HerbGirl

I didn't like this much at first...but after about 20 minutes it was really nice. Very sharp, strong Rose, some Frangipani and a hint of coconut after I first put it on. Rose calmed down in the first 5 minutes and the Frankincense started to show up...coconut still present (soft and dry, not suntan lotiony or pina colada-ish at all). Then - after 20 minutes or so, the Rose and Coconut have morphed into Roconut or Cocorose, because they are so well melded...I don't know how else to say that. There is a nice (not powdery or sharp) Frankincense underneath and I'm finally smelling a bit of Vanilla. This oil is very strong at first, but it seems to disappear after about 2 hours. I will keep my fingers crossed that the Champaca flower shows up with some age. All in all, not bad - not a favorite, but I will definitely wear this. 8/10

I had wanted to try this, and snagged a bottle from the Etsy site...glad I did! I used this in the tub last night, and it was SO good. It took me a minute or so to figure out what this reminded me of: Flor de Muerto! I love the perfume oil (it is definitely Marigolds...pretty spot on too) and now I have something to layer it with. I didn't expect such a lovely comforting scent, but it was one of the most relaxing baths I have ever taken. I did smell a bit of a Patchouli undertone, but not much...it was mostly Marigold, and that's just fine with me. This is GOOD stuff. Apparently I can't spell Marigold...it came out Mariglold!

I love that stuff! YUM. Detestable Putrescence... yes, I really think it's a close match. PMing you.

This is my favorite of the 4...I honestly cannot rave about it enough. The amber is gorgeous, and with just a touch of cinnamon and all of the other notes (fortunately the Cumin doesn't ever show up...yay!) I would say this has found a place in my top 10. This oil truly shines - very true to the painting. And to think the Cumin almost prevented me from getting a bottle of this...

Red musk heaven. The other notes are ALL there, but so well blended that it's difficult to pick them out. I love this.

When I applied the oil, I got a blast of Matcha, which was very nice. Then the moss took over...and it was mostly moss after that. I had to try this because of the name, but I knew the moss would be a fail on me. I love the smell of moss, but it does crazy things on my skin. Dry - the mandarin peeks out a bit and sweetens the moss. I had to edit this...I spoke too soon. After 2.5 hours this dries down to one of the loveliest light woodsy scents ever...it is very very faint by this point, but lovely all the same. I bet age will smooth this tree out, and it should be glorious!

October, November, Samhainophobia, To Autumn, The Decrepit House, and Nothing Gold Can Stay.

All right, I suppose I'll give it another chance after some time. Thanks for giving me a heads up about the aging. Yes yes - this! I should have mentioned that!

Hello! For a similar feel to Flowerbomb (and Amber): Inez from Carnavale Diabolique. The Carnavale isn't available right now, but should be coming back soon...maybe you can find a decant in the swaps/sale section? It doesn't have the effervescence that Flowerbomb does, but the amber is close and they actually layer REALLY well together. The best Amber I have found is Inez from Carnavale Diabolique. See above post... Inez: Golden amber, vanilla musk, myrrh, cedar, carnation, and red sandalwood.

Autumn Coolness, Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat, Embalming Fluid, Shanghai, Lantern Ghost of Oiwa (and any of the other salons with tea/cherry blossom in them), Hay Moon, Summer's Last Will and Testament, Australian Copperhead, Titania, Xanthe the Weeping Clown, Hermia, High Strung Daisies, Weeping Branches Moon... oh the list is endless!

I'm going to completely agree with the above review. I will add that, in the beginning, I smell what my nose translates as a soft Eucalyptus or a Licorice Mint. They go away as the light Lavender takes over. I think this is a different Lavender than the one used in the released TKO. I'm a huge fan of any Lavender, so I still love this. It has a bit of creamy softness to it, but not the marshmallow-y sweetness of the released version. This will take over on my nightstand for night time application, and I will enjoy it till it's gone. I still prefer the released version, but this is good in a different way.

I finally got to try this thanks to Mellifluous...holy moly - now I understand what all of the hype is about. This stuff is outrageous. I think it's one of the most delicious things I have ever smelled. I smell a slightly spicy Vanilla, with maybe a bit of Black or Red Musk, I swear there's a bit of Patchouli in there (maybe the black variety?)...holy moly again. Love at first sniff...this tester will be used on very special occasions. $300 worthy indeed.

For the Japanese Cherry Blossom, Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree (The Salon) is pretty darn close to my nose...but softer and better IMHO.

I got a Shroud as well... But it is certainly the most delicious smelling shroud I have ever smelled.

Those bottles look gorgeous! SQUEE!

The female Half-Elf label looks like Tori Amos...just a bit...but enough for me to squee! I love these pics - I have pointy ears and I think I should get some bottles so I don't feel so alone.

You bet - wearing Litha and loving it! Happy Solstice!

Um... The Snowstorm! It's from Yule 2007: Winter aconite, balsam fir, cedar leaf, and white mint.

Yay, there's a Caligula thread! here's my review: "wet: some booze of sorts? charred wood, vetiver underneath 5 minutes in: OAK, vetiver, wine? a sweet lift to it as I move my hand away from my nose smells like old heavy duty wooden furniture with a slight citrus lift? maybe lemongrass, lemon, lemon verbena? OAK, lemon verbena, vetiver, wine barrels... This really reminds me of another BPAL oil, and I just can't put my nose on it. " I actually really like this. It almost smells like it could be part of the Steamworks section...maybe it's the possible oak note from Antikythera? It doesn't really remind me of Antikythera though... If there IS any kind of lemony note in here, it disappears really fast after it appears 5 minutes or so in...10 minutes later it wasn't there at all. I wonder what happened to this blend... Edited to add: Frankincense? Now it's reminding me a bit of the incense in All Souls...just a bit though.

YAY! You have a Chaos Theory bottle from 2008! Here's the link to the review thread: http://www.bpal.org/topic/47311-chaos-theory-iv-edge-of-chaos/page__p__1183237__hl__%2Bedge+%2Bof+%2Bchaos__fromsearch__1#entry1183237 I hope that helps. I actually have a bottle from that Chaos Theory, unfortunately the numbers have worn off a bit over the years...it smells like nummy Chocolate and dark berries!

I know it has chocolate in it, BUT - if you can track down a bottle of Milk Chocolate Matcha Green Tea Ganache I think you would love it.

Wow! All of that seems new to me. When I have ordered in the past, I fill up my "cart" through CC Now and after I enter my addy and contact info at the bottom of the screen it gave me the option to use paypal or enter a credit card number. This time, the paypal option wasn't there. This IS a new thing, because when I ordered Weeping Branches Moon and RPG's the paypal option was there. I just thought it was a bit strange. I ended up placing my order with a credit card, I just prefer paypal as a general rule.

I'm getting ready to place an order (like, now) and for the first time since I have been ordering from BPAL, I am only given the option to use a CC - no option to use paypal. That's not good...I don't mind using a CC, but I would rather use PP - has anyone else encountered this? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Something in here goes to almost powder on me, but I can still smell the acacia and vanilla (which are nice). I can tell there is musk here, but I'm not familiar enough with "shimmering celestial musk" to pick it out of the blend. I don't smell honey or sugar cane. Honey doesn't usually work on my skin so I guess that's a plus. Sugar cane is a favorite, and I am hoping it will come out with some age. Good reminds me of another perfume oil, but I can't remember which one. "Good" stuff.

Paladin is my 3rd favorite of the RPG's so far. I forgot to write down what this blend smelled like before it dried down, but dry it is amazing: White Musk and Leather are most prominent to my nose with just a touch of Frankincense sweetened a bit by the Bourbon Vanilla. Glorious! 4/5