porcelina

it was helpful to try on both the east african and sumatran red patchoulis simultaneously, so i could compare and contrast their scents. they both are obviously patchouli, but sumatran is a sweet, woody patchouli- a cuddlier and friendly patchouli! it is earthy, but not dirty and it is sweeter and more mellow than some of its counterparts, and has a touch of spice. it's a very wearable patchouli and smells amazing and complex all on its own, but could also be gorgeous layered with a vanilla blend, i think.

i was worried that i'd ruined east african black patchouli for myself, because one day i spilled about 1/4 of the bottle all over me and, as i was already running late, did not have time to properly wash it all off (i did what i could with hand sanitizer in the car ). BUT! i shouldn't have worried because this is a gorgeous patchouli. there is a smoky tinge to it and this is one of the darkest, deepest, earthiest patchoulis i have ever smelled. it is really something else. i agree with the reviewers above me that this is the patchouli in #occupywallstreet, which i am very happy about because i LOVE that particular blend (i have two bottles). this could be amazing for layering but also smells fantastic on its own, and i think it would be a nice patchouli for a guy, too (i may have to try it on my husband!).

i love tonka, so i was hoping to love this. i was skeptical of the rum note… sometimes bpal's rum note smells flat and plasticky to me. the tonka is very nice, although i kind of feel that that vanilla/clove combo makes it feel a bit foody to me. but the rum… arrgh. i just can't wear rum. it smells flat and stale to me, and it ruins the gorgeous tonka.

sunbird smells like smoky herbs, and some of the herbs smell weirdly savory to my nose. there's a layer of spice (cinnamon) and definitely vetiver. but it mostly just smells like dry, burning herbs, and i am not sure this is something i would ever want to wear.

this is all gorgeous, sweet resins on me- churchy incense, like midnight mass. i do not get any hint of smoke despite the "smoky benzoin" and for once in my life the white musk is not freaking out at me. i don't really get any fruity/sugary gummy bear scent; if anything, this note just adds to the general sweetness of the resins. i LOVE sweet incense/resin blends so i'm really happy that i have a bottle of this!

a soft and clean (but not soapy), sweet apple musk. i don't get a sparking/fizzy note from it. it's sweet, soft, very girly and pretty, and not terribly complex. there are times when a scent like this is just what i would reach for, so i'm happy to have it in my collection for a nice spring or summer day.

this smells like bacon. at first i thought "red musk" but on second sniff it is a bit different and i think i see where the "indigo" comes from. i think the smoky vetiver and guiac wood are combining to give me a sense of woodsmoke which, yes, is reminding me of bacon. as it dries this becomes less noticeable and more of the resin/musk comes out, with the oddest little touch of citrus that actually works, for some reason. but i really don't think i can get past that smoky bacon note that i get at first. i would be worried all day that people would think i smelled like smoky meat.

i can't believe how long i've had this in my collection without testing. wow! a beautiful soft, sweet, buttery vanilla is the dominant note, along with the earthy patchouli. but what really makes the blend is the raw coffee bean- it is distinctly coffee, but it does not have the strong roasty coffee notes that i usually think of in a coffee scent- i would not call this a coffee blend, at all. it adds a unique and, yes, almost 'green' note to the scent that i have not smelled in any other coffee bpal. there is the barest hint of spice but it is not spicy at all; there's just a tinge that plays very nicely with the patchouli.

mmmmmmm this smells sooo yummy. i have never gotten to try the released version of underbed, but v1 is delicious. i smell like cinnamon sugar cocoa-dusted cookies, fresh out of the oven. this works really well for me because the spices/sweetness/cocoa are there, giving the impression of "cookies," but it's not buttery or overtly foodie. just slightly toasted sugary spices and cocoa powder. it's so cozy and delicious.

Blonde wood, linen swaddling, pumpkin rind, and bourbon vanilla. the changeling smells much darker than i would have guessed based on the description. i can't tell if the pumpkin is the kind of non-foodie pumpkin i smell in pumpkin smash or the usual bpal pumpkin note; the vanilla is throwing me off. there is lots of the fresh linen note and very rich vanilla. this is very autumnal, thanks to the pumpkin and (to a lesser extent) the vanilla, but not at all like a typical autumn scent. it is very elegant and more of a woods-and-vanilla blend along the lines of the antikythera mechanism, but not quite as dark or rich.

september midnight is so rich and dark. it makes me think a little of incense, because of the smokiness of the myrrh. the pomegranate is rich and dark and almost syrupy. it softens on my skin and doesn't have a ton of throw but when i sniff my wrist, the scent is beautiful!

oooh. sweet tangy vibrant fresh leaves. this is a scent where it's hard to pick out individual notes because it blends so seamlessly together- the amber in the background, adding a richness to the greenery. i actually can't stop sniffing my wrist because it smells so wonderful. across the street from the house i grew up in, there was a nice little patch of woods with a few ponds and a winding bike path that i rode up and down hundreds of times. on certain days, at certain times of year, i would smell this amazing rich-spicy-green scent when i rode my bike through a certain field. i don't know what plant was responsible. this is like that smell, but concentrated and distilled into a beautiful perfume.

omg, rich musky cacao. this is beaaautiful, and reminds me a teeny bit of boomslang. cacao absolute loves me and i love it and callidora is no exception. there's a touch of tobacco and myrrh and the beautifully aged patchouli but moslty this is sexy musky cocoa goodness and it smells soooo good.

the terebinth pine is the first thing i notice and it sort of punches me in the face. it is very strong, almost harsh. as it dries, the pine softens and i get a lot of musk and clove over a woodsy backdrop. it actually ends up being a very soft, cozy sort of scent, and i agree with zankoku_zen on the clove cigarette comparison. mmm.

oooh this is so nice. pumpkin spice and creamy coffee spilled over polished woods with maybe the barest trace of cologne- combined with the wood, this is just enough to take it out of foodie territory and into wearable territory for me (i don't wear foodies very well). this scent actually reminds me of being in college, and one particular day that i stayed late studying at the library until my then-boyfriend, now-husband came to pick me up for the evening's festivities, because it just so happened to be halloween! it's funny how that works.

a more feminine version of october- sweeter, softer, and without the "manly cologne" aspect that october tends to have. the maple is just a bit sweet- sweet and woodsy, with maybe just a *touch* of what you would expect maple to smell like... this is not to say that it smells like maple syrup, but there is definitely a maple feel. then there is lots of that nice autumn leaves note. this is a very pretty perfume for fall and works much better on me than regular old october!

witch dance reminds me very strongly of samhain, but with an added bonus of sexy red musk. that's what it is: sexy samhain. smoke and autumn leaves, dark foresty scents and then it's sweetened and rounded out with smooth red musk. very nice.

the richest, butteriest pumpkin with a touch of spice, warmed up by glorious beeswax. such a warm, spicy, glowing scent, this is one of the best BPAL pumpkin blends that i've tried yet. it's so warm and soo nice and so perfect for fall- i would wear this in the days leading up to thanksgiving, for sure.

i almost didn't order wolf spider because of the name (i am not a fan of 8-legged creatures). however, the notes won out- tonka, patchouli, vanilla, tobacco? how could i go wrong? well… it turns out i still don't like spiders. the chamomile and clary sage amp on my skin and this is way drier and more herbal than i care for. the white musk is not so great on me, either. i was expecting something dark and rich but what i got is drier and wispier. not for me.

the cold air notes of halloween in montreal make me think more of christmas than halloween. there is a touch of smoke, cold air (which has a strong pine component) and sweet candies. unfortunately, it reminds me a bit of a holiday candle. i think i would like it better as a room scent.

this is like TKO's evil twin- dark, herbal lavender with a touch of vanilla and clean linen, backed up by warm amber and with touches of jasmine here and there. i could wear this to bed for sure but i'm a little scared i'll have bad dreams!

sooo snake oil doesn't really work on me on its own but magically, miraculously, after a year of aging and throwing some pumpkin in the mix: i can wear snake oil! the pumpkin is warm and spicy and the rich vanilla of the snake oil works so so well with it. this is a gorgeous gorgeous scent that i would wear basically any time of year. YUM.

FIRE. wow. *this* is the smokey sort of scent i have been wanting for a while. fall smells like burning leaves to me and this is fall in a bottle. it's smokey, gorgeous grasses that reminds me of a favorite sweetgrass incense i have. it's beautiful on its own but could also layer amazingly with incense blends.

wow, at first, muse of the night is fruitier than i expected! the blackcurrant with a musky background is the first thing that i notice. there are some nice resins hiding in there, too, but this is much too floral for me to wear- the yang yang, jasmine and rose otto amp to high heaven and i smell like an old lady.

take o, add silky white floral notes, a bit of patchouli and a touch of spice and you have an incubus leaving two sleeping women. it is quite elegant and sexy but too floral for my tastes.