Reaver

This smells RESOUNDINGLY like Yankee Candle Evening Primrose. It's very clean and floral but to me, more of a linen scent than a perfume. It smells like an English garden and I think that this is mainly because of the chrysanthemum which really pops out when the oil is dry. Not a keeper for me.

Fairly straightforward sweet rose. Quite weak and you have to REALLY sniff to get a gist of what this blend is about and for that reason, I'm not that worried about it. There are other roses. Ones that I can actually smell!

This is like a light wine scent. It's sweet and berry-ish and the rose removes any threat of a dark, enveloping scent. It stays true to the wet stage but it's too much like a cheap imitation of Obsidian Widow for me to keep it.

CXIX, from a forum-sale where it was undescribed to be inkeeping (and boy did I search for a CT that was undescribed!) OMG, this is PERFECT for me! It's like herbs and lime with white floral undertones. A little like Nightgaunt. It dries down to a herby aquatic with a citrusy twist. The herb is maybe sage? Whatever it is, it's light and compliments the gloopy fruit brilliantly. It's seriously like fate decided to get this bottle to me. I will mourn this when it's all gone but I have Nightgaunt and F5 to fall back on. I wish I had been around for CTIII, but we'll just have to see what CTIV throws my way!

I say B-pal because I'd rather be a friend of Bees that covered in Bee Pee. COVERED IN BEEEEEEEEEEES!

In the interests of being useful, and because I like being surrounded by imps, I tried Black Tower over Jack. It's... interesting. Jack kills Black Tower so that all that's left is a bitterness. It does lighten Jack up a lot, and brings the spices to the foreground a lot more. (I usually get OMG PUMPKIN) The wine amps up on me quite a bit and makes Jack more grounded than the usual all-top-notes blend that I'm used to. Dried, it's all clove and a dark acrid burning scent that's got a sweet bite. It's not something that's overly pleasant unless you LOVE Jack. It's like SUPERJACK TO THE RESCUE! I'd go for Tell-Tale Heart. For the gruesomeness and the dark vetiver and (albeit dragons) blood.

I wore Boomslang over my last week at university, and I didn't care how hot it was and how inappropriate the scent was. I needed the comfort and it's my ultimate comfort scent. This, of course, meant I wore it for my private view and now I'm going to forever remember Boomslang as my getting-hammered scent. It's ruined it for everyday use but made it what I turn to for going out. Which I don't mind! I'm scratching my head at the moment for what to wear to my graduation. I studied Fine Art so I don't want to wear a bookish scent as I only read about 20 (art-related/research) books in my final year and about 5 of them I only skimmed through. I'm thinking a Lovecraft scent as ALL of my work is to do with Lovecraft and I did my dissertation on him. I don't want Cthulhu or Nightgaunt as they are too everyday for me, and, as I said before, Miskatonic is plain OUT because of the bookish vibe. This choosing scents melarky is DIFFICULT for special occasions. Last Christmas, I was constantly wearing Gingerbread Poppet because I was a n00b and thought I'd found MY scent. Ack. No. This Christmas I'll be mixing it up a bit and seeing what the Christmas update brings. Heading to the US soon and considering only taking one (ONE!? What am I on?!) bottle with me - Cthulhu. It was my first bottle of BPAL (and 2nd ever sniff) and I received it in the US last year (along with Eshe and Crowley and a houseful of imps) and it epitomises (to me) my life in the US. My dad lives in Lovecraft country and all I do over there is hang about reading or canoeing or river-tubing/running. I only spent about an hour dry over there last year, be it from showers to keep cool as I'm so used to grotty UK, or from rivers/lakes. I think Cthulhu is just PERFECT. Also, a roadtrip to Niagara Falls via the Catskills made Cthulhu memor-ific. I wore Death on a Pale Horse on my birthday as I was reffing a Stargate LRP game that day. I WAS Death. Character card please.

My first feelings with this is that The Lion is cakey. It's a little like Gingerbread Poppet to my nose, but more grounded. Where the Poppet is baked, this is more just a refined spice. Cinnamon and amber, definitely. It's delicious. Not overly foody, not too strong but packs a punch if you sniff too long or too close. Just right! After about fifteen minutes, this calms to a beautiful rounded amber and is reminiscent of warm dry days. There is nothing 'damp' to this scent. Savannah indeed. Where I usually love aquatics and fresh fruits and florals, this is a real surprise. It's dry without being boring or thick and it retains the lightness-but-deepness that I search for in a lot of my favourite scents right the way through to its conclusion. 7/10 Conclusion: It's a keeper for those hot-hot-hot days and the days in the middle of winter when I want to be reminded that the summer will eventually come.

There is a topic in the BPAL Chatter portion with lots of peoples findings when combining BPAL and animals, and from what I can remember of it, cats like Bastet.

This is thick, bitter and foresty without being toilet-cleaner-ish. The vetiver is delicious and it has that burnt note from Brimstone that I find so delicious. The burnt spices make it quite acrid, again like Brimstone. I agree that this is like the storm that put out the fire of Brimstone. This is a mystical forest, dark green and not haunting. More violently real and horrific. Conclusion - I HATED this in the imp and washed it off in seconds on my first test. I'm glad I tried it twice. 7/10

Acrid and smoky vetivery frankincense. Dark, slightly greenish grey curls of scent cover me because this scent has SUCH throw. I'd be worried about wearing this out because although I love it dearly, I don't know what other people would think of it. It's love or hate. It's almost a late summer scent. Sometimes it's hot and desert-like, harsh conditions. Sometimes it's a downpour in the Catskills. Bizarreness, but awesome. Similarities to Satyr, Smokestack. Conclusion - Yum. 8/10

Bright, bright citrus which is mainly compromised of lime. No problems with that here! The lilacs just gives the citrus a bit of staying power. I didn't get this for myself, it's a little too simple and bland for my tastes but it should go down well with the manly recipient. I sniff Whitechapel and I think of clean men. Conclusion - Simple and clean citrus. 6/10.

Piney, musky orange then sweet, mintesque lingering shadow of a scent. Fairly simple yet quite delicious. I suppose this would be unisex, technically, but from the sniff of the imp (I got frimped this) I threw it in the pile to go to my boyfriend. Once I had read the notes, I wanted mint out of this but all I get is that clear-nose tingle, but no smell until everything else is history. I don't understand the bitter clove, unless it's hiding behind the orangeness, as this blend is quite sweet on me? This is really bright and light on me. Pleasant. I sort of want to dowse myself in it just to see if I get other notes from it. (Oh, where are you, tobacco? Mint?) I shall be keeping this for the floraly pleasant cool orange that I imagine I might want to smell, maybe? Conclusion - I should be hard and swap it away, but it's so cute. I shall put it in the Wear-this-soon-or-swap-it box. 6/10

Quite like Doc Constantine, to my nose, but Doc C is worth the few extra quid. This is quite a simple blend, but sexy. It's woody leathery incense, sweetened up slightly or made 'thicker', if you will, by tonka. You almost want to nuzzle this scent, and it clings so close to my skin that I kinda have to to sniff it. It's gentle and snaking and catches you quite unawares. The incense is sweet and smoky and not strong at all. Conclusion - Going to the boyfriend, but I would keep it for myself except I have the Doc Constantine hoard! 8/10. Yum.

Vetiver and Civet? I think? I'm starting to trust myself a bit better with this identifying scents thing. This is SO dark in the vial. It's like it's eaten all the sunlight out of the room, and that's just what it smells like. Like utter darkness. Stumbling through a dark rotted forest, terrified and lost. I like it. It's violent and obviously not going to be for everyone. It's a clean scent, but heavy and intimidating. Conclusion - Not much I can say. It's dark. It's yum. 7/10. I'm glad my man bought this for himself! I get to steal it!

Really bizarre! I've not tried anything like this before. Wet, this has the sharpness of wet Dragons Blood and fresh mint. Dried, the Dragons Blood does its usual mellow yawn of scent, and lavender and (I assume it's) sage just make it fresh, slightly floral but still medicinal. The frankincense doesn't really glow in this blend at all. It gets pretty much pwned by the Dragons Blood. I wouldn't describe this as resinous, more floral or herbal. It's... odd. But nice. REALLY nice. It suits the name and idea perfectly. The idea of rebirth suits this scent so well. It's like a great potential and strength, pulled back an restrained into a scent. Almost too lazy to be impressive. Conclusion - I like it. I didn't think I did. It falls into my "ichorous and eldritch" catagory. Yummy. 9/10

This is violent and abrasive but floral. Bizarre. This is the first jasmine and rose type blend that I've willingly or knowingly tried. I usually avoid them due to plain not liking them. I wanted red wine like Montresor and I got it! I will barely EVER wear this, but the label art is so beautiful I had to have it. I can barely find the patchouli in there anywhere, the other notes are too prominant and far too cloying for me to have the nerve to fight through them all. This is a seriously dark blend, and I doubt I will be brave enough to wear it in the summer. Come winter, this will be at the front of my box due to being picked up every morning and then but back again with the thought of "No... it's not time yet..." in my head. Obsidian Widow indeed. This scent is murderous and dark. Only to be used when you've got one thing on your mind. Conclusion - I love it. Just not right now, thanks. 8/10 (And no, by 'one thing on your mind', I don't mean nookie.)

My first thought was this is Crowley, but not so noxious and a HELL of a lot more vanilla-y. And seeing as Crowley was my second ever BPAL LOVE, this is going straight up to need-it status. It's simple and sweet and unassuming. I don't quite get what I was expecting - the power, the steam, the 'universes dancing within'? It's more the scent of the workshop. Hours planning, papers and diagrams fluttering in the breeze from the window, endless cigarettes rolled on well worn wooden desks. It smells grown up and old, not youthful and revolutionary like a lot of the others in this catagory. It's established and suave and knows the ladies love it, but just doesn't have time, what with all his projects and research papers. Conclusion - Glad we bought a bottle straight off, sad that boyfriend will probably like it and keep it for himself. 9/10. A popular blend that I LIKE?! Heavens.

Clean, bright, spicy and well grounded. The leather is the base note in this for me, the other notes sparkling over it. There's something very bitter in there that I'm trying to place that will probably stop me from slathering this too much, but it's definitely a keeper as it's such a dark horse! I don't care if I can only wear a little and have to keep it wet. It's worth it. It just means I get the fantastic wet stage most of the time! Dried down, the frankincense is DELICIOUS and makes the whole blend have a bittersweet quality. Heck, it was delicious wet too. I can't smell star anise (boo... I wanted liquorice!) but the metallic overtones make up for it ten-fold! It's really gentle, but demands attention. So far, the Steamworks have been FANTASTIC or meh on me. This is a fantastic one. Bottle please. Conclusion - OMG yush. 9/10

White flowers, quite bland. This is a fairly simple blend, it seems, and it clings close to my skin even though I slathered. Quite english-country-meadow, and makes me think I'm going to sneeze from hayfever. I WANT to swap this away, but it's a Steamworks scent! Pah. Conclusion - Meh, someone will like it. 2/10. NEXT!

This is FRESH mint, not candy mint. It's absolutly delicious and the florals soften the edges of it. The ginger is not too strong, and stops the mint from becoming too chilling. It's just light and a really pretty fragrance. Totally unisex and it epitomises freshness. I don't get ozone as the first note in the blend. This is pure, just picked mint leaves. Maybe even the Ginger Mint I have in my garden. I love the imagery from the scent description, but the colours should be green and white, like the colour of the oil in the imp! Conclusion - Keeper, but I don't know if it's a bottle. I don't know when I'd wear it, except for a waking up boost! 8/10

On me, this is a pure jolt of lemon and lime fizzpop. After about half an hour, it calms down to cedar softened with the amber which is extremely pleasant but I had to put up with a sweet astringent shower gel scent for longer than I appreciated. This may be one to apply lightly, but it's such a light fragrance as it is that I find it hard not to slather. Two hours, and it was GONE. Also, where did that wierd apple note come from? It would be nice to wear for a cheer-up bright citrus, but I now have Bed of Nails for that. Will be keeping the imp to see if the citrus dies down and the amber grows with a little aging. Conclusion - I usually back the underdog, but this is just too flat. 5/10

This is lemony beeswax, but green. A little bit like a cheap scented candle, but pleasant enough. This is NOT the honey that my skin hates and makes me headachey and grouchy. This is bright beeswax with Yankee Candle Pine and Cedar. It's fairly constant from imp through wet to dry for me, and fairly flat. Conclusion - Keep the imp, see how I feel later. 4/10. Expected a lot more.

BPAL twist on CKone on my skin. Light, citrusy and unisex. Bright lavender in the bottle, and during quite a lot of the drydown, making this a terrific unisex blend. Summery and familiar. Relaxing and cooling. Woody drydown. I don't quite get why this would be 'Bed of Nails' as the metallicness is more from the zesty lemon spritzness of it all. If you want metals, turn to the new Steamworks catagory. This is a playful blend for sunny days and I'll be wearing it when I'm sick of my aquatics! Conclusion - Simple and easy to wear. It's unassuming and friendly and won't let you down. 7/10.

VIOLET RAY Sticky, sweet violet with a boost of mint. Almost electric mint which, given the name, is not surprising! It’s pink static. I should have gone with my impulses and bought a bottle of this, but went for Bruised Violet Compound instead. They are VERY different. This is, as someone else has mentioned, more akin to Faith from Carnavale Diabolique - sweet and light. Staying power is fantastic. I slathered a few hours before bed due to the mention of lavender moss in the notes and this scent helped me relax and sleep, and then was bright to wake me up this morning. A good summer booster shot! The lavender and sandalwood are only background, and only play a very small part. Conclusion - Bottle onto the wishlist! 9/10. Simple, bright and delicious.