AEris

This scent smells like powdery wildflowers, and since I'm not exactly a gardener, I'm saying that it smells like a cross between lilac and lily of the valley. However, overall it smells like laundry detergent on me. There's something about it that's almost pretty, but... dryer sheets at the same time. Just not me, I guess. 2.3 out of 5

Sugary-caramel-custard-buttery... This smells a lot like butterscotch on me. I am not picking out much fruit - if anything, maybe there's a hint of some generic fruitiness, I guess. A cool interpretation, but not a perfume I'd be inclined to wear myself. It's not terrible, but just isn't quite right on me. 2.5 out of 5

Eh, well, this just smells too much like candy on me. It ends up feeling a bit shallow. Meck. Not my style, I'm afraid. 2 out of 5

Holy yum yum yo yeah!! This scent is GORGEOUS at all stages, and a yummy morpher. In the imp, it smells like Beaver Moon 05. I take a second whiff, and I smell tea. This is when I know I love teh Una. On my skin, it's a gorgeous swirling of notes, dancing harmoniously. I smell honey, vanilla, berries, and tea. If I concentrate on one note, it stands out from the rest. If I sniff without thinking, it just smells amazing. It's sweet yet fresh, a difficult feat to achieve....it's hard to describe, but it has a beautiful yummy sweetness while avoiding any cloying vibe. I am reminded of Gennivre, which is honeyed tea, but add blackberries and vanilla cream....and you'll have Lady Una. I really love this! I can see 5mLs in the future : -) 4.9 out of 5 Edit to add: I bought a 5mL fresh from the lab, and I have to say that the blackberry note amps the crap out of me and smells fermented and kind of nasty. It takes a while for it to dry down and chill out. I find that fruit notes in BPALs tend to mellow out as they age, so I'm hoping that my bottle of Lady Una will age into the scent I fell in love with as a decant. As it wafts, I can smell the scent I remember as Lady Una, but up close it starts out all berry. Long story short: If you test Lady Una and it's all berries and it's not that great, let it age for a while and test it again - I think you'll be glad you did!

I have to agree that the vetiver note totally dominates this scent, but its initial burst of "HI!!!" chills out as it dries down. It's still definitely a vetiver scent, but there's an interesting, highly complimentary background with the pale sandalwood and the faintest hint of neroli (I can barely pick out the neroli, I wouldn't have guessed its presence without the scent description). filigree_shadow said it best: I like vetiver, but usually find it to be too masculine with my chemistry (the main exception being Death Adder). I like this blend more than I like most, but I still think Love's Torments would smell fascinatingly different and fresh on a man. On me, I'd worry that I just smelled manly. 3.8 out of 5

Patchouli is the dominant note in Dance of Death. Despite its woodsy dominance, it is finely balanced by a sweet, resinous myrrh and a soft, deep musk. The overall impression that I get from this is Incense. I do like this, but I'm not interested enough to slather it on and wear it today. Dark and powerfully haunting. 3.5 out of 5

I bought a tarted imp of this on ebay (you know, the old-style kind of imp that had the label tied on with silken cord), so I know it's aged at least a few years. It's a beautiful, soft white floral that is right up my alley! Gardenia is one of my favorite notes, so I'm surprised I haven't tried this yet. I can pick out the gardenia, but it's definitely a white bouquet, and I can't say that the gardenia is overly dominant. It's delicate, ethereal, and a little soapy (which is good on me), and although it's a blend with several notes, it maintains simplicity by being floral and nothing more. I can wear this by itself, or maybe layer it with something else (I was thinking White Phoenix, to add some white musk and complexity to the range of notes). After it's been on for a while, it loses a little bit of its fresh charm and a faint rose-ish scent hangs out, but since this is the farthest thing from a fresh decant, I can't judge it that way. And, at this stage, it still smells really nice, just different. As it is, I think I've been convinced to go for a 5mL, so I'll be able to try it with a more valid experience when it's new. I've heard that florals don't age quite as gracefully as, say, resins. At the outset: 4.8 out of 5 After it's been on for a while: 4.3 out of 5 (but this may not happen with a newer aliquot).

The spiciness in this blend makes me think of clove or cinnamon, but also makes me think of carnation, so I'm not sure what's responsible for the spice. If you like carnation (think Lush Potion), try this one out. I don't really like it, though, to be quite honest. 2 out of 5

This is right in line with the description - a fresh, lemony tea scent. My skin tends to burn off lemon, and in this blend, the lemon calms down from its initial intensity while still maintaining a balanced presence. It takes a few minutes, but the sweet, gentle honeysuckle comes out in the background, making the overall feel more complex and intriguing. I got a little of the oil on my fingertips when I was opening the imp, and it's strange - the honeysuckle is much more pronounced on my fingertips than on the back of my hand, where I tested it. A pretty, fresh blend, as you could already tell from the notes. If you like clean perfumes, this is a must-try IMO, because I normally don't gravitate towards citrus/tea scents, but I feel like this one is really nice. It's also evoking scent memories - I feel like I've smelled it before. It seems to me like it would be a great scent for a young, ambitious girl. 4.1 out of 5

Awww, bummer! I love all the notes in here, except the clove. I mean, clove can be nice, but it's more medicinal than perfume for me. Alas, my skin amps the clove and that's all I can smell. If Blood had everything except the clove, I bet I'd be obsessed. Oh well! Plenty of BPAL that loves me to soothe my disappointment! 2 out of 5

... Her scent is that of a lightless fir wood, nighttime air, wet forest mosses and upturned earth. This is pine, for sure, but....there sure is some other stuff going on, softening and sweetening the pungent note into something wearable. It's almost like a sweet, piney floral. I wouldn't wear it again, but fans of pine scents should definitely try this, because it's really nice. 3.5 out of 5

Lush parlor rooms draped in thick velvets and gilded in gold, unearthly whispering in the distance, fleeting flashes of wraithlike figures rushing just outside your vision, the chill of a phantom presence brushing by your cheek, the inscrutable knowledge that disembodied eyes are peering at you from darkened corners… this is the essence of Victorian-era spiritualism: rosewood, oak and teak notes with wispy blue lilac, tea rose, dried white rose and ethereal osmanthus. Lilac and rose with a hint of wood. I'm glad that the woods don't dominate, and this blend is actually quite wearable. I expected to hate it, but this seems to be one of Beth's rose blends that actually work on me. I'm not a habitual rose wearer, but I do appreciate this. 4.2 out of 5

The sweetness and fruitiness of this blend dries down pretty quickly on me, leaving a pleasant but unremarkable resinous Dragon's Blood/musk behind. It's very nice with my chemistry. It's just that there are other ars draconis blends that freak me out with their awesomeness, and Dragon's Heart is not as impressive next to them. (I love D.Milk and D.Reverie.) 3.5 out of 5

Whoa, this smells just as dark as the oil actually is! It's a deep, reddish brown. I'm getting mostly musk here. The opium adds a tinge of almost-spicy floral, and I swear that I also smell patchouli. But it's mostly dirty musk. It's not terrible, but I'm not in swoon mode. Sexy, dirty musk. Try this if you like Smut. 3.3 out of 5

An aquatic scent with a swirl of tropical flower. Nice, but not for me. 3.7 out of 5

Ashy vetiver. It's gross on me, frankly. 1 out of 5

I agree with this totally! It's very fresh and unique. The sharpness of the freshness makes me think of men's cologne, so I agree with the aftershave comment above, too. It's nice and clean. I'm not likely to wear this again, but fresh/aquatic/citrus lovers should give it a shot. 4.2 out of 5

It's okay, a fresh, floral vanilla. However, I am getting hints of the powdery, plastic vanilla that others have mentioned. I should say that Love's Philosophy didn't work on me, either. Shame, because Opuhi smells yummy in the decant! 2.8 out of 5

Overall, I think this scent is pretty, but it is a little soapy, even for me. The notes listed don't include fruit, but there seems to be a slight tropical-fruity undertone that doesn't come from any of the listed notes. This scent smells a lot more like Bath and Body Works Plumeria than the BPAL yule blend, Noche Buena. Noche was very fresh and almost green, and Tupapau is softer and rounder and more of a pink scent. I liked it throughout the day, but it didn't wow me as something I would wear again. 4.1 out of 5

Loooooove it love it love it love it love it I'm all over this one. It smells like lush, dreamy gardenia, but with other gorgeous notes that defy recognition by me. It must be the tropical orchid and light incense that goes so perfectly with the gardenia. I can't even say how lovely this is on me! It's in my scent locket, too, and I've been loving every waft. Gardenia is one of my favorite notes, so I'm not surprised that I'm gushing over Marae, but it surpassed my expectations. I can't wait to get my next lab order together!! ETA: 5 out of 5, for sure. ETA: Marae has become one of my favorite fragrances ever. I am so in love with this sweet, fruity gardenia blend - I feel like a tropical island princess every time I wear it! I hope 2 bottles is enough to last me!

In the imp, it smells like white wine, almost a bit medicinal, like Cherry NyQuil or something (ew!) Total skin morpher, though! Like all BPALs, it has to be on the skin to develop its actual scent. Fairy Wine dries down to the notes listed exactly - berryish currant wine, with a strong sweetness enhanced by the pale, subtle white honey, and the fresh, greenish dandelion adds a hint of a green/herbal note. When I opened the imp and smelled it wet, I wasn't too excited, but after testing a drop on my skin, it's more agreeable. It's a bit too fruity, sweet, and well, bright to be something I wear regularly, but I'm glad I tried it! 3.8 out of 5

Warm, sexy, spicy, musky, incensy, floral.... I agree with the comparisons to Gypsy Queen, and therefore have a strong desire to buy and age a bottle of Mama-Ji for my very own. I will review further after a day of slathery goodness. Edit: I slathered Mama-Ji on yesterday, plus I put it in my scent locket. Although it was an intriguing scent in its quality, it was waaaay too intense for my liking. Even at the end of the day, I was still not feelin' it. It is mainly spices with a creamy musk, but I really do hate carnation, and I suspect that there's a great deal of carnation going on here. Not for me, spice and carnation seekers should sample her, though. 3 out of 5

Anactoria is gorgeous!!!! There's a gentle hint of light honey, a sweet/incensey musk, a swirl of berry....It's addictively sexy and deep while being subtle and sly at the same time. I understand the Black Lace connection, inurbanus - I think it's the deep musk note. Damn it, now I have to seek out a bottle! Hope I can find one! 5 out of 5 Edit to add: I found a bottle, and I am soooo happy that I did! This scent is just a cloud of gold when I wear it. It's the perfect scent to anoint my Clockwork locket with, it is golden musky honeyed love!

This is a lovely, powdery, musky floral on me. I am not sensing any patchouli whatsoever, and strangely, the combination of neroli and ylang ylang smells like violet to me. It's really pretty, I'll hang on to the imp for sure. Not big-bottle need for me, because it reminds me of stuff that I already have. 4.2 out of 5 Edit to add: Dang it, I already reviewed this!! Well, this is my second try with a different imp which may be more/less aged than my first imp. This time around, it smells like soapy, floral incense. The patchouli is not dominant, but I can sense it in the way that it deepens the florals into smelling incensey. I don't smell violet at all this time around; rather, just soapy dominating floral (oleander?) with the faintest hint of fresh neroli and creamy ylang-ylang. Not that excited about this; I would give it a 3.2 out of 5 the second time around.

This is even more interesting than I anticipated! Sugar Moon seems pretty hit or miss by reading the reviews, but I'm not quite sure how I feel about it, personally. It's just odd to have that warm browned-sugar note alongside cool violet and rose, as well as woody mahogany, and those berries.... It ends up coming together nicely at the end, albeit a bit 'cologney' smelling. It's not as tame or sweet as I thought it would be by smelling it wet. The drydown smells like sweetened florals, with some curious backing from the cool berry leaf and grounding mahogany. You know, it comes off smelling kind of masculine on me, actually! I am not sure if I need my 5mL, but I will give it some more love before I decide. 3.5 out of 5