Lycanthrope

A flourish of gardenias and gunpowder. Peppery florals right out of the bottle and on my skin. Whoof! Gunpowder dry! But those white florals are there, kind of like in Tissue and other comparable gardenias. And then, the gardenias bloom and I have gardenias starting to rise above the initial dry pepper. There is still a marvelous lushness for this white floral. I can't get away with shoving flourishes of gardenia into everyone around me, but if you can get away with that kind of behavior, please, obtain Kate Fulton. Especially if you love gardenias, since this reminds me of walking by those bushes when I was living in the South. In the end it's mostly a bouquet of gardenias, kissed by pepper.

I'm not getting much vanilla at all. Mostly a kind of sappy/stemmy green, with a light airy yellow-gold floral topnote. I think I get maybe a little hint of like a bourbon sweet vanilla, but still very planty, not very rich. It's nice... not sure I'm going to hoard it, although I did grab two. It's nice. Have to play around with this one and blending.

East Indian Mango, cassis, blackcurrant, orange carnation, sugared coconut, and Maid of Orleans. RUH ROH. I wish I had done my research, since Maid of Orleans: Jasmine Sambac. All that said, I am going to give this a trial! By my skin type, jasmine goes all wonky crazy on me. I've tried several variants like Auriculatum (turns into golden, lighter jasmine smashing), Grandiflorum (turns into a gigantic world wrestling foundation flower match on me) and the Sambac (which has an almost bourbon/alcoholic like twinge). That being said... In the bottle, this is a beautifully fruity, orange, squishy smooth tropical floral. This makes me think of sunny islands and sipping coconut based drinks by the water. The fruit notes must blend into a delicious little smoothie, since it's all there and like a tasty pina colada. I'm really reaching to find the carnation as it is one of my favorite notes, and I am wondering how orange carnation differs from the Spanish Red. Through this all the jasmine is crescendoing into a really strong white floral note that is overtaking the fruity drink. However, it's still quite nice, and not as unilateral as jasmine based BPAL can get on me. It retains a bit of its orange/fruit vibe but only faintly. The colada has been drunk and now we are relaxing under a bower of jasmine flowers. I would say if you are a jasmine amper as I am, this does not evolve well, however fans of lush, heady, tropical florals would definitely enjoy this.

Nom nom, smells like a dark blue-purple jam, grapey-blackberry. Applied wet, a big burst of the blackberry fruit which dries out and I get a chunky burst of patchouli! It's a drier one, and it doesn't stick around long since the fruitier notes re-emerge and keep the scent light. It's vacillating between the patchouli and the dark fruits. I'm definitely getting a sharp wine-y like scent but it's only the top schmears from a medium toned wine. Over time it becomes a bit more husky. I feel like this scent is on the tipping point between gritty and dirty, but keeps getting pulled into a jammy seedy fruit pulp aroma, smooth fruit. It's ok, but I'm not sure this is working with my skin chemistry. I think this may be a similar drier, not as dark patchouli like in Wild Woman with Unicorn, which I do like, but since it was balanced with green-ish wildflowers, in this situation it's a bit too much sweet and dark for me.

More of my wisteria kick! I love the note. My favorite is in Night Scene, although that gets a touch lemon-citrussy, and Cordelia is another one of my favorites, although it's a bit cedar-y and dries sharply musk on me. Bottle impressions, more wet tuberose with maybe a hint of the wisteria aura (that kind of shimmery-sticky gauzey smell). A touch of green in the background. On me wet, very tuberose forward. Wisteria is a side player, giving this a bit of a different vibe than some of the more tropical tuberose blends, or things like Muse, which are citrus/lime and elevated by the tropical tuberose. I'm not getting much moss at all while still wet and drying. As it dries, the waxiness of the tuberose still remains, but deep chuffs bring up droopy wisteria petals. I'm really not getting much oakmoss, unless it's quietly binding everything under the surface. With further time, there's tickles of the oakmossy note like in Fae, a slightly dry greenish powder behind a primarily tuberose base. This is certainly pretty - can't quite tell how people will react when I say it's Consoling Pussy...

The Soiled Dove of Cripple Creek, proprietress of the Old Homestead. An elegant, polished scent: vanilla orchid, Siamese benzoin, white fig, amber and tiare. This is soft, and shiny, but subtle. Kind of like actual pearls! I have short hair, so I tested this on my skin (even if you're not supposed to). The tiare (pikaki?) and orchid rise to the surface and this is reading tropical very quickly to me, but the kind of fleshy tropical that you think of in rich tumbling leis of ivory petals. I definitely get fig as the next player, a fleshy sweetness, ripe, rich. Vanilla and benzoin play together as adding a hint of sugar beneath the now tropical flower-fig combination. Amber is probably there burnishing everything and grounding the other scents in a very quiet way. Definitely a classic white floral, with a bit of modern fig and vanilla to stabilize the high flower. I probably can't get away with using it, but it's beautiful!

Sylvia was their ringer, natch. Weremusk and carnation with coconut oil, verbena, vanilla orchid, lemon peel, and clove. Super tropical! I get mostly a brown, furry, fuzzy musk (of course!) and it's very heavily tinted with a tropical coconut. It's definitely a meatier, creamier coconut (so, like truly an oil, as opposed to fakey artificial sunblock smell). I get the verbena and lemon as a bright sunny tone, and since it's not on my skin it doesn't amp. The citrus lends a very tropical drink feel, so it's like a colada (but no pina?) The clove makes everything cuddlier, and I think it's the slight smoky sweetness I get at the end of the musk. Carnation is probably there, but I'm not reading that as forwards. I like this very much. It'd be perfect for early spring, summer... NATCH.

They are loves last gifts; bring flowers, pale flowers. A cluster of pallid blossoms, white frankincense, and a swath of black crepe. Has no one reviewed this yet? Whoa. I bought one out of my really strange 'orphan BPTP/BPAL' thing where if something has no reviews or hasn't been as popular, I tend to adopt a bottle, lol. It smelled kind of jasmine-y from wet sniff, probably the lily skatoles. It's definitely very creamy, maybe not pink stargazer lilies, but white ebony funeral home lilies. The frankincense does add a sweet resinous glimmer, but it's not super resinous. I think there's probably a touch of a fabric or linen note but it's not like, super lacey. It's predominantely a strong white floral, pleasant. It has only light power though, otherwise it's me getting used to the floral scent really quick. I think it's nice, definitely will use up the bottle but it'd be real strong for bedtime. Unless I use my coffin, then I guess that'd be just perfect!

Paul Gauguin Tahitian gardenia and vanilla orchid, wild white ginger blossom, coconut, tiger orchid, and a skin-prickle of white musk. I really like this! Fresh from the spray top it smells very sweet, almost honeysuckle-ish, altough that's probably the awapuhi/white ginger blossom. The gardenia also is apparent but not the front and center player. I can detect both the sweetness of vanilla and a slightly citrussy orchid floral mixing together, it's definitely an exotic mix. The coconut does start coming forward... I was driving in my car today and sort of thought about LUSH Alkmaar, with the coconut twang and meatiness. The white musk is probably there but I can't really say it's super prominent. I'd love to save this for a tropical vacation.

This is a really floofly magic cookie bar on my skin, veering towards white chocolate fudge and marshmallows. Definitely foody, but a yummy foody. I like it. May need a few more bottles... medium throw.

Huh. This is very, very similar to Snow Bunny to me, maybe just a hint on the sweeter side and even less pine-y than Snow Bunny, but it's still a predominantly slushy snow note. It is the Nuclear Winter / Spearmint-y 'sweet snow' note. The mint really is a wisp. Not bad, but I think I can forego stocking up.

Sir Philip Burne-Jones Thick snow banks, wet soil, and frost-caked wood shrouded in opoponax, labdanum, and birch tar. Ok, so I like this a lot! This definitely has almost a cool, Yule-like feel to it. It smells like mud, in a good way, kind of loamy and sweet, but not as pungent with mushrooms as Graveyard Dirt. So it's a bit rich, like Penny Dreadful-level soil, a grittiness. The wood is kissed with mint, but only enough to bring the snow/slush note forward. The tar component may be like a vetiver-ish smokiness smoldering under the surface. I can definitely detect the labdanum in the drydown, which mingles with the opoponax to create a pretty unique gummy resinous base. Over time it hovers in the air a smoky resin, more than an environmental scent, and it's a lovely darkness.

Not so spooky, right? Here's to finally being able to hit the slopes again! Soft white powder snow with a touch of youthful girlie perfume. This is an excellent atmosphere spray. I'm debating loading up on this one! I remember my first set of Yules from BPAL, Snow Bunny 2005, and the 2008 release. Both are great on my skin, and had a great, sweet, powdery pine scent with a little bit of sugary sweetness. I think there's a subtle vanilla / berry note behind it all. On my skin, Snow Bunny faded pretty quick. This is similar in terms of lasting power, but it's a pleasant, sweet sugary pine scent, somehow reminds me of soft flurries and marshmallows (kind of). The drydown with the spray is more vanilla-ish, white sugar, not burnt. I'm not sure exactly what kind of 'girlie perfume' this is, however it has a similar feel to the top note of Jailbait, or Penny Dreadful's perfume. I want lots! I wish this could become GC spray, but... I know it's seasonal. It's less foody than Christmas Present (very strong cookies) but similar snow note. It's more piney than Winter Wind (but less mentholic notes). Still lovely!

Oh bother. It's a trouble that I love oceanic scents and marines, but now I think some of the 'beach' scents or anything with 'sea salt' does the dreaded tortilla on me. The corn-chippy like smell starts off amping on me and I can't move much past that. Eventually it becomes a sweeter, less corny atmospheric light sky-aquatic, which is nice, but I just have so much trouble with the 'sand' or 'sea salt' note... sadness.

This past March, Lilith played Kaa in a small kids’ production of the Jungle Book. The image here is from a test photo we took of her snakey makeup! Lilith says that Kaa smells like the jungle, so for her and for the Great Python Snake, I’ve bottled an impenetrable canopy of thick, vine-draped trees, primeval flowers blooming in the shadows, and dark, wet earth that has not been touched by sunlight in a millennia. Wet from the bottle, this is not a very 'dirty' scent. I get a little bit of moisture, like a hint of aquatic, but mostly very green viney waxy leaves. On the skin immediately there's a pretty good stemmy / leafy scent kind of like broken dandelion tubes, but without as much milkiness. If there is dirt, it's very silty, more like a muddy type of scent, akin to the Season of the Inundation rather than, like, uh, Badger, or the Down the Rabbit Hole Atmosphere spray. On me, there's even a kind of... birchy, aspen-y type of note, but I'm very surprised by how very uniform the scent is. It reads definitely as 'canopy, green, thick.' I think probably there's a kiss of orchid but it's not very prominent. This is a remarkable atmosphere scent. On me, too, it's a very unique green, subtle but evocative aroma. I think I could get away with wearing this at work!

Ok, this is always a challenge mode when there are no notes listed. I really love both the animals, and the story... The world is a scary place but there's so much love in the passage. From the bottle, I get these three notes: red musk, cedar (soft), and a little bit of... maybe mint? A hint of sassafrass or chocolate? Immediately wet on the skin, still musky, then I get something... like from Tzadikim Nistarim, like, uh, something reedy? Papery? Oh, wait, that left. Now I get more dryness, definitely the cedarwood or sandalwood coming to the midground. About ten minutes in, it's still pretty musk/woodsy, definitely a ... burgundy brown color to me, is there pepper in this? No, it's not pepper, but it's warm... saffron? About thirty minutes in, it's like... a gruff snake oil + fuzzy brown resinous fuzziness. It's really good. I think it's kind of similar to WILF and Fenris Wolf but much deeper than Fenris and not as... uh, forward, as WILF. Thanks for dealing with my weird notes and my train of thought rambling.

I really wanted to like this one, as I love and adore honeysuckle (it's a rare component in BPAL, it seems). I really really like the one in Liaidan and Curuthir, that sort of honey-sweet sparkling white-gold floral. Apparently in Heel, it's just too much! I put it on and was enjoying my little honeysuckle cloud, but quietly it started amping up on me over time and then everything became just too much floral. The grassiness was present but it was like the honeysuckle sweet turned up to eleven. I may try to use it in a diffuser or as an addition to a bath but on my skin it does something really odd. A very potent creamy SWEEEEEET heady floral for sure.

I'm reminded a lot of a more lavender-y Bly. This starts off with a very nice, smooth lavender, definitely not terribly herbal or anything, probably offset by the white / pale musks. The drydown is a soft rain-lashed asphalt, very much like Bly with that quiet concrete grayness, mist, and it smells kind of like... rainstorms... the smell of the road afterward. Yes, I totally go outside after a rainstorm in Denver to smell the earth.

It's interesting what our skin chemistries do to this scent, apparently mine eats cake. This is like a very true cardamom seed essential oil - so for me tons of cardamom all the time with a teeeeeensy bit of cake.

Black pine and crooked oaks draped with Spanish Moss, dimly lit by flickers of juniper. Oh, baby. This is like a brooding, Black-Forest like atmosphere spray that brings to mind a deep forest that you really shouldn't be in. Add to that a quiet room and you can be transported to the center of a forboding grove. While the predominant topnote is a pretty classic pine, the oak supports it with a powerful, warm midnote. The spanish moss is present in a slight sourness / tang to the pine top notes, and the juniper comes across mostly as tiny spark of gin-berry. The overall drydown is a blended mixture of 'forest' and this would be super awesome for a forest-themed halloween party. I can see this also being a fall / Eastern Europe forest atmosphere inducer. Mmm.

I use my scent locket, I happen to have a clocket from BPTP. I find that when I wear it against the skin, it warms and then I smell a little puff of fragrance. This is generally when I'm charting or doing office stuff. Then if I wear it over my clothing it tends to not emit as much fragrance - sometimes I slip it into my white coat, although with my absentmindedness that would be a recipe for disaster. It's worked out pretty well and worst comes to worst I just put it in my work bag and take it off completely. They make variants of scent lockets and scent jewelry online if there aren't any current scent lockets available.

An unfortunate electrical storm: lightning striking the tops of venerable oaks, Alpine moss tucked into dark mountain crevices, rain-drenched German chamomile and tulip, and a handful of wet, shy violets. Whoa. Like, this was totally unexpected for a Halloween update. I was thinking, beaches, pumpkins, blood, musk, yeah, Weenies! This instead is like a sprayable spring storm in the mountains. It seems light but there's a lot of complexity. Right off the bat from the nozzle it reminds me a touch of something piney, tree-like, resinous. In a way it's like Fae Forest but not nearly as lush, it's more the snap of lightning and rain spray over pine needles. The oak is not overpowering but it lends a very true forest-y feel to the spray. Moss is detectable as a roughness around the stormy rain. There's an element like Danube or Amsterdam in the moist aquatic tones. The violet is present, but it's not a violet-forward scent. They peek around, and with the moss and oak, really lend this a wild feel. I let it sit around in my bedroom for about half an hour, and it remains a complicated, airy, but extremely evocative outdoors scent. It lingers in the air like mist after tumultuous weather. Good god. I just bought four more. I haven't done that since Snow Bunny. If you love Fae Forest, Arkham, lighter versions of Black Forest, etc... you owe yourself this spray!

Huh. It's very cool and bright from the bottle. On my skin it smells like Colorado. There's a bit of a piney bite to it, and with drydown it really smells like when you're trimming the groundcover around your house you regret putting in because it's frickin' everywhere and on a mountain but you're enjoying that halo of intoxicating pine oil mist that you're kicking up. Drying down, definitely not a sweet or perfumey type of scent or 'interpretation' of juniper. There's a hint of a reminder of gin, but probably only because gin contains juniper berries, and not alcoholic. Very light.

TACITUS’ PHOENIX That it is a creature sacred to the sun, differing from all other birds in its beak and in the tints of its plumage, is held unanimously by those who have described its nature. As to the number of years it lives, there are various accounts. The general tradition says five hundred years. Some maintain that it is seen at intervals of fourteen hundred and sixty-one years, and that the former birds flew into the city called Heliopolis successively in the reigns of Sesostris, Amasis, and Ptolemy, the third king of the Macedonian dynasty, with a multitude of companion birds marvelling at the novelty of the appearance. But all antiquity is of course obscure. From Ptolemy to Tiberius was a period of less than five hundred years. Consequently some have supposed that this was a spurious phoenix, not from the regions of Arabia, and with none of the instincts which ancient tradition has attributed to the bird. For when the number of years is completed and death is near, the phoenix, it is said, builds a nest in the land of its birth and infuses into it a germ of life from which an offspring arises, whose first care, when fledged, is to bury its father. This is not rashly done, but taking up a load of myrrh and having tried its strength by a long flight, as soon as it is equal to the burden and to the journey, it carries its father's body, bears it to the altar of the Sun, and leaves it to the flames. All this is full of doubt and legendary exaggeration. Still, there is no question that the bird is occasionally seen in Egypt. - Tacitus, Annals The Incense of the Altar of the Sun: ambrette seed, olibanum, benzoin, labdanum, galbanum, frankincense, calamus, clove bud, and orange peel. Wet: Smells a bit like Aveda's Sapmoss, but this was always galbanum in my experience. On my skin this starts to develop a very strange pathway towards being a smoky, highly resinous slightly spicy orange-whispered clove. The overall tone of the scent is very much lighter orange-yellow with a bit of gold flakes showered in. It overall has a sharper resin tempered with only a hint of sweet orange. I like it, but it's also not a very 'pretty' scent. It's quite warm, orange and glowy.

HAI I'M A BULL AND MADE OF ROSES AND YOU WILL SMELL LIKE ROSES (do you want to? no? MOO BAD!!!) So much rose. It overpowers everything else, even the jasmine (which is probably there but I can't tell, it's all floral!) Please be aware my skin amps rose.