boomtownrat

Vasilissa is pretty in pink and feels kind of like BPAL's heir to Love's Baby Soft. She is unicorns, mauve eyelet curtains, purple ball-point ink pens, a collector's album full of puffy stickers, and a little lavender boom box. The twelve-year-old in me loves Vasilissa. This scent is pink and sweet, not floral but creamy. I'll use the imp on nights at home when I want to cuddle up in those memories, even though my 40-year-old self wears much darker scents.

Inside this sweet, pretty bottle is the scent of happy little jack-o'-lanterns all in a row, their candle-warmed innards glowing joyful pumpkin grins into the twilight as they sit on a bed of straw. Now that most people use LEDs inside their pumpkins, this takes me right back to the experience of a real, old-fashioned jack-o'-lantern. I can almost feel the autumn night's slight chill on my cheeks from a hay ride I took in elementary school. Smelling this scent on my third or fourth skin test and reading the poem again draws a few nostalgic tears out of my eyes, and I swear it's not just because I'm hormonal right now. On my skin the beeswax and pumpkin keep nudging each other out of the way to get out in front, and I swear I even smell the straw from the pumpkin patch. It stays close, so I continually bring my wrist up to my face to huff it. Theme in Yellow is one of seven or eight pumpkin scents that I own and it's somehow more subtle and yet more complex than the others. This is not buttery, baked, spiced pumpkin. It's a lovely way to remember one of the most magical nights of the year. Charlie Brown and Linus, the Great Pumpkin has arrived.

All Souls was one of the 2013 Weenies that I was craving the most, so much so that I layered Eat Me with SkekZok once or twice to satisfy my yearning for it during the time between placing my order and getting the package. I loved that layering combination and hoped All Souls would be close to it, but it isn't. The day I got the bottle I gave it a skin test and was disappointed by its chemical scent, but now it's almost a week later and things have calmed down enough for a second test. With just a dab from the cap on the inside of each wrist, All Souls gives off a pretty impressive throw while it's wet and for about an hour after it's dry. Even with a lesser throw, it's still strong enough that I don't need to apply any to my throat or behind the ears. I get very little cake from All Souls, unfortunately, but its fruity incense aroma could age well. It smells almost exactly like an incense that I burned for a while in high school, but I can't quite place which one. This is true to its inspiration. My bottle of All Souls will last for years, because I probably won't wear it often or need to apply much. I'd certainly recommend it to sweet incense fans. ETA, 5 January 2014: I thought I'd wear a little dab of this to bed, but a wave of nausea and head pain struck and I had to wash it off within minutes. My body is currently in the throes of hormonal turmoil, so I won't put this bottle up for sale or swap until I give it one more test.

I couldn't get an ideal photo this morning because I had to use my iPhone, but here's Dark Pumpkin Mead.

Usually I amp pumpkin and honey, but it turns out I amp maple even more. For most of the morning I smelled like pumpkin pancakes drenched in maple syrup, but maple wood was the only note I smelled by the end of the day. I'll try it again after it's had a few more days to settle from shipping, and I'll try layering it with another scent with a strong honey component. This seems like the kind of scent that needs time to mature. The artwork on the label is an adorable black cat. It's a beautiful little gem of a bottle and one day I think the scent will age into something just as lovely.

While wet, this is very much Snake Oil with a pumpkin note that mellows the typically strong fresh Snake Oil scent. Snake Oil of any vintage really agrees with me, but I think this is going to please even those who only like it aged. When it dries, the pumpkin is more prominent than it was in the beginning. If you ever thought you wanted a pumpkin Snake Oil, I say get it as soon as you can. Addendum: This is not buttery, but it's sweeter than raw pumpkin. I'm hoping to buy a couple of backups, because I could easily wear this daily during autumn and winter. Update on 10/7/2015: Two years later, this is pretty much a sexy spiced pumpkin cake with vanilla buttercream frosting, or Snake Oil with a shot of pumpkin, depending on when and where I wear it. It has more throw than ever, so I can just put one dab on my throat and one dab on the back of one hand (then smush both hands together) and that's plenty.

You could base your choice on one of the Doctor's companions. The Rose immediately comes to mind for Rose, but maybe that's too obvious. Anne Bonny is perfect for the fierce, adventurous River Song. Dragon's Heart makes me think of the brave, strong, doctor/warrior Martha Jones. That's leaving out many companions, classic and modern, but I have to get ready for work in a minute. The Antikythera Mechanism makes me think of the TARDIS, the Doctor's most constant companion. "Bronze gears spin inside a polished wooden case, and an entire universe dances within."

The idea of pumpkin Snake Oil has called to me for at least a year and a few months, so Snakes in the Pumpkin Patch was a purchase without hesitation. The same goes for Dark Pumpkin Mead and Theme in Yellow. Most of the pumpkin patches sound like must-haves for me, but I'm not sure about Dorian and I've never tried Alice at all. I don't think I have something that combines pumpkin with honey, one of the notes my skin loves the most, so I couldn't pass up Dark Pumpkin Mead. Theme in Yellow will be my first experience with the candle note, only my second experience with the fresh pumpkin note, and I can't resist "Halloween joy" or that poem. After some consideration over more pumpkin patches, I realized my cart was filled only with pumpkin-based scents, so I ordered All Souls. Ever since I got my bottle of SkekZok (incidentally a must-have for incense lovers, I'd say), I've been on an incense kick. All Souls sounds like it's essential for Eat Me fans. Four bottles in one order doesn't sound like much to some people, I know, but it's my biggest order to date. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I'm far from done with Weenies, so I'll either be saving up some cash for another big-for-me order by November or I'll be splitting it up into two more orders so I don't drain my bank account. Now I'm waiting on reviews for A World Where There Are Octobers, Flor de Muerto, and some others. Moroccan Pumpkin Patch and Sin in the Pumpkin Patch are almost definite purchases.

A friend got a pile of carded imps at Dragon*Con and this is one that she gave to me. Seldom one to turn down a chance to try a BPAL that I've never smelled before, I was happy for the chance to test this even though aquatic notes seldom work for me. Sometimes an aquatic note that's too strong will drive itself through my head like a freight train, but I decided by sniffing Cthulhu that I could at least dare to test it on my skin. In the imp and wet on my skin, Cthulhu smelled a lot like Irish Spring soap ("Manly, yes, but I like it too!"). It had a hell of a throw at this stage. My husband said it smelled like soap, but I should mention that he's never exactly descriptive when it comes to scents. His sense of smell isn't the greatest and he mainly just says things are "nice" if he likes them. On the dry-down Cthulhu calmed down and started to smell darker, more unfathomable, as the notes say. The Irish Spring phase only lasted a minute or two. From just a minuscule dab on one wrist, it gave off powerful waves of deep-sea aroma. For those who love aquatics, this would likely be a great hit. Once fully dry, Cthulhu was quite potent. I started to get a tingling warning pain in my head and had to wash it off. If I don't put it up for sale, I might give it to my husband or see if a friend would like it.

I finally found a BPAL that comes as close to Sinful Vanilla as I've ever found. It seems unlikely, but after Tezcatlipoca is fully dry, maybe about an hour after applying, it takes on that same spicy, musky, sweet combination. There's cocoa where there would be vanilla, so it's not a duplicate, but I get very much that same feel from it. Tezcatlipoca doesn't have the same throw and staying power as Sinful Vanilla, but the people within a twenty-foot radius of me probably appreciate that.

Tezcatlipoca is spicy, complex, cocoa-patchouli-incense sex! I don't get a massive patchouli hit from it, but it's blended beautifully with the cocoa, incense, and leather. The flowers (marigolds, I would imagine) fade fairly quickly on me. It's not specifically fall-themed, but it reminds me of a deliriously delicious mug of spicy, rich, real hot cocoa. It's more potent than Bliss, which is a powdery cocoa scent that fades far too quickly on me. Huh. I think writing this has made me realize how much I love Tezcatlipoca.

When I got Vice I gave it a small dab, but today I decided to put it on all my usual application spots (front and back of each wrist, behind each ear, on the hollow of my throat) for a long-term skin test. It's an imp that I bought off the forum because I had been eyeing it for a while, unsure of how the orange blossom would play with the other notes on my skin. I don't love the way I tend to amp orange blossom, but I like chocolate and cherry so I was willing to test Vice. For about five minutes the cherry and orange blossom together give off that artificial pink smell you come across in certain public restrooms. Fortunately, the chocolate starts to mellow out the scent as it dries so that it no longer makes me feel as though I'm hanging out in a rest stop on I-85. It has minimal throw once it dries and starts smelling more like one of the chocolates that I got in a box as a gift last Christmas, but occasionally the ghost of the bathroom wafts up to my nose. The blend is probably one of the simplest I've tried from BPAL so far, which isn't a bad thing, but in this case I think I would've liked something else in place of the orange blossom. I'm pretty sure that's the note that gives it that rest stop bathroom effect. Vice probably isn't for me, but I have a growing number of scents that I love and want to wear almost exclusively. Eventually I'll give it one more test, but if it doesn't work after that I might just give it to a friend who now has several sweet, fruity imps that I thought she would appreciate more than I did. Contrary to the name Vice, I think of this scent as being innocent and youthful... or at least it could be on somebody who doesn't amp orange blossom into bathroom cleaner territory. It's something I could see being popular with pre-teens who are just starting to wear perfume, and there's always room for scents like that in the wide world of olfactory delights.

Last night I wore Against Idleness and Mischief for the first time in at least a month, and this time the chamomile note was much more noticeable once the initial blast of "HONEY!" died down somewhat. After trying for a while to figure out what it reminded me of, it hit me that it smelled kind of like Hälsa chamomile shampoo from the '80s. Ooo, I loved the way that stuff smelled! I sometimes used it even though it was for blondes and I was an auburn-head. The honey note does stick around, because my skin never met a honey it didn't like. It's one of the honeys from my beloved Womb Furie 2012. That keeps this from being straight up Hälsa chamomile shampoo, but it still makes me think of clean, shiny hair. I like that it's a contrast to the spicy, resinous, woody, fruity, and musky blends I wear most of the time. Against Idleness and Mischief is just as gorgeous as it was when I got the imp about six months ago. I wore it to bed last night and I really think it helped me drift off to sleep.

I've been meaning to review this unusual scent for a while now. The notes were so appealing that I didn't hesitate to buy a bottle. Grapefruit in this blend comes across as lemon to me, which is a good thing. Hungry Ghost Moon on my skin is the scent of lemon poppyseed cake that gradually turns into more of a woody-ginger-citrus blend. In some ways it reminds me of Lemon-Scented Sticky Bat with the woods in place of the sweetness. Hungry Ghost Moon is not especially strong. It lasts several hours on me, most of the time with more of the woody-ginger-citrus feel. Citrus, wood notes, ginger, and vanilla are among my favourites, so I'm intrigued and eager to see how this ages.

In my collection, I'd say the most bizarre oils are The Bloody Banister, Bonfire Night, Mandrake, and the newest Planting Moon. I don't know if I would have sought out any of them before I got hooked on BPAL, and I don't really wear any of them often, but each of them is brilliant in its own way.

My imp of Horreur Sympathique went into the swap box when I got it fresh from the Lab because back then it was too heady and made me feel queasy. A few days ago I hit up BPAL.org/search for honey and plum notes and it was one of the results, which intrigued me. Knowing that other scents get a lot better with age, I decided to give it another try. Boy, am I glad I did. This has aged even better than Snake Oil, in my opinion. Now it's wafting from my skin in a plummy, grapey, sugary, honey-wine haze that's not too strong and makes me feel like going to goth night immediately. It transports me to the '90s, to long nights of drinking, flirting, and dancing under dim, swirly lights in ripped fishnets and combat boots. It's all Floodland and Cleopatra compilations and Propaganda magazine and alt.gothic. Having said that, I could wear it in almost any setting because, although it's deep and rich, it's not overbearing. Throw is actually pretty minimal after it dries. This is one of the most evocative scents I've ever smelled and it's going on my bottle list for sure. ETA, 4/24/2014: Last night I put this on for the first time in quite a while. I never did order a bottle, and that's a good thing. Age has really amped the thick black wine and champagne grape notes, which turns out to be a problem. Before it was even fully dry, I had to scrub it off with dish soap because something in it nauseated me. Wine and/or grapes were probably the culprits because that was all I could smell, and I've sometimes had problems with other boozy scents. I guess this imp is going back into my swap/sale box.

Wrath was a frimp with a Lab order a while back. I've been hesitant to wear it beyond an initial skin test, given that I have a Taurean temper anyway and didn't want to wave the red flag in front of the Bull. There really was no reason to worry after all. This is my second time wearing it and I have come around to the idea that it's really more of a homeopathic remedy for wrath, not something that would induce or exacerbate wrath. Wearing it actually feels pretty happy to me. Dragon's blood resin amps on my skin with a dark pink floral tone. I also tend to amp cinnamon, so those two notes could be battling it out for dominance, but it turns out they're singing a lovely harmony. There's just a little hint of black pepper and maybe just a bit more clove, which creates a nice supportive base for the dragon's blood and cinnamon. There may come a time when I decide to buy a bottle of Wrath, but for now I already have Dragon's Milk, Dragon's Musk, and Blood for those times when I feel like wearing some dragon's blood.

Akuma is simple but so perfect for a day in spring or summer... or any day when I need a mood boost. It's a cousin to Mania, at least to my nose, but with no musk. Neroli was one of the first essential oils I ever discovered (thanks to Brian Eno) and it's still one of my favourites. Blood orange and raspberry are also delicious on my skin. I smell like sexy Froot Loops!

Defututa isn't overtly sexual on me, but without a doubt, it's sensual. Still, I would wear it in a more innocent mood, oddly enough. To me it's a more girlish scent and not a bold scent that announces Woman to the world. Even knowing the inspiration for the blend, I think of Defututa as a girl just starting to explore womanhood. Honey, smoky vanilla, champaca, and sandalwood all love me as much as I love them, so I'm grateful to the Lab for having frimped me this in an order earlier this year. Otherwise I might never have noticed this subtle, seemingly obscure blend. Jasmine smells delicious to me in tea. I drink it sometimes just so I can huff the steam. That isn't how it tends to develop on my skin most of the time, though. It's one of those few floral notes that I haven't had any issues with so far, but only a hint of that gorgeous fragrance comes out in what is a masterfully blended scent. This feels pink on the verge of deepening into red. I love it and plan to order a bottle.

The Lab sent me this unusual blend as a frimp with my last order. It's a juicy red and green floral scent that's very true to its inspirations when I first put it on. As it dries, though, the honey emerges and I could swear that something in it reminds me of a note in Obsession by Calvin Klein after it's fully dry. Floral blends are like little minefields for me, as I'm never sure if I'm about to encounter a note that makes my head pound or turn my stomach. Even this scent, which was soft and pleasant in the morning, threatened me with a headache in the afternoon while it was still wet on my skin. After it dried down and stopped shouting its presence, though, everything was copacetic again. It could simply be that I shouldn't have applied it to the pulse point at my throat, because when I applied it that morning it wasn't so close to my nose. I've learned from this that a little Slippery Poppy Tincture goes a long way and I should avoid putting it anywhere on my neck or behind my ears. The poppy and acai stick around for at least three hours. Even after that, there's a long-lasting honey. This is probably going to be one of those imps that I'll take forever to use, so I'm unlikely to need a bottle. I'll keep the imp for sure.

I'll still wear the warm, spicy, musky, and foody scents that I love at any time of year, but I tend to wear scents like Entangled, Mania, and Lemon-Scented Sticky Bat almost exclusively from early spring through late fall. Where I live it gets pretty humid and warm-to-hot for most of the year anyway, compared to a lot of other places. If I avoided my sultry scents during the warm weather, then I'd wear them too infrequently for my liking. One of these days soon I'm going to give Lick It Softly a try, because I haven't worn it at all since Christmastime.

This is a safety blanket in fragrant form, with a serene, grounding quality that I so need. I feel as if I've known it for a long time. Such a nostalgic aroma is something that I'll gladly wear all year round. It's no surprise to me that I love it, as Sumatran patchouli is one of the notes in my beloved Sic Erit. I'm currently wearing SRP layered with SE and it's seamlessly beautiful. This patchouli is woody-sweet on me and not the "dirty hippie" scent stereotype. Sometimes I swear I get a whiff of cocoa, a ghost of cedar. It's just a little earthy. As hlinspjalda said, this is one for the patchouli lovers. I am one and I'll be buying more of this. One night I daubed it on shortly before bedtime and in the morning it was still there. When I put it on my wrists I can easily smell it without lifting my arms, but it doesn't overwhelm me. The oil itself is at least as opaque as #occupywallstreet. It goes on a deep reddish brown. Oh, how magnificent this will be with age! ETA: I must note that on some days, even if I don't smell of B.O. anywhere else on my body, I can sometimes get that B.O. funk from this patchouli on my wrists. Occasionally black patchouli does this too. My body chemistry has an iffy relationship with straight-up patchouli and I think it's related to what I've eaten and where I am in my hormonal cycle. This morning, coworkers were saying it smelled of hippies in a part of the office where I had just been, but I was too embarrassed to say anything. I hope I can remember never to wear it to work again.

This is all dark, sticky, plummy smoke that inspires me to imagine lolling on a plum-colored velvet couch in an opium den next to Oscar Wilde. Heady was a term invented for a scent like this. Evil is so substantial it's almost chewy and so strong I'm surprised I didn't feel sick. This is what Opium, the commercial perfume, would like to be but never was. It's almost an entity unto itself - a charismatic villain captured in a perfume vial. "You won't need much, just a tiny taste," said Oscar Acosta (Benicio Del Toro) in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He wasn't talking about Evil, but he could've been. Hours ago I put a single small dab on one wrist just to test it and it's as if I slathered, so I will never need more than this frimp even if I decide to wear it many times. This scent demands nothing short of your most sophisticated clothes on a special night out.

Satyr might be my perfect "on the rag" scent, because I'm getting thick, sweet cinnamon with a musky edge that develops after the oil is dry. I only know civet because reviews suggest that it's one of the notes in Lil' Menes' Feline Entertainments, but there is none of that skanky musk in Satyr. There's no animal feel to this on my skin. This is like Sin's more outgoing, more amorous brother (yes, he's male, but yet I still want to wear this scent). Sin is, oddly, the shy sister and Satyr is the one who goes out and finds f*ck buddies for himself and while he's doing so, he kindly also finds one for Sin. Unless this changes with age, I can see myself needing a bottle. I do have a bottle of Sin, but I might want her more potent brother. Thank you for the frimp, Lab! I'm not sure I would've chosen this one based on the reviews.

Highwayman was a frimp with my most recent Lab order, but it's not something I ever would have picked for myself. I love cinnamon. Vetiver, red rose, and leather are all notes that I like depending on what notes are paired with them. Gardenia and jasmine, though, I just don't know about those two - many florals are not my friend. While wet on my skin, it's giving me nothing but a pale green/lavender colour impression and a general men's cologne scent. I can't even detect any cinnamon or rose and I'm not really sure I'm getting vetiver. Gradually I realize I'm getting the impression of flower stems. After it's just barely dry, somewhere off in the distance, and I mean way far off, there's a whiff of brown leather. It's only after I've had it on for nearly an hour that I get an ever so faint hint of cinnamon. Vetiver and red rose, two notes that tend to amp on me, are not showing up yet. It's important to note that hormones are probably wreaking havoc on it and it's most likely still unsettled from shipping. Now that it's dry, I like it more than I did at first, but it's still not really "me." I'll put it away to age.