carrioncupid

an utterly beguiling scent to me, i think i can smell all or almost all the notes in here (i still can’t for the life of me determine what red musk smells like) it’s so… weird? i can smell the porcelain, the bergamot, the violet leaf, the fougere… but i just don’t care for it. i wish there was a whole lot more vanilla in here, and less of the… fougere (iris and bergamot) i suppose. i think i’d prefer floral still life with cat for a porcelain note. this was also sent off to a better home.

made me realize that neroli is not a note for me. bitter neroli in the beginning and for much of the wear time until all the other notes shyly peek out hours later. was sent off to a much better new home.

smells oddly…mainstream-y? to me? my first thought was my very old bottle of chanel no5, my mom handed down to me. it’s about 30 years old, and ravenna smells like that to me, but sweeter. i also asked my brother for his opinion on it and he agreed it smelled like a mainstream perfume. ravenna is very, perfumey, let’s say. it’s one of those BPALs where i have difficulty picking out single notes (when i’m usually good at that) and instead it’s just a blend of… smells. like, yep, it sure smells like something, not sure what, but it does. i’m sad about it. wish i got the luxurious, heavy and sensual smell others are getting, i do really well with those types of scents. but oh well— can’t win em all.

i don't know for sure what i'm smelling. i have limited experience with violet, and, quite honestly almost all of the other notes in this blend besides the patchouli. it's green smelling? i think if i had to say i don't really get any of the so-called violet. it's the patch and the moss i think, there's nothing fruity or floral in this blend on my skin. stale green moss and patch? i don't care for it.

minty… herbal… almost medicinal in quality. it reminds me of my mom’s tiger balm. ooh. there’s two scents entwined within one another, a woody scent and a fruity scent. there’s also a slight smoky quality that lingers beneath the fresh scent. it’s mainly blackberry and pitch pine. there’s also a slightly spiciness that comes from the tomato leaf, although it doesn’t smell like tomatoes. it’s very interesting. not my preference for scents but it’s certainly one that may be good for warmer months. becomes a lot gentler on the dry down, with the only thing really remaining is a blackberry musk. all other notes fade a lot into the background and it’s just like you got done eating a whole blackberry bush.

eh. grandma-esque soapy florals that also irritated my skin 😕 smells familiar to me, i think there might be another BPAL blend similar to this. if i had to say i think it’s old powdery florals. oh yes, it’s the drydown of carved wooden bridal shop, that specific rose note is prolific in many blends it seems. not much to say about it, les fleurs du mal is probably named that because of the skin reaction it gave me, and not the scent itself.

loooove it, love love love it! i agree with the first review that there is a slightly coconutty aspect to it, despite it not being listed as a note. i concur that it’s a warm, creamy and rustic take on vanilla. i have no experience with balsam, nor tumbleweeds but the vanilla just carries this whole blend so well. i’m in love! the cognac isn’t noticeable to me (and i have no experience with it as i don’t drink) but it doesn’t smell boozy— if it’s there it’s quite subtle. CSSG has immediately jumped up into one of my absolute fave vanillas, up there with the likes of my beloved zorya p, and arcana’s unicorn horn. eta: cssg is so good i have a second bottle of it otw hehe

my experience with lorrainna is like doomsday_disco’s, it’s mainly a lilac solinote scent on me which i’m a huge fan of. i loooove lilac, they’re one of my favorite floral scents ever. i’m unfamiliar with the scent of magnolia, and the scant experience i’ve had with it have been less than pleasant, so i’m so happy that it’s mainly lilac on me. the orris and the ambergris aren’t too detectable, but that’s a non issue for me. a beautiful, slightly sweet lilac that’s perfect for everyday wear.

i think i’m the odd man out here because all i got was an almond milk single note so incredibly disappointed. not even a little hint of rose or tea or tapioca— it’s as if a metric f*ck ton of almond milk was dumped on me. if you also amp almonds, like i do, then beware of this one.

a true wild card in my little imp collection! i love eating all sorts of mushrooms (not wild ones, only commercially farmed unfortunately) but i’m not sure how i feel about smelling like them. ooh. a mouth full of hay in the imp. a very dry scent, very wood and hay heavy in the imp. hm. smells like chewing on a 2x4 fresh from the home depot lumber aisle. or snorting a line of sawdust. a LOT more wood heavy than what the name would lead you to believe. there’s a slight hint of sweetness underneath the pile of wood, but whether that’s the slight natural sweetness of presumably hiba– or the mushrooms, it remains to be seen. hmm, it kind of reminds me of the natural dry sweetness of cinnamon? i mean, cinnamon IS tree bark after all. there’s a very dry subtle sweetness that’s reminiscent of cinnamon. i don’t detect any ginger root or ginseng in here. just pure woodiness. not what i expected going into it, but i kind of dig it.

ooh. floral bomb. and most florals that land quite outside my comfort zone once again. soapy… with a slight spiced bite from it, presumably from the lily of the valley. more sniffs reveal a sort of, laundry scent to me. this kind of just smells like snuggles detergent but not nearly as sweet. not the sort of scent i would envision when i think of what grief would smell like, but to each their own interpretation. grief smells like dryer sheets apparently.

hmm, three notes that i don’t usually go for, so this is quite outside the realm of my comfort zone. but i’ll give it a try anyway. the wine and the rose vie for equal attention in the spot light, with the dragon’s blood resigning itself to the backstage. it oscillates between wine and rose before eventually coming to a truce and settling down into a wine and rose scent. the wine is a sweet one, this blend isn’t a dry one– probably due in part to the rose. although it does lean quite soapy to me, or very perfumey. like in the after smell when i pull away from where it’s applied on the back of my hand, i can feel a sort of soapiness lingering in the back of my nose. oh! i was wondering why this was so familiar to me– it smells like a GC version of carved wooden bridal shop from last year’s yules! it’s less fruity than CWBS but i think the rose note used is the same– if not very similar. overall, it’s an unoffensive, albeit soapy rose scent, but i think i prefer CWBS more than this one.

[muscadine, black and red patchouli, cereus and nag champa] most definitely grape with a bite in the imp! like wine but sweet. oh lord, it’s like a grape scented bomb went off on the back of my hand. the initial grape blast dies down pretty quickly, although it still definitely lingers within the blend. the patch in here kinda smells dirty, earthy, unlike the patch in my beloved SO. on the extremely quick dry down [VERY quick, like a dew seconds, quick] the grape skedaddles out of there and it’s only the patch and the presumably the cereus and NC that give it a little bit of sweetness. with a little more time the patch smooths out some more and it’s a little better, the grape peeks its head back in here and there but it’s no where near as present as it was in the beginning. the nag champa is unfortunately not anywhere near the spot light, which is a shame, as i love the smell of unlit nag champa incense sticks.

[from a 'feltie' sample so generously gifted to me by a fellow forumite] she warned me that there was a sort of... pissy scent to this one, and when i asked for more info-- she also went on to describe it as barnyard and i must say that she wasn't lying the in the slightest. reviews of the counterpart "is he, you know" have also mentioned there being a pissy and or poopy sharpness to this and it most certainly finds its way here. thankfully, the stank does disappear on the dry down and it's that sensational bpal lilac coming out full force. as mentioned by leptonpyr it's definitely more than just a sprig of lilac it's a whole bush of it! i'd say that it's kind of a mature lilac blend? i have very limited experience with the majority of the notes in here, but it's definitely lilac and then a sweetness that supports that [can't tell whether it's the sugar cane or the vanilla] and then a subtle herbalness underneath. quite a lovely lilac if you can get over the brief stank!

i had a very “this hole was made for me!” junji ito moment but with the notes list for this one. it’s perfect and i love it! i saw another reviewer on the forum mention there being a citrusy bite coming from somewhere in the blend and i can definitely see what they’re talking about. this one really morphed in my hair over night, when applied fresh it was all wood and hay and beeswax and to be honest i was a little miffed lol, but this morning— i keep catching whiffs of something deliciously figgy and i can say for certain it’s a yellow smell! man, the waxy texture of the beeswax and the figs translate SO well in scent! this one is quite lovely actually, and i love the smell of the figs in this one!! i wanted some more chamomile (because i love smelling my huge bag of loose leaf chamomile from time to time) so hopefully with a little more time it’ll come out! even with just a little more rest over night, this has completely changed from the first time i tried it! my first try was all wood and beeswax and the fig and honey goodness came out after a good night's sleep-- but today, right off the bat it's sweet summery goodness! i spitzed 3 pumps into my hands and rubbed it a bit between my palms and it was like summer blossomed between them. it's magical, the fig and the honey and the chamomile coming out in full force. the honey in here has slight floral nuances and it's not heavy and overbearing at all like other honey scents i dislike. the figs feel fresh and so ripe they're about to split open, the chamomile is more like a brewed tisane with copious amounts of honey swirled into it. the beeswax and the wood recede into the background, noticeable but they support the main stars of the show-- the fig, honey and chamomile. i knew that i would love this one and i was right! this was the only one i really REALLY wanted from this year's weenies and i'm so happy this little ray of sunshine is in my collection now!

(2018 ver) (arrived today, will update if there' a big change) i agree with others when they say there's a hint of something lemon-y in here! and i also agree with others who mention that this is a rather light and delicate scent, completely the opposite of the notes list and frankly the label art (although i'm a fan of it of course). i don't get any of the honey i think, but i really don't mind as honey notes tend to go grossly, overwhelmingly sweet on my skin. i think it's mainly the snake oil and the sugar that's coming through for me. really, really love it as it is now, i hope they bring it back for this year's lupers! edit (12/03( man… i hate to say it but i think i like snake’s kiss better than regular ol snake oil… snake’s kiss, for all it’s heavy sounding notes— is actually quite a delicate and airy scent. it’s less of a passionate french kiss and more of a chaste butterfly kiss on the cheek. some other reviewers on the forum mention a sort of lemon-y aspect to the sugar and i get that as well. reading that initially threw me off of the blend and i dismissed it as something i wouldn’t like (before i had it in hand), but hoo whee was i completely wrong. there’s a lovely combo in here, i suspect that lemon sugar and a hint of the snake oil itself that combine to form a sort of… bright lemony tea scent. i’ve also seen someone mention that it’s dorian adjacent, although i haven’t tried the notorious dorian itself— i can definitely imagine it smelling like this. not to mention this is the only honey scent that has worked on me, and worked AMAZINGLY well no less. it’s straight up honey from my huge kirkland bottle in the kitchen, it’s rich and floral and golden without being syrupy and overbearing like other honey notes i’ve tried. THIS, is what honey smells like. the honeyed aspect wasn’t very strong at first, and i thought it wouldn’t show up at all, but it just needed a little time to come out. but when it did, i felt like i was instantly transported to my kitchen. standing in front of a perfect cup of lemon’d ceylon tea and stirring in my usual frankly, irresponsible amount of desired honey. the vanilla cream aspect of it is a little shy (in snake’s kiss at least) doesn’t really smell very lactonic or creamy to my nose, but i do quite like BPAL’s vanilla cream note regardless. it worked really well for me in their just before penetration as well [Pink fig and guava soaked in vanilla cream.] overall, snake’s kiss is a resounding smash hit for me, and i really REALLY hope they bring it back for this year’s lupers!!!

The intoxicating perfume of exotic incenses wafting on warm desert breezes. Arabian spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia. [frimp from destash that arrived today, age unknown-- however the packaging is unlike other imps. it doesn't have a white flag label with just the name, it's wrapped around the imp and it matches the label on the website instead] this one was a little odd fresh, although that odd scent completely dissipates within a few minutes. it's very different from what i usually wear, it's a very dry scent-- and slightly sweet. to me it's sort of like going over to your spice cabinet and giving it a biiiiiig inhale while the remnants of last night's floral perfume clings to your skin. it also reminds me of bpal's bengal but slightly sweeter and without the slight sour smell i got from the skin musk. i'm not sure how i feel about it right now. i like my spiced scents to be a little more in your face, this one (right now at least) is quite subdued. the more i smell it the more i'm warming up to it, it's unassuming at first but it really curls around you... intoxicating.. will have to update after a week or so, my only hopes are that this gets stronger!! otherwise it's quite nice already. [updated review Dec. 13 ‘25– a beautiful and sensual scent best enjoyed from a distance— afar. i feel like you don’t get the full experience by sticking your nose directly to where you applied it. the wafts coming off of it are far more beautiful than what’s there up close. it’s so… sexy, and i seldom have any scents i would really describe as such. it’s so warm and it winds around you so invitingly. the spices don’t really smell as they do in real life, rather, it’s like the idea of it. the idea of warm, luxurious spices entwined with a light and airy floral, although it doesn’t read as carnation to my nose. i wonder if that sweetness is mainly from the cassia? it’s not very cinnamon-y and it certainly is not in your face like holiday cinnamon is either. this really captures the dry sweetness of warm spices and a very romanticized idea of a lover’s skin scent. i feel as if this could be worn in any weather (hot or cold, as long as it isn’t humid) and i’d most certainly enjoy wearing this to bed. definitely another sleeper hit fave for me, exactly as snake oil was. if you find a popular BPAL fave as “meh” when you first get it, tuck it away into a dark corner for at least a week and revisit it then— it may very well bloom into love.]

frimp second hand from a destash so i don’t know how old it is unfortunately! but it arrived today. it’s surprisingly good! i didn’t know what to expect going into it as i don’t usually try these notes, but it’s a waxy vanilla candle and a hint of candle smoke. it’s not pungent like how real candle smoke is, rather it’s quite quiet and resides in the background letting the wax shine. there’s a bit of a sour note to it that fades in an out of the blend, although, i’m not entirely sure from what. i think that maybe after a week it’ll fade, so i’ll keep it and update my review then if it does change. 12/11: fascinating! the sour note has completely dissipated and instead a very noticeable smoke note has slinked out and taken its place. the smoke note is distinctly NOT bbq, and it’s another smoke note that i find quite lovely! BPAL is amazing at making me like notes i hadn’t before. loml (haha) is all sweet beeswax and lovely neutral smoke on me, it’s quite nice! i think it’s solidified to me that i like beeswax and specifically BPAL’s smoke note. (the smoke in here and in l’homme fut solitaire have been nothing but lovely) this will go perfectly with my “a yellow smell” hair gloss which is also waxy figgy goodness to me

gorgeous!! it arrived today, only an hour ago and i couldn’t resist giving it a sniff in the bottle. i concur with others in this thread that say it smells like aged snake oil!! there is no bite to fresh snoil in here, it’s incredibly smooth, edge softened by age. if you’re looking to dip your toes into snoil but want to skip the aging (and are comfortable with the HG price tag ofc) then this is beautiful and a perfect place to start!! i know the $45 can definitely be a hard pill to swallow but i’d say it’s worth it (to me at least) snoil is one of my absolute favorite scents, not just from BPAL, but in general. not to mention i love their hair gloss formula and it’ll last me quite a while too! (plus my mom loves snake oil as well!) i am so looking forward to layering the HG and the aged snoil in my little imp post shower tonight!

(forgot to review this one before i destashed it whoopsies) but as others have said it's recognizably milk chocolate and almonds. there was also the stickiness of nougat brittle that sticks to your teeth and you try and pry loose with your tongue. it's a fun scent, but it's very ephemeral on me. the sweetness only lasted at most, like half an hour? before it leaves behind the just almond. i didn't like the sharp turn into a sad, deflated candy bar the day after halloween, and neither did my brother when i asked for his thoughts on it.

(i got this as an empty sniffie) it's what it says on the tin, BPAL's lovely lilac and blackberry. it's a 50/50 mix to my nose. the blackberry is not fruity and in your face, it's not summery. i guess it's more like an autumnal blackberry? if that makes sense? (it's exactly like what vexelite said) i'd love to get my hands on a partial but it's not a high priority to me.

this one is mail fresh for me, so i won't judge it decisively as of right now it's very wool heavy on me, at least it's what i can detect the most. it's very similar to the wool note in "a girl knitting" if you've tried that before, but it's no where near a laundry scent like AGK is. underneath the woolen sweater, there's the oatmeal, but it's not fully foodie nor gourmand. and actually, despite the... tame (i suppose), notes in the description there's quite a lot of projection in this one. it makes itself very well known but it isn't too overwhelming when worn. but besides the wool and the oatmeal, all the other notes blend together, indistinct from each other currently. this one is quite unique in my small collection, i can't wait to see what some more rest does for this little gem. this one has lasted quite a while, applied it at 9 am right when it arrived and it's still going strong at 4 pm. the wool note has dissipated a lot and instead more of that foodie goodness comes out. it's delightfully cozy, and it certainly brings to mind a vanilla laced oatmeal cookie, with your hand underneath to catch all the little crumbs. the initial sweetness has waned significantly and i really love it, so glad i picked up a bottle! could very well be a nightcap scent, though, it might linger a little too long into the next morning for that..

got this beauty secondhand in a destash, and it's apparently from 2024. and i am so glad i have this in my collection! i can see myself wearing this day after day, it's perfect for anytime and anywhere. on me it's all vanilla and moonflower, there's just a tiny wisp of the tobacco but only at the tail end of the scent. i can smell more of the tobacco with the remnants of zorya p on my fingers after i've applied it, it's underneath all that gossamer and silky vanilla and moonflower. i don't smell the ambergris which is a bit of a shame as i love the lab's ambergris, but this is so lovely on it's own already. whatever praise that's been said before about ms. zorya p all rings true, i wish they'd bring it back under another name!!

just got a little decant of it secondhand from a destash, so it's fresh out of the mail (will update after a week or so) but right now it just smells like a less sour pearl necklace??? which i find very odd, it's not bad but it's not what i was expecting. it's not very lactonic to my nose right now. maybe that's a good thing because i'm undecided on how i feel about milky scents. 11/15 i ended up giving it away as a freebie. it stayed as a pearl necklace dupe, it's alright, but it's gone off to a better home.

[got this secondhand in a swap, from the original release, and it's just arrived today. if the scent changes a lot with additional rest then i will update] mmhm, cowboy leather. this is not stark, shiny black leather, this is worn in, comfortable brown cowboy leather. there was a very slight hint of something akin to rootbeer on first sniff (characteristic of the caramel within these batty blends, as i've experienced this with batty lace as well) but that quickly dissipates. this is a leathered up cowboy snake right here. i can smell that distinctive SO underneath all that leather, as if wrapped up within a cozy leather jacket. this is a very masc snake which is right up my alley (speaking as a transman) but it's not ridiculously over the top masc like with the usual men's self care products ie. black ice and other similar scents. love love love it, gender expression perfection to me. leather haters, please steer clear from this one. 11/16 hmmm... has completely turned into a leather solinote on me, it's quite disappointing that the leather has completely booted any semblance of snoil from the blend. i'm not very happy with it now. it's definitely been added to my destash.