cuervosueno

First, huge thanks to dear Stellans who sent me an imp of this. It's been my most coveted oil for years now, and I frankly didn't think I'd ever get to try it. But now I have an imp of it!

Second, this is a temple blend, not a perfume, and while I'm going to review it based on scent, that's not why I wanted it. I am a Vodouisant and have a special connection to the ghede, so this is something that I wanted mostly for my ritual use.

It came at a good time, too, as I'm investigating new fields of study for holistic health and healing, and the ghede are interesting in that they are both dead and healers. Baron Samedi, who keeps the ghede in line, is both death and healing.

The scent is interesting in the imp, and like others, I get a blast of ozone but also something cool and slightly spicy under there that reminds me of bay rum. I wouldn't be surprised if there were bay rum in this. Also there is something slightly herbal and floral too--it's not really lavender I smell, but it reminds me of a lavender fougere....By which I mean an herbal, masculine floral. The initial throw is a bit bracing and energetic, which seems suitable for them--anyone who has been at a fete knows that the energy changes when the ghede come in, and this blast of ozone makes me think of a shift in energy that is typical of them.

The ghede, esp. the Baron, tend to be dandies: they like top hats and funeral clothes (black and purple) and sunglasses...This scent has just a hint of the Victorian dandy which is very suitable for them.

It didn't really go soapy on me as far as I noticed, but granted, I only had a bit on my wrist--most of it was on my hands as I did ritual work last night.

This morning, I can still smell a slightly spicy floral on my wrist.

I've left my imp to on the ghede altar as an offering to them, and will use it when I do work that relates to them in particular. I'm pretty sure they're pleased!

Yeah, this is "meh" on me too. I was hoping for sharp, fresh ginger and cream, and I got something sort of vaguely like Mother Ginger, which is vaguely foody, but neither like real gingerbread nor like fresh ginger. It smells vaguely musty in the bottle and kind of sharp but brown on me. Not as awful as I've made it sound, but not good either.

Huh. I'm surprised this wasn't more popular, though I have to admit I didn't ever try to get it myself, though it has a number of things I like (all those spices).

But now I have an imp, and I like it. I guess three years later, the clove has died down some, as it is certainly not what I thought of when I smelled this. On me, this is a powdery, somewhat masculine blend, also somewhat herbal and astringent. I definately get the cypress and the balsam, and I was somewhat surprised there wasn't lavender in it--it has that kind of herbal astringency. I don't get the jasmine at all. There's something slightly musty in it after it's been on awhile, but that fades. And this LASTS! Still going strong, but softer, and more powdery, 12 hours later.

I like it but don't know that i need to find a bottle of it.

I didn't get a bottle of this--I'm not a huge fan of iris and champaca never really works for me, even though I always want to like it.

But I was gifted with a decant of it, and it is surprisingly nice....it has a sort of dryness that I associate more with orris than with iris. It's a dry, grey sort of scent that is elegant and sophisticated. The tea isn't nearly as strong as I like in the blend (which for me is true of almost all BPAL tea scents) but is in there, as a hint of tea, like the steam rising from the cup. I don't get much patchouli. The labdanum shows up fairly early on. I've never been able to identify what BPAL's ambergris is like, so I can't say much about that. Ladeedah described it well: it has the feel of sitting in a chair drinking tea, and is definately a grey scent. Surprisingly appealing!

I don't know if this the original pulse points, or if this is the DD version, but no matter. Pulse Points is something I'd long wanted to try, just because I like to try the rare things, and this one was rare when I joined in 04, as it was discontinued then.

Granted, there's nothing in it I particularly like. I don't DISLIKE civet, but I can't say I'm a huge fan either, but I don't like poppy and pretty much detest narcissus. Still, had to try it, and thanks to the wonderful Stellans for making that possible!

So here's the thing: in the imp, I kind of like it. It's not a "me" scent, as it is very floral, but it's a nice, sweet narcissus, not the stinky feet narcissus. It smells pretty much like a floral perfume, traditional and feminine. After I put it on, the civet asserts itself a bit: not the raw animalistic note I sometimes get in civet--it is more like a musk here. And the scent doesn't change much from the imp to the skin, even after a few (ok 20) minutes....it's still a somewhat intoxicating white floral, with a hint of hairspray that makes it not for me. It reminds just a bit of Formula 54, only in the sexiness of it, and the slight hairspray aspect, like the seductive beauty whose been out all night and smells of hairspray and second hand smoke, and a bit of alcohol seeping out of her pores. That's not what this smells like (much more like what F54 smells like!) but it is the impression I get, though this might be the sister who didn't go out, but stayed in for some naughty fun with a beloved.

Overall, it's not me, but I'm glad to get to try it, and also to get to try a narcissus that works! (I don't even like the smell of the flower, so I'm really a narcissus-phobe!)

This starts out with coconut...not the suntan oil variety, but dried coconut meat with the husk still attached. Dry and not too sweet. I also get a light floral there, which is probably the orchid. Not much of anything else, but this is still appealing, and reminds me of one of the opal scents, though right now I'm not remembering which one (one has coconut, though, so it would be that one. Black opal?) I don't get vetiver at all. There is a faintly woody note that could be oude, and something faintly vanilla-esque which i guess is the vanilla amber. I like peach as a scent but don't it.

Overall this is nice, pretty, a dry and sophisticated coconut scent. I'm not crazy about coconut scents though, and when I want one I usually go for Obatala, so this isn't a keeper.

Hmm....this looks awful floral. Why did I want it again? Those were my thoughts after reading the notes. Well, ok, let's try it anyway.

Oh, what a surprise! In the imp this is really lovely: tart, though I'm not sure from what...maybe the violet leaf, which I imagine is different than violet? I can't really pick out the notes. It goes soapy rather quickly, though, which sometimes happens with me with iris scents. Soapy and dry and too floral. Too bad: I liked it at first. Next?

But wait! About 1/2 hour later, I smelled it and it was gorgeous! A really lovely incense like scent that is sweet and pretty but not at all foody. Reminds me of something,b ut I'm not sure what. It doesn't smell like violet to me, but if someone said this was violet amber incense, I'd believe it. It reminds me just a tiny bit of violet candy + incense, but whatever, it is a lovely, sweet, incense scent that I can't stop sniffing. It's a keeper as an imp....maybe a bottle too?And it does suit the name: while I don't think so much of The Velvets per se, it does remind me of a scent that would cling to a piece of antique velvet when you pull it out of a cedar chest: sweet, elusive, haunting. I like Vega's review quite a bit, and I agree with it, and while I don't know if I really do need more, this is a fascinating scent, and is a morpher.

What an interesting scent! When I read the description, I had no idea why I wanted to try this, but it's quite intriguing, actually. The rose hip is what I get first: delightlfully tart in the way of rosehips with a bit of plum flower. I don't much like jonquils as a scent, and unfortunately they come in next (aren't they daffodils? I love the flower, but the scent is a kind of dry floral) It gets kind of wierd once that comes in, and I do get a hint of sandalwood, but overall the pleasant tartness goes and I'm left with an oddy dusty woody scent with a hint of floral sweetness.

I agree that it smells very much live violet candy with floral. I wish the rosehip scent stayed....because how cool is that? rosehips, which are nothing at all like the flowers, but sadly, they do not, and incense doesn't come out too much, though there is a powdery edge here that reminds me of the ash of a floral incense.

Not my thing.

eta: looked up jonquils. They are related to daffodils, but also to the evil (to me) narcissus. Hmmm...no wonder I don't like it.

Got my bottle today, and it's had several hours to recover from travel. My initial impressions:

.It reminds me of more Antique Lace than Black Lace, thought it starts with Black Lace's booziness. That's the first thing I get from the bottle, which is interesting, since there's not a booze note listed.

On me, this softens right away, and stays closer to the skin. It is sweeter and more cotton-y to me that black lace, which is perhaps why it reminds me more of antique lace. I just smelled them both from the bottle/imp, and there is definitely a resemblance to Antique Lace to me--creamy vanilla. Not terribly fruity on me, though when I went outside after applying, I thought I smelled something fruity, and given that it is winter here, that was the perfume, not the air. It wasn't recognizably berry, but it was tart/sweet and unobtrusive, and it gives this a richness and, yes, redness that does remind me of the pom in Mme. Moriarity, though this scent is nothing like that on me at all (which is fine, as I don't need more of that).

The dreaded red musk is so soft I don't get much of it at all, which is fine with me. I don't get frankincense as a note particularly, and the orris only adds a certain dryness. Patchouli is just another note blending in the rest. The only things that stick our are sweet cream and vanilla and the linen, maybe just a hint of blonde tobacco.

I like it, and see it as falling between Antique Lace and Black Lace. Black Lace is an alltime fave, and I don't think this will hit those heady heights for me, and Antique Lace was not a keeper ('cept for my little partial imp for old time's sake) so this falls somewhere in between--something I will enjoy wearing, I think, but may not reach for all the time.

Oh, and it IS quite light, with moderate throw, but it does seem to last.

eta: I've had time to wear it more, and it's slowing creeping up in my estimation. I put some on yesterday afternoon, and noticed that before I went to bed (well after midnight) I still got a lovely sweet vanilla and creamy linen note. But what is more impressive is that I still have a tiny hint of it well over 15 hours later! It's bright and sweet: like a pot of sweet cream cradled in clean and crisp linen napkin. There is just a tiny hint of red--thing a swirl of raspberry jam.

This is a lovely scent, and very long lasting, though never obtrusive. Black lace is in your face, like a woman wearing a sexy black lace dress. Red lace is like a red lace lingerie under a modest suit--you can't see it, but somehow sense that it is there. Its a close to the skin kind of sexy.

Thanks to Dark Alice for sharing a tester with me too! You've enabled us!

I like this. I love the lab's honey scents, so it's no surprise I like it. I like the really thick,heady honeys (say of Honey Moon or Litha) and these honeys are like that: really rich and strong. The fruits smell like cider to me rather than fresh fruit, and the pom mixed with apple gives this an almost cherry cider vibe, so with the slight whiff of hyssop that comes in occasionally, I do understand the cough drop comparison, though luckily it doesn't do that on me.

This is so nice I might have to put it on my wishlist, though I suspect the chances of getting more are slim indeed. And I don't want to cause a panic, but this reminds me very slightly of the long gone (and missed) Lughnasdah....that rich cherry cider sort of thing. Of course it's been an awful long time since I've tried Lughnasdah, so, ymmv.

Interesting how the green, which is quite sharp and astringent, effects the honey, making this more of an evergreen type scent than a honey one. The honey is only really a slightly sweet note in here. I understand how some people felt it smelled like myhhr...it does a bit. It's kind of a spicy, green scent rather than a honey one. Kind of interesting actually, though not something I'm immediately in love with.

Heady and boozy in the bottle, I can see why people got an "O" vibe from it, though it doesn't smell like O on me. In the very beginning it has a slightly custardy slightly funky scent that while is not like the actual Durian, it does recall it enough to justify the name. this fades fast on me, though, and I'm left with a golden brandied honey scent.

It dries down to something that is golden and girly, with a slightly floral vibe. Not heavy on the honey in the dried down phase.

I like it ok, but its not remarkable and it fades pretty fast on me.

This is the only one of the Yule scents I like and may keep my partial bottle leftover from my decant circle. It does smell Christmas-y. I get pine, something fruity which is probably the pears thought it doesn't necessarily smell like pears. Punch with oranges is in evidence too, and a bit of spice. Holly and bayberry? Check, but not in an overwhelming way. It mostly smells festive, and yes, kind of like a candle, but like that. I will probably try it in an oil burner too!

It's nice.

In the bottle this has an aquatic note, but I don't get that when I put it on (which is fine, as I don't like aquatics). On me, this is very like Snowblind, except this one fades faster and goes plasticky in a way Snowblind does not. (I'm noticing most of the lab's vanillas are turning plasticky on me these days). It is kind of like a soft, muted vanilla mint. Like Waltz of the Snowflakes without the wood/pine note.

But it doesn't last long, goes kind of plastic, and then it just fades to a soft sweetness that is almost slightly floral.

Not a keeper.

Where is my citrus? Where is my tea? I smell the tea in the bottle, but on me? Violet. This quickly becomes a generic floral, very "perfumy." Utterly uninspiring on me.

I really, really wanted this to work. I'm so sad it doesn't! It is all gingery, but not baking gingery like ginger bread, but also not like ginger root. hard to describe. I guess kind of ginger-ale like does make sense, or more sense than the other types of gingery, anyway. It is a bit fizzy when it goes on, fizzy and sweet.

Whoever said candied orange, that kind of makes sense to me. It smells like there is something like candied fruit in here too. And something powdery, which worried me, because it smelled a bit like the amber that ruined some other Yules for me. I don't get the spices at all, though the first time I applied it, it burned on me a bit, which cinnamon does sometimes. Still, I don't smell either spice, which is sad, cause I love nutmeg.

The vanilla goes a bit plasticky on me. Luckily, that stops, but then it dries down to a generic sweet powdery scent.

Overall, it's not bad, but it's also not good on me.

I like incense scents, and frankincense in particular, though I have problems with BPAL frankincense sometimes as it does not smell as true to the resin as some others. It tends to be drier and not have the almost citrus note of true frankincense. That said, I always have to try, and I thought this might be good with the fig to warm things up, even though galabanum is usually a dry note to me.

This is of the dry variety, and the fig doesn't brighten it. It's more like incense dust than incense, and doesn't smell particularly like its notes on me. It just a hint of incense that fades fast on me. Dry dusty and woody describes it perfectly.

I'm not crazy about it, but since many of the Yules I got were epic fail, this one is, at least, inoffensive.

Watermelon jolly rancher's indeed. Big no for me. It smells artificial. Why, oh, why, are none of the Yules working?

I was hoping this would be piney, and I even was excited about smelling like Christmas candle, which was what I wanted!

Unfortunately, this is all amber note of doom on me. I like amber, but some of BPAL's amber turns to stinky socks on me, and this one is OVERWHELMING that way. It's pretty much all I can smell--this funky note. And when I was decanting, I accidently got some on my hoody--disaster! All I could smell was that note (which obviously doesn't work on or off my skin).

So this is a huge fail for me, sadly.

In the bottle I get some of the pine, which is what I was hoping for, even though the overwhelming scent is very like Snowblind,which is buttermint to me.

When I put it on, all the pine goes away--not that there was much to begin with--and it's all vanilla butter mint like Snowblind, except this has a moment that goes plasticky, like some of BPAL's vanillas have for the past couple of years. that settles down, though, then it is pretty much like Snowblind on me, but not as good.

So I'm not feeling I need to keep this one, though unfortunately, that has been true of all the Yules this year.

I got a sample of this as a gift from my wonderful switch witch! I just tried it tonight (I also use it as an afterbath moisturizer). On me, it smells like caramel apples, very light on the caramel, with a hint of mint. Hmmm...I think candied apples is what I mean...not caramel apples but those ones with the candy shell. It is also very slightly lemony in the bottle, but on me, I get only apples and mint.

No coconut. Usually when people use coconut oil as a base, it is fractionated coconut oil which does not smell like coconut (I have a bottle I mix with things....not much, if any, of a coconut scent).

I am teh sad. I really wanted this...I like sassafras and was thinking of something like Tombstone. My wonderful and amazing switch witch, Dark Alice, got this for me as part of Switch Witch gift, and I was SO THRILLED to get it.

Smelled it.....yum! Sassafras! Rootbeer! It does kind of remind me of rootbeer bottle caps too (though I'd totally forgotten about those candies til I read this thread--I LOVED them as a kid).

So I put it on!

About 20 minutes later, I started looking around the overpiled table for soap, because some soap was just TOO strong and the scent was bothering me. Found some soap (which smelled nothing like what I was smelling, but....) and put it away. 10 minutes later and I have a splitting headache and still smell the damn soap.

Then I realized it was the Slaugh. I've never had BPAL give me a headache before, and usually I can tolerate (and even like!) these notes, but for some reason Slaugh is just evil on me. Evil soap=headache.

Stupid skin chemistry! I so wanted to like this!

I don't know that I have that many suggestions, but I just wanted to share the milk note love! I would say try and get Nonae Caprotina. It does appear from time to time in the swaps/sales thread. It's really spectacular! I thought, do I really need another milk note perfume, but then I tried it and fell in love (it has a nice herbal quality too). It's my favorite "sleep" scent!

Most of the milk notes I can think of are LEs. Chaste Moon has a milky scent, as I recall, but again, an LE. The Ghost Cow of Yerba Buena Island is another, but even harder to get than some of these others (and I personally find it similar to Nonae, but I like Nonae more).

Some other scents that have milk or creamy notes are Alice and Sudha Segara, but while I enjoy Alice, it's not quite "milky" enough when I'm craving that... Sudha Segara never smelled that milky to me....not sure I remember what note was played up (the honey?) but something overwhelmed the milk.

I haven't tried Bread and Butterfly, but if you like tea, it might be interesting to try to.

But I'd say go for Nonae!

I just got this today, literally just got it out of the mailbox and put it on, so this is very much an initial impression sort of review.

But so far, I like it! I was thinking I would like Harvest Moon more, and was a bit worried about this one, but I think I may end up liking this more.

In the bottle: it is fruits, a hint of nuts, and is somehow a dry scent rather than a juicy one, which is appropriate, perhaps for the time of year. On, it does share some things with some of the dry grasses scents like coyote, etc. Not that it is at all like them, but it has an edge of dry grasses and leaves, which I have decided is sweet grass and oak bark (not that I necessarily get a sweetgrass note, but I get the impression of it). It also has a slight herbal note without being an herbal scent. The blackberry wine and apple is not coming out as a fruit per se, but adding a slight sweetness to this. The nuts just add depth.

Overall, I very much agree with Loligo: this is dry and aromatic, and sun warmed, and not fruity per se (and I don't get any booze notes at all).

I like it!

I just got mine out of my mailbox, so my impressions may change, but right now I like it. It is not like I expected: I expected to be able to smell the cedar and balsam, but I do not. I get a golden smell, like autumn light, and I do also get the orange/peach vibe sunlitgarden is talking about, but on me it is not to sweet or rotting.

There is something pungent but sweet under there...probably sweet wine and grapes. There is a wisp of woodsmoke, so far off I can barely detect it.

This evokes the harvest colors of gold and brown to me, but it is slightly perfumy as well. I think I like it.....will see how it wears!

eta: after a few minutes the spices do come out, and it is a bit more like mulled...cider I guess, though not quite cider. It becomes a bit more cinnamony than I like, but we'll see!