Alethia

Thoughts before testing: I love cranberry, pink musk, and pink pepper, but red currant very rarely works for me. This should be interesting!

Wet: Heavy on the pink musk and pepper, and only the slightest hints of cranberry or currant. This is actually really pretty at this stage.

Dry down: Oof. The currant comes to the forefront now and has magically morphed into Pez candies on my wrist. This is sickly sweet and making me a slightly sick to my stomach.

Dry: The sickly sweetness has amplified, and I had to wash it off after less than an hour on my skin.

Final thoughts: This will be the last blend with red currants that I try. I'm not sure what's wrong with my skin chemistry that turns currants so sickeningly sweet, but c'est la vie I suppose.

Verdict: Off to the sales!

Thoughts before testing: White musk never works on me, and the mint is worrisome. But banana is such a rare note that I had to try this!

Wet: STRONG on the white musk but thankfully it doesn't turn into the baby wipes of doom on my skin. I'm definitely smelling the banana and pineapple. Just the tiniest hint of mint and it's really more of a bracing afterthought than the "HALLO THEY CALL ME MINT!" scent of the Lick Its.

Dry down: After about 10 minutes, the white musk and hint of mint are both absolutely gone. The banana and pineapple are doing a little dance and sending off a very tropical vibe. I'm getting the slightest whiff of the orange blossom honey, but it's definitely taking a backseat to the banana and pineapple show.

Dry: It mellows out into a kind of generic tropical smell. Nice, but not really what I'm looking for.

Final thoughts: This was so much fun to test! I have discovered that I definitely don't want to smell like bananas, and the dry stage was disappointing, but I'm so glad that I was able to try this one. If you're into tropical scents, give Wembley a whirl.

Verdict: I'm keeping the imp, but won't need a bottle.

Thoughts before testing: I love lilac! Every note in this blend is a win for me, so my hopes are high!

Wet: Very powdery and only a hint of lilac. It's not unpleasant, but definitely not me.

Dry down: The lilac makes an appearance at this stage, but it's not a fresh lilac. It smells more like lilac powder. This is very pretty, but again it's not me.

Dry: Powdered lilac is all I'm getting from this. Darn.

Final thoughts: This is disappointing! If you're into powdery florals, definitely give Mokey a try.

Verdict: Off to the sales!

Thoughts before testing: I mourned the loss of Cottonmouth with it's unparalleled linden blossom note, and so any blend that note is an automatic try for me. I'm a little worried by the soap suds note, but I'm hoping for a win with Boober!

Wet: This opens with a beautiful blast of linden blossom and only a slight tinge of "clean" smell that's not overtly soapy.

Dry down: Not much change from the wet stage, only maybe a little more balanced. This is really pretty actually. Not astringent at all, and perfect for the 100 degree weather here.

Dry: The linden blossom starts to recede a little and Boober becomes a nice clean scent with a floral background.

Final thoughts: This is a really pretty scent. The linden blossom is stunning and the soap suds aren't sharp and piercing. I really like this overall and would definitely recommend it for someone who is young or just starting to appreciate perfume. I'll be keeping my imp for the disgustingly hot weather my area is having here, but I don't think I need a bottle.

Verdict: Keeper, but not bottle worthy.

Edited for spelling

Thoughts before testing: I'm really, really hoping this works for me! I love tangerines to death and I would love to have a BPAL tangerine

Wet: This smells exactly like Lemon Scented Sticky Bat on me Like, pure lemon sugar rush.

Dry down: Still smelling like LSSB.

Dry: No change, still nothing but pure lemon sugar.

Final thoughts: I'm disappointed in the lack of tangerine or grapefruit that I smell and since this smells exactly like Lemon Scented Sticky Bat on my skin, I won't be hanging onto Gobo. It's very pretty, and very scrumptious, just not what I was hoping for.

Verdict: Off to the sales!

Chiming in with support for both Josie and Crib Girls. So beautiful!

I'm going to have to add in a vote for Variety of Pleasing Amusements. That leather note slays me!

Definitely seconding Thalia!

Thoughts before testing: I am terrified of this blend. Every leather that I've tried so far has turned weirdly sour on my skin. Even though this has honey (one of my forever win notes), my hopes are not high for this one.

Wet: Sweet, smokey honey and a hint of smooth soft leather with just a breath of tobacco. The leather hasn't turned on me yet, and this is surprisingly amazing.

Dry down: The honey has developed even more (the sweetness and smokiness has increased and deepened); the tobacco is sweet and the leather is gorgeous. I'm so surprised by this!

Dry: Overall, this is smoky, sweet, and a little dark. The leather here is smooth and gorgeous (and still hasn't turned sour on my skin). The tobacco isn't ashy at all, just beautifully slightly sweet, and the honey is excellent.

Final thoughts: This lasted forever on my skin (like we're talking 7+ hours now) and the throw was decent. I think that this will age marvelously and I'm so happy to have finally found a leather blend that works on my skin!

Verdict: There will be at least 1 bottle of this in my next Lab order!

For me, the must-haves are

Blossoms in Springtime: I get a very Glowing Vulva-esque vibe from it without the teak that wrecked GV for me. I'm seriously considering hoarding this one.

Playful Wooden Mallets: the black musk is quite lemony at this point, but I'm thinking that this one will age beautifully.

Lady in Speckled Pink Kimono: this is a really simple blend (peony and vanilla orchid) but it's absolutely divine.

The Vine: I'm not a foody lover, but this is just so pretty! The pear is warm and sweet and it totally makes up for the fact that I missed out on The Perilous Parlor.

Disclaimer: I've yet to meet a floral perfume I didn't like, so that definitely colors my recommendations!

Thoughts before testing: Carnation is one of my most favorite notes ever, and so I just had to try Hod.

Wet: Pure spicy carnation! I'm in heaven!

Dry down: I get a hint of greenery, but it's still all carnation all the time in the best way possible.

Dry: The carnation becomes backed by something a little creamy. I'm shocked at how much I'm in love with this.

Final thoughts: Hod lasts all day, all night, and well into the next morning on me, which is so rare for any perfume. It sticks close to my skin (which I much prefer) and is simply beautiful. The amount of love I feel for this blend is a little crazy. I love it alone, but I also adore it layered over Dorian.

Verdict: This will be the first BPAL that I try to find back ups of. Yeah, it's serious

Thoughts before testing: Usually oils with more than 5 notes turn into a jumbled mess on my skin, so my hopes are not real high for this one.

Wet: Really pretty floral with a hint of sweetness and depth. I can't pick out individual notes, but it's really nice.

Dry down: Wow. This is a fruity, floral symphony on my skin. So pretty!

Dry: When completely dry, something a little bitter comes out. Maybe the opium?

Final thoughts: I really loved the wet and dry down stages of this one, but the bitter at the end has me a little concerned. I think this one needs more testing and maybe a little aging.

Verdict: Keeping for now.

Thoughts before testing: This blend should be total win on me because I adore each of the notes listed!

Wet: Beautiful blast of rose and lilac, but not soapy at all. Just pure beautiful florals.

Dry down: The rose and lilac are being sweetened by the honey, keeping it from going soapy. I can smell just the barest breath of rice flower and peony in the background. Loving this!

Dry: By one hour after application, the perfume is completely gone from my skin. I can't smell anything!

Final thoughts: I really really loved the way this smelled, but it disappeared so fast! I might need a scent locket for this one, because it's just too pretty to pass on.

Verdict: I'm going to try a few things to see if I can get it to last longer on my skin because the scent is a win for me.

Thoughts before testing: I have no idea what to expect with this blend at all!

Wet: Extremely strong musk. I get no booze or sugar, just all musk all the time.

Dry down: I smell like the local headshop.

Dry: Still a headshop.

Final thoughts: It's a very distinctive smell, but very much not me.

Verdict: My bottle goes off to the sales!

Thoughts before testing: I'm not a huge foody fan, and so I was a little apprehensive about this one.

Wet: Equal parts strong sweet pear, honey, and creamy vanilla. It's very foody at this stage, but so freaking pretty!

Dry down: The honey and cream are at the forefront now and the pear is providing a nice balance. I'm really loving this!

Dry: Five hours later (this one got a full day wear test) and it's still going strong! Mostly I get honey and vanilla cream with only hints of pear, but that's ok by me because this is beautiful.

Final thoughts: I'm really glad I took a chance on this.

Verdict: Definitely a keeper!

Thoughts: I was a little hesitant to try Dorian as the "three pale musks" make me think of white musk, which always turns to baby wipes on my skin.

Wet: Beautiful, beautiful sugar and vanilla with only a hint of tea. I'm swooning over here!

Dry down: The tea has mostly disappeared, and I get no lemon, but the sugar and vanilla here is amazing, grown up, and sexy.

Dry: Sugar and vanilla. Loving this! The sugar doesn't have the burnt note I get from any of the Sugar Skulls and is pitch perfect.

Final thoughts: I wore Dorian for an entire work day last week, and not only was there a good amount of throw (which for me is small-medium) but it lasted throughout the entire workday and when I woke up in the morning I could still smell it on my skin.

Verdict: I'll be including a bottle of this in my next order, and maybe a second one to age.

Thoughts before testing: Hermia has been on my "to try" list since I joined the forum in June. I finally put an order in, but before it got to me I discovered the honeysuckle goes bad on my skin. I love the rest of the notes though so we'll see how this goes.

Wet: A blast of amber and pepper; this is an interesting combination because the pepper keeps the amber from becoming powdery and gives it a nice kick.

Dry down: The passion flower comes out to play, and it's beautiful. The pepper is keeping the rest of the notes in check, and the honeysuckle has yet to make an appearance. I'm really liking this!

Dry: This is such a beautiful blend. It's deep and a little spicy and only lightly floral.

Final thoughts: Hermia is one of the few scents I've tried recently to get a full day wear. The throw is slight (which I prefer, as I live in fear of my perfume announcing me!) and lasts throughout an entire workday (around seven hours). This might be one of my new favorites, and I see a bottle purchase in my future.

Verdict: Keeper, possible bottle.

November 12, 2011

Thoughts before testing: I tend to do best with simple blends (less than 5 notes), and I'm crazy about each of the notes listed here, so my hopes are high! I blind bottled this one and am really hoping it works.

Wet: Strong orange blossom and honey with just a breath of sandalwood to ground it. It's not overwhelmingly sweet, and not too floral. This is quite lovely!

Dry down: Still heavier on the orange blossom and honey but the sandalwood is coming more to the forefront. This is really beautiful.

Dry: It goes through a prolonged powdery stage, but by the end of the day it's become this beautiful rich sandalwood.

Final thoughts: I really love the wet, dry down, and very tail end of the dry stages, but that 2+ hours of powder makes me indecisive. I'll keep the bottle to let it age, and retest in 2 months to see if that changes anything.

Edited to add: Aging fixed the powder issue, but Jezebel isn't distinctive enough to earn a place in my heavily curated BPAL box.

Edited May 13, 2017 again to add: Despite thinking Jezebel was a hard pass, I never sold my bottle. Then yesterday, when I was deciding what to wear, it caught my eye. Let's see if nearly 6 years of aging and my ever-evolving perfume tastes have made a difference in how I view this one.

Thoughts before testing: I didn't read my old review or look at the notes before trying it on, and the only thing I remember about Jezebel was honey, orange blossom, and sandalwood. I don't remember why I don't wear it.

Wet: Yowza! What a beautiful, rich honey and juicy rose! I don't remember roses being in this? No trace of the orange blossom, but that's ok because this is beautiful.

Dry down: Strong blast of sandalwood to compliment the honeyed rose. The sandalwood is really pretty here. Ever since my miscarriage, I've been having a problem with rose amping to high heaven (I'm thinking a lingering effect of the pregnancy hormones?) but the honey is really reigning it in. Crimson Peak's The Waltz, for reference, was nothing but sharp and powdery rose, so I'm really glad to see that it's in check here.

Dry: At the very tail end of wearing (6.5 hours later), the sandalwood turns slightly powdery, but for the vast majority of the day, this was a really beautiful dance of sandalwood, honey, and rose.

Final thoughts: I'm sad that the orange blossom never made an appearance. I'm not sure if that's a note that ages out like citrus or maybe my body chemistry is different? Either way, it's really lovely and even the husband approved. Thanks for hanging on to this, past Alethia! Jezebel is going back into my regular rotation.

Thoughts before testing: I'm quite excited for this. I like skin musk and myrrh, and ylang ylang is a good note as well.

Wet: Floral honey. Not getting any myrrh from this. It's nice, but a little generic.

Dry down: It went a little astringent on my skin and is making me sneeze.

Dry: Damnations. It's pure powder on my skin while still managing to be astringent.

Final thoughts: Sale!

For Snow White's evil queen, I'd say Peacock Queen due to this

I don't know if you can see it clearly enough, but it's a peacock throne.

Edited for general ignorance of how to post a picture. Argh.

Thoughts before testing: I read the reviews, and clove is one of my all time favorite notes so when I had the chance to try this I jumped!

Wet: Very warm and spicy. I'm definitely picking up sandalwood and a little cinnamon, but mostly clove

Dry down: This morphed into a clove single note on my skin. It's a drier clove (not sweet like in March Hare).

Dry: Still SN clove for me. This is pure love.

Verdict: Hoarding.

Thoughts before testing: This was a frimp in a recent order. I would have never picked it out for myself because it has my archnemesis Jasmine. I'm apprehensive but I'm trying to skin test everything that comes my way so I can expand my BPAL horizons just a tad.

Wet: This is a sweet floral vanilla, and it is lovely. No sign of the jasmine (which I'm ok with!) and cinnamon (which I'd like to see).

Dry down: The jasmine is still not making an appearance, and the vanilla has faded slightly. But I think I can smell a little cinnamon because it's changed from a sweet floral to a more spicy floral. Loving this so far.

Dry: Beautiful spicy floral, but not in a "leave welts on your skin" kind of spicy. Love this.

Final thoughts: I'm so glad that the jasmine was nowhere to be seen, and I quite like this blend!

Verdict: I'll have to skin test a few more times, but I'm thinking that this is a bottle purchase.

Thoughts before testing: I have heard about this scent since I joined the forum, and when I saw an imp up for grabs, I jumped. I'm actually kind of hoping that I don't like it simply because it's kind of hard to find.

Wet: Incense and vanilla, slight hint of cognac. Wow. I'm not usually a huge incense fan, but this is really pretty.

Dry down: The incense fades a little, and the vanilla sweetens up with a little more cognac. I'm really quite liking this!

Dry: The incense comes back out to play and so does the tobacco, tempering out the sweetness of the vanilla.

Final thoughts: The lasting power and throw on this are quite amazing. A drop is *almost* too much, which is excellent because my decant will last longer, prolonging the inevitable search for this beautiful scent.

Verdict: Hoarding.

Thoughts before testing: I love each of the notes listed here, so I'm expecting a big win with Gypsy.

Wet: Oh my god, this is RANK on my skin. It smells like pure unadulterated body odor.

Dry down: Still pure nastiness.

I couldn't do a thorough testing because the stench was overwhelming and had to be washed off.

Verdict: Sales!

Thoughts before testing: I love all of the notes listed here except for orris, which I'm not sure what it is.

Wet: Big beautiful gardenia and just a hint of lavender. Lovely!

Dry down: Wait, where did my florals go? And where is this soap coming from?!

Dry: Blast. Soap.

Verdict: Sales!