abejita

This is a really understated scent. I love the complex blends, but there is something to be said for something straightforward. This is pure, clear, and genteel. It's a very creamy white scent, delicate and sweet. I can see why this one tends to be popular. It's very accessible. I think it could be a great scent to introduce someone to BPAL.

This is interesting and not at all what I expected. In the vial, I smell dry cocoa powder and something elusively sweet. Rose, but not. On my skin, the scent takes on a deep texture. It's almost like sinking your feet into very expensive shag carpet. The cocoa-y note turns richer and creamier (though not foodie) after it dries. The sweet-tart note (again, not foodie or candylike) has settled. It's very evocative of the plant itself, very red and nubby. I haven't delved into Rappacini's Garden much, but this is a good one.

This is a very fun scent. It's shamelessly bright purple and uncomplicated. I can detect the plum, amaretto, and wine very clearly. While it's not something I need a bottle of, I will hold into my imp. It's raucous, that's the word!

When I first got into BPAL, the notes in this scent are exactly what I would have gone for: fruit, honey, rose. I've since discovered that most rose blends aren't spectacular on me, and fruit tends to overpower, especially peach and apple. Honey is hit or miss. Then along comes Les Bijoux. I picked it up on a whim, tacked the imp onto a bottle sale I was getting from the forum. I figured I'd try it once, it would be pleasant but nothing great, and I'd likely pass it on. But, no. I really, really love it. Though this scent is really nothing like Sed Non Satiata, they both have that honey/skin musk combo that really, really do it for me. The peach behaves itself and the rose and apple are strangely complimentary in a way I'd not have expected. The frankincense and myrrh are not easy for me to pick out in this blend, but I think they are playing a part in grounding it all, taming the fruits and florals, making the honey/musk combo richer and deeper. Very, very nice. I am going to go take a shower and apply some serious Les Bijoux.

This is what I wanted O to be, wanton, honeyed sexuality. O, unfortunately, was sort of powdery and insipid on me, but Sed Non Satiata is far more robust. I can see where people are getting the "peanut butter" impression, but that is only a brief stage for me as it dries. I have discovered that I love Beth's skin/body musk (that sounds way dirtier than I meant it), and mixed with honey (also in Les Bijoux and Bengal), it's just lovely. Apart from the honey, it's hard for me to pick out any one note. I can tell that the patchouli, myrrh, and musk are combining to make a husky, velvety feel. It really is textured in a way that only BPAL can do for me. I love this one. It's one of my top catalog loves, and is seriously sexy.

some great recs here, but where is oblivion?

Whoa, give me back my brain! Heh. The v to b shift could very well be my Bengali showing. Like I mentioned, I was a Hare Krishna and the cult founder was a Bengali man. So the Sanskrit we learned was heavily influenced by his accent. Ah, Sanskrit names. I had a friend initiated with the name (deep breath) Nikunja-rasa-vilasi devi dasi. I knew a Nitaipadakamala devi dasi. Ananga-manjari devi dasi. And an Acyutananda dasa. There were some doozies.

Laugh. Pronunciation help: (note, every now and then I may emphasize the wrong syllable, as I was taught Sanskrit and Bengali by westerners who made some minor errors in that area. also, the BPAL site lacks the diacritical marks that help with long vs. short vowels) Ashtanayika (the more standard spelling) - ahsh tuh NAH yee kuh Abhisarika - uh bee SAHR ee kuh Kalahantarika - kuh luh hun TAHR ee kuh Khandita - either KHAHN dee tuh or khun DEE tuh Proshitapathika - pro shee tuh PAH tee kuh Svadhinapatika (the more standard spelling) - swah dee nuh PAH tee kuh Vasakasajja - BAH suh kuh sahzh (not sure on the emphasis there) Virahotkantita - bee ruh hot KAHN tee tuh Vipralabda - bee pruh LUHB duh Chintamani-Dhupa - chin TAH muh nee DOOP Kanishta - kuh NISH tuh Anyway, that is about as accurate as I can get. I hope it helps a little.

Another Jacob's Ladder recommendation. To me, everything in the blend supports the amber, makes it somehow more amber-y. Bastet is so worth picking up to gift. It's one of the BPAL scents I consider almost universal, everyone who has ever smelled it on me thought it was lovely. What about Sin or Mantis?

I am seriously having trouble coming up with anything to say that isn't a mass of incoherent moans and expletives. This scent makes me feel like a sex goddess and I swear I want to bang myself raw and keep going. I had tried Gingerbread Poppet a couple weeks ago and thought, "Eh, sokay." I almost didn't get Shub because of the comparisons I'd read. But oh, they are nothing alike. Or, rather, they are alike in the way that deep, vibrant, sunset red-gold is like a dainty, blushing dawn. Poppet is cute and bakery-esque, Shub is almost violent sexuality in a bottle. This has shot up to my top five blends ever and I now understand fully why people were shelling out $75 for used bottles of this. edit to add: Aside from my swooning, there is a small side effect with this oil. It doesn't bother me, I just thought it might be interesting to note. A bit after applying the oil to my skin, I notice that my heart rate picks up, I sweat just a tiny bit, and I feel more alert. Ginger herb is a blood-mover and I think it's having that effect in this blend.

I thought for certain I'd be in love with this one. Musk, amber, mango, lavender-- what's not to love? Unfortunately, it just does nothing for me. It isn't bad, it just seems like a jumble of indifferent notes to me. A little sweet, a little musky, a little nothing special on my skin. Off to the swaps or perhaps frimp pile. I hope someone loves it more than I do.

This is an interesting one. Every time I sniff at my wrists, it reminds me of a different scent. It's in the same family as Scherezade, Devil's Night (sans smoke), TAL Caliph's Beloved, and perhaps a cinnamon barked Snake Oil. The red musk and dry, woody cinnamon (or cassia?) are strongly present. Is there vanilla in this? There is something sweetish and creamy. Maybe the grains are giving the impression of creaminess? It's hard to say. It fits well with its name, dark and feral. The longer I wear it, the more it's smelling like Caliph's Beloved to me. I don't mind that one bit, it's a lovely scent. I could see this working on a man or a woman. It has a strong throw and long wear length.

aunt caroline's joy mojo! it's orange-y, bright, and effervescent. TAL: lionheart. the ritual use is solar energy, the scent fits.

I used to hate everything with mint in it. I've since calmed down, but am still very picky about trying or buying anything with mint in the description. Lick It Again is, of course, super-minty. It's straightforward candycane. The mint does recede on drying, leaving a lightly vanilla sweet candy scent. The mint never goes away, it just quits screaming. The oil itself is clear and of a different consistency than I'm used to with BPAL. It seems very thin and doesn't want to coat my skin like most oils do. Not a problem, just something different. It's just too much mint for me to wear much on my skin, but I'll likely get a bottle to use as a room scent in my classroom. My students loved Creepy, I think Lick It Again will be another big hit.

I got it in a decant circle. I suspected that I would like it, but it's really a surprise hit. Olive leaf is now on my "must try anything with this note" list. It's so rich and bitter. In this blend, it's the perfect thing to tie the buttery sweet cakes, fruity sweet grapes, and resins together. As far as its description goes, it totally fits the mood of celebration. It's sacred and decadent, all at the same time. And that's just how I like it.

Wow. The things aging an oil, even a little bit, can really do. I hated this one on first application. All I smelled was a jumble of notes, dominated by a dirty-smelling patchouli and indistinct red fruitiness. I put my decant away to try again. Second try was the same. Tonight I thought I'd give it another whirl. It's like a totally different oil. The patchouli of Snake Oil is here, I think. The plum is deep and rich, the pomegranate tart and juicy. The vanilla is just luscious. And beneath it all, the musk sweetens and deepens. So this goes off my "no way" list to my "buy one bottle to wear, one to age a long time."

This is an interesting scent. I tried it both on my skin and in a scent locket, with completely different results. In the bottle: Sharp, medicinal lavender with a jumble of other sensory impressions, bitter cocoa. In the locket: Lavender and bourbon geranium dominate, followed by dry cocoa. Some light vanilla and orange. Sharp, new sandalwood. It's not bad, just not to my taste and smells very perfume-y. On my skin: Whoa, hold on a minute. Is this the same blend? Rich, gorgeous chocolate and pure vanilla bean. Hello, red tea! Hello, star fruit! Sweet, complex warmth. The lavender has softened and calmed. I can't pick out the rest of the notes, they blend into a rich warmth. Scents are often different in the locket versus on skin, but I've never had them be so markedly different before. I won't be wearing this in the locket again, but oh, my skin loves it so.

this gemini is inclined to say that what would attract me is a different scent every day. it would intrigue me and keep me interested. it's part of what attracts me to bpal overall, the sheer variety to play with.

I'll start by saying that I'm not a floral person. I don't tend to mind a flower or two mixed in with another type of blend, but straight up floral-dominated oils are really not my thing. So far the exceptions have been Beltane '06, Phantom Queen, and White Moon. It's creamy, gentle, sweet white. It's almost opalescent, with a play of color, but still creamy white over all. The musk and sandalwood balance the sweetness. There is a passage in A Wrinkle In Time where Meg and everyone ride on the back of an otherworldly winged centaur. They go up very high, past the breathable atmosphere. The centaur gave them each clusters of blossoms to hold to their noses so that they could still breathe. White Moon makes me think of that passage. To me, it's what those blossoms would smell like.

I don't understand why it has taken me so long to discover my adoration of Beth's opium note, in all its forms. This is smoky, rich, and floral, with that almost buttery feel (without being foody or dairy, but still buttery somehow!) that I get from all opium scents. I will be adding this to my swiftly growing opium subset of my BPAL collection.

I wanted to like this one so very much. I love smoke, almond milk, patchouli, and sarsparilla. Unfortunately, however, I hate pine. Pine and eucalyptus are on my VETO (yes, all caps) list. I joined a decant circle and just tried Organ Grinder anyway. Oh, god and baby jesus, the pine. The scent is driving me nuts. I can smell delicious almond milk goodness as an undertone to gutwrenching, searing pine. It's turning my stomach and leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Dammit. And I love the Organ Grinder artwork too. Off to the sink to wash.

This is a very thin, piping scent, to me. When I first opened the imp, I couldn't smell anything at all. It began as muted on my skin and stayed that way for a long time. Suddenly, some high notes start to break through the veil. It's tart and sweet, candylike and fruity. The apple blossom is also coming through loud and clear. It's pleasant enough, but just note my style. It reminds me of Tweedledee, but more sweet than citrus.

Edited because my Calliope decant and Xanthe decants had been mislabeled. No wonder I was confused! Much better now. The patchouli is rich, the cherry and cassis are bursting with deep burgundy goodness. I always love cardamom, too. The scent is very, very dark. The cherry of Queen of Hearts was awful on me, but this cherry is much nicer. The Phantom Calliope doesn't come across as foody to me whatsoever. I think I will pick up a bottle before the Carnaval disappears into the night.

It does start out with a strong lemon, but that fades very quickly on me. Opium comes out to the forefront and I'm instantly in love. Chrysanthemum Moon began my love affair with opium, now I have Carnaval Diabolique to entice me further. I'll have to second what another reviewer mentioned, this scent is a beautiful play of light and dark. The lemon (subdued, now) and other florals are bright and joyful, while the coconut, vanilla, opium, and musk give it a dark, velvety mystery. I didn't expect to like this one so much, but I'm hooked. This is definitely on my big bottle list.

1. Snake Oil - Beth wears this one every day. So it's a must. 2. Dorian - Classic. 3. Alice - The Mad Tea Party Theme is a lot of fun, and this is the perfect interpretation of the character. 4. Black Moon - Outstandingly creative interpretation on the theme. 5. Chrysanthemum Moon - Another one I'm picking for the theme, plus that opium note is to die for. 6. Beltane 06 - This is the most evocative floral to me, and this pack needs a good floral. 7. Shango - The fruitiest of the fruity, but dark, too. 8. Rose Red - Simple, but perfect. 9. Underpants - Have to have one of the silly blends in here to show off the lab's sense of humor. 10. Morocco - One of the favorite Wanderlust blends, shows off that rich musk and spice. 11. Embalming Fluid - Not a favorite of mine, but shows one end of the BPAL spectrum. 12. Cthulhu - Both for the theme and to get an aquatic in here.