BoneBone24

Wet: Ooh! A boozy, twangy vanilla. Almost metallic somehow.

Drydown: This scent has a lot of bombast. The licorice is like 'Wham!' - but not in a scary way. It's pure charisma. In fact, it reads more similar to sarsaparilla than to black licorice to my nose. There's a lot of good things just piled on top of each other in this one - a cacophony of gilded, rooty, glowing, sweet, warm, creamy sexiness. Color-wise, I'd say it has a coppery, iridescent rose-gold sheen.

Dry: Vanilla-sweet, glowing, and cuddly, with a hint of danger. Sadly, I must report that the coconut skews artificial on me once fully dry. I'm hoping that aging sets it back on course. Other than that, it's a fascinating shimmery and sumptuous blend.

7.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Buttery, creamy, coconutty.

Drydown/Dry: Creamy, fluffy coconut cream with a touch of nuttiness folded in. There's a bit of sandalwood acting as a grounding element in there too. The lavender never really shows, but I suspect it's responsible for keeping the coconut from veering into a plastic or chemical direction (as it often does on my skin). Essentially, this is a remarkably well-behaved and soft coconut blend flavored by just a touch of hazelnut. Very nice!

7.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: White tea and bright fougere. A little bit sparkly.

Drydown & Dry: The brightness of white tea with a squeeze of what I swear is some sort of citrus note, like neroli or mandarin. Beneath is a soft layer of fluffy lavender fougere and something smooth and lightly woody, which could be the sandalwood or the hay, I'm not sure. This is a very clean, crisp, uplifting scent - bright and light but soft around the corners, not at all sharp. A very wearable, neutral, happy sort of scent.

7.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Fresh and earthy, like a muddy Spring day.

Drydown: I smell... brass? Yeah, there's a distinct brass (former brass instrument player here, I know the scent well) note, plus a bit of grass and lemon. *...waits while it settles...* There's a tale of two wrists situation going on here. On the right, I'm still getting the brass impression, though it's softened and has been joined by sugared cream and greenery. On the left, I can detect the clove, pine, and vetiver, though they're sort of muddled and sweet. *...waits some more...*

Dry: Okay, wrists are matching now and they've landed in a lovely place. Sweet, creamy musk over spiced earth. Essentially, it's sexed-up and sugared petrichor blend, and I'm here for it.

8 out of 10 bones

Wet: Soft, not-quite-lemony-but-sort-of cologne. Fuzzy and sweet. 

Drydown: Sweet, dark, and tart. Lavender sits at the core of the scent, but it's not your usual lavender. It's lemony, but also soft and subdued. The opium is a soft and subdued variant of its usual self as well — lending a light smokiness and sticky depth to the blend. There's a part of this scent that wants to veer into aquatic cologne territory, but the sugar and opium keep it in check.

Dry: Glowing and almost creamy with a floral smokiness at the edges. It conjures the image of smudging and drinking sugary, creamy tea while walking along the edge of a meadow. Unusual and lovely.

8 out of 10 bones

Wet: Wow! This tastes, er, I mean smells just like buttered rye toast.

Drydown: Buttery and yeasty with the zing of rye. There's a cozy, doughy softness that really makes this scent inviting. The more it dries, the more the rye settles down, allowing the creaminess of the butter and doughiness of the bread to shine.

Dry: Finally the rosemary enters the mix and its freshness takes things away from being an oddly non-sweet foodie blend and more towards being an intriguingly buttery herbal cologne-type blend. It's odd, sure, but somehow it's actually quite wearable.

7.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Clean cologne and earthy leather, a little bit sharp, a little bit sweet.

Drydown: Brightness mixed with earthiness. Fresh, tart, and fuzzy. A little bit floral now, but it's balanced out by the other notes. Youthful, yet sophisticated. Color-wise, I'm getting pale green with iridescent purple swirls running through it, and a delicate black fishnet pattern overtop.

Dry: Muskier, darker, and more floral once fully dry. Not quite heady, but sitting right next to it. It's grown up a good deal since the wet stage. Dusky-mauve hued now. Smoky and soft, with just a hint of an electric grit to it.

7 out of 10 bones

Wet: This smells delectable! Buttery, with the golden hues of honey coming together with the coziest creaminess.

Drydown: Soft and cuddly. The lavender lends its calming nature without adding much herbal or green to the mix. The cream is generously portioned and sweetened by just a drop of glowing honey. The patchouli lends warmth and grounding, but stays in the background. And call me crazy, but I think there really is some sort of puppy fur note!

Dry: Same as the drydown, only a touch more robust. A wonderfully adorable scent.

8.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: An innocent, nostalgic sort of scent. Soft, fresh rosewater with clean, comforting lavender. It reminds me of baby shampoo in a way, like baby shampoo glowed up!

Drydown: Youthful and pretty. Luscious botanicals deepened by sandalwood. I have to say, this is stunning. Each note is behaving and meshing perfectly with the next.

Dry: Clean and comforting, like being freshly bathed and lotioned. It smells like pure, old fashioned romance.

8 out of 10 bones

Wet: Oooh–chocolate! A nice, earthy-soft cocoa note.

Drydown: Chocolate grounded by a not-yet-peggable earthy note. Sweet, brown-sugar-laden cookie dough joins in, bringing out the meltier aspects of the chocolate. Only in the edge of the throw do I detect a grittier metallic note.

Dry: A yummy, warm, slightly dirty chocolate chip cookie! Like the hands of a mechanic that went home and spent their entire night baking cookies.

7.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Fruity and jammy – like a combo of plum, apple, and cinnamon.

Drydown: Sweet, deep purple, soft, and lightly spiced. It develops into a luscious, more nuanced scent. There's something a tad stemmy, or rooty in there. The ginger methinks. Towards the end of the drydown, the jamminess softens and becomes more doughy and spicy.

Dry: An enticing and delicious morpher. It reminds me of an orchardside market, with the scent of fruits, jams, floral wreaths, candles, and baked goods wafting through the breeze. This would make an excellent Atmo scent.

7 out of 10 bones

Wet: A tad playdough-y in the imp, but once on the skin that vanishes and soft spicy notes come out (carnation? birch wood? rosewood?). It reminds me of spiced tea.

Drydown: It grows sexier and muskier. I wonder if there’s a floral note in there, jasmine or carnation maybe? It’s a very cozy scent. The more it dries, the more glowing, resinous, and sweet it becomes.

Dry: Darkly sweet, yet soft and smokey. There’s a honeyed, almost caramel quality to it. My note guesses are balsam/birch, opium tar, labdanum, frankincense, and a white flower of some sort. All in all, it’s a wonderfully enticing, sexy, and nuanced blend. For something that worried me at first sniff, this really turned out to be quite a stunner!

8.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: White, clean, a touch creamy, a touch herbal. 

Drydown: Soapy, yet creamy. A bit fuzzy. It smells pure, soft, and white. 

Dry: Sweeter and a touch indolic once dry. Overall it's very pale, clean, and creamy.

Compared to the original version (going off my notes), the wet and drydown stages are pretty similar, but where the dry stage had previously smelled like lathered shampoo, with this newer version it's less soapy and more sweet and floral. Or my nose and/or skin chemistry have just changed, who knows!

8 out of 10 bones

Wet: Wet, leafy, a bit sweet. Color-wise, this is a deep blue-green scent for sure.

Drydown: Rainforest dampness plus... something... sort of an odd, fuzzy fruit note? Like an underripe fruit with a misty fuzziness to it. Imagine the skin of a kiwi over an underripe banana crossed with honeydew melon. Something like that, lol.

Dry: All of the above, plus cool, deep greenery, which helps pull it all together.

7 out of 10 bones

Wet: Purple flowers; clean and heady. The sweetness and darkness of violet, but without its typical sharpness. There's a languid, aquatic aspect too – in a cool and shadowy way (not salty or ozone-y).

Drydown: Deeper as it dries. Resins settle into the mix and the plum comes out lending a dark, sticky sweetness to the blend. The Floral notes are wispy and seem to be trying to break through the stickier, shadowy notes.

Dry: Almost too-blended now. The notes have sort of flattened into a soft, dusky, purple-gray musk. It's lovely, but lacking oomph.

7.5 out of 10 bones

5 hours ago, twilighteyes said:

Ok, so I have been working on the 7 deadly sins or sin & salvation or vices & virtue or whatever, but I'm thinking I'll save signups for later and it will be a lupercalia / valentine's day time swap.  How long do people like to shop?   I'm thinking packages will need to be mailed by mid/end of January and holidays are busy, plus sales on Black Friday and Boxing day, so maybe sign ups in November?  Would that give people enough time to shop during the holiday season?  Thanksgiving - Mid-January?

 

I LOVE this idea! And I agree that extra time for shopping would be nice, between holiday deals, shipping delays, and the turnaround time of some small business shops. 

Champagne & Maraschino Cherries and Blood Popsicle both come to mind. Maybe even those two layered (which I can check on and report back…reporting back: oh yeah, that’ll do the trick )!

2 hours ago, Greenwoodtree said:

Im submitting a shotgun Samhain swap. I  am missing SW. Submitting tonight.

 yay! I’ll be keeping my eye out!

11 hours ago, neptuneanblues said:

re: Switch Witch, Coldfire recently posted this in the GUSP area here on the forum: 

"I know that this is usually the time of year my GUSPers get all excited for Switch Witch.  Sadly there will not be a SW for the Halloween Season this year. Some of the ringleaders are in the path of Ida, some are experiencing health issues. We would not be able to run a proper SW round now. It is our hope that we can run a round post Thanksgiving for the Winter part of the year. If you have questions, please message me."

Aw, thank you for keeping us informed here. I've been wondering if/when Switch Witch was gonna happen this year. Hopefully everyone recovers and is well and ready a little later on in the year. I would definitely be up for the Thanksgiving-ish version.

Oh dapper scents

Seconding: John Watson, Wilde, Villain, Whitechapel, The Bow and Crown of Conquest, Manhattan, Paladin, Jareth

Adding: Theodosius, Old Scratch, Iago, Half-Elf, Adam, Tavern of Hell

Note: There's a similar topic here:

As for my list...:

1. Snake Oil (not a personal fav, but it's such a crowd favorite and in so many other blends, it def deserves the top spot)
2. Dorian (again, not a personal fav thanks to skin chemistry issues, but it seems like everybody loves it)
3. O (unffy amber, and a good sexalicous alternative for those that snake oil doesn't work out for)
4. Tavern of Hell (a complex, sophisticated, dark gardenia scent that is truly one of a kind)
5. Port Royal (a spicy, woody aquatic, yum!)
6. Morocco (another crowd favorite, softly creamy, exotic, and stunning)
7. Wilde (a dapper, herbal, manly-yet-light-and-androgynous scent)
8. Fae (a truly beguiling and fairly popular peach scent)
9. Bon Vivant or the fizzy version of Gnome (because everybody should experience the scent of bubbles captured in a bottle)
10. Cordelia (such a pretty, and well-balanced lilac blend)
11. Snooty Rose (the only Rose blend that works on me, which must mean it's pretty damn good!)
12. Sea of Glass (it's just so very clean and clear, definitely a good one to show the wide array that is possible with BPAL)
13. Voodoo (this one is just, perhaps unsurprisingly, magic)
14. Dracul (smoky and minty, at the same time? yes please!)
15. Lyonesse (beachy vanilla, another crowd fav)

I've had such a hankering for tropical scents lately, but I don't have anything in my collection that fits the bill. I'm talking more of the fruity/creamy -type tropical (coconut, mango, ginger,  key lime, pineapple), not so much the aquatic/beachy or floral-green type. Tiki bar drinks basically (alas, I came to BPAL after the tikis went away). Are there any good GC's or non-LE's like that?

Smells strongly of leather and metallic oils (I'm reminded of the kind of oils/grease used to lubricate the tuning slide of a brass instrument) in the bottle. In the air, those two notes remain, but are joined by a slightly sweet blood note and an absolute cacophony of construction-type materials... dry wall crumbles, rubber hoses, electrical wires, glue, solvents, lubricants, chalk dust, copper, machinery, linoleum, packing paper. It reminds me of walking through an industrial print shop. Mood-wise, it's the scent of gritty demolition and cleaning, but never actually getting clean. It's the process, not the outcome. A bit off-putting, but also nostalgic for hands-on hard work.

Oh boy, there are so many great ones for these notes. I'll try to stick to ones that stay solidly in that woodsy-minty-earthy-tea world. Let's see...

For mint, Mad Hatter (A gentlemen’s lavender-citron cologne unhinged by the feral pungence of black musk and a paroxysm of pennyroyal) immediately sprung to mind. If you don't mind dark and smoky, Dracul (Black musk, tobacco, fir, balsam of peru, cumin, bitter clove, crushed mint, and orange blossom.) is a great one too.

For cedar, Azathoth (tangerine, saffron, vetiver, black amber and cedarwood) is a good one, and Tombstone (vanilla, balsam and sassafras layered over Virginia cedar) as well if you don't mind a little vanilla and sassafras thrown in.

For wood in general, Dee (English leather, rosewood and tonka with a hint of incense, parchment and soft woods) is a crowd favorite.

For woods, Black Forest (Thick, viscous pine with ambergris, black musk, juniper and cypress) and Ranger (Terebinth pine, Russian birch, black ironwood, elder bark, hay, armoise, juniper, patchouli, galangal root, Spanish moss, and cabreuva) are about as straight-up forest as it gets.

For earthy, Penny Dreadful (Soft perfume evocative of noir heroines over rich red grave loam) is my favorite.

For tea, Dorian (A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea.) is most people's favorite, but I much more prefer Theodosius (Earl Grey tea leaves, a white fougere, jasmine leaf, pearlescent white musk, and vanilla bean).

And while they don't have any of your listed notes, I think both Highwayman (Vetiver with gardenia, blood red rose, night-blooming jasmine, a dash of cinnamon and a faint hint of leather) and Arcana (Frankincense, rosemary, lavender, neroli, and verbena) might be pleasing to your nose.

If you get a chance, I'd definitely recommend trying out a bay rum blend. It behaves differently on different people, but for me it's very much in that woodsy-minty realm.

 

That sounds like a brilliant costume! I want to suggest The Other Miss Spink - from Coraline - an over the top tuberose gardenia with tea and biscuit crumbs gone cobwebby and grotesque. I haven't actually smelled this but it sounds perfect for Umbridge!

 

Oh, man, that does sound perfect! So many smellies I've never tried! Maybe I'll get something perfect in my frimps today too (squee, I have an order Out for Delivery)!

 

ETA: Oh my, what about Tyrannophobia? It has the advantage of me already having it, and it's mostly raspberry (i.e. pink) but also has tea and also is sinister! She's certainly tyrannical in her little fiefdom...

 

That sounds PERFECT!