Why are LEs limited? Will they come back?

[LadyMalen]

Another question regarding LEs, specifically those that appear every year. Are the yearlies like Samhain and Devil's Night the same formulas every year, or are they modified and changed to make each year's blend individual?

[ajcj213499]

Another question regarding LEs, specifically those that appear every year. Are the yearlies like Samhain and Devil's Night the same formulas every year, or are they modified and changed to make each year's blend individual?

 

The blends are similar, but not identical from year to year- each year has a new formulation. You can see the differences by reading the different year's reviews in the "reviews" section of the forum.

 

[Chrysantza]

I'm glad I found this thread! It answered questions I had about why LE's are LE's. It appears that it has mostly to do with components, and very rarely that a blend is just too unpopular. I do worry sometimes about a few of the oils I like because my tastes do not run to the mainstream!

 

I've noticed that some of the LE blends have oils with the same names as GC blends. Like Silentium Amoris, has rose and ylang ylang which I also see in GC blends. Is what is in SA a special kind of rose and/or ylang-ylang that is rarer?

[ajcj213499]

I'm glad I found this thread! It answered questions I had about why LE's are LE's. It appears that it has mostly to do with components, and very rarely that a blend is just too unpopular. I do worry sometimes about a few of the oils I like because my tastes do not run to the mainstream!

 

I've noticed that some of the LE blends have oils with the same names as GC blends. Like Silentium Amoris, has rose and ylang ylang which I also see in GC blends. Is what is in SA a special kind of rose and/or ylang-ylang that is rarer?

 

 

Possibly... the only person who would really know the exact oils in each blend would be Beth. Also, LE's are only $2.50 more than GC bottles, so it's not much of a difference...

 

There have to be LE's, or one of two things would happen- we wouldn't get new oils added all the time, or there would be an insanely large general catalog, which is unrealistic.

Edited November 30, 2006 by Arylkin

[SevenSins]

I've noticed that some of the LE blends have oils with the same names as GC blends. Like Silentium Amoris, has rose and ylang ylang which I also see in GC blends. Is what is in SA a special kind of rose and/or ylang-ylang that is rarer?

 

Silentium Amoris is an example of a discontinued catalog blend being brought back (revisited) for a short period of time as an LE. In this case, this blend was brought back temporarily to celebrate the Lab's anniversary. Last year we got Red Phoenix and Pink Phoenix as LEs and Puck, Sepulcher, Three Witches and Despair as the revived/revisited discontinued blends. So the oils that make up the blends may not be rare oils, such as some of the oils used in the LEs, since the blends themselves were at one point catalog blends. (I hope that made sense)

[Em-]

Another question regarding LEs, specifically those that appear every year. Are the yearlies like Samhain and Devil's Night the same formulas every year, or are they modified and changed to make each year's blend individual?

 

The blends are similar, but not identical from year to year- each year has a new formulation. You can see the differences by reading the different year's reviews in the "reviews" section of the forum.

 

 

 

Strictly speaking, I believe that blends such as Samhain and Devil's Night, or say, Jacob's Latter and Stardust from Yultides, are made from year to year from the same formulations - differences that we see are essentially batch differences that come from the fact that the Lab uses all natural oils and periodically may have to change suppliers. So the components may change slightly, but the formula (i.e., 1 part X to 2 parts Y doesn't change). That's why these blends are all listed in the same review threads in that part of the forum.

 

Sometimes blends that keep the same name are reformulated, in that the actual recipe for the blend changes, in which case the description will change, for example, Hearth 2004 vs. Hearth 2005 or the various Harvest Moons, or Beltanes, and new review sections will be set up.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I do worry sometimes about a few of the oils I like because my tastes do not run to the mainstream!

 

Ah, but that is the beauty of BPAL, now isn't it??? Almost all of us are here because we are so out of the mainstream, taste-wise!

[Chrysantza]

I do worry sometimes about a few of the oils I like because my tastes do not run to the mainstream!

 

Ah, but that is the beauty of BPAL, now isn't it??? Almost all of us are here because we are so out of the mainstream, taste-wise!

 

This is very true! And I found out I'm not even the only one who squees over jasmine and gardenia...

 

I guess I worry about a GC blend I love going buhbye because it's unpopular. How often does that happen?

 

Honestly, I try not to get too worked up over LE's because, usually, there's a GC that at least approximates it - and there are enough BPALs to love in any case, GC and LE alike. But sometimes it's nice to be able to hoard a bit.

[Morrighana]

I guess I worry about a GC blend I love going buhbye because it's unpopular. How often does that happen?

 

It's happened exactly once since I became aware of BPAL. It may happen again, but it's not exactly a regular occurrence.

[Chrysantza]

I guess I worry about a GC blend I love going buhbye because it's unpopular. How often does that happen?

 

It's happened exactly once since I became aware of BPAL. It may happen again, but it's not exactly a regular occurrence.

 

Whew, and yay for that! I'm glad I don't have to worry about hoarding Euphrosyne. In any case, it's nice to see the catalog expanding (as it has done lately), rather than contracting. And it's always nice to have new LE's to take the place of old ones - almost like a treasure hunt.

 

I can understand where a lot of the components of LE's are seasonal and/or very expensive. I'm also fascinated by the story (earlier in the thread) about the black narcissus oil and how there was just enough to make an LE...

[Browneyes]

The best example I have is a bottle of German black narcissus oil that I've been sitting on for a few months. I only have 4 ounces of it, so it has to go into a LE that is really, really special. Oils like Snow White and Rose Red contain oils that I can only get in late fall and winter.

 

I wonder what the black narcissus was used for Anyone know?

I also pine for the re-release of Rose Red I've never tried it, but I'm positively certain it would be my Holy Grail. Please Beth... Rose Red 2007?

Edited February 5, 2007 by Browneyes

[deazinn]

I have a similar-ish question. I have seen 'forum-only' fragrances listed on ebay-o-yah and other places....are these different than the usual limited runs? How do we find out when one of these come up?

 

I'm still pretty much a newbie, so be kind!

[sookster]

I have a similar-ish question. I have seen 'forum-only' fragrances listed on ebay-o-yah and other places....are these different than the usual limited runs? How do we find out when one of these come up?

 

I'm still pretty much a newbie, so be kind!

 

 

forum only scents are like the enraged musks and F5...

 

on occasion, beth with come up with a LE forum fragrance

that can only be purchased using your forum name in the notes

of the order ...

 

they are announced during updates from time to time so just keep your eyes peeled

[dzurlady]

I have a similar-ish question. I have seen 'forum-only' fragrances listed on ebay-o-yah and other places....are these different than the usual limited runs? How do we find out when one of these come up?

 

I'm still pretty much a newbie, so be kind!

 

They are announced on the forum update notification (in the Announcements section) and only there - not on the site, or the lj comm, or anything. If you're on the forum they'll generally be discussed in update discussion thread too!

[supervillainess]

\

Sometimes, yes. Especially in the case of blends such as Formula 54, which was sold for $45 per 10mL bottle ( worth. every. dime. ).

 

Bumping this post to verify something - and because this is the only reference to F54s original size/price I can find using the search engine at 1 am! (My search terms shouldn't be screwy, but I'm not even finding the original thread w/ the "forum only" details in the Cemetary - which would be definitive.)

 

Question being, are you sure this was a 10 ml bottle? I have "15" written on my spreadsheet, and I'm trying to hazard a guess at how much I have left (I can't usefully eyeball the little blue potion bottle). I can confirm the $45 price tag, as I still have the order on a PayPal receipt.*g*

[sarada]

I thought the original F54 was a 1/3 oz bottle? Or am I completely making that up? I was not paying attention to special offers at the time so I missed out on it!

[Morrighana]

Sarada's right, it's a 1/3 oz bottle, which is approximately 9.76mL

[Mrs.Black]

I do worry sometimes about a few of the oils I like because my tastes do not run to the mainstream!

 

Ah, but that is the beauty of BPAL, now isn't it??? Almost all of us are here because we are so out of the mainstream, taste-wise!

 

This is very true! And I found out I'm not even the only one who squees over jasmine and gardenia...

 

I guess I worry about a GC blend I love going buhbye because it's unpopular. How often does that happen?

 

As a BPAL veteran I can tell you that this hasn't happened in a very long time. In fact, I only remember it happening once or twice in 2004, the year I joined the forum. That's when Black Widow, Bruja and a few others were discontinued due to lack of sufficient demand. (I can't believe there was unsufficient demand for Bruja ). Other than that, as far as I can recall, later discontinuation issues have all been due to the inavailability of certain components. (This makes sense if we consider that the Lab's client based has grown hugely since 2004). Sometimes the Lab tells us the component that is problematic (like grapefruit oil being scarce when Cheshire Cat* and a few other grapefruit-based scents disappeared), sometimes it doesn't (like in the case of Antique Lace*).

* So as not to contribute to a coronary accident in fans of Cheshire Cat and Antique Lace, they have both been brought back to the GC as the componet issues were resolved.

[supervillainess]

I thought the original F54 was a 1/3 oz bottle? Or am I completely making that up? I was not paying attention to special offers at the time so I missed out on it!

 

 

Sarada's right, it's a 1/3 oz bottle, which is approximately 9.76mL

 

Thanks ladies! I'm not sure where I got that 15 notion - this sounds more like I remember.

[LadyBug]

I have a question!!! I was reading that some scent are REVISITED?! or RESURRECTED?! Does this mean that it's a possibility of EVER bringing back the Single Notes for a limited time?!?!?!?!?! I regret the fact that I was born 3 years too late to be able to enjoy these scents that a lot of you guys have!!! What do you think?? Any chance???

[Mrs.Black]

I have a question!!! I was reading that some scent are REVISITED?! or RESURRECTED?! Does this mean that it's a possibility of EVER bringing back the Single Notes for a limited time?!?!?!?!?! I regret the fact that I was born 3 years too late to be able to enjoy these scents that a lot of you guys have!!! What do you think?? Any chance???

 

 

My personal view of this is that the single notes are the least likely to come back of all the discontinued scents. (But I would be really, really happy to be wrong). The reason most discontinued scents disappear is either ingredient unavailability or low sales not warranting to keep them in the catalog. In the case of the single notes, however, I suspect their retirement was more of a business decision to concentrate on the creative side of things.

[columbus]

I have a question!!! I was reading that some scent are REVISITED?! or RESURRECTED?! Does this mean that it's a possibility of EVER bringing back the Single Notes for a limited time?!?!?!?!?! I regret the fact that I was born 3 years too late to be able to enjoy these scents that a lot of you guys have!!! What do you think?? Any chance???

 

 

My personal view of this is that the single notes are the least likely to come back of all the discontinued scents. (But I would be really, really happy to be wrong). The reason most discontinued scents disappear is either ingredient unavailability or low sales not warranting to keep them in the catalog. In the case of the single notes, however, I suspect their retirement was more of a business decision to concentrate on the creative side of things.

 

Plus, I have a feeling that if ever single notes went back on sale, the BPALadins would eat poor Beth out of house and home. She'd suddenly have a huge PayPal balance and no oils left! It would be a tragedy!

[LadyBug]

I think it would be fun (not for my pocketbook though) for BPAL to sell single notes again as a VERY limited time. Like...maybe for one day...as a present to new BPAL lovers who are being left out of the worderfulness of the single notes! haha I may just be a little obsessed...but I can dream, right!

 

P.S. Consider it!

[Summerpixy]

I would love even a 1/2 imp of Black Narcissus to smell.. I love that old Deborah Kerr movie.

[mazikeen]

Question:

(I'm not sure if this is the right place for it, but other topics with more relevant titles were locked)

 

 

My husband is a Capricorn and I'd love to buy him the Capricorn 2007 scent. According to the reviews of it, it appears that it was only available for purchase for a few days in November? I had assumed that zodiac scents would be available during the dates of that sign. Am I wrong here? Please let me know, and hopefully I can place an order for this scent soon!

 

Thank you!