LiberAmoris

Marie seems to me a deceptively simple blend---at first it is an even balance of rose and violet, but as it wears, it develops a subtle leather-like note that implies a kind of violence underneath the violets, so to speak. It's evocative of the scent of a woman's hankerchief that's been stored in tissue, or of the sleeves of an 18th century gown. There's something faded and aged in the floral notes here that makes them tragic. Like a worn kind of decadence that has long been fallen and laid to rest.

I love Beatrice, but as other reviewers have mentioned, she disappears fast, like the transient beauty she is. There is definitely something wistful and tragic about the combination of vanilla-musk and rose, and the spices on me were a light and gentle undercurrent, like shade in a garden. All in all, a lovely capture of one of my favorite Hawthorne short stories. I wish it lasted longer, but then, I always feel that way about the story, as well.

or maybe it is after all...... Yeah, maybe I should be careful about where I wear it. No snakes need apply! My boyfriend loves Sin on me. I'm not sure if it's the association with the word sin, or the oil itself, but he loves it. He's an Ex-Catholic, go figure.

Wolfsbane is sandalwood with vetiver and pine on me. The drydown is sandalwood and cedar with lots of vetiver. I really like the concept, but the vetiver is making it difficult for me to appreciate it. There's just something about it that always makes me feel sick. I don't do this very often, but I think I'm going to go wash this one off. For people who like vetiver, I think this would be very nice.

Versailles is a regal floral. It's what I imagine the floral arrangements in the Hall of Mirrors would smell like. The jasmine and rose are most obvious, the citrus notes evaporate pretty quickly but they're lovely while they last. The amber is a very subtle anchor. As this dries, the orris note seems to muck things up. Orris never seems to go quite right on my skin, it's such a shame, as this blend is beautiful. I'll try it again on a different day with the hope of a different outcome.

I had the same experience as MsBraz did---Bengal is like baklava! Baklava is one of my favorite desserts, and Bengal captures it perfectly...I was a little worried about how the honey would play out in the blend, as honey can go either way on me, but here it is definitely kept in check by the spice notes. It's sweet but not cloying. This dries down to second skin honey and cinnamon on me, and is actually quite a comfort blend, although I also think it could play off as quite sexy. It's like Chimera with honey instead of milk. A perfect blend for curling up with a cup of tea and a good book in bed...

Al-Shairan is mostly spices on me--the peaches barely bubble above the surface of the blend. The cinnamon and clove are quite yummy with the patchouli. It's very holiday spice, as others have mentioned, perfect for the upcoming months. In fact, this smells a lot like spiced apple cider to me, as the peach is almost apple-y to my nose. The longer I wear it, the more like apple cider it becomes. I am having good luck with a lot of the new releases, and Al-Shairan is no exception.

Old Scratch is such a yummy and sumptuous lavender blend! I get lots of lavender and rosewood, with underpinnings of tonka and amber. I wouldn't know there was patchouli in here if it wasn't listed in the description. After a while, it's a sweet luscious diabolical lavender, like a sinner's recipe for Lavender Poundcake. More, please.

Mmmm....upon uncorking Black Opal, my first sniff was a happy one. I detect some of the luscious florals from Xiuhtecuhtli, a creamy musk that seems similar to the one in Chaste Moon, and the spices from Morocco. I don't get any vanilla, surprisingly, but loads of creamy soft musk. I do get the mineral note that others have been mentioning, as well as a slight watery tinge. Opals are water stones, after all, so it does seem appropriate. Black Opal just gets better and better the longer it wears on my skin. It really is a skin scent, and one that manages to be both subtle and alluring. I have a 10ml of this on the way.

I love the camomile in Ephemera, and there's a dappled, sunny note that smells like autumn wind that is just delightful---but after ten minutes these notes are overpowered by the violet, and that's all I get from then on. I always thought that I was the kind of person whose skin did not amp up certain notes overmuch; recently I've discovered that violet is a note I should steer clear of. On my skin it just drowns out everything else around it. I love the smell of Ephemera in the vial, this might be one to try with a scent locket.

Numb on me is super strong violets. Wow. So strong. I actually feel like there is just a smidgen of mint in here, so faint I might just be imagining it. There's another note I can smell that I think is giving it the 'soapy' quality that others have mentioned. I'm not sure Numb is for me, as violets are not my favorite and it is so strong. But I'll definitely try it again before I make up my mind. This might be nice as a couple of drops in the bath, because it's so concentrated.

Wow, Fruit Moon is like fruit punch! The good kind, with all kinds of chopped up fruits bobbing about. I wasn't so sure about it in the bottle, but this is a blend that loves the skin. It just blooms and gains dimension. The lunar notes sparkle like sugar on top. I'm so glad I got a bottle. This will go next to my bottle of Titania in my BPAL box for the days when I want something mouthwateringly fruity.

I got a bottle of Tintagel unsniffed for the autumn because it sounded like something that might be good on both me and my boyfriend. Plus, I'm a sucker for anything medieval. It's like a jousting tournament in a bottle! The leather and dragon's blood are an unusual pairing, and the woods and berries really round it out and make it complex. The mulled wine takes a little bit to work its way forward on my skin, but once it does, it gallops along! This is another blend that would make a fantastic room scent. I'd love for my entire apartment to smell like this.

New Orleans is such a sultry blend, I only have one imp that I occasionally dip into, and that's probably all I'll ever need. But there is something gorgeously decadent about it that requires that when I wear it, I go out. For some reason, I never want to just wear this around the house. On me it's honeysuckle, the smell of a lemon tree, and the smell of the Gulf.

Sexy Earl Grey! I can't believe I waited so long to try Severin, it's positively criminal. The leather note here is divine. I wish the lemon note hung around a little longer, but I really can't complain, as the scrummy Earl Grey note lasts forever on my skin. Severin strikes me as Dorian's older brother in a distressed black leather jacket. There's nothing submissive about him to me!

Gaueko is a blend that just feels...dusky. There's something about it that is shadowy and mysterious. The lavender is uppermost for me in this blend, but the tobacco and the smoky nag champa come through after about an hour. The drydown on this is great, but for that first hour the lavender is a bit too medicinal-smelling for my tastes. I'm definitely keeping the imp, though, as it so evocative.

Snake Charmer is my latest find in this category. I wore it at work last week, and a guy who is about 8 years younger than me got all complimentary with me. It's not just the snakes it charms!

The Lion is great, so warm and sexy and just...gah! If you also like black musk, Haunted is very nice. And then there's always O---a classic BPAL amber favorite. But my personal faves (besides The Lion) are Spellbound and Sin. Spellbound is amber + rose and Sin is amber+ patchouli. I think they're pretty sexy blends, and I always get a little swing in my hips when I wear them.

Nuit is one of those BPAL blends that I don't wear every day but I'm so glad I have a bottle of it in my collection. To me, it's the smell of summer nights. The rose and jasmine and musk are enveloped in what smells like oakmoss. To my nose, it's like a cross between Moon Rose and Graveyard Dirt. It makes me want to go for a drive through the woods with the windows down.

Vechernyaya is also a very nice patchouli blend. It's got three white musks...so it helps if you like white musk. But if you do, and you like subtle patchouli, it's gorgeous. I absolutely adore it.

I'm not quite sure what note in Goneril turns the blend into something so sharp, but whatever it is, it is unpleasant on my skin. It's a great blend for the character name, but it's not one that I want to wear. I think this one will be going into the swap pile for someone else to enjoy. The cedarwood and lily are very nice, but something in the black orchid or geranium is disagreeing with me.

Violet is a very unisex floral, perfect for her role in Twelfth Night. I agree with Splendid Molerat above---this reminds me a great deal of Zombi, probably the combination of the rose with the oakmoss. This seems like a nighttime floral to me. It's bewitchingly dark and dangerous.

Desdemona is a very simple green aquatic on me. I've tried it a couple of times and it never changes on my skin from the way it is in the imp. It's very clean and yet there is something tragic about it that suits the name well. Something this pure can't last long in the world. It's mostly sweet pea and water lily, although on the drydown I get the slight spiciness of the carnation. It's very faint, though. I think I'll keep the imp for springtime, when I think this would absolutely set the mood for regeneration and freshness.

Juliet is what I wished Aeval would be on me...the sweet pea here is definitely noticeable but it's not overpowering. On me, it's mostly sweet pea and musk, and that's really okay. It's a very innocent and youthful blend, full of the kind of promise that young lovers have. It takes me back to the days when I believed, like Juliet, that love conquered all. OMG, I'm so bitter!

My review of Regan is much-delayed. I got an imp a year ago, tried it once, wasn't infatuated, and promptly put it into a pile to give to a friend who needed a little enabling. I recently got another imp, as a freebie from the Lab, and thought I should at least give it another try before sending it to the swap pile. It's so funny how my tastes have changed since I started wearing BPAL...now I love Regan. I don't wear it often, but it's an imp I like to have around. Regan is almost like milk and honey on me, with the teeniest smidge of mint. It actually reminds me a bit of Milk Moon. On me, it's Milk Moon with white florals. Here's to trying things twice.