moonarcana

reviewed courtesy of Quikslver's GC circle swap

Bon Vivant

first sniff: pink sugary lolipops. not at all unpleasant but a real girly girl scent.

tested wet: Reminds me of when I was a kid and had 'Little Kiddle' dolls that came in plastic perfume bottles that opened like a clamshell.

tested dry: primary scent does not change much, but it seems to fade pretty quickly.

conclusion: I wouldn't wear this myself, but I don't find it offensive.

2/5

reviewed courtesy of Quikslver's GC circle swap

Bengal

first sniff: cinnamon rolls...fresh and gooey delicious.

tested wet: the cinnamon spikes a bit and the sweet takes a back seat.

tested dry: soft cinnamon and clove (hello clove, glad to smell ya!) and a fabulous light sweetness that holds it all together in a way that the dubious 1 out of those 10 dentists probably would go ahead and recommend.

conclusion: Totally wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I do. Definitely seeking an imp soon and can see this as potential bottle fodder.

4/5

reviewed courtesy of Quikslver's GC circle swap

Bastet

first sniff: omg! Almonds and spice! This is the one in the packet that I was most eager to try...and so far it meets my expectation.

tested wet: now I can smell the amber and musk, the Almonds are taking a back seat as the oil settles into my skin.

tested dry: As it dries, the scent develops into a gorgeous harmony...I can actually pick up most of the fragrance notes listed in the description but not one of them is more predominate than any other.

conclusion: I've already ordered a bottle!

5/5

Alice

first sniff: soft and sweet creamy floral.

tested wet: afternoon tea in a secret garden....sweet with extra cream please.

tested dry: less cream and more floral...light and wafting and oh so purely sweet and innocent. After awhile the spicy note of carnation makes an appearance and the fragrance settles into a pleasant powdery wisp.

conclusion: I have much love for this scent.

5/5

reviewed courtesy of Quikslver's GC circle swap

Al-Shairan

first sniff: cinnamon...not sweet, just strong cinnamon.

tested wet: still cinnamon...maybe a touch of other dry bark spiciness, like maybe clove, but definitely no fruit. (peaches?...oranges? um...sorry but they're lost in the cinnamon)

tested dry: the cinnamon has mellowed nicely now, and I can smell a faint incense note...rather ethereal in relationship to the spicy note. Never did find the fruit notes on this one.

conclusion: the end result was nice, but more in a comforting room scent sort of way. I like cinnamon, but not when it overpowers everything else. This one is not for me.

1/5

reviewed courtesy of Quikslver's GC circle swap

Ahathoor

first sniff: citrus (lemon?) balanced with myrrh or frankincense - not exactly sure of the notes but that's what I'd guess.

tested wet: the resiny smell comes out more, nearly eclipsing the bright citrus note. A very pleasing scent.

tested dry: stays nice throughout - sometimes the lemon whiffs and sometimes the dry resin wafts.

conclusion: I might look up an imp of this sometime, but there's others I like better.

3/5

reviewed courtesy of Quikslver's GC circle swap

Oberon

first sniff: soapy men's aftershave.

tested wet: soapy men's aftershave.

tested dry: not as soapy but still men's aftershave. A very nice and appealing aftershave, but...

conclusion: nothing I want to wear.

2/5

reviewed courtesy of Quikslver's GC circle swap

Urd

first sniff: ooh yeah, head shop patchouli and nag champa at it's head buzzy best...I can tell I'm going to like this already.

tested wet: this is quite an ideal presentation of patchouli...it's not the heavy incense that hangs in the air and permeates every porous surface it touches kind of head shop smell - it's the 'good stuff' that's kept behind the counter.

Tested dry: the scent just keeps being awesome...I LOVE it!

conclusion: Definitely searching out an imp soon, but I can see a bottle of this in my future.

4/5

ADDED March 9:

I was talking with a friend of mine about Urd and he said that he'd never tried it because of the grape note and never thought he'd like it.

I was like, "Grapes? ...WTF are you talking about?"

So I thought I'd toddle on over and look at the reviews (something I've obviously never done with this scent) and sure enough there are a lot of people smelling grapes.

I'm SO glad that I'm not one of them!

Urd is the ultimate patchouli hippy headshop scent to me. (and I mean that as a huge compliment) I love a lot of BPAL's patchouli scents though, but I almost get the munchies after wafting around in some Urd for awhile. (contact buzz)

Now there is a touch of a fruity sweetness, which to me deepens the Patchouli note and balances the dryness of the Nag Champa - but for me it's not flat out grapes, if anything it's a nice spicy mulled wine.

I've put Urd on every night this week - just kept the bottle out beside my computer because I knew that I wanted to have a prolonged affair with it for awhile. The bottle I have is pretty well aged according to the wonderful valentina, who I purchased it from...and I can tell a definite difference between it and a few frimps that I've received from the Lab. Patchouli ages so great you know.

Wet it is smooth and rich and here is where the sweetness exists, once it starts to dry it goes full-out patchouli/nag incense and wafts in and out of your consciousness, sometimes you'll get a big whiff that makes you go 'aaaahhhh' and other times the scent nearly dissapears but stays close to your skin. But as Arlo Guthrie says "wait till it comes around again, and this time with four part

harmony and feeling" and sure enough Urd wafts up again like somebody just lit up another one.

This one is definitely among my top favorite BPAL scents. Fabulous!

reviewed courtesy of Quikslver's GC circle swap

Tzadikim Nistarim

first sniff: fruity - very clear and fresh like white grape juice.

tested wet: there's a mixture of things going on here, overall still fruity but there's a slight incense whiff and a mild bright floral note overlayed with a nice leafy herbaceousness.

tested dry: I really can't quite describe it...it's a very 'live' kind of herbal smell.

conclusion: I very much like this and will put it on my imp wish list.

3/5

reviewed courtesy of Quikslver's GC circle swap

Skuld

first sniff: sweet...like cherry lifesavers taste. Nothing at all what I was expecting from the description.

tested wet: something turned plastic on me, I'm thinking it's the combo of the ylang ylang and honey. I smell no musk what-so-ever here.

tested dry: I start smelling a faint musk but it's overpowered by the smell of plastic goo.

conclusion: This one doesn't like me at all...I'd have to take a pass on any imp that came my way.

0/5

reviewed courtesy of Quikslver's GC circle swap

Port Au Prince

first sniff: spicy (clove, cinnamon - all those woody bark type of spices) and slightly tropical

tested wet: like chewing on cinnamon toothpicks after the HOT spice of the cinnamon is gone.

tested dry: definite clove now - not sweet, but dry and spicy.

conclusion: Nice smell - I like it...enough to get an imp, but probably not a bottle.

3/5

reviewed courtesy of Quikslvr's GC circle swap

Penny Dreadful

first sniff: oh my god this smells just like copper!

tested wet: metallic dirt.

tested dry: more earthy, like the smell of the dirt that clings to the tangled roots of the weeds being pulled as you get the garden ready for planting. Very strong...makes my skin tingle a bit.

conclusion: It's interesting and I like the aroma - but I highly doubt that I could wear this as perfume.

3/5

The Caterpillar is my favorite GC scent so far - but I don't get the real heavy 'head shop' aroma from it at all...on me it's an earthy floral with sporadic wisps of incense. Quite magical to my senses.

I recently tried Urd and totally *love* it. Here's an excerpt from the notes I made about the scent...

this is quite an ideal presentation of patchouli...it's not the heavy incense that hangs in the air and permeates every porous surface it touches kind of head shop smell - it's the 'good stuff' that's kept behind the counter.

I'm wearing Hollywood Babylon today, and through it's cherry sweetness, it has a really great combo of amber and musk...probably not what you're looking for though.

I've tried some of the others that have been mentioned in the thread here too, but I'd give my strongest vote to Urd.

A frimp from the wonderful Rhowan!

This was my #1 wanting to try scent from my wishlist - and now that I have an imp and have had the chance to wear it a couple of times, it's moved to my #1 wanting to get a 5ml bottle of spot!

This is a perfect harmony of tulips, peonies and grass - all very REAL and natural smelling too. As somebody who favors floral fragrance, this one makes me very happy.

From the imp as well as on the skin wet, it's a very heady bouquet - I smell more tulip from the start. As it starts to dry down, the peonies and green start to poke out a bit. It does get noticibly lighter as time goes on - I reapplied after about 4 hours so I could marinate in it's florally goodness some more, but before I did I asked a coworker if she could still smell my perfume...I was standing about 3 feet away from her and didn't shove my arm in her face or anything...and she told me that she could and it smelled very nice. Of course that didn't keep me from putting on a bit more - for purely selfish reasons!

I have to agree with jolarocknrolla's review (a few back up the page) that Amsterdam smells very much like Estee Lauder's Pleasures. I've worn (and loved) Pleasures for years and think that the comparison is quite apt.

My rating for Amsterdam is 5/5

A bottle will definitely be ordered along with the Hungry Ghost a few days from now!

the imps I've gotten from the lab have been mostly pretty much even between the top of the label and the bottom edge of the cap, but I've had some which hovered right at or slightly below the label as well. However some labels are attached high and some are attached low...so there's another factor to consider when judging imp fullness by label height.

It's all just wonderful smelly goodness as far as I'm concerned!

sniffing from the imp - fresh, light and softly sweet. Don't really get the full impact of the vanilla until after I try it on.

on the skin - now I can smell the Dragon's Blood quietly lurking in the shadows, but it takes a backseat to the vanilla...which is definitely the predominant note.

after about an hour - the nicest, softest yet most fragrant vanilla scent I've ever worn. I'm not a 'foodie' scent person, but a few years ago my favorite body lotion was Crabtree & Evelyn's Vanilla...I would just wear it as my perfume. This is the closest thing I've smelled to that particular vanilla ever.

for as soft and light as this fragrance is, it has remarkable staying power. The second time I tried it, I woke up the next morning smelling quite lovely (probably more so after I'd brushed my teeth ) and slightly hungry for waffles with vanilla syrup.

My rating: - a very strong 4/5

amusing anecdote: I received this as a frimp with my very first lab order. In my excitement of trying to decide which frimp I was going to try out first (I get sensory overload if I sniff too many different fragrances in one sitting) I selected this, but for some reason had the description for 'Lust' stuck in my head. I went for about an hour totally puzzled as to why I was smelling a creamy sweet vanilla and not the slightest bit of musk or patchouli. Doh!

sniffing from the bottle - somebody mopped the forest floor with Pine Sol

on the skin - somebody mopped my arm with Pine Sol

after about 10 minutes of debating whether to go scrub my arm to get that smell to go away, something magical happened...a beautiful woodsy scent started to come through, trimmed with the faintest floral tone. The Pine Sol totally retreated and turned into a soft and very pleasant aroma similar to a blanket of fallen pine needles.

after about an hour the scent all but disappears into my skin. I want it back - but I'm not sure if putting up with a good 10 minutes of nasty is worth it!

This is my first sampling of Belladonna but I plan to give it another try on another day. I will update my review if I discover any differences from this first impression.

Rating: 2/5 ...if there was no Pine Sol stage it would be a 3, if the fragrance lasted longer it would be a 4.

"Who are you?" said The Caterpillar.

Bright and lively florals waft from the bottle. I don't discover the complex earthiness of The Caterpillar until about... <looks at watch> ...5 minutes after it hits my skin when those lovely blossoms slowly begin to yield their delicate perfume to the mossy undergrowth of the forest floor.

Who are you, indeed!

Once the oil has settled into my pores for awhile the soft flowers, green leafiness and earthy fresh soil fall into amazing harmony - and only after it is completely dry do I notice an occasional waft of magical smoke rings swirling lightly over my head.

This fragrance is captivating - one of my favorites so far. (though at this writing I'm fairly new to sniffin' bpal scents) I do have a richly cultivated soft spot for a long list of florals and simply adore fresh green notes. I must also note that for me, the incense peeking through is ethereal - nothing at all like the omnipresent resinous aroma which permeated the air of any head shop that I've ever encountered upon my travels off the beaten path.

I will wear this often...no matter who I thought I was when I got up in the morning...no matter how many times I've changed, The Caterpillar will be transforming itself right along with me.

Rating: 5/5

sniffing from the imp - fresh clean floral with a hint of green.

on the skin - I can start to smell the violet and lily of the valley (two of my favorite florals...but I'm such a flower-ho, at some point they have all been my faves!) but the greeny part starts to suffocate the delicate floral notes - I'm assuming this is the cypress - I don't smell juniper much in this...and favoring a gin martini, I do know my juniper.

after it's settled a bit - this is when the myrrh starts to elbow it's way into the mix. For me, myrrh is best when mixed with other resins - but with the floral/green it settles a bit too powdery to really win me over.

I do like this fragrance - it's very lovely not at all what I'd expect the Angel of Death to smell like! But I'll probably be content with my imp and not seek a bottle on this one.

My rating is a 3 (out of 5)

- Sally

edited silly spelling error

sniffing from the imp - this is totally NOT something that I would like to wear. It has a real faux-fruitiness to it that doesn't appeal to me.

But I'm so glad that didn't keep me from trying it on. It still does that little tutti-fruitti thing for awhile on the skin, but then the amber and the musk totally rise to the senses as the perfume mingles with my chemistry. I'd say about an hour after applying the oil is when I start to feel the seduction of the scent take over.

This is one of the sexiest scents I've tried so far (out of 25 or so...at the time of this review) and it also does a 'lip venom' stinging effect to my wrist or inner elbow where I often apply fragrance, so unless I want to 'feel the burn' a bit, I apply it to the top side of my wrist. I thought about trying in a scent locket, but what I really like about it is how it reacts on my skin, so that might not work either.

Hollywood Babylon rates a 4 (out of 5) for me. It's a keeper!

- Sally

Sniffing from the imp, I smell sweet cherry evenly balanced by mellow sandalwood. As it goes on the skin, the sweetness amplifies a bit until the oil dries and then the scent begins to change. First the almond goes from cherry to nutty, then the rosy floral starts to peek out from behind. At no point do I detect any clove or citrus tones.

After a few hours the almond has faded almost completely and all that is left is the soft breath of the sandalwood and rose.

This is not a heavy scent - it's very refined. Light enough to wear to the office, but fragrant enough to remind everybody what a sophisticated woman you are!

My rating for Seraglio is 4 (out of 5)

- Sally

I just received a bottle of this yesterday - a forum purchase from bloodlotus1

And this is my first review of a BPAL fragrance...

Beatrice is just about everything I hoped it would be. From the very cool label on the bottle to the killer flower garden goodness inside.

Sniffing from the bottle, my nose is hit with MEGA floral. Nothing specific - although probably more rosy than anything. Very bright and playful.

On the skin I start to smell some of the greenery filling out the bouquet. It stays at this stage for quite awhile for me. I came into work today with some fresh cut lilacs in hand and one of my coworkers standing in the lobby commented on how he could smell the flowers as soon as I walked in the door. I held them out for him to smell and after he did he had a puzzled look on his face - and then said "that's not lilac I smell...it's YOU - wow!" Since I'm pretty new to wearing BPAL fragrance, and this was the first time I'd worn Beatrice, I was curious - so I asked if the scent was too much. He said "oh no, it's definitely noticable but very real - not at all like how some women wear too much perfume" Good answer!

A few hours later, I still feel an aura of Beatrice around me, but have to put my nose right up to my arm to smell the details...and this is the stage of the fragrance that really wins me over. I still smell the beautiful floral bouquet framed by the green leaves - but there's something a bit musky lurking underneath...it's light but it's there.

I'll confess I'm a sucker for florals. I would say that Beatrice is a very elegant, yet unrestrained scent. Definitely no wall flower.

Rating = 5 from 1 (low) to 5 (high)

- Sally