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At first I didn't care for Dia at all... it smelled like generic perfume and way too strong.

 

However, 15 minutes makes a world of difference. Now I think I need a bottle of this one! It does remind me of Snow White (which I have hoarded plenty of) but it's softer, if such a thing is possible. I get a lot more coconut and more subtle throw.

mmmm. warm orange blossoms.

 

I am not normally an amber fan, but this blend has my attention. It's super feminine and creamy and just plain GOOD.

 

After about 10 minutes I really get the vanilla, which is a good thing.

 

I don't know how else to describe this... sexy and sophisticated, and I like it a lot. Think I need a bottle. This one is sure to age well.

I usually don't care for florals but I had to try this one. I have an affinity for mums.

This is really quite nice upon application. Flowers and incense with just a little cinnamon. I like it, but I don't really need a bottle.

Wet: Delicious plum blossom. More fruit than flower (a good thing) and it's strong. Just a couple swipes from my decant and I can smell it as I type.

 

Drydown: I'm surprised not to find more sandalwood in here, as I usually amp that note a little bit, but I do detect the softest vanilla. Plum is still the strongest so far. I like it, but i hope everything else comes out a little more.

 

Later: This really is nice, and I enjoy the unusual rice note that comes out after awhile, but I'm not in love with it. Oh well.

 

 

Wet, this smells like clove and tobacco and something else I can't identify. Medicinal, as someone else said earlier on in this thread.

 

Dry:Whew, there's the teak! I love it in the Antikythera Mechanism, but it took a little aging to get to that point. I get none of the red currant or caramel at this point (the latter is generally a good thing) but there's something sweeter in here... at first I thought it was the tobacco but not I'm not so sure. Not foody sweet though, resiny.

 

20 minutes in: Now I'm getting a lot of patchouli. This does not bode well.

 

Later: Now all I get is a spicy patchouli. Better than most of my patchouli experiences, but not something I really need to add to my collection. Boo

 

 

I've been on a bit of a BPAL hiatus, but this is the scent that's bringing me back.

 

Wet: I anticipated a sweet musk, maybe even a little floral, but this is much more complex. It is sweet and musky indeed, but shockingly, it isn't nearly as sugary as I expected.

 

Dry: This does go pretty floral on me after about half an hour, so I'm not totally in love with this one. Yet.

 

Later: Florals seem to be rounding out. The beeswax plays a nice role in that.. this smells very smooth but also musky in a way I can't resist. I LOVE skin musk. I'm not sure if Giant Vulva will find a place in my top 10, but I'm tempted to get a bottle to age just in case.

 

Later than later: OH SHIT HOLD THE PHONE I spoke too soon. The floral-ness has disappeared and left behind a lovely vanilla skin musk combo. The beeswax is hanging in there too... the smoothness of it. This reminds me a bit of the Illustrated Woman only without the pine note. Bottle purchase. Probably 2!

I agree with all the reviewers who compare Metal Phoenix to Torture Queen, and I really like it.

It's light and airy, but somehow gender neutral. The ozone/floral combination also reminds me of Szepasszony a little bit. Here's hoping the honeysuckle stays mellow.

 

 

 

eeeesh. after about 15 minutes this goes crazy amplifying soap on me. too bad

this smells like fig in the imp, a note that can go either way on my skin.

 

Upon application it remains very sweet, but I can smell the walnut too (the scent I was really hoping for with this blend). It doesn't take long before everything starts to balance out, and the hyssop amps up a bit.

 

After about 20 minutes, I think this has settled into a mildly spicy fig blend on me. Not bad, but not quite what I wanted either.

at first sniff, I'm surprised at how much cherry I get, but instead of becoming too sweet, it's grounded by BPAL's always-amazing tobacco note.

 

After a few minutes, its clear that I need at least two bottles of this one. Earthy cherries and tobacco with a bit of herbiness behind it. Earth Phoenix is sexy as hell. (and thankfully, I don't get any Jasmine at all!)

Lots of ginger and citrus to start, but not in a potpourri kind of way. The sarsparilla and galangal make this really interesting... almost foody but not quite. It's fresh and spicy at the same time.

 

I like this a lot, and I'll probably get a bottle.

First impression is honeyed wine, but it doesn't take long before Gluhwein becomes complex...spicy/sweet. This reminds me a bit of Fearful Pleasure, only without the orange peel and with some added sweetness.

 

 

I'm not sure of my final opinion yet. I think this one needs to settle a bit before I decide whether I like it or not.

This is one of the lab's HOLY CRAP WOW scents.

Snow, tea, and citrus in equal and utterly scrumptious measure. I can't describe it any better than any of the previous reviews! Snow Angel is what I hoped Snow Bunny would be. I have to track down more.

mmmmmm buttermints.

I liked the members of the "Lick It" family that I tried, but I didn't find them as wearable as Snowblind. This is less like peppermint oil and more like buttery mint candy... perhaps even creamy mint frosting! The perfect mint for me

This smells just like vanilla extract in the bottle, and like sweetened licorice when it's wet on my skin.

I don't really like licorice, but I do like this so far...

 

As it starts to dry the vanilla really comes to the forefront but it doesn't overpower. I also get the kind of rootbeer feel that the first reviewer picked up. Humbug is delicious!!

 

ETA: This is my husband's new favorite BPAL oil ever on me. I can't keep him away from my arm.

wet on me: blood musk, pure and simple. *hopes for coconut*

 

about 10 minutes later: Okay, now it's blood musk with a hint of orris.

 

An hour later: much the same, maybe a little tiny bit of coconut. It's nice, but nothing thrilling on me.

I also get the maple syrup idea from Al-Azif, but the reviews are so awesome I have to give it a good long try.

 

Just a tiny amount gives off a lot of throw, and it's quickly morphing into something much more complicated than syrup. Mmmm, sweet incense, but there's something masculine about it. The longer it's on my skin, the more I like it. I think I'll need to try this aged.

Mmmm spicy, musky leather. I'm not sure whether the cologne feeling about it is real or if my nose it just putting it there because I saw it mentioned in the reviews.

 

 

Eesh, as Loviatar dries, it gets to be more cologne and less leather. Too masculine for me

I don't think I've review this one before, sorry if I have!

 

Chimera is myrrh and cinnamon on me, really delicious. Cinnamon tends to go plasticky candle on my skin (although I love it in an oil burner). This smells almost nutty.

 

After awhile, the drydown has almost a salty edge to it. I like this a lot!

WOW, sharp pine for sure.

then... a little patchouli.

then... a little orange.

 

This ends up very medicinal on me. Unfortunately, I do not like.

In the decant, this smells rich with benzoin.

 

On my skin, it changes completely into a cool, almost refreshing geranium/rosewood scent. Strange. I want to say this is primarily floral, but I can't quite, even though I expected incense and amber. On Darkness is definitely one of the stranger scents I've come across, and this is one of the vaguest reviews I've ever done. I can't describe it well.

in the decant: thin violet.

on me: more violet, definitely bitter.

 

I must amp violet, because usually sandalwood and frankincense are prominent notes on my skin. There is a teeeeeeeeeny bit of sandalwood in there, but not much else.

 

Oh well, violet lovers rejoice!

Resurrected version:

 

very very excited to try Snake Charmer! It sounds like my dream blend.

 

On me, spicy vanilla amber. It doesn't take long for the benzoin to come out, and it's delicious. Amber always runs a risk of going powdery on me, but not this time. It's a deeper, darker version of snake oil. I really like this a lot and will probably grab another bottle for aging.

 

ETA: I set my bottle aside for aging and came back to it today. Its already soooo much smoother than it was when I originally got it. I'm glad I stocked up!

Fizzy pomegranate!

 

The originator of this thread has it right, Candy Phoenix and Sticky Pillowcase are close cousins, but CP is definitely the pinker of the two. I'm reminded of pixi stix done classy. It's very light, which is good in my mind. A candy/foody scent that won't become cloying throughout the day.

Such a novel concept! It's almost guaranteed that I won't like this at all, but I couldn't resist giving Toad a try!

 

Motor oil for sure. My brother is a mechanic so there's one scent I know very well. I actually like this quite a bit. I expected a very masculine and burny scent, but this reminds me a lot of Phoenix Steamworks.

 

After a little while, the tobacco starts to come out (I love me some tobacco) and what I presume is the scorched waistcoat. But still, shockingly gender neutral and quite pleasant. Against all odds, I think I'll be getting myself a bottle of Toad! I'm very curious to see how it will age.

I always try gardenia against my better judgement. I am getting fresh white flowers with a neroli base. I love neroli, but I was really hoping for more of the other notes to come out and play (they don't make an appearance on my skin). Oh well.