VelvetSky

Beth is the best source of information about what BPAL blends consist of, but.... It is my understanding that Beth uses the finest oils that she can obtain. Most of them are natural oils that come directly from the plant, fruit, stem, tree, or other original source. (For example, patchouli, frankincense, rose, cedar, citrus, etc.). Some of the ingredients are synthetic, because they simply cannot be obtained from the plant itself. According to the great book by the perfumer Mandy Aftel, 'Essence and Alchemy', ...."lilies, along with a number of other florals, resist any form of scent harvesting. In fact, it is a telltale sign that a perfume is made from synthetics if it contains any of the following flowers, because they cannot be rendered naturally: freesia, honeysuckle, violet, tulip, lily, gardenia, heliotrope, orchid, lilac and lily of the valley." So my guess is no, the blends are not all 100% essential oils, although some may be. And I do believe they are blended in high quality carrier oils. Fortunately for all of us, Beth is a master alchemist and perfumer who uses the best quality ingredients for all of us. Edited for spelling.

Venice is a totally 'red' scent to me.

If you love sweet, pure, resiny scents you'll adore Penitence. The frankincense and myrrh are perfectly blended and balanced in this perfume; both notes are clear and discernable from the second of application all the way thru the drydown. Overall, this blend is very dry, deep and mysterious...complex in it's simplicity. If you like woody, sweet perfumes without a hint of flowers, Penitence will make you swoon. I'm so glad I ordered this imp. I might order a bottle next Fall for the colder months.

Wolf Moon I'm soooooo glad I took the chance and ordered this based on Beth's description, because it's absolutely freakin gorgeous. This is a soft, powdery floral on my skin...with a touch of pine and the tiniest breath of mint. Even though it's powdery, it's also clean and fresh. I'm also getting the aquatic note that others have picked up. Can a fragrance be both powdery and aquatic? Wolf Moon manages to be. I would call this scent a Floral, but there is sooooo much going on in this little bottle, it's difficult to define. I just know that I'll cherish it and love it wearing it.

Not sure what you're referring to here, but if it's Chypre, the correct pronunciation is Shee-pra. Not Ky-per. Not Ky-pruh. i've heard it pronounced "KY-per", like hyper. <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Rakshasa has made it's way into my life by mistake....it was sent to me by the Lab instead of another bottle I'd ordered. I love it, and I now realize this wasn't a mistake....I think I was meant to have it in my collection. The topnote is all creamy sandalwood, woody and mellow. As it warms, I start to get the patchouli. The rose is lurking underneath, but it lends more of a vague floral sweetness to the overall blend, rather than a clear rose, for me The most interesting and beautiful thing about Rakshasa on my skin is the lemon. From the top all the way through the drydown, a can detect an ever-so-slight tangy freshness of lemon. It's barely noticeable, but just enough. I think this might just make it on my Top Ten. The Lab doesn't make mistakes.

Sin leaves a potent trail when I wear it. Also Phantom Queen.

Most any of the aquatic scents I would think. Do a search on the website's engine. Edited to add: Siren does not mean mermaid. From Webster's: siren n 1: a sea nymph (part woman and part bird) supposed to lure sailors to destruction on the rocks where the nymphs lived; "Odysseus ordered his crew to plug their ears so they would not hear the Siren's fatal song" [syn: Siren] 2: a woman who is considered to be dangerously seductive [syn: enchantress, temptress, Delilah, femme fatale] 3: a warning signal that is a loud wailing sound 4: an acoustic device producing a loud often wailing sound as a signal or warning 5: eel-like aquatic North American salamander with small forelimbs and no hind limbs; have permanent external gills

Rubbing alcohol has never done a damn thing for me as far as removing perfume oil. In fact, the alcohol itself stinks. The lemon juice and salt always works for me.....a little scary though because if you have even a tiny break in your skin, ouch. I don't think I've ever had to scrub like some of you have though.

Sin is bad-girl sexy.

I received this in a swap from fairywingmaker. Bernadette, you're awesome! India Bouquet has the distinction of being my first Voodoo blend to try. Wow. This is an interesting scent. Really really interesting. I usually don't like foody blends, but this is different. Definitely fennel, as everyone has mentioned. But not raw, pungent fennel....more like a soft whiff of it on a warm day. I'm not getting much, if any, of the cumin (good thing). The drydown is wild grasses, herbs and....green onions!? huh? My overall impression is that I really enjoy the way this smells. It's pretty different from anything I've ever had on my body, but it's such a clever, interesting scent, I'm somehow drawn to it. I wish I had snagged some when it was available. Edited to note: Just realized that Queen was my first Voodoo blend....so this is No. 2.

Pele was a gift from fairywingmaker.....thank you ever so much, Bernadette. This is an absolutely gorgeous tropical floral, surprisingly light and understated (which is something I usually don't anticipate with tropicals). Fresh, yet ever so slightly powdery. I'm definitely getting the muguet, and something a bit spicier which I'm assuming is the Hawaiian white ginger flower. This is a blend that I'm definitely going to be testing again and considering for a big bottle. It's just beauteous.

Endymion is a beautiful, subtle fruity/floral perfume.....the scent of a rain-laden breeze in a pear orchard. This is an extremely intimate fragrance, staying very close to my skin and never really creating much sillage. It's perfect for a cozy day with a book when you want a fresh fruity scent. This was a gift from fairywingmaker. Thank you, Bernadette.

Definitely B-PAL. Never B-P-A-L. The Lab only on here. Never Black Phoenix (not that I can recall anyway).

scarlet, I'm so sorry that you have to deal with allergies. I'm sensitive to some ingredients as well, so I know what a pain in the ass that can be. I think that Beth, as a perfumer who cares about her clients and a businesswoman, is walking a fine line. While I'm confident that she would never want anyone to become ill, she also needs to protect the intellectual rights of her products. Unfortunately, there are tons of people who are only too happy to duplicate her blends and sell them as their own (a lot of us have witnessed it). I agree with everyone....your best bet is to email the Lab and ask them. If you don't get a response for whatever reason, play it on the safe side and don't order a blend you have any doubts about. Your health and life are more important than perfume, no matter how beautiful or tempting. As quantum spice noted, perhaps in the future there will be a common allergen search filter on the website. Until then, just be cautious and email the Lab. If you don't get a reply, try again (they've been having email glitches, etc.). Good luck. edited for spelling

Cold Moon is so beautiful, it's heartbreaking. This fragrance is so wonderful, I really can't find the words to do it justice. Beth, I love you so much for blending this magical oil and sharing it with the Universe.

Uhh-kaay. I was really looking forward to White Rabbit, but this is a fragrance that I can't wear. The linen note intrigued me, which is really why I was inspired to order the imp. But I can't wear this milky foody scent. My skin doesn't like foody smells. I'm so sure that this must smell absolutely wonderful on someone, and I can appreciate the artistry and love that went into the making of this blend. But this isn't something I want to smell like. I will be so happy to gift this to someone who will adore it.

I was gifted of an imp of Ophelia by the wonderful and generous fairywingmaker. Thank you so much, Bernadette, for giving me the chance to try this fragrance! I can think of little to add to the reviews above. This is an absolutely gorgeous sweet aquatic floral....colors of soft pink, cool white, spring green and pale turquoise. Ophelia is a bit too similar to my beloved Desdemona for me to put this on my big bottle list, but I do love this scent. So feminine.

There is something seriously disturbing to me about Gaueko. I'm not liking the way this oil is making me feel when I smell it. Nothing about the oil itself....it's the way I'm reacting to it emotionally. This is bringing up bad memories, thoughts, impressions. Not good. Lavender. Smoke. Something moldy, like moss or leaves. Lavender blends are normally refreshing and cleansing to me, but I'm associating this strongly with something bad in this or another life, and I must put it away. I've never had this reaction to one of Beth's oils. WTF?

Hymn is a sweet, white, ecclesiastical blend...the only thing saving it from utter purity on my skin is the myrrh. The topnotes of white rose and lily are very pretty. The florals sweeten and become stronger as it warms up, becoming incensey and soapy midway thru. The bottom of this fragrance is basically rose and resiny frankincense on my skin, which is very lovely and feminine, although it's extremely difficult to separate myself from the church-y impressions this blend makes for me. Hymn is nice. I'm not sure how often I'll wear it, but I appreciate the sweet powdery character of this oil.

Intrigue is a gift from the Lab, and I just adore them for giving me the chance to try this beautiful scent, as I never would have chosen it for myself. This is a sexy, mysterious, ripe and incensey blend. The notes are absolutely perfectly balanced....the chocolate isn't too foody, the fig isn't too sweet, and the Black Palm....my goddess, what the hell is that? I don't know but it's awesome and gives Intrigue an evilly tropical kick. This stays fairly true thru the drydown. Nice and strong. I feel like a witch when I wear this. I've added it to my big bottle list.

Black Phoenix is a gift from the Lab, and I'm ever so grateful to be able to try their signature blend. This is a very sexy, womanly scent. I like the way BP makes me feel when I wear it. As others have said so well, this blend stays very close to the skin....it's very intimate and personal, although it's potent. This is liquor-y cherries and pipe smoke, and some kind of wood, like stepping into The Old Curiosity Shop. As it warms, I get a lot of incense in this blend, and some kind of sinister flower. Extremely sensual and amorous. I usually cannot wear a vanilla fragrance, but the vanilla I detect on BP's drydown is very subtle and calm. It goes a bit soapy at the very end, but overall stays very rich and true. I'm loving it.

I'm usually really into green, murky, herbal scents and that's actually how I'd describe Bayou, but there is something in this blend that my chemistry wants to reject when I first apply it. The topnote has an almost sour quality on my skin and I really don't want to smell it on myself until it has a chance to warm up. I think it's the pine. Damn my sinuses, I just know that's the culprit. The drydown is wonderful; sweet, powdery yet aquatic at the same time. The moss and cypress blend perfectly with the floral notes. I think I'm really going to enjoy wearing this in the summer!

The Lady of Shalott starts out on my skin all sharp musk and gardenia. The musk is extremely magnified on my skin and almost drowns out the other notes. I'm surprised that other reviewers are getting this as a soft floral on the topnote, as it's very strong and pungent on me, not at all soft. As it starts to dry down, the musk fades back a bit and I start to get the green, watery notes. I'm picking up the muguet and the salt, and I'm liking this oil much better as it warms. The base of this fragrance is watery, a bit spicy with the hint of ginger. Any musk other than Chinese White seems to be quite disagreeable with my chemistry. Unfortunately, it drowns out any subtleties in every other note in a perfume on my skin. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to try TLOS, and I know it must smell divine on another woman.

Crossroads is a very cold, dark, interesting scent.....I'm getting very strong sense memories of being outdoors in the country in a grassy, weedy field, with crickets chirping all around and stars whirling above. Very very strong impressions and memories when I breathe this in...it's difficult for me to review this oil with any objectivity, but I'll give it a try. The topnotes are green, mossy and dry....not like oakmoss, brighter and younger. It smells dirty, in a good way. As the oil warms on my skin, it sweetens up and becomes a bit more floral, with the sharp edges of the scent becoming softer and rounder. The sharp greenness is still underneath though. The drydown is quite incensey and herbal, while retaining a bit of the elegant floral sweetness. Some BPAL blends affect me in a very personal, emotional way. They dredge up things that are probably better left alone, and for that reason I'm not sure I can bear to wear them as a perfume on my body. Crossroads is such a scent for me, although I'll cherish my imp. I'm sure I'll be using it in spellwork.