edenssixthday

The Castle - This is strikingly similar to Tintagel, but perhaps a bit more earthy. Before reading the ingredient list, I was positive this blend contained the same juniper, leather, leaves and dragon's blood as Tintagel. I just can't get over how similar they seem to me. As The Castle warms up on my skin, the scent begins to smell a lot like top-shelf scotch, too, and I'm fairly certain that's the "wet moss" notes coming through. It's a fascinating scent and quite appropriately named, but definitely not my style for personal fragrance. It seems more of a masculine scent, but I honestly couldn't imagine being attracted to a man who smells like this -- it's a bit too rank for my taste. Interesting scent, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to let it go to someone who may love it better than I.

The Bloody Sword - Wow, what a phenomenal scent! It's yet another I wouldn't wear myself as it's not remotely feminine to me, but I imagine it would smell absolutely fabulous on some men. It's very strong, masculine, and virile. The very first note I detect is that of dragon's blood, but it's darkened by myrrh, pepper and a touch of leather. While I can't smell the other notes as distinct fragrances, I can tell they work well together to keep the scent from becoming as dark and deep as it could otherwise, and to bring a touch of cold sweetness to the overall blend. To me, it smells like a very sexy men's blend and once again, I'm hoping maybe this will be the one to turn my husband on to BPAL!

Love Lies Bleeding - This is a traditional Valentine's Day present in a vial! I was very surprised, after wearing this scent, to discover it's in the Rappaccini's Garden category because on me, it's predominantly a dark chocolate and hazelnut scent. Beneath the sweetness of the hazelnut chocolate, is the scent of freshly cut flowers -- less floral and more green and bitter like cut stems. It's a strange scent that is very thick and heavy and at times, and it's lightly nauseating to me because it's so strong and foody. Unfortunately, it's not for me, but I can see that those who love chocolate and who love some of the other bitter floral scents could really like this one. Staying power is strong, although the throw is slightly below average.

The Reaper & the Flowers - This is a gorgeous, gorgeous floral blend. On me, it's all lily and rose, reminding me a lot of Sepulcher. I don't smell the chrysanthemum or carnation at all in this blend. It doesn't morph at all on my skin. It's just all lilies and roses all the time. The sillage is absolutely perfect and the staying power is quite strong. This is one of my current favorite florals, so smooth, well-rounded, sweet, and somber. As much of a "funereal" blend as it is, I could see it being gorgeous worn by a bride, as well.

Lilium Inter Spinas - A lily among thorns, indeed. This is incredibly beautiful. I usually can't wear apple, as it goes rancid on me from the get-go, so I am stunned at how beautiful this blend works on my skin. The dominant notes are the lily of the valley and the white sandalwood, although the fig adds a meaty sweetness to the blend and the apple brightens it up, without being overwhelming, and hibiscus adds a touch of sensuality that I wasn't expecting from this fruity-floral blend. The sandalwood lends the blend a sense of exotic depth, which it would undoubtedly be lacking if the blend consisted of just the fruit and floral notes in it. Something in it also gives it the slightest hint of a powdery touch. How perfect that this scent was inspired by a series of passages from the Song of Solomon -- it's an incredibly femine, exotic, and highly sensual scent. It's definitely not your typical floral blend. I can totally see this being worn by one of King Solomon's beautiful, foreign concubines. This scent sticks close to my skin, which I don't usually like, but this one is so sultry and sexy that it seems like it should only be smelled by someone who is intimately close to one's body. The staying power is about average. I love it. I really, really love this one.

The Phantom Calliope - When I first apply this, it smells like sweet bubble gum and spice with a bit of a sharp kick from the verbena. It's totally a carnival scent and it seems like such a perfect addition to the Carnaval Diabolique blends; however, within a few minutes, I noticed my arms were itching like mad, and when I looked down at them, my arms were red and swollen. Then I looked at my neck, where I'd applied the oil, and my neck had huge red welts on it, which soon started to burn like the dickens. I don't usually react this way to cassia (and I hadn't showered/exercised in 10 hours, so my skin wasn't warmed-up) so I was really surprised by the negative reaction my skin had to this blend. As the scent of the blend started to fade about 20-30 minutes later, that's when the redness, burning, and itching also disappeared. 30 minutes after that, the scent had dissipated completely. It's a lovely scent while it lasts, but it doesn't last long and the burning, agonizing pain it inflicts on my skin makes it just not worth it. Off to the swaps it goes!

Treat #1 - I used to live near a Jolly Rancher factory and often, when I’d drive by it, the air was permeated with the sweet, fruity scent of every Jolly Rancher scent possible. That’s what this smells like – although the watermelon is a bit stronger than the other sweet, fruity notes. I don’t normally like ultra-sweet, candy-like blends, but this one is absolutely fabulous. It blends with my skin in a way that doesn’t make it smell like I got a sucker stuck on my skin; rather, it leaves my skin smelling sweet and fruity, and it reminds me of something a little girl would wear as she’s playing dress-up and pretending to be a fairy princess. This is going to get much use. It’s totally not my usual style of perfume, but it’s just too sweet and innocent to pass up. The throw is heavy initially, but lightens up upon drydown, although I continue to catch wafts of it for hours and hours after applying it. If I apply it in the morning before work, I need to apply again after lunch, and that will carry me through the rest of the day.

Midnight on the Midway - Oh gosh, this is such a pretty scent! It is quite possibly the prettiest floral BPAL I've encountered so far. It's a very "pink" scent, mostly from the way the sugar blends with the nighttime florals. A smoky plume of incense rises up from the sugary florals and creates a somewhat ethereal air about the scent. I wish I could put into words how pretty this blend is. It's be far my favorite from the first two acts of Carnaval Diabolique. Sadly, the scent doesn't last for a very long time and I find myself having to reapply regularly -- not that I mind, as it seems to smell the most beautiful when it's first applied and fresh on my skin, but still, I think I'd go through a bottle of this very quickly for that reason. Still, it might be worth buying a few bottles. It's just such a lovely fragrance.

Dia De Los Muertos 2006 - This year's formula is very similar to the 2004 formula, but not exactly the same. In the 2006 version, the strongest notes at the beginning are the smell of grains and honey. Since there's no honey listed in the ingredients, I can only imagine that it must be the "candies" or "foods" that I'm smelling. Still, the grain scent is the strongest. However, after about 60 minutes on my skin, I notice that the strongest scent now is cactus flower. I really don't smell leaves, incense, tobacco or chocolate in this blend at all. It's a nice blend, but not one I'll wear much. I'll probably save it and just wear it on November 1 in future years.

Cloister Graveyard in the Snow - I can rarely wear mint, and I never wear it well, so this scent knocked my socks off when it smelled incredibly lovely when first applied, and then stayed lovely throughout the entire length of wear (which was quite a long time). The ozone in this blend is definitely the strongest note, and it's crisp, cold, and almost pine-like. There's a touch of sweetness to the scent, but I can't tell if it's one of the musks that's sweet or if it's from the mint. The frankincense is barely discernible and lends just the slightest earthy quality to the overall blend. In general, this reminds me a lot of Talvikuu and Nuclear Winter, only about a kajillion times better! Those were both fun to try out, but this is one I'll be hanging on to and wearing a lot this winter. The level of sillage is above average, but not overwhelming.

All Saints 2006 - Of all three versions of All Saints, this is the most gorgeous. In the vial, it smells to me like wet wood -- totally unappealing. As soon as I apply it, however, I start to think perhaps I'll like it, and then it just keeps getting better and better and better until it's full-blown gorgeous. I noticed that other reviewers noted the strong floral presence in this blend, but on me, it starts out as a predominantly myrrh blend with a touch of frankincense, but the longer I wear it, the more and more the frankincense amps up and becomes the dominant note. About 40 minutes after first applying the oil, I also note something sweet that initially smells to me like some sort of citrus, but which, as it becomes more noticeable, I realize is actually the scent of rose, and it gives the overall blend such a lovely and well-rounded quality. I don't detect the gardenia, cassia, or lily of valley as distinct notes, but its evident that they work together to temper the resinous myrrh and frankincense and to lend a light sweetness to the scent that it wouldn't have otherwise. If you've tried Faustus, this reminds me a lot of Faustus, only much better. All Saints 2006 is such an incredibly gorgeous scent that I'll be buying a full bottle for myself. I really just can't get enough of it. Amazing!

Lucy Westenra - Initially, this is the lovely candy-sweet scent of blood orange blended with florals, but oddly enough, considering that the florals in the ingredient list usually amp up on me, in this blend, they are soft and wispy (and I don't smell the jasmine at all! Will wonders never cease?!) After about 30 minutes on my skin, the frankincense starts to warm up and flow up and through all the other notes, mingling in and around them, giving them depth and texture. This is such a pretty scent. Sadly, as with all the other Order of the Dragon blends I've tried so far, it fades on me very quickly. It's never very strong and it never has much throw, but after drydown, it sticks incredibly close to my skin, and 90 minutes later, I have to concentrate really hard to catch faint traces of the scent on my skin. I'll wear it on occasion because it's so pretty, but I wish it were stronger on me. (Perhaps I'll try it in a scent locket!)

Wilhelmina Murray - Based on the scent description, I thought this would be at least slightly dark and heavy, but rather, it’s a very light floral. It has a slightly faded scent, which is probably the tea rose tempering some of the other florals a touch, and maybe even muting the juiciness of the black currant and dark musk. It’s a pretty scent, but fairly generic. It’s quite a disappointment for me among Beth’s blends, as it really doesn’t stand out as unique or inspired, at all. On my skin, at least, this one has no personality or pizzazz. Not only that, but it sticks very close to my skin and fades quickly (within the first hour). I really wish it had the drydown on me that it seems to have on all of the other reviewers. It sounds gorgeous and I'd love to see what it smells like on someone else. It’s nice enough, but considering how quickly it fades and what little punch it has, it's just not one I’m ever going to reach for over the blends that knock my socks off.

Dr. John Seward - When I first apply this, it's a soft, opium-laced nag champa scent that's brightened up just a touch by the ginger (which smells more like ginger flower than ginger root). It's absolutely gorgeous. After sniffing it, the word "delirious" came to mind, and sure enough, there it is in the scent description. It really is a delirium-induced scent. When I first apply it, the throw is really nice and it smells so pretty, but within 10-15 minutes, it has almost completely disappeared from my skin, and I can barely smell it even when I sniff my skin up close. I have tested it several times and fades quickly every time. However, when I take a look at the notes in it, I think this is going to age quite nicely, so I'm going to tuck away my imp and try it again in 6 months or a year and see if I don't have better results down the road.

Samhainophobia - This actually smells strikingly like Samhain to me, only a bit sweeter and much, much better. Although it's heavier than Samhain, it's not nearly as cloyingly thick and overpowering. When I read the scent description, I can smell every single scent listed, but they are very hard to distinguish from one another because they're so exquisitely blended. I also am positive I smell a hint of apple in this blend, but it's not in the ingredient list, so maybe I'm just a bit crazy. The vetiver is probably the note that makes this such a heavy, dark scent, and the clove is what spices it up, making it really jump out at me. It's an incredible Autumn scent, and smells amazing on me, although I would have never anticipated it based on the scent list. This scent has really good throw -- a tiny drop goes a very long way, and it lasts for a very long time. If I apply before I leave for work in the morning, I can still smell it on my skin at lunch time, but it needs to be applied shortly thereafter, so I'd say it has a 4-5 hour wear length, which on me, is really, really good, as my dry skin tends to eat up most scents very quickly. Wonderful scent, this one!

Chaos Theory 3: D (500) - The person who sent this to me said that it reminded her of Pink Phoenix and (if I recall correctly) Sugar Skull. I have to say that I don’t get this association at all. On my skin, it is definitely sweet, but it’s the sweet scent of some type of wood drenched in saffron and sugar (which is perhaps why she had the Sugar Skull association?). I’m tempted to say the wood is cedar, but it hasn’t turned to pencil shavings on me like cedar usually does. I think there may also be the tiniest drop of leather on this blend. As it dries down, a note moves into the forefront that I’m almost positive is ylang ylang. On me, it’s a very sugar-sweet, yet masculine scent. It’s actually quite an odd combination of notes, yet I like it, and I look forward to wearing it a few more times. Previously reviewed by quinctia.

All Souls - The other day, I posted that Creepy was my favorite of the 2006 Halloweenies. I discovered just how extremely wrong I was when I tried All Souls. This scent is simply divine. I honestly can’t begin to put into words how gorgeous it is – it has all the soft smokiness of a gorgeous incense scent, but add to it the scent of fresh-baked cake and the hint of juicy currants, and I’m in BPAL heaven! I can’t believe that my two favorite Halloweenie scents are “foody” blends, because I normally despise food-scented perfume oils! How does Beth do it? All Souls has a lovely level of throw and it lasts all day long -- my skin really, really takes to this blend amazingly well. I honestly would have never guessed it! I put it on in the morning and about 12 hours later, I was taking my puppy to the vet for his booster shots, and several of the vet techs asked me what perfume I wear, since I always smell so good when I go in there. I told them about BPAL and told them I'm always wearing a different perfume when I go in there. They said that this time, after I held my puppy, he smelled like incense. That’s All Souls for you -- a good 11-12 hours after I applied it in the morning! This is an amazing scent and, of course, I ordered a bottle and it will be veeeeery well-loved.

Cabaret - I have been very interested in Cabaret because I looove Red Musk, have a hate/hate relationship with Jasmine, and find wisteria works or not depending on what else it's blended with. Initially, the scent is entirely jasmine, and just the tiniest bit on my wrist provides an overwhelming amount of throw -- but that's typical for jasmine on my skin. After about 20 minutes, the red musk becomes more evident, and blends with the jasmine in the most fascinating way. The jasmine still dominates, but becomes a scent that I find quite enjoyable as a result of the red musk running through it. After about an hour, I notice the wisteria for the first time. It tempers the jasmine and makes the overall scent slightly powdery-floral (similar to the violet in Numb or the orange blossom in Jezebel). The musk is much softer at this point and sticks very close to the skin, although I still get occasional wafts of the florals. This is truly a fascinating blend, but that strong jasmine scent I get prior to full drydown is unpleasant enough that I don't think I want to endure it, even though it gets much better after drydown.

Chaos Theory 3: CCCXI (311) - When I first open the vial, I smell wine. It's not as strong as Madrid -- it reminds me more of the wine in Lilith. However, as soon as it touches my skin, the dominant scent is a mix of eucalyptus and autumn leaves with maybe a hint of loam. There may be a touch of wood in there, too. Every now and again, I catch a whiff of something that reminds me of a sweet fruit juice/soft patchouli blend, but as soon as I think I smell it, it eludes me. The fruit scent I detect for that split second could just be the grape-ish undertones of the wine, which seems to almost completely disappear as soon as I apply it (unless that fruit scent is the wine popping up on occasion). As it dries, the eucalyptus/leaf/loam scent softens signficantly, and I can't help but wonder at this point if there's a drop of brown sugar in this blend, as well. Overall, the blend reminds me of what you might possibly get if you blended Burial with Devil's Night. The throw is really strong initially and then upon drydown, it decreases to a fairly average level of throw. The wear length is slightly above average. Previously reviewed by Eunice_Branca.

This season’s Ridiculous Scent! As creepy as Spooky was spooky, this is the scent of butterscotch-kissed, caramel-smothered red apples spiked with a blast of coconut rum. Creepy - I don't like apples and I don't like caramel, so I really don't like to eat caramel apples, but I love the smell of them. Likewise for Creepy: I don't like apple oil notes (they turn rancid on me) and I don't like caramel or butterscotch oil notes (they tend to smell uber-sweet and then turn to plastic ick on me), but put them together and blend in a bit of boozy coconut rum, and holy moly, does it ever smell amazing! Creepy is by far my favorite scent from the Halloweenie update and it's the only foody scent I positively adore and can't get enough of. When I first put it on my skin, the crisp, tart apple scent is definitely the strongest note with a touch of coconut underneath, but upon drydown, the boozy butterscotch caramel becomes the dominant note and it's incredibly smooth and warm and sweet and incredibly true-to-life and makes me want to swoooooon in delight! When I wear Creepy in a scent locket, the crisp, tart apple note remains dominant over the sweet, ribbon of boozy butterscotch-caramel swirling underneath it. This is one of the first foody blends I've ever worn that doesn't either 1) disappear, 2) turn to plastic, or 3) go rancid on my skin. Although the butterscotch-caramel is strongest to my nose, when I walked into the room where my husband was watching t.v., he stopped and said, "Oh wow, I smell coconut. That's strong!" And when my coworkers walk by me, they all remark that "that new hazelnut coffee they started brewing smells really strong over here -- I like it!" Well, I know their highly untrained noses (hazelnut?! Seriously?!) are picking up on the Creepy because we're not brewing hazelnut coffee at work right now. It's all me, baby! This scent is incredibly strong, very genuine/"true-to-life", and has amazing staying power. My skin smells amazing for hours and hours after application. I'm buying as many bottles of this as I can afford because it's going to make a really amazing oil burner scent as well as a fabulous scent for my car, in addition to using it as perfume. I have a feeling that along Devil's Night 2005 and 2006, this is going to be one of the most well-loved Autumn scents I ever encounter. *edited to repair bad HTML tags and add scent description

Schwarzer Mond - Initially, this smells of strong patchouli and bay rum and spices -- it reminds me strongly of Port Royal. After it has dried down, it gets a strong "men's cologne" scent, and I'm positive I'm not going to care for this at all. At around the 40 minute point, this smells more like Beeman's Clove Gum than anything else. The clove note isn't listed in the scent description, so I'm wondering if it's possibly the pimenta racemosa I'm smelling. Underneath that spicy clove note, I'm still smelling the scent of Port Royal, but more manly. It's a unique scent, but too masculine for my personal preference and I'll be finding a new home for it. The staying power is amazing -- I washed a ton of dishes after applying it, cleaned the sink, did laundry, took out the trash, washed my hands, and I can still smell it on the back of my hands as strong as it was before I went on my cleaning binge. The throw, however, is just about average on me.

Lemongrass - This is a really sweet, almost candy-like lemon scent. I had anticipated that it would be slightly herbal, but the single note oil form isn't at all. I think lemongrass may be one of the "lemon Pledge" culprits when blended with just the right combo of other notes, although in its single note form, I don't fully get the Pledge experience from it. It's got really strong throw initially, but after about 20 minutes, it sticks closer to the skin and softens up significantly. I'm not a fan of lemon scents in general, so I can't really say I'd wear this on its own, but it's really good to have a chance to test it so I can hopefully identify it more easily in blends.

Lemon Verbena - I tested Lemon Verbena at the same time I was testing my Lemongrass SN. I was really surprised that the lemon verbena is significantly more herbal in quality than the lemongrass. The Lemon Verbena is so herbal that it reminds me of the smelling the essential oils in the aromatherapy aisle at Wild Oats. Now that I've smelled Lemon Verbena SN, I understand why I (someone who doesn't like lemon notes) don't have any problems with BPAL blends containing Lemon Verbena -- it's definitely more herbal than lemony. It doesn't have a "lemon Pledge" scent to at all. The throw is a little below average, but its staying power is above average.

Cherry - This is an incredibly thick, heavy, syrupty-sweet scent. I never could understand why some people got almond and cherry confused, but now that I've smelled the single notes for both, I can understand, since they're both so heavy and thick, and both scents blast right out at you in a blaze of bright, ultra-sugary sweetness. However, once the initial blast of ultra-sugar-sweetness dissipates, the cherry SN smells nothing like almond. It is the scent of thick, sweet, Grenadine, as it sits in the bottom of your tequila sunrise, before it's stirred up. It's the sweetness of biting into a sweet Maraschina cherry. It's the sticky, red sweetness of a Jolly Rancher cherry hard candy. It's super-sweet, and artificial-fruity, incredibly juicy, and smells absolutely nothing like a real cherry picked fresh off the tree, but it's so luscious that I want to lick my skin. Sadly, as with virtually all cherry BPAL blends, the cherry fades significantly after about five minutes on my skin, and after fifteen minutes, I can barely smell it at all, and what little scent is left is more of a plastic-sweetness, like scratch-n-sniff stickers or Strawberry Shortcake dolls than real, juicy-sweet fruit. It's a very fun SN, but for me, it's not wearable due to its short wear-length, low level of throw, and plastic-essence.

Ylang Ylang - I was very curious to try this single note because ylang ylang and I seem to get along sometimes and not others. BPAL's ylang ylang SN is very different from the couple of ylang ylang essential oils I have picked up at Wild Oats over the past few years: it's not nearly as bright and citrus-like as some of the other ylang ylang essential oils I've used. BPAL ylang ylang is very herbal and bright, but it has a twinge of something just bitter and unpleasant underneath it that is what, I suspect, is makes it go all "poo" on me sometimes when blended with the "wrong" combination of other notes. Overall, though, the ylang ylang is really nice, and I can definitely smell the aspect of it that works well when blended with just the right combo of notes (like in Tavern of Hell, where the ylang ylang comes to the top and is the dominant note after drydown, and smells incredibly gorgeous, and I don't detect any of the " poo" aspect of it at all). I'm really glad I had a chance to t ry this scent. It definitely will help me identify it better now when I'm testing BPAL blends. The level of throw is slightly below average, although the staying power is just about average.