OctoberGwen

Depraved is disturbing: something about the bitterness of the black patchouli fighting with the sickly sweet, overripe fruit smell just puts me right off. It's just not me. After scrubbing with soap, I could still smell it on my wrists for quite some time...that faint, it was a bit more bearable but really this one just makes me think "ugh."

Hoo boy, do I love Voodoo. I've been wearing this aged version since last night, when it immediately shot to the top of my Top Five list - right next to Hell's Belle. I've never smelled anything like this. I don't find it particularly feminine, but it's not a masculine scent, either. (I dislike anything which smacks of men's cologne on me.) It also contains notes that I don't often feel drawn to: patchouli, pine, vanilla; but somehow Voodoo is much more than the sum of its parts. It is complex, deep, unique, and very magical. Definitely big bottle worthy for me. ETA: 4/7/12 There are BPALs that I love and hold onto as experiences rather than perfumes, and Voodoo is one of those. While not my personal style to wear, it evokes the concept so well that I keep it almost strictly for that reason (although I like how it smells very much, too.) It also happens to belong in the group of scents that make up my very first BPALs ever tried, along with Black Forest, Samhain, House of Night, Hexennacht, and Hell's Belle - all blends that will forever remain huge sentimental favorites for me.

I love House of Night; for me it conjures up an abandoned farmhouse, surrounded by wildflowers and full of ghosts. Starts sharp green, deepens into dark florals, and finally softens into a woodsy scent haunted by faint floral memories. Beautiful, evocative, elusive. In my Top Five.

When I put this on it smelled just like rain (which I love the smell of outdoors, but not at all on my wrist.) Just a very aquatic scent that didn't change much at all. I can detect a vague floral smell but mainly it's just watery. Not my cup of tea. I should probably note that this is a well aged version - 2007 or earlier, so perhaps it simply hasn't aged well.

(I am reviewing an aged imp of this - 2007 or earlier.) When this is wet I get crisp apples, and then it dries into a misty, complex scent. The apple is still there but blends nicely with the other notes - not too sweet, not too sharp overall. It really does smell exactly like the description of it: sitting in the back corner of a magical garden at twilight, next to the apple tree. Beautiful.

(I'm reviewing an aged imp of this: 2007 or earlier.) This starts off as pure pine trees on me, and then after a minute it smells like cold air. No menthol, but I swear my skin felt cooler and when I inhaled I was standing in a pine forest in the cold. Incredible. This dries into a beautiful musky-with-a-hint-of-cedar smell, but those cold trees are still in the background. What a magical, evocative scent. I didn't actually think I would want to wear this but it smells gorgeous on me. WOW. Later: I really, really love the drydown phase of this, but the initial cold blast of pine is too much when applied to my cleavage. Great for evoking a mood, not so great for wearing. I'll have to try and find some scents with those drydown notes for sure!

A brilliant, ethereal scent: white musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss. I like florals with complexity and this one has it in spades. It's a really lovely, well blended scent that I would easily wear all Summer long. ETA: A year later, I've just tried Fae again and I decided to revisit my initial review, which in hindsight was both uninteresting and inaccurate. This scent is mostly white musk and peach, with a bit of zing from the bergamot and a touch of brightness from the heliotrope. The oakmoss is like a fuzzy background note to my nose, one that I dislike in most scents. The smell of oakmoss almost wants to get stuck in my throat. Fae has a sentimental place in my heart as one of the earliest BPALs I tried, but it's not really something I reach for or even like on me very much.

I'm using an aged version of this (no later than 2007) and it is diviiiine. I actually like it better on me than Snake Oil, I think. The cocoa and rice milk give it a rounder, softer edge which is perfect with the exotic spicy/resiny smell. The cocoa dusting pretty much stays put, but it does get a little more subtle as this dries down. Love, love this. I'll be wearing it constantly come Winter, I'll bet. It's delicious! The Carnaval is going dark, so I would advise anyone who doesn't have this one yet to grab it. It ages really, really well. ETA: 2/13/12 Just checking back in to say that yes, my eyes still roll to the back of my head when I smell this. I now have three bottles - my only multi-bottle scent. Boomslang is fantastic. ETA: 4/24/12 I wanted to note that Boomslang is one of only three scents that I can wear during Shark Week, and in fact it almost smells better at that time. I worship this oil, it's the best of the Snake Pit scents, and I will hoard many bottles when the Carnaval returns.

This is obviously a well-aged bottle! Uncapped, I smell rich and spicy gingerbread. Yum. When first applied and wet it turns into buttery pumpkin pie and gingerbread. Delicious. As it dried further, it conjured walking through a pumpkin patch at midnight...sadly, it then very quickly morphed to a single spicy note and faded completely. After about an hour I had to press my nose to wrist to catch a faint whiff of pumpkin pie. After two hours it was long gone. Sadly, Pumpkin Queen doesn't seem to work well on me. ETA 11/22/11 I tried layering it with Snake Oil last night and what a disaster. UGH! It smells awful on me, and the SO simply gave it mega staying power...I couldn't even smell my beloved SO. I really don't like the Queen at all, and she hates me. Love the little bottle, though.

I obtained an aged version of this (no later than 2007.) I like florals but this didn't work for me at all. It's sickly-sweet with a bitter undertone, a very cloying scent that I just couldn't stand to keep on my wrist for too long. It was very hard to wash off, too. A pity, because I visited the city of New Orleans once and was entranced by it.

This is the 2006 version. I don't smell apple or pumpkin at all, just a smoky/woodsy Autumn scent. The patchouli was more evident when I put it on but it mellowed as the oil dried. I love this and have never smelled anything like it. Tonight it's raining outside and this scent is perfect for the damp and chill. I will definitely be wearing it in the Fall. Edited 1/25/12 I appreciate Samhain 2006 even more now than I did seven months ago when I was first starting out on my BPAL journey. This is the quintessential smell of Fall for me: deeply magical, earthy, smoky, and evocative. I adore it.

I am a very recent BPAL convert, and OMG do I love this scent! I smell delicious; sweet but not too sweet, creamy, luscious, slightly spicy, rich, and sensuous. My first BPAL experience is everything I hoped it would be and I can't imagine ever going back to flat commercial perfumes. Hell's Belle is floral, but in the most lush and complex way possible. I would wear this every day. ETA: I should probably add that I'm wearing an aged version. I sure hope the current one smells the same, because I want a BIG bottle of this.