All Activity
This stream auto-updates
- Today
-
My favorite BPAL of... so far. This is warm, sophisticated, slightly dry, and dreamy. It draws you in, and I'm pretty sure it at least partially helped someone fall in love with me. If anyone has any amount they'd like to pass along, please DM me! Apparently, the painting was based on this Victor Hugo (1802 –1885) poem: I like the last two stanzas, they remind me the most of the painting (though they talk about Ruth, and the painting is either of Boaz or Hugo: Boaz Asleep All slept, all, from Ur to Bethlehem. The stars enameled the deep black of the sky. A narrow crescent in the low dark of the west shone, while Ruth wondered, lying still now, eyes half opened, under twinging of their lids, what god of the eternal summer passing dropped his golden scythe there in that field of stars. Here's the whole thing:
-
Wearing this was an absolutely wild experience. I was sort of fascinated by the tug-of-war between revulsion and fascination--it smells gross, but it is fascinating! On my first sniff there was a moment before I noticed the mildew lurking right underneath the smell of oranges, but as soon as I did I kind of wanted to jerk away from it, then I immediately wanted to go back and smell it again. I adore the way this invites us (the reader? the viewer? the sniffer???) to engage with the revolting, the creepy, the unclean: Committing Every Artistic Sin is a faithful olfactory translation of the horror genre. It smells primarily of overripe fruit just beginning to mold, like sniffing a bowl of oranges and noticing their bright, inviting citrus smell at first, only to get a whiff of rot a moment later. It smells like I just grabbed a fistful of food-waste trash and now I need a shower. It's bitter and acrid and reminds me ineffably of something I swear I've smelled in my childhood, but I honestly could not tell you what. (Possibly just trash, but it really did evoke some scent-memory for me that I still can't place.) About an hour in, I started to notice a note I would describe as fresh, more orangey/citrusy, or possibly marigold? It began to remind me more of the smell of an old bouquet of flowers thrown in the trash, that fresh vegetal, still-pleasant but far-too-strong-because-on-edge-of-rot smell. (...Sorry, gardeners, I just revealed how hopeless I am at keeping even cut flowers alive.) I couldn't tell you what linseed oil smells like, but after some googling apparently it can smell a bit like cod liver oil. This was definitely not fishy (I think if it had smelled like fish that would have tipped the line from fascination to pure revulsion for me), but there was something a little fatty to it. Turmeric is supposed to be a little earthy, bitter, peppery, a little lemony or orangey, and it was fascinating to see those aspects used to bring out acridity and bitterness instead of a pleasant spice or warmth. This has a mercifully low throw, I really needed to stick my nose close to my skin to get a whiff, which I think is pretty perfect for what this is. If Committing Every Artistic Sin had been all-enveloping, that too would've tipped the line over into pure revulsion for me. It gets much fainter but lasts all day, like lingering damp in the walls. I was sort of obsessed with the experience of wearing it, but I would maybe skip wearing this one to work or to a party, unless it's a party you are trying to leave quickly.
-
I accidentally ordered 2 bottles of the same oil, so I asked for a surprise swap, and this was it. This is what I wish "Evening Reading" from November ('23?) would be like. Dee notes: soft English leather, rosewood, and tonka with a hint of incense, parchment, and soft woods. Evening reading notes: Soft leather and aged paper, linen sheets, lamp oil, lavender sachets, a splash of rosewater, and a faint tendril of fading hearthsmoke. Evening reading is all leather and smoke to me, and quite strong. Dee is much softer and despite lacking a floral note, it does something very faintly floral on me that I wish ER did. The incense is a bit more than a hint, but not so much that it feels like sitting next to a campfire. The leather reads as book binding not a saddle. I'm very happy to have discovered my "sleepy book" scent, and that it's a General Catalogue item too! This is a scent that any gender can pull off, but it leans masculine. It's quite serious and studious.
-
mr. krabs voice: That smell. A kind of yellow smell. A yellow smell that smells... yellow-y. Beeswax hits my nose first, a sweet light golden beeswax. Then it is made fresh and a bit fruity with the calming aspect of chamomile and the squishy, overripe fig. Golden amber and hay/saffron drenched in globs of pale, sweet floral honey. This has got to be the prettiest of the Yellow Wallpaper scents, to me it doesn't smell creepy or offputting at all! It makes me think of sunshine, bumblebees, the deep yellow florets of a daisy, and nectar of the greek gods.
-
1) What are your favorite colors to wear, or for warm blankets, socks, etc ? Blue-green, dark orange, purple, green, red; socks can be anything; blankets, I like blues, greens, yellow, orange, purple, and plant patterns. 2) What sizes do you prefer for upper body and lower body clothing, feet, etc? I would prefer to be my old sizes, since I finally had clothes that fit right. Barring that, I am currently in the range of 10/12 ladies. However, anything fitted in the chest should be bigger-- unless it is stretchy. I think the sizing, in inches, currently stands at 42-34-45. I like baggy winter clothes, though, and I have the ability to take things in-- either by hand or with the cooperation of a sewing machine. My hands and head are considered medium, I think. My feet are size 10. I am 5'7" and a bit? 3) Are there types of fibers you have trouble with against your skin? Polyester that wants you to think it's cotton. Polyester knitwear, absolutely okay; polyester t-shirts, underthings, or sleepwear, no please. It needs to have airholes or be with natural fibers, or it tries to kill me by asphyxiation of the dermis. Also, this is random, but I will-- occasionally-- have textural issues with things. It even happens with some of my favorite cardigans and shirts. I can deal with it-- like I said, it's occasional. But, if you happen to be at Thrift Palace (or wherever, but 'Thrift Palace' is a cool name) trying to choose between two things, it might be good to err on the side of whichever one does not have tags or hard seams-- specifically on the wrists, forearms, or back of the neck. Yes, I am (more than) a bit of a freak. But I am okay with this, and I would rather be upfront than have to lie about enjoying something. Not particularly fond of lying, absolutely suck at poker. 4) Wishlist links for, BPAL, Amazon, Etsy, Whichever book tracker you may use (Goodreads/LibraryThing/StoryGraph) Etc.? There are to my BPAL, and to a blog with other wishlist links in my sig.. Etsy list has not been updated in a *while*; but it is still a good link for inspiration and aesthetic. 5) Would you like a small handmade faux wreath made out of thrifted floral stems? If so what colors would you enjoy? No, thank you. 6) Would you like a hand painted kitty ornament? If so is there a particular kitty you would like it modeled after? Please attach a photo. That sounds cute. Just generic kitty/kitties is fine. 7) Also would you appreciate some organic cocoa butter? I have a massive block (hydration FTW!), so I don't really need any, but thank you for asking.
-
1) What are your favorite colors to wear, or for warm blankets, socks, etc ? 2) What sizes do you prefer for upper body and lower body clothing, feet, etc? 3) Are there types of fibers you have trouble with against your skin? 4) Wishlist links for, BPAL, Amazon, Etsy, Whichever book tracker you may use (Goodreads/LibraryThing/StoryGraph) Etc.? 5) Would you like a small handmade faux wreath made out of thrifted floral stems? If so what colors would you enjoy? 6) Would you like a hand painted kitty ornament? If so is there a particular kitty you would like it modeled after? Please attach a photo. 7) Also would you appreciate some organic cocoa butter?
- Yesterday
-
Deer Moon: Blackberry and Wild Lilac
carrioncupid replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
(i got this as an empty sniffie) it's what it says on the tin, BPAL's lovely lilac and blackberry. it's a 50/50 mix to my nose. the blackberry is not fruity and in your face, it's not summery. i guess it's more like an autumnal blackberry? if that makes sense? (it's exactly like what vexelite said) i'd love to get my hands on a partial but it's not a high priority to me. -
this one is mail fresh for me, so i won't judge it decisively as of right now it's very wool heavy on me, at least it's what i can detect the most. it's very similar to the wool note in "a girl knitting" if you've tried that before, but it's no where near a laundry scent like AGK is. underneath the woolen sweater, there's the oatmeal, but it's not fully foodie nor gourmand. and actually, despite the... tame (i suppose), notes in the description there's quite a lot of projection in this one. it makes itself very well known but it isn't too overwhelming when worn. but besides the wool and the oatmeal, all the other notes blend together, indistinct from each other currently. this one is quite unique in my small collection, i can't wait to see what some more rest does for this little gem. this one has lasted quite a while, applied it at 9 am right when it arrived and it's still going strong at 4 pm. the wool note has dissipated a lot and instead more of that foodie goodness comes out. it's delightfully cozy, and it certainly brings to mind a vanilla laced oatmeal cookie, with your hand underneath to catch all the little crumbs. the initial sweetness has waned significantly and i really love it, so glad i picked up a bottle! could very well be a nightcap scent, though, it might linger a little too long into the next morning for that..
-
Certainly doughnuts, with regular and chocolate glaze. I get a cider note? There's almost a perfumy edge to it, but to me this enhances the scent rather than clashing with the food.
-
Blood Moon: Dragon’s Blood and Red Wine
VioletChaos replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
There is a specific red wine note that I've loved from the Lab since I first encountered it with Glüwein all the Way Back When. It starts off slightly grape-y but finishes a bit more boozy, and it's a welcome addition where I find it. I believe this is that note. I say "believe" and not "for sure" because the dragon's note is pulling it sideways in unexpected ways, amping the grape aspect of the wine a bit, and subsequently tamping down the booze edge 🤷♀️ As a Duet, as the prior poster stated, it's a "what you see (...smell?) is what you get kind of situation: a very balanced, two note perfume. As *just* a duet, if you like either or both of these notes, you'll find a satisfying balanced little daytime blend waiting for you here. As a layering piece, you will find it adds some nice, unusual new interpretations for the primary Moon it's affiliated with. I also procured the Duet of Clove and Sweet Incense and I played around a little with *just* the two Duets and NOT the Blood Moon at all, and here, too, there were some nice surprises to be found, as the spice and the sweet all play well together there, too. In all, some lovely variations to be had, and probably some nice twists to come as both of these notes lend themselves well to aging. -
Blood Moon: Clove and Sweet Incense
VioletChaos replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
In the bottle, it's a balance between the two notes equally, and it stays that way through the warming-up-on-the-skin phase as well. The incense here is indeed a sweet alternative to what I normally think of as an incense note- this is NOT a hippy-headshot vibe at all, and I also don't get the alternate, which is church-y. This is neither. Upon full drydown, it's a very well-blended mix of the spice from the clove with a mildly sweet incense-y melange. Surprisingly delicate, and quite low throw. Many Duets are things that I lean toward wearing on their own. This might be the first time I've encountered one where I feel strongly that this scent really is best in service as a layering device for the primary Moon it's affiliated with, as it bumps up those aspects nicely but doesn't overpower. Also, and this is specific to my personal skin chemistry, clove as a note, requires a fair amount of backup in order to not become flat and one dimensional and a little harsh. The duet dries down a bit flat because it's only the two notes, and my chemistry requires more. I've had to turn away more than a few clove-forward scents for this reason, alas. But paired with its intended Moon, it does precisely what it's supposed to, so I'm totally pleased to have it! This is also a good time of year to have options to boost a cozy-spice factor on other scents, and I will definitely have some fun playing around with this scent's layering possibilities in a number of ways! -
I am a huge, HUGE fan of the original 2005 Blood Moon. HUUUUGE. And I know that the notes are mostly quite different in this blend as compared to my beloved from twenty years ago. But I grabbed this because I am hoping that there's a similar mood or vibe with this incarnation. But as with the previous poster, I, too, am a person for whom black musk tends to amp so dramatically as to blot out all other notes (and the sun itself!) so I have my trepidations about it as well. Let's see where we land, shall we? In the bottle, it's the clove that I get immediately. I have a complicated relationship with clove because when it's good, it's so, so, SO good, but when it's not, it can be very acrid and sharp. In the bottle, it's a perfect shot of spice, and I believe there's a little of the sweetness from the pomegranate present that could be helping with that, but of course, we're still very early in this process... Wet on skin: upon application, the clove starts to die down almost immediately, and the black musk is starting to step forward at the exact same time. Pomm is holding her own, but not in any front-leaning capacity- the note continues to be more of a background sweetness, so for those hoping for more, if your chemistry is similar to mine, know that this might be all there is. At this stage there's no hint of patch or tobacco or dragon's blood, alas. Dry Down: This may be the first time in my nearly-two-decade history of BPAL fandom where I've got a real winner in a black musk scent. It helps that it remains in check by that beautiful clove. The pomm (and likely dragon's blood, which has its own sweetness) are definitely background players, keeping this scent from being too sharp or intense. But the that spicy clove remains the star. If you're a fan of Thorns Clove Cigarette (or sad you missed out on it) then I'd say snag this immediately. It's very wearable, surprisingly soft in the throw given the composition- a great, warming daytime scent as the weather grows ever more cold. In All, a total keeper and, as I'd hoped, a nice similar vibe to my beloved OG Blood Moon 🦇 ❤️
-
i think this was a frimp, because i don't think i'd order this, though i like both notes in moderation/depending on the blend. at first the vetiver is a bit stronger but then the clove takes over and it's a spicy clove with an underlying vetiver that somehow feels like tobacco, haha. i think it's very nicely balanced.
-
i received a frimp of this from a lovely decant circle organizer. it opens with cherry, currant and the fluorescent lightning which i guess is an ozonic sort of thing? i think the currant is actually stronger than the cherry here, along with the fluorescent note. it smells pretty odd on me and also ozonic/too sweet so just not my cup of tea.
-
immediately i read this as cherry, but i guess it's almond blossom. it's a quite sweet almond at first along with something kind of synthetic like vinyl or rubber. i love all these notes so i was intrigued on how they might work together. after a couple minutes i think i am getting narcissus though it does smell pretty warped with the almond. after awhile i get some opium which adds an incensy element, but overall it's a very sweet almond blossom/narcissus. i love these notes and it's better after about 45 minutes-at that point the almond has died down and it's more of a narcissus/opium with hints of heliotrope. i have a few of the lab's narcissus blends and prefer those to these...the almond blossom is just too sweet/strong for me. however, i love seeing a narcissus note show up more often!
-
oh man, this reminds me of my dad's artist friend, Laurel. she was a cool aunt figure i had in the 80s. she had this red borghese lipstick that smelled kind of like a waxy floral and this is what this smells like at first. total time traveling memories at first sniff for me. clove comes in later giving it the goth garb. i love this due to my personal association and also i love a lipstick scent! dries down to a spicy, waxy nondescript floral which kind of seems like rose but isn't really rose.
-
Oh my, this scent is unsettling. It is a bowl of oranges, left to rot in an old, musty mildewy house. The gaudy, taunting wallpaper sags off the walls, streaks of dust and peels of plaster litter the floor. Picture a mildewy room coated in a bitter orange-yellow scent. Guh.. it definitely smells sickly. Even the vanilla is corrupted and clotted. It's a work of art to capture something so creepy.
-
A floral blend that is sharp, pale and silvery like cold mirrors or the glint of a knife. I believe it's iris I'm smelling the most, because I'm very familiar with lavender and rose but this doesn't smell much like either of those. In the background is this earthy dry vanilla husk combined with crumbling plaster. It's a strange scent! The lavender and ambergris are never really detectable to my nose, but I want to say I can smell a hint of white rose along with the iris and the crumbly dry plaster vanilla husk. The sharpness of the scent calms over time, moonlight casting shadows onto vanilla plaster walls, a vase of dry flowers, in a cold room.
-
Jasmine soap at first, and then the yellow tobacco smoke creeps in, staining the jasmine, muddying its high-pitched heady-ness, and adding a bit of musty earthiness to it. The suffocating nature of an old, musty yellow room. I do not really get any stained lace at first, which was the note I was most excited for, so I wouldn't suggest this to people hoping for a Lace-adjacent blend. However, over time, this musty jasmine-tobacco blend develops a creamy coating that brings to mind a musty and decaying linen cloth, stained yellow and brown. Like soft damp decaying burlap or cheesecloth.
-
Black Butterfly Moon: Myrrh and Black Berries
LavenderCoffee replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
BREAKING: Myrrh and Black Berries smells like ...Myrrh and Black Berries It's so good tho. Idk if it is meant to be blackberries or unspecified berries that are super dark and mysterious but there's a big juicy plop of berry on application and then the fruit slides into the myrrh-k and it all gets very fuzzy. It almost wants to be fizzy, but it's too velvety to get all the way to forbidden soda. There's almost a friction between the simple fruit sweetness of the berry and the blackout curtain of dark myrrh. (Did they throw a pint of berries at a myrrh-scented velvet blackout curtain?) -
Black Butterfly Moon: Myrrh and Black Berries
ghostice replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
Myrrh as a definable note doesn't last long on me. After this dries down, it's all blackberry, but with a little something keeping it from being jammy. I absolutely love the scent and the staying power. - Last week
-
This goes on sweet and drily spicy, the type of spiciness that cinnamon gives but also distinctly not cinnamon. It don't know if I would identify it as peppercorn without reading the notes, but knowing them I can certainly see it. As it dries, the florals come out, more the rose than the lily for me, and definitely dried petals rather than fresh ones. I do get something which feels like a costume shop to me, though I couldn't say how much is my imagination conjuring the description - the softened, indistinct sweetness of old fabric scraps and glue and glitter. There's something just a little bit plasticky here, not unpleasantly so, but enough to contribute to the sense of costume, of fabric flowers rather than real ones. This has very low throw, and pretty short longevity at least for now. This is something of a fond, comforting scent, and I've been finding I enjoy it more in the evenings; there's something that feels indoors and quieter in energy about it. I'm glad to have my decant and think I'll wear it on some autumn/winter nights, but it's not one I'll want a bottle of.
-
My first experience with BPAL's ink accord, and it was such a strange one! It went on smelling like sweet, buttery caramel corn that someone had dipped in a great big tub of ink. Very weird feeling to smell a sugary sweet gourmand paired with such an acrid ink note. After maybe an hour or so, more of the other notes started coming out a bit, I got just a hint of berry and something that smelled a little candied, maybe also the cranberry juice, maybe the caramelized pumpkin. It went on a bit stronger at first but then stayed very close to the skin, as oils tend to do on me. After more hours of wear, I noticed that on first sniff (English really needs better language and idioms for talking about smell...) it smelled remarkably like real ink from a ballpoint pen: sharpish, a little chemical-medicinal, a little earthy (although I suppose that could've been the patchouli)--I've never tried describing the smell of ink before! But if I kept inhaling more deeply, underneath the ink I got something that smelled remarkably like spiced cider very clearly. Such a strange olfactory experience! I can't say it's going to become an everyday fragrance for me, but I'm really glad I got to try BPAL's ink accord and I will definitely be coming back to try this one again.
-
2025 version. I'm really sad to say this one smells almost exactly like Vicks cough medicine, like menthol and a medicinal camphor that is WAY too intense to be pleasant (and this is coming from a camphor-enjoyer). I even went to sniff the Vicks in our medicine cabinet just to be sure, and yup, almost identical. (Vicks is a little stronger and more bitter, but still.) After hours of wear, Samhain eventually settled into something that smelled more recognizably and pleasantly like pine than cough medicine, but that was it. I never got any of the other notes before the fragrance faded. Not sure what happened here--it sounds like @superstarpanini had a very different experience with this year's Samhain, so I'm wondering if I got part of a strange batch? I would blame skin chemistry, but it smelled exactly the same on me as it does in my decant. I'll give this one some time in hopes it'll mellow out a little, but for now, I'm pretty bummed. Eternal fall girlie that I am, I was excited for this one.
-
This is a really lovely bright, ambery balsamic--with a surprising amount of lilac! More than a sprig, I'd say, more like a bouquet. (Not complaining, I adore lilac.) First out of the bottle I got a whiff of super earthy patchouli, but as soon as it touched my skin the patchouli disappeared and it became mainly lilac and a strong, heady vanilla. Not like sugary vanilla frosting or cake, more like sniffing vanilla extract directly out of the bottle. Turns out this particular vanilla + lilac is a *beautiful* combination. The other notes in this blend were unfamiliar to me, but apparently peru balsam is also generally a sweet, creamy balsamic, with a lot of vanilla and a hint of spice, so I'm wondering if peru balsam is contributing to some of the gorgeous complexity of this blend. I wasn't able to identify spikenard or oakmoss, although I'm wondering if the oakmoss is doing something musk-like here? It's much more musk and amber than the damp earthiness I generally associate with oakmoss and patchouli---in fact I don't think I'm detecting any earthiness at all, maybe the slightest hint of woodiness by way of amber, but nothing I'd call earthy. Overall, I was surprised and delighted by this blend, and I'm considering a bottle. I still feel like the new kid on the block around here, but I'm wondering if I've amassed any BPAL-forumite cred by noting that I have a feeling this is going to age beautifully, and I'm excited to see what new aspects age will bring out! eta lol spoke just a bit too soon! Shortly after posting this review, towards the end of the day, I started to notice the slightest current of earthiness. (That's why I generally like to wait till at least the next day to post reviews, but I got excited about this one :P)
