edenssixthday

Snake Oil - I couldn’t believe it when I realized I’ve never reviewed Snake Oil because it is one of my all-time favorite BPAL scents. As soon as I got my very first imp of this, I understood why it is one of the most popular BPALs. I am halfway through my 5 ml bottle and will be needing a 10 ml soon. I love the scent. It is sweet in a deep sort of way (i.e., not cloying or foody or sugary) and full of exotic depth and spiciness. It is a scent that I can wear when I want to feel sexy, when I want to be noticed, when I want to feel comfort, when I want something to help calm me down, and in many other situations. It’s a perfect blend. If I were to rate it, it’s a 9.5. The scent has the absolute perfect amount of throw (enough to be noticed, but not enough to offend) and it lasts for hours. I adore the way it smells when layered with Smut, as well. This is a permanent part of my BPAL repertoire.

Ave Maria Gratia Plena – The Lab description says this is a “men’s blend” and then at the end it says “gender neutral.” So which is it? All I know is it isn’t a blend for me. But for some reason, the frimp gods seem to think it is, as I keep getting frimped with it over and over and over! Anytime jasmine, musk or sandalwood are in a BPAL blend, it’s bad news. Throw all three in together, and it’s headache city. The Lab description notes that this is “pale” and “delicate”, but on me, it’s really strong and heady. Not only that, but it’s sad. It’s the olfactory equivalent of a funeral dirge played in a minor key throughout. I keep swapping or frimping my frimps of this away, but there seems to be a never-ending supply coming my way from the frimp gods. Maybe that’s a sign that someday I will enjoy it more than I do at this point in time.

The Lady of Shalott is the first BPAL aquatic I ever tried, and I was about 80% sure I liked it, but not fully decided. I’ve never been drawn to aquatics, but in this case, the gardenia balanced out the aquatic notes in a really pretty way, and the ginger gave it the tiniest bit of “zing” that I had never encountered in an aquatic scent before. I tested it several times over the course of a few months, and finally determined that it is a perfectly reasonable scent, very nice and pretty, but it’s just not really something I’d wear often.

Severin is one of the very few tea blends that I really like. In the vial, it smells warm and golden, almost like amber, but as soon as it touches my skin, it’s obviously tea-based. Earl Gray is my all-time favorite tea blend, so I was disappointed that I don’t smell Earl Gray in this blend, like I’m supposed to. It just smells dark and warm. The leather note doesn’t kick in until a good hour after I apply this blend. Then it slowly begins to creep into the forefront of the blend. The dark tea scent makes the leather smell well-worn and comfortable. There are no pretenses about it. It’s not dark and menacing at all like the leather of De Sade. Rather, it’s like putting on an old pair of gloves or slippers that you’ve had for years and which mean “comfort” to you. I’m surprised this is in the “Love Potions” catalogue, as to me, it’s warm and comforting, but not sexy or romantic. I would love to have my husband smell like this, but I don’t see my engines getting all revved up over him smelling like this. I can see us snuggling on the sofa in front of a movie and occasionally getting a whiff of him smelling warm and comforting and secure if he were wearing this. I do like this and while it’s not going to be used by me as a “love potion,” I have a distinct feeling that it’s going to become my “comfort” scent of choice for quite some time to come. It’s just sooo nice!

Libertine - Chamomile is the strongest note on my skin. Somehow, the various elements of this blend combine together to leave me with something that smells distinctly like tea, despite not having any actual tea notes. Tea and violets is what it smells like, actually! It's pretty, and I'm crazy about the violet background, but tea is just not my thing. It's a subtle scent, but it's got good throw, and as I go about my daily business, I catch whiffs of the blend when I least expect it, and I keep thinking what a nice tea scent that is. I may choose to use this in my oil burner because it is really pretty despite the fact that I don't personally like smelling like tea.

Endymion - When initially applied, all I can smell is the pear. Now this is really something, because I wasn't impressed by d'Anjou Pear single note (despite recognizing it from several scents, including Glitter and Pink Phoenix), but the d'Anjou Pear in Endymion is simply stunning. Blended with the other notes in this particular oil, it smells exactly like a Harry & David pear in December, at the peak of ripeness. It is so genuine I can hardly believe it! Beneath the pear is the crystalline scent of white musk. As the scent dries down, the Lily of the Valley becomes more discernable, and it smells absolutely gorgeous. Lily of the Valley is one of my favorite little flowers because of how tiny and delicate it is, yet it has such a distinctive, strong fragrance, and it is the same in this blend. The LotV is highly distinctive in this blend. Around the 30 minutes point, I begin to also detect the very faintest trace of rose. It is a soft, round rose -- the rose that is used in Venus -- and never really comes out fully, but rather elusively weaves its way in and out of the other notes. This is an absolutely spectacular fruity-floral blend, and one that I think I'm going to hand on to for a while.

Golden Priapus - The strongest note from beginning to end is vanilla. Yet, this is not a sweet vanilla like we smell in Antique Lace or Regan. It’s sweetness has been tempered by something heavy and woody, almost incense-like without the smoke. The whole time I’m wearing it, I almost like the scent, but not quite. I can’t put my finger on what it is that I don’t care for. The next day, I read the scent description, and I realize that it has both rosewood and pine in it, neither of which have ever smelled good on me, so one (or both) was probably the culprit that kept me from really getting into this blend. I also think the juniper in this scent is what made it smell incense-like on me, since it does the same thing to me when I wear Rome. While I was wearing this, I decided that it’s definitely a masculine scent despite the fact that it’s more golden-vanilla than I would usually expect a man to wear. I went back and forth on whether I think it would smell good on my husband, and in the end, I decided it would probably smell pretty damn good on him and I think he could pull off the rosewood and pine notes a lot better than I can. Golden Priapus has a really strong level of throw, and just a little dab on my wrists, and I was smelling it for hours afterward.

Lolita - when first applied, Lolita has a strong and acrid scent, very similar to what I get from the initial stages of Bess (despite having no notes in common, as far as what I tell see from the Lab descriptions). Within 15 minutes it dried down into a sweet powder that has no pizzazz, no character, no throw, and well, the staying power doesn’t matter because it has no throw and no character! I’m passing this one along.

Muse - When first applied to my skin, this blend has the stench of unadulterated cat pee. However, once it dries down, it becomes a really pretty floral with the slightest touch of bright citrus, and I can hardly believe that I like a scent with jasmine in it this much. There are few jasmines I can get away with wearing and even fewer that I actually like. Muse is definitely a strong floral, and a little goes a long way. Despite it’s great throw, it doesn’t last very long, and it’s entirely gone after about 90 minutes. But this one’s worth reapplying if necessary.

O - Sweet and synthetic, powdery, cloying and nauseating. I don't understand the hype about this scent. This doesn't smell like honey, amber or vanilla. It smells cheap and processed and 100% artifical. I couldn't wait to wash it off my arm -- but I kept it on just in case it changed, as many BPAL oils do with time. But it didn't. It's pure ickiness and definitely in my "Worst 10 BPAL Oils" list. Gross.

Debauchery is a fascinating scent. The opium is incredibly gorgeous and inviting and the civit serves to ground the opium so it doesn’t become overpoweringly sweet. But the red musk is, in my opinion, a detractor, and lends the blend an overall “bad breath” smell. This one has the potential to be so very pretty, but the musk ruins it for me. I usually wear red musks really well, but sometimes they go wonky on me. The scent has a remarkable level of throw but I can’t comment on the staying power as I had to wash it off. I just couldn’t handle the “bad breath” any longer.

Le Serpent Qui Danse is a lovely violet scent. The gardenia and vanilla tone down the violet to keep it from being too sweet and overwhelming as replications of violet often are. It's soft and it's subtle, but it's classy and sophisticated. I wish it had a little more throw, as it stays very close to my skin. I don't foresee myself buying a full size bottle because it doesn't really have a WOW! factor to it, but it's really nice, and once I use up my imp, I may find I have to order another imp down the road.

Bathsheba - Every time I wear Bathsheba, I like it more and more. It is an absolutely gorgeous scent. The very first note I detect is that of spicy carnation, which is one of my all-time favorite notes, especially in BPAL blends. The spiciness blends gorgeously with the sweet, dark, plum juice. I can't distinguish the musk note in this blend, but I can't say it's not there either -- I think it's just such an exquisite blend of fragrances that it creates the perfect foundation on which the other notes can show their stuff. It's a tad bit on the sweet side for me initially, but as the scent dries down, the sweetness also dissipates. Sadly, so does the spiciness of the carnation, and within an hour, the scent has faded so much that I can barely smell it on my skin, and by the 90 minute point, it has faded altogether. This is one I'm going to try in a scent locket next, as I really adore the fragrance, but need to figure out a way to make it last longer than it does on my skin. I think that people who like Frumious Bandersnatch would really like Bathsheba. They are definitely in the same scent family as both have musk, plum and spicy carnation in them as primary ingredients.

Inferno - Yowza, it’s all cinnamon! Nothing but cinnamon! This is a rush of spicy and fiery hot cinnamon. I don’t usually care for cinnamon in oil blends, but I can’t stop smelling this one. It’s so heavily spicy and fragrant and reminds me of my favorite black tea with orange and cinnamon in it. (I can’t help but wonder if the neroli is contributing to the slight orange scent I’m picking up on.) As the oil dries, the rushing swirl of cinnamon begins to mellow out a bit, and I detect something fleshy beneath it. In fact, as I was sniffing my hand, I said to myself, “It smells meaty – like a pistachio!” Well, I didn’t think I’d ever seen pistachio in one of Beth’s blends, so as soon as I could, I looked up the scent description, and no, it wasn’t pistachio, but it was another nut, bitter almond, that was giving this blend the fleshy scent of meaty nuts. This is a truly fabulous scent. As with most cinnamon and almond blends, it doesn’t last long on me. It had faded significantly by the end of hour one, and by the 90-minute point, it was gone. However, I think this is going to layer phenomenally with some of my favorite oils that could occasionally use some pizzazz like Snake Oil, Smut, and Scherezade. It’s going to be fun layering with this one!

Mantis is a lovely blend. When I first apply it, it’s reminds me of men’s cologne, but after it dries down, it’s light, herbal, musky, and has the tiniest hint of floral. It’s a warm scent and very comforting. It’s light and sticks close to my skin, but it’s absolutely gorgeous. This is one that I’d love to smell on my husband, as well. And I’m positively thrilled the patchouli doesn’t show up at all on me!

Mandrake is (to me, at least) an unpleasant scent. When first applied, it's deep and husky, and reminds me of dirt. As it begins to dry, the dirt scent begins to change into more of an incense-like scent, and I like it a bit more than I do initially. As it dries down even more, the scent becomes almost reminiscent of leather, only greener and more "alive", if that makes any sense. This blend overall is too husky and too masculine for my taste. I think this could potentially smell good on a man, mostly because of the notes I get from it that are reminiscent of leather and incense. They obviously aren't leather and incense, but it's the closest I can come to describing the blend. It has really good staying power and a decent level of throw. Yes, I think this would be very sexy on a man, but it's just not going to cut it on me.

Yog-Sothoth - This is a strange little scent. It’s very dark and musky on my skin and despite being clean and slightly soapy, I distinctly smell a hint of vetiver in this scent – something I usually associate with dark, murky, and volatile scents. But this one isn’t. It’s clean and pretty, but not like clean laundry, as many reviewers have noted. Rather, to me, it smells clean like the forest or the woods after a warm afternoon thunderstorm. Slightly damp and earthy and warm, yet crisp and fresh. It’s very nice and pretty, but it disappears on my skin within the first hour, and for that first hour, it’s very light with virtually no throw. This one isn’t for me.

Hemlock is a strange little oil. The first time I wore it, it was full of green herbal goodness with a little bit of something bitter and biting. It definitely seemed “wicked” and yet somehow dark and light at the same time. So I bought a bottle someone had up for sale. And now, every time I open the bottle, I don’t smell that wicked little green herbal scent I did upon first use. Instead, I smell Simple Green – you know, the ecologically friendly household cleaner. I liked it so much the first time I wore it that I’m hoping maybe it’s a skin chemistry thing and one of these days, it’ll smell like that again on me. In the meantime, I’m thinking it might be a good idea to imp some out to people who want some, but only keep a modicum for myself because, well, if it continues to smell like Simple Green, I won’t be wearing it often (not to dis Simple Green as it is, after all, my favorite household cleanser).

Yew Trees - This scent smells strongly like evergreen trees, and also has a note that is slightly bright and juicy. It is a strong scent when applied and remains strong long after dry-down. It has amazing throw and the tiniest drop will fill the entire room with scent. I think I would actually like this as a winter-time room scent, but I can't use it as a perfume oil. It's too fragrant, and too fragrant with notes (i.e., evergreen) that I don't care to wear.

Cobra Lily is so pretty! The description is "sharp, heady" and "carnivorous." I don't get that at all from this. My first impressions are that it's soft, round, and has a touch of something that I'd say is "seductive." The blend slightly reminds me of another BPAL blend, and until I can figure out which one, it's going to drive me nuts! This is a subtle blend on my skin. It has good staying power, but sticks very close to my skin. I would love to use this as a room fragrance.

Blood Lotus - If there is “blood” in the name, 9 times out of 10 I LOVE the scent. This is no exception. This is a gorgeous scent. It is thick, rich, and resinous and I detect either Dragon’s Blood or red musk. It is also sweet, but not in a food or candy way. I wish I could put into words how pretty this scent is, but I’m completely lacking words. It’s got a lovely level of throw if you don’t overdo it, and it lasts fairly well. I’ll be hanging on to this imp!

Destroying Angel - This scent is almost entirely the scent of dirt. I'm really bad about distinguishing the subtleties in dirt scents, as my skin amps up the dirt to the point where it pretty much overpowers all other notes. This scent isn't as complex as Graveyard Dirt or The Premature Burial. It's very simple, and there is another note underneath the dirt note, but it's not like anything I've smelled before. The closest I can compare it to is white sandalwood -- except it's not. The scent only lasts about an hour on my skin, and the throw is light to moderate. This isn't for me, but anyone would loves dirt/soil scents could possibly really like this one.

Orchid tubers have been used extensively by witches in their love philtres, both to promote amorous attention and the attainment of true love, and, conversely, to wither misplaced passions and sever romantic bonds. This perfume is a dusky orchid, subdued and ethereal. Shadow Witch Orchid is a strong, sweet floral, and as time goes on, it gets subtler, softer and so much prettier. I can’t stop smelling my arm! It’s simply gorgeous and it reminds me of Hawaii. This is what I had hoped Pele would smell like. After about 5.5 hours, I can’t smell the orchid anymore, but my skin still has a faintly sweet scent to it, although completely indiscernible as to what the scent is. This is a lovely scent that I plan to wear as much as I can.

Death Cap - I don't think any BPAL scent has ever surprised me more than this one. I read the scent description and I was convinced this was going to smell like dirt. And it does. When I apply it, all I smell is dirt, so I just put the tiniest bit on to test out. But then....!!!! Oh my!!! So I was sitting there, minding my own business about 2 minutes after I applied the tiniest bit of Death Cap to my arm to test it out. All of a sudden, I realize that I am surrounded by the gorgeous, sweet scent of coconut, and I'm trying to figure out where it's coming from. As I follow my nose, my nose leads me right back to my arm and to the spot on it where I applied the Death Cap! Sure enough, blended in with the dirt scent in perfect balance is something that smells to me exactly like coconut. The best part is the dirt scent (which I don't like) sticks close to my skin, but the coconut (which I loooove) wafts all around me when I've only applied the tiniest bit. I decide later to slather it, and I find the dirt scent has a lot more throw when I’ve applied it heavily, but the coconut is also extra-strong when slathering it. Even so, the dirt note doesn’t make me recoil and think of worms as dirt notes usually do. Rather, I enjoy the scent, oddly enough and for the first time, have an understanding of how some people can love their dirt scents. After about an hour, the dirt is sticking close to my skin again, but I’m still swathed in a veil of sweet, creamy coconut for several more hours. Even when the throw begins to fade, my skin up close is still fragrant with the scent of sweet, creamy coconut. This is a stunningly gorgeous scent, and I'm going to have to layer this one over my Ocean Mountain Skin Trip and/or any number of my Coconut Hut lotions/body butters and see if that helps suppress the dirt scent and if I don't get even more coconut scent that way. I'm buying more of this. I never thought I'd say that about a dirt scent, but wow, this one completely blows me out of the water.

Opium Poppy - When first applied, Opium Poppy smells just like my favorite opium oil blend of all-time and it reminds me of a spiritualist/metaphysical shop through which I used to peruse on occasion. The scent is initially very strong, but as it dries down, it becomes more subtle and tolerable. It's a deep, resinous, floral-incense scent. I really like it and anticipate I'll wear this on those days when I want to smell like a hippie without smelling like a "dirty hippie."