Precis

Oh my gosh, this is my very favorite cinnamon oil to date! It doesn't smell too foody or too craft-store-y or have notes that distract instead of compliment (the honeysuckle really works with it). From the imp to drydown, the cinnamon is progressively less in your face and the complexity of the scent really unfolds as time passes. BPAL Cinnamon perfection!

Love the cherry in this one-- BPAL cherry sometimes turns to sickly sweet licorice smell on me, but not here! Unfortunately, it's overpowered by the lily of the valley which results in a real soapy scent on my skin.

Imp: I pry the lid of this imp off expecting something bizarre or herbal (since it is a voodoo blend), only to smell instead... cinnamon?! Wet: Tingly! I haven't had a bad reaction to any cinnamon blends yet so I was a little surprised. I must have accidentally touched my lip sometime after because it was tingly too. Oh hey, when I press my nose right up to my wrist and sniff, it's Fruit Loops, the most voodoo-magical breakfast cereal ever evidently because this isn't the first voodoo oil to smell this way. From a distance, though, it's all cinnamon, and a sweeter version than the type in Bengal. Dry: My wrists stopped tingling after the first couple of minutes, but now I have a tiny rash of pink dots on my wrists. They don't hurt though, so do I really care? I'm torn. This scent was lovely with a bit of Snake Oil applied over, but I think I will favor a milder cinnamon blend that doesn't turn my skin red, just as a safety precaution.

In the bottle, #20 Love Oil smells like vetiver or something similar to me. On initially it's just more vetiver, but as it dries something sweet and floral emerges. After a while, it's not cinnamon or rose that I'm smelling at all, but Fruit Loops! Dry: The scent fades a little (still fruit loops, but not as strongly such) and it's yet another voodoo oil that reminds me of beachy areas! Aaaand here comes the rose every other review seems to mention, but there's just a hint. Conclusion: pass!

In the imp, Van Van smells like -- what? I sniff once and it's something unsweet but foody like rosemary and the second time, I get something from a bakery and every time I try to pin down a note, I get something else entirely. Once I apply it to the skin, I get EXACTLY the sort of sugary sour citrus scent that you get from those hard candies that come in little tins (if anyone knows what I'm talking about). As nice as "resinous vanilla" sounds, I get no resin or vanilla at all. I will have to revisit this scent at a later date to see if it's the weather or this oil that makes me sneeze. EDIT: additional impressions: fresh squeezed lemonade and something beachy feeling. This scent just keeps on changing!

In the imp, Come to Me is a very peculiar sort of green/herbal scent -- it's familiar, but I can't place it at all. Once applied to the skin, the office bathroom soap smell comes out. The reviewer who mentioned Crabtree and Evelyn got it, I think. It's not a horrible scent, but it is a little boring by BPAL standards. For borderline soapy oils, I'll probably turn to Water of Notre Dame before this one.

Fire of Love is a ginger attack with a tiny bit of edge (spices? musk? I'm almost certain there's some pepper), which means I will be passing on this because blah ginger. Thumbs up for ginger lovers though!

I'm seconding Alice and Dorian as rainy day oils not because they smell like rain, but because they smell how rainy days feel. Give em a try!

Strawberry Moon is a happy sweet delicious blend of candy strawberries and cream with just a hint of something boozy, and that's how it stays on me from application through drydown. I was completely surprised at how much I ended up loving this scent because it doesn't sound like something I'd go crazy over, but I've since learned that strawberries and cream are a magical combination. I could slather this on every day... if I had more than a single decant imp of the stuff.

What on earth is it that I am smelling in this blend? It reminds me of the way my grandfather's yard smelled and looked around his adorable tiny little pond, is that because of the aquatic notes? It is citrus? When reading the reviews, I can almost detect the rose or violet or melon that other people mention, but they're presented in such a gender neutral manner that I don't recognize them. It's a great scent, but I can't describe it at all. I'd call it bluer than green, though. WoND is the color of Monet's water paintings. If there's a huge throw on this one like people say, it doesn't seem like it would be a problem because it's fresh and inoffensive -- not excessively feminine or perfumey. Also, I can see how some could draw a connection to the scent of soap or detergent or other cleaning products and object, but it seems wearable to me.

In the imp: Bengal smells arts-and-crafts store cinnamon-y, like one of those cinnamon brooms. Applied: Ah, there are other notes now! Whoever mentioned chai hit it on the head, that is exactly what I am getting. The musk is only noticeable if you lean in and sniff deeply. My first thought was that this will be a great imp to have around for layering to add an extra kick of cinnamon to certain other oils, and I see reading the reviews that this is a common idea. I'm sure this will be a great oil for the fall and winter months.

After applying, my "first sniff" impression of scherezade was that it was a fairly standard dry and exotic scent. A great scent, but "typical," you understand. I tried it, passed it off as a good oil and neglected it for a while, waiting for an incense craving. I revisited this at a later date and got the same impression initially. As it dried, however, it became increasingly tantalizing and I could not resist bringing my wrist to my nose every couple of minutes and taking a deeeeep breath. I could not identify the notes, but it is a gorgeous scent that is very evocative of the Middle East. Also, this is indeed very reminiscent of a less foody Morocco with more incense.

I've gotten two imps of Siren, one a dark orange liquid and the other a light brown. Both smell similar to me, though. Wet: Siren is soapy floral apricots and earthy ginger with just a hint of something foody (vanilla?). Dry: For one imp, the jasmine really appears on the drydown, with the ginger remaining as a mere accent. In the other, the vanilla comes out more! However, on previous applications, Siren has dried down to a ginger-dominated scent, so I am assuming it varies as the oil ages and my chemistry changes over the course of the month. While I don't like ginger very much at all, the note in Siren is a beautiful ginger that would definitely appeal to a ginger lover. I'm going to go ahead and note that while it is nice, this does not give me the impression of a "Love Potion" blend.

The Caterpillar is at least worth an imp's try, I think. I got it as a frimp in my very first order from the lab and it struck me immediately as incense, although other people seem to be having bad luck with the jasmine in it. I wouldn't have picked the note from it myself, but wearing Hollywood Babylon prompts people around me to ask, "What smells like incense in here?" As a caveat, it's a sweet scent that doesn't make me think of burning incense sticks or anything like that (but it's a very nice scent in its own right and one of my favorites). I just tried Morocco for the first time today but this description brings it to mind (or maybe the fact that it's still on my arm brings it to mind?). It's a very warm scent and it makes me think of a bustling bazaar with elaborate drapery. I don't know how helpful that is because the only connecting image is warmth, really, but I'm throwing it out there anyway. That imagery and "second-skin" in particular make me think of O, but I wouldn't call it earthy. Skuld is very like O to me as well and the musk in it might sate your desire for an incensey smell while you're at it.

I wear O when I work out and it's really nice for this purpose, I think; physical exertion amps its usually weak throw, but most people report that it doesn't travel far from the skin anyway. Other amber and honey based scents seem to have a lot of staying power, as well.

Ohhh my gosh, in the imp Hunger smells EXACTLY like those chocolate oranges you occasionally see in stores, hahaha. It's crazy! On, wet: it's more orange and an unfamiliar note that I'm not enjoying that must be the narcissus. I don't get any vanilla from this yet, except for just a hint of something that smells like Snake Oil. The chocolate orange smell is gone already -- too soon! I haven't seen any around lately and I want one now. On, dry: Uh. Snake Oil. I guess the vanilla's here now! It smells great, but very very very much like Snake Oil. It has decent throw and longevity, too.

While the imp's closed, The Red Queen smells awesome, but once the cap comes off I can already smell the sickly sweet medicinal licorice-y smell I get that I get with almonds and certain cherries. Oh no! On wet, it's the same smell. As it dries, the licorice mess settles down and the woods come out... as pencil shavings, a note I thought I only got from Ginger! It was worth a gamble, but I'll have to pass this along to someone who can wear these notes. Oh well. EDIT: WAIT it's sweetened up now to a nice, wearable, entirely cherrycurrant scent. How odd! I'll keep this around and reevaluate in colder months, maybe.

Maybe the musks are dominating this scent on my skin because I don't get an overwhelming smell of dragon's blood from this oil like some have; it isn't as fruity or sweet as dragon's blood usually is. I'm echoing the sentiment that Dragon's Musk is like a muskier Snake Oil, because that is exactly how it strikes me from application to drydown. It also smells powdery, but in a good way (again, like Snake Oil). Overall, it's unexpectedly light for a combo of dragon's blood and musk. I'm getting a medium throw on this -- it won't fill up a room like some oils and it doesn't seem to stay right next to the skin like others do. It's a keeper!

From application to drydown, Skuld is sexy delicious honey with just a little musk. It is a peculiar take on honey, but I mean that in a good way. It isn't a foody scent at all. Everything is so well blended in this oil that unless you're attempting to sniff out the notes, the impression it leaves is of a very exotic and unique scent. Very cool! It's a little intense to be worn day after day but it's an excellent scent nonetheless. I think Skuld would make a good alternative to O for those who feel the latter smells too much like sweat.

Tragically, this scent just did not work. I ignored the many warnings in these reviews because I really wanted a scent that reminded me of Noyes' poem by the same title, but wishful thinking apparently wasn't much help! In the imp, Highwayman smelled horrible, but that's standard fare for vetiver scents, so I put it on anyway, waiting for it to warm up and unfold into the doubtlessly complex and lovely scent the Lab had in mind. However, the leather and vetiver just stunk this scent up; none of the florals or cinnamon came through, it smelled like grassy motor oil. It was so horrible that it wouldn't even pass as an acceptable masculine scent (unless the wearer had magic skin chemistry or something, I guess). Furthermore, I love what vetiver usually does and I like the scent of leather in real life, so I don't know what happened here at all. This makes the second scent that I've trashed after trying over 50 imps. Tragic, I tell you!

This imp was a gift from my sister; I tried some right when she gave it to me and it was gorgeous and dark and complex, but it's been neglected since then, so I decided out of the blue to try it on and give it a review before I leave for class. In the imp, the smell of Blood Kiss is dominated by Vetiver and atrocious, but I'm used to Vetiver being all uppity until it's applied to skin, so no worries here. Wet: After slathering some of this on all over, I keep noticing this bizarre smell that I just can't place. After turning my head a few times, it comes to me: I'm smelling boiled peanuts. What the hell, you guys. After a couple of minutes, the vanilla emerges, but it still smells unmistakeably like boiled peanuts! I'm a little pissed off because I was expecting the awesome oil that I remembered quite vividly from before and I get PEANUTS! Guess I'll wait a little while longer... ...and after 15 minutes the peanut smell is mostly gone and continuing to fade. It's the Blood Kiss I knew so long ago (okay, it was only a couple months back), returned to me! Its sweetness is tempered by the Vetiver and musk and the impression it leaves is decidedly dark. As it continues to dry, the juiciness of what must be the wine or cherries becomes more prominent and something smells just a little smoky (musk?). Overall, Blood Kiss is cool, if a little intense. Good for nighttime, I think. (Haha, after scrolling down to see the most recent reviews, I see that the above reviewer agrees on the peanut front. Seriously, what an odd note to get from an oil.)

To expand upon the Alice front, I find that Dana O'Shee and Dorian to an extent are quite similar in feel and Dana O'Shee in particular is my current favorite of the group at the moment -- more interesting than the other two, I think. I also adore Fae and Tamora, which both share amber and peachy notes, I believe, and feel similarly uplifting and delicate. Of the two, Tamora is a little heavier (more amber?). The pepper in White Rabbit was so distracting that I couldn't even finish an imp of it, but a lot of people seem to disagree. To veer away from the mik and amber and honey suggestions, I find that Santa Muerte is an awesome comfort scent and one of my very favorite oils, although the slight hint of vetiver doesn't agree with everyone. Sugar Skull is delicious and perfect and completely awesome and I'd recommend getting some while you can, even if it isn't a "consoling" type of scent, because SERIOUSLY, IT'S SOOO NICE. It'll be comforting in the colder months, anyway. < Just to throw a few more titles out there, stuff like Dragon's Milk and Hollywood Babylon and Hellcat and Gluttony are so happy that they may also assist in perking you back up. IMHO a nice big order of super happy sweet imps might be just as helpful as comforting ones, so consider checking out the reviews and getting whatever sounds awesome as a big uplifting treat for yourself. (don't forget a bottle of Sugar Skull, and I mean that!!!) You seriously have my condolences and best wishes regarding your recent tragedies, and here's hoping some indulgent aromatherapy courtesy of BPAL is a help, OKAY? Good luck! Ooooh, maybe I need to throw some of this in my next imp order? That sounds awesome, thanks for mentioning it.

In the bottle: The black pepper comes right out. I can smell something sweet behind it, but the pepper is distracting. On, wet: White Rabbit smells like tea and black pepper. Isn't that something? I'm not sure how I feel about this combo. Dry: Powder, linen, and I'm getting apricots on the drydown. Odd. White Rabbit is an eccentric oil. I can see this working best on warm spring days. Like a previous reviewer, though, I think I'll have to consider this a little more before forming an opinion. ***EDIT*** Well, I've considered it! There were so many rave reviews for this oil that I wanted to give it a chance but the pepper just never blended with the other notes and the end result was a discordant and distracting scent. I ended up trashing two imps of this stuff. It's probably a personal chemistry thing, though.

The image of dark, wet electricity that the name Cathode evoked was enticing, and the "ozone scent" label and mints in the description cemented its appeal. However, I just get a chilly, damp, earthy scent from this (which sounds like what I wanted, but it's more woodsy than ozone). Furthermore, there is NO detectable mint in it at all, not even right upon its application. It is indeed mossy, so if you're aching for a moss scent, here it is. This is a real downer. I can see this working on its own or with something aquatic in warmer months, though, so I may revisit this review at a later date. I guess the search for an awesome ozone smell continues~

Wet: It's maple syrup. Dry: It's burnt sugar. After a while, it's softer and warmer and a little reminiscient of vanilla. Sometimes, I get powder too. Nothing terribly original there, I know. At first, I wasn't too fond of this at all, but after a few tries, I realized why everyone on the forum fawns over this. I ADORE it!! No, I don't know what causes these sudden shifts of BPAL approval on my part, heheh. All I have of this one is a gift imp from my sister, and I have NO idea how I'll SURVIVE until it's rereleased (here's hoping!).