filigree_shadow

Cross-posting to Reviews forum and my LJ journal. I got the first package from kakiphony, which incldues Ave Maria Gratia Plena, Hymn to Propserine, Jazz Funeral, Jolly Roger, and Juke Joint. Here are my reviews. Ave Maria Gratia Plena - Rosewood with Sicilian lemon peel, red Mysore sandalwood, pale musks, sweet mountain sage and a dusting of lily, night-blooming jasmine and orris. At first this smells mainly like lemon, but that fades into a strong floral. I can't really smell any sandalwood, which is too bad. I think there's some musk under there, but the florals are so strong I can't really tell much. I do think this is pretty, but it's not my style. Too floral for me. Lots of throw, and pretty strong. Hymn to Prosperine - The darkening amber of faith’s sunset, deepened by the dark fruits of Proserpine. The first time I tried this, it went wonky after 20 minutes. This time, it's staying mostly perfumey amber that doesn't go powdery, and the dark fruits aren't starting to smell like rotten fruit. I'm blaming hormones for that first failure trial. This time it's dark, ambery, and only very slightly fruity. Fades pretty fast though; it's almost completely gone in an hour, leaving just a trace of amber. Jazz Funeral - Bittersweet bay rum, bourbon, and a host of funeral flowers with a touch of graveyard dirt, magnolia and Spanish Moss. At first I can mainly smell the dirt, but it has a very sweet floral overtone. It turns into a sweet floral with a really lush, rich background. It smells humid to me and reminds me of a hothouse. This might be the only GC blend with a dirt note that I would wear. (I specified GC because I sometimes wear Queen of Clubs.) Good throw for only the first couple of hours, but it's still faintly there for several hours after that. Jolly Roger - Sea spray with an undercurrent of leather, Bay Rum, and salty, dry woods. At first it smells salty and grassy to me. It's pretty green. Then as it's drying it smells more like an aquatic/grass combination. I like the scent, but as a perfume it fits my hubby better than me. Good throw. Juke Joint - A bawdy, gleefully wicked and unruly scent: Kentucky Bourbon, sugar and a sprig of mint. The first scent I can pick out in this is mint. Then it turns into a sweet boozey scent with the barest bit of mint... blends like this are what makes BPAL the paragon of perfume excellence that it is. I have never smelled anything like this. It's like springtime, but it's a fun spring day -- like one of the days when you have a few drinks with good friends and you all end up skinny-dipping in the lake. The scent that I can tell is bourbon reminds me of my grandmother, which is kind of weird. Makes me wonder if Grandma was in the habit of taking a nip from a hip flask when I wasn't looking. Wears close to the skin; not a lot of throw.

I was at the airport yesterday picking up my husband, and I was sitting in one of those rows of chairs. A woman and her child sat down behind me, facing the other direction. For the next 20 minutes (until I could no longer stand it and got up and left), this woman lied to her kid, made him cry, berated him, and basically told him he sucked. Not only that, but she had this whiny nasal voice with a pitch that could bend steel, and she spoke very loudly. Apparently the kid (probably 3-4 years old) had just gotten a Spiderman toy less than an hour ago, and he threw it into some baggage bin or something, and they had to sit there and wait for airport personnel to retrieve it for them. So the woman ran through the list of other things she could have bought with that $8 instead of wasting it on a toy for the kid which he then "threw away." She told him that his dad works hard for that $8 and it was not nice of him to throw Daddy's money away. She told him that when she told Daddy about what he did with the toy, Daddy would probably never buy him another toy again. She pointed to a policewoman and told him that she was going to go over and tell the policewoman what he had done and she would come over and arrest him and take him to jail. This is when the kid started to cry. The crying just spurred her on, she then described how miserable he would be all alone, without Mommy or Daddy and no toys at all either. All of this because the kid had a toy and did what kids do when they have toys that look like superheroes who fly through the air: He threw it. She sat there and let him throw the toy repeatedly, and then when it landed in a bad spot she berated him for 20 minutes in public, doled out the "wait until Daddy finds out" threat, and then told him he's going to jail. Of course none of this is her fault, it's all the kid's fault. Unbelievable. I have no idea at all what gave that woman the idea that it's acceptable to talk to a little child like that. I honestly can't imagine that it would be natural to anyone, so I guess she must have seen someone else do it and figured it was a good idea. Which sickens me even more.

At first this scent is too much lemon for me, but it seems like a sweet lemon, not a tart lemon. Kind of like those candy lemon drops. When it's dry, a green herbiness emerges, but it's still sweet. The grapefruit is doing something funky to it when it's dry -- I can still mostly smell lemon, but it's got a little twang to it. A bit of discord. I think this would be a good scent for people who like lemon and herbs.

I am usually conflict-averse, but I would have raised hell at that shop! Even though it didn't end up costing you anything, it did cause you a lot of headaches and wasted time trying to figure out the whole problem. Plus it was a crime. And if it was that shopgirl who stole your info, she deserved to be fired -- stores should be able to trust their employees with their customers' personal information. Anyway, I'm really sorry to hear that this happened to you... I am careful with my credit info but I still live in fear that something like this will happen to me too.

Hunh. I didn't know they could do that. I mean, I guess somewhere in the back of my head it must have registered that maintainers can shut down comms, but I was totally surprised by the announcement. To be honest I didn't know that Beth started alchemylab, I figured that some people started it with her blessing and she jumped in from time to time to make comments or suggestions. It seems a drastic step, which makes me wonder how bad it's gotten for Beth and the Lab. I seriously bet there are times when she just wants to scream at everyone for being such nitpicky demanding dumbasses. (I just hope she's never wanted to scream at me for being said dumbass.) Personally, I think that shutting it down is a great idea. Hell, if I ran a business and maintained a comm associated with my business, and the comm was full of people jacking up the prices on my products and selling them to make profits, and talking trash about my business and each other, I'd want to shut it down too. I know that some people are upset because they feel like they'll lose touch with some folks they had gotten to know, but for the most part I think those of us who like to talk to each other are over here on the forums anyway. Hopefully the people who like the "community" aspect of alchemylab will come on over.

I am really going to try to write reviews for everything in my blog too. If you see me slacking, give me a poke!

*attempts to bribe with cookies to peek at the design*

Beth's post in alchemylab today further explains why she needs to close it down. Apparently the potential legal problems that could be associated with it (which the community of course knew nothing about until now, because Beth doesn't go around complaining about things like that) are becoming... well, problematic. Jump over there and see what Beth says, though, because I don't want to be putting words in her mouth.

Even if only for that reason, I'm glad to see it go as well. I prefer bpalanonymous for LJ community conversations (the "no drama" rule appeals to me greatly) anyway. btw... very cool new icon!!

I agree! I was really irked when I sold a fairly rare LE imp under the forum's price cap (trying to keep things affordable for everyone) and then saw it on the buyer's sale list on LJ the very next week for... of course... a higher price than she paid me. Chalk that person off the list of people I'll buy from in the future. But fortunately as far as I know nobody else has tried to make a profit off something that came from me. Most BPAL people are pretty cool.

At first it's a juicy bright fruit with dark amber that's going a little bit powdery. After a while the brightness of the fruit darkens quite a bit. And then it starts to smell kind of like Good & Plenty candy. I can tell that this is a great scent, but my skin is making a mess of it. Ah well. I'm sure this imp will find some love with someone else. ETA: I tried this again a few days later and got something else entirely. (I'm blaming hormones.) The second time, it was mostly perfumey amber that doesn't go powdery, and the dark fruits aren't starting to smell like rotten fruit. It's dark, ambery, and only very slightly fruity. Fades pretty fast though; it's almost completely gone in an hour, and only a trace of amber is left.

Sweeter than I expected at first, then the vanilla takes over, and finally the amber seems to dominate when dry. The sweet pea is very soft. The vanilla doesn't make this smell foody at all, to my nose. Mmm, this is lovely. The amber isn't going to powder, either. I think all vanilla and amber fans should try this one.

Started out smelling like a strong floral. Little bit of grapefruit underneath, but mainly floral. I didn't smell any ginger at all at first, but it came out a little later. I'm not a big floral fan under that best of circumstances, and floral with grapefruit isn't really my style. I think the blend is very pretty and would be stunning on the right person. That person isn't me, though. Baobhan Sith makes me think of someone who is graceful, poised, feminine... and I'm a klutzy dork in a Sisters of Mercy t-shirt and clompy shoes. So, yeah... not me.

Mint. Mint that gives me a headache if my nose is too close to it. It smells cool, yes, and I'm sure this is great for some people... but I feel like it's boring into my sinuses like menthol. Not particularly pleasant. *gurgle* 'Fraid this one's for swaps. ETA: After about 2 hours it smells like dryer sheets. An improvement over the menthol-mint thing, but still not my cup-o-tea.

I normally avoid anything with grapefruit or lavender, but I think Cheshire Cat is lovely. It's a little overwhelmingly grapefruity for the first couple of minutes, but then the chamomille kicks in and balances it out. It has just a hint of lavender, which is amazing since lavender usually amps to unreasonable levels on my skin. It smells smooth and bright, crisp and shiny. Playful. I would love to take a bath in this. And this is the reason why I should always try a BPAL blend even if I don't think it'll work for me.

Mmmm, currant. I'm getting mainly currant out of this with a little bit of vanilla underneath. I'm kind of surprised it doesn't smell cakey to me, since it smells like cake to other reviewers. The currant smells yummy, and the vanilla underneath gives it a creaminess that balances out the tart currant beautifully. Very well done! I'll be needing a bottle of this.

I get a lot of pineapple at first with some butteriness underneath. Pineapple toffee? It's a little odd... but then the pineapple kind of fades away and there's a buttery dough scent left. Toast with maybe a little bit of jam. Some sort of unusual fruit jam. I think I'll have to give it another try before I make up my mind. Also, it's pretty faint; I'd have to put a lot on to really notice it. ETA: Something about this smells perfumey to me. I'm not sure why, but it does. I thought it would be mainly foody, but that's not what it smells like on me.

I know lots of people went nuts over Eat Me and Drink Me in the last update, but The King of Hearts was the one I was most looking forward to because of the red musk (). I was a little worried about the lavender, but I figured "just a spark" meant it would barely be noticeable. Alas. Wet it smells like lavender. Strongly. Of course whenever I try anything with lavender in it I walk around in a little lavender cloud, so I don't know why I thought this would be different. Just hopeful, I guess. When it's dry it smells like a woody white musk but it still has the lavender undertone. It's kind of nice but very faint. My beloved red musk apparently went scurrying off in horror from the lavender. I can't smell it AT ALL. Couldn't really detect any rose or cherry either. Argh, my treacherous skin chemistry strikes again! Oh well, I guess I'll pass this over to the hubby and see what his skin does with it. He can wear lavender just fine, the lucky duck. Oh, and I agree with slave1, very short wear length.

The Lab's description nailed it. That's exactly what it smells like. Wet, it's mostly salty water but it changes quickly into a spicy floral (spicy florals always make me think of carnation, but I'm not sure if that's what this is) with an aquatic scent underneath. It doesn't smell mainly like water with a little bit of floral, it's mainly floral with a little bit of water. If that makes any sense. Also, it's quite light. Aquatics tend to be bold on my skin and they usually smell masculine to me, but this one is not like that at all. Also, before I got this I was expecting it to be sort of like Ophelia, and this doesn't remind me anything at all of Ophelia. It's interesting. I can't recall smelling anything like this before. Very pretty.

At first it was strong, but that phase fades pretty quickly. If you think it smells too bold or powerful at first, give it 15-20 minutes. Dry, it smells mainly like tea and sandalwood on my skin, with a woody floral scent over the top (I'm guessing that's the cherry blossom, but I don't really know what that smells like on its own). I am a dragon's blood fiend, and I can barely tell it's in this. Very complex. Sometimes when I sniff it I think it smells a bit aquatic, sometimes it smells woody. Sometimes it even smells perfumey. Even though I'm not sure what it smells like, I am sure that I like it a lot. Also, the label is gorgeous.

After reading through the LJ Wank-Garbage thread, I noticed that some people have mentioned (again) that if people didn't buy high-priced decants/bottles, no one would have them on their sales lists. And I feel guilty because I buy those high-priced things. I guess I'm a big fat jerk for driving up the prices for everyone else. But I've only been around for a few months, and some really good stuff was discontinued before I'd ever even heard of BPAL. It's not like I could buy it from the Lab right now. I feel like it's okay to be different in the BPAL community -- goth or not, bi or not, pagan or not, whatever -- but it's not okay to have money. If you spend a lot of money on an imp of Pumpkin King, people bash you all over the place for being stupid and/or insane. And evidently it's not cool to have a big BPAL stash because then you're an obsessed fangirl who has no life. I will come clean: I've spent several thousand dollars on perfume oils in the past three months or so. I'm not stupid, insane, or obsessed -- just... well, wealthy. $20 is not a lot of money to me. At all. And I feel like I'm being a bitch just for saying the truth. It's not a flaw, and I don't know why I'm ebarrassed about it. In my groups of friends in real life, having a comfortable home and money in the bank is the mark of hard work and success. It seems like in the BPAL community it's just a reason for people not to like you. I love my BPAL collection, I like to talk about BPAL, I like to swap with people, and there are some exceptional people in the BPAL community. But I don't feel like there's a whole lot of love for people like me. If anyone said anything negative about someone's religion 20 people would jump to her defense. But when people say someone's an idiot for spending $50 on an imp of Storyville, crickets chirp off in the distance. Followed by a post of "Yeah, that's ridiculous!"

I like the words rabble-rouser and lollygag when spoken. Wonder what that says about me. But I don't like dwarf. It's fine in print, but I can't say that combination of letters. It comes out like I'm either faking an English accent ("dwouf") or like I'm an imbecile ("drarf"). And I have to say the word all the damn time due to my immense love for the Red Dwarf series. Blast!

I just won one of Puddin's eBay auctions today! Anyway, thank you for writing such a thoughtful comment -- I appreciate it. I have spent lots of money on stuff that no one can buy from the Lab anymore, but I'm sure I've spent just as much directly at the Lab's website. And I'm pretty much caught up now with almost everything the Lab's ever made, so from here on my money will be going straight to the Lab for all the new updates (and those bottles of GCs I haven't gotten around to ordering yet). Like you said, problem solved! I'm not motivated by wanting what I can't have, I honestly just want to try everything. Not hoard it, just try it. When I first found out about BPAL I was blown away by the sheer magnitude of the catalog and had no idea what to try, and I certainly didn't think there was any way I'd ever try them all. But the first few imps I received were unlike any perfume I have ever smelled. I was so hooked I can't even describe it. Every imp I got was like magic, and they still are. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent sitting on this couch opening imps with a dumb grin on my face and thinking about what I'll say in my review. And I get compliments like twice a week. Seriously. No one ever commented on my perfume in my life until I started wearing BPAL oils -- now it happens all the time. I haven't been so excited about anything in a long, long time. Usually it's over music or books, and when I get that way I buy everything that band/author ever produced -- it's same thing with BPAL. But the difference (and the best part) is that there is this forum filled with people jumping up and down when they get their BPAL packages and gushing about the scents just like I do. I've never had this with music or books I love. I like being part of it. OK, I love being part of it. When I read the disparaging comments on that Wank thread about Shelldoo's collection (which I personally think is really cool) and about people who spend "insane" amounts of money on "just perfume oil," it made me feel like maybe I'm not as much a part of it as I'd hoped. I guess maybe that was the only snarky comment that I thought could be applied to me, which is why that's the one that made me feel guilty.

OK, I admit it. I've been over on the LJ BPAL Wank Thread for the past 2 hours reading other people's garbage. I'm repulsed by it and drawn to it at the same time. Actually, I think some of it was basically right on the money. The problem is that the actual substance was buried in dumb insults and just over-the-top ranting. And I honestly do see the need for letting off steam about stuff that is irritating, especially to people who might agree with you... but there was a lot of naming names by anonymous people, and I don't think that's very cool. If you're going to name someone else in a complaint, name yourself too. Just my opinion.

Heehee, when I saw that one about people sucking up, I thought "hey, I bet they're talking about me." Not that I give a rat's ass. I know I'm not sucking up, sucking up is when you're insincere and being sycophantic to get something out of it for yourself. I'd still go on and on about how Beth is a genius even if she posted a "filigree_shadow is an asshole and no one should ever swap with her again!" comment in 8 different BPAL communities and refused to sell me any more oils through the Lab.