Assimbya

In the bottle and wet on my skin, I get an intensely sharp neroli, myrrh, and sandalwood combination which feels intense and aggressive and does indeed evoke the "bursts of glory" in the description - there's a sense of something coming towards me, almost taking me aback. I'm not too familiar with pink pepper as a note, but I think I get it here as well, in an edge which almost tingles to smell,. I wasn't sure I would like it on me at this stage; it reminds me of neroli's classic use in men's perfumery, and I thought to myself that of course there was a chance that an Apollo perfume might end up feeling too masculine to me. But there's a hint of something softer underneath, which turns out to be the honey and mallow combination, and as it dries that becomes more and more central, with the assertive neroli fading to become part of a more cohesive whole. The sweetened mallow becomes the main thing I smell at this point, along with a nutty, almost almondy floral which I think must be the heliotrope, though it's not a note I know well (I do think I can recognize the similarities with Dawn: Maiden though, which is rather apropos). I can track the osmanthus when I look for it, but it doesn't come out as strongly as those other notes. The myrrh and amber at this stage seem to give shape and definition to the blend and an overall resinous feeling, evoking incense being burnt for the god, but they're smoothly blended and no longer taking over. In this drydown I really very much enjoy wearing it. This feels like a very Apollonian perfume to me, which I find really impressive; there's something in the combination of the really overwhelming wet stage and then the much gentler drydown which really does work as a representation of the contradictions and complexities of this particular god. It feels very golden, but in a way that has some force and energy behind it; this is not a diffuse and floating type of perfume, even with the soft mallow.

I was a little wary of the lettuce note in this one and so procrastinated for quite a while on trying my imp. But I shouldn't have worried - this is a lovely scent, and feels very appropriate to the fairy tale in ways that are difficult to define! Angel's Trumpet isn't a floral note I was familiar with before this, but it's the center of this blend on me and it's truly lovely - similar to lily but with a pale creaminess that reminds me of the Lab's Datura Blossom SN. The knowledge that it's a flower both poisonous and extinct in the wild evokes something of the violence and darkness of this fairy tale, which has always been one of my favorites. The lettuce is present as a wet greenness, and I think I can track the orris, a powdery note holding the blend together and making it feel like more of a perfume. I can't consciously identify bois de rose here, but that was also my experience with Endymion, which makes me think that it's a note I'm not great at noticing yet. As a full experience, this blend reminds me a little of a Prague, which I also experience as a very gentle lily-like white floral, but Rapunzel has a little more body from the orris. It fades pretty fast on me, which may because of the age of the imp, which is unknown to me. I'm disappointed that this one is discontinued, but glad that I've had the opportunity to try and will definitely use my imp, though I don't think I'm in love enough to try and seek out a secondhand bottle.

I got this because I adore osmanthus, and after losing my mind over it as a note in other BPALs, the idea of a duet truly centering it was too enthralling to resist. This turned out to be exactly what I was hoping for - nearly an osmanthus single note, with the secondary floral of the honey bells complementing but not at all detracting from it. This is osmanthus at its most golden and fruity, coming right up to the edge of the scent of apricot. The osmanthus here has a tactile quality that I would almost describe as tacky, giving me this dry, puckering sensation which I know makes it sound unappealing but in fact here just makes it feel very alive and fresh and real. The honey bells, which aren't a flower I get to smell very often in person, are similar to honeysuckle but somewhat sweeter and greener; less perfumed and wafting than honeysuckle tends to be. The blend of the two notes is harmonious and it takes effort to distinguish them, creating this overall rich yellow floral scent. This has strong throw for such a bright, simple floral scent, and good longevity. Its freshness means that this feels more youthful and less sophisticated and sensual than some of my other osmanthus scents (Idyll, The Brides of Dracula), but it's perfect for when I just want to luxuriate in osmanthus, or when I want a more straightforwardly cheerful golden floral. I have been really loving this in the summer heat, which the fruity edge of the osmanthus cuts through refreshingly, but I imagine it will also be very cheering for the colder months. Very glad to have this one.

On me this is an elegant and balanced blend of the three listed notes; they all come through, with the rose at the center. There's a kind of mature depth despite or perhaps because of its simplicity, and the freshness of the rosemary adds a compelling edge to the florals. As a commenter above noted, this feels like a sister scent to Bess, or perhaps rather what I hoped Bess would be, since the grape took over on me in that one. I really enjoy this, and feel lucky to have ended up with an old imp of it, but not so in love that I have to quest in search of a bottle, which is something of a relief. I want to remember to keep wearing my imp, though!

My imp of this is of an undetermined age, and seems faded and sort of stale in the way that old imps, especially of delicate floral blends, sometimes do. I suspect I might enjoy a less aged version of this fragrance more. As it is, this is mostly green tea and lemon on me, with soft green woodiness from the cedar and an ineffable, indistinct, floral notes. I looked hard for the lilac, wisteria, and osmanthus (all favorite notes of mine!) but they didn't come through on me, whether because of the age of the imp or my skin chemistry which likes to thwart me by grabbing on to non-floral notes in a floral blend. Either way, this unfortunately won't be one I keep around, I think.

On me this a very fresh, bright floral with strong green notes. I'm wearing it today with the White Lilac & Moss hair gloss, and the lilac note in the hair gloss has this soft-edged indolic quality, while the lilac in this perfume oil is sharper and younger, perhaps buds just beginning to bloom. The lily of the valley has its characteristic white floral bite, similarly fresh and young. It feels like both floral notes come off distinctively and cleanly. I can imagine almost slight droplets of dew at the edges of these blossoms. This has solid throw, and reasonable longevity which I imagine will continue to improve with time as my other BPAL lilacs have. By comparison with Lorrainna or Eusapia, this feels less perfumey and sophisticated, more atmospheric, as feels appropriate to a duet as opposed to a more complexly blended perfume. I am enjoying it very much and it feels different enough from those other two to warrant having all of them, though I wouldn't choose this over them.

I really adore this one and am so so happy I decided on a somewhat profligate whim to blind bottle it. This is definitely a hair gloss for lilac lovers only, but for those of us in that category it's an absolute delight. The lilac scent here may be pale but it is also full and billowing and a little intense; I'd agree with @tajana's description of it as slightly indolic in their lovely review above; it's unabashed in that quality, heady and intoxicating. The moss is very much a grounding green undernote, sinuous under the waves of floral. Excellent longevity and strong throw, just barely on this side of being too much lilac for polite company. This has quickly become a very treasured hair gloss for me; I love wearing it with one of my lilac perfumes for a full lilac experience (it subtly contrasts beautifully with both Eusapia and Lorrainna, bringing out each of their nuances), and am enjoying starting to try pairing it with other perfumes (it was lovely matched with Datura Blossom last week).

I love this very, very much, but have been struggling to write a review of it! Partly because so many reviewers in this thread have articulated it so beautifully already, and partially because my experience of this perfume is so ineffable and difficult to put into words. It most definitely has a shimmering quality, golden but as once translucent, almost opalescent; it feels a bit paler and cooler than sunlight to me, like a film of light over skin. As it goes on I get a sweetness from the vanilla and honey, sharpened and given shape by a gently woody cedar which never takes over, and with a citric edge which is almost lemony but not quite. As it dries down, the skin musk and olive blossom combination is definitely at the center, and it's utterly stunning - at once sensuous and elegant, bodily while also feeling clean. I agree with previous reviewers who described this as extremely Hellenic, and I love that about it, though for me I'd say it doesn't so much evoke the beach as it does the feeling of sitting on sun-warmed stone in a high place, sparsely forested but with cedar and gray-green olive trees with their tiny yellow blossoms. I'm still not great at picking out orris butter as an independent note, but triangulating with other blends I can definitely track a continuity with From Whose Eyes as They Glanced's orris butter-skin musk combination, which is very distinctive and also, for me, very difficult to describe. Whatever that combination is, I love it, and I love that it's a version of sensuality I feel able very authentically to inhabit. I am so glad to have this perfume in my life; I'm trying to keep it as something I wear for non-work days to keep to the association of leisure, but I love it so much that I may have to let go of that intention eventually. I have been trying to avoid buying backup bottles of things, but with this one I am definitely tempted.

Fully agree with previous reviewers that this is a very gentle and pleasant scent. On my partner, whose skin amplifies sweet notes, this leans almost unwearably foody (he described it as "the platonic ideal of porridge"). On me it's much more balanced - soft but distinct almond foremost, perfumey honey, and smooth milk; the grains are present but more in the background. Reasonable longevity for such quiet notes. This is lovely and I'm happy to have an imp of it, but I don't imagine it's one I am going to wear often enough to want a bottle.

Thank you so much @BetteNoire and @topazphoenix! I have an imp of Dirty, so I'll have to test for that, and now I would love to try Xiutecuhtli! For anyone who might be reading this thread in the future, I'll share that I have now tried Delight and unfortunately didn't get much plumeria from it, so the quest continues!

Milky! So milky! The milk scent in this one is intense, and I agree that it's distinctively scorched milk, with that sweet but not caramelized nearly burnt quality which anyone who has had experiences of trying and failing to heat milk over a stovetop can recognize. It's a strange and almost disconcerting scent to have in a perfume, but I'm finding I really enjoy it in its strangeness. I definitely get tea, flowers, and musk as well, giving subtle sweetness and complexity, but I can't make out each of them so precisely (though I'm not all that familiar with iris or mallow flower yet), and they meld into a vaporous whole, gray and cream and enveloping. This is far more milky than any of my other BPALs with milk or cream notes - it bears a faint resemblance to White Rabbit, but without White Rabbit's distinctive crispness. I've tried a few of BPAL's recent tea-adjacent scents which haven't quite worked for me (Angora was too astringent and Rose Milk Tea too sweet), but this milky floral tea feels more intriguing and wearable for me personally. It has more throw than one might expect for such smooth gray notes (my partner kept being ever so slightly weirded out by the milk scent!) and decent longevity. I'm glad I went for this one, and love the suggestion above about wearing it reading indoors during thunderstorms. This feels like a scent for staying inside and letting oneself stay with some fogginess for a little while.

This one somehow feels very fancy to me; there's a sharpness which I find quite pleasant, but which definitely on me makes me think about wisteria in a vase beside a polished staircase, not in the open air in a garden. The wisteria has a distinct purple tinge which skews almost grapey in its sweetness, balancing out the musk. The sense of fanciness nearly pulls it into expensive hotel lobby territory to my nose, but the freshness of the floral pulls it out again. This has a gentle throw, not quite as strong as some other hair glosses I've tried. I'm liking this for work, and for times when I want to feel pulled together and grown-up. Still playing around with perfume matches, but it seems to go well with white and purple florals and other more perfumey or white musk scents.

This is a deceptively simple yet gorgeous scent. While I haven't had the chance to try O, to which I see this is often compared, I find this combination of honey and layered musk very distinctive and memorable, and it has strong throw without being an overpowering scent in itself. The honey note has the surprising depth that I find BPAL's honey notes frequently do, and the musk adds a sensuous bodily warmth. It's definitely sexy, but not distractingly so.- to me it feels appropriate to wear to work and other settings. Of the hair glosses I've tried so far, I find Hair Loosened & Soiled to be one of the most versatile; it pairs well with almost all of my perfumes. I'm still playing around with combinations, but I've been enjoying the way that it can highlight honey or musk notes in perfume blends where those are not so foregrounded. It also has crazily long longevity - I keep catching hints of it the next day even after washing my hair.

From this I get a sweet rose vanilla, with an indefinable hint of something almost fruity, and some depth that I think must be coming from the cognac and silver; fortunately no alcohol note, which I was a little worried about. I definably get something powdery and doll-like as other reviewers have noted, and I'd say that for me the vanilla-lace note is the central one, though I can certainly track the rose. This skews quite sweet on me, sweeter than these notes might as a perfume oil where they'd have my skin chemistry to contend with, and I'm finding that some days that sweetness is too much for me, and the overall effect too youthful. But on others it feels pretty and just right for what I want - it particularly pairs well with my floral-vanilla perfumes (absolutely perfect match for Millarca from the Carmilla collection) without overpowering them, which is rather what I hoped it might do. I'm not in love with this as I am with the Peacock Queen HG (stupendously beautiful! perfect rose hair gloss!), but I'm enjoying it and happy to have it in my hair gloss rotation.

I was playing around with looking up this question on my spreadsheet recently, so was glad to find this very old thread! I think it's an interesting way of looking at preferences and would be curious to read others' answers; I'm keeping the number of favorites I'm pulling from high to better see trends. Unsurprisingly for myself, something like 85% of my favorites out of the scents I've tried so far are florals of some variety. The exceptions are a small group of fragrances which I find to each be doing something very specific and unique (ex. A Robe All Red with Dripping Gore; Seven Inches of Blood; White Rabbit). But the 12 most common particular listed notes among my favorite BPAL perfumes: Rose (17) - this is a staggering number to me! Some of these are really rose-centric blends and others are ones from which I barely pick out the rose at all, but it's still a lot. Musk (16) - keeping this one broad since musks are often labelled so idiosyncratically, but it was pretty evenly divided between white musk, skin musk, and red/crimson/blood musks (more of the latter than I expected probably because of all my vampire scents), with a couple of black musks. The scents that were right on the edge of being included in the favorites list also mostly had musk, so this number/proportion could get higher over time. No Arabian or Egyptian musk scents made their way into my favorites. Honey (13) - higher than I expected! It's a note quietly present in a bunch of blends, as well as those that center it. Amber (10) Vanilla (10) - when I started wearing BPAL I had no idea that I would like vanilla as much as I do now! Jasmine (6) Honeysuckle (5) Osmanthus/Olive blossom (5) Tea (5) - all types Milk/cream (5) Sandalwood (5) This was a really fun exercise! It's certainly skewed by how frequently certain notes show up in the catalog - I've tried a lot of sandalwoods which really really didn't work on me because BPAL has just so many, but it's good to remember that there several which in fact work very well. A number of my very favorite floral notes don't make it onto this list because I have only a couple of favorite perfumes with those notes (lilac, orange blossom, magnolia), but I love those few very very much. It's interesting to see which flowers do make the list, though some of that is certainly about what has happened to make its way to me or what shows up in blends that tend to intrigue me. Similarly, there also are a number of others kinds of notes which I think of myself as being really into because I have a couple of favorite blends which really showcase them, but in reality I only really wear them in those perfumes. It confirms that my taste skews very much to classic florals and musks, often with an amber base, but I do clearly really like some gently gourmand notes when paired with non-gourmand elements. I'd be curious to try the exercise again over time, and see if my list of favorites shifts with more familiarity and length of wear - I wonder if I'm including here a number of perfumes which are more similar to one another, and if my opinion about them will change.