Haltija

Sweet, soft and beautiful honeyed fruit with a little powdery quality from the amber or the cognac and a small trace of myrrh. The honeysuckle is so nice and uplifting in this and makes me vision Spring. Very nice (:

Reporting back - there are a lot of recommendations that I still need to try (have a few of the imps right now) but I've just tried Sudha Segara and Shub-Niggurath - and they're great! Sudha Segara is different from what I expected - a lot lighter and fresher, with fruitiness from the ambrosia, which is actually very nice. And it still dries down to a cozy milky scent. And Shub-Niggurath is just perfect. Delicious, and throw for miles. I want to bathe in it, really. Did a retest of Miskatonic U but the sweet booziness is a bit overwhelming on my skin.Desire is looking promising in the imp, but I just got a bunch of stuff in the mail and ran out of space to skin test. So thanks again for the great recommendations!

So glad that Shub was a winner. I knew it would be (:

I never smelled Flying Kites so I cannot compare it to that but I can compare it to being in the same family as something like Destroying Angel (I don't get any mushroom quality in that scent.......... or something like Burial) While it doesn't have a "dirt" smell it just has a earthy note and I am getting it from the pine mixed with the olive. It's kind of fresh and makes you crave Summer even though it's not a full on Summer blend. It's great and I will enjoy my decant when the weather warms up a little.

This seriously is one of the most BEAUTIFUL scents I have smelled in a while. Sophisticated and rich but yet still a little uplifting. The lily keeps it still fresh while the patchouli and vetiver keep it dark. The plum keeps it sexy. But sadly the moment it dries I get extremely sad because it smells just like my Aunt's signature perfume and she passed around this time last year.

OH PLEASE MAKE MY EMOTIONS CHANGE BECAUSE I WANT TO LOVE THIS ON ME! I don't want to be sad and cry everytime I smell it.

I just am having awful luck with these Ligeia and Anniversary blends on my skin.

I was for sure this would be a winner but alas it was not. Beautiful in the decant and so beautiful on me for the first 15 minutes. I love every single note in this and I love how the black tea almost smells like licorice because I love that in my perfumes as of late. The moment this fully dried and for the rest of the time it lingered on me it smelled like a cleaner. Like some sort of fancy pretty bathroom cleaner! UGH! Will send this decant to a better home

This smells like a more tobacco based version of Hunger from the GC to my nose and on my skin. I am not the biggest fan of Hunger but this is actually really pleasant in the decant and when it is wet on the skin. But toward the dry down it turns a little funky and it's upsetting because I adore patchouli and tobacco blends. But sadly this is not for me.

Very strong ivy and cypress when it's wet. When it begins to dry the nightshade comes out and makes the blend seem a little more floral. It's very nice and not a headache inducing scent but it's still really green. Not so much the herbal green. Just a little dark and earthy. Like you've been out at night digging through a flowerbed by a ivy tree. I will enjoy my decant.

This is just beautiful. Feminine without screaming "super floral" and I like that and have been searching for that. It's a scent to wear all year round but most specifically in the Spring. It's soft, delicate and the lavender does have that medicinal quality at first but once it's on the skin it fades and turns a little sweet. The green tea leaf isn't unpleasant either and it just gives the scent a brightness. It's for sure the scent of sitting in a garden in the early hours of Spring. <3

The only downfall is that it has extremely low throw and at times it's hard to smell. So I agree with a previous reviewer that it may be a good sleep blend or just something to wear at the house when you want a little pick me up during the rainy/dreary days.

In the decant: Oooh creamy coconut, this is going to be good.

Wet on the skin: Nopeee. This smells just like a medicine I used to take and really hated as a child. It almost has a tiny bit of a pineapple smell to my nose. Goodness I can't even handle this. It's making me feel a little sick ):

Dry on the skin: That pineapple scent faded thank goodness but there is still something off about it and that I just can't stomach.

Not a winner, sadly. I will send this decant off to a better home.

This smells very pink and very delicate. The pink pepper does give it the bubblegum quality for sure. The vanilla gives it a richer depth but it's got very low throw on me. At times I can barely even smell it, even when I bury my nose to my arm. I don't think a bottle is needed but I will keep testing out my decant.

This scent is just lovely. Deep, resinous, smoky musk with blackened tobacco to my nose and on my skin. I hardly get any black currant at all which is a real bummer but I love the way it smells at this moment with all of the dark notes. Unfortunately it smells like something I already own. It kind of smells like The Illustrated Woman. So I don't think I will need a bottle but I will definitely enjoy my decant. (:

There is no way this should of turned bad on me! NO WAY

I love myrrh and I love rose and this should of been a huge winner. Alas, it turned into instant headache and I am so disappointed ):

Going to give this a re test though in a few days because this may just be a crappy skin chemistry day.

For character one I suggest looking at the Stage Blood SN from the Halloweenies before they come down. Also Midnight Mass from the Yules.

Vasilissa- Gently carved wood warm with a maternal love that reaches beyond death: rose-infused amber and soft golden sandalwood.

For character two I definitely would suggest Tombstone- A celebration of one of the first commercially produced perfumes of America's Old West. A rugged, warm blend of vanilla, balsam and sassafras layered over Virginia cedar. I also suggest looking at the blends from "The District" collection. I will also suggest Vixen- Lascivious, flirtatious, and vampy as hell. A true heartbreaker’s perfume. The innocence of orange blossom tainted by the beguiling scents of ginger and patchouli

Hope I was of some help

Thanks, Haltija! Shub-Niggurath is definitely on my to-try list. Dee is pretty nice but definitely in my comfort zone already. I didn't know about Gingerbread Cathedral and it sounds amazing, and Lysander also looks worth a try. Something in Kubla Khan went nauseatingly wrong on me, though, maybe the opium? :/

Could have been the Opium. It's a love or hate scent with a lot of people. Gingerbread Cathedral is a Yule and if you have smelled the original Cathedral then you will like this version of it because it's just gorgeous Gingerbread added.

The Diamond's Gong- A celestial hymn, singing to Earth from fifty light years away: ten billion-trillion-trillion-carats of glittering white musk, with cognac, tagetes, white champaca, Gum Arabic, and davana. (Something just told me to show you this one)

I know the smell you are talking about because I had The Wretched Rose Window and idk but for some reason Le Revenant and Ghosts In Love have that smell. Not completely identical but that same "vintage old timey" thing going on and a little like it.

The Raven is on my list as well. Because it also has that vintage smell to my nose.

Welcome back (:

Here are some of my suggestions.

If you have never tried Shub-Niggurath I think it's about time you do. The description is "The lust incense of a corrupted Astarte. A blend of ritual herbs and dark resins, shot through with three gingers and aphrodisiacal spices."

Kubla Khan- Through sunlit caves of ice, roses unfurl amidst dancing waves of serpentine opium smoke and amber tobacco, golden sandalwood, champaca, tea leaf, sugared lily, ginger, rich hay absolute, leather, dark vanilla, mandarin, peru balsam, and Moroccan jasmine.

Dee- His scent is soft English leather, rosewood and tonka with a hint of incense, parchment and soft woods.

Lysander- Lilac musk, tonka, wood violet, and urbane lime rind, with a Venus-kissed tangle of myrtle, blackberry leaf, and benzoin.

Gingerbread Cathedral- Gingerbread with olibanum, Oman myrrh, Damascus rose resin, and cassia.

Anathema- A scent as heavy as thunder from the Vatican, with notes that inspire every sin and excess. Black opium, with vetivert and honeysuckle.

This is such a wonderful scent.

In the decant: It's definitely cake with a strong incense. Don't get any beer at all.

On the skin: Whoa now that is a lot of beer coming forth but it isn't bad, it's kind of a spiced beer and to my nose the cake is turning to spicy as well.

Dry on the skin: This is where I fall in love with this scent. Dry it smells exactly like Crème Brulee on me. I cannot stop sniffing my arm and this has instantly went into the "must buy bottle immediately" pile. Gorgeous

I could give you some of my suggestions.

Look into some oils with bay or bay rum as a note. They work really well on my skin and it's a note that fits into the ones you like at the moment.

Santo Domingo- An exotic, sultry blend of tobacco leaf, bay rum and heady Caribbean blossoms.

Jazz Funeral- (One of my all time personal favorites) Bittersweet bay rum, bourbon, and a host of funeral flowers with a touch of graveyard dirt, magnolia and Spanish Moss.

Lear- A regal, commanding scent, but poignant. White cedarwood, blue sage and bay leaf.

I also suggest looking into oils with plum or currant as a note. A lot of bpal plum blends are so deep and beautiful.

Kitsune-Tsuki- Kitsune-Tsuki are malevolent Japanese spirits, akin to western werebeasts: women are possessed by the spirits of foxes, who compel them to perform acts of wickedness and mischief. Asian plum, orchid, daffodil, jasmine and white musk.

First snow today, brrrrr.... what are your favorite cold weather BPALs?

My personal favorites are Talvikuu, The First Soft Snow, Krampus, Snow White, Almond Blossom, La Pere Fouettard, Gingerbread Snake, Skadi, Faunalia, Sweet Lavinia's Risalamande, Gelt and El Dia de los Reyes. Besides Yules being my favorite cold weather scents the other ones I love wearing this time of the year are French Tobacco, Tombeur, Morocco.

Here are some of my suggestions

The Book- Old, yellowed parchment paper, tattered leather bindings. There’s a distinct warmth to the scent, though it is ancient and brittle.

The Curator- Mysterious herbs and ancient resins. Dust settled on ancient relics, both holy and malevolent.

Miskatonic University- The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls.

Odin- His scent is dry elm bark, amaranth, warrior’s musk, and Odin’s Nine Herbs of Power.

Sounds like you are giving him a wonderful gift for Christmas.

 

I just recently received my first order which contained Mouse Circus, Samhain and an imp of Glasgow, and I'd love some scent recommendations!

I'm incredibly bad at describing myself so I don't think I'll be able to write as much as everyone else but here goes...I'm 22 years old going on 23 in December, Sagittarius, and I'm currently a Music Photographer working for an online magazine but I'm looking to change my career direction around and eventually work in the makeup industry (although I could never fully forget about my photography). I live in Scotland (so that's why I ordered an imp of Glasgow) I'm quite Scottish at heart and I do love where I live. I'm a really creative person, I love being able to get my creative side across in any way possible whether it's through photography or art etc, it's always been my field of speciality. I'm generally an easy going, happy person, with a shy personality but I'm slowly building my confidence over time.

My favourite music genre is rock and alternative, I'm in my best enviroment when I'm at a gig listening to live music as I love the energy and atmosphere, I find it to be quite captivating. I have too many favourite artists to mention but some of my most listened to bands are, AFI, Billy Talent, Within Temptation, Molotov Jukebox and HIM. My other interests include anything particularly witchy, I like collecting crystals, my preferred choices being spirit quartz and labradorite. I also have a particular fondness for the 90's (possibly because I grew up in those times) but I love the clothing, movies, artists etc.

For notes that I previously have enjoyed before discovering BPAL, I am in love with Tom Ford's Black Orchid, it's one of my favourite perfumes so if anything rings a bell that is similar as such then that would be great. I tend to like spicy, but sweet scents and as far as the BPAL perfumes that I've already bought that I mentioned earlier, I'm currently enjoying Samhain and Mouse Circus, not so much Glasgow. I hope that helps, any recommendations are more than helpful so that I can plan around my next order! Thanks.

 

Welcome to bpal and the forum

Here are some of my suggestions

Anne Bonny- Named in honor of the most notorious female pirate to ever set sail. Wicked, cruel, beautiful, intelligent, resourceful and dangerous: a true role model. A blend of Indonesian red patchouli, red sandalwood, and frankincense.

Leanan Sidhe- The name translates to “fairy, love of my soul”. A vampiric spirit and a dark muse, the love of the Leanan Sidhe is both a gift and a curse. These eerily beautiful Irish spirits drain the sanity and lifeforce of the men they inspire to artistic greatness. Her kiss infuses a man with depth of vision and feeling, otherworldly passion, and a sudden and ineffable understanding of the unending sadness that plagues mankind. Her perfume is a crush of Irish herbs and flowers, Gaelic mists, and nighttime dew.

Bewitched- Deep, luscious green and berry scents that evoke images of woodland witchcraft and the raw power of nature: blackberry, sage, green tea, wild berries and dark musk.

Bilquis- Honey, myrrh, lily of the valley, rose otto, fig leaf, almond, ambrette, red apple, and warm musk.

The Witch Queen- Wild plum, red musk, tuberose, calla lily, heliotrope, pimento, ylang ylang and beeswax beneath a dark haze of sinister purple-hued incense smoke.

Bordello- A decadent, deep perfume, lusty and luxuriant. The scent evokes images of velvet-lined Old West cathouses, tightly laced corsets, rustling petticoats and coquettish snarls of pleasure. Bawdy plum with amaretto, burgundy wine and black currant.

Lamia- Deadly elegance: pale orchid, vanilla amber, black currant, white peach, champaca, coconut, Arabian myrrh, Burmese vetiver, and oude.

Puddin really did it with this one! (:

This is absolutely incredible. The first thing that I get is the smoke smell from a fireplace. The smoke is tamed a little and not super strong like how vetiver can make it be. It has a very tiny hint of a sweetness lingering behind it which I assume is the pumpkin and to my nose it doesn't read as overly spicy. Just mellowed out and a little raw. I do smell hay but it isn't the hay note like in "Autumn Fancies or Tattie Bogle" it's a more leafy hay note to me. This is just a winner all around and I will be spraying it a ton before Fall is over. Well done

Sprayed this in the air and wow! To me the first thing that jumps out is strong violet. It's always making my nose twitch a little but it's so good you guys. It's a little bit of a dare I say "sugary violet" after the initial violet fades a little it does bring out the squishy raw pumpkin note but it isn't warm to me. It's very cooling and really atmospheric. I get no spices at all but I do get a tiny mushroomy smell but it in no way is rancid........ It just gives the scent depth.

I am really enjoying this. I even think since the entire scent smells cooling that it can even be used a little in the Winter. I will be using this a lot.

Cherry and dragons blood candy. It kind of smells like a cherry gummy bear to me. I let my Mother smell this one and the first thing she said was "It smells like Skittles" I think she got that from the little bitty soft fruity quality I smell when I inhale deep enough.

It has that syrupy feel and that "red" feel. It's really unique and it morphs on my skin. I am liking this one but I think my decant is enough for now.

Just like everyone above has mentioned. This is pure pumpkin pie spice with a lot of cinnamon and a little nutmeg. It's so spicy that on me it doesn't tame down for quite a while. I also get that fleshy pumpkin smell when it's wet but it isn't super strong and it's definitely hidden in the background.

Once it begins to dry though on my skin and to my nose it smells a little bit like Saw-Scaled Viper which I love a lot. So I am debating on whether to get a bottle or just keep my decant for the time being. After a few more times testing I think I will make up my mind.