LavenderCoffee

I wanted to try this one because I enjoyed Teapot Full of Angst so much. Where Teapot is rich and refined, Detritus is sultry and somewhat sinister. I don't think I have had the pleasure of meeting a smoky vetiver before now, and this one is fairly intense and smoky for 30 mins or so after applying, but after it dries it's much smoother, definitely something you could wear out to a dimly lit club (and I love the idea of swiping a bit of Thorns Clove Cigarette over it). I am not getting anything scary from the oud, it's more like a high end wood note hanging out with the vetiver. The musk pops out last for me, and contributes a sparingly sweet finish to this deep dark scent. 

This is a super cute little trio. Jasmine has a tricky reputation, but this one is a very well behaved perky pink. The pepper doesn't smell peppery, like fresh ground black pepper, but it does that nice kinda posh thing it does smoothing out the other notes. The wildflower aspect of the honey even pokes out alongside pink jasmine, while the honey note itself is fairly light. A cheerful playful Summery floral blend.

Dang this is good. A rich but mellow purple floral vibe, with points of dark fruity intensity pulsing through, just as depicted in the artwork. I love lavender and blackcurrant, but lilac doesn't always agree with me, so apparently this is the secret combo that works for me and my skin chemistry.  

I loved the previous iteration of LFYL but it disappeared on my skin. Now with the addition of the honey and marshmallow, it sticks around. I wish it had a bit more throw but it's still great.

The booziness is big up front, fades quickly, then the scent of whiskey remains in the background. My wear experience follows the description super closely: I get a gently spiced, honey sweetened fig cream whiskey. It is delish! But not especially mallowy. Probably because the gooey fluff is hiding out in the sweetened cream.

When I first put this on, I thought of a frivolous frilly lacey cousin to last year's Young Pilgrim Girl. As it dried, I could almost swear there was a cognac note, so I understand the lace comparison. Then at the end it's all vanilla, but in more of a fabric way than a foodie way. It's not my jam but it's a fun scent.

So first of all, yes, this is a slay 💅 because adding black leather to an oudh blend and making it more accessible to the masses is really something. I was a bit nervous because I love Slay 2018 and black leather is an iffy note for me. Adding it alongside frankincense though (also absent from the 2018 formulation) probably makes a difference, and it's possible the proportions of the other notes in the blend were adjusted too. There are only two different notes and it's an entirely different perfume - a very impressive costume change!

In the OG blend, the throw for me is all red musk and oudh, swagger and strut, and maybe that's due in part to the fact that it's had some time to marinate. In the new Pride Monster formulation, I'm getting a lot less oudh and even less musk, and the vibe is kinda chill! I get a surprisingly comfy casual black leather thrown over the top of everything, plus I can pick out more of the tobacco and cacao. Almost like the original is the stage costume and the new version is what to wear out after the show. It's a timeless, effortless, genderless type of cool.

In my opinion it's worth trying both, but if you're nervous about oudh, I find this one easy to wear. I am testing from a decant and contemplating a bottle. 

When I first put this on I was immediately reminded of the scented markers we used when I was a kid, and I don't think there was a pink one, but I could be wrong. Makes me wonder what they used to scent those. Anyway echoing the other reviewers: Pink Moon smells PINK. The initial suggestion of fake pink disappears in a gorgeous burst of floral. You can tell it's been sweetened but it's not a big ol sugarbomb. Smells like what a stargazer lily petal looks like. I don't get a ton of berry but I think it's just the right amount. 

She's fancy! Soft focus golden florals with a drop of tea. Frankincense and honey holding up mirrors to all of it, light bouncing everywhere. I was curious about lightning struck amber and I am kindof getting a dash of ozone? It does indeed seem otherworldly. 

It seems to be mostly apple and lilac up front, and then waaaay off in the distance some lavender and grasses. 

White Cat is quite a confection when freshly applied. Something about it makes me think of a carnival or amusement park. Lemony sweet marshmallowy floof! I think I have said floof in all my Felis reviews, oops. Stays fairly soft and close, just like a very good cat.

I'm finding the red musk in this blend well behaved and/or solidly checked by the cashmere and myrrh. A very tawny fuzzy buddy. Oakmoss staying pretty chill here as well. Overall it is a little too fuzzy for my tastes, but another tremendous cat composition all the same. 

Oh nice, agree with elissamay on the Horses Cooling comparison. A cat version of a chestnut horse, even tho the cat on the label is brown and white. In fact, agree with her review in general. Warm, dry, nutty, woodsy musk. Touch of fuzz. Very nice wearable patch. 

I do love a white tea note, and an oud, so I am pleased with this, and I expect this oud to age tremendously. Not getting anything crisp/laundry/linen personally. In fact, the amber and sandalwood attempt to be fuzzy together but ultimately it's more sleek than floofy, a nice soft shorthair situation. A lovely contrast of grey and white in scent.

This is a fun bit of chaos freshly applied: feels a bit like scent notes clashing with each other, or maybe it's something my skin chemistry adds to the composition. Maybe it smells like what is going on inside a cat's head when they play with one of these toys and the feathery bits are zipping back and forth. As it dries down it settles into a minty floofy situation with florals peeking out, and that is more agreeable.

Oh no, this is the prettiest frankincense I've ever smelled! Love how it's working with the vanilla skin musk. Softly sweet, simple, perfect.

I am a fan of many many BPAL honey scents, finally getting around to trying this beloved one. it is impossibly delicate. some of the honey scents I like have a funky musk quality to them, but this particular honey musk is quite elegant, gently sweetened by vanilla bean. there is briefly a bit of juicy berry while the oil is still wet but it is not generally a berry scent on me. I'm not sure what sort of spice counts as fae, but it is also not a spicy/spiced scent as far as I can tell. maybe not a "me" scent but a lovely option to have on hand. 

2 hours ago, twilighteyes said:

 

I send out emails to people who sign up to my BPAL SWAP ALERT mailing list on mailchimp.

 

I had to go find the URL.  I only have 29 people subscribed, it caps at 500 (lol) so plenty of room.  I ONLY send out email when a new swap is posted in the forum or to alert of an upcoming swap like Switch Witch.

 

https://mailchi.mp/0c7a065b3156/bpal-forum-swap-alerts

 

 

wonderful, tysm!

9 hours ago, lawardrop_27512 said:

I'm  so happy & excited.  I got the email & keep checking back for more news.

Oh I keep checking back here, is there an email signup?

Just snagged a bottle off etsy and it's so upsettingly good. Wearing it feels less like playing dress up and more like putting on a new persona: I may be on my couch in slouchy costco pants but by adding a dab of Gun Moll I'm a total smokeshow, a dangerous dame, not to be crossed.

It's a timeless femme fatale type scent, gorgeously blended. 

I love this blend so much! Yesterday I wore a mandarin scent and I thought "I don't wear much orange" but I realized that is a lie, bc I am a big sucker for honey sweetened orange.

This is very honey and beeswax forward on me, however, so it's more of an orange touched honey. I am also a big fan of khus and patch, so having those as a cozy backdrop is perfection.

On 7/16/2023 at 9:15 AM, Em- said:

Would anyone be interested in a lighting round of something small and finite for end of summer/back to school? For my lighting rounds, I just draw names, no attempts at close matching.

 

I'm itchy for something and have maybe just enough capacity to manage 15 participants who solemnly swear they will make good.

Certainly! ⚡

On 7/16/2023 at 9:22 AM, Estamets said:

Anyone up for a U.S.->US blind bottle swap?

 

Or a bottle round robin? I’d start with as many bottles as I can ship in a priority box plus some toothpicks for clean testing. 
 

It’s big spring cleaning energy in my stars, so I’m not interesting in anything other than smells, but I do feel called to send & receive! 

This sounds interesting, but I'm more interested in destashing than getting anything new at the moment - does that fit the idea? Seems I always have more scents than sense. 😅

1 Gorgeous juicy mandarin

2 backed by carnation

3 touched by clove.

I haven't worn much orange traditionally but I'm into mandarin at the moment and I'm super impressed with this one - it really hangs in there! I love all the clove I can get, so this is a bit subtle in that regard, but the dusky spicy carnation backdrop for the vibrant citrus is pretty darn great.

Hellooo nurse: deliciously dirty-sweet patchouli and fig. When I first tested this (a year ago?) it was not as big and bold as I wanted it to be, but trying it again today and it actually has a really nice amount of throw. A tremendous under-the-clothes scent that may put you in mind of removing your clothes.

There is definitely some component separation in the bottle, so give it a nice rolleroo.

Tested from a decant. Looking back at the earlier reviews, seems like the mate was a bit more potent 10 years ago. Today it is seamlessly blended. White chocolate and banana cream could have gone super duper sweet, but the hazelnut and mate add a perfect amount of earthy grounding. Sometimes hazelnut has gone a bit weird on me but this one is behaving quite nicely.

It is more of a banana tinted white chocolate scent than an outright banana scent, and I am enjoying it that way.

I also dig this. A springtime witch scent that could sit alongside the witches from halloween 2022. 

I think the galbanum comes out kicking hardest for me when I first apply, a bitter sort of scent, but it really finds its place in the market basket quickly. Earthy, rooty, herbal, mildly ominous. I thought the pine pitch would be louder, and the fig doesn't pop out until it's dry. Not much throw in my experience today but it's just a great little mood.