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BPAL Madness!

darkling

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Everything posted by darkling

  1. darkling

    Arachne of Lydia

    This was devastating for me because I was so excited about this Last Unicorn scent. Sadly, from start to finish Arachne of Lydia smelled like cheap clove cigarettes on me. I didn't get even the slightest hint of blackberry. It is one of the very few scents that I disliked enough to wash off. Arachne of Lydia is quite a strong scent; I had to wash my wrists multiple times before the scent dissipated.
  2. darkling

    Ginger Skulls

    Similarly to others who have posted, I don't get any of the ginger note either in the bottle or on my skin. It is all pear and quince. It is still lovely but I am definitely missing the ginger. I expected the ginger note to be dominant given the scent name.
  3. darkling

    Ho Ho Ho

    In the bottle, Ho Ho Ho smells like light fruits with a hint of musk. On my skin, I get a whiff of deliciously fruity cinnamon. There is still a faint muskiness and something that puts me in mind of Christmas potpourri. This fades incredibly fast on my skin. Within a few minutes, all that remains is a vague, musky sweetness. Almost nothing remains of the fruit and the cinnamon is long gone.
  4. darkling

    Snow, Glass, Apples

    I was able to test Snow, Glass, Apples thanks to jewelbug. In the bottle: Ripe green apples chilled in a snowbank. There is a coldness about this scent combined with apples that don't smell the least bit artificial. Could I have finally found an apple scent that doesn't turn to Yankee Candle falseness on my skin? On my skin: Nope! Artificial apple with a light muskiness underneath. Drydown: A hint of musk and plastic. I love the smell of real apples and this scent was gorgeous in the bottle. But I think I have to accept that no matter what other notes it is paired with, BPAL apple just doesn't work on my skin
  5. darkling

    Quirkiest, most bizarre oils

    I am surprised that no one has mentioned Masabakes. This scent is like nothing I have ever encountered. It is dark and consuming with a hint of currants and a spark to it that my mind connects with mandrake dust. I can't even say that I love the way it smells but it is such a unique olfactory experience that I had to get a bottle for myself.
  6. darkling

    Punkie Night

    Almost all of the apple noted scents that I have tried smell extremely artifical on me so I was worried about Punkie Night. Fortunately, it smelled delightful on me. Like pure, natural apples with a touch of cider. I didn't pick up on the cranberry note, but I don't care. This is a delicious fall scent and a definite keeper.
  7. darkling

    Xanthe, The Weeping Clown

    In the bottle: Sugared tropical fruit. Sweet. On my skin: Pure bubblegum. Drydown: The bubblegum scent fades leaving a warm, muted guava. It is slightly oppressive in a tropical heat sort of fashion but the least oppressive of any of the tropical blends that I have worn. Very lovely.
  8. darkling

    Eat Me

    All I get from Eat Me is the angel food cake. While it smells tasty, I was hoping for the currants to add some depth. Oh, well. It also fades very quickly from my skin.
  9. darkling

    Chaos Theory III: Strange Attractors

    III In the bottle: Pure woods, similar to the note in Cathedral but lighter On my skin: Still the woods but with something bright, maybe almond or a light amber (it reminds me of Eclipse). Then, the faint smell of something burning like a distant campfire and something viscous like tree gum or tree sap. Final words: This is a fairly long-lasting scent. I could smell it on my skin hours after application. I would have loved it if it had remained a cross between Cathedral and Eclipse (two of my all-time favorite scents) but the light burning note didn't appeal to me. Hopefully, this will find a good home with someone who loves wood notes.
  10. darkling

    Mandrake

    Mandrake smells exactly like the dry wood note from Cathedral. It remains astonishingly similar from the vial to my skin although it fades fairly quickly.
  11. darkling

    Stardust

    Wow, this really does smell like hairspray in the bottle and upon initial application. The hairspray smell does dampen after a few minutes but never entirely fades. Instead, it melds with the scent of light, white flowers. I love how well this scent captures a particular idea but I don't think I will wear it.
  12. darkling

    Montresor

    Montresor is a sweet, rich black currant cordial. It is more fruity and sweet than boozy and has a simliar delicious black fruit note to my beloved Queen of Spades. I think I need another bottle. Yum!
  13. darkling

    Midnight Mass

    My perspective on Midnight Mass is heavily influenced by two factors. One is that I adore Cathedral; it is one of my top ten favorite scents year after year. The second is that there is one particular incense note the lab uses that smells horrible on my skin. Overall, Midnight Mass is a sweeter, sharper version of Cathedral paired with that unpleasant incense note.
  14. darkling

    Holiday Moon

    In the bottle and on my skin, this is a soft green scent. The bamboo note is prominent with a hint of tea underneath. It has almost no throw and doesn't last very long but it is lovely springtime scent.
  15. darkling

    Nuclear Winter

    Nuclear Winter is a cold, light spearmint covering grass and herbs. It definitely evokes images of a lonely, icy world.
  16. darkling

    Hearth

    I bought Hearth because I love the scent of roasted chestnuts. Sadly, my body chemistry hypes up the pine and the pipe smoke to the point where anything foody is invisible. Once it dries, the pine and pipe smoke dissipate and the scent of something faint and sweet remains. This phase reminds me stongly of Trick or Treat's drydown.
  17. darkling

    Pink Phoenix

    In the bottle: Sweet, slightly fruity sugar. On my skin: Where the hell is the sugar? All I get is plastic. No sugar. No fruits. Just plastic. Drydown: I was taking a gamble with this scent because honey tends to turn any scent to powder on my skin. Now it makes itself known and I get powdery platic. I don't know what went wrong with this scent and my chemistry but Pink Phoenix is definitely not for me.
  18. darkling

    Snow Angel

    In the bottle: Lemony-orange citrus fruit doused with sugar On my skin:: Powdery, almost like snow as opposed to baby powder. Strong, sweet peach. Drydown: The peach definitely glistens and the powdered snow note remains. The sweetness fades a bit to make room for the faint smell of tea. Overall, this is a light, sweet scent with medium throw. The more I sniff it, the more I love it!
  19. darkling

    The Haunted Palace

    The Haunted Palace is a fascinating scent. I imagine a bouquet of flowers whose color and scent are slowly being leeched from them through evil magics. The floral scents are so delicate that they seem about to wither and yet they are still kept sweet through the touch of vanilla. I tend to dislike florals but this is absolutely lovely. The only problem is that this scent becomes powdery over time until the fading flowers deteriorate into baby powder. But I keep coming back for that first phase.
  20. darkling

    Spirits of the Dead

    The first stage of this blend lasts for about an hour on my skin: almost pure lemon with a hint of tea to soften it a bit. After an hour this scent starts to morph into something dry and sweet and papery. I imagine that this is the papyrus and the linden blossoms but I could be mistaken. I adore the scent at this phase as it is gentle and enticing although it fades quickly.
  21. darkling

    Lick It

    Lick It is pure candy cane. Sweet refreshing mint and vanilla. I have to keep myself from licking it
  22. darkling

    Beaver Moon 2005

    In the bottle and initially on my skin, Beaver Moon is white frosting. After a few minutes, it develops a delicious undertone of cinnamon cake. But there is some note that adds artificiality to the scent so instead of a mouthwatering cinnamon cupcake smothered in vanilla icing, you have a plastic cupacke set out for a commercial photoshoot.
  23. darkling

    Devil's Night

    Devil's Night is a welcome surprise as incense and fire notes don't tend to work well on me. This is a lovely scent, predominantly sugar-sweet with hints of spices and distant bonfires. It is a fabulous oil for Halloween as it represents the candy along with the outdoors in autumn.
  24. darkling

    Pumpkin Patch III (2005, 2006)

    In the bottle and on my skin, I can't distinguish any specific pomegranate or pumpkin notes. The scent is extremely sweet and fruity with a hint of musk to it. I think this sweetness is related to the bubble gum scent that so many forumites are smelling. This scent faded very quickly. Pumpkin Patch 3 was definitely a bust
  25. darkling

    Pumpkin Patch V (2005, 2006)

    In the bottle: Rich woods. No pumpkin. On my skin: Gorgeous, edible pumpkin with a hint of dry woods. Drydown: As soon as it dries, the pumpkin scent disappears completely and I am left with the original scent of woods from the bottle. While the wood scent is lovely on its own, I wanted my pumpkin
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