Eris

Lovely blend. At first, this is thick church incense with a predominant rose scent that blends beautifully with the other notes. As it dries, the rose fades to a general floral smell. It all reminds me of a sweeter version--almost too much so--of my beloved Penitence. I like this as a change once in awhile from Penitence's strong resins, but Hymn is a little too flowery for me for common wear.

Definitely an orange smell--both in the sense of the color and the fruit. It isn't a strong, cleaning kind of citrus though. It's softer, backed by a cloud of something fluffy and subtly spicey. A nice fragrance, but it didn't last long, nor was it really something that was really 'me.'

I was hesitant to try this one since I loathe Regan in _King Lear_so much, but the promise of vanilla was too strong. This definitely lives up to the description about being deceptively sweet with a harsh core. The vanilla is a real dry, almost cold vanilla with no warmth, and it does indeed envelope a dark, almost bitter floral. The vanilla is thick--like it has the consistency of cotton candy but little of that sugariness. I can pick out the orchid, but it's deepened a bit by what must be the stephanotis. There is some sweetness to this scent but not a whole lot. All in all, it is a very intriguing scent. It's not one I'd wear to feel calm or to feel sexy, but if you're ever in an odd, introspective kind of mood, then this is right on.

The description says this one is soothing and calming, right? Well, I ignored that part the first time I tried this. I was excited to put some on and then sat down to keep going on a book I wanted to finish. Eek! I was almost out in 5 minutes. Today, after a rough day with 14 year old students, I knew I needed sleep and put Water of Notre Dame on for that purpose. Worked beautifully. I relaxed and slept quite nicely; I feel much better now upon waking. Scent-wise, this is a blue and yellow/gold acquatic. I can't pick out a single element, as they all merge into one clear note that I really like. That note is thick and wet, maybe a tad bit incensey, and is about three steps from being soapy. Fortunatley, three steps is a perfect distance from soapy, and this works out beautifully. This isn't a scent I'd wear to be out and about or when I write, but it does its job in calming and chasing away darkness.

This is a very light and clear rose, though any rose scent will still pack a punch. This inspires whitish-pinkish images, methinks. There's a faint almost sugary-sweet smell lurking in the background, and the whole scent hovers only one step from cloying. This is an interesting smell that makes me keep checking it again and again to see what it's going to do.

Proof of why you shouldn't judge an imp until it's been tested on your skin. Upon first sniff out of the bottle, I was going to pass on this altogether. All I got was a strange, bitter coffee-floral mix. After reading other reviews, I decided to try it on my skin first, and I'm glad I did. The coffee faded pretty fast, and the overwhelming scent was an exotic, almost oriental floral mixture. It was definitely a scent I could see a sultry, bejeweled woman wearing. Very sexy, though not exactly a perfect match for me. There was still a certain sharp edge that hovered in the background--maybe the coffee and tonka together. The whole mix eventually faded soapy/powdery on me, but that exotic floral phase is definitely worth checking out. Heh, after writing this review, I wanted to better describe the type of 'sultry, bejeweled' woman who wears this, so I did a search on Mata Hari and found a nice picture of the namesake. This is *exactly* the kind of woman I had in mind for this scent. How cool is that. Go BPAL team! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mata_Hari

This one is quite possibly a rival to my beloved Penitence, though in a very different way. I don't usually think of myself as a floral lover, but this is divine stuff. The apple blossom in it comes out loud and clear, but it's much smoother in this mixture than in a single note, so I think it's being backed by the orchid. Overlaying all of this is a green, herbaly smell which must be the moss and clover. All in all, Phantom Queen is a sweet scent, but in a very wild, powerful, and pastoral type of way, as opposed to a cloying, girly type of way. Definitely a scent for 'real women' everywhere. Go Morrigan!

Yum! This one doesn't come across as sugar sweet to me, but it is definitely a sweet floral. It almost reminds me of a lighter, green lilac type of scent--if that makes any sense at all. It reminds me of the flowering trees my grandmother had in her yard, and I can definitely see now where this note fits into Phantom Queen. Lovely stuff.

Hmm. My first waft was kind of a soapy smell which is odd, since that usually comes with the drydown for me on other scents. I soon realized that was just the overpoweringness of the violet, and after a minute, the violet dimmed (slightly) and became more discernible, along with the cloves. The two seem to merge into a single note and meet somewhere in the middle: like a thick, purple clove smell or a smoky violet smell. I can't really pull out the tonka bean, which is too bad. All in all, this is an interesting perfume, but not one I'll probably go for very much.

Ah...in re-reading the description, I see there is vanilla in this! Now much becomes clear. I was thinking it was just dragon's blood and honey and was confused at the creaminess I was smelling. This is a lovely fragrance. It doesn't change on me, staying pretty consistent both wet and dry. The front note is berry-ish but not really in the typical berry way. (Sorry for that contradictory statement). It has a sweet, creamy backing that keeps it from being too close to the fruity end of the spectrum, and indeed, I could probably handle even more of that creaminess, being a vanilla fan. Best of all, this one blends beautifully with my chemistry, unlike most scents which either fight me or just sit there. Good stuff; this is a lovely, nectar cream.

When first applied there's a cherry rush of sweetness that I really, really like--almost like it's mixed with almond, though I know that's not in the description. As it dries, the cherry sweetness turns on me and becomes a little artificial smelling. It also seems to pick up its darker background notes, which I can't pick out individually, but which must be the anise and sandlewood. They sort of drag down and thicken the cherry, but not in a way I really like. I love the idea of this scent, but alas, I don't think it will work for me.

Out of the bottle and immediately applied, this has a lovely, rich buttery smell. The hazelnut and butter cream are very strong, and like Old Port-au-Prince, it seems so yummy I want to eat it right up!! I could even smell a faint note of sweet almond which I love. Once it dries, the creaminess and sweetness fade, and it becomes more of a cinnamony smell. I think someone likened it to Red Hots, which I can definitely see. The cinnamon is backed by something a little richer though, which I think is the nutty (not sweet) aspect of the almond and the hazelnut. A very interesting scent, but not one I'll probably be wearing regularly.

Never underestimate the power of hormones and changes in body chemistry. When I first applied this, it defied description and was definitely bad. I tried it again a few days later, and this time I could definitely pick out the smell of thickened, rich violet. Wild violets to me have always had a light, thin smell, so I assume I was smelling the influence of the gardenia and vanilla for this blend. All in all, it was a little too strong and floral for my preferences, but at least in a bearable way the second time around.

Whoa, is the lab's description right on for this one. Literally. I've never smelled anything that really seemed dirty before, but you can actually smell dirt when this first goes on. It's mingled with the apricot, which is very sweet, and their overall combination just makes for a bizarre bombardment of scents. As it dries, the patchouli really comes out, but it's just a bit too peppery for me. I think green patchouli works better with my chemistry. Overall, this scent is incredibly unique, but not one I'd really want to wear.

I would also agree with the notion that they aren't like almond extract. I was actually hoping for that, to be honest, but Dana O'Shee is the only one that comes that close. Scents like Queen of Sheba and Hellcat are definitely un-extract like.

I got an almost grape-like smell when I first applied it, but that faded very quickly. As it dried, it became sweet, thick incense, and then I realized it was almost identical to the Nag Champa my former employer used to burn in the office. It also reminded me of the Blue Nile incense a man with a beautiful smile used to sell on the streets near my alma mater. I wouldn't mind burning this stuff, but I'm not sure I want to wear it on my skin. It is extremely long-lasting, however.

Yet again I am pleasantly surprised by an imp that was an extra, not one I picked out. Lovely stuff. It is a dryish resin smell...very true to frankincense and myrrh, though I've never been adequately able to describe those two scents very well. You can definitely envision an old, dimly lit cathedral when you smell this, one that has the smell of incense smoke absorbed into its wood. The perfume is not particularly sweet on me, and what little sweetness there is fades once it dries. The scent as a whole also fades more quickly than I'd really like, which is a shame. Overall, I don't think this is the kind of scent I would wear to lure a man or go out on the town with, but I like to smell it while I'm writing. Very inspiring and dreamy. EDIT: Since writing the above, I've decided I was not gushing enough in my praise of this. I haven't been able to stop re-applying and re-smelling all day. I love it, I wear it when I go out, I wear it when I stay in. I never thought something like this would appeal to me, but it's truly divine (no pun intended). I believe this will be the first BPAL scent to go on my list for a bigger bottle

To me it smells like baby oil mixed with something citrusy, like a very soft lemon. It has good lasting power and doesn't change on me, and while I don't mind the smell, I don't think it's one I'd wear regularly.

It smells like sweet cream, yet it's not a creamy fragrance--if that bizarre statement makes any sense at all. It's lighter, without some of the depth I associate with creamy scents. It also blends with my skin, which is wonderful, because I never want a perfume to just 'sit' there; I want it to work with me. This does exactly that, merging beautifully with my chemistry. The sweetness dims a little once it dries, but the smell is still lovely. It holds on me for about four hours, though during a lot of that time, you have to have your nose right up to my skin to smell it anymore. Personally, I could handle this stuff in a three-foot radius around me. Yum!

Hmm, I was very excited about this one, but it doesn't seem to be working too well for me. When first applied, I got a strong flash of spices that didn't mesh with my skin at all. I can't really identify them--they're not like cinnamon or clove type of spices--but the scent just overpoweringly clashed with me, and I was really close to scrubbing it off. I held in there, though, and the initial spice finally faded, though I never hit the sweet level that I've heard others talk about. Now it's dried down to more of a light incense-y type smell on me that isn't bad but also isn't something that I'd really wear all the time either. Ah well, c'est la vie.

Smelling this in the bottle, I swear I want to drink it. It's rich and buttery with just a hint of spice. Yum! Once it goes on though, most of the buttery notes dry up on me, and it turns to almost pure clove. This isn't a bad thing but not really a scent I want on me. I put some on my husband today, and the results where the same. The clove smell seemed more right on him, though, which seems to go with the general masculine trend of this fragrance. (This scent reminds me of what Gambit--the charming Cajun from the X-Men--would wear, if anyone else here is geeky enough to catch my comic book reference).

Whoever made the creamsicle observation was right on. You can definitely smell the orange swirled with vanilla, cut by something just a little spicy--which I assume is the narcissus. This is a very pleasant scent but not one that I'd necessarily wear as a "me" fragrance. Nice staying power.

I was stunned at how much I liked this one, especially since it was an extra in my order. It must have appealed to the 'water' nature of my Scorpio sun and Cancer moon! It has a very fresh scent, and while 'flowery' is definitely an appropriate adjective, it does not achieve that in a cloying, annoying way. The scent inspires images of blue/indigo swirled with white, like swiftly moving deep water. At times I swear the floral notes will turn soapy, but they pull back at just the last minute. The initial strength of this dies down on me pretty quickly--just a couple hours or so--but a faint, residucal fragrance lingers for the better part of the day.