Dianora

In the bottle, this smells strongly of woods and tobacco, very masculine but in a comfortable way. It reminded me strongly of a store that I used to stop by, which sold high-end cigars and pipe tobacco, just to inhale the air. I put it on, and the pleasantness intensified. It got rich and mellow, the masculinity of the scent curled up into something a steampunk lady might be pleased to wear. As I wore it, it just seem to get more and more comfortable. I am very pleased with it. However, on another note, my mother came by and as soon as she walked in the door made an awful face. She wanted to know what smelled musky and stinky. This might be one for at-home wear.

I ordered this one just KNOWING from the reviews and the description that I'd love it. I mean, with all the raves for it, and the fact that it is the best seller, there is no way I could not. Except. I didn't. In the bottle it smells sweet and almost cloying. It sent warning bells off in my head, but I thought "this is Snake Oil! I'll love it once it's on." I put it on and sniffed gingerly. It was spicy and sweet, but in a strange way. It almost reminded me of anti-freeze. The spices were also giving it a strange and kind of unpleasant scent. I resisted the urge to wash it off and let it dry. During the dry-down, I almost washed it off a dozen times, it just didn't seem to get any better. Finally, after several hours of wear, I got soft spicy vanilla. Which was good, but it was so faint and almost gone. I'm so sad. I wanted to adore this madly, but instead I am half-tempted to throw it in the swaps pile and never look at it again. I will keep it though, and let it age to see if that makes it any better. So far though, this is a heart-breaker for sure. ETA: A few days later and I put a tiny dab on to retest. It's done an amazing morph and doesn't smell like anti-freeze! There is still that faint smell of something weird, but its almost hidden under vanilla. It isn't incredibly impressive or lusty yet, but I am optimistic.

In the bottle, Lady Una smells strongly of... buttered cat pee? I was so hesitant to put this on, but I wanted blackberries so badly that I put a few dabs on. Once on the skin, I thought that I thought I'd made a horrible mistake. The butter seemed to get heavier and the pee smell morphed sickeningly. Then suddenly, two minutes later, it was better. It was lovely, in fact! The buttery smell blended into those lovely sweet berries, and the tea smell came out. I smelled like my favourite Black Currant Tea with a lovely slice of cake. It doesn't seem to be a strong scent or have a lot of throw on me, it eventually fades into vanilla and honey, which is nice. I'd have to say that Lady Una is deceptive for me. If you sniff it and get a whiff of yuck, try a dab on your skin before giving up entirely. She may just surprise you and come around for a lovely tea party

Oh, gorgeous! I bought this on a total whim when I read musk, sandalwood and frozen blackberries. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but this is far and away the best scent of the season for me. In the bottle, I smell mint and fir trees, it's sharp and refreshing and very cold. Once I put it on, the fruity berry scent came to the front and blended smoothly with the rose creating a smell that is crisp but still very green and delicious. During the dry down, it mellowed a bit and the sandalwood came in to temper the fir and mint into something a little warmer, but still evocative of that chill winter day. I really feel that I can't do this justice in a review, it is really just that beautiful. If Winter of Our Discontent is a dark and brooding night, then this is the chill, snow swept day after, when the sun glinting off of the snow and the smell of frozen winter berries blows in on the wind.

I got this as a frimp from an order, and tossed it in my box to test later. A few days later, I opened my imp box and got a whiff of something sharp and minty, almost pungently medicinal. I searched for it, and found that this imp had leaked, only a drop, but enough to overpower the "mixed imp" smell of the box. Intrigued, I put some on. Wet, this is very sharp and kind of strange. The mint is very strong, but the medicine-y smell (juniper, I think) pushes it's way up front too. It settled down to something murky and minty, cool and sharp at the same time. I didn't think I liked it, but wore it anyway. I am something of a waterbaby, but was kind of disappointed with my first brush with BPAL aquatics. But wait! I didn't throw this one back in the box because it leaked, and somehow the little vial has kept me coming back to it. I decided to give it another shot, and it smelled exactly as I remembered it. I didn't think I liked it, but I couldn't stop smelling it. It's the mint! I crave this scent because it's fresh and minty without being sugary or toothpaste-y. It went to being on the verge of tossing out to on the list for a 5ml in the next order. This one is very strange, and for those who might not be too sure how they feel about it, I recommend waiting and testing again. It went from "meh, kind of icky" to love and wild cravings for me.

I got this as a frimp, and I hadn't even looked at it really when a friend of mine picked it up and said it smelled really, really good. I took a whiff, and I don't know what is wrong with me but I smelled something that smelled almost like... I hate to say it, but fresh poop. I got a tiny dab on one of my fingers, and the smell got so overpoweringly strong that I had to go run and wash it off because it was playing games with my gag reflex. I really wish I knew what notes were in this, because Tenochtitlan does the same thing to me, though others only smell spicy green freshness.

This is the smell of winter. Not christmas winter, which is sweet and spicy with hope and cheer, but a desolate, lonely winter. It's perfect for a dreary overcast day, or the day after christmas when all the presents have been ravaged and the tree sits in the corner dying. In the bottle, this smells spicy and of something like dried pine needles, which must be the cypress. On, this gets sharp and bitter and somehow delicious, the bitter clove spices things up while the cypress and smoke blend to make this woodsy and brooding. As it dries, the woods seem to dry as well, and I'm left with something that manages to convey desolation and dreariness without being overpoweringly sad. It is very dark and slightly bitter, but somehow the spice makes this pop in a very good way. This scent has the potential to be very masculine and bitter, but I think it's also really good on me, and I'm anything but masculine. To me, this is a perfect scent for a cold, dark winter when you want to smell like anything but christmas candles.

I bought this as a Christmas gift for a friend who likes florals, but I had to sneak in and try it on myself. In the bottle, this is fresh and green and melon! Oh my dear god, I almost died. I was expecting something much more perfume-y, but this was just sheer and utter yumminess in a bottle. I put some on and could not stop sniffing my arm. It smelled like melon candy, with a slight hint of apple jolly-rancher. It smelled like the most divine fruity girl-drink ever. Dry it was pretty much the same, and somehow, against all preconceived notions about what I do and don't like, I adore this. I avidly dislike most florals (except some rose), and would never, ever have tried this on my own. I took one look at the notes and decided that it was absolutely not for me, and it was only as a gift for a friend that I'd ever have considered trying it. I have actually already placed an order for a 5ml bottle of my very own, and will somehow have to live without it until it ships. ETA: Actually, looking at the description again, I am struck by how funny it is that I love this so much. I don't like florals, yes, but I hate the taste and scent of peaches, and I definitely dislike pears. What in the world happened here?

I'd heard so much about Snow White, and after reading the description and the reviews I jumped in and grabbed a 5ml unsniffed. When I actually got the bottle, I eagerly opened it up and was... underwhelmed. The fragrance in the bottle is very faint, but if I put my nose very close and sniff hard I get-- is that cold grass and wet fur? On the skin, this very quickly became eau de wet cat. It smelled strongly and only of a wet cat, but I'd slathered it on and was running late so I dashed out the door smelling of soaked feline. As it dried, I was at least glad that it seemed to get fainter and fainter, until it was almost gone. I forgot about it, honestly. Then, something miraculous happened. I was behind the front desk at work when a coworker came sniffing around. "Is that vanilla? Is that you?" She leaned in and took a sniff and announced that I smelled very good. I cautiously raised a wrist to my nose and there it was. Lovely vanilla, a hint of coconut and something almost like ozone that pulled the whole thing from warm to cold. It has lasted much longer than I expected for such a faint scent, and though it's subtle people notice. My skin amps vanilla, it seems, but this turns regular vanilla into something colder and completely different. Once I got past the wet cat phase, this is surprisingly good and understated. Not at all foody on me, just chilly. I can't wait to try layering it with favourites.

I requested a handful from the lab the last two times I ordered. I put the request in the comments box. One of them, the wand caps were just included. The other customer service emailed me saying that the caps were $0.50 a piece and that I could paypal for the number I wanted then they would get included when the order shipped. Thanks so much for the info! I ordered a nine-bottle order and really wanted wand caps, so I sent them a paypal for $4.50 and my order number Hopefully, it works out.

I ordered a lot of wand caps from the BPAL LJer who used to supply them, but she's since gone out of business and I've used all of them up. Lyrical mentioned that the lab can add them on to an order. Does the lab still offer wand caps, and is there a certain way I should request to add them to an order?

Oh, this is love! It is the scent of a perfect, cozy autumn evening in a bottle. In the bottle, I smell apples and something slightly pine-y-- oakmoss, perhaps? When I slather it on my skin, the first impression is almost overwhelmingly good. It's apple cider with spicy oranges mixed in, all delicious and sharp and mouthwatering. It is foody, but in a very autumn spice kind of way rather than sweet baked goods. I almost crashed my car on the way to school because I had my nose glued to my wrist. Dry down is equally spectacular, the apples become sweeter and the spices mellow into something that isn't quite as foody, but still a very evocative autumn scent. The throw of this is, on my scent-eating skin, quite good, and it seems to last several hours. This is what I was hoping Samhain would be before it went rancid on my skin: the absolutely perfect autumn perfume. I adore this, and I can see this becoming my signature scent for the season. In fact, I wish I'd ordered more bottles because I want my whole house to smell like this.

I've been searching for a good tart green apple scent, and someone suggested that this just might be it. I thought the name seemed awfully familiar, so I went to my "to try" imp box and behold, it was the imp that the lab had thought I'd like so much that they sent me two frimps of it on my last purchase. Quite thoughtful, really. I had some misgivings smelling it in the imp. It is very sharp, the apples seem to be hidden under a layer of nose-biting alcohol. Still, I wanted my apple fragrance, so I applied a few drops. Wet, it was still sharp, but very green. The apples did indeed seem tart, and the alcohol was wafting away. I was very optimistic. Until, suddenly, it was just gone. So, caution thrown to the wind, I took out the imp and slathered all over my wrists and the back of my hand. Again, it was very sharp and alcoholic, but crisp and green. This time, I got a little bit more of the mellow green apple before, like magic, it all just vanished. Less than twenty minutes later, I can smell the last vestiges of something green and yummy if I put my nose directly on my wrist and try to inhale the skin. All in all, I'm disappointed, Hesperides seemed like it had so much promise, only to vanish utterly before the scent fully developed. I am still on the hunt for my green apples after all.

Whoops, I did a search for apples, but somehow managed to miss that thread completely. Snow, Glass, Apples does indeed sound perfect, based on that description. Is there anything like it that isn't LE?

It's that time of year again where I crave green apples. Specifically, the ones that are tart and tangy and slightly sour, and somehow taste cold. I've been looking for a nice apple scent, but so many seem to be sweet red apple or warm apple fragrances. I'm not opposed to warm apples, I have a bottle of Fearful Pleasure on order and Poisoned Apple sounds like it would be lovely, but I'd like to know if anyone can recommend a green apple scent?

Oh BPAL, always proving that I have no real idea what I like I bought Katrina Van Tassel because I have liked BPAL rose in other blends (despite not liking florals), and I've read somewhere that it compared to Dorian (which I love despite not liking sweet fragrances), so I thought I'd give it a shot. Oh, I adore it! In the bottle, it is sweet and light, almost like a soft rose candy. On the skin wet, it's just radiant! Soft, lush rose with honey and cream to give it just the slightest candied fragrance. As it dries, the scent remains much the same, blooming rose and yummy, and yet close to the skin and subtle. It's pure loveliness. Those that have compared it to Dorian are right, these two do seem to be in the same scent family. I can see myself sometimes using this instead of Dorian when I'm in the mood for understated elegance. However, the two aren't so similar that they smell just alike. Katrina doesn't have any of that slightly baby-powder-ish smell Dorian has on me. I'd venture to say that if you love Dorian, you should try Katrina Van Tassel before she disappears.

I admit it, I bought this for two reasons: the first is, after Dorian, I am wanting to try everything with tea. This could take awhile. Second, I love the Washington Irving tale, and poor Ichabod, with his vanity and lusty appetite, amuses me greatly. So I got the bottle, and I agree with the others that have said the art is stunning! I can't wait to see the bottles of Katrina Van Tassel and Fearful Pleasure I have on order! On to the actual review though. In the bottle, this smells smooth and buttery, with a slightly sour tang. It is almost popcorn-ish. As soon as I slathered it on my skin, the lilies came out full strength. I thought I was going to have to wash this off, the floral overpowered everything else and was almost sickeningly sweet. During the course of the dry down though, this has undergone an amazing transformation. It's both sweet and slightly sour, the wool and beeswax tempered the floral, making this an interesting, if contradictory, fragrance. After twenty minutes or so, this became something absolutely fantastic. It smells faintly musty, but in a good way, with the sweetness of tea and cream. The lily mellowed into something slightly haunting, but not overpowering. I'm extremely impressed. This is definitely a keeper for me.

Dorian! It's my favourite anytime scent, not to mention it's mellow and non-offensive enough for pretty much any situation. And personally, I find the scent soothing, which might come in handy when dealing with a potentially stressful day. I hadn't given much thought to what I'll wear tomorrow yet, I got my ballot by mail and just need to pop in and drop it off.

Now THIS is a floral I can love! I'm not much of a floral fan, most of the time I want to wash off flowery scents as fast as I can. This is so lovely and spicy and warm though, I want to wear it forever. In the imp, it's lovely mouthwatering spices mixed with a hint of heady lily. Wet on the skin, I get a tang of something citrusy or gingery, and more of those exotic spices. It smells good enough to eat! Dry, the lily blossoms and mingles with the exotic spices; I feel like I'm wandering an exotic spice market in the tropics. I can't stop smelling myself! I really love this scent. I can't describe how wonderfully this seems to blend with my chemistry. It seems strong when I put my wrist to my face, but subtle enough for regular wear. My skin eats scent, so I'm curious to see how long this lasts.

I'm not a huge fan of floral, but I picked up this imp mainly because I liked the idea of smelling angelic, I think. In the imp, this is overpoweringly sweet floral. I quibbled. I didn't want this on my skin, I could already tell that the flowers were too much for me. In the name of science I pressed on. Wet on the skin, yet more flowers, really way too much for me. Like others have said, it's just cloying. I don't get the sandalwood or frankincense at all. Dry, this is pretty much the same. My skin ate some of the sharpness off, but I can feel myself drifting off into headache land. It's all floral, overpoweringly so. All in all, this is not how I imagine Angels or Seraphim to smell like. It's extremely floral, way too sweet and overpowering, and it reminds me of fussy old-lady. It needs to come off of my skin NOW.

I'm not a big fan of floral perfume, but I was feeling adventurous and decided to give this imp a shot since BPAL has tricked me into liking things I thought I didn't like before (Dorian, I'm looking at you). In the imp this is pure flowers, old lady perfume and something so sharply perfumey that it makes my head spin. On my skin, something really strong and far too floral instantly give me headache warning signals. It almost smells like intense jasmine, is that the tuberose? I could really smell the lilac as well, it made my eyes water. I almost gave up and washed it off right then, but I left it on just a bit longer for experimentation's sake. Dry on the skin, that intense scent has mellowed, and now I'm just getting floral old lady scent, with something almost cardboard-ish in there too. The final verdict on this one is a definite no, and a mental note to stay away from tuberose and lilac.

Another 5ml I ordered unsniffed. In the bottle, this is very, very sweet vanilla with the barest musky tang. There is almost a hint of anise, making Dorian smell very much like my beloved Haunted's sweet younger brother. I'd never experienced what others call "amping" a note before, but my skin seems to love vanilla. In a very short time Dorian began to smell of vanilla cream with only the barest hint of ivory musk lurking in the sweetness. After a dry down period, Dorian continues to be extremely sweet, in some moods I'd even say a bit insipid. It almost smells of a very nice baby powder, but the slightest lingering hint of musk tempers it into something indescribably innocent and girly. If I'd read a description of Dorian that reflects how it smells on my skin, I never would have ordered it. However, it is so fresh, sweet and light that I can't help but love it. It isn't a scent for prowling the night, but makes me feel pretty and understated for the day.

I think I've found my one true love. No, really, this is so very good. In the imp, it smelled almost exactly like chocolate covered cherries. Odd, because there is no chocolate in it, but it really had the aroma of rich, dark chocolate and cherries. Wet on my skin, the chocolate smell turned into something subtly different, the honey and vanilla combined with clove and cherry to make this sweet and foody. I was sorely tempted to lick my wrist, but managed to convince myself that it would taste very bad. During the dry down, the poppy burst into full, bright red bloom, mingling with the cherry to create a fragrance that literally makes my mouth water, but isn't hugely foody anymore. Finally, once it has dried, it is full blooded and red; cherry and poppy make this extremely lush and decadent, and the hints of red wine and spices temper it and keep it from becoming far too sweet. This fragrance is exceedingly rich and decadent, a good alternative to my favourite black musk and incense fragrances because it manages to be both very dark and sensual as well as sweet. This is no little girl candy fragrance, this seems very adult and sexy to me. I am sensing many more bottles for me in the future.

I love the characters of Crowley and Aziraphale, and so on a whim I ordered both unsniffed. I am so glad I did! In the bottle, Crowley is relentlessly masculine; all patchouli and musk. On the skin, it seemed at first as if this scent, while unrelentingly sexy, might have been too masculine for me. Dry on the skin though, that cologne seems to have settled into something delectably, almost imperceptibly, sweet and spicy. The lilac and vanilla temper the leather and almost smoky blackness of the patchouli and musk into something positively devilish. Though it would be exceedingly sexy on a man, it seems to work well on me as well. It makes me feel wicked and sexy enough to maybe go out and catch a man to slather in Crowley.

I got a frimp decant of this, and was so pleased! I ordered a 5ml of Aziraphale and Crowley unsniffed, and this was like a delightful little preview for the package I am oh so patiently (honest!) awaiting. I popped off the lid, and the scent in the imp is musky and musty, faintly masculine but very much a "white" fragrance. It smells like a ray of light shining in a dusty old bookshop, if that makes sense to anyone else. Wet on the skin, all these lovely floral notes come out to mingle with the very pale musk scent. After it dries, on me it become poignantly sweet, a hint musty, and feathery soft with the unmistakable scent of paper! After several hours, the scent clings to my skin almost imperceptibly, but still very light and sweet as I catch a waft every now and then. This gives me a pleasantly long lasting scent too, which is a miracle as my skin eats most oils. I must say that I am totally blown away by this scent! I expected to love Crowley, as I love wearing scents that are dark, spicy and faintly dangerous. I must say though, I've worn this for two days now and I love, love it! My poor brain is reeling... I don't like sweet florals or "white" scents! The musty paper in it has hooked me though, I'm so eagerly awaiting my 5ml, now more excited about Aziraphel than his demonic counterpart. (I'm an English Lit major; the smell of musty books excites me more than it has any right to. If I met someone wearing Aziraphale, I'd probably lure him home and keep him forever.)