spaghettysburg

This starts off as a beautiful spiced pistachio / almond extract kind of thing, but after a few minutes of wear started smelling like… pickles? I had this issue with Solstice Scents Winslow’s, so I wonder if it’s the clove misbehaving. Ended up being a scrubber for me, but I’m definitely curious to try other pistachio forward scents now as that portion of the scent was lovely!

The sugar element in this is amping on me, and smells a lot like marshmallows, making this a lemon marshmallow scent rather than a lemon candy one. Pretty, and sure to be beloved by some, but too sticky sweet for my tastes- I was hoping for a bit of tartness.

The opening of this smells exactly like caper berries to me, but it quickly settles into oakmossy amber. Amber is not in my usual wheelhouse so I don't have a whole lot to compare it to, but it is pretty and pleasant and reminds me of walking around my favorite consignment store. It definitely has a vintage vibe to it, and feels quite classy. I'm surprised by how much I'm enjoying this, seeing as none of the notes are ones that I usually like.

I so wish I was getting fruit roll ups like everyone else, as I love collecting nostalgia inducing scents. Sadly, the peppercorn is reading as cinnamon on me, which combined with the red fruits is putting this into holiday candle territory for me.

I got this one for the wild violets, but pretty much all I'm smelling is very faint lilac and fennel (which is more of the fresh / vegetal variety than super licorice-y). Unfortunately the whole scent disappears on me incredibly fast and I'm left with just a whisper of lilac. Overall it's lightly floral, herbal, delicate, and a little musky. If this lasted more than a minute on my skin I could see myself enjoying it, but alas my skin gobbled it up.

When I first put it on, I get a big blast of something green and vegetable that almost reminds me of green beans. Luckily this part settles quickly and I'm left with a lovely mix of white tea and violet. The first time I tried it, the white tea was much more prominent and the violet played second fiddle, which was nice but not terribly exciting. However the second time, the white tea faded pretty quickly and I was left with a really pretty, almost bubble-bath like, slightly candied violet with just a bit of a citrus zing in the background from the tea. I liked this version much better, and I hope it's the one I get with subsequent wears.

The ink note is strong in the beginning, and smells berry-tinged to me despite there being no berry or fruit notes listed. It's back by a nutty sandalwood that, as it dries down, becomes the only thing I can smell. Sandalwood is not a favorite note of mine and while I liked it while the ink aspect is present, once it fades the sandalwood is too much for me. I'm really glad I got to try this one though, the ink accord is super unique and I think I might hang on to my sample just for that opening.

Oh man, this one would've been *perfect* on me without the leaves note. The apple note is juicy and gorgeous and smells a lot like apple cider which is my favorite presentation of apple, but underneath it is the dreaded bell pepper leaves note, which only gets stronger with wear and makes this one a scrubber for me,

On my skin I'm getting grape flavored Big League Chew, down to the white powder that coats that kinda old-school bubblegum. Surprisingly tasty but not what I was hoping for when I saw blackberry.

This is not my usual wheelhouse, but I've liked BPAL's coconut milk note in other blends so I decided to give it a shot. The creamy coconut milk is at the forefront, with a nutty depth from the hazelnut and a bit of a powdery sandalwood underneath. I'm not able to pick out any lavender and I think the vanilla is just in the background adding a bit of creamy sweetness to the blend. The combination of notes is really reminiscent of cocoa butter or like a coconutt-y lotion on me. It's creamy, gentle, and softly pretty scent and I can see this one being a favorite for a lot of people but it's not my thing. Glad I got to give it a try though!

Water lilies drenched in sticky, floral honey. This one is a bit cloyingly sweet upon application and I thought it would be too much, but it settles down and becomes a bit more green and watery as it dries. The water lilies are giving it a dryer sheet kinda vibe but the honey pulls it back into a more manageable territory. Not getting a ton of honeysuckle which is a bummer because it's a favorite note of mine, but it's very pretty nonetheless. Fantastic for lovers of aquatic florals and flourmands!

This one starts off as a crisp, juicy, slightly clean red apple with an extra hit of sweetness that reminds me a bit of bubblegum. It wears very short though, and after about 10 minutes all I'm left with is a super faint, barely sweet herbal incense. Wish this one lasted longer on my skin as the opening was really pretty.

This started off as hospital soap on me and I was going to scrub it off but decided to let it sit for a little bit to see if it morphed. Sure enough, after a few minutes, it became soft, slushy mint. It retains a bit of the soapy feel, but it feels more like picking mint with freshly washed hands rather than lathering the mint with soap. I'm not picking up an incense or clay. As it dries more, the mint burns off and I'm left with citrus candy. This one took me on a wild ride from awful to pretty to mildly pleasant. It's nice in it's dry stage, but not special enough for me to hang onto.

Fizzy lime soda. I can't pick out the melon specifically but I think it's adding a sweet, round edge to this one. It's pretty, but borders on soapy in a way that I don't love.

Mostly baby powder with a tiny bit of powdered candy sweetness and a wispy, incense-y base. This is my first blend with black opium so I'm not sure if that's what's reading as powder to me or if it's the floral. Either way, it's light and pleasant but not really my style.