sunshinedaisybliss

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.

Err.. no.. not nice. At first, this smells like that brown disinfectant stuff - the balsam/oakmoss/juniper are too dominant and the patchouli is lurking around in the background, doing its dark and dirty thing. Can't say the cocoa ever came out on my skin, same with the franckincense. Overall, once it dries down it becomes quite a nice dark and smoky blend but not my thing - that disinfectant smell never quite goes away enough for me.

Hmm... "Destroyer of Men"? I don't think so! On me, this is very faint and not as grunty as I expected it to be. The black sandalwood in combination with the nutmeg gives a slight peppery spiciness, but the benzoin is adding a medicinal overtone that's not very nice. The tonka never really made an appearance, which is a shame because a bit of sweetness would have been nice here. I'm not getting any baby powderiness, although it is very dry. Overall, nothing particularly outstanding about this one.

This is so much more than just mint. The initial blast (actually that's BLAST) of mint is definitely eye-opening, such a beautiful clean mint that isn't quite peppermint, not quite spearmint.. a cold green fire is *exactly* what it's like - if fire can be cold then this is it. That strong mint dies down within the first five minutes and the pepper starts to peek out, adding a hint of spice to the base. Then the cucumber warms up and it's on - cucumber vs mint.. who's coming out on top? Cucumber! No wait.. mint! Cucumber fights back! Mint reappears! This little battle is fascinating, the two are so beautifully blended that it becomes impossible to distinguish them separately. The end result is the freshness of cucumber tempered with the fire of the mint while the pepper just lurks around very close to the skin. After about an hour, it has dried down to a beautiful softness - as other reviewers have said.. it does fade fairly quickly.. but what's left behind still has all the beautiful layers of mint, cucumber and pepper - it's just much more subtle now. It never went soapy on me (YAY), nor did it become overly green although it definitely has a forest feel. This really is quite beautiful, and an absolute must-try for anyone who enjoys this kind of thing.

I have nothing useful to add here, except to say that yes - Stinky is just about a perfect match to BB's Buttermilk. Stinky does have a stronger milk note (so if you're one of those people for whom the BPAL milk note goes a little funky, you might not get the Buttermilk yumminess), but really it's so similar it's kinda uncanny. I wouldn't have said Werepuppy is a match though, I can see the similarity but unfortunatey the baby skin/milk breath notes never really came out very much on my skin. I can't think of a BPAL that's quite like the Milk & Honey lotion though - the honey note in Womb Furie is similar, but there's no milk in that one so.. hmm.. dunno!

This is very confusing to my nose! When it first went on, the balsam was very very strong - pungent, actually. For the first half-hour, all I got was licorice-y spinach. Yup, you heard it right.. licorice-y spinach Half an hour later, the balsam has mellowed out a bit and now the leather's appeared - this is a strong, acrid kind of leather though - not sweet, and not soft - it's old leather that's been passed through many hands and taken on a variety of body odours and sweat through the years. I've met old books that do smell that way, so this is pretty spot on, but it's not a smell I'm particularly enjoying on my skin. One hour down the track, and the vanilla is just peeking through.. this is a soft and natural-smelling vanilla - not the 'foody' type at all. But the dominant players here are the leather and balsam, the vanilla is fighting a losing battle. I find that this smells nicer at a distance - when I lean in to my arm where the oil was applied and take a big whiff, it's just too strong on the balsam and leather. However if I wave my arm around about a foot away from me, it wafts a much softer smell through the air and I can smell the vanilla much more. I'm not sure what to make of this, it's certainly an interesting one and not like any other leather blend I've tried so far in BPAL land. I'm reserving my judgement for now - I'm tempted to keep it and see how it ages, but I suspect that the balsam will only deepen over time.. however I'll keep fingers crossed that it softens instead and lets the vanilla come out more.

What a quirky and bizarre little blend this is! I really had very little interest in trying this one - I figured it would be too seaweed-y so I wasn't even slightly tempted. But then the lovely nrl1978 offered to send me some to try, so I thought ah yeah - let's give it a shot. Well, colour me tentacled! There is an underlying ocean bed flavour to this - not fresh sea water like an aquatic.. more the smell that you find on a fishing boat that's been in dry dock for a while - that mix of dried seaweed and salt and general bottom of the sea type muck. As nasty as that sounds, it's actually quite a sweet and exotic smell if you like that sort of thing. In the middle layer, there's a deep dark incense with a smoky hue - this blends beautifully with the dark smells of the ocean and creates a very exotic mix.. 'malignant' is a good word for it, because it does seem somehow alive and bottom-of-the-ocean kinda mysterious. Then, dancing around on top, is the chocolate - it's not a HEY chocolate thing at all, just a hint, but it's certainly there. It is weird, I agree with others on that one. But weird is good, right? This is certainly a scent unlike any other BPAL I've ever tried, and truly worth a try for the curious Edited to update: I ended up buying a bottle, and wore it yesterday. Err... ick. I had to wash it off, it was making me feel kinda sick. The oil I had in my decant was nice but what's in this bottle is *strong* - just way too much. Sorry Cthulhu.. you're going off to swapsville

This is honey, honey, and HONEY - super sweet and rich to the point where it's kind of nauseating for the first half hour or so. The Snake Oil isn't really present until it's been on my skin for about an hour, and even then it's buried under the honey which has developed a very sweet and nutty quality, kind of like O. Given there's Snake Oil involved - this may age nicely, but I don't think I'll bother waiting. I can easily recreate Womb Furie by layering O and Snake Oil.. but I don't think I'll be doing that - the combination is just too sweet for me. I'm kinda disappointed in this one, because I love my Snake Oil and I have several of the Snake Oil Chaos Theory blends that I also love, but it seems that in this case.. honey is not my friend.

This is really interesting and quite elusive.. I'm getting faint hints of orange blossom, and maybe cherry blossom also. There's also something almond-like going on here. It somehow manages to be quite creamy and musky, and dry at the same time - I suspect amber is present, and maybe some skin musk. Very pretty without being girly, this is a mysterious and exotic kind of blend that I keep going back to for another huff

I'm not familiar with the CP blend you mentioned, but for chocolate + amber in BPAL it has to be Gelt - "A bounty of chocolate coins! Dry cocoa and golden amber!". Unfortunately it's no longer available - it was a Yule release in 2008, but you might be able to find some here on the forum in the 'For Sale' area. Reviews are here.

When this first hit my skin, I was a bit taken aback by the tobacco - it was very sharp, strong and bitter.. not really very pleasant. So I thought "hmmph, I don't like this!" and promptly ignored it while I tested the other bottles that arrived in my Lupercalia order today. But then, about an hour later, I went searching for Enkhespalos again and found him resting softly on my arm, he's put the spear down and turned into a sexy cuddly beast What a turnaround! The cognac has come through and is beautifully warm and lush (not boozy at all), and the wood has a very organic feel about it but that's in the background. The leather is gorgeous - it's more like suede, a lovely soft leather.. it's not harsh or heavy, it's err.. cuddly. Yeah, cuddly leather - fancy that! The tobacco that was so rank at first has gone from being all sharp and obnoxious into a classy golden softness. Enkhespalos, you almost had me fooled. You're not a scary warrior at all, you're a big cuddly guy who wears suede undies.

OK - 'fess up.. who ate all licked all the dark chocolate off of my key lime truffle? The lime in this is lovely, it's just like the lime note in Scurvy and Mr. Nancy - not overly sweet, slightly musky, fresh and tangy delicious. But damn it - seriously, where is the dark chocolate? I can smell it in the bottle, but once the oil hits my skin it's almost non-existent. Occasionally I catch a whiff and I think "ooh, there's the chocolate!", but then it's gone. It comes and goes, but mostly goes. The lovely lime sticks around fairly well, and stays pretty true for about an hour but then seems to fade very quickly. So overall, slightly disappointing because ohhhhhhh how I love the way Beth does her gourmand dark chocolate things, but the lime is so good in this that I can possibly overlook the chocolate's disappearing act. And on a side note - once again, I am convinced that angelicruin and I share the same skin chemistry