galahad

Wilde Vicomte de Valmont The Bow and Crown of Conquest Tombstone Coyote Tristan Western Diamondback Banded Sea Snake Not sure if the Carnival Diabolique ones are available as samples

Cornelis Saftleven Dust, dry incense, parchment, and tobacco leaf. In the Bottle: Incense with a sepia edge. On the Skin: Blooms immediately on the skin and is so beautiful. Incense but with a lovely clay dust note and parchment mustiness. Overall it's dry but also full of depth, preventing it from being one dimensional. On the Drydown: It's the tobacco leaf that ends up adding some sweetness to the blend in the end. Ends up like the memory of incense infused in fabric, like curtains. I like the mustiness but then I love The Center from American Gods

Hey...my opinion only Streets of Detroit - I don't get a lot of motor oil from this but I quite like it Jareth - haven't tried it but is often compared to Dorian so unlikely to be too sweet Snake Oil - worth giving it a go. Some adore it (like me) and some don;t much care for it depending on skin chemistry. If you read patchouli as incense you may not like it. I don't find it overly sweet but it does tick the spicy box Miskatonic University - my first BPAL fail but others love it TKO - love it. The lavender balances out the vanilla quite a bit. I don't find it overly sweet. Consider Bengal, Dee, Morocco, Tristan

If he likes Cool Water then Vicomte de Valmont and Wilde should definitely be on the list. One of those is a very close match. Can't remember which but both great The Bow and Crown of Conquest Dorian, of course Coyote Dee Tombstone (!) Sherlock Holmes, perhaps The Black Rider Crowley Tristan

In the Bottle: Narcissus and cold night air On the Skin: The narcissus is very prominent and lovely, almost watery (as opposed to the heavy narcissus note). Amber and frankincense keep this from becoming sharp and the other flowers in this are vaguely powdery (but the whole blend definitely is not). This is a gorgeous, round, dark and cool and vaguely spicy blend. On the Drydown: This really softens rapidly as it dries down further but doesn't become faint, just loses it's initial big and bold opening. I'm a sucker for any narcissus blend and this is a lovely addition to the collection

In the Bottle: Apple and clove On the Skin: Cooked apple with the skins on. The clove is more subtle when wet on the skin and the whole is sweeter and creamier. On the Drydown: As this dries, everything melds together nicely but the apple remains nicely up front and centre. This is warm, comforting and sweet but not overly. Very nice

In the Bottle: Black musk, quite oudh-like and a sour kick On the Skin: Straight up black musk and oudh. Gradually the labdanum sweetens and smooths out the blend and a very slight blackberry note murmurs beneath. Doesn't take long for the whole to become a delightfully sleek musk with a touch of sweetness On the Drydown: A little tart berry peeks though as this dries down further. Was hoping for more blackberry. This is a very dark blend and should be magical after prolonged aging. If find it a little funky as it is now.

In the Bottle: A floral goaty cream On the Skin: The nectar is apparently fairly fruity. Loving the goat's milk note, which is almost buttery and the sweetness from the honey I assume. On the Drydown: Liking this more on the drydown as the goat's milk gains a footing to give a savouriness amongst the sweetness of the nectar and honey. The drydown on this is so interesting and really quite nice. I would say this is really foody but its perfumey and almost floral as well. I don't think this will be in regular rotation but it has a warmth that I enjoy

In the Bottle: Patchouli and sweet cream On the Skin: That caramelised patchouli is really interesting with a slight charred edge. The cream is less evident but the honey more so. On the Drydown: The honey and patchouli play tag on this one, with each taking turns to amp up. The honey is less clear and sweet and more dark and golden. The cream mellows it all out but is pretty subtle. There is slight spiciness to this on the extreme drydown. I like it but it needs time

In the Bottle: Polished wood is right - smooth and slick with sweet patchouli On the Skin: Copal jumps out immediately and I love copal! Sweet smooth wood and patchouli. It reminds me somewhat of Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements without the creaminess. On the Drydown: This is a darkened version of El Dorado. It's all gleaming dark wood and golden copal with enough patchouli to add some earthiness and keep it grounded. Glorious and will age spectacularly. Worth getting a couple of backups to cellar

In the Bottle: Dry, golden hay and sweet flowers (with a honey-like nectar quality). Surprisingly sweet but in a gentle way On the Skin: Ah, this is stunning. It's pale but warm and sweet as well. The flowers are very prominent but delicate. I am loving the lab LE florals lately. A honey sweetness underlays everything but it's not a thick sweetness, more like the sweetness of pollen with flower nectar. On the Drydown: I had high hopes for this one and it turned out way better than expected. The perfect floral to wear on those early autumn days which are actually still a little uncomfortably warm, but the world is starting to slow down and the light is golden. On the extreme drydown I would swear there is actually a little vanilla and nutmeg in the mix

In the Bottle Definitely get the bay rum, whiskey and cigar smoke. Spicy and boozy On the Skin: Bay rum is prominent to start with but not harsh, tempered by the other notes. There is a distinct saltiness as this dries down further. The cigar smoke note is not a charred smoke scent but the fragrant tobacco of a cigar with just a tinge of singe. On the Drydown: Everything blends so well together but can still pick out elements. The black pepper rears it's head well into the drydown but never overpowers. This is a beauty. Dark but elegantly so

In the Bottle: Tart raspberry with a creamy base but it's all about the raspberry in the bottle On the Skin: Softer raspberry, tempered by the creamy goats milk but still an awesome berry scent. As this starts to dry, it becomes less berry-forward and little more perfumey red fruit but still lovely. I was expecting the goat's milk to be more animalic but at the moment it's just creamy bit not as thick as full on cream. On the Drydown: This stays pretty linear on drydown, remaining a perfumey raspberry with a touch of milk. I thought this would have been creamier. I like it but hopes it ages well

In the Vial: Woody, sweet plum. Surprisingly nice in the vial On the Skin: The oud comes to the fore with the sweet plum. Really lovely. The rose is just a tiny accent. Surprisingly close to the skin and the sandalwood reads more as redwood. On the Drydown: This dries down to a lovely fragrant rich wood with almost red wine notes. The rose isn't particularly evident. It's a bit light for me though

In the Vial: Slightly fermented apple with honey On the Skin: Quite pumpkiny with apple cider. A little effervescent. The honey emerges to sweeten up and round out the blend. On the Drydown: Quite dry and almost dusty. Still has a lightly beery vibe with apple and pumpkin with some spices. Not my jam

In the Bottle: Sweet powdery musk On the Skin: Smooth, sticky myrrh and a sweet musk with a faint aquatic vibe. The whisp of cigarillo smoke is way in the background but it's there. On the Drydown: Surprisingly not as dense as I expected. It is light and airy with a sepia tinge. It's a little too sweet and powdery for me

In the Bottle: Hay, pine and earth On the Skin: Warm, dry earth and wood with pine. I agree that the pine needles are dry rather than super green. Very complex and the pine is really soft but also bright. I do get some clary sage way in the background with it's tea-like mintiness. On the Drydown: As this dries, there is a herbal quality emerging. Possibly the mandrake? Lovely dusty grass, herbs and pine needles. Delightfully late summer/early autumn, IMO

In the Bottle: Sweetened patchouli and oudh On the Skin: Patchouli, fig and a light oudh. Absolutely gorgeous! The cream adds some roundness/fattiness and the tinge of vanilla adds depth. This is a blend verging on foodie but not actually getting there. A girlier version of Nasty Woman and worth backup hoarding. On the Drydown: The patchouli becomes huskier and more prominent as this dries down but seems to constantly change between gritty and sweet smoothness. Love!

In the Bottle: Grapefruit and honey On the Skin: Grapefruit with the effervescent cider adding a slight winey note (very slight). This is so fun and bright. The honey emerges fairly quickly and is very obvious but melds with the grapefruit nicely. On the Drydown: Dries down to a honey tinged with bright grapefruit. The grapefruit lasts quite a while which is unusual on my skin. Ultimately, dries to a light sweetish honey tinge. Nice

In the Bottle: Sagebrush, juniper and the strange but lovely California lilac. On the Skin: Initially, sweet and round but then becomes almost a rich caramel with dry grass and sagebrush herbalness. The California lilac lends it's almost floral note to the blend. Lovely, with the impression of heat and aridity. On the Drydown: Has a fairly linear drydown and ends as a sweetish herbal sage and dry grass which stays close to the skin. Would be delightful to cuddle up to on a late summers evening

In the Bottle: Wax, rose, incense and a touch of vanilla to smooth it out On the Skin: Beautiful candle wax, soft rose and little of the citrus from the Florida water. The incense is heavy, sweet and round - beautiful. This reminds me of my beloved Hand of Glory with rose and citrus, both of which just simmer under the surface. On the Drydown: This is hoard worthy and will become divine with age. The Florida water note is pure genius which could have gone wrong without the light touch. The rose, my least favourite note in many blends, is delightful and just adds to the whole without overtaking the blend. Stunning in it's complexity and in it's inspiration.

In the Bottle: Patchouli and oudh with a floral backing On the Skin: Definitely rich plum at the forefront, briefly, on application and then sweet, smooth patchouli and heavy oudh emerge. Deep, earthy and really luscious. The osmanthus adds a sweet floral undercurrent but intertwines with the other notes seemlessly. The patchouli rears up agan a little later but it is a truly awesome patch - smooth and sweet. On the Drydown: Dries down to a whisper of patch and plum. Lovely

In the Bottle: Very dark and almost treacle-like without any trace of sweetness. I think I get the saffron strongly On the Skin: Clove and saffron, creating a strange combo almost like brandy and bandaids. The sandalwood starts to emerge fairly quickly to dry out the blend and elevate it by adding a thin woody sweetness. On the Drydown: Dries down to a sweet clovey amber with the dryness of the sandalwood keeping the blend interesting. The clove is light, just adding a touch of it's unique spiciness. I'd wear this in the 3 months of the year that are cooler

Only one (two), huh? Snake Oil because it's a well loved classic. Rich, sweet vanilla/patchouli/spice goodness Jazz Funeral - humidity, dirt and tropical white flowers. My go-to summer evening GC

White lavender and ambrette seed, grey patchouli, rum absolute, and vetiver. In the Bottle: Rum and lavender with a faint ambrette whiff On the Skin: Rum and lavender. Almost cakey sweet. Ambrette always reads as grey to me so with the grey patchouli and white lavender this is definitely a muted (but strong) scent only warmed by the rum. The play of the rum and lavender together almost gives an anise vibe. On the Drydown: This has massive throw. It's not a happy scent but rahter broody and melancholy. The lavender is strong! and at times almost takes over but the rum always reins it back in. Eventually the vetiver creeps in and turns an already grey scent ashen. Masterful and lovely. A perfect winters day scent.