Alice Aforethought

Wow...if anyone's looking for a comforting scent, this is the one! My mum is a big fan of lavender, and this is a cuddle from my mum who's wearing a particularly chunky and soft jumper that she knitted. Like Boots, the lavender comes out for me strongly sometimes, at other times the jasmine, when it turns more dark and dreamy - the same cuddle but at dusk, when the colours are fading and blending. Beth, this is beautiful. Thank you.

First on, there's a slight citrussy edge that smells very like tangerine oil to me. The fruitiness come out later with a fresh green edge, a combination which reminds me, bizarrely, of melons. There is a deeper, smooth, muskiness holding it together. It stays very well, and smells an awful lot better on my lovely than it does on me. Sorry, I'm not keen on this one - it's just not me! (an aversion to melons for anything more than eating!)

At first, this is eye-stinging eucalyptus! It quickly fades to reveal a sweetish piney note, which in turn gives way to a lovely woody, spicy scent with the ever-so-slightly bitter scent of the juniper behind it. This one smells...blue. It reminded me of a particular huge blue cypress tree. The nuttiness of those little buddy knots, and the silvery frondiness that is still cool and refreshing in the warm air of summer. But still with an...age behind it. It feels old and waiting. Not impatient - just waiting.

The cedar is lovely in this one, and normally I'm not a fan. There's a dry, woody spiciness to this one with a slightly sharper herby note to lighten it. Saying that, the sage is not strong on me at all. There's a warmth as well as a reflective calm in this scent - very evocative.

First on, it's lavender and nothing but, but this mellows after drydown to allow the other components through. The violet isn't too sweet, and the musk makes Chypre smooth and elegant. It's beautiful on my lovely; refeshing yet comforting, complex yet 'clean.'

It's that anise smell that first jumps out. As this calms down, the quieter note take over - the lemon is subdued, but still present. There is a bitterness present - no sweet sugar here, though the promise of some to come (but that's what Absinthe smells like to me anyway! ) There's a nutmeggy element that comes out to play later, and is comforting, relaxing yet astringent at the same time. (the hyssop?) It's a light, bitter, refreshing scent that would be perfect for spring/early summer.

The refreshing lemon immediately jumps out upon first application. However, beyond that, there is a spicy, herby deepness...the lemon stays however, and the greenness continues with that snap of spices following close on its heels.

First on, it's just the lavender I smell. As it dries, the vetiver comes through with the faint powdery overlay of the violets. The vetiver is fairly strong in this one, so one to avoid if you don't like vetiver or the very similar myrrh. There's a very definite...definiteness about this one..it has a very strong character. It is Bluebeard - I can smell the affluent, well-groomed husband-to-be in there, and the dark depths and fright of forbidden rooms and dread of the husband returning... ETA No, it's not like that. It's the dark masculinity behind the tale - more Angela Carter than the original. It's not fright and morbidity, it's the expectancy of something that is forbidding at the moment, but won't be at a future point...it's an 'otherness' of sexuality, of depth, to someone not yet prepared for it.

I love this one. On first application, it's fresh and slightly fruity/floral, but this soon fades to a wonderful musky fresh tang. It's heavy enough to be grounded but it has a good bit of airiness in it too - the exhilaration before a storm in late summer, when the winds are beginning to whip those flower-and-leaf scents into the air just before the rain starts. It's beautiful on my lovely, too - he ordered it, but I might have to get a bottle myself!

First on, the eucalyptus especially jumps out, tempered by the pine. There's a lovely hint of orangepeel lurking round the edge, as though it's sidling up to you and you glimpse it out of the corner of your eye. As it mellows, there's more, sweeter orangepeel and the softer laziness of the eucalyptus gently expiring as it has worn itself out in the flash-and-bang. Very nice, actually - there's a metamporphosis there that I wasn't expecting.

Strong pine that fades to a muskier, sweeter, softer pine. The drydown is a lot more subtle and complex than the full blast from the bottle or put straight on. Unfortunately, I'm not a pine person - but anyone that likes pine, you'll love this! This was a welcome extra, as I got some more masculine scents for my lovely. He has it now, and loves it. A good man-fresh one.

The cedar is the first note out for me, with a lovely lemon geranium smell becoming dominant shortly after (that'll be the lemen verbena, then!) It's still and calm, rather than wild and woodsy. There's a darkness behind it that in the bottle smells more like myrrh than patchouli, but on isn't very noticeable. This reminds me of stone walls in the slanting late afternoon summer sunshine, warming up the herb garden, but with those moist, ferny nooks and crannies remaining in the shade. Astringent and fresh, but languid at the same time.

This has the smell of a bag of Mint Imperials! At first, the pepperminty scent is dominant, but as this gradually fades other notes come through - a soft, almost creamy sweetness like the smell of a mountain stream on a cold spring morning, with a very slight herb-and-black-stone harder edge to it. Refreshing yet comforting at the same time. I can feel the crunch of the mint imperial shell on my tongue as I smell it - great stuff! ETA Vaniclion - I don't read the previous reviews before I post them, so we must have similar noses!

This is a sophisticated and feminine scent with a touch of sweetness, but not too much - a very nicely blended and layered fragrance that is self-possessed, but with a warm softness to it. I don't think this would be out of place in a posh parfumerie. This would be a good one to attract people to BPAL that wouldn't perhaps think of buying from them at first.

This is a smell that was universally present in 'alternative' shops that sold inscense, silver jewellery and black tasselly clothes with mirrors on. This is the nostalgic scent of 1980's goth in a bottle! It took me right back to 'It's Anonymous' in Middlesbrough where I got my very first long black tasselly dress, when I was 14! Incensey but without being churchy to me, with that robust, happy, calming, sticky, sticky black patchouli. This beats Spiritual Sky into a cocked hat.

The scent of sexual obsession, slavery to sensual pleasure, and the undercurrent of innocence defiled utterly. Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla. This smells *exactly* like good quality mead made with dark honey. It quickly mellows into a slightly softer scent with more vanilla coming through, as the slight scent of spices fade into the background a little more. But this is still absolutely mead! I was surprised that I liked this one, as I usually steer clear of the sweet honey scents, but it isn't sickly at all. Quite the opposite. It has a lovely lingering scent that surrounds and envelopes and feels very...natural. For those Lush fans out there, it smells like B Never shower gel (discontinued, but with a big fan following!)

Black Forest is very piney. Zombi might be a bit too rosey for him, though. Arkham is lovely - citrussy. Jabberwocky too - it's a minty- pine scent that I must get round to reviewing! Nice and refeshing but foresty at the same time.

Has anyone mentioned 'O' and Be Never Too Busy To Be beautiful yet? (the fabled honey showergel, now discontinued apart from in the Honey Farm gift boxes)

Rhiannon, it was L'Artisan Parfumeur's Mur et Musc that Auntie P recommended. It's a pleasant enough, light scent, of blackberries, that's nice in summer - but is nothing like that rich, deep Icony niceness. Imagine Icon but without any of the base notes...it's sweet, purply and a bit powdery.

Elizabeth, it's great to hear you being so positive after what seemed like a long dark period, and with such exciting changes in the wind! The best of luck to you, dearie.

Hello, Nella! I was so pleased to get your email, I can now tell the other people on the order where they stand! (one has cancelled because of the wait, but I'm having hers instead. )

Sorry, Beth.

Something to soak up the oil quickly - talcum powder. It's a bit late now maybe though, it's a do-it-when-it-happens thing. It might be worth a try if you've got it to hand. It's the same principle that supermarkets use when somebody (like me ) smashes a bottle of olive oil and gets in the way while she apologises profusely.. They soak it up with cat litter.

It's a great idea! It could solve a lot of problems, it would surely cut the workload of ploughing through all the emails concerning the same order when it could all be contained in one. The current system is longwinded for international orders, and is one of the reasons why I wouldn't usually order from the States. I could see a lot more people ordering more things if this was simplified. From my point of view (another UK-er) it would help tremendously. I'm after three 10ml, two 5ml and eighteen imps between five people, so this sort of system would be ideal for those without Paypal to be able to split postage costs fairly straight off.

*cannot let smut opportunities pass unattended*