MonBon

Oh this is absolutely lovely!  Delicately musky marigold petals and stems, their traces leaving a gentle fragrance on your hands after handling them. La Ofrenda is not a face-full of stark photorealistic marigolds, it's a touch perfume-y but in a way I thoroughly enjoy. The oakmoss incorporates a pinch of dew, adding a green creaminess connecting the copal to it's tree resinous nature. I find this blend uplifting/enlivening in a strangely alluring way. The dry down retains a bit of the marigold petal musk crystallized in an ambery copal that lasts hours on the skin. For those who enjoy Advice of Dead, this is a stunner to add to your Dia De Los Muertos collection. This blend is much more wearable & approachable, less worms more charm. Throw medium, longevity 7+ 

"Steeped a bit too long" indeed! This is for the lovers of the Earl Grey in it's most floral facets, not for those in search of a gingerbread forward London Fog experience. Agree with @doomsday_disco in that it does veer into neroli-land, the warm spices in the back waiting for their turn to shine. This tea is bold, a blaring alarm clock of citrus, petals and tannins with a splash of vanilla milk far too shy to stand up to Prince Bergamot. The ginger is pretty subtle, I get a small amount of clove and nutmeg about 40 mins into the dry down. A gingerbread heart two sizes too small for my taste. Throw: medium, longevity 4+ hrs 🫖 

2023 version: This is a warm spelt porridge, with heaps of nutmeg and spicy clove, perhaps cinnamon as well. HEARTY AS FUCK. There's a cheery, citrus zest in the opening that plays well with the nuttier aspects of the grains. The honey is tame and a little bit herbal as opposed to syrupy sweet. I want to eat so many of these medieval, mood-boosting biscuits and take the snuggliest carb overload nap. I enjoy this far more than I expected as I'm usually hesitant around baked goods ☀️ throw: low, longevity: ~5hrs

LOVE THIS!  Undeniably warm milk plays a large role in the way this scent smells, it's wild Beth could capture that super specific smell. The milk featured is full fat, no 2% or watery milk alternatives here. It’s slightly savory in the opening, almost goat’s milk adjacent due to richer, creamier qualities, minus the goat. I went into this expecting a sweeter gingerbread scent with the scorched/condensed milk accord, this isn’t that. And I’m not mad about it! It’s a concoction on the stove, stirred and spiced but removed from heat prior to the milk sugars caramelizing.

It’s an aromatic golden moon milk; a warming bedtime blend to soothe and comfort in the way milk and cookies do once the weather turns frigid. There’s a soothing quality to this scent, a relaxing tight hug that warms from the inside and lulls you safely to sleep. I cannot stop reaching for this ‘fume. All of the BPAL gingerbread spice players are present: the molasses, cinnamon, clove, cardamom and of course tons of glorious ginger. I adore enjoy wearing this scent, it’s unique to my collection and I’m so happy to have a FS!! 

Throw: medium, longevity: 8+ hours. 

I generally love a plush, narcotic tuberose and celebrated seeing it without it's loud companion in an obnoxious tropical print shirt: gardenia. Unfortunately, the sweet amber is pulling this into a strange place, like a green banana skin dipped in Ouzo, milky sweet and anise-like but also high-pitched & alcoholic. I'll hang on to my sample and retest before it leaves, currently not planning a FS. 

Can confirm, this is not Gingerbread Snake Oil but a gingerbready patch seasoned with a bit of SO. 🧡  In the bottle the oil is an opaque yellowish-orange as opposed to the deeper, reddish-chestnut tint of the classic Snake Oil. On the skin, I get a gingery patchouli musk that leans airy as opposed to sticky. The frosted vanilla bean wafts and weaves, still a little shy and not at the forefront. The ginger itself is lively, like chewing into a piece of crystallized ginger and does so without smelling medicinal or soapy. If you were hoping for a Snake Oil blend with a bit of ginger on the side, this is the inverse. The patchouli isn’t gnarly, it plays deliciously well with the rootier qualities of the ginger. This is more of a ginger-musk patch blend than a molasses heavy baked good, the spice doesn’t feel too fiery to me. I’m looking forward to seeing this bottle age, will probably revisit and wear next year like with most SO variants. It does tend to separate and settle so make sure to swirl the bottle prior to application. Throw med, longevity ~6hrs

I absolutely adore this one and wish to bathe in it! The cinnamon bark is on the more aromatic side than the spicy side, melting into radiant amber core. It's not the dry and lifeless cinnamon that feels hot but smells hollow, it's the kind that wafts around when you're baking/boiling cinnamon, that fills you with comfort & warmth. The molasses accord is so indulgent, smells like delicious Turbinado Sugar made gooey. It thankfully does not impart that suffocating brown sugar nauseating candle vibe, which I loathe. This doesn't read as powdery, the molasses adds an ever so slightly sticky texture while the amber keeps everything within wearable parameters. It has few notes, yet excels at them in the way a BPAL trio can. I crave this scent when I'm not wearing it and have a full size on the way. Definitely my fave from all the Weenies I sampled. Throw medium, longevity ~7hrs 🔥 
 

This Monster Milk is a stranger walking past you, a whiff of well-pampered human who stays hydrated, sleeps 8 hrs easily and has their inbox under control. Not a fastidiously clean human in a blinding white musk bomb, but an easy going one that gives great hugs and happens to smell great naturally. A translucent, almost silvery beige musk, it leans cool and clean without going full soap, it's not scratchy but it does have a teeny bit of creamy floral. The milk is barely perceptible and lends subtle comfort/tenderness to an otherwise aloof, cyber musk. It's charming & inoffensive, the My Skin But Better of the Monster Milks. 🥛 Throw is low and longevity is ~3 hrs. This is one to wear when you wish to appear effortless and polished. 

I usually love the lab's condensed milk scents and was ecstatic when the Monster Milks dropped! 𓂀 With Mummy Milk I envisioned myself smelling like creepy, tattered old linens crusted over with embalming resins and then somehow rehydrated in condensed milk? Perhaps not the most appealing imagery to yearn for in the first place, but hey a girl can dream. Unfortunately I'm getting a very savory, greasy smell I can't get past when I smell this both in bottle and on the skin. Not so pleased to meet you, BITUMEN. Something akin to a cheap french fry lost under the passenger seat... mingling with whatever lurks down there. The coconut is contributing to the strange oiliness of this composition, it is not a fruity or a summertime coconut, but a greasy wax that hardens in the cold. Intermittently I catch a wave of a linen accord and ancient resins, but I can't quite shake that funky fry note from my nostrils. I'll be sticking with ol' Witchfinder Sergeant Shadwell for my 'old ass mildewed coat splashed with sweet milk' fix. Throw medium, longevity 7+ hrs

A creamy, lactonic scent that isn't as animalic as other goat milk's I've sampled. I don't find the clove abrasive or medicinal, it's comforting in the way warm beverages can be. It reminds me of the Pumpkin Buttercream hair gloss with the scorched clove, I feel like these 2 were made to be paired together! 🩸Throw is medium, it loves to waft, longevity is 8+ hours. 

🐷 This smells like Ghost Dragon's Mama (minus the DB) with its lotus and red benzoin plus the sugared buttercream from Clown Footstool. If you enjoy lotus, this is LOTUS & a pale pink beige cloud of buttercream. The polished wood and amber contribute a subtle waxy feel. I wish the vanilla cream was less airy and milkier, but that's personal preference. It's definitely Shunga/Vulva-esque and I can't decide if I enjoy this enough to acquire more. Longevity 4+ hrs

On 8/31/2023 at 12:14 PM, Beary Strange said:

will you tell me/us about your experience with these milks?

I love lactonic/milk notes in perfume, thought I'd pop in for a milk breakdown because  MONSTER MILK'S APPROACH:
 

Evaporated milk: unsweetened, regular cow's milk that's boiled until the water evaporates. The lack of water makes it thicker & creamy, no added sugar or tang. I haven't tried or know of any BPAL with this note. Invisible Man Milk will feature evaporated milk.

Condensed milk: evaporated cow's milk with sugar added, it's very gooey, indulgent and thick. No tang. Super sweet, caramel undertones. Aoede, Melete, Mneme smelled exactly like condensed milk to me. Snake Milk smells like condensed milk +SO to me. Shadwell has condensed milk as a tea sweetener, however the other notes balance the sugar out. Ghost Faced Bat also has condensed milk, but I haven't tried it. Mummy Milk will feature condensed milk

Goat's milk: obviously not a cow milk so it has it's own goaty thing going on, to me it smells like honeyed milk. Not baby milk+honey handsoap, but like a raw honey with a smidge of funk and thick milk but not in a bad way. The Red Ribbon, Black Wooden Goat, Ghost Milk, Impromptu Goat Yoga & Black Goat Enjoying A Pink Flower all have goat's milk. It tends to add richness, doesn't lean sour, isn't as caramel-like as condensed milk. Vampire Milk will feature goat's milk as will Witch Milk with it's honey-infused goat's milk.

Buttermilk: Traditionally, buttermilk was the fermented liquid leftover after churning cream into butter. Creamy milk with a tang due to increased lactic acid. Cultured milk can be made by adding vinegar or lemon juice. Thick, buttery, tangy but not as sour as greek yogurt, makes biscuits and pancakes delicious! White Larry and The Day Burned White feature buttermilk but I have yet to try those. Wolf Milk will feature buttermilk

Rice milk: more watery than cow's milk and goat's milk, sweet and fragrant from the rice, basically horchata without spice. I would rank this "milk" second in terms of sweetness, however the least dense of them all. Boomslang has rice milk that doesn't overpower the other notes, it also adds creamy sweetness to many Shungas, of which I've only tried A Vision Of The Courtesan. Zombie Milk will feature "grave-dry" rice milk. 

hope this helps! 🥛 

This is Beth flaunting her prowess for turning visual art into smell-art.💙 I usually find lilacs challenging and own less than 3 scents with lilacs. Teasing opens with a creamy mint that serves to keep the lilac from turning too indolic, it isn't a long-lasting mint. The strongest note is the lilac followed by the English roses, the whole scent smells very turn-of-the-century. Fancy dress, playing with a peacock feather and wearing a massive rose on her bright blue dress, lilac powder and pomade in her curls-- big Victorian vibes. It has a hint of humidity to the florals, it's also rather floaty as opposed to heavy and not super sweet.

After resting this decant longer, the mint adds a squeak I'm not particularly fond of when blended with lilac. I prefer my florals sweeter and less indolic, Victorian ennui. It does smell nicer about 3 hours after: silky vanilla and benzoin with the faintest memory of florals. Throw: low/med, longevity ~5hrs

Something in this blend goes totally sideways for me. It starts 🌱pretty 🌱green🌱 grass followed by someone angrily tearing out a bunch of petals and stomping viciously on the stems, bitter plant guts splattered on the grass. I usually love the lab's weed note and carnations are some of my fave florals. It smells violent and sharp, I prefer my greens juicy & dewy OR smoky & dank. Sadly, these shades of green clash when all together for me. Throw: low, Longevity ~4-5hrs

Giant Vagina Ghost Monsters has my fave art from all the Shungas this year, I cackle every time I see it. I have never encountered haritaki (chebulic myrobalan) as a perfume note and was dying to know what this smelled like.

Starts with a pinch of green in the opening, blending into the gentle waxiness of raw hazelnuts. Despite the scent list reading gourmand heavy, I don't consider this a sweet & yummy blend at all. This feels like an age-old honeymoon brew of sorts, an Ayurvedic one designed to keep the constitution balanced so the Kundalini may flow. As a spice enthusiast, I’m also shocked the cinnamon isn’t fierce, it's well-blended into the love concoction. It's not a classic foodie, not a classic nut blend, but a secret third thing.

This has been aging very well, I will hold on to my sample and revisit before right before Shungas depart, I’m happy I was able to try such a unique accord. Throw: medium, Longevity ~8 hrs
 

First impression: Mmmmmmm DELICIOUS!! 🍋  This is magical ✨ It's amber kissed with lemon curd (i hate this word but that's what this smells like) a gourmand lemon, like the delectable one in Boozy Lemon Bars, minus the booze. The rest of the scent is velvety vanilla with a hint of golden musk. This cat is royalty, she knows it and she is worthy of praise. I LOVE this one!!! After 20 mins the sweet lemon takes a step back and I'm left in a poof of airy, restrained mallow flower with an edge of golden vanilla musk. Throw: close to skin, longevity: ~4-5 hours, slather-worthy, FS worthy. 

This is pure balsam, it's Christmas cat to my nose (tree and spice). 🎄Seasonal job flashbacks: affixing trees on the top of cars with twine, walking back to the megastore store that's permeated with faraway holiday spice. It doesn't make me sleepy, but this cat definitely dreams of climbing up glammed-up trees, getting sticky tree resins on it's paws. Throw: medium, Longevity~ 7hrs 

Oooof, this is INTENSE! It's very pungent, smells volatile and almost alcoholic. Duke of Hell indeed, too sour-smoky-damp for my skin chem. Throw is low/med, longevity 6+

Amber slut reporting for duty, I adore this!! I just love the way this scent makes me feel sophisticated and comfortable in my own skin. It's musky, powdery, sensual but also resinous, luminous, complex. The galbanum and oakmoss add a green twinkle to what would otherwise be a puddle of gold-flecked resins. This has a similar feel to the amber in The Serpent in The Roses. Scholarly chic, LOVE. 🧡

🏸 Translation: A Game of Shuttlecock (women playing with racquets, making flower crowns and bathing in lake) 🏸

First impressions: Buttery pastels indeed! This is a scent for those who enjoy Beth's other pastel inspired works such as The Last Unicorn. Compared to TLU this one is less wet, no flashy gardenia or lettuce here, yet still delightfully dreamy. Gioco Del Volano is well-blended and pastel without being powdery or pale. This smells like a delicate wave of melting colors: creamy, subtle and sweet. The scent is not indolic, despite featuring white jasmine and Lily of The Valley. The LoTV plays really well with the pear softening the greener edges with a juiciness, in turn creating a dewy pink perfume that strongly evokes spring. Throw: medium, longevity TBD🌷🌼🎀

On 4/12/2023 at 9:21 AM, Little Bird said:

Like everyone else has already said, I was expecting a dark resin, carnation spiced, earthy tobacco thing, but this is all about the raspberry and light woodiness on my skin. 

THIS ⬆️  I was picturing a heavier, spicy elf rebellion and instead I get what smells like vintage berry soap? No carnation spice, mega juicy berries or inherently gooey tobacco, I can see the reference to Raspberry-booze sloshed elves. It has an airy quality to it and is rather dry, despite all the weightier notes. I don't hate it, it's just definitely not matching what I was hoping for. 

Review for TAL purpose: I do feel a sense of lightness after applying, I also feel a touch more creative when I wear this ritual oil. I will generally apply some prior to running errands I'm dreading or handling boring things I've been putting off. I will also dot some on my palms, rub together and deeply inhale. It doesn't help me stay on task (Block Buster does this well) however I do find it lifts the dreaded cloud of UGFHHHHHHHHHHH that can inhibit living well as a functional adult. I've also worn this as I'm getting ready to go out, botanicals fade fast and don't compete with my perfume after! While it does not have visible plant materia visible in the bottle like other TAL's do, these tend to be primarily composed of natural botanicals, absolutes and resins for prime alchemical/magickal potency. As an introvert who works a very stressful, PEOPLE-y job I do enjoy having this oil to jolt me back to life on my time off (which I deserve dammit)! ☀️ 

Review for smell: STRONK on the lemongrass, with mists of bergamot and tangerine in the opening. To my nose, I don't pickup a ton of floral action or incense, there is a slight whiff of mastic and some fizz. It smells vibrant, lively and sunshine-y, not the fantasy of sunlight but actual BRIGHT light at daybreak. In comparison to my other happiness blend "Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo" this smells less candy-like and sweet, more sipping an Italian spritzer in an apothecary. It's clean without being CITRUS CLEANER, however the dry down is a touch powdery for those who are bothered by that. ☀️ I'm happy I have a full bottle of this, love TAL's. Throw is medium and longevity is ~1.5 hours.

🫖 🐱 This Kitty Tea Party opens with a bit of ginger spice and A LOT of fleshy rhubarb. The rhubarb and subtle apricot add tanginess to the scent, elevating the baked goods tray from a warm simplicity into a multifaceted experience. When sniffing blind for the first time, it smelled like cranberry scones to my nose! As it dries I mostly detect a saffron prominent waxiness, with a strawberry note that isn't quite as juicy or jammy as I would like. Considering the amount of spice + bready pastries listed as scent notes, it's neither a super doughy or spicy scent. The warm tea must be a decaf fruity offering, the kind with little desiccated strawberry pieces, as I don't detect any bitterness or astringency. This does line up well with the New Year’s theme of transitioning away from the heavier butter-laden, spice-on-steroids infused treats and more towards an upcoming Springtime tea party. Overall this is a scent that can be worn during those in-between days where you crave a little warmth but not as much as you did two months ago. 🧶 🐈 Throw is low/medium, longevity ~3 hours.

What a fool I was to underestimate this scraggly, clown puppet. I really love this delightfully deranged scent! It's reminiscent of Blood Milk's BOOKS, a familiar dust-laden blend, with a plethora of Halloweirdness to go along. A touch of candle wax, a sooty poof of vanillin, a charming dust musk, a scrap of metal, flickers of paint smudged on his face, piles and piles of books. Is Abelard an intellectual? Why does he smell so bookish? Perhaps he's been writing to Heloise on parchment, in between his knife throwing sessions. The frankincense is neither sharp, piney or lemony, it adds a soft and crumbly element. TIL Coconut husk does not smell like coconut meat, but there is a vegetal aspect to the opening. The carnation here is not spicy/opulent and pearwood is new to me. Strangely a very comforting blend, I'm happy I have this little weirdo in my collection! Throw: low, longevity ~6 hours 

Excuse me, a potato cologne? 🥔  erm yeah, don't underestimate this creeper in a black leather hat! The chypre adds a suave vibe to the composition, the tater stays jaunty. All of the different tuber elements: the tater, the salty fry on a patchouli/vetiver base come together in a way that WORKS. While I may not have enough charisma to pull off this blend, if I smelled this on someone else, I would have nothing but respect! a badass, classy potato perfume!