Follow My Nose
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Everything posted by Follow My Nose
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This is my new favorite lavender room/linen spray! That perfect cotton fabric note matches the lavender in intensity on first spray and this scent is so soothing and wholesome. Adding to this feeling are the flour and sugar notes, which appropriately read less fresh-baked cookies and more deconstructed cookie ingredients, powdery and very lightly sweet. There are some other subtle notes that for my nose remain "kitchen mysteries," as I can't quite pick them out and name them. They add some interesting subtle spicy and herbal notes to the overall impression but stay in the background. I will be spritzing this around whenever I need some anti-anxiety influences or just want to feel wholesome and cared for.
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This is the perfect hair gloss to match with all of your slushy snow scents. The pomegranate is bright and tart, the slush is chilly and icy. My nose is picking up some kind of fresh evergreen note in the background as well. This reminds me of Fresh Green Holly HG but colder and with a stronger red fruit note. While this is a gorgeous Solstice/Christmas/Yule scent, I'll be wearing it all winter and wishing it was colder where I live.
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Sniffing right out of the bottle, the cardamom and amber give a tingly sweet spice and resin combo. Wet on skin, the sweet roasted chestnut shows up immediately and I'm already in love with this scent. It only gets richer, warmer and sweeter as it dries and the caramel shows up. This combo is just so lovely and cozy! This is the perfect perfume for staying in when it's extra chilly outside and you'd just rather cuddle on the couch in your flannel pjs with your cats and drink some spiced hot beverage.
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In the bottle, Retch is straight up milk chocolate and pungent oudh, with that little bit of oudh-specific stank making an appearance (but quickly disappears). Wet on the skin, the oudh calms down immediately and steps back to become a warm, smoky-woody base. The boozy note adds some heady sweetness that blends in smoothly. This perfume dries down beautifully to a rich resiny chocolate, delicious but not a pure gourmand. Retch is definitely a bit naughty, but secretly sweet at heart.
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Christmasween is quite fruity right away, like the wassail I made for the holidays: mulled cider, cranberries and oranges. As it dries, smoky and sweet notes smooth it out; soon, the spices come out and the resins make this even more rich and complex. Later I can pick up a hint of the creamy pumpkin, some subtle balsam fir branches, and warm sweet beeswax. This is exactly what I imagined and hoped for when I saw this scent, a perfect blend of Halloween and Christmas memories, joyful and bright! I absolutely love it!
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On first applications, I'm getting my beloved slushy snow and lavender, which pair perfectly. The bubbly champagne shows up next, and the gentle musk remains softly in the background on my skin. Combined with the lavender and champagne, this reminds me of the sparkly crunchy type of snow that you want to make into a snow-woman. With le tits. Now. This is a light but sexy snow scent and a perfect addition to the Yules.
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This one took me back to my teen years in the 80s, when smudgy black eyeliner was my makeup life. I didn't have a lighter, so it went on like a cold crayon back then, but it was worth it. Black Eyeliner has that same enchanting makeup accord as the lipstick scents, with that lovely citrus-y wax and subtle floral note. In this instance, it is combined with a woody note, possibly cedar, for the pencil, along with the chemical smoke of the lighter. The way Beth blends "chemical" smells to make them actually beautiful is amazing to me! Accompanying this blend of eyeliner smells is that black leather note and subtle metallic spark representing the studded bracelet. I agree with wilhelmscream, this could be a cousin scent to Adam with the similar layering of notes. This scent is a perfect concept execution, and all of the notes come together seamlessly to form a lovely shadowy perfume. If you enjoy the lab's makeup scents, don't sleep on this one!
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This starts out on me as a beautiful sandalwood with a soft smokiness that is an incense smoke, rather than a woodsmoke scent. It's lovely right from the start, As it dries, I got nervous to pick up what might be a light clove note? My skin amps clove a lot and I was concerned that it would be the case here. No worries, though, it settles down into a soft background for the dark floral ink notes, which add an elegant complexity to the smoky sandalwood. This was the skeleton scent that I was craving this Halloween and I love it! It's dry and dark and scorched. If you are familiar with The Locked Tomb book series, this is what Drearburh would smell like if it was a perfume. If you are not familiar, it reminds me of photographs of the Paris catacombs and their grotesquely beautiful bone architecture.
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I am picturing a very elaborate, very tasty wedding cake, the kind covered in frosting flowers and lacy blown sugar flourishes. It's got a fluffy vanillic sweetness along with the soft powdered sugar florals and you almost think it's a cake you can eat. But wait, it's not a real cake, it's made of silk taffeta, chiffon, and lace! At first, the fabric note is very forward and threatens to take this into laundry territory, but it quickly calms down and becomes this lovely frothy ballgown that looks much like a wedding cake with sweet flowers. It's quite evocative of my favorite scene in the movie and the poofy white frock that Sara is wearing. Simply lovely, I'm so glad I blind-bottled this!
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This ended up being my favorite of the Skull Maskerades and probably my favorite book scent ever! The scent stays pretty true from application to dry down and has decent throw and lasting power. The leather-bound books are genuine and well-aged and the warm beeswax has dripped on them from still-lit candles. Lovely incense clouds and soft spice waft through the shadowy study, permeating everything with gentle resins. This is so atmospheric I just want to be in the space that smells like this! This suits Nouria so well, evoking her nighttime alchemy study filled with arcane tomes, complete with shadowy owl familiar.
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Wow, this is a gorgeous floral! The bright magnolia and heady lilac are so perfectly balanced and supported wonderfully with the sexy ambergris and smooth orris. The scent stays true from application to dry down, the only downside is it doesn't last a real long time on my thirsty skin. I may get a bottle anyways and just slather it a bit. It's that good. A perfectly elegant and slightly mysterious cologne for a Victorian noblewoman with a unicorn mask.
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Angora started out so pretty and pink and floral, I love it in the decant! Unfortunately, something went wrong with my skin chemistry in the dry down. At first I'm getting the Earl Grey with a great bergamot note, the pink rose, and the white musk. The honeysuckle and sandalwood stay in the background but I can juuuust pick them out. I don't know if I can pick out blackcurrant bud on its own, it may just be blending in with the other bright florals. I don't think I've ever tried a scent with a matcha note, but it seems to go janky on my skin and amped over the other notes to become heavy and bitter. I'm disappointed because it was so lovely before that happened. Stupid skin. I think I can find a way to use my decant to enjoy the loveliness of the scent without getting my skin in the way because it is very appropriate to a pink bunny girl like Angora.
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Like others have said, this isn't a sharp-edged metallic but a kind of sparkly, fizzy scent. It's bright and shiny, but not overbearing. The incense notes are solid and expectedly lovely and backing up the metallic sparkles at the top. I'm also getting an unexpected but pleasant sweetness to this. I'm not sure I recognize the note, it's almost like a sweet almond honey, but it sort of joins the other notes together. After it's dry, I'm even getting a soft woody note that I'm not sure how to describe, but it's just as smooth and pretty as the rest of the blend. I think this matches the character quite well, as she's a mounted warrior in armor but with a warm, energetic personality.
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I was leery of this one since my skin amps clove like crazy, but the opening is just beautiful! Wet, I get a smooth musk with dragonsblood and a subtle smoke-kissed vetiver. Drying, it takes on a bright, dry, golden feel and the desert sand becomes a major player in the scent profile. Tonka bean is in the background but adding a nice sweetness. Dry, the clove pops up and demands an audience, but it actually seems to behave alongside the other notes and doesn't ruin this lovely desert fox for me, just adds some dry spice. This scent is warm and slightly smoky and definitely evocative of adventures in the desert with a mystical animal companion.
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This turned out much lighter than I thought it would be and is champaca-forward in a beautiful way. Wet, the champaca does its little dance on my skin where I'm not sure if it's going to go soapy or not. The other notes stay mostly in the background. Dry, the champaca has settled into a smooth incense-y floral and the honey and spice are mild accompaniments. I can detect the darker fruity tobacco and molasses, but they are very much in the background. This is smooth, magical, and quite lovely.
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Lesbian Maidservants Cavorting with a Tortoiseshell Dildo
Follow My Nose replied to Jenjin's topic in Lupercalia
Sniffed in bottle and wet on skin: Teak is the strongest note right from the start, with a sweet amber playing second chair. Drying down: The scent is warming up and smoothing out; the soft green note of the moss steps in quietly; lastly, I think I'm finally picking up a fabric note from the brocade Completly dry: this is so gorgeous and warm and sexy! the notes end up blending beautifully, with the teak and amber the most prominent notes throughout the drydown; the honey is definitely present and the fabric (which mysteriously does give off "red") and moss come out later in the background, adding complexity to the blend. Really glad I picked this one up, it's become the favorite of my Luper buys this year! Amusing side story: Yahoo email has started putting an AI-generated summary of an email at the top when I open it. When I got my shipping notice from BPAL for this order, the summary said I would be receiving a package of perfume oils ... and a dildo. The best part is, it took me a minute to realize what was actually being referred to and I was just surprised that sending dildos as free swag with our orders was even financially feasible. It never occurred to me to be surprised that BPAL would do that for Lupercalia. Once I realized it was just AI foolishness, I laughed my ass off! -
In bottle and wet on skin: the wax lipstick accord is present right away and I can’t believe how accurate it is! Also picking up light florals and something reading citrusy to me? Drydown: mineralic notes quickly join the party, this is so unique and definitely something new for my collection; my nose does not recognize all of the subtle notes I’m getting, the dates and oud don’t jump out at me, but this is really enjoyable with that waxy lipstick accord underneath it all Fully dry: All of the notes blend smoothly together once it’s dry and there’s a subtle powdery overlay (there’s a powder compact in this makeup cabinet); the best description I can give is bullet lipstick with floral-scented face powder, crushed minerals, and something vaguely citrus-like This reminds me of opening up my grandmother’s mirrored bathroom cabinet when I was a kid. All of the scented cosmetics mixing together and lightly wafting out, it’s a special smell that I had mostly forgotten until I wore this perfume. Nostalgic, unique, and lovely!
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Sniffed in bottle and wet on skin: immediately getting strong rosemary and booze; I almost thought it was juniper at first and wondered if there was a gin note, but my nose was just confused about the rosemary Drying down: the boozy note quickly disappears and the tea & other herbaceous scents make an appearance so it's less of a rosemary-only herbal brew; this is becoming dry and green and quite refreshing Dry & settled: the vanilla finally shows up after it's dry on my skin, but stays soft in the background; the scent as a whole is still dry and herbal, and subtly woody to my nose; I would think of this as a non-gendered or masculine-leaning scent, bright and refreshing for sultry summer days I'm really glad that I impulsively grabbed a bottle of this, it's different from anything else in my collection!
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Come With Me ... starts out with a surprisingly sweet cherry almond over soft black musk on my skin. The cherry note fades away quickly and the black orchid comes forward in its place. The nutty almond sticks around as a soft warming note somewhere in the middle. Black musk is the sexy base of this scent, partnering with the orchid to pull everything else together smoothly. The cacao is very subtle and dry, adding an almost powdery note in the background. It's barely noticeable to my nose, blending with the subtle now-dry almond to give a light gourmand warmth to the overall feel. I predict this is going to be another favorite dark and seductive scent in my arsenal. I agree with the comparisons to Black Silk Orchid, a favorite Luper of mine, this has the same dark floral note but more shadowy and sultry. If Black Silk Orchid is the woman wearing all black at a garden party (complete with veiled sunhat), Come With Me is her outfit for the VIV (Very Important Vampire) room at the club.
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The Corn Spirit is hands-down the most Autumnal scent I got this year! My main impression is that glorious dry, golden-brown hay & grain note that BPAL gets perfect. There’s a hint of musty soil that just adds a chilly edge without smelling like a pile of dirt, and a sweet corn cob scent mixed in. After it dries, I can pick up the chamomile, like having a hot cup of tea after a breezy walk through the harvest fields. If a scarecrow had a soul, this would be what it smelled like.
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Vintage Ghost Blow Mold is indeed warm and glowing like it’s inspiration. Right off, I get a sweet milky vanilla (no plastic here) balanced with golden amber. There’s just a whisper of the classic fabric note, perhaps a nod to the ghost’s garment, and a bit o’ honey, like some spilled candy corn on the sidewalk next to the vintage decor. This does remind me of trick-or-treating when I was a kid and enjoying candy from a plastic pumpkin while I wandered past all of the neighbors’ ghostly yard decorations. Very nostalgic and sweet!
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Sleepy Bat is your perfect lavender scent for the Halloween season. It perfectly evokes the adorable photo on the label, combining restful lavender with soft wing leather and a melange of gentle, powdery golden notes. I can’t pick out the individual notes other than lavender and leather, but they meld together beautifully. This would be a lovely sleep blend but also a cozy peaceful scent for any day you are feeling stressed or anxious.
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Dead Laves, Shortbread & Crystallized Ginger
Follow My Nose replied to zankoku_zen's topic in Halloweenie
Dead Leaves, Shortbread & Crystallized Ginger was a gamble for me, since the dead leaves note often does not work on my skin. This starts out with the sharp, bitter green pepper note that usually disappoints me, but luckily the other notes come in to play during dry down and make those leaves behave. The sweet buttery shortbread balances beautifully and cancels out the bitterness, leaving that powdery crunchy scent I’m always looking for in the DL series. The ginger adds a nice bit of light spice but isn’t overpowering. Altogether this is a delicious autumn scent reminiscent of eating cookies while kicking through crunchy drifts of colorful leaves. -
Batty Lace has that classic BPAL lace note, delicate fabric with creamy vanilla tones and the faintest of florals; the leather and musk are soft but present, giving this a slightly sexier edge but remaining cozy. On my skin, it remains the same from application through dry down and has decent lasting power, especially for a lighter scent. This is exactly what I was hoping for when I saw the name “Batty Lace” and I am so happy that I added this scent to my tiny collection of lace-based perfumes.
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To start with, I get an unusual combo of a forest scent and tart fruit. This mellows into a balanced blend of the soft green oakmoss and the cranberry, with the brandy adding a bit of sweetness. The wooly yarn fills in the middle and smooths out the edges of everything else, making this a surprisingly seamless perfume. Hand-Knitted Witch Gloves appealed to me on many levels, being a knitter of occultist persuasion myself, but I wasn’t sure what to expect from the blend of notes. I’m glad I took a gamble on it, because it is just lovely and different from any other scent I have.