LavenderCoffee

The honey in this is not agreeing with me at all, and it's the loudest note in the blend when applied to my skin. I have several honey scents I love, but I don't think this one will work out.

I'm enjoying this one more than I thought I would. It begins with a lemony floofy marshmallow and settles into a somewhat dry tea scent with some sweetness around the edges. Not getting much honey or cream, but still quite nice.

I only tested this briefly because my sister loved it so much I had to give her my decant. The only thing that jumped out at me was that the rose cream reminded me a bit of the poinsettia gown, but this blend is not as rich than that one, and it's tricky to pick out many other distinct notes. The honey was not overpowering, and I wouldn't call it a floral blend, if you are concerned about the jasmine or rose.

This one starts in a very promising place for me. The chestnut/russet vibes are great and well balanced with the sweetness from the fig, but then the myrrh really amps up on me and brings out more powder in the musk. Very minimal clove in this.

This is a lovely pink sandalwood, but that white chocolate/mallow flower combo is creating a big ol poufy sweet cloud around it. It feels very flouncy and silly and fun.

Freshly applied the chocolate is most evident, but it recedes quickly. The blend is chocolate flavored, not chocolate forward. The champa orchid has less of an incensey character and less throw here but it still blooms up into prominence. I think the vetiver is keeping the volume down on the champa without becoming too loud itself. This is an interesting, velvety-quiet combination on my skin.

I get a big hit of white sage at first, then as it dries the strawberry and currant are coming through - quite a shift! I am regrettably unfamiliar with the carnaval characters in the mix. Curious to see how this develops over time. ETA: as this is wearing it is reminding me of the strawberry/may rose/red musk trio, but less juicy and with an herbal backdrop ETA again: more aspects of the carnaval characters emerge later in the dry phase for me, here are the notes to save you some clicking: Mlle.: Coconut and a bit of sugar with pomegranate, pink musk, orange blossom, cypress, honey myrtle, and incense. Mme.: Red musk, vanilla bean, pomegranate, black currant, patchouli leaf and wild plum. Theodosius: Earl Grey tea leaves, a white fougere, jasmine leaf, pearlescent white musk, and vanilla bean.

Wow, this is stunning. Of the Roy G Biv spectrum of scent notes, the red/orange/yellow end goes on brightest when freshly applied, especially king mandarin and dragon's blood. As it warms and dries on my skin I get more of the moss and musk lurking behind Frank(incense) and Roy, adding a cologne-like dimension to this golden amber-hearted scent composition. Not getting much plum, but if it has any acidic sourness to it, it's probably hiding out with mandarin.

survey answers: Are there any currently available BPAL scents that you would love a bottle of? > I would be most pleased to receive a decant or bottle of any of these: L’Heure Verte, Inez, The Illustrated Woman, 'Tis Strange, The Witch/Strega, Haitian Tobacco/Bay Leaves/Patchouli(sorry I am the worst, I have terrible impulse control, I think I'm buying this one), more stuff on my wishlist too. Is there anything you're eyeing from Paintbox Soapworks' winter update? > yes! Joulupukki, Golden Orb or Schwarzwald sorbetto scrub samples would be awesome Would you like anything from Cellar Door (they do soaps and candles)? > no thanks Anything of interest from Luvmilk? (Milky Monday, their version of Black Friday, is on 11/7!) > no thanks Crocheted Granny shawl. Yes or No? Preferred colors? (this one is pressing, I would need to start soon) > yes x100. any multicolored or grey? BPal wax melts? I have TKO and Red Velvet Cake, Would bundle up a few for you to try of one, or both if you like. > a TKO wax melt would be amazing Are you interested in boozy homemade fruitcake? > OMG YES. Rum cakes are a holiday favorite, and fruitcake sounds good too.  How about booze itself, specifically, moonshine whiskey infused with spices and fruits? > whiskey is my poison of choice, so perhaps a small sample Brown sugar shortbread? "Plain" buttery or flavored? Favorites include lavender and chocolate orange, but I could definitely do a holiday spice or peppermint batch or two. > yes to all!! if you can do them with dairy free butter (country crock makes good dairy free sticks that are easy to work with) Interested in anything from Odins Daughter? > no thanks I make infused vodkas! The one I am most proud of right now is a spiced hibiscus liqueur. I make this as a jelly, too. > trying to drink less lately, but a small portion of specially infused vodka would be neat to try. could also do the jelly.  If I can find the recipe, I want to make my grandmas Orange Slice Cake. > I would love a mini cake but it might not be worth it to sub out the buttermilk  I do molasses gingerbread cookies, as well as hot cocoa cookies, florentines and butterballs. Any of those sound good? OR homemade chocolate fudge? I can do peppermint, coffee or orange additions, with or without nuts. > yes please to cookies and fudges of all kinds if they can be dairy free My favorite incense store is Good Earth Mercantile, any interest for an incense from them? > yes indeed, I put some different scent options in my etsy wishlist Are you a cotton candy fan? Would anything from Chocolate Storybook interest you? > ohhh boy. the campfire classics or brunch set, or anything out of those sets would be amazing. also banana split, pickle, peppermint mocha Body Scrubs from CarolinaOrganicsSC are AHHHHMAZING! Any interest? > you delightful troublemakers already got me into PBSW while I was trying to limit my consumerist tendencies! please no more! House of MetalWorks has super cute and dainty gold-filled stacking rings in my price range! If this interests you, include ring size! > not into stacking rings at present Sweatshirt sizing > in original survey: M if unisex, L if womens BAKED GOODS > Yesss baked goods! I'm kindof annoying to bake for bc I can't have anything that originates from a cow udder, but there are dairy free butter substitutes that are easy to work with. I love rum cake, pumpkin bread, gingerbread, ginger snaps, lavender anything, orange spice anything, chocolate mint anything. I'm not super into fudge, but it would still be a treat to try some for the holidays. Really if you have a recipe that you love, I would love to try it. PBQ > this was my Q, I like crunchy pb and the cookies are good either way. I am thinking of making flavored sugar. What are flavors you would NOT enjoy out the following > I would not not enjoy any of those, they all sound great! Would you like anything from Witch Baby Soap? (Make sure to check the Throwback Thursday section of the website; they bring back a few things every Thursday!) > no thank you witch baby Pickety witch has the yule offerings up, including Yule Cat pins (black or white) and ornaments. Which do you love most? > I am not super into this style of pin, and have nowhere to hang ornaments, so while I appreciate these gorgeous gorgeous girls, I'm not interested at present. COFFEE > yes hello I like to coffee. lately I really like instant espresso (shush) but when I do real coffee I like a lighter roast. Haus of Gloi's Yule is up, fancy anything? > nein danke Teeturtle has some adorable designs and their t-shirts often go on sale. Any designs that appeal? > nyet Is anyone else here an Erin Morgenstern fan?? > this is cool but not my thing Anything from the Lunacy You are eyeballing? > I am going to snatch up some stuff for myself, but if you wanted to get me Three Pairs of Shoes it would almost be like getting me something to wear for Yule Cat protection, oh ho! What kind of cat representations do you like? Realistic? Modern/abstract? Cartoony? > well this is an unexpectedly difficult question. I like realistic and modern/abstract. and I'm sure each of those has a range of interpretations, but in my head I am stuck on the fact that there are so very many cartoon styles! generally speaking I don't think I'm into cartoony cats, but I'm sure there are some that are great? I feel quite conflicted. also I have not narrowed anything down with my response, lol. yw!

I really dig this. I passed on it initially because amber/coconut/tuberose are all iffy for me, but those notes don't come across very strongly on my skin. I get smoked vanilla/honey/orange blossom and it is divine. The smoked vanilla is so gorgeous, I just cannot stop sniffing myself. Plus the musk seems to anchor the other notes really well to give the scent some staying power. It doesn't have a ton of throw, but you don't have to go nose to skin to pick it up. Also agree this has a tobacco sort of vibe to it.

Heloise really does smell like a charming haunted witch puppet - stranger than the sum of her scent notes. Her scent is a bit sour and green, like she was working on a potion with eye of newt, etc. Maybe she was in the vicinity when Witches' Lace 2019 was being brewed. I suppose the polished aspect of the polished limewood (broomstick?) is what's coming forward, but it's not as prominent as other polish/lacquer notes I've smelled. There is much less of a dusty aspect than with Abelard, although the hint of smoke and spice suggest some age - myrrh has been burnt and only smoke remains, the blackened bits of spices served their purpose. I am also testing Abelard and A&H together. Together, they smell happier and less haunted, more like a pair of well-loved old puppets you might keep in a drawer. The sourness of Heloise and the stale dusty aspect of Abelard are tempered when they are combined. It's not quite like putting the lime with the coconut, but they clearly belong together. I think I'd be more inclined to wear Heloise as a standalone scent because of the witchy-ness. Edited to clarify the A&H combined scent - it's kinda cozy.

Abelard really does smell like a charming haunted clown puppet - stranger than the sum of his scent notes. It's almost like he lived with a puppeteer that smoked cigars 100 years ago, even though he no longer smells like any kind of tobacco. There is an overall dusty old wood type of effect, although there is also a bit of sweetness that I suspect is coconut husk with frankincense, and something sortof sharp that might be pearwood. It's maddening and wonderful to try to pick out the notes in this unfamiliar context. I am also testing Heloise and A&H together. Together, they smell happier and less haunted, more like a pair of well-loved old puppets you might keep in a drawer. The sourness of Heloise and the stale dusty aspect of Abelard are tempered when they are combined. It's not quite like putting the lime with the coconut, but they clearly belong together. Edited to clarify the A&H combined scent - it's kinda cozy.

On wet, this is mostly lavender violet tears. Tears are coming across as a nice salty wet smell that goes well with lavender. (Paging fans of the lavender/sea salt/rain trio.) Drying down the pumpkin and sandalwood start to come through, and it is just the puree, no pumpkin spice to be found. I can't say I've smelled purple sandalwood before, but it provides a nice sturdy base here for the other notes. Lavender and tears hang out in the top range, while violets hang out with the pumpkin in the middle. The tears are not capital A aquatic, but they're not Not aquatic, and they provide a nice contrast to the spoopy purple pumpkin. Nothing soapy happening - just atmospheric and a bit salty. This could be the sad cousin of Every Day is Halloween. Instead of the booming warmth of toasted pumpkin and sandalwood, this is a subtle, cool salty pumpkin sandalwood with a handful of crushed flowers. Definitely an unusual pumpkin blend. It doesn't have a ton of throw but I keep wanting to sniff this, I think it's the violet/sandalwood combo. Really nice.

My skin loves apples, but I don't always love apples on my skin. Lucky for me, even though I'm getting mostly bourbon apples and then pumpkin stuff, I must confess that bourbon apples with pumpkin stuff smells delish. Fully dry there is a suggestion of candy corn in the form of a light vanillic sweetness. Was hoping to get more candy and coffee from this - my two favorite food groups! In my head this is Prairie Witch goes to Target. I like Prairie Witch on the prairie better, but I still wanna hang onto this one because I also like distorting time and hoarding BPAL. 😅

Freshly applied, Sheut smells like a faceful of the lemon balm growing in (taking over) my front garden beds. Then in short order, there is something pleasantly sinus tickling, like camphor, as mentioned above. It's lemony, sweet, resinous, camphorous. After a few minutes, the Vicks aspect calms down and I get frankincense more clearly. It's not incredibly long lived on my skin but it is rather pleasant while it's there. A morning pick-me-up sort of scent.