Browneyes

Imp: Uh-oh... I fear this is the heady kind of floral that goes sharp and sour on me alas. (Jasmine, gardenia, etc.) Wet: Hmm. Not as bad as I was fearing. This is actually surprisingly round and sweet without being cloying, with a faint breath of spices (soft cinnamon I think). This might actually be working on me I LOVE real tropical flowers that smell gorgeous and thick in the heat, but I have had a hard time trying them on here at BPAL. This might be the blend that works for me when I am in that mood. Dry: This remains that sweet, round, lush floral with spices. Very sexy, quite provocative! I might actually get a bottle of this one eta: top 10!! just don't try and explain to your co-workers why you are wearing a perfume called Sacred Whore of Babylon lol.

Imp: Whew! Strong patchouli, strong vetiver Wet: Same Dry: Well, I like patchouli and I like vetiver... but sadly, this is a bit too much. Maybe it works layered with something sweeter or floral, but I think I will be passing this on. It kind of smells like a musty, dirty wooden cabinet being opened for the first time in 50 years...

Frimped - Thank you Imp: mmm I smell pine trees, plus a certain fruitiness Wet: now the tomato leaf is coming out to play with the pine and the berries - lovely! I'm so happy that the cedarwood is not pulling the pencil shavings trick on me! Dry: this is very nice. The tomato leaf is gone though. But at least this is not wierdly evergreen (like Yggdrasil was on me, sadly) and it doesn't smell too wood-chip like. It's rather masculine, but I do tend to like that - in fact, the pine scent is roughly the same pine note on me as Dracul, which I like too. Only the drydown is sweeter in this one, compared to Dracul. So I'll be hanging on to the implet for a bit, but I hope to find *the* perfect foresty blend one day...

The almond/amaretto/cherry note just isn't my cup of tea. That said, I'm sure this would be a lovely sexy-sweet almost skin-like fragrance on someone whom it suits and who likes almond/amaretto/cherry

Imp: shampoo with alcohol Wet: same... only now it is more obvious that the fruit is indeed pomegranate Dry: well it *is* nice, but I can't help feeling like this smells just like some kind of shampoo I have used at some point. Which means it smells nice and everything, but I just don't think it works for me as a perfume... Good and strong in terms of lasting power and throw

Frimped - thank you! Imp: fruitilicious berry bubblegum indeed Wet: heady myrrh, soft amber, yet also bubblegum Dry: sweet, round, powdery and heady, and ultimately I also get bubblegum associations with this scent, so I don't think this works for me. Good to have tried it though, now I know that lotus is potentially a deal breaker note for me.

Cheshire Cat is also grapefruit, but I don't know if it's longer lasting, since I haven't tried it myself I'm also in love with Fire Pig. I hereby officially proclaim it to be my fruity/citrus/summer fragrance and I don't think I will even be needing any others (until it runs out that is). ETA: the citrus is more of a blood-orange/satsuma kind rather than lemon/lime

Bottle: *cough cough* ahem. Musty pepper. But sweet at the same time. In Denmark you can get strong peppered liquorice that tastes like this smells. Wet: Dragon's Blood and pepper, and some sweet honeysuckle. I don't detect any ginger. Dry: Spicy, fiery, warm and sweet - I like this one alot! It's quite feminine and very unique-smelling And no allergic skin reactions either. Woohoo! I got this for my sis who is an Aries, and I have a feeling/worry that this might not be her kind of scent... So far she seems to like soft, pretty and light things, and this is not. But I will give it to her anyway, and it is quite nice on me, so hopefully it will also work on her. If not she can give it back to me ETA: my sis likes it alot! It's very spicy/peppery on her but with a sweetness underneath from the DB/resin and honeysuckle. Yay!

Bottle: vanilla! With boozy, musky undertones Wet: Now I understand the comparisons made to Snake Oil. It's that same gritty patchouli vanilla combo, that is so lusty and goood! Dry: The plum and possibly also the pomegranate show themselves as whispers on the heady wafts of vanilla/patchouli/musk. The overall effect of this is just... guh Love this one! So happy to have a bottle edit: though I love the smell, I rarely find myself picking it to wear... I guess it just doesn't suit me very much. I wonder how it will smell in a year though.

this is a wonderful, happy, sparkly, fruity, summer scent! I am a Pig myself (though not a fire pig, but I had to get this anyway). It is very seamlessly blended, I find it hard to pick out the notes, but it is quite citrusy. Not in a "plegde" kind of way, rather in a juicy blood oranges kind of way with other sweet blossoms and fruit mixed into the salad! LOVE this and look forward to slathering myself in it! ETA: it is a bit strong and quite sweet if I over apply, I have discovered. So proceed with caution. That said, it is lovely

I just had an awful allergic reaction to Venice (it was an imp labelled Old Venice) - I don't understand why though - I have tried blends with all those notes before with nothing bad happening. But now I feel intense dizzyness and there's a large red mark where I applied the oil. I've washed it off the best I could with cold water... But it looks like it might take a while before this reaction wears off

A complex, voluptuous scent that captures the robust beauty and of the Italian Renaissance: lemon, red currant, wisteria, red rose petals, heady jasmine, Florentine orris root, waterlily, red sandalwood, violet plum, and violet leaf. love the previous review! I'm trying out an imp labelled "Old Venice" Imp: Without having checked the notes, I was expecting aquatic for this one, but nope, it's FLORAL! Wet: OW! Why does it sting me??? I've never ever had allergy problems with BPAL before, but this one stings and has made a big red welt on my arm! Dry: So I waited a bit and the redness is less angry now. It actually smells very lovely, I get soft luxurious florals backed by some fruitiness, mainly red currant. - The floral is extremely well-blended on me, I do not get "jasmine from hell" at all. If anything, I seem to detect the violet more. Unfortunately I'm now getting slightly headachey and dizzy, and the large red welt has become a small red welt, but not yet disappeared. So I really don't know what was up with that, I'm actually kind of shocked at this allergic reaction, since I've tried so many other things by now that did not have any bad effects on me (I've tried both extreme spice as well as other heady florals) - and I'm not an allergy-prone person at all. So... it seems safe to say that this didn't agree with me, which is a shame since it smelled nice.

I must admit that this went straight into my wishlist when I read Meg's review comparing it to the smell of Lake Geneva. I used to live in Geneva, and it is a place I miss sooo much and want to return to badly So the review: Imp: the "typical BPAL aquatic" with floral, grassy notes Wet: a sweet, blossoming aquatic... definately tulips, and I love tulips! Dry: extremely wearable and very realistic. Possibly my favourite aquatic thus far. It does smell like a fresh lake breeze laced with florals on a hot day, but I don't know if I would have made the association to Lake Geneva specifically on my own. I look forward to going back to Geneva, and then maybe I can make a snif test while standing on the Quai... Very lovely! ETA: light throw and wearlength

I ordered this bottle in February and have since then used it a number of times. I am not a master of candle rituals, but the purification ritual that I did a while ago using White Light seems to have worked. I wear it mostly on my wrists and temples right before bed when I need to calm down, and eliminate any negativity inside. On me it feels like the blend reinforces the good and clear thoughts that are inside me, and these grow so strong that the negative ones are pushed out because there is no more room for them. Although I lean toward other types of scent for perfume, this does smell extremely nice Thank you Beth and Forest for this wonderful blend! ETA: Okay, so I had to edit, becaus two days ago - I guess the same evening after I had written this review - I seem to have had a really violent and odd reaction to this blend. I was feeling down, tired, stressed, and it was bedtime. I had taken a shower, said my prayers, and then I dabbed on some White Light, intending to lay down to sleep. What followed was basically a nervous-breakdown - I cried for about 3 hours, called my parents in the middle of the night, had to have the bf (who is a bit of an iffy influence at the moment) make me some camomile tea, because I needed someone or anyone to help me. I wanted to take something for the incredible emotional pain that erupted inside me. I asked if he had any sleeping medication. He didn't. Luckily for me, because camomile tea is alot more gentle and healthy. But... I don't know how to take this, and I'm worried about trying it again. I did perhaps feel a bit lighter the next day, but I don't know, I still have some of that sad and stressed energy lingering and stagnant right now...

Imp: gah the butter!! Wet: butter(ed popcorn jellybean, yes) and pineapple - pineapple of the sickly sweet (perhaps almost artificial-smelling) kind Dry: very sweet, heavy, and buttery, counterbalanced somewhat by the acidic fruity undertones from the pineapple. At the same time I get an almost salty undertone which could be a reference to the turkey. This one is not for me. I was almost not going to try it on, because I could tell it was way too buttery and foody for me already in the imp, but I do try everything out on my skin, and make a point of writing reviews for everything too, so... It is of course extremely well-done, a very realistic blend, and probably good for hard-core foodies, but I think my limit has been crossed here. Other foody blends are actually top favourites of mine, which was a pleasant surprise to me, but this one is too much, sadly ETA: wierd double posting deleted

ahem. okay. This is just... delicious. And how could it not be? Cake, vanilla and currants? I am so glad to have an imp and it went on my purchase-5 ml-list immediately. Very cake-y at first, less so in the later drydown stages... After about 4 hours, it's more of a sweet, vanilla pudding with currant undertones, without so much of the "cake" note. Still gorgeous. This is slather-worthy, and so wearable, and I'm the girl who thought she wasn't a foody type. (Although I'm still scared of trying out Drink Me - I fear the butter )

Thank you to the lovely forumite who gifted me with an imp of this This is definately not what I would *expect* from an Emperor - it doesn't seem very masculine at all... I can detect what I think is geranium, dragon's blood (which on me turns quite floral) and a breath of rose in the background. There might also be some wood grounding this, but it's too faint for me to tell. It does go quite soapy, but not it's not a generic soap smell if you really snif up close. It smells luxurious, and that quality is something very Emperor like after all. It's definately pleasant, but it doesn't wow me. Well, I'm going to keep my imp, because my personality and soul card is the Emperor But I won't be buying a bottle. ETA: in the later drydown this goes away from soap which is good, but now it reminds me of a person that I would rather not have to think about, it smells *just* like her. I'm going to go layer it with something...

Thank you to the lovely forumite who gifted me with a decant Imp: Sweet, smoky myrrh, a touch of warm and soft cinnamon in the background Wet: Mmmm.. this is lovely. Smoky, yet round, spicy and warm Dry: 'Tis true it does have a certain creaminess, in spite of the obvious "fire, smoke and ashes" note. The powdery aspect gives it a slightly sinister touch, which I find entirely appropriate and lovely. Only complaint would be that it seems to fade fast..? Will have to wear it some more to test the wearlength I'm so glad I got to try this! I'll use my imp and maybe even get a bottle before CD leaves town... ETA: it sticks to the skin for quite a while... sweet soft smoky spicy myrrh...

Bottle: herbal but alot sweeter than I expected Wet: this really does remind one of an aromatherapy blend/ healing tea/ herb cupboard/ health store... sweet pungent herbs. Dry: this is just gentle and beautiful. I like it alot. I'm glad to have a partial bottle After around 5 hours I can still smell it - it is a lovely sweet herbal skin scent that I look forward to slathering on hot days or right before bed ETA: I amp oakmoss and benzoin it seems. But it is still beautiful, and I just slathered some on to go to bed

Imp: sugary rose, I think this is the same kind of almost juicy and yet realistic red rose note that's in Zombi and Rose Red. Wet: this becomes much more soft and powdery on application. But it's still that same rose... and I think I prefer the rose in Harlot of all the BPAL roses I've tried thus far. (maybe it's just because I had a very bad reaction to Zombi, it really creeped me out with the grave dirt note and so I might just be having associations to that rose note, because of Zombi) The oil dries very slowly and is quite faint at this point. Dry: Beautiful and gaining in strength... It makes me think of a rose-bud tea (basically pure rose-buds) that an ex once brought back from Hong Kong. The powdery sugar is a nice addition, and makes me like it more - but choosing between the twins I must say I prefer Faith. Edit. Ok after a few months I tried this on again (actually it was in anticipation of Rose Moon since alot of Will-Call reviewers were comparing the two) and I must say that now... I LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. I have been using it very often, enough to soon run out of my imp, enough to contemplate a bottle purchase, enough to say that I actually might be preferring this one after all! It is just lovely. So feminine, rosey, sweet, aaahhh /end gushing

Simplicity and innocence, gleefully despoiled! Sugared violet. Imp: dead ringer for violet candies, in a sharp and juicy way Wet: mmmm powdery violet candy Dry: Violets love me and I love violets. This is my very first BPAL sugared floral and... The powdery sugar is just gorgeous. So pretty and feminine! Gives it a soft vintagey feel... Sigh... I don't know about wearlength, but this is the kind of scent where it doesn't really matter, it's just that gorgeous on application. (will edit if it changes alot in a couple of hours) I should have maybe bought Pink Moon

No problem I would love to see what the Aries 2007 looks like! Anyone?

On first snif I thought this was orange just shows what a long way I have yet to go... Now that I come here to see the description, I *guess* I can spot that it is in fact cranberry. I guess it's the sweet tartness which both cranberries and oranges have... or something. When it dries it becomes alot headier, loses much of the initial fruity tartness, and the red musk amps up. It ends up smelling alot like a cousin of Scherezade... I like it but not enough to keep when I have so many others to try...

I don't have my camera right now but can tell you this much: - Smut looks alot like last years' except for new black and white images in the background. (I think Tramp posted her pictures of Smut + two Heroines a few pages back in this thread ) - The Oblation is a pretty pink in the background, with the name written on a darker pink/magenta section running around the middle - Luperci has a grey-ish background with a dark green band round the middle with the name on. ...So if you've seen Smut or Red Lantern or any of the other Lupercalias, you'll know that they have a pretty band round the middle, and all of the Lupercalias have this style with a "variation on the theme" - don't know if that makes sense? The Heroines are really beautiful - they are decorated with drawings and patterns in traditional Hindu style. The font used also has a "Hindu vibe" if you will... I've only seen two of them, and those two were predominantly pink.

Imp: Strong orange liquour Wet: OOoh some sort of resin/incence... with the overlying citrus/floral Dry: I like this! It's sweet, and spicy somehow, yet tropical... without being overtly so, if that makes sense. It throws quite far too. ETA: The throw on this is really yummy almost in a vanilla-ish kind of way.