Laurel the Woodfairy

My baby sister was 17 when I first starting enabling her, and she wanted Jailbait, Glitter, and Lolita--sardonic wenchling that she is. I was a serious, introverted teen (if you can believe it now!) and would have loved the literary blends with a wistful quality--Lady of Shalott, Ophelia, and Juliet would have been my choices, and Havisham if I could get it. I believe every Goth teen should have some Black Rose.

Eek! I don't follow the blogs, but a friend was kind enough to PM me that she'd seen this, since everyone knows Brian and I are "real-live" friends with you guys. Please keep us updated on how Mr. Snark is doing! I wish I had some advice on how to get him to slow down, but, as a fellow Type-A person, I know how hard-headed we all are. (a friendly to all the overachievers, self included). Maybe this will be a wake-up call for him? Argh, that must have been so scary for you. I'm glad he seems to be better. Feel free to PM any time. Hugs, Laurel

Sundew starts like a happy, summery scent--very "bright" topnotes of citrus and a hint of herbs and spice (cinnamon?). But here's what surprised me: as the topnotes dry, the heart is sweet and slightly cakey or powdery. It doesn't have the aquatic lightness of, say, Shattered; it has something murky going on under the bright surface. I find that note unsettling, whatever it is; it's threatening to go sickly on me but baaaarely stays in check. I like my citrus straightforward and cheerful--I can't explain why there's a sinister undertone here, but there *is*. This is the scent of dew in Rappaccini's garden, I guess!

Hands down, the Best Name Ever. I would wear this just to tell people what I'm wearing, or whenever I happen to feel...frumious. (Can we PLEASE add "frumious" to the list of available "mood" options on here?) And it smells great, too! Super-spicy carnation, spicier than in any blend I've encountered--much moreso than Alice, for example. Like carnation layered with Three Witches--it's that strong. The plum is faint but I can detect it. This is just a tiny bit craft-shop-candle in nature, but I still like it. It's almost pure, nose-tingling spice on me, which I did not expect. I will wear this to layer with my hoarded bottle of LUSH Potion to accentuate the carnation.

I'm looking for a good summer grapefruit, now that they've returned, and Cheshire Cat wasn't it. I love the champagne note in Bon Vivant, so I'm hopeful here, but also wary of the lotus. Anyway, Shattered was on my wist list before it was discontinued, so I'm just pleased to finally try it! On me: Whoa, much sweeter than I expected. Lotus always = bubblegum on me, and that's true here as well. The mint is nice, though--truly nose-tingling! Luckily, the lotus appears only in the topnote and then clears; champagne, grapefruit, and aquatics make for a great, cool drydown. I wish the lotus just wasn't in here at all, but everything else works so well that I'll use up the imp, though not get a bottle.

Eat Me has the most mouthwatering description of any BPAL blend, hands down. *drools* I love that there are GC gourmand blends for those who missed Monsterbait. Eat Me is softer than I expected--it doesn't jump up and attack your nose; it wafts softly and whispers to you of luscious desserts. Vanilla and currant are a heavenly combination. I can understand the angelfood cake comparison--this is light, fluffy, sweet. In other words, *perfect*, because some of the heavier 'Baits got too overpowering on me after awhile. This may be a bottle right here!

Ok, I finally broke down and ordered Embalming Fluid--it's about the only one of the "classic" BPALs that were in the catalog from the beginning and practically everyone has tried that I *haven't* tried. I've held out b/c the name just squicks me out in a way that "natural" death-related names do not. However, it's summer, it's hot, and the notes all sound great, esp. since I loved the combo. of aloe and white musk in Berenice. On me: The green tea is so clear and refreshing, and it does have that lovely clean Berenice quality (in fact, it's a good one to order if you missed Berenice). Very soothing and pleasant, perfect for hot weather. Lightly sweetened iced tea with lemon, sipped on the porch with a cool breeze. Maybe I can get a bottle and re-label it "Summer Porch" or something pleasant like that.

I know it sounds crazy, but I really didn't get grapefruit from Cheshire Cat--although Brian says he can detect it. I got currants and lavender in about equal parts. Pleasant and mild, but not long lasting--it soon faded 'til all that was left was the grin, so to speak, of sweetish musk. It's nice, but I didn't need a lavender scent--I have that covered with Somnus. I wanted it to be a fresh, crisp fruit blend for summer, and it just isn't--it's Arcana with currants. My skin must not amp grapefruit if there is anything else it can possibly amp.

Brian reviewed this two whole years ago (we've been at this BPAL obsession for awhile...), so I didn't. However, it's become his signature scent, and I feel like reviewing it! Port-au-Prince represents everything that is right and good about BPAL. It's sexy, spicy, and very rich. It's unisex, but maybe especially fantastic on a guy because it's so different from any commercial "guy" scent. It's also the "greatest hits" scent out of Brian's box of foody-boozy imps--it has the pirate rum of Jolly Roger, the sassafras of Tombstone, and the warm sugared "yum" of Snake Oil...but the sum total is better than any of those. Warm, complex, spicy-sweet but not at all gooey or cloying, and the bay gives the tiniest edge of herbal. I love smelling it and find it very comforting--like a hug from a strong but gentle guy.

I ordered Juke Joint for Brian, since he makes a mighty fine mint julep; I have high hopes for this! Bourbon with...the powdered-sugar note from Midway! And the merest sprig of mint. He's going to love it--a great summer scent for those who wear foody/boozy scents in the colder months. Clean and fresh, but still both foody AND boozy in a light, crisp way. ETA: And way sexier on Brian than on me. I LOVE it on him! Good call; I pat myself on the back.

This one is for my Mom ("Queen of Mothers" and all that), but I'm reviewing it before passing it on. I get the pure, sweet, mouthwatering honeydew from Fee, but it's a little more gentle here, balanced with mild aquatics and faint white flowers. It's not Mom's usual sort of thing (she wears Veil the most), but I think for summer she'll find it fun. It's a more "grownup" melon than Fee, but still fresh and yummy.

Hetairae is a pretty reddish-orange color in the vial. I can detect the lovely honey note from O, and also a touch of fig. It's warm and pleasant, but a little murky (patchouli) and a little floral (ylang), and therefore not as fantasticly distinctive as O. I don't *mind* smelling of this, but it's not a must-have.

I have had no luck with cherry thus far, but here goes! Kabuki is dark red-black in the vial, like Vamp nail polish. On me, the topnote is the same cloying-sweet cherry from Red Queen et. al. The musk base makes it more wearable and darkens it a bit (I do love Beth's red musk), but it's still not really my thing.

Spreadsheets are such a joy! I started with Nattie's, which runs just perfectly on my Excel for Mac, and then customized the heck out of it--added a column for my own reviews (copied from the Forum), reorganized LEs so that Yule, Samhain, Valentine's, and Forum-Only LEs are grouped together (as there are so many LE's--I can find things more easily this way), and color-coded it all. I also changed the Availability column to say, not just "Discontinued", but when each blend was discontinued, so I know how old each one is if I see it for swap (the Reviews section was so helpful with this). Now all I have to do is add when updates happen.

Monsterbait: Underbed is like a more complex version of Velvet. I luuuuurve that dry cocoa! I would add a drop of Elegba (coconut + booze) to the Velvet for an even closer match. Underpants mainly reminded me of Grog--super-sweet rum. I'd layer that with your favorite vanilla scent (for me, that would be O) and see what you think.

I'm reviewing this Bait last, after being impressed with the foody-foody goodness of the other two. Closet developed a true cake note late in the drydown, with the other notes dominating for the first 1/2 hour or so. Let's see how Underbed behaves (I keep trying to call it Underhill...Hobbit bait???) Whew, it's strong! Great throw. Ooo, this is much less sweet than the others but still foody--dry cocoa like in Velvet, with coconut peeking out from underneath and, yep, a hint of that loverly cake note. This is a cocoa-dipped semisweet chocolate bonbon scent--it won't hurt your teeth with gooey sweetness, but a true gourmet will appreciate it. I LOVE this; it's my favorite of all the Baits! Warm and wearable. I only have an imp, but Velvet is definitely a sister-scent for when it runs out.

I luuuuurve Beth's foody scents, and this sounds delectable. *coaxes her monster out of the closet to sniff him/her* Mmmmm, this is divine! The blackberry makes all the difference, balancing out the boozy-vanilla notes that I recognize from Underpants. One of my favorite desserts is berries and freshly whipped cream, because I like to balance sweet with tart. Beth obviously understands this completely, b/c the same is true of scents! I don't particularly get the red velvet bit, but the blackberry buttercream is great and will be appropriate on through autumn b/c it smells like the dessert for a harvest feast!

I kept trying to review this under Deadly Sins and wondering where it was. Rage not Wrath, duh. I'm not taken with the name, as I don't want to feel rage--Whupass, maybe, but not Rage. I avoid people with violent tempers. Anyway, Rage is bright rage-red in the vial; on me, it's actually a pretty low-key fruit blend. Mostly mandarin, but sweeter--like if there was a Mandarin Kool-Aid. I can find the dragon's blood if I really sniff for it, but it doesn't "bloom" the way it does in blends like Tintagel or Dragon's Milk. This is mild and pleasant, so maybe more of an antidote to rage than the feeling itself? (like the way Dirty smells clean)

Now I have the Underpants Gnome jingle stuck in my head ("We won't stop 'til we get Underpants, lalala"). I've had great success with Beth's foody blends, so I'm excited about this one. In the vial I *only* smelled buttery rum, but this blooms gorgeously on my skin. The sandalwood is perfect for keeping it from being toothache-level sweet. It's quite alcoholish on me; the rum is as strong as in Grog. Once it clears a little, a wonderful buttercream note emerges. This is great! I think Brian will love it, and he'll probably wear it too. In fact, he may actually wear it more than I do, since rum scents are great on him. If so, I'll have to get in his underpants.

I absolutely adore peonies, but the note tends to get drowned by whatever else is in a blend b/c it's so soft. Dormouse is my current favorite peony scent, but of course it shares the stage with a tea note there. I'm so pleased that the peony finally has a scent where it can take center stage! On me: ah, so beautiful. Peony is of course very similar to rose, my other great love. But it's a little "greener", and the faint aquatics are a perfect fit here--pale flowers floating in the water. The plum blossom adds sweetness but, thank goodness, not so much as to lose the peony. This is not a long-lasting blend, but it is great while it lasts. I'm delighted to have both the t-shirt and the oil!

Amen! I don't have any idea how the logistics would work, but there should be one! Sort of like ordering pizza--a cute Goth girl or guy (you get to choose!) shows up in 15 mins. with your imps. "Ma'am, I hear we have an urgent imp situation on our hands. These supplies should get you through the night ok."

... This is the scent of autumn night, fires in the distance, with a touch of boozy swoon, playful sugar and thuggish musk. Devil's Night got lost in the general Halloweenie squeeage; I gave it only a passing thought ("Ha! Like in The Crow") before moving on to my One True Autumn Love, Samhain. However, since then I have discovered that anything listing both sugar and musk in the notes is a must-try for me, since that puts it in the same scent family with Crack!PinkSugar. So I am very pleased to now have a decant to test. On me: oo, yummy! Topnotes of apple, reminding me of Samhain. But then the other notes come out, and it's sweeter than Samhain and has a great musk base, plus just a tiny hint of rum. This is the perfect transitional scent as summer turns to autumn. For summer I want fun candy scents like Midway, and fall is all Samhain and Harvest Moon. But Devil's Night is a gorgeous cross between the two, just right for August / September when it's still really hot here, but my thoughts are turning to cooler days ahead.

Muladhara is a nice earthy brown in the vial. It is a VERY STRONG smoky patchouli blend that reminds me of burning autumn leaves. It also reminds me oddly of hot dogs, possibly roasting over a campfire. Yes, that is very weird, but it goes with the whole earthy vibe, right?

I can't help it--I think of Swadhisthana as "the horndog chakra" even though it is so much more. Bright red-orange in the vial. Very sweet on me--lilies? ylang? Definitely sweet floral, but underneath is a touch of patchouli (or some other note that "dirties" the flowers), and what I think is red musk. I'm not getting too terribly much jasmine or bubblegum lotus; if they are there, they're well-blended with other notes. This does remind me of blends like Love Me and Sacred 'Ho--the sweet-dirty-florals. I'm not crazy about that juxtaposition, which always seem too un-subtle for me (like, "I'm so hawt! Everybody look at me shake my bon-bon!"), but it seems completely appropriate that Swadhisthana is in that family of scents. Another one for Chakra work but not perfume.

As luck would have it, this was a scent I didn't order because the story squicks me the frack out, but then the reviews made me realize my Mom might love the notes. So I have an imp now, and will be tucking it in with the Mother's Day gifts. Berenice is completely clear in the vial. On me...uh-oh, maybe I should order a bottle. Mom will love this, and I'd be glad to keep the imp for myself! Clean, calm, aquatic with softest white musk, a *tiny* touch of floral, and the lovely linen note from White Rabbit and Dirty. Yep, this is closer to White Linen than any BPAL I've smelled, and that's Mom's signature scent. Good thing there's still time to order!