VioletChaos

The civilized, sweet restraint of lily-white sugared vanilla silk gleaming with a glimpse of fang-white musk, smeared with wanton red musk seed, tobacco, red agarwood, and ritual benzoin, and blackened with a depraved miasma of clove husk, drooping oakmoss, black leather, and balsam.  In The Bottle: a very, very gauzy white musk and an even fainter vanilla silk. the whole experience sniffing in the bottle is that of a dream, it's so light and wispy. Wet On Skin: The lightness of the scent continues in that it has very low throw, even as it warms on my skin. Joining the silk and white musk I get a hint of something slightly sharp, such as ambrette seed, although that's not listed in the notes. It might be the agarwood. Dry Down: The scent remains very soft and slow throw- try it by small increments at first, but i anticipate this one will require slathering to really get the full force of it. It's extremely well blended, so although I can detect ghosts of benzoin and clove husk now, I wouldn't say that either note dominates, but rather that it's all supporting roles for all players involved. I get no leather at all, which is unusual because my skin generally amps that note, so it might again be a testament to how thoroughly it's been blended. In All: A moody scent appropriate for this coldest time of the year, but definitely something that I'd wear for daytime- it lacks a total intensity but I think that's a good thing, because not all heavy scents should be reserved for nighttime uses

A veneer of civility shredded, torn, and bloodied. Ragged, soil-stained sugar-spun vanilla, dragged through a thicket of thorny roses, tobacco, and black pine, hot with feral musk and incense, and spattered with viscera.  In The Bottle: Pretty much only the sugar-spun vanilla, reminiscent of the stained fabric in the always-glorious Black Lace. It definitely seems right at home amongst other Laces in that regard. Wet On Skin: The thorny roses are starting to come out. I'm not a huge florals fan, I can be quite picky. At this stage, the sugary vanilla and roses are keeping each other in balance, even as they stay separate entities (which is to say, this is not the Sugared Rose note of the Carnivale's Hope.) Dry Down: Through to this stage, it's mostly a dark, rosy, sugary vanilla, with just a touch of incense to ground it. I like it! I don't wear my small selection of florals often, but this sets to mind a certain kind of day, one that involves long, heavy velvet skirts, copious amounts of smeared red lipstick and listening to any album made by the Cure prior to 1990, all whilst walking about dejectedly on a gloomy winter (or autumnal) afternoon

Red orchid, dragon’s blood resin, blood orange, black lily, honey amber, and cacao. In The Bottle: This, in this stage, is honestly *way* more subdued than I anticipated. The honey is there, the blood orange is there and just a rind of the dragon's blood. It's very delicate. Wet On Skin: This is sort of a classic Lupercalia scent in that it's got the promise of an early spring as noted by the faint lily, and it's still very alluring, as the red orchid comes to the fore. Dry Down: This reminds me a bit of a Body Shop scent I wore AGES ago called Juba- it's delicately sweet and bright with both floral and citrus notes. It's a bit more "perfume-y" than I normally wear, but it's so lovely that I will gladly make an exception! Also, a side note: I admit I don't always see the direct connection between the chosen notes and the accompanying Shunga. With Cock Stamen, I *absolutely* see it in spades!

Behold, the Palace of the Sun King and the personal playground of Barrials. Is nothing sacred? Indonesian oudh and jasmine brocade.  In The Bottle: Pure rich deep jasmine. The kind I've found almost exclusively in small Indian markets. Lovely! Wet On Skin: More of the same. Oudh notes are usually pretty strong on me, so I'm still hopeful that something will turn when fully dry... Dry Down: Still mainly a rich, heady jasmine, the oudh has, in fact, joined the party, though in a surprisingly subtle performance (subtle comparatively for oudh, I mean). The effect is very much like entering an ancient, abandoned temple. I envision a place once grand, now grandly dilapidated, but still, those who pilgrimage to see it are left in a state of quiet awe. I'm not much of a florals kind of person. that said, there's enough going on here that i will hold on to my bottle to see how aging deepens the scent and I can easily see layering this with some heady down-and-dirty patchouli and something *magical* being born.

Vanilla bourbon, fossilized amber resin, bitter almond, labdanum, and tobacco absolute. In The Bottle: DAY-um! Almond, an edge of resin-y labdanum and vanilla bourbon. I am allllllll about this! Wet On Skin: The amber resin is starting to come to the front as the oil warms on my skin. it's a great addition to the party. The almond is starting to hang back a little. I hope it doesn't disappear completely, it's a really good note in here. Dry Down: The amber resin is acting slightly weird, shifting between being itself and becoming a wee bit pine-ish. The labdanum keeps it from becoming more than a hint though, and that's good, I don't do pine notes generally. I suspect the pine might *also* be the tobacco poking in at the end, and the two devilish notes combine to keep the amber and vanilla from reading as gourmand. The almond, alas, has left the building. My hope is that with age it'll return for a longer stint, but I can also layer it with Fortune Cookie to add a dollop of almond if need be. I predict this is going to be sought-after later on.

Albert-Joseph Pénot Bourbon vanilla, sweet red patchouli, oudh, goat's milk accord, and white honey. In The Bottle: Creamy goat's milk and sweet patchouli. YUM! Wet On Skin: the Oudh just popped out and it's adding a nice grounding aspect. Dry Down: This now has the warm spice of Hod, but with the goat's milk adding a little milky texture into the mix. It's a bit odd, to be honest. But I find my self compelled to sniff repeatedly. In All: Low throw, close to the skin scent. I would wear this primarily during the day, as a scent to feel cozy with, like curing up with a good book and a mug of tea.

Amber cream, white tea, lemon peel, and lotus root. In The Bottle: Lemon, cream and a touch of lotus. Wet On Skin: A bit of the white tea is coming round now, making this smell like a tea party with lemon cake! Dry Down: Tea leans a bit toward the lemony side of things anyway on me, and this scent therefore has both a "high" and "low" lemon note in that the low is more of a foodie, lemon curd variety and the high is that clean, bright lemony tea. It's a lovely combination. The amber cream seems to be way more cream than amber, which is not a bad thing, though I'm curious to see how it'll age. The lotus can be a bit iffy on me, and I was worried it would turn soapy but so far it's behaving itself, if juuuuust barely In all, I think this will be a fine scent as we move out of late winter and into spring. It's a very bright and sunny daytime scent and if you're a gourmand fan, you should definitely give this a try.

Honey oudh and bourbon vanilla. In The Bottle: Wow. It's the honey we all love from numerous Lab blends, but it's being tempered with something that's surprisingly green and fresh. I guess it's the oudh, but it's not like any oudh I've encountered before. Huh. Wet On Skin: The "green" grows in intensity while the honey recedes. The vanilla is still nowhere to be seen. Dry Down: This green, fresh oudh aspect is the dominant for sure. The honey has morphed into a lighter honey dust upon dry down and alas, the vanilla remains MIA. In All: I'll keep this around for a bit to see how it ages. I'm not certain yet if this is a keeper for me, but I think it's a lovely scent for spring and anyone into leafy, greenie scents should absolutely get some ASAP.

In The Bottle: A sweet, almost 'earthy' scent. I get something that reminds me of prunes, which I'm betting is the rich/sweet of the pecan note. Also something that's like autumnal pie spices. Wet On Skin: Much the same, but the prune is morphing into more of the nuttiness one would expect from...nuts. Dry Down: Shoo-Fly-Pie!!! A sweet, rich pie with spices to round it out and a touch of flaky crust. In All: Another winner in the pie category!

By popular demand, as well as the urgency of the cause (funding the Humane Society of Ventura County's wildfire rescue efforts) we have decided to make our WHITE LARRY perfume available to one and all. Featuring art by Drew Rausch, this blend was inspired by jokes about an apocryphal relative of Black Phillip's -- an embarrassing, not-quite-Satanic cousin. "Every family has got one; that one relative that just isn’t quite diabolical enough, the one that makes Sabbats just kinda awkward." His scent? Goat’s milk, buttermilk, and butter. Lots of butter. [Please note: this perfume is not vegan, as it contains butter CO2 extract.] Thanks to one and all who share and support this fundraiser! May the blank, completely non-threatening gaze of White Larry look kindly upon you. In The Bottle: Mostly I'm getting the softness of the buttermilk, which is nice to have out in front. There's usually a bit of a 'tang' to the goats milk note, and I'm not getting any of that, nor do I smell butter at this stage. Wet On Skin: The butter is starting to peek out but honestly, this is still mostly buttermilk. It's slightly sweet without being foodie, and that "soft" aspect remains. Dry Down: The goats milk finally shows up, but it much much more faint than I'm used to experiencing with this note. It's definitely in a supportive role. The butter is now co-host with the buttermilk making this a lovely skin scent for all ages. In All: This is comforting and yummy without being overbearing. Low throw and a good 'gateway' scent for those that are normally wary of foodie or gourmand scents. As a butter note fan, I am especially excited to see how this ages!

These scents possess sensual, languid bases, including amber, benzoin, tonka, balsams, and dark, warm vanillas. This Series appears to have no numbers. I got two bottles of Oriental, so I'll just post separately for the two different bottles. This is the first. In the Bottle: I get a strong Balsam of Peru- a rich scent, almost vanilla-like, but more resin than food. Wet On Skin: This scent is warm and sweet, but there's a faint, sharp contrast underneath. It's not jarring, it's just adding something with a little bite. Dry Down: It's like amber (petrified tree sap, not whale vomit) and Balsam of Peru had a love child in a dense wood in the middle of summer. In A Word: Glorious!

In June, Lilith was cast as the Mad Hatter in her theater school’s production of Alice in Wonderland. Typecast much? Lilith says that the Mad Hatter should smell like tea (“EARL GREY!”) with honey and cream and lots and lots of cookies. In The Bottle: Cream and cookies! Very light cream and cookies! Wet On Skin: The cookies are showing up a bit more now, they seem to be butter cookies, like the kinds that come in those big blue tins. Nomnomnom! Dry Down: Sadly, I get no tea from this, certainly not Earl Grey, which I'd been hoping for. On the other hand, having a light scent that makes me smell like butter cookies and also cream is NOT a problem in my universe. In All: very low throw- prepare to slather! A light, lovely scent good for blustery fall days and, yes, thinking ahead, I can see wearing this on Christmas morning as presents are being opened. Just a sweet, joyous scent. Love!

Oh. My. Goddess. started out by doing a timid test and about 30 minutes in went for a full slather because it just wasn't enough. Wet, I concur it's quite bold and rather cologne-y, though not in an unpleasant dude-bro-wearing-Axe kinda way. It quickly settles out of that phase upon dry-down and becomes this gorgeous beast that, in all my vast years of BPAL collecting, is frankly unlike any other scent I've ever experienced. It's deep and spicy without being especially resinous. Based on the notes I was expecting resins and a shot of heady patchouli but it's not any of those things. This is essentially one of those scents that makes one realize just how much of a genius Beth is when it comes to the sheer artistry of perfumery. The blend on this is exceptional, and I find it hard to pick out individual notes as it all just comes together in one fine piece of music. It truly lives up to its name, as this is some serious witchcraft in a bottle. I am grateful to hav had the fore site to purchase two bottles as I will want this on hand for the rest of my days. ❤️

A holiday season imp assault: cacao, blazing chili pepper, clove husk, bourbon vanilla, pistachio, and hazelnut. In The Bottle: I get the cacao right out of the gate, with a bite of the chili pepper coming in at the end. YUM! Wet On Skin: The clove and the vanilla are coming into play now, making this smell very much like spicy Mexican hot chocolate- a trend that I very much hope continues through to drying down! Dry Down: Yup, all spicy cacao, clllllll the time! This is precisely what I had hoped for! The cacao is very much the same nice, dry one found in my most beloved Cacao Pod, and is paired here with a lovely, rich deep array of spicy goodness. It's basically Cacao Pod plus Mexican hot chocolate spices, and I am FULLY onboard! ❤️

I. Love. This. Scent. I am of a certain age that I have childhood memories -fond childhood memories- of a certain fast-food restaurant having a special breakfast menu which included the most delicate cheese danish the world has ever known. It was light yet rich, sweet but not sugary. It was a perfect breakfast bakery confection. That is what Syrnyk smells like: a delicately light, baked good with some creamy sweet cheese nestled inside. I am part Ukranian, and that sweet cheese note is SO particular as well- I loved having it especially in blintzes when I was small. In short, this scent is a nostalgia-pack of delicious memory wrapped and placed into a small amber bottle. I suspect this will become very popular, indeed. ❤️

I knew this would need to be an insta-purchase and my hunch has paid off. I know some of y'all haven't had a chance yet to get some OG Snake Oil because of the on-going component nightmare, but this should soothe your ache until that can be corrected. I think the above-mentioned sweetened condensed milk analogy is on the money, for sure. I am one of those that doesn't actually like fresh SO- I am the old curmudgeonly crone that prefers the Snek to be aged, like, ten years. But even I can appreciate this straight from the mailbox, and yes, I WILL be buying a backup to age properly as well! In All: If you enjoy any of the creamy SO variants, like Cream Soda or Scream Inside Your Snake Oil, you will 100% want to bathe in this. ❤️

In The Bottle: SWEET MARZIPAN, BATMAN! For those familiar with Mystical Aphorisms, the almond in this scent, at least at this stage, is very reminiscent of that, so if you're a fan (and I AM), then it looks like good news lies ahead. 🤞 Wet On Skin: Oh wow. This was entirely unexpected. But before full dry-down even happens, the scent morphs dramatically, and the afore-mentioned marzipan-almond has pretty much left the next altogether. But try not to fret, because what's left is the cream petals and almond blossoms, and that is actually stunningly beautiful all on their own. Dry Down, the scent has stayed true. I'm totally baffled as to why the almonds disappeared so completely, especially since it was SUCH a powerful note initially, but that's okay. In All: VERY low throw- this will require a bit of slathering, even if your skin isn't thirsty. Delicate, spring-like, close-to-the-skin. This is a good choice for those normally averse to florals OR foodie scents, and those that have wanted a skin scent that isn't musk-based. It defies true categorization. I would expect this is going to be something a great many people will want to hoard, in the vein of The Girl. 😘

In The Bottle: Cardamom is definitely front and center, but softened around the edges by the dots and cream. Wet On Skin: The vanilla comes into the mix, but just slightly, adding a bit of depth to the light sweet-and-spice that was the initial impression. Upon Drydown, I'm starting to get touches of honey. The cardamom has mellowed considerable, making this less of a HAI CARDAMON scent and more of a light spice scent. In All: low and medium throw, so feel feel to load up if your skin eats oils. This is a nice, light daytime scent. Delicate, mildly gourmand without being overtly foodie. If you like delicately sweet scents, this will definitely be one for your collection.

In The Bottle: The vanilla marshmallow is front and center, but that banana is coming up as a close second. I happen to love the Lab's banana note(s) generally, so the inclusion here was a big reason why I grabbed a bottle- so far, so good! Wet On Skin: The sugar cane enters the fray, and it pulls the banana into taffy territory (see what I did there?). Fortunately, unlike some candy notes, these two elements together are at present NOT going plastic on me. I am keeping my fingers crossed! Dry Down: THERE'S the frankincense. I was starting to wonder if it would show up at all. Sometimes frank can become way too sharp and aggressive on me. That's not happening here, and I suspect that white frankincense is somehow a more gentle version. That's the good news. The sadder news is that the banana appears to have vanished entirely upon full drydown. 😭 In All: Low throw on this- slather to your heart's content. If you were a fan of scents like the long-gone Pink Plastic Flamingo, you will be delighted with this lightly sweet confection. I really was in this for the banana, so I'll let it age a time and re-test, but if the fruit doesn't come back for me, alas, I shall have to send 'er off to the swap pile...

Time’s Infliction of Eternity: A sanguine blend of Dragon’s Blood sedum and black tea. I must confess that I have a predisposition to adoring this scent. BPAL's Dragon's Blood is my favorite of all Dragon's Bloods and how can I NOT like mixing that with Black Tea?! It's all speculation, but here's hoping... In The Bottle: That sweet, bloody, almost-lilac of pure Dragon's Blood and something sweet under it. I'd read somewhere that Red Musk was a note in this blend, though it's not listed in the official description. However, the sweetness matches the red musk note of Smut, so maaaay-beeeee Wet On Skin: The slightly lemon-y black tea note of Dorian is making itself known rather strongly! Dragon's Blood, at this point, is still on board, but has taken a surprising back seat to the tea note. Curiouser and curiouser, indeed! Dry Down: Balance achieved- the black tea has settled a bit leaving room for the DB to come back a bit more to the fore- not as strongly as it had been in the bottle, but certainly an equal presence to the tea, which is now more moderate. And yes, there is, almost as afterthought, a sexy edge of that red musk peeking through. Whether a hidden note or my imagination, who can say- but I sure do like it! In All: Many of my favorite Black Phoenix scents bare the mark of Beth's complex hand at work- oh, how that woman can take a million notes and create a fine thing from them!- but every now and then, there comes along a scent that is stripped down and yet still complex on it's own merit. Time's Infliction is certainly one of those scents. Medium throw (go easy with first application- save the slather for *after* sufficient testing!) it's accessible enough for occasional daytime usage and yet heady enough for an intimate evening out when flirtation is on the menu. And with the resin playing a prominent part, you can bet this is sure to become ever more compelling with age. Lovely love.

In The Bottle: Soft, powdery rose. The scent reminds me a little of the unreleased proto of Victorian Rose Milk, actually. Wet On Skin: It's still that soft, powdery rose. I think the powder might be coming from the orris, as that tends to have a kind of powdery quality to it as well. Dry Down: As it settles into the skin, I'm getting hints of some of the other notes, notably sandalwood, always a nice companion to rose. Any bits of the other notes are really just whispers- this scent remains largely a rose scent, through and through. It resonates for sure as a faithful interpretation to the heart-affiliated quartz for which it is named. In All: Medium to heavy throw- definitely apply with a light touch, a little goes a long way! If you're a fan of natural rose scents (more like the flower, less like a perfume interpretation) then you will absolutely want to add this to your collection! 🌹

Chocolate and caramel with flecks of cacao bean and toasted tonka. Of the three I ordered, this was the one I was most anxious to get, in case I need a backup bottle! In The Bottle: Oh my YES- delicious cacao (similar to my beloved Cacao Pod! YAY!), a touch of the caramel and some of the tonka acting as a nice balance. Wet On Skin: There's a nice "Dryness" emerging, more like the straight cacao bean, less like refined chocolate. I like it, and hope it keeps going in that direction, because even as a chocolate, it seems to be heading less toward foodie and more toward a sweet dry scent, something that can maybe be layered with sandalwood, for instance. Dry Down: This is WONDERFUL. It's all dry cacao and toasted tonic bean, which here is reading as sort of a dry, rich vanilla bean. It's a "grownup" kind of food scent. Sweet without being sugary or cloying and extremely wearable. I've been favoring chocolate scents lately and this is a fantastic addition. Definitely going to need that backup bottle!

My little witch, my little lilt of laughter: this scent is for the sorceress you are and the sorceress you will grow to be. 7-year aged patchouli, red musk, and bourbon vanilla with sweet oudh, hazelnut, amber chypre, leather. In The Bottle: Leather, oudh and a touch of the hazelnut. This is heady, rich. Wet On Skin: The patchouli comes into the room, but not in the dominant way one might expect. In fact, so far, NONE of the powerful notes are dominating. It's really unusual! Dry Down: I cannot believe how well-blended this is already, without needing to sit and age. Normally leather can be a deal-breaker, but the other notes were all so compelling, I decided to take a chance. And I'm glad I did, because this is really quite beautiful. There's an ease between the heavier notes, like the patch and the leather, and they are balanced by the hazelnut and the musk and the vanilla. I can catch glimmers of all those elements, but they blend so seamlessly, that this is really it's own little dream. Beautiful, haunting, and perfect as we go into Autumn.

In The Bottle: This scent is reminding me of something sweet without being sugary, soft without being powdery. It seems so so familiar, but I cannot for the life of me place it. It's driving me a little bonkers, if I'm being totally honest- that's how familiar it is. 🤔🤨 Wet On Skin: As it warms on my skin, the pumpkin is separating itself out and becoming more distinct- not buttery like some pumpkin notes, and not pumpkin spice, either: this is just fresh, big round orange pumpkin, with a sweet, amber-ish, dusky base that I can only assume is the sandalwood starting to bring up the rear. Dry Down: huh. There is something vaguely boozy about this scent, though there's nothing in the description to indicate that should be a thing. I feel like after all these years, this thing, which sounds deceptively simple -sandalwood and pumpkin- is in fact surprisingly complex. It's unlike any version of either of those notes I've ever experienced, and it's very, very compelling. There's definitely some sexiness in the mix and history has proven that any scent from the Lab with sexy potential only grows said potential as time goes on. In All: Delighted to have a bottle, excited to see how she ages!

In The Bottle: Mostly leaves. There is a kind of "dead leaf" note that the Lab does, and if you are a fan of that note, it's here for you right out of the gate! Wet On Skin: More the the leaves, with the wool starting to make an appearance, making the leaves seem more expansive somehow. This is NOT the same as the sweater note or the cashmere note- this is honestly making me think of wool army blankets! By that I mean something that's dense, with felted aspects, that will keep you surprisingly warm... Dry Down: Upon dry down, the amber and the black tea finally start to emerge! I was a little worried that I might not see them, but here they are! The amber is really warming the scent up, making it sweeter, the sunlight that warms you on a blustery autumnal day. And at the end, there's the black tea, a light bit brighter, playing nicely with the leaves, adding a tiny afterthought of mildly sweet astringency. In All: Low to medium throw, a fine addition for those that are into the Dead Leaf series, like a special bonus leaf! Unfortunately for me, it's not really my cup of tea: I need mine a little warmer with lots more cream (pun intended!)