cherrycherry

I'm a long-time fan of Perversion so when I saw this on the 'pumpkin spice' list on this year's update, I had to have it. I've noticed very slight variations in bottles of Perversion over the years. The first bottle I ever had was overboard with the coconut and as I adore coconut, I fell madly in love. Other bottles have been more heavy on the tobacco or the leather but my favourites are always the coconutty ones.

Pumpkin Spice Perversion is very coconutty (score!) and so I am one very happy cat. It's spicier than usual (duh) but it enhances the warmth of the blend and really lifts it. I'm over-the-moon with this. I need more.

I see 'Snake Oil' and my reaction is 'shut up and take my money!'

Combine Snake Oil with anything even remotely Halloweenie and I'm all heart-eyes and wiggling with impatience to just sniff and wear and hoard.

This one is fresh Snake Oil in the bottle but the spices aren't shy once we're reached drydown. It's going to be amazing when it's had a couple of years to mature. It's not going to be easy, but I'm going to let my bottle sit in a drawer for perhaps a year or two before I start slathering. I want to get the absolute best out of this little beauty and it goes without saying that it's going to SING given some time.

An apple and water perfume. Sounds a bit underwhelming but believe me, it's very delicate and beautiful. A perfect apple scent (not your run of the mill apple shampoo or soap experience but rather the actual scent of a crisp green apple) mixed with a true aquatic. Smells a lot like Sea Of Glass mixed with sweet apple. Exceeds all of my expectations. Totally unique, a banger of a unisex blend, and more than just a bottled concept. This is incredible.

EDIT : So I've been reaching for this one a lot and I needed to come back and waffle a bit more. I keep thinking how when I put this one in my basket on the site, I (foolishly) underestimated what it would truly be like. I thought it would be something like a single note apple. I don't know WHY I didn't consider the aquatic aspect of it. It honestly didn't cross my mind, despite the concept the blend is based on : apples + water + Halloween = apple bobbing. Duh.

I guess I thought that even if there was a watery element, the apple would totally take it over and it would be just apple, apple, all the time apple. And it's weird, because if I had been told that the aquatic note was strong, I don't even know if I would have gone through with the purchase. If someone I know had tried it and said to me 'it's water and apple', I'm sure I would have thought 'yeah, I don't need that. Why would I reach for that with all of the other Halloweenies available?' I'm so used to reaching for richer and more complex gourmands. Cakey and buttercreamy and pumpkin goodness. Or musky scents, which I adore. And so colour me SHOCKED and utterly delighted that Bobbing For Apples has become a total hit with me.

It's the autumnal perfume I never knew I needed. The apple is crisp and the water is crisp, but together they are soothing and uplifting and refreshing. I've been working hard on one of my novels recently (about eight hours a day of solid writing) and wearing this has kept me awake and focused without being too sharp. I'm honestly so surprised that it's become a favourite. I thought, out of all the bottles I ordered, this one would be something I'd layer with and maybe leave to age, to see what would happen. But I keep going back to it, and not always to wear it. Sometimes, I just want to sniff the bottle because I just love it so much. It's scents like this that make me so glad I discovered Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and the sister companies because what they create for us is so real and so evocative and special. You don't get stuff like this anywhere else and even if you find something similar, it's never, ever quite as good as what Beth does.

Oozing dark chocolate syrup with a kiss of pulsing musk.

Divine.

Unf, this is really good. Buttercream top note with oodles of spice and a nice, heavy, cupcake undertone. It's the perfect blend of cream/spice/chai/cake.

The scent of an autumnal tea party. Yes, mama.

Very prominent cardamom note from the off. At first sniff (in the bottle, not on my skin) I was slightly concerned. But when I apply it to my inner wrist and let it settle, the pumpkin comes out to play and so does the cake note. This is super delicious. Also, it's nice to have a gourmand pumpkin blend for Halloween (or autumn in general) where the main spice note isn't cinnamon. Cardamom offers a little something different and I'm pleased with it. Very nice.

Apple notes are 99% of the time an absolute win on me and as rum is my favourite tipple, I had to insta-buy this one. Glad I did. It's very creamy and boozy but the apple cuts through that with just the right amount of juicy sweetness. Gorgeous.

A very nice mix of chocolate brownie and pumpkin. The pumpkin isn't spiced at all but it does add a rounded, fruity note to that baked-good chocolate goodness. Looking forward to this one developing even moreso over the next so many months. A very nice and comforting Halloween blend.

Despite having a ton of musky, dark-floral perfumes from BPAL, I couldn't resist this one.

I get patchouli (smooth and whispery), purple florals (mournful), and lavender/vanilla (silky and sweet).

Floral offerings in the bedroom of a vampire child. Baby Countess Bathory. Or even a first-time perfume choice for a vampire maiden, reaching for the darker shades of her future. I am in love.

I expected this one to be much like Go To Sleep, Darlings or Snow Bunny or perhaps a mix of the two : softer snow, sweeter snow.

In fact, it is quite a sharp snow when sniffed from the bottle. Happily, as I absolutely adore Beth's snow blends, I don't much mind that sharp bite. On the drydown, it lessens somewhat and then we get the fluffy vanilla from the ice cream note.

Happy with this. I only need the one bottle but I am happy with it.

Double-chocolate-fudge-cookies with a kiss of pretzel salt.

A delightful and hedonistic gourmand perfume.

Coconut TKO.

I bought this because although I use lavender essential oil all the time for a variety of reasons, I found myself wanting a really good solid lavender perfume to reach for when the fancy took me. THIS fits the bill oh-so perfectly. The lavender is louder than the coconut but together, along with that bit of vanilla, they make a snuggly and soothing and just creamy-dreamy blend that I just know will be finding a new home on my bedside table rather than falling in line with the rest of my BPAL scent wardrobe. This is absolutely heavenly.

Straight-up candyfloss with bright, fruity, jellybeans.

Unf. I get the sugar cookie note and the vanilla frosting more later on but for the most part, it's the perfect mix of candyfloss and jellybeans. I need more of this!

Fans of red musk rejoice! This is surely the red msk-centric room spray you've been waiting for.

I know that for me, as a huge fan of red musk, this is perfect for my room/fabric scenting needs. It is so unbelievably sexy and musky. The scent of a vampire's boudoir, for sure.

Also, I love the label.

This is a really unique BPTP atmosphere spray in that it has such rich toffee notes that I'm sure I haven't smelt before, even after buying dozens of sprays over the years and many gourmand ones too. I get toffee, sweet pumpkin, a sort of caramel creaminess and spice. Amazing.

Definitely getting the cinnamon-caramel popcorn note everyone is talking about but I'm also getting pumpkin custard and pastry. This is so delicious.

Fruit bubblegum.

No... a blue raspberry slushie.

Wait, no. Blueberry lollipops.

Wait, wait, wait. It's all of these things. And I need to hoard it. NOW.

Beautifully blended pumpkin with lavender and violet. Very soothing and comforting to wear. Love it.

This label is ridiculous and cute and I love it.

The perfume is straight up pumpkin candyfloss and then you get a dollop of fruity strawberry cream on the drydown. Fun and delicious. I'll be wearing this one a lot!!

Definitely the same lemon from Lemon Scented Sticky Bat. This is bright, beautiful sugared lemon with pumpkin and it is absolutely gorgeous. I love, love, love anything lemon and so I had to have this. Like lemon/pumpkin hard candies.

The 2012 version of this and I did not get along. I let her sit for a long, long time in the hope she'd evolve but there was something in her that I couldn't work with.

When I saw her pop up again this year (2016) I decided to give her a second chance. I do that sometimes with blends I want to love. I don't know why, but this time around we're getting on just famously. There seems to be more red musk (my favourite) and I get the leaves too, whereas last time I didn't. Very happy with this. Also, the label is beautiful.

Dead leaves as the top note - which I'm used to - and as others have said, it's very cold and outdoorsy. Like a wet autumn day captured in a bottle. Emphasis on the cold here. It's almost chilly.

I anticipate the tobacco showing up more over time as, for me at least, it's the sort of note that can need some time to say hello. I get a bit of blackcurrant and I expect that to become louder over time too. Pleased with this. Given a few months, this is going to be a very unique and evocative blend.

Scant seconds before I put my order in, I added a second bottle of this. I was always going to have one but the cherry-slut in me made me opt for two. I've never had a BPAL cherry scent let me down and the same can be said for blends with notes of cream. I'm glad I blind-bought two bottles during that moment of recklessness because not only is this amazing fresh from the lab, I just know from experience that it's going to age beautifully and get better and better with time.

There is nothing not to like about Yipe. It's sexy and fruity and the blackberry adds so much depth. This will also be fantastic for layering with any sort of musky scent. Gorgeous.

I collect the lab's caramel/candied apple scents. If there's one out there, you can guarantee I know about it and that I'm stockpiling it. So when I saw this one on the update it was definitely the first one I added to my basket and I did so with a grin that would give any Jack O'Lantern a run for its money.

I hoped for the cookie and for the apple but what has surprised me (in the best possible way) is how much caramel I'm getting too. Cookie and apple notes can bury other notes when it comes to my skin chemistry but this one has a real lip-smacking burst of sweet, creamy caramel that is there in the bottle, wet on my wrist and louder still on the drydown. The throw is incredible. When I put this on, it scents not only me but the whole room. It lasts for hours and hours too. This is just fucking beautiful and has made me so happy. Caramel apple cookie win!!

I have a real passion for Beth's red musk blends and so this one was a no-fucks-given insta-buy.

I get candy apples, smoky patchouli, sweet cream and woody musk. The red musk threads itself through all of those notes to absolute perfection and the whole blend is just one gorgeous and sensual autumnal knockout. I may need several bottles of this.