VioletChaos

https://wildsoulriver.com I own the Magical Nature Tarot and love the feel of the cards. They have candles and teas and tinctures and books of the activist or witchy sort. Anything you see that you'd like? —> Alas! Nothing jumped out at me, though I scoured the whole site. Sadness I live near a Penzey's Spice https://www.penzeys.com - do you cook? - Do you want fancy schmancy spices or spice blends? ——> Yes! See below! - Do you have a favorite alternative source that you prefer and or recommend? For example egads I am asking lots of Qs Curio Spice Co, Diaspora etc do ethically sourced spices. - If you cook is there a type of cuisine you are interested in learning more about and would appreciate a starter pack of spices for that type of cooking? ———> I love Penzey’s! They have great stuff and great politics! I have been doing far more cooking as of late, but my real joy in the kitchen, especially as the weather gets crisper, is baking. I especially enjoy making treats, like biscotti and little tea cakes, and of course everything needs to be gluten free. So I would love jars of any of the following from Penzey’s: Penzey’s Cinnamon blend; Lemon Peel (minced); Orange Peel and Raspberry Enlightenment. Colorpop ———> I want that gold dust glitter gel so badly! BUT IT CANNOT BE! I have made a vow to no longer purchase or procure any body or face glitter that is made with micro plastics. I only use ethically sourced mica and plant-based glitters now. If you want to find me a gorgeous face glitter that looks like the gold dust gel, but that is safe for the environment, I would be insanely happy about it, especially because this stuff looks like putting gold leaf all over my face, which is like a dream come true. Anything of interest from Cellar Door? (They have candles and soaps.) ——> October Road candle, Farmhouse Pumpkin candle; Black No. 1 candle (which I’m not sure exists, in which case I’d take the Black No. 1 soap and use it to scent my closet, because THAT is how good that looks to me.) And Golden Hour looks so diabolically good that I would take it in candle AND soap form. Are you into wax melts, candles, incense, room sprays, or none of the above? ——> The only room sprays I like are the ones from BPAL. To that end, I would love Dorian or the Serpentine. Incense is great! I’m mostly doing low-smoke Japanese sticks these days, like the kind made by Shoyeido. I like candles…sometimes. The once I mentioned from Cellar Door are all welcome. I also desperately miss candles from the Lab, especially Carnation. The only other candles I like reliably are pure beeswax candles, preferably in tea light or votive size and Yankee Candle’s Witches’ Brew, also preferably in tea light or votive size. No wax melts! Would you like anything from Luvmilk's Monster Mash? ———> Monster Mash bath salts in the Zombie-Girlfriend combination. I dye yarn. Are you a person who crafts with such? What fiber, weights, and colors would tickle your fancy? Would you rather have two different 100g skeins or enough of the same something for a bigger project? ————> Currently, the only thing I use yarn for is making hair falls, for myself and others. So, I think it would be nice to have one larger skein, and for the yarn to be chunky and irregular. I have an across-the-board wool allergy, so please avoid that as well as alpaca. All the other natural fibers are welcome- cotton, silk, bamboo, cashmere… Provided my experiments work, would you be interested in a bar of homemade tallow soap? I promise I will not send you anything particularly suspect, so this is entirely contingent upon my competence. ———> I don’t use bar soap anymore. I make an exception for specific well-scented bars, like from the Lab, that I then use as sachets in my closets or sock drawers. Do homemade caramels or shortbread tickle your fancy? ——> Alas, I have to limited my intake of saturated fat, which both of these treats have in abundance, so I have to pass. 9/8 because I’m a knitting kind of witch, would you appreciate a pair of hand knit socks. If yes, would you like them in a particular colour? ———> Again, so long as there’s no wool in them, that sounds like fun! I had a pair of hand-knitted cashmere socks years ago and I wore them with my pajamas and loved them very much! I like socks of all colors but since we’re coming into autumn, I’ll say that I would especially appreciate: pumpkin or blood orange, indigo blue, fuchsia, dark teal, deep forest green or pale robin’s egg blue. (And of course, they don’t have to be cashmere! All the other non-wool natural fibers- bamboo, silk, cotton etc- are fine too!) What type of spooky season imagery do you like? (Ie. bats, ghosts, vintage Halloween, etc.) ——> Vintage Halloween, hands down! Astrid's Autumn Line and Anniversary Tea Party just dropped. Anything you want? ——> From the Autumn Line: Aura, Darkness Summoned, Grandmother Ghost, L’Araignée Opaline, Nothing Gold Can Stay, Venus at Twilight. From Anniversary Tea Party: Black Currant Danish, Citrus Petit Four, London Fog Tea, Orange Blossom & Lemon Biscuit, Raspberry & Rose Biscuits. (**To be clear, these are in alphabetical order, NOT the order of what I’d most like to receive! So feel free to start from the middle or the rear if making any selections for me!) Homemade and preserved food goodies - Which of these things would you like my dear witchie? All are organic and grown or made by me. sun-dried heirloom tomatoes —> Hell yes! dried ancho chile peppers - can be whole halves or ground into a delicious powder —> BOTH! I made biscotti last year with these, infusing them in my chocolate glaze and adding little chunks to the batter. I *love* baking sweets with ancho! sugar-free candied pecans and walnuts or almonds —> No, thank you! gourmet quality fudge in many flavors (formerly from my ETSY shop which I had to close until I have my own home again) please give me an idea the kinds of flavors you like. My more popular ones are Penuche, Choc & PB, Pumpkin pie, Forest fruit (with cherries, blueberries and cranberries), Vegan chocolate ——> I love fudge but can’t really eat it anymore because of cholesterol issues, so I’ll pass. dried italian plums (pitted) ——> Yes, indeed! sugar-free canned plum or logan berry jam ——> I would need to know what you mean by “sugar free”. If it means fruit juice sweetened, then I would ADORE either or both. If it means adding something like erythritol or stevia, that’s a hard pass for me. freshly dried rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley individually or in combo——> Any of these above, though I would especially like basil followed by rosemary almond flour baked goods (low carb, sugar free, and gluten free) - give me examples of savory and sweet things you'd like ———> again, the “sugar free” is the sticking point for me, so I think I’ll just pass on this too. Thanks anyway! Might you like a witch hat? Later this month I'm taking a class at an area museum where I'm supposed to decorate 2 hats. Also I crochet wicked cute witchy hats. ——> I’m not in the market for a traditional, pointy witch hat, if that’s what you mean. However, I would *love* a new long beanie-style hat! As always, no wool, as deeply allergic, but all other yarns should be fine! 9/9 Do you see anything here that interests you? They have dry shampoos, whipped soaps, awesome hand cream, linen spray, sugar scrubs and perfume. https://www.etsy.com/shop/faefragrance/?etsrc=sdt ————> Golden Corral and Porcelain Dolly are such weird note mixes that I’m deeply intrigued with either. Other than that, Selva Oscura also looks like a great autumnal scent! I’m only interested in the perfumes, no body products as I’m full up on those! 9/10 Anything you want from my favorite local tea shop? www.fridaytea.com ————> I literally purchased no fewer than ten new tea blends during my summer travels, so my tea cabinet is full up! That said, the Cheshire Smile DID seem quite intriguing, so perhaps that would be my one exception! How about from my skincare person? drjensbeautylab.com/ ————> No Baggage looks amazing! Also like the look of The New 20 eye cream, but only the bakuchiol version- no retinol, please! The serums PFM and Reclaiming My Time both look awesome to try. If you pick either of these, I’d like the fragrance free version(s) please!

I got this as a frottle in my most recent order (thanks, Puddin! ) and it's the first bottle of them all that I decided to test out immediately! In the bottle, it's very soft, though not like baby powder. Like if orris root had a cousin that was a bit more sweet and slightly earthy. Maybe it's sweetgrass? Despite my years (YEARS! Fifteen, in fact) of wearing / using / testing BPAL, there are still some notes that I can be surprised by. It's one of the things that keeps me coming back! So, if this IS sweetgrass, it's much more milk and less obvious than I would've anticipated. Wet on my skin, it's warms very quickly. As others mentioned, this scent stays close to the skin, and with this warmth it emanates, I feel like that just doubles down on it being a skin scent. Drydown happens a bit more quickly with this scent than with some others, but since my own natural skin chemistry leans toward "spicy", that may account for how quickly this scent acclimated to me and made itself right at home. It's become a warm, spicy, woodsy scent. Very gender neutral, which I'm always in favor of. I get zero leather, which is a relief, as I normally amp that note to the exclusion of all others in any given blend. This is warm and cozy enough that I'd happily wear this all winter so that all my snuggliest sweaters might smell of it for months after. But the spice does lend a deep, sensual sexiness that I'm finding more and more beguiling the longer I scent it on my skin. Lastly, I will say that, for me at least, there's an...aura, for lack of a better word...to older Lab blends. It shows up in alot of the original Tarot scents, for instance, but elsewhere, too. There's a signature that marks them all as belonging uniquely to the Lab- and this scent is no exception. It's something I deeply appreciate and it adds to the delight I'm experiencing with this scent that much more. What a treasure!

MOD NOTE: Yes, this is a prototype and we have another review sub-forum for protos. But as the Lab website tagged this as part of the Halloween 2018 release, I am following suit and placing this review topic here in Halloweenie. Were running out of room at the Lab, and its been a long, long time since weve had a trunk show. When Brian and I were rifling through the prototype and snafu shelves a few weeks ago, we dug up two busticated Snake Oils one that was a mispour of Lemon Scented Sticky Bat, and another involved an Aggravated Vanilla Incident and we unearthed the very first Samhain prototype from 2002. We dont have time to do a full-blown trunk show right now, so were offering these three for sale. Theyre in very, very limited quantity. Years ago, there was a retailer in PA that gave me what she *believed* was the Original Samhain in an unmarked bottle. The scent was one of cathedrals and mass and spooky autumnal things and everything lovely and creepy. I eventually traded the bottle away during a hasty destash, and now we -perhaps- are meeting again. Let's see if I know this scent from another life... In The Bottle: I get all the various spices (heavy on the nutmeg and allspice) and some of the sweet apple in the background. Wet On Skin: The damp woods and black patch have entered the fray, but there's not misbehaving, which is pure relief, as "damp" notes, like water and ozone, are usually death notes on me. But so far, this scent is rich in atmosphere with no obvious drawbacks. Dry Down: A sweeter, spicier version of the typical Samhain, which, for me, is preferable. I'm getting all the good aspects of the note list and none of the bad. The aging has perhaps done this proto a great service! While I remain unsure if this scent is connected to that "mystery bottle" of long ago, I'm glad to have this in my collection either way!

[No description given.] In a word: Glorious. I am slightly leery of peach notes, they sometimes amp on me in a bad fake-plastic-candy way. But this is a fantastic blend of heavy fresh, yummy strawberry and light peach bringing up the rear. I actually don't use bath oils as bath oils that often, the Post's oils I use more on my skin as a moisturizer of sorts and I took one sniff of this and *knew* it had to be mine. I shall love it for always.

Sweet red vetiver, 13-year aged patchouli, mahogany oudh, and shadow musk. In The Bottle: Strong, dirty patchouli, sweet and smoky vetiver, rich oudh. Wet On Skin: The smokiness of the vetiver is front and center now, though the richness of the oudh is coming in close behind. The patch seems to have moved waaaay into the background at this stage. Dry Down: The smoky aspect of the vetiver has tones down, though the vetiver is still very present. The shadow musk has come out of hiding to create something that is dark, dense and lush. This reads as extremely powerful to me, something that I'll likely wear when I want others to leave me the hell alone. Yet, the vetiver adds its own sinister sexiness- I could definitely see wearing this out to a club, either alone if I just want to hang with my friends or layered with a clove-rich scent to give a message of "Come closer if you like, but I just might be a black widow in disguise, chump." In All: A strong scent for those that know themselves. <3

On our second anniversary, the Lab moved from the Far Land of Spare Oom (gratuitous C.S. Lewis reference) to its first real location in Atwater Village. It was small, it was weird, and we all shared one space, but it was home. In 2004, our real unreal home, bpal.org, was founded by slythwitch, and later that year, shrieking violet took over the helm. Bpal.org has been the source of so much love and joy in my life since its inception, and because of .org, my family bound by love and spirit expanded to include some of the finest human beings I have ever known. The community that grew from .org is incomparable, both on the internet and in the so-called real world; it is a safe haven of wise, witty, kind, compassionate souls, and without it and without the people that I met through it, my life would be so much darker. 2004 also heralded our first press mention (thank you, Bust Magazine!), our first Chaos Theory series, and the first Lunacies. Our first Blue Moon came out in July of 2004, launching the Lunacies that weve been doing ever since. Red Moon was our official first Lunacy blend, followed Harvest Moon, Hunter Moon, and a bajillion other Lunacies over the next eleven years! (Ok, maybe not a bajillion, but Im not in the mood to do the math!) Prior to September of 2004, we dressed our Imps a bit differently. We wrapped synthetic bull sinew around the vials and used handwritten parchment labels. Honestly, it looked amazing, but it was an incredibly time consuming process, and left me with a couple of imp-related battle scars. As of autumn, we switched to the paper labels you see today. Our first activism scents also debuted in 2004: Cerberus (Animal Assistance League of Orange County), Chiroptera (Bat Conservation International), Corazon (Safe Haven for Donkeys in the Holy Land), Oisin (Comic Book Legal Defense Fund), and Thunderbird (the Adopt-a-Native-Elder Program), kicking off over a decade of fundraising, advocacy, and charity work. In 2004, Antique Lace first appeared and we introduced our first forum-only blend (Formula 54!). And on December 21, 2004, Dorian a hymn to my love for Ted went live. A memory of Antique Lace, Formula 54s pink pepper, and a splash of Dorian's white tea and lavender fougere. In the Bottle: Good lord- it's Dorian and Antique Lace, together at last! There's also a bright rind of that pink pepper (never had the pleasure of sniffing Formula 54 but I have liked the pink pepper note in other blends. Here's it adds a nice bright bite!) Wet On Skin: The Dorian aspect is strong with this one! But that's not the totality of this scent. The vanilla of Antique Lace is adding a layer of softness and warmth. Dry Down: If you're among the masses that have wept bitter tears at the absence of Antique Lace and also of Dorian, then this is the scent for you. It takes the most beautiful and strong elements of each of those and combines them for a scent that is sweet and lovely and cuddly. It's a dream.

The third of our Bean scents commemorates Bean and Brian's birthday! September 2nd marks the day that Little Lily came into our lives, and Brian spent his birthday in 2008 watching me huff and puff through labor! Happy birthday, Brian! You are the best brother, uncle, and brother-in-law that we could ask for! We love you so much! Little Bean, you are our soul's sunshine and our heart's joy. We love you, little Lily. Your mom and dad love you more than words can say. Happy birthday, Virgos big and small! Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting against a backdrop of Snake Oil, Dorian, and Doc Constantine! to the mods: i looked and looked, so if someone else started a thread on this scent, by all means, add me to it! so, i got to try the proto bottle of this a while back, not knowing the list of notes or anything, but i definitely knew there was cream cheese frosting involved and lots of it! while the sweet frosting aspect is absolutely in line with Beaver Moon '05, the Red Velvet Cake makes this scent something all it's own. as a big time foodie, i knew pretty instantly that this scent would be a hoard-necessary situation, and i've been on pins and needles since i tested it, waiting for it's sweet release. fear not, fellow BPAL-ers! this one is total love! :wub: ETA: got the actual, final version in the post today. i found it was actually a bit different from the prototype i tested. whether that's me mis-remembering (it WAs over a month ago, afterall) or that it is actually different, i cannot say. but this one seems a bit more on the cake (crust?) side of things, less about the frosting, which makes me a little sad. on the plus side, the proto eventually had a dry-down to pure sugar on me, as -sadly- many sweet foodie oils do. this one does NOT do that, and that makes me really happy. finally, while i don't personally detect any of the Snake Oil, we all know that SN in particular gets loads better with age, and i have a strong feeling this will be no different. in other words, *STILL* total love.

Sometimes when were constantly under assault, be it by destructive legislation or online trolls, the cruelty we endure or bear witness to can start to wear on our souls. This oil is used when you feel your spirit flagging, and the temptation to capitulate to anger, bitterness, resentment, or cruelty looms on your horizon. Purge and protect yourself from the hate, and rekindle the fires of your own compassion. When they go low, we go high: ambrette seed, frankincense essential oil and tears, steam-distilled bay laurel, saffron-infused myrrh essential oil, palo santo, steam-distilled styrax, and angelica. This oil on a conceptual level, is basically the inverse of Honey Rose 45. Where that one is to gain a sense that we are not alone in this, that there are still people that are creating daily mitzvahs in the midst of oppression, this is about our own compassion and resiliency. I see them as two sides ultimately of the same coin, and the feelings I experience from each of them when engaging bears that out, as does the scents they happen to transmit. If Honey Rose points to the port in the storm, Virtus reminds us that *we* are the fucking port. From Honey Rose I experienced almost a melancholy, a weepiness of feeling others connect and hold me in their invisible net. Virtus instead galvanizes me, makes to want to spin nets of my own, protect those that are spent and despairing and to do so with a level of integrity that is well-neigh untouchable. The weepiness is replaced with the kinds of tears that spring up when I'm enraged at the levels of injustice I witness daily and motivates me to fight back and fight HARD. Normally, I can't wear oils with myrrh, I amp it, it becomes baby powder on me and is generally unpleasant. But the myrrh here mixes with the woods and the other resins to create something rich and earthy without being dirt-like. It's grounding and grounded and reminds me that ultimately the truth will set us free. When they go low we go high, indeed.

Late at night, as you walk through a dark and creepy cemetery, all is quiet except for the giggling of two kids: one is eight and one is fifty-eight. They are standing in the middle of the tombstones; the bigger kid is spinning the little kid around by her arms. They spin and spin and then fall down laughing. What could be more fun than falling down on people’s graves? Dorian and lavender mist, crushed grass, cypress leaf, and a drop of clove. In The Bottle: I get a faint whiff of mint, and a subtle note of fresh cut grass. It's all very light, even in the bottle. Wet On Skin: The lavender in this "mist" form has something vaguely lemony about it. It reminds me overall more of Alice than Dorian. That said, they feel in a similar niche, a soft and lovely gender-neutral scent. Dry Down: THERE'S the Dorian! He's definitely there, though obviously mixed with other things. The clove is also out now, but softly, in the background. Considering the notes, this fragrance has a very low throw and is overall very soft, like a whisper of Dorian whilst drinking a bit of black lemony tea on a warm day in a field of grass. So much more than I anticipated, so glad I got a bottle!

Clove-spiked dried oranges, dusted with ginger and cinnamon. ok, the Goblins have totally blessed me this time around. this spray is not only the perfect thing for making my apartment smell all full of christmas-y, yule-y yumminess, but i will totally be using this to scent my place ALL WINTER LONG. there is no WAY the goblins could have done any better for me, and there's no way in HELL i would trade this for a million years! well done, Trading Post! ps thanks for all the swag!

[No additional description provided.] In The Bottle: Yes, very juicy-orange. But also there's an edge of perfume-y-ness to it that I was surprised to encounter. Wet On Skin: There's a tiny edge of tart orange peel sneaking in, and I think it's the same aspect that seems "perfume-y" to me. It's so close that I honestly can't say if it's just reminding me of a high-end perfume or some fresh orange peel. Hmmm... Dry Down: A lovely, sweet orange scent. Less juicy, more dry at this stage. I wouldn't necessarily read this as a "foodie" scent, however. The peel is much more prevalent in this than in King Mandarin SN, and it makes is come across more as a light citrus perfume as opposed to just ORANGE or even Orange JUICE. In All: Citrus fans, get your hands on some. I personally anticipate giving this bottle some love all hot summer long

Looking down, you see a scattering of breadcrumbs strewn on the packed soil and straw at your feet. A waft of candied apple and pancakes embraces you, as you follow the crumbs on the path. The scent intensifies: sugared nuts, crushed candies, hot gusts of chocolate, and you find yourself standing before a small booth constructed of cakes, pastries, sweet breads, and a cascade of candy tiles. Shards of clear sugar glint in the ambient firelight of the Midway, and an old woman emerges from the shadows within. She extends a gnarled hand to you and rasps, Oh, you dear, what has brought you here? You look like skin and bones; a strong gust of wind would spirit you into the air. Do come in, and visit with me. No harm shall happen to you. In The Bottle: Candy, chocolate and a distant but distinct booze note- maybe rum or possibly whiskey! Wet On Skin: I think it's the sugared nuts that have gained footing. It's still quite sweet, but it's getting less foodie now that it's warming up on my skin. Dry Down: Well, now. This is NOT the candy-sugar paradise that some foodies are hoping for. HOWEVER, this is really, really beautiful. It's become something of a dusty, very dry cocoa powder with a hint of rock candy. Imagine if Sugar Skull and Cacao Pod had a sophisticated baby- you'd have Nibble Nibble Gnaw. In All: Low throw, a sweetly, dry seductive confection.

I agree with the assessment of an amber-vanilla combination as mentioned above. Also orris, for sure, providing some of the deep background dry-powder aspect. And unfortunately the dryer-sheet thing is spot on as well. Perhaps it's my skin chemistry or the fact that I lived through the 80's and came out worse for the wear. Whatever the reason, this isn't the kind of musk that can work for me, sadly, though listen to the folks above- if their descriptions appeal, you're likely to be interested in this scent as they are!

The copy reads: "Pay your respects with steaming rivulets of black and green tea dribbling across black crepe and memorial lilies." I'm honestly not sure about this one yet. Tea scents on me tend to be light, vaguely lemon-y and a bit astringent, in a lovely, bracing springtime way. Unfortunately for me, I don't think the lilies are playing in my favor. It's sad but true: a good many florals simply don't work with my skin chemistry. Alas, the lilies here seem to be turning toward the mini-soaps you find in fancy bathrooms on me and safer still, the black crepe has gone directly to ozone-ocean-salt on me, do not pass Go, do not collect lovely smellies on the way around the board. I do wanted to love this, but also knew that half the notes were risky for me. Sometimes the risk pays off but...not this time Off to the swap pile!

Oh, myyyyyyyyy. ? For those who are lament missing out on Random Brothel - or those among us that fell head over heels for it- here's something in a very similar wheelhouse. Despite the appearance of both black plum and raspberries, this is no fruity -or foodie- scent in any way. Rather, the inclusion of those notes act as grounding and sweetening, respectively, but it's all very behind-the-scenes. As a swoon fan of the Lab's Indigo Musk note, I knew this was one of the new Singularity that was a must-have for me, and it paid off in spades. The violet leaf is light, noticeable but not overt, so those that fear the potential for "soapiness" know that the concern should be kept to a minimum. Instead, the combination of the four elements smooths within minutes of drydown into a sophisticated, sweet, but not cloying, delicate blue musk. Low to medium throw, test a little to see how it reacts with your chemistry before you slather- this is not a scent you want to overdo, rather one that will be more enjoyable if you keep it close to you. I was just grieving yesterday how Random Brothel will likely remain in the box now until the chilly days of autumn some back in about 7 months, but I think I found the perfect springtime replacement! ❤️

In a nutshell? *Exactly* what I'd been hoping for. Ruby chocolate, in flavor, is distinct from all other colors of chocolate in that it has a fruity tang in its composition. I'd been hoping that the scent would capture that nuance and it DOES, beautifully. The scent has the luxurious, creamy cacao that we've come to expect from the Lab, but with that special afore-mentioned Ruby tang. To round it out, the white musk both unifies the two elements of the cacao while balancing the scent in a way that keeps it from being too "foodie" or gourmet to turn off those that are unsure about that side of the scent spectrum. I mentioned elsewhere that I personally view this scent as a perfect counter-balance to my beloved Cacao Pod- whereas that scent has a richness that works well during the cold half of the year, here is a cacao-based fragrance for the warm months- and just in time.

The second I opened the bottle, I thought to myself, "Wait, this is VERY familiar, in the best possible way..." ? It only took about ten seconds for me to determine that I was reminded *heavily* of Mme Moriarty, the original release, specifically! I think something about the combination of cherrywood and the red amber caused a gorgeous approximation of that yummy plum note from the Mme somehow. This remained true through application and into the first part of drydown. 30 minutes later, it's lost a touch of that initial impression, but frankly not that much. I got this expecting more of a Smut vibe with that red musk note, but in combination with the other notes here, it's somehow a slightly lighter version of Mme Moriarty instead (yes, both contain red musk, but the supporting cast changes how she reacts, apparently, and I think here that the cotton candy is acting as a proxy for the vanilla bean in Mme.'s formula). In any case, I'm extremely happy that a fairy was able to snag me a bottle of Heartshow, and I shall treasure it for as long as she lasts! ❤️

In The Bottle: That ginger pannetone is a force to be reckoned with, and it leaves no room for anything else! Wet On Skin: This is a bit like Crumpet Rebellion and Eat Me and Blackberry Jam and Scones in terms of tea and baked goods and accouterments that go with them.... ...But then, on drydown, the saffron and rhubarb throw a bizarre wrench into the mix, making this scent a cousin of the afore-mentioned whilst also going somehow off the rails. I can't quite get a handle on it, and I'm okay with that. If you're a fan of those other baked-good scents, definitely put this on your list, as it'll be right in your wheelhouse. Medium throw with a sweetness that's less sugary than one might expect but still suuuuuper foodie, this is a scent for going to brunch, or doing some weekend baking or wearing when you want a good scone but can't (or don't) have access to any.

In the bottle and wet on skin, this scent dives fully into intense gourmand territory, with the sandalwood and gardenia only really coming out to play after full drydown. I am reminded during certain states of the Weenie Single Note, Clown White, and I suspect there's a note or two in common between these scents, which would be on-brand since, you know, clown. Whereas that scent leaned from vague sweetness into the appealing chemistry of stage fog or pancake makeup, this leans more into the general vibe of an old-fashioned Italian clown situation and the difference is that this is a scent that is enjoyable beyond just the novelty aspect. A light, vaguely dusty scent with low throw, this is a scent for cuddling up with a book on a Sunday afternoon or a walk through a park on a balmy spring day. It's really nice and unassuming, and sometimes gentleness is what we need most. ❤️

In The Bottle: The gilded lavender, followed closely behind by the night blooming flowers. Wet On Skin: Lavender is still out in front, with undefinable flora in the background. The lavender at this point weaves in and out, sometimes dominant, then moments later, going into the background, then popping forth again. Dry Down: The mood shifts and at last, the blue musk emerges. This is not the dark, inky blue musk of Night, and to be truthful, at first I was disappointed, because Night is my favorite blue musk scent EVER and I wanted another like it. HOWEVER, having said that, this scent has proven to be just lovely. The night-blooming flowers have sifted and I get a spicy phlox somewhere in the mix overlaying that blue musk fougère. The lavender has basically flown the coop, and the orris never even entered the picture. But what remains is a heady spiced musk of medium throw, maximum sexiness and zero gender preference. Not at all what I was anticipating, but I'm SO glad I made the purchase just the same!

Pumpkin-spiced gunpowder tea with mango peel, red ginger, green cardamom, smoky clove buds, fennel, allspice, saffron, coconut sugar, and foamy milk. Mango can be somewhat of a death-note on me, so I ordered this un-sniffed, but apprehensive. In the bottle, the mango was pretty heavy- one of the two prominent notes. But it was sweet and juicy, like a fresh piece of fruit, not like "mango perfume". The back-up note was a sugared vanilla. Sweet, but not terribly thrilling. Wet on my skin, it immediately began to shift, and by the time dry-down was complete, it had changed rather utterly from what it had been in the bottle- for the better. It's a sweet, creamy chai, the sugared vanilla still in the mix, but the usual chai spices definitely holding their own. If the pumpkin is here, it's being very quiet, or else is so deeply buried in the mix that I'm not catching it as it's own entity. In all: medium throw, this wound up being what I always wanted Egg Nog to be, but never was on my skin- warm, sweet, spicy. I don't read this as a "Wow, Autumn!" kind of scent, strangely. But it's cozy and nice and a lovely day-time scent. Glad I got a bottle!

This has been a "white whale" scent for me that I've waited *literally* years to try, so when an almost-full 10mL cobalt bottle was being offered (!!!) I HAD to jump at the chance. I'm so glad I did. I get that "mineral" / "hairspray" (specifically pink-can Aquanet, the ole goth standby) when first applied, but that settled out within a minute of touching my skin. Now that it's full settled and warmed into drydown, what it mostly reminds me of, is a magical Egyptian musk I was gifted nearly 2 decades ago. But it's not JUST an Egyptian musk. I do also get the "coolness" that I concur is a coconut note, similar to what I encountered years ago when I was new to BPAL and first tried Obatala. The coconut, then as now, is NOT the sunscreen or food variety, but a nice, dry husk. Very understated and supporting. Same is true for the vanilla, definitely more of a vanilla bean than anything foodie or gourmand in any way. The old searches don't always work out, but every now and then- BLISS!

With a hint of FD&C yellow. The British version is better, amirite? In The Bottle: A light milk chocolate with a sweet, sugary undertone. Honestly, this reminds me of the Easter baskets I got as a kid, that faint smell of chocolate combined with the headier smell of 18 different kinds of sugar, plus fake grass. Love it! Wet On Skin: The chocolate is blooming now, but it's not the rich chocolate of, say, The Other Hot Chocolate or Bliss. It's more the chocolate note that shows up in some of the "13" blends- lighter, more sugary. And there's the cream, coming across a bit more persistently, now, not dairy-based- all creamy sugar instead. Dry Down: Light, mild chocolate with an undertone of a similar cream note found in various Egg Nog releases. YUM! In All: Medium throw, sweet but not aggressive- a cute daytime Spring alternative to the richness of Egg Nog. I could see wearing this for family gatherings or just a nice stroll in the park on a chilly spring day!

In the deep, strange-scented shade of the great dark carob-tree I came down the steps with my pitcher And must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough before me. Snake Oil, black oudh, labdanum, vetiver, and 10-year aged patchouli. In The Bottle: Labdanum and oudh. Wet On Skin: The oudh is strong with this one. It's really so far out front that as it warms on my skin, I can get nothing else from it. Help us Snake Oil, you're our only hope! Dry Down: no vetiver, no patch that I can detect. The oudh is still definitely at the front, but traces of Snake Oil are, in fact, coming through, as is the sweetness of the labdanum. I'm going to let this settle for at least a month before retest, I am one of the masses for whom,e fresh Snake Oil does not generally cooperate. I choose to hold out hope, and if not, I've got some very fine aged SO that I can layer with this bad boy to get the party started

In The Bottle: Banana deliciousness! Plus a bit of fresh, unsweetened whipped cream and a flaky pie crust! Wet On Skin: All the same, except the crust is becoming a little more up front. Dry Down: For those that fear banana scents, this might be a perfect one- the banana is subtle and fresh, like real, actual bananas, not like banana candy or flavoring. the crust lends weight and balance, with the cream being thick but light- like real, home-made whipped cream. In All: Low throw, a good daytime scent. Yummy!