gloom bear

Hmmm, I have a similar track record - I think I'll have to track down some Silentum Amoris.

The roses that have worked for me

 

Rose Red (7 bottles worth)

Peacock Queen

Silentum Amoris

Rose Moon

London

 

None of the other roses have come up at all. 2,5,7 was a total wash. Parlement of Foules was particularly disappointing.

 

I think a big bottle of London is next. Its superbly Tea Rose.

I just got my 2007 Mirror Mirror pack and am loving Rose Red and Peacock Queen beyond description. Not so lucky with Snow White. With the description being of snow and florals...I was really caught off guard when I opened the bottle and a giant almond hit me. Even though I had read the reviews, the strength of the almond was just so overwhelming. I got no coconut or florals at all. It was all almond (which I don't like) and when it dried, it was semi-sweet plastic almonds. The scent held on for a good long time though. Beautiful scent description, and if it came out on my skin as snow and flowers, I'd be all over it. But sadly...no. I guess that's one more bottle for the Snow White lovers.

Ok, just an update because I was able to purchase a bottle of the 2005, and I just got my fresh bottle of 2007 (not to mention a fresh bottle of Rose Red 2007)

Well, the Queen has been de-throned by Rose Red, but, I still love her. They are such different rose scents; PQ being so warm and sunny to me. Together with London, they form my beloved BPAL Rose Triumverate.

I compared the aged 2005 PQ and the fresh 2007 PQ and there were definitely some differences. Not huge, but detectable even to my novice nose. There is a hint of a fresh note riding on top of the lush sunny-day full-bloom roses of PQ in the fresh 2007, as opposed to the aged 2005...which makes the 2005 smell drier. Both are nice, but I think I prefer the fresh a tad more than the aged.

Oh, forgot to add, that on me, PQ isn't an evolving scent. The scent is strong and consistent from the moment the wet oil touches my skin to the last second before it fades.

Oh yeah, I'm going to have to track down a bottle of this. With a single sniff this validated all the swaps/purchases I arranged in the last 2 weeks for BPAL imps before smelling a single one. My rose quest ends here. It starts off as nothing but roses and it stays that way on me...and lasts a good while too. It's the most fabulous rich, warm, rose scent. Not a young girly rose smell…more womanly but definitely short of crotchety old lady. It makes me think of an afternoon spent sitting in an English Queen's garden. Good throw and lasts well. Don't forsee anything that can knock this baby off the pedestal. I couldn't ask anything more...except for it to be in the GC.

Another BPAL Rose Red convert here. I just got my 2007 bottle and I love it! I had tried a sample of the 2005 Rose Red, and it smelled kinda like strong balsamic vinegar on me that was so nasty that I washed it off pretty quickly. But being an avid rose-lover I cracked under the pressure of the raves and ordered a bottle of the 2007. When I tried it at first, it was exactly the same experience, nasty sharp sourish smell. But I was distracted while testing some other scents I got and when I went back to sniff the Rose Red, it was amazing! The sharp sour scent was gone and it was a lovely fresh rose with a hint of lemon. Another 10 minutes later, the lemon faded and it was just the nicest rose scent I've ever beheld. The first time I wore it out in public I got a compliment 5 minutes after getting out of the car. I don't know if 2005 and 2007 are any different really. This experience will be a valuable lesson in patience and letting scents evolve.

As soon as I opened the imp a bright fruity scent hit me. Not straight fruit, but a fruit rendition. The scent reminds me a bit of some black currant pastilles I had in Denmark. Don't ask me why the peach wine smells so much like black currant to me. One of the nicer fruity BPALs so far.

When wet, the first thing I get is a candy lemon smell….huh? After drying, the gardenia scent comes through and plays nicely with the lemon candy…who would have guessed? In another 10 minutes or so, the jasmine kicks in and we have a happy threesome. I never quite get the rose, but it's good as is. After half an hour, the dominant note is jasmine, which I happen to like. Two hours later, it is a slightly sweet vanilla with a touch of jasmine. This is a really nice blend with a fun evolution.

Hi'iaka starts as green banana and dries into an intensely perfumey clean white floral. I can't name the dominant note since I don't know what hibiscus or akala smell like. But it's not na'u that I'm smelling and I get very little rose. It's a really nice perfumey floral blend without any aquatic notes. As much as I wanted to love this one, after about half an hour the lovely floral notes faded leaving a nondescript scent that isn't bad, but nothing that I would want to wear again. I'm really bummed because I dance hula, and wanted to love Pele and Hi'iaka, but neither were great on me.

EDIT: I started using scents that I didn't like on my skin, in the oil warmer instead. In the warmer, Hi'iaka still goes through a similar evolution of top to bottom notes, but it's better than it was on my skin.

Viola starts as a slightly herbaceous green scent with a young rosebud underneath. As it dries, the green fades and the rose blooms. With so many notes listed besides rose, I didn't expect this to be so rosy, and I'm really pleasantly surprised. The other notes seem to keep the rose fresh and young and prevent the weird morphing that most of the other BPAL rose scents do on me. This would definitely up there with my current favorite rose, London, if it stayed like this. About 2 hours later, the rose fades and the other notes dominate. Nice, but I'm a hopeless rose lover.

When first applied, Harlot smells deliciously edible. The rose note is gone so fast I wouldn't even have guess it was there if I didn't read the scent notes. All I get is a wonderful cinnamon burst. It isn't intensely spicy, and is just a touch sweet. The cinnamon intensity dies down a bit after drying, and the rose comes back out just barely. Overall a lovely scent that I will wear again. A wonderful surprise since I was skeptical that I would like a rose-cinnamon combo. This doesn't last very long on me, but re-application is a pleasure.

In the vial...woah…this is straight jasmine and I loooove this! It's more jasmine grandiflorum than sambac (which happens to be my fav) but I love jasmine all round. When first applied it came screaming off my skin and had fantastic sillage. I don't know if my nose has just gotten used to it but about 10 minutes later it has mellowed out. I think this would be a good one for anyone who likes Lush's Flying Fox, or jasmine in general.

This has a wonderful rose burst at first, a fresh and simple rose (smells the same as the rose in Persephone). There is also a definite leather scent that is quite nice. Not like old horse saddle but maybe leather purse. They blend really nicely and if it stayed that way on my skin, I'd be buying a bottle. but of course my skin chemistry has to ruin everything, and turn the loveliness that is Whip into dirty ashtray. Sigh.

This smells exactly like a blackcurrant pastille! There is almost a licorice or anise note in it after drydown too which makes it even more perfect for me. It isn't really sweet and is my favorite fruity BPAL scent to date. It reminds me of some good times in Denmark. I'll really have to use this imp sparingly since I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get more!

I get a milky honey with a touch of something smokey that isn't smoke. I guess that is the tea, but my brain just doesn't recognize it as tea. It's a nice relaxing scent but not one that I would wear all the time since I'm primarily a floral person, but I'm definitely keeping it for those moods.

I just wanted to add one more couple....Peacock Queen and Jo Malone Red Roses.

Can anyone rec a BPAL similar to Crabtree & Evelyn's Rosewater Eau Fraiche?

I have it mixed with some cyclomethicone and spray it on my hair.

That is a fabulous idea! I've only heard of using the cyclo for a body spray. How are you liking the cyclo on your hair? Do you just add the BPAL to straight cyclodimethicone or do you dilute it with other ingredients?

oh, I was actually able to get some rose red without having to do permanent damage to anyone. :D but it goes balsamic vinegar on me! I was so crushed...I had really high hopes for it, especially cuz it smelled pretty good at first.

I missed out on the Rose Moon, but I might try to get a bit of that and see. Thanks!

Moon Rose was nice and clean. A bit too soapy for me, but I passed it on to a friend who loves it.

 

Haven't gotten around to trying a new 2, 5, and 7 yet.

 

I also really liked Persephone when I first put it on...I thought my rose quest was over, but a minute on my skin and it turned to salami. Which other rose blends have a similar rose scent?

 

Eep, Rose Red does but you might have to kill someone to get it.

Moon Rose was nice and clean. A bit too soapy for me, but I passed it on to a friend who loves it.

Haven't gotten around to trying a new 2, 5, and 7 yet.

I also really liked Persephone when I first put it on...I thought my rose quest was over, but a minute on my skin and it turned to salami. Which other rose blends have a similar rose scent?

I think I'm going to have to re-try 2, 5 and 7 because the imp I got was just gross. Must've been a bad imp. Didn't get it from the lab or a forumite here, so who knows what happened to it...

but I do think London is pretty straight rose, but a bit dry for my taste. I love Peacock Queen the best. I would love Rose Red too, but it goes balsamic vinegar on me.

I'll second (or third or fourth...) 2, 5 and 7. It's the purest, fresh rose scent in the GC. It can go a little plastic depending on skin chemistry. Persephone has the same rose note, made juicier with pomegranate, so you may want to try that. I adore roses, but found London too heavy on the tea rose for me. It didn't stirke me as fresh, but that could be chalked up to that dang skin chemistry thing.

Yerevan was a lab frimp in my last order and I had no idea what this would smell like. So like any other excel-loving BPAL girl, I was sitting there entering in my new oils, and frimps when I realized that this frimp sounded right up my alley. I only had 2 oils on my arms, so there was still room for one more somewhere. I found a spot for it and WOW. This smells like blackcurrant on my skin! I can sorta smell the apricot note it has in common with Katharina, but the other notes turn this into something different, and not as sweet. Katharina is now my second favorite fruity scent. I've only had it on for a few minutes and if the scent holds as blackcurrant...a full bottle will be at the top of my list for the next order.

Update: Sadly, the blackcurrant smell didn't last, but faded to a light apricot musk scent, similar to the drydown of Katharina but less sweet. But it still is quite nice, and I think I still like it better than Katharina but I get two scents in one, plus it's is less sweet on me. Not bad for a frimp!

With Punkie Night, right away the spice and apples hit me and fills me with warm fuzzy autumn memories. Applied to the skin, it's a not-too-sweet appley and spice smell that just makes you smile. After it gets a moment to dry and settle into my skin, it smells exactly like the gummy cinnamon bears of my childhood...yum. I love the smell, but having it on me is a bit too much. It's distracting...all I can think about is how to get my hands on a cinnamon bear!

The Lady of Shallot is floral scent, but before I can ponder the floral notes, I started to smell…nuts. Pecans actually. So flowers….and pecans. So. Odd. And then it started evolving a sanrio eraser smell in the background.

The first note I got from Gennivre was…chocolate. I wasn't prepared for that. A few more concentrated sniffs of the wrist and I could get a bit of mint but barely. And also a slight smokey smell. Both the mint and the smoke scents faded in 10-15 minutes leaving something I don't know how to describe. It's not floral or fruity or fresh. It's something not very perfumey, but a nice subtle scent that seems to mold to your skin. And every once in a while I get a whiff of tea and chocolate. Very cool.

Sacred Whore of Babylon is a nice gardenia scent. Not a fresh true gardenia flower scent really, but more of a rich gardenia perfume smell, but with a bit of spiciness. the spice sort of fades and comes back and then goes away again. The oil irritates my skin a bit, but the smell is really nice. Not a perfume scent for me, but I'm sure there will be uses for this unusual scent.

Wow, thanks for all the tips! I'll def look into all of those. I've only managed to try Bewitched, but it didn't smell very berry-like on me. It was more of a sweet light musk on me. Good, but not berry and I was kinda sad. But on to the others...thanks again!

Does anyone else have the sudden craving for Ribena?