bellumed

I scream, you scream, we all scream for jasmine! In most blends jasmine will immediately and loudly announce itself on me, and Crossroads holds true to form. Anything interesting - earthy and herbal notes - drops into the background of The Jasmine Show.

Gorgeous! Just the right amount of sweet, just the right amount of woodsy. A cream soda you're drinking out at a picnic table after a long walk through the woods.

Pure grass and a sunny blast of verbena! What a wonderful scent. It's aged about ten years and divine.  I get more amber and sage on my skin, not quite as good for me, but that's what scent lockets are for.

In the imp, florals with a strong, stinky rose. A little soapy when wet, but still, it's surprisingly sexy, not my usual association with florals.

Is it possible there's some narcissus here? I swear that's what I'm smelling on drydown. But maybe it's the indole in tuberose instead. Either way it's a note that tends to read unpleasantly to me, faintly like urine.

I had some hope for Marie for a moment there, but I think this one is just not for me. 

This is a garden party. Yes, a bouquet of roses, but also some pretty pink cupcakes to go with them! Two, Five, and Seven reads very young to me, not quite "childish" but definitely a rose a teenager could wear.

I can pick up a little of everything here, other than bergamot, which is unusual for me! Normally just one or two notes will jump out. But yes, of course, strong rose.

Ah, there we are: almost entirely rose on skin, though there's a woody note present as well. On drydown i get some of the plum back, but it's not the juicy plum I've enjoyed in other blends; instead it's a very dark purple-black note mixed in with dusty woods.

Overall impression is a lush rose in another very dry perfume. I agree with the above comment: not a particularly feminine rose!   

This immediately made me think of Morocco, though it lacks the creaminess of that blend, as well as Bastet - in that case, more of a contrast. The Lion is the dry, baking-gloriously-in-the-sun scent I expected in Bastet. A little less regal and more housecat on my skin, but not in a bad way! More like when you put your face in a kitty's fur after they've been recharging in the sunlight. It just smells wholesome - with a smidge of haughty spice. 

The Lion is a really beautiful perfume! I might hunt up a bottle one of these days.

What fun! Bright and fruity in an unusual way, all quince and spicy ginger. A keeper.

All "sandy cider and wooly wine" in the imp, but I pick up more of the floral notes on my skin. Cider is the strongest note in both cases. On drydown I'm getting amber and carnation more than anything else - I still smell apple, but the scent has changed over completely and is no longer foodie at all... mayyybe there's ink at this stage?

Queen Alice smells good, but it's not a standout for me, especially dry. 

Wet Brusque Violet is surprisingly Christmasy, I suppose from evergreen osmanthus and mint. It's like a Yule version of Samhain. Dries down to a spicy floral that is still very heavy on the greenery.

Penny Dreadful has always been a real oddball of the GC, it just doesn't smell like any other blend I can think of. Copper-smelling without that metallic tang and earth-smelling without the typical dirt note. I do remember, as others have noted, the bizarre scent of peanut butter cropping up when I've used this in the past; however after 5+ years of aging that is totally gone.

I don't think I'll ever buy a bottle of Penny Dreadful, but it's always an interesting experience (and usually a pleasant one) to wear it. 

I see exactly what the previous reviewer meant by "effervescent" - this stuck as smelling nearly carbonated in the imp. It loses that aspect on skin, but it's still a great, spicy ginger-vanilla. Tragically I must report that, on drydown, I got the dreaded Play-doh effect. Oh, well...

There's gentle florals here, but more than anything the grass note rules here. Simple but pretty! Very springy. Must try for fans of grassy scents.

One of the least dragon's-bloodsy (a terrible word I've just invented) blends of the Ars Draconis line, which for me is a good thing. Mostly just yummy musk combined with that cherryish dragon's blood.

I would go so far as to say that this is downright tolerable! Okay, I'm just not big on DB as a note. In seriousness, if you're the same but want to explore this category, I recommend this one as well as Dragon's Hide.

Spicy and, yes, smooth. Smells so tasty! Hay is a comforting, unsung note that I've been coming to appreciate more (see also: The Seekim, My Mommy in a Boat, L’Enlèvement), and the cardamom gives it a sexy kick. Witchy and cozy. Reminds me a lot of Third Charm.

(Oh god) 15 years later, Ivanushka is quite nice. The initial impression is soft and fuzzy. A snuggly, comforting scent. The impression of fur fades off on drydown, leaving a light musk with powdery amber as the dominant note. Still cozy, but I do miss that opening fur note!

Ambrette seed and patchouli stand out immediately - this reminds me of The Triumph of Death, another blend with those two notes. Otherwise, though, Economic Recovery reads more like the TALs I've smelled than a perfume... which makes sense given the premise.

Earthy and herbal-sweet on skin, then it grows darker (muskier?) and more bitter over time. Much like the hedonic treadmill at the heart of capitalism! Or something like that.  The end result actually smells more like a perfume than it did in the imp, probably the patchouli coming to the forefront. 

10 years later, this has aged very nicely.

Aged about five years: 

Bright-smelling, a bit of citrus and a lot of salt. Smelled nearly carbonated in the imp and wet but dried to a more recognizable ozone/aquatic scent. The creaminess is subtle.

A unisex scent, easy to wear. I remember opening The Sea Foams Milk in the past and not liking it as much - I don't know if it's changed or I have, but I dig it now.

On 12/12/2021 at 10:20 PM, Esatres said:

Coming back to BPAL after a decade of plenty of stress and looking to refocus on myself. I'm looking for something similar to Fire Pig, which was my go-to for several years when I had a whole bottle of the stuff. Thanks for any help -- know it's a very old scent. 

Have you been able to try any of the other Lunar/Chinese New Year blends? If so, how did they compare for you?

Big morpher. The Dormouse does nothing for me at the start, an herbal, soapy scent. But soon the tea note becomes stronger and finally, on drydown, lovely peony, which is one of my favorite floral scents. A tiny bit sharp but overall quite beautiful once it dries.

A gentle garden scent. Soil without any of the associated "dirtiness." On drydown it becomes a creamy, almost salty skin scent.

I love gourmands, and Eat Me was one of the very first BPALs whose descriptions got me excited far back in the day when I was a wee newbie. However, every time I open it I always find it... disappointing. Yes, it is a foodie. Yes, it smells nice. Not bad at all. It's just so very dull, as far as foodies go. Sure, it's sweet cakey berries. I bet I'd be very happy to eat this cake with a cup of tea. But Eat Me makes my nose bored. It's fine. I'll keep my imp around, probably. But there's dozens of more interesting foodies out there. 

Does smell very clean in the imp, but that wore off on my skin. The descriptions sounds very masculine, but IMO the effect was really juuuust on the masc side of unisex. Smoke and rosin, a touch of leather. A distinguished and quiet cologne that nearly disappears on drydown.

Mildly sweet and earthy. It's hard to describe, a barely-there vegetation scent, but it's very pretty on drydown. Natural, like real flower blossoms as opposed to "florals."

Instantly reminds me of Schrödinger's Cat, which makes sense, as that is another chocolate-peppermint-oakmoss blend. And similarly... not a fan. I think I prefer to eat chocolate and mint together rather than smell like them. Plus the rest is all oakmoss and cedar, neither of which are winners for me.