Alethia

I'm definitely going to agree with whoever said upthread that this smells expensive. I mostly smell beautifully lush vanilla with a fabulous champaca. I've been spritzing this stuff like mad, and will have to get another bottle before they go down.

This is fabulous! I like my living room and hallways to smell fresh and clean, and Okiya fits the bill perfectly! It's all crisp and slightly sweet cherry blossoms with just-slightly bitter sake and tea. Love!

Oof. I love this so much. I recently scored a bottle off of the Post's Etsy page, and I should have bought up every bottle that was up This smells like a creamier Lights of Men's Lives, which is one of my favorite BPALs. It's all creamy sexy beeswax and honey and is most definitely a boudoir scent. So much love

Thoughts before testing: Aeval has been on my wish list forever, so I was thrilled to see it as a frimp in a recent Post order! I love sweet pea and am hoping that this works!

 

Wet: Sweet, beautiful, soft sweet pea and just a hint of a beautiful musk. This is lovely.

 

Dry down: This is definitely the prettiest smelling sweet pea I've ever come across. The musk stays nicely in the background, centering it and making it more sophisticated and preventing it from smelling too sweet. I can't really detect any tonka or sage, but I'm definitely not complaining.

 

Dry: Four hours later, the sweet pea has faded just slightly and the musk is more prominent. This is so pretty!

 

Final thoughts: This is a beautiful perfume. It feels sweetly old-fashioned without being an "old lady" perfume (I hate that term by the way. Most of the elderly women I know smell fabulous). It's a lovely soft floral musk that lasts an insanely long time (six hours and counting now) and I'm in love with this.

 

Verdict: Upgrading to a big bottle

Thoughts before testing: I wasn't sure what to expect with this since most reviews say it's strong and dark and heady, but then more recent reviews say it's floral. It doesn't really matter though, since I'm testing everything that comes my way to broaden my BPAL horizons.

 

Wet: Mother of god, it's ALL FLOWERS. Sharp and floral with just a hint of green. I don't think I've ever smelled a perfume so unapologetically floral before.

 

Dry down: It turns very sharp as it dries, but never turns soapy. I think there's jasmine in here but surprisingly it doesn't turn to dirty diaper on my skin. It actually smells quite lovely if I ignore the sharpness. Maybe tuberose also?

 

Dry: After about two hours, the sharpness is gone and it's a lovely strong floral.

 

Final thoughts: This is definitely not for the faint of heart. I'm lover of floral perfumes, but there was a point where I considered washing this off because it's STRONG and was pretty uncomfortably sharp. But there are situations that call for a big, bold floral perfume, and this is a lovely one. I also love that it never goes turns into floral soap. It's just so feminine and what I would imagine Scarlett O'Hara smelling like. This wound up being a surprise hit for me.

 

Verdict: Keeping the imp, probably a bottle upgrade.

Thoughts before testing: I read the description of this when the update went live and immediately put one in my cart. This sounds like it was made for me!

 

Wet: This is fabulous. It's heady and creamy and expensive and feminine and sexy. I'm having a hard time picking out individual notes, and I can't even get over how great this smells.

 

Dry down: This is mostly creamy, fleshy, rich magnolia and rose, but they're being supported by this fabulously decadent and amazing musky goodness. So. GOOD.

 

Dry: High class, gorgeous, complex musky floral that lasts well over 10 hours after application.

 

Final thoughts: This was so much better than I was even hoping! This is definitely one of the best BPALs I've smelled in the last year, and has rocketed into my favorites box. Seriously, if you're wavering about this one, go for it. It's truly amazing.

 

Verdict: Hoarding

Thoughts before testing: Everything here looks beautiful, except for the plum. I've yet to find a blend with plum that didn't turn to immediate vomit on my skin, so my hopes are not high for this one.

 

Wet: Smoky floral, no hint of plum, just a touch of opium. I'm thrilled at the lack of plum here, and the opium mixing with the florals is absolutely stunning.

 

Dry down: A lot of opium, but the plum is surprisingly being held in check. The gorgeous smoky floral is gone, and this is pretty much a single note opium at this point.

 

Dry: After three hours, this is still just an uncomplicated (but lovely!) opium. At about 6 hours, the orchid starts to peek out just a tad and hints at beautiful things.

 

Final thoughts: I'm thrilled that the plum remains silent, but I wish that it was more than just all opium, all the time. I have a hunch that a few months of aging will do marvelous things for this one.

 

Verdict: Keeping for now, and will update this review in 6 months.

 

Skin test on September 19, 2013

Wet: Smoky opium and fabulous orchid. This smells like beautiful old-style classic perfume. Very expensive and fancy smelling.

 

Dry down: Hello orchid! Holy bananas this is great. When this was fresh, there was just a hint of this beautiful floral. It's a smoked out orchid, like sitting in a jungle filled with orchids and smoking a really nice cigarette. The opium is still hanging around and is beautiful. This definitely feels like Serious Perfume, but it's classy and beautiful.

 

Dry: Smoked out beautiful orchid with just a hint of tobacco. The opium is slightly more prominent here and lends a really languid sexy vibe to the whole perfume. Seriously this is amazing.

 

Final thoughts: I am so freaking glad I held onto this bottle. I was really disappointed after the first test in March when all I got was the opium but now it's phenomenal. The plum is still silent thank goodness and the orchid is just to die for. This also lasted for hours on my skin. Overall, this is a classy, sexy perfume that is to die for.

 

Verdict: Hoarding

Thoughts before testing: Patchouli has been hit or miss on me lately, and I'm afraid that the blood musk will have too much red musk in it and ruin OLOP for me. But after the glowing reviews here and around the forum, I had to take a chance on this!

 

Wet: Smooth patchouli and strong floral (but not sharp) lavender. This is awesome wet, as the patch is the kind that agrees with my skin chemistry and I detect no musk at this point.

 

Dry down: After about 15 minutes, the lavender is strong and beautiful and the patchouli is taking a backseat. I can smell the orchid just around the edges and it's beautiful.

 

Dry: OLOP dries down to a beautiful musky orchid with just a hint of patchouli and stays this way for hours.

 

Final thoughts: This is such a sophisticated blend and it is gorgeous. Everything in this blend is just beautiful, it lasts for hours, and I am absolutely in love with Our Lady of Pain.

 

Verdict: Backup bottle worthy!

 

ETA wear time!

Thoughts before testing: Snake Oil is one of my favorite perfumes ever, so this was a no brainer for me. I'm excited to see what this does on my skin!

 

Wet: Mint (not sweet) and lemony bergamot. Very fresh and refreshing! I can smell the vanilla and spices of SO just lurking in the background, grounding the whole thing.

 

Dry down: The vanilla and spices are more present after about half an hour and sweeten the mint. It's really lovely and refreshing.

 

Dry: Several hours later, I'm left with a bergamot-tinged Snake Oil with a hint of mint. Lovely!

 

Final thoughts: I wish the green tea was a little more evident, but on the whole this is a smashing success.

 

Verdict: Keeping the bottle.

Thoughts before testing: I love Snake Oil, leather, tonka, and sandalwood, so I'm hoping that the sage (which I'm neutral about) doesn't wreck this.

 

Wet: Sage and beautifully worn leather. This reminds me of summertime in western Colorado and actually makes me incredibly homesick. If I sniff the back of my hand with my eyes closed, I'm transported to the desert in the heat of August and it's so dead on I could cry.

 

Dry down: The sweet vanilla of the Snake Oil comes to the front now and sweetens the leather into this beautiful pairing that's definitely greater than the sum of it's parts (and I adore leather/Snake Oil separately).

 

Dry: This smells like pouring smooth aged SO over a well worn leather jacket. The sandalwood, tonka bean, and sage aren't very apparent, and that's ok by me.

 

Final thoughts: I don't find this to be particularly masculine, but that might be because on my skin it's mostly Snake Oil (which pulls sweet on me) and leather. This is so fabulous, and I'm desperately hoping that when the Carnaval comes back so does Western Diamondback.

 

Verdict: Slathering

Thoughts before testing: I saw glowing reviews of this in the "Aging BPAL" thread and just had to get it. I'm not expecting to love it fresh, but I figured I'd write a review now and then revisit this post in a year or so and compare.

 

Wet: Vanilla beeswax and I swoon. So pretty! I was not expecting this to smell this fabulous fresh.

 

Dry down: After about half an hour, there's a slightly sharp perfumey edge to it, but it's still mostly this lovely vanilla beeswax.

 

Dry: The sharp edge is more prominent after about 3 hours, but I'm definitely not complaining. I know I keep repeating "vanilla beeswax" but that's what it is, and it's beautiful.

 

Final thoughts: I'm so excited to see if a little aging takes the edge off of this blend, but it's going into daily rotation now anyway. It's beautiful and feminine without being girly and sophisticated and I love it.

 

Verdict:

Thoughts before testing: When the Lab announced that certain Carnaval blends would be going up on Etsy, I was immediately on high alert for Pickled Imp. I didn't discover my love of cinnamon and clove until after CD went dark, and I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to snatch up a bottle! I'm slightly worried about the pine sap in this, but everything else is a forever love note so hopefully the pine behaves itself!

 

Wet: The perfect mixture of cinnamon and clove. My spice-loving self is going bananas over this. Just a hint of vanilla at the end, no pine sap yet.

 

Dry down: Cinnamon and clove and vanilla, but not foodie/sweet and not craft-store spice either. The throw is strong enough that I can smell it wafting up from my arm.

 

Dry: After about an hour, it changes from spices with vanilla to vanilla with spices. This is so fabulous I can't even.

 

Final thoughts: The pine sap never made an appearance and I couldn't be happier. This is my perfect spice blend

 

Verdict: Hoarding

Thirding the rec for Crib Girls! It's definitely my favorite honey blend. Josie from that line (The District) is also a lovely honey, but on me it sometimes gets overpowered by the peach. Dragon's Milk is another good one, and Osun is also beautiful.

Thoughts before testing: This was an instant unsniffed bottle purchase. I absolutely adore each of the three notes listed, but I am slightly concerned that the "touch" of cayenne won't be enough to cut the super sweetness of honey and apricot.

Wet: Oh my god. This is fabulous. It's very much like March Hare, minus the sweet clove and plus the spiciness of cayenne. March Hare is one of my all-time top 10 blends, but at first sniff, I like this better. The cayenne pepper is more interesting than the sweet clove, and I think the addition of the honey is making this more unique. The honey and apricot aren't cloyingly sweet, and they're balanced nicely by the spice of the pepper.

Dry down: The sweetness has backed off considerably and now it's a nice spicy/sweet scent. It's harder to pick out each individual note, but this is really beautiful.

Dry: The beautiful spicy and sweet melding has stayed consistent from the dry down to several hours into the wear time.

Final thoughts: So. Much. LOVE. Seriously. This wore for about 5 hours before I needed to really try and smell it. The throw is decent, but definitely not overpowering. I just don't even have enough words for how much I love this blend. I love that it's not a typical "fruity" perfume; it smells much more sophisticated and interesting to my nose, and I can't recommend it highly enough!

Verdict: Hoarding

Thoughts before testing: This was an impulse add-on to my decant purchase because most "spice" perfumes turn to generic craft store on my skin. But black tea and rosewater sounded too tempting to pass up!

 

Wet: Strong black tea and rose. This is fabulous!

 

Dry down: The tea backs down and the spices start to come to the forefront (but they're not craft store spice thank goodness!) and mingle with the rose in a beautiful way. I love rose, and this is a beautiful spicy one!

 

Dry: After about an hour and a half, it smells exactly like the Middle Eastern market across the street from my apartment: just a mishmash of spices. It's pretty, but not necessarily something I want to smell like.

 

Final thoughts: Pretty, but I can't shake the association of the market and that makes it not for me.

 

Verdict: Off to the sales!

Thoughts before testing: I've recently discovered that I sadly amp tobacco, so I'm slightly nervous about BTBT turning into a tobacco SN.

 

Wet: Skyelyric was right. This is inappropriate Tootsie Rolls when wet

 

Dry down: It mellows out into something much less foody and more sexy. The tobacco is behaving itself and the musk has just a slight citrus tinge to it.

 

Dry: This turns chocolate-powdery after about an hour and a half, but it's still quite nice.

 

Final thoughts: I bet with a little age this is awesome, but I don't think I'll need a bottle.

 

Verdict: Keeping the imp!

Thoughts before testing: I absolutely love both peony and cream, and I'm hoping for a big win with Little Flora!

 

Wet: Very, very green and nutty. It smells like I rubbed fresh cut grass and hazelnuts on my arm

 

Dry down: Thankfully within 15 minutes the weird green/nut smell is gone and a sweet, creamy, soft peony is left.

 

Dry: The peony here isn't as sweet as in Lady in Speckled Pink Kimono and more soapy, but it's quite pretty. It's a very pink and feminine smell. I wish that there was more cream, but the peony is so pretty here that I can't really complain.

 

Final thoughts: Wear time was decent (around 4 hours) and I think this will fill a nice niche in my collection.

 

Verdict: Keeping the decant, possible bottle.

 

Edited for spelling

Thoughts before testing: Honey, pepper, and skin musk are all big time win notes on my skin, but I don't think I've ever smelled balsam of Peru.

 

Wet: Very pine-y (the balsam?) and heavy pepper! This is really nice wet.

 

Dry down: It starts to turn cologney, but the pepper and balsam are still very prominent. This might be too masculine for me.

 

Dry: The balsam overpowers all the other notes, which is a pity. I would have liked a little more skin musk and honey.

 

Final thoughts: This wasn't for me, but it smells FABULOUS on my little brother. The decant is living with him now!

 

Verdict: Not for me, but lovely on the mens

Christmas eve was CC: Female (it's my fanciest scent, and my parents took us out to a fancy dinner last night!) and today was Snow White 2005

Thoughts before testing: I've never been able find more than an imp of Black Lace, so the first few reviews of "Black Lace + leaves" sent me sprinting to order this one My skin sometimes amps tobacco is a very unpleasant way, so I'm cautiously optimistic.

 

Wet: Ooh, leaves and incense and musk! This is very "perfumey" but in the best possible way.

 

Dry down: The linen and sugar/lace are more at the forefront. The tobacco is being held nicely in check and I get just a whiff of cognac. This is truly spectacular on my skin at this point.

 

Dry: Musky sweet vanilla incensey goodness. Good lord this is beautiful and grown up and sexy and I never want to be without it.

 

Final thoughts: This lasts an insanely long time on my skin (well over 10 hours). The throw is strong and all I need is a drop to waft about in a beautifully perfumed cloud. I got my bottle a few days before Thanksgiving and this is one of only two perfumes I've been wearing since then. This is true love

 

Verdict: Hoarding.

Thoughts before testing: Any perfume with sweet clove in the description gets an automatic try from me no matter what else is in the blend.

 

Wet: Apple blossom and orchid. Pretty nonsoapy floral. Nothing to write home about, and I get none of my beloved sweet clove.

 

Dry down: Less than 15 minutes in, it's practically gone from my arm. I can just barely smell it.

 

Dry: And after half an hour, it's vanished completely.

 

Final thoughts: I'm not one for scent lockets, so this one needs to be rehomed.

 

Verdict: Off to the sales!

Thoughts before testing: This will most likely be too masculine on me, but I'm trying it nonetheless

 

Wet: Sweet chewy tobacco and woods. On me, this smells like Antikythera Mechanism without the vanilla.

 

Dry down: This tobacco is lovely and slightly richer than in AM to my nose (maybe because it's pipe *and* cigar?) This isn't for me, but I want all of my lovers to smell like this

 

Dry: At the very last, it turns slightly sharp (woods have a tendency to do that on my skin), and this is too masculine for me but it's lovely.

 

Final thoughts: As I currently have no lover to pass this on to (and won't for the foreseeable future), off to the sales this goes!

 

Verdict: Sales.

Thoughts before testing: I love all of the notes listed here and I'm really hoping that this works!

 

Wet: Ooh pretty! I get nice zingy hits of lime and ginger with just a hint of tea and coconut. Very pretty, very tropical!

 

Dry down: The coconut comes out a little more and isn't sweet or foody at all. The champaca flower is really pretty here too and is working with the coconut to give the lime/ginger combo some nice depth.

 

Dry: Gingery, floral, coconutty goodness! The lime is mostly gone about 2 hours in, and what's left is just beautiful.

 

Final thoughts: This lasted a surprisingly long time on my skin, and is just too pretty for me to resist! It definitely doesn't feel like a fall perfume to me at all but that's ok by me!

 

Verdict: Bottle-worthy!

Thoughts before testing: I've never had a burning desire to smell like pumpkin, but Fizzy Jack O'Lantern was surprisingly awesome. So I figured that my love of vanilla would make Pumpkin V a safe bet!

 

Wet: This is pure spices on my skin. Not a hint of pumpkin or vanilla.

 

Dry down: Thank goodness, the vanilla starts to peek through and tame the spice overload. At this stage, it's a very nice vanilla and spice mix with just a hint of something buttery in the background.

 

Dry: After about an hour, this morphs into pure maple syrup It's a very realistic maple syrup because my roommate wanted to know where I was hiding the waffles

 

Final thoughts: The wet and dry stages are just too much for me no matter how pretty the dry down is.

 

Verdict: Off to the sales!

I absolutely love the way this smells in the bottle and I love the way it smells when wet. But after 10 minutes it's completely gone from my skin. No delicious tonka smell, nothing.