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BPAL Madness!

ajansuz

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Everything posted by ajansuz

  1. ajansuz

    The Lilac Wood

    This is beyond beautiful. In the imp, lilac...like WOAH, and a little sharp green grass. I also think I catch a hint of gardenia, a whiter, sweeter floral under the lilac. Wet on me: LILAC. Screaming amping lilac, the real deal not a perfume interpretation of it. Also beneath it more grass. Dry down: On my wrists, the lilac stays dominant. In the crook of my arm it's fresh cut grass with a hint of meadow flowers. Big throw, long last. I think this is my favorite BPAL floral yet. The only thing making me hesitant to commit to a bottle is how infrequently I crave wearing a pretty, feminine floral, but damn. 5/5 for my skin chemistry.
  2. ajansuz

    Manhattan

    This was a frimp from the lovely, generous lab. In the imp, it's bright, popping citrus and white tea with a very pretty floral note from the orchid. I'm not getting any leather, mint or teak at all. It's really weird to me I can't pick out the mint, because that's usually one of the first things to hit my nose if it's in a blend. Wet on at first I amped the orchid like nobody's business. I was a little afraid I might have to wash it off, because some strong florals can send me into headache territory fast. On the drydown, grapefruit helped to tame the orchid and everything settled into a sweet, bright, sort of sparkling kind of scent. Unfortunately, it's kind of generic floral perfume now, reminding me some of Anais-Anais, a scent I loved when I was younger but feel like I've grown out of. I was glad for the chance to try it at least.
  3. ajansuz

    The Midnight Carnival

    In the imp, the only note that really stands out for me is myrrh. Everything else sort of blends together like sweet, liquid incense. Wet I amp the teak, something I always do, and the neroli comes out very orange-blossomy. Fortunately, that stage doesn't last too long as I'm not overly fond of the citrus scents. It smells a lot more like incense after that, complex, a little dark. Dry down: Unfortunately, just as with Arachne of Lydia, my skin decided to eat this scent whole. It faded within two hours to something barely noticeable. It's a shame, because I love the more resiny, incense-y scents and would've considered a bottle of this otherwise. Edit: Oddly, a while later the scent revived, but not in a good way. The lab's lavender is a note of doom on me. It amped up funky and musty, as bad as with Gaueko. DNW.
  4. ajansuz

    The Ninth Cage

    I have never smelled anything like this, so if you're looking for specific notes in a review, you're out of luck with mine. In the imp, to me it smells very sweet and resiny with a bit of a bite. Very pleasant, though, not at all oppressive or dark. Wet on me I finally do get some wood note emerging, but it's staying blended with the sweet and sharp. I don't get any cologne-y impression at all. It is, however, utterly gorgeous, and it's got decent throw. Dry down it stays strong, equal parts resin and wood. If this is the labs metallic, then it really, really, likes my skin. I didn't think I'd like any of the first series Unicorn scents better than Mommy Fortuna, but I was dead wrong. I'd actually wear this to a job interview or anywhere I wanted to make a confident, powerful impression. Definitely bottle worthy, and it lasts for hours.
  5. ajansuz

    Mommy Fortuna

    In the imp: Honey and gunpowder, definitely. It may be vetiver, but it's not like the vetiver of Saturnalia or Malediction. It's not that smoky. Wet: For a little bit, I really amp the gunpowder scent. Since I spend a lot of time at the firing range, this smell doesn't bother me. lol YMMV. The honey is very sweet without being cloying, and there's something with a little bit of a bite. I can't tell what note it is, only that it's a little sharp. Dry down: This is the BPAL honey that really works on me. The honey of O. Thanks to the gunpowder/vetiver/peppery note, it's not pure sex. It's darker and more complex. I've been waffling back and forth for a while now on getting a bottle of O just because it seems so single note honey on my skin. Now I'm glad I waited, because Mommy Fortuna is everything I love about O and then some. There's something a little incense-y about this. It's a close skin scent, but it has real staying power. I put it at a few different pulse points. On my wrists, the gunpowder is the strongest. Elsewhere, the honey amps more. I adore this. The first one I've tried of the Unicorn series that I can definitively say I'll get a bottle.
  6. ajansuz

    Rose Red

    2010 version: In the bottle: Lush rose + leaves + a hint of dirt. Wet: Exactly the same. Dry down: The rose amps, and the dirt does a little bit, too. It smells kind of like oakmoss under the floral. Medium throw, good lasting power. I really love rose scents, and this is my favorite BPAL rose blend I've tried so far, no black musk to go baby powder or play-doh on me. I also like the hint of green under the floral. It keeps it from being just straight up single note. I'm very, very glad I ordered a bottle, and I can't wait to see how it ages. It's the most true to real rose I've found without being old fashioned tea rose.
  7. ajansuz

    Arachne of Lydia

    Imp: Clove and sweet, dark fruit. A bit of a dry scent, but very lush. Wet: This reminds me tremendously of a carnation perfume I had as a child. The clove spice and sweet fruit are really similar to that. The clove amps a little, but it doesn't get potpourri or candle, at all. Dry: The clove really faded on me, leaving a sweet, slightly spicy, slighty dry scent. It smells wonderful, but the thing that I believe will prevent me from wanting a bottle of this is that my skin literally ate it within three hours and it never had any throw on me at all. If you're lucky enough not to absorb it all and you like well balanced spicy scents, give this one a try.
  8. ajansuz

    The Butterfly

    In the imp: This has kind of a dry, woodsy scent. It's like a suggestion of something that wants to make me sneeze without making me feel sneezy. I know that sounds weird, but I can't explain it better than that, like a little tickle. The bergamot is bright and lively, and I can smell the sweetness of the amber. I also smell what seems like brown musk, even though it's not a listed note. I've got no idea what petigrain smells like. Is that what's dry? Anyway, moving on. Wet, this is so pretty and fun. It's a very cheerful brown little scent. I get the fuzzy impression, too. I always amp amber, and since I love it, this doesn't bother me. Amber makes this very sweet and creamy. The bergamot softened really quickly on me. Dry down is where I get what a previous reviewer compared to Haunted, but without the play-doh I get from black musk. It does kind of smell like Haunted's fuzzy cousin. Tonka finally peeks out and says hello, too, with a kind of gentle hint of vanilla. I still swear I smell brown musk, like in Whoso List to Hunt, but not as strong. It has low throw and only lasts a few hours on me. I really like this scent. Like with The Last Unicorn, I don't think I quite bottle like it, but I'll very happily use up the imp and probably buy another.
  9. ajansuz

    The Last Unicorn

    Oh, my gosh. I usually don't much care for ethereal, delicate scents on me, because I'm not an ethereal, delicate kind of woman. This scent is grounded enough by sandalwood and oakmoss to keep it from floating away. In the imp, I predominately smelled the lilac, coconut, and lettuce with something of a cool, almost minty bite under it. It made me think of early spring in the garden, when you wake up and sometimes there's still thin frost on the leaves, a very cool, crisp, clean smell. This is probably one of the cleanest BPAL scents I've tried. Wet on me, the lilac amped, as it always does, but the coconut and lettuce still held their own. Oakmoss is a note that also amps on me, and it was fortunate this time, because it brought all that light floral and green down to earth a little. A woody fragrance also emerged, not to the point it overpowered, but it balanced. That impression of cool mint slowly faded back. It wasn't until the dry down that I got even a hint of the white chocolate, and it just made things a little creamier. By the time it was dry, all of the scents had blended to the point it was difficult to pick out any one note. Periodically, I get a small whiff of coconut or the dry waft of orris. Mostly, it's just a lovely blend. It stays close without amping too much, but it lasts. For a while at least, I believe this will be my go-to scent for spring. It's so beautiful, kind of a grown up floral without moving into old lady territory.
  10. ajansuz

    Gelt

    2010 Version: I am SO GLAD I just went ahead and ordered a bottle unsmelled. This is AMAZING. In the bottle, it's very much fine cocoa, very dry and rich with just a hint of floral under it. Wet on, it smelled exactly like the chocolate coins you get at Christmas, rich and a little buttery, too. In the dry down, a lovely, lovely amber warmed and blended so very nicely with the dry cocoa. It's not at all foody once completely dry. The dryness of the cocoa keeps the amber from going overboard sweet. Throw is medium. It has lasted hours and hours, and I literally cannot stop smelling my wrists. I can't wait to see how this ages. I bet it's going to be downright heavenly.
  11. ajansuz

    Mata Hari

    This was a frimp from the lab with my last order. In the imp it smelled a lot like Dragon's Eye, that same creamy sort of floral but more jasmine than lily of the valley. Wet on, the rose tried to amp a little for a while. After about 30 minutes, it was kind of a headachey floral. I thought I'd have to wash it off. It settled down; however, it became what I associate with old lady perfume, just very old fashioned and kind of frumpy. I got no coffee note in this at all, no tonka, no wood of any kind, and the roses weren't delicious, juicy roses. They were soapy old woman roses. Throw was medium, and it lasted several disappointing hours. Unfortunately, this scent wasn't for me.
  12. ajansuz

    Tricksy Bath Oil

    I don't get any honey out of this at all, which is odd, because that's a note I usually amp. I use the bath oils as after shower moisturizers. If I could smell this for the rest of my life I would never get tired of it. There is patchouli, yes, but it's not the dominant note on my skin. Pine, sharp, evergreen, rich pine grounded by the earthiness of a high quality patchouli is what I get. Something a little smoky, too, like the trace of a campfire in the distance. It stays strong on me for hours. My skin feels amazingly soft and smooth, and this scent. This scent is totally to die for. It layers really well with Bogle. I love this. LOVE it.
  13. ajansuz

    An T-Samhuinn Soap

    This is woooonderful. Mellow apple and burning leaves. Total Autumn in a bar soap. Aesthetically, it's also very pleasing. Deep olive green with reddish brown streaks and a metallic dusting of russet along the top. Very silky lather, good body, and it leaves a hint of scent on the skin afterward. Of all the BPTP/Villainess soaps I've tried, this is second only to Shub. (I have a very unhealthy obsession with love of Shub. It would be hard for anything to displace it as number one.) It wasn't drying on me at all.
  14. ajansuz

    Bogle

    I was hoping that this would be the oil that came with my Tricksy pack. Sniffomancy works, folks. It really, really does. I'm still a little stopped up from my recent cold, but... There is so much goodness to smell here that it had no trouble cutting through the grunge. In the bottle, I smell smoky, slightly buttery blueberry and red currant. It almost reminds me of a holiday punch my mother used to make for her big parties. Fun scent association, so it got me excited about it right away. Wet on me, there's none of the buttery scent from the bottle. It goes to sweet, tart berries, a tiny snap of ginger, Frankincense, and vetiver. (I adore vetiver, but I think even if you don't, this vetiver won't overwhelm you. It just adds a smoky depth.} I get no pumpkin out of this at all, or vanilla, not on my skin. Dry down. Berries, incense, and smoke. This is gorgeous. It just kicked The Infernal Lover off its number one spot. I'm going to cry when I use the last bit of this, but until then I will enjoy every drop.
  15. ajansuz

    White Pumpkin Extrait

    YUM! I do get a very buttery scent with this, but not to the cloying foodie level, just very rich, like a flaky, buttery pie crust. The pumpkin is more pie filling, less straight up gourd, with a delicious dessert vanilla. I get no spices from this. This is a going to bed wrapped up in a warm blanket scent if ever there was one. I love it.
  16. ajansuz

    Wad Of Chewed Up Strawberry Bubblegum

    Add me to the no strawberry list, but I'm not disappointed! I LOVE this. It's sugary, fresh Bazooka wet and sweet, soft bubblegum dry. Makes my mouth water every time I catch a whiff. Almost no throw, but that's fine. I don't mind not sharing and keeping it all to myself.
  17. ajansuz

    The Witch's Repast

    This was a frimp from the lab, and woah, probably one of the most unique BPAL scents I've tried to date. In the imp I smelled a lot of wine and booze. I don't know what kvass smells like, so I couldn't tell you if this is it or not, but boozy? Oh yeah. There's also distinctly a bread scent, a little buttery and baked, with something...heavy under it. Food heavy but hard to pinpoint. Wet: I always seem to amp wine notes. This is no exception. The wine threatened to go a little waxy on me, but it toed that line and stayed there. The bread all but disappeared, and something kind of salty amped up. Not meat, but maybe suggestive of it. It's a much prettier scent than I expected from the description. Dry: Still predominantly wine, something salty, a little smoky. I'm not getting any honey at all, but I can smell berries now, wintery berries. I'm glad I had the chance to try this. I can't see it being a go-to fragrance, but when I want to evoke a holiday feeling, it's a good try. It lasts for hours and has pretty strong throw.
  18. ajansuz

    Whitechapel

    This was a lab frimp. In the imp, very lemony with a hint of sweet musk and maybe lavender. Wet, straight up Lemon Pledge, both on me and the husband. Ugh. Dry, on me, the lemon goes away, leaving a white musk/lavender combo that's really nothing special and way too masculine for my tastes. Dry on my husband, straight up Lemon Pledge. Still. We don't know how long it lasts. Neither of us could wear it long enough to find out. On me it had minimal throw once dry. On him it overwhelmed the room. If you're a citrus lover, you may like this one, but if you're not, stay away. Stay far, far away.
  19. ajansuz

    Arcana

    This was a frimp from the lab. In the imp: Mostly lavender with a hint of Frankincense and something refreshing I can't pinpoint. A crisp odor. Wet: More lavender and Frankincense. I'm having a hard time picking out any other note. Could be because I'm still a little congested. Dry down: The lavender is just really beautiful and pleasant. My skin seems to have eaten everything else. Throw low. Lasting power, medium. Maybe five hours or so before it faded to something faintly herbal. It's really nice, but I don't think I need a bottle.
  20. ajansuz

    Dance of Death

    This was a frimp. Sadly, exactly what I expected to happen happened to me. The black musk in this turned the whole complex, earthy, slightly sweet fragrance from the imp into straight up nasty baby powder within five minutes. Black musk, why do you hate me so?
  21. ajansuz

    Shattered

    This was a frimp, and I'm really glad, because having read the notes, I don't think I ever would've tried it. Typically, I hate grapefruit, but this blend is surprising. In the imp I got a strong blast of mint, more like peppermint than spearmint to me, that really cold, cold mint that opens the sinuses. I needed that, too, with this head cold from hell. There was something slightly sweet and sparkly underneath the mint, perhaps champagne, although it didn't really make me think of the drink as much as some champagne candies I had once. I couldn't smell the citrus yet. Wet on it actually made my skin burn a little. That went away pretty quickly, and there wasn't any contact dermatitis, so I left it on. The mint amped really strongly, and again I had the scent association with those champagne candies. Bizarre, because it was even like a tiny bit of milk chocolate, almost like those Andean mints. The aquatic florals popped out, and all of this was very refeshing and cool. On the dry down, the mint calmed down a lot. I could barely smell it at all after about 30 minutes. The florals stayed watery and clean, and finally I could smell the grapefruit. However, it wasn't the note I usually hate with a passion. It smells positively lovely with the aquatics and champagne. Low throw, decent lasting power. I can still smell it after four hours. Now it's a sweet, light, refreshing scent with no particular notes standing out from the rest. It's not me, per se, so I don't think I'd want a bottle, but I'll wear the heck out of the imp contents in hot weather.
  22. ajansuz

    Ouija

    Frimp from the lab: Wet in the imp, the wood notes are pretty overpowering. There's also some herbal note, almost minty or like camphor, but not quite with that level of bite. There's a bit of rose under all that dense wood, and something very sweet, but I honestly can't tell what other floral it is. Wet on: The wood starts to smell like antique, polished furniture, furniture at your grandmother's house that has had years and years of oil soaked into it, not like the polish itself, but like the furniture. Lilac comes out to assert itself just a little bit with the stronger rose, and there's still that crazy herbal scent that's sort of like camphor, but not quite. I know that's not osmanthus, because I have a couple of bushes of those outside my house, and the fragrance of them is overwhelmingly sweet and delicious. I'm not getting that note from this at all. Dry down: The wood recedes into the background. It's still there, a solid base beneath the florals, but the rose amps and starts to shine. It's an old fashioned rose, a little faded, not quite fresh. For me, it's the only floral that sticks around. The throw on me is medium, but I also have a fever today, so my body could be causing it to throw when it might normally not. This scent succeeds at painting the intended picture. It truly does. While I don't love it enough for a bottle, I think I'll really enjoy the imp. It also has nice lasting power. I've had it on a few hours now, and it's still going strong.
  23. ajansuz

    The Infernal Lover

    This scent is amazing. In the bottle sweet red musk, really hard to pick anything else out of that. Wet: Definitely still red musk, but I amp honey like nobody's business, and that instantly starts to sweeten things. It's like the honey in O, very rich and sexy. There's also some sort of little fruity, grapey note, subtle but there. Dry down: Rich, sweet, a little creamy. This isn't quite a skin scent, but almost. There's not much throw, but that's fine by me. If I'm the only one who knows I smell like slow, hot sex, I can deal with that. I'm SO glad I bought two bottles, because I can't wait to see what this becomes with some age. Major, major win on this.
  24. ajansuz

    Calaveras

    My first weenie ever! Caveat: I have a head cold, and though I'm not 100% stopped up, I know my sniffer is off. In the bottle, this is pure, rich chocolate love with some buttery goodness and a hint of spice. Wet: OMG. Tequila like nobody's business, tequila and big, big jalapeno, to the point it almost stings my eyes. Also some hint of Black forest chocolate cake. Dry down: It's starting to get a little bit of an incense odor. I'm not familiar with the note other than to say resiny incense. Still a whole crap ton of tequila and pepper. I really hope this goes through another phase, because as is with my body chemistry, it's kind of scary. Where'd the delicious chocolate go? EDIT: The tequila did finally calm down, but the smoky note of the jalapeno really didn't work well on my body, and apparently, my skin devoured the chocolate whole, because I never really smelled much of it on me at all. This stuff lasts for 10+ hours, and on me had a huge throw. My husband really didn't like it, either. I'm going to see what aging does to this. I was really hoping to get the goodness others described and not the crazy booze and pepper a few had. Sadness.
  25. ajansuz

    Xmvlzencab Soap

    I had pretty high expectations with this soap after the others I've tried, and unfortunately, this is the first BPTP soap that I've found disappointing. My bar's texture is kind of chalky and gritty. It does eventually give a nice lather, but there are little gritty bits that don't exfoliate. They just sort of cling and clump on the skin and have to be scrubbed off. The scent is primarily...soap. There's a tiny trace of honey and spice and something a little fruity under that, but you have to work to smell it. It leaves no trace of scent on the skin afterward. It almost leaves no trace of scent in the air even while being lathered on. I don't know what the perfume oil smells like, but if I had to base it on the soap, it would definitely not be a purchase for me.
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