cuervosueno

Yup, honey and snake oil!

 

It's nice, though...smooth and lush honey and the spice of snake oil give it a kind of light cinnamon waft at first...It's really delicious.

 

At first I thought I didn't need it because I have several honey scents, including my fave, Honey Moon, and at first it seemed like this was too faint and fleeting on me.

 

Must have been a day I was trying something really strong, because I put it on last night, and woke this morning and could still faintly smell it. That said, it doesn't have nearly as much throw as O which probably isn't a bad thing...it kind of invites you in closer.

 

Bottleworthy for sure!

Whoa! This is odd! In the imp I get a whiff of green apple, but on me, the green apple takes the backseat to something oddly bubblegum-ish (as others have noted) and then green wood and then ash! This is really strange, kind of like someone peeled some bark off a bunch of twigs then tossed in some bubblegum and dumped ash over the whole thing.

 

Yeah, don't think I need anymore of this.

I like this! In the imp and wet it begins quite woody, but with a bit of undefined fruitiness too. I also get whiffs of soft cinnamon. As it dries and lingers, the wood softens and the fruit is more prominent. When I wore it earlier today I had no idea what kind of fruit might be in it, but simply that there was some. After reading the description, I still don't pick out tamarind or almond or fig--just a bright fruitiness that is not grape--more red if that makes sense. There is a slightly bubblegum note, which makes it seem more like a candy fruit than a real fruit (but it is not too sweet--the wood and herbal notes keep that under control). I also get the slight chocolate vibe people mentioned.

 

What it reminds me of is Alecto--wood, slightly astringent herbal note with something that reads as berries (in Alecto). It doesn't really seem that close to Alecto, but to my nose they might be cousins.

 

I like it!

Lord....tempest in a teapot, and I'm sorry Beth had to step in and respond to something she has already talked about. Repeatedly.

 

Jayne, you're stirring things up for no apparent reason. Wasn't clear if it was curiosity or shitstirring at first, but now it is pretty clear which it is. Why are you so concerned with whether some components might be synthetic or not when you've already told us (repeatedly) about your love of high end perfumes, and even discussed how you like perfumers make things "molecule by molecule" (ie. synthetic). You got your answer about where Beth's components come from (and frankly to suggest she was using oils meant for candles is another example of how you're trying to stir things up). Now stop. If you don't like the perfume, fine. If you do, that's fine too. But this supposed "curiosity" is bullshit.

 

And some people who are concerned about this for so-called health reasons? I'm not speaking about all of you, but some of you have been around long enough to either know if BPAL works for you or not, and don't need to be demanding on that issue, especially after Beth already made it clear where she gets her components. If there is something that people know they are allergic to, that's different, and then you should talk to the lab directly. I really don't see that knowing about synthetic vs. nonsynthetic is going to have much in general to do with health issues (though a specific component might, and then, again, talk to the lab. The fact they will even address these kind of issues says something about their integrity).

 

Anyway, I think that by far the wisest thing to do now--now that we have the information from Beth about where her components come from (not that she hasn't said this all before)--is to ignore the trolling, and let the (non)drama die down.

Cake Smash is delicious. In the imp,it is all delicious vanilla and cake, with lovely frosting. I put it on, and as it dries down, a wonderful spice is added to the mix.

 

It really is absolutely drool-worthy, and doesn't turn plastic on me as some cake/vanilla scents from BPAL do.

 

On me, it is very very like Arcana's Adoration, though, so I don't need to get a bottle as I already have a bottle of the Arcana scent.

Oh, this sounded so delicious, though I know it could go wrong. I love cacao, and tobacco absolute is something I love the idea of (though in practice, it doesn't always work). Ok, musk is hit or miss, more miss than hit, but at least it wasn't the dreaded red musk (and even that can surprisingly sometimes work).

 

I read the reviews, and had fits of delight and despair. Like Arcana's Morphine without the heavy patch? Oh, delight! Then people started talking about all the black musk, some in tones of praise, some not. Uh, oh! Not good.

 

So I had no idea.

 

What I wanted was a delicious cocoa with the tobacco absolute, which to my nose is gorgeously blonde and rich. and when I first got this bottle, I was just delighted! It was EXACTLY what I wanted: not foody, but warm cocoa, with the dry tobacco note adding a sexy golden depth. I imagine it was the black musk that also added a sexiness to it.

 

It was pretty much what I wanted, which was, yes, Arcana's Morphine without the club-you-over-the-head patchouli (and I like patchouli, so you must know Morphine was really really too much).

 

The sad thing is, after sitting around the house for a couple of days, the bottle became more blonde tobacco and musk and less cocoa. So now it is a bit too bright/light. I want the chocolate back! I'm thinking what it might need is simply to be layered with a chocolate single note (which will have to be from Arcana or somewhere else) to make it back into the delight I wanted. It might also be nice layered with Bliss. Or perhaps over time the cocoa will deepen and the others will lighten up. cocoa/chocolate is a long lasting note that gets richer over time, so I can hope!

 

For now, I wish for more of the cocoa.

This is my favorite of the phoenixes I tried. In the bottle it has a lovely incense scent, with something else familiar, probably the olibanum. A resin, definitely.

 

On me it, the notes become more distinct. The hemlock gives it a nice sharp evergreen note which doesn't overwhelm, but makes it very seasonally appropriate (and I love evergreen!). Behind that, the scent is dark, powdery, and yes, leaden, but like pencil--ie. soft lead. I can't smell the plum per se, but then again, plum is a note I rarely pick out, but I love the round dark richness it gives to some scents. This really reminds me of....soft lead. If I run my wrist past my hand fast I almost get that scent. But close up it is rich and incensey and delightful. It shares some notes with the other phoenixes I have--a slightly perfumy base, and I wonder if that is the tobacco? I'm not sure it is in all of them, though, but there is something that slightly reminds me of upscale men's cologne in all of them--just a hint, anyway. (And actually I only mean in lead, copper and gold as those are the ones I have)

 

A great scent for a resin/incense lover.

 

As an interesting note, though, on the boy it smells much more sharply metallic with less of the plum sweetness. Interesting!

 

eta: ack! Something has gone horribly wrong with this. Now it smells much more like lead....like pencil lead...but it also has an odd scent like someone who is wearing stale perfume after drinking too much the night before. Ok, I'm NOT keeping this one.

I love amber and frakincense, and I love heliotrope too, so I had to get this. Plus, I just love the idea of it, alchemical gold.

 

I see why everyone is calling it citrus. It has a fresh lemon-like scent, bright and yellow, and behind it is the perfumy base I recognize from the other phoenixes.At this stage it smells kind of like a bright lemony cologne, which was totally unexpected. It softens quickly, and the lemony scent becomes more gold than yellow. I can smell the amber but am not sure about the frankincense--it is a resin that does often have a bright almost citrus note, but it usually isn't that close to citrus, so who knows. I don't get verbena (thankfully--its not a good note on me) I wish I got heliotrope because I love its soft vanilla floral, but I don't get it as an individual note (not like in Tarot: The Sun for example).

 

Overall, this is a very bright and golden scent which settles down into softer perfumy sort of gold. I like it, and find that while it doesn't last as long as I'd like, it is more long lived than copper phoenix. (A few hours). In its last fading stages, however, it is very similar to the other phoenixes....

 

 

I ordered three phoenixes, and I thought this one would be my great love, because rose aside, I love everything in it. It was mostly the apricot and honey that drew me, but I was pretty happy with all the notes.

 

And it's not my favorite (that honor would go to lead phoenix). It is lovely, though it just does not linger long enough.

 

To my nose, all the Phoenixes share a certain something; they are recognizably from a similar family or base. I can't really explain what it is, but it is slightly perfumy, but also like incense....like amber incense perfume perhaps? On top of that, Copper Phoenix has a strong rose amber scent to me. I definitely get the rose, but it's not enough to turn off this rose-hater; instead, it is more amber with a hint of rose. I don't get much of the other notes definitively. It does have a lovely copper scent to it--imagine rose gold, for example. I can smell the honey, but it is not overwhelming (which wouldnt' be a bad thing for me even if it was).

 

I have a hard time describing this because it is so well blended it is much more than the individual notes. And if I only had this phoenix, I might keep it. It is just in comparison with the others that I like better, this just isn't different or special enough to warrant keeping, though I may hold on to it for awhile to see how it ages.

 

It also fades faster than the others on me--is gone in a couple of hours.

I got to try this because the very kind Molls saw my BPAL Santa wish plea, and sent me an imp--thanks!

 

I like it, but not enough to get a bottle. I really like BPAL honey, but have honey moon (my fave) and Litha (the older version--very honey heavy), so I figured it would have to be spectacular for me to feel I needed more....

 

I was also surprised by the blast of lemon. It reminded me of lemon pez. It's a nice, sweet, appealing scent (ironic given that it is a scent for Crib girls), but more lemony candy then honey. After awhile, the honey does come out, but it still mostly lemony with some honey rather than the other way around (which means it might work for those who honey doesn't usually work for). It really really reminds me of a TAL oil, but I can't remember which one right now--but the scent is very similar. Bastet's Laughter, maybe? It's one I don't have anymore of, but one that I thought smelled like citrus pez!

 

I'm glad I got to try it.

How odd to think I never reviewed this, given it is a favorite of mine, but since I just got a new bottle from Dark Delicacies, let me review it now and make a comparison between the aged and fresh BL. Actually, they aren't to different, but still...

 

Old (Aged) Dark Lace:

Opening the imp, I get a blast of sweet golden booziness. I'm not a booze lover in perfume, but this is rich golden vanilla booziness, like the best bourbon vanilla ever (though it is sweeter than a traditional bourbon vanilla--the cognac I assume). It does have just a hint--like an afterimage--of floral when wet, and it is at this stage that it most resembles Antique Lace, though a grown up, slightly drunk, and very sexy Antique Lace. the tobacco never shows up as a distinct note to me, but it is something that gives this a golden feel (which, now that I think of it, is pretty much a "blonde tabac" note to me). It is very rich and sweet, and reminds me of a deep amber color. I also don't get incense as a separate note, but it is part of the dark sweet blend, that has a slightly smoky impression (while smelling nothing like smoke)

 

One thing I like about it is that it lasts and lasts, and is rich and sweet on, and while it is nothing like any commercial perfume I've tried, it gives the impression of a very rich and expensive eau de perfum.

 

I get a lot of compliments when I wear it.

 

Fresh Dark Lace:

Blast of booziness again when opening the bottle, but this time it is a little rawer edged, not as smooth. While it is very similar on, the floral is more than an afterimage here--it is stronger and slightly powdery. This reminds me more of a floral incense--you know how the ashes of incense hold the scent but is more powdery? Like that. It reminds me more of cloth holding with incense ash on it rather than incense itself, and more than an actual floral. there was something in it that I was almost reading as leather--just the tiniest hint--but now after sniffing it for awhile I don't get that, but I think I can smell the tobacco a bit more in this one, which is a somewhat masculine note that I might be interpreting as as leather.

 

It is a bit brighter than aged, and as I said the floral part is a bit stronger, but mostly what I note is that the individual notes are more distinct in BL when it is fresh, but aged, it is just one gorgeous harmonic whole that is richer and has more depth than the fresher bottle.

 

So yeah, I'm stashing this baby away, since I can wear my aged BL when I need a BL fix.

This is nice in the bottle: spicy and kind of dark, just like the little pfferneusse cookies... It's really quite lovely, kind of like gingerbread.

 

On me, however....

 

..that lovely gingerbread scent does not last nearly long enough. It's good for about 20 minutes, and then it turns to burnt plastic--you know, the kind of smell you really never want to smell in your car in particular, because it means something is burning that absolutely shouldn't be, like say, the clutch? or the brakes?

 

yeah, that smell.

 

I am not pleased, because it really is a tasty scent in the bottle.

 

 

I was given this as a frimp by a super kind and generous forumite, and it was a total surprise: I never thought I'd get to try it!

I'm kind of hit or miss on leather scents, because I seriously amp leather, though sometimes, if the scent is good enough, I don't care.

And this one is, indeed, very heavy on the leather on me, and while it is that phase, it is ok, if not great. But after about 20 minutes or so, suddenly it is all sharp cologne and leather: imagine aquavelvet spilled on a new leather jacket.

Wierd too, because I don't know what that cologne note is....I usually love sweetgrass and sage, and I imagined this to be kind of like Coyote, which I do like. But it's not.

Very sad, because it's just my chemistry doing this, but I gotta admit, it is pretty awful on me. And it LASTS!

I passed it on to someone I hope will enjoy it more than I did.....

I can't believe I've been on the forum for as long as I have, and have never reviewed this. In fact, I tried it and completely forgot about it.

 

But I rediscovered it recently and fell in love.

 

This is just what it says it is, but somehow more complex. Bright and fruity from the apricot, and clove of course gives it a nice bite, but it smells like more than just apricot and clove. It has a slightly boozy note--it reminds me of brandied apricot jam in a rich shortbread. I don't know where I'm getting the slightly boozy note or the pastry note, but I do.

 

it smells like the most delicious apricot tart, and I find it quite addicting.

 

And now, after all these years as a BPAL-ista, I'm going to get a bottle.

I recently was able to buy some of this on the forum--and I had really been looking forward to it.

 

I'll second everyone else's comments about wishing for more pumpkin: I did too. To me it smells like pumpkin pie spice (that mix of cinnamon, cloves, allspice et al) without the pumpkin. Still, it smells good, so I did what I always do with BPTP bath oils--put it on after a bath as a lotion.

 

BIG mistake. This burned so much on my thighs and inner arms that I had to get back in the shower to wash it off (and wasn't entirely successful with that). I don't usually have sensitive skin for this sort of thing, so that surprised me, but perhaps it was because my pores were open as I'd been in the bath?

 

So I can't report too much on how the scent lasts or anything like that, though I will say that on me it had a slightly funky undertone--like how amber sometimes can go funky--which I didn't like.

 

I think I'll mix my remaining oil with another carrier oil before I use the rest of it.

I am so sad about this one. I had to have it: vanilla, patchouli, myrrh, nutmeg and chile?

 

So it never occurred to me that I would get none of those notes, not in the bottle nor on my skin.

 

This is musk. All musk. I know it says dark musk, but this smells like a white musk to me or an egyptian musk, one of those so-called "skin musks." It smells silvery and moonlit and....musky.

 

I wish it smelled like black lace but my bottle really doesn't at all.

 

And I don't particularly like musk. I wish I was getting vanilla. Or resins. Or spice. But I'm not at all, and I don't think this is one that will age and be ok for me, because I don't think those notes are suddenly going to appear for me.

 

And it lasts and lasts. Put it on last night to try it for the third time and when I woke I could still smell that skin musk. Yep, the one I don't like.

 

I may try it a couple more times, but I doubt this is going to work on me at all. Off to swaps!

Yep, I get the cologny note too in the imp and when I first put it on. Not like copal at all...

 

It starts drying both literally and scent-wise, and it begins to be a bit desert like, which is nice.

 

When it dries down, it reminds me just slightly of Pais de Canela which I have on the other arm--the cologne note has turned to a faint balsam pine background with the dry gold scent in the forefront. It does remind me of Xiuhtecuhtli, but is not so overwhelming as that scent is.

 

I wish had more of a true copal resin scent.

 

I'll see what I think after I've worn it awhile, but I don't think I'll need a bottle.

Yup, smells like a christmas tree on me too, which is a scent I love, so I quickly put it on!

 

On me it is lovely green that gets richer and lusher (but still has that soft balsam pine note) and then a very soft cinnamon, like kind of cinnamon used in Mexico, rather than cassia. Very gentle, but this is mostly green on me.

 

I like it, but will have to see how it develops. This is a quick review and I haven't even had it on very long, so it may change.

 

eta: a bit later, the cinnamon is getting stronger. To me, this is a very Yule like scent--soft balsam pine and greenery and a lovely sweet/soft cinnamon. I like it, and will consider a bottle.

I didn't buy this during the update because I was worried that it would be too aquatic, or that it would be like Death of Autumn or some of the other autumn scents that haven't worked for me.

 

But I was curious. And when people started saying it smelled like Samhain, my interest was really piqued. Samhain has been an all time favorite of mine, but I have not been able to wear it for several years (a change in meds seemed to change my skin chemistry enough to make some beloved perfumes not work). Samhain had taken on an odd sharp note that was not pleasant when I wore it.

 

So I tracked down a bottle of this instead, and it is perfect! Just what I wanted! In the bottle it smells slightly aquatic--the rain?--and that initially worried me, but on? Absolutely like Samhain used to smell on me, except it is missing a bit of the fruitiness I got out of Samhain in the early stages. This is all resin and wood without smelling like a resin blend. It's not so much that it smells like dry leaves (though it does have a bit of that sweet spice) but that it evokes the memory of leaves, but in this case wet leaves. It is a perfect cool autumn evening, after a rain.

 

I was trying to explain to my boyfriend what the notes were, so I pulled out some natural incense I have (ie. raw resins and wood). I let him smell the agarwood, and we both noted it is very distinct in this blend. The opoponox, a note I love, is not as bright as some opoponox is, but it still very lovely, and adds a sweet slightly spicey, slightly piney note to it. And the oakmoss is not noticeable to me, thankfully, but it probably is adding to the dark feel overall.

 

I'm really happy to have this to replace Samhain.

*snip*

 

eta a sniff off (MM07, Nonae and Moo): Milk Moon 07 is much sweeter, has a stronger milk note, and is more acid/fruity/pineapple--bright tropical milk. Nonae caprotina is far more round, rich, buttery-milky and leans more towards foody than the other 2. By comparison, the cow smells floral/green/clean, and even a wee bit dusty/woody (huh, I wonder if its a dusty sage note?) and the milk note is less pronounced in cow than the other two(at least, on me). In the context of the other two milk blends, this one smells of dusty sage, citrus-flower (copal?) milk.

 

Just wanted to say that I did the same thing--compare this to other milk scents. I didn't actually try it side by side with MM 07, because that is much more fruity than milky on me, but I did try it with Nonae caprotina, and I agree--nonae is much milkier, buttery, and foody, and this is green, herbal and I also get just a hint of sage.

 

It is not at all like I expected it to be. I was hoping for something like Nonae, or like the original Milk Moon, pretty heavy on the milk. Instead, this is more aquatic. I usually don't like aquatics at all, but because this does have the milk and herbs, I don't mind it. In the bottle, and wet, I get mostly a salt-watery scent softened by milk and very fresh green herbs. I get the oregano vibe too, and it is fairly strong when wet, but when it dries, it sweetens, as if actual yerba buena comes out (which I always thought was mint, but apparently there is an actual plant called yerba buena). It dries down to a sweet green scent, green and fresh like sap, with an herbal (rather than sugary) sweetness, and a hint of milk, though that is in the background. And it's kind of watery (sea water?) scented too....

 

It's also kind of deserty scented, as odd as that sounds in terms of what I wrote above. I guess the green is more the sharp green of arid places rather than a lush, jungle like green. Wait! I got it! Now i know what it reminds me of: Islands in Greece--dry hills spotted with wild oregano and rosemary and other herbs, the sea, and a hint of a milky sweet.

 

At first I was disappointed it was like Nonae, but now I like it, and I may keep it. I can always get a bottle of Nonae too...

In the imp: Apple cider

 

Wet: Creeeaaammmyyy apple cider with a bright burst of ginger.

 

Dry: Dry, this smells JUST like Yankee Candles "Harvest" and "Farmers Market" candles...lost of autumn spice, apples, cinnamon, nutmeg...

 

Overall: Lambs-Wool is a beautiful spiced apple cider scent. It's probably not something I'd wear as perfume but I think this would smell really great as an atmosphere spray, a candle or in an oil burner.

 

Just wanted to say, yup, yup, to the comparison to yankee candles. Which in my mind is a good rather than a bad thing. The dry down of this is that apple spice candle effect.

 

But I love how it starts out most. It is milky at first, and in the beginning I think of it as Milk Moon (early version) meets apple cider. Strong milky note and the spiced cider. LOVE IT! I'm sorry that the milk note fades on me, but as I have gotten rid of all my other spiced cider scents, I'm still pretty happy to have this. The apple also falls a bit to the wayside after an hour or so, so it is mostly spice....it might be nice to layer this with another apple scent that would bring that fruitiness back to the foregroung. And also, since I miss the milk note, I might try layering this over a milky scent....

 

But overall, I quite like this, and of the various decants I got, this is probably one of the ones I'm mostly likely to get a bottle of.

I seem to be following Ahania around and reviewing Weenies after her! Which makes sense, since I got my decants from her

 

Ahem. On to the review.

 

I wasn't sure what to expect from this at all. I like hops in scents (I'm thinking of roadhouse) and I love incense. Cakes are good too. So had to try it.

 

I really like it. It reminds me of Haloa--ie a slightly sour scent (the beer) with cake! But the incense is also a player in this, and it is a soft but pervasive note, like the ash left incense, rather than incense burning. The sourness fades quickly and I'm just left with a hint of booze and cake and incense, mostly the latter.

 

I really like it a lot, but it is very light with little throw at all. It does seem to last....I put some on around 2 am last night and at 10 am I could still faintly smell it. But very faint. It sticks close to the body. If I decide to get more--and I may--I'll really have to slather, which I don't usually do, because I like my scents to have more throw than this.

 

Note to self: YOU DO NOT LIKE RED MUSK!

 

phew! got that out of the way, but could someone remind me of that everytime I'm tempted by a scent with red musk?

 

Because look at all those lovely notes: frankincense, tonka, vanilla, clove, balsam. I love all that, and would very much have enjoyed a scent with those things in them.

 

But I sniff it in the imp: Whoa! Red musk! Still, I've got to try it. I put it on. Red Musk, Red Musk, Red musk (please say this like "redrum redrum redrum" from The Shining). After quite awhile, during which time I resist my urge to either wash it off or cover it with something more appealing (as if that would help!), I sniff my arm, and, yep. RED MUSK. This time with a little bit of clove.

 

Cruel. Very cruel indeed. And not nearly as seductive as Mircalla should be. And I love that story, too.....

I don't get the marshmallow vibe that some others are getting. On me, this is very like the older Milk Moon (not the fruity one) or Chaste moon. I get the lovely BPAL milk scent that I really like, plus sugar! It's like sweet milk, and then the dryness of the linen comes in which stops it from being overly sweet or cloying. Also, sometimes the milk scents go a bit sour on me, but this doesn't at all. It stays sweet, but not too sweet, and creamy.

 

A winner! But I do have several milk scents and so I'll have to decide if I need another one. I may try for a partial bottle.

When I saw this on the update, I knew I should buy it. But then I didn't. But the reviews kept calling to me, and finally I kicked some sense into myself and got this....

 

Gorgeous! Heavy smoke in the bottle,but even then, it is sweet smoke, not the acrid smoke of say, Djinn. In the bottle the bay rum is fairly clear too.

 

On, it is just wonderful. Like someone was burning maple and added some spicy incense. The bay rum gives it spice, and though I can't smell the myhrr per se, I'm sure it is adding to the incense vibe. I don't get rose, but there is something sweet here, so perhaps that is it. eta: actually its a golden sweetness so is probably the frankincense.

 

It is a perfect sweet smoke perfume, though I still am craving CB I hate Perfumes burning leave scent (which I thought this might be a good replacement for, longer lasting, etc). It doesn't quite have the clean crisp sweetness of that scent, but that's ok, I can always have two sweet smoke perfumes!