MandyCassandra

In the imp: A lovely, multilayered tobacco-centric scent with a masculine tang, but not totally salty/testosterone-y. It's just a little sweet, and it's got a dark, quiet, ominous dignity about it. When I was in my early teens and I first became obsessed with medieval studies, I had a sort of idealized image of the Middle Ages I carried around. Dracul could fit that idealized image; musk and assertion of power, and ancient warrior traditions kept very much alive. Wow, and the Order of the Dragon was mentioned in the official description. Odd. And of course, Wallachia had only recently (one hundred years or so before Vlad) come into European Civilization proper; in his time, the traditions of the pagan Pechenegs were a recent memory, a vast, barbaric darkness lurking just around the corner in the Wallachian mindset. Somehow, that's conveyed here. I couldn't say how, but I get that from this smell. Application - 5 min - There's the pine and fir, just a hint. One could easily see the forests of Wallachia... 10 minutes - It's beginning to sweeten, and become smoky and resonant. Again with the idealism, I'm imagining dark, torchlit corridors of castles and the musky scent of battle-worn leather. It's easy to imagine the association of this scent with the dying crusader ethic, kept alive by Vlad as the Turks loomed over the horizon. And is that a hint of...incense? Oh, yeah. Definitely incense. Or is that burning villages...? My girlfriend's opinion of this on my wrist: "It's got enough neroli to be feminine, but it's right on the border. It could go either way." Incidentally, on her it smells lovely and sweet and beautiful. She makes tobacco do lovely things, where my skin amps the musk. >.> 20 minutes - The cumin has been there the whole time, but now some of the other notes are calming down enough for me to pick it up in a particular way. I'm reminded of a medieval noble's kitchen; lots and lots of smoke and through it all, hints of exotic, expensive spices from far away. After this, the scent begins to sweeten and fade, its dark deeds losing their sharpness as they're forgotten in the mists of time. Final verdict? I don't know if I'll wear it often, but I'm definitely keeping this for the imagery it invokes for me. I love it. If someone ever offered me a bottle in trade, I'd gladly take it.

Source: Bottle, aged two years. In the bottle: Wine. Wow. It gave my stomach this kind of "oh my god, not today, right?" lurching feeling, the kind you get if you're a lightweight non-drinker about to drink a glass of wine. But it's not a dark wine, not like I was expecting. It's light and heady, fruity and bright. It's a cheerful smell. I like it already. Wet: Bright, boozy, fruity. That wine note fades quickly, leaving fruit. Usually it's the other way around with wine, right? Everything else fades, and the booze remains. Not on me, not here. And is that...incense? Drydown: It's still bright, but it's starting to smell womanly and mature (the word "womanly" was the first I thought of, and I noticed another forumite used it too). That must be the antique rose coming out. If this were the whole perfume, it would be at home at the Lancome counter. But it's not *overly* mature. It's sexy, in its own way. Fading: All that's left is the rose and the smoky trail of incense. It's a bit like rose-scented incense. I wonder what it would have smelled like with a sandalwood or oak base note? Hmm...either way, this scent is a winner with me, and it'll be a winner with my partner, too. It's bright and cheerful and it honestly lifted my mood today. 4.5 out of 5 stars. Thanks, Diana.

Thank you all so much for the suggestions! I've ordered some of the GC ones mentioned, and put out feelers for some of the LE's. Thank you all again! By the way, I had no idea this thread existed, or I'd have posted here. Silly me. ^.^;;

Hello lovelies. What is a Sandalwood blend you swear by? Christmas is days away now and, in the process of moving out of state, I still have to find a (late) gift for my mother-in-law. She's an espoused Sandalwood fanatic (preferably Mysore), and ever since my partner and I got her a bottle of Villainess's Jai Mahal last year, she can't get enough. She finished that bottle, ordered another bottle (which she complained was a little too spicy), along with some scrub. While I know she likes Jai Mahal, I know that I can find more sophisticated Sandalwood blends here - and more of them. So...what do you think? What is a nice BPAL Sandalwood blend with just a *tiny* bit of spice? Or maybe a nice soft Sandalwood with a little bit of throw? Or both? The one I'm thinking about right now is Sin, but... Thoughts?

For the castle... Possibly The Black Tower? A sepulchral, desolate scent. Long-dead soldiers, oath-bound; the perfume of their armor, the chill wind that surges through their tower, white bone and blackened steel: white sandalwood, ambergris, wet ozone, galbanum and leather with ebony, teak, burnt grasses, English ivy and a hint of red wine. I've never actually smelled this one, but whenever I read the notes, I always get the chill of that abandoned keep in my head. It might be worth a sniff.

.....yep, this is it. I'd been looking for a spicy scent that was nice and *dry*. Don't get me wrong - Bengal is *lovely*. But it didn't have that dry feel I was looking for. Meet Plunder. (firstly, I'd ordered an imp of this because I wanted to try it....but Beth was awesome enough to include a second imp as a frimp for me. I wish I could give her a hug...this is perfect.) I've heard this described as a "chai" kind of scent...and I totally get that. I can also see the imagery from the BPAL site...the whole "bumboat overflowing with spices" kinda thing. It's sweet, it's pleasant, it's a little romanticized....it's hard to describe how much I love this one, from the vial all the way through the drydown to the last. It even affects my mood...smelling this makes me happy, and wearing it last night I was in a good mood all night. It smells like sweet, dry chai all the way through, but it sweetens a little on me once I put it on. The only real change I notice as it dries down is that in the later stages, it gets a little powdery. But really that's not enough of a deterrent for me. I *am* getting a full bottle of this, one way or another. Final rating: a glowing 5/5. Thank you, Beth...for both hooking me up and for making the *perfect* spicy scent. You're an inspiration!

...yes. I'd like to start out by saying that this is the first perfume from BPAL that's ever actually relaxed me when I smelled it. It's...soothing. And somehow being soothing it's still stimulating. I was looking for an excellent meditation blend and I've found one. As for the smell itself? I'm not sure I can say much that hasn't already been said, but... In the vial: Sweet root beer (like that "Dad's" root beer stuff you used to see everywhere)...with a hint of spice. Intriguing. But mainly...somehow soothing. That first whiff somehow went through me, calmed me, and centered me. Wet: The root beer starts to fade, giving way to a sweeter, more resiny scent... After a half hour, the root beer smell lingers in the background right alongside the smell of incense. Sorta almost...Nag Champa-esque. Someone else earlier in the thread said they felt like they were in a Buddhist temple way up in the mountains...hardwood floors, chanting, the smoke of incense, the cool mountain air, everything. I get that here. On me, the smell lasts 4-5 hours, and it doesn't change significantly as it dries down to the base. The existing notes (incense, sweet resin, spices) just sorta fade. Final rating: 4.6 out of 5. I love it, and I wouldn't mind a bottle. It's an excellent fragrance for anyone looking for a good meditation blend.

This was in my very first order. I loved the sound of it, and my girlfriend, no doubt wanting to do something sweet for me, ordered it in our imp pack. And I felt terrible when I found that it strangled me. Oh, it did what it promised. Guys couldn't take their eyes off me the few times I wore it, and my girlfriend always seemed to respond VERY well to it. I love what it does...so it's too bad it chokes me. To me, it smells like when you get soap up your nose...that painful feeling and weird smell that's not so much a smell as your olfactory nerves crying out in pain? Yeah. It's really a shame. It does unbelievable things to my charisma...

I wanted a spicy scent, so I ordered an imp of Bengal. It delivered. In the imp: Spicy...but a smooth, sweet spicy. Oddly, the honey top note holds its own next to the cinnamon. Wet on my arm: The spice starts to come forward more. It's warm and cozy and spicy and lovely. The sweetness stays, though. Drydown: The sweet spiciness gets sweeter...and quietly fades. It doesn't really last any more than a couple hours on me at the most. I totally understand the imagery in the name now...at times it brings the imagery of humid, sultry days under the blistering sun of India, trading spices in a busy market. Then at other times it reminds me of being in a very sweet-smelling kitchen way out in the country... I love Bengal. It was everything I'd hoped for and more. Even with its poor staying power on me, it's one of my very favorite BPAL smells to date. 5/5.

The scent of warm, glowing jack o’lanterns on a warm autumn night: true Halloween pumpkin, spiced with nutmeg, glowing peach and murky clove. This came in my second BPAL order, an order I'm VERY happy with, all the way through. I should have ordered Jack the first time... In the bottle: Buttery, sweet, and spicy all at once. It smells a lot like a spiced pumpkin candle. Wet on my skin: Sweet pumpkin. Drying down: The spiciness has come out. This is getting spicy! It was so meek at first, but wow, the spices are nice. The spices aren't like fiery burn-your-nose spices; they're a whole lot sweeter than that. A few hours later: Oddly enough, the peach has come out to the exclusion of everything else...? It's sweet now, with almost no hint of the pumpkin or spice it had before. Peach is usually a fruity top note...I have to say I'm astounded to be smelling it this late, especially after the clove and nutmeg have gone. Staying power: On me, I'd rate Jack's staying power at a 3 out of 5, with five being the longest lasting. Throw: 2/5. This isn't a potent, aggressive scent at all, at least on me. It's warm and sweet, but it keeps to itself. Impressions: I was really impressed that someone earlier in the thread said that it smelled to her like autumn in Salem. I've never been to Salem, but I've always wanted to go, and autumn is my favorite time of year. I'd say that when I thought of the essential autumn scent, I always pictured something spicier and drier, but that doesn't mean I dislike Jack. Quite the contrary...I love this! This is just a much sweeter autumn fragrance than I'm used to. I love it, though, and I'm glad I bought it! Final rating: 5/5. This is a lovely fragrance and a very particular mood caught in a vial. I will recommend this one highly and wear it often.

This is Yule, made into a perfume and poured into a little decant vial. This is every holiday season I treasured when I was young, spent in my grandma's immaculate, cozy house with all her snowy village figurines and houses. Sentimental? Very much. The bayberry is what I pick up from first whiff in the vial to the last smell on my wrist as it slowly fades (yes, slowly...this one has staying power). Bayberry...then the fir and juniper. I'm smelling the snow a *little* bit...but it's mainly that Yule forest smell. This is December in the forests of Norway or Sweden (or at least, how I picture it to be...); this is a frozen Yule in some remote, beautiful place that still carries reminders of the old ways and the old gods. Vial: Fir and Bayberry. Wet: Bayberry and Juniper, framed in and surrounded by pine. Drydown: The pine stays....oh, does it ever. But over time, the smell grows imperceptibly sweeter. Somehow, the bayberry lingers on, so that after five or six or seven hours, the sweetness prevails over the pine a little and you're left with a holly berry kind of smell. Honestly, I can't imagine wearing this at any other time of year than Yule. But...this is an amazing piece of art, and it's one I'll happily keep and cherish. I really love what it invokes. Rating: 9.2 out of 10.

Love. <3 Admittedly, I was worried about this one at first. Like so many have said, berry smells can potentially go fakey and nasty sticky sweet on top of your skin, making you regret putting them on. Not Bewitched. From the imp to my skin to drydown, I smell sweet, lovely blackberries. And it's nice...it blends with my skin chemistry really well, and like any good mannered perfume, it softens and makes its exit without wearing out its welcome (unlike a lot of berry scents...). For me, this will probably become a staple of my BPAL collection to be worn all year, but especially in the spring and summer. Bottle? Maybe. But I love my imp (given to me as a frimp when she saw it on my wishlist! Thank you so, so much, Evanescence!) and I'm certainly going to treasure it and give it lots of love. My only, only regret with this perfume is that for me, the green notes don't come out so much on my skin. That's okay...I love Bewitched anyway. Final rating: 4 out of 5.

Wow. Yes. I got this as a frimp gift in my very first swap (thank youuu!) and it happened to be one of the first I smelled. I felt a click. Then I tried it on. Click. Sometimes certain fragrances just click with you....you know exactly what I mean. Katharina and I understand each other very well...we had an understanding from the first moment. It's true...you get apricots all the way down till you get to the base notes. Then you get to the white musk... Bottle: Light, sweet, lovely. It's quiet, even in the bottle. Wet on my skin: Sweet and nice. I can smell it blending with my skin from the moment I put it on. The apricots are really obvious, but that's alright, because they're not heavy. After a couple of hours: It wasn't very loud or strong to begin with (I tried Snake Oil on my other wrist and it's REALLY loud) and it's already almost gone. But I can smell the white musk now, just a touch...it's like a tiny, sweet little sigh. Verdict: Someone called this one "innocent", and I think that's a word that describes this one really well. The perfumes that get called "innocent" are usually ones that fit me like a glove. I love this, and it's definitely going into my rotation. It's perfect on me!

In the bottle: Very, very sweet. Wet on my skin: Vanilla. Really, really sweet vanilla. Like whoa. A little medicinal. After an hour or so: A sweet, clean smoke flavor...really sweet incense. It brings me back to my early adolescence...I'm thinking....kinda almost Gonesh "Perfumes of a Spring Mist" incense. A little spiciness is starting to come out. Just a little. After a couple of hours: The creaminess is finally blending into my skin a little more. It smells...yummy. Like, sweet and tasty. I almost have the urge to lick my wrist. ;-) Speculation for the rest of the night: This very well *could* be a sexy scent on me, maybe especially once it blends with my chemistry even more during the evening. I'm not *entirely* sure about it yet, but I suppose I'll find out when my girlfriend gets back from work and smells me. Verdict: I like it. Advice: A little of this goes a long way, ladies...apply with caution! Edit: Smoother wording.

Hmmm... Day One: When we first got our shipment, I opened this one up and smelled a faint hint of old lady perfume. It wasn't at all what I was expecting. After aging a week or so: There we go. The old lady smell is almost gone now, and the perfume has sweetened and gotten used to itself. Wet: It sweetens even more...this one could be good... After a half hour: Floral. Lots and lots of very white florals...I'm smelling...lily and maybe even honeysuckle and all kinds of other flowers I don't know (probably the lotus, whose smell I'm not familiar with)...a sweeter note...and a linen-ish smell. It reminds me of this room spray or something my grandma used when I was a little girl...I'm remembering a bright, quiet, sunlit upstairs after she redid it in pink. It's a lovely memory...! But...it smells like very sweet laundry detergent. I'll have to let it age more, buuuuuut~......I'm thinking no. I've always been more of a fruity girl than a floral one...and this one is just a touch too floral for me. Which is sad! I looooved the description, and this was one of the first BPAL oils I had to have! Ah well...maybe I can swap this one to a more floral-friendly home.