Siberia

I agree with the previous reviewers who think this smells like Vetiver. There is definitely a strong earthy/vetiver smell at first. It calms down a bit and the ginger comes out, but it still has a bit of musty/earthiness. This comes across as a rather unisex herbal. I usually don't tolerate herbal scents very well, but this is not bad. It's definitely like nothing else in my collection.

As weird as this combination sounds, it works very nicely. I smell a hint of fruity, natural pine needles at the front, and a base that is a mix of wildflowers and cotton candy. The cotton candy is definitely pink to my nose, and the wild flowers are sweet and meld perfectly with it - the flowers here remind me of the flowers in Lilith's Tea Party. The pine needles are subtle and burn off first, leaving the sweet cotton candy and flowers. This lasts about four hours on me and has light - medium throw. It's a playful and almost girlish scent. I like this one.

In the bottle and first applied, Sonnet D'Automne has a very strong "leaf" scent that actually reminds me a lot of the the rhubarb note in Heroine. It's a bit sour-sharp and fruity. It almost seems a bit masculine right at first, but it starts to sweeten up after just a few minutes, with the leaf note remaining predominant, but losing its sharp edge. In the meantime, the amber incense is coming to harmonize beautifully with the leaves. White chocolate softens and sweetens it all. This is a really pretty scent that for some reason reminds me quite a bit of Heroine. There is also some similarity with the Last Unicorn, but this is a lot bolder and has more throw. Glad I bought a bottle, it will definitely be part of the Autumn rotation.

I'm amazed at the varied impressions of this scent. My impression is in the vanilla frosting/incense/whatever is in Dorian camp. I didn't smell any wine, booze, or cigarette smoke. This has a bit of a similar feel to Cake Smash, but the grown up version. This is a little bolder and more complex. Underneath all that sweet frosting and sugar from Dorian is a melange of notes that I really can't pick out at all, but that reminds me of Fall. I love this one and I'm getting a second bottle.

In the bottle, this smells nice - a sweet rose with sandalwood underneath. Like many other reviewers, though, when I put it on, the rose grew and grew and grew. It smells like powdery rose incense. It's not bad, but not that special either. It smells very much like Clermont to me.

I'd been wanting to try this for ages, based on the awesome-sounding notes. Alas, this smells like very expensive baby powder.

On me, this is amber, vanilla, and white musk, with just a hint of the florals. The florals are sweet and well-blended; they don't stick out like "whoa, flowers" at all. I don't smell the zdravetz. This is right up my alley, sweet vanilla amber. I can see why several of the other reviewers see this as a spring or summer scent - it doesn't have a wintery feel at all, it is quite warm, which is appropriate for the essence of the Ghost of Christmas Past.

Midnight Carnival has the spicy complexity of Mr. Jacquel, but is in my opinion sweeter and less masculine. It's well-blended, and I have a hard time picking out the individual notes. There is a resinous, woody base, with a velvety overlay of spicy sweetness. Nothing here really smells floral, but it seems the flowers lend sweetness to the overall blend. There is also what seems like the tiniest impression of smoke. No actual smoke scent, just the impression. I think this is the best incense-y scent that I've tried.

This scent is as lovely and ethereal as its namesake. The Last Unicorn starts off as predominantly white chocolate and violet leaf layered over a woody sandalwood base. There is a hint underneath of the watery wild lettuce. As it dries down, what I am guessing is the orris and iris come out - there is a sort of velvety and long-lasting dry down. This sticks close to the skin, but I kept catching occasional wafts of beautiful scent as I moved. Even though the throw is light, this lasts many hours.

This is the unholy lovechild of two of my favorite scents, Snow White and Pickled Imp. It takes after its daddy - reminds me very much of the vanilla and pine from Pickled Imp, but the pine is far more prominent here. I hoped this would be a win with the sweet snowy vanilla and evergreen, and it definitely is. Great Yule scent.

This reminds me a lot of Zombie Apocalypse. The strawberries and a sweet scent that smells like the sugar in Zombie Apocalypse dominate. There's a darkness that smells a lot like brown sugar on me. I don't smell cheesecake or creaminess anywhere, but I'm not complaining. I like this a lot.

I also placed a Yule order (no Unicorns) on October 21, and I haven't got a C&S notice yet, either.

The Witch's Repast (Marchen) is super weird. I think it's gross, but a lot of people like it. I thought it smelled like caraway, honey, and barf.

Lucifera, Madame Moriarity is a general catalog (GC) item - it's part of the Carnival Diabolique Collection - it's here, first item under Act II:

 

http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/cdiabolique.html

 

ooeh im getting snake oil for sure guess mm moriarty is an LE?

This is fantastic! I hope Banshee Beat becomes easier to obtain, because it is really lovely. Like the previous reviewer, this reminds me of Antikythera Mechanism - it has the same "fuzziness" that I get from Antikythera Mechanism, but is much, much sweeter, and the vanilla is simply out of this world fantastic. This is the strongest and most beautiful vanilla I've smelled from BPAL.

 

Freshly applied: Underneath the vanilla haze, I can smell the hemp and patchouli, which add earthiness, but take a back seat to the divine, lovely, wonderful vanilla.

 

Dry down: The hemp and patchouli come out more as it starts to dry down.

 

I am so glad I got a bottle, but wish I'd got two!

In the bottle, this smelled like strawberries and buttery pastry - the pastry is similar at first scent to blackberry jam and scones, but the butter scent was not as strong.

 

When I put this on, it is mostly strawberries, cream, and a light hint of pastries. It is lovely. After about 30 minutes, the strawberries stayed true, and the tea became more prominent. I didn't smell flowers, so maybe those are extra-imaginary. The scent captures the charming description perfectly, and I'm very happy I have a bottle. I might have to buy another before it goes down.

Dear Dorian,

 

I didn't like you at all when we first met. You were too forward, and your cologne was offensively strong.

My, but you've gotten a bit more mature - and you've changed. Or perhaps you've seduced me. I love your lemony sugared fougere, the way you blend with the scent of my skin, and the fact that you stick around all day. I don't think I can live without you.

 

Siberia

Why no more Pomegranate III love? Tamil Nadu Sandalwood? Sugared Date? Yes, please. In the bottle, this is a bright, tart pop of juicy pomegranate. I don't smell anything else until I put it on, then the other ingredients come out to play. I can't discern most of the individual notes - this seems like a "layered" scent to me - a cloud of juicy pomegranate, and a close-to-the skin woodsy-spicy and slightly sweet base. I really like this, but it's pretty low on staying power. Starts off with decent throw, but completely gone after four hours.

My impression is the same as other reviewers - this is a warm, spicy, chocolate, but not overly foody. This is a dark chocolate that is not sweet in itself, but is sweetened and spiced by the other notes. I don't smell much copal and no tequila at all (which is okay by me). I would swear there is some cinnamon there, but it's not listed as a note. It reminds me of the spicy warmth of Feast of the Greatly Revered Ones, which I also love. This is a perfect warm and spicy scent for fall. Love this.

This is very masculine on me. I can smell the honey in about equal proportion to what smells like a sweet, masculine cologne. It's not offensive, but it does smell a bit more manly on me than I'm comfortable with. Still, it's not bad. I think I might prefer other honey blends, though.

This scent is very, very light, even with a fairly heavy application. It smells like caramel and apple blossom, only the apple blossom smells a bit like . . . celery. And apparently I amp celery.

This is AMAZING!

After about a year of collecting BPAL, I think I might have found my holy grail of scent. When I open the bottle, it smells like tonka and coconut. When I put it on my wrist, it wafts and curls around me in tendrils of golden tonka and coconut and black licorice and clove. It's that vivid and absolutely wonderful. Later, it settles close to the skin and I lose the sense of two distinct scent harmonies.

 

I'm probably going to get several bottles of this. Truly the best BPAL I've encountered yet.

Okay, I'll go first.

This reminds me of a sweet version of Smoky Moon / Tristesses de la Lune. It has the same muzzy/soft sandalwood base that I love, but it is made more complex by the amber and opium. Floating over that is a sweetness that might be a combination of lotus, pomegranate, and rose. It's very well-blended and I have a hard time picking out the individual notes. It is beautifully complex.

I was a bit afraid to try this based on previous reviews comparing lotus to bubblegum and my own experience with other perfumers' versions of pomegranate, but this is wonderful. No trace of bubblegum or screamingly tart pomegranate. I'm very glad I took a chance and ordered a bottle. This is a definite win.

I would say this is a close to the skin scent that does not stick around for too long - I would probably slather this a bit more than I usually would.

My favorite of the Shungas. This is a very soft and pretty vanilla scent. The "softness" is accentuated because somehow this perfume is very fuzzy or velvety. The "snow" is most like the snowiness of Snow White, and not wet or slushy smelling at all. I did not get a lot of cardamom. It will probably sound strange, but more than anything else, this reminds of of Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener. Weird, I know.

This smells to me like an aquatic cologne. I can see how the aquatic note could be evocative of night air. It seems like it might be quite nice on the right fellow.