Rouge

This is one of the first of the Mad Tea Party scents I've tried. Being a great lover of tea and honey notes I thought I'd start with the rabbit. In the vial - Sharp, fresh and clean. There's an almost lemony note which I wasn't expecting. Bergamot, perhaps, to go with the earl grey tea? Wet on the skin - BPAL's milk notes often have a faintly metallic note on my skin, but it's not overwhelming. The faint spice of ginger and pepper lends a roundness to the scent that keeps it from being harsh. Dry down - A few minutes into wear the pepper note becomes apaprent, but it's almost elusive, just clinging very faintly to the edges of the scent . It've very, very English - the scent of an old-fashioned gentleman from a sleepy village where cricket is still played on the village green and everything stops for afternoon tea at four pm. I love this scent. It's summery and gentle, and perfect for a warm afternoon. My only criticism is that it's throw is incredibly light and fades quickly. I may try wearig it in a locket to see if I can increase its staying power.

Witch Queen sounds wonderful, doesn't it? I'm intrigued to try something with beeswax in it! I don't have Malice or Horreur Sympathique but they're both already on my wishlist. I've actually tried Nemesis and it wasn't too rosey on me - luckily the fig and ginger toned it down. I'm not that fond of cypress, though. Oh, I think when it comes to posting pictures you'd have to bribe me with some pretty slave boys or maybe a scantily-clad Marc Antony...

Scherezade is lovely but on me it's not quite domineering enough for Atia. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Hi Kraken - oh, she's brilliant, isn't she? I'm firmly on Atia's side in the Atia/Servilia war. My personal favourite of her lines is when she was admonishing a slave: "it would serve you right to be gelded, and I'd do it if eunuchs weren't so unfashionable." You've actually named some of my favourite BPAL blends there, so great choices! I think Bien Loin D'Ici may now be the front runner...

Lavender is a note that almost always works for me so I'm hoping for good things from Saint Germain. In the vial - Strong, masculine and sharp. The lavender is very noticeable but is lent depth by the mosses, which add a cool green feel to the scent. Wet on the skin - Sharp, clear and pleasingly androgynous. Very, very elegant! Dry down - Saint German becomes ever more masculine as it dries - the sharp, clear notes and the lavender vanish quickly to leave a deep green scent with almost a leathery undertone. While I love the top notes of this blend, the later stages just aren't for me. I'l lbe keeping the imp, though, and using it in an oil burner.

Wow, you're right, that description is pure Atia! Unfortunately roses are one of my Notes of Death and Destruction. I like the Svadhinaopatika idea - I've been meaning to try some of the Faces of the Heroine Scents. I shall have to peruse the sales pages. Thanks for the suggestions!

Ohhhhhhhhh me too!!! Helena rocks. I want that corset and black dress she's wearing in the publicity pictures.

Yes, that was my thought about Shub - perhaps a bit foody. I've got Gomorrah, which is full of fig and date notes and seems rather approriate for Atia; I'll add it to my shortlist. Thanks for the suggestions!

Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your BPAl suggestions. A friend of mine will be having a Roman, Greek and Egyptian themed birthday party in a couple of weeks and I've decided to go as Atia of the Julii as portrayed in the HBO/BBC series "Rome". More important than the costume of course is the perfume. So... which BPAL to wear? I'm thinking it should be something quite spicy and rich and as sexy as possible. My costume is likely to be in tones of orange and gold if that's any help. At the moment I'm leaning towards either Saw Scaled Viper, Snake Oil or possibly Shub-Niggurath. Any thoughts?

The dry, glorious warmth of the Savannah. A golden, spiced amber, proud, regal and ferocious. I love amber, so I have great hopes for the Lion! In the vial - Strong, rich and almost pure amber, with a tiny hint of golden spices lying around the edges. Wet on the skin - As soon as I apply the wand to my skin there's a heady, dry scent that it takes me a moment to place. Wood and spices; it's Wally's Delicatessan in Cardiff city centre where I buy my more exotic cooking ingredients! Dry down - This scent moves quickly through a range of stages, from the strong, dominant spice note to a dry, deep and masculine base. It really does smell like I'd imagine a lion's fur to be; dry and a little dusty with an undertone of animalistic and almost threatening musk, but surrounded by the dry warmth of the grasses and woods of the plains. The Lion is an exotic and arid scent that I caouldnt imagine wearing in the rain. Since it's now July and we still haven't had a single remotely sunny day this summer, I shall have to keep it for a few weeks until the weather brightens up.

In the vial - Mossy, yet somehow dry and powdery. It seems to share a couple of notes with Shroud. Wet on the skin - There's something soft under the dry, brittle sandalwood. It's not exactly warm, but still strangely inviting. Dry down - A dry, dusty note emerges which reminds me of flowers that have baked to delicate husks on a marble graveliner, surrounded by grit, earth and creeping lichen. I'd class this an unobtrusive yet sophisticated rainy-day scent. I'd wear it with greys and light blues; dark pearls and brushed silver.

A freebie from the Lab! In the vial - Sweet, fruity and happy. Rose only very rarely works for me, so I'm approaching this one with some caution but an open mind. Wet on the skin - The rose is characteristically sharp on my skin, but the lemon tempers it a little. The apple note is the warm golden-red fruit of Ladon rather than a crunchy green tang. Dry down - A friendly and youthful blend, and very summery, but not one for me. The rose note is just too strong. I'll probably keep the imp and use it as a room scent.

Fallen is one of my favourites! I may have to go with that one - thanks for the suggestion!

Bellatrix rocks! Ooh, can't do Darkness - Narcissi, especially black ones, are my Floral Notes of Death. Lillies too, so most of the Ars Moriendi are out.

I bought this as a clean, fresh summer scent to replace my empty imps of Embalming Fluid and Shattered. Now I'm just waiting for some actual summer weather in which to wear it. In the vial - Fabric softener! This is not necessarily unpleasant, though. It's certainly got the freshness and clean texture I'm looking for. Wet on the skin - A very nice, simple, airy scent with a tiny hint of white flowers. I think it may share a note or two with the late, lamented Empyreal Mist. Dry down- The scent doesn't change much over time but its throw does increase over the first 30 minutes of wear. An hour later it has settled and faded to a light, comfortable, barely-perceptible aura. In summary, a light and lovely oil for the hottest of days. (edited for typo)

Oooh.. Pumpkin Queen perhaps. I didn't like Jack; it was just too harsh a pumpkin scent for me. Pumpkin Queen was a lot rounder and warmer. I'll be going to a midnight bookstore opening and most likely dressing up as Bellatrix, so I think I'll need to pick a perfume for that. Blood Countess springs to mind. It seems rich and cruel enough, but it doesn't have her coldness or her sharp, jarring madness. Any suggestions? Or for that matter, will anyone else be going to bookshop openings as a particular character and choosing a complementary BPAL scent?

Ginger and cinnamon are two of my dream notes, so I couldn't resist buying a bottle of this without even trying an imp first. I love the label too! In the bottle - Sharp and biting ginger with the fragrant dry heat of cassia. It reminds me a little of Al-Shairan in that it seems to be full of burning heat without necessarily any comforting warmth. Wet on the skin - Simply incredible. It's full of hot and dry spices and puts me in mind of the sunbaked red earth of the desert. I can picture cacti and sharp desert grasses and dusty flat stones spreading out to an endless, stony horizon. Dry down - The faintest hint of the Snake Oil base emerges after a few minutes of wear, providing a sweetness in the background but there's still the fierce desert heat to contend with. This blend won't be for everyone, but for me it's very close to perfection.

I think I've just found my new bellydancing scent. I usually wear Temple Viper or Snake Oil but I think this has the perfect darkness and smokiness I'm after. In the vial - Thick, spicy and smoky. Not quite as sweet as I was expecting, but I have hopes that it will develop on the skin or that it will develop with age. Wet on the skin - There's a strong incense note which I presume is a mixture of benzoin and the Moroccan spices, with a tiny hint of caramel. Dry down - Deep, spicy incense.

This is a scent which is brazen and demanding, like Babylon herself! It has an air of confidence and isn't something to wear when you're planning to be inconspicuous ;-) In the vial - an interesting mixture of dry resins, with I think, an undertone of something floral. Maybe lily, but I do hope not bcause lily does strange and unpleasant things to my nasal passages. Wet on the skin - incense, with the dry desert heat of Ozymandias... labdanum or a light amber, perhaps? Dry down - I don't notice a lot of development or morphing, but neither has the scent faded very much. It's still dark, smoky and very sensual.

I wasn't that impressed with Snake Oil at first ( I know, I know, feel free to throw rocks at me) but after leaving it to age for a few months, and testing out a number of the Snake Pit oils, I'm getting more and more besotted with it and all its variants. Asp Viper is easily my favourite so far! In the vial - Sweet, rich and delicious. All the lovely thick almond of Queen of Sheba is here, with an undercurrent of myrrh. Wet on the skin - Almond still dominates, creating an absolutely luscious and almost edible blanket of scent. I can't smell the mandarin at all, though. Dry down - There's still no mandarin, but the Snake Oil base has become far more apparent as the scent dries and morphs. I think I can smell a hint of vetiver, too. In essence; rich, deep and languid, and I suspect it will improve even more over time. Very highly recommended!

I placed a massive order last night! Doesanyone know if Convergence is likely to delay orders placed over the next couple of weeks as some staff members decamp to Portland?

Have you tried Oya? It's dark, thick plum with earthy spices. Pumpkin Queen would work too, if anyone has any for sale. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like Coral Snake - Snake Oil with fruit - might be right up your alley too!

Even though I haven't been a Christian for a very long time, there are two biblical passages that I still love; the Song of Solomon and 1 Corinthians 13. Given that the former is the far happier of the two, I'm incredibly glad to see a scent based on it. In the vial - Fresh and sweet, with a honeyed richness. It's youthful and bright. Wet on the skin - Breathtakingly lovely. Bright, fresh apple blossom and juicy fig; not the dark, pulpy fig of Gomorrah but a young, just-ripe fruit still on the tree that's warm from the sun and ready to be picked. There's no sign of the sandalwood yet, but I imagine that will emerge later. Dry down - There's nothing cloying about the sweetness in this blend - it's refreshing and cooling, like fresh fruit on a hot day. Lily of the Valley is one of the few florals (and the only lily!) that really work with my skin chemistry, and I'm delighted to find its soft, sweet fragrance here. I can't recommend this blend highly enough. On my personal star rating sytem, it's four out of five. Five is reserved for Shub-Niggurath and Brides of Dracula.

I love the site description of this scent. I'm a great lover of Victoriana, so this blend appeals to me on an aesthetic level before I've even opened the imp. In the vial - A soft, sweet, creamy vanilla mixed with a gentle floral. It's simply lovely. Wet on the skin - I recognise the powdery, aged note from Ozymandias, which to me smells incredibly like Chanel no.5. It's a good deal more creamy and feminine than Ozymandias, though. Dry down - Antique Lace fades quickly, but is nevertheless a lovely scent. It bring to mind ladies in cream-coloured gloves and silk tea dresses in the golden light of a late-Victorian afternoon. It's faintly melancholy, too. This is a beautiful and very classic scent which I think I'll be wearing frequently through the summer.

In the vial - Very sweet and wet, like a handful of crushed fruits on a warm day. I'm not at all positive but I think the blend may include strawberries and bananas. Wet on the skin - Bright and sour-sweet, with a hint of juicy bitterness underneath. A few minutes into wear, the strongest fruit note that I can identify is the same golden apple note as in Ladon - very approriate, since it was Eris who threw the golden apple that started the Trojan War. Dry down - The bitter edge noticeable on first application has disappeared quickly. I can't smell any of the spices mentioned elsewhere; on my skin Eris is almost exclusively a fruit blend, with a touch of dusky florals. It's a bright, juicy and colourful scent that's perfect for this time of year. I'll be wearing this with casual clothes in bright, strong tones, and probably using it to scent the room for summer lunchtime entertaining, too.