edenssixthday

Single Note: Sweet Almond - When I first apply this, it is the incredibly gorgeous scent of almond, and reminds me immediately of the first note I detect in scents like Seraglio, Black Phoenix, and Baron Samedi. It’s beautiful and I kept help but breath it in, almost tasting the sweet, fleshy scent with each breath. The moment it begins to dry down, however, it becomes almond-plastic on me. It gains the plastic scent about it that before this, I have only ever gotten from gourmand-type foody scents. While the scent lasts for hours, it’s all plastic almond, and it’s a very sad experience for me. Almond almost always fades on me right away in BPAL blends – I guess I should be happy that in the blends, the other notes cover up the plastic scent which it turns to on my skin in pure form. I’ll be finding a new home for this one.

Single Note: Carnation smells exactly like I hoped it would – it’s spicy and floral and a simply wonderful scent. The spiciness is strongest when I first apply it, and it mellows over the time I wear the oil. It remains spicy, just not as much as when I first apply. The lovely spicy-floral scent of carnation is one of my favorite BPAL notes, so I’m just thrilled to have the chance to try the single note on its own. I was really bummed out the first time I thought I tried it, because someone sent me a fake that smelled entirely like strong soap, but since carnation notes in the blends works so well on me, I was sure it had to be a fake. Two lovely BPALers came to my rescue, each of them sending me a couple drops of real Carnation SN so I could compare and both of theirs smelled exactly like I expected them to, while the soapy one was determined to most definitely be a fake. I’m now waiting on my very own full imp of real Carnation SN to arrive, and I’m very excited about it!

Single Note: White Musk - It didn’t smell like much on me. It was light, very subtle, and faded within minutes. It was the final bit of evidence that I needed that white musk shows up on me about as strong as water does. I swapped it away and have never missed it.

Single Note: Fig - This is by far the prettiest single note I’ve smelled so far. I didn’t think I was going to like it since I have yet to find a single other fig scent out there that I like (anyone want my B&BW Fig & Brown Sugar body spray?), despite the fact that I love the taste and smell of fresh figs. However, the BPAL Fig SN is simply amazing. It’s almost spicy when I first apply it, but then it dries down to a sweet, creamy, and fleshy-fruit type scent, not exactly “juicy”, yet still “fruity”. There isn’t much throw, but the staying power seems to be about 2½ to 3 hours on my skin, which isn’t too bad. I haven’t cared for most of the BPAL scents that have fig in them, but now that I’ve smelled the single note and have gained a great appreciation for it, I think I may want to try some of the BPAL fig blends again and give them a second chance.

Single Note: D'Anjou Pear - This is such a pretty single note! If I had access to bottles of this, I'd be several! It's so light and fresh and pretty. It smells nothing like an actual real-life pear -- it's more of an artificially-flavored sweet-candy scent, like what you'd find if Jolly Rancher made a D'Anjou Pear flavored candy. However, it's still a fabulous scent, and now that I've tried this single note, I definitely understand why I like Glitter so much -- because it's predominantly D'Anjou Pear scented! Sadly, there's virtually no throw and I can only smell it up close on my skin, and it fades totally and completely within a couple of hours, sometimes even quicker than that if I'm having a particularly dry-skin day.

Lobban - Almost instantly, I’m enchanted by the scent of blossoming lilacs! It’s an even stronger lilac than Dragon’s Eye. (I can't believe the other reviewers don't smell lilac!) It reminds me of a beautiful spring day when everything is in bloom, and the scent of lilacs fills the air. There is a hint of something similar to lemon underneath the lilac (way underneath it) but it’s not a lemon Pledge scent as much as a light lemon zest scent. About 45 minutes after application, I notice something green peeking through, like the scent of green leaves or grass. The scent doesn’t morph any more beyond this point, and remains beautiful and for the first hour or so, I get lovely wafts of lilac, but during the second hour, it begins to fade fast, and by the end of the 2nd hour, it has almost completely disappeared. It’s a beautiful fragrance that I won’t be giving up any time soon. I wish Beth would re-release it!

Storm - the scent description for this oil says “citrus and floral blend.” I smell the tiniest bit of citrus in this blend that I think may be lime and possibly even a touch of orange/tangerine, but the dominant note in this blend is jasmine, which is my personal nemesis. The jasmine isn’t as strong as it could be, but it’s still heady and fragrant and completely overwhelming. This blend has a good level of throw, and could easily be over-applied. Although the sweet citrus notes are enticing, the jasmine ruins this blend for me. I imagine someone who got alone better with jasmine and who enjoys citrus would like this blend a lot.

Dissipation - When I first apply Dissipation, I can't smell it! It's so light that it's as if it's not even there. Then, about 10 minutes after I apply it, as the scent is reaching the point of dry-down, I notice that the scent is coming out stronger on my skin, and it's such a pretty scent! It's incredibly soft and subtle, and I can't identify any of the specific notes in it, even after I look up the description and am trying to identify individual notes. They all blend together so beautifully. The only thing I can really say about it is that it's a light green scent, and incredibly fresh. It leaves my skin smelling clean and sweet, although it's not a sweet scent in the typical sense. Although it's very subtle and sticks close to the skin, it lasts for several hours, which is really surprising for such a light scent. Because it's so soft and subtle, it's not something I would typically wear, so I'm very glad that I'm not dying to get my hands on more since it's so hard to find.

India Bouquet - Oh wow, I really like this! I mean, I really like it. When first applied, I smell the “curry” scent that others have mentioned, but it is faint and fades quickly. Ginger and cardamom are also notes that stand out when first applied and it reminds me of Indian black tea that’s brewed with fresh ginger, cardamom, and cream. When it dries, it has a bit of sweet floral scent to it, but mostly, it’s spicy, like the chai I get at my favorite Nepalese restaurant, and there’s an undercurrent of licorice. This scent is spicy and slightly sweet, and very exotic. It’s one of the few Voodoo blends that doesn’t smell like a Voodoo blend (if that makes sense). It’s gorgeous. I don’t really need it for the Voodoo qualities, but I wish I had a ton more to wear as a fragrance.

Chypre - As with many BPAL lavender blends, the first scent I’m bombarded with is the scent of a really “gamey” lavender and it’s so horrible that I consider washing it off. Fortunately, within about 5 minutes, the lavender mellows out and fades into the background. This is when I can smell the beautiful, sweet scent of violet, and it really is lovely. Beneath the violet is the soft, subtle scent of white musk, which I don’t usually care for, but which blends gorgeously with the violet. I don’t detect the neroli at all in this blend. It stays a violet-white musk blend for the entire time it is on my skin. It has a somewhat below-average level of throw and sadly, it doesn’t last on my skin for very long. It’s faded noticeably at around 45 minutes, and by the 90 minute point, it’s virtually impossible to tell where I applied the oil. White musk always fades on me quickly, and as much as I love violet, it’s a rare violet note (BPAL or other) that lasts on my skin for very long. With the exception of the full-blown blast of gamey lavender when this is first applied, Chypre is a beautiful scent and it’s very sad that Beth had to discontinue it. I hope she decides to re-release it someday.

Yuki-Onna is predominantly jasmine on my skin. As much as I like jasmine, it doesn’t like me so much. Or maybe it likes me too much. Either way, it’s difficult to give this blend an objective review because of the way the jasmine scent gets blown way out of proportion with my skin chemistry, but I’ll do my best. When initially applied, the jasmine stayed in the background, and the lemon verbena was the strongest note. Upon dry-down, the jasmine starts to amp up and the sandalwood makes itself known, and the three of them make what would be a really gorgeous combo if only that pesky jasmine would tone itself down a bit. I’m surprised at how well these three scents blend. I would have never guessed at how well they blend. For a jasmine blend, this really isn’t bad at all, but unfortunately, it’s still not wearable on me. The throw is moderate and the staying power is really good.

Feu Follet - I can barely smell the jasmine in this blend, which has me jumping for joy! It’s predominantly a rose and heliotrope blend, and it’s really pretty! I don’t understand why it was discontinued as it’s a lovely floral. The jasmine gives it a slightly heady quality, but otherwise, it just smells fresh and floral like a summer garden. The throw is light, but the staying power is pretty moderate.

Noir - What an incredibly peculiar scent. It's very hard to describe, but it's a deep, mysterious, spicy fruity-floral scent that is darkened by the husky scents of myrrh and opoponax. The level of throw in this blend is very strong, and the tiniest dab on my wrists will leave my entire being swathed in the scent of Noir for hours. I'm thoroughly delighted that the jasmine in this blend is not amping up on my skin as usual, but is very faint and doesn't stand out much on its own; rather, it simply adds a little fullness to the other notes. This scent is one of the most complex and perfectly blended that I've encountered so far. When I was a kid, I had a great-grandmother who lived in a home in Southern California that was eternally stuck in the 1940s. The architecture of the house to the way it was decorated and even the scent of the place reminds me of the Silver Screen era, and this perfume fits right in to that memory s o well that I wouldn't be surprised if one of my great-grandma's perfumes in her bedroom (which I sniffed and tested every time I visited her) didn't smell almost exactly like Noir. This scent is incredibly evocative of those visits to my great-grandma's house and to sitting on her bed, in a way that only Black Dahlia can rival (although Black Dahlia and Noir aren't similar to each other at all). It's not an every day scent. Rather, I see it being something I would wear on occasion when I'm dressing up and want to feel uniquely sophisticated and glamorous. However, there's something about it that makes me unsure if I actually will wear it or not. It may be a bit too strong for me. I will have to see how it goes, I suppose. Either way, I am thrilled that I've had a chance to acquire an imp of Noir.

Goona Goona is beautiful. It’s incredibly subtle – it’s exactly what I expected Water of Notre Dame to be, actually. The scent has just the tiniest hint of soft rose, and I would guess it’s a light pink rose by the sweetness of the scent. There is a hint of something that smells like incense – but just a touch of it. Or maybe it’s sandalwood. Or maybe it’s both? It’s really hard to tell. Every note in this scent is so subtle and they are blended so perfectly that it’s difficult to pick the various scents out. This is an incredibly peaceful and calming scent. I definitely wouldn’t wear it to make an impression. I’d wear it for personal use, when I need to be calm, peaceful and serene. Considering how subtle it is, I’m also impressed by how long it lasts. Too bad this is discontinued and so hard to find.

Torment smells like sneakers stuffed with gardenias. Somehow the vetiver and bay combine to give me a really strong “cross trainer” scent and the gardenia doesn’t blend with it as much as stand next to it, balancing out the sneaker scent with it’s heady, heavy floral scent. Needless to say, this is not a fragrance I would want to wear – not even when I’m exercising. It’s thoroughly unpleasant, and not my cup of tea. It can be hard to find, so I’m glad I got to try it, but it will get passed along fairly quickly. The throw is light to moderate, and the staying power seems to be about 3-4 hours until it fades.

Hakkotsu - This is such a nice blend! It’s crisp, clean, and very fresh. The sandalwood is barely apparent when wet, but strengthens a touch as the oil dries down. The bergamot gives this blend a really fresh, bright tone, and there’s just the tiniest hint of floral rounding it out. It’s got the slightest soapy note to it, but it only adds to the cleanness of the scent, and doesn’t detract from it in any way. Hakkotsu is a strange scent, simultaneously dry and fresh. I probably won’t wear it often, but I’m glad I have it.

Bruja - the imp I received was an old-style tarted imp, and had apparently aged quite a bit. It’s a dark, thick oil, and I couldn’t smell the lilac in it at all, just the amber and myrrh, which were thick, and heavy, and dense. The scent lasted for hours upon hours. While I like resinous scents, this was too resinous for my taste. It may have been a bit lighter when it was new, but my guess is that it had deepened with age. I have since received an imp of Bruja that is a much lighter oil and although it looks lighter and smells lighter, the scent is basically the same, except with the lighter oil I can detect a soft bit of lilac. I think the first imp was really old and the second one must have been much newer. Again, they were both obviously the same oil upon smelling them, but one had aged more than the other. I didn’t care for the darker/older Bruja as much as I like the lighter/newer Bruja, although the lighter/newer one doesn’t last on me skin as long as the darker/older one.

Lex Talionis - A dark and husky scent, this is the villain you find lurking in the shadows in the black of night in 19th century novels -- it's Mr. Alec D'Urberville, Parson Dimmesdale, the Headless Horseman. Deep, black, and powerful, the patchouli, cedarwood, and pepper notes stand out above the rest. This is not a scent I would wear, as I prefer scents lighter and fruiter, but as with others that are too dark for me, I'm going to pass this on to my husband.

Bacchanalia - The first time I tried this blend, I was using an aged imp of oil and didn’t care for it. I tested it again from a fairly fresh imp, and I liked it much better. It’s thick and full of juicy grapes. The grape is definitely the dominant note, although I smell the musk, but it seems to be more of a backdrop for the grape. Bacchanalia is incredibly sweet and bordering on too juicy-sweet for my taste, yet it’s still an intriguing scent. I’ll have to try this some more.

Entropy - I don't care for this scent when I first apply it. It's too dark and smells like a headshop, although it is soft and subtle. However, about 2-1/2 to 3 hours after I apply it, I start to notice that as I go about my daily business, I keep catching the very faintest wafts of patchouli. This is a note I don't usually like, but in this blend, it's absolutely gorgeous. The rose note is not evident at all, and as usual, it's a civet blend that I really like. The opium mixes with the patchouli to give it a subtle sweetness. I like this fragrance. I'm surprised how much I like it after my initial reaction to it, but in the end, it works really well on me. It does mostly stay close to my skin, but I catch the occasional waft of the fragrance, and it lasts much longer than most BPALs do on me. Also, while I was testing it today, I inadvertently layered it with Smut, and they layer really, really well together!

Black Widow is sweet, spicy goodness in the vial. On my skin, it loses the sweetness and the spiciness mellows and becomes warm and arid. This scent has my #1 favorite note (rose), my #1 least favorite note (jasmine), and 4 other notes that rarely work on me (myrrh, patchouli, sandalwood, wine); yet, somehow, it works on me. In BPAL-land, I don’t think anything stranger has happened. I can’t get over how nice this scent smells on me and how well that odd combo of scents works so phenomenally with my chemistry. There is not much throw, and the scent is subtle and stays close to my skin, but it lasts for hours (must be the sandalwood and rose keeping it from disappearing). I’m just flabbergasted at how much I like this scent, considering so many of my least-favorite notes are in it! But it works! And I’m sad that it’s discontinued. Oh, and one last thing – I imagine this scent would smell really sexy on a man. Oh yeah!

Pandora - When first applied, all I smell is mint. It’s a sweet, pretty mint – but it’s still mint, which is a scent I don’t care so much to wear on my body. As the blend dries on my skin, the mint does not fade, but recedes a bit to reveal a pretty floral scent underneath. It’s impossible to identify the floral note(s), but it’s rich and heady, yet it’s simultaneously soft and feminine. It’s a perfectly fine blend, but due to the mint, it’s just not for me. It only lasts a couple of hours on my skin, as well, before it fades away completely.

Both a fearsome crossing and fiercely potent uncrossing blend, depending on your intent. Juju is full of jasmine. Sniffed wet in the vial, it smelled more herbal than floral, but the moment I applied it, the scent of jasmine enveloped me, and I couldn’t wait for this blend to disappear from my skin. Thankfully, after the oil dried on my skin, the jasmine softened, although it was still very evident. The herbal notes begin to show themselves at this point, and blend with the jasmine to create a scent that is bitter and floral. It’s an unpleasant scent for someone like me who abhors jasmine, but I imagine that someone who likes jasmine and who likes the bitter herbalness of the Voodoo blends could really enjoy this blend. I’m very curious to know how people use this blend for crossing/uncrossing. Something in my gut tells me it’s an extremely powerful Voodoo oil, and I don’t think I’d mess around with wearing this as a fragrance, even if I liked jasmine. Just for reference, the staying power of this blend is incredibly strong. This is a good 5-6 hour blend for me, when most BPALs fade on me after about 2 hours.

Tears is ridiculously overpriced since it's been discontinued and is in high demand. I went ahead and bought an imp (for $10!!!) so I could see what all the fuss is about. I was very disappointed with my first sniff of the oil in the bottle. It's kind of chemical and pungent. However, I decided to see how it reacts with my skin chemistry, so I put it on and it's definitely not as pungent. On me, it's not reminiscent of tears or being near the ocean or memories, etc., as many of the reviewers on the BPAL forums have noted. It's crisp and clean and fresh, very marine/aquatic. And while it's certainly not soapy on me, it has an odd underlying scent that I've smelled before and I can't quite place it, but the things that keep coming to mind are dry-cleaning and dryer-sheets. The scent is different from any other BPAL scent, but had I known what it smelled like initially, I wouldn't have paid so much for a mere imp of it. I do have to say that unlike many BPALs which disappear on me within a few minutes, this one lasts hours upon hours upon hours. Unfortunately, after about 3-4 hours on, it turns into hairspray. ALL I smell is sticky, icky hairspray. Definitely won't be repurchasing and I plan to pass along the imp I've got.

A swirl of shadowy incense smoke and the lingering perfume of cloaked strangers. Mystery - Soap! Not just any soap -- Ivory dish detergent, to be specific. I get none of the lemon, anise, incense, or smoke notes from this blend that other people get. It's a very strong soap and has a moderate level of throw. I have the feeling that anyone who smells this on me will simply think that I took a shower with some really strong soap. It smells very clean, but I'd still rather not smell like soap and will be swapping this one away.