helarctos

Upon application I get a light sickly green smell. This fades somewhat to let the powdery violet breathe through, but the greenish smell remains. Is that the tuberose? I'm not familiar with tuberose -- maybe it is. Not a keeper for me.

I would characterize this less as a "red" scent than a "warm" one. Red makes me think of cinnamon (and the welts it can cause!), cherries, roses -- none of which I get from the Living Flame. What this is, is a sophisticated floral of deep and compelling warmth. Its sophistication might explain some reviewers' feeling that it made them smell more mature than they wanted. To me, this wouldn't be an everyday scent, but something I'd wear for a special occasion when I wanted to feel especially poised and elegant.

Glasya on me is so sweet. I expected the usual morph that myrrh and/or ylang ylang do on my skin (they turn to maple syrup -- not pretty), but amazingly, it didn't happen. No weird civet reaction, either. The combination of dragon's blood and roses is an absolute winner.

" date palm, ebony, fir, pomegranate, plum, two pears, quince, fig, and grapevine with plumeria, three gardenias and dry rose." ... there's so much going on here that I can't even begin to fathom it. The fruits blend beautifully. Amazingly complex, yet smooth and seamless. The only potential drawback is that it's extremely sweet -- could be cloying on some, stunning on others. This blend is the kind of true masterwork that has earned the Lab its reputation.

I was hoping that Black Forest would be like Skadi without the sweetness. Sadly, on me, Black Forest becomes Vicks Vapo-Rub.

Another vote for Amsterdam. It really is fresh and verdant and light.

This is going to sound dorky, but my first whiff of Kurukulla evoked the memory of Tori Amos chorusing "Sweet, sweet, sweet" (singing "Muhammad My Friend"). That's what Kurukulla is -- wave upon wave of sweetness. The roses and lotus marry in a high fanfare of floral reverie. Unfortunately for me, after a few minutes on my skin a sickly green note emerges that I can only characterize as "weedy." I'm not sure what the culprit is here; I've noticed it in a couple of floral blends before but haven't kept track of it. Not for me, but someone will love it.

The Four Hundred divine rabbits of the Aztec pantheon that preside over parties and drunkenness. Bittersweet Mexican cocoa with rum, red wine, and a scent redolent of sacrificial blood. I ordered this fully expecting to dislike it -- as I don't like boozy or foody scents; I just had to have it because of its name. Four hundred divine rabbits. I have some divine rabbits living in my house too. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the imp. None of the rawness I'd expected. This is a smooth, smooth blend -- only the finest libations and offerings for the Divine Rabbits! The cocoa is truly deep, reminding me of the Chocolate Ybarra we used to buy on day trips to Baja and savor all winter long. The wine is a fruity sweet note, tempering the uncompromisingly dark cocoa. I don't even catch the rum note, unless that's what adds a cherry edge to the wine. I don't think I want to smell like Centzon Totochtin, but I truly savored it and I'm glad of the experience. I think it would make an excellent room scent in an oil burner, especially in the winter.

Pink Moon: this is totally spun-sugar candy bliss, with a floral depth that reminds me of Flavigny rose and violet pastilles. It doesn't work well on me, but it will be a stunner on those whose chemistry works well with ultra-sweet scents.

Very dark. I agree with the poster who called this blend "dusty"; it really does smell like dust. This and patchouli are all I get from Masquerade. Patchouli and dust.

Hamadryad wears like a delicate spicy herbal tea. There's definitely cinnamon in there, but not the loud red cinnamon that's in, say, All Night Long. (And Hamadryad doesn't turn my skin red, either.)

I don't get a whiff of rose from this, but the jasmine and myrrh are definitely there. Unfortunately they don't blend well on my skin.

Sadly, Snake Oil on me smells like harsh grocery-store vanilla extract. I can still smell it after trying to wash it off.

I wanted to try Aizen-Myoo just for the name. I should have known better than to risk a citrus blend. Aizen-Myoo, on me, is eau de grapefruit rind, with some pith thrown in for good measure. There's a sweetness and complexity under the citrus, that hints at what could be a subtly unfolding beauty on someone else. But on my skin, citrus yells too loud for anything else to come out and play.

Odd... I get zero cinnamon, and don't really detect amber either. On me, The Lion is a pleasant light grassy smell, with a whiff of tea. Maybe a little amber, come to think of it, but not the usual scent I associate with BPAL amber notes. Surprisingly understated for its name.

Oh, my -- it's the perfect marzipan! I only get a whiff of cherry-like strong almond from the vial; on my skin the milky notes diffuse through the almonds to mellow them and bring out the sweetness. I'm not a fan of foody scents as a general rule, and I probably won't aim for a big bottle of Dana O'Shee, but I can definitely see why this is a perennial favorite, and it was a delight to try. ETA: Honey seems to come out nasty on me more often than not. It didn't in Dana O'Shee, and in fact I only perceived it as "sweetness," not as a honey odor. So people who can't normally wear BPAL honey notes might still have success with Dana.

Yowza. All Night Long started on me as a pleasant blend of snickerdoodles and soap. The snickerdoodles transmuted to fiery Red Hot candies, though, and the skin on the back of my hand where I'd applied the oil turned reddish to match the smell. I made the perhaps-mistake of applying it straight from the imp. If I planned on keeping this one, next time I would blend it with a little lotion or carrier oil to see if that eased the sting. But I've swapped it on.

On me this is So. Very. Citrus. It's the citrus-y aquatic come back to haunt me with a vengeance. I was hoping for the kind of ozone from Storm Moon, but for my skin chemistry this was not to be. I just bring out the citrus in everything. If you do too, then Lightning may not be for you.

Wow. I'd tried Black Lotus and it smelled very syrupy on me; I tried Blood Amber and it was a spicy light floral; neither of them was for me. So I wasn't expecting much from Blood Lotus. I was so wrong. I get a sweet (but not syrupy and not sticky) resin from this, along with something that could either be a cedar/wood smell or the kind of patchouli that you find in Urd, the kind that is not headshop but reminds me of wood pencil shavings. It doesn't smell "blood-y" to me, but it does seem to fit the scent description nonetheless: there is something of timelessness in it.

Jack is an experience! In the vial it smells of salty buttered popcorn, with a sweet whiff that reminds me of Buttered Popcorn flavored Jelly Bellies. Once on, the sweetness deepens, and becomes a note that I can only describe as "perfumey." Beneath this note the candy carnival continues, deepening to something like candy corn. It's the quintessential scent of Halloween!

I agree with the Skadi comparisons. Dublin has that same piney, pineappley, sweet vibrance that Skadi has. It's also somewhat akin to the frozen notes in Cold Moon. The drydown is more subdued than Skadi's -- it's a more wearable scent for everyday use.

This review may garner me some flames, or a few looks askance. But ... I have to say Hetairae was one of the more interesting scent experiences I've had with BPAL. Not the must-have-big-bottle variety. The wow-my-skin-chemistry-is-bizarre variety. In the vial, Hetairae is gorgeous. On me, it is ... an overwhelming mixture of honey and unwashed human behind. Let me stress I was freshly showered when I tested this blend! And then ... the drydown was ... mushrooms. Like the kind you get on a pizza. Except drenched in honey. Very odd. Off to swaps -- if anyone wants my imp after hearing what it smelled like on me

On me, Luna is dead-on maraschino cherries. Very different than I'd imagined it to smell.

Light lemon and green tea. Normally citrus notes just yell on my skin; this doesn't. In fact, the scent as a whole is very faint on me. Unobjectionable, but not me. I'll pass the imp on to a more loving home.

On me, it's nothing but lemony baby powder. The drydown is ... lemony herbal baby powder. I really wanted to like it. Curses, foiled again by citrus.