Alethia

Thoughts before testing: I love fig, but the coconut and almond have me worried. Wet: Strong almond milk (but not the type of almond that is strongly cherry), very creamy and pretty with a lovely sandalwood base. This is surprisingly nice. Dry down: The scent hasn't changed, but it smells exactly like a lotion my mother used to use after we had been at the beach. Dry: Still creamy almond and sandalwood. I get no coconut, fig, or fig leaf. Final thoughts: This is pretty, but I'm missing the other notes, and I don't see myself reaching for it often if at all. Verdict: Nice, but not for me.

Thoughts before testing: I love each of these notes, and am really hoping for a win from this blend. The last 6 oils I've tried have been complete and utter FAIL on my skin, so here's hoping! Wet: All I get at this stage is clean, fresh florals. It's quite pretty, but not terribly distinctive or unique. Dry down: The honey and incenses are starting to deepen the scent, and it goes from a nothing special floral perfume to a distinctive, deep floral. I'm really liking this, actually. Dry: Alas! Within an hour, Les Bijoux is gone from my skin. Not even a hint remains. Damn. Final thoughts: I really loved the dry down stage, the meh wet stage and the fact that the scent is gone rather quickly leave me wanting more. Verdict: This one will most likely go off to the swaps/sales/gift box.

A nocturnal bounty of fae dew-kissed petals and pale fruits: white grape, white peach, iced pear, musk rose, sweet pea, moonflower and snapdragon. Thoughts before testing: The description of this scent sounds amazing and right up my alley, if a little sweet. I love each of the notes listed here, so I'm cautiously hopeful for this blend. Wet: Pure blast of peach. It's a beautiful ripe peach, just lovely. Dry down: The sweet pea comes out to play, which is great because sweet pea is one of my favorite florals. Dry: It turns into florally soap once it's all the way dry, which is super disappointing. Final thoughts: I think I'll retest this one just to make sure. Verdict: Pending! ETA description.

Thoughts before testing: I love most of the notes listed here except for ambergris (which turns super powdery on my skin) and orris root (which I have no idea what it even is). Wet: Extreme, pure, unadulterated powder. Oh ambergris, why do you hate me so? Dry down: All powder, all the time. Dry: And powder closes the act out. Final thoughts: Ambergris has made it onto my "Notes of DOOOOOOOOOM" list officially. Verdict: Lyonesse is not for me. After two years and a hormonal change, I've got to rewrite my review of Lyonesse. Ambergris now works beautifully on my skin instead of turning to pure powder and Lyonesse is a thing of pure beauty. My bottle is fresh from the Lab and as such is slightly sharp. I think a little aging will do wonders for this, but it's getting plenty of love from me right now. It starts as a musky vanilla with that beautiful, slightly salty ambergris backbone and is lovely. It dries down to perfumey classic smelling musk with lovely hints of florals and ambergris and vanilla. Lyonesse is stunning.

Thoughts before testing: The description of this scent is so intriguing; thank you Witch! Wet: All I get is pure salt. Salt? What the heck? Dry down: Still salt with a little soap. How does florals, fruits, woods, and amber turn into salty soap? Dry: Salty soap Final thoughts: What the heck, skin? I've gotten soap from many a blend before, but never pure salt. So disappointing. Verdict: This is a no go for me.

Wholeheartedly seconding the mention of Crib Girls as my personal favorite honey blend. I've gone through close to half a bottle in a little over a month I also really, really love the honey in Josie. It's perfect for those days where I want a simple sweet scent.

Thoughts before testing: I am a little embarrassed to admit, but I wanted to try this because I no longer eat cake I follow a primal/low carb lifestyle, and cake is most definitely not low carb. So I was excited to at least smell like cake! I adore the currant note in Fairy WIne, so I'm hopeful Wet: Powder? I'm not getting any cake or currant. Weird. Dry down: Still powder. Not sure what's going on here! Dry: Baby powder. Thoughts after testing: This is maybe the most bizarre thing I've ever had a perfume do on my skin. Normally amber turns to pure powder on my skin as does ambergris, but neither of these are listed in Eat Me's notes. Maybe I have a bad imp? Verdict: I'll test once more, but I don't foresee myself keeping this one.

Thoughts before testing: I purchased this and Suck It at the same time. I had never tried a cherry/red fruit scent before, but having previously tested Suck It, I don't have high hopes for Bloody Mary. Wet: Nothing but sugared cream. No fruits, just cream. It's kind of nice, but not what I was expecting. Dry down: The artificial cherry note of DOOOOOOOM appears. Oh no. Dry: Nothing but artificial medicinal cherry on my skin. Thoughts after testing: Well, now I know to stay away from cherry blends! Verdict: Off to the sales page!

Thoughts before testing: I was super excited to try this one out. I love apples and cranberries, and love the smell of real cider. Wet: Bright fresh cranberry. Wow. Every year for Thanksgiving I make cranberry pear jelly squares, and this smells exactly like the first stage of making the jellies. Dry down: The other notes start to appear, and I go from smelling like delicious cranberry to a Yankee Candle I had last year. I don't know how I feel about this. Dry: Not much change from the dry down to completely dry. I still smell like a candle, and I don't think that this works as perfume on me. Thoughts after testing: This will make a lovely room scent, but I don't like it on my skin.

Thoughts before testing: I love the Lab's rose blends almost universally, but the amber in this has me a little apprehensive. Amber tends to go all powdery on my skin, so we'll see what happens. Wet: Strong and lovely rose. At this point, it could be a rose single note. Dry down: Still a rose single note, which smells lovely, but I'm missing the other notes. Dry: Ah. The amber came out to play and turned a beautiful rose note into nothing but powder. Damn. Verdict: I love the wet and dry down stages, but the powder in the final stage wrecks this one for me.

Thoughts before testing: I've been looking for a good pear scent since I joined the forums, and since I have a strong love of all things vanilla, I have high hopes for this one! Wet: Wow! This really does smell like pear ice cream, but not in an obnoxiously foody way. It's quite lovely. Dry down: I'm getting less ice cream, but the pear and vanilla are absolutely beautiful together. Dry: The pear fades away after about 2 hours and leaves behind a beautifully creamy and full bodied vanilla. Thoughts after testing: This stayed close to my skin, which I appreciate, and the staying power was pretty decent (around 6 hours). Verdict: Love this! I probably won't kill myself to find a bottle, but will be on the lookout for one.

Thoughts before testing: I love the smell of cherry, but have never tried an oil with that note. A lot of the previous reviewers mention cough drops/syrup, so I'm a little apprehensive. Wet: Ah. This is all cherry cough syrup on my skin. It's very sharp and medicinal smelling. Dry down: I smell like I rubbed cherry Robitussen on my skin. Dry: The medicinal smell finally faded after about 90 minutes, but it took the whole scent with it. Even with my nose pressed against my skin, I can't smell any hint of Suck It. Verdict: Off to the sales page!

Thoughts before testing: I was so excited to try this (thanks Witch!), but after the fiasco that was Glowing Vulva (aka High Pitched Screaming Teak of DOOOOOM) on my skin, I'm quite nervous about the teak note in this. Wet: Slightly powdery amber and teak. Oof. Dry down: Piercing teak. This does not bode well. Dry: The teak is beating every other note senseless. Damn. Thoughts: I tried this the week before my time of the month, and so hopefully my hormones are screwing with both this and Glowing Vulva. I'll retest in two weeks to see if that makes a difference. Verdict: to be continued!

Thoughts before testing: I am a huge rose fan (particularly the Lab's roses), and I love the rest of the notes listed as well. This should be pure win on my skin! Wet: Wow. Pure soapy rose. I've never gotten soapy rose from a BPAL scent before. Not even getting a hint of the other notes. Dry down: The rose is still quite soapy, but the honey is starting to peek out. I'll be honest: at this point, I am not a fan. Dry: Somehow, this morphed from Eve into Persephone on my skin. Not sure what happened, but I'm not particularly fond of Persephone, and I'm not fond of Eve either. Thoughts: I tested this during the week before my time of the month, which might be screwing up my skin chemistry? I'll test again in two weeks just to make sure, but I do not have high hopes for the resting. Verdict: After repeated testings with identical soapy outcomes, Eve has been sent to a better home.

Thoughts: I was frimped this by my most excellent Switch Witch! I cried a little when I saw it because GV is listed in my Excel wish list as "Hahaha. Yeah right." I've wanted to try this since I first found BPAL, but never expected to be able to. I have high hopes for this blend because I love all of the notes listed. Thank you my Witch! Wet: High pitched shrieking teak. WTF skin?! Where's the cream and lotus and amber?! Dry down: Still nothing but shrieking teak. Dry: I can't believe that all I'm getting from this blend is sharp teak. I'm so disappointed. Thoughts: It is the week before that time of month for me, so I won't give up hope for Glowing Vulva yet! I'll retest in about two weeks when my hormones have calmed down a little and hope that it'll make a difference. Final thoughts: It's been a full two weeks since my initial testing, and any hormonal issues should be done. Sadly, the second test is identical Verdict: Glowing Vulva is sadly not for me.

Thoughts before testing: I love sweet pea, vanilla, and white sandalwood. The two ambers worry me slightly because they tend to go super powdery on me, but we'll see. Wet: Sweet, slightly floral vanilla. I'm not getting a lot of sandalwood or amber, and the sweet pea is staying in the background for the most part. Dry down: The amber starts to come out to play, and it's not going powdery! Maybe the sandalwood is grounding it? I have no idea, but I'm really loving the lack of powder. The vanilla is still sweet and slightly floral. I wish the sweet pea would be a little more prominent. Dry: There's the sweet pea! This is really beautiful. The amber is still behaving, and I'm loving how this smells on my skin. Final thoughts: This scent lasted quite a while before any noticeable fading (around 6 hours on my skin, but YMMV), and kept close to my skin which I appreciate. Verdict: I will definitely be using up my imp, and will most likely be a bottle purchase.

Thoughts before testing: I have no idea what saffron smells like, but I do know that I (nearly) universally love vanilla and cream blends. I have high hopes for this one! Wet: Creamy, spicy root beer. Wow! This is pretty spectacular wet. Dry down: Still creamy and spicy but less root beer and more vanilla. So far, this is pure love. Dry: Creamy, spicy vanilla. Final thoughts: The scent sticks close to my skin, but I'm ok with that. It's also super long lasting. I tested it at 6 pm and woke up the next morning at 6 am and could still faintly smell it on my arm. Verdict: This is a hands down win for me, and I will be scouring the sales page for a bottle.

Thoughts before testing: After reading the reviews on this page, I absolutely had to try Hod v2. I'm in a bit of a vanilla and carnation obsessive phase at the moment, so i have high hopes for this. Wet: Creamy, smooth vanilla that's slightly spiced (the carnation?) Very nice. Dry down: The carnation becomes more apparent here and blends with the vanilla beautifully. I'm not picking up any sandalwood. Dry: Spicy carnation, creamy vanilla, and just the lightest hint of sandalwood. Verdict: This is really a stunning blend. It's perfect for this time of year for me and is instant love.

Thoughts before testing: I love cherry scents. They tend to stay true on my skin and not turn into nasty artificial cherry/cough syrup. But this has red musk, which only very rarely works on me, and star anise, which is one of my most hated scents. However, I'm trying really hard to skin test everything that comes my way to break out of my comfort zone, and since this was a Lab frimp, I had to try. I'd be willing to bet big money that the anise in this will wreck the whole scent. Wet: Pure cherry. Ooh! This is nice, but surely it can't stay that way forever, right? Dry down: Ah. Anise, we meet again. It drowns out everything else in this blend. Dry: Soap and anise is all I'm getting now. Thoughts: Well, it was worth a shot, right? Verdict: No thank you. Kabuki gets shuttled to my swaps/sales box.

Thoughts before testing: This was a frimp from the Lab, which is good because I never would have picked it otherwise. White musk turns to baby wipes on me, and dragon's blood tends to be stomach churningly sweet on my skin. Despite loving apples, apple blossoms, and hyacinth, I don't have high hopes for this. Wet: Nothing but apple and apple blossom. Well that's a nice surprise! I'm getting no white musk or dragon's blood resin. This is really soft and girly at this point. Dry down: The hyacinth starts to peek through, and is absolutely lovely. It's not a high pitched screaming floral blend and it's not powdery, which I really appreciate. Dry: Still no musk. The dragon's blood resin made a very small and subdued appearance finally, turning the blend a little sweeter than I like, but this doesn't automatically disqualify Ladon from staying in my collection. Final thoughts: I think that I really like this. I'm lucky in that my younger sister also loves BPAL, and I have a suspicion that she'll go bananas for this. If that happens, sister gets it Verdict: Probably not a bottle purchase, but between my sister and I, the imp will be well loved.

What is something totally random (yes, that thing that just popped into your head) that hasn't been covered by any previous questions?) I really, really love dry erase markers. But not the kind that smell like fruit or candy or what have you. Just regular thick chisel tipped dry erase markers Is there any cheesy/non-cheesy Canadian stuff you'd be interested in? I have no idea. If you were to go here and create your very own chocolate bar, what might it have in it? Oh dear lord. Dark with lavender and violet or dark with lemon, salt, and pepper. say you stumbled into Camp Half Blood (or whatever the Roman camp ends up being named <bounces in anticipation>), which god claims you? I had to look this up, lol! I would hope either Poseidon or Athena. Umph! I have just been enlightened to THESE. Are these flavors relevant to your interests? Oh my goodness, yes! Rose citrus, coco noir, clove cigarette (this one might be my favorite just from looking), absinthe, and cherry bourbon! JONES SODA CO has LE soda packs for The Guild, Buffy, D&D, So Cute, etc. Would you be interested in these, Witchee? I have the wimpiest teeth ever (literally; I had to have eight freaking cavities filled this month), so please no soda. It's Banned Books Week! Are there any books on the list you'd be interested in checking out? Not particularly, although Nickel and Dimed has been on my list forever. Do you drink wine? I don’t drink alcohol at all, actually julep maven monthly boxes: No thanks. I have a question- What kind of purse do you prefer? Leather, cloth? over the shoulder or crossbody, or something that can do either? Do you like bold bright prints with fun things, or monochrome, solid colours? I am super, super, weirdly picky about the purse I carry (and it’s only ever one at a time), so probably this wouldn’t be a great idea for me. I have a not-so-secret love for The Broship of the Rings. Are there any prints from her store you'd like? No thanks. Question. What kind of bear is best? Pooh Bear! New Question: Witches, did you lament NOT getting one of the condom case/imp cases that got released with the courtesan series??? What is this fabulousness of which you speak?! I would love any of them! I recently saw candy corn in non-candy corn flavors like CHOCOLATE and CARAMEL APPLE. It's not a fancy brand, I just saw it in the drugstore, but who here would like something like that? No thank you. I love the candy pumpkins, but not the candy corn (weird, right? Lol!), and only the original flavor.

What is something totally random (yes, that thing that just popped into your head) that hasn't been covered by any previous questions?) I really, really love dry erase markers. But not the kind that smell like fruit or candy or what have you. Just regular thick chisel tipped dry erase markers Is there any cheesy/non-cheesy Canadian stuff you'd be interested in? I have no idea. If you were to go here and create your very own chocolate bar, what might it have in it? Oh dear lord. Dark with lavender and violet or dark with lemon, salt, and pepper. say you stumbled into Camp Half Blood (or whatever the Roman camp ends up being named <bounces in anticipation>), which god claims you? I had to look this up, lol! I would hope either Poseidon or Athena. Umph! I have just been enlightened to THESE. Are these flavors relevant to your interests? Oh my goodness, yes! Rose citrus, coco noir, clove cigarette (this one might be my favorite just from looking), absinthe, and cherry bourbon! JONES SODA CO has LE soda packs for The Guild, Buffy, D&D, So Cute, etc. Would you be interested in these, Witchee? I have the wimpiest teeth ever (literally; I had to have eight freaking cavities filled this month), so please no soda. It's Banned Books Week! Are there any books on the list you'd be interested in checking out? Not particularly, although Nickel and Dimed has been on my list forever. Do you drink wine? I don’t drink alcohol at all, actually julep maven monthly boxes: No thanks. I have a question- What kind of purse do you prefer? Leather, cloth? over the shoulder or crossbody, or something that can do either? Do you like bold bright prints with fun things, or monochrome, solid colours? I am super, super, weirdly picky about the purse I carry (and it’s only ever one at a time), so probably this wouldn’t be a great idea for me. I have a not-so-secret love for The Broship of the Rings. Are there any prints from her store you'd like? No thanks. Question. What kind of bear is best? Pooh Bear! New Question: Witches, did you lament NOT getting one of the condom case/imp cases that got released with the courtesan series??? What is this fabulousness of which you speak?! I would love any of them! I recently saw candy corn in non-candy corn flavors like CHOCOLATE and CARAMEL APPLE. It's not a fancy brand, I just saw it in the drugstore, but who here would like something like that? No thank you. I love the candy pumpkins, but not the candy corn (weird, right? Lol!), and only the original flavor.

Oh Witch of mine, I apologize for falling behind in the questions, but this weekend was indeed bananas Without further ado, more of the rambling! Colors! What are your favorite colors and what colors do you not like? Pictures and links, people! I love butter yellows, bright yellows, all purples from the palest lavender all the way to deep almost black purple, all blues, true reds, blue reds (no orange reds for me, thanks), all pinks, and mint green and kelly green. I don’t like brown or camel colored. Would you like a photo collage based around your interests/favorite colors/favorite themes? No thank you. Space is kind of lacking here. If you're crafty, are you interested in spoonfeather? And if so, what things there delight your eyes? This is such a cool idea, but I am not crafty at all. What is your favorite word? Strumpet, splendiferous, copacetic. What are the feelings on arm warmers? Color, style, texture, length? No thank you! Do you like tarts? tealights? jar candles? votives? Jar candles only please. What's your favorite flavor? Sour, sweet, bitter, salty? Salty and sour please! I love sweet things but am on a low carb diet so they’re out. What is your favorite coffee blend at Starbucks? If you don't have one, what is your favorite roast of coffee? Not a coffee drinker, but I love all types of chai! I just noticed that Cocoa Pink has 5 ml Perfume Atomizers. Yay or nay? Scents you would like? Scents you would NOT like? I’m not even looking at other online perfumers as my BPAL addiction is almost more than I can keep up with, lol! What’s your favorite kind of pizza? Again, low carb living doesn’t lend itself to pizza. But I love Mediterranean style pizzas, and just plain mushrooms and black olives with extra cheese Who are your style/fashion icons? post pics if you want! I’m afraid that I’m going to get laughed out of the forum for this, but I really love the way that Kate Middleton dresses now. I work in a fairly conservative hospital environment, and need to dress nicely. I live in jeans and t-shirts, but need to start dressing like a grown up, and getting fashion tips from Kate Middleton seems like a good place to start! For example, nude pumps. After seeing them on her, I figured they might be a good summer piece rather than my plain boring black heels, and sure enough they kicked me out of my work fashion rut. No hose, though! Are there any food items you're craving/aren't able to find around your area? Witch dear, if you could find me caciocavallo cheese of any type, I would love you forever and ever and ever and ever and a day. Seriously. When I lived in Oklahoma there was a little mom and pop grocery store run by a couple that had left Italy in the early 1950s and they made their own caciocavallo. I could eat that stuff three times a day for the rest of my life and be deliriously happy. What about little wee creatures for your desk or mantel, like this? No thank you. The cats will claim it as theirs probably before it’s even out of the box. Is there anything you like or would like to try from Bath & Body Works? No thank you. Do you have any bedtime rituals? Is there any particular product you have to apply or a certain shirt you wear or an act you perform to get you in the "bedtime" mood? I make sure that my lunch for the next day is packed, that I have clothes laid out for the next day (I’m really not a morning person), and that all of my stuff is ready to go. If the next morning is a workout morning (so early! 5:30 am is when my alarm goes off!), I go to bed in my workout gear. Again, not a morning person, so the less I have to do to get my but out the door in the morning, the better And if I’m having trouble sleeping or am feeling particularly anxious, I’ll dot my chakras with TAL’s White Light and say a quick prayer and do a breathing exercise. It’s kind of scary how well this works to put me to sleep. Princess Bride? Yay or nay? It is INCONCEIVABLE! that I wouldn’t like Princess Bride. Meanwhile, I am asking all of you (and especially my witchee) what would you think of this (with a matching scarf) ? Kitxchey kerchief No thank you. Would you be interested in regional jams, jellies, or other preserves? OH YES! What's your favorite classic fairytale, witches? I really love the Twelve Dancing Princesses and Cat-skin.

Wet: Oh my god, this is the most delicious blackberry scent ever. I'm worried though because berries and I generally don't get along. So I'm loving the wet stage, but am reserving judgement. Dry down: I'm getting beautiful berries with just the slightest hint of honey. I'm slowly getting more excited about this! Dry: Sweet berries mingling with honey. Usually berry scents turn to artificially flavored grape cough syrup on my skin, but not this one! Verdict: I really like this. Honey is one of my favorite notes, and I'm adoring the berry in this. It might be too sweet for every day wear, and I don't know if this is a bottle purchase, but I'll be loving my imp for sure.

Wet: Oof. Nothing but patchouli here. Dry down: Patchouli still. Sheesh. Dry: Patchouli and clove, but still mostly patchouli. Verdict: I was really hoping for more of the clove and cardamom to come through, but the patch knocked everybody else out of the ring. So sad Retest on September 5, 2013: Almost two years later, my nose is much more educated and I think the lovely Clemence deserves a retest. Wet: Still a strong, earthy patchouli, but I'm much better able to appreciate it now. It still might be too strong for me however. There's just a hint of the clove at the very end of the sniff. Dry down: The patchouli backs off and this morphs into a fabulous blend of clove, cardamom, and carnation. Hot damn, this is spectacular! This is spicy without hurting my nose and is fabulous. Dry: Spicy carnation goodness. This smells like walking into the Persian market across the street from my apartment. They sell spices by the bulk, and this is that atmosphere bottled. Love. Final thoughts: I am so, so, so glad I hung onto my bottle and retested this. It's everything I was hoping and so much more. Verdict: Just try to pry it out of my hands