A shameful amount of BPAL reviews
Dec. 8th, 2006 07:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
inmyriadbitsHello, my name is Lindsey, and I'm a BPAL addict.
This post is totally skip-able; I've just had reviews of scents I've tried piling up over the past year or so, and I decided to post the finished ones, in an attempt to clear out the cobwebs. However, there are...a lot. Like, a LOT. It's kind of impressive, in an embarrassing way. A lot of these are Cassandra's, but I'm not going to try to distinguish that here. Keep in mind that this is over the course of a year; I'm not entirely insane! I think.
Tavern of Hell [Bewitching Brews]: Sometimes I would venture from my sepulchre to the jazz of night Paris, where having gathered the colours, I would think them over in front of the fire. I could be seen walking through a funeral corridor of my house and descending down a black spiral of steep stairs; rushing underground to Montmartre, all impatience to see the fiery rubies of the Moulin Rouge cross. I wondered thereabouts, then bought a ticket to watch frenzied delirium of feathers, vulgar painted lips and eyelashes of black and blue.
Naked feet, and thighs, and arms, and breasts were being flung on me from bloody-red foam of translucent clothes. The tuxedoed goatees and crooked noses in white vests and toppers would line the hall, with their hands posed on canes. Then I found myself in a pub, where the liqueurs were served on a coffin (not a table) by the nickering devil: "Drink it, you wretched!" Having drunk, I returned under the black sky split by the flaming vanes, which the radiant needles of my eyelashes cross-hatched. In front of my nose a stream of bowler hats and black veils was still pulsing, foamy with bluish green and warm orange of feathers worn by the night beauties: to me they were all one, as I had to narrow my eyes for insupportable radiance of electric lamps, whose hectic fires would be dancing beneath my nervous eyelids for many a night to come. White gardenia, ambergris bouquet, lavender fougere, orange blossom, melissa, tobacco flower, coriander, ebony wood, ylang ylang, absinthe and aged whiskey.
(Yes, it's one of those BPAL descriptions. Shut up.) I loved this one. It was so complex--floral, smoky, a little green, a little fruity, a little boozy. It's one of those gorgeous blends where you can't pick out the individual notes because it's so well blended, and the effect is fabulous. Too bad this one doesn't actually belong to me...
Sed Non Satiata [Love Potions]: A pounding heartbeat coalesced into scent: demonic passion and brutal sexuality manifested through myrrh, red patchouli, cognac, honey, and tuberose and geranium in a breathy, panting veil over the darkest body musk.
(I edited out the poem in the description, because it really was too long.) This one was very sexy, as it should be. I'm going to have to try it again, because I was splitting my attention between several scents and didn't really pick up the subtleties of this one, which was also well blended--floral, incense, and musk, with a touch of booze from the cognac. Very interesting.
Mouse's Long & Sad Tale [Mad Tea Party]: Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood.
This was very pretty and light. It's a little sweet from the vanilla and sweet pea, but the white sandalwood adds just enough of a bite that it stays interesting and the amber gives some depth. ML&ST has the same elegant delicacy and gentleness that I like so much about Lorelai, so kudos for that.
Skuld [Excolo: The Norns]: Being. Ylang ylang, honey, Egyptian and Arabian musks and labdanum.
Eh. This was very much an "eh" reaction. The notes didn't mix well or create any kind of unique effect. I could pick out the musks, the ylang-ylang, and the honey really easily, and something else that I assume was labdanum, which I think is a floral note. I was unimpressed.
Bluebeard [Diabolus]: A scent swirling with dark rage, unbridled jealousy, and murderous intent. Violet, lavender, white musk and vetiver.
Woo, this was a cool one. It's very prickly and dark and strong, and once again evocative of its name. It's a bit wild and dangerous and threatening, but fascinating and attractive. Brrr. It's not really my taste as a perfume, but it's a really neat scent.
Miskatonic University [LE - A Picnic In Arkham]: A venerable New England university, whose vast library holds many rare, diabolical and obscure arcane works, including one of the few surviving legitimate copies of the Necronomicon. Home to innumerable scholars of the esoteric and the occult, and the notorious Dr. Herbert West.
The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls.
This smells exactly like coffee and Bailey's Irish Cream. It's kind of amazing. There's also a touch of something drier, which I assume is due to whatever wood notes are in there, but mostly it smells like Irish coffee. The coffee's a little stronger than my cup of tea (a ha, ha, ha...); I prefer mellow coffee with lots of sugar and cream, and this is a lot stronger, especially with the Bailey's. I'm not sure if I would want to wear it as a scent, but it's admirable as a creation nonetheless.
Silence [The Salon]: White sandalwood, iris, blue musk, lotus root, moonflower, plum blossom, green tea, white mint and white peach.
Man, this one was so good. It's very evocative of the painting it's inspired by--a bleak, wintry, blue and white hued person, hooded, holding a finger up to their mouth. Silence smells white and blue, cool and a little sharp, but quietly rounded at the edges. I can't pick out individual notes, but I think the sandalwood and mint give it that icy edge, and the flowers and peach round it out and cool it down. God, it's gorgeous. I may have to get some for myself, but I'll try Cassandra's bottle a few more times to make sure. :)
Dia de Los Muertos 2006 [LE - Halloweenie]: A joyous celebration of La Catarina, La Flaca, La Muerte… Glorious, Beautiful Death. In Mexico, death is not something to be feared or hated; She is embraced, loved, and adored. La Muerte is fêted, as the celebrant "…chases after it, mocks it, courts it, hugs it, sleeps with it; it is his favorite plaything and his most lasting love." This is a Mexican paean to La Huesuda: dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom and desert cereus.
I'm not sure about this one. The test wasn't encouraging. It's gently sweet and a bit dry. It smelled really nice in the beginning, like fall air with a touch of sweetness, but at another point it smelled slightly vomitous and then changed into something else. I wasn't wild about it.
Wolf's Heart [Voodoo Blends]: Grants courage under extreme conditions, helps overcome fear of death, and strengthens the fortitude of artists and businessmen, enabling them to further their goals.
I didn't get a very good read off this one. It was kind of clean, businesslike, and maybe had some lavender? It wasn't terribly distinct, so I'm going to have to try it again without the 18 other scents competing with it.
Alice [Mad Tea Party]: Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot.
This faded very fast and was quite faint while it lasted. It was pretty when it first went on and the florals were around. Then the milk and bergamot notes clashed on me, creating a sort of sour milk smell. I'm not a fan, needless to say.
Gluttony [Sin & Salvation: Seven Deadly Sins]: Thick, sugared and bloated with sweetness. Dark chocolate, vanilla, buttercream, and hops with pralines, hazelnut, toffee and caramel.
Another I wasn't wild about. I think dark chocolate is another note that doesn't work on me/doesn't agree with my nose, because the chocolate in this was very similar to the cocoa note Centzon Totochtin, only with more sweetness (vanilla, buttercream, etc.) and less wine/rum. It was sickly and kind of gross and not really like chocolate at all (Cassandra says it smells like gravy. I'm not going to argue much with that. Ick). It's a shame, because it started off very edible, but quickly went bad and was strong. Ick.
Ladon [Ars Draconis]: The hundred-headed dragon that guards the garden of the Hesperides: dragon’s blood resin, golden apple, apple blossom, white musk and hyacinth.
Hmm. Another I'm not sure about. It was very cool--it actually smelled like a fresh-picked apple; it was like the peel, crisp and a little earthy and tart, especially while wet. The drydown brought out what I assume is the dragon's blood, as it was a touch sweet and resin-y. The florals and musk kept it from being too heavy. I'm not sure what I think of it, though. I don't think I'd wear it, however much I admire the craftsmanship. I'm going to have to try it again to pick out more of the complexities.
Black Dahlia [Sin & Salvation]: Voluptuous magnolias strewn over orchid, star jasmine, black amber and smoky rose.
Ooh. I really liked this one. I love jasmine, and the magnolia (I think; maybe also/instead it was the orchid) had the same effect lotus does on me--it makes this creamy smoothness out of the scent. It's so cool, because it's completely reminiscent of the feel of magnolia or lotus petals. There was this depth to Black Dahlia that I assume came from the black amber and "smoky rose," but who knows. I was too busy admiring this one to pick out notes, because the overall effect was masterful. Smooth, dark, and elegant. I love it.
Pele [Excolo]: Whimsical, temperamental, radiant and ravishingly beautiful Goddess of Volcanoes, Fire, Lightning and Dance. She is the Mother of Eruptions and the personification of destructive power. Volcanic eruptions are said to be a side-effect of her jealous rages and her epic quarrels with her siblings are legendary. This perfume embodies her gentler, benign aspect as the capricious Goddess of Dance: muguet and Hawaiian white ginger enveloped by warm, damp tropical blooms.
This is another I really, really like. It's bright and floral with a touch of spice from the ginger. Despite the "tropical blooms," it keeps this freshness about it, like spring air. I can't really put it in words, but it's fabulous. I must get my own.
Sundew [Rappaccini's Garden]: A carnivorous enchantress: diverse, lovely and graceful, emitting a sticky, glowing golden, sweet and terminally inviting scent. Its dew is believed to grant eternal beauty and longevity, and restore vitality and vigor to the magician.
This was soft and bright and fresh. I didn't think it was stickily sweet at all, like I was expecting. I can't really figure out how to describe it. It was a bit like Sea Of Glass, only floral rather than aquatic? It's one of those abstract ones.
White Rabbit [Mad Tea Party]: Strong black tea and milk with white pepper, ginger, honey and vanilla, spilled over the crisp scent of clean linen.
This went a bit wrong on me a little like Alice did. Maybe it's the milk note that's turning sour on me? I'll have give them both another shot, but I'm not that hopeful.
Antique Lace [Bewitching Brews]: Nostalgia encapsulated. A soft, wistful blend of dry flowers, aged linens, and the faint breath of long-faded perfumes.
This is dry, a tiny bit floral, and mostly vanilla. Yep, vanilla-y, powdery perfume; it makes me think of a tiny B&B with old-fashioned drapes and canopy beds and lots of sunshine. It's pleasant, but not my style.
Ogun [Excolo]: Ogun is the Master of Iron, Lord of the Knife, the Toolmaker, the Supreme Hunter, the God of War. He is primal instinct, energy and motion, strife and resolution, effort and perspiration, locomotion, force, contraction and expansion. He is the lord of all mines and mineral wealth, and his energy is expressed in the transformation of sandstone into marble and carbon into diamonds. His control over transformation transcends this into the metaphorical: Ogun helps to shape the spirit, and hone it into something finer, and He compels us to look deep inside ourselves, searching for our true potential. He is physical might, ruler of the heart, giver of courage and sustainer of war, and is the bond that men fashion with one another during battle. He is gunpowder. Ogun is responsible for teaching mankind to fashion tools and weapons from iron, and his primary implements are the anvil, hammer, machete, rake, hoe, shovel, pick and pry. His favored animal is the dog, who shares his loyalty and unflagging strength. Ogun’s ofrenda is heavy and dark cigar tobacco, gin and juniper, melon, chili pepper and a touch of honey.
Ogun feels green to me, which I wasn't expecting; I was thinking it would be dark brown, like Centzon Totochtin. I'm not sure why. Anyway, I think that dark green freshness comes from tobacco leaves and melon mixing with the astringency of the gin/juniper. I don't get chili pepper or honey except for a tiny bit of sweetness in the background mellowing the scent out. It's cool and fresh, like the shadows in a small grove of trees in spring. Nice.
March Hare [Mad Tea Party]: A twisted teatime tart: apricot and sweet clove.
I think March Hare is yummy, especially when it first goes on. It's sweet fresh apricot that reminds me of the glorious apricots I ate while in Austria, with that tiny bit of spice and warmth from the clove. There was a short period during drydown when it sort of turned candle-like, but that passed. It seems to fade really quickly, which is sad, and the clove outlasts the apricot, which is extra-sad.
Queen Mab [Excolo]: Warrior, Trickster and Goddess of Magic and Poets, she is one of the Tuatha De Danaan and the Queen of the Faeries. A very complex scent, both shadowy and fierce: black orchid, sandalwood, night-blooming jasmine, osmanthus, Somalian rose, and Chinese musk.
I'm sure I'm being influenced by the description here, but Queen Mab is very feminine in a commanding, powerful way. It's a really beautiful blend, with the florals balanced and not overpowering, just definite. I can pick out the jasmine, a soft and sweet rose, and a smoothness that probably comes from the orchid. It's gorgeous, and definitely a floral scent.
The Mock Turtle's Lessons [Mad Tea Party]: 'I couldn't afford to learn it.' said the Mock Turtle with a sigh. 'I only took the regular course.' 'What was that?' inquired Alice. 'Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with,' the Mock Turtle replied; 'and then the different branches of Arithmetic-- Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision.' Not quite Turtle Soup: blurry aquatic notes, with a confusing, contrary splort of iris, ambrette, green apple, vodka, white mint and a squish of lime.
Okay, I don't get anything off this. It's bizarre. I get a vague sense of maybe the iris and aquatic notes, but that's all. Maybe my skin just really likes to mock me, ha ha. Ha...
Opium Poppy [Rappaccini's Garden]: Opium teaches only one thing, which is that aside from physical suffering, there is nothing real. A bitter, soft, fragile flower.
Haha, Cassandra figured this one out when I was trying it on. She said "It smells like Band-Aids," which bizarrely enough, is totally true. It's sort of softly astringent and powdery, like a Band-Aid pad. It's a little more sweetly floral now that it's dried down, but I still think 'Band-Aid' when I smell it. WEIRD.
Fae [Bewitching Brews]: A brilliant, ethereal scent: white musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss.
This one is doing some weird shit this time around. It was a lot more peachy the first time, and when it first went on, and then I smelled the oakmoss coming out more, with a greenness I assume it the heliotrope. Only now it's morphed into Dorian. The only thing I can think is that the white musk (which is the only note Dorian and Fae have in common) took over, the bergamot is adding a similar sharpness that comes from the lavender in Dorian, and the vanilla is spreading over from Antique Lace. Still--that's just weird.
Hellfire [Sin & Salvation]: A scent celebrating Sir Francis Dashwood’s Order of the Knights of St. Francis of Wycombe, also known as the Hellfire Club. A swirl of pipe tobacco, hot leather, ambergris, dark musk and the lingering incense smoke from their Black Mass.
Another one that Cassandra called: "It smells like a smoke machine on a Disney ride." Yes. Yes, it does. How sad.
Versailles [Wanderlust]: Grand, courtly and robust: a glittering, golden scent that would do Louis XIV proud. Gilded red and gold citrus with amber, ruby roses, jasmine and orris.
This one is also doing weird stuff. I could smell the citrus when it first went on, and I remember the first time I tried it the jasmine was definitely there as well. Only it's completely disappeared this time. I remember it being a little too aggressive the first time through. I'll give it one more try.
Rage [Diabolus]: Black amber erupting with a dark volcanic surge of fiery dragon's blood and a burst of melati, rose geranium, mandarin and black currant.
This one is kinda nice (and, by the way, does not evoke its namesake for me at all). It's full and a bit fruity and floral and incense-y. But...I don't know. I have no attachment to it. It just sort of...is there. And it smells nice. I'm not sure how to explain it. I just don't know, I don't care, and it's not special to me, so that probably means it will be headed for the swaps pile soon.
Bordello [Love Potions]: A decadent, deep perfume, lusty and luxuriant. The scent evokes images of velvet-lined Old West cathouses, tightly laced corsets, rustling petticoats and coquettish snarls of pleasure. Bawdy plum with amaretto, burgundy wine and black currant.
This was alright, but not thrilling. I was expecting something a little more musky and sexy, or possibly even boozy--you know, something more like a raunchy Western whorehouse. Instead, this was very candy-smelling, like grape Nerds; it smells light purple to me. It's not bad, just sweet, one-dimensional, and not what I wanted. On to swaps it goes, to bring me a scent better suited to my tastes...
Harlot [Love Potions]: Based on a Romany incense blend reputed to induce sexual dreams: Somalian rose, Moroccan rose and Bulgar rose with a sultry dribble of cinnamon.
Harlot was pretty interesting, actually. I liked the combination, although I'm realizing that cinnamon triggers bad potpourri associations in my brain, like the spice did with Paris. This blend wasn't as bad as that, just a faint niggle of potpourri-trauma in the back of my mind. I would have ignored it just fine, but the cinnamon also gave me a slight skin reaction, so this one is off to swaps as well. Darn.
Athens [Wanderlust]: A reformulation and modernization of a true Classical Greek perfume, myrrhine: voluptuous myrrh, golden honey, red wine, and sweet flowers.
This turns out really cloying and sweet on my skin. I'm beginning to think wine is not a good note on me, because I got the same note in this that was unappealing in Centzon Totochtin. This was strong, sweet wine, sweet honey that amped up on my skin like whoa, and sweet flowers. The myrrh doesn't really assert itself. Not my cup of tea, off to swaps!
Kurukulla [Excolo]: The Tibetan goddess of love and wealth. Her scent is a harmonious, sweet, enchanting blend of three lotus blooms and three roses.
This one is easy to describe: it was floral, sweet, light, and smooth. The roses were responsible for most of the sweetness, and the lotus was fresh and creamy. Mmm.
Florence [Wanderlust]: The pearl of the Italian Renaissance. Elegant iris, bright berries, gilded amber and velvety spices.
Florence has a berry note. Berry notes, I find, turn into pink plastic pony smell on me. It's sort of nice in a nostalgic way, but I really don't want to smell like that. To swaps!
Peitho [Excolo]: The Goddess of Persuasion, Seduction and Sexual Wiles. A member of Aphrodite’s retinue, she is also Aphrodite’s daughter and sister to Tyche and Eunomia. Lusty myrtle and jasmine with red sandalwood, stargazer lily, and clove over an opulent, rich bed of warm musk and bourbon vanilla.
I don't know about this one. I think I don't like it. It's maybe the myrtle--there's something sort of green and a bit sour in the mix. I think I'd like it a lot better minus the myrtle; it would be a soft, warm, reddish scent with a touch of spice from the clove and sandalwood and a lot of sweetness from the vanilla, jasmine, and lily. The myrtle adds a sharpness that normally would be good to offput the sweetness, but instead just smells ass-y and a little baby powderish. The sharpness fades as it dries down, but it still smells off. Oh well. Actually...I don't know. I'm getting slowly seduced by the drydown stage, when the sharp medicinal note has faded and the bourbon vanilla/floral/musk has taken over. Hmm...nope. Still no.
Dorian [Sin & Salvation]: The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself. Inspired by and created for my beloved Tedwin: my eternal, beautiful, wicked Dorian Gray. Refined, elegant, and lovely, with a noble bearing and seemingly gentle air. This blend is an artful deception: a sweet gilded blossom lying over a twisted and corrupted core. A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea.
This is one of my favorite BPAL scents I've tried. It's a little masculine, but it's sweet enough that it doesn't matter. I just love the vanilla, the musk, the sweetness, the touch of lavender to break things up. Mmm, mmm. I wear it to sleep a lot, or on cold days when I feel like curling up in bed but have to go do things. It's lovely. I'm thinking about a bottle of Dorian pretty seriously.
Santo Domingo [Wanderlust]: An exotic, sultry blend of tobacco leaf, bay rum and heady Caribbean blossoms.
This is another I like quite a bit. I've realized that I really like the "Caribbean/hothouse/jungle blooms/flowers/petals" note that BPAL uses (Pele, Santo Domingo, Bayou...). This means I'm planning to try Machu Picchu really soon. It also means that Santo Domingo is really lovely. The floral, whatever it really is, is appealing to me; the tobacco leaf adds this nice fresh green quality; and the rum is a touch of something that I'm having trouble putting into words, but I love it. I've also found this layers really well with my Egyptian musk, which is very exciting to me because I love that stuff. Two Caribbean thumbs up!
Chrysanthemum Moon [LE - A Little Lunacy]: *snip*long poetic passage*snip* guessing notes from description: chrysanthemum, red ginger, red musk, opium smoke/opium poppy, body-warmed perfume, Eastern flowers, wine
All I got off Chrysanthemum Moon was wine, wine, wine. It was that sickly sweet gross note I smelled in Centzon Totochtin and Athens. When it was first on, I could sort of see where it would have gone had my skin not reacted weirdly with the wine note, hypnotically floral and musky, but alas, in vino veritas. Note to self: avoid scents with wine.
Horn of Plenty [Voodoo Blends]: Forces a change of fortune, helps overcome poverty and want, and helps attract prosperity, prestige and earthly bounty.
This one came broken in the order, but it was just ick, and not very remarkable. I can't even remember what this smelled like, apart from the fact that I didn't like it.
Eden [Wanderlust]: At the center of the Garden of Eden stands the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Though modern interpretations of the Bible claim that it was an apple that the Serpent of the Tree offered to Eve, it is widely believed that the true Fruit of True Knowledge was, in fact, a fig. This oil contains the innocence of the Garden, coupled with the Truth and Erudition found in the fruit of the Tree of Evil: fig leaf, fig fruit, honeyed almond milk, toasted coconut and sandalwood.
This was almost buttery. It was very creamy (the honeyed almond milk, coconut) and sweet (honey, fig) and a tiny bit green. It was just sort of off on me. I don't know how to describe it. I think the greenness and the cream clashed, and then both clashed with the sandalwood note. Eden was very foody, and it was okay, but on me it was just...off.
Nocnitsa [Diabolus]: Also known as Krisky, Plaksy and Gorska Makua, she is a nightmare spirit, the Night Hag of the Woods, who haunts Polish, Russian, Bulgarian and Slovak children during the darkest hours. The only protection against her torments is a circle drawn around a child’s cradle with a knife, or an axe or protective poppet hidden under the floorboards beneath where a child sleeps. Her scent is that of a lightless fir wood, nighttime air, wet forest mosses and upturned earth.
This is a very cool blend--figuratively and literally. I don't know how they do this, but some scents from the Lab have a palpable chill to them, like Szepasszony. Nocnitsa has that coldness, and is powerfully earthy and resinous. It truly reminds me of a pine forest, wet and cold in winter, carpeted in dead needles and rick, black earth. It's really neat to find all that imagery in a scent, you know? In the end, I decided I'm swapping this, though--not because it's bad, but because it's too heavy and dark for me, and for a personal scent. But it was damn cool.
Bayou [Wanderlust]: A lazy, warm deep green scent with a thick aquatic undertone: Spanish moss, evergreen and cypress with watery blue-green notes and an eddy of hothouse flowers and swamp blooms.
I once again have to say that I really like the "hothouse flowers" notes (and its variants; see Santo Domingo review for details). Bayou really is a warm, blue-green, water-like scent, with that floral note and a mossy undercurrent. It makes me feel becalmed (and I do mean becalmed, like a sailing ship that's lost its wind, not calm exactly; it sort of makes me want to curl up and relax in the same way Dorian does), warm and Southern. My granny used to live in a big old house in Beaumont, Texas, which had a bayou in the backyard. Bayou doesn't make me think of Beaumont, exactly, because my scent-memories of that place are very specific, but it has the same aura that her yard did--a certain weight of history, a humid warmth, an earthy dampness more connected to decaying leaves and pine needles under tall trees than to fresh green growth. This one's a keeper.
The Dormouse [Mad Tea Party]: A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony.
I think the "herb" note that some BPAL has can be very unpleasant to me in certain combinations. The Dormouse, Nefertiti, and The Unicorn have all had that element, and The Dormouse and The Unicorn both made me feel slightly nauseous and headachey. Nefertiti has the same high-pitched light green quality to it, but it's grounded in some way (probably the myrrh and sandalwoods) that The Dormouse is not. I can see how someone would like this scent, but it just rubs me wrong with the same note that bothered me in The Unicorn. Off to swaps!
Intrigue [Bewitching Brews]: A sultry, exotic scent that inspires devious plotting and clandestine affairs. It is a scent painted in artifice, veiled in deceit, and slithering with whispered secrets. Black palm, with cocoa, fig and shadowy wooded notes.
Me gusta! Which is surprising. I was worried about the cocoa note, which hasn't had terribly good results on me. It's an interesting blend; it's dark brown the way I expected Ogun to be. There's an incensey/resinous note that reminds me a bit of Anne Bonny, only darker. The cocoa comes out on drydown along with the fig, adding a fruity sweetness to the mix. It's wrist-sniffing good! And dare I say...intriguing. It's dark and earthy, but not too much so like Nocnitsa was, and it feels warm. It reminds me of the way it smells when you're caught in a short cloudburst during the summer in Texas while out hiking in a forest with cedar trees. Everything gets just wet enough to release the scents of the earth and grass and tree bark, but not enough to cool things down, so the air is all hot and muggy and enveloping. Intrigue is like that, only drier, and kind of reminds me of Coyote, come to think of it. I really like this.
Highwayman [Bewitching Brews]: "A brace of loaded pistols /
He carried night and day; /
He never robbed a poor man /
Upon the king's highway; /
But what he'd taken from the rich,
/ Like Turpin and Black Bess, /
He always did divide it
/ With the widow in distress.
" Stand and deliver! Vetiver with gardenia, blood red rose, night-blooming jasmine, a dash of cinnamon and a faint hint of leather.
Highwayman was sort of ick on me. The vetiver, which I've only run across once before, in Bluebeard, was way overpowering and off-putting, sharp and murky. Combined with the leather and cinnamon (which was more the sharpness of cinnamon rather than its warmth), it was unpleasant, creating sort of smoky, pungent aura--somewhat like gunpowder, if I may be poetic. I thought it clashed horribly with the gardenia, jasmine, and rose florals, rather than creating an interesting juxtaposition like some other opposing elements do. It wasn't revolting, but I was not pleased, and will be swapping.
Bon Vivant [Bewitching Brews]: An effervescent blend of crystalline champagne notes and sweet strawberry.
Very sweet and pleasant, but not my taste. The strawberry was clearly present, but it was a sweet, artificial-strawberry scent. It's not unpleasant, just on the sweet side. The champagne note was interesting--very subtle, more noticable by texture than scent. Let me rephrase: it had a prickly element to it, but not in the same way lavender or something else with an edge does, but more carbonated-drink-prickly, like drinking Coke (or champagne). Together, I found it rather unremarkable, but I would like to try something with a champagne note in it again. Good thing my next order includes Shattered, eh?
Bewitched [Bewitching Brews]: Deep, luscious green and berry scents that evoke images of woodland witchcraft and the raw power of nature: blackberry, sage, green tea, wild berries and dark musk.
Wet, Bewitched was strongly sage and green tea; very green, but I could smell the berries lurking in the background with a little sweetness. Unfortunately, as I feared, the berries turned into that plastic-kid's-toy scent that they always have on me, mitigated somewhat by the musk. Later, the musk takes charge, and much later the green tea pokes its head out again, but there's still that underlying plastic. Darn. Off to swaps.
Thaleia [Excolo: Muses]: "How light the strain when, decked in vernal bloom, /
Thalia tuned her lyre of melody."
Thaleia the Flourishing is the Muse of Comedy and Pastoral Poetry, and shares the same name as one of the Gratiæ. She is a very down-to-Earth Goddess, and has a special fondness for rural folk. She wears a crown of ivy leaves and carries the Mask of Comedy and a shepherd’s crook. The Blooming One is the Goddess of Comedians and inspires creativity in wit and the joy and release we have in laughter. A vivacious, dazzling, merry scent: honey, ylang ylang, apricot, ciste, blood orange and gardenia with earthy, warm tonka.
MMMMM. That's it, I really have to try everything that has an apricot note in it RIGHT NOW. I am so, so in love with that scent. Which means I must try Depraved, Yerevan, Katharina, Carnaval Diabolique, March Hare (wait, already tried that), Grand Guignol, and the discontinued Lunacy scent Fruit Moon. *makes note* Aaaaanyway...this is a very lovely, very happy scent, appropriate for the Muse of Comedy and Pastoral Poetry. Wet, the apricot is definitely at the top, which made me quite happy (see above). That fruitiness is echoed by the ylang-ylang (a fruity floral) and the slight tang of citrus (which fades on dry-down). As it dries, the tonka (I'm pretty sure) brings out this earthy quality and the floral notes (ylang-ylang, ciste, gardenia) surface a bit more, with the honey adding a sweet golden glow behind it all. It's just this happy, fruity, earthy, gently floral scent. *loves*
Libertine [Love Potions]: "Like a puffed and reckless libertine, /
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads."
Rosewood and chamomile with bergamot, violet, red sandalwood, primrose and Arabian musk.
Very pretty. The violet is elegant, the sandalwood and rosewood graceful, the chamomile and bergamot sophisticated but light. All together, not something to be taken seriously, but pleasant all the same. It's a lovely blend, but not necessarily intense or provocative, just pretty.
New Orleans [Wanderlust]: Reminiscent of hothouse blooms on a humid night, ripe, but touched with decay. Sweet honeysuckle and jasmine with a hint of lemon and spice.
I have a single note jasmine essential oil (non-BPAL), and New Orleans smells almost exactly like it. I really like jasmine, but on its own it can be very headache-inducing and overpowering. This is pure, overbearing jasmine, with a touch of spice on drydown. Swaps!
Water Of Notre Dame [Voodoo Blends]: Brings peace to the spirit, a sense of calm and fulfillment, and attracts the aid of beneficial spirits.
This is a very calming scent. It's a sort of blue-green aquatic, warm and soothing; it reminds me of the aquatic element of Bayou, minus the floral/mossy/evergreen notes. Water Of Notre Dame isn't very complex, but it is peaceful, and that's what I wanted.
Shattered [Bewitching Brews]: A scent as sharp as glass shards, and as brittle as a broken heart. The formula came to me [Elizabeth] - quite literally - in a dream, and is named after, and created in memory of, the last poem that I ever wrote… almost ten years ago to the day. A blend of white champagne notes, grapefruit, lotus, slivered mint and crystalline aquatic blooms.
Ooh...cool. First on, it's very powerfully peppermint, with the grapefruit lurking in the background. It made me think of something, some echo of a memory, but I couldn't place it; it made me think of eating peppermint candy, either from the dish of peppermints in my childhood neighbor's house (a sweet widow named Doris), or eating York peppermint patties at my grandmother's house. On drydown, the mint loses some edge, and the grapefruit remains back instead of taking this opportunity to start shouting. That surprised me; I expected the grapefruit to be sharply wet and citrus-sharp, but it's instead less about being citrus and more about being fruity. The champagne, which I recently encountered in Bon Vivant, gives a fascinating effervescence to the mix, and the lotus smoothes it all together without making it lose that sharp quality. Shattered is gorgeous, brilliantly blended, and absolutely fascinating. Two thumbs way up! *returns to sniffing* ETA: It becomes a lot more powdery/traditional perfume-y as it fades out. Hmm.
Danube [Wanderlust]: Rhododendron and bellflower petals swirl through deep, cool, dark aquatic notes.
This is a deep, blue aquatic; it makes me think of water in a wide, deep, slow-flowing river, as opposed to an aquatic like Szepasszony, which makes me think of cold rain. Definite floral notes, smooth and white. Very nice.
Black Phoenix [Diabolus]: Our signature oil. A dark, languid scent. Promotes hedonistic tendencies and extreme self-love. You won't stop kissing mirrors for a month.
I wonder what's in this. I think maybe almond, or cherry? I've heard they're easily mistaken for each other. And something else incensey. I couldn't pick them out; it ultimately doesn't matter, because this went bizarre and gross on me. Ick.
Yule [LE - Yuletide 2006]: The Holly King and Oak King each hold sway for half of the year, and engage in an epic, eternal battle at Litha and Yule. In truth, they are each a half of the whole – known by many names: Pashupati, Caerwiden, Herne, Pan, Puck, Cernunnos, the Green Man, the Horned God – and as the Holly and Oak Kings represent the light and dark halves of the year, thus do they also represent the light and dark halves of the deity, and thereby, of ourselves.
During the darkness of the year, though it seems cold, barren, and bleak, the earth holds the warmth of life deep within itself, and in the depth of its shadows is the eternal promise of renewal and rebirth.
It is Yule, and the Holly King has slain the Oak: blood red holly berry, mistletoe, wild thyme, verbena, cinquefoil, hemp, winter rose, evergreen, frankincense, juniper, and myrrh.
I get mostly the green elements from this, especially the evergreen and verbena. The incense notes are also hanging around, but it's mostly evergreen and verbena. I'm not wild about it; then the berry-plastic shows up, like usual, and I have to write off another scent. *sigh*
Herr Drosselmeyer 2006 [LE - Yuletide 2006]: Magus, toymaker, and Godfather to Klara. An enigmatic man, seemingly somewhat sinister, but bearing a gentle air and a sincere love for children. This scent is dignified, refined, but dark, and hints towards esoteric mysteries and the secrets that tie mechanics to magick. Pipe smoke, sweet leather, woods and linen.
The pipe smoke definitely dominates this. I think it's very sickly-sweet and unappealing; I am not a fan.
Snow-Flakes [LE - Yuletide 2006]: *snip*long poem*snip* The radiance and desolation of winter.
This smells like half of my Chaos Theory blend--the sort-of-minty, smoothed out half, minus the apple blossom note. I like it; it's very light and pleasant, but I'm having a hard time describing it more than that.
This post is totally skip-able; I've just had reviews of scents I've tried piling up over the past year or so, and I decided to post the finished ones, in an attempt to clear out the cobwebs. However, there are...a lot. Like, a LOT. It's kind of impressive, in an embarrassing way. A lot of these are Cassandra's, but I'm not going to try to distinguish that here. Keep in mind that this is over the course of a year; I'm not entirely insane! I think.
Tavern of Hell [Bewitching Brews]: Sometimes I would venture from my sepulchre to the jazz of night Paris, where having gathered the colours, I would think them over in front of the fire. I could be seen walking through a funeral corridor of my house and descending down a black spiral of steep stairs; rushing underground to Montmartre, all impatience to see the fiery rubies of the Moulin Rouge cross. I wondered thereabouts, then bought a ticket to watch frenzied delirium of feathers, vulgar painted lips and eyelashes of black and blue.
Naked feet, and thighs, and arms, and breasts were being flung on me from bloody-red foam of translucent clothes. The tuxedoed goatees and crooked noses in white vests and toppers would line the hall, with their hands posed on canes. Then I found myself in a pub, where the liqueurs were served on a coffin (not a table) by the nickering devil: "Drink it, you wretched!" Having drunk, I returned under the black sky split by the flaming vanes, which the radiant needles of my eyelashes cross-hatched. In front of my nose a stream of bowler hats and black veils was still pulsing, foamy with bluish green and warm orange of feathers worn by the night beauties: to me they were all one, as I had to narrow my eyes for insupportable radiance of electric lamps, whose hectic fires would be dancing beneath my nervous eyelids for many a night to come. White gardenia, ambergris bouquet, lavender fougere, orange blossom, melissa, tobacco flower, coriander, ebony wood, ylang ylang, absinthe and aged whiskey.
(Yes, it's one of those BPAL descriptions. Shut up.) I loved this one. It was so complex--floral, smoky, a little green, a little fruity, a little boozy. It's one of those gorgeous blends where you can't pick out the individual notes because it's so well blended, and the effect is fabulous. Too bad this one doesn't actually belong to me...
Sed Non Satiata [Love Potions]: A pounding heartbeat coalesced into scent: demonic passion and brutal sexuality manifested through myrrh, red patchouli, cognac, honey, and tuberose and geranium in a breathy, panting veil over the darkest body musk.
(I edited out the poem in the description, because it really was too long.) This one was very sexy, as it should be. I'm going to have to try it again, because I was splitting my attention between several scents and didn't really pick up the subtleties of this one, which was also well blended--floral, incense, and musk, with a touch of booze from the cognac. Very interesting.
Mouse's Long & Sad Tale [Mad Tea Party]: Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood.
This was very pretty and light. It's a little sweet from the vanilla and sweet pea, but the white sandalwood adds just enough of a bite that it stays interesting and the amber gives some depth. ML&ST has the same elegant delicacy and gentleness that I like so much about Lorelai, so kudos for that.
Skuld [Excolo: The Norns]: Being. Ylang ylang, honey, Egyptian and Arabian musks and labdanum.
Eh. This was very much an "eh" reaction. The notes didn't mix well or create any kind of unique effect. I could pick out the musks, the ylang-ylang, and the honey really easily, and something else that I assume was labdanum, which I think is a floral note. I was unimpressed.
Bluebeard [Diabolus]: A scent swirling with dark rage, unbridled jealousy, and murderous intent. Violet, lavender, white musk and vetiver.
Woo, this was a cool one. It's very prickly and dark and strong, and once again evocative of its name. It's a bit wild and dangerous and threatening, but fascinating and attractive. Brrr. It's not really my taste as a perfume, but it's a really neat scent.
Miskatonic University [LE - A Picnic In Arkham]: A venerable New England university, whose vast library holds many rare, diabolical and obscure arcane works, including one of the few surviving legitimate copies of the Necronomicon. Home to innumerable scholars of the esoteric and the occult, and the notorious Dr. Herbert West.
The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls.
This smells exactly like coffee and Bailey's Irish Cream. It's kind of amazing. There's also a touch of something drier, which I assume is due to whatever wood notes are in there, but mostly it smells like Irish coffee. The coffee's a little stronger than my cup of tea (a ha, ha, ha...); I prefer mellow coffee with lots of sugar and cream, and this is a lot stronger, especially with the Bailey's. I'm not sure if I would want to wear it as a scent, but it's admirable as a creation nonetheless.
Silence [The Salon]: White sandalwood, iris, blue musk, lotus root, moonflower, plum blossom, green tea, white mint and white peach.
Man, this one was so good. It's very evocative of the painting it's inspired by--a bleak, wintry, blue and white hued person, hooded, holding a finger up to their mouth. Silence smells white and blue, cool and a little sharp, but quietly rounded at the edges. I can't pick out individual notes, but I think the sandalwood and mint give it that icy edge, and the flowers and peach round it out and cool it down. God, it's gorgeous. I may have to get some for myself, but I'll try Cassandra's bottle a few more times to make sure. :)
Dia de Los Muertos 2006 [LE - Halloweenie]: A joyous celebration of La Catarina, La Flaca, La Muerte… Glorious, Beautiful Death. In Mexico, death is not something to be feared or hated; She is embraced, loved, and adored. La Muerte is fêted, as the celebrant "…chases after it, mocks it, courts it, hugs it, sleeps with it; it is his favorite plaything and his most lasting love." This is a Mexican paean to La Huesuda: dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom and desert cereus.
I'm not sure about this one. The test wasn't encouraging. It's gently sweet and a bit dry. It smelled really nice in the beginning, like fall air with a touch of sweetness, but at another point it smelled slightly vomitous and then changed into something else. I wasn't wild about it.
Wolf's Heart [Voodoo Blends]: Grants courage under extreme conditions, helps overcome fear of death, and strengthens the fortitude of artists and businessmen, enabling them to further their goals.
I didn't get a very good read off this one. It was kind of clean, businesslike, and maybe had some lavender? It wasn't terribly distinct, so I'm going to have to try it again without the 18 other scents competing with it.
Alice [Mad Tea Party]: Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot.
This faded very fast and was quite faint while it lasted. It was pretty when it first went on and the florals were around. Then the milk and bergamot notes clashed on me, creating a sort of sour milk smell. I'm not a fan, needless to say.
Gluttony [Sin & Salvation: Seven Deadly Sins]: Thick, sugared and bloated with sweetness. Dark chocolate, vanilla, buttercream, and hops with pralines, hazelnut, toffee and caramel.
Another I wasn't wild about. I think dark chocolate is another note that doesn't work on me/doesn't agree with my nose, because the chocolate in this was very similar to the cocoa note Centzon Totochtin, only with more sweetness (vanilla, buttercream, etc.) and less wine/rum. It was sickly and kind of gross and not really like chocolate at all (Cassandra says it smells like gravy. I'm not going to argue much with that. Ick). It's a shame, because it started off very edible, but quickly went bad and was strong. Ick.
Ladon [Ars Draconis]: The hundred-headed dragon that guards the garden of the Hesperides: dragon’s blood resin, golden apple, apple blossom, white musk and hyacinth.
Hmm. Another I'm not sure about. It was very cool--it actually smelled like a fresh-picked apple; it was like the peel, crisp and a little earthy and tart, especially while wet. The drydown brought out what I assume is the dragon's blood, as it was a touch sweet and resin-y. The florals and musk kept it from being too heavy. I'm not sure what I think of it, though. I don't think I'd wear it, however much I admire the craftsmanship. I'm going to have to try it again to pick out more of the complexities.
Black Dahlia [Sin & Salvation]: Voluptuous magnolias strewn over orchid, star jasmine, black amber and smoky rose.
Ooh. I really liked this one. I love jasmine, and the magnolia (I think; maybe also/instead it was the orchid) had the same effect lotus does on me--it makes this creamy smoothness out of the scent. It's so cool, because it's completely reminiscent of the feel of magnolia or lotus petals. There was this depth to Black Dahlia that I assume came from the black amber and "smoky rose," but who knows. I was too busy admiring this one to pick out notes, because the overall effect was masterful. Smooth, dark, and elegant. I love it.
Pele [Excolo]: Whimsical, temperamental, radiant and ravishingly beautiful Goddess of Volcanoes, Fire, Lightning and Dance. She is the Mother of Eruptions and the personification of destructive power. Volcanic eruptions are said to be a side-effect of her jealous rages and her epic quarrels with her siblings are legendary. This perfume embodies her gentler, benign aspect as the capricious Goddess of Dance: muguet and Hawaiian white ginger enveloped by warm, damp tropical blooms.
This is another I really, really like. It's bright and floral with a touch of spice from the ginger. Despite the "tropical blooms," it keeps this freshness about it, like spring air. I can't really put it in words, but it's fabulous. I must get my own.
Sundew [Rappaccini's Garden]: A carnivorous enchantress: diverse, lovely and graceful, emitting a sticky, glowing golden, sweet and terminally inviting scent. Its dew is believed to grant eternal beauty and longevity, and restore vitality and vigor to the magician.
This was soft and bright and fresh. I didn't think it was stickily sweet at all, like I was expecting. I can't really figure out how to describe it. It was a bit like Sea Of Glass, only floral rather than aquatic? It's one of those abstract ones.
White Rabbit [Mad Tea Party]: Strong black tea and milk with white pepper, ginger, honey and vanilla, spilled over the crisp scent of clean linen.
This went a bit wrong on me a little like Alice did. Maybe it's the milk note that's turning sour on me? I'll have give them both another shot, but I'm not that hopeful.
Antique Lace [Bewitching Brews]: Nostalgia encapsulated. A soft, wistful blend of dry flowers, aged linens, and the faint breath of long-faded perfumes.
This is dry, a tiny bit floral, and mostly vanilla. Yep, vanilla-y, powdery perfume; it makes me think of a tiny B&B with old-fashioned drapes and canopy beds and lots of sunshine. It's pleasant, but not my style.
Ogun [Excolo]: Ogun is the Master of Iron, Lord of the Knife, the Toolmaker, the Supreme Hunter, the God of War. He is primal instinct, energy and motion, strife and resolution, effort and perspiration, locomotion, force, contraction and expansion. He is the lord of all mines and mineral wealth, and his energy is expressed in the transformation of sandstone into marble and carbon into diamonds. His control over transformation transcends this into the metaphorical: Ogun helps to shape the spirit, and hone it into something finer, and He compels us to look deep inside ourselves, searching for our true potential. He is physical might, ruler of the heart, giver of courage and sustainer of war, and is the bond that men fashion with one another during battle. He is gunpowder. Ogun is responsible for teaching mankind to fashion tools and weapons from iron, and his primary implements are the anvil, hammer, machete, rake, hoe, shovel, pick and pry. His favored animal is the dog, who shares his loyalty and unflagging strength. Ogun’s ofrenda is heavy and dark cigar tobacco, gin and juniper, melon, chili pepper and a touch of honey.
Ogun feels green to me, which I wasn't expecting; I was thinking it would be dark brown, like Centzon Totochtin. I'm not sure why. Anyway, I think that dark green freshness comes from tobacco leaves and melon mixing with the astringency of the gin/juniper. I don't get chili pepper or honey except for a tiny bit of sweetness in the background mellowing the scent out. It's cool and fresh, like the shadows in a small grove of trees in spring. Nice.
March Hare [Mad Tea Party]: A twisted teatime tart: apricot and sweet clove.
I think March Hare is yummy, especially when it first goes on. It's sweet fresh apricot that reminds me of the glorious apricots I ate while in Austria, with that tiny bit of spice and warmth from the clove. There was a short period during drydown when it sort of turned candle-like, but that passed. It seems to fade really quickly, which is sad, and the clove outlasts the apricot, which is extra-sad.
Queen Mab [Excolo]: Warrior, Trickster and Goddess of Magic and Poets, she is one of the Tuatha De Danaan and the Queen of the Faeries. A very complex scent, both shadowy and fierce: black orchid, sandalwood, night-blooming jasmine, osmanthus, Somalian rose, and Chinese musk.
I'm sure I'm being influenced by the description here, but Queen Mab is very feminine in a commanding, powerful way. It's a really beautiful blend, with the florals balanced and not overpowering, just definite. I can pick out the jasmine, a soft and sweet rose, and a smoothness that probably comes from the orchid. It's gorgeous, and definitely a floral scent.
The Mock Turtle's Lessons [Mad Tea Party]: 'I couldn't afford to learn it.' said the Mock Turtle with a sigh. 'I only took the regular course.' 'What was that?' inquired Alice. 'Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with,' the Mock Turtle replied; 'and then the different branches of Arithmetic-- Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision.' Not quite Turtle Soup: blurry aquatic notes, with a confusing, contrary splort of iris, ambrette, green apple, vodka, white mint and a squish of lime.
Okay, I don't get anything off this. It's bizarre. I get a vague sense of maybe the iris and aquatic notes, but that's all. Maybe my skin just really likes to mock me, ha ha. Ha...
Opium Poppy [Rappaccini's Garden]: Opium teaches only one thing, which is that aside from physical suffering, there is nothing real. A bitter, soft, fragile flower.
Haha, Cassandra figured this one out when I was trying it on. She said "It smells like Band-Aids," which bizarrely enough, is totally true. It's sort of softly astringent and powdery, like a Band-Aid pad. It's a little more sweetly floral now that it's dried down, but I still think 'Band-Aid' when I smell it. WEIRD.
Fae [Bewitching Brews]: A brilliant, ethereal scent: white musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss.
This one is doing some weird shit this time around. It was a lot more peachy the first time, and when it first went on, and then I smelled the oakmoss coming out more, with a greenness I assume it the heliotrope. Only now it's morphed into Dorian. The only thing I can think is that the white musk (which is the only note Dorian and Fae have in common) took over, the bergamot is adding a similar sharpness that comes from the lavender in Dorian, and the vanilla is spreading over from Antique Lace. Still--that's just weird.
Hellfire [Sin & Salvation]: A scent celebrating Sir Francis Dashwood’s Order of the Knights of St. Francis of Wycombe, also known as the Hellfire Club. A swirl of pipe tobacco, hot leather, ambergris, dark musk and the lingering incense smoke from their Black Mass.
Another one that Cassandra called: "It smells like a smoke machine on a Disney ride." Yes. Yes, it does. How sad.
Versailles [Wanderlust]: Grand, courtly and robust: a glittering, golden scent that would do Louis XIV proud. Gilded red and gold citrus with amber, ruby roses, jasmine and orris.
This one is also doing weird stuff. I could smell the citrus when it first went on, and I remember the first time I tried it the jasmine was definitely there as well. Only it's completely disappeared this time. I remember it being a little too aggressive the first time through. I'll give it one more try.
Rage [Diabolus]: Black amber erupting with a dark volcanic surge of fiery dragon's blood and a burst of melati, rose geranium, mandarin and black currant.
This one is kinda nice (and, by the way, does not evoke its namesake for me at all). It's full and a bit fruity and floral and incense-y. But...I don't know. I have no attachment to it. It just sort of...is there. And it smells nice. I'm not sure how to explain it. I just don't know, I don't care, and it's not special to me, so that probably means it will be headed for the swaps pile soon.
Bordello [Love Potions]: A decadent, deep perfume, lusty and luxuriant. The scent evokes images of velvet-lined Old West cathouses, tightly laced corsets, rustling petticoats and coquettish snarls of pleasure. Bawdy plum with amaretto, burgundy wine and black currant.
This was alright, but not thrilling. I was expecting something a little more musky and sexy, or possibly even boozy--you know, something more like a raunchy Western whorehouse. Instead, this was very candy-smelling, like grape Nerds; it smells light purple to me. It's not bad, just sweet, one-dimensional, and not what I wanted. On to swaps it goes, to bring me a scent better suited to my tastes...
Harlot [Love Potions]: Based on a Romany incense blend reputed to induce sexual dreams: Somalian rose, Moroccan rose and Bulgar rose with a sultry dribble of cinnamon.
Harlot was pretty interesting, actually. I liked the combination, although I'm realizing that cinnamon triggers bad potpourri associations in my brain, like the spice did with Paris. This blend wasn't as bad as that, just a faint niggle of potpourri-trauma in the back of my mind. I would have ignored it just fine, but the cinnamon also gave me a slight skin reaction, so this one is off to swaps as well. Darn.
Athens [Wanderlust]: A reformulation and modernization of a true Classical Greek perfume, myrrhine: voluptuous myrrh, golden honey, red wine, and sweet flowers.
This turns out really cloying and sweet on my skin. I'm beginning to think wine is not a good note on me, because I got the same note in this that was unappealing in Centzon Totochtin. This was strong, sweet wine, sweet honey that amped up on my skin like whoa, and sweet flowers. The myrrh doesn't really assert itself. Not my cup of tea, off to swaps!
Kurukulla [Excolo]: The Tibetan goddess of love and wealth. Her scent is a harmonious, sweet, enchanting blend of three lotus blooms and three roses.
This one is easy to describe: it was floral, sweet, light, and smooth. The roses were responsible for most of the sweetness, and the lotus was fresh and creamy. Mmm.
Florence [Wanderlust]: The pearl of the Italian Renaissance. Elegant iris, bright berries, gilded amber and velvety spices.
Florence has a berry note. Berry notes, I find, turn into pink plastic pony smell on me. It's sort of nice in a nostalgic way, but I really don't want to smell like that. To swaps!
Peitho [Excolo]: The Goddess of Persuasion, Seduction and Sexual Wiles. A member of Aphrodite’s retinue, she is also Aphrodite’s daughter and sister to Tyche and Eunomia. Lusty myrtle and jasmine with red sandalwood, stargazer lily, and clove over an opulent, rich bed of warm musk and bourbon vanilla.
I don't know about this one. I think I don't like it. It's maybe the myrtle--there's something sort of green and a bit sour in the mix. I think I'd like it a lot better minus the myrtle; it would be a soft, warm, reddish scent with a touch of spice from the clove and sandalwood and a lot of sweetness from the vanilla, jasmine, and lily. The myrtle adds a sharpness that normally would be good to offput the sweetness, but instead just smells ass-y and a little baby powderish. The sharpness fades as it dries down, but it still smells off. Oh well. Actually...I don't know. I'm getting slowly seduced by the drydown stage, when the sharp medicinal note has faded and the bourbon vanilla/floral/musk has taken over. Hmm...nope. Still no.
Dorian [Sin & Salvation]: The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself. Inspired by and created for my beloved Tedwin: my eternal, beautiful, wicked Dorian Gray. Refined, elegant, and lovely, with a noble bearing and seemingly gentle air. This blend is an artful deception: a sweet gilded blossom lying over a twisted and corrupted core. A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea.
This is one of my favorite BPAL scents I've tried. It's a little masculine, but it's sweet enough that it doesn't matter. I just love the vanilla, the musk, the sweetness, the touch of lavender to break things up. Mmm, mmm. I wear it to sleep a lot, or on cold days when I feel like curling up in bed but have to go do things. It's lovely. I'm thinking about a bottle of Dorian pretty seriously.
Santo Domingo [Wanderlust]: An exotic, sultry blend of tobacco leaf, bay rum and heady Caribbean blossoms.
This is another I like quite a bit. I've realized that I really like the "Caribbean/hothouse/jungle blooms/flowers/petals" note that BPAL uses (Pele, Santo Domingo, Bayou...). This means I'm planning to try Machu Picchu really soon. It also means that Santo Domingo is really lovely. The floral, whatever it really is, is appealing to me; the tobacco leaf adds this nice fresh green quality; and the rum is a touch of something that I'm having trouble putting into words, but I love it. I've also found this layers really well with my Egyptian musk, which is very exciting to me because I love that stuff. Two Caribbean thumbs up!
Chrysanthemum Moon [LE - A Little Lunacy]: *snip*long poetic passage*snip* guessing notes from description: chrysanthemum, red ginger, red musk, opium smoke/opium poppy, body-warmed perfume, Eastern flowers, wine
All I got off Chrysanthemum Moon was wine, wine, wine. It was that sickly sweet gross note I smelled in Centzon Totochtin and Athens. When it was first on, I could sort of see where it would have gone had my skin not reacted weirdly with the wine note, hypnotically floral and musky, but alas, in vino veritas. Note to self: avoid scents with wine.
Horn of Plenty [Voodoo Blends]: Forces a change of fortune, helps overcome poverty and want, and helps attract prosperity, prestige and earthly bounty.
This one came broken in the order, but it was just ick, and not very remarkable. I can't even remember what this smelled like, apart from the fact that I didn't like it.
Eden [Wanderlust]: At the center of the Garden of Eden stands the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Though modern interpretations of the Bible claim that it was an apple that the Serpent of the Tree offered to Eve, it is widely believed that the true Fruit of True Knowledge was, in fact, a fig. This oil contains the innocence of the Garden, coupled with the Truth and Erudition found in the fruit of the Tree of Evil: fig leaf, fig fruit, honeyed almond milk, toasted coconut and sandalwood.
This was almost buttery. It was very creamy (the honeyed almond milk, coconut) and sweet (honey, fig) and a tiny bit green. It was just sort of off on me. I don't know how to describe it. I think the greenness and the cream clashed, and then both clashed with the sandalwood note. Eden was very foody, and it was okay, but on me it was just...off.
Nocnitsa [Diabolus]: Also known as Krisky, Plaksy and Gorska Makua, she is a nightmare spirit, the Night Hag of the Woods, who haunts Polish, Russian, Bulgarian and Slovak children during the darkest hours. The only protection against her torments is a circle drawn around a child’s cradle with a knife, or an axe or protective poppet hidden under the floorboards beneath where a child sleeps. Her scent is that of a lightless fir wood, nighttime air, wet forest mosses and upturned earth.
This is a very cool blend--figuratively and literally. I don't know how they do this, but some scents from the Lab have a palpable chill to them, like Szepasszony. Nocnitsa has that coldness, and is powerfully earthy and resinous. It truly reminds me of a pine forest, wet and cold in winter, carpeted in dead needles and rick, black earth. It's really neat to find all that imagery in a scent, you know? In the end, I decided I'm swapping this, though--not because it's bad, but because it's too heavy and dark for me, and for a personal scent. But it was damn cool.
Bayou [Wanderlust]: A lazy, warm deep green scent with a thick aquatic undertone: Spanish moss, evergreen and cypress with watery blue-green notes and an eddy of hothouse flowers and swamp blooms.
I once again have to say that I really like the "hothouse flowers" notes (and its variants; see Santo Domingo review for details). Bayou really is a warm, blue-green, water-like scent, with that floral note and a mossy undercurrent. It makes me feel becalmed (and I do mean becalmed, like a sailing ship that's lost its wind, not calm exactly; it sort of makes me want to curl up and relax in the same way Dorian does), warm and Southern. My granny used to live in a big old house in Beaumont, Texas, which had a bayou in the backyard. Bayou doesn't make me think of Beaumont, exactly, because my scent-memories of that place are very specific, but it has the same aura that her yard did--a certain weight of history, a humid warmth, an earthy dampness more connected to decaying leaves and pine needles under tall trees than to fresh green growth. This one's a keeper.
The Dormouse [Mad Tea Party]: A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony.
I think the "herb" note that some BPAL has can be very unpleasant to me in certain combinations. The Dormouse, Nefertiti, and The Unicorn have all had that element, and The Dormouse and The Unicorn both made me feel slightly nauseous and headachey. Nefertiti has the same high-pitched light green quality to it, but it's grounded in some way (probably the myrrh and sandalwoods) that The Dormouse is not. I can see how someone would like this scent, but it just rubs me wrong with the same note that bothered me in The Unicorn. Off to swaps!
Intrigue [Bewitching Brews]: A sultry, exotic scent that inspires devious plotting and clandestine affairs. It is a scent painted in artifice, veiled in deceit, and slithering with whispered secrets. Black palm, with cocoa, fig and shadowy wooded notes.
Me gusta! Which is surprising. I was worried about the cocoa note, which hasn't had terribly good results on me. It's an interesting blend; it's dark brown the way I expected Ogun to be. There's an incensey/resinous note that reminds me a bit of Anne Bonny, only darker. The cocoa comes out on drydown along with the fig, adding a fruity sweetness to the mix. It's wrist-sniffing good! And dare I say...intriguing. It's dark and earthy, but not too much so like Nocnitsa was, and it feels warm. It reminds me of the way it smells when you're caught in a short cloudburst during the summer in Texas while out hiking in a forest with cedar trees. Everything gets just wet enough to release the scents of the earth and grass and tree bark, but not enough to cool things down, so the air is all hot and muggy and enveloping. Intrigue is like that, only drier, and kind of reminds me of Coyote, come to think of it. I really like this.
Highwayman [Bewitching Brews]: "A brace of loaded pistols /
He carried night and day; /
He never robbed a poor man /
Upon the king's highway; /
But what he'd taken from the rich,
/ Like Turpin and Black Bess, /
He always did divide it
/ With the widow in distress.
" Stand and deliver! Vetiver with gardenia, blood red rose, night-blooming jasmine, a dash of cinnamon and a faint hint of leather.
Highwayman was sort of ick on me. The vetiver, which I've only run across once before, in Bluebeard, was way overpowering and off-putting, sharp and murky. Combined with the leather and cinnamon (which was more the sharpness of cinnamon rather than its warmth), it was unpleasant, creating sort of smoky, pungent aura--somewhat like gunpowder, if I may be poetic. I thought it clashed horribly with the gardenia, jasmine, and rose florals, rather than creating an interesting juxtaposition like some other opposing elements do. It wasn't revolting, but I was not pleased, and will be swapping.
Bon Vivant [Bewitching Brews]: An effervescent blend of crystalline champagne notes and sweet strawberry.
Very sweet and pleasant, but not my taste. The strawberry was clearly present, but it was a sweet, artificial-strawberry scent. It's not unpleasant, just on the sweet side. The champagne note was interesting--very subtle, more noticable by texture than scent. Let me rephrase: it had a prickly element to it, but not in the same way lavender or something else with an edge does, but more carbonated-drink-prickly, like drinking Coke (or champagne). Together, I found it rather unremarkable, but I would like to try something with a champagne note in it again. Good thing my next order includes Shattered, eh?
Bewitched [Bewitching Brews]: Deep, luscious green and berry scents that evoke images of woodland witchcraft and the raw power of nature: blackberry, sage, green tea, wild berries and dark musk.
Wet, Bewitched was strongly sage and green tea; very green, but I could smell the berries lurking in the background with a little sweetness. Unfortunately, as I feared, the berries turned into that plastic-kid's-toy scent that they always have on me, mitigated somewhat by the musk. Later, the musk takes charge, and much later the green tea pokes its head out again, but there's still that underlying plastic. Darn. Off to swaps.
Thaleia [Excolo: Muses]: "How light the strain when, decked in vernal bloom, /
Thalia tuned her lyre of melody."
Thaleia the Flourishing is the Muse of Comedy and Pastoral Poetry, and shares the same name as one of the Gratiæ. She is a very down-to-Earth Goddess, and has a special fondness for rural folk. She wears a crown of ivy leaves and carries the Mask of Comedy and a shepherd’s crook. The Blooming One is the Goddess of Comedians and inspires creativity in wit and the joy and release we have in laughter. A vivacious, dazzling, merry scent: honey, ylang ylang, apricot, ciste, blood orange and gardenia with earthy, warm tonka.
MMMMM. That's it, I really have to try everything that has an apricot note in it RIGHT NOW. I am so, so in love with that scent. Which means I must try Depraved, Yerevan, Katharina, Carnaval Diabolique, March Hare (wait, already tried that), Grand Guignol, and the discontinued Lunacy scent Fruit Moon. *makes note* Aaaaanyway...this is a very lovely, very happy scent, appropriate for the Muse of Comedy and Pastoral Poetry. Wet, the apricot is definitely at the top, which made me quite happy (see above). That fruitiness is echoed by the ylang-ylang (a fruity floral) and the slight tang of citrus (which fades on dry-down). As it dries, the tonka (I'm pretty sure) brings out this earthy quality and the floral notes (ylang-ylang, ciste, gardenia) surface a bit more, with the honey adding a sweet golden glow behind it all. It's just this happy, fruity, earthy, gently floral scent. *loves*
Libertine [Love Potions]: "Like a puffed and reckless libertine, /
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads."
Rosewood and chamomile with bergamot, violet, red sandalwood, primrose and Arabian musk.
Very pretty. The violet is elegant, the sandalwood and rosewood graceful, the chamomile and bergamot sophisticated but light. All together, not something to be taken seriously, but pleasant all the same. It's a lovely blend, but not necessarily intense or provocative, just pretty.
New Orleans [Wanderlust]: Reminiscent of hothouse blooms on a humid night, ripe, but touched with decay. Sweet honeysuckle and jasmine with a hint of lemon and spice.
I have a single note jasmine essential oil (non-BPAL), and New Orleans smells almost exactly like it. I really like jasmine, but on its own it can be very headache-inducing and overpowering. This is pure, overbearing jasmine, with a touch of spice on drydown. Swaps!
Water Of Notre Dame [Voodoo Blends]: Brings peace to the spirit, a sense of calm and fulfillment, and attracts the aid of beneficial spirits.
This is a very calming scent. It's a sort of blue-green aquatic, warm and soothing; it reminds me of the aquatic element of Bayou, minus the floral/mossy/evergreen notes. Water Of Notre Dame isn't very complex, but it is peaceful, and that's what I wanted.
Shattered [Bewitching Brews]: A scent as sharp as glass shards, and as brittle as a broken heart. The formula came to me [Elizabeth] - quite literally - in a dream, and is named after, and created in memory of, the last poem that I ever wrote… almost ten years ago to the day. A blend of white champagne notes, grapefruit, lotus, slivered mint and crystalline aquatic blooms.
Ooh...cool. First on, it's very powerfully peppermint, with the grapefruit lurking in the background. It made me think of something, some echo of a memory, but I couldn't place it; it made me think of eating peppermint candy, either from the dish of peppermints in my childhood neighbor's house (a sweet widow named Doris), or eating York peppermint patties at my grandmother's house. On drydown, the mint loses some edge, and the grapefruit remains back instead of taking this opportunity to start shouting. That surprised me; I expected the grapefruit to be sharply wet and citrus-sharp, but it's instead less about being citrus and more about being fruity. The champagne, which I recently encountered in Bon Vivant, gives a fascinating effervescence to the mix, and the lotus smoothes it all together without making it lose that sharp quality. Shattered is gorgeous, brilliantly blended, and absolutely fascinating. Two thumbs way up! *returns to sniffing* ETA: It becomes a lot more powdery/traditional perfume-y as it fades out. Hmm.
Danube [Wanderlust]: Rhododendron and bellflower petals swirl through deep, cool, dark aquatic notes.
This is a deep, blue aquatic; it makes me think of water in a wide, deep, slow-flowing river, as opposed to an aquatic like Szepasszony, which makes me think of cold rain. Definite floral notes, smooth and white. Very nice.
Black Phoenix [Diabolus]: Our signature oil. A dark, languid scent. Promotes hedonistic tendencies and extreme self-love. You won't stop kissing mirrors for a month.
I wonder what's in this. I think maybe almond, or cherry? I've heard they're easily mistaken for each other. And something else incensey. I couldn't pick them out; it ultimately doesn't matter, because this went bizarre and gross on me. Ick.
Yule [LE - Yuletide 2006]: The Holly King and Oak King each hold sway for half of the year, and engage in an epic, eternal battle at Litha and Yule. In truth, they are each a half of the whole – known by many names: Pashupati, Caerwiden, Herne, Pan, Puck, Cernunnos, the Green Man, the Horned God – and as the Holly and Oak Kings represent the light and dark halves of the year, thus do they also represent the light and dark halves of the deity, and thereby, of ourselves.
During the darkness of the year, though it seems cold, barren, and bleak, the earth holds the warmth of life deep within itself, and in the depth of its shadows is the eternal promise of renewal and rebirth.
It is Yule, and the Holly King has slain the Oak: blood red holly berry, mistletoe, wild thyme, verbena, cinquefoil, hemp, winter rose, evergreen, frankincense, juniper, and myrrh.
I get mostly the green elements from this, especially the evergreen and verbena. The incense notes are also hanging around, but it's mostly evergreen and verbena. I'm not wild about it; then the berry-plastic shows up, like usual, and I have to write off another scent. *sigh*
Herr Drosselmeyer 2006 [LE - Yuletide 2006]: Magus, toymaker, and Godfather to Klara. An enigmatic man, seemingly somewhat sinister, but bearing a gentle air and a sincere love for children. This scent is dignified, refined, but dark, and hints towards esoteric mysteries and the secrets that tie mechanics to magick. Pipe smoke, sweet leather, woods and linen.
The pipe smoke definitely dominates this. I think it's very sickly-sweet and unappealing; I am not a fan.
Snow-Flakes [LE - Yuletide 2006]: *snip*long poem*snip* The radiance and desolation of winter.
This smells like half of my Chaos Theory blend--the sort-of-minty, smoothed out half, minus the apple blossom note. I like it; it's very light and pleasant, but I'm having a hard time describing it more than that.
