ziggystardust13

If I could curate the ultimate starter pack: 1. Snake Oil (must have) 2. Dorian (the other must have) 3. Spellbound or Scherezade (sexy incense) 4. Zombi (earthy) 5. Vixen or Hell's Belle (unique florals) 6. No. 93 Engine or Tavern of Hell (unique/complex GC favorites) 7. Mme. Moriarty (I associate this with Beth and to me its quintessential bpal) 8. Alice, The Caterpillar, The Mad Hatter, or White Rabbit (Gotta have the Mad Tea Party!) 9. Elf (RPG fave) 10. Bewitched or The Apothecary (something green and fresh)

So happy I had the opportunity to try this. First off, LOVE the label. The scent itself is one of those WOW scents that only BPAL can pull off. How did the exact smell of those things get in here? Perplexing. Dank. Nostalgic. The Nag Champa pulls to the front the longer this wears on the skin. If you want an experience and not just a perfume, its a must try!

I just discovered Fallen also and I LOVE it. Its so beautiful! Violet and Vetiver are usually not notes I even like but they work so well in Fallen and don't go weird at all on my skin. I don't know anything else that smells similar but now I'm more inclined to try more scents with violet.

This was a frimp from the lab with my last order. Its not something I'd really pick for myself but I must say, I love it! Its not the most complex, beautiful perfume. But its fun! I chose it today for work and really find it uplifting. Its definitely a "pink" scent. I get all of the notes in this but they are very well blended. Its sweet without being cloyingingly sweet, and I can see people that aren't floral fans still enjoying this. Up close its actually pretty faint once it dries down, however, its one of those scents that is still somehow wafting around me and I get these little glorious whiffs now and again. I would love to have this in a bottle and highly recommend when you just want to wear something sweet and fun.

The notes in this just called to me so I decided to purchase a bottle straight away. I'm so glad I did, because this scent is so beautiful. This is not merely a fruit-chouli scent, though the components are definitely there. The candied smoked fruits are just gorgeous and lend a sort of tart sweetness that compliments the deeper notes. Its not "fruity" in the least though, nor is it overly sweet. The oud is well behaved (sometime it can go funky me but I honestly don't detect it). The laudanum is strongest upon application but eventually blends in seamlessly with the rest of the notes. All in all this ends up being pretty soft. I can see wearing this to my office job or for a special evening. It reminds me very much of Dark Delacacies. I no longer have that scent to do a side by side comparison, but it definitely shares some similar notes and evokes a similar feel. Elegant. Beautiful. Just like the artwork represented on the bottle.

This is the best dead leaves blend I've ever tried. Like top 10 good. This starts out with a blast of the familiar dead leaves note. The dead leaves nearly disappears after the black currant and champa come forward. It ends up being an inky, deep scent that isn't overly sweet. It is reminiscent of an expensive perfume, like Dior Poison or something from Tom Ford. It also reminds me a little of Bpal's Insects on the dry down. This is a slinky sexy blend that I may dare to wear during the day, but can definitely see wearing at night. Not at all what I was expecting from a dead leaves scent but I'm absolutely in love with it. Color association: deep purple

I was so happy to get a bottle of this during the last restock at Bloodmilk. I can see why its so loved. Out of the bottle I get patchouli and a hint of sugared lemon. Freshly applied the lemon sugar swirls around the patchouli with an almost chocolate like note. These notes are light and complimentary to the patchouli, but fade rather quickly. As Silkybat dries, it becomes a true sugared patchouli. So simple and so beautifully done. Pretty good throw but I can also see slathering this because its just delicious. I wore it to bed and was completely comforted by it, but could even see getting away with this patchouli at the office.

So there are only a handful of commercial scents I like, but Black Opium by Yves Saint Laurent has really grown on me. I hate that its alcohol based though and of course its super expensive. Any bpal recs?

This is all plum and violet with a hint of petrichor. I love plum but I was wary of the violet in this and so far it’s trying to steal the show, but it could be because I always amp violet to the high heavens. This scent is definitely evocative of dusk when all the light has nearly gone and the sky takes on a purple/blackish hue. I will test this again after it’s had some more time to rest to see if the violet shrinks a bit, but make no mistake I love everything else about this scent.

This is such a hard scent to describe though I felt I should review it being that it’s one of my favorite bpals ever. I will preface by saying I am not huge on foody scents. Some gourmands I like (I love vanilla) but I’m not big on smelling like food in general. Somehow this is gourmand but I love it so. It’s balanced with a musk and dustiness that truly does seem “grotesque” in the best way possible. It’s sticky and sweet (like burnt/brown sugar) and there is a faint memory of spice somewhere underneath. Sometimes I am reminded of maple or maple leaves. I feel comforted as well as sexy when I wear this. I catch whiffs of myself and all I can think is wow, I smell sooo good. If you are a fan of sweet+musk or dark gourmands, I recommend giving this a go.

Reviving this thread! I'd love to hear what your favorite snow scents are, especially if anyone wants to add some more recently released scents!

I have a newfound love for Cleric. I’ve reached for it the last few evenings as a source of comfort. It’s a lovely rose/amber/resin combo that envelopes you up like a warm hug. It’s a tad sweet, but not overly so. Even my husband likes to wear this one from time to time. True story.. I have suffered full and now partial anosmia due to the covid virus. I don’t know when I’ll fully recover my senses, but most of my bpal collection I can’t smell at all or can hardly smell. For some reason, Cleric breaks through to my senses. I literally cried the night I discovered I could smell it (and it was just as I remembered, albeit a tad more faint). So I’ll be reaching for this one quite often in the foreseeable future.

Wet, Lamia opens up with the most intoxicating peach/apricot note. How I wish it stayed! But the coconut and orchid quickly come front and center. I don't get many other notes, including the vetiver which is normally one of my death notes but I never get the dreaded hair/bug spray effect. I can tell there are other notes rounding the scent out, perhaps the champaca and amber. But overall this is a very light and tropical perfume on my skin. Not what I typically go for yet I absolutely adore it still. Its just sooo pretty. I'm so happy to have a bottle and I love wearing this one for work days and in summer.

I was gifted an imp of this in a swap and I've reached for it so often since! I've been craving a good rose and Rakshasa does not disappoint. I do get a hint of citrus in the opening, but Rakshasa quickly settles into a primarily rose+sandalwood scent. I don't get much patchouli but I know its grounding things out. This scent gives all the rose incensey vibes I love. If you like spellbound, I recommend giving Rakshasa a go.

Words can't express how much I love Mouse Circus. I generally go for the darker scents, but this one I reach for when I want to feel comforted. Its very light and playful, and reminds me of my childhood. What I love about it is how it morphs. Wet its all popcorn, or more specifically, kettelcorn with a touch of buttery sweetness. I could never wear it if this stage remained, because I just really don't find myself wanting to smell of popcorn. But it does a disappearing act, and makes way for a vanilla cotton candy. I don't get much of the wood but I know it must be there because the dry down isn't straight cotton candy. Overall its very much a carnival scent, and thats exactly what it ends up reminding me of. I would imagine anyone that liked Midway (which I never had the pleasure of trying) or Solstice Scent's Foxcroft Fairgrounds, would like this. And bonus: CUTEST. LABEL. EVER.

This is hands down my favorite dead leaves. I never would have tried it had a wonderful forum member not sent it to me as a frimp. I assumed I would have smelled like maple syrup which is not my thing. This is glorious! The most perfect fall scent I’ve tried in a long time. True dead leaves + Maple sap. Bravo Beth!

I believe Dorian is one of Beth's greatest scent accomplishments. I remember a decade ago ordering it in my first imp pack and just being blown away. My first reaction was damn, this smells really good. And I remember thinking how unique and beautiful it was. At some point a year or so ago, I used up the last of my Dorian and got caught up in all the LE releases and never got around to replacing it. Until yesterday! It was like being reunited with a first love. I'm surrounded in a cloud of sugared vanilla tea swirling through an eloquent victorian fougere (magic?) with an underlying musk that is anything but over the top, but rather rounds out the scent perfectly. Sometimes I get a hint of lemon if I sniff really hard, but its so faint that I have to wonder if its there at all. Simply put, Dorian is a masterpiece.

I must amp the moss in this because Snake's Tongue is very similar to what I remember Banded Sea Snake smelling like, which I loved. However, this is more resin-y. It's not a heavy scent and I enjoy it in all its stages - wet to dry. Everything is very well blended. I'll also add I LOVE the label art. I'm so happy to have this gem in my collection!

Masquerade smells very much like Karma!

Oh! I have Hell's Belle in a little bag by my bed just begging to be tried! I hope you love it! It will always be a favorite of mine.

Snake Oil and Hells Belle

Old Moon falls into this category for me and its one of my favorite scents. I love wearing it at night especially.

I didn't expect to like Fate's Jester as much as I did. I found myself reaching for my tester over and over again. This reminded me of Silky Bat, but better. Its an uplifting scent and not too foody. I would love to have a bottle!

Tavern of Hell, Black Butterfly Moon, and I've heard Coin Trick is this way as well - though I haven't tried it!

I have been reaching for A Moment in Time. It reminds me of TKO and I love wearing it at night especially. I am anxiously awaiting my bottle of Lavender Lace. I hope to add it to my favorite lavender blends! ETA: Lavender lace didn't give me all that much lavender - mostly tobacco. I will retest again once it settles more.