monocainsheresy

OAK, which develops into a smoky, glittering combo of woods, fig, and strawberry rhubarb

"dry, bone-white orris" is definitely the star here, with VERY clean patchouli. I'm not getting any myrrh or musk. Not my thing. Smells like weird dirt.

Black leather, oppoponax, tobacco, and black amber. mmmmmm.... well loved, suuuper soft leather and sweet opoponax

My all time favorite BPAL, which I have yet to get my hands on a bottle of (damn you, In Memorium!) This is so much lighter and airier than you would expect from a scent with sandalwood and musk. Sweet, pale green bergamot and chamomile, with a slight floral undertone and a grounding powdery-ness from the rosewood, sandalwood, and musk. Oddly enough, this comes across as very much a boy smell for me. It could very much work on most people, but I get major "fancy 1850s youth" vibes (probably my history nerd brain latching on to the bergamot, which was extremely popular in the 1840s-1850s in Britain).

Smoky, husky red licorice. The Tombstone is dominant in this for me, to the point where after it dries I can barely tell that it's not pure Tombstone.

This is a honey + vanilla scent, not a dragon's blood one. Given my love affair with DB this was initially a disappointment, but LORD this stuff is good. Warm, thick vanilla with soft and sweet honey. I can't detect any dragon's blood. A foody scent without being truly foody. Reminiscent of Alice and Eat Me, minus the fruity stickiness.

Your standard evergreen holiday candle smell. Not bad, not spectacular. Meh.

I got this hoping for a vanilla/benzoin scent, but on me this is honey honey honey. As it dries the honey backs off a little and lets a very little vanilla and powdery benzoin through, which turns into a stable honeyed coconut. A bit sour from the milk. Reminds me of Miskatonic University. This seems like it will age very well.

This is an interesting one! Definitely a bubbling, effervescent scent. Due to an allergy I can't compare it to root beer like a lot of the other reviewers have, but I will say that it reminds me of the flavored gloves that kids' dentists use. Specifically the orange and bubblegum flavors. Verdict: I'm gonna say carbonated bubblegum - I'll be doing more experimenting with this one.

I am very harshly judging whoever made the executive decision on this one. This is an eye-watering MEAT smell. Who decided that amount of vetiver was okay?? Straight vetiver would have been acceptable, but there's something else in there I can't identify which amps it to high heaven. It was better before it aged - more of a smoldering, husky, evergreen scent. Two years later it's unbearable.

This was the first BPAL I ever fell head over heals for, and I will love it till my dying day. Full of vibrant, shadowy greens and thickly spiced browns. Brings to mind an ancient forest with the rotting logs of fallen trees, covered in moss and fungus, suffused with rich, tingly, WARM incense. "Primordial" is correct. This is such a deep, dark, complex herb scent. Unfortunately, this happens to be one that I think suffers with age. It develops a citrus edge which is detrimental to the depth, at least on my skin.

Instantly conjures the image of a big, lush, thick-petaled, luxurious hibiscus. I didn't know what flor de maga was when I ordered this and upon first sniff I though lavender + magnolia. Has the same heady, round throw as jasmine, but the scent itself is definitely much more tactile and tropical than jasmine, with a more robust grace. A big flower with a big personality. Not something I'll reach for often but this could very easily become a comfort scent for me.

For me I get a sadly uncomplicated but still lovely soft vanilla-mint. Very little throw but lasts a decent length of time. Comparison: those little white mint christmas candies shaped like chocolate chips with the red and green sprinkles on the bottom.

This is like Dorian squared. When original Dorian is allowed to age for a while the astringency of the tea brings it a kind of greenness, and the cypress and grass in this seem to be the next logical step on that path. I've never been able to smell the clove, but I always get the afterthought of lavender, though it never goes far before it disappears. A lighthearted but sophisticated scent, not as sensual as the original. Good for summer.

Gooey green absinthe (exactly like the GC scent to my nose) underscored by ozone and the faintest hint of florals This really is rather a weird scent but it's gorgeous

My first Dead Leaves! Had to let this one sit for a month for the incense to come out. Starts very green and mossy which was worrisome, but thankfully on my skin the leaves powder a little and allow the vanilla incense to come out. The vanilla incense is more vanilla than incense. Overall the notes complement each other in a way I wouldnt have expected upon first sniff, but which I am nevertheless very pleased with.

In the bottle: i don't know how the notes aligned to produce this but it smells exactly like florida water - citrus and spice from the combo of db + peppercorn. reminds my of the "faded georgian cologne" note from Pale Student Of Unhallowed Arts Wet: mostly the peppercorn and musk - a hint of resins in the background Dry: I'm a massive dragon's blood snob and this is by far the best BPAL db that i've encountered. True, dusty, moody dragon's blood mellowed by warm amber underscored by red musk. Definitely masculine. This has immediately leapt to the top of not only my incense/resin list but my all-time favorites. Everything I've ever wanted and never gotten from the Ars Draconis scents. Pairs beautifully with Pale Student Of Unhallowed Arts.

Bright green! Not in an aggressive or gooey way - sweet like sap, sunny, airy - spring in a bottle. Like un-boozy Absinthe. Warning: this will attract bees

2018 version The same incense from Cathedral, balanced by slightly spiced vanilla cake. New favorite incense scent

Glowing, glittering apple buoyed by sugary milk. On the dry down my skin turns this into apple-y bubblegum! A very happy, carefree scent.

In the bottle: LAVENDER Wet: still a lot of lavender, and then suddenly its friend jasmine takes over the show. Thankfully it is a soft jasmine, not a stinky one. Dry: The coconut cream turns this into a smooshy lavender-jasmine pillow. Very gentle and comforting. Gives the impression of incredibly high-end marshmallows.

According to my mom this makes me smell "like an alcoholic Yankee candle" and I think that is an apt description. A booze-heavy foodie scent, coated in stereotypical-autumn-candle-smell

This is definitely leather + copal forward on me. There's a very definite smokiness, though not a tobacco smokiness, so I'm assuming it's the copal, and the intersection of the leather + copal is giving me big Dee vibes. There's a tiny bit of vanilla to keep it from being a Weird Smoke scent. The first thing that comes to mind when I smell this is: blacksmith. This smells just like the smithies at Williamsburg, without all the sweaty humans of course. Something about it just makes me think hot metal. Overall, this is super nostalgic and a definite boy smell. New favorite.

I ADORE THIS. Warm, sugary, boozy bourbon with the tiniest hint of mint. Simple, cozy, perfect.

This is my first encounter with Samhain. I've avoided for fear of it being too fruity, but I felt I had to go for this if only for the reason that it's from the year I was born. In the bottle: Crisp, juicy apple. Not quite the smell of a single note - there's a hint of something more complex under the surface. It glows. Wet: Still apple, with a bit of maybe incense or tobacco. You have to get really close to smell anything but the apple. I also detect dead leaves. Dry: Finally, the apple recedes and lets some of the other notes have their moment. It's delicately warm, a little fuzzy. It reminds me of a very gentle All Souls, though not as sweet or thick. Verdict: Like the dampened aroma of an incensed apple pie. EDIT: I have had an epiphany. That complexness I mentioned in the bottle, and the fuzziness when it's dry, is definitely mullein. I knew there was something I wasn't familiar with to identify upon first test, and I found it! Discovered while grinding dried mullein leaves in a mortar and pestle. New favorite note.