renfair

I got this as a tester as a bonus goodie with an order I placed with another member. It was almost empty, but there was enough in there for me to do a skin test since the description had me intrigued. First Sniff Impression: Sweet mint. Wet in Vial: Definitely a sweet mint, cool. Drying Down on Skin: Understanding the "negatively charged" part now, which I didn't get in the vial. Sweet mint is there but being grounded by the more earthy mosses. Though I feel like this is quickly getting soapy on me. It's almost like an Irish Spring type smell or something. Like a clean, men's soap. Also getting a little medicinal on me too. Dry on Skin: Yeah, something about this is turning me right off, though I don't know if it's being influenced by the potential age of the imp. It's making me think of something medicinal like Alkalol, maybe? Conclusion: This one was not for me. Too medicinal and cold smelling. It also didn't last very long, which I was totally fine with. However, if I ever end up with another, fuller frimp of it I'd like to try it out again and see if it's any better.

I got this as a tester as a bonus goodie with an order I placed with another member. I've wanted to try one of the "pirate" scents for a while, so that was cool! First Sniff Impression: Ooh, kind of stinky. (But in all fairness, I have zero idea how old the tester is, and there was really barely anything left in it) Wet in Vial: Because this is a tester, there wasn't much there for me to smell. It smelt kind of sour? Drying Down on Skin: Ok this is much better on skin! Actually a really nice spicy, warm, ever-so-slightly aquatic. There's definitely a wood/leather-type note, and the spiciness is a really warm, sweet one. Like frankincense or myrrh, maybe? Dry on Skin: This stuck around as a pleasant, unisex smell. Warm, spicy, and the tiniest bit sweet and aquatic. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the "pirate" ones, since I love pirates but not usually "ocean" perfumes. But this one was great. Conclusion: Unfortunately I only got about a tiny tester bit of this, and I also don't know how aged it was, so I think I'll end up buying a whole imp and comparing the scent. It's a really great one, though! Especially if you want something non-traditional.

I got this as a frimp, though I don't remember exactly from where now. I was pretty skeptical going in, because I've found anything with "Blood" in the title is generally not for me (though I do think it's absolutely fascinating how "blood-like" without being metallic it can be!) First Sniff Impression: Smoky. Musky. Eew. Wet in Vial: Definitely a heavy, red, smokey scent. Seems a good title for it. Got a tiny bit of the cinnamon. Drying Down on Skin: Less smoke on the skin than in the bottle, which is good. All I can think of is that this must be what dragons smell like when they're in heat O_O. It's kind of off-putting for me. Ok, it's very off-putting for me. Dry on Skin: This does sweeten up a bit, to make it more "sexual," but if that's the case it's not any sex I want to be having O_o Conclusion: I'm sorry, but this one was just so not for me. I tried to wash it off with soap, and it was still there! So later at bedtime I tried to KILL IT WITH FIRE (Ahem, by that I just mean slathering Villainess's Fade Whipped all over it to smother the scent ...) Not trying this one again, but mad props for how strong and accurate the scent was! I feel like it would be great to get in the mood for writing a bloody fantasy battle scene or something.

Vice came to me via random grab-bag of imps. I was hesitant to try it at first, because even though I love chocolate, I don't know how I feel about wearing it as a perfume. I also like fresh cherries in real life, but that's pretty much the only form I'll take them in, to eat or smell. So I went into this pretty much expecting to dislike it. First Sniff Impression: Dark chocolate with fruit Wet in Vial: I can pick out the chocolate straight away, and the cherry and orange blossom are kind of mixed together to just create sort of a "chocolate fruit filling" scent at the moment. Drying Down on Skin: Drying down, this is nicer than I would think on me, considering the notes, which sound fairly heavy. The chocolate isn't too rich, and the cherry isn't pronounced enough to make me dislike it. It's continuing to sweeten as it dries, but not in a sickly way. It's amazingly bright and light! I was pretty set on giving this one away, but now I'm not so sure. Dry on Skin: This ends up morphing into just a really nice, wam fruity smell with a bit of floral from the orange blossom. It would be a good scent for winter when you don't want to scream DECK THE HALLS WITH PUMPKIN EVERYTHING!! Conclusion: I was pretty much expecting to hate this one, thinking it would be too heavy like Blood Kiss, but I did like it a lot. Not enough for a bottle, but I think I'll keep one imp of it!

I ordered this scent as an imp from the lab. After ordering it but before receiving it, I was able to smell it at Loved to Death in San Francisco. That lowered my hopes a little, because I really wanted to like it and it wasn't doing anything for me in the bottle. So when I got back from my trip, the imp was waiting there for me to try it out. First Sniff Impression: Kind of an alcoholic floral. A bit like a nice, homeopathic cough syrup. Wet in Vial: I can get the violet, but that's about it. Drying Down on Skin: The gardenia seems to come out with the violet right away. No vanilla yet. Dry on Skin: This is a little soapy on me. Like a really nice, milled French soap, but still not something I'd want to wear. I think I might need to avoid violet. Eventually some of the soap goes away, maybe when the vanilla starts to come out more. Conclusion: This got slightly less soapy after a while, but still not one for me. I think violet is a no-no note for me, despite how much I like them in real life.

This came to me as an imp in a free, pay-it-forward lot of imps. I was really looking forward to it because I love Japan and cherry blossoms! First Sniff Impression: Nothing special in the vial. Women's cologne. Wet in Vial: Just smells like a sort of generic women's cologne. Drying Down on Skin: It's much easier to pick out notes once it's on skin, I can get all three, though fortunately the anise is light because I'm definitely not a fan of anise. --I take that back. Now the anise is coming out more, and I really don't like it. Maybe good for someone who likes spices more than I do. I think the sandalwood is playing off of the anise more than the cherry blossom, because I can barely smell the floral. I'd like it more if the floral were more prominent. Dry on Skin: Oh, yeah. This is just not good on me. It's very "cologne" smelling. It needs a fruit or something to sweeten it up. Conclusion: I disliked this one so much that I had to wash most of it off. Maybe because I washed it, there did appear to be a bit more cherry blossom come out later, but it was too little, too late. This was a little disappointing since I love Japan so much. I'll be passing this along.

I got this imp from another member on the FB sale group. The imp looked like it was a bit aged. First Sniff Impression: Someone poured an entire five course meal into this vial. I was reminded of the untested chewing gum Violet Beauregard eats in Willy Wonka. Wet in Vial: Smells like fresh baked bread, and a bunch of other random things? Drying Down on Skin: This is mostly a baked-goods scent. I can get the essence of the cherry tart, maybe the custard, the toffee, and the butter of the toast. It definitely smells like baked food, as opposed to just a sweet dessert. I think I can maybe detect a little of a pineapple-type smell, but that's probably just my brain filling things in. Dry on Skin: Dry the "baked" part of the foody smell has mostly dissipated. A sort of warm, sweet, spiciness is left. Conclusion: This scent smells nice, but I don't usually like smelling like baked things. It would probably be great in the winter when you'd be more in the mood for something sweet, spicy, and warm. But I think I'll pass this one along.

I picked this imp out to come in a lot that I bought from a member on the FB sale group. First Sniff Impression: Light, fresh, and green. Wet in Vial: I can definitely get the herbs and the peony Drying Down on Skin: This has a really nice "green" smell, like when I used to play outside in the summer. The peony adds a little sweetness to what would otherwise be a very herbal scent. Dry on Skin: To me a second to figure out what this turned into, then I got it: Victoria's Secret Freesia lotion I had as a teenager in the 90's (which I loved, so it's a good thing!). It's definitely a light, purple-flower scent to me now. It's great! Conclusion: This one was so nice, and it actually lasted to some degree all day. I haven't had a good "freesia" scent in forever, so it was nice to revisit it. I'll definitely be keeping an imp of this!

This came as an imp in a bunch the I bought from a member on the FB group. First Sniff Impression: Tart, like a sour-category cocktail Wet in Vial: Very tart berry or other fruit, slightly boozy. Drying Down on Skin: Ooh, this mellows out almost immediately. Now it reminds me of a berry tea. There's a tiny bit of an almost "holiday" smell, which is maybe the ginger. Dry on Skin: The ginger is a little more prominent, giving a spice to the fruit smells. It's still really nice, and I think it's light enough that it could work for any season, but I think the fruits and spice put it in an autumn camp. Conclusion: This is a really nice scent. I don't think I like it enough to shell out for an entire new bottle, but if a partial bottle was available I might scoop it up. I feel like it would be really nice for a holiday party or date.

Frosty lilac petals, iris pallida root, orris, violet leaf, white chocolate, coconut, wild lettuce, white sandalwood, and oakmoss. I bought this as a full bottle on my birthday from a wonderful, amazing forum member, who dug it out of her personal collection for me (and I'm not going to say how much it cost, lol! Let's just say, it was worth it!) It arrived today, and of course I put a drop on immediately to try. I've had The Last Unicorn imp pack I for a long time, in fact it was my first introduction to BPAL a few years back, but I've always wanted to try this scent in particular since it wasn't in that pack, and obviously it's the BIG ONE for the series![/font][/color] First Sniff Impression: Oooh, this is going to be complex and amazing! Wet in Vial: White chocolate for sure, and something nutty like hazelnut. It must be the coconut, but it's definitely more a "nut" smell than coconut's signature sweetness. Drying Down on Skin: I can mostly smell the warmness of the white chocolate and the coconut "nuttiness." There's definitely a floral there as well, though I can't pick out lilac specifically. It might be the iris. It's warm and cool at the same time. The coolness makes me think this would "lead in" to Lady Amalthea very smoothly (since I feel given the story, the two scents should be very closely related). This is woodsy without being as literal as some other BPAL scents, like Silence of the Woods. There's no musk listed in this, but it definitely has a light musk quality to it, for me. Dry on Skin: The various notes in this blend very well together and seem to all "settle in" at about the same time, so dry nothing in particular stands out. What's left is a warm, slightly musky, slightly earthy scent that's very alluring, like you want to chase after it! I could totally imagine a unicorn smelling this this, maybe sleeping on a patch of moss in the sunshine. --A few hours in, this continued to be SO NICE. I'm really relieved, too, cause for a little while drying down, I was afraid it would end up powdery on me. I think it's the sandalwood in some fragrances that gives me almost a powdery false alarm, since it is kind of a woody, mellow scent. But fortunately, TLU is still warm, sweet, floral, and amazing! I think this would be a good floral for someone to try who doesn't normally "do" florals. Conclusion: I'm not 100% sure I would've bought a full bottle of this had an imp been available, based on scent alone, but for the sake of CHILDHOOD I'm so glad I have the bottle! The artwork is beautiful, and I do think if I'm in the right mood I'll want to wear the perfume a lot. I might end up liking it even more after several applications, like I did with Lady Amalthea. Hopefully this will end up back in stock on BPAL soon, because it's really such a lovely one!

This scent came as a frimp to me from a FB sale, though I think it was new. First Sniff Impression: Mr. Bubble. Yeah, like the stuff my mom would pour in the tub for me in the mid-80's! Wet in Vial:Sort of a sicky sweet, fake bubblegum smell. Drying Down on Skin: Fortunately musk starts to come out fairly quickly to balance out the sweetness, which I think might be the sandalwood and violet giving me the bubblegum hint. It's getting a little powdery on me. It's a very cold floral. Dry on Skin: I vastly preferred this one a few hours after application. A lot of the "bubble bath" smell has faded, leaving a fairly basic, though slightly warm, floral. I think if it started off with this scent, I'd like it a little more (though the name would feel less fitting). Conclusion: I definitely got a "coldness" from this scent, but not much that was dark or ominous. This is probably because of my own association of the immediate smells with the bubble bath I used when I was about four years old. So maybe without that initial prejudice I would've been able to judge this one better. However, it's not my brand of floral, and I think I'll be passing this on to someone else.

I bought this one directly as an imp from the Lab, on the recommendation of my cousin, who was a big fan of it. First Sniff Impression: Very clean. Smells like a body wash or aftershave my husband would use. Wet in Vial: I am absolute crap at picking out any notes in this. It just smells sort of like a generic men's body wash, but not in a bad way. It's a scent I really like! Herbal, spicy ... Smells like it should be named "Mountain Fresh" or something like that. Very traditional, in my mind. Drying Down on Skin: The florals might be coming out more in this as it dries? I'm getting something almost like citrus, or at least something sour. Dry on Skin: This one fades a good deal in between application and about 2-3 hours later. It's still very nice, but more of a subtle cologne now than a burst of fresh aftershave. It also smells a little more unisex to me, less overtly masculine. I'm kind of annoyed at myself, however, that I still wasn't able to discern a single note apart from the others. Conclusion: This is a nice clean scent, probably great for someone looking for a safe, masculine cologne as a newcomer to BPAL. I'm looking forward to trying it on my husband (if he'll let me!) The only thing that confused me a bit was the name. For me, this scent feels very modern, because it reminds me of existing men's fragrances I've smelled. My preexisting assumption from the name and scent notes made me think it was going to be somehow more "Victorian." But then again, for all I know, that is how men back then used to smell too! All in all, it's a great masculine cologne.

I bought this off someone on the FB BPAL Sales Madness Group, 3/4 of an original bottle. So it's had a little bit of time to age. First Sniff Impression: Spicy dirt. A bit cologne-y. Assuming it will improve when on skin. Not an immediate fan of the smell right away, though it's intriguing, and I can't say that the description is inaccurate. Wet in Vial: I can smell the soil and what must be the burgundy pitch straight away. It's a bitter spiciness, like a forest in another country I've never visited. There's some cedar but it's buried pretty deep under the soil, pitch, and burned leaves smell. Not sure if I like it because it's different, or simply because of the name and the unicorn, lol. Drying Down on Skin: This really reminds me of something in particular in the woods, but I can't place it. It's a bitter, musky, slightly burned and decayed smell, like digging up the soil under a thick layer of old wet leaves and pine needles. I have no idea how they manage to make scents this specific! Dry on Skin: Fully dry, the bitterness and spiciness mellows out to a more even blend of all the notes. It's actually rather pleasant now, not as shocking to the nose. I still don't know if I'd wear it, however. I'll check back in an hour or so. -- Hours later just this warm, spiciness remained. It was so nice! And there was even still the barest trace of it on my wrist the next morning. I'd love to revisit this one again soon. Conclusion: Once the earthy notes faded a bit, the smell was much more tolerable, more like an actual scent one wants to wear rather than sniff to be transported to a deep, dank forest. But amazingly it didn't seem to have as much staying power as I would've expected, for all of the strong notes in it. Six or so hours later, just a very faint earth spiciness remains. But even that little bit was still very pleasant! I'm really happy with this purchase, not to mention the bottle is gorgeous!

Got this one as a frimp sent from the Lab with an order. It sounded really nice, so I was looking forward to trying it! First Sniff Impression: Very nice, light floral. Not overpowering and I don't get decay at all, like I do with "Grief." Wet in Vial: The honeysuckle and jasmine combine to make more of a lily of the valley scent for me. I can barely detect some spice, but it comes across as more of an alcoholic tang. Drying Down on Skin: Really just a pretty solid lily of the valley-type smell. It's very pretty, but maybe not quite as complex as I was expecting from the official description. Dry on Skin: Scent fades fairly quickly. A few hours in, only a bit of honeysuckle remains. I still don't get any jasmine, but maybe there was enough to dissipate and remove the lily of the valley smell. I don't get any lemon at all in this one, which is too bad. That would probably add such a nice dimension to it. Conclusion: Very nice, light floral if you need something that's not overpowering. A more "commercial-friendly" perfume, that you could wear to work or around people who might not appreciate a huge blast of patchouli or red musk. Subtle and delicate. Not much staying power, though. Less than 8 hours later I can just barely smell it on my applied wrist and not at all on the wrist I rubbed it on to. It was very pretty, but I think I'm ok with just using up the imp or passing it on, and not buying a full bottle.

I ordered this from the Lab in mid-November, so probably a couple weeks after it was released. I wanted to get it mainly for the principal of the thing, because I was so shocked and furious that You-Know-Who ACTUALLY WON, but when it arrived I was completely over the moon. I was in love with it instantly, from the first sniff. First Sniff Impression: Like the first whiff you get stepping into an apothecary at a Renaissance Faire, maybe with a cup of red wine in your hand. Positively divine. Wet in Vial: The patchouli is a little heavier in the vial than it is on application. In vial it has more of an incense smell than a fruity smell. Drying Down on Skin: It definitely has a bit of a throw. For instance, I don't like putting it on if I know I'm about to get into a car with another person, because it's *really* strong for a bit (I believe my son, who's highly sensitive, told me at one time, point blank, "Mommy, I hate your perfume!" Lol). But I think the throw reins itself in fairly quickly. Then the patchouli and incense give way to a warmer, subtler note combination of the fig and bourbon, with a golden vanilla. Dry on Skin: This one just gets better and better as it dries and sits on your skin. It even smells amazing the next morning, and on the cuffs of your clothes if you put it on your wrists. The patchouli really does mellow way out to bring forth the heavy, sweet, almost drowsy fig, bourbon and vanilla. I don't remember where I read it, but somewhere someone said it's like cuddling up in front of a warm fire, cupping a hot drink in your hands. It's very hygge, if you will! Conclusion: I absolutely love this scent to death. It's more incense-y on the first application (sometimes, honestly, a little overwhelming) but after a few hours it fades to a warm, sweet, wonderful fig/bourbon scent. Love love love! I already bought a second bottle because I can't bear to think of not having this scent around. And I think that second bottle is going to be absolutely out of this world when it ages. It makes me almost a little sad to see so many Nasty Woman's for re-sale, but I completely understand sometimes skin chemistry just does NOT vibe right. But at least all the money is still going to charity, and that hopefully means someday when I DO finally run out, there will be someone willing to sell me yet another!

This was a frimp I got from the lab, I think when I ordered Nasty Woman (the first time, lol). I was hesitant to test it, because I'm neither a fan of cherry nor heavy musk, but I'll try anything once! First Sniff Impression: Cherry isn't my favorite, but it was still interesting to smell. Pretty sweet, but not as sweet as I would expect from the description. But pretty heavy on the seduction with this one, and not in a way that I like. Reminds me of a Red Light district. Wet in Vial: Very cherry, kind of a deep, sicky-sweet one like a cordial (probably the red wine and clove notes there). It's helped to be too sweet by the musk. Smells rather smokey, but not really as much as Tlazolteotl, another frimp I have that I was expecting to be similar to this one. Drying Down on Skin: Drying down, the non-sweet notes (musk, vetiver, and clove, I guess) come out full force like a punch to the nostrils (not trying to be dramatic here, it was like breathing in wasabi or something). But if you kind of wave your hand in front of your face and don't inhale too closely, the sweet and musk really balance each other out nicely. Not as heavy, musky, and sensual as Tlazolteotl, but still in a similar category, in my mind. Dry on Skin: After a while, it's even more balanced and smells like a deep red, cherry wine. Kind of luxurious! Conclusion: Not my favorite scent. Glad it was free so I could try it, but I wouldn't order more. However, this is merely a personal preference; I think the title and description are pretty spot on. Awesome if you like deep, cherry wine scents! I passed it on to my cousin, who I thought would appreciate it more than me.

This one I got as a frimp straight from the lab, with another order of imps I didn't know what I was going to think of it, cause I'm not a huge fan of coconut. Basically I don't mind it if I'm actually on the beach, but that's it. First Sniff Impression: Coconut, and something extra sweet. Pina Colada without the lime. Wet in Vial: Definitely coconut and a slight boozy whiff of sugar rum. Not getting any tobacco at all yet. Drying Down on Skin: What must be the tobacco is coming out a bit, cutting out some of the sweetness of the coconut and rum. Dry on Skin: This one continued to get nicer the more it "aged" on me. After a few hours it was warm, boozy, and the tobacco came out even more for a very light, smokey, herbal undertone. Conclusion: It's really a lovely, sweet scent, but tropicals aren't really "me." I highly recommend this to fans of tropical scent and coconut in particular! Super yummy! (Edited to add, the description made me think this would be great for a gender-bent Jack Sparrow!)

I ordered an imp of this one directly from the lab. I love rosemary, and really liked the idea of the recipe being taken directly from history! First Sniff Impression: Rosemary and grape. I hope the grape settles down, because right now it's reminding me of my kindergartner's cough syrup. Wet in Vial: The grape's pretty strong in this to start with, and it's kind of a "fake" grape smell, which I'm not a fan of. The rosemary's definitely there, but mixed with the grape it's giving me kind of an icky medicinal feeling. Drying Down on Skin: Drying down the roses are a little more prominent, fortunately creeping over the grape and making it chill out a bit. I can maybe catch a hint of the citrus notes from the lemon peel. The mint is probably present cause I'm getting a weird side-reference to Lady Amalthea, which also has mint. But the grape's still there and kind of ruining it for me. And I think the rosemary's making it a bit astringent. Dry on Skin: The grape did end up being more mellow, but there was still enough of a trace of it that made this not really one of my favorites. Conclusion: Trying a historic recipe was interesting, but not much of a success for me. I couldn't move past the grape. Hopefully I can find another scent with rosemary that I like better.

I ordered an imp of this scent directly from the lab, since I love citrus and grapefruit in particular! First Sniff Impression: Oh wow, I LOVE this. It reminds me immediately of this body spray I used to have as a kid, Petite Naté (an early 90's kid-version of Jean Naté), that I was obsessed with at the time. Wet in Vial: All four notes seem very balanced, though the grapefruit, and maybe the white tea, is slightly stronger. Drying Down on Skin: I feel like the apple blossom and ginger must be getting stronger, because it isn't so obviously grapefruit anymore. Dry on Skin: This one seems to stay fairly consistent from wet in vial to a couple hours later. However, it fades too fast! Conclusion: I seriously love this. This could be another signature scent for me, if not simply because of childhood nostalgia. I might need to get a full bottle at some point. Unfortunately I don't feel like this one has much staying power, which is a shame.

So, I really debated whether or not I should post a review of this, because for the moment it's so negative. However, I always find it interesting to read different takes on scents, and also from what I understand Snake Oil gets amazing after it's well aged, so I'd like to post my initial thoughts now then add to the review at a later date when I can re-visit the scent. So, on to the review! I will try to make the criticism as constructive as possible! (and will keep staring at that imp in the back of my case, willing it to age faster! I want to love this one soooo much!) I got this Snake Oil as an imp I ordered right from the lab. I was so insanely curious to try it, knowing it's BPAL's most popular scent! First Sniff Impression: Key Lime? There's something there I can't place. It sort of reminds me of another, commercial perfume. It's somehow not what I expected. More citrus-y, less musky. Wet in Vial: In vial I get some kind of key lime smell. What is going on here?? Drying Down on Skin: Wet on skin I'm actually getting disposable baby diapers O_O. Like the "baby powder" perfume they put on them, especially brands like Luvs. Having a really, really hard time getting past the fake baby smell. But as far as a learning experience goes, I now know what it means when someone says a scent gets "powdery" on them. Crossing my fingers this will resolve with aging! Dry on Skin: --"Fake baby" is still kind of strong. I guess it's getting a tiny bit more herbal, like maybe oregano? Not one of the herbs I'd want to actually wear. So now it's like oregano lime baby powder. -- After 10-20 minutes I'm picking up on that Play-Doh scent others have mentioned in reviews. I might need to shelve this one for a few months and see how it goes. -- After a few hours mostly just the vanilla remains. It smells nice, but it's not worth the other overwhelming, not-so-nice notes to get that far. Sad face. Conclusion: For the moment I prefer this one in the vial to on my skin, though I'm not a big fan of it in the vial, either. Vial's kind of old, decayed lime-rose cologne. On skin it's gross fake baby powder. So this one will definitely be left to age. As far as I know, this is the first scent I've ever tried that goes totally south on me, so hopefully I have skin chemistry that generally likes BPAL and Snake Oil just needs to age. Cause really, I'm dying over here to smell what everyone else is smelling! Will check back in after a few months or so, since the imp should age much quicker than a full bottle.