Teaker

This became an instant favorite as soon as I put it on. It's creamy vanilla warmed by cinnamon. It's not overbearingly sweet or spicy, just warm and soft and fragrant. I know vanilla isn't a listed note but there's no way it's not in here. It's very much like Morocco, but a bit more "grounded" and not quite as airy. It's also very reminiscent of Snake Oil, minus the musk and "exotic" element. If Snake Oil had a sweet little baby sister, it would be Chimera. It has fantastic staying power but sticks close to the skin. This is going to be my new go-to winter work scent, for those days when Snake Oil is a bit too much for the office. Sweet and warm and simple, I just love it!

A blast of wet black cherries... then strong wood. I definitely get the "velvety" part of the description. I was sure it was black musk I was smelling, but it's not in the description, so I'm not sure what gives it that quality. Once the cherry burns off, all that's left is the oddly fuzzy wood. Not a winner for me.

Rose turns straight to soap on me, but I was hopeful for this one since it has rosewood and rose leaf. It's really lovely! Wet it's straight rose, fresh and with a touch of greenery. As it dries it becomes more delicate. I never get hazlenut, but there is a bit of warmth to this scent and I'm thinking that is it. It's delicate and maybe a bit wistful? I like it. It might be just a touch soapy, but I think I'll keep my imp around.

This is Perfume with a capital "P"! The most traditional "perfume" bpal I've tried. It smells like an expensive designer fragrance, very sophisticated and elegant. It definitely has a vanilla base, but it's not a foody vanilla at all. It's very musky and heady, with a sharp edge from the bergamot. I get a very slight similarity to Dorian (the vanilla/musk combo) but this is drier, very much more refined, and complex. At first I thought this was very feminine, but I think it could easily be worn by both men and women. This isn't an everyday scent, this is something you'd pull out on very special occasions. It's lovely and completely different from anything else I've tried from the Lab.

Smooth and creamy and very spicy. It's quite sweet as well. Definitely foody. When it dries it smells like I splashed a caramel macchiato on myself. It's nice, but I'm just not crazy about it. Maybe it's too strong? I feel like this is aggressively sweet and spicy and might get a bit overwhelming. Anyway I like it and I'll keep the imp around, but won't be needing a bottle.

I was scared to try this because of the "industrial waste" part of the description, but it's really quite nice. It's hazy,smokey, and metallic. Warm and almost spicy, but not quite. I'd say this is unisex, but would smell really great on guys. It's not something I'd wear but it's interesting and would be a great choice for men who don't like the smell of traditional cologne.

This is exquisite. I'm completely blown away. I smell black musk, fuzzy and warm and comforting. I find black musk sometimes has an almost lemony or citrus edge to it, but I don't get that here. All of the comfort and none of the bite! There's an underlying sweetness from the vanilla or maybe the benzoin, but its not overpowering or cloying. There's a touch of smokiness too, or maybe that's just the black musks' "fuzziness". It's just an expertly blended cloud of loveliness! My favorite part of this scent is the red chili. It gives a heat and spice that is so totally different that what you get from cinnamon. It's so unique! I'll be hunting down other blends with that note because it's amazing here. I can't pick out the nutmeg from this, it might be mingling a bit with the chili and giving this its "almost foody but not really foody at all" vibe. It's a very gentle scent that stays close to the skin. This dries to a smokey vanilla haze. The lab's actual smoke note smells like vinegar on me, but the combination of notes here results in something that smells smokey without having any actual smoke. This is exactly what I wanted Liz to smell like. This is just so lovely! I'm instantly obsessed.

Wet this smells like delicious, slightly spiced honey. As soon as I put it on and it started to dry, it morphed into a screaming, in-your-face floral. Heavy and heady and kind of funky. I actually like most florals a lot, so I was surprised at how off-putting this was. I couldn't figure out what the culprit was until I checked the notes and saw Jasmine. Wowza! Jasmine lovers should definitely check this one out, because that's ALL I can smell in here. When it dries the Jasmine settles a bit and this becomes softer and sweeter. I can even pick up a bit of vanilla and spice under all that floral! Still too powerful for me, but seriously if you like Jasmine, run don't walk to try this!

Yummy cake! It's quite dry, almost a touch dusty smelling. I'm not picking up any wine at all. This almost has a toasted sugar undertone to it. It's quite strong and has decent throw. I like it, but I'm not crazy about the dustiness. There's actually a passing similarity to Gingerbread Snake. If you took the spices and the Snake Oil out of Gingerbread Snake, it would smell a lot like Cockaigne. I think all foody lovers should give this one a try, but it's not something I can see myself reaching for much. Edit: This has a really sour edge when it dries, like yeasty dough? Don't think I'll be keeping the imp.

Hmmm, I'm thinking maybe softer, warmer scents that are a bit gentle? How about: Intrigue: Black palm, with cocoa, fig and shadowy wooded notes. Morocco: Arabian spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia. Seance: dry, mellow rosewood, crushed rose leaf and the slightest touch of warm hazel. Velvet: gentle sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh.

2013 Version Smells a touch like a Pina Colada. It's cool and very light. I'm getting a clear similarity to Go to Sleep, Darlings but this is sweeter and has an almost tropical feel (in an icy, chilly way). It's very nice! I haven't had any luck with the snow note so far, it's always turned into a chemical dryer-sheet smell. I don't seem to be having that issue here, which is great! However, I can't see myself wearing this much. I think it might be too light for me to bother to get a bottle.

Red musk, dry and warm. This is very reminiscent of Morocco, but much less sweet. I'm not wild about the saffron, it's a bit strong and maybe a touch bitter. But overall this is very lovely. I prefer Morocco though, which has the same feel but is softer, sweeter, and lacks the bitter edge.

The intoxicating perfume of exotic incenses wafting on warm desert breezes. Arabian spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia. I ordered a custom perfume a few months ago that is a blend of red musk, marshmallow, cinnamon sugar, and vanilla. Imagine my surprise when I tried Morocco for the first time and realized I accidentally created my own! They are very, very similar. Morocco smells like heavy musk on a cloud of airy vanilla, with a very faint heat underneath from the spices.I generally dislike carnation (it's very close to being a death note for me) but have no issues with it in here. This scent is very light and floaty, perhaps a bit too insubstantial for me. I'm thinking of mixing it with Bengal to get a bit of stronger spice, I think that could be lovely.

It starts off a touch perfumey, but much more masculine than I was expecting. Very gender neutral.It ends up as a very dry scent, mostly tobacco. I think I can pick up a hint of cinnamon, but no orange. It is relatively light and not very long lasting. This is nice, but not what I was expecting at all. Not a keeper for me. After several hours Question Mark springs back to life! It dries to a STRONG sweet tobacco. I could smell it very clearly the next morning. I'm definitely not a fan of the drydown, but it actually reminds me a bit of Red Lantern, so if you're a fan of that you might want to give this one a try.

Sounds like you have a unique and interesting style! I think you might like some of the Mad Tea Party scents: Alice: Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot. Tweedledee: Kumquat, white pepper, white tea and orange blossom. Croquet: Pink lime, pink grapefruit, white nectarine, wild rose, sage, woody patchouli, bergamot, and ornery hedgehog musk. Based on some of your darker interests and enjoyment of Lovecraft, try: Miskatonic University: The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls. Shub-Niggurath: A blend of ritual herbs and dark resins, shot through with three gingers and aphrodisiacal spices. I struggle with anxiety as well, and find these scents to be very comforting: Velvet: gentle sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh. Miss Forcible: a classic vintage musk (with a bit of tea splash and biscuit crumbs) And if you are looking to be a bit intimidating, try: Snake Oil: exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla

Melon, sprinkled with sugar! Not sickly or candy sweet, just sweet like a ripe, juicy melon. I'm getting something really off-putting underneath, but I'm thinking that my imp (which was bought off the forums and has changed hands a few times, I'm sure) may have gone off or maybe been contaminated. I don't think that it's the perfume itself causing this kind of musty, dirty socks smell. If it is, I'm not sure what the culprit could be other than the mullein or toadflax (I've never tried either of those notes before). Regardless, I don't think this is a keeper. The melon smell is pretty but reminds me too much of cucumber-melon body spray that was everywhere when I was in high school.

Sounds like you're on the right track to me! The best thing to do will be to go through the imps you receive (remembering that if you don't like something on the first try to let it sit for a couple weeks and try it at least once more) and find the ones you like and dislike. Look for common notes in the scents, so if a lot of your favorites have a note in common you can look for more scents with the same note. Ditto for notes you dislike. That will help you narrow down the bpal catalogue considerably so it's not overwhelming. For example, I love rose. But every bpal I tried with rose in it just smelled like soap. I figured out that I can't wear that note, so every bpal with rose is a no-go for me (unfortunately). Have fun! Maybe post what scents you've received that you like so far, and the forumites can make some recs based on those.

Sweet pea, but not cloyingly sweet or one-note. I think the sage is providing a nice balance and reigning in the sweetness, without smelling like sage. It smells very clean, almost soapy. It's pretty and I like it, but doesn't really stand out to me. It's also very faint on my skin and fades quickly.

A bright, energetic, sweet perfume. A fruity-floral that reminds me of some mainstream commercial perfumes (maybe Dot by Marc Jacobs?) but with an interesting edge from the pepper. It's quite strong and in-your-face, and I find it a bit too sweet to wear to work. But it's got a special place in my heart since the lab included it as a frimp in my very first order. I could see teenagers and even little girls really loving this. This could also be a good scent to convert fans of commercial perfumes to bpal, as it would be familiar to them, yet it has an interesting edge. It's a fun and cheerful little scent that makes me smile!

I liked this when it was fresh, I remember it being a bright orange scent with warmth from cinnamon and clove. I set it aside for nearly a year before I got around to wearing it again, and I don't like it now The culprit is the incense- it's powdery and has taken over the scent. Underneath there is a hint of sweet fruit, but combined with the spices it turns my stomach. That's a personal death-combo of notes for me: whenever citrus fruits are mixed with anything spicy I get sick. The same thing happened with Helle's Belle. This is a definite no-no for me but if you love incense you should give this one a try.

A strong masculine leather note, with a soapy floral. I don't get any of the plum juice. There is a bitterness coming through from the herbs. I tried this a long time ago and thought I really liked it, but on re-testing I'm not a big fan. I'm thinking lilac is a problem note for me. Like rose, it instantly turn everything to soap. Such a shame, it's my favorite flower! This one is not a keeper, even without the soapiness it's too masculine for my tastes.

Good grief, this smells like burning rubber on me! I've never had that happen with a scent before. I knew that snow was not a good note for me (Skadi smells like dryer sheets) but this is crazy. I'll add this to the "nope" file.

If you like Smut as much as I do, you might like Sed Non Satiata (probably the closest GC scent to it) or Miss Forcible (what Smut's great grandmother would smell like). Some scents that remind me of Black Temple Burlesque Troupe are Intrigue (the same fuzzy softness),Titus Andronicus (unisex, and has an almost identical musk) and Velvet.

This starts off warm, rich caramel: very sweet and almost a touch buttery (that would be from the coconut). As it settles it becomes drier and almost-but-not-quite powdery. More hazy than powdery. It smells very much like sweet dry incense. I get wafts of opium, but no amber. It's really quite stunning and perfectly conjures images of languor, clouds of opium smoke, and exotic locales. It''s too much like incense for me to wear as a perfume, I prefer the wet stage where it smells like sexy caramel. But it's really lovely and I can see why its so popular.

A classic vintage musk. I love Miss Forcible! It fits the theme perfectly. It smells exactly like a sweet little elderly lady, drinking tea and surrounded by dishes of ancient, rock-hard butterscotch candies. It reminds me a bit of Smut. It's Smut's kind, doting great-grandmother. I think it's quite foody, and very unusual. When it's first applied it can smell a touch sour and maybe a bit too "elderly" for my tastes. But as it dries it sweetens and it ends up with an undertone of vanilla coca-cola. It actually ends up smelling like cookies with the barest hint of cinnamon! It's quite comforting.