GypsyRoseRed

Okay. I've heard the comparisons to Monsterbait: Closet and I can see why (the purple fruitiness!) but really, The Crumpet Rebellion is very different to me. It's soooo much better. I couldn't wear Closet because I smelled obnoxiously fruity - like I'd rolled in a giant puddle of dark purple jelly. Crumpet is just... delicious *dies*. There was NO butter in it for me at all, but I did get something foody under the layer of fruit that made it a very delicate and accomplished gourmand scent. It's so gorgeous.. One of those wrist to nose blends. When it's well into the drydown, my body chemistry gave it a slight incense-y twist.. Mmm.. blackcurrant incense.. For me, Crumpet is lovely and I really enjoyed it through all of it's stages. ETA: You know what it reminds me of? A SCONE. Heaps of blackcurrant jam on a fat, fluffy scone topped with a dollop of clotted cream.

If there is pine in this, I'd be shocked because pine smells and I have never been friends. They all go straight to hell on me, but Shanghai Tunnels does no such thing. It's very much a morpher - wet, in the bottle, it does have a dark, damp puddle-y smell but it's still very appealing. On the drydown, it evaporates into a warm, smooth and mild outdoorsy scent (which is a pleasant surprise since those always go bitter on me where this rounds out and blossoms). Very nice, but too masculine for me I'm afraid.

This is sort of like jasmine, but I really don't think it is. I've smelled something similar before in plant/flower form but I can't for the life of me pin it down. But yes, it manages to be light, bright and floral without being either watery or in your face flowers. The drydown is really very pretty and light, but still very distinctive and easily detectable. This one's a winner, which surprises me since I didn't fall in love with it in the bottle.

This is such an interesting, hard to pin down scent that smells very sophisticated, and manages to be clean, creamy and spicy all at once. I can't pick out a single note, but it seems like there's some kind of musk in it. Right? Whatever it is, it's really very lovely.

Huh. My birth moon sure knows how to disappoint me. Milk Moon 2007 is baby vomit on me.

For me, the rose really takes a back seat in this blend, or at least it's not the shrill, demanding rose that usually ruins most perfumes for me. The honey, plum and benzion balance it nicely until it's very smokey, seductive and intriguing. It's got a lot of depth to it, and when I put this on my wrist, I feel like I should be wearing a long evening dress with a gardenia in my hair. Very girly and sophisticated, and definitely a keeper.

This is such a pretty springtime floral and so unlike anything I'd usually go for. It's ultra feminine, but the florals here are the olfactory equivalents of bright colors.. no pretty pastels in this bunch. I was surprised that it had such light throw and wear length.. In spite of how bonny it is, this isn't a blend for me.

Dark, sticky cherry jam. It's an interesting scent, but one I doubt I'll wear often.

Being a Taurean, I was so excited that there was going to be a Taurus 2007! I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. Thank goodness for Minotaur, because Taurus turns to faintly floral dust on me. Nasty old potpourri. *blech*

Gorgeous. This is such an olfactory snapshot for me, one that takes me right back to the summer days of my childhood.. probably right up to when I was 9 or 10. Our house then had a lawn that led up to a big common grass area, where the grass was bright green and lush. I'd often sit out there and make daisy chains, make little fairy nests out of mown grass or blow out the dandelion clocks when I was lucky enough to find one unplucked. That place/time had such a particular smell, and this is it. Bottled. One good sniff of it fills up my heart with peace and calm. Makes me smile. I'll really treasure the bottle I have, whether or not I wear it.

I *love* this scent. In fact, it was love at first sniff which happens so rarely for me. In the bottle it's lilac and leather straight up, but on the drydown, the white musk comes out and rounds the blend out a little, makes it creamier and richer. It's so simple, yet very sexy. I could easily see myself wearing this to go out, but then again, I only have the one bottle of it. This could be one of those scents I just have to hoard.

I have to agree with some of the other reviewers - MB: Ventriloquist's Dummy was all woods on me. I barely even got a whiff of hazelnut. After about fifteen minutes, a dry, dusty note appeared which is what my skin does to certain blends. Bah. A total no-go on me unless I want to smell like an empty dresser.

... Spanish moss, swamp jessamine, bog water, cypress, hickory wood, lobelia, sweet flag, wisteria, and marsh milkweed. Hmm. I think of all of the reviews, embezel's is the one I agree with the most - why is no-one else getting this delicious creaminess out of Roux-Ga-Roux? It has a faint touch of dry wood, but none of that skanky pine/cedar that turns to hell on my skin. There may be florals in there, but they're distinctly in the background for me, but it all blends together that makes a very sexy nature scent. I adore it.

Hmm. Pink Moon 2007 is kinda puzzling to me, because I don't really get phlox out of it at all, and I really expected to, y'know? I smelled a previous incarnation of Pink Moon which was very strawberry and phlox, and this couldn't be more different. It's like the difference between candy pink and the palest blush baby pink. Aaaaalll vanilla, with the fainest breath of something else that's soft and sugary. Pretty, but not at all what I was expecting. That's not a bad thing, though.

Okay, don't laugh, but on me Al-Azif is My Little Pony Musk. Straight up Lickety Split. It's a slightly more grown up, richer version of the smell that made me keep huffing my My Little Pony when I was a kid. This is definitely a bottle purchase for me.

Mr. Ibis is the juicy, watery green of a sliced aloe leaf, clean and soothing. It softens up a little on the drydown when the sandalwood comes out to play, but it doesn't last very long on me, sadly. Very elegant and simplistic.

I loved the description for Bilquis, and thought 'why not?'. I was clearly out of my mind. Almond is the topmost note for me, and it turns the scent into something a little sickly. Just when it seems it might turn into something else on me, it's gone. Boo hoo.

This is straight up whiskey, poured into a glass on the bar in front of you, and the faintest whiff of sweet tobacco on the lips of the bartender. A very evocative, powerful scent, though not one I could wear. Great scent, just not my style.

I didn't get any roses out of this which is weird because rose usually turns evil on me. In any case, Knave of Hearts has a very distinct 'pie' smell about it, and I can pick out the pastry note right away when it's wet. Thankfully that mellows out after a while, and it becomes juicy blackcurrant. Mmm. Yummy, though not my usual thing.

On me, Croquet is a short-lived, bright and fruity blend. I agree, this would be wonderful in the heat of summer, because it comes across as very cool and refreshing, with notes of peach and citrus.

It's a lot of fun, but it's usually pretty crowded. Lots of people in a small area all trying to get to the same stuff. Everyone is really friendly, and I always have a blast, but it might be a little overwhelming for friends who're not familiar with BPAL and don't know what to expect.

I think it REALLY depends on the bride and their style. Personally, I wore Donna Karan's Black Cashmere (I got married two years before I discovered BPAL).. I prefer darker, spicier scents. If I got married again tomorrow, I'd probably choose Storyville, or my beloved Snake Charmer because I'm weird like that. I think blends that might work really well for a more traditional bride would be The Penitent Magdalene, Black Lily, Queen Alice, Mama-Ji, Antique Lace (of course), Tiger Lily, White Moon, Pink Moon or Mouse's Long & Sad Tale.

While my all-time number one head turner is still Snake Charmer, I've had surprising.. incidents with Mama-Ji, Voodoo Queen and Doc Buzzard. Also pretty recently, Oblivion.

Friendly, charming, and cuddly, but possessing one hell of a mean streak: cocoa absolute, French vanilla, birch tar, lavender, bourbon vetiver, wild musk, clary sage, and cistus. This is such an interesting, unique scent. Lavender and cocoa are two notes that I never thought would blend together well, but they really do. The end result has a lot of potential, but sadly, not on me. The lavender hates me, but I'd love to sniff this on a guy!

I guess the real proof of the pudding is in the eating, right? Well, I hate menthol smells and only keep a jar of Vick Vaporub in for when my little girl has a cold. At the January will-call, I got frimped an imp of Oof which I thought about swapping away, but then I thought that I should probably keep it just in case because I didn't want to swap it for any of the other Panaceas. I am SO glad I kept it. My 3 year old has her first sinus infection, and after 3 weeks, it's just gotten worse and worse. The humidifier filled with Vicks at night didn't help. A dollop on Vicks in the bath just smelled sickeningly menthol and made her eyes burn, as well as making the tub slick - a huge no-no. Vicks rubbed on her chest and temples didn't help (all of this of course in conjunction with decongestants and antihistamines that the pediatrician prescribed). No matter what, she was just full of snot. Oof really helps her, and it's wonderful that it doesn't smell so eye-wateringly menthol. She loves it. We've put a few drops in her bathwater (what I wouldn't give to get my hands on a couple of Oof bombs right now) and on her pillow, and it seems to have helped her be able to rest. Don't know how it works, but it does. Of course, I wouldn't reccomend anyone using this or any of the other Panaceas on small children without using extreme caution and *of course* you do so at your own risk, but I'm personally glad I did. It gave her a little relief, and for that reason I'm going to buy a bottle and keep it in the medicine cabinet.