OctoberGwen

I had the same experience with the Carnavale Diabolique last year, which left town just a few short months after I'd found BPAL. I know exactly how you feel!

That's too bad. I don't care for Cloister Graveyard on my skin (and I thought I might not), but I love the painting so much and the scent embodies it so perfectly that I'm not too bummed out. (Plus, Great Cry In Egypt is really lovely to wear. I was fortunate that I could afford two.) There are more I wish I could try, but I don't think I'll be gambling on any more bottles before they're gone.

Looks like I've neglected to mention the Salons I've tried: Sunrise With Sea Monsters. Ocean mist, kelp, ambergris, amber, white pear, osmanthus, freesia, and seafoam accord. I agree that this isn't a terribly aquatic aquatic, but the salt water/ocean air is definitely present. The amber probably grounds it. I don't play well with pear, but for those who do this would be a lovely choice. Kiyohime Changes From a Serpent. Salty ocean spray, red kelp, black plum, lychee, sea moss, green musk, hachiya, plum blossom, and matcha. The aquatics are much more present in this one, with a whisper of plum. Alas, aquatics and plum are both no-go's for me. Love and Pain. Lavender, Balkan tobacco, black musk, dark vanilla, and golden copaifera. I wish I'd held on to this one; I would appreciate it so much more now. I recall it as a smooth, somewhat dark blend with the lavender very much present. Arrival At The Sabbath and Homage To The Devil. Bourbon vanilla, benzoin, caramel, Mysore sandalwood, aged black patchouli, carnation, and iris florentina. Caramel is simply too much for me as it immediately amps into nauseating sweetness on my skin. Any sweet foodie fans will drool over this one, though. (Just a note: these were all included in the haul I inherited from a fellow forumite on Aeclectic Tarot. I was a newbie, therefore, and I'm pretty sure the only one out of these that I'd choose for myself today would be Love and Pain.)

wickedgoddess just stated in the NE Will Call thread that the retail exclusive Salons are NOT being discontinued. Yay!

I really want to try Schlafende Baigneuse and Carceri D'Invenzione.

Well, I've ordered my bottles of There Was A Great Cry In Egypt and Cloister Graveyard In the Snow. Farewell, Salon.

I love Banshee Beat when it's hot. Another good one is Golden Wave, when I'm in a fruity-tropical mood.

This is pretty and does have a clean, slightly soapy quality. I don't know what magic Beth has worked here but both Fraggle scents I tried really do smell like...well, Fraggles. There's a childlike, fun quality to these scents that is delightful, but just not my style at all.

I love Beth's take on Autumn, and this fits wonderfully into that category along with Samhain, Samhainophobia, Elegy IX, and several others. I do have to be in the right mood to appreciate these scents; they are not for everyday wear. I, too get a bit of a vetiver vibe from Phoenix in Autumn - it's very sharp and woodsy and has ridiculous amounts of throw. Also, I adore the label.

Tattered Lace. The only Lace besides Red that I truly love. Growing up, my mother used to take me to flea markets, antique shops, and places like Old Sturbridge Village and Strawberry Banke all the time. She has always loved old things, and for some reason the smell of Tattered Lace evokes all those memories for me. It's not that it smells musty or fusty at all - in fact, it's quite fresh - but it definitely brings to mind a beautiful old steamer trunk filled with impeccably preserved linens. Definitely a sepia toned scent, but clean. A really interesting thing about the oil is that I can smell different components on different parts of my body. My wrists are all dark vanilla and the scent wafting up from my cleavage is definitely tea with a hint of cognac. I'm surprised (and happy) that the frankincense isn't clobbering everything else at all - it blends very nicely here. In the scent locket I get a hint of it, along with the coconut bark, the tea, and the vanilla. Yesterday I wore it on my body AND in the locket, and enjoyed all the different aspects of it. I think this will be a great scent for summer, as a departure from the tropical fruity/fizzy scents that I usually reach for when the weather is sweltering. It's true that it doesn't last as long on my skin as I would like, but it's certainly not an instant vanisher and it's great in the locket, too. Tattered Lace is a keeper for me, definitely, for all sorts of reasons.

I bought a bottle from the BPAL etsy shop and I'm very glad I did! I love the Lab's lemony notes, and lemongrass or lemon verbena is what's predominant here on me. (It's not juicy enough for pure lemon or even lemon peel, to my nose.) I also get a subtle creaminess and a hint of coconut on the far drydown. I definitely smell coconut in the bottle, and I'm hoping it will emerge more on my skin with age. Love this. A beautiful summer scent for me.

This starts off quite well on me: I don't normally care for the sharp quality of ozone, but here it lends just the right amount of crispness to the wet stage to make me think Juniper Hairstreak would be delightful on sweltering August days. Unfortunately, as it dries the cucumber and brown musk take over to create a strong melon smell that just does not agree with me. I'm glad I tried it, though. Edited to change "brown muck" to "brown musk". A Freudian slip?

The first time I tried this, I thought it was too perfumey - it really isn't, though. It's an intriguing combination of heavy woods, sweet vanilla orchid, and a hint of muskiness. The patch and tobacco must be grounding it. White Peacock stays just on this side of masculine, which is good for me as I dislike smelling like a man. I like it, and will use my imp. Fades to faintness fairly quickly, which is a shame, but it doesn't disappear completely. It just turns into a close-to-the-skin scent.

Well, dang. I really thought I'd love this because ginger and most BPAL vanillas and creams are all win for me. I'm starting to think that fig is not, though, and something about the fizziness here isn't working with the creaminess on me. I haz a sad.

Now THIS I need a bottle of. I might get two. Ruddy Daggerwing starts off very strong on the cacao and coffee, which I love. After a bit they both dial down quite a lot, which was initially a disappointment...but then I kept getting the most provocative whiffs of scent from my wrists. I can't really describe it except to say that it's slightly spicy, significantly gorgeous, and has a familiar quality. It's not tobacco-y per se, but I'm finding that tobacco lends a certain something to scents that I usually very much enjoy. I really love this. The Metamorphosis is quickly becoming a favorite update for me. ETA: I finally realized what the far drydown of this reminds me of: Playful Wooden Mallets! Which makes no sense at all, as they share no notes. Weird. EATA: I really wish this remained in the wet stage for me, with its gorgeous spiced coffee/chocolate scent. Alas, the drydown is very different, and while still nice, it's not distinctive enough on me to warrant a bottle after all.

Mmmmmm...I can't believe I like this so much, what with the Spanish moss and the jasmine. I detect the orange and some well-behaved jasmine; a bit of woodiness, and a subtle mossy quality. It's very nice and I will definitely use up my decant.

I love this. I get primarily lemon and red currant grounded with white musk. There's a hint of Other Things in the background, but I detect no coriander, anise, or (thank God) cilantro per se. It has a beautiful depth to it. I will definitely use up my imp this summer. ETA: Later, this took on a strange quality in the far drydown: not plasticky exactly, but close. EATA: This is another Metamorphosis that I wish remained in the wet stage one me. I adore the iced lemon peel, red currant, and hint of white musk that I get initially, but when the other elements come out later it turns into something I dislike on my skin.

Aaaaaah. Since The Witching Hour is one of my favorite books, I just had to incorporate Invidiana's comparison here. With the rich tapestry that BPAL affords us, it's easy to forget how beautiful a pared-down fragrance can be. Great Vampire Bat is simply gorgeous: exotic, lush orchids and sweet smoky incense. It is, indeed, like sitting on the Mayfairs' porch on a hot, humid night. I like Usagi's jungle temple comparison, too. The drydown is all close to the skin sweet incense. A classic, subtle, sexy fragrance. (Thank you, fairy and fairy broker!! xoxo)

I love this. It's so unique and lovely and...private. When first spritzed, I get a lot of smokiness. After a few minutes it's all beeswax and honey, and mystery. To me, this is strictly a bedroom scent. It really does evoke a shadowed boudoir lit only with flickering candles and smelling of secrets. Beautiful. Big bottle for sure.

This is BEE YOU TEE FUL. I'll echo Herb Girl: I definitely smell the patchouli (I am also a fan), but amber is the star here. What a yummy combo, and this will go nicely with most of the scents I like to wear. Giant win. Thank God this is part of the catalogue - thank you, Puddin'!

Oh, this is beautiful. I'm not usually a honey fan (and sugar regularly turns to "bleargh!" when it hits my skin) - but wow, this bath oil just smells so soft, sweet, and feminine. Nectar, indeed. Like Poenari, I like my perfume to compliment the bath oil, though, so I may need to save this for nighttime bathing. I can't think of anything I have that would go nicely with this. Very glad I got the decant, but probably no bottles for me.

I'm really happy to have this, and I love the label! Thank you so much, fairy and fairy-broker. In the bottle, I get a ton of cocoa but on my skin it isn't showing up at all. I'm hoping this changes over time. I'm also not certain about the sarsaparilla - something about the far drydown says "incense" to my nose, but I'm not sure what that is. It's very woody, also, and there's an almost peppery quality to the woodiness. Oddly, the patchouli is not announcing itself, it's playing hide and seek. A very interesting scent, indeed. I'm keen to see what happens with a bit of age.

Daisies and dirt with a hint of orange marmalade, dry leaves, and crunchy old sticks. Me no likey. I only get dirt and grass, which smells great outdoors but in my house...not so much. That's okay, right? More for you!

I adore this and I also get the Samhain vibe. Elegy IX is a less intense version of Samhain; it's Autumn without the deep old world magic of Hallowe'en. I get no apple here, nothing fruity at all, in fact. This is all Autumn woods and leaves with a touch of woodsmoke in the distance on the far drydown. Beautiful. Thank you, Beth! Nobody does Autumn scents like you.

Playful Wooden Mallets proves that even if you think you hate every note in a scent, when it's BPAL you should probably try it anyway. This is gorgeous, and sort of genius in its simplicity. The black musk is smoooooooth and sexy, with just that hint of lemon in the wet stage. The cinnamon is the same dry, spicy cinnamon bark from my beloved Kypria atmosphere spray. Like crumbly dough - yes! That's a perfect description. It's like the texture of butter and sugar when you blend them with a pastry cutter. Hours later, there's just a trace of exotic-bazaar spice on my skin. Fabulous. It also works very well with my Snake Oil hair gloss and bath oil. Big bonus. I bought two bottles. I hope it's enough. I'm sure this will age really, really well.