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BPAL Madness!

riddel

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About riddel

  • Rank
    obsessive precious hoarder
  • Birthday June 18

BPAL

  • BPAL of the Day
    Juliet
  • Favorite Scents
    Alice, Juliet, La Belle au Bois Dormant, Pele, Veil

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  • Interests
    Books, botany, theology, and all that is strange and macabre.
  • Mood
    Team Floral

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  • Chinese Zodiac Sign
    Rooster
  • Western Zodiac Sign
    Gemini

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    United States

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  1. riddel

    Hallow-e’en, 1914

    This is fresher and greener than I was expecting. The ivy, she is strong in this one. When wet, the dirt smells rich and damp. It dries down to a clean, earthy scent with a lot of herbal leafiness and a slight undertone of figgy richness. I like it! It's not what I was expecting -- I was hoping for graveyard chic, whereas this is more gardening chic -- but it does feel like early fall to me.
  2. riddel

    Gingerbread Cathedral

    OMFG. I can't with this scent, guys and gals. I CAN'T. It is just that friggin' good. It's Cathedral made sweeter with gingerbread spices. Simple, yes, but gorgeous all the same.
  3. riddel

    Gingerbread Sin

    I love me some Sin. It's such a rich, warm, don't-eff-with-me scent. Yet, despite its attitude and swagger, it's not a strong scent, at least not on me. It always dries down quite light and very much becomes a second-skin scent, which is right up my alley. Gingerbread Sin is no exception. It has the same light drydown, which makes me happy. BPAL's gingerbread note is always a bit strong and bread-y at first, but it always dries down to gingerbread spices. So this ends up being Sin + faint gingerbread spices. I'm more than okay with that. It's Sin made festive and spicier. Gingerbread goes great with so many BPALs. Gingerbread all the things, Beth. Gingerbread all the things.
  4. riddel

    Blacker than the Raven Wings of Midnight

    Oh, dear. This one is not for me. I smell the black tea, patchouli, and something that smells like black licorice, but they're combining in a way that smells... asceptic. Like a hospital. Or rubbery, like bandaids. I don't know how or why, but I work in a hospital and I often come home smelling similar to this. But take my review with a grain of salt. Others are obviously smelling something different. I think, too, that I just don't get along well with tea + vanilla-type scents. I don't like Dorian or White Rabbit, either, and both of those are quite beloved.
  5. riddel

    Heavenly Love & Earthly Love

    Oh, there's BPAL's beautiful frankincense note. This is like a thicker, richer Midnight Mass on me. There's a dark, molasses-like quality to it. A little sweetly-sour, even. Somebody above said "syrup-y," which I can see. Not food-y, though. No, no. I do prefer the lighter, smoother Midnight Mass; but I can definitely see myself reaching for this in certain moods. It's lovely. I miss the Salons. I'm glad they are back, if only in a limited, traveling form.
  6. riddel

    The Grave-Pig

    Fiiiiiiiiig. I, too, tried this without reading the notes first. I could have sworn there was some tobacco in this but I guess not. I didn't pick up on any patchouli, which I lurve, but it being in here does make sense. I get strong, tobacco-y fig with a warm fuzziness that reminds me of mushrooms, as opposed to smelling exactly like mushrooms. It's yum. Really yum. The Nutcracker is the only BPAL I have backup bottles of and this reminds me of a heavier, earthier version of The Nutcracker. I may just need a bottle for my dirtier fig moods. Also, I love pigs.
  7. riddel

    (Not So) Penitent (Mini) Magdalene

    The vanilla is strong on me and quite food-y. The smoky wax is there, as well. The spices remind me of gingerbread. The sandalwood smells like the sandalwood in Anne Bonny. I'm down with that. It does have a slightly sour undertone on me that I'm not A+ on. I won't be getting rid of it anytime soon, though. It intrigues the heck out of me. I can tell that I'll be sniffing and applying it rather frequently, if only to get a better handle on it. I can see myself wanting to wear it in certain moods. It's not quite like anything else in my collection. Man, overall, the Liliths and the Weenies have been big winners for me this year.
  8. riddel

    Venustas

    Oh, this is gorgeous! It's like a lighter, citrus-y A Moment in Time with a touch of resins. Seeing as how A Moment in Time is my favorite Lilith scent -- and, quite truthfully, it's in my top three BPAL scents of all-time -- I'm more than happy to have something else in my collection that reminds me of it. Insert lots of hearts here.
  9. riddel

    Autumn - Overlooked My Knitting

    I'm not fond of ambergris. I didn't realize that until today. It has this salty-foam-y-skin-musk thing that is not for me. If ambergris is your thing, however, this scent will make you very happy. It's warm and fuzzy and very much a second-skin scent. The pop of currant is a nice touch. For sweater days, I'll reach for Sonnet d'Automne.
  10. riddel

    Magnificent Autumn

    I've been a fan of BPAL since 2004. When I first smelled Samhain I was astounded at how gosh darned evocative it was. It was just way too strong for me. Mofo had some throw. (Now, all of these years later, I can happily enjoy Samhain in candle form. And I do. Oh, I do. BPAL, you're all growed ups. Sniffle.) But this... this the perfect autumn scent for me to actually wear. It's so artistic, the way it cycles: green leaves; minty snow; autumnal fruitiness (currant or pomegranate would be my guess); dead leaves; then finally some of the woodsier, smokier elements from Samhain and Samhainphobia, only not as strong. Lovely.
  11. riddel

    Single Note: Stage Blood

    This is almost a dead ringer for Hawaiian Punch when wet. It has the same sheer, fruity, slightly powder-y smell that Hawaiian Punch has. I think I smell some dragon's blood as it dries. This is a fun, properly campy scent but I'm not sure I'm going to keep my bottle. I can't really see myself wearing this on its own and for layering purposes I'm much more likely to reach for the richer, smoother Suck It, which is also a simple "red" scent.
  12. riddel

    The White Witch

    Hallo thar, rose. You're so bee-yoo-tee-full. This is such a warm, sophisticated rose scent. It smells dark and expensive. I love the pop of tart pomegranate and the light hint of patchouli. This is a scent fit for Persephone Herself. It reminds me of both Spellbound and Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller without smelling exactly like either of them.
  13. riddel

    Very Pink Surprise Cake

    Believe you me when I tell you that I waffled on buying a bottle of Very Pink Surprise Cake. "But you're not a food-y person!" said my brain. "But pink cake was your birthday cake of choice growing up!" said my heart. “But you've tried cake scents before and they did not go well," said my brain. "BUT PINK CAKE MEMORIES I DON'T CARE UNF!" screamed my heart. Thankfully, I listened to my (admittedly loud) heart and bought myself a bottle because, guys and gals? THIS. This is IT. It's THAT scent. That scent I smelled almost every June 18th until I left home. It's the smell of that pink cake that my mother (and sometimes my grandmother) made from a box and slathered with pink frosting from a jar. A special pink cake for my special day. This scent and Pralines and Powdered Sugar have made me rethink my anti-food-y-perfume stance just a bit. I won't be going over to the Food-y Dark Side any time soon (even if they do have cookies), but I'll definitely be a bit more open to certain kinds of food-y blends from now on. P.S. Pink cake from a box with pink frosting from a jar is still my favoritest cake in the whole wide world and I am not ashamed. I want to die with a forkful of pink frosted cake in my mouth.
  14. riddel

    Suck It (2014)

    A vampiric good time. Sexy and suckable: black cherry brandy and a whisper of red wine. 2014 Version This is all sweet, juicy cherries when wet; red candy smoothness when dry. I can't pick out any brandy or wine but there's a warmth underneath that might be their contribution. Yes, it's a little cough syrup-y at first, but that fades with time. Poor cherries, to forever be associated with cough syrup (and, in turn, illness). But yeah, this is exactly what I wanted it to be: a sweet, lush "red" scent that I can wear alone or use for layering (mostly layering as I love sweet redness and I must sweeten and redden ALL THE THINGS). I have visions of this mixed with Blood Popsicle and Hollywood Babylon. I like those visions. The vampire imagery doesn't hurt, either. Vaaaaaaaaampires.
  15. riddel

    Blood Popsicle

    Okay, so I love me some vampires. LOVE. Not sparkly vampires, no. I like predatory vampires; monstrous vampires; vampires that revel in blood. I can't help but think of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Spike calling humans "Happy Meals with legs." That's what I want from my vampires: I want vampires that see human beings as dinner. I'm not sure if the vampires in Only Lovers Left Alive are of that mindset, as I haven't seen the movie, but I do know that I have no self-control when it comes to scents that are inspired by blood (or scents that evoke "redness" and/or blood to me, like Bordello and Hollywood Babylon). I guess I'm like a perfume vampire in that regard. My appetite for bloody smellies, it is large. This scent is exactly what I wanted it to be. When wet, it has this odd, unsettling overtone to it: kind of salty and metallic and vetiver-y all at once. As it dries, that overtone becomes an undertone and the scent itself becomes more musky (red musk?) and faintly fruity with a touch of spice. Am I the only one reminded of Tintagel when smelling this? Something in this, when dry, smells like the best part of Tintagel to me: the "red," mulled wine part of Tintagel. Picture a muskier Tintagel, no pine-like greenery, with an undertone of salty metallic-ness. I can't complain about that.
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