PixieSkull

My review for the aged Xiu, approximately 8 years old, 10ml bottle. The differences between fresh and aged are apparent from the start. In the Bottle: Fresh has a strong citrus and damp bloom smell with a little incense waft and has a bit more bite where the Aged has more of the creamy resin and rich citrus and ripened flowers. On Skin: My Aged Xiu has such a creamy incense quality! The copal is rich and warmed by the ripe and somewhat orchid-like floral, teeming with dried citrus rind soaked in dew. I assume the plumeria is the tiny bit sweet floral mixing with the slightly-metallic smoke to create the rich and earthy base over the brighter copal and orange notes that have gone cream with age. Xiu is my all-time favorite scent from BPAL. It withstands the years and skin chemistry changes from when I was under 18 and now at 26. It's a bit more mature than most florals and very sexy and in-control. The copal and smoke notes are rich and not "dusty" like my other favorites, making this a good choice for most special occasions or everyday wear. Just gorgeous.

Liz sounds amazing to be in general, so will have to search that out. Bewitched is lovely, also, but just not right as a close-enough.

My friend is a perfume whore, meaning she has to wear smelly stuff every second of every day and she feels icky without it. It's cute, really. She's never heard of BPAL and I'm thinking of putting together a little bit of a BPAL starter package for her with some scents she likes. She has a small collection of designer perfume bottles and she loves mixing essential oils (specifically anise) with lotion for everyday use. While we were talking about which scents she likes best, she said anise and Givenchy's Hot Couture and she was sad that she can't get Hot Couture anymore. I didn't get a great sniff of it so I can't look on my own with the myriad of scents in the BPAL catalogue. I found a website that gives a description of it, "Introduced by Givenchy in 2000 HOT COUTURE BY GIVENCHY is referred as a sharporiental woody fragrance. This perfume has a blend of sandalwood raspberry and pepper. It is recommended for casual wear." Another that says "The new, brave fragrance born from the esteemed Parisian House of Givenchy. Playful, soulful, meaningful, a raspberry note threads its way through the veil of amber vetiver and voluptuous magnolia with a discreet touch of pepper. Like a rare couture gown, this fragrance is an original, artful creation." I've already done searches all around the boards here and haven't found anything. If you can recommend something to me that's similar to Hot Couture, I would be VERY greatful! Thanks! ~Emily

Imp: Oooh, ginger's there. A bit of lemon and something slightly herbal on top. Underneath, there's... something. Wet: Sugared lemon rind and ginger, front and center. Little bit of herbs and something like incense coming out. Dry: The sugared lemon and ginger mellowed a bit and the sweet incense came out a bit. It does fade quite a bit after a few hours of staying strong. This is very pretty on me but doesn't last as long as I'd like. After 6 hours, the throw was non-existent. The scent was still a creamy, lemon-ginger incense scent, though. I was worried it wouldn't turn out on my skin, since it seems to be a favorite like O and Snake Oil are and I just can't wear those. Unlike those amber-laden scents, this is lovely. I'm fond of it and I can see why it's so popular.

A blend I almost didn't even want to order. Honey as a note is starting to worry me a bit. It's either sickeningly sweet or the only note in the blend. Imp: I can smell the almond and sugared spices. There's a little bit of warmth coming through. Wet: Almonds covered in rich, creamy booze. A bit like hot buttered rum with amaretto without a lot of boozy swagger. Dry: The buttercream and hazelnut are forefront with the almond and rum being warm in the background. The honey mead note is everywhere and almost sickening. Without pointing out any ingredients, it smells a little bit like honey powder with a note of almond and richness. It smells like the italian sweet cream dry coffee mate, which I like for what it is, but not sure as a perfume. Not my thing, but not as unpleasant as other honey blends have been.

Blah, double post.

I can't believe I never reviewed this. With multiple ambers in the description, there's no way I'd order this for myself and it had to be a frimp. Amber goes powdery on me and is general just not nice to me. Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood. Now, I'm feeling horrible with stomach pain and cramps and I want something pretty and rich. Imp: Warm, dry, slightly sweet resins. Comforting Wet: WOW, this is the amber I love on other people. My friend Allie amps amber like crazy and can wear all the sexy scents I wish I could. Luckily, this isn't morphing into powder while wet like normal amber blends do. Dry: Warm, dry, rich. Vanilla amber goodness. This is amazing. Without white sandalwood poking through, I wouldn't be as interested. I would need the spice otherwise, or both! Overall: This is a bit honeyed on it's own, I assume it's the way I morph amber meeting me halfway. This is probably because of my crampy time, but I love this rich amber scent. *sigh*

Etsy is a great place for lockets. Just remember that certain materials react with essential oils (sterling discolors.) If you have nice bead stores, they tend to have some lockets that work. Otherwise, if you're crafty, you can bead one! Granted, beaded ones tend to let the oil get to your skin more than the lockets, but it can be fun.

Oh, Knave of Hearts, you sounded like a dream. "Similar to Eat Me" was an enticing thought to me, since Eat Me is amazing on me. Now, I don't know. Roses - none, nowhere. Blackberry tarts - nope, unless it was soapy burnt caramel crust. Wet: Not a lot of floral, a little sweetness. No discernible rose. Drying: Super-sweet. Oh, no. Like gluttony, I get sickly sweet burnt caramel. Dry: Powdery/dusty caramel, somewhat buttery, just no pastries. Blackberry tends to smell dark and a bit like wine on me, but I got none of that beyond something sharp under the soapy bit. Friends and hubby agreed on separate sniff sessions that it was soapy with buttery, burnt caramel. Given away already.

If it has copal, I'm there. Add cigar tobacco and roses with sweet spices and dry woods, it's right up my alley. Without the florals, it rounds out my smoky spice collection. I wanted it to have the sweetness of copal with the dry woods and rose of Seance and a little bit of spice like bitter cumin to bring that darkness underneath. Bottle: Sweet resin and lots of spices, just like my old friend copal Wet: Okay, this is interesting... the spices are swirling around, trying to decide which wants to be dominant. The cigar tobacco is pre-smoking and humid and delicious with that little bit of greenness from the rose. Dry: There are two stages of dry for me. The early dry stage is smoky-sweet with the dryness of the wood and spices predominant. The later dry stage is creamy (copal, you devilish beast!) with greenness and cigar tobacco with a solid smokiness. Less swirling, more constant. Overall: Irresistable by the end, despite a lot of indecision in the first 30 minutes with all the swirling. A creamy smoke with enough sweetness to overpower the dry woods and herbs. I need to test this a few dozen times more before deciding. ETA: Yes, I like this. A sweet, smokey scent with the faintest floral and the tobacco... I get all of this. The agave combines with the tobacco for me in a separate spot than the sweet smoke of the copal. Better than a bakery scent for me.

I've been waiting for this bottle so expectantly. If this is the more grown up version of Bath and Bodyworks' Dark Kiss fragrance, I need loads of it. "Three white cakes, vanilla, and red and black currants" sounded enticing and I got Hellcat and Knave of Hearts and Queen of Sheba and Shub and Jack... and I'm not a foodie scent person! [Gluttony turned to baby pee on me and killed my nose to them.] Bottle: Mmmmmmmmm! Cakes and buttery vanilla frosting similar to Underpants, without the saffron. Wet: Beautiful blooming cake and vanilla frosting with a dark and bittery undercurrent of the black currants. Swoon-worthy deliciousness continues to bloom. Dry: Oooh! My, my, my, my, my! Everything from before just a bit less wet without losing the moistness of the cake. Vanilla cake with buttery vanilla frosting, layers of jam. Creamy, tiny bit of floral, lots of white kinds of vanillas. Overall: IN LOOOVE!!! I wore it in my hair immediately. I kept smelling the spot on my arm where I'd applied it. It's not an exact match to Dark Kiss, but it is so great to layer with my Shea Cashmere hand cream. It's so creamy with vanilla and an unidentifiable smoky-sweet note of deliciousness.

Oh, you! I've been waiting for this blend for a looong time, and it's finally here! I love orange blossom to the extreme and the east indian sandalwood is dreamy and creamy. Add in some darker champaca? I'm way too interested. Bottle: Heavenly dry sandalwood with fizzy citrus floral. Just dry and creamy floral Wet: sandalwood amps, wet orange blossoms, smoky blooms Drydown: All that heavenly dry sandalwood mellowed nicely for the florals to mingle and create the resinous awesomeness I'm smelling. Overall: Of course I love it. Deliciousness.

I love the cheekiness of this Moon and the description was too interesting to me to pass up. Lavender, honey, cheesecake. Each note is different: lavender - herbal and astringent, honey - sweet and slightly cloying, cheesecake - rich and buttery. In the bottle: super-sweet purple floral. Not much of the buttery/rich/cheesecake-y goodness here. Wet: Sickly-sweet lavender Dry: Lavender mellows out, the honey isn't as sweet, the cheesecake kinda came out a little. Overall, I'm not too impressed. It smelled pretty, just not on my skin. The artwork is awesome.

This is amazing on me. Hands-down the best non-complicated light mus scent I have ever worn. It starts a little sweet and almost fuzzy and dries down to a very slight fruit note (melon like Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat) and a true skin musk. Perfect from start to finish. I am in loooooooove! This will layer well with rogue and halfling for my long-running D&D character, may add a drop of evil in there.

WOW, thank you! I am smitten with Dark Kiss, an amber-based scent that doesn't baby powder on me! Eat Me sounds great enough but I'm wary of some of the foody scents since I'm not sure how it will work for me. Now I HAVE to try this, no questions!

Imp: Sweet, caramel-covered grains Wet: Still sweet, loads of caramel and bakery notes. There's a musk and/or sandalwood coming out to make it wearable. A little incensey? Dry: Completely wearable, and I'm not really one for bakery scents on me. I was worried there would be amber in the blend, and it seems there's not as there's no powdery scent coming through. I would describe it as caramel, vanilla and sandalwood on drydown. Similar to Monsterbait: Underpants and HAEE's Voodoo Punani with the sweetened vanilla and sandalwood vibe. I don't know what's bringing the smoky incense underneath, but I LOVE it. 4.5/5 - Love all stages and it works exceptionally well on me, despite not liking bakery scents. Highly recommend it.

In the imp: sweet and slightly spicy opium. Wet on skin: Sweet and dark floral blossoming, nice and wet blooms. Dry on skin: Turns a little powdery on me and becomes a little sickening. I like opium as a part of a whole instead of a main note. Not a keeper for me.

Lily of the valley doesn't work well on me, soapy and bubbly. The hibiscus and green fig smell so... well, green! A little bit of white sandalwood brings a little dusty wood in, but sadly not enough on me. I can smell these notes a tiny bit separately, despite blending very nicely. A bit too much like Ivory soap, which doesn't suit me, but it would be quite an awesome clean smell for the house. One of those late-winter days (like this last week) when you open the windows to get some melting snow smell in.

The description is perfectly up my alley. White sandalwood is simply gorgeous, moonflower is one of my favorite white florals, plum blossoms filly up my yard in juicy sweetness, green tea is warm, white peach is sweet and lovely. Just... wow. Bottle: Blue moonlight, bright stars, a small whisper across snow. Skin: As in the bottle, just a bit more faint. The moonflower is soft and white and sweet in a perfect way. The white sandalwood and blue musk look great in my skin chemistry I will love this bottle plenty and cherish it every time I wear it.

Bottle: lightly musky, sweet, floral... more yellow than white floral. Skin: Oh, for sweetness, then the powder! Phew for golden amber and honeysuckle together, all sickening and gross for me. After a little while: There's too much here for me to enjoy this scent. It sounded decent and didn't smell bad in the bottle but it smells like perm neutralizing solution with a tiny bit of the gross setting lotion in there. This is now in my cousin's house, since she can wear amber and sophisticated scents like this. Not all bad, then.

While it's a bit sweet, there's a bit of dampness and juciness there. Just enough earth to make it not sickening to me/on me. My beloved Xiu is the more smoky and less earthy similar scent, but I wouldn't want to discount this blend. A tiny bit of floral in amongst the ground scent (like lichen and fungus over muddy dirt) and it smells fresh and wafts quite nicely. It lasts through a bit of work and school and I'm actually getting pretty fond of it. After this imp is gone, I think I'm going to get another one. I would say it's not really my kind of scent by descriptions from others or what it smells like in the imp, but I was very surprised! Great freebie and NO amber to be found (thank the gods) like almost all the other frimps I get.

Imp: I can smell the victorian romanticism from the imp. Strong and elegant, no-nonsense antiques and lace doilies. Wet: Blooms a little from the floral and slightly dustiness of sandalwood... what I'd imagine the room from Seance was when it was first used. Building up pretty nice. Dry: ... and I'm allergic. Left wrist is my first application, then rubbed on my right wrist, then left wrist to right side of the neck, right wrist to left side of neck. The right side of my neck blew up in itchiness after 15 minutes with more minor itching on my left. Wrists okay, but since I washed my hands quite a few times after application I'm not surprised. Turned powdery and a little acrid before the itching on my washed wrists. Can't give a rating, I'm allergic to something in it. Red sandalwood (and other sandalwoods) have never made me itchy, maybe the sweet opium blend or lily of the valley. Sad, this would have been very lovely.

In the imp: Melon! A little citrus, a tad floral, very melon. Delicious, actually Wet: Melon! The citrus comes out, it's really juicy and green without being very herbal. Lime rind - strong, mint - slight, green tea - lovely. Drydown: The champagne scents from the Lab are awesome on me, so I get it nicely. The melon calmed a little, complimenting the slight minty green tea. This is creamy champagne with a hint of melon and lime now. Delicious! 5/5 = it's cute, the scents come through, it doesn't morph into grossness, the throw is decent, great spring scent! I really, really like it and may buy a bottle. This would be GREAT in a reed diffuser. ADDED Mar. 7: Imp: Fruity, delicious, not too much floral and a little bit of sweetness. On skin: Blossoms into a delicious honeydew scent, a slightly bitter and pleasant tea scent emerges. It's turning out to be quite pretty; clean, delicious, and fitting with my chemistry. Over time: Does NOT drown on me, doesn't amp to floral, no amber to create baby powder, lasts beautifully. The melon and lemon rind are crisp and fruity, the green tea is slightly warm but toned down with the mint, lemon balm, etc to create crispness without letting the sweet get overbearing. Unlike most fruity scents getting a little carmelized, I love this scent hardcore. Light and beautiful and works well with my chemistry. I want this in my bodywash, my conditioner, a perfume spray... for all occasions. Nice enough for important occasions and work.

In the bottle: Creamy carnation with a backdrop of orange blossom. A little sharp with the spice. Wet: The spice is light, the orange blossom is amped as always, and the creaminess of the sugared cream enhances these. The floral is a little more pronounced without being super-sweet. Dry: Soft, delicate orange blossom with a creamy white floral. Very nice scent for me but not a lot of throw or lasting power. 2.5/5 (for now) = I'm neutral on it right now since it's so light. I'm planning on trying it again a few times throughout the next few months to get a better picture. I may not have had the best timing for trying it, either, I drank quite a bit last night.

So it's been a while since I've tested and made notes on BPAL, so I feel strange trying to pick out a bunch of new notes in one perfume. In the imp: Complex citrus, yummm! The sweetness wafts out at first, turning bitter in milliseconds and registering that pink lime and pink grapefruit like a bittersweet citrus candy, then the sage and rose adding a green and slightly warm tone. The ornery hedgehog musk is just a little annoyed, not quite ornery, and the patchouli is hiding behind that... somewhere. I'm sure the bergamot is that tea-like scent behind the other citrus in the front. Wet: Wow for bursting on my skin! All that whiteness came out like a white floral. So my nose is getting confused, florals? The nectarine comes out nice and juicy and sweet with the cleanness of the rose and sage. Very white and fresh, a tiiiiny bit earthy. Hello, patchouli and that ornery hedgehog's musk! Drydown: After a few hours this is lovely. The whiteness is still there, a similar feeling to Zephyr's bright, white sweetness. There's also a similarity to Imp with the wet fruit and light patchouli but the floral makes it different. Not a lot of throw, not overwhelming, no baby powder, but entirely pleasant I like it a bit. It's a soft, creamy, pink citrus with a little throw. Not necessarily a HG scent, but nice. 3/5