theseagrows

got a frimp of this in a swap. this is a weird scent. it's kind of off-putting or disturbing, i can't quite describe why...just the scent itself and the images it conjures. it's definitely desolate, mysterious and there is an air of something that's gone wrong.  there's a slight freshness, mixed with something old and musty in this scent...opposites. glad i got to try this, as i've never smelled anything quite like it, but i definitely wouldn't want to keep it. it evokes a mood and a vision and that is its strength and why i am continually astounded by beth's ability to do this. bravo. 

i get something floral and animalic. i believe it am getting red musk the strongest, along with lily, balsam, benzoin and oakmoss. after about 10 minutes i get the vanilla and the red musk calms down a bit. at this point it's very pretty and i get some tobacco too. it definitely calls to mind the same mood as earlier vampire scents the lab has done, like lucy westenra, etc. it ends up being primarily lily, vanilla and red musk. it's more subtle than it sounds, and quite pretty! i like this a lot, but i get no leather at all. i was really hoping for more leather.

this starts off with a fresh rose, and almost feel like i sense another floral in there. i definitely get some creaminess, bordering on slightly foody. i guess it's amber but it doesn't smell like powdery amber at all. the patchouli comes through a bit later, but it's subtle. something seems almost a bit aquatic here, which is the strangest thing. i kind of wish that element wasn't in there, because i think i'd like it better without that aquatic note.

not sure why i decided to try this one, as i tend to dislike foody scents...maybe i was hoping it was honey and cream and that the biscuits were subtle, i'm not sure. 😅 the honey in this is like real honey...not the idea of honey but actual honey. i prefer 'the idea of' and stuff leaning more towards beeswax...perfumey honey, than the actual thing, but i commend bpal for doing this anyhow. even stranger, this is foody but on some level i'm liking it. it's very comforting, makes me think of shortbread with clotted cream and honey. 

i had to track this down, after visiting the bone church 2 years ago. the bone church was truly one of the most amazing places i've visited in my life. though i know this scent might not "work" for me, i really needed to try it. it starts off a bit like a sour rose with pencil shavings...that's frankincense and rose on me at times. i believe i get rosewood and lily too, but they are more subtle at this point. after about 10-15 minutes the sourness dies down a bit and i think i get more lily at this point. after the drydown the scent is quite nice, just a faint rosy-lily with hints of rosewood.

right off i smell the lily and orchid. i get some oakmoss after a few more minutes, rounding out the scent a bit. still, it's primarily white florals. i think i smell a tiny hint of osmanthus. it's one of my favorite notes, and honestly one of the main reasons i wanted to try this. i don't seem to get any ambergris, and the osmanthus gets more powerful as time goes on. it dries down to a subtle osmanthus and oakmoss. 

this smells like foody...woods sort of. something is a bit rubbery and strange smelling in this. i think that may be the leather? not a typical leather for sure, but i'm not sure what else it could be. this is one of those scents that smells good wafting up from my arm, but doesn't smell as good when i smell up close. i don't get the rubbery thing when it wafts...just a pretty caramelly scent that's not overly foody with some pepper. after about 10 minutes, that rubbery thing calms down and it's mainly just a caramelized woods scent. it's kind of growing on me, and actually i'd love an atmo spray or candle in this scent.

whoops, i didn't pay enough attention and sprayed this on my skin, thinking it was a hair gloss at first. oh well. first off i get a waxy white floral, like lily with vanilla orchid. i get some woods in the background, not too intensely cedar-y, thankfully. this is a nice creamy white floral scent. the woods get stronger after awhile and the florals are still there but more balanced with the woods. this is a very late winter/early spring scent to me. i think it'd be great to re-try at that time of year.

i wasn't sure what to expect, but this reminds me of a sort of less-sweet beeswax scent mixed with woods. it's creamy, almost buttery and unfortunately it turns my stomach...it's SO buttery. a scrubber for me.

at the beginning i believe i get the fur and ti leaf. it's warm from the fur and cool from the ti leaf. awhile later something deepens the scent. it doesn't seem like amber in the typical way-like warm and powdery (which i love!) but it's still gorgeous. i guess it's because it's 'gleaming' amber, there is a hint of something cool and shining. ahh i really love bpal's furry scents sometimes, and this may be a favorite...perhaps bottle worthy. 

this one was a gamble, because i wasn't sure how the milk note would work with my skin chemistry, because usually it doesn't. but maaaybe in a small amount (?) right off i get a bread and butter scent...it's very buttery. with maybe a hint of fruitiness. it's VERY foody. i cannot handle this butter-it's like butter with something going a bit rancid.  this is a scrubber for me. 😫

this starts off a spicy rose, after which some incense is added to the mix. it's a dry rose, reminds me of dead roses in a box that once held spices. there is an earthy scent from the vetiver, but it's not overwhelming. it remains a spicy red  rose on me into the drydown. it's a pretty scent, and i love spicy roses, i just wonder if i already have enough of them or if i need to keep this one. i may need to re-test to be sure.

the steel initially put me off this, but i like the idea of iris and oudh so i figured i'd give it a try. the steel is overwhelming at first, and this starts as a very strong metallic note with hints of oudh. some of bpal's oudhs work better than others for me. this is one of the odd ones. hard to explain, but it just smells a bit strange, and not what i think of as oudh-like. after about 10-15 minutes, i get some iris and frankincense, warming up and deepening the scent. after the drydown it's primarily a metallic floral with hints of oudh. kind of nice, actually, but just far too metallic for my liking...

ah yes, right off i get something green and woody, the kudzu. after about 20 minutes, the greenness calms down and i get hints of the honey and ginger cream, along with some woods. it started off strong but is now pretty subtle. i like the scent a lot more now that the kudzu has calmed down, but my skin eats most of it up and i can hardly smell it at this point. what i can smell is a nice woody ginger cream.

this starts off with tea and tobacco leaf, with some white musk in the background. no lilac to speak of in the beginning. after about 5-10 minutes i get the lilac, but it's not super strong, it just adds a nice floral element to the tea. the frankincense adds some depth, and luckily this one doesn't turn to pencil shavings on me. a very pretty scent.

omg this is so pretty! i loves me a sugared carnation, and they are so rare. this is a soft scent. it's a sugary carnation with hints of sweeter florals and vanilla. i'm not sure i'm normally a fressia fan, but the way it's blended in this is just gorgeous. i may need a bottle of this.

this starts off with a ton of cedar (which my skin tends not to like), some rose, some musk and hints of carnation. the rose & cedar combination turns very sour on me. it's just all cedar and soggy red rose. after the drydown, it's a warm musky carnation, which is closer to what i was wanting. it's in the same vein as gypsy queen, but that one smells better on me anyhow. it's nice to know there is a scent in the same vein as GQ though.

ahh this starts out beautifully! i get rose, musk and a hint of white leather. i am loving this, and hoping it doesn't change too much. a little bit more amber comes out and the scent gets even better. i definitely need a bottle of this one.

right off i get the florals and some pepper, with some white sandalwood in the background. it's a slighty spicy white floral. i think i am getting more wisteria than lilac, which is nice, as i have few, if any wisteria scents. ultimately it's mostly sandalwood and wisteria on me. the other notes seem to blend into the background or are non-existent. it's pretty, and a good springtime scent.

starts off mostly red musk single note with a hint of bergamot. after awhile i get pink pepper and that's it! i was hoping for wayyyy more leather in this, but on me, it's very subtle. oh well. it's not a bad scent, but i have many other red musk blends that work better for me.

this starts off with rosewood and vanilla. it's a bit powdery, yet something in this does definitely smell 'wet' like the wet oak beams. amazing how beth does that! i get more woods as time goes on and more smokiness as well. the rosewood begins to go a bit sour on me, which it can do sometimes...it ends up being sour rosewood and baby powder. too bad, because in the beginning, this one seemed promising.

this starts off with lavender and reminds me of something SO familiar that i cannot place. i think it's the combination of lavender and white amber which is just delicious. i get some white musk and a hint of iris as well. this is such a pretty lavender cloud, very calming and soothing. may have to try as a a sleep/meditation scent.

i was super excited to try this, since i love iris scents. first off i smell the orris butter and vanilla, it is waxy as someone said above. like iris/orris with cream. it's pretty powdery, and gets even more powdery when the orris root peeks out of the scent. it's very spring-y, with the iris. i don't seem to get a lot of lily. the scent gets more creamy as time goes on, as the vanilla gets more pronounced. i really like this one!  

i tend to avoid peach scents, but peach-tinted made this seem more workable for me. when first applied i get the vanilla cream and peach with a hint of the skin musk, which smells quite animalic on me. it dries down to a peachy-vanilla with an amber/skin musk background. pretty!

i swear i smell almond when this is first applied, and quickly the brown musk comes to the forefront as well. i think i am getting hay and sweet leather now, and the orris is in the background. it becomes mostly musk and leather, and i find it reminiscent of western diamondback.