mishi-bear

2018 version.

Something fruity floral is strongest in the throw. I'm assuming it's the cactus blossoms that are giving the fruity floral. It also has a touch of a clean and refreshing quality.

There's also some sweeter more typical florals from the funeral bouquet. Not sure what exactly though, and they are much more mild than the fruity florals.

I get a bit of the incense, it's sweet. A touch smokey.

There is a hint of something chocolatey but it's extremely mild. More on wrist sniff than in the throw. It's sweet and smooth.

I do get a little bit of something like fruity candy... Distinct from the fruity florals. But really only on the wrist sniff.

The tobacco lends a little bit of warmth in the background but is mild, thankfully.

Overall this is mostly just a clean and refreshing fruity floral. Lots of the cactus flowers. There are hints of the other notes but they really just can't overtake the strength of the cactus blossoms.

Very rich toffee, almost butterscotch like. Then there's the bourbon note which gives it some depth and keeps the toffee from being too heavy. Boozy, sweet, a hint of something woodsy.

Overall a nice gourmand that feels a bit 'dark'. 

There's something very cool and fresh at the top of this blend. A combination of a fresh plant smell and clean cool apple juice. And also some very dewy rose.. Very well blended, very clean and pretty.

The greenery smells a touch aquatic. Very realistic wet plants. The grapevine and probably the hemp. Definitely not a weedy smell. It does have a bit of a musky quality to it though.

The apple really just leaves a juicy wet crispness.. I wouldn't really think of it as apple without knowing apple is in here, since the actual apple-ness of the smell disappears fairly quickly.

The rose is beautiful, dewy and fresh. A touch sour.

I really only get the tiniest hint of any wood notes. Not really any cedar, mostly rosewood, but again it's incredibly mild.

The benzoin and beeswax are mild, just forming a smooth sweet base for this all to rest on.

Overall this is a really pretty perfume, but it fades very quickly. It's a real shame because it is gorgeous.

Initially smelled like beachy potpourri, though the potpourri aspect thankfully goes away.

Leaves behind a mix of ambergris and apricot. A mild apricotjuice on a bed of sweet beachy musk.

The dead leaves scent in this is incredibly mild. I only get it on wrist sniff, I think that's what was reading 'potpourri' on application.

I don't get any tobacco at all.

Snake Oil, with just a hint of fruit at first. Then the fruit fades, and this just smells like a bit lighter than usual Snake Oil.

2018 Version.

To be honest this scent isn't really something in my interests, typically. Seeing the patchouli would normally be enough to scare me away. However I was reassured that this scent doesn't really smell how you think it would based on the notes, doesn't really smell strongly of patchouli, and is also incredibly popular. Probably the number one recurring 'weenie. And usually scents are popular for a reason, so... I got it. And tried it. And to be honest, it's really, really pretty.

Initially there's a strong crisp freshness from the apple. Very juicy, red and sweet. Crisp, clean, cool. This is a top note though and it does fade after a bit, til I'm just getting the occasional whiff of that fresh apple smell.

A lot of the coolness comes from the fir needle as well. There is a point after application when it's still settling where this does lean a touch medicinal from the fir.. it has a light astringent quality. But it does settle down. Really just lending a coolness to the scent, and something vaguely coniferous.

A lovely mellow creamy pumpkin manages to wiggle it's way more to the forefront as the apple fades. It's very mild.. this scent really doesn't scream 'pumpkin' or even 'foody'. It's a nice grounding base, sweet and soft.

There is a mix of herbal mullein and some woody notes. The patch in this is probably reading as woody as well. It's a nice dark smell that really lends a lot to the autumnal feel of this.

The spice notes are very well blended. This isn't a spicy scent to be honest, but you can tell they're there. Just a nice mix of pumpkin pie spices, essentially. I will admit that on application there was a bit of skin irritation on my neck, but it disappeared within a minute or two.

Overall, a really gorgeous scent. Very well blended. I really can't see myself wearing this outside of autumn or winter, but I still got a bottle. It can only get better with age.

2018 version.

Definitely a sweet boozy scent. Different than some others I've worn. It has a bit more of an alcohol smell. The cherry note is sweet and fruity. Not super realistic but I don't think it's meant to be.

This doesn't smell bad at all, but it also fades really quickly. 

2018 version.

Sweet creamy smooth beeswax with a light hint of beachy ambergris. Just a hint of incense keeps it from being dull. I don't really get any patchouli.

This was a really nice one with good longevity. I'm a big fan of beeswax oriented scents and the ambergris and incense keep this from being too basic. 

Initially a very strong bittersweet almond on application, but it fades very fast, leaving behind mostly oudh and benzoin.

The oudh does have a perfumey quality, it is musky and nice. A touch woodsy. The benzoin is sweet and definitely resinous. That resinous quality works well with the woodsy oudh. It does have a hint of that vanilla like smell, but it's definitely not vanilla... it almost reminds me of sweet paper.

There is something dirt like and slightly plant like on wrist sniff that I'm not sure what to attribute it to. It's earthy, a touch vegetal, but sweet. It's not bad tbh, I'm just not sure what it is from exactly.

There is something that admittedly goes a little generic incense in the dry down. 

Overall this one isn't bad at all. Oudh lovers should give it a try. 

Delightful! The champagne and the 'diamonds' give it an effervescent fizzy feel to the smell. That fizziness makes the ginger read as a nice ginger ale. The orange and peach are lovely and fruity, just a hint floral. More peach than orange. So it ends up reading as a fun and fizzy peach ginger ale.

2018 version.

This was entirely narcissus on me, it just entirely overpowered everything else.  It's a shame, because I really love wisteria and was hoping for that.

Lovely library scent. A hint of chai and wood accompanies a sweet fur musk and the gluey vanilla-y scent of books, with a hint of leather covers. Really pretty.

This really did not work on me at all. The pumpkin gingerbread + blackberry combo was just repulsive on my skin. I think if it's a combo that sounds good to you, it's worth a try, but if you think it sounds like it'll be bad, then don't risk it.

Milky and coconutty. Very sweet, but surprisingly not too foody. A little meh honestly.

Zingy ginger with a clean refreshing tea. The bergamot lends a kiss of something extra. Not very incense smelling to my nose, and really only the tiniest hint of any bourbon.

Very pretty desert blend. Sweet greenery with an almost herbal tinge, a hint of floral, and a lovely clove that makes the whole blend smell very dusty and lovely.

The amber in this is lovely, golden and dry. It works well with a nice sweet honey musk, the same honey musk as in Lady Una. Those notes are cut nicely by a lovely fruity peach juice. I can't say I get any almond in this at all, but I don't mind.

Sweet grass and sweet vanilla bean. Made me very, very sneezy unfortunately. Doesn't smell bad at all at least, but I can't handle the sneezing.

A nice citrus blend. Grapefruit and orange. Unfortunately it fades really quickly on my skin and leaves behind a very light orange-y musk.

This was entirely champaca on me and nothing else. Not a bad champaca, but I was hoping for more depth.

2017 version.

This blend isn't especially complex, but I actually really like it.

The lilac is surprisingly bold. Sometimes lilac can just be a little soapy and sweet, kind of reads as an old lady floral. Here though it's really intense, almost fruity. Bright, bold purple.

I think the white tea adds to that boldness. It has a fresh, clean, borderline astringent quality. It's very prominent in this blend, and very much screams 'tea'.

The candle wax is a nice base for this. Smooth and creamy, a bit sweet. Really more prominent on wrist sniff than in the throw, but also definitely in the throw.

The rosehips are pretty distinct, definitely the top note of this blend. They kind of smell like a nice cold tea. Refreshing, a bit 'leafy'. It has a bit of a hay like undertone. Really nice. As the oil dries, the rosehips have the tiniest hint of an actual rosey smell, a little fruity.

The rosehips rest on top of a nice architectural note. A nice cold earthy stone note. Definitely dark smelling, a bit dusty, but also a bit damp.

The moss and ivy add some other refreshing greenery tones. I feel like one of these might be reading as having the hint of aquatic, but really, just a hint.

Overall this one is intriguing and lovely. It really suits a dark rainy day.

This blend does have some chocolatey-ness to it. But I wouldn't call it a foody chocolate. It's more earthy and not over sweet.

There is a melange of some leafy notes. I think the tobacco ends up on top, though there is a bit of the tea. The tobacco in this isn't too strong or unpleasant. Sometimes I don't like it. Here, it's okay.

I think the red musk lends a sort of incense quality to this without being too distinct otherwise.

I do get a bit of something herbal, but I can't place what herbs exactly. 

I do get the tiniest bit of tonka and saffron, on about the same layer, but they're extremely mild.

I actually don't get anything citrusy at all, no mandarin to speak of.

Not a terrible blend, but it does fade really quickly on me.

There's an equal mix of the amber and the vanilla on top of this blend. Even with the vanilla here though I'd hesitate to call this a vanilla + other stuff sort of blend, the amber really does have it's own character and is equal power to the vanilla. It also tames the more vanilla side of the vanilla, making this a more ambery sweet blend. It does threaten to go mildly play doh, but thankfully never quite makes it there.

The wood mix is thankfully not too astringent on application, sometimes pine is. I think I get more of the juniper on skin than the pine. It does have an almost root beer like quality to it, especially in combination with the amber and vanilla. I wouldn't call this gourmand though. There is a hint of that pine like astringent tone, but it's mild.

The rosewood is a pretty sweet smelling wood in this. Nothing pencil shavings here. It is woodsy, but light.

Overall this is a pretty nice blend though. Very unisex. I'd say if you want a nice sweet scent that's not gourmand, this would fit the bill.

A mix of the sweet pea and musk at the top. It does feel just a tiny but soapy, but not bad. The sweet pea is very pink smelling, a little bit fruity. Pleasant. The musk is just clean smelling.

There is a milder floral beneath that, the lilies. Definitely white florals, clean and a bit sweet. Not too soapy thankfully.

The heliotrope isn't too distinct, I think it mostly just adds a sort of powdery quality here.

The honeysuckle for the most part vanishes on application, which to be honest I'm kind of grateful for. Honeysuckle doesn't always play nice with my skin chem.

There is a hint of fruity pear. More on the wrist sniff than in the throw, which is a shame, because it does smell very nice.

Overall this is a pretty decent GC blend. Definitely more succesful than other sweet pea oriented BPAL GC blends I've tried.