ChupaChup

You're welcome . I thought of a couple more for you. Regan, although somewhat floral, is a beautiful vanilla, very unique. You have to try it to see what I mean, it's so hard to describe. Also, give Snow White a try if you can find a decant. It's very creamy and my absolute all-time BPAL favorite. I don't get many complements on other foody blends but that one seems to please my pickiest critics ! I sympathize with your plight, BTW, my boy is not too fond of many of my BPAL loves .

Definitely try Desire. I can also heartily recommend Hetairae, it goes through a lot of stages and ends up very similar to both Desire and Samhain. Think Samhain without the pumpkin, Hetaire has just a little more tang in the drydown.

Golden Priapus is not too masculine on me, especially after it dries down. The vanilla really takes over and you can hardly smell the wood. It's the same vanilla as in Antique Lace, too, really snuggly.

Has No Hanna was a gift from the lab, thanks guys! Another one I was worried wouldn't work because of the jasmine. It wasn't as bad as my experience with New Orleans, the jasmine is lighter and I did get a faint whiff of the herb that is in most Voodoo blends. But still, jasmine on me is stomach-turning so this one goes to the swap pile.

New Orleans was a gift from the lab, thank you for letting me try it! I was pretty sure this wasn't going to work on me, jasmine doesn't usually. It didn't - the only thing I get from this is jasmine and the "rot" smell, no lemon, honeysuckle or spices. The jasmine just kept getting stronger, I tried to last it out but after an hour I had to wash it off .

Silk Road is a very clean, yet complex and sophisticated scent. It starts out a little lemony although I'm pretty sure that is ginger tricking my nose. Just like others have said, it's herbal, slightly sweet, slightly spicy and slightly floral. My favorite stage is the wet stage, then after about 10 minutes it smells like herbal tea with ginger which is nice but doesn't knock my socks off. After another 15 minutes, it really settles in and I get a little more spiciness, possibly cinnamon. It's powerfully addictive at this stage, I can't keep my nose away from my wrist. This is not a heavy, sexy, musky scent at all, it's light and somewhat comforting. The closest comparison I could make is Sudha Segara without the milk and honey. Not much throw at all, a skin scent for sure. It is also very gender neutral.

I was very excited when Juke Joint was announced and tried it as soon as my order came. I've never had a mint julep so bear that in mind, but I was expecting something very boozy. I mainly get mint leaf (much more herbal than pure peppermint or spearmint essential oils) and a little sugar. The booze is hardly there at all. And the strange thing is, I can only smell this when I put my nose right on my wrist. The waft smells like Haunted , weird. I wonder if there is any black amber or ambergris in this? I'll be swapping this one as it sounds like it's a lot better on other people.

Xiuhtecuhtli is a dead ringer for Gucci Rush!

Wow, I was a little taken aback by the review of Hod above, it's totally different on me . I get no roses or almond, possibly some honey and amber but they are so faint it's hard to say. What I do get is Morocco! Morocco without the sandalwood, it's got the spicy carnation and possibly some other spices, although the carnation is so strong it could be contributing all the spiciness. It's sweet and exotic like (aged) Morocco and very long-lasting. Very consistent, it doesn't change at all from imp to drydown. A to-die-for scent ! ETA: I doubt there is amber in this since it lasts so long on me, usually scents with amber are gone in half an hour. Son of Edit: Ok, I lied, it is changing on me the longer I wear it. I now think it's vanilla that is giving this its creamy sweetness. That's where the reviewer above is getting the Dana O'shee/Alice associations! Divine!

Hoo boy, Hetairae is a good one! I am crazy for all the listed notes except the fig, so I had to take a chance, can't miss trying one of Beth's honey blends . And this one is quite the morpher. It goes through some stages, some I like, some I don't, but the end result is fabulous. At first, the honey is really strong, it smells just like Beth's single note honey. It's not sweet at first, but then it develops the sweetness of O. Then a woody note develops, it's probably the patchouli, along with the fig. At this point, it's like Intrigue, a scent I liked at first but got tired of. But wait! The woodiness recedes and a tiny touch of ylang ylang emerges, now it's reminding me of La Petit Mort. Finally, after about 15 minutes, it settles down, a tiny touch of patchouli returns and it turns into something completely unique but reminiscent of Desire and maybe even the very late stages of Samhain. Give this one a chance to bloom on your skin before you judge it, I think it's yummy !

Wow, the reviews of Casanova are pretty consistent so far, and I'm going to agree with everyone . This oil was very sharp and men's cologne-y at first, the lavender, bergamot and lemon peel came out and hit me right between the eyes. I wasn't sure even my boy would like it at that stage, it was just too too. But when this settles in, it's gorgeous. The amber and tonka come out next, it's dreamy and creamy. Actually, it's what I expected from Dorian because of the reviews, but didn't get. Even the little that remains of the lavender, bergamot and lemon peel give it a tea-like quality. But then it changes again, the leather and just the tiniest hint of patchouli turn it into pure sex (the kind qs describes so well ). I let my boy smell it on me at that point and he immediately had to try it himself. He loves it. Another one for us to share . ETA: Forgot to mention, I didn't detect the anise in this either. I happen to love anise so it wouldn't have been a problem, but don't let the mention of that note deter you from trying this awesome blend.

Chaste Moon is the fourth lunar blend I've tried and I think I'm just going to have to face it, those lunar oils do not like me. Chaste Moon is definitely the best of the ones I have tried, it starts out with great promise when wet. I also get the butterscotch note from the bottle but as soon as it hits my skin it is a milky vanilla scent with a slight sharpish note. I think that's the note others are picking up as mint, I can't say for sure it smells like actual mint to me but it does have that cooling effect on my nasal passages. After about ten minutes the party is over and the lunar notes come out. They smell like dirty diaper on me . Luckily, they do fade in and out, trading places with some lovely, soft florals. And the vanilla is still there. But those lunar oils keep coming back and overall, it's not a very pleasant experience for me. I already ordered Pink Moon but I think I should stop getting the lunar oils after that.

The Living Flame - straight out of the bottle I get hit with gardenia, not a good start. The gardenia calms down a bit and then jasmine, another nemesis of mine, arrives. I also get some kind of red fruity smell, like plum or berries (or both). Then the gardenia comes back. Ok, this is definitely not for me, headache city. After about an hour, I can detect some light musk. No resins, spices or vanilla for me. This reminds me a lot of the notes in King of Spades, minus the coconut and vanilla. Oh well, can't win them all .

I got half an imp of Antique Lace in a swap. What a pity it has been discontinued, I hope Beth can reformulate it. When it hits my skin, I get vanilla, sugar and the linen note. The linen note is not really fabric softener or laundry detergent, it's more the scent of clean cotton being steam-ironed. It's very soft and lovely, not harsh at all. Eventually, all the notes blend together into the smell of caramel on my skin. It's so soft and comforting, yet a very long-lasting scent. I will treasure and hoard my little half imp !

La Belle au Bois Dormant is a beautiful, soft, light perfume. I mainly get rose, plumeria and pear, in that order of strength. The pear is not too fruity and the notes blend almost immediately. I only wished it lasted longer, it's all gone within half an hour. Lovely .

tempete kindly gifted me with an imp of Black Phoenix . The first time I tried this scent, something in it was off-putting, it reminded me of a combination of Blood Rose and Scherezede, both kind of overpowering scents on me. I don't know if it aged or my nose was finally ready to appreciate this scent, but I tried it again recently and I am hooked. It's a complex, evolving scent. I get the cherry coke burst right out of the imp that signals almonds and the rose appears fairly quickly and strongly. As it settles down, a smoky, spicy quality emerges (I def. see the comparison to Voodoo others have made). It also reminds me of Seraglio minus the orange blossom, but it's much deeper and stronger. I really can't stop sniffing my wrists, this is an amazing perfume and I'm not surprised it is BPAL's signature scent. Love it.

I second the recommendations for Queen of Sheba and Seraglio and would add Voodoo. They are all very complex and evolving, with Voodoo being the most complex. Voodoo also has that slight touch of patchouli you might like since you like Samhain (I love it too ). But if you are a member of Penance's AAL (Anti-almond League), ignore this post .

Ooo, Gin, I forgot about Maiden, gotta get that one out now !

I got tempete's imp of Bathsheba . It was a risk, with the plum, but I was so tempted by the carnation and Arabian musk. Blech, I only put a tiny dot on the back of my hand and instant headache! It's very sweet, a fruity floral, but I never got the spiciness of the carnation. This reminds me a lot of Dior Poison, very femme, but way too overpowering for me. Off to swaps.

I recently discovered Endymion, that seems like a lovely spring scent to me. I want to get a bottle of it in my next order. I was surprised I liked it since I usually can't do fruits but the d'anjou pear is not really sweet at all, it seems to lend a crispness to the scent. The first imp of Hemlock I got was a prototype - that was the perfect spring scent, really green without the pinesol of the one that was released. Absinthe is another lovely spring/summer scent, green but a little exotic with the spices.

What about attars? Attars are created by hydro-distilling various flowers, roots, herbs, resins and spices into an oil base, typically pure sandalwood oil. It seems Beth might be doing something like this. Attars are considered 100% pure perfume oil, although some would argue that they are a blend of essential oils (from the distillation) and the base oil. But attars are very different (and much stronger and longer lasting) than essential oils blended with a carrier oil. ETA: This site has a good description of the process of making attars.

The Imp Faery slipped Absinthe into my last order . I had had it on my secondary wish list, something I eventually wanted to try, but something about the notes, maybe the lemon, didn't give me any sense of urgency. Wow, from the listed notes, there is no way I could have guessed how lovely this would be. It's such a cool, green, refreshing scent. It's not lemony at all, the lemon just seems to blend everything else together. It's not a strong licorice either, the anise is barely there in the background. This seems like a perfect spring/summer scent, kind of exotic and like nothing I have ever smelled before. Maybe spiced iced tea you would get somewhere in the Middle East (do they drink iced tea over there?). It's not very long-lasting but so nice I'll gladly carry an imp of it with me to top it up .

Same for me and gardenia does not work for me at all . I got two imps of this, one is a gift and the other is up for swaps.

Dragon's Eye was a gift from the lab, thanks guys . This was really strong dragon's blood at first then it became a lovely floral, mostly lily of the valley which I love. As the florals toned down, it reminded me a lot of Dragon's Milk, but as it dried down farther, the lilac came out more. Lilac smells a little bitter and unpleasant on me so in the end this blend is going up for swaps.

The lab kindly gifted me with an imp of Tamora in my last order . It's something I wouldn't have tried as I don't do well with fruity scents but Tamora almost works for me. I can certainly understand why so many people adore it. When I first put it on, it was a lovely nosegasm of sweet and dry notes, almost spicy. I don't know if I've tried any other blends with golden sandalwood but it's divine, other sandalwoods have been kind of dry and raspy on me. As this dries down, I love the smell on my wrist, I can't stop sniffing it, but the waft is a little too fruity and headache-inducing. The final drydown is glorious, the amber and vanilla really come out and the fruity peach/heliotrope notes are a mere accent. I'm going to be swapping this because of the headache stage but it makes me sad to give it up.