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BPAL Madness!

sth0

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Everything posted by sth0

  1. sth0

    El Segundo Blue

    There is something about most BPAL aquatics that smells like a gourmand or cloying dryer sheet perfume. I have had luck with Shunga aquatics smelling fresh and clean. This one is unfortunately a lot like Mermaid, Oceanus Procellum, etc. It smells like salty (almost almondy) dryer sheets. Oh, it makes me so sad I had high hopes. If you want a cleaner, less cloying scent from this collection, Echo Azure is my winner!
  2. sth0

    Cave of Treasures

    This is an expertly mixed scent. It is my Luper Winner. Wet, it is gloriously lilac, a bit foodie and sweet, but wow. Just gorgeous if you love lilac! It only gets better as it dries. It matures...It is almost like one of your grandma's perfumes bathed in the blood of virgins and was reborn young and sexy but sweet and adorable. Lilac lovers MUST TRY IT.
  3. sth0

    Bestla

    Wet: Smells just like ferret "poof" (when they release stink from their anal gland) and cat/ferret pee. I miss my ferret but I am also turned off. Initial dry: Less stinky (I am guessing it is oud, but it is quite a potent oud) and now I smell the rose. Rosy ferret... Dry: Yes. Rosy ferret. Fancy lady ferret. I dunno if I can go out in public smelling like this!
  4. sth0

    Like the Flashing of Light

    This is one of the most golden, gorgeous, uplifting scents I have ever worn. This is instantly a top 10. I feel utterly enraptured by it. It doesnt change much from wet to dry on me at all. It is magical. If you love warm, orangey, bright scents or you need something to lift you up, get this. I am already buying a backup.
  5. sth0

    Half-Elf

    I stupidly sniffed this imp and, despite immediate dislike, went ahead and tested it. Because RPG. And for science, yes. I think the "urban musk" must have the rank, nasty patch BPAL sometimes puts in stuff or the oudh used is nasty. Whatever it is, I smelled like dirty, skank nasty something. Maybe a gross plant or tree. Not skunk, skunk smells pleasant compared to what I smelled like. Maybe it is my chemistry but whatever it was, it was all kinds of wrong on me. To the point I was upset thinking people could smell it even after I scrubbed it off my wrist. It left a psychic taint. This was not how I wanted things to go down! Honestly, this was more like straight up Orc or Goblin Butt. My quest to find an RPG scent that suits me continues...
  6. sth0

    Beachy, Tropical Scents

    Elegba, Tiki Princess
  7. sth0

    Looking for a BPAL that Resembles a Favorite Perfume

    Maybe Eve or Poisoned Apple? Eve is one of my favorites but an aged version makes a huge difference.
  8. sth0

    Looking for a BPAL that Resembles a Favorite Perfume

    I also wanted to add this comparison I just did of Morgause and Poison by Dior. I have a tiny tiny bottle of Poison esprit de parfum from many moons ago that I used for this comp. Morgause (2009 vintage) vs. Poison by Dior In bottle: Virtually the same! Really hard to tell the difference. I held both bottles up uncapped and sniffed each one in turn. Wet: Poison goes a little sweeter while Morgause gets a little sharp; must be the incense. There is a woody element to Poison that Morgause does not have. Morgause is definitely way more floral. Drydown: Morgause keeps its strong floral (mostly violet) and incense-y aspects and Poison gets very sweet and dark. Additionally: Horreur Sympathique vs. Poison Wet: HS smells nothing like Poison when wet! HS is sickly sweet as the honey and fruit notes are out swinging. Drydown: Rather sweet smelling compared to Poison. It has a subtle darkness to it but is still an aged sweetness with a hint of floral and resin. NOTES CHART: ________Poison by Dior (1985)____BPAL Morgause___BPAL Horreur Sympathique PLUM_________X___________________X?__________________X TUBEROSE_____X________________________________________ INCENSE_______X__________________X____________________ BERRIES_______X__________________X___________________X WOOD________X________________________________________ OPOPONAX____X______________________________________X HONEY________X_______________________________________X JASMINE______X__________________X?___________________ RESINS________X_______________________________________X FLORALS______X__________________X____________________X My verdict: The wood is an important component that grounds the scent of Poison and gives it its "oriental" (I hate that term) qualities. Layer if you want something similar to Poison from the GC, is my opinion. If you have a woody tuberose fragrance, use that with Horreur Sympathique. When I layered both Morgause and HS together, it did get a little closer but I still think it needs the wood to tie it together.
  9. sth0

    Looking for a BPAL that Resembles a Favorite Perfume

    Unsure if anyone has made this comparison, but... The closest I can find (description-wise) to Nina by Nina Ricci are the Halloweenie Apple fragrances from a few years ago, namely Silver Apple of the Moon, Green Apple of Venus, and A close second, Coral Snake. The one issue is that there is no woody note in Coral Snake. Maybe Croquet, as well? I wish I could do this one
  10. sth0

    Notes That Don't Work, Blends That Do

    I can't find a vetiver that doesn't smell horrid on me. :/ I think maybe I just hate the smell. There was one scent I liked with oude in it, but I can't recall the name. Everything else has been overpowered by it. I thought I would love rose and oude together but it just smells dirty and unsettling. Oude also reminds me of scents that people wear around (department store scents I suppose) and I am not sure if those brands use particularly stinky oude but it is one of those notes that I pick out right away and gag over. Literal gag not fabulous gag. Oh, oh, one more! Berries. How I adore berries in anything but fragrance! Alas, they are really weird smelling/artificial in scents (Hollywood Babylon, Lady MacBeth, etc) and I don't know if it is my chemistry or just my tastes, really.
  11. sth0

    Notes That Don't Work, Blends That Do

    Elegba. I love the crap out of that one. I do love coconut, though, in general.
  12. sth0

    Ogun

    Even though I am sick right now, I can smell this so strongly. What a beautiful melon scent! It is matured and deepened by the tobacco note and the slightest bit of juniper to it. It remains a very fresh and light scent for awhile but doesn't last long on me.
  13. sth0

    Hymn

    Wet, Hymn has a biting resinous quality. It is difficult to smell the rose but the lily is there. I believe the myrrh is the element that smacks one in the face and makes itself known. When first applied, it is much the same as when wet only the rose sneaks out. It is rather unpleasant, in my opinion, for about an hour. Then the more noxious elements recede and it becomes a resinous rose. I am not willing to get through the long dry-down process to wear it again.
  14. sth0

    Her Voice

    I am so enamoured of this fragrance that I cannot give a true review. It is all honey and rose and beautiful flowers. This lasted over 10 hours on me. I got this as part of a PiF and I am utterly in love. It is about as amazing on me as Eve is. I adore BPAL honey-rose florals and this is one of the best. I am simply over the moon and desperate for a 5mL because the thought of my decant running out saddens me to no end.
  15. sth0

    Ariadne Brunnell

    Wet, this is way more subtle of a fragrance. Languid and floral, the peat and moss notes remind me of humidity (a connection in my memory) and the wet gardenia hints at that stereotypical Southern scent. As it dries, the gardenia appears. This gardenia is powdery and like neroli. Very much like it but without the sweet citrus tang. The lilies are a soft edge but do nothing to blunt the overpowering gardenia. Poppy blends into the gardenia note like a fraternal twin sister; just different enough but complimentary. I might try this in a scent locket but it seems that the gardenia is very amped on my skin. I feel like a Southern vampire prostitute
  16. sth0

    Looking for a BPAL that Resembles a Favorite Perfume

    I'm looking to find a comparable oil (if this reaches beyond BPAL, I'm ok with that) for a blend by Dorian + Dalh because she may never make this again and I didn't grab it when I had the chance :/ In other words, a white/tropical floral with smoke and a little wood. Any ideas? I have Hawai'i by Possets which I could layer with something.
  17. sth0

    A Companion Of The Same Nature

    I love this fragrance so, so much. I just got a back-up because I love it so much. Now that is out of the way and I can review it. Wet, it smells very green and like wet grass and twigs on a forest floor. Very alive yet solemn. There is a very sharp green note that rides the top of that, though. As it dries, the florals drift up through the grassy green smell. It becomes a peaceful green floral, much like the imagery from Frankenstein which the scent was based on. I can imagine a pair of outcast creatures sunning in a forested clearing after a light rain; a bouquet of handsome, stolen garden flowers strewn about the forest floor. It is a new, serious love with something fierce underneath. As my chemistry amps rose notes in general, I get more of a rose note than other reviewers so it makes me quite happy.
  18. sth0

    A Blade of Grass

    I cannot say any more than has been said other than... A Blade of Grass is the King of all Grass Scents. I am so, SO happy to have found it. Now I just need a whole bottle.
  19. sth0

    Zombi

    Wet: This smells SO rosy and mossy when wet. As it dries on the skin, the sharper green notes that were present fade into the background. The oakmoss dominates. The rose wilts and fades. I think if you layered this with a strong, bold rose scent (not a fresh rose scent) that it would help to dampen the oakmoss and Spanish moss a bit. The mosses dominate so much that there is not even a hint of dirt from the wet state and the roses are clobbered to death. After awhile, I don't even smell dried roses very easily. It could also be that I am incredibly devoted to rose as a note (in every form) and the oakmoss, such a bully, will not let the rose dominate. My chemistry amps rose up and it is not amping it up very much. Without the dirt element, this reminds me of helping my grandma make dried flower arrangements. She used a lot of Spanish moss and a rose fragrance spray to make the fake flowers smell alive but it did little to persuade. Sadly, this is how I feel about Zombi; great concept but with my chemistry it is more like a zombie pretending to be human a la the movie My Boyfriend's Back than a romantic fantasy of a graveside resurrection. I expected so much more rose power! Darn chemistry.
  20. sth0

    The Dormouse

    Wet: Very green, very green tea. If rodents actually smelled like this, I would have thousands in my home. Sweet edge to it. Drying down: Gets sharper as it dries. Very green tea! Reminds me of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea but not as sweet and overpowering. This is very fresh. The peony is a spicy, sharp note which works well here. This is highly appropriate for a tea party!
  21. sth0

    Twilight

    I have NEVER smelled jasmine or lavender in this particular combination. All three floral notes work SO well together that when I put it on, I could not figure out what I was smelling. I just knew it was awesome. The drydown is quite wonderful. Through the day, I would catch a whiff of it and think, "Wow, this is special." Then again, I am a floral nut.
  22. sth0

    Dragon's Reverie

    I do like this scent but it almost smells generic in some sense. There is just something about it that makes me feel very ambivalent toward it even though it is a nice warm and spring-like fragrance. While it was drying down, my eyes were watering quite a bit. I am not sure what was causing this, if anything, because I have other scents I have sampled with all of the notes present in Dragon's Reverie and have not had this issue with them. I am even on allergy medication. So that was a bit concerning. The strange thing about this one is that the drydown smells a lot like the wet state. There is not a considerable change for me. It has a slightly shorter than normal duration and the throw is there but very short. A good floral wrist-sniffer.
  23. sth0

    Ladon

    The hundred-headed dragon that guards the garden of the Hesperides: dragon’s blood resin, golden apple, apple blossom, white musk and hyacinth. Wet: Whoa, what IS that odd smell? Almost chemically, like a Glade Plug-in scent. Smells like some kind of green flower and generic apple melange. As it dries down, the apple matures and mellows out. The hyacinth takes a back seat (that has to be the Glade plug in smell in the wet state) and lets the apple drive. The dragons blood resin is a nice heart which holds the two very green, springy scents together warmly. I do like this fragrance but I think it is pulling a little syrup-y on me, which is odd. I may give it another go later!
  24. sth0

    Lorelei

    A tragic heroine from German lore. In despair over a faithless lover, she threw herself into the Rhine. In death, she has become a siren that haunts that river to this day, luring sailors to their doom. Neroli, sandalwood, ylang ylang. Wet, this smells lovely. It has a clean, orange blossom smell but it is not as powdery as I thought it would be. More of a very light musk and super light sandalwood feeling in the background. As it dries down, the orange blossom blooms up with a honeysuckle shadow. After 10 minutes, though, I can barely smell it I seem to have had the same experience many others have with this one. It would be absolutely beautiful sprayed through a room or on stationery but it just dies out on my skin.
  25. Two of my favorites are Lucy's Kiss and Wicked (it pulls a strong rose on me). I adore Eve but there are a lot of other notes in it in addition to rose that make it special. If you can't abide honey, you might not like it. The apple blossom adds a truly beautiful element. The Temptation is a really fruity rose but it is really nice. Maiden and Ophelia are really nice, too. I haven't gotten to it but Spellbound has rose. Rose Red, London and even Venice perhaps?
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