moonarcana

I never got the chance to try the previous version of Egg Nog - but I am THRILLED with the 2007 vintage!!! Love, love, LOVE it! It smells like the real thing in the bottle (spiked just right) and doesn't change much going onto the skin. It's fabulous - perhaps my favorite foodie scent of all BPALs. (but you didn't hear that Candy Butcher & MB: Closet, o.k.?) It dries down to a creamy sweet nog-lite. And though it's very faint, the scent lingered enough that I could still smell it the next morning. After trying this one out, I picked up a quart of Eggnog at the grocery, laced it with a bit of Bacardi and Voila!!! A multi-sensual scentsation for the senses! oh yeah, it's bottle worthy! (I may even need a back-up bottle)

The Fruit of Paradise, the Nectar of Death: bittersweet pomegranate. Absolutely gorgeous! Fruity, but without the sticky sweetness that accompanies most fruity scents. This is fresh and full force pomegranate, with something slightly darker lurking beneath the surface. Sophisticated and very sexy - I'll be getting a bottle for sure!

oooh, I'd just like to say how much I agree with erraticprophet for this one. Croquet is a fabulously happy scent in my imp box, so much that I'd definitely like to upgrade to a bottle. LOVE how it actually smells effervescent! I also like bright floral scents to kick the Winter Blahs in the butt. Some of my faves are Amsterdam, Shadow Witch Orchid, White Moon, Flower Moon and Lilium Inter Spinas. Christmas Rose from this year's Yule blends is another good 'bright' floral.

Many thanks to Gypsy Rose Red for giving folks the opportunity to test the Bat's Day scents! Door 13 took me by surprise! Today I was wearing Crow Moon in my scent locket and when I opened the vial of this scent, it reminded me...overwhelmingly so...of Crow Moon, not fresh from the bottle, but after it has marinated for a good 15 hours in a silver locket on a hot day. This is not a bad thing at all. It has a COLD blast...a dark fruitiness and a definite metallic tang. I like those qualities in a scent. However the patch of skin where I sampled this scent, sucked up the scent quickly and after about 1/2 hour it was barely detectable. It was lovely while it lasted though!

Thanks to Gypsy Rose Red's generosity in starting up a couple of sniffing circle groups, I had the opportunity to try the Bat's Day scents. The Queen's Salon is a beautifully blended floral musk - at first sniff it has a very strong generic cologne type of feeling...fortunately that burns off fast and the scent settles into the skin quite comfortably. The florals are most strong in the wet stages of application...since I was sampling sparingly, it didn't take long to get to the dry down and this is where the muskiness starts to become more prominent. I'm awful at notes, but I agree that there could be a light amber or possibly even sandalwood - whatever it's a wonderful compliment to the floral notes. The Queen's Salon is a winning scent in my book. I would like to wear this one again! edit because I'm a goober

The Candy Butcher in a scent locket is an all day creamy chocolate high for me. I wear this often. I also really adore Velvet...the sandalwood note blends soooo wonderful with the chocolate. Bliss is also nice, but most of the time is too dry of a chocolate scent for me. And I totally agree with astarinel about the latest version of 13. I've only worn it once so far, but my oh my is it beautiful! I've only tried Boomslang a couple of times - but it's on my wishlist. It has a lot more going on than just the chocolate, but it's all good - and of the good variety that only gets better with age...so bonus!

I'd say: Snake Oil - because I agree with faylie it takes some breaking into BPAL to fully appreciate...but getting one right off the bat means you can hang onto it and let it age awhile. Dorian - because it's unique and such a yummy comfy scent. Hollywood Babylon - again unique...and spicy sweet! It was one of the first imps that I got and I just flipped over how different it was from anything I'd ever worn before. Embalming Fluid - believe it or not, I've yet to try this one myself - but it's a favorite for so many and I'm trying to come up with a diverse list here. Bliss or Velvet - everyone loves a little chocolate! (I think Velvet is the more complex scent of the two) Black Lily - because it's among the loveliest floral GC scent (to my nose anyway) although I think Lit Chick's suggestion for Maiden is a good one too.

From the vial, a pungent floral with a touch of soapiness. I was dubious as to whether I would even like it. But almost the minute it hit my skin, the aroma changed. Freshly applied, it loses the sharp bite I got on the first whiff and the floral notes seem to be more harmonious. The only thing I can specifically detect is the jasmine and while at this point it still has a touch of waxiness to it, it's not the high-pitched shrill note that sometimes triggers a headache reaction. The fragrance is surprisingly strong and wafting. Once the oil soaks into the skin for a bit is when the beauty of the fragrance really becomes apparent. The tone has softened a bit now and is much more harmonius. The scent really lasted for quite awhile. If I were to find a bit of this at a price I could afford, I would definitely go for it - but it's not a pressing desire. Still very lovely and probably my favorite of this round of Convergence exclusives.

It is very hard to pick out a particular note in this scent. It is creamy sweet with a spicy bite. It flows effortlessly between a brash floral note and a smooth peppery musk bridged by a sweet vanilla note. Everything just blends together beautifully. I like this one a lot!

The only time a BPAL scent has ever reminded me of a fragrance I 'used to wear' is Amsterdam smells dead on to Estee Lauder 'Pleasures' ...for me anyway, and Pleasures used to be one of my regular scents. I've not found anything that reminds me of other scents I used to wear...a couple of which I've seen other posts asking or recommending in this thread. Joy, Coco Chanel, Ralph Lauren's 'Lauren' and 'Blue', SJP 'Lovely, Oscar de la Renta 'Intrusion' and Estee Lauder/Tom Ford 'Amber Nude'. Of those, I'd say 'Joy' is the only one I'd really like to find a similar BPAL to wear...but I still treasure my bottle of the real thing on that one, whereas several of the other scents listed above have moved onto new homes since they were being sadly neglected after my conversion to BPAL.

I used to wear Opium a lot when I was in my 20's...and while I don't think it's a comparable match, a BPAL scent that is evocative of the mood of that fragrance is Chrysanthemum Moon (Lunacy from Sept. '06) I see bottles listed for sale here on the forum as well as on eBay for less than original sale price from the Lab, so you may want to keep your eye out for a decant or bottle of that one.

o.k., so I saw your post over an hour ago and raided the imp pile for Bengal and Chimera, so here's a 60-minute-side-by-side comparison. I totally love Bengal, though I can see how it might go overload to someone who amps cinnamon. Have you ever tried a scent locket? Bengal is more cinnamon toast to me when fresh on the skin and more cinnamon toothpicks once it's dried down a bit. I haven't worn it in awhile and forgot how much I liked it...so thank for propelling me to take a return trip to Bengal! Chimera on the other hand (my right hand actually) is more cinnamon custard to me than toast - but it is indeed smooth and delightful and the cinnamon is present while being very reserved. This is a scent I hadn't tried yet, so again thanks - I had fun being a Cinnamon Girl tonight!

Since I am prone to random whims of decanting for others from my bottles as well as occasional swapping or selling of a partial bottle, I like to keep them as pristine as possible - so I normally apply from my own decants...however from my decants I dab whatever's on the itty bitty plastic tip and then slather straight from the vial most of the time since I'd be forever dipping that tiny applicator in order to transfer enough oil to my skin. (I am more frugal with super rare stuff, which I don't have many of to begin with) However, I do have a couple bottles with glass wand caps (Snake Charmer, Haunted Palace & Snow White) and a few with reducer caps (Vasakasajja, Hunter Moon, Chaste Moon, Temperance) because that's the way they came to me. And I keep a little pouch with 3 glass cocktail stirs tucked in my main bottle box in case I feel like applying straight from one of my bottles. (easily cleaned with alcohol on a cotton ball when I'm done and just slide back in the pouch) And I have a few bottles that I've 'claimed' as forever my own (Bastet, Urd, The Caterpillar, Snake Oil, Snow White '04, Temple Viper and my open bottles of Mum & White Moons) since I freely dab from the cap and/or slather straight from the bottle, mostly as others have described up-ending the bottle up against my arm and wrists - then I wipe my wrist along my neck to move the fragrance to that area.

Sampled from a beautiful decant by evilmistressoftoast which was gifted to me from a friend... Arachnina has tried to wrap my attention in her glorious web ever since Act III of the Carnaval opened, but I am being leisurely in my visit to the dark faire so I didn't get in line to check out her show right away. Beautifully sophisticated with a very dry, just lightly dusty waft - even while the scent is wet. From the start, the floral note of the lilies and leafiness of the nicotiana are stronger to me but the powdery quality of the opium interlaces itself into perfect effect. I don't detect a fruitiness with the currant much except right out of the vial but it still lends itself well to the dark personality of this fragrance. After the florals wilt away a bit, the resinous patchouli and red musk weave intricate patterns through a backdrop of the black musk...and although these notes can be quite heavy and pronounced in other scents, Arachnina manages to keep them at [multiple] arms' length. This is a beautifully crafted scent, very much that of a gorgeous but deadly spider woman. I'm quite fond of poppy and patchouli, but for me those notes are not the main attraction for Arachnina. Her beauty is the interaction of all the components, like a lacy web which entices it's victims to come in for a closer look, then gathers you up into a gossamer cocoon to feast upon your senses. I'll be lining up for more before the Carnaval leaves town!

Alrighty then...so you either have my name for the Switch Witch Spring Fling round or you're just nosy and following the breadcrumbs from the link in my signature. Well, for whatever reason you're here reading this, here are a few links to posts and sites to find out a little more about me and the kinds of things that make me smile What products are you dying to try? Layers of You Because I know you like answering questions Inside the Actor's Studio questionnaire post your picture If you were a ____, which would you be? more to come as I get the chance to track things down...

I was able to experience Anaconda thanks to the wonderfully kind generosity of Forspecial Plate. Sniffing from the imp is like flan laced with Snake Oil. Sticky sweet caramel and buttery rich custard with a slinky-spicy undercurrent of yum. It's here than I smell the biggest connection with Snake Oil. Once the oil meets my skin, it turns to a sweet nutty scent, really quite nice despite the fact I'm not all that crazy about many of the scents in this range that have drawn comparison. The subtle yet sultry tobacco note wafts up once the oil has settled for awhile into the skin. This was my favorite stage - creamy sweet smooth smoky fantastic and to my extended pleasure, it really lasted for a nice long while. It's now eight hours later and with my nose plastered to the spot on the back of my hand where I applied the oil, I can smell scant traces of sugared tobacco leaf but everything has pretty much slithered off. The Snake Pit as a whole is a mesmerizing collaboration of olfactory artistry and the big snake in the little vial most certainly leaves a memorable impression.

Maiden is probably my favorite carnation scent in the GC, but Morocco and Brisingamen didn't do much for me at all...I've given them both multiple chances because they are always being recommended by people, however I always end up trading the imps away again. Maenad is nice but very fruity to me more than being a floral. Alice is a very soft carnation, not the bright spicy variety at all. My fave carnation LE is definitely Carnivale...sweet at first but then drying down to be the next best thing to Carnation SN (which I also have and love)

Here's a few that I think have a vintage sensibility... Veil - white sandalwood, lilac, gardenia, violet, orris, lavender and ylang ylang. Morgause - five night-blooming flowers deepened by dusky violet, purple fruits and the barest breath of medieval incenses. Ephemera - violet and chamomile with muguet, white geranium, calla lily and tea rose with a hint of autumn leaves. Prague - Crocus with snowdrop and three lilies. Lady of Shalott - bold gardenia, crystalline musk, muguet, water blossoms, clear, slightly tart aquatic notes and a crush of white ginger. That dress is gorgeous!

I was gifted the B&BW Sensual Amber body butter a few weeks ago and have discovered that it is a perfect layering companion with Bastet. Although I'll just say for the record that my bottle of Bastet had to age for a few months before I could stand to wear it...but now that the scent has started to settle into itself more I want to wear it all the time! Seriously, I need to go revise my top ten because it's moved up the rungs by leaps and bounds. I'm pretty much an amber-ho...I went to the lab site and searched 'amber' for both current and discontinued and it listed 59 - of which I have or have tried 38, and scanning those I'd suggest: 1. Bastet 2. Haunted Palace 3. Moscow 4. Baghdad 5. Haunted the last two are more dry and spicy (and Haunted is a darker scent) than the Bath & Body Works scent and I've not actually tried layering them yet, however I think that they'd be good ones to try - but the first three I can tell you work great on me.

I believe that I wore Bastet on Yule, however I did put on some Posset's Winter Solstice later in the evening as I did a bit of solemn meditation. I went out of town to visit family for a few days around Christmas, so I packed some assorted imps with me (in my handy-dandy BPTP 'Garden of Earthly Delights' imp case) and I wore Stardust '06 layered with a bit of Mistletoe on Christmas Eve. But we passed around Midnight Mass '06 before Tom left to go play for the Christmas Eve service. (he's the organist & music director at an Episcopal church) It was a big hit - everyone thought it smelled exactly like church incense. On Christmas Day I wore Dana O'Shee, just because it's so light and pretty on me and it smells really good with the Kiehl's cherry almond lotion that I had brought with me. I have no idea what I'll wear New Year's Eve...I don't even know what I'll be doing New Year's Eve right now - so how could I plan my perfume? I'm a spur of the moment kind of perfume picker most of the time anyway.

Ladon is my favorite BPAL apple scent. Verdandi is nice too, but doesn't quite have the same fresh bite that Ladon does. Punkie Night is the other one I really like but it has that smidge of cranapple cider going on - and good thing it's just a smidge because I'm not fond of cider scents except if it's a big pot of cider with mulling spices staying warm on the stove that I can spike with little rum if I feel so inclined. tarotbydiana wrote: I no doubt crossed that line from romantic to cynic long ago, but it still cracks me up something fierce to imagine actually partaking in this scenario - then I've always been pretty dubious about dining alfresco upon blankets ever since I first questioned why the men get to keep their clothes on and the women look like they'd rather be somewhere else. That said, I've not tried Tarot: The Lovers but I'm going to go make sure that it's on my wishlist because a blend with apple and rose sounds like a gorgeous scent! edit to fix link

Everyone's reviews for this scent are so different...so I'll chime in with my opinion just to stir the pot! This was the one Yule scent that topped my list after reading through the update and I held off getting a sample to try from a couple of decant circles that I got into because I knew that I wanted a bottle of this. I love it when I'm right! The Darkling Thrush is beautiful. It is rich and deep and dark without being heavy or overbearing. I can see how people would pick out 'minty' or 'creamy' to describe it, but for me those terms are a bit misleading. There's a sharp icy quality to the violets in this fragrance which gives it the same edge as a mint, but I get absolutely no mint scent. And to provide a complimentary contradiction to that cold icy side, the amber gives it a wonderful and steady warmth. I couldn't really tell you what orris smells like on it's own, but I'm guessing that it's what bridges the sharp, dark violets to the mellow warm amber. It doesn't morph at all - what it smells like in the bottle, smells exactly like when I put it on my skin and that scent stays pretty constant and strong for at least 2-3 hours and fades almost completely after about 4 hours - but today I wore it in my scent locket and it's been wafting around me all day long and 8 hours later is still going strong. This would be a good scent for both men and women - I wore it on Thanksgiving day and had several people ask me about my perfume, so I finally got the bottle out of my purse and passed it around...everyone loved it! (and yes, I wrote down the Lab's website so they could buy a bottle of their own) This is definitely worthy of a second bottle before it flies away. I rate it a 5/5

To me, White Rabbit smells exactly like I would expect it to based upon the list of its components. I might relate it to Milk Moon's spicy cousin, the overall essence of White Rabbit is a backdrop of light and airy white linen with a predominance of creamy, sweet milk - spiked with a healthy shot of ginger and mellowed by fresh steaming black tea. I don't specifically notice the honey or vanilla notes, but there is most definitely a sweetness which keeps the milk from going sour. Very nice. And the scent stays even as well is long lasting. Because of the linen, this feels very much like a Summer fragrance, but here it is rolling up on Thanksgiving and today I'm bundled up in wool socks and an extra sweater as I look out the window and see the last of the Fall leaves flutter off the barren branches...and White Rabbit is a perfectly snuggly and comforting scent to me right now. I'd rate it a 4/5

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. My birthday is 10/13 so I was especially excited to get this scent...even though I've had questionable past experience with cocoa scents and am not particularly fond of orange notes. In the bottle - WHEW! That's some strong stuff! At first it's pure dark chocolate with bitter, bitter orange and a big waft of rooibos tea. I wince in olfactory pain. Bravely, I sniff again and through the profuse tainted orange, I can detect moments of other notes coming to the surface...spicy amber and soft but non-descript floral mostly. Upon application the bitter cocoa/orange/rooibos sensation makes itself at home and I fear the worst...how can "MY" birthday scent be so...not something that I totally love?! but wait! after about 15 minutes I don't smell bitter cocoa/orange/rooibos AT ALL. As a matter of fact, what is left in the wake of it's departure is quite gorgeous! Soft creamy cocoa and vanilla kissed with sandalwood and a very faint floral tone dancing in the background. I never smell specifically any one of the floral notes mentioned in the description...and I would love for any one of them to peek out and say hello, but the combination is nice and does not contradict the lovely softness of the choco/vanilla/sandalwood. I tried this out last night after I got my order, and this morning could still smell the scent clearly upon my skin - so it's got staying power on me for sure. I'm wearing it again today and the cycle described above was a repeat. I'm hoping the bitter orange will mellow with some age. However the end result is worth the torture. ...maybe my opinion is clouded because I WANT to love this so much. For right now, I'll rate it a 3/5 - it would get a 4.5/5 if I didn't have to suffer through the first 15 minutes of wearing it.

I have decants of both '05 and '06. '05 has more of a carmelized sugar type of smell from the imp and going on wet but it dries a bit lighter...perhaps raw sugar, but not as bright as pure white sugar. And it is very faintly fruity in the background. It's like a glazed fruitcake. '06 is the white sugar scent - it's so sweet I feel like brushing my teeth so I don't get cavities. There's something lurking below that pure cane blast, but it's not fruity to my nose. It's hard to pin down exactly but the scent is all sweet sugar with something a touch more sinister brewing underneath.