GypsyRoseRed

How come I didn't buy Midnight Mass last Yule? Hmm? I know I would have stocked up if it I'd sniffed it, because the 2006 offering sounds like it's very similar and it's wonderful. This is probably tied with Jacob's Ladder for my perfect holiday scent, because while I'm in love with amber, the smokey incense and oiled-antique-wood smell of Midnight Mass is very elegant, and classic with good throw and wear length. I'm sure I'll give in to temptation and snag a backup bottle of this before it goes away.

Yule was nothing like I expected it to be! When I see evergreen in a description, that pretty much assures that blend and I are not going to get along, but this is the exception to the rule - possibly because I can barely detect any evergreen in it at all, and nor does the rose come to the forefront. What I get out of this is a delicious sugared lemon layered over something that seems slightly resin. The overall result is somehow very *warm*, comforting, and appealing without being even the least bit dusty or lemon Pledge-y (which is what I usually get out of all lemon scents). I never thought I'd genuinely like and want to wear a scent that has evergreen, rose and lemon together, but it just goes to show that when it comes to BPAL, never say never.

I *LOVE* the new Yule labels, and the Halloween bottle labels were very 'old fashioned Halloween' which I adored. I think they fit the scents perfectly, and are very elegant.

My two year old says that Treat #1 smells happy, and I'm inclined to agree. It's sweet, sugary lime, strawberry and watermelon Jolly Ranchers, and the scent of it in the bottle is enough to make me smile. It's a simple, childlike pleasure, but it's very wearable, I think. It's delicate but also very distinctive and definitely makes it's presence felt. I've dabbed it on my wrist twice since it arrived, and both times someone commented on the pretty candy smell. Really lovely and girly.

Maybe it's a body chemistry thing, but I didn't really get chocolate orange at all. Usually BPAL's chocolate blends stay pretty true on my skin, but with this one, the clove overpowers it until I get a dry, stale, fake chocolate smell. Not good.

The wonderful The_Witching_Hour gifted me with some of this, and I am in love with it. It's fruity, incensey, and a little bit smokey.. totally gorgeous. I don't have a place to put the statue, but man, I really wish I could get my hands on a bottle of this.

In the bottle, I got mostly apples with a hint of caramel, but on my skin this becomes the thick, distinctive scent of a caramel apple. I was sitting on the other side of the room and my husband (who's not good at guessing notes) started sniffing the air. He said, "I smell Halloween Hallmark store" then, "Something smells like caramel apples." In my personal opinion, this is a great blend for Halloween, but not something I'd regularly. I'm not one for the overly foody scents, but this is nice.

I have a feeling my body chemistry is screwing me here, but all I get is straight up Coca-Cola. Nothing dark or resinous, which is what I was hoping for. It actually becomes a light scent on me. I'm going to give it another chance, and I'll change this review if it turns out any differently.

I can't pick out any of the individual notes in Swallow's Blood, so I won't even attempt to guess. It's such a pleasant, comforting scent, though. On my skin, it ends up very soft and powdery with medium throw and wear length.

This is one of the blends I've always wanted to try, but couldn't get hold of for love nor money. Absinthetics very generously sent me a couple of drops in an imp vial to sniff, and.. It's fab. Somehow, Unseelie reminds me of the expensive perfumes my mother used to keep on her dresser when I was small. She'd let me smell them occasionally, and while some of them were just strong and odd, there were always a few that made me wish I was grown up so that I could dress up and wear it. That smell somehow makes me think 'woman'. A sophisticated, confidant, beautiful woman. It's a dark floral, that ends up just a touch powdery on my skin, but I didn't mind that at all. I'd love to find a whole imp of this, just to sniff. It's so lovely.

Glitter smells like it sounds. Really. It's a very sparkling, effervescent scent, bright and lovely. It's more fruit than floral to me (must be the pear everyone else is raving about), and it's very clean and fresh without even a hint of dryer sheets. This is pretty fabulous, and if it ever made a reappearance, I'd definitely buy a bottle or two.

I only have an imp of this, but I'd love to get my hands on more. In the vial, it smells very syrupy, but on my skin it turns to strawberries with a dusting of sugar and something creamy. Love it.

I love and adore this scent, but sadly, it doesn't last for longer than a few minutes on my skin. It's a beautiful blend of lime, dark berries and a touch of jasmine.. It somehow manages to be neither overly floral or fruity, but something in between that's sophisticated and distinctive. It does remind me a little of Dior's Poison, but without the tang of alcohol that's always so strong in that scent. This is one discontinued blend that's definitely worth the hype to me, and I really, really hope I'm going to be able to find a way to wear it (I don't get much throw out of scent lockets, so I'm not relying on that).. It'll be a heartbreaker if I have to send it off to the swap or sell pile.

I snapped up a partial of this and was delighted to get to try it, finally! This isn't what I expected after reading the reviews. Almost everything with lemon in it turns to lemon Pledge on my skin, but this.. no, this was a light lemon verbena with jasmine. The jasmine stops the lemon from being sharp and rounds it out.. It's really an interesting, clean scent that does make me think of Spring. If only lemon and I were on better terms! It's nothing personal.. It's just not one of my favorite notes, and isn't particularly 'me'. This is much prettier than I imagined, though. I'll be sad to see it go, but it's off to the swap pile with Yuki-Onna.

I'm not sure how to best describe Scorpio, other than to say that, to me, it posesses all of the qualities I associate with that astrological sign. It's dark, powerful, persistent, mysterious and beautiful in a unique way. I've never really come across a blend like this. It manages to be fiery, smooth and aquatic at the same time. This may be a silly, whimsical thought, but what I picture in my head when I smell it, is a fiery river.. it's liquid surface strewn with luscious flowers, visible through the flames. Upon testing it, I get a dark smokiness, with magnolia, a touch of violet, and something.. kinda glittery and bright. Not sure what it is, but it adds a glamorous quality to this already rich scent. I love this, but I haven't decided whether I can wear it yet. I think it would be vaguely ridiculous on me, and would probably wear *me* instead of the other way around. I am so, so glad I got to try this, though, and for Scorpio scent lovers, this is *the* blend to try.

I'd agree with everything the previous reviewer said, except this DID turn to straight up baby powder on me. Although I usually like powdery scent, I just feel robbed with this one. It smells so lovely in the bottle and wet, all violet, hyssop and mossy, so the baby powder end result is pretty disappointing.

Hah. Hate woodsy notes. Hate roses. Love Pulcinella & Teresina. On me, these notes blend together until they smell like a dark, vaguely spicy rose incense.. It's really lovely.

This is, for me, almost the perfect man scent. I agree with the similarity to Dorian, but it's most definitely different. I mean, you could have both of these and still be able to tell a sigificant difference between the two. There's a strong note in Dorian that isn't in Theodosius, and Theo is smoother, lighter in scent but somehow subtly *darker*. Dorian is a gentleman's fragrance - Theodosius is more manly. Sexier.. Personally, there's something about this blend that kept my nose going back to my wrist over and over when I tested it.. If you're looking for a BPAL blend to buy as a gift for a man, this is it.

I can't be quite as articulate as the_witching_hour (my scent twin!) right now, but I have to agree with everything she said . This scent was a big surprise to me. The first time I tested it, it was initially a little acrid, so I washed it off before it really had a chance to dry. The second time... hoo boy. This stuff is fabulous. It smells lovely, sexy and *expensive*, and I'm definitely going to be ordering more of this.

Holly - it's pretty hard to answer your question, because body chemistry plays a big part in how long a scent lasts and how much throw it has. A lot of BPAL scents stay close to my skin with low to mid throw, but the same ones may either disappear on you or amp up until they're strong. You could test out imps at home when you don't have much else going on.. just to see how the scent changes and how long it lasts. Now, the ones that've played close to my skin and hung around for a long while make up a long, long list, but some of my favorites have been The Great Sword of War, Tiger Lily, Opium Poppy, White Rabbit, Mouse's Long & Sad Tale and Antique Lace.

I went and added a bunch of mine, too, and I'll add more throughout the day.

Mmm.. peppermint candy. It softens on the drydown and I can just make out a slight floral note lurking under the mintiness. Is that even a word? Er.. Anyway. It's pretty unique and I found it kinda uplifting. It's almost like an aromatherapy blend as opposed to a perfume, but this gets a thumbs up anyway.

Well, so far the scents I've used to enable friends/colleagues/family have been - 1. Antique Lace 2. Bordello 3. Xiuhtecuhtli 4. Jolly Roger 5. Dorian 6. Scheherezade 7. Al-Sharain 8. Morgause 9. Velvet 10. Obatala 11. Drink Me 12. Brisingamen / The Great Sword of War Interestingly enough, I only really love six of those twelve blends, but overall, they cover quite a bit of ground in terms of scent type. I've noticed that some of my guy friends really liked Jolly Roger and Xiu for themselves, but not Dorian. Hmm. Don't know why that is. Anyway, that's my enabling kit. And I don't let anyone mess with my LE's, but if I really want to hook 'em, I bring out my sniffie of Shub.

I'm a regular insomniac, and for me the best sleep blend so far is the TAL Nocturne. When I use it, I have a deep, restful sleep with no wakings during the night, and I feel great when I wake up. I'm dying to try TKO, though.

I've come across several other people like this (male friends), and they really can't distinguish between BPAL scents. C says they ALL smell like patchouli! All of them! It's crazy. I think it's a combination of a less than refined sense of smell, and being accustomed to regular perfumes.