Mrs.Black

I would add Penny Dreadful.

Oooo, where's that photo?

Oh man, I've been saying that for years. We need a fresh-baked bread BPAL!

Besides To Autumn, I would recommend Gunpowder. To me it's like a really high end carrot cake, not too sweet, loaded with hazelnuts and walnuts, with some apple for good measure. Now I'm dying to try Wezwanie/Hold. After the Yule craziness is over, I'll have to email Shelldoo and see if she would ship Wezwanie/Hold and Haloes to Australia.

I, too, love Hanerot Halalu. I don't get any smoke from it; what I do get is orange flower honeycomb. I mean real honeycomb, not the candy. I can smell natural beewax and luscious honey subtly perfumed with the orange flowers of its origin. I'll need more than one bottle of this one.

Could you please post a link? I went to flickr and searched by your forum name, but couldn't find them It's in her sig . Oh, OK, thanks. I have the forum set to the work skin with no signatures or avatars so I can look in "discreetly" while I'm at work.

Could you please post a link? I went to flickr and searched by your forum name, but couldn't find them

I was a rabid Cinnabon fan during the six years I lived in the US. Still miss it. So believe me when I say that the most Cinnabon-y of all BPAL scents is, by far, Chimera.

Thanks guys! Great, I still have copious amounts of Samhain, including half a 10 ml bottle from 2004, but I have to get this year's just for the bottle!

Can someone post a pic of this year's Samhain, please?

I did see talula_fairie's post before I quoted that sentence. I didn't realise though that what she was quoting was an e-mail from the Lab and not the Lab's website because, as I said, I'm pretty sure I've seen the same statement before on the Lab's website. No, of course, no-one would expect Beth to change the copy on the website any time soon, although I wouldn't assume she is the only person authorised to do so.

Thanks Mrs. Black, that does make it clearer, but where on the website does it say that? Well I'll be damned! I can't find it any more, ClareN, although I'm sure it used to be in the FAQ page. In fact, I cannot find any reference to the products being natural, or naturally derived, in the whole Lab website. As I said before, I personally couldn't care less about the issue because: 1. Many natural products and essences are harmful and you wouldn't want them anywhere near your skin, so to me what is important is quality and safety (and for the stuff to smell good), and I get all these needs met through BPAL. 2. There are artificial molecules that are used to enhance natural essences in perfumery. This is to me an acceptable practice as long as it's done judiciously by a talented perfumer, which Beth is. Aldehydes, for example, an artificial compound, are said to be the "secret" that made Chanel n 5 into much more than just another rose/jasmin perfume among thousands. Having said all this, I do think it would be in the Lab's best interest to bring back a clear statement about the "natural" issue to their website, since so many people set so much stock by this.

yes! that's the one. now to figure out the name of it...and i believe you're right, it's joan of arc. thanks!!!! She's the Anima Sola, actually.... That was Sugar Skull 2005. The only vintage of Sugar Skull I didn't like, I must say. It had an undertone of smoky caramel or molasses that I couldn't get on board with. And I never understood the choice of label art because isn't Sugar Skull supposed to be "vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death"? The lady in chains surrounded by flames didn't seem to portray that very well. Thank you for posting those first labels, Delirium 1009! I love it when labels are all different. Last year's Halloween label were a bit too plain for my taste, but I love this year's so far.

"All of our scents are 100% naturally derived". This quote from the BPAL website is very clear, I don't understand all the confusion and people saying that the Lab hasn't made a clear statement on this. The reason they say "naturally derived" and not "natural" is that there are many notes that cannot be extracted directly. This is true for most fruits, many flowers, leather, etc. For example, there is no such thing as "natural strawberry oil", but it's possible to mix certain natural oils to create the strawberry accord, which is what the Lab does.

I can't wait to see what the Weenies will look like! Someone post pictures the second they get their bottles please!

No, I recall a limited number was made but not specifically 54. The "54" refers, I think, to the famous discotheque Studio 54 in New York, an iconic establishment of the seventies. It's now been converted to a theatre.

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a BPAL that smells like silk garments. When I lived in the US one of my favorite haunts was T.J.Maxx (a discount store) and I used to buy lots of silk clothes. I remember one brand in particular, August Silk, but there were others. Well, silk clothing has a beautiful and very specific smell that I won't try to describe. For those of you who know it, have you come across a BPAL that reminds you of that? Thanks!

Hi Ivyandpeony! Thanks for your answer. No, I haven't kept any of the Asian Moons... Holiday Moon, to my nose, had a very green pungent scent (I assumed that was the bamboo) that didn't agree with me. It was present as well, to a lesser extent, in Fire Pig, Earth Rat and Dragon Moon but not, to my nose, in Hungry Ghost Moon. But you are right about the slightly "green" quality of the silk smell. There is something fresh and pulpy to it. Maybe the softer, paler woods would be a good place to start to look for the elusive silk scent. I'm going to retry Aziraphale and see if this is going in the right direction.

Madame Tracy is a very nice rainy scent. You wouldn't say that from reading the notes, but there you go.

Neither Zephyr nor Phobos fit that description. Zephyr is a musky, refreshing lemon, while Phobos is a bracing, chilling lemon. I would recommend Follow Me Boy or Cheshire Moon.

I would recommend Moon Rose and/or London.

BPAL no longer sends order confirmation emails (or not to me, anyway). After you get the confirmation from Paypal, the next thing that will happen (but it usually takes at least three weeks) is that you'll probably get a "Click & Ship" email from USPS (United States Postal Service). That indicates that your order has been shipped. However, the C&S sometimes doesn't happen for international orders, so it's also possible that the order may just show up at your doorstep without warning!

Milk Moon 2007 is very pina colada-tropical. It was an LE, but wasn't very popular so it shouldn't be hard to find in the swaps area. Of the current GC scents you may want to try Obatala, Elegba and my personal favorite, Black Pearl.

I would say Dee for his intellectual side; Tombstone for the rugged action hero.

Cup of Death? I don't remember a BPAL called that... Unless it's a Salon, I lose track of those, especially the retail exclusives since they are so hard to obtain.