ClareN

Yeah, I was thinking about buying a couple things from Amazon, but I decided against it when I found out that the shipping isn't any cheaper than direct-from-Lab shipping, and you can't combine it with other Amazon purchases. Plus, I'm sure Amazon takes a cut, so I'd rather avoid that if possible! Still, it's probably a good way in for beginners who find the BPAL website too huge and scary. (ETA: I'm not referring to anyone here! Just thinking of people I know who've said that the website is too big and confusing - I might direct them to Amazon instead in the future.)

I'm seriously tempted to buy one even though I've got a decant of 07 and I only sort of like it. Now I'm like, "well, maybe it'd be great for layering..."

Beth, thanks so much for the answer about the FAQ. I'd be a loyal customer no matter what, but it sets my mind at ease to have a definite answer. As for the CBIHP fanboy, I think Maewitch said it best: he sounds exactly like those people who know a little bit about a subject and therefore need to be The Expert and pronounce judgment on areas they don't understand quite so well. It's like this older man I know who only listens to jazz, funk and soul and knows a lot about it, but tries to use that knowledge to explain to me that the bands I listen to are objectively worthless. To continue the music analogy, some musicians only produce one great album in their lifetime; others (like my favorite band, The Mountain Goats) are incredibly prolific and might put out several albums in a year.[*] Yet music fans and critics are still somehow able to judge each album on its own merits. Seems obvious. Interestingly, I've tried about twenty CBIHP scents and only found one or two I really adore, which is lower than my hit rate with BPAL, despite the fact that CBIHP is so much less prolific and way more artistic or scientific or whatever. [*] Hmm, now I'm wondering if my obsession with The Mountain Goats comes from the same place as my obsession with BPAL...there's something appealing about having a vast body of work to explore, trying to collect it all, tracking down rares, pondering connections and recurring themes between different songs/scents...Not to mention the frequent references to world mythology.

The King reminded me of Havana and Intrigue, but I have a weird nose. Sorry this reply is so late, but Tiki King smells a lot like the Salon scent Satan and Death with Sin Intervening. They have the same lemony-resiny feel, but Tiki King has more coconut. I haven't tried Havana but I can see the Intrigue comparison, too.

Thanks Mrs. Black, that does make it clearer, but where on the website does it say that?

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Halloween labels. The non-Sleepy Hollow ones seem to be all black and white, with some details in orange. How cool is that!

I have to say, it would be helpful if there were a clearer statement about this on the Lab's website. It comes up so often, and the statement that is usually pointed to in the FAQ is technically about veganism, not about whether the oils are all-natural. If you were skeptical about BPAL's use of synthetics, you'd notice that it only says that the civet and ambergris blends are made of plant oils. It doesn't have anything to say about whether the strawberry and caramel blends are made of plant oils (they could be synthetic but still be vegan). This is what talula_fairie's friends were talking about. Personally, I do believe that BPAL is all-natural - but that's only from what I've read on the forum, not from the site itself. Why not be proud of this and state it clearly in the FAQ?

Oily skin should actually help your perfume last longer! If your skin is already oily, it won't "eat up" the perfume oil as quickly. I sometimes rub jojoba oil into my skin before I apply perfume and that seems to help. Sometimes you simply don't notice your perfume after you've been wearing it for two hours, because your nose gets accustomed to it. Ask a friend if they can still smell it. I once complimented someone on her perfume and she said "Really? I put it on hours ago, I thought it had faded away," but I could smell her from a couple meters away. But, to your original question - Scherezade, Eat Me, Vixen, Snake Oil, Death Adder, Western Diamondback, De Sade, Djinn, Umbra, and Tombstone are some of the longest-lasting oils I've tried. Depending what you mean by pungent, some of those scents might not be for you, but read some reviews and you'll get the idea. Oh! And try putting the oils in your hair, if you have long hair. When I put TKO in my hair before I go to sleep, I can smell it throughout the next day, until I wash my hair.

I know some people have Hellhound already - can anyone post pictures of the label?

I used to say "essential oils" at the post office to get around the "perfume = alcohol" thing, but then they told me that essential oils are banned from Australia Post because they're supposedly flammable. Now I say "bath oil samples", and if questioned further, I tell them it's synthetic fragrance oil. I know they aren't really synthetic, but it gets by. talula_fairie: apparently they are 100% natural. It doesn't seem to be mentioned on the Lab site, but it's been discussed on this forum quite a bit. There is some recent discussion in the "Allergies and other reactions to oils" thread.

When the Lab uses a note that obviously isn't a readily extractable essential oil (like strawberry, brimstone, cotton candy, soil, leather, metal, certain florals) or one that's animal based like musk or civet, but is inhumane to extract, it is my understanding that these notes are bouquets, meaning that they are combinations of natural plant based extracts that are intended to approximate or mimic the scent of something else. This thread, discussing different types of oils, might be helpful. Some of the other places this has been discussed in the past include the General Note discussion thread, the BPAL free for all questions thread, the Civet Discussion thread, the musks discussion thread (see in particular this post, with info from a class Beth taught) - if you search any of those threads for the word "bouquet" using the box at the lower left it should narrow the posts down for you. (Of course, just because something is natural instead of synthetic doesn't mean that people with sensitivities or allergies can automatically use it... everything that I am allergic to (per my doctor's diagnosis) is 100% natural; poison ivy and poison oak are natural too. So I can understand why the argument comes up, that someone with chemical sensitivities might be able to use BPAL perfumes as opposed to commercial scented products - but because so many people with chemical sensitivities seem to have immune systems on high, high alert, I don't think it would be safe for them to assume this. Anyone with a history of serious reactions to fragrance needs to be extremely careful with all fragrances.) Thanks! Sure, I understand the whole civet bouquet combo, and I understand that they can use different plant sources to blend to create fragrances. I don't think though that BPAL has ever said directly that they don't use fragrance oils? Have they ever said they have or haven't? I just want to know for sure so I don't give anyone the wrong answer. Yep, they've said that they don't use synthetics. I asked the exact same question once upon a time (not directly from the Lab, but on the forum) and got a very definite answer. I don't see it in their FAQ but I'm sure it's somewhere. I remember that a while ago some prototypes were sold on eBay that contained aldehydes, and it was said that that was the first time Beth had worked with synthetics. There's a candy company here called The Natural Confectionery Co. that uses only natural flavorings, and they use grape, cherry, strawberry, apple, all kinds of bright candy flavors that you'd associate with artificial candy. Obviously candy-making and perfumery are kind of different, but still, it goes to show that it's possible to recreate those flavors from all-natural sources.

I just took part in a group order that totaled close to $1000. You can bet it didn't fit in the PayPal comment box. I'm sure the character limit is causing a lot of headaches for the Lab, having to match the separately emailed orders with the PayPal payments. I hope it gets changed soon. (Edit for clarity.)

Same! Back when I was a confused newbie and the 10mls had just been discontinued, I actually thought that was the case - that there were still some popular scents being sold as 10mls. Was quite sad when I realized I was wrong. It'd be great to be able to buy some of my favorites in 10ml form - Snake Oil, Dorian, TKO... But I'm pretty okay with the two 10mls I do have - Hod and Nahemoth.

Not a chapel, a pub. An old pub where the wooden tables, walls and floors have been absorbing tobacco smoke and spilled alcohol for at least a century. Beer mostly, but a little wine, and faded smoke and antique wood. Extremely evocative, almost frighteningly so. As I say, it's not so much a chapel to me, but I'm definitely getting a feeling - a scent memory? - of being inside some dark building with a possibly disturbing history. The wine doesn't turn to strong grape candy like wine notes often do; it's subdued and bitter, not sweet. There is something almost sour about this scent, like, again, spilled beer. (I think this is the way my nose is interpreting the combination of vetiver and wine.) If you're looking to smell like the inside of a pub - and I know that some people do love that scent - go straight to The Chapel. It's fascinating, but so very not something I could wear.

I think doing that means the Lab gets charged fees twice, unfortunately. They get charged a PayPal fee and a CCNow fee. That's why they prefer people use the PayPal comments box method if they want to pay with PayPal. Of course, you'll still get your order if you pay with PayPal via CCNow; it's just better for the Lab (and helps keep prices down for everybody!) if you don't double up the fees. (Someone correct me if I've got the facts wrong - I'm an international customer, so I've only ever used PayPal solo.)

The Ifrit reminds me of a classic perfumey perfume. Not sure which one; it might be Opium or Chanel No. 5, or just a general "classic perfume" feel - it's ambery, musky and warm. Beautiful. If you buy it as a gift for an older relative, though, you might not want to mention that it's inspired by gay sex with a fire demon.

This smells pale green and slightly aquatic, but interestingly complex. I picked up the mint straight away, although it's not a strong mint, and I think there may be some moss and ambergris in the "fougere" part, contributing to the aquatic feel. There's a slight hint of citrus and maaaybe blackcurrant, but I couldn't specifically pick out the musk or tea, which was what I wanted most. Still, I can tell there are other ingredients contributing to the overall scent, because there's something unique about it that I can't describe. This is not for me, because fresh pale green scents aren't my thing, no matter how interesting.

Freshly applied, juniper and dragon's blood. I like juniper, but I ordinarily hate dragon's blood. However, the dragon's blood in this smells smooth and resinous instead of over-the-top sickly sweet cherry-floral. I actually like it! I'm guessing that this is an effect of aging, since this oil is four years old and thus probably the oldest BPAL I've tried. Hmm...I may have to try aging some of those other dragon's blood blends I don't like. As this dries I get more rose coming out, and it's the kind of rose that doesn't like my skin, unfortunately. Sharp soapy rose, with dragon's blood and juniper. Wish there were more juniper or orris - I don't pick up any orris. I wouldn't wear this as perfume, but it's not bad, really, despite the soapiness - it's sweet, herbal and sort of mysterious. Glad I got to try it.

Tested from a near-empty bottle. Clean aquatic with light musk. It does have a hint of the "clean linen" note, like Dirty, but it's much quieter and muskier than Dirty. I get no vanilla and some very light sandalwood, but mostly it's, well, clean aquatic with light musk. This is not the type of scent I wear at all, ever, and it's hurting my sinuses a bit, but I liked it more than most aquatics and I do think it's a good one if you like that scent category.

Villainess Datura smells like BPAL Carnaval Diabolique. Both refreshing yellow-white florals.

This is so freaking awesome. It smells purple. Gorgeous rich purple lilac that fades right into tea-tobacco-musk without ever going powdery or stale. Lots of people are calling it light and sweet, so I was expecting something like, I don't know, Fairy Market, but I think it's more similar in tone to The Emathides. Purple. This will sound weird, but something in there also smells gorgeously herbal, almost like peppermint tea - it may be the hyssop. The overall scent is one of those well-blended ones where, although you can pick out individual notes, it doesn't really smell like any of the notes so much as it smells like its own thing. Those scents are often among my favorites. It also smells weirdly familiar, like I should be able to say "This smells just like X" but I don't know what X is. Still, I definitely want at least one bottle of Ashlultum.

Marcilla is a lovely blue floral. I was hoping for more of the musk and beeswax to come out but I'm getting mostly lilac and lily of the valley, along with some greenery and something tart and berry-like - that's probably the nectarine. The overall feel is more of live plants than perfume, like you're standing in a flowerbed. I have been exploring floral scents more lately, so I'm glad I tried this, but it's not really me. I think if the nectarine in Marcilla were toned down I'd like it more, or maybe if there were some stronger, darker musk or patchouli to ground it...But I must admit that part of the problem is that I tested this on the same day as Ashlultum, which is another lilac scent, quite different but much more to my tastes. Nevertheless, Marcilla is highly recommended if straightforward florals are your thing.

I'm surprised Daiyu isn't getting more love. You're all probably afraid of the jasmine, but you needn't be. I'm one of the most jasmine-averse people around - I've had to discard many beautiful scents because the jasmine wouldn't let the other notes come out - but I swear this is nothing but sweet pink berries and tea. The tea/white musk combination makes Daiyu very reminiscent of Dorian. It's like a cross between Dorian and Tamamo-no-mae/Hungry Ghost Moon. The acai note is gentle and not too tart or strong like it is in Slippery Poppy Tincture. I shoved my wrist in my boyfriend's face and he said "That smells very nice. Yes, I like that one, it's very pretty," which is an over-the-top rave coming from him. Daiyu is not my usual style of scent, so I don't think I'll get a bottle when there are so many other Carnaval scents I need, but I will keep the decant for now. If you like Dorian or sweet, "pink" scents like Bordello, you need to try this!

It could be red musk. Red musk is so intense, it seems like the most likely culprit to cause reactions, but I have no scientific basis for that. For other red musk blends - look for scents that look dark red-brown in the imp, like Scherezade, Smut, or Fenris Wolf.

I'm sure the Lab is aware of it because of all the customers having to email their orders separately when the full order didn't fit in the comments box. I doubt the Lab will stop using PayPal, but I'd be thrilled if they offered a PayPal alternative (for international customers). Aside from the fact that I've come to hate PayPal after trying to deal with their customer service, it would be cool if the Lab could find an alternative that would charge the seller a smaller fee, if such a service exists.