joopjoop

Hi there! I used to be somewhat active on the forums, but when a close family member passed away I just ... stopped posting - although I continued wearing (and loving) BPAL (although a bit more sporadically). There is no real direct connection between these things, just couldn't focus - grief is funny that way sometimes. In any case, I decided to make a BIG order in honor of Lupers and got a few other nice things as well in the same order. I've wanted to try/buy Antonio for a long time. Although both white musk and fig can be tricky on my skin, all the other notes are favorites of mine and I am a particular fan of vetiver and coconut pairings in scents. Added to that verbena and other lemony scents don't scare me, quite the opposite actually, and my main complaint is that they don't usually last very long on my skin. I probably should've let this rest longer, but Antonio smelled so good in the bottle - verbena, lavender, coconut - all there - that he was the first one I tested from my order! This is a very verbena-forward scent, but honestly, I'm not mad about it. Verbena and lovely fuzzy coconut are the strongest notes while wet, but on dry-down the verbena steps just a back a bit and the other notes emerge more. As I'd hoped, the coconut and vetiver are lovely together and the lavender provides a nice dimension as well. I think with some rest and aging this will develop more depth and complexity and may end up being something pretty special, but I'm enjoying it just fine fresh from the lab in the meantime!

Hi there! I used to be somewhat active on the forums, but when a close family member passed away I just ... stopped posting - although I continued wearing (and loving) BPAL (although a bit more sporadically). There is no real direct connection between these things, just couldn't focus - grief is funny that way sometimes. In any case, I decided to make a BIG order in honor of Lupers and got a few other nice things as well in the same order. This was a blind bottle and the one I was most excited about! I love LOVE mango scents and the description of 'goldfish orange overripe mangos' sounded perfect! 'The Things We Do Make Echoes' does not disappoint. It is a big joyful blast of mango that dries down into a lovely mixed fruit scent (but still mango-predominant) with some depth underneath. My bottle is brand new (I did manage to wait 48 hours before slathering some on though, lol) and I hope with time I'll be able to distinguish some of the non-fruit notes a little more clearly - particularly the anise (a note I also love).

I love everything about this perfume, which isn't surprising since I love all the notes here except for myrrh ( although I am learning to love it in certain blends). I'm a huge copal fan and a huge marigold fan as well. The soil is very understated here. Just beautiful And I can't really put it any better than annamathematics - "a fancy department store perfume for the occult scholar" is spot on!

An unexpected new favorite. I'm not a big incense person, but copal has changed that! This smells clean and somehow high-minded - an incense for offerings that helps you raise your eyes to the heavens. I'm on a no-buy at the moment, but will probably upgrade to a bottle eventually.

I blind bottled this as a last minute Yule purchase last year and was somewhat disappointed when it arrived. The first few times I tried it, it was just... not much. Very faint, sort of herbal, meh. I put it in my aging drawer (more out of laziness than any real hope) and forgot about it. Dug it out a few days ago and I am happy to report that it has become seriously awesome. Fresh, herbal, bracing but the musk keeps it 'perfumey' (in a good way) if that makes sense. It has an invigorating, unisex GREEN tone to it that is very TCB (that's Taking Care of Business for the non-Elvis fans out there). Keep in mind that I'm a citrus/mint/herbal girl through and through - 51, Angeronalia, Shoggoth are the kinds of 'everyday' scents I regularly reach for, and Anesthesia is a bedtime staple - so if those sorts of minty/citrus scents hit the spot for you then Odic Force will most likely be to your liking as wall. And you are all going to think I'm crazy for saying so, but this reminds me of a much lighter, more mellow, Oblivion. It has that metholated and 'green musk' quality to it - I can't explain it but I stand by it! This one is going in my daytime rotation. It's a great 'get-up-and-go' scent for a Monday morning and I can't really see anyone being bothered or offended by the scent so it will make a good office companion.

Sometimes things are coveted and beloved for good reason. Ava is indeed all that and more - tuberose, almond flower (almond is present, but nothing like the foodie almond extract that I get in a lot of BPAL scents), and a touch of mandarin over a translucent, dreamy, dry vanilla musk. I am not a huge vanilla fan and can only take it in small doses in select non-foodie blends, but it is the star - and it is perfect - here. Gorgeous. I'm a believer. If you are tempted - get it! (but maybe wait until I can order a back-up bottle 'k?)

I have sooo many things I could review - should review - Lupers up the wazoo, heck even some Yules I never got around to sharing my impressions about! But I put this hair gloss on after a shower tonight and wondered, not for the first time, why don't I wear this every-damn-day?!!? I can only conclude that it is because smelling so freaking incredible is too much awesome for me (let alone the rest of the world!) to handle on a regular basis (yes, yes, the real reason is that I'm a fickle toddler with wild fragrance mood swings and a compulsion to try new scents). Anyway,it smells great. The vanilla in this one is sooo nice - and I say this as a person who dislikes 90% of BPAL vanillas. And the coconut and tiare? To die for.

This was one of two blind bottles for me, as I love every note, but I really didn't know what to expect. I know that skin chemistry varies greatly, but on me this is a fairly linear orange blossom and honey scent. I can smell the tea, sandalwood and (especially) the apple in the background, but they all play supporting roles. Fortunately I love the combination of orange blossom and honey and this smells both really sexy and fresh/fuzzy (from the honey) to my nose. Quite spring-like as others have mentioned - but far from innocent. I enjoy it very much and I'm glad I got a bottle. Contemplating a backup.

For me, this is the perfect rose incense scent. Rose and frank are the main notes playing off one another, but it is the sweet funk of the sweet oud that gives it a richness and depth, and the herbal quality of the chamomile that keeps it from getting too heady and overwhelming. All together this is just a beautiful blend. Very sophisticated, very posh. I think in another thread I said that is smelled like the 'good incense' that my Indian friends burned at Diwali. I stand by that! Bottle worthy for sure.

First of all, how awesome is "The Dead Hour of the Night" as a name for a scent? I know BPAL has a lot of cool and crazy names, but "The Dead Hour of the Night" is just plain badass. I want to tell people what I am wearing. Ahem. So I'm already predisposed to like this, and I am really hoping the moonflower shines through in this blend. So in the decant and wet it is all pine pine piney pine pine on me. And to be honest it is overpowering - I can't smell anything else. As it dries down the pine calms down a little bit and I can smell the moonflower, and if I really look for it, the opium. The pine is still dominant note, however, and while it is a much nicer pine now - and with the other notes it is a little misty even - I'm not sure how I feel about that. Much later, when this is fully dry, the pine and the moonflower are in harmony and this emerges as a really beautiful haunting scent. I can just smell the opium at this point, if I concentrate - but it is barely a trace. It does smell like a moonlit night. Very true to its name. Romantic - this would fit in with the Crimson Peak line well - it is pine and moonflower, instead of lavender and moonflower like Lullaby. I really love where this ends up, but I'm not sure if I am willing to go through the intense pine phase at the start. Hmm, decisions.

Envy is lovely but a bit frustrating. I would describe it as having a melancholy quality - pure and cold - very evocative of a statue come to life! It has that beautiful white sandalwood that the lab does so well, and that dreamy, slightly salty quality that ambergris brings to the table. After about an hour, however, something a bit dusty and a little bitter emerges and I am not crazy about this stage. Later it settles down and smooths out, and eventually becomes a primarily sandalwood scent. All in all, a wonderful interpretation of the inspiration, but I have so many perfumes at this point that I don't think I will be bringing more Envy into my life.

Dionysia is primarily a fruit scent on me - pom and plum with a hint of raspberry - with some nice earthy grounding elements. After about an hour, more of the 'earthy' notes, particularly the mahogany and the patchouli start to peak out a bit more. It didn't make much of an impression on me the first time I tested it, but now I really enjoy it - it is a very pleasant red-purple fruit scent and a lot more unobtrusive than many of my favorites in that category. Unfortunately, it is a bit too unobtrusive! Very low throw and fades a bit quickly - I'm thinking I can survive without a bottle. Still I am putting the decant in my work-scent rotation - for when I want something fruity but not too assertive.

The first time I tried this, I wasn't impressed. Everything seemed both a bit jarring and a bit faint - hard to get a handle on all around. Tried it again after it had a chance to settle and age just a bit and I like it much better now. This is very much an absinthe scent at its core, but there is something about it - it must be the opium smoke and the touch of burnt sugar - that tip it over into slightly debauched and maybe even a bit sinister. The whole thing suggests late nights, a little too much forced laughter and mad frivolity - a suggestion of trying to drink and flirt late into the early hours in order desperately stave off the unforgiving glare of the morning sun. The florals add to that impression as well - beautiful, but languidly draped over of a core of darkness. It smells nothing at all like it, but it reminds me of Anathema - all corrupted pleasures and decadent excess. The longer I wear it, the more I like it. Do I need a bottle? I'm not sure. I just broke down and put a bottle of Anathema in my last order and I think that might scratch the same itch. Honestly I don't have a lot of opportunities to smell like a party girl from the belle époque so I'm not sure I can justify a full bottle of this fallen angel of the night as well. But I am tempted....

I got an ounce of this and it is really nice - great for pairing with other plum and red-fruit scents. Mostly plums and sugar, with just a touch of vanilla.

This is gorgeous and may be my favorite BPAL rose ever (although the competition is stiff!). It is definitely herbal, particularly to start, with the marigolds, mums and a background of dried crunchy leaves providing a strong counterpoint to the wild roses. I like it just fine that way (because herbal rose is my jam), but just wait - and then - OH YEAH! Soon it dries down to gloriousness: gobs and gobs of gorgeous roses paired with beautiful smooth vanilla, and with just a slight herbal edge to it that keeps it from going too sweet. And it lasts and lasts! I wore to a party the other night, got several compliments, and generally felt like a queen. I ordered a bottle immediately. And if the bottle smells anywhere near as good as the imp, I'll be ordering a couple of backups as well before the Weenies come down.