LittleGreyKitten

So I wasn't sure what was going to be unique about this: there are two other vanilla mints, Snowblind and Lick It. But those two are quite different so I assumed Tokyo Stomp would have some twist to it. Indeed, it is it's own scent, though it is somewhat reminiscent of Snowblind. I like it a lot more than Snowblind, which I find a bit bland in a weird way. Tokyo stomp has a very cake-like vanilla base, and I adore it. I will be bathing in this constantly. Mmm. I did have someone say "chocolate" was a scent they got out of it while I was wearing it. I didn't notice it. But indeed, it must have some aspect that smells like the Thin Mints everyone mentions. I love Beth's foodies. I love Tokyo Stomp. 5 out of 5.

I got really freaking lucky. I'm gonna be slapped if I ever go to a meet n sniff, I think. This is why: this turns into the original Milk Moon after about 10 minutes. Initially I was kind of indifferent about the grape/figgyness... it almost smelled like cream and champagne to me. Then the "champagne" notes back off, way off, and the milk/cream pops out. And voila, I have the original Milk Moon! Uh, I have no idea why it works on me when everyone else gets nothing like it. But I love it and will be stocking up, for sure. 5 out of 5, wonderful!

Every so often I feel the need to acquire another Chaos Theory. I've had a good number that I scored soooo well on, a few I feel indifferently towards and one I flat out couldn't stand. The good: caramel apple drizzled in butter (smells like a Creepy prototype), a lavender marshmallow vanilla scent that is slightly Spooky-esque, a cake batter scent, one that smelled dead-on like baklava, and a few others I couldn't precisely identify but loved nevertheless. So I felt the urge to get a Chaos Theory off ebay the other day, the description only being "foody, maybe". OK, that's enough to interest me. So I got me a half bottle of DCCCXL, or 840. It smells oh-so familiar on first whiff. It doesn't take long to realize why. It is very like Matin Calin by Comptoir Sud Pacific... sweet sugared creamy milk, in other words. The exact notes in Matin Calin are sugar candy, toffee milk, sandalwood and vanilla pod. Sugary cream is how it smells to me, as does DCCCXL. To compare to other milky BPALS, DCCCXL is a lot like the original Milk Moon but a lot more sugary, and more like half-n-half rather than heavy cream. Nobody would get sour out of this blend in any way. It isn't as much like Obatala, I'm not sure why... Obatala, though it reminds me of Milk Moon, doesn't seem similar to this blend, except in the most general way (milk scent). It does seem somewhat like the later drydown of Milk Moon '07, simply because by that time the milk/cream base has emerged and killed off the grapeyness, and it smells a lot like the original by then. But again, DCCCXL is tempered by more sugar, and something I would call caramel if it wasn't a BPAL blend (Beth's actual caramel note is much much more potent than what I'm thinking is caramelly about this.) Do I even have to say I'm in love, and will treasure this half bottle like it's gold? 5 out of 5, and Chaos Theory rocks. Edited to add: The other blend I tried side by side with this is Milk by Ava-Luxe.com. Very, very similar too. Their Milk blend is sugary, creamy and light, and also extremely similar to my CT3. The difference is that the Ava-Luxe perfume fades much faster than the CT3, and is less complex. I also found that same thing when comparing side by side with the Matin Calin... extremely similar, but the CSP is a fainter fragrance with noticeably less complexity. But, when I run out of DCCCXL, they'll help me through the pain!

I get an Underpantsy feeling from this too, despite the floral-ness. I am not a big floral fan but I like Critterbait here. The vanilla seems to make the flowers all nice and palatable for me, though the vanilla is pretty mild and tame. This does have a hint of citrus tang to it too. While jasmine is usually a no-go for me, and even though I can actually pick it out in this blend, it works for once. Yay Critterbait! This is a soft skin scent- not aggressive at all, no way I'm going to get a headache from this blend. I would definitely classify this as a floral though- perhaps one of the most wearable I've ever run into, but a floral none the less. The grapefruit is mostly present as a background hint of tart bitterness. 5 out of 5, though it fades fairly fast on me. EDITED TO ADD: The throw is all vanilla, and apparently it's a lot more noticeable than I would have guessed, at least for about a half hour. When first I put it on at work I had a bunch of people say "What's that yummy smell? Cake?" So even if it seems like Flowered Underpants to me up close, it's all vanilla from arms length. AND EDITED AGAIN: I got some backup that has the plain label, sans Critter. It's different! Quite noticeably so... I'd even say that it is almost as dramatic as the difference of Snake Oil vs. Boomslang or something. I like it even more, which is hard to imagine, as I used up 1/4 bottle of original-with-critter. The non critter plain bottle kind is much less jasminey, by far. The vanilla is deeper and foodier. I have to say it's even more amazing. The grapefruit is just a bare, bare hint in this, also less noticeable than the first run. I noticed after I added this someone else thought the exact same thing a few reviews below.

Holy crap, this is good. I'm so glad I got a few... um... four. Because musk, caramel, chocolate, vanilla, cherries? I am sooo there. Cardamom I simply wasn't sure about, but I figured it was hard to go wrong with those other delights. Turns out, a mild, less aggressive cassia note is what my nose interprets the cardamom as. I actually like that bit. I don't get the Heavy Caramel note that's been turning up in Beth's blends of late, which is good. It tends to overwhelm all else. I don't get cinnamon; cardamom has a bit of a similarity to it but is it's own scent... less dry and overwhelming than cassia, and the spice scent of it is just not cinnamonlike to me. The one thing it reminds me the most of is MB Underbed. I can't wear Underbed- the cassia is wayyyy wayyy to much for me. This is much more delicate and well balanced, less dry. Underbed always seemed like a pile harsh cassia over a dry cookie. This is more like a dab of cassia over a moist chocolate cake. This is droolworthy- I get soft delicious foody yum with a dribble of softened milder cassia on top. I don't get cherry specifically but there is indeed a hint of dark fruitness, in the best possible way. The chocolate isn't dusty on me either- it's the melty Bliss-like stuff I can't resist. Musk I don't detect really- I guess it just provides background depth to the blend. 5 out of 5, with the expectation of aging really well.

Wow. This is one seriously yummy snakey. Initially it's strongly candied mint- not peppermint, or anything skin freezing, but a gentle soft sweet mint. Then the vanilla/snake oil thing comes on strong beneath the mint, and the mint fades some. It ends up as this delicious vanilla, hint of mint blend. Love! Sadly it does fade fast, so it requires reapplication. That's fine though. The Snake Oil base is hard to detect; I believe that's what the sweet base note is, but I wouldn't realize it was a SN variant without the description. 4.5 out of 5.

This is major caramel; it's heavy, like some of Beth's most recent caramel adventures... Arrival at the Sabbath & Homage to the Devil for instance. It isn't as sweet as that one though. It's more dark & deep in nature. Just a dab is plennnnty so I think the imp, barring accidents, will last plenty long for me. Plus, though I like having an imp of it to fiddle with, isn't one that I'm dying for more of. Which is just as well- if I really adored it, I might cry. Anyway, good stuff but I can live without a bottle. 3.5 out of 5.

Very deep, dark, sexy floral. It reminds me for some reason, just a bit, of Trick #1, perhaps the patchouli? I love the idea of a datura based scent, I love the flowers- though I admit I have no clue what they smell like, but in my imagination they would sure smell like this! I cannot pinpoint coconut but I do get a creamy base to this smell. This is one of those blends that nothing particularly sticks out, just a wonderfully sexy smooth dark scent. It is definitely a floral but as a dead sexy non-heady one I'll be way more likely to wear it than most. The creamy-with-patchouli base note helps a lot too. It isn't that potent, which pleases me- throw is medium to light, way less obtrusive than it initially seems like it ought to be. This may be a favorite of mine, it really is the most wearable sexy floral I've run across. Does fade fairly quickly on me, in about a half hour. I suspect this will age really nicely and last a bit longer as time goes on. 5 out of 5.

I got to try a dab of this from a friend's imp. It did the most amazing thing on me- after drying it turned into the most perfect imitation of true honeysuckle I've ever smelled. Just like sniffing the flower, absolutely perfectly. It was amazing. I realize there's no honeysuckle note but that's precisely what this floral mixture did. Plus it wasn't cloying or headachy like florals often are- I found it refreshing like actually sniffing a flower can be. It was really quite cool. Pure pretty florals are not so much my style but I'm kind of tempted to get my own bottle just for that amazing bloom of scent.

Whine. I WANT TO LOVE THE KITTYMONSTER PERFUME. The label is awesome. The description is great. The notes sound really promising. So why, oh why, does it smell like cheap men's deodorant on me? I do not smell like a fuzzy naughty kittymonster. I smell like a hairy armpit! Boo. I can pick out some of the notes individually: cinnamon, check. (Usually a good thing.) Gentle hint of orangey goodness, check. (Also usually a good thing.) Black tea, a wee bit, check. (Indifferent to tea usually but rarely does it ruin a blend.) So how does the gestalt become deodorant to my nose? I have no idea. But apparently that's what happens. I'm gonna try Kittymonster a few more times, as I'm not giving up yet. (Honestly I'll probably keep the bottle regardless as I am a humongous dork and adore all thinks kitty.) Maybe I can retrain my nose now that I've read the ingredients a few times and picked them out individually. Orange cinnamon tea would be nice...

Well, glad to see I haven't lost it totally- before reading the other reviews I was certain my nose was busted, because I too get a strong Snow Moon/Dublin scent out of this. (Those two plus Snow Bunny I've always found virtually identical, with Skadi and Snow Maiden as sisters). Sweet snowy pine, in other words. Why pine? I see no pine in the notes. Nor snow or slush, though I guess it could be inferred from the description. But yeah, very very Snow Moon but even sweeter to me. Weirdly the first time I smelled it in the bottle I found it offputting, really sharp and nothing like it smells on skin. So it took me a bit to put it on. But now I am enjoying it, though I prefer Snow Moon, Snow Bunny, and Dublin. 4 out of 5. (Wish I'd bought the T shirt.)

Wow. Ethereal, yes in very deed. Moonflower is one of the very few floral notes that prick my ears up when I hear it's in a blend. Kindly Moon definitely has noticeable moonfloweriness going on, which is a good thing. Besides that, and a hint of peachiness, I'm having a hard time picking out notes in this one. It is totally floral for sure, not heady but instead fragile and ethereal and moonlit. Which basically describes the only type of floral I ever enjoy, and even so it isn't something I grab a lot. Kindly Moon smells exquisite and expensive, and I do appreciate it's beauty. That being said, I don't wear it much. Because it is a floral, and I'm so very rarely in the mood for that. But for what it is, it is perfection. 5 out of 5, despite the fact that I don't wear much, because it is gorgeous.

This reminds me of an extra sweet Snake Oil base plus the hardcore vetiver from Lenore. I found the gorgeous sweet vanilla base to be intriguing with the vetiver. I don't yet know if I'll reach forit a ton- the vetiver is a bit difficult for me on a regular basis- but it's very interesting and the sweet underscent beneath the vetiver is amazing. The vetiver throws farther than the SO base scent though. Didn't notice coconut. I love the Snake Pit concept and I'll have to get a few more to snuggle. (And oh dear god but Boomslang is OMGGOOD). 3.5 out of 5.

This requires more contemplation, and wearing at different times. So far I have really liked it twice and found it stomach turning once, and been completely undecided once. The caramel and tobacco are the culprets for my not immediately loving it. Caramel can be very good or very bad on me, and if I can smell the tobacco it's never a good thing. (See: the heartbreak of Red Lantern). Anyway the caramel is definitely the most prominent note... I prefer the Arrival at the Sabbath and Homage to the Devil in the Salon for this type of scent to be honest. The two are quite similar on my skin but Homage lacks the iffy tobacco-ness of Tiresias. That being said if you can wear tobacco this could be drop dead sexy. I am not yet declaring it a bust though- that's for sure!

This has no business curling my toes like it does. I mean, full on floral? I didn't even know why I got it, except that I liked the "sugared cream" in the description- but generally the orange blossom, iris and carnation should make me run screaming, creamy or no creamy. But! This is AMAZING on me. It is so deliciously feminine and sweet and creamy I can't even describe it. Somehow the notes meld into this divine aroma that isn't even what I think of as floral, yet it must be. Well, I can pick out a hint of carnation, but it's just this wonderful spicy creamy thing really. I've gotten tons of compliments on this blend. It throws hard and far, but since it smells so good, all I've had is people walking within maybe 10 feet of me saying "What IS that wonderful smell?" Which isn't a bad thing. I need more! 5 out of 5, and then some.

This is absolutely heavenly delicious. It requires mixing by rolling in your hands- the cocoa tends to float on top. I can't believe how wonderful it smells though. The Snake Oil is noticeable, the cocoa definitely is, and I also get a wee whiff of rice milk. Together they are divine. I've gotten tons of compliments on Boomslang. I cannot wait to see how it ages either. I need several! 5 out of 5, lovely!

CCCXXIII- AKA 323. I purchased this from it's original owner, as opposed to the lab; I'll have to see if she posted a review here when I have time, since it's always fun to see what other people's impressions are of scents. Anyway. This is my favorite of all my CT3s which says a LOT, I have several I absolutely adore. This is a lot like Creepy, with a little more of the Spooky creamyrum undertone. Oh, my god, it is delicious. Wet, it goes on like it has a crisper apple note- Granny Smith as opposed to Red Delicious. There's also a Chimera-like hint of cinnamon (which can't be cinnamon, according to Beth's description of the CT3s, and my skin isn't irritated by it, so it definitely isn't actually cinnamon... it just smells like it to me). Then it dries. There is a totally coconut rum like scent that erupts off my wrist and is amazing- sweet, creamy, and totally decadent smelling. Also I get something like caramel too. It really smells like a Spooky + Creepy thing happening after it dries down. It gets much sweeter and creamier as it dries- whatever slightly astringent note I was getting is gone, and so is the cinnamon-like note. Really, I am in love with this scent. I'll be cherishing it for sure. It amazes me how much the Chaoses morph, too- it smells much different wet and in the bottle... the creaminess and sweetness really emerge only when totally dry, but that scent sure does linger. 5 out of 5

THE SNOW MAIDEN Ylang ylang, osmanthus, spring berries, and daffodil cloaked in hoarfrost. The Snow Maiden is toe curlingly lovely on me. It's like Snow Moon minus the birch and fir notes. It's like Snow Bunny with no pine. Or yes, Skadi, minus the pine. Obviously, I don't get pine out of this one! Which makes me ever so happy. While I don't dislike the snow+pine thing, there were so many good ones last year I will never need more! I would say the blend that Snow Maiden reminds me of the most would be Snow Moon, which was always a bit sweeter after it dried than the others, due to the frozen floral undertone. This has the same frozen flower note, which I adore (oddly, since I'm usually not a fan of florals... but coat 'em with frost, and I am in love, I guess!) The Maiden also has a hint of berries, which I seem to recall from Skadi the most. Really this is a gorgeous blend. I love Beth's snow note, as I keep repeating it seems... well, she keeps making snowy goodness, and I'll keep enjoying it! 5 out of 5.

The hope of springtime penetrating winter darkness. Snow, darkness, and icy air illuminated by the thrush’s song: warm amber, soft orris, and melancholy violet. This starts out so promisingly when wet: wonderful snowy goodness, hint of something sweet and floral beneath. No pine, which is a fun change- most of the snow blends have pine. Then it dries. And the Violet of Doom pokes its widdle soapy head out. And then it stomps all over the beautiful slushy goodness and all that is left is 100% Evil Violet. Ech. Of all florals, violet is the absolute worst on me, even jasmine is a better bet. The only thing is, sometimes it never appears in blends that list violet, hence my high hopes for The Darkling Thrush. But no, it had to go and ruin everything. The orris and amber remain MIA, which is OK. For me, 2.5 out of 5. Possibly would improve in a scent locket.

In our paean to all the mysteries surrounding this enigmatic number, there are thirteen lucky and unlucky components: cocoa and vanilla beans, Mysore sandalwood, star fruit, orange rind, red amber, fig leaf, mimosa, rooibos tea, bourbon geranium, rose otto, nutmeg, and lavender. That's weird, I could have sworn I reviewed this. Well, anyway. This is a truly amazing creation. I've been slathering non stop for weeks, and cursing myself for ordering only one bottle. I smell the vanilla, the chocolate/cocoa, a hint of orange, and something creamy that isn't apparent in the list of notes. It also has this amazing (dare I say it? Normally I would never write this...) powdery note. It's just barely powdery, but powdery it is. And it smells so damn good! It smells seductive, foody, sexy, yet not overwhelming... perfect, perfect balance of scents. I also get just a whiff of tea. The gestalt is a creamy, sweet, hint-of-powder blend with some depth to balance out the sweet/foodiness of it all I would say it's similar in feel to Velvet, though it smells nothing like it... it's just the sweet/creamy/foodiness balanced with deeper sexy base notes that I'm referring to. I liked the previous 13, but this one I absolutely adore, and it's definitely in my top 10. I sure hope it reappears on the next Friday the 13th! For me this is a pure 5/5, or maybe a 10/5 really!

I absolutely adore Lick It. I have a small stash of it. It aged so beautifully- initially it was all white sugar and blinding peppermint. As it aged this amazing sort of musky/foody undertone took over, and the mint bumped down a notch in intensity. Lick It Again smells like a 6 month old Lick It- not quite as yummy and foody as the year old stuff, but getting there. If I could compare a fresh Lick It to Lick It Again, I'd bet LIA was less minty, more foody/sugary smelling, just a bit. But the aged year old LI is so damn good that LIA is not quite there yet. That being said, I'll bet LIA becomes so amazing by next year, I'll have to have some put away. Because I used Lick It obsessively over the hot summer, and I love it when I'm feeling a little queasy- the blast of mint makes my stomach feel better almost always. I've gone through 2 and a half bottles of LI, so I'll be replacing them with LIA for sure. 5 out of 5, awesome to see it back, thanks Beth!

When wet this smells like foodie heaven. It's deliciously cakey, and I almost always adore Beth's cakey blends. It's lighter than some too- Cockaigne is the only one that was too much for me, and I couldn't deal with... it's much lighter than Cockaigne, and a also lighter than Eat Me (which I adore). However when it dries I smell what I can only assume is a hint of olive leaf, which I think is a wee bit odd smelling. It's just a faint whiff though, and I can forgive it, since the cake smell is so divine. No wine makes an appearance, which is absolutely fine with me. I absolutely adore it wet, and I like it a lot dry; I will definitely get a few to stash away and age, as the cakey blends usually get more so with time (Monster Bait: Closet really did, as did Eat Me). A friend and I were playing with our collections of BPAL the other day and Haloa smelled WAY different on her... the hint-of-olive was no mere hint on her, it was a huge wallop of olive. It's always interesting to see what skin chemistry does! Anyway, Haloa is really a lovely blend, if you like foodie blends give it a whirl. 4.5 out of 5, though it may grow on me (or age to perfection). EDIT: Hahaha, I stuck a Haloa-ed arm under the boy's nose and instructed him to sniff me. He responded by attempting to gnaw a hunk off my arm, and when I wailed in protest he said "Well? You smell edible, what do you expect?" So I guess it gets a rare (and rather toothy) vote from the male contingent.

Wow. I love this scent. I am a huge fan of Beth's snowy blends, and was thrilled to see so many this year, and so many without pine! I was head over heels with Snow-Flakes because it has no pine (which I was pretty sure it would have) and MINT!! Sparkling, gorgeous, soft minty loveliness. This is so very much like a wee bottle of winter. I liked Nuclear Winter, but this blows it out of the water. It also has an edge of Snow White. Miss White turned to play-do on my skin, so I am thrilled to have a bit of her loveliness that I can actually wear. This is just purely perfect. I will definitely be hoarding. It's delicate and requires slathering (like Snow White did) and has not much throw. I don't care, it's worth reapplying. 5 out of 5, the perfect BPAL winter blend.

I didn't love the '05 version. It just was too boozy or something, and the fruitiness went all wrong. This new one for '06 is really great though. It goes on very spicy on me, with caramelized sugar and a hint of good-fruitiness. The fruit was sour on me in the '05. I also had a funny experience with this. Three co-workers all decided it smelled like something extremely familiar, and took turns sniffing me and contemplating my Sugar Skull-ness. One girl thought it maybe was apple pie I smelt of, and the other two disagreed. Anyway, this has major throw- they were across a counter from me smelling me! But I truly love the thick caramel smell of this, it's gooey and awesome. Strong, though. I think an imp will be key to proper application- I upended the imp on the wrist rather than just using the wand- hate to see how strong it would be out of the bottle. Anyway, definitely gonna get a bottle or two of this, it's gorgeous. 5 out of 5. (I did really well with the Halloweenie scents!! Almost all worked!!)

Wow is this a strange scent on me. The leather note almost goes to chlorine. No sweetness. Nothing but the leather-that-isn't. My skin is clearly funkifying the leather note, but I'm not a huge fan of leather notes anyway.