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BPAL Madness!

Teamama

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Everything posted by Teamama

  1. Teamama

    On Reason and Passion

    I got a decant because the notes are too scrumptious to resist. I knew in advance that my skin's uncanny ability to amp cloves to outer space would probably throw it off-balance, so bear that in mind as you read. The honeyed saffron is fantastic! It melds beautifully with the frankincense & clove bud, with warm red sandalwood as a base. The smoked rose attar comes out fairly strong while wet, but not in a Big Loud Floral way. It cuddles right up to the red tea, & simmers down into a background note. If you're averse to loud roses, don't be scared off. I am a rose slut, & I wanted more. The aftermath: I was prepared for heartbreak, but it was still painful when my clove-amping skin skin took the clove bud note & dialed it up to 11. After 20 minutes on my skin, On Reason and Passion smells totally different than it did in the decant. My skin chemistry turned a really wonderful blend into single-note clove over a pleasant but indistinct frankincense.  It was worth the gamble. I will wear my decant in a locket, but won't need a bottle.
  2. Teamama

    Neapolitan Goth

    I can confirm that Neapolitan Goth is amazing, both in the decant & on a piece of felted wool. Ice cream accord! vanilla! the strawberries in commmercial ice cream that seem weirdly dehydrated! labdanum! pale milky chocolate! clove & tobacco! I doff my hat to the amazing skills & artistry on display in this blend. I hoped it could be a surprise gourmand hit for me, like Pistachio Ambrosia. But my skin chemistry refuses to let me have nice things containing cloves. I had to wash it off . I will pass along my decant, pouting like a dissapointed toddler as I do.
  3. Teamama

    On Work

    Based on the notes & the scent in the bottle, I was hoping to adore On Work. In the bottle and in a locket, it's predominantly fig & sandalwood, with bourbon vanilla in the background. Love it. Alas, my skin chemistry isn't friendly to On Work. On dry-down, the blend became less than the sum of its parts--flatter & a little bit soapy. A simple test confirmed my skin is the problem. I wore On Work in my Aquarius locket only. Without my skin chemistry , it smells great, just like it does in the bottle. I'll have to limit it to my lockets for now. BPAL's White sandalwood, fig & bourbon vanilla are all Very Good notes for me. Angelica is the wild card. It's in Gossip Slang & Cuss Words, which I don't reach for very often. It's also in Touched Twice, which was nice on me in the decant, but not memorable. My hypothesis is that Angelica is a subtle note that my skin wrecks in a subtle (yet flat & soapy) way. I'm hanging on to the bottle in hopes that aging (either me or the bottle,) will improve things.
  4. Teamama

    On Buying and Selling

    I was surprised how quiet this blend is. I had to get a decant, because I love both fig & frankincense. Pomegranate rarely works on me. Fig is the dominant note on my skin, with a subtle harmony of the other fruits in the background, & a spiciness from tje frankincense smoke. I'd describe it as a warm summer evening scent. Delicate, not too sweet, & close to the skin. I wish I had the apricot dominance that @doomsday_disco experienced, 'cause I LOVE apricots
  5. Teamama

    Rose Milk Tea

    Super pink vibes from this blend . I'm one of the "I can't believe it's not dairy!" wearers. I was hoping for an almond note, but I can't gripe about the sweet milky note on my skin. The rose is most like the fruity floral fragrance of a Peace rose. A winner!
  6. Teamama

    A Record Book of Ships Entering the Harbor

    I always want to try blends with vanilla & sandalwood. Tobacco is usually my friend. I don't think any blends with blackcurrant (in any form) have been huge winners for me, but hope springs eternal. In the decant, it smells fruity & a little musky. The tobacco isn't showing up for me. Once it's on my skin, Record Book is pleasant, but kind of flat and unremarkable. I'm going to chalk it up to my skin not playing well with blackcurrant. I'm glad I got a decant, but won't need a bottle.
  7. Teamama

    Like the Very Gods

    2025 release. I love it! Cedar, vanilla & sandalwood are the most prominent notes on me. This is a delight. I definitely need a bottle.
  8. Teamama

    UNF

    UNF started out on me as a tropical fruit blend with a hint of patchouli. Within a few minutes my skin hijacked the blend, taking it on a aquatic detour. A big surprise & disappointment. Kinda masc, aquatic fruit. I'm going to call this one a skin chemistry fail, because it's really groovy in the decant.
  9. Teamama

    The Pearl

    Wow, this is glorious. It's almost a bottle for me, but my skin isn’t doing it justice. I feel like I'm wearing something borrowed, like a sweater carrying a friend's signature fragrance. I get the peony & patchouli & salt, as well as a sweet/tart mystery fruit. The orris is a bank of fog somewhere on the horizon--present but not near. I'll definitely use up my decant, but I think that's all I need. If it's your signature fragrance, maybe I can borrow a silk scarf from you sometime?
  10. Teamama

    Kimi Ga Dai Wa

    Four years late to reviewing my decant I'm a sandalwood & amber lover, so I was excited for Kimi Ga Dai Wa. It didn't ring my bell in 2021--the sandalwood was astoundingly dry. Like, drier than sniffing dried out sage branches in the actual desert I grew up in. I set it aside & kind of forgot about what was in it. I pulled the decant out for Wear Your Lupers 2025!, but never got around to actually wearing it (because 2025 requires lavish application of comfort scents.) With age, the amber & saffron have come forward. The hard-edged dryness of the sandalwood has smoothed out, & there's a citrus-y hint that makes me think of frankincense. It's lovely. I'll definitely use up the decant.
  11. Teamama

    Vision

    Decant. Half the notes are in my wheelhouse, half are in Teadaughter's. The neroli dominated on my skin, with the woodmoss & silk taking it in a "clean laundry" direction. It smells lovely & floral on Teadaughter, so she's the winner.
  12. Teamama

    Need a replacement for Mama Ji

    Hi Ananova, I liked Mama-Ji too. Baghdad Resurrected was not a close match to Mama-Ji for me, so you can probably skip hunting for that. Harlot and Bengal are the closest GC scents that come to mind, but they aren't super close. Harlot is more flowery than Mama-Ji, and Bengal is sweeter. Both feature cinnamon more than cardamom.
  13. Teamama

    Fracas with Eleven Kabuki Actors

    Forum purchase. Fracas is such a morpher on me! The notes are hay absolute, almond blossom, mimosa, bourbon cream, & toasted sandalwood. It starts out as a flowery almond cream. After 3 hours, it's a bale of hay in early fall with a hint of almond.
  14. Teamama

    Lavender Kitchen Mouse

    I second @Elspethdixon. Lavender Mouse Circus I got a decant & liked it. I probably wouldn't be thinking about getting a bottle for myself under normal circumstances, because I have ~ 3/4 of a bottle of Mouse Circus. However, I may get one so I can pass along Mouse Circus the girlfriend of TeaSon. She tried my decant of Lavender Kitchen Mouse & really liked the kettle corn vibe. But it was a repellant for my lavender-hating offspring. He embraced her, inhaled, & then backed away quickly, ranting about how much he hates lavender. If you like kettle corn & lavender, it's a winner.
  15. Teamama

    Valencia Orange Hair Gloss

    Squee! So happy I blind bottled this. It's 100% delightful. In the bottle, I only smelled orange blossom. No worries though: a few sprays later, I was surrounded by a gorgeous fresh orange scent. Exactly like peeling a fresh, juicy orange. Did I say fresh? It's really, really fresh. Like, look under your fingernails for orange zest fresh. I love it. Nine hours later, my hair still smells great. The orange blossom note is slightly more noticeable now.
  16. Teamama

    Lick it with Consent Hair Gloss

    Insta-bottle purchase! Lick It is a favorite BPAL blend. My review starts out compromised by chocolate: The uncompromised review starts here: the hair gloss does NOT contain a chocolate note. Once applied, Lick It With Consent HG is a cloud of peppermint candy cane. This is straight up peppermint candy. As in all the Lick It perfume blends I've tried, there is menthol present, so prepare to be refreshed! My scalp was definitely mentholated. There's no musky note, unlike my beloved Lick It Like You Mean It. As with other Lick It perfume blends, the peppermint note doesn't last long on my skin & hair. After 3 hours, I mostly smell sweetness, with the barest hint of mint & vanilla. I need to get a bottle for my son for his birthday before Yules are taken down. He's another Lick It fan.
  17. Teamama

    TKSnow

    2024 review of the 2022 release. I bought 2 bottles of TKSnow in 2022, one for me & one for Teadaughter, since we both lurve TKO. I liked it ok, but neither of us were knocked out. We both decided we preferred the original, but the frozen version was okay. I broke out TKSnow for Wear Your Yules 2024!, & it's aged in a really awesome way. The lavender note, which was just okay, is now brighter & a little bit pine-kissed. It reminds me of the way Dorian's Lavender fougere smells in Paper Phoenix, which is one of my all-time fave BPAL blends. Since I've barely used my 2022 bottle, I don't think I'll order the 2024 variant , but I'm glad it's making repeat appearances.
  18. Teamama

    Cats and Sparrows

    This is really hard for me to review, because it's super complex. The main effect both in the decant & on my skin is the sepia-washed amber resinoid, which is the best BPAL amber ever! Like @doomsday_disco, I'm reminded of honey. It's complex, sweet, woody, & somehow a little bit floral around the edges, like raw honey. I'm loving it, & ordered a bottle. This is in the category of blends I'm mentally calling "Lilith-adjacent."
  19. Teamama

    Cat Sleeping on an Armchair

    Now I know that my skin eats up coconut This is gorgeous & floofy in the decant. It's got good longevity in my scent lockets. When applied to my skin it vanishes within an hour. I am full of envy for all who can wear it, but I don't need a bottle.
  20. Teamama

    Every Day is Halloween

    I got my bottle through a forum purchase. I think it's the 2021 release. There's spice, maybe some coffee? The sandalwood & pumpkin are too quiet to pick out.
  21. Teamama

    Cake Pop Wreath

    A really charming gourmand with low throw. On my skin the lemon note is mild & dry, reminiscent of lemon juice mixed with powdered sugar to form a glaze. The vanilla, olive oil & cake notes are all bound up together in the background. I may need a bottle.
  22. Teamama

    Various Penises Hair Gloss

    Belated review. Cocoa bean & vanilla dominate, with an amber background + the tiniest hint of oud. I didn't wear it a lot in 2020, because the cocoa bean was indeed gritty. Age has smoothed out the grit & it smells more like a dutched cocoa powder than crushed burnt beans. The vanillas are leaning toward the buttery side, so I guess I have to call it a gourmand blend.
  23. Teamama

    Just Before Penetration

    Fruit fruit fruit. The guava is the dominant note while wet, but it simmers down quickly. I don't notice vanilla or cream. Just fruity sweetness. I haven't experienced Dead Leaves, Vanilla Bean, Pink Fig, and Brandied Dates. On my skin, the fig in Just Before Penetration is the same one that's in Fig Vulva. I'm glad I got a decant, but won't need a bottle.
  24. Teamama

    Several Penises

    Several Penises is my standout Luper this year. The sandalwood cream & lemon make me happy, instantly. It's got a bit of a classically masc vibe, probably from the tabac. Over time the lemon note fades gracefully, & creamy smooth sandalwood + frankincense are left. I have layered it with Pistachio Ambrosia several times. Fantastic pairing!
  25. Teamama

    Winter Dildo Hair Gloss

    Winter Dildo isn't something I'll wear a lot, but it's magnificent. This is the kind of scent that will be hoarded by someone that it's perfect for. I'm struggling to review it properly because it's got so much going on, & it's so far outside what I usually wear. I bought a decant with the idea Winter Dildo would remind me of the classic Zen stories of tea house women dishing out Dharma to travelers along with tea. What I experienced is a lemony, green, complex, magical incense ride. Sweet amber accounts for the sweetness, which is balanced by green tea's bitterness. The green tea & green cardamom pod notes ground the blend. Their green-ness isn't fresh from the garden, but still vigorous & (for lack of better words coming to mind,) thrumming with potential. There's a faint, delicate "chilled" note that I'm pretty sure is related to the well-loved BPAL "snow." I've had bad luck with that note on my skin, but it's very nice in my hair. I don't register smokiness, but I do get an overall incense vibe. Winter Dildo deserves a fanbase. I hope it finds one. Edited to add: Teadaughter, whose favorite BPAL fragrance is Fae Forest atmo spray, has adopted my decant.
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