helarctos

The only things in the BPAL repertoire that I know of that strike me as at all similar to Au Lait are Milk Moon and Chaste Moon, neither of which is going to be easy to obtain or any cheaper than Au Lait. On some skin Au Lait can have a butterscotch-y note similar to the Irish coffee in Miskatonic University -- but that too is an LE out of production. It's probably just best to shell out the bucks for a bottle of Au Lait, though I know DSH can be pricey.

Many thanks to muppetk for generously allowing me a sample of this gorgeous prototype. In the vial: Beautiful, strong, and heady. It's a whirlwind to the senses -- fruity/floral/perfumed/jungly, all and none of the above. On the skin: It becomes even more complex. My nose is baffled -- is that a hint of nuts I smell? a bouquet of greenery? It is sufficient unto itself, though I wish I could describe it better. It has unimaginable depth. It's forceful but not loud -- it clings to my wrist. An absolute beauty and triumph of the perfumer's art. I'm tempted to send my vial to Luca Turin, but I think I'll hold onto it myself.

Very sadly, on me Lilith is a sickly mixture of maple syrup and cherry cough syrup.

I have social anxiety disorder and no BPAL has helped, which is fine because that's not why I buy BPAL. Tarot: Strength smells very nice, however, and I do feel better about myself when I smell nice.

I definitely smell the plum, a sweet fruity heady note that dominates Kitsune-Tsuki and becomes almost boozey in conjunction with the jasmine and musk. Not for the shy!

To me, The Coiled Serpent is all patchouli. It isn't as strongly lingering as your typical patchouli -- perhaps more refined -- but my nose does not detect further notes at play.

Sadly, on me Languor is a nondescript commercial-smelling floral. Off to someone whose body chemistry may bring out its complexities.

Smells like lemongrass and ... hush puppies?

The Fair Lady, Winter Witch, White Maiden of the Storm. Szepasszony is a Hungarian demoness that appears as a stunningly beautiful woman with long, silver-white hair and a blinding white dress. She revels in storms, particularly when hail rains down on her. Water dripping down eaves into a puddle is an invitation for her to cause mischief: she uses the puddle as a magickal tool for casting her wicked spells. It is considered foolhardy to step into a circle of short grass ringed by taller grasses, as those mark the circles where the Fair Lady dances. A chilly, tempestuous whirlwind of clear, airy notes, slashing rain, and a thin undercurrent of white flowers. Szepasszony on me is none of the icy or aquatic impressions I had read about and was hoping for. Instead, it smells like a generic fruit smell, berry or grape -- like a Sanrio lip gloss. My husband, however, thought it smelled unpleasantly "sharp," which I didn't detect at all. There is complexity here that may not be registering to my nose.

I'm a fan of aquatics, but I don't detect an aquatic note in Ulalume on my skin. What I do get is a bouquet of soft aromatic woods. My husband thought it smelled a little spicy. It's like a less musty version of Grandmother of Ghosts.

Really a fantastic blend. For me, it is foresty without verging into the piney territory that so often turns Pine-Sol or Vicks-Vaporub on me; it's incensey without smelling like a headshop; it's woody without smelling like furniture. It succeeds wildly at matching its description, and that description set a high bar. The one thing that keeps Hexennacht from working fabulously for me is that it doesn't have much throw or staying power on me. It stays so close to the skin -- too close to the skin for me. I'm passing this one on to someone who will hopefully use it more than I would, but I'm not doing so without regrets.

A riotous profusion of florals! Sadly, I too get the jasmine note, which is why Beltane is not for me -- and I too can perceive a similarity to Vinland (which made an unexplicably citrusy impression on me). But on the right person, Beltane could be really, really gorgeous.

I concur with all the reviews that call Saint-Germain green and soapy. It's compelling but not overstated. A great masculine scent.

The neroli must be what kills Akuma for me. It begins with the same chalky powderish scent that Katharina has on me, an almost cheesy tang. That fades, becoming the substrate to a pungent raspberry-orange melange. Without the neroli, Akuma would smell like a magnificent pomander.

Like Shakespeare's shrew, this lady must be an acquired taste. Katharina in the vial and on my skin smells sharp and powdery. The powdery note has something of the character of the rind of a dry/hard cheese. Beneath this a strong fruit note shouts for attention. Sadly, it just doesn't work on me.

Hmm. On me, Belle Epoque is insipidly sweet. It reminds me strongly of Pixy Stix.

To me, Geburah smells very masculine. It's smoky yet clean, and it's quietly strong. It's a confident scent. I agree that it's a bit soapy as well.

Ohh... Chokmah is a dead-on premium root beer. Maybe even a root beer float, with its sweetness (though I don't mean to imply by this the presence of vanilla, which I don't detect). If this were a catalog blend with no occult/contemplative significance, I'd buy a 10 ml and slather myself in it. Regardless, it is absolutely my favorite of all the Sephiroth.

My honest first impression? Chesed smells like the salad dressing they use at the Olive Garden. OK, I think it's pepper that gives me that notion. Maybe more than one kind of pepper, even. I get no sweetness at all from this blend. It's very sharp. I can perhaps detect a wood base note, but really it dries down on me from pepper to a sickly sharpness that is like pepper mixed with classic B.O.

Almond and floral, yes. This is lovely and very sweet. If Dana O'Shee is marzipan, then Kether is a delicate almond tea, with a complex and delightful bouquet.

Wow. I didn't get any carnation or amber from Hod. On me, it smelled like fresh, slightly-unripened strawberries. It also faded very quickly.

My first impression of Netzach is of a green light floral. The green note is grassy like the Lion, but without any of the Lion's amber or musk. A weedy note develops that is very similar to the weediness that I get from Kurukulla -- perhaps one of the same roses as in Kurukulla is in Netzach? It begins to smell a bit aquatic in the drydown.

Malkuth is definitely spicy, with maybe a hint of woody base notes -- cedar? It reminds me somewhat of Hamadryad, but deeper and less sweet. Those who are sensitive to cinnamon should steer clear of Malkuth. It turned my wrist red, as other cinnamon blends (e.g., All Night Long) do.

I didn't get any of the incense that other posters mentioned! To me, Binah smells like a garden of leafy greens. All things growing -- a pungent emanation of chlorophyll. *puzzled*

The description had me hoping that the jasmine wouldn't overtake the other components. I can handle jasmine in some blends, like Sophia, where it isn't the starring character. It didn't work out as I'd hoped. Nuit was really strongly jasmine on me. I can't catch the musks or the incense at all. The rose and the moonflower I'm unsure about -- I think I *might* be able to detect something floral-other-than-jasmine under the jasmine, but it's difficult, and it's just not showing up on me very perceptibly.