abejita

This is entirely too perfumey for me. The musks are dry, the poppy is drier. The patchouli is tying to dirty it up a little, but it isn't working. Just not fo rme.

I agree with the Scherezade recommendation. I'd add in Bengal (skin musk and honey spice is a great combination). Also, Dorian. It's not so spicy, but it's a huge favorite of BPAL lovers in general. Shub is one of my favorites, too.

I got a bottle of this, thinking it would be a sure winner. I love Misk U, after all, and so few BPAL blends have a coffee note to them. I really want to like this one, and I do, to an extent. But there is one note in there that is really funky to my nose. The tobacco wrappers are turning on me, I think. There is sort of an acrid tinge to them, and a vague hint of... wet cardboard? Argh. I'll hold onto this for a good swap, at least.

I expected to like this one a lot more than I did. From in the bottle to the dry-down, all I get is a bundle of very dry woods of indistinct type, dry patchouli, and some almost generic sweetness. I usually like woods, nuts, and caramel, but this just doesn't smell right on me.

There must be a lot of lavender haters out there, because it seems Gemini is getting no love. In the bottle: lavender. Very. Wet: why, yes, lavender, you did already introduce yourself. Let go of my hand. Dry: The lavender is still very much a presence, but its character is altered by the benzoin, which sweetens the blend, and the orchid, which adds some lushness. The frankincense seems to give it some clarity. I'm your archetypical Gemini, and I like this blend. It's nice to see something that evokes more the mental/thought aspect of the Gemini instead of the flightiness or loquaciousness.

In the bottle: Holy vetiver. Dark, dark green vetiver and nothing but. Wet: Sweet coconut and screaming vetiver. Dry: Oooooh yeah. Rich black coconut, sweet resinous opoponax, creamy vanilla, all held together by the spices of the Snake Oil and the green vetiver, which has receded considerably. There is also a very interesting salty note. It's unexpected, but I like it a lot. Why on earth did I wait so long to get this? It was on my list of things to buy when it came out, but kept getting superceded by other things. I'll definitely be picking up another bottle. I like Snake Oil, but it's never been my all time favorite. However, Death Adder has shot up to my top ten. Maybe top five. I think it's even beat out Boomslang for my favorite of the Snake Pit.

I was hoping for mostly opoponax and wild ginger, but instead I got a very floral honeysuckle/dragon's blood amped up sky high. Zero spice. The pepper was evident while wet, but disappeared quickly. It's not bad, just utterly unremarkable on me.

This, to me, is a floral the same way that Antique Lace is a floral. In other words, not so much. I agree with one of the previous reviewer that the "floral" aspect makes the blend seem ethereal. I really enjoy the spice aspect of this scent, it's smooth and not at all bite-y like so many of BPAL's spicy oils. At first I thought it was non-descript, pleasant but I didn't understand how on earth it had made it to Beth's "favorites" list. After it was dry, I started to get it. It's hard to pick out any single note. It's just a rush of dark, warm spice with a delicate breath of flowers.

I am an opium FIEND. I buy anything with an opium note, right away. I vastly prefer the resiny smoky opium to the more floral poppy note. Chrysanthemum Moon. This is what made me fall in love with the scent in the first place. Spicy, rich, smoky, touch of floral. Kanishta - heady florals and thick opium. Totally beautiful and creamy. Red Lantern - more caramel and tobacco than opium, but still lovely. Darkness and Anathema. Simpler GC blends, both very pleasant. Carnaval Diabolique. A nice play of bright/dark. The opium smoke is dark, the lemon is bright, and the vanilla/coconut rounds it out. Poisoned Apple is good if someone doesn't mind the serious apple-ness of it all. Debauchery, Belle Epoque, Laudanum, Parlement of Monsters, and Dr. Seward didn't do much for me.

Ever since Chrysanthemum Moon came out, I feel compelled to sample anything Beth releases with an opium note. Apple is an okay note for me. It's nothing that sells me on a blend, but it doesn't keep me from buying one either. Poisoned Apple begins smelling like single note crisp apple, completely without complexity. It quickly dips into too-sweet territory. After a bit, it draws back and the screaming apple fades a bit to the opium and oleander. I get the hemlock too, which is interesting. To me, hemlock smells cloying and rotten. Poisoned Apple has the feel of hemlock, but not the rot, if that makes sense. I'm glad I got to try this one, but ultimately it's just not for me. I generally prefer my opium with spices and resin.

I keep saying I'm not a floral person, yet I've fallen in love with Vasakasajja, Dark Delicacies, Beltane, Kanishta, and now Pink Moon. I knew I was fond of carnation from making its acquaintance in Morocco, Maiden, and Alice. But this is the perfect blend to showcase that note. The sugar balances the spice and the phlox seems to just play a supporting, pink-ifying role. This is a happy, playful blend, perfect for spring and summer, and femininte without being childish.

Lately, my sexy blends of choice have been Shub, Dark Delicacies, Morocco, and Mama-Ji.

The Ecstasy of Passion: Bourbon vanilla, red musk, galbanum, ambergris, sweet clove, petitgrain, and golden amber. Initially, this was the Ecstasy blend I wanted most. I'm a huge fan of vanilla, resins, and spice. When my Inquisition arrived and it wasn't Passion, I was a bit sad. But now that I've tried a decant, I'm in the minority of folks who just aren't into this blend. On me, it's just a faint and nondescript vanilla/clove/amber blend. I'm not getting any resiny richness or depth. I'm really surprised, these kinds of blends are usually so good on me, but this one is flat and two-dimensional. So weird, but considering how wildly popular and rare this one is, it's probably a good thing.

I was very nervous when I opened my BPTP box and saw the True Love label. I like the scent of peaches/apricots/peach blossom, but unfortunately they tend to amp and sweeten on me until it smells like I've just opened a can of generic peaches in that horrible sugar syrup, like they serve in school cafeterias (or used to, at least). Lucky for me, that didn't happen at all. This scent remained very natural and bright. I get primarily the patchouli, which isn't a dirty patchouli on me at all. I am not really getting the frankincense note, but I think it is part of what is reining in the peach blossom and making it not go all too-sweet fruity. The carnation is really, really, REALLY beautiful. It works so well with the peach blossom and patchouli. The honeysuckle and citrus aren't so distinct, I think they are just adding a bright, clear feel. Based on the notes, the instant comparison would be Depraved, but this doesn't smell at all like Depraved to me. The patchouli notes are very different. I have Bakeneko on right now, and I would consider True Love to be in the same scent family. In fact, smelling True Love has made me appreciate Bakeneko more. True Love is so not what I would have chosen for myself, but not only will I hold onto it, I'll actually wear it. I think it fits its name well in that it's happy and bright, but has a mature earthiness to ground it, and spice to keep it interesting. Kind of like, well, real love.

This one just doesn't stand out to me. I am just getting sandalwood and other woods along with a generic (though high quality) incense smell. It's pleasant, but nothing I'll ever reach for. I'll probably pass along my decant at some point.

First impression in the bottle: Bitter cocoa and some dark resin, scentwise. However, I quickly notice that, like others have mentioned, the oil just isn't fully mixed. There is about a half centimeter of paler gold oil, while under that is nearly black. I have to roll and roll the bottle to finally get it mixed, every time I try it. I've never had to do that with BPAL before. On, wet: Intense bitter cocoa. Fortunately, I love the smell of unsweetened cocoa. There are other things present, but the cocoa dominates. Dry: Deep, dark chocolate, rich vanilla creaminess, and Snake Oil. This is the Snake Oiliest of the Pit, thusfar, for me. I am usually more verbose in my reviews, but this is pretty straightforward. Richly bitter with a touch of sweet. Snake Oil, but so much better. The Verdict: I have always liked Snake Oil, but it has never been one of my all time favorites. The Snake Pit has added that special something and I'm in love. Boomslang is dark, rich, and lovely. It's great now, but I just can't wait to see how it ages, too.

I think this is one of those highly under-loved BPAL GC treasures. It was one of the first blends I tried and have recently rediscovered. The cocoa is dry and dark, like in Velvet, the fig adds a round, tart note. I can't figure out what the black palm smells like, but it must be good. The woods linger close to my skin, deepening everything. If you like this, try Velvet.

Why did I wait so long to try this? Creamy vanilla and clean, sunny linen. There is some floral component, but it doesn't dominate on me. This is a very straight-forward blend, but, hey, we can't be complex every day. I wore this to school one day and one of my students stopped dead in her tracks, inhaled deeply, and exclaimed, "Teacher, you smell soooo good!" I am using up my imp at a dangerous rate and will be getting a 5ml very soon.

I've drunk real absinthe before (I smuggled a bottle back to the States, it's still in my pantry), and all I can really say is, yup, this is absinthe. It's not my style as a perfume, but I really enjoyed adding it to some un-scented Dr. Bronners soap and using it in the bath.

I really wanted to like this one. I love ginger, milk, and honey, so I thought it was a sure thing. However, it was so incredibly light and watery on me, that I could never get a feel for the blend. I tried three times, then passed it along.

What the hell am I doing loving a floral blend this much? Shadow Witch Orchid and Phantom Queen gave me a clue that I should investigate Beth's orchid notes more. Dark Delicacies has a truly exquisite dark, deep orchid to it. Apparently I like the devil's trumpet, too, though I am having difficulty pinpointing it. Coconut-haters, don't fret. This is not the coconut I typically associate with a BPAL blend. It's very background, adding creamy roundness to the scent. I thought for certain this blend contained vanilla, it must be the tonka. The resins are swoon-worthy, the fruit gums sweeten without making this a fruity blend at all. Dark, seductive, rich, and flat-out beautiful. This has shot up to my top ten list of all time and I can only hope it will be around for purchase for quite awhile. I will haul this blend out when I want to bring out the big guns, attraction-wise. I feel so hot when I have it on. If you like this, you might want to check out Vasakasajja, Phantom Queen, Regan, and Shadow Witch Orchid.

I got my Faces of the Heroine decants when I had the flu. Even though I wasn't very congested, my sense of smell was pretty much gone, so I was totally frustrated, thinking the blends were weak or insipid. Thankfully, I'm better now. Vasakasajja has skin musk, which is always a plus. I have just discovered that I love orchid, though I am generally cautious about florals. I like champaca, but it's a note I tend to amp (not like Forspecial Plate, though). It's behaving in this blend for me, thankfully. The amaranth/tonka/French vanilla thing is working out in a very lovely way. The blend is heavily evocative of its description, the passion and flush of anticipation. It's warm, sweet, and creamy. It's a golden-white, sunlight, skin-warmed blend. This will be a bottle purchase. Fans of this may want to try Dark Delicacies.

I have no idea where people are getting the cinnamon from. I don't detect anything remotely similar to cinnamon. I really like this blend. On applying it, I immediately get a cherry note. It's a wet, liquid version of cherry (not cough syrupy, though). Kirsch-like, even. The chocolate is a nice milk chocolate. The cardamom is very assertive, and that suits me fine. Cardamom is one of those notes that tends to sell me on a blend. After awhile, I can detect the French vanilla, like in Vasakasajja (though this is a very, very different blend, obviously). I never get much of the caramel, so those of you who fear that note may enjoy the 'Hog. This is what I hoped Vice would be and a lot more. Throw is medium and wear-length is long. I applied it yesterday evening and woke up this morning still smelling it.

Hm. I'm not sure I "get" this blend. I'm looking for some complexity that I know should be here, but I'm getting almost entirely dragon's blood and vanilla. In fact, this smells a lot like a less sweet, woodier Dragon's Milk. Oh, wait, there's the floral. Muguet. Now this is shifting towards Dragon's Eye a little. It just keeps shifting between those blends to me, with a woody base. I'll have to try it again, it just isn't quite doing it for me right now.

Oh, my. I was going to discount this blend because I'm not the biggest citrus fan, but the chestnut blossom intrigued me. I've mentioned elsewhere on the board what a huge fan of chestnut honey I am. Apparently, chestnut blossom has the same nutty, smoky characteristic as the honey. The musk complements the chestnut blossom very well. Despite not being a huge floral fan, I like magnolia very much, and it gives a good creamy/tangy feel to the blend. I'm surprised at how the mandarin seems to be the thread holding it all together. It's unexpected, but it works. The blend invokes the colors in the painting, and I like that a lot. They are colors I'm not usually so into, but here they appeal.