Teamama

Soft, gentle sandalwood & rose, with amber grounding them. A warm, dry scent. I tend to layer this with other rose blends, as it is a little drier than I prefer. It's very simple.

Morocco is the perfect spiced musk & sandalwood blend, period. I love it as both perfume oil & hair gloss. It has medium-low throw, so it's a subtle blend. I think almost everyone I have hugged while wearing Morocco has told me I smell good. I tend to amp the clove-like note in the Lab's carnation, so I don't register a floral in Morocco, just spice. A classic.

Hollywood Babylon is the rare red musk blend that my skin can't throw out of balance: usually I amp it like whoa. It's a cousin to Dragon's Milk & Tamora, in that it's got a sweet vanilla core. I find the musk & cherries are the main attraction. The amber, heliotrope & strawberries are side notes for me. I haven't bought a bottle, but I use every frimp that has come my way.

Squee! Excellent vanilla & sandalwood, with delicate florals. I agree that They Shut Me Up in Prose is related to Volcano in Springtime. Both are part of a family that includes Two Sheep and Two Goats Resting Together in a Field, Zorya Polunochnaya & Like A Girl. If you love vanilla & sandalwood, do not hesitate!

Oudh fwends! I think BPAL makes an oudh blend for everybody. My favorite oudhs are the less indolic ones. In A Flaming Sword, the note is called "sweet oudh." In Entertaining the Heian Court Maiden, it's called "honey oudh." Entertaining is one of my top 10 blends ever. The more indolic oudhs (that edges over into barnsmell on my skin,) have lots of fans, too. In Bestla it's called "rose oud," & in First Morning in Paris it's called "Burgundy oudh."

Caveat: Hello, my name is Teamama, & I amp red musk. A Flaming Sword contains 5 notes that are fantastic for me, and my nemesis, red musk. I got my decant hoping against hope that I could wear this blend, yet prepared for everything excellent to be buried under the red musk when applied my skin. In the decant: resin heaven. The amber & sweet oudh are so lovely, with musk to ground them & coconut to sweeten. Sweet oudh is magical--it's as though golden fantasy bees sucked tree sap instead of nectar, to produce a honey that's actually a resin. Hints of green combine with the gold. Musk combines with oudh to take things in a discreetly sexy direction. Not a lot of patchouli or peppercorn on me, but that will probably change with age. Verdict: This is EXCELLENT. Unless you share my red musk amping problem, you can stop reading the review right here. And now the sad trombone: after 5 minutes, my skin has amped the red musk, & wrecked the balance of notes. It's now red musk, with faint hints of everything else. I will wear the decant in my scent locket, jealous of everbody who gets to rock A Flaming Sword.

Review of a fresh imp. The notes in Languor are not ones I am drawn to wear, so bear that in mind . Big florals! The sweetness of the narcissus & lilies is HUGE. It's flirting with being honeydew melon accord. It smells great, & it's not me at all. I know this is a blend I won't reach for. It's somebody else's scent. Swap.

Big florals. The lychee provides balance, & keeps the blend from being nothing but flowers. The lavender, magnolia & lily of the valley are the main notes, grounded by the lychee. I'm in the same boat as @JazzieCazzie. I like it, but not on my skin. If my lingerie drawer smelled like The Stream, I'd be a happy cat. It's too much of a good thing for me. 

Oops, I forgot to review! Freshly applied: bergamot & mandarin, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. I'm pretty sure the rest of the notes are in there somewhere, but they haven't peeked out yet. Oh, here comes the Bulgar Rose! Yay! Now I'm getting excited... On dry-down: in a nutshell: Morocco-adjacent, with rose. Rose & Sandalwood (my OTP,) anchored by amber. A hint of musk & spice. Lovely!

I bought my bottle of Fake News when it first came out in 2017. I like it a lot, but hardly ever wear it. I have to wait for weekends to wear it, because it's a strong statement. The bitterness while wet is not my jam, but once it's dry...magic. It's got an upmarket patchouli note, not the hippie kind. The tobacco & pink pepper end up blending together into an oudh-like note. It's like patchouli & oudh, that makes me feel underdressed. Seriously, this is some haughty stuff.

I immediately thought about the RPG scents for you, @ShleepySnorlax. The layering opportunities & variety of notes give you a lot to play with, plus so much girl/geek imagination fun. The lab has an Imp Pack for RPG – Classes, but not for the races, alignments or adventuring gear, alas. (I picked up most of my RPG imps through forum sales & swaps.) Hufflepuff, love of color & introvert made me think of Elf + Neutral + Dwarven Ale. Or maybe Druid + Good + Chaotic. BPAL has a lot of blends that don't pigeonhole into masculine or feminine, as well as blends with a lot of notes are definitely traditionally worn by one gender. Bewitched, Coyote & The Small Brown Cat are blends that are super-comfortable, as well as flexible re: feminine/tom-boy. That's all I came up with, but I know the Forum dwellers will have some others .

Fear of juniper & cypress kept me from buying a bottle, but it's lovely. I get vanilla fennel softness. It reminds me of those French candies with aniseed in the middle. Finally finished my decant. If it turns up on Etsy, I might grab one.

I'm also getting tonka + tobacco as the primary notes, with a rose background. Sweet & a little bit dirty. I'm glad I got a decant.

Bottle from a forum purchase. Aged to perfection! Sweet musk & delicious cinnamon. The musk seems like a black musk variety. It's a little bit raunchier than the majority of BPAL black musks, with a hint of an animalic edge to it. The cinnamon is airy, spicy, & gentle. No burning at all on my cheap thin skin. It reminds me just a little of the dry spiciness of Silk Road Resurrected. On drydown, a hint of vanilla emerges. An exceptional blend--I'm glad I got a bottle.

Oh, Baby! I regret not trying this earlier. I was afraid that the teak might dominate, or that the oudh might be the one that is too intense (fecal) on my skin. Nope & nope. I'm so happy I obtained a decant: it's PERFECT. Our Hearts Condemn Us is more cedar on me than teak; I love BPAL cedar. The rose otto & oudh are exactly in balance: the rich sweetness of the rose keeps all that woody, resinous goodness from being too dry. On my wishlist for a bottle, ASAP.

Another test courtesy of the kind & generous @Lucchesa. In the bottle, I smelled green herbs, soft florals, possibly white musk, & fruit. That's my daughter's jam, so we both tried it on. My girl immediately said "Dandelions! and vegetables!" I could sort of get dandelions, but no vegetables. However, she was backed up by our hairstylist. "Cooked vegetables." So we struck out with the Globules. Me because the florals & fruits turned soapy (which is why I suspect white musk,) & Teadaughter because...vegetables.

I got to test Alias thanks to the always generous @Lucchesa. In the bottle, the citrus & rose geranium stood out, with a faint hint of vanilla & sandalwood. On my skin, the rose geranium immediately took over, & never relinquished control. I haven't tried many blends containing that note, but in this blend at least, I amp it to high heaven. After an hour or so, the overall effect became soap-like, as more sandalwood peeked through. Skin chemistry fail.

Delicate Oudh, fig, and Patchouli. The honey & vanilla cream stay far in the background in this blend. It stays pretty close to the skin. I really like it, which is no surprise. I expected good things, as the notes are usually winners for me. I'm glad I got a partial bottle. 2022 update: I hunted down another bottle after using up my partial. This has gotten a little bolder with age. Sweet Amber Oud is one to watch for!

Bottle from a Forum swap. Amber & blue musk were the notes that drew me to look for this blend. Black amber, olive blossom, lavender, blue musk, rose attar, and cedar are all notes of win for me. Black orchid, black currant, & wood violet are unknown quantities, though violet is usually a good 'un.  Since this has aged since 2007, it's smooth as silk; no trace of "screechy". I like aged BPAL ambers best. It's got a creamy vibe. Verdict: the smooth, sweet musk + amber make this a winner, with pleasant, undemanding florals as an accent. The cedar stays far in the background on me. Very good, I'm glad I was able to get this!

In the bottle, that teak is strong! It's almost like a petroleum accord. Wet on my skin, teak takes a few minutes to cool its jets. Once it has, apple blossom, caramel & white honey do a good job of imitating fruit. It makes me think of some of the Dragon Con peach blends I have tried. On dry-down, it's a sweet, sweet creamy amber. The fruitiness is subdued, & the rest of the notes are subtle. This is a winner for me, but not a standout. Happy to have a partial bottle . 2024 update: Aging has made A-B-M more wearable for me. The teak note has mellowed out. The apple blossom, caramel & white honey combo are fig-adjacent. Win!

This is so true. My OTP for Mouse's Long & Sad Tale. Medium wear, light & pleasant fragrance. A total winner.

I was expecting something robust, like Womb Furie with orange blossom & cinnamon. This is an unexpectedly delicate blend. The vanilla of Snake Oil & wildflower honey are the most dominant notes on my skin. Cinnamon is barely detectable on me. I will definitely use up the decant. Possible bottle.

The Lab does not stint with samples--my first imp pack purchase came with "frimps." My first purchase of bottles was for one blend from the imp pack order, & one of the frimped blends that hadn't even been on my radar. Namaste, Incubus, & Villain seem like good fresh options. Coyote is fantastic, if leather & musk work for you. Becoming Thunder & Take The Moon both have fresh notes, too. Bright makes me think of Eyes Skyward, Eyes Shut. That was a limited edition, though, so you'd have to find that through forum sales, or other means. Forum sales are also a great way to get your hands on a lot of imps without breaking the bank. Good luck, & enjoy your voyage of discovery!

Om nom nom. I was hoping 2 things when I ordered a decant: 1. For the clove to be held in check ( I usually amp it,) 2. For the honey to be prominent. I got #1, which is super-rare. Instead of #2, I got the world's sweetest brown musk, rolled up in cuddly butterscotch labdanum with just a wee hint of clove. Tonka, rum & honey aren't much in evidence on my skin, but I don't mind. Teapapa says when it's freshly applied, it reminds him of his father's pipe tobacco. I'm loving it, but I bet it will be excellent on him, too.

There's a category of BPAL scents that I love, but am rubbish at describing, because there are lots of notes interacting in lots of ways. Some examples: Kubla Khan, Scarecrow Turned Philosopher, Day of Skulls, The Dream is Big Enough for Everyone. Swing Carousel is one of those blends. I can't often wear citrus, but all the other notes got me so intrigued that I risked a decant. I'm really glad I did, because I am thrilled by how warm & golden Swing Carousel smells. The interplay between amber, spice, orange & gingerbread seems like it would go in a foody direction, but the cedar & incense keep it out of the pantry. Medium throw, medium wear length. Good on my skin & in a scent locket. I definitely need at least a partial bottle.