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BPAL Madness!

Teamama

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Everything posted by Teamama

  1. The Honeyed Patchouli, Black Tea, Sweet Oudh, and Sandalwood are super delicious. The dead leaves note is strong, & hangs around. I love it, but my family are bothered by the bitterness of the dead leaves. So I have to apply it outside. YMMV.
  2. Teamama

    Burning Vulva

    Aged bottle, swapped with a lovely forumite. After 6 years, Burning Vulva isn't spicy on me. I can definitely pick out the vanilla-infused amber, tonka & beeswax. The leather, opoponax & myrrh are there, but very subtle. I believe that the cyclamen, oakmoss, peru balsam, orange blossom, red ginger, and black pepper have become a well-blended background, providing a faint spiciness that supports the sweetness, resins & wax. I'm enjoying aged BV, and happy I got to swap for it.
  3. Teamama

    It Sifts from Leaden Sieves

    The love-child of Ann Bonney & Brown Jenkin. I unexpectedly really love this. Dry like desert snow. Edited to add: Even better after a year of aging. And, thank heavens, my changed skin chemistry isn't amping the patch. Delicious & dry. I swapped & got a backup bottle, it's that good.
  4. White musk is almost always a disaster on my skin. Sjofn & Oberon are my two WM Unicorns. No soap, no high-pitched unpleasantness. Good, from the RPG's, is almost a Unicorn. I keep trying my imp, and it's really nice, but eventually the WM starts to rub me the wrong way because it seems to be longer-lasting than the notes that were balancing it.
  5. Teamama

    Oberon

    Oberon is another BPAL white musk I can wear. The wet & early dry-down stages are a bit screechy, as white musk tends to be on me. Once the patchouli starts to emerge, though, Oberon is lovely! The juniper & bergamot are green, orchid & patchouli are rich & strong. Unexpected win!
  6. Teamama

    Nanny Ashtoreth

    Bottle from a forum purchase. Leather & wood, on me. Very close to Aziraphale. Nanny seems a little sheer and incomplete, like maybe she's designed for layering. I will have to experiment.
  7. Teamama

    Osun

    I didn't think Osun was going to be my kind of blend, but it has grown on me over time. I am a rose fiend, but this isn't the kind of honied rose that I usually get excited about. The herbs take it in a different direction. The sweetness & floral factor is made stronger & more serious. After slowly using up a frimp, I found I am craving Osun, so I have a bottle coming. Edited to add: I bought a bottle of aged Osun from a lovely forumite, & have now confirmed that it ages beautifully. I'm distressed that it's been discontinued.
  8. Teamama

    Peach VII

    I got this Peach via a forum purchase. In the bottle, wet & dry, it's a delectible spicy black musk & dried peach. Related to Morocco, but sweeter, with a chewy, dried fruit element. I'm really glad I got a bottle. 2023 edit: suddenly, Patchouli! I didn't see that coming. Aging is something else.
  9. Teamama

    Ave Maria Gratia Plena

    A pale, delicate, truly angelic blend. A scent created to emulate Adonis' halo of beauty: fragile, distant, and radiant. Rosewood with Sicilian lemon peel, red Mysore sandalwood, pale musks, sweet mountain sage and a dusting of lily, night-blooming jasmine and orris. This is rare & magical on me. Rosewood frequently turns sour and varnish-y on my skin, but Ave Maria never does. The blend is harmonious, no one note dominates the scent. The lemon peel is fresh and delicate; red Mysore sandalwood is as always, my BFF; the pale musks are gentle; lily, night-blooming jasmine and orris are pleasingly light. I don't notice the sage, but that's probably because it's doing something nice to the rosewood. Total GC love.
  10. Teamama

    This World's Joy

    This World's Joy features violet more prominently than rose or frankincense. All three are well-balanced. I find it to be a delicious, warm, woody floral. Different, too, from other BPAL blends I own featuring rose and/or violet. Good throw, compliments from family on Christmas Day. A keeper! Edited to add: TWJ is getting better and better with a month of aging. It's excellent in my scent locket. Edited again to add: aged into the best white frankincense ever! This is turning into something kind of special. 2022 update: A wonderful winter frankincense blend. The sweet violet is more distinct than the rose--so enjoyable!
  11. Teamama

    Single Note: Hag Musk

    In the decant and wet, Hag Musk is very enjoyable--rich, warm, musky and sweet. After it dries, some mystery note or notes (maybe camphor, or some other resin note I don't recognize?) start to morph into a sour, stale sweat scent on me. Drat. No bottle for this Hag.
  12. Teamama

    The Wolf and the Rattlesnake

    Review of a decant, from a decant circle. W&R has grown on me a lot, now I need a bottle. When I first got the decant, I was put off by a resin that I think might be camphor. As my decant has aged, that note has become less prominent. This definitely contains a warm musk (more like Coyote's than a red or black musk,) and some lavender, amber & other sweet resins I can't identify. It smells great on me, and in my silver locket. The scent it reminds me of, even though I don't know what notes (if any,) they have in common, is Tzadikim Nistarim. Both feature sweet resins, and a sense of comfort & goodness. I can imagine this being a comforting sleep scent. Subjective sidebar: My warm response to it reminds me a little bit of my totally visceral, conditioned response to my beloved Grandmother's signature fragrance, Emeraude. W&R doesn't smell like Emeraude, but something in it is triggering that pleasure/comfort feeling for me. Edited to add: the patchouli has become a lot stronger as this has aged. It's changed with time more than any other blend I have tried. It's still a good scent, but it's now definitely patchouli-forward.
  13. Teamama

    Miss Lupescu

    Miss Lupescu, from a forum purchase. In the bottle, I smell mostly sweet almond & very faint patchouli. On me, the almond & patch quickly recede, and Miss L. becomes a spicy amber with faint musk. I'm not catching the ho wood, sandalwood, or cypress. She's very pleasant, and a lot lighter than I had expected. Medium wear length, very good in my silver scent locket.
  14. Teamama

    Titus Andronicus

    Dark musk & red sandalwood 4 life! So, I love Titus Andronicus. I was a little worried about the neroli & bergamot, but as soon as I opened the imp, I knew. Insta-bottle. T.A. is sweet & woody/musky/resin-y, with just a little citrus-y kick. It's probably a unisex fragrance, but I'm not going to share it with Teapapa unless he says "Pretty please with sugar on top?" Absolutely cannot be improved.
  15. Teamama

    Miss Forcible

    I got Miss F. from a forum purchase, age unknown, and she is a sleeper hit for me. It's a simple scent, and has fairly low throw. It's gone into heavy rotation since I got it. When first applied, Miss F. smells like brown sugar on me. After dry-down, it's a delicate musk, very sweet, with the barest hint of anise cookies. I do not detect any tea. It's a subtle scent, and it's filling a fragrance niche I didn't know I had.
  16. Teamama

    The Raven

    Mmm! On my skin, I get mostly dark musk, violet & delicate sandalwood. The iris is very faint, and the neroli isn't noticeable. A possible bottle.
  17. Teamama

    The Smithfield Ghost

    The Smithfield Ghost is a very delicate musk blend. In the decant, it smelled so good I began to slather. I don't smell the neroli very much, but sweet musk, rosewood & frankincense, yes, definitely. In some blends (Between Your Heart and Mine, Dee,) rosewood takes over and turn to bitter varnish on my skin. Unfortunately for me, that's what happened with this blend. It will smell fantastic for the lucky ones who don't have my rosewood problem. I will wear my decant in my scent locket. It's really beautiful, and kind of comforting.
  18. Teamama

    Man With Phallus Head

    Forum purchase. This is delightful, seven years aged. Primarily, it's soft & musky. The honey is very faint. The musk seems to be a skin musk, I can't detect any smoke. There is a sweet hint of tonka, & subtle sandalwood. I can't find the daemonorops, or the black currant. It's not very lasting, but it's very, very good. 2022 update: I used up my original, & picked up a new bottle via the Lab's Etsy. Good stuff!
  19. Teamama

    Jackie

    Sweet, rich resins & almond! I like this a lot more than I was expecting to. At first, sweet red patchouli & sweet Almond Milk are definitely the stars. The patch is the kinder, gentler sort; earthy, not armpitty. Orris root & Bourbon vanilla are present, but not out in front. I'm not knowledgeable enough to identify Caramelized labdanum or Peru balsam, but I'm sure they're contributing to the rich, resinous feeling in the blend. Over time, Jackie fades into a vanilla-patchouli blend. Very good, glad I got it (and glad I backed the book :-).) Edited to add: not very long-playing. I got about 4 hours of wear, and then she was almost undetectable, even in my scent locket! Hopefully age will increase her staying power.
  20. Teamama

    Different smells/colors, same perfume

    Here's my 2 cents. The color of all the French Loves I've had (2 imps, my new bottle, and the aged bottle I bought off a forumite) is a bold pinky-red. My new bottle of French Love shipped on May 25, and has already changed a lot. I can still smell a bitter note that isn't noticeable in the aged imps I fell in love with, or the aged bottle I bought off the forum. My nose for vetiver isn't as good as some, so I can't swear whether the bitter note could be vetiver. I could tell that my new bottle was French Love, even though it wasn't as awesome as the aged stuff. Contact the Lab, I'm sure they will help solve your mystery.
  21. Teamama

    Reapers Gonna Reap

    Love it! I didn't think I would need Reapers, because I already heve Volcano in Springtime for sandalwood and vanilla. Wrong! Reapers is related to VinS, but the musk takes it in a different direction. Less sweet, more intimate. Not sexual/sexy, more like the intimacy of how the skin scent of your kid, or your partner makes you feel. Bottle required, may need a backup. Edited to add: The musk keeps getting better and better. I ordered a second bottle. Edited again to add: Reapers is getting STRONGER with age. A little dab'll do ya.
  22. Teamama

    Texare

    Wet, it reminds me a lot of Bilquis for some reason. At first, there is a tension between the sweet candy-like fruits, and the dry textile/wool note. I don't think cardamom pods are involved, but something in it reminds me of that sour/bitter/spicy combination. As Texare dries it resolved to a soft musk with fruit to brighten it. Nice.
  23. Teamama

    Good Morning, London

    Simple and sweet. The amber in this is warm and resin-y, I can practically smell the color. The lavender starts out bold on me, but softens a lot during dry down. At 2 hours, it's adorable. Win!
  24. Teamama

    Apple III

    I regret not getting a bottle of Apple III when I got my decant last year. I hesitated, the opportunity slipped away, and now I'm left with a partial decant that has aged into something really nice. The tobacco & vanilla champaca are blended into a warm base for the apple. The apple is a little tarter than the apple in Samhain, but still sweet. Apple starts in front, but slowly fades to be about equal to the tobacco & vanilla champaca. The honey, lavender & patch are very subtle; I can't pick them out. Edited to add: I got a bottle! Yay forum! Edited again to add: I can't be 100% sure, but it may have gotten even better. The tobacco is so rich!
  25. Teamama

    Somnus

    Rich, drowsy flowers. Lavender is on top, but there are sweeter, less aggressive flowers in this blend as well. I love it, and it reminds me of the feeling of being drowsy on a warm summer afternoon. I used up 2 imps, and then bought a bottle.
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