Jump to content
Post-Update: Forum Issues Read more... ×
BPAL Madness!

Recommended Posts

A new year’s blessing! Peony, China’s national flower, with bamboo for flexibility, plum blossom for perseverance, courage, and hope, tangerine for wealth, orange for happiness, lychee for household peace, pine resin for constancy, golden kumquat, pussy willow, and quince for prosperity, narcissus and King mandarin for good fortune, and peach blossom for longevity, with a splash of blazing red of dragon’s blood… to help you scare away the rampaging Nian.


Wow, this is super-fruity. I'm definitely picking up a bit of the lychee (looove that fruit!) and citrus. On the other hand, it's not too sweet -- it's slightly bitter, too, which balances the fruit nicely. I'm getting a little bit of a soapy tinge from one of the components -- trying to identify it and hoping it doesn't go any farther.

General impression is a uplifting blend with barely contained energy -- it feels like a coiled spring! Will probably keep the imp; will need to test again before it goes away to assess need for more.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Holy cannoli, I love this! As others have described it, this is a bright, energizing, effervescent scent. On me, the fruit has center stage while the florals seem to hover around the edges, and the pine resin somehow seems to pin the whole lovely ensemble together.

 

After a few minutes, the resin has faded into the background, and the overall effect is more subdued and spicy/floral than it was initially. There is some mystery note that i LOVE--it's something in the floral mix I think, that wafts up from time to time. Peony? Is that you?

 

What a happy purchase! For me, this is like the epitome of a good sunshiney-mood smell. Love it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In the bottle: fruity fruity fruit. They're all mixing together, and I couldn't single any note out.

 

On my skin: a very lovely blend of citrus, something sugared, and tons of mandarin. I like it to be sure.

 

After a couple of hours: after being fruity for quite a long time, it ends up more classically 'perfumey' and a little floral.

 

Verdict: lovely, but I have so many scents, I'm not sure I'll keep the bottle.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In the bottle, its all mandarin and tangerine, sharp and sweet, almost cloying and over-ripe but also very inviting. Mmm... seductive almost. Like the temptation to over-indulge.

 

Wet on the skin, mandarin and sweet citrus still predominate but other fruits rise up to assert themselves. I couldn't stop smelling myself - again, a very indulgent scent. Voluptuous but sparkling and energetic, the teasing laugh of a whore as she peels a ripe tangerine and offers you a moist bite, right before kissing the juice from your lips.

 

Upon drying, the aroma becomes very balanced, still sweet, warm, yet vibrant. A picnic of fruit in a meadow of flowers on a bright and sunny day. This scent is a delight to wear, it brings a smile to my face. The notes mingle beautifully and with wear I can almost catch a resiny hint that must be the dragons blood, yet is very subtle and elusive.

 

Fire Pig, to me, feels abundant. Luxurious without being langorous, joyful and overflowing with goodness. So so glad I ordered this.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In the bottle:

Mmm plum and peony!

 

On me:

This goes on very pink and refreshing - the plum is beautiful - it smells fresh and clean and a little sweet but not too much so. The peony is also lovely, not quite as heady as it is in Peony Moon.

 

And then there is suddenly this bright, tart tangerine and mandarin scent. It's very uplifting and just wonderful! There is there other tart note in here that smells vaguely citrus like but it isn't the tangerine or mandarin so I'm going to guess it's the lychee? It's definitely a fruit note. It's so zesty and clean that it smells like someone is peeling citrus fruits right in front you, seriously.

 

This ends up being softly sweet and mostly fruity and uplifting.

 

Final note:

This is beautiful, it's definitely more along the lines of what I was expecting with the fruits and peony. It's airy, lightly sweet and fruity. A wonderful blend to lift your spirits I think, I have a feeling I'll be wearing this a lot this Spring!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In the bottle: sharp fruit with a booze note

 

Wet:

 

- pomegranate

- guava

- apple

- rich fruit ambrosia

- plumeria

- flower punch

 

dry: peach and pear

 

This fades on me to nothing. I must try it in a scent locket. Mmhmm.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wet: spicy fruit, with citrus and peach the main notes.

Drydown: spicy citrus, peach, and lychee, with something floral almost hidden behind them. A vague hint of quince starting to come out. Wow, I like this. Why didn't I get a whole bottle?

Dry: spicy citrus, lychee, quince and soft peach, with a very nice background of green bamboo. But there's supposed to be dragon's blood in this? Where?

 

I keep thinking the Fire Pig goes out to play with Bakeneko.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

at first: a sweet, fruity floral.

on: i can smell the sugary lychee in this, along with orange and a host of other fruits and some flowers. very pretty.

half an hour later: sweet fruits with some flowers in the background.

1 hour later: a generally warm fruit-floral scent.

2 hours later: the notes of this blend are hard to distinguish. i'm getting a nice, warm, floral scent with soft fruits.

3.5 hours later: a bit brighter and fruitier, but with a nice floral in the background.

overall: this is really pretty, but not "me".

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In the Imp: Peaches and lychee dominate with the peony floral just behind it.

 

Initial Wet: Peony! And oranges soaked in sugar.

 

Initial Dry: The bamboo mixes nicely with the fruits resulting in a unique sweet green scent. Still mostly sweet orange citruses.

 

Dryer Dry: I can't exactly pick out all the notes, but it's certainly sweet and fruity. It reminds me of generically fruit-flavored gum. I think the citruses are more dominant than the other notes and occasionally I'll get a whiff of lychee.

 

Overall, I think it's a nice scent, but it's very much not me. It's too fruity and girlie for my tastes and I was hoping there would be more dragon's blood and pine. I am surprised that it didn't go horribly sour on me, since fruits tend to do that. I'm curious to see what aging will do to it, so I'll keep the imp around.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This is a big melange of tropical/exotic fruits and peony. Very light, fruity and appropriate for summer (or when you want to feel like it's summer, like today, perhaps!). I wore this today and was pleasantly surprised by this scent. It did not go sharp at all or become to heady (peony sometimes does that to me, like in Peony Moon). I smelled like a wonderful fruit salad :P My only complaint is that it did not last very long- after three hours it was all but gone. All in all this is a very unique blend for my BPAL collection and I will definitely wear it in the warmer weather. I bet it will smell fantastic in a scent locket, too!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wet: Fruity, citrusy yum.

 

First on: Peach, lychee, orange, tangerine...and maybe some narcissus & peony. Really bright orange scent, I think.

 

Dry: Dragon's blood came out to play. :P Adds a touch of resinous cherry, and I get a bit of pine and plum now as well. Wonderful blend!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I was undecided on this for so long but finally bought a bottle from someone because I couldn't wait to try it any longer!

 

I love fruits -- even though they don't last on my skin I can't resist trying something with a lot of fruit notes dancing around in it. The only fruits I'm "eh" on in this are the orangey ones. I actually made a list of what notes in this do and don't work for me, while I was debating over it:

 

Love: Bamboo, lychee, pine resin, kumquat, quince, peach blossom

Feel optimistic about: Peony, pussy willow, plum blosson, dragon's blood

Dubious of: orange, narcissus, tangerine

 

That said, Fire Pig sounded to me like it would be an amalgam of almost all of the Lunacy blends last year. Bamboo from Holiday Moon, Plum blossom from Budding Moon, Peony from...well, Peony Moon, dragon's blood from Dragon's Moon and so on.

 

And lo and behold, that's how it does smell on me! All of the best parts of a lot of the Lunacy blends from 2006 that I didn't wind up keeping bottles of, because they were too light or not strong enough to keep up with my incense-burning skin. There are so many shades and colors in this blend: the biting tart pale green of bamboo, the bubbling orange and golden fruits, the bite of citrus and the soft mellow sweetness of peach. It's all swimming in the flickering reddish-orange warmth of dragon's blood that adds a faint cherry tinge to the mixture.

 

Oddly, it also smells a lot like melon on me: honeydew and cantaloupe. So for that, it also reminds me of Fruit Moon, which was too light for me to wear. This, however, has a lot more staying power and works especially well in the locket, though it doesn't morph as much in there.

 

I think this will occupy a unique place in my scent wardrobe, and I will reach for it a lot when it finally freaking warms up outside!

 

Oh, and my DH said it smelled like strawberry, which he thought was just fabulous. A coworker said I smell like a craft store, but I don't think that was meant to be a criticism. :P

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wow! This is yelling at me. Very strongly FRUITY and CLEAN. Strong and sharp - this is one of the only BPALs to actually make me sneeze! That bamboo note is pretty powerful in the beginning.

 

As it dries it softens a tiny bit, but remains tart and juicy. It's not soapy, but I would love soap like this - refreshing and clean. It's also on the more commercial/mainstream side of Beth's creations. This will be loved by many!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Fire Pig

 

In the bottle: CITRUS! This is a fizzy, zingy explosion of orange that eclipses even Sol Invictus. Remember how Josey used to write Moxie in big orange letters? I think FIRE PIG deserves this now.

Wet on skin: sharp, tangy citrus-orange and mandarin and kumquat-with a hint of sweetness from the floral notes.

Dry on skin: whoa, what a firework of sparkling, vivacious scent! It's very, very, very citrus, lots of bittersweet and sharply effervescent fruits like orange and mandarin, along with a hint of delicious sweet lychee (oh lychee, how I love you…) and peach to smooth things out. I don't smell very much else apart from the citrus and other fruits and a few floral notes, but I like this. It's such a happy scent! At times it reminds me of TBS Tangerine scents, it really is that citrus-y.

After a while: this is unusual in that the citrus lasts a long time! Usually citrus notes fade away after a few minutes but in here, the tangerine is still going strong, still adding it's fizzy, sunny, happy scent. I do smell more of the blossoms now, plum blossom and peach blossom, as well as a hint of fresh green bamboo and some peony as well. At this point it reminds me of the Asian moons but with a jolt of fruit. The plum blossom and peony really come out after a while, making this smell very much like Peony Moon, but brighter and with citrus and a very soft hint of lychee. The drydown is almost indistinguishable from Peony Moon on me, fruity Chinese flowers, delicate, graceful and fresh. This is a springtime-summer scent for sure. I don't get any dragon's blood here.

After a few hours the plum blossom amps up and turns very fruity and sweet…like champaca this floral note can turn a little cloying and banana like at times but in here, like in Peony Moon, it doesn't thanks to the other notes keeping it in check.

Verdict: wow! This is such a joyous, celebratory scent, but with an Asian twist to it-the perfect Chinese New Year scent. At first it is probably the most citrus-y BPAL scent I've encountered after Lustration and TAL Energy. Oranges and tangerines and other citrus fruits that just burst with vivid liveliness. The lovely lychee adds a welcome sweetness to these tangy notes. The citrus notes last for a remarkably long time, but when they eventually fade, out come the bamboo and the springy scents of blossoms and peonies. In fact, the drydown to this scent is very much like the Chinese moon scents, especially Peony Moon, there's a very similar scent of peony and plum blossom here. Thankfully the bamboo seems to prevent the plum blossom from sweetening too much. I would have loved more lychee at drydown, but apart from this I really love this smile-inducing fragrance. This scent really is one of optimism and happiness, there is nothing dark or deep here, just smiley citrus coupled with graceful springtime blooms. A scent that speaks of a wonderful outlook for the coming year, a fantastic 'wake up' scent, a great spring-summer scent, and perfect for any time I need cheering up.

Emoticon rating: :P

Is it a keeper? of course!

If you like this, try: Aizen Myoo, Peony Moon, Tweedledee, Sol Invictus, Night Gaunt, Lustration, Holiday Moon, Budding Moon

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Where I come from fire+pig=barbeque, so I approached Fire Pig with a degree of trepidation.

 

In the vial: tropical and fruity.

 

On: Tropical fruit salad. It is sweet, but not cloying. There is the faintest whiff of plum blossom.

 

Dry: Tropical, fruity and fun.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

OK, wait. What's in this? Peony, bamboo, plum blossom, tangerine, orange, lychee, pine resin, kumquat, pussy willow, quince, narcissus, King madarin, peach blossom, and dragon's blood. Holy smokes, that's a long list of notes. I would think it would smell confused and odd. But... it doesn't.

 

When it's wet the tangerine is pretty strong, but as it dries down the tangerine isn't quite so prominent. It's smells like a good, sweet, fruity scent, but not entirely fruity. Not like just fruit and nothing else. I would never have able to guess what was in this. It smells well-rounded and well-balanced. It smells unusual but also familiar. Grounded but whimsical. Cute but solid.

 

I'm not sure how to describe it. I know I like it, but I don't know why.

 

But it makes me smile to smell it, and that's good enough for me. :P

Edited by filigree_shadow

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Mmm - this is bright and fruity and happy. Wet, this screams OMG, CITRUS JOY!!!! As it dries, the other notes - the plum blossom, the bamboo, the breath of DB, and maybe just a whiff of peony come out. This is actually very soft and mild on my skin - it is definitely bright and happy, but it is doesn't scream to be smelled once it's on. I expect I will be getting a lot of use out of this for spring.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

FIRE PIG

 

In Bottle: Fruity love!

 

On Skin: This is a bright fruity scent with a nice orangey red tone. It has the feeling of celebration and cheer! The fruits blend so well, I feel like I’m drinking a smoothie from Jamba Juice. Sweet, but also a gorgeous tart citrus note. I can smell light florals in the background, but they are dwarfed by the fruits. The dragon’s blood is also faint, but adds a sweetness and also heightens the red tone of the scent. This scent is very beautiful, and while I was scared of it at first because I thought it would just be fruit… I realize as it develops, the florals come out more and it is a very feminine and pretty scent. I’ll be wearing this for sure, especially when I need a bright happy feeling. I can’t imagine not smiling while wearing this scent. Strong throw and medium wearlength.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In bottle: fruit explosion!

 

On skin: fizzy grapefruit blast, lots and lots of citrus

 

Half-hour later: this calmed down a lot with some additional florals. Dragon's Blood will overpower a blend on me but it's behaving in this one

 

In conclusion: a nice peppy blend that comes on very strong with the fruits, but mellows out later with the florals. I'm really enjoying this one and will wear often in the summer.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wet this smells like fruit salad. In particular, it smells like canned fruit salad with cherries. As it dries something else creeps out, and it doesn't quite agree with me. There are multiple notes in this blend I've never worn before, so I can't say which one it might be. It's at the same time a little too sweet, a little too sour, and a touch chemical, so it might be a combination of notes. Unfortunately it's giving me a bit of a headache, so I'm going to have to send my cute little piggie bottle off to swaps. :P

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

:D this is a wonderful, happy, sparkly, fruity, summer scent! I am a Pig myself (though not a fire pig, but I had to get this anyway).

 

It is very seamlessly blended, I find it hard to pick out the notes, but it is quite citrusy. Not in a "plegde" kind of way, rather in a juicy blood oranges kind of way :P with other sweet blossoms and fruit mixed into the salad!

 

LOVE this and look forward to slathering myself in it!

 

ETA: it is a bit strong and quite sweet if I over apply, I have discovered. So proceed with caution. That said, it is lovely

Edited by Browneyes

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Bottle: Very fresh and fruity, like a fruit bowl placed in front of my nose (with a floral garnish)

Wet: The lychee and kumquat are foremost among the fruits, this is pretty much all fruit at this point - but it's not sweet or artificial..this is fresh, and almost refreshing like the first really deep breath of spring when I can really smell the season change.

Dry: The fruit has backed off some to let the florals come out - no one floral is standing out, but I can, if I try, pick out the peony and plum blossom (the two notes that really attracted me the first time I read the description).

Later: the finish is an almost smoky sweetness, perhaps that's the bamboo, willow, and resin - I don't know. But the end is really lovely on me - I was pretty uncertain through the strong fruity phases, because often fruit do Bad Things on me, but there was no unfortunate morphing (just fruit, which I'm not necessarily big on smelling like..they were nice, but on me they weren't OMGawesome). I am glad I didn't get a bottle, this isn't that amazing on me, but it is nice, very nice during the latter half when the fruit are almost an afterthought behind other notes (like the white peach in Imp, on my skin) so I think I may have to consider getting a decant..this will be lovely for spring, and it might be interesting layered with one of my other springtime favorites, Peony Moon.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This starts very bright and fruity, mainly lychee (which I love!). The fruit all but vanishes and leaves a soft and buttery floral which is cheerful and sunny. I will probably enjoy this in late spring and summer.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In the bottle this reminds me completely of Fruit Moon, a scent I loved but ultimately traded because I didn't want to SMELL like a fruit bowl.

 

On, this has some of the perfumey note I get from Et Lux Fuit and The Living Flame - I'm not sure what note does this, but it definitely adds a dimension Fruit Moon doesn't have - probably a combo of the blossoms and the resin.

 

As it dries, I am struck that this would layer nicely with a lot of the BBW scents that are sweet + fruity at the same time - Sweet Pea, Moonlight Path, the cherry blossom line, and others.

 

This was purchased for my sister's birthday anyway, but it's been sitting on my dresser begging me to try it, so I did. I'm glad I bought it for someone else, and hopefully it isn't too floral for her!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Ohhh, I love this. I just received a decant of this from my lovely Switch Witch and wow.

Wet it was in my face fruity with peach and tangerine at the forefront. As it dries though it becomes this really neat combination of juicy and crisp scents. It is very pretty and girly and a wonderful scent for spring! I can not decide if I want to snag a bottle of it or not, but I will definitely enjoy putting this decant to use!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×