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Where I buy the only perfume, to date, that I can wear. They're essential oils rather than full of chemicals, is the thing. I even managed to track down a blend that smells very like my favorite Hello Kitty apple blossom perfume from when I was six (which I still have, too). (The Hesperides, if you're wondering.) My all-time favorite is still Tamora ("Amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom and vanilla bean"), one of the first six I tried, although I also have a semi-legendary obsession with Glitter ("white wine, heliotrope, d'Anjou pear, and lotus"). Other blends I particularly like:

• Beaver Moon ("cheesecake and cupcakes")

• Dorian ("A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea")

• Eden ("fig leaf, fig fruit, honeyed almond milk, toasted coconut and sandalwood")

• Fae ("white musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss")

• Freak Show ("fig, pomegranate and cocoa bean with lemon, bergamot, vanilla, mellow honey musk, calamus and tonka")

• High John the Conqueror (user description: "grapes, herbs, and bundles of wildflowers laid on the ground")

• Hollywood Babylon ("glittering Egyptian amber and heliotrope, the sweetness of strawberry and vanilla, red musk and a dribble of black cherry")

• Imp ("white peach, amber, golden musk and patchouli")

• Siren ("White ginger, jasmine, and a touch of vanilla and apricot")

• Swank ("the scent of a crisp pomegranate martini")

• Titania ("white grape, white peach, iced pear, musk rose, sweet pea, moonflower and snapdragon")

• Verdandi ("Deep herbs and apple with black amber")

Why yes, I do like the foody/fruity scents, thanks for noticing. Much to my surprise, though, I don't like flowery scents at all, and orchid gives me actual headaches. I'm much better off with fruit and vanilla, and the Lab's apricot, peach and pear notes are among my favorites.

It's worth noting, also, that BPAL has an intensely devoted customer base that is actually considered a fandom on Fandom Wank. The most frequent criticism you hear of the BPAL product or website is that it's "too goth," although I just find that to be an extra layer of fun on the whole thing; unlike a lot of (real) goths I've run into, Beth the Lab Mistress has an actual sense of humor.

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