Laurel the Woodfairy

I somehow missed this the first time 'round even though I love the name and the notes, so I made sure to get some this time! On me, Pink Snowballs is absolutely beautiful--my beloved rose, with a marzipan and vanilla base, and definitely something "cold". I can understand all the comparisons to Snow White--I would say a Snow White, Rose Red, and Dana O'Shee menage a trois!

I love my bottle of Gingerbread Poppet, so I decided to try Maison En Pain d'Epices for a fresh twist on gingerbread. In the vial, I smell...jelly beans. Huh. On me, I get candied oranges in the topnotes, over gingerbread and definitely almond or marzipan. It's a "busy" scent that goes back and forth between notes, now sweet, now spicy. It's a little much; Poppet is much more stable in its yumminess. I like this but my decant is enough.

I would not have chosen Gnome for the name (being more of an Elf kind of girl), but the notes sound quite interesting. In the vial, I smell pure, fizzy ginger ale!! On me, Gnome is fun but kind of weird--it stays "fizzy" in the topnotes, but underneath it smells like...motor oil? Yeesh. Guess that's what a fairy gets for straying from her own kind.

A generous frimp from the Lab with my Yule order. In the vial, I get an odd blend of herbs and grape juice! On me, Bess has considerable bite--I can detect the roses (a favorite of mine), but they are hiding under a deafeningly sharp blast of rosemary that does not want to fade. The grapes wander in and out but don't help matters. Bess is like Wanda's way bitchy sister on me.

This is a really complex scent that gets better and better as it develops. Wet, I got something between Cathedral and Samhain--leaves and strong incense/patchouli, a bit confusing to the nose really. But drying, I suddenly have what must be hazelnut but on me is more like cocoa, plus honey! Now it's foody with some spice and incense and I really love it. Mmmm.

La Calavera starts out as sunflowers on me! Bright, fresh, light, pretty! I guess that is actually the marigolds. Drying down, it becomes much less fresh and more "dusty" chamomile and 'mums. I don't really get roses and vanilla, which is a shame because I would like that. But this is very different from other 'Weenies and I like it.

Ooo, this is interesting: on me, the topnotes are clear, pure aquatic. Underneath is something warmer--a soft amber/vanilla with a hint of spice; similar to chrysanthemum. This evokes a mountain lake with warm sun on bright leaves. Gender-neutral and purely autumnal!

I had to have a decant of Vampire Bride just for the name! On me, the myrrh and musk, etc., somehow combine to smell like a softer, more resinous Haunted. I like it, but I don't need a bottle because I have a bottle of Haunted and they are seriously that similar on me! This would be perfect for a BPALista wedding if you like Haunted but want something new and special.

I'm thrilled to have a sniffie of Sprinklecake with my 'Weenie decants! I am a big fan of both cake and sprinkles. In the vial, I smell cherry-vanilla, which is unexpected. On me, the cherry vanishes and is replaced by almond-vanilla-marzipan numminess! This swiftly dries into a vanilla cake batter scent that is gentle and clings sweetly to the skin. I liked the wet phase best of all, but this is a fun and happy scent in all phases.

There are not many frangipani BPALs, but since Little Bird has you covered on gardenia, I pulled out my spreadsheet to find what I could! The new Touched Twice has rose, alas, but so many other notes that I wonder if it'd be worth a try? "vanilla musk with frangipani, red sandalwood, frankincense, champaca flower, coconut, rose absolute, white cyclamen, Himalayan mogra, angelica, and white oud." You just never know what's going to get amped with that many notes! If you can find the LE Sportive Sun, it might be good: "Heliotrope, amber, almond flower, frangipani, cedar, and calamus." The LE White Phoenix has both frangipani and magnolia, so that sounds great for you! "Frangipani, magnolia, cotton flower, osmanthus, crystal musk, ambrette, white orchid, sugar cane, davana, white sandalwood, petitgrain, lavender, and lotus root." The main General Catalogue scent with frangipani is Delight: "Frangipani, rose, tuberose, and jasmine." It didn't smell like rose at all on me, FWIW. I agree that Sacred Ho' sounds good for you!

Keep an eye out for Victoriana Goth (English rose, lilac, frankincense, violet leaf, French lavender, and wisteria). My bottle smells like a "better" Moonlight Path!

^ Have you tried Samhain? It's THE scent for October, as far as I'm concerned, and I think it avoids all the bad notes you mentioned? It's LE but out every fall and usually not hard to find in sales, etc. Such a fantastic, special scent.

I wonder if any of you would like The Witch's Garden? "Morning glory vines, rampion, carrot, and parsley, with monkshood, hemlock, elfwort, sage, wormwood, and mandrake." No tomato, but earthy vegetable garden might fit the mood?

There's just no beating Bon Vivant for sweet + fizzy. Not creamy, but it would layer well if you wanted to add strawberries and champagne to a creamy scent like Milk Moon or Dana O'Shee for a strawberry milkshake effect!

I knew EXACTLY what you meant when you said "the Marriott lotion"! I'd say Baobhan Sith, which is grapefruit and ginger so it has that citrus brightness to it. I actually think you might try Sudha Segara as well--no orange, but the yummiest ginger in BPALandia, in my opinion.

You might try Laurel Honey as well; I bought it for the name ( ) but on me it's mostly greenery and just a soft, not-too-sweet wild honey note. Thymes fragrances are gorgeous. Fig Leaf & Cassis was my signature scent before I found BPAL. I think it's discontinued now though. Hmmm, I wonder if there's a BPAL like Fig Leaf & Cassis? The notes were fig leaf, cassis, mandarin, juniper berries and cypress, but it was so much better than any of that sounds!

La Belle Au Bois Dormant did not really smell much like pear on me, and Perilous Parlor was almost too sweet for my taste--Titania is my favorite pear BPAL. Your chemistry may vary, but on me Titania smells like a better, juicier version of Victoria's Secret Pear Glace'. Quincey Morris is a "boy pear" scent that I gave my husband, but really anyone could wear it.

^ THIS! I put as much thought into my BPAL as my gown, because scent memories are so strong. I also went with a GC for that reason, so I could have more as needed. Now whenever I smell Two Five & Seven, it's a perfect April morning and I'm nervous and happy!

Congratulations, sweetie! For a Vegas wedding, I would choose Bon Vivant: strawberries and champagne! Bubbly, sweet, and light, fun but still romantic.

I had to try this one because I love all the notes; I have a decant, so there isn't an issue about the oil mixing. Ohhh, this is some good stuff right here! I think this is my favorite of this year's Yules. I love Beth's pomegranate, so juicy and sweet--Persephone was my very first BPAL, so this note always makes me happy. Chocolate and orange is a wonderful combination--a rich gourmand scent with just enough tartness to keep it from being overly sweet. It smells like dark chocolate and dries down to a nummy honey. It reminds me of "13", the blend that returns every Friday the 13th, except better. There is no question I will be using up my decant, and I may need more.

I'm a little nervous about the leather in this blend, but the other notes sounded too good to miss so I got a decant. Mmmm. MMMM! It's like Gluttony with more bite, or a more wearable Herr Dross. Nummy spiced hazelnut coffee, with just a whiff of tobacco. Definitely gender neutral, but I like it on me. The drydown is more leathery and therefore not as much to my liking, though. I may try it on DH just to see what it does on him.

Out of all the wonderful-sounding Yules this year, this was the one that made me and buy just for the name...and change my avatar to Sugar Plum Woodfairy! The Queen of Sweets is as lovely as I hoped--I smell something cool and fruity which I think is the apricot (although I can see the "watermelon" reviews as well) and lovely sweet tiare flower with vanilla sugar underneath. A really nice, layered scent that stays fairy-light on my skin and makes everything sweet as dreams. Reminds me of a cooler version of my summer favorite, Marae, which is also tiare + vanilla but without the fruity topnote. Just lovely!

I was wondering if this would be rather like Gingerbread Poppet or Shub--nope, neither! I would have bet cookies on the notes listing "candied orange" but I see that they do not. Well, that's how Mother Ginger smells on me anyway! Those candied orange slices that one eats at the holidays, with strong bakery spices (ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon) underneath. No vanilla, no marshmallow cream--on me it's all strong bright citrus and spice. Bracing and festive, but I think a decant is enough for me, since my heart belongs to Poppet.

I had to have this for my husband, my personal Heathcliff! It has that classic gentlemen's cologne scent, more mainstream than some BPALs but with a lovely spicy touch of carnation. I think even men who are new to BPAL would like this.

My imp is pale gold in color. I admit the notes make me nervous, so I'll be testing just a tiny bit! In the vial, the balsam is strong and I smell pine trees and herbs. On me, for some reason none of those notes are very apparent--I smell like incense, sage, and saffron. It's nice and not "scary", much more mellow than I thought it would be. I think it's more of a room scent than a perfume to me: a smooth spicy gender-neutral blend.