Bluestblood

This is beautiful and difficult to describe, but I will do my best.

 

The clove and amber are just about equally balanced. The amber reminds me of the amber from Canis Major. It has a soft, twinkling quality that really smooths out the clove and almost makes it creamy. Instead of a sharp, spicy clove scent, it becomes a warmly spiced amber. The black pepper makes it interesting. It gives it an edge...like taking a Sharpie and drawing an indistinct black line around a cloud. This smelled better and better the longer I wore it. It didn't have a ton of throw on me, but it lasted a long time. It's a good come closer to me/first time hook up scent.

 

I believe this would be suitable for any gender. It screams "I am warm and a little mysterious, but also carry around a utility knife because you never know when you're going to need it." It reminds me of a late summer sunset.

This is beautiful and reminds me a lot of Incantation. It has old fashioned soap/high class aftershave quality that is fresh, dark and a little rooty. This is not the chewy, brown vetiver but rather the bright, grassy kind and it is further uplifted by the clean, spicy galangal. This is a clean scent that is unisex and perhaps masculine leaning.

This smells EXACTLY like the taste of White Rabbit milk. It's also similar to milk oolong tea.

I am shocked no one is talking about this one yet.

 

The vanilla is similar to the vanilla in Antique Lace - sweet, golden, and brittle. The vanilla is supported by a deep undercurrent of sun-warmed hay. The nutmeg is not very noticeable to my nose, but I do detect more of it as this one dries. 

 

I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes a highly sought after Ménage A Trois.

This starts off with a flash of searing lye that fades quickly. It settles into the exact smell of Double Bubble - that classic bubble gum with a zip of wintergreen-y mint. I was not expecting to want a bottle of this, but I do...badly. It has also made me ravenous for Double Bubble.

I am excited to be the first reviewer because this is unlike anything I have ever smelled. It is greater than the sum of it's parts and more ambient than distinct.

 

Bitter vetiver softened by cashmere wood that makes it dry and almost nutty, the licorice and opoponax add a static-like blackness, the lemon peel adds a deceptively fleeting lash of almost-sweetness that reminds me of a stripe of yellow pleather on black. 

 

This is a black scent and fitting for a creepy penis monster/god.

This was an unexpected love. One of the reviewers mentioned smelling oud, and I agree that something in this smells a lot like true oud smoke. This blend is supported by a sparkling undercurrent of musk with a cheeky tang of cognac, but the smoke really is the star. The lavender is barely noticeable. This blend reminds me of Demeter's "Ocean" but better.

I have unfortunate luck with every single BPAL leaf scent in the sense that all I can smell is leaves, leaves, leaves. While I love dead leaves as a single note, I never have the privilege of detecting a single other note when the dead leaf note is present in a blend. 

 

This is the first exception to that rule....

 

I LOVE this blend! It's definitely dead leaves, and that note stays present into the drydown. However, once the drydown occurs, the most gorgeous sweet pleathery leather scent emerges. I had a pair of pleather pants in my 20s. The scent reminds me of those (like, spot on) and is also reminiscent of the leather note in De Sade in a subtle way. I just purchased backups.

This is very pretty if you love leather. It reminds me of the leather in Thunder and Blazes, but the other notes round it out nicely. The most prominent notes, other than the leather, are the sage, chaparral, and wildflowers. If you liked Sacrifice, this is a must have. It's a serious, cowboys (or girls) in the desert at night kinda jam.

As it goes on, I get benzoin and - weirdly enough - vetiver with a hint of rich cacao. Cacao usually goes weird on my skin (it kinda smells like poop), but this stays true and blossoms into a dark chocolate in smoldering benzoin.

 

As it dries, the sandalwood emerges, but I still swear there is vetiver in this broad! There is a distinct, yet subtle, acrid wood note that is characteristic of vetiver. The main note remains that gorgeous, smoldering benzoin and, frankly, that rocks since it is one of my favorite single notes.

 

Something about this scent reminds me of Canis Major. It's similar only in the sense that it draws you in to reach a greater depth, as if it's saying "there's more to me, come closer."

 

The sillage is not impressive, but there is a time and place for everything. This lady's time and place is in the bedroom, when skin is close and clothes are off.

This is incredible. It starts off almost entirely frankincense heavy church incense on me with hints of what seems like copal and amber. As it dries, this dusty brittle vanilla pops out that reminds me of Antique Lace.

I have had a blast reading all of the reviews above, and I am stunned that my impression is so different.

 

This reminds me exactly of darker, powdery Necco wafer candies! I get a combination of brown musk, wool, sweet tobacco, clove, and a hint of black coffee. While I do get a slight vinegar tang when it's still wet, it burns off quickly.

 

It's fuzzy, evocative, and very nostalgic.

Lemonheads, candy corn, bubble gum, sticky chocolate wrappers, cheap caramel, and hints of wax candies...a masterpiece!

Like many of us, I am a huge fan of Thieves' Rosin. I have noticed that my older bottles smell entirely different than the newer imps and bottle I received from the lab.

 

The older bottles smell like golden wood, rich, almost cologne-like, with an edge that is tangy and almost metallic.

The newer bottle smells more muted, smooth, closer to the skin, almost like a vanilla with the softest musk or leather.

 

Has anyone else noticed this?

Is it a batch variation or due to aging?

This is WONDERFUL and reminds me of Monastery in the Mountains!

The lab's snow note takes center stage, and it has a soft, pillow-y, smooth minty/vanilla cloud vibe. The softest sandalwood and leather notes peak out, with only a tiny breath of gentle florals. The patchouli, which is barely detectable, gives the whole thing a little bit of an edge.

This is a must have for anyone who loved Monastery in the Mountains or Cloister Graveyard in the Snow. There is a stoic optimism about this scent that is difficult to put into words.

I have tried Oriental CTVII's numbered: # 87, # 88, # 89, # 90, # 91

 

They correspond (in some order) to the following reviews:

O1 - Lavender, benzoin, golden amber, incensey

O2 - Tonka, peach blossom, cherry, lotus, sweet

O3 - Clove (?), citrus peel, wood

O4 - Thin vanilla musk and embalming fluid

O5 - Gardenia (I think), cherry blossom, teak, vanilla, sweet, sultry floral

I have sniffed and tested the following Animalic numbers: # 19 # 20, # 21, # 22, # 24, # 25, # 26, # 28, # 29, # 30

 

They correspond (in some order) to these reviews:

A1 - Musk with castoreum (I think), amber, something bubbly and resinous like gum and styrax... reminds me of an oily earthy incense that gives off some sweetness, there is another note that reminds me of juniper and mallow

A2 - Sweet and animalic, not foody, civet with what I think is heliotrope, maybe a hint of red tea, sweetness fades a bit as it dries

A3 - Civet, cedar, red patchouli, frankincense, hint of musk

A4 - Sweet floral incense, castoreum, white amber, white musk, champagne

A5 - Verbena, amber musk

A6 - Black musk, something mildly indolic, sweetgrass

A7 - Lavender, peppermint, possibly castoreum, brown musk, slightly sweet, rooty mint

A8 - Herbal, boiled leather, possibly tomato leaf

A9 - Clove, brown musk, powdered tobacco

A10 - Slightly sweet, possibly ambergris, sweet spice, amber incense

Hothrun Dath, Three Swords, and I agree with The Coiled Serpent.

When this is wet, it smells like the soil and grass before a thunder storm...I was about to abandon it to the swap pile when....

 

Dry, this is a whole different story. This reminds me of the dank, almost moldy scent of a dark haunted house ride! The leather is the leading note (thank god), and I can pick out the other notes if I really think about it but they really do become a greater sum than their individual parts. Something about this scent touches a deep part of my memory and frightens me! I love this!

This scent is sex in a pine forest...for serious.

When it's still wet on the skin, something about this reminds me of the earthy element in blood musk (minus the red) if that makes sense; however, this scent is far from red. The initial impression I get is dark green pine pitch with a resinous, earthy richness that reminds me of blood musk.

As it dries, the frankincense shares the stage perfectly with the pine pitch and the two combine seamlessly. Golden amber does this thing that reminds me of body sweat (in a good way) and gives the blend a second-skin quality - which is quite a feat with a note like pine pitch. The oakmoss is barely detectable by my nose, but it serves as a reminder that this scent corresponds to a place. It grounds the other notes from taking on too much of a persona and instead makes me call to mind a location.

Overall, this is gorgeous and will be taking a place in my collection. It is forest-like and resinous...and it really does remind me of gettin it on in a golden pine forest.

Darker than dark!

Wet: A vicious blast of dark, earthy vetiver and the menthol-like zing of red patchouli.
Initial drydown: The vetiver still dominates and starts to share the stage with the saltspray. Opoponax and patchouli are present, but the patchouli has lost the menthol-like quality it had. I do not smell benzoin, mandarin, or mint.
Dry-dry: Smooth vetiver, patchouli, opoponax and saltspray still dominate - I get the barest hint of mandarin and benzoin, and I have to try extra hard to pick out the mint.

Overall, I would describe this as a salt-crusted, inky, darker than dark blend. It is not quite salty enough for me to be comfortable enough to call it an aquatic. Then again, it may just be that I am not used to aquatics being this dark. If I were to give it a persona, it is the bad boy in the black coat that hangs out on the pier at night. If you like vetiver and/or patchouli...or if you like being in touch with the darker side of yourself, this is for you!

I love, love, LOVE this. To me, it is a combination of The Laughter of Loki and Pale Without Name or Number. The green musk takes the lead in this one, for sure. There is a grassy, herbal quality which adds a complexity that goes above and beyond the listed notes.

I love this! It's as if red musk's tendency to be grape-ish was removed only to be replaced by actual grape. To my nose, the drydown is red musk, grape, and red incense. I don't detect the cognac, but I do smell something akin to geranium...however it doesn't have that sharpness that geranium usually has for me. It is bright and deep simultaneously. Slightly tart, slightly sweet, slightly resinous.

If you are the type of person who likes when red musk goes grape-y, you need to try this.

Disclaimer: I hate floral blends. The fact that I am even reviewing this should say something.

 

Redwood and beautiful demure roses softened and rounded out by the tea. The lilac is detectable but not overpowering. Overall, this is classy, classic and ageless; it has a vintage vibe to it.

 

In summary, this is gorgeous, and exudes innocence and mystery.

This is a tough one for me to describe. It's definitely heavy on the ozone, but unlike any of the lab's other ozone scents. It is unisex/masculine with a subtly sweet cologne-y note, aquatic, and something that smells kinda like basil without being bitter. It has a vague tinny quality that would make it suitable for the Steamworks line, but also something that reminds me of smooth, light-coloured wood.