cherrycherry

This is... lush. Incredibly sexy. The honey is very strong, but I like that. The only BPAL honey blend that works on me is Blood Kiss, so I was very pleased when my Womb Furie arrived and did actually work well with my skin chemistry. I was worried sick that I'd have another baby powder disaster on my hands, but instead I have beautifully heady honey with a powerfully commanding Snake Oil undertone. I wish I'd bought more than one bottle!

I've decided to re-write my review of Velvet Clown because it's in my top three all-time favourite BPAL blends ever and before I didn't quite do it justice Velvet Clown was one of the first blends I experienced from the lab and was most certainly the first one that grabbed my attention and made me join the forum. My curiosity was fired the moment it was held under my nose and I knew that I would have to acquire a bottle as soon as possible. It was love at first sniff! Though I can see why some people wouldn't like this sort of blend, to me it is a sinfully sweet and darksome concoction that really grabs you. This is not the sort of clown that entertains children with songs and balloons and dances - this is a very adult sort of clown, the type that might cause some people to feel uncomfortable. The booze is there from the off - not something one might ordinarily connect with clowns. The rum is pink to me, a bright and juicy pink, mixed with that luscious red-rope licorice and cotton candy. The marshmallows and peanuts add a gourmand texture that genuinely makes my mouth water. The scent stays true on my skin - smelling exactly the same way it does wet in the bottle. I use this sparingly, wanting to savour every drop of every bottle I have, and each time I use it it's nothing less than an olfactory delight. It has me call to mind many varied things - from the travelling fair that visits our city each October to standing in a sweet shop as a little girl, watching the man behind the counter place strips of licorice into a small paper bag for me to take home. It's like the original Midway went bad and became a cocktail-guzzling harlequin stripper. Absolutely delicious. Beth, I salute you.

Snake Oil was the very first BPAL I was ever introduced to. On the day I met one of my closest friends I saw her dabbing something from a small glass vial onto her wrists and behind her ears and when I asked what it was, she said it was a perfume she'd bought online. The scent was beautiful. Once I'd started to put in my orders, I kept thinking about Snake Oil, wondering whether to order some for myself or not. Eventually I did so and now that I have my own bottle, I find that although I adore the scent, it reminds me too much of my friend to be able to wear it. We're still very good friends and I love her to little bits, but I don't wish to smell *exactly* like she does. Also, because Snake Oil is her signature sent, I feel a little bad for wearing it when I have so many others to choose from ^__^ I'm wearing Snake Oil today actually, but only a little. The throw is absolutely fantastic, not only on me but on my friend as well. I rarely see her reapply and she almost always smells of this blend. Even her hair does! I put a tiny dab on my wrists and on my throat earlier on, but unfortunately I felt the slight burning sensation that others here have experienced. When it comes to the scent and the scent alone, it is somewhat hard for me to describe. All I can think of is 'it smells like Sophie in a bottle!' Feminine, sexy, straightforward, warm and exotic. Beautiful too. I'm sure she'd agree with me on all counts I'm glad that I bought some of this but I can see that one 5ml bottle will last me for years as I hardly wear it and when I do, I only use the smallest of small amounts. Looking forward to when it's nice and aged, perhaps I will wear it much more then. My bottle is about 2 months old at the moment so I may add to or change this review much later on.

I really, really wanted to love this one. It was one of the first ones to catch my eye when I was introduced to the BPAL website. I wrote it down on my wishlist and then eventually ordered an imp to satiate my curiosity. In the imp it is pure eucalyptus to me and wet on the wrist it remains the same. I was hoping for the blend to evoke a mental image of bright, beautiful ultraviolet light but it doesn't... dry, the eucalyptus fades to a subtle background night and the violet lifts with a sweet, overpowering WHOOSH! I do love violet, I must say that. It's a precious, gentle and spiritual scent that I would love to own as a single note, if only the essential oil were not so pricey. As it is, the violet in this blend is so sweet that it makes me feel a little sick. So disappointed

I adore this oil. It is easily in my top three favourite BPAL scents. Before I took the plunge and ordered a 5ml bottle, I was nervous that the bubblegum note might turn weird and plastic-like on my skin. I worried it would be aggressive on the nose and too sickly to wear. Still, there was something about the description that I was seduced by as I took a gamble on it -- and I am SO glad that I did!! Sniffing it in the bottle, I get a great big PINK woosh of candy-sweetness that never fails to make me smile. It is not an innocent perfume by any measure, despite the fruity sugaryness that is so reminiscent of childhood treats. There are warm floral notes in there and also a little lick of spice. This perfume oil captivated my imagination so much that I ended up including it in a short story I'd been working on. It is worn by a character who is exploring the youthful side of her sexuality and when I smelt Jailbait, I just knew it had to be something my main character would wear. It's fun, sassy, sexy, sweet... almost cute, but not quite... it's too 'experienced' for that. This definitely conjures up mental images of school girls chewing on bubble gum, blowing great pink bubbles and pulling it playfully from their mouths as they talk and flirt with boys.

Beautiful, nostalgia-inspiring, subtly cloying and dark is how I would best describe my first experience with Eat Me. I can smell Victoria sponge cake with currant jam and cream and am getting mental images of fancy tea parties, delicate little cupcakes, shortbread and currant buns. On me, this is one of those scents that gets better and better as it settles, remaining super-sweet and yet also mouth-wateringly fruity. 5/5

In the bottle -- very subtle, floral, sweet and... something else. Not sure what it is. On my wrist, wet -- the coconut is lifting and becoming sweeter, mingling beautifully with the heavy roses. Mmm... On my wrist, dry -- I'm becoming more familiar with the orris and I think I love it. This is an uplifting scent, but remains subtle and effortlessly feminine. It doesn't smell exactly as I wanted to, but is still sweetly haunting enough for me to know that I will wear it regularly. Lovely

I adore anything associated with angels and angelic beings, being a big believer in how they can protect and send healing to us. I was very tempted to buy a big bottle of this when I put my last order in and as I only bought an imp instead, I'm kinda kicking myself now because I'm totally in love with it. I've used many essential oil blends, incenses, bath salts and other associated concoctions that have been inspired by the angelic realm and I have to say that Seraphim smells exactly like most of those, which is no bad thing. I'm one of those who loves burning incense sticks and I have a big shoebox full of all sorts of different types and I can definitely smell that sweet tang of burning joss sticks. The scent, when it's settled on my skin, reminds me of a New Age shop I used to work in a few years ago. It's comforting, spiritual, calming and quite beautiful. I visualise the Archangel Michael standing with his sword and enveloped with pure, white light. This is also the sort of scent that I could wear at any time; whether going somewhere during the day with my husband or going out on a night with my friends. Lovely.

In the vial I get an instant mental image of Willy Wonka's chocolate river. Augustus Gloop would wear Bliss, or at least would smell exactly like it once the Oompa Loopa's have rescued him from the tube. Imagine the smoke stacks at the Wonka Factory smelling like this! I can, all too easily. Wearing it, I instantly start to crave a mug of real (made with milk, cream and good quality cocoa powder) hot chocolate. I want to drink it somewhere cold and feel sustained by the heavy, calorie-laden sweetness. This isn't a complicated scent at all and its simplicity is what I like the most about it. It's milky, creamy chocolate and doesn't pretend to be anything else. There are other beautiful chocolate scents out there (BPAL's being the best I've ever come across) and I do like more complicated blends with hints of fruit or alcohol, but Bliss remains something special. May have to acquire this in a bigger bottle and wear it a lot during the winter months. I imagine it would be very comforting and uplifting when it's bitter outside.

Velvet is what I wanted Vice to be. I still enjoy Vice and wear it regularly, but Velvet seems stronger, darker and richer to me. In the bottle it smells of dark chocolate syrup and wet on my wrist it settles instantly to a woodier and sweeter confection. I was concerned before buying it that the woody elements would be too dry when blended with cocoa, but it seems to work wonderfully on me. Somehow I get an occasional whiff of cherries in there too, not sure where that is coming from. In conclusion, Velvet is beautifully blended and a real pleasure to wear. Definitely inspires regular bouts of wrist-sniffing and re-application.

A crisp, pale green scent that exudes peace and tranquility. There's a mature sweetness in there, something dually sharp and floral. Feels energising to some degree and is subtly mind-clearing. Not what I expected, to be honest. I thought the aquatic note would be more predominant but instead I'm getting florals that are becoming increasingly stronger and a background of bolstering ozone. I like it and will use it during meditation and other spiritual practises, as was my original intention. To reiterate -- not what I was expecting, but still enjoyable.

This was a very personal one for me, as Nabokov's 'Lolita' is one of my favourite books of all time. I'm not ashamed to admit that I ordered the scent because of the name. I trusted that it would be perfect and... it is. In the bottle Lolita smells to me like mouthwatering orange candies, like Nerds or Millions. It's juicy and makes me want to pop down to the Newsagent near my apartment and buy bags and bags of sweets to nom on. Applied, the orange is predominant for a while until it settles down and reveals a whole new and unexpected layer of scent. It makes me think of a young teenage girl putting on her Mother's perfume, creating a bizarre mix of youthful exuberance and adult sensuality. The florals are heady and mature, a very sophisticated blend indeed in my opinion. On my wrist, I keep smelling and re-smelling. My mouth is watering and I know already that if I was to smell this on somebody else, I would be wanting to nuzzle up to them. It's intriguing, vibrant, fruity, glittering almost with differing facets of femininity. Absolutely beautiful and a keeper for sure. I know I will use up this bottle very quickly and I wish I had bought one as back-up! Highly recommended.

Perversion is one of my new favourites. It's one of those that has a lot to live up to, given the dramatic name and I have to say that it certainly does. It's dark and sweet and penetrating. I kept reapplying it last night, just so I could get those first few waves of wet scent, where it is at its most potent. The leather is a sensual backdrop to playful coconut and chardonnay and I can totally visualise the 'bondage ball' mentioned in the description. I can see partygoers dressed in their S&M best, drinking rum-based cocktails and smoking as they chat and size one another up before playtime begins. The tonka note wasn't too obvious to me at first but after wearing it for a few hours, it was definitely there and totally yummy. If 10ml bottles were still available, I would buy one of Perversion right now. Also, my husband adored the scent of it when bedtime came last night. 'God, you smell amazing' is something I have heard before, but he said it repeatedly with regards to Perversion.

I've had a couple of problems with my latest orders. Over the past month I've put in four altogether and only one of those has been stress-free. The first order I put in (shared with a friend) hasn't arrived and there's been no click and ship. My friend has sent a few enquiry emails and the responses so far have been rather vague. We've been waiting for that package for a long time now and there doesn't seem to be much in the way of a resolution. The second order arrived very quickly and all was fine there. I received my click and ship for the third order two weeks ago and there's no sign of it yet... getting a bit worried about that one. The fourth order arrived this morning and is the one I'm most pissed off about as the postman handed me the package along with a customs charge slip. They want me to pay £14.78 and there doesn't seem to be a reason apart from the fact that the stated total is a lot less than it should be. Has anyone else had similar experiences recently? I'm thinking of sending BPAL an email about it all, as the customer service is rather lacking.

This was another one that I bought with it smelling it first, but thankfully we get along very well It is powdery on me, but not that dreaded baby powder scent. With Jezebel, it was out-and-out Johnson's baby powder and I was so dissappointed as I really wanted to like it. Le Petit Mort is sweet, subtle and helplessly sexy. I imagine Maggie Gyllenhaal wearing this in 'Secretary'. It's not the sort of scent that commands your attention (I'm thinking Snake Oil or Smut here), instead it is the sort of scent that reaches inside you and turns you on without you even knowing it. If innocence and sexuality were blended in a 5ml bottle, it would smell exactly like Le Petit Mort.

In the bottle, I find this smells like the flowerbeds in my local park, just around summertime when all the flowers are in bloom. It's a heady scent and at first I wasn't entirely sure whether I liked it or not. Wearing it, however, changed everything. I can smell a distinct greenness, mixed with subtle dark cocoa and cherry sweetness. I can't wait to wear this during the summer. I think out of all the scents I've tried so far, this is definitely going to be my summer perfume

I ordered myself a bottle of this and then received a frimp before the order arrived. I am very pleased that I ordered it. As soon as I saw the name 'Zombi' I knew it was going to be one of those perfumes that I had to have, being a HUGE fan of George Romero's zombie movies. When I opened the imp and took my first cautious sniff, a scene from the Tom Savini remake of 'Night Of The Living Dead' popped into my mind instantly. The beginning, where Barbara and her brother are visiting their Mother's grave and he is teasing her, setting an uneasy mood right from the off, came to me quite vividly. Soon, they are attacked by zombies and after her brother is killed, Barbara has to flee and fend for herself. The scent reminds me of that. The melancholy scent of funeral wreaths and flowers, dismal roses and freshly dug earth. Zombi has a wonderful throw. I put the tinest bit on my wrists and when my husband walked into the room, he instantly asked what I was wearing. I find it to have a darkly sensual undertone, likely because of the florals. Recommended highly. I know I will use my 5ml bottle very regularly when it arrives. EDIT : I wanted to update my review on this because of a few reasons. One - it has become an all-time favourite. It is so elegantly morbid. Absolutely darksome and evocative. Two - it smells so funereal that when my best friend's Mother smelt it, it made her burst into tears. She asked me to never let her smell it again because it reminds her so much of funeral parlours. Three - It is the *perfect* Gothic perfume. My tastes in scent have taken a distinctly darker turn as of late and I've found myself picking this one out a lot because it is just perfect for the romantic-gothic look I've been wearing. This scent is just amazing, truly. A top favourite.

Voluptuous and indulgent! A deep chocolate scent, with black cherry and orange blossom. The chocolate-scent is not too overpowering on me. I can smell it more in the bottle, or when wet on my wrists. Once it has settled and started to respond to my body heat, it becomes a subtle and delicious mix of cherry and... buttercream? There is also a floral aspect that I can't seem to pinpoint. I'm not sure if it's the orange blossom, as it doesn't really smell like that. Hmm. Anyway, this scent is beautiful and I'm very glad that I opted for a 5ml bottle before trying it. One to wear during indulgent, lazy moods, reclining on a velvetine sofa and being fed peeled grapes by some attentive admirer.

The first BPAL scent I've sampled and instantly felt a spiritual response to. My first thought upon sniffing it was 'midnight!' appropriately enough. I'm not sure how Beth does what she does, but here she has totally encapsulated the essence of midnight and I can think of little else when I wear it. Spiritually, the scent relaxed me and heightened my senses at the same time, gently opening my upper chakras and helping me to focus. When I get my 5ml bottle, I intend to use it for nighttime meditation primarily and I think it will do a pretty wonderful job. I get mental images of sitting in a garden on a warm summer's evening, surrounded by wet, white flowers, perhaps after a downpour or thunderstorm. I see the moon reflected in water. If this scent was a colour, it would be pearlescent blue moonlight, radiant and pure. Quite beautiful.

This is another imp that my friend passed on to me and another instant favourite. Very much looking forward to my 5ml bottle arriving. This is a delicate and understated scent, one that I will wear during the day so I can sniff my wrists as much as I want to without having to worry about being stared at Smoky vanilla with an undertone of glistening crystals and minerals.

A good friend gave me an imp of this and I've been addicted to it ever since. So much so that I've ordered a 5ml bottle When opening the imp, I get a sudden rush of honey and heat. Not spicy heat, but something different and... well, I'm not sure I can adequately describe it. Perhaps it's more a sense of heat than a real presence of it in the blend. It's sweet and dark at the same time -- maddeningly sensual. On my skin, the honey blooms at once and is very strong. Nearly every time I've worn it, someone has commented on the throw of the scent. So far, everyone has liked it, but found it to be very penetrating. I can see, despite my affection for it, why some people would find the scent to be too much. A friend of mine leaned away from my wrist the first time I let him smell it, but then moments later he wanted to smell it again, intrigued by how complex it was. It gives me a mental image of a female vampire who is hundreds of years old, but still looks about twenty-five. She has long dark hair, fiery eyes and doesn't say much -- she doesn't need to. Sweet and twisted, she lures men to their doom and they have no chance of denying her advances. Even when she torments them, they enjoy it.

This is my first review A good friend of mine kindly gave some imps to tide me over until my first orders arrive. One of these was 'All Night Long'. I opened it up last night and took a sniff, thinking it smelt vaguely pleasant... sort of spicy and nutty and warm. Herbal and woodsy, but playfully spiced. Anyway. My husband had gone to bed way before me and as far as I knew was fast asleep upstairs. After seeing my friend off in her taxi, I got ready for bed, did a little tidying up and then put a drop of All Night Long on each wrist and in my cleavage. I didn't think for one single second that it would work. I wasn't being cynical really, I just know what my husband is like when his head hits the pillow -- he's out for the count and is very difficult to wake. Went upstairs thinking that I smelt rather peculiar (couldn't really fathom whether I liked the oil or not, to be honest), got into bed and just laid there. Within about 5 minutes my husband went from being fast asleep to... well, you know It was the weirdest thing and I am still a little spooked by it. Not only did that oil manage to wake him up, it made him totally charged with arousal. Even he thought it was strange, as the scent itself didn't particularly appeal to him. Bizarre and powerful stuff indeed!! Totally recommended, especially for magical purposes.