KesHiro

Frimp in one of my orders. Damn it, this should have worked. But I suspect one of the florals or the lime note disagrees badly with my skin. I'm inclined to say it's the floral, but then again, I've never really worn lime before. In the vial, I get sweetish florals with something ever so slightly off. It smells a bit like sea water, although it might be the lime, since I see no ocean or other aquatic notes listed. It's interesting to say the least and not unpleasant . . . just odd. Wet, I get the same but amped up; now it's become unpleasant, because that "off" note has completely taken over and makes the blend smell sweaty. Fortunately, my skin chemistry starts amping the tuberose during the drydown phase and the lime starts to play nice. I LOVE the blend when it's in this phase -- it's a lovely lime rose, unique and unlike anything I've smelled before. It's not quite floral, not quite citrus, but right in-between and just right. Sadly, when it has fully settled, it turns into a tuberose single note. I like tuberose, but I love BPAL for its ability to take incredibly complex blends and turn them into something magical and evocative. I know the company sold single notes way back, long before I had heard of them, but I'm not really a single note kind of gal. I like at least two to dance around me. It's so lovely during that drydown phase but the unpleasant twenty minutes after initial application and the resulting single note make this a no-no. I'm so disappointed. As a creative type, I would have loved to wear Muse.

Frimp in one of my orders. Wow! I'm going to say right now that this is not a scent I will ever wear, but kudos to evoking the image I get when I think of the penny dreadful novel! This is probably the first oil where I immediately thought "Book!" In the vial, I smell an herby, dirty musk. It's not bad, but it definitely smells like perfume and dirt mixed together. Wet, I smell florals, something loamy, and something like tin. I'm not sure if my nose is broken, since no metal note is listed, but it's there in the background. The drydown goes through this bizarre metal floral stage before finally settling into a musky floral with hints of dirt and tin in the background. When I smell this, I think of pennies, old book pages, women's perfume, and graveyards. The final result is something I'd describe as okay. It's quite interesting as a scent concept but it's not for me.

Frimp in my will call bag. What an interesting scent . . . and boy, is it a morpher! In the the vial, I smell a wonderful, sweet almond. If I inhale deeply, I also get a touch of spices and a slightly soapy note but it isn't too strong. Wet, this becomes a very masculine cologne, with spices and bergamot starting to peep through. It's nice but it has that hard to describe, high end masculine perfume scent. It remains the same through the drydown, although I *think* I can pick out some of the floral notes. I'm not sure, as they seem to be in there but cannot break through the spices and sandalwood. Once dry, I'm left with something that smells like sandalwood incense with a touch of bergamot and a slight floral note. As I said before, this is a very interesting scent but I don't think it's for me. I love the almond in that first stage, so I'm going to test out how long it sticks around on a piece of cloth. If it lasts, this is going to become a scent locket candidate, but I otherwise do not foresee a bottle in my future.

Frimp in one of my orders and part of my marathon testing this past weekend. This is such an interesting scent! It's very different, unlike anything I've smelled before . . . In the vial, I get orange blossoms, something bitter, and spices -- most likely the cumin. Once I have it on, it turns into a musky tobacco, with touches of cumin and clove to sweeten it up ever so slightly. As the oil begins the drydown phase, the tobacco subsides and gives way to the wood, musk, and orange blossoms. Ultimately, I'm left with a musky, herbal, woody blend with the faintest trace of something sweaty. It is by no means unpleasant . . . it is extremely feral and dangerous. It smells like an alluring wild creature you don't want to be around. Very evocative of its namesake and very interesting! I'm on the fence of upgrading this to a bottle. I like it, but I don't think I'd wear it all that often. I'm keeping my imp, though, because I find this so fascinating and different.

Frimp in my will call bag. I was hoping this would work for me, if only so that I could say the name when someone asked me what I was wearing. In the imp, I smell sweetish herbs and pine. This is most likely because of the vanilla. It has a very high end cologne smell to me, pleasant but hard to describe. Wet, it stays the same and at the drydown, it takes on a slightly musky scent, with a pine and teak wood like quality. Once it's dry, I'm left with an interesting, woody scent. (Pun intended . . . my puns are always intended.) I like masculine scents, but this feels a little too masculine for me. I've given it to Mister Boyfriend with a conversation that went something like this: Me: Try this. Him: What's it called? Me: Golden Priapus Him: Golden LEDGE?! Me: Not precipice. PRIAPUS. Him: (After checking the dictionary, he starts laughing hysterically) Ooookay. I'll take it. I don't know if he'll wear it, since he tends not to wear scents, but at least we got a good laugh out of it.

Frimp in one of my orders. I'm very much inclined to believe I either: A) Received a mislabeled imp <--------- possible culprit B -- Got a bad batch or C) My nose and skin chemistry went completely bat poopie insane last night. <----- most likely culprit Based on what I've read in the previous reviews, this should have worked for me but Sacred Whore of Babylon goes down as my first ever complete and utter BPAL fail. In the vial, I smell something akin to rotten vegetation and burning rubber. It has a vague chemical odor that is extremely unpleasant. Wet, it's pretty much the same, only stronger, and as it dries down, I smell plastic bandages. I couldn't go through with this and had to end the testing after twenty minutes. I hope I get to smell this again, as I would like to give this scent a second chance. In the mean time, this is on my no-no list. Edited: where the hell did that emoticon come from?!

Grants courage under extreme conditions, helps overcome fear of death, and strengthens the fortitude of artists and businessmen, enabling them to further their goals. Frimp in one of my orders. Without any notes to guide me, I can't be certain if my nose is broken or if this how Wolf's Heart decided to react to my skin chemistry. Either way, I like it! In the vial, I smell soft spices and something either citrusy or floral. Wet, it becomes a spicy, woody scent. As it dries down, I think I smell cinnamon, along with a pleasant woody note. In fact, I'm reminded very much of incense, which is what this ultimately turns into after it dries: a nice, subtle incense-like blend. I like it a lot and I find it very calming and soothing. I was initially a bit bothered by the fact that I knew I had smelled this particular scent recently but could not remember where. But then it suddenly hit me: this smells exactly like The Bodhi Tree Bookstore! And I love how it smells in there! Even if I'm stressed out, something about the place calms me down. I can see how this would inspire strength and confidence. Like the previous reviewer said, it feels comforting and gives you that boost you need when you're feeling low. Edited to add lab description

Of all the Mad Tea Party scents, this is the one I wanted to try the most. Someone in the lab must have sensed this because I was lucky enough to receive a frimp of it in my last order and I'm so glad to have finally had a chance to smell it. In the vial, I get a nice, smooth minty chocolate, with just the faintest hint of something nutty. It's very much like the Andes mints I used to eat when I was a child. Wet, this is a sweet minty vanilla chocolate with a bit of the wood starting to come forward. As it dries down, it remains a minty chocolate, but now the cedar note becomes stronger and a cool, mossy note begins to emerge as well. Once dry, I'm left a lovely chocolate - cedar wood - moss scent that stays close to my skin. I love this. It's not foody at all; if you haven't tried it because you're not a foody fan, don't let the sweet notes scare you off. The chocolate, wood, and moss create a nice, smooth mix and compliment each other very well. I like how the previous reviewer called it an earthy scent and I would agree. There's something about it that conjures up images of eating a chocolate mint while walking through a rainy, primordial forest. Definitely getting a bottle of this in my next order. I can't stop sniffing my wrist.

Even though I was very apprehensive about the notes, I'm so glad I opted to get a bottle of this before the Yules come down. In the bottle, I get chocolate mixed with black musk. I don't get any of the tobacco and the musk makes the chocolate have a very grown up, non-foodie scent. Wet, I get the same, with a sweetish pipe tobacco starting to creep in. This is very ni~ice, smooth and sexy! Once the drydown begins, I do get a bit of a powdery note and for a short time, it did shift into baby powder territory, but then this warm, ambery chocolate blossomed out and beat down the baby powder. After a few hours, I'm left with cacao with that extra "oomph" that keeps it from smelling childish or foodie and instead makes it a rather naughty, "grown-ups only!" kind of scent. I wish the tobacco stuck around a little longer but I'm otherwise pleased. When I smell this, I can't help but imagine a warm, friendly burlesque dancer taking a break between acts, have hot chocolate in her boudoir and discussing her favorite brownie recipe. Yes, you should have seen the look my mom and Mister Boyfriend shot me when I said this. For me it conjures up the image of sexy but comfy, exotic but domestic, powerful but also down to earth and friendly. You can easily wear this for a night on the town in your sexiest dress or for a night in while wearing your jammies and snuggly socks.

Frimp in my will call bag. So far, my venture into the Excolo portion of the catalogue has been fraught with all the confusion one would expect when dealing with higher beings. Zorya threw me a major curve ball and it looks as though Vechernyaya has decided to follow suit. In the imp, I get mostly patchouli with a hint of "something else." It might be the poppy or it might be the musk. I'm still learning how to detect musk and my nose seems overly tuned to patchouli notes. Wet, I still get a blast of patchouli but something pickle-like starts to creep in. Perhaps this is the poppy? While extremely odd, I don't actually find this all that unpleasant . . . just pickly. Once the drydown begins, that pickle note fades (thank goodness) and the oil begins to smell like wood shavings and high end perfume. It is, by no means, a bad odor but it is, again, very odd. I'm highly intrigued. Once dry, the scent takes on a woody aspect -- like freshly cut wood that's been primed for fancy carpentry work -- with the faintest touch of something floral. I find Verchernyaya absolutely fascinating but I do not think that I would wear it often. I like to sometimes wear woody scents and it is difficult to find one as light and airy as this one -- I could see wearing this in spring or summer -- but I don't know if I like the floral. I'm going to use up the imp for now but will not decide whether this should go on the bottle list until after the imp has been finished.

Frimp in one of my orders. This is, by far, one of the strangest experiences I've had while testing a BPAL oil. In the imp, I smell clean, soapy flowers. It isn't an unpleasant odor; in fact it's quite pretty, but it's one I tend to associate with bath products rather than perfume. Wet, the soapy flowers remain but the musk starts to emerge and beat down the soapy note. It stays like this until the very end of the drydown, where I get spicy florals with some musk. I really like this stage because it smells like nothing I've encountered before. It's as if someone put a fragrant bouquet of cool, night blooming flowers right next to a bundle of incense. Dry, the soap note emerges once again, although it isn't that strong and I detect it only if I stick my nose right up against the skin. I really like this scent but I keep thinking of it as soap, and not something I would wear as a perfume. I plan on adding the oil to unscented lotion as it has such a clean, pleasant scent but I will not be adding Zorya to my bottle list.

Frimp in one of my orders. Snow White is my favorite fairy tale. It's laden with so many symbols and I admit to having spent hours researching its deeper meanings when I should have been doing other things like . . . oh I don't know . . . housework, homework, work work. So, I was quite pleased to find this amongst the bubble wrap packing in my order and I'm so glad the lab selected this freebie for me. In the imp, it smells like fresh, crisp green apples. If I inhale deeply, I think I can also smell a touch of some of the other notes, but just barely. I can't tell if it's the oleander, hemlock, etc, but there is something else there. Wet, it has the same odor but with the addition of apple skins. This might in fact be due to the herbs working their way out. During the drydown, sweetish plants/herbs starting emerging. It's as if you're walking through the forest and you pass by a fragrant bush, one where the leaves have a pleasant but sinister odor. Once dry, this scent turns into pure magic. Like so many of the forumites before me, I find that it morphs into a dark, seductive, intoxicating, womanly scent. I'm having the hardest time thinking of a description but there's something inviting but sinister about it. Like a beautiful woman asking if you'd like to sit and share a meal with her and your inner voice telling you not to because something is very, very wrong with this situation. Beneath all this is the faintest undertone of apple. I love this scent. It's going to the top of my bottle list and it's going into my next order. I would love to layer this with Snow White and see (smell?) what happens.

The Dodo went horribly, horribly wrong on me (mango cough syrup = ) and I had some luck removing it with a bar of Villainess Mudslide. It didn't get rid of the scent entirely, but it took it down several notches. I have yet to experiment with actual coffee grounds, but since sniffing coffee beans is supposed to neutralize any odors hanging in your nose, I wouldn't be surprised if the grounds take the edge off some scents. Should I encounter another oil that needs scrubbing off, I'll try this and report back.

Received as frimp in my will call bag. What a pleasant, albeit strange scent! I cannot pick out any of the listed notes but I like this oil nonetheless. In the imp, I smell aquatics and something clean. It's not harsh, but very faint and gentle. Once I have it on, I *think* I can smell some of the apple and possibly the mint. More than anything, however, I get the blurry aquatic notes. Once it's dry, I'm left with something that smells like the ocean: water with some saltiness in the background. More than anything, this reminds me of Villainess' Pearl Diver scrub. This is quite lovely, although I don't think I would wear it very often and will probably not upgrade to a bottle. Would love to see how it smells on my guy, though.

Received as a frimp in my will call bag. This is an interesting scent. I actually tested it out before looking at the notes so it was fun trying to figure out the various scents. In the imp, I get a faint whiff of mint and something very clean smelling -- maybe the lavender and citron base? Once I have it on, it remains minty through the drydown stage and has a pleasant, aquatic clean odor. I find it unisexual, bordering on masculine. When I was in graduate school, I would get out of class very late in the evening and the school ground's keepers would have all the sprinklers on. This oil, oddly enough, reminds me of that clean water smell. It also reminds me of rain. I like this scent, although I'm not sure if I would wear it all that often. I might get a lot of use out of the imp in the summer and I also want to see if I can get Mister Boyfriend to try it.

Received this as a frimp in one of my orders. When I saw the notes for this scent I had high hopes but sadly I think my skin chemistry farked it up big time. In the imp, I get this strange cinnamony medicinal odor. I suspect this is the red musk and cassia. Once I have it on, the sugarcane and mango come out a bit but rather than rounding out the scent, they get overwhelmed by the initial notes I detected in the vial. After about an hour, I'm left with something that smells like mango cough syrup. I'm going to set this one aside and let it age, but in the meantime no Dodo for me.

I had a very strange childhood. Most parents plopped their kids in front of cartoons. Mine did too but they also let me watch Masterpiece Theater with them and so was born my obsession with the Elizabethan era. Bess was a free imp with one of my orders and it has gone to the top of my bottle list. In the imp, I get lots of rosemary and mint with a touch of lemon peel. It's very herbal, but not in a kitchen or medicinal way. More like you tripped and took a brief stumble in your backyard herb garden. Wet, the grape aspect begins to come out and it smells a bit like sweet white wine. I was afraid this was going to go over into wino territory, since I tend to amp booze notes and my skin chemistry often pushes them into drunk-drunk-drunky-drunk . . . blergh!!! Fortunately, the lemon peel and orange blossom beat the grape down so that it plays nicely in the background. Once dry, I'm left with a pleasant citrus mint with touches of herb and grape. This is pretty, fresh, regal, and hints at the witty flirtatious behavior of a royal court. I plan on ordering a bottle for spring, as this seems like the perfect scent to wear as the weather begins to warm up. Thank you again, labbies, for knowing just what to stick in my order as a sample!

Ooo, thank you! The anniversary bottles are beautiful. *Flail* Mustn't. buy. perfume. for. the. art. *flail flail flail* Totally off topic, but I love the bottle collection in the background. Very drool-worthy!

I haven't yet run into an oil that made me desperate to wash it off but I thought someone on here recommended lemon juice and brown sugar crystals (like the big turbinado kind). I imagine that this might work, plus sugar is really gentle on the skin.

Review is for the 2009 version. This is a very pretty, feminine perfume. In the bottle, I get mostly berries with a touch of yellow florals. Once I have it on it does not morph much, with both the frosty and floral notes coming out a bit more and blending with the berries. Like her grandfather Ded Moroz, Snow Maiden seems to combine together both the warm and cold aspects of a sunny winter day, with chill surrounding the flora of the forest. This is very lovely and delicate, with a reasonable throw -- any stronger and I might have gotten a headache, but it stays just low enough to give pleasing wafts whenever I move my arms. I find that it also works well when I use it in combination with Ded Moroz (with Moroz on the wrists and Maiden on the arms). I also find this comes quite close to a lot of the mainstream scents available in the department store, so if you want to enable a friend who enjoys florals, this might a good candidate. This is so pretty and I'm glad I decided to buy the bottle unsniffed.

Oh, Mr. Moroz, you and this big ol' bag of holiday surprises you've handed me, you! I remember hearing about Ded Moroz long before I got into BPAL, so when I saw it available for purchase this year I decided to give it a try. In the bottle, I get a mossy green note with lots of soap. Wet, it remains mossy but the woods and sage come out, softening the moss and giving the entire scent a wet forest-y vibe. As it dries, the amber and rose begin to warm the scent and after about an hour, the rose comes out a bit more. It's a little stronger than I like, although the wood, sage, and moss seem to beat it down enough to keep it from turning into a death note. This is definitely not what I was expecting; the scent has a strange warm/cold vibe going on, as someone above mentioned. I was expecting the deepest part of the woods on a freezing night and instead find myself standing at its edge as the afternoon sun melts the snow into slush. My review makes it sound as though I'm unhappy with the scent but this is far from the truth. It is definitely not what I was expecting but I find it growing on me the more I sniff it. I actually see myself wearing this more in the late winter/early spring and it layers nicely with Snow Maiden. Definitely a keeper, though no back-up bottles are in its future.

There isn't much I can add that all the forumites above me haven't already said. If you love Snow White as a perfume oil, then you'll love the atmosphere spray. It smells just like the oil does while in the bottle -- sweetish vanilla and cool, fresh greenery. The staying power is amazing. I sprayed one pip of it this morning in my home office and I can still smell lingering traces of it several hours later. The scent makes the whole atmosphere sweet and calming. I can't wait to spray this on my bedsheets. I don't think I got that dirt note that some people above me mentioned, but then I kind of did a hit-and-run spraying because I had to hurry off and do work errands. If it's there, I suspect it fades fast, as others have mentioned. Definitely a must have for all the Snow White fans and for those who love the oil but can't wear it. I shall now contemplate hoarding bottles, because I'm in .

I wanted to find a nice pomegranate/patchouli fragrance for the colder months and after searching through the reviews, I decided that Mme. Moriarty would be the best option. I bought a bottle unsniffed and have no regrets. None whatsoever. In the bottle and wet, this oil scared the bejeebus out of me. First it smelled like smokey patchouli fruit medicine and then it went ashy and musky. Yikes! Fortunately, after about three minutes it settled into dark juicy fruits, patchouli, something smoky or musky (can't tell it's the patchouli or red musk creating this), and vanilla. I do get that weird cola note some people have mentioned, but it fades within an hour and I'm left with smoky vanilla with a touch of plum. I can't wait for this to age because if it's so fabulous now, I suspect my nose will sing high praises in about six months. I really like this scent and wear it on the days I feel super confident (or on the days when I'm not feeling so sure and need a super boost). This is definitely sexy but in a warm caring way, as opposed the mysterious, possibly dangerous, temptress/siren (I have Mircalla for those days). Mme. Moriarty may be a misfortune teller, but she strikes me as the kind who will put a comforting arm around your shoulders, give your arm a squeeze, and assure you that you'll survive and end up a stronger, better person because of it.

Oh, I'm so glad!!! Yaaay!

Do you remember what time you placed the order and are you in a time zone that's behind CCNow's? I had this problem with my last order. I had placed it around 11:30pm West Coast time and when I went to check the status, it kept telling me that there was no record of such an order. I then saw that CCNow is based somewhere in the Central Time belt and tried checking my order with all the info, except with the date moved up to the next day (10/22 instead of 10/21). And it worked! I hope the problem is as simple as that! Let us know how it goes!