sunshinedaisybliss

I love this. I hate this. This smells awesome. This stinks really bad. I love this. Pesky superintelligent shapeshifters - they're always such a pain in the ass. Reptoid Dominion won't stay still long enough for me to decide whether I like it. The musk is really feral and animalistic, but it also has a slithery smooth side to it and there's definitely something green in here. Not like grass, and not like forest, more like the kind of fresh green you'd find in green disinfectant liquid. Which, strangely enough, smells pretty good in this. Can't say I'm really picking up any vetiver (which usually announces itself most adamantly on my skin by turning into either poopy dirt or death stench). Oh wait.. maybe it *is* there, it's just lurking quietly. If it's not vetiver, then it's black musk or patchouli or.. you know.. someone from the black/brown family of notes. There's also something almost-minty-but-not-really-minty in here, when I take a big whiff, it's almost got a menthol vibe to it, but not quite. It's really sweetening up more as it dries - the musk isn't quite as dirty any more, and the green is also sweetening up. Actually, I think I might love this - it's slinky and smart and scary, all at the same time. It's like how David Duchovny was hot in the X-Files, but much more so in Californication. Reptoid Dominion is something Hank Moody would wear.

Hmm.. what a funny little blend this one is! When wet, the mint is lovely and soft - I'd say it's spearmint, rather than peppermint or 'regular' mint. There's also something softly sweet behind there which has a wood feel to it.. I'm picking teakwood, because I can definitely see the comparison with Glowing Vulva. Actually, at this early stage I'm finding PX79 reminds me very much of Glowing Vulva but with a soft mint instead of the cream and lotus. As it dries, the mint softens up more and fades nicely so that it's not strong at all. A musky/resinous thing starts to appear - frankincense, maybe? At this point, it's turning a little 'green' - fresh and foresty. In the end, I'm left with a beautiful soft and icy spearmint with a slight sweetness. I do think there's a wood note in here, perhaps it's cedar rather than teak.. not sure. And the powdery softness is definitely something like frankincense or sandalwood or amber. I'm really not picking up any leather in here - it may be there, but it's not something that's jumping out at me so I probably wouldn't have considered it had I not read the other reviews. This is really quite lovely - quite feminine and very refreshing, one of those scents that stays close to the skin but it does have a decent throw.

Wow - this is something a bit different from BPAL land! It's a lovely cool, refreshing blend.. I think it would be fantastic for anyone who has sinus or allergy issues, or headaches, as it has a very soothing and 'cleaning' quality to it.. like taking in a huge breath of clean fresh air in the middle of a snow-capped forest. The mint and eucalyptus aren't sharp at all - together they're very cool and soft, like BPAL's snow notes but with a herbal edge. I had to look up elemi (a resin typically used in varnish and inks) and ravintsara (a camphoraceous oil used for headache/sinus relief) - now that I know what they are, then yep.. I can pick them out in here. I guess it's the ravintsara (combined with eucalyptus and mint) that made me think of this as a nose clearer! And apparently elemi can have a sharp, medicinal smell, but I'm not getting anything like that from Volt. Oh.. and the lime! It's there, and it's lovely. It's not sweet (like the recent Dark Choc & Lime Truffle kind of lime), it's more a genuine lime with a little bit of tartness to it. The leather? What leather?!? I really am not picking up very much leather at all in here as a smell, but there is a sort of leathery softness to the overall effect on my skin so for me it's more a texture than a smell. I think this will surprise a lot of people, it really is quite lovely and not at all the sharp/medicinal thing that I was half-expecting (due to the eucalyptus and mint). I can imagine slathering this on a hot summer's day, it's wonderfully refreshing and airy. And as I mentioned earlier, anyone who has headache/sinus/allergy problems should definitely give this one a try!

This really is an interesting blend, it changes quite a bit in its first 10 minutes on my skin. At first, it's all peach - soft and sweet, and very pretty. A split second later, the coconut kicks in - this is the creamy sort of coconut that announces itself quite loudly at first and then settles down and takes a background role. The blackcurrant is very faint - present, but faint. So for the first few minutes, I get a peach/coconut soft sweetness with a slight hint of black currant. Then the orchid appears, and some of the darkness from the vetiver and oude starts to come out and it goes a little smoky. On my skin, these darker notes do not take over from the softness of the peach and coconut - they just balance it out a bit, smoothing down some of the sweetness. I think I can pick up the amber and myrrh, but if they weren't actually listed notes then I possibly wouldn't have recognised them. I'm not finding any champaca at all. 20 minutes later, I can't be sure whether the vanilla ever arrived - the coconut is overriding everything else, to the point where really all I'm getting here is coconut. The peach is still there, but it's behind the coconut. As usual, my skin is making the black currant note smell a bit like cat pee but I only notice it if I take a really big whiff up close to my skin. An hour later, it's quite faint - mostly just coconut now, with a hint of peach. There's a lot going on in here, but my final verdict is that whilst this is very nice.. the dominance of the coconut is a bit too much. Had that not been the case I think this would have been a lovely blend so BOO to you, coconut!

This one reminds me of Boo, but with marshmallow instead of cotton.. it seems to have the same lovely cream note. The vanilla is sweet and sugary, with a slight fizzy feel but the sarsparilla isn't ginger-y like it is in things like Stimulating Sassafras.. mostly, this is all marshmallowy vanilla sweetness with just a hint of fizz. ASL doesn't have the depth and richness of Antique Lace and XCDL13, but it's definitely in the same family of scents. Anyone who loves their vanilla straight-up sweet is going to love this one

Yes, sharp and boozy at first - almost to the point where it seemed to be clashing with itself, the laudanum and tobacco are bright and raw. So about 20 minutes passed, and I smell it again. A total change! Now it's developed a lovely warm sweetness that does remind of of warm skin after body contact. Like the way someone's nape of the neck smells when you snuggle up to them while they're sleeping. It is fading quickly - staying very close to my skin, but getting softer. The booze note stays sweet without ever developing a 'booze' type smell, and the tobacco has mellowed out beautifully. This is the sort of scent that would be lovely in a bath oil or soap, it's so warm and soft and evocative.

Thank you to Invidiana for sending me a teensy bit of this to try! I'm not really getting the salt, but I definitely do get the wet/green aspect. I think this might be what an old abandoned island may smell like - fresh air, green undergrowth and dappled sunlight, and a hint of damp mystery. I think there's also something 'gold' in here - it's not a powdery or dusty gold, but a bright shiny gold like a bright yellow flower. Not really picking up anything dirt-like. The fresh green is strong at first, but it softens up quickly on the drydown. About 20 minutes in, and it's really clean and fresh and organic smelling. What a lovely blend, I don't recall smelling any other BPALs like this before. It's classy and understated, but alive and vibrant.

Holy moly - the black monster isn't on the umbrella - it's in this bottle, and his name is vetiver. Actually, that's Mr. Vetiver to you. Mr. Stinky Dark Black Evil Vetiver, to be precise. At first I was worried I might have popped a sniffer vessel from the shock of VETIVER blasting off my skin. For about 10 minutes, that's all I could smell.. but it did get less and less overwhelming as each minute went by. Finally, at around 15 minutes, I can start to smell some other things in there. Hey, hello coconut! Blackcurrant, nice of you to show up. Tonka bean, my dear friend, come out.. it's safe. Alright - now we're getting somewhere.. this is turning into something interesting. Fiiiiiinally.. it's safe to sniff my arm again. Err.. WOW.. this is gorgeous. It's gone all creamy soft and sexy, the mix of tonka bean and coconut is sublime - sweet without being sickly, tropical without being tanning lotion. The vetiver's still there, lurking around, but it's not offensive now - it's all smoky and subdued, which may be due to the sandalwood in the mix. Can't say I'm really noticing the blackcurrant.. actually, there's something almost lime-like coming through - lime? Yeah, lime. And the exotic velvety oud has stepped out from behind the curtain - this is such a gorgeous note, I'd love to see it in more BPALs. I'm very glad I only put a teensy dab on for testing, cos this stuff is potent, loads of throw and once that first drydown stage is complete, it doesn't fade much. PS yewberry - mine says "FUWA" too

BIG to ifinena for sending me a tester of this rare beauty! I see she's been generous to many others in this thread, what a lovely fairy she is Wow.. just.. wow. I wish I had been around back in the day when this came out, because it really is drop-dead gorgeous and I would have bought several bottles of it. It has a deep, incense-y feel to it, very mysterious and sexy. The dark musk is the most prominent note for me, it's above all the others with the black rose just flirting around behind it. The clove isn't very strong - it's there, but it's more a sweet clove than the usual hot/spicy type we get in our BPALs. And the cognac.. well.. as expected, it's smutting up the place with its gorgeous warm velvet touch. This is such a perfect combination of notes, everything is beautifully blended and the end result is just gorgeous. I shall treasure these few drops that I have!

First up.. huge to the lovely ifinena who gifted a tester of this to me! I've been wanting to try this for ages, but I didn't really think it was going to be something I'd like - the mention of metallics, mountain air, ozone and electric light had me thinking it would be one of those strange metallic/ozone blends that my skin turns into a stinky mess. However.. those notes are very much a background to the gorgeous cherry blossom and orchid - I could swear there's grapefruit in here, but not the sour kind - a lovely sweet pink kind. The bamboo comes out more when it's fully dry, and together with the fruits and florals it creates a lovely dry and airy mix. I've never been to Tokyo, but this blend does bring to mind the flashy neon and chaotic vibe of that city - it's bright and shiny whilst somehow still managing to be soft, quiet and fresh. Very, very nice.

I ignored this one completely, until I started reading reviews and thought I should give it a try. And I'm just so glad I did! It's pretty rare that I get a new BPAL and swoon.. but that's exactly what I did with this one. Sweet, sexy sandalwood and vanilla with a slight citrus-y undertone and the beautiful softness of amber. This is one of those wistful skin scents that still packs a punch despite its delicate touch. There is a slight baby shampoo/soap aspect when sniffed up close, as others have mentioned, but that isn't noticeable at arm's length. Unfortunately it dries down into a subdued version of itself - it goes a little powdery, the sandalwood becomes quite dominant and the vanilla disappears, which is a shame because all the notes together were so beautifully rich and full when freshly applied. I'm not sure I will wear this a lot though.. as lovely as it is, it's just not "me". But it really is quite a gorgeous fragrance.

Good grief, this stuff is unreal. I've been stealthily working my way through all of BPAL's leather blends, and I've found a few nice ones along the way, but nothing yet had presented me with the hearty OMG sexypants leather that I was looking for. Then Crowley came along, and it's just perfect. The leather is stunning - not dusty or dusky, it's warm and rich and hearty. The musk + patchouli combo is very deep and alluring in the same way that it is in blends like Mme. Moriarty, but here it's mixed beautifully with the warmth of the leather. The vanilla adds just a touch of sweetness, but not too much - it really is well blended in there with all the darkness of the musk/patch/leather and sits nicely in the background all the way through. Can't say I'm really noticing the lilac cologne, mahogany, lemon rind or oakmoss (although there is sometimes a waft of something sharp, which could be the mahogany) - I don't really care though, I'm sure they are all in there somewhere but for me Crowley is all about the musky leather. Annnnnnnd.. he sticks around beautifully - I could still smell this on my skin and in my hair 24 hours later.. standing in the shower this morning and I'm thinking WOW what's that amazing smell then I realise it's the Crowley I slathered on my neck yesterday morning. I love those "what's that awesome smell?" .. "oh wait, it's meeee!!" moments My holy grail for a BPAL leather is Spanked, but it's very likely I shall live my life without ever getting a bottle of that one. But Crowley is *almost* as good, almost ETA: I should mention that the bottle I'm using for this review is well over two years old, so I'm not sure how it compares with a 'fresh' Crowley.

First up, I am envious of you going on such an adventure to live on a big chunk of land like that in such a lovely place!! Secondly.. I think you should send all your BPALs over to me, I'll look after 'em. Promise I think the idea of putting your bottles inside one of the vehicles that will be travelling over (the truck or the camper) is an excellent solution. If you packed the bottles up super safe, and locked them in the glove compartment or some other hiding spot like a cupboard in the camper, I really think they'd be quite happy in there. Temperature changes might be an issue, but you could always pack them inside a foam box or something so they're well insulated. And I'm guessing carrying them on the plane with you, in your hand luggage, is not an option? I'm not sure of the restrictions that apply for that kind of thing nowadays in your part of the world, but maybe you could talk to the airline about getting permission to carry them with you if you explained that it was a valuable collection?

Ooh! Definitely Raven Moon.. I don't have much luck with the Lunacy blends in general, but Raven Moon was an absolute winner and going by those other BPALs you mentioned I'd say it has a good chance of being the same for you!!

Thank you to the lovely cfrancesca for passing a tester of this to me! Hmmm.. I'm also getting the dark, earthy fruits that others have mentioned. My guess is plum, but not the sweet variety - this is an evil, dark and smokey plum. If not plum, then possibly blackberry, it's hard to tell - the almost-cherry-like top end of the fruit in the wet and early dry stages suggests plum, but when it dries down the fruit turns a little sharper like blackberry. I guess I'll just have to wait and see when it gets released and we know what the notes are! I definitely detect an undercurrent of mint - it adds a cool touch to everything, without being overly minty, but the mint didn't stick around long past the dry-down. Apple? Maybe - and patchouli? Possibly - but there's a dustiness and slight spice here that I don't normally get from patchouli. Perhaps a teensy touch of wood, not sure on that one - there's definitely something dark and solid underneath the dark fruit. Overall this is a red/purple kind of blend, I wouldn't put it in the 'candy' category because it's not really going sweet on my skin - it's keeping a lovely dark smokiness. This kind of reminds me a little of Countess Willie with her musk + plum combination, but there's no chocolate in here. I bet this one's going to be insanely popular - it's quite intriguing and mysteriously alluring, much like the black widow herself

Wowsers, this is a freaky blend - it keeps changing its mind about what it wants to smell like! When it first goes on.. bubblegum, pink fruity bubblegum. Then it does a spicy orange turn that reminds me of Knick Knack and Olisbos. Then a cakey kinda thing starts up, and the orange changes to a brighter citrus - more lemon-y. Oh, did I mention that all happened in the first five minutes? So really.. In the end, it finally settles back into that orange spiciness that appeared earlier, and I do detect something dark and green in there but it's very peripheral. Ultimately, I'm left with a spicy orangey fruity bubblegum

Hmm.. that's very interesting, because my WF bottle was about 99.9999% O-like honey with the Snake Oil cowering sadly miles away in the background, and sadly it just wasn't what I was hoping for. My bottle was ordered soon after its release too.. hmm..

HA! Me too.. my oldest bottle of Boomslang smells amazing but it's so thick and sludgy that it's like putting fudge on my skin. Seriously, if your Boomslang doesn't stain yer skin.. it ain't old enough yet PS ltrittipoe - I put mine on my scalp, behind my ears right at the hairline. It wafts chocolatey yumminess around me all day and nobody will ever know I have big brown Boomslang splotches all over my head. You mean, like this?!?!? HAHA portalkat - yes! Except.. err.. I have hair But I think you're on to something.. they should rename that show from Alien Nation to Boomslang Nation.

HA! Me too.. my oldest bottle of Boomslang smells amazing but it's so thick and sludgy that it's like putting fudge on my skin. Seriously, if your Boomslang doesn't stain yer skin.. it ain't old enough yet PS ltrittipoe - I put mine on my scalp, behind my ears right at the hairline. It wafts chocolatey yumminess around me all day and nobody will ever know I have big brown Boomslang splotches all over my head.

NGG023 starts off with a slightly sour fruit tone when it first goes on, but it dries on the skin pretty quickly and that initial sourness warms down nicely. For me, leather is the dominant note here - but it's not a strong or sharp leather at all, it's that same soft tactile kind of leather in Sacrifice. A little dusty and musky - I suspect some very light sandalwood or musk in here. There's also a *slight* hint of sweetness, but it's not vanilla or tonka or anything like that - perhaps it's that fruit that I picked up at the beginning. Dunno.. that one's hard to pick, because it keeps fleeting in and out so I'm not sure whether it's really there at all. I think this was at its best after about 30 minutes on my skin - at that point, the leather was soft and warm, it's like putting your face inside your well-worn leather jacket and having a good huff. What? Oh come on now.. you do that, I know you do After an hour, it has faded quite a lot but the leather is still there - this really is quite nice, but just sooooooo similar to Sacrifice that I have to agree with fairnymph and say that this could well be the proto for that blend. I'm going to send some to a forum buddy who I know has Sacrifice, and see what she thinks! Anyways, all comparisons aside.. NGG023 is really very lovely, and a definite must-try for anyone who enjoys their leather soft and cuddly.

I agree with fairnymph.. I'm fairly certain that The Confectionary started out life as the CD023 prototype. However, where CD023 had a dusty sort of musk/amber/sandalwood kind of vibe, The Confectionary is more rich and syrupy - that 'dusty/dry' feel is not as obvious here. I think this has some form of strawberry in it - if not, then a 'pink' fruit of some kind. There might be a very light touch of cherry, maaaaaybe raspberry, and maybe just a *teensy* touch of apricot. And cake. Strawberry cupcakes, almost, but it has a definite candy flavour that stops it being completely cakey. There's also a vanilla in here, but it's quite a dry vanilla. To me, this has a similar feel to Midway - that cotton candy kind of sweetness - but where Midway had a chocolate-y undertone, The Confectionary has a pink fruity undertone. This is going to be loved by fans of blends like Candy Phoenix, Beaver Moon/Beaver'versary, Jailbait, Velvet Unicorn etc.

I've been sooooooooo looking forward to my decant of Miaiphonos arriving, ever since Dark Alice said "This sounds like a licorice and orange flavored taco" when the update was first announced. Well.. turns out she was kinda right! The anise is very licorice-y, and in combination with the clove it's quite pungent. The mandarin is doing its very best to be seen - "hey, I'm here! Let me out!" - but the big bad clove and anise won't let it - "HA! Take that, you pussy mandarin. You're not even a proper orange, get back where you belong!". This actually reminds me very much of The Last Squished Jelly Bean. Something's messing things up though, and I suspect it's the cumin. Hey - cumin? Go away, you smell kinda funky. I really don't know whether I like this or not, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't wear it so a bottle purchase can be resisted. It is, however, a very interesting smell and it gets nicer as it dries down - the initial blast of anise/clove mellows out a bit and the cumin fades away. I'm a bit sad that the mandarin isn't a bigger player here though - that's the note I was most interested in but sadly it just never really comes out to play enough here.

I know I keep banging on about how much I love Banshee Beat.. but.. right now on the gorgeous west coast of Australia, it's 38 degrees. Uh.. that's over 100F, I think. I dabbed some BB through my hair today (as well as on skin), so now when I walk around outside, I am surrounded by a cloud of warm and rich vanilla gorgeousness.. it's just fantastic. I actually enjoy my BPALs more in summer, I think they smell the best on warm days (and warm skin). My other summer faves are Tombstone, Antique Lace, and Snake Oil. Clearly, I have a thing for smokey vanillas

I suspect this whole "grind the fragrance molecules" thing is bogus. You know.. like how you shouldn't jog too much, because it jumbles up all your insides. Or how if you swallow your chewing gum it will stay in your stomach for seven years. A quick google search finds several websites warning against rubbing wrists together because OH NO the molecules will be DESTROYED! It does seem to be somewhat true, though, that the heat created from rubbing can cause the top notes (ie the more volatile molecules), to evaporate more quickly. But I'd be willing to bet that it would take Dr Nerdy McMolecularperson several years of looking down a microscope to prove that, and even if it is true.. we're probably talking about fractions of fractional percentages of evaporation that you wouldn't notice unless you have a nose the size of a football field. Personally, I have stopped putting my BPALs on my wrists/arms - the oil seems to disappear too quickly.. apparently the inside of my forearms gets a lot of action during the day (who knew!). I've started doing the vertical swipe down from behind my ear to the bottom of my neck, right at the pulse points on each side. I don't "smoosh" the oil when I do this, I just kinda wipe it over my skin.. and it's still there *hours* later. Maybe next time you apply your oil, find a really quiet room.. do the smooshing thing, then hold a wrist up close to your ear. If you hear HELPPPP MEEEEE I'M DYYYYYYYYYYYINNNNNNGGGGG then you are guilty of molecular destruction and should be arrested for crimes against nature. If, however, no screams of terror or cries of pain can be heard, then you have happy little fragrance molecules and there's no need to worry. Oh - and in case you were wondering.. yes, there really is a Dr Nerdy McMolecularperson. Here he is: edited for clarity

Hmm.. this one's very interesting! It's kinda all been said already.. lovely warm cedar with slight sweetness from the blackcurrant - neither of these are strong or heavy - they're both quite subtle and soft. The saffron is like a little bit of dancing spice over the top - barely there, but lovely nonetheless. Black currant has a habit of turning to cat pee on my skin.. that didn't quite happen with this one, but I can feel it wanting to.. it's *just* on the edge of doing it. My issue with this one is that it's so well blended that it becomes difficult to actually work out what's going on - the cedar seems to have flattened everything. It is, however, worthy of further testing because I think I want to like this one.