cranberry

In this imp this smells slushy and cool. On the skin, it stays that way, wet, slushy and aquatic. It reminds me of aquatic florals and monocots. This oil is a complete surprise and I’m enjoying it a lot. I wasn’t expecting the snow/slush note! I was expecting something much more incensy, floral and hot. I haven’t smelled Ice Queen much, so it reminds me of Snow Moon, Snow Bunny, Snow Moon or Talvikuu. It’s gorgeous and I think I like it even more than any of these LEs. The stone note is there and is similar to that in Shanghai Tunnel or Black Opal. I really like this scent and am tempted to get a bottle.

What a fantastic tea – lemon – musk scent. It’s slightly sweet. The tea is subdued so it’s mainly lemon, white musk, and a sweetness. On the skin, it’s almost identical to Dorian, perhaps with not quite as much vanilla, touch of bergamot and a bit more lemon. I loved the original, and I adore this one too.

Soporose and lenitive: opium-laced golden lotus with rich amber, pine resin, and rose otto. This is absolutely gorgeous. I remember it being nice when I first got it, but this is just outstanding. I think that age has really been kind to this scent. It’s soft, sweet, smooth, golden pink smelling. The lotus is most prominent, but along with the lotus is the opium and amber. As it wears I think the amber and opium are getting stronger and more distinct. This reminds me of Emathides in a way. I can’t describe how exactly. Perhaps the amber. I think that both scents are very full and rich in body and that’s why I’m thinking of Emathides (because they really don’t smell anything alike). I don’t get any of the pine. Every time I wear this I’m blown away by what a great scent it is. I would be happy with a 2nd bottle of this one.

Wet, this smells fizzy and cola-ish. It’s sweet, and gets sweeter as it wears. It’s something like vanilla, but not quite. I can’t put my finger on it. It’s best described as sweet syrupy cola plus patchouli far in the background. As it dries, the fizzy cola scent is gone and the bay rum makes itself known blending with the patchouli… I’m wearing this trying to pick out all the notes and how they progress, when what I really want to say is that this smells amazingly good. Dark, rich, resinous, slightly spicy. The amber and patchouli in this scent are just gorgeous. As the notes say, the patch is old. I tend to think of new patchouli as being aggressive, in your face, spiky and loud. The patch here is smooth, exotic, dark and beautiful. It has none of that “head shop” association that patchouli sometimes has (and I do enjoy that as well). There’s something here that has a bit of an astringent smell. When I place my nose to my skin I can smell it clearly, yet when smelling it normally I don’t get it. I think it was a fleeting scent and brought to mind a weird association, so it’s good that it’s gone. I’ve heard the comparisons of Minotaur to SM, and I have to agree but I like this far more. This is more refined, brighter, clearer. As it wears, that sweetness remains and blends so well with the resins, patchouli and musk. It has a good wear life, which is great because I want this scent to stick around. This is dark, mysterious, so sexy, resinous and just so gorgeous. There’s a brightness to this scent which is surprising. Something almost translucent that brings to mind sheets of golden dark amber. There’s a clarity to this scent. Despite the resins, I don’t think of this scent as earthy – it’s more a fire/air blend to my mind. I love this scent and have to say the hype is right on. It deserves every positive mention that it gets and should be as sought after as it is. It freaking phenomenal. And because it was part of a duet, it’s fitting that it layers as well as it does with Black Moon. I love that combination. I love this scent!

This starts out as a combination of pear and lily of the valley. Rose too (rather than rosewood). Though I think of the three, the lily is most prominent. The more I smell it, the more I like it. At first it was rather piercing but as it wears it softens and becomes quite beautiful. As it wears the rose becomes stronger and the pear recedes. This is a pretty scent and I do enjoy it, but it’s not something that I’d ever really wear.

You know, I never really got orange out of Pumpkin Queen before. I always thought of her as a warm pumpkiny amber scent with spice. Now that I’ve been reading about the newest Patch and who prefers what and why, and how Pumpkin Queen was always a bit too orange, maybe I can pick out a bit of orange. It’s hard though. There is a brightness there which I think is the mandarin, but it’s subtle. On me, the amber still dominates and I love it. There is a bit of spice there which must be the ginger and cardamom peeking out but they’re doing just that, peeking out. Like the mandarin, the spice is subtle but it adds tremendously to this oil. As it wears the spice gets stronger and melds so beautifully with the amber and pumpkin. Since I tried it, it’s been amongst my top 10. I like the new Patch a lot, but it’s hard to displace the Queen. Revolution unsuccessful.

In the imp, this smells like a candle to me. By that I mean it smelled rather waxy. On the skin, that waxy scent is still there. Is that the redwood? I thought I knew what redwood smelled like from Carceri d'Invenzione, but maybe not. As it dries, ahhhh - there it is. Oh, this is smelling pretty damn good. It’s dry, very dry. Soft and woody. It’s not the aggressive woodiness that I get from cedar, red sandalwood or any of the evergreens. This is rather subdued, tempered, refined. I’m still getting the waxy association and something herbal too. The lemon peel provides a touch of brightness but it’s not strong enough to make itself strongly known, which to me is a good thing. As it wears, I can smell the rosewood. And there is something “rosy” about it. That’s dominating the scent for me now. I could see some very smooth patchouli here too. It’s mixing well with the wax but starting to take over. I think my favorite part was as it was drying. It was a fabulous wax scent that I really enjoyed. It brought to mind Medicine Show, and makes me think of elemi for some reason. After it’s been on for a good while now, the rosewood is still the dominant note. I do like this but probably not enough for a bottle. I’ll enjoy my imp though.

This smells like the best bakery ever. I’m getting the cassia and can feel it a little too, but I don’t care. This just smells so damn good - decadent and rich. I don’t really get any cake or chocolate. I do smell caramel and coconut through. And it smells damn good. Spice too, the cassia is front and center. It makes me think of a perfect fall time dessert. Of all the foody blends out there, I think this must be one of the most extreme.

2005 On the skin, this is a fabulous grassy floral. When it was new, I remember it having a lot of jasmine but it’s mellowed a lot since then. It’s wonderfully fresh and green and oh so pretty. We have a late spring here, so rather than spring, this oil makes me think of a bright summer day where the fields are green and the flowers are out. The skies are clear and brilliant, the sun is shining and mountains are all around. This is a glorious scent and I adore how it’s aged, however I gotta say, this scent really makes me want summer again – and that’s not a good thing with snow and winter not even here yet! Maybe I’ll put this away for a while, at least until mid-winter!

I never thought that I’d like this oil. I got it really more for the name than what I expected from the scent. More often than not, the cherry note that’s common in BPAL tends to go cough syrupy on me, so I’ve learned to be a bit wary when it comes to cherry. Man though, I was totally blown away once it got here. Of all the Monster Baits, I think this is my favorite. It is so sweet and delicious. On the skin, it smells just like sweet dark cooked cherries – cherry pie with whipped cream on top. There’s sugar too. It’s sweet, but not the tooth ache sweetness that’s in Sugar Skull or even Hymn to Prosperpine. I don’t find this scent girly or innocent in the least. I think the black cherries push it into a darker realm. It’s fabulous and I’m so glad that I got a bottle.

I ordered 2 bottles of this because it’s the moon of my birth month. I’m so glad that I did. This is just amazing and so delicious. This is a soft, glorious musk – it’s not black musk nor red musk. It’s a light musk or a blend of light musks. There is a touch of power there but it’s not a baby powder – just a bit dry and powdery smelling. Perhaps a bit like how Chanel # 5 or Youth Dew has a bit of a powder or maybe even an aldehyde note. I really don’t get any of the other notes here, just the glorious musk. It reminds me strongly of Buck Moon, A Bachelor’s Dog (w/out the tobacco and leather) or the musky notes in Devil’s Night. It’s deeper and fuller than Buck Moon but so similar that it’s striking. I simply adore this oil.

This smells so freaking good! I was looking forward to this oil most from the Patch and it’s fabulous. When first applied, there’s this wonderful sweet pumpkin – warm, cozy, delicious. As it wears, I’m actually getting an orange vibe from this oil. Looking at the notes I realize that it’s the blood orange. It’s actually reminding me a bit of Ravenous, which is one of my favorite oils. There’s an fizzy quality to both, which is probably due to the neroli. Ginger is there too, and at this point, it’s mostly all orange, pumpkin and ginger. After it’s been on a half-hour or so, the vanilla starts to come out, and the orange and ginger soften. The pumpkin is still there but it’s not overly buttery or foody. It’s just warm, spicy, sweet and delicious. I love it and have to get a second bottle of this.

Wow, I feel like hackess and I have the same skin, or the same nose or both! So, my review is going to be pretty similar to hers. In the bottle this smells like sweet, soft cherries. Yum! On the skin, rose comes out big-time. Honeyed rose. As it wears, I may be able to pick out the slightest trace of carnation and dark fruits, but if they are there, it’s just a whisper. It’s still pretty much all rose. I was hoping for a bit more of the dark fruit and carnation. This scent has a pretty short wearlife on me, after an hour I can barely smell it. I was really hoping this Libra would work on me, it is my sun sign. Maybe I’d have better luck with a scent locket or in a burner.

I just posted the Pumpkin Patch set in the Gallery. I think I like this set even more than the last one!

I love this scent. It really does remind me strongly of Buck Moon, especially at first. At first, it’s all smooth, sweet musk, velvelty and warm. As it wears, the tobacco and leather come out. It’s a fantastic combination. This is more masculine than Buck Moon but still is fairly unisex. It sticks close and on me is very much a skin-scent. The oil itself seems moisturizing and adds to the velvety impression. Delicious! And this would be mindblowing sexy on a lover.

To me, Talvikuu, Snow Bunny and Snow Moon are all quite similar with only subtle differences. This smells mainly of evergreen and BPAL’s slush/snow note. It smells chilly and slightly damp. There’s a touch of mint, which could be the birch bark. As it wears, the evergreen backs off a bit and it becomes a bit more aquatic and slushy. I like it!

2006 release I love this scent and looking over the reviews I wish I had gotten a bottle of the 2007 version too. This scent is sweet, sexy and exotic. The sandalwood and champaca are strongest on me. Luckily enough, the honey behaves and blends beautifully with the rest of the notes rather than trying to overpower everything in sight. There’s flowers here too – jasmine and tuberose, and incense. I can smell a similarity with other oils from the Lupercalia series – those sweet honeyed flowers with incense seems to be in quite a few of the other oils. I think this may be my favorite of the series. I think I can smell a bit of the date palm too. This scent is quite strong and I don’t need much for serious throw. I love this on its own, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this layered with Snake Oil.

I’m starting to think that cocoa is one of those notes that fade with age. I’m trying to review my way through my BPAL box I just happened to grab Freak Show. This is a bottle from the original release, so it’s got a bit of age on it. When first applied this is all sweetness – mainly vanilla and fig. I can barely smell the cocoa, yet I remember when it was fresh it was much stronger in the oil when first applied. Now there’s just a whisper there and it’s pretty much overpowered by the vanilla and fruit. I always preferred it after it burned off, but I liked that blast of cocoa too so I do miss it. I can smell pomegranate now and lemon is there adding a bit of brightness but that’s all it does – there’s nothing overtly citrus. This has always been one I really enjoyed from the CN series. There’s a depth here that goes beyond vanilla and fruit – perhaps it’s the honey musk grounding this, I really can’t say how the rest of the notes play into this scent. As it wears, the sweetness backs off a bis bit and it becomes a bit woody. I’ve always associated calamus with a succulent green smell but maybe I’m thinking of something else. Anyway, this stage is delicious too. I find this oil upbeat and cheerful. I can’t imagine being in a bad mood wearing this scent. Love it!

This really is a fantastic incense scent and in terms in incense scents, I find the Pit to be quite different from Midnight Mass and most similar to Cathedral. Sniffing this in the bottle, this is quite sharp and piercing. However, once applied to the skin it changes greatly and becomes smooth, creamy incense. It’s dry, smoky, and smells like there’s sandalwood here in contrast to the cedar that’s in Cathedral. For reference, I find Midnight Mass to be much fuller in body and much more like sticky resins. Both this and Cathedral are much drier and much stronger on burning incense as opposed to raw resins. Cathedral has a touch more wood. Of the 3, I find this scent to be the purest incense scent. I think it’s my favorite of the 3 and this is definitely my signature incense scent.

This is from a bottle I got soon after this was released so it’s been aged for a year or more. In the bottle, I can smell mainly dark cocoa and patchouli. On the skin, the cocoa and patchouli start out but the cocoa soon gives way to the patchouli. It’s smooth, rich, and mixes so well with the incense. As it wears the leather peeks out and mixes with the incense and patchouli. I think age has mellowed this scent, I seem to remember the cocoa in particular being a lot stronger. The incense is smoky, not so much the raw resins. It doesn’t have any sharpness. It’s a dark, rich scent - unusual. The patchouli and incense in here are gorgeous and they play here equally, neither one dominating the blend. If I had to choose one word for this oil, it would be smooth. I’m so glad that I have a bottle – it’s fantastic.

In the imp, this reminds me of the Asian moons from 2006. It’s light, bright, pretty. On the skin, this is citrus, lemongrass and something else I can’t put my finger on. As it wears it becomes slightly creamy and it’s reminding me of Tamamo-No-Mae but with a lot more lemongrass and not nearly as creamy. The lemongrass is still the dominant note, and it’s killing this blend for me. I just don’t care much for it. After it’s been on a while, a bit of light musk and iris emerge. This is pretty but still not my kind of scent, though I do prefer this stage to the solid lemongrass that it once was. Now after an hour or so, this is really nice. Creamy citrus musk. It’s like a not sweet Hungry Ghost Moon. It stays close so in order for this to really stick at this stage you’d really have to slather.

Before I tried BPAL I never would have believed that I was a foodie-scent kinda girl. No, I was all about the woods, incense, and spices. Well I’ve changed. I love the majority of the MB series. This one is no exception – it’s one of my favorites in fact. In the bottle this smells frosting sweet. Edible. I can’t get beyond that impression to discern any notes, just yum! On the skin, wow, this smells so good. This smells like blackberry, cake and frosting. Delicious! It is very sweet but I’m ok with that. I don’t get any bourbon but I don’t care. The berries, cake and creamy frosting are enough for me. This is just mouth watering good.

On the skin, wet, this is spicy lavender. Dry, the spice becomes cinnamon and beats the lavender into submission. It seems like there’s other herbs here too but I can’t be more specific than that. This is beautiful - I really like this blend.

In the imp, this is strongly lemon with maybe a touch of lavender. And sage. On the skin, this does smell like a lemon drop hard candy – sweet, tart and saliva-inducing. After it's dry, the orange blossom peeks out mixing with the lemon. As it wears, the lemon backs off and the orange blossom becomes stronger. It's sweet this time, and doesn't have that bite that it sometimes does. There's something in there that's tempering the sweetness – the herbs? Sage perhaps. Surprisingly neither the lavender nor the jasmine make themselves known. What was that I smelled in the imp? This is actually quite pretty though so far from my usual scent preferences that I'd never wear this.

Many, many thanks to the lovely Ghosttown for an opportunity to try and own this oil!!! When first applied, this scent is strong, creamy gardenia. It’s more than just gardenia though. There’s spice there too. I also think there’s dragon’s blood and red musk here too – I’m getting a spicy, cream, musky floral that has a bit of the fruitiness characteristic of dragon’s blood on me. This is just so gorgeous. I like Noumenon’s comparison that the Unheavenly City is for gardenias as what Rose Red is for roses. I agree completely. As it wears, it gets sweeter and berry-like. It’s reminding me of the berries in Florence (which I love). What a fantastic oil!