Laurel the Woodfairy

I saved my imp for a time when I really needed it, which was this morning. I was feeling very low. It's a soft scent on me, definitely floral with something slightly citrus like lemon peel. Jasmine hates me, so I don't think it's that. It could be magnolia, since that has a lemon quality of its own. Anyway, the drydown is even softer. I do feel better--no staggering luck just yet, but I feel "lighter" and people are being extra-nice to me without my asking. I plan to work with this oil more in future.

I'm thrilled to have a decant to try, as this and Victoriana.Goth are the two types of Goth I relate to best...which admittedly isn't reflected in my wardrobe as often now I'm out of grad school and office-appropriate, but I do habitually dress romantic-with-dark-touches at least. I get dark musk and opium mostly--it's almost as dark as Smut. I don't really get much plum, which is a shame. Good staying power, although powdery on the drydown. Definitely gender-neutral. I would have to say that I prefer Gypsy Queen or Queen of Spades (where I do get tons of plum) for a more feminine version of the same family as Romanti.Goth, but I will certainly use my decant. I wish I'd had it when I went to the Goth club the other night.

Titania is frosty white peach and pear, plus florals...it is "cooler" than Tamora to me.

Does anyone who's actually sniffed Victoriana.Goth have a GC suggestion? That's my new Holy Grail scent! In terms of notes, it sounds rather like Les Fleurs du Mal and Ode on Melancholy, but you never know, which is why I'd like to hear from a "real live" sniffer!

Every time I see this thread title I have a Pulp Fiction moment. What do bottles and labels look like? Do they look like a bitch?!!!

When I moved from Seattle to North Carolina, angelfish323 and I spent several hours bubble-wrapping the hell out of all of my bottles, then packed them in a large box with yet more bubble-wrap. We also taped the necks of every last one of the buggers. Then I mailed them to myself in a box with a lot of insurance on it and only one out of >100 leaked a little. No breakage.

Spicy bubblegum. I wasn't sure what BPAL's daisy note would smell like, but I was hoping for something a little like the discontinued Happy Daisy from B&BW, which was a clean, light floral. This...isn't. I usually love carnation, but all I'm smelling is bubblegum with sneezy pepper on top. Do not want.

Hm, I was hoping to get carrots and herbs from this, just b/c that would be so different from any other BPAL I have. However, my skin is amping something floral: it smells like sweet pea, but I guess it must be morning glory. There's something earthy underneath, but overall it reads as green-floral on me. I'll keep the imp b/c Witch's Garden is a kick-ass name, but it's not as weird as I hoped!

For some reason I associate the Little Wooden Doll with the Slightly Haunted Dollhouse...I can picture her living there! Anyway, this scent started out worrisome: wet, it was all wood for a second, like Cathedral + wood pencil shavings. However, almost at once it settled into a really lovely, warm sandalwood/amber blend with rose peeking out. Nicely rounded, with decent throw although it didn't last as long as I expected considering that I really slathered. This goes perfectly with the Rose-Sandalwood shower gel from B&BW I'm using right now. A woody, warm variant on rose suitable for fall/winter weather, as opposed to spring and the more truly floral scents.

Whoa, this is not what I expected! I was hoping for something akin to Black Orchid, which I've tried and liked. It's nothing like that, however. In fact, if I didn't know better I'd think I had an odd batch of Fae here: Fae is awful on me, tragically, and Phantom Queen has that same cloying-sweet fruity floral combo. It's apple blossom instead of peach, but my skin seems to have eaten any green herbal notes it had and amped the fruit and flowers to icky proportions, then dried into baby powder. What a shame! Maybe apple blossom will have to go on the list of notes that go weird on me.

Wet, The Rose smells similar to Rose Red, as others have said, but it's actually even better as a GC ringer for Madeline from Dark Delicacies: fresh rose with a lot of greenery, and something a little sharp underneath as it dries. However, it vanished before I even finished my commute to work--less than half an hour! So, "the promise of a rose" is more like the mirage of a rose! I have a vast collection of rose scents (gotta catch 'em all) and this doesn't compare with my favorites, Peacock Queen and Two, Five, Seven, for throw and staying power. I will use up my imp but not get a bottle.

Late to the party, but just wanted to tell Beth that, as usual, she is awesome. Not many posts on here make me tear up, but damn, girl, yours did!. I love you and all the Labbies. And Forumites. Also, I am internally amused by all the stuff about "haute" parfum vs. Yankee Candle-scents, because I wear BPAL exclusively and it is honestly hard to out-snob me!

I received an empty bottle from my decant circle with just enough in it to test. Carlin starts out green and fresh, with a lovely hint of heather, but goes quite soapy on me and fades quickly. I'm glad I have the bottle with the pretty witch logo, but I don't mind not having much of this, as there are other "green" scents I prefer.

I love this scent. It reminds me of Harvest Moon 2005 (which I still have and wear) but better. Harvest Moon was all apples and spice and could be a bit sharp and definitely could go to Yankee Candle territory. Lambs-Wool has all those apple and spice notes *plus* the softening influence of cream and sugar. It's foodier, softer, and just more wearable. Delightful as an alternative to Samhain, which I wear almost non-stop in the autumn.

Antique Lace and Midway are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, to be nicknamed "Boo" This gorgeous baby is BPAL's answer to Pink Sugar: cotton candy with caramel and cream. Height/Weight: Imp-sized, with better throw than expected. (I need a bottle NOW! A decant is not enough. I'm crazy for this. )

Stimulates your own sexual energy and incites intense feelings of passion and desire. I'm surprised I'm the first to review this. I figured people must be breaking down the Lab doors for it; I mean, look at that description! I'm giving it a good slather before DH gets home, since 'tis Valentine's and all... In the bottle, Caliph's Beloved smells like smoky honey musk. Good enough to eat. On me, there is a rich, almost yeasty smell, together with strong spice--this smells like baking cinnamon rolls! Seriously. That is *exactly* what it smells like on me (YMMV). Similar to Bengal, but with more dough, as it were. And what could possibly turn a guy on more than hot cinnamon rolls??? Nothing that I know of. Hot damn! ETA: It does work, by the way. DH loved it, and it made me feel sexy to be that spicy-smelling but also a bit "musky" like...you know, your natural self when you're hot and bothered. ET also A: I have had a bunch of PMs from people looking for this; I'm sorry I can't help you, but I received a decant as a gift and don't know where one can buy it (presumably at the Lab itself or Black Broom? I don't think TALs are anywhere else yet, are they?). Maybe it'll be released more widely eventually, and then the stampede can really start!

Princess Leia would have inherited a large case filled with crystal bottles of the Warrior Queens series, from her mother. After testing them all, she would settle upon Boadicea as her signature: "Rebel Queen of the Iceni, she led an uprising of the tribes against the Roman Empire." I mean, come on, how perfect is that?! The notes are: Amber, fig, vanilla flower, oak, patchouli, vetiver, dragon’s blood resin, leather, and neroli. Whereas her mother Queen Amidala, would have preferred Jingu: "Although she was pregnant with the future emperor of Japan, she donned armor and rode into battle." Notes: Sakura, white orchid, mandarin, bamboo, red sandalwood, plum blossom, and lilac. Luke would've been raised on Coyote but developed a fondness for Tristan whilst training with Yoda: "Dust on your trousers, mud on your boots, and stars in your eyes: redwood, tonka bean, white sandalwood, lemon peel, patchouli, rosewood, coriander, and crushed mint." Yoda himself would go for Sea of Glass or something zen like Namaste. Or maybe Mag Mell: "The Plane of Joy, eternal reward for a lifetime of valor and glory...The warmth of amber, the puissance of white ginger and the clarity of verbena, with fresh green grass, lush sage and cleansing droplets of summer rain." Han Solo would *have* to wear Casanova: "A rakish blend of leather, anise, lavender, bergamot and amber with tonka, lemon peel and lusty patchouli." Rakish = scruffy nerfherder. Aaaand I've officially put too much thought into this.

I love Brides of Dracula but it's an LE...ditto on Lucy Westenra. I like the name to go along with the theme, so I'd probably zero in on Blood Countess (named for Countess Bathory) or Dracul. Or just go for Blood: "A vital, bold scent, throbbing with sensuality. Essence of dragon's blood resin, thickened with myrrh and cherry, with a trickle of clove." Hard to beat that!

When I was a wee fairy ( ), I would have been over the moon for any of the Marchen scents--fairytales! princesses! I would lost my mind over Belle Vinu and Rapunzel, especially. Also Mad Tea scents like The Unicorn and Alice, and the wonderful new Garden of Living Flowers. And probably anything fairy-related (Titania, Fae, Fairy Market, etc. etc.) or from Stardust, since it's such a romantic story. Is it bad that, since I won't be having kids, I kind of hope my sister will so I can enable nephews and nieces?? ETA: Oh, and for a girl's pirate scent I would suggest Kill-Devil: "Rum punch... Sugar cane, molasses, oak wood, and honey" and Mary Read: "Salt air, ocean mist, aged patchouli, sarsaparilla, watered-down rum, leather-tinged musk, and a spray of gunpowder."

A wonderfully potent fast luck blend! Brings good fortune, opportunity, and prosperity. Am I really the first? Argh, the pressure... My understanding is that this is a blend to bring a quick burst of good luck to the wearer. According to Wikipedia, "in Greek mythology, Tyche ("luck") was the presiding tutelary deity that governed the fortune and prosperity of a city, its destiny." A kiss from Tyche smells of mint (peppermint, I think) and fresh herbs; this is a Goddess with very fresh breath. A clean scent, suggestive of a fresh current of happiness breezing across your life. This one made me smile.

Short review: Strawberry Moon is made of crack; you will sniff your wrist off. Long review: I am so glad I bought this sight unsniffed, which I rarely do. I adore Bon Vivant and Strawberry Moon sounded even better. I was right. This is THE strawberry scent. In the bottle it is so fresh, so true, like a concentrated SN. On my skin, it's more complex. Wet, it's candy-sweet, but still natural, not cloying. Drying, the green notes bloom and add a tang that balances the sweet. There was a moment where it threatened to go too acidic--I can see how it could turn medicinal with some chemistries. For me, though, it righted itself and became softly sweet vanilla-strawberry on the drydown. I could bathe in this. It is a joyous, juicy, summery scent that goes with a sundress and a picnic.

A frimp from the Lab...lotus has never been good for me, but then, I love saffron and other spices, so we'll see! Dabbing it on, the lotus immediately makes itself known, in the guise of bubblegum. It is very odd to smell bubblegum over sandalwood! I'm afraid the lotus is ruining an otherwise very rich wood/spice blend; it just isn't a note I can wear. It smells like Cathedral underneath, but I can't get past that topnote. Drat.

This was a generous frimp from the Lab--I'm nervous about the notes; I love violet and lily of the valley, but typically find juniper and cypress too heavy. Still, I'll give it a try! Hm, I get a surprisingly true violet--nothing sweet to turn it into violet candy, just a hint of green as though I had come across violets growing wild. I like it! I don't know that I would wear it often but it's nice and much more wearable than I expected. Very pretty. Violet always makes for an unusual, standout scent.

June Gloom will always stand out in my mind as one of the two LEs that were live when I first joined the Forum in June 2004. The other, of course, was my lady Havisham. I tested the original June Gloom; it was almost all lemon on me, very "clean" but not complex. However, I jumped to buy a bottle when it re-launched, because the new description sounds good and what if it's another 5 years before it returns?! In the bottle, June Gloom (with awesome skully label!) is lush, white, hothouse floral--gardenia and/or magnolia. I really didn't expect that! On me, it's musky under the floral. The topnotes remind me of Swan Maiden, another LE. I don't get citrus at first, but then it starts to emerge. I see what others mean about it smelling "cologny". I wish there were more citrus, actually. This is nothing like JG '04, and definitely not a clean scent...it's a strong musky floral, very complex. I expected light aquatics on top, but those notes are buried in the middle, unfurling slowly. At first I didn't like it, but it's growing on me. It brings to mind a humid Southern summer day, rich white blossoms wilting in the heat, steam rising from a lake. In short, it wouldn't provide a refreshing counterpart to a hot June day--rather, it captures its somnolence perfectly. It's romantic, and I like it more with each sniff. Perfect for a midsummer night date!