jj_j

Heavy on the tea rose and lily for the first five minutes, Viola settles into pure warmth and gentle, lush, but faint rose with a hint of lilac. The amber, spanish moss, and rosewood make this absolutely round and full and warm, and that drop of mandarin gives Viola just enough sparkle to not be a woody floral scent.

The sandalwood never makes it out in the open; I guess red sandalwood is a lower-key version of the sandalwood that came clamoring out in Velvet. Whatever the case, this works.

Fruity rose, indeed! The lemon really gives the rose a sharper "push" off my skin, and the apple provides an entirely different crisp, green juicy element.

Fun and lovely, although Beth makes so many other wonderful rose scents that I probably won't wear this one as much as it deserves.

Sweet pea and honeysuckle leap out of the bottle, and are quickly joined by the splash of pear. The white musk and heliotrope really anchor this scent, which is so light and feminine with all the white flowers, and keep it from having that soapy note that sometimes sneaks into fragrances with all those florals.

The stargazer lily is least identifiable to my nose, but the calla is definitely there as the drydown continues.

Sweet, but not without backbone. Classically romantic and feminine.

I always shunned rose scents before BPAL came into my life, but Beth does such an exquisite job using them that I find myself owning tons of oils with rose in them. Othello is no exception, but I love it because of the way it doesn't really smell like roses.

Beth's going to kill me for this, but ... Othello is the ultimate version of my laundry fabric softener and dryer sheet. Mind you, I looked for years to find just the right one; after all, it's what you smell when you go to sleep on clean sheets and what you smell when you put your clothes on in the morning, so I was remarkably picky.

Othello's crisp with such soft, clean lines - yes, there's roses, and yes, there's spice - but they combine into something that stays light and fresh without ever being "foofy" or soapy or overwhelmingly floral. It's not a superficial scent, either - it has a strength and depth of character, as well.

I know this was designed as a "guy" scent, but I'll be wearing it all the time.

It turns into a nice, clean yet deep powdery scent on my skin. a little sweet, but just a little.  Any BPAL scents that would work along those lines?

 

I'm trying to get caught up on descriptions, Reina - maybe they'll help you decide. I'm not familiar with any of the scents you mentioned, but Beth has been cranking out some fantastic "clean" scents of late. For those and other ideas, you might look for reviews or try Imp's Ears of:

 

Lightning

Othello (which has roses as a component, but doesn't smell like them - you might try it and see what you think)

The Apothecary

Tempest

Tears

Unseelie

 

Unseelie is my gut reaction as the most similar to your description.

Clean, crisp, and yes, electric. Out of the bottle, I was afraid this was going to turn into one of those scents that people put in the middle of toilet paper rolls, but it's beautifully blended and doesn't get "perfume-y."

Tangy salt air, flowing water, and oomph.

From the Tarot collection; no scent description provided at BPAL website.

 

Sharp and sweet at the same time, when first out of the bottle - pine and a sharp, astringent note quickly move forward. The bright, astringent note, which I can't identify, is pleasing and yet causes unease at the same time. Almost metallic as it dries down.

 

This stays crisp and, for lack of a better term - bright. In fact, this scent resonates and really shines out from its spot on my arm, and if I close my eyes, get close, and just breathe in and out for a minute, I'm practically floating here in my chair.

 

Disconnected and otherworldly in itself, but a connector by its nature.

This is practically a single note, because it is indeed milk chocolate. I say that it's practically a single note, because my nose thinks there's just the tiniest bit of caramel in this, too.

It's hard to keep from licking myself while I wear this.

Black currant and fig sweeten the dragon's blood resin in the first sniff for a beautiful start, and quickly are overtaken by the red and black musks. Beth's description is much better than anything I could come up with, because this really is all about warmth and vitality, with no cinnamon or spices in sight.

If you've ever seen steps with a round spot in them from years of wear, think of that image in deep, polished red-brown wood and you've got Dragon's Heart.

First on, it's all musk and black amber, with a hint of of the bergamot. In just a couple of minutes, though, the red sandalwood starts to lead the pack. The neroli sort of hangs on top of the whole process, just making it's way in on the breeze when Titus walks up, but coming in heavier, lush waves on gusts of air while he's standing there.

This stays remarkably balanced. After the first five minutes, it's an even, lightly powdery, very masculine scent with enduring wood and resin tones under it all.

I can see why Beth's particularly pleased with this one - it's goooood. When I dream about my cowboy friend, this is how he smells.

Lilac, with just a hint of the lily of the valley, is the predominant scent here. The dragon's blood and galbanum make this more robust, without ever really taking over the scent - they're like the wooden pedestal the bowl of flowers is displayed on.

Absolutely spring, like an armload of sweet, fresh flowers brought in out of the yard, with just a hint of resin from the church next door wafting through the open window.

The Voodoo Blends all share a common herbal note, but it doesn't make any of them smell the same. Come to Me is not my favorite, but the soapy, herbal freshness of it seems to bring men running to me.

Lilac and wisteria sweeten and soften this scent, which is a tiny bit spicy - something I wasn't expecting. White cedar shines through, while green tea and lemon make this sparkle like the gaze of newlyweds looking at each other across the room, after a few minutes.

I have no idea what osmanthus is or smells like, but I have a feeling it's what's given me the soft ... fluffy? ... feeling about the scent.

Soft, with strength and sentiment.

The rosemary jumps out first, with the rose close behind; within a couple of minutes they're perfectly balanced on my skin. The orange blossom takes a little longer to appear, and never really separates itself from the other two, as it seems to be the tie that binds and blends in this one.

My very first perfume love was (you're not going to believe this) Estee Lauder's Private Collection. Brash, overbearing, chemical green in a bottle! Catherine is all the things that were good about Private Collection, like the crisp clarity of scent demonstrated in the rosemary component. It's also so much better it's hard to imagine, with the rose and the orange blossom creating a soft, feminine overlay.

Fist of steel in a velvet glove, I believe the saying goes.

Grapes. Immediately, I think grapes, herbs, and bundles of wildflowers laid on the ground. Not Jolly Rancher grape, but ripe, sweet red grape. Green herbs, not bitter in any sense of the word. There are no sharp edges to this scent, but it has such presence and distinction!

There's an underlying similarity to Water of Notre Dame, perhaps in the aquatic nature of it. Unisex without being unfeminine - this would be very wearable for most anyone who didn't exclusively prefer "dry" scents.

Sniffing this out of the bottle, I was sure I'd come across a strong, Southern, white floral. I put it on, and much to my surprise, the first whiff was of moderately chewed Bazooka bubble gum, with just a tang of cinammon underneath. Hmmm.... Five minutes later, the cinnamon is more predominant, with jasmine, herbs, wood, and smoke creating an abolutely fascinating aroma. 30 minutes later, the cinnamon is fading and a sugared bourbon vanilla is emerging, along with strengthening jasmine.

It's not too strong, it's not too overwhelming, and it's oddly not as "pushy" as I expected. It is most assuredly a scent that embodies "getting others to do what you want while convincing them it was their idea all along."

Starts out a basic citrus scent, but quickly morphs into something uplifting and saucy. Ever sniffed a crocus, those first flowers of spring that sometime poke up through the snow? If their scent was stronger, crossed with a dandelion that's just opened, and wrapped in lemon tea, you'd have Storm.

I got the nutty undertone, too - except on me, it turned into a rancid peanut butter smell. Unfortunately, this will in no way entice me to work towards the name, so I'll have to pass on this one.

This is the embodiment of the color green. It's a flowing sort of green, like tree leaves rustling in the wind or water barely moving in a lagoon, and it's a warm sort of green - herbal, but not really, and it's a solid sort of green, with the strength of a field where kids are running through a field chasing fireflies, breaking stalks as they go.

Go easy applying this one. It's soothing, but it's stout. It's really a (sorry, fellas) single drop in your cleavage kind of oil, and that lasted me for hours.

Definitely brought me peace and a sense of calm; I was facing three exams and a major project in the course of 18 hours, and I was able to stop, re-focus, and relax my shoulders to more than 2 inches below my ears, all within five minutes of putting this on.

Not my specialty at all, so I have no input other than to tell you that I'll happily kick in my dollar or so to be able to see the reviews and keep up with everyone, if need be.

 

Thanks for coming up with such a great idea in the first place!

A spring scent, indeed - at least for me. This makes me think of a bundle of tulips, interspersed with a sprig of eucalyptus, and a handful of ylang-ylang and lemon rind in the mix, too.

 

Faded quickly on me, too - but since I'm in a lotion-making phase, I think I'll make some in Phantasm so I can see if layering does the trick. Nice for spring, but BPAL creates other scents that are much more to my liking and that I'd be more likely to wear enough to repurchase.

When this first went on, all I got was Lemon Pledge. Mind you, I love lemon, and even Lemon Pledge pleases me to a degree, but Lemon Pledge is reserved for cleaning house. Within five minutes, though, the jasmine was peeking through, and Lemon Pledge with jasmine is a winner, believe it or not. Yuki-Onna wasn't finished, though, and the bergamot crept into the picture, really rounding it out to a bright, heady scent.

I can imagine that the sandalwood with these really gives Yuki-Onna a surreal anchor and completes the picture. Unfortunately, the sandalwood never made it to the surface on me, so it seemed like the scent was lacking completion. I'll wear this as it is, but think it will have more to offer someone witha different chemistry.

From the Tarot collection; no description of scent provided by BPAL.

 

This is an incredibly complex scent that manages to balance notes I didn't realize could be balanced. Sandalwood, cinnamon, running water, lemon, eucalyptus - these are just the start of the components in the World. This is earthy, airy, warm, and crisp all at the same time.

 

This strikes me as the ultimate no-category scent, because it's all categories at once. I'll wear this on a regular basis because it's compelling and ethereal while still being grounded, but also because it's a scent that fits any mood on any day, in any season and for any occasion.

 

Wearing this elicits a feeling of wholeness.

This is another beautiful Tarot scent, but I don't know a good way to describe it. I put it on and got a sense of Pepto-Bismol and fizzy ginger ale, of all things - and even stranger, they worked together perfectly.

 

I'm not saying this smells like those two items, but it had a very flowing, chalky, and at the same time, crisp and bubbly character. I very much feel the two scents pulling at, and with, each other. After about fifteen minutes, these somehow merge into an unknown white floral that is utterly lovely in itself.

 

I didn't get any of the mellow fruits or dusty notes that viciousviolet did, although the herbs are a faint but sturdy base for the mystery floral. I wonder if I can talk Beth into telling me what's in this one, as it's beautiful but unidentifiable to me.

Sniffing the bottle, I was worried about the possibility of one of those gel-cone-things on the back of my grandmother's toilet being the result, but her bathroom should smell so good. It's hard to write this review from the floor, where I'm busy twitching in complete ecstasy.

For Easter last year, I bought potted heather plants and gave them to my then in-laws. My mother grew up in eastern Oklahoma, and we often go pick blackberries when we visit my grandmother. This is the perfect combinaton of fields of what that heather, along with baskets of not-too-ripe blackberries and a few of their crushed leaves, would smell like.