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BPAL Madness!

Pookstrell

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Everything posted by Pookstrell

  1. Pookstrell

    Geburah

    I've been revisiting some of the imps that I obtained years ago, to see how they have aged. Geburah has mellowed beautifully. When I first got it, it was quite a sharp leather, but now it is a muted, soft and warmer. Like a softer, less angry De Sade. Very pretty! This is a very clean scent to my nose- probably one that I'd wear when getting out of a hot bath.
  2. Pookstrell

    Diwali

    I am confused by Diwali! So many notes, although I have trouble picking them out! I can smell woods at one moment, then a whiff of almond milk, then fruit, but I can't identify which fruit. This is really interesting and well put together. I don't think it's me, but I will certainly keep trying it out. Since it smells like a 'top shelf' perfume to me, I may try it out on my Mum, who prefers designer scents!
  3. Pookstrell

    Sugar Skull Soap (by Silk Road Trading Company)

    It must be me, but I can't detect any of the familiar Sugar Skull fragrance in this soap! I sniffed and sniffed, but to no avail! Nice lather and scrubby bits, but no scent. Alas!
  4. Pookstrell

    Snake Charmer

    Sensual, sibilant, sexual and hypnotic: Arabian musk and exotic spices slinking through Egyptian amber, enticing vanilla, and a serpentine blend of black plum, labdanum, ambrette, benzoin and black coconut. I got a sniffy of Snake Charmer from a very generous forumite. It is such a happy, warm scent. It has all elements of Snake Oil, Mme. Moriarty but is softer and more discrete. This is a real comfort scent, and totally up my street. I will be looking around for a bottle of this, but won't hold my breath! This is such a gentle, muted patchouli, and the notes are seamlessly blended together. Musk, a suggestion of incense and a whisp of patchouli- the sort of blend that BPAL does best! Edit: Wait, this doesn't have patchouli in it?! Then what is that lovely smell?
  5. Pookstrell

    Black Lace

    A rare event for me- I ordered two bottles of this because it sparkled with promise! In the bottle this is a clean sweet-tinged scent, and it reminds me of another BPAL that I can't place. Then... Boom- it's a cross between Antique Lace and Dorian! It has the sweet linen topnotes of AL, and the sugary base of Dorian. Fleetlingly I can detect slightly darker notes, particularly if I slather... yum. This is lovely, lovely stuff.
  6. Pookstrell

    Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller (2006)

    OMG! Flying Pizza very kindly sent me an imp of this when she spotted it on my wishlist This is absolutely fabulous. As someone else has already suggested, it is a cross between Dragon's Milk and Snake Oil. Snake Oil is somewhat strong on me, and Dragon's Milk can be a little bit 'gooey' so they are both occasional scents on me. But... this Red musk is my absolute favourite note, and it gives this blend a warm sexy feel. The vanilla makes this deliciously sweet, and the patchouli stops it from becoming too girly. If there are fruits in this, they are milky and subtly blended and I am unable to identify them separately. I will wear this a lot! I immediately ordered 5ml even though I CANNOT afford it. I will also be trawling swap boards for more. Ah, I wish that I had the money to buy multiples right now. (And I never buy multiples!)
  7. Another vote for Pele here! It's soft, warm and unobtrusive. Lovely stuff.
  8. Pookstrell

    The Bow & Crown of Conquest

    First Impressions: I was thrilled to see the description for this blend, as woodsy vanilla scents are my favourite type of scent, second only to sweet leathery blends. And The Bow has all these components In the vial this is everything I expected. I can smell leather, vanilla and a scent reminiscient of Golden Priapus without the juniper. In fact, it smells like Golden Priapus rubbed against a vanilla-guzzling De Sade. Holy crap On my skin: I immediately pick up a sweetened leather note, which gives the blend a gentle edge. Whilst I can't specifically identify the sage or carnation notes, there is a lovely rugged spiciness to this. I should mention though, that when I took it to the pub and passed it round for sniffing, other people were able to pick up on the sage. Warming up: I've worn this a few times now, and the first time it dried on my skin and the vanilla vanished. I was heartbroken. But, having worn it a few times now, I've found that the sweetness stays put. Incidentally, I find with blends that I have to wear them a few times for them to stabilise, although I don't know if this is a nose/skin/aging issue. Curious. Drydown: On my skin this is vanillary leather underscored by a woodsy spice. Sometimes the vanilla comes out on top, sometimes the leatheriness. Either way, it's just stunning. Final Verdict: After a few wearings, I can perhaps put this in my Top 3 blends of all time. This is no mean feat. It's right up there with Loviatar, Golden Priapus and Dana O'Shee for me. Further wearing will determine how high it climbs in the preference stakes. I have 5ml on order. I am absolutely bleeping thrilled!
  9. Pookstrell

    Les Infortunes de la Vertu

    I noticed that the reviews for this scent weren't particularly glowing, so I wanted to just share my love for Les Infortunes In the vial I can detect the leather note from DeSade, with a drop of strong orange blossom. If I sniff really hard I can detect the rose, but this is really leather all the way. On my skin it is rugged leather with a whiff of orange blossom. The orange blossom plays second fiddle to the leather though, and I can now detect a smoky aroma which must be the incense. As it dries it becomes a warm, rugged smoky leather with just enough floral to remain intriguing. Alongside the smokiness, there is a very slight soapy/cleaness which may be the rose. This is probably a traditionally masculine scent, but I'm keeping it for me as I like to smell 'rugged' Gorgeous
  10. Pookstrell

    Mi-Go Brain Canister

    In an effort to create a pleasing environment during a surprise trip to Yuggoth, we have created a soothing yet stimulating blend of pink pepper, peony, jasmine, mango, kiwi, pomegranate, pineapple, white ginger, serene white tea and light musks. Bon voyage! I could smell ginger, soft fruits and flowers. This could have been very pretty- except for the jasmine. Sure enough, alongside all the other wonderous was an 'off' note. The jasmine in this is mild- but still too much for me. I put some on and my boyf sniffed it. He said "yep, nice... oh. It has a slight whiff of, um, poo." My thoughts exactly. I think totally need to avoid jasmine in the future. This'll be the last jasmine blend I try. If you do like jasmine however, this might be a winner as all the other notes are wonderfully nice.
  11. Pookstrell

    Discussion of all things Amber

    I had the same experience. The Lion was not the rich, stronge amber I was expecting. Instead it was a more citrus-like amber which I also find in Haunted. To me, Blood Amber has a really different type of amber in it; rich, warm and like a second-skin. The blood resin means that it takes a while to try down- but the amber is to die for. I'd love to know what type of amber was in it. Maybe black? I'm intrigued by Ides- I'd like to know what grey amber smells like so I'm looking forward to the arrival of my bottle
  12. Pookstrell

    Cinnamon girl...

    Torture! Fingers crossed that you'll get luck with this round of Chaos blends. I was too scared to try for that very reason!
  13. Pookstrell

    Cinnamon girl...

    Your chaos blend sounds absolutely lovely Lorajc, how does it compare to Chimera?
  14. Pookstrell

    Masquerade

    I got this as a frimp from the lab in my most recent order.... In the imp... I can smell astringent orange and patchouli. The orange seems very potent, which is actually surprisingly nice as I'm not usually a fan of biting citrus- scents. This reminds me of something from Lush- perhaps the lovechild of their xmas L.E Orange n' Spice soap and Karma. On the skin... Wow! The moment it hits my skin it turns into a very well blended patchouli and orange-scent. The orange is on top at the moment. For some reason I can never detect carnation, but there is a certain spiciness to this blend which I'm guessing might be the carnation showing itself. At first it reminds me of Scherezade, but the resemblance is only superficial, as side by side Scherezade has a much sweeter drydown. Drying-down... As it dries down the patchouli deepens as the orange softens. The more this blend dries down, the more I like it. I can detect the ambergris, but only because I have tried the singlenote- if I hadn't already experienced it, I don't think I'd be able to pick it out beneath the orange and patchouli which are the dominant notes on my skin. Conclusion... This is lovely- and very familiar. As well as the similarities to Lush and Scherezade I think the boyf and I used to use a similar smelling massage oil when we were first together. So it has, um, *ahem* happy associations This blend is also strange in that the orange makes it seems quite summery, and yet the spiced orange aroma is also suggestive of yule. Christmas on the beach maybe? At first I thought the lab's patchouli note and I did not get along... but I keep stumbling upon blends which have caused my to change my mind! I forsee 5ml of this in my future!
  15. Pookstrell

    Cinnamon girl...

    Me too It has often develops a lovely sweet finish on me I've tried Love Me, and it is indeed cinnamon sweet- but it has a heck of a lot of jasmine in it. Which just doesn't agree with my skin.
  16. Pookstrell

    Cinnamon girl...

    Ooh, good thread I've been after a sweet cinnamon scent too. To this end, I have 5ml of Chimera on the way unsniffed and have been umming and ahhing about trying inferno for as long as I can remember. Hamadryad is a nice cinnamon scent- but not at all candyish.
  17. Pookstrell

    Bridal BPAL - BPAL for weddings?

    Glad someone thinks it'd be appropriate as a bridal scent! I think Haunted would make a lovely bridal scent as it'd nicely with a pale, gorgeous ethereal wedding dress i.e yours. Thanks hun! Maybe I'll see how Dorian layers with Haunted. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Actually, I reckon they'd go really well together. Of course, Antique Lace would make a gorgeous wedding scent too as it's so delicate and pretty.
  18. Pookstrell

    Bridal BPAL - BPAL for weddings?

    Glad someone thinks it'd be appropriate as a bridal scent! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I think Haunted would make a lovely bridal scent as it'd nicely with a pale, gorgeous ethereal wedding dress i.e yours.
  19. Pookstrell

    Coffee notes?

    Yup, Miskatonic sounds wonderful to me. I'm a coffee fan, but didn't get along with Mata Hari as all I could smell was jasmine. I'm hoping that Miskatonic and I will get along better
  20. Pookstrell

    Different smells/colors, same perfume

    I can't comment on Morocco, but myself and PC had a similar experience with Golden priapus a while ago. We'd tried 4 or 5 imps between us and they were all similarly yummy. The 5ml was very different though, although still recognisable as GP. I'm considering swapping it away Maybe you got a mislabled bottle?
  21. Pookstrell

    Corazon

    Corazon gave off lovely wafts of scent in the vial. It smells very juicy and red, and I could detect musk and amber which I love. It seemed so promising initially. There was something in the wet stage which vaguely reminded me of The Bodyshop's Dewberry, as Corazon was almost berry-like to my nose. Alas, as soon as this hit my skin the richness began instantly to fade. As it dried the mango became more pronounced and the amber and musk vanished. Half an hour later I am left with a very, very mild sagey mango scent which is pretty nondescript. Such as shame, as it smells wonderful in the imp. I can imagine that this would be lovely and berry-like on someone with the right chemistry- but sadly not on me Yep, an hour later and it has totally vanished. All I can smell is the Scherezade I put on earlier in the day. Nope, won't be getting a bottle of this one. I'm glad really, as I hate falling in love with discontinueds!
  22. Pookstrell

    What do bottles and labels look like?

    Aw yes, my bottle of Sugar Skull is sooo cute! I should be receiving Dead Man's hand any day soon- anyone know if that has a cute 'lil piccie too? I'm wondering if it might have a playing card symbol.
  23. Scherezade definitely has patchouli in it. It's odd because every other BPAL blend with patchouli in it hasn't worked for me. But Scherezade is totally wonderful! ETA: Vixen is also quite a potent patchouli scent, as others have suggested.
  24. Pookstrell

    Beachy, Tropical Scents

    Ooh, I've been wanting to try Juke Joint. Grog is very cocktail-like on me. Very, very boozy indeed!
  25. Pookstrell

    Beachy, Tropical Scents

    I recommende Pele, but I think Scarlet is right. Machy Picchu is much more tart and it sounds like you might prefer it. Hope you find the Star! Unfortunately I got rid o my imp a while ago, otherwise I would have sent it your way.
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