SmellsPrettyGood2Me

*please disregard, wrong scent*

Dark to the point of being unsettling in the bottle; murky, bitter, medicinal terebinth dominates alongside the green, pitchy galbanum. These screechy notes make the jump onto skin, bringing the olfactory chaos for a good 20 minutes before settling down. At that point the patchouli reveals itself, muddy and baked, along with the myrrh and black amber. Finally, it is tolerable! Once again, I'm unable to locate the balsam note even though I know it is there. Sweetness continues to increase post drydown, as the myrrh gets increasingly soft and powdery. Screaming projection at first settles down to something more moderate, lasting about 7 hours. This was a ride, friends. It smells absolutely putrid in the bottle. The first half hour on skin was (subjectively) pretty awful to experience, and would benefit greatly from 50% less terebinth. But once that terebinth fades away, it's enjoyable from a distance. I still would not recommend huffing too deeply from the skin until after the second hour, but it has a pleasantly resinous, dry aura about it thereafter. I will suffer for the pleasure!

"I am not a greater reader, and I take pleasure in many things", Elizabeth Bennet once said, in an effort to correct assumptions about her talents and habits. I have very few things in common with this famous literary heroine, but this is one of them. I don't know Mr. Croup as a character, have never read a word by the author who created him, and have no pre-formed concept of how this scent matches itself to its namesake. I do, however, take great pleasure in broody notes of a masculine persuasion. Opening the bottle, I get a deliciously dark smokiness. It's a little swarthy, but there is a cold bone dryness, too, that keeps it in the realm of appealing. Applied to skin, the porcelain note bursts forth in a glorious shattering, underneath which the booze dampened geranium and tonka warm on my skin. Glory was short-lived, however, as it fell off in intensity precipitously in strength almost immediately after drydown, lasting barely 3 hours even when I smooshed my arm into my nose. I was so bummed at how fast it faded that I tried it a second time a few days later with better moisturized skin, without any appreciable difference in longevity. Should a stray bottle come across your path, wear it to a winter gothic themed gathering like a secret that only you know, because it's very possible you will be the only one who can smell it. Mr. Croup The Scent is fantastic, unisex by my measure, utterly enjoyable independent of any character or writer association.

First wet whiff: Black musk and many other things that cannot be sussed out individually, other than a slightly sweet orange oil note. On skin: A true melange, lighter and less (non-indolic) floral than the notes would suggest. A little spicy from the green cardamon, a bit astringent from the bergamot, a touch woody from the oakmoss. Post dry down is where the blackberry really shows up, but I never end up getting much vanilla on it's own. Moderate projection for the first hour, then another 3-4 of a much softer, skin-close experience. Overall the impression is overwhelmingly positive, one of true perfumery talent at it's best. Not gimmicky or pandering, just really nicely balanced and overall well done. For some reason it reads very much like a modern French perfume with a bit of a kick to it. This bottle dates to 2023 or 2024 (I forget) so it's had a little time to sit with itself, which has only enhanced the beautifully blended features of the scent. I recommend getting your hands on an aged bottle if possible, or buying one to put away for later.

I love what this scent stands for, and I would wear it proudly if not for the fact that the almond cream note is a double whammy of no for me. It's all I can smell in the bottle, and dominates on skin for the first 10 minutes, at which point the fig and jasmine take over. I don't get a lot of honey, but what is there is smooth, sweet, and quiet - not dusty or sneezy. Very tropical, and great for those who love florals. Moderate to low projection post dry down. This scent will work for you if these notes work for you, but they're not for me. My personal interpretation of the groundbreaking lawsuit would be a bit different: the cold granite stone steps on which protests are launched, the silk ties of the lawyers on both sides, a deeply warm, golden amber of universal love and the paper on which the official documentation of said love is printed.

Came for the cassia and frankincense, and hoped the cinnamon had aged long enough to settle down a bit. In the bottle, I also get a weird unwashed feet smell (maybe the spikenard?) that makes me wonder if perhaps it has spoiled or been contaminated over the years. But, being the brave little toaster that I am, I dab it on anyway. The cinnamon smells only moderately strong, but leaves a very light, mild pink patch of topical irritation, as for me it often does. The toe stank is there, too, but it fades down around 35 minutes in, by which time the olfactory heat of the cinnamon is also long gone. I'm not sure how to interpret the 3 balsams here, other than to acknowledge they are present but without being able to precisely suss out what they are (other than resinous). The cassia is a bit powdery and pairs very nicely with the slightly creamy frankincense for the duration of the wear. No noticeable contribution at any point from the acanthus, which may have been lost to time. Medium strong projection for the first hour, settling into solidly medium territory for the next 6 hours. This scent definitely has paternal lineage elements seen in other BPAL fragrances that came thereafter. Although I have liked spikenard in some of them, here it was just a bit too much for me to get very excited about. I may see if I can combine this with another scent to bring it down a couple of ticks.

2015 version! Very apothecary-like in the bottle, smelling of something medicinal with light aldehydes. There is an element of clean and soapy that presents immediately on skin; I think I can detect some sweet orange oil in there. The violet note comes across as more leaf than flower, and I cannot really detect any element of rose. As it dries down it smells more and more like an herbal cough drop, a little lemony but getting sweeter as the bitterness fades. Projection is low moderate, lasting about 7 hours total. I can't recall how this came to be in my collection, as none of the notes in the description really entice me when reading them, but I'm glad it is. Once the initial weirdness fades it's a really fresh and sweet scent, well suited to warmer weather wear.

An aldehydic peach, kissed by incense and slightly sweetened by amber, sits cheerfully in the bottle. On skin, the bergamot joins the chorus. I like the fact that the peach is very light, and that the floral notes aren't really that flowery at all. For me the predominant note is the frankincense, which I really enjoy. Very low throw and only about 3.5 hours of ephemeral, lilting wear. Pretty for summer time, day or night.

Spicy raw, green cardamom and milk laden rice pudding wet in the bottle. I could swear I am getting a touch of cinnamon in there as well? On skin, the rice gets a chewy, stewed quality and sits beneath the cardamom that surrenders much of its sharpness about 15 minutes in. This is about when I get my first whiff of honey and amber starting to rise to the surface. The snow note is soft and forms a general impression of cool fuzziness rather than bone cold chill; it reminds me of the smell of powdery sweetness on a white Tic Tac right before you pop it in your mouth. It's the one element that keeps this from being another breakfast-y scent for me like Edward Bear was. Thankfully, it does not go lactonic at any point in time. Projection settles down into a low thrum after drydown and gets progressively more and more delicate over the next 4 hours. Very enjoyable to wear - cozy and comforting. I do wish it lasted a bit longer!

A beautifully creamy, clean trio that perfectly portends the transition between spring and summer. All three notes appear in the bottle in equal strength, but the waxy tuberose takes center stage on skin right away. About 10 minutes in I start to get the grassy green sweetness of the red clover and another pale white flower that must be from the tobacco. The balance here between the notes is exquisite; if all florals were this well constructed, I'd like a heck of a lot more floral fragrances! Medium projection and reasonably good longevity at just under 6 hours of wear. Very likely on the fringes of workplace and small space safe as long as it is applied with a light touch. My partial, secondhand bottle is from a less BPAL-centric period of my fragrance journey, which is unfortunate because I would grab 3 extra bottles of this now if I could. The gentle, creamy sweetness here somehow reminds me of another beloved discontinued favorite, Armani's Si Fiori. I will be saving this for special occasions like spring or summer weddings while I hope for a Trio Comeback Tour.

2022 version! This is a gem worth cherishing. Time has aged the musk from red to a deep purple that fills your nose with each sniff from the bottle and goes jammy on skin. I'm getting vanilla sugar crystals and a touch of amber as it dries down. The booze is either a port wine or fruit cordial, high proof but not overtly alcoholic. I do also detect the vegetal Snake Oil musk here. Perfect for both days and evenings in every season except summer, when it might be just a bit too much. Big, bold projection and 10 good hours of wear on my skin. Will return to review 2024 and 2025 versions in good time...

The petrichor here is absolute perfection. It's watery and deep in the bottle, and transitions to skin in a gloriously clean (mildly cucumber-y) burst of freshness and renewal. It's now less classically aquatic and more a little bit mineralic, not salty like an ocean note. The silk and vanilla notes appear promptly, within 5 minutes, and the scent shifts from the cool spring rain to the smell of the forest nymphs frolicking in dewy woods. Per usual, the Lab's fabric accords are award worthy and the silk note shimmers in the air. The vanilla is sweet, powdery and dry. Despite being delicate, projection here is moderate and lasts a good six hours. This is a fragrance for a gentle mood, whether it's present already and needs a scent to match, or if one needs to evoke feelings of mental escape into an outdoor woodland fantasy. Ideal also for an intimate, bedtime perfume.

2025 version! Sweet, sticky and dark in the bottle, it goes on skin a purple-y grape scent and gives Big League Chew vibes for the duration of the wet open. The oud is there, barely, but gets a bit stronger as it dries down. I don't think the patchouli is as strong in this iteration as in past seasons; it takes over an hour to present and does so a lot more gently than expected. Projection is relatively bold and longevity is very good at 8+ hours. It must be the obsidian note that is leading the charge in this version. While I like it, I think it could benefit from a good rest.

I love reading when a scent really hits for other people; it makes me happy for them and excited to try it for myself. I went into this wearing experience with high expectations, but I did not have the same love-at-first-sniff as everyone else. What I got, mostly, was Honey Nut Cheerios in a bowl of vanilla almond milk. Tasty smelling, more oats than toasted bread, with a bit of sweetness from the amber and the vanilla. Projection was strong and it lasted over 8 hours on my skin. I like it, but it has to be kept aside for days when I want to smell like breakfast.

At 16 years aged, there's no nutmeg here anymore; both in the bottle and on skin is just the quietly creamy black sandalwood, the sweet benzoin and vanilla adjacent tonka. Throw is low, and soft, but beautiful. Like others, I only got two hours wear, but it was really nice. If you are like me and love getting to experience a piece of BPAL history, this is worth a grab if and when you see it.