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In vial: Soft, tangy.

Wet: Mouth-puckeringly tart plums. The initial twang is padded by delicately delicious carnations. It reminds me a little bit of Frumious Bandersnatch, which also features plums & carnations.

Dry: The musk feels luxurious & simple at the same time- like bathing on a rooftop would, I imagine.

 

Verdict: I have been hanging onto Frumious Bandersnatch imps, debating whether to get a bottle. It was, to date, the only plum I'd found that wasn't reminiscent of craft store candles on me. But I waited because I thought there may be something else waiting out there... and I was right! I will still keep a bit of FB around for my rampantly carefree summer days (I love the bite of 'mum, truly!), but Bathsheba will be my go-to blend for quieter, more pleasantly introspective days.

 

It makes me think of an absolute favorite poem of mine by William Carlos Williams, it's as if they were made for each other.

 

To An Old Woman

 

munching a plum on

the street a paper bag

of them in her hand

 

They taste good to her

They taste good

to her. They taste

good to her

 

You can see it by

the way she gives herself

to the one half

sucked out in her hand

 

Comforted

a solace of ripe plums

seeming to fill the air

They taste good to her

 

This blend brings to mind life's simple pleasures. It just makes me feel good- I want to keep some of this around for when I need reminding that the little things can be enough sometimes.

In vial: Chocolate patchouli leather. Not bad.

Wet: Becomes more pronounced, and blooming with jungle flowers. I am not sure about the patchouli/floral mix, it smells a little off to me.

Dry: Leather & chocolate take over again, but I still don't think I like it very much.

 

Verdict: There are too any other leather blends I love to be impressed by this one. If the incense had made an appearance, perhaps...

In vial: Soapy sandalwood. Before BPAL, I despised sandalwood because it smelled like soap to me. This is the only blend I've smelled so far that reminds me of the 'Dark Ages' in my olfactory progression.

Wet: I think mandarin is the main culprit in destroying this for me. It rarely works on me. It is pulpy & citrusy sweet. The mango seems very green to me, and quite juicy.

Dry: A very green feeling musk. It reminds me of a more mellow Embalming Fluid or Shanghai, actually.

 

Verdict: Mandarin slays me. I like the idea of this scent, but it doesn't like me.

In vial: Spiced chocolate! Yum.

Wet: I am getting each distinct note, and they meld well with each other. Coffee always smells like burnt caramel to me, so that's worth pointing out I guess.

Dry: Sweet, creamy spiced chocolate! It's still pretty straightforward!

 

Verdct: Yummy, but not one I'd wear.

Straight up lily on me from vial to drydown. Pretty, but goes plasticy at times.

In vial: Vaguely sweet wood.

Wet: Clovey redwood, with a musky fruity edge. It's not very strong on me, but that's a good thing- clove can be overwhelming sometimes.

Dry: It gets slightly earthier from the hemp and tobacco. As the blackcurrant fades, the peach blossom emerges and softens the already thin scent even more. I can barely smell anything! Definitely a skin scent, wears close.

 

Verdict: I got a whiff of the bitter/metallic stage mentioned by other reviewers near the end, it was a little weird. I suppose it fits right in with the description though. Not the blend for me, I can say that much.

In vial: Something intense. Soy sauce? (uhhhhhhm. something salty anyway)

Wet: Oh, maybe it was the walnut? I think I recognize this. Straight up walnut, bitter, oily & husky. It quickly softens to a tolerable level, it's actually quite lovely. After a while it's a highly musky wood, & I am getting prickly hyssop, reminds me a bit of the same note in The Sluggard.

Dry: A bit of dusty chamomile emerges along with a (very) faint creaminess from the magnolia. I think a spark of pink clove interjects every now and then, but it's not spicy- more 'snappy' if that makes any sense. It smooths out eventually, with the ultimate result being a woodsy, lightly floral fig. I really didn't expect the fig to come out, but it prevailed! Fig is a favorite of mine, so I was quite pleased.

 

Verdict: From vial to drydown, I would have NEVER thought I would end up with what I did, the stages are so utterly different. It is almost reminiscent of my favorite blend, Intrigue. They are both 'woodsy fig' blends, after all. All in all I am quite pleasantly surprised with Wood Phoenix because from smelling the vial, it was spectacularly odd and almost repulsively strong. I wouldn't wear it because I have (and prefer) Intrigue & the raw, natural chocolate I get from it to the almost tingly whitish fig I get from WP. Worth trying though, because it proves the test everything rule!

In vial: Daemonorops and pine.

Wet: Resinous but in a way I haven't experienced before - it feels quite cold, when usually (to me at least) resins are unmistakeably warm. Naturally sweetened by berries, softly gleaming with ylang ylang & winter rose.

Dry: The pine in this blend is something special indeed. I have been searching for one that would work on me, and this fits the bill spectacularly. White pine, I LOVE YOU! You shimmer and sway in the icy air so ethereally. Later I get the sultry myrrh & red musk afterglow, radiantly rosy yet still chilled.

 

Verdict: I found a pine that doesn't hate me! This evokes scenes of a still, bright forest awash in reddened shades of moonglow & soft powder snow. Gazing in wonder at the disfigured yet beautiful moon. This is going immediately to the top of my list for must-have winter blends.

In vial: Brownies. I may have started drooling.

Wet: As I put it on, it immediately becomes more like an Oreo or something- not moist, but still very chocolatey.

Dry: My stomach is growling.

 

Verdict: One of the most consistent BPAL's I've tested to date. Chocolate all the way, very realistic smelling- which I see as potentially problematic. Not something I'd wear really, but boy is it ever good!

In vial: Sweetness, but not exactly chocolatey. Odd. It smells more like the filling of a cordial cherry, you know, the gooey white stuff and the artificially colored maraschino cherry.

Wet: I am getting something I recognize as orange blossom, and cherry I suppose. It smells rather sour & off now.

Dry: This combo just isn't working. I don't think I can even wait it out.

 

 

Verdict: Without chocolate, it's not a vice for me!

In vial: Berries!

Wet: I'm getting an impression of deep, ripened red. Pleasantly musky, not boozy or overly sweet. I was really nervous about testing this one, as my past experiences with strawberry in particular were not so good. But this is rather excellent so far.

Dry: Aha! It's the apricot that is saving this blend for me. The tartness keeps the sickly sweetness at bay, giving a fresh, light feel. What a nice surprise!

 

Verdict: From reading the description when this blend was up, I convinced myself to pass because berries are usually notorious on my skin. But this goes to show that the lab will always come up with something that makes a death note work, and really well at that. I feel like I've been frolicking in a field of wild berries- with sticky fingers and a stained mouth. This would be an awesome blend to wear in the hottest days of summer.

In vial: SWEET.

Wet: Caramel and lacquered wood.

Dry: Someone else mentioned 'caramelized books', I agree. Sticky & dusty. It goes very buttery on me after awhile, so it's more like a toffee popcorn ball or something. A stale one.

 

Verdict: This blend is in the same vein as Kill-Devil. It's not often I want to wear something so sweet, and I much prefer the treacle lemon sugar I get in Kill-Devil.

In vial: Lush & deep, not sweet at all. Earthy without being dirty.

Wet: Sleek black musk combined with the sweet resins and nutmeg gives almost a leathery feeling to this, odd as it sounds. Like a luxurious paper-thin pair of black European driving gloves.

Dry: I'm getting more patchouli now, which is really good. I expected this to be more like The Raven, dusty and light, but this is definitely it's own blend. I never get much vanilla, but I think that bit of creaminess and the chili may be what's combining with the resins and spices to make me smell leather.

 

Verdict: It fits the description quite well- solemn, pale yet still dark, watchful. The 'leather' was a surprise, but a nice one! I wouldn't turn down an imp of this.

In vial: Cloves & smoke.

Wet: Bitter vanilla. Orchids & a bit of red musk.

Dry: Herby, resinous & spicy, but a lot smoother than most spicy scents I've encountered so far.

 

Verdict: The perfect scent for a femme fatale vamp, but a little bit too dark for me to want to wear often.

In vial: Warm pumpkin, spicy and golden.

Wet: Gingery! Buttery, quite foody.

Dry: Definitely a holiday scent! Buttery, baked & spicy. The only note besides the pumpkin that I can distinguish clearly is the cardamom.

 

Verdict: I don't actually think I would ever want to wear this; far too heavy and sweet for my tastes.

In vial: Soft citrus.

Wet: Creamy, sweet orange blossoms, decadent and elegant.

Dry: A breath of defiled narcissus adds an experienced, flirty air to the blend.

 

Verdict: To me, Hunger is the grown-up version of Alice, to a T. Wonderful, however I prefer Alice.

In vial: Vetiver honey, which actually smells amazing. Bitter, rich and sweet all at once.

Wet: The acidity of the vetiver is still strong, underscored by sticky wine & poppies. Wine notes do not usually agree with my skin, but it's tolerable so far. Not soured, not too fruity either.

Dry: Cherries and clove come out on the drydown, reminding me of the cherry/anise combo in Kabuki (which was a surprise love for me.) But in this case, the wine does its thing as usual and goes rank.

 

Verdict: Very darkly alluring at the beginning... too bad it doesn't last on me.

In vial: Fruity.
Wet: A crack of sandalwood, washed over by fruity wine.
Dry: The only cocoa I sense seems pretty syrupy, I think because of the wine. I'm reading the wine as cherry, mayhap it features a drop of dragon's blood as well? Chocolate cherry wood would be pretty accurate for what I'm experiencing. It slowly gets dirtier, the patchouli and nicotiana slicing the sweetness to shreds. A punch of red musk seems to scare everything else away, and it gets dank and a tad soapy at the same time? Very disconcerting.

Verdict: Seems overbearingly sweet and fruity at first, but then all of a sudden morphs to a dirty musk (not in a way I enjoy). Too weird for me.

In vial: Oh my. Minty latex?

Wet: Ah, there are the florals. Fluffy! Poofy! Purple!

Dry: I was a little overwhelmed at first, but the tuberose is overshadowing the lilac and wisteria now, thank goodness. It is a light scent but not insubstantial. I get the smallest sliver of white chocolate, and now the mint is well-blended, not noticeable except as a small upshot from the winter musk.

 

Verdict: I love the smell of wisteria growing outdoors, but not so much in perfume. It has a willowy, ethereal feeling to it here. I might use this as a room scent, but it's not something I would wear.

In vial: Musky! Very sensual and red.

Wet: I wonder if helichrysum is related to heliotrope, because I am getting something similar to Chaotic from the RPG line. A very smooth, herby, almost floral type thing. Sweet musky incense abounds, with just a brush of sandalwood.

Dry: I can really smell the orris now, not nearly as dry as it usually seems to me. Very plush, with the tobacco lending a bit of depth. It gets warmer as the amber shows up, then there's a hot wave as the frankincense emerges. I have shivers down my back it's so good. Ultimately it melts into my skin just so, leaving a smoldering, sultry musk.

 

Verdict: Intensely wonderful. If I wasn't already spectacularly head over heels for Pallas Athene, I think I would be way crazy about Hygeia. Having said that, I don't see myself turning down a bottle if one comes my way!

In vial: Iris.

Wet: Soft iris- usually I read iris as aquatic (and the closest thing to aquatic that actually works for me) but this one is decidedly different. It must be the combination of notes. I get the impression of fluffed black feathers. The amber gives a dustiness that anyone who has been around birds could tell you is spot on- they secrete a dust which coats their feathers, making them water-resilient.

Dry: Not getting any tartness/herbaceousness, which I expected from the verbena/'glossy herbs', but I recognize the sweetness of benzoin in the background. I had to look up davana, apparently it's an herb native to India that smells sweet/fruity, and is very dependent on skin chemistry. I get a tiny kick of extra dulcitude from it.

 

Verdict: Glad I got to try it out, it's a great conceptual scent for me.

Pretty much all I can say- it is what it says it is! Sweet, caramel, sugary.

In vial: Spiced.

Wet: Velvety, sun warmed carnations. A hint of incense. Powdery smooth sandalwood. I think the cassia must be what is giving the 'spicy' feeling to this scent.

Dry: Even more powdery, in a good way. I can pick out each note, but they blend seamlessly at the same time. I think that may be the musk at work.

 

Verdict: Lovely. Gently floral, it brings to mind a vintage dusting powder. Very feminine, it a definitely a 'skin-scent'- it blends so well on my skin that it seems like I'm not wearing perfume at all, like I just naturally smell divine.

In vial: Buttery, sugary, creamy.

Wet: Spicy pumpkin & a light touch of creaminess. Maybe more like whipped cream than marshmallows. Light & fluffy~

Dry: I didn't expect the spices, I can definitely understand the pumpkin pie thing people are getting. The sweetness fades rather fast for me, leaving just spices and a bit of pumpkin.

 

Verdict: Ultimately, I get pumpkin pie flavored Cool Whip (is that a thing? it should be). Nice, but not particularly swoon-worthy for me.

In vial: Fresh, aquatic, a bite of gunpowder.

Wet: Hello, lime! I almost wanted to pucker my lips it was so tart. I am getting that vague oceanic soap scent I tend to get with aquatics now...

Dry: Still soapy, I can detect the tracest amount of Snake Oil beneath it though. It gives a very slight smoothness, but not nearly enough for my taste.

 

Verdict: Still can't do aquatics. Bah.