filigree_shadow

I know what you mean. And valentina too. Honestly, it makes me uncomfortable to read anything that's even slighty critical of the Lab. I think they work really hard, their products are better than anything else of its kind out there, everything is reasonably priced, and their customer service is great. Plus Beth is one of the most gracious, reasonable, and funny people on the entire forum. But I can see why there's confusion about some things for newbies. If I was looking at the Lab's website for the first time and being overwhelmed by all the pages of choices, I'm not 100% sure I'd notice that blurb on the front page about the ship time (even though it's in red and it's right there on the front page). I think it's a fairly innocent mistake to make your first order without realizing it'll take a month to arrive. I don't think it's necessary to be condescending in responses, like valentina said.

Rats. I don't think this smells like it's supposed to on my skin. I was expecting something like creamy chocolate, and what I got was a rather bitter cocoa scent... it smells like cocoa and metal. I'm not kidding, there's something metallic about it. Like that taste you get in your mouth when you drink from a glass bottle that just had a metal cap on it. It does get creamier as time goes on, but unfortunately it's an artificially-sweet-smelling creamy scent. I totally get what eleventhousand was talking about with the Chocolate Snow White, though -- it does smell like Snow White to me when it's dry (with very little chocolate). I'm beginning to believe that my skin actively rebels against BPAL chocolate blends and anything that's supposed to be creamy. It does this to me every time. I put on something I think will be great, and my skins says, "NO! Not this one! We want those civet ones, or something with vetiver!" Those are the notes that smell wonderful on me, believe it or not. Sigh. Another disappointing chapter in the creaminess quest. I'm kinda jealous of people who can wear blends like this one.

This smells Christmasy to me too. I think it's the pine and cranberry combination. The tomato leaf is really strong at first -- a little too strong for my liking. I like it better after it's dry, but overall this blend is too bitter for me. Nothing against this combination because I think it's interesting, I just tend to prefer smooth comfy scents. I'll give the imp to my husband and see how it works on him.

This is very foody... it's like honey and cake. It's buttery, too, especially right at first. I keep waiting for the honey to go wonky on me like it usually does, but so far it hasn't happened! The wine comes out a little when it's drying and saves it from being overly buttery/foody. I'm enjoying this. Not sure how much I'll wear it because I have tons of cupcake/donut-scented lotions that I wear all the time, and they really satisfy my cravings for this sort of scent. But I do like this.

In the bottle it doesn't smell so great. It's kinda pungent. But on... wow. This is a very soft haze of a perfume. It smells like a muted peach, with a little bit of a sweet woody scent lurking around the edges. The fruity part to it is beautiful; it's not overly juicy or acidic, just pretty and lingering. It doesn't smell anything like the strong peach I've smelled in other GC blends, and I don't know how to describe it. It's just... soft. Understated. Quiet. None of the notes are shouting in this blend, they're all lovely and whispery. It's not all fruit, either -- there's a slighty woody and floral complexity to it, and just a hint of a sparkle. Even the oil itself is soft; when I put it on my inner arm, it made my skin feel smooth and soft. I don't usually notice that at all with perfume oils. I think this is beautiful, and I'm so glad I have a bottle. I like this even better than Tamora, and I thought Tamora was my favorite peach blend ever.

I had no idea what to expect from this, judging by the description. What I smell straight off is extraordinarily sweet dirt. There's also a bit of of nose-tingle factor to it, which usually means something like mint or eucalyptus. I think there's a little smoke in there too, but it's kind of hard to tell because my skin amps any sort of dirt/earth note like you wouldn't believe. This time it's a minty dirt -- I smell like I've been digging around in the garden near my catmint plants. So on my skin evidently I'm getting mostly "earth and wind" out of it (I usually think of that minty scent as being kind of breezy). I would have liked smoke and fire, but my skin chemistry had other plans. I like the way it smells in the imp a lot better than the way it smells on my skin, so maybe I'll try it in a scent locket and see how it goes.

In the imp, it smells sweet, green, and tangy. On, it smells strongly of lavender. At first it keeps that sweet green-ness, that absinthe-like scent, but the lavender scent pervades. As time goes by the lavender fades out and what's left is a sweet, herby, purple-flower scent. I'm trying to recall the exact scent of lilac, and I'm pretty sure that's what I'm smelling here when it's dry. This is really nice -- not at all like the rose and lavender scent I was afraid it would be. I love the sweet tanginess of it. I think this would be great to wear in the spring.

I went with my gut instinct and bought my first unsniffed GC 5ml of Tanin'iver. I'm thrilled to find out that my gut instinct turned out to be trustworthy! The cassia is quite strong at first, but as it fades out I can start to smell something sort of murkily sweet. It settles into a sexy blend of smokiness and spice. It smells red, and hot. Fiery. It smells a lot spicier on than it smells in the bottle. I'd love it more if the cassia weren't quite as strong, but underneath the cassia it's a fabulous smoky dark scent, with that sweet dragon's blood that I love. Also I love the label on this bottle!

I was soooo hoping this would work on me, and it does! It reminds me a lot of Cobra Lily at first, but with a wonderful muskiness underneath it. It smells brighter and greener than I thought it would -- it's lush. As it dries down it becomes darker, without as much of a green edge, but it still smells pretty lush. It starts to become more humid-smelling, more like what I imagine a jungle might smell like. This is very well done, and I like it a lot!

Wow, I like this a lot more than I thought I would! For some reason I was expecting something like Jolly Roger, and Port Royal is nothing like that. Much more perfumey, with that sort of stinging quality that I like about the perfumey blends. The spiced rum is prominent, and I love the woodiness to it. When it's dry I can definitely pick up the salty sea air. It smells exotic and deep. Excellent throw, too. This one's a keeper.

The almond is quite strong right at first, but it fades out quickly on my skin. While it's drying it turns into a light, very slightly watery floral, with just a little bit of smokiness underneath it. My overall impression after it's dry is that it smells mostly like a powdery jasmine blend, but it still retains that earthy smokiness. The bergamot gives it an extra little kick of brightness, too. Also, when it's dry it's very faint. I can't smell it unless my nose is right next to my wrist. I was a little worried about the jasmine in this blend, but it's not overly strong here. I think this is one of the few jasmine blends I can wear, so I'm happy to find this one!

I think Snake Charmer, Morocco, or Scherezade. For most Dead Can Dance songs, really, not just that one. I think you'd need a smooth BPAL perfume that's deeply sexy and kind of earthy at the same time for Dead Can Dance. Sanvean: I am Your Shadow, by Lisa Gerrard, seems like a BPAL Black Orchid song to me.

Usually honey notes are not my friend in perfume oils, although I love the smell of real honey. But this seems to be a pretty popular lunacy oil, so I wanted to try it anyway. I'm glad I got the chance to try it -- it proved to me that BPAL's honey notes don't always smell like play-doh on me. This is actually mostly a floral on my skin, a sweet one, with a warm creamy undertone. The floral notes are just a little too heady for me, though. The blend is very interesting, but it's not something I'd wear. I don't tend to wear anything that has a prominent floral note in it. I'm happy that there are so many people out there who like this one, though -- there are several BPAL oils (like this one) that are so pretty I feel bad for not liking them. Like I'm hurting their feelings for not appreciating them like I should. So I'm pleased that I'll be able to find a good home for this imp.

I definitely am! The last time, the person I sent to seemed really happy when she got stuff, and I loved shopping for her. (Plus I tried some new stuff myself when I was shopping for her with etailers I haven't tried yet. ) And the person who sent to me was not only an awesome witch, she has since become a friend.

In the bottle: A tangy mint with floral. Initial impression: The mint is that kind of mint that makes me nose tingle. I don't want to get too close to my wrist. There's a slightly sweet bubblegummy scent to it as well, which is what lotus usually does on me. Drying: It starts to go a little funky. The mint fades out a little so it's not quite as bold, and something not altogether pleasant is now noticeable. Kind of a pungent note. Normally gardenia is really strong on me, and I can usually recognize it. It's a bit distorted because of the mint, but I think it's the mint/gardenia combination that's misbehaving. Dry: Hmmm. I don't usually like mint, and lotus and gardenia are both iffy. I'm always willing to try anything, though -- many times Beth surprises me. But with this one, it's just not working for me.

Stinging. Strong. It has that strong biting floral scent that I really don't like about florals. It's gotta be jasmine, but there's something else in it that makes the blend particularly nostril-curling for me. (Jasmine really doesn't work on me in the best of circumstances, so I'm not surprised that this one didn't work for me.)

Woody and sweet. A little smoky. Also it's really faint. I like the scent a lot, but I guess my skin sucks up this oil... it nearly disappeared entirely after about 5 minutes.

Smells like a very clean man. Leather for sure, and maybe a little bit of salt. I agree with some previous reviewers that it smells like soap. Leather and soap. Kind of a odd combination. But that soap scent goes away after about 10 minutes and it ends up being all leather. Black, sleek, clean leather. I like this one.

Hmmm. A slight pencil-box sort of scent to this one at first. Kind of like sweet resin, maybe some incense. I can't actually tell what all is in this, but it is definitely woody. After a while it develops kind of a fruity scent, like maybe peach or apricot. Interesting.

This is the Sephiroth package: Binah, Chokmah, Chesed, Geburah, Kether, Hod, Malkuth, Netzach, Tipareth, Yesod. The first package disappeared after it was sent to Mistress Tera. So we had to put together a new one... these are all my imps I'm donating, so I'm reviewing them before sending them off. Binah. This is the only imp of the set that I don't have. I tried it several months ago and didn't like it. I swapped it away. My only comments in my spreadsheet were that it was "kind of sharp." Other reviews describe it as resiny and floral, and I don't usually like either of those. That's probably why I swapped it. Chesed. Hmmm. A slight pencil-box sort of scent to this one at first. Kind of like sweet resin, maybe some incense. I can't actually tell what all is in this, but it is definitely woody. After a while it develops kind of a fruity scent, like maybe peach or apricot. Interesting. Chokmah. [Reviewed on 5/3/2006.] Dark brown oils are usually good ones for me -- so as soon as I saw Chokmah in the imp I wanted to try it right away. At first I smelled something like a pine/juniper scent, which I didn't like. But after about 30 minutes it smells and awful lot like Snake Oil. It has that same powdery vanilla quality with some yummy spice. On my skin, Chokmah is Snake Oil without the heavy powdery note. It has more bite, too. I didn't expect to get sexy out of a blend called Chokmah, but that's definitely what I got. (And you won't hear me complaining about that at all.) Need a bottle of this one... Geburah. Smells like a very clean man. Leather for sure, and maybe a little bit of salt. I agree with some previous reviewers that it smells like soap. Leather and soap. Kind of a odd combination. But that soap scent goes away and it ends up being all leather. Black, sleek, clean leather. I like this one. Hod. [Reviewed on 6/4/2006.] Powdery and sweet, which makes me think there's amber in this. There's also a slightly bitter floral note in it, which could be carnation. I think it smells golden, creamy and spicy. Kether. [Reviewed on 6/13/2006.] Almond powder. That's what it smells like on me at first. And then it smells like hair-styling products. I smell this and all I can think of is an old lady with her hair in those pink rollers and a hairnet, standing there in a housecoat and fuzzy slippers. So, um, no. This will go to the swap pile. Malkuth. [Reviewed on 6/4/2006.] Spicy, earthy, masculine. Quite fitting for Malkuth, I think. Not light and fleeting at all, it's solid and strong. Sweet, too. I don't usually like cinnamon very much, but I like this. Netzach. [Reviewed on 6/13/2006.] Mostly rose. Kind of an herby, woody, rose. To be honest I think this smells really nice. It's pretty and light. I don't usually wear rose blends as a personal fragrance... but maybe I should. Beth's rose notes smell so good and very true on me, even if the rose scent itself isn't my own fave. My skin seems to like it a lot. Tiphareth. Woody and sweet. A little smoky. Also it's really faint. I like the scent a lot, but I guess my skin sucks up this oil... it nearly disappeared entirely after about 5 minutes. Yesod. Stinging. Strong. It has that strong biting floral scent that I really don't like about florals. It's gotta be jasmine, but there's something else in it that makes the blend particularly nostril-curling for me. (Jasmine really doesn't work on me in the best of circumstances, so I'm not surprised that this one didn't work for me.)

For me, subtle = Belle Epoque, Machu Picchu, and Baron Samedi. I really like the scent of them but they are so soft on me I can barely smell them. (Although Belle Epoque really doesn't seem like an autumn scent to me.) Also anything with myrrh in it tends to stick pretty close to my skin.

This is okay, but it's a little too floral and a little too perfumey for my taste. It smells stinging to me, but not in a metallic way, in a floral way. Just based on the notes, I really should have liked this… I've tried it at least four or five times, just to be sure. But every time, I think, "Nope. I'm just not gonna wear that." It seems like it's a little bitter on my skin. There are several BPAL blends in addition to this one that I consider "perfumey," and I like several other ones better than this one. So... not going to hang on to my bottle of Khajuraho. I still have an imp of it that I'll keep, though.

I have the 2004 version on my left hand and the 2003 version on my right hand. I haven't tried the 2005 version yet. The 2004 version is not my fave. It is cool, and it reminds me of snow. Pretty, too. Fitting for something called Snow White. But there's something in it that has an artificial creaminess to it (my skin has the same problem with Antique Lace). It's kind of powdery and kind of creamy, but the overall feel is artificial -- like a fragrance they'd use for a candle or something that doesn't smell quite right. Also it gets faint after only a few minutes. The 2003 version, on the other hand... yummy! It's definitely sweeter, almost sugary. None of that artifical scent at all. The florals are a bit stronger in this version, but not overwhelming at all. It's sooo pretty. If this is what the 2004 and 2005 versions smell like on other people's skin, I can see why they're so popular. Really lovely. This version is also much stronger than the 2004 version on my skin -- I put equal amounts on the backs of both hands, and 2003 is broadcasting nicely right now while 2004 is barely there. So... Little Miss 2004 is going to sit in a nice, dark, cool corner for a while. Maybe in another year she'll smell more like 2003. Based on my experience and edenssixthday's review I would guess that Snow White is one of the BPAL blends that gets better with age. ETA: I am editing this now, 9 years later (!!!) to say that I have now tried the 2005 version! LOL. It also smells lovely and creamy, with none of the strange coconutty-plastic scent that I sometimes get from the creamy/milky blends. I like Snow White, but I think I like Snow Flakes and the Snow Maiden better.

I went through a period in my life where I felt like that too. It took me a while to find people who cared about me in the same way that I care about them (seems my old friends were incapable of that, just like your old friends were)... but it did happen eventually. Actually looking back it was not so bad because I had plenty of time to myself to figure out what the hell I was really looking for, in friendships, relationships, even with my career. But at the time, I was lonely and felt crappy a lot. I bet things will get better for you, too, once you find some friends who are better for you. I really only have 2 or 3 very close friends now, but they're so great that having them in my life is way better than the 20 old friends I used to have.

I also don't usually like florals -- jasmine, gardenia, violet, and rose are just way too strong on my skin. There might be some that you do like, though. I've tried a lot of different ones trying to narrow down which floral notes I like. Turns out I like heliotrope and tuberose, and lily and orchid are usually pretty good too. Heliotrope is in Tamora and Fae, and tuberose is in Dreamland, which is probably my favorite floral. Also I like Midnight... I think the night-blooming florals are nice. I'm still surprised when I find a floral that I like, but it definitely has happened. Also there are quite a few BPAL oils that have floral notes in them and I can't tell there's any floral in there at all, like Sed Non Satiata. Are there any ones in particular that you're thinking of trying but are scared of the floral notes?