faifai

This is very, very faint on me, yet it has some throw because I can smell it wafting around. I can't pick out any particular scent. Like very delicate, dust-soft powder? Yes, sort of. Like vanilla? I guess. A bit of a creamy-white floral, like what you'd imagine baby's breath flowers to smell like? Perhaps. It smells very nice...but on me, it's as flat as the word "nice" is. ETA: I finally get why everyone loves this so much. After settling awhile on my skin, it smells like a creamy yet non-foody vanilla. Almost like wearing the scent of ice cream/whipped cream/marshmallows, something like that. It's very comforting and light, and good for every day, every occasion.

Minty mint at first. Then something my nose doesn't register as anything specific--just "hey, that's familiar...and not in a good way." The violets turn on me into something very unsettling and powdery. Maybe it stirred up a bad memory. Who knows, all I know is that Ultraviolet is my first minty-scent disappointment.

Candy cane in the bottle, has a bit more depth than just that on my skin. It's not really evocative of "oooh, something to eat" as some other blends. As the mint fades, a bit of vanilla-creaminess comes out. Really very nice and not at all little-kiddie. And sadly, my skin devours this stuff up like no tomorrow. I slathered it on my neck, my hair, my skin, and it was gone in 30 mins.

Whoa, toffee-buttered nuts-pine-butter-woods, settle down there. That was my first impression upon opening the bottle. This is STRONG. On, it smelled almost the same. The crazy foodiness did indeed settle down a little, and the pine [which I normally hate in anything] helped it not be the perfume equivalent of sticking your head into a vat of boiling toffee. However, I don't know if I can manage a scent so strong and so rich. It's a bit...overwhelming. Maybe in a scent locket/oil burner/car scent thingamabob. But not on me. It's not cold enough here to be able to wear such heady scents [hurrah for Arizona and it being 80º on Christmas!]

Although it is a lovely version of rose, it's a bit too sweet on my skin. Like a real rose dipped in sugar. And, as a real rose dipped in sugar would do, it gets a little strange-smelling, kind of ripe to the point of turning. Not to say that it isn't great, I'm sure it would be on the right skin. Whip and Harlot are more my "types" of rose scents--I can't do straight rose. If you can, you will adore this one.

Wet, it's minty and blue-green. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Medium throw, and I can't identify a wintermint, spearmint, peppermint or whatevermint. It's just...minty. But not a tasty minty, more like the plant. Dry, it fades into something remarkably similar to the combined scent of the entire Victoria's Secret beauty department. Faded perfumes, something slightly chemical-y, faint sweetness. This is amazing, though, after a shower. It smells very clean and fresh while avoiding the whole "hey, I smell like laundry" thing. I will make this work for me...even if I have to wait till the sizzling AZ summers to put on such a cold, clean scent.

A frimp with my order of Beaver Moon! This smells lovely and faintly fruity-floral. On me it all but vanishes within 2-3 hours, but it's a very pretty floral while it does last. I can't pick out individual notes but the boyfriend loves this one.

I got the "oh, waxy" note that another reviewer got. In the bottle it smells amazing, like rich creamy buttercream frosting and a bit of graham cracker--overall it translates into a "whoa, cheesecake!" effect. but on me, it smells like a graham cracker crust mixed with the plastic smell I like to call "l'eau du Michaels". that depresses me greatly. i wanted buttercream frosting, not plastic graham crackers. ETA: This works on me if i apply sparingly to my hair--i guess my skin doesn't like it but my hair does.

A frimp from the lab, and also the first frimp I went "Oh, mmmmmmm" to. I didn't get the lavender impression at all when I put it on, though in the bottle I do get the lavender easily. On me it's something gorgeous and a bit creamier/sweeter than most lavender, which goes soapy on me usually. And yes, it's too happy for winter. I'll save this for the return of spring.

Elegba smells, yes, like caramelly butterscotch when it hits my skin. But the three notes remain fairly distinctive and the tobacco makes it smell almost, just almost like some kind of candle. Even my uninformed nose can pick out the coconut from the tobacco and rum, and I can tell it's the tobacco that's bothering me. I will save this for the cold desert weather.

Yeah, all the "clean" or "empowering" scents seem like they would work. Aquatics in the winter would make you even colder/detached/etc., like Water of Notre Dame/Tempest/Lightning/Szepasszony. Something like Loviatar, with all the leather, could make you feel very strong and empowered. You could pick something traditionally masculine even, since those scents make me feel like I could kick some ass. Or go the woodsy way, and pick something earthy and dry, so you smell nice but just kind of...forgettable. Like Yggdrasil or Dragon's Bone. You could also go the crazy old lady floral way, so you give the impression that you think you smell good. For that the list goes on and on, just pick any floral that doesn't quite work for you. For me that's rose--Persephone especially just does not work. And that's what you want!

On me this smells like Johnson and Johnson's baby oil/lotion/something. I have no idea what's causing that but I can't stand it while it smells like that. And unfortunately, it doesn't morph into anything better on me. Baby products all the way--not what I want to smell like. The imp will be given away.

Tea and ginger! I can actually pick out notes for once. On me it smells just like white tea and ginger. I don't get much lemon and the scent doesn't morph very much, maybe getting a tiny bit sweeter before it fades completely. I love this scent, but it's too light on me. During the summer, I put it on and a half hour later it's gone. Maybe it'd be good for staying at home in cooler weather--the SO likes it, since it's not "perfume-y", just clean and delicious.

Bloodlust reminded me of Sin for some reason, and I had a similar ack-get-it-off-right-now reaction at first. But about 10 minutes later the patchouli assault ended and I was left with something unidentifiable and "red" smelling. Makes sense since it IS red, but it calms down into something I like. Sweet and like, well, blood, it's unique. Not something I would wear often, but enough to keep the imp.

Beautiful! I got in a mild car accident trying to put Szepasszony on while driving. BPAL drives me to do crazy things. To me it smells clean, "silvery white" and more aquatic than floral, though it's a pretty close call as to which aspect dominates. My SO of several years has put up with me wearing dozens of perfumes, but this is one he consistently remarks on, since it makes me "smell nice" and "smell pretty." It's a great scent for everyday--it just smells clean and gentle, unlike some aquatics which can smell sharp.

I really can't tell what it smells like, since I have no experience with tonka/most alcohol notes. I do like leather notes, though [loved Loviatar], and really like rum notes, even though I can't pick it out here. If Perversion was a color, to me it'd be a dark dark red, one that almost looks black but shimmers back to red in certain lights. It's good for fall, kinda over the top during summer [when I got it] because it has good throw and everyone around me starts wondering who smells like she just got in at 5am. I do enjoy it, and ordered Elegba on the thought that it's kind of like Perversion minus the wine-y aspect [even though I didn't notice a wine-y aspect at all].

Maybe it's just me, but my imp of Hunger doesn't smell remotely like any review of Hunger that's here, in the vial or on my skin. No creaminess, no orange blossom, no vanilla, no wannabe Creamsicle, nothing. On me, it smells dark, sharp, acrid, like a mix every BPAL note I have tried and loathed. I just get this cacophony of dark, jagged notes, like patchouli and red musk and so on. If I wait for, say, a couple hours, then it calms down into something mildly pleasant yet still unidentifiable. The phase I have to go through to get there is not worth it. I'll give the imp to my friend who gets along with it.

Harlot is one of very, very few rose scents [bPAL or otherwise] that I actually like. I tried Persephone and that was smack you over the head soapy rose on me, I had no idea where the pomegranate went. So roses and fruit seemed not to work. Rose Red is too fresh and green, and the green-ness goes sickly sweet on me. Whip is all rose, no leather. Alice doesn't smell like roses, it smells like a cake covered in whipped cream with flower petals on the top as decorations. I love Alice, but it's not a rose scent to me. But rose and a bit of spice, as it is in Harlot, is great. I don't wear it often enough to upgrade to a 5 ML, but the imp is going to be used up. I like wearing it at night-it doesn't really make me feel sexual (I don't think rose ever will) but it does make me feel lovely. The cinnamon never tries to beat the rose to death; instead, they blend together very evenly. It's a warm and sweet and pretty rose.

I really didn't know what to expect when I got an imp of this. Sin also had a lot of incense and I hated it with a passion [patchouli and I do not get along]. Snake Oil is sweeter than Sin [haha], so it works. On me it smells warm and...like copper satin [?] I get the incense, smells like Nag Champa, the sticks, not the smoke. And I don't really get any vanilla, but it's sweeter than plain old incense, so I guess that's where the vanilla comes in. As it is, I'll use up the imp, but I'm not sure I'd want a whole bottle of it. This would be suffocating any other time of the year, day or night, except for the coldest days in winter. It's too sexy and warm, and in AZ we only have super-sexy perfume weather for about 2 months out of the whole year. . ETA: Never mind. I tried this on again today and while it's still 95ºF out, it's perfect. Warm and sultry without being overpowering. And I think my little imp has aged a bit and it smells remarkably good now. I may have to get a bottle!

Finally a daytime scent I adore! Besides Morocco, Port-au-Prince, Snake Oil, the Lion and the like (of spicy golden-brown "exotic" scents), I've at last found one for those times I want to walk around not smelling like I just had some really great...bed time activity. Really, there are times I don't want to smell like the bronzey-skinned dark eyed sex goddess I am. (Ha. I wish.) And for those times, there is Alice. In all her creamy, sweet, milky flowers goodness. Alice makes me smell the way I wish I smelled naturally. It isn't a "hey, I'm wearing perfume!" scent, it's a "my skin naturally smells this amazing" scent. It stays close to me and the honey note merely adds sweetness. Alice also lasts a long time, considering how soft and pretty the scent is. At least 6 hours, even though at the end you'd have to be quite close to smell it. To me, if Alice was a color, it wouldn't be pink, but rather a soothing off-white. Like a cream colored chiffon dress, Alice is comfortable, beautiful and just makes you feel good when you wear it. Any time of the day or night, any time of the year. It just fits.

A scent that captures a meeting of the serenity and elegance of ancient Japan, the vibrant, shining, neon-lit and ultra-modern splendor of today's Tokyo and the fantastic electric fantasyland of post-modern manga fantasy. Urban metallics and an ozone-tinged breath of electric light mingled with reedy bamboo, crisp mountain air, cherry blossoms, delicate orchid and a splash of playful, wet fruits. Apparently I'm finding out what works/doesn't work for me the hard way. I love this scent, but cherry blossom gets to me and makes me feel ill--after an hour or so, my skin amps the cherry blossom factor up until I am in a Neo-Tokyo cloud, and I have to get it off somehow. I put it in my hair and got less scent-morphing, but then something else in the very beginning stage of the scent [bamboo?] is more pronounced, and THAT makes me feel ill. I guess I have a weak stomach! Basically though, I love this--it's got a dangerous, alluring, I-smell-like-I've-been-attacking-sexy-men-all-day vibe to it. At least on me. Ha. I will figure out a way to wear it. Maybe apply with a veeeery light hand?

Wine! I get the scent for once, recognize it instantly. Too bad I hate wine with a passion--drinking it, smelling it, experiencing it in any way. Away with you, Madrid. It's just not for me.

This started off ok--warm, very "gold"; I could sense almond and spice. Then it morphed into something truly awful--like a memory of the worst spiced food I ever ate, or the worst Indian grocery I'd ever set foot in. It literally made me queasy and I had to run to wash it off. I can't figure out what it is but maybe it's the lotus...I've had no problems with any of the other notes in the past. So, basically, I wanted to love Bastet [me + almond = ] but it didn't want to love me back.

Yeah, red musk and I don't get along either. The spices and saffron and all that do smell lovely for the short amount of time that they're present--lovely in a I-smell-like-an-Indian-grocery kinda way. Exotic indeed. Then the red musk comes back and slaps me (and everyone else in a 10 feet radius) in the face. A shame, but Morocco is in the same family and that one does smell good on me.

I had the same impression. Sudha Segara was creamy, had a delicate bite, and had no throw whatsoever. If you smashed your nose right against my inner elbow, you'd smell the same delicious thing that I think I'm wearing. Unfortunately, it has so little throw that you and I both can't really tell. I'd think it'd be good for sleeping with your lover, as it's gentle and relaxing. Kissing each other goodnight and then actually sleeping. The scent is so soft it'd just evaporate if you did anything more, ahem, active than sleep.