stellans

ETA: This review is for Old Yerevan...

Imp: Oh man, I love Beth's pomegranate note! And this one comes with apricot too -- another favorite! This is heaven in a bottle, I'm telling you...

Wet: This is my personal bliss...luscious fruity goodness, with a small underlying note of rose. The apricot/pomegranate combination is so juicy and tartly fresh, but isn't overpowering the florals totally. The rose, another favorite, holds its own quite well in this blend: it's there, but in a supporting role to the fruit notes.

Dry: This blend has remained true to its notes from the bottle to the drydown, and it lasts quite nicely on me. I didn't need to renew it for almost 6 hours, and its throw was enough that I didn't need to keep my wrist to my nose to smell it. Also, it is a good scent locket blend, as it doesn't change that much on my skin so as to make the scent pad smell 'off.'

Verdict: This is a lovely, warm and seductive summer scent which I shall enjoy wearing over and over. This ranks highly in my personal list of blends to always keep around.

ADDED April 3:

ETA: This review is for the newer blend

I’m lucky enough to have two bottles of this scent: one with the original Old Yerevan label, and a bottle of the newer bottling, with just the name “Yerevan,” which I bought from the lab just prior to this scent’s discontinuance.. There’s a very slight alcoholic note in this bottle (at least to my nose), making this a sort of apricot/pomegranate wine perfume, but it’s not overpowering by any means. If my bottle of Old Yerevan is anything to judge by, this is one of those perfume blends which only gets better with age. Yum -- what a good time I have to look forward to!

I too am finding this snake information fascinating! I've loved snakes, lizards, and turtles pretty much as long as I can remember. My grandfather's barn housed a bull snake he greeted every morning, "Big Bill." Big Bill kept the rat population down in the horse barn, as well as kept rattlers away. I learned to tell poisonous from non-poisonous at an early age; in west Texas back then there was a lot more undeveloped land and much more native wildlife. It's hard for me to believe that the ubiquitous horny toad is now endangered!

Tanith, may your tribe increase.

They're photos. We're looking into the issue, since we thought it was a photo we had permission to use.

Oh, I'm so glad to hear this. I read the thread about the King Cobra on LJ just a little while ago, and even posted a comment about it. Thanks for posting, Macha...

Imp: Apples at first sniff! I thought to myself, hmmm...another Hesperides, but there is something different to this apple blend, something different enough to make me want to smell more.

Wet: The amber is there on my skin, but apples are still predominant. The herbs are there also...a deep, dark herbal sense, not the lighter green one might usually think of when herbal blends come to mind. This is a serious scent, at least to me; it requires a little gravitas, maybe, when worn. There are some BPAL blends which are merry, light-hearted, and some which are sexily seductive. In fact, if you think about it there's a blend for almost any occasion and mindset. This one makes me want to think.

Dry: Still serious, still apple -- but a bit dryer (heh.) I really like this scent, even though I am having a harder time reviewing this than any other blend previously. I don't know why.

Verdict: This is the 2nd of the Norns for me. I have an imp of Skuld in the wings to try at some point, and I'm looking forward to it, since I've loved both Urd and now Verdandi. I love the Excolo line so much, all that I've tried I liked. I'm sure there will be some which don't get along with my body chemistry, but none so far have disappointed. I'm putting this on the bottle list for sure.

Before BPAL, I really disliked fruity perfume or cologne smells, especially the sweeter ones like apple, grape, plum, etc. The absolute fakeness, the extreme sweetness of them turned my stomach and I just don't allow them in the house. My daughters keep extra "Mom-safe" products in the guest bath, heh.

But Beth's blends have totally changed my mind about fruit scents! I especially love apple notes now, and am learning to even like berries! It's amazing, not only to me but to my family. BPAL is magic, never doubt it.

Imp: When I smelled this in the imp (a decant from an eBay lot purchase, I immediately disliked the strong lemony-candy smell. But I've discovered from other Lab blends that first sniffs can be deceiving.

Wet: I rubbed a bit on my wrist -- still sweet, but it muted quickly away from the citrus to a lovely floral, with (to my nose) lavender tones! I looked up the description to see that jasmine and ylang-ylang were mentioned but no lavender...yet I swear I smell lavender in this blend. But even more surprising to me, this blend does not work in a scent locket for me; it doesn't morph away from the lemon-candy smell unless it's on my skin, so back in my jewelry box goes the White Rabbit!

Dry: Rich, full and creamy -- and floral. No citrus, which for me is good. I like this blend a lot, so I'm glad I bought a bottle from eBay after testing the imp. And this blend smells the same in the imp and in the bottle, so aging evidently doesn't play much of a part in this particular blend, at least not so far.

Verdict: This is a a very nice joyfully feminine floral blend, and I'm glad I gave it a chance past the first sniff.

Imp: The description of this blend made it sound perfect for the bright cheerfulness of today, and it was. Normally any lemon note will turn to Pledge on my skin, but I am happy to say it didn't in this oil. Vanilla and amber are not notes I look for, but in this blend they are smooth, warm, and utterly delightful. I couldn't even smell any lemon wet, and hardly any flowers...amber and vanilla ruled.

Wet: On, I smelled the underlying floral notes much better than in the bottle. Still no lemon, which for me is a definite relief. I freely admit there are some blends in which the lemon note isn't bad on me, but they are (so far) few and far between. I will happily add this blend to the 'positive' list.

Dry: Every sniff I take makes me feel like stretching and purring like my cats do in the warm sunlight. This a comfort food, woobie-blanket, warm puppy kind of blend, and it is wonderful both wet and dry. The flowers are more prominent dry than they were in the wet phase, but still the amber/vanilla alliance is predominant. I bought this unsniffed from eBay after a friend raved about it, and so glad I did.

Verdict: Keep. Keep, keep, keep. And try to get a back-up bottle.

Imp: hmm...not nearly as strong a throw as I'd expected after reading the reviews for this blend. In fact, I'd almost say this was a weak-smelling blend. Disapointment...

Wet: OK, now that it's actually on my skin, I am getting some florals (jasmine, I think..there's not the lemony-tang I associate with magnolias in the south) but the patchouli seems missing in action .

Dry: Still the same soft florals, no particular distinguishing scent or aha! moment. I kept hoping the magnolia would come forth, and the patchouli, but no.

Verdict: I bought one bottle of this, and somehow ended up with another (not entirely sure how) and I'll use them eventually, I suppose. I wanted to like this so much because all the notes are my kind of scents. And I really love the Matisse work I found to make the icon from...it even has magnolias!

Imp: beautiful, juicy red roses, with an underlying tartness, which must be the pomegranate. I am in from first sniff.

Wet: Rosy tart sweetness, so very very good to my nose. I just smile when this hits the olfactory sense, who is so happy with this scent. If the drydown stays as wonderful as the wet... well, let''s just say those old Clairol Herbel Essense shampoo commercials don\'t even come close to how happy smelling Persephone makes me. Just sayin'.

Dry: Yippee! It's just as wonderful dry as it was wet! It's still wonderful several hours later, and the throw is quite pleasant as well: neither too strong nor so weak I have to walk around with my wrist at my nose. I tried it in my scent locket, and it smells wonderful there too. Why have I waited so long to wear this and review it? Who knows? I'm doing it now though, and gushing all over the place!

Verdict: I would have ordered an imp of this myself, had I not received it from the Lab as a frimp, based on the notes listed alone. Once sniffed, a bottle was necessary because this is my now signature scent... yes, more than The Empress, or Venus, or even Rose Red. Persephone is wonderful both to my nose and on my skin to others' noses as well. I'm so lucky this is a GC blend, because I don't have to angst over it disappearing any time soon. I hope. (I stocked up with 3 bottles just in case, though: thanks to the Lab, eBay, and the forum.)

Imp: I was lucky enough to get a bottle of the original 2005 version of Pink Moon on eBay, because I really wanted to compare it with the more recently released version. On first whiff, all I smell is sweet, almost a maraschino cherry sweet, with pink cotton candy. I wasn't too sure how this was going smell on me, as some really sweet blends tend to turn all plastic on me (Pink Phoenix, I'm looking at you!).

Wet: Still with the sticky sweetness, but I think I detect some florals in there somewhere. I think.

Dry: The sweetness mellowed a bit upon drydown, but it is still very, very sweet. It hasn't turned to Barbie doll plastic smell on me yet (Oh, Pink Phoenix, I still feel betrayed, I tell you!) but I just don't think this is the Pink Moon for me. I like the spicy carnation in the 2007 version better.

Verdict: I'm keeping this, since it doesn't smell badly on me, and maybe it will be a nice item for some future swap.

Imp: The imp of this blend smelled differently than does the bottle I'm using today. The imp had much more lavender (which I love) while the bottle is all aftershave (which I don't, at least not on me). I've read other reviews which mention the difference sometimes between an imp (perhaps aged) and a bottle (usually fresh from the lab), but this is the first time I've seen it so clearly in something I'm trying.

Wet: I really, really don't like how this smells. It reminds me of the inexpensive aftershaves highschool boys sometimes drench themselves with, hoping to impress the girl-of-the-moment (it doesn't, trust me). It's so far removed from anything I smelled in my precious imp that it's hard for me to believe this is the same stuff. No ambers, no lavender, no carnation, heck -- no mosses!

Dry: Not as brash, but still the aftershave. This just breaks my heart, because I loved my imp so much I really looked forward to this bottle. And I don't like this at all.

Verdict: Ugh. I don't even want Mr. Stellans to smell like this. I'm going to put this in the back of my oil drawer, and hope for a better trial run further down the road.

Imp: strong honey, with a definite milky note.

Wet: same as in the imp (or bottle, in this case): milky honey, but now I get a hint of flowers. Try as I might, I can smell no pomegranate or figs. And I really, really wanted to smell at least the pomegranate! Dang it.

Dry: Honey. Honey and milk. Milk and honey. Well, this doesn't smell badly, but it really disappoints me that I can't smell the pomegranate, which is one of my favorite notes of Beth's blends. The florals I thought I smelled wet aren't there at all when this dries down -- only milk and honey. I wonder if they meant this to be the new Honey Moon?

Verdict: I'm keeping my bottle, and it's going into my nightly Lunacy rotation, but I won't try to buy a backup bottle from the forum or eBay. It's just not one I absolutely have to have.

Imp: Melon goodness abound in this blend. I was looking for a cool summer scent, and smelling melons almost make me feel cooler regardless of the actual temperature, so I think this is the one.

Wet: There aren't too many BPAL blends which don't stay true from imp to skin, and this is no exception. Melons follow from the imp to the wrist, and float delightfully to the nose. I want a honeydew and I want it now!

Dry: The lovely cool melon scent never goes away, but dry the floral notes come out to play! (sorry for the doggerel.) For what is really a light scent, it has amazing throw and staying power.

.

Verdict: I ordered a bottle of this and love it so, so much.

Imp: Green! Green, green, green, and then more green. I really like this before ever putting it on. If it doesn't work on my skin, I am still keeping it for room scenting, I love it so much.

Wet: Ahhhhh! True to the imp-smell, still green, and no problems with skin so far.

Dry: This is my childhood memories of summer at my grandparents distilled into a perfume. The green of grass and dandelion is softened upon drydown, and it doesn't last very long, but it is so heart-warming (to me) that stay just doesn't matter.

Verdict: Thank goodness I didn't wait for my circle decants to get here! I took a chance and ordered a bottle of this unsniffed before they went down at the end of April, because now I know one or two decants just wouldn't have been enough. This is a bottle-worthy blend, make no mistake. I will set aside one decant to see how it ages, because I am not sure how this will do for the longterm. I will wear this often this summer, I think.

Imp: I must admit, the sweetness in the bottle almost convinced me this was a mistaken purchase. I am on a mission to at least try all the Lunacies, and when this popped up on eBay I couldn't resist. In the imp, there is a very sweet berry smell, not as bad as those awful synthetic odors in cheap candles, shampoos, etc., but close. It's a bit tempered and mellow, though -- the cream note's influence?

Wet: Still sweet, and mellow, but man, this is sweet! I didn't know if I could handle this all night, but it started getting better as it dried. Thank goodness!

Dry: This is quite nice dry! The cream and floral notes successfully tone the sweetness down enough that it is a lovely summer night's scent.

Verdict: I'm glad I found this on eBay, because it is lovely. I will happily put this Lunacy in my nightly rotation.

Imp: Spring in a bottle (again)! I said this about Amsterdam as well, and the phrase is deserved by both. There is a fresh spring flowers, new season feel to this blend that makes one want to run around sniffing. The description lists many spring flowers, honey, and sugar but flowers are pretty much all I smell, at least wet.

Wet: True to the bottle, this blend stays spring-floral fresh, and is a pure delight to sniff. The wet throw is enough that lifting my wrist to my nose is unnecessary. There is a green note lurking somewhere in the background of this, at least to my nose. Perhaps some of the flower stems or leaves? It's very slight, but pleasing nonetheless.

Dry: The blend mellows only slightly upon drydown; the strong spring floral still rules, though a bit softer when dry. The honey never really shows up for me, but I don't miss it, honestly. The spring flower scent is more than enough for me, and I am thoroughly enjoying this.

Verdict: SO happy I sprung for a bottle! The two decants I got won't last as I will probably wear this blend a lot. It's a refreshing spring blend, perfect for warming spring days.

Imp: This is so light and sweet in the imp, I almost didn't want to put it on but just enjoy it as it was. I could smell the amber, tempered by some floral notes, and there is peach there. It's not the bright sparkly peach juice, but more mellow -- the difference between juice and wine, I guess.

Wet: On first application, it's the same as in the imp. A few minutes in, the peach comes out a bit more.

Dry: This dries down in a very mellow way -- not too sweet, but mellow. The throw is very light, but I don't mind because it smells so good. It lasts about 2 hours before needing another application, and that's pretty good.

Verdict: It was so lucky for me that this was my frimp from a decant circle! I might eventually have tried it on my own, but this way I was happy sooner. This blend, named for one of the Three Graces -- Beauty, or Splendor -- truly lives up to its name, and it has joined my Big Bottle Want List.

Imp: When I read that the notes of this blend I knew I'd love it, no matter which notes dominated my nose. In the imp, it's lilac with only a hint of green. I smell no lavender, rose, black currant nor any absinthe. There does seem to be a sweetness which speaks of the sugar, though.

Wet: Still lilac and greenery, not much else. Which, I must add, is just fine with me because I love lilac! It puts me in mind of lovely southern nights, warmish, with the full moon lighting up the countryside. The scent of lilacs is a very good memory-evoker, and I have good memories!

Dry: Still lilacs, still green. No lavender, no rose, etc. etc etc. But it's really ok, because this is a lovely, lovely blend with plenty of throw and stay. I like it better on my skin than in my scent locket, however. On me, the scent warms and grows. In the locket, it's very static, and compares unpleasantly to the way it smells on -- more so, to my nose, than many other scents I've tried both ways.

Verdict: I'm glad I bought a bottle of this from eBay after sniffing the imp. It's a nice warm weather blend, and I will enjoy wearing it this summer. I also like La Fee Verte, and will try Absinthe soon.

Imp: Rich, fruity earthy goodness, with a slight spicy note which must be the cassia. I hope there's not much cassia because it and cinnamon burn my skin. But I love the sweetness of this in the bottle!

Wet: No burn at first -- not even in the bend of my elbow, which is where the burn will start if it's going to happen with a blend. Yay! The smoky, incense-y smell is a little more evident on my skin than it was in the bottle, which is fine because I love incense smells. This would make a great room smell too, and I have a new diffuser I'm going to try it in, but not today since I'm wearing it.

Dry: Lovely dry down! There was never any burning, and I really didn't even smell cassia. The pomegranate was the reason I was attracted to this scent, and it is lovely! The dragon's blood helps with the sweetness, keeping it from being too fruity, and the myrrh and patchouli give the blend a nice earthiness. The very slight floral note (the mimosa, I guess) is nice but isn't really so much in evidence.

Verdict: This blend from Ars Draconis is really vying with Ladon to be my favorite from this group. They both contain Dragon's Blood, but are so different to my nose it's like night and day. Ladon for day, and Tanin'iver for night!

This is for the 2007 version.

Imp: Green! But a light, slightly astringent green rather than the green of verdant lawns. This is a definitely herbal green scent, and one that delights the nose.

Wet: Still the astringent green I smelled in the bottle gifted to me by my SpringFling Switch Witch.

Dry: There is a definite softening of the astringence upon dry-down. The green smell is now a sweetly soft herb garden on my wrist. The scent locket, however, is still sharp. When I wear this again, I don't think I'll use the scent locket because I like the stages this goes through on my skin, from sharp to soft. It's a very pleasing metamorphosis.

Verdict: Boy, am I glad my SW sent me this bottle! I made a big mistake in deciding not to order it, because I love it.

Imp: I acquired this imp in a lot purchase; because of the mint note listed in the lab description, I probably wouldn't have picked it out myself, though I have given other blends with mint listed a shot. Calliope was one of the successes, so I have hopes for Bess. First sniff was sharp and astringent, but with an underlying sweetness. I am not smelling any mint at all, thank goodness, nor is there any discernible lemon note, which seems to amp up on me to an unbearable level.

Wet: Just as refreshing as in the imp, though the floral notes seem to be a little more prominent once it's on my skin. I like that. Maybe it's the rosemary and bergamot keeping the mint at bay!

Dry: Still refreshing, but there's a lot more floral in the drydown. The rosemary is almost gone, but now there's a teeny little citrus note brightening the flowers just enough to keep the powder away. But I never have smelled rose in this blend -- the orange blossom seems to cover up any rose that might be there. The description says "five rose variants" but they weren't there for my nose.

Verdict: I really like Bess, and I'm glad I bought a bottle after sniffing the imp the first time when it arrived.

Imp: sweet, yet spicy! Fortunately there's not a strong milk note, because lately that's been making me a little nauseous (blame a leaky bottle of Milk Moon). The honey and floral notes are very nice, and I do like carnation.

Wet: Still sweet and spicy. So far, so good. Well, so OK anyway.

Dry: Well, Alice didn't hang around very long, but she was pleasant while she was here. Still mostly sweet spice, but I never did get any rose from this blend, and I was really trying.

Verdict: I have a partial bottle I bought from a forumite, and will continue to use it occasionally, but I doubt I will get any more. This is a pleasant scent, but not 'great' on me and there are far too many blends yet to try to worry about a just OK one. Actually, I like my Alice icon better than the scent, as it works with my body chemistry!

Imp: Very grapey, but there's an underlying earthiness which speaks of the patchouli and nag champa to come. I don't know what cereus smells like, but this blend is starting out really well, IMO.

Wet: oh yum! On, the patchouli is more to the front with the muscadine giving a lovely smooth sweetness. I've always loved nag champa incense, so I was happy to see BPAL used it in some blends. I'm trying to get imps of them all to try out. This smells so good wet, it can only get better dry!

Dry: Hardly any muscadine/grape smell left -- but the nag and patchouli (red and black) are. And they are lovely! I keep sniffing and I don't have to bury my nose in my wrist because the throw is excellent. Also, it lasts a long time so I didn't have to renew but 3 times the whole day. That, to me, is a sign that this is a keeper, and one that I want to get in a larger quantity. I also tried this in a scent locket, and the grape scent hung on throughout the day in there. Evidently my skin chemistry digs the nag-patchouli and gets rid of the grape!

Verdict: Want More.

Imp: Apple! Apple with flowers! Lovely, lovely apples! My absolute favorite fruit scent, when it's done right and by right, I mean real -- no fake apple scents.

Wet: Just as wonderful on me as it was in the imp. Holy FSM, how great this smells! And here I've been thinking the rose blends were the best thing about BPAL...nope, I was so wrong -- it's the apple scents!

Dry: This smells just as good on the dry-down as it does wet! I love dragon's blood resin, and mixed with apple, apple blossom and hyacinth...well, it's absolutely heavenly. Believe it or not, it has almost a rose-like note...

Verdict: I want a bottle, a big bottle. I want more than just one big bottle! This has lots of throw, plus it lasted for almost 4 hours without renewing. I put some in my White Rabbit scent locket, and it smelled just as good there as on my skin. This is a masterpiece of perfume-making, and an interesting thing about it is the lack of morphing (much) from imp to skin to dry. I don't how she did it, but again, Beth has created a masterpiece.

Imp: I first tried this blend quite a while back, and it was too much vanilla for me then. At the behest of a friend, I gave the Lady another chance. This time, in a decant from my aged bottle, the vanilla wasn't quite as pronounced as the first time I tried it -- the florals were more in the forefront! Yay!

Wet: Just as rosy-creamy as I hoped this blend would be. I am having to really slather it on though, because it doesn't seem to have a lot of throw.

Dry: Even less throw dry than wet, but the scent is still good. I'm enjoying my Sunday scent.

Verdict: I'm glad I listened to my inner voice which told me not to give up on this 10ml just yet; it was definitely worth the wait. Even if I have to use more than I do with some other blends, at least it smells good now. I honestly don't know if it was even the oil's fault, but was really my body chemistry playing tricks with me again.

Imp: In the imp, much lighter than I'd expected from the name and description of notes involved. Much more floral, and no patchouli at all. But there is a deep something under the flowers...maybe that's the patchouli, or perhaps the resins. It's very nice, there under the florals -- gives them 'bottom.'

Wet: Still very floral, but the patchouli/resin notes are more in evidence on my skin than in the bottle. I am already liking this bland.

Dry: Yep, there's the patchouli -- but the floral notes give this blend a very pleasant sweetness. There isn't much throw, I have to put my nose right on my skin to enjoy this one. It also doesn't last very long at all. Dark Delicacies = Black Moon meets Mme Moriarty, but weaker.

Verdict: I like this blend, and I'm glad I got the bottle from eBay, but I won't angst over finding more. I have both Black Moon and Mme Moriarty, and they will console me when this is gone..