Sycorax

Mm! In the vial this is all honey and fig. When worn, this is a sultry, earthy scent. The clove becomes very apparent. Hetairae grows sweeter over time, but the spice never really leaves it. For me this is like a more sophisticated version of O. While I'm not a fan of most honey blends, the fig and clove really turn Hetairae into a winner. I know that a lot of people love O and Snake Oil, and while I like them they're a bit too sugary for me. I think that this is much nicer!

In the vial, this oil smelled very astringent. When I picture Rome, I don't exactly picture antisceptics, so this had me worried! Fortunately, the rose note amped right up when Rome was actually in use. Mm. Rose and juniper. It's floral, with a bit of sharpness, and an almost earthy undertone. It strikes me as being a more full-bodied, worldly Rose Cross - which is fitting, I suppose, considering Rome and Vatican City's centries-long association. Rome smells like a verdant park at the height of summer, with trees and sunlight and flowers in bloom. I've never been to Rome, but I think I'd like Rome to smell like that. This is very nice. However, I'd only recommend it to someone who really liked rose notes. If you want a more straightforwardly woodsy scent, then this is probably not for you.

Oh. Oh my. This is absolutely lovely, in the bottle. It's got a high, sweet scent that I wasn't expecting, yet it somehow manages to smell fresh and clean and dewey. The rose isn't so heavy as it is in most other BPAL blends. After application, that high sweetness mellows out, and I get a wonderful soft woodsy scent. I don't smell any cinammon, but there is definitely something green and sharp inthis, just to make it interesting - probably a type of wood that I can't identify. I think that Dublin is stunning. This is the woods and the fields in springtime, after a rainshower. I think I need a 5ml of this!

In the imp, this is an aquatic with some herbal notes thrown in. I was very surprised! I didn't expect the aquatic notes to be this strong. It does get a little sweeter on my skin, but even after drydown I'm getting an aquatic, with herbal and floral overtones. It's not bad, but I'm no fan of aquatics, and if I liked aquatics I'd probably go for something a little less ordinary, like Lady of Shallot. Off to the swap pile!

This reminds me very much of a softer, more languid Venice. They have the same sort of old-world je ne sais quoi to them, although Venice gets some bite from its lemon and red currant. They are also both complex, classic florals. In the vial, roses, jasmine, and tangerine come to the fore. Wet, the roses and the tangerine step forward, while jasmine recedes into the background. It's wet, and it's floral, but it's a gentle floral - heady, but not overpowering. After a while the musk starts to tone down the other notes, blending them together. If I had not already tried Venice I would probably adore this. As it is I prefer Moscow's bolder Italian cousin. Moscow is still lovely, though, and I'll definitely be hanging onto the imp for special occasions. Maybe it can change my mind about picking up a bottle.

Mmm. In the bottle this smells wonderful. It's a light floral, with just a little bite. It reminds me of a toned-down version of Lady of Shallot - probably because they both have lily in common. During drydown, and dry, the mandarin and opium begin to mix it up with the lilly. I'll echo everyone else in the thread by saying that I don't really detect any vanilla note at all. I wouldn't wear this as an everyday scent. That said, I think that a person could make some very classy lotion, soap, or bath salts with this. Belle Epoque is sold, old-fashioned, and glamorous. It makes me think of champagne at art showings, and hotels on the Champs Elysees. I think that Beth did a great job of capturing the mood of her muse with this one. Perhaps that's reason enough to keep it around, : ).

Ah, vanilla. I usually avoid vanilla scents, but the lovely lab sent me a frimp, and how could I not try something that's basically been labelled liquid sex? This strikes me as less complex than many other BPAL blends. There's vanilla, and there's honey, and there's a touch of amber to make it interesting. Not exactly subtle, but who needs subtle when they've got a perfume like this? It's simple but very much alluring. It's unfortunate that it seems to go to powder on so many other people!

In the vial a mixture of coffee and fig dominate, with a few very light floral overtones. It smells delicious, but the roses keep it from becoming too foody for my tastes. Surprisingly, the coffee note still predominates when I try this on my skin. I've been known to amp up certain florals, as well as fig, so I was worried about this becoming too sickly-sweet. Thankfully the wood note keeps that from happening. As the perfume wears, the wood just gets stronger and stonger. | Oddly, even though the ingredients are quite unique, this is one of the only BPAL oils that smells very much like (quality) department-store perfume on me. I think that might be the jasmine note's doing. Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about that. I don't usually have call to wear those sorts of perfumes. I'll probably hang on to the imp until I make up my mind.

In the imp, this scent is really hard to place. I can smell loam, spicy rum, and an almost aquatic undercurrent that I can't easily identify. It's sweeter than I expected it to be. Unfortunately, Jazz Funeral's not nearly so ethereal on my skin. Bourbon and magnolia dominate, and it's incredibly cloying. I know that I should wait a while to see how the oil changes over time, but after about ten minutes I simply can't stand it anymore and have to wash it off. I think this is the first BPAL oil that has gone unabashedly bad on me.

Many thanks to the good people at the lab, for the frimp! It's been said before, and I'll say it again - in the bottle, this is pure pint julep. Mint and bourbon and sugar. On my skin, the sweet sugar recedes and the booze and mint come more to the fore. This is peppermint with a hefty kick. Where the scent was fresh and clean in the imp, it becomes a down and dirty bourbon. I can see why it reminds a lot of people of a cologne for older men. I don't think that I'd buy a bottle of Juke Joint. However, it's interesting enough that I think I'll hang onto my imp and see if it grows on me.

I bought a bottle of this unsniffed. I've written enough papers on Queen Elizabeth and her subjects to fuel a small camp-fire, so as soon as I saw a recreation of her perfume on BPAL I knew that I had to have it! When my order finally arrived, my hopes were high. In the bottle, Bess smelled highly astringent. The romsemary and lemon were in ascendancy, along with a sharp note that I assumed must be the grape spirit. That said, I have a harder time than usual picking the notes out of this. They blend very well. Wet, on my skin, the rose and the grape spirits amped up considerably, for a sharp, sweet smell. After a few minutes the rosemary, mint, and citrus came out to play. Especially the rosemary and the mint. What a unique scent! It's herbal, first and foremost, but the floral and citrus notes give it a bit of kick. I think that this will be my go-to scent for work, where I want to feel powerful and feminine, but not sexy or seductive. It's a very fitting perfume for the Virgin Queen. So. Hooray for the lab! I love this just as much as I wanted to when I ordered it. Thank goodness I have a bottle - I wouldn't last with just an imp. : ) My only complaint is that this doesn't have the throw of many of the other BPAL oils I've tried. I suppose that's a good excuse to slather, at least.

I've found that Rose Cross is pretty potent. The only caveat to using Rose Cross is that you'd best really like rose, because there's very little to ground the rose note, save for a daub of frankinsence.

Hm. Maybe I'll give Neo-Tokyo a try in the near future, then. ... Not that I needed much of an excuse! I love metallics and ozones. I'll also have to remember to give Moxie and Phantom Queen. I've been using Darkness, since the smokey scent rather literally reminds me of burning the candle at both ends. I'm chomping at the bit to give a nice sharp scent like Envy a go, as well (come oooon, pending order). I've thought about trying High John, but I'm hesitant to use the voodoo blends because none of the notes are listed in the descriptions. Sure, there are review, but... that's not the same? Most BPAL works quite well on me, but when it goes bad it goes very very bad (such as Dana O'Shee, which turned to marzipan-and-rancid-butter on me). There are certain notes I've got to avoid at all costs. Thanks for the recs, everyone! : ) And congrats on your moots, Spring Snow. I'll have to keep that "your honor" thing in mind... I can easily see my self slipping up when addressing one of my profs! Stupid nerves.

Long story short: I've recently made the move from the relatively sedate world of academia, to the shark-tank that is law school. In a couple of months, I have "moots" coming up. Those are basically mock-trials, where we're pit against our peers in winner-takes-the-A-grade argument matches. So my question is this: what's a scent I can use to send a message to the competition? I need something that says "I'm going to skewer you with my rapier-sharp wit, but be completely professional about it. Bitch." I was thinking of maybe wearing Paris, since lavender does wonderful things with my skin chemistry, but I think it's too feminine." Hey, I know it's really all down to my advocacy skills, but every edge helps, .

Lush, vibrant roses, that last for an eternity. That's what this was in the vial, and that's what this was on my skin. I have very mixed feelings about Rose Cross. On one hand, this was a nearly pure floral, that managed not to be old-ladyish. Well done, Lab! The frankinence grounded the perfume without causing it to become cloying, and it was nicely feminine without being all that sexual. Wearing this made me feel very calm. On the other hand, there are only so many roses that a person can take, and I prefer scents with a little more complexity to them. I wish that the frankincense had come a more to the foreground. I think I'll hang on to the imp, and give it a few more tries. THis has certainly lasted longer than any other BPAL scent I've tried - it hung on for a good ten hours, and change.

I the bottle, this had a very strong aquatic smell, given a bit of bite by the ginger note in the background. Unfortunately, on my skin, this became aquatic, aquatic, and more aquatic. It was almost as though I was wearing a single-note "aquatic" perfume. That might appeal to some, but it definitely wasn't for me. I'll have to pass on this one. Skin chemistry strikes again.

In the imp, this is leather and metal and dragon's blood - very much the scent of an Arthurian castle. On skin, the booze note stops hiding and becomes the dominant part of the scent. The leather and dragon's blood recede, and something like mulled wine comes out to play - a combination of the wine and spice notes, I'm assuming. There's also still a sharp metallic tang to it. It lasts for about three hours. I don't think that I would bother to order a large bottle of Tintagel - it's not something I'd wear in the workplace, and it's not something I'd wear for a date, and it's definitely not something I'd wear in the warmer months. However, I'll be holding on to my imp. This will be a lovely scent to wear over the holidays. This is also the oil that's turned me into metallic notes, in spite of previous reservations. The metal in this really serves to give the scent some kick, without overwhelming it - sans metal, I think Tintagel would be far more boring. Now I'm quite keen to try similar scents, like Neo-Tokyo!

Simply gorgeous! Sandalwood and roses, with a slightly tart aquatic note. Lemon does very well on my skin, and in this instance I'm glad of it. This is floral, but full-bodied - definitely not old-ladyish like some florals can be. It's sexy, but in a sophisticated, old-world sort of way. The only downside is that it doesn't seem to have a lot of staying power. I might have to buy a bottle regardless.

Oh dear. I'd expected to quite like this, from the lovely creamy almond scent I got out of the bottle. Alas, Dana O'Shee was bound and determined to fight my skin chemistry every step of the way. I smell like marzipan and icing sugar - cloyingly sweet, and powdery. I think that this will have to find a good home, with someone that it suits better.

In the bottle, this was a very pure, intense lavender. My skin, however, really brought the spice out of the background after about a half an hour. I'm relieved to say that I didn't get the "candy" effect that other posters have reported. The lavender mellowed nicely, with a hint of lotus and more than a hint of clove. I'm seriously considering getting a bottle of this, since I think that it would be a great scent to wear to the office, or even to a job interview. It's crisp, confident, and feminine, without being too off-the-wall or come-hither for the workplace. Much love for Paris. <3

In the bottle this is a very foody scent, to me. A subtle base of cocoa, with a prominent sharp, sweet note - something that I would guess is fig. I was afraid that it might be overly foody on my skin. ... and I was right. For whatever reason, my skin chemistry amped the fig note way, way up. I didn't get much of the nice cedar or cocoa at all. I think that this would probably be a very pleasant scent on someone else... but not on me. I'd like my fig tempered by something a little less sweet, and Intrigue didn't do that for me. Still, I'm happy I got this frimp form a generous forum poster, : ). It's good to try new things!

This isn't the sort of scent that I'd usually order - myrrh generally a bit too heavy for my taste. However, when I recieved an frimp via a deal with a very kind forum poster, I was pleasantly surprised. It the bottle it was all myrrh. Myrrh, myrrh, and more myrrh. Pretty overpowering. Then it hit my skin, and immediately turned to the smell of melted wax. The myrrh faded, and the narcissus became much more apparent. Darkness is a scented candle, that's just been snuffed out - you can still smell the hint of smoke. It's a very evocative scent. Over time it mellowed considerably, and the melted-wax scent gave way to a more subtle smoke. I don't think that I would buy this to wear. After a while, the smell of smoke became too prominent on my skin - to the point where it might be hard for others to tell whether I'd put on perfume, or just had an accident with some incense. That said, it think that Darkness would make a really fantastic room scent.