girasol

Lemon gelati! Electric lemonade! Sugary and zingy and wonderful So, yes. I bought two bottles of this unsniffed, because I just had a feeling I would love it. I was right! It's just such an awake, happy scent. I may even need more bottles, because I know I will be gutted if I ever run out of this. This is citrus done perfectly, without the 'air freshener' horror I get from some of the other citrus blends. Also... I think if I layer this with a bit of Obatala, I will have a good substitute for The Star. Which is great, because all I have of that little gem are a couple of imps, and I think the coconut will help offset a little of the zinginess and make it a softer, summery scent. So good. So very, very good.

Mad Tea Party is now officially my favourite BPAL scent collection - so much win in this series! How Doth the Little Crocodile, while foody, is more complex than just that. It's warm and and faintly spicy, and the chocolate ain't no Hershey's - it's the real deal 70% cocoa stuff, dark and rich. The mint and vanilla are quite soft, so you don't end up smelling like a choc-mint ice cream cone gone wrong. I really like this scent, it's both delicious and comforting and I need a bottle!

In the imp: Fresh and citrusy. Wet: The lime is quite strong at first, and veering alarmingly into air-freshener territory. Hopefully this will settle. The matcha is occasionally popping out from behind the lime to wave hello, but the hibiscus and white musk are keeping a low profile at this stage. Dry: Dry, the air freshener hell has toned down, and the lime is more sugary. The florals are coming through, giving it a nice balance. It reminds me of standing in a slightly unkempt garden that has a big lemon tree and lots of unruly flowers poking through the weeds. The white musk and/or matcha is also giving it a very slight soapiness. Verdict: I was hoping this would work for me where Enbalming Fluid failed, and to an extent it does. Not sure if I love it enough to need a bottle though.

This is all delicious fresh berries when it first goes on, then it becomes a bit bubblegummy and cloying. Then it kind of settles down again, but some powderiness appears in the background. It's not something I'm in love with, but I can see it being great as a pick-me-up - it has a fresh, cheery sort of feel about it.

Slightly soapy floral - I get what other's have said about it being watery. To me it's a bit like a fabric softener fragrance that would be called "Summer Breeze" or "Orchard Blossom" or something like that.

Much love to sunshinedaisybliss for giving me a bit of this to try! It was a little harsh in the imp and freshly applied, but after it settled a bit it was a lovely sweet mint. I kept thinking I also smelled cake, but I'm assuming this was the vanilla. My skin ate it all up within about 3 hours, but I didn't apply very much. It's really lovely... shame it's damn near impossible to get hold of! I will have to rely on Spooky for my minty deliciousness

Pretty and atmospheric - soft florals, with maybe a touch of ozone? This definitely calls to mind a still, cool night, with crisp floral scents drifting on the breeze. It's not really me, but it is lovely. To me this is a silvery scent.

Fruity and fresh - the sweet red pomegranate is offset by a slight citrusy tang and the bite of the vodka. This would be a great summertime scent!

This was a little harsh at first - the rum note is quite dry, and combined with the tobacco it has an almost burnt-sugary feel at first. After a little while though, the coconut moves more to the front and the whole scent blends better. It's rich and warm, and a little bit foody.

Just a plain-Jane white floral blend on me. Pretty, but nothing that reaches out and grabs you.

This is pleasant, but a little too 'pubescent girl' for me... it smells so sweetly fruity that it reminds me a little of one of those sickly body sprays I adored when I was 13. Also, my skin eated it after about an hour.

How very odd. This does not evoke images of black pyramids, river demons, and bleak, deadly desert sands - it evokes images of Scooby Doo blowing a giant pink bubblegum bubble, only to have it burst in a sticky mess all his face (I don't know if that ever happened in a Scooby Doo cartoon, but I can totally see it). Silly old Scooby. It's about as bleak and foreboding as a box full of kittens, TBH.

Wha-hey! A blend containing vetiver that doesn't make me want to hurl, who knew such a thing existed! I really don't get anything damp or green from this, on me it is a straight-up floral. Heady and tropical. Nice, but not unique enough for me to feel like I need more than the imp.

Frimp! Yay! In the imp: Dry spice and... er, Sprite? Wet: An expolsion of menthol-camphor type stuff going on as soon as it hits the skin - the incense, I presume. Through the drydown, something a bit more sweet and floral comes through. Dry: Soft, smoky, incensey things going on now, with a faint sweetness. Sticking fairly close to the skin. Verdict: It might be the kind of thing I'm in the mood for occasionally. Good Autumn scent.

This reminds me of a big bowl of ripe, stewed stone fruit, sprinkled with powdered sugar. Very rich and sweet, and 'clotted' is actually quite a good description - it's like the cherries that have over-ripened and leaked sticky ooze over the bottom of the bowl. Not the kind of thing you'd wear everyday, but delicious and unmistakeably BPAL.

I couldn't resist a scent that pays tribute to the beautiful relationship between dogs and their humans, so when I saw a bottle for sale I snapped it up! This is a very gentle scent. It starts out grassy, but rather than fresh green grass it's more like a sun-baked meadow in the middle of summer. Soft florals come through during the drydown. Dry, it's quite faint - but up close it's still there, warm and golden. Subtle and lovely.

This definitely feels like a puff of fairy dust from just over yonder. Light, ethereal florals that blend together perfectly, with no particular note dominant. There's a rounded fruitiness from the redcurrant, a sweet zing from the passionflower, and a soft green undertone from the herbs. So pretty.

Kebechet is actually already a transliteration - stemming from 'Qeb-hwt'. I think it's meant to be pronounced more like keb-uh-het, but the ancient Egyptians generally did not record vowel sounds - so most likely nobody will ever know exactly how it was intended to be said. Also... BUY-PAL

This went on as a really pretty tangerine dream... but my skin eated it. In less than an hour. Le sigh.

Wow, this was a real morpher on me. In the imp and when wet, it was kind of a nondescript cologney smell, but when it dried it was totally different. Pretty, ethereal - almost floral topnotes, underscored with a faint soapiness (I assume from the musks). Completely not what I expected, but I love it!

Rich and spicy, with a metallic tang. I am in complete agreement with those who have said it smells like a working man (in a good way!). This is going to smell lovely on my husband, I think. The only downside is the amber does give it that usual amber powderiness - on me, anyway.

In bottle: Soft, sugar-spun florals. Sooo pretty! Wet: The leather comes charging out and things go all scary for a few minutes. Thankfully, it calms down after that. Dry: The florals are light and lovely in this, and are blending well and not overpowering. The vanilla is creamy and wonderful, and the leather is underscoring the lot with a warm smokiness. The amber does not seem to be bringing it's powdery doom to play on this scent, so hurrah! Verdict: I think it's love.

In the imp: Dry, warm spices. Wet: Stewed apple with cinnamon sugar! So good! Dry: Soft sweet spice, sugared apple pie and a creamy undertone. Verdict: Such a delicious scent! Warm and comforting and snuggly. It reminds me of a dish of spiced apple crumble. I really hope this comes back in this year's 'weenies, I'd love a bottle of this

This reminded me a lot of a commercial perfume, I'm thinking possibly because of the lily note or the olive blossom? That said, this is an incredibly pretty scent. I think I will definitely be needing a bottle. A light, feminine floral (whoever said it was unisex upthread must have a very different skin chemistry than me ) with good throw. It has a soft coolness to it, which is possibly where the snow note comes in. I personally did not get the citrus or the creaminess others have mentioned, it was all crisp floral on me.

Wow, this is really not at all what I was expecting. I was maybe misled by the "Middle Eastern flowers" part of the description, but I was anticipating something sweet and spicy. Instead, this is very cologne-y, and TBH I can't really pick out any of the listed notes, except maybe leather. It's not horrible, but it's very much not me.