cuervosueno

Maybe this will be good when it ages, but since I have aged orange blossom perfumes that I like a lot (I'm looking at you, Vixen, but also some other perfumes) why would I bother getting this?

Still a review above summed it up for me.... This SHOULD work. There is no reason for it not to--I like all three notes, and because I'm absolutely crazy about BPAL's earlier scents, which sometimes are slightly less complex than the later ones, I should like this.

But I don't. It's doing the wierd thing orange blossom/neroli can sometimes do, which is to turn to a slightly pickley smell. And the sandalwood isn't grounding this enough/reining it in.

So I end up with a harsh, pickle-like orange blossom and that's mostly it.

Not my thing. I'll stick to Vixen, which I love, and also some Madini and Arcana perfumes for my orange blossom fix.

Apparently Doll's Eye's is a type of Baneberry. Not that I know what Baneberry smells like, but I was at least familiar with the plant

 

Anyway, on me, this is much like others said: a soft, minty herbal scent with a hint of sweetness that is not necessarily honey (ie. is not the rich, heady honey BPAL SN honey). I do like it, actually, but it is quite different than the honey scents in the GC category, which are heavier on the Lab's honey note (a note I love!)

 

For me this is mostly a sweet minty herbal. Reminds me a bit of pennyroyal without the fizziness.

I agree, this is for jasmine lovers. It reminds me a lot of Lush's Flying Fox.

 

Had to quote this for two reasons: one, this review made me order an imp of this from the lab. I love me some Flying Fox, so had to try it.

 

Two, I think you're pretty spot on in your review. It DOES smell like Lush's Flying Fox!

 

So it's thick sweet honey, and jessamine, which is not quite as heady as the white jasmine, but certainly, that is a minor point as they are very, very similar in scent to me. It reminds me, also, of BPAL's swadhisthana, which is a stronger "jasmine" note and more sugared than honeyed, and has something herby and musky in it as well. I adore Swadhisthana, but the fact is, it is really too much to wear most of the time, and it strikes me that this might be a softer solution: similar but not overwhelming.

 

yes, I like this well enough that I might at least consider a partial bottle.

Horse Chesnuts are one of my favorite trees--they are magical in the spring, when their flowers are like bright white candles....

 

But for all my love of the trees, which incidently, have only grown in places I've lived briefly, I don't remember much about the actual chestnut, other than people found them a nuisance for some reason....

 

All this to say, I had no idea what this would smell like.

 

But I like it. It's honey with a warm addition, that yes, I guess is faintly nutty, but thankfully not overwhelming as I am not a fan of nuts as scents. I THINK I recall that real chestnuts (not horse chestnuts) when roasted don't have a traditional "nut" scent, so perhaps that is what I'm getting? There is also a nice greenness in this. Whatever it is, it cuts the sweetness quite a bit--for example this one is much less sweet dripping honey than honey tobacco is (I have four honeys on right now, so I'm comparing!)

 

This one warrants more wear and more exploration for me. It is more than just my beloved BPAL honey note--it has it's own complexity, green and nutty too. Quite nice, but after it sits a bit I do get a bit of carmelized wierdness that other noticed, so I hope that doesn't last long or goes away....

Huh....I was also expecting tobacco + honey, rather than tobacco flower, but honestly, I'm not sure which it is I'm getting. Honey for sure. Really, sweet, dripping honey, so sweet you can barely stand it, and honey has it's own flowery scent, so I can't tell if the flowery bits are coming from honey, or if it is indeed tobacco flower (though I would think that would have gone under the name nicotiana, as it is more usually called if we're referring to the flowering kind?) I think I DO get a bit of tobacco, as in the dried smokable, under the honey. To me, at least when wet and on a first wearing, I get a bit of blonde tobacco with my honey. And something--is it just the tobacco?--that is almost aquatic, which for me gives it the "men's cologne" vibe. It is masculine in feel, almost clean once the honey starts to soften and lose a touch of it's aggressive sweetness.

 

Not exactly what I was looking for, but not bad.

Hops wouldn't have gluten anyway, would it? It's a flower, and not from a grain.

Well, I had a feeling I'd like this--patchouli and vanilla? How could I not? I tried to order a bottle when it came back for sale, but it sold out too quick. I was given an imp of this by a wonderfully generous forumite, and honestly was hoping I wouldn't like it that much, because I won't ever be able to get it anyway....

 

But of course I do like it. Quite a bit. It's not like a holy grail scent, thankfully, and it has a little bit of girliness, of a kind of perfume I would expect to appeal to people who shop at Urban Outfitters (no offense meant there, but there is a certain type). But perhaps that is just "sour grapes" since I can't get more of this anyway. On me, it is hippie patchouli, but without the kind of "mold" note that some patchouli has (esp. fresh patchouli, either as an oil or growing fresh). So maybe I should say sort of cleaned up hippie patchouli, like patchouli incense that has been sweetened with a dose of vanilla candy. Not straight up vanilla, not rich vanilla or bourbon vanilla, or the actual vanilla orchid, but sweet vanilla candy. It's toned down because of the strength of the patchouli, and it blends together really well. I'm sure the hemp is in there too, but I don't get much of a sense of it.

 

Yeah, this is really nice, and I can see why people want it. It's like a young and girly version of a hippie patchouli perfume and in spite of that, it is quite wearable and appealing. I'm going to wear it a bit more and see if I'm really crazy about it or not, though I'm not sure why, since I don't see how I'll get more....

 

This one doesn't seem as true to the usual BPAL "snow" scents. Before I looked up the notes, I thought, huh, mint? Menthol? Eucalyptus? Not a strong note, but something like that, something sharp and minty. There is also something like dried herbs. I don't get nearly as much of the evergreens as I do in some other blends, but perhaps it is that they are of a different sort (like Yew and hemlock). I do get some of the bayberry too. It doesn't have the lovely evergreen/snow which has an almost citrus edge that I love in Skadi and Snow moon.

 

It's ok, but not my favorite.

I remember wanting this moon because I loved the description, the silver foxes. Of course, I needed something with silver foxes. But I also didn't think I really needed the scent, because I have several snow scents. Still, I've been wanting to try it ever since, and finally got some...

 

And it is nice, but not a "must have" (or so I thought initially). It is very chilly and very much in the group of BPAL "snow" scents, and of course I have Snow Moon, which I love, which pretty much takes care of my "snow" needs (though I also have a couple of others, Knecht Ruprecht, Skadi, etc). The juniper is clear in this and either it or the pine has a slightly citrus smell which is true of the "snow" scents. There is something else in here, though, that is quite compelling. Sage? Maybe a white sage? Rosehip? I don't get copal at all. Anyway, I actually do kind of like this....will need to compare it side by side with Snow Moon....

 

Actually, it gets better. It gets more complex and spicy, which is really nice. And something slightly sweet and floral comes out too, making this much more complex. Someone said snow on the plains, and that makes sense to me.

Hmmm....I wonder if I will have to track down a bottle after all?

I got this from the lovely Stellans, as it is my "chapter" in our BPAL sorority, and I had not tried it before. (It is from the month I joined the forum). She said it is her holy grail of lunacies, and I can totally see why!

 

When I smelled it in the imp, I thought it might have red musk in it, but a nice, toned down red musk, but I see it does not. Perhaps it is simply that in a six year old perfume, the DB has calmed and I'm reading that as red musk? In any case, it is red and fruity when wet, and though the only fruit is orange peel, it has the "flavor" of more fruit, something slightly berry like, but sometimes I read DB as fruity, so perhaps that is it. It also has a lovely almost vanilla note from the heliotrope (how I love heliotrope!) and the amber adds some sweetness and depth too. The only herb I can identify is marigold, but there is a nice dried herb feel to this too, that suits the end of summer vibe.

 

Overall, this is gorgeous, and I'm so glad I got to try it!

 

It's interesting, too, because I went back and read my review for Red Moon 2007, which I ended up liking ok, but not keeping it. What was different? Red musk and sunflower. I rarely like red musk, and I suspect in an unaged perfume it would be particularly strong, and I see that I didn't get heliotrope out of the 2007 version, either. Even though they are similar, I think the 2004 version is by far the better version, and I am so happy to have a bit!

Got a sample of this from the lovely Stellans, and it is gorgeous! On me it starts out as blackberry and milk, with a nice sharpness that is not ozone, but is very like BPAL's usual "snow" note which is chilly and evergreen (like Snow Moon or Skadi) So far, no wax or candles, but what I do get is surprisingly wonderful (surprisingly because I didn't get this because I thought I wouldn't like the blackberry note) It reminds me of blackberries with cream poured over them, without the sugar, and being eaten in a room where a scotch pine christmas tree is giving off its bright chilly scent.

It does remind me of the earliest milk moon scent, a bit, and is certainly in that family. I love the lab's milk scents!

It is really quite wonderful, though I suspect it may not last long. The candle/wax scent comes in after it has been on awhile...and the milk fades....I like the earlier part better.

 

This might be worth tracking down a bottle of!

 

This smells like pickles in the imp. Bread and butter pickles. I am not excited about that, but am tickled by the name, which sounds like a metaphor for a couple of sex acts.

Still, the pickle scent is unfortunate, esp. because when I put it on, it still smells like pickles. Christmas potpourri pickles!

I think this is not for me.

I thought this smelled like banana in the imp. That was what coconut, apricot and currant blended together to my nose. I don't really like banana as a scent, so that was not promising at all.

 

But I dutifully put it on. Now it is interesting. It is the apricot of March Hare, a scent I'm just crazy about, but with vetiver! Now how odd a combo is that? On me it smells kind of like if the March Hare had a slight accident with flames and singed some of his fur. It has a slightly smoky note. I'm amping the vetiver more than my friend who tried it at the same time. She ended up mostly apricot.

 

I don't know that I need more of this--I like the March Hare better and on me they are similar. But I'm glad I got to try it, esp. since my dog's name is Jezebel (but she is UNCOMMON Jezebel, of course! )

I opened this one up, smelled it, and thought, lord no! This smells very "fake" in the bottle, yet somehow familiar. What was it? Then I got it! It smelled like Pez! Yes indeed, just like Pez.

 

Now I like Pez. But I don't want to smell like it, so I pretty much just gave up on this one right away.

 

Then later I remember the tea, the carnation, and I thought surely this lime sugar can't ruin the whole thing for me. So I tried it again, and it is much better on, thankfully. On, it is rounder, fruitier, and not at all artificial, though it is a bit sweeter than I like. It is indeed very "green" in a glowing green candy way. I wish I got more tea, but I'm all about strong tea scents and rarely get them. I get some pear, and not enough carnation.

 

I find this pleasant but not a keeper.

I just got several decants, and tried this one right away, because I was pretty sure I would love it. I do!

 

In the imp I get the mandarin topnote right away, but the buttery pumpkin is under there as well as the spice of the giner. The mango doesn't show up as a distinct note, but adds to the fruitiness of this.

 

When I put it on, it is a golden, rich and fruity blend. Like others have noted, the pumpkin is definitly there, but not as strong as pumpkin in some other blends.

 

I really like this and will be getting a bottle.

Vixen is my fave of the orange blossom scents by BPAL. I like both orange blossom and neroli and tend to talk about them as if they are the same, as they are from the same plant, and I think, if I understand it correctly, the only difference is in how they are obtained. (Yes, I just looked it up, and here is what I got from Wikepedia: "For instance, orange blossoms from Citrus aurantium that have undergone solvent extraction produces "orange blossom absolute" but that which have been steam distilled is known as "neroli oil". I only put this here, because I've been long confused by the difference, and thought other people might be too).

 

anyway, vixen is my fave. I just retried Ravenous (red patchouli and orange blossom), and it is a nice neroli too, but since it is similar to Vixen (and to my other fave Neroli blend, Arcana's The Sweet Trade), I decided I didn't need it. I find it softer than Vixen.

 

For me, neither Catherine or Arcana is a particularly "orange blossom" scent as both are heavier on other notes on me.

I had high hopes for this one, but the musk ruins it for me. It starts out promising, sweet cherry and vanilla. It's not as boozy as I had hoped since it is a cherry liquer--it's more like a candied cherry or cherry pie filling or something. I like it initially, but then the cherry fades down and I get a vanilla musk, and that musk is just too....musky! I don't know, I just don't like white musk or egyptian musk, but sometimes they end up being more a base than an individual note so I'm ok with them, but not this time.

 

Oh well! Off to swaps!

I thought I'd love this, but not so much. It does remind me of velvet--the fabric, not the scent--but old, dry, crumbling velvet that has been dusted with incense ash.

 

I like incense, but I had hoped this would be a bit sweeter from the plum. Instead it is dark and dry.

 

It's ok, and certainly suits it's name, but it is not a keeper for me.

I wore aged black lace for the ceremony, and put on honey moon later that night.

I love Host of the Air too!

 

I think Roadhouse kind of falls into this category--it has a lot of fresh dandelions, anyway, but it does also have hops.

 

 

 

 

Anyone know scents similar to Falling Leaf Moon? I've worn it for three days straight and I expect I will continue to wear it often once the honeymoon phase is over.

 

Samhain is similar....that's why I ended up getting falling Leaf Moon, actually, because I adore Samhain, but suddenly, it wouldn't work on me--some odd change in body chemistry--but I can wear falling leaf moon and get the same vibe (though FLM lacks the cider note in Samhain).

 

I don't think anything really smells like Hod, myself. Alice is in the same family, but much creamier. Morocco didn't smell the same to me, but it's been so long, I might have to get a Morocco imp and compare again.

 

Now Burluesque Troupe....hmm...there was something that was in the same family--similar enough that I decided I didn't need the other, because I had BTBT, but what was it I'm pretty sure it was Countess Willy. Not the same, but they both had a kind of chocolately, boozy, and sweet too. Might see if you can find a decant and try it out.

 

A very kind forumite sent me a bit of this, and I put it on, having no idea what was in it.

 

This is what I thought was in it: sugary vanilla patchouli. It reminded me a bit of Mara Fox's Sugared Patchouli, in fact.

 

Though there was something else nagging at me that seemed familiar.

 

When I saw the note list, I was both, boy was I wrong, and also a ha! Because of the leather! of course, leather! But often BPAL leather amps to the exclusion of everything else on me, and this did not do that. Now I say it smells like sweet, sugared patchouli and leather. I say this even though I am aware it doesn't make much sense given the notes, but this is what it smells like on me.

 

Nice, but not a must-have.

Wow, this is pretty! If it doesn't fade away too quickly, it might be bottle worthy.

 

It is really strong mandarin in the imp, but sweeter than an actual mandarin orange, more like candied mandarin, or mandarin slices dipped in slightly spiced honey (because I get a slightly peppery note too, which is nice). I don't get booze per se, but this has the most gorgeous golden feel, which I associate with the cognac. I don't get the tobacco as a note either, but when I like blonde tobacco best, it is not so much a tobacco scent as something that adds depth and gold to the blend, which this has.

 

This is really lovely, sweet, but dry, and though it doesn't smell like tobacco per se to me, it makes me think of golden pipe tobacco, dry and unsmoked. With honey. And mandarin.

 

I really like it. It sweet but sophisticated too. And like nothing else I have. If it lasts, I'm getting a bottle.

I love pear, so was really excited for this, even though I worried about the jasmine. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy jasmine, but it tends to go HEY! I"M HERE AND I"M JASMINE! one me, so I was worried it would overwhelm.

 

Which is what happened. It started out gorgeous--sweet and golden without a discernable pear scent--just golden sweet yum. Then I thought, huh what is that white flower in there? (Cuz I'd forgotten about Ms. Jasmine who was getting ready to knock me over the head). Then it went, well, you know. JASMINE is HERE! And it got slightly soapy too. Pleasant, but like, well, jasmine soap.

 

I was sad. Where is my pear? Now some of the pear has come back--it's like pear nectar of over jasmine soap. No wood, and no pepper, sadly. And I forgot that champaca sometimes likes to turn into generic white floral soap on me, so I had two notes going for soap....

 

So it's not really working for me, sadly. I like little whiff of pear I get, and maybe, just maybe, a hint of wood if I can somehow slide around bossy Ms. Jasmine, but that's not easy to do....

 

It's like I'm smelling something totally different than what everyone else is....I get a slightly golden scent that isn't particularly like frankincense to me, something slightly herbal and medicinal....slightly sharp, slightly menthol.

 

but overall this is so faint I can really barely detect it.