Ishtar

Too bad I didn't get seriously interested in TAL until very recently, otherwise I would have worn Temple: Egyptian on the Ancient Egyptian New Year, back in early August. Instead, I wore Cairo, which is the closest thing to kyphi I could think of. I do not celebrate Christmas anymore, but I love Gingerbread Poppet and Snow White for the holiday season

Oh this is one of the most wonderful florals I have smelled in a long time! Admittedly, I like florals, especially when they have character and depth - Poisson d"Avril certainly has both in spades! At first, Poisson is like an intense burst of fresh flowers with a green, refreshing undertone - probably the crocus and tulip. There is a beautiful higher note that for some reason reminds me of honeysuckle, but I reckon it may be the iris. After drydown, this blend mellows into a sweeter, very soft scent that is nothing short of gorgeous and uplifting. A very spring-like blend indeed, but so nice that I would wear it any time of the year. I only have one decanted imp so far, but this is one scent of which I may well hunt down a bottle.

What an unusual, surprising scent! Shapeshifter all right... When I first put Bakeneko on, I was overwhelmed by how powerful and almost feral it was. To be honest, I did not know if I was going to be able to keep it on as its intensity was somewhat going to my head. Still, the combination of sensual musk, deep black tea leaf and less-common spices such as cardamom was so interesting that I was loathe to wash it off. Well, patience paid off. After half an hour or so, the wild Bakeneko suddenly calmed down and turned into a very seductive scent of incredible depth. Layer upon layer, note after note, each component came dancing around my nose, wrapping me in a deliciously fragrant cloud. Most unique blend I have tried in a long time. Love. Must get more!!!

I got this imp from the wonderful alterosen during our Vancouver Meet 'n' Sniff and immediately fell in love with it. I find that there is a particular artistry to the Wanderlust blends that really puts these scents in a category of their own. Prague is no exception. This is fresh grass and a gentle breeze over a meadow full of early spring flowers. This scent has a liquid, flowing quality even though it does not have aquatic notes. A very evocative blend that lends itself to synestetic associations - to me this is soft white and very pale green. I may have to get more once my imp is gone!

Based on the Lab description, I was expecting a darker, solemn, moody sort of blend. I was suprised (but pleasantly so!) when Purple Phoenix actually turned out to be quite an uplifting, joyful scent. It is, indeed, very purple. When wet, the plum and wine are the most prominent notes; the red wine reminds me of a softer and lighter Madrid, rich yet somewhat toned down by a deeper undertone which may well be the myrrh. After drydown, Purple Phoenix takes on a drier, airier feel. The violet, cognac and lilac (or is it wisteria?) come to the foreground. Quite lovely and soft, a very interesting scent. The staying power and throw are average or slightly below average. I probably will not be hunting down a bottle of this, but I will certainly use up my imp.

Poisoned Apple smells very much like a Granny Smith apple to me, green, tart and crisp. Yes, there is something darker lurking in the background, but not enough to muddle the very realistic apple scent. I wore this to bed last night and when I woke up it was completely gone, which is fairly rare for a BPAL blend - usually I can still smell at least a faint whiff of the oil I have been wearing but here, nothing. I will have to wear Poisoned Apple again during the daytime before I decide to keep it or not, since right now I have no idea what the drydown smells like! Oh, the perils of trying new oils at night! :

This is probably the foodiest BPAL blend I have tried so far, in that it smells 100% edible. No perfumy undertone, no unexpected notes to remind you that it is perfume and not cake you are smelling. I can see why this comes with a disclaimer in the Lab description At first Drink Me was sweet, very sweet. In fact, its sweetness was almost overwhelming and I was not sure if I wanted to keep it on. Thankfully, some of the sweetness and most of the intensity dissipated after an hour or so and it mellowed into a sugary vanilla blend with the tinest hint of fruit. Which could have been a great scent, had there not been something rather artificial-smelling about it, lurking into the background. After drydown, Drink Me faded surprisingly quickly, leaving on my skin a faint scent that was fairly different from the earlier stages: buttery, caramelly, with a fruity undertone, it was reminiscent of Eat Me and much more enjoyable than it was previously. Curiouser and curiouser, this blend seems to play tricks on my skin! As much as I love gourmand scents, the cloying sweetness of the first stage is a little much for me, all the more so that the drydown is very nice but extremely faint on my skin. I may try and age Drink Me for a while to see if becomes better-rounded, if not, I will pass it on to the next aficionado

Love at first sniff! I inadvertently bought a decant of Tamamo-no-Mae from two different forumites, but I am very happy to know that I have more of this wonderful perfume on the way! As many reviews mentioned, Tamamo is a delicious blend of fruity and creamy notes, a combination I adore. In fact, it reminds me quite a bit of Eos, another fruity / creamy scent and another absolute favourite. This is a light, gentle, very well-balanced blend. It stays fairly close to the skin, which is just as well, because there is something so delicate and intimate about this scent that I almost do not feel like sharing it with the outside world... Absolutely gorgeous

Fruitier blends can be a little much on my skin, but when they work, they are usually glorious. I am very happy to report that Fire Pig falls in the "glorious" category! At first, Fire Pig is nothing but fruit on me. Big, bold, bursting fruit. The first stages are very reminiscent of blends such as Bordello or Carnal - intensely red, not overly sweet but literally dripping with fruitiness. It is only after drydown that the more subtle, Asian-themed base notes show themselves and turn this into a very complex and layered scent. The happiness and bubbliness of the inital stages remain, but the florals impart a more subdued mood - uplifting without being silly. This blend perfectly illustrates the energetic and optimistic side of the Fire Pig sign. This year is supposed to be a great time for new beginnings and Fire Pig certainly captures that extra jolt of energy you feel when you start a new project and the pace picks up all of a sudden. I will thoroughly enjoy my decant, especially when I need to tap into that kind of energy - I recently gave myself a 6-month timeline to go into business for myself, so anything that can boost my perseverance (and wealth!) is welcome!

Numb is one of the many LE's I missed out on and I grew quite curious about it after hearing reports of violets, one of my favourite florals. In spite of the description, I do not get any coldness from Numb - quite the contrary. It is an enveloping powdery violet blend that could be quite comforting if only it did not smell so terribly old-fashioned on me. Don't get me wrong, this is far from an unpleasant scent, especially after the initial soapiness wears off to reveal a soft, rather sophisticated floral. It is just that I cannot see myself wearing it, at least not at my age. Off to swaps!

Wow, my skin must really be amplifying honey, as unlike most other reviewers, I do not get any herbal or floral notes. On me, Osun may as well be SN Honey. In the imp, it smells very sweet with a slight sourness in the background. Once applied, Osun is pure honey, with the characteristic sour / almost sweaty note that honey blends sometimes display when still wet. After drydown, it mellows into a gentle honey scent rather reminiscent of O, but without the same sultriness and presence. Osun as a scent is nice enough and comforting, but it lacks the complexity to compete for space in my BPAL box with other honey blends such as O.

I love most of the notes listed in this blend but alas, the resulting combination is not all that interesting on me. Lily is by far the most prominent note and by this I mean regular lily, not lily of the valley which usually works much better on my skin. The fig brings a hint of greenness and there is an underlying sweet note that may well be the apple. The sandalwood and hibiscus are MIA, as far as I can tell. A few hours after applying, Lilium Inter Spinas has already faded into a thin, wispy scent that is certainly not unpleasant at all, but not a must-have blend either.

Ephemera combines some of my favourite floral notes - violet, muguet, rose... needless to say, I was very much looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. As soon as it touched my skin, Ephemera turned soapy, which is not something that happens often with my chemistry. It was not an aggressively sharp soapy scent however, thanks to, I believe, the chamomile which toned it down a notch. True to its name, Ephemera faded quickly and was gone in a matter of hours.

This was a must-try for me as some of my favourite oils (Queen Mab, Phantom Queen) have orchid as a main note. In the imp and right after applying, Shadow Witch Orchid displayed the characteristic softness and sophistication that I associate with orchid scents. As it dried down, a hint of sweetness and a hint of spice came to the foreground. Usually, this would be a very good thing - the more layers and complexity, the better, right? However, for some reason, on my skin these sweet and spicy notes turned Shadow Witch Orchid into a rather generic floral scent. Pretty, but not spectacular. I am sure it will perform much better on someone with the right chemistry, so off to the Swap pile it goes.

I too had a very strong skin reaction to Bengal, something that hardly ever happens. I wear Eclipse, Chimera and other spicy blends on a very regular basis without any problem but this oil reacted with my skin to produce some rather spectacular welts. My heart is not broken, mind you, as Bengal simply does not work on me as a scent either. The honey and spices combined into a slightly musty, strangely savoury smell very reminiscent of saffron... something I thoroughly enjoy in a dish or pastry, but not in a perfume. Straight to the Swap pile!

Cathode was an imp generously thrown into one of my orders by the Lab. I would never have ordered it for myself as ozone / aquatic scents usually turn very wrong on my skin. Even after receiving the imp and sniffing it once, I was in no hurry to try it, as I was convinced that I would have to go wash it off after a little while. Of course, we all know where this story is headed: I was wrong, the Lab was right, I am keeping Cathode I do have a bit of a complicated relationship with this scent, though. I love the first few stages of wearing it: the fresh herbal notes and the mints combine into a blend unlike anything I have worn before. Then, at around the hour mark, Cathode unfortunately does the typical ozone / aquatic thing on me and turns sharp, medicinal and artificial-smelling. Thoughts of washing it off go through my head. Thankfully, this is also when it starts mellowing down and staying closer to my skin, which considerably tones down the sharpness. OK, I can live with this, no need to wash it off after all. It is only after several hours (during which I usually forget about it as I go about my daily activities) that the beauty of this blend strikes me. It is airy, watery, herbal, salty and best of all, it gets along beautifully with my skin. No matter how many times I wear it, I am always surprised by its wonderful balance. It is also quite long-lasting, well over 12 hours today.

In the imp, Tezcatlipoca is pure cocoa. Far from sugary chocolate sweetness, this is high-quality, dark, dry cocoa, the kind that would be sparingly used to dust a beautiful cake. The second it touches my skin, however, the cocoa disappears and is replaced by a combination of earthiness and leather. The overall impression is that of a certain dryness that I tend to associate with wood notes. The patchouli and florals only make their presence known after drydown, bringing some airiness to the deep base notes. This is a very masculine scent, yet it stays rather light and never gets overpowering or sharp on my skin. There is a serious, almost solemn quality to this blend that is quite fit for a god. It is a bit too masculine for me to wear on a regular basis though.

In the imp, Peitho was almost like a single note - and this single note was, you guessed it, jasmine. Which is not a problem for me at all, jasmine being one of my favourite florals. As soon as it touched my skin, Peitho mellowed into this beautifully complex scent. Still predominantly jasmine, but softened by a wonderful creamy note, most likely the vanilla. This is rich without being cloying, fresh without being soapy, bright without being sharp. Very enjoyable and well-balanced. Once it reached complete drydown, it simply kept becoming lighter and softer, yet it lasted for a good ten hours on my skin before fading completely. I did not get any of the warmer/heavier notes such as musk, clove or sandalwood, which is probably why in spite of the description, I would not call this blend lusty. It is, however, sensual in a more sophisticated sort of way and impressively well-balanced for a jasmine scent, given jasmine's tendency to overpower other notes in a blend. A keeper, definitely.

Of all the blends I have tried, my vote goes to Zorya and Nuit. They are both lovely

I was very much looking forward to trying Shango. It is always exciting to see a new (or seldom used) note such as banana in a blend, plus I am a big fan of coconut. In the imp and right after applying, Shango was a thick, dark, sweet fruity scent... a little overpoweringly so, actually, but very often this type of blend opens up and mellows beautifully after a few minutes, so let's wait and see. Throughout the wet stage, the banana is easily recognizable as one of the most prominent notes and it is quite enjoyable. After a few minutes, the banana recedes in the background and the coconut makes a brief appearance. Unfortunately, after complete drydown Shango turns into a strangely artificial scent that is simply not working on my skin. I do not even know how to describe it, really. It is not that it is plasticky, or cloying, or sharp... it just ends up smelling, well, weird and overpowering on me. Off to the swap box, alas.

I was going to recommend Eclipse as it is bursting with frankincense on my skin, but visibly you already tried it. What about Magus? Or maybe Kostnice? I know you don't want rose, but the floral note in this blend is geranium rose, so that might work better.

I was looking forward to trying Tweedledum, as I love tea, fig and mango. I used to really dislike patchouli, but several BPAL blends taught me that it can work quite well on my skin under the right circumstances, so I definitely had to try this. In the imp, Tweedledum looks and smells like a thick, sweet, very fruity blend where the mango is predominant. It opens up as soon as it is applied, though, and the mango, fig and tea notes make their presence known. Most of the sweetness goes away after a few minutes, leaving behind a very nice fruity scent, bright yet delicate and rather unobtrusive. The first time I wore Tweedledum, I applied it in the morning before leaving for work and, I have to say, promptly forgot about it as it is quite a bit lighter than most fruit blends. After a few hours at work, I caught a whiff of the most beautiful patchouli note I had ever had the pleasure of smelling. The scent was rather faint and I first thought that it was coming from my coat (a long-forgotten blend?), but more dilligent arm-sniffing revealed that it was actually Tweedledum that had morphed into the lightest, most subtle and elegant patchouli scent. I never would have thought that I would one day associate patchouli and elegant, but there you go! Needless to say, this is a keeper. In fact, the more I wear it, the more I think it may well be bottle-worthy.

Papyrus, vanilla flower, Egyptian musk, African musk, aloe ferox, white sandalwood. Djehuty (Thoth) being one of my Patron Gods, I had to have a bottle of Mr Ibis. What a perfectly fitting scent for Him! My first impression when I opened the bottle was one of balance, restraint and refinement. Light yet not wispy, fresh yet not aquatic, vanilla-based yet not sweet, this blend is a wonderful exercise in harmony. On my skin, Mr Ibis is a subtle, light, clean-smelling scent, but it is far from being your typical girly, summery, warm weather perfume. There is an aura of seriousness and serenity about it, maybe because of the almost magical balance it displays. In spite of being a light blend that stays close to the skin, it has serious staying power. I love wearing it at night and it is often the first thing I can smell when I wake up in the morning. A definite keeper and a great homage to both the Mr Ibis character and the God who inspired it!

<div class="bpal" style="background-color:transparent; border: 1px dotted #000033; color: #000099; padding: 5px; width: 90%; align:center;margin:0 auto 0 auto">Crushed roses and blackcurrant tarts.</div> I was very much looking forward to trying this as I love rose and blackcurrent... alas, all I got from the Knave of Hearts was burnt caramel. Really, really burnt. As I have never been a fan of smoky scents, this will be heading straight to the Swap pile. I have absolutely no idea how my skin managed to turned rose and blackcurrent into burnt sugar, but there you have it! ETA: We're now a couple years after my initial review, and I have just received another imp of The Knave of Hearts in my latest order. I decided to test it again (because I am fearless ) and oh miracle! I get roses! I get currants! I get... giant, monster tarts! It's still way too sweet to be wearable - and that's saying a lot since I love sweet scents - but at least it's nowhere near as laughably bad as it was during my first attempt. I think I even get a glimpse of what it must be like on the lucky people for whom it works. Still, off to the swap box it goes, and it will keep doing so until the tarts learn to behave!

Eat Me was extremely sweet in the imp, so much so that individual notes were hard to pick. It is only after applying that I was able to discern a vanilla/sugar base, layered with a distinct berry note - currant and blackberry would be my guess. Thankfully the sweetness was not overwhelming at all; most of it went away a few minutes after application. This is a playful, young, eminently wearable blend, even for those who are a little wary of foody scents. Alas, my skin can be very literal sometimes and visibly thought that it had to eat this scent up, since this is what the bottle said... Eat Me only lasts a few hours on me, which means I probably will not be getting more. A shame, as it is really very nice.