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I am in love with the sweet, honey rose of The Best Lies...

When you don't have time to burn incense, spray this instead! It got "Mmmmm....incense!" from all the teens in my house. It's not too smokey, which I'm thankful for. It's a fine melange of tangy and sweet resins with a slight woodiness. I love it!

This is the kind of scent that haunts me. I knew I'd love it. I experienced it. I did. And I walked away. I dismissed her quickly because I have so many scents that are honey forward...but I need it. I can't stop thinking about her.

 

Wet the honey's slap is strong and thickly sexy, slighly animalic, a bit fresh, but not as green as some BPAL honeys. It quickly dries down a bit, melting into my skin, and rose emerges...blush colored roses..a bit lighter than my skin, which is Classic Ivory in most brands of foundation. Quiet. Unassuming. But not innocent. I think of her as Pink Snowball's older, psychic sister. An oriental gourmand-sweet but not silly-as if flesh transformed into an expensive, exotic confection...the scent of a vampiric desire.

 

Most of all, The Best Lies smells like that very idea: the answer that appeases that incessant gnawing, that little desire that continues to creep, sweating under your collar...that intangible question that slinks beneath your nightclothes...that all will be "rosey". There's an unspoken wisdom, behind that sweet, fresh, relief, though...My justification not to bring her home fails me because it speaks a truth I need to hear.

When I smelled this scent, I laughed out loud it was so spot on. This smells just like a dead wife learning in to speak to me, strawberry daiquiri on her breath; I can smell a faint whiff of her perfume, too...her clothes crusty and musty with earth. Wet, it's a chemically blast of preservation chemicals and earth, and the drydown warms up to something almost lifelike...reanimated, slightly putrefied, with the illusion of freshness, but not really alive. Creepy awesomeness!

Patchouli does this for me: Goblin, Snake Oil, Feed Me and Fill Me with Pleasure...

My pretties:

Jezebel

Snow White

Antique Lace

Fae

Mouse's Long Sad Tale

Morocco

This.

 

This smells like if Antique Lace had fresh moonflowers instead of dried purple ones! LOVELOVELOVE! If someone said it was vanilla musk and moonflower, I would also believe that. Moonflowers are big and white and lemony. I used to grow them in my night garden.

 

Dried out, it's kind of powedery, kind of old fashioned makeup-ey...sweet and white and creamy...a moonflower marshmallow blanket. It makes me smile and want to snuggle.

THIS is my new favorite.

 

Wet it initially reminds me a bit of Fake News and Sed Non Satiata, perhaps because they share a patchouli note, but then the myrrh really comes out (bless!), and the whole blend transforms. It dosn't so much dry down as it warms up, like resins melting. The myrrh and opoponax are RICH and thick and everything I ever want them to do-RULING the blend- and yes, GILDED by violet...ever so slightly glowing violet.

 

I do love violet scents, and I have several in my collection, I just don't usually wear them. They tend be nostalgic for me and make can me feel sad or dated or too fresh out of the bath. Not this one, though! It's badass and I can totally get shit done wearing it. It's just a bit floral, but mostly smells sleek...like wet pavement... at a crowded incense market... in the heat. Steadfast, confident, understated, dark, opulent.

Out of the bottle I smell musk, but because of the amber, I thought it was red for a minute. It dries down SO fast, though, and I know it's not red. It smells...not quite grey...like a transparent sepia...I can't tell if it's the iron on the black musk being ever so tangy, almost lemony...but not screechy or sour. The amber adds a touch of rich goldern sweetness. It does remind me a bit of Haunted, but it's not as ambery, and it wears much lighter- not as dense or strong; the white musk really changes the tune with her pale creaminess, not too "clean"...more gauzy...adding an airy haze. All dried out it smells like what my partner calls "warm woman".

 

I think it's a beautiful, wistful incensey blend for summer or when you want a lighter oriental blend without much projection.

 

I really love it.

2017 version: Honey baby sweetheart, how I've waited for your return. Back in the day, over a decade now, I blew through the 10 mls of you. When my babies were small, and I could only afford a bottle or two, it was you and Snake Oil. Oh, god how I've missed you. The vanilla musk is yes... so much yes, with dry, earthy, greige florals...you're sweet, and sad, precious, and delicate, but unmistakably you. You are no other. My precious....

Labdanum, a resin that is a primary ingredient in many ambers, is my partner's favorite note, but he's also super picky about, so I'm always on the lookout for new blends. He often finds ambers too sweet or powdery...frustratingly so.

 

I snatched up a bottle of Ill Omen because musk and other incense notes WITH labdanum sounded like all the win, and it is! It is an amazingly resinous, incensey blend that sits close to the skin but has a long wearlength. I find it warm, soft, and slightly dry musky incense. The tang of the resins and blood beautifully blends with the slightly floral musky notes, all slightly sweetened with the labdanum. If someone told me this was a "black amber" blend from India, I would totally believe them. It's delicious, sexy, and soothing.

 

My partner says it smells like bourbon, leather, with a touch of toasted marshmallow on him, and he loves it!

I wore a raspberry patchouli oil in the 90s and have had a special love of the notes together since. It's such a delicious and sexy combo!

 

Right out of the bottle this is more red musk than I expected, but that's ok. The raspberry note is jammy, and gives more fruitiness to the musk. The orange blossom adds that fresh, white floral lift on the top, which keeps the blend from being very sweet. The patch is very woody on the drydown. This is a fun scent, but not too silly. It's like a Mme Moriarty light...perfect for me on these early spring days.

 

I'm so glad this doesn't smell like an actual whoopie cushion! LOL!

There are nice little blobs of cacao in the oil-the real deal. Wet, this is dark and incensey, with a flash of astringency from the tar. The tar note reminds me of hard, black leather, a bit chemically, and a whole lotta badass. It quickly becomes sweeter and fresh cotton blossom really comes forward for a bit, reminding me of the ozone zing of Midnight on the Midway. The sticky, glowing, honeyed resins, though, are all melty, speckled with fire and shadow. The vertiver softens and plays a supportive role to the overally mellow, fleshy feel in the drydown.

 

This scent is definitely not playing around, but it's very "wearable": It sits close to the skin and has distinct layers: a fresh, but weird topnote, sweetened blossoms, and a rich, deep base. It would be a good transition scent for someone who wears normey frags like Angel or Muse.

 

I love complex gourmands, and this is a goodie. I think she's Kali's and Qandisa's vicious soul sister. It's one of my husband's favorites on him as well!

Weeeeeird. This reminds me of being a young girl and hiding in the vintage fur coat section of my favorite antique shop-faded, once overwhelming, oriental perfume , faded powdery sweet...all enveloping...dark...soft...cozy...creepy.

This reminds me of Kabuki without the complexity (please show the GC some love, if you missed it), and is kind of Smutty without all the sweetness. I love the crimson musk on the drydown-nice and skanky and kind of dusty.

Yesyesyes. Beeeeeautiful jasmine. Got a "Waaaaaow!" from the man who hates floral perfumes. It smells like melted jasmine ice cream, if there ever was such a thing. I don't wear florals, you all. I want a gallon of this! It's indolic and so creamy and sweet! I had this jasmine oil in the 90s from Hawaii-it was almost coconutty it was so rich..THIS baby is the only jasmine LOVE I've had since; Defututa is a close 2nd, though, so check her out if you miss La Prostitution. It's not screechy or soapy...it's MAG-NI-FI-CIENT!!!! Yummy, springy, fresh, sweet, sexy, REAL FLOWERS, creamy deliciousness. More people should have skin that smells like this!

So many of my BPAL loves are dripping with dark and red musks!

 

I love the white musk drydown of Fae and wish there were other BPAL blends that had the same feel: it's so creamy and really hangs around; the other notes fade into it seamlessly. Antique Lace did it, too... :cry2:Any other white musk recs that don't screech?

I cannot for the life of me wear anything at all with a white musk in it. No matter how good the rest sounds, if 'white musk' appears it's going to turn into a screaming cheap soap. Same goes for florals. The only 'whites' I can wear are patchouli and sandalwood. Sob. That said, basically every other musk is beautiful on me. Skin musk can end up smelling like, um, clean sex, if that makes any sense? You might have better luck with warm color musks (red, brown, black, and furry). I haven't tried green musk, so I can't speak to that. But give those warmer, darker colors a try. Coyote is a great furry musk, and I'm 90% sure our beloved Snake Oil has red musk in it. Raven Moon is a good black musk that isn't too difficult to find even though it's an LE. I know I've tried something with brown musk that had a similar kind of fuzzy/furry scent to it, but I don't remember off the top of my head.

Have you tried Fae?

B&BW Black Tea Rose, ya'll! Have you smelled it? It's earthy, slightly sweet, with a hint of dry rose. It's so lovely!

Hedylogos and Hippie Ghost

Resurrecting this thread because I'm suddenly craving a perfect Easter morning scent. Something with warming earth, new greens, dewy florals (fingers crossed for early spring bulbs like daffodils, hyacinth, or tulip)...maybe even with a hint of candy? Fresh but not high-pitched, loud, or (god-forbid) soapy. Early reviews for "Qui Aime Bien Châtie Bien" look promising but I'd love other suggestions!

Coraline Jones:

Dry grass, clean skin, and a little bit of mossy berry.

Oooh! A frimp! Honey and wild roses! Yes, kind of lemony and very fresh; some roses can be thick and heady or jammy...this is delicate and lovely. This is a much lighter rose incense scent than say, Spellbound, one of my all time favorite BPAL roses. It's pretty without being girly or silly...the honey adds depth and maturity...not too sweet. I really love it!

I love skin scents that are soft, deep, and incensey for Spring. Keichu really does this for me. The mild acidity of the leather gives this scent lift, and it's not at all overpowering because it blends so well with the tang of the wood. The champaca is light, like a floral tea. Coconut plays a subtle but unifying role, beautifully rounding out and sweetening the blend. It has a similar feel to Hippie Ghost, another favorite of mine, in that it is both earthy and airy.

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Thank you, Lab, for making this scent as a gift to those give to those who gave a toy to a precious little one in need!

 

It's SO GOOD! I've been hoping for Sugar Cookie's re-release and this is a delicious re-interpretation. The cherry is very strong on initial application but is not too sweet or medicinal, and dries down quickly to a a very natural, almondy, chewy sugar cookie scent, slightly sweet, spicy, and buttery, utterly gourmand.

 

eta: My husband asked where my "new BPAL" was and slathered some on himself. Blood Kiss is his signature scent (has been for over a decade now). He says this smells like Xmas to him: happy and yummy, and it is kind of like a Blood Kiss light. It's got the cherry, dry spice and sweetness...I may need to hunt down multiples at this rate!

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Yeah. It's uuuuugh...an actual lump of coal! You know that sooty, dry, slightly sulfuric note from La Befana? Or Brimstone? Take all the prettiness off of those and turn it up to 11. No joke.

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It's...ugh...aaah...uuuuugh...a musty Santa costume! It totally smells just like the bin of old Xmas things forgotten about in the damp barn. For realz. It's straight up old cloth and must. I just threw out some old cloth garland that smells just like this. I'm not even kidding. Again, BRILLIANT, but not even close to wearable. This is not a romantic interpretation of old things, like The Book or Antique Lace...this is a MUSTY old SANTA COSTUME! HILARIOUS!

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Oh.

 

UGH! Oh, god, no!

 

NONONONONONO!

 

It's. It's MASHED POTATOES! I mean, of course it is but....it's fucking mashed potatoes! Warm, creamy, zingy, earthy, kinda old, creamy, GARLIC mashed potatoes! Oh, GAG! It smells like the time I forgot mashed potatoes on the stove and then lifted the lid the next day. Oh. UUUUUGho! BRILLIANT! But DISGUSTING as perfume! LOL!