Akurarei

Dragon's Bone In the Bottle: Dry and sharp. The Dragon's Blood is pretty minimal here, but I can pick out the Blondewood & Sandalwood without any issues. Or maybe the Sandalwood is the Orris? hmmm.... On my Skin, Wet: Still dry and sharp. somewhat floraly; I guess that the Orris is doing some blooming on my wrist. I can still pick out a wood smell, I suppose it's the blondewood - I don't think any other BPAL scent has Blondewood in it, so I'm not sure about this. On my Skin, Dry: Dry and floral. The Dragon's Blood is peeking out just a wee bit here. it's still vaguely sharp - I cannot place the origin of the sharp note though. Verdict: I think the BF likes this one on me better than I like it. I just don't like sharp scents. I think I'll try it out on him and see if that arrangement works better. As a perfume, however - I would rate this one as a 6 of 10. It's lovely in it's own way, if just not for me.

Carnaval Diabolique: The Candy Butcher The only BPAL chocolate scent I've had any kind of good fortune with has been the 13 series. I tried Vice for the chocolate and cherries primarily, but got thwarted by the orange blossom In the Bottle: This smells like Vice did. But since there doesn't seem to be a citrusy note, I'll give it a whirl. On my Skin, Wet: This smells really dry somehow. It does smell like cocoa, not chocolate though. nor is it turning plastic-y on me so far. I can vaguely smell somethink like sour milk, which I suppose is the cream note. On my Skin, Dry: Well, there is no plastic transformation, so that's very good news The Candy Butcher doesn't ever turn chocolate on me, but remains a dusty cocoa with a thin line of something sweet. So, the good news is that the cream note does not stay 'sour milk' either. Verdict: I am glad I have a bottle, but I'm still on the hunt for a BPAL chocolate scent that I can wear that doesn't turn dusty on me. Overall The Candy Butcher did live up to her description though, and she faded into the background some so that I wasn't surrounded by dusty sweet cocoa. I would rate the Butcher as a 4 of 10.

Rose Red 2005 In the Bottle: WOW! It smells like the purest natural rose I have ever, ever, ever come across - it smells even more natural than a rose in a garden!! ::can't wait to wear this!!:: On my Skin, Wet: OMG - an ENORMOUS bouquet of fresh cut red roses! right down to the foliage of the bouquet! This is TRULY an amazing scent! WOW! On my Skin, Dry: Still the most amazing natural rose smell EVER! I can't get over how wonderful this smells!! ::nuzzles wrists!!:: Verdict: SOOOOO happy that I bought 2 bottles!! Wonderful! Phenominal! Indeed - The Perfect Rose, winter or otherwise! 10 of 10!

Carnaval Diabolique: Faith Having tried Numb and finding out that it contains violets, I wasn't sure about Faith. In the Bottle: OOO - How wrong was I about doubting Faith? EXTREMELY! She really is the sister of Hope! Where Hope had mountains of sugar with an undercurrent of Rose, so Faith is a mountain of sugar with an undercurrent of delicious violets! LOVE! On my Skin, Wet: Uh-Oh! Here I go amping violets again!! Phew! ok - the sugar is coming out to play, so far so good! mmmmm - sugared candied violets, sort of juicy in a weird way too. but weird in a very good way! On my Skin, Dry: Wonderous sugary voilet candy - but not at all little-girl-ish. These are vixen sugared voilet candies not toddler sugar violet candies! This somehow retains it's weird juiciness. I am very pleased with the notion that Faith is a JUICY sugared violet, I just wish I could place the juicy note. Maybe a single drop of peach or plum? Verdict: Ah, screw it - I don't care what the juicy note is! Beautiful Faith! I adore you and your sister!! You are what I had hoped Numb would be - except that you are FAR superior than my anticipations of the violet notes! ooooo - wouldn't it be GREAT if there were more sugared flowers in the GC?

Carnaval Diabolique: Hope I have not yet met a BPAL rose that I didn't like - so the prospect of a SUGARED rose was irrisistable! In the Bottle: I smell mostly sugar with a faint undercurrent of rose. The rose does not seem to be the same fresh rose found in Rose Red 2005. It is far more subdued; or there is a massive sugar rush in a bottle here! LOL On my Skin, Wet: ::drool:: ::snuggles wrist:: Can happiness be a sugared rose? Of all the rose scents I've tried from BPAL - this one is the most beautiful! Rose Red 2005 is the most natural, literally. But Hope is the most prized rose of the rose garden - she is the one that redefines loveliness and is the epitome of the ideal pink rose. Simply Marvelous! On my Skin, Dry: It's a lovely tango between the sugar and rose. Each note takes it's turn between coming to the forefront and being the supporting role. I am continually impressed by the fluctuations. oooo - I think there might even be just a tiny, tiny dash of something green in here! If I am smelling something green (which I'm not entirely sure about) then it's probably a very, very delicate herb or a tiny pinch of grass. Astounding! Verdict: I don't usually want to hoard a BPAL scent, but Hope might make the exception for the Siamese Twins! BTW, my definition of hoarding would be 5 bottles or more. Problem is - there is a mortgage payment in between me and hoarding. LOL! Phenominal!

Mad Tea Party: Croquet I'm not a patchouli fan - but from the reviews this sounded promising regardless. In the Bottle: I get mostly fruit and not very much else. The fruits smell wonderful though! They DO smell very pink too! On my Skin, Wet: Pink Lime!! How amazing!! Mmmm - Grapefruit too! But not the prototypical sour pink grapefruit - this is a pink grapfruit grown in sugar, not soil. Absolutely delightful! I don't detect any of that nasty patchouli, either - so this is great so far! On my Skin, Dry: Still sugary pink fruits but there's something else creeping into the picture now... It does not smell like patchouli - maybe it's the musk. Well, whatever it is - I refuse to let it take over the sugared pink fruits! ::shakes finger at creeping note!:: Verdict: The finger shake worked! Croquet never really settles back into the sugared fruits that I flipped over, but the musk stays calm. The dreaded patchouli never makes an appearance with me - a fact I am DELIGHTED about! Other Notations: As mentioned before, I am not a patchouli fan at all. I dread patchouli and typically dismiss any perfume with patchouli listed outright and never consider it at all. The same thing happened with Croquet. I read the description and listed notes and dismissed it outright - despite the fact that it otherwise sounded delicious. Then after reading reviews on BPAL Madness about the patchouli almost being non-existant I decided to give it a shot (because BPAL is always amazing) Please note - I simply dread patchouli - I do not amp it. Soooo; if you simply do not LIKE patchouli then Croquet is worth an imp at least. if you AMP patchouli, then you should probably follow your own judgement about sampling (imp)/purchasing (bottle) Croquet.

Lady Luck Blues: I have to admit, I was on the fence about this one. While I have had excellent luck with BPAL's plum scents, I had my doubts about the honeyed bit of the rose. In the Bottle: Strong rose. Very pretty and feminine. Definitely not the same type of rose as Rose Red 2005. This is a much sweeter rose than Rose Red 2005, but it's not the sugared rose from Hope & Faith either. Very Promising! On my Skin, Wet: Honeyed rose indeed! This is just gorgeous - if somehow not quite what I was expecting. I definitely was hoping for some of the plum to shine through, but it hasn't made an appearance yet. I can vaguely pick out the iris note - but it's extraordinarily subtle. The fact that the note is so subtle just re-affirms my belief that the Labbies are absolutely amazing and REALLY know and love what they do! On my Skin, Dry: Oh, no! the honey note has done it again! BPAL's honey note tends to swallow up all other notes and just vanish from my skin! Oh, wait - I spoke too soon. I get a very tiny bit of honeyed rose wafting around whenever I move my hands. So all is not lost! Hooray!! ::dances:: Verdict: Well, I am disappointed that the plum never made an appearance, but this is an otherwise very lovely floral blend. I'm not sure that it's one that I will wear all that often, but it's distinctive enough that I'm definitely keeping it around for special occassions. Lady Luck Blues is indeed very much a lady. Thanks BPAL!

Poisson D'Avril: I was SOOO excited about this one for some reason - there was no single note that caught my attention, so I don't know why I ordered 2 bottles right away. In the Bottle: Sugared flowers - definitely springy! I think I can pick out the daffodil note right away - my BF gave me the Snow Maiden for Christmas & all I could smell out of that one was a frigid, snow covered, gorgeous daffodil. On my Skin, Wet: Amplified sugared flowers! I can definitely pick out the daffodil - no question. the rest of the bouquet starts to make itself known here and there - but on me, the daffodil is Queen. On my Skin, Dry: Hey, where'd my scent go? Poof. Gone. Verdict: I'm glad I have two bottles so I can continuously reapply

Monster Bait: Tokyo Stomp Oh, such high expectations but also fearful that this one would turn into Numb's aweful powder & extreme amplification as well. I wasn't sure if BPAL's mint note was what made Numb give me a headache, but I know that BPAL's vanilla is AWESOME. In the Bottle: Kinda reminds me of Listerine's Vanilla Mint mouthwash here.... ::worries about the mint note!!:: On my Skin, Wet: Sticky? no, literally. hmmm... ooooooo!!! ::drools!!:: creamy mint! how wonderful! This is both a creamy and powdery mint - more creamy than powdery, but there is definitely a dry tone to this one. On my Skin, Dry: Well, I don't get the chocolate/cocoa note that most other reviewers are getting, so my Tokyo Stomp smells extremely true to the description - no chocolate thin mints here, sorry! Verdict: Monster Bait: Tokyo Stomp, on me, is very true to the Lab's description. (a Sweet & Crisp Vanilla Mint) I had been looking for a mint scent that I could wear and not pass out from the intensity of it - so there is definitely another little lovable nuclear lizard on his way home! Hooray!!

MidWinter's Eve 2005: In the Bottle: It smells very plumy & flowery. I would not have associated this with a winter scent - but definitely a spring one. maybe it's that 'in-between' season scent - the end of winter's delights & beginning of spring's arrival. Wonderful! On the Skin, Wet: Very sugary plums. it seems to almost be a syrupy plum - I can't detect any flowers at this stage, just liquid plum delight! On the Skin, Dry: Sugar plums and a little bouquet of flowers in the background. The morphing is pretty minimal on me; and overall what I can smell in the bottle is how it dries on me. Verdict: Very Beautiful! I thought I would like one when I first read the description - So I bought three bottles! The throw isn't very good though, I find myself reapplying about 3 times a day; and I wear this one about 3 - 6 days a week. That being said, I must have a magic bottle somehow - I reapply quite a bit and still have not reached the top of the label on the FIRST bottle!! WOW! AMAZING!! Hooray Magic Bottle!!

Fire Pig 2007: In the Bottle: mmmm...citrusy! and something floral hanging out in the background, I think it's moslty Peony that I'm smelling; whatever it is, it's very nice! On my skin, Wet: lots of citrus! and OMG!!! LYCHEE!!! I LOVE LYCHEE!!!!MMMMMM On my skin, Dry: awwww - this gets absorbed right away... it's still quite citrusy and peony centered, but my beloved lychee has vanished Verdict: I LOVE the wet version of this scent on my skin, but sadly it gets absorbed far too quickly Part of me wishes I had another bottle of Fire Pig 2007; the other half is glad that I won't have to say goodbye so quickly twice over.

LAMPADES In the Bottle: Cranberry & Spices On my skin, Wet: Cranberry & Spices On my skin, Dry: Cranberry & Spices Although this perfume does not morph on me at all, there seem to be degrees of intensity between the spices and cranberry notes. so there's that... and cranberries and spices Verdict: Very pretty. I think I would like it much better if it would allow the lilies to come out & play; same for the ginger notes, but I can't complain about the quality of the cranberries & spices - they are very smooth and "even tempered". I would give this perfume a 3 out of 5

KABUKI In the Bottle: Sweet, juicy cherries! There's also a hint of something spicy or musky, but it's very, very subtle. On my skin, Wet: Cherries!! beautiful, ripe, juicy, sugared cherries!! oh, yeah, there's the anise too On my skin, Dry: Still Cherry-licious!! very subtle musk & anise too Verdict: If you love cherries, try this one! I tried Vice thinking that the cherries would stand out well on that one, but I got melted plastic from it - which makes me think that the Lab's orange blossom and I don't get along - I had the same issue with an imp of Catherine. sooooo - if you tried Vice for the cherries but got plastic instead, try Kabuki; you may find Cherry Love here!

DREAM FORMULA V: SOMNUS In the Bottle: mmmm...herby On my skin, wet: more herbs with a tinge of lavender or violet (whatever it is, it brings a purple flower to mind) on my skin, dry: LOL!!! I don't make it that far - this stuff really works! I've reached the point where I instantly get sleepy when I smell it in the bottle. Dry, the next morning: that's a little weird - this reminds me of 13 the original formula the next day.... hmmmmmm.....interesting.... Verdict: mmmm...delicious sleep! Thank you Somnus!!!

PERSEPHONE In the Bottle: Very Rosy - but also juicy from the Pomegranate. I smell almost nothing except the rose, the pomegranate doesn't stand out for me in the bottle, it just makes the rose note seem crisp without being powdery. On my skin, wet: Still mostly roses...ahh, there's a hint of the pomegranate! yay! On my skin, dry: yep, roses and we're back to crisp roses that have a juicy feeling to them from the pomegranate note. I want to describe this perfume as a fruity rose, but I cannot really say that I knew the fruity note was pomegranate unless I had read the Lab's description. Verdict: Very, very pretty and girly. Persephone never wavers in the consistency of her scent - she always smells like juicy roses; full of sweetness and purity. Very well done!

Thirteen (13) 2005 formula: in the bottle: mmmmm!!! I smell chocolate!!! and something citrus/fruity - but I do not smell anything floral. on the skin wet: I guess that "tangy-ness" might be the tea note - I don't really recognize it, but then again - I don't think I've ever tried a BPAL with a tea note in it before, so I assume that "unrecognizable" note is the tea. I do like it very much!! there is also some more of that citrus/fruity-ness going on, which I also am very fond of on the skin dry: mmmmm - more citrus/fruity - but this time with more chocolate & just a very small hint of florals...this is very much more of a foody scent on me....which I normally don't have much luck with, but this is phenominal so far dry: lots of chocolate, more of a creamy chocolate (I guess that's the "white" of this chocolate) some floral but still lots of citrus/fruity notes - I guess that the touch of tangy-ness is still the tea note... verdict: why, oh why, did I not buy two bottles of this?! it's wonderful & great subtle staying power (I've applied 13 early this morning & it's still hovering around me - any one else wanting to smell it would be invading my personal bubble to do so - and there'll be none of that!!! ) on me this scent changes from different notes all day, but they all compliment each other and never block another note from shining through - another phenominal job by the Lab!!

Numb: In the bottle: hmmm...kind of a cold powder. Slightly floral & overall very strong. on my skin wet: yikes!! hellllloooooo floral powder gone frozen!! you're not a bad smell; but geez, you're strong! on my skin dry: same scent as before, kind of powdery & florally but REALLY potent & overpowering!! (it's starting to give me a headache) after a few hours: wow!! this doesn't let up on the potency scale - it has not "aired out" at all, and seems to just get stronger as it goes....this has given me a superb headache - even a 500mlg pain reliever has done nothing to ease the throb in my head verdict: I do like the scent that Numb has, but my poor head cannot handle the immense potency of this one - it will have to be used sparingly & probably with multiple pain relievers handy.

Peitho: I'll do a proper review of this one laters ^_& It's very vanilla & jasmine oriented. It seems to warm on my skin to almost an amberish note, but the vanilla and jasmine are always very prevalent on me. I have to admit that I'm always a little leary of wearing this one - not because of anything related to the quality of it or it's beauty..... mostly I am afraid to wear it because the last time I did, I was at the dentists' office. It's just a tad nerve-wraking when you are lying there on laughing gas with a guy in a mask holding a high-pitched drill over your head & saying "wow, you smell good " creepy but I do love this perfume, despite the scary scent association I have with it now. *

Fruit Moon In the bottle: This smells like a moonlit fruit garden - I don't think 'ripe' is the word, more like 'juicy'. Wet on the skin: mmmmmm!!!! this smells like Titania, but draped in moonlight - must be the lunar oils that have me stuck in pertetual moonlight (my favorite place!! ). I can pick out the pear (delish!!) and the strawberry (very faintly) & something melon-y or citrus-y. Dry on the skin: This now reminds me quite a bit of Pink Phoenix - lots of strawberry on me. Fortunately there is an ever subtle presence of lunar oils that keep Fruit Moon from being a sibling of the Pink Phoenix. Overall: I love this!! I regret not buying 2 bottles! The lunar oils are always there making it distinct from Titania & Pink Phoenix. However, this is a wonderful fruit offering for those of us who love the night & a full moon.

Fallen: Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heav'n. This is our song to Lucifer, Lucis Ferre, Heosphoros, the Morning Star, the Brilliant One and the Son of the Morning. He is equated with Samhazai, the Heaven-Seizer, and Azazel, one of the 200 Fallen Angels of Enoch. The essence of overweening pride and unearthly angelic beauty. A regal scent, glowing darkly, elegant and patrician, but unfathomably desolate. Cherubic white sandalwood and golden musk with a dark halo of amber, a breath of imperial florals, unbending woods, and the shadow cast by vetiver and violet. In the bottle: Sandalwood and musky florals On the skin/ wet: Mostly Sandalwood and Vetiver(?) - it doesn't really smell like florals but it's not quite musk either - either that or all the other components are so smoothly blended that it's difficult to pick out an individual scent. I suspect Sandalwood and my skin really like each other though Dry: MMMM- Sandalwood, Flowers and a Woodsy scent...I can see why this scent was described as "glowing darkly" by the Lab - it seems to do exactly that! how spectacular! I had a co-worker walk by while I was wearing this a while back, and the question was "hey! where are you hiding your gift basket and bouquet? - it smells great over here!" Final Opinion: On me, this smells (in equal parts) Sandalwood, Floral (specifically, a violet & soft, soft rosy scent), and Woodsy (maybe just a little bit pine - but just enough to keep the Sandalwood and florals from being too sultry and feminine). This will be part of my 5mL bottle collection (only because the 10mL bottles have vanished) for as long as it is available. Thank You Black Phoenix!

Le Serpent Qui Danse: In the bottle: mmmm...I really smell the vanilla! I cannot really discern between the gardenia & violets though - but I think I might be in love anyway! On the skin/wet: Divine!! The vanilla subsides a little, but just enough to let the gardenia & violets make themselves known and all three are playing merrily on my wrists. It's moderately strong - I can smell my wrists from roughly 7 inches away, so I would assume that someone standing nearby can get just a faint whisper of it. Dry: This is delicious!! I'm not sure it would fall under my classification of 'sinister' but it's definitely a dark, luxurious feminine scent. The aroma changes very, very little from when it was wet too; so it currently still smells of all three components listed in the Lab's description, but perhaps just a little bit warmer. Great staying power too!! I most certainly love this perfume! If you are a fan of vanilla scents and/or light florals - Le Serpent Qui Danse is definitely worth a try!

Vice: In the bottle: Hmmmm....Orange Blossom! I like Orange Blossom! I don't smell any Chocolate or Cherry though - maybe they'll show up as it dries ::crosses fingers:: On my skin/wet: ::wrinkles nose:: orange cleaner? wow! not what I was expecting ^_~ Also faintly smells of plastic-y somethingoranother. Drying: Oh my! more plastic-y smell! What happened to the Chocolate? the Cherries? the Orange Blossom? ::still hoping for the description to shine through over the next couple of hours:: Dry: awww...that's disappointing! I was so hoping to smell like a decandent Chocolate cake with toppings!! Instead I just smelled like plastic tupperware put in an oven at 400* and forgotten. Crazy chemistry!! Ahh! but the good news is that Vice is on it's way to a new, very hopeful home