porcelain72

In the bottle: an only slightly less sweet Dorian. Initial application: Dorian Drydown: Dorian Now, let me say that, if I haven't mentioned it enough times already, Dorian is my favorite BPAL scent. Theodosius is wonderful, a perfect unisex scent, however to me it's almost a duplicate of Dorian, just a bit more masculine. As I've just ordered a 5ml of Dorian, I've offered Theodosius up for trade. Again, though, this is not meant to be a negative review. It's a beautiful blend, the Earl Grey keeping the vanilla and other notes from becoming too sweet and cloying.

In the bottle: soft and sweet, I'm getting the honey from this more than the vanilla. Initial application: oooh! Very nice! Not "smell of sex" nice, but this is a warm, romantic scent that makes me want to snuggle down in bed, perfect for the weather as I write this (unseasonably cool and rainy). Drydown: it's fading fast, alas, but I'm still getting more honey than vanilla from this. It's truly my idea of what a "skin scent" should be, it actually smells like clean skin. There's very little throw, but this is something you only want very special friends to smell anyway. Quite lovely. The quick fade makes me a bit apprehensive about wanting to buy a 5ml, but I can see why it's a popular scent.

This is the first BPAL I bought (from another addict) simply because I liked the name. In the bottle: clean laundry. It reminds me of a muskier version of Demeter's 'Laundromat'. Initial application: same as above. The musk gets a bit stronger, but quickly dwindles back to merely enhancing the freshly washed clothes scent. Drydown: this is a clean, feminine but not girly scent that makes me think of crisp white cotton sheets. Very office-appropriate, this isn't a "hey, check me out!" scent, but more subtle and laidback.

In the bottle: sweet and fruity, but a nonspecific kind of fruity. Gentle and pretty, softer than what I expected given the description. Initial application: fruit-flavored bubble gum! Figuring it would tone down a bit once it dried, I let it go for a while, and now I'm getting a very pleasant, light citrus scent, edged with...something, perhaps the vanilla or the sandalwood, I'm not sure, that keeps it from being sharp or sour. The throw is very light, but, like a lot of the scents I've been trying, it seems to work, suggesting the scent of the different offerings as they're carried by a gentle breeze. It takes you a moment or two to notice, but it's there. Very nice, very nice. ETA: upon second application, this is really growing on me. The citrus, vanilla and sandalwood really complement each other nicely, it's neither too tart or too sweet.

In the bottle: sweet, sticky apricots, not much in the way of brandy. Initial application: the sweetness is just short of being overpowering, but something is holding it back, likely the brandy, though that's still not overtly making its presence known. Drydown: I was hoping there'd be a slightly boozier edge to this, but so far I haven't gotten much. However, the apricot has gotten softer, subtle and more pleasant. I'm not overwhelmed with joy for it, but it's nice.

Mmm...yummy. This burst of warm, spicy goodness is a wonderful contrast to the gloomy day outside. In the bottle: it's thick, thicker than any oil I've tried so far. That gives is a certain air of mystery. I can smell the vanilla and spices together, this is also one that smells exactly like I thought it would, going by the Lab description. Initial application: delicious! The vanilla is sweet and creamy, and the spices give it a wonderfully dark, sexy edge. Drydown: the vanilla is overtaking the spices a bit, but still this is pretty great. I may consider eventually purchasing a 5ml, but my next order is going to include Dorian, which this resembles a bit too closely to want both at the same time.

In the bottle: I had to sniff twice, this is so light. A sweet honey scent, with just the tiniest bit of spice from the ginger. Initial application: a slightly (but only slightly) stronger version of Lush's 'Honey, I Washed the Kids' soap. Luckily, I love that soap. Not so luckily, it's fading almost immediately. Drydown: this is the first BPAL I had to reapply less than an hour after first application, my skin eats it almost immediately, leaving just the faintest touch of creamy honey behind. It's lovely, it really is, but at the rate it's fading I'll be done with the imp by the end of today.

Not at all a bad introduction to my first Lunacy. In the bottle: an interesting, not as cloying as you'd think combination of fruits and flowers. Can't make a single damn distinction between any of them though, but I blame that on my unschooled nose. On the skin: this is very pretty! The fruitiness dies down in favor of the floral, sweet but not eye-watering sweet. Drydown: same as above, the fruits continue to fade, leaving mostly flowers. A nice, cheerful scent. I wish I could be more specific about what I smell, but suffice to say it's quite pleasant.

Here's another one for the future 5ml purchase list... In the bottle: let's call it Dorian Jr. Sweet vanilla with a little less spice to it. Lovely. Initial application: vanilla and soft flowers, the sweetpea presumably. This is getting nicer as it goes along. Drydown: I put this on today because I'm taking my daughter to an Alice in Wonderland-themed tea parlor. It's the first time I've worn it, and it's just beautiful. A must for fans of vanilla scents, the sandalwood and sweetpea keep it from becoming overpowering or artificial.

In the bottle: I'm getting ginger, not as sharp as Kumiho, but it's there, with a light, almost impercetible edge of green tea to it. Initial application: no lemon, but the green tea is amping and the ginger is dying down. Nice. Drydown: hello, green tea. Still not getting lemon, and I'm not sure about the honeysuckle, though that might be what's sweetening it a bit. This is a pleasant, clean scent good for warm weather, with a gentle throw.

Wow, and once again we witness the wonder of what individual body chemistries can do to an oil. Like White Rabbit, Drink Me was one I was especially eager to try, and well...I'm kind of disappointed so far, though I've only had it on for less than an hour. In the bottle: a sweet, butterscotch scent not unlike Red Lantern. Initial application: butterscotch has gone nutty, literally. I can't identify what kind of nut, but it's there. On the other hand, my daughter came into the room and said "It smells like cake batter in here." Drydown: I wish I was getting all the individual notes the other folks have mentioned, cherry, pineapple, pumpkin, sweet cakes, etc. All I'm getting is a slightly sour, non-specific nut scent. The sour smell reminds me of White Rabbit, and not in a good way. A lot of the imps I've yet to try in my collection are foodies, I hope they're not all going to result in the same spoiled milk scent on my skin. Then again, if that's the case I'll be able to replenish my swapping supply as well.

In the bottle: non-specific floral, not overpowering. Initial application: more flowers, there's something aquatic about it, it makes me a picture a clean pond with wildflowers growing along the banks. I'm not getting that green herbal scent, which is good because that sometimes veers close to a dirt smell on my skin. Drydown: oh dear, this is going fast, with very little throw. I guess it fits with the otherworldly description, this is something that is just supposed to linger lightly before disappearing into your imagination. Final verdict: nice. Not thrilling, but nice. It smells like good quality perfume, but I'm not overwhelmed with joy for it.

Oh dear, it breaks my heart a bit to write this one. White Rabbit was the first imp I ordered when placing my very first BPAL order. I'm a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland, and when I wasn't keen on the currant scent behind the Cheshire Cat, I went with the scent representing my second-favorite character. However... In the bottle: don't know what to make of it. I'm not getting the immediate tea scent I got with Dorian. It's just sort of a sweet, slightly gingery scent. Not what I was expecting. Initial application: ew, what's that? Is that sour milk? WTF? I'm not getting vanilla, or linen, and even the slight ginger scent is gone. Drydown: v. strange. Occasionally I do get a vanilla tea scent, lighter and less sweet than Dorian. Then the sour milk smell comes back, much to my dismay and disappointment. I want to like this. I really, really want to like this, but it's not coming off well with me. Maybe my chemistry is off today, though I can't imagine why. EDIT 2PM: a few hours later I reapplied, just to see if I get anything different. On one wrist I still get the sour milk smell, yet on the other I get a vague clean linen scent. Can't figure this one out at all.

And now we get to use the phrase "love at first sniff." Dorian came as part of my first lab-direct order, and the funny thing was that I wasn't sure about ordering that one at first. But I did, and...wow. I'm still in the relatively newbie testing phase, but this has the standing vote so far as my signature scent. In bottle: sugared vanilla tea, happily what I was hoping it would smell like. The three musks aspect is what made me a bit tentative about ordering it at first, but they're very subtle, emphasizing the tea and vanilla rather than overpowering it. Initial application: good lord, this is amazing. The sweetness is just enough to tickle my nose, maybe even make my mouth water a little. How in the world did they come up with this? Drydown: it just keeps getting better. The musk is coming out a little bit, and making the scent just slightly more masculine than it was in the bottle, but it's still a beautiful, warm scent. The throw is nice, I can smell it lingering lightly about me. It shouldn't have a strong throw anyway, there's something, I don't know...intimate about this scent, it should really be enjoyed mainly by you and someone you'd like to have nuzzling at your neck. Fantastic. My favorite so far.

In the bottle: sweet floral, almost verging on cloying. It reminds me a bit of that "funeral parlor" smell, which I normally don't care for (and why I tend to avoid a lot of florals in the first place). But onward anyway... Initial application: oh no, the dreaded stench of gardenias, my least favorite flower! Now I worry more about smelling like a grandmother than a funeral parlor. Drydown: okay, whew. Gardenias have gone away, and though I'm still leaning towards a "swap this" vote, I'm willing to continue giving it a chance. A bit later: powdery floral. While I'm not getting a sense of deja vu while wearing this, there is a nice...old-fashioned feeling to it, I guess would be the best way to describe it. It seems like something you would have seen a lady of breeding in the late 19th to early 20th century spritzing on her throat with a cut-glass atomizer. I'm still not completely sold yet, but if you're a big fan of white florals, this should do it.

Wow, the wonders of individual body chemistry. Reading the previous reviews Mantis seems to be interpreting itself in wildly different ways for everyone. As for me... In bottle: men's cologne with just a touch of green behind it. I'm not getting anything particularly citrusy or sweet from it. Initial application: Irish Spring soap, almost immediately. Not that there's anything wrong with Irish Spring, but given the description of this that's obviously not what I expected. Drydown: still soapy, though it's smoothed out a bit. If this isn't noted as a gender-neutral scent, it should be, it's rather masculine on me. It's clean and pleasant, but not all that remarkable.

In the bottle: that odd nail polish remover scent I also got on the first sniff of Hecate and Hellfire. Not particularly inviting, but I ended up liking the two scents previously mentioned, so I went ahead and tried it. Initial application: the nail polish remover smell quickly disappears and turns into a nice, almost damp smelling floral, distinct but not overpowering. Drydown: oh no! I'm getting that off-putting "green smell," not clean grass and flowers green, but "vegetables that are about to turn bad" green. I have no idea what's causing it, I'm guessing the neroli is at odds with my body chemistry, since I've tried scents with ylang ylang and sandalwood in it with no problems before. Later...back to the nice floral scent, though now it's just a generalized perfumey floral. I'm going to give this another try, see if neroli + me=rotting celery again, before deciding whether to keep or swap it. I want to like it, but the jury is still out.

In bottle: lemon, which I usually don't like, but this isn't sharp to me, there's a soft edge to it. Initial application: someone else described Van Van as smelling like a lemon bar with powdered sugar, and that's exactly correct. It's a sweet, comforting smell, and the lemon is creamy and unintrusive. I don't know that it makes me feel powerful, but it does give me a vague sense of familiarity. Drydown: it fades faster than I'd like, but without really changing its scent. It layers wonderfully with Burt's Bees Milk & Honey body lotion, giving it more of a "foody" feel. I got this as a trade, and I'm very happy with it.

In bottle: floral with a spicy edge. I really need to learn how to discern different floral notes, just describing it as "ooh, flowers, pretty!" isn't enough. It's not overpowering and doesn't have that dirt edge to it, so I like it so far. Initial application: the spiciness quickly dies away and becomes just floral. Still pretty. Drydown: the spiciness is still gone, the floral is still pretty. I wish there was something more specific I could say. It's not my favorite amongst the florals I've tried so far (I still like House of Night and Black Hellebore better), but it is very nice. It has the quality of a high-end perfume, sophisticated and unintrusive. On the downside, it's fading quickly and doesn't have a significant throw.

Interesting to note while reading previous reviews how other folks pick up a pine or "woodsy" scent with House of Night. I don't get that at all. In fact, I don't get anything specific except a general soft, melancholy floral. If a scent can be melancholy, that is. In bottle: florals as mentioned above, with a damp, slightly mossy edge. Despite the description, however, don't categorize it with other "graveyard scents" like Zombi, it's much lighter and without that spicy/dirty edge. Initial application: same as above, less sweet than in the bottle and yet somehow the different floral notes become more pronounced. I wish I could identify them individually. Drydown: fading fast. Pity, I'm still in the "testing what works for me" phase and this has been one of my favorites so far. It represents the ephemeral, the soft scent of flowers in the air that fades before you have a chance to really take it in.

In bottle: sweet, sweet, and sweet, with a side order of sweet. Liquid, fruity-floral candy. To heighten the effect, it seems thicker and a little more sticky than the other oils I've tried as well, but that could be my imagination. Initial application: this is an interesting combination, the pomegranate and the rose don't seem to be fighting to be the dominant scent here, it's as if they're almost...next to each other, if that makes any sense, in peaceful compromise. It's a wee bit overpowering though, and has an amazing throw. I could smell this on me, around me, etc., during the entire train ride to work. Mind you, this is not a bad thing. Drydown: the pomegranate has given in and allowed the rose to take over. I'm not normally a big fan of rose-based scents, they tend to go fake or old lady on me, but this is a deep, rich rose. Smelling it makes me picture those big, dark red blossoms where the petals almost look like velvet. This isn't an everyday scent, it's a little heavy for that, but it is quite pretty.

My first LE scent! Huzzah! In bottle: and here I thought orange juice was liquid sunshine. It's bright and clean, such in direct contrast to dark scents like Zombi that I don't even want to put them next to each other in the box, lest some sort of perfume oil holy war take place. Upon application: the lemon charges forth. However, it's a nice, smooth lemon without bite. This is really lovely. Drydown: the lemon eases off, and what remains is a soft, indeterminate floral perfume. There's a slight edge of baby powder coming on, but it's not yet taken over. They should make a laundry detergent with this scent. On the downside? It's fading really fast. Overall, though, this is a wonderfully gentle, non-intrusive scent, perfect for the nice weather we're (finally!) having today.

This is the first overtly fruity scent I've tried, and I had reservations because many fruit scents, as much as I enjoy them in the bottle, tend to go cloying and artificial on me after application. I'm pleasantly surprised at Katharina so far, however. In the bottle: apricot syrup. Oy vey, that's sweet. Perhaps a little too sweet? Application: still sweet, but toned down a notch, and while I'm not getting the musk I am getting a creamy note to it--coconut? Vanilla, perhaps. Regardless, it softens the sweetness of the apricot nicely. Drydown: still apricot-mystery note, no musk yet. I can taste this when I smell it, not a chemical taste, but an actual faint taste of sweet fruit in my mouth. So far...I'm enjoying this, it's an excellent warm weather scent. I can smell it lingering lightly around me, it's quite pretty. I don't know about it being a "youthful" scent, I'm 34 and I don't think it's inappropriate for me. ETA: a couple hours in, I'm finally getting a light musk mixed with the apricot. This is lovely. **adds to favorites list**

In vial: not sure what I'm getting from this, something thick and kind of smoky. It reminds me of the parties my parents would throw in our house during the 70s. Initial application: HELLO CINNAMON. Not as intense as Block Buster, which makes the inside of my nose and mouth burn, but it's there. Drydown: the cinnamon disappears and is replaced by that thick, smoky scent again, only with incense added. Yep, I smell like a head shop right now, due to the combination of sandalwood and patchouli. I don't love it, but it's not altogether bad, considering I usually despise eau de patchouli.

Considering the first thing I smelled upon opening the vial was the unmistakable scent of nail polish remover, I had doubts about this one. However, shortly after application it mellowed into something very warm and boozy. This isn't the best scent to wear given the current weather where I am (100 degrees with humidity that makes it feel like 8000), because it does indeed remind me of sitting by a fireplace, perhaps holding a snifter of brandy (even though I've never drank brandy from a snifter in my life). This will be a good fall scent.