prettybird

Lord, this is delicious. I was initially a bit worried, because I really don't care for sage, but I don't get it at all; I really get the papaya and the cucumber. There's no difference between the vial and dry down to me. Overall it's a really wet, verdant scent. The grass comes out every now and again, and it really cuts through. Mmmm. Thank god this is LE, or I'd buy six bottles.

Holy crap does this smell like fruitcake! I'm... floored by it, actually. I can even smell the little nuclear fruits (candied cherries? is that what those are?)! It's a lot cakier when it dries down. It would be completely awesome in an oil burner for the holidays, but I'm not so sure I want to smell like a fruitcake all day. I'm terribly amused!

This was one of the scents on my very first lab order. The Apothecary remains a favorite for daily wear. It's a neutral scent, very light and pleasing. I think one of the reasons I like it is that it doesn't really smell like "perfume". It smells more like really classy herbal shampoos tend to smell- fainly medicinal, but in a good way. I think that, unfortunately, my imp is starting to turn.

A freebie from the Lab- I seem to keep getting scents that I would never order that end up in love with. Caliban renewed my love for aquatics. I can never pick out the wine in it, which is unsurprising, as my skin seems to just swallow it. The best way I can describe it is as a calming scent. It's much like Sea of Glass, only Caliban has a nice green edge to it. I'm not sure I love it enough to get a whole vial, but I'll definitely get another imp if I run this one out.

I was initially skeptical about this fragrance, because it's just so strong- not offensively so, but this is not a fragrance that pulls any punches. It's got the same problem in the vial that I get with Caliban and Bastet- I just can't stand it wet. Luckily, whatever acrid scent that is dissipates quickly. Above all, War is a warm scent. It's ginger like crazy for the first hour or so, but that mellows out nicely. I didn't like it initially, but it's really growing on me now. On an odd note, I ended up wearing it a lot in the summer, because it was one of the only fragrances I had that would stick around for any length of time. So, if you're in the desert, it's a safe bet!

I remain ambivalent about this scent. I got it off a friend who seems to have the exact opposite body chemistry that I do. It's very floral, almost too much so. I find it uncomfortably similar to mass market perfumes, and it reminds me of why I stopped wearing them. It doesn't have much throw, but whenever I get a whiff of it, it's like a sock full of flowers to the face. Overall, not a bad scent, just not one for me.

I don't really get the dust in this, which is odd, because my skin usually amps it like crazy. I don't know what I'm smelling in this that's floral, but that's what I get from it. I got this off a friend, because it smelled not right on her, but it really works for me. I don't think I know the correct words to describe what it smells like, but it's a sweet, dark scent, and the sweetness comes out more and more as it dries down. It's a bit incense-y, but not overly so. I don't think I'd buy more of it, but I certainly like it!

Old Scratch is one of my great BPAL loves. I'm a big lavender fan, and this is lavender done up right. I feel foppish and just a little bit dangerous with it on. As it dries down, it gets a bit of an acrid smell, which I think offsets the lavender nicely, but may not work at all on some people. It realy doesn't smell masculine at all to me; on the contrary, I think it's a bit feminine. It has a nice powderyness that I enjoy. Which reminds me, I'm overdue for a big bottle of this.

I got Xiuhtecuhtli (hee or shee-oo-teh-coo-tlee, don'tchaknow) both out of my need to have all the Central American scents and because I'm a giant copal nut. Unfortunately, I can't find the copal in this. That may be because I'm used to the real deal, which is notable more for its effects than its scent. It smells about the same in the bottle as it does on me, which is just way too sharp. It's got a lot of orange blossom, but in a bad way. Somehow, it comes around the bend and ends up almost medicinal on me. And that's how I learned I've got to stay out of the florals, as tempting as they might be.

Persephone is nothing but a big rose party on my skin. I can't smell the pomegranate in it at all. I'm really not a big rose fan or a fan of feminine scents, which this very much is. It's nice for somebody else, but not really for me. None of the pomegranate scents work on me, which is a tragedy considering it's my favorite fruit.

In the bottle: Wine wine wine, with just a hint of cacao. On skin: It's really hard not to compare this to Tezcatlipoca, for some reason. It's like Tez's younger sister, sweeter and more mellow. The cacao comes out more on my skin, though it's still a big winey party. It's surprisingly wearable despite the booziness. It doesn't have much throw on me at all, but it does have a good little bit of staying power. I think we're all just grateful it doesn't actually smell like four hundred rabbits. It's a keeper!

There's something very off about Bastet in the imp, so much that I was hesitant to try it. It's very almond in a very bad way. But oh man, it's a completely different story when it hits my skin. I have a hard time picking out individual notes in it, but it's just so warm and so very comforting. It's nice and spicy/sweet, without the OH CRAP ALMOND of the bottle. It's a personal favorite to wear when I'm stressed out, because I feel so safe when I'm wearing it. It's like a warm hug in a bottle.

This is, hands down, my all time favorite BPAL scent, and I wear it so much that my friends say it smells like me. It was my first vial purchased, and it has never steered me wrong. It's coconut and rum without ever being coconut rum, and it's got an amazing butteryness to it. I really got it because I feel a personal connection to Legba, and his ofrenda does not disappoint. In addition to using it as a perfume, I find it useful in doing tarot to put me in the right headspace. But that's for another forum.

Bottle: Not just Irish Coffee. IRISH COFFEE. A nice buttery sweetness to it too. On skin: Mmmm. The dusty scent comes to the party, and I end up smelling like a coffee bar in an old library. This is a particularly good scent to wear under other scents, as it doesn't overpower (and people just assume you've been to the coffee shop). I need a big bottle of this.

Another freebie, and my first RG oil. I really don't know what to say about this, because it is what it says. It's floral without being too heady. It's got a slightly old fashioned flair that I enjoy. It's very wearable, particularly when another scent may be too heavy or too provocative. It's nice and I like it, but I'm not in love with it. It's like the Diet Coke of BPAL.

Another free one. In the bottle: ...Oh my. Perhaps creating mushroom scented perfume wasn't such a wise choice. Wet on skin: This is so very odd. Fifteen minutes later: This is so spicy. It's so... strange. An hour later: Oh, I could really wear this. It's so different that I don't really have a frame of reference for it. Definitely a unique scent. I don't get much of the dirt smell, just a slight undertone of dustiness. Three hours later: Gone! What a shame. I'd get a bottle if it lasted longer, but as it stands, it's not really worth it. A keeper though! Edit: I was so wrong about this scent. I don't know what changed, but the disappearing act it had been pulling stopped altogether. This is one of my favorite daily wear scents now!

How I love this. This was a freebie from the lab, which was great, because I never considered getting an RG scent before this one. It's pine in the very best way, light and fresh and wet. It smells just like walking through my college campus on a wet day, enjoying the scent from the trees. It's fantastically wearable, and so lovely. Definitely on my bottle list.

I simply had to try this, since I'm in Mezoamerican studies. I was skeptical in the bottle; in fact, my initial imp review (for another site) read, "If I had to pick an unfavorite, it would be Tezcatlipoca (it smells like bitter chocolate and leather), but it's growing on me." Boy, was I wrong. The chocolate note never becomes "chocolate" on me, but stays cacao, which I enjoy. There's just the slightest hint of an alcoholic smell to it, which is nice. It has throw, but never too much. I feel powerful and self confident wearing it, which is so appropriate for Tezcatlipoca. This is my favorite oil after Elegba, and if you take the two of them together, I'm told it's exactly what I smell like. It's a good thing!

I don't think you can help but feel a little sexy wearing this. It's like a rule. The magnolia is particularly.. realistic? Maybe it's because I'm Southern, but I can't help but think this smells like my mamaw. It's a very complicated, almost meditative scent, evocative of sitting on the porch in the summertime (except with not nearly enough honeysuckle to be a true Mississippi night). Surprisingly for such a heavy scent, it doesn't last very long on me. I don't think this is a bottle scent for me, but I'll probably end up picking up another imp.

A freebie from the lab, and something I never would have tried, not really caring for flowery scents. The thing that strikes me most about it is how well blended it is. I can't tell the notes apart, because I just get one lovely blend of floral scents. It has almost a candylike smell, which I think is from the vanilla. A lovely scent, though I find it a bit... unremarkable. I'll use my imp with glee, but I don't think I'll be buying more.

In the bottle: Earl Gray with lemon, well mixed. On skin: Unf. So sophisticated. Bergamot's a personal favorite, as it smells simply divine with my body chemistry. I smell just like a well sugared cup of Earl Gray, which is just fine by me. I feel so very... academic wearing this. I never do get the leather, but I think I'm just bad at identifying that particular note. Long lasting, but without getting annoying. It's slightly more lemony in my vial than in my imp, for some reason. I'm in love. So like Severin, without being whiny and annoying for fifty pages. This was my third vial purchased, and I anticipate running right through it.

A freebie from the lab. In the bottle: Oh, that's not okay. It smells like rotting plants. That's just not attractive. On skin: Well, the rotting plant smell is... better, but it's not gone. It absolutely has to be the vetiver, because I haven't got anything else with that in it. I can't get to the violet at all. Saturnalia is just not my friend. Quelle dommage! EDIT: I got this out a few weeks ago to ship off to a friend, and ended up tipping some onto myself. The scent was quite different than I remembered! I think the aging really helped bring down the vetiver scent.

A freebie from the lab. It doesn't smell any different in the bottle than on my skin, so I won't go through both of them. I don't usually say or like this, but it makes me smell really pretty. I feel like a pretty girl, and that's sometimes enjoyable. I can't think of another BPAL scent that evokes such a strong sense of peace. It's complex, but not complicated. Really, it does what it says on the tin- it's like walking across a sea of glass, perfectly at peace. A definite favorite.

Another freebie from the lab. In the bottle, I just can't stand it. I think it may be the pine when it's wet, because I have the same problem with Thanatopsis (which I adore). It's just repellent to me. Thankfully, that dies out quickly on my skin. Unfortunately, it dries down into cloved oranges. It's very evocative of Christmas to me, which isn't a good thing. The clove is very, very strong, which is odd, considering there's no clove in it. It has crazy throw, and when it's on my arm I can smell it as strong as if I had my nose right in it. This stuff is SO STRONG. Even a tiny dab is too much. Nice for a candle or potpourri oil, but just not for me.

I got this from a very generous friend who was making room in her imp collection. Undertow is such an odd scent, and everyone I've let try it seems to smell something different in it. I get nothing but old fashioned cinnamon ribbon candy in the vial. I can't identify the base note that comes out on my skin, but it smells sort of cosmetic, if that makes any sense. It has a lot of throw, which isn't a bad thing, but which I'm not entirely crazy about. I just can't make up my mind about it. I've had it for maybe six months or more, and I never have been able to. It's nice enough for occasional wear, but I think this imp's enough for me.