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BPAL Madness!

rainbow

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Everything posted by rainbow

  1. rainbow

    Titania

    Oooh, love, love, love this. In the bottle and wet on my skin- melon and grape- just gorgeous. It's sweet and smells a bit candy-like. Wearing- this scent is just addictive. I get more pear as I'm wearing this, it's golden and pink and sparkly and so darn pretty. It's very, very nice, and addictive- I can't stop sniffing my wrists. Easily a top ten and big bottle scent for me.
  2. rainbow

    Bluebeard

    A scent swirling with dark rage, unbridled jealousy, and murderous intent. Violet, lavender, white musk and vetiver. In the bottle- mossy and earthy. Wet on the skin- strong lavender, with violet undertones and something cooling- almost minty. This is very sharp at first, and the earthiness of the vetiver is really striking, but as I'm wearing the scent softens nicely into a really wearable, pleasant purple scent in which the violet note is prominent. I'm liking this! It's like a more mellow Saturnalia.
  3. rainbow

    Hellfire

    In the bottle- boozy, like sweet alcohol. On me- resin and smoke, thick and powerful. This ended up smelling very smoky on me. For the duration of when I was wearing it, that's what I got- smoke, smoke, and more smoke. There was something thick and cloying in the background, but for the life of me I can't pin down what it was. At the end of the day, this isn't for me. It's an amazing scent, but not the sort of scent I usually wear. I found the scent of it a bit disturbing- I'm not sure what image it's conjuring, but this just doesn't work for me.
  4. rainbow

    Rosalind

    In the bottle- berries and grass. Wet on the skin- a sweet, fruity berry. Possilyb red berries, with a hint of lime. As I'm wearing- okay, I'm definitely getting some lime. I'm also getting hints of Dewberry (as in Body Shop, early 90s)- I loved that stuff, and I'm delighted to find elements of that scent in a BPAL oil. Overall- this is a very nice scent. It combines several elements I adore, like grass and berries. This is beautiful and a perfect spring/summer scent.
  5. rainbow

    Traveling with BPAL

    I've been fine with both imps and bottles in both big airports (Dulles, Boston) and tiny ones (Charlottesville, VA). In all cases I travled with the stuff in one of the lab's priority mail boxes (bottles wrapped in bubble wrap, imps as they come on the bubble wrap cushioning. Anyway, it was never a problem. I've not traveled internationally with BPAL imps, but I *have* flown back and forth alot between England and the US and had lots of similar perfume bottles0 sample size vials on their own, and small bottles, etc. and it was never, ever a problem. I'd just pack them with your other cosmetics and you'll be fine. I've been through customs with odd (and lots) of perfume bottles at Manchester and Heathrow, UK, and Philadelphia, Boston, and JFK, and, as I said, never been an issue.
  6. rainbow

    Shattered

    This is a beautiful mint and grapefruit scent. The mint is a sweet mint, similar to what I smell in Frost Moon. It's so cold that it actually tingles my skin quite a bit. It's simply gorgeous. Unfortunately this lasted less than an hour on me. When I put it on I got the mint tingles, then a bit of white floral added to the mint-grapefruit mix, then it turns into a smooth creamy floral and then it disappears, *poof* from my skin. It was there and then it wasn't- the fade was amazingly quick. If this lasted longer I'd buy it by the vat, but I just can't be reapplying every half hour.
  7. rainbow

    Ace of Cups

    This scent is a heady, sweet cherry. I'm getting the same cherry slurpee smell that others have described. There's something slightly smoky underneath the strong cherry, that gives it just a bit of mystery. I found that smoky undertone lasted a few hours, and then gave way to a true cherry candy scent- much like cherry lifesavers.
  8. rainbow

    Queen of Diamonds

    In the bottle- acquatic floral with grapefruit. Wearing- Really nice floral, like a lily with some musk. It's fresh and springy, and the darkness that was making me think musk lifts and disappears pretty quickly. The floral becomes lighter and more acquatic as I'm wearing it. I'm thrilled to have this for spring. Others have mentioned that this smells a bit like department store perfumes and I get that too- it's got the multi-floral, expensive vibe. I enjoyed this very much, I'm glad to have my bottle.
  9. rainbow

    London

    Mmmmm....roses. I get rose from this, and rose only. I'm not smelling the tea, the spice, or the dark and mysterious notes, but I'm getting lots and lots of rose. Now, lots and lots of rose makes me happy, as I adore rose scents. This one is just perfect- fresh, girly, and rose. Rose, rose, rose. There's very little else for me to say, except that I can see myself purchasing a big bottle for spring and summer.
  10. Just wanted to add- I've discovered another scent with a ridiculous amount of throw- Saturnalia.
  11. rainbow

    Saturnalia

    In the bottle and wet on skin- a deep and mysterious violet, with an almost mossy smell. Wearing- this smells nice on me- earthy, but violet at the same time. This is a scent that gives me Victorian parlor images. The more I wear this, the more I like it. Basically, I like violet way more than vetiver, and find that the longer I wear this the stronger the violet becomes, and it overtakes the vetiver. That's great for me. This is a sophisticated and unusual scent, and one I can see myself purchasing a big bottle of.
  12. rainbow

    The Magician

    This oil is complex, and it's a bit mysterious too, though not in the way you might expect- I tend to associate mysterious with dark resins, etc., but this scent is light and airy. In the bottle- I'm smelling a heavy herbal. Wet on skin- okay, this smells just like pepto bismol on me, don't know how else to describe it. I got a couple of hours of that Pepto scent. It's light, and it's a bit floral, but it really smells like Pepto to me. On the drydown this turned into a very lovely lotus on me. I like the drydown phase the best of all. Reading these reviews, this seems to smell different on everyone who tries it- intruiging.
  13. rainbow

    Three Witches

    This scent smells strongly of clove and cinnamon, in the bottle and on me. I found it to be a very steady scent- the scent didn't change at all and I wore it all day. This is a very nice autumn scent, and works well with cold weather. It has a real warming vibe about it. I don't see myself wearing it much right now, as though I adore spicy scents, this one is just not right for spring. It will be perfect come October, so I need to remember that right around August, so that I can order a big bottle. One note of caution- I didn't have any problems with the cinnamon in this burning my skin with regular wear, but I did put some of this on my neckline before blowdrying my hair and the excess heat of the blowdryer really did make my skin burn where the oil was. So, put this on after the blowdry and you'll be fine.
  14. rainbow

    Dana O'Shee

    So, when I put this scent on, it smelled just like Lush's Snowcake soap on me- sweet and marzipan, a really nice almond smell. It was sweet and comforting, the sort of thing I'd love to wear on a day-to-day basis. A half hour after I applied it, however, this scent turned bitter on me. The sense of the wet scent was still there, but it was like a bitter version of its former self. I was soooo sad- I loved the wet version. I think this must have a note in common with Snow White, because I had the exact same reaction as with Snow White- initial sweet almondy goodness, followed by bitterness. I'm sad this didn't work out for me. It's going to swaps.
  15. rainbow

    What BPAL scents could represent a mermaid?

    I'd like to add in The Lady of Shallott- good for a deep lagoon, beautiful woman sort of feel.
  16. rainbow

    Desdemona

    In the bottle- a light floral. Lots of sweet pea and carnation. Wet on skin- a watery summer floral. Wearing- this is like a summer version of Ice Queen to me. It's got a green background and is a very delicate floral. I can really smell the carnation. The reason I compared it to Ice Queen is because it has a similar vibe of watery fruits and flowers, but this is liquid water, as opposed to Ice Queen's, well, ice. Overall, a nice summery scent. Very fresh.
  17. Spellbound- it's musk, amber, and rose, and I think it's dead sexy.
  18. rainbow

    Wolf Moon 2004

    In the bottle and wet on the skin- acquatic, with a bit of sweet mint, and waterlogged (possibly rotting) wood- no, it's not nasty, it really smells rather natural and outdoorsy. Wearing- the wood and mint scents disappear, and this turns into a very strong floral, with a slight element of creaminess too it. I can also smell the similarities in it to Frost Moon and Cold Moon (must be the traditional lunar oils). A tangy musk comes through quite strongly as it first begins to dry, but it's pretty quickly assimilated into the blend. For me, this is a pungent and heady floral. It's got a slight watery and creaminess to it that's sort of reminiscent of Queen Mab. This smells much more like a traditional perfume than probably any other BPAL I've tried. I like it- I'll wear it when I want to feel grown up and sophisticated.
  19. rainbow

    Tears

    Salty and melancholy, this is a salty acquatic witha burst of what smells like peppermint, and a floral I can't place. I think there's possibly some lemon in here too. I actually prefer this as a "clean laundry" scent to Dirty, which is much more floral and less clean on me. This is indeed clean and cathartic. Good for hot summer days.
  20. rainbow

    Aquatics

    Having just recently tried The Lady of Shallott, I'd like to add my vote for her. I found it to be a very watery scent, like plants and water together.
  21. rainbow

    Val Sans Retour

    When I first put this on it smelled like grass, which is a scent that I love, with a bit of lemon. I'm also getting some slight hints of sweet pine. It's an extremely light and airy scent- so light and airy, in fact, that I could barely smell it after I put it on, and it disappeared in about twenty minutes. That said, this is a beautiful scent, and one that I'd consider for regular rotation if it lasted longer, but I just can't be reapplying every 20 minutes.
  22. rainbow

    Mercury

    In the bottle- cinnamon. On my skin- this manages to smell woodsy and of red hots at the same time, and it's surprisingly pleasing. I can smell the cinnamon and lavender components. Unfortunately I, too, had a bad reaction to Mercury. My skin started to itch like mad, then got covered in red welts I was surprised, because my skin is generally not sensitive to anything. As I liked the smell of this, and found it relaxing, I think I might try making it into a linen spray, or use it in my oil burner.
  23. rainbow

    The Lady of Shalott

    The scent of calm waters just before a raging storm, limned with achingly-beautiful blooms, an icy scent, but somehow warm, and mirror-bright: bold gardenia, crystalline musk, muguet, water blossoms, clear, slightly tart aquatic notes and a crush of white ginger. In the bottle- ginger and acquatics. Wet on my skin- ginger and florals. This scent is so watery. I can almost smell the flowing water when I sniff it. This is a scent that I find very difficult to pick out individual notes, and I don't really know what fresh gardenias smell like, so that could add to the problem. Even so, this remains a watery, slightly spicey floral as I'm wearing it. Like others, I get the images of green ponds surrounded by plants. And like another poster mentioned, I get the scent of celery as well- the result of the spicey acquatics, I presume. This will definitely be a summer scent for me- it's got a cool, flowing vibe that screams hot weather to me. I'm not sure I'll get a big bottle, but I'll use up the imp.
  24. rainbow

    Aquatics

    I too would recommend Empyreal Mist- it's a beautiful watery-fresh green scent. Difficult to describe, but really lovely.
  25. rainbow

    Hamadryad

    In the bottle- pure cinnamon. Wet on the skin- wood and cinnamon, which is surprisingly pleasant. As this develops I'm getting some white flowers and then a hint of lotus, still with the cinnamon. This definitely smells like a forest, though oddly enough not by smelling like the components of the forest- it doesn't smell particularly like wood or moss. Rather, it conjurs images of the forest, hidden alcoves, moss, wood, forest sprites, etc. This is a lovely blend. Everything mixes together very well. I'm not sure about a big bottle, but I'll certainly use up the imp.
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