galahad

In the Bottle: Pale but warm musk On the Skin: A soft musk definitely with the labs gold note. Elegantly shimmery and slick. On the Drydown: Almost lemony but not quite. Such a difficult scent to pin down, mainly because it is very close to the skin but also just undefinable. Becomes more metallic deep into the drydown - more bronze than gold. I like it

In the Vial: Faint copal On the Skin: Immediately intensifies on the skin to a glorious copal and the gold note follows quickly. It's a luxuriously refined scent. On the Drydown: A fairly linear drydown. The gold note is a fine gold/amber musk which combines with the resinous copal to create a warm, glowing scent. A skin hugger with low throw but long lasting. Beautiful

In the Vial: Musk and greenery with a touch of fruitiness On the Skin: Initially sharp green with a thin musk. The fruit note isn't as lush as expected but just imparts a faint sweetness. On the Drydown: The bark note emerges to dry out and tame the green. I'm ending up with a cornflake scent which is, overall, quite faint. Not a winner for me

In the Bottle: Super woody saffron On the Skin: The oudh and sandalwood are awesome and the saffron is very present, adding that unique medicinal spiciness. Extremely rich and powerful On the Drydown: It was inevitable that, with the play of the saffron against the oudh and sandalwood, this would go through a band-aid phase, which it does briefly and then it goes limey (?) to eventually dry down to a spectacular subtly spiced rich wood. Very awesome and will age to perfection.

In the Bottle: Bitter chocolate with a floral note On the Skin: Rich, creamy chocolate. Delicious. That strange floral note flits in and out. This becomes creamier and sweeter as it warms up. On the Drydown: Basically a grown up dark, sweet chocolate. I don't have a lot of gourmand scents and this one is perfectly comforting without being cloying.

In the Bottle: A vague airy incense. Quite faint On the Skin: This takes a little while to warm up and take flight and when it does it doesn't really soar. I get very, very light carnation with a faint whiff of incense. On the Drydown: This gains some power as it dries down but still stays close to the skin. It's a light carnation incense. Reserving my judgment for the moment. Will see how it ages.

In the Bottle: Orange, hay and soft cypress. Smells fresh and clean On the Skin: Lightly honeyed orange. The cypress adds a soft balsamic quality and the bergamot peeks out to add a little dry citrus. On the Drydown: I am so glad I blind purchased this. It's a sparkling but complex scent of citrus, very light honey and cypress. The hay adds a backing or warm dryness. This is a beauty

In the Bottle: Lavender and soft florals On the Skin: Lavender and spring flowers. Honey is slightly there to keep this from going too high pitched. This is a beautiful spring floral scent. The wood notes eventually bloom and add a sophistication to what was initially a sweet, innocent scent. On the Drydown: I find that this becomes darker as it dries down. The lavender becomes a little more prominent but blended with the other floral notes doesn't become too OTT. I would swear there is cardamom in this. Nice for a balmy summers day

In the Vial: Nice honey musk with a touch of vanilla and spice. On the Skin: Warm spices and honey musk. The tea leaf adds a slightly deeper note. An interesting, almost savoury, gourmand which isn't too heavy. On the Drydown: A warm, lightly spiced honey. Very well blended and reminiscent of Morocco with honey. Quite lovely.

In the Vial: Surprisingly vanilla gourmand with a floral background On the Skin: The thyme is a little strong, initially. Also get tea and wild flowers. Gradually becomes a dry grassy/hay floral which is really nice. On the Drydown: The tea emerges again, specifically, a few minutes into the drydown with the flowers supporting and the herbs keeping it light. There is a depth and complexity to this scent which is delightful. It feels like a late summer/eary autumn scent. The extreme drydown is surprisingly spicy, a melange of spice scents from a market.

In the Vial: White wine, honey and a herbaceous note On the Skin: Light honey and slightly bitter dandelion, initially. This is so different from any BPAL honey scent I have. It is light and more a mead than wine. It is lovely and light but not weak. On the Drydown: This is such a nice light, wild and ethereal honey. The honey note become sweeter and a little rounder as it dries down. This would be a great spring/summer scent. Love it.

In the Bottle: Extremely dry woods and a kick of pepper On the Skin: Takes a little while to warm up so much the same as above for a few minutes. Then it's all dry wood slightly sweetened by the powdery iris. The pink pepper just adds a subtle warmth without being irritating. On the Drydown: As this matures on the skin it becomes less astringently dry and slightly more floral. Everything melds together to give a scent with a sophisticated feel without a drop of gourmand sweetness. This should age to a real beauty.

In the Bottle: Honey musk and fir. Soft and cool On the Skin: I see what everyone means when they say these are not dead, dry leaves. The honey musk is forefront but the soft green of the fir and the warm not-exactly green of the leaves keep the scent cool and cologney. On the Drydown: I am loving that honey musk note. This is not really a morpher. It stays as a soft musky forest scent. Gorgeous. Low throw but it is an intimate scent anyway; more a whisper than a shout.

In the Imp: Sandalwood with a touch of dry dust On the Skin: First off dry rich wood which is awesome. Eventually touches of herbaceous coriander, sandalwood and tonka emerge to give a gorgeous, slightly sweet woody scent. The mint is so far in the background it isn't really noticeable but does add a freshness. The Drydown: I have always wanted to blind purchase a bottle of this but never did. So glad I got this decant because this blend is outstanding and I will need multiple bottles. It is a young scent and has so much character. Masterfully blended. Love!

In the Vial: Lime cookie On the Skin: Lime cookie with gasoline. The bay rum is pretty nasty in this and I like bay rum. The tobacco smooths it out slightly a little later in the development but this is unsettling. On the Drydown: This is pretty good once it dries all the way down with warm tobacco, lime and baked goods but the journey is challenging

In the Vial: Slightly spiced amber On the Skin: Dry spices and patchouli. Strong and pretty awesome. The amber softens this pretty quickly and it warms up nicely. On the Drydown: This dries down to a soft dry spice. Very nice

In the Vial: Ginger and citrus On the Skin: The vetiver is evident immediately but it's not strong. All of the citrus notes keep the spices and herbaceous artemisia from taking over. Overall this is quite fresh with a deeper and rounder backdrop. On the Drydown: Fades quickly to almost a single note ginger

In the Vial: Straight up whiskey On the Skin: Very astringent oak with whiskey. So interesting but I'm not sure it is appealing. On the Drydown: Literal and linear. The initial harshness mellows out and becomes quite spicy. I am almost tempted to buy a bottle for the genius but I doubt I would wear it much if at all.

In the Vial: Surprisingly strong apple with some rose and honey On the Skin: Hmm...the almond is quite nutty for a change. Almond, apple and honey to start. The rose is subtle on the sking and the lily of the valley provides some sweet opulence. On the Drydown: This is a fascinating and very different scent for me. Lily of the Valley and rose can be iffy on my skin but this dries down to a warm, musky honey rose. Still, not a bottle for me though.

In the Vial: Musky dragons blood with a slight ginger kick On the Skin: A slight epoxy scent initially. The red musk fights with the dragons blood but quickly settles down to a red musk and incense scent which is actually quite sweet. On the Drydown: Really disappointing. I was hoping for a desert scent but ended up with a strangely sweet dragons blood.

In the Vial: Slightly herbal and water-fresh On the Skin: The musk and sandalwood are primarily evident with a soft vanilla note to keep the scent a little smoother. I do get a dry paper and ink vibe from this. I would almost swear there was some vetiver in here. On the Drydown: This is a soft and gentle scent but it becomes very dry, dusty and astringent on the drydown. Every time I write it off as a non-bottle purchase I get a waft which I really like. Uncertain.

In the Vial: A soft jasmine On the Skin: The spices bloom immediately but they are not harsh. Overall a nicely balanced floral and spice. I don't get cardamom particularly. The overall scent is lovely and warm. On the Drydown: This has a linear drydown. It is really nice but doesn't really have great staying power. Still worth a bottle.

In the Vial: Faint floral. Almost like violet On the Skin: The wisteria and lavender combo is quite nice with the powdery nature of the wisteria toning down the camphorous lavender. The sandalwood emerges as a soft note and the rose is very soft and pretty. On the Drydown: The musk and sandalwood have a tendency to dominate this blend on the drydown. It becomes a bit too potpourri for me

In the Vial: Yep, it's almond and rancid butter alright (butter notes instantly turn to rank, rancid butter on my skin) On the Skin: Marzipan and then the musk turns it to evil marzipan. I actually do get the myrrh coming through. On the drydown: Didn't let it get that far. Not a full on almond fan (it's OK in moderation as a supporting note)

In the Vial: Slightly sour rose and lily with a green edge On the Skin: Really sour. Must be the opium. The green note is fascinating, almost savoury, however the whole is pretty much awful rose and musty lily On the Drydown: Something happens about 5 minutes into the drydown and this becomes sweeter and powdery. The opium is still strong and the florals rumble just under it. Then the rose really amps up. So not me.