SmellsPrettyGood2Me

Tested from a verrrrrrry aged imp that smelled like a deliciously sweet woodland forest when I opened it up. Extremely mentholated, condensed sap when wet; I inhaled it on the "bad side" of my nose half expecting it to perk me up and clear me out like some sort of liquid Vicks Vaporub smelling salts. It didn't, but as I kept inhaling I got a whiff of something just a little bit sour that made me contemplate if I was really brave enough in that moment to put it on my skin. I was. I did. Amazing. No fig, all cypress, all day. Big, juicy spruce-like projection with nothing dirty or stinky as you may find with some forest type scents. The oakmoss is here, restrained, taking a backseat to the brighter top notes for a bit. Lavender-adjacent, but not dominant. Definitely gives early winter, snowy night coven meetup vibes. Love it!!

"Holy grape jelly, Batman!" I did not sniff the imp before applying this to skin, so these are all post-application impressions. The muscadine bursts onto the scene and takes no prisoners, as it is all I can smell for a good 15 minutes. Projection is STRONG! I was grateful I tried this on my arm on a short-sleeved day as I think it is so potent that it would cling to your clothes in perpetuity. Around 30 minutes in I can sense the nag champa trying to break out from the back of the pack as the sweetness deepens but starts to fade to something more powdery. The smoke is definitely more incense than campfire. The grape jelly note fully inverted to incense with a slight fruity twang around 90 minutes in, and the projection also dialed back to something more reasonable with it. I never really got any patchouli at all. You know those intense clips on the news every Black Friday where people damn near kill themselves to stampede Wal-mart when the doors open to get their limited flatscreen TV deal? That's the vibes Urd gives - a frenzy, followed by a fizzle when almost everyone has to console themselves with $50 off Beats by Dre instead.

There are so many reviews of this scent already that it would be impossible to say something original about it, but here's where my experience agrees or disagrees with what others have written: Agree: soft, intimate throw, baby powder/dryer sheet adjacent, slightly waxy Disagree: not overwhelmingly sweet or floral, no cherry/almond/honey I think this would be a terrific scent for those who suffer from fragrance sensitivity as it is incredibly inoffensive and non-triggering. Office and general public safe as well as there is nothing dirty or sweaty about the musk. Much more gentle than sexual!

Beautiful, and unlike many other scents I can detect every single listed note individually as well as in a blend. Is there a tiny bit of spearmint in here too or is it just the bergamot being sassy? Most prominent on my skin is the red musk (slightly fruity), followed by the saffron and a just-barely-powdery vanilla. Very light patchouli, which I don't mind. Projection I would say is moderate. I applied this before bed and had some mildly upsetting dreams, so I would suggest daytime wear only. Blind-buy safe if all of these notes work well for you as they are nicely balanced!

I'm sure that this will sound blasphemous to many, but I prefer Sin to the OG Snake Oil. I know, I was surprised, too!! As someone who amps cinnamon to high heaven, I am always pleasantly surprised when it is not the dominant note in a blend. The amber is absolutely front and center, and I feel like this scent shares DNA with Morocco (another GC stunner) in terms of spices. I love that the patchouli is just a little chewy and lets the sandalwood take the lead. Potent for 5 hours and detectable for just above 7, making this a particularly durable fragrance for daily wear. Simply just gorgeous. Many of the GC scents have been quietly sliding up in price since 2022, and at the time of this review a bottle is $33 and well worth every penny.

A very aged imp of this original formulation (carbon dated by the label design) made its way to me as a freebie-with-purchase. Most dominant note is the beautiful sweet pea, and for the first 10 minutes on my skin it is a bright, fresh floral supported by the herbal sage. I really liked this on first application and went on about my business. Unfortunately, there arose such a clatter around minute 15 that brought out a stanky plastic musk smell. Could it be because the sample is so old, something went "off" here? I chose to ride it out instead of scrubbing, and it got a bit better as time went on, but never smelled as good as when it first went on. I am sure that this is truly a great scent that simply did not hold up over a 15+ year period from multiple owners and unknown storage conditions through no fault of its own; aged samples are a crapshoot but I am glad there was still a glimmer of its original glory for me to experience. These notes are so appealing, I hope BPAL considers resurrecting this again so that I get a chance to try out a fresh bottle.

Synthetic, syrupy sweetness (strawberry most prominent amongst the fruits) wet in the imp that blooms into something far more robust and interesting on skin. Darker berries appear, along with a very lightly powdery sweetness. The wine note doesn't ever really come out to play for me, as there is nothing alcoholic or fermented that ever makes itself known. I liked this much more about an hour or so after application when everything came down a few notches on the intensity scale. I can see it being a very potent scent for a person brimming with confidence to mirror their big energy, or one that gives someone needing a lift a big boost. Apply sparingly to avoid overwhelming yourself, or others!

On paper, this should be a miss for me. I abhor 99% of aquatics and anything containing violet, but instead I found it really refreshing and enjoyable! There is definitely a kelpy saltiness that gives more seaweed salad than mouldering beach detrius. Is it soapy? Yeah, it is, but that's actually what makes it pleasant. The white sage is most notable amongst a long list of herby influences. I did not wear this in very hot weather but it held up well for general daily comings and goings, never going sour or funky. I agree with others who said this lasts for about 3-4 hours before gently fading away. Very wearable, clean, and fresh with a quirky bend.

Wet in the imp this smelled like a big ol' pickley no-go, courtesy of whatever sandalwood variety plays that dirty trick on some small unfortunate percentage of us. The cedar pulls grassy, almost cannabis-like, and there is a camphorous element that others have described as menthol but which reads as a bit more eucalyptus to me. I very much wanted this to be a clean, woody, spicy love, but my olfactory bulb would not let it be so. Envious of others for whom this was a hit!

Lightly sweet, more mapley molasses than dark wood, this gets more fragrant and like "conventional" cologne as it dries down. There is nothing swarthy, sharp or stinky, just a powdery spiciness that I think others have correctly identified as sandalwood, even though that note is not listed here. Medium throw and about 6 good hours of longevity. I like this for cozy nights in!

The tobacco and leather in this is simply terrific. I completely agree with others who have said that there is a freshness to the scent that makes it smell surprisingly clean for such a compilation of heady notes. The incense is beautifully powdery, and the musk is present but with a light touch. If I were forced to choose I would say this leans a bit more masculine, and as much as I truly love it on myself, I think I would love it even more on a bearded, flannel bedecked PNWer. Medium sillage and really nice staying power! I could still smell this on my arm 8 hours later. This deserves attention from anyone looking to sniff the best of the General Catalog.

What a beautiful transitional scent to bring into the cooler weather of fall! The first word that comes to mind is "delicate"; neither the amber nor the musk are particularly loud. Instead, you're enveloped in a soft, close aura of dusty sweetness. Is this what Morticia Addams wears to bed? I would not be surprised! Low sillage is improved with a more generous application, but this will never be a scent that announces your presence in a room as you walk in. Lasted a good 6 hours on me and was enjoyable the entire time.

I somehow missed that this was an atmosphere spray when I snagged it online for the virtual DragonCon, and love it so much that I am desperately begging for it to be offered as a perfume oil!!! What a deeply gorgeous, golden scent this is. The saffron sap is front and center, practically singing with a bright sweetness. Cologne-y? A little bit, maybe, but I more get the sense of a medieval Middle Eastern knight in gleaming armor jousting valiantly while the crowd wonders if the warrior underneath it all is a man or a woman. I don't get any smoke here, but the frankincense does give it a pretty, intoxicating spiciness. Smells incredibly "expensive", like a high end hotel lobby. Please, please don't let this be the last we see or smell of this scent!! 🙏🏼🤞🏼

Almond is such a strong death note for me that even the tiniest hint of it is detectable to my nose. It's definitely in here, wet and dry, but not in enough quantity that I immediately recoil. The sandalwood is the other dominant note, and it's nice. Unfortunately no maple that I can catch a whiff of, just a lightly caramelized sugar note. Not for me, but if you like almond and sandalwood I think you'll find this very pretty.

Wet in the imp I get hand soap with the tiniest hint of...rose? Manages to smell both clean and a little musty at the same time, in very sacramental fashion. There is also a bit of a wooden pew in there? This is a quiet hit in the RPG series, in that it feels blind buy and scent sensitivity safe. Very delicate and gives you just a whiff of freshness without being loud or pushy. I wore this in the late days of summer and it did not go sour on my sweaty skin. Sits close and longevity is somewhat short (3-4 hours) so layering it with something more bold or being willing to reapply will give it a bit more potency. I also like it as a light sleep scent.

Most definitely lavender and rosemary wet in the imp; the basil bursts forth when applied to skin. Why am I hungry for focaccia now for some reason? Extremely medicinal and definitely relaxing; I applied it after a particularly challenging interaction and felt myself calming right down. Smells very much like the inside of your veggie drawer after a visit to the farmer's market for some fresh herbs. I don't see this being every day wearable as a fragrance, but as a sleep or calming aid it definitely does the trick. Clears the sinuses too! Moderate projection, and not blind buy safe at all unless you're really into these notes.

Another unexpected free-with-purchase scent for me to try, yay! I sniffed this before I read the notes, and I got a strong whiff of hard candy and something that smelled like peach skin in the imp. I really don't get any smoke at all, which means there is either very little or it has been lost to time. On application and dry down it retains a nice sweetness that starts to transform into something slightly more ash-like over time. Other reviewers have nailed it - there is nothing dark or sinister about this at all! Really wearable, if unremarkable other than to be pleasant and a little bit soapy.

Always trying to honor the Frimp Gods, I tried this with half-hearted gratitude simply because I just don't find the smell of flowers sexy, at all. For this I blame the Glade Plug-In trend of the early-to-mid 90's and a solidly Catholic upbringing in equal measure. Flowers intended to mask house smells and church smells just make me want to run into the woods and deeply breathe in something evergreen instead. But I tried, because that's what we do here, and that's how we sometimes find the things we didn't know that we were meant to love. I get the creamy note that others have mentioned; it's there and large and white and waxy. Unfortunately the mandarin almost instantly goes sour (almost rotten) on my skin, and combined with the magnolia that I did not at all want to smell like the effect is enough for me to scrub it off immediately. She's bold, she's beautiful in the eyes of the right beholder, but she ain't for me.

Wet, beautiful honey and chamomile tea, in that order, with a sticky sweetness that is almost sneezy. Upon initial application, the honey and pollen practically explode onto the skin, even with a very sparse dabbing. The tea does not come back until 10 minutes later, and at that point gives more rooibos than chamomile. Do I even know what hyssop smells like? It isn't medicinal or minty here, which is what The Google tells me to expect, and it's definitely not licorice, either. This is a cheerful fragrance that, not in the notes but in the feeling it evokes, reminds me of Clinique Happy. Not at all blind buy safe if you're averse to honey as it is the opposite of subtle. Great projection and lasted a good 7 hours, getting even softer and more enjoyable as time went on.

Many thanks to the thoughtful forumite who added this as a freebie-with-purchase, it's really pretty! Rose and I are frenemies, but with a sigh of relief I get none wet in the imp, just a fresh green lilac stem and blooms. Applied to skin, the scent stays green and just the barest hint of a dewy rose lurks in the background. I am not sure what this absinthe note has in common with the lab's GC scent of the same name, but I really enjoy the former and not at all the latter. The currant is a soft kiss of sweetness and not particularly remarkable or distinctive. It's not clear how much of the overall pleasantness is an original feature of the scent and how much depth and balance is due to the aging of the sample itself. Either way, it's lovely, spring-like and very pleasant to wear. I will certainly use this up and enjoy it!

Gently carved wood warm with a maternal love that reaches beyond death: rose-infused amber and soft golden sandalwood. What should be a lovely wood and understated rose scent in the imp is instead the dreaded sandalwood dill note. Super bummed! It has only been in the last 6 months that some sandalwood variants go full on pickle to my olfactory receptors, and I wish I knew why. Applying to skin made no difference, and the dill lasted through dry down. This was a lab frimp so I am 100% sure it is a Me Problem and not a Sample Problem 😔

Pretty! I love the peony note in here; my imp is very aged and all of the other notes have melded together into something pleasantly and lightly floral but otherwise non-specific. Very low sillage, and longevity was fleeting at around 3 hours. I will enjoy using it up in an homage to BPAL history.

Fruity red table wine and a pot of wildflower honey! This is a bright scent, not cloying, and surprisingly refreshing. I would never have tried this if not for having received a frimp, but it was really enjoyable to experience. Not a heck of a lot of difference between wet-in-imp and dry-on-skin for me, which is fine. The potency and sillage of the scent dropped off sharply after about 2 hours and was almost entirely gone around hour 5. Agree with others that this is very wearable in warmer weather, and it does not turn sour on sweaty skin. Pleasant and sweet.

Incredibly intimidating when sniffed in the bottle, to the point of me wondering if this was going to be a huge mistake to actually put on my body. I applied just the tiniest, daintiest drop to the back of my hand so that I could scrub it off quickly if needed. Then I waited 30 seconds. Pardon me as I proceed to burst into a spontaneous and vigorous rendition of "Good King Wenceslas", because this is exactly what he smelled like when he trod that deep and crisp and even snow with his page before they later huddled (cuddled?) in front of a roaring hearth. Pine! Smoke! Burning medieval herbs! If you are happy to smell of these things, BPAL has this scent for you. Beautifully balanced clean pine with smoldering wood that is incredibly evocative of a winter evening forest tromp, followed then by warming yourself in front of the fire as the smell of sap melting from your clothes fills the room. A single bottle, sparingly applied, will last you several seasons; recommended playlist pairing is Mannheim Steamroller's 1984 Christmas album (Wenceslas / Podiven romantic fanfic optional 😉).

An intro for anyone new to BPAL in how amazingly well Beth does tobacco notes. Wet, it's really punchy, rich, and deep -you'll want to take big, long sniff swigs from the bottle to really get it all up in your nose in it's purest form. On initial application the tobacco allows the labdanum to enter the scene and a beautiful leathery vanilla brownness starts to bloom. The incense and benzoin stay at a low hum until about hour 3-4 when the tobacco finally starts to soften. If you like your scents swarthy, swaggering and sweet, this will probably be as much of a hit for you as it was for me. Very robust sillage and great longevity.