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PORT AU PRINCE SOAP Dark, decadent and incomparably exotic: the rich scent of buttered rum flavored with almond, bay, clove and sassafras. Oh, first to review? Ok. So, the texture of this soap threw me off. I know the description said "crushed almonds for exfoliation," but I guess I forgot? They're not like hard almond chunks, but there is a texture to the soap. There's definitely grit from the clove which adds a nice spice but makes the soap a little rough. And there are flakes or shavings of almond, which tend to stick a bit as the soap lathers... So rinse carefully! The scent is pretty much what it says on the label. Buttered rum, check! Sweet and creamy. Clove, yep, it's got a hint of spice. Bay, yes. The sassafras and almond are milder, but you can smell them. Overall very nice, but the scent doesn't seem to linger like some of the other BPTP soaps.

Pretty much the smell of ground espresso beans! And spices, with a hint of sweetness. It does make me wish I was more of a morning shower person, because showering at night with this is invigorating more than relaxing. The soap is very smooth, with a nice lather to it.

THE FROTH OF THE SERPENTS OF PLEASURE All thine the new wine of desire, The fruit of four lips as they clung Till the hair and the eyelids took fire, The foam of a serpentine tongue, The froth of the serpents of pleasure, More salt than the foam of the sea, Now felt as a flame, now at leisure As wine shed for me. Sweet red wine, oakmoss, ambergris accord, ylang ylang, and Spanish mandarin. This is so beautiful! It's smells like a really good sangria tastes. The wine is brightened by a citrus note, and it makes it really sweet. But this is still really rich and deep underneath the bright fruity notes. It's very well blended, because it never gets too fruit-punch smelling. I'm assuming that's due to the oakmoss and ambergris, but I can't really pick them out individually. Like all BPTP oils, this leaves my skin soft and sweet-smelling.

HAIR LOOSENED AND SOILED IN MID ORGIES All shrines that were Vestal are flameless, But the flame has not fallen from this; Though obscure be the god, and though nameless The eyes and the hair that we kiss; Low fires that love sits by and forges Fresh heads for his arrows and thine; Hair loosened and soiled in mid orgies With kisses and wine. White honey, warm musk, and ambrette seed. :wub2: This is seriously amazing. Ah-may-zing! I put on way too much, because I couldn't tell how much was coming out at first. There's nothing wet or greasy about the gloss as you put it on. I've got pretty long hair and I put on about 6 squirts, which is WAY too much. I can't regret it, though, since I'm totally in love. I definitely smell the honey and it's a sweeter, lighter honey than I've gotten from other blends. And the ambrette adds a little bite to the blend. But the musk ties it all together and really makes it pop. The honey is the dominant note for me, but I definitely get the other two ingredients. And it lasts forever! I was distracted all day at work, because I smelled so good. It was still there when I went to sleep. Though a bit of caution for people who get powder from honey or amber blends... One of my co-workers said it smelled like baby powder. I don't get that at all, but... Other people may get that. Sorry!

A melancholy, deep scent, poignant and brimming with nostalgia. The perfume of sugared plums over a breeze of winter flowers. This is absolutely gorgeous! It's my first BPTP candle order and I couldn't be happier with it. The scent is amazing, so sweet and soft (but with a powerful throw!) and beautiful. I very much get the sugar plum, with a hint of floral. There's a bit of a cool feeling to the scent, but not in a minty kind of way. It just feels winter-y. I love having this lit downstairs with the Solstice decorations... It's a pretty slow burn; it's been lit for about 3 hours total now and the wax is only a little indented while cool. Might need to get a second before it's gone!

Wow, wow, wow! Ok, so this is the Yule 2012 release. I've never smelled the older version; this is BTBT fresh from the lab. Wet, it's very dark cocoa and musk, with a sweet note (tobacco, probably). It's almost overwhelming... a little goes a long way! The notes are very distinct when it's first put on. After an hour or so the cocoa is the dominant note, but the musk and tobacco are blending in much more smoothly. It's gotten so much sweeter as it dries down. And after about two hours I can't distinguish the notes, it's just a sweet, dark and sexy blend of the original. Very distinctive and lovely! Definitely a "I'm gonna get lucky" kind of scent. In a classy way. This is seriously beautiful. I keep sniffing myself. :-)

Fresh pumpkin puree seasoned with brown sugar, ginger, nutmeg, and clove baked into an anise seed crust. I actually get very little pumpkin out of this; it's mostly the spices listed. The pumpkin is the backdrop, and the ginger and nutmeg (and maybe anise?) are the prominent notes. The sugar keeps this a sweet blend, but I don't notice it as a note on its own. The Pumpkin Tart is more a spicy than a foodie blend. It's a very warm and comforting blend. :-) The soap itself has a gritty texture to it, so maybe don't use it with really sensitive skin. I think it's ground nutmeg? Or maybe the mixture of nutmeg, anise and ginger. Anyway, the grit does come off onto the skin as you suds up but it rinses off cleanly, so it's great for exfoliation. The soap still builds up a good lather and leaves a little lingering spiciness on the skin after you're out of the bath.

2012 version here! Definitely getting the vanilla. A LOT of vanilla. It seems kind of dusty? But there's also something kind of sinister and almost menthol to the blend which makes it somewhat sharp. Not really minty, just kind of a sinus-opening something-or-other behind the vanilla. Not a clue! I know that's contradictory with the dusty-vanilla comment before. Just go with it. I did really slather it, though, as a first time trial. Anyway, the pear is barely there at all on me. My roomie is more of a vanilla lover, and she's definitely more in favor of this blend. So, if you like vanilla you will probably appreciate Perilous Parlor more than I do. I hate to be all negative on it since I knew vanilla was involved, but I was really hoping for a more balanced pear/vanilla scent.

This is pretty similar to Dragon's Heart. But this is a more lush, intense and less incense-y version of Dragon's Heart. It also reminds me slightly of Paduan Killer Swarm, though that could be just me since they have zero ingredients in common. The honey is keeping this blend slightly sweet, so it's not super masculine. Pretty gender neutral, if that kind of thing worries you. :-) There is a bit of the wood note on me, but it's not overtaking the musk/honey/patch/floral-ish combo that makes up the primary notes I'm getting. I was worried about the throw at first, because I wasn't really getting much unless I put my nose to my wrist while it was wet, but the skin heat must have finally gotten it going, because it does amp up quite a bit! Or I got some on my nose while sniffing. :-) Overall: Delicious and sensual red musk, grounded by patch and wood notes, with a bit of floral and an overall hint of sweetness from the honey. Rawr.

A deep, earthy blend of soothing, grounding, nurturing oils: Himalayan cedar, Sumatran patchouli, spikenard, and black fig. Ok, I bought ALL THE SOAPS, but obviously I had to choose which one to use first. (If I bathed several times a day, not even BPTP would keep me from being a prune.) So, this is the one I was most hesitant to buy because it sounded pretty overpowering. Ahem. Substratum really does smell like a combination of freshly turned dirt and walking through a forest in the rain. I know it has cedar and patch as the listed big notes, and it is very earthy, but it also reminds me of wet leaves and trees. Possibly because I'm in a shower? There are no aquatic notes listed. Either way, it's not overpowering when in use, just a hit of fragrance as you suds up. I don't get much of the fig, and I have no idea what spikenard should smell like other than "earthy." Overall a very pleasant and rejuvenating scent; it was like a spa treat. This one lingers on the skin a bit more than most of the BPTP soaps, but it's a lighter version of the suds experience. The soap itself is very smooth and provides nice lather.

Thanks, everyone! I think I'll see if he likes Snake Oil on it's own. :-) And if that's not good enough, I'll see if any of the combinations work.

Quick question: Is there anything like WILF in the GC? The beloved enjoys it greatly and is concerned (now that he has half a bottle left) that WILF might not be coming back. Obviously, the Snake Charmer comparisons aren't a great backup plan. Or Temple Viper. I'm thinking I should try to get him something entirely different, so he can't compare it to WILF (which does smell amazing and manly and sexay on him) and end up disappointed. But if there's something GC that's similar, I'd like to be able to reassure him that his wonderful smellies can be replaced. Help? (WILF - Warm fur coupled with red and black musk, vanilla bean, patchouli, champaca flower, juniper berry, chocolate peppermint, frangipani, browned sandalwood, ferntop ash resin, and massoia bark.)

Super sweet and sugary, with a hint of freshness and candied fruit. This is really pretty, in an over the top girly kind of way. Also, this is the first BPTP soap that I really notice the scent hanging around on my skin for quite a while afterwards... :-)

Jasmine is all I got. In the bath, that's about all I could smell. The orris and lotus roots ground it a little, and the honey does make it sweeter. But really, it's all about the jasmine. I'm not really a floral person, so this will go to the roomie. :-)

For some reason this was super menthol in the bath... When I sniffed it in the bottle, it was woodsy and juniper and a bit sweet, but in the tub it was a sinus opener. More sparing usage is probably in order. :-) I'm sure this will be great when I'm feeling sorry for myself with a stuffy head. As always with BPTP bath oils, it left my skin moisturized and silky.