Heavenlyrabbit

Pretty florals and tropical fruit.

 

It's as if Beth took all the best associations from last year's Tiki blends and distilled them into one perfect gorgeousness.

 

Where's my sarong?

 

Ohhhh, Cabana Boy, I need you.....

 

This actually seems to trigger some nostalgic scent-memory from a time before I was born. Impressions I get from watching old movies. The 30's sexy glamor with perfectly coiffed hair and trim red nail polish.

This brought the latest Shunga blends to mind.

 

There is an airy, fresh quality.

 

Pretty and soft spoken.

 

This would be lovely as a bath set, too.

III (3)

 

O and Apple Blossom.

 

Very pretty and very spring.

CXXXII (132)

 

Well.... revised edition. When will I learn to be more careful reviewing multiple scents?

 

A slightly more urbane version of Snake Oil, more masculine and still sexy. VERY smooth.

 

This Snake is a Player.

 

Possibly some very small amount of Amber. But there's something more balsamic. A balsamic Wood.

 

And I think maybe a top-shelf drop or two of Myrrh and/or Vetiver. Or rather, that's Tobacco? Something a bit smoky.

 

Then there's what seems to me like some of teh sexy Leather.

 

I'm thinking close relative to Doc Constantine with only just a tip of the hat to Death Adder.

 

Follow up- after unearthing my bottle of Doc Constantine, I'd say this is DEFINITELY a close relative.

XCIII (93)

 

Penitence with peachy wine.

 

wonderful and very much a winner, for me.

 

 

First on, there's a gently sweet Honey note with the loveliest bouquet of flowers.

 

This is a happy, carefree and light-hearted scent. The Honey is so very pretty. The flowers young but not girlish.

 

This totally escapes what my secret fear for Flower Moon was; a headache-inducing or old-ladyish floral blend.

 

There is a very subtle hint of "green" and "spice". The colors I get from smelling this is a mix of saturated pastels. Like walking down the Easter candy section of your local CVS .

 

Or maybe this is Holly Golightly as she appears in Capote's book and not the airbrushed, sterile and fake one in the movie.

 

Or maybe Pippa Passes by Robert Browning? There is something to this that makes me think of Victorian idylls of young femininity that escapes being totally virginal.

 

As I predicted, the Swamp Jasmine has, on me, no relation to what actual Jasmine does (take things over and turn blends into a hot, loud Jasmine-dominated mess).

Tee Hee, here's my trying to take a stab at some more notes... Vetiver (piece of the old sod?) and a floral not unlike Iris (?).

 

Well into drydown I get something "creamy" and ever so slightly sweet. Not glucose sweet. Maybe maltose sweet, IYKWIM.

User friendly patchouli in this.

 

I will fully endorse Twilight Eye's "earthy and sweet".

 

The base notes work really well with the top notes. They don't get lost. Just augmented.

 

Love the Black Musk.

 

A very wearable Chypre.

There were lots of notes in this blend that appealed mightily but the "waters of River Corrib" kind of scared me. Especially with the word "balsam" preceeding it.

 

First on there is a blast of "fresh and clean aquatic". It's followed by a deep incense that is quite "Me" as it has a touch of the Herbal.

 

So this would be an "Aquatic Incense" blend. It is definitely NOT a generic aquatic on or to me personally as so many of these BPAL bends tend to e.

I was told there would be Cherry Blossom.

 

What I get- Moss, Musk. Really using my imagination, I can convince myself there's some Cherry Blossom.

 

Smells clean in a very nice way.

 

Unisex.

 

 

This is very strongly alchoholic, for lack of a better word.

 

The Cherry smells like Kirsch.

 

This reminds me of when I make Chocolate Covered Strawberries and leave a few in the fridge for a few days. The sugar in the berry begins to ferment inside the chocolate.

 

The strong nature of the Cherry does subside but does over-shadow the Chocolate quite a bit at all times from first application and into dry down.

This is the most outstanding of all the Chocolate Box blends.

 

More complex than the 5 other confections and one might say the most, perfume-y.

 

That said, it's also the one I would recommend for men. It's got a robust character.

 

I know perfectly well this smells like chocolate but still don't think foodie!

 

IMO, this will be in high demand when it becomes discontinued. Worth a try.

The patchouli is nice here. All too often a heartbreaker for me as is the bitter clove. Here, the clove gives just a bit of "bite" to all of the many deep, dark bottom notes.

 

This is very vampy, IMO. And should age well.

This smells almost like a pear tart with a nosegay sitting beside it.

 

It's a pretty as I hoped and makes me think of weddings.

 

ADDED Feb. 13:

 

This smells like a late-summer wedding.

 

Stunningly beautiful.

 

Kind of shocked this hasn't gotten more love on the forum.

This is essentially a palate cleanser. It's like having a citrus sherbet in between courses.

 

I had on Butter Rum Cookie which is pretty heavy-duty gourmand and other BPAL's and this clears right through them.

 

It is wonderful. To think I almost passed on this.

 

It's somewhat astrigent without being "clean". It's fruity without being sweet or foody. It's sinus clearing without being mentholated. It's fresh without being ozone.

 

And as much as this is an enjoyable scent... it almost has no "substance". It's weightless, a disembodied specter of a scent.

 

KEEPER

Steampunk Christmas.

 

The opening has a lot of the "Smoke".

 

And it isn't wood smoke from the fireplace or smoke from Herr Drosselmeyer's pipe.

 

It's sort of an earthy "smoke".

 

Kind of an Industrial vibe to this.

 

Thank heavens, the opening backs off. The other notes are there, a minty smell for sure but not too terrible sweet.

 

Still, I think there some vetiver in here? Or something that vaguely puts this in a more masculine territory.

Ooooooo, Licorice.

 

Followed by something sort of Dirty, which lasts for a second before Leather comes along.

 

So I was getting ready to pout cause Leather doesn't play nice with me any more when all the sudden...

 

PIZZELLES.

 

Then back to Licorice, then back to a combination of Licorice/Leather/Pizzelles.

 

Love this, reminds me of my Beau from years ago whose parents were from outside Rome, Italy. One of the things I missed most about him was going to Christmas at his Mom's and all the cookies including the Pizzelles.

 

I will be layering this with Sugar Cookie and Butter Rum Cookie later on. This deserves a bottle and guaranteed people will be wondering "What IS that wonderful smell".

 

Maybe even layering this with like, Snake Charmer....

Cocoa Incense.

 

I think the Amber note hints at the gold wrapper around the Cocoa (chocolate) candy inside.

 

Win!

 

Edit- this lasts, has good throw and doesn't morph a whole lot.

Butter RUM? You betcha... with these cookies around, the Devil would be too wasted for malice.

The Rum, Almond and Orange Zest all combine together and make this a wearable gourmand for men (and women). The Cookie and Butter part are pretty tame compared to some other BPAL's like Sugar Cookie.

Yes, the aromatics here definitely place this in Cologne territory. But in a foodie kind of way, if you can imagine.

Note- Almond can be almost unbearably bad on me, it is fine here.

This is pretty close to a signature scent for me. After all these years of BPAL, it's still a special feeling when you find a perfume that works so well. And to think I wavered on reading "lavender". Every other note reached out beckoning me.

This is indeed dark, in a deeply Victorian way. It's like carved Whitby jet.

Smelling this, it draws me in. Benzoin seems to be a Magical Agent. Not so pronounced on its own, but it gives other notes more resonance.

A unisex blend, too. Not girly or masculine. Just.... Victorian (can't think of a better adjective, sorry).

 

A brown/green scent with quite a bit of throw. The greens here remind me of when I used to go around at night clipping the neighborhood English boxwoods and hollies for greens to use in wreathmaking. This isn't the cedar and pine of craft store/car freshener variety.

 

Gentle florals, no divas. They are tucked into the herbs.

Smelling Larentalia deeply, I wonder if it's just a nice meditative blend or perhaps some magical intent was used in creating it. It's one of those BPAL's that smell like they come from Twilight Alchemy Lab.

As a Yule blend, this works for those moments you reflect on dear ones who have departed. When nostalgia takes over. So often it's said the Winter holidays are for children. There is always a place for those who've passed on.

Curious I pulled this out right after Mourning Moon.

>>>>>> Takes another deep breath of the perfume. Hopefully I haven't any enemies and if these are none of them are slandering me.

I get a soft yet resinous musk mixed with an understated floral. The woods/resins definitely have the upper hand here. None of the brightness I'd anticipated from the grapefruit and orange. Which makes sense since this in Mourning Moon. Still unexpected that they can blend so well with the stronger bottom notes.

A non-floral floral, IMO.

And something there is something very -Classic- about this.

One of the worst BPAL experiences on me ever.

 

I love BPAL's Pumpkin note, it's on of my favorites.

 

Sadly, the dirt, leather and pine all gang up together and make an ungodly funk that had me running to scrub off.

 

Happily, there's lots of other terrific Pumpkin blends to choose from.

 

This blend did evoke the Character but not in an attractive way.

I'd say this seems like a variant of "Creepy" except it actually -IS- creepy. It evokes homespun entertainment of days gone by. Horror-stories by the fire.

 

All the right notes are here and balance very well.

Some of my most favorite BPAL blends have been related to Central/South America cultures. Add to that the Copal and Agave Nectar and I REALLY wanted this one to work.

 

Happy Day! It sure does.

 

The Tobacco and Rose keep each other in check and what really makes it work is the sweet Agave Nectar. BPAL's Honey note has always been very rewarding and this is a real treat.

 

Edit- here it is 2 weeks later and my chemistry is finding this to have a heavier floral, like Lily or Tuberose or some such. And the incense is much more pronounced.

 

BIG difference. And it's much better now that the Rose has been thrown into the background.