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BPAL Madness!

Atrous

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Posts posted by Atrous


  1. I wanted to review this fresh out of the mail but when I put it on it smelled dark and angry. Seriously, like it wanted to hurt me or something.

     

    So, I've given this scent some time to just calm the F--- down and its much better now for it.

     

    Ghost of a Woman kinda reminds me of Streets of Detroit because I get a similar gritty/dirty, black musk.

    This is a dark, dark musk melded with earth and woods. But, something bright comes out, during the dry down, piercing the darkness. Its smells of white floral. After smelling this I went to look up Asphodel and found that it is indeed a white flower. It's a really lovely addition to get wafts of light floral in with that dark, gritty muskiness. I really love this one and am hopefully that it only improves with age. :wub3:


  2. Upturned grave dirt, English ivy, black moss, drooping pine, dried cypress, blackthorn, and candle wax.

    In the bottle this smells very similar to Graveyard Dirt.

    Wet: this is really heavy on the Grave Dirt; its rich and damp and oddly sweet. I can smell beeswax which I'm guessing is what is sweetening the grave dirt.

    Dry: Grave Dirt fades back a bit allowing the other components to come through. Dark greenery, woods, beeswax, and a bit of camphorousness from the pine with that strange sweetness playing over everything.

    This scent is so odd but so compelling. I love its strangeness and know I'll wear it often in the Fall. It has a lot of throw.

  3. Mostly cardamom and vanilla with a dry patchouli in the background. This isn't the bold, gnarly patchouli of Revenant Rhythm; more of a quiet patchouli (if that's a thing).

    Where I don't see myself wearing RR to places like work because it can get really overpowering the Love Swing is very wearable anywhere.

    Really love this one.


  4. When I first apply this is all fir and pine. It threats to go in a Pine-Sol direction.

    But, during the dry down the pine softens allowing the smoke note to come out.

    Once this dries it smells like being in a forest and smelling a camp fire in the distance.

    The smoke just sorta' lingers in the background; never gets overwhelming.

    I really love this scent.


  5. Rose and musk are prominent. Leather is there but not very strong.

    It must be the Opal Musk that makes this scent smell old-fashioned/antique.

    To me this is an antique rose scent. It's a bit of an odd scent so I've tested it twice but I can't decide if I like it or not.

    Certainly not enough that I'd ever reach for it.


  6. On me, this smells nothing like the notes listed. I'm not detecting any Oudh, leather, cardamom, or musk.

    Strange because I normally amp cardamom and oudh so I would expect to smell those at the very least.

    All I get is men's cologne and not a good kind either. It just smells off and on the cheap side.

    Very disappointing. :sad:


  7. METRO
    I beg you, don’t lie, dear Coritto: Who was the Man who stitched for you this bright red dildo?

    CORITTO
    I don’t know if Cerdon is from Chios or Erythrae; bald, small – you’d call him a right ‘Mr. Tradesman’. You’ll think you’re seeing the handiwork of Athena herself not Cerdon’s.
    I – for he arrived bringing two, Metro – at the sight of them – well my eyes bulged; men can’t make their rods as rigid as this – we are alone and can be frank – and not only that, these are as soft as sleep; and the little leather straps are as soft as wool, not like leather straps at all. A kinder cobbler to a woman you’ll not find – even by putting-out.

    METRO
    Why then did you not take the other one as well?

    CORITTO
    What didn’t I do, Metro? What sort of means of persuasion did I not apply him? Kissing him, stroking his bald head, pouring out a sweet drink for him, calling him by a pet name, giving him all by my body to enjoy.

    METRO
    If he asked even that you ought to have given him it.

    Red leather and honey.

    I'm having one of those this is really complex for a scent with two notes moments

    This starts out as prominent leather. it's a new leather and has a sharp quality. There is also something Red about this ,but at first, I wasn't quite sure why. It didn't seem to be coming from the leather itself.

    As it morphs, the leather starts to smell musky and takes on a worn aspect. The honey starts to come out. Its there but minds its manners; for which I'm thankful.

    It's not until the drydown that I realize what's going on. There's red musk. Yep, red musk and I'm over the moon. I also believe that I'm smelling some other musk, a darker musk. I have this impression because the scent has a red quality to it but also something darker, murkier.

    It all comes together in a musky, raw, sweet, sexy scent.
    Absolutely love this!

  8. First word that comes to mind is delicate.

    The Bride has a wispy quality to it.

     

    Magnolia with a touch of etherial vanilla and sweetness. I was a bit scared of the honey musk because honey notes sometimes turn to baby powder. This honey smells light and translucent with faint hint of muskiness keeping it from going too sweet or powdery.

     

    Weirdly, I am getting a bit of green tea too.

     

    Super lovely. I'm going to enjoy wearing this on warmer days.


  9. OMG, this is so pretty!

     

    I defer to Aviatrix's review above because my experience with The Book is identical.

     

    I would just add that this scent has a classical feel to it. My nose isn't refined to tell the difference between types of roses but these roses smell white or pink (well, light colored anyway) to my nose.


  10. Bohemia does a complete turn around during its time on my skin.

    Starts out as a very pungent, perfumey rose single note.

    Just when I was going to give up (about 45 minutes) the Oudh starts coming out.

    Several hours later, its mainly Oudh with the rose lingering in the background.

     

    Really pretty but the first hour or so are tough to get through because the rose smacks my nose around. Once the Oudh comes out it does a good job taming it.

    Oudh tends to become better with age for me so do expect this scent to get better, at least so the rose doesn't assault me at the beginning.


  11. The scent of a forest on a chilly, winter day.

    Balsam Fir, leaves, herbs, and a touch of non-fruity berries.

    The mint adds to the chilliness of the scent.

    Reminds me of a cross between Skadi and Dark Rosaleen.

    Absolutely love this!

    Glad I snapped up a bottle off Etsy.


  12. Wasn't sure what to expect from Paysage but what I got was an itchy nose.

    The opium amped to an unpleasant degree and there was something that irritated my nose when I sniffed.

    I'd end up sneezing uncontrollably. It must be the mugwort. That's the only note I'm not familiar with.

    Now I know to stay away from this dreaded note.

    Needless to say, Paysage was a fail.


  13. I couldn't go wrong buying a bottle blind. Oakmoss, Clary Sage, and Pine of any kind are LOVE :heart: :heart: :heart: notes.

     

    Wet: Starts out with a cold blast of Pine. Oddly, the pine smells like its frosted over. Oakmoss starts to creep in on the drydown. Oakmoss, to me, always smells warm. So, as it slowly takes over the scent gets warmer and the initial impression of frosty pine fades. The Clary Sage starts to come out adding an herbal sweetness and that velvet-like sensation I get from Clary.

    There is a period of time during the dry down this scent goes into Dark Rosaleen territory. But, it morphs away from that once its dry.

     

    Dry: Oakmoss with sweet, fresh herbs (not cooking herbs though) and Pine. This scent is generally warm but with cold spots, if that makes sense. Like a sunlit forest where if you step under a shadow its still cool.

     

    I absolutely love this scent from sniffing the bottle to complete dry down. It morphs but I love every stage. Metis being the first scent in the Moons of Jupiter series has made me really excited to see what's coming next.


  14. A fastidiously clean scent, with a dash of pipe and cigarette tobacco. Faintly beneath, you catch the fragrance of a smear of greasepaint, a stray horsehair, and a whisper of Moroccan leather and rosin.

     

    This is just straight up a men's scented soap but with something damp and moldering in the background.

    The scent makes my face wrinkle up.

    Definitely a no.


  15. Carnation and honey can both go wrong on me so I was pleasantly surprised that scent works.

     

    The Carnation in this is stunning! Creamy with virtually none of the bite.

    On me, J&H is predominantly carnation, magnolia, and sandalwood. The skin musk is there in the background and a touch of sweetness from the honey.

    I'm not getting any Patchouli and I don't know what Immortelle smells like so I can't comment on that.

     

    It's dark, warm, musky florals. Mysterious and feminine. I'd say this is an evening scent. So good.


  16. Favorite pastime: hiding in the rafters, ogling your smoked sausage. Eyes up here, mister!

    Sweaty pear and honey with leather, coconut meat, tonka bean, and castoreum accord.

    I went out of my comfort zone to try this. I’ve heard some negativity concerning castoreum but hadn’t tried it myself. But, having good luck with animalic notes I decided to give this a go.
    This is a really odd scent. I love it but it is odd. I’m gonna do my best to describe it.

    Okay, first, this one’s a morpher.

    WET: Starts out as VERY sweet, juicy pear. Underneath this is something bitter and unpleasant. For me, leather sometimes starts out bitter but maybe it’s the castoreum? Anyway, soon the bitterness dissipates.

    DRYDOWN: Coconut and a touch of Tonka come out and help to tamp down the sweetness. Way down at the base the leather is making itself known. Again, since this is my first time trying castoreum I can only guess that this is what is combining with leather. The leather smells animalistic and skanky. Also, there’s the faintest wisp of smokiness rising up.

    This scent still stays pretty sweet all the way through and the pear stays prominent.

    I asked my Mom to take a whiff and describe it. She said sweet, fruity, dirty, leathery, musky.
    I really dig this. Glad I took the chance but it’s definitely not for everyone.

  17. First off, I put this scent on yesterday afternoon and I can still smell it this morning after waking up.

    Bear Prince starts out wet as a single note rose. a very nice rose. But, after drying down, its still those beautiful roses, but now they're roses covered in fuzz.

     

    I don't know when this morphed into Rose Musk. Maybe that happened overnight. But, yeah, now its rose musk with a hint of the snow from snow white. Different from when it was applied fresh but still a lovely scent.

    I got a few compliments on Bear Prince too.


  18. I've tested this twice.

    I made the mistake of testing this right out of the mailbox (on a very cold day) the first time. It was sharp and sour in an unpleasant way. And, it was amping spices to the point of being overpowering.

     

    It's had about two weeks to settle for the second test. This time its so much better. :D

    Its a morpher

    On first application its heavy on the Teakwood with a metallic haze. As it dries, the musk comes out more and more accompanied by some spiciness. I'm getting some subtle florals too.

    Once dry the floral aspect all but disappears. Its a perfect marriage of teak and musk seamlessly blended into one another. Just the right amount of metallic and spicy elements - not too much.

    The musk has a bit of a green musk feel to it. There's an interesting depth for a scent with only two notes listed in the description.

     

    The only downside is that, yes, it does fade rather quickly. I love this scent but, because it disappears, I'm on the fence about a bottle. Aging and another test are in order to see if it retains some longevity.


  19. Let us consider the strange sign which takes place in the East, that is in the districts near Arabia. There is a bird which is called the Phoenix. This is the only one of its kind, and lives 500 years; and when the time of its dissolution in death is at hand, it makes itself a sepulchre of frankincense and myrrh and other spices, and when the time is fulfilled it enters into it and dies. Now, from the corruption of its flesh there springs a worm, which is nourished by the juices of the dead bird, and puts forth wings. Then, when it has become strong, it takes up that sepulchre, in which are the bones of its predecessor, and carries them from the country of Arabia as far as Egypt until it reaches the city called Heliopolis, and in the daylight in the sight of all it flies to the altar of the Sun, places them there, and then starts back to its former home. Then the priests inspect the registers of dates, and they find that it has come at the fulfilment of the 500th year.

    A sepulchre of frankincense and caramelized myrrh.

    This is pretty much as advertised - Frankincense and Myrrh overlaid with a caramelized sweetness.
    The sweetness keeps the resins from going into church territory and keeps them from being overpowering.

    I like this scent but I don't know if I would ever reach for it. All the notes are on the same level, if that makes sense, and that makes this scent a bit bland. I feel that something, one of the notes, has to stand out more than the others to make this special. Haven't given up hope though. I believe it will age well so I'll tuck it away for testing at a later date.

  20. My main reaction is powdery and smoky.

    the notes are so well blended its hard to detect individual notes.

    I have to literally touch my nose to my wrist to detect the patch, oak, and dragon's blood but they smell distant if that makes sense.

    Lovely blend and surprisingly delicate.


  21. Lovely scent that does a great job of showcasing jasmine.

    The jasmine is heady, strong, loud. Definitely not a scent for those who shy away from this note.

     

    As this dries, sandalwood comes to the fore and binds itself lovingly to the jasmine.

    I can smell both the oudh and amber but they are more in the background adding some intrigue to the blend.

     

    I don't get any bourbon vanilla but that's not a surprise. most vanillas are beautiful on my skin but the bourbon variety just disappears as it does here.

     

    Heady, sexy floral! :P

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