nightbiscuit

Wet, I get deep golden ambergris and resins....

and then on the drydown I am overwhelmed by soapy babypowder.

 

Quite sad. I detect none of the grape, coriander or vanilla at all!

 

EDIT: ok now I am getting vanilla. It's like a vanilla musk, with the ambergris.... this is like a candied midnight mass! But still the soapy baby powder. fail.

GLORIOUS. Sweet copal and pipe tobacco wafting over damp roses. This is definitely a blend which is more than the sum of its parts...and it is utterly unique. Swoop on it!

Uncooked maple flavor instant quaker oats. But in a good way! A very good way. The carrot-y note flits in and out of my awareness as I wear this. Foody, but also farmy. Sweet!

Gorgeous. This scent is pure golden beeswax on me. It's quite sweet and warm, not eerie at all. I am strongly reminded of No. 93 Engine, so when the Carnaval does leave town, the Engine will be a viable GC alternative.

I, too, was fooled by the deceptive heliotrope into thinking I had another jasmine failure on my hands with this one. But do not despair, the description by the lab, "The final burst of the soul’s light and joy before passing into the depths of the earth," is quite accurate. The florals are only screechingly prominent when this blend is wet, then it relaxes, and resigns itself to the descent into darkness, dominated by tonka and amber.

My first impression was Licorice incense tacos....very interesting, but not what I want to smell like. Someone mentioned a cumin-y note early in this thread (i think it is the Dittany of Crete which is the culprit) And actually as it dries on me, it becomes the prominent aspect. I am left smelling much like an old packet of white trash taco seasoning. Hmph. I am not above testing this again, though.

Tart, sweet mango sliced into a glass of black tea! I know it's supposed to be green tea, but I swear it smells like a strong black java tea. The patchouli is a light, barely detectable spicy earthiness. Oh fig, why can I never find you in any blends?

I would have LOVED this scent in high school, and think that it might be really nice for a gift for a young lady, fun and fruity.

If Riding the Goat is the smell of my grandfather, then Opium Poppy is definitely my grandmother. This scent is soft, billowy, powder light and fresh. A pale, musky floral. Spooky.

I actually bought this at the West Coast will call after having sniffed it purely out of curiosity...I never in a million years would have thought it was something I would like! Even after reading the reviews, I was utterly put off. Then I sniffed it in person.

:D

Helloooo sexy vetiver!! This is a beautiful, rich, non-scary blend. Seriously! It's very dark, but kind of chocolatey....earthy, spicy, SEXXAY!

And honestly, vetiver is not usualy a favorite of mine, but the Fork is dangerously awesome.

Very sharp and fresh smelling, like a bracing men's cologne. There is definitely an ozone-tang with a metallic feel to it. This smells pretty generically perfume-y as far as BPAL goes... And the initial wallop of aquatic ozone bowls over my nose, so that I have difficulty even speculating on the type of wood...Although I am going to guess teak or rosewood. That base wood note is definitely the best part of this scent, and I wish it was stronger.

2005 version:

Sugar, ginger and wisps of smokiness grounded by skin musk. It's strange that the description does not mention any spices, because there is almost definitely some ginger or cinnamon in here, and it only gets stronger on me as it dries. Whoo! The smoke and spice are very prominent in the drydown.

Basil, muskiness......baby powder. Fail. *sigh*

Dusty, woody, light musk and powdery incense. This scent has a golden, antique feeling.

A rosy tinted, tawny oil.

When applied, without looking at the notes, I thought, "this is an elegant and delicate patchouli and lily blend".... I guess I was picking up the wood notes, as they do dominate Grandmother of Ghosts. Yet, this is as light and airy as a ghost itself. The mandarin note balances nicely with the white pepper...don't be afraid, pepper-haters! This scent is mild, loving, doting, like the best grandmother.

 

Also, somehow, it totally reminds me of the Cure's album The Top. I know it's so weird, I've never had a scent remind me of an album before.

Wet: I guess I must be one of those people who really amps jasmine, because WOAH Mata Hari is like a foofy jasmine syrup on me. Ech. I do smell the roses and and mahogany, which are nice, and I suspect that the shade of bitterness must be the coffee, but the jasmine is so strong it's overpowering.

 

Dry: The jasmine has quieted down from a keening shriek to a consistent wail. Mellower, but just not my style at all.

Sweet, tingly, fruity, SUGARY! Like hard red candies, or some really artificially flavored soda. This is probably the sweetest BPAL scent I have ever tried.

A bitter, frozen scent. Ozone, camphor, and tart green apples. Shivery delicious!

A distinctly tiger orange colored oil.

Wet: Holy Crap! Grandpa, Is that you? I am seriously transported to childhood and tap-dancing with my woodsy smelling grandfather. Wow!

Dry: Excellent astringent pipe tobacco smokiness, and the richness of ancient polished wood. Damn if I am not even getting a hint of Murphy's oil soap! Actually I believe that is some citronella in the Masonic incense that I am smelling.

Somehow, this scent is redolent of my past, and I appreciate the well of memories....

 

This is a very dark incense perfume, definitely unisex.

To my nose, this is a very simple, clear, bracing aquatic. Refreshing, and definitely unisex. I was expecting more saltiness , but this is actually very lightly sweet, from the ozone/mist note.

Wow! The first pumpkin scent where I can actually detect squash. Yum! But even here, during the wet stage I can only smell sweet, dry desert florals (oof, I LOVE sweetgrass!). Dry, the buttery pumpkin deliciousness emerges. But this is not a pie! This is a baked slice of pumpkin, slathered with butter, honey, and a touch of salt!! CHOMP!

The jasmine is glaringly strong in this blend. It's a bright, tangy, girly jasmine....the polar opposite of Nyx. Unfortunately, I am not so hot on jasmine. Musk, Bourbon vanilla, where are you?! I love you!

Nowhere to be found on my skin.

 

ETA: Ok, 15 minutes in and I am getting some of the musk and vanilla now. But the wet stage is such a jasmine party that I don't know if I will ever want to wear this.

The aquatic base is refreshing, but the floral element is so sharp, generic, and icky. Should have been called Niflheim, Land of Soap.

Syrupy cranberries and stripes of sweet tiger lilies! A dark red musk emerges to ground this blend after it dries.

Ahchoo!!! This is a super giant bouquet of honeysuckle and jasmine. It smells very pretty, and when it's dry the apricot gives it a nice sunny feeling (great for this time of year), I had really hoped that the honey would be more prominent. At least I am not getting any of the almond nastiness that I hate. On the contrary, this is quite nice, but I am spoiled and wanted honey so I am pouting.

 

ETA: When dry, this is rich and gorgeous, the honeys are a touch powdery, but golden and sweet enough! !

Hmmm. This is very grown-up, very perfumey smelling. Unfortunately on me the proliferation of white musks changed abruptly to powder.