Amoraexcena

I believe there's some discrepancy here between what you are saying. So is BPAL luxurious-expensive-overpriced for you, at $25 for 6 ml? Or is it all produced at the "same very low price"? If it is really too expensive for you, then I recommend you really research what blends to try. Go to the Sales pages where people will sell pre-tested General Catalogue scents for as low $1 each sometimes. I will be happy to swap with you actually, most of the imps you ordered I use regularly. I can't imagine BPAL being "too cheap," just take a look at the economics. There is no "marketing" division at BPAL; they don't hire Charlize Theron or Catherine Zeta-Jones, they don't invest millions in commercial production and airtime. How do we find out about BPAL? Probably word of mouth. Cost? $0. And of course, there is the "brand name" price mark-up of the haute couturier perfume houses. You mention the free samples you recieve at department stores and boutiques. I also love to collect these (so portable!)- I spend thousands of dollars yearly on skincare and fragrances at The Bay (local department store) so I don't feel guilty at all. And I certainly shouldn't, because these samples and "free gifts" are all considered part of advertising and incentive, and sample costs are incorporated into the costs of production, which basically means I (consumers) pay for it in the long run. Because of a high production cost, each perfume must sell else the firm (the brand) sustains heavy financial losses. If they released more perfumes, there is a)less "hype" b)market saturation and demand does not keep up, "failed" perfume recuperative costs, c)more production costs of bottle design, packaging, etcetcetc. Don't forget, there is also a huge company that has to be financed behind all this- the many levels of management and shareholders(investment debt and interest) that have to be paid out, unlike a family-owned business like BPAL where the owner=creator. Big-name brands certainly *could* release a wider variety, I'm sure they possess the talent. But that means hiring more Keira Knightleys and even more commercial costs. Beth (and Brian) can afford to be creative because there arn't any crazy costs they incur with every scent they want to release. FYI: Knightley got 500,000 pounds for a 1-year contract with Chanel, Theron recieved around $5 million for 3 years with Dior. $15 for 5ml. My Miss Dior Cherie was $100 for 100ml. $3/ml versus $1/ml. BPAL is more expensive per ml, but it really lasts me MUCH longer because it has less fillers, of this there is no question. I spray on Burberry London about 3~4 times, probably the equivalent of about 2~3ml. I need barely a drop of my favourite BPAL, Black Lace. While I love both kinds of fragrance still, lately I have been spending increasingly more on BPAL than on commercial perfumes. This completely comes down to preference and skin chemistry. To me, BPAL is certainly worth the difference in price. I also love the concepts and variety it offers. BPAL does not actually produce hundreds of new fragrances a year. As others have said, it "resurrects" old favourites from past years, sometimes every year -Snow White, Rose Red etc. The Lab will also expand on a "classic" such as Snake Oil, and make variations -there is a Snake Pit, SO's many little cousin-snakes, and limited editions such as Womb Furie (Lupercalia) and Cake Smash (forum-only) that will also use this popular oil as a background or base. I'm sure you know Dior does a somewhat similar reproduction scheme with Poison. So rest assured, Beth's talents are not being overly stretched. And anyway, if you considered how many fragrances a year LVMH produces, which owns Dior, Marc Jacobs, Guerlain, Benefit, Fresh, Acqua di Parma, Kenzo, and Givenchy, then BPAL probably isn't actually that far off. BPAL is made from EOs, distillates, accords, bouquets. It is all-natural and even vegan except for honey, though with your skin chemistry that allows for alcohol etc, I don't really see why it makes too much of a difference. The Lab has produced some of its own "basic building block molecules" although to my understanding this is minimal nowadays, with such a large fanbase and ever-growing orders to fulfil, they are supplied with components from trusted sources and Beth makes her own accords and bouquets. There used to be a "single-note" line, jayne. We used to be able to buy Beth's fabulous, original accords that smelled very different from other companys' single notes- this was discontinued a while back. There is a huge premium on this single-note line nowadays, and they are only available occasionally on Ebay for a lot more than their original prices. Beth's Vanilla Single Note would probably auction well over $100. edited for grammar :x

Bottle: candy-flavoured cough syrup. Wet on Skin: super-sweet candy-berry-floral, no hint of vanilla for me. Drydown: I think it’s the honeycomb ruining it for me… much prefer its cousin, Candy Phoenix.

Bottle: artificially flavoured candies. Wet on Skin: oooh, it’s pomegranate juice and black currant juice candies! Not so artificial anymore mmmm. Drydown:Very sugarey pear and apple to support the dominant tart dark berry juice. Deliciousss! A better version of Pink Phoenix imo

Bottle: berry flavoured cough syrup. Wet on Skin: sun-warmed blueberries and raspberries over musk, and that delicious orange blossom honey drizzled all over. Sweet and tart! Drydown: mmm berries, staying quite true on me from the wet stage.

Grapefruit, red currant, dark musk, Roman chamomile, delphinium, and lavender. Imp: grapefruit! mmm Wet on Skin: herbs… why, chamomile, why… No more grapefruit. Drydown: sweet… cat pee? Something a bit nauseating in there… fermenting fruit? Oh and… lavender. I don’t like lavender 99% of the time (TKO is the 1%) and unfortunately this is no exception.

Bottle: vanilla cupcake! Less overpoweringly sickly sweet than Beaver Moon ’07. Wet on Skin: a softer, realistic vanilla cupcake, with cream cheese frosting. Drydown: a nice, sweet, comforting bakery scent. A keeper!

Imp: pine needles, chocolate and coffee grinds. Wet on Skin: it smells like molasses! Definitely reminiscent of gingerbread, dusted with cacao and drizzled with caramel for good measure. Drydown: warm spiced crème brulee gingerbread mocha. Sweet, yummy foodie that reminds me a bit of Misk-U.

Bottle: Almost straight-up Snow White, with a breath of rose. No vanilla, sadly…. Wet on Skin: Ok, wow. The same rose in Persephone, tea rose maybe?? It’s taking over. Drydown: The powdery rose has pretty much taken over. I’m going to pop this into my Aging Box and see if the vanilla comes out a bit…

'04 version Bottle: a light, cold, slightly medicinal scent. Wet on Skin: a winter-greens scent. Apple blossoms, and lily musk…. A touch of pine? Drydown: stays very true and very close to the skin. It’s reminding me of The Girl, maybe because it smells so elusive.

Imp: dried red fruit and play-doh. Wet on Skin: suddenly alcoholic, I think it’s port. Some lovely juicy red fruit in that port! Definitely red musk and maybe some skin musk. And sex! The feel is very similar to O, very sexy, dirty and did I mention SEXY? Drydown: it mellows to a sweet fruity nectar, sex-kissed vanilla and musk.

Imp: Quite floral, with a splash of unsweetened white grapefruit. Wet on Skin: A no-nonsense floral blend, the bright citrus dies off quite quickly, to be replaced with a pale green scent which I think is neroli. Drydown: wisteria, jasmine, iris, ginger, neroli and a touch of tonka. It’s a bit perfume-y, not much throw or staying power.

Imp: a fun blast of tropical fruit! with a faint whiff of white tea. That mango, kiwi, pomegranate and pineapple is just juicy, dripping deliciousness. Wet on Skin: almost immediate floral amping. I love jasmine and peony, but where did all they juicy fruit go??? It's now a pale floral with a hint of soft musk and a touch of pink pepper. Drydown: The pink pepper and ginger give this a bit of bite, while the florals bloom happily on my skin. An echo of the initial fruit keep this sweet and fun, although they're all but overgrown with florals and drowned in musk. The tea keeps this a bit adult, but all in all it reminds me of those sweet Escada scents.

Bottle: I love that star jasmine. And musk. Wet on skin: Initially jasmine, ylang ylang, birch and amber. That amber is not gold, it’s really crystalline-white-grey, like quartz. It’s not a warm, come-hither scent, it’s a seductive, come-if-you-dare scent. Drydown: It’s quite sweet and vanilla-like, the pale musk is gorgeous. The staying power is great, though the throw is average, it’s persistant while being an elusive silver serpent...... ahh it’s so lovely. I don't know what davana and immortelle smell like, but this is a blend that has its notes all so well blended it's hard to pick out any one scent anyway. Definitely glad one of the literary vampires work on me!

Imp: Pretty, very light florals. Wet on Skin: Gets a little juicier with the aquatic notes. Hmm I don’t know what rhododendron is like but I’m reminded of a lilac/jasmine/lily-of-the-valley. Drydown: Sigh.... unfortunately, quite soapy at this stage and fades quite quickly. Maybe a scent locket oil.

Imp: unsweetened lemon green tea. Wet on Skin: sparkling crystalline pale green scent. Drydown: a nice, light, fresh citrus-aquatic similar to CK1. Not much staying power but a fun summer scent!

Imp: dark, strongly alcoholic red wine, patchouli. Wet on Skin: suddenly the alcohol disperses and we’re left with a lovely aged strawberry dessert wine, perfect for sipping. There is a whiff of smoke of some forbidden opium-like drug- nicotiana? The red musk and sandalwood to ground it all but not to overpower. Lovely. Drydown: Lovely lightly tart red juices, sweet musk, a warm amber and the grounding sandalwood. This is absolutely stunning, with good throw and decent staying power.

Imp: a shot of sweet Malibu coconut rum. Wet on Skin: the coconut threatens to go a little plasticky, but otherwise it’s lovely... the tobacco is more discernable now, adding a bit of bite to this blend. Drydown: staying quite true. Medium throw, a bit above average staying power. It reminds me of Captain Morgan’s rum and Malibu coconut, if those two rums were blended perfectly... this would be the result.

Imp: Very much smells like a christmas tree.... Pine needles, warm cinnamon sugar. Wet on Skin: the cinnamon really warms up and rounds out and it’s beautiful. I wish all cinnamon notes were like this. Drydown: mulled cinnamon apple cider and that lovely pine tree.... I now can’t wait for it to be Christmas again. I wish I had tried this earlier, it would have been perfect for my Christmas down in Cancun.

(res. version) Bottle: oh wow, mint chocolate candies! I don't usually like mint, but like this... mmmm. Wet on Skin: instantly transforms into a cookie scent, incredible. There's the rum! It's a tad similar to Sugar Cookie now, with a bit of mint. Drydown: very different discernable stages to this one. The mint reappears after drying, and stands in front of the butter cookies protectively. The coconut definitely shows up now, sweet and reminding me of Obatala except a bit creamier. It hugs the skin.

Bottle: I get a big blast of herbs and clove. Wet on Skin: a bit of red musk, but still predominantly smokey herbs and spice. It’s a bit medicinal, very strange for a scent dedicated to a bloody sexy vampire. Where’s the vanilla!? Drydown: sadly, it stays quite true and I get none of the sweet sexy fire I was hoping for.

Imp: fresh shiso. I get a bit of lemon zest, and the salty aquatic note. Wet on Skin: it mellows a little. It reminds me a little of a saltier version of Davidoff Cool Water. Drydown: I think I’m getting a bit of jasmine coming out as well as a light musk. Beautiful layers of notes, a nice gender-neutral fresh aquatic.

Imp: swedish berries and twizzlers made into the stickiest syrup ever. Wet on Skin: ok Lolita now your innocent mask is coming off and I’m getting a seductive edge to that all sweet candy. Drydown: what a morpher. I’m getting some florals now with an undertone of cherry-orange-cinnamon bubblegum. It’s disappearing fast but it’s an interesting experience.

Bottle: a bit too herby and green- the hyssop and root maybe? I can taste the bay rum. Wet on Skin: turns a little smokey, a bit sweeter: hello bourbon vanilla, great to see you! Drydown: sweet bourbon vanilla further alcohol-ed by the bay rum, which also spices things up a bit, with a bit of smoke. Very nice drydown! Edit to add: this doggie has certainly aged beautifully. The herbaceous, green edge has all but diappeared. It's rounded out, gotten sweeter in a non-cloying way, and the spices of brimstone are divine (I'm guessing clove and nutmeg). I get tons of compliments on this one. Too bad it's so hard to come by!

Hmm my review is quite different from everyone else....I don't know if it's skin chemistry, ageing, or batch variation but... Bottle: tootsie rolls, nutmeg, allspice, and a touch of sandalwood. Strong. Wet on skin: the spices take over, with a slightly herbaceous background and just a hint of cacao and honeysuckle. Kind of cloying.... Drydown: Allspice and tootsie rolls. I’ll pass.

Bottle: deliciously mouthwatering candied violets. Wet on Skin: powdered violets and spun cotton candy. I really understand now the comparison to Pink Sugar. It’s a slightly more adult version of that popular Aquolina confection. Drydown: it’s so nice and smooth and creamy and yummy.