LittleGreyKitten

I love this scent. Wet, it smelled almost identical to Gingerbread Poppet when I had them one on each wrist, though Devil's Night was sweeter and not buttery. But I definitely got a ginger scent.

Dry, it becomes... something else. Whatever I read as ginger backs off some- though it's still there. But not anything I'd actually call true smoke scent either. Though I might describe the general aura of the scent to be smokey, like not the literal smell but the general sense of it, if you see the distinction. There's some wonderful resiny, spicy thing going on like a Snake Oil background or something. Then there's a strong, sweet vanilla-y sugar rush on top. It smells exotic and incredibly yummy, definitely it turns into the same things I love about Snake Charmer and Snake Oil. I do think this is something my body chemistry brings out, though. I like it very, very much. I was a dork and bought a bottle without imping it first, just for fun. It paid off- this is one of my very favorites so far. Absolute 5 out of 5 for me!

Edited much, much later to add: this is lots like Storyville on me actually. I tend to amp ginger notes, and there's a teeny bit in Devil's Night, I'd swear. I rarely wear Devil's Night, actually. While it does really good, there's this edge to it that can kind of make me woozy. I can't quite figure it out because I actually do like the scent a lot, it just kind of rubs my stomach the wrong way sometimes.

Oh man, if only this lasted longer than an hour I'd be absolutely head over heels for it. Sadly, I applied it before work and by the time we had the store open- barely an hour- nada. Zip. Gone.

Wahh! It smelled so very yum before it went poof. The coconut was a bare hint on me- I mostly got a soft, gentle, slightly dark smell that was deep and sort of iridescent feeling. A lot like a black pearl in fact.

I'd give it a 4 out of 5 despite it's disappearing act because it was so very very good before it went away.

Dang. I should have got a full size one. It's amazing. It smells very tea and soft citrus (linden blossom I guess) and lingers for a while too. It doesn't change much over time, and my chemistry doesn't alter it too much either. Oddly it reminds me very much of a favorite lotion of mine, White Tea and Ginger by Bath & Body Works. I guess it's the tea- I never got a huge ginger hit off the lotion's smell. Anyway, I do like this a lot, and the boy was a big fan too. It's very crisp and light.

I could definitely see the comparison to Bulgari's Green Tea- I liked that scent too, but it did have a weird chemical component I didn't care for, which Spirits of the Dead lacks completely (yay!)

I'd give it a 5 out of 5 all the way.

Ha, I'm using the very same imp as grrrlennyl, the last reviewer (thanks for the swap!) and I have to say I do love me some Talvikuu. The only thing is, it's sooooo amazingly like Nuclear Winter on me, I doubt I'll need both. There is the very same base scent (Beth's idea of death 'n' destruction in a bottle I'll bet ) which I like very much. Talvikuu has fir or pine needles atop the cold, snowy, desolate base note. Nuclear Winter has mint instead. I prefer the mint I think; Snow Moon has done me well for piney goodness. Anyway, who knows. These scents can be awfully seductive and I may have to break down and get a full one anyway... we'll see!

EDIT: Damn. I do need a bottle. The boy sniffed Talvikuu and practically ripped it out of my hands- he loves Nuclear Winter but Talvikuu's pine totally seduced him.

This was one I really wanted to try. A sweet swapper imped me (thanks Lynne!) and I have definitely enjoyed it. Besides the obvious scents (butter, milk) it actually has a coconutty tinge on my skin after it's dry- not enough to be annoying thank god. It actually lasted pretty well, for being a softer scent. I like the "lunar oil" base scent quite a bit, I think- most of the Lunacy blends have worked well for me. I'm not altogether certain I'd need a full bottle though. I'll see if I use the imp up first- there are other blends that are more "me" that I suspect I'll reach for first (Snake Charmer, Snake Oil, Nuclear Winter etc etc).

EDIT: I did get a full bottle, after realizing I had almost used my imp up in record time. Interestingly, perhaps because I am less stingy with it in a bottle, it is wayyyy stronger out of the bottle on me. It has more of the "lunar oil" base than Milk Moon, by far. The base oils get WHOA STRONG on me, but I think the other ingredients in Chaste Moon balance them out well. I do very much like this blend actually, and wear it more than I'd guessed I would.

I'd give it a 5 out of 5.

I am really glad I have a 5ml on the way. The scent is just amazing. It's rose primarily on me, but mixed so thoroughly with other lovely and amazing scents that it isn't too rosey. The carnation doesn't come through much at all on me (not good or bad) and I frankly can't name the notes that do, but I like them. Perchance it's the vanilla that is the other main smell. Anyway, a definite winner.

5 out of 5.

Wow, this is amazing. Pure vanilla mint, I'd picture peppermint ice cream rather than a candy cane but still, mmmm. Yum.

It's smooth, extreeeeeeemely minty, and vanilla sweet creamy. On me it is so very minty that it is ice cold on my skin, for about 20 minutes. If I touch the cold spot where the oil it, it's actually lowered the temperature of my skin, it's literally a cold spot. Whoa, mint! I got it on a patch of very dry, cracked skin (@$&% winter weather!) and ooowwww. That hurt. I do have to use quite a bit of it when I apply, it disappears fast on me. It's not really creamy, just sweet and vanilla-y. I love mint notes and this is fantastic. I have a small hoard now, probably will add some more to it. I use it a fair amount. It does settle the stomach if you're feeling a little nauseous. Nice! I like to wear it to bed a lot.

My husband likes it a lot too. It's very strong initially, then it *poof* disappears. Probably lasts about an hour, at least the minty part. There's some vanilla that lingers after that. Honestly, I use Spooky some more, but Spook is my baby and it's hard to challenge the Spook supremacy.

I'd give it a 5 out of 5.

There is something in Hexennacht that smells rather revolting to me. I'm sorry to say it since I do try to give a fair shake to the less-standard smelling scents (Nuclear Winter, for example, is one of my very favorites) but this one just isn't doing it for me.

It smelled the same wet as dry and was quite strong. I did get smokiness in there and something that smelled like sweat sock, very unfortunately. I'm glad to hear this isn't the way it's supposed to smell, but rather something my chemistry did to it. Anyhoo, glad I imped it but it's not for me.

There's not even a hint of sweeness in this scent on my skin. I'm not sure I would like it better if there was, though.

I'd give it a 2 out of 5, since I can't wear it, unfortunately.

Firstly, I am a fan of rose scents. However, poor Peacock Queen, though she does smell lurvely, is the unfortunate victim of a smell association.

I know this elderly woman- she's probably close to 80- who wears a rose scent every day. Bingo, it's a dead ringer for Peacock Queen. It conjurs her up in all her glory- demanding, obviously once quite beautiful, still independant. I've seen her daughter, who must be almost 40 and WOW she's amazingly gorgeous, and looks way younger. You can see that her mom was at least as lovely, and at 80 still has cheekbones I envy. She wears her hair in a French twist and still does full makeup every day I've ever seen her.

This smell is absolutely hers. I keep seeing her every time I sniff my wrist. Not every rose scent does that but Peacock Queen must be really close to her blend. Maybe I'll give it to her. She'll probably think I'm nutty(er) but that's OK.

I'm tossing out my previous review of The Brains. Fee converted me to fruity scents, long after I'd swapped my initial Mi-Go. So I got an imp and tried it again. Mmm. Yes. It has the same beautiful juicy melony fruit that Fee has- different base, but Brains smells like honeydew to me, same as Fee, despite melon not being listed as one of the fruit notes. I don't really get musk out of this, or pepper or ginger, but there is a springy floral poking it's nose out among the melony goodness. While it reads as "daffodil, but not hateful" to my nose, I'm thinking it's a peony-jasmine meld that is coming off as a wearable daffodil (though that is an oxymoron on me, it still is what it reminds me of).

I love the bottle so much. This is one of my favorite BPAL packagings of all time, I have to say. Very glad I gave it another whirl after I warmed up to the concept of fruitiness.

I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5, with a 5 for packaging.

Dear Snake Charmer,

You are my beloved. You make me smell divine, and I always get compliments on you, more than any other except maybe Panties. When I've had a bad day, you and no other are the one I run to. I may be often unfaithful, but you're the One True Love- if I had to give up all but one, it would be you.

Your divine vanillaroma is seductive, and the spices and musk which swirl around that sweet vanilla core are heady and wonderful, evoking exotic places and beautiful women. You make me want to take up bellydancing!

Your coconut and plum are pleasantly understated, adding their loveliness to the whole but not overwhelming me, or misbehaving. There's a hint of smokiness too, that steals out and teases my nose from afar especially.

I love how long you last on me... hours, and hours, and hours. You are indeed similar to the classic Snake Oil, as many have said, but I find you much more wearable, and I'd leave that oily bitch for you any day.

Love,

Me

Thank you, Beth, for bringing Snake Charmer back. Truly it is my favorite out of the ... at least 150, if not more, blends I've tried. It is my signature scent, and I damn well took good advantage of being able to lab-order this again. Like 8 bottles worth of advantage. Because I could. Because I want a lifetime supply, for real. Because I don't want to have to pay $30 a bottle on eBay for it ever again.

Huh. I thought I was nuts for getting cinnamon out of this, with no cinnamon in the mix. I'm glad someone mentioned that's the cassia. Good to know. I'm not a huge fan of cinnamony smells, I must admit.I smell no patchouli in it, but that's just me.

Wet, this is a smoky, slightly sweet dusty smelling scent to me, but that's reaching desperately for something besides cinnamon.

Dry, it goes pure soap. Why? Who knows. But it transforms into a sharp acrid soap smell with cinnamon on top. Weirdness. And it only gets soapier as time passes. I have a strong feeling it's the fruit reacting poorly- I've found with every fruity BPAL mix something bizarre has happened with the scent after it starts drying on me.

For me, I'd have to give it a 2 out of 5 since it just was not happening mixed with my skin. If it had stayed the original smoky cinnamon I'd have liked it much better.

This smell is absolutely Christmas in a bottle, dead on. Cinnamon is not overwhelming but adds to the festive mix of the scent. Holly berries? I have no idea what that smells like. *Sniffs arm* OK, right now Holly smells like Jacob's Ladder, but I'm a girl Holly not the berry. (Sorry, stupid pun... my darling mother swears she didn't name me Holly for being born on the 12th day of Christmas, but I just don't believe her )

That said, I don't want it ON me. It would be fabulous in a room diffuser, or maybe even in a bath oil so you could smell it but not smell LIKE it. Nice to have tried but an imp is the perfect amount. As I would have guessed from the description.

I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5, though 5 for execution of idea; I just prefer perfume oils I can wear on me.

I would have suspected the gardenia. I got HG as a frimp and tested it to see if I could detect any of the notes without knowing in advance.

I definitely figured on a heavy white floral like gardenia, and some rosiness, though I would have said violet if I'd had to guess. The fruit, though, was not something I would have guessed was in there without reading the descrip. After knowing it's there, I can focus my nose on it, but without knowing it, it's definitely not what comes to the forefront when it's on me. I've found that my skin can react weirdly with fruit smells- either making them go *poof* or turning them sour and awful. (Makes me wonder what the Mi-Go Brain Canister I'm waiting on will do.)

It was a sweet, but not too sweet, floral for me. I did like it, and will probably keep using my imp of it for a while. I'd give it a 3.5, though I may like it better after spending more time with it, as is often the case with BPAL blends I'm fence-sitting about.

I tried this not knowing what the notes were- it was a frimp and I had to try it! It smelled to me of almost an almondy scent wet, and then the anise whupped me over the head upon drying. I definitely guessed licorice as a major note in this, but I would have thought there was some almond too. I didn't read cherry, just sweet licorice on my skin. I would definitely not have tried this on my own- absolutely detest cherry scents (though I like real cherries!) and fake cherry flavor in candy. And licorice. I'd give it a very biased 1 out of 5, but that's with a serious dislike of most of the scents comprising Kabuki.

Wet: Bubblegum! A hint of fruit but absolutely bubblegum.

Drying: Less bubble gum and more buttfruit. Sour and very unpleasant edge coming out.

After a few hours: Pure buttfruit. Ew. My chemistry is hell on this poor scent. I dunno what's up, but this is not remotely the way it smells in the bottle! Yikes. Wash off immediately! Glad I got an imp only. I can almost smell how my body chemistry is souring this scent- it starts out nice and minute by minute goes horribly wrong. Oh well.

I also get a hint of B&BW Rice Flower and Shea from this, just a bit but enough to make it slightly familiar smelling to me. While I love the smell of the B&BW scent in the bottle, it turns into straight Play-Doh on my skin so I can't wear it. Snow White, on the other hand, doesn't do that on me. Snow White is hardly identical though- it is much, much more complex and unusual and amazing. The B&BW smell is very sweet and kind of simple in comparison.

This scent is barely sweet on me, which I like. No vanilla. No flowers. It does smell like cold, like winter somehow. Like crisp frozen air with a creamy, smooth edge to it. I do find it wistful and somewhat melancholy. I picture emptiness somehow, like a field covered with snow far out in the wilderness. It also reminds me of something from childhood, and I'm not quite sure what.

Oddly when I first applied, it was almost impossible to detect. Only when it dried did it start smelling like much of anything. Weird. I am glad I have a bottle on the way though!

I'd give it a 5 out of 5. It grew on me. It's amazingly unique too, there's nothing quite like it out there.

I tested it again later and indeed, it is almost undetectable to my nose when wet, and then is reasonably strong and long lasting dry. I've never had that experience with a scent before, that's for sure. I put on a TON at first since I had no idea it would do that, and it lasted a good 9-10 hours, noticeable to me on just one wrist. As I've continued to wear it I realize it is a "slather" scent- not enough and it's too faint, though it lasts well nonetheless. I'm glad I have an imp (actually two!) as well as the bottle. I'll need them all!

I'm a huge dork and have to add that oddly enough, Snow White tastes much like it smells. I licked a finger I'd used to pry open the imp and hmm, instead of hot chocolate there was Snow White!

In the bottle I loved this. Soft, golden, everything good about amber backed with an amazing spicy, incensy dark background note.

Wet on my wrist I loved it. Smelled like it did in the bottle.

Then it dried. Everything smoky and spicy went bye-bye and I was left with just blah too sweet. Wahh! I'll have to try it again though- I've found sometimes BPAL scents smell different to me at different times, especially if I try them at work. That may have something to do with the fact that I often have something on from the morning and then wash my wrists before applying whatever goody I got in the mail to try.

A fellow employee even remarked that he didn't care for the perfume- he just wrinkled his nose and said "too sweet!" He thought he was smelling the antique perfume bottle I was holding, but I'm pretty sure it was actually Jacob's Ladder he got a whiff of.

Anyway. If it keeps getting the good bits of the scent eaten by my chemistry I will be completely bummed, since I absolutely loved the smell wet.

I love tea scents, and roses, so I had high hopes for Maiden. Sadly on me the carnation is the strongest smell. I can't even detect the tea. I don't hate the carnation, I just wish it was less intense. Alltogether it is an agreeable smell but I'm not bowled over. It seems to gently fade on me, with no huge changes. It also disappears rather quickly. I will probably use it some while I have the imp of it, but it will definitely not be a re-order. I'd give it a 3 to 3.5 out of 5.

Oh god, I hated this scent. I sometimes like foody scents but not this one. It was soooo incredibly strong it turned my stomach. The extremely intense nut scent was what really ruined it for me I think. I really wasn't able to wear it long enough to see if it changed at all. It was not possible.

Actually, this scent was responsible for me not using my dozen or so imps for about a year and a half. It spilled all over all of them, and every time I opened the box they were in I just was revolted, and just couldn't bring myself to fuss with any of them.

Finally it occured to me that perhaps that was the problem- a smell i didn't like had spilled, not that I hated all the fragrances I'd ordered. I washed the Gluttony off everything, and realized I'd forgotten about a treasure trove of gorgeous scents. This scent is so strong that maybe 1/8 to 1/4 of an imp coated an entire fishing tackle box and everything in it. Whoa, baby, that's potent. And it didn't fade for a year and a half.

This was a huge no-brainer for me. I lurve roses, sandalwood, and I have a closet fetish for patchouli too. I was happy that this one did live up to every expectation of mine. Strongly rosy, the sandalwood and patchouli add the most beautiful warm exotic element to it. It is absolutely lovely, well balanced as most all BPALs are, and one of my very favorites (so far!) While I suppose some might find it kind of headshoppy I like that aspect of it- I tended to wear the elements in this perfume in highschool a lot and it's kind of nostalgic for me.

It lasts pretty well but not extraordinarily long. It also seems to change a bit- the roses are stronger initially but the sandalwood and patchouli

Ophelia is one I like quite a lot. It is very light on me- and unfortunately doesn't last as well as most BPALS. However, it still lasts much better than plenty of other, non-BPAL scents. I would say it doesn't change much throughout it's life on my skin, just a soft even fading of the scent.

I can't pin down the floral elements in Ophelia, except that they're light and not cloying, and pretty evenly balanced. I happen to love rose scents, and though I didn't get rose out of Ophelia too much, it might be part of why I really like it. It's somewhat more conventionally pretty than many BPAL oils. I don't mind that; I work customer service and I do appreciate lighter florals I can wear without fear of annoying customers. I do think it fits the character of Ophelia well- soft, feminine, floral, with a hint of a watery feel- you can picture her floating with flowers all around.

I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5, again mostly because I have other BPAL scents that leave me in rapture and Ophelia doesn't quite get me that excited in comparison.

This scent is quite amazing in the way it does fit it's name. I had to try it, just to know what nuclear winter would smell like. Anyway, on me the mint is really rather potent, and there's this pungent green smell that keeps getting stronger and stronger. I really did think it captured an image with a scent amazingly well. The mint never faded out completely but it definitely did somewhat, leaving a hint of cold sweetness and a potent, pungent green note. Definitely could be unisex.

Like lots of BPAL blends it definitely grew on me. It smells less pungent, in a happy way.

When I offered an anointed wrist to the husband to sniff he said "Hmm. Can I eat you?" I assume it was a positive response to Nuclear Winter!

Then, later I offered him the bottle to sniff and he begged to be Nuclear Wintered. It was really cool to watch him get really into sniffing it and trying to analyze the notes and stuff. I had him read the online descrip and he was amazed at how well it went with the scent. I fear I may need a second bottle! Last I saw he was smearing it all over himself ;p It does smell amazing on him too I have to say, and I've caught him nose/wristing quite a bit the past few hours. I think BPAL may have another fan... which is remarkable since he's um, not exactly the smelly-stuff loving type usually. He also has tried Talvikuu and Bed of Nails and has loved those two as well.

Initially I got mildly piney flowers for about the first half hour or so, with the pine strongest while it was actually wet. As the scent developed, the pine disappeared, and the cool floral came to the forefront. Now, about two hours after I applied, it's soft, cold flowers. I never nailed the birch scent- either I don't know what it smells like or it just doesn't come out on my skin. I do quite like this; I like that the pine is never overwhelming, and the cold smell of the floral bouquet is awesome. I'd give it a 4.5, simply because while I really really like it, I'm not snuggling my wrist quite as much as I do with my very most favorite scents (like O, for example).

EDITED A YEAR LATER TO ADD: The pine has really gotten out of control as this blend ages. It used to be a hint, that disappeared. Now it's all pine, all the time. I did wear it a lot while it was fresh and yummy, at least. I tend to grab Snow Bunny instead for my fix of snow/pine/sweetness because it stayed a bit more balanced with age... the pine didn't eat the other notes. Originally I found Snow Bunny and Snow Moon to be virtually identical, though the Moon was a hair sweeter.

Snake Oil took a long time to grow on me; in the bottle I detested it. I often washed it off before it developed, and I like it best after it's mellowed for about a half hour- plus, I think I overapplied it initially, which didn't help. It's very, VERY potent. It does smells "headshoppy" a bit to me, which is not necessarily a bad thing- something familiar about it too, that I just can't put my finger on. The vanilla takes a back seat to whatever spice elements are in this. I like it best after it's mellowed a few hours, and applied sparingly. It smells golden, warm, exotic and very sexy.

I like it more than I thought I did. I may end up buying a full size someday, though my imp will last a long time. I'd give it a 5 out of 5.

Some sweet swapper gave me a second new imp of this, to match my 2 or 3 year old imp (which is almost full!). I now realize why people suggest aging it. The smell is markedly different- the old one is smooth, more creamy and quite divine. The newer one is close to as good but much sharper and less mellowed. Interesting! Even the boy could smell the difference between the two imps.

I finally realized why this is a familiar smell. I have a tiny vial of a scent called Moroccan Vanilla, which I haven't touched in ages, from a now-defunct Seattle perfume oil store called The Body Scent. I realized Snake Oil is not quite a dead ringer- it's actually better blended and doesn't have this weird shrill scent that the Moroccan Vanilla tends towards- but it's awfully close, yet better. Moroccan Vanilla was the most intensely potent stuff in the universe- one teeeeeeensy, like microscopic dab would last all day. Snake Oil is a little less potent but still pretty intense. This also nails the "headshoppy" vibe I get- someone I knew ages ago in high school used exclusively Moroccan Vanilla incense from The Body Scent, and he was a total hippy type. Very funny! Scent memory is incredibly powerful. I knew I kept seeing tie-dye when I smelled this!

Edited to add: Squeee! I got a full size bottle and oh, the cute label! It's now decorated with a Carnaval Noir label, so perfect. I think it's a great idea, I love that Snake Oil is spiffed up like that! Having a bottle is great. I finished the imp up in record time, but I definitely miss it's agedness- the new Snakey is good, but the old one was even better.