Quillifer

I got terribly excited about the idea of blending RPGs but I haven't done very well with it First I tried Ranger and Lawful and they were lovely together but seemed to lack something - they're a bit similar. Any other oil I've tried with them has messed up the balance somehow though. I'm considering trying Good or maybe Evil.

 

The other RPGs I like are Half-elf and Neutral but unlike most reviewers I only like them on their own. Half-elf in particular I love, I find it terribly sexy. So clearly it would be daft not to be happy about that, it just didn't work out quite how I expected.

 

ETA - I'm wrong, you know - Half-elf and Ranger and incredible together, after they settle. They don't mesh well to start with. I guess I just wasn't patient enough before (hardly a first).

If you ever have someone around who is sceptical about BPAL's ability to recreate scents, let them sniff this. It's an absolute dead-ringer for the smell of yew trees. I could even take you to a particular yew that this smells more like than others (and I know a lot of yews).

 

I'm going to keep the imp because I love having this scent to hand as something to smell, and because I feel great veneration for yews, but I don't feel inclined to wear it. I feel part of the yews, but they don't feel part of me, if that makes any sense; this scent expresses something I belong to but not an aspect of myself.

I love this but I don't find myself reaching for it often. I will definitely get a bottle when my imp runs out but that will be a while yet.

 

On me this is lots of greenery and flowers - kind of flowery without being sweet. I don't get an air of sadness from it but it's very poised and grown up. It isn't uplifting or jolly, that's for sure. Something I would wear when feeling very confident in myself but not in an effort to draw others in. It smells a little of a very upmarket flower-shop.

 

Edited later to add: I doubt I will get a bottle tbh.

I was very disappointed by this - not that I strongly dislike it, but I thought I'd love it, and it's very "meh" on me. The white musk is most strong, and seems rather powdery.

 

I must prefer Whoso List To Hunt, which for some reason this reminds me of but seems a better version. I have a feeling the listed notes may not be similar though. That to me is also rounded and soft and gender neutral, but not powdery.

I hated this. Really hated it. I'm wondering why, and oddly enough, I'm beginning to suspect that I might not like lavender as a note in blends. This is strange because I love it in real life, and on its own, but it smells - kind of harsh, firey, brittle - like something burned in a bad way on me.

I have a horror of all things death-related so no matter what the notes were, I could never bring myself to order this. I was frimped with it and had to steel myself to try it - and I'm so, so glad I did, for really quite significant reasons. I LOVE this scent, and it's the green one I've been looking for. It's like Robin Goodfellow with far more staying power and no playing around. This is the scent of long walks with a big ruck-sack, on your own, on a track deep in leaf-litter, the greenery all around you.

 

But most of all this made me realise how I have really grown out of the fear I had of burial and death, and how the greenness and outdoors and being part of the cycle is really all how I feel about this now.

(I guess you'll have to read all the other reviews to get a better idea of what it actually smells like )

I would have bet good money that I'd love this, since I'm very keen on vetiver and cherries. But it turns out I don't like the honey note or wine. They seem to snag at my nose somehow. I managed to find what I hoped to get from this in Bloodlust so maybe someone with my likes/dislikes could try that I do love this - Blood Kiss - in about 85% of it, if you see what I mean, I just can't get past the raspy, snagy bit.

 

Update: 8 months later I was frimped with this and decided to give it another go - and I love it I don't really know why the change. Maybe my nose has got a bit more tolerant or something? I can still smell the things I didn't like before but not they don't bother me. I get the cherry and the vetiver and just love it. One thing that does occur to me is that this is winter (I'm writing this in April with snow on the ground...) and before it was summer. Possibly the spicier, grittier smell is appealing now when I might have liked something smoother then.

When I first got this, I hated it - was very disappointed. It smelled of chocolate, but it seemed to be the nasty dry cheap cooking chocolate. I put it in my swap pile but - fortunately - did nothing about it. Now, I love it! I do have to be in the mood: it's very deep and dark, and does take a while to warm up on me.

 

This is an oil I would wear for myself. I put my nose to my wrist and close my eyes, and find myself rocking my head and wrist slightly (must sound a right weirdo for this), and I travel away in my mind, to somewhere far back in my memory. Where, where....it's a bit hard to place because the scent is morphing, getting slightly sweeter, There is an element in it that reminds me of an old loft above a barn. Somewhere warm and dry, undisturbed for years. It also smells a bit like an old woodshed (I mean a big cavernous building for a large farmhouse, not a little lean-to). It's warm and strong but not soft. Linseed and wood and dust in a good way.

I can't wash this off - it seems very strong - and I hate it. On me it smells - sorry to say this - of poo. I think this must be some weird reaction with either my skin or my nose. I got the imp from the Lab so I know it's not old/aged. I know that usually I like sandalwood, and lavender, so whether it's one of the notes I'm not used to, or just the combination, I don't know. It's something down in the base I think. I was terribly disappointed because blackened sandalwood sounded amazing.

Just to complete the story: I sent another email today and got a reply. The order was lost somewhere and should be with me soon with an extra and I'm a happy bunny again (already making more lists of what to buy next )

. . .

 

People, if you're feeling weird or hesitant about e-mailing the Lab you shouldn't. They don't bite.

 

Absolutely! Remember that customer service is there for exactly these moments.

 

I wonder what customer service is for. I'm still waiting for my order from January - and still no reply to any email I send them.

Thanks again I'll post a note here (or somewhere sensible anyway, I think there's a thread for it) when I hear anything.

I sent one email on a Friday and waited 2 business days (ie till Tuesday). After that I sent one from a different address, just in case the first one hadn't got through for some reason. I followed up the original one a week later (10 days ago now). And yes I did check the address.

 

An English friend who placed an order nearly three weeks after mine (which included imps) got her CnS today, so if the issue is that they're being sent in batches, hopefully I will hear very soon.

 

I have heard of an order that had got forgotten, and which was then sent out promptly - this is why I emailed them. I thought that since there were 2 orders both going to the same address, and paid for the same day, there was some chance they'd got conflated.

 

I feel so cut off - as if there's something wrong with me, when everyone else's orders seem to be getting through, and they won't even answer me.

 

For goodness sake! I'm glad you've had some rational responses and are feeling a bit more calm.

 

The Lab is very reliable, don't worry. Were your three emails all sent on the same day? And needless to say, you've double checked the address? I'm sure you will get either a response or a CnS soon.

Thank you all muchly I feel so much better for reading these replies. Yes I guess the first order must have been fast - and the CNS thingy fast too since I got the parcel 5 days after it (I got that parcel here on the 15th Feb so I guess I was very lucky. I have checked all my various nooks and crannies where an incoming mail might hide - can't see one, and I sent them from 2 addresses. But not to worry, if it turns up eventually that'll be OK. I hadn't realised that about being billed more than once (and refunded); interesting. I'll keep my eye on that in future because it could well confuse me.

 

Thanks again!

PLEASE can someone help? I've got no idea what to do next. I placed an order with the Lab on the 27th January, the very day after my previous order. Order 1 went through with no problem and I got it weeks ago; Order 2 - nothing. They took my money but I've had no click&ship, and I've sent 3 emails, from 2 different addresses, and had no reply to any. It was only for some imps. I feel so cut off - as if there's something wrong with me, when everyone else's orders seem to be getting through, and they won't even answer me. I've got a whole list of other things I'd like to order (when I can) but I don't want to place another order until I at least hear what's happening about this. I've put two posts about it here; I don't know what else I can do Can anybody reading this help?

I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself about an order that I placed on the 27th January for some imps. The money was taken from my account on the 1st February, but I still haven't had a click&ship. Another order I placed only the previous day arrived about 2 weeks ago. I've emailed the lab twice about it, from different email addresses, and had no reply to either; the first email was a week ago now. I don't know what else I can do

Very useful replies, thank you

Two of my favourite oils are Pain and Brusque Violet. I'm looking for something that majors on mint. I might also like something less, ahem, turbo-charged than those two though - eg I've just received an imp of How Doth The Little Crocodile and I like it very much.

 

[Just in case it helps to know about other notes: I love sea-side aquatics, and caramelly-vanilla, and leather. I don't like jasmine or Frankincense.]

I'm another one who really only gets rose from this. It's nice enough, but not what I was hoping for. I might keep the imp but I'll look for other leather scents.

Thank you all - lots of good things to try, most of which I'd never heard of A friend has already just said she has some Aperotos Eros I can try which is just as well because my BPAL budget is about run out just now but I was on a walk earlier today where the pines will smell gorgeous in a few months' time and I just so much wanted to find out if a scent of it was possible.

I'd love to find a scent that includes a tree I *think* of as pine, but it's not the usual lavatory-cleaner-but-nicer, Christmassy scent. This is a sort of Mediterranean, sappy, slightly sweet, slightly salty smell, a hint of honey but with almost no sugar. It's a bit like Jolly Roger only not so maritime/leather. It does still have pine in it but is less harsh. It's a spring/summer smell. The smell gets stronger from the trees when the sun's on them and it carries on the wind which whistles gently in them. They trees grow on sandy soil and you see lizards and heather around them, with bees humming and crickets chirping.

 

Any ideas? Thank you!

When I started this, I wrote about what I was interested in, rather than who I am, which I think says it all. A combination of Asperger’s syndrome and manic-depression means that I have extremely strong, deep-running emotions which I find it hard to understand or communicate. Between that and being a shy agoraphobic (open spaces, not crowds) insomniac I have the makings of a good neurotic shut-in, but I find the world so damn amazing in the complexity and variation of everything that’s out there. Although I often say I’m mostly interested in the past (history) and the future (science fiction), I also have a pretty comprehensive knowledge of US politics and world news, and I’m trying to get a job with a global public health or human rights NGO and eventually go back to school to study epidemiology. Doing good by other people is very important to me, and I am forever a pessimistic optimist. Shyness aside, once I get comfortable and happy I can be loud without realizing it, and am told I have a big smile and can be deadpan-snarky. I get pensive and wrapped up in my own head easily. I write poetry and flash fiction, but read mostly “genre” fiction (sf/f, mysteries, historical) and nonfiction. I’m not extremely practical, but I do like to deal in concrete things and enjoy working out details (of a plan, a system, a fictional world). As an Aspie my special interests play a big part in my life – they are the American and French Revolutions, the Age of Sail, the treatment of tuberculosis, international human rights law, folk songs/ballads, and T. E. Lawrence. My girlfriend is also determined to make me interested in 20th century history, and may be succeeding. (I sometimes joke that you could tell I had fallen for her when she got me to watch the entirety of The World at War).

 

In terms of aesthetic, I wear a lot of skirts with boots/sneakers and button-down shirts – what I most enjoy is mixing together stereotypically feminine and masculine things, e.g. wearing a frilly skirt with sneakers and a button-down shirt. (I’ve been experimenting with mixing over-all look with BPAL scent – like pants and a men’s shirt with Prague or a dress and tights with Metallic Scarab). Almost all my clothes are blue, green, purple, black, or brown, but I have a variety of light and dark tones in those categories. I am bespectacled and dye my hair bright red. Until recently I wore a lot of bracelets on both wrists to cover up scars from a suicide attempt, but now only wear earrings on a daily basis. I wear tinted lip-balm but don’t bother with proper makeup unless I’m really nervous. My favorite scents thus far are Calico Jack, Anesthesia, Jolly Roger, Laudanum, Cathode, Dorian, Lady Una, Miskatonic University, and Tintagel.

 

That's a great description. Maybe try The Lion for your T E Lawrence likings: I haven't tried it but the reviews to me suggest simmering heat, grass, strength and a nice m/f mix. My favourite scent is Jolly Roger and I my 2nd is Drink Me - try it, but I think you might find it too sweet.

I haven't read every single review, but I think I'm in a small minority for not liking Morocco. I find it just doesn't seem to show up very much on me. It's not so much that it doesn't last - it seems to disappear into me straight away. I also find the smell in the bottle to be mild musk, mild generic spice, and just not really very interesting. Very surprising really.

Smokey metal - possibly Highwayman layered with something? But I think you'd want only a little of it. And maybe I'm only saying that because it's one of those scents I really want to love but can't.

Please forgive if this is a noob-tacular question, but I am looking for something that doesn’t just smell like the sea, but like a ship as well. I come from a family of sailors and shipwrights, plus am vaguely obsessed with the Age of Sail, so if I could find one it would be both meaningful and fun. For the record, I am already in love with Jolly Roger, but it's missing two big ship/boat scents for me – rope and metal. I am somewhat at a loss to describe what wet (or dry) rope smells like, but maybe someone with a more sensitive nose/wider knowledge can? A 'historical' feel would also open up the possibility of lime, smoke/gunpowder, and hemp (from oakum).

 

Any scent or layering combination suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

My favourite BPAL oil is Jolly Roger. I love it so much I even thought briefly, "Why am I bothering to try anything else?" - but the temptation was too strong I still don't think I'll look for anything else in that line though.