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- Today
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I’ve been a BPALer since 2015, but this is my first day wearing this scent. I love it! When it first arrived last night, it smelled vaguely of a shampoo my friend’s mom used when I was a kid. That’s clearly the balsam. Wearing it today, though, I get big booming waves of creosote. I’m wondering if that is a component of the “metallic” notes. Not really getting the balsam any more at all. The musk is nice and subtle, and I thought I smelled patchouli before applying it this morning, but maybe it was my nose misinterpreting the creosote. Or the tobacco flower, which I’m honestly not getting much of either. It’s lucky I adore creosote. All Their Heads Fell Off and California Leaf Nosed Bat are both shining examples of a solid creosote offering. My skin sweetens everything, so I’m not getting masculine from this at all. In conclusion, I love this and will wear it often. It pairs well with Crack of Thunder Hair Gloss.
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Roselight is invaluable for me as a balm for trying times at work while grieving. The fragrance is lovely. The intention is fortifying. I'm going to pick up a second bottle.
- Yesterday
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I'm not able to pick this apart note-wise in the way that I usually do, but like its atmospheric spray counterpart, this is very pink! It smells like a really fruity and fizzy drink. There are moments when I can pick out the fruit notes -- like, oh, there's some grapefruit! Ah, there's the guava! Oh, now I get some strawberry and blackberry! But the note that is most discernible on my skin, sticking around throughout wear instead of popping in and out, is the champagne, which I feel like is the most accurate champagne note I've come across, as I can smell the champagne itself and not just its fizz. I bought the atmo last year, and now I'm happy to have the perfume oil in my collection!
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The French lavender is the star of the show throughout wear, backed by what I think must be the cherimoya. I've never had it or smelled it before, but it is bright, fruity, and somehow combining with the lavender note to make me think of A Conscious Slumber, even though the only note these two scents share is lavender. (I'm not mad -- I should have grabbed a back-up bottle of A Conscious Slumber while it was available, as it is one my most effective sleep scents.) The coconut and ube aren't main players on me, but I think the coconut cozies up to the lavender after it has been on the skin for a while like it does in Daybreak, and the ube may be doing the same (since it often ends up being somewhat coconut-adjacent on me after a while). I'm going to need at least one bottle of this to wear as a sleep scent, maybe more.
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The sweet ube candyfloss is the dominant note throughout wear on me (and it is truly sweet like candyfloss as opposed to being the usual starchy, coconut-adjacent ube note), backed by the red bean paste wrapped with rice paper. I love Beth's red bean paste so much, and although I don't dislike the ube candyfloss, I wish the red bean paste were the strongest part of the scent! It is present throughout wear, but it is at its strongest when the scent is freshly applied. I need to spend more time with this one to see if I need more than my decant -- but the decant is definitely a keeper! Now I'm daydreaming about Beth using this red bean paste note to make a dorayaki scent...
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Jamesthesaint changed their profile photo
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This one starts off being mostly about the tea (more standard green tea than jasmine green tea at first) and lemon, with a bit of a camphorous quality from the hinoki cypress. Over time, the jasmine part of the jasmine tea emerges -- but it doesn't really smell like actual jasmine tea, just like a floral note hovering over the tea note -- as well as the resins, making this a floral tea scent accompanied by resins (I get more sandalwood than frankincense). They don't share the same tea or floral notes, but this is bringing to mind At the Tea Drinking from the 2023 Shunga collection, with resins instead of orange. I liked this one best during the wet phase of the scent, before the resins became more noticeable. I wish that I had gotten more hinoki from this, but I still like this enough to hang onto my decant. I'm going to give this a full-day slather to see if I need more of it -- and maybe I'll get more hinoki that way -- as I do think this is pretty. I look forward to pairing it with Informal Tea Hair Gloss.
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Ehon Takara Gura is mostly about the chrysanthemum on me, backed by the vanilla sandalwood. I wouldn't really describe this as a lemon scent, but the lemon is there to lift the scent a little. As the scent sits on the skin, the vanilla in the vanilla sandalwood really blooms (there's more vanilla than sandalwood on me, and the sandalwood isn't super dry). Combined with the chrystanthemum, it makes for a really pretty scent. I'll need to give this one a full-day slather to see if I need a bottle, but I'm definitely keeping my decant! If you're on the hunt for chrysanthemum, you should give this one a try!
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Wet this is pure pine and sweetish amber, and I loved this phase. Completely dry there is no pine anymore and all I get is ash. Ash single note.
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This falls squarely into the "can the Lab release this atmo as a perfume, please?" category for me. It smells SO much like Thai mango sticky rice, which is one of my favorite desserts - not too sweet, a little salty, silky with coconut cream and rice starch, gently ripe and fruity. The honey has the "black honey" resin-like complexity, giving the scent more dimensions than a simple foody spray. I love this, but I wish it lasted longer on my skin.
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Frog Moon: Iris and Wild Patchouli
OxfordComma replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
Really, really lovely. The way these notes combine is an almost atmospheric gardening scent. The iris is purple and airy. Simultaneously dry and greenly floral. The Patchouli is earthy and rooty without being the usual hippie patch. In fact my patch-hater partner didn't ID this as patchouli at all, and actually likes this perfume quite a bit! Smells like a cool toned dusty purple. I hope the lab does more patch floral combos like this, it's such a stunner. -
This was one I grabbed a sample of at launch and then decided not to keep... But then I kept thinking about it and thinking about it and wanting to smell it again. So I grabbed a bottle. The first impression was, and is, not great for me haha. It reminds me of this nail polish remover I had, like, in the 90s. Scented, pink, with a built in felt pad scrubby thing. Super effective, probably full of carcinogens. Anyways, that's what this smells like at first. But after that brief foray into yesteryear, it emerges triumphant in all it's pastel neutral-tone fair isle knit glory. Dry crunchy leaves skitter at your feet, the cool autumn wind whipping them into dust devils. But you are cozy and warm in your fuzzy sweater and scarf combo (matching, of course). Nice throw and incredible longevity. I could smell it on my sweater days later when doing the laundry. Sidenote: the DL here is not the cronchy bell pepper one or particularly cologney imo. It's a much softer, crumbly dry forest floor vibe. Not sure if it's a different version of the note or just the way it combined with the other notes but, I realllllly like it.
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A misty river bank, lined with dewy night-blooming lilies, gently illuminated by the moon peeking between the clouds. The musk is aquatic without being blue musk, ozonic without being shrill. The lily note is really lovely, but not overt. Like smelling flowers on the air but you can't pinpoint where it's coming from. This is really pretty and perfect for the line, but maybe too aquatic for my tastes. If it were an Ars Anni scent it would be something like Steck's Ophelia. Tragic, moody, and softly luminescent.
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The "little full, lotta sap" scent from Christmas Vacation now conveniently bottled for your wearing enjoyment. A face full of sticky sap, romanticised with glowing golden amber and lightly dusted with fireplace ash. All the Yules I've tried this year have a lovely sort of nostalgic whimsy to them and this also kind of has that vibe to me, but maybe it's just my associations with the movie haha. Pretty solid throw and wear length!
- Last week
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I purchased this bottle back in 2015, but I didn't review it due to life events, and now, here I am, 11 years later, reviewing the scent. Aristocratic Couple is a delightful apricot scent. I applied my Bourbon Vanilla Hair Gloss yesterday, before I tested this, and it really helped me to isolate that note in this scent: it's a sheer vanilla that has a bit of brightness to it, and isn't floofy or foody whatsoever. I think that note has gained strength as it has aged over the years, but of course, the apricot is the star of the show here. The cardamom, on the other hand -- well, there's really only a light dusting of it. I didn't test them side by side (despite owning both scents), but I agree with another reviewer's comment about this being a cousin to March Hare. March Hare has its sprinkling of clove, and this has its dusting of cardamom, but the both lightly-spiced apricot scents. I am glad I ordered a bottle of this back in the day. I really should wear it more often.
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Man Making Love to the Maid of a Samurai Household
doomsday_disco replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Lupercalia
If you love ginger, this scent is for you, for it has it in spades! The ginger root is the strongest note throughout wear, and it is somewhat effervescent, reminding me of ginger beer. The lemon is next in prominence, and I get touches of the other notes, but they don't hold a candle to those two. This smells like the sort of tea you would drink when feeling ill. I don't think I need a full bottle of this one, but I'm definitely going to hang onto my decant for those times when I'm not feeling too well and drinking lots of lemon and ginger tea. -
Workman Displaying His Sexual Prowess and Gigantic Size of His Member in a Variety of Situations
doomsday_disco replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Lupercalia
On me, this goes on with what I believe is the white ginger, which is reading as a sweet floral on me, followed by a rush of brandy and the apricot mash. It is very sweet and boozy at first, but then the brandy wins out, and the sandalwood joins in, so that it is mostly a sandalwood-infused booze scent on me. The vanilla wasn't noticeable on my skin, but maybe it just needs some age. In any case, of the two apricot Shungas in this update, I prefer Apricot Vulva, since it doesn't contain any booze. -
um, i get NO leather. it's "perfumy" and sparkly? very light and almost crystaline edit, after a few hours becomes a little leathery, very skin-musk leather, which I guess makes sense, low throw
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Record of Women’s Treasures of the Way of Elegance Day and Night
Roogna replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Lupercalia
almost nutty, sweet, toasted, and peppered. Yes, coffee bean on close sniff, but mainly champa incense, cardamom, and pepper -
Snake Oil (2022) I fell in love with Snake Oil all over again when I recently tried my 2010 bottle, and I was super curious to try one I found on Ebay. This one is from 4/22, when the oil was re-released after component scarcity during the pandemic. This was apparently created with aged components to be close to the original. Here are my impressions, as a vintage SO enthusiast! Freshly-applied, this is a sensuous, burgundy scent, and it feels red musk dominant, with the beloved pachouli trailing behind. It seems more like a Snake Oil blend than actual SO, which is interesting. For comparison, it has the same vibe as Luna Negra and some of the darker berry-musk scents. I'm not mad about it, and I'm curious to see how it plays out and develops over the course of the day. In fact, this seems more like a "can wear to the office" blend because it doesn't announce its presence in the same way. It's a lovely scent, just different. If you've been put off by the intensity of SO in the past, the 2022 version might be exactly what you need!
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I went the decant route on this one in case it would be too similar to Aristocratic Couple. I gave this a full-day slather during the day yesterday and then deathmatched this with Aristocratic Couple (while also testing Workman Displaying further down my arm...). During the daytime slather, this was predominantly bright apricot and bergamot -- the bergamot really brightens the scent. I don't get any of the bourbon vanilla from this, or the cream musk, but maybe they will emerge with age. Unfortunately, I do get a waxy quality from the scent after it has been on my skin for a few hours, especially in the crooks of my elbows -- it's almost more like a dried apricot, even though it started off like a fresh one. Compared to Aristocratic Couple, this is much brighter, and while the apricot and the sheer bourbon vanilla are really noticeable in Aristocratic Couple, I am not able to detect the bourbon vanilla in Apricot Vulva. Since the bottle of Aristocratic Couple is 11 years old at this point, it's possible that Apricot Vulva's bourbon vanilla will also be more noticeable as the scent ages. But fresh, Apricot Vulva does not smell as good to me as Aristocratic Couple, which also has the bonus of being infused with a tiny bit of cardamom that makes it even more appealing. On the other hand, Workman Displaying His Sexual Prowess and Gigantic Size of His Member in a Variety of Situations is quite different to Apricot Vulva. It does not feature the same apricot note, is very boozy from the brandy on my skin, and it has the woodiness of the sandalwood. Of the two, I prefer Apricot Vulva. I don't feel the need to upgrade my decant to a bottle since I prefer Aristocratic Couple and March Hare, but I'll be hanging on to my decant.
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Strawberry Moon: Dried Strawberries and Dragon’s Blood Resin Hair Gloss
Poenari replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Hair
I don't usually try or wear strawberry scents, but wanted to try this combination because I love Beth's dragon's blood resin so much. Disclaimer- my review is based on spraying this on my skin and not in my hair. This is a very prominent strawberry, and smells exactly like those pouches of dried strawberries you can buy! It's lovely and sweet. I really don't detect the dragon's blood at first. After about 20 minutes, the strawberry has become softer and seems to become a new note: not dragon's blood- something that is both notes blended together in a way that creates an entirely new note! It's soft, sweet, red, neither fruit nor resin but just lovely. This is a great springtime scent and I will update my review after I have a chance to wear this in freshly shampooed hair. -
I loved this as soon as I smelled it, and as it bloomed on my skin, I knew that I would need more than one bottle in my life. The Indolence of Resting Men predominantly smells like sugar cane and cucumber on me, with a squeeze of lemon swirled with some black tea. It smells like the most wonderful, sugared cucumber and lemon-infused iced tea, and I know I'm going to love to slather this on every summer. I'm not getting any of the cream from this, but that's fine with me. I went the decant route on this because I wasn't sure how the cucumber would go with the other notes, but it turns out, they complement each other perfectly! I will definitely be needing at least 2-3 bottles of this before it goes away!
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Pulled this out of my goodie pile today and I had forgotten how incredible this is. the absolute PERFECT patchouli scent. The vanilla tames down some of the metallic or cleaning fluid vibes I can sometimes get from patchouli and the hemp has an almost cedary note. i will be slathering this on like a filthy hippie all summer
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when i'm trying something new, usually i re-read the description first because i'm trying to teach myself what different things smell like (matching what i can smell to the description), but this was the first time i did things the other way round. as a sort of test for myself to see how i'm getting on, i didn't look at the description until afterwards, when i matched it to what i had already smelt. i was pleased with how well i was able to identify the different notes and how they come and go by myself! it was quite powdery, but in a pleasant way. i think this must have been the amber. from the bottle and wet, it had quite a lemony quality (the sweet pea? is that sweet pea??), which together with the powderiness made it seem rather soapy, but that settled down as soon as it dried off. then the vanilla came forward a bit more and the amber became warmer and everything got creamier and sweeter, and then stayed that way. i don't think i got much sandalwood. for me it is very quiet and unassuming, but though there's no throw to speak of, it's still very long-lasting; i put some on in the evening and it still hadn't entirely faded when i woke up the next morning. it is a very soothing and cosy scent and now i think i might make a habit of wearing it to go to sleep with.
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a disaster for me!! 😭 this is the first bpal scent i have actively disliked - and not only disliked, but had to wash off because it was making me feel so bad. i like musk and honey, but here i got none at all; and i was fine with (and liked!) the clove in madrid, so it must have been the other spices here that didn't work for me. i think it was mostly the peppers and ginger, but in the bottle and wet i couldn't even pick them apart - only that there was a piercing smell right to the back of my head (if that makes sense); i can only compare it to walking into lush and getting hit by all those soapy scents all at once, which gets to me and i find overwhelmingly heady in a similar way. i also had some redness on my arms where i'd applied it 🥹 so i couldn't wait around to see if the scent changed any because i washed it off so quickly. i'm feeling bitter because i've really enjoyed exploring the wanderlust scents so far, and regret choosing an imp of this one over london on ebay. i went for bengal in order to try something new, as i already have quite a few rose scents - but though london would have been a safe or more 'boring' choice, it wouldn't have made me feel bad and i probably would have liked it!
