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BPAL Madness!

elissamay

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    133
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About elissamay

  • Rank
    a little too imp-ulsive
  • Birthday May 4

Profile Information

  • Pronouns
    She/Her

BPAL

  • Favorite Scents
    patchouli, amber, myrrh, musk, vanilla, copal

Astrology

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    0
  • Chinese Zodiac Sign
    Snake
  • Western Zodiac Sign
    Taurus

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    elissamay

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    United States

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  1. elissamay

    Hunger

    I get the vanilla-orange vibes from this, but I applied it and my fiancé smells nothing but the narcissus indoles, apparently, as he says I reek of poo. 🤣
  2. elissamay

    The Lantern Bearers

    A rare time I've been compelled to wash one off. This smells very much like screechy lemon cleaner on my skin while wet, and dries down to a sort of screechy lemon musk. It's just too much screechy lemon for me, even with the muskiness that eventually arrives. Something else, like the orchid, might be adding to my unpleasant experience, since amber is usually one of my favorites.
  3. elissamay

    London Smoke

    I was expecting something in the neighborhood of To a Wreath of Snow, but for me this is far more floral-forward. Shockingly so, in fact. Florals are not for me, so considering setting this one aside for a good while to see how that black tea and amber might bloom. Right now it's all tabac flower, but ymmv.
  4. elissamay

    Gingerbread Oud

    This oud is on the "nice" list. It's woody-sweet and complex, but not wildly funky. The gingerbread spices blend seamlessly with it. It's a little bit cologne-esque as a whole, especially OOB or wet, but in a very appealing way. Rich and decadent, definitely sensual, but the "naughty" indoles have not tagged along to my nose, at least. This one is going to be a favorite for me. (And I should note that this doesn't read like very foodie or "cookie" to me.) UPDATE: This gets more beautiful and more complex as it wears on the skin. It's got a good bit of throw for me; my skin test is filling my entire car!
  5. elissamay

    Sugar Cookies and Bourbon

    Super boozy when first applied and wet! I can even smell a bit of the oaky notes of a nice bourbon. The sugar cookies come along behind as it dries, all blond and crumbly and buttery. Really delicious and so cozy! And probably the first "sugar cookie" that didn't read savory on my skin! (Looking at you, Sugar Cookie Snek).
  6. elissamay

    Pomegranate, Kyphi, and Oud

    Sweet and tangy pomegranate with a deeper undercurrent of a very gentle, woody oud. There's a jamminess that may be the kyphi with its wine and honey. Lovely and skin-close. I will be interested to see how this one might evolve!
  7. elissamay

    Snake Oil Hot Toddy

    Warm, boozy, slightly tangy-sweet Snake Oil. If you like Snake Oil or Snake Oil variants, you aren't here to read a review, you're here to post one. You already ordered this one; who are we kidding? I can't shake the visual of Snake Oil simmering on a stove with a slice of lemon, but here we are. Pour it in mug with a shot of whiskey and that's this scent. Woke up with a head cold? Get yourself a hot, steaming mug of honey-lemon water spiked with Snake Oil (and whiskey). It's just good. For the honey-averse, it's here but it isn't dominant for me, at least.
  8. elissamay

    Hard Luck Lollipop

    This smells so realistically like the old-school lollipop on the label. That hard-candy-ness is not something I can describe all that well, but you know it when you smell it. It's very sweet, but it's almost as if you turned a lollipop into hard candy incense. Not smoky, but the "grit and petrichor" for me are coming through like a darkness to the candy. An absolute win for the cause alone, but I think this has some really fun layering potential, too!
  9. elissamay

    The Picture of Dorian Sufganiyot

    Being newer to the BPAL fandom, I hadn't tried Dorian until very recently. The hype was enormous, and I was tempted many times to buy a bottle for many multiples above retail price. Then, a lovely BPAL gifted me a vial of 2016 vintage and I had the opportunity to experience it. It was lovely, wearable, and such a unique scent, but I was OK with waiting for it to come back into stock, which it eventually did. I bought a bottle, I enjoy it, and I've reached for it once or twice, but it's not one that I'd say is in my usual wheelhouse. I expect to be in the minority here on the back half of this statement, but I'll say it: I love The Picture of Dorian Sufganiyot and prefer it over Dorian proper. The funny thing is, I'm not a major gourmand lover, so the Sufganiyot genre hasn't appealed to me that much until Snake Oil Sufganiyot, which is sexy and spectacular. I'm guessing this perfume-filled Sufganiyot sub-genre is my jam, because Dorian Suf is really doing it for me. The fougere and the musks with the pastry and sweet vanilla tea are just coming together into something that I don't go crazy for when they're separate, but that I'm head over heels about when smooshed together. As with Snake Oil Suf, I found Dorian Suf to be pretty potent: one cap drop on my arm was smell-able for me for hours and hours, even into the next morning. That was just a skin test, so with a full pulse point application I expect that the throw will be quite nice (for me). I didn't find that it morphs at all. It's exactly what you smell when you apply it the whole way through, just fading a bit after many hours. If you're a fan of Dorian, I can't see how you wouldn't love this, but if you just like Dorian, you might also really love this (like me). It's not super duper gourmand, IMO, so if you are coming for the Sufganiyot part, it's there, but it's not as forward as others I've smelled. Now I've got my wheels turning on whether or not this becomes a yearly tradition, and which Beloved Favorites might make good doughnut fillings?! Alice? Morocco? Blood Kiss? O? Scherezade?! Phew.
  10. elissamay

    Gun Moll

    This is a perfect dupe for Chanel No. 5 on me when applied, and I'm actually pretty confused! It's uncanny. The jasmine and amber take their sweet, sweet time showing up to move this out of powdery, Chanel territory. (Territory I have previously explored, but that is very much not my vibe.) I very emphatically do not like this at all until it's completely dried down. Once it gets there, it's a spicy, sexy, musky, jasmine-y bombshell with a perfect cupid's bow and pinstripes. She just arrives fashionably late.
  11. elissamay

    Palo Santo and Patchouli

    This is my first hairgloss and wow, did I ever set the bar high. My hair is very fine, so I wasn't sure how it would react to hairgloss, but this scent combo (and Samhain HG) were ones I couldn't skip. To start, I towel dried my hair and sprayed this while my hair is damp, and then dried it. It ended up making my hair smooth and soft, not greasy at all. The scent is woody and Palo Santo forward, and if I had to guess, it's red patchouli here. The scent was present in my hair, but not strong. Once I'd tested it on damp hair and had a good experience, I tried it on dry hair. I sprayed it on my hand, rubbed my hands together a moment, and smoothed it on. The scent is definitely more potent when smoothed onto dry hair for me. Smooth and soft, not greasy. (I don't put it on my roots, just 3/4 down and to my ends.) The best combo was spraying on damp hair, drying, then smoothing on dry hair. And this, my friends, is why I need a second bottle! Recommended for anyone who loves these notes, and for anyone who has perfumes with these notes or compatible ones. It doesn't compete, it just enhances.
  12. elissamay

    Is He, You Know

    This was wildly weird OOB when it first arrived - sharp, off-putting, reminiscent of something kind of "assy" as Tom Bloom's Instagram review had already noted. However! With a couple of weeks rest, on the skin this is a very different experience! I picked this up mainly because I loved the creative concept of it, since oakmoss is often a non-starter for me. But, on the skin, this is what an impeccably dressed person smells like as they glide past you without making eye contact on a New York City street. It smells like the lobby of a chic hotel with an interior so flawlessly decorated as to make you question whether you have any business even wrinkling its sheets with your presence. It's bracing, herbal, fresh, and sophisticated -- with a little "je ne sais quois" coming through instead of what started out in the bottle sniff as more of a "what the actual fuck?!" It no longer smells off-putting, but instead complex, complicated, a little secretive, but yet absolutely self-assured. After being on the skin for a few hours, the sweet patch, vanilla, and sugar cane reveal themselves as the sharper armor of the lavender, spikenard, and oakmass fall to the wayside. I think this would be an interesting scent on anyone, but particularly on someone who can embody it on the given day. Is he, you know? This perfume implores you to fuck around and find out.
  13. elissamay

    Witch in the Woods

    A curl of smoke at the end of a path lined with cypress. As you approach, you see the smoke is creeping out from cauldron bubbling with resin, smoldering on embers of tangled, thorny roots. Inhale, a deep breath of blackberries and sweet myrrh. The forest closes around you, a cackle off in the distance.
  14. elissamay

    Batty Cathedral

    This started off like an amped-up version of Cathedral, which is one of my very favorite BPALs ever. I didn't really get the leather at all, just pure, already perfect Cathedral. As it wears and warms up I start to get a whisper of leather, but it's fleeting. It's like the leather here adds a little soft suede to the resins and smoke of Cathedral, and the bat's wings waft it all around to somehow amplify the whole. I would probably love just about anything blended with Cathedral, so ymmv, but this is a lovely little variant.
  15. elissamay

    Sleepy Bat

    Very cozy, even fuzzy lavender cradled in warm leather, with a little extra herbaceousness from the chamomile and hay. I put this on after Halloween night revelry, and it was a lovely way to unwind while still keeping it just a little spooky. Definitely for lavender lovers, and if you aren't a huge leather person, this isn't a bold, brash leather. It's gentle.
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