Akurarei

Lady Lilith: Forum Only In the Bottle: Smells very much like Beaver Moon 2007 to me - I guess I smell the vanilla cream the most. On my Skin, Wet: Like a mandarin Beaver Moon 2007! Cream! Vanilla! Mandarin! oh, wait - there's a hint of musk peeking out - I can't tell if it's the red or white variety though. On my Skin, Dry: Still very creamy vanilla. the mandarin has subsided somewhat, and the rose is coming out now. still vaguely musky - but I don't know my musks well enough to tell you whether it's the red or white one. maybe both? so - it's pink musk! Verdict: I LOVE that this starts out like a mandarin Beaver Moon 2007! it becomes more complex as it wears, and luckily for me the notes are gorgeous! 9 of 10 Ranking!

Sturgeon Moon 2008 In the Bottle: Clean water with a single white bloom On my Skin, Wet: SWEET WATER! amazing! Beth is truly an artist! This sweet water has a pale green impression to me, and is rimmed with a single white bloom, very faint, but just enough to give it s little dimension. On my Skin, Dry: GLOWING sweet water - it's a beautiful bright day, where all the colors are paler from the immense white light, and I'm sitting next to THE cleanest little pond in existance! A gentle breeze takes the scent of the pond and it's tiny white flowers to me and I take a deep breath and just feel refreshed! Verdict: incapsulated imagery! this is the most amazingly evocative scent in my collection - I adore it! 10 of 10 ranking!

Lune Noir In the Bottle: very similar to Black Moon IMO....I smell citrus and orchid florals On my Skin, Wet: Very clean and bright - bubbly - not at all dark and ominous! I smell delicate lemon florals and clean aloe like qualitities....strange. On my Skin, Dry: Still very clean. The lemon scent I am getting is still there but the aloe scent I was getting is replaced with a "water pear" - it's the strangest pear incarnation I've ever some across! I really like it though! very unique lemon/pear scent! Verdict: strange morphology going on but the delicate water lemon pear outcome is very unique and quite compelling! not much throw, which is the only sad note. 6 of 10 Ranking!

Mead Moon 2008 In the Bottle: Boozey Honey On my Skin, Wet: Boozey Honey - AMPED On my Skin, Dry: Boozey Honey - with a touch of something else that I can't place...it seems dusty, yet isn't...seems floral but isn't...seems musky but isn't...etc. Verdict: pretty much stays the same throughout - I think I would be happier with it if I could figure out what the heck is going on with it on that final drydown where it becomes a kaliedoscope of impressions. 4 of 10 Ranking!

Blood Moon 2008 In the Bottle: Musk and Incense On my Skin, Wet: Musk and Incense - the "blood rimmed lunar oils" seem to be making an appearance, because the impression I get at this stage is DARK RED. On my Skin, Dry: The musk settles down some, and retreats into the background. the Incense is sharing the spotlight with the lunar oils, and it has moved into a blackened red incense phase. Verdict: beautiful! I was somewhat fearful that the musk would be overpowering and make me stinky, but instead it was predominantly incense - and I love incense blends so this one is a gem. 9 of 10 Ranking!

Harvest Moon 2008 In the Bottle: Faint "grains" smell - an idealized farm with golden fields of wheat. On my Skin, Wet: Dry and sharp! This is what I was expecting from Hay Moon! I was expecting the wet stage to present the grapes and clove, but they did not make an appearance. I don't know what Fennel smells like, so I can't say what is making this scent so dry on me. On my Skin, Dry: Golden "grains" notes again, with a pop of berry-cherry-grape. Retains an overall dry feeling though, which I think is appropriate for a fall lunacy. Verdict: Unexpected! I think I could wear it more often if it did not have such a dry, biting onset. but the drydown is very soft and lovely - evocative of a lazy fall night on a rural, desolate road. 7 of 10 Ranking!

Chaos Theory IV: Edge of Chaos CXXVII (127) Yay scent experiment! I wonder if the Labbies had a mad scientist movie fest going on while they made these bottles. In my bottle: Oranges pierced with cloves and an undercurrent of chocolate and apples (similar to Samhain, IMHO) On My Skin, Wet: Yes! an orange scent! There are DEFINITELY cloves present too - it smells very home Christmas potpourri to me! My family loves to make the oranges with clove piercings for the house when it's cold out, and this scent captures that tradition PERFECTLY! On my Skin, Dry: Still that lovely orange and clove scent, just gorgeous! I also am smelling a slightly resinous note hiding underneath all that citrus deliciousness...my guess is amber. MAYBE it could be a very small amount of sandalwood - every now and then I can't tell those two apart if they are not a major component. Verdict: mine is a 10 of 10 ranking!! I absolutely ADORE my CT4 - I'm so glad I took a chance on it, because part of me was terrified of receiving something like orange blossom SN or patchouli SN. one turns to burnt plastic on me and the other is simply disgusting on me. FORTUNATELY - I got one that both suits me and plays well with my chemistry. THANK YOU BPAL! ETA 6.3.2010: This no longer smells delicious. It's still cloves but all the other beautiful stuff seems to have gone away. Now it smells strongly of cinnamon and cloves. While I think those two scents are pretty on their own, I don't particularly care for cinnamon in my perfume. Aged this scent has gone from 10 to 4. So sad!

Ladies of the Grindhouse: Inez In the Bottle: Vanilla and woods - something akin to hot sand(!?) On my Skin, Wet: SUNTAN LOTION!!! Oh no! On my Skin, Dry: Weird - now it smells like bronzing oil. You know that stuff from the 80's that was just an excuse to saute yourself on the beach with? that stuff. Verdict: Befuddled. All the notes sounded so promising too! I have no idea how well this will age, but I'll give it a shot and see if that helps any. if things do not improve after three months, I'll likely find a new home for Inez. 2 of 10 Ranking! ADDED Oct. 23: Inez: Carnaval Diabolique I thought I posted a review for this one already, I did a search for my screename but nothing came back. If this is the second post, my apologies! In the Bottle: Red Sandalwood ALL THE TIME. Quite potent too! On my Skin, Wet: Strong, sharp red sandalwood mixed with pungent cedar. There is nothing soft and inviting about Inez in this stage - I was hoping for vanilla and amber with touches of sandalwood. On my Skin, Dry: Mostly red sandalwood, but less sharp now. The cedar is still hanging out but has calmed down some as well. I *think* I can smell some vanilla now, but it's so smothered by the sandalwood and cedar I can't really tell for sure. 2 hours later: OMG! Sweetly spiced vanilla cookies! Totally random but so good! I really hope this deliciousness lingers the rest of the day Verdict: Very strong of woods at the beginning, almost *too* strong. Drydown is nice, but nothing spectacular. Then BAM! the best bakery cookies I have come across to date 8 of 10 Ranking!

Glowing Vulva at Ryogoku Bridge Bought this fresh from the Lab - thought it smelled like soured cream when I first tried it...but thought there was potential lurking under that sour note. So I let it age since March and decided to try it again. In the Bottle: HEAVY cream and bitter herbs. Ok - the cream part makes sense, but the 'bitter' and 'herbs'? On my Skin, Wet: The herbs aren't as bitter and they morph into the Teak note - it definitely takes on a wooden scent. Cream subdues and amps a Vanilla current instead. There is a gentle note somewhere in here, and I can't tell if it's the amber or the lotus blossom trying to surface from under the vanilla cream river and around the teak boat. On my Skin, Dry: I should note here that most BPAL scents tend to fade somewhat as they dry - but not this one! on the contrary, this one gets more powerful and potent the longer I wear it! that *might* be a first for me! Anyways, it's amber that has surfaced at this stage. I also detect a return of that herb note from the bottle - I think I can attribute that to the Lotus Blossom since there is no other explanation so, I am left with the following image for 'Glowing Vulva': A thick Cream river with shores of bitter herbs; and as I embark on the little Teak boat, the river becomes less thick and more of a sweet Vanilla Cream river slowing flowing under my little Teak boat - a very relaxing journey. As the sun warms the river, little golden Amber fish appear just under the surface of the Vanilla Cream river and around the perimeter of my little Teak boat. The little Amber fish smell warm and slightly powdery - something a fish can never be, but hey - it's nice of them to smell like something other than 'fish', right? So there it is: a nice little surrealish image that this scent conjures for me 8 of 10 Ranking!

Hay absolute, tall grasses, dry honey, mallow, cardamom, amber, and wheat. Hay Moon In the Bottle: nothing - no smell at all. On My Skin, Wet: AMBER - the best amber note ever! it's not dry at all - something I was expecting from this lunacy. On My Skin, Dry: More amber - so lovely and warm and golden. it's a little bit drier now - perhaps the wheat and grasses coming into play? lovely amber and a touch of something that reminds me of the death of spring and the birth of fall. Verdict: 9 of 10 ranking! this is far more soothing and golden than I was expecting. from the concept I was expecting a rush on the Claritin. Thankfully not ^_~ Well Done!

L'Inverno In the Bottle: Lily, white and bright. Also a hint of the white musk - also quite bright. On my Skin, Wet: the white musk amps tremendously at this point! I still get a "bright" impression instead of a "cold" impression - I'm not sure why though. as this begins to try, the lily makes a comeback. On my Skin, Dry: I don't know if this is a trait of the white musk or if the musk and lily combination is responsible, but now I am getting sandalwood. it could be the pine that is registering differently for some reason. Strangely, I do not smell plum, benzoin or the orchid notes. Verdict: lovely scent - I haven't tried it in conjunction with the bath oil yet, but I'm sure that the combination will be just as delightful. the thing that does bewilder me on this though is the "bright" impression I get instead of a "cold" impression - it seems more Spring than Winter on me. quite different from all my other BPAL scents though! 7 of 10 Ranking!

Dionysia In the Bottle: Patchouli - lots of it On my Skin, Wet: lots and lots of Patchouli. some red berry is trying to come out, but patchouli is the hands down winner on this one. On my Skin, Dry: the patchouli has receeded a little bit. the red berries are all out and about, but instead of alternating between raspberry, pomgranate and a red (to my brain, anyway) plum - I just register them all at once and they become SN cranberry. Verdict: Disappointed - I was hoping the patchouli would be a background note instead of the stage hog. I did like the fact that the red berries grouped together made cranberry. as a whole this smells like a Christmas scent to me for some reason - there's nothing about it that should remind me of Christmas , but there you have it. 3 of 10 Ranking.

Thirteen - Purple Label In the Bottle: Herbs & chocolate - interesting combo! On My Skin, Wet: Cardamom - definitely. Possibly the fig - there's a "earthy" fruit quality to this stage, but it's too indistinct for me to be able to properly identify it. mmmm....chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. On My skin, Dry: Still predominantly Cardamom, but it's sitting on a base of herby chocolates now - and the impression is drier than before. I guess the mysterious fig note has gone away now. Verdict: A dry herby chocolate? very captivating, but a little too unusual for a regular scent. I think people around me would get the munchies and then I would have to leave the room so I don't wind up on the menu Other Comments: I was really hoping my cat would go bonkers since this has catnip listed - but alas, I think my chemistry must have swallowed that note since the stinker was decidedly uninterested in my wrist. Oh - maybe the drier fell in the dry stage was the sandalwood making an appearance! that would be exciting! 8 of 10 Ranking!

Pumpkin V - Pumpkin Patch 2007 In the Bottle: Pumpkin! - this smells more like the pumpkin while it is whole - no grin on his face yet; nor does this pumpkin smell foody at all, so it's definitely not pumpkin pie or cider smelling...nope - just a fresh off the vine pumpkin. On my Skin, Wet: Freshly cut pumpkin and vanilla! the vanilla is rather sweet and foody, but the pumpkin is still just a fresh veggie and not yet a delicious autumn pastry. I can smell something akin to a resin, but I don't remember if amber was a listed note on this pumpkin. On my Skin, Dry: More sweet vanilla and soft wafts of pumpkin trapped inside that delicious golden resin smell. this is just breathtaking....it's a warm golden autumn evening sitting outside with mini pumpkins nestled around you while drinking some vanilla flavored drink! Verdict: A sweet foody vanilla without being too overwhelming...the pumpkin seems to keep the vanilla in control but still allows that delicious sweetness gently float around you. I'm a sucker for resin - and this resin is perfect! just a little teeny tiny touch of spiciness but mostly that warm inviting glow that reminds me of looking at a lit fireplace through frosted glass on a warm, but slowly chilling, evening. 8 of 10 Ranking!

I don't get comments very often either - one way or another....I really hope it's that the oils don't have a lot of throw vs. people thinking I stink. occassionally, I will get a compliment on Tanuki (LE Shapeshifter - I think it was associated with Old Moon '08, but I don't remember exactly) The other one that gets a good reaction is El Dia de Reyes 2007 - it smells like the richest hot chocolate ever; at least on me - can't say that I've come across any other BPALers in my day to day travels. hmmm. I think Szepasszony has received a compliment from my mom (and she HATES BPAL - and she tends to HATE it all - I was floored when she liked this one) Bordello is another good one for me - the lab's plum seems to agree with me & anyone that happens to take notice. Kitsune-Tsuki is another one that goes plummy yum on me & got a compliment or two. Midwinter's Eve'05, Rose Red'05 & Samhain 2007 are good too. Sorry to list so many LE's - I just seem to have better luck with them I guess. However, I would suggest that you find a note that you can build around. In my case - Plum is a great choice for both my chemistry and other people's nose it seems Hope that helps! Good luck!

Dragon Moon 2008 I never thought there would be another Dragon Moon again - ever! I think I busted a brain wrinkle in excitement when I saw this one available! In the Bottle: Resiny & Woodsy - I like it already! On my Skin, Wet: AMP Cedar! good thing I like cedar! This is very strongly cedar for a good long while - I'm actually a little surprised that the 'wet' stage takes more than 1 minute - but in a good way surprised! On my Skin, Dry: Amber - a glorious clear warm amber!, Woods (hello, cedar - we meet yet again) and - and- and......cherry? dragon's blood? herbs? maybe a sprinkling of all those! yay! there's something else in the undercurrent that my nose doesn't recognize (or forgot when the brain wrinkle popped). Verdict: GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS! The lab's amber note is my friend! as are all the woodsy notes I've tried! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! This might warrant a full bottle hunt down to keep this bottle company! (and in my beloved-ness, maybe they will mate and have little dragon moons while I'm not looking! HA!) 10 of 10 ranking! I love you Beth!!!! ETA 2.1.11; I haven't worn this is awhile, Now that it's aged over 2 years, the cedar potency has diminished and the resin-y amber notes have turned more golden. Any trances of herbs/cherry/etc are also gone. But I do still love this scent, despite elements gone missing

Oblivion was really disturbing for me - very oppressive it probably didn't help that the oil itself was nearly opaque gray.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned MonsterBait: BiggerCritters. (Or I just never noticed it in the thread) this one contains five vanillas - but also jasmine, which I know goes weird/soap/powder/screaming amp on some people. so if you're ok with the lab's jasmine note - I would really recommend MB:BiggerCritters. (it was an LE, but you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a bottle on eBay or getting an imp from someone)

Twisted Oak Tree This is a scent that I never would have bought based on the description. it just sounds gross. anyway.... In the bottle:gross I smell rot & lots of it! drowned wood, specifically ::looks around for alligators:: On my Skin, Wet: ROT! ............... wait, what's that? it's an evergreen forest! and what? the darkest, wetest ivy ever! mmmm....a thick forest just after a torential cold thunderstorm. I also smell some wet earth, but only a little pinch of it. this is all cold winds, thick black-green branches and wet ivy. On my Skin, Dry: No more earth, this is all cold wet black-green forest. the ivy is doing interesting things to my nose! it makes me think that there's something spicy nearby, then when I sniff more closely, is like a cool aquatic. Verdict: OMG - how could something that sounds so awfully decayed be so clean and fresh!! completely took me by surprise!! Lovely lovely!! 9 of 10 ranking!!!

Sugar Moon In the Bottle: Caramel & violet woods. On my Skin, Wet: Blooming caramel notes tempered by wooden stems of violets and cool water tones. On my Skin, Dry: Violet wooden stems - caramel in the background. soft tones of breezes and cool water notes. Verdict: 2 bottle worthy - yay! Wonderful blend! ADDED June 10: Sugar Moon 2008 I thought I had posted a review for this one - but I guess not O_o In the bottle: soft lavender colored woods sprinkled with a sugar snow. this is very soft and lovely, like a white kimino of the finest silk caught in a gentle breeze among fresh spring forests and voilet fields. On my Skin, Wet: I amp woods like crazy and this is no exception. So for about 2 minutes this is nothing but sugared woods - no violet, no herbs, nothing but sweet woods. On My Skin, Dry: Ah, the woods are receeding into the background now - and the sugared violets are coming out more and glowing a crystalized lavender against the darkening forest. Verdict: a gorgeous scent - i definitely get fun mental images from this one - lots of whites, forests, softness, and shades of violet and lavender. 10 of 10 Ranking!

Cheshire Moon In the Bottle: fruity sweetness that definitely smells pink...this reminds me a little of Pink Moon 2007; maybe a they're cousins. On my Skin, Wet: ummm - cheap vanilla candle. This has an unmistakably wax tone to it...it's really not pleasant at all. just cheap drug store candle that smells like plastic-y vanilla. ick. On my Skin, Dry: the wax calms down some but never really disappears completely. some of the sugary fruits come out now - they still seem very pink to me, but trapped in a thin layer of wax still. 3+ hours: less wax - more sugar and fruits. it's not what I was expecting from this moon; but it's not a complete loss. Verdict: I'll keep my bottle, but this is definitely not worth another bottle any time soon (maybe if it ages well - but if the wax lingers then it may eventually it will be gifted to someone) 5 of 10 Ranking!

In the Bottle: Vetiver - Black Currant - Red Musk. The vetiver and currant and red musk seem to be the dominant notes in the bottle - I do not smell anything else, though I'm hoping that something can temper the vetiver somewhat. On my Skin, Wet: Vetiver at first, then a blast of currant followed by a brush of musk. As the scent settles, I can detect some moss and tobacco, but they are shadows in the background. On my Skin, Dry: Less vetiver now, the currant and musk are eyeing each other as the alpha note at the moment. still shadows of moss and tobacco, with slivers of frankincense and lavender hanging on the rim of this blackened moon. Verdict: I'm not a huge vetiver fan, but as long as it is not the dominant note I am happy. Not stockpile worthy but aging will be interesting and hopefully an aged bottle is not stockpile worthy. 8 of 10 Ranking! P.S. Wonderfully appropriate bottle art!

Sleet Soap Eucalyptus, menthol, two mints, and sparkling white citrus blast you with a bracing, enlivening chill! Water, saponified free-trade palm kernal oil, coconut oil, soy oil, shea butter, jojoba oil, castor oil, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume oil, and alkanet powder. In the Package: The wrapping is a wonderful shade of blue, like an icy blue pond - and antiqued yellow parchment. Faint - a mint and grapefruit swirled scent, light and fresh - but not cold. the scent is very mild and almost undetectable. I had my nose up against the paper to identify the notes. Dry, Out of the Package: Scent is a little stronger now - and surprisingly, the grapefruit dominates the mint note. the color of the soap is a light blueish gray with a very slight swirl of peach. There are also some little particles in this soap that vary in color from light tan to dark chocolate brown. Used, Out of the Package: Very smooth silky texture, more mint scented now that the soap is wet. It's still a nice balance of mint and grapefruit, but I still don't have a 'cold' feeling from this scent, it still just seems fresh. unlike the soaps with red clay, Sleet has no color in the suds and rinses clean. interestingly, when I use this soap, the scent of mint and grapefruit seems to mingle with a cream sort of note. The scent becomes creamy; almost ice cream-ish. my hands feel lovely after washing with this, and my bathroom has this delicate creamy minty grapfruity scent lingering while the bar dries. Verdict: I really love this soap - the color is interesting, as is the resulting creamy scent that eminates from it. if this scent had been a perfume in BPAL's catalogue, it's quite possible I would have found a new favorite scent to replace Venom as my all time holy grail BPAL. Beth, please make Sleet again next year! (or the year after, or after, etc) 10 of 10 ranking!! eta: BPTP description

Asphodel In the Imp: floral and chemical smelling On my Skin, Wet: eep! sharp, stinging chemical smell - this smells very much like a cheap drugstore perfume - but a knockoff with exceptional quantities of alcohol maybe that's the "gray" quality making it's presence known? regardless, this stage is very unpleasant. On my Skin, Dry: Chemical, sharp and green. I don't know what my skin is amping that makes this aweful stench, but I smell terrible! Surely it's my chemistry - there's no way that BPAL would make something stinky on purpose! Verdict: Way too artificial smelling on me - this won't be a flower that I'll miss from the garden. 1 of 10 Ranking.

Snow White 2007 I have Snow White 2005 and rarely wear it because it has always smelled like suntan lotion on me. nothing wintery about it sadly. But on to the 2007 Version: In the Bottle: Smells more floral-y in the bottle than my 2005 bottle. so that's a step in the right direction already! I can smell Beth's famous 'Snow' note as well, it seems quite crisp, actually. it still has that vague suntan lotion undertone though, so who knows how it will wear? On my Skin, Wet: Suntan lotion with coconut. hmmmm...that's not very encouraging, but the suntan lotion in 2007 is not as overpowering as my 2005 bottle. So I'll wait and see. On my Skin, Dry: More coconut and now the long-awaited appearance of some florals! I think I can see why this scent is so popular at long last! If the florals are more intense on others, I can understand why everyone loves Snow White so much...up until now, I had only a heartbreaking experience with her 2005 incarnation. 2007 has lifted my spirits! anyway, I get coconut and floral wafts from my wrists - and if I keep my wrists moderately away from my face I get the snow note however, if I bring my wrists directly to my nose, it's nothing but flowery suntan lotion. weird, weird. Verdict: Hooray on a version that works better with my chemistry! it's a very faint scent, just enough to keep me interested in my wrists, but the up-close experience is still lacking unfortunately. 7 of 10 Ranking! (I am glad that I bought Mirror,Mirror and a stand-alone bottle for this year's Snow White. Also, my best friend loves Snow White so if this year's was worse than 2005 on me, then she would have been randomly gifted her favorites )