Laughing-magpie

Spicy, hot, oddly comforting and exciting like the smell of a Christmas Pomander of dried orange and clove. Nice! I will wear it while bellydancing.

When I first put this on I was hit by "Sen-Sen"! Herbal, sharp, licorice-y and now that I see Lavender is a listed note, I can smell that too. As the hours wore on it becomes softer and warmer, but remains herbal. It is too much like a men's cologne on me to become a favorite of my own, but it's a mature, interesting manly scent.

How about Hades? Based on the reviews, it seems to vary widely on different people, but on me there's a definite gunpowder-y edge to it (even though it's not a listed note) especially before dry-down. It's my 1930s Gangster scent. Jen

Twenty-One is now my favorite all-round BPAL scent! It's fantastic for many reasons: 1. A tribute to a NY speakeasy! 2. Smell: fun, like the Roaring Twenties I picture in my dreams, but it's not too boozy for work. I think I tend to turn all scents to sweet, if there's sweet to be found, so I need a dry scent, like a good dry classic martini - I revel in this scent that stays bright, clean, and sharp as a tack. 3. It lasts! Most of the BPAL scents that I've tried that last tend to be the heavy, warm ambers and musks, but this is the first "bright" smell I've tried that could last the day. *love*

Fascinating! So many wildly differing views on not just whether Hades works for one, but even what it basically smells like. For the record, this is one of my very favorite blends from the 16 or so I've tried from BPAL so far. On me, it starts off with a nip of gunpowder or brimstone. It's hot and exciting; edgy. There's an undercurrent of smooth warmth that I honestly cannot identify, like whisky or cloves, and something a lot like leather. There's some floral too - reminds me of calla lillies, maybe a wee bit of violets and pepper. I amp florals and sweetness, so overall Hades never becomes too masculine for me to wear, but it maintains a masculine presence - like I've rubbed up against a man and his scent still lingers. And the fact that the sort of man this reminds me of is James Cagney in a 1930's gangster role is my definition of Heaven. Rock on, Hades!

I love love love this scent. It reminds me of when I was in love with the TV series Babylon 5 for some reason - which makes me love it all the more. It's clean, refreshing and has the sophistication of tea. The florals are clear and womanly and neither too sweet nor powdery. I would wear this every day if it would last more than a couple hours on me. I am keeping faith with it though, sometimes after maturing scents have a bit more throw on me, so we will see what Shanghai does with age.

I want to love this one! That description sounds precisely like what I am looking for! But my chemistry turns it into a plain floral, a bit sweet, a bit powdery. I so wanted to smell the wood and citrus.

I, too, am in love with the concept of Tintagel - and the notes in the description sound like they would be exactly my sort of thing. When I manage to actually get some Tintagel on me, it is a pleasurable scent. A bit sweet, but there's a spicy-ness to it, and I get the leather note too. BUT in the vial there's a smell there that gives me gooseflesh. Something in it is just too reminiscent of real battlefields, and real men spilling blood and sweating in real fear for their lives. I can't get past it to want to put in on my skin, but this was the Imp that first made me a believer in how fascinating the world of BPAL scents could be.

This is a creamy, pastel grapefruit on me. Like a grapefruit creamsicle. It's young and adorable. I was hoping for something a little brisker and sharper - and in the vial it does have promise - but it's probably my skin's tendency to bring out the sweetness in scents that is doing this. Though it's not the scent I was looking for, I do like it and if only the throw were a little stronger and longer I'd probably snap up some bigger bottles. It lasts up to about 3 hours on me.

I gravitate towards the more unisex scents since my skin tends to make most traditional feminine scents smell simply sweet and boring. If there's something sugary in a perfume, my skin will find it! So I am really enjoying the Lion. It's a warm, spicy, gold (slightly sweet), sunny smell on me, with good staying power. And yeah, there is something a bit animal about it too. It reminds me of Aslan in the Narnia stories. When I want to feel a little dangerous I put on a tiny tiny dab of Highwayman with the Lion.

Aeval is my first 5 mL purchase, so I figured it would be a good place to start with my first review too! There are several scents I've tried in the Imp that I liked better than Aeval to fulfill the light, floral, feminine niche for everyday wear (like Shanghai, Empyreal Myst, and Lady of Shalott) but none have the reliable throw that Aeval does. It lasts nicely on me, and most of the time that it's on my skin it stays solidly pleasureable without ever being over-powering. Most scents on me, especially floral ones, become one note of dull sweetness, but I think with Aeval the herbal sage and warm tonka balance it out so it stays a more complex floral on me. I really like it. I took it to Rome with me, so now whenever I wear it, I remember the eternal city.