CrazyPretzel

Strange - this is a sharp, slightly bitter scent on me. I don't get any of the sweet incense that I usually wind up with from frankincense. Dark, twisted violets for the most part.

Goes on rich and dark but clean-smelling, almost a little soapy. As it dries the date palm comes out stronger and the scent is predominantly fruity tobacco rather than leathery. Nice; a lot smoother than I expected.

Butter Rum Cookie might just about be the best thing that's happened to my BPAL collection in a while. There isn't a bitter alcoholic note in this at all, just loads of warm lickable spice and a sweet cake-like cookie scent. Rich, golden, and very addictive. I hope this returns in future years!

Glad to see other folks thought it was minty at first too, and I'm not losing my mind! I applied it, got the minty-chalky effect, went 'meh' and kind of forgot about it. Half an hour later I'm walking to the post office to mail my Switch Witch package and catch another whiff. Hmm, vanilla cake frosting! Richer, even - bourbon vanilla.

For those of you wondering, yes, the saffron/vanilla combo in here *is* reminiscent of MB: Underpants. It doesn't have Underpants' delectable sandalwood, but I can see this one having a happy cult following of its own nonetheless. I'm glad I have a bottle!

Liquid sex!

Oh, how I love it.

My first thought on popping open my decant (thanks Ahania!) was of fresh honeysuckle - in just over a year of intensive BPALing I have never yet encountered one that smelled so perfectly of nectar-laden blossoms. Obviously it's the lilac.

Wet on my skin, it's all about those gorgeous dewy flowers for the first few minutes, and I'm surprised when I go back and look at the notes - this isn't what I was anticipating, but I really don't care, because it's such a perfect, beautiful, sexy Venusian floral.

After the first five minutes or so I'm aware of the musk as a more distinct note that catches in the back of my throat, and little wafts of what may be coconut and vanilla tea from time to time... still it's bloody difficult to pick out individual notes, but it's less of a straight floral.

I absolutely cannot stop sniffing my arm where I applied Ashlultum, and when I finally see my long-distance sweetheart at Yuletide I know *exactly* what I'm going to be wearing.

Definitely need three backup bottles. Maybe nine.

Fresh on, it reminds me of honey dusting powder: there's the sweetness of honey but it's powdery and dry. As the oil dries on my skin a dry, cinnamon-like spice comes out (massoia bark?). Woodsy and spicy, but still quite sweet and feminine, with an occasional whiff of something like fresh jasmine.

When first applied the pear really jumps out of this - it's an extremely fruity scent and very sweet. As it dries more green woodsy bamboo and white musk come out, making it a bit drier and less fruit-juicy. It's damp, cool, natural, and fresh. The sensory impression I get from it is of pale green opaque silk. Definitely a brilliant scent for the summer.

A very sharp, bitter herbal blend on me. The lavender softens and becomes powdery when it dries completely, but it's still just not that pleasant on my skin

Wet, neroli is the most pronounced note, followed by black musk. Creamy citrus musk. As it dries the citrus note becomes less bitter and the overall scent becomes more incense-y, which must be the saffron. The rest of the notes are very well-blended; rose otto and rosemary don't dominate but lend sweetness and crispness. This scent is bold, dramatic, black & orange, but I find it much more appealing than the furious Heroine in the description.

To my great surprise, I really don't like this one! It's much too cloying and powdery sweet for me - on my wrist it smells rather like dolls' heads, which is to say plasticky, powdery, and sweet. Strong throw. Someone will be happy to get it!

Definitely floral and a bit soapy at first, but smooth and not bitter. I could learn to love iris if it always smelled like this on me! I'm not getting a lot of sage from this; perhaps it's softened with time. This isn't an in-your-face civet blend, but a quiet, smooth, slightly musky and sweet floral. Understated and sexy.

In the decant I can smell vetiver, but it's not strong enough to be off-putting (I enjoy vetiver in small doses). As it dries this scent makes me think of old, slightly rotted but lovely wood cabinets. I was surprised by the note listing; I swore I could smell sandalwood in here. Wednesday Addams would smell just like this. Beautiful goth girl in a haunted house scent!

Why was this resurrected before I had the chance to try it??!! WHY?!?!?!

Because the universe has a very basic and rather cruel sense of humour, that's why.

This is gorgeous! It's very apparent that this is a blend of musks and not just civet. Attempting to describe this one to my boyfriend on chat I said it smelled like sex and poisoned roses. I thought I got a whiff of red wine from this at first. Incredibly sexy floral musk with a bitter edge to it. I could happily wear this all the time.

The lightest, leafiest, and greenest of the scents I've encountered yet on the civet sniffing circle! This really stands out from the rest. I can smell the civet and knew there was oakmoss in here before I looked at the notes. I thought I could smell balsam too. Like a small furry animal that's had a good roll-around in the underbrush I like Robin Goodfellow but I'm sorry this one's been DC'd - it's delightful.

Before looking at the description I thought there was some sort of fruit in here, though I couldn't tell it was orange - on the whole it's a dry scent rather than a juicy one though. At first the civet is quite powerful and boldly sexual; with time the scent softens and turns more woodsy. The cedar is gentle and doesn't give off that pencil-shavings vibe. Quite a nice blend really; sad that this has been DC'd!

Very heavy musky, woody scent. I can smell sandalwood and civet quite distinctly - right up close the smell is a little too, well, crotch-like, to be frank, which is simultaneously disturbing and compelling! The throw is rather nicer, smooth and sexy.

Lush, decadent, and feminine, but also dark, this evokes the imagery of the poem perfectly. It's mostly a dark rich amber on me with a bit of pomegranate. I think I can smell a little bit of honey as well, but it doesn't over-sweeten the blend.

Hymn to Proserpine blends wonderfully with my skin too; when I wear it I don't get a 'cloud of perfume' effect but rather an 'aura of scent' effect - definitely present but not overpowering.

At first, a blend of green earthy scent and something light and tangy. If I sniff deeply I can smell a musty dusty clay-like note that I remember from The Forbidding Foyer. That particular note is interesting but queers the blend for me somewhat. Definitely light and tart florals overlaying the scent of decay.

I found it kind of hard to pin this one down and reading the description told me hardly any specific notes I recognise, so I can't cheat This isn't just sandalwood and honey (obviously), it's definitely warm and spicy without being too 'hot'. I can smell pine, sandalwood, and a blend of dry spices, with just a bit of honey sweetening things up - but only barely. Would be lovely on either a woman or a man. I just have one decant of this that I bought on the forum and have slathered for the past two days - I might grab a bottle if this ever comes back.

Lavender that's neither sharp nor sleep-inducing, but fresh, floral, and pretty. Before I looked at the note description I knew I was smelling some sort of fruit - it seemed a little citrus-y but not that sharp. Now that I know it's blackcurrant it's obvious!

After a few minutes the berries and ozone both become stronger. Fresh, a little tart, and juicy.

From an aged imp:

Definitely dry cinnamon, but with a weird fruity note on my skin that makes me think fruity chapstick. Kind of like a fruit lollipop melted in a wooden chest...?

I guess this isn't a success on me!

This is an aged imp - probably about 18 months.

Soft, dry, sweet, woodsy rose. The sandalwood in this is soft and sweet and borders on powdery; quite lovely. I don't detect any mandarin in here, but do get a bit of baking spice that's probably the nutmeg.

Clearly this is a much-loved scent but... it is absolutely shocking what a complete mess it is on me! I'm starting to think I really cannot do gardenia at all. It smells like rotting flower stems that have been decaying in a vase of water in an overheated room on me. With a bit of pretty vanilla and incense over the top. I think I need to swap this, stat!

My experience with Tupapau seems to be the same as porcelain's - it's quite bitter and dry and not very nice on me. I do find it rather soapy... and it fades quickly. Win some, lose some!

This? Is SO damn good!

Think plum compote simmering away on the stove - not those big wishy-washy tennis ball plums that we typically get here in the southern US, but small sleek super-rich and sweet plums that you get in pastries in Germany - plus masses of creamy spicy (almost peppery!) carnations, and a breath of dry smoky chrysanthemum. Rich, shimmering, sexy, and utterly delightful.