Dancing Raven

I want to give a huge thank you to the lab for including this with my order. When they send things, they are definitely paying attention to what you purchased. I strongly believe that there are no casual toss ins. Everything is something they think you will like. I appreciate that kind of customer service and thoughtfulness. On to the review... Wet: fresh, sweet & pollen-y lilac. I thought I detected lily with fresh cut stems. Shortly after, a tart lemon joins in, so it may be the rose that my nose interprets as a lily. This smells like liquid sunshine and happiness. No doom and gloom here! You know how when you were little, and you would pop the top of a dandelion off? The smell on your fingers from the milky, green sap from the stems? There's an undertone of that. This blend is summery and refreshing. It reminds me a lot of Hope is the Thing with Feathers. I wonder if there is jasmine in this. Drydown: it remains fairly linear throughout. Throw is very good. I like this more than HITTWF because of the lemony rose which uplifts it. Later, vanilla adds to the base of the true- to- life florals. Just like someone else said - it's like walking into a florist's fridge. At this point, it reminds me of Lines Written in Early Spring (which I adore). It's different enough that I will definitely be keeping it. LWIES had more of a creamy, almost milky note, whereas Les Fleurs has a sweet nonfoody vanilla. On me, this is lilac, wisteria, and rose. I don't get a rosey or powdery scent, just crisp and citrusy. They are intertwined perfectly. Nothing stands out above the rest. There is nothing old ladyish about it. These are fresh flowers. The lilac and wisteria remain crisp and sweet throughout, and the rose is there to support and keep it from becoming cloying. If you love floral scents, this one is superb. 5 out of 5 stars.

I got an imp directly from the lab, so either this is mislabeled or my skin chemistry is wonky. I am guessing it's the latter. I was expecting lovely myrrh mixed with something green and herbal. This was none of those things. Wet, I get coconut. Sweet coconut - what? Soon, I get the scent of gardenia and ylang ylang with coconut backing it up. It's lush and summery. It stays this way for hours, but throw is almost nonexistent. The final stage is chocolatey amber. Amber isn't listed, so I suppose it could be the myrrh mixing with some honey since I didn't really smell any myrrh at any stage. I have other florals like this, and I am not fond of coconut. I have so many spicy and resinous oils, that I was looking for something more herbal to get out of my comfort zone and change things up. This doesn't provide that for me. It's a beautiful fragrance, however. If you have the skin chemistry to pull out the balsam and herbs from this, I envy you. 5 out of 5 stars. Lovely, just not what I was looking for.

Wet, it starts out as super sweet sugar cookies and butter. Within a minute, the loam mixes in with the buttery richness to create a very realistic vomit odor. I'm not trying to be gross, but I am an RN and mother, and I am uncomfortably familiar with that scent. If this would have been my first BPAL experience, it most likely would have been my last. Luckily for me, I knew to wait. It did take me a couple of minutes before I was brave enough to sniff again. The loam was getting stronger, but the less pleasant aspect remained for about 10 minutes. I was rewarded for my patience in spades. The loam took over (spicy, almost moss like, wet earth). Soon, it was a wonderful cinnamony and slightly powdered scent. I wonder if there is carnation in here as well as amber. It's a creamy (thankfully not butter at this point!) spice. I think there may be some allspice, too. I get a sort of gingerbreadish impression. It's not particularly foody to me, and I am not one who likes to smell like baked goods. There's nothing wrong with those who do, it's just not my type of scent. It's a dry sort of spice, but not so dry you feel like you need a glass of water (sometimes dry scents make my mouth feel dry, too). Throw is good for hours. At the end, it's a sweet, but not powdery amber with some spice lingering in the background. I really like it. I love Yorick, so I don't know what took so long to try this. Despite the very rocky first few minutes, this is full bottle worthy. 4.5 out of 5 stars because of the beginning.

I saw dried ruby fruits in the description, and didn't expect to like it all that much. This is really good! It starts out as a sweet honey, soft floral carnation with just a hint of smoke. Then the carnation turns spicy. I feel like there may be cardamom in this as well. The spice isn't overwhelming, just a little extra warmth and oomph than carnation alone. All of the stages are lovely, but it's the late mid to base stages where the magic happens on my skin. I get the most beautiful sweet incense, woodsmoke, warm aroma wafting off of my arm. It's like a smoked honey with a chocolate undertone. I don't know if there's tobacco mixing with the honey to create the incensey smoke, but it is fantastic. Throw is very good, as is wear time. 5 out of 5 stars.

When it's wet I definitely get a very strong almond/cherry soda. It quickly becomes a citrusy wine note which reminds me of plum. This stays wet on my skin for quite some time. It morphs into a powdery sweet scent that is reminiscent of sweet tart candies. For a brief moment in the drydown, I have hope that it won't be super sweet and foody. I can smell the amber and musk mixing to create a beautiful, powdery scent. Then the almond comes back with a vengeance, and I smell Play Doh. I love the listed notes, but this is far too sweet and almond heavy for me. 3 out of 5 stars.

I got this from TrailerTrashPrincess, and thankfully I don't smell styrofoam and celery! 😄 Wet: I get pine/fir and something sweet (violet?), along with aldehydes. I was extremely worried at this point because aldehydes don't work on my skin at all! I was considering scrubbing it, but I know that if you can make it through the opening you can end up with something terrific. It was definitely worth the 20 minutes of unpleasantness. The aldehydes lighten up, and now they are just there creating a sweet effervescence. It's sparkly and citrusy. Someone mentioned 7-Up, and I tend to agree. Either that or ginger ale. I wonder if there is ginger or lime, or both. I think there may be orris, pine, lime, ginger, frankincense, and possibly even some myrrh in here. The evergreen scent only lasted for a brief part of the wet stage, and I didn't get a snow note (unless that was what the orris represents). Hellebore itself doesn't have a scent unless crushed, and you don't want to smell that! It is one of the many fantasy floral notes in perfumes. What I'm left with is a sparkling citrus/resinous blend with just a touch of non powdery sweetness. It actually reminds me a lot of Voodoo, which I love. If you are a fan of Voodoo, Hell's Belle, or Jazz Funeral, you will most likely enjoy this one. It's really pretty! 5 out of 5 stars despite the beginning.

This is for the 2019 version. Wet: sour, sharp, bitter rose GERANIUM. It mellows out after about 20 minutes, but it remains a green rose geranium, rather than rose on my skin. About 1.5 hours after applying, I get something that smells salty in the background, and an hour after that, a mellow white musk. Perhaps there is some ambergris in here to make a skin musk that isn't listed? It's at this point that it becomes a much softer rose (no longer geranium) scent. It retains its crisp green quality. This reminds me a lot of ELDO's Eau de Protection. It takes a few hours, but the green softens, and it becomes a bright, crisp red rose along with sweeter roses mingling in the background. Just beneath the roses, a mild musk serves as the backbone. Once dried, it is quite nice despite the rocky start. I love roses, so I will hold onto it in hopes that the geranium chills out with age. 4 out of 5 stars.

This one doesn't morph a whole lot. From the start it is a beautiful, sweet (but not powdery) frankincense and amber. About one hour in, I get a faint mint and cinnamon in the background. The cinnamon fades away quickly, but the minty smell - which is so small that I think it's probably just notes mingling and confusing my nose - stays for around 30 minutes. It sounds odd, but it's pleasant. 2.5 hours later I can smell myrrh. Frankincense, sweet amber, and myrrh all joining together to create an intoxicating, resinous scent. Lovely. That is how it remains for hours. There isn't a lot of throw, but it lasted well over 10 hours on me. If you like Midnight Mass, you will adore this one. They smell very similar to me. Even though I already own MM, I will be holding on to this. There's enough of a difference for me to warrant owning both, and it is just a fantastic scent regardless. I didn't get any bergamot. 5 out of 5 stars.

Wet, I get jonquil with a soft spicy clove. It's not overly spicy at this point, and is threatening to go soapy, but never does. Drying down, the spicy carnation comes out. The jonquil disappears completely. I think some of the spices may be cardamom and nutmeg. It's reading a bit masculine to my nose. Once the spices settle down it becomes a lot more unisex. The final stage is close to the skin. It's actually quite pleasant. Either there is non powdery amber in here, or the vanilla husk and myrrh are blending together to give that impression. The carnation is stronger and has a nice, creamy spice. I get a hint of something slightly smoky, but it's a mere whisper. It could be the hay because it's a dry, husky sort of "smoke". It's nice, but not one I would wear unless the mood struck me. 4 out of 5 stars.

It goes on like dryer sheets, and it stays that way for about an hour. Then, I get a wonderful ozonic/beachy scent. Not suntan lotion. It's like standing on the beach beside the sea and taking a deep breath. And... five minutes later it is a faint skin scent. No rose showed up, and some of you may know by now that I amp it. Also, no amber. If you avoid rose scents, you are probably safe to try this. I am so disappointed with my skin chemistry with this one. I'm not ready to give up on it yet. The five minutes of salty, beachy goodness was totally worth the hour of laundry. I am hoping that with time the part I adore gets stronger. 2 out of 5 stars with fingers crossed that it gets better.

Reviewing an aged version I know this is the first BPAL scent for a lot of people. Mine was Yorick, so take my review with a grain of salt. Wet: vanilla cake batter, something almond/nutty, and a liquer note. Drydown: sugar cookies. Throw is excellent. Later, I get lemon, leather, and a touch of powder. It's like a super light version of Shalimar's opening if I sniff my wrist. At arm's length it is still a very strong vanilla. It's sweet, but dry. I think there may be some benzoin and coumarin in it. Blonde tobacco may be adding to the sweet dryness. I'm guessing there is amber in this as well. I detect a slight saltiness, so maybe some ambergris? It stays citrusy/leathery/sweet for quite some time. At some point the vanilla fades, and it is now a dupe for Emeraude, which is a tamer version of Shalimar. Almond is giving it a slight Play Doh vibe. It's nice, just not for me. I have my big bottle of vintage Shalimar (now that's a beast!), and I don't smell like a bakery when I wear it. I adore so many of Beth's creations, but this isn't one of them. More for everyone else! 4 out of 5 stars on my skin. 5 out of 5 stars for the scent itself. It really is lovely, and I can see why it's adored. I just can't wear foody scents. ETA: I woke up this morning and the scent is still there. Now it smells like Cuir Beluga, which I love, but also own. If you can handle the foody sweetness of the beginning you will end up with a scent that is every bit as beautiful as two expensive perfumes. For less than $30. That's one thing I noticed as someone who has only been aware of this company for about 3 years. They make some high quality stuff that smells as good, if not better than a lot of more expensive perfumes.

Wet, and for several hours thereafter, it is a beautiful, spicy carnation. For a brief period I get the creamier aspects, but for the most part it is warm, clovey goodness. This is no shy wallflower. It packs a big punch. After a couple of hours I begin to smell opoponax mixing with the clove. The final stages are warm and balsamic. I am thinking there may be some peru balsam in this. I believe there may also be some labdanum. Wet, I got a fleeting whiff of what I thought was frankincense, and labdanum can start out like frank on me. I am also getting an effervescence like sasparilla/cola that labdanum sometimes does on my skin. This is yummy! This is a very warm, spicy, resinous scent. I have a ton of oils with this scent profile, but I am keeping this one, too. I'm hoping the creamier aspects of the carnation will come out more with aging after the resins have time to settle down. Even if it doesn't, I am totally ok with that. 5 out of 5 stars. Absolute spicy, balsamic perfection!

This starts out cheerful and bright. I get a tangy cherry note that may be coming from the poppy? Apple shows up briefly. Then I am hit with a strong hairspray note. It does tone down, but remains for a good hour. There has to be white musk in this. I really don't get any incense or orchid. I do get hours of lovely, sweet wisteria. I can smell something indolic, but it isn't overwhelming (I abhor indoles, so it shouldn't be an issue for those with an appreciation). It remains sweet and musky for hours. Throw is average/above average. I may try it again at a later date, as it is a newer bottle before I decide. For now, there is just too much high pitched musk for me. 3 out of 5 stars.

Oh, how I wish I got the soft, dusty floral that others are getting! It starts with promise. The white honey mixing with the flowers reminds me of Lily of the Valley at first. It's soft, gentle, and very pretty. About 5 minutes later... wow, this is potent! It's not screechy, and it's not a scrubber. However, when I go in closer to sniff, I can actually taste it. A lot. That lasts about 10 minutes before jasmine comes forward to soften it up again. The honey is bringing an almost milky note as a support for the intense florals. I swear I get a light cucumber scent as well. Something delicately green and juicy. I definitely detect some indoles, but barely. At some point, it becomes very "perfumey". I don't get any osmanthus, nor any orris. The orris may be in the base with the amber, but at this point it's so faint I can barely smell it. The amber and honey are mixing together to give a patchouli - like dry chocolate impression. Perhaps that is the orris - dusted amber at play. Ultimately, this is a little too loudly floral for me. If it had stayed the way it was for the first 5 minutes, it would have been a keeper. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

This starts with a burst of saltiness, but that quickly disappears. Orange flower is definitely the star. It's citrusy, bitter, bright, and green. Perhaps there is some neroli in here as well (they smell different on my skin). Eucalyptus is sharing the spotlight. This scent is bracing, yet effervescent. Some saltiness backs it up. About 20 minutes in, I am getting a fresh linen scent which is threatening to go soapy and dryer sheets. There is something holding it back from going to laundry land, though. Maybe a very faint jasmine? Then about 45 minutes in the florals start to come out. I haven't gotten my beloved rose yet. To me it smells like a fresh linen, salty jasmine. It takes about 1 1/2 hours before I get the rose. It's a sweet, powdery type of rose, but the fresh linen scent remains at equal strength with the floral. It is a very complex scent with lots of layers to it. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of ozone/fresh type perfumes. I wonder if layering it with a vanilla or rose heavy oil would make it better. I do think it's beautiful for what it is. If you enjoy this type of scent, it's definitely worth getting. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Wet this is sweet and spicy. As it begins to dry, I get a bit of orange. Not the sharp, citrusy kind, though. Almost like candied oranges. I agree with those who are describing it as creamy. This stage lasted about 30 minutes for me, and it smelled like someone drinking orange pekoe tea next to some clove potpourri. I mean that in a good way. I think this will bloom and be gorgeous in the autumn and winter months. Once dried, it's a sweet floral backed by cinnamon. The tobacco is very light and is vanillic. It's almost like benzoin to my nose, but retains some of the dryness that tobacco leaf can have. I wonder if there is heliotrope in here. It's definitely a soft, vanilla floral. After about 3 hours, it sits close to the skin. 12 hours in, and I can still smell soft vanilla tobacco and a warm clove (very light), and if I move my arm it wafts up, so it has some staying power. Frankincense didn't make an appearance. If you dislike tobacco scents, I think this is a safe one to try. It really is just adding a light, sweet backbone (with my skin chemistry anyway). Stunning and delicious! 4.5 out of 5 stars.

One word: soapium. You read that correctly. From start to finish it is pure, unadulterated, soapy opium. I love resins, and I was hoping to get something deep and dark. Maybe some sweet myrrh to balance things out, but it's single note opium. Nothing more, nothing less. This definitely isn't working on my skin at all. 0 out of 5 stars for me, unfortunately.

Wet: Pretty! Green grass, a sweet floral that reads as honeysuckle to me, and a milky note. It dries fairly quickly into a fresh floral scent. I don't mean fresh as in aquatic or ozone. Fresh like you're holding a bouquet of just picked flowers and you inhale deeply. It's the entire flower itself, along with their crisp, green stems and the pollen still clinging to the stamen. It's mainly a light, sweet rose and heady sweet, creamy tuberose on me. I think the magnolia is keeping the tuberose in check and keeping it fresh, rather than the bubblegum type scent it can become. Throw is excellent - just a dab should do. It lasts for hours! I applied it about 7 hours ago, and it's still going strong. For the most part, the scent has remained the same throughout that time, maybe gaining a bit more sweetness, but not overly sweet or fake smelling. The honey is lending to the sweetness, but isn't a huge presence. Thankfully, it didn't become urinous on me like it apparently did for one reviewer. I never got any clove from this, but then again, I don't think I have reached the true basenotes yet. It's so long lasting that the middle notes are going past my bedtime.This is a perfect representation of spring, and is a must - have if you love florals. Fans of Alice will most likely love this one. I didn't expect to like it as much as I do. I usually go for resinous or earthy scents. I took a chance with this one, and I don't regret it one bit. 5 out of 5 stars. Update: This is really long lasting! I woke up this morning and could smell the clove. 18 hours after applying, I sniffed my arm and still get a faint sweet floral alongside a non spicy, warm clove. My skin tends to eat perfume, so this is just phenomenal wear time. And I still love it.

This is the scent that got me into BPAL. I hadn't heard of the company until about 2017/18. Until then, I searched for unusual scents among the mainstream. Sometimes you just wanna smell like dirt, though, right? This is what I had hoped Serge Lutens' De Profundis would smell like based off of descriptions. In desperation, I searched online for perfumes that smell like dirt, and my obsession with BPAL began. Wet: spicy dirt! It starts out like the damp potting soil type, not the dry type. I may or may not have done a happy dance upon first sniff 😁 It stays this way for a few minutes, and then it becomes more dry. I definitely get orris from this. I think there may be some angelica in here as well. In addition to the dusty earth note, I get the sweetness of orris, and an almost citrus tanginess. This isn't a simple scent. I never dreamed dirt could smell beautiful, but this is! Usually dirt notes are patchouli heavy, but this is a light scent. Not in terms of throw, which is very good - there's just a lightness to the scent itself. I don't get lilies at all, and the datura (angel's trumpet) is fairly light on my skin. To my nose, this isn't floral forward. The datura just adds a bit of heady sweetness to balance out all of the other notes. Once dried, sandalwood comes a little to the forefront. No decay, so if that part of the description scares you, fear not. It's dry, but warm and spicy at the same time. Truly a work of art. My only complaint is that it doesn't last long on my skin, but it's perfect start to finish, so I don't mind reapplying. 5 out of 5 stars.

This is Strong with a capital S. Tons of throw and hours of it! Wet, it is spicy and dry. That is soon replaced by a sweet pine. Definitely resinous. I think there is burgundy pitch in here. This is what I expected Hexennacht to smell like. Then fir takes over, and it is veering into Christmas candle territory. A cinnamon forest. It's not unpleasant, but it is somewhat overbearing. It needs more smokiness or something sweet to bring it down a notch. I'm getting a bit of a headache from sniffing it. It stays like a fresh forest for a good 6 hours before settling into a dried leaves skin scent. I finally get sweetness, but now it's beginning to disappear. I didn't really get chestnuts until the very end, and no smoke note. It's truly representative of the red hot embers of a wood fire (pine). It is definitely unisex. I think it's too much on its own, but I bet it would layer beautifully with earthy or berry scents. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Wow! This is fantastic! It starts out with clove, and what my nose interprets as a sweet plum. Not sure where that came from, but it is definitely a sweet, syrupy plum scent. Then it becomes a bit like red hots candy. I think the patchouli is just underneath grounding it. Otherwise I get no patchouli from this whatsoever, which makes me a bit sad. About 45 minutes in, the vanilla starts to make an appearance. Two hours later I am getting a creamy, spicy carnation and clove. It's a spicy but warm and cozy scent. Just the right amount of sweetness. This is really long lasting and has a ton of throw. The super red hots beginning is definitely worth the final product. 5 out of 5 stars.

I get an initial blast of smoky leather. I suspect the smoke may be due to vetiver because I get a very faint, but distinct barbecue smell which worries me. This type of vetiver tends to overpower everything else on me. However, my fears were unfounded because this is very well behaved. 5 minutes in the clove (with some cinnamon, maybe?) appears. A brief menthol note shows up, which is probably the balsam. It disappears within a minute. Drying down, the smokiness persists. The drydown is a cinnamony, smoky, slightly dried grass/leathery scent. It takes about 2 hours for the carnation to show up. By then it is very close to the skin. What remains a few hours later is mainly clove with a touch of sweet, dried grass smokiness, and some carnation and vanilla to sweeten it and smooth things out. I really like it, but I wish it kept the same strong throw once it dries that it had at the start. 4 out of 5 stars. Beautiful final result, but a little too light.

I really wanted this to work on me. I read all of the reviews with beautiful flowers, vanilla, and light smoke. I let my bottle sit, and tested it from time to time. Two years later, I don't think it's meant to be. All I have ever gotten from it is single note mesquite barbecue. If I sniff really hard, I can detect a faint chemical smell which is probably the leather. Strong throw, unfortunately it's only throwing the barbecue type vetiver. Sometimes my skin chemistry disappoints me. 0 out of 5 stars for me, sadly.

I really hate to leave a bad review, but this one did not work on me at all! Every single note listed is one I love, and has worked in other BPAL scents, so this should have been a total win. It started out as a lovely weed - like, deep green fragrance, but it quickly turned into a screechy white floral. I kept it on for 30 minutes hoping that it would change once dry, to no avail. It remained an overpowering, high pitched white floral throughout. I was forced to (attempt to) wash it off. Much like any fragrance that doesn't work, the throw is incredibly strong. I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, my skin chemistry let me down. I envy those who get the beautiful rose and stone. 1 out of 5 stars for the pretty opening.

This is for the 2020 version The book I received with it was No Fear Shakespeare, Hamlet ( a comic book version of the classic play. It's definitely an interesting concept!). Two notes that are usually very strong on me are beeswax ( I love BPAL's beeswax note! ), and leather which can be hit or miss. I don't like foody scents at all, but I adore the smell of old books, so I took a chance. Wet: milk chocolate! Uh oh. This one is tolerable so far. It's not overly sweet, and there's a faint smokiness if I put my nose close to my arm. Good throw. Drydown: I am getting a citrusy green note - bergamot? Up close, I am getting a dusty green note almost bordering on green peppers, and I wonder if there is a little bit of lily in this. My skin reacts to lily, and I am getting a slight reaction right now. The smell is very faint, and not at all unpleasant, and the reaction calms quickly. If there is lily in it, there isn't a lot. At arm's length it is still chocolate. 1 hour in: I swear I am getting pineapple. Very odd. It's still mainly chocolate, and I am desperately hoping for books and hearth smoke. Dry: the pineapple fades, and I am left with a sort of non foody milk chocolate that never veers into super sweet cavity territory. A chocolate that I can tolerate. Hmmm. The beeswax and leather never make an appearance. I tested this a few hours after receiving it in the mail. Early on, I detected some smokiness, so I think I may need to let it settle for a while. I will update if the scent changes significantly. I can definitely say that chocolate lovers will love this, and chocolate haters might be able to handle this one. I don't think it's fair to give it a rating at this point because it's too fresh, and I feel it has the potential to be complex and beautiful.