bellumed

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.

Milk cresting on an ocean wave. 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.

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.

The primary note here is ginger, though a softened and sweetened one. There's some weird note that smells off on my skin, possibly whatever is in the "ambrosia." Fortunately, that burns off on drydown and leaves behind milky, spicy-sweet ginger. Really nice.

Very cucumber. Herbal without being astringent. Not my usual kind of perfume, but I dig it! I found that it worked well as a mood-lifter, too.

That dark-and-sexy incense that makes the forest deep and mysterious disappears on my skin. Do I amp oakmoss? I think I must. Because this is nearly single-note oakmoss, with just a little juniper. On me this is a very natural woodsy scent, nothing ominous or portentous about it.

The metallic notes in this somehow smell shiny. It's like they captured the "chemical" scent that some perfumes accidentally take on and twisted it, creating an intentional (and less intrusive) version. Kinda neat! Also very strong. Slowly, after it dries, the metallic notes start giving way to the others, mostly musk and tobacco flower. I can get a bit of balsam only with my nose right at my wrist. Eventually the metal fades off entirely and leaves the rest.

Dusty-fuzzy amber in the imp, then a light grass and fur scent on skin, very cozy. The fur note reminds me of the one in Granite Hair Gloss. Good staying power.

White musk can be very "dryer sheet," and I do get that here. But in combination with the poppy and patchouli, there is something unusual about this that adds some interest. It develops a little hint of extra sweetness on skin. Really strong, too, much more than I'm used to from BPAL. I guess I can see the comparison to commercial perfumes, which often have the same "airy" feeling, but I didn't get that sense, personally.

Divine drunken rabbit orgy friends! Neat. I don't normally go for alcohol scents, but this is beautiful. Very reminiscent of real chocolate and red wine to my nose, which is not my usual experience with red wine notes in perfume. On skin, the chocolate becomes more bitter, even sour, as well as powdery. It makes me think of the bittersweet cocoa note in Ein Kuss von Krampus. Recovers some of the chocolatey-ness as it dries. Still good!

The one-two punch of superstrong jasmine combined with rose, which I tend to amp. The effect is... large. Mostly jasmine. Jasmine fans, line up here. I will say Nyx grew on me a lot once it was dry. The jasmine eased up, and it turned into a pretty, floral incense. Not worth the early stages for me, but fairly nice in the end.

A mature kind of fruity perfume, plum-forward with a base of amber. More flowery orris on drydown, then grapefruit peeking out. Settles into a gentle plum scent with good staying power. This is an instant favorite for me!