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BPAL Madness!

zankoku_zen

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Everything posted by zankoku_zen

  1. zankoku_zen

    Ambergris

    Warm, golden muskiness. Kinda masculine, but very pretty. Hints of honey on my skin. ETA: So definitely very different from the aquaticness of the most recent ambergris SN. This one is richer, golden, musky. Honestly, the more I wear it, the more I think you can actually wear this SN by itself. HOT DAMN.
  2. zankoku_zen

    Lucy, Kissed

    OMG. I get giant buckets of red musk SN, except its darker, sexier and more voluptous, esp. with hints of rose
  3. zankoku_zen

    Nepthys v3

    Hrmmm. Okay, I got a whiff of lemongrass at the beginning, and maybe a hint of coconut (admittedly, I am both of those sucker) on wet, but as it dries, I get more of a 'sandy' blend. There's definitely musk in it (not red), and so I get a slightly fruity, perfumey musk, that is definitely 'desert' like and 'incense' like.
  4. zankoku_zen

    AF8

    Honestly, I get more of a lilac vibe from this. HUGE in fact. On wet, I do get something that reminds me to lily of the valley (that may be the weird interaction of lilac on me). I kept thinking this might also have some jasmine in it, as there is a bit of sharpness to the overall floral. Bright floral, huge throw. I get loads of lilac from this.
  5. zankoku_zen

    Pumpkin I (2009)

    So on wet I get the hearty slap of buttery pumpkin and honey. Like hello! It dries to a much more subtle scent, that is masculine musky with a hint of pumpkin and honey. Not my kind of the deal at all, but if you're looking for a nice manly pumpkin... this is it!
  6. zankoku_zen

    'Tis The Voice Of The Lobster

    Oh yum! This has to be the best BPAL watermelon blend ever. I mean, I get watermelon with hints of blackberry and strawberries on wet, but watermelon is definitely front and center. As it dries, I get this woodsy spice, slightly peppery on me, which might be coriander. As it dries, it gets slightly more musky. Erm. Yeah. I really like this one. More so than High Strung Daisies.
  7. zankoku_zen

    MB: Underbed v1

    Actually, for me, there is one big difference between the released version and this one. For one, I don't think there's coconut in this blend, because I amp up coconut like no one's business and it wasn't present here. At all. Definitely strong vanilla cake, hint of chocolate (I don't think there's cassis on this). It almost veers into plastic territory, but not quite. Ends up smelling like delectable vanilla with a hint of cocoa. YUM!
  8. zankoku_zen

    PPH08

    PPH08 reminds me to L'Autunno. I didn't get any citrus from the beginning, but I did get heavy smokiness, patchouli, and SAGE like crazy. There is a slight sweetness to the blend that makes me think brown sugar/molasses. But... uh yeah. Sage is so not my friend.
  9. zankoku_zen

    The Hell-Gate Of Ireland

    Oh Hellgate - you are pretty masculine. Like black musky and smoldering brimstone kind of masculine. No copper or clove for me, which would have added another dimension to this blend. *sigh*
  10. zankoku_zen

    Summer's Last Will and Testament

    Okay, at the beginning this was delicious. I could smell the citrus and the blood orange and it was totally yummy. Then that disappeared and I was left with sunflowers. And now, on the drydown, I have soapy sunflowers and geranium. I'm kinda torn on this. I love geraniums and there are not enough BPAL geranium blends out there. On the other hand, just getting a whiff of this makes me think I should put on Winter Stress Relief Elixir instead.
  11. zankoku_zen

    Hideous Heart

    Thick cherry syrup with cinnamon. This one is quite foodie, and the cherry is very sweet, but it reminds me to cough syrup. Sad.
  12. zankoku_zen

    Under the Harvest Moon

    This one is a soft musky rose with a hint of lavender. It's soft and girly, and very comforting. I can see this being appropriate for a young girl. That being said, not a fan of roses, so pass.
  13. zankoku_zen

    Pumpkin V (2009)

    I think I amp up hazelnut because that's basically all I smell. Hazelnut + a hint of buttery pumpkin. I have to say though that this year the pumpkins have been less buttery... or perhaps of the blends I have tried all contain a note I amp up, hence drowning the pumpkin? I wish I had gotten the coffee --- I sort of wanted the Pumpkin Spice Latte everyone talks about!
  14. zankoku_zen

    Black Butterfly Moon

    Ah, this one is indeed black lily and moss on me. Overall its a dark, sophisticated femme fatale/noir heroine blend. Dark, seductive, bold. This is worn by the kind of woman that wears red lipstick and carried a pearl handled gun strapped to her thigh. On the drydown, there is a slight incense overtone to it, which of course just adds to the gorgeousness of it, and yet there is also a chypre kind of feel to it. Again, not the kind of blend that I go for, but this is one gorgeous piece of artistry.
  15. zankoku_zen

    Soothing System

    GRAPE! This is that lovely luscious grape that I get from High John the Conqueror. Sweet, juicy and delicious. It kinda reminds me to the japanese grape gummies. TASTY.
  16. zankoku_zen

    A'arab Zaraq

    Okay, this definitely has patchouli, tobacco and musk. On wet, I get a big slap of dirty patchouli - its almost gritty. As it dries, I get more of the tobacco and musk mixing in. And yes, there is a touch of spiciness there that I want to say is carnation. Not my kind of blend, but goddamn, this is fabulous.
  17. zankoku_zen

    Carlin

    Black sage, ivy-twined rowan, thistle, snapdragon, heather, gorse, fumitory, and anise. I kinda enjoy this - in the same way I enjoy Host of Air. Whereas HoA is a fresh, green spring, Carlin is much more of autumn in it, darker, cooler, less bright. This goes a little soapy on me. Unfortunately, I still prefer HoA.
  18. zankoku_zen

    Pumpkin II (2009)

    Being an amper of rose, while this starts of with the buttery slap of pumpkin on wet, it quickly becomes a pumpkin-rose blend, and becomes utterly dominated by the rose. Meh.
  19. zankoku_zen

    The Girl

    This one is a very 'white' and ghostly blend. The jasmine is well behaved, and along with the ylang ylang it gives this a very ethereal floral feel. Very crystalline, very clear. There's a certain bit of sharpness however to it that while apropos (as this no ordinary girl, in fact she's dangerous to your health) doesn't sit right to me.
  20. zankoku_zen

    Lambs-Wool

    LOVE this. It's apples and spices. Like apple cider, but with a little milk, cinnamon, ginger and a hint of clove. Tasty. Originally, I was hoping for a Mabon-like scent, but this is sweeter, less woodsy and no blackberry. With that said, this is still very very tasty. I sense bottle worthiness in this one.
  21. zankoku_zen

    Cake Smash

    Cake Smash begins on wet with the same kind of cake note that you get in the Floating Brain and MB: Closet. However, as it dries, I get more of the Snake Oil and Doc. Constantine. If the Dorian is there, it is overwhelmed. I get something that smells a little more like white cake as opposed to red velvet. I definitely amp up the Doc Constantine in this one. It's not bad, but its not a blend that calls to me.
  22. zankoku_zen

    Boo

    Boo is an odd mix of sugary cotton and plastic. BPAL cream note invariably turns into plastic and the sugar adds a sweetness. There's this soft cotton note, this actually quite lovely, but combined with the cream, it makes me think of Barbie clothes. Yup. Skin chemistry for fail. Again.
  23. zankoku_zen

    Mircalla, Countess Karnstein

    Mircalla on me begins with a giant wet slap of red musk. Like aggressively, sensual red musk. Almost like the Red Musk SN. As it dries, I get the barest hint of cloves and vanilla. On the drydown, I get the balsam mixing with the red musk, and that's pretty much it. I get the 'cool' notion that other do, but at the same time, the large doses of red musk make this a very sensual blend.
  24. zankoku_zen

    Aquarius

    On wet, I really get this medicinal lavender. Its got an overlay of eucalyptus, but the lavender is almost salty and heavily aquatic. As it dries, I get more of a sandalwood/cedar, and it sort of dries down to that with a slightly aquatic vibe. I didn't like it on wet, but on the drydown, it is oddly appealing. Not enough to keep, but enough to enjoy its unusual smell.
  25. zankoku_zen

    Cristina

    Oh Cristina, you are definitely a nutty one. I mainly get chestnuts and florals. I get a slight 'vanilla' overtone to the entire blend. Not into nutty blends, but I can see people who are into Wezwanie/Hold liking this one.
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