Neely

In the bottle: spicey amber.

 

Wet: cinnamony amber goodnes.

 

Dry down: waiting with baited breath to see if the amber goes powder or the cinnamon beats me up and takes my wallet. Nope, this is very nice. I am liking this very much.

 

30 minutes: spicey amber (less obvious cinnamon spice, but still spicey) with something citrusey and grassey joining the party. Also something almost minty. None of the scents vies for attention. It reminds me of a very polite group of well bred, well dressed Victorian ladies all having a polite tea together. Not like some BPAL's and my chemistry that have been like a ladies wrestling match in mud in the French Quarter.

 

Conclusion: I like this very much. This is the first BPAL scent where I see colors in my minds eye. This is reds, and golds like a lion in a sunset in the long grass. Very lovely. I think we have another big bottle purchase from the Tea Party collection.

 

Rating on my skin, this is a 4.5.

Thanks to Kourika for letting me keep her imp just to review. Hugs and snogs to you girl! Unfortunately, I have to return it, and I loves me teh Velvet, hehe.

 

In the bottle: milk chocolatey goodness, very much like Bliss.

 

Wet: milk chocolatey goodness with a hint of something woodsy underneath.

 

Dry down: woodsy chocolately goodness. Less chocolate, more wood, but very very sexah!

 

30 minutes: doesn't change much, which is fine by me. Woodsy with a background of milk chocolate.

 

Conclusion: when I say chocolate, I mean mouth watering chocolate, but still not foody. This is a very sophisticated blend. A real treat, and so unusual. Chocolate with wood. But not like a pencil box with chocolate poured on top, or stuffed with chockies instead of pencils. This is such an odd mix, one I would never have thought of, and Beth and those labby geniuses took and made a fantastic blend. I love the "strange and unusal, as I myself am strange and unusual."

 

Rating on my skin, this is a 5.

frimp luvn'

 

In the bottle: hmm, smells like a softer, sweeter, less bitter Black Forest. Ohh, mama like!

 

Wet: WOWIE ZOWIE, can you say "Wintergreen?" I knew that you could. Like gum or those pink candies.

 

Dry down: the WINTERGREEN, calmed down to just minty. Making this a fresh clean pine with just a hint of sweetness. This is really lovely.

 

30 minutes: woody, sweet, fresh. Still sweet, but not too. Great throw and staying power.

 

Conclusion: OMFG!!! I need a bottle of this stat! This is what I hoped Black Forest would be. It isn't pinesol pine, this is a well blended, "fem" rather than "guy" pine on me. I love masculine scents on me and I expected this to do that. I kept getting whiffs of something lovely while making and eating dinner, only to realize, it was me! I am so glad this is a catalogue scent, because it is going to be a top 10 fav for me.

 

Rating on my skin this is a 5+.

This is a frimp I got from a fellow formulite, so I have no idea if this is the revised version offered in the catalogue. Also, I was sure I had reviewed this already, but guess not.

 

In the bottle: chocolatey tobacco. Rich, dark, almost edible, and just plain yummy.

 

Wet: chocolately tobacco and male sweat? Whoa, I know this is supposed to represent a boys club, but really, this smells like a musty boy's gym locker. Oh MY!

 

Dry down: musty boy's gym locker with tobacco and something musty like books?

 

30 minutes: the musty boy's gym locker finally went away and I got sweet rich tobacco. Smelled like Herr D in this stage.

 

Conclusion: I would like this very much if it didn't have that locker room smell, and the final stage just doesn't warrent me wearing it until it does. Not one of my favs, which is a shame, I really wanted a nice tobacco leather scent. The search continues.

 

Rating on my skin this is a 3.

In the bottle: I smell, pineapple??? Wth? I don't get berries, I get pineapple. Hmm.

 

Wet: sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet, SWEEEEEEET!!!!! Did I mention sweet? My skin tends to bump up sweet a notch, you know BAM! The question is, will it calm down again, and if it does will it smell like hard candy, or old lady? Inquireing noses want to know.

 

Dry down: candied pineapple. There I go with the pineapple again.

 

30 minutes: sweet candy and a floral underneath, like jasmine? Jasmine and Paperwhites always have a bitter funk smell to them. This has that funk underlying things.

 

Conclusion: Nope, not for me, washed it off.

 

Rating on my skin, this is a 1.

In the bottle: WOW, bright, bright red! I smell Dragon's Blood, and spice.

 

Wet: Dragon's Blood, cinnamon, something woody?

 

Dry down: creamy cinnamon, but not redhots cinnamon like I got with Chimera. This is very nice!

 

30 minutes: creamy, woody, cinnamon.

 

Conclusion: I like this one, it smells good. Cinnamon behaves itself in this blend on my skin. I might get a big bottle of this one. Still love Spanked for my cinnamon fix.

 

Rating on my skin, this is a 4.5.

 

ETA: edited because I forgot I already tried it and tried it again. I got the same great creamy cinnamon spice, but then the Vetiver turned funky bitter on me, so it didn't smeall as good. Chemistry must change with hormones. Hmmm.

Ok, I was worried about this one. Amber usually turns to powder on me, baby or old lady. But I love amber jewelry, I think Freya rocks, so I thought what the hey?

 

In the bottle: spicey amber.

 

Wet: spicey, pleasantly powdery amber.

 

Dry down: amber and something starchy smelling. OMG, it smells like potatoes and amber! Stupid body chemistry, this was going along nicely too.

 

30 minutes: The potato smell has gone and this has turned into the softest amber, not powder, just amber. Lovely.

 

Conclusion: I will have to try this again and see what my chemistry does, because I really like the end result. But do I like it enough to put up with potatoes? Hmmm. Will edit this when I have a chance to review again.

 

Rating on my skin, inconclusive at this point.

In the bottle: musty and sweet.

 

Wet: sweet fruity, fresh, with the musty smell (patchouli?) underlying it all.

 

Dry down: pencil shavings, just as if I had opened up the sharpener to empty it out after sharpening a pencil! Magus did the same thing.

 

30 minutes: pencil shavings.

 

Conclusion: smells just like Magus on me when all is said and done.

 

Rating on my skin, this is a 3.

Frimp from Mandragora, and I got another right after from the lab!

 

In the bottle: very soft vanilla smell, can hardly smell it in the bottle. This is very subtle.

 

Wet: vanilla and cinnamon. I am not getting any honeysuckle, which is good, florals tend to go overboard on me. Nor am I getting any myrrh. Just vanilla cinnamon.

 

Dry down: vanilla and cinnamon. This isn't morphing much on me at all, unlike other BPAL scents.

 

30 minutes: creamy soft cinnamon.

 

Conclusion: Unfortunately I smell like cinnamon red hots melted in a glass of water. Nothing but cinnamon, cinnamon, cinnamon. Which my chemistry tends to love and amp.

 

Rating on my skin, this is a 2.5.

In the bottle: caramel, but not a sweet Brach's candy caramel.

 

Wet: not too sweet caramel, with a hint of florals or currant underneath. It is richer on my skin. Still not foody but perfumey.

 

Dry down: the caramel takes a supporting role and the currant, amber, opium and tobacco all blended so perfectly become the main scent. Florals are there, but also in the background, which for me is good. I can't wear most florals as the become aggressive and punch me in the nose, take my wallet and leave me smelling like an old lady rolled me for my purse. Red Lantern doesn't do that, she makes me feel sultry and sexy, like I should be wearing a chinese collared silk dress with dragons embroidered on, red lacquered nails and a cigarette in a long holder.

 

30 minutes: Oh my, this is the stuff! This is decadant, naughty, haughty and wonderful. I want to visit an opium den or a speak easy in the 20's. Stoopid me, I bought Smut (which I traded) should have bought two bottles of Red Lantern!

 

Conclusion: This scent is complex and warm. It morphs into honeyed perfumey goodness. I would love another bottle of this! Anyone have one they want to unload?

 

Rating on my skin, this is a 5.

In the bottle: creamy, green, coconuty goodness.

 

Wet: creamy, the coconut is very sutble. More marzipan? Verges on plasticy.

 

Dry down: stays creamy, never gets to plastic or powder. Just a lovely creamy yummy smoothness that makes me want to eat my wrists. It isn't suntan lotion smell either, which I did worry about with the coconut. The florals are staying in the background and behaving themselves, which on me they tend to get rowdy.

 

30 minutes: soft and creamy. This stays very nicely blended and true to itself. It doesn't morph like many BPAL scents tend to do. I am in love!

 

Conclusion: this is a very feminine scent. I makes me feel like a sophisticated woman, girly, and beautiful. This is perfect for when I don't feel like being a "ball breaker." When I want to change out my chunky "kick your ass shoes" for some silver strapped heals. Lovely, just lovely. I usually go for more "masculine" scents, woods, leather, smoke, stone, earth. But this, this is the "girly perfume" I have been looking for, the one I hoped Snow Bunny would have been. Love goes out to Pretty Penny who let me try this at a Meet 'N Sniff (you evil enabler you ). And to Kourika, who swapped this one so I could have my preciousssss.

 

Rating on my skin this is a 5+.

 

ETA: I forgot to put on here that it has fantastic lasting power, I wore to bed, and at work the next day, late afternoon, a coworker said I smelled good. Oh yeah baby!

In the bottle: apples and winde with a hint of mulling spices.

 

Wet: apples and spiced wine, and something slightly plastic? Uh oh, please don't go plastic scented doll on me! Maybe that is the smoke scent?

 

Dry down: apples and spiced wine, smoke, no plastic doll! YAY!

 

30 minutes: spicey apple wine. This is very similar to Samhain '05 on me, which I love. This is a lighter more "feminine" version of Sam. Maybe the Lunar oils, or the ivy or pear softens and sweetens this more. It is less tobacco shop smell. I like this very much.

 

Conclusion: Thanks to Kourika for trading with me for this one. I love it.

 

Rating on my skin this is a 5.

 

ETA: Due to the oil aging, has only improved it. I am in love! Changing this to a 5 out of 5. I wish I had another bottle. If Beth brings this back this year, I am so buying more.

In the bottle: salty aquatic, pickles? Hmmm, the briney deep. The pickle conotation is very slight.

 

Wet: salty aquatic, I can smell the ozone. Clean.

 

Dry down: very pleasant perfumey aquatic. This is still clean, but the powdery note is coming in to play. They violets have reared their pretty little heads.

 

30 minutes: soft perfumey powdery aquatic. Very oceanic. I am finding the BPAL aquatic scents seem to like me. I will have to try Undertow, and Sea of Glass. I like this, very much. It is a good Summer scent, not right for February. In fact it smells like Santorini perfume, which I adore as a Summer scent. This smells just like it.

 

Conclusion: one friend wrinkled up her nose and said too powdery, but she hates any powdery scent, and therefore "none shall pass" as the Black Knight said. My other friend ooohed over it. I like it, very much.

 

Rating on my skin, this is a 4.5.

In the bottle: dark woodsy smell. Smells familiar, but what is it? Another pass under my nose, and it comes to me. It smells like a tincture of Echinacea I make for healing colds and flu. Called lovingly by my family, "swamp water!"

 

Wet: Juniper, and woods. Someone else said a werewolf. I agree. This is nice, "masculine," in a way.

 

Dry down: juniper and something sweet, beeswax I think. This is rounding out to a very lovely scent.

 

30 minutes: the earlier teasing of loveliness has grown into full blown promise. This is sexy, well blended, and ooh sooo beautiful. It hugs my skin, but that is all right. It's just you and me Luperci, just the way I like it. Yeah baby, you know what turns me on.

 

Conclusion: I should have bought two bottles of Luperci and skipped on teh Smut. Trade anyone? Luperci is my Valentine scent. Maybe number one, it is definitely in my top 10. This is like a more innocent but bawdy sister of Spanked. I can't wait to see how it ages. Trade ya Smut for Luprerci, anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

 

Rating on my skin, this is a 5+.

In the bottle: chocolatey booze? The oil is a dark chocolate brown btw. hmm, no chocolate mentioned as a note.

 

 

Wet: Peanut Butter and booze? Ummm?

 

Dry down: Peanut Butter and booze.

 

30 minutes: peanut sauce from a Thai restaurant and candy!!!!!

 

Conclusion: BPAL loves teh smut, and others love teh Smut, and teh Smut loves them, but not me. *sigh* I love the booze in Devil's Night, and I love musk. Of all the Lupercalia scents I thought this one and I would hit it off. I am just glad I read the reviews and I am not the only one getting peanut smell. Anyone want to trade me Luperci for Smut?

 

Rating on my skin, this is a 1.

Frimp luvn' from my pal Mandragora! You sexy swapper you!

 

In the bottle: fruity musk??? Wth? There isn't fruit listed as an ingredient!

 

Wet: fruity musk with very musty undertone. I almost washed it off at this point, but refrained all in the name of BPAL. I must do my duty and faithfully give a scent time. So, I soldiered on.

 

Dry down: The musty tone disappeared completely and in its place was a scent so delightful and surprising I didn't know what to think. It smelled fruity and musky with a fresh light mint top note. I swear, mint! There is no mint listed! I would take a stick to my body chemistry, but it turned the scent so pleasant and bright, how could I? Oh my, this is nice.

 

30 minutes: light vanilla and heliotrope (yet another note, not listed). It has lightened up and can only be sniffed by applying nose to skin at this point.

 

Conclusion: I don't know about a big bottle of this one for me. Can't decide if the musty note is worth putting up with. I will be keeping my imp and trying it again. This doesn't have much throw, and it really didn't speak of sex to me, like Spanked (which needs to be a catalogue scent in this category). O was lovely almost smelling like innocence to me.

 

Rating 1-5 on my skin this is a 3.

Frimp love from Mandragora! You rock! Feel the love (in a totally non stalker way of course!)

 

In the bottle: Terry's chocolate orange. You know the one you have to wack hard? Yummy!

 

Wet: Terry's chocolate orange.

 

Dry down: orange and a sour note, like chocolate aftertaste when one has eaten chocolate and not brushed their teeth.

 

30 minutes: luckily the sour aftertaste note goes away quickly. The chocolate has returned as chocloate. After thirty minutes I have a light citrus and chocolate scent. It is fresh and clean smelling too.

 

Conclusion: I love the idea that this has 13 notes in it. I couldn't tell them apart. I will have to wear this more to determine if I will buy a big bottle next time it is available. I will enjoy the imp very much.

 

Rating 1-5 on my skin this is a 3.5.

Thanks to Little Grey Kitten for giving me the oppurtunity to try the Hex!

In the bottle: Black Forest with berries.

Wet: Black Forest with berries or apples or both. No smoke yet.

Dry down: Ok, now it is, if Black Forest and Dia De Los Muertos had a child. I despised Black Forest on me (love pine) it turned to powder. Dia I loved but it's florals just amped up and no other notes came through. This is nice.

30 minutes: I really like this. At one point it smelled really familiar, not like BF and Dia, but like some other BPAL scent I had tried. It took me a moment, but I figured it out. It smells like The Black Tower on me, but with herbs not ivy! Since I love The Black Tower, I love this one too. I am not really getting any of the smoke. But my skin, unfortunately, seems to eat smokey aspects of a scent.

Conclusion: This is a more "feminine" version of The Black Tower. I am going to have to do a wrist to wrist comparison. If it smells enough like BT on me, then I have no need to buy a bottle of this (so far it is like Skadi and a BPAL grail that gets expensive on ebay) if Beth should bring it back again. I will have to see. I am however keeping my imp and enjoying it. I do really like this scent. Great lasting power, medium throw on me.

Rating 1-5 on my skin, this is a 4.

When I smelled the bottle my impression was aquatic incense. When I put it on, it invoked an image of a cathedral in ruins. Burnt wooden beams and pews, stone walls crumbling. Forest creeping in all around it. All covered in snow. One of the incense balls lies on what used to be the stone floor, lying with incense still in it as if dropped in a sudden catastrope. Dark patches cover the stone floor, and upon examination, they are dried blood. It reminds me of a fantasy story where humans had built upon the doorway to an elven mound to keep the "devils out." Of course, the Fae did not stand for that, and they took their doorway back with perhaps, excessive use of force.

 

Usually I do a review with "in the bottle," "wet," "dry down," etc. For this scent, I am waxing rhapsodic instead. So, forgive me for the change, but this is one scent that requires more than a "scientific" approach. This one is personal. This is the first BPAL scent I really lusted for right after that heady discovery of BPAL itself. This scent is the one I wanted above all others, my instincts were screaming, "GET THIS ONE!!!" I wanted it for a killer dress that I had to wear to a wedding. The poem, the description all felt like I felt about this wedding. Needless to say, it is the last Yulie I got, didn't get it in time for the wedding! But I was dead on about this blend. Someone (forgive me for not remembering who) in their review said this is a sleeper hit of Winter '05. They are certainly right. I hope Beth brings it back next winter, I would definitely buy more. I am waiting for a second bottle to arrive via a wonderful formulite.

 

Rating 1-5 on my skin, this is a 5.

In the bottle: a dark sweet sugar with something sharp, the plums maybe?

 

Wet: dark sweet almost carmelized sugar with berries and sharp plums.

 

Dry down: sweet sugar but the sharpness has intensified. Not liking it as much as I did wet.

 

30 minutes: Less sweet more sharp with a berry undertone. I had a friend sniff my wrist, she liked it. But it isn't really me.

 

Conclusion: Not for me. I won't be reaching for this one like I do Devil's Night, Samhain, or Trick or Treat. I like it, but there is enough of the sharp smell to turn me off. Glad I got to try it though.

 

Rating 1-5 on my skin for me this is a 2, my friend thought it was at least a 3.

 

Off to the swaps.

Frimp luvn'!

 

In the bottle: green, sharp, bitter, herbal.

 

Wet: bitter green herbal and smoke (like cigarette smoke)... hmmm.

 

Dry down: It lightens up considerably! It is a sharp green cool herbal. This is lovely.

 

30 minutes: still sharp green herbal, with that metallic smell like pencil lead in a sharpener or right after the pencil has been sharpened. Strange, but not turning me off to the scent in anyway. Still like it.

 

Conclusion: I like it. Buy a big bottle, maybe. It would make a good Summer scent.

 

Rating 1-5 on my skin, 3.5.

Frimp luvn'! Thanks to all who have frimped the heck out me, you know who you are(cuz I can't keep up), so this for you!

 

In the bottle: a softly mossy mint with a hint of electric ozone?

 

Wet: mossy mint with ozone.

 

Dry Down: The mint goes, and I get a peppery herbal that is electric. WOW! how does Beth do it? It is electricity in a bottle of oil. This is amazing. Not my favorite scent on me, nor do I think it is the best Beth has ever done. But, the creation of an electric scent, I am in awe.

 

30 minutes: I think I would like some for a summer scent. It is clean and cool, and ozoney. It is a peppery ozoney herbal which gives the impression of chill. Not a good scent for me right now when it is cold where I am at and my fingers are a little numb.

 

Conclusion: I think I will try it again when the weather is really warm and decide on a bigger bottle then. Til then, I am enjoying my imp very much.

 

Rating 1-5 on my skin this is a 4.

Frimp luvn'!

 

In the bottle: a faint jasmine floral.

 

Wet: a jasmine type floral.

 

Dry down: A jasmine floral, no cherry smell of dragon's blood like I usually get. Not really getting any woods. I am guessing the jasmine smell I get is orris. I am not surprised I am not getting any woods, as I amp any floral to its maximum strength possible. Stoopid chemistry. So far this is the dragon's blood one that seems to like me most. But I don't love florals.

 

30 minutes: still floral. Not for me. This is very nice, kind of like White Shoulders. My mom would like this one.

 

Conclusion: Nope, not a big bottle for me. Worried that none of the Dragon's will like me, or I them *sigh*. On to the swaps it goes.

 

Rating 1-5 on my skin it is a 4, but for my personality it is a 2.

FRIMP! Feel the love!

 

In the bottle: Big Red gum.

 

Wet: Big Red gum with a funky ,STANK , under it. Umm this isn't peach, or clove. It smells like those paperwhite flowers do to my nose, skunky. Oh dear.

 

Dry down: Big Red gum stuck to the sides of a pot of paperwhites. *sings* Whose got the funk? Gotta have that funk!

 

30 minutes: I can't even believe that I let it stay on me so long. Do I get some sort of BPAL medal for this? Big Red gum and some sort of powdery industrial soap. You know the kind, it is at all the big public bathrooms (like stadiums). That pink chemical liquid soap. YUCK, YUCK, YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMFG!!!! Get it off, get it off! Ok, can you say, "melodrama?" Hehehe, really though, this is just vile with my chemistry.

 

Conclusion: No go on this one. Another BPAL scent I thought from the notes I would do well with, WRONG.

 

Rating 1-5 on my skin, this is a 1 ( I would give it a -1, but the rating doesn't go that low, heh).

Frimp from Pretty Penny!

 

In the bottle: almond milk with honey.

 

Wet: almond milk with honey.

 

Dry down: this is staying true, almond milk with honey. Will it go play-do? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

30 minutes: almond milk with honey. No play-doh. This is a nice simple, fresh scent. Light and airy.

 

Conclusion: I love this. It didn't turn to play-doh, soap, or powder. This is a keeper. I don't see myself reaching for it everyday. Probably a Spring scent. I see myself wearing it on a rainy Spring day.

 

Rating on my skin, this is a 4.5.