Invidiana

Eanach Dhuin. Dead ringer for Irish Spring, on my skin at least. Lincoln Tunnel Vortex wasn't too far off either.

We used to grow these huge fluffy peonies out back when I was a kid so this will always have some nostalgic connection for me. I remember sticking my nose in them and just inhaling, and the peony note here reminds me of just that: an airy yet sweet and unmistakably pink floral, a "pink" scent in the way that sweet pea and tea rose smell "pink" but a different type of pink fragrance than either. I hope I am making some semblance of sense so far. Now I cannot imagine this delicate scent being blended with a heavy buttery vanilla, but vanilla orchid is its perfect match. It adds that creamy sensual sweetness that I recognize from scents like Moonshine and Mist and Opuhi. The more it dries down, the more the vanilla orchid emerges to entwine with the peony into one harmonious creamy pink whole, thus the more I keep falling for it, right to my knees like that lady in the pink kimono.

I definitely see the similarity to The Arabian Dance here, especially with the leather and coffee which are the two dominant notes on me. Surprisingly this isn't very carnationy on my skin, and I often tend to amp the unholy carnation of doom but it manages to stay subdued. At first I thought it was that which was adding a bit of sweetness, but then realized it was the tobacco, most kinds of which manage to take on an almost caramelly quality on my skin, but there mustn't be that much of it because it's only a tinge of sweetness under the leather and coffee. This isn't unpleasant but I much prefer The Arabian Dance for its additional sweet elements which tone down the masculinity of the leather and coffee that really amps in this one.

When I first sniffed this I could have sworn there was red musk in it but now I'm surmising that the combination of blood orange and pomegrante imparted a similar feel at first. It started out juicy and citrusy and red-orange, and I almost thought it would be a win until it took a wrong turn. I think I would have loved this without the geranium and gingergrass. I simply could not ignore the sharp edge they gave the other elements on the drydown, which effectively ruined this scent for me. Eh, I'm not much of an afternoon person anyhow.

This is downright beautiful on me and I normally hate honeysuckle. Most all BPAL honeysuckle scents dry down to screaming honeysuckle on me, and taken that I have a scent memory association with honeysuckle and huge wasps that is not a good thing. I think it's a combination of the type of honeysuckle used plus its proportion in comparison to the other notes and the way it blends with them that makes this scent decidedly un-honeysuckle on my skin. It's really more of that beautiful indigo musk also in Nightmare plus the black iris and night-blooming (read: non-cat pee!) jasmine that are swirled together for a dark yet somehow crystalline scent like a clear midnight sky sparkling with stars. This actually isn't much of an orrisy scent on me; the orris does contribute to its softness, and the rosewood is just a background element to anchor and not overwhelming. This and Dusk are the two winning phoenixes for me this year.

Aptly named. This is a wonderfully cool and clear scent with lots of ethereal white musk and heady champaca flower at the fore, supported by something not quite ozonic but still fresh and clean (but not soapy) that makes me think of breathing in the crisp air on a winter morning. There are hints of fir that stay in the background to contribute to the wintry feeling (though this is by no means a pine scent) and the papyrus may be contributing to the clean feeling along with the gray amber. Evocative and beautiful.

Peach is not often my friend, and even mixed in with champagne it still isn't. This starts out fizzy but ends up cloyingly sweet and candylike, reminding me of these peach gummies which I remember trying and thinking they definitely needed a roll in those sour crystals to balance out all the sugar. Skin fail.

This smells very true to the real thing; I really do feel like I'm sticking my nose in a glass of sangria, only with champagne fizz bubbling up. I can smell all the red fruit and sparkling citrus typical of sangria too, with lots of boozy red wine. However, the wine note in this goes slightly sour on me on the drydown, so I'm going to stick with Spiked Punch.

I agree with the others that there is a fizzy quality to this scent, almost like one of the Atomic Luau Lounge blends but softer. It is a rather lively grapefruit-based floral with the floral elements playing nicely. I do wish there was more vanilla, apricot and white patchouli evident as I could just barely smell them--mostly the grapefruit with a bloral backdrop. This does embody the renewal of dawn, but I really think Dusk and Midnight are more my speed personally.

It saddens me that bluebell isn't a note present in many perfumes out there because this one is so enchanting. Forutnately the jasmine tea here is the kind of jasmine that likes my skin and doens't have that much of a presence to begin wtih. It's really the bluebell and other florals along with the redcurrant that comprise the most prominent scents here, drying down to cool airy florals over bittersweet redcurrant. There is a bit of mint and thyme evident in the wet stage but they aren't really bracing or herbal, but just add to the cool "windy" feeling overall. I will definitely be needing a bottle of this for the upcoming months.

The first time I tried this, I could barely smell anything. The second time, I couldn't smell much wet, but then after it dried down I suddenly caught a whiff of something really lovely and airy and springy on the back of my hand and it took a moment to connect "what's that?" with Hanami. It's a simple scent in theory, but really beautiful and uplifting, with wafts of cherry blossom and wisteria that remind me of biking down a certain road during the springtime when the wisteria are in full bloom. It also brings Sakura spray to mind and would probably blend really well with Sakura sprayed on my shirt. I have to find me a bottle.

Inganok Jewelers is tres weird but....I think it's sexy.

I say wear whatever you like, and when they say, "What's that intoxicating scent you're wearing?", tell them, "It's anti-fungal cream."

 

 

What about Pain? A nice sharp bracing herbal might wake him up but definitely not turn him on. Touching on a totally different family of scents, Agnes Nutter. Mmmmm, nothing like the smell of burnt wood and rusted metal to get a guy in the mood.

I love this because it reminds me of one of my favorite candies of all time, butter rum Nips, that I used to eat by the handful back in junior high when calories were a nonentity. The wet stage and drydown are very similar on me, a sweet buttery dark rum that takes on a mildly spiced quality as it dries down. There is definitely some clove in here though it behaves itself, and a sprinkling of nutmeg and allspice. It's actually boozier wet than it is dry, and actually sweeter wet than dry, though I could wager the booziness factor on the drydown will increase with age.

I was tempted to get a bottle of this right away but leery of the honeysuckle. Fortunately I get virtually no honeysuckle out of it but a really deep and enveloping wintry scent in which all the notes combine seamlessly on my skin. It's a little bit sharp at first, probably from the sage and pine, but that quickly fades to reveal a musky and resinous heart with hints of dark greens, slightly smoky tobacco and light florals. The pine resin and oude gradually sweeten a bit over time, though I should add that my skin tends to draw the sweetnes out of virtually anything. I've never tried the Lab's Siberian musk single note on its own but wonder if it has a part to play here, because the musk element really does have a certain fierceness to it without being sharp or off-putting. It makes me think of standing in the middle of an enchanted forest amongst ancient pines with icy stars glimmering between their branches. This is a unique and really magical scent that I definitely need a bottle of.

This is one that I actually like much better than the proto. While the proto of this smelled like, shall we say, something pretty unmentionable on me this version is very reminiscent of Fern Frost, which I also love. It's bracing without being sharp or herbal, starting out as an ozonic (but not cologney) blast of chill wind with a frozen aquatic (also not cologney) hoarfrost note that settles to reveal frosty lichen that is somewhat green but not quite green in the classic sense, more of a dark and almost woody green. I've fallen for it pretty fast.

This turned out to be a completely unexpected winner. I feared it would end up being mostly dusty rose with a bit of linen, but on the contrary it's an absolutely lovely snowy linen blend anchored by crystalline musk. I definitely recognize the Lab's white musk note in here, and the linen gives it an unconventionally "clean" feeling very different from the mostly soapy blends that are normally associated with that category. It has that cold quality brought on by the snow note, but without being minty or piney. I barely detect any rose at all, possibly because what is here blends so seamlessly with the other elements for a tinge of a floral quality that only compliments the blend. The more I smell this, the more it fascinates me.

I love gingerbread blends, and this is no exception. I get a lot of classic warm and spicy (but not overwhelmingly so) gingerbread like Gingerbread Poppet, and then the combined smells of all the candy accents a gingerbread house is embellished with. I can pick out hints of chocolate, candied fruits definitely with some candied citrus in there, a tiny bit of mint in the wet stage that fades quickly, and a ribbon of sugary frosting. The most prominent notes on me are the gingerbread, chocolate and sugared fruit (especially what seems to my nose to be candied orange peel) in that order. I think this is going to get even richer and more delicious as it ages.

I think I liked the proto of this one better than the released. While the proto was all deep dark fruit this one is a tad too herbal for my tastes. I do like the rich and tangy fig note very much but at least on me the chamomile keeps battling it for dominance along equally herbal rosehips and ginseng; the three of them together remind me of the metric tons of chamomile tea that got poured down my throat whenever I was sick as a kid. If you do like chamomilie, you might want to give this a whirl as it's a very prominent note here.

This sure is a morpher, but a really pretty one. At first it's bracing, cold and somewhat piney from the hemlock, though I can't really tell it apart from other snowy BPALs with some sort of evergreen. However, the drydown really sets it apart. The snow and hemlock are still there and provide that element of cold, but the orris emerges and makes it unlike any other snowy blend I've tried before--a soft and "downy" snow scent very appropriate considering the theme. It's very unique even comforting in an odd way. Another one earmarked for a bottle.

I usually hate elemi, but this is a huge exception. For some reason I thankfully get no elemi but a wonderfully shivery duo of mints wrapped in white musk that I love right away, but something magical happens as it dries down, which makes me love it even more. The "deepening darkness" emerges as it dries down; I'm guessing it a blend of dark musks with a bit of warmth to it, but not enough to negate the cold, just to envelop the scent in an olfactory starless night. Beautiful.

This took me totally by surprise because I was expecting rose overload but instead got a lovely glowing winter berry scent backed by the golden feel of the frankincense and sandalwood with just a brush of soft florals. This is like a warm version of the winter berry notes in blends like Skadi, The Snow Maiden and Snow Moon if that makes any sense. It still has that distinctive red "holiday" berry quality about it but no snow surrounding it as several other BPALs with winter berries do. There is a touch of red rose but it's the velvety smooth kind that turns out lovely on my skin which makes me think there is at least some Damascus rose in here. Another one I need a bottle of.

Warm, glowing and beautiful. I actually got the impression of orange blossom here, probably from the way the combination of linden blossom and orange zest behaved on my skin. As it dries down the ambers and honey really shine, and I'm also echoing the impression of beeswax. It also grows a bit sweeter and creamier over time from the vanilla, and the honey and amber elements seem to warm up and grow alluringly musky as it keeps drying down though I must note that honey and resins do tend to take on a musky quality on my skin after a while. This is a perfect evocation of radiance, and I imagine it will age wonderfully.

I was initially leery of this one because eucalyptus and I haven't always been the best of friends. However, this must be a different sort of eucalyptus note because it isn't a menthol blast in my face but a fresh burst of coolness that quickly fades to reveal a lovely ethereal veil of blue musk over soft and slightly sweet white florals, mostly the davana and iris. It does retain a delicate frosty quality throughout, reminiscent of frost-rimmed petals glittering in the early light. Definitely bottleworthy for me.

What can I say? This is warm, creamy and delicious. I definitely recognize that boozy sweet rum note also in Hot Buttered Rum melding with smooth vanilla cream dusted with a hint of nutmeg, one of my favorite spices if not my favorite because it has a certain slightly sweet warmth that doesn't venture into being overwhelmingly spicy like cinnamon can be on my skin. Love.