Upstart Crow

Aber is iffy to me, but the mosses make this blend deep, earthy, and just a little sweet. Definitely getting a bottle!

Normally, I wouldn't have bought a scent like this. I don't like foody scents for the most part, and as much as I love raspberries, I don't want to smell like them. But the fact this scent benefits the ACLU made up my mind for me.

 

In bottle: Sharp, dark raspberry. This doesn't smell like fresh raspberries or even overripe ones, but more like what a perfumer's impression of a raspberry would be. I assume the darkness comes from the birch tar and the tea leaf. This just smells black, rather like the dark label.

 

On me, wet: Pretty much the same. Pretty sure the darkness I'm smelling is the birch tar, as I drink tea a lot and can usually detect what the leaves smell like. I also get a small hint of something metallic. I guess this is the iron fist from the description?

 

Drydown: The raspberry calms down and the dark birch tar comes out to play. I do wish it amped more on me and stayed strong longer, but this is definitely a keeper, as I don't have any raspberry scents and this one isn't all that glaringly foody.

 

Definitely pick up a bottle if you think at all that this might work for you. It's an unusual scent and the money goes to one of the best causes it can these days.

I, too, am getting sharpened pencils here, which is absolutely the frankincense. This and the cloying sweetness are the reasons frankincense is such an iffy note on me. It either enhances the blend subtly or it overrides everything else in a way that isn't unpleasant exactly, but which is just something I don't much care for because it hammers everything else down.

 

I get just a hint of the full-bodied rose here, and some sweetness from the violet, but overall not what I'd expected or hoped for. Not a bad blend at all, but just not entirely for me. If you love frankincense, though, you really ought to pick it up!

A very sweet, snowy scent, definitely a sweeter, lighter musk. I don't think I've ever tried blue musk before, and it's absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, the throw is pretty weak on me and it fades very fast. Maybe because I've only tested it and didn't put a lot on? I'd like to keep this one, so I hope the throw either improves or aging makes this stronger.

For real? No one has reviewed this yet?

This is just a gorgeous scent. It's one of nine (!!!) I got blind bottles of this year because the Yules were just that awesome.

In bottle: I get a faint hint of the BPAL snow note and something very sweet, a little green, and floral that has just a hint of wallpaper paste--but not in a bad way. I have absolutely no clue what this is, but it's gorgeous and not at all something I'd expect for a scent with this description, as I expected Sea of Ice to be more like Hypothermia from 2009 or Nuclear Winter.

Applied, wet: Paste isn't a problem at all, and this becomes sweet, refreshing, and vital and faintly aquatic. But just faintly. This makes me think of glaciers with the warmth of the sea nearby. Of meltwater, of--wait for it!--the ocean with ice floes in it. Incredible.

Drydown: The same, but marginally more aquatic. Has a fairly decent throw, seems that it will last moderately on my skin.

This is just spectacular. I may need a backup bottle before the Yules come down.

Dead Leaves, Chamomile, Roses, and White Tea is so good it inspired me to blend my own white tea, chamomile, and rose petals blend at adagio.com!

Visiting the Temple on the eve of Auspicious Fortune (I think that's its name...it's super long) is a good rainy scent, though it's incens-y too, which may not be yuor thing?

I passed this up in 2012 but picked it up for the 2016 charity event.

 

I only regret waiting so long. Vetiver is a favorite note of mine that I've sought out less over the years for some reason, and this gorgeous bottle reminds me why I shouldn't do that ;3. It's smoky, slightly greenish, woody, heavy, pungent, and "gritty" as a few people have said. Nice long staying power too.

 

This smells like the same vetiver used in Bluebeard too, which makes it an instant winner for me.

In bottle: Very soft leather with a slight hint of spice--which must be the cloves. I don't smell bourbon, leaves, or vanilla.

 

Wet: Very, very faint clove and light leather. Reminds me a little of The Two Old Men from this year's Fleurette's Purple Snails, but not as strong or satisfying.

 

Drydown: Clove comes out to play more and blends with the leather beautifully, and I think I'm picking up on a very dry, light vanilla. It's lovely, but its throw is super weak on me and it's just not one I see myself reaching for as much as I will some of the others in this plentiful pile of leaves. I'm curious to see how it will age, but at the same time I may swap it for another leaf bottle.

[No additional description given.]

 

First review again! Woo~

In bottle: Chamomile chamomile chamomile chamomile!!! With just a tiny hint of rose and leaves.

Wet on skin: A burst of chamomile that quickly gets wrapped up gently in red roses sweetened by the white tea. The rose is super subtle. I love red rose, but my skin tends to amp it pretty hard, but in this blend it just hangs out in the background giving this blend a rich undertone. As I keep sniffing, the white tea's sweetness comes to the forefront more and blends gorgeously with the chamomile (which is now making me crave white tea and chamomile together in beverage form!). The leaf note I get here is really more subtle and surprisingly greenish. A bit like the note used in Nothing Gold Can Stay (another favorite of mine). Though as it dries, it gets a bit darker and crisper.

Dry down: More of the same, and a hint of dandelion? It's not in the notes, though, so it must just be the way the chamomile, tea, and leaves combine. The rose gets even more subtle.

I'm definitely glad I got a bottle. Another keeper, I think!

I'm so thrilled to be the first to review this one! Apple VI was one of five (!) bottles I bought blind because this update was just too perfect--and because violet is my favorite note.

I only let it sit for about two hours out of the mailbox, so I'll update if it smells differently after a longer rest period.

In Bottle: Sharp red apple with something sweet but not quite violet.

Wet on skin: When I first tried this on right out of the mailbox, the apple was super strong and red and reminiscent of the note in Poison Apple. After a few hours of rest, though, the apple is much more mellow and doesn't overpower the violet and iris, but neither is it quite as "mushy." You know the kind, when an apple is overripe and tastes mushy and a bit bitter in your mouth. I can smell the sweetness of the violet and something dirty which I know is the iris. Iris usually turns to fresh dirt on me in a way I don't like (despite loving dirt scents), but here the effect is lovely. It blends astonishingly well with the apple and violet, giving the blend a green but floral smell. This is not an overly fruity scent at all but rather a sweet, fresh apple floral.

Drydown: As it dries, the notes blend more seamlessly together.

A definite keeper--I just knew I'd love it! I may even need to get a backup! Throw length seems about medium to me.

This has a mild to medium throw length, unfortunately, but seems

I'd also recommend Anthelion! It smells like happiness in a bottle.Might be good to use later in the day after you use Peace.

Sadly, this is straight lemon drop candy/lemon pledge on me with the barest hint o lilac I was so hoping for something low on citrus and high on lilac and musk.

I forgot Lady of Shallot has Gardenia in it! Yes, also seconding that recommendation.

Cascading Blossoms and The Head from this last Lupercalia thread are all gardenia, all the time on me. I love them!

zankoku_zen above sent me roughly an imp of this, and I was blown away. It smells completely different to me (tough I do get where she got dryer sheet from). To me, it smells almost like antique lace, though maybe just a little sharper. I love it and was thrilled to find a bottle of it on Etsy! Hehe

All of the reviews here piqued my interest, so I got a bottle of this. Along with Fleurette's Purple Snails, it's one of my favorite perfumes ever. The vanilla and honey aren't distinguishable as individual notes on me--rather, they just emphasize and amp up the magnolia, which is a sweet,soft, and very slightly sugary flower. I've ordered a second bottle, as I think I'll be wearing this a lot.

I can't even with this scent! It's one of my top tens easily and maybe even top fives. I had to get it, of course, seeing as violet is my favorite note of all, and I wasn't disappointed.

 

I was a little bit worried when I put it on and got maple syrup, but it quickly morphed into a sweet, slightly sugary violet. I get a very, very light hint of anise in it oddly, which should be impossible because it's not an ingredient, but there you go. I may have purchased three bottles of it :x, which I haven't done for almost any other scent, save for a handful that are my top four!

Despite it's name, I've found the original release of Signore Dildo to be quite romantic, and Ragged Wood. As far as GCs go, I agree with Roses, Pearls and Diamonds and would also recommend Lucy's Kiss. It's a nice spicy rose scent that doesn't scream "seductive" to me despite the lab's description.

Ohh, this is the plum I get from Bensiable combined beautifully with the violet note that BPAL always uses. The myrrh darkens it and adds some extra dimension. Lovely, complex violet scent for violet-lovers like me!

Diable 2011 is all red musk and orange blossom in the bottle (yum!) and sweet plastic on my wrist . SO disappointing, especially as the 2009 version was one of my favorites of that year's Yules.

It's a miracle. I have finally found my lilac scent! I love lilac, but my skin devours it within half an hour. While Misery isn't as long-lived as I'd like it to be, it stays around for a lot longer. Even better, it's buttressed but not overpowered by violet and lavender, other scents that I also adore. I get something a bit sweet in this as well that I think is the tea. I don't smell saffron.

The big winner of Yule 2009 for me was Snowball Fracas. Woods in Winter is like a stronger version of that, only with a greener base. The result is the smell of very green, young wood (odd for a winter scent!) layered over with BPAL's snow note and a generous helping of dirt/bark. Just lovely! People who have compared it to walking through, well, woods in winter time are right on the money.

I love A Christmas Carol, and Scrooge and Marley are two very dear characters for me, so I snapped up a half bottle of this untested. While Marley's Ghost isn't my favorite scent in the line (that distinction goes to Christmas Eve on the Moor and Chained Phantoms), it's certainly nice. I don't get metal at all, sadly, but what I do get is a much softer take on Christmas Rose, which I loved when it came out in 2007. If Christmas Rose was too strong for you but you liked the general idea, pick this one up.

The Rat King is, hands down, one of my favorite perfumes of all time. So when I found out that BPAL was re-releasing it this winter I was overjoyed--especially when the new version smelled so different that it might well have been a different blend altogether. While I have a slight preference for '05, '10 is still phenomenal. I'll review both here.

 

Rat King '05 is a must for dust/earth lovers. Although I couldn't say what this perfume smelled like when new, the dust note dominates this blend five years later, only it's not the kind of dust that is unpleasant, acrid or sneeze-inducing (at least for me; your mileage may vary if you're allergic to dust). Instead, I get the musty smell of dust over very soft musk and a hint of oakmoss. Delicious!

 

Rat King '10, on the other hand, has hardly any dust to speak of. Instead, the oakmoss dominates and mixes beautifully with the musk to create a very green, masculine blend that is perfect for wearing all year round.

 

I have more bottles of each blend combined than I do any other scent save possibly for Sailing Stones of Death Valley. I expect to use them all up.