alyelle

First purchased in 2009, worn many times since then! Somehow I've neglected my reviewing duties - though I'm not sure how as this very quickly became a favourite of mine (impulse purchasing done right). In the bottle: a strong lavender, with faint soapy overtones in my initial early notes; these died down after a few years, as the magnolia softened out. Wet: early on it was magnolia and musk, with a trace of airy aquatics. It's become more magnolia-dominant during the aging process, though always with a solid helping of lavender and blue musk. There's less vanilla than TKO but the overall effect is quite similar and when I ran out of my sleep helper one time, this proved a very useful substitute. (Let it be known I do not sub in discontinued LE's except in extreme cases; at that time, I had been about three weeks without decent sleep and was at my wit's end.) Dry: this one has definitely benefited from aging - my early notes read "soft floral blend, nothing exciting". Yvaine really was a slow grower and surprise for me; I didn't love it nearly as much as I do now, as it didn't really do anything special til about 2012. Very careful storage has resulted in an utterly delightful scent now - the blueness of the musk fades off as the day progresses into a lovely mauve, leaving a mellow and stable blend of vanilla-tinged lavender and magnolia. Very long lived, and perfect for sultry summer days and balmy autumn nights. Absolute fave, will be keeping for as long as I'm able. Stars: ★★★★★

I have two imps of this, one that is clearly reasonably new which was a freebie with a recent decant order, and another which I received as a lab freebie a few years ago. Reviews for both are below, since I figure it'll help anyone who wants to know how this might age over time. Imp: In the older version, a rich, thick resin blushed with narcissus. In the younger, rock-rose, narcissus, and stephanotis - much lighter, and much more floral. Wet: The younger imp starts of very resinous, underneath the floral top notes, and is borderline sickly in its sweetness. The older is spicier, and citrusy, almost like mulled wine, with hints of floral talc. I usually stop at this point, as I haaate the talc scent, but risked finishing the application for the sake of comparison. Dry: The young version dries down to a dominant note of stephanotis, with a sick, sticky narcissus over it. It's too floral, too cloying, too long-lived and annoyingly present at all times. The older version is more well-rounded, and dries to a smooth, pleasant finish, with a shorter life span and less persistent throw. Stars: ★★ for young Hades; ★★★ for the aged version.

Freebie with a recent decant order; lab origin, age unknown. Imp: Coconut and suntan lotion, bay leaves, spices and parchment. A more masculine Snake Oil. Wet: Vanilla, salt, Indonesian spices, and possibly balsam. Thankfully no signs of cinnamon welts, which is always a worry when I'm testing something with no listed notes. Dry: Snake Oil, heavier on the incense, lighter on the vanilla. An average lifespan of 6 or so hours, with medium to strong throw. Would consider buying equally for me or the boy. Stars: ★★★★

Freebie with a recent decant order, lab origin, no clue as to age. Imp: Dragon's blood resin (I assume it's actually blood musk, but it smells identical to the DBR notes in a couple of my favourite blends), tonka, and a faint aquatic overtone. Wet: Champagne grape - which hits first, and so strongly I didn't need to review the description to know they were there - oakmoss and plum. Dry: This fades gradually to a soft, rosy (in mood and colour, not scent) fruit wine. Quite pleasant, and classic BPAL. What I'd been hoping for when I bought Athens all those years ago. Overall, a very long-lived perfume, some 8-12 hours, with a medium and ever-present throw. Stars: ★★★½

Imp: cherry almond cough syrup, with undertones of salt and bay leaf Wet: my skin eats this. I have to sniff so close to my wrist to find it. Clove, honey, and vanilla; it smells a lot like chai tea! Much better than anything else I've tried with bay in it. Dry: soft vanilla cloves, like the memory of chai in an empty tea cup, and curiously, bubblegum. It's lifespan is about 4 hours, with strong-ish tending quickly to very soft throw. Surprisingly good and definitely better than I was expecting from the description! Stars: ★★★★

Imp: Slightly dusty dried roses. Wet: Pot pourri, sadly. Strong and entirely rose. Dry: Sometimes I get a waft of moss, but otherwise this is pure rose, with no balsam, labdanum, or relief. This is disappointing, as I loved almost all 2014's rose scents after years of avoiding them for exactly what this one does - old, cheap, pot pourri smell. I had such high hopes too, moss usually behaves very well on me! I don't hate it like some others, and I can wear it without headache, but it's not a keeper. It lasts a good 6-8 hours, and the throw stays strong throughout. Stars: ★★★

Imp: Amber, and a bizarre sweetness I can't place that must logically be carrot seed. Wet: Sweet, and slightly aquatic. Carrot seed is weird. It also seems to be making me sneeze. Dry: Slightly metallic in the dry-down, and the sneezing fit lasted a good hald hour. Later, once that settled, this morphed into almost pure amber, more earthy than Mouse's Long and Sad Tale (which is my go to amber scent) and not quite as sweet. Life was quite decent, 8-10 hours, with a medium throw. I might keep it for a while, but if that sneezing repeats, to the sale pile. Stars: ★★★½

Imp: Cypress and oak, white glacial mountains and cool hidden streams. Wet: Strongly cypress and cedar, with just a hint of mint ("must be the 1920's" ). Possibly also some sandalwood if I really sniff for it? Dry: The typical cold pine scent I've to expect from anything with cypress; similar to Capricorn, and delightfully pleasant, but nothing I'll need to buy a bottle of. It does remind me slightly of Delphi and Olympia in winter. ♥ A reasonable 8-hour life span, and a medium throw. Stars: ★★★½

2015 version Imp: Musky, sweet, and somehow plastic-y. Yes, okay, it kind of does smell like (impending?) sex. Wet: Pale, thin, and white; mainly orris and narcissus. It's very sweet and sickly floral, not a big fan so far. Dry: I actually couldn't stand wearing this long enough to wait for a dry-down analysis; I ended up scrubbing for ten minutes in the shower to get rid of it and switched to Mt. Fuji. The throw is mid to strong, and individually the notes should work on me, but in combination.. Nope. Sale pile immediately. Stars: ★½

Imp: Deep, earthy woods and a throbbing patchouli core. Wet: Strong on the patchouli and balsam, but more like a pure resin than the usual incense/smoke scent I typically get from BPAL's patchouli. I'm already crossing my fingers for a dry-down like Eve. Dry: Very little morph, and much balsam throughout! I really like this, but it will be an early autumn/late spring blend, I think. The more extreme seasons won't do it justice. Reasonable life span (about 8 hours) with a mid-strong throw. Stars: ★★★★

A frimp of unknown age, but not more than 18 months. Imp: vanilla (which I originally took for myrrh earlier this week, damn sinus) and leather, with hints of soap, sage and lavender. Wet: carnation, in its soapy, floral glory :/ But happily, an increasingly dominant combination of vanilla-lavender-leather, with a subtle astringent note of sage if you really sniff for it. Dry: this belongs firmly to the group I refer to as 'new boyfriend scents'. It tends towards masculine, just, and feels comfortable. The vanilla and leather continue to dominate on me, as they always do; by the end of the day, they face to a clean soap smell, but the good sort - just pure, unblemished, freshly dried skin, with the vaguest hint of butter-frosting and garden herbs playing about the edges. With a life of 8-10 hours and a pretty decent throw, this is definitely something I'd consider rebuying. Pleasantly surprised! Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: blue musk and wysteria, reminiscent (to me, at any rate) of The Diamond's Gong. Wet: musk, blossom, and the faintest hint of lemon. Dry: I'd love to know, but this vanishes without a trace quite soon after application, and as far as I can tell, doesn't morph on me at all in that period of time. Life is 1-2 hours at best with a mild throw. Update: reviewed again after temperature-controlled aging, and while the notes listed above are the same, it lasts a lot longer. Stars: ★★★½

In the imp: strawberry medicine, cherry sweets, and vanilla sponge cake. Wet: well thank god, it's not straight up food; I was worried. No medicinal smell, hurrah, just soft, sweet cherries over a smooth base of vanilla and (perfect, non-powdery) musk. Dry: a wonderful earthy grain scent, which I have to assume is some weird, hitherto unexperienced morph of the bourbon vanilla; touches of musk, and... not much else. I didn't get to experience a full day's wear as I put it on after an evening shower before going out (and fell asleep long before it wore off), but I already adore it and am greatly looking forward to wearing it again. Life was still going strong at 6-ish hours, with a gentle but persistent throw. Stars: ★★★★

Frimp with my recent order of decants, so not sure on the age, but the packaging suggests it's not terribly old. In the imp: burnt caramel, bread, and wine. Wet: sticky caramel buns. I smell like I've been rolling around in a bakery. Dry: not awful, but too foodie for my liking. However, it is definitely the nicest of BPAL's caramel/caramel-like scents I've tried, with none of the awful chemical smell I have gotten from stuff like Sugar Cookie and Sugar Moon. Reasonably long lasting, with a life of about 6-8 hours, and a mild throw. Update: re-tested after aging for five years in a dark, temperature-controlled cellar. The caramel is much more rounded, the sandalwood definitely stronger, and the orris/bourbon vanilla take a much greater role in the structure of the scent. A very worthwhile experiment, and if you do have the patience/ability to age this one before using, I highly recommend doing so. Stars: ★★★

This one confused me a lot, because the initial throw I got from the imp, and the results of the skin test I did, were nothing like the description says. Reading through these reviews, I see why. I've got the 'new' pale pink, florally thing - which is a shame, really. Vetiver and I are pretty much besties these days, and a good dose of patchouli is usually enough to temper any potential nastiness I might get from civet (not always a win, but more often than not it'll play nice on me). I'm curious to try and track down a sample of the older style, just to compare; in the meantime, my experience from the one I recently got as a frimp is below. In the imp: floral. Holy mother of god is it floral. Horrible floral, too - my first bet is on Lily of the Valley, which I'm rapidly learning I can't stand, but there might also be jasmine or stephanotis blossom in there. There's an undertone of aquatic blooms as well, and from the colour, I suspect dragon's blood resin or pink musk. Wet: a spicy, albeit salty, warmth - definitely some type of 'blood' note. And not in a good way. There's nothing remotely sensual or sexual going on for me here. In fact, I'm very tempted to wash off the tiny drops I put on, because I'm starting to feel slightly nauseous already. Dry: didn't make it. Five minutes into the dry down, I went and scrubbed it off. Whatever's in here, it's a migraine trigger, and a strong one at that. And good god, does this amp - boyfriend was sitting ten feet away and still complained it was too strong. Life: indeterminate; throw: ridiculous. Stars: ★

I tried this twice, because the first time, my aversion was so instant and so strong that I thought my nose might have been off. Apparently not. In the imp: a truly horrible fusion of decaying flowers, disinfectant, and dirty floor-mopping water. As worn: I have so many things still to review that I've stopped making detailed notes for anything I find unappealing, but throughout its dry-down, this blend never improves much from my initial impression. The lily emerges as a slightly powdery scent, but the whole thing is dominated by a pine/eucalyptus smell that reminds me of the cleaning fluid hospitals use over here. What florals I do get are certainly not pleasant enough to give it a third chance. Instantly into my sale pile. Stars: ★

Frimp of unknown age which came with a recent set of decants I bought. Imp: White fruits, apricot, and a touch of pink pepper Wet: There is definitely, 1000% no cinnamon in this - because even blends with the slightest HINT of cinnamon (and we're talking so slight my nose can't detect it) cause me to come out in huge red welts within seconds of application. Red Devil does nothing like that. I'd also stake all my savings on there being no dragon's blood either - the oil itself is way too light, and it doesn't do the rank thing DBR normally does on me. During the wet-to-dry stage, I get hints of rose - probably rosewater, or the soft white rose that featured in the Lupers a couple of years ago? Again, the usual bpal rose is a death note on me, and this stays very pleasant from start to finish. Predominantly fruits and florals, with a touch of sweet resin - my best guess is amber and/or white sandalwood. The overall effect is a slightly fruitier version of Mouse's Long and Sad Tale. Dry: A soft, sweet powder, but not talc. The more it dries, the more I'm suspecting golden amber as a base, with top notes of fruit - apricot or peach, and maybe guava or pink grapefruit. Possibly pomegranate but that usually turns into toilet cleaner on me and this hasn't done so. Nothing about Red Devil suggests red to me - this is light, bright and golden, with faint streaks of pink like a summer sunrise. This is what I imagined Versailles would smell like before I tested it. The life is average, around 5-6 hours, and the throw is pretty light after the first hour or so. Pretty, feminine, and very spring-like; I'd put it amongst my recommendations and would possibly buy another imp in future. Stars: ★★★½

I so hate leaving negative reviews, but this is going to have to be one of those rare occasions. I got this as a frimp and to be honest, I only put it on out of an OCD sense of completionism - the smell from the imp was more than enough to convince me I'd hate it. It's not butterscotch for me, or booze, or caramel; it's a sticky, sweet, nausea-inducing horridness that somehow lingers even after I recap the imp. On my skin it's not quite as bad - but by "not quite", I mean I could maybe rate it one star instead of zero. After ten or so minutes it goes from indescribable sickliness to chemical butterscotch with coconut overtones. The throw is incredibly strong, but since I washed it off after half an hour, I couldn't speak to how long it lasts. My guess would be forever. :/ Between this and the way some of the other rum-inspired behaved on me lately, I suspect I am not someone whose skin chemistry plays nicely with foodie scents. A couple of the chocolate or sugar ones have been bearable, but I think in future, I'll stick to my resins and mosses.

#71 (decant) Imp: Something that my brain wants to interpret as lime or lavender, or possibly both. Maybe also magnolia - the 'wood' base is very light and reminds me a lot of Yvaine in its early stages. Wet: Hints of wood, but cut and polished tabletops rather than living trees. I'm always hopeless at isolating which is which; this might be cedar but I wouldn't stake money on it. A light citrus overtone, definitely lime rather than lemon as I'm not amping it, and some emerging florals as well - lily or lily-of-the-valley would be my best guess, they're doing that almost soap/talc thing both those notes tend to do on my skin. Dry: I like this. A mossy dry scent emerges after a few hours, and the floral-citrus blend never gets too overwhleming (or too soapy, hurrah!). More fougere-like than #70 was, and much more feminine. Also more short-lived, sadly; this fades off after 4-6 hours, and the throw is relatively light. Stars: ★★★½

I've got another of the decants from Woods #70 and I agree with TeaOtter - it definitely has fougere qualities about it, but on me, it behaves less like a fougere and more like a floral/herb blend. Imp: At the initial sniff, it's quite masculine, a herby, spicy cologne, topped off with sunshine and musk and leather. It smells nothing like Dorian but it makes me inhale and go oooh the same way Dorian did when I first bought it. Wet: The same spicy leather with a light honey-like overtone. As it dries, a tiny hint of forest emerges, like a stroll a few hills over from a wooded copse on a sunny day, where you occasionally catch a hint of crackly, drying undergrowth. Dry: I don't have time to let this properly dry down as I'm headed to bed, but after ten minutes, it starts going sort of... tobacco-y. Not the dried tobacco though, the slightly oily, petroleum-like scent that's in some of the Rappacini reviews. The leather base is still there and the wafts of sunshine and honey. I desperately want to try this on the boyfriend, to see what it does on him - I suspect it will be much more glorious than it is on me.

This was just lovely - right up until the point where I started coming out in massive, painful red welts. To the reviewers who smell cinnamon, you're right; Alice's Evidence is laden with it. I only ever have this reaction with cinnamon blends and to be honest, I'm slightly irritated that it wasn't listed as an ingredient on the website. I wouldn't have tried it at all, much less with the reckless abandon I did, if I'd known it was in there. It doesn't smell cinnamony in the imp, but good lord does it amp (and burn) once it touches my skin. 3/5 for the scent, it is actually lovely and foodies, especially the Christmas fruit lovers, should really enjoy it. But a definite 1/5 for the wearing experience. I shouldn't have to check reviews as well as the site itself to be warned that a common allergen might be an ingredient in the blend I'm trying, but after today, I think I'm going to have to just to be safe.

An imperfect review because a) this isn't my bottle, a friend let me nick a bit and b ) it does what a lot of citrus blends do on me, which is induce a migraine. As of writing, I've had a headache of varying intensity for 37 hours (most of which, sadly, I did not sleep through) and I feel compelled to wash this away before it makes it worse. In the bottle: all citrus, and lime mostly, like a very fruity, fresh summer cocktail. Wet: lime with a strong helping of rosemary and pine needles. Dry: ... 'weird' is the only way I can describe this. Citrusy, yes - the comparison to lemon pledge is pretty apt - but also something I want to describe as powdery, except it doesn't smell like talc or the powder that rose notes tend to bring out on me. It's more back of the sock drawer, scent sachet and mildew powdery. I've never worn a blend with petitgrain before and I don't know if it's responsible for this effect. I know it's not the rosemary or fir; those I wear on a regular basis with no problems. And I doubt it's the lime, but since petitgrain is also a citrus derivative, it doesn't seem like something it should be doing either. :/ I can't speak to its life, but the throw seems to get stronger as it dries - or maybe that's just because I find it unpleasant. On the right person, I can see it being lovely. Unfortunately I am not that person. Stars: ★★

In the imp: vanilla, amber, and what I assume is benzoin. I'm not overly familiar with that note as a component but this reminds me a lot of Arana. Wet: VERY Arana! Vanilla and benzoin dominate, and I get hints of tobacco or nutmeg. No cistus whatsoever. Dry: like so many of this year's Lupers, this one doesn't morph a lot on me. It does, however, have a better lifespan than some! It dries down to a lovely soft vanilla, with a lessened benzoin overtone. Life is around six hours, throw is medium tapering to light in the final stages. I wish I'd had the chance to get a full bottle of this, because it filled the Arana shaped hole in my life so well; sadly, by the time I got around to ordering the decants I wanted, it was out of stock. Straight onto the wishlist. Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: dark, spicy vetiver. A perfect counterpart to Venus Victrix Wet: I swear, vetiver is one of my best friends. Our optometry student says this smells like candy canes; to me it smells like fresh ripe figs and cold forests. The ultiate in winning combinations! ♥ Dry: ... this doesn't actually have time to morph - after about 2 hours, it's vanished. I reapplied it at midday and it was gone again by the time I finished work at 5pm. The throw is medium-to-strong, but the overall life for me rarely exceeds 3 hours, even when I slather. For that, I need to knock off half a star; otherwise it would have been perfect. Stars: ★★★★½

In the imp: grassy dandelions and freesia ♥♥ Wet: yes, yes, yes! This is what I wanted from Venus Murcia's description. The grass is gorgeous, the honey stays blossomy and thin, like early season honey from a brand new rather than the thick, cloying golden honey I usually end up with (which is not to say I don't also love that, but it's so refreshing to have this pale, sweet honey note), and the wildflowers are all things I'd stumble across in late spring and early summer - crocuses, bluebells, freesias, and clover. Okay, maybe they're not things you'd find in spring/summer, but temperate Australian climates make for weird flora behaviour. Dry: this undergoes very little change, though is sadly less long-lived than some of its sister scents. I can still smell if after 5-6 hours but only if I'm really sniffing for it. Final verdict on hold, pending a second wear, but this is definitely up in the 4-5 star range.