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Full of contradictions, like crying because you're so mad you can't help it. Crisp, green, watery, and underlying camphor. Not a plant scent, though.

I like this one - and it gets lots of interested comments. A stress relieving scent for me, à propos of the name ...

This one's an interesting mix; the lilac is kept from being cloying by the incense note and warmed up by the amber. I wouldn't put it in the same category as Messe de Minuit (which others have compared it to), because that one's so very dry and markedly incense, where this one's much more sweet and warm. The lilac is actually the off-putting note in this for me; it somehow turns this into a "little old lady" scent, if there is such a thing.

Worth a try, though, particularly if the crisp, dry character of incense scents is a little too dry for you.

I found this one to be lightly rosy, but in a crumbling, dried rose sort of way. Add in a sputtering fire from the alleyway; a bit of wet wood. Not too sweet, with an musty earth smell under it.

Wore well throughout the day, but without turning into an overpowering or cloying tea rose scent. Nice!

The cocoa vanilla is quickly lost in the overpowering sandalwood. If the sandalwood and cocoa vanilla could balance each other, with the myrrh just biting into the sweetness, this would be stellar. Sadly, it's not.

Like pencil shavings and melted chocolate mushed together in the very dirty palm of a grade school boy.

When we discussed this one on MUA, there were all sorts of interesting comments. One of the best was "Can a scent be red? An incredibly red jasmine that captures what I imagine Renaissance Venice would have been - bold, bright, voluptuous, and lush."

I'm not a jasmine fan, but this isn't the headache-inducing type; it's very clear and rich. Others smelled violet plum, then waterlily, sandalwood, orris root, and other florals coming through. As a huge lemon fan, I'd be thrilled with just a bit more lemon and red currant to tarten things up, but the scent is a keeper as-is.

Ultra-feminine, but don't confuse that with "girlie." This is wealthy, soft-skinned, full-bosomed Renaissance woman with rings on her fingers and a cup of wine in her hand.

Limited Edition; December 2003.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab has been outdoing themselves with the limited edition scents lately, and this is a sterling example! This is an airy, crisp, barely floral that is warm and soft, all the while making me picture the first snow and the sharp, clean scent that accompanies it. I know warm and snow don't sound like they go together, but let me assure you that they do!

My all-time favorite. I wonder if Elizabeth would consider keeping some of the limited editions based on customer response ... I'd e-mail daily on this one.

I hate it when I come across a BPAL I don't like, and this one, unfortunately, was one of the few. I get the impression of a wad of Juicy Fruit gum laying in a backed-up sewer. Apropos of Carnivale, to a degree, but not something I'll be able to wear.

 

I will say that everyone else I know who's tried it was much more pleased with the scent. Perhaps a body chemistry thing, so don't rule it out.

Unseelie changes with wear, as all BPALs do; a touch of powder-dusted floral transfigures dried grasses and the slightest hint of something herbal and green.

 

A light scent with plenty of staying power, I ordered the large bottle of this one after using all of the sample in a five minute orgy of perfume application, wanting this scent to completely envelop me. Absolutely divine.

Aah. Just thinking about this one makes me sigh with pleasure. Somewhere between pumpkin pie and a caramel apple, but with enough autumn leaves and wood to keep it from being overwhelmingly foody.

 

Stayed rich and vibrant throughout the day, with the poor guy who sat behind me in my December cram-an-entire-semester-in-10-loooong-days-of-class History section talking at each break about how he just wanted to it to be fall again and didn't know why he couldn't stop thinking about it.

 

I doubt you'll see this one up for swap or on EBay, as it's one that will likely be hoarded.