forspecial_plate

I've been up and down with this one, at first I loved it (first brief test), then on a longer test I thought it was a little sour and weird. Then last night and today I'm giving it a real full test. It is unlike most other bpal scents I have tried. It does go through a slightly sour and odd phase for the first hour or so, but then I think the tonka comes out more, and it really needed that underlying layer of warm almost vanilla-like sweetness. This goes on for the duration. It's a lovely warm rosey scent at that point. I do smell the rose element but it's not like most other rose scents I have encountered. It's like a wooly slightly woody rose scent. I know there's no "wool" note listed but that's what it reminds me of. I don't see myself wearing this in warm weather but I might need more than a decant for the cooler autumn and winter months.

The Wood-Pile from last year's Yule collection is one of the best and prettiest aquatic scents I've ever tried, but you might not guess from the notes in the description: "Bald cypress and Spanish moss, spatterdock and sundew".

When I first tried this, I thought it smelled good, but wasn't anything really special. It kind of reminded me of Antique Lace and that was that. Then I gave it a full day testing and found that I really love it! It smells like a vaguely woody vanilla scent to me, I wouldn't call it smokey exactly, but I do get the slightly rugged earthy quality that others have mentioned. This scent sticks with me all day, and has this way of teasing the air around me for hours. I just love the extended dry-down of this scent. As I get to know my Halloween decants, this and Studie Einer Ziege are my top 2 (so far), and I'm going to need bottles of both.

#49 This is a darker green, somewhat herbal blend with a softer leaf note. The leaves don't stand out as much. I think I smell basil and maybe a dark ivy note. I like it. Edit: wearing this today 7/26/19, and there's another herbal note in this, possibly cardamom or something. Right now it smells a lot like Declaration which I like.

#40 This is super soft, light, dead leaves and pretty aquatic, slightly sweet, just very clear. There might be a touch of ivy. It's spring-like and reminds me of a pale sea green color. This will be great in early spring, or whenever I want something clean!

Decant of #57, from TrailerTrashPrincess's decant circle.....I wonder what the others think of this? Disclaimer: I've never tried ANY of the Lab's Pumpkin Spice scents, but I own and wear quite a few of the Pumpkin scents. Wet on first application, I can smell a somewhat buttery pumpkin note plus something....herbal? Kind of funky. I'm thinking "hops" but I have no idea (I used to work in a health food store and I ordered all the bulk herbs, this stage distinctly reminds me of opening a big jar of dried hops). Later after it dries, this smooths out a lot. I smell some pleasant spices, and something else. I can't tell if it's a light creamy floral, or possibly some kind of airy, delicate bread note? Am I smelling orange blossom? That would explain why it smells so weird at first, orange blossom has that effect to my nose. But now, it's light and smells nice. I think once you get past the initial "funky" stage, this is really light and pretty.

I got this for my boyfriend but ended up liking it for myself (and he's not crazy about it, so it's okay). It goes on sweet, slightly fruity, and I agree with the above reviewer who said bready. As time goes by the creamy milk note comes out stronger. After a longer while, it reminds me of a fluffy coconut confection of some sort, kind of airy. The fruit is kind of nonspecific, and I never picked out much honey from the blend. I do like it and I don't have many (more or less) straightforward gourmand scents, so I'm leaning towards keeping this one. I would think that someone who likes foody scents could wear this any time of year, I don't particularly think "Halloween!" when I am wearing it.

#3 This has a soft bonfire note and some kind of musk, possibly red musk, and Samhain comes out over time. It's a beautiful fall scent, reminds me of Witch Dance except a lot softer. There's nothing harsh, just a warm glowing musky bonfire, with the sweetness of Samhain. I love it! Edit 3/31/19, I'm wearing this now and I swear it's straight up tobacco with some Samhain around the edges. How did I not smell tobacco in it before??

I think I have a sample of that somewhere around here. I'll try to hunt it down and try it again. Edit: I found my sample of Pomegranate Noir, and I'm wearing it now. This is a tough one! I smell equal parts fruit and wood, with some patchouli as well. Dionysia seems like such a close match with the notes. I just put some on, from a very aged decant from the original release, and I think it's more fruity. I kind of see what you mean about PM being spicier. For the wood part, I keep thinking of Dee. But Dee doesn't have any fruit, so on its own, that wouldn't do it. I'm also thinking of Masquerade, for the patchouli part. But - again - no fruit in Masquerade. Maybe layered with Baneberry? I can't remember if I've tried Oberon, but I I keep thinking of it, so I should mention it. Might be a stretch. But since it's GC, might be worth a try. Pepper has pink pepper and crushed berries.....and lots of other stuff. Red (Fraggle Rock) has spicy pink pepper and red currant, might be worth a try. Sorry I haven't tried these last 3 so I don't actually know - I hope you find something!

#46 There's a pretty clear wine note in this, it reminds me of grape. If you had asked me, "What's one note that you DON'T want in your Chaos scent?", I might very well have said grape. But, this is so good, and a great fall scent! I'm surprised at how well it works on me. Up close, I think there might be some kind of stone or clay note. And I think there's some kind of incense too. Samhain is in the background and comes out stronger as time goes on. I mentioned elsewhere, this kind of reminds me of Temple Viper with Samhain instead of Snake Oil. But the "crumbling stone" note kind of reminds me of Lace Phoenix and (from what I remember) some of the Crimson Peak line.

A breakdown, for my own benefit (to narrow down choices). Blue Ghost Blues....A ward against evil: bay rum, whiskey, cigar smoke, black pepper, and salt I want to try this for sure. Maybe a decant or partial bottle. Dia De Los Muertos......dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom and desert cereus I've never tried this and always wanted to. Or maybe I smelled it briefly at Moonarcana's house. Still, I would like a decant if I can find one. Midnight Bonfire......night-blooming jasmine, smoldering maple leaves, a cluster of patchouli and blackened ti leaf, black sage, and pinewood smoke If I'm doing decants, I should throw in this. It has a good chance of being very nice and cozy for fall. The jasmine sounds a little out of place but maybe I'm just not imagining it the way it really is. Pumpkin Crème Brulee.....With vanilla bean scrapings Possible decant but there are other Pumpkin scents I'm more interested in.......Like....... Pumpkin Musk and Black Oudh......A strangely romantic, disturbingly erotic perfume Disturbingly erotic? Sign me up for a decant. I thought seriously about a bottle but oudh doesn't always smell good to me. It's best when it just fades into the background, IMO. Pumpkin Tobacco......Sweet black tobacco infused with dried pumpkin and soaked in bourbon I really want to wear tobacco notes but I'm not sure they always work for me. Everything about this sounds fabulous. Why am I hesitating? Probably a decant. Scarecrow Turned Philosopher.....Corn husks waving on an autumn breeze, beams of amber sunlight, hay bales, and late summer wildflowers I am all over this concept, but I'm not sure about wildflowers. I don't love all floral notes, so this would be a risk. That's what decants are for, right? : ) Masque of the Red Death....... A Multitude of Dreams......A blackened lavender mist, thick with opoponax, licorice root, and benzoin Sounds somewhat promising, although I'm a little more picky with my incense scents these days (which is what this sounds like to me....incense). I like them if they are soft and elegant, not too strong. I don't like to smell like a big actual incense stick (but there was a time that was what I wanted). Possible decant, but not high priority. Pickman Gallery 2018....... A Young Boy and His Brother Seated on a Goat.......Polished mahogany, copal resin, Java sandalwood, teakwood, and Sumantran patchouli This could be really good or not so good on me, just based on my experience with these notes. Copal tends to smell like cheap aftershave on me and not in a good way. My partner liked the sound of this one but I know certain scents make him wheeze and this sounded like one of those to me. I might get a decant just to satisfy my curiosity and his. Cabras......Black pine, white sage, creeping ivy, and wild juniper Sounds like a lot of green, pine and juniper.....I stopped buying these kinds of scents quite a while ago, maybe it's time to try again? The more I look at the notes, and the painting, the more curious I am getting. Lithograph of a Mountain Goat.......White sandalwood, black pepper, muguet, agarwood, labdanum, and 3-year aged patchouli I love patchouli and labdanum, and so I am curious about this. I don't think I particularly care for the other notes, especially muguet. But - somehow I think this might be good for my partner, or me. Possible decant. Studie Einer Ziege.....Sweet labdanum with clove, tobacco absolute, and guiac wood I actually had this in my cart and removed it before checkout. Again, I love labdanum. But the other notes sound very familiar to me, like I have a dozen other scents with these notes and don't even wear them that much (clove, tobacco..). I might have to get a decant and I may end up loving it. I'm in a mood today, so my judgment may not be the best. Two Sheep and Two Goats Resting Together in a Field......Sweet vetiver, bourbon vanilla, and wool I had this in mind for my partner but changed that to Jupiter Nourished at the last minute. I might still need to try a decant of this, either for him or me. Venus Pandemos.....Hay, rose otto, red benzoin, torch smoke, and pink carnation This could be really good, but it sounds very powdery and might be soapy as well. Possible decant. Zoe and the Goat......Caramelized patchouli, cream, and thick golden honey I picked Jupiter Nourished over this, hope I didn't make the wrong choice. Possible decant. Pile of Leaves....... Dead Leaves and Maple Sap.......possible decant, I love Burning Leaves by CBIHP, which is basically the same thing except with smoke added. Dead Leaves and Scotch.....possible decant, sounds unbelievably cozy for a chilly fall day. Dead Leaves and Vanilla Incense......I had this in the cart and took it back out. It sounds a little close to Hope and Fear Set Free, which I love. But - would I need both? Decant or partial bottle, probably. Dead Leaves, Black Tea, and Tobacco Leaf......I had this in the cart too. But, I already have a few scents with tobacco. I am not sure. It might be really great. Possible decant or partial bottle. Dead Leaves, Blackberry, and Red Patchouli.......how thorough do I want to be with the dead leaves? I don't want to miss a good one, like I know I have in the past. Maybe decant. Dead Leaves, Bourbon Vetiver, Nagarmotha, and Vanilla Absolute.......see above, possible decant. Dead Leaves, Sweet Oakmoss, White Sage, and Chaparral........see above again, possible decant. DECANTS: Blue Ghost Blues Pumpkin Musk and Black Oudh Pumpkin Tobacco Scarecrow Turned Philosopher A Young Boy and His Brother Seated on a Goat Lithograph of a Mountain Goat Studie Einer Ziege Two Sheep and Two Goats Resting Together in a Field Venus Pandemos Dead Leaves and Scotch Dead Leaves and Vanilla Incense Dead Leaves, Black Tea, and Tobacco Leaf Dead Leaves, Bourbon Vetiver, Nagarmotha, and Vanilla Absolute

Yes I have, I really like the Dead Leaves scents that I have tried! Hard to pick a favorite. I especially love Dead Leaves, Candied Violets and Sugar Crystals (I think that's the right name) from last year.

I didn't like this at first but I really like it now. When I first got it, I there was a waxy and bitter aspect that I didn't think I could get past. I put it away for a while. Tried it again today, and it's a lovely dry woodsy patchouli, with a hint of herbal sweetness that gives it a playful bubblegum hint that I love. It's somewhere in the family of Plunder without all the spices, or that Luper from a couple years back, something Whist, that also had patchouli.

This brings to mind new shoots reaching out of clean earth, very fresh, a fabulous slant on mossy vetiver Looong into the drydown there's a breath of delicate floral dancing just at the edges, very sophisticated floral vetiver but very light at this point Yes I said vetiver twice, if you don't like it this might not be the scent to turn that around (but then again, maybe it could?) For the record my partner just said it reminds him of his grandfather's aftershave, which is quite different from my impressions!

Like LiberAmoris, I was surprised by this, it really doesn't smell like I expected these 2 notes to smell together. It's clean, herbal, snappy but also warm and somewhat spicey. I kind of wish I bought 2 bottles because I wear it to the gym, it doesn't really smell like a perfume, more like a spa sort of scent, and it's the hair gloss I wear the most out of the 4 that I own. The strength or throw is perfect and doesn't interfere with whatever oil I want to wear, and it goes with a lot of different scents. I love it!

Breath of God fans......I'm wearing An Encounter of Three today, from the current Lupercalia scents, and it does remind me of Breath of God, not exactly like it but definitely in the same family.

This smells very pleasant but it smells like an atmosphere scent and not a perfume for me. Like a candle or room spray. I'm blaming the ambergris and I'm starting to think it's a note I should just avoid altogether. I might possibly wear this in the fall when the weather turns cooler.

Agreed, Soupy Twist.......the opening is really kind of funky and I thought I made a mistake here......orange blossom is really iffy with me (even though I want to love it and pretty much refuse to give up)......sometimes it's ok, sometimes I don't like it. After a short while, maybe 10 minutes, this calms down a lot and turns into this delightful herbal somewhat fruity blend that will smell really good when the weather starts to warm up (which I am so ready for...). This might be one of those scents that I dislike at first and grow to LOVE (I think I already do love it). I put on some more so I can experience that weird opening again, and transformation into....I'm not sure how to describe, but it's just herbal fruity loveliness. I'm not detecting individual notes here. That funky opening phase kind of provides a weird undercurrent that is just so intriguing, kind of a raspy feeling? It keeps me wanting to sniff this up close. I do have a Chaos Theory IV that I've always thought of as orange blossom spice marshmallow, and I like it but it's a little too strong sometimes. This is kind of close to that but even more wearable. I'm not sure I need both? Bottle upgrade possibly? It also kind of reminds me of Habit Rouge, which I only just realized. Edit to add: I don't detect much bergamot, but I do pick up a hint of white floral which makes sense since orange blossom is a white floral I think? Some of you might amp that part

Cross-posted in Bpal Chatter.. Fortuna Annonaria smells just like Comme des Garcons Black, from memory.

A coworker used to use that and it always reminded me of Plunder, or possibly Baron Samedi.

Is there any room at your head, Willy? Or any room at your feet? Or any room at your side, Willy, wherein that I may creep? A scent of unendurable grief and longing: pale orris root and honeyed white lily chilled by wild carrot and cognac, pulled into a winding sheet of white jasmine, tobacco flower, tuberose, and patchouli. First impression: strong white floral, reminds me of the little bathroom soaps that are for decoration only (soapy, but really nice soap). I didn't like it at first. After a couple minutes, when I bring my wrist up to my nose, I can smell a very strong booze note, the cognac I suppose, that worried me at first. After a while, the booze faded back a lot, and I get a balanced floral/booze/patchouli combo. I don't think the patchouli is super strong, but I like patchouli and sometimes don't even notice it. It's here but just giving an earthy base to the powdery floral and chilly booze notes. If you amp patchouli and don't like it, there might be enough here to turn you off. I was hoping for a little more sweetness from the tuberose and jasmine, but it's mostly austere orris and lily to me. I think the tobacco flower is contributing to the soapiness. Summary: chilly white floral with booze, soapy and a little powdery, with an earthy patchouli base. I wish it was just a little sweeter but it is very ghostly, reminds me of something else from bpal - maybe Sepulcher? But I couldn't wear that, it was just too high-pitched and soapy. This is more balanced, I like it.

If anyone loves Kingsport, I recommend you at least try The Wood-Pile from the current 2017 Yules. While they're not exactly alike, they sure are alike in character. The Wood-Pile doesn't have as much of a hazy incensey vibe but the sweet aquatic part is very similar to my nose.

I agree this is chic and elegant, I just wanted to add I smell the ghost of a flower in this scent. I grabbed my decant and couldn't remember anything about it, put it on, and thought there was rose in it. Then I looked up the review and thought it was strange, there aren't any floral notes listed. Now I can still smell kind of an airy white floral floating around at the edges of the scent. Maybe it's the cashmeran playing tricks. I do remember there was something borderline sour about it when I first got it, that aspect has smoothed out somewhat and I don't know what was doing that. I like it now.

Not much to add, and I don't have much experience with different massage oils, but this does work well as far as smoothness on the skin and lasts a long time (I tried on the bf). The scent is really nice, I get mostly warm orange with sandalwood and myrrh (the myrrh comes out stronger after a while, yes I basically used this as a perfume today). I love patchouli and many times for me it just fades into a low hum in the background, and that is what's happening here. Overall I enjoy this.

This is strongly herbal, almost too herbal, but the patchouli makes it very nice. I am a big patchouli fan and this is a nice and different bpal patchouli. It definitely has some age going on and I really have barely worn it, I'm glad I dug it out today - very grey and cold outside with snow flurries, and this is a nice kind of dreary but warm scent to fit the mood. I get the slight metallic aspect that others noted. And yes, also rooty.