GemmaCat

Hi Gemma. I did actually think I'd been tossed. For one, some weird stuff happened (couldn't see any posts at all) after I got the admin PM telling me I was trolling. Also, all of my posts were deleted including a chatty introduction talking about my having run across BPAL many times in the past via friends who shared my gaming, larping, con-going, Ren Faire and filk interests. Never have sniffed any though; it's always been on my "to do" list since I love scents. So while I've had a bit of an abrupt and unusual introduction to the BPAL community, I actually wanted to stick my nose in for a sniff. Except that the admins dumped my introductory note, and, I thought, dumped me too.

 

Anyhow I followed the link you posted and found out I wasn't banned. So here I am.

Good! Nice to have you hear.

Beth, the owner of Sunkist couldn't PM you or other labbies here as she was banned this morning when she joined in an attempt to make contact.

This smells alcoholic in the vial. Yum!

Once on, it's initially very sharp and biting; a little bit too much for me, really. It settles into lightly sugared frankincense and champaca scent, with that bite coming from the labdanum.

Although deliciously resinous, it's a little too sharp for my tastes.

Oh, this one is soooo good!

I get soft, worn leather layered with soft resins, the merest hint of vanilla (that has to be the Snake Oil base), and sage.

It is herbal-gentle-sexy goodness! The throw is perfect, too. I put a little on the back of my hand to test it this morning and as I was doing pilates an hour later, I received delicate wafts of scent.

This is such a winner.

In the vial this is very sharp. On my skin, however, it's something else entirely.

I'm awful at detecting individual resin notes but this smells like really beautiful, very high quality incense to my nose. Layered with this is a sweet floral note, and something a little creamy and smoky. It's rich and airy at the same time whilst being somehow sharp and soft.

Gender neutral, and with awesome throw and staying power, this settles into a resin-y creaminess that is very lovely.

I thought this would be all chocolate and buttercream from the reviews here, but this is quite different on me.

Predominantly I smell coconut and buttercream with an earthy, almost gooey fig note running beneath it all. As it dries down I get a hint of spice and something a little too rich for my nose, though I don't know what that note is.

Eventually a little orange peeks out, and finally it ends up as a delicious pure cream scent. No chocolate, though.

This isn't my kind of perfume but it's one hell of an awesome blend, never the less!

The first time I tried Jack, it was so rich and buttery that I felt nauseous and tucked it away. I finally decided to go back to it after my fiance turned me on to the deliciousness of pumpkin pie, and I am glad I gave this little imp another chance!

Jack is all buttery, creamy pumpkin and bright, sweet peach on me. No spice, no complications; just gooey, orange goodness.

It has amazing throw and staying power, and can be a little strong, but at this time of year it is such a perfect scent to delicately dab onto my wrists.

I bought this from Bagfish, and I'm so glad I did!

There's definitely a similarity to Jack here but where Jack is sweet and rich, PQ is lighter and more spicy. In the bottle, PQ smells just like Jack: all gooey, buttery pumpkin, but once on this instantly transforms into a very airy, spiced scent.

I was a little worried at first that this was too light and spicy but once it dried down, the pumpkin scent came back and evened out nicely. Now it smells just like freshly baked pumpkin pie to my nose.

It doesn't have the same throw or staying power of Jack but its deliciousness more than makes up for this minor shortcoming.

If you love Pumpkin scents, this is a must!

Wet, this is the most delicate, pretty white floral. Soft, feminine, and very fresh as if it's a flower that has just opened.

Once dry, it develops an airy, almost dusty, quality that really compliments the overall floral note, and definitely makes me think that 'ghostly' is a good description for this flower.

I don't wear florals, but this might just change my mind.

This decant is a very generous gift from Zillah37. Many thanks again, hon!

At first sniff, I knew this was familiar but just couldn't place it. The predominant note is patchouli leaf and that full-bodied red musk; very sensual and a little spicy. As I sniffed it more, I finally realised why this is so familiar: it smells exactly like Snake Oil, but without the vanilla!

This is one helluva of a sexy scent! I'm not sure if it's something I could wear on its own, but I'm very eager to try this layered with a sweeter, creamier scent to see what happens.

This smells like softest amber with maybe a little spice in the background. It has a 'warm air' quality to it, like I'm being buffeted by a hot breeze, and has a much softer fruity note than I expected.

Two words to describe this would be 'exotic' and 'spicy'. The drydown is a little medicinal, reminding me of cherry cough syrup.

Not for me, though I do love that 'warm breeze' feeling Beth managed to capture.

Mmm, mango and fig!

I broke my rule and bought a 5ml of this before sampling an imp, and I'm glad I did. This is a soft and fruity blend with the green tea giving this a very refreshing background scent. The patchouli stays soft and only really emerges on the drydown, which suits me just fine.

This doesn't have the best throw but it's worth re-application. A very nice summer blend.

Oof! This smells overpoweringly of orange and spicy pepper on me; it almost makes my eyes water!

When the kumquat emerges this tips over the edge into 'way too strong' territory, particularly when it gets an astringent note on the drydown.

I'll stick with Tweedle Dum, me thinks.

This is the truest aquatic I've tried yet, and smells much more like actual tears than the BPAL scent 'Tears' ever did.

The floral perfume is very light and almost sweet, and it swirls perfectly in Alice's tears. I'm still undecided as to whether this is something I'd like to wear, but I might keep the imp around for sniffing purposes.

This is very soft, intrigueingly so, in the imp.

On my skin it's primarily sweet pea and sandalwood. The vanilla adds the merest hint of sweetness, but overall this merges into a feminine perfume scent, which is a little heavy on the florals.

Not for me, but I'm sure someone else can give it a good home.

Darn, another one not working as I'd hoped.

I was hoping for grapefruit softened by chamomile and with a lavender drydown, but instead I get pure, strong, sharp grapefruit.

I like a grapefruit a lot, but it's too strong on its own as a perfume.

Off to the swap pile!

Oh, wow! I love this blend so much!

In the imp it's all green apples and vodka. On my skin it's sweet mint sprinkled into vodka with ice, served with slices of crisp apple, and with something soft and sweet in the background (the ambrette?).

It dries down to a sweet mint-apple, and is just delicious!

Definitely getting a 5ml of this in my next order.

Damn, this one is breaking my heart.

I expected cakey goodness, like my beloved Monster Bait: Closet, but instead my skin makes it all about tart, almost sour, berries. It softens over time and becomes ever so slightly cakey, but by that point it's almost gone and my skin just gobbles up the vanilla sweetness.

Oh well. At least Drink Me works for me!

Wow! This is arguably Beth's most complex blend to date, and definitely her most realistic foody.

In the imp it's gooey cherry bakewell tart, fresh from the oven, and buttered toast (real butter too, like what my grandmother used to make). On my skin, though, it's pineapple turnover cake, buttered, with a rich creamy custard and some almond slices sprinkled ontop. In the background, toffee is lingering, adding an extra level of gooiness to the blend.

As it dries down, it's mainly pineapple and buttered toast.

At first, I wasn't sure if this is something I'd like to wear as a perfume but the more I sit here sniffing it, the more I like it. It makes me hungry but it's also comforting, rich, and unusual. The staying power and throw are also phenomenal.

I think I need a 5ml of this, stat!

2006 version:

Initially this smells like soapy grass but it becomes more true to freshly cut grass over time. It's even a little sweet, and reminds me distinctly of a bright, sunny day when it's time to mow the lawn.

I do like the way this smells, and I think it's a perfect scent to embody Beltane, but it's so true to real grass that it's reminding me of my hayfever! I might send this bottle to a new home.

Initially this is all strong, sweet apricot with a touch of clove. But after a few minutes, as it warms to my skin, it turns into a very potpouri-esque, room fragrance blend complete with the merest hint of artificial fruit about it.

Curse my skin chemistry!

Down and dirty, sharp patchouli overset with the sweetness of orange blossom. A suprisingly gritty scent but somehow rugged and handsome.

I'd like to try this on my fiance, actually.

This was rather a disappointment to me. I wanted to get the rum, buttercream, and honey mead but instead all I got was almonds. It was sorta like opening up a cake box expecting boozy chocolate cake and instead being met with cyanide.

Admittedly this smells like gooey cherry-bakewell dessert in the imp, and stays pretty much the same on my skin, but as it dries down the cherriness dissipates and I'm left with almost pure almonds.

Alas, almonds aren't my most favourite things to smell like so this is one for the swap pile.

It's so weird to me that people detect sandalwood in this as all I'm getting is a delicious sweetness blended perfectly with the fresh linen scent of Antique Lace sans gooey vanilla.

This is honestly a dead ringer for a vanilla-less Antique Lace to my nose, and is simply fabulous!

Soft, sweet, and fresh this is the ultimate comfort scent. Beautiful!