Poenari

After all these years of wearing BPAL and loving so many of the vampire-inspired scents (I mean, a bottle of Dracul was in my first order from Feb. 2006) I finally tried Nosferatu! I can't believe that I waited all these years. The Lab frimped me an imp in a recent order, and here we are. On my skin, Nosferatu opens with my beloved graveyard dirt note. The wine is a sweet red blend that immediately melds with the dirt and becomes more than the individual notes. This scent is so much sweeter than I expected, and also lighter and brighter somehow. I really love this. Zombi is one of my favorite BPALs to turn to when I want a spring scent, and Nosferatu is right in my wheelhouse. Bottle worthy!

I sorted a big stash of old decants and imps yesterday, that I had tossed in a box. Putting away the Luper decants with my Luper bottles, I saw this imp of 2010 Signoir Dildo that I don't recall trying. So I applied it blind, before looking up the notes. Uh-oh... Mistake! This is on skin- I didn't bother to try to sniff the imp first. It's all sharp white florals that went straight up my sinuses and caused an instant headache. This is the same vibe and headache that I get from Snow White. It's a scrubber. ?

I'm a huge Snake Oil fan and nothing will top the original. I have enjoyed many of the variants, but only a couple have been backup bottle-worthy. This is definitely backup bottle-worthy! Upon first sniff and application, the scent is.... PERFECT! Snake Oil and Sugar Plum! Exactly as stated. It couldn't be more balanced between them on my skin! And it is super long lasting. The drydown remains balanced, with Snake Oil finally taking over as the plum fades, after about 2 hours. This plum note is sugary sweet, rich, and deeply juicy. The Snake Oil is more true to the original than the other recent variants. I read elsewhere that Beth doesn't actually use Snake Oil in the variants, which is why she can create them while the actual Snake Oil shortage remains. That she comes up with something that is so recognizable to blend with the other notes is amazing.

The Single Notes of Sumatran Red Patch and East African Black Patch are must-haves if you can find them! They were perfect fresh out of the bottle and mail back in the day, and now that they have aged, each one has gotten thicker and richer and they last forever! It's also fun to have both of them to learn to recognize the differences. Patchouli ages very well, so scents that are strong with that note tend to get even better with age.

A truly fae nectar! Dragon's blood resin and honeyed vanilla. I adore Beth's dragon's blood scents, and the Ars Draconis blends in particular. Dragon's Heart is my particular favorite dragon's blood blend, but I've been including a note to Puddin' begging for Dragon's Milk bath oil in every Trading Post order I've placed for years. He even teased me by including a handwritten note saying "Dragon's Milk!" in one order. Imagine my delight when Dragon's Milk hair gloss won the June lunacy poll! Two bottles instantly jumped into my cart, thank goodness, because the ability to order this lunacy went bye-bye much too fast. I really don't know how to describe this other than to say that if you love Dragon's Milk, you already know what you are getting. For those who don't know, you are getting a sweet dragon's blood blended with the most amazing honeyed vanilla. This scent is powerful and strong! It is my most strongly scented hair gloss (and I have most of them, so that's saying a lot!) The dragon's blood whomps you on the nose, especially if your hair is long enough, but the honeyed vanilla makes it non-headshoppy. LOVELY, STRONG, GORGEOUS, DRAGON'S MILK! It stays in your hair for days if you don't wash daily, and makes your shower smell amazing when you rinse/wash it out. Your hair will shine like the reflective iridescent scales of a dragon. Biggest regret- Puddin' only made this one live for a few days, and that was back when the forum was down for weeks. A lot of forumites missed out on the chance to order this amazing hair gloss. Since Dragon's Milk perfume is a favorite of so many, and hair gloss is a favorite product, I would love to see this added to the GC catalog, or at least resurrected long enough to share the love. Edited to add: this won the June lunacy poll, so there also wasn't a BPTP forum thread about it

I bought my bottle of Lycan Lace from Dark Delicacies the minute after it went live. I have barely worn it since then, and never reviewed it either. I'm trying to wear a different BPAL every day this month, and pulling the ones I rarely wear. I'm so glad I grabbed this one today! Obviously this review is now based on my three year old aged bottle. Musk! Red musk! This reminds me a lot of the way that Krampus smells on me! I have a lot of bottles of Krampus because it's a favorite, and I wear it a lot in the winter, so my memories are fresh. My skin always amps red musk, and this is no exception. Actually, I rarely love the Laces and this smells less like one of them than usual. I actually don't detect rose or pine. The notes have melded with age into a lovely, dark and sinister musky blend, feral indeed. I am in love with this lycan and will put it into heavier rotation!

I received this as a frottle from the Lab last year and forgot to review it! In the bottle, a blast of strong fresh pine tree! Whew! But it barely takes a minute after application that the pine dries down on my skin from a sharp blast to a cozy real Christmas tree in the house, a few days after it's been decorated and settled. You can smell the tree as you get close to it, but it doesn't blast you from across the room. That's how it is on my wrist. And there is a dark musk, likely black musk, that tempers it. A slight powder mingled with the musk, possibly myrrh, and the slightest hint of mint and cocoa. This is a great scent, cozier than I expected, and perfect for snuggling under a blanket near the tree, watching a sappy Hallmark Christmas movie, drinking bourbon-enriched hot cocoa with marshmallows. Edited to add: today I'm getting a waft of frankincense too!

I was gifted this bottle with my Halloweenie order and am so grateful for it! My dad loved nougat candies and the smell always reminds me of Christmas, because he stuffed them into our Christmas stockings. Nougat bar perfume makes me worry that this will go sickly sweet, so I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't! There is definitely almond, but it doesn't shriek up my nose from the bottle or on my skin. This scent is creamy, slightly powdery as from a gentle dusting of powdered sugar, and coconutty. Ok, this is very nice and not sinus-sharp either. It's like that sweetened shredded coconut mixed with crushed almonds... There is a slight nuttiness that tones it down. In the past I have found that the Lab's almond and cherry notes go cloying and sickly sweet on my skin and stick to my sinuses, so I tend to avoid them. But this is very nice and wearable. It would be a fun Christmas party scent.

I guess I forgot to review this one after I got it all those years ago! I'm wearing it today, so will review my bottle as it stands now with some age on it. The caramel is sweet and chewy, not burned sugar, and there is a sweet patchouli. This is exactly as advertised. Long lasting and goes so well with other autumn scents.

I was gifted a bottle of this in my Halloweenie order, and am so grateful! Upon initial application, I get vanilla nutmeg - nice! Then the licorice root immediately muscles it's way to the front. I love licorice, so this is fine with me. By the time of the drydown, I can really only smell licorice. It's a sweet but sexy licorice, tempered by the vanilla and honey, and I can't really detect the coconut milk as a standalone note. This perfume is surprising to me - I didn't expect it to be such a licorice scent. I like it even more than Black Licorice Smut!

Disclaimer: I have a head cold and congestion right now, so will edit this initial review as my full sense of smell returns. Also, I have never sniffed Storyville, so this is not a comparison. I adore red musk and the pumpkin spice blends, so even without the throwback to OG Storyville, I would have bought a bottle. First thoughts after reading earlier reviews, I dislike jasmine, it always amps on me, and I get no indolic notes from this. The red musk in this one is smooth and gentle. It's not as heady as in my other beloved red musk Weenies, such as Third Charm, Lucy Kissed, or Mircalla. It doesn't have that after-sex smell that I get from Smut either. This is a very lovely red musk, wearable and not too sexy. The pumpkin spice is also gentled. It's not as prominent as in many of my other PS blends, and therefore doesn't scream "Halloween!" or "Seasonal!" All together, this blend is just perfect for any season and any setting. It's lovely, long lasting, and even with my congestion I am catching wafts of it, so it definitely has some throw. I need backups!!

I immediately hit "buy" as soon as this appeared. It has my beloved dead leaves note with a woolly sweater and an initial blast of cold wind! Drydown is gentle and there is barely a touch of amber. This is a lovely scent and will be very wearable thoughout hot autumn days as well as cooler ones.

I was gifted a frottle of this with my Halloweenie order, and am so grateful! The description for 2018 Pumpkin Dust is the same as this one. I reread the reviews of that after I sniffed my bottle of 2021 and applied to my wrist, because I swore I smelled fruit, almost like peaches! There were several mentions of peaches in those reviews, so I'm not totally crazy. This is a sweet blend with a very mild pumpkin note that is not at all pumpkin spice. The honey powder sweetens it and keeps the pumpkin from turning sour. This is a lovely pumpkin scent for those who don't want any spice! Very wearable.

I was gifted a frottle of this in my Halloweenie order and am so grateful to the Lab! My husband loves those "grandpa" butterscotch hard candies and took his place as a rightful grandpa with them in his pocket a few years ago. The butterscotch is strong in this one and immediately brings them to mind! But there is an undercurrent of something dark and sinister in a spicy way. I agree that it seems to be ginger. The way that it appears just under the surface from where the butterscotch lays, is so unique, and takes away from the sugary sweetness that butterscotch turns on me. As it wears on, the dark spiciness is very familiar to me from my favorite super spicy pumpkin scent, 2009 Pumpkin IV, which has this same dark gingery vibe. Instead of pumpkin, add butterscotch and these could be cousins. I really love this one! Nice throw and wear length on this one.

This was a frottle in my Halloweenie order, which astounded me. I had to test and review this! So... My husband is a professional furniture refinisher - has been for over 45 years. I know the smell of lye all too well, as it is one of the main chemicals in a hot tank used for stripping heavily painted doors and old woodwork. The second I opened the bottle, I could smell lye! That familiar smell also found in drain cleaners and soap making. It's a smell described as similar to ammonia, but I disagree with that. But if you have ever smelled drain cleaner, you would recognize it. The lye note is astounding to me. But don't worry, it dries down and fades very quickly. The bubblegum note is right there to take over. Sweet, chewy Bubblelicious gum! It has that fruity sweet bubblegum note, and I can barely detect the lye note after a few minutes. It seems to keep the bubblegum from going sickly sweet though, which is a good thing to me. After about 10 minutes on my wrist, the bubblegum has mellowed and I detect the slightest hint of spice - just a touch, the way bubblegum flavors fade and morph quickly in your mouth. The throw isn't strong and this is actually quite wearable! This is absolutely hilarious. I cannot fathom how Beth does it, but this is a very realistic scent of exactly what it says. I can't wait to have my young grandson try this!

This blend is exactly what I had hoped for! The familiar Snake Oil is actually more prominent than in some of the other newer Snake Oil variants. Here, it is very recognizable as Snake Oil. I find it amazing that Beth has been able to create that beautiful Snake Oil scent in variants without using actual Snake Oil. Just more of her magic! The pumpkin spice here isn't overly strong. And the coffee in this latte is sweet and mild. This is the first BPAL coffee blend that doesn't turn to bitter burned coffee on my skin. Good throw and wear time, too! What a lovely warm scent. I will need a backup bottle of this one!

I was just gifted a bottle of this amazing oil from a dear friend. My review this morning is for scent and initial reaction. I will add to it once I have a chance to give it a full try. In the bottle, this is literally a heavenly perfume... very rose forward, but lush and real, nothing artificial or soapy. On my skin, this blooms even further into a huge bouquet of Bulgarian roses, sweetened by the supporting notes but still all rose forward. My mood immediately lightened and I can't stop inhaling deeply from my wrist. I can see where this perfume is full of loving energy: self love, love of others, romantic and lush. It is amazing.

I was just gifted a full bottle of this perfume from a dear friend! Last year's Lilith's were amazing, and I bought more bottles and decants to try than I ever had before. Yet I passed on this one, because milky fruity cereal is something I never consume and don't want to smell like. However, I am very familiar with Fruit Loops as it is still one of my husband's favorite breakfast cereals. I initially sniffed and applied from the bottle without reading up on the notes. First impression, is that milk chocolate? Uh oh, that won't work for me. Then sweet fruit... berries.. creamy... Ah yes, I bet this is Lilith's strawberries! Read the notes and yep, it's all here. Sweet creamy fruity, very pretty. Not a "me" scent at all, however. I will see what my little grandson thinks. If he likes it, it will be one I can wear with him and let him try as well. A lovely gift and very sentimental(scentimental)! 5/16/23 I pulled this out to wear after a very long time, possibly even since I originally reviewed it. After aging for over a year, I can actually smell the strawberries on my skin! This is still a very sweet creamy youthful berry scent and not what I typically would wear. But it's a gloomy wet spring day today and I wanted something different. This is perfect! Sweet pretty and cheerful, and I'm getting ready to pick up my grandson from school. I will see what he thinks now that it's aged, but I'm pretty sure he's going to love it.

#159 I reached for my bottle this morning, as the weather is going to turn cooler today and feel like autumn. I applied and took note of the scent that has now aged for three years, and then went to look up my review to see what I initially thought. Well damn me, I never posted a review! So here it is, with my now aged bottle. Wet and in the bottle, distinctly Samhain, but without the initial nose-wrinkling effect I usually get when sniffing wet: typically from the fir and mullein. Applied on skin, and after dry down, this is a lovely version of Samhain where the apple is truly prominent. That is usually a hidden note to me! The fir and mullein are way in the background. After 30 minutes or more, this has worn to a lovely autumn apple scent, slightly spicy and with that distinct "Samhain" smell that no other Halloween-themed perfume has. I really love this version!

I rarely buy the lunacy scents, but with the description of late autumn leaves and stone fruits, this was a must for me. I adore Beth's leaves notes, and stone fruit includes peach and plum, which are big hits for me as well. In the bottle, there is that dead leaves note that I love! I barely detect fruit. Once on my skin, however, this blooms into a gorgeous scent, exactly as I had hoped. The fruit comes forward, and I feel like I get a well blended melange of peach, apricot, and plum. I am not detecting cherry. It's as if I am standing in a crisp pile of autumn leaves that is near a fruit stand holding ripened stone fruits. So happy that I bought this! It's just perfect for warm September days.

I received this frimp in my latest order and OMG it is such a perfectly "me" scent! I had not considered this one, but it is going into my list for a future bottle. On my skin I get a smoky scent that is a gorgeous blend of incense, dragon's blood, and a hint of lavender. Love this one!!

I received a frimp of this in my recent order, and don't remember ever trying it before. Since I didn't review it either, I really have no recollection of it. But one of my friends raves about it ( sammy!) so I have to try it and review while I remember! On skin, a rush of champaca! That's a good start! I didn't look up the notes before trying, but this is Beth's unmistakable champaca note. Then a hint of floral soapy sweetness, but not the way rose can go soapy. Hmmm. I had to look it up. Oh, yes, orange blossom! Sometimes it does that on me. Never in Vixen, but the ginger keeps it in check there. Ok, after dry drown and for the rest of the evening, it's been mainly a dry champaca incense. The sandalwood and orange blossom are really blended in a way that supports but doesn't disguise the champaca. This is definitely a lovely scent. I will wear it happily, but don't need a full bottle. I do have other scents with these notes that wear better on my skin.

I finally blind bottled this one from the Lab and I'm so glad that I did! This is a great blend of dragon's blood, red musk, a hint of spice, and cotton candy! It really reminds me of Blood Popsicle with cotton candy added to make it sweeter. Over time, it really doesn't morph in my hair, and I continue to smell the cotton candy along with the other notes. It doesn't last in my hair as long as my other dragon's blood or red musk blends do, but that's ok. Very happy with this bottle!

I grabbed this off the Lab's Etsy site when it appeared, as I never looked for a fairy way back when. It seemed to be the perfect scent for my memories of my recent trip to NOLA, and my bottle arrived two days after I returned home. What a lovely scent! This is a lovely floral incense. The notes are very well-mingled by this time, and the jungle orchid gives the incense the perfect touch. The incense is just dark and smoky enough to swirl around and envelop the orchid. In other words, you can't really distinguish one from the other, but the sum of the parts is a beautiful perfume. I love the earlier reviews mentioning The Mayfair Witches, as that is one of my favorite books and I loved seeing the house that inspired Ann Rice on my recent trip. Great new scent memory is made. ???

I've had this imp of French Love for forever and don't recall ever trying it. I packed it for my trip to NOLA, because it seemed perfect. I'm so glad that I did! I love dragon's blood and that is definitely present as the main note. But underneath that I get a spice note, probably cinnamon, and I detect some champaca. This is just wonderful - I do love my DB scents, but I believe that I like this even more than Dragon's Milk! Side note: this actually smells like the inside of a couple of boutiques I've gone into in the French Quarter. Not the stinky smelly Bourbon Street shops, but a couple off the beaten path. I need to order a bottle of this to be my NOLA scent memory.