galahad

In the Bottle: Cardamom and a slight creaminess On the Skin: Initially a beautiful cardamom cream but the cardamom isn't overpowering. There is a slight carnation spiciness peeking through On the Drydown: There is a slightly uncomfortable period as the carnation and cardamom cross over with the cardamom moving to the background and the carnation coming to the front but that doesn't last long. This is a glorious beauty. The carnation cream backed by the cardamom is stunning. I did a full day wear and I got wafts of carnation all day.

In the Bottle: Snake oil and worn leather. More mature than Western Diamondback On the Skin: Almost a caramelised snake oil to start with with the leather slow to emerge but when it does - wowza, it is gorgeous! On the Drydown: The leather and snake oil are quite balanced in this one. Sophisticated, spicy and with good longevity

In the Bottle: Sweet, powdery black musk On the Skin: Black musk forward with the motor oil just peeping through to take the edge of the powderiness. The myrrh is there but not overly evident On the Drydown: I expected this to be grittier but it is quite black musk dominant. I do quite like it and it believe it needs a lot of aging. Has a bit of an 80's vibe

In the Bottle: Black leather, a coolness, musk and dust. Dark musk yet airy On the Skin: Musty carpet, a vague resinousness and black leather. The ambergris adds a lightness, There is a vague plastic quality which is actually quite nice. On the Drydown: This is really nice and comforting. There's the dusty lanolin of the carpet, black leather which doesn't over-power and soft resins in the background. Underlying everything is the plastic and metal which just add ambiance rather than featuring. Awesome!

Soft auburn musk, clove bud, honeyed patchouli, oakmoss absolute, cashmere labdanum, cedar, and mimosa blossom. In the Bottle: Musk, cedar and honey. Smells sweet and rich On the Skin: Not as sweet on the skin. The musk is warm and I get the auburn aspect as it's not dark and not white. The honey and patchouli simmer along but gain some strength On the Drydown: Gorgeous, light honey, musk and the characteristic patchouli scent. The clove makes its presence known but doesn't take over, just adding a smoky spiciness. The mimosa isn't evident. Nice but fleeting on my skin

In the Bottle: Perfumey and smoky vanilla with a dusky edge On the Skin: That silk note is so interesting and hard to describe. Definitely get the light smoked honey and the patchouli seems to be white patchouli. On the Drydown: This is strangely perfumey but in a good way. Elegant but with enough grit from the smoke and patchouli to be interesting. The benzoin adds a subtle vanilla resinousness. Direct sniff on the skin and I'm not sure about it but the scent from the throw is gorgeous. Definitely a keeper.

In the Bottle: Sweet vanilla and creamy sandalwood On the Skin: Gorgeous musky vanilla and sandalwood that isn't too dry. There is a slight bubblegummy sweetness which may be the lotus root. On the Drydown: This dries down to a fairly simple vanilla and sandalwood with the sandalwood becoming more prominent as the scent develops. Simple but rich and sweet. Delightful

In the Bottle: Floral and slightly green with an acidic edge On the Skin: Intense, but not overpowering, white florals. The champaca is very evident. On the Drydown: This dries down to an elegant floral incense. Lovely

Blue lilac, pink pepper, birch tar, juniper berry, and lemon peel. I couldn't resist another lilac blend after Cave of Treasures last year In the bottle: A similar vibe to Cave of Treasures with that round lilac note. A touch of juniper in the back On the Skin: Lilac and juniper making an unusual but nice combo, lush but almost candyish. On the Drydown: The lemon peel peeks out to add slight bitterness to tame the sweetness of the lilac. The birch tar is not forefront but adds a smokiness and the juniper adds a freshness and slight fruitiness. This is actually quite the morpher within a narrow scent band. A tiny bit of spicy kick from the pink pepper. I think, like Cave of Treasures, this will come into it's own after a brief period of aging.

In the Bottle: That was unexpected. Smells a little different than I thought it would but it is gorgeous in the bottle On the Skin: As mentioned by others, a greeness when freshly applied. Very thick cream and sweet honeycomb really morph the base Sanke Oil into something very different. On the Drydown: Almost an almond/Snow White vibe to this. The snake oil asserts a little more dominance as it dries down but the scent development is largely linear. Tends to go a little "sweaty" on extreme drydown so more of a winter scent for me. Really pretty awesome all up

In the Bottle: Narcissus at the forefront but also the white amber and the bergamot On the Skin: The narcissus is glorious - sweet and with that almost epoxy scent of Sol d'Or. The bergamot is not as evident as in the bottle but the vanilla warms to add depth On the Drydown: I love good narcissus scents and this is lovely. It rounds out to a smooth vanilla and narcissus with enough sharp dustiness from the white amber and a little orris. I agree there is an indolence to this. It would be a late winter/early spring scent for me

In the Bottle: Very dark. Champaca, musk and clove are prominent. Slightly vinegary On the Skin: There is an oudh-like funkiness to start and the musk is super strong. The vinegar note burns off quickly to reveal something quite beautiful. On the Drydown: This becomes very dry and woody, which must be the black coconut. It's quite husky and a little dusty. The musk re-emerges to add some dark sweetness and the myrrh adds it's resin to round the blend out a bit. At times there is almost a motor oil vibe. The clove is definitely smoky but doesn't dominate. I like it

In the Bottle: Hard to describe. Definitely some mahogany and that delicious amber cream with an almost floral muskiness On the Skin: Creamy and rich, smooth musk, The mahogany emerges quickly to dry the blend a little but adds that rich red woodiness which is softer than the BPAL redwood note but similar. One the Drydown: Uber sophisticated and elegant - silk and cashmere rather than cotton and wool. There is a slightly gourmand feel to this but not super foody. This smells so much better when you get wafts than when you sniff directly. I get occasional wafts which are absolutely divine. Good throw and wear length

I was on the fence about blind bottling this one but ended up throwing it in my cart. I am so glad I did and it's worth a backup bottle or two In the Bottle: A sweet musk On the Skin: Sweet musk with the woodsy honey notes of rooibos On the Drydown: As this dries it reminds me a lot of Buck Moon and Faun with the note reminiscent of honey musk and touch of gentle earthiness. It has good staying power and great throw but isn't obnoxious. As it dries further the oakmoss definitely features more prominently. It's not a dirty scent but the oakmoss adds a certain organic earthiness

In the Bottle: Myrrh and red currant with a slight creaminess On the Skin: The red amber cream is just divine especially with the thick myrrh. There is almost a cardamom spiciness to this at the start. Rich but not heavy On the Drydown: This is another really special blend from this year's Lupercalia (and there are a few). It's absolutely delicious and becomes quite dry but not desiccated. The rice milk add a lightness to the rich cream and resin of the myrrh. The vetiver just adds a touch of smokiness. Sublime

In the Bottle: A complex floral honey with a slight tea freshness in the back. Can pick the jasmine and white musk, clearly On the Skin: Rich honey and jasmine and the plum blossom is surprisingly robust On the Drydown: A very musky floral with honey richness and a slight backing of bitter lemon peel. Extremely sophisticated and elegant but more a winter/autumn floral for me rather than spring or summer. The honey on me is very thick and sticky-sweet. Very nice

In the Bottle: Well hello! Not quite what I thought but fascinating so far. Boozy dusty sandalwood with a distinct caramel note On the Skin: Strange and unsettling but I can't stop sniffing! Pretty much as above but the cassis liqueur developing. This reminds me of something but I can't think what On the Drydown: This quickly smooths out and I think the vanillic muskiness of tonka is to be credited. This is so unique, strange and wonderful it is hard to describe. I love it but I'm not sure if I will wear it. Ageing could change my mind

In the Bottle: Sparkly ginger, ti leaf and a touch of cardamom adding it's unique twist On the Skin: Wow. Interesting. Smells like gingery date pudding to start with. This is the first BPAL rice milk blend I have tried and I am loving the subtle creaminess. On the Drydown: Continues the date pudding theme for a while then turns very dry ginger/cardamom with the rice milk taming with the creaminess and the oakmoss adding a dirtiness. The previous reviewer says this is energising and it absolutely is. Zingy

In the Bottle: Mostly lemony green tea with a floral note On the Skin: The tea is now more white tea than green tea, subtler and less lemony. A touch of woodiness from the sandalwood On the Drydown: Stays pretty linear fresh green/white tea for ages and then the honeycomb very slowly starts to emerge to warm up the blend and add some richness. The vanilla orchid is barely there and the sandalwood isn't overtly obvious. A nice spring/summer scent but not quite what I was expecting

In the Bottle: Lilac underscored by blueberry at first sniff and a tiny bit of sweet pea at the back On the Skin: Beautiful lilac and some huskiness from the tobacco but only gently supporting the blend. Blueberry not that prominent but it gives a general, vague fruitiness. On the Drydown: The sage really emerges a short way into the drydown but it's not aggressive, just adding a less sweet note to add some character. The blueberry and sage component are just genius - the blueberry wafts in and out and the sage adds some sophistication. Really like this ETA: the extreme drydown is very dry with lilac floating over the top. Lovely!

Laotian oudh, labdanum, bourbon vanilla, red benzoin, and myrrh. In the Bottle: Beautiful oudh and a slight red musk vibe (red musk not a listed component) On the Skin: The oudh is immediately tamed by the other components, especially the bourbon vanilla. It's a gently spicy oudh forward resin blend. The labdunum lends a softness as it dries down a bit more. On the Drydown: In the end, a very nice spiced oudh/resin blend. I like a lot

In the Bottle: Tobacco and the labs awesome grey amber (it smells like there is some lavender in there as well) On the Skin: Beautiful tobacco sweetened by the amber and lightened by the opopponax. There is a thin ribbon of smoke but not overpowering. On the Drydown: This is such an elegant tobacco blend almost with a light leather vibe to it. It is melancholy and sweet.

In the Bottle: Deeply spicy leather, red musk and vetiver blend. There is an intense huskiness to the whole On the Skin: Dark weathered leather blackened by vetiver. The earthiness of the patchouli murmurs under the surface. The red musk is present adding a rich spiciness and the black pepper definitely has a kick as it develops on the skin. On the Drydown: This is a very warm spice blend backed by leather and sweetened a tiny bit by red musk. Rose is never obvious. As it dries down further this flips to a spiced leather blend rather than the other way around. On the extreme drydown, this is reminiscent of Behind the Veils becoming a mature and elegant perfume. Nice for winter

In the Bottle: Light, clear honey sweetness over a cool balsam fir tinged snow note On the Skin: Sweet but light honey and a slightly minty snow component. The honey adds some warmth so this isn't a frigid scent just cool much like Buck Moon is. On the Drydown: The honey becomes richer and thicker . I know there has been a lot of speculation about the snow note and for me it's more like Snow White to my nose - cool and creamy. Not a multiple bottle blend but I will wear it.

In the Bottle: Hello patchouli! With sweet labdanum and a whisp of saffron On the Skin: Really nice patchouli and rich ambery labdanum. The myrrh kicks in a little to cut through the sweetness. The shadow musk (which is always a pure win note for me) lifts the blend to a more refined level a little later on. On the Drydown: This is a lovely dark blend - all resins, inky musk and earthy patchouli. The saffron adds a little spice but isn't overpowering. At times there is a fruitiness that emerges but I am sure that will disappear with ageing and this will age magnificently