GemmaCat

Well, my ultimate study scent is definitely Miskatonic University. Coffee and that old book smell? Perfect! Other good scents are Belle Epoque (very refreshing and eye-opening), Temple of Dreams for when I need to relax, Kunstkammer for when I need to stay awake, and Bliss or 13 when I want something sweet to cheer me up.

I bought a decant of this only, not a bottle, and I'm glad I did. This is certainly a nice, cakey perfume. It's warm and spicy, with the cassia really taking centre-stage. It reminds me a great deal of freshly baked cinnamon-ginger cake, and is really quite delicious. But it's not something I want to smell like, and the cassia overwhelms me a little. I don't get coconut or cocoa, sadly, just the cassia.

I placed an order for a decant of this with someone on LJ, and then decided I couldn't wait and bought a bottle. ^^;; My first thought when I applied this was "crud, I shouldn't have bought that bottle" because the berry scent was SO overwhelming and bright. But i stuck with it, and as the scent warmed up I started to get the cake note. The berry, although still strong, settled into a more creamy, rich scent, and altogether I'm left with the scent of very light fairy cake with a HUGE dollop of blackberry frosting and cream ontop. I slathered this on all over yesterday and enjoyed every second. Sadly, this doesn't have the best throw but it's worth reapplication!

I was going to get an imp of this in my next order, but the labbies frimped it to me so now I get to try it early! Immediately I get that sharp grapefruity scent, which I assume is the yuzu. Sad thing is, I think I'm allergic. My nose is all burny now, when I inhale it my throat does that swollen "I might just close on you" thingy, and I get nauseous. *runs to wash it off* Damn body!

Looking at the notes, I knew this one would be a risk due to the sandalwood, but who am I to resist ze Underpants? Sandalwood has a tendency to turn insanely oaky and dry on me, and when I first smeared this on, that's what I got. My heart started to sink, honestly, but underneath was this enchanting, rich vanilla-cream smell, so I soldiered on. Oh lord am I glad I did! When this warms to my skin I get sweet vanilla-cream in the bucketloads, but it somehow manages not to be cloying. Some BPAL cream scents are too much for me but this is sweet, soft, and mouth-wateringly good without being too much of a good thing. I can definitely detect the spicy-saffron sandalwood beneath but it's a complimentary, and understated, bite to the gooey cream. The rum note is very subtle on me, which suits me just fine. I do like some booze notes and the heady booze of Grand Guignol is a huge favourite of mine, but sometimes understated booze is just what you need. I LOVE this scent so much! And to think that I initially though food scents were not for me! I sort of wish I'd bought another bottle of this now. . . .

CVXII Mmm, sweet fruits and dark chocolate! The fruits are too well-blended for me to pick out individual notes but there's possibly some melon in here. The cocoa note is dark and rich, and gives a smooth base. I'm also getting a touch of some very soft florals, so that as this dries down I'm left with a rich, sweet, and complex perfumey scent. I LOVE this.

I've been putting off writing a review for this one since it's so hard to describe. At first, I loved this scent. It's heady, complex, and has this musky, dark-sweetness that is incredibly erotic. This is the very first BPAL blend that made me think of sex; hot, sweaty sex with a swarthy, foreign stranger. With a devilish beard. But over time the coconut comes out and blends with the fruit to create an almost sickly OTT-coconut monster. Don't get me wrong, that's a beautiful scent, but strong coconut simply doesn't work for me. I don't get any vanilla from this, only a thick musk on the drydown. This is truly heady stuff. It's absolutely lovely, but sadly not my thing.

Bright, clear, and fresh mints with the usual sweetness of peppermint being offset by that fresh cucumber. I'm not really picking up the pepper in this, though. This is such a fresh, uplifting scent. very nice!

I don't know if I'm commiting a BPAL sin by admitting this, but I don't really like Formula 54. At first it smells like a herbal version of Glitter, kind of sparkling and vibrant, but with a dirty spiciness and a deeper complexity. Over time, though, the tobacco scent turns kind of stale, and the sweetness of the cherry (which smells more like syrup to me, for some reason) doesn't really work with the tobacco to my nose. I'm super glad I got to try this, but it's not my thing.

I agree with slave1; this is vanilla in syrup form. So gooey and sweet and rich. This is very true to life like pretty much all of the BPAL SNs. It makes me hungry and I'm finding it hard not to lick my wrist!

Clove, clove, and more clove. Very true to life and deliciously spicy! This reminds me of the Lush product Pied de Piper. Mmm, delicious!

Initially this is all heady orchid; really in your face. Because my skin tends to amp up florals, it takes a long time for the sweetness of the vanilla to emerge, but it's very rich when it does, reminding me a great deal of vanilla bean SN. Overall, this reminds me a lot of Psyche actually, since it has that nice equalibrium between florals and sweetness.

Woah, this one is seriously hard to pin down. It morphs a great deal! Initially, it's all menthol-herbal, very bright and medicinal. Then it starts to sweeten, and there's a note there I can't figure out. Is it aniseed? Bubblegum? some kind of fruit? Whatever it is, it's very sweet. The final drydown is all sweetness and powder, maybe an amber note even. This is fun due to how much it changes, but overall it's not my thing.

When I first got into BPAL, I tried two Pumpkin Patch scents and quickly learnt that the pumpkin note makes me physically ill. Then a few weeks ago I managed to get my greedy paws on a partial imp of Pomegranate SN and liked it so much that I risked this scent. I'm glad I did! In the imp it's all that stomach-churning, buttery pumpkin but once on it's primarily pomegranate; tart and juicy. The pumpkin note becomes a rich undertone and the two are perfect together. I'm a fan.

This is ALL salt water taffy on me; primarily salty with a complimentary sweetness. A very nice scent, but not really something I want to smell like. Plus, it's actually not foody enough for me, which is so weird since I used to hate foody scents!

Definitely a strong sandalwood scent, though a lot warmer on me than the white kind. This is woody, warm, and softens continuously as it dries down. I am really, really torn about this one. It's not really a scent I'd like to smell like, since woody notes aren't my thing, but it's a very comforting scent. I'll have to try it again.

Juniper and rosemary; sharp, medicinal, and even a touch acidic. This has moderate throw but very little staying power. Actually, the herbal note in this reminds me of some of the TALs I've sampled, so i feel like I should be using this in ritual instead of applying it to my skin. ^^;

I won a 5ml bottle of this in the forum raffle and it arrived today. I definitely need to sample this again, but so far I'm getting deep, heady orchid and an underlying soap smell. The soapy undertone gives the whole perfume a feel of really expensive shower gel, and makes me feel super clean, like I just stepped out of a luxurious spa. I'm not getting the earthy notes that others detected, though. The throw on this is out of this world! I put a tiny drop on the back of my hand, and everytime I move I can smell it wafting up as strongly as if I'd liberally applied it to my pulse points. Definitely a true orchid, and very dark, but I'm torn as to whether this is a keeper.

A buoyant, dulcet blend of vanilla, sunflower, carnation, honeydew, peach blossom, lychee, oakmoss and white tea. I swapped my Egg Nog for an imp of this, and boy am I glad! This is all sparkling honeydew in the imp; fresh and bright and mouth-wateringly good! Initially it maintains that pure melon scent, but then it starts to morph into a slightly powdery scent, which is actually very pleasant and soft. I can definitely pick up the vanilla others have mentioned, but it's light. The tea scent leads to a more mellow drydown (though the sweetness prevails) but I'm not really getting any similarities to Dorian, which is good since Dorian smells like a cleaning product on my skin. Overall, I am a huge fan of this scent. Tea + honeydew melon + vanilla =

I'll preface this by reminding people that this is an old scent now and the imp(s) I received are therefore aged. I definitely agree with those who described this as 'pale' but not in a wishy-washy way; more in a fresh, translucent, shimmery sense. This reminds me of cool, crystal-clean water from a mountain stream; something bright and refreshing. The top note is actually a pale mint to my nose, whilst the undertone is a pure cucumber. If you're familiar with Annabel Lee, imagine something a little deeper and truer to fresh cucumber water; that's the note here. Initially, the yellow florals are quietly waiting beneath the surface of the water, only emerging in the drydown. They're rich, sweet, bright, and gentle. These are the kind of florals that I can wear very happily, and which add a complexity to this otherwise semi-aquatic scent. I love this lunacy blend!

Sweet, juicy pomegranate! Very true, very ripe, and utterly mouth-watering! This did surprise me, though, as it has a surprisingly soft and perfumey drydown. Really lovely.

Leather and BBQ sauce. O_o Then leather and that musk which always smells gross on me. Damn skin chemistry!

Mouth-watering tropical fruits! The mix of banana and tropical blossoms is divine. On the drydown, though, this goes a little sour on me.

Oddly enough, I get a citrus note in this underlying all the rich earth smell. It dries down to a dusty-rose, very perfumey, and therefore not really my cup of tea.

Sweet soil and crushed flowers, like funeral flowers that had been stamped into the wet ground. This is one of the few florals I can wear without inducing migraines.