crebbsgirl

In the early dry down, the sherry is very prominent on my skin. But as this settles, the most delicious smoky opium scent starts to emerge. The waft smells just amazing. Close to my skin, this isn't as great, but I'm not one to walk around with my wrists smashed to my nose so I'm happy. I really, really like this.

I'm not sure what it is here, but something is going VERY "cologne-y" on my skin. It's a little sharp, and cold feeling. Not for me.

I had written this off because of the mentions of green and aquatic, both do horrible things with my skin chemistry. But I'm a sucker for orchids, so I had to try this.

 

I am soooo glad I did! This is an amazing, heady, slightly spicy orchid with a haze of incense. It's not green in a soapy way on my skin, and the incense doesn't go powdery on me. It's exactly what I had hoped for.

I can sum up my review in one syllable:

 

UNNNNNNHHHHH!

 

This smells amazing on my skin. I normally have real trouble with the lab's leather note. In fact, I think the only blend with leather I have ever been able to wear has been Bow and Crown of Conquest. Most leathers go to chemically grossness on my skin. This, however, is absolute sex. This is a really soft and smooth leather, almost suede-like. The patchouli is really sticky and sweet. It blends nicely with the leather. I get hints of honeysuckle underneath, and I can smell the sarsaparilla sweetening this a little further. I also get nothing resembling coconut on my skin. This is really a stunning scent, and I think it's only going to get better with age.

 

Thank you so much to my amazing NYCC fairy for this.

2012 Version:

The oil is fruit punch pink!

There's a pretty strong citrus component coming out of my skin. Combined with the violet leaf, this ends up going a little powdery/soapy on my skin. The red musk lends a fruity depth here, but it's not dominating the blend like red musk tends to on my skin. It's light and crisp on my skin, cleaner than I was expecting. Ultimately though, it's not really me.

I'm surprised this isn't getting more love, because it is OMFG good on my skin. It's red musk dominant, yes, but I think this is the most wearable red musk I've ever tried from BPAL. The smoke and leaves really temper this, adding a drier, earthier dimension to the red musk. It's really quite beautiful and evocative, and like no other red musk blend I've tried. Whereas Third Charm was heavily reminiscent of Infernal Lover, and had shades of Snake Oil present, Witch Dance is truly in a class of its own.

This is primarily red musk and champaca on my skin, with hints of honey and patchouli in the dry down. The red musk is extremely strong on here, and I think it might benefit from a bit of aging. I get the comparisons to Snake Oil and the Infernal Lover, but this isn't nearly as sweet on my skin.

This smelled remarkably like The Gladdener of All Hearts plus strawberries on me. It has the same sort of milky, powdery scent to it. There is a sharpness to the lavender here that I don't typically get. I think I'm going to have to age this one a bit before it's all the way wearable for me.

This should not work nearly as well as it does on my skin. Coffee is usually a no-go. But all of the other notes usually work, so I had hope. And boy, am I glad I got to try this because it is PURE WIN. It's the tobacco scent I've been searching for. Sweet and rich, the coffee adds a gourmand edge to this. I effing love it.

Oh gods I LOVE THIS!! It's mostly white musk and bergamot on my skin, with just a hint of vanilla and amber. There is a slight greenness to this, but it doesn't sharpen things. Just... YUM!

Wet, there's A LOT of hazelnut, but as it dries the woods and honey come out more. Berries sweeten this up just a bit! I actually quite like this, and the hazelnut calms down considerably in the dry stages,

Sandalwood and something floral? This is a little dry and dusty. The clove is very soft here. The beeswax adds a hint of creamy sweetness. I'm not getting much lotus root.

Musk and clove on my skin. This is soft and sweetly dark. The orris adds a dry touch here. The poppy isn't very prominent on my skin.

There is a certain fizziness here. Ginger and myrrh/opoponax are standouts on my skin. Sweet but dark and a little incensey. There's just a hint of pepper here. I'm not getting much of the neroli.

Smoky sweet lavender on my skin. I was worried about the rose, but it never appears on my skin. I really like this!

Well, this is definitely predominantly oaky. Wood and a bit of greenery. I can't identify acorns per se. As it dries there is a surprising creamy sweetness that comes out. I quite like this!

Grapefruit and honey. Something here reminds me of some Lush product, but I can't figure it out. Ok, that's probably the least helpful statement in the history of reviews, but that's instantly what comes to mind here. I don't get much in the way of baby powder. I actually quite like this.

Bay, pepper and musk feature prominently on my skin. This reads as a little masculine on my skin, but I like it. It's warm and cozy-sexy. Very smooth.

Sweet violets and creamy beeswax. The tea goes a little soapy on my skin. I don't get much leather here. This is a very soft and gentle scent, and it almost has a bit of a retro vibe to it.

Yes, this goes very soapy on my skin! I'm not sure what the culprit is here. I get hints of musk underneath the soapy smell.

I get mostly pear and tiare here, with absolutely no carnation. I get hints of coconut and incense, but they're vet faint. It's a fruity floral on my skin, nice but not really me.

This should be absolute LOVE on my skin, and something here is going to funk. I don't know what happened! I think it may be the orris or the saffron!

Well, the rose is a little more prominent than I would like. The chocolate and patchouli are next in line. It's a very sexy blend, but the rose is amping on my skin unfortunately.

Lime, ambergris, balsam and sandalwood on my skin. There is just a touch of red musk here, hard to smell unless you're looking for it. Something here is reading as aquatic on me. But I like it. Someone mentioned this smelled like Big from Lush, and I can vaguely see it.

I've been looking for a good lilac scent for years, and I think I've finally found it! This is lilac and just a hint of vanilla and white musk on my skin. It's wonderful!!