AEris

I don't smell much violet in this at all. Maybe it's just me, but I can barely detect it. The scent itself is pretty low-key, but I think that the sugary sweetness is a little dominant over the violet. It's nice and subtle, but I love violet and I was hoping for a little more of the floral. It's a bummer for me, because the sweet note has a buttercream vanilla swirl that I think is lovely. I'm glad that I sampled it before the Carnaval leaves for good, but I don't see myself needing more. I prefer Ultraviolet - the cool mint note brings out the fresh greenness of the violet, and I'm not sure how much I like Faith's juxtaposition of warm vanilla sweetness with violet. 3.7 out of 5

A sweet, creamy, almost musky rose scent. As it dries down, a swirl of light vanilla comes through. It's a little cloying for my taste, but it fits the description perfectly. Enjoyable. Again, it's not me, but it's nice. If someone else walked by wearing it I think I'd like it more. I'm just picky when it comes to rose, and today's not the day for it, I guess. 3.5 out of 5

My first impression of Desire is that it reminds me of the Dungeon room spray. This is definitely a good thing! It starts out with apple and musk, then develops to let the hint of patchouli come out along with the crisp rose note. I like it better wet than I do after it dries down. It's very unique and sexy, but I feel like it's too intense, even for me. It just overwhelms my senses, it's like eating too much chocolate or something. 3.2 out of 5

Yeeeahhhh....... *Deep yoga breath* OOOooooohhhhhmmmmmmm This lunacy is destined to be yearned after and coveted and hoarded and treasured. I am sooo glad that I have a 5mL to clutch to my chest while making shifty-eyes! To me, it smells like the Lush honey lip balm: sweet, glistening, gooey, golden, honey-cake yummmm. It has the same honey note from Hony Mone, without the disagreeable (to me) jasmine and almond. Honey lovers, rejoice! You are gonna love this!!! 4.8 out of 5

I think that Hay Moon is dominated by amber, and it has a hint of lemony-aftershave as well. The amber is turning a little powdery on me, which it usually does when it's fresh. After a few minutes, the softer honey note peeks out, almost a honey musk.... The overall effect really does give the impression of sweetgrass hay, but the amber is so loud that I think it overpowers the blend. Even still, it's a very attractive scent, and I'm really happy that I went for a full bottle. I really like the smell of Hay Moon in the bottle, and because I know from experience how fickle new amber can be (and how incredibly perfect it becomes when it's aged), I'm going to hold on to my 5mL for a long while to see how time treats it. I predict that I'll appreciate it more when it's had some time to mature. Right now, I'd rate it a 3.8 out of 5.

I'm seconding Gibbous Moon : -)

I would suggest rollerbottles over sprays, because BPAL perfumes should be applied directly to the skin - they are oil-based. If you were to spray oil, it not work very well (atomizers are designed for less viscous [thick] liquids, such alcohol-based perfumes). The oil would probably squirt out in a stream and leave nice oil stains on your clothes. If you want to be able to spray BPAL, be prepared to dilute it with alcohol so that it is thin enough to spray evenly. However, changing the concentration of the perfume can sometimes slightly change how you experience the scent itself - it might smell a little different than the pure oil. Rollerballs are much more convenient. You just swipe the applicator across your skin where you want to scent yourself (your wrists, neck, wherever), and the oil slides on in a nice, controlled layer. It's like putting on lip balm, very convenient and easy. So, rollerballs are my vote. Everyone's got an opinion, so there's mine : -) Welcome to the BPAL madness!!

The coffee stirrers are sucking up too much oil due to capillary action. The thinner the straw, the stronger that force becomes. If you used fatter drinking straws, they may not take as much oil per dip, because although they are wider, the oil won't travel far up the straw. All that aside, I'm guessing that you'd be happier keeping your cap-dabbing method because it's easier and already works for you. However, if you want a "cleaner" method for, let's say, testing something you don't know if you're going to keep, you can still use those coffee stirrers - just cover the opposite end of the straw with your thumb when you dip it into the oil. The air in the straw therefore will have nowhere to go, so the oil can't displace it, and only the outside surface will get coated in oil. Instant dipping wand! It's cheaper than a wand cap, disposable, and has less risk of contamination. Myself, I just dump the shit on! (Unless, of course, I'm testing something new.) I upend the bottle on my wrist and schmear it on my neck and wrists. I upend imps, too, and it takes several times before I get enough. If a scent is strong, I'm much gentler with it, but I find that most BPALs don't have an overpowering amount of throw.

I wish I wish I wish I had a time machine. Where's my flux capacitor?? Seriously??!!! This scent is just delicious! Soft, pretty gardenia, and there is something a little coconutty going on, yesssss. I won an imp from ebay, and I'm so sad that I can't ever hope to own more than the precious drops I have now. I will save this lovely scent for a special occasion. Maybe I will wear it on my honeymoon.... 5 out of 5 (as I expected)

In the imp, there is a sour quality to the scent. However, on the skin, Queen Mab starts out as a lovely, dry, powdery floral. The orchids are beautiful, the jasmine isn't harsh or stinky (something that's happened to me many a time), the rose is not easily picked out and well-blended. I agree with starwild, who said that this reminds her of the floral version of Sea of Glass. Good call! It's fresh and sultry at the same time. It may be perhaps a bit too "safe" and "perfumey" for me to wear it often, but it's got a lot going for it. Like, but not love. 3.5 out of 5

Wet, this is creamy, buttery, sweet autumn pumpkin. After some chemistry mingling and dry down, the sage comes out - a burly, full sage. The sweetgrass also joins in the party. As others have noticed, the pumpkin actually fades quite a bit after the initial drydown, and sits in the background as a supporting role. I guess it could be nice, but something happens in there that gives a slight body-odor note. I don't know what it is, but it's totally unappealing on me. Off for frimpage! 2.5 out of 5

Gorgeous. Creamy woods, with a hint of zest from the most gorgeous ginger note Ever. Perfectly blended, every note blends into a symphony of perfection. It's so lovely, so beautiful, so perfect. I love this scent sooooo much! So much that it broke my inner thesaurus. Try Haloes if you like Glowing Vulva at Ryogoku Bridge or the Antikythera Mechanism. It's in the same gorgeous family. This is the kind of scent that makes me love BPAL even more! Is that even possible??

Smells like a drugstore aquatic scent. Bleh. Fresh, floral, soapy, and altogether unremarkable. Certainly, this was created with fine essences but blended with an eye-rolling sarcasm. Although it's kind of "nice" smelling, it's also completely empty. Hilarious, Beth! I'll frimp it along so others may experience Eau de Celebutante. 2 out of 5

The floral and citrus really do dominate this crisp scent, and the tea is almost in the background, settling the whole thing down and rounding it out. It softens as it dries down, still smelling clean but less sharp. I like it a lot, and if I was more often drawn to "clean" scents I'd hold on to it - but I don't reach for this genre of perfume very often, so I don't need many choices. Wensleydale will do it for me when I want fresh and soapy, and Gennivre satisfies my need for tea (and honey hehe). 3.8 out of 5

I was frimped an aged imp of Juke Joint (I can tell it's been around for a while because it has the old label back, before the phoenix logo was being used). So, this review is based on an imp that's really aged. Wet, it smells minty and a little woodsy. As it dries down, it smells powdery and incensey. It's pleasant, but it doesn't stand out to me as something that I'd use to express myself, personally. Glad I tried it though. I wonder what it smells like fresh? 3 out of 5

Ridiculously attractive!!! I have to review this scent in respect to Glowing Vulva at Ryogoku Bridge due to my less-experienced nose, so please accept my apologies for the constant comparisons in the following review: Antikythera Mechanism has similarities to Glowing Vulva, but it definitely stands alone. The combination of notes in AM gives the teak an almost citrusy quality, like a zing in the note. It does start out smelling a little masculine, but I am betting that it will mellow out into something creamier and more feminine as it dries down. (I couldn't wait until that point to start gushing!) The woods dominate more in this scent than they do in Glowing Vulva. The Vanilla doesn't cream up Antikythera the way the Amber and Cream smoothed out Glowing Vulva. Also, I keep getting wafts of a citrusy/aquatic quality that is not in Glowing Vulva. The teak note is definitely the tie that binds these scents together, with AM being sharper and woodsier, and GV being smoother and creamier. I can understand how people are saying that AM smells masculine, but I think the ladies can pull it off just as well, and would call it a unisex blend. I was undecided as to whether I want a 5mL, because I have one of Glowing Vulva already, and I'm thinking that I like GV better on me because it is more feminine. I don't know if I'd wear Antikythera Mechanism if I already have something I like just a little bit more, ya know? However, I am in love with the idea of the Antikythera Mechanism itself, and this scent embodies it fabulously! Also, it just smells better and better the longer I have it on, and I genuinely love it. I think it's worth getting, because not only is it delightful, this is also the kind of scent that ages into Orgasmic Mode. 5mL purchase for meeee! 4.8 out of 5 (I predict this rating will increase with aging)

I prefer to wear scents that compliment the rain, because I always smell citrus or cologne in scents that are supposed to smell like rain, and I've never smelled a scent that actually smelled anything like it. I wear either Blue Moon, White Moon, or Black Moon when it's raining out. It makes me celebrate the weather rather than feeling gloomy about it!

GORGEOUS! An understated, feminine, skin-hovering scent. There's some citrusy-ginger tea overlaying a soft, lightly musky floral. The florals are really just delicately lovely!!! Black locust blossoms just bloomed here a week ago, and it was the most beautiful scent I've ever smelled. I can't say that I smell the locust flowers outright, but there's something soft and lovely swirling around in here and I love it. Overall, it's a very pretty scent that gets better and better as it dries down and the citrusy/gingery note fades a little. I'm obsessed with it just knowing that there's black locust as a note. It's heady and creamy but light and discreet, it's floral but citrusy, it's fresh but smooth. Perfectly balanced, and incredibly attractive. It smells like pure innocence. Once my swapping and purchasing all lands in my mailbox, I'll have acquired 5 bottles. Can you say LURVE ? 5.0 out of 5

A light-hearted, powdery amber with a swirl of aquatic fruit. It takes amber and gives it a green hue. Very fun, and strangely attractive and sexy! Unique. Not in the way that I expected from the list of notes, but it gives exactly the "confusing, contrary" impression that Beth intends, while being balanced and beautiful at the same time. A winner! A must-try for amber fans, this is a prime example of the finest quality. 4.5 out of 5

Wet, it fits the description perfectly! Green, herbal scent, with a lurking fresh true-to-life berry. As it dries down, the berry note steps out in front and drowns out all of the supporting cast in one loud screech. I guess there is an herbal undertone, and perhaps this dried-down stage is what the scent is meant to smell like. However, I really loved the scent before it had a chance to morph. Once it dries down, it is just too fruity for me. This would be a great scent for younger girls, or for people just getting their feet wet in BPAL who are drawn to fruity commercial perfumes. 3 out of 5

In the imp, this smells like tart, strong cherry. On the skin, it morphs to red musk with a hint of sweet cherry candy. I don't smell anise at all, and I'm kinda bummed because I like anise. It's almost Red Musk Single Note on me. Sweet, warm, sexy. Simple. 3.8 out of 5

I haven't tried Black Lotus yet, either (gotta toss it on the wishlist), but I'm guessing that the "note" that you are attracted to is the result of the blending of several, if not all, of the notes. The powderiness and some of the sweetness is most likely from the amber, and the 'sweet tart' note is almost surely from the lotus, which (some people say) smells like candy. Myrrh smells like sweet, resinous, almost powdery incense. Sandalwood smells like sweet woodsy awesomeness, and is very distinctive. Hard for me to describe. Black Lotus sounds freakin awesome, and now I want to try it, too!

Wet, Catherine smells like sharp neroli, like bitter orange rind. It takes a couple of minutes to sink in, but it softens into more gentle orange blossom after a short drydown. At that point, the rose arrives, swirling in harmony with the orange blossom and smelling pretty and sophisticated. However, at this 5-minute stage, it becomes very soapy. After it mellows little longer (10 min total), I am also picking up on the soft incense note that others have mentioned. The soapy edge calms down and makes way for the powdery final stage. It smells absolutely lovely at this point, I'm glad I kept it on long enough to get there! Very feminine, it makes me feel like wearing a delicate sundress. I was wary at first, but the longer it's on, the better it gets, and the more I like it. I think I'll be holding on to this imp, it may become a favorite! 4.4 out of 5

This is for Haunted Palace '07. Woah, this is one of those scents where I can smell every note!! At first, it's musky, rosy amber, and I can smell gardenia, and vanilla, and.... ....and then, it quickly morphs to smell like incense. Specifically, myrrh. I don't know if it's the combination of notes that cause this effect, or if there's myrrh in the blend and it's not listed as a note, but it just doesn't love me like it did when it was wet. It ends up smelling very simple, plain, and flat on my skin. Cursed chemistry!! This started out so awesome! 3 out of 5

This scent does not use the same kind of jasmine that I've found disappointing in other BPAL blends. It is not the sharp, piercing type of jasmine; it's the smooth, heady, dewy, fresh blossom. However, the jasmine note is not a dominant force, as others have pointed out. For this reason, I was pretty bummed out the first time I sampled it, because (good) jasmine is one of my favorite notes. The second time I tried it, I kept more of an open mind. I had the scent description in front of me as a guide as it wafted up to me, ready for examination. Jasmine Cottage is a beautiful symphony of wildflowers and herbs and greenery. I can pick up notes as I focus on them, including freesia, orange blossom, wisteria, and heather. As a whole, they blend together to create a happy, sunshiney flower garden. This is a joyful blend, and would be perfect on a fresh, bright spring day. I like it a lot, but it's raining out today, so I'm going to save the full-on-slather test for nicer weather. 4.3 out of 5