Neely

In the bottle: light and sweet. It is so well blended in the bottle that I can't make out individual notes. Wet: light and sweet, line fine antique lace from my great grandmother's scrap material box with remenants of a perfume still on it. Dry down: on me this is light, slightly sweet, nor overtly floral, which is a good thing. I tend to smell like old lady, baby ass, or hard candy. But Beth always surprises me, scents I thought I would avoid with a ten foot pole have been lovely on me. So far, so good. 30 minutes: ok, so this isn't great grandma's lace from her out dated frocks, this is the lace around that nightie she wore when she was twenty and a hottie. This is sexy, very sexy. It does get slightly powdery on me, but not so bad that I would have to give this up for swap. Conclusion: This is very lovely, and sexy. Big bottle, no, but imps yes. For when I want something light and come close and smell me big boy... Rating: 4

I have been lusting after Death Cap and her sister Destroying Angel ever since Beth added them. I love poisonous anything, plants, fungi, snakes, spiders. I find their beauty enhanced by the fact that they could kill you in a myriad of unpleasant ways and this facinates me (goes against the whole evil/dangerous is ugly while good/helpful is beautiful). And I can only guess Beth may have a similar fascination as well, LOL. I also find it amusing that I knew what Destroying Angel was, and it is used in a Murder Mystery series put out by PBS, with title of same. My parents found it amusing that I knew what it was because of BPAL! So smell great and be educated! Thanks Beth! *smacks self to quit tangent and get on with the reviewing.* In the bottle: creamy coconut and fresh earth. Wet: freamy vanilla and fresh turned earth. I am in love! Dry down: fresh moist earth with a creamy/spicey undertone. 30 minutes: creamy vanilla with a hint of spicey fresh earth. Conclusion: vanilla with a hint of spice and fresh earth is soooo lovely. I love this and must get a big bottle from the lab. Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 5.

In the bottle: creamy caramel, smells in the bottle like Red Lantern? Huh? Where am I getting caramel from? Wet: caramel, which is how my nose is interpreting coffee bean and tobacco wrappers together. There is a smokey note,and this is foody without being really foody. Still very similar to my nose to Red Lantern, I am too lazy to get up and get it to compare and see if I am just imagineing it smells like Red Lantern. Dry down: caramel and smoke, and the tobacco leaf really comes out. Ok, so maybe my doofy brain is interpreting coffee and wood as caramel. Smoke is still hanging out, but chillaxin' smoking some doobie. 30 minutes: spicey, creamy, woody caramel, with a hint of smoke. Oh yeah! Conclusion: I love this, so much so I got a second bottle! I only wish the Dogs would stay permanent. I wanted to try so many more, but couldn't afford to. And I would so pay more to reorder again and again. I can only hope that the doggies return someday. Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 5.

In the bottle: musty pine. Wet: fresh pine, not Pinesol, but clean fresh pine as if I was holding a broken bough under my nose. This isnt pine of Winter, but a pine in Summer, or early Autumn. The sap is freely courseing through the tree and oozes out of the broken end. Dry down: still freshly broken pine bough right down to the spicey, bitter tang a fresh sap has. 30 minutes: pine has softened and the smoke comes out. Grass is there smoothing everything. This is really evocative of the painting. A camp, under pine trees with a campfire. Lovely. I do love pine scents. Conclusion: this starts off very pine, pine sap. I like it at that stage, I like the smoke and grass having a say. And in the end it becomes just a creamy vanilla scent after hours of wearing it. I like this very much and aging will only improve it. Way to go Beth! Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 4.5.

I agree with Lit Chick. BPAL has taught me so much about perfumes. I used to have a no florals, no matter what policy. All florals, or so I thought, would smell like old lady, baby bum, hard candy, or all three. But have learned from Beth, that all florals are not alike. So despite jasmine (my nemesis), rose (fairweather friend), and moon flower (who knows what it is going to do) I tried this. In the bottle: JASMINE!!!!! Jasmine my nemesis is indeed screaming, shouting and making an ass of herself, while all the other notes hide from embarrassment. Wet: jasmine is still crowding everyone else out. So far, I have a single note jasmine. I was afraid of this, jasmine loves me not wisely but too well, to paraphrase the bard of Avalon. *sign* Dry down: jasmine and moonflower, at least I think it is moonflower. I don't know what moonflowers smell like, but I know what rose smells like and I am not smelling the rose. In fact this has taken an almost fruity tone to it. Now that jasmine has stopped screaming at the top of her well proportioned lungs... this is rather pleasant. Still more floral than I like and has the danger of becoming one of the aforementioned turnouts. 30 minutes: jasmine must have screamed herself hoarse and has finally agreed to the restraining order I got due to stalking. This becomes creamy and a little aquatic. Conclusion: this is really nice, and would be lovely especially for someone who really does well with sophisticated "femme" perfumes, like my mum. As I have two imps, I shall give her one. As for me, I will keep one imp and see if I reach for it at all. If not, it will go on to my buddy Mandragora. Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 3.5-4.

I have to say, I was a little worried at this one, as I thought I read a review somewhere that said this had a lemony part to it. I amp lemon to Pledge with a capital P. But I needn't have worried... In the bottle: Snickerdoodle cookie! Oh boy! Wet: Snickerdoodle cookie, wth mace, and vanilla. Oh so yummy! Dry down: Snickerdoodle held by a slimey mouldy monster? Oh oh, there is a definite "ick factor" going down, to ruin my Snickerdoodle goodness. Give me back my cookie you nasty monster! 30 minutes: my chemistry kicked the monster in the nads and it went off whimpering in less than a minute, and I got my lovely Snickerdoodle back! Conclusion: this is great, even with the slimey mouldy monster part. Corrupted incense of Ashtarte, resins, spices WOOHOO! Bring it on baby! I think it was the ritual herbs that made a brief nasty appearance. I need a big bottle of this one. Rating 1-5: on my skin a 4.5, only docked a little for the mouldy monster.

In the bottle: chestnut buttercream. I think the musk is registering with the chestnut blossom as chestnut buttercream icing. Wet: chestnut buttercream. Dry down: chestnut buttercream. Before I got an imp of Misc U, I imagined it would smell like this (not even close of course ). So far I like this a lot. 30 minutes: spicey with a lovely light floral. I don't know where I am getting spicey from. Maybe magnolia like carnation is a spicey floral? The magnolias I remember from my grandpa's land didn't have a spicey tone, or maybe they did. Been a long time since I smelt a magnolia. Conclusion: not sure about this one for me. I am keeping the imp, for sure. I need to try it again a few times. This turns into a very sophisticated, high class perfume. Which, anyone will tell you, I am not a high class girl. So I am not sure if I can get away with wearing it. Rating 1-5: inconclusive, needs more testing.

In the bottle: lovely, lovely ambery resin. Ohh I knew I had to have this one. This is actually lighter than Schwartzer Mond, which I also adore. Wet: black musk and ambery resin. The colors I see are jet and amber. This is really wonderful. Dry down: amber resin. This is so much lighter than I thought it would be. 30 minutes: ambery resins and musk to make it smooth. Conclusion: it didn't turn into starchy potatos, like amber can do. I love this now, and I will adore it aged. This can only improve over time. Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 5.

In the bottle: Pina Colada made with unsweetened yougurt? Okies... Wet: *sings* "do you like Pina Coladas, and taking walks in the rain?" Pina coladas made with yougurt, so it has a tang, a hint of sourness to it which I don't find unpleasant. That is until the rancid note hit. I have never had a milky BPAL do this, oh nose! Dry down: Ahhh the rancid note didn't last long at all, not even a minute. Now this is the stuff! Pina Colada must have made a rancid fart and left in embarrassment, LOL. I am now getting fig, lovely fig and cream. This is a Summer scent! 30 minutes: figs dribbled with honey in a bowl of cold milk sprinkled lightly with coconut. Wonderful! Conclusion: this turns ito beautiful cream with honey and a hint of fig. I love this, and the label art as always rocks! Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 4.5.

I love pepper, ginger, and spices. And honeysuckle, like rose, can be a floral I can wear depending on what other notes are with it. Dragon's Blood is hit or miss with me, more miss than hit. It tends to get a strange floral quality on my skin, but I figured with all the other notes it would be fine. Opoponax I have no idea what it is or how it will work. So, I ordered a bottle... In the bottle: pepper and Dragon's Blood. Hmmm. Wet: Dragon's Blood becomes stronger with its floral quality, and pepper steps back. The other notes have yet to come inside from playing. Dry down: DB, pepper, and ginger finally shows up to dance with pepper. 30 minutes: DB, and pepper. Ginger has fled the room again. DB is like that loud, obnoxious person that takes all the attention for themselves and won't let anyone get a word in edgewise. Only pepper is tenacious enough to stick around. Conclusion: like Bakenanko, this one needs to find a new home. It is beautiful, but DB is just too much in this one for my stupid skin chemistry. I actually wonder if DB, opoponax, and honeysuckle weren't together and conspired to make this way to floral for me. *sigh* I thought a firey scent like Aries would be good on me. Even aging didn't help. Ahhh well. Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 2.

In bottle: sweet undertone with Beth's snow note and pine. Wet: sweet amber, and tonka, with snow and pine. Dry down: amber and tonka, with the juniper berry are making this sweet I think. Of course Beth's kick ass lovley snow note and pine. 30 minutes: snow, pine, and the tonka, amber, and berry are softening even more and registering to me as a floral, like snowdrops. Conclusion: I love this! I have yet to meet a snowy perfume that doesn't love me. Thanks Beth, another winner. Oh, and the label art kicks ass too! Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 5.

I worried about all the flowers in this one. Florals and I tend not to get along, with the exception of violets and depending on what other notes are there to temper it roses. I love snowdrops for themselves, but I have never smelt one, so I have now idea of their perfume. Will this snowy perfume be as good on me as all the others Beth has made? Inquiring minds want to know! I had to get this one as I love the Corvididae family, all of them. For the label alone I had to buy this. So here goes... In the bottle: lovely frozen flowers. Not powdery baby's bum, not old lady, not candy. So far, so good. Wet: lovely frozen flowers underneath cedar trees on a mountain side. The snow is melting in patches and I smell fresh clean earth, but frozen earth. It isn't the earth in Premature Burial, or Death Cap. This is more subltle the permafrost is still just below the surface. Dry down: lovely flowers growing in melted patches of exposed earth under cedar trees on a mountain while cold air blows off banks of snow still present. *sings while dancing Beth and the labbies are geniuses!* 30 minutes: same. This really doesn't morph, it just gets stronger and better with time on my skin. Conclusion: this really smells like exposed patches of earth, still frozen but exposed from the banks of snow nearby. Flowers grow out of this frozen earth under cedar trees on a mountain. This is the scent of the Rockies in April. This is the smell of that subtle line between Winter and Spring. As if Winter were leaving the room and the hem of her cloak was just slipping around the corner and all you could see of Spring was a pretty pink painted set of toes. Ok, so my metaphors may suck. But I can't describe as good as Beth makes them, heheh. Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 5.

In the bottle: frozen fruit. Not in your face fruit, but really like fruit coverd in snow. Nice! Wet: frozen fruit, this is not foody. And the some of the post mentioned grapefruit, and someone lemon. I don't get either of those. But my skin has been known to amp lemon, so I hope that isn't the fruit. Dry down: still fruits under a layer of snow. Like a bowl on a table at a garden party unexpectedly interuppted by snow. You still see the fruits, but they have white frosting snow. This is a quiet scent. And I love Beth's slushy notes. 30 minutes: whew! Still lovely frozen fruits. No dreaded lemon, which turns into Pledge on me. This is just Beth's lovely slushy snow note and fruit. I think the sandalwood and the citrus rind are combining to make me think "fruits" rather than "rind." This is really well blended. I suck at telling individual notes in Beth's creations most of the time, because she is so good at blending... I tell myself. Conclusion: I love this! Beth's snow perfumes have never failed with my skin. My chemistry loves her snow and slush notes. This is no exception. This is less hungry than I thought, I expected bitter cold, desolate. I got a bowl of frozen fruit. Like some elegant garden party, china, silverware, the whole nine... interuppted by some calamity which involves snow. All the people are dead, and the table is left to be covered by a blanket of quiet snow. Nice Beth! Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 4.5.

... Warm amber musk, Satsuma tangerine, black tea leaf, cardamom, cherry blossom and cinnamon. I took a chance with this one, cherry blossom or cherry fruit and I don't get along as a scent. However, cinnamon, cardamom, and musk do. And I read the reviews that said it smelled like orange and spice, which I happen to love. Besides as a cat herder, I had to get it for the label. So here goes... In the bottle: sweet cherry blossom. No tangerine, or cinnamon, or cardamom. Hmmm... Wet: sweet cherry blossom. Light, soft, and lovely. But it is a single note, just cherry blossom. Dry down: sweet cherry blossom. 30 minutes: cherry blossom, less sweet, with a sophisticated perfume quality. Cinnamon and cardamon apparently decided to ditch the party and go off and make out together somewhere else. Conclusion: my stupid chemistry turned this into a single note cherry blossom perfume. So, I think I must find this a better home, even though I love the label and the cherry blossom reminds me of Japan where I was born (Air Force brat, hehe). This is lovely, but not me, I will never reach for it to wear. Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 2.5.

A monstrous, brutal, and bloodthirsty blend: blackened myrrh, crushed olive leaf, black musk, spikenard, frankincense, cypress wood, opoponax, white ginger, and patchouli. In the bottle: woody aquatics. Ohhh I love Beth's aquatics. Wet: woody aquatic with a slight citrus note? Maybe that is part of the aquatic, I didn't see citrus in the notes listed. Dry down: woody citrusy aquatic. The citrus isn't orange or lemon, just a tang in the scent. All the notes are so well blended together I can't pick them out. This is just a gorgeous blend. Who knew cruelty punished could smell so good? 30 minutes: same lovely sophisticated, "masculine" scent. I say masculine, but obviously one women could wear. I do better with "masculine" scents, this is no exception. Conclusion: I love Beth's aquatics, and they love me. No dryer sheets, no powder, always lovely. I love Lycaon, so much I bought a second bottle from a lovely formulite. Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 5.

Typhon resurrected! A fearsome creature from Greek lore. Typhon was born from the marriage of Earth and Hell, and is said to be so terrible in aspect that even the gods themselves flee from his venomous gaze. Our own blend of Earth and Hell: red patchouli, sandalwood, black musk and vetiver. In the bottle: patchouli and resiny amber. Dark lush and rich. Wet: dark patchouli and resin, the vetiver is staying behind the sceens working the lights while patchouli and resin put on their performance art show. Dry down: Vetiver is still manning the lights, Sandalwood and black musk come in laid down and start making out, while patchouli and resin stand over them playing tug of war with monofilament while quoting lines from Greek tragedies. 30 mintues: same lovely performance art show, though everyone is on stage now, including Vetiver. They are all wearing masks of each other's faces and swtich them out in between quotes in actual Greek. Kind of like a whose on first, senario...which note is on first? Blended and twirling madly they all fall into a heap of divine scented goodness. Conclusion: this is wonderful, along the same family of Schwartzer Mond, dark, resiny goodness. I am so glad Beth brought it back and I got the chance to buy it! Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 5.

In the bottle: very faint, sophisticated floral. Wet: clean, slushy snow note Beth does so well, slightly floral, with a gritty undertone, just like asphalt! How does she do that? I can't stop sniffing my wrist, amazing. Dry down: sophisticated, elegant, slushy floral with that dark black gritty undertone. This does say "danger" but not until your car is sliding all over the road uncontrollably. 30 minutes: sophisticated, elegant, slushy floral with that gritty undertone. I love this! Conclusion: this is one of those rare florals that I can wear. I wear this to fancy restaurants, or the opera. This is what I wear when I want people to think I am an elegant dangerous lady. Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 5.

In the bottle: lovely floral with sweet buttery cakes in the background. Wet: sweet lovely fruity floral goodness, with slight butteriness. Dry down: sweet almost bubblegum with some cake. Oh my! I hope this doesn't last. 30 minutes: candy, with a smokey foody but not undertone. Hmmm.... Conclusion: I took a chance on this one. If you have ever read my other reviews, florals and I rarely get along. I was hoping the cake would save me from smelling like candy, old lady, or baby ass. I wound up smelling like bubblegum. It is really fun when a floral make me smell like an old lady holding a baby who is sucking on a lollie. At least that didn't happen with this one. Rating 1-5: inconclusive, pending further testing.

In the bottle: sweet, light very similar to Snow White but greener, like grass being covered with that first blush of snow. Wet: green, sweet, slushy and slightly aquatic. I like this, very much. Dry down: cleean, light, slushy and light green. The snow is covering the grass more now. 30 minutes: lovely light sophisticated slightly aquatic green perfume. This is beautiful. Very much like my beloved SW without the cream. Like a twin sister, they appear to look exactly alike, until you notice the small differences that sets them apart. Conclusion: I wish I had bought two or three bottles of this one. Like SW this is horde worthy. This scent made me think not of the poem Beth used but of Dance of the Snowflakes in The Nutcracker. One of my fav dances and music in that ballet. Again Beth and the labbies evoke a moment a feeling, a place. WOW! And all of Beth's winter scents all smell divine on me. Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 5.

In the bottle: candy cane. *looks in bottle wondering how Beth got candy canes in there*. Wet: candy cane, sweet creamy vanilla and mint! Dry down: same with more vanilla peeking through. 30 minutes: mint really dries down to a whisper, and the vanilla almost smells like blond tobacco. Conclusion: love, love, love this!!! Beth is incredible. I don't know how she does it. Candy cane in a bottle. Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 5.

Krampus was my first purchase and a must have of the Yulies this year. Yeah spank me baby I have been a bad girl! In the bottle: musk, woods, leather, dust, and ... Dragon's Blood? That isn't listed. Maybe it is the leather and musk making me think sweet dragon's blood is in here. Wet: woods, leather, and dust. Thank goodness the percieved DB went away. DB tends to amp on me to the exclusion of all others, but I think it was musk and leather making out together that made me think it was DB. Dry down: woods, dust, leather. I am in love with Mr Krampus, and that tongue, yeah baby! ( referenced from the Christmas special of Venture Brothers). 30 minutes: leather, woods, dust, and the musk comes back making this smooth and sexy. Conclusion: I would like to think that I have developed a BPAL spidey sense and am able to pick out by notes alone what will smell great on me. But I would be mistaken. I did however pick the right one in Mr. Krampus. He is da sexxor. Glad I brought him home. Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 5.

Let me just say scents with DB are hit or miss with me. Sometimes it behaves itself, minds its manners and lets other notes have a say. Other times... not so much. This time, it behaved, HOORAY! In the bottle: aquatic dragon's blood, no leather, no pepper. Wet: aquatic dragon's blood. Dry Down: aquatic dragons' blood tempered by leather and pepper, more leather than pepper. 30 minutes: aquatic dragon's blood tempered by smooth leather. Nice! Conclusion: I love this. Glad DB behaved. This is sophisticated and lovely. Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 5.

Ok I have to say due to the notes I almost didn't order this one. I thought it would make bubblegum scent with my chemistry. Let me say how glad I am I bought a bottle! In the bottle: sweet, not candy sweet, or powdery sweet, just citrus sweet. Like the fruit (not skin) of an orange. And the color is golden yellow and orange with this scent. Wet: sweet citrus, like an orange pixie stick, a little powdery. I worried at this point my first instinct was going to be right at this point. Dry down: orange pixie stick but more sophisticated. Like pixie stick and champagne are on a date. This is sparkling and uplifting. 30 minutes: orange with a hint of spice. Not cinnamon, but spice. It is very light. Like a pomander ball you make in elementary school with oranges and cloves, which is perfect for a Yulie scent. Conclusion: this is a sparkling golden scent, which captures the Sun. It is perfect for the dark of Winter as it is like wearing mimosas (orange juice and champagne, not the tree) on your skin. It would also be great for sunny Summer days too. Lovely Beth, you are a genius. I hope you don't get tired of me saying that in my reviews. Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 4.5.

In the bottle: amber and nutmeg. I love Beth's nutmeg note. Wet: warm amber and nutmeg. Dry down: warm amber and nutmeg, with rosewood. This doesn't morph much on me. This is warm and comforting, perfect for cold weather. 30 minutes: amber and nutmeg, lovely dark and rich. Conclusion: this is wonderful, rich, and well blended. I love it. Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 5.

In the bottle: almonds and apples, the pine doesn't jump out like I expected. Wet: almonds and apples. Dry down: alomonds and apples hangin by strings on the pine trees in a snow covered forest. 30 minutes: pine and snow, with a slight hint of apples, the almonds are all eaten. Conclusion: snow, pine, and apples with a hint of sweetness. I like this a lot. Rating 1-5: on my skin this is a 5.