SmellsPrettyGood2Me

Wet in the imp, a nose tickling citric acid aldehydic wave with bold undertones of Eau De Chien Mouillé (better known as "wet dog"). This must be the sandalwood variety that my nose simply cannot process. On skin, same. No vanilla, no sweetness. Immediate scrub and destash!

Had to grab a bottle of this after loving the Atmo Spray from 2024 and am so glad to see it in wearable form!! I hemmed and hawed about how to review this properly, and decided to give impressions as a standalone scent first and then compare/contrast with the spray for those who may have tried it last year. In the bottle, the aroma of recently wetted soil is the first thing to hit my nose. It doesn't smell too dank or like decay, just fresh, clean garden dirt. Underneath is just the tiniest hint of vanilla and patchouli, but you really have to sniff hard to find them. Initial application on skin really causes that soil scent to bloom with a green, mossy brightness that I was honestly not expecting, coupled with what seemed like mostly Dorian along with it. I never really considered dirt as a top note, but it seems to be here, at least. The loamy tang starts to settle and then, 30 minutes in, I start to get a whiff of the Snake Oil. I am genuinely surprised at how simultaneously deep and bright it feels at the same time. It's an absolute banger, and in my mind strongly deserves a place in the permanent collection alongside all of the other Snake Oil flankers. Don't we deserve to smell like vanilla and patchouli flavored* dirt year round? That said and done, in comparison to the 2024 Atmo Spray, this is much more dirt and green moss forward in general, and most specifically in the first 30-45 minutes of wear. Because personal skin chemistry is likely a lot more variable when it comes to scent impression than the air around us (or maybe it isn't? what do I even know?), I would say that for me the perfume oil is more Dorian forward, whereas the spray seems to have Snake Oil as the dominant scent. If you love both OG scents and initially got the spray because of that, the only reasons you may not like the perfume oil as much are if 1) you like fresh soil, but not to this level of initial intensity in the open 2) your personal skin chemistry for some reason doesn't dig Snake Oil and Dorian competing for attention in a way that's unique to each one of us I will resist the urge to keep gushing over this for the sake of brevity, and urge you to try a sample of this to see for yourself how amazing it is. *I speak of olfactory flavor and not actual taste flavor. Do not eat or drink your BPALs.

2025 Version I first heard of this scent in an old DISO post, interestingly enough, and anytime someone gives the Bat Signal for a scent they feel like they can't live without I trust that it is for good reason. For them, and for me, I was so excited to see this fragrance make a comeback for the 2025 Halloween release. I'm also a big fan of the BPAL plum notes (shoutout to my favorite plummy damask girl Advanced Manifestations for Members Only - I heart you boo) so I was highly susceptible to wanting to see what it was all about. Wet in bottle, I get big, juicy plum honey and a bit of dustiness that I think is coming from the velvet myrrh. I want to think the labdanum is in there contributing to the sweetness, and maybe it is, but the honey note is definitely dominant. On skin, the juiciness translates for the initial application, but starts to deepen fairly quickly. About 15 minutes in I start to get more resins, a hint of the ink, and the dustiness increases. There's the black champa and nagarmotha! By 45 minutes into drydown most of the initial fruit bomb has receded and I'm left with a lightly spicy scent with a ghostly echo of the plum and honey. Incense lovers will rejoice in the softly smokey place it gets to in the end. This scent changes fast but does not disappoint at any stage of the process. Where I may personally prefer a bit less honey upfront, I can see why this is a beloved favorite and expect it will be a very popular offering for diehard fans as well as those trying it for the first time like me. I can also see that it will probably age like a dream so now I have to decide if a backup bottle is needed. Mental note to let this sit for 2 months and make a final call when I place my Yules order!

In the bottle, a very beautiful, waxy group of white petals covered in what smells like wet powdered vanilla sugar. When first applied to my skin, the vanilla becomes what I can only describe as "commercial" and somewhat synthetic in tone. I started to be concerned that there was a brewing war between my skin chemistry and the fragrance, but it settled nicely over the next 20 minutes into something much more wearable. Does this share DNA with Dahlia? I will have to do a side-by-side comparison and report back. I did not get anything like patchouli but feel like there may be a faint hint of a dried tobacco leaf in there with the tobacco flower. This feels romantic, and would make an intoxicating bedtime scent either on it's own or layered with a skin musk for even more interpersonal appeal. Medium projection and longevity at about 5-6 hours of solid wear before it starts to become less detectable. I will definitely pickup a backup bottle as I think it will be even more beautiful when aged.

This is potent stuff - I can smell it through the unopened imp. Highly chlorophyllic wet, you will swear someone has freshly crushed aloe leaves and left a pile of the grassy, watery skin pulp behind on a table and wandered off. On skin, the green tea is only discernible when I really get my arm up in my nose and search for it. The incense never shows up, even after 3-4 hours of wear. I inadvertently splashed this on my shirt closing the imp and it was all I could smell for the next 6 hours, so she's a beast. Although the intention here was not a fresh cut green grass scent, this is a very highly saturated, almost lemony vegetal fragrance which definitely evokes similar feelings. It also strongly reminds me of Target's Aloe Hand Sanitizer, minus the obligatory nose hair burning alcohol effect. I found it much more activating than soothing, and I'd put this on for chore day to remind me of the reward of time outside when done checking those adulting boxes.

I could swear that this smells of white peaches. I'm reading that some crocuses smell like freesia, so that must be it! Definitely fruity, a little minty, and much brighter than what I usually get from a fragrance that also includes lillies. Very "pink" and Bath and Body Works body spray adjacent - nothing indolic or stinky here at all. Delightfully uplifting to the mood and in no way dour or funerary. There isn't much difference for me in how the notes present between wet in the imp and in the drydown process on skin, and it sticks around for 8+ hours without losing too much steam. I had to give a good scrub in my morning shower to get 90% of it off the next day. You will absolutely not get away with committing any crimes while wearing it, because the sillage is bold enough to announce you as you enter a room and haunt it when you leave. I would apply just a little bit less than you think you need to avoid unsettling any sensitive noses around you in closed spaces or close quarters. Prague presents as very youthful and fun, of which this old biddy is neither. I like it, but I'll leave this to you kids (chronologically or at heart) and retreat to more patchouli pastures.

Wet in the imp this is pure Orange Julius - creamy citrus with a vanilla powdered sugar undertone. On skin, the narcissus appears and takes over. For those who love a bold white floral with a light citrus backdrop, this is worthy of a try. For me, it is too indolic to be enjoyable.

Wow, this is great!! Wet in the imp the chilled air note is incredibly photorealistic; intellectually I know it is mint helping my brain make that association, but it doesn't smell exactly MINTY, more just fresh and cold. I had to double check the notes on this after applying, as the wet open on skin evokes stone for me more than clay. I get more freshwater here as the perception of salinity is that it is either very low or barely present - it is not briny, kelpy or giving fermenting vegetal matter. There is a dustiness to it, rather than decay, which becomes more prominent as it dries down. The flowers and incense are pretty, but non-specific in variety other than being light and fresh rather than dark, brooding, or smokey. I am not often prompted to think of scents with gender associations as I enjoy notes across the olfactory spectrum, but this scent strikes me as soundly non-binary. I love it for sticky, sweaty summer days when your nose isn't the only thing clamoring for cool relief. Currently out of stock but hoping it makes a comeback so that I can get my hands on more of it.

I try most florals with the metaphorical polite smile you reserve for tasting something you know you don't like made by someone who means a lot to you. While there's always a chance you'll be pleasantly surprised, you're sort of bracing yourself with the expectation of tolerating it, at best. Crossroads on my skin is creamy jasmine and damp dirt for about the first thirty minutes, and I'm thinking "Ok! Sun-warmed Tibetan monastery garden, humid summer day, I dig it!". As the drydown progressed it sharply veered into dirty-diaper-on-the-sidewalk-grass territory. Blergh! This phase lasted for about an hour before the incense attempted to come to the rescue and things ultimately settled down into a decidedly early-90's floral bathroom spray. While I can't claim this particular scent is a hit for me, it has awakened my appreciation for dirt notes, and for that I am grateful.

Wet in the imp there is a boozy, resinous sweetness, but no mint is apparent to my nose until it hits my skin and really starts to shine. The sugar is very caramelized, giving the impression of non-fizzy fermentation and barrel ageing. It doesn't actually smell alcoholic, per say, just a condensed, syrupy sweetness that is really enjoyable. I have the sense of some powdery sandalwood and amber in the bourbon note. This is a 6 out of 10 for me - enjoyable, but not amongst my GC favorites. Anyone looking for a beverage type scent that doesn't smell overtly alcoholic would probably like this as well!

If an atmospheric and aquatic had a baby, it would be Egle - this scent strongly evokes John William Waterhouse's Lady of Shallot for me. Kudos to the fir note here, which keeps this scent from being either too sweet or swampy. I like that the star jasmine and hyacinth petals are very restrained relative to the other notes! Overall this is very well balanced, although it fades quite a bit on me after the first two hours. Perfect for an afternoon spent floating down a heavily coniferous flanked river.

One of the rare citrus (and most specifically grapefruit) containing scents that my skin did not amp to a nauseating level of grossness. My imp looks pretty aged, based on the label, and smells pleasantly fruity fresh with the smallest hint of something coconutty and/or creamy floral underneath. The flamingo imagery fits perfectly, except in this case it's a plastic flamingo on a perfectly manicured 1960's Las Vegas lawn, and I'm sipping a cocktail in my heels and pearls poolside. Although I can normally pick out a rose note at 50 paces, it's harder to discern here, even after the sage and bergamot top notes fade into a memory. Probably one of the biggest morphers I've tried so far in the GC, and once it finally settles into a sweet, woodier musk when all is said and done you are left enjoying the both the journey and the destination. I regret not having discovered this earlier in the year when the weather was warmer as this is an amazing all day scent for spring or summer! Will grab more to tuck away for next year.

Agree with others who have said this is lemon balm (80%) and lavender (20%). The lemon smells both pulpy and waxy, and is so strong that I can smell it through the closed imp; this is particularly impressive given the age of the sample! Of the Somnium blends, this is my least favorite; it's just too bright and perky to be a sleep scent, and much too furniture polish-esque during drydown to enjoy wearing as a daily fragrance. Softness did come, about 2 hours later, but by then I was already looking forward to washing it off.

This scent has a lot going on! The fizzy aldehyde note is much more present wet than on my skin, and as it dries down it gets even less effervescent. I much prefer this amount of a champagne grape type composition than one where it's all you can smell for the first hour. It definitely reads "purple" as others have said, but unlike other BPAL scents it doesn't veer too far into fermenting fruit or drug store candy territory - it's more like a tug of war between the grapes and the plum blossom where no winner is declared but everyone walks away happy. I really like the little hint of carnation spiciness that helps to balance out the sweetness of the honey and sugar cane. None of the other notes are individually detectable, but the mélange is gorgeous. Three hours into the drydown I smell amazing and have to resist the urge to slather more on. Fruit and wine type scents are not usually my jam, but I should know better by now that the General Catalog is full of unexpected hits that pleasantly push the boundaries of what I enjoy. My next order will have a bottle of this in it for sure.

Tested from a verrrrrrry aged imp that smelled like a deliciously sweet woodland forest when I opened it up. Extremely mentholated, condensed sap when wet; I inhaled it on the "bad side" of my nose half expecting it to perk me up and clear me out like some sort of liquid Vicks Vaporub smelling salts. It didn't, but as I kept inhaling I got a whiff of something just a little bit sour that made me contemplate if I was really brave enough in that moment to put it on my skin. I was. I did. Amazing. No fig, all cypress, all day. Big, juicy spruce-like projection with nothing dirty or stinky as you may find with some forest type scents. The oakmoss is here, restrained, taking a backseat to the brighter top notes for a bit. Lavender-adjacent, but not dominant. Definitely gives early winter, snowy night coven meetup vibes. Love it!!

"Holy grape jelly, Batman!" I did not sniff the imp before applying this to skin, so these are all post-application impressions. The muscadine bursts onto the scene and takes no prisoners, as it is all I can smell for a good 15 minutes. Projection is STRONG! I was grateful I tried this on my arm on a short-sleeved day as I think it is so potent that it would cling to your clothes in perpetuity. Around 30 minutes in I can sense the nag champa trying to break out from the back of the pack as the sweetness deepens but starts to fade to something more powdery. The smoke is definitely more incense than campfire. The grape jelly note fully inverted to incense with a slight fruity twang around 90 minutes in, and the projection also dialed back to something more reasonable with it. I never really got any patchouli at all. You know those intense clips on the news every Black Friday where people damn near kill themselves to stampede Wal-mart when the doors open to get their limited flatscreen TV deal? That's the vibes Urd gives - a frenzy, followed by a fizzle when almost everyone has to console themselves with $50 off Beats by Dre instead.

There are so many reviews of this scent already that it would be impossible to say something original about it, but here's where my experience agrees or disagrees with what others have written: Agree: soft, intimate throw, baby powder/dryer sheet adjacent, slightly waxy Disagree: not overwhelmingly sweet or floral, no cherry/almond/honey I think this would be a terrific scent for those who suffer from fragrance sensitivity as it is incredibly inoffensive and non-triggering. Office and general public safe as well as there is nothing dirty or sweaty about the musk. Much more gentle than sexual!

Beautiful, and unlike many other scents I can detect every single listed note individually as well as in a blend. Is there a tiny bit of spearmint in here too or is it just the bergamot being sassy? Most prominent on my skin is the red musk (slightly fruity), followed by the saffron and a just-barely-powdery vanilla. Very light patchouli, which I don't mind. Projection I would say is moderate. I applied this before bed and had some mildly upsetting dreams, so I would suggest daytime wear only. Blind-buy safe if all of these notes work well for you as they are nicely balanced!

I'm sure that this will sound blasphemous to many, but I prefer Sin to the OG Snake Oil. I know, I was surprised, too!! As someone who amps cinnamon to high heaven, I am always pleasantly surprised when it is not the dominant note in a blend. The amber is absolutely front and center, and I feel like this scent shares DNA with Morocco (another GC stunner) in terms of spices. I love that the patchouli is just a little chewy and lets the sandalwood take the lead. Potent for 5 hours and detectable for just above 7, making this a particularly durable fragrance for daily wear. Simply just gorgeous. Many of the GC scents have been quietly sliding up in price since 2022, and at the time of this review a bottle is $33 and well worth every penny.

A very aged imp of this original formulation (carbon dated by the label design) made its way to me as a freebie-with-purchase. Most dominant note is the beautiful sweet pea, and for the first 10 minutes on my skin it is a bright, fresh floral supported by the herbal sage. I really liked this on first application and went on about my business. Unfortunately, there arose such a clatter around minute 15 that brought out a stanky plastic musk smell. Could it be because the sample is so old, something went "off" here? I chose to ride it out instead of scrubbing, and it got a bit better as time went on, but never smelled as good as when it first went on. I am sure that this is truly a great scent that simply did not hold up over a 15+ year period from multiple owners and unknown storage conditions through no fault of its own; aged samples are a crapshoot but I am glad there was still a glimmer of its original glory for me to experience. These notes are so appealing, I hope BPAL considers resurrecting this again so that I get a chance to try out a fresh bottle.

Synthetic, syrupy sweetness (strawberry most prominent amongst the fruits) wet in the imp that blooms into something far more robust and interesting on skin. Darker berries appear, along with a very lightly powdery sweetness. The wine note doesn't ever really come out to play for me, as there is nothing alcoholic or fermented that ever makes itself known. I liked this much more about an hour or so after application when everything came down a few notches on the intensity scale. I can see it being a very potent scent for a person brimming with confidence to mirror their big energy, or one that gives someone needing a lift a big boost. Apply sparingly to avoid overwhelming yourself, or others!

On paper, this should be a miss for me. I abhor 99% of aquatics and anything containing violet, but instead I found it really refreshing and enjoyable! There is definitely a kelpy saltiness that gives more seaweed salad than mouldering beach detrius. Is it soapy? Yeah, it is, but that's actually what makes it pleasant. The white sage is most notable amongst a long list of herby influences. I did not wear this in very hot weather but it held up well for general daily comings and goings, never going sour or funky. I agree with others who said this lasts for about 3-4 hours before gently fading away. Very wearable, clean, and fresh with a quirky bend.

Wet in the imp this smelled like a big ol' pickley no-go, courtesy of whatever sandalwood variety plays that dirty trick on some small unfortunate percentage of us. The cedar pulls grassy, almost cannabis-like, and there is a camphorous element that others have described as menthol but which reads as a bit more eucalyptus to me. I very much wanted this to be a clean, woody, spicy love, but my olfactory bulb would not let it be so. Envious of others for whom this was a hit!

Lightly sweet, more mapley molasses than dark wood, this gets more fragrant and like "conventional" cologne as it dries down. There is nothing swarthy, sharp or stinky, just a powdery spiciness that I think others have correctly identified as sandalwood, even though that note is not listed here. Medium throw and about 6 good hours of longevity. I like this for cozy nights in!

The tobacco and leather in this is simply terrific. I completely agree with others who have said that there is a freshness to the scent that makes it smell surprisingly clean for such a compilation of heady notes. The incense is beautifully powdery, and the musk is present but with a light touch. If I were forced to choose I would say this leans a bit more masculine, and as much as I truly love it on myself, I think I would love it even more on a bearded, flannel bedecked PNWer. Medium sillage and really nice staying power! I could still smell this on my arm 8 hours later. This deserves attention from anyone looking to sniff the best of the General Catalog.