Quillifer

I had high hopes for this scent which at first were bitterly disappointed. Oak and rhubarb are very me (I'm a hippy type, keen walker in a county full of oaks, and a keen rhubarb grower and eater). However although I love chamomile I just didn't like the way it dominated this for me. HOWEVER - when used with others, as intended this is just sheer magic. I wear it with Ranger and Half-elf and am totally addicted to it

Hmm. I don't get cleanliness and fuzziness from this - I get seriously x rated sexuality. Woomph. Ooooh yeah. Mmmmm. Very nice to add to things that need a shot of va va voom. Then again I find the same with Half-Elf too. (but oddly not with Lust, which so many reviewers rave about).

Ah, one of my favourite things to do: making this list! The Great He-Goat Butterscotch Balls and Black Beetles Jolly Roger Bloodlust (would love a bottle) Brusque Violet (would love a bottle) Prunella Ochosi and Obatala Brown Jenkin (would love a bottle) Incantation (would love a bottle) Liadain and Curithir Jack Whoso List to Hunt Tezcatlipoca Intrigue Lyonesse Black Pearl Grog Dragon's Blood Beer from the Marsh Woman's Brewery Death and the Grave-Digger Drink Me La Petit Mort Anne Bonny OPS How Doth the Little Crocodile The Lion A Countenance Foreboding Evil Chaos Theory Strange Attractors DCCXIII Burial Lawful, Half-elf, Ranger and Neutral Al-Shairan Bliss White Rabbit Dragon's Hide Mary Read Mandrake Pain Alice Van Van Blockbuster Whitechapel

Nothing sexually orientated, profane (what does that mean? I think it's an Americanism for swearing but it sounds a bit medieval; I'm afraid I'm not planning religious stuff - much) - and various other things. Which all sounded a bit un-BPAL, though I guess I do really know what the mod's are getting at. I had no intention of writing anything like that until I was told not to Anyway, I'm chuffed to bits that I've figured out how to write a more free-form thing here, away from the forums. Not that they aren't great, but I do have a tendency to rattle on.... And I am prepared for the fact that nobody reads these things. Doesn't bother me in the slightest, solipsistic wench that I am. Right, now to what I really wanted to write, which is just a quick note about the Halloween oils. I hate the word Weenies. Meh. So... thoughts. I love the sound of the idea and the notes of Samhain, but I'll wait to see some reviews on how the balance of this year's version works out. I'm not keen on apple in things - though I love the smell for real, and in a kitchen, but when I've detected it in oils it's always put me off for some reason. Bonfire, has just got my name on it. I adore fire and autumn and bonfires, and Guy Fawkes' night (although as an ex-Catholic and pacifist I'm a bit uneasy about some of it). Still. I was nervous about the beer note until I tried a frimp of Beer From the Marsh Woman's Kitchen and just adored it, so that's fine too. Can't wait, and I will have a bottle, damn it! (does that count as profane?) Sugar Skull - sounded grim from the name. I'm squeamish about skulls and not keen on sugary flavours, but then I read a few reviews - oooh caramel, and raw sugar -well, this has to be done. No question. I'm put off most of the others by ideas of melancholy, sadness and blood. I find that blends with that atmosphere lack something that, emotionally I despise but apparently I find olfactory essential. Harrumph. My nose is a right Pollyanna So there we go. I can't afford 3 bottles but if the reviews of Samhain sounds good I shall find a way. Just as well Bub is :DGC!

I find this just gorgeous. On me it's also slightly minty too.

For ages I've said that I love the smell of horses, but figured I didn't want to smell like one. Now I'm not saying this Lion smells of Horse, but there's something about it that reminds me of a part of that smell, and I love it. I think the imp I've been given is aged, which might make a difference, but either way, it's lovely. This is the sort of smell that, when combined with florals or whatever, I find far too heavy, but on its own, I love it. Edited to add: On me this is really strong! All the more surprising since many scents that last well on others, don't on me.

In the imp this seemed strongly orangey and cinammon, perhaps with a hint of greenery. Wet, it's cinnamon and green. Not hot cinnamon to me. Very very nice. Dry, it's delightfully fragrant; possibly like orange-flower, slightly creamy. I absolutely love this, so it seems a bit churlish to say that I really don't find it all matches the purpose the Lab gives for it. I find this - as others have said - comforting, homely, and calming. When I want to break through difficulties I'm more likely to wear Bloodlust or Brusque Violet; when I want short sharp courage I wear Pain; when I want deep inward imagining I wear The Great He-Goat. This I would wear more at the end of a hard day, than at the start.

I thought this oil was a dead cert for me - I love all the notes. But no It just won't "fly" for me. It feels heavy and ploddy on me, weighing me down. I will keep the imp to see whether this changes, since I now love Anne Bonny and didn't like that one at all at first. But I am disappointed at the moment - but I have found loads of new scents I love in the last couple of days. This isn't sweet enough to be sweet or tangy or edge or - I guess it's just not me. Interesting. I can't find a duff note, it's not that, it's just... It feels like the notes I love in other scents but in the wrong order, or someone you see in a crowd who looks like a good friend but is a stranger. (In case anyone's interested, the oils I love that made me think I would like this are Bloodlust and La Petit Mort.)

I got a frimp from the Lab of this and I love it. My confused nose seems to think it smells creamy, a little coconutty. No wonder I'm not great at picking scents by their notes! But either way I'm very happy with it.

A frimp from the Lab. Ooooh yum yum yum! Bingo! Mmmmmm, now we are talking. Mmmm. Definitely best imp of this order. I do hope I continue to like this as it dries. To me this is - not actually very green, despite the description, but it smells of.... a herb I can't quite get, sage maybe, and a little like the foliage of a choisya shrub, and very slightly like lavender, and like a geranium graveolens. And more. oh it's gorgeous. Right up there for me - top 3. I hope I like it later - off to bed now.

I ordered this because I had an urge to find a scent with orange in it. This does have that, but it also has... something that I want to call white sandalwood but I bet isn't, I bet it's just me getting the wrong end of the olfactory stick. It's probably the incense or something. Anyway, it's not something I hate but it's currently not pleasing me. I wouldn't put this in a swap pile yet though; I'll try it again because I usually need to get to know things. I find I like it - kind of at a distance - as my arm wafts past me, but not when I sniff my wrist. Maybe I should just slather a bit less! Three days later - liking it more.

Oh that would have been marvelous! But sadly we're not going till October. I'll be in the Bavarian Alps on the 16th though, as Eibsee, so it's not all sad

Oh dear. I shall clearly have to encourage my relatives to move house! Thank you though - and for the good wishes. I shall say hello to the Potomac again, and bring it the River Mole's best wishes (the Mole is a very muddy small stream which I walk beside most days)

(I'm sorry if this should have been posted elsewhere or is a silly question) I live in the UK, but in a few weeks time I will be going to visit relatives who live in Virginia, near DC. Is there anywhere around there that I could find BPAL oils for sale in a shop? It would be amazing for me to be able to even just see them like that, let alone try a few things that aren't impable (War, Countess Willie, the Potter's Field etc). Thank you

I luuuurve this Just as well since I have a bottle of it. In the bottle it's an earthy, foodie mix; wet, I get butterscotch, strong and fairly pure; as it dries I get patchouli. I don't get any really clear or strong aniseed at all. I adore foodie and patchouli notes so it's pretty much as if it were custom-made for me! Having said that it's a very characterful scent, so I think I'd need to be in the right mood for it. Also I'm not inclined to wear foodie blends when having a special meal.

This was another star imp in my recent order. In the imp it smells a bit disjointed - rum jumps out, and sea air, with a lot of space in between. On the skin though it pretty much instantly smoothes out. I find this to be similar notes to Jolly Roger but smoother and subtler, and less of a morpher. I think it has less throw, which is useful since JR is pretty masculine on me, and this is also blending very well into me but staying detectable, if that makes sense.

I so love this. It reminds me of holding a pot of my favourite early spring crocus up to my nose, sniffing, holding it far off, and sniffing, again and again, and being so happy. It's exquisite - and it was a frimp! I would never have ordered it because for some stupid reason I tend to think I don't like florals. But this morphs and dances - it's delightful.

On me this is just rose, plain and simple. I'm very disappointed, but at least it's only an imp. I'll keep it - I like it as it is, but where is the blackened, twisted, wickedness in this? I love BPAL's way of working and I'm determined to hunt down something more here - I'm not great at detecting notes so I will persist. I would say that this is more the idea of a rose, rather than the reality. A city person's rose, not as they buy it from a florist but as they think of it; a person you think of as a Fair Rose perhaps. I put a lot on but it's blending in with me very quickly.

I really wanted to love this because I loved what I perceived as the idea of it. But it smells exactly like what it says it does, and - like Highwayman - it was an oil that made me re-think my ideas a bit. Highwayman smells of danger, fear, and violence. This smells of serious herbs and things I'm not really familiar with. So there... that's me told.

This reminded me of something and it took me ages to remember what: it's Arpege by Lanvin, the original formulation before 1993 (I haven't smelled it since). I don't know whether the perfume itself smelled like this because I only had a scented lotion - I might be picking up the lotion itself I suppose. ETA, by the way - I don't like this scent. I gave away my imp and will be happy to part with the one I've just received. One of the notes doesn't appeal to me but unhelpfully I can't identify it I'm afraid.

To me this smells of good hay. Edited to add: I loved this wet, and for a brief while after, but then it just seemed very light and rather nothingy.

Loads of ideas! Thank you all v v much. I shall have lots of fun looking them up and making lists ))

For sweetness, I'd suggest Dragon's Blood. There was a Strawberry Moon scent very recently that was gorgeous; I should have bought some but was skint. That was the nicest strawberry I've tried.

I'm a keen reader and tend to haunt old bookshops and libraries. I'm looking for something that - well maybe doesn't really smell exactly like that, but inspired by them maybe. I've tried Dee but I found it too subdued and lacking in sparkle or edge. I considered Philologus but reading the reviews I think I'd find it too masculine. A friend let me try Misktonic University but I found the coffee overwhelming. Any other ideas? (other elements I enjoy are aquatics, green earth/dirt, vetiver, and foodies).

I wasn't originally very keen on the wet stage of this, so much so that I keep putting it in my swap pile - and then a couple of hours later, fishing it out again. I love it as it dries. Now that I've got to know that, I find the early stage more appealing too - but still only really kind of tolerable. It's a bit too.... direct, overt, for me, even though others have found it subtle and some scents I love aren't subtle at all - eg Bloodlust. Odd - but this just feels as though I'm talking in somebody else's voice, or using words I would never use, at first. Later it's much more me. Edited a few weeks later: now i just love it! I find it sweetly smokey. I would only wear it while alone or with someone I was strongly attracted to though - not with strangers or family (I mean in-laws etc, you know). It's become one of those scents that expresses a version of me.