Claire-of-the-Valley

Such a fantastic scent. It does smell like tea, although I couldn't pinpoint what kind precisely. The amber and vetiver give it a nice backdrop. There are other, indistinct notes in there, probably the leaves and loam, but I can't identify them individually. It all comes together in a way that makes me think of those gray, fall mornings, but with an uplifting touch; it captures the art it was inspired by very nicely.

When I first got this perfume in 2019 I wasn't sure I would wear it regularly, but as it's aged, I can definitively say I enjoy it. It captures the essence of "blue" so well; it's hard to explain. It's wispy, ethereal, with a touch of that rosewood to ground it. It's absolutely a Victorian parlor room where a seance is about to take place. When I first got it, the menthol was overwhelming, and while there's still a menthol quality, it's a lot subtler. Good in 2019 and good several years later!

I can detect the gingerbread at the base of this scent; it adds a kind of fuzzy, bread note. Closer to the top is the rosewater (very subtle) and the berries (having a hard time distinguishing if this is red currant or gooseberry, which I'm not as familiar with). It all comes together in a perfectly subtle sweet, slightly tart bread, and was an instant favorite.

This 100% matches the description. This smells precisely like the blackberry teas I've had in the past, with that same slightly sweet, slightly bitter combination they maintain. I can absolutely see a witch brewing this, whether to help or harm. Very much an herbal scent; perfect for reading, contemplation, or relaxing.

This is for the 2024 edition. It's resinous, spicy, a bit sweet, and all-around warm. It makes me think of tea, specifically MarketSpice's Cinnamon-Orange, which always has a wonderful aroma. Makes me want to pour a cup and get some reading in. (^^)

This hair gloss is just fantastic. Firstly, the BPAL formula for hair glosses is really effective; my hair becomes smooth and shiny and much easier to brush. But as for the scent, it's lovely, and has held up well as I've slowly used up my bottle. It's a bright, happy peach grounded by the amber, so it's a touch earthy while maintaining a certain lightness. It's mixed well with other BPAL scents too, so that's a plus. Like everyone else here, I wish I'd snagged more when I had the chance!

Started out with a flash of pure, sweet almond, absolutely beautiful, but within seconds was superseded by the dark musk, which was vaguely earthy, a touch metallic, with just a hint of myrrh. At this point, I wasn’t sure the scent was for me; it was nice, but not quite what I was looking for. Eventually, the sweetness of the almond reemerged, but more fully blended with the other notes. This is an excellent combination and is genuinely enchanting. I don’t detect a buttery note, but it did become smoother at this stage. This is where it won me over. Final stage is a little more on the sweet, buttery side and stays close to the skin. This is wonderful as a perfume and as a tribute to Hekate. It settles into a realm of warmth and mystery with a touch of power, which reflects her well.

Normally I like BPAL’s rose note, but this takes on a kind of sickly sweetness, sour even. I don’t think it’s mixing with the pomegranate note well at all. It eventually mellows a bit into a purer rose, which reminds me of Bésame’s original 1960 formula. Definitely better, but that first stage is rough to get through, and might not be worth it. I’d be curious to see how this one ages.

Immediately, I can detect the red wine (sort of smells like grapes) with a touch of honey and floral. There’s also a wood note that reminds me of The Little Wooden Doll. The myrrh starts to peek through a little later with a lightly wooden scent. The wine note is more in the background. Settles into a sweet, wooden scent from there.

Instant favorite! This is classy and nostalgic. It’s a light, delicate scent, sweet but not in a saccharine way, which must be the rose water. It’s cool with a touch of fuzziness to it; the white musk. I would agree with the description of “mineralic” and “crystalline.” There’s a backdrop of amber, but I can’t make out the oud exactly. This is a truly lovely scent and a unique one as well. I haven’t yet come across another like it on BPAL.

This is my favorite of the 13 scents I've tried so far. In the bottle, it's spicy cacao, mellowed out by the nutmeg. When I first put it on, the cacao is very much in the background. It's a nutty scent with the nutmeg and saffron at the front with a touch of cardamom; there's a bit of spice still with a hint of pine in the background. As it settles, I can detect the cacao and pumpkin rounding things out, but the other scents still dominate. It's a comforting, warm scent, that absolutely makes me think of fall.

Out of the three 13s I've tried, this one is the most like a chocolate bar, which initially left me disappointed. In the bottle, it smells like pure spicy chocolate or Mexican chocolate, which I've always been a fan of, but still very sweet. When I first put it on, it's pure, sweet chocolate, very gourmand. As it starts to dry, it returns to a spicier chocolate, which I like a lot more, though it still maintains a certain candy bar quality. I'd say the cloves stand out most out of the listed spices, with a touch of the chili. Eventually, the spices take over more completely. On the whole, I would say this is another winner in the 13 department, but it took a little longer to win me over.

Got this as a frimp. When it's in the bottle, it smells astringent and herbal. When I first put it on, it's still astringent and kind of peppery. Makes my nose itch, and not in a good way. On dry down it smells like musky, slightly peppery honey, which is okay, but on the whole I'm not a fan of this one. I don't get anything related to chocolate at any point. Some reviewers have compared it to O, which I also didn't like, so I think there's something about the usual honey note BPAL uses that isn't for me.

In the bottle, and when I first put this on, it smells almost minty with a more general, sharp herbal tone. I think this might be the pine pitch. It quickly settles and becomes a little more obviously a pine and sap scent. I'm not sure if I can make out the oak, but there is something "spicy" about it, but a subdued spice that you might put in a drink. It's not a long-lasting scent on me, and softens into a kind of powdery version of what I already described. I like it, but it definitely doesn't smell like what I would typically expect of a bonfire. No smokey or ash-y scent here. It's very fresh. Not a lot of throw. It's unique, and does ultimately take me to some kind of outdoor forest.

When I first got this, I did not like it. It's now had a few weeks to settle in and it's improved. When I first tried this it was really sharp, pungent, not very sweet, and incredibly long lasting. Just way too powerful all around. It is still a strong scent, but it's settled into something earthier and sweeter, which has helped a lot. The sandalwood is finally coming out mixed primarily with vetiver, I think? There is something that in the backdrop that might be oak. I'm not familiar with tonka bean, so I'm not sure if I'm smelling that or not. As the scent settles in I start to get a little beeswax. It eventually shifts into something a little too sweet but still earthy. As a scent, I feel like it really encapsulates the color brown and I can see how it's representative of the owl that inspired it. It still doesn't start out as the most mellow of scents but it's definitely eased up from where it's started and it's grown on me because of that.