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BPAL Madness!

wolfie13

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Everything posted by wolfie13

  1. wolfie13

    Polyhymnia

    In the bottle: I smell lemon balm and the sweet floral of honeysuckle. Hmm. It doesn't look good. Wearing: The same as above plus the addition of some sandalwood, which is a good thing, and uh-oh the orris root which is not so good on me. (has a powdery-woody violet scent on me). Other notes are nowhere to be found on me. Yikes: This combo is not working on me at all! I like most of the elements of this blend separately but I guess not together. The lemon and sweet floral aspects of this just take over on me, and combine in odd ways with the other ingredients.
  2. wolfie13

    Donna Karan and DKNY scents

    I like Black Cashmere, too. Nothing comes to mind in terms of an EXTREMELY similar bpal, but I would try: Aureus Sin Thanatos Tushnamatay Dia de los Muertos Midnight Mass Morrocco Scherezade (these last two don't work for me personally, but I can totally see why others would recommend them and they're worth a try.)
  3. wolfie13

    Antique Lace

    This is exactly as so many described. Mostly a powdery, musky vanilla - with a teeny touch of soft, white floral, maybe a spot of amber. The vanilla in this is a medium one to me - not too sweet, not too dark/dry and surprisingly, this never gets cloying on me as so many do. This is not my usual kind of scent, but I actually really love it and may purchase more in the future, but here's the thing... This smells nearly identical on me to - yes, it's blasphemy - Gap Vintage Vanilla EDT! Again - no idea what drew me to that one (as I'm not a vanilla scent lover at all) but I was out shopping and spritzed myself and loved smelling it all evening and went back to buy it the next day. So I'll have to use that up first.
  4. wolfie13

    Three Witches

    I never tried the original, so I can't compare to the resurrected, which is reviewed here. In the bottle and upon initial application this is very dry and sharp - lots of cinnamon bark and pepper it seems. It has almost a yucky medicinal quality. Much to the dismay of myself and my cubicle mates (yes, it has a lot of throw at this point. There was a resounding "what is that smell??" and not in a good way.) But after about 15-20 minutes - whoa! The 3 main notes balance themselves out, leaving an overall nice warm spice. And on me it sweetens up too - i get a smidge of an Bengal-like honey sweetness thrown in there. And the throw lessens (but in a good way if you're at work.) I LOVE this. (But I will apply it before I leave the house in the AM. Or before I leave to go home to the boy. Or on lunch break. You get the idea.)
  5. wolfie13

    Clio

    Imp: I smell orange, lavender and amber. Yes, a thin dry scent as others have mentioned. Upon wearing: The lavender fades a bit and the orange remains. The patchouli announces itself and combined with the amber creates an interesting dirt/dust note. However it's a bit too sharp overall and the orange remains too prominent on me for my taste. Verdict: It's okay, but nothing to write home about for me.
  6. wolfie13

    The Bow & Crown of Conquest

    In the bottle: Lavender and Leather Wearing: This smells like Old Scratch with leather added! It's that same lavender-vanilla- with a slight musk and woodiness. At first I am in love, like I haven't been with a bpal in quite some time. But then THE LEATHER. As I've mentioned many times before, my skin amps leather like crazy and it takes over nearly every blend I've tried with it and they ALL end up smelling the same on me. (And though I love the lab's leather note, I'm not a big fan of leather-only scents.) I was just about to write this off, but then...... the leather retreated somewhat! It still dominates, but it has actually let some of the other notes creep back in around the edges. I'm actually getting a bit of peppery carnation now, and more vanilla, with the lavender, musk, cedar combo strengthening back up a bit. I've gone from selling the imp to thinking I may need a bottle of this. And for all you boys out there - buy this.
  7. wolfie13

    Snow Bunny

    This shares the same slushy, piney note that I get from Talvikuu. (And the "slush" part of it is the same that is present in Nuclear Winter as well, though the "green" in that is grass, rather than evergreen.) The difference between this and Talvikuu is that I get an additional citrus-y top note (perhaps grapefruit as others have mentioned) in the imp and upon initial application. It softens and sweetens up to a more generalized "sugared fruit" quality (though not "berry" to my nose at all) added to the pine and snow. I can definitely see this as the slightly sweeter, more girlish counterpart to the slightly colder, more masculine Talvikuu. So glad I got to try both of these, and I do enjoy that "snow" note but it tends to go a bit perfumey/florally on me in all these blends. (That's totally my skin chemistry though so don't let that worry you!)
  8. wolfie13

    Herr Drosselmeyer

    On me, this is mostly leather, with tobacco as a strong secondary note, and a touch of linen. It is once again, a lovely embodiment of the concept, but is just not the greatest on me. My skin amps up leather like crazy, and while I love the lab's leather note, I have yet to find the blend where it doesn't ultimately take over nearly completely. (I hope one day to find one where there's just a teeny amount of leather added - which would still be noticeable on me.) I know it's crazy but they all end up smelling nearly the same on me. I'm picturing this on a cute guy, standing next to a fireplace, wearing a vintage 50's cardigan. Maybe holding a present. For me. (And for the record - I get no cherry or almond or cherry tobacco from this, and no sweetness.)
  9. wolfie13

    Hearth

    In the imp: Buttery, smoky, slightly nutty, and pine. Wearing: Much the same, though the pine softens and everything blends more smoothly. I get less butter and a nice touch of brown sugar. Late drydown:The smoky aspect dances a bit on the edge of the burnt/plastic-y note I get with a lot of Bpal foody blends, but manages not to quite cross the line. Verdict: Once again, very evocative - sitting by the Christmas trees while "chestnuts are roasting on an open fire". I'm not a foody fan, and usually really hate that butter note, but everything is surprisingly well-behaved here. It's never too sweet or cloying. I'm so glad I got to try it, and I may even keep the imp of this one, just because it's so different from my usual stash. I think this would work best as a room scent.
  10. wolfie13

    The Cracked Bell

    This is one of those blends that is terribly evocative and as such is admirable for it's creative genius, but just doesn't work on me. It's just as advertised - I get dragon's blood, a touch of red musk, incense and a metallic/ozoney note. Unfortunately all notes that my skin just runs with. It's perfumey and cacophonous (as a cracked bell would be I suppose) on me and as usual, because I didn't like it, it was super-long lasting, lots of throw, and survived several washing attempts.
  11. wolfie13

    Talvikuu

    This one stays pretty much the same in the bottle and wearing for me: It's really just as it says - I get birch (which has a bit of a minty/eucalyptus quality to me) and the aquatic slushy element. It really does have that chilly, outdoors, melting-snow-in-a-forest scent. These scents can go often go very floral or perfumey on me, and it almost seems on the brink at times, but seems to ultimately hold it's own in that regard. It reminds me a lot of a scent I got from the Body Shop a couple years ago called "Snow" if anyone remembers that. I burned the oil a LOT in my oil burner during the winter months - there was just something about it. And I feel the same way about this scent. I'd probably not wear this, but I keep thinking about firing up the old oil burner for this one. Or swapping it, since I tend to keep only my "wearing" bpals. We'll see. (Also - the late - we're talking hours later - drydown on this warms and sweetens up a bit on my skin and I like it better for wearing at that point.)
  12. wolfie13

    Nuclear Winter

    Once again: Loved this in the bottle. A combination of mints, a lovely coldness, a touch aquatic, a teeny bit of a green sensation. Wearing: The same for about 20 minutes and loving it. But then it became nearly all perfumey floral on me! (I had the same experience with Wolf Moon and Frost Moon) Once again: I seem to be the only one with this experience, and as such, it just doesn't work on me. I'm going to go cry quietly in the corner now.
  13. wolfie13

    Lick It

    In the bottle: Smells divine - peppermint with a touch of vanilla sweetness. Wearing: OH NO! This develops a weird mossy undertone to it. Drydown: The swampy, mossy note dissipates a bit and the vanilla comes through more, but neither change is enough. It is just not good on me. (And here I was expecting the oil form of Villainess Scintillating Smooch - which appears to be what most folks got.) Now, I've not seen a single other person mention this, so I know it has to be me. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? (Is this because I'm an INTP?)
  14. wolfie13

    Jacob's Ladder

    Wow - I almost feel like I got the wrong scent in my bottle, my experience has been that different from other folks'. This was a thin, dry, perfumey amber on me. I got no sweetness or spiciness from this and no real depth to it. As a huge amber lover, this was a real disappointment for me. I am starting to feel even more like a skin chemistry outcast than I have previously! I am the Kali of beloved Bpal.
  15. wolfie13

    Midnight Mass

    Midnight Mass is a nice incense/resin scent. I'm just not as excited about it as I was expecting to be - i think I'm picturing something very specific in terms of this scent, and through no fault of the lab, it's just not what is in my mind's eye, so to speak. It has elements of Cathedral, Penitence and Aureus - which happen to be 3 of my very favorite Bpals. However, to my nose, the combination is less successful than these scents are on their own. I like each of them better than I do this one.
  16. wolfie13

    Beaver Moon 2005

    In the bottle: As many have said - it smells EXACTLY like cheesecake - no more, no less. Completely realistic - no fakey notes. Wearing: Still cheesecake for 15 or 20 and then I get the addition of a real live graham cracker crust. I'm loving it and I'm generally not a fan of foody scents! 30 minutes: Oh no - what's happening? The cheesecake and graham are mellowing a bit, nice, and it's getting a bit more vanilla, nice,......but what's that I'm beginning to smell? NO, not the plastic!! Yes, the plastic and/or burning plastic tinge that I've gotten with Spooky, Snow White, Elegba, Dana O'Shee and yes, others of the oh-so-popular scents. Why will these scents not behave with my chemistry? Why? Sigh: Off to the swaps.
  17. wolfie13

    People of the Labyrinth - Luctor et Emergo

    I got a sample of POTL (the EDP - which does have a lot of marzipan/almond/cherry on me - never tried the EDT) from a generous forumite. Granted everyone's chemistry varies, but on me, this is very close to Bpal's Horn of Plenty. Sometimes they stay very nearly identical (I've worn both at the same time to test this.) At times the POTL gets more incensey and is reminiscent of the drydown of Snake Oil. So try Horn of Plenty! And maybe a layering experiment with Snake Oil. (oh and PS - I actually like Horn of Plenty BETTER than POTL!)
  18. wolfie13

    Alone

    This was all patchouli and cardamom on me. And that's pretty much it. Not exciting to me at all AND I realized that I am allergic to cardamom. Very long-lasting, red, burning patch on my skin. (The same thing happened with Whipporwill on me, but I didn't realize the cause at that time.) (I'm sad. Oddly - all 3 of the DIMV scents that I've tried have ended up being very sort of one dimensional on me (just two notes initially, and then occasionally a third shows up later.) And I LOVE EAP!)
  19. wolfie13

    Lenore

    In the bottle and initial wear: Mostly vetiver and lemon peel, some musk. It's okay, but nothing I'm excited about. After an hour or two: It's mostly the same, though it starts to take on a more perfume/cologne type quality and a touch of an almost floral aspect (maybe from the saffron?) which makes me like it even less. There are just so many bpal scents with a strong vetiver note that I like much more.
  20. wolfie13

    Spirits of the Dead

    In the bottle and initial wear: Green tea and a hint of lemon/lime. (It's funny - the citrus wasn't strident on me at all. It had a soft, almost a touch floral, quality. Is this what linden smells like?) After about an hour: the woody aspect creeps in, but never overtakes the initial notes. Just rounds things out a bit. I like it much more at this stage. As others have mentioned - it is the light and airy aspect of the "spirit" world. Nothing foreboding here. And unique and lovely for spring or summer, I would think. It's just not entirely me, somehow. And I can't even say for sure why.
  21. wolfie13

    Blood Moon 2005

    I do believe we have a winner! My very first "keeper" lunar blend. In the bottle: Very woody (the "deep woods"?) - with a sharp herbal (the lunar oils?) and slightly musky undertone. Wearing: The slight herbally aspect fades away and the rest remains with the addition of Whoa - cinnamon! And red musk! (these two notes I am dead sure about.) And a bit of vanilla or something vanillic. And yes - I do seem to get some dragon's blood in this. Of course I could be wrong, but my skin tends to amp the crap out of dragon's blood and it smells like it usually does, which is sometimes a bad thing on me (heady floral) but it's tame enough here where it doesn't go that route. My second thought on the dragon's blood impression is that this blend smells A LOT like Bloodlust on me. (Notes in that: "Dragon’s blood essence, heavy red musk, Indonesian patchouli and swarthy vetiver with a drop of cinnamon") But it has more of the cinnamon element of that blend and less of the dragon's blood - and the addition of a bit of dark vanilla sweetness (a Snake Oil touch, for another reference point). This has a lot of throw and staying power on me - a little goes a long way, and this isn't the kind of scent I would wear every day, so I think I'm good with my one bottle. But so happy to finally have a "moon" of my own!
  22. wolfie13

    The Apothecary

    In the imp: Mostly green tea - yum! Wearing: Fresh cut grass and moss notes really start to come out and it gets a touch sweeter than I would have imagined. (likely do to the ginger and/or fig though I never smell either ginger or fig.) Nice. 30 minutes later: It goes through a bit of a soapy phase. Then the moss really starts to take over and overwhelm the rest. Not loving this. An hour later: The moss is still running rampant and it is now surprisingly perfume-y as well. Yikes! (And like most that I don't like - why is that??!! - it has a lot of throw and lasts forever.) Not a keeper for me. Though instructional in that I've finally learned that the bpal moss note(s) does NOT work on me. I sense the same note here that ruined Mad Hatter, Cathode and Wolf Moon for me.
  23. wolfie13

    Jabberwocky

    An earthy yet buoyant scent: pine, eucalyptus and orange. I got a surprise frimp of this from the lovely emmacrew and I was SO excited - I'd been trying to nab a try of this for awhile! In the vial: Mostly eucalyptus and some pine. Wearing: Mostly eucalyptus at first (nose-clearing!) and then more of the pine comes through, and the tiniest hint of orange. At this point I LOVE it. But then.... After 20 minutes: For some reason, the orange completely takes over on me, nearly eclipsing the other notes! And I'm no longer in love. Overall, even when I liked it, this had more of an aromatherapeutic quality. Like a scent I would love in a bath soak or shampoo for an energizing feeling. I think I'll use my imp for a bath! (and maybe it'll stay piney-er if it's not on my skin)
  24. wolfie13

    Port-Au-Prince

    In the bottle: Almond (the same almond note I get from Hecate and Black Phoenix) Wearing: For the first 5-10 minutes, it's still almond, with clove. After about 15 minutes: The almond fully disappears never to return and leaves mostly clove. Like sniffing-cloves-in-the-box, CLOVE. (My personal favorite type of clove - unadulterated). I can smell just a tinge of rum and sassafrass around the edges. It stays this way the whole time. Throw and lasting power are medium on me. (I read the reviews and a lot of folks deem this to be more "masculine" but it doesn't strike me that way.) This will likely be a large bottle purchase for me at some point - and is a top ten contender!
  25. wolfie13

    Samhain

    I wasn't around for the 2003 version and didn't order the 2004 vintage either - it just sounded like something that really wouldn't work on me, despite the rave reviews. (Yes, I'm one of those folks for whom next to NONE of the most popular blends work.) But the curiosity finally overcame me this time and I got an imp from the delightful emmacrew and it arrived today - how appropo! And it turns out - I love it. In the bottle and initial wear: Fir and Patchouli (yes it's sharp and piney and earthy as everyone says, but i love these notes - I'd like it just like this probably!) After just 10 minutes or so: The apple and spices come out - I don't get much if any pumpkin from this. It's not overly sweet or foody (for which I am very grateful), and it's an interesting near-even balance between the forest and the cider, with a bit of smoke. (PS: I can now see the comparisons many made to Hexennacht - there is a big similarity on me. But I think I like this better! Hex has been going too musky on me.)
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