puck_nc

Origin: Straight from the Lab

Initial Thoughts: I love me some Pumpkin Spice Everything hair gloss, but it is STRONG. I have to be very choosy about when to wear it because it WILL make my husband sneeze. I am hoping this will be a quieter version that I can wear more often.

In the Bottle: A very sweet version of pumpkin and spice. Side-by-side sniffing says there's more sugar and more vanilla in Pumpkin Sugar compared to Pumpkin Spice Everything which definitely has more of the "spice" vibe with nutmeg and cinnamon.

Wet on hair: The vanilla is really coming out for me. So much so that it goes through a plasticky stage.

After blowdrying: It softens back to real vanilla, sweet and gently cinnamon over the pumpkin.

Verdict: This was almost exactly what I was hoping for. The scent is gentler than PSE and something I can probably wear any time I want. If you are a fan of all the pumpkin things, you should try it. I got two bottles and will probably get more in my next order.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I like lavender and I like coconut. I'm a big fan of TKO. I'm also a fan of Lilith's Hair Gloss, which was lavender and sweet elements? If I remember correctly?

 

In the Bottle: Major lavender. I agree it seems like the TKO lavender.

 

Wet: Major lavender and a sudden pop of coconut.

 

Drydown: The coconut stays in the background for me, keeping the lavender on the gently sweet side.

 

Verdict: Glad I got a bottle. This can alternate with TKO sometimes.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: Honeysuckle? Gimmee! Water lilies? I like. Honey? Iffy. White sage? Well, it's white so maybe it won't amp.

 

In the Bottle: Water lilies with a strong herbal element. So lots of sage.

 

Wet: All the sage. ALL the sage. The water lilies are now kind of just an aquatic background.

 

Drydown: Some honeysuckle finally peeks out, but it's still very much water lily and herbal on me.

 

ETA: Okay, a while later I'm getting some actual honey out of this, but still no honeysuckle that I can find.

 

Verdict: If you like herbal aquatic scents, you should try this.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

Initial Thoughts: The concept alone made me very very glad to be a BPAL customer and the description was certainly worth trying.

In the Bottle: Yum! Rich, spicy apple with a dash of green grass to keep it from being totally cloying.

Wet: The grass comes out on me first, and then the pie. I didn't get the sense of crust/pastry in the bottle, but it's coming out on my skin. Spices linger and the apple is there if you sniff hard.

Drydown: It settles into a gently spicy sweetness. I can pick out the apple if I work at it. I can't pick out the grass other than a fresh edge to the whole scent.

Verdict: This is super nice and I may grab another bottle in my next order if it's still available. It's a good fall scent without being overpowering.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

Initial Thoughts: It's floral, it's for a good cause, I'm gonna investigate. And my investigation found it is related to hibiscus, a flower I love and don't see enough of in perfumes.

In the Bottle: A full blast of hibiscus! A bit of white floral to it, a bit of greenness, but lovely tropical hibiscus.

Wet: A bit more green-y at first, with some generic flower-shop overload thrown in.

Drydown: Excellent. Both the green and the flower-shop back off and leave a rich, tropical hibiscus in their wake.

Verdict: I love it. If you love hibiscus or tropical florals, you should try it.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I have a precious original tarted imp (handwritten tied-on label from the very first year or two of the Lab) of SN Honeysuckle which I love to sniff. It goes a touch soapy on my skin but is still mostly bright honeysuckle. Which is one of my favorite scents ever. Of course I was going to try a new single note.

 

In the Bottle: Very honeysuckle, a little more green than the very aged original.

 

Wet: Intensely floral but maintaining that thread of green like a vine tangled with other bushes.

 

Drydown: It settles into a quiet rich honeysuckle. There's a hint of soapiness but not enough to detract from the scent.

 

Verdict: A most excellent pure honeysuckle for fans of the note!

Origin: the first bottle was a decant, then I ended up with a full bottle, possibly from Etsy

 

Initial Thoughts: I love peach. I like ginger and hope the fact that it's white will keep it from going too foody/holidays. I know not from cubeb.

 

In the Bottle: Very peach and bright and fresh. Either the cistus is being citrusy or the white in the white ginger is being very bright.

 

On Wet Hair: It gets a little less peach and a little more ginger-y, but still very bright. Now that I've read some of the other reviews, yeah, lemon makes sense.

 

After Blow-drying: This one doesn't have much staying power on me. It's very faint ginger peach after I've dried my hair.

 

Verdict: It's a lovely scent, good for summer, but doesn't last the way some others do.

Origin: decant that was frimped to me in a purchase

 

Initial Thoughts: I need to be selling rather than buying BPAL right now, which is why I haven't bought a bottle of this yet. But this was one of the few new American Gods scents that I had on my list and I am very happy to have the chance to try it.

 

In the Vial: An initial wave of general sweetness gives way to pure strawberry. Not quite fresh-picked, but lightly sugared...as in definitely ready to eat.

 

Wet: Ah, there's the fresh-picked part! Not as sugary, but very sweet strawberries.

 

Drydown: I'm getting a little hint of musk from somewhere. If there's any musk used to create the blend, then my skin will amp it. So it shifts from fresh strawberries to a gently sexy strawberry perfume on me.

 

Verdict: I have no objections to a gently sexy strawberry perfume. I think I'll be including a bottle the next time I order.

Origin: Straight from the Post

 

Initial Thoughts: Antique Lace is one of my top 5 BPAL scents ever, so of course I leaped at the chance of getting it in hair gloss form.

 

In the Bottle: Straight-up Antique Lace with all the lovely vanilla.

 

On Wet Hair: For me the vanilla intensifies and now I can understand it when one of my students asked if my perfume was based on some kind of cookies years ago when I was still wearing it regularly and not hoarding it.

 

Drydown: The floral notes pop up to join the vanilla.

 

Verdict: Works as well in my hair as it does on my skin. Should more ever be made I will jump for it and I will start looking at forum sales/swaps.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

Initial Thoughts: I like purple. I like it a lot.

In the Bottle: A very deep purple with a royal blue sheen in the glitter.

One Coat: More berry than purple and most of the shimmer is pink.

 

Two Coats: Much darker, a true royal purple, and the glitter shimmer shows a lot of blue as well as pink.

 

Verdict: Definitely keeping this bottle. May get another. Has that lovely smooth high-quality finish as well.

 

Origin: Straight from the Lab

Initial Thoughts: I liked the idea of a deep star-pricked blue.

 

In the Bottle: Deep blue with the barest hints of holo-sheen. And then I noticed a later of silvery glitter at the bottom. Much vigorous shaking of the bottle produced a wave of sliver hologlitter.

 

One Coat: (first try, unshook bottle) A not-quite-opaque-enough evening blue with sparkle. Shook bottle and there seems to be more glitter involved, maybe.

 

Two Coats: (first try, unshook bottle) Very much like blue sunstone. Dark, navy blue shot through with silver and gold. Shook bottle produces the rainbow of hologlitter.



Verdict: I will probably get another bottle or two of this. Insanely smooth on application.

 

ETA: Having worn it a day, this is a real morpher. In low/indoor light, the polish is very blue sunstone with the deep blue showing metallic flecks. In bright light or sunlight, the holo-glitter goes to town.

Origin: Straight from the Post

Initial Thoughts: I will never turn down a funky glitterbomb.

In the Bottle: You've seen Pumpkin Spice Everything? Stardust? Nuclear Winter? This is more of the same, but in a background color that can't decide between neon yellow or neon green.

One coat: Even with a practiced hand, I expect that one coat won't be enough glitter unless you want this to top-coat another color. The surface is a bit gritty.




Two coats: This should mostly get the coverage you want. Let the sparkle commence. Not quite as gritty, but still uneven on me. A nail technician could probably get it to be smooth, but I needed a top coat.

 

Verdict: If you like the BPAL Claw Polish glitterbombs, you'll like this one. I'm not sure I need another bottle, but I did get several compliments wearing it the last few days.

Origin: Straight from the Post

Initial Thoughts: I already have Baku and Oneroi. Do I need another pale purple/lavender? Yes, why not?

In the Bottle: An unassuming lavender, until you turn it to the light. And then the glittery sheen of blue and deep purple comes out to play.

One coat: Not quite opaque enough if you're like me and your nails naturally French-manicure with strongly white tips. A gentle lavender with hidden depths.



Two coats: Good coverage and a more pronounced purple to it. Plus all the rich blue/royal purple hologlitter shine you could want.

 

Verdict: It's the tiniest bit sticky on application but dries quickly with a smooth finish. I don't think one has to have a clear top coat other than for protection. I expect I'll get another bottle of this.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

Initial Thoughts: It sounded pretty on the website.

In the Bottle: Rose gold with a full rainbow in its shimmer

One Coat: One coat almost gives full coverage. I can see the white tips of my nails if I look hard, but in shiny light they're almost invisible. Satiny smooth finish.

 

Two Coats: Full coverage and super shimmery sparkle.

 

Verdict: I think this might be a multi-bottle polish. It is amazingly rainbow sparkly and yet pretty subtle.

ETA: Finally got pictures working again...

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: Jasmine is usually a winning note for me. None of the other notes are bad for me and I love me some vanilla.

 

In the Bottle: That's...really oddly interesting. I get the jasmine and the sweet sugary vanilla frosting side-by-side, with the anise coming in at the end of the sniff. The combo is oddly alcoholic...my mental image is of something sweet and creamy with an interesting exotic liqueur.

 

Wet: Very jasmine, some anise. The sweet creamy elements are lurking.

 

Drydown: Hm. This continues to tilt toward the jasmine end and the anise stays very strong. There's some vanilla in here as well, but it's definitely not going foodie on me.

 

Verdict: I may try it a couple more times. I am waffles right now. That anise is being annoyingly predominant.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I have a few pear scents I love, like Juliet and The Perilous Parlor. I can do white musk without it amping to unbearable levels. I have a couple of scents with rice-related notes that I like. Why not?

 

In the Bottle: Very pear. Fresh pear with maybe a dash of the rice milk.

 

Wet: Still pear, but the rice milk is stronger now. We'll see how much the musk amps. There's a baby-like innocence to it now.

 

Drydown: The musk comes out, but mainly grounds the scent and makes it a little more sophisticated instead of foody. This one does stay close to the skin.

 

Verdict: This is likely a keeper.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I have a partial decant of the original Pink Moon, which I like a lot. I may or may not have tried a later iteration, but so many of these notes are wins for me I had to try this version.

 

In the Bottle: Lots of flowers and honey and a sharp tang that might be the strawberries or might be one of the flowers. Definitely a cheerful scent.

 

Wet: A blast of florals, with something threatening to go sharp, but it very quickly lets the honey loose and sweetens up.

 

Drydown: This is staying strongly honey on me, with a backing of flowers. I can pick out the carnation if I try hard.

 

Verdict: It's not what I expected, but I think I like it.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I have several blends that I love that use this note. I thought I'd see what the stripped-down version is like. Then I read the reviews of it being more orchid than vanilla. Hm. Could be soap city.

 

In the Bottle: Cool, creamy, sweet, white, and floral. I actually am getting an impression of vanilla in there. I like it. At worst it would be a great scent locket option.

 

Wet: It immediately goes VERY floral, tilting greenish. This often happens with me and florals - I can't wear the BPAL rose or violet notes because the green takes over to horrid levels of skank on my skin. But this is skating up toward the vicinity of green without turning bad.

 

Drydown: Hm. This feels like it's going in the soap direction for me, but I'm not sure if that's because I gravitate toward soaps with floral scents. It stays on the sweet side for me.

 

Verdict: I'll play with it some more before I decide whether to keep the bottle. But if you are a fan of white sweetish florals, this is something to try.

Origin: Straight from the Post

 

Initial Thoughts: I like all four of these notes.

 

In the Bottle: That's an awfully big drop of strawberry. I get lots of strawberry, a little cherry blossom and maybe the orchid.

 

On Wet Hair: I get the same citrus impression that Casablanca did. Strawberry candy and something lemony. And a bit of the tea. Very sweet and girlish.

 

After Blowdrying: This calms down pretty quickly on me to a very quiet spring floral.

 

Verdict: I will try a couple more times before I decide on keeping or passing it on. It's super-quiet this first time on me.

Origin: Straight from the Post

 

Initial Thoughts: The only note I was iffy on was the iris root.Love vanilla and musk.

In the Bottle: Very vanilla, lightly musk, and a dash of rice that makes me think of Aunt Rosie's All-Purpose Cephalopod Bath Oil.

On Wet Hair: Wow, this goes strongly to the rice powder. It's all powder all the time and right now I really don't like it.

After the Blowdry: Okay, not quite so much powder. There's more musk and a little more vanilla.

 

Later in the Day: I don't usually notice much of a shift in hair gloss scent after I've dried my hair, but later on, I started getting a lovely waft of vanilla musk from my hair that lasted into the evening.

Verdict: I think this could be the first time I've experienced such a morph in the hair glosses. That wet stage truly had me rethinking my purchase. But once it settles it is marvelously low-key sexy on me. I might need a backup bottle.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: My interest was sparked immediately, but I held off a bit and waited for a few reviews, since I have a decent selection of "cold" florals already. When they spoke of a soft, true-to-life jasmine, I bit.

 

In the Bottle: A jasmine so soft and fragrant that it borders on honeysuckle. This reminds me of the star jasmine that used to grow up a trellis at my old home. The only "winter" I get is that it has the feel of a white floral.

 

Wet: It goes a bit sharp and stingy on my skin at first. I've had some jasmine variants do this and it usually settles down. We'll see how this does.

 

Drydown: The worst of the sharpness goes away and some of the sweet jasmine comes back. It seems to be retaining an airy quality from the wet stage, hanging onto a suggestion of chill.

 

Verdict: I'm very glad I got the bottle. It will be seeing a lot of scent locket action as well as being worn.

Origin: decant from Trailer Trash Princess' circle

 

Initial Thoughts: This has wisteria and does not have any instant deal-breaker notes. This was always going to be tried.

 

In the Vial: Icy, airy, sweet floral. I'm not sure which of the floral notes is strongest at the moment.

 

Wet: Not as icy to start and a bit soapy. Sometimes lily does that on my skin. Sometimes it works out. *crosses fingers*

 

Drydown: Uh-oh. While my beloved wisteria is making its presence known, there's still a strong soap element to the scent.

 

Verdict: I am going to try my decant again before I give up. There's not enough wisteria blends in the BPAL arsenal to give up so easily.

Origin: decant from Trailer Trash Princess' circle

 

Initial Thoughts: I can do myrrh without amping if it's white, maybe. Labdanum has worked on occasion. I love vanilla. Let's see where this goes.

 

In the Vial: Rich and sweet resins. It's been a very long time since I smelled it, but it reminds me a bit of the old classic mainstream perfume Poison.

 

Wet: Still dark and sweet but more myrrh than labdanum now, I think. There's an airy undertone that I associate with myrrh.

 

Drydown: The vanilla comes in stronger - I think this was part of the sweet element from earlier. It is subtle and sexy and definitely lends itself to the "secret". The entire scent is a little cooler than it was before, but still very resinously rich.

 

Verdict: I think this may have to be a bottle purchase.

Origin: decant from Trailer Trash Princess' circle

 

Initial Thoughts: For years in my BPAL journey I would always try an evergreen/snow scent without deal-breaker notes, hoping to find something close enough to the elusive Skadi. Since Skadi reappeared a few years ago, I now try these scents out of habit.

 

In the Vial: Very cold, spruce and pine. The evergreens are ramped up to almost sour levels.

 

Wet: More spruce than pine, maybe. Not as cold and not as sour as in the vial.

 

Drydown: The snow is staying hidden, leaving this predominantly evergreen on me. Like with some of the other reviewers, this is going a bit sweet on my skin. Definitely unisex potential.

 

Verdict: An interesting variation of the theme, but I don't know that I need a bottle of it.

Origin: decant from Trailer Trash Princess' circle

 

Initial Thoughts: Blue musk is a musk note that doesn't amp horribly on me the way darker musks do. Definitely worth a shot.

 

In the Vial: Cold, crisp snowy night air. For the moment I'm getting all the snow and none of the musk.

 

Wet: And now I'm getting all of the musk and none of the snow. A very pleasant, cool, sleek musk.

 

Drydown: The snow note creeps back to add some chill to the mix. A cool, subtle, sophisticated musk.

 

Verdict: This might be a bottle purchase for me.