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Kanra

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Everything posted by Kanra

  1. Kanra

    2004: Paper Phoenix

    This should be a no brainer buy for people who love Dorian, Dorian blends, and Antique Lace. At first, on me, the Dorian element is very heavy with extra lemon in the usual sugared tea. I'm not usually a big fan of lemon, and honestly my skin amps it heavily so was worried all this lemon would completely take over the blend. The lemon is strong here, at least on my skin, but is isn't as sharp as lemons often are due to the creamy, lacy vanilla of Antique Lace. Eventually the lemon mellows out a bit and is only there as a faint trace, and it becomes more about the creamy vanilla tea with an almost cashmere lie element. A little lemon and pink pepper in the background, but nothing too crazy. This is very pretty and a scent you can wear easily in your day to day life. I love it. Fans of Dorian and Antique Lace need this in their collection.
  2. Kanra

    Krampuslaufen

    I got this as a frottle with my yule order. I can definitely see where this isn’t for everyone. It’s very weird, potentially polarizing, with a lot going on. But I like weird and this works on me. It’s very smoky and alhough leather isn’t a note here, I’m getting something leathery here. The fur and chains are definitely there as well making this fragrance smell dark and almost rusty. In contrast to these notes, there is chocolate, and a tiny hint of apple and mint. The best way I can think of describe it is a dark, Christmasy gourmand. Like I said: it’s weird. There are notes here that seem like they’d contrast each other and I can see how it would be too much for some people. It’s a lot to take in. But it’s very artistic and very well blended. It’s downright strange and unlike anything I own. I like it, but I like weird. Although I’m new to BPAL, I’ve been collecting fragrances in general for so long that most “typical” smells I already own many of. This is something different even in my large collection, and different from a lot of what I’ve tried. I can see myself wearing it around the holidays when I’m craving a darker alternative to the traditional Christmasy scents.
  3. Kanra

    Smoky Moon 2009: Tristesses de la Lune

    This has aged very nicely. Even though I do enjoy woody blends almost every time I buy them, they are rarely something I seek out to buy. But something about the description on this one tempted me. I love the idea of a dark atmospheric smoky moonlit night and reading about this fragrance evoked that feeling in me so I figured it was worth giving a try. It's very nice. The wood is strong but not overwhelming. There are beautiful florals and musks too. Overall, this creates a very haunting, smoky atmosphere without there actually being a smoke note. It's more about atmosphere than a literal smoky moon. Tobacco, sandalwood, orris, musk, and elimi really stand out. If you enjoy woody blends that are a bit subdued and introverted, I think you'd enjoy this.
  4. Kanra

    Monster Bait: biggerCritters

    This is a review of the plain label version. I don't know if that makes any difference in the scent, but just in case! Grapefruit is never a note that does too well on me (like most citrus) but I love jasmine, gardenia, vanilla, and all things fluffy. All of the Monsterbaits I've tried so far have been hits. So when I saw a bottle of this in a destash, I had to grab it!! It goes on very, very jasmine with gardenia wafting through the background. I know there are a lot of jasmine haters around, so be warned. This is very jasmine heavy. But! It is the fluffiest, most vanilla, poofy cloud like jasmine I've ever tried. And I've tried quite a lot of jasmines. This doesn't have the sharpness on me that many jasmines can have and it isn't indolic at all. It reminds me of a big fluffy cloud floating through the sky, only that cloud is floating above a field of jasmine with some gardenia for good measure, wafting up in the air and permeating the cloud so much that it begins to scent it. Your milage may vary, but to me, that's exactly how I want to smell. The grapefruit is there, but barely. Maybe it adds a little tang to it. It isn't a main focus and doesn't last into the dry down. Maybe it was stronger when the bottle was first released, but with age, this is all about the fluffy vanilla jasmine cloud. Another winner from the Monsterbaits for me.
  5. Kanra

    Sticky Eyeballs and Floppy Entrails

    This is super fun and the perfect fragrance for when you just want something silly, mood lifting, and fun to wear! I looove the lab's strawberry note and this is another winner. There is a slight cream to it, but rather than a super creamy strawberry like in Rope Pulley, this is more of a sugary strawberry candy. While they are very different scents, it reminds me a bit of Sticky Pillowcase in that it has this cavity inducing element to it. As a self described marshmallow enthusiast, I sadly don't get much marshmallow. But I do get the licorice element/anise in the background that gives this a bit of bite. Still, the main thing here, on me at least, is strawberry jam and sugary strawberry candy! Super fun, super sweet, and overall a very happy, joyful little scent. I'm happy to own a bottle. This is perfect for when I don't want to wear something serious, and just want to enjoy something fun and smell like all the sugary strawberry things.
  6. Kanra

    The Witches

    I love all things pumpkin so when I found someone selling a bottle of this, I had to pick it up. There is less pumpkin than I imagined, but in a world with many pumpkin BPAL options to be had, this is a good thing. It makes this a pumpkin that's different from the usual pumpkin spice or buttery pumpkin blends and stands out even in a pumpkin heavy wardrobe. This is more like a pumpkin flavored ice cream, or pumpkin flavored cream. The pumpkin is definitely there, but it's more there to add flavor to the cream part. While some brands have cream notes that don't work on me at all and make me feel nauseous, the lab does cream really well. I find their creamy blends -- The Witches included -- have cream which gives the fragrance texture almost rather than being way too dairy to handle and turning sour and nauseating. This is a super comforting blend, and almost reminds me a bit of a more pumpkin forward and less coffee dominant version of The Worst Pillow. Fans of it will likely enjoy The Witches too, unless you dislike pumpkin. This is an incredibly wearable scent. While I personally am one to wear all of my wardrobe all year, if you coordinate your fragrances based on seasonal wears, I think out of every pumpkin I've tried this would be the best year round option. It doesn't automatically scream "fall". If you want a creamy, approachable pumpkin cream that stands out amongst many other pumpkin offerings, The Witches is a great pick. I will be keeping my bottle.
  7. Kanra

    Crypt Queen

    Managed to get a bottle of this and it is absolutely fantastic. Easily a top five BPAL to me. Maybe even a top three BPAL to me. Everything here is just so well blended and comes together seamlessly. It's a dark take on a fruity floral. If you love that fruity floral combination but find the run of the mill options not vampy enough for your taste, Crypt Queen is perfect. It's dark yet sweet, musky yet clear. As a lover of all things floral who considers dark fragrances amongst my favorites, by notes alone I thought this would be similar enough to other offerings, but it isn't. The age of this truly sets it apart. I have no idea what it smelled like in its youth, but Crypt Queen has a sort of refined darkness to it. It isn't loud and in your face. It doesn't smell anything like a gothy store as some similar genered fragrances lean. It smells more like a mature, adult, elegant and refined take on a dark fragrance. Someone who no longer has anything to prove, who is comfortable in their own skin and able to be themselves without having to convince the world who they are. If Crypt Queen was a person, she would be that type. As a perfume, she's just as lovely. Dusty roses and sweet fruits, darkness and musk and that pepper. Oh, the pepper. Pepper is a note that can be a hit or a miss for me but here it works wonderfully. I am so glad I was able to find a bottle of this. This is really special. The coffin it comes with is really nicely done too. A classic BPAL that I'm very happy to own. Lovely, lovely, lovely. I can't sing its praises enough.
  8. Kanra

    Monster Bait: Bloody Mary

    This is very, very cherry! A dark, syrupy cherry. I know some people make a connotation with syrupy cherries and medicine, but on my skin it isn't medicinal at all. It isn't cough syrupy, at least it doesn't smell like any cough syrup I've ever tried. Instead, it's a rather liqueur-ish black cherry. There's a lot of sugar in the background, which plays nicely off the sickly sweet, syrupy, yet somehow dark in its nature black cherry. It's super rich, and like many aged BPAL blends, has a sort of depth and richness and overall complexity that I really go for. I imagine in its earlier years perhaps the cherry wasn't quite as deep, and maybe had a little more of a creamy feel to it, but nowadays it is gorgeous. A cherry heaven. What more could you want? If you tend to find the combination of cherry + syrupy liqueur medicinal, maybe this isn't for you, but if those notes sound like a nice, boozy, syrupy, cherry dream come true, seek out a bottle of Monsterbait: Bloody Mary. I'm glad I own this one. I love cherry blends, and this is definitely one of the better cherry blends I've found. If I ever saw another bottle, I'd be very tempted to get a backup, despite not typically being a backup type of person unless I'm running very low.
  9. Kanra

    White Chocolate and Strawberry

    I received and imp of this and fell so in love. Somehow got lucky enough to track down a bottle. This has aged absolutely beautifully. It's a lot stronger than most BPAL gourmands on me. There are definitely strong gourmands in the BPAL world, and I don't know if it's the age of the oil that is making it stronger and deeper, but this is a very powerful gourmand. As far as notes go, you get exactly what it says on the bottle: white chocolate and strawberry. I'm in love with the lab's strawberry (hands down my favorite strawberry), and the white chocolate compliments it perfectly. This is a perfect super sweet, vaguely clingy, Valentine's Day gourmand. It smells a lot more edible to me than most gourmands and even most strawberry scents. If I closed my eyes, I would think this was actual (very strong and delicious smelling) white chocolate with strawberry. It's fantastic. Sign me up as a fan of the lab's white chocolate note too. I'm not sure how this was when it was first released, but aged BPALs always hit a certain sweet spot for me. I wasn't too sure how well some of the foodier gourmands would age, but if they are all like this, then wow, will have to seek more out.
  10. Kanra

    Flickering Lights, Fluttering Curtains

    Echoing all of the comments that this is practically a lace. I love laces, so it's no surprise that this is an instant love for me. It reminds me a lot of Antique Lace, with chamomile and light florals. It has a sort of ethereal, haunting quality to it. On my skin it isn't so much a heavy smoked vanilla as a creamy, luscious vanilla with something lurking behind the very distant shadows -- the flickering light vibe. It's very creamy, but not in a heavier way that scents like Boo! are creamy. Rather, it has that kind of soft, pillowy, lightly creamy texture that I love in blends like Antique Lace. This isn't powdery on me at all, nor is it too "plain" like some vanilla heavy scents can get. The chamomile gives it a sort of relaxing component and makes the scent feel rather calming. This is lovely and one of my favorites amongst the Weenies. Haunting and comforting at the same time. If laces work for you, this is definitely a must.
  11. Kanra

    Mrs. Wilson

    I received this as a frottle from the lab. While I am definitely not in the jasmine haters club (in fact, I love it! Sometimes I forget how much I love it until I put on one of my jasmine heavy fragrances and fall in love all over again), but citrus is decidedly not my thing at all. Any fragrance that seems too "summery" or citrus heavy is one I generally avoid... so I wasn't too sure how much I would love this one. Apparently the lab knows me and my tastes better than I know myself, because I do really enjoy it. Never would have bought it from the notes alone, but I'm so happy to have it in my collection. It's joyful and bright, incredibly invigorating. I can see putting this on to uplift my mood. I don't know what it is, but there's something about this blend that makes me feel awake, alert, and ready to tackle anything. It's comforting, but not in the typical "cozy fragrance" way. It's more like Mrs. Wilson is telling me that things will be okay. That things are still bright and shining, even just in my little scent cloud. Yes, it's jasmine and yes, it's citrus. I know these notes don't appeal to everyone. I'm not a "freshie" person myself. But this is a great combination of zetsy and floral I'm really, really happy to own. Like others have said, this would make a fantastic summer drink.
  12. Kanra

    Vampire Lace

    In the bottle: Poop. So much poop. Specifically cat poop. I was so afraid to put this on. Yes, the rumors are true. It goes on very fecal. And I am a lover of all things oud, stanky, and animalic. This, upon first application, is very heavy on the fecal note. An accurate description of my wear would be: Me: omg why am I putting this on, it smells like cat poop!!! Also me: slathers it on Against any reservation I had, I slathered it. Do I regret it? No. It dries down wonderfully. Like, really dark and addictive musk and incense. I love it. But does it take a while to get past the poop phase? Also yes. I am one who cares much more about the overall experience with the fragrance than the initial application and can deal with top notes I don't exactly love, noting to myself to apply like 20-30mins before I see anyone. So that being said, I'll keep this for a while. I hear as it lives on it gets much less poopy at the beginning. I hope so, because the ending is exactly my sort of thing. But I will be very sad if the poop doesn’t fade away as it ages with time.
  13. Kanra

    Harvest Moon 2020

    This wouldn’t normally be one I would have bought a bottle of from notes alone. Cedar is somewhat of a death note, and fir and pine sometimes amp way too much on me overwhelming a blend, and this has a lot going on. But: I heard some great things about this, and I do love wine fragrances, mulling spices, and pumpkin. So I took a chance on it. I absolutely love this one. I remember going to the Autumn Fair in Central Park with some friends every year in middle school and early high school and this brings back those memories so strongly. It smells like walking around an autumn festival, taking in the smell of the leaves that surround you, intertwined with aromas from all the nearby booths: mulled wine, foody goods from local farmer’s markets, tons of pumpkins. I'm a big fan of mulled wine in fragrances (and wine in general) and most of my mulled wine fragrances are more along the lines of a winter atmosphere, but this perfectly satisfies the craving for an autumnal mulled wine, when the air starts to become brisk and it just turns cold enough to start drinking it. I can see the comparisons to “fall candles”, but it’s a lot more complex with a lot more going on than a mainstream fall candle. It has those notes, sure, but a lot more complexity. A high quality, luxury-indie fall atmospheric candle maybe? Which is never a bad thing in my book. There’s a lot going on, but in a great way. This is one of my favorite Lunacy releases that I’ve tried.
  14. Kanra

    Pumpkin Smut

    Pumpkin spice with Smut. I love all things pumpkin, and love Smut, so this was a no brainer for me. It's a musky, boozy, and very dirty pumpkin. I get a lot more of the pumpkin aspect than the Smut, but the Smut is definitely giving the pumpkin some dirty/boozy qualities. Amazing throw and on the stronger side. If you are prefer raw pumpkins or pumpkin spice latte style pumpkins, this might not be your thing, but if you like your pumpkins as dirty as I do, you'll love this. It's very straightforward and exactly what you'd expect from a smutty pumpkin. What's not to love about pumpkin and Smut anyway?
  15. Kanra

    Dead Leaves, Marshmallow, and Pistachio Cream

    This is my first try at a Dead Leaves scent. I was a bit unsure because a lot of people have said that DL runs masculine and cologney and that's not my usual style, but I decided to take a chance on this because I love love love marshmallow and pistachio cream is unique to my wardrobe and sounds great too. This is yet another time I'm glad I took a risk buying a bottle!! This is very creamy, from both the marshmallow ad the pistachio cream. It smells like a fluffy pistachio flavored marshmallow almost which I love. It has a sweetness to it, but the dead leaves keep it from getting overly sweet. I'm a fan of sweet fragrances with something darker lurking beneath and similar vibes, and the dead leaves adds to this atmosphere perfectly. Many marshmallows are all out gourmands, but this, while having gourmand elements, isn't strictly gourmand. It's an autumnal marshmallow and reminds me of eating pistachio ice cream (light on the sugar, high on the creaminess) with marshmallow toppings on a nice autumn day while sitting on a bench in the park, surrounded by leaves. Definitely lovely. If you want a toned down gourmand and marshmallow that is more creamy than sickly sweet, cakey, or airy (and many marshmallow fragrances tend to hit one of these categories), this is it.
  16. Kanra

    TKO

    I picked a bottle of this up because: 1) I have a sleep disorder and getting 3hrs of sleep per night is my usual "good night's sleep", with 4hrs being a "super restful" sleep. 2) I love marshmallow, lavender, and fluffy cloud blends so even if it didn't help with sleep I was sure it would be up my alley. It's definitely a relaxing blend. It's fluffy and reminds me of floating on a marshmallow cloud, yet that fluffiness is juxtaposed with a sharp, herbal lavender. It's stronger than I expected (a good thing in my book), and a very nice bedtime blend. I've only tried it once to sleep, and it didn't exactly help me fall asleep (but keep in mind I have very severe sleeping issues), but I did find it very relaxing. The smell was very comforting and I felt less of the usual bedtime anxiety while wearing it. Definitely going to try it again and always want to keep a bottle of this for my sleep time rotation, or even days when I just want a mellow, calming scent to wear. In addition to sleep issues, I can see this being very soothing for anxiety and tension. At least it was for me.
  17. Kanra

    Perfectly Normal Childhood

    I always enjoy cardamom as a note, but the way the lab does cardamom is some of my favorites. I especially love cardamom in sweet blends (like in Pink Lovebird, one of my all time favorites!!) so when I saw this I knew I had to grab a bottle. This is definitely a sweet, cakey, cardamom blend ala Pink Lovebird, but less pink and more fluffy white marshmallow. I love it. I love it so much!!! It's different enough than Pink Lovebird for me to justify both, but fans of it who are looking for a White (Extra Fluffy) Lovebird version should try this out. This is one of my favorite, favorite marshmallows I've tried from the lab, and in general --- and this is coming from a self proclaimed marshmallow enthusiast who has marshmallow in her top three notes. This is right up there in my marshmallow hall of fame with Stekkjarstaur. It's a very different take on marshmallow than Stekk, but it's up there in quality! This is super floofy and fluffy, like sinking in a huge marshmallow cake. I adore it. I love it so much I'm wearing it twice in a row and it's going straight to my all time favorites list. This is my favorite of the 2020 Liliths I've tried.
  18. Kanra

    Rattlecans and Sliders

    Strawberry ice cream on a foggy night!! I almost didn't order this one, because I have more than my fair share of strawberry ice cream and strawberry cream scents. But in the end I couldn't resist. The fog machine juice note made it "different enough" to try. On my skin, unlike some previous reviewers, I actually do amp the fog machine note upon first application which makes me really glad to have a bottle of this one! It goes on as a very foggy, misty strawberry scent. It's not a very heavy fog machine that practically chokes you out, but a very misty layer of fog, intertwining with the strawberry. After a while, the fog machine note disappears and it becomes a lot more traditionally strawberry. I do wish it stuck around for the entire life of the fragrance, but it sticks around long enough on me. If I had the fog single note I'd layer with that when the fog disappears. Overall, I really like this one. I'm a huge fan of the lab's strawberry note (one of my favorite notes by the lab, and BPAL definitely does my favorite strawberry). It does remind me of Rope Pulley (another favorite) and similar creamy strawberry/strawberry ice cream scents but the fog at the start of the perfume keeps it from getting too redundant. It's simple and straightforward, but nice. I'm definitely keeping mine, and might search out the fog machine SN to layer.
  19. Kanra

    Rose Quartz Bedroom

    I was debating on and off about this one. I've seen a few spa related comments and very clean, spa like, office friendly scents aren't exactly my thing but... I love all the notes here and all things pink and princessy and this seemed like it could fit the bill. Wearing it, I do get the spa comparisons, but think of a sparkly, princess themed spa than what I would normally consider a spa scent. I get the comparison to Pink Snowballs minus the snow note. It's a lot "safer" (as in, very mainstreamfriendly) than a lot of my usual favorites, but it's very delicate and dreamy, making it a lot more interesting to me than the usual office-friendly lineups I stray away from. The soft rose, white musk, vanilla, and lavender all come together seamlessly. It's a very pink scent, but a pale, delicate pink, rather than the candy-like bubblegum gourmandish pink that I tend to associate with a lot of my BPAL "pink!!" favorites. It's very calming, more than I expected, due to the lavender. If you want a soft, dreamy, airy, delicate princess-like scent, this one definitely fits the bill. I'll be keeping my bottle, especially for my bedtime rotation. It's relaxing, soft, and perfect for that feeling of being carried away by a cloud.
  20. Kanra

    The Bear Prince

    2020 version: I always tell myself not to buy any more rose fragrances unless they are really unique. I love rose and it is one of my favorite notes ever, but I have so many already! I always inevitably break this guideline and add more and more roses to my collection. Scents like Bear Prince remind me why. This is gorgeous. And even if you do have many roses like I do, this is truly unique amongst them. It's such a cozy, comforting, fuzzy, fluffy rose. I get a lot of mint from this as well. I never thought rose and mint would go so well together, but they do!! This is truly stunning. When I wear this, I picture being wrapped up in the fluffiest blanket that smells like roses on a cold winter day, protected by the warmth inside my blanket cocoon. If there was a fragrance version of being wrapped up in a blanket by the fireplace drinking hot chocolate on a cold winter's day, this would be it. Not because it actually smells like those things --- there's no cocoa or woodsmoke or anything like that here at all! But it gives the same feeling of coziness, of comfort, of warmth. This is the fluffiest rose and I'm happy to have it in my collection. It's very gentle, with light throw. I imagine I'll be using it as a bedtime scent very often because of the comfy factor and its lightness. The only downside to me is that it's short lived. Still, perfect for bedtime.
  21. Kanra

    Marshmallow Snow

    I expected this to be my favorite of my Yule order but.... on me, it's a lot of pine at the start of the wear. Pine isn't even in the official notes. Now, I'm not opposed to pine at all and there are definitely pine fragrances I enjoy, but the pine totally dominates everything here. I'm not getting much of the marshmallow, or even the snow.... besides the feeling of coolness that pine itself tends to give. As it dries down, a marshmallow-like softness/creaminess does emerge. Still with the pine, but at least there is something more to it than just pine. The drydown is super nice and lovely, but it's a light fragrance that's on the short lived side (on my skin) and a significant portion of its life is taken up for me by the all pine all the time stage. It isn't what I expected, but the drydown does make me want to give it more chances because this stage is great. If the marshmallow had a heavier presence from the start, or if it had a little more longevity so I could enjoy this stage more, I'd be totally in love. I'll give it a few more tries and let it age a bit to see how it evolves.
  22. Kanra

    Winter Night. Figure on the Bridge

    This is a very moody, broody scent. I bought four of the Lux Brumalis releases and the four I've tried all seem to have this kind of feel. It could be that these are just the scents I gravitated towards enough to buy bottles of, but if you liked the introspectiveness and introvertedness of releases like A Moonlit Winter Landscape, Winter Sunset, or Sunrise in Winter, this might be another winner for you. Outside of having a broody, contemplative, solitary mood, however, the scent itself is very different. I get a lot of the indigo musk (a similar indigo to the indigo wine in Chinoiserie, but musky not winey), tobacco flower, and opium. I love the lab's opium note and it is wonderful here too. There is definitely plum, but it is indeed the rind of the plum. There's no sweetness or juiciness found in many plum blends here. There is lilac, yes, but true to description it is blackened. I personally don't get any of the lab's snow note. This is very dark, very broody and moody. I think the Lux Brumalis releases are fantastic examples of BPAL's atmospheric scents. Wearing this, I really picture a solitary figure, brooding about on pitch black winter's night, so cold you can feel the chill through your bones. If nothing else, this collection is amazing for atmospheric experiences. If you tend to go for dark, moody scents and love indigo, opium, and tobacco flower, you'll love this.
  23. Kanra

    Ghost Milk

    So, milk and I aren't usually friends at all so I was hesitant to buy this one but I love love love the creamy note in BOO! and love everything else here in Ghost Milk so decided to take a chance on a bottle. I'm glad I did because ooooh this is absolutely lovely! The milk is behaving quite nicely and is more muted than anything super aggressively dairy like I feared. I get an element of sweetness to it from the honey, but it isn't a powdery honey at all. As the comment above mentioned, this almost reminds me of a lace. The cashmere note amps up a lot on my skin, rendering this a creamy, almost lacy vanilla cashmere with marshmallow and a whiff of honey. It's a lot less gourmand than I was expecting. A lot more subtle and less aggressively foody. It's absolutely beautiful and I'm definitely keeping this bottle, as a fan of all things lace and marshmallow! It's one of my favorites of my Yule order. I can't wait to see how this ages as I think it will become even more lovely with time!! I think this one will be very, very popular. Lovers of vanilla fragrances and laces definitely need to add this one to their collection. If this kind of fragrance is up your alley, this is an absolute must have!
  24. Kanra

    A Moonlit Winter Landscape

    First review but I have to sing its praises. If you love dark, broody scents, run, don't walk to this!!!! It almost reminds me a bit of Voluptuous Wantonness (one of my all time favorites) in feel/atmosphere but mistier and broodier and way more iris rather than having the same sweet fruits (this lacks any kind of sweet fruit!). As if Voluptuous Wantonness was less plum, and more floral. They just both have a similar purple, dark feel to me. This definitely is heavy on the iris, the benzoin, the moonlit atmosphere.... It's a dark, deep purple floral and broody atmospheric!! It's amazing and captures its theme so fantastically and please lovers of iris you have to try this! It's a sad, broody, stormy, moonlit perfume that smells way better than ever I expected. Run don't walk if you like these notes!!!! I love it and I rarely do backups because although I'm new to BPAL I have a large fragrance collection in general.... but I'd consider it for this. Lovers of dark, introspective, floral without being overwhelmingly floral scents, don't sleep on this!!!! This I think might just be in my all time favorites. However!! I can see where this would turn powdery if iris usually does on you, but if iris behaves with your skin chemistry... this is a must have. Sometimes iris just doesn't behave on certain people. It behaves well on me, so I love this, but I can see where this can get powdery if your skin doesn't do well with iris. I don't usually like oak, but I don't get oak at all from this. This is all about the broody iris and misty, foggy, purple moonlit florals on me.
  25. Kanra

    Winter Sunset

    This is a lot lighter than I expected. Honestly it's a perfect companion to Sunrise in Winter. I bought the two (and A Moonlit Winter Landscape) without regards to the notes themselves because I love sunset/sunrise/moon landscapes and wanted to see BPAL's take on the atmospherics. While Sunrise had a lot of power at the beginning (mostly due to the vetiver), Sunset is a lot mellower. That isn't to say it's a weak, barely there fragrance, just potentially less polarizing and a little more subdued. Blood orange and tangerine definitely stick out the most. Whereas Sunrise had the vetiver and oud to give it a darker twist, Sunset has the black pine and fir in the background that are also prominent (yet not distracting), giving this depth and a certain darkness. It's very musky, soft, and another introverted and contemplative atmospheric scent. Like Sunrise, I don't think it's one that will become very popular, but I think fans of atmospherics and more meditative scents will find it a great addition to their collection. I don't know if it was intended to be a companion to Sunrise, but the two fit together well in a series of moods of the sky. This one is very evocative of the art on the label: a cloudy, moody sunset atmosphere. If that seems like your type of thing, I think you'd enjoy it. I'm keeping mine for my moodier, more introverted days.
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