animalcule

I've luckily never experienced this, since I tend to buy mostly LE bottles on first release and unsniffed, and I haven't used up a bottle yet. I do have a couple backups, and they are consistent with the originals I have. But I've heard so much about it that I really think it is usually an issue with the lab's bottling procedures. I think it is difficult or impossible for them to keep certain oils evenly mixed while decanting them from the large batches into our 5mls. If they are 'hand-decanted' as well as 'hand-blended' this is almost certainly the case. Cocoa oil is a big giveaway, most every blend with this component I've read reviews on, it seems clear the components are not evenly distributed among 5mls. Some bottles have entirely clear oil, others have 1/4 inch of cocoa 'sludge' visible on the bottom!

I'm sure changes based on component variations happen too, but I'm inclined to think these don't make such a huge difference. And mislabeling of scents/incorrect blending happens as well (like with Infernal Lover), but that seems to be much less common.

ETA: I am also not a fan of incense and resinous blends, which are often thicker/goopier; and it seems likely that separation is more of an issue with these types of oils.

I'm a wand-cap dabber, 2-4 little drops per application. And I go through times where I wear very little perfume oil (mostly due to whiny boyfriends...) The only bottle I have made significant headway on is my first of Snow White '10, and there's still at least 1/4 left. My collection is on the smaller side but I'll probably have some of these bottles for 20 years/until they go bad.

My oldest bottles are from 09 and they still smell great, even my Embalming Fluid which is half gone AND a citrusy blend. But I have tried (and swapped away) bottles from 04-08, and never had one smell bad, and most seemed true to notes and reviews. The oldest was an Alice from 2004, still smelled pretty much just like my lab-fresh imps of Alice have (and unfortunately, neither last on me!)

I'm surprised this isn't more popular, it's one of my summer favorites. But then, it contains a whole lot of personal 'win' notes, and I find that they combine beautifully in this blend. I didn't like Lemon Sticky Bat at all, found it totally insipid, but I love this.

On me it's mostly iris, sugar, lemon and white musk, with detectable anise. The herbs stay in the background but give it a hint of green. I don't get any red current.

This is really fantastic.

In the bottle, it's too foody and savory - all sweetened toasted nuts. But once it gets on my skin it's a delicious warm musky, creamy almond grounded by tart fruit. Golden musk indeed, this is a golden scent. And it lasts for a good long time, no morphing.

I don't understand why I like this so much, yet I do. I swapped away the bottle I bought when it was first released, but ended up using my decant so much that I bought another bottle. It's one of my go-too warm weather scents. I hate summer and need soothing, cooling BPAL to get me through it.

To me, it is clean and soapy, rather than foody, despite the white chocolate being distinct. I don't get any vanilla. Just cold white chocolate with anise, lemon, and mint.

I get toasty vanilla marshmallow, a hint of cinnamon, smoke, and the same 'autumn leaves' slightly aquatic note I remember from October (the BPAL blend, not the month). This is a perfect autumn scent for me, especially when I'm outdoors - it really is like toasting marshmallows over the campfire on a cool, humid fall night. Hence me breaking it out and reviewing it. I don't wear it the rest of the year.

In the bottle and wet: smooth light pumpkin, lots of tiare and a hint of pleasant fruitiness.

Drydown: pumpkin, a hint of vanilla, but mostly amber and tiare - unfortunately I am not a fan of amber, although this is the solitary perfume with amber I've tested a couple times and considered keeping. Swapped!

Jolly Rancher fake-fruity, but with a dry, bitter quality. Drydown is sour fruit soap. Did not like this at all, but that's okay because my friend did, and I sold her the bottle; and I loved two others from the Apple Orchard.

In the bottle and wet: I don't get much coffee. Buttery pumpkin, super-sweet vanilla, baking spices and a kinda weird foamy note (from the milk or sugar I assume).

Drydown: similar to the later stages of Pickled Imp but not as good; mostly vanilla and cinnamon. I am swapping this bottle.

I really didn't think there would ever be an apple perfume I loved, having had bad experiences with every one I've sniffed and then making the ill-advised decision to put my imp of Punkie Night into my dog's industrial-size bottle of unscented conditioner. SO tired of my dogs smelling like a craft store in autumn.. anyway.

But now I have two (crushing on Silver as well as Glittering)!

In the bottle and wet: Crisp (maybe the bergamot gives it that citrus-y tang?) green, floral apple.

Dry: Musks and vanilla become more prominent, florals endure, apple tones down a lot but is still detectable.

I do not find this at all similar to Snow White which is a favorite, except the general 'mood' of the scent (light, refreshing, ethereal).

Sweet toasty marshmallow with the 'smoke' note I remember from October (2010 version). Several hours after drydown: less smoke, more crispy toasted marshmallow, and yes, a hint of cinnamon. I love it.

Great recs, thanks guys! The first two I haven't tried and would never have thought to be similar.

Klara from last year's yule update was almost a dead ringer for Alice.. just less powdery

Has been on my wishlist for months for this reason, hopefully I will track some down soon! Kicking myself now for not buying it at the time, I almost did...

I love Alice, but her perfection lasts about 5 minutes before she turns to carnation dust. So I'm shopping for similar scents in the hopes of finding one with better lasting power. I'd like recommendations for any scents you've tried that have reminded you of Alice!

Oh, my goodness. I love this and have been wearing the imp I just got like crazy, so I ordered a bottle 5 minutes ago (first lab order in a while). Sweet pink rose, white musk, light coconut, and I suppose that other smell I like is orris!

It's clean and a bit powdery but not powdery or soapy in the way I do not enjoy. Great lasting power.

I love this and am so glad I tracked down a bottle!

Once on my skin the nuts don't read as 'nutty' to me at all - they combine into a soft, sweet, honeyed-cream smell which is deliciously backed by the herbs (I love sage and thyme), lavender (which is often a problem for me - not here), slight spicey note (from the clove I guess - it's not standing out as CLOVE to me though), and the citrus feel from the bergamot. It's very much a milky tea scent, for me. And delicious!

in the decant: vanilla-chocolate

wet: vanilla-chocolate and violet. Love violet!

dry: much more white chocolate note, not enough violet peeking through to suit me.

Basically, this is foody Faith, but with a chocolate note added to the vanilla, less violet and sugar, and minus white musk. It's very nice, but I much prefer Faith, and already have a bottle of her, so won't be searching for more White Chocolate and Sugared Violets.

in the decant: My very favorite note combo, milk or cream with honey, with a touch of spice.

wet on skin: Creamy light honey with a lot of effervescent ginger. I don't get any clove. This is what I was hoping Sudha Segera would be like.

dry: the ginger calms down a little, but it's quite consistent. Ah! I can detect a little clove now! I like clove, but it can be overwhelming to many scents, so I'm glad it's so gentle here.

I do not get ANY popcorn/tortilla chip/rice aspect, which is good because anything that smells like grains in my BPAL is nauseating and ruins a scent!

I might have to track down a bottle. Subtle, stays very close to the skin, but delicious. I'd like to see what aging does to it...

Sage is one of my favorite notes! I would like to see many more scents including it, and many more strongly-sagey scents as well. Clary sage is a different plant (and scent, to my nose) but also good.

Thirding etc recs for Aeval and Bewitched; two of my favorites and have sage (both also have musks and are quite sweet and girly, with the most dominant notes for me being sweet pea and blackberry/tea, respectively). I also own a bottle of Harlequin and Columbine that I am liking more and more, as the sage and woods in it have doubled since I bought it a couple months ago...

I love sweet, I love lemon, and I love Beth's snow and ice notes. I was so excited for this one I could barely stand it!

But in the decant, wet, and dry this was much the same for me: a candied, powdery lemon/lemon verbena with an unpleasant underlying musty note. I sometimes have serious issues with sugar notes, and I think they are to blame here.

I have issues with florals too. Most smell like straight soap/hair product to me, and pretty much spoil any scent they are in.

However lots of my most favorite BPAL have a floral:

Aeval: heavy on the sweet pea, which is an absolutely delectable fresh, watery floral (IMO) with sage, white musk, and tonka (which is said to smell similar to vanilla, but I don't find this to smell at all vanilla-y - it just gives it a warm undertone). This is the perfect springtime scent.

Faith: only if you like both violets and vanilla and sugar! It's definitely a frosting/candy smell, but the violet here is wonderful.

Josie: has magnolia which is not usually workable for me, but it's great here. Livens up the peachy honey and keeps it from being a foody scent.

Rose Red (I have 2010): I do love the smell of roses, but I do NOT like most rose perfumes. This is absolutely frigging fantastic, though! It's a rose-garden smell - fresh roses, but also green (and some say fruity - I've seen a lot of mentions of an 'apple' and/or 'blackberry' vibe) notes. I've also seen it described as 'bitter' but I don't think it is - it's not a rose-water scent for sure though.

Snow White (I have 2010): honestly I don't get much floral from this, but it is listed as having them and I love it so I figured I'd mention it. I suppose I'd describe it as a fresh coconut-apple-vanilla.

Don't know if it's been mentioned yet (didn't read the whole thread) but Gennivre from the Carnival is pretty much all honey on me after about 15 minutes (before that there's a little orange blossom tea going on).

Have you tried Boo, a Weenie from 2009 and 2010? Like Antique Lace it's a fabric-vanilla scent (cotton, cream, vanilla I think), although I haven't heard anyone say that the two are similar.

Glasgow reminds me very much of freshly washed and dried clothes, but it doesn't have a linen component (notes are wind, heather, and blackberry IIRC).

My favorite fruits (all in my top 10):

Bewitched: blackberry, sage, green tea, wild berries and dark musk. When I first put it on, the sage and tea are in the forefront. But it dries down to a lovely berry and black musk combo that lasts for ages on my skin.

The Jersey Devil: pitch pine with blackberry leaf, cranberry, cedar wood and tomato leaf. My Christmas scent and also one of my favorite summer scents to wear outdoors. Not for anyone who doesn't like pine and cedar, but the berries are wonderful.

Josie: heady magnolia and honeyed peaches. I am not usually into white floral/perfume-y scents, but I love this. And the drydown smells like warm peaches in the sun and lasts for a long time.

Strawberry Moon 2009: wild strawberries, strawberry flower, vanilla-infused sugar, early summer grasses, and milky dandelion sap. I wrote this off the first time I obtained some, and ended up swapping my bottle. Then I kept thinking of it... and thinking of it... now I have a bottle and a back-up. It's... just... yummy. And quite fruity to my nose. It doesn't last too well on my skin, but in my hair or scent locket it's the epitome of summer.

Tea (from the Shungas) has an anise note, I am excited to try it but haven't yet.

Smells exactly like my scent memory of being 6 years old and playing in my grandma's rose garden.