VioletChaos

i lost the meticulous notes i took at EC Will Call on all the smellies i got to try, but i can say that this one stood out as a highlight for me. warm and nutty, in a walnut oil kind of way, with a sweet, but not overly-foodie finish, this scent was spectacular, and makes me look ever more forward to the last two CD acts going live! i just can't wait.

I want to make it clear that I'm actually not a fan of black licorice as a rule. My boyfriend bought this bottle and, being a good BPALer I feel it my duty to review it. But by all means take my review with a grain of salt if you're a fan of anise et al... In the bottle: The cocoa dominates. A variation of the lovely, dry cocoa from Gelt: not sweet or milky like Bliss- just Cocoa. The licorice is in the background but I find I don't mind it. Wet on skin: The licorice comes to the fore a bit, but there's balance. I find I'm hopeful, even. Drydown: This is turning out to be a real morpher, with the dominant note changing every few minutes. Sometimes it smells exactly like chocolate-covered licorice nibs, then it switches to a ghastly NyQuil-intense black licorice, then all the anise elements fade back and the dry cocoa emerges once more. On and on it goes... In All: I'm really glad I tried this, actually. I recognize that this scent isn't for me, but I'm interested to see how it differs on my boyfriend's skin, as I have a feeling that his chemistry could turn this into something less cold-remedy and more sexy than it seems on my skin.

i'm not getting *any* of the jasmine/dragon's blood stuff others have mentioned most frequently. mostly i get milk chocolate, dark vanilla and just the merest hint of spice: possibly cinnamon or nutmeg, as the spice note reminds me of Eggnog '07. it's not a complex scent, but it's very lovely and comforting and i can see wearing this as a good all-around daytime scent, in sort of the same capacity of Antique Lace. i've not yet worn it out of the house, so i don't know about it's magickal potency, but honestly, i kinda hope it doesn't work in that way, because i'd really like to get a bottle of this with my next order low to medium throw, not a morpher on me at all. if you like non-foodie vanilla and spice, you'll really like this!

of my recent order, this was the one i was most excited about. let's see if it measures up to my expectations! in the bottle: mostly the caramel. it reminds me of Hearth, but without the pine note that ruined it for me. *crosses fingers* wet on skin: still strong on the carmel but there is something odd that i can't quite place. is it the nutmeg? the galbanum? i can't figure it. it smells a little like old mushrooms. man, i sure hope this resolves in the next phase. dry down: it has stayed the same. in all: i'm more than willing to age this and see how it changes. so many of the notes are pure win on me: the red musk, the vanilla, champaca, patchouli and honey. maybe some of those will come out to play in a month. for now, it'll just have to sit quietly in my box... ETA: it's about 20 minutes later and the scent has *totally* changed. now it's the sweet earthy quality of Violin Resin (aka Rosin) and i'm SOOOOO loving it!

this is for the resurrect, i never had the fortune of experiencing the original. just sayin'. in the bottle: i get the carnation coming on strong, but there's also a black musk note i'm picking up on that has me worried: that type of musk usually turns to wet cardboard on me. i hope it gets better. wet on skin: hmmm. i am getting that hint of vanilla creaminess that others mentioned. the musk seems to be behaving. for now. dry down: the musk from the bottle seems to be waaaay in the background. there, but behaving. whew! as for the rest, it's all spicy carnation and sweet vanilla, but the combo strangely smells like the old style Barbasol shaving cream we used to pelt each other with on Halloween night when i was a kid. so far, i am strangely into it, though. in all: i'm going to see what a bit of aging does. i have this feeling that given time this sent will become full-on yum, with no weird Junior High associations.

first off, i want to say that as a silversmith, i felt that it was pretty much necessary that i get a hold of this oil. my own relationship with the metal is complex, and the stakes are high we'll see how it measures up compared to my very intimate relationship with this most precious metal... in the bottle: i'm getting the strange but delicate scent of mallow, a sweet gentle whiff that reminds me of incense i used in high school so i'm betting that's the moonflower and a hint that peeks in that's almost like...dirty socks. i'd bet money that's the mugwort wet on skin: the moonflower dominates. i have to say i usually don't do florals except for very specific rose or ciolet blends. this one, so far, is holding my attention, though. dry down: this scent is a morpher, not from stage to stage, but from minute to minute. moonflower is the dominant note, but trails of pear come in for a moment then flits off again. something that reminds me of vanilla flower rears it's head (starwort? mallow?) then vanishes again. in all: beautiful, etheric and hard to capture in a still state, this oil perfectly reflects my darling metal. whether i'm a girl that can wear something this light is another question, but this scent encourages me to contemplate this question.

in the imp: yup. hazelnuts. sweet, roasted hazelnuts. wet on skin: more of the same, but yes, i too detect a faint aqua tippy-top note. normally i detest aqua, but so far, it's being held in check. dry down: yeah, this is so weird its like a CT blend. sugary roasted hazelnuts and a bowl of sea water nearby. in all: i'll hold on to this, but it's so odd i'm not sure i'll wear it.

in the imp: juniper, and what smells like the champagne note from last year's xmas offerings. wet on skin: much the same. like a boozy holiday punch, or strong martinis up with a twist. dry down: yeah, this is the champagne note. which, like the beverage itself, gives me a bad headache in all: glad i got to try something fun, but off to trade...

in the bottle, i found the grape to be pretty strong, more like a white grape wine than just grapes. the carnation was a good balance. wet on my skin, the sugared aspect that i know so well from such beloveds of mine as Faith, Hope and TKO started to show itself, which is what i was hoping for. on the dry down, it becomes fully the Sugared Carnation love i was hoping for, a perfect addition to the others i already mentioned several hours later, the sugared aspect has faded and the white grape mixes with the carnation to become a very soft skin musk. it reminds me, in fact, of a drug store perfume i wore 20 years ago in high school called "skin musk". in all: very little throw- and i slathered it- very light and delicate, but with a definitely specific presence. this is lovely all around, and am very happy with it

in the bottle this was very buttery and the eggnog spice aspect was very much present. once on me it became a total morpher. now, my experience with the various eggnog scents in the past has not been so great, as they always end up as just burnt sugar on me. this one, however, is staying just lovely. sweet and milky, it reminds of condensed milk in a big way. it's light, but doesn't fade, and the milk note doesn't sour on me the way milk Moon and some others have. in all: a perfect snuggly scent. i'll be getting me a bottle for sure!

in the bottle, this oil was exactly what i had expected: pumpkin latte all the way. once wet and on dry down, it became overwhelmingly cinnamon-pumpkin on me, heavy on the cinnamon. i know it's not listed in the notes, but it's there just the same. the throw is VERY strong, and the staying power is astounding. too bad it became far too overwhelming for me

2009 version, hot from the Lab in the bottle: mexican hot cocoa, straight up! wet on skin: much of the same, with a hint of brown sugar to sweeten the pot as it were. dry down: same! in all: a super yummy mexican cocoa of a scent, this is a foodie-lovers paradise! i could gnaw on my hand all the live long day. this is a good cousin to Great Revered Ones, but a winter version as opposed to GRO's harvest type. replace corn with cinnamon and brown sugar and you've got it. possibly need a second bottle!

in the bottle: a sweet candy-like rose. like if Jolly Ranchers made a rose flavored variety, this is what it would smell like. wet on skin: it's becoming a slightly peppery rose, a little sharp as the last reviewer said, but in a rather appealing way. dry down: rose. a true, fragrant rose. there's a slight hint of something way in the background, something that is reminding me of Cathouse. it might be jasmine. but it's really, really faint in there. mostly this is a pure, real rose. in all: although i was hoping for some of the vanilla or patchouli to show itself, this is a lovely rose, and i'm willing to keep it around for a while, at least to see if the other notes come out later, after some aging.

in the bottle: i'm getting something similar to the chocolate note in Boomslang with a HUGE dollop of black musk. i worry this may be a bit too...feral for me. but we'll see. wet on skin: strong black musk, and the cacao is almost like a dark coffee next to it, like the musk is subverting it somehow. dry down: it's morphed into black licorice with a hint of the tobacco from Black Lace someone mentioned (though this is *nothing* like BL in my opinion) and something odd and root-y, like sarasparilla or cola nut or something. in all: i'm going to let this age a bit and see how it does when it's a little more unified. it's either going to stay true to how it is now, in which case i'll have to swap it, or the things i like will mellow it and make it very fine indeed.

in the bottle: the light-snow-cake quality of Snow White is definitely present at this early stage. I get what people are saying in that regard. But there's something else underneath, i just can't name it... wet on skin: still snow cake, but with the tiniest hint of floral poking out it's whiskers. dry down: I agree with the last reviewer who made a comparison to Faith from CD. On me, this scent has wound up as a cross between Faith and Snow White. in all: for a Winter time scent, this is very light, but in a way that recalls the first snow of the season. it's sweet, very girly and utterly charming. it makes me think of "dance of the sugarplum fairies". although i don't think i'll need a backup bottle, i will most certainly love the one i bough unsniffed.

i want to start this review by saying that i completely agree with what HKHM said: "this is the smell of what the feel of crinkled velvet feels like". humorously, i *did* feel the need to change out of my hyper-manga clothing and put on a more lace-and-velvet Victorian-style outfit right after i put this on. it can change mood, for sure. in the bottle, i got the Schartzer Mond vibe right off. but the BPAL patchouli note makes it's special presence known immediately too, and straight away, i could tell this was a scent that should be housed near Snake Charmer and Mme Moriarty. they are NOT all the same, but with the patchouli present, they totally have a similar feeling- dark, rich, sexy. wet on my skin, it immediately did some morphing and the myrrh came out something fierce. i got nervous because myrrh tends to become directly baby powder on my skin, do not pass go, do not collect $200. and certainly the myrrh tried, for a hot minute or two, but once the full dry down happened, the powdery aspect vanished, thankfully. *whew*! dry down is where all the magic happened, where this scent went from being a really good one to be a spectacular top-10 scent. the musk is rich and deep and complex, the patchouli holds it's own and they mix fantastically with the dark vanilla to become sexy, sensuous and totally drop dead gorgeous this will only get more amazing with age, i can already tell. and? it's going to be *really* sought after- grab one while you can! :wub2:

i loved this tremendously at first. all sweet cream cheese frosting. unfortunately, it turned on me after an hour or so had gone by and became unbearably cloying. overly sweet, though strangely less foody, with a wicked undertone of moss that turned to gross decay on my skin. sigh. well, they all can't be won, i guess...

it's funny, because i got this oil based on the description- it sounded like it would be a mid-range resin, because of the tonka and the white sandalwood, and maybe the ambergris accord. it's NOTHING like that! in the bottle, the scent was oddly non-existent. i don't know how else to put it, but basically that all the notes blended together in such a way that is was like smelling-what?-scented air? water from my pitcher? walking by a small garden? something ephemeral and close to be nothing at all. as soon as i put it on, that changed though. and it became... The Greatest Orange Creme Of All Time!!! it's like Brian magically lifted the Orange Custard Cream from Huesos de Santos and put it into it's own special bottle. i am not one for citrus scents too often, but this is the perfect combination of Vanilla Creme and Orange. it's like wearing a creamsicle! the throw is medium, and it sadly leaves my skin sooner than i would like, but it's just scrumptious. if i am able to get a backup before it vanishes, i most certainly will. either way, i will cherish this bottle forever. oh, and PS? it mixes *deliciously* with Cake Smash!

I, also, have never tried the actual released GC version of Fenris Wolf, but based on the description I pulled up for that version (Rosewood, amber, red musk and a dribble of red sandalwood.), I can say that there are absolute similarities, but this is clearly a different blend too. in the bottle and wet, i get a heavy aroma of vetiver, with something sweet and almost maple-y as an afterthought, but it's a resin-maple, not a foodie-maple. the initial scent that comes for me upon dry down is amber- thick, sweet resinous amber. there is nothing subtle about this amber- this is the type i used to wear before i knew of BPAL- just sweet thick petrified tree sap. (i assume this is what seemed like maple syrup to me earlier ) after several minutes, Fenris changed again, and the amber morphed into a more subtle, but powerful champa scent, slightly powdery, but not so much that i wanted to stop huffin my arm or anything. about 10 minutes after *that*, the oil shifts again- the amber comes back, but now it's being kept in check by that beautiful, woody vetiver that i caught in the bottle. in all, for all it's morphing, the one constant with Fenris Wolf V2, is that for me it is being in a hot summer forest, a large campfire raging close enough to catch the sweet burning smells of the wood, but not so close that i can't smell the earthy woods around me. this is total, total love, and i am indebted to schackjj for-EVAH for hooking me up with this beautiful, complex and fabulous scent. :wub2:

i was guardedly hopeful about this blend. on the one hand, Strawberry Moon 09 exceeded all expectations of what a Berry BPAL could be. on the other, light, "summer-y" musks tend to not be my friend. HOWEVER! Berry Moon pulls it all together! from bottle until dry down, Berry Moon stays pretty consistent. that is to say, it's very much tart/sweet berries with a touch of honeyed musk. i don't really get the blueberries from this, for me it's more a mix of black- and raspberries, and with both, it's at the point where they're so ripe that they're almost spoiled. right before the total dry down happens, there's a few minutes where the scent warms into a berry mead. not the thick type of Mead Moon, but mead none the less. when it's finally dried and mellowed, it blossoms into a warm fruit musk that's all sweet and fruity without being foody or taking on skin-musk or heliotrope aspects (whew!) in all: perfect for the dog days of august that lie ahead, total keeper, total love.

i am SO completely in love with Snooty Rose! it was love at first sniff, to be sure. i'm not a big floral fan, and even the notes i *do* like (pretty much exclusively violet or rose) i'm very, very picky about. but Snooty Rose exceeds my expectations. i simply figured her to be the sort that i would take out for a spin once in a while, but she had much more in store for me. this is not the light rose of Katrina van Tassel, not the sugared rose of Hope, and not the direct rose of Rose Moon. instead, Snooty Rose is barely rose at all. it's the faded rose that sits in an attic, bundled and carefully dried from a long-forgotten romance. the petals are faded with age and streams of dusky sunlight that enter through slats in the old bare-planked walls. it's frail and dusty and victorian in the sense of wanting to wear this scent while having the kind of tea that requires little lace wrist gloves and holding delicate china cups with a pinky raised in the air. THAT'S Snooty Rose. i will be getting a full size bottle post-haste. :wub2:

i was most fearful of the fir in this bland. as a rule, BPAL spruce notes tend to amp on me like crazy, in really unappetizing ways (pine, juniper, i'm looking at you ) fortunately, there's no trace of it in here on me. whew! what i get instead is a rich, dark, sexy musk. not musky like Smut or any of the Enraged musks. this is more of a "dude" musk. that's not to say that i think this is only a scent for guys. but it's very heavy, and kind of overpowering. the finish, after full dry down is very, VERY similar to Death In Autumn. my DH happens to have about 3 bottles of DiA, so i'm very familiar with the scent, and if you are someone who is sad to have not gotten that scent when it was still available, here's your chance to get something close enough to be a sibling.

strangely, i get no rose from this, and further more, hardly any notes that actually appear in the list show up on my skin at all. instead i get what starts in the imp as a whiff of leather combined with burning leaves. once it's in contact with my skin, i get the floral. not rosey, per se, but the sort that would be on my granny's dressing table, mixed into her cold cream. eventually it dries down to an odd combination of cloves, "old lady" perfumed powder, and perhaps a touch of that oakmoss to finish it up. in all: a strange mix of scents. not for me, but i'm glad i tried it.

in the bottle: neat! i absolutely get desert rock. it's not as sweet as Tombstone, but at this point, it's a 2nd cousin it reminds me also of a dry-version of Moai, which i adore. wet on skin: more of the same, but there's a strange hint of aqua lurking under. aqua hates me and this isn't a problem so far, so i'm not terribly worried. dry down: sun-baked rocks, plump cacti, and that sweet breeze that blows through the desert right before dark. in all: i predict this will be the most coveted of the C15 scents.

in the bottle: ok. weird. i get the "wet cement" thing that's been mentioned, but there's something else in there too. something that reminds me of olde time gentlemen's cologne. wet on skin: this stuff has incredible throw, straight from the get-go, i just wanna say that now. the oil at this stage has become a dead ringer for clairol herbalessence shampoo, but the 1970's variety. people of a certain age will know what that means, but for the rest, it's a very herbal-y shampoo. dry down: yup. herbal shampoo. in all: do not be distressed by my review. aquatics and herbal-based scents frequently become soap on me. if this has not been a problem for you in the past, this will likely be the BPAL of your dreams.