cabinwench

Happy fifth birthday to the bpal.org forum! To commemorate five years of camaraderie, love, and unbelievable kindness, we present a scent comprised of notes that encapsulate the essence of friendship: carnation, apple, sweet pea, vanilla cream, passionfruit, sugar cane, tonka, and guava. This is very apple in the bottle and wet on the skin, then the creaminess and vanilla/tonka comes out to add depth. A comforting, luscious scent, subtle, stays close. Not tremendous throw, and it does not last long at all on me . I was a greedy girl and got backups, which is a good thing-I suspect I'll be going through this fairly fast. It makes me feel very sweet and maternal, even though it fades too fast. I have layered it with scents (alcohol-based) that have honey notes, and it makes a lovely foundation.

Oh, this is better than imagined. The snow and various evergreens of The Snow Storm, and a cold purpley-red juiciness of berries (a bit similar to the grape/berry note in Shivering Boy), with an overlay of cold sweetness from the florals, but this doesn't jump out as "A Floral Note", per se. On the skin as it dries, the pine green notes lighten up, and more berry sweetness comes to the fore. The resins never disappear, but they take a more supporting role. There is a slight note of earth after drydown (it almost smells like...toast?) This scent seems very dependent on where it is on my skin--sweeter on the fleshy area between forefinger and thumb, a more astringent true "lab snow" note over my wristbone. The snow note I love in Snow Flakes is in here somewhere. I re-sniffed the bottle after wearing this for 15 minutes. Holy Moley, it almost blasted me out of my chair. This is not one I would sniff from the bottle and think "Oh, yes, I want to smell like this". There is a huge amount of morphing going on here. The initial sharpness and the loveliness of the drydown makes me wonder what aging will do to Old Moon. I really regret only getting one bottle. This is hoardable.

I love this. Sea of Tranquility is the perfect name; it is very calming. Sniffed from the bottle, the florals are intense, and the amber and sandalwood are jumping out. I don't get candy floss; I get lush arrangement of creamy, heavy flowers displayed in a room with a freshly varnished floor. Okay, that doesn't sound very appealing, but the amber and sandalwood, to me, are evoking childhood memories of putting down a new coat of varnish on the dining room floor, getting the house polished and ready for a big event, a few days go by, the house is decorated, and a big arrangement of waxy magnolias and other white flowers are centered on the table. Very grown-up, almost stately, floral with polished-wood backbone. Drying down, the polished wooden floor morphs into subtle spice, but the creamy white florals remain. This is elegant, formal, and calm. I love this on my skin, and plan to spare some drops for room scent.

I was expecting more straight-up honey, even after reading the other notes. Sniffing the bottle, I got whiffs of orange label 13--why is this chocolatey?!? A bit more honey comes out wet on skin, and a slightly funky, almost sour high-pitched note. It quickly calmed down into the jasmine-honeysuckle arena, with sweetness. If I concentrate, I can get something that could be apricot, but isn't terribly straightforward. This is a nice jasmine with hints of mellow fruits and foody-sweetness, but I'm just not getting the honey I was hoping for.

Wet, Snow White has that hint of plastic that several of my ultimately loved scents have, so I've learned to overlook it for a minute. Then there's a soft, green coconut smell, like real, off-the-tree coconut, not "here's yer bottled coconut oil of the shelf". Within minutes, a green-wood hint and some mellow mint comes out. This lasts well on me, and it's such a pure, innocent fragrance, with a touch of masculinity in the wood and mint (maybe foreshadowing loss of innocence). Without my contacts or glasses, I got a good look at the label (astigmatism is better than a magnifying glass) and was surprised about how, um...pervy it looked. The lettering makes one dwarf look like a cigarette is hanging out of his mouth as he's contemplating putting his hand under her skirt. I like this very much and this may not be my last bottle.

Oh, my! This is so lovely. In the bottle, it's somewhat fruity (light citrus, maybe), with a backbone of the herbal leaves. I don't think I've smelled honey musk before--it's not a strong honey note, but a subtle sweetness. Then the low note of the vanilla creeps up. I can see the softness reminding someone of baby powder, or expensive dusting powder of days gone by, but then the green leafiness pops back up and and makes it unique again. Fae spices--maybe sage (I know, it's an herb, not a spice...)? I am soooo glad I got a bottle--this is going on my skin and in the oil burner. I want my house to smell like this!

Strong pine at first, with some sweetness in the background. Notes I made before re-reading the description were "pine, sweet, toast? warm, floral?" A cold scent in the nose, but then there's the warm toast--outside in wintertime, at the back kitchen door with Christmas baking going on? After 15 minutes on skin, there's something dark and juicy: a pie of unidentified berries baking? Not that there is a blackberry or other particular berry note, just something baked and crusty, sweet with some tartness. I get more of the dirt note, then something morphs into floral. An interesting blend. I am not seeing the need for a bottle right now, but I'm glad I got an imp.

In the imp, this was strong berry. Wet, it settled into sweet plum, akin to Bordello but less, um...Bordello-ishness (no saloons or leather corsets). A dirt note tht is faint but grounds this a bit. There is something astringent in here, not in a bad way--just adds a little complexity. Maybe fresh greenery (not pine boughs; more like cut holly). After dry-down, a tiny bit of plastic is hovering around, but I have to concentrate to pick it out. A nice blend, but with a 10 oz bottle of Bordello on hand, I can't justify a bottle. I plan to enjoy the imp, though--it's a keeper.

I tried this before I read the reviews, and had forgotten the Lab description, so, while looking at the label that said "Christmas Rose" I thought I got a hint of rose, but very soft--then the herbal and snowy notes jumped in. This makes me think of meeting a lover in a stand of pine trees after a snowfall, and he surprises me with a small bouquet of sweetheart roses. This scent stayed pretty true, and was uplifting and refreshing for hours. Not a lot of morphing on me. I could see using this in a warmer as well as wearing it. I should be ordering bottles from the update first, but I had to add a bottle of Christmas Rose. This really is lovely.

Well. I was all set to ebay this as I'm not a Libra, and sniffed from the bottle (along the rest of a big order) it just wasn't my thing. So, I'm poking around reviews and note that Libra 2007 has lots of notes I usually love...hmm. I sniff again, and wet, it still isn't all that, but I dab. Black currants and roses and honey, oh, my! Less honey, and more roses 'n berries, which is not a bad thing. But honey is certainly in there around the edges. So, husband comes in to gather dishes from the computer room to wash (he is such a good guy!) and starts sniffing. "What's that smell??" Now, that can be a good thing, or a bad thing. I hold out the dabbed wrist--"that smells GOOD!" After 30 minutes, there might be a hint of Dove soap floating around, from the rose, but it is not a bad association. It's more like noticing that Dove used a note that's in Libra, than like getting "Dove" from Libra, if that makes any sense. It's warm and comforting, good for going into late fall and 48 hours of rain. This is coming out of the sales pile.

Soft and sugary, with an almost herbal undernote hiding under the carnation. A sweet-skin scent, and I can see where people get the "girly" imagery. I got an imp of this some months ago, and apparently sampled too timidly--it didn't make much of an impression. Today I decided to slather more than dab, and it's so much better. This is one that needs a bit of lavishing to get the full impact. After 30 minutes, the spice comes out a bit more, but it's still more of an herbal note, slightly astringent, combined with the sugar. More complex that I had originally thought, like tasting a creme brulee made with rosemary or lovage-infused milk. Probably not bottle-wrothy on me, but I'm very glad a friend imped me some.

This is soooo pretty! An imp in a swap: I probably wouldn't have sought this out on my own (thanks, Ah Xia!) If I concentrate (well, really, if I just pay close attention) I can get the juicy pear, the lily of the valley, and a soft musky rose over all. There's almost a wine-y note, but it's faint--just enough to give it some sparkle. When I first put this on, though, my first impression was "Joy!" as in the Joy by Jean Patou. Not saying that it's like a dupe, but the impression, of classic, elegant perfume is there. This is lovely and would be perfect for an upscale evening out. I'm leaning towards bottle-worthy.

First off, let me just say that I really liked the artwork on the label, right down to the little white stars in the ARIES lettering. Very pretty. In the bottle, this is black pepper, and a touch of something that says "pizza parlor"--almost an oregano hint. I get that rubbery note others have mentioned. Almost no florals at first. wet: not a lot of change drydown: the florals come out, along with a soft ginger in the background. I'm not a dragon's blood person so I can't speak to how much that's coming out, but after a while, it's a very pure, waxy-flower floral: lily of the valley/lilac/honeysuckle and reminds me a little of hiacynths in bloom. The pepper backs up and lets the spring flowers come out. There's also a touch of something green in the background. This ends up just beautiful on me. It's worth the initial not-so-great phase. And even that isn't bad as much as it's just--different. A very nice Spring scent. And since it was an LE, thank TPTB for swappers, so I could snag a bottle after finding out that this worked for me!

The Dodo: In the bottle: woodsy, spicy, no fruit Wet on skin, amply applied: I've walked into an old-timey shoe repair shop: leather, shoe polish, old wood, mysterious oils. A bit of soap. Leftover cinnamon buns behind the counter. Initially, no fruit. This is not...uninteresting, but so far, not a scent I'd want to wear, not one I'm racing to wash off. We'll see what some more morphing brings.

As I love my Punkie Night, I couldn't resist Poisoned Apple--Apple and GC! Wet, this is almost overpowering red apple with a sharp, almost papery-bitter core. Dry, the apple ripens and a slightly woody note, a bit smokey, runs through it, and something a bit medicinal--maybe the opium? Longer on drydown, a simple floral comes out and the apple slides into the background. Much more complex than the all tart fruit of PN; the drydown would not be out of place at work and would not smell obviously fruity. Would also be a dangerous-evening scent.

At first the patchouli scared me, as it is usually a deal-breaker. Within a few minutes of trying it, though, the patchouli simmered down to a calm herbal/wood note, with the peach and mandarin saving it from head-shoppiness. There's some spice (the carnation?) coming through, as well. Don't know that I need a whole bottle of this, but it is much nicer than what I expected when I saw the patchouli. This might be worth trying on my True Love--there is enough herbal-green to be nice on him, as well.

I tested this when I got it as a frimp, and thought it was nice...but it got lost among the other scents I was testing. today I applied before work--wow! Creamy floral with that vanilla undernote, very "pretty". Drying down, the vanilla came out more, but with something that kept it from a too-sweet vanilla (I am an anti-Vanilla Fields person)...the stephanois came through very faintly, which I guess is what stephanois does best. 5 hours later, I get a cooked vanilla scent (like the buttercream frosting mentioned earlier). This is vanilla from a pan of homemade vanilla pudding sitting across the room, not vanilla sniffed from the extract bottle. The orchid is still in there to balance it out from being an overly "foody" smell. I was not a fan of Antique Lace--this is a less powdery, more floral vanilla. It makes me think of what the vanilla flower (orchid?) might smell like in the fields. The vanilla scent for the person who is not that crazy about vanilla scents in general. I'm on the fence about a bottle, but would buy a decant when the imp is gone.

This was amazing on me--spicy/floral and ginger/red musk smelled good right out of the bottle. But after application, oh, my! It just kept morphing for hours! The whole of it kept a creamy base note throughout, and the ginger lingered...but after several hours I started picking up an evergreen scent: I was back in my childhood with a Frazier Fir Christmas tree in the living room, spices coming out of the kitchen, and whiffs of the grown-up ladies' perfumes mingling with everything else. Not to say that this was "Christmasy" in any usual sense, just evocative of that time when all those fragrances were in the air at once. And the evergreen note emerged every so often, so the actual scents in Mum Moon may have just been bumping up against that memory cell. It added such a nice touch to a hectic errand-running Saturday. This also has great throw, but is subtle enough so others aren't overwhelmed. It lasts forever--I applied yesterday at 1:00 pm, and at 10:00 am the next day, I can still get whiffs. Might have been because I rubbed a drop between my hands and then through my hair, though. I started hoarding bottles right after I smelled it in Sept., and I'm glad I did. This is a major keeper!

Blood orange and pepper in the bottle--reminds me of a cough syrup that was available years ago that had codeine in it and was flavored with orange--heavy orange with a bitter note. On skin, it was cotton candy--don't know where the orange went. 1 hour later, I'm getting soft creamsicle. This is a nice, sweet scent, summery, but not pushy. I'm happy I got a bottle.

Fits the description very well. Bright, sunny--I'm getting orange peel and cloves instead of the lemon peel--carnations may be what my nose is interpreting as "cloves?" That was in the bottle. On skin, more spicy bright citrus with spice. Amber and something else (maybe ylang ylang?) is emerging. Odd--it smells a bit different on each wrist. Maybe it's because I usually haave my left wrist on my gel wrist pad in fromt of my keyboard and it's retaining a lot of wrist scents. This is a pick-me-up, "make the day brighter" smell. Good for late summer heading into autumn. Mood lifter. 15 minutes into drydown and I'm still not getting much, if any, honey. Love the notes I do get, though. I would wear this anywhere (work or play) but in the daytime. If I would able to take my nose off of my wrist. Aptly named and lovely concept. This is a keeper.

I ordered Sudha Segara from reading posts about "if you liked _____, try ____", and it seemed that if I liked Dorian, O, etc., I would like this. I went for the 5 ml bottle right off the bat. The ginger is there at first sniff in the bottle. Not ground ginger, but fresh minced ginger that has that citrusy tang to it. Also in the bottle, I got a whiff of...carpet shampoo. Odd, but something about this straight from the bottle reminds me of the shampoo I got with my carpet shampoo machine. This isn't a bad thing, but a little surprising. And something (again, maybe from the ginger) is peppery. Something in there (milk+ginger?) is saying "chai". On drydown at 15 minutes, the milkiness came out more, and the citrusy tang went away. Still looking for honey, though. after an hour, the honey comes out, very non-aggressive and milky/creamy. The ginger is still there but as a soft undernote. I wouldn't use this as my main *honey* scent, but it is a nice, light scent that is calming and soothing, but a little spicy. I think I would love this in a body product--very enjoyable scent while fresh, but you could add another fragrance after your bath or lotion without getting major clash.

This was more floral and spice than berries, in the imp and on the skin. Very mature, fits my mental image of the city well. Lasted several hours, starting off as almost too strong/stingy (not quite, but almost) when wet, drying down to a more traditional upscale scent. Overall scent impression is an expensive, elegant floral perfume, saved from "flowery" by the amber and spice. I can see Ingrid Bergman wearing something like "Florence" in "Casablanca". This would be good for the office on a "serious" day, or dressing up and going out.

Ridiculous! Kumquat, white pepper, white tea and orange blossom. I ordered an imp of this because I was hoping the "white pepper" note would be similar to a white pepper candle I have and love, and the whole combo sounded light and happy. I was not disappointed! Very fruity in the bottle and wet on the skin, but soon the pepper note showed up to rein in the orange blossoms and the kumquats. A twang keeps it from being totally orange-juicy--maybe the little bitter note in a kumquat? It dried down to a musky white pepper smell (or what I associate with white pepper from sniffing my candle) brightened up with the orange note. The green tea is much more subtle than what I usually think of when I think of green tea--that herbal drugstore green tea scent. This is just enough to give it balance. This is one that i could see re-applying during the day to get that juicy hit for the first 10 minutes. It almost wants to think about going powdery, but then stays within its limits. A happy, silly fragrance perfect for non-serious Fridays.

Bordello was an imp in my very first order. I had doubts about it for about a month, (my notes then just said "plummy, better on drydown, SWEET) then a re-trying has gotten me 10-ml-bottle hooked. The plum...between my first trying and now, I experienced fresh, homemade Damson Plum sorbet--there was that tang of sweet, almost slutty plum, brightened by lemon and ice. This doesn't have a lemon note per se, but other notes (boozy wine? amaretto?) cut the sweetness of the plum like the lemon did in the sorbet, if that makes any sense. The burgundy note is maybe what keeps it from being too much--some tannins at the back of the throat. Keeps the plum/black current from getting too flaccid--the grit of experience in the heart-of-gold Old West hooker. I can see this in winter--berry-wine and amaretto notes, but it is working really well in 90+ degree heat (black-currant/plum wine on ice?) . AND it lasted on the wrists through an hour on lounging in a chlorinated pool, so while the throw may be small, it has staying power. There is some note that says "decadance", reminincent of "New Orleans". Can't quite put my finger on it, though. This is pretty girly/sexy/whorish...probably not a work scent--good for evenings and private lazy Sundays. Someone who likes this would like to savor a small glass of the port that comes in the bottle shaped like a Hershey's Kiss.

Swank was the scent that got me into all this. I love pomegranates; tasted my first one almost 30 years ago, when Americans were not so familiar with exotic fruits and products like "Pomegranate molasses". It is berry/pom in the bottle; and, to me, changes very little on drydown. It gets softer, but the sharp note (boozy) and the pom scent stay very true on my skin. This is a great scent to have something to be happy about on a bad day, or going into a stressful situation. Throw at first was concerningly strong, but pulled back to a respectable distance after an hour. I'm amazed at the staying power. I applied this at 7:30 am and at 8:41 pm, I can still smell a true pomegranate note, but still cut with enough of an astringent note (the vodka?) to keep it from being icky-sweet. This is a huge mood-lifter for me. It makes me want to explore the "other uses" section (did I see something about q-tips to scent your car?). Even if I wanted my skin to smell different, I think I would still be happy to have some Swank wafting around in the air. There's "happy" (several of BPAL's offering do this) then there's "happy because I have an icy-cold martini somewhere with my name on it". That's Swank, to me. If you love Swank, you might be someone who (in absence of a real pomegranate martini) loves white zinfindel over ice and doesn't give a damn who knows it.