa and tobacco to stick around, but evrey time those notes vanish with skin contact. About an hour later: the lemon took off just as I was getting really sick of it and what remained was a rather warm, ever so slightly spicy, musk. I'm not sure if it's worth the wait for this one to turn around because it never gets back to how it smells in the bottle. Maybe a scent locket would help. Edit to add: I have two imps of different ages and they are quite different experiences. Most notably on the dry down the newer imp ends up smelling kind of sweet and caramely like Agrat Bat Mahlaht. The older imp dries down to a pale, lightly musky citrus. This scent is exceptionally changeable - it's a totally different animal in the imp, wet, dry, long dry down, and age. Add skin chemistry to that and it's really all over the place. Just about every scent has some of these factors effect it, but with this scent the factors seem extra impactful. This scent continues to fascinate me, but because the changeable elements are so random I would rather just get an imp now and then instead of buying a bottle.

In the imp - This one comes out strong, sharp and fast and hit me in the face with all three notes at once. ORANGE-GINGER-PATCHOULI !!!!! It was so sharp and abrasive that I almost didn't want to try it on, but I'm SO glad I gave it a try. Wet on the skin - still very intense. The bitter note from the orange and the sharp edge of the ginger are really strong. It's almost unpleasant, but I'm getting the feeling that underneath these loud talking notes, after it mellows a bit, there's something fantastic happening. After about 20-30 minutes - Love it! A beautiful harmony has been reached by these notes and I'm in love. It's warm, spicy, powerful, musky and unusual. It reminds me of a musky orange pekoe tea, which reminds me of being inside an imports shop standing between the incense and the tea. Other spicy blends I've tried have used carnation which doesn't agree with me, so I'm really happy to have Vixen as an option. The longer I wear this one the more I love it. Oh, and it has great staying power too. I think Vixen is going on the favorites list.

Super Lemon. Clean, crisp, sharp. This is a spring or summer scent that I would wear when I want to clear out my energy. I will really have to be in the right frame of mind for this scent. Although it's not something I would use very often I'm glad I have an imp of it to have as an option.

First sniff: All I'm getting is the patchouli, but it's a nice patchouli. On the skin: Seems more musky/dusky than just patchouli. It seems like there's a tiny bit of leather in there somewhere. I'm getting a lot of patchouli and dust. Some kind of old attic dust. Short dry down: It's smelling a lot like vetiver to me now. Long dry down: This one is still going strong and still morphing. I'm finally getting the apricot now and it smells sweet and mildly fruity - like warm, ripe apricots.

After reading the other reviews I feel a little crazy saying this but my first impression was of a slightly musky melon scent. I don't usually like florals (usually jasmine is a scent I find cloying and suffocating) but in this blend it doesn't overwhelm me. This is a type of floral that I've never experienced before. In the imp I like it. On my skin it turned to synthetic strawberries. I sware I'm not making this up. It seems fresh and clean, like a sweet, linen, floral... but out of this mixed bag of impressions none of them really speak to me. Three Years Later... I just got this as a frimp and decided to re-test on a whim. When first applied it reminded me a lot of bubblegum, it seemed very pink and sweet. After a few minutes the fir comes in and balances with the sweet. The jasmine starts to become more noticeable but doesn't overwhelm. It ends up smelling faintly bubblegum sweet with pretty flowers and just enough fir to keep it grounded. It's reminding me quite a bit of Wiley Grasser to be honest. Similar floral and sweet with a hint of forest. I've ended up liking this quite well and would also suggest it to anyone who is a fan of Wiley Grasser or missed the chance to try it. Isn't it amazing how time can change how we interpret a scent?