sagitare

A blend of sinuous violet and elegant tea rose: the chosen scent of France's Demigoddess of Debauch: Marie Antoinette. In the vial:a sharp violet mixed with rose. An almost sickly-sweet smell with both scents kind of rolling around each other, never quite settling on common ground. On the skin: the violet comes through very strongly with the tea rose lurking in the background. Drydown: the violet continues to be the prominent note, but it is softened by the rose, which does come forward more. Overall: I was intruiged when I first put this one because I'm not familiar with violet type of scents. As I was putting on the second dab the violet scent was wafting around me and I thought, "oooh, sexy." And this is a sexy scent, sexy in a naughty sort of way, rather than slinky/sensual sexy. This is a somewhat softer, feminine scent but with a bit of an edge to it - it's definitely purple but with a shot of chrome or steel. There's a crispness to it I like. It's different. It's definitely a strong scent - a little will go a long way and it certainly has staying power, which I like. This scent put a grin on my face and I had a lot of fun wearing it.

Ah, evil honey strikes again. This one smelled a bit baby/diaperish in the vial and similarly on me. Honey doesn't go well with me and it's similar to what I experienced with O. The rose in this, oddly enough, doesn't come out at all, which is the first time any scent I've tried with rose in it hasn't been taken over by the rose. Still, the sickly-sweet honey/sandalwood combination isn't for me. Off to swaps...

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love this one. I adore orange scents and Ravenous? Is so sexy it should come with a warning label! When I first apply it I'm just hit with this bold, wet, juicy orange scent. You can taste the orange in your mouth like you've just bitten into a big, ripe wedge. It honestly takes my breath away at first because it's so visceral. I put this on and it feels like I'm slipping into a slinky silk nightie it's so smooth and sensual (or, you know, slipping out of one, heh!). Then there's the spiciness of the patchouli lurking in the background. I don't find that the normal earthiness of patchouli comes through in Ravenous. What the patchouli does here is it gives the orange depth that it wouldn't have on its own. Citrus scents can be sharp and brittle on their own but the patchouli just deepens the orange here, giving it a sexy, powdery aspect. The orange and the patchouli blend beautifully. I find myself having to resist the urge to lick the inside of my own wrists! To put Ravenous into a bit of perspective, I have two other orange blends that I love: there's Cheshire Cat which, despite the fact that orange isn't listed as an ingredient, turns to a soft, pretty orange on me, much like my dear departed Justice. It's a lovely daily wear summer scent - light and clean and cheery. It's all pretty skirts and cotton tops and flip flops. Then there's Hunger, which is a stronger orange scent, smooth and sensual. It's a low-cut black Armani gown - slinky, sexy, dinner at an expensive restaurant, dancing, a night at the opera kind of scent. Grown up, womanly, strong, secure. Then there's Ravenous. Ravenous is black lace garters and high heels. It's thigh-high stilletto boots and a leather corset. It's porn on the television and the whole night ahead of you. Needless to say, I'll be getting a 10ml!

Great references, tart - thanks!

Aaaaah, interesting, t3andcrumpets! I never would have thought of that - a great recommendation, thank you! I'll do just that, then. (I'd really hate to swap it away because it's one of my favorites.) Pookstrell, mine is like that, i.e. there's a very faint hint of the 'old' Morocco, if you will, in this but I kind of have to work to find it, so to speak. If what t3andcrumpets suggests works out it'll be quite the thing because I never would have thought that the aging process could effect that much of a change on a scent!

I thought I saw some random mentions of this awhile back but not a whole topic so I just wanted to ask: I received a bottle of Morocco in my last order (March) and honestly, when I smelled it in the bottle I was really taken aback. It really smelled very different from the imp I had - there was a sharpness to the scent that I never had with the imp, a kind of green/woody bite that seemed very off. I remember smelling the imp for the first time and it was very definitely a creamy/spicy smell, rich and lovely. It pretty much went on the same way as well so I was really looking forward to the bottle, as my imp has long since been used. I actually thought when I smelled the bottle the first time that I had received the wrong blend - but the bottle was marked 'Morocco' so I kind of left it at that. Today I tried it for the first time and it just smells...well, wrong. That green sharpness is prominent, with a bite of of almost bitter herbs. If I put my nose right to my skin there's almost a soapy smell as well. It's really kind of frustrating and depressing, actually, just because it is almost nothing like my previous experience of it. This is the first time this has happened when I've bought a bottle of a scent - I mean, yes, with the hand blending and all I don't expect every bottle of a scent to smell *exactly* the same but there really is a marked disparity between this bottle and the imp. Has the formulation changed at all? That's all I can think of to explain the discrepancy. I'm going to try it a few more times, of course, but honestly, if the scent remains like this I'm thinking of swapping the bottle because it's just not what it was.

This goes on very, very light. At first there's a predominately smokey scent - sort of sharp and vaguely unpleasant. It's only after this has been on a bit that the sweetness of the sandalwood comes out and that smokiness fades away. Speaking of fading, this doesn't last long at all - two, three hours, tops. I think in terms of incensy types of scents I definitely prefer Aureus - Kathmandu is just too bitter for me.

Oooh, very, very interesting. There's a spiciness here but I also get a burst every now and then of something buttery and creamy. There's also a kind of a green bitterness in the background that gives it a kick. This is really, really good - very different. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. (I think, actually, the buttery/green smell might be the violet mixing it up with the other ingredients, because I do get a whiff of actual violet every now and then.) ETA1: The violet has come to the front but it's not overly sweet - behind it is the softness of the frankinsense, which gives it a lovely powdery aspect. Really liking this one so far. ETA2: seems to be fading after about 3-4 few hours, but still lovely. This is a very unique blend, as others have mentioned. I was very curious as to how this would play out on me and I have to say I liked it a lot. I wish it hung around longer but it's so nice that I think I'll be getting a bottle and then layer it with lotion to give it a bit more kick. I really like the smell of violets and have been looking for a nice violet blend for awhile - others that I've tried have paired the violet with other florals and the overall effect has been too floral-y for me. But this one allows the violet to come out without it being overwhelming. Faustus is an amazing blend!

Oh, hell no. Astringent, medicinal - think Vicks combined with A-535. Yeah, not good on me. There might be a hint of lavender somewhere in the background but it's just overpowered by the harshness of the pennyroyal. I can only hope this one fades from me as it's seemed to have faded for everyone else! Swap, swap, swap.

Ooooooh, does this smell fabulous! Creamy cinnamon and sandalwood. When first on it's that creamy cinnamon, which quickly changes to sandalwood. This is a sexy, adult scent - makes me glad to be a grownup! As this wears the amber sweetness comes out to play with the sandalwood - in some ways it reminds of Haunted, but with more of a woodsy kick. The amber does come out more as the perfume wears, giving the sandalwood a lovely soft powdery compliment. The patchouli never makes an appearance on me, with the cinnamon appearing briefly at the beginning. After a few hours this is pretty much all amber - very sweet, kind of like Haunted. ETA: oh Sin, where did we go wrong? Second and third application have been like a 180 degree turnaround from my first experience. The amber now just hits the sandalwood right off and turns it an extremely strong, sweet and cloying, much like what ylang ylang is like on me. The sandalwood before was much softer and drier. The amber seems to make it very wet and, as I say, far, far too sweet and overpowering. I sneeze when I put this on now and it's not at all like it was. Off to swaps. Alas.

I received this via swap from moonpuff and I'm so glad I did! I absolutely love Greed. You can smell the earthy patchouli in the vial but once on the skin that quickly disappears, to be replaced by a beautiful soft, sweet powdery scent, with a hint of the earthiness of patchouli. It must be the heliotrope that sweetens the patchouli, but it's absolutely gorgeous. It's a warm scent, almost literally - my skin did feel like it was warming up when I put it on. It's a lovely comforting, cozy type of scent. The only downside is that it's not a strong scent - after only about 3 hours I can't smell it on my skin, although it is clinging to my clothes so I'll catch a whiff every now and then. Layered with lotion or shower gel would probably be good. Still, it's on my 10ml bottle list - it's a good year round, every day wear kind of scent.

Ylang ylang and I just don't get along, I've decided. I had my suspicions when I tried Lust, which started out so beautifully on me but then was hijacked by the ylang ylang. It's just far too sharp and pungent a floral for my nose, and with this blend it's just all ylang ylang, all the time. "Astringent" and "detergent" are two good words to describe how this one worked on me. Also, honey is not a scent I like, and there's a touch of that in here as well. The little bit of softer, more powdery aspects of this blend are few and far between, and not enough to make up for the rest of it. Alas. Off to swaps this one will go.

I am Samhain's bitch. When I received this bottle and took my first whiff, my nose was filled with a gorgeous creamy/buttery scent that made me think of warm rolls fresh from the oven. Another sniff and I got a tantalizing combination of spices and pumpkin and a sort of musky smell - honestly, there was just so many different scents swirling around that I couldn't pick out any one smell for very long. This characterized the scent once it was on, too - I would get the pumpkin, then spices/clove, then some wine, then a hint of apples, it was just breathtaking. It made me so happy to wear because it encapsulated so many good fall emotions and smells. Samhain tends to stay with me all day - it's strange because while I sometimes can't smell it on my skin when I sniff my wrist, I can always smell it around me, if that makes sense. Not in that overpowering 'I've got too much perfume on' but more like it's seeped into my skin and is just a part of me. Brilliant! I've been wearing this every day since I got it about two weeks ago. It's coming with me when I go home for the holidays next month. I can only hope Samhain comes up again next year - I can't imagine a fall without it!

Unseelie. On me it's a beautiful soft baby-powder scent and I absolutely love putting it on after I shower - which is usually before I go to bed so it's even more lovely because I just feel all soft and girly when I get under the covers! Very relaxing.

On me, this scent was pretty much the opposite of what most others had to say - it definitely was not dry, light, subdued or quiet, more's the pity! Shroud was bright and loud on me - I don't know if there were roses in those florals but something came out of it that reminded me a lot of what rose smells like on me. Just an overpowering, sharp floral that I really didn't like. And, as these things usually go, the scent was extremely long lasting on me - I put it on in the early afternoon and now, at 1 in the morning, it's still going strong. In fact, I have to say that this is the first BPAL scent to actually get stronger on me the longer it was on. Bizarre! I'll be washing this off before bed because the floral smell is just too overwhelming. Then it's off to swaps for Shroud!

When I first put this on I was a bit 'meh' on it - it smelled nice but nothing really jumped out at me. I did catch a pine-y type of smell which put me in mind of Nero. I figured it would end up smelling like that on me so I wasn't really expecting much of Kewku. It was a few hours later as I was on the bus finally heading home after a crappy afternoon when I realized I was smelling this rather lovely soapy/sweet/herbal-y scent. It really took me by surprise because I did not expect Kewku to settle into something somewhat soft and pretty. I had to wait until I got home to give my wrists a good sniff to confirm that yes, I was really liking Kweku! It reminds me of Hamadryad in that it's one of those scents where I think 'I smell good' rather than 'this perfume smells good', if you know what I mean - it just seems to get into your skin and warm you up all over. Hopefully the formulation won't change (much!) when it comes out in regular rotation. I'm hoping to get a bigger bottle - it'll be lovely for winter!

Well, pretty much what everyone else has said! In the bottle and on me this smells pretty much like it's described: a bit fruity, a bit flowery, with a hint of amber/resiny goodness at the bottom of it all. This is a very pretty sweet scent with the amber keeping it from being overly sugary sweet. It's a lovely warm blend, as well - I find anything with amber in it makes me feel very cozy and warm, kind of like wearing your favorite fuzzy, oversized sweater while curled up in a big, comfy chair. It's a perfect scent for the weather we've been having lately: rainy, a bit windy, and cool. A good fall scent, which I didn't expect, given the orange and herb ingredients. Glad I ordered this one!

Thank you muchly, Nella and Co.!

I also agree. It must be extremely time-consuming on the part of the Lab (not to mention repetitive!) to be constantly answering questions about international shipping costs. I assumed that when the new paypal addy etc. was up on the website that shipping information would also be provided, along the lines of what's there now for US orders. But a shipping calculator would also be great! Just something so we're not always having to email for the info (especially when we decided to change our order or whatever) and our wonderful Lab workers aren't always answering the same shipping questions over and over! Pretty please?!

Unseelie! Unseelie!

I think twistygirl got closest to my experience of this blend when she said "a bit of floral, a bit of wood, a bit of resin" and I'll toss in shriekingviolet's "light fruit/berries" for good measure. In the vial this had two distinct smells: on the wand was a very pronounced fruit smell, and in the vial itself was a soft musk/woodsy scent. At first application it's that berry/hint-of-floral sweetness that comes out on me, mixed with a very soft musk/wood scent. After a few hours the resin/wood scent peeks out more but it never interrupts the overall scent itself. Again, twistygirl hit it on the head when she summed this up as "balanced". It is that, for sure - Justice is an absolutely beautiful blend, all very soft and powdery in texture (in fact, I envision this as something that would be gently shaken over me, like flour from a sifter). It's a great daily wear/year round blend, for its berry/floral scent would be welcome in the winter (with the musk/resin to keep it warm and cheery) and its sweetness and lightness would be perfect for summer. It also has very good staying power - I applied at 7am this morning and at 7.30pm it's still around. It's one of those scents that, at the end of the day, may not be readily apparent when I sniff my wrist but I am always catching whiffs of it as I move around, which I love. I love, love this one and am definitely getting a bottle.

I've found Spellbound to be the strongest I've tried so far. I literally have to just dab it with the end of the wand once or twice and I'm good for the whole day. Rose is a very strong scent anyway, I think, at least it is on me.

I had next to no lemon smell with this one, just green tea. Not a scent I'm crazy about on its own. Old Shanghai disappeared extremely quickly on me, not lasting even the previous record of 1/2 an hour set by Belladonna. For a similar scent I much prefer Embalming Fluid. With that blend the lemon is predominant on me and it has much longer staying power. Old Shanghai is a swap for me, alas.

In the vial: A strong medicinal smell, like Vicks Vaporub. On the skin: The Vicks smell comes down to a pine scent. Drydown: Eventually turns softly sweet but it's a very generic type of sweet. Not overly sweet like Spellbound. This sweet is tempered more with a green scent but still, sweet. At times I've smelt almost a smoky/woody scent as well. Overall: Because the drydown sweet scent is so generic I don't really remember this scent after I've worn it. With Snake Oil and Embalming Fluid I've had a very strong memory of what they both smelled like. With Belladonna I'm hard pressed to recall anything remarkable about the scent. So while it is a nice smell and I'll use the Ear it's not one I'd buy a bottle of. It just doesn't seem to fire me the way other scents have.

Oooooh, this one I really like. In the vial I can smell the green tea/lemon scents. On my skin the tea smell is strongest at first, but it's quickly replaced by a beautiful lemon smell, with just a hint of musk. It dries down to a gorgeous soft, powdery scent that I just adore. That's an interesting comment because I was thinking the same thing - on the drydown it does morph, at one point, into something that smells like a cosmetic counter perfume in that it just seemed so familiar but I couldn't place it. Anyway, it's a perfect summer blend, great for daily wear. I'll be buying a bottle of this one.