puck_nc

Origin: A wonderful fairy helped me with Dragon*Con.

Initial Thoughts: There were only five to choose from. Why choose?

In the Bottle: A rich royal blue full of sparkly, sparkly glitter.

One Coat: The palest sheer blue polish shot with glitter. Might work as a top layer over another polish if you like doing that.

Two Coats: Full coverage and a beautiful sapphire glitterbomb. The picture below is paler than it is in real life.

 

ETA: Just adding that these D*C polishes go on incredibly smoothly. Usually with glitter-rich polishes I have to add a top coat to even the surface, but not these!




Verdict: Winner! This is more like what I wanted when I got Eldritch Drunken Constellation - that one has glitter across the rainbow while Blue Dragonscale glitter sticks to blues and purples. If I ever get the chance to get more of this, I will.

Origin: A wonderful fairy helped me with Dragon*Con.

Initial Thoughts: There were only five to choose from. Why choose?

In the Bottle: A flame-orange red full of shimmery glitter.

One Coat: A bit sheer, but possibly enough depending on your preferences.

Two Coats: Full coverage. I likened this to the Lupers Sugarcane Me in my comment on the general Claw Polish thread, but maybe it's more like Reflected Vulva with the finer glitter.



Verdict: It's a high-quality gorgeous polish, but I don't know that I'd wear it much - it's just a bit too far away from red-red for me.

Origin: A wonderful fairy helped me with Dragon*Con.

Initial Thoughts: There were only five to choose from. Why choose?

In the Bottle: A mesmerizing blend of green and lavender glitter.

One Coat: The base is a pale transparent purple and the glitter makes a very feminine, delicate sparkle. Sheer enough to be a top layering coat.

Two Coats: That gets us full coverage and full sparkle. The combination of purple and green is almost iridescent in places. I now have a visual for the Harry Potter "Opaleyes" dragon's scales.

 

ETA: This polish goes on incredibly smoothly for a glitterbomb. Usually I have to add a top coat or two to smooth out the surface of the glitter, but these D*C polishes do not require it.




Verdict: I think this has shot to the top of my favorite BPTP polishes. I really, really hope I can nab another bottle sometime.

Origin: A wonderful fairy helped me with Dragon*Con.

Initial Thoughts: There were only five to choose from. Why choose?

In the Bottle: A gorgeous fall shade. For those who have Pumpkin Spice Everything, this is much more brown-coppery with a greenish tinge, like the leaves turning on trees.

One Coat: Not a lot of coverage - clear base and the colored glitter. Might work as a top layering coat.

Two Coats: There we go! The picture below is much more golden than real life - this is a true copper glitterbomb. I also note that these particular glitterbombs go on much more smoothly than previously. I don't feel that I have to add a top coat to get rid of the rough texture.



Verdict: Winner! I will definitely be wearing this in the fall and might grab another bottle should there be any leftovers for Etsy.

Origin: A wonderful fairy helped me with Dragon*Con.

 

Initial Thoughts: There were only five to choose from, so why choose?

 

In the Bottle: So, take Le Léthé and its rich classic sports-car red. Take A House That Bleeds from the Crimson Peak line and its brick red with coppery undertones. Dragonfire is almost a perfect balance between the two.

 

One coat: This is a nice rich but not very thick creme with a glittery sheen. A practiced hand could probably get full coverage in one coat.

 

Two coats: A smooth and satiny red shine.

 

 

Verdict: This is a lovely polish, just as good as other BPTP products. I'm not quite sure I need three slightly different nail polishes, but this is a very, very pretty red.

Origin: Straight from the Post

 

Initial Thoughts: While I like honey in small doses and I like cake in some blends, this was a bit of a shot in the dark as far as two kind-of-good scents together with no other players. But I love Alice in Wonderland so that tipped the scales into trying it.

 

In the Bottle: Rich, in-your-face honey with a bit of cake in the undertone. I agree that it smells different from the cake in Eat Me, less vanilla.

 

Wet: Very honey. Very, very honey. With a bit of cake. Something in here had my husband complaining that I made him sneeze, but that could have been the just-sprayed state more than the notes.

 

Dry: Once dry, the scent calms down a lot and is much more subtle on me than I would have thought. I think this will definitely be wearable for work.

 

Verdict: I definitely like it and recommend it to anyone who is a fan of honey.

Origin: Straight from the Post

Initial Thoughts: I love gardenia and lavender. I can do white musk. Nothing against iris and tea. Worth a try.

In the Bottle: Very strong in the lavender department, with some tea in there as well. If it stays like this, it has potential in my bedtime routine.

On Wet Hair: I get a huge blast of lemon from somewhere, and then it settles into lavender and gardenia.

After Blowdrying: It ends up a pretty quiet scent. The tea emerges and and has the florals dancing all around it. The musk is a soft note in the blend.

Verdict: If you're looking for a sophisticated floral that isn't too powerful to wear to work, this might be it for you. I'm definitely keeping my bottle - we'll see if I need a backup.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I do love me some vanilla.

 

In the Bottle: Extremely vanilla. Very sweet. Playing a bit with a plasticky edge - my initial impression was of a candle or some such scented with vanilla.

 

Wet: The vanilla seems to hide a bit. It's now a more generic sweet dessert. I guess it's custard - I'm not sure I could identify custard by the scent.

 

Drydown: The vanilla comes back and this time it's reminding me of a soap or bath product I've run across. There's no actual "soap" to this, but I'm remembering lathering up as I smell it.

 

Verdict: I'm not sure it works on me as a standalone, but I definitely want to try a little layering with some of my scents that maybe would like an added level of sweet vanilla.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

Initial Thoughts: The musk is probably on the blue/green side enough that it won't amp the other notes to death. I love apple blossom and mint. I like pine and can tolerate grass.

In the Bottle: VERY apple blossom! The pine and grass make it smell like being in an orchard in bloom. A beautiful blast of spring.

Wet: Hello, musk. Please don't amp too much, musk. I really really like the apple orchard scent and want to keep some of it.

Drydown: Thank you, musk. Deepening the scent and adding a hint of a stream through the orchard is nice. That's just right. I'm going to just assume the mint is hanging around, keeping things cool without shouting its presence.

Verdict: This is a must-try if you love apple blossom. If you were hoping for a lot of mint, try a decant first.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

Initial Thoughts: The notes list reads like the pale florals I love. We'll find out.

In the Bottle: Interesting. It's rather green and a touch aquatic mixed in with very gentle florals.

Wet: Lots of lilac to start with that watery thread from before.

Drydown: It takes an interesting turn and I'm not sure how to pinpoint what it is. Not so aquatic and the green is soft. Something in here, and I'm not sure what, is actually giving a lot of sweetness to the scent.

Verdict: A gentle, sweet floral that I could easily wear to work. Intriguing and lovely.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: This was one of only a couple of Crimson Peak scents that didn't have a deal-breaking note and did have a lot of scents I like. I love lavender, gardenia, and vanilla orchid. I can do sandalwood when it's white. I'm not as on board with the other notes, but I think I have BPAL scents with them that work for me.

 

In the Bottle: A high, somewhat sharp aristocratic floral. Very lavender.

 

Wet: The lavender starts out dominant on my skin, with the sandalwood right behind it. Then the other florals start to develop a bit.

 

Drydown: Gradually the gardenia emerges and takes over, with just enough of the other notes to give it a cool crispness rather than an overpowering sweetness.

 

Verdict: I could see myself wearing this. It's on the elegant side and fairly subtle.

Origin: Won a 2005 bottle on eBay

 

Initial Thoughts: I love hunting for "snow" scents among the wintry/Yule BPAL offerings. I have no objection to the idea of youthful girlie perfume. This has been on my want-to-try list ever since I got into BPAL.

 

In the Bottle: The first sniffs are very pine/evergreen with a hint of sweetness, but the pine lingers in the nostrils and tilts toward household cleaner pine.

 

Wet: Very pine at first, but very quickly softens with an upsurge of that sweetness. Now the "household" impression is being kept away.

 

Drydown: The sweetness backs off but isn't quite going away. If Beth ever chose to make a Winter Lilith, this would be pretty close.

 

Verdict: I'm definitely glad I got to try this after so long. I may play with it side-by-side with Skadi and other winter favorites to see if it should stay.

Origin: Obtained in a swap

 

Initial Thoughts: I found BPAL mere weeks after the original selection of single notes was discontinued and have been lucky enough to collect a small selection of sniffies/decants/imps over the years. Honeysuckle has long been a treasured note of mine and finally getting to sample this one, an original tarted imp, is a little dream come true.

 

In the Vial: Heady sweet honeysuckle, just like burying my face into a pile of blossoms.

 

Wet: A touch of green comes in, which was the only thing needed to make this smell like fresh-on-the-vine honeysuckle.

 

Drydown: The green warms up and it goes a bit soapy-clean, but is still bright honeysuckle.

 

Verdict: While it is a bit soapy on me, I am very glad to have this rare gem.

Origin: Bottle obtained in a swap

 

Initial Thoughts: I don't remember if I simply didn't have money at the time or saw the incense and immediately said "nope". As a rule, incense amps badly on me and eats up the other notes. But when negotiating the swap, my swap partner said that the incense was truly light, letting it be a nice floral. And I love all the florals involved.

 

In the Bottle: Gardenia and tiare and oh, so sweet! Richly floral with just a thread of incense.

 

Wet: And here comes the incense, charging up. But it's not so strong that it drowns out everything else. There's still quite a bit of floral, mostly gardenia, making its presence felt.

 

Drydown: The gardenia cools off and the incense is the strong note for me. But the florals are still there, making this an incense with a tropical feel. It is indeed a light enough incense that I can wear it.

 

Verdict: This definitely works on my skin and I'm glad I had the chance to try it. We'll see how much play it gets.

Origin: Bought at Dirty South Will Call

 

Initial Thoughts: The original Morocco played reasonably well on my skin despite the red sandalwood, which usually amps on me. I was curious to see what my hair would do to it, as I have found that some deal-breaker notes are not deal-breakers once in my hair.

 

In the Bottle: Pretty much the same as the oil. Some musk, some sandalwood, a bit of carnation and spices and that odd creamy vanilla impression that makes no sense from the notes list.

 

Applying on Wet Hair: The sandalwood comes out strong at this point.

 

Blow-dried Hair: For a while it stays very woodsy, but gradually shifts to a quieter musk and the spices come out to play a very little. I get no carnation impression at all.

 

Verdict: The throw is very, very light - I would have no trouble wearing this to work. This would be a good starter for anyone who has been afraid of trying the hair glosses because they didn't want the scent to overpower.

Origin: Dirty South Will Call

 

Initial Thoughts: I didn't go for this when they were introduced since key lime is my husband's favorite pie. I tried Apple and Peach instead. But at the will call, I took a sniff out of curiosity and got a very strong lime zing that I thought would be wonderful for warm weather.

 

In the Bottle: Fresh lime, graham cracker crust, and sweet cream.

 

In Wet Hair: The pastry aspects charge forward, with the lime hanging around in the background.

 

Blow-dried Hair: As I dried my hair, the crust and cream settled and let the lime come back out to play.

 

Verdict: 100% foody, but light and with that zing of lime to make this a good summer scent. Not a huge amount of throw, so also a good scent for work or being around people.

Origin: Dirty South Will Call

 

Initial Thoughts: While I adore strawberries, I held off on ordering this from the Post because I already had Enveloped in Silk from the 2016 Lupers as a yummy strawberry scent. But then I started seeing reviews and chatter and regretted it mightily. When it turned out a few bottles were sent to DSWC, I jumped at the chance.

 

In the Bottle: Stand over the selection of fresh, sweet berries at a farmer's market, leaves and hulls still in place for a strong thread of green. That's this scent.

 

In Wet Hair: The strawberry gets even stronger and skates toward candyland, but doesn't go artificial or plastic-y for me.

 

Blow-dried Hair: For me the sugary characteristic fades and I'm back to fresh strawberries. The grass-green aspect fades a bit.

 

Verdict: Am I ever glad I got to try this one! It doesn't have a lot of throw to bother other people but I can pull my hair to my face and get a lovely whiff of strawberry. This is going to be a great hot-weather gloss.

Origin: drive-by test at Dirty South Will Call

 

Initial Thoughts: Iced lavender sounded brilliant, but not necessarily iron and ocean.

 

In the Bottle: Cold lavender and iron.

 

Wet: Cold lavender and a mild impression of ocean.

 

Drydown: Eventually it goes pretty much to a quiet oudh on me.

Origin: Lucky to get a bottle from the 2nd round at Etsy

 

Initial Thoughts: Sweet pea and vanilla sugar are total wins for me. I don't think I've ever tried a BPAL with pink musk, but hopefully it'll be light enough not to amp a lot.

 

In the Bottle: Musk seems to be the dominant note in the bottle. It's sweet and light and pretty musk, but I get musk first and sweet pea second. A very girly perfume.

 

Wet: Sugary sweet pea. Very pink and feminine.

 

Drydown: The musk steps up, but isn't screaming MUSK!!!!!, so that's good. Still floral, still sweet, still light and lovely.

 

Verdict: I am very glad I was able to land a bottle!

Origin: Straight from the Post

 

Initial Thoughts: I didn't jump on this one at first because I was much more intrigued by Departing Like Smoke and wasn't sure I wanted strawberry-cream hair. Then the reviews started rolling in and I figured I should at least try it.

 

In the Bottle: Super-sweet strawberries dripping with cream. I can maybe catch the faintest thread of an earthy note if I try.

 

Application on Wet Hair: It's a cloud of strawberry goodness, with a bit more in the way of earthy orris.

 

Drydown: The candy-sweet fades into a more fresh strawberry, recently picked from the garden. And later the musk is the main player, gentle and light, with a whiff of strawberry running through it.

 

Verdict: I'm glad I nabbed this one. It's possible I'll nab another bottle if the Lupers overlap with the next thing.

Origin: Straight from the Post

 

Initial Thoughts: When it first shows up on the website, I didn't think much about it because I wasn't interested in making my hair smell like winter. Then I started reading the reviews that compared it to Skadi, one of my favorite winter scents of all time. And I bought a bottle.

 

In the Bottle: First sniff, chilly pine forest. Second sniff, after reading the notes, I can tell I'm smelling mint and eucalyptus. Refreshing and cool and amazingly forest-like given that there's not a single "woodsy" note in the list.

 

Applying: All the eucalyptus!

 

Drying: It calms down as it dries, but remains very strongly mint and eucalyptus. I am not getting any identifiable trace of the lemon peel or orange blossom. I suppose I'm getting a bit of the ice, but not the honeycomb.

 

Wearing: This has a strong enough throw as to be distracting - I spent the morning getting prominent whiffs of Christmas. I fully expect that when in the shower tomorrow my wet hair will still have this scent clinging to it.

 

Verdict: I am unsure. It is a scent I love. I'm just not sure it's a scent I want in my hair. I may need to find a better home for this one.

Origin: Straight from the Post

Initial Thoughts: Every one of these notes is a win for me other than the honey, which is hit-or-miss. Had to try this.

In the Bottle: Sweet and sugary peach floral.

On my Skin: Sweet vanilla and peony. After a short while the peach emerges to add more sweetness. I can get hints of the carnation, but it's a dash rather than a main player.

Verdict: I am going to love using this as a moisturizer and a homemade scrub.

Origin: Straight from the Post

Original Thoughts: I love tiare. I like the idea of sandalwood, though it often amps on my skin. Amber is in that family of frankincense/musk/patchouli notes that amp massively on me if they're dark but can work if they're light. I haven't seen white amber listed as a note and definitely not white oudh before.

In the Bottle: Rich and evocative sweet sandalwood and amber with a thread of tiare.
Applying: All the sandalwood and amber. But they are light rather than heavy. Very like the smoke in the name.

Drying: The tiare develops and blends beautifully with the other notes. It's a bit more amber than sandalwood now.

Wearing: This doesn't seem to have a lot of throw, which is okay with me since I like wearing my hair glosses to work. It's very subtle but really sexy.

Verdict: I cannot stop sniffing my hair. This suggests that I might need a backup bottle or two, especially with an amber scent I can wear without amping.

Origin: Straight from the Post

 

In the Jar: Sugary-sweet but light, lots of pomegranate. I'm not getting a lot of rose.

 

In the Shower: It's delightfully scrubby. People with sensitive skin should be gentle with it. Mostly I'm getting the vanilla, maybe a bit of rose.

 

After the Shower: I didn't use a huge amount when scrubbing, but I am getting very little scent afterward. For me that's potentially to the good since rose and I have a dubious relationship. But my skin is satiny-smooth now.

 

Verdict: The scrub part is a winner. The scent is mild for me, though. I'll certainly use up this jar, but I don't think I need to buy more.

Origin: Straight from the Post

 

Initial Thoughts: I just grabbed all the Lupers. I wasn't sure how different this one might be from Socialite in the Crimson Peak collection.

 

In the Bottle: This strikes me as paler than toe-shoe pink personally. It's the palest seashell pink with a fascinating blue shimmer.

 

One coat: Like Socialite, this is probably meant to be one coat if you can apply it neatly and evenly enough. It took me a few tries to get the hang of it. I'll try again with this one, because I think it's with that one semi-sheer coat that you've got the best chance of the blue shimmer emerging.

 

Two coats: Super-delicate and sheer and definitely milky.

 

 

 

Verdict: Maybe, if I can get the hang of applying just the one coat.