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BPAL Madness!

Scylla

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Everything posted by Scylla

  1. Scylla

    dark/thick/sludge-like?

    Well, since you don't care what it smells like, used motor oil would certainly fit the bill.
  2. Scylla

    Gelt

    I bought Gelt for my daughter for Christmas, since her favorite BPAL scents are Bliss, Candy Butcher and Lump of Coal. Naturally, I had to test it for myself after I gave it to her. On me, it is very reminiscent of Lump of Coal at first. However, the chocolate smell fades fast and I'm left with a weird metallic smell with the powder-y scent of the amber in the background! Not my cuppa, unfortunately. However, it smells fantastic on my daughter and she loves it. So it doesn't matter that it didn't agree with MY chemistry.
  3. Scylla

    Berry Scents - Blackberry, Red Berries

    One that's very berry that hasn't been mentioned is Jester. I believe it's huckleberry, but I think it would be right up your alley!
  4. Scylla

    Day of the Skulls

    Day of the Skulls has rose in it? You could have fooled me (or my chemistry!) I usually amp rose to the nth degree, making every blend with rose in it extremely rose-y and "Grandma-ish" as my husband would say. This doesn't do that! On me, from start to finish Day of the Skulls is mostly frankincense, sandalwood and tobacco with some florals in the background that I can't quite place. I can see (smell?) the comparison that someone else made to Diwali. It has a lot of throw and lasts a long time. I put it on at 6:00AM and it's now almost 10 and I can still smell an aura of Day of the Skulls. I hope I'm not wearing too much!
  5. Scylla

    Mictecacihuatl

    I'm sad. This smells so lovely in the bottle, but my chemistry turned it into powdery amber, dried cemetery flowers and cigar smoke.
  6. White Rabbit actually reminds me of, well, rabbits!
  7. Scylla

    Midnight on the Midway Claw Polish

    I could have SWORN I reviewed this! I bought a bottle of Midnight on the Midway polish when it first came out. I thought it was pretty durable, chip-wise, but I use a good top coat on top of the polish. Top coat is often the key. The color is fantastic! I have gotten so many compliments on the color--even a cashier at the local grocery store who spied my nails while I was scanning my credit card while checking out. I also brought it with me one time when I got a mani/pedi and the woman next to me asked me what color it was because she wanted it, too. (But I was selfish and didn't let her use it) I will definitely buy another bottle when this one runs out!
  8. Scylla

    Sugar Moon 2008

    First sniff: sugary and sweet; similar to Sugar Skull, but with a floral edge Wet, on my skin: Super sweet maple syrup with an smidge of alcohol. On drydown: Still pretty darn sweet, and then it morphs into the Attack of the 50 foot Bouquet topped with burnt sugar! Sadly, I'm not getting any of the wood or fruit notes. On my skin, it's all sugar and flowers. Some people may like that, but this is just too floral and sweet for me.
  9. Scylla

    Irrelevant and Disturbing Surreal Crawdad Dream

    At first, Irrelevant and Disturbing Surreal Crawdad Dream is all blueberries, currants and benzoin. A berrylicious pancake topping! Maybe I'm crazy (or my nose is), but on drydown it smells just like Eisheth Zenunim! And there are no notes in common!
  10. Scylla

    Carnaval Diabolique recommendations

    I have smelled all of them, and I honestly can't say any of them smells like a particular General Catalog scent. Sorry! What you might want to do is post an ISO on the Wanted section of the Swaps forum and see about swapping or buying imps or partial imps of them so you can try them before you invest in bottles.
  11. Scylla

    Pickled Imp

    I love spicy scents, and Three Witches is one of my very favorite BPAL scents. When I saw Pickled Imp in the Wunderkammer, I was so excited! It seemed like it would be right up my alley. Alas, the combination of the cinnamon, clove and pine goes really weird on my chemistry. On me, it is super clove-y with cinnamon and pine, and I think there may be some ginger in there as well. It was spicy without being foody, if that makes any sense! I don't get any vanilla at all. It's not going to be something I will be able to wear due to my wonky chemistry, but it will be terrific in a scent locket or oil burner.
  12. Scylla

    Tobacco scents

    You may want to check this pinned thread for further recommendations: http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=28...mp;hl=men's
  13. Scylla

    The Illustrated Woman

    In the vial, I smell pine and sharp musk. I'm a little scared! On application, it is Attack of the Pine Tree--at first. After just a couple of minutes, the pine pitch steps back and the patchouli, musk, vanilla and resins take over making The Illustrated Woman a lovely, "can't stop sniffing my wrist" kind of scent. I have an imp and I've almost finished it, and I'm feeling a little panicked because I Must. Have. More. Of all of the Carnaval Diabolique scents, this is definitely in my top 3!
  14. Scylla

    Licwiglunga

    At first sniff, it smelled both papery, green and tropical which led me to think that Licwiglunga was a South American artifact. Then I did a little research and realized my error! During the next stage it gets fruity, a bit herbal and then the fennel takes center stage. It is a really unusual and interesting scent, to be sure. On drydown, it smells very pleasant, fresh and clean. I have an imp, but I'm going to need a bottle!
  15. Scylla

    Moai

    Whoa! Moai definitely is evocative of volcanoes! It is smoky and earthy at first, but it quickly begins to morph. As it starts to dry down, I can smell the green of the palm and vetiver peek out. As it dries down further, I detect a manly cologne. Not for me, but I think I'm going to have to try this on my husband--if he makes it past the initial volcano smell!
  16. Scylla

    Ashlultum

    My chemistry does bad, bad things to Ashlultum. Stupid chemistry! On me, there is no lilac, no hyssop, no vanilla tea, no tonka... It is almost single note, STRONG musk, tobacco and coconut, making it smell very manly! So bad, I had to go wash it off.
  17. Scylla

    The Torture Queen

    From start to finish, Torture Queen is a dead ringer for Snow-Flakes on me. I went to check the notes in it to see what the similarities were, and there were no notes listed for it.
  18. Scylla

    Hand of Glory

    Beeswax, dry leather, black pepper, saltpeter, nutmeg, Mysore sandalwood, and oak bark. Suileach's review fits my feelings about Hand of Glory EXACTLY. I love the concepts of all the Wunderkammer scents, but this one... it is totally dead on and evocative--and it FREAKS ME THE HELL OUT!
  19. Scylla

    Bezoar

    I've read other people's reviews for other scents before that mentioned they couldn't smell a thing when they smelled a particular scent, and kind of secretly thought to myself, "What, are they nuts?!" Well, I'm sorry for thinking that, because Bezoar smells like NOTHING to me! Might as well be an imp of Crisco (which I know it isn't.) Which is rather unfortunate for me, given the really great reviews! When I apply it, I can smell hay VERY faintly. But nothing else.
  20. Scylla

    Golden Wave

    I really enjoy fresh and fruity scents during warm weather. Golden Wave has been one of my "go to" scents this summer. It's a really happy, citrusy scent. It's mostly tangerine and passion fruit, with juniper/gin in the background. Luckily, the juniper stays in the background keeping me from smelling like booze! I wish I had had the foresight to get at least one more bottle of this!
  21. Scylla

    Tabula Smaragdina

    I got the whole Wunderkammer in a decant circle (thanks, SueDonym!), but I pretty much knew that Tabula Smaragdina wouldn't work on me because of the rose. To me, it smells like rose, amber and incense (which it's supposed to!) But my chemistry amps the rose and makes it Attack of the 50 Foot Rose Bouquet!
  22. Scylla

    The Two-Headed Goat

    On application, The Two-Headed Goat smelled like a very masculine men's cologne on me. But then it morphed and the petitgrain took over and made it more feminine, with the pepperiness of the pimento berry singing harmony. I'm not sure which notes are involved, but on drydown it's kind of reminding me of that 70's standby Jean Nate!
  23. Scylla

    The Blasphemare Reliquary

    I'm shocked to find that The Blasphemare Reliquary has rose in it! Usually I amp rose (in a bad way) like nobody's business, but not here! This is my favorite of the Wunderkammer scents I've tried so far. It's difficult to pick out the notes in it, but I am loving this resinous/incensey blend. It reminds me of Lancome's Magie Noir when it is first applied.
  24. Scylla

    Marcilla

    I agree with savage_rose that Marcilla is a great transitional Spring to Summer perfume. Marcilla is not a morpher at all on me. The scent stays the same from the bottle to drydown. It's a wonderful combination of light fruitiness from the apricot, light florals from the lily of the valley and the summery freshness of the bergamot and green tea, and none of the notes dominate. The beeswax is an interesting addition that sweetens yet grounds the blend. I don't detect any musk or ginger. I have gotten quite a few "What perfume are you wearing?" compliments while wearing Marcilla.
  25. Scylla

    Marianne

    I was afraid of the comparisons to Snake Charmer, too, because it didn't work on me. But Marianne DOES work on me and smells nothing like Snake Charmer, at least to my nose! Also, red musk usually doesn't work on me (but Mlle. Moriarty is one notable exception). Red musk is the star of the show in this blend, and I definitely smell similarities to Scherezade (which doesn't work on me). The red musk and patchouli combination make Marianne a STRONG blend with lots of throw, so it should definitely be applied sparingly! It also lasts a long time--when I wear Marianne I can smell it on my cell phone and glasses for DAYS. It is definitely a seductive "Do me. NOW!" kind of blend, and I'm sure it will be wildly popular for that reason alone! I also agree that Marianne will age beautifully.
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