Alethia

Thoughts before testing: Literally everything here is a win. Dorian is one of my all time favorites, Antique Lace is one of the best vanillas I've ever smelled, and pink pepper is true love. I don't see how this can go wrong! Wet: Hellloooooo Dorian! This is a huge hit of bright, sweetly musky, citrusy Dorian smacked in the face with the delicious fruity sharpness of the pink pepper. A little sharp, but not unpleasantly so. Dry down: Everything starts to mellow and I can start to smell a hint of the linens and vanilla of Antique Lace. Dry: By several hours in, Dorian and Antique Lace have melded to become this really outstanding scent. I don't even know if I can properly describe it except to say that it's creamy and sweet and slightly citrus/herbal and just really lovely. This one lasted forever on my skin. I put it on around 8 am and could still smell it 10 hours later. The husband loved it (no surprise as Dorian and Antique Lace are his favorites on me) and has already ordered me a backup bottle. Final thoughts: When I originally got into BPAL, I was thrilled at the idea of having dozens of perfumes to choose from each day and loved trying out new things and new personas with each scent. But now eight years later (where did the time go?!), I want a small stable of 3-5 perfumes, scents that I love and that make me feel the most authentically me. Paper Phoenix definitely fits that bill. Verdict: Hoarding.

Saffron-infused bourbon vanilla, blackened honey, Kashmir wood, Atlas cedar, ambrette seed, hay, and Egyptian jasmine absolute. Thoughts before testing: I purchased this bottle back in 2015 and immediately put it away to age after the first sniff. It was nothing but loud, indolic jasmine and sharp screechy woods and I knew that it desperately needed aging before it would even have a chance of working on me. So here we are, almost exactly 2 years to the day later and I'm ready to take this baby for a test drive. Looking back at the note list, I'm not exactly sure why I bought this. It's practically a list of notes guaranteed to not work on my skin. But having said that I have noticed some pretty significant skin chemistry changes since I miscarried last winter, so maybe it'll turn out ok! Wet: Heady jasmine that's still pretty indolic. I get a little honey and a little bourbon vanilla, making it a really lovely sweetened floral with a hint of earthiness. Dry down: The woods start to come out more and the jasmine starts to recede. It's pretty hypnotic actually and feels like super slinky, super sexy, Serious Perfume. The honey and vanilla sweeten everything, This is shockingly lovely. Dry: Much heavier on the woods and honey now, but this one lasted forever on my skin (6 hours and still going strong). Final thoughts: This is so far out of my normal perfume range, but I'm shocked at how much I like it. Keeping! Edited for spelling.

Thoughts before testing: I loooooove fougeres and I'm hoping that this is unisex enough to work on both Bear and myself. Wet: Sharply herbal amber. Nose-tingling, but not unpleasant. Dry down: The herbal tinge dissipates entirely and I'm left with a sweet, dark amber that's masculine enough that I smell like I've wrapped myself in one of Bear's big sweaters on a cold day. Hubba hubba Dry: This is just slaying me. It's sexy as all get out. That dark amber is masculine and sexy and dark and comforting and just incredible. Brava Beth, this is magic. Final thoughts: I absolutely cannot wait to slather it on Bear. It's also not too masculine for me to feel uncomfortable wearing it. I'm going to need to scour the sales page for another bottle so we can each have one. Verdict: Hoarding.

Thoughts before testing: When I saw the note list for this, I gasped. Everything here is like reading through my list of favorite notes. Wet: Buttery, foody, sweet vanilla with just a hint of musk. Really lovely! Dry down: The musk is more prominent now, but it's a sweet and slightly powdery musk that's got that beautiful vanilla as a backbone. I'm not getting any patch or amber, and that's ok by me because it's so beautiful. Dry: It's not too sweet, it's more of a floral vanilla than a foody one now. The musk is a little more prominent and so is the sandalwood. This is really really pretty and I love it. Final thoughts: Very pretty and very sophisticated. Edith is definitely more than the sum of her parts. This makes me feel beautiful and feminine and sophisticated. Love, love, love. Verdict: Hoarding.

Thoughts before testing: This is a note list of all my favorite things I had to try it and have very high hopes for this one. Wet: Fizzy roses!! It tickles my nose and is just so pretty. Dry down: The rose is soft and sweet and the small hint of amber is beautiful. It's reminding me a lot of a lighter, fizzier Love Lay Upon Her Eyes. Dry: The rose takes over. Rose, long time one of my most favorite notes, has been giving me problems lately. I'm not sure if it's a hormonal/aging issue or what, but it's all I can smell. Final thoughts: This is really lovely, but I'm not sure how much wear it'll get from me. I was hoping for more than just a single note rose (which I totally blame my skin for), so this one might have to go to the swaps. Verdict: I'll keep this one around for a little while in the hopes that the rose or my skin chemistry will smooth out and let this blend shine.

Thoughts before purchasing: I've been looking for a cotton candy or marshmallow scent for ages now. When I saw the note list on this bad boy, I had to pounce! This review is coming after a month or so of near-constant wear. Wet: Sticky sweet, creamy, and pure unadulterated bliss. It's excellent at this stage, if just a little too sweet for me. Dry down: Pure marshmallow fluff, like a homemade version of the marshmallow fluff you can buy at the store. Perfection. Dry: And here's Antique Lace wrapped up in a marshmallow stole. Well hellllllllllooooo. This is truly incredible, and this longest-lasting dry stage elevates it from "Yes, finally a marshmallow scent for my collection!" into an instant top-ten and back up bottle scent. Final thoughts: This is pure love. For the last month, the only perfume I've been wearing is this and Edith Cushing. Bear has started requesting this one by name It also lasts an insanely long time on me, well into the next day. Verdict: Hoarding. Edited to add: I've ordered two bottles for backup, I love this that much.

Oof this is so stinking pretty. Full disclosure: I'm a huge carnation lover. I love Alice the perfume but she's not quite heavy enough on the carnation for me. So this hair gloss is perfect! It's a huge blast of spicy floral carnation that eventually dries down into a creamy, honey tinged carnation. The throw on this is moderate (not as huge as Boo, which scents my entire office for the entire day) and sticks around for a good 6 hours before I have to really try and notice it. Sheer perfection, well done Puddin!

Thoughts before testing: This is a total gamble for me as white musk rarely works on my skin. But I've had nothing but wins out of the OLLA line so I had to try it! Wet: grape-y incense, sweet, lovely Drydown: Gorgeous, creamy white musk with a heavy backbone of incense Dry: The most perfect creamy white musk with a lovely incensey/floral undertone. Final thoughts: Ugh, this is just perfection. Seriously the only words I can think of for this are beautiful and classy.

I can't believe I'm so late to this one! When products don't have an actual note list I pass them by because I don't have enough expendable cash to drop on something that's too vague. But when this popped up on Etsy and had such glowing reviews I had to try it! And oh boy am I glad I did. I use the atmo sprays to scent my bed, pillows, towels, and clothes. Gourd of Deprivation is AMAZING. I don't even know how to describe this except that it smells EXACTLY like being outside on a cool fall night. It's foody and slightly smoky and delicious and sweet with just a touch of hay. Seriously this is so amazing and I wish I had tried it when it was live so that I could have a dozen backups.

Thoughts before testing: Cardamom is one of my favorite perfume notes ever, I adore apricot, and I've yet to find a vanilla I didn't love All of this made Aristocratic Couple a no brainer! Wet: Sweet, spicy apricot with just a hint of vanilla! Love Apricot always smells to me like peach's more sophisticated and refined cousin. Dry down: The cardamom comes to the forefront and is backed by the really pretty apricot. This smells heavier and antique almost. It's definitely not foody, it's really pretty. Dry: Very very pretty. Spicy sweet apricot drenched in a woody vanilla. Lovely. Final thoughts: This is really pretty and I love the way it smells. I know it won't get a lot of wear this summer, as when it gets hot and sticky outside I tend to not wear as much perfume or stick to things like Vixen and Kumiho. But this will definitely go into regular rotation once fall rolls around again. Verdict: Keeping!

Thoughts before testing: This was the only one in the entire OLLA lineup that called to me. I've been trying to pare down my collection to only those oils I love love love and will wear on a regular basis. But this sounded too pretty to pass up, so I took a chance! Wet: Vanilla musk that's reminiscent of Dorian and sweet almonds. Dry down: The tuberose starts to peek out and I swear it smells like the musky part of Dorian mashed up with tuberose. Very feminine, very sexy. Dry: Lovely vanilla musky floral. The tuberose isn't screechy at all, it's really beautiful. I didn't get anywhere near as much almond as I was anticipating, which is definitely a good thing. Final thoughts: This feels classy and classic and very feminine. I can see the comparison with Butterflies, Flowers, and Jewels Attending; Ava smells like what BFaJA will grow up to be. Throw is moderate, staying power is 4-5 hours. I really love wearing this, and it's found a home in my regular rotation of perfume. Verdict: Keeping, loving. Edited for spelling

This is one of my favorite BPALs of all time, so I'm not sure how I haven't written a review for it yet! My bottle was a gift back in August of 2014, and I remember not really being crazy about it when I first got it because the patchouli was sharp. But then around Halloween it changed and I started wearing it at least twice a week. I love ginger in perfume and was really hoping for a ginger-heavy, patch-light, knockout orange blossom scent. What I got was even better This is a creamy, almost vanilla-isn orange blossom/patchouli combination that is lifted by the ginger. It smells remarkably like a floral Snake Oil, and I love it. I feel sexy and glamorous when I wear Vixen and get more compliments on this than on any other perfume I own period.

Thoughts before testing: My favorite non-BPAL perfume of all time is Stella by Stella McCartney which on me is mostly rose and amber so when I read the note list for Love Lay Upon Her Eyes I was sold. I bought a bottle when it was originally released and I loved it so much it became my most-worn BPAL (trailed closely behind Boo). Wet: Very strong white amber, but not powdery. Just a hint of rose, very lovely. Dry down: The rose comes slightly more to the forefront but the star of this show is definitely the amber. Dry: Slightly floral tinged amber. Final thoughts: This is absolutely lovely. It's not at all like Stella, which gives me more rose, but it's lovely and classy and feminine and slightly sexy. I wear this at least 3 times a week.

Oh man. I am in trouble with this one. I tend to not buy bath oils very frequently because Castitas is my perfect bath oil. It layers perfectly with every perfume I wear (even the non-BPAL alcohol sprays!) and lasts forever in a perfect sized cloud of scent. But this. Oh, this. It's a richer, not-floral vanilla that's warm and slightly spicy. It's not a foody vanilla, it's grownup and perfumey and sexy and perfect. I'm so in love and am hoarding this.

I'm so disappointed in this. I was expecting a vanilla and cardamom heavy scent. What I got was tobacco single note Not a trace of anything else, just tobacco. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful tobacco: very similar to the French Tobacco single note, dark and rich and chewy. But I wanted vanilla and spice

Ooh la la! Love love love this! Very lavender heavy, but the sweet kind not the astringent herbal kind. I get only a hint of vanilla; it's mostly just lavender with this beautiful woody backbone (from the sandalwood and oudh combination which is lovely). Very luxurious and calming and soothing. This doesn't last too long as an atmo but lingers forever on my sheets and pillows. I want my bedroom to smell like this all the time.

I'm so sad to report this didn't thrill me Shub the perfume is very much sexy gingerbread. Shub the hair gloss smells weird to my nose, almost like the incense has gone bad (does incense go bad? I don't know). It almost smells a little plasticky in my hair as well, and I just can't tolerate the smell so sad because I love the perfume!

Vixen is one of my favorite BPALs of all time, so grabbing the hair gloss was a no-brainer. This is a lot lighter on the patchouli in my hair than it is on my skin. It's all orange blossom and ginger with just a hint of patch in the background. Definitely not a complaint as I feel very self-conscious wafting patchouli all over my (entirely male dominated) workplace. It lasts through a full 8 hour workday before I start to have to really try to smell it. It's not overpowering and sticks fairly close to my personal bubble (unlike Boo, which scents my entire office). And as always, my hair is tamed and shiny I like this quite a bit!

Ooh, I love this. Roses and carnations are two of my very most favorite florals so this was a no brainer. This really does smell like walking into a florists shop in the height of summer: warm, flowery, spicy, beautiful. This lasts quite a long time in the air and even longer on my bedsheets. This is perfect for the never ending snow we've been getting!

Very much Sugar Plum Fairy plus extra vanilla goodness. This is maybe just a touch too sweet for me to spray on my sheets and blankets (my main use of atmos). Sprayed in the air, it lasts quite a long time and is quite a happy scent.

Snow White is one of my favorite BPALs ever, and I was thrilled to see it in hair gloss form! Sadly though, this is the shortest lived hair gloss I've tried yet. I can smell it for the first 20 minutes or so and then it just disappears.

Love Lay Upon Her Eyes (from last year's Lupers) is white amber and Bulgarian rose. It's not infused but it's absolutely beautiful and one of my favorite perfumes ever

I've been dying for a rose hair gloss since the Post started offering hair stuffs, and I can't believe it finally happened! This is true Rose Red: bright, crisp rose with a fair amount of green. It's not quite as long lasting as the Boo hair gloss is for me, but that's definitely ok. With as bitterly cold as it is right now, having Rose Red in my hair reminds me that summer is still a thing that will happen....eventually. Love this to pieces!

This was an automatic bottle purchase for me. I love the champagne note in the 2014 NYCC atmo (Tammany Free and Easy) and I love the mint note in the Snowblind atmo, so it was a no brainer. The champagne here is crisp and bubbly and the peppermint smells like buttermints but definitely not foody. It's bright and fun and absolutely fantastic. I've already bought a second bottle for the downstairs bathroom and am seriously considering a third.

I've been on a little bit of a BPAL hiatus lately what with moving and starting a new job. But when I read through the NYCC exclusives and saw this, my jaw dropped and I knew I had to have it! *Big huge thank you to my fabulous con fairy!* I adore champagne perfumes and carnation is my forever floral love, so I knew that I would love this. But what I didn't expect is just how in love with it I am. The champagne is super fizzy and bright and dry and amazing, but I get quite a bit of that spicy sharp carnation underneath it. The mixture of these two is phenomenal and I want it in perfume and hair gloss now as well It's also one of my longest lasting atmo sprays. I spray my bedroom before I leave for the day and when I get back (15 hours later, ugh), I can still smell this one wafting down the hallway. My sheets were sprayed on Wednesday afternoon and smell so good still. It's pretty amazing! I have a fair amount of atmo sprays, and Tammany is definitely my favorite now. I only wish this wasn't a con exclusive because that means I need to start rationing my bottle!