skyturtles

I got this because I love lemons and frankincense, but unfortunately that "fresh cotton" scent from the laundry room is really killing it for me. I wish one of the other two scents would overshadow it (though the lemon is certainly trying). I let this age for over a year, hoping that it would change enough for me to like it. I do think it changed, but just not enough. I think I will be selling/passing this along, because I'm sure it will make someone who likes clean scents very happy.

This is great! How lucky I was to find this on the BPAL Etsy site. Though sometimes the lab's Blood note throws me off, I had previously had an imp of the Marshmallow Chick variation of this blend, so I knew I was probably going to like this. I'm almost always a big fan of red musk, anyway. The color of the oils is a dried old blood color, perfect for the theme. Wet, it's rusty and musky and just a little bit sweet. As it dries, so does the honey, and what I assume is the poppies come out more. The metallic overture stays throughout. I'm quite glad that I snagged this bottle, and look forward to it's monthly use. 😉

This may be one of my first bottles to be used up. It's hard to pinpoint what the notes are. The sap, okay I get. The dried leaves, somehow, are here. And there's that hint of smoke. But how?? What is this magic?? It's a very interesting blend. Green but...not. Smoky but...not. Also, it's no fun to think about, but with climate change and all, this in all actuality is November in a bottle, not October. But let's be honest, this scent is properly good in February, too.

(2013 bottle from the lab through Etsy) If this is wintery, and by that I mean a U.S. Midwest winter... This is powdery soft snow, not wet, not icy. However, I think it's actually the very end of winter, when it's not quite spring because there are no buds on the trees, and you're just hoping it doesn't snow again. Hope for growth is on the horizon. That's the sunshine coming through. It is not exactly a floral, despite the jasmine and iris being nice. It is slightly aquatic, as others have noted, due probably to the sea buckthorn berry. The earthiness of the carrot seed intertwines with the frankincense for the base. Sometimes soft, sometimes sharp, sometimes salty. Each sniff is slightly different. Interesting enough for me to keep the bottle!

This is my favorite so far of the VILF series. Looking at the notes, it's probably because of the frankincense. I am indeed a sucker for frankincense. It elevates the tobacco and woods into something more sophisticated, or elegant. I remember looking up what "bunn" is a long time ago, but I do not remember, and an initial search isn't yielding immediate results. 🤷‍♀️ It isn't perfect for all moods, but I find myself grabbing it far more often than the other VDSA blends. Gotta catch 'em all, though! One day.

I've been treasuring this as a winter scent for some years now, and have only just realized that I never properly reviewed it. It starts off wet & juicy, strong with the cherry and almost sweet. It quickly dries to something more earthy and almost metallic, like blood. The slight spice I'm picking up must be the currant, because I honestly don't associate fig with much of a scent at all. Unfortunately, my partner does not like this blend on me, so I don't pick it up as often. My only complaint is that the beautiful cherry opening doesn't last longer! Sounds like I need to keep an eye out for a good cherry scent, maybe.

Last update: January 20, 2026 Anfar 1950 Luna Odyssee IV Sabbia - I immediately get hit with leather after I spray this on my skin. Then, a whisp of saffron, and the passionfruit fights to make its way to the front. There is an insistent front of that oud, reading to me as woody leather. I'm thinking on the dry down I get the amber and vanilla, joining the faint fruit in bringing an understated sweetness. I can eventually catch the rose, which despite being a floral only adds to the wood and leather aesthetic. This is marketed as unisex, and though I enjoy many unisex scents, there is unfortunately too much leather and oud in this for me (typically masculine notes). Zenit Rouge Dolce & Gabbana D&G Anthology: La Roue de la Fortune 10 - The second perfume I ever loved, bottle purchased from the duty-free on an overnight ferry from Kristiansand, Norway to Aarhus, Denmark. The scent of hopeful spring, with the promise of love and adventure in the coming season. It's a daytime scent for me, bright for sunny days. The Only One - Sample: Oooh, this is nice. It is immediately complex, with homemade caramel twining with violet and bergamot. Sweet yet warm, floral yet citrus. This seems to me a scent for sunny, cold days. Though coffee is listed as a heart note, I do not easily grasp it (thankfully). Perhaps that's the genius of blending it with vanilla and patchouli. It's not too powdery; pure luxury. Though I do not love florals as a whole, violet remains one of my favorites, and it alongside the iris brings just the right hint of femininity. I would quickly say yes to a full bottle of this. Fear BOOtique Enchanted Forest Jimmy Choo Illicit - Sample: Right away you get the sweetness, and soon enough the alcohol burn dries away to reveal honey, warm yet fresh, and something slightly spicy. Oh, is it ginger? Not resinous enough to be amber forward, and not woody enough to be earthy. Bitter orange keeps it from being too sweet. A wee bit of "department store" scent lingers, but only a wee bit so I don't mind. There's some vanilla hiding, as well. As it dries down, I may pick up a bit of rose, but not in a dusty way. Fully dry, it's warmer, like the softest sweater. Good for cold weather. This veers towards gourmand, which I'm okay with. I wouldn't say no to a bottle of this. Sweet, warm, fresh. Origins Ginger Essence - One of my first adult scents. My mother wore this when I was a teen, and I got a free bottle from a college roommate who was going to discard it. It is brilliant in its simplicity: spicy citrus invokes fresh ginger; a bright scent for fall days. It is that snap of ginger zing that prevents it from being a too juicy, too tart. An elevated ginger ale! This would also be enjoyable as a linen spray, a candle, or a soap. Warm, fresh, bright. Paco Rabanne 1 Million - The first perfume I ever loved. My father bought me a bottle after I showed him the beloved sample, and when I packed my life into a single suitcase to move across the world, it came with me. It's definitely a winter scent for me, the epitome of "warm & spicy" to cut through the Norwegian snow. Olympea - Sample: Wet on my skin I get an immediate fresh citrus burst, which quickly crystalizes into salty warmth. The vanilla and florals then come through. I'd say that the ginger flower is stronger than the water jasmine. The soft, warm, and woody base notes stop this from being a summery scent, for me. It seems to straddle the line between luxury and casual. Fully dry, I want to say that this is a spring scent when the weather is still chilly, or a late fall scent to ease you into winter. Not unappealing, but not extraordinary either. Soft, warm, simple. Paris Hilton Passport in Paris Seance Cemetery

Oooo, this is pretty. The musk has a sparkle. The pachouli gives it a slight incensey quality, but not in an overwhelming or bad way. I don't like things to be toooo woody, and this is still in the safe zone. The throw isn't far, so this would be good for office wear. I'm kind of sad that I bought this as a gift for a friend! I hope it is loved, because it deserves it.

This is my first 13 (thank you BPAL Etsy!). It's very complex and a little all over the place for me. I get the cacao (which I'm not overly fond of but it's okay) and the herbs prevent it from being too sweet. Instead, I get the feeling that this blend doesn't know exactly what it wants to be. I think I'll be passing this along to someone who will appreciate more than I.

This is interesting. Antique-smelling, as if you've stumbled upon your great-grandmother's luxury cosmetic collection. It threatens to go powdery sharp, but instead softens to worn white lace, the lingering perfume in the back of the closet that the moth balls haven't taken over. Notewise: It's not too floral, though the iris is obviously present. The benzoin is the main attraction here, kept from getting too sweet or woody by the aldehydes (I do love aldehydes). I'm interested in layering this with some of the VILF blends that I own - I think it will add some weight to their immortality. My bottle is new from BPAL's Etsy.

Do you ever find yourself wishing for a particular blend, and go so far as to add it to your cart for consideration, only to receive a frimp of it less than a week later? I guess I psychically made Whitechapel appear in my hands, and I am happy for it! The lilac is strong, which surprises me for a "gentlemanly" scent (though I know very little about historical male scents). The lime rind is crisp and bright without being tropical or too fruity. The white musk that is holding it all together is subtly in the background. Lilac is a late winter / early spring scent for me, and I will definitely be holding onto this frimp for next year. I am interested to see how it ages, and if it becomes less floral over time. I think I'd prefer a bit more musk than it currently has. In my book, which no one has actually asked for but I will provide it anyway, Whitechapel is a blend owned and often worn by Percy de Rolo of Vox Machina, perhaps layered with The Robotic Scarab for some metallic notes.

Ugh, I absolutely love this. Best blind bottle purchase I've made in awhile, tbh. Every time I sniff my wrist, I get something slightly different. It's beautiful - sweet without being sugary, sparkly without any fake glitter, and sacred without choking you with incense smoke. The rose does not overpower, thankfully (I am not a big fan of BPAL's rose note) and blends seamlessly with the merlot. The bit of honey here reminds me of a Emily Dickinson (maybe?) themed blend that I cannot remember the name. Anyway, I am so so so glad that I have this now, especially since 1) I seem to have misplaced A Melancholy Fire, and 2) my staff book club is meeting next week to discuss Carmilla. I'm obsessed with this indescribable scent.

Sniffing this lab fresh frimp, I get a lot of mandarin (always love) with some of the sweet opium. Wet on my skin, it is much of the same save for the red sandalwood bursting through. The combination is not at all unpleasant, and reminds me of some incenses in new age shops (not to be confused with the incense found in headshops...!) As it dries down, the lily of the valley starts to come through and relies on the foundation of the sweet opium. Like others have noted, the blend is surprisingly "green" and I think I would have preferred a wee bit more vanilla to round out some of the clean soapiness. I will be parting with this imp but will retain mostly positive memories. Edit: Upon FURTHER drydown, the mandarin comes back out to play, with just the slightest touch of vanilla. I really like it. It reminds me of Fire Poppies. I'm hanging onto this imp!!

I second pretty much everything that Sultaana said here. This is evil like Sauron in The Rings of Power is evil. You are drawn in, deceived into thinking it is a light, clean, pretty scent. But you keep on finding yourself going back for another sniff, because there is something lurking beneath the surface, something more complex and perhaps darker... I wasn't expecting to enjoy this lab fresh frimp as much as I do, and now I'm speeding through the little guy too quickly and might have to get an actual bottle. T.T

Lab fresh frimp~ Wet on my skin, I thought to myself that October around latitude 45 is not the time to be testing something green and floral, i.e. springy. It is herbal and slightly eucalyptic. However, it dries to something woodier, like a crisp pine forest at dawn. It stings the sinuses a bit. There is something indeed haunting about it - as if it is 4% frankincense or something. The BPAL site lists this as out of stock, and I do not know if that is a temporary state. It is a very interesting blend, and I think I'll hold on to this frimp for awhile to determine my level of love.