Caltha

Ogun Ogun is an odd one. A watery melon/cucumber scent mixed with stale pipe smoke and honey sweetness. Very musty. I don't know what I was hoping for really, since I already know I don't like melon. I seem to recall red chili, but I get none of that and there must me something else I don't get either that made me order it in the first place...

Neo-Tokyo I wrote a review but it was eaten. Damn. I'll be sure to copy this shorter version before pressing the button... Anyway, I can't quite figure Neo-Tokyo out. I don't know what colour to give it or whether I like it or not. It's also faint, I put some in my hair but can't feel it so I put a tad on my wrists to refresh my memory but I can hardly feel it still. Might be my nose, I seem to have a slight cold. Yesterday I could still feel it after an hour at least. Neo-Tokyo starts out pretty much as a fresh green tea scent. It's vaguely fruity, floral and soapy, or at least it has a clean, cool vibe. Perhaps it's metallic? According to my notes from yesterday, it dries down to a pretty generic cool, fresh, light perfume, with a hint of incense to BPAL things up a bit. The little scent I get today is more warm and sweet and fruity, with that little incense hint. I'll definitely keep it, at least until I figure it out and am bored with it.

Sybaris Definitely violets, but I'd say candied violets rather than fresh flowers. It's a rather cool scent, a cool, sweet fruity/floral with a hint of bitterness. When drying on skin it gets a more woody and skinlike quality and a hint of soap, but in my hair it stays like sweet violets. I prefer the skin-version.

Eos I'd call this a BPAL-generic (white?) floral: honey sweet and slightly decaying or tropical. I'd say lilies, but I seem to recall honeysuckle. Swedish honeysuckle does not smell like this, but the American variety may be headier. It's also slightly soapy, at least on my skin. Not my cuppa.

Brisingamen Mmmm I love amber! BPAL taught me that. It's like sunwarmed skin with perhaps a hint of sunwarmed pine forest. I get a hint of fresh citrus which I guess is the amber since I get it from Haunted too. I also get a hint of soapy freshness when wearing it on my skin, but that may be something other than the amber, a floral maybe? Anyway, I'm not as offended by the soapy note as I would normally be since I love the amber note so much. A keeper for sure.

Osun Sweet honey, a quite BPAL-generic honey/candy sweetness. In the drydown it turns more fruity (plum maybe?) and powdery. Nothing wrong with it, it's just too sweet and generic for my taste.

Saint-Germain An intriguing scent, quite unlike anything else. It starts quite strong and herbal/spicy in a refreshing way, with perhaps a citrusy or minty touch. It dries warmer , more woody/spicy, and I get a sort of warm rubber note out of it, you know like screeching car tires. The funny thing is, I actually like it, I find it comforting and cosy and unique. Definitely a masculine scent too. My sister said "old lady perfume" but she says that about everything that's not fresh and green. I quite like it and will definitely keep the imp.

Ophelia Ophelia smells exactly like single-note artificial pear flavour. A bubbly, sparkly pear flavour, like pear soda. Or almost spot-on like a certain Swedish pear popsicle. I'm used to fruit notes overwhelming everything with their candy sweetness, but there isn't even any pear in Ophelia! I guess it's the lotus, since I've heard people say lotus=bubblegum. Note to self: avoid lotus.

Maiden Maiden starts out as a strong, fresh, green tea note with a hint of rose. As it dries the fresh green note gets more bitter, more like fresh cut grass. Perhaps it's the carnation too, I find their scent slightly bitter. In the end it gets sweeter and more powdery. I like the tea note but the rest is not my cup of tea and I have so many tea scents already.

Eclipse To me, Eclipse is almost an exact twin of Chimera. It starts out with a similar marzipan bitterness (from the bitter almond) and mellows to a scent of gingerbread dough. Not baked cookies, definitely dough. Cinnamony, sweet and creamy. I do like the scent of gingerbread dough, I just don't need another scent in this foody/spicy vein.

I keep my (2) bottles in the fridge among my other perfumes, while the imps are in my room, and I haven't noticed any difference. Except that I like Devil's Night a lot more now than when I first tried it, but that may just be the aging. Perhaps they take a little longer to develop and warm up on the skin since they are colder to begin with though?

Nanshe I'm only going to review Nanshe as a perfume since I don't use scents for sleeping or aromatherapy or magical purposes or any of the likes. That said, Nanshe is more of a wake-me-up scent than a put-me-to-sleep scent with it's fresh blast of herbal citrus. The notes I can pick out are lemon and what I think is lavender. I don't normally like lavender, but this is a fresh, green, spicy herbal, not "old lady's linen". Actually, it reminds me more of coriander or something. The combination of citrus, herbs and spice makes this a very edible and non-perfumey scent, foody but not sweet dessert-foody like most foody scents. I think it's yummylicious, but in a very fresh, mindclearing way. Good to wear when I'm studying, as I am today and ought to most other days too.

Herr Drosselmeyer There's a scent quite common in perfume oils, often of the halloweeny or christmasy kind, a sort of burnt sugar scent. I get that scent from Herr Drosselmeyer quite strongly. It is perhaps masculine since it's strong and somewhat "dark" and boozy, but it's also very, very sweet. A scent in the vein of Devil's Night (but much stronger), Gingerbread Poppet, Atropa's cottage's Sweet shoppe, Sugar Skull and many others. On the verge of nauseating since it's so very sweet and strong but cosy, a comfort scent. I definitely don't need more of it though. Edit: But what is it? There's no caramel or sugar in this, not even booze... I'm guessing the sweet leather and maybe it could be the pipe smoke as well.

Wilde A sophisticated traditional gentleman's cologne, with just the slightest taint of patchouli's passion, tonka bean's decadence, the philanthropy of bergamot, moss' cynicism, the sharp wit of lavender, and the hopeless romantic longing of jasmine and thyme. I got Wilde as a freebie in a swap and was excited to try it. It's a very cool and fresh and minty gentleman's cologne, slightly herbal but in a mild way, as in herbal schampoo. It's sort of a "generic men's cologne" but with a certain BPAL-ness to it. Too clean and generic and faint for me though and it turns a little funky on my skin, a little plastic and sickly-sweet, like the pickle note I get from Absinthe or a much fainter version of the pee note in Black Annis. I'd like to keep it becaue of the lovely photo of Oscar Wilde dressed as Salome, but alas, it has none of the decadence of him there...

Grandmother of Ghosts A sweet and fruity scent, warm and musty and as most fruits on my skin, unfortionately quite plastic. It has a certain spicy or sharp bite as well, underneath the fruity sweetness. As it dries it gets warmer and more powdery with a hint of wood, but other than that I can't really make out any notes. I think it's off to swaps, the fruit candy quality is just too much for me, I had hoped for something a bit harsher and more sophisticated with pepper and dry wood.

Geek Atthis was kind enough to swap me an imp of Geek but it didn't get here in time for the CN revival and I didn't dare to order a bottle unsniffed. Now that I've got it I'm glad I didn't since I would have sold it anyway. It's funny how everyone seems to think this is a masculine or foresty scent. Not on me, the evil sweet-fruit-amper. On my skin, the fruity sweetness makes it more feminine. It's a sort of citrusy fruitiness, but a sweet citrus, orange maybe? I don't recall what's in it. I get some resin bitterness to begin with but it's soon drenched in the sweetness. I also get some leather and a sort of weird mustiness that reminds me of sweat or curry. Edit: How odd. There isn't any fruit or flower in this, so what's turning so sweet? It can't be the leather because leather is usually a very dry and papery scent on me, anything but sweet. It might be one of the foresty notes though, perhaps pine, since Dublin is also very sweet on me. Edit again, after wearing it in my hair: Well perhaps this is a sweet leather after all. Perhaps the sweetness isn't really a fruity sweetness but rather a powdery sweetness that could be sweet leather and/or sweet resins. I don't really get any citrus out of it now. Still, it's weird since leather, cinnamon and woods like cedar are usually is so dry and resins like patchouli so bitter on my skin.

Torture King Atthis was kind enough to swap me an imp on short notice, but it didn't get to me in time for the CN revival and now I'm a little annoyed that I didn't order a bottle unsniffed. Ah well, I have a full imp and that might be all I need. To me, Torture King smells a lot like Severin. I wonder if that's intentional since they're both masochist scents? It has the same combo of dry leather and fresh citrus. I know Torture King is a lot more complex, but I mostly get the leather/citrus out of it, with a bit of powdery, resinous sweetness that makes it more full-bodied than Severin. While Severin is very faint and fading fast, Torture King is potent and carnal. I swept the wand through my hair and walked in a long-lasting cloud. It's funny that they're almost versions of the same scent, yet Severin is so asexual and businesslike while Torture King is all lewd and brutal... Or, if they're both sexual, Severin is the restrained, ascetic masochist who gets his pleasure from suspense and self-control, whilte Torture King is the sexual sadist who takes what he wants. I prefer Torture King, mostly because it's stronger and more long-lasting. It's also warmer and comfier while Severin is so very dry. I feel this scent will grow on me, leather is such a comfort scent for me and I've been looking for a good masculine scent that's not cologney fresh and sterile. I might need to hunt down a bottle after all before it's too late, just in case... Edit: Oh I get it. Torture King is the Hyde to Severin's Jekyll, of course!

Kunstkammer A sensory jumble, a true cacophony of odors: black pepper, benzoin, blood orange and olibanum. Kunstkammer is all strong, sweet orange candy and it's not just a skin chemistry thing because it's the same in my hair or simply from the imp. I love fresh oranges but as a perfume note it's one of my least favourites. I might appreciate an orange scent if it was really freshly sour, juicy orange since I love sour citrus like lemon and lime, but BPAL has made me think of orange as sticky sweet, artificial orange candy and now I just avoid it. Off to swaps.

Talvikuu Talvikuu is strong and surprisingly sweet. I get the same sweetness out of Dublin so I guess it's the pine or fir (don't remember which it is). It's not just a skin chemistry thing either because right now I'm wearing it in my hair and it's still sweet. I don't mind the sweetness in Dublin, it's sort of a hot, sunny, sappy pine forest, but in Talvikuu, which is supposed to be more wintry, the minty "snow" note makes the sweetness more candylike. Almost like evergreen flavoured hard candies, if that's conceivable. I have yet to find a truly natural forest scent and in the meantime I don't think I need to keep this.

Usher Thanks to modesty_blaise I got to try an imp before the end of the Maelström. I was thinking of buying it since I liked the gentleman's fougere and tarn and the comparisons to Dorian, but I was afraid of the black currant. I love black currant but I have found that it's one of my major evil berries in BPALs, I never get any distinct black currant scent, only sweet fake candy berry. Usher starts out pretty masculine, very discreet and faint with cool mint and sharp anise and perhaps a citrusy hint. There's something underneath the freshness though, an almost rottening quality that might be the tarn, or the anise (is there anise? I don't recall) which had a pee-like quality in Black Annis (but that might have been the civet's fault) As it dries however the black currant becomes dominating. It was inevitable. It's not masculine anymore but rather sweet and girlie, candy sweet and powdery. I'd say it's a blueberry note rather than black currant, blueberry hard candies. There's still a cool hint of mint or anise which in combination with the candy sweetness of the berry reminds me of licorice. It's strange, the sweetness makes the scent very pleasant, addictive almost, but at the same time I think it's too sweet and too artificial. Verdict: I'll keep the imp but I won't buy that bottle. And I only hope it won't grow on me...

Spirits of the dead Spirits of the dead is a fresh, green tea scent, almost a green grass scent. My girlfriend said "soap", and yes, it may be slightly sharp and nose-tiickling but I really like BPAL's fresh tea scents. I don't get much else out of it. When it has dried completely on my skin, however, it morphs. The fresh tea note vanishes and instead it smells vaguely sweet, like hot skin with the sweat dried by the sun. And I mean that in a good way, not in a "yuck, sweat" way. Interesting. Hot dry skin and hot dry wood. Today I wear it in my hair though and I only get the fresh green tea note going strong.

The Premature Burial Thanks to blu I got to try The Premature Burial before the Maelström disappeared. I was thinking of buying it because of the earth note, which I love, but I was hesitant because of the patchouli, orchid and teakwood, usually no friends of mine. The earth note is strong, but a perfumey floral is equally strong. I wouldn't mind a floral note with my earth if it was a soft and natural floral note, but this is perfumey, candysweet orchid. The patchouli might be adding to the "perfumeyness" too. I was hoping for a purer earth note, this is too perfumey and too close to the earth/rose of Zombie. Still looking for that perfect earth scent... Verdict: I'll keep the imp but I don't need to buy that bottle.

Thanks for the tip! I've been thinking about a scent locket, or of putting the scents in my hair (which is short, though). I don't have a problem with the earth note though, it's true earth and it stays true, that's why it's one of my fav notes. I'd love to find some moss scents or other natural scents too for variation.... And I think I did find a nice, pure moss note in Atropa's cottage's Undomiel... Very weird, it's only florals listed in it... And that's because of my skin chemistry, it starts out floral, lily of the valley-like, and then... moss.

Thanks everybody! I have Bayou and Dunwich and I agree about the swampy quality of them, but Bayou has such a cloying floral sweetness on me it makes it a little "perfumey" and the aqatics in Dunwich were slightly schampoo-ish (like most aquatics are on me) with the added sweet cloud of lilies. I like them both but a swamp scent without the floral sweetness would be nice too... And again, I know this is subjective and I will probably not react to the oils in the same way as you, but I'm curious about people's experiences. I don't need advice as to which scents are "supposed" to be rainy or foresty or the likes, only what they are like to you...

I'm not a huge fan of "clean" (I have a problem with aquatics/ozone) but the clean, fresh scents I love are all tea-based. Tea is a little herbal too so that might be suitable. Kumiho - my fav, very fresh and green Shanghai - a little milder, tea with lemon, sugar and milk, still very fresh Severin - very dry and subtle, on me the leather is more of a sort of papery note Amsterdam - bit too generic for me but a very fresh and light and clean spring floral Embalming fluid, The Dormouse, The Apothecary - other pretty tea scents Rosalind - might be fresh and grassy on someone who doesn't amp up berries, on me it's candy sweet Whitechapel - fresh sweet citrusy floral I'm afraid I can't help you with the woods since my skin and sandalwood are enemies, but try the search engine on BPALs site.