feline.by.design

Burial was a generous gift from the Lab. From my notes, Burial began as the "high smell of earth." The earth was mingled with herbal fragrances. It wasn't anywhere near as dark as I had imagined Burial would be. I had thought to myself, "Hmm... fragrant way to die, this." The earthier, heavier notes begin to take over after a few minutes on my skin. It's a nice patchouli fragrance that's gentle on my skin, not quite as striking as Death or Capricorn. I suppose I'll hold onto my imp, or I might give it for the boy to try. -doreen

Obeah is a very strong "oily" oil when it first hits my skin. It's a familiar smell, reminiscent of some of my mother's fragrance oils or perfumes she might have had. I would tentatively place this fragrance in the "Oriental" perfume category, as it gives off a light citrus that's weighed down by something sweet, nearly cloying scents that remind me of... Food? No, no, wait, incense, I mean incense. Obeah morphs easily, bringing forth lighter wood notes (patchouli, I suppose) while still maintaining a core note that I cannot describe other than by saying it just smells like "oil." Maybe the patchouli is the "oil" I smell. Obeah is an interesting fragrance. It smells intriguing, but I don't know if it's a perfect fit for me. This smells like the pillows of a harem, or the neck of a mystic. I'm not quite sure I could follow those moulds, but I'll hold onto my imp of Obeah and contemplate with interest should the fragrance ever be released. It would make an intensely sexy room scent. -doreen

On the first application, Two, Five and Seven smell rosey, fruity and... slightly toeing the "nail polish remover" scent I've experienced once or twice with BPAL. Oddly, on me, it seems more sweetly fruity than anything. Hunh? I had been neglecting to try out my frimp (thanks, Labsters) for a while now, thinking it will be either fabulous and a must-have, or positively awful super-soap-powder yegadsness that rose scents can sometimes be. I hadn't expected this fruit-sweat smell I'm getting in the crook of my elbow. BPAL can sure be surprising. Ah wait, I can smell the roses now, though my arm is getting a bit sore and stiff from pushing the skin against my nose. Shollin's on point in calling this a "a riot-of-color rose garden." I get a little powder, but it isn't overwhelming at the three-minute mark, I get a bit of green (very tiny), some sweetness, dampness and some softness. I would argue that Two, Five and Seven is a very womanly scent; not feminine, but womanly, as in for a more mature (not necessarily older) woman. It would smell nice on a woman of quiet power. Freshly Victorian, although not stifling. Two, Five and Seven is nice, but I don't see this as a scent I would wear often. I'm kind of "meh" about it, neither finding it exceptional or disdainful. It's okay, but not something I'd get a bigger bottle of. However, I'm always glad to try out whatever I get from the Lab, and this actually was a nice experience. I may wind up keeping the imp. -doreen

Cherries. No wonder. Blood Kiss isn't my cup of tea because of the above component. The cherry note, and its close cousin almond, just is not pleasant at all on my skin. It's sickeningly cloying, which is no fault of the Lab's, of course, just my own skin chemistry and my nose in tandem telling me that this is rank. Yes, it is chocolatey, but nothing can compensate for the cherry smell. If you like Centzon Totochtin and you have no cherry affliction, you might love this. It's musky, which would be nice without the sweetness. For me, I think I'll need some soap in a minute. -doreen

Penitence was awesomely resin-gorgeous... until the myrrh kicked in. At least, I suspect it's the myrrh. Something has gone sort of chalky on my skin, a little similar to some rose notes I've experienced with BPAL, so maybe it's frankincense. Either way, it's starting to smell like deoderant-laden body order, so I don't think Penitence is going to work out for me. It doesn't strike me as a masculine fragrance, but rather gender-neutral. -doreen

This morning I was looking for something light, but not incredibly floral. Danube fit quite perfectly for my mood today; it was light, and a little sweet, but more of a citrus-sweet. The florals made me think of grapefruit as well. Rhododendron and bellflower aren't common notes in the BPAL fragrances I've tried, but if Danube is to be a representative of them, I would be willing to take chances on these scents more often. This is a lovely clean, aquatic scent, but it's aquatic in it being "watery" as opposed to "ocean-like" or "salty." I had previously feared aquatics, but more and more scents are becoming enjoyable. This would be a fantastic fragrance for spring and summer. I'm hoping to acquire a bottle once the warmer seasons come. -doreen

A legendary warrior bard from Irish lore and a renowned member of the Fianna. His saga is detailed in two of the four great Cycles of Celtic legend: the Fenian and Ossianic Cycles. A lyric, wistful blend of summertime Irish blossoms and herbs, glistening with vibrant white musk. .... Damn it, you mean I could of bought a bottle of this at one point? *snap* Oisin is nice, a very musky fragrance with a pinch of floral. I found it interesting and couldn't stop sniffing my arms. I noticed Oisin didn't smell like anything in particular when I applied, but the scent became a bit stronger once the oil mingled with my skin. It got a bit stronger, almost a wee spicy, after eating Chinese food (which is odd), and the staying power was fairly good for a light blend. I think it lasted about three hours. It's a lovely fragrance that's fantastically unisex. It's a pity I didn't get a free imp of this from the Lab when the scent was still available, but I'm glad to have the impie now, which I shall use ever-so-sparingly. I wish I could identify the florals. They reminded me of the "white flowers" note from BPAL's descriptions. I did make a correct guess in Oisin having white musk. -doreen

How could I have worn Dorian so long without writing a review? What the hey? Well, a bit belated, here is my review for Dorian. Dorian is a fragrance that is more vanilla and tea than anything else. It's a sweet fragrance on me that doesn't morph much once I've put it on. It's soft, nice, comforting and delicious. Unlike others, I don't get much or any citrus, in either the imp or my bottle which I have. The vanilla is amped up on my skin, as well as the "sugar." I'm not a major sweet-fragrance lover, but Dorian isn't especially cloying, and I find it appealing. I wore it to work once and caused a cookie-craving to go out amongst a few coworkers. I've been cautioned to never wear it again. However, that goes to show how delicious this fragrance is. Dorian, I admit, wasn't something I was especially keen on at first. I tried it on around the same time as White Rabbit, so I had a hard time distinguishing the both (I don't care for White Rabbit, actually). Plus, the inaugrial testing of Dorian wasn't a particularly good day; I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance that I am *still* paying for (ahem). So for a while Dorian was this "oil of doom," which was a reputation it didn't deserve. I've worn my bottle of Dorian quite a bit lately, since it seems suitable for a variety of occasions, and it often fits with my mood. I just can't wear it to work lest my coworkers eat me. -doreen -- 20 May 2011 Edited to add: Dorian has now become one of my staple scents. I've gone through at least three bottles of it, including a 10 ml. I order a new bottle once every year or year and a half now. And now I happen to really enjoy White Rabbit, too.

Pink Phoenix smelled a bit like children’s cough medicine in the bottle. It was very sweet. On my skin, the oil wasn’t as sweet as I had anticipated. I hadn’t expected to particularly like Pink Phoenix, since fruity scents tend to go either way with me, plus sugary scents that are syrupy-sweet make me feel queasy sometimes. However, Pink Phoenix is really quite lovely. The scent is sugary, yes, but it isn't sticky or particularly cloying. When I look at the ingredients again, I almost want to smack myself for thinking I might not like this; I love every single listed ingredient in other blends! The strawberry and honey seems to be amped up the most on my skin, but again, the scent isn't sticky. Pink Phoenix is a winner. I'm happy that I picked up a bottle. It's something I would enjoy wearing for days where I feel like a little bit of silliness is in order. It's a "cute" fragrance, which should balance out my heavier, darker, more serious bottles. -doreen

Whoa, hello cassia! Red Phoenix is definitely spicy. I had applied the fragrance before going out for some nighthaunting, and it was a good choice. The cassia is very strong, though, even to the point of drowning out the patchouli. During the wear, I noted a powdery scent underneath the cassia. I'm not sure exactly where that came from, perhaps the tobacco? I hadn't received such a powdery reaction from other tobacco scents, though, so I'm still unsure. Since there are a lot of comparisons between Red Phoenix and Blood Moon in this thread, allow me to add my two scents. Blood Moon doesn't reach the strongarm of spice Red Phoenix does. It's a lighter scent in comparison. For me, I enjoy both, but they reflect different moods. Red Phoenix is nice, but I wouldn't think of wearing this to my job, nor to class. It's strictly night-on-the-town wear for me. Blood Moon is more versatile in that aspect, because it isn't as heavy or overpowering. I still need to review Blood Moon, which I've been enjoying since my first application. Red Phoenix is nice, but I'm glad I only purchased one bottle, because I don't think I'll be wearing this terribly often, unless 2006 becomes the Year of Nightclubbing. -doreen

When first scanning the Yule scents for 2005, Herr Drosselmeyer seemed like it would be an absolute winner. Leather? Tobacco? Love the stuff to the point of wanting to rip my clothes off to rub up against it. Yes, the passion is that unruly. Hence, Herr Drossie's the only Yule scent I've ordered thus far, but while waiting, I received some disturbing news: He's got cherry in him. Well, I read the reviews anyway, and this cherry note was worrysome. For my nose, cherry and it's scent-twin (to me) almond do not get along. In fact, my skin chemistry creates a virtual Jerry Springer-esque atmosphere when presented with cherry or almond notes for the most part. I worried. So, when Herr Drosselmeyer arrived, I was apprehensive about trying it. Tonight, though, I have bitten the bullet, and presented my skin for what I felt would certainly be a horrible experience. In the bottle, it's pretty sweet, nearly buttery. The oil doesn't smell of the conventional cherry or almond notes, but I wasn't convinced. I took a small swab with a clean, behaded Q-tip and prepared myself for the worst. First sniff: "Hmm... okay, it's not completely odious." Okay, so it wasn't the hellish cherry experience I had been scared into expecting. What's more, my skin chemistry is actually working with me, proving that leather is possibly the most-amped note on my body. The sweet note that people had marked as cherry didn't smell a bit like the BPAL cherry I've known and loathed, experiences with oils such as Vice being one example. So what do I smell on my Herr-ed skin? After a ten-minute setting, I get warm, worn leather and a light whiff of candied smoke, if one can imagine such a thing. Maybe flavoured hooka-smoke might give one a good imagery, but I would lean a bit towards strawberry if I had to pick a fruit. There are some woodsy notes lurking in the background, but these are light and dry sticks of tinder, as opposed to being heavy and dank. Leather is the most prominent note on my skin, and it took a mere minute for it to gain control of the oil. Herr Drosselmeyer started out much sweeter upon the first moments of application, but it didn't take long to morph into becoming a new leather scent to covet and enjoy. The gods and goddesses of skin chemistry hath smiled upon me this evening. Herr Drosselmeyer has managed to be a nice, less saucy alternative to Torture King. It looks like I shall be keeping my bottle, and perhaps, eventually, seek out another. -doreen

I love men's scents. I used to wear Obsession for Men while in high school, because I liked the darker scent that the women's variant didn't have. With BPAL, I get especially excited about the masculine blends. Many blends in my favourites are oils that are very gender-neutral or traditionally masculine. Some favourites off the top of my head include Torture King (which I get frequent compliments on), Dracul, King of Spades, Geek, Azazel (I only have one imp! Waanh!), Laudanam, Death, De Sade, Severin, the original Arkham, Fenris Wolf, Saint-Germain and Mad Hatter. Those are the more masculine picks. I'm wearing Dracul at the moment, actually. I am really excited about the Come and See line from the Lab, so much so that I probably could just buy the bottles without bothering with testing out imps. My idea is that if it doesn't work on me, perhaps my boyfriend would wear it. Masculine fragrances make me feel very grounded, "steady." I predict I'll be visiting this thread often. -doreen

I worried that Devil's Night would smell really buttery, but it actually isn't too buttery. The smell that I'm getting is a light spice coupled with a hint of smoke. This spice that my sniffer is catching reminds me of something that belongs in pumpkin pie. As I let the fragrance settle on my skin, the smoke smell gets a bit heavier, but still not *heavy* or dark. Devil's Night works for both men and women, as it isn't terribly masculine, but my boyfriend probably wouldn't object to wearing this. I'm such a dork; the fact that this isn't buttery just makes me throw my hands up in the air and go, "All right! No butter? Fine! It can smell like whatever so long as there's no butter." Would I be wearing this often? Hmm... not sure. It's a lovely autumn fragrance, though, as the electricity of falling leaves coupled with flickering fires is well-conveyed. I think I'll keep my bottle for sure, but I won't be digging around for a spare. It's quite nice, though, and I think that if I changed my mind about how this fragrance is on me, I could pass this on to my boyfriend and he might get a bit of wear on it. Plus, the bottle's label is just too cool for school. -doreen

Faustus when wet: "*sniff* Hunh? What the hell smells like pickles?" This is the second oil I've tried recently that gave me that pickley smell. At least, the pickle fragrance died down, leaving me with a lightly-powdered herb scent that... doesn't particularly impress. This is a good unisex fragrance, but the violet on me has overrun pretty much most of the notes. Violet isn't necessarily a deal-breaker with me, as I did like Numb, but this particular oil smells like spent deodorant on my arm. Must be my chemistry or the combination of oils or something. It just doesn't work on me, but I'm glad to have the opportunity to try it all the same. -doreen

The components of Phantom Queen seem innocent enough, but the fragrance on my arm right now doesn't smell nearly as nice as I had imagined. It's very cloyingly floral. I've had orchid before in other fragrances, and sometimes it worked, sometimes it doesn't, and in this case... nope. It's too strong for me, actually to the point of disrupting my stomach. Although after wear it does calm a little, it's still too much for me. I'm actually a fan of Queen Mab, but I think, at least on my skin, that Phantom Queen is much stronger. I only applied a quick imp wand swipe on my wrist, and it's just overpowering. Perhaps the apple might be the deal-breaker in this fragrance for me. The sweetness is like a poisoned apple: sweet and sinister. I can see the "lotiony scent" that ABrokenAngel mentions, but this is the kind of lotion my mother would have and love, whereas I wouldn't care for. -doreen Edited to add: gangstaknitta and I had the same reaction with this, it seems.

Greed... the dark, masculine patchouli note is the most prominent upon the first swipe of this freebie imp from the Labsies. It's earthy, and a bit dank. The oil seems to be plotting something. Greed begins to bring forth the woodsier notes in the fragrance. It smells a little now like a forest, still very masculine. It's a dark green oil. Wear-wise, I'm not sure I like Greed so much, although I think that the oil is an apt representation of this particular sin. I just don't think I'd wear it often. I don't think I'm terribly greedy, to be honest, unless we're referring to BPAL hordes. This imp, though, shall find its way into someone else's oil horde, or I might wind up keeping it to try and use as a room fragrance. It smells nice, but I don't think I would wear it often. Then again, I could change my mind. -doreen

Peach blossom? Uh oh.... Normally I'm a bit apprehensive with peach scents, and I normally don't care for them. However, I did enjoy Titania, so there are always scents that break rules. Let's see how Tamora fares. The peach wasn't so bad on my skin. At first it smelled a bit like sugared ladyparts, but given a minute to dry down, it smells like lollipops. It's quite a feminine, "girly-girl" scent, practically a giggle in a bottle. Then... my skin seems to go, "Right, enough with that nonsense," and proceeds to absorb most of the throw of the fragrance. Tamora is faintly squeaking out "peeeaach laaadyyy biiiits" from my swatch of skin on my arm, and though the scent isn't bad, I'm not too sure I could wear this often. It's quite light, as if I applied body spray rather than oil. This scent is very much a spring/summer fragrance, but that's just my opinion. I'm still kind of ambivalent towards the peach note, although BPAL makes it so much better than every other place out there. Seriously, most peach scents make me want to gag. With regards to my imp of Tamora, I think I'll go ahead and just let this one pass me by. The fruity fragrance isn't something I think I'd wear often, but it isn't bad. -doreen

Okay, I couldn't help but think about that Chappelle Show skit where Dave Chappelle is kitted up to be Rick James, and he calls Charlie Murphy "Darkness." "Darkness, errabody, Darkness! The Darkness is spreadin', I can't see!" Anyway, Darkness smells like something else I've encountered at the perfume counter at Burdine's, Macy's, Sears or what-have-you. Although the ingredients sounded intriguing, the outcome seems kind of "blah." I'm not very impressed with Darkness; it isn't spicy enough, it isn't really heavy enough... it's just sort of dank. It's a little like opening a wet cigar box, but without the lovely tobacco fragrance. Just wet wood that's a little dusty. This seems like something my mother would wear, actually. Sorry, not for me, but as always, I'm much obliged to be the Lab's guinea pig for any free imps that go my way. -doreen

I've had this imp of Hetairae for a while, but the last time I tried it, I wasn't really too sure about it. So I tossed it back into my "to be tried" box of imps and that's where it stayed. Finally, in a fit of "I'm gonna try all these imps and review 'em!" I have decided to take Hetairae out to test... again. I'm planning to take the load of imps I have that I don't care for and take them into work sometime next week for my coworkers to dig through and maybe find a friend. I did this last year, and it was a nice way to find homes for unwanted imps. The honey note seems the most prominent on me, followed by the fig. The fragrance is nice and spicy at first, but it goes into a sort of chalky edge after about five minutes of wear. The initial bite Hetairae had goes the way of the dodo, and I'm left with something akin to the smell of deoderant mingled with the musk of underarms. Okay, it's not that terrible, but Hetairae feels like it's threatening to be that bad. Aside from that dusty, chalky note that I get, Hetairae is lovely. Unfortunately, because of that fragrance, I think I'll toss this into the bag to be given away. Maybe the smell won't appear, or won't bother, someone else in my department. -doreen

Perfectly enchanting! An irresistibly sexual, utterly rapturous blend of three roses, radiant amber, and sensual red musk. Spellbound smells all right, but the rose doesn't quite grab me. If you're looking for a spicy rose fragrance that soaks the rose in musk and heady mystery, you might want to pick up an imp of this. I'm afraid I'm not terribly impressed by it. The amber and musk and spices and soforth don't last as long on my skin as the rose does. Meh. -doreen

Is there cedarwood in this? I thought I smelled something cedarwood-ish in the beginning, but now, after only about a minute of wear, I'm getting the smell of minty powder. Hmmm... I was hoping this would be as fresh and crisp as Twenty-One, but it's more of a scented baby powder. Oh well. After a while, it turns into a vanilla mint, which actually isn't bad, but there's still a sort of baby powder tinge to it that makes me realise that I won't likely wear this often enough to keep the imp. As always, I appreciate the kindness of the Lab for including free impsies in my order. Some of them work out gorgeously, some of them are kind of "meh," some are a bit horrid on me. Juke Joint is kind of "meh" for me; It's not bad, but I'm not really into it. -doreen

First sniff: Peitho = lubb! It's a jasmine-vanillagasm! The fragrance is soft, but noticable. It reminds me of an amped-up Bearded Lady without the rose. Seriously, it's fantastic! As the body chemistry proceeds to fiddle with the oil, the throw is weakened, and Peitho's musk seems to take over, but there are still other notes gently streaking through. I can smell the lily, adding a soft powder that's sweetened by the vanilla. Jasmine undulates over and under the musk, playing a sort of leapfrog, with the sandalwood doing a little boogie and shake over in the corner. Peitho is gentle, but it seems just a little sneaky. Peitho is a good fragrance for the woman trying to be demure, but still conveying a bit of a suggestive wink. I love it. Jasmine and I get along really well, so unless another note gets in the way of our relationship, BPAL with jasmine is normally welcome with me. I think if I had a big bottle, I would wear it about as often as I wear, say, my bottle of Juliet. During the wintertime, it seems I don't wear feminine fragrances as much, but come springtime, I think I might be in the market for a bottle. -doreen

When I applied Queen, its fresh application smells... :::snff::: dirty. This is a very earthy fragrance, but I'm not so sure I'm too hot on it. There's something powdery in the background, but it doesn't smell like lily, or even rose, unless the other notes are just really skewing my perception. There's a sort of mature fruit smell to this, too, but again, I can't quite place it. It's giving me a headache, I think, right at the sides of my head. I'm getting the sourness that others are getting, although this isn't as bad as the sour milk/butter smell from Milk Moon. I really can't say much about this fragrance except it smells kind of dirty and primordeal. Musky? Definitely. In fact, I think the musk is the prominent note on my skin. There is a kind of soft pepper going on, but it's mostly musk. It's all right, I guess, but I really don't care for this much. The imp shall find another home. -doreen

Arachne is fruity-sweet upon first application on my skin. Not what I was expecting. I don't recall "juicy fruits" in the oil's description, but hey, Beth and Co are allowed to be full of surprises. In this case, however, I think Arachne is a little too juicy-sweet for me. I'm finicky with sweet scents; I prefer sweetness with a bit of darkness or depth. Arachne smells like a fresh-cut sweet summer fruit, sweeter than a pear or an apple in my experience; tangerine maybe? It's almost like almond oil, but I don't get the "eeeew!" reaction I normally have. The juicy fruit fragrance eventually calms down to reveal a clean, delicate fragrance I think is all right. Yet, is it all right enough for me to buy a bottle or even keep my imp? Hmm... I'll keep my imp. I reapplied the oil on another part of my arm, and I think, once that juicy-fruit stage goes through its courses, Arachne is wearable. It's strange, as I'm normally fond of soft, subtle florals, woods and herbs. This doesn't smell like that to me; Arachne is more of a curious "oil" fragrance. It's like something from the natural world. Maybe this is merely the smell of liquidated spider webs? Arachne is pale, a touch sweet, gentle and subtle. This is something that may likely will creep its way into my regular wear, eventually. -doreen

Mother of Demons, Vengeful Fury, Darkest Seductress, Queen of the Djinn, Goddess of the Gate. Red wine, myrrh, black musk, and attar of rose. My word, who knew the Mother of Demons smelled like sugar? Seriously, this has got to be hands-down the sweetest oil I've ever tried from the Lab. It's like wet cotton candy, or the coloured sugar atop cookies. Sweet sweet sweet sweet sweet. Is this safe for diabetics? Am I getting cavities just wearing this? After about a minute, during which the oil has calmed down on the sugar rush, I'm starting to note a different note that's a little darker, but nothing as drastic as, say, patchouli or heavy cedar or the like. Nope, Lilith smells like honey now. I can sense the rose attar, but it just kind of gives the affect of powdered sugar, though the floral grows a bit stronger during wear. Okay, five minutes into the Lilith experience gives me a rose that seems to be coated in sugar, though the sugar is gently sweet, not the intense high fructose I was getting upon the first application. Ten minutes later, I have a rose floral that seems a little on the powdery side. Overall, I doubt I'd ever get a bottle of this, but in my year+ of BPAL addiction, I have never come across something this sugary. Part of me wants to pass the imp on, knowing I'd never really wear it, but another part is thinking that this oil is just too weird to let go. Well, in the end, it's best to pass it along to someone else who might like it rather than horde it for no reason. Still, I'm quite pleased to try something that made me knock my head back and go "say what?!" -doreen