Glowing liquid passes through the fogged retorts of ancient alembics, sparks fly from behind a massive workbench, and a cloud of thick incense smoke hangs low, all casting strange and surreal flashes of light and shadow on tall bolted-steel walls. The chug and hum of gargantuan machines echo through the chamber.
Burnished gold and oiled bronze notes with Abramelin incense and sage.
Reviewed 04/21/2008
I can't remember exactly what I wrote last night, since it got lost in the forum burp. But I do remember that this smelled exactly like a perfume I had as a child called Topaz. It came in a bottle shaped like a lamb, and I'm not sure who made it. I probably won't ever wear this, but I'll sniff it every once in a while to go back to that innocent time in my life.
Elizabeth Báthory, also called Erzsébet Báthory in Hungarian and Alžbeta Bátoriová-Nádašdy in Slovak, was the Bloody Lady of Hungary. In order to preserve her youth and loveliness, the brutal and incomparably savage countess captured, tortured and slaughtered innumerable young women and bathed in their blood as part of her beauty regimen. Ah, vanity. Corrupted black plum, smoky opium and crumbling dead roses covered by a deceptive veil of Hungarian lilac, white gardenia and wild berry.
Reviewed 07/30/2007
In the imp I smelled mostly the juicy plum and berry notes that everyone mentioned. On my skin, it went VERY floral almost immediately, and I nearly ran for the bathroom. Heavy carnation or gardenia scents make me gag, and I'm not sure why I stuck this out but I'm so glad I did. The floral stage lasted about 15-20 minutes and then disappeared almost entirely to be replaced with lighter berries, dark, lusty spiciness, and a faint hint of opium and flowers swirling up every so often. And my SO's opinion, well, let's just say that's not appropriate for a PG (or even PG-13) forum! I'm going to assume that means he likes it, too. Oh yes, this is definitely going to be a 5mL purchase. It's so incredibly sensual and sexy!
Cardinal air: the essence of balance.
Rose, black cherry, carnation, fig, honey, plum, and black currant.
Reviewed 01/09/2008
In the imp I smell lots of fruit; the cherry and currant dominate. It's very sweet and very juicy. That's really what I was looking for when I sought this one out. On my skin, however, it's a sweet, spicy, almost overblown rose. It took me a few minutes to place it, but finally I put my finger on it: this smells JUST like the rose character from the Rose Petal Place dolls produced in the eighties. It takes me back to some very fond memories of my childhood and it's a beautiful blend, but it has a very young feel so I don't think that I will wear it often.
Evil was the hour that she saw, and loved, the painter. Gentle beauty and innocent devotion: honeysuckle, carnation, stargazer lily, bluebonnet, vanilla musk, and rice flower.
Reviewed 01/07/2008
My first impression is HELLO FLOWERS! Heh. It's almost overwhelmingly floral. There's an undernote of something tangy that makes the corners of my mouth pucker, something sharp and almost citrus-y. That fades out at about the same time the flowers begin to be tempered by the musk. I don't get much vanilla out of it, though I normally amp vanilla; it smells more like a skin musk on me. This is very feminine and adult, not like my normal foody inclinations but very wearable and pretty. I'm not sure I could use an entire bottle of this, but I might get another imp or two of it.
BEAVER MOON
Traditionally, Beaver Moon is named thus for a very obvious reason: during this time of year, beavers are hard at work building their dams and preparing for the onset of winter. However, we at BPAL rarely let an opportunity for sleazy campiness pass us by! For your pleasure and amusement, we present this year's incarnation of Beaver Moon: wild cherry with vanilla cream accord, and a hint of strawberry.
Reviewed 10/14/2007
Oh yum. This is absolutely delectable.
Wet I get a strong cherry note, almost exclusively. As it begins to dry there's a distinct cake-y smell, like vanilla cake batter before it's baked, that pushes the cherry into the background. Just as it's about to get overwhelming, the strawberry comes up and it all blends together amazingly.
The throw is very very subtle, and as AEris mentioned is only really detectable for about half an hour unless I go nose-to-wrist and sniff for it. It does last for a long time, but even if I slather it on it stays very light. Usually I like a more distinct throw, so I'll be hunting for a locket or something to make this stand out a bit more.
Even with the subtle throw, I am so in love with this oil! I'm glad I bought three bottles of this, it's definitely one I'm going to hoard.
The radiance and desolation of winter.
Reviewed 08/26/2007
I don't get any of the mint I expected from this. It's a light, cold, watery floral. It has almost no throw and clings very close to my skin. After a five or six hours it turns very sweet, almost vanilla-ish.
I absolutely love wearing this right now, because it has been insanely hot and muggy lately and sniffing this makes me feel cool even when I'm sweating to death.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Come whiffing through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
An earthy yet buoyant scent: pine, eucalyptus and orange.
Reviewed 07/28/2007
I got this as a freebie and did not really expect to use it at all because of my first whiff. When I first opened it all I could smell was pure Pine-Sol, enough to make me recoil. I capped it and put it away feeling like my nostrils had been singed!
I'm not exactly sure why I gave it a second chance, but I pulled it out, held my breath, and swabbed some on.
On my skin the pine and eucalyptus faded extremely fast. It's changed from my OCD aunt's bathroom floor to a sunny orange grove with a few pines scattered around the borders, and stayed that way for the past three hours. There's not much throw to it, either, so it would be great for close settings when you don't want to overwhelm.
This is definitely a wearable pick-me-up scent; I can see myself wearing this on days when I have to go into work early or I know I'll be staying late.
Beckons all giant creatures from gargantuan reptiles and humongous moths! These babies are sure to crush everything from dollhouses to shopping malls! Can even be used to summon colossal robots in a pinch! A sweet and crisp vanilla mint!
Reviewed 07/28/2007
When I opened the bottle, all I could smell were freshly baked sugar cookies. It was definitely sweet, sugary vanilla all the way. I love vanilla, but it was way too sweet.
The moment it touched my skin, though, the vanilla faded and the mint came rushing forward. I absolutely adore this scent, and it lasts forever on me. Ten hours after I tried it on yesterday I could still smell it if I lifted my arm past my face! My boyfriend swears he smells chocolate in it, but I don't get that from it. Either way, he liked it as much as I did.
I'm going to have to be careful and sparing with this one, even though I love it to death; my skin just grabs this and holds on for dear life and it could very easily get overwhelming. It's definitely a wrists-only scent for me.
The Master of Lightning's ofrenda contains red apples, banana, chili pepper, coconut, pineapple, pomegranate and sugar cane.
Reviewed 01/26/2008
I got this as a lab frimp. It's been on my "things I might want to try, but has a scary note so there are other things I want more at the moment" list for a few months now, so I was glad for a chance to try it out.
Wet: OMGFRUIT. Banana, coconut, pineapple, apples, I can pick out each one. I adore really juicy fruit scents, the kind that make you thirsty for some fresh juice when you sniff them, and this seems to be one of those.
Drydown: This isn't something I can stick my nose in and inhale, the chili pepper makes sure of that (if I try, my nose starts to twitch, heh). It's got a good throw, though, so I don't have to. I was nervous about the chili, but it didn't irritate the skin on my wrist at all. It did burn my face where I accidentally touched the test spot to my cheek, so I think it's a wrist-only scent for me. It only lasted a few hours, but I know that my skin drinks oils up and very few last longer than that. I will definitely be nabbing a bottle of this in the future.
An exquisite, enigmatic woman sidles up to you, bearing a tray of strange, dusty curios, chocolate creatures, serpentine taffy, and candied skulls. Her skin is dusky, her eyes are heavy-lidded and sensual, her hair is the fine, soft white of spun sugar, and her skin is softly scented with cocoa. She holds a shrunken head aloft, and beckons. Dark chocolate with a heavy cream undertone.
Reviewed 08/01/2007
I have been wanting to try this since the moment I read the description. I wore this to work today, untested, and I wasn't disappointed at all. Thick, sweet, dark chocolate while wet, it settled into a lovely, more subtle chocolate swirled with vanilla cream upon drydown. The throw was perfect; I could smell it without lifting my wrist to my nose, but it didn't knock down everyone who came within three feet of me either. The only drawback to this oil is that it makes me crave really good, really expensive chocolates like woah; I think if I wore this every day I would gain a ton and a half of weight.
She is the Goddess of the Sky, one of the Ennead, daughter of the air [shu] and water [Tefnut], lover of Geb and Hadit, the Eternal Mother, and the Receiver, Reviver and Protector of the Dead, whose loving, divine embrace shields our souls from annihilation. She is love, rapture, splendor, continuous and eternal birth and rebirth, infinite space, and the “the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night”. Nuit is Earth’s guardian, and shields her lover and her mortal children from the primeval chaos that threatens Existence. Her perfume is starry and crystalline, a jewel-clad and glittering paean to night: dazzling white musks, white rose and night-blooming jasmine with the soft moss of moonlit meadows, a waft of Egyptian incense, and a gentle breath of moonflower.
Reviewed 01/03/2008
Gorgeous. Florals aren't my normal favorites, but this is beautiful and calming. It's pure, feminine, floral. I rarely get a color feeling from a scent, but this 'feels' midnight blue to me. While sniffing I had an undeniable urge to just close my eyes and breathe very slowly and deeply, and I actually almost fell asleep. I think this would be amazing as a meditation oil or a sleep aid, maybe on an eye mask or a pillow. The throw is medium and it has a long wear time.
The Dark Side of Water: clean and purifying, yet menacing -- lotus and juniper with a hint of mint. A scent dragged up from the depths to the Stygian shore
Reviewed 08/02/2007
I love the way that this starts off. It's a burst of mint when wet, and when it dries it settles into a light, bouncy mint that's grounded by a dash of gin-y juniper. I couldn't smell any florals at all, which is odd because lotus usually gets very sweet on me. Sadly, this was gone in about an hour and left me with a pounding headache. I felt like I'd been drinking gin instead of sniffing it. I may give this another try at a different time of the month, but right now it's just not working for me.
A play of geological darkness and jagged brilliance. Soft and luminescent with flashes of black fire.
Reviewed 08/11/2007
I don't get any floral or greenery from this at all, just creamy tonka, soft musk, and something I can't identify but, oddly, brings to mind the sound of a mountain stream bubbling over rocks.
This is a scent of seduction. Not much throw on my skin; it clings very close and getting a whiff makes you want to get closer. A tiny bit lasts for quite a while, too; six hours and still going as strong as when I first applied it.
Though March marks the end of the desolation and chill of winter, it is not yet Spring, the time of rebirth, fertility and the Earth's fecundity. March's Full Moon is a Virgin's Moon, pure, youthful, unsullied and innocent. This is the Moon of the Child, and the scent is as soft and gentle as a baby's breath: milky blossoms and soft cream touch the last buds of winter, coupled with crystalline, bright traditional Lunar oils.
Reviewed 01/07/2008
I have been coveting this for months, ever since I was frimped a sniffie of it, and it was everything I was hoping it would be. It's spicy, with a base of sweet creaminess, and it blows me away. It stayed true, with no plastic or fake-ness in the undertones. It clings very close to the skin, with very little throw, the kind of scent you dab behind your ears and on the back of your neck before you meet a significant other and you want to draw them in close. Unfortunately, something in this makes me itch like nobody's business on every body part I tried it on, even places that I rarely react (like the back of my hand)!
The sticky sweet scent of candy corn!
Reviewed 02/11/2008
In the bottle: Buttered corn. Not candy corn, real corn.
Wet: Creamed corn. Eek!
Drydown: Butter and sugar, maybe nutmeg and cinnamon? The spicy part smells like a bottle of pumpkin pie spice. Thank *goodness* the real corn scent faded! It doesn't really smell like candy corn on me, but it does smell good. It has a very definite fall feel to it. I don't get any of the booziness that some reviews have mentioned, and that makes me happy as most of the Lab's booze notes don't work well on me. This is foody but not overly so; it doesn't scream "Eat me!" in your face the way something like El Dia de Reyes does. I think it would be wearable even for people who don't tend to like foody scents.
A chilly, bright perfume: flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers.
Reviewed 01/09/2008
Wet, this is basically an almond single note on my skin. There isn't even a hint of floral.
As it dries, well, it's still almond, but with a hint of something sweeter. Since I'm a foody to the core, that works perfectly well for me and I may try layering it. It doesn't feel cold to me at all, it has more of a spring feel. I only wish it had more throw; apparently, Snow White is quite a shy girl because it's so light that I could miss it entirely if I didn't have my nose pressed against my hand.
It's not what I was expecting, but still definitely a winner.
Seduction, sensuality, the Act, and the aftermath all in one. The scent of warm, damp skin flushed with the glow of passion, touched by the luxuriant potency of ylang ylang and myrrh.
Reviewed: 08/11/2007
This did not start off well. It was intensely floral and soapy for the first half hour, and I was ready to write it off completely. After about half an hour, though, it faded to a very spicy, subtle floral that was lovely. Unfortunately, it was completely gone within two hours after the morph so it really isn't worth the flowery soap phase for me.
THE FLOWER SONG
Unknown, Written during Egypt's New Kingdom
To hear your voice is pomegranate wine to me:
I draw life from hearing it.
Could I see you with every glance,
It would be better for me
Than to eat or to drink.
Pomegranate wine, lotus root, river reeds, hyssop, and barley.
Reviewed 02/25/2008
Imp: Very sweet, sugary. A touch of something fruity, but very little.
Wet: Sugar and pomegranate. There's no wine or booze note at all. There's an undercurrent of something spicy, like Juicy Fruit gum, as my skin amps the lotus.
Drydown: Lotus sometimes has a tendency to turn to cat pee on me, but this doesn't. I never get any wine notes at all, nothing aquatic or herbal that suggest the river reeds or hyssop, nothing earthy or grainy for the barley. This is all lotus and pomegranate, all the time, and the combination of the two is beautiful. It clings close to my skin but lasts forever; ten hours after I applied the first test patch I could still smell it if I sniffed the back of my hand. I can't wait to try this in my scent locket; this is definitely going to be a multi-bottle purchase for me.
Sugar-Slathered Candied Apple -- With a dollop of caramel!
Reviewed 03/05/2008
I can't believe I haven't posted a review of this scent yet because it's one of my favorites!
In the imp: Fresh, juicy apples.
Wet: Caramel and apples. This smells like freshly dipped caramel apples, the way you can smell the still-warm caramel and the apple as you take that first bite.
Drydown: I'm so happy this doesn't morph on me. I absolutely love it. It smells exactly the same from beginning to end. On my skin it fades pretty quickly, but in my scent locket it lasts and lasts and has a good amount of throw. I only regret not being able to afford a bottle of this at Halloween, because now I'm jealously hoarding my one little imp of it.
