edenssixthday

CD: Tilt v4 - My nose doesn't pick up on the overwhelming fruitiness the other two reviewers note with such enthusiasm. Rather, I smell fresh, crushed mint leaf. Kind of like drinking a fresh mojito without the rum or lime. The mint leaf is definitely the scent of fresh-from-the-garden mint, and not the scent of sweet, candycane peppermint. It's a note I have never encountered in a BPAL blend before, or if so, it wasn't so uniquely distinct. Behind the strong, fresh mint scent there does seem to be a subtle blend of mixed fruits -- unnamed tropical fruits. I can't pinpoint any of the specific tropical fruit notes the previous reviewers mentioned, but the overall feel of the scent is very tropical. It's like eating a tropical mixed fruit salad with lots of freshly cut mint leaf mixed in. It's so refreshing and delicious that I can't stop sniffing my skin. This would make an awesome summer scent...or a fabulous winter scent when you need a tropical break from the snow and cold. Once it dries down it's fairly subtle on my skin, but I still love it. I really hope that when Tilt is released, it's not changed one iota.

Earth Ox - This is predominantly the scent of super-ripe and sweet honeydew and peaches. The dragon's blood is the next most dominant note and provides a lovely resin base for the cacophony of fruity notes in this blend, the citrus notes in particular. I love this scent. It's similar to Earth Rat in its fruitiness, but different in that this scent seems more grounded. I love them both and would be hard-pressed to choose a favorite. Thank dog no one's making me choose. This is really lovely...and delishus.

Strawberry Moon v4 - This is the same thick, jammy strawberry that's used in the Mother Shub's She-Goat Chocolatier Truffle: White Chocolate, Strawberry, and White Pepper. It's completely unlike the strawberry used in either release of Strawberry Moon. I don't smell any notes other than thick, gooey, sticky strawberry jam. It's delicious!

Bathtub Gin - I love BPAL's gin scents, so I was sure I would adore this one. When I put it on, it's a very dry gin scent, heavy with juniper and only lightly spicy. As it dries down, it becomes quickly evident that this gin blend does not work with my skin chemistry. Something in it (wormwood?) is turning incredibly "dusty" on me and completely overwhelming the other notes with it's dustiness. Within 20 minutes, the only thing I can smell is dust. I'm afraid this isn't going to work for me at all. For a lovely gin blend, I'm going to have to stick with my beloved Twenty-One, I suppose.

The Volstead Act - This is all sherry and pineapple on me. I love the Lab's booze scents, and this is no exception. It's definitely a fun, fruity drink and now I want to find a recipe and make some myself! The throw is pretty strong, so as with all of the Lab's booze scents, I prefer not to wear it to work, but this would be fun for hanging out on a warm summer day or wearing to a party.

The Anti-Saloon League - I love this! Love it! Love it! Love it! It's one of my top 3 scents of 2010. It opens up with a perfect balance of sarsasparilla and cream. It's sweet and delicious, like a root beer float. The cream perfectly balances out the sweetness of the sarsasparilla. The scent is so pretty. I don't usually like foody scents, but this one is awesome! On my skin, it lasts and lasts and I get gorgeous wafts of an almost vanilla-like sweetness around me. It's really wonderful and I'm so glad it didn't turn to plastic on me as I feared.

Banned in Boston - On me, this is dark and heavy, and I could swear there's both leather and paper in this scent. It's a grungy scent, not remotely sexy, just kind of dirty and dry. It's really hard to describe. I kind of like it, but it's not sweet enough for me.

Boomslang v2 - The chocolate in the proto is much more subtle than the chocolate in the released version. The Snake Oil dominates the blend with the chocolate giving it a delicious boost. I don't particularly care for the released version, but I'd wear this prototype regularly if I had more than a little bit of it. For a Snake Oil lover who is not a chocolate scent fan, I really love this one.

Oceans of Love and Millions of Kisses Bath Oil - Why did this have to be released when I went through my short-lived I-must-exhibit-self-control-and-not-buy-EVERY-bpal phase? It's so unfair!!! Why? Because I just got a imp-size vial of it and it's GORGEOUS. I love it! I would slather it all over me every day if I had enough. I love the way the orange blossom and honey blend together, leaving it sweet, and floral, and slightly powdery, and very feminine, and just really, really lovely. Need more!

Mme. Moriarty Claw Polish - This is a stunning shade of red. It's a very classic red and makes me think of silver screen divas for some reason. The first time I wore it, I had time to put on one coat only, and then never had a chance to apply another one that day. One coat didn't look great, but only if you looked up close. The second day, though, it had already chipped and had significant tip wear. This is pretty normal for me, but it was worse than normal, probably because it was only one coat. After applying a second coat, the glossiness of the color really stands out. Both in the sunshine and in the shade, I can see my own detailed reflection in the polish -- double chins and all! Two coats is almost enough, but I think next time I wear it, I'll apply a third coat for full coverage. With two coats, there are a few spots (particularly visible in the sunshine) that seem "thin" -- they just don't seem to have the same depth and richness of color. Overall, this is a really beautiful blue-based red that is very sexy and classic.

Gun Moll - I am in love with this. Head-over-heels in love. I think this may be the best new scent in 2010 (IMO). When I first apply, it's predominantly opium poppy (!!!! a favorite note that I was hoping would be strong in this blend ) and tobacco leaf, with a powdery hint of amber, the gorgeous, sultry floral of night-blooming jasmine, and the faintest spicy hint of clove. As it dries down, the opium note fades significantly, leaving behind a scent that doesn't smell like any distinct notes, but more of a musky and slightly spicy warmth. The first thought I had when I smelled this was, "Whoa, people might stop searching so hard for Noir if they can find this instead!" They don't smell the same, but have enough of a very similar feel about them. I prefer Gun Moll. This is going to age gorgeously. I love it. Love it. Love it. Love it.

#154 - this is drop-dead gorgeous. It's a lovely base of amber with a healthy dose of tiare. It's so tropical and gorgeous. I don't have words for how amazing this scent is. If there's anything else in it besides amber and tiare, I have no idea what it might be. Who cares? This is to die for.

#183 - In the bottle, this is the most awesome smell! It's super sweet and pink Hubba Bubba bubblegum sweet. I could sit there and huff the bottle all day long. Sadly, my skin takes horribly to bubblegum and turns it into dust. But of course I have to try this on my skin anyway. Immediately under the vanilla-bubblegum scent is a bright flash of something green... it's not grass, and it's not flower stems... maybe it's melon rind? No... that's not it. I have no idea. And guess what? While I'm still trying to figure out the green thing, all of a sudden the dustiness starts to take over and pretty soon all I can smell is a heavy, heavy layer of dust over a sweet base of vanilla. Stupid skin chemistry. I can't wear any of the bubblegum scents. Someone who loves bubblegum would absolutely adore this. It really is an awesome scent. #140 - My very first thought is that this reminded me of some liquid medicine I had to take as a child...but I couldn't quite peg it. It definitely wasn't the grapiness of Dimetapp. Finally, it hit me: it's the smell of liquid antibiotics. You know how for kids or pets, they'll give them a heavy, thick, liquid amoxicillin that has the pink shade of Pepto-Bismol and a smell/taste that's supposed to be cherry or bubblegum, but really just tastes like artifically-sweetened bitter antibiotics? That's exactly what this is. It's liquid amoxicillin. There is definitely some cherry in here -- black cherry, I believe, but I have no idea at all what the other notes are that are making this scent smell so medicinal. It's not bubblegum because it hasn't turned to dust on my skin. So yeah, aside from vanilla and black cherry, i have no idea what else is in this, but the effect is oddly intriguing since it's absolutely a dead ringer for liquid amoxicillin. It's not what I want to smell like, and yet I can't stop sniffing it in the bottle because it's such an interesting scent. #4 - This smells like an east Indian restaurant. It's vanillaed curry. It's a pretty strange scent. It's way too foody in all the wrong ways.

Mountain of Bone - This is a great scent. It's definitely a fruity, white wine spritzer scent. The fruit is something tropical....maybe lychee? It's definitely wine spritzer without being boozy, it sparkles without being champagney, and the fruit is sweet and tropical and lovely. I like this a lot. It's perfect for summer.

#105: Frankincense and orange. It's not super-sweet orange, it's kind of tart, so maybe blood orange? It smells like there's something sweet lurking far beneath ... perhaps lotus flower? This is a gorgeous scent. It's really awesome.

Great Grey Witch - This is gorgeous! My very first two thoughts were how similar it is to Silver Phoenix, and then, how similar it is to Staged Moon Landing. It's that gorgeous, gently powdery orris note. Soooo lovely! The chamomile is very subtle in this and the sugar gives it a sweetness that is, I think, another reason why it reminds me of Staged Moon Landing. I absolutely adore ambergris, and while I can't smell it in this blend, I have a feeling that is what is giving it the warm base it has on my skin. It's a beautiful, truly lovely scent, and by far my favorite of all of the Metamorphosis blends (which is saying a lot since they're all awesome!) However, I don't know that I need it since I have a stash of Silver Phoenix and I also have some Staged Moon Landing. It's so pretty -- don't miss out on trying this one!

Paper Kite - My tastes have changed a lot over the years, and I don't dig regular coconut the way I used to, so I didn't expect to be nuts about this, and I was right. It's an "okay" scent -- perfectly nice, but it doesn't stand out as something exceptional (as far as my particular scent preferences go, that is). I'm really happy that for once, the black pepper doesn't completely ruin a scent for me. It adds a bit of spicy depth, but is otherwise completely unoffensive to my pepper-sensitive nose. When I first apply the scent, the pepper is a lot stronger and there's an odd note that is slightly boozy, but that fades upon drydown. It fades quickly from my skin -- completely gone within 2.5 hours from time of application. Overall impressions are that this is a pretty scent for summer, particularly for people who like coconut. This is like a classic beachy coconut scent with a twist.

Monarch - Other people have been comparing (or un-comparing [?] as the case may be) this blend with Pumpkin Queen. It's definitely not PQ, but I'd absolutely put it in the same scent family; you know, the "if you like this scent, then you might like this scent" kind of thing. On my skin, it opens up with a burst of super spicy (hot ginger!), buttery, smooth pumpkin. It's obvious from the get-go that this is my type of autumnal scent, definitely not a summer scent. The ginger is extremely bold and spicy. The amber gives the scent a bit of a woody-resin base. The sugar sweetens up the whole thing. The juicy mandarin stays around the edges and never really jumps in with both feet. The ginger remains the dominant note with the pumpkin not far behind it. When I stop sniffing my skin up close, the mango actually becomes the dominant scent! It appears that while the ginger is super hot and spicy and strong, it sticks close to my skin. The scent wafting around me is more that of sweet, sugary mango syrup and pumpkin. I'm kind of on the fence about this one. I'll hang on to it and give it another shot in the fall when I might be "feeling it" a bit more at that point.

Spicebush Swallowtail - This is the first time anything with brown sugar in it has smelled good on me! On my skin, it's a brown sugar/sassafras/clove scent that actually reminds me a lot of sorghum. The plum is there giving a different type of depth to the other notes, but it's definitely a background player. For once, the clove is definitely present on my skin without amping to high heaven. Overall, it really does remind me of spicy sorghum and it's quite delicious. I'm amazed I can wear this "foody" scent, and delighted, too. It's not something I'd reach for regularly since it's out of the range of the type of scent I'd typically wear, but that's also part of what I like about it. It has really strong throw and staying power.

GYPSY Bourbon vanilla, Egyptian musk, tonka, white sugar, and cardamom. Gypsy - I AM SO CONFUSED BY THIS SCENT! When I first opened the bottle, all I could smell was caraway. TONS and TONS of caraway. It reminded me significantly of Khrysopelex. I wondered if since "caraway" and "cardamom" are possibly next to each other if you have oils stored in alphabetical order, if they perhaps got mixed up, because the caraway is so freaking strong! And then I came here and read reviews, and someone else mentioned that this blend reminds them of Khrysopelex and all the cardamom in it...but there is no cardamom in Khrysopelex, although there's tons and tons of caraway in it. So color me really confused. No matter what, this opens up with a REALLY SUPER STRONG caraway note. It's overwhelming and it would smell delicious if it were on rye bread on a plate in front of me, but as perfume, I'm not that into it. But I keep wearing it, and about half an hour later, I start to notice the cardamom peeking through beneath the caraway. And about a half hour after that, the caraway note is completely gone (thank dog!) and all I can smell now is my beloved cardamom. I love, love, LOVE cardamom soooo much I can't even put it into words, and this is another gorgeous cardamom scent. The Egyptian musk (which is another all-time favorite note) blends beautifully with the cardamom and the trace of vanilla and tonka, giving this blend an overall warm, creamy, smooth, sultry kind of scent and feel. It's awesome. But it is subtle with very little throw. Next time I wear it, I will have to put more on. Even though it doesn't have much throw, I still occasionally catch a waft of something really pretty, and smile when I realize it's coming to me from the places on my arms where I put Gypsy. Very pretty, and definitely a keeper.

Luna - This starts off with a really sweet and refreshing slice of lime and all sorts of green sweetness. It's really awesome at this stage. After it's been on my skin for about 10 minutes, it takes on the weirdest, flattest funkiness that I can only attribute to the carnation, which often does weird things on my skin. The carnation seems like such an odd note to put in with the rest of the notes in this blend, and it sure doesn't work on my skin. Because it smells so great when it's wet, I think for me, this is better used as a scent locket or oil burner fragrance.

Rosy Maple - This makes me think of pink lemonade. The lemon blossom blends with the sugar and vanilla to become a sweet, creamy lemon without any of the tartness (or Pledge-iness) of actual lemon perfume oil. Then add the huckleberry (and acai berry?) and candyfloss, and you've totally got a recipe for pink lemonade in perfume oil form. I'm also thrilled to report that while other reviewers note the strong presence of sweet pea, I do not at all, which is awesome since sweet pea is a deal-breaker for me, as it never fails to turn soapy on my skin. There's no soapiness at all in this scent. There is something -- vanilla bean is the most likely culprit -- that takes on a hint of dustiness when I sniff my skin up close. So instead, I don't sniff my skin up close. The scent wafting around me is very girly, very pretty, very sweet, very summery, very feminine, and soooo pretty. It's pink lemonade. Mmmm... delicious!

Common Jezebel - This is a lovely scent! When I first opened the bottle, I smelled apricot and vetiver. I hate the smell of vetiver when it's wet, but the drydown on my skin is almost always magical. So I was intrigued by the combination of apricot/vetiver. When I applied it to my skin, I could smell a bit of coconut under the wet apricot/vetiver, and as it dried down, the vetiver became much more subtle, and rather than blasting me in the face with it's dry earthiness, it simply became a really nice base note for the sweet apricot to do its thing. A thin ribbon of coconut swirls through the scent after drydown, but it's hard to pin down. I don't smell the lemon or red currant at all. The overall scent is pretty subtle and after two hours it has faded significantly and by the four-hour point, it's pretty much gone. This is a gorgeous summertime scent if you're the apparently rare person who is okay with vetiver.

'Tis The Voice Of The Lobster - I really wanted to love this because the fruits in it and are awesome, but the gardenia and woods in it ruin the whole thing and makes it smell like walking down the potpourri aisle at Hobby Lobby. It's one of the rare BPALs that's so sickeningly sweet and artificial and synthetic-smelling that it gives me a raging headache.

White Chocolate and Sugared Violets - Mmmm.... white chocolate and Faith. That's exactly what this is. I love the sweet, powdery violet scent and I'm so glad that I can wear white chocolate (as opposed to milk or dark chocolate) because this smells delicious! I do get the faintest bit of dusty plastickiness when I sniff really close to my skin... so I just won't sniff my skin that close. The throw is really pretty -- sugar sweet violets with a trace of sweet white chocolate. It's so delicious. Yum!