Aviatrix

This is the perfect little tea party on my skin! Mostly cream and honey with a bit of bite from the tea. I don't think I am getting as many cookies as everyone else, but there is a general sweetness to the blend.

If you like tea blends or sweet scents, be sure to check it out!

Medium throw and wear length on me.

This is mostly a huge blast of beeswax + some resins on me. Not much bookish in sight, sadly. I am also not getting any of the rose, so if you're worried about it being too floral, you need not be.

I will let this settle for a week or so and try it again to see if some of the book and leather bindings etc. comes out more!

This starts out kind of like a sugary greenery blend, which I am not a fan of, sadly.

BUT as it dries down it turns into a delicious vanilla-sugar-paper blend that is exactly what I was hoping for!

This is a scent that needs to be given a chance if you are put off by the initial stage, because it is definitely a morpher.

Throw is medium, and staying power is good.

This is all incense on me. Weird.

If I really concentrate, and know what to look for, I might be able to catch a whiff of the rose, but otherwise this is all incense.

Apple blossoms and grass! Very atmospheric and true to the concept art. I am not getting much mint or pine. The whole thing has a dreamy, watery quality to it that I think would be perfect for springtime especially.

When I first put this on I thought it was very similar to The Book from this year's Lupercalia collection. So I tested them side by side.

This is like a slightly more subtle Book; the rose is less forward and it is less sweet than Book. Other than that they are definitely in the same family.

This does indeed feel wooly and comfy! I think it's the combination of leather and cardamom that creates this sweet snuggly cloud. This is a bit of a wild west kind of scent to my nose, somehow it reminds me a bit of Tombstone, even though they don't really share notes.

But if you like Tombstone, chances are you'll also like this!

I was so curious about this, because the notes could either be wonderful or completely failure on my skin. Here goes!

I really like this!

I am not entirely sure what peony smells like, but I am definitely getting a sugared flower kind of scent; some of it is a rose-vanilla that reminds me a bit of Allegory of Chastity, which I think some people have mentioned. But it still smells different than Allegory, and I put that down to the peony.

I am not getting much lavender, which is fine by me, and the apricot is only slightly peeking out from behind the white musk, which is not sharp or soapy at all, just nice and snuggly.

Overall, I would say this definitely shares some vibes with Allegory of Chastity, but on me at least it is less in-your-face. I can see myself wearing this for festive occasions all year, but perhaps it is mostly a summertime scent. Perfect for a midsummer tea party, I would say.

This actually reminds me a little of the Shunga Embracing Komachi, only in a heavier, earthier version. Not that they have a ton of notes in common, but the overall vibe reminds me of that.

I am getting a LOT of orris from this + a kind of leather I can't quite put my finger on. It doesn't smell like any of the other BPAL leathers I have tried, so it's rather interesting. There is also a hint of patchouli, but not much, so if you - like me! - usually can't do patchouli, this might still be an option!

I am not getting any of the citrus notes at all.

I'm not really sure what to think of this, actually. It is nice, but it's as if there is simply too much going on, you know? I'm not sure I would ever wear it myself.

This makes me a bit sad, actually. I had anticipated this would work for me, but it goes straight to a very eerie pine powder, if such a thing exists. I don't know which note is the culprit, but it could just be the specific combination.

Skin chemistry fail

This is a very true-to-life GRASS scent! I am getting a little bit of the tea and a hint of floral notes in the background, but the grass is really the star of this show. The grass subsides somewhat after drydown, but the scent overall remains an idyllic - yeah, idyllic is the right word - spring-early summer outdoors scent.

It is sadly rather faint on my skin, but if you're looking for an unobtrusive atmospheric springtime scent, you might want to give this one a try! It really captures the concept very well, and I think it would appeal to a lot of people who maybe wouldn't normally go for an outdoorsy scent. The floral elements are not too strong either, if you're afraid of those.

I will happily keep and use my decant!

In the bottle this smells like strawberry candy, and once on my skin it turns into pure, dark caramel!

It may be a little too simple on my skin, but if you enjoy candy scents, you really must check this out!

This is heavy on the frankincense, and I am not getting much orris. So if you are afraid of the orris note, you might still want to give this a try!

The rose is a definite dried rose, reminiscent of the rose in Cicuta, and the two are definitely in the same family. The clove lends a nice spiciness to the blend and complements the roses well.

Labdanum has a tendency to sometimes go sour on me, and this is verging on sour territory for a while, but luckily it never goes there!

Overall, this was a surprise favourite of the Unicorns for me. It has a definite gothic quality to it - with the dried roses, resins and clove combination that makes me think of a goth club in the best possible way

I have seen comparisons to Eve (OLLA), and while I think they may be in the same family, I don't find them all that similar either; the rose is stronger in this one, and there is less spice going on than in Eve. But they are both very beautiful "gothic" blends to me, and I am so glad I risked a blind bottle of this!

The throw is also pretty good.

I was a little wary of the mentions of marshmallow, but on me there is only a hint of marshmallow just as I put it on, but it disappears within a couple of minutes. Phew! The remaining scent is a kind of dusky, dusty lilac, quite reminiscent of one of my favourites, Ghost Revelry. It has the same mysterious quality to it, with a subtle darkness from the moss lying underneath.

In fact the longer I wear this, the more of a cousin of Ghost Revelry does it seem to be. If you like that one, or you like the more ethereal Liliths, you might also like this. It has that innocent and beautiful Lilith quality about it.

On drydown, the most prominent notes are lilac, orris, and moss. I'm not entirely sure what the other notes smell like, so I can't comment on those.

Overall a very beautiful and ethereal blend perfect for a hot late-summer evening!

This is mainly pink roses and rosehips on me! So if you are scared of the jasmine note, at least on me I am not getting any jasmine

I was expecting it to be in the same family as Alice, but to me it reads more like a sweeter incarnation of Rose Red, so if you like that one, be sure to give this a try as well!

The rosehips lend a tartness to the rose-dominant scent that makes it a bit more interesting than straight-up rose, and there is an underlying sweetness from the vanilla cream as well. I am also not getting any bergamot, but I never got bergamot from Alice either, so maybe my skin just eats it

Overall, it is a tart-sweet rose-dominant blend in the fresh and dewy rose family of scents.

I posted here once before, but my collection has grown a lot since then and I have some new favourites

 

Sarah the Mother Bear

Paladin

Coyote

The Bear Prince

Bewitched

 

I seem to like skin musk, vanilla, leather and berries, but welcome any recommendations!

If you like Bear Prince, you will probably also like Fresh and Blooming as a Rose. It's like Bear Prince without the musk

Maybe try Jareth if you like Paladin?

I am not getting much tobacco from this, but that is all fine with me as I'm not huge on tobacco

It is a very soft and unobtrusive leather - not what I would associate with the lab's usual black leather note! - with a bit of sweetness from the copal and vanilla. I would categorize it as unisex, leaning on masculine, but the right woman could pull it off as well.

Throw is medium, and it lasts a good amount of time on me.

This is a very soft and sweetened floral with just a hint of something creamy - so if you're worried this will be a huge marshmallow scent, you need not be. At least it isn't on me. It's not cloying at all, just creamy.

I wasn't overly familiar with the flowers in this blend, but to me they conjure up a very sweet and innocent vision. I can imagine wearing this for many different occasions, and the throw is medium, so it's not too heavy, nor is it a skin-close scent. Something in-between.

ETA This reminds me of a more floral Edith Cushing, actually. I looked it up, and mallow flower is in the same family as ambrette, so that must be the note I am detecting. So If you enjoy Edith, you might also enjoy this!

I am getting mainly PATCHOULI in his, sadly. I was wary of it because patch can really amp on me, and it would appear that's what's happening here. I will let it settle for a few weeks and see if the other notes come out more.

I'm hunting for the ultimate oriental rose scent. I bought La Rose Angel (just to give you guys an idea of what I mean), but it wasn't "spicy" enough. I'm thinking that my best bet would be experimenting with layering to get the kind of bold, over-the-top sort of scent that I'm looking for. I want to smell like I imagine Salome smelled before she danced the dance of the seven veils, if that helps. It needs to be spicier and earthier than La Rose Angel. Any suggestions for either one bpal that fits the description, or a layering combination that might work? I was thinking maybe Two, Five & Seven with Bengal?

Cicuta, perhaps?

On me, this was less plummy than I had thought it would be based on previous reviews. The plum is definitely there, but it mingles with the other notes very nicely, so it doesn't get too sharp. On my skin it reminds me of a plum mochi - which must be the combination of vanilla and rice and plum blossom?

I am not getting much sandalwood , and there is only a tiny bit of spiciness to the blend, from the nutmeg.

This feels like a classical Shunga in the best way; soft, creamy, and a little exotic. I am glad I found it

This is much lighter than I expected based on the notes! It is a blast of rum and coconut at first, and as it dries down, more of the lilac comes out - I love lilac, so I was pleased! I am not getting much in the way of leather, sadly. I am not sure what the linen note is supposed to smell like, so I can't comment on that.

This feels a bit like a Lupercalia scent, actually. If you're into boozy and slightly tropical, this might be up your alley!

Now, I was curious about this one, because so many reviews mention vetiver, and I can just NEVER do vetiver, at ALL.

But I was surprised to discover that this one is fairly soft, and if it is indeed a vetiver note it isn't very prominent on me. I am getting a lot of the bay rum, some smoke, a little resinousness, and sadly no rose at all.

I think it might be a little too powerful on the smoke for me to wear as perfume, but I look forward to using it in my oil burner

This is pretty straight-up vanilla musk to me! If I really concentrate I think I can imagine the flowers being there as well, but it's mostly vanilla on me.

It isn't really my personal type of scent, but I can see why it's so popular, and I'm glad I got a tester of it to try

It has a decent throw as well.

In short, if you enjoy vanilla scents like Volcano in Springtime then I think you'll enjoy this too, if you can find some

tI wanna do this again because my skin chemistry has changes and so honey and roses are just not working too well and I'm more open to notes I thought I couldn't handle like leather. I still can't do jasmine, red musk, and snake oil.

 

In no particular order

 

Ava

Kumiho....Shanghai also extreme goodness

Tombstone

Theodosious the Legerdemain

Amsterdam

If you like Theodosius and are curious about leather, you might want to give Jareth a try