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BPAL Madness!

monocainsheresy

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Everything posted by monocainsheresy

  1. monocainsheresy

    Galanthus Nivalis, Single Snowdrop

    Agree that this is almost entirely snowdrop. "Stark white and spring green" is a very accurate description. Strong white floral but also very bright dewy green. I get a slight (very slight) bite of something darker underneath but can't pick out the ink or myrrh distinctly. I also get the bubblegum impression that doomsday_disco mentioned. Overall it weirdly reminds me of general catalog Dragon's Blood? That's a very wet floral scent on me, and though these two smell nothing alike Galanthus Nivalis seems to be distantly related. Imagine GC Dragon's Blood but white instead of red. Looking forward to seeing if aging brings out the myrrh and ink more.
  2. monocainsheresy

    Hard Luck Lollipop

    Smells just like a blue cotton candy flavored Dum Dum lollipop! The petrichor shows up as a very faint wetness, but that's it. Reminds me of a mall somehow, but not in a bad way. I really wanted the candy-incense other people are getting, but alas. Maybe aging will bring it out.
  3. monocainsheresy

    A Melancholy of Goths

    Mostly champaca incense and hairspray for me, but I can also smell the velvet (very worn and dusty) and a hint of plum. The clove is trying valiantly to claw its way up but I can only smell if I get super close. Metallic, powdery, and utterly evocative of the concept. I think everyone has the potential to really like this regardless of their general preferences. It's witchy, it's goth, it's floral but not floral, it's sweet but not gourmand, it's classic and it's weird. It's even got a bit of that freshly-opened-BPAL-package smell. Dare I say that it's a masterpiece?
  4. monocainsheresy

    The Poinsettia Gown

    2023 version Full disclosure, this smells very scary in the bottle. Thankfully, the jasmine is not nearly so fecal on the skin. This is all frothed vanilla-rose foam on me, with a touch of jasmine that manifests as a light oudh note. I attempted to make rosewater meringues a few months ago and they smelled almost exactly like this. Reminds me of Pink Snowballs and Vampire Lace.
  5. monocainsheresy

    The Corn Spirit

    Sweet, vanillic, dry hay and corn, slightly astringent chamomile, and a distant background of warm rye and a pinch of dirt. Very soothing and outdoorsy.
  6. monocainsheresy

    TKO

    Very herbaceous lavender, very rich vanilla, and... really aggressive burnt sugar? Tonka? This honest to god smells like a deep fried bundle of lavender. As odd as that sounds it actually does smell how being super sleepy and cozy feels.
  7. monocainsheresy

    Antony

    I can smell each note in the description individually, in roughly equal measure, and oh it is fantastic. This smells like what it says it smells like and it's perfect. I don't really know what else to say, except maybe to imagine Dorian and Dee having a summertime lovechild.
  8. monocainsheresy

    Bliss

    yeah that's milk chocolate alright. very nutty
  9. monocainsheresy

    Bastet

    Big blast of amber-myrrh-saffron goodness at the start, but it quickly becomes a fairly simple almond-lotus scent. I think the musk is in there somewhere keeping it from completely flying away, but the overall impression is one of expensive almond soap. Not soapy, mind you, but that very clean spa-type kind of scent. The musk and a bit of the amber come out slightly on the drydown.
  10. monocainsheresy

    The Jersey Devil

    Opens with strong pine and cranberry, mellowing down to pine-tinged, sweet, tart cranberry and blackberry, grounded by a faint cedar background and a hint of bitterness from the tomato leaf. Much cleaner than I expected - a bright summer forest, rather than a scary night-time one.
  11. monocainsheresy

    Alisz

    Overwhelmingly vanilla mint, with a little bit of the mallow. I'm getting a slight hint of fruitiness, but I'm unsure if it's the red currant or something lemony from the frankincense. It's very nice, but as this is a new bottle I'm hoping aging will give it a bit of depth.
  12. monocainsheresy

    Parthenope

    I've been trying to find a non-aquatic aquatic (yes I know that's a bit stupid) and I think this is it! This is mostly honeysuckle on me, followed by green-ness (definitely the moss, but it's not reading specifically as moss), and a sharp edge which I think is the combo of the musk, oakmoss, and jasmine. The orris is in there somewhere making this super smooth. As it dries the benzoin adds sweet depth and the jasmine comes out a little more, but the honeysuckle is definitely the star. It's is definitely a slightly soapy, spa-like scent, but I'm glad I took the chance on a bottle in the hopes that the benzoin would make it more warm and interesting, because it definitely does! I have no other soap/spa scents in my collection for a reason, and Parthenope shakes it up just enough to happily fill that hole. Excited to see how this ages. Also, in the bottle I swear I kept getting whiffs of Chanel No. 5? Parthenope retains the slightest hint of that on the skin - more of a vibe or a thought than anything else. A non-problematic, spa-owning distant cousin, perhaps.
  13. monocainsheresy

    U Strip

    Oh voyeuristic vetiver, where are you? This is mostly sweet and clean on me, which is nice, but not what I wanted! Surprisingly, the sugar is the strongest note on my skin, followed by meaty, ripe coconut, then something vaguely green (is that the vetiver?), and... orris? Maybe?? Gonna have to age this one.
  14. monocainsheresy

    Dead Leaves, Praline, and Sheer Vanilla

    A subtler, sweeter version of Dead Leaves and Vanilla Incense. Mostly the dead leaves note, a little warm and dry in this blend (maybe from the nuttiness of the praline), with a veil of lightly sugared vanilla. Very pretty.
  15. monocainsheresy

    The Little Owl

    I agree with the "fresh clean hay" and "body butter" assessments above. This is cleaner and smoother than I expected - creamy and cloudy rather than warm and fuzzy. Tonka is definitely the dominant note, followed by the beeswax and almond lending a certain polish. I can't smell the sandalwood or oak outright, but I can sense they're doing some heavy lifting keeping the rest of the scent grounded. There is a slight suggestion of green from the vetiver. Unisex, but leaning ever so slightly masculine in my opinion. It's like if you set Smug Yale Alchemy Lab out in the sun to dry. This is the coumaric hay scent I have always wanted.
  16. monocainsheresy

    Alice, the Reaper of Cruelty

    This is reading as strong, sharp, rose(?)-carnation-peach on me, with a touch of raspberry leaf. Given that there are two bourbon notes in this, I'm surprised by the lack of booziness. A sour-sweet fruity floral with borderline medicinal undertones.
  17. monocainsheresy

    Shub-Niggurath

    Strong herbal, but unlike any herbal I've ever smelled. I concur with the many reviews that say gingerbread, but somehow it's not foodie gingerbread, if that makes sense? Gingerbread if it was an herb? Also strongly incense-y, but not an incense scent. Overall I get a strong impression of coffee beans and perhaps even raw cocoa powder. I'm not sure what's happening, but I'm definitely very intrigued!
  18. monocainsheresy

    Crossroads

    This is all floral on me, mostly jasmine with a cloud of generic creamy whites. My skin completely eats all the other notes, though there is the barest hint of a tickle from the dirt and incense that are allegedly in there somewhere.
  19. monocainsheresy

    Bugbear Doula

    I'm not well versed in identifying most of the listed notes, but I don't that really matters here because this reads as sugared lemon tea! As it dries the lemon backs off and something warm and musky comes out (definitely the "russet fur" from the description), along with a cozy astringency from the chamomile tea. Not nearly as herbal as I was expecting - hardly herbal at all, in fact. It's like if Embalming Fluid and Cheshire Cat had a baby.
  20. monocainsheresy

    Black Lily

    Oh wow - I don't tend to like florals, but this smells exactly like a real lily! Wet, pollen-y, creamy. Dries down with the pollen note coming to the fore and a slight powdery musk.
  21. monocainsheresy

    Brisingamen

    A pale gold scent. Mostly amber and herbal myrtle, with a surprisingly strong creamy floral note from the apple blossom. The carnation lends a hint of spice when wet but disappears on me during the drydown. A happy medium between wet spa and dry forest.
  22. monocainsheresy

    Hellfire

    This is pretty good general catalogue dupe for Practical Occultism. Fruity tobacco, ambergris, and a bit of leather and incense with some sort of booze. Masculine side of neutral, and not as heavy as one would expect from the description. Nails the fancy-old-timey-occultist vibe. Very nice.
  23. monocainsheresy

    Masquerade

    Extremely similar to Lush Karma. Sniffing them side by side Masquerade is definitely heavier on the patchouli, making it earthier and almost fruity. The ambergris adds a bit of muskiness. Basically what it says on the tin. Lush's Karma but in a head shop.
  24. monocainsheresy

    Sugar Cookie Cathedral

    I've never really liked GC Cathedral because I think it smells like wood polish, but I love foodie/sweet incense scents, so I went for this. The sugar cookie note is the main part of the scent, and the frankincense in Cathedral comes through with a little bit of wood. The effect of the sugar cookie sweetness with the notes in Cathedral gives this a hint of worn leather. A bit incensey, a bit more sweet, moderately warm and almost vintage vibes. Very nice, and deceptively simple. Reminds me of a lighter, watered-down The Other Miss Forcible.
  25. monocainsheresy

    Coconut and Frankincense

    Opens up with creamy coconut, with a hint of warm frankincense. As it dries the frankincense dominates, ending up as a wee bit of coconut cream under a lemony, sugar-crusted, raw frankincense. Medium throw, could probably work at any time of year. Sweet without being foody, incensey without being smokey.
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