groovyrooby

This is a jasmine-musk bomb on me! Tested from a decant that rested a few days. Big, wet blooms start out slightly funky (which I love). The leather builds up from underneath and combines with the musk to give it a hot & spicy cinnamon feel, without the burning arm feel that the real deal gives me 😢 This is super sexy. Almost too sexy and grown-ass-woman boss-bitch sexy for me. But I know that's a lot of people's jam, and if its yours, you are going to LOVE this. It's outside my norm, but I will definitely have fun playing with this imp and test-driving that feeling a little more. As a great spicy floral, this reminds me a bit of Midnight Bonfire, which was similar but more smoky than spicy, and more in my comfort zone.

Where Haul on the Bowline was all canvas sails, this is all wooden planks! Fun! Tested from a decant that rested a few days. Very fresh, almost fir smell to start. Tart oak and crisp, bracing ocean air. This is the vessel at sea - spicy, woody, and breezy. As others have mentioned, neither the tonka nor the patchouli jumped out at me, but I'll hang onto this imp for a bit and revisit to see what happens!

YUM of the 6 that I tried, this is definitely my fave. Tested from a decant that rested a couple days. This is a good example of one of my favorite combinations that BPAL creates. It's greater than the sum of its simple parts, well-balanced, and delicious in that savory dry cocoa-vetiver way. At first, I thought this might be vetiver gone too far. It almost smelled mildewy, which I think is the cedar in combination with vetiver, but it also makes for a most convincing boating smell, like damp canvas! Dried into a lovely, coastal vegetation smell once the patchouli started singing - it really warmed up and smoothed out the cedar and damp tobacco. On the second test, the cedar & tobacco were a bit calmer to start. Still kind of tart, but a rich tartness that I love, like a nice Oud Bruin or Flanders Red, if you're into beer. I usually fail big time with red wine notes, but the other earthy notes give that tangy effect to a degree that I really enjoy. I will probably go big for this one, as I think it will only get better with time!

So, I feel I haven't been approaching TAL scents properly. I haven't used them for ritual purposes, but I can speak to the scent and how it made me feel, which apparently is spot-on for its intention. Tested from a decant that rested a few days. Husband and I both instantly felt this a precise, familiar smell. Bitters! Like you'd put in a cocktail. Specifically, and old fashioned, which I love the smell of, but the bitters taste in this cocktail is usually too strong for me, astringent and waxy. But I love the smell! Old fashioned with an orange twist. The dry bitter spicy mace stands out, followed by anise. Even more precisely, this reminded me of a bar we used to haunt when living in Miami, which was a really weird time for us. Our grad program was amazing, but the rest of the city was very very not-us. But this old, dim, slightly grimy, old-timers bar with wrap-around wooden bar top was a haven for us to feel in our element for a moment and to plot the course of our uncertain futures, to feel like it was OK we didn't play the rat race, because there was another way of getting where we wanted to go. This scent is incredibly comforting and grounding for me, makes me feel like I know myself and my strengths, and that swimming upstream is my fate but also a key to my success and happiness. Very thankful to have this tool handy when I need a reminder.

Right off the top - butter rum lifesavers! YUM! Herbal/woody notes from the oak planks creep in next. Then the iron starts showing itself, which added a little metallic tang. Not usually an effect I look for, but I liked it here. Blended with the brandy & rum to have an almost tropical effect, fruity, reminds me of a pineapple cocktail, but with that solid iron keeping it from being too foodie. Lower throw once the rum mellows out. Tested from a decant that rested a day.

Green, yes! Fresh, a bit sweet, and classic cologne vibe from that vetiver + verbena + bergamot aromatic. Like @Casablanca, I didn't get much life out of it. It disappeared quickly and left traces of dry wood/old books paper. But little throw and short-lived on me.

Absolutely captures the vibe of the painting and the mood. Dry, woody, leafy, and a little bracing. Really conjures a cup of tea - more of an English Breakfast than an Early Grey. Hint of citrus is a squeeze of lemon rather than bergamot. Steaming, aromatic vapors grace your face hanging over the cup, catching the steam but not getting much warmth from the cup yet because your gloves are in the way. Bitter, no sugar. Still curled up in your pajamas, crabby to be out of bed in the cold world, but the tea will force you to snap out of it. Very evocative. Nicely done.

This is warm and rich. I wasn't sure how the chestnuts would come off - I imagine them more waxy than nutty. But this was buttery, nutty, sweet, and warm. Didn't change much over time, but hung onto the brown musk with a rich, sweet spin. Very yummy.

Wow ginger ale fizz! Fascinating! Wish it lasted longer, but that first whiff is just delightful! Wet and spicy. Spot on and super festive.

I was hoping for something along the lines of that elusive Impromptu Goat Yoga, but this was much heavier on the sweets than the milk. And I'm learning that one of these particular sweets - marshmallow and/or vanilla - comes off as a toasty note, which ends in burnt plastic smell on me. Heartbreaking, as the Body Shop Vanilla (which was 100% frosting powdered sugar and Lucky Charms marshmallows) was my everything in high school. I keep hoping I'll find that here, but it's just not working for me. Same issue with Lavender and White Chocolate Madelines. Same with Waiting. Not the sweet I'm looking for, and unfortunately the burnt plastic is the anchor that outlasts everything else.

YUM! Blast of peppermint will clear your sinuses! I love it! Nice simple, minty and sweet. Mint lasts longer than I'd expect, but the vanilla definitely endures. Very pleasant way to start the day. Maybe I need to pay more attention to this theme...

Well this captures the scene and the mood incredibly well. Not really a smell I want to carry with me, though. The oak and the soil combine to be very vegetal to my nose, approaching mothballs and mildew. I love cooking with fenugreek and wanted to try it in a fragrance, but not sure it came through for me. Nor did the iris, another of my favorites. I was hoping they would develop further, but it didn't happen. No sweetness whatsoever. For those who love dirt notes, this would probably be a big win. Damp, cold woods - nailed it!

This started out all almond cookie, toasty amaretto. But became ever more spicy with time. Husband thought I smelled like the Olde Spice Shoppe on Main Street, which is not saying he likes it as a scent on me. Familiar, yes. But not attractive on a person. It did capture precisely that potpourri of baking spices and orange pekoe tea. I enjoyed the nutty aspects of this, but I think the fig/dates/orange feel tipped the scales for me into home fragrance, not people fragrance.

I'm new to snow notes, but I didn't detect anything snowy about this! Grey - perhaps. Powdery, dusty, brittle, delicate, pretty floral, like my grandma's old makeup trunk .

Dangit. All cardamom, no amber on me. At first, it was pleasantly bright, like freshly ground spice. I could detect a blanket of amber trying to settle in and mellow everything out, but it never developed and never mellowed. Just stayed dry, bitter, single-not espice on me. This should've been a win for me. Jealous of others who had better luck. 😢

Beautiful! This comes off as a lovely tobacco that has already aged nicely! Starts off with an instant of gorgeous cold minty wood. Like peppermint that makes your breath so cold you can see it. But right off the bat that sweet tobacco starts pulling it down. Refreshing + gravity at the same time. Gradually the balance shifted to pretty much 100% tangy, chewy, sweet vanilla & fruity tobacco with just a hint of that chill, probably from the lavender. Really good throw. Husband even commented how nice it smelled! We've got a winner. Going big with this one.

LOVE this. It hits so many of my sweet spots: cocoa, vetiver, patchouli, hazelnut. Lord, how I love that hazelnut. And the allspice and nutmeg suggest cinnamon, which I love, but without the itchy burn that usually makes it a sad no-go for me. It's dry and sweet, the loveliest combination of all those wonderful notes, delicious without being foodie. It reminds me of No Man Is An Island, which I adore. It's one of those that, once I sniffed it I couldn't stop thinking about, that nagging idea in the back of your mind of the one you let get away, until I finally tracked down a full bottle. Now I can sleep at night.

Surprise! This is a very piney cologne on me! Kind of air freshenery. Husband smelled some oak notes, but it was all barrel and no aged whiskey as I had hoped. I'm not sure if it's the hearthsmoke that does it, but something fir just buried everything else. Very festive! Definitely get a cozy vibe - people gathered around a tiny wooden bar, sitting on old wooden booths, in a small space full of fir garlands. And probably a big win for folks who like the winter potpourri vibe. But I wanted more musk or amber or whiskey and didn't really find it here. Yet. Not giving up on it completed. I'll revisit with some time to see what more it can offer. Those barrels need some time to fuse with the whiskey, methinks.

Started like toasty caramelized sugar bits of crispy cookie crumbs. Husband thought it smelled like butter rum life savers. The lavender came through for a minute as an herbal spa-like version, distinct and not sweet like TKO. Now, maybe I'm not be the gourmand lover I thought I was. Or maybe it's the BPAL vanilla note or cookie vibe that doesn't work for me. But after half an hour or so, it turned more tangy sour burnt with a plasticky chemical aroma. Something about the caramelly sugar in this and other cookie scents turns into burnt plastic on me, and it's heartbreaking, because vanilla can be my absolute favorite scent. I had a similar experience with Waiting. It's probably just me, and I'm so bummed to be experiencing this as a pattern. Thankfully there are lots of other notes I'm finding work surprisingly well, so maybe it's a wash.

Came for the marshmallow with an extreme aversion to piney Christmassy smells. On me, this is so not for me. Tested from a decant that rested overnight. I like a chilly peppermint, but don't much dig a spearmint. And, sadly, I'm not getting any of the marshmallow. Just a lot of wintergreen and something fruity, two vibes I like the least, even less so in combination. Not what I expected. Husband was like, "nuh uh." He guessed cherry gumball. But it's cherry + pine and I feel like a car air freshener. Marshmallow is completely blowing me off here. Glad I tested first! Maybe some more time would change things a bit, but I think it's too far off the spectrum for me to try again.

This is a very pretty peach. Tested from a decant that rested a few days. I am a peach lover, and this did not disappoint! Sweet, juicy, drippy, peach perfume. Peach candy right out of the imp. I am thrilled the honey played nicely with this one - it has a tendency to go awful and sour on me, so I usually avoid it. But it was just beautiful here! Like a warm, sunny day with peach juice dripping down your arm. The cedar & sweetgum wood smells only add to the authenticity, giving the impression of a peach pit with some bits of flesh left on it. Really nice and bright. A great addition to a peach collection. I also am interested in layering this with I Hear America Singing, which was a lovely amber on me, but didn't have as much depth as I'd like. I think these two in tandem will be wonderful, adding even a warm glow to this delicious summer vibe.

I think my skin just refuses to humor ginger, and it makes me really sad. Tested from a decant that rested a few days. I have an unhealthy love of ginger. I guzzle ginger tea, the real spicy Yogi tea. I snack on crystallized ginger. But so far, neither Gnome, The Apothecary, Mag Mell, Kubla Khan... none of it gives me the ginger kick I'm looking for. This one fared a little better - it was the first thing I smelled out of the imp! But as soon as it dried, it disappeared. 😢 The lemon in this was warm, which is good for me, and the end result was a nice, simple, warm amber. I just fear I'm missing some of the complexity that should be here. That said, I tested Wisdom, Justice, Moderation on my other arm a bit later, and I think layering the two would be just lovely!

Gosh, I wish I got more of the orange blossom! Tested from a decant that rested a day or so. I came for the orange blossom and pink pepper, hopeful that the lemon peel would be more of an oily lemon. I have a hard time with lemon - it's one of my favorite flavors in sweets, but I cannot roll with anything that strikes me as too cleaning-solventy lemon. I just love Lemon Peel, Orange Blossom, and Marshmallow and was hoping for something along those lines. Sadly, I think the marshmallow is vital, and should have known that's a key difference between desserts and cleaning products. This lemon was screaming on me, and I think the pink pepper tipped the scales to dry astringency - very Pledge-like, wood polishy. Eventually the floral peeked through a bit, a little funky, but not enough for me. The balance was overall not in favor of my preferences.

Shoot, this did not work out on me as I understand it has worked out for others. Tested from a decant that sat for a day or so. I am thinking I love each of these components. In discussions on BPAL Parlor on the facebooks, I heard it was too caramelly for some. One person's too caramelly is my heaven, so I was hoping for sweet and rich. I got something more along the lines of what she was hoping for - all carnation. Spicy pink floral. I can barely detect the tobacco after some time, up really close. But definitely not the predominant note I was hoping for. I'll give it a go in some time to see if things have changed. That tobacco can be awful reluctant to play.

Really pleasant dry grasses. Tested from a decant that rested a day or two. Reminds me of Wer Opfer Heut Zu Bringen Scheut, which I love, but more spice and a different kind of sweet. Starts black peppery, then the sweet comes via spicy cardamom, like a nice masala, dry and aromatic. I get a whiff of green pepper for a second, but I think this is what balsam does on me - it quickly turns to dry almost anise spicy. Clove comes in last. If I didn't already have Wer Opfer and love it so much, this would definitely be a big bottle upgrade for me. Still considering anyway.