tart

The Lampades are the darkly beautiful nymphs of the underworld, also called the Lethe Nymphae Avernales. They are the daughters of the Gods that govern the many rivers of Hades. The Lampades are Hecate’s torch-bearers and accompany the Goddess on her hunts, quests and revels. Their scent is the crisp, inviting bittersweet tang of cranberry with smoky dark lilies, heady, sensual musk, a tingle of ginger and a brush of Mediterranean spices. (Gender neutral) Wet: Oh goodness, this is so...! I didn't know I could wear cranberry. It's mostly just tart, not too much spice or floral coming through. Drying: An earthly scent starts emerging. The scent seems to be swirling in a way, with cranberry being interrupted by the other notes. I think I can smell the ginger, and perhaps it's the musk grounding this scent. As for a color, Lampades is like a clean rooster red. Not heavy, not overbearing. Perfect for fall. I find that this scent lasts a very long time, and doesn't fade or morph too much on me. I've been layering a bit of Dana O'shee over it, to give it a softer feel.

While wet: Strong. White and green and warm all at the same time. Smells like there may be a citrus note, maybe a light patchouli? I wish I were more familiar with masculine scents...There is something so familiar in here, but I can't catch it. Maybe there is the slightest hint of pine or cedar here, but not in a way that makes me feel sick (like Goneril did -- sorry). This is clean and clear and...as it's starting to dry, something darker is coming. [[suspense]] I'll update again to review through the drydown stage and for staying power. NOTE: Though there is now a Twilight Alchemy Lab oil named Obeah, these prototype frimps were being sent out long before TAL went live (as you can see) and it's unlikely the Lab would be sending out frimps of a "full-oomph" magical blend. We're therefore choosing to keep the review threads separate. As of 6/23/06, there isn't a review for the TAL oil yet; I'll add a link when someone reviews it! --Shollin

A tropical, humid, lush scent, with a faint echo of Pacific breezes, jungle blossoms, and deep wet woods. Sampaguita blossoms, banana leaf, palm, and narra. Firstly, I'd like to say that I was so excited to see Manila added to Wanderlust. My mom is from the Philippines, and I love that BPAL is celebrating the place that she grew up in. I ordered Manila looking for a sexy, tropical scent, and as a tribute to my mother's birth country. Manila is bright and happy. It reminds me of fruit punch! The color is a beautiful pale peach. I'll update this later with a full review of scents, longevity, all that good stuff. ETA: After Manila dried, the narra quickly came out. It turned from a floral fruit punch into a very strong incense. Nice, but it smelled too much like wood. The scent was still sexy, but in a more serious than playful way.

Here, a little chart for anyone wanting to translate their BPAL fetish to the outside world. Persephone, Swank - - - Herbal Essences Fruit Fusions with pomegranate, persimmon, and lychee Tamora, O - - - Maybelline Wet Shine Diamonds nailpolish in Fiery Glimmer, also L'Oreal Blush Délice in Sugar and Spice Snake Oil - - - "Silently" by Maxwell Black Lotus - - - Ralph Lauren Blue I'll add more as I think of them. Feel free to add your own!

Okay, so I only put it on a minute ago, but I am loooovinnngggg thisss...! This smells like a very dry Mme. Moriarty in the bottle. On the skin, it's still dry and complex; I could imagine it smelling like heaven on a man. After a short time, the florals all come out in a burst. The orchid lends a welcome sweet touch to the dominant resin and patchouli. This is fabulous mysterious sexiness in a bottle. It reminds me very vaguely of Tarnished Love from MAC Cosmetics. Dark Delicacies is definitely to be worn for a hot date, no question.

Wow, those are both gorgeous!

Three white cakes, vanilla, and red and black currants. This is pretty! At first, it's quite distinctly cake. Dry, it reminds me a lot of Lampades, but less fruity and slighty more powdery and spicy.

I wouldn't say that Bordello and Persephone are similar, no. Bordello, to me, was very sweet and heady, almost like a syrup. IMO, Persephone is only similar in the way that it's sweet and girly too. You may like it though! ETA: Oh wait, so you meant Hymn to Proserpine, and not Persephone? Okay then.

Best wishes for both you and your sister.

Click'n'Ships and Internationals June 2006, BPAL Click 'n' Ships ONLY PLEASE - http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=23706

Link to discussion of "Early summer scents" in BPAL Chatter: http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=22972

Intrigue is a beautiful earthy scent.

Well, those aren't discontinued, they're LE. When I'm searching for reviews, I usually just select the entire Reviews forum instead of searching by the category that I think the scent might be in. Try it again in just general Reviews instead of Discontinued!

Welcome! What are the scents? ETA: In addition to searching on bpal.org, which can pull up results for reviews, you could also do an advanced search on the blackphoenixalchemylab.com site if you just want information about the scent itself: http://vanilla.spicybrains.org/index.php In advanced mode, select "all scents" for "scent availability" and "only check scent names" for type of search.

Check this out too! http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=3687

Yay, I'm commenting! Or at least I think I am. I hope I'm doing this right.

Formula 54, discontinued and super rare. For a realistic suggestion, try Blood.

Ohh, poor Formula 54.

Well, my first thoughts were Snake Oil and Perversion. They're both strong if you apply enough, and would kind of "blend" with the atmosphere...

If you liked Snake Charmer, you must try Smut! I like Smut because it's a little lighter, somehow, and easier to take. It gets sweeter and creamier over time. I like it, but I am not sure how much I'll use it since I have Snake Oil already and they have some similarities. I think I'll have to try it in the boy's presence and see how he likes it. ETA: As this dries, it feels like it goes from Snake Charmer to Midway. But there's something bitter in the middle. Maybe the musks are going awry on my skin?

Alice is one of my favorite scents. It's sweeter than Maiden. Brisingamen is one of my new favorites...I absolutely love it! Morocco is nice, but too dry for me.

Anybody else think this would be sexy as hell on a man? I would also love this as an incense or candle scent. Dark green and smoky...perfect.

Alecto, another scent that I never expected to like! I think I like it so much because it reminds me of the very first BPAL scents I tried. Alecto needs to be smelled while curled up in a man's arms. The cedar isn't so sharp that it makes my head hurt (which cedar tends to do); instead, it is rounded and grounded. We'll see how the boyfriend likes it.

Wow, Himerus is pretty nice. It isn't a scent that I would wear for myself, but it is a soothing herbal. I'm actually going to push this one onto my boyfriend. I think it would be very good on him, even though it is a bit fruity. I'm glad the Lab included this little gift with my order!

I found this searching for topics with the word "throw" in the title: http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=10436 Hope that helps. You may also find this interesting: http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=1599