feline.by.design

I was really looking forward to House of Mirrors, and I wasn't disappointed at all when I tested it. Light, unisex, crisp, a little cheeky--all that I was looking for. House of Mirrors doesn't last as long as I'd like to to, which isn't surprising as it has citrus notes, but that would be my only complaint. This is a great scent for many purposes and moods. It's something I can throw on for work without smelling too obtrusive nor too generic, and I think it's a good fragrance for being around someone with allergies, like my boyfriend. Although he may complain when I go a bit overboard with some fragrances (which, with BPAL, a drop can sometimes be too much), but this one didn't elicit any grumbling from him. I'm so glad the Lab released this scent, as although I'm very fond of my lemon citrus fragrances, it's nice to have something a little different. Granted, the citrus wasn't terribly noticable; it acted more as something that lightened up the main amber note, which was also fabulous. All in all, House of Mirrors is lovely, and I enjoy my bottle tremendously. -doreen

Viola is such a lovely name, and I had been wanting to try this fragrance out forever as a part of my Rose Quest :::huzzah!:::, so I finally broke down and ordered it in an imp pack. Now, here are the details of my experience with Viola. First off, man, the imp was a bit hard to pry open, but once the sucker popped off, I was greeted by a lovely fresh rose fragrance. On my skin, though, Viola turned a bit odd. The wetness of the rose is more pronounced, and I keep thinking I smell some sort of sweet, candy additive in this mix of florals, however it could be my mind just playing tricks. Looking over the notes again, however, reveals it's probably the Mandarin orange I smell. Oh. It's very subtle and light, so don't expect the orange to dominate the fragrance. With the mix of Calla lily and the multitude of roses, this was bound to go powdery on my skin, and Viola does not deviate from this, unfortunately. The fragrance goes powdery rather quicky, within a few minutes after application. It isn't overwhelming, but at the same time, the oil loses some of the freshness and crispness I like in most of my preferred rose fragrances. Overall, Viola didn't grab me, which is fine. I'm sure she may be able to tempt another who wants to flirt with the rose fragrances. -doreen

Seraphim smells nice, but not really my thing. I believe someone has already said that this smells like the generic sort of department store perfume, and I would agree. That isn't to say that it's gross or anything; Seraphim is a finely-crafted light floral that is quite lovely. The notes are fresh, but there is one note in particular that I can't quite pick out which doesn't agree with me. The rose note in this does not go powdery, which has been a problem for me with rose fragrances, but I'm still not really stirred by this. Thanks go out to the Lab, though, for allowing me the opportunity to try Seraphim. I think this would suit friends and relatives who are more into the traditional fragrances the word "perfume" conjures up. Having been spoiled with the numerous offerings from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, however, my collection of "traditional fragrances" is minute compaired to the numerous innovative oils I've accumulated and continue to accumulate. It's nice, just not for me. -doreen

If Binah was merely a touch powdery, I think I could handle it. I loved the smell of it in the bottle, but my skin morphed it into a rosey soap within mere breaths of application. Although I like roses when they behave, in Binah they presented themselves as the dry, soapy variant that caused me to be initially a Rose Hater in the beginning. I really couldn't discern much of any other note aside from the rose. Thus, this Sephiroth oil did not work as well as I hoped. Wanted a more resinous, woodsy scent, but instead was stuck with roses that didn't agree with me. If you love roses in any shape or form, especially if they're on the dark and dry side, Binah may be for you. Alas, it isn't for me. -doreen

According to legend, the birthplace of King Arthur. The scent of a castle's great hall in the midst of joyous feasting. Spicy mulled wine flowing through the musky heat, warm leather and bright clash of armor, the damp branches of Cornish hawthorn, blackthorn, juniper, English elm and bayberry, and the magical tingle of dragon's blood resin. Despite the numerous components of Tintagel, my nose was overwhelmed by the sweetness of dragon's blood. Once I put the oil on, the cinnamon-spice came out very prominently for a short spell. It smelled good, perhaps future bottle material, even. The cinnamon fades away, though not completely, with the dragon's blood yet again taking over. I didn't get anything regarding leather in this at all, and normally leather is very prominent on my skin. However, this is nice, even though I'm not always especially keen on dragon's blood fragrances. If I were to compare this with other oils in the BPAL catalogue, Tintagel reminds me a lot of a lighter, brighter Hamadryad. It also seems a lot like Blood Amber with a hearty dash of cinnamon. It would make a great room scent, as people in here have already pointed out. -doreen

As the reviews have stated before, there is a sort of fruitness to Lust. It smells like some odd sort of patchouliberry. The sweetness calms down after about five minutes of wear, revealing Beth's wonderful, dignified patchouli note, supported well by myrrh. Lust is a good dark fragrance to wear that still has a small bit of brightness to keep it from smelling like earth. The sweet notes stay well with the oil, mingling with the duskier elements of the fragrance. I received Lust as a freebie imp and find little if anything to say bad about it. I don't know if I would get a bigger bottle, but I will hold onto the imp for a while. It's similar to Anne Bonny, but Lust has a sort of sweet sugarness that Anne Bonny doesn't have. The sugar-berry note, actually, reminds me of Hollywood Babylon. I suppose fans of both scents may want to look into Lust. -doreen

I was so excited by the notes in Dee I bought a 5 ml unsniffed. I love the leather note, and it hasn't steered me wrong yet. When I first put Dee on, though, all I could think was.... guinea pig cage?! I think the soft woods and parchment paper reminded me of the woodchips in a guinea pig cage. Okay. Not what you were expecting but not particularly bad. If all else fails, I can give this to the boy. Before I started pondering what to make of the connotations towards rodent housing, however, the leather made its appearance, muscling into the woodsy territory, but not quite pushing the notes out of the way. My skin amplifies leather to stratospheric porportions. Seriously, you wouldn't imagine so much leather coming out of a wee vegetarian chick, but it's true. However, as I stated before, I love the leather note, and it's working well in this scent. In Dee, the leather note is more distinguished than its raunchier incarnation in Torture King, more tempered than in De Sade, yet not quite as posh as in Severin. Dee is a bookish fragrance, but the wee smidge I have on my wrist indicates a passionate sort of academia. This would be good on someone who makes fiery speeches, or for the professor you might have had a crush on (or for those who want to be the crush-object professor). It's a "smart, yet emotional" fragrance, as opposed to Severin's "intelligent and detached" aura. The leather note calms a bit after about ten minutes of wear, smelling dead-on those covers from Encyclopedia Britannica my mother had bought that never were used. The woods smell more like crisp pages than hamster cages now. Dee certainly has a lot of throw, as my boyfriend is complaining about its strength in the other room. Yowza. He has allergies, though, so it might be that, or it may be that he took a sniffie when the oil was still wet and there may be a bit on his nose. In any case, as with most of the scents with leather, a little dab'll do ya. Dee will definitely be kept here, although I may give it to my smoochin' partner to try and get him off of Black Pearl. Or perhaps I'll give him a decant instead. In any case, I'm quite satisfied with this rendition of John Dee. I can't picture him as being anything but a nice slice of hotness, however. -doreen

Spicy, yet fresh. Harvest Moon is quite a surprise. I didn't get last year's edition as it had pumpkin, but this year's batch lacked the offending note, and as a fan of apples and pears, I had to give it a whirl. So glad I did, as this is a lovely fragrance that has a juicyness that I didn't quite expect. When it first landed on my skin, the oil was very light, but as the oil sat a bit, the spices burst forth out of nowhere. It's as if the inner crook of my elbow has apple cider splashed within it. Actually, it's more like a pile of spices and sugar merely sprinkled with cider. Definitely evocative of fall weather woefully absent from Florida (sigh). This would be wonderful as a room fragrance, because it smells like a hyper-spiced apple pie. I'll have to try that once or twice, but for now I'm loving what Harvest Moon '05 is doing on my skin. -doreen

The Ghost was one I must have totally forgotten about, as when I saw this lovely freebie among the imps in my order received today, I was all, "Oh, is this a prototype of something?" Tsk. Shows how well I pay attention. The Ghost is lovely. This is a wonderful botanical scent that smells very floral and green with a slight smidgen of some fruit, like a green papaya or something that isn't terribly fragrant. I think it's rather gender neutral, though some may feel that it's more feminine. The green notes are more pronounced than the floral notes, though, which suits me fine. It's very clean and, yes, a slight bit soapy, but we are talking minimal soapyness, unless you have some damn good soap that smells like The Ghost. It's very airy, not at all cloying or strong, so I think this could be worn well as an office/work fragrance. It's an outstanding late-winter/early-spring scent, but could be worn easily at any other time. I find The Ghost oddly comforting. I don't think that I have any fragrances in bottle form that smell similar to this. The Ghost is quite unique, and I wouldn't mind having more onhand for moments when I feel a bit gentle and, perhaps, a wee shy. I'm glad I have an imp that will help me deliberate about getting a bottle or not. Man, those Labbies know what they're doing with these freebie imps. -doreen

Saint-Germain was one BPAL scent I had been meaning to try for a while now... ever since it came out. I finally got off my tuckus and included an imp in a pack, which I received. Seeing as how I'm quite fond of masculine scents, it's no surprise that I really enjoyed my trial with Saint-Germain. From the little vial, I could tell that this one was going to be a keeper. I was so confident, I wore it to work, rather than wait for the weekend or at night, which is normally when my testing takes place. I found Saint-Germain to be a clear, clean fragrance that could be very gender neutral if it weren't for that manly little bite in the scent. The amber is subtle, with the lavender and "mosses" prominent on my skin, and perhaps the carnation (I can never tell when I'm smelling carnation for some reason). The effect is incredibly fresh, yet not too crisp. If you like the idea of smelling like a man fresh from a shower, this would be for you. If you're looking to douse something on a man so he can smell like he's fresh from a shower, well, this would be for you, too. As for me, I'll see how often I hit the imp, although if I wasn't being so militant about lessening my collection (really, it's true... what, you don't believe me?), I'd definitely snag a bottle of Saint-Germain with my next order. However, seeing as I have two imps of Saint-Germain goodness, feigning restraint may not be so difficult. -doreen

Freak Show is very buttery and foody which, unfortunately, doesn't tickle my pickle. The descriptions of chocolate cake are pretty correct. I had thought that Freak Show smelled like candy corn upon initial sniff. I don't know. I don't really like smelling foody like this, and scents that have a buttery-like note for me, like Milk Moon and Miskatonic University, don't really sit well. They kind of make me queasy in the tum-tum, to tell you the truth. I suppose the cocoa bean, fig, tonka and vanilla are drowning out the lemon and bergamot notes that originally gave me high hopes for Freak Show. Although I'm a gourmand, I don't really care much for gourmand-type fragrances. I can see this getting compared to the Dia de los Muertos of 2004, which was another one I didn't care for. As it dries, the chocolate cake smell does calm a bit down, revealing the sweet smell of the lemon and bergamot notes, but there's still an underlying base of cocoa that just doesn't work for me. It's odd to have a scent trying to be both crisp and deep, like having a two-headed monster. If that's what Beth and Company were going for with this one, I'd say they succeeded. Well, guess the Freak Show was too freaky for me, but I'm sure it'll find a nice home with someone here on the forum. -doreen

I didn't get much bergamot or tangerine from Moscow. Since this was part of my Rose Quest :::huzzah!:::, I was glad the rose didn't disappoint. Jasmine and rose dominated this fragrance on the small part of my wrist I dabbed Moscow on. It was a very nice floral, and although I enjoyed it, I don't think this will be something I would want a big bottle of. Moscow is a very romantic scent. The floral was nice, and the rose didn't turn powdery on my skin. The dark musk was unobtrusive, and basically just enhanced the floral. I could really see this as a lovely, feminine room spray or diffused in a house. For me, though, it's one of those cases where you like the fragrance, but not on you. It's like putting on a shirt that is, admittingly, nice, but just doesn't suit your style. -doreen

Numb is so clean-smelling. Yes, it's like soap, but the smell evokes the whole concept of clean to me: fresh white cotton towels, gleaming bath tile, immaculate tub with gold faucets and knobs. This is the time when "it smells like a bathroom" is a high compliment. The soap, actually, kind of reminds me of the complimentary soap found in hotels that smell of that generic clean smell. It's somewhat comforting, actually. Numb identifies more with this concept of clean than its intended means of cooling and chills. Seriously, I see a bath when I inhale. Fortunately, I love clean fragrances, so Numb has found a good home with me. Its ideal use would be as a room scent for a luxurious bath, however since my bathroom is far from luxury as I live with two messy men, this would be a good clean scent to wear after a Saturday night of debauchery. It's very unisex. Oddly, this isn't so much powdery on me as it is soapy. Numb isn't so delicate that it's hard to detect, yet it isn't terribly intrusive. If I ever oversleep and need to skip a shower, Numb would be the scent of choice to wear that day. Seriously, I might even fool myself. No one would be the wiser. Numb is a squeaky-clean shower in a wee blue bottle. All you'll need is a rubber ducky. -doreen

Geek was the sort of pencil-shaving smell I tend to get from cedarwood at first, but immediately it turned into a rich leather scent. It then proceeded to move around a bit with the ceder, creating a sort of spice-dance, heightened by what my notes say "dark incense musk. Oooh." Oooh indeed. The patchouli lends itself well towards Geek, making it a bit darker and less sweet than Torture King. Torture King is still at the moment my Carnaval Noir favourite, but Geek isn't far behind. I love the leather note, and the feeling is mutual. Geek is very masculine and strong, and I really enjoy it. Of course, there are ladies who don't care to smell masculine, and so I suppose that this isn't for you. More Geek for me, then. -doreen

Oh sausages. I don't know what I've done, but as soon as the oil hits my skin, it goes powdery on me. Seriously, Medicine Show smells like a light sort of powder, and nothing much else. Maybe this is some sort of "off" day that I've got going for me, as I wore Versailles earlier today and it smelled powdery, then I showered and tried Medicine Show. Whereas Versailles was sort of coupled with other lovely smells, this smells seriously like Johnson & Johnson's baby powder. There's even this aluminum sort of tang taht JJ's has. Now that I've worn it for about five minutes, it seems like there's some form of dark herbal trying to poke out, but it's being corrupted by the powder, which is now managing to smell like powder-scented deoderant, complete with that smell of sweat. !!! What the hey?! I took a shower! I'm going to give Medicine Show another try in about a week, but if the scent doesn't change, this looks like a swappity-do. -doreen

Versailles is such a fitting name for this blend, because the rose does get a touch powdery on me, reminding me of the powdered wigs and powdered skin that was en vogue during the location's heyday. I want to say I detect vanilla in this, but it could be the amber and jasmine just playing tricks on me. This is a wonderful fragrance, though the rose came out strongest on me, and, again, was a powdery sort of rose. This is a very elegant blend for an elegant person, not your jeans-and-shirty people. Someone mentioned earlier that this is a formal blend, and I would agree. It's pretty long lasting, as I can still smell the powdery fragrance in the crook of my elbows. This would be good for once-in-a-while when I'm feeling dainty or decadent, but I can't see this being an everyday sort of fragrance for me. It really captures the mood of Versailles, so it would be fantastic on an 18th century courtesan, but not really on a 21st century library dungeon worker. -doreen

Leanan Sidhe actually has lasted quite a while on me so far (five hours and counting), yet although it is a pleasant scent, I don't know if this would be something I would get in a bigger bottle. The fragrance is very light and refreshing, evocative of soap without a soapy feel. I like it, but it seems like something that would be better suited as a room fragrance rather than something I'd wear often. During the initial wet phase, the flowers and herbs are very crisp and strong, but now, hours later, I get predominantly a herbal note that, although still very light, is a bit darker than the initial sniff. I think I want to test out Leanan Sidhe a bit more before I decide whether or not to get a larger bottle. As it stands, the blend would make a lovely room spray, and I would be tempted to snag a bottle just for that. -doreen

Whoa.... this scent just ROCKS!! I'm a serious fan of the Torture King. It's so rich, so masculine, sooooo sexy. Doreen <3s Torture King 4-Eva. I love the leather note that I get from it when the oil is wet on my skin, as well as from the early stages of the drydown. So fabulous, I feel devious and pouncy with this on. Rowr! It's a masculine scent, but I revel in the BPAL masculine fragrances. *Ahem* Severin, De Sade, Dracul, meet Torture King. The oil dries down to a wonderful light resin about three-four hours after application. It's a lot like Dracul with leather to me, which is great. I can see myself wearing this oil a lot. Torture King combines some of my favourite notes: leather, frankincense, lime, vetiver and musk. I didn't get much citrus out, just a lot of spicy resin smacked with leather. Oh my. I'll have pictures of my bottle up in my locker. Torture King is my new LE sweetheart, vying for the title of Favourite Masculine LE with King of Spades. Oooooh. -doreen

The patchouli is very dark in Vixen. I put it on about an hour and a half ago, and it was very dark upon applying. It's now dried down to a dark floral. The orange blossom isn't very citrusy, but more of a, surprisingly powdery, floral. The spice of ginger was most prominent in the wet and early dry stages, but now it's a bit powdery. When it comes to patchouli, I don't wear it often, and it seems, in this case, it doesn't work out as well with florals. The patchouli BPAL I'm normally used to is Anne Bonny, which I really like. I'm a fan of frankincense, so it's unsurprising that I would prefer Anne Bonny to Vixen. It's not bad, but it's just not something I see myself wearing that often, if at all, over the other oils I have in my collection. -doreen

A potent, enticing love formula, favored among Louisiana courtesans. In the bottle, #20 Love Oil smelled terrible. I thought for sure it would be some sort of cherry/almond/gardenia horror. I was surprised, howevever, when I applied the oil to my skin and most of the sickly sweetness just kind of disappeared. The fragrance left is a sort of herbal rose mixed in with what I'm guessing to be lavendar. Surprisingly, this isn't all that bad. When taking into consideration my poor track record with the BPAL Voodoo Blends, this is actually quite pleasant. The rose leans a bit towards the powdery side, but it's not at all unwelcome. -doreen

Nine Mysteries was toothpaste the first second I applied it, but it's now turned into something both warm and cold at the same time, like a warm fire in the cold snow. I smell something citrus and bright that has the sweetness of orange or mandarin, but not the candyish note of blood orange nor the bitter sharpness of lemon or grapefruit. So, orange. The mint in Nine Mysteries seems similar to that in Mad Hatter, which leads me to think this is pennyroyal I smell, as opposed to regular peppermint or spearmint. Pennyroyal is a good choice; I find the scent much more enjoyable than its minty cousins that remind me of oral cleaning products. After mere minutes of application, the orange is the dominant note on my skin, backed up by the pennyroyal and other light echoes of greenery I can't quite discern. Hence, the visual changes, and now it seems as if I'm in a garden with oranges intermingled with herbs. This is a fantastic, calming fragrance, suited for everyday wear by any sex, but especially as a comfort scent, in my opinion. I love it, and hope that it will be introduced as a catalogue fragrance soon, as I think I'd definitely buy a bottle. I should note that the oil grows to be more of a collection of herbs, with pennyroyal leading the way, once the sweetness of the orange dies down. With the short life of the citrus notes, this happens around fifteen minutes after application. The scent I'm left with is a light pennyroyal fragrance that would smell divine on a gentleman, or any man attempting to pose as such. It's still light and bright enough for a woman as well. So fantastic. Did I mention my favourite number is the number nine? -doreen

This was a generous freebie from the Lab, which I've actually been eager to try, as I'm very fond of the leather note that BPAL creates. I'm a raving fan for Severin, and I enjoy De Sade, so the thought of a feminine leather scent was definitely in my interest. I think my skin likes to amp up leather, and so I enjoyed good showings from both the fresh rose note and the leather. The scents blended really well, managing to be both elegant and feminine while also assertive and strong. Because of the duality, Whip seems like something I could wear for any sort of mood. It seems to be one of the rose blends that really suits me. During the trial period, I didn't put on too much, so around four hours after application, Whip is really faint at the moment where I applied. The rose has maintained its freshness, but the leather note has vanished, probably left sometime at around the two-hour mark, I'd guess. All in all, I really enjoyed Whip, and I'd love to get a big bottle, as it seems like a rose scent I could actually wear often. Since I normally base my scent choices on what I'm wearing that day, I don't often get to wear the more refined, feminine rose blends I have in my stash, but Whip seems so casual that I can wear it with whatever sort of outfit I'd have. Definitely a treasure found along my adventures with my Rose Quest :::huzzah!::: -doreen

Whoa! Okay, I have a dodgy track record with roses, but lately it's been very good... However London in its wet state smells plasticky! I didn't expect that one bit, actually, so that was very surprising for me. When it begins to dry down, the smell of fresh-cut roses comes out more, but the plastic note seems to stay there, taunting me. Five minutes into it, and London still seems to emit some weird, rather "artificial" fragrance along with the agreeable scent of the rose. I'm not sure what to make of it, but at this point, I'd be eager to swap my imp away. Ten minutes into The London Experience, the plastic fragrance morphed into a sort of dewdrop spice that is better accepted than its plastic predecessor. Giving my arm another whiff, it really does suit the whole concept of a diabolical, wicked rose. It isn't dark by any means, more of a sneaky sort of evil that seeps into your subconscious and suggests inappropriate behaviour like chewing with your mouth open. The rose itself isn't really subtle, like Love in the Asylum, but moreso "rose.... with a kick." All in all, I could do without the first five-seven minutes of the oil meeting with my skin, but the rest of it is suitable. I can't say that this is one of my favourite rose blends, but its freshness has convinced me to at least hold onto the imp for formal rose moments. -doreen

Love in the Asylum seems like a regular sort of rose scent. I hadn't actually expected so much rose, as in the bottle I seemed to catch whiffs of something I'd describe as "hospital scent," encompassing the sickly-sweet scent of whatever's used to clean and sterilize as well as preserve. That didn't come out on my skin, however. Instead, I find Love in the Asylum to be a soft rose blend, a little on the powdery side. Looking back on the other reviews, coulrophobe's review pretty much matches my sentiments. It is a "subtle rose scent" and as it dries, I too catch whiffs of vanilla, but the primary note is the rose. This would be lovely for posh events or for work for those of you who work in an environment where business dress is required. I'll hold onto my bottle for those rare occasions a gentle rose fragrance is appropriate. However, I don't see myself using it much as a mid-twentysomething who wears jeans to work, school and out-and-about. I can't think of the last time I wore a dress, embarassingly enough. I almost wish this was a "me" scent, as the person Love in the Asylum is suited for is someone very delicate and feminine who is opt to enjoy the finer things while maintaining a twinge of sadness in her heart. -doreen

This was a free imp sent to me by the Lab, and upon application, I thought to myself, "Golly, how could I have missed this?" The fragrance is a mix of heady tropical blooms and masculine intonations of rum and tobacco, intermingled with spice. It can't make up its mind whether it wants to be a feminine scent or a masculine one, so it oscellates between the two. Because of this ambiguous nature, it seems like it could work with either sex really well. Santo Domingo manages to be sweet with the florals yet lacking the cloying properties I've experienced in other fragrances. The florals at times do threaten to turn powdery, however they don't quite make it there. My skin chemistry gives way to the floral notes becoming more noticable, with the tobacco and other darker notes lurking in the background. It's decided to express unbridled femininity on me, but a feminine trait that is a little rough-hewn yet genuine. I'll definitely have to hold onto this imp for a while to determine whether I'd like it in a larger bottle or not. It's an earthy fragrance that reminds me of Anne Bonny, although Anne Bonny has patchouli and seems a bit brighter than Santo Domingo prior to its metamorphasis into floralville. I really like this fragrance, and if it's something that works well on my boyfriend as well, I might be tempted to get a bottle. -doreen