miss_rynn

A strong, mean, black tea smell (it reminds me of darjeeling), with slightly under-ripe strawberries. A little sweetened, but not very. Faint flowers, at a guess something white and fresh like roses. I'm not hugely fond of this one. Something about the strong black tea and the strawberries smells a bit like off-putting anise with a hint of mint. I think what I'm put off by is the strong tannin scent from the tea. Tannins and I don't get along well - I have to put milk in my tea to cut the tannins a little or I end up feeling really head-achey and nauseous. I think it's more a scent-asociation which is bothering me. In any case, despite being a bit bitter (or rather umami, which is an odd thing to describe a scent as), it's just a little sweet and is quite fresh and bright smelling without being a citrus scent. Anyways, not really for me, but if you like black tea-scents (rather than green tea), this one will suit you.

This smells to me really, really similar to Spring Training 2008 - caramelly, and almost pancakey. It smells a little creamier and has more vanilla in it, though, almost like Spring Training with Delectable Putrescence. I don't get much rum, but... almost like tirimasu without the coffee. Delicate sponge cake, caramel, cream, butterscotch. Not all of BPAL's caramel notes work on me very well, and this one turns ashy on me after an hour or two, but it's still very nice.

This was probably my most anticipated scent of the weenies, because I missed out on it last year. I think it suffered a little from such high hopes It is pleasant, though! It's a tart, spiced apple smell. It does smell a bit waxy, but I think that's actually the milk note. But if you've ever cooked up apple slices with some clove, nutmeg and a dash of cinnamon, but NO sugar, you'll know this sharp hot apple mash smell. One of the stuffings I make for poultry is apple and sage; that's what this reminds me of, without the sage. This is actually great if you want a non-cloying apple scent. I'm probably going to try layering this with something super sweet of a candy apple scent.

This is not really what I expected, although it does serve to confirm that red velvet cake is one of my favourite notes of all time. This is the same red velvet cake as Monsterbait: Closet (which I adore), but without the blackberry. It has a similar creamy vanilla note as in Beaver'versary. So far, so good! On the skin, however, the cake/vanilla notes tend to tone down and fade. What is left is a very clear impression of Dorian (to me it's the vanilla-tea smell I get most strongly from Dorian), a dry wood (which I'm assuming is Doc Constantine), and a whisper of Snake Oil spices underneath. Really, it smells to me like a mixture of those three, with very little red velvet cake. That's a bit of a shame for me, but all in all I'm very pleased with it.

This is super, super pretty. It's like a more innocent version of O without the amber. To me, wet, it smells like vanilla and honey and cream. It doesn't last too long on the skin for me (although I only put a little dab on for testing), but it dries down to a very true light cream scent - not soured at all. I'm really impressed with this one.

I try to avoid a lot of the alcoholic BPAL scents because they tend to go to that stale alcohol smell of the morning after, rather than the delicious booziness of the night before. Ghoulish, while very pretty, is one of the scents betrayed by my skin chemistry. It starts out being a rich, red, candy cherry much like Bloody Mary, then heads to the more dark, realistic cherry scent of the Hideous Heart, both of which chased by a damp marzipan scent. Unfortunately, it dried down on my skin to the same sour booze smell I get from Hellcat. Infact, this feels to me very much in the same family as Hellcat, with a fruity note on top. This is just my skin chemistry, though - I can see how this would work on the right person. In fact, I'm probably going to wear this one in a locket.

It took me a little while to work out what this reminded me of, and why I had kind of an adversion to it. To me, it smells like fermented berries - not alcoholic as such, but like... there's a blackberry wine in Australia that's super cheap and nasy, called 'Blackberry Nip'. One of my first bad drinking experiences was when I was a poor undergrad, and Blackberry Nip was all I could afford. On one particular (disasterous) evening, I drank a whole bottle of it. The next day, while terribly hungover, I cleaned up the bottle and the leftover glass. Frostberry Pie smells reminds me of that glass - the stale dregs of the Blackberry Nip after the alcohol had evaporated off. Having said that, I don't think it's a bad perfume smell or anything - I just think I have some bad associations with a similar scent.

I was lucky enough to nab a bottle from eBay. In the bottle it smells like marzipan and tangerine - a bit like an almond and orange cake. Wet on the skin it is very much the same, sweet and very lightly spiced. To me, it smells like Frangelico would be if it were made with almonds, not hazlenuts. It wears pretty close to the skin, and as it dries down it becomes much more subtle, blending seamlessly with my natural scent. It's almost as if it has a skin musk note in it, without being the usual BPAL skin musk note that makes me feel sick. I like it very much, and it's actually very subtle while still being decadent.

After hearing about such a high proportion of cakey/frostingy/foody blends, I thought I'd take the plunge and try my luck with two bottles. Alas, I was not lucky enough to get blends which particularly work for me. 378 - this smells pale, wet and cool, like under-ripe watermelon or the inside of the skins of under-ripe bananas. I can hardly smell any vanilla in the bottle - it just smells like cool green humidity. On the skin, the vanilla comes out a little more, but it is certainly not a vanilla in the forefront smell. It's in no way unpleasant, and if watery scents (as opposed to ocean scents) were your thing, I suspect this would work for you. I am not, so it has no love from me. 446 - I think I prefer this one of the two, but it's not exactly my kind of scent either. In the bottle and initially on the skin, it is a bright, sharp, strong, sweet lemon scent. Like lemon drops. I must get a little honey, too, because it smells almost exactly like honey lemon Strepsils taste (without the menthol note). As it dries down, it has a pronounced smokey caramel note which reminds me a little of Agrat-bat-mahlaht or Gluttony. Now, I love caramel, but the Lab's caramel note rarely works on my skin. The vanilla is a little stronger in this one than in 378, but it's mostly sweet lemon and caramel. Too bad I'm not a huge fan of citrus scents. :/ I'm hoping that with aging, the vanilla comes out more in both of them, and the lemon note fades in 446.

This has a very, very strong white sugar note to it, very much like "Pure Sugar" from Love Potions Magickal Perfumerie. Now, I'm super fond of very sweet scents, but this one was a little too much for me. It's a very, very rich scent, in a similar vein to "Mr Nancy" from the Anansi Boys line (although they don't smell at all alike), and unfortunately it was too rich for my blood. It has a bakery note to it which is something like a cross between bread and cake, with a milky, weak tea note in the back. This is very nice, but not quite right on me.

This is very masculine on my skin. Musky, husky, almost aftershavey, which surprises me because just by the notes I was expecting something sweet, creamy, and girly. It's not in anyway unpleasant, it's just not what I was expecting. The coconut husk is prominent but not overpowering, and certainly not a coconut meat scent. I'm not overwhelmed, though I'll hang onto my bottle to let it age. On the right person, this would be lovely, but alas it doesn't seem to be for me.

This is not the same cherry as is in most BPAL scents, to my nose, for which I am thankful! Don't be scared of either the cinnamon or the licorice - they are not pungent or overpowering in the slightest. On my skin, this is very much like dried cherries; not glace, but actual dark, musky, slightly tart dried cherries. The cinnamon is barely there, just enough to give it depth, and the licorice grounds the scent very nicely. It doesn't have a huge amount of throw, and it wears very close to the skin. I'm a fan

I love the concept of this, and I love it to bits in the bottle. The honey is delicious. However, once it hits the skin, it becomes very raw, fresh, sharp Snake Oil. Snake Oil needs about 6 months before it becomes wearable on me. Until it's been aged, I don't think I can wear Womb Furie, which makes me sad. I have hopes that it will become lovely in time!

I didn't like either of these when I first got them, so I let them age for a while... which as it turns out was a good idea! XXIX This is very sharp, green and with an odd floral tone to it. It remined me of super expensive facial cleanser; not exactly perfumed, but with that weird kind of expensive 'clean' smell to it. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of 'O' in it; it just smells like Lancome to me. XL This is wonderful! Almost like 'O' mixed with 'Alice'. It's a little sweeter and smoother than 'O', with more honey and a dash of rose. The rose was really strong when I first got it, but it's mellowed out nicely. While not my perfect scent ever, it has elements from two of my best loved BPAL oils, so I'm very happy with it

On my skin, this smells like a lighter version of Samhain 2007. It's light and sweet, all fresh apples and sweet, delicate honey with a musky undertone. It has a grown-up, sexy lady feel to it. It's not at all cloying, and wears quite close to the skin. Very much a more youthful, feminine version of Samhain. I'm a fan

In the bottle this is a delicate, sweet, slightly fruity scent. I can get why people have suggested it as 'melony' in the bottle. Alas, there are not distinct honey or ginger notes, which is what I was really hoping for. On the skin, this becomes very much like the Brides of Dracula did for me - which is unfortunately a soapy kind of lily smell. I had high hopes for this, and while I think it would work beautifully on some people, it just doesn't seem like it will work on me. Boo.

I love what this smells like in the bottle - honey and seaweed, perfectly balanced, sweet and aquatic and sexy. Once it hits my skin, the seaweed amps a whole lot, which is a bit of a shame. As it mellows out over an hour or so, once the seaweed dies back, the ambergris and honey melt together and play very nicely indeed.This feels like a feminine version of Cthulhu, and while I like both scents a whole lot, the seaweed in both of them can become way overpowering. While I do very much enjoy my squiddy love, alas I can only take it in small doses.

My problem with a lot of vanilla scents is that they end up either too old-lady-perfumy or too girlish and almost insincere. I have to admit, I was dreading Love's Philosophy being either too much like Underpants (which gives me a terrible head-ache) or too much like vanilla orchid, which has too floral a note to satisfy me. I was completely surprised when I opened the bottle! This is a tangy vanilla, like vanilla yoghurt. It's not a soured cream smell like the older Milk Moon was, but a slightly acidic dairy smell, with a balsamic vanilla, not a cloying one. On the skin it fades a fair bit and picks up a dry cakeish smell, but is still very pleasant. Very surprising, and very nice indeed!

Tested from a friend's bottle. In the bottle, it smells like luciously thick fudge brownies. Seriously tasty stuff, and absolutely disctinct from Bliss or Velvet - rich and fudgey, not sweet and creamy like Bliss or rich and dry like Velvet. Directly on the skin it smells like fudge brownie batter with some floral or perfumey undertones... and then after about 5 minutes it becomes an almost exact replica of Monsterbait Underbed; dry, pervasive cocoa and cassia (but no rum note at all). On my skin, the similarity between the two scents is uncanny. I had been concerned that it would develope the same 'soured cream' note I have gotten from Milk Moon and Chaste Moon, or do the dusky, musty horrible thing that Bliss can do on my skin after a while. However, it end up not being sweet at all, but super dry and sharp and a little bitter. I can see how this could work on other people, but it isn't going to on me. Obviously, I have wacky skin chemistry.

In the bottle a spicey, slightly citrussy sweet musk, Bakeneko is what I would call a very 'safe, yet unusual' perfume. It is gentle, calm, and has no nasty surprises to sneak up on you, but by the same token it tends to be a little too gentle for my likes. The tangerine lasts on the skin only long enough to remind you that it is there. After it is gone, it is a sweet amber and cardamom scent, rounded out at the edges with tea and sweetened by the cherry blossom. The longer it is on the skin, the more the spice softens and the sweetness fades. Eventually (after mabye 30-60 minutes) all I was left with was a musky base, faintly coloured by amber and spice. It is a comfortable blend, a languid blend, one that you can wear without offending anyone with any chaotic notes or offensively strong throw... but to be honest, I was hoping that it would have a little more ferocity to it, a little wickedness to make you sit up and take notice. Good to try, certainly, but I wouldn't call this a "must have" blend.

I have a terrible, shocking confession to make... I don't actually like Shub. The most recent version of Shub is a tasty mix of sweetness and ginger in the vial - the lemony note is the same that I get from Sudah Segara, which I assume is the sheer sharp freshness of the ginger note. On the skin, for about 10 minutes, it is indeed the gorgeous dark bakery scent I had been led to expect; the witch's gingerbread house that Hansel and Gretel discover in the forest. After 10 minutes, however, the sweetness and the ginger both leave. The remainder is, on me, an entirely masculine incensey affair. Patchouli, dry and bitter sandalwood, maybe a dash of clove and smoke. A sliver of black amber. It smells like the doe-eyed goth boys that used to try to seduce me in clubs with quiet, dark, and vaguely off-putting voices. The sort who try to win you over with how soulful they are, but all they are actually interested in is getting into your pants. It is an interesting scent, but not exactly my cup of tea.

MmmmmMMmmmm, good! In the bottle, it smells very much like a meeting of velvet and Snake Oil - cocoa with a woody note melded with that sugary vanilla-spice. On the skin, it starts out smelling like a decadent chocolate treat, or like an iced chocolate milk-shake kind of thing. After a while the cocoa settles down into the background and what is left behind is something very akin to year-old Snake Oil to me; thick with vanilla and mellow spices. I never buy multiple bottles, but I'll make an exception for Boomslang. Lovely.

Oh, how I wanted to love you. Call it national pride, but it was really my love of vanilla which spurred me to buy Australian Copperhead. To me, freh from the lab, it is something of a disappointment. In the bottle is is bright and fruit-sharp, like fresh cut fruit rather than preserved berries. On the skin, though, it becomes a dryer sheet/dishwashing liquid blnd. I don't get any exra vanilla, I don't get any Snake Oil, just that odd chemical-like perfume of laundry products. I am hoping that with aging it will mellow out a little, that Snake Oil will come out to save it. To a dark box it goes!

Snake Oil with cinnamon, cassia, and red ginger. In the bottle and just after application on the skin, this is a bitter, dry, mean blend. It is husky and almost acrid, like piles of dry, bitter spices and animal musk. It was NOT my cup of tea - I almost wased it off. However, about 30 minutes later is softened. It became a sweet cinnamonny scent with little wisps of cassia and ginger over an obvious Snake Oil base. It was really quite lovely, although the original dab on the skin was a little traumatic. I recommend it, but with a caution - it will make you suffer before you get the reward. I have sensitive skin, but I didn't get a rash or a sting at all, which is fantastic. EDIT! Ummm... you know how I said I didn't get a rash or sting? Well, actually I do. Big patches of red where the oil was applied and a faint itch. I think it depends on where the oil is applied - my first test was on the back of my hand, which was fine, but this second one (inner forearm and knee) has proven to be a little ouchie. It's not as bad as I've seen before, but you'll probably want to be a little careful with it.

WOW. I've not tried any of the previous Samhain blends, so I can't compare '06 to anything other than GC blends and such. A friend of mine ordered a bottle, and I tried it (not really expecting much from it, to be honest). I was very surprised by it, because I can't stand patchouli and I'm not a fan of fruity scents. In the bottle I found it to be a rather subtle apple blend, not like Les Bijoux (much as I like it in small doses) which is a bit like an appley smack in the face. In the bottle it was sweet and dark, like the scent of apples on cold night air, but a little sharp, like the scent of cider rather than stewed apples. On the skin, it starts to work magic. The scent of apple is there, but it is by no means the main scent. It becomes dark, woody, spicey scent. To me, it smells like an *idealised* Samhain wood at midnight - there is none of the dirt or dank smell you would get from an actual forest, but the feel of the forest remains. It borders on being a boy scent at times, but, at least on me it becomes a simply divine mix of sweet woods and spices with just a hint of apple. It's not a girly scent, but it is certainly a womanly scent. I love it to bits, and was on the verge of having to buy my own bottle when my friend gave me hers - her poor skin chemistry rejected it!