wordortwo

I tested a frimp of this one today. Hecate falls into a category of BPALs I think of as "un-fragrance." These scents are focused just on smelling good and they smell good just to smell good. They are not trying to win awards for being challenging. They aren't going to offend anyone, and everyone will want to hold you in a hug a little longer. Instead of pushing us to olfactory limits, Hecate soothes with an ancient perfume note: myrrh. This is the heart of this fragrance and endures after the marzipan becomes creamy almond. It is warm and balsamic and the musk makes it smooth. (This actually reads more like BPAL's "skin musk" note to me, rather than a dark musk). It is comforting and powdery in a velvety way. I'm on board with the whole "mama witch" vibe. I thought it faded after an hour, but it seems to have morphed or something. Definitely wears close to the skin after the marizpan phase is over, but that is exactly what I would want from a fragrance like this. I am not sure I need a bottle of this, but I am going to use up the imp. Probably a good work scent for me.

This is such a loveable scent... like that one easy-going, genuine friend who always smells good but you can't really put your finger on why... Jack is peachy, but not a summer peach; pumpkin-y, but not an autumn pumpkin. This is a summer-into-fall scent, sun-warmed pumpkin butter and peach butter. I wouldn't know there was nutmeg in this if the description didn't list it. This scent has no longevity. I mean, it is simply gone after an hour. I have thought about full-sizing it simply because I slather it on all day long every time I wear it.

I'm surprised I've never written about this one. I have a bottle purchased in swaps. Ava is one of a few perfumes that converted me to vanilla. I love the heady, fruity, sultry nature of tuberose, and blended with vanilla it becomes a little more innocent and pretty. The mandarin and almond add sharpness and creaminess. This is a grown-up scent that immediately brought me back to the 90s. Like @Cali I am reminded of Black Opium. (Edit/correction: I actually get Opium vibes rather than Black Opium). I don't wear this often enough, probably due to that big early 90s perfume association -- I remember those perfumes as big, brash, room-clearing scents. But Ava is more gentle than that.

I have a decant of unknown age. Patchouli is the star of the Funnel of Love show. All of the other notes are back-up singers to help a really smooth, sleek patch shine. The black pepper is a thin gloss on top. The musky leather is a soft and smooth base note. Though this is mostly a dry scent, the champaca lends a little sweetness. The coriander and cardamom are in no way foody; they are warm, a bit green and bitter, and I feel like they are twined around the jasmine (and yes, "feel," because I am not sure I can account for the jasmine). I agree with a lot of what @rivetted wrote. I initially found Funnel of Love unpleasant, but loved it once I gave it more time on my skin. I have enjoyed this most under layers of winter clothes. It is deep, dark, smooth, and a whole mood. I wouldn't necessarily call this an everyday scent... but I could see myself wearing it every day. When I was in my early 20s, I wore straight-up patchouli oil from a New Age shop. It was the dank, dirty variety and it was... a lot. This is my grown-up, sophisticated answer to that.

Testing second-hand frimp. As someone above said, this is only subtly animalic. I wouldn't have guessed this contained a civet, but I have found that I am not that sensitive to animalics. If that makes any sense. Instead, I get a clean, cool Egyptian musk cut with a more warm, dirty BPAL red musk (which, come to think of it, may actually be a well-placed civet note and not red musk at all). Opium is also prominent, a sort of powdery, incense-tinged, rich, resinous floral. This is much more linear than I was expecting. I bet this can be a really sexy skin scent (lightly applied) on the right person. I don't dislike this, and I like it more the longer I wear it, but it does not do that much for me.

I have an Ajevie decent RIS. This is quite fruity in the imp, in the way red musk sometimes seems to me. On the skin, the scent dries up. This is, in fact, blood musk. It is the sweet copper tang of a just-dried drop of blood. Powdery, bitter notes swirl into the blood. This is not a sweet perfume, but without the hint of sweetness it has it would probably smell only metallic and bitter. The dry down is earthy, a little leathery, the slightest bit spicy. This is very nice, very goth. It does what I wanted The Blood Garden to do: create a wine-free, not-too-dirty, bloody atmospheric, dark but not too heavy. (I can't believe that is a thing I have been looking for, but here I am). Edit: this reminds me, in mood and tone and ruby resins, of The Wish from the Ars Inspiration collection.

I have an imp purchased in 2020. This scent opens and closes with red musk. For the longest time, I never got past the dry red musk opening. However, this time around, I kept it on all day and got to experience the dry down. When I sniff my wrist, I get a dry, spicy wood scent - an even combination of sandalwood and rosewood. The woods may be dry and subdued, but they are also magnetic. Unfortunately, I only detect that when I hold my wrist to my nose. I otherwise seem to be exuding a cloud of pale red musk, like head shop incense clinging to my clothes. As the day wears on, the woods wear off. Fenris spends hours in that pale red musk phase. I will try this again in the future, to see if I can hang on to the woody phase longer. As it stands, this is perfectly pleasant but I do not find it particularly compelling.

A low note thrumming on a guitar string. You know that feeling? This rumbles and resonates. The first sniff is powdery chocolate, like a Hershey kiss that has bloomed and hardened and turned to dust. (If you are familiar with Night, it does not share a cacao with Wrapped). I'm glad I actually put it on my skin after that impression. A glossy mahogany, reminiscent of Antikythera Mechanism, combines with the chocolate and gradually overtakes it. To the chocolate-dusted wood, add warm, unsweetened, spiced, earthy sort of vanilla smell. And, yes, the woods are smoked. Based on this first test, this is excellent. Sleek, warm, woody, earthy tonka with a dusting of smoke and cacao.

To me, this is the suggestion of dirt more than a realistic representation. I prefer that. It is almost like fresh juniper with rain-soaked mud clods and dried flowers (maybe rose petals). The patchouli is quite light. Fresh juniper and flowers trampled into a mud puddle. I enjoy this one very much. Initially, I had rejected this because it had not quite been what I expected. Too fresh. But I returned to it months later and found it lovely and quite "wearable" for most settings.

Throughout the pandemic (and several major life changes), Neil Gaiman books have been a salve for my frazzled nerves. Small Brown Cat is the perfect comfort scent to go with my comfort books. It truly smells like fur -- fuzzy, dusty, warm. The vanilla adds a hint of unobtrusive sweetness. The cardamom cools the scent just enough to allow me to wear this on 85°F days. The cardamom is dominant on my skin, which I love. I don't notice the cedar, but I imagine it gives the scent a bit of a backbone that prevents it from just poofing off the skin. Really a lovely, warm hug of scent.

2022 version. Womb Furie checks a lot of boxes for me: honey, bits of florals, musk, incense, vanilla, powder. As others have said, the honey reads like a wildflower honey, with an extra dose of wildflowers. With the honey, I expected this to be heavier than regular Snake Oil, but it is light and almost fresh. The honey is pale gold. Someone had told me this is a cousin to O and I agree with that assessment - the honey, vanilla, musk of it all. The wear length is medium and so is the throw. I so enjoy wearing this.

Try putting on lotion before your oils. That works well for me. Also, I make sure to apply oil to the crooks of my elbows and under my clothes, not just my wrists. Hand washing, using a mouse, etc. tends to remove perfume from my wrists. The first that comes to mind in the Antikythera Mechanism (teakwood, oak, black vanilla, and tobacco). Also from the GC: Fenris Wolf (rosewood, amber, red musk and a dribble of red sandalwood). Streets of Detroit from the Only Lovers Left Alive collection lasts forever (Black musk accord, Ethiopian myrrh, and motor oil). I haven't worn it a ton, but Pyramid of Skulls from last year's Weenies (tobacco and sandalwood) seems to last a long time. In general, citrus and light floral notes will dissipate quickly. Woods, musks, and heavy white florals will stick around.

Until this morning, I thought I didn't like Goblin. But I woke up wanting to wear it. After a few wand-swipes, I discovered a had finished the imp. If you asked me, I would say I find Goblin too sweet and simple. However, I enjoy wearing it. The patchouli is pleasantly dirty and dusty. The coconut, though sweet, brings to mind coconut flesh more than piña colada. I don't think the sweetness comes from the coconut; it has the thick syrup sweetness of BPAL's benzoin note. That sweetness initially rubs me the wrong way, but it always gets its claws in me anyway. I'm a fan. Apparently.

Thanks! I was wondering if aging mellows it - I guess I'll find out 🙂 lol lol I am finding that I really love sandalwood, particularly what I think of as the dry and "dusty" variety. I also get antiseptic/astringent from some sandalwoods (Death is Death from current Weenies comes to mind), which I enjoy. Paramatman is also a favorite of mine. Thanks for sharing your experiences with Tiefling Therapist - that is on my wishlist because I love those notes and I'm a therapist lol (I know nothing of RPGs, though, so the reference is lost on me). Thanks so much for these sandalwoody recommendations!

When I tested Ava from the OLLA collection, it shot me right back to c. 1993 and my aunt's basement apartment in Brooklyn. I texted her and asked what perfume she wore at that time: Opium. So, that's my endorsement for you trying Ava. But it looks like you may have already 🙂 @VetchVesper You know, I have been considering Marie and Zombi both in my last order. I ended up buying an imp of Burial, lol. These are awesome recommendations, thank you. Edit: I am always looking for masculine blends - got to try Dance of Death. @amokslime I have such mixed feelings about Little Wooden Doll. At first, I got the same impression you did. But it has started rubbing me the wrong way. If you have had your imp/bottle for a long time, have you noticed any changes due to age?