Wench457

Unreleased prototype, no scent description.

 

In the bottle: Aquatic with a hint of mint. Crisp and clean, and not at all sweet.

 

On: Light and fresh. The mint takes center stage, but doesn't overpower. The aquatic note is still present, but in the background. Really, really pretty.

 

Dry: The mint fades quickly, which is sad, because the wet phase was amazing. Dry this is an aquatic floral. I can't tell which floral is here, except that it's definitely white florals. Not rose, jasmine or anything super heady, like magnolia. Fades fast - within two hours the mint and florals are completely gone, even after a generous slather. All that's left is a very faint musk I can only pick up if my nose is pressed to my wrist. I'm guessing white musk, but definitely something on the light end of the musk spectrum.

 

Altogether, this gives me a whole new appreciation for all the work and talent that goes into each BPAL blend. The beginning of this blend is wonderful, but the fast fade is probably what kept it a prototype.

Something in this scent is reading as nut to me. I think the coconut blending with the oakmoss, perhaps? Whatever it is, it's putting me off. Of course, since the scent isn't working on me, it's lasting forever. Four hours and still going strong.

Wow, I thought I had reviewed this one, but apparently not. Probably a good thing, as when it was new, my overwhelming impression was all shrill spices. Spices do tend to amp on me, but it really ruined this blend for wearing for me.

 

Aged however! Just slathered some on, and it is sooooo gorgeous on me now! The spice is still definitely present, but in a much reduced way, and just gives the whole scent a bit of a zing. It is most definitely a foody blend, but for those of us who like that sort of thing, this is just about perfection, imo. The crumpety base never gets too buttery on me, just rich and warm from the oven, the berries are perfectly ripe and oozing their juices out onto the crumpet, and the dusting of brown sugar and cardamom over the top adds the perfect finish.

 

This bottle just went into the "pry it from my cold, dead hands" box.

 

ETA: And it lasts! My wrists still smell delicious, 24 hours later!

Yep, in the bottle and when applied this is orange Pez for sure. As it dries, it becomes less candylike and more bitter - like the rind and pith of the orange. Moxie is probably my favorite BPAL orange scent, and this is much less juicy. I love the bitter edge to this - I sometimes like to eat orange rind, and this smells like that tastes.

In the bottle, I get a soapy floral. It remained quity soapy for a while - I think probably mostly because I may have overapplied - a little of this one goes a long way! I'd agree with the moonflower or sweet pea guesses, because of the soapiness on me. Once things settled down, Gossamer became a delicate, crystalline scent. This is the one you want to put on when you want to wear perfume, but you don't necessarily want anyone to know you're wearing perfume. Despite my heavy-handedness in application, this one never overpowers - it just drifts around in an airy little cloud. Quite lovely, and I'm so happy I was able to get my hands on a bottle!

Yes, with tomorrow being the last day of winter (calloo! callay!) it's time to break out the springtime scents. Headed for some heavy rotation soon:

 

Ether

Squirting Cucumber

Dian's Bud

Dirty

Absinthe

Baobhan Sith

Beltane (2005 is my fave)

Holiday Moon

Door 13

Embalming Fluid

Empyreal Mist

Irrelevant and Disturbing Surreal Crawdad Dream

Megaera

Shanghai

 

And I think Snow, Glass, Apples might fit in there too, though maybe only on the warmer days.

 

I've been putting off reviewing this one, as I seem to have a totally different experience, and I keep trying it to see if I really do smell what I think I smell, or if it's just a fluke. After eight or so tests, I think I can safely say this is just where this scent goes on me. In the bottle, and when first applied, this smells to me exactly like Andes Mints. Chocolate mint candies, and nothing else. Very weird, and I can only conclude that my skin chemistry just effs this one up all over the place. The minty note fades almost immediately, and I eventually wind up with chocolate covered flowers that may have been near a beehive at some point. Sadly, chocolate - or whatever my skin is turning into chocolate in this scent - is a no-go on me. I am glad to see that other reviewers also get the chocolate note. I was thinking I must be crazy!

Alas, Snow Angel, I love you so. Why do you repay my love with such disdain?

 

I had a bottle of the original version, and swapped it away. I have missed it ever since, and was thrilled to see it return. Now I remember why I swapped it before. Seriously, every single note in this should be a winner on me. Sugar - check. Tea - check. Lemon - check. Peach - check. Floral - check. In the bottle, lovely sugared lemon tea. However, when it hits my skin it turns to soap. And not even good soap, but cheap dishwashing liquid soap. It's really not fair.

Looking back at the notes, I am left wondering why I ordered this. I think it must have been the ambergris, white wine grape and vanilla. In the bottle, it's lovely and sweet, with a drift of incense floating over the top. Unfortunately, on my skin I get all frankincense and myrrh, all the time. Not for me, alas, although I must say the bottle art is stunning, and tempts me to keep it just to admire.

Oh. My. Gawd.

 

Excuse my while I nom my arm off...

 

 

On first applying, this is utter foody perfection on me. Everything yummy about cake, without turning to butter or sour milk, just sweet, moist and delicious, with the orange lending just the right bit of tartness. Like grand marnier drizzled over sponge cake. Yum!

 

Once it dries a bit, the anise does come out to play more strongly, which just sends me into another frenzy of wrist-sniffing. It's very well-behaved anise though, and never takes the scent over into licorice-land. The cake and orange are still there - it's just as though that chef thought they'd add a drop or two of ouzo to the grand marnier drizzled cake.

 

After a few more minutes, the florals make themselves known. I do think there might be a hint of a very light rose - it smells just a bit like the Sterling Silver rosebush I have in the garden for just a minute, before becoming a mixed floral again. There is never any hint of the soapiness I always get from rose though, so I could be mistaken. The foodiness has faded quite a bit now, and I mostly get a truly lovely light floral with hints of orange, cake and anise.

 

Yeah. Need to stock up on this one.

Fans of Beth's asian blends (which I am) and bamboo fans (which I also am) should definitely give this oil a try.

 

In the bottle, I mainly smell the wisteria, which makes me happy, as I love that note. I do also get the lotus blossom quite strongly, which makes me nervous, as I tend to turn lotus into bubblegum.

 

Once on, this is all about the bamboo on me at first, though the blossoms come out again once it has settled for a bit. For a wonder, the lotus blossom behaves without a hint of bubblegum and just gives the whole a hint of sweetness. The scent is light and fresh, like a crisp autumn day. Really lovely.

I have to agree with Tania. Cheshire Cat is one of my very favorite BPAL oils, whether GC or LE, but this soap just doesn't smell like it to me. Instead, it smells like a pure sandalwood soap. A very nice sandalwood soap indeed, but not what I was hoping for. I did not find it drying at all however, and I do like the little scrubby bits. I just wish I got some grapefruit out of it, as that's what I was really hoping for.

I've been hoarding my bars of Snow White, and finally decided to crack one open. I am ever so glad I did. The scent of Snow White is very true in this: fluffy clouds of coconut cotton candy - nom nom nom! While very distinctively Snow White in the shower, the scent did not linger on my skin, which is nice, as there is no interference with whatever oil I might want to put on afterwards. I found that this lathered amazingly too - probably more lather than any of the other BPTP soaps I've tried.

 

I really hope they bring this one back this Yule, as I need to stock up on more.

Neither the bath oil nor the perfume worked on me, but I adore the room spray. It makes my room smell like a clove-studded orange pomander. I'm guessing the sandalwood and cardamom are interacting to trick my nose into thinking there's clove here. I also learned that three spritzes are too many for my small space, and that it lasts a good long while - several hours later I could still smell it when walking into the room.

Sadly, I seem to be in the minority that this lovely oil just doesn't work for. The honey myrtle is the only new note for me in this blend, all the others are usually straight winners on me, and so I fully expected to be wowed by this. I've been putting off reviewing it because I can't really put it in words. It's just too - something - for me. In the bath, the oil is just as non-greasy and moisturizing to my skin as the other bath oils I've tried, but I just can't seem to like the scent.

ITB: lovely Awapuhi, with an overlay of Aquatic. I'm rooting for Awapuhi, but Aquatic is favored to drown everything else out on my skin.

 

On: Oooooh, yum! How I adore Awapuhi! Alack, here comes bully Aquatic to beat the crap out of her! But wait! Awapuhi is pulling out a pair of brass knuckles and holding her own! It's a back and forth battle folks! Who will win?

 

Dry: And the winnah is...Awaupuhi! The crowd goes wild! Lovely and light and fresh and wonderful Awapuhi! Every now and then Aquatic raises her head from the mat, but that wonderful Awapuhi just knocks her back down again. Oh, how happy I am that I swapped for a bottle of this one!

Well, when my bottle first arrived I eagerly slathered it on. At which point I got: "I am COGNAC! Tremble as I stab you in the sinuses! ah-HA!" Oh sure, I wanted the lovely smoky wonderfulness that everyone else seemed to get, but it seemed I was doomed to disappointment. I took comfort in the thought that this bottle, at least, would be remarkably easy to swap away.

 

However, experience with BPAL has taught me that some oils, especially the heavier, smokier scents, do mellow quite a bit with aging, so I put the bottle aside for a few months.

 

Oh my. How glad I am that I did. Now I see what all the fuss is about. The cognac has evened out considerably, allowing the softly sweetened vanilla to come through. The incense smoke adds depth and spice, making this a truly amazing scent. The cognac still has just a hint of its original shrillness, but it doesn't overpower the rest of the notes. I think another month or so, and this will make itself a permanent home in my top ten.

In the bottle, this reminds me strongly of Underpants. For me, that's not a good thing. New York cheesecake complete with sour cream topping. Sour, nearly curdled cream. I am nervous.

 

Then I put it on, and immediately got the strong wintergreen scent many people have noted. I am a particular fan of wintergreen, so I find this phase pleasant, but only that. I probably wouldn't keep it that's all I got, as the combination of the wintergreen and cream reminds me a bit of Pepto Bismol. This phase only lasted a short while on me though, perhaps five minutes.

 

The drydown is making me swoon, however. I am surrounded with a fluffy cloud of vanilla cream deliciousness that wafts up to my nose as I move. The saffron is clearly present, and serves to ground the scent with a light muskiness and keep it from going too sweet, without the bitterness that saffron can sometimes have. I want to run up to strangers and say "Sniff me! Don't I smell amazing?!" I will definitely be stocking up on this one before it gets away.

This one really surprised me. I don't usually care for piney, snowy scents, but this is quite lovely. It reminds me of Snow Moon, with that same "snow" note, but where Snow Moon was sharp and chilly, this is softer, with the berries adding a sweet edge which puts it solidly in the win category for me.

Oh, so beautiful! It is, as expected, ripe red pomegranates, dripping juice. Tart, but with an underlying sweetness to lend balance. As it dries, I start to get a hint of clove, and then I get a LOT of clove. I am a spice amper, so ymmv, of course, but on me, this winds up smelling like mulled pomegranate juice with the cloves left in just a bit too long. Even so, it's heartbreakingly beautiful, and I love it. Lasts about four hours on me, but it's so pretty I don't mind reapplying.

I was hesitant over the rose geranium in this, which is a note I don't generally care for. In the bottle, that's about all I get, strong geranium, but theres a sweetness underneath which gives me hope.

 

On, it's all about the honeycomb. I'm thrilled, as I've been longing for a strong honey blend. I definitely get a clear honey note, and the beeswax note of the comb is there as well. On the drydown, the florals and herbs come out a bit, but they still are accompanists to the honeycomb, which is definitely the star. This reminds me quite a bit of Honey Moon, actually.

In the bottle this is extremely green - like freshly chopped green bell peppers. Also definitely an aquatic note, must be that marine accord.

 

On, this initially smells like dirt next to the water, like standing on the bank of a pond, where the soil is moist and crumbly, but not muddy. As it warms up, it smells strongly of roses, but never goes sour, as roses do on me. Checking the notes, this is obviously the peony, which I find smells like roses, but works on me. Lovely!

 

The ultimate drydown is peonies, with a hint of greenery and water. Very nice indeed.

Since I'm still down with the plague I didn't feel like getting dolled up in my usual witch's dress, which involves a corset and much crinoline. My Trick tee from last year's Inquisition and Punkie Night will do nicely.

 

Oh, and the mulled wine ain't hurting either. :hic:

This the first bpal in a while that has knocked me for a loop. Seriously, I am head over heels for this one! Before, I was strongly in the "You want to smell like a pumpkin? But why?" camp. I tried Jack out of curiousity, but that just smelled like I'd poured melted butter over my arm. I then tried last year's Pumpkin #3, thinking the pomegranate might cut through the butter. Nope, just smelled like I'd poured melted butter over a pomegranate.

 

But this, oh this. I was a bit worried over the jasmine tea, as jasmine can go seriously wrong on me. However, the jasmine completely behaves, and this smells like my favorite loose leaf jasmine tea from the local chinese restaurant, with the added fruitiness of the pumpkin adding a bit of sweetness and depth. Not a hint of butter, thank goodness! Once on, the jasmine/pumpkin tea is sweetened further by the pear, and the wine grapes add a bit of muskiness which puts this one over the top for me. Immediate top ten winner!

I weep.

 

Autumn is my favorite time of year, and I love the crisp, dying leaves scent in the air. Alas, on me, the Death of Autumn is all VETI-whodafuckyoulookinatcuzI'llkickyourass-VER. I have a visceral reaction to vertiver, which, let's just say, isn't the good kind. How I hoped my all time favorite note - oud - would trump the dreaded vetiver, but it was not to be.

 

And it never got any better.