claudia6913

CT II: DCXLIX I bought this off a lovely forumite who described it as a fruity blend. In the bottle I get something that has a strong resemblance to Autumn Coolness - but with fruits. Perhaps there is bamboo, a bit of cassia bud in there? Or maybe the florals wisteria and lotus blossom? Not sure, but this is very similar. Wet on my skin I think I'm getting some plum, or perhaps a purpleish wine scent. The resemblance to Autumn Coolness is almost completely gone except for the base note. They are similar. As this dries the wine-feel of the scent slips away and the fruit feel comes back. Fruit that is ripe and just picked. Like you're eating it standing under the tree/vine. There are some florals floating around it all - as if some of the fruit plants are still in bloom around you. Dry this is soft and sweet - not foody, but sweet fruits and wafting flowers with just a hint of an orchard (with the grass and leaves and wood all around). I really love this scent. I have no idea what it smelled like fresh, but aged almost 5 years - it's truly wonderful.

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this one yet. Who knows how long I've had the imps and bottle ... sheesh - bad me! In the bottle (that is dated 10/2009 btw) this is very sweet. It is not floral at all, because it's a resin, and the vanilla is just sweet and lovely. Wet on my skin this is just juicy and sweet. Very smooth. As it dries, the dragon's blood resin gives a bit of a kick and the vanilla starts to take a seat in the back. I very much get a red color from this with just a hint of cream. I can almost smell a cherry-like scent, but it wafts in and out. This scent morphs a bit as it is drying. I remember now why I went from having an imp or two of this to searching the forums for a bottle. This is sweet, deep, red, and sexy. The throw is pretty good as well. I know its honeyed vanilla - but I can't separate the honey from the other two scents.

Overly full bottles indeed. One looks like it had a little spillage pre-shipping, or it leaked a bit during shipping. #515 (or possibly 575 - this is the one that leaked a little and make the box smell amazing) Sweet, sweet incense wafted from the box as soon as I opened it, and this guy was the culprit. The number is smudged on the label, but I'm fairly certain it's #515. Okay, now that this has been rolled around and the sediment has been fully integrated, let's try this description again! In the bottle I get a very strong, woody incense. The vanilla is no where to be seen. I'm not sure what the incense is, but it smells familiar. The only incense I'm "familiar" with is patchouli, but I'm not sure that's what this is. Wet on my skin it sweetens up a bit and the incense tones down a bit. I think it's the vanilla coming out helping to temper it. For just a moment there is a slight burst of a clean greenish smelling scent. I want to put it in a "cleaning solution" or "citrus" category. The "cleaning solution" is not something that smells bad, per se, but it's not what I was expecting. As this dries down, the greener scent comes to the fore. I'm thinking it's a green-ish wood scent, like fresh wood. Hmm, I'm not as impressed with this as I was before I mixed the sediment. I can still smell what it was before I rolled the bottle, and the incense is still in there, but it's not a sweet incense any more. It's more woody. Dry the previous tan khaki color now has more of a greenish-brown color to it in my minds eye. Though I do like the dry stage more than the dry down. It's sweetening up and getting greener as time goes by, if that makes any sense. There's still a hint of spice, but now it's way in the back and I can barely smell it. I think this has a more smoky vanilla scent, than a straight vanilla. Yes, the more this dries the more I go back to adoring the hell out of it. Thank goodness! I was worried when I found the 1/2 imps worth of sediment in the bottom that I would hate it now. But no ... now that it's completely dry, there's not a lot of difference between rolled and pre-rolled. It's a little greener is all ... and I'm fine with that. It's got a green/incensey/spicy/slightly sweet scent to it and I adore it. Edit: I just noticed that there is a TON (like 1/2 and imps worth) of sediment in this bottle. I will have to roll it around and possibly come back to edit this description. #617 In the bottle this has a sort of creamy citrus scent to it. Which, honestly, makes me a bit nervous as I've never really tried any of BPAL's citrus blends. I've done fruit, but not the citrus variety. I'm always scared it will end badly. The citrus is not burning my nose, which is good, for some reason I expected that out of citrus. But ... here goes nothing! Wet on my skin I get a dreamcicle type scent. There is orange in this (or a sweet orange-like fruit), but that is not the whole of it. I think maybe some grapefruit as well. (My grandmother has had a half a grapefruit every morning since I can remember - otherwise I'd have no clue what grapefruit smelled like.) The vanilla is way in the back, giving a small hint of creaminess, but not taking over the citrus. On the dry down this is all smoothing out. The citrus' (because I truly believe there is more than one) are front and center, but it seems they are tempered by other things. This is not a foodie blend, like it started out with the dreamcicle wet stage. As this dries a spice comes out. Perhaps it's a very fragrant/spicy wood? I'm not sure. But the more this dries the more of a wood feel I get from it. Dry this evokes the image of perhaps a wooden bowl that was used for a bowl of peeled/cut citrus fruits. It isn't something I feel like nomming on, because I get more the feel of the wooden bowl after the fruits are gone (but their scent lingers on in the bowl). Further on dry down, I start getting some of the vanilla - like maybe there was a vanilla cream topping on the citrus fruit that was in the wooden bowl. The longer this is on, the more it starts moving back to a dreamcicle state. But it's not foodie. It's the memory of citrus' in a wood bowl topped with vanilla cream - and all you have left is the wood bowl and the lingering taste of a yummy citrus/vanilla treat. (Makes me want to lick the bowl, just to get one more taste ... but I will hold off, because that is actually my hand and BPAL is not edible.) I really cannot believe my luck with these two scents! Both of them are wonderful - so much so in fact that I'm having a hard time deciding which one I want to wear right now. Because one of them will have to be worn. I can't just slip them away in the box. I can't!!!

I bought this off a fourmite a while ago with the intention of giving it to my sister to make candles out of. I figured though, I should at least try it out and see. It is ungodly hot out and I've seen others mention that mint notes are great to beat the heat. In the bottle is pure peppermint. Initially on my skin, that's all it is as well. Peppermint. Not overly strong (though I only tried a small dab of it). Dry on my skin it's much lighter peppermint, but I'm not really getting any sugar from it. Also, it is fading very fast. I have to get right on top of the application spot to get a whiff. Not bad, but not for me. I would've loved some sweetness to go along with this. I think my sister will be getting this (or if I get up the nerve, I might do it myself) to make candles out of. I imagine it will smell wonderful that was as well.

This really is a very sweet, light, fruity blend. I've had the bottle for a while (from a forum purchase, so who knows how aged the bottle is, really). It never really struck me to wear it - perhaps because I got it in the fall/winter and this is very much a spring/summer scent. It's not overpowering, but it does seem to have a little throw to it. The longer it dries, the more the florals come out to play and the sweetness is tempered by them. I think if I hadn't forgotten that I had this and what it smelled like, I would've been reaching for it more often during these hot summer days.

I'm a little amazed I haven't reviewed this scent yet. I honestly don't remember when I got my bottle, but it was after the 'Weenies had come down and I got it from a forumite. So, it's just a bit aged now (I'm retrying my stash randomly). Wet, this very much is a fresh marshmallow - gooey, sticky, and sweet. As it dries, the sweetness gets tempered by the cotton note so that it isn't so overpowering - but trust me, it's still there, and still a main component. The cream is either so entwined with the sugar that my nose can't separate it, or it's sitting in the background far enough that distinguishing it is difficult. While I like this scent, it is not something I would automatically grab for as my top 5 when I'm indecisive. I may or may not hold on to it. We will see...

In the bottle I get a sort of Pine-Sol scent - if it were to be soaked with tobacco leaves. I know I amp cypress to an insane degree, I wonder if the same will hold true for "pine pitch" Wet on the skin, the pine comes out much more than I had originally noticed. The longer it is on, the more the pine sort of ... lets everything else come through. It does have a "smoky" scent to it, somewhat heavy though. Dry it's a sweet smoky pine scent. This scent is a bit heavier than I thought it would be, but I like it.

I ordered a full 5ml of this unsniffed and I am very pleasently surprised by the outcome. I really like it. In the bottle it's a strong violet, almost bordering on too sweet. Wet on skin this is violet, but tempered some by the patchouli root and moss. Dry this is a bit dusty, probably from the patchouli root, but I like it a lot. I'm not getting a lot of currant out of it. The moss gives it a kind of greenish tinge, not overpowering, but definitely there. The violet is sweet and floating over top of everything. I like this so much fresh I'm almost afraid to let it age any. ;p The throw on this is crazy strong. It's been about 20 minutes since I put it on and it's like I'm holding the cap to my nose still. I hope it calms down just a little, otherwise it might cause a headache soon.

Bought and imp and got a frimp in the same package. =) This is warm, sweet, comforting, deep and all around huggable scent. It doesn't have the overwhelming spices that Sahmain does, though I think Jack with a touch of Sahmain would be heavenly. While this is really, really nice, I'm not sure how much wear I would get out of it. Though, were it in a candle I'd buy enough oil to fill my house with this scent. I think it works much better as a room scent vs. perfume - but we will see.

Very much a woody-caramel in the imp and wet on the skin. As it dries, it gets more of a sweet wood scent. I think the sugar cane, instead of just pure sugar is what helps that along. The molasses is dark and sweet, just like in Lawn Gnome. This is more sweet than I usually like - but it's not a disagreeable scent. The more it dries the less sticky sweet it is and the more it mellows out. Not something I'd reach for without being in the mood, and honestly, Lawn Gnome is close enough that I'd probably just grab that first.

Wicked and vicious! A sharp, cruel blend of lavender and pennyroyal. I got this as a generous frimp from the lab, and honestly, I'd never looked twice at this scent. I like more ... diversity in my scent blends? Definitely not a floral girl, and that's what I had assumed this would be. However, when I opened the BPAL box, I got a nice whiff of mint. Very mild, slightly floral, but nice. It had a sharp edge to it, but it was, for the most part, softer than I expected BPAL mint to be. In the imp it is pure Altoid mint. That strong, sharp, almost overpowering mint scent. However, once on the skin and once it gets a chance to dry down a bit, it's more like an old loved Altoid mint tin that you keep things in. And you know you inhale deep everytime you open that little tin because it still smells so much like the mints it once housed. THAT is what Pain smells like to me. And, quite honestly, I love it. Much to my surprise. This really is NOT a floral. Perhaps ... mint in bloom, maybe, but definitely not flowers and petals and anything overly soft. Oh Boo! Within 15 minutes of putting a tad on my hand, the scent is almost completely gone. At least, I can't smell anything on my skin, though there is a faint whiff coming from ... somewhere. I think a drop or two splashed out of the imp when closing it. Perhaps a nice candle out of this ... mmmm.

Huh - I really had completely forgotten what notes were in here, and had you asked me from first sniff, I would've said, why, there's carnation of course! Can't you smell the yummy spicyness eminating in a sweet floral cloud? Really though, this is candied/sugared carnations. I love it. I assume the spice is the cassis? It's the same kind of "spice" (though it's much more predominant in Alice's Evidence) I get out of Autumn Coolness, and that's the only note they share. It really is a sweet and lovely scent. Not too heavy, but not light either. It lets you know it's there and swirls around for a while before dying off without you realizing it's even gone. However it doesn't really leave. It's there, but only when it wants to be. I'm not sure I'm even describing it right. It's not like I'm catching wafts of it as I move, since the last time I'd caught a sniff was while I was sitting still and could've sworn it would've worn off by then. Yet when I put nose to wrist, I couldn't smell the scent. I really enjoy almost all of the Mad Tea Party scents. However, I think Alice's Evidence will replace my Queen Alice (since amber and I don't play nice most of the time).

I honestly got an imp of this from the lab purely for the watermelon note. I'm happy to say, I can smell it in this blend! It definitely is what it says, though I don't get a lot of woodsy out of it. Mostly it's fruit juices, some floral (gardenia), and it seems somewhat aquatic. Definitely weird. Definitely cool and not over powering, but not a softy either. It's slow, languid, and takes it's time wafting to you. Unfortunately, the throw is not significant. Not sure if I will upgrade this to a bottle or attempt to hoard some imps of it.

Oh. My. God. This is love in a bottle. This is sexy, sweet, musky love. I can't even begin to explain just how wonderful this scent is as it wafts around me. I literally moaned after I put it on, and have not stopped sniffing my wrists since. It's been a little over an hour since application and the scent is still going strong. This somewhat reminds me of Hymn to Proserpine, but the GC has a bit of a bitter note to it, where as Blood Garden does not. A co-worker said it reminded her of an old perfume called Tweed. The Blood Garden does have a very ... refined quality to the scent - I get images of the Talamasca, or even David Talbot, after Lestat had him turned. Yes, very much David Talbot - refined English Vampire. No one scent seems to be vying for attetion, but instead they mingle and dance together, drunk on blood and wine, twisting like the roots of an old oak. Yet I can smell each scent, almost individually. I don't know why this was not one of my first orders, or why it took so long to get into my warm little hands, but I'm not letting go!

This is for the Resurrection. I honestly had to go through and look at the reviews because it doesn't smell on me the way I thought it would. I get none of the carnations. I love me some carnations, and that's one of the reasons I bought it. Don't get me wrong, this is still a lovely scent. It's very ... deep on me. I can smell amber (reminiscent of O), maybe a touch of vanilla, and some wood. Maybe sandalwood? Not sure. It's almost like a polished wood though, like in Store Time @ DD. I really am getting a lot of O out of this. The throw on Hod is just ridiculous. I put this on at like 7am, it's now 11am and I can still smell it perfectly. I don't even have to get close. I get a whiff whenever I move. Usually I slather, today I just put a bit on my wrists since I wasn't sure how it would go ... and that's all I've put on. I'm sure if I put a little bit on all my usual places I'd be wafting around in a cloud of Hod. And once I figure out how much I like this scent, might not be a bad thing. Edit: This is now aged 4 or 5 months and I must say - aging has only made it better. The comparison to O is still there, however it is more just the amber note and vanilla, but it does not have the, um, sexual imagery that O has. This is now a very nicely blended, sweet, slightly spicy perfume that wafts wonderfully around me. It still has a wonderful throw to it so that a little goes a long way.

In the Bottle: Wood and parchment - a little bit of herbs. Very intriguing. Wet on skin: Much more of the wood is coming out, almost to the point of excess, there's some parchment, ink, incense and herbs under there. I feel almost like there is a bundle of sage hanging from each wooden bookcase, and I'm surrounded by it all. It's not bad, but just a tad overwhelming. Drydown: Still very deep, woodsy, and full of herbs and some incense wafting nearby. I eventually had to wash this off as it was just too much incense and herbs for my delicate senses. I will put it away to age, and hopefully after I have my kiddo it'll be better, both on my skin and just in general.

I was not privvy to the original release of this scent, so this is for the 2009 version. In the bottle: Something akin to an overly citrus-y dryer sheet. Not unpleasant, but not something I particularly like. Wet on skin: There's still a hint of citrus, which I find odd, but it's not nearly as in-your-face as it was in the bottle. Slowly the vanilla comes to the fore. I hate to say it, but I think someone washed the Black Lace and tossed it in the dryer. Again, not unpleasant, just not at all what I was expecting. Drydown: Hmm, it's hit a "new soft plastic" phase early into the drydown. Something like what Barbie dolls in the 90's smelled like new out of the box. I do smell the smoke and vanilla, but that's it, the rest is "new soft plastic". *crosses fingers for full drydown awesomness* *slowly uncrosses fingers* *wipes single tear away* *solemnly hands out verdict* "To the Age Box with ye. Six months in tha hole should do somethin'." Edit 5 months later: This is still new plastic. Though, the potential is now starting to shine through for a few minutes before it all goes horribly wrong. For a few minutes I get a lovely vanilla/cotton/musk scent that just promises to be wonderful. I'm still not sure what is turning to new plastic on my skin as I can still smell the vanilla under the plastic. The cognac maybe? Seems odd since usually "plastic" is used to describe vanilla going wrong. Unless there are two different kinds of vanilla in this blend and one agrees with me and the other doesn't ...

Oh. My. God. Seriously, I just want to curl into this scent and close my eyes and just inhale. Just ... breathe it in, soak it in and enjoy it. Immediately what comes to mind is the color of over-ripe rasberries that have been out in the sun a day or two too long, but aren't even close to being spoiled yet. They're juicy and such a mixture of purple and red all glomped together - the red in the sun, the purple in the shade and yet it's something altogether different. A color onto itself. And now I'm waxing all poetical-like and should actually review the scent. In the bottle: I got mostly fruity cognac. Little weird, but okay. (Actually, the more I smell the fruity cognac, the more I actually like it.) Wet: I'm getting just a hint of the fruity sweetarts that other people claim, but it's fighting with the fruity cognac. Drydown: Fruity, sweet, little spicy, little boozy, and very, very swoon worthy. I'm not actually getting a ton of vanilla out of this, but it seems to be sitting in the background, along with the sandlewood, quiet, unobtrusive, but keeping a wary eye on the fruit incase they need a quick beat down. The fruit is definiately taking center stage, but not just one fruit. It's all the fruits, mixed in with a nice bouqet of carnations layering on top of the fruit and the sweet pea layering underneath. It seems the cognac has drifted away (or been consumed), leaving only a lingering memory of it. In short. I need another bottle. (I also hope after having my kiddo this doesn't turn bad.) Edit to Add: The throw is not tremendous, but I do get a lovely waft from my hand where I tested it whenever I move.

Ignore me as it's been answered....

In the bottle it is a juicy, red, ripe, and plump apple. You can smell the roundness and fullness of it. Simply delicious. Wet on my skin it's the same round, red apple, juicy and sweet without being overly slow. On dry down the spices come out and warm it up. It's a warm apple cider on my skin, soft, sweet, and yummy. This doesn't scream foodie to me, but it walks that fine line between wanting to snuggle with the scent and take a bite out of my arm. Edited after aging (7/1/10): Almost nine months later and I'm retry-ing this after setting it aside for other loves. It literally has not been touched since October. It has warmed up considerably. Wet the apples are freshly mushed and smashed, with just the barest hint of sugar. No spices wet for me. However as it dries down, it's almost like I can smell the drink being made and stewed/cooked. Little by little the spices get added until you get a warm, well rounded scent. I'm very thrilled at this development. I think my previous statement about walking the fine line between foodie and not still stands.

I smell musk and spice in the bottle. Not bad, but really strong. Wet on my skin is much of the same. This is a very heavy musky blend. The incense and the musk ride it hard, but on the dry down the sweetness of the vanilla, pomegranate, and plum sneak in, smoothing out the sharpness and rounding it all out. When I had this on earlier, I could not stop sniffing my wrist once it was dry. It is complex and sultry, hiding behind a veil to surprise you at every turn. Very nice and so glad I lucked into a bottle!

This bottle is fresh from the lab. In the bottle its almost a soda smell, one that was left to get flat. Wet on my skin it still has that flat soda smell. It's not horrible, but not something I would enjoy smelling like. The longer it's on, the more the exotic oils come out to play. I can already smell it turning exotic and sweet, slinky and sexy. (I wore this earlier without reviewing it, so I remember the dry down yummy, lovely phase.) Dry down is spicy, sexy, sweetness. Nice and smooth. Definitely going to age this one as I can imagine it only gets better. Hopefully the flat soda initial phase will go away with time.

In the bottle is a very smoky vanilla scent with just a hint of booze. Very smooth. Wet on skin it is much the same. The booze comes out just a bit more to the point I'm almost afraid I'll get drunk just huffing it! lol I'm noticing as it dries they are right about this being close to the skin. I nearly have to put nose to skin to get a good sniff. But it's smoothing out now, the vanilla coming to the fore. A nice creamy sensual scent. Sweet but not overly so. Very nice, and I think it will only get better with age. To the dark place with ye! haha The longer this stays on, the closer to the skin it gets. However, it gets smoother and sexier (assuming you can smell it). I like it a lot, very glad I got the bottle, but kind of wish there was more of a throw to it.

Hmm, after reading the previous reviews, I feel kind of bad now ... In the imp is patchouli and cinnamon. Wet on my skin is the same, with a hint of the sandalwood and a bit of the golden amber. Hmm, after my mishap with O, I'm really not liking amber. It's not bad, it just smells ... off to me. I've noticed people refer to O and now Sin with post-sex connotations...not something I wish to smell like unless I've actually gotten lucky, no offense.

In the imp is a soft lemony fresh scent. I'm looking forward to this. I've heard good things about BPAL's linen scent. Wet is it what it is. Freshly laundered linens, soft breezes, and the barest hint of citrus (lemon). It is clean, soft, and simple. I can see this being easy on the senses after a night of too much fun and drinking. Or wonderful also for those sticky hot summer days where you want to smell good, but really don't want anything weighing you down. Keeping the imp, possibly getting another.