Lycanthrope

Mod Note: This topic name will remain 'San Cristóbal de la Habana', despite the post-release provisional name change on BPAL.com to 'A Perfume That Tells a Story About My Daughter But Had a Name That Made Our Payment Processors All Feisty and Stuff So Now We Have To Change It and This is the New Name Yay'. Cubas white ginger blossoms, guava pulp, and mango with a touch of white tobacco and sea salt. Wet, this is warm, white, sweet ginger lilies. I have some 10% diluted white ginger lily essential oil, and that is a glorious top note. I have come to realize that the current sea salt version that is being used in some of the more recent aquatic/oceanic scents, reads to me as 'warm tortilla chips and salt,' which may just be the unfortunate behavior of my skin. After the oil is on my skin the ginger lily note recedes and gives way to the more interesting warm saltiness. This is significantly less fruity than I expected it to be, as I'm looking for the mango and the guava, and mostly getting a gentle, spicy tropical 'pulpy' note, without the abject ferociousness of artificial mango/guava 'fragrance,' This is good, but I'm surprised that what I thought would be a fruit-heavy scent is more a close to the skin, spicy, warm tropical 'haze' or 'aura.' The white tobacco is not terribly potent but I've only had experience with the darker tobaccos, I'm terrible at identifying the white version (was it in... some Moth?). All in all, definitely not fruity. A warm scent, close to the skin. Somewhat salty, tropical, with the sea salt note that sometimes does a little tortilla moment, but in the end lends a salt-kissed skin type of scent. Fruits in the background, present to give a bit more tropical feel. This is walking down a boulevard with all the commingled scents of a city, the ocean, the markets, all around.

This smells very similar to the Wretched Rose Window and Numb on me. I really, really loved Numb. That being said, I don't know if I can wear something so... dry powdery floral? And it may be that a decant is sufficient. This doesn't smell too 'creamy' for those wondering if the whipped cream goes into foody territory.

I've made a sachertorte from scratch before. You chop lots, and lots of bittersweet chocolate, a bit of flour, but also make a meringue base to fold the cake base into. There's an apricot jam reduction you boil the fruit and strain out the pulp for a liquid glaze alone (some varieties allow for raspberry, but I think the authentic one is apricot only). You also melt EVEN MORE chopped chocolate into a liquid chocolate glaze to pour over the large single tier sponge cake. It's pretty dry, but you have to eat it with authentic, fresh-whipped heavy cream. This scent is a dry, dark, dark chocolate. This is liquid richness, with a hint of apricot jam to my nose. It's perhaps one of the most true chocolate scents I have tried from BPAL, and I'm hard pressed not to blow my budget just to get a few bottles of this!

Our first night in Paris and a little jetlagged, we went out walking in the rain to search for a market because Lilith and I wanted bread and cheese. We found the Rue de Courcelles lit up and looking beautiful. You’ve heard of the game Slug Bug? Well, this evening was also the beginning of our new favorite game: Peugeot Punch. It seemed like every other car was a Peugeot and damn, my arms were sore. The Christmas lights of the 17th arrondissement glittering in the rain: white musk and ambergris sparkling violet and blue.  In bottle, smells wet, a bit rainy, tiny bit soapy. This is how ambergris reads to me. Immediately on it takes a nice little swing into very soapy category, but that mellows out pretty quickly as a little bit of a brighter, sharper tone underneath shimmers. This has a very metallic type of scent, I think of aluminum or a shiny stainless steel. I have some flashbacks to Bed of Nails, in that it's a metallic, modern type of fresh scent. I'm sure there's a some blue musk in here, since I get that kind of sweet, round background musk that recalls Blue Moon. I'm always looking out for violet scents, and that being in the description I jumped at it, but I'm not really getting anything floral-forward or violet petal, if it there it is very quiet. This reads as a metallic rain, mixed with a kiss of blue musk. Not bad, but I think the one bottle is good for me.

Held on December 5th, this is the festival of the Horned God of the Forest, one of the di indigetes of Rome, god of cattle, fertility, wild, untamed nature, and prophecy through dreams. The scent of a thick, starlit, unspoiled forest, with a burst of wild musk, opobalsamum, black bryony, mandragora, and hemlock. The label art on this is a little strange, a dapper young man riding Krampus. The dood on Krampus has a Victorian mustache. Anyways... Sniffed from the bottle, this is a sweet, cool pine with a touch of a skin-musk, sort of like Coyote / Ivanushka. On the skin, this scent develops a little bit of the metallic snap of pine, similar to Black Forest/Nocnitsa (without the dirt). It's not a sharp, airy pine by any means, and there may be a hint of snow but this is not a predominant note. The scent dries down to a soft, snuggly Coyote-esque forest aroma, with the pine and woods being a full, rounded note as opposed to bracing. It's actually quite nice and close to the skin, and if you're scared of 'forest' notes, you shouldn't be of this one!

Black leather accord with olibanum, black pepper, white sandalwood, luminous Asian blossoms, and sheer elemi. Wet in the bottle this smells ashy, dry, brown, gritty. Earthy. On the skin it definitely throws a very potent, dirty leather note. This is not the clean leather note of Brom Bones, this is deep and snappy, and worn well. This, however, is not a masculine dirty leather, the blossoms and white sandalwood are detectable immediately and give this a lightness that is both softening yet really pulls this into contrast. This reminds me of a much more complex The White Rider, in that there is that heavenly sandalwood present. The black pepper is not terribly apparent but this is a scent that smolders. I wonder if there is a little white ginger lily and ylang in this, since it veers towards exotic. Over time this mellows into a sweet, smooth, gently leather, mostly floral resin note, with a hint of carnality and naughty civet-like musky sweetness. I don't know why but this reminds me of a really beautiful, slick-black leather designer purse. Even though I don't own one. I put this on my skin and behind me is this woman in a beautiful perfect black dress, holding one of those 1940s cigarette extenders, tilting her head and asking me in a disinterested tone "well, sir, why don't you just buy it if it's so good," as she gets out a compact from said purse and adjusts her kohl. ETA: Holy cow! The drydown on this is amazing, it reminds me of some high end perfume I once had, I think the woodsy part of the drydown of Bond No. 9's Andy Warhol Silver Factory. I must continue to test this!

The unknown factor, the outsider entering your town uninvited, unannounced, and unknown: a narcotic black chypre with crushed violets, indigo lilac, patchouli, oakmoss absolute, labdanum, and clove. Super intrigued! Wet, it smells very cold, almost like a splinter of blue-black dark. I bet there are some opium notes in this because I get that soporific swell in some of the poppy-containing blends. Labdanum is one of those notes I love, but also jumps out on me, and the poppy-black-musk opening becomes gummy with warmth on my skin and lets out a spicy-sweet cloud of labdanum, made gritty and husky with the patchouli. This is really, really heavy and basically is prowling off my skin. Interestingly, it isn't until at least 15 minutes later, that I can get a bit of the oakmoss/lilac/violets. These are not whomp you on the head florals or greens... a tangle or dark crown or wreath of gray-green foliage scattered with dark, subtle petals, but still a menacing arrangement, lurking in the shadows. I like this, but it is farrrrrr to dark for this bright violet-wearing metal-aquatic werewolf. Still, this is super dark, moody, sexy. Complicated and layered. Even with the florals, I think this is unisex and may even transform based on who's wearing it... again on me, a guy, it's an unconventional, dark musky in tone with bruised purple florals lurking but not showy in the background.

On a ship at sea: a tempestuous noise.

 An electric blackberry violet tossed with seaspray. This is extremely juicy and fruity. A salty kind of lime-yellow citrus bright, bubbly blackberry, with a hint of that salt and sea note. I don't get very much violet It's very youthful, and very potent. Does read as neon, but definitely less floral than I thought it would be! Going to give it some wears. It's summery, brash, and quite loud.

On the last day of school, some of the families get together at the beach to celebrate the onset of summer break. It was cold, grey, and overcast, but that was hardly daunting for this little Oceanid. Lilith and her friends splashed and played in water I couldn’t put a toe into. She boogie boarded for the first time that day and fell in love. The beach bunny I have now is a far cry from the Tiny Virgo who wouldn’t go near the sand because she didn’t want her Doritos to get dirty. Driftwood and sea salt submerged in a marine layer, a touch of sweet carnation, bright neroli, and a sandy strip of kelp. So my past few years' worth of experience with oceanic and coastal BPAL has not always ended well, since the sea salt note = tortilla chip on me. Apparently I'm made of GMOs, and become quite snackable when that specific ocean-themed accord strikes my fur. I am a sucker for anything marine and ocean themed, though, so, well, of course this ended up with me. Wet in bottle: A bit more on the cologne/sweet marine musk in the bottle. Not too much of the slight corn-chip that I get from some sea salt blends. Maybe a hint of green snap at end, Ogygia-kelp-style. On skin: Whoa, 180! Swish and swirl and KELP me, baby. There's a swift whoosh of neroli, and the marine/cooler musk I initially detected gets uplifted by a slightly citrus-blossom whisper, and then I get that rising golden neroli hum and yellow-gold aura. The kelp asserts itself briefly, but doesn't overwhelm, although it does give me a bit of a Beaver Moon (non cheesecake) and Sturgeon Moon vibe. Drying: Once it's had a bit more time to settle, I can get salt, but amazingly it's not making me into a bag of Paqui chips, it's a little bit of spikeyness overlying the scent, which is segueing quite nicely into a bit of a dry-ish but subtle wood. It's definitely a quiet wood in the background, maybe a gentle soft cedar or even sandalwood-type whisper. It's still wrapped in kelp, draped just so. It's fading pretty fast on me at this point, but after longer wear, it sits close to my (man) skin, mostly salt and a quiet seaweed, supported by a swoosh of aquatic musk and neroli. Since neroli is sometimes recruited in modern colognes, I do get more of a 'mainstream' vibe from this but it is eminently wearable and I'd recommend this to anyone who likes a good BPAL aquatic. No corn chips here! It's like a softer A Fit of Artistic Enthusiasm, which is one of my all time faves.

Wisteria and white sandalwood with lilac, white tea, champaca, black pepper, benzoin, and white clove. I was most excited about this scent as I love wisteria, and lilac is also one of my favorite notes. I am a bit wary of benzoin, since it tends to turn into a sappy sour vanilla on my skin in general. But here goes! Bottle: Whiff of wisteria, more than lilac, but certainly that type of airy glow that hovers around both spring flowers. Wet: Whoa! That's definitely a strong wisteria, and you can detect the more sharp lilac underneath. I definitely am getting a stronger pepper vibe, too. It's not a sharp high pitched warmth but it's like crushed peppercorns between the fingers. Over time, the pepper stays pretty consistent. The sharper petals stay very light, airy, purple, light purple. It's spicy, warm. Yet also blushing light violet? It's a very interesting scent at this stage. Over time, as it dries, it's staying a kind of overall neutrally warm scent, with the pepper staying stable, I think that I get a whiff of crushed incense, that's probably the champaca. The floral component of the champaca seems to be melding with the other two florals. It's veering towards wisteria as the dominant floral, as I'm getting a bit more sweetness and powdery purple. I'm not getting a straightforward 'clove,' and the benzoin is slightly souring the blend (not in a bad way, just adding a hint of chewy resin)... As it dries, my overall impression is: fascinating spicy, neutral to warm purple floral, with gray incense smoke trailing upwards. Deep huffs bring forwards wisteria blossoms and occasional airier kisses of lilac. Hmmm. Intriguing!

A mood-enhancer. Wear prior to sexual encounters to increase vitality, stamina and to intensify desire. Wow, so I guess I'm at bat again? Got my TAL order, and though I'll spare people the details, I used a bit of sexual energy on my wrists and along my sacral chakra to see if it could help release some of the tension I've been having. I don't know if it worked or not, because the opportunity didn't present itself, however, I can comment on the scent. It's exactly what I wanted Three Witches to be. This smells almost pungently bad out of the bottle, but on the skin it immediately turns into a peppery, spicy, cinnamon and clove whirlwind, and it is slightly warming on the skin. When I got a few snootfuls after applying I almost swooned at how wonderfully spicy the blend is. Unlike the revamped Three Witches, it's not heavy on whatever oil makes the stuff 'smoked ham,' it's fiery spice from start to finish, and lasts a while on the skin. Perhaps I'll try it again when there's somewhere for me to channel the energy I get from the oil.

Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion, John Martin. Asphodel and opium-tinged water cascading over stone, with champaca flower, blue lotus absolute, passionflower, and a touch of somber Arabian musk. Wet, this is dark, shadowy, reminds me of the color midnight blue and the texture of velvet. On, this is a very dark, non-sparkly aquatic with a series of quiet, ominous flowers in the background. There is not much musk. Blue lotus is not a sweet, bubbly lotus like in Undertow. Overall, the effect is a subtle deep saltiness. Just like I would imagine Lethe/oblivion to be. This is a close scent, but with depth and a somber feel. Will keep testing this bottle to see if I want another or if I'll only use this for brief moments. I have diluted Blue Lotus absolute at home in jojoba and you can detect it around the edges of Sadak. It's beautiful, hypnotic, and narcotic.

THE NAMELESS CITY DRIVE-IN THEATRE Chrome bumpers gleaming in cold, exhaust-fume laden night air. Soggy foliage and crushed grass dotted with popcorn that has been crushed under rubber tires. Leather seats moist with skin musk and the sweat of groping hands fumbling under ceremonial robes. Bottle: Airy, grassy musk. On: Wet, this smells like a very crisp, blue/green musk, and the grass takes a backseat to a very potent scent remniscent of a 'hot dude' car freshener - a melange of manly, strong musks that is sweet, slightly spicy in a cold way. There's not too much linen, fabric, and this isn't too grassy nor leathery. It's a very smooth, somewhat overpowering (to me) bluish musk. Not at all what I expected.

Rolling mounds of snow blanketing dwarf birch, willow shrub, black crowberry, and moss campion. This is a predominantly soft, slightly spearmint-y snow blend. A bit like the top note of Snow Bunny. There's a touch of slightly dry greenery - and maybe moss? It's definitely on the more environmental of snow notes. While pleasant, it has pretty low staying power - although this may just be my nose getting used to it really quick, and it being remarkably smoothly composed so that I'm not getting struck by any powerful recurrent scent theme. I like this a lot. It's not super 'minty' but has that sweet, slushy snow note with a kiss of powder, and then the outdoors.

The song of a host of dread spirits wailing their grief to the moonlit heavens: grey, silken ambergris and cold davana cascading over a landscape of bog rosemary, marsh cinquefoil, sea holly, grey willow, bog asphodel, sundew, lowland meadow grass, and frost-limned peat. 2012 vintage! Let this one develop on your skin for a wee bit. My initial impression was not favorable, but I was rewarded with a little patience. I took a chance and grabbed more of this version, since the 2007 version was a beautifully salty, very green bladderwracky, misty blend. 2012 Singing Moon is definitely not similar although it does still retain a very misty, ethereal quality. I would say this is less smoky, less marine. If I would have to sum this up it would be 'misty rocks.' In the background there is something almost like lemon, maybe the sundew? It's a peep of reedy white citrus, otherwise all the other notes blend together into a cloudy, gray (in a good way) scent over very faint rocks (not quite an overt stone, like Black Opal or Kumari Kandam). There is not a dominant dirt note, nor do the herbs run away and make this super leafy or green. Ambergris does make its appearance, but on my skin it has always been a super awesome intestinal secretion (note) and it hasn't ever really amped on me. This has a very unobtrusive potency, so it seems ideal for a perfume for non-perfume wearers or work situation. I would say this veers slightly towards masculine only in that it has a gentle, smooth, simple cold musk-like quality. Over time, this turns a bit more floral, but never really super aquatic. It is definitely NOT minty, or BPAL Ice-slushy, which I kind of am a sad-panda about. It is similar to Leanan Sidhe but not as sweet, if I had to compare it to something from the GC. I'll play around with my one bottle, I do have the feeling in my situation I'd pass over this for a full-on aquatic or marine, just given my tastes.

I was hoping for the violet ice cream above, but I don't get too much of that, just very dusty orris (like Staged Moon landing?) The lily of the valley adds a distinctively pompous white floral, but it's a bit of a sour/sweet one (as lily of the valley is). The vanilla cream on me is not too foody, but this turns out to be more of a dry, powdery dusting powder on me instead of violet ice cream. Hope springs eternal and I'll wait for that someday, but this is still ok. I don't think I'm as head over heels as I hoped I'd be.

Rose roots reaching deep into soil thick with memories of eons of the dead. Rich, rich, loamy in the bottle. Definitely can get a bit of drier rose in the background, but this is a gritty, husky rose. These are dried, crushed rose petals. I feel like I've sunk my face into a pot of soil. Over a few moments, what's a bit odd is that the scent starts migrating towards... spicy? While the rose doesn't amp, I'm getting an odd, but very fitting and pleasant swirling smoke. It's not vetiver, but, it's quite... oh! Yeah, that's a nice, beautiful smoky cedarwood. Not cedar or pencil shavings, but like the good essential oil of cedarwood. Deeply rich, very grounding, quite rooty. I have a bottle of Himalayan Cedarwood (Deodara) and this is immediately pushing buttons for it. I may be nose hallucinating, but it lends this blend a very true woodsy depth that is frankly amazing. Is there a bit of a white patchouli in here as well? The rose plays quietly in the background, and on me never really has a diva moment (this is a good thing). I would classify this as environmental, still wearable but probably special circumstance. Over time the loam and soil note fades and this is a rose-kissed light golden woods blend. Starts heavy, ends on a nice thrummy middle note.

THE RAPTURES AND ROSES OF VICE Red roses, heady Moroccan musk, cinnamon, lobelia, coconut flesh, magnolia blossoms, and tobacco tar. Creamy, dewy, fleshy rose in the bottle, swirling rapidly towards a smooth, exuberant and beautiful musk - definitely has some hint of Morocco, the scent, however, there's a very deep, thrummy, almost resinous / churchlike element to this. I can lightly detect the tobacco in the background adding a hint of grit. The coconut and magnolia together add a butter-yellow creamy tone to the overall scent. The cinnamon and tobacco meld great with the rose... this is a beautiful, non-amping rose. It's breaking up my usual rose amp fail This reminds me a bit of White Rose (the BPTP) scent, but less rose and more spices and rose unguent. Yes. Like... a lot.

Three Swords, Nicholas Roerich. A snow-touched olistolith, embedded with quartz, red clay, limestone, shale and granite, with a hint of wild rhododendron. Wet this smells like motor oil and gasoline. On, the sharp, bright oily notes turn into a very eerie blend of tossed, dry dirt, and a little dust. Very strong on the 'stone note' (the craggy, pumice-like, gritty note). It still smells like gasoline every now and then. I wonder if that's the rhododendron? There really isn't very much, if any at all, of the usual 'snow' or 'ice' notes in the foreground. This smells like hiking, but the part after you've fueled up a car and are covered in dust, and got a little of the gas on your fingertips while filling. Very evocative, but definitely not 'pretty' or a traditional perfume! Another that I'll keep the bottle and probably try it a few more times prior to seeing if I want any more. I don't think anything like this has been in the lineup before. Try this if you loved Moai, although they aren't quite the same.

Showy, invasive, and highly poisonous, the Devil’s Trumpet possesses a strange beauty that is both seductive and quietly menacing. Their fruit is spiked, their seeds are black, their stems are bruise-purple, and their leaves are toothy and uneven. The Devil’s Trumpet’s grand, glorious blossoms open wide at night, releasing an enchanting and delicately intoxicating perfume. Very, very weird. In the bottle it smells like a bunch of greenery and a soft, white floral. On my skin, I don't know what the f*ck. It's like one of those quiet unassuming withery-looking ghosts that you see from a distance, all innocent and quiet looking, but you get too near and then tendrils spring out, latch onto your skin and as you watch in horror, something completely unexpected, and shocking, emerges. On my skin, this turns into perhaps the lushest, bizarre tropical-bloom on my skin. No green detected on my skin. The undercurrent is a constant thrum of white-like honey, drippy with pollen, I think of gold, yellow, ivory, when I smell this. It has a really intriguing soap-y topnote, which curls 'up' (ugh, I can't even describe this right). I don't know. This is a single note: experience. What the f*ck in the most wonderful way possible.

Cooking herbs, pickles, and mouse fur. Well, here goes. From the bottle, this smells a lot like the top note of tea tree, rosemary, maybe a little bit like fragonia (a sweetish, flowery tea tree relative). It also smells like pickle juice. Wet, the pickle juice comes to the forefront, and the herbs swing together in a camphorous, leafy way to bring me thoughts of rosemary and sage sprigs. Then... oh, my god, it's mouse. Like, prickly, tiny, fuzzy gray fur. And pickles. And rosemary. It's drying down pretty rapidly into a not truly pleasant aroma, however if you like thyme and that type of forceful herbaceous aroma, this may be for you. It reminds me of the fuzziness of Coyote meets the pickleness of Ivanushka, and herbs. I don't think this is something I can wear, but wow, is it Mr. Bobo.

Brittle white musk, bruised violets, vanilla orchid, and green tea. I love this! I'm a violet wearing wolf, so this works out great on my skin. Definitely a sweet, sugary violet, probably because the vanilla orchid and white musk are coming together. The violet is pretty strong in this one, so if you dislike the note, you may not enjoy this as much as I do. The initial burst is vanilla orchid and tea, with the musk and violet lending a powdery but old-fashioned / classic feel to the scent. Over time, the violet starts to come out more, but you can still tell that it's got a sweet, light musk at the base. If you liked Regan (sadface) and you can tolerate a bit of sugared violet, try this. Also, if you like Faith, get this now!

There was one born, in times of old, with wondrous might endowed, of origin divine: nine Jötun maids gave birth, to the gracious god, at the world’s margin. Giâlp gave him birth, Greip gave him birth, Eistla gave him birth, and Angeia; Ulfrûn gave him birth, and Eyrgiafa, Imd and Atla, and Jârnsaxa. The boy was nourished with the strength of the earth, with the ice-cold sea, and with Sôn’s blood. “The One With the Iron Knife”, she is one of the nine sisters who gave birth to the god Heimdallr and, by some accounts, the mother of Magni. Her scent is that of ice floes and frozen mountainsides, white juniper crushed under the bare feet of a jötunn. I'm questing a lot in Stormheim in World of Warcraft... so this scent spoke to me as a Valarjar / Questing type of scent! Wet, this is a very cool, ozonic scent. Kind of murky deep cobalt blue, not very 'snow/slush' as I would expect initially. On me, I get an immediate lift of eucalyptus and spearmint together, all kind of sitting on a bunch of fir and dark spruce. I think there's a tiny touch of rock in this, because it's got a bit of grit. I can get the juniper as well, that's probably what I'm interpreting as a melange of coniferous scents. As it dries it definitely veers quickly into the conifer territory, mostly a mixed northern forest with a hint of cool from the breeze of mint and ice. It has very low throw on me, but I can get whiffs as I type. Get this if you love Beth's interpretation of forests, this is definitely a chilly, borean one.

White mint, coconut, Indonesian champaca flower, lime rind, white ginger, and green tea. This is a fairly interesting, tropical concoction. Fruity from the bottle, a swirl of the lime, coconut and tea. On the skin, the coconut blooms and becomes very apparent. It is backed up by the lime, and the mint adds a hint of sweetness. Both the awapuhi and champaca throw this quickly into summery, sticky, island-exotica territory. My skin does tend to amp coconut, but overall this turns out to be a very pretty, wearable perfume. At this time (Fall 2012) it's a bit escapist and tropical for Halloween. Over time, it's mostly a whisper of coconut. Very fleshy, meaty. Mmmm.

Honeysuckle, white tuberose, gardenia petals, and wet green leaves. Wet, this is both tuberose and honeysuckle swirling together in a higher pitched sworl, with a hint of wet greenery. On, whoa, whoa, HONEYSUCKLE'D. And a bit of leafy greens. And then it gets a little waxiness from the tuberose. In a way, it's like the high, clarion honeysuckle dips into the thrummy medium tones of tuberose. And then... back towards elevation with waxy gardenia. It's vacillating between a very interesting Southern floral with a hint of exotic Asiatic florals. As I keep smelling it, the floral trills between gold-yellow and wax-white. This is exquisitely tropical as it calms down, and on me at least it heads towards tuberose... but however still with glittering honeysuckle plorps on occasion. It calms into a slightly citric-high tropical floral that's like a fusion tuberose-honeysuckle. Not much residual grassiness or leafiness.