Browneyes

Ooooh this is like a more complex and perfume-y (but don't take that in a bad way, this is not your traditional perfumey scent) than SATURNALIA. Whereas Saturnalia is really heavy on the vetiver, making it borderline... eh... too dirty (though I still like it), Bluebeard has the added sweetness of the lavendar and white musk, and the violet is stronger. The vetiver is thus tamed!

 

I love it, I'll keep the imp!

Rose and pomegranate. Pretty, but sadly I find myself less excited about these notes than what I would have thought 2 years ago, before BPAL. Before BPAL I would have loved the concept of this scent, but since I got into perfume oils, I'm all about the resins, woods etc. It's very very rare that I love a scent like Persephone, so it's not your fault Persephone, really, it's me...

It's very strong on the lemongrass, then come the roses, but only faintly.

 

I hardly catch any of the sandalwood, patch, or cedarwood, which I find sad

 

It's soft and soothing, but I wouldn't wear it often, it's too lemony, and somehow I'm no longer a lemony girl.

I can't really distinguish the notes in this one... maybe some light rose and unobtrusive musk. It's pretty. But it really does smell a bit like a nice fabric softener on me. Which is a nice smell, but nothing too exciting perfume-wise

This is very strong on the eucalyptus at first, but after a while that tones down a bit and I'm left with a nice piney scent. I love forest type scents alot, and this one has its own niche with the eucalyptus, cypress and juniper notes. I love the smoky aspect that develops, which is similar to Stranger in Camp. While I love Stranger in Camp more, this one is a nice addition to my foresty collection. I suspect that it might be good for layering purposes too!

Wow this truly smells like anise flavoured liquor! With the added sparkle of mint and lemon. It's not too strong on me, which is good. Hm I like it. Don't know if I would actually use it as perfume, since I tend to go for other types of scents, but I like it

Very resinous in the imp, sweet and smoky on the skin. It's mostly frankincense to me. The floral (violet) and spice (cinnamon) only underscore the frankincense from time to time, flitting in and out of that sweet smoky haze. Those subtle hints makes this smell like a cunning smile in a sacred setting.

It's very transclucent but dark, and grey-brown-purple in "colour". Probably won't use it, but it was interesting to try, and I generally like this type of scent.

I'm really happy to try this, since before BPAL I used to be obsessed with rose, and now I actually find it difficult to find a "good" rose perfume, but still love to try them.

 

My first impression of this was: CANDY!! Yes, a sort of sweet-sour rosey hard candy. Really cute and girly.

 

On my skin it gets a bit less loud, which is probably a good thing (even though the initial impression put a smile on my face and made me think of PINK and SUNSHINE). I can smell the roses blooming more realistically, and a touch of stems and grass.

 

It does end up a bit powdery though, but the sweet-sour-candy impression is still there, avoiding it from becoming granny-like. All in all, it's not bad on me, but I'm not sure I will turn to it often. It's kind of pretty, but also kind of powdery, slightly sour. I think I will stick to Hope for my rose fix. (even though that one is also kind of powdery, but it's more like powder-sugar)

 

But you should definately try it if you like rose!

On me, it's definately medicinal and eucalyptus-y too! Once it warms up on the skin the eucalyptus starts to lose that sharp edge and it gets a bit milder and a bit sweeter, but not by much.

I don't really perceive any flowers, or voluptuous plant-woman, at all.

And I'm not sure I can wait for them to show up, if at all, because it really reminds me of sickness and a deathly smell, like there's something rotten under the medicine.



(ETA: lab description)

Woody (read: mild pencil shavings) and sweet. Very soft and warming somehow.

 

Strange thing is that my imp lid was broken, and the oil inside was very "oily", much more than is usual for BPAL - I don't know if that was because of the lid being broken, and air exposure, or if that's how the oil is.

 

Anyway, I like it, but not enough to think that I'll wear it often. And it does smell quite a bit like pencil shavings, maybe I just like pencil shavings?

 

ETA: it ends up reminding me a bit of Intrigue, minus the fig

It's very gentle, sweet, pale flowers. A bit soapy though, and I agree with everyone who said that this is extremely faint.

Pretty, but not me.

It's been described a lot but here is my addition:

 

At first it's a really lovely, innocent and cute scent. Sweet, creamy, honeyed carnation.

Then it dries down to something a lot more powdery, still sweet, pink, and pretty, but kind of plasticky and fake-smelling too.

I don't hate it or anything, it just smells very powdery all of a sudden, and I agree that it's reminiscent of some familiar lotion, or something from LUSH.

 

It's the kind of thing my sister likes, I think I'll give her the imp. Glad to have tried it though, and the scent fits the character of Alice in mood, it just doesn't really fit me apparently.

I LOVE this. It's exactly the kind of "dirty hippie" smell that I like. It's dry, gritty, dark, woody... and yet it also has a sweeter edge, like incense.

I'm considering a 5 ml based on scent alone. I *really* like this.

 

I can imagine it would not be everybody's cup of tea though. (for the record I love patchouli and vetiver...)

 

I haven't tried it for yoga or chakra work yet, but I intend to

 

ETA: THIS IS DIVINE. 5 ml bottle for sure!

At first I didn't like this one at all, but I gave it some time. First off it was a creamy, yet plasticky, violet.

Then it seemed to sweeten and become a bit more realistic... I never smelled any clove though.

 

So basically this is almost violet single note on me, quite a simple scent. I might keep it for layering purposes... I especially need more violet in my aged bottle of Saturnalia!

 

ETA: ok after a while, the sweeter edge definately comes out as tonka and incense - it's rather nice.

Interesting. I had no idea what the notes were when I tried it, and now I see that it's Kyphi. I've only smelt Kyphi in a shower gel before, and this smells nothing alike, but I would blame that on the shower gel I think

 

Anyway, my first though was fruits and flowers. More specifically citrusy fruits and rosey flowers. Maybe my nose is broken, but that's still kind of what it smells like. Very light, sweet, bright and "yellow". Not smokey, incensy, or deep/dark to me at all.

 

It's pretty but it's not really me, and it's a bit on the soapy side...

This is gorgeous! At first it smells very foody, cinnamon-cakey on me... then the scent develops, with the skin musk and honey becoming stronger, warmer. The final effect is a sweet, sultry, spicy blend - but not too sweet and not too overwhelming on the spices either. It blends well into my skin.

 

I like this better than other bpal cinnamon blends that i've tried. Definately keeping the imp, may consider a bottle if I use it up!

I'm so happy I tried this, it's been sitting in my "to try" bag for months!

Imp: Cocoa, patchouli, leather, florals and tropical fruits

 

Skin: The cocoa fades to the background quite quickly, remaining only faintly, underlining the leathery base. The scent is a soft sensual tropical blend (without being generic tropical if that makes sense) - earthy, sexy and floral, but not overpowering. it's very lovely!

Imp: spicy amber, light pale-pink floral

 

Skin: initially it's warm and nutty, a spicy-golden amber, and the pretty floral floats over it. Then it becomes vaguely soapy, and finally it develops an undertone of "rotting" flowers... unfortunately

 

ETA: a few hours after the rotting flowers smell fades, and all that is left is powdery golden amber

I've gushed about it elsewhere, but will repeat that Stranger in Camp is my Ultimate summery bonfire/woods scent.

 

Now I'm considering what to get for my dark/smoky/autumnal leaves equivalent. In other words, whoever has tried them, please give me your opinion, it might help me decide about the present Halloweenies! How similar/different are they, in scent, mood, etc?

 

So my choices are:

 

. October

. The Twisted Oak Tree

. The Death of Autumn (because khus/vetiver is fantastic for that decaying leaves touch)

 

I was considering getting Samhain and Samhainophobia, but I don't know, I have imps of them that I don't use that often, and I don't know if I would need entire bottles, especially if one of the above three fills the niche.

 

Savvy?

Halp?

Short review: Earthy, fruity, rosey!

 

In depth: Mm this is lovely on me. It really is warm, earthy and resinous at the base, but with a lovely blend of fruits (the red fruits in particular) and rose and vanilla on top. Very womanly, and delicious.

 

(thank you so much delicate_fangs!)

 

Short review: warm, pure and beautiful

 

In depth: this is quite incredible. I really do understand the hype. It's clean and pure but at the same time warm and softly sexual. It's not really herbal or foresty or floral, but it smells like nature. It's airy and ethereal yet also earthy and substantial. It's neither feminine nor masculine.

 

Just gorgeous.

 

How I regret not having gotten into BPAL sooner... I'm so happy to have a decant of this though!!

Short description: cousin of Lust

 

In depth: This one really reminded me of Lust from the start. So definately patchouli and red musk. I don't get any DB resin myself, but there do seem to be other resins in here, besides the patch and musk. Initially, I also got some strong mint/herb, but that faded. It's very earthy, sweet, and dark in that gorgeous patch/musk kind of way. I love this combination, and have a few of them, so this smells very "characteristic BPAL" to me. Love it!!

 

I just had to add that I'm sad that this is discontinued now, and I also just have a wee imp Ok, I'll admit that maybe I wouldn't go running to buy a bottle of this immediately, but I would have liked to have the opportunity in the future. Oh well, lucky that there are similar blends in the catalogue. I should probably stop trying Tarot oils though, or I will just end up discovering lots of unattainable loves. Le sigh.

(thank you delicate_fangs!)

 

Short review: herbal, sweet floral

 

In depth: This is very smoothly blended, and I find it hard to pick out the individual notes. It's a bouquet of all sorts of flowers and herbs, with a splash of something quasi-aquatic, and a pale musky base. It's quite sweet and feminine, without being overpowering or cheap-smelling. Hm. Pleasant. I don't get any Dragon's blood.

Not my usual kind of thing, but nice.

(thank you delicate_fangs!)

 

Short review: warm, pale and light amber

 

In depth: This is very lovely. I'm surprised by how I seem to be able to wear a lot of the newer amber blends, without them being too powdery. This is like a pale amber touched by sweet flowers and a bit of wood. It's pale gold in feeling and rather sweet, but not too much, as it's also rather light. I don't find it completely outstanding, but it is definately wearable and subtly pretty. It's also quite clean smelling.

(thank you delicate_fangs!)

 

Short review: Orange?

 

In depth: So I'm also one of the people that get a strong orange (as in, the fruit) note from this. I had not read any reviews nor the notes when I tried this on last night, and I distinctly got orange from it. Fizzy orange. That's what I get initially today too. I thought, how lovely, an orange scent that doesn't fade for when I'm in that mood, and then came on here, only to discover that there is no orange listed in the notes... Hmmm. Odd, but I am apparently not the only one.

After about half an hour, it's still quite orange-y, but a bit less so. I can now detect the Egyptian amber note behind, but nothing really screams "saffron", "chamomile" or "frankincense" to me. And I thought that I amped frankincense. I usually do. But the scent keeps mainly to this golden-ambery-orange fragrance. I like it. It doesn't sour, it's not too powdery, just golden, every so slightly spicy, orange, and warm.

It's just a very odd thing, this whole orange business

But I think it will layer excellently over Red Moon 2007 (where the orange peel is quite light and fades fast) or cinnamon-type blends. Mmmm.