Needle in a Haystack BPAL description: Hay absolute, sun-baked pumpkin rind, twisting vines, and the tiniest sparkle of gleaming metal. In the bottle: PUMPKIN (ie butter) which annoyed the hell..., somehow melancholy. Dry: I liked this better than I expected, but it still isn't something I'd wear. It fits the notes, description, and concept beautifully. Feminine. Both tested at EC Will Call.

Harvest Moon 2008 BPAL description: Balsam fir, cedar, juniper berry, clove, saffron, damson plum, sage, black cherry, and fennel with the crushed wine grapes of Dionysus and Janus' lingum aloes. ...of foody, sweet, Bourbon-boozy vanlla, and then more faintly herbal and spicy - boozy/herbal from the bay rum. Whisper of light tobacco. Definitely a masculine scent. Both tested at EC Will Call.

BPAL description: Honeyed milk, baby powder, lavender, orris root, sage, carnation, angelica, frankincense, and rose otto. In the bottle: Almost juicy and fruity, but mostly herbal. Light and fresh... super floral, soapy orris. No juiciness, no herbs. Hint of milky baby powder base. Summary: Final dry down is intense floral-soap and baby powder. Had to wash off. Strong throw and lasting power

BPAL description: Overgrown dark green bullrush, midnight roses, dwarf St. John's Wart, frankincense, blackberry leaf, and moss-coevered, half-buried tree bark. In the bottle: Bright golden oil...amps over time, so it's blackberry, earthy moss, smoky bark, and soapy roses with light frankincense and dark herbs. Unisex to masculine. Good throw and lasting power. Too dark and soapy for me

Fearful Pleasure BPAL description: Dried orange peels floating in simmering cider, roasted apples, smoldering firewood, chimney smoke, sassafras beer, warm hawthorn wood, and oakmoss. In the bottle... Summary: Final dry down is stale clove cigarettes and earthy woods. Warm and autumnal indeed, but too much clove for me. Quite a morpher overall. Unisex to masculine. Low throw, fair lasting power

BPAL description: Cream, honey, fig, quince, cos lettuce, pomegranate, pear, wild cucumber, carrot, marrow squash, saffron crocus, and bergamot. In the bottle: Colourless oil. Delicately sweet,...with gentle crocus. The quince and cucumber stand out, but it's a truly harmonious and stunning blend. Feminine. Good throw and lasting power. I oh so desperately want more of this, as I knew I would. :

BPAL description: Leather tanned with the pulp of Amazon ferns and rainforest herbs. In the bottle: Colourless oil. Slick leather, almost sharply so - not the old, weathered sort - and bright, slightly... masculine leather and sharp, astringent, herbal greenery - tea tree, bay, and very faint grassy fern. The fading of the fern and amping of the herbs makes this rather harsh. Good throw and lasting power

BPAL description: Autumn leaves scattered among blades of grass. In the bottle: GRASS, dandelion (no one else got this), dry leaves. Dry: Rather bitter, very green. Incredibly true and natural; exactly as described in notes and just as evocative. Unisex to masculine. Tested at EC Will Call.

BPAL description: Carrot peelings, hay, chaff, molasses, maple oats, red apples, stable wood, and musk. In the bottle: Pale yellow oil. Carrots, hay, grains and wood. It smells rather like a farmer's... Men, definitely, if anyone. Hay, oak, and maybe other spicy wood with softly sweet mapley oats, dusty chaff, and warm animal musk. Wisps of carrot and molasses. Low throw, good lasting power

To Autumn BPAL description: Mist-swirled, moss-covered bark and dry red leaves, apple pulp and knotty galangal, with poppy juice and nutmeat. In the bottle: Light goldenrod-coloured oil. Woody...wood and tomato leaf. In the bottle: Bright yellow coloured oil. Tart, fruity, herbal woods. Cranberry and blackberry, definitely cedar and pine, astringent herbs and pungent tomato leaf. Masculine