Laurel the Woodfairy

*slides up to the Tiki Bar* *orders a Screeching Parrot* My decants just arrived, and I want to start with the Parrot mostly for the name! I mean, they all sound boozy and fruity and fun, but this one makes me think of the Disney Tiki Room the most. Whew, this Parrot is double-strength, served up neat! The grapefruit, apricot, and brandy dominate while it's wet--the spiciness reminds me of a wassail, of all things. Then the other fruits start to come out and it becomes more tropical. Very summery and fun! On to the next round of drinks scent...

Strange...I know I had an imp of Kitsune-Tsuki waaaaay back in '04 when I first found BPAL, but I seem to have swapped it away without reviewing it first, in my newbish way. However, a frimp just came my way, so I am pleased to review it now! Mmm, plum over light floral, just as one would expect. I think it comes down to how you like your plum--it's a strong note, and it tends to take over on my skin. I like mine with other strong notes, as in my preciousssss Queen of Spades, for balance. Also, for whatever reason, I tend to like it in rich autumn blends instead of spring ones (yes, I wear my notes by season, why do you ask? ). Here, it dominates the fragile floral notes; if you want mainly plum and just a hint of light background softness, then this is the one for you!

I decided to try an imp of Bien Loin D'Ici based on the notes--sweet, spicy, and exotic should be yummy. In the vial, it has the rich, red color that I associate with some of the foodier, muskier oils. On me, the red musk and spice come right to the forefront--very pretty. I don't get a strong honey or caramel, just a slight sweetness to the spice. It's nice but not "wow", like a less-assertive younger sister of some of the really knock-em-out scents like Storyville, Snake Charmer, or Khajuraho. It *does* have throw; it just doesn't have as much...oomph, for lack of a better word...as those scents. Since those are all LEs, this is worth a try if you want to see what this family of scents is like. I'm underwhelmed though.

A decant of White Moon came my way at the last M n' S, and I didn't realize it was such a long-ago Lunacy. Now I'm excited to try it! The notes sound lovely. Ergh, but there's some sharp lavender when it's wet; it's fighting with a softer floral bouquet beneath. It's just not quite working for me; I *love* moonflower and violet, wisteria, and lilac, but I only get hints of any of them because there's a sharp, pushy note in the front. That's a real shame, but I do have other moonflower blends that I love, esp. Evening Star, so it's no biggie.

Lady MacBeth has been on my wishlist for awhile, but with no particular urgency--I love the currant in Bewitched and like to wear it for autumn, so perhaps Lady M. will be a fall scent as well. However, an imp just came my way, so I'll go ahead and test it now. Hm, this is actually really nice! There's a green herbal note--the thyme, although I wouldn't have pegged it--that keeps the currant and berries fresh. It actually "feels" a lot like Bewitched to me. It doesn't have the crazed over-the-top drama I associate with Lady MacBeth, but honestly I wouldn't want to wear it if it did! No "out, damned imp" here; I like this one.

Today is a perfect day to try Aunt Caroline. I feel grouchy for no good reason other than the accumulation of day-to-day ick. Oh boy, that's got to be heliotrope and maybe cherry--thick, sweet, cough-syrupy; too much for me. I can easily imagine my, or someone else's, old aunt insisting that if you're a good child and take your medicine, this concoction will be good for you...but I wouldn't wear it for the scent alone.

The notes here sound really lovely and have piqued my interest as well as hell's. Mmm, a light, pretty peach note comes out first--reminds of a gentler Katharina. This is a light scent that requires some slathering. On next slather, I can detect the wisteria and the barest hint of rose. The peach is still the most noticeable note. This is a very pretty, light spring scent, and I will use up the imp, but it doesn't have enough throw for me to buy a bottle.

Mmm, I'm glad I gave Reaper a chance to settle down; I got it because I had heard it smells like a florist's shop--well, despite an initially astringent wet phase (seemed like lavender, although that's not listed in the notes) it settled into something even better: a LUSH shop! Yep, that's why my boyfriend said when he smelled it, and he's exactly right--I think it's the Potion-like carnation note combined with so many other luscious florals and something creamy (or is that just the lilies?) that creates that effect. It doesn't smell quite as fresh and green as a florist's to me, but it's a lovely floral and a very positive association--the scent of shopping for bath bombs!

My parents are going to Paris this autumn--I am of course jealous, but also happy for them; they've never been and they have a such a wonderful, romantic relationship that I know they'll have a great time. Thus, I tracked down an imp of Paris to give my mom; in the past I've given her Venice and other imps relating to places they were traveling, and she loves having themed imps for vacations. To be honest, the notes worry me now that I look at them--I don't much like lotus. Well, here goes. Oh gods, blech! This is just revolting on me--I have the sharp, medicinal edge that lavender can have fighting with the icky-sweet bubblegum of lotus. Well, I have Versailles and Bon Vivant for Mom as well in case this is as bad on her as on me, but I'm really disappointed. I would have thought Paris would be roses and champagne, or something very highbrow and Chanel No. 5-ish. I'm mystified.

I LOVE Port-au-Prince but it has strong associations for me, so I'm hoping Port Royal will be similar but different enough, if that makes sense? On me, the spices *really* come out at once--rum with clove and maybe cinnamon? Really strong; I like it, but I'm waiting for the other notes to emerge. *waits* Hm, there is some leather after a bit, and a tiny hint of salt-aquatic; I don't really get the flowers. Well, I do like this and will pass it on to my boyfriend, but it doesn't have quite the lasting, sexy "oomph" of Port-au-Prince. I do appreciate the plethora of pirate scents that BPAL offers, though!

I doubt I would have picked this on my own (although I thought about it after re-reading Agatha Christie's The Pale Horse recently!), but it was suggested for my earth-and-citrus loving boyfriend. Great suggestion--I love this! Yuzu is such a luscious, juicy citrus, and it has that extra sweet kick that you don't get with lemon (the lily seems to support it really well too). On me, Pale Horse is a bright yuzu topnote over a complex base--I can detect the resin of patchouli and a little vetiver and musk, but it's well-blended. This might be a tad sweeter than what he usually chooses, but I think he'll still really like it.

Incantation is one of the wonderful suggestions my fellow BPALers turned up for my fella, who loves earthy scents but also citrus. It's really well-blended--a slightly spicy earthen scent with that nice touch of lemon to keep it from getting too "murky." It's pretty masculine to my nose--I always "read" vetiver that way--and therefore perfect for him. The lemon amped on me when I tested it, but the sandalwood amps on him. Anyway, he likes it and it's off to live in his boy-imp box!

The name mystifies me, since it's definitely '08 by now and the Sun is about to move into Pisces...anyway, as a *double* Pisces (Sun and Moon), I'd planned to buy a bottle...until I saw the notes. The notes just weren't attracting me, and after sniffing it today, I think my instinct was correct. I got an herbal-aquatic with mild floral undertones, but nothing I really need for my collection. I didn't like the original Pisces, either. Eh, I guess this is a case of ignoring the name and going for the notes that suit a fish like me!

I realize Formula 54 is thoroughly aged by now, but I was still pleased to sniff it today. I got a powerful cherry and brandy scent--reeking of alcohol and sweetness. Still strong after all this time! I couldn't detect rose, though, and the notes that I did smell didn't especially appeal to me. I wonder if some of the long-gone legendary scents like this one have morphed too far beyond their original scent for the authentic experience...although I recall sniffing this one *on* someone when it was new and thinking it was too much cherry for me then as well. Just depends on how you like your sweet notes!

The heliotrope in Witch Queen worried me (that note HATES me), but I love the concept, so I tested it at M n' S today. I needn't have worried--what I got was a surprisingly soft, well-blended floral, in which it was very difficult to detect individual notes. It was pretty but faded swiftly, which is odd for such strong notes. I'll test it again given a chance, but won't rush to buy a whole bottle.

An ethereal vintage, steeped with dandelion, honey, and red currants. I *love* the concept of Fairy Wine, but it's too sweet for my taste--like Wanda all hyped up on fairy 'roids. The dominant note, for me, was syrupy grape-cherry, although I can believe honey is in there. Well, I have Fairy Market, so I'm not too sad--and I do recommend that one if you're looking for a fairy fix but can't handle quite this much sweet.

I got to test Decadence at the M n' S today; for some reason, I thought it was going to be chocolate (I guess that's my idea of decadent! ), but it is almond pound-cake with amaretto sauce. Almond can turn to cherry for some people, but on me it generally does not. It stayed truly almond and reminded me of Dana O'Shee in a more aggressive mood. I like Dana's softness, so while I'm glad to have tested it, I'll not be too sad if Decadence remains unreleased.

Mmm, I am pleased to have a decant, since I loooove "The Fall of the House of Usher". I'm debating whether I need a bottle of The House to sit beside Usher and Madeline in my BPAL box. The House reminds me a little of Zombi--that crumbled roses and earth basenote. However, there's a lot more going on in the topnotes--incense and wood (cedar?) make it less feminine than the roses would suggest. I don't know if I would wear this often enough to justify a bottle; I'd probably reach for Zombi or Black Rose, both of which have my beloved rose more prominently. I'm really glad to have at least an imp, though.

Wow, no reviews of this for awhile--I received a frimp with my last Lab order; I would love it if this came back! I set the imp aside for an appropriate moment to use it with intent. Last night, I was feeling really upset and at a loss how to handle a situation. I couldn't even remember what Lobban was supposed to do, but I grabbed it and put it on while I did a Tarot reading. Now, I won't go so far as to say that Lobban "fixed" the issue; I still had to address it. However, this beautiful soft floral did bring me comfort. To my nose it smelled like one of the Southern flowers--gardenia or magnolia; probably the latter, as it had a slight citrus touch to it, and magnolias do have that distinctive lemony-creamy-gorgeousness. As an Atlanta girl, I found it so calming, like a breath of home. What I find amazing and moving is reading the reviews now and seeing that, for others, Lobban has taken on a lilac or other aspect, according to what others find comforting and home-like. Now that I see it is intended for "spiritual purification", that makes sense. I really hope it comes back and I can get a bottle; it was indeed good for my spirit.

I was astounded to get two long-discontinued Voodoo frimps in my last Lab order; this one and Lobban. I think there was a purpose for it, though--Goona Goona's description is *exactly* what I need today, as I've been having some negative crap in my life lately and my biggest fear has been that it might disrupt the peace and trust that I value in my relationship. So I'm putting it on with intent today, along with the ritual I'm doing. It smells of lavendar and rose--calm, old-fashioned, lovely. There's an undernote of resin or patchouli, I think? I hope the frimp heralds its return; if so, I will buy a bottle. I'm my own worst enemy and need all the help I can get in creating a space of love and security in my own mind so that I can trust those things in my life.

Every single time I hear the name of this blend, my brain does its Wicked Witch impression: "Poppies; poppies will make them sleep...sleeeeeeep" Other than idle Oz-related curiousity, I wanted to try this blend because I'm crazy for 'Mum Moon and wanted to try a GC opium-den scent; the Poppy is not all that much like 'Mum Moon, but the exotic, dreamy feeling is there. It also reminds me vaguely of YSL Opium but is a much more delicate member of the Oriental-scent family. Opium poppy was incensey/smoky/spicy on me at first, just as I hoped. Then it veered dangerously into burned Bandaid territory. WTF *is* that note, anyway? However, it recovered itself and became lovely once more on the drydown. My boy said it smelled like "church incense, but in a good way." I agree; a bit like Cathedral without the woody/resin notes. Soft, floating, and seductive--well, except for that weird middle stage. Very much an air elemental scent to me.

Ok, I had to have a bottle, even sight unsniffed; it just sounds so gorgeous! My Love gave it to me for Yule with a funny note about going to the Fairy Market and paying full-price for his Fairy, as you can't trust the discount ones...er, maybe you had to be there. I'm slathering this on to go with my new fairy party dress for New Year's Eve tonight. In the bottle, I smell amber, I think, and other soft, warm notes. On me, it blooms into a beautiful light fruit/floral bouquet with a touch of grassy green to keep it from being too sweet, and notes of amber-ish incense; really well-blended and not overly strong--a soft, fae scent of great beauty. There are no "trouble" notes here; I imagine it would be gorgeous on most skin chemistries.

When the Haunted House launched, I looked it over and thought it was very clever and fun, but that I would need to order the whole darn thing to really have The Experience, and I couldn't afford it. Later, after it had come down, I re-read the description of Attic and kicked myself. Love the notes, and the concept--arrrrrgh, it plays to my whole Havisham fetish (er, the scent, not freaky old ladies). A different take on the crumbling wedding bouquet concept and I missed it. Thankfully, a dear Forum friend has sent me a decant! Attic is really soft on me; I had to slather. Initially, it was mainly Calla lily, sweet and pretty. After a moment, the lovely sugared violet AND rose from Hope and Faith came floating up. It's the weirdest thing--if I snuffle my wrist, I don't detect it, but if I sit back it wafts beautifully. Attic is very lovely and I'm so glad to have a bit, but I don't think I'll have to kill myself trying for a bottle. Havisham is still the crumbly bouquet to beat.

I remember way back in the day when I discovered BPAL, and I got a good giggle that "Bliss" was a chocolate scent...and then I never got around to trying it. Well, I finally have an imp and I'm pleased about it--'tis the season for hot chocolate, after all! I'm surprised the color is pale; I thought it might be chocolate colored. Wow, that's pure cocoa all right--like huffing a box of Hershey's baking chocolate! This is the perfect pure chocolate scent for layering, and also great alone for the addicts. I'll have to see if it helps control cravings or exacerbates them.

Took me a sec to figure out where this was in the catalog--I thought it was an archaic spelling of Lioness, and hence might belong with The Lion? It's a strange blend--a beautiful vanilla-honey-cake topnote, which I really like, floats over a rather murky sort of base; it must be the ambergris, which is a note that tends to be bad on me. Yeah, I just don't think this is the one for me.