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- Yesterday
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Flower Moon: Ylang Ylang and White Sugar Lotion
doomsday_disco replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Lotion
This is GLORIOUS. I'm a big fan of sugary floral scents, so I figured that it would be, but I love it even more than I thought I would since the emphasis here is on the white sugar note. It's not listed as one of the sugars in 13 March 2020, but I think it may be one of the sugars found in that scent? Anyway, the sugar note is properly sugary and it smells divine. I'd say this is probably 95% white sugar and 5% ylang ylang on me, especially in the throw, and this is one of the lotions where the throw is decent and the scent even lasts between hand washes. The ylang ylang in it is a little more noticeable after it has been on the skin for a few hours, but it is not nearly as strong as the sugar and it isn't heady. I need a bottle in my life! -
Flower Moon: Calla Lily and Purple Musk
doomsday_disco replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
I'm not really sure what purple musk contains, but I think there must be some kind of resin in it, as there's an incense-y note to this that I wasn't expecting from this duet. I get lily and incense-y musk from this, and since incense-y florals are not really in my wheelhouse, I don't feel the need to grab more of this one. I'm curious to read other reviews, though, to see what others are experiencing with this purple musk note. -
I didn't order a decant of this scent, but my decanter kindly gifted me a tester of this to try that had enough in it for two tests. Flower Moon is very much a floral scent, with the flowers not being too high-pitched or heady, but I think I may be having a similar experience to leptonpyr, as I also get plenty of incense with the floral notes. It might be the amber in the blend, although it definitely made me think more of incense than amber. I had decided not to grab a decant of this one because of the earth note -- not because I dislike dirt notes, but because I didn't really myself appreciating it with these notes. Fortunately, there isn't any super earthy or moist dirt note in this scent -- but I can imagine some sun-baked, dry earth beneath the floral notes and their nectar if I sniff the scent up close. I like this moon more than I thought I would and think it is pretty, especially during the late drydown once the incense has calmed down, but since it didn't make me swoon like its lotion did, I'm not sure I need a bottle of this one. (I will probably huff my now empty tester a few more times before the scent goes away just to be sure, though. 😅)
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The lilac cream is the first to element hit my nose, followed by the “polished” aspect of the polished amber. It seems that lemon is a subtle through line in this year’s shungas, and I think that citrus is a subtle part of the sheen on this scent. I love BPAL lilac but find it difficult to wear, too blowsily feminine for my construction worker ass. Here it is wonderfully subdued by the soft cream and (probable) lemon, and soon by the spiced honey. Honey and beeswax haters of all but the most extreme stripe need not fear—I don’t get beeswax at all from this, and from the spiced honey I mostly get the spices, and even these are subtle. But they are there, and their effect is to turn Inyo Gozassu Nozu into almost a fougère. The oakmoss is absent, but there is a hypnotically paradoxical calm yet thrumming quality to this blend that emerges from the contrast between the lilac cream and that almost astringently spiced honey. I don’t know tolu balsam well enough to recognize it, but I may love it! There is a bittersweet balsamic quality indeed supporting this quasi-fougère that works with the cream to smooth everything out and fill in every gap between any potentially sharp notes. I never do get teak or beeswax specifically. In my BPAL pantheon, this is like the unexpected child of Lesbian Maidservants Cavorting With a Tortoiseshell Dildo and Dumb Cake. The fougère quality of the latter meets the airy and spiced amber of the former, and the mosses in both must be recessive because this is all smooth balsam, cream, lilac, and subtle spice with no moss to rough things up even to the level of velvet. This is such a wonderful blend and definitely FB worthy. I wonder for myself it it is too similar to Dumb Cake to justify a purchase. It also reminds me strongly of Hiram Green Arcadia, a spiced fougère fragrance I was already considering purchasing for late summer/fall (my fougère season). I will be death matching this against those fragrances, but mostly I will advise this is just a pure shunga delight. If you like shungas and like the notes here this is a no brainer. It is just lovely, dreamy, yet alive and buzzing with interest.
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Ugh, I should've bought at least 3 bottles of this. An absolute stunner - the best BPAL lavender scent since To A Wreath of Snow, imho. It's much more than a simple lavender scent - I do get some pale florals that support the lavender, in perfect balance with the gentle mossy-aquatic note, and sophisticated musk. Ethereal, soft, and gentle. Layered with Donkey's Tail, it becomes more grounded and structured somehow. The added fabric notes work really well. Verdict: the new lavender masterpiece of Yules 2025. I really need to get more bottles before it's discontinued.
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Nag Champa & Dragon’s Blood Resin
Amoraexcena replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
Exactly what's described - a rich, sweet incense scent that's reminiscent of Dragon's Heart. On me, it's about 80% DBR and 20% Nag Champa. If you're missing the Ars Draconis line, this might help scratch that itch (it does for me!) -
Myrrh and I are not always friends. I want to state that right off the top in the interest of total transparency. I envy those that can wear her with total abandon and glide through the air smelling of holy places and deep mythologies. On me myrrh usually smells like wet cardboard That said, the rest of the notes in this blend were compelling enough that I threw caution to the wind because sometimes ya gotta. In the bottle and upon initial application I get a powdery myrrh and a sharp stab of the bergamot bringing up the rear. Odd bedfellows to be sure, but there was also a third component I couldn't quite grab in the deep background and I was hoping to find out more, later. That incense note shows up upon drydown and "velvety" is a really accurate description for it. It's soft and plush- I get the above observation of it being almost as if nag champa incense was "really, really classy". It goes even a step beyond that for me because although I adore nag champa incense, I'm not a fan of it in my perfumes. This scent is definitely "incensey" but doesn't cross over into anything hippy-ish or head shop-y. It's rich and darkly intriguing and yes, myrrh and I are getting along like gangbusters, thankyouverymuch
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Echoing @OctoberGwen's sentiment, I, too, get TAL oils for their magickal properties first and foremost. And I agree with all statements above that illustrate this oil is also a lovely scent as a side bonus. I can pick out the allspice, lavender and orange and the combination puts me in mind of a very cherished and hoarded bottle of Florida Water I picked up in NOLA years ago on my honeymoon. I use it very sparingly but I'm always delighted when the occasion calls for it: Hearthglow, like that Florida Water, creates a sense of real well-being and comfort in a physical space and both lend themselves well to delicately fragrancing the atmosphere while working their magicks. I may add a bit of Hearthglow to a water spray and mist some rooms and our altars- I have a feeling it will work beautifully that way. ❤️
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Possibly because I chose a very very warm day to test this fully, I was quite surprised that after an initial burst of those purple-y, "bruised" florals, I mostly just got...clove. It's a nice clove, don't get me wrong. But with such a stunning array of notes, I was definitely anticipating more. I will re-test this on a day that isn't hovering around 90 and hopefully have more interesting results! 🤷♀️
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On me, this is 90% delectable fresh red apple, and faint whisps of the other notes that collectively give it a touch of cool, grounded sweetness. In the late drydown I get a touch more of that beautiful vanilla cold cream, which I hope comes out more as it ages. The white patch, lavender, and bergamot I don't think I would be able to pick out if the notes weren't listed, but I'd say they add a bit of a sophisticated vibe. It's already beautiful and I can see this getting more and more wear during hot summer months.
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On my skin, this is Sugar, Lavender, and Clean Laundry florals. It's almost too sweet, but not quite. I'm really glad to try it! I think it would wear best in the winter.
- Last week
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This is *exactly* what I was hoping for- a light, cool coconut paired with a delicate sweet lime. It's very similar to the combo of main notes in Tarot: The Star, which is one of my ride-or-die beloveds, and I'm super excited to have this hair gloss to pair with that when I want total saturation- or to at least wear on its own for the next four months of summer. Absolute win. ❤️
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This proved to be way more spice-forward than I was expecting, but I'm not mad about it. Something about the blend of the vanilla, cocoa powder and biscuits puts me in mind of Sprinklecake from oh-so-long ago. It's a not-aggressive foodie confection. Only here, with that sharp cardamom, it's like Sprinklecake all grow'd up. Cardamom, which I typically love, also sometimes has a habit of getting unruly on me, so that it becomes way too dominant in the mix. Here, it behaves reasonably, to my pleasant surprise, so that all the elements have a chance to shine, even as they work seamlessly together. Glad I snagged this- it's been a minute since I've had a scent like this in my collection!
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I don't get much amber from the small amount I tested on my wrist. It's a soft leather, with minimal throw and wear (again from a small sample).
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...I sniffed my arm and literally said 'rowr'. I didn't care for it layered with Catherine (which I like on its own).
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When I heard that this scent was all about the red musk, I was enthusiastically on board, because the Lab's red musk note is a favorite of mine (Smut, I'm looking at you!). Sadly for me, this scent is not that. The berries dominate the blend here, which begins its journey as something I can only describe as a "mystical fruit punch" (side note: Mystical Fruitpunch will be the name of my Grateful Dead cover band )- the berries are very much in the 'melange of fruit juices' genre, and a bit of that red honey plus a tiny splash of the musk, combine to make it more than just "this is a summery fruit drink". As it warms and blossoms, the fruit is magnified, the musk becomes even less of a presence and that candied rose jumps in creating something of a summer sangria. 🤷♀️ Others have mentioned summer vibes, and I am clearly in full agreement with that. Given the notes, it's not at all what I expected but if fruity, summer scent are your vibe, don't pass this one up.
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In the tiny decant bottle this smells like my local metaphysical store. On my skin it’s a musky tobacco and patch sweetened by the vanilla, with the slightly dusty saffron and amber. I’m not really picking out any nutmeg, and the rose geranium which can be overwhelming on me is gentle and herbal. This seems really classic BPAL to me. You could wear it on a date or to pull tarot cards on your couch. I really like this one.
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This is like Amber Lace and And though they are with you had the world's most beautiful love child. On me this is a sophisticated, grown-up version of And though they are with you. I'm almost certain they have a similar warm sandalwood. This is more complex, with sweet golden amber, a gentle, non-foody vanilla, and a whisp of faded florals. I adore this and I'm so glad I was able to snag a bottle off of their Etsy. THANK YOU PUDDIN'!
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definitely fit for a lothlario! in the bottle there's a hint of some vinegar-y, acidic note. this turns to on the skin a smooth, well blended cologne scent. #loveit. in the wet phase it's a sweet cologne. it almost seems like a lily of the valley note coming out to me at first but definitely has an overall cologne-y vibe. dry, i almost get a touch of luxe suntan oil. still very similar to the wet phase but less sharpness/cleanness from the note i registered as lily and more smoothed out.
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This is really special on me! I love BPAL myrrh so I had high hopes. The overall aroma is a dry incense, with the myrrh dominating with its velvety presence. I also sense crackling woods and glowing balsamic resins. It smells quiet yet proud. I think it's meditative and peaceful. The notes are very harmonious and well blended. I can't stop huffing my wrist and letting the liquid poetry permeate me completely. I look forward to upgrading to a bottle!
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"Balm" is a perfect descriptive word for Roselight. As with all TAL oils, I procured Roselight not for fragrance, but for intent. That said, the fragrance is *gorgeous*. A soft, soft natural rose and a lush overarching "greenery" behind it (I suspect a combo of the violet, lavender and sampaguita are mostly to blame). As for the intent, yes. It's ever present. From the second I sniff the oil to well after I've anointed my palms, that feeling of wellbeing and being cared for is all around me. It feels like being kissed on the forehead, wrapped up in a snuggly blanket. I am sure to get a lot of use out of this. ❤️
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In the bottle and when initially applied, the Key Lime note is most evident. I'm not super into standard lime notes on their own, but I often like when they are paired with something else (One of my all-time favorite BPALs is Tarot: The Star, which is all lime and coconut on me.) Key lime is less abrasive and a more mellow citrus overall, and that really comes through here. Once it settled into my skin, the classic Beaver Moon cheesecake note popped out, as beloved as ever. The combination of the two delivered as promised in the description. Even hours later, a nice quiet version of the scent remains, and I'm really pleased to add this to my vast Beaver Moon collection! In all: low-medium throw and a nice twist on a popular standard. If you're a fan of the Beaver Moons of yesteryear, definitely grab this one to keep the party going. 💚
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lab frottle 2026! Not my jam (as a perfume)! very green and like splendidissima, Irish Spring-like and would be better for a bathroom spray or spa day. It lasted a bit longer on me than I'd have cared for (2-3 hrs).
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This is a smooth, delicate, honeyed floral, and really lovely on me. I get the liquid translucence which for me is characteristic of bpal's white honey note specifically, along with a restrained osmanthus and subtle jasmine; the orris and amber for me create a organizing base rather than being so prominent as notes unto themselves. I like this a lot, and it fits squarely into a family of bpal's honey + florals which consistently works really well on me. However, it's very light, with almost no throw, and fades rather quickly. For this reason, it's one I wear pretty much only at home, when I can reapply and smell right up against my wrist. I am wearing it right now for a rainy morning alone indoors and am enjoying its understated elegance without distraction, but will certainly put on something a little more vivid when I go out later today.
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Dark Chocolate, Black Fig, and Campfire Smoke Atmosphere Spray
Thuy replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Atmosphere
I want to love this one, but the campfire smoke takes over the blend...and I accidentally used it as a hair gloss the one day LOL. I get the bitter chocolate and smoke, and I don't know if I ever pick up on the black fig (I reeeeeeally want it)... Glad for a decant but unsure of if it'll....smooth itself out.
