imaginepageant

In the Vial: Spicy, sweet woodsiness. I can pick out all of the notes, but the clove is definitely the most prominent, which is a pleasant surprise because it usually hides behind the cinnamon.

 

Wet: Aaaaaand here comes the cinnamon, pushing the clove out of the way as usual. That damn clove is such a pussy, it never stands up for itself. The vanilla is getting stronger, and the pine sap is keeping up that woodsy background.

 

Dry: Maybe I judged the clove too soon; it does seem to be coming back now. The cinnamon isn't quite as offensive as it was just a few minutes ago.

 

An Hour Later: The cinnamon won the battle, but the clove is still noticeable enough. It's still sweet and woodsy as well.

 

Overall: A little too heavy on the cinnamon for me, but not bad.

In the Vial: YUM! Creamy, boozy iced coffee! I'm getting some cocoa in there, too, and... maybe some fruit? I want to say sour cherry. Or raspberry? YES, IT SMELLS LIKE A VIVA PUFF! Ooh, I'm excited now!

 

Wet: Those "spices imported from the Crimson Desert" are making this smell a little like gingerbread - and they're making my skin burn. They mellow out quickly, though, and the goat's milk starts to come out, but it doesn't smell egg noggy at all. The coffee is pretty much gone, along with the (probably phantom) cocoa. Still a soft fruity tang to it.

 

Dry: I think this is one of those awesome blends that morphs into something entirely different on my skin. All that deliciousness that was in the imp is gone. Now it's just... kind of weird. Mainly goat's milk (still not really getting the egg nog part of it, though) with a hint of something fruity, and a dash of cinnamon. It's pretty powdery, too. I'm sad to say I do not like this anymore.

 

An Hour Later: Pretty much the same.

 

Overall: I really liked this in the imp. Very disappointed it didn't work on me.

In the Vial: Very excited to find a frimp of this in a package I got this morning, because I was going to order a bottle this weekend on faith. Right away, this is glorious. It's a lot like Snake Oil, but the pomegranate and plum give it a juicy redness. The vanilla and the red musk are strong, and wonderful. I'm not getting any patchouli - does patchouli leaf smell differently than actual patchouli?

 

Wet: The red musk flares up for a few seconds, but then calms down and the blend becomes warm, smoky, sweet, slighty fruity, and somehow a little nutty. On the drydown, it's getting woodsy and a little herbal, which I'm guessing is the patchouli leaf.

 

Dry: This is SEXY. I've been trying to figure out how to describe this for ten minutes - the right words just don't exist. Mme. Moriarty grabs you by the throat, then softly strokes that sensitive part of your neck, so that you're frightened but turned on all at once. This is seduction to the dark side. Now, getting back to what it actually smells like. It's still reminiscent of Snake Oil, but it's much darker and more sinister. The red musk is prominent, backed up by the patchouli leaf, and ever so slightly sweetened by the vanilla. The pomegranate and plum aren't really noticeable, but they do keep the blend smelling red and vaguely fruity, and... a little boozy.

 

An Hour Later: The vanilla has made a comeback - it's sweeter now than before. Otherwise, it's the same amazing, sexy, musky, smoky, red scent.

 

Overall: I'll have to exert a lot of self-control not to get two bottles of this with my next order. I cannot wait until the boyfriend smells this tonight. Rowr!

In the Vial: Mmm, spiked blueberry lemonade! It's bright and fun and juicy!

 

Wet: Goes very tart at first, but then the papaya comes out to sweeten it up and make it much more tropical. This is exactly the kind of thing I like to drink!

 

Dry: Okay, it's tart again, but... softer. It's edging towards powdery, but not quite getting there. The lemon and gin have ganged up against the blueberry and papaya, who are still there, but very faintly.

 

An Hour Later: Huh. For the longest time it was a delicious boozy lemonade, but now... it's starting to do the rancid butter thing my skin loves to do with increasingly random blends. Damn.

 

Overall: I will be passing on this imp due to my hateful skin chemistry. But, before it started to go bad, I really liked it. Definitely not an everyday scent - this one would have to be reserved for the bar, or for tropical vacations for those lucky enough to get them!

Can anyone recommend a BPAL blend similar to Gwen Stefani's L? It's my mother's favorite perfume. I'd like to introduce her to the wonderful world of BPAL, but she's picky about perfumes, so I figure getting something close to what I know she likes will be my best bet for success.

 

Here's what L is comprised of...

 

Top Note: Green Notes, Violet, Water Hyacinth, White Freesia, Fresh Pear

Middle Note: Muguet, Jasmine, Rose, Sweet Pea, Orange Blossom

Base Note: Frangipani, Peach Skin, Heliotrope, Musks

In the Vial: Once again, the blend description is spot-on: the clove is very dusty. Yet, the blackcurrant makes it smell juicy at the same time. What a paradox!

 

Wet: Whoa! This is the first blend that's made my skin tingle. The strangest part is, the scent all but disappears the moment it hits my skin. I slathered even more on, but again, it just went POOF! and disappeared.

 

Dry: Okay, it seems to be peeking back out now. Mostly the clove; I only get the blackcurrent in the vague tartness that's behind the clove.

 

An Hour Later: Still surprisingly faint, and still mostly clove. But there's just something off about it. I know it's the blackcurrant, but it doesn't smell like blackcurrant, or like anything, really. It's just throwing the clove off in a strange way.

 

Overall: I may try layering this with a few of the simpler apple blends, but I suspect this may end up being rehomed. I adore clove, but the blackcurrant just didn't work for me.

In the Vial: I wasn't expecting much variety from the Snake Pit since I get a Snake Oil vibe from so many different blends. But, judging by Death Adder, I was wrong. I do smell the Snake Oil, but WOW is the vetiver ever strong! You know what this is? This is the secret lovechild of Snake Oil and Brimstone. There's a strong saltiness about it, too, though I have no idea what note could be causing that - vetiver's never smelled salty to me, and I highly doubt vanilla, coconut, or opoponax would be.

 

Wet: The vetiver calms down right away, letting the sweetness of the Snake Oil and vanilla come out. But, the phantom salt note keeps rising and falling. I'm still not getting the black coconut at all, and this isn't the first blend it's been absent from; I'm starting to think my nose is immune to that note.

 

Dry: I hate to say it, but... this reminds me a lot of how Gore-Shock smelled on me: warm, smoky, sweet, almost good, except for inch-thick layer of salt lying on top of it all. About ten minutes in, the salt finally starts to die down, but it doesn't entirely fade. It stays there just enough to get stuck in my throat and choke me every time I inhale - because this has one hell of a throw.

 

An Hour Later: Yeah, I didn't last the hour before I washed it off.

 

Overall: I've only ever washed off two, maybe three blends - so that should tell you how strongly I disliked Death Adder. I really don't know where this blend went wrong - I love Snake Oil, vanilla, coconut, and incense, and while I'd never join a vetiver fan club, we've gotten along fine in the past. But Death Adder... wow. I will be glad when this decant is out of my house.

In the Vial: I was expecting something much softer, for some reason, but Burning Vulva is quite strong and sharp. I get the vanilla, ginger, amber, myrrh, a hint of leather and orange blossom, and a sprinkle of black pepper that puts the burning in Burning Vulva. This is a very complex scent.

 

Wet: Whoa, this gets so much sweeter as soon as I put it on. And floral; the orange blossom is really coming out. The leather is also now gaining steam.

 

Dry: Vanilla, vanilla, vanilla, and orange blossom. And a touch of the ginger, and a faint smokiness from the amber. I can't believe how much this has already changed. This is much closer to the smooth creaminess I'd been expecting.

 

An Hour Later: Once again, an incredibly complex scent is whittled down to just a few simple notes by my skin. Still primarily vanilla, with orange blossom that's more citrus than floral now. And a tiny bit of amber giving it the slightest resinous background. It's ever so slightly toeing into rancid butter territory.

 

Overall: Cute (I never thought I'd describe a "burning vulva" as cute, but there it is), but not for me.

In the Vial: Mmm, sweet patchouli. I'm not getting any actual coconut scent, but there is a fresh yet husky feel to this that I'm guessing is the black coconut.

 

Wet: Gets warmer, darker, and quite smoky. The benzoin is fading, allowing the patchouli to come out more. I keep thinking I might sort of smell coconut, but I'm not sure.

 

Dry: This seems to change with each sniff. It's nice, sweet patchouli again. But then it starts to edge towards what I call the old-man-sweat smell. But then it goes sweet again. And then it goes weird again. I'm also getting some very faint fruitiness - still no coconut.

 

An Hour Later: Yummy vanilla sweetness with smoky patchouli behind it. Still no coconut!

 

Overall: It ended up nice enough to warrant a second testing; I tend to have better luck avoiding that funky sweat smell when the oil's on my neck instead of my hand or wrist. I really wish I'd gotten at least some coconut out of this, though!

In the Vial: Strong, sharp, cold metallic with warm, smooth wood. What an odd combination - but it works, I like this already.

 

Wet: Gets warmer, and almost a little salty. On the drydown it starts to smell a bit ozony. And very much like men's cologne. This is like an Axe spray that's been watered down until it's bearable.

 

Dry: Yep, men's cologne, which apparently is common of metallic notes. I'm sure I've sniffed other blends with metallic notes, but they've never smelled like this. It's so much more complex on me than it was in the imp that there must be additional notes in here - ozone, aquatics, salt, maybe some citrus or melon, a little musk. But bottom line is: men's cologne.

 

An Hour Later: The oak has come back and softened everything up a bit, but it's still men's cologne.

 

Overall: I have now officially found BPAL blends that remind me of each of my ex-boyfriends. Scary. Pass!

In the Vial: I'm a little scared: butter and I do not get along. But, this blend sounded so neat I couldn't not try it. Okay, here goes. It definitely smells like toasted bread, lightly buttered. The "weak" tea is actually rather strong for me, and the sugar has a strange burnt quality to it.

 

Wet: It's all tea for a few seconds before the other notes remember they're supposed to be doing something, too. The cream finally makes an appearance, and starts fighting with the sugar for the spotlight. This is weird, but... the toast smells damp. That's the only way I can describe it.

 

Dry: Cream and sugar are still fighting it out, and tea has taken advantage of their distraction to take center stage again. The toast has fallen to the background. I'm surprised that the butter isn't throwing its weight around yet. This kind of reminds me of... sunscreen. It doesn't really smell like sunscreen, but it makes me think of it, and of being at the beach. Huh.

 

An Hour Later: This is weird. It doesn't smell foody in the least anymore. I still get the cream and sugar and maybe a little tea, but it smells like baby powder more than anything else. And it's still reminding me of sunscreen and the beach.

 

Overall: First of all, I cannot believe the butter note didn't go crazy on me. Secondly, this started out interesting but ended up very different and very strange. I wish this had worked on me, but I'll have to pass it on.

 

Edit because I can never write a review without making a typo, argh.

In the Vial: There are so many scents in this, I don't think I'll ever be able to pick them all out. The walnut is the strongest note to my nose, and it is so delicious. I also get the fig, clove, some woods, and musk in the background.

 

Wet: The magnolia and chamomile come out to make this even more complex than it already was. The walnut mellows as all of the notes start to even out.

 

Dry: This is the scent of a sunny autumn morning: spicy and woodsy, yet fresh; warm and comforting, yet cool and crisp. I am head over heels in love! I only wish this was stronger - it's very faint on my skin. I wish the walnut and fig would have stuck around, too, but alas.

 

An Hour Later: Pretty much gone. All I get is the teasing hint that woodsy lovelieness once existed on that patch of hand.

 

Overall: This seems to be an oil that requires slathering, which means I MUST HAVE MORE. I love this.

In the Vial: I was worried that this had an ozone note (because of the "breezing") but I'm not smelling any in the imp, except in that it's a very cool scent. The blackberry is deep, sweet, and juicy, and the heather is light and herbal.

 

Wet: Right away it gets very herbal, and then powdery - that must be the "rosy" part. Yes. This definitely smells rosy. I can tell by the way the other notes are being slowly choked to death. Oh, rose. Must you always be such an attention whore?

 

Dry: Rose with a slight sweet fruitiness in the background. Sigh.

 

An Hour Later: I layered some more on, hoping that might help the rose not completely take over, and... I think it worked. The rose is still a big old attention whore, don't get me wrong, but the blackberries are holding their own.

 

Overall: Quite nice, but how I wish my skin didn't amp rose so much! I'll have to look for blackberry notes (and blueberry notes for that matter) in more blends; they're a nice, soft alternative to the more punchy fruit notes.

I actually tested Gomorrah yesterday! (Hah, it's still my SOTD in my profile, even.) Another example of awesomeness in the imp, but blechness on my skin.

In the Vial: Wow, the description of this is spot-on. I can pick out each note individually: the white musk, the lilac, the lime and the citron. The floral and citrus notes give this a fresh, breezy feel, but the white musk gives it a dark background, and the feeling that something isn't quite right.

 

Wet: The lilac shines for a few seconds before the citrus notes flare up over it. But, wait - the lilac is making a comeback! The white musk is much lighter now, and just barely hanging on.

 

Dry: This is so much lovelier than I'd expected! It's lost the darkness, and is now light, pretty, and cool. Everything has more or less evened out - but the throw (which is quite strong) is primarily lilac. This is described as a "gentlemen's blend," but it's smells more feminine to me.

 

An Hour Later: It hasn't much changed, but it has gotten very faint.

 

Overall: I am pleasantly surprised by Whitechapel! I adore lilac, and the white musk and citrus notes go very well with it here. It'll be a great summer scent!

I may have figured it out! I was just looking through my old LJ and found a mention of getting a frimp of Hell's Belle, which I found "SO AUTUMNY!" Hell's Belle is oleander with wet, sweet mandarin, lush magnolia, a rush of deep musk and a touch of spice - definitely not something that sounds autumnal from the description. So this may be it. Must track down an imp immediately.

 

ETA: Scratch that - this is definitely it. I distinctly remember it now! YAY!

 

Will also be hunting for some Hunter Moon and Falling Leaf Moon. Thanks for the recs, guys!

In the Vial: Huh. This is kind of like Dragon's Heart, but without the dragon's blood. It's the same kind of red smell, if that makes sense. It's smooth and woodsy, faintly smoky, and slightly sweet, with that juicy redness backing it all up. I really hope this doesn't morph too much on me, because this is glorious in the imp!

 

Wet: The fruity muscadine really comes out on my skin, but then is tamed by a warm, sweet woodsiness. The patchouli is very light to my nose.

 

Dry: Well, I spoke too soon. The patchouli is slowly getting bolder and earthier, and stealing a bit of the sweetness from the blend. Oh, no. It's kind of getting that old-man-sweat smell. But the muscadine and nag champa are holding on for dear life.

 

An Hour Later: Yeah. Old-man-sweat and cigarette smoke. But not half as bad as some blends go on me. It's still somewhat woodsy and fruity, but not enough to save it.

 

Overall: Another blend gone bad. Urd is lovely in its pure form, but doesn't work on my skin. I'm so disappointed!

 

ETA: Several hours later, that icky smell has disappeared and what's left is gorgeous! I'll have to test this again in different areas to see if I can find a spot that escapes the old-man-sweat phase.

 

ETA: I couldn't get Urd out of my head - this is a haunting blend. So I decided to test it again before bed, and slathered it in my cleavage and collarbone area. Well, an hour in, it's incredible. This is a total hippie scent, and I mean that in the best way possible; it's earthy, smoky, woodsy, sweet, dark, and a little dirty. Definitely keeping the imp, and possibly might get a bottle.

In the Vial: I'm not sure what notes encapsulate the "gritty, sordid" part of this blend, but I'm getting acrid, smoky, burnt woods and herbs. It fits the idea of a city destroyed with fire and brimstone perfectly! I can't specifically smell any of the fruits, but the blend does have a light fruitiness behind all of that fire and smoke.

 

Wet: Ah! There's the fig! And I suppose the date and currant, though I'm not entirely sure what they smell like. It's losing the acrid scent, and getting warmer and sweeter.

 

Dry: Mmmm! So warm and woodsy! And even figgier. That's a fun word. Figgier. It's getting wonderfully spicy, too. GAH, I LOVE THIS.

 

An Hour Later: NO! It's turned into old-man-sweat mixed with cigarette smoke! And... a bit of fig.

 

Overall: Gomorrah, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?

In the Vial: Wow, this is one thick, viscous oil! It's borderline gelatinous. Definitely the original Snake Charmer from 2005. It's a lot like Snake Oil, but brighter and crisper. The amber and labdanum are making it deliciously resinous. I can't exactly pick out the plum, but I can tell that it's giving the blend a bit of a juicy, fruity quality.

 

Wet: Goes very tart, then very resinous, but resembles Snake Oil much more on the drydown. Wow, this is complex. It's sweet and resinous, musky and animalistic, very exotic, and a tad smoky.

 

Dry: Mmmm. This has gotten a lot darker and smokier. I can definitely see this being the scent of a snake charmer's tent at a carnival - dark, cloudy, and mysterious, a little strange, a little frightening. I don't know if it's just the power of suggestion, but the word "slithering" comes to mind when trying to describe this.

 

An Hour Later: Wow, my skin is really eating up scents lately; Snake Charmer has sadly gotten pretty faint. And much closer to Snake Oil; I'll have to do a side-by-side test once I get more Snake Oil. But! I can finally kind of almost maybe smell the coconut!

 

Overall: Always having loved Snake Oil, I can't help but love Snake Charmer. However, I'm glad it isn't so different that I fell totally in love and had to have more, because I'd be screwed!

In the Vial: Two of my favorite notes: dragon's blood and apple. HOW HAVE I NOT TRIED THIS BEFORE? Anyway. I'm surprised to find that the apple is stronger than the dragon's blood in this blend. It's supposedly a golden apple, but to my nose, this is a juicy, wet, sweet red apple. There's a light floral behind it all, but I'm not getting the musk at all.

Wet: The apple goes tart on my skin, but then the dragon's blood comes out a bit more, making it all sweet again. This reminds me a bit of Dragon's Eye, thanks to the floral notes. However, the dragon's blood is still much fainter than it usually is on me.

Dry: The scent hasn't changed (which rarely happens with my funky skin chemistry), but it is extremely light. I have the feeling this is going to vanish before the hour is up.

An Hour Later: It's still there, but very faint. The dragon's blood has finally conquered the apple, which I can't really smell at all anymore. Yet, the dragon's blood itself is still... lighter, than it usually is. I suppose it's being muted by the other notes. I usually get a deep, resinous quality from dragon's blood, but this is the light, floral dragon's blood that a lot of others get. This still reminds me very much of Dragon's Eye, though it's crisper.

Overall: Sigh! I wish the apple had stuck around, and that my skin didn't devour this scent so much. This will get a second testing in a couple of weeks before I decide whether or not to keep it.

Edited to add description.

@khazakant: I'm fairly certain it's not House of Night, because I don't recall ever trying that one.

 

@ChipNoir: If you want a non-pumpkin autumn blend, I strongly recommend Samhain. It's probably my favorite overall BPAL blend (definitely my most-worn one), and it smells so precisely of autumn that it's scary. It does have a "touch" of pumpkin in it, but all of the other notes are so much more prevalent that I don't even notice the pumpkin.

In the Vial: Sweet incense, with some woods in the background. This smells juicy and red, somehow. The benzoin has a much foodier feel than I'd expected from this blend.

 

Wet: Oh yay, it's going powdery. On the plus side, the clove then comes out to spice things up a little, the incense gets smokier, and the benzoin gets sweeter.

 

Dry: I'm getting the rose note that other reviewers have mentioned. But, it's nicer, and much weaker, than most rose notes are on me. It's a lot sweeter, in a wilting, decaying way. Also, the powdery feel has faded somewhat, but it does smell like sweet baby talcum powder. This blend isn't evoking any images of gothic horror, but rather of a warm, cozy nursery.

 

An Hour Later: It's gotten much more resinous, which I like. The rose has gone away completely, but the benzoin is still sweet as sugar.

 

Overall: I'm convinced that the "rose" note in this blend isn't actually rose, because my skin amps rose like no tomorrow and that didn't happen here at all. In any case, this was a much softer and more feminine blend than I'd expected from Gothic Horror. I don't love it, but I quite like it, and can see myself wearing this when I want something prettier and girlier than I normally wear.

In the Vial: The sandalwood does smell quite dry, but sharp. There's a strong background of green grasses and herbs. This is an almost medicinally green smell. The floral note is so soft that I didn't notice it at first, but it is nicely lightening up this blend.

 

Wet: Oh, lovely! That medicinal quality fades, and the sandalwood gets much warmer and woodsier. The flowers are still very subtle.

 

Dry: The flowers are really coming out now... a bit too much for my liking, especially since they're going powdery, and almost rose-like. The sandalwood is still there, but it's gone from the forefront to the background. And the herbs and grasses are growing faint. Another reviewer likened this sitting in an old gazebo in an abandoned garden during a rainfall, and I would agree!

 

An Hour Later: It's got that old-man-sweat smell I get from Fire of Love and Baghdad; I'm starting to think it's the sandalwood that goes bad on me. It's not overtly gross, though likely only because it's gotten so faint. This is a smoky, woodsy, body-odor smell - no soft grasses, no white flowers.

 

Overall: Loved it when it was wet, but this turned bad on my skin. Oh well!

In the Vial: There is a smooth fruitiness to this, but it's blended so well together that I can't pick out the mandarin, honeydew, or guava individually. This is clean and crisp, which I usually don't like, but the wood note in the background is just enough to keep it grounded. My overall impression of this is shampoo - a little soapy, but perfumey at the same time.

 

Wet: It gets even soapier, then powdery on the drydown. I'm guessing this is the "scent of night air" because ozone notes usually do this on me. I'm losing all of the fruitiness, and the floral scent of the freesia is coming out. I am not getting the neroli at all, and that's one of the blends I can usually pick out right away; it's just not there.

 

Dry: A bit of the fruity sweetness has returned, and I think I'm finally getting the musk. This still smells mainly of shampoo, like I just stepped out of the shower.

 

An Hour Later: It's gotten a lot warmer and sweeter. It's no longer a still-dripping, fresh-out-of-the-shower smell; now it's dewy, musky, but still clean skin after playing outside in the sun for a few hours.

 

Overall: I like this a lot more than I usually like "clean" scents, and I think it'd be a beautiful summer scent. However, this just isn't the kind of scent I enjoy wearing, so it'll probably be rehomed to someone who can really appreciate it.

When I was a BPAL addict way back in 2005, I came across a blend that immediately made me think of decaying autumn leaves - a scent I absolutely love. Half a decade later, I cannot for the life of me remember what blend it was, and I was hoping you guys could help me!

 

Obviously, it was one of the earlier blends; it would have been released prior to 2006. I am fairly certain it was GC, and I know it definitely wasn't a Halloween LE. I remember being surprised that it was so perfectly autumn leaves because the name and description of the blend didn't hint at that at all - so it's not going to be something that sounds obvious. I think the title was two words, but I'm not sure on that.

 

I keep thinking Hollywood Babylon for some reason, but the description is way off - I can't imagine not getting vanilla and cherry out of that blend, and there was no vanilla or cherry in the blend I'm looking for. Plus, none of the reviews mention it smelling like autumn. Yet, Hollywood Babylon keeps nagging at the back of my mind. Would anyone relate it to that autumn leaves smell?

 

Anyone have any other idea of what this could be?