Akurarei

Crow Moon 2025:

…The second time is set

Whose crumbs the crows inspect

And with ironic caw

Flap past it to the

Farmer’s corn

Men eat of it and die

– Emily Dickinson

An ironic caw: dry hay absolute, syrupy candied fig, a lash of scathing pink pepper, and the dark gleam of bittersweet blackcurrant.

At first, this scent was 'dry' and definitely smelled like something herbaceous.

After a moment, it was a bloom of juicy, dark fruits. I guess the 'fig' note smells akin to pomegranates to me, because it struck me like a pomegranate at this stage.

Once it dried down some, Crow Moon 2025 did have a more bitter undertone and a tiny bit of dried spice. I'm not overly familiar with BPAL's 'pink pepper' note, but I can see the spice element being attributed to this pepper note.

Overall this is a beautiful, darkly gleaming scent. I would say it does encapsulate an impression of the crow's dark ebony feather cloak and fiery intelligence. It reminded me a little bit of the GC offering of 'The Raven' - despite no note overlaps. In fact, I would go as far as to suggest that Crow Moon 2025 is a 'fall/Halloweenie' interpretation of that GC scent. It is an expertly crafted scent and bottle worthy.

Crow Moon 2025: Black Fig and Cacao Hair Gloss

This one is the perfect amount of rich, delicious (though not edible!) chocolate!!

The black fig is not a distinct note to me in this one, but it does seem to temper the chocolate really well.

This one is backup worthy if you like chocolate scents ❤️

Crow Moon 2025 Duet: Black Currant & Black Violet

This is a rich, velvety and very dark scent - perfect for midnight masquerades with a cold winter's rain.

The Black Violet is more prominent to me than the Black Currant, which is lurking in the shadows of the floral - adding just a touch of juicy aura.

It's delightfully close to the skin and not too overpowering.

I applied just a tiny dot's worth from the plastic nib on top of the bottle's lid to one wrist, then smooshed my wrists together and rubbed my neck under my ears with the scented wrists.

Disclaimer: I don't know how old my frimp is, so that may be a big part of this review

I get a sweet burst of the strawberry right away, but it quickly fades into spicy, non-specific florals...then, within about 10-15 minutes, I cannot detect it at all

This is definitely exactly as advertised!

I get the thick, extra dark chocolate element, the sweetness and creaminess of the Cream note, and that unmistakable coppery tang of blood.

This can undoubtedly be a vampire's favorite cold weather beverage!

Revenant Rhythm (2025 Version)

At first application, this immediately makes me think of MUGLER's Angel perfume.

Once it dries down a little, it smells like something dirty/unclean and a dollop of vanilla.

To me, this scent is weird - not sure if I like it, TBH

update - after about 30 minutes this one gave me a splitting headache and turned my stomach...I could not get this one off my skin fast enough!

A very, very rare total & complete BPAL bust for me!

BPAL Stoneware Mug (Released in early 2025; April IIRC)

Site Description: 

A hefty honkin’ mug for your morning coffee! (Or evening coffee, or tea. Or beer or mead or grape juice or whatever. We’re not here to police your beverages.) These beasts stand 4.375″ (ish) tall, are emblazoned with the BPAL Triple Dagger Logo, and hold roughly 12 ounces of liquid refreshment.
[Each mug is handmade and unique, so the glaze, exact coloring, and exact volume capacity will vary slightly from piece to piece. They are all speckled orange and brownish-black, but the brownish-blackishness, speckle levels, and orange shade vary from piece to piece. Lead-free and dishwasher, microwave, and oven safe.]

Review:

A Wonderfully sturdy looking and nicely weighted mug, indeed!

I had missed the part of the description that stated that each mug is 'handmade and unique', so I initially thought my mug was a prototype or one-off error in shape. It has a much smaller 'foot' than the image on the website, and looks a little less 'curvy' along the sides of the mug.

The BPAL logo emblazoned is terrific looking, and my speckled orange band is roughly the same width-to-mug ratio as the image on the site. 

I'm very, *VERY* excited that this piece is dishwasher & microwave safe!!  

Dreamer of Dreams

Art by Edmund Dulac

In the Bottle: Resins & Lavender

Application: One drop from the cap 'button' on the wrist, smooshed wrists together, and applied wrists to either side of the neck.

On the Skin, Wet: A heavy blorb of Lavender with a generous glob of deeply dark chocolate underneath.

On the Skin, Dry: Still heavily Lavender, but now with herb-y resins and faint touches of dark chocolate now.

Light vanilla and an undercurrent of violet.

A bit resin-y.

It's pretty close to the skin throw-wise and seems to dissipate pretty quickly as well.

This one is a lovely rose-sugar-milky delight ❤️

It's not too overpowering and gives peeks of the green tea (which might be the same note from 'TEA' from the Shungas from 2011 [IIRC])

This one might be backup worthy ❤️

To me, this perfume initially smells like a wonderfully syrupy green tea!

Upon application - which is whatever oil sits on the little plastic knob on the inside of the lid, upon 1 wrist, then smooshed with the other wrist - I still get the syrupy green tea, but also the honey and some of the warmth of the amber. I don't really pick up the 'plum' or 'incense' aspects.

Upon drydown - I get mostly the sweet honey & amber with whiffs of the pear and maybe just the tiniest note of plum. I never seem to get the 'incense' but it lingers as a 'warm' scent, so maybe that's the incense note(?)

Lovely perfume oil!

I received a 'HOD V2 Prototype'

I get a slightly sweet clove-y/patchouli/ambery coconut from it...not something I would really reach for, but its nice!

Long overdue review:

This one smells great upon immediate application - resiny with soft leather and whiffs of amber and the coconut

After it dries I get a kind of pungent/sour incense kind of scent

After several minutes it is a barely detectable perfume, but retains more of the 'dry down' notes than anything else

I've been getting this scent as a FRIMP in my orders many times over the years, but I think today was the first time I ever tried it!

It's an odd assortment of scents, and the times I had looked up the notes, I was not inclined to try it.

While still odd, it's a lot softer and sweeter than I imagined it would be.

I get a distinct minty note, with some vanilla and the mossy/wood elements too.

Pretty good and quite unusual!

I may order a full bottle in the near future.

Very simple but effective scent!

I get a slap of musk - it's a little bit spicy somehow - then a heavy dollop of honey.

They even out after a few minutes and become this nice little waft of musky sweetness. Very lovely!

I get soft, sweet violet from this one

At some point, I get other notes, but I would not have been able to tell it was tuberose or lilac without looking it up via the forum/BPAL site.

Overall, a gentle floral perfume. The throw seems to be minimal, and it nearly disappears altogether after a mere 15 minutes.

BAM! GARDENIA!!

I get almost nothing but GARDENIA!

This was a surprise, sudden LOVE!

I wanted to get a backup of a Halloweenie, and Tavern of Hell was the gateway perfume oil today

The violet in this one is probably the same one from the Carnival Diabolique "Hope & Faith" twins...

I get a strong, almost sharp violet note at first, then it fades back to give the vanilla a place in the spotlight for a bit.

IDK if 'chiffon' is actually supposed to be a distinct note/aspect of a note, but I cannot detect anything aside from vanilla violet

This might be backup bottle worthy!

I agree that this is like a variety of "Snow White" - a spooky Halloweenie "Snow White"!

It's not as initially 'icy' as Snow White, maybe cause that one is a Yule, but it definitely has an underlying similar component.

It's an ivory roses bouquet with candied almonds in a creamy vanilla swirl, splashed with sharp musky goodness

Hazelnut Lavender Latte

In the Bottle:

Gently lavender, sweet coffee notes

Application:

Applied a single dot of oil, smooshed between the wrists & dabbed behind each ear thereafter

On my Skin, Wet:

A burst of sweet coffee, some sugary gooeyness, small wifts of lavender and just barely noticeable nuttiness

On my Skin, Dry:

Still sweet coffee, but not as sugary as before.

The lavender drifts off somewhat as well, but is not completely gone

The hazelnut now makes more of an appearance but still pretty subdued overall.

Verdict:

Beautiful and cozy - I can see this one being a year-round favorite and in rotation regularly.

2024 version:

This smells (to me, anyway) *ALOT* like Mugler's original ANGEL with some herbiness on the fringes...Luckily, I am a fan of ANGEL, so this is a great FRIMP

UBE SUFGANIYOT

In the Bottle: 

A soft, milky fragrance with some underlying sweetness

Application:

Single drop of oil used on wrist, then rubbed together onto other wrist & behind each ear

On my Skin, Wet:

More milky impression! I've never smelled an Ube in real life, so I cannot determine if this note is prominent or accurate (knowing the diligence of the Lab, it is probably *very* accurate)

Also some pastry sweetness coming through again, in small wafts

On my Skin, Dry:

Buttery, sweet pastry. There's definitely a note that is new/unfamiliar to me (probably the Ube)

This fragrance is very subtle and I only get small sniffs of it as I move my arms around.

This would be a very comforting scent to wear to sleep around the holidays

Yep - like previous reviewers state, this is a lovely 'clean' white powdery floral!

It's not too sharp on me, but does have a gorgeous white floral/ambery vibe...really interesting!

@comebackqueen - these are reducer caps, offered via the 'Oddments' section on the BPAL site:

https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/oddments/reducer-caps/

(My bottle has some visible separation of ingredients, so I give it a good shake before applying)

I *love* this one!

It's all dark with resinous tones and some foodiness!

It's so well blended that I can't detect individual notes, but it is so nice and has just the right amount of throw.

Backup bottle worthy