tinyvulture

Samoa Girl Scout cookies! Coconut and caramel, so good! It's like a booze-free Red Lantern. Then there's the creamy, understated nuttiness of the macadamia note. This may be my new #1 BPAL. Love it.

Apple cider and buttercream in equal proportions. There's a touch of whisky, but it's definitely a foodie rather than a boozy scent overall. It dries down to sweet white vanilla cake with buttercream frosting and just a hint of apple. Lovely, a must for foodie folks!

Frankincense and myrrh, kind of reminds me of Pentitence but not as sweet, more herbal thanks to the bay leaf. It's interesting, but my preference is for sweet incense blends. It doesn't have much throw on me, either.

Invigorating and clean, like a really good quality soap. As for notes, I get tart lemongrass combined with sweet amber. Oddly addictive, I can't stop sniffing it!

Tart berries...cranberries?...smutty red musk...greenery. Brings to mind sunlit autumn woods, before the leaves have dropped from the trees. Strong at first, but fades quickly.

I've never smelled actual fog machine juice... I get ozone + lemon. It's airy and pretty, reminds me slightly of Shanghai. Makes me think of fluorescent yellow, of lightning. Would wear again!

Warm, cheerful florals. Mostly jasmine and lily, evenly balanced. I'm surprised jasmine isn't stealing the show. I'm not really finding the rose and carnation. The tangerine is sweet and sparkly but not too overwhelmingly citrusy, just right. This is a little too "floral bouquet" for my taste.

Straight out of the bottle, this reminds me of a nurse's office! Antiseptic solution and rubbing alcohol. Oof! Fortunately, that quickly morphs into leather and woods. There's still something sweet and medicinal (the styrax or benzoin?). I usually love benzoin, but I don't care for it here mixed with leather. It's too sharp and astringent. The honey and amber are nowhere to be found. Dries down to straight up leather, pretty strong. I'll try it on my husband.

A mix of soft yellow leaves and dry, crinkled brown ones, all in a crackly pile just waiting to be jumped in! Some leaves on the bottom of the pile are wet, so there's a dark foreboding aquatic-mildew aspect. There's a sharpness, too, like cold fall air. It's a little cologne-like, similar to October, or Falling Leaves Moon. I'm excited to layer this with other scents!

Holy smoky BBQ! The cold forest note in the background is a nice contrast with the heat of acrid, thick, murky smoke and charred logs. Totally smells like when you walk outdoors on a cold night and you can smell all your neighbors' fireplaces. I'm not sure I'll wear this on its own because I'll smell like BBQ potato chips, but I think it will be fun to experiment with layering with other scents. It should go well with something sweet and vanilla.

To me, this smells like a tiny health food store. They all smell alike, don't they? A cozy jumble of herbs. There's powdery lavender, sweet honey, and an unidentified herbal note...thistles maybe? I'm not getting any ginger or peppermint. It's really pretty and calming. I like how the honey adds a gloss of sweetness over all the various herbs.

Smooth, creamy beeswax (think Ichabod Crane) with the bright, fruity pop of blackberries. No milk or wind notes that I can tell. I wouldn't have guessed snow, either, but after peeking at the scent description, yes, there's a faint slushy note. But mainly wax and berries. I always enjoy berry blends so this is nice.

I love that there are so many BPAL lavender blends, yet they're all quite different. This one's a combination of lavender and floral plum blossom, with a slight sting from the rice wine. No ginger, though. After a few minutes, the floral note is quite strong and doesn't really agree with me. I'll try it at bedtime, but may end up swapping due to the floral.

Dirty, hippie patchouli! If #OCCUPYWALLSTREET was too strong for you, well, this is just slightly less strong. It's definitely as strong as Urd, another bold in-your-face patch blend that I adore. Dark, woodsy, earthy. After a few minutes, just a hint of warm, syrupy honey creeps in. I haven't tried Banshee Beat for comparison, nor have I tried Tricksy bath oil. I'll just say, I love this madly. Such good stuff.

Solid French lavender note hits me first. Herbal, stringent. And...that's it. No Earl Grey/bergamot to be found. This is pretty much SN Lavender for me. That's not a bad thing, come bedtime. This will make a fine addition to my collection of lavender-based sleepytime aids.

I've "hoped" (hehhh) for a decant of Hope for years, since I love Faith and sugared florals in general. She's so beautiful. A perfect fresh tea rose, sweet and vibrant. Now I hope she comes back when the Carnival returns, cause I definitely need a bottle.

I knew I'd fall hard for this one! Bonfire smoke, incense, and autumn leaves are all favorite notes of mine. The red musk, as usual, tries to amp like crazy, but the incense and leaves are standing their ground. Think Samhain + red musk, or Samhain + Snake Oil. There's something "cold" about it, like the nighttime air, that twines together with the warm, pulsing red musk. It's really gorgeous.

At first sniff - VETIVER! Vetiver underscored by sweet resins - frankincense and myrrh. I have no idea if I'm smelling "grape flower." The wine's not showing up, either. A sweet, resinous blend for vetiver lovers, not a standout for me.

I get jasmine, raspberries, and tart wine. No honey or sandalwood. The jasmine is taking a backseat to the raspberries. There aren't a lot of raspberry scents out there, so I appreciate that this blend is really a showcase for the sweet, cheery raspberry note.

Soft, powdery rose and sweet, almost vanilla-like amber. Uncomplicated, graceful, peaceful, and lovely. There's a sweetness and warmth to this blend. I find it calming. It stays very close to the skin. I'm sure it's because I was just wearing Pink Snowballs, but this feels like a quieter, softer version of Pink Snowballs.

Amazing lavender with buttery vanilla. It really does smell like vanilla ice cream, not just vanilla exract. I feel like that's an important distinction. I haven't tried the lavender cheesecake Beaver Moon, but I can't imagine anything much better than this. The lavender note is gentle, not medicinal as it can sometimes be (I like it either way!) After a few minutes it's sweet, baby powdery lavender. I'm not getting any Dorian at all. As a fan of Stinky, I'd call this Stinky + lavender. This will be perfect at bedtime.

I'm not picking up any boozy sake or green matcha at all. Instead, a bright, citrusy lemon/grapefruit note dominates. Yokan is a dessert made from bean past, and there's definitely a sweet foodiness. Makes me think of a grapefruit sprinkled with sugar honestly. Not really for me.

Cherry blossoms! One of my favorite florals, so pink and cheerful. I'm not a Bath & Body Works snob, and this does remind me of their cherry blossom stuff which I buy in abundance. Except here, it's mixed with rose. No honey, just creamy pink florals. Pink, pink, pink! Super girly! But alas, it goes soapy, and that makes it feel stuffy and wrong for me. More honey would've helped.

Honeyed rose and jasmine. No cardamom. If it was just the floral notes, I'd say it's nothing special, but the golden warmth of honey elevates it. Really reminine and sexy, would wear on a date night. Similar to Jezebel or The Expiration.

Sophisticated, complex, a very different sort of perfume. Violet combines beautifully with tobacco and dirty moss. So often I can't wear moss. And violet gets that "old lady" reputation, when really it can be quite lovely and dignified. So I'm glad moss and violet are showcased here in such a wearable way. No "specks of bone" or fruits or rain to be found. Not what I'd have expected. I passed this over as an aquatic blend. Just goes to show...I need to try them all because you never know!