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BPAL Madness!

Nisaba

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Everything posted by Nisaba

  1. Nisaba

    Tears of the Seraphim

    I'm freshly out of a bath with this, and I really liked it. I used about 3 heaped teaspoons worth, and while it wasn't very bubbly, it did smell gently of vanilla; a rich, not too sweet vanilla. It's not very strong but it was definitely there. It made the water feel soft and and I can still smell the scent on my skin now, if I put my arm to my nose. I don't know if it makes a difference, but I'm in a moderately soft water area.
  2. Nisaba

    Luxuria Bath Oil

    This is a bit bright at first, but give it some time to age, just a few weeks, and ohmygod it deepens and becomes beautifully warm, slightly spicy, even slightly foody with a dark caramel/biscuit tang. I normally hate "foody" but this is lush. I've gone through two bottles of this and am working on my third, because although I love many of the other oils, this is the one I keep going back to. And this scent has real staying power, lasts for ages on my skin and in the bathroom (and my towels!)
  3. Nisaba

    Xmvlzencab Bath Oil

    Adding to the gorgeous dark spicy honey reviews. This is warm and luxurious to bathe in. And my bathroom still smelt luscious the next day!
  4. Nisaba

    GOP

    I get strong sandalwood from this at first, then it mellows with a whiff of cologne and maybe a very slightly touch of tobacco smoke. I like it, although it is extremely masculine, and I say that as someone who really enjoys and regularly wears many traditionally masculine scents. I have no idea what GOP stands for, so I can enjoy this scent in ignorant bliss
  5. Nisaba

    Fearful Pleasure

    This is completely rich apple cider when it first hits the skin. I live in the UK, I know genuine country cider when I smell it! Or should that be cyder, proper Dorset stuff. The cider reminds me far too much of real cider for me to want to wear it, but it's a short phase. Smoke pops up next, so much so that for a second I wondered what it was I could smell burning! Each waft is slightly different - that one was the smouldering firewood, later distinctly was the chimney smoke, then cidery apples and oranges. It all settles down into a warm rich blend. I love it on me, and I think it'll make an amazing room scent.
  6. Nisaba

    Different smells/colors, same perfume

    The bottle of Inez I got for decanting was the same. A bit worrying, as errors do occur very occasionally - once (in my long BPAL experience) I got two bottles of the same scent for decanting, and one smelt pretty much like you'd expect from the description, and the other was a WAY lighter, paler version, like it had been seriously diluted or was missing some ingredients. This wasn't just batch variation, this was almost two completely different scents. I emailed the Lab, and they kindly sent me another bottle, which was the same as the stronger (and much nicer) bottle (I offered to send the weak one back, but they didn't want it). Still, with only one bottle of Inez, I thought I should give it the benefit of the doubt, so I decanted it out and sent it on. I'm wondering if that was a mistake now. I just sniffed what I have left of Inez, and the dryer sheet scent is still there. And the more reviews I see, the more I think my bottle was faulty somehow and I feel really bad for my decantees...
  7. Nisaba

    El Amor y la Muerte

    This is the scent that convinced me that I amp clove. What surprises me is that I amp it more than rose, which normally turns any scent it exists in into powdery tea rose on my skin. I actually don't get any rose from this at all. There's a faint waft of the other notes, but once it dries on my skin, it's far and away clove. Clove clove clove. Now I love clove, and I really like this scent, but there's only so many Clove Single Note scents a girl needs.
  8. Nisaba

    Wensleydale

    Does what it says on the tin! Freshly scrubbed clean skin, freshly laundered and ironed cotton. Very bright on application. On drydown, I can detect a hint of the luscious cotton note that underlies Black Lace, but obviously this is without all the depraved tobacco and cognac
  9. Nisaba

    Pepper

    My first impression is a strong resemblance to Hermia, with lots of pink pepper. I love Hermia's sweet peppery goodness, and Pepper is that and more. I find it hard to pick out notes aside from a whiff of ginger, giving the sweetness a spicy undercurrent that I love. Pepper, to me, is a richer, fuller, spicier version of Hermia, and I love her.
  10. Nisaba

    Black Lace

    I was in two minds about this scent when I first read the description - see, for a long time I thought I absolutely hated vanilla. Snake Oil and others of that ilk eventually taught me wrong. But then I tried Antique Lace, and that sugar sweet foody vanilla is exactly the one I can't stand. So, you can see why I was wary. But every other note in Black Lacec sounded like Little Nisaba Heaven, so I jumped on a bottle. And ohmigawd Some people have compared it to a naughty Antique Lace, and I can just, if I try, detect some of the overly sweet vanilla buried in the blend. But I have to really really try to isolate it. What I get wafting at me in beautiful cohesion is cognac and incense, the occasional waft of tobacco, underpined with what must be the Indian musk, all twined together with a sweetness I know is the vanilla but combined it just balanced all the other heady notes nicely. I love it and am very sad that I only have one bottle, but also very grateful! I should add, it's sexy as hell. All that 'repressed' Victorian sexuality, hell yeah.
  11. Nisaba

    The Smiling Spider

    Clove. But not straight out clove. Warm, rich, smooth, smoky clove. This is aged a bit too; a decant about two months old, and I think aging has brought the notes in together wonderfully. I can't really pick out any one except for the clove, but I can tell that the clove has been tempered with everything else. Lovely. I need a bottle.
  12. Nisaba

    The Death of Autumn

    I this. I can't pick out any one note, it's all just smoky dry leafy warmth. It's a smoky bonfire, burning leaves, the dry crackle of twigs underfoot as red leaves drift down around you as you walk towards the warming flames. Love. It.
  13. Nisaba

    Hunter Moon 2007

    I love this scent! Ok, having gotten that out of the way... actually, it's not going to get much better because I'm crap at identifying notes. Initially out of the bottle and wet on my skin I get something akin to very dark cocoa. It's probably a musk or something. But then a touch of rich wine comes out, but I only mention that because it was one of the few notes I could identify over the lush, soft background of comforting warm yumminess. It all melds into a beautiful, soft but not powdery, slightly smoky, warm, close scent. I can't stop sniffing myself. I bet this will age beautifully too.
  14. Nisaba

    Strength

    This reminds me of One to Tie, Two to Win, except that Strength is a lot more, well, stronger scent. Richer, deeper, like fresh cut grass after the rain. There's a light floral in there as well, adding to the lush meadow feeling. This scent brings back many happy childhood memories of playing in the grass. I love it.
  15. Nisaba

    Bien Loin D'Ici

    This is just Stunning. A rich deep coating of a honey so dark it's almost savoury, which anchors mysterious Morrocan spiced unguents. This is hot, heady, decadent, lush sex in a desert under a deep red tent amongst opulent velvet cushions And I love it
  16. Nisaba

    Pruno

    I know that I can't wear lemon, or anything vaguely lemony - my skin amps it right up and turns all the beautiful rich complex notes I smell in the bottle into lemon bathroom cleaner, occasionally lemon fabric softener for a change. Really Today I learnt that it's not lemon I can't wear, it's citrus. Pruno in the bottle is soft fizzy orange sherbet. Pruno on my skin starts out fizzy fermenting orange, and rapidly descends into vile cheap orange soap. And then the soap amps more and more and more... Pruno is really not for me
  17. Nisaba

    Thirteen (13): April 2007

    Woah, this scent is I get cocoa on first whiff. Now I've tried Bliss and Velvet, and frankly while the chocolate scent in them is lovely and true, I don't want to smell like chocolate. I am not a foody scent person. I tried 13 the first time round, and that was too chocolate-foody for me. I haven't tried the second because it sounded as foody as the first. I was drawn in by the spices and catnip in this one though. And wow, I'm so glad I was. This is just luscious. The cocoa is rich and deep. It was so compelling that I dabbed a bit from the cap on my left wrist while still at work - generally a no-no as I only wear the lightest of known perfumes to work, and I always save trying any new ones on my skin until I get home and can give them the time and attention they deserve. But with 13, I just couldn't wait. So, yes, deep cocoa, Then the spices appear, and some smokiness, all anchored by that chocolate base. Interesting to read about the different oil consistencies. Mine is pale, almost clear, quite thin, and no trace of dark chocolate at all. I can certainly smell it though! My boyfriend's not such a big fan though; his eloquent reaction to my wrist was, "gacky!" to him though! My only sadness is that it fades really quickly. Once I got home I practically bathed in the stuff, and two hours on it's vanished from my wrists completely, leaving only the barest trace of something herbal and maybe the occasional hint of cocoa. The stuff I put on my collarbone and cleavage isn't wafting up at me at all. I bet this one will age beautifully however. I'm regretting not getting a second bottle.
  18. Nisaba

    Mama-Ji

    I'm wearing Mama Ji right now, and oh boy, it's heavenly. If I sniff my wrist, I get dry spices, but this is not a scent to be ruined by mashing your nose up against it. What makes this scent is the way it wafts - rich, deep florals, the sweetness tempered and grounded with lovely spicy goodness. The spices and florals balance out so well, I can't identify one note over another. It's just stunning I suspect what I'm wearing is aged quite a lot, as it was the final dribble left in the bottle after a decant circle, that's been sitting in my BPAL cupboard since I ran it a month or so back. If Mama Ji isn't working for you, I'd highly recommend letting her age; I liked her first time round, but she was lighter then. Now she's mellowed and all the notes have blended together beautifully
  19. Nisaba

    Alice

    Ok, I finally get it! I first tried Alice early 2005, and she was strong almond, followed by creamy milk and honey. Not a hint of carnation. Quite nice, but the milk and honey was too sweet and foody for me. So I gave her away. Since then, I've seen many many references to Alice being carnation bliss, so when the lab very kindly frimped me another one about three months ago, I thought I'd give her another go. Oh boy, am I glad I did. Still a bit almond and cream at first, but then the carnation comes through wonderfully, the edges gently softened by a slight touch of milk and honey. Not foody this time, but spicy and lovely, and she wafts beautifully. So I bit the bullet and bought a bottle, hoping that I'd get a carnation Alice rather than a foody one... And she arrived today, and hooray, carnation Alice! She's wafting up from my arm as I type. I've adored carnation ever since I first smelt Lush's Potion, but until now none of Beth's carnation scents have had any carnation detectable by my nose, so I'd given up on finding a carnation scent. But now I have Alice
  20. Nisaba

    Al Azif

    I bought my bottle when this was an LE, and it's aged wonderfully. Thick, warm, sweet but not foody, and the incensey spices keep the sweetness from being overpowering. Al Azif has gotten stronger with time as well - lots of throw and lasts all day. This scent is like a big warm cozy soft comfy blanket to me. It smells like a
  21. Nisaba

    Eos

    How could I not have reviewed this scent before? I Eos :D In the bottle - sweet honeysuckle. I love honeysuckle. On my skin, the honeysuckle is sharp at first, but it dries into a beautiful yellow scent of perfectly melded honeysuckle, jasmine, and buttercup. This is the scent of sunshine. This is the scent I wear to brighten a grey day, so I have sunshine wafting about me (all day, this one lasts and has good throw!), or to match a beautiful sunny summer afternoon. If you need some sunlight in your life, this scent is for you.
  22. Nisaba

    Lyonesse

    So beautiful. In the bottle I got lily. Wet, the sandalwood peered out, but rapidly smoothed down, nuzzling in with the vanilla and other notes to present a stunning, soft, glowing, sweet scent, held back from being cloying by the slightly smoky resins. I just love it.
  23. Nisaba

    Snake Oil

    Ok, ok, I get it! Finally. I avoided all BPAL with vanilla in it for ages, because vanilla to me said sickly sweet bland urgh. I don't like vanilla food much (I'll eat it, but it's just so bland), and the scent was always too girlie-sweet. Then I fell in love with Snake Charmer's spicy sexy goodness. And then Desire, which is of the same ilk. And my boyfriend melts at the mere waft of both of them, which doesn't hurt. They're the only two he knows the names of So I felt I had to try Snake Oil, having discovered that BPAL's vanilla is a far cry from the vanilla of my youth. First time round, it was ok, but I wasn't in love. It had that powdery note some others have mentioned as well. It's aged a good few months now, and oh my. The vanilla is rich, heavy, sultry, a scent unlike any other vanilla I've ever smelt. The spices are warm, glowing, giving the vanilla a sexy dirty feel. The sugary sweetness has faded, but there's just enough to meld the spice and the vanilla together. The powderiness is long gone. And I know it will continue to age beautifully. And the staying power... I put some in my hair and was still getting wafts three days later. I washed my hair on the third day, and as the hot water was heating my hair, I got even more. Just gorgeous. This really is a particular scent for a particular time; it's so heavy and luxurious and decadent that I can't imagine wearing it day to day (unless I get a far more 'interesting' job! ). But when I want a particular reaction, especially from a particular man, I know where to turn
  24. Nisaba

    Chrysanthemum Moon

    I keep trying to write up a proper review of Chrysanthemum Moon, but I give up. What I can say is, it's quite different from what I was expecting, but I love it. Initially she goes on quite creamy, which normally is a word that makes me run a mile from any scent that has it in its description, but yet I love chrys moon. It's not creamy in a foody sense, but in a soft warm fluffy sense. Then, lightly spiced smoke wafts up. I love this subtle smoke. It sticks with me for hours, even surviving a shower! My scarf must have picked some off my neck over a week ago, and I still get wafts when I put it on. It's a comforting, subtly sexy scent, and one that I suspect will age well. I'm so glad I grabbed three bottles of it, because I just keep reaching for it!
  25. Nisaba

    All Saints'

    2006 - how how I lvoe my 2005, but even when it was new it never smelt like this, or I never would have kept it. Perhaps aging will save All Saints 2006 for me but, right now, after a whiff of light incense, and a touch of lily, all I get now is rose. Rose rose powdery rose. My skin does love rose. I like rose, but my Peacock Queen is enough for me. No 2006 for me.
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