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BPAL Madness!

rayvn1

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Everything posted by rayvn1

  1. rayvn1

    Bayou

    "Watery blue-green" you're not kidding around! This is crazy strong. I put a little on my arm and may have to wash some off. I love aquatics and that's what this boils down to on me - strong aquatic with a green, flowery combination. I like it but Thalassa the Galapagos Mermaid was this strong and made me unwell so I'm hoping Bayou doesn't follow that path straight to the swaps pile... Yup, had to wash it off - husband had a bad reaction to it also. I think Wiley's Swamp is more up my alley for aquatic with floral and recommend that for anyone else who thinks Bayou is a little too much of a good thing.
  2. rayvn1

    Dragon's Bone

    Hm, not such a hit, this one. Very sweet and floral. Lilies turned to cough syrup within 10 minutes.
  3. rayvn1

    The Buggre Alle This Bible

    Ahhh, now I can smell like I'm at work when I'm at home! I started working part time in my university's music library and if part of my job included walking through the stacks swinging an incense burner - this is what it would smell like Lots of bitter decay in the bottle, but once on the skin: Woosh! Hello leather and incense! It's a little strange, but that part of Good Omens always has me laughing my ass off. Good associations to the perfume.
  4. rayvn1

    The Illustrated Woman

    Oh my fracking GAWD! This may be the best BPAL sent I've ever smelled. This is seriously sex in a bottle. This is "tie me up and spank me" good! In the imp it was very stong on the musk and patchouli. Dry it is a luscious, dark red musk, resin, and tobacco heaven with a hint of the vanilla and honey in the background to make this the sexiest female on the planet!! Frack me. This requires more than a bottle - this requires a fricking BARREL of BPAL goodness.
  5. rayvn1

    The Torture Queen

    Boy, do I wish we could swap skin chemistry on this one, because ALL I got was the gardenia, vanilla, and ambergis and I really wanted chrome and tea. I should have known, though because I amp vanilla like there's no tomorrow. Off to the swap pile with you my dear!
  6. rayvn1

    The High Priest Not To Be Described

    Woah! This comes shrieking out of the imp. On wet there is a lush leather smell dominating - ooh! and I really get the chamomile a minute later...let's see how this develops The spiciness of the incense is kicking in. Hm, I love leather and incense, but there is a "red" tinge to this one I'm not sure I'd want to wear very often. Damn, that leather is tasty though! Actually, I think this one will get some rotation in my BPAL leather scent collection.
  7. rayvn1

    Ligur

    This is fabulous stuff! Dark - and I do mean dark with a capital D - with that awesome khus that makes my nose twitch. This blend was almost fiery and affected me in a similar way as Black Annis though I don't think they share notes. I'm already scrambling to find a bottle
  8. rayvn1

    Thalassa, the Galapagos Mermaid

    First I just have to say that I love aquatics! (The Phoenix especially). But when I put this on the heady and crazy strong aquatic smell went wrong somehow It actually made me really nauseous and I had to scrub my arms under the faucet four or five times. It never really came off either (which would have been a good thing if I wasn't whimpering in distress) and I had to go to sleep with my arms as far away from my head as humanly possible. This is going straight to the swaps pile
  9. rayvn1

    Carnaval Diabolique

    This is mouthwatering! I love the rich opium smoke and the lemon adds a hint of sweet citrus. This deserves a bottle.
  10. rayvn1

    The Contract of Theophilus of Adana

    This was very curious. A bright, harsh scent that has a deeper, darer side lurking under the surface. Unfortunately it kind of leveled out at a generic smell after a while, but it was very interesting in its wet and early dry phases. I'll hold onto this guy and try again later. I think I like the benzoin and brimstone in this. I've never tried those notes to my knowledge, but I'm assuming that's what's creating this interesting clash of bright harshness and deep sexiness.
  11. rayvn1

    The Grand Inquisitor's Heretic's Fork

    Vetiver and smoke. I ask you - can there be a better combination? I think not!! This reminds me a LOT of Agnes Nutter and I believe I like 'ol Agnes more... but the vetiver! This is absolutely nasty smelling in the imp as is Agnes, so give it a chance! On the skin there are definite metallic notes and it's just a great scent. I will probably get a bottle just to mix it up a little on days I don't feel like wearing Agnes. This is filled to the brim with win. Yay BPAL!!
  12. rayvn1

    Banded Sea Snake (2006)

    This changes quite a bit from imp to skin. In the imp it was almost bitter. On the skin there's a green lightness, almost a minty freshness as others have described. I think I like it! Not really getting the vanilla of Snake Oil yet. I'll see how it is after a few hours. To be fair, the only imp I have of Snake Oil is an aged decant so I can't compare it to fresh S.O. It's kind of disappearing into my skin so this may not be a keeper. I love the note descriptions though, so I'm holding onto it for further testing
  13. rayvn1

    Wiley's Swamp

    This is one pretty swamp! It's musty and rich. Very dark and luscious, but mostly really sweet. So sweet I kept sniffing the air thinking "What is my co-worker wearing? Because that can't possibly be...oh wait, it is me" Not flowery, but very sweet and dark if that appeals to you. I got a whif of strong aquatic while wet, but on dry down I think it was the rot, bog laurel, and creeper. I'm really torn because this reminds me of another BPAL scent I've tried, but for the life of me I can't remember what it is This means I'm hesitant to get a bottle if I already have something like it. Buuuuuuut it is so very PRETTY!! Ack!
  14. rayvn1

    Whitechapel

    I have found a new BPAL love in Whitechapel It is seriously masculine on me and almost harsh to the point of uncomfortableness. But that's kind of why I like it! Starts out as lots of musk with a little lime and dries down to musk with lilac on my warmer body parts - musk and lime on my wrist points. I love it and have already reapplied once today, which I don't normally do since I'm in "try as much BPAL as humanly possible" mode. So this one is really special to me since it inspired a re-application. I'm hoping sweet husband won't be allergic to this one like he was to Knucklebones, but I have to cross my fingers in case it was the lime notes shared by those two. I'll definitely need a bottle!!
  15. rayvn1

    Oberon

    The word "earthy" used to describe the patchouli in the notes is a good word for this. Not dirt, but not quite herbs either. Something green here, though - might be the pennyroyal! It's ambiguous about deciding whether it's masculine or feminine (a lot like Oberon in our Midsummer Night's Dream opera we just did in fact). It's very... present, though! Not sweet, not sour, a little harsh but not in a bad way. Makes me think of open meadows. Kind of a wild scent. I like it!
  16. rayvn1

    Moon Rose

    This is so lovely! The scent is exactly as described and really captures that feeling of walking around the garden at twilight. It's lighter than the other rose scents I've tried like Whip or Victoria, which is nice since I amp rose like there's no tomorrow. "Shimmering" describes this scent well! I really had my fingers crossed specifically for the night-blooming rose Gruss an Achen that I remember from childhood with it's pale, delicate powderuff blossoms scenting the night air...ahhhhh....but this is close! A keeper and possibly a bottle in the future.
  17. rayvn1

    Pickled Imp

    Warm and yummy, this imp was a fun one to try! The cinnamon is not overwhelming and blends well with the clove that tends to amp on me. These spices reminded my of Mama-Ji after she's sat an hour or so on the skin. I didn't get much of the pine, but I usually wish my chemistry would bump that note to the top more than it does. Again, a fun scent(!), but I probably won't get a whole bottle.
  18. rayvn1

    Knucklebones

    I personally love this one. In the imp there is a seriously strong lime and spice smell. I just opened the imp to smell and tested a tiny amount but poor husband is holding his nose across the room and saying his nose is burning and wondering if I just opened a bottle of cleaner. NOT a good sign... Drat - because I still love it! The sparkling lime notes fizz and bubble on top of a smoky cedar tang. Invigorating! There are some great spices in the background too. For a masculine blend lover like myself this is heaven and I would require a bottle if my better half didn't hate it. Edit: Oh dear! Husband appears to be allergic! He's complaining of headache and burning sinuses, poor little guy I tried hiding in the other room with my sleeves pulled over my arms, but to no avail. I finally had to wash it off after getting in one last good snuffle. I still love it, though! This joins Calico Jack for wear on days when my bunny is away. HAD to marry a guy with perfume allergies in his family...
  19. rayvn1

    Al Azif

    In the imp this is dark and resinous and springs at your face to swipe at your brain! Down boy!! Dry it is .... Bad. A dark, thick, evil blend. Mwahahaha! Pepper and incense smoke This smells exactly like a Villainess soap sample someone just sent me. So bad it's goooood!! This is a new favorite!
  20. rayvn1

    Whip

    This is exactly what the description says! Sensual and lush rose with a mouth watering base of leather. Who can resist?!? It lasted a really long time too. I woke up this morning with a hint of rose still lingering in the air. Devastatingly sexy.
  21. rayvn1

    Dorian

    I've been eagerly awaiting an imp of Dorian to come my way and this is very lovely. Strong, too. It was best about 15 minutes after I put it on where it was a heady balance of vanilla and dark tea. Unfortunately all I'm left with now is vanilla and a hint of musk. I'll have to see if anyone else has had this reaction, but this is a dead ringer for Lady Una on me. Huh. As always, I wish the tea had stuck around but I will try this again - maybe with a bit of Dormouse added since that imp is uber-tea on me Quick edit: on the plus side this stuff lasts forever!
  22. rayvn1

    The Dormouse

    I am really getting bergamot out of this! Yumm This is crisp, fresh and almost lemony with a strong and almost harsh note of bergamot on my skin. While I get Earl Grey with cream and sugar from Severin, this is a great WAKE UP! scent - like a teabag left in a mug for an hour that bites the tongue when it's cold.
  23. rayvn1

    Famine

    Yikes! I get the vomit when I first apply. In the imp it smells good. On the arm....yup, vomit. Then it dries and it's all smoky tobacco goodness except there's still a hint of the dratted vomit in the background. This is the first BPAL with frankincense in the listed notes so my skin may not like that element. This is really frustrating because I was SURE I would love Famine. I was dying to get a bottle of this one, although now I'm kind of glad I checked out the imp first. I'm going to hold onto this and hope it works out later...
  24. rayvn1

    Scarecrow

    In the imp - nail polish remover, but when I keep sniffing it I sense a sweetness underneath. On the arm - please oh please make it be hay! All I want is hay! Fields! Summer dried grass! Please!!!! This should be interesting because I have Gunpowder on my other arm and I'm curious how his all-kinds-of-horse-food other than hay will fare against an imp that should be hay altogether. My search for hay is all consuming. My first BPAL purchase was Hay Moon. Did I get hay out of at all? Not until I'd hopped in the shower and washed most of it off, strangely enough. C'mon c'mon!! Be hay!!!! Wow! The difference after awhile is striking. On my wrist pulse I have a dusky hay-ish smell (woohoo!) while on my stronger inner arm pulse I get the sharpish nail polish remover but it seems to be easing off to a sweet grass type thing. Happy day. And the contrast between Scarecrow and Gunpowder is really pronounced! There's a blossoming warmth in Gunpowder probably from the oats that isn't present here, but it's fun to go back and forth between the two!
  25. rayvn1

    Gunpowder

    Hehehehehe I grew up on a horse farm surrounded by the big oafs. This smelled just like something I would take out to them as a treat. They would probably be nibbling my arm right now if they could smell it. - heck, I want to nibble on my arm! In the imp there is sweet apple that made me think of my beloved SGA (sexy vampire horses?) but on my arm I smell OATS along with a slightly sour, musky tinge. I eagerly await the wood and hay because I'm still looking for a BPAL with those notes that will amp with my chemistry. Hmmm I think I'm getting the carrot on my wrist pulse point now. I can't believe I smell like a horse treat! This is awesome!!!
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