feline.by.design

Curious... this smelled like strawberry candle wax on me. I didn't realise that there was mandarin and fig, but maybe the combo just made it fruity, and I associated the fruity-ness with strawberries... I don't know. It's not a very strong scent, but oddly long-lasting in a faint way. This is a good scent for maybe a youngster, or maybe just someone else. It didn't impress me much, though, too bright and fruity for my taste. Plus, I swear my skin just swallowed it without giving it much of a chance. Strange. -doreen (corrected for spelling mistake)

It's odd, I never noticed that there was jasmine in this one, but since jasmine's a scent that works wonderful-like with me anyway, I probably just took it in with the rest of Phantasm's goodness. Like malanna and hypothermya, I too noticed the similarity between Phantasm and Embalming Fluid. EF seemed more lemony to me, and though Phantasm's verbena was prominent, there was still a bit of something else that kept it a bit more complex and grounded. I'm a big fan of Embalming Fluid, so I really took well to Phantasm's gentle, sweet scent. I also have to see what exactly the similarities and differences are between Phantasm and Embalming Fluid to see which of the two I would be keen on getting a bigger bottle of. With the comparison to (Old) Shanghai, I was more fond of Phantasm initially, though I admit I haven't worn my imp of Shanghai in quite some time. Although I did like it, I don't think I was initially as impressed with it as I am with Phantasm. Other things... yes, citrus lasts sadly too short, but this one was darling while it lasted. Not too sweet, but a very happy scent. I'm looking forward to the spring and summer, which is when I'll be buying a 5ml of this, or EF, or both. For now, the imp will be a good pick-me-up when the January and February blahs come on. Yay for the Lab, yay for me! -doreen

Oh my stars, this is just wonderful!! I've always loved the tale of Scherezade, and I'm really delighted that her namesake scent smells so wonderful. When wet and in the bottle, it smells like a nice little Wicca shop. It's incensy, but not overbearing in the least, with that hint of magic in the air. As I smelled my skin later, I was reminded of how my Tae Kwon Do dobak smelled back when I was in high school. A weird association, not of sweat, but of a hint of incense that somehow soaked into the clothing. Very enjoyable. At the moment, I can really see this one being worn quite frequently. I'd like to try it out wearing some of the Burt's Bees Milk & Honey body lotion I've got, as I think that the two would compliment each other very well. I'm not one who has yet had a chance to try (Old) Morocco or Snake Oil, so I can't really compare Scherezade to them, however for those of you who aren't terribly keen on the prominent rose in Seraglio, try this one! It's fantastic! -doreen

Gaaaaah! Eclipse has now taught me that I really, REALLY can't deal with almond oil. It's very similar to cherry, which is another one that doesn't work for me. I almost feel bad for reviewing this, but... duty calls! Well, not really, but I feel if I wore the oil, I may as well write a review. In any case, Eclipse was one of the rare, rare oils that I've smeared on my wrist and then regretted it instantly. The smell to my nose was akin to a sicky, syrupy smell of melted plastic. I must emphasise that this is a very personal phenomenon, as my boyfriend actually didn't find the scent that bad, whereas I felt it was wretched. He compaired it to incense that he used to have, which probably was due to the combination of the frankincense and vanilla. I caught none of it, though, as I was just choked on the almondy kiss of death! Once the oil dried, the almond oil & co did temper a little, but for those of you looking for a long-lasting oil, I think Eclipse is a good candidate. Too sticky-sweet for me, though, definitely not my cup of tea. For those of you into almond oil, though, I think this would be a top pick. As for me, I'll go over here and hang out with other wonderful BPAL scents, if you don't mind.... -doreen

Seems like patchouli and cedar to me. When wet, is is very cedarish, which later dries out to be more like the patchouli in Virgo. Although I love Virgo, patchouli isn't really my thing when it's by itself or not lightened up by a brighter fragrance. The scent is very heavy and dark, reminiscent of the wooden beams of dank basements. I get none of the amber that others claim. Sandalwood? Nonexistant on my skin. As it is, Aureus is more suited to someone wanting to project a more masculine persona. This doesn't really seem like a personification of 'golden light.' Maybe my dark personality has tainted the oil and transformed it to, say, damp wood or deep earth. Aureus, as it's performed for my nose, isn't for me. It's a scent I don't really hate nor love, one I'll likely pass on to someone else during the holidays. -doreen

This is a rather accurate description, I'll have to concur. The myrrh is way, way too heavy for Sloth to truly appeal to me. It's like the damp earth way, way underneath the grass, yet with a light nutty flavour. After a while, the fragrance does lighten up a little, but it's still a very dark, damp scent. It's not a scent I would be wearing, as I intended to give it to my roommate anyway. I think it may suit him better as it really strikes me as a very masculine scent, and he's quite the lazy bugger. -doreen

This is an imp that I intend to give away as a part of a holiday gift, however I did want to take the chance to try it and review it before parting with Rome. The rose in Rome is the same rose in Endymion, I am pretty certain. I'm usually one who can't do roses as well, but there is a particular rose component Beth uses that I really like, but I can't figure out which one it is. When wet, the fragrance has the rose element in it, but I had mistaken it for a very sharp, green apple of all things, possibly due to the juniper's influence. The fragrance struck me as being slanted towards the masculine spectrum, but light enough to be worn by any sex. It was very nice... until it began to dry down. On my skin, and it might just be my skin or my nose that detects this, but I noticed a very faint background scent similar to the "cat pee" smells I've found in a couple of scents with civet in them, but not as strong as Deimos or Puck. Again, this was a very faint smell that I could easily be mistaking for something else, possibly the cypress or chamomile. What's nice to know is that after a while that weird smell did fade away, leaving me with nothing but a less-strong version of the green rose smell, and all was right with the world again. In the late drydown, the fragrance does get a bit more unisex, really reminding me of Endymion, with the rose less prominent. It's about maybe two hours now since I've put it on, and I can still lightly detect Rome when holding my nose against the skin. I think that whomever winds up with the imp will be pleased, as long as they ride out the odd civet-outta-nowhere smell (if they get it). -doreen

... The scent is one of unadulterated spiritual purity, with a taste of the world's eternal pathos, and the joy of suffering with grace: frankincense, olive, spikenard, hyssop and galangal. Tzadikim Nistarim is a very odd little scent. It smells very familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it. On me, I get a very peach-like fragrance. I don't know how I wound up with this because I've seen so many different descriptions on this page from other reviewers, but on me, peach city. It may be the galangal or hyssop I smell, since I'm not really a hundred percent sure what either smells like. I thought at first that it smelled similar to Cheshire Cat BPAL, however it doesn't. It is kind of like the Cheshire Cat's cousin, though, with the Cheshire Cat being citrusy-sweet and Tzadikim Nistarim being more peachy-sweet. I had to put the fragrances on each arm to see if there was any sort of similarities. They share a juicy feel to them, and it seems like fans of one would enjoy the other. Well, except for me. I'm actually rather funny about peaches in that I don't like them other than to eat, and even then I only will do the actual fruit. I hate peach pies, peach cobblers, peach-scented candles, peach flavours, even canned peaches. Thus, I'm going to be passing this fragrance on to someone else who might enjoy it more than I do. In terms of staying power, this one does tend to fade a bit more than other oils, but it is sort of in the fruity, light category, so this shouldn't be surprising. -doreen

I've been wearing the fragrance for about two hours now, and it's already faded into a very light, oddly warm lavender scent. I understand the "astrigent" kick that Baku has, in fact it reminded me of something I should use as a mouthwash, if there is lavender mouthwash out there. I hope that doesn't come out as a bad thing, as I am a fan of lavender, and I've hit the jackpot with Baku here. I'm not really certain what anise should smell like, but the only thing my novice nose picks out it lavender, and lots of it. There is something holding the lavender back a touch from being a flat-out single note, veering it to be a little bit more biting and less flowery than, say, my french lavender linen spray. Interestingly, also to compare it to the lavender spray, Baku seemed to get a little warm after about five minutes or so on my skin, which really altered the smell from how it was previously wet and in the bottle. To compare with Oneiroi, Baku is a less-complex scent. It's a very straightforward and sharp lavender mix, while I believe Oneiroi has things such as ylang-ylang and jasmine that make it a softer medley of scents. If I had to pick between the two, I would likely choose Oneiroi over Baku since I'm a fan of jasmine and ylang-ylang. My dreams aren't ones that tend to have nightmares in them. Although I really love the lavender smell, I may pass this on to my boyfriend's brother's girlfriend, as I heard that she has to take sleeping pills since her job often requires her to be at work at 3 am. A coworker of mine also professed a love of lavender, so she may wind up with it in the end. Or I may be a selfish bastard and keep the imp because I really quite like it, even though I'd be one of the last people in need of a sleeping aid. -doreen

I bought this imp to be a stocking stuffer for my boyfriend, but I had to go and give it a try to make sure I'll like him smelling like this. If I didn't, I'd pass it on to my roommate. On me, this sort of "dirt" smell predominated everything else while wet, but Fenris Wolf managed to dry out to be something quite pleasant to the nose within a matter of a minute or two. The smell is woodsy, sweeter than I thought. It actually works well as a unisex scent once the initial man-dirt smell goes away, or at least on me anyway. Very sexy. I don't have the imp of Loup Garou anymore, but in comparison, I prefer Fenris to Loup. Loup smelled like Vicks on me, whereas Fenris is the inside of the bark. Musk works well on me, and I'm hoping that it will work equally well on the boy. This one's definitely going in my boyfriend's stocking. If he likes it enough, which I hope, I'll be willing to buy him a bottle of this for Valentine's Day. -doreen Edited to add: The fragrance has gone absolutely amber on me. In my opinion, this is a good thing, as Beth's amber really rocks my world, however some of you may have different reactions to it. This was the sweetness that I found in Fenris Wolf that I mentioned before.

Three Witches... YUM! The Three Witches has been an oil I've really been eager to try, and I'm not disappointed by any means. I had actually expected the fragrance to be more biting than comforting. The clove is the predominant scent that I pick out, but the other elements blend well. The cinnamon isn't red-hot, the pepper just makes it warm and, dare I say, happy. It's a beautiful fragrance for the holidays, evocative of fresh-baked cookies or spicy cider. This is a definite keeper, and one to go on my big-bottle list. -doreen

I expected this oil to be darker in the bottle, but Tombstone looks only lightly coloured to me. :::shrugs::: In the bottle and when wet, the cedar just rises to the top, reminding me of sawdust. The vanilla seemed like it was being beaten down by the predominant cedar smell. After about ten minutes, possibly less, the cedar calms down and takes a backseat to the sassafrass and vanilla, reminding me of drinking warm root beer in a wooden box. It's better this way than the previous cedar sawdust smell, and it is rather masculine although a woman could pull it off and do so with style. But women can pull anything off, can't we? *wink* I bought this imp with the intention of giving it to either my roommate or my boyfriend, but if I wasn't, I would likely keep the imp. Tombstone smells GREAT once it begins to dry down, and it sticks to the skin rather well. However, I won't be tempted to keep it for myself, and I'll have to warn the person whom I will be giving to to not to wash it off if they are unhappy with the cedar smell at first whiff. Definitely one an individual must let morph on the skin for at least a little while before making judgements. -doreen

I didn't really get much of anything out of Dia de los Muertos except the feeling of being rolled in sugar! This was the reason I had avoided Sugar Skull, because I really didn't want to smell like a confection. Where was the tobacco? The florals? It didn't really come through for me on my skin, I just felt as if I had put white refined sugar on my body. I still want to make it work between me and Dia, so I think I will try layering it with another oil or using it as a room scent. It's well crafted, but too sweet for my liking. -doreen

In the bottle, the wetness made me think of the BPAL Hurricane. I thought I smelled vetiver in the bottle and when the oil was wet. Alas, no. Once the oil started drying on my skin, Desdemona turned very soapy. Really nice-smelling soap, but still, soap. It's not overly strong, it's nice really, but it's not what I was looking for. It took the oil at least an hour for what I perceive the carnation to poke through. The fragrance is faint, kind of like scented skin. I like the end result, however I don't think Desdemona is right for me, so I'll be passing the imp on to someone else who may appreciate it more. I am tempted to keep the imp to use it as a home fragrance, as I think it would be fabulous as a clean scent to counteract the icky boy smell eminating from the two guys I live with, though. -doreen

I get a LOT of jasmine off of this one, but the rose kind of stays in the background (yes!!). Unlike some of the reviewers on this page, I really love jasmine and jasmine loves me, so this is a happy combination. This seems to smell a lot like Virgo, I'll really have to do a comparison between the two because they seem so similar. The only thing that Rapture seems to be missing is the patchouli note, which makes it lighter, yet still not "light." When I run out of the two bottles of Virgo I have on order (eek!), I'll likely turn to Rapture. For now, though, I'll rock the imp well. -doreen

I would have never ordered this, but I was glad that it was included as a freebie in my most recent received order. As I found out with my tryst with Hollywood Babylon and Hurricane, it's often the ones you wouldn't order that really work with you. Roadhouse in its wet stage reminds me a lot of the Hermit Tarot Oil of the Lab's, which is a good thing as it is one of my favourite oils. It has the same sort of sharpness, but the green smell in Roadhouse is far greener. I would say that the two scents are about equal in terms of lightness. Like others, I had expected this to be a darker, more tobacco-stained scent, but for the most part I get the smell of crushed up dandelions with the smell of a bit of beer being spilled upon them. It's actually a rather pleasant smell, much to my surprise. As it dries on my skin, the florals of the dandelion comes through and the smell gets sweeter as it loses its original wet green bite, trading it in for a softer green nibble. There isn't much of a detection of the tobacco or hemp notes, unless it's the hemp that's giving it the green smell. I have to admit, I like this one, though on me it fades quickly, within a couple hours or so. It seems like it would be a good scent for spring or summer. I'm going to pass the imp along to a friend of mine for the holidays who might like it also. This is something I may not get a big bottle of any time in the near future, but would be nice to have around in imp form. If I find myself using the oil a lot, then I'll get a 5 ml eventually, though probably not until the weather warms up a bit. Even then I will have to do further comparison on the similarities between Roadhouse and the Hermit to see if the former is too close to the latter. Maybe it would be a fun layering experiment at some point. It's a really great fragrance and I was really surprised at how well it came out, even though the components really evoke something out of some cheezy ZZ Top video or Hank Williams Jr album cover. On me, I get something more of a spring pixie sort of odor. Who knew? -doreen

Medea was a scent that I knew I *had* to try, as the tale of Medea is one of my favourite Greek plays. I love the character of Medea, since she is such a strong-willed woman and a vengeful creature who somehow commits such horrible acts but yet manages to maintain such dignity and grace about it all. A complicated tale deserves a complicated fragrance to represent it, and I think that Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is right on the money in this one, moreso than even I had hoped for. Medea is a very complex scent, as one can gather from the long-ish list of ingredients. I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar at detecting the notes for pretty much all of them, but let me tell you, the outcome is just insanely good. The florals mingle well with the currant and incense. When I mean floral, don't think of dainty florals but moreso of heady, lust-ridden blooms that drip of lusty humid rain. Or something to that effect. In other words, this ain't yer granny's florals! Wet, it reminds me of Hurricane, but a dark version thereof, as if I had taken the fragrance of Hurricane with its vetiver and wet notes and smeared it onto something like Hamadryad minus the cinnamon or perhaps a darker floral. I'm assuming it's the cypress that's tricking my nose, which thinks its smells vetiver. It also smells the wonderful, wonderful florals and the spicey note that I attribute to the incense and sage. This fragrance lasted well on me, and it wasn't one that really deviated much from its initial scent. Medea is something that could very well be a signature scent of mine if I decided to no longer order mass quantities of BPAL (which won't likely happen, though). It's womanly, not lady-like or girly, but womanly. Medea evokes the image of a woman who can crack skulls just as easily as she could caress them. It's a very flexible scent that could work for the club as easily as it could for the office, for the sinner as easily for the saint. It's this fascinating dichotomy embodied in Medea that makes me really enjoy it so. There are scents I like and scents I love, and Medea would definitely be in the latter category. If I could climb King Kong-style on the Eiffel Tower and scream the virtues of this scent, I would. Crazy, but true. -doreen

How interesting people's tastes are! This one I quite loved. Yes, it does smell like Dimetap (Dymatap? Dymetap? Dimatap?) in the bottle. But this really worked for me, because once the impie wand hit my skin, I noticed a more grapeseed oil scent from Madrid rather than wine and such. The clove was there, too, and the mimosa adds a sweetness, just enough for Madrid to come off as full-bodied and really interesting. There was a super-slathering session with me and the bottle on this one, and if someone was outside the room, they would here nothing but "Mmm... MMMMM!" coming out of me. For the record, I got NO urine smell. At all. I popped the imp bottle open in class and smeared some on me and a classmate turned to me and said, "Ooh, girl, that smells good!" So someone else out there is as nuts as I am in thinking this scent really rocked. It's well balanced, at least on me, and I can really see myself getting a bigger bottle sometime down the line. -doreen

Ditto the shampoo remark, although when I reapplied I got moreso the feel of coconut bubble bath. I don't know what it is, but there is something bubbley/soapish about this fragrance which was unexpected, though not thoroughly unwelcome. On me, once the fragrance began to dry the soap bubbles went away. I'd say the soapy/shampoo edge lasted on me only for about five minutes tops. I was left with a warm fragrance that was really good, but more masculine than I had expected. If you can picture a pirate coconut, this is sort of what brings the idea to mind. Not at all sweet, and probably a bit drunk. Like coconut rum, maybe, without the tang of alcohol. It smells really good, although oddly on me it only lasted for maybe three or four hours before fading away until near-oblivion. I didn't dislike the fragrance, I was actually very fond of Black Pearl, however I felt that it would be something I ought to coerce my boyfriend to wear, as it seems more like a masculine scent. It's odd, since I normally like wearing "guy scents" but I really can't see myself wearing this one much. It's a very complex fragrance, and if Brent doesn't wear it I would definitely use it in some way, like as a home oil or perhaps wear it when I'm feeling a bit like a nutty pirate. -doreen

Yegads, this smells like Tootsie Pops on my skin! Now that's not necessarily a bad thing, as I am fond of smelling like sweets. But after a while, it's dried up to remind me of candy, but also of cherry lip balm. Hmm... Blood Lotus is a good scent, but to me, not quite a great one. I could see myself really liking this oil if this was something that was a part of my first order, however I feel now that I am more familiar with what I like (alright, I'm more of a picky-puss). This fragrance seems like it would be well-suited for a young girl, say in her early teens or tweens, or for anyone trying to encapsulate that whole "Jailbait" idea. It could also work for someone who really likes lighter scents that still maintain substance. I could see my mother or other women of her age wear this because it is still subtle without disappearing. To me, though, there are a lot of other fragrances that are sweet and berry-licious that are stronger and more intense. Blood Lotus would be good for those of you who have coworkers or significant others who complain about how strong your bottle of Lampades or Hollywood Babylon is. It's kind of like a watered-down version of these and similar scents, the lotus curtailing the blood from being too dominant. In terms of lasting-power, mine actually managed to stick with me thus far for about three hours. I'm going to wash it off, though, so I can try out more fragrances from my order. In summary, Blood Lotus is very good, but I think it's not quite "me." I will pass this on to someone else who is new to BPAL. -doreen

Ah, when I popped off the top of the imp for the Mad Hatter, I was in heaven! It smells like the mint that's sandwiched between chocolate. Peppermint patty-ish, but not that strong. This is what I wanted Calliope and Melpomene to smell like! Do you know what Andes mints are? This smells like them almost perfectly! Excited and thrilled, I swab the center of my forearms, then.... SHOOP! :::sucking sound::: It's amazing. My skin became a sponge and actually INHALED the oil within. Not over hours, we are talking mere *seconds* that the oil became ghost. I can only smell the Mad Hattery goodness if I press my nostrils close to my skin, then a faint fragrance of what seems to be the lavender-citron and "mint" puffs out weakly. It's a little metallic now, missing the previous creaminess that made me associate it with Andes mints. I would LOVE to smear more onto me, but at the moment the Mad Hatter is destined not for me, but for "one of the boys," meaning either my boyfriend or our roommate. It could be that the fragrance is stronger than I can tell, as I did the whole cocaine-snort on my arms in order to engage the effluvia when the oil dried. Perhaps I just need to put more on. It leans towards being a good masculine fragrance, and I would recommend it for those of you who would like to get something that's light. Yes, this would smell lovely on a man. But it would be DIVINE on me! :::contemplates a bigger bottle for herself::: -doreen edited to add: I found out that pennyroyal is a species of mint, the smallest of them all.

Queen Mab is composed of the rose that works well with my skin, nose and chemistry. I think that because it is "tempered" with the Chinese musk and the jasmine this really does well with me. It reminded me a bit of Endymion, which also has the "good rose" in it, but it's less crisp, more deep than Endy. It's not the rose that gets all powdery, on me anyway. I really like Queen Mab, but I don't know if I am going to hold onto the imp or pass it on to someone else who might like it much more than me. The fragrance is actually *too* strong. Queen Mab really is best when she settles down for about thirty minutes or an hour. It's a very long-lasting fragrance, though, and it's feminine but not "girly" by any means. Womanly, perhaps. I won't be getting a bottle any time soon, but it's definitely one to consider in the future. This one is a good fragrance, but not one I really fell in love with, so we'll have to see. -doreen ADDED Oct. 20: Queen Mab has been an imp I've had for quite a while, but for some reason I never gave it the love it deserved. I decided to test it again and... whoa. I was just overwhelmed by how wonderful it is. My imp is a bit aged, but Queen Mab is, on me, gorgeously pale, wonderfully rosey. The Somalian rose in Queen Mab is fantastic, it really is fresh and light, not overbearing and powdery. The rest of the florals are lovely as well, but the rose seems to dominate this scent for me. My imp is less than half-full now, so I think I like Queen Mab enough to quantify a bottle. Funny how that sort of sneaks up on you. -doreen

I admit, when I ordered Samhain, it was more due to its reputation than the ingredients. I didn't think I would be fond of it, and when the bottle came in I seriously thought about just putting it up for sale in the forums untried. But, I applied some to see how it would go, and you know, it's GOOD! The notes that I wasn't too fond of in the bottle seemed to disappear on my skin, leaving a smell that was only lightly pumpkin-y, more spicey and sweet. It's not something I would wear every day, but for the holidays it's quite ideal. I felt like I smelled like a cookie or spicy cider! I may try and put some of the oil in the burner, however I suspect it will smell better on *me* since my skin banished away a good portion of the note I wasn't fond of, which was possibly the pumpkin. Sorry ladies and gents, this one won't be for sale. -doreen

I applied Bewitched this morning around 7.30 am, and I'm still getting good whiffs of it and it's creeping up on noon now. This scent lasts a long time, and it's really enjoyable. The berries and the sage meld into something that's sweet, but not sticky. A bigger bottle shall definitely be on the list, probably after the holidays when I can afford BPAL again. This is definitely a fragrance that worked well with me, and I would recommend it to a novice BPAL fan to get started on their addiction. It works well as an everyday scent. -doreen

I can't belive I haven't posted a review of this yet... Zephyr was one of the fragrances I received in an imp for my very first order back in June-July, and I really must say that I love it. I've recently received a 5 ml from another BPAL order, originally intended as a holiday gift, but I'm reassessing this thought. Anyway, Zephyr on me mostly leans toward the white sandalwood, vanilla and musk notes. It reminds me a lot of a perfume called 1920 or Roaring 20s my mother used to have when I was very small. I think I played with that old perfume so much that I wound up using the whole bottle. The similarities between 1920 and Zephyr could really be all in my mind, since I can't *really* remember what the former smelled like, but I imagine it was a lot like Zephyr, since the association came to my mind almost immediately. Zephyr is a long-lasting scent and it seems like something that would be a great gift to anyone, since I think it's such a likeable, versatile fragrance. I think it leads towards being a feminine scent, without being overtly girly. -doreen