tinyvulture

Hello, sage! How fresh and green you are against this dark, woodsy, mossy backdrop. Strong moss note...I would've guessed there's a drop of vetiver too, so dark and earthy is this scent. Is this the scent of Sherwood Forest? I'm not usually taken with mossy blends but I'm considering a bottle of this. Sage makes all the difference!

I've wanted to try Mabon for ages! Here goes. Freshly-pressed, sweet apple juice, blended with tart, dark berries. Reminds me of Punkie Night at this stage. In a few minutes, I notice the other notes lingering in the background. The myrrh, rosemary and sweetgrass aren't popping up, but the hops, herbs, and nuts lend a wild, natural vibe. It really does call to mind some sort of outdoor celebration of the autumn equinox. My only negative is that it's not very strong, perhaps due to the age of my decant, but I'd still purchase a bottle if I came across one.

When I first apply this, I get dry, powdery orris mixed with something unpleasant...like the sweaty tang my Boston Terrier gets when he's in need of a bath. (Sorry!) I guess it's the musk. I've enjoyed golden musk in other blends and I do appreciate how it can be animalistic, but it's not working with my skin chemistry in this case. After a few minutes, the sweatiness fades, and it's a nice warm, powdery, floral blend. The orris, amber, ambergris, and musk are all playing together nicely now. Unfortunately the scent has become very faint.

Spices galore. Opoponax, fiery clove, and black pepper. The opoponax, as it often does, smells a "Coca-Cola-esque" to me. The sweetness of tonka aids in that comparison. Old Demons is not nearly as sweet as my favorite clove blend, Pickled Imp, however. It's darker, a little more evil. The neroli is not showing up. Normally, anything citrus takes over completely on me, so that is a happy surprise. It leaves me free to enjoy this wonderful spice blend. Not a super-strong scent, more like an old spice box where the spices have lost some of their potency.

Whoa baby, this scent is strong! Ripe banana and rum, just a touch of sweet coconut, and tart grenadine (like pomegranates). The ultimate tropical perfume. I would love to taste the drink that inspired this! I don't see myself needing a whole bottle but I'd wear it on hot summer days.

There's a sweet, clean aquatic note, but also, there's salty water that seems sour, somehow. I can't do aquatics, definitely can't do sour aquatic.

Heavy childhood nostalgia here, since I grew up in an area where maple trees were everywhere. I love the lab's "autumn leaves" note, but this isn't that. It's more like green maple leaves warmed by summer sun. The clove isn't showing up for me. Just pure leaves!

On first application, it reminds me a lot of Black Forest, one of my all-time top five BPAL's. A deep, dark forest (only fir in this case, compared to pine in Black Forest) with warm, animal (sweaty!) musk. Then the sharpness of the fir needles fades out and Indian resins and spices appear. I don't notice the myrrh but the sweet benzoin is particularly strong. A lovely dark, mysterious scent that's right up my alley and my husband loves it as well.

How I love a good oak scent! And the moss is clearly present as well, that same dank forest moss note as Nocnitsa. The gentle brown musk of woodland creatures and the mildest red rose (sweet/soapy) mean that this blend is a good deal sweeter and not as dark as the Twisted Oak Tree, another oaken favorite of mine.

A lovely wintry blend, with the cool sharpness of juniper berry and the sweetness of blackcurrant against a backdrop of warm amber and musk. Like racing up the cold, frozen driveway and entering into a home full of holiday revelry. The white cedar and leather are noticeable if I try really hard to pick them out. Happily, vetiver, usually overpowering on my skin, is taking a break from this one. A unisex blend - it smells feminine on me, slightly powdery from the amber, yet when my husband wears it, he brings out the more masculine side of it and amps the leather note.

I'm a fan of other BPAL scents that smell like smoke from an extinguished candle, such as Darkness. That's what I was expecting here. But no. Here, Beth has somehow captured the scent of a lit candle. Less smoky, more waxy. Sweet beeswax, and also the warmth of the flame. It's not a strong scent, though. Have to get close to the skin to smell it. I'd still buy a bottle if I came across it.

I love the lab's honey note so much; I don't know how this is the first Apiary blend I've tried. I must acquire the others now because this is just lovely. Thick, buttery, golden honey. There's something else I can't identify; I've never smelled chestnuts but I'm guessing that's what it is. Also, sometimes I get a whiff of caramelized sugar, but then it fades away.

Dried grasses, something herbal/menthol (think Ricola cough drops), and oh yes, beer. But mostly dried grasses and herbs. More wearable than Roadhouse since the beer note isn't that strong.

Autumn leaves, the sweet chill of the lab's snow/slush note, plus touches of smoke and sugary candy and mint. I'm not picking up any pumpkin. Similar to November, but sweeter. The one time I visited Montreal, it was a cold and snowy autumn, so this scent is nicely nostalgic for me.

Dry autumn leaves with a hint of maple sap, and also a dab of cologne. October meets Falling Leaf Moon. (For me, October had a heavy cologne quality, and AWWTAO has that to a much lesser extent. FLM on me was very sweet, and in spite of the maple, AWWTAO is less sweet.) There's a warmth to it, and it really captures those first few days of autumn when the leaves start to fall from the trees but it's still sunny and warm in the afternoons.

What a gorgeous confection of a scent! At first, there's the powdery, sugary marshmallows and tartly sweet strawberries with just a touch of fresh green, like strawberry leaves. After just a minute, what I identify as "marshmallow" fades and I pick up a more general creamy, vanilla note. And then, the rose pops out! Soft, pink, powdery rose. It all blends together beautifully. Very sweet and girly-girl.

The coffee/cinnamon combination of El dia de Reyes, but with pumpkin taking the place of cocoa. I love the lab's coffee bean note, it's strong and has a lot of depth. This blend is more spicy than sweet. The cinnamon note outshines the pumpkin, which isn't super noticeable (but it's there.) I wish I had an imp of Pumpkin V (2009) on hand to see how Pumpkin Latte compares, as they sound very similar.

A buttery after-dinner mint with pine needles in the background. Think Snowblind + pine. The pine stops it from being a straightforward foody scent. a pine lover, I might wish for the pine to be a bit stronger, but that might throw off the balance of this lovely scent that evokes winter, snow, the holidays.

Plum mixed with florals and I'm also picking up green herbs and dry woods. It's not a "juicy, fruity PLUM!" perfume, more like a complex, womanly floral blend that happens to contain a plum note. I don't notice it being especially creamy. Sophisticated, good for the office.

I ordered one bottle -- A World Where There Are Octobers. I can't pass up anything with falling leaves. And maple...perfect. I'm getting several others as decants. The description of Noctiphobia intrigued me the most -- I'm so curious to find out what it smells like! Also getting decants of Dark Pumpkin Mead, Le Revenant (it may be too floral for me but it has good reviews), Autumn Fancies, Day of the Skulls, Haunted Houses, and Theme in Yellow. I already have lots of pumpkin scents, otherwise I would get some of the pumpkin patches too. I've tried/owned several of this year's previous incarnations. Mictecacihuatl is a really nice incense. I love copal. It was very light on me, though. I had to keep re-applying. Dia de los Muertos was similar, light incense and florals, but also very chocolatey. Flor de Muerto was straight up the scent of marigolds. I always keep bottles of Samhain and Samhainophobia on hand. They epitomize fall for me. They're similar, both with the falling leaves note that I love. Samhain is more foody (apples) while Samhainophobia is a little darker and woodsy.

So festive and Christmasy! In the same family as Hearth and Bonfire Night -- syrupy and piney and berry and smoky. Like the very best Christmas morning of your childhood, opening presents next to the Christmas tree, in front of a roaring fire, sweet desserts being baked in the oven, and berry potpourri boiling on the stove and scenting the entire house. I knew I'd love this, and now I'm hoping it returns so I can make it part of my holidays.

Sweet violets and rugged leather together, creating something lovely. This blend gives me a calm, serene feeling. It's quiet and understated. After a minute, the beeswax is noticeable. It smells like church candles, which adds to the restrained, almost somber feeling I get from this perfume. I think I could do with a bottle, for days when everything is a little too chaotic.

Lemony lavender is what I get from this blend. The red musk and cognac are there if I realllly try to notice them, and the mate resinoid brings a green, herbal note. But yeah, mostly it's lemon and lavender. Don't like lemon; gonna swap.

Was expecting a strong woodsy blend, but the almond and lavender honey are what I notice straight off. Lavender, honey, and almond are lovely together. The myrrh, olive oil and rose linger in the background. It's syrupy sweet and resinous and very seductive. Still no cedar or juniper after five minutes, but I don't care...it's beautiful!

I was totally surprised by this scent, since red musk usually amps like crazy on me...but the geranium note is the dominant one here. It's a slightly soapy floral perfume, no red musk or citrus to be found! There's also a bit of spiciness from the red pepper, but not too much. Geranium isn't a favorite floral of mine, so I'll be sending Lord Teishin to the swap pile.