diabolique

For use only by women. An extremely potent passion blend, used to great effect when you're converting feminine sexual energy into power. in the bottle: wow, i'm not sure if i'm going to like this one. this is very mature, which is a good thing, but it isn't something i want to wear. i can't even place what it smells like. i want to try this on just to see if it's the same in the bottle, but i have titania on! and i love titania! oh well. maybe just a wee bitty dab? wet: this one smells like curry, fried rice, and heavy baby powder. weird? definitely. i didn't dab much on, i just put a tiny swipe on my finger. oh, oh, oh! now why am i getting the impression that this scent belongs to the 80's? seriously. i'm not sure what's wrong with me, but it strongly reminds me of 80's movies. dry: this doesn't smell that bad anymore. unfortunately, the baby powder is still there. this does seem powerful, but it's in that 80's power perfume kind of way, like poison. only.. it smells nothing like poison at all. less chemically and all that jazz. the sentiment behind it is still there. i'm not sure if i like this one very much on my skin. granted, it doesn't smell the same as it did in the bottle, and i'm not getting the curry and fried rice feel from it, but this is very powdery on me. i tried this one on with an open mind; it's just not working with me. i'll try it again later in a bigger area to see if the scent does anything else, but if it doesn't work for me, then i'm probably going to put it in the swap pile so someone else can try it. right now, it's all baby powder, with something kind of musky and sweet behind it.

I can't recommend any of the TAL blends because I haven't tried them, but Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo definitely inspires a good mood. It's just a shame it doesn't agree with my skin (it burned like crazy!) and I don't have a scent locket, because it's definitely a keeper. Also, any blend that you really love can be motivation to just.. be alive, I think. That may seem weird, but having something to look forward to, like a little BPAL-picking ritual in the morning, or wearing a favorite blend, can be enough to get me through a hard time. When I was ordering a lot, just knowing that I had a good-smelly package lifted my mood considerably. I think anything that makes you feel sexy and powerful would work. Personally, if I can't stand the smell of something, it won't really help me. I'm not sure if you're the same way. A lot of the Voodoo blends have herbal notes that my nose doesn't appreciate. Sugary or smooth notes, like vanilla or honey, help my mood a lot. Dana O'Shee, Dorian, and Dragon's Milk (The Three Mighty D's! Okay, I'm cheesy) all helped me a lot.

Deleted.

Deleted.

Ophelia. Oh, Christ, it's tragic. And I don't think it's my own personal projection onto the scent. ;P

Mmmmm, Katharina! Beautifully bubbly blend with juicy apricot. I don't get much orange blossom from this, thankfully. I get a tiny bit to balance out the sharpness of the apricot and make it well-rounded. It's fruity and slightly citrusy with a tiny touch of florals. The white musk dry down is absolutely stunning. I love Beth's white musk, and I love what she does with apricot blends. Apricot isn't a note I've ever been particularly fond of, and the actual fruit isn't very remarkable, but these apricot blends are just so mmmmm-inspiring. This lasted a pretty long time on me. I put a couple of wand-swipes on my wrist at about 10PM, a couple of hours before I went to bed, and I could smell it on my wrists until I took a shower the next day around 2P M. Yummmmm. I'm not sure how "me" it is for every day wear, but this one is a full-bottle purchase for the spring.

I'm not quite sure what I think of this blend. Ylang ylang is pretty headache-inducing with its powderiness, but I think it lends something very lovely to this blend. Like everyone else said, Tisiphone is creamy and very dark. Immediately on my skin, I get the neroli, which is bogged down by the patchouli within 5 seconds. One thing I've noticed is that Beth is pretty good at blending patchouli into something I don't hate TOO much, so I don't really mind this stage. The oleander comes out to play, and man, do I love oleander. It's just creamy and delicious. I like this one a lot, but I'm not sure how "me" it is. I think I'll stick with Hell's Belle for a dark, spicy Southern Belle scent.

I got a gimp of this, and when I smelled it, I thought "This could definitely be a keeper." Man, was I wrong. It smells so good in the vial, and it holds up pretty well on my skin for about 5 minutes. It's all lily and stephanotis, but then it morphs into something sickly and very soapy. It's difficult to describe. I don't get cherry at any point. It smells very old-fashioned, like something you would smell sprayed onto your grandmother's old love letters. Also, this stuff is STRONG. It took me two washings to get this off of my hand.

I need a huge vat of this, PRONTO. Last year, when I tried this, it made me feel a little ill and I wound up hating it. I just received a gimp of it and OH MY HOLY JESUS I LOVE IT GIVE ME MORE. When I wear it, I can't stop sniffing it. My grandma wouldn't let me take my wrist away from her nose! I get the same caramel apple note that CourtneyLynne does; it goes from buttery pumpkin spice to caramel apples and spiced peaches. Unfortunately, after about 30 minutes, I can't smell it anymore. I'm not sure if that's because it just doesn't last long or because I sniff it so much I get used to it quickly. Either way, this is definitely a keeper. I'm so sorry I got rid of you before I truly got to know you, Jack!

I received this as a gimp. When I sniffed it, I thought, "MMMMMMMMM." Unfortunately, when I put it on my skin, it smelled like nail polish remover. That smell slowly faded into something very soft and musky with a hint of smooth, red cherries. I forgot how wonderful Dragon's Blood is on my skin. This doesn't have much throw at all, but it is a sexy, warm scent. I'm not sure what it was, but I think there's some type of musk in here that doesn't like my skin until it gets used to it. That nail polish smell was so weird. I'm still stuck between not needing more than an imp but wanting a bottle for slathering purposes.

In the bottle, I couldn't smell anything except a slight perfumey smell. On my skin, it's honeysuckle, jasmine, and something creamy darkens up the florals, which my nose interprets as vanilla. I think I might get a little bit of violet, but amber, lily, and rose have disappeared. I think this is a blend that would be sexy if.. it actually smelled much like anyhing.

That's very true. I forgot all about Lampades. Sybaris is a subdued purple, in my mind, so not very gem stone-like. I usually have really strong color associations with scents, so here goes: Reds: Bordello (purple-toned), Lady Macbeth (bloody and bright red), Blood Rose (bordering on purple), Queen Mab (very purpley, but also very pink-toned), Bathsheba (smoky, rich purple), Desire (regal and sultry red), Hell's Belle (smoky red, more of a congealed blood type color), Red Queen (bold red) Blues: Empyreal Mist (bordering on diamond-like), Bayou (green-tinged), Szepasszony (same as Empyreal Mist), Ophelia, Titania (these last two are very ethereal blues, but Titania is a bit duskier). I really don't think there are any bright blues. Greens: Pretty much anything herbal. Envy seems as though it's one of the greenest, but I personally haven't tried it. I don't do "green" scents. Yellows/Golds: Eos Pinks/Peaches: Katharina (peach), Fae (rose-tinged peach), Imp, Tamora (golden), Juliet, La Belle au bois Dormant.

Kali has a very dominant wine note on my skin, and it always registers to my nose as "grape." It's marvelous.

Morgause was definitely purple. Nuit seems purple. Everyone says Queen Mab seems pink, but I personally got the impression of purple. I think jasmine generally does that to me.

Can anyone tell me if there are any scents that smell similar to Ace of Hearts?

Chaos Theory CLIII In the vial: Gender-neutral and.. a tiny bit woodsy. I already don't like this. The first thing that came to mind is cedar, but it must be very light, if it's there at all. On my skin: This is difficult to pin down. I detect something slightly minty, I think there may be balsam in here. There's something a little calming, floral but not quite floral. I thought it might be lavender, but then it disappeared altogether. I recognize the slight woodiness of fir. When I was going through note possibilities, it struck me as having most of the notes of Dracul, minus the clove and orange blossom. I think I detect sage or something similar. It reminds me of a little cottage in the woods, where a matronly woman is sticking her hand into a wooden cabinet full of dried herbs. It's light, spicy, and a little autumnal. It wafts, but it isn't overpowering. I was scared of it at first, but it's.. simply okay. So, the definite notes are fir, balsam, and mint. Possibilities are juniper and oakmoss. There may be bergamot in here to sweeten it up. I don't smell any musk or amber. I think someone with tastes similar to sarada's would appreciate this more.

There is absolutely nothing wicked about this scent. I'm not sure what I expected, but I'm in love. The package I got this in smelled wonderful, and I realized that's because the imp leaked about half-way, but I suppose that's just incentive to buy a bottle as soon as I can. It smells the same in the vial as it does on my skin. It's a pink rose garden with the sun shining down on it after a rain storm. It's dewy, sweet, and very, very pink. The rose doesn't smell "oily" or sharp on me, like the rose from Blood Rose and Harlot does. The scent doesn't have much throw, but it's so delicious. This quickly rose to the top of my favorites list. Er, no pun intended. Seriously.

Storm Moon winds up smelling exactly like Swank on me. Crisp alcohol note, something that.. ugh. I need to wash this off. Just letting people know that it's similar to Swank once the ozone goes into the background.

I received an imp of this today in a swap, but I didn't know I was getting it. Yay for surprise imps, even if they ARE ozoney aquatics that would never work, in a million year. In the vial, this is OBVIOUSLY sharp and aquatic. I immediately put the cap on and tucked it away for later. Smelling it again, somehow I'm getting that weird spicy-creamy note that occurs when you sniff a glass of egg nog. On my skin, it's holyholycrapewwozone! I've never understood why anyone would wear a blend with a dominant ozone note. It doesn't smell right. When I walk outside during a thunderstorm, the first thing I smell isn't lemony ozone. Ugh. Basically, this just makes me smell like one of those cheap candles that are supposed to smell like the ocean. The concept is really, really nice, being a huge fan of storms and rain, but I just can't wear this at all. Up for swap.

Chaos Theory CLXXX: In the bottle: Pineapple and booze. Creamy, grog-like booze, but then it turns into straight up vodka. Wet on skin: This is DEFINITELY pineapple, with the creamy rum scent behind it. Oh my hell, it's so foody and strong! As it dries: This takes a pretty unsuspecting turn when a heavy floral note begins to emerge. It's really hard to pin down, but it smells white. After a couple of minutes, it begins to remind me a bit of Glitter, but less gaudy, and I can't figure out why. The heavy floral note disappears, or maybe it just turns into... OH MY GOD, PEAR! A juicy, ripe pear, with a rough skin. It's the same pear from Glitter, Thalia, and La Belle au Bois Dormant. It's an absolutely gorgeous note. At this point, I can definitely smell white musk that gives this an effervescent, ethereal quality. I can't believe how different this smells. Completely dry: The white musk calms down. It's less bubbly and more calm and mellow. It still has a tropical quality about it, but it doesn't scream, "HEY! I'M IN THE BAHAMAS. LOOK AT ME, WOO, PINEAPPLE!" The pineapple is still there, but it blends very nicely with everything else, and remains right inbetween the white musk and the pear. SDJFLJSDFLJSDF!! So in love. This is so beautiful. I'm really pissed that I got turned off of BPAL right when The Butterfly Effect was released, because I was planning on ordering a lot of it. Next time it comes around, I'm definitely going all out. This is SUCH a keeper. Thank you to NoirRosaleen, who I swapped for this. (Last reviewed by NoirRosaleen.)

Bordello made Mr. Diabolique very snuggly. We were trapped in a car headed to South Pennsylvania; I wasn't going to glam myself up for a three hour car trip to the middle of nowhere, so I can say with confidence that he was googly-eyed because of the way I smelled rather than the way I looked. Dorian was also a really, really big hit with him. Sometimes when he complimented me on the way I smelled (which was often), he'd say, "You must be wearing Dorian," even when I wasn't. We were in DC at a cafe in one of the sculpture gardens, and I took out my bottle to reapply. He smelled it and went, "Damn, Beth is amazing." Yes, he knows her by name. When I first got into BPAL, I would gush and pour over her talents, so at the very least he's a good listener. On a particularly steamy night, I was wearing Desire. He complimented me and, this time, he actually asked what it was called. When I told him, he coyly said, "Well, I don't see why..." That was a surprise to me, because he's not really into heavy scents.

so, i love plumeria, i dig pear, and i can be down with magnolia when the mood strikes. this is a lot like thalia, but i don't like it as much (might as well be honest right off the bat). i recognize the plumeria+pear combination immediately, because beth does wonderful things with these notes together. the other notes, however, make this overripe. the oil smells like i ripped into a juicy pear and went outside to play in the garden before washing off the nectar. i seriously expected this one to be sticky because it smells so juicy and heavy. this is sweeter than thalia and not as happy. i'm trying to sell my bottle, but nobody seems interested. -sigh-

blood kiss actually warmed me up. it's a little incensey, but i have a feeling that had nothing to do with it. there was something in blood kiss that made my skin feel tingly and made me warm almost instantly. i loved it. the sun, the lion, scherezade, snake oil, and morocco are all great suggestions. i'd also like to throw in queen of sheba. it was dry, spicy, and definitely made me feel warm and golden.

the other day i put on dorian at the end of class and someone across the room (hah!) said, "it smells like cotton candy in here!" he was right. dorian goes pretty sweet on me in the beginning and it DOES kind'f smell like cotton candy.

this blend has made me realize that beth's white musk does WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL things on my skin. when i wear this, i have a habit of saying, "goddamn, i smell sexy." nobody's disagreed with me yet, so that's a good thing. i swapped for a bottle of this and i was going to give it to my boyfriend, because he loves anything celtic. sorry, daniel, but this is too sexy for you. normally, herbal scents do absolutely nothing for me. they're headshoppy and smell like they were plucked from a hippy's garden. frankly, i don't want to smell like a hippy's garden. i have bad associations with herbs. a friend of the family is a farmer and he always smells like them. long story short, i don't like this guy, i think he's a douche, so i've never been fond of the smell of herbs because they remind me of him. this is too sexy for him. way too sexy. this is almost too sexy for me, but that doesn't stop me. bordering on masculine, oisin is light, and extremely smooth. the white musk doesn't go buttery like it usually does, and the outrageous-old-musky-lady smell never comes to play on my skin. it doesn't waft very much, but that's part of the allure. i had a gay man hit on me when i wore this, and he promptly dug through my purse just to find my bottle and put it on. i ordered two more bottles of this the day before it was discontinued. i'm sad this didn't receive the love it should have, because it's probably the sexiest BPAL blend i've ever tried, due, in part, to the miraculous way the notes interact with my skin chemistry.