SurrealReality

In the bottle - very boozy (probably rum), a little cake (but it smells more like cake batter than the finished product), and hints of butter, nutmeg, and dried oranges Wet on skin - pretty much the same, but the dried oranges are stronger Dry - nutmeg (much stronger than before), cinnamon, cloves, dried oranges (stronger than before), cake/cake batter (a little stronger), the rum has lightened up a bit, there's still a hint of butter, and there's also a little orange rind. Later on (after maybe an hour or so of wear), the rum and dried orange notes lighten up a lot and the cake/cake batter pretty much disappears (which takes away most of this scent's sweetness). A little while later, a smoky note emerges, leaving this scent as a spicey, smokey, slightly boozy scent, with just a touch of sweetness I do kinda like this, but with all of the spices and the smoky dry-down, it's not quite my thing

I don't really find this to be all that foody..... In the Bottle - sugared rose incense, butter, and a faint hint of cake.... it actually reminds me a little of 'The Knave of Hearts' Wet on skin - sugared rose incense, more butter, a little cake, and a faint hint of something sharp Dry - sugared rose incense (still the most prominent note, but not as strong as before), butter, cake, and the sharp note from before is much stronger..... it's blackberry (the tart kind that smells like cat piss.... just a personal opinion of course) I'm guessing my 'sugared rose incense' note is really just a dark rose note, but the rose note in Knave of Hearts always reminded me more of incense made from roses than fresh roses too......

Coffee, coffee, and lots of coffee.... a dark, rich coffee. It is sweetened up a bit though as I smell notes of cream and sugar as well. Even though this is lighter and sweeter than Bah, it's still a bit too dark for me ETA 12/13/10 ok, ok.... so I gave this another try and found that it sweetens and lightens up a lot on my skin. I love it!

In the Bottle: Oh thank God! This doesn't smell like Candy Butcher at all! To me, Candy Butcher has sort of a.... phallic quality to it.... like milk chocolate and cream mixed with you-know-what. Not just on my skin, but in the bottle as well. By contrast, PSX54 smells like dark chocolate and cream with nothing else in sight Wet on Skin: The chocolate lightens and sweetens instantly.... almost to a milk chocolate. Unfortunately though, I'm getting a plastic note Dry: Yay! The plastic note disappears just as quickly as it came! The chocolate note has darkened again.... it's not as dark as it was in the bottle, but it's not as light as it was when wet... actually, it does smell like a cup of hot chocolate with extra cream and sugar This is absolutely delicious, BUT it's incredibly faint and disappears on me within an hour

In the Decant: very spicy, sharp ginger and red musk..... much dryer and more masculine than I had hoped for Wet on Skin: ginger (again, very spicy and sharp), red musk, a little candied fruit Dry: wow! This one really morphs! At first it's much sweeter - candied fruit (much stronger), ginger (much quieter), and red musk (much less). After about 20 minutes or so - candied fruit, amaretto, ginger, red musk, plum musk, and just a pinch of dry chocolate. About 1 hr later the sweetness dies down again - plum musk (much stronger), candied fruit (considerably weaker), amaretto (a little stronger), dry chocolate, ginger (very weak), and red musk (very weak) Interesting and very sexy, but I had hoped for a sweeter scent with more chocolate. I definitely won't be keeping my decant

In the Bottle: maple syrup, pancakes, and coffee (the coffee note used here is similar to the one in Eggnog Latte) Wet on Skin: maple syrup, pancakes, butterscotch, coffee, and hints of butter and caramel Dry: pancakes, butter (a lot stronger), maple syrup, coffee, and hints of butterscotch and caramel. After about a half an hour, the butter note backs down quite a bit and the maple syrup and butterscotch get stronger. After about 1 1/2 hrs, the coffee note begins to fade OK, so I used to think I loved coffee notes, but this blend has just forced me to realize that probably isn't the case. One of the first BPAL blends I fell in love with was Pinched with Four Aces. Before testing Pinched, I'd had previous experience with tobacco and woods, but neither were friends of mine. Coffee was the only unfamilar note (well, as far as use in perfume goes), so I assumed that must be the note I was in love with. However, since then I've tried every coffee blend that BPAL (and pretty much every other e-tailer) has to offer, and I've disliked... even hated every one of them. But then again, the coffee note in Pinched is unlike any other I've ever smelled.... this one included. So the question is..... do I keep this blend for the delicious nearly coffee free dry-down, or do I swap it away???

Plague of Frogs. This is the first time I'm actually tempted to buy a full bottle just for the gorgeous label (this coming from an empty collector too)

Quick Question for you MeiLin What should you do if you notice a scent that MAY not be entered properly? Take Beaver Moon for instance. The notes are listed as Cheesecake and Cupcakes, but we have TWO Beaver Moons and that's only the description for the '05 version (as well as Beaver'versary), so shouldn't it be listed as Beaver Moon '05, not just Beaver Moon? I absolutely love your site, but little things like this tend to bother me I'm afraid....

Here's an updated BPAL TiddlyWiki in case anyone needs it - http://surrealreality.tiddlyspot.com/index.html I've been sick for the past couple of weeks, so I thought I would do something completely unproductive with my downtime I'm not the creator of the original BPAL TiddlyWiki. I think the original is still floating around out there somewhere, but it hasn't been updated in over a year and a half

In the Decant: vanilla, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, & a hint of clove Wet on Skin: the spices become stronger, while the vanilla & butter fade a little. Also, there's a slight hint of something similar to spearamint Dry: cinnamon (sweeter), nutmeg, sugar, vanilla, butter (weaker), cake, & perhaps a slight hint of something spearamint-y, but it's barely noticeable. About 1/2 hour in, there's less nutmeg, and absolutey no spearamint After about 1 hour this scent changes dramatically on my skin. It becomes maple syrup, vanilla, and cake, with just a hint of butter and spice (cinnamon & nutmeg) The beginning is a little too spicy for me, but I LOVE the maple syrup drydown. It takes so long to get to that point though! I'm not sure it's worth the time and expense of hunting down a 5ml. I never use decants (except to test), so I may even swap my little vial away......

This seams to be a very complex scent. Unfortunately, I don't have a complex nose, so I'm sure I will miss several of the notes, but I will do the best I can..... In the Decant: warm golden amber, vanilla, and hints of cinnamon & red musk Wet on Skin: amber (turning to a sweet powder as it usually does with my skin chemistry), vanilla (stronger), dark dry cinnamon (stronger), & faint red musk Dry: amber (now a sweet powdery play-do), vanilla, lily of the valley (quite a surprise.... I didn't expect anything floral to appear in this scent), dark dry cinnamon, & faint red musk. After about 1 hr, the lily fades away amber doesn't play well on my skin, and it totally ruined this scent for me.....

A tester of this was sent to me by a very generous person In the Decant: fizz and a VERY strong, tarte lemon note Wet on Skin: less fizz and even more lemon Dry: the lemon is still just as strong as it was when wet, but it's a lot more sour than before. The fizz is still pretty faint. After about 15 minutes though, the lemon does die down a little and the fizz comes out more. After about 1/2 hr this turns to fizzy lemon scented borax (not just any soap mind you, borax) I love fizz and I love sweet scents, so I was hoping this would be a sweet, fizzy citrus scent. Not so! It's fizzy, but it's definitely not sweet! I'm soooo glad Beth scrapped this idea and decided to go with the version she released instead (which I love dearly). That being said, this was fun to test. The fizz tickles my nose

I'm totally surprised this scent isn't incredibly popular! It's jumped right to the top of my 10 favorite scents list In the Bottle: BUTTERCREAM!!! I have tested every foody scent that BPAL has ever made (including prototypes) and I have never smelled a buttercream note as rich, sweet, or decadent as this one. There is also a hint of black pepper and cinnamon Wet on Skin: black pepper (in the foreground now and a little stronger than I would like it to be), buttercream (still a very prominent note), cinnamon (still pretty much in the background), and I'm also beginning to smell cake batter Dry: buttercream (once again the strongest note), black pepper (has backed off very quickly, but is still a fairly prominent note), cinnamon and cake batter (both a little stronger). Several hours later, the black pepper, cinnamon, and cake batter begin to fade. Nearing the end of this scent's life (it lasts about 5 hrs on me), I smell buttercream and an almost cotton candy-like sweetness, with a little black pepper and just a hint of cinnamon I can kind of understand the reviews I've seen comparing this to carrot cake, but as I mentioned before, I don't smell any baked cake, only an un-baked batter. Also, I hate carrot cake, so I refuse to think of that this amazing scent may have anything to do with that atrocity....... no, I don't like vegetables in my dessert I believe that the note I'm interpreting as cake batter is the note that several other reviewers have interpreted as oatmeal cookie. If I try, I can kind of imagine the note as oatmeal cookie dough, but to my nose, it still smells much more like cake batter I've also read reviews of cedar and raisins, but no matter how hard I sniff I can't smell even the slightest hint of those notes If you are not a foody, I suggest you stay away from this scent. But if you are a foody, you absolutely MUST try this!!!

In the Decant: tangy lemon, ginger (a soft, lemony, not very spicy ginger though), white cake Wet on Skin: tangy lemon, lemony ginger (slightly more spicy), white cake, and a little buttercream Dry: white cake, lemony ginger (a little more spicy, but still soft), buttercream (a little stronger), tangy lemon (a little faded). The tangy lemon continues to fade and is gone almost completely within an hour or so (but because the lemony ginger note is still there, a softer lemon scent remains) I love buttercream & cake, but lemon & ginger are just ok. If it wasn't so HTF, I'd probably buy a bottle. However, considering what I'd have to swap/pay to get it, this scent is not worth it to me..... I edited this review because when I first tested it, I thought all of the lemon scent was coming from the ginger, but now I'm pretty sure it contains an actual lemon note as well

In the decant: white sugar, spicy ginger (like LE Shub, as opposed to the GC version), booze, and a little fruit. I must agree with nursekins about it having something in common with Sugar Skull, specifically SS '06, which smells different than any of the other years (stronger, sharper, and much boozier) Wet on Skin: ginger (not quite as spicy as it was in the vial), white sugar (a little faded though), booze, & fruit (but not your usual fruit note.... this one is like tangy gummy worms) Dry: ginger (a little less spicy though), tangy gummy worms (a little stronger), white sugar, & booze (both a little faded) I'm a foody, and I don't care for this scent (it's not bad, it's just not great). Upon the mention of ginger, I had hoped it would smell something like GB: Poppet, but I get no similarity between the two at all. Ahhh well....

Hi! The closest BPAL I've found to the scent of apple butter would definitely be Fearful Pleasure (Halloween '08 LE). Other scents you might want to try include Bakeneko (LE, February '07 Lunacy), Gluhwein (LE, Winter Inquisition '08), and Coral Snake (Carnaval Diabolique, no actual spice notes, but IMO the snake oil adds a spiciness to it). Hope that helps!

These were all testers given to me by cheshirecat. I believe she owns the bottles CDIX - 409 In the Decant: a soft, sweet fruit note (my guess would be guava), cantaloupe, and tart tangerine Wet on Skin: tart tangerine, guava???(fading), cantaloupe, and watermelon, and a faint tart lemon note Dry: cantaloupe, watermelon, tart tangerine, tart lemon, cherry blossom, and a faint aquatic note. As this scent progresses, the lemon and the tangerine fade, while the cherry blossom gets stronger CDXVII - 417 In the Decant: herbal spice and orange Wet on Skin: herbal spice, orange (less), red grapefruit, and musk (light) Dry: herbal spice (much softer), red grapefruit, musk (light), and orange (much less) CDLXXXIII - 483 This really doesn't morph on me at all. It's the same on my skin as it is in the decant: herbal spice (much lighter than the note in CDXVII), tart lemon, a light green note, and a faint sweet fruit note ETA: The faint sweet fruit note is melon DXXXI - 531 In the Decant: tropical fruit punch (pineapple, grapefruit, a little cherry, and a hint of orange), and a light green note in the background On My Skin: tropical fruit punch (composed primarily of the aforementioned fruits), a light green note (stronger), and a hint of musk. After about an hour, sassafras emerges. It's faint at first, but it gets stronger DXLI - 541 In the Decant: woods, sandalwood, orange, and hints of red berries and pipe tobacco On My Skin: woods, sandalwood (weaker), orange (a bit stronger), pipe tobacco, and eucalyptus. After about a 1/2 hr, a soft sweet powdery note appears along with a hint of angelica (this was sooo much prettier in the decant) ETA: cedar is definitely one of the notes included in the 'woods' I'm smelling. It's an unusually lovely cedar though (cedar is usually one of my death notes, but I love it in this blend) DCXVIII - 618 In the Decant: sweet orange (fresh though, not candied), sandalwood, and hints of smoky spice and white florals Wet on Skin: sandalwood (stronger than in the decant), sweet orange (weaker than in the decant), still with hints of spice and white florals Dry: The orange is back to being the strongest note. At first, it's sharper than it was when wet. 1/2 hr later though, the orange is softer and sweeter than ever (still not candied though), the sandalwood has faded quite a lot, and the smoky spice and white florals are still there (still very faint though). About 1 hr later, the white floral note is a little stronger. After several hours, the orange fades, the white floral fades a bit too, and the smoky spice comes forward DCCLXIII - 763 In the Decant: Indian spice blend and a hint of pink grapefruit On My Skin: Indian spice blend (softer), pink grapefruit, and lime. After about an hour, it's almost pure cotton candy, with only hints of the other notes MC - 1100 In the Decant: white floral, sour green note (probably juniper), and a hint of eucalyptus Wet On Skin: less floral, more juniper Dry: mostly juniper, with faint white florals, and hints of snow and eucalyptus

MXXVIII - 1028 In the Bottle/Decant: scotch and blackberry leaf On My Skin: scotch, blackberry leaf, and sweet (but not candied) blackberry definitely my shortest review to date, but (to my nose) it fits so perfectly, that I really have nothing else to say ETA previously reviewed by salamandrina

XCI - 91 In the Decant: sweet almond and non-alcoholic piña colada (heavy on the coconut and cream, light on the pineapple) Wet on Skin: about the same Dry: piña colada, sweet almond, a snowy aquatic note, and a hint of peppermint. Later on the almond and the pineapple totally disappear leaving coconut cream, snowy aquatics, and a little peppermint Previously reviewed by synique. CDXXXIV - 434 In the Decant: raspberry, cherry juice (unsweetened), pineapple, and a hint of cardamom Wet on Skin: raspberry, cherry juice, pineapple, cardamom (much more of it), and woods (nothing specific) Dry: cardamom, woods, cigar tobacco, and a slight hint of raspberry and cherry juice Rarely have I sniffed a scent that changes so completely from decant to drydown. It's so fruity in the decant, but so dark and spicy on the drydown ETA previously reviewed by zankoku_zen

In the Bottle/Imp: neroli, gardenia, white peach, honey Wet on Skin: neroli, gardenia, white peach (a little stronger), honey, and a little vanilla in the background Dry: mostly neroli with a little white peach and honey. But after about a 15 minutes - gardenia (has shown up again), neroli (much softer), white peach, honey, vanilla, and a little cream In the Bottle/Imp: 3 out of 5 (pretty, but nothing special) On My Skin: 3.5 out of 5 (very nice, but because of the neroli, it's still too green for me)

Rumpelstilzchen is my favorite fairy tale, so this makes me sad..... In the Bottle/Imp: Blech! A strong metallic note and very salty hay. Perhaps a little rose Wet on Skin: a little better.....powdery amber, rose, salty hay, and a metallic note (but it has faded quite a bit) Dry: Eek! Back to where we started.....when it's dry on my skin it smells just as bad as it did in the imp. Wait, I take that back....it actually smells worse (in addition to everything else, I'm getting a very strong soapy / salty aquatic note now). Sorry folks! I can't wait for the drydown. I've gotta go wash this off! In the Bottle/Imp: 1.5 out of 5 (metal and salt....two of my last favorite notes) On My Skin: 0.5 out of 5 (soap is my all-time least favorite note. It actually made me nauseous. I've never had that happen before) OK, so the only reason I tried this scent was because of the fairy tale. It didn't sound like my kind of thing at all, so it shouldn't be any great shock that I don't like it.

In the Bottle/Imp: green flower stems, hints of plum and cream, and a general floral feeling way in the background Wet on Skin: green flower stems and a hint of wildflowers (where did the plum and cream go?) Dry: it takes about a 1/2 hour, but the green note finally fades, the plum and cream notes return (and are more prominent than they were in the imp), and the wildflower note becomes stronger In the Bottle/Imp: 2.5 out of 5 (too green for me) On My Skin: 3.5 out of 5 (pretty, but too floral for me)

In the Bottle/Imp: a sharp, green note (assuming this is the osmanthus, even though that's not usually what it smells like on me), and a little sandalwood Wet on Skin: about the same, but a little stronger Dry: it takes about 20 minutes, but the osmanthus finally does morph into a flowery, slightly green note (a little fake and perfumy though), rosewood, white peach (sweet but not candied), and a little sandalwood. After about an hour, the osmanthus fades quite a bit. The vanilla does show up, but not for several hours (and even then, it's very much in the background) In the Bottle/Imp: 2 out of 5 (far too green) On my Skin: 3.5 out of 5 (the rosewood and white peach are lovely notes, but I was hoping for less osmanthus, and much more vanilla)

In the Bottle/Decant: Yuck! Vinyl and cocoa powder (a much lighter and sweeter cocoa note than other bpal blends) Wet On Skin: Even worse! The vinyl is much stronger Dry: The vinyl is softening up....it's turning into a general 'stale' note (I totally agree with Lycanthrope's 'old people' description). About a 1/2 hr later, that 'stale' note begins to turn powdery. And that's when I realize it must be the amber. Amber has never been a friend of mine, so I'm not surprised My Rating in the Bottle/Decant: 2 out of 5 My Rating on my Skin: 2 out of 5

In the Bottle/Decant: licorice, sugar cookies (gaufrette), leather Wet on Skin: the same, except for the addition of coal (and quite a lot of it) Dry: considerably less coal than there was when it was wet (thankfully), licorice, sugar cookies, and a little leather. A short while later aaaaand..... CRAP! The coal is getting stronger. Yup! It's just like sniffing a chimney. Wow! It's really strong now. It's pretty much drowning out everything else In the decant, this is much more agreeable than I thought it would be. It's actually pretty foody (which is what I was hoping for). But once on my skin, the coal takes over completely My Rating in the Bottle/Decant: 4.5 out of 5 My Rating on My Skin: 2 out of 5 Perhaps I could use it in an oil burner?