JennyGardener

Light and green, with a teensy bit of scrubbiness - just enough to remind you this came from the bottom of a cauldron. It's pleasant and clean smelling. There's a hint of autumn in it, though. It's not the green of springtime or summer. It's a smell like the sedges in my wetlands this time of year - green grasses and the fallen leaves together.

So brown, so scrubby, so spicy, so splendid! Samhain is the perfect fall scent. It's like smooth spices and leaves. It smells kinda dirty (in a good way) and leaves me so very clean. It doesn't smell like soap at all - it smells like Autumn infused with my skin. I am so sad I only bought one bar and now they aren't available any more. Ah, but I will enjoy it so much while it lasts!

I found The Phoenix very feminine and lovely, rather genteel for a pirate perfume! It's still got salty sea air, but it's like a pretty afternoon at the docks. Not blood and rutting sensuality.

Okay, now the almost-two year old asks for "lotion" to dab on his wrists almost every night. He is fascinated by imp bottles. He doesn't have any preferences of his own yet, but we use lavender based scents in the evening to get him to settle down. The Faerygirl has a present from our Switch Witch called Munchkin that smells like candy. She puts it on her baby brother and herself, and it smells like they've gone trick-or-treating early.

Buttery pumpkin. Delicious in the bottle. Horrible on the skin. I don't want to smell like pumpkin pie. If you do, this is the perfect scent for you. Supposedly, guys get turned on by such odors. I won't leave mine on long enough to find out if this is true because I prefer to smell like strong swarthy musk or warm resins or pungent spices. Not pumpkins.

This one is too gentle and closer to a storebought perfume sensibility for me to think of the month of October. Then again, perhaps it's more the October of my sisters' birthdays than Halloweenie time and fall leaves.

If I was a pumpkin, this is the kind of pumpkin I'd like to be. Unfortunately, foody scents really don't do anything for me. I like to smell food, but I don't like to smell OF food. But happily, the pumpkin goodness burnt away to leave an absolutely delicious fresh green smell of cactus and sweetgrass. I think the pumpkin kind of anchors the sweetness of the herbs and keeps them from getting too syrupy. Rather nice on the drydown, but I don't like that buttery punkin pie at the beginning.

Fierce and commanding, with its dry leaves that choke up your nostrils and the sharp scents of balsam. Next a muddle of sharp and soft, as if a tiger is rolling you around and sinking its claws into you. On the drydown, there's a nuzzleworthy masculine scent but still with that sharp skreeling touch.

As I set foot on the island, a soft floral smell engulfs me. It makes me drowsy with its gentle beauty. But then the demons jump out! Sharp, musky, and sulfuric, they are filling me with dangerous thoughts of lust and an edge of fear. I face them head on, and then they slip away, leaving me breathless and muddled on the sand. I really want to try this one as a night time scent. I think it will take me to interesting places.

Very green, mixed in with the pungency of punky wood. There's a sour note that came out on Faerygirl at one point, but it was more muted on me. After drydown, there's a soft and almost smoky woodiness that is barely detectable. This oak tree isn't scary, it's just old. It's been home to lots of animals and there are probably many childhood memories about its trunk and ancient branches. It's very nice. It is, indeed, very tree-like. Anyone looking for an Ent perfume should definitely check this one out.

This is softer than I expected, more feminine and gentle. The sea air is there, but as a gentle sea breeze on a lovely afternoon. It smells like a visit to a shipyard where the prettiest boats you've ever seen are docked, and the fine ladies are drinking wine on deck in colorful dresses. The men are on their best behavior. Well, it does capture the idea of a nautical wedding very well. Very sophisticated on the sea. But none of that rutting stuff I thought would dominate in a pirate blend! This is a very fine lady, and I would highly reccommend it to those who would like to experience a more genteel day at sea, and especially those of the fairer sex.

A soft fruity rosy blend - this is simply exquisite! I can smell the bois du rose and it doesn't go soapy on me. The lily of the valley is strong and mystical. I love that scent, and you can usually only get it this pure in the spring when the lilies-of-the-valley are blooming. Oh, yes, this one will be in my box for a while.

The first whiff of the bottle is red wine. I'm a little nervous about pouring wine on my skin, but here goes! Immediately, my chemistry brings out the warmth of the musk, amber, sandalwood, and patchouli. All delicious. I think a vampire would very much like to bite me right now. With this on one wrist and Scorpio on the other, for a moment the scents smell very much alike. Only Midnight Kiss is much less patchouli-esque. Now, after the initial throb of passion, I have a lingering sweetness and the odor of red wine returns, diluted in the softness of floral scented sheets. Very mysterious at the end, like waking from a heated dream and finding oneself alone in the room. I think it is perfect for the romanticized version of a vampire encounter.

At first sniff, Scorpio smelled vaguely aquatic, but with something musky and sinister swimming in it. Like a great dark muskrat. On the skin, the water quickly fades away, but I am left with a richly spicy and resinous coating. Something lightly floral and innocent waves at me from time to time, as if all that darkness is just a stinger or claw to protect the loving heart within. And then on the drydown, the sweetness melds with the sexiness, to remind me of a passionate lover in bed. As it dries further, a soft almost cola smell is left, with specks of pungent spices still lingering. I'm not so sure this scent reminds me of my Scorpio hubby, but it does remind me of that boyfriend in college - you know, the one that was passionate but short-lived in my relationship history. The one you never forget.

Bordello smells cinnamonny to me, with perfume wafting somewhere in the back. It's a little rough around the edges, too. It's not the sort of scent I usually go for in a perfume, but as a soap it's spectacular. I've been feeling gritty and grimy (that time o' the month), and Bordello is just so perfect for helping me feel better. It's a dirty place but yet feminine and sassy. I feel like Bordello is the perfect soap experience for me. It makes my crankies settle down a bit.

I find Black Annis positively evil! You know that feeling you get when you're lost in the woods in a deep dark cave, and you are just sure someone is watching you? And then you stumble upon a pile of dry bones and blood-soaked earth? And then you feel hot fetid breath on the back of your neck? Yeah, that feeling. The one where you are about to be eaten up and there's NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!

I do not like sweet scents at all. They amp on me and make me feel ill. So, I go for dark musky resinous smells. Some of my favorites so far are;Fallen (hot, dry, woody, resinous), and Glasya (LE, sultry resins and musks, hot). You might try scents with notes like sandalwood, patchouli, musk, aquatic (saltwater), woodsy (pine family), leather, amber, and vetivert. Civet is a very feral, yet soft musk that I am partial to. Try your luck with some of these. Stay away from vanilla, honey, florals, and "foody" scents if you don't like that cloying sweetness. I have found dark berries, plum, and wine to be okay on me, but nothing else that smells like fruit or things to eat. I haven't tried pumpkin yet, so I can't say what that is like. Good luck finding your perfect blend! BPAL has so much to offer that I'm sure you'll discover something you like.

Spider is sexy and alive all at once. He opens your eyes with lime tickling kisses, making your mouth water for more. You can tell he's freshly showered, with that green herbal scent from the shampoo wafting from his damp hair. Then he embraces you with warm spicy manliness. You succumb as he throws you down with vetivert. And that good feeling lasts all day. All you have to do to remember this lovely encounter is sniff when he walks by. He winks, reminding you that all you have to do when the feeling fades is to take off tyour top and come back for more.

Undertow truly does evoke the dark side of the sea. It's very oceanic, which is pleasant, but there's a slight hint of sour like washed up seaweed - or the mysterious things that get washed up in seaweed. Just a hint, a whiff of the dead body half-hidden in the sand.

Cthulhu is THE perfect oceanic scent! It reminds me of the ocean in Hawaii when I was a little girl and in love with the sea. It was so surprising, because I fully expected some sort of nastiness or darkness, but this Cthulhu is just a sea creature and innocent of all those creepy stories written about him. This perfume is more like swimming with a dolphin than getting slimed by tentacles.

Oh, Yvaine is so beautiful! It really is like a starlit night. So cool, and refreshing, and out of this world lovely! And it doesn't morph or turn to soap on me, so I am delighted and utterly enchanted. We are planning an astronomy night for a homeschool group, and I can't wait to wear Yvaine.

The Fairy Market is fruity, sweet, and light, like the Fae who shop and sell there. My Faerygirl adores it. Somehow, all the faery scents smell so innocent and joyful and fun on her. On me, they seem somewhat sour. It makes me sad to think that I may be too grownup for faeries (or at least their scents); however I am cheered because I can easily wear sexy grown up resins and musks and my daughter can't!

The Witch Queen is nearly as sexy as Glasya on me, but more wearable. The fruits tone down the simmering sensuality of the red musk. So the overall impression of The Witch Queen is one of a beautiful woman, totally in possession of herself, but with a dangerous element hiding underneath. I like that. I like projecting that. And I think Beth nailed the character well, especially as it is played by Michelle Pfeiffer.

Victoria is exactly what I would expect. Elegant, lovely, sweet, feminine. Exactly the sort of perfume that turns to soap on me. Alas.

Glasya is my sex in a bottle. I feel so erotically powerful when I have it on. She's strong, this one is. So potent, I must choose wisely when I wear her. I do so hope she comes back as a GC scent someday...