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BPAL Madness!

CrazyPretzel

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Everything posted by CrazyPretzel

  1. CrazyPretzel

    Jezirat Al Tennyn

    This is simple and straightforward on me: earth and fire. The fiery element reminds me a little of Djinn, another scent I enjoy, but here it's grounded and darkened by a damp black earth smell. This doesn't smell like perfume in any predictable way and is a really unique olfactory experience.
  2. CrazyPretzel

    Jabberwocky

    Forget about Slobbering Pine - I've got a new love now! Pine is the strongest note in this for me, sharpened at first by eucalyptus and just slightly sweetened by orange. It dries down to a deep dark green forest scent, a close cousin to Black Forest, I think. Really very good indeed for those of us who love forest scents!
  3. CrazyPretzel

    Imp

    A quick and easy review for this one: very strong peach and very strong patchouli, warring it out to make a strange juicy-earthy scent. I'm not crazy about peach scents generally and the patchouli in this was slightly bitter on me, so I'll be passing on the imp.
  4. CrazyPretzel

    The Isles of Demons

    Total heartbreaker. When I uncapped the imp, this was so drop-dead gorgeous I think it actually made me moan. Really pure, lush, hot, jungle scent. I swear there was a great rush of humid air to accompany it. And it kept the scent on my skin...for only a few minutes until it dried. There was a brief flowery phase, and then: WTF? MINT? Suddenly it's a cold and slightly soggy scent. What the hell happened? Guess I''ll have to stick to Bayou for my humid scent.
  5. CrazyPretzel

    House of Night

    OK, I'm the weird one - I didn't get any smokiness or spices from this! Actually I was surprised at how light and sweet it was. I had sweet florals (osmanthus?) with a very light touch of evergreen. I like it a lot and may get a bottle, though I'll have to investigate further to see if I can get any of this Samhain-vibe people are talking about.
  6. CrazyPretzel

    Greed

    OK, what wasn't clear from the scent description is that this smells like MONEY. Not exactly new bills, but like dark worn leather bags of gold coins that have been buried in a pirate's treasure chest for a season or two on some remote island. Very funky. But the important thing is that it's really wearable, IMO. It's smooth and earthy and very comforting. Wonderful for patchouli and oakmoss fans.
  7. CrazyPretzel

    Cancer 2007

    Crazy little scent, this... I tested it first on my left wrist to confirm that I liked it. Wet on my left wrist, I thought it smelled weirdly salty. When it dried pleasantly I applied it to my right wrist, and when it was wet it smelled weirdly laundry-detergenty. Well, okay, so the wet stage is bizarre and unpredictable. What it dries down to (on both wrists), however, is a rather sharp green-and-white floral that reminds me of lily-of-the-valley. I can detect a little bit of nose-tickling orris in there. Sweet pea does *not* dominate the blend as it sometimes can. I'd expected it to be rather fruity from the pear, but it's not - it is a very intense floral with a rather oceanic feel to it (that saltiness I mentioned earlier?) and the forumite I swapped it from said that it gave her migraines. I can imagine it doing that! For an early spring floral though it's very appropriate (and yes, here in Florida we are having spring now, more or less).
  8. CrazyPretzel

    Golden Priapus

    I love the concept of this one - a scent that's masculine but nonetheless sweet and vanilla-y! The pine in this is quite soft. Rosewood is ultimately a little bit too close to cedar for me to really enjoy wearing this (it goes a little bit pencil-ish on me) but I would definitely like to try this one on my boyfriend. The amber is the note that sticks around for the longest time.
  9. CrazyPretzel

    Grand Guignol

    At first this is rich and sweet like apricot jam. On my skin it initially seems to go kind of thick and bitter, more like stewed fruit than booze. Strangely enough though the sweetness comes back as it dries, and the throw is nicer than the full-on effect I get from sticking my nose right on top of my wrist. Walking around today I kept getting little enticing whiffs of apricot brandy, and my mother thought it smelled quite nice too.
  10. CrazyPretzel

    Fire Pig

    I was surprised to see pine resin in the listed notes here, because this scent is so light, juicy, and effervescent. Wet, it's pure juicy lychee, and when it dries I can smell the peony and some light green floral notes, though it's still predominantly fruity. Very light, happy, and joyful, and a scent that you might expect a kitsch Shanghai beauty in an old-fashioned Chinese advertisement to wear.
  11. CrazyPretzel

    51

    Hm, I had this problem with the Dormouse too! Both are lovely, gossamer scents that I adore and my skin turns both of them into hotel soap. Actually it's not quite as bad with 51. It does end up having a certain complimentary toiletry air about it, but there are other things going on with it! Initially there's a sweet melon vibe and then later the musks come out; quite pretty. In the long drydown I can smell some light, smooth wood. It reminds me a little bit of The Ghastly Garden (Halloween LE). I'll use up my imp - maybe in a scent locket.
  12. CrazyPretzel

    Chrysanthemum Moon

    WOW. Er, okay, coherent thoughts... So this is chrysanthemum! It's a dry, slightly spicy floral that reminds me of carnation without being as sweet. When this is wet I can smell the slightly soapy scent of opium, but it's not as strong as in, say, Debauchery or Opium Poppy. Also ginger, a touch of spice, and a gorgeous gentle musk. Utterly dreamy and I'm so glad I found a bottle!
  13. CrazyPretzel

    Cockaigne

    The weather is always mild, the wine flows freely, sex is readily available, and all people enjoy eternal youth. The Land of Plenty, also called Luilekkerland -- the Lazy, Luscious Land: milk and honey, sweet cakes and wine. Definitely getting that cinnamon-donut vibe that people have been talking about, but I think of it as more cinnamon-roll because it seems yeastier than the other foody and cakey BPAL blends I've sampled. Neither the honey nor the wine is a strong presence on me. A good snuggly scent for cold days! Edited to add Lab description.
  14. CrazyPretzel

    Black Cat

    My olfactory impression of this one concurs with suileach's, though I'm not sure I love it quite as much as she does! I do love it though. It goes on as a slightly minty herbal scent - this is totally different from peppermint, which I've tried in blends like Tokyo Stomp and Lick It Again and which gets a little bitter on me. This one becomes powdery and a little rosy when it dries. Soft, green, rosy-posy, and playful. Totally different from what I expected; very wearable and lovable!
  15. CrazyPretzel

    Diwali

    I'm a fan of incense-y fragrances, especially those of an Eastern stripe, so even though red sandalwood is not always kind to me this was a bottle purchase for sure. At first, it's a musty, dusty scent, like a box of sandalwood incense that's been buried in a chest somewhere for years. I get a bit of that red sandalwood foostiness that spoiled La Belle Epoque for me, but that fades as the scent dries. As it warms it becomes less musty and very, very Indian - I actually smell like a kitchen where someone's been making curry, or rice pudding with a full bevy of spices! The sandalwood incense continues to hang in the background. The final stages of the drydown include a soft fruitiness (the raisin?) and a lovely dry, soft cedar incense smoke - like a temple filled with offerings of incense and fruit. Diwali manages to be sacred and exotic and yet make me feel as if I'm warm and safe and right at home in someone's kitchen all at the same time. Very special and very lovely.
  16. CrazyPretzel

    The Emathides

    The real star of this blend for me is the lavender - it's the same soft, crystalline, blue-tinged lavender that I can smell in Yvaine. Beyond that there's kind of a smoky, incensey vibe to this: it smells like an incense that might be offered to a moon Goddess in a Grecian temple on a stormy night.
  17. CrazyPretzel

    Envy

    Wet, it's green and bitter: spearmint, eucalyptus, lavender. Definitely a great encapsulation of envy. It's far from sweet, but there's something addictive about it (is it that cool spearmint tingle at the back of my nose?) and I can't stop sniffing it. Then, when it dries, WOW. It becomes a lovely cucumber-lavender blend with a spike of green herbs running through it. Absolutely lovely. I'll definitely wear this again and might get a bottle. Very unusual and compelling.
  18. CrazyPretzel

    Embalming Fluid

    In Taiwan (and maybe elsewhere that I haven't discovered) you can get refreshing drinks made with lemon juice and pieces of aloe pulp, and Embalming Fluid reminds me of those (not too surprising!) The musk is soft and delicate. Personally I like my perfumes to pack a little more attitude, but for a soft, airy, lemony scent to wear in the middle of summer this will be quite nice. I find it has more staying power than Shanghai.
  19. CrazyPretzel

    Dragon's Bone

    Hm. This blend starts out like a muted version of pure Dragon's Blood, toned down and dusty. As it dries, a weird scent pops out - something like either cream or plastic, and it tickles the back of my nose. (Yeah, I said it was weird.) After about an hour the sandalwood comes to the fore. Orris sometimes goes strange on me, and I think that's what's happening here.
  20. CrazyPretzel

    Black Moon

    This scent is so hard to describe - I can't imagine anyone not liking it though. It's just so damn *pretty*. Wet, the pear is definitely noticeable, but as it dries it becomes a light, smooth musky blend. Not too sweet, and it conveys an air of mystery.
  21. CrazyPretzel

    Dragon's Blood

    Ha, even before seeing VioletChaos' review I was thinking 'lilacs'! Dragon's Blood reminds me of lilacs, and a swirl of cream and honey, and maybe just a little tiny bit of fruitiness. Definitely a sweet scent, something along the lines of sweet pea or ylang-ylang, except I don't really care for either of those and I looove Dragon's Blood. It has that powdery touch to it that those single notes do, I guess. Love it.
  22. CrazyPretzel

    De Sade

    Hot, dry, and smoky. To me this is the scent of sun-warmed black leather rather than the cool interior of a leather goods shop. Unfortunately this brings up some stomach-churning associations of being carsick on a leather backseat, so I don't think it's for me!
  23. CrazyPretzel

    Centzon Totochtin

    Wet: it's deep rich red wine paired with dark chocolate. How utterly decadent! Dry: Still wine and chocolate but with an earthy, almost leathery scent underneath. Rich and dark but the wine adds juiciness. In the long drydown I'm left with a slight cocoa and berry scent on my wrist.
  24. CrazyPretzel

    Cordelia

    At first this is a party of lilac, wisteria, and osmanthus on my skin: all dewy-sweet nectar-y blossoms so intense that I can almost feel the smell in the back of my throat. As it dries the cedar comes out, and imparts a rather damp feeling to the blend. I imagine I'm in a garden filled with purple and white flowering vines under a grey sky - rain drizzles onto a cedarwood fire nearby, which smokes heavily.
  25. CrazyPretzel

    Danse Macabre

    Wet, this is a very sharp balsamic scent, a trifle bitter. On the drydown it softens considerably and becomes warm, dry, earthy, and kind of stale - seems like a good representation for death, and reminds me a little of The Forbidding Foyer LE.
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