Just because something isn't "mainstream" doesn't make it fake, or less than. It's just different, and there's certainly nothing wrong with different. And to be honest, some of the most interesting and nicest scents that I've found have been found in the oddest of places, whether it's the metaphysical shop or head shop. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is one of those little hidden gems, that diamond in the rough so to speak.

For me personally, I like this company. Of the products that I've gotten a chance to try, I have to say that I genuinely like what I have. I think they smell fantastic, and are very fun and daring to wear. I like everything, from the spicy sweetness of Snake Oil, all the way to the fun fruit n' booze combination of Bordello. To me, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab steps outside of the box, and I think that's worked out rather well for them.

Plus, given the fact they have 600+ scents, you're bound to find something that you like, and at $20.00 I think that's a reasonable price. The fact that these scents last so long is just an extra bonus.

If this rating was for marketing and copywriting, I'd give BPAL 5 stars. But it's for their perfumes, so they'll get nothing close.

I fell for the BPAL hype for a while, and still own more than my share of little brown bottles (I need to get motivated and sell them to buy real perfume.) Eventually, I realized that the names and stories about the scents were far superior to the scents themselves.

Despite how industrious and hardworking Beth, et al., is, I do not consider it possible to create scents at the rate she does and keep coming up with new ideas. Some of her scents are quite nice, but the majority of the *hundreds* she offers are merely a bunch of perfume oils thrown together, accompanied by very engaging ad copy.

The bpal.org fangirls are the fiercest of fans, and will cut you low if you stray from their belief that Beth is a genius and perfumer's alcohol is evil incarnate (and the cause of all number of conditions from migraines to dermatitis). I hope they're happy with their [very expensive] little bottles, and someday take the time to educate themselves about the art an science of the "commercial" perfumery they so disdain.

I have been buying from BPAL for many years, but this will be the last time I give this company any more of my money. Now, the perfumes themselves are lovely, and I have found quite a few that work wonderfully with my chemistry, and I enjoy their staying power. What's even better is how the scent of each perfume changes throughout the years, each note within the scent becoming stronger or softer. It's almost like getting a new perfume with each passing year.

It's not the product that is driving me away, in search of other perfume oil providers, it is their sub-par customer service and shipping time. It's gotten worse over the years, and the delivery time has grown twice as long. I am going through the same shipping experience as the MUA reviewer Brujeria5. CCNow states that my order shipped on the 30th of September, yet here we are in mid-October and I have not received anything. I got the same answer from BPAL customer service, blaming it all on CCNow's payment system. These perfume oils are unique, and they do leave a lasting impression on others{there are people that associate me with Haunted, my signature BPAL scent} but it is not worth the hassle you will go through in having these delivered to you in any reasonable amount of time.

I have tried and loved so many oils from BPAL that it's hard to pick any favourites. Their perfumes are so richly scented, beautifully blended, and inspired. There is truly a BPAL oil for any mood, season, or occasion.

These days I wear my Chanel or Guerlain perfumes much more often, but I still reach for and enjoy my BPAL blends. I agree with other reviewers that the quality of the blends has gone down the last few years -- and I would recommend any new person to BPAL to stay away from the Limited Editions and stick to the general catalog scents, because they are not only cheaper, but a lot of the time, they are better.

I am not going to get all super-poetic or anything, but I will say that I adore BPAL. As a previous reviewer said, it is like art. In my experience, the fragrances are so much more real. BPAL's rose notes smell like roses. I've tried some high-end and some less expensive perfumes and they all just smell like perfume. BPAL oils smell like beautiful conglomerations of the notes that they contain. I was pretty skeptical that they could make so many blends and still come up with unique stuff, but I've sampled some things here and there across their catalog and I just love everything about this company. I think I've totally fallen out of love with Chanel and other high-end perfumers and now BPAL is my true love.

I've loved a lot of the scents I've tried, even if they were bad on me (skin chemistry is different for everyone) or if I was looking for something different.

Downside is that there are so many different scents! Wading through them is boggling, and unless you're looking for something specific you've got loads on the to-try list.

Favorite of all time is Xiuhtecuhtli. Copal, orange blossom, yummm!

I have only purchased Imps from this company, but I've purchased 15 of them now. I have yet to find a scent that I even like. They all give me a headache and most of them smell disgusting. These are not blends of natural essential oils, but blends of horrible chemical perfume scents. There is nothing natural about any of these. Even combinations that sound simple wind up smelling like garbage. If I wanted to spend money on a larger amount I would go to Walmart and buy some of their scented potpourri liquids they have. There are about 50 different scents there for $3 a bottle and I'm sure I could make something that smelled better than anything I've gotten from BPAL.

I have been buying BPAL since 2004, and i still love them, but with the new price increase starting at $20.00 and up for a LE bottle, & $7.50 s&h, i will not be able to afford to buy from them anymore. I feel the same way as the other reviewer, what the hell happened to the BPAL, we all use to know and love? And the LE's can be frustrating, by the time i know which ones i like and want to buy, and save enough money for them, they are gone!! BPAL is going from a niche co. to a mainstream perfume house, what a shame, seems that money has blinded them into selling too many items, and too many perfume selections, and the perfume quality has suffered.

Tried six samples and each were a total wreck - chemical, linear, flat. I don't have sensitive skin, but half of them made my skin burn, leaving red splotches on my wrists.

Haha, and it's like that Annie Hall quote: "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible...and such small portions!" They don't last on my skin for more than an hour.

People say you just have to keep trying them until you find one that works, but that is RIDICULOUS. I don't expect to love every single scent a perfumer creates, but having 90% of them be scrubbers is unacceptable.

They use cheap materials and churn out hundreds of perfumes a year and it shows.

Well, pros and cons with this line. It's pretty cheap, reliable service, ships to Aus with no hassles, and an extraordinary array of scents to choose from. However, it took me quite a while to find some I REALLY liked, and some just smell downright musty/ depressing. My tip is to order imps of the ones you think you'll like, as it will save you a lot of money in the long run. PS Snake oil is VERY close to the old body shop vanilla perfume oil, with that balsamic dry down.