windbourne

I have been waiting very, very patiently for this to arrive, with much anticipation and glee, because so many of the notes are ones I love so very much. Ambergris? Check! Sugar? Check! Chamomile? Check! ...and so on. So today, I opened up my bottle and sniffed, and it's kind of sharp and awful upon an initial snoofling. I was not dissuaded, however, as I've often found that ambergris accord smells a bit sour, and doused my wrists pretty thoroughly with it. First impression: Well, I can see what people mean by sugary cereal. It totally cracked me up. It's like Serpent's Kiss, which smells like ketchup on me for the first short while or so, then mellows out. It smells like food! But not foody-food, the sort you'd want to smell like. Just...food. On the initial application, the sugar is very strong and moist, with a pretty strong greenish floral/herbal note that, on me, fades pretty fast. The chamomile stays a mild yellowy undertone for a while, then fades to the background as the orris, very strong and silvery, comes out. As it dries, the ambergris turns up and -stays up-, rendering the whole, with my skin chemistry a lot like Dream of a Fisherman's Wife Light. WHICH IS AWESOME. There's still a light grayish dustiness left, and the sweetness of the sugar sticks with it the whole time, so if you're not a fan of sweet scents, this one may not be for you. Overall: It starts out pretty bright and tart and shiny, but it mellows out into a gorgeous silver gray beauty of a perfume. Throw is minimal, it's a really cuddly, close-to-the-skin perfume. Seems to have a decent wear-length; I might consider rollerballing it for multiple applications throughout the day, as I love the way it changes on my skin. I would wear this to a movie, or to a dance, or to a bar, or on vacation, or ...anywhere, really. I'm pretty sure I can even wear it to work, which, as I work with a few people who are sensitive to certain scents, is great. I think it'll be more of a warm-weather scent for me, though, as my skin will amp different things when I'm cold, but, eh. Worth it. Final verdict: HELL YEAH. It was everything I hoped it would be. <3

17 - Warm, very spicy and foody -- You know what this one -really- reminds me of? The Blooddrop LE Scream (spiced vanilla ice cream). On the right person, this could be very cakey and wonderful, but on me it's got a slightly chilly note that sends it straight to ice cream-land. It's also really, REALLY sweet, maybe a little bit of that funnel cake-like supercharged bready sweetness that shows up after a while. All in all, it's kind of impressive, but a little sweeter than I actually would want to wear. Passing this one on~ Also, I know there's no cinnamon in this, since they leave that note out because it's a common allergen, but it certainly could contain it, just going by the smell. Not a considerable throw, but then, I applied it very lightly. Lasts reasonably well.

This is one of those 'does exactly what it says on the tin' scents for me, which is nice, as I was hoping for exactly that. It's a beautiful blend, a bit import-store-ish from the sandalwood and champaca, but the orange blossom brings it up to the level of a wearable perfume (for me). Not something I'd wear everyday, but on a hot summer night, when I want to be put in mind of a grove of orange blossoms in India? Perfect. I may take it on a cruise sometime; seems like it'd be appropriate for that. Wears gently, throws moderately, lasts for a few hours and vanishes gracefully.

One bottle for me, because I can never have too much beeswax. :9 *cough* Seriously, though, this is AMAZING. Wax and wine and soft dusty rose petals with a deep ambery resiny gorgeousness of frankincense. This is everything I hoped it would be wrapped up in a bouquet of amazing. The wine amps up a little more than I might like at first, but it settles down into a vague flush after a short time. It's like No. 93 Engine with dark red notes instead of brilliantly golden ones. This was the first of the Lupes that I pulled out, and the one I was probably most excited about from the notes. It's nice to feel justified. Very good wear-length and moderate throw. I won't actually pull this out for all-the-time wear, but for special occasions, as it really feels like one that needs one to be dressed to match.

You know, I was pretty sure this would be one of those Does Exactly What It Says On The Tin sort of scents for me, and I was completely correct. It's a pale and pretty little floral without much depth or meaningful weight behind it; very lavender in tone (if I had to give it a color, it'd be #E6E6FA, or Lavender. Seriously.) but thankfully without a lot of lavender in the scent. *shrug* Lilac, wisteria and a lovely little underhaze of sweet ginger and tea. A little musk, a little delphinium. Lasts about three hours, throws gently and almost quizzically. Finito.

Ve--ee--rr-y interesting. It started out very cleaning fluid on me, and I'm very happy to see from prior reviewers that I'm not the only one! That's exactly what I put in my notes -- cleaning fluid, not soap or detergent. After a short while (perhaps five-to-seven minutes) it mellowed out into a warm, burnt smell, almost cinnamon-like, but without any actual spiciness to it. There's a slight citrus note that sticks around for a while, then it becomes a warm, brown, smoky scent that I find both appealing and repellent. Overall, I'm really not sure what to think of it. It's very interesting, and I'm -really- curious to see what it does as it ages a bit and the musks mellow out.

This was fascinating on me, the first scent from the Lab that has really had that ginger ROOT scent -- that heavy, sharp, almost woody gingery flavor that you find when you're chopping it up. It didn't last, and I didn't really like where the leather and orris took it after that, but those first damp moments were a little bit magical. I'd put this on someone else and hope that the ginger lasted longer so I could huff them. On me, the rest of it made it thoroughly meh, but ...yeah. Ginger.

Yes, please. :9 I'll be keeping this one, though its similarities in tone to both Defututa and Lilith vs. The Giant Crab mean I probably won't buy a bottle. This is a somewhat sweet scent, with a mild and fuzzy throw. It lasts all day with sufficient application. It starts with that golden olive-y scent that Defututa has, but instead of going spicy and RAWR, develops a beautiful bergamot-citrussy flair, following it up with a subtle greenish tinge of cardamom pods. It all blends beautifully, with some of the sweet citrus-almost-cakey aspect of Lilith vs. The Giant Crab, but less aquatic. There's a little hint of snow note, just a little, a single snowball-worth, if you will. I slathered this on yesterday and wore it around and loved it.

I wasn't sure about the chestnut, since I don't like the smell/taste of them to begin with, and really, on me, that's what this smells like -- that sweet-musky-nut scent that slips up the back of my nose and kind of chokes me. There's a little bit of powdery magnolia back there somewhere, and some golden osmanthus as it dries, but mostly, chestnut. Very interesting, as I can't recall ever smelling another BPAL frangrance quite like it, but not one I either want to keep or will wear again. If you like chestnut, though, have at! It'll probably be great for you.

White sandalwood, rice flower, honey, black pepper, and oakmoss. Half of this scent was fabulous on me, but the other half sent it straight down to wash-off-land. Initially, it was sweet and rice flower-beautiful, with a little, very well-behaved honey and some gorgeous white sandalwood. All things which I love and love to smell. Then the black pepper amped up and the oakmoss dirtied it all down and I couldn't wear it anymore. I'm not sure how it would last after longer than a half-hour, because that's how long I was able to stand it. It has certain similarities to White Rabbit (another pretty white-pale scent with deadly black pepper), but sweeter. It didn't seem to have a particularly heavy throw, and would be fantastic on someone who can handle the pepper.

This was one I hoped would be lovely on me, and it wasn't. It started well, creamy pale with a bit of ambergris (I love ambergris) shuffling along behind, but as soon as it dried the skin musk, coconut milk, and ylang ylang opened up and it became too sweet and a bit overly musky very fast. It's a very sexual scent, and I definitely agree that it has some similarities to Snow White, but the sexiness is not of the type that I find appealing, and it lacks the cool prettiness of the princess. I'm learning pretty quickly that skin musk is not a good note for me in almost anything. It did last for several hours, with only a moderate throw, and faded very quietly and politely.

For me, this was sweet, mild, and fruity. No strong singular notes to distract or annoy -- it's like having a golden puddle of sunlight on my wrist. This is one I'll probably pull out every so often and enjoy, but it's not distinctive enough to warrant a full bottle. (yet)

As a fan of star anise, I'm a little sad that I didn't find this blend particularly anise-y. Foo. Wet, it was quite promising, a little sweeter than Kyoto (its closest competitor in my current stash), with a lovely anise-y glow behind sakura pinkness and a bit of a floral-rrific fringe on top. As it dries, the peony and violet leaf crowd out -everything- else, leaving me with a bitterly floral experience that wafts all over the place, and not in what I consider to be a friendly way. Good longevity and throw, but not one I'm likely to keep or want more of.

Growr. I have terrible luck with Lunacies that I order on the strength of the notes, without trying a decant first, and this is no exception. I wanted to love it, but upon opening the bottle, I got a snout-full of sharp, sour ozone-y bleck with a slight undertone of blackberry and milk. No wax (which is usually one of my favorite notes), nothing greenish or snowy gentle, and no warmth. It's the same set of notes that made Windy Moon into such a pain for me. Apparently, the Lab's 'wind' is not something I can wear. I tested it, and there's a little more warmth to it, though not a lot. The snow comes out a bit, which was nice for a short while, and the milk takes on a much stronger aspect (definitely the same as Nonae Caprotina, too.) Whoever compared it to Winter Maiden has a certain point, but I'd compare it more to Lines Written Among the Euganean Hills, which is very similar to the bath oil, but colder and sharper. After a few hours, Candles Moon turns into a sadly generic perfume on me, which is an rather rare and deeply disappointing occurrence from BPAL. I'll keep the bottle around, as it's really lovely, and I'm curious to see if it will shift any as it ages, but my hopes are not high. ----- Edit: DAHAHAHAHAHA. The joke is so very much on me. Well, kind of. So--I kept my bottle, and, now, in December of 2011, it's aged into something that is not only lovely as a perfume, but also conveniently gorgeous on me. The milk is still very much present, but the berry is stronger, and the wax is there too (JOY!). The ozone-scent has mellowed to a snowy-type note. The whole thing ends up pretty sexy, slightly reminiscent of Snow White with a bit of berry action and some milk. I am entirely joyful about the way this has changed, and so very glad I kept it. (Truth? I probably would have kept it for sentimentality and bottle art, since it was released very near my birthday. ^-^; )

It's awesome reading through this thread and realizing just how many of my absolute favorites have anise/fennel/licorice in them. >D I think the only one I haven't seen mentioned yet is Noisome Clockwork Tin Locomotive. I might like to draw the distinction among 'em, though, as a lot of of the anise and star anise blends are -very- different from the fennels, which often seem a bit earthier in tone, and the licorice ones are often a lot sweeter. (All on me, of course. Your mileage may vary!) One I would kind of like to anti-recommend is Hideous Heart, which may have licorice root, but ends up smelling like -red- licorice to me, complete with the weird aftertaste. D: Not what I was hoping for, which was Kabuki + cinnamon. *sigh*

Now, I love beeswax and have been collecting as many LE 'waxy scents as I could, so this was a no-brainer. I just got it this afternoon and tested it out immediately. In the imp, it's beeswax and smoke, just as described, with a slight honey sweetness. On my skin, it's much the same, but warms very nicely into a nearly-pure beeswax single note. :9 Fabulous. It stays that way, warmer and less sour than Hanerot, sweeter than To Helen (the other two scents that I love that are closest to this one), and, as many others have said, sure to be perfect for layering. I'm incredibly happy that this is a GC so that I can use up the rest of my Hanerot and buy a bottle of this and never look back. Sorry, LE's. I've met a new perfume that will be around for a lot longer. :9 I love it.

For about an hour, I was convinced that I knew what the fuss was about -- lovely warm carnation and spice and a little-but-not-TOO-much sweet. It was gorgeous. Then it turned to play-doh, and I became very, very sad. O (to which many other people have drawn similarities) does the same thing on me, ergo, some similar component is a Note of Death on me. Sad.

I'm a total foody lover, so trying this out was a no-brainer for me. Still, I started with a decant and moved on to a bottle only after I'd ascertained that I COMPLETELY LOVED IT. I open the bottle and smell sweet marzipan and pastry and a very sweet caramel almost entirely unlike any other caramel that I've tried so far. Many of them smell very charred on me, quite unpleasant and sour, but this one is a smooth liquid caramel, like a truffle filling. On my skin it stays that way. I can understand where people are finding the rose and/or cherry notes, and it does have a vague fruitiness that pops up every so often, but by and large, I'm wearing dessert. It doesn't last too long, maybe an hour or two, and has almost no throw, so I can wear it out and confuse people by snuffling my wrist every so often. ETA: 9/28/16 -- Well. This has had some time to age. *droll grin* I'm wearing this right now for the first time in ages and ages, and I still love it. I -do- get a strong rosy quality to this now, but the caramel is still distinct and still smooth. Almost all the pastry has vanished, except for a faint hint right after I applied it, but the almond is as strong as ever. It's fascinating and sniffs more like some sort of syrup that you'd put on something like a croquembouche, and less like the thing itself. Overall, a little less foody and a little more floral, but still delicious. I wish more caramel notes were like the one in this. I'd wear a lot more caramel.

I had a similar experience as Schmoozy -- very like The Miller's Daughter, but dry rather than damp. At first it was very heavily sandalwood, but it faded after a short while to a lovely rose and sandalwood, with just a hint of ambery dustiness underneath. It had a pretty mighty throw, and while it didn't last a long time, it was quite strong until it vanished. I like it quite a bit, but the overlap with TM'sD means I probably won't buy a bottle anytime soon. ^-^

On me, Earth Ox smells -exactly- like cantaloupe Jelly Belly jellybeans. I hate cantaloupe Jelly Belly jellybeans. Ergo, no thank you. I would love to be on the sniffing end of some of these subtleties, but it's just making me sad. Time to wash my hands.

That one got you, too? <3 No 93 Engine (one of my big all-time loves), does, I remember that. It's so gorgeous...! Here's a Lab search for balsam, which should get you all the GC that have it: http://www.bpal.org/search/index.php?term=...=1&search=1 Other LEs are: Glukuprikos, Mort de Cesar (rather exciting, that one.), Farewell to False Love (last year's Lupercalia), Mourning Moon...a little searching will turn up a few more.

This one is proving to be my surprise hit from my decant collection and will soon be joining my bottle collection. Initially, it's largely spicy berry with a subtle but noticeable rose tint. After a while the pepper really comes out to play and it's sneezily sharp (though still pleasant) for about an hour -- seriously, it made me sneeze once. -- and after that it settles down and becomes this beautiful mellow floral berry tea-like scent with a hint of peppery vigor and a background of smooth sweetness (that'd be the caramel & cognac...). It really reminds me of one of my favorite tea blends. I...just kind of love it. Unexpectedly, but without reservations.

Of the two, this was the one that really grabbed my nose first. I love the Lab's white rose, and it's very nice on me, mellow in ways that their red rose isn't. I agree with other posters -- this is something like a much milder Dorian, with tea and sweetness -- but creamier and fruitier, which is AWESOME. I would wear this very happily by itself any day; it delights me! A sweet, creamy scent without the cream note of death! Layered with Red Rose, it changes in tone, becomes sultry and delicious. The Red really brings out the sexy, and the two together are a stunningly paired whole. ...I thiiink I need a full set. The decants are nice, but I think I'll gift them forth and just dive in.

This scared me a little at first, with its fir and tobacco aspects, but after a few minutes, it really blossomed out into something completely gorgeous. This is one of very few clove scents that I've found really smells like clove on me, and I have discovered that I really like it, particularly blended with the rose and amber. The musk is pretty mellow, which is nice, and it adds a lovely sexiness that appeals a great deal to my more hedonistic side. As has been said, though on its own it's nice, with the White, it really enters the realm of the sublime. White Rose mellows it out and adds sweetness without being saccharine. Altogether a gorgeous blend.

What Teilan said. Seriously, I think I got this mostly reflexively, because I -know- what cedar is on me, and while I love sandalwood, without something sweeter to temper it, it tends to go straight to the land of import shop and stay there. That said, this scent is almost exactly as you might expect. The lunar herbs make it lighter and sharper than it would be with just the main two scents on their own, but otherwise ...yup, Cedar vs. Sandalwood -- FINAL ROUND. I like simple scents, but I really need to learn that simple does not always equal wonderful on me. It might actually make a really nice room scent, though, if you were aiming for a mellow, vaguely Middle-Eastern-without-incense feeling. Hm.