puellacaerulea

This starts out extremely lemony on me, but the lemon notes calm down and the floral and musk notes come out more as it dries down. Even though the lemon calms down, this is definitely a very "yellow" scent, with the lemon adding brightness to the moonflower and mugwort. The white musk is subtle, adding a faint, sort of creamy note in the background. Surprisingly, I can barely pick up the snow/frost note, but it may just be blending especially well with the lemon. After drydown, I'd say the lemon and the moonflower are the most prominent notes. Overall, a very pretty, chilly, citrus and white floral blend.

In the bottle I get the soft cedar and ambergris, as well as that bright, chilly, almost fruity note that I associate with BPAL's snow scents. The snow note amps up a ton after application, but it eventually settles down. After drydown, I mainly get a soft blend of cedar, ambergris, and coconut husk, with just a hint of the snow note -- a unique but atmospheric combination of warm and cool notes. This one's very light and subtle, with very low throw after drydown. Definitely evocative of its haiku.

In the imp, I get mainly honey and vanilla, backed up by the mallow flower -- sort of like O, but with more going on beyond the honey and vanilla. Once I apply it, my skin starts amping that woody backbone others have been mentioning -- it must be the sandalwood and orris, but the combination reads less like sandalwood to me and more like a polished wood (at this stage, it reminds me less of O and more of Lawful, weirdly enough). I'm not entirely sure how I feel about how that specific type of wood scent plays with the honey and vanilla, but it does give the scent a strong backbone that takes it outside the realm of foody. Relatively low throw, but great staying power -- about 13 hours later, there are still lingering hints of it, with that polished wood aspect considerably mellowed out.

So patchouli isn't one of my favorite notes, but honeysuckle emphatically is, so I wanted to at least try a decant of this. In the decant and once on, it's all glorious, potent honeysuckle. As it dried down, the patchouli amped up a ton and a weird, vaguely plasticky undertone came out. Fortunately, said weird undertone went away after drydown and more of the honeysuckle came back, but this is more patch-heavy on me -- earthy, not overly gnarly patch, with a hint of honeysuckle to sweeten it. Probably going to pass on a full bottle since I was hoping for something more honeysuckle-dominant, but need to test my decant a few more times to be sure.

In the decant and once on, I get mostly clove. The hay starts to slowly come out more as it dries down, but it stays pretty subtle, mostly adding a sort of warmth to the clove scent. Has good throw and lasted about 5ish hours on me. Warm and autumnal, and an alternative to what you might expect from cold-weather spice blends. Definitely one to grab if you like clove. Not sure if I need a full bottle, but glad I have a decant.

In the decant: Evergreen and wood notes, with a blast of something green and mossy. As it dries down, the green notes fade in favor of the evergreen and wood notes, staying pretty consistently evergreen-forward with a hint of those mossy, green notes after drydown. The effect is less Pine-Sol and more sticking your nose into some fresh pine branches. If you like evergreen or woody scents, this is definitely one to try.

This is a little more traditionally perfumey than I expected, but it's really pleasant -- cedarwood in the decant, with just a bit of smoke and a dry, non-sweet vanilla in the background. Definitely not rustic or pencil-shavings cedar; this is a more sophisticated wood note. It seems to stick close to the skin; I had to slather a bit in order to get a good whiff of it. I started out amping the vanilla hard, but the cedarwood makes its way back out after drydown and winds up well balanced with the vanilla. Low-ish throw and inoffensive; could be good for work or wherever you want something a little more subtle. Haven't ruled out a bottle purchase of this one.

In the decant: Salt, assorted fresh/aquatic notes, and something weirdly warm that is vaguely like corn chips? Once on: The corn chips go away (phew), and the salt amps up. I'm having a hard time picking out specific notes other than the salt, but they're clean, fresh, and slightly minerally. Once the weird corn chip note goes away, there's very little morphing -- just salty freshness. Very much a unisex scent, and I could see this being great in hot weather. Medium throw, and there's been very little fading after six hours of wear. Bottle purchase for sure.

In the imp: Bright, summery grass and green herbs. The herbs stand out more than the grass, and it does have a weirdly sunwarmed quality. Unfortunately, the grass note is a skin chemistry fail on me and takes on a plastic-like smell on drydown. Going to skip a full bottle, but will hang on to my decant for scent locket use.

2019 version. In the decant, the Lab's dead leaves, with a bit of smokiness and a lot of red musk. After applying, the amber and tobacco start to come out more. The overall impression is dry, slightly smoky leaves and red musk -- dark, late-autumnal, but also weirdly cozy. If you like the dead leaves scents, this is one to check out.

Both in the decant and on, the most dominant note to me is actually the marshmallows more than the goat's milk -- I've tried a couple of very goat's milk heavy BPALs in the past that were stronger, creamier, and tangier, so I think I was expecting that to be the heaviest note. Not that this is a bad thing, as the marshmallow notes blend fantastically with the goat milk that I do get. It's sweet and creamy, but the lavender and white tea notes add a slight herbal tone that keep the scent from being cloying. I don't think I'd reach for a sweet scent like this often enough to get a bottle, but will hold onto my decant for when the mood strikes.

As a tea lover and a fan of clean scents, I decided to snag a decant of this. The clean linen note is definitely front and center -- I can pick up some of the tea notes in the background, especially in the decant, but the linen is the most dominant note for sure. I was hoping for stronger tea notes, so I'm probably going to pass on a full bottle, but will keep reaching for my decant when I want that fresh laundry scent.

In the bottle, I get a bright, heady white floral, and have a hard time picking out the orris. Florals aren't typically my jam, but this one's really pretty. As it dries down, the orris starts to come out, giving it a slightly dusty, soft quality without overtaking the moonflower note. I could see a floral like this being overpowering if there were too many notes in the mix, but this is simple and pretty, and I'm glad I went for a blind bottle. Medium throw; good wear length (about 6 hours in and my skin hasn't eaten it up).

In the decant: Strong red musk, patchouli, and clove. Strong, dark, and spicy (almost like dragon's blood), almost overly so. As the scent dried down, I found it growing on me a lot: the clove softens and fades, blending more seamlessly with the red musk. While the red musk and patch are dominant throughout, this morphs a lot during its wear time -- an hour in there was an almost fruity undertone (no idea what note is giving me that impression), and later that faded in favor of the saffron and red oudh. Overall impression: dark, smooth, musky, with just a slight spiciness. If this is evocative of red, it's a dark, saturated shade. I wasn't sure about this one in the decant, but I'm actually liking the drydown stage.

In the decant: Apple and honey, with something giving it a slight spiciness -- not sure which of the other notes to attribute this to. Bright, cheerful, a traditionally "fall" smell. After applying, the apricot and oak notes come out more and really make this scent stand out -- the apricot blends really well with the apple and honey, and the oak gives it depth and grounding that takes it beyond "autumnal candle scent" territory. Throughout, the overall impression is sweet fall fruits with a woodsy base; it's very reminiscent of bright, sunny, early autumn days. Considering a bottle purchase for this one.

In the decant and right after applying, I get strong, bright yuzu with lilac and violet in the background. It's a weird combo, and yet it works. As it dries down more, the amber, white musk, and orris get more prominent as the yuzu fades into the background. Overall, I get a lilac/slightly spicy violet blend, softened with the amber and musk and just a hint of yuzu to make it unusual. Definitely has a pale, ghostly vibe. Not sure if this'll be a bottle purchase for me yet, but will certainly keep using my decant.

In the decant: The dead leaf note is there, but there's also strong cacao -- the two notes combined are like a dark, bittersweet chocolate. After applying, the sandalwood starts to come out and softens the scent -- it's almost like sniffing a tub of baking cocoa, but in a good way. As time goes on, the cacao note fades, and dry leaves and sandalwood are the predominant note. Despite the strong cacao note, I definitely wouldn't call this foody, and the notes work incredibly well together. Dry, bittersweet, and definitely autumnal. Definitely considering a bottle purchase for this one.

In the decant, I get mainly aquatic notes and greenery. Once on, the sage comes out more, adding a sharpness to the scent, but the overall impression is still a clean aquatic and grass scent. Unfortunately, after drydown, there's a vaguely plasticky undertone coming through. I suspect whatever's providing the grass note doesn't play well with my skin chemistry, as this also happened with Take a Knee (another grass scent that went semi-plastic on me). It's not a dealbreaker, but it is a bummer, as that early aquatic/grass/sage combo is fantastic. Not sure if I'm going to spring for a full bottle due to the skin chemistry issues, but do want to try out my decant in a scent locket.

In the decant, I get a combo of lemon, verbena, and neroli -- super citrusy, borderline cleaning-product citrus (which I actually enjoy, but worth noting for those who are less into it). Once it's on, the amber amps up a lot and tones down the citrus enough to avoid any cleaning product associations. On drydown, this is still predominantly sunny citrus, but there's an odd sweetness to it -- I can't tell if it's the amber/citrus combo or the other notes. I keep going back and forth on whether it's overly sweet, but I'm currently landing on just enough. So, overall, a sweet amber/citrus combo that's very evocative of bright yellow autumn trees before the cold really sets in. This has good wear length, and I could see it working in both warmer and cooler months. Definitely will keep using my decant.

In the decant: Strong, wet dead leaves, with a bit of spice in the background. The spices amp up immediately, blending in surprising ways with the dead leaves. Unfortunately, my skin seems to eat up the spice notes on the drydown, leaving me with a faint whiff of dead leaves and black tea. The drydown stage is much drier and softer than the strong, wet, cologne-like DL that I get in the decant, and makes for a low-key autumnal scent. I probably don't need a full bottle of this, but will keep testing my decant (I'm curious how the spice notes work differently in a scent locket vs. on my skin).

In the decant and on first applying, this is strong cedar and fig -- the strong evergreen note I'm getting from the cedar almost makes this seem like a winter scent at first. As it dries down, the honey, oakmoss, and tobacco notes get a lot more prominent, overtaking the cedar and giving the scent an almost powdery character. After some time, the cedar is mostly hanging out in the background, giving a subtle woodsy undertone to what's mainly a soft fig & honey scent. I'm reminded a little bit of Lilium Inter Spinas.

In the decant, I mainly just get the Lab's dead leaf note. Once it's on, the cedar and vetiver come out and play remarkably well with the dead leaf note. The nutmeg's in the background, giving a subtle spicy-sweetness to the scent. If you're curious about the dead leaf scents but are scared off by the "cologne-y" descriptions, this is potentially a good one to try -- here, the DL note blends with the cedar and vetiver to produce something smooth, dry, and woodsy, without the cologne-y bite you can sometimes get from the DL note. This one lasts long on me, but stays very close to the skin -- a plus if you want something subtle. I'd also say the vibe on this one is very unisex. I need to test this a few more times before I decide if I need a 5ml, but I'm glad I snagged a decant.

In the decant: Thick, sweet amber, mandarin, and ginger. I think the patch might be giving it that thick quality, but it's not gnarly or dirty-smelling. Once it's on: The amber and ginger take center stage, with the apricot and mandarin brightening things up. The ginger stays strong throughout. This is like a deeper, more complex version of Carnal -- bold, fruity, and spicy, with the amber grounding everything. Definitely evocative of shades of bright, autumnal orange. If you like ginger, definitely give this one a go. Medium-to-high throw. Not 100% sure if I need a full bottle, but definitely hanging onto my decant.

2014 version, because I apparently never reviewed it back when I first got it: In the bottle: The Lab's dead leaf note, extra strong and sharp, with maple and something darker and green in the background (the cypress?). After applying: The dirt note gets more noticeable, while the dead leaves amp up almost to the point of sourness. On drydown, the sour note calms down, and the whole scent softens into a deeper, darker, more complex version of the Dead Leaves & X scents. When I first purchased this during its original run, I found the dead leaves too high-pitched and sour, but it seems to have mellowed out with age. Very autumnal in a non-foodie way, and I'm glad I pulled the aged bottle out of my stash.

In the bottle: Limes! Freshly squeezed lime juice; the musk is barely detectable. Once I put it on, my skin starts amping the white musk like whoa. After a brief vaguely-like-cleaning-product stage, this settles down to a soft white musk with just a bit of lime giving it a more tart undertone. I imagined something like Villain, but the end result leans a lot more traditionally feminine. Light-to-medium throw. Glad I took a chance on this and want more Duets now.