Monster

There are so many of my win notes in here I just had to have a bottle of this, I knew I was going to love it and I was right. In the bottle, I detect mostly red musk and balsam. On my skin wet, this is a high-pitched scent over red musk. I really can't pick out any more individual notes, it's well-blended and balanced. As it dries, the bright and sharp opening notes mellow out and allow the red musk to smolder on my skin like beautiful incense. I'm still having trouble distinguishing many of the individual notes. There's a red, floral quality to this however, it doesn't scream ROSE or CARNATION to my nose. There's a light sweetness to the background but doesn't register strongly as vanilla. I can tell these things are in there but they don't stand out. Instead, they work with each other to give you the impression of RED. The final dry down is blood red scent layered over the impression of smoky/dusty darkness. It does a brilliant job of giving you the impression of a dark red moon hanging against a black night sky. Red musk fans, this one if for you! You need it!

When I first apply Wormwood Field I get a bright and fresh burst of lime and yuzu. Underneath I get the smallest hint of absinthe, it's fleeting though and disappears as the citrus top notes start to dissipate. As it dries, the lime has evaporated leaving a yuzu over a grey musk-like scent. It's transformed from a bright, yellow/green to a dark olive color. This is a unisex scent leaning more towards the masculine side. Surprisingly, this has a commercial vibe to it. I can see this appealing to a wide audience of men. It reads as a fine boutique perfume for a trendy dude (if that makes any sense ) If you're into yuzu, citrus and musk try this one!

The notes listed in this were so intriguing, I just had to try it. MCS4096s review is pretty much my experience, she described it perfectly. When I first apply When I… to my skin I get a surprisingly fresh, salty and gently aquatic note. I haven't tried a lot of the Labs ozone/aquatic scents so I can't really compare it to other perfumes. It's not a fabric softener scent (which is what I'm always afraid of when I try aquatics). This is soft and round with a bit of salt. As it dries a gorgeous, grey and almost rubbery note appears. It's mildly ashy, incensey and surprisingly not vetiver. I'm usually pretty good at deciphering notes but I'm having trouble with this one. Underneath the veil of grey soot, the salty tear note is still present. It gives me the impression of a smoke-filled blue sky with clouds that are ripe with rain. I'm a huge fan of vetiver and was hoping for some in When I… but I'm pleasantly surprised. I was also expecting that an imp was all I needed, however, this wears so beautifully on my skin I'm going to need a bottle. If you're into ashy, resinous scents or want to try something different, I urge you to give this one a whirl!

This one intrigued me after some of the reviewers mentioned a coconut note in here. This isn't something I'd normally be into but, say "coconut", and I'm all over it. When I first apply Reflected Vulva, I immediately get a gorgeous cherry blossom note alongside sugared…coconut! Even though I think I smell coconut, I'm not entirely sure coconut is in this. The milk note sure does give that impression and the florals feel almost tropical, maybe that's why? Either way, this has a Caribbean/summertime vibe to it. It's warm, sweet, milky, gently floral, pink and feminine. This is another BPAL perfume that could bridge the gap between commercial perfumes and oils. I can see this appealing to a large audience. The throw on this is amazing and it lasts forever. At the end of the day, I can still smell it on my wrists. I wasn't expecting this to be my favorite Lupercalia scent this year but so far, Reflected Vulva is the winner!

Mmmm this is very simply, a honeyed rose incense. As it settles into my skin, the honey note fades to the background while the pink, tea rose rose amps up. The final dry down is a smoldering rose. This is very similar to Othello to my nose, with a less aggressive rose that doesn't turn to soap on my skin. Beautiful! Rose and church incense fans, you're going to love this one!

Really sweet and fruity apple blossom. As it settles into my skin, the sugary sweetness from the apple is tempered by a woody birch note. The dry down is a simple apple/birch combo and is absolutely gorgeous. The throw and longevity of this is pretty significant, a small drop lasted for hours and I was able to smell my hand as I wafted it a few feet from my face. I can definitely see the comparison to The Hesperides, which I loved and sadly, never bought a full bottle. I'll be sure not to make the same mistake with Sjöfn. Lovers of apple, this one is for you!

First of all, let me say, as a believer (and bit of a fan) of Sasquatch, a subscriber to of Coast to Coast with George Noory (the Sasquatch episodes are always a favorite) and my undying love of Indiana Jones…this is the perfect scent for me. I'm a little weird with Sasquatch topics of conversation too, when I hear someone call them "Bigfoot" it grates on me and I resist the urge to obnoxiously correct them, "Ahem, that's 'squatch." Edgar Miche is the only scent from this series I've tried so far (and the one I was most excited about) but I know it's going to rank as a favorite next to BPALs Black Helicopters line. I am SO happy I have a bottle of this. Ok, on with the review...although I don't think I can top Gwydion's! In the bottle I get a De Sade-like leather note. It's brown, worn and soft. On my skin the leather is a lot softer than it is in the bottle, it's more of a suede now. The mandrake adds a light, herbal quality to this. When I inhale deeply, the perfume is chilly to the nose (similar to a menthol feeling). Could that be the white mastic? The chilliness, the leather and the herbal quality gives me the impression of fresh air and outdoor adventures. As it dries, the cardamon, clove and sandalwood come through but never over take the suede, which is still dominant. The middle is an exotic spiced dusted leather with a bit of incense dancing in the background. As it dries further, I amp the clove ever so slightly, but the leather won't let it take over. I'm left with a gorgeous soft leather scent over a steady base of sandalwood and light, breezy spices. Edgar Miche is a sexy second skin scent with a low throw but long wear time. I wouldn't classify this as masculine, it's more unisex and is leather/spice dominant. The Lab hit it out of the park with this one. Lovers of leather, come hither!

When first applied, Love and Sleep is a sugar-dusted, candy-like ylang ylang, which I'm realizing, is what gave Tiki Queen that Sweet Tarts quality. The fig and vanilla are very faint to my nose while the orchid gives this a feminine, perfumed quality. The final dry down is all ylang ylang and orchid on my skin. The throw is average and it lasts for about an hour before I need to reapply. It has a tropical, sophisticated simplicity to it and would probably work really well in the warmer months. For those of you who fear florals but are intrigued by them, I urge you to try this! As a die hard resin gal, I have found myself in love with The Lab's orchid note. It's so luxurious and…purple! Another winner!

When first applied, Death Shall Come In With Thee is a wonderfully bitter and smoky opium which is tempered by a gently sweet vanilla. As it dries, the bitterness from the opium/tar fades and the white sandalwood and clove start to emerge (still sweetened by the vanilla). The clove never takes over, in fact, as it dries further, all of the notes come together seamlessly, united, nothing standing out too much. This is a perfectly balanced spiced wood/resin scent. It's almost like a darker version of Haloes to my nose, probably because of the white sandalwood/vanilla combo. I wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I do, I'm definitely adding this to my bottle purchase list. I don't have the best history with opium poppy but in this scent, it's absolutely gorgeous. If you like Haloes or Hellhound on my Trail I suggest you try this one. I suspect it was also age beautifully. A winner!

This stuff is SO GOOD! I'm not usually a foodie either (resin gal!), but lately, I've been wanting to enjoy sweeter scents. I tracked down a bottle of this on the forums and I am SO glad I did. This smells, well, like pumpkin-spiced s'mores, complete with the graham cracker, chocolate and toasted marshmallow notes. After about 20 minutes of settling into the air, this morphs into a baked chocolate scent and makes my entire home smell as though I have been making brownies. The Labs chocolate note is iffy on my skin but I am absolutely adoring the way it smells wafting through my apartment. Love this stuff!

That's how I apply all mine anyway. Haven't had a single one go ew from it or anything. I would assume most people use wand caps so they don't accidentally spill when they tip the bottle. I think those that are more worried about skin oils tend to use coffee stirrers or the such, which are easily one time use. Ok cool! Yeah, I've been doing the clean toothpick method for everything so far (I have the wrist splinters to prove it LOL!) but it's getting annoying for the ones I slather regularly Good to know! Thanks! I find the wand caps and toothpick method doesn't work for me when it comes to slather-worth oils I know I'm going to use up. For those, I stick my finger over the bottle, tip it and use my fingertip to apply the oil to my wrists, neck and streak in my hair. I find the fingertip method helps me control how much oil comes out of the bottle. If I get too much, I can just gently let it drip back into the bottle. I find he wand caps are great for more intense oils. The amount of oil I get off of the wand is considerably less than the finger method. I frequently wear RomantiGoth and only apply that with the glass wand since a couple dabs in all I need. I hadn't thought about coffee stirrers for testing bottles I'm on the fence about, that's such a great idea!

It really depends with the wand caps for me. If it's a strong scent I only need a small amount of, the wand cap is perfect. If it's something I like to slather or streak in my hair, no wand cap! If it's a bottle I'm not sure of and may sell in the future, I usually just dap from the little nub on the top of the cap. I'm glad the Lab did away with reducer caps long ago. I have a bottle of Gingerbread Poppet from 2004 that I painstakingly pried the reducer out of

And Old Fashioned Christmas in a bottle! This is a fresh Christmas tree decorated with holly berries and strings of herbs. There isn't anything unnatural about this tree, no lights or plastic figurines. This is probably what the tree from A Christmas Carol would smell like. I'm not sure I could pull this off as a skin scent, however, this would make a gorgeous Atmosphere spray!

This is the 2010 version. Upon first application I get a big, sugared burst of grapes, pomegranate and cakes. I swear there's pear in here! Something about this is very similar to The Perilous Parlor to my nose. As it dries, I get the teeniest hint of frankincense and myrrh and the wine grapes get a bit more boozy. The sweet fruits and cake notes are dominant throughout all stages. I'm really surprised Haloa hasn't gotten more love! It seems like it would be a foody favorite. If you like Perilous Parlor or Candy Phoenix you'll probably love this one.

Lich's Laboratory is all wet moss, lichen and deep, dark earth notes. For those of you who play World of Warcraft, this must be exactly what The Undercity smells like. I absolutely LOVE this stuff. This is another example of why BPAL and BPTP are so wonderful, where else will you ever find a room spray meant to make your space smell like a mad scientists laboratory? It's spot on perfect.

When I first apply this, I immediatly get a festive blast of pine and plum. As it dries, I start to pick out the sugared fruit notes along with what I think is a kiss of clove. After about an hour, it hasn't changed much. The pine and the holly are the two most prominent notes over a spread of sparkling, candied fruits and plum. This is incredibly Christmasy and would probably work best as a room scent rather than something I would wear as a perfume. If BPTP turned this one into a candle, I would absolutely have to have it

This starts out as a warm milk note on my skin, it reminds me a bit of the milk from Milk Moon. As it dries, the clove and spice notes warm to the milk/porridge. I never detect any fruit in this. Ava Luxe used to make a perfume (now discontinued) called Indian Summer, this reminds me SO much of that scent, it was one of my favorites of hers. This is Indian Summer paired with BPALs perfect milk note. Absolutely gorgeous. I'm going to have to track down a bottle of this ASAP.

Note: I use the bath oils as after shower body moisturizer. Wow, this is PUMPKIN PIE in a bottle, quite literally…it smells like I just rubbed pie all over my skin. This starts out as a buttery crust and as it melts into my skin turns into a warm, rich pumpkin pie filling heavy on the spice. It has a strong throw and medium/long lasting power. A little bit of this goes a long way. Love!

I picked up a bottle of this on Etsy. Note: I usually use the BPTP bath oils as an after shower moisturizer as well. Shortbread Snowflakes starts out as a sweet, lightly coconut-laced icing on my skin. As it soaks into my skin, the coconut fades and a gentle, almost gingerbread spice note come out giving it a Christmas cookie quality. This is super sweet, buttery, spice cookie with a ton of sugary icing. The throw is light and it only lasts about an hour before my skin eats it up but the moisturizing qualities are absolutely perfect and work for all seasons. This also layers beautifully with some of my more foody BPAL oils (like Sweet Lavinia's Dread Puddings, Ooky and Sugar Cookie). Overall I love this and I'm super happy I was able to snag a bottle!

When I first apply Pink Lace I get a strawberry-kissed incense with a background of booze (cognac). As it dries, the rose comes out a bit more, it doesn't dominate or stand out. Rather, it sits harmoniously with the strawberry. The champaca dances to the background allowing the vanilla/strawberry/rose to do their thing. I never pick up any tobacco. This reminds me a lot of Pink Moon, it's just a bit fruitier and less intense. As with all of the Lace scents, this has a light wear and throw and totally evokes the image of a delicate and pale pink lace. The final dry down is a sugared strawberry/rose scent that I'm absolutely head over heels in love with.

This is, quite literally (and simply) strawberry cheesecake with a light graham cracker crust. I don't smell any peaches in this at all, the fruit is pure strawberries on me. As this dries, it becomes creamier and more cheesecake-like. My bottle only arrived yesterday, I quickly slathered it on before heading to a skating practice where I received a ton of compliments on the way I smelled. That's a huge WIN for Beaver Moon 2010

This is a fruity, candy-like lavender. It almost reminds me of Jester + lavender. As it dries, it's unchanging. Lavender reads as "old lady" when it's dominant on my skin unfortunately. For lavender lovers, I can see this one being a real winner. It's simple, sweet and would probably be perfect for every day wear.

This was the Ragnarok scent I was most excited to try. Red musk and clove are two of my favorite notes and I'm not so sure if I've ever experienced red clove before. When I first apply this to my skin I get a gorgeous, fiery blast of red musk and ginger. After only a few moments, the initial blast of red, hot ginger subsides to allow the clove to come through. This truly is a RED clove. It's gingery, slightly peppery, has a kiss of cinnamon and pairs so seamlessly with the red musk. I have a tendency to amp clove as well…the middle phase is ALL red clove and red musk on my skin. On my boyfriend, however, this is more of a lightly spiced red musk with clove in the background. The copal and amber aren't really present until about an hour later, providing a glorious base for the red musk and clove to lay upon. However, clove and red musk never stop being the stars of the show here. I'm definitely going to need a bottle of this one. Fans of red musk, resins and clove, you're gonna need The Cocks, STAT!

When I first apply Sword of Surtur I get a big blast of fresh ginger. It's like the white hot tips of flames licking my skin. As it dries, the ginger quickly subsides revealing the pepper notes and what I think is the poppy. It's hard to dissect this scent, when I try, I find it's not as enjoyable to smell. I'm going to start over… Once I reset my brain and try to smell just the images of fire and iron, that's when the true beauty of Sword of Surtur comes out. I agree with Lycanthrope, this is disjointed and jarring. I think it's meant to be that way, fire is inconsistent and unpredictable, as are the red notes in this perfume and the way they contrast against a base of iron metal. I can smell warm flames wrapping themselves around shining metallic notes. As it dries, the iron notes cool the flames. The final dry down is a gently warmed iron note on my skin. You guys need to at least try this one once. The images this perfume creates is really intense and beautiful. As far as notes are concerned, if you like Djinn you'll probably love this one. I probably won't wear Sword of Surtur as a perfume but I'm going to treasure my imp.

Ooky starts out as a cinnamon-dusted marzipan. As it dries, a kiss of pumpkin comes out, it's not a heavy, pumpkin pie note (Jack makes my stomach turn as do most of the Pumpkin Patch scents) this is a light, sugary pumpkin that totally evokes the image of confectioners sugar dusted candies. In the final dry down, my skin warms to the buttercream creating a nice, buttery base for the pumpkin candy, and cinnamon sugar notes. This is a foodie dream!