Amoraexcena

Really enjoying this one. While wet, I get a bright, sweet lemon - I immediately think of pretty golden cat eyes. This stage doesn't last long, and the soft vanilla amber musk follows, reminescent of a soft cat's fur. The musk actually kind of reminds me of the gentle baby-musk smell of my cat. It's definitely a low-throw, close-to-the-skin scent, which is very appropriate I think - it's snuggled up on your lap. Might need another bottle, I like to slather this. Edit to add that yup, I need a backup of this. It's my favourite vanilla-lemon-amber scent now. It's a grown-up, sophisticated Sticky Bat with a touch of woodsy resin and sweet powder.

Doing a side-by-side comparison... Flickering Lights vs Antique Lace (original) Not that similar to my nose, though both are beautiful. Flickering Lights is more golden to my nose, more amber-y, almost beeswax-y. It has much less throw than original AL, which has incredible throw with the lightest application. Both are definitely sweet, lightly floral non-foody vanilla though so I get the comparison. AL original is just in its own class, imho. Whatever component it was that led to it being discontinued is hard to emulate, I'd guess. Flickering Lights vs Antique Lace (res) Again, not that similar. AL res is quite a bit sweeter, somewhat more foody/marshmallow-y than the original. Flickering Lights is more subtly sweet, subdued. Flickering Lights vs Tattered Lace This is definitely the closest lace that I own to Flickering Lights. Tattered Lace is a tad more cognac, a touch of woodiness, less floral, less sweet frankincense-vanilla (the herbaceous/green has calmed down a LOT with age). But if it wasn't a side-by-side comparison I'm not sure I could tell which is which. I love all of the above dearly, so I'm super happy to have gotten my hands on a bottle of Flickering Lights! This scent is definitely "Tattered Lace Curtains" in my books.

This scent has aged to perfection. Like a lot of reviewers, I got a surprising amount of citrus when I first bought this (okay, two bottles) and wasn't sure about it. But now it's definitely a pink-pepper-and-vanilla-sweetened Dorian. Like a bright, happy, effeminate Dorian. The white tea is also settled snugly into everything else. Gorgeous!

Sweet vanilla marshmallows, this is making me crave more marshmallow scents. I think I need to find a bottle of Stekk, I missed it during my perfume hiatus, if it's similar to this one. It's sweet and foody but not cloying. I love wearing it to sleep. I'm so glad I was able to grab a few bottles of this. Edit to add that I did get a bottle of Stekk! This one is a tad less foody - probably due to the sweet, slightly resinous powder of Benzoin. They're both utterly lovely. This one is my favourite for layering - this + a smidge of TKO is my go-to sleep scent now.

The words that come to mind for this scent are: gentle, warm, golden. Fresh out of the mail it was strong chamomile, but now it's changed quite a bit. The chamomile is still there, but well blended with a soft lavender and sweet pear blossom, the last which gives it just a smidge of fruitiness. Amber is quite prominent as well, very lovely and gentle, not powdery at all, playing beautifully with the golden musk. The sweet floral blendedness of it, the "high-end perfume"-ness of it reminds me a little of Butterflies, Flowers, and Jewels attending. It's not similar really, but I could see someone who loves that one liking this too. Utterly beautiful amber-musk-floral. It's really calming too. I love this.

Hello! I've been out of BPAL forums for ages (though still a big fan and occasional buyer), but had to leave a review of this one. This is my fave of my recent big order. On me, it starts with about 60% Banshee Beat patchouli+sweetness, and 40% honeysuckle nectar - and by nectar, it smells almost like honey. I don't usually play very nicely with BPAL's usual honey note, but this is working really well on me. Definitely getting the "flormand" vibe. After about 10-15 minutes it becomes more patch-and-sweet-vanilla. As a big fan of BB I adore this one. VERY glad I got a bottle, might try and find backups!

I couldn't put my finger on what this reminded me of at first. Then I was reading a bit about Only Lovers Left Alive (as I ordered some Ava/Eve), and vampires... And it hit me. It's The Girl! I had a bottle of The Girl that I let go of. Something about that scent curdled on my skin, and I sadly couldn't wear it. Best for someone who could give it the love it deserves, right? Zorya is a version of The Girl that I can wear. It's definitely a cool, ethereal floral-vanillic-amber-musk. More similar to the original Antique Lace than the most recent reincarnation of AL, which I find much sweeter and almost-foody vanilla. This is much more crystalline and certainly not edible, but I find it very wearable. So does my boyfriend. On him, it's a little more musk-forward. Just ordered another bottle to tag along with Ava and Eve. If you ever need a The Girl replacement, this is definitely along those lines. It works way better than TG on my skin so big winner for me. Top 5 maybe. So glad it's not an LE!!!

Tonka absolute, ylang ylang, benzoin, and smoked vanilla musk. This is an extremely richly sweet scent. I was hoping for something a little more mild, but this is full-on, BPAL-strength smoke-heavy vanilla-musk and ylang ylang. It's sexy and sultry and bordering on cloying. Subtlety isn't the specialty here. It's kind of what I imagine Ted and Beth's bedroom to smell like, actually... If it had a bit more dark incense or something. If you like "classic" BPAL heavy-sweet vanilla, don't let this pass you by. If you want anything lighter, this is not for you.

So I tore myself away from Moon Reflected for a brief moment to try using this, and it's gorgeous. Agree with all the reviewers - it's refreshing white tea and cherry blossom, with strawberry adding sweet fruitiness, making the blend gourmand, not floral. In my hair, it's more than a drop of strawberry - I'd say it's equal parts strawberry, cherry blossom, and white tea. It screams sunny, breezy spring day to me, so I'll go back to Moon Reflected and IBT while the temperatures are still in the single digits here, but I imagine this will be my go-to soon. I really wish Ted would sell soap/shampoo/co-wash/conditioner with this scent. They would be marvelous.

A similar rice note to Boomslang, but for me it's better without the cocoa - it blends perfectly with the vanilla and musk. I can't tell what iris root smells like, but I imagine something grounding it. For me the scent is quite strong - I applied after blowdrying my hair. It's lasted 8 hours and is still going strong. It smells sticky-sweet yet refined and comes in lovely wafts when my hair moves or when I run my fingers through it. Love. I'd want this in perfume form too.

To me, this is a lovechild of Sugar Plum Fairy and TKO. Gorgeous, sweet, vanilla-marshmallow-peony with a soft, calming dusting of lavender. I don't get any rose, and I usually amp that note to the high heavens. It's my favourite peony scent by BPAL for sure, and my favourite BPAL scent this year. I got one for one of my best guy friends and he's also obsessed. It's stunning. I think I need another bottle or two of this!!! Edit to add that the drydown of this is similar enough to Antique Lace that I'm probably going to hoard this like crazy. The throw isn't as much, but it waffles and lingers in much the same way, too. LOVE this, going to get at least three more... Get this if you like sugary florals like Mouse's LST, Antique Lace, Sugar Plum Fairy, TKO, Butterflies Flowers and Jewels Attending, and Hope & Faith!

I searched, browsed, etc... unfortunately came up blank. If there's already a thread to this, please meld this into it! And if there IS a tonka thread, please add it to this useful list to prevent other tonka-lovers like me from cluttering<3 Wikipedia: The tonka bean is the seed of Dipteryx odorata, a legume tree in the neotropics, of the Fabaceae family. The seed is black and wrinkled in appearance, with a smooth brown interior. Its fragrance is reminiscent of vanilla, almonds, cinnamon, and cloves. It had been used as a vanilla substitute, as a perfume, and in tobacco before being banned in some countries. Its use in food is banned in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration. It is featured in some French cuisine, particularly in desserts and stews. The seed contains the anticoagulant coumarin, which can be lethal in large doses. Many anticoagulant prescription drugs, such as warfarin, are based on coumarin. The plant has its origin in Northern South America (Guyana, Orinoco region). Main producers today are Venezuela and also Nigeria. It can be a deathly poison, but alluring and warm and comforting.... love it. I'm planning on trying Perversion and Western Diamondback soon. What do the experts recommend?

This is perhaps my favorite scent since Antique Lace. It's a gorgeous sweet resin-centered blend, with oudh adding depth while ginger gives it a slightly airy top note. In its golden feel it reminds me of Haloes, Morocco, and Lyonesse. The throw works a lot like Haloes too. It doesn't really smother you in scent like some BPALs do, but more of a wafter - you won't smell it all the time (and thus desensitizing you), but will waft when you move. I only used 2 squirts though, so if you wanted to be enveloped in this, I'm sure you could use more. Brilliant, 10/10. A must-try for anyone who likes sweet amber. I got a bunch of Silkybat as well this order, and I had overinflated expectations for that one and IBT. The former was nice and I'll definitely use my bottle, but IBT exceeded my high expectations. THANK-YOU PUDDIN' for making this a GC, because I'm sure I'll get one with every post order from now on.

Awesome list I'm not usually a huge fan of snow (the only one I wear regularly is Snow Moon '05) but I can't wait to try Go to Sleep, Darlings. It sounds too lovely.

I can't wait to try Hesoid's Phoenix. Looks like a great amber-vanilla...

IBT hair gloss. And while you're at it, you can add a description of the smell of your character's hair somewhere.

Interesting. This is much less sweet, especially just out of the box, than I was expecting. It's got a slightly medicinal sharpness that reminds me of fresh Snake Oil. SO takes three years of aging before I can wear it... I wonder if this is going to take as long? That said, this isn't unpleasant as is, not at all. I would just love if it were a little sweeter. It layers well with Banshee Beat so that's how I'll be using it for now!

Mrs. Palmer's Establishment is a little sweeter than I anticipated. It definitely has a cherry pipe tobacco vibe to it, but thankfully the leather, patchouli and vanilla counterbalances it. It works really well with Mahogany Hall - especially when I'm not in the mood for too much sweetness in the room, I spray Mrs. P once and MH twice. Great combination

Sugar Plum Fairy!!!! watermelony goodness for the summer The Wiley Grasser Snow Moon 2005 Tamamo no mae Sibyl Dorian Banshee Beat

Definitely honeydew juice concentrate in an imp. On my skin, Yemaya became significantly more complex. It reminded me of Titania a bit - icy cool, fresh and fruity, pale mint/blue in feel. There's definitely some lily in there - I amp lily, and I have a feeling that on someone else this could be a lot fruitier. On me, it's about half floral, half fruit. Maybe a smidge of darker green moss in there, but barely detectable. Quite nice! I don't usually like lily of the valley perfume but this has enough honeydewy sweetness to temper the screaming white floral.

Lyonesse burns my skin in its pure form, which is SAD because I love the scent However, I've found that dilution - specifically, making it into a solid perfume - has worked wonders. No more burning!

I love Liz... so glad to see it get some love

CONGRATS!!! I certainly hope that I marry someone who will love perfume as much as I do. I have a few recs for scents. I'm coming at this from a best-pairs perspective, while trying to keep in mind the Steampunk theme. -Dee or Black Rider and Liz Liz is one of my favourite perfumes. It's a beautifully soft, sweet leather-floral. It pairs GREAT with Dee. -Dorian and Sybil These two are incredible paired together, but it might be a little difficult getting some Sybil - it's RARE. I bet a lovely forumite would be willing to gift some though for your wedding! I have a bottle... I bet you'll both love both scents. -Robotic Scarab and Morocco These two have a "golden" and exotic feel to them. The latter is a bit sweeter and would complement RS well I think. -Antikythera Mechanism and Antique Lace These two would be great together (both non-foody vanillas) AND they both fit the steampunk theme. Again, however, Antique Lace is... not quite as rare as Sybil but certainly expensive. Even imps will go for $10-20 on Ebay nowadays I think. WORTH IT THOUGH. I dished out $300+ for a 10 ml once upon a time.

Isn't everyone here absolutely lovely!? Good luck in your search! I second the rec for Morocco.

I personally quite like Intrigue: A sultry, exotic scent that inspires devious plotting and clandestine affairs. It is a scent painted in artifice, veiled in deceit, and slithering with whispered secrets. Black palm, with cocoa, fig and shadowy wooded notes.