edenssixthday

Calla Lily is my favorite of all the floral single notes I've tried so far. It's a sweet, fresh and clean floral. After about an hour on my skin, it also seems just the slightest bit soft and powdery. I'm really surprised by the scent -- while I have little problem identifying calla lily in BPAL blends, I had no idea how gorgeous this note would be on its own. It's one I will easily wear by itself. It sticks fairly close to my skin, but the scent lasts for hours. I wish I had more than my one little imp. It's really stunning.

Bat-Woman - I simply cannot get over how stunning this scent is. It's one of the most beautiful and complex BPAL scents I've encountered. It's very faint on my skin when I first apply it, and doesn't really smell like much at all -- perhaps slightly floral air. About 20 minutes later, after it's had a chance to warm up on my skin, the scent is simply astounding. It has definitely "picked up the pace" and all sorts of incredibly gorgeous, light florals swirling through it. I just happened to be testing out Calla Lily single note on my other arm, so I immediately identified the calla lily in Bat-Woman, and when I read the scent description, I wasn't surprised at all to see it listed toward the beginning of the ingredient list. I also see I was correct about the "air" aspect of the scent, which even after dry-down is still a significant facet of this incredibly complex blend. The other notes are difficult to detect, but it's obviously a floral blend. I can't smell the jasmine at all, which thrills me since I almost didn't order this because of the jasmine note. The scent sticks very close to my skin, but it lasts a lot longer than I expected. It starts to fade after about 2 hours, but slowly, and it's gone at about the 3.5 hour point. Overall, this is quite possibly THE most complexly-blended of all of Beth's amazing blends. It had me thinking it might be time to start getting rid of most of my "inferior" BPALs and just spending my life with this lovely creature. Seriously, try it. You'll be absolutely amazed. It's truly phenomenal.

London is one of the few BPAL rose scents I don't care for too much. I normally love tea rose. For years it was my #1 favorite scent. However, BPAL's Old London tea rose scent is kind of subtle, and smells a little too fresh-pink-rosey for me. I hate to say it, but I have a Tea Rose perfume that has been my favorite for 16 years now, and when I want the Tea Rose scent, I'll use that perfume, not this BPAL oil.

Santa Eulària Des Riu – I’ve tried this scent on several occasions, and every single time I smell nothing but green chile peppers. More specifically – La Victoria brand canned diced green chile peppers (my sister agreed it smells like green chili peppers, but she believes it smells like fresh ones, not canned). I know the scent well as I always throw a can in when I brown ground beef for tacos. Anyway, I saw someone online review it and mention that it was a gorgeous citrus, and I was really surprised since I had no idea what the smell was supposed to smell like. I knew chile peppers couldn’t possibly be correct, but I couldn’t for the life of me imagine what it was supposed to be. I looked up the description on the Lab’s website, and I was even more surprised to find out that this blend has jasmine and lavender in it, as those are two BPAL scents that my skin amps up and which usually mask any other scents with which they are blended. I didn’t smell either of this in this blend. I’m thrilled to finally find a BPAL scent where the lavender and jasmine don’t go all wonky on me (since it gives me a small bit of hope for other blends), but at the same time, I don’t think I want to smell like canned green chile peppers, so I’m going to be passing this one along.

Tintagel is a warm, resinous, dragon's blood scent that turns almost immediately into spicy red soap when I apply it. It smells like wood and stone and oak and moss in the vial, but that soap thing just isn't going to work for me. I frimped it off to someone I hope will enjoy it more than I could.

Sri Lanka took me by surprise. Based on the description, I didn't think it would be a winner, but it is! With scents like sandalwood, cedar, patchouli and myrrh -- all of which are scents I can rarely wear -- I thought for sure it was going to bomb. But it's a gorgeous, golden, warm, spicy scent, but the spice isn't overwhelming in the least. While it's not the kind of scent I would want to wear often, it is something I will wear. I'm not sure where or when, but I definitely see more of Sri Lanka in my future. It stays fairly close to the skin, but not completely, and seems to last for quite some time.

New Orleans - WOWEE ZOWEE!!! This should be called "The Jasmine Effect" or something along those lines. To my nose, it's all jasmine and nothing but jasmine, and an overpowering, heavy-floral, heady, and very strong jasmine at that. The first time I "used" it was when I opened the imp to sniff, and it spilled ALL OVER my fingers. I smelled jasmine for hours and hours and hours afterward -- it would not wash off. I tried a much more "normal" application a few weeks later, but had similar results. I love the soft scent of jasmine as it wafts in my windows, and have purchased jasmine-scented oils in the past that I love, but this is like jasmine on heavy-duty steroids. Nothing soft or pretty about it at all. I'm not sure why they named this scent "New Orleans," either. I'm from New Orleans (well, I was once from New Orleans...) and this smells nothing like New Orleans. If I were making a scent called New Orleans, it would be full of sweet fruity rum, Spanish Moss, bougainvillea, a touch of beignet with sweet powdered sugar, and maybe even a smidget of chicory coffee and sweet cream. My initial reaction was that this is atrocious, but the more I thought about it, the more I realize while the jasmine is overpoweringly strong, some people might like that kind of heavy floral, and well, it's got the most lasting power out of any BPAL scent I've tried so far, so I’m sure people who don’t mind jasmine would love it, even though I don't intend to ever touch it again.

Sweet tropical fruits burst through deep, wet rainforest boughs, enormous steamy blossoms, over thin mountaintop breezes, mingled with the soft, rich golden scent of Peruvian amber. Machu Picchu - Sniffed in the vial, it doesn’t smell interesting at all – like a light tea at best. However, as soon as it warms up on my skin, it becomes abundant in scent. It’s bright and tropical, full of tropical flowers and plants, and something bright and slightly lemon that reminds me a lot of Thunderbird. The level of throw is fair to moderate, and the lasting power is about average on my skin. I was delighted to have discovered another tropical scent since they’re rare in the BPAL collection, but one of my favorite genres of scent; however, I am deeply saddened to have to report that this scent, while I love everything else about it, it makes my chest constrict and gives me asthma-like symptoms (and I don’t have asthma). I’m going to have to pass it along, and that makes me very, very sad because it’s a really bright, fun, and carefree scent.

Versailles changes on me from day to day. The first time I wore it, the jasmine in it just about knocked my socks off when wet. As it dried down, it became a gorgeous, light jasmine scent -- the first BPAL jasmine I've wanted to slather myself in. Another time I wore it, I smelled no jasmine at all at any point, but the scent was so sickly sweet that I got nauseated and found myself wretching from it! The other times I've worn it, the jasmine has been evident only when first applied, but as it dried down, the jasmine disappeared, and the blend took on a scent that reminded me distinctly of Fae -- despite not sharing any of the notes of Fae. In general, as long as I continue to have no more physical reactions to Versailles, I will keep wearing it. It's a gorgeous, light floral blend that is bright and springtimey. It's got a nice level of throw where I catch wafts of it as I move about, and the staying power is pretty good and lasts for a good 4-5 hours before I have to reapply.

Venice - With a description as lush and beautiful as the description for Venice and the various notes included, I thought it would be an unforgettably gorgeous scent. Unfortunately, it isn't. It's floral and powdery and pretty boring on me. There's nothing special about it at all. I'm not even going to bother trying this one in a scent locket, that's how thoroughly boring and unimpressive it is.

Amsterdam - This reminds me not of Amsterdam, but of the fields outside of Amsterdam full of tulips, long green grasses creating rolling waves across the horizon as the wind blows them, and windmills. The instant I put it on, I saw big, Dutch windmills in my mind, and I can’t help but think of Bruegel’s paintings of the Dutch countryside. This is really pretty, fresh and full of springtime greenery, and unlike most fresh, green scents, my skin doesn’t eat it up and it actually lasts a reasonable amount of time. It's very much a springtime scent.

Santo Domingo is a gorgeous, rummy fragrance. It smells exactly like I would expect the Caribbean islands to smell. Mostly rum, a hint of tobacco, and something else that’s green and tropical. I am pleased that this is one BPAL tobacco fragrance that doesn’t make me sick after a few hours – so far, the first one. I suppose that’s because the tobacco note is so light. I like this a lot and can imagine wearing it when I am in the mood for something sunny and tropical.

Moscow - As I'm applying it, the strong, heady scent of jasmine completely overwhelms me. After the blend has a few minutes to dry down, however, the sweet and soft scent of lily of the valley combined with the resinous scent of amber starts to blend with the jasmine, mellowing it out and making it bearable. Upon full dry-down, the slightest bitter-citrus note of tangerine is discernible, as well as the spiciness of carnation. Despite the fruit element, this is not what I'd consider a fruity-floral, as it is definitely predominantly floral and the fruit notes only service to heighten the fragrance of the florals. This is not the prettiest floral I've encountered and although the jasmine is tame enough to tolerate, I don't have much of a desire to have to simply "tolerate" anything I wear on my skin, so I'll be passing this one along. Oh, almost forgot -- great throw and good staying power.

Hollywood Babylon - The first imp I got of this broke in the mail. What I got was a package that smelled so incredibly gorgeous I could hardly stand it. I set the broken vial and all of the soiled mail packaging out in my room so that everything in my room smelled like Hollywood Babylon – and it did, for about 3 weeks straight. It was sweet and resinous, definitely a mixture of amber, vanilla, and something fruity sweet, which I am now guessing was the strawberry and black cherry. It’s a gorgeous blend. It’s incredibly sweet and a little goes a very, very long way. I've tracked down a few more imps of this and have decided it's definitely bottle-worthy. I really don't think I can live without it or I might diiiieeee!!! [Edit: I did get a 5 ml bottle, and then I realized that before 10 mls were discontinued, I had to get a 10 ml, as well. I don't think I'll ever regret having 15+ ml of Hollywood Babylon in my life. It's so lovely!]

The scent of sacred incense swirling up the steep slopes to Swayambhunath Stupa. Saffron, blessed sandalwood, Himalayan cedar and the miraculous lotus of the Buddha with chiuri bark and Nepalese spices. Kathmandu - wet in the vial and when first applied, it smells exactly like Compound W wart remover. In fact, it smells so much like it that I was a bit concerned about applying it initially. After the dry-down, the wart remover medicine smell goes away and leaves a spicy scent with a soft sandalwood base. It’s not a fiery red spice scent, but more of the scent you’d smell when shopping in a Tibetan/Buddhist/Nepalese boutique. It’s really nice in the end, but that initially wet phase odor makes it not worth trying again.

Kostnice - for years I’ve been fascinated with the Sedlec Ossuary in Kostnice, so when I first discovered BPAL and I saw there was a scent named after Kostnice, it was the first scent to be added to my very first official BPAL order direct from the Lab. Likewise, when I received my first box full of imps, it was the first one I tested. I was instantly disappointed. It smelled dry and woody and had a very unappealing odor that made me not even want to test it. But test it I did, and it smelled as appalling on my skin as it did in the vial. I have since realized that rosewood isn’t a scent I care for, and frankincense has never been a scent I liked much. But rose and lily are two of my floral loves, and I had hoped they’d dominate this scent. Unfortunately, I couldn’t smell either over the frankincense/rosewood combo. I still would like to visit Kostnice, but I’m not going to be wearing this fragrance when I do.

Cairo - This is the nicest incense oil blend I’ve ever encountered. Not only is it smooth, fragrant, warm, golden, and slightly smoky, it has a touch of something bright and citrus-like – strong enough that I was very surprised when I checked the scent description and didn’t see anything in it about orange, lemon, lime, etc. It has an absolutely lovely throw – it’s faint, but it definitely catch it wafting in the air, and it’s like a warm, bright ray of sunlight. Gorgeous, just gorgeous.

Gomorrah is not my favorite BPAL, to say the least. The scent actually reminds me a lot of my travels through parts of Israel that were lush and fertile and bursting with figs and dates. The scents that dominate on my skin are the sweet meat of the date palm resting on a bed of heavy, black herbs. This smells like something I’d love to snack on during a warm Middle Eastern afternoon, but not something I want to wear on my skin. It doesn’t have much throw and it doesn’t last very long. I’ll be passing it on to someone who will like it better than I. But it does have a great name, doesn’t it? Part of me wants to wear it to church in hopes that someone will ask what I’m wearing.

Vinland is soft purple and white alpine florals that seems to be grounded by something slightly dry and arid. It’s a really pretty scent. It’s not one that jumps out at me enough to say that I need a full bottle, but I like it enough to keep a tight grip on my imp and enjoy wearing it very much. It doesn’t last long on my skin.

R’lyeh is most definitely an aquatic scent that is dark and mysterious, yet it has this wave of bright citrus coursing through it (grapefruit, I think?). There is also a touch of something lightly herbal, and I can’t for the life of me figure out what is giving this blend it’s “dark and mysterious” scent. Overall, it smells like men’s cologne on me – the way most aquatic scents do. It has virtually no throw and I can only smell it if I sniff my skin up close, and it disappears within the hour, which makes me think that it is actually grapefruit in the scent, since as much as I love grapefruit, it disappears on me very quickly. There’s nothing wrong with it, but overall, this blend is not for me.

Niflheim is musty and smells slightly like bath towels that have gone sour. It’s sharp and unpleasant, and I definitely wouldn’t wear this in public or people might thing I have b.o. Fortunately for me, it doesn’t have much throw, although the scent lasts much too long for my liking.

Glasgow was the first fruity-floral BPAL that I fell in love with. I have such a soft spot in my heart for it. A friend recently described it as “uncomplicated pretty” and I couldn’t agree with her more. The Lab description is “the rich scent of wild blackberry breezing over gentle rosy heather.” In my case, it’s more like “huge wafts of powerful purple heather occasionally interrupted by the tart tang of wild blackberry – leaves and all.” This is just gorgeous – a very purple and green scent. It’s got a great level of throw and I never have to worry about putting it on and not enjoying the way I smell. Unfortunately, my skin eats it up, but it’s so pretty that this is one I don’t mind reapplying throughout the day. I have accumulated many imps over the past year or so and continue to use each one up rather quickly. I love it.

Kyoto - Hello, Licorice! When first applied, Kyoto is all licorice and nothing else. Lucky for me, I like licorice. After full dry-down, the licorice note becomes very subtle and becomes little more than a backdrop for the cherry blossom. There is the faintest hint of sandalwood, but it’s hardly noticeable. It rounds out the other notes and makes them blend together beautifully and smoothly. I love this fragrance. I am really enthralled by it. Unfortunately, it has little throw or staying power, but I’ll still keep wearing it because it’s so pretty.

Yerevan is a gorgeous fruity-floral scent. Surprisingly, the iris note isn’t amped up by my skin in this blend! The fruits blend together perfectly and smell authentic and gorgeous. Add the floral scents to it, and it just makes this blend that much prettier. It’s fairly light and sticks close to my skin, disappearing almost completely within an hour. But it’s just so pretty that I keep using it and it’s become one of my favorite summer scents. It’s very pretty and refreshing and summery.

Rome - I waited and waited to try Rome because the “cypress and juniper” notes made me more than a bit nervous. While the cypress is one of my all-time favorite trees, both of these trees are notes I don’t usually care for in oil blends, and especially not on my skin. However, Rome surprised me from the get-go. It’s an absolutely gorgeous oil! On my skin, it immediately smells not of cypress and juniper but of incense and roses. The incense scent is soft and sweet and incredibly beautiful. As the oil dries, I detect the chamomile note in the blend, which is very soothing and relaxing. The scent of chamomile, roses, and incense is relaxing, calming, and soothing. I really like this particular blend and will probably use it on high-stress days when I need something to ground me, or in the evening, when I’m at home and want to feel relaxed and calm. It’s lovely. Just lovely.