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BPAL Madness!

Alethia

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About Alethia

  • Rank
    obsessive precious hoarder
  • Birthday 07/13/1986

BPAL

  • BPAL of the Day
    Antique Lace
  • Favorite Scents
    Sweet clove Rose Magnolia Cream Skin musk Carnation Vanilla Honey Gardenia Sweet pea Sugar Sandalwood Saffron

Profile Information

  • Pronouns
    Female
  • Interests
    Calligraphy, reading, French bulldogs, smelling nice, nail polish, yoga, tarot, cooking, living gluten free and low carb, monkeys, sci fi/fantasy, pygmy hippos, movies, weight lifting, and learning :)
  • Mood
    Electrified

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    0
  • Chinese Zodiac Sign
    Tiger
  • Western Zodiac Sign
    Cancer

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    United States

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  1. Alethia

    Poor Monkey

    2024 version Thoughts before testing: I missed out on the original run of this and kicked myself for months after because it should be right up my alley. I love the Lab’s fig note and everything else is a love here too. Wet: the first minute or so is harsh and perfumey, but then immediately mellows out into a really beautiful milky fig with a soft incense on the back end. Dry down: This is pure magic on my skin. It’s soft and milky and sweet and has a really pretty incense tying it all together. It’s definitely not head shop incense, it’s soft and pretty and makes me feel so put together. Dry: If I were going to make a perfume strictly for me, this is what it would smell like. Creamy, sweet, slightly spicy, full bodied. This is an absolute love for me and it lasted for several hours before I had to try and smell it. Verdict: hoarding, definitely getting a back up bottle.
  2. Alethia

    Butter Rum Cookie

    2024 version I’m with doomsday on this: I get no cookie, no almond, the barest hint of citrus, no sugar. This is 100% rum 100% of the time; I’m so disappointed!
  3. Alethia

    Hot Buttered Snake Oil

    I’m Snake Oil ambivalent (except for my beloved Snake in the Carnations) but this sounded too good to pass up. It’s strong SO with extra sweetness that my nose reads as almost maple. Nice and definitely worth a try but I’m good with just the decant.
  4. Alethia

    Pomegranate Pastille

    Thoughts before testing: I don’t think I’ve ever tried a pomegranate perfume before. I’m leery of this turning into a fruity cereal or Sweet Tarts kind of smell, so I’m proceeding with caution. Wet: this smells exactly like a bowl of sugared pomegranate arils. Tart but sweet, realistically fruity without veering into the artificial. This is delicious. Dry down: I thought for sure this would be pure fruity candy but it’s layered and realistic and absolutely lovely. Dry: this lasted forever on my skin and was absolutely terrific the whole way through. I’m so glad it didn’t turn into fruity candy! Verdict: This is bottle-worthy for sure.
  5. Alethia

    Tinsel Roses

    This is a super fun, festive scent. I like aldehydes to begin with and have been jonesing for a clove studded orange BPAL since I first found them. I get mainly the fizzy, bright aldehydes with some orange and a hint of florals. It’s pretty and fun, but my decant will be enough.
  6. Alethia

    TKSnow

    2024 version Thoughts before testing: Snow White is one of my favorite BPALs forever and I’m always on the lookout for a nice, soft, sweet lavender so hopefully this is it! Wet: the lavender is gorgeous here, soft and not herbally sharp at all. The backbone is all almondy Snow White. Dry down: This is terrific and exactly what I was hoping for. I’ve never tried TKO by itself but now I’m thinking I need to. Dry: the lavender hangs around forever but the extreme dry down is pure Snow White. Love love love. Verdict: definitely one bottle and I’ll be trying an imp of TKO as well.
  7. Alethia

    Beaver Moon: Violet and Vanilla Chiffon

    I think pregnancy is really wrecking my skin chemistry. I get just a little bit of violet on top of what I swear smells just like old school Coppertone sun lotion. Not a bad scent at all, just not the pretty vanilla I was hoping for. I’m definitely hanging onto the bottle and crossing my fingers that my skin goes back to normal after giving birth.
  8. Alethia

    Père Noël

    2024 version Thoughts before testing: I’m a sucker for orange scents but deeply dislike anise. So this should be interesting! Wet: Bright, sweet citrus. Man this is absolutely perfect but I know it won’t last. Dry down: The orange starts to fade a little and is leaving behind a sweet (not herbal) lavender with only the barest hint of anise. I actually really like this at this point. Dry: Several hours in, this is the softest sweetest lavender I’ve ever smelled that lasts right around 4 hours on me. Verdict: I’m thrilled and hope that aging doesn’t bring the anise to the forefront. Definite bottle!
  9. Alethia

    Ube Sufganiyot

    I’m definitely an outlier here because this smells like Jelly Belly’s buttered popcorn jelly bean from the application until it finally disappears from my skin. I’m pretty baffled and also amused because this is the weirdest perfume I’ve ever smelled on my skin. Definitely not a bottle for me but still glad I got to smell it! Edit: I should mention that I’m pregnant and this could definitely be altering how Ube Suf smells on me (or how I’m perceiving it, unsure). I’ll set the imp aside and check back on it after the babe is here!
  10. Alethia

    Black Cherry Sufganiyot

    Thoughts before testing: cherries are my one true fruit love to eat, but I’ve never found a cherry perfume that didn’t immediately turn medicinal cough syrup on me. My hopes for this are high though because Dorian Suf from last year was one of my most worn perfumes of 2024. Wet: Mmm! Sweet, real cherries, super juicy and delish. No medicinal hints here but also no pastry. Dry down: Absolute 100% cherry all the time. It’s deeper and a little darker than in the wet stage, maybe from the blackberry? Dry: This is freaking phenomenal. The cherry stays lush and dark and sweet, never medicinal. Final thoughts: I’ve found my cherry perfume true love. This is terrific from the wet stage all the way to the far dry down (this lasts a solid 6 hours before I have to try and smell it). The pastry never shows up but I actually don’t miss it. Verdict: hoarding, at least 1 backup.
  11. Alethia

    Lovers Among Lilacs

    Thoughts before testing: Nine years ago today, I had my first date with my husband. The house I was living in at the time had two giant lilac bushes by the front door. When I opened the door and saw that unbelievably handsome man standing in the golden afternoon sunlight, I immediately fell in love with him. Since then, to me, lilacs smell like falling in love. Bonus points: I was wearing Antique Lace on that date, so the combination of vanilla and lilac made this an absolute no brainer of a purchase. Wet: Beautiful, realistic lilac blooms with just a hint of greenery. It immediately transports me back to July 2015. Dry: This stays pretty much a single note lilac on me all the way into the far dry down (an impressive 6 hours!). I don’t detect any vanilla or benzoin except as a faint hint about 2 hours into it and even then it’s just a suggestion of vanilla. Final thoughts: I wish this was more vanilla heavy, but the scent association alone is enough to keep this bottle. Maybe the vanilla will become a little stronger as it ages? Verdict: Keeping.
  12. Alethia

    Pink Moon 2024

    Thoughts before testing: I typically don’t like berry scents but the addition of milk and marshmallow made this impossible to pass up. Wet: Whew, Little Bird was right: the immediate wet stage of this is exactly like the bubblegum flavoring of medicine I remember from childhood. Dry: The medicine smell fades within 30 seconds and I’m left with a super sweet, super pretty strawberry with a good helping of marshmallow. Final thoughts: This smells exactly like sticking your head in a container of strawberry Nesquik while chewing on a marshmallow. I don’t really get any milkiness but surprisingly don’t miss it. This is pretty, even if it’s something I won’t reach for to actually wear. I’ll keep the decant but don’t need a bottle.
  13. Alethia

    Vintage Ghost Blow Mold

    Thoughts before testing: This was almost a blind bottle when the Weenies dropped last fall, but the plastic in the description worried me and I decided it would be prudent to wait for reviews. After reading through this thread though, my hopes are sky high for a new favorite. Wet: Sweet, sweet vanilla amber. This smells good enough to eat. Dry down: For about 5 minutes, there was a weird screechy floral smell that made my nose crinkle up but it disappears and goes back to that beautiful sweet vanilla amber candy. Dry: I can’t detect any candy corn or mellowcreme, but that’s completely ok because this is absolutely gorgeous vanilla amber all the way through into the next day. Final thoughts: This is unreal. I’ve never smelled amber and vanilla like this. Even my husband, who tends to be neutral verging on dislike for most perfume, requests this one by name. Stekk and Antique Lace are the only other perfumes he’ll do that for, so this ghostie baby is in great company. Verdict: Hoarding.
  14. Alethia

    The Serpent in the Carnations

    Thoughts before testing: I am an absolute sucker for BPAL’s carnation. To date, I’ve burned through 2 bottles of the original Hod and one each of Hod Res and the Spanish Carnation single note. I like Snake Oil decently and my hopes are high for this being primarily carnation and spice with some snakey goodness in the back. Wet: strong Snake Oil with a really lovely hit of floral spice. Dry down: the carnation and spice are in equal measure with Snake Oil’s patchouli. This is really doing it for me. I keep getting whiffs of it and going “ooh!” Dry: I’ve never really gotten a lot of vanilla from SO, but after about an hour of wear the patch backs off and the vanilla comes to the forefront and melds really beautifully with the carnation and spice. Final thoughts: this lasted well into the next day on my skin, which is a rarity for me. Out of all the SO variants I’ve tried, this is far and away my favorite. Definitely my favorite of this year’s Lupe’s as well. It’s an immediate bottle, and I’m tempted to get a backup.
  15. Alethia

    Slug

    Thoughts before testing: I really, really love buttery, creamy scents and amber. Unfortunately after having my daughter in 2022, my skin throws anything with honey into the next town. So we’ll see how this goes! Wet: Ooh, this is a really pretty and warm floral amber. Sweet but not gourmand. It’s not smoky at all but kind of reminds me of a floral Light of Men’s Lives. Dry down: This definitely honey but it’s not overwhelming on me and the throw is reasonable. I’m thinking the amber is grounding it. This feels like Valentine’s Day to me. Dry: This is so beautiful. I get no butter at any stage but it’s so pretty I don’t even miss it. Final Thoughts: This definitely feels like a Luper instead of a Yule to me. It’s warm and comforting and just pretty. And it lasted forever: a solid 10 hours later I could still smell it. This is my favorite from the 2023 Yules.
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