VetchVesper

Aw nutters. This smelled quite promising at first, buttery vanilla, something vaguely caramely, and sandalwood. Then the amber started to peek through. Then..... baby powder and nothing but. Alas.

Softly tart, sweet, and green floral. This reminds me of the GC Lilium Inter Spinas, which seems to be discontinued. :/ Very pretty and fresh.

All the notes in this seem restrained and subdued. I smell oudh and tobacco at first. Oudh can go a bit "manure" on me, and that's what this one is doing, but it's light enough it's not totally off-putting. The tobacco two is light and makes me think of smoke wafting in from an adjacent room. The bay rum sweetens the mix, but this doesn't smell super boozy to me. The leather is not prominent to me, though I'm guessing it's adding some warmth to the mix. In some ways this reminds me of Perversion, but I like that one much more. Maybe Perversion's well behaved cousin with a British accent? Pleasant, but resistible.

So when I was EXTREMELY stuffed up, this is one of the few bpals I could still smell. I can smell the apple, but it's definitely heavy on the camphor/eucalyptus notes. I don't get the burlap until it dries down a bit, and then it's very light. I totally get the Tiger Balm and Vapor Rub references, but this becomes much lighter and smoother on the skin. This isn't something I would ever wear as a perfume, but it is soothing and comforting, and I could see using it for aromatherapy purposes or as an atmospheric room scent. It really does have the feel of a chilly cellar or barn, or maybe the way someones skin smells when they first come in from the cold. I've almost talked myself into keeping it b/c it's so different. Hmmmmm....

Really interesting. This smells very "baked goods" to me even though it doesn't use any of the usual cake notes. It makes me think of gingerbread or molasses. The tobacco is in the forefront and is wet, sticky, and sweet smelling, and I definitely get the brown sugar/caramel thing going on. I don't really get any of the pine notes or wood, though I do get the smoky aspect. If you are a fan of semi foodie blends, caramel, or dark, sticky tobacco, this is worth checking out.

This is a beautiful, soft honeysuckle. I'm sure the other flowers add complexity, but I don't smell them as separate from the honeysuckle. Heel and Do the Dancing Maidens Sleep had a green sappiness to the honeysuckle which didn't quite work for me, but this is creamy on my skin. My husband, who is not a big perfume fan, but does LOVE the woods, immediately recognized this as honeysuckle, so that should say something about how realistic this scent is. Seeing a bottle in my future.

 

One caveat, it's wear length is a little short. Between 2 and 4 hours. Light florals like this usually don't last too long on me though. Still beautiful.<3

Leather, the note that smells like motor oil to me (from Amaxaphobia and Steal Phoenix), and a metallic cologne vibe. This strikes me as very maculine. Torture Queen smells higher pitched to me, shiny. This smells like old, tarnished metal. The Old Goblin keeps popping into my head even though the notes are different. I think it's the mix of warm notes with the chilly cologne. I am not a fan of either, but if you like metallic/cologne blends, this has it in spades. I could see it being a marvelous role playing blend for a pirate or steam punk character.

Hmmmm.... an intriguing melange. It doesn't smell like what I normally think of as incense, but it's lovely just the same. I think I detect some champaca going on, and I too get VioletChaos's sugary lemon at first. It goes away pretty quickly on my skin though. I'm going back and forth on whether I need a bottle of this. I think, if you like the idea of incense, but it tends to be to heavy on you, this might be worth checking out.

Very pretty and different from a lot of the other BPAL florals I've smelled. There is a chill tartness to the fragrance and an astringency that makes me think "bright white." The plumeria and lily are sweet and almost fruity, but the chrysanthemum lends a dry greeness to the blend. This is strait up floral on me. No incense. If you are a floral enthusiast, or like that dry dusty thing that chrysanthemums and marigolds have, give this a go. I could also see fans of white tea digging this. It doesn't have the note, but it does have that same chill, sweet astringency.

I would definitely recommend you check out the scents on BPAL's vanilla imp pack if you haven't already. Dragon's Milk is hard not to like and I LOVE Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, which smells like a good root beer float on me. I've also heard good things about Detestable Putrescence and Sachs for vanilla fans.

 

My favorite vanillas would be Edith Cushing (buttery vanilla) and Pediophobia (more dry vanilla). Hard to find, but well worth a sniff if you can. Small Brown Cat (cozy) and Torture Queen (floral with dry vanilla musk) are also lovely.

 

Also, if you liked TKO, try to get a hold of some 2008: Sugar Phoenix!

The gin, leather, and chocolate come across to me as pretty well balanced. Like bheanesidhe, I get a red fruit vibe from the gin, sort of chocolate covered dried fruit. The leathee and chocolate remind me of Jolabokaflod, so maybe - this is for the Icelanders who toss out the books and grab the liquor bottles on Christmas Eve. Subdued leather, dusty chocolate, and fruity gin. Entirely pleasant.

I'm a bit of a crazy cat lady, so I was eager to try The Cat (and all bpal's "cat" scents), but the cedar mucked up the otherwise perfect notes for me. Apparently small brown cats though are much more agreeable than sleek black cats. =^..^=

 

The cedar in The Small Brown Cat is gentle and just adds a hint of woodiness to the musk and vanilla. I don't really pick up the cardamom, but the whole thing is blended extremely well, so that doesn't surprise me. This is such a lovely, comforting, and soft scent, I find it hard to believe anyone could really dislike it, but then, that's how I feel about cats in general.

I love this SO MUCH. It's a beautiful, dusty, warm wood smell. The nuts come across as dry and roasted and not foody, and the patchouli is soft, smooth and comforting. The grey amber in this is making me think of last year's L'Hyver, and it's just gorgeous. Definitely the star of the show on my skin. Medium weight incense. Gender neutral. Lasts for days in my hair. LOOOOOOVE.

Lots of lovely red musk, with a tinge of nose tickle in the back from the pink pepper. The neroli and orange blossom add fruity sweetness b/I would say this is primarily a red musk blend. Great longevity. Very nice, and glad to have a bottle.

The tobacco note is what I smell most prominently in the bottle, but on my skin, the redwood becomes most prominent. It smells laquered and similar to the wood in the Red Queen. I can still smell the tobacco, and it's the chewy kind. It mixes with peach. Chewy, fruity tobacco and dark wood. This might be quite nice on a man. I don't get tons of red musk, though I think I do detect a hint. I'm surprised I'm not smelling any clove. This is interesting, but not a love. I might keep it around a while though, and see how it ages. Woods like cedar and mahogany don't generally wear well on me, so I'm surprised this one is behaving as well as it is.

 

Edit: I've been wearing this today outside and it's very cold, and I must say, this is behaving gorgeously. It really is a winter perfume I guess. The red musk and peach blossom is most prominent on my skin now, with the tobacco and woods serving as a deep and luxurious backdrop. Very sexy. I could see this on a femme fatal or villainess.

All in all, this is a lovely scent, and I keep going back and forth as to whether or not to keep it, b/c I know I won't wear it, but it's still really nice. It's a very smooth, dry, evergreen fragrance. Cade is apparently a type of juniper and it's a very well behaved juniper b/c normally it's a death note for me. The lavender is soft and somewhat astringent, yet there's a sweetness to the smell, maybe from the oppoponax? This makes me think of falling asleep in a fairy tale forest.

In the bottle this smells sugar, fruity, sweet and inviting with a hint of aquatic. On my skin, there's a brief sweet, woody phase, still ith hints of fruity-sweet tartness and then ..... SOOOOAP! ARGH! My chemistry = aquatics. I know this CAN work though, b/c I smelled it on someone else and it was a lovely, clean, freshly washed sort of smell with a tinge of fruity sweetness and NOT soapy death. To all you aquatic lovers, I am envious and good luck.

Thick, dark, sweet, and resinous. In short - delicious.

 

There's a lot of dragon's blood coming through, and I think that, mixed with the patch is what reminds me of A Witch Riding a Dragon. I'm not great at picking out labdanum, but I think maybe it's adding to the thick sweetness? The clove is definitely present. It plays nicely with the other notes, adding a spicey and metallic tang but not overwhelming. It gives a vague impression of iron, whether that of a cauldron or that of blood is left to the imagination. Still, there's something cozy about this fragrance and less in your face than some of BPAL's other blood scents. (Deluge, I'm looking at you.) I think I'm hooked.

 

ETA - I am wearing coffee scented/flavored lip balm with this and keep getting wafts of the two together. Kind of a delectable combo. Wish I had some Coffee SN to experiment with.

Looots of dark, sticky tobacco smell on me with a heaping helping of grape jelly. It's a wierd combo to me, but almost works. Then the wool note meets my chemistry and it's all down hill. Ah well...

Delicious fruit snacks! Sweet, bright, sugary fruit. A sort of zesty honey lemon scent, which I'm now realizing (cause I looked at the notes) is the apple. Very pretty and light and sweet. This makes me think of a little girl with rosy cheeks. Happy and uplifting.

 

ETA: This has gotten even better with age, probably from the deepening Snake Oil.  It's similar, but just a little richer smelling.  It reminds me a bit of Cairo, but I much prefer it.  Still, a happy scent, but now with a smidge of sexy.    I'm really not much of an apple fan, but this is nice.

Definitely a TKO vibe going on, except I like this a lot better. Something in TKO smells like camphor to me, mixed with sugar cookie, and I can't imagine wearing it as a perfume, but THIS is the sugary, lavender cookie think with a dusting of bright citrus and no weird camphor/medicinal note. Very pretty, and still relaxing and cozy.

Motor oil with a hint of chocolate. Yum? My nose gets the tingle of pine more than the smell if I sniff real deep. The camphorous pine gets stronger with wear and the motor oil becomes more woody. I'd bet on vetiver here. Definitely a dark, thick, masculine blend. I could see this being sexy in sort of a hard work'n man sort of way. Not for me though.

Hmmmm.... oudh is fickle on my chemistry. Some of my favorite blends include it, but sometimes it just goes strait cow manure. In Melchior its... interesting.....

this wise man smells subdued, gentle, mysterious, and a little bit like his camel. I think I detect the chamomile which always smells "soft" to me. The frankincense just adds a teensy bit of dry spiciness to the background. I can tell rose is in the blend b/c this reminds me of other rose/oudh combos I've smelled, namely Bestla and Nasty Woman, but it's not a ROSE perfume. I think this might smell really nice on a man, actually. It lacks the in your faceness of Bestla (nope) and the hippy patch and sweetness of Nasty Woman (loved), is it's own beast, but reminds me of both. I'm gonna keep this guy around and see how he ages.

Dry, herbaceous, and very green in a way I haven't smelled with other BPAL "green" scents. I'm not getting anything "snowy" from this, though I do agree with other reviews that there is something cold about this fragrance. It reminds me of death. I think it catches the melancholy of the poem very nicely. Very evocative and atmospheric.

This makes me happy. It's a rather masculine blend, and what comes across when I spray it ON something is mostly the oak with a hint of leather. It smells like a very nice "man office/study" with polished wood cabinets and svelte, leather furniture. In the AIR, the beeswax becomes the dominant feature to my nose, with a bit of spicy wood filling in the background. It's not a heavy scent, and there's something lovely and clean about it, along with something decidedly proper.