KesHiro

I got this as a free imp in my bag during one of the West Coast Will Calls. For me, this is straight up marzipan. Seriously, can I just tip this into my mouth and eat it? Because it smells that delicious. With the holidays coming around, I finally decided to test this baby out. In the imp and wet, this oil is a wonderful marzipan. I think I smell something like coconut, but that may be the buttered rum. As it dries, I can pick out some of the cloves. Once it has dried down, I get the dreaded plastic note. Damn. After twenty some oils, I've finally hit a major skin chemistry issue . . . Or have I? Because an hour after that, it turns into a lovely almond milk. Hmmmm. Despite the brief plastic phase, I'm giving this oil high marks and will definitely add it to my bottle list. The past few weeks may not have been the best time to do testing due to hormone issues (if you know what I mean). If that hour long plastic phase persists, I will then buy a scent locket because Port-au-Prince is lovely and worth it. In the mean time, I'm smearing some oil on old handkerchiefs and tucking them into my pockets or sleeves so that I can get lovely fragrance each time I move. Edited because a major brain fart took out my grammar skills . . . duuuuuh . . .

For Thanksgiving: Pomona during the day, Lambs-wool in the evening For Christmas: I'll probably wear Snow White because it's been pure from the moment I tried it. For the parties, though, I might wear The Girl, Mircalla, and Mme. Moriarty. For New Years: Probably Kumiho or Baobhan Sith. They smell so bright . . . and for some reason, I always think of a glass of golden, bubbling liquid when I smell them.

Thank you, Ayelienne! Yeah, I've been checking the CnS thread and it seems as though the lab had a crush orders between the Yule update and Nov. 13th. Given that, it makes since that my Nov. 15th order hasn't been harvested yet. I just wanted to make sure CCNow hadn't eaten it and if this kind of delay was normal. Thank you to everyone for helping put my mind at ease! I hope you guys had a great holiday!

Thank you so much for the info, Venneh! I suspected as much but wanted to double check.

One of the things I love about BPAL is that it's made me much more adventurous scent-wise. Based on the description, Mircalla is not something I would have imagined myself trying, let alone wearing, but after all the reviews I felt a responsibility to at least test it while at one of the will calls. I'm so glad I did. Initially, I get smoky vanilla, cloves, sharp herbs, and ORCHID. Holy crap, does this orchid like to make its presence known. Happily, it quickly fades down and I'm left with a spicy, herbal, clove scent softened by touches of vanilla and a much fainter orchid. Later on, I get some of the incense. I honestly cannot say if I smell any of the red musk, but it might be in the background. Really nice. I was afraid that it was going to be "too" sexy because I don't like to wear "OH HELLO, MISTER!!!" type perfumes, but this is a wonderfully complex sexy. It's sensual without being in your face. I can see why it conjures up images of an aristocratic woman -- she's sexy and powerful (and by golly does she know it) and you better be really carefully when approaching her because if she thinks you're not alpha enough for her, she's going to make you pay for wasting her time.

Hi everyone! I have a newbie question. I placed an order for two Yule scents on November 15th. I wanted to see if it had been harvested yet by the lab but when I checked the status this morning on CCNow, it said that the order was still awaiting shipment. I've ordered from the lab six times before this and each time the order was harvested within five days of being placed. Should I be concerned that this one hasn't been sent to BPAL yet? I'm not yet familiar with the time windows of harvesting. I know the lab has probably been slammed with orders, what with Yules, the Peach Moon lunacy, and November 13th coming so close to one another, plus with the Thanksgiving holiday a few days away, and I'm in no rush to get my scents. I think have online ordering anxiety right now, though, and want to make sure it didn't get eaten up in the system. Thank you in advance! Any help/advice is appreciated!

A lovely and fitting tribute to a beloved family member . . . In the bottle I get fresh green grass with the faintest hint of florals. Once I put it on, the warm puppy fur aspect begins to come out and mixes beautifully with the grass and flowers. I do find that the grass tries to overpower the other parts of the oil; for about ten minutes, this really sharp and scary celery note came out. I mean, it was SHARP. I actually looked around, wondering why I kept smelling freshly chopped vegetables. Fortunately, it fades back to a soft grass note after the main dry down phase. After that, I'm left with a soft floral with a faint powdery (in a good way) scent. It's a bit like baby powder . . . if they made high end, sophisticated baby powder. It's clean, soft, fuzzy, and cuddly and does a wonderful job of conjuring up memories of playing with a puppy in the garden during a warm, sunny day. Thank you so much to the lab owners for sharing this with us.

Initially, I was scared off by the reviews comparing The Girl to Bath and Body Works' Vanilla Brown Sugar scent. I'm not fond of their fragrances, as their strength often hits the back of my brain like a brick to the head or scorch out my nose and sinus area. After getting a sniff of The Girl, however, I could see why it has such a following. It the bottle, I get vanilla, some kind of light musk, and possibly the florals. Once I'm wearing it, The Girl turns into a lovely vanilla, brown sugar crystal scent, much more subtle and sophisticated than the Bath and Body Work take on that combo. Eventually, the amber comes out, adding a soft "something" to The Girl. I don't smell the florals or the birch, although the birch might be keeping this from turning into a sugar overload scent. I can see why some people say there's something sinister about this -- while it has a sweetish aspect, there is something lurking beneath that keeps it from being sweet and innocent. This is quite pretty and I'm glad I bought a bottle.

The Fruit of Paradise 2009 Oh, this is lovely! In the bottle, I get a whiff of pomegranate -- juicy, dark, and sweetish -- with a background of something crisp and green. Once I put it on, it pretty much stays the same from wet through drydown to dry: dark, juicy pomegranate, with a touch of berries, and fresh, crisp pine needles. It's sweet, but not sugary, teeny-bopper sweet. The pine needle note spooked me at first, but it never overwhelmed the scent, staying pleasantly in the background. It isn't a sharp evergreen nor does it morph into pine scented floor cleanser. Rather, it's like walking through a bunch of pine trees, grabbing a branch, holding the needles an inch from your nose, and gently inhaling the scent. To me, this note lends a chilly aspect to The Fruit of Paradise, keeping the fruit from becoming too warm. I tend to prefer fruit based perfumes so if you are not a fan of fruit, you may or may not like this. I think it will depend solely on what that green/piney note does. Also, the throw on this did fade after an hour, although the scent itself stays on my skin a good twelve hours. I put it on around six o'clock last night after my bath and when I woke up at six this morning, it was still there. I love skin close scents though, so this quick fading throw doesn't bother me. Edited to add: Ooo, odd. I just read some of the other 2009 reviews. I don't think I got spice! Maybe they were what created that sharp pine needle note? Interesting!

Snow White 2009 Oh . . . my . . . :wub: ~Sweet mystery of life at last I've found you!!!~ I can see why this has so many reviews. I'm in love! In the bottle and wet, I get cold, fresh green plants with the faintest hint of vanilla. Maybe some kind of white musk too? I'm not sure, owing to the fact that I'm pretty much a musk idiot. As it dries, this goes from being a wonderful scent to something magical. I get snow, faint green florals, marzipan, fluffy cream, coconut, and vanilla. It's so pretty, light, dainty, and feminine. I wore this while out with friends tonight and this is the first time they've given me compliments on a BPAL oil (they tend to prefer department store perfumes). I think I might have to buy a back up bottle of this scent, as well as the room spray from the Trading Post. I totally agree with the previous reviewer about Snow White smelling like this. There is a movie from the late 90s called Snow White: A Tale of Terror, where they replace the dwarves with miners. At one point, one of them says to the others, "She smells good!" and this is what I imagine she smells like!

I too do not have my digital camera with me, so here's hoping I do an okay job describing the bottles. Snow White 2009: The label is red, with a black silhouette style imp/devil chasing after a young woman while holding a pitchfork. I get the impression that she's running for her life because her skirts are really kicked up and the imp has a nasty smile on his face. The Fruit of Paradise 2009: The label is white. A young girl appears to be eating some kind of fruit while bending over a large box as this cute, little fuzzy devil watches her. I can't tell if the devil is harmless or if he's got some nasty mischief in mind. For some reason, the girl is creeping me out . . . like she knows she's doing wrong and is reveling in that fact. Both labels have a kind of old-timey feel, as though the drawings are from the turn of the century or from the 1910s. Really nice and big kudos to whoever designed them! I like this darker Yuletide aspect! (Edited because my brain farted and took out half my grammar skills with it.)

Got this as a free imp in one of my orders. To me, it starts off as a heavy pine with something sweet in the background (probably the berries so many have mentioned). For some reason, I keep thinking that there may also be juniper in this, but then again my nose may be broken. After about an hour, I also get the vanilla/coconut smell that some others have reported. Maybe it's because the holidays are just around the corner but I keep thinking "Christmas! Pretty decorated trees! Wonderful cookies in the oven! Holiday candles!" whenever I sniff this. Interesting and pretty, although I'm not sure if I'll wear it often. Definitely going into my oil burner though.

I like this scent but man does it ping-pong when I'm having skin chemistry issues! Most of the time, it starts off as a lovely creamy spiced apple scent. I believe one of the previous reviewers said that it smelled like a nice hunk of hot apple pie with a serving of vanilla ice cream on the side and I'm inclined to agree. But then as it dries down, it goes holiday candle. In fact, it vaguely reminds me of the Apple Vanilla candles my mom buys for Christmas. This isn't a bad thing -- I love the way they smell and this scent conjures up all kinds of warm, fuzzy feelings . . . but I don't necessarily want to go around smelling like room fragrance. During a certain *ahem* other time of the month, however, it stays the same wet, throughout drydown, and dry: warm creamy apple with spices. I want to eat my arm off when it's like this. Either way, I love this scent; I'll just have to split its use between the oil burner and me, depending on what my chemistry is doing.

I got this as a free imp from the lab in one of my orders. I should note right now that I have not worn this, so I cannot testify to what it does skin-wise. In the imp, this has a very strong ash odor -- not the ashtray kind, but a woody kind. I found it too strong and it's not something I personally wear. Having said that, I put it in an oil burner and it made the room smell fantastic, like a fragrant burning wood and hay. I've also used it to scent closets that have an "off" odor. So, while it's not something I would wear, I find it pleasant.

Initially, I get dark fruits, chocolate, and that scary acetone note so many have experienced. Fortunately, once it dries down it turns into a lovely fragrance. I get dark fruits, hazelnuts, chocolate, and something sweet. I almost want to say coconut (?!), but it's probably the apple blossoms mixing with the hazelnuts. Definitely a warm, boozy, comforting fruit scent. It makes me think of harvest and Thanksgiving, so this is going to get a lot of play during November. I agree, however, with some of the other reviewers: you could wear this one year round.

A misty, almost luminous perfume: wispy linden blossoms, white flowers, and a touch of sweet herbs. I got this as a free imp in one of my orders. Wet and dry, this is a very light, clean white floral with just the smallest hint of green herbs. I agree with others when they say that it has a light, elusive quality and it's just how you might imagine a unicorn smelling: clean, with the barest traces of meadow hanging in its furs. My grandmother loved unicorns and this makes me think about her, so it is foreseeable that a bottle may end up in a future order. Edited to add description

This is my holy grail scent. I love it and it's what made me order from BPAL in the first place. In the bottle, wet, and dry it smells the same -- a very sharp white tea with ginger and lemon. It's biting, crisp, clean, and perfect for work or conservative type situations. I find that any major throw lasts only about thirty minutes and then it stays very close to my skin after that. I have no problems with this as I tend to be very light handed when applying fragrance (as in one to two drops, tops), so if you prefer a stronger throw, you'll have to reapply. It's great during warmer weather but I find that it works as a great pick me up anytime of the year.

The ghostly White Women of the Scottish highlands. They seduce unwary travelers by night with their unearthly beauty and mesmerizing dancing. They engage their victims in a wild, hypnotic dance, and once they reach exhaustion, the demonesses exsanguinate their partners with their vampiric kiss. Talk about a quick courtship. Grapefruit, white tea, apple blossom and ginger. I initially received this as a free imp from the lab during one of the West Coast will calls. After smelling it, I had to order a bottle. Wet, it has a wonderfully tangy grapefruit scent. I can't really smell the tea or ginger, although I suspect one or both lend the citrus some of its bite. It dries down to a lovely crisp citrus and then the apple blossoms come out, turning it into a sweet but clean fragrance. I have no idea why but I find it very comforting, especially when it hits the apple blossom part. At the same time, the scent strikes me as sophisticated and cool. I would feel very comfortable wearing this in an office or any conservative environment. This and Kumiho have become my holy grail scents. Thank you to the lab staff for tossing this into my bag! I wouldn't have tried it otherwise. Edited to add description

On me, Feeding Dead starts off very foody. In the bottle and upon initial application to my skin, the oil smells like pound cake. As it dries down, however, the beer note begins to emerge. It isn't strong and steers well away from "beer pong game gone horribly, horribly wrong" territory. Plus, this "hoppiness" cuts down on the sugary sweetness of the cake. Finally, the incense note comes out, lending a sweetish, light smoky, non-foody aspect to the oil. Verdict: A surprise hit! I would classify this as an adult foody scent -- grown up and not too sugary sweet. It seems very comforting to me, although Mister likes to refer to it as the "super-sexy-beer-cake" perfume, so whether it's a security blanket type scent or a seductive one may really depend on the sniffer.

Reviewing the 2009 version . . . Hmmm . . . Interesting! On me, Dia de los Muertos is a heavy jasmine-like scent for the first hour to hour and a half. I suspect that this would be the cactus flower note? It's not unpleasant, but not quite what I expected and I have to apply with a very light hand (one drop per arm) or else I get that urine note someone else mentioned. After that sixty/ninety minute mark, however, the oil morphs into a complex mixture of chocolate, sugar, baked goods, incense, and florals. If you were to ask me how to categorize this scent (floral, foody, etc), I wouldn't know how to answer because it's a really lovely mix of all of these. Verdict: I'm not too keen on the way this scent initially plays out, but the final result is well worth the wait. I'm hoping that a little aging will help cut down on the time it spends as a single note jasmine.