ChupaChup

I was hoping for a honey mead note like in Athens and I did get it for about the first five seconds from Litha and then it went horribly wrong on me. I didn't get anything like the sunny summer scent others are reporting, on me it's a very woody scent with bitter herbs. I didn't get even the tiniest bit of the florals. It's very aggressive, the kind of scent that gets stronger and stronger and I had to wash it off.

I can relate to the people who got the b.o. scent from Closet Monster. I always get that odor from blackberry scents, but the promise of bourbon, buttercream and red velvet cake was too much to resist and I took a chance. The first time I tried Closet Monster, I got the awful b.o. scent, I think it's actually the blackberry leaves that I'm interpreting that way. But as it dried down, I got the wonderful boozy buttercream note and it convinced me to keep the little monster around. I'm so glad I did because now I don't even mind the blackberry note, I'm actually learning to enjoy it . I've even swapped for a second bottle of this wonderful perfume. BTW, I don't get any red velvet cake either, but I'm still crazy about the frosting on it

Lotus is usually my nemesis but the golden lotus in Bastet was lovely and it's lovely in Lotus Moon as well. I really don't get very much of it, a tiny whiff when wet, but pretty much the rose otto and amber take center stage. The pine resin isn't piney at all on me, it just adds some depth but I wouldn't be able to tell you what that note was if I didn't already know, it's just resinous. This dries down to something very familiar to me, like another GC scent. I think it might even be Black Phoenix, after the almond burns off. It's a lovely ambery rose with a background of light spices. Unfortunately, Beth's ambers usually make scents disappear on me far too quickly and that's what happens with Lotus Moon so I've swapped it away. But it really is a lovely scent.

I was really expecting to like Drink Me a lot since I love foody scents but I'm not sure about this one. I get a strange savory note from it, it may just be a nuttiness but sometimes I'm afraid it is turkey or mashed potatoes with gravy or even stuffing . Mostly it's just a rich, buttery custard with some vague fruit note, I can't tell if it's really cherry or pineapple. But that savory note, not sure about that. ETA: I had to come back to mention how much fun this scent was for me. The description made me laugh when Beth first announced it and I so enjoyed the anticipation, reading all the reviews, until I finally got to try Drink Me. And it was so much fun finally getting to try it, sniffing for all the crazy notes (and they're all in there!). I love that Beth has the sense of humor and courage to attempt something like this, it's what BPAL is all about .

Another great summer scent, Phobos is chilly citrus with BPAL's divine white musk. This lasts surprisingly well for a citrus scent and then fades down to a soft lemon sugar skin scent. This never goes Pledge on me so I hate to call it lemon at all, but hopefully you know what I mean.

Baobhan Sith is absolutely stunning. I love the clear, crystalline beginning, it's so chilly and white, perfect for a hot summer's day. Beth does white tea to perfection, the ginger is barely there, just adds a tiny bit of sharpness (imagine sprinkling a little sugared ginger on your morning chilled grapefruit) and the apple blossom is so unexpected yet divine. In the late drydown, it's mostly apple blossom and seems to be the same note used in Desire, another favorite of mine.

I tried King of Hearts knowing it might not work because of the red musk. And I was right, that note rarely works on me. I really like the rest of this scent though, the combination of cherry and lavender is surprisingly nice, I hope Beth uses it again with a different base.

The first time I tried Eat Me, the currants were overwhelming, it was all fruit, no cake and a disturbing chemical element to boot. But I persisted and tried it again the next day, rolling the imp first. What a difference! The currants are more of an accent, they don't dominate at all. And I get the Snake Oil vibe, it's that same thick, rich vanilla (without the darker notes of heavy musk, patchouli and spices, of course). I love Eat Me and I also think it will age beautifully.

If I ever run out of Lenore (which I hope is never!), Oya will be a great substitute for me. Plum is an iffy note for me, it's usually too sweet and headache-inducing. But in Oya, it's lovely and dark, a little bit spicy. Oya is less complex than Lenore and doesn't have the really dark notes of vetiver and patchouli, but it's lovely all the same.

There aren't too many plum scents I can do because usually they are too sweet and fruity for me but Oya, a GC scent, is perfect, a little tart and a tiny bit spicy. I wouldn't exactly call it a "wine" scent but is sure is a nice plum. Other plum scents that I love are LEs, Lenore and Snake Charmer, so are harder to come by.

This is the truly sinful scent of a sticky, thick, dark and rich fudge brownie. I didn't buy Lump of Coal when it came out because the configuration in which is was sold was a bit too expensive for me but I've been dying to try it. I was lucky enough to get an imp of it in a swap and although it's great, like all cocoa blends it doesn't last long on me, half an hour at the most, so I'm just as glad I didn't get the bottle. Can't add much to what has already been said here, it smells exactly like brownies, hot out of the oven. Maybe walnut brownies. Absolutely delish !

The lovely Sunnie gifted me with an imp of Black Lily in a recent swap. It's really gorgeous. I like almost all of Beth's lily blends and am amazed at how they all can smell like lily but still be so different. Black Lily has the typical creamy quality but there is some other note that registers dark green with me (as opposed to black), like fresh cut stems and leaves. That note also makes the lily last quite a bit longer on me than it usually does. I would snap this up in a heartbeat if it made the GC!

Monster Bait: Underbed was way too dry on me for too long. It was mostly cassia, aggressive cassia like in Red Phoenix, not the subtle touch in blends like Morocco. The cocoa was cocoa powder, just adding to the dryness. After about an hour a tiny bit of "cake" smell appeared but it was too little, too late, the cassia really killed this blend for me. Luckily someone else who loves it wanted my bottle.

I just emailed the lab about this but I thought I'd also post it here in case anyone else is trying to order Oblivion today.

Ogun was a huge disappointment on me, I didn't get any of the notes I wanted, like tobacco and chili pepper, just gin, juniper and melon. It smells like a soap bar floating in a martini. I suspect it is the melon that ruined it, that note has never worked for me.

When wet, Obatala smells identical to Milk Moon, I tried one on each arm. But as they dry down, they become quite distinct. Milk Moon is more rich and milky, it has developed an almost caramel tone as it has aged. Obatala is thinner and cooler - I was trying to think of what it reminded me of and I realized it was snow. I actually think this smells more like snow than Snow White does. I also think people who love Snow White will love Obatala - the coconut element is very similar and they are both soft perfumes with amazing throw and tenacity. This one is a real masterpiece, I love it.

Oblivion is awesome. I have a hard time describing it when wet, it's very dry and smoky but once it dries down it's very much like a less-sweet, stronger Morocco. Maybe like Morocco without the vanilla, although there is a tiny bit of sweetness there. It has great throw and lasts a long time, at least eight hours. My boyfriend already stole my imp so I'll have to get us a big bottle.

Plum is a pretty iffy note on me, it usually gives me a huge headache. But sometimes other notes in the blend can tame the evil fruit (ala Lenore, Snake Charmer) so that I just get mysterious whiffs of it every now and then and not enough of it to choke me. I was hoping the carnation would take care of the plum in Frumious Bandersnatch but alas, its spiciness seems to somehow sharpen the overpowering sweetness. I definitely get that potpourri/candle scent others have mentioned, it's just too much for me.

I'm planning my Harvest Moon order and would like to include a couple of imps for a friend of mine with bad karma. Right now she has relationship (heart broken by ex and difficult new relationship starting) and financial problems and in general, just seems to have really bad luck. She has been told by a psychic that she has a lot of negative energy. Are there some Voodoo or other oils you would recommend to help her? It doesn't matter if they work as perfume, I would encourage her use them ritually.

Smut makes my eyes roll back in my head. It's Snake Oil without the patchouli, Snake Charmer without the plum. It's almost pure Siberian musk on me, with a hint of vanilla and booze lingering underneath. Must amass large quantities.

I had not intended trying any of the Demon in my View scents - they mostly sounded too floral or had specific notes in them that hadn't worked on me in the past. For Spirits of the Dead, orris was the suspect note - it has always been too dry on me and then with the promise of the other dry notes - dry tea leaf, papyrus and coffin wood - I was sure there was no way this scent would work on me. Boy, was I wrong! tempete ( ) generously sent me her DimV decant set to try and I am so grateful. This is hands down the most hauntingly beautiful scent I have ever found, it almost makes me cry it is so pretty. Before BPAL, my favorite perfumes were Bulgari Green Tea and then Bulgari White Tea and this is so similar but SO much better. All the negatives are gone, there is no alcohol smell, no funny chemical after-scent in the drydown and it actually lasts on me while those never did. It is fleeting the first time I put it on but I find the second application layered on top of the first lasts all day. The prominent note in this for me is the linden blossom - it's a light, airy citrus note similar to lime peel. There is also a refreshing tea scent to this, I can't tell if it is green or white. I get a tiny bit of woodiness underneath the sweeter linden and tea notes that keeps the whole blend from being too sweet but never overwhelms or dries the scent too much. This just wafts around me in clouds all day, it gives me a very euphoric feeling. So, after trying the decant I ordered two bottles of it with my Yule order. And I just ordered another bottle today with my Budding Moon order. It's that good. In fact, the DimV scent collection is the most beautiful one I have tried so far, brava Beth. Please bring it back!

I'm so disappointed, Gingerbread Poppet 2005 is nothing like previous incarnations. From the reviews so far, I was sure it was similar so I went ahead and swapped for a bottle. Then I tried it, the 2005 version on one arm and the 2004 on the other. First off, the new version has a funny, synthetic smelling note to it, almost musky and it just doesn't seem to fit with a foody scent like this. I think it's an attempt to make the new version more doughy but it reads fake Yankee Candle on me. And secondly, the new version is only about one quarter as strong as the old version, the old version is a wonderful explosion of strong, hot spices - clove, ginger, cinnamon and the new version is wimpy in comparison and fades away in half an hour. I guess BPAL is like wine, when you find a vintage year you like you need to hoard it. I wish I had done that with both Gingerbread Poppet and Sugar Cookie from last year .

Even though I like a lot of the notes in Alone, especially patchouli, cardamom and red sandalwood, I wasn't going to try it because of the gardenia. But the lovely tempete sent me decants of all the DimV scents and I was really surprised by Alone. On me, the patchouli is very strong at first, then I get a blast of cinnamon (I don't get cardamom from this at all) that burns my skin, ouch ouch. I never get any of the florals I was afraid of and actually kind of need them or at least something to sweeten this up a bit. I find the patchouli makes it a little too earthy and the sandalwood is too woody.

I must say I never gave Fire Eater much of a chance. It has some very strong florals like jasmine or gardenia that don't agree with me. I started to get a headache and washed it off.

I was expecting something a lot darker and more dangerous from Torture King but it really is a beautiful scent. Very few leather scents work on me and vetiver often kills a blend but wow, this one is great. I only have an imp right now, I held off getting a bottle because it didn't seem strong enough for me but as it has aged, it has gotten stronger so I may just hunt a bottle down.