Ishtar

Off the top of my head, Old Morocco, Old Sybaris, Maiden, Pele, Seraglio and Virgo stay fairly close to the skin. A few oils that have a lot of throw: O, Spellbound, Snake Oil, anything with dragon's blood, Lust, Old Madrid, Hellcat... I also found some oils to be way stronger than I expected them to be. They are not overwhelmingly strong, mind you, just a lot more powerful than I would have thought from the description. Marie and Twilight come to mind. But maybe that's just me Hope that helps. Were you thinking of any oils in particular?

I must admit that the description of The Caterpillar did not appeal to me and I wouldn't have ordered it. But then I got to smell it during a imp-sniffing session with Chin, and I was pleasantly suprised to find that it was nowhere as earthy and mossy as I expected it to be. So I gave it a try. It is very incensey indeed, which works well on me. I was actually burning incense when I first tried this, and both scents perfectly complemented each other. The moss and patchouli, far from making this a gritty earthy scent, give it depth and spiciness, further underscored by the carnation. It smells perfectly unisex to me; the floral notes prevent it from being overly masculine. During the first half-hour, I thought this was similar enough to Old Cairo minus the citrus and sweet notes. After complete drydown, it sometimes turns just a little bit soapy (probably the jasmine and iris), but this is a very pleasant soapiness. I smell as if I had just washed with a really, really good carnation and spice soap, like one of the Roger&Gallet soaps that my dad used to love. I tried this fearing that I would smell all musty and mossy, and instead I feel clean, uplifted and almost refreshed. A very nice surprise

This is apparently a scent that reacts very differently from person to person. For the first few minutes after I applied it, it was a sharp unpleasant chemical smell that actually reminded me of rubbing alcohol. Fortunately this stage didn't last and Aureus morphed quickly into a woody scent. Very woody. Overwhelmingly woody. After half an hour, I ended up smelling like a chunk of dusty yellow cedarwood. Not quite my thing. Up for swaps!

I put off trying Loviatar for the longest time. It smells so sharp in the vial that I think I was a little scared of it I agree with what most people said, it morphs and mellows out very quickly once applied, and becomes unexpectedly powdery. Still, I am afraid this is a tad too woody and leathery for me. I smell like an upscale new car with leather seats and genuine wood door panels, and even though this is an enjoyable scent per se, I am not sure I want to smell like that. Oh well. No new car, no leather, no dungeon and no whips for me, then

*Sigh* Morella is a very, very nice green/floral scent, that, unfortunately, doesn't even last half an hour on me. I really like it when wet. It is mostly sage in the vial, mostly iris on my skin. Upon drydown, it immediately turns into the faintest floral ever. I can still detect a trace of greenness on my arm, then... no sage, no iris, no nothing. Gone. This is such a pretty scent that I hate to give up on it, but there is no point in me trying to wear it. It just evaporates like water on me. I guess I should get myself a scent locket.

You should have seen my face when I first smelled this. I was bracing myself for some bark and damp leaves, praying that I would like it (not too good with earthy scents)... and I thought for one fleeting second that my nose had gone mad. Or that I got a mislabeled imp. Or that I was suddenly suffering from a rare illness that turns earthy scents into chocolate Anyway, all I can say is that it smells delicious. Especially once it settles down and the chocolate turns into caramel The drydown is a fresh but not biting apple, almost like a very good cooked apple, not too tart, not too sugary. Delicious. The first time I wore it, I wondered if it was not a bit too sweet to be worn during the day. The second time, the crispiness of the apple really cut through the overall sweetness, making it much more wearable. Now I am in love with it, and I even wore it to work today. I would call this an unusual blend (the scents are familiar, but unexpected in a perfume), but in a really, really good way.

Othello reminds me of Paris by Yves Saint Laurent. Shattered reminds me of both Champagne by Dior (I think it is now called Dior J'Adore) and Tresor by Lancome. And also... If you like hot buttered rum, you will like Hellcat. If you like smelling good, you will love BPAL!

Yaaay!!! At long last, a chocolate scent that I can wear! *Happy Ishtar dance* To say the truth, I was a bit worried about it since the other chocolate scents turned dusty, almost dirty on me, but the other notes were so tempting I had to try it... In the vial, the main notes are chocolate, hibiscus and rose. I can't wait to tell people that I am wearing a chocolatey floral! On my skin, thankfully, the chocolate note decides to behave. No, it more than behaves. It is actually lovely. It imparts a soft creaminess, but it is so well blended that I don't think I would have been able to recognize it as chocolate had I not worn Bliss and Vice before. As it settles down, the red wine and the tobacco start coming through, bringing a lot of depth and a robust base to a very complex floral blend. I can distinctly smell the hibiscus, which takes me back to Egypt, sailing down the Nile river and sipping karkade, a popular hibiscus herbal tea. Kali had an above average staying power on me, which is good news since I like this scent a lot. A definite keeper

I am loving the new scents with grapefruit in them, especially on a simmering night like tonight! To me Megaera "feels" similar to Queen Mab and Kitsune-Tsuki. It manages to be both fresh and sophisticated, which is usually hard to find. It is very fruity on my skin (bergamot and grapefruit are the main notes) without smelling juvenile or sporty. I had never worn amber before BPAL, but I have liked all the oils with amber I have tried so far. This one is no exception. The amber is not obvious, but it beautifully softens and grounds the blend. My next order will include a bottle of this for sure

This is gorgeous, very fresh and bubbly! To me Shattered smells mostly of champagne and grapefruit. The mint stays in the background. Yet another BPAL oil whose balance is admirable. The crispiness of the champagne and the mint perfectly counterbalance the tanginess of the fruity notes. The drydown is delicious, all grapefruit and champagne I am a lucky duck, because while it seems to fade very quickly on most people, on me it lasted a good seven hours. A keeper. It reminds me of Champagne, that Dior perfume that had to be renamed after the Champagne lobby took Dior to court. Shattered is a much better interpretation of the champagne theme though, less cloying, more natural-smelling

This one really took me by surprise: when I ordered it, I thought I knew what it was going to smell like. When I wore it, I was quickly reminded of how many nuances Beth manages to create with just a couple of notes. While I imagined it to be a fairly straightforward and almost frilly floral, Marie is definitely on the darker side of the spectrum. Much stronger than expected, deep and sultry. I can clearly see why this is in the Diabolus category. It is wicked and debauched. Interestingly enough for a floral, once it settles down I cannot smell any fresh or high notes. If I had to provide a visual association for this oil, I would say it is a "matte" scent- nothing glossy, sparkly or bubbly here. I like it a lot, but I have to be in the proper mood to wear it.

Very innocent at first, indeed. Even a bit, well, plain. Guess I am not too good with innocent scents Once it dries down, things get more interesting. Much more fragrant and spicy, thanks to the carnation coming through. However, I am not the biggest fan of carnation and I am afraid Maiden is a bit too light and girly-pretty for me. I tend to favour more colourful and complex scents. I guess this will be a swap, but I am glad I tried it

It took me the longest time to review O, just like it took me the longest time to decide if I loved it or hated it. For the first few weeks, I had a hard time getting over the sour and, yes, sweaty smell I got after applying. The drydown was much nicer and better rounded, but still, this was a weird scent. Yet I found myself reaching for the imp more and more often, until I had to face the truth: O makes me feel deliciously naughty and I am addicted to that feeling. Not only that, but the scent itself grew on me. My nose does not even register the initial dirty sour note anymore. It is as if it tells the oil: "yeah, yeah, we know that already, go straight to the nice stuff, will you?". And the oil does what it's told: straight to the sticky sweet goodness! A keeper, without question.

I am afraid this did not quite work on me. It was not bad, but I think there was a little too much patchouli and ylang-ylang for my taste. Everytime I wore it, I felt the need to layer something smoother and softer on top of it. I ended up swapping it. BTW, it goes really well with O, if you want an outright, over-the-top sexy scent.

Of all the other dragon's blood oils, this one comes closest to Dragon's Milk on me. Much lighter and less resiney than Dragon's Heart, thanks to a hearthy dose of florals. I get the sweetness and fruitiness of the dragon's blood, with a vibrant, somewhat high-pitched note from the lily of the valley and the lilac. On my skin, it stays pretty true from application to drydown, with a medium to good staying power (6-7 hours or so). Predictably enough for this lily of the valley freak, I like this a lot, but I have to say that Dragon's Milk is still my favourite "dragon" scent. This one is a close second, though

Queen Mab is a very deep and sweet fruity/floral on me. I think that the most prominent notes on my skin are the orchid and jasmine, but this is such a complex blend that it is hard to pin down individual scents. It reminds me of Old Venice, in that bold-and-intricate-floral kind of way. Very grown-up and sophisticated. At first I did not think I would want a bottle since I already have other oils with a similar "personality", but I find that it is growing on me every time I wear it. I may well end up getting more...

I was really looking forward to trying Old Sybaris since I love violet scents. On me it turns to a very soft and powdery sweet floral. It is nice if a bit too understated for my taste, but I have a feeling that this is the kind of scent that could easily grow on me. So I will wear it a couple more times and come back to update. Surprisingly enough for such a soft sent, thumbs up for the staying power. If you like long-lasting oils, give this one a try!

*Sob* On me this smells exactly like turpentine... I will give Envy a second chance later in the week in case it was just my chemistry acting up. For now I think I will have to go take a shower because I smell like an old paintbrush... A shame, really, because it was lovely in the vial.

This is like the wearable version of the best cinnamon room scent ever. At first, the cinnamon and pepper are quite prominent, making Wrath fairly similar to Three Witches. After one hour or so, the dragon's blood comes through, giving the blend plenty of depth and fruitiness. The lasting power on my skin is very good (10 hours), even if by the end the day all I can smell is the dragon's blood. A very well-rounded scent, deeper and smoother than the other cinnamon oils I have tried so far. I can definitely see myself wearing this on a regular basis.

The World strongly reminds me of a softer, more rounded version of Voodoo. Same woodiness with a touch of something sweet and a bright lemon or lime note, but not as changing and "busy" as Voodoo. In fact, this is a very calm, grounded scent. When first applied, the cinnamon and wood notes are prominent. I cannot really pin down what kind of wood I am smelling. At first I thought it was pine, now I rather smell sandalwood. Maybe both? It doesn't really matter anyway, all I know is that this scent is beautiful in an unusual way. Incredibly serene and comforting. During drydown... well I am sorry to say that I have no idea of what happened during drydown since I put this on at night and next thing I knew I was sleeping like a baby! All I know is that I woke up very well rested and cheerful this morning. After 10 hours a soft earthy/lemony smell still emanates from my skin, as if it was my natural scent. A keeper, definitely

So I was in the middle of an imp-sniffing session with Chin the other day when I noticed her imp of Tombstone. Since I am on a mission to find the perfect vanilla scent (Snake Oil is not bad on me but not totally compelling either, alas), I was quite curious about this blend. I loved it at first sniff: woody, spicy vanilla, exactly what I was looking for. The lovely Chin let me take the imp (thank you ) A bit later in the evening, I sniffed it again and lo and behold, I got that wet stone smell that Voivodess wrote about! Wow, that's weird. But interesting! On my skin, thankfully, the wet stone and the lichens disappeared immediately and I was left with a smooth yet deep vanilla, underscored by spicy and woody notes. It reminded me of walking in a forest of old growth cedar on a sunny day. The air vibrates with wonderful warm scents, but the canopy is so dense that you cannot really feel the sun even though you know it is there. Upon drydown the vanilla took a backseat to the cedar and sassafras. Far from being foody, this sweet spiciness was actually almost bittersweet, even a bit melancholic. Truly beautiful. I found Tombstone to be extraordinarily evocative. To me it really encapsulates the spirit of the Old West. Each stage reminded me of a specific place in BC, be it a forest, an abandoned gold mine or a ghost town. Amazing.

Well, I am in love too. Ninglor, can we share? In the vial and when wet, Chypre smells exactly like lavender. I mean real lavender, stem, flower and all. I was thrilled to smell this, since I grew up in Southern France where lavender is everywhere and I adore its scent. After a good half hour the white musk shows up, imparting a fresh, light and slightly powdery tone to the blend. The initial accuracy of the lavender note is now gone, and I don't even care because this scent is turning into something gorgeous. Chypre takes its time settling down, and it is only upon complete drydown that I get my first whiff of violet. By now it is all soft and smooth, calming and comforting. I am glad I tried this oil in the evening, I think it is going to lull me to sleep. As you can tell I obviously love this on myself, and not once was I reminded that it is supposed to be a masculine blend. I can see how this would be wonderful on a man, though. I might need to resume my quest for a soulmate, if only for BPAL-testing purposes A definite keeper that I will enjoy wearing by day when it is warm out, but that I am even more likely to use as a bedtime scent in alternance with Nocturne.

This is lovely! A smooth, fresh pear blend in the vial and when wet. As everyone said, the pear note doesn't last long (a shame because it is gorgeous), but after it fades I am left with a scent that has the same texture and quality as pear, if that makes any sense. It is fresh, crisp and aromatic. To me this is a light yellow scent, reminiscent of spring/early summer. It is refreshing without being sharp nor cool. It smells very "clean" without being soapy nor green. A new favourite. I am definitely getting a 5ml of this. ETA: It lasted more than 6 hours on me, which is not bad at all for such a light scent. The more I wear it, the more it reminds me of Kitsune-Tsuki and Queen Mab.

Very interesting question! I came across several BPAL scents that I personally find very sexy, but I rarely mention it in my reviews, as I believe most people would read it as fiery/spicy/foody and find it misleading. I think it mostly depends on what feelings/emotions one associates with sexiness. To me it's all about balance, self confidence and self control. Cerebral and spohisticated rather than sultry or bold. Two scents that really put me in the mood are Old Glasgow and a Virgo/Harlot combo. Mrrow. Purrrrr. Probably not your usual sexy scents, but there you go!

In the inp, Three Witches immediatly reminded me of Lush's Wiccy Magic Muscles, whose scent I like a lot. I applied liberally- wrists, elbows, cleavage, neck. After one or two minutes, it started burning rather badly, but only on my elbow crease. Go figure! Anyway, a good dose of body lotion took care of that, because this smelled so delicious there was no way I was going to wash it off! Cinnamon and pepper were the two main notes on my skin. No clove, much to my despair since I love it, but oh well. This is a warm and invigorating scent, with a dryness to it that prevents it from being overly foody. Much more layered and multi-dimensional than Inferno in my opinion (on me, Inferno was very close to being a cinnamon single note). It faded fast on my skin, which doesn't really matter since Three Witches is actually the perfect cinnamon room scent I have been looking for. A keeper!