sarada

Every time I get a nice minty scent I love it, swear I'll wear it and then decide within a month that it smells like toothpaste, and swap it. I can't help it, I dribble toothpaste on myself all the time anyway so I try to avoid smelling like it.

 

Okay, well Snow-Flakes definitely smells minty, but oooh there's that crisp Snow White frost beneath it. Snow White, to me, is a sweet, crisp, slightly green lily musk. This is that, plus a tiny bit of a chilled vanilla sweetness and a very bright green mint.

 

I swapped Tulzscha, Nuclear Winter and probably something else, all because the mint smelled too much like toothpaste on me. I'd really like to keep one! The smooth crisp lily-white sweetness might be enough to convince me.

Blargh! I like a lot of descriptions others have posted of this scent but it seemed to dislike me. In the imp it's not bad, kind of sweet and red, maybe a bit of dragon's blood and cake. But it just goes horribly wrong on my skin.

 

Cherry, almond, nuts, and cake, and soap. That's the order in which the impressions hit me. It reminds me of a bar of soap that is supposed to smell like some sort of ... nut cake. Which I'm sure would be appealing to a lot of people, but not to me. That cherry-almond impression I'm getting could be anything -- it could be dragon's blood and something with a faintly nutty scent, and the soapy quality could be a floral. But it's just unpleasant. I let it evolve a little and washed it off.

 

Several reviewers mentioned grain and that must be what is giving me this idea of "cake." But I prefer to keep my cake out of the bathtub!

I have accumulated so many snow/slush scents in the past two years that I was a little hesitant to order too many this year...that cold, slightly piney, slush scent that is most clearly articulated in Skadi and Snow Moon, tends to overwhelm on my skin.

 

Jolasveinar is fascinating, though. I do smell that pale blue-green cold snow scent, and the same cold soil that is in Death of the Gravedigger. I even feel like I smell spicy myrrh in here but it is probably coming from the sweetness of the "pastries."

 

Miraculously, the sweet, slightly baked smell is not overtly foody on me. It's just warm sweetness and a touch of that myrrh-like spice. The snow and soil are trampled underfoot by the mischief-makers, and a spiral of smoke trails them leading you on with the promise of a fresh-baked spice cookie.

 

The earth, moss and faint pale florals are in perfect harmony with that sweetness. I hate foody scents but I don't think of this as one...tender frost-bitten flower petals peeking through wet snow and damp soil keep that sweetness in check. I can't wait to wear this one in the snow.

I might elaborate on this after I've had a chance to wear it at length by itself (today is try-everything day) but this is almost a dead ringer for my beloved Chaos Theory II: 163! I almost never wear my Chaoses because they're so rare and precious but I gotta say, this is pretty darn close...

 

In other words, it is a glorious clear pine, with a very clean, aquatic sheen over it. It's a branch of pine needles submerged in a perfectly clear stream, the water running over it and sending a faint misty froth into the air.

 

I think a lot of people will pick up on it as a detergent or cleaning fluid kind of smell because that's the association that pine often brings up, especially one this strong, clean and aquatic.

 

But I looove my pine so I don't care! I will have to wait for a longterm drydown to see if I get any of the resiny qualities described above. I can already sense it taking to my skin and turning into a much deeper scent, so I am hopeful that I will get the marvelous resins.

 

I predict a bottle in my future, because I need to complete my BPAL forest: Yew-Trees, Black Forest, Jersey Devil, Nocnitsa, etc etc. This is the most clear, pale of the green/pine scents, along with Loup Garou, though I don't think there's eucalptus in this.

I've been hoping for a Krampus scent for soooo long!

 

Sweet, dry wood, a spank of leather and the warmth of red musk all hit me straight from the bottle and I can't wait to put it on.

 

Like some other reviewers, I was expecting something like The Rat King because of the dust and wood -- or Loviatar, with the red musk and leather, but it's quite its own scent!

 

There's that exquisite dry wood that I think must be sandalwood -- bone dry, pale and faintly sweet, or perhaps redwood, which has been turning up in a lot of blends lately, a little bit pulpy, ruddy and sweet.

 

It's immediately sweetened and warmed by red musk, which is not going through one of its incensy phases here like it does in things like Lust. No, it's very tame here. And the leather is warm and soft, more like having a cat in your lap than riding in a rodeo.

 

Krampus is a classic. My fear that it would be too much like Loviatar (which I love, but is very very strong and dark in the leather department) was unfounded. I'm going to put it alongside blends like Carceri d'Invenzione for the woodiness, but this is far more inviting, warm and devilish.

 

Three cheers for Krampus!!!

Half of my favorite scents start with the word "Black" so obviously I have to try this. The idea of Black Ice is just so gorgeous, dark and evocative. I can't wait to try this when it's actually cold outside, since cold, icy air really catches these winter scents, whips them around and brings them to life.

 

In the bottle, I smell the familiar frosty winter BPAL scent, touched with black flowers, a very faint stirring of mint and deep water. A deep, black pond reflecting a blue-green night sky. Scents like this don't last very long on my skin but while it does it casts a misty, faintly perfumey aura around me that settles down into minty ice crystals.

 

I actually don't smell vetiver. I guess it must be the force of darkness that is pulling everything into the center here, gathering the pale light, refracting it and turning it into murky night. Asphalt? I'm not sure, though the black flower scent that I get reminds me a bit of that chemical smell that bothers me in blends like Darkness...it never quite goes there, though, so I still love it. It smells very clean, actually. Clean, and empty. Not since Yog-Sothoth has something evoked that feeling of "deep emptiness" and "astral void" in my mind (they do not smell anything alike, please note).

 

I dig Black Ice for all of the imagery that this scent evokes, and I can't wait to wear it while walking at night this winter.

I have long been hoping for a Yule scent like this! Virtually everything that I love is represented here: rich church resins, berries, herbs, greenery and pine, and even rose. Could anything be more perfect?

 

In first sniffing it, the verbena and berries are center stage. I wasn't expecting quite so much verbena, but after all it's a top note and would tend to jump out in front. A crush of fresh berries and a hint of greenery. On my skin, the berries and rose really blossom. Sweet, slightly sugared with a twist of lemon thanks to the verbena. But that pinkish red blush of rose and berry are very strong in this stage.

 

Before long it starts to dry and the thyme makes a bold appearance, a dry green spice that seems to love my skin. The frankincense and myrrh start to warm and drift around me in a lazy golden cloud.

 

Every note in this blend seems to make an appearance, in sequence. Beautifully blended and realized. It's a shame it's so warm out today, because I think these notes would show up even stronger and brighter on a wintry, snowy day!

Though I am testing a gallon of different perfumes today I wanted to write a review for this one first since it is in need of reviews!

 

In a word: vetiver! Thick, strong, sharp vetiver. The kind that is in Malediction. Very musky, earthy and gritty in the imp, though it mellows quickly on my skin. This note tends to become a little chocolatey on me, and a little like a thick, clear dark brown smooth wood after some time.

 

It is actually so similar to Malediction though that I don't know if I could tell the difference between them. Might be myrrh instead of patchouli, I'm not sure. I'm a big vetiver fan but this is best in small doses, after it's had some time to disperse and mellow on the skin.

 

ETA: Yes, getting the smokiness that is in Brimstone after awhile in this too. It's really so much like a handful of other scents I don't think I'll need more than an imp for the vetiver demon inside me to be content.

What a beautiful floral!

 

I am not typically a floral person but from time to time one really grabs me. Usually lilies and honey together make for a great combination, such as Tiger Lily. Powdery sweet florals, while usually headache-inducing, from time to time really lift my spirits: Phantom Queen and Flower Moon had exclusive claim to that title, but now I finally have a bottle of something else under that description.

 

It is not cloying, and while it gets a little powdery on my skin I think this would be a perfect locket scent in the spring.

 

It is far more floral that I ever thought the Brides would be...but I am dazed by their glory and fall back into their arms, smothered by the sweet heady blooms. Yes, even an old incense nut like me can be won over with honeyed lily kisses.

I almost put Renfield in my first order because I'm insane for patchouli, pretty sure I like balsam of Peru, and often enjoy moss and neroli. I like cumin in cooking but thought it might give this too much of a savory/cooking kind of smell, since it's a bit of a strong, sharp scent that is good in a curry but not necessarily on its own.

 

In the bottle Renfield is strongly mossy, very much like Zombi or Burial without the rose/floral notes. I've smelled the lab's oakmoss and Spanish moss single notes and it does smell like them. It quickly loses this sharpness as it dries.

 

After it's been on for awhile the warmth of balsam and earthiness of patchouli come through. The sharp moss burns off and the cumin has become pleasantly dry and herbal. Neroli? I can't tell it's there...perhaps it lends to the sharpness of the moss.

 

That damp, almost sour mossy greenery gives way to the really beautiful part of this blend, earthy, still green and slightly sweet, just a touch of dry herbal spice. I think it's better on my skin than it would be in the locket, because my skin gives it a chance to let all that sharpness soften. I think it would give me a headache in a locket. But I think this might be the green mossy scent I've always wanted...Burial, Zombi and Omen all stayed too sharp and mossy but this morphs beautifully.

I'm so glad that I got a bottle of this...it was a bit of a surprise, since I made a list and didn't know what I would get as gifts.

 

And this is a surprise favorite! I can see where everyone is coming from with all of the rich variety of impressions on this one: I do smell banana at one point, and I get a plasticky smell for a moment and then think it's a little more foody/creamy than I typically like, but the overarching scent is thus:

 

A sweet woody incense, the champaca of Two Monsters without the leather, and the boozy sugary smoke of Devil's Night. There are so many impressions that I get from this that aren't in the listed notes though, I don't know what to do!

 

The most exciting thing about this is it's one of those scents that really comes to life in the air. Put it on or better yet, in a locket, and it will take on a life of its own, acting out a different scene in smoke signals each time it takes to the air.

 

Incidentally, opium/poppy are among the absolute worst scents for me and I typicaly dislike them, but I LOVE this blend and I don't smell anything in it that reminds me of that opium smell that so often gives me a headache.

Mmmm....yuzu! Swoon. I love the yuzu in Aizen-Myoo too though it is much too light for me to wear. More of a locket scent or something I'd enjoy (as I say with most citrus scents) in the bath.

 

However this is a bit deeper. It is a swirling deep tart grapefuity yuzu, and has much much more throw and power than I expect from such an ethereal scent. Reminds me a little of the ghostly grapefruit in Hungry Ghost Moon actually.

 

Sweet and warm, glowing ghostly lemon yellow and ghastly persimmon orange, like twin citrus eyes peering at you through the darkness.

I've really been itching to try this -- I love the imagery, the greenish light, the FRANTIC PENGUINS!!! Though I do not enjoy coconut, the phrase "green coconut meat" is worth the price of admission.

 

So, having tried a sniff of this, I love it! I don't know that it's something I'd wear -- if I could use it in a bath bomb or other bath thing maybe, since this kind of scent evaporates on me instantly.

 

I love lime, and there is a hint of that sort of key lime pie scent in here as others have remarked. Not lemon, definitely lime, but a light lime, sort of frothy and clear. Big foaming heaps of lime-coconut bubbles. The coconut is indeed "green" and I don't know how else to describe it. Makes me think of a tender green shoot of some sort, with the delicate frosting of faint coconut, than the unpleasant thick headache-inducing foody one.

 

I should tuck an imp of this away in case I ever get around to scenting plain bath products, my taste in the shower is completely different from my taste on my skin!

White Moon has the prettiest t-shirt so far in my opinion, but I just couldn't bring myself to get a bottle because it's like the Greatest Hits of flowers that smell like powder and bathroom spray on me. I did, however, try a decant since this is the November moon and that's my birthday.

 

As predicted, the powdery florals are just that on my skin. Before I started wearing oils, purple flowers were my favorite things to get in candles, bath products, etc and they still are, but they're a disaster on my skin. It's a very strong piercing powder, and not the kind that I like in Enraged Bunny Musk. Unfortunately, we're talking about Glade bathroom spray when these flowers hit my skin and disappear in a puff of white smoke.

 

I'm guessing that the sandalwood and musk keep this from disappearing immediately. It does remind me of a very wonderful lilac incense I had a long time ago...a premium, handmade kind...and the pale purple powder really worked as a spiral of grey smoke winding across the room. I just can't wear these flowers successfully. But I'm going to wear the T-shirt!

The beeswax was almost enough to get me to order a bottle of this despite all the florals (because Luperci is one of my all-time faves) but in the end there were just too many strong perfumey flowers listed for me to take a chance.

Trying a decant, though, I immediately swoon -- what a gorgeous, sweet, glassy floral blend! I could really get into this in the spring I think. Lotus and moonflower stand out at first, but even for a person like me who doesn't typically wear florals this is sooo beautiful. So clear, sweet and almost aquatic in tone; flowers floating in a perfectly clear pond reflecting back the blue sky.

It reminds me in a way of when I started trying out BPAL scents, I wound up with a lot of florals, but I haven't worn them much since then. It especially reminds me of the ones that are sweet lotus blends, like Black Lotus. I know lotus ROOT is different, but I still smell a similarity.

I think the blue musk is giving it this glassy, aquatic quality. But with these white, crisp florals it's like...an underwater funeral.

I don't smell the woods or beeswax but since it doesn't dissipate immediately and has some throw, I think they are helping this to project and last on my skin. I don't really smell vanilla either but the sweetness could be its evidence.

Moonflower, lotus, gardenia and lily are all things that I would normally avoid but this is an atypical, glowing, ghostly blue scent. It's a mermaid's funeral. I will save it for the spring most likely though, and I am quite good with a decant -- I only crave florals maybe two weeks out of the year!

Lovers of Ophelia might like this, since it's another sweet, watery white floral with surprising twists.

There are actually some email servers that seem to block the lab's emails, maybe that could be a problem. Here's what it says on their fron page:

 

Thanks to some bottom-feeding, parasitic spammers, we are currently being blocked by AOL, Roadrunner (rr.com), projekt.com, elpasotel.net, and ptd.net, and there may be more out there that we’re unaware of.

 

If you are with any of these providers, we cannot respond to your emails. Please send any correspondence from a hotmail or gmail type account. We are working with these ISPs to rectify the issue.

 

Just a thought! Good luck!

ophymirage, I was just going to post to ask if you had Pumpkin Queen in your order...hopefully you'll get it soon now!

 

Just speaking as a customer, I'd say that if anyone is ever worried about not receiving an order don't ever chalk it up to being a lost cause -- it would be illegal for them to take your money and never send you anything! Stuff getting lost in the post is another matter of course, but from what people have reported here, the lab always works with people to either locate or replace genuinely lost packages.

 

Or if you're me, and just send them the wrong $$ amount because you can't do math at 4 a.m., they are very helpful and told me the balance that I owed!

I've sniffed this on other people and tested a little before but I never got a really good idea on how it worked on me until recently.

 

Red musk is a perennial favorite of mine, but paired with these rich, sweet fruits (and even heliotrope has a certain cherry-like quality to it) it's completely irresistible.

 

I have a feeling people might think it smells a bit like an artificial cherry or strawberry scent on me at first -- in fact I'm reminded of a play perfume-making kit I had as a kid, where one of the fragrances was a strawberry scent and this reminds me of that. The "I'm going to eat you, Strawberry Shortcake, even if you are made out of plastic" scent. But it deepens on my skin, picking up some throw and staying power from amber and musk that give it an incensy quality.

 

This is unusually candy-like for my tastes but it's just so good. It's really more like a really good strawberry incense as it dries, than an air freshener, as the red musk and amber blossom on my skin. Someone makes an incense called strawberry champa...although there's no champa in this, the vanilla and musk combined with these deep red fruits really do make me think of that. Or maybe I just have to compare everything to incense if I like it!

 

I really need to pick up more of this some time.

You know what's funny, is that I've had this for almost a year and I never remembered to review it. I distinctly remember testing it around Christmas and writing a review on paper and losing it! So this is partially from memory though I'm retesting it again.

 

In short, the reason I keep Alone around is to layer it with Geek. The cardamom in Alone partners with the leather and woods in Geek to produce what for me is a sort of half-assed version of Spanked. And I LOVE it. But I MUST wear them together. I can't wear Alone on its own (alone...heh!) because it's just too spicy. The cardamom overwhelms and is a bit more cinnamony than cardamom usually is. I don't smell anything else in this at all -- well maybe a hint of the patchouli, but not much.

 

The cardamom is grounded slightly by patchouli and sandalwood, but they barely peep out from the spicy swirl. The other notes are lost to my nose, but I think that worn on its own this would garner a lot of "What smells good?" remarks. I seem to prefer it with a little Geek for my tastes though!

I found the description of this soooo appealing, even though I don't go for sweet/candy scents much. The idea of glittering, jewel-like frosted sugary fruits has been on my mind very much since I first read about this one.

 

This is that wonderful crystalline white sugar note -- not syrupy and thick, not like caramel, not brown sugar, just a very clean, crisp, almost snowy pure sugar. The fruits are so bright and sparkly that I can see the colors vividly: pink, pale green, yellow and tangerine-orange. Like Sunkist fruit gems that were frozen and broken into dust.

 

It doesn't have a lot of staying power or throw but it's very pleasant to sniff. This is another that makes me think more of Christmas than Halloween, to be honest, because it's such a crystal, cold sugar that I think more toward the winter months than autumn.

 

I might need to brush my teeth after smelling this all afternoon but it's really a delight. I honestly don't need more than the tiny sample I have to sniff once or twice but I'm so glad to have tried it!

I admit, I was secretly hoping I would get this one in the inquisition, and even peppered my plea with a couple of words hinting at my love of berries and woods, but at least I got to sniff this!

 

In the vial it has a surprisingly foody feeling to it. I forgot about the "oak-aged vanilla" which along with the pepper gives it a little bit of a savory, slightly burnt bit of baked good to it. But just a BIT. It's predominantly an earthy pine like Jersey Devil (pine pitch) with thick, rich red Christmas berries.

 

Really, this smells a lot more like a Yule blend than one released around Samhain. A bit of the Jersey Devil in it, and a healthy dose of the sort of sweet smoke that I get in Devil's Night.

 

It loses some of that vanilla/pepper kitchen aroma and becomes more of a smoky, earthy/woody Christmas candle.

 

Because I love EVERY note in this SO much I feel like I should try to swap for a bottle, but I think my pine/berry needs might be filled by Jersey Devil and the upcoming Yule blends. Fortunately, while I love this, I think I probably won't absolutely die if I don't get a full bottle -- if I can at least secure an imp I know I'll have it around when I need something a little deeper, richer and smokier in my berry-pine repertoire.

Two ingredients in this jumped out at me as familiar from my Indian cookbooks and my own kitchen...ajowan (ajwain) and tamarind. I can't imagine them in concert with the other notes though -- my beloved vetiver (yes, I'm the one that loves it), gorgeous black musk and resiny opoponax. Mimosa really throws me off, I don't exactly know what it smells like.

 

Didn't sound like a definite bottle-candidate but I just got a sniff and this is one hell of a confusing scent. I like it though! At first it transports me into an Indian grocery store -- specifically the aisle with all the bags of herbs and spices. I get the strangely sweet-sour tamarind and the sharp spike of ajowan, which together I'd described as sort of "vaguely foody, but in a savory, Indian food sort of way". In the bottle, though, like many delicious things, a little goes a long way and I'm not sure I like it. On my skin it's immediately black musk...the kind in Haunted. That "Haunted" feeling sticks around for awhile. Instead of being backed by amber though, it's the vetiver/opoponax providing the warmth.

 

After going through a strange, almost citrusy phase, it simmers down into yet another transformation. It definitely makes me think of cooking Indian food, I'd swear I smell cumin. Then it shifts back to the sweet Haunted-like sinuous musk and ambery resins with that residue of faintly foody (even grainy?) spicy-sweet herbs on top.

 

I have no idea what I think of this! I'm halfway between thinking that it doesn't really work, and thinking that it's a revelation. It's definitely unique in the BPALverse in my experience and I think it deserves to be tried and tried again until I figure out what I think of it!

If I had a little more money when this first came out I would have ordered a 5 ml unsniffed based on "monastic incense" and "blood musk" -- though black leather is also often a winner on me (it smells like resin burning on a hot coal, as I've probably mentioned before...a little smoky, and gorgeous), and I know that I like cypress oil on its own in small quantities. "Pimento" makes me think of olives unfortunately, pepper sometimes makes me sneeze and chamomile on its own isn't always a favorite (Sleepytime Tea, anyone?) so I decided to wait a little bit...

 

Oh I should have just gotten a bottle! This is even more incensy than I had thought it would be. This has a "hot" feeling to it -- something burning in a dark place, an incense censer simmering in a black chamber. I would swear that I smell dragon's blood. I am going to go out on a limb and take a wild guess that "blood musk" could be red musk + dragon's blood, and the color in the vial also suggests the slightest touch of radiant DB. I'm seeing a dark temple with lots of blood-red banners bearing an emblem of a single burning eye in my mind, and people wielding knives...tentacles...you know the deal.

 

As it dries I almost think I get a breath of champa. Now we're in the "hot coals" phase that black leather does to me. It's faintly herbal, but I think of herbs being sprinkled on a fire in that dark ritual.

 

I just sneezed -- but I think that's not the pepper, I think it's just some sinus thing I have going on right now.

 

This reminds me a little of Blood Moon. I think it's the blood musk paired with something that's spicy, woody and herbal. Peppery woods, incense, and a sensation of a ritual fire and censer.

 

This is also a very strong blend on me. It goes through several stages but it always seems very strong, with a good amount of throw, so I don't want to put on too much. Then again, incense and musk (especially the red/blood musks) are super-powerful on me and go on and on.

 

Yeah, shoulda just bought a bottle. Though I felt this way about Blood Moon when I got it too and I never wore it again and wound up selling it...so maybe I'll wait until a lull in updates and get some of this after the madness of Yule dies down!

I was equally fascinated by the prospect of both Trick scents, because both have a lot of ingredients that I really love. In this one, there's red musk, which is the regal queen of BPAL notes in my book. And patchouli, of course. I am intrigued by honeycomb, since I love beeswax so much. I thought this might be something in the Snake Oil-Mme Moriarty family because of the patchouli/red musk/vanilla thing.

 

This is a fair bit lighter than I expected and it took me awhile to really get a sense of what it smells like. Lightly honey over a dark core, something smoky and resiny underneath might just be the leather and patchouli. There's not a lot of red musk the way I think of it in things like Lust and Scherezade; I think it blends with the ginger in the same way it did in Chrysanthemum Moon.

 

A smoky musk with honeyed notes, a faint sweetness of vanilla and a touch of resin on hot coals (even though I know no resins are listed, that's how it comes across to me).

 

I really like it, though if a sniff of Trick #2 bowls me over then I might have to swap for it, but this trick is definitely a treat! I'd say it's vaguely in the Snake/Moriarty family though not as thick and sugared, and lacking a fruit or plum note. The leather coat of Doc Constantine over the dazzling raiments of Mme Moriarty.

 

ETA: After a few days, I can definitely say that this is a winner. The leather, patchouli and honeycomb are coming together in a way that makes me think of Luperci now. Golden and honeyed light over a darker background, bathed all around in ruddy shadows. It took awhile for it to all come together in my head but this is a unique and special blend.

Just got a tiny bit of this to test from a kind forum member!

 

For a tea scent, this is very strong -- it has a lot of power and my skin didn't eat it up. Well actually I put some in my hair too and things always last in my hair.

 

It is similar to many of the tea/tea leaf and verbena/lemon scents but much stronger with more throw, and it's almost as if someone took one of those scents (Spirits of the Dead comes to mind in particular) and brushed a little Whitechapel against it.

 

As it dries, the verbena becomes more herbal and a bit like bergamot...I would swear I smell Earl Grey tea. The lavender is not too strong but it reminds me a bit of the fougere in Dorian or Theodosius (without really smelling like them otherwise).

 

I think the sandalwood is what keeps this strong and lasting on me. The last stage is a wisp of iris and the powdery sandalwood drydown. This is very nice and I imagine it would work wonders in a locket. I've found that I tend not to wear these tea scents as much as I always thought I would, so I think a sample is all I need but this is really one of the best in the green/tea/verbena family and might also appeal to fans of Whitechapel.

 

Anyway, my DH said I smell good and I told him it was Johnathan Harker and he gave me a funny look.