fairnymph

Deep golden oil with a slightly murky tinge to it. Lots and lots of benzaldehyde/almond extract ALMOND - a little foody and rich and it reminds me strongly of marzipan, but I don't get a much butter, thankfully - or that much sweetness. I get a hint of slightly smoky and musty dark myrrh faintly below , and a bit of musk, which I think might be black musk and therefore contributing much of the heavy sweetness - though as said, this is much less sweet and foody than the notes suggested.

Same, although a bit lighter overall on my skin - very much almondy marzipan, with maybe a tiny hint of buttery tonka now, but only very faintly and I could be imagining it - I'd never pick it out blind. Something...piney? Or citrusy? Or herbal? Yeah, totally weird, but I'm betting on some verbena, cause whatever it it is it reminds me of some type of cleaning product, and Pledge is my best guess, but it's light and overwhelmed by the almond so I can't be sure. The myrrh remains faint but is a tad more present, and rather ashy, like a stale ashtray. A bit more more musk, which I'm still thinking is most likely black musk, but again, like all the other secondary notes this is overwhelmed and indistinct due to the dominating almond.

Slow to dry, but changing significantly quite quickly nonetheless, with the almond fading, the verbena amping and the tonka too becoming more clear - sweet, buttery and cloying - really revolting combined with the verbena. The more strongly present ashy myrrh - by far the most ashy and smoky myrrh I've ever smelled in a BPAL blend - doesn't help, nor does the almost-foody, heavy and sweet black musk which is just too much on top of (or below, rather!) everything else, even though it's not a dominating note, being perhaps just a touch stronger than the myrrh.

This reminds me of another blend but I can't place it. The almond is turning more nutty and buttery as the benzaldehyde burns off rather quickly, and the throw of the blend is much lighter overall, too. The myrrh and musk are amping turning this blend into something quite different and much darker and heavier, increasingly more cloying. There may be two musk notes here, the strong sweet foody black musk but also something more exotic and sexy and actually nice, maybe Indian musk bc I get a vague association with Black Lace? I also get a slightly soapy herbal note I know but can't place, in addition to the verbena (which could be lemon balm/melissa, actually - it's nicer, much softer and less Pledgey than verbena nearly always is).

This blend merges into something quite seamless surprisingly quickly, though I can still pick out notes with minimal effort. Unfortunately it has just as quickly become a heavy, cloying and mildly nauseating blend - nutty almond that has truly turned buttery due to heavy tonka, light verbena (or possibly melissa) with a Pledgey edge, another soapy herb, and some intense, sweet and rich musk - one is nice, one is black and I don't like black musk generally overlaid with ashy myrrh. The soapy incensey musk thing reminds me a lot of fresh Black Lace, esp the recent version, mixed with tonka, verbena, and almond and some extra stale cigarette ash. Blech! Fortunately lower throw and it washes of readily.

Dark golden/light amber oil. Onycha, FYI, appears to be most likely a resin note according to wikipedia. Dark woods and resin, beneath a strong top layer of sharp rotting, heady florals (the narcissus which smells like that all the time to me lately, but stephanotis is another floral I find rather sharp and rotten smelling). A little bit of sickly sweetness and the ambergris is the heavy sort, musky too.

More floral, much more 'white floral' - I guess the stephanotis, but I suspect other florals too, something more piercing and traditional like gardenia - but still some sharp and rotten narcissus, though I'm actually GLAD to have the sharp white florals overpowering the nasty narcissus. This is also a lot 'fresher', more green and bright - partly from the florals, partly from the cypress which is less sharply woodsy and instead clean and refreshing now - that lovely evergreen with a citrus overtone. Overall this is less resiny and dark though there is still clearly depth, but the resins and ambergris seem to have nearly instantly blended and merged into a rather seamless base that's difficult to dissect. There's a bit of smoke, but not any more sweetness.

A bit slow to dry, with the florals amping heavily as it does. Definitely some gardenia, the sour, pungent sort that z_z describes as being like 'wet wool' (and I do sort of see that, though it's not what immediately springs to mind personally). It has taken over the blend as gardenia so often does, but the stephanotis (which has turned into quite a nice, fresh, green-white unisex floral) and the rotting, chemically sharp narcissus are just behind. The cypress I can still pick out fairly well and then the now-muskier, lighter and more pleasant ambergris - with the resins even softer and fainter - possibly I wouldn't even pick them out at all blind, at this point. This has really turned into an overwhelmingly floral blend, especially with the ninja gardenia action, which I did not expect.

This blend is both making me nauseated and giving me a headache (as some gardenias can), so it's off to the sink. Strong, bullying, sharp and sour gardenia just barely dominate rotten and sharp, plasticky narcissus, over a bit of poor, brutalized lovely bright but light stephanotis and clean woodsy cypress, with faint resins far in the distance that add a suggestion of darkness and do sweeten (cloyingly) over time, but never really become distinct let alone significant players in this blend, which if it weren't dreadful, I'd call unisex-to-feminine. VERY strong throw, and of course, impossible to remove.

Deep slightly brownish and maybe even olive-greenish golden oil. Intense, heavy, with a sour tinge from the rose - strikes me as the rose from the Empress and the Miller's Daughter and a lot of the older DC'ed blends - but stronger here than in any of those scents, barring maybe the Empress. The frankincense is similarly strong, a bit sickly sweet and heavily cloying and overall this blend is so pungent in the imp that I literally jerked my head back reflexively.

Even more sour and no less pungent overall. There is also a vegetal note, almost spicy, that reminds me of pimento here - I would not be surprised if it WERE actually an unlisted note in this blend. The frankincense is one of the smokiest types I've encountere, also very dark, woody and sweet - though not as sweet as some types, in combination with the other attributes I find its sweetness here particularly repulsive - I never like frankincense, but this one of the worst if not the worst I've encountered. I also get something that reminds me of the clove & fir combo in Red Rose - for some reason these blend strike me as quite similar, more so as this dries.

Not a morpher, although this does seem to mesh more overtime, it's still a very repulsive scent to me. Pungent, sour rose and, almost rotting, darkly, sickly-sweet and smoky woody frakincense - it's the worst sort of rose combined with the worst sort of incense and it is utter fail, though true from imp through all it stages. True FAIL. Strong throw, but fortunately it does fade a bit. Egads. This blend really drives home for me just how much I abhor frankincense.

Light golden oil.Sweet and creamy, a rich ivory sort of feel that's kept from being too rich by the brightness of the rose and the fresh, citrusy-piney tea note. I get a surprising amount of lovely vanilla, a bit of darker honeyed benzoin, surprisingly LITTLE creamy-sweet white coconut, softly white and only very faintly powdery orris. The rose note is there and doesn't smell like typical white rose to me (which is often sour and or soapy), but gentle and girly, and fortunately I get no frankincense at all!

Not much different, but the tea note amps and makes this blend seem less sweet overall and much fresher and lighter, which I enjoy. A little more rose, but still very soft and light and youthful - not a rose to overpower by any means. Sniffing more closely I get a bit more depth and heavier sweetness from the benzoin but it seems to meld with sweet, pure and creamy vanilla. The orris is a touch stronger but still behaving and not turning powdery on me - in fact, I LIKE the very subtle powdery edge it has. I really cannot pick out any coconut, and I have to struggle to pick out the frankincense, which isn't really distinct as such, but there is bit of darkness here with a smoky-sweet edge which must be due to it. I am very pleasantly surprised by this blend for many reasons!

Wow, my skin seriously ate this up. It does not appear to have morphed much, other than the orris amping and turning a tad more powdery - still pleasantly - the sweetness, rose & tea fading a bit and still not coconut or frankincense to be found, thank god - there is depth, but it is in no way something I would blindly attribute to frankincense or any dark resin. It's a pretty 'medium' weight scent, with the resins providing some depth, the tea and rose some brightness, and the sweet and creamy aspects round it all out and keeping it firmly middling. I am just testing Roses, Pearls and Diamonds on the other arm, which has a very similar note profile and they do smell very similar - but this is sweeter, less rosy, gentler and fainter and more a matte white feel. The tea presence, lack of musk and the faintness of the rose are what makes this scent noticeably distinct from RPD, though they are clearly still sisters.

Gradually, the orris seems to amp into the strongest and most distinct note, though it never goes truly powdery. I think I am beginning to rather LIKE orris! *shock* This has become a very well-blended and seamless scent, like its sister RPD, and so no other notes pop out overtly. But if I hunt for them, I can find a bit of of soft white rose, truly like baby buds and a unique rose note to my nose - really lovely, but woefully faint. More strongly I can pick out the vanilla tea, which has merged into a whole note, as opposed to the initial vanilla + tea. The tea has only a faint whisper of its initial crispness, and is a smoother, rounder note now that blends beautifully with the delicately sweet and creamy vanilla, backed up by a bit of faintly honeyed, softly sweet benzoin depth. Really sniffing hard I get a tiny, tiny bit of coconut but not enough to bother me, and still no frankincense. This is unique from any other blend I own, and I think I need a bottle. Low throw and rather fast to fade - definitely a slatherer.

Totally shocking how wonderful this turned out to be. I am utterly amazed! Yet again - why one should try EVERY blend.

Pale yellow oil. Sweet, warm, and spicy. It's almost foody, the way that it's sweet. Cinnamon strongest, then clove, a very sweet sort, and a kick of light white pepper in a more distant third place, strength-wise.

Cinnamon red hots! Not that overpowering (yet), but definitely exactly what this 90% smells like, candy note and all. But I do get a bit of now-sharp, sweet intense clove behind - it can't really compete with the cinnamon red hots, but it's still a strong note in its own right. The white pepper is more of a fresh slightly dusty brightness than a distinct note. This is overall much more pleasant than expected. However, it is making my skin burn and itch. :\

Dustier, I think the white pepper is actually amping, something it has never done before, so maybe this is a different note from the one in Tulzcha and the other blends I've tested? Also, I think there may be a smidgen of black pepper in this. The clove is a little stronger, definitely the sharp, bullying and unpleasant type that my skin amps crazily, but it's still overwhelmed substantially by the cinnamon red hots. The skin sensation has settle into a constant moderate itchy-burn.

This has finally completely dried, into 80% cinnamon red hots, 15% sharp, strong clove, and 5% pepper (likely a combo of both white and black). The clove is barely distinct without effort, and the last two note certainly aren't distinct with ANY amount of effort. Good to great throw, but I am off to the sink due to the burning - and since it doesn't wash off easily, I'd guess this would last a long time.

As expected, not remotely appealing.

Colourless clear oil. Sweet, fruity and lush red rose without any sharpness - like the red rose note in Rose Red 2005, and also a bit like tea rose - a very luxurious and elegant rose that's rich and round without being overwhelming, or having any hint of soap, powder or sourness. I do get some orris, truly pearlescent in feel - slightly-almost creamy but more shimmery - and the coconut is white and very faint, subtly sweet and barely apparent, mild and mostly just adds to the white, creamy effect - same note from Mme Lilith, Fortune Teller. There is a general feminine musky brightness that to me seems to include white musk and skin musk, and maybe more.

Rosier, but not by much - still well balanced as a scent overall without rose dominating, but the rose does blossom as most florals and especially roses do on my skin - it is more overtly floral and the other nuances in the bottle are fainter on my skin, although a definite fruity, fresh tart-sweet edge remains distinct. The coconut is much more distinct and gives this an almost tropical feel, as well as making the blend more creamy and white in feel - but not really sweeter - it is still not a very foody, sweet or rich coconut note, thankfully - since I'm not a fan of coconut in perfume. The orris is a touch stronger and also more floral, but otherwise unchanged - being a note I often have issues with (POWDER DOOM!), I am very pleased with its behaviour here. More musky, sexier - but the musks are even more blended on my skin and more difficult to dissect, though I still think white and skin musks are present. Much sexier, but still simply elegant, feminine, and expensive in vibe - wonderfully accurate conceptually!

Not much morphing, just more blending and melding - and this scent is very well-balanced and quite unified even in the bottle. But its well-rounded, seamless nature is perhaps one of its finest and most obvious attributes. Surprisingly, after a little while dry on my skin the rose FADES - and I'd say it's now on par with the orris, which has amped a little but remains the same in quality - only vaguely powdery, more slightly creamy, soft, feminine and indeed pearlescent - it really does evoke pearls for me, quite strongly. The coconut which amped so abruptly and significantly on my skin while wet has faded back into its barely-noticeable state, as it was in the bottle, or perhaps fainted - I really think it's more of an invisible base note to contribute creamy, slightly sweet, rounded whiteness rather than a note that is meant to be distinct. Sadly, the musks have faded a little, and become so integrated into the scent that I don't find them as obviously sexy as they were earlier.

I like this scent best in the wet stage except for the strong coconut, although I admire the seamlessness of its later stages - I just prefer stronger rose and musk notes, although in the much later drydown the white musk makes a strong comeback. and actually dominates the blend in an unfortunate bullying manner, the way it did in Thoos. In the earlier stages this is on the fringe of the one the scent categories I go for, but the later dry stages are sadly & intolerably WHITE MUSK SN - I think it's a beautiful scent, but my skin chemistry just doesn't play nicely with the white musk here . A lusher, rosier, stronger, shimmery and intensely musky sister to White Rose. Decent throw that fades a bit at first then holds well. Absolutely feminine, and definitely upscale.

Skin, I hate you sometimes!

Bright golden-yellow oil. Floral, herbal, resiny. A little soapy, a little sweet - a bit of brightness from the heliotrope (which is also a little sour) and velvety spice from the carnation. Complex and unisex to feminine, with all the listed notes apparent.

Deeper, darker, more herbal and even more complex. A lot more of the angelica root, frankincense and chamomile, with the heliotrope still as strong and bright but sour as it was in the bottle. A little rooty, and sweeter, from the combined effects of the angelica and the frankincense, which is definitely the sweet, slightly smoky but still a dark and resiny type. A bit powdery and overall fairly sharp and jumbled and not really pleasant.

This has faded a lot, and I slathered fairly heavily - it's slightly powder, rooty, and herbal with a touch of floral soap. The heliotrope has softened into a more rounded, glowing note and lost its sour tinge, and the white carnation remains distinct, but more velvety than spicy with a bit of a green edge. The frankincense, chamomile and especially angelica have amped the most are the strongest notes in the dry stage, with heliotrope and carnation not dominated, but definitely in a close second place. This has a very white feel, a bit shining - I suppose that's conceptually accurate, a feeling of purity which is something I associate strongly with truth.

I don't dislike this blend - well, I almost do in the early stages when it's sour and a bit chaotic - but this blend has nothing I really like, either, and doesn't fit the sort of feel that I go for in perfumes, or wow me in any particular way - it's not generic, I just find it uninteresting and personally unappealing, but I think it fits the concept well, and in the end it coalesces into a well-balanced blend that's unisex to feminine. Slightly powdery and floral, but mostly slightly sharply herbal and rooty, as well as 'white' feeling with lots of velvety texture and a bit of golden heliotrope glow. Moderate throw, and good longevity after the initial fading.

Pale yellow oil. Very foody; sweet, rich, creamy buttery - almost painfully cloying and heavy in its foodiness. I can't pick out bread or tea, just LOTS of buttery tonka, some cream, and lots white granulated sugar.

Much more complex on my skin, with less overwhelming butteriness. I get the tea now, which is almost minty? Also with a citrusy/lemon overtone - I think this is Earl Grey tea bc I get a bit of bergamot.t It definitely has an herbal aspect to it, and some tannic astringency - I wouldn't call this a weak tea note. It recalls the tea note in Manhattan, Men Ringing Bells, Severin, Famine, White Rabbit...it's not a tea note that I enjoy, alas - it has a chemical harshness to it. It's like overbrewed poor quality tea extractvand sort of artificial - the vanillin of tea absolutes. :X Although, at least it's prevent the tonka from dominating completely! I do love the purity of the white sugar, and the soft cream note - also very pure and white, almost 'clean' - reminds me of the note in Schlafende Baigneuse.

This oil dries rapidly on my skin, and appears to be causing my skin to itch and burn, but maybe because it's irritated from trying an oil in that same spot a day or so ago, even though it didn't cause any redness or seem to have a permanent effect once I washed the offending oil off. I have yet to get any bread from this. Still lots of tea, amping on me as it did in those other blends I mentioned, and just really sharp and chemical and in combination with the cloying buttery tonka, ugh. For some reason this tea note reminds me of De Sade style leather, or more likely I associate it with that note because it's combined with it in Severin and Manhattan...and with the tonka here, for some reason this blend reminds me of CC: Female - that heavy tonka/leather combo. An the black tea and tonka combo reminds me a lot of Men Ringing Bells - that is perhaps the most similar blend, though this is sweeter and much less green.

In short, I love the soft, pure, feminine and very realistic white sugar and cream notes, but they are very faint and totally overwhelmed by butter tonka and sharp, lemony-minty harsh and toilet-cleanerish black tea. The bread is nowhere to be found at any stage. This has very strong throw at first but despite reapplying and slathering both applications, my skin eats this blend up rapidly. The burning and itching persisted till I washed it off, then it was gone along with most of the scent.

Light golden oil. Super foody, buttery, rich, sweet & cloying TONKA, followed by jammy black currant and faint whisper of roses. This makes Eat Me look not foody at all, that's how buttery and tonka-heavy this scent is!

Much better; lighter overall (it was scary potent in the imp) and more balanced; a lot more rose especially on my skin, but more blackcurrant, too. The tonka has morphed from straight TONKA-BUTTER to a more complex foody note that approaches actual pastry, this is sweeter on my skin, but in a more realistically foody way, as opposed to the fake over-the-top smell in the imp. Still far too foody and rich for my tastes.

Thanks to my skin's predictable tendency to amp florals generally and rose particularly, this is becoming nicer and nicer over time. The roses really do smell slightly crushed to me, somewhere between fresh, lush, almost fruity red roses and dried, crumbled almost powdery roses from a saved bouquet - very evocative. The tonka has amazing, receded or been pushed to third place in this blend, and as noted earlier has morphed into a much more pleasant sugared-pastry type of note rather than the initial FAKE BUTTER & SUGAR SYRUP SN. The black currant is somewhere between wild, brambly berries on the bush and jam, so altogether this scent really does have a feel of tarts stolen hastily in a garden somewhere.

Not much morphing after a few hours; this settles solidly into lush red roses with a crumbly edge over wild black currant jam filled buttery, sugary pastry. It's definitely foody, but with enough rose to cut the richness, such that ends up being a very well balanced scent on my skin in the final drydown. Still too foody to for me, but conceptually perfect and well-crafted. Excellent throw and longevity, too.

Light amber coloured oil. Mostly sweet, fruity, juicy grape - it's a little FAKE GRAPE CANDY, but only a little. I get some earthy and herbal hints in the background, but nothing distinct, and no civet. Overall, though there is a wildness and an outdoorsy feel to this blend.

Much more complex, instantly. The juniper in particular jumps out, evergreeny and a little sharp, intensely woodsy and earthy, too - I always fine juniper to be the earthiest evergreen note. I get the oakmoss clearly now too, which is a lightly musk, lovely soft earthy note, too. And the sage, which truly IS sweet - perhaps the first sweet sage note I've ever smelled in a BPAL blend - but it's also a little dry and a little harshly sharp, adding a definite masculine edge. The grape has only a hint of candy left, though it's still strongly present - it's more like wild grapes, with vines and seeds and leaves and fruit all crushed and wafting into the air as a complex whole. I don't get the 'cat pee' thing from civet, but I do get a bit of 'wild musk' that reminds me most strongly of black musk, and a bit less strongly of the musk in Devil's Night - raw, primal, masculine and sweet.

Hmm, this goes sort of powdery on me, the way a lot of the older blends do - sort like there's an amber in here, but I'm betting it's black musk or black amber - it could also be the dryness of sage turning on my skin. The juniper in this fades rapidly to a very subdued background note, most unusual, and the grape has amped up and turned sweeter and more candyish again. While this is still a strange assortment of notes, it's coalescing more now into something relatively unified. It reminds me strongly of a blend I can't quite place - maybe Dephi? It also reminds me vaguely of Lady Macbeth, the Harvest Moon blend, Hunter Moon 2004 and Horreur Sympathique.

Final dry down is slighly powdery and candyish; sweet grape with a fair bit of dark, sweet musk (not at all unpleasant as some apparently find civet to bet) with light earthy and woodsy accents and a bit of dry herbal shaprness from the sage. It starts out kind of unisex, turns masculine for a while, and ends up feminine. Good throw but poor longevity - it fades quite rapidly on my skin.

Meh.

I guess my skin chemistry plays differently...but more likely, it's just fairnymph the weirdo who loves the light, fresh scents most BPALers find mediocre, boring, or worse. Fine, more for me, then!

This is surprisingly sweet, in a very light, delicate, and feminine way - the sweetness seems almost honeyed, like the nectar from flowers - or honeysuckle without the powderiness, or linden - I'm guessing that's the angel's trumpet at work. There's a bit of grassiness from the balsam and some smooth green-white fresh oude wood, really musky, deliciously earthy oakmoss. The white tea note is fantastic and seems be the brighter, slightly citrusy and piney, like real freshly picked tea leaves note that I recognise from the Fox-Woman and Embalming Fluid. It's still smooth, but it doesn't have that plasticky slickness that of the white tea note in Baobhan Sith, Manhattan, etc.

The olibanum (i.e. frankincense) is really light and I don't think I'd pick it out blind - this doesn't have an incensey or resinous feel, but I'm sure the note contributes to the depth of the blend and its sweetness. Speaking of which...this is becomings sweeter and sweeter on me! I think there MUST be some vanilla in here, bc it's definitely sweet (but not candyish, or cloying in the least) - it could be vanilla orchid, or vanilla musk - something delicate, very clean, white, and pure but still vanilla-sweet. Also a little sugary, like vanilla sugar used for baking europe. I think there is sugar cane in here, the same note from Itaso, sweet and almost aquatic in its refreshing, green-white but still lightly sugar way.

The sandalwood here is absolutely stunning - Beth has been sourcing some fabulous versions as of late - and this is definitely one of the sandalwood notes that's in Echo. Sweet, rich, very creamy and very musky and fabulously sexy. This scent is honestly unlike anything in the catalogue - there are shared notes I can pick out, but the overall feel and smell is incredibly unique, and I love how this starts out nice but builds and builds on my skin over time into a gorgeous masterpiece.

It's sweet, delicate flowers - the violet's very light and pure, with only the tiniest hint of powder that I can only pick out bc I know it's violet and I'm sniffing, hard - with subtle grassy greenery and smooth, fresh but gentle oude, musky oakmoss & intensely creamy, musky sandalwood which round out the blend, along with some form of vanilla & juicy sugar cane as the icing on the cake. The violet, oude, balsam, white tea and oakmoss make this feel cologney, while the other notes are sweetly sexy girliness - so it's a really lovely contrast and balance. It amps to have great throw and longevity, too!

Multiple bottleworthy. This is a scent I could wear at a business meeting, out on a date at an elegant restaurant, relaxing at home, working in the garden, grocery shopping, playing with my friends' kids...it's an utterly inoffensive scent that I imagine nearly anyone would enjoy and be drawn to - it has no sharp edges or excesses in any regard. It's perfectly balanced.

Deep golden, almost light amber coloured oil. Sweet, like baked goods - I can already smell the odd powdery mustiness that they often dry down to on my skin - spicy (in an almost savoury, perhaps curry-ish way), and some dusty-dry wood.

Similar, but with the odd addition of something sour, vinegary, a little bit like pickles? I'm pretty sure there is pimento in this, which often goes sour on my skin and smells spicy, pickley& savoury-vegetal-foody all at once. The sweetness reminds me of funnel cakes, a definite pastry note, with a caramel aspect too - this reminds me a fair bit of Red Lantern, actually. It's a brown sugary note too, possibly the one from Sugar Skull. The wood adds dryness and warmth and grounds this otherwise rather chaotic blend, but it's overwhelmed right now. I'm guessing something like red sandalwood, but there could also be multiple woods.There could also be a bit of cocoa here, bc the note combination is so strange it disorients my nose.

Slow to dry, but as it does a pleasantly fruity, maybe citrusy note emerges - a berry of sorts, perhaps? Maybe black currant or red currant, or both? I get a bit of an Eat Me feel with this blend overall. The pimento, or pimento-like note (I wouldn't BET it was pimento but it was what it most reminded me of freshly on my skin) is much lighter, less overwhelming and less sour. I am almost positive there is another savoury note, a culinary spice - cumin, to be precise. That I might bet on. It's a weird mix with the sweet caky caramel thing and the fruitiness and the pimento. Cumin is just always weird - and unpleasant - to me in perfume. It reminds me a bit of Miaiphonos bc of the Cumin and overall a bit of Khrysopelex too - certainly a masculine blend. I wish I could pick out more of the seemingly pleasant woods, but they're just smothered.

The final drydown is surprisingly well-blended for having so many strange notes you wouldn't think would mesh. Pleasingly, the woods amp up quite strongly in the end and perhaps they are what anchor and round out the blend so much. Definitely some red sandalwood, the same note from Morocco, smooth, warm and creamy without any harsh dryness and maybe a wood that's a little darker and more intense, mahagony perhaps? The odd sour/pickle note still nags away, but it's fainter, as is the curryish cumin. The mustiness I expected from the pastry that was so suggested in the bottle is barely apparent on actual drydown, and the currant(s) note(s) and something like a bit of mandarin, some sweet orange citrus, are holding well. In the end this is creamy warm woods and brown sugar-caramel pastry with tart berries and a bit of citrus, marred by a sour, pimento-pickle like note and a soft cumin. Moderate throw and good to great longevity; unisex.

Not for me, but an interesting experience!

I tested this blind on a whim when I received this as a lab frimp - thanks, lab!

It's very clean and fresh, a little cologney, almost aquatic with a faint but pleasant soapiness and a bit of mintiness no doubt due to the hyssop. But there is also a light bit of herbal sweetness that I suspect is due to basil, which for some reason smells - a bit citrusy, the lab's note at least = other perfumiere's basil, I don't know. It's not the sort of 'herbal' blend I imagined at all, and it doesn't smell particularly herbal in the bottle or on my skin. This doesn't feel purple at all on my skin, but a pale green-white, or like old glass that has that greenish tint, perhaps a piece found on the beach that's been worn to a matte finish but still has some translucence.

It's more like Squirting Cucumber than any other scent in the catalogue, and similar in feel, but this one is a bit more towards masculine, even though I'm quite enjoying it on my skin. Actually, there's some white, slightly heady but still Springlike floral - a really nice one that's a bit creamy, possibly my beloved daffodil bc I get a bit of a Kitsune-Tsuki association. It has rather suddenly emerged and quickly amps on my skin, making it firmly unisex, and actually much more towards feminine on my skin when dry. There could be a little crocus in here too, maybe purple crocus to be true to the note description. It's faintly herbal, cologney, aquatic & floral all at once and has that bright citrusy-basil kick , making it something unique enough to be bottleworthy. I'm glad I had the urge to test this so I can order a bottle (or two!) before the price hike!

Overall, this is one of those blends that could almost pass for traditional classic perfume, but has just a little twist that makes it that much better - the beauty of BPAL. It's much like Amsterdam, Squirting Cucumber, Prague, Danube and blends of that ilk. It also amps to have great throw and longevity! A surprise winner and another reason why one should always test every blend even if the notes don't sound appealing - bc very often, the notes have little or no relevance to the resulting smell.

Root beer coloured oil. Dark, intense, and complex. A little spicy, a bit incensey, but shockingly sweet in a really elegant, gourmand (almost but not quite foody) way. I'm pretty sure that's the tobacco absolute, a note that I find sweet and rich and utterly delicious, with tones of vanillic and chocolate. This note reminds me very much of the one in Black Temple Burlesque Troupe, and it leaps out of the bottle above all other notes.

Suddenly sour, and much more complex in a muddled way, with the tobacco no longer dominating remotely - thought it's still absolutely in play. I think the sourness is from the pimento, because I'm reminded of the sour phase of the Witch Queen - it's an unpleasant, vegetal and vinegary sour - like pickled peppers, appropriately. I also get a dill pickle note that may or may not be related to the pimento. I get great swathes of oppressive, smoky, bitter and musty-dusty myrrh - it and the pimento are the dominating notes now. I also get the unmistakable almost aquatic cedar-like mandrake (mandrake smells exactly like cedar if it were a clear viscous liquid, to me). I do get some pleasantly salty, dark green seaweed - dried kelp.

-wet, continued-

And while I can't pick out the moss, usually swampy moss (like Spanish moss) smells very musty, so it's probably blending with the myrrh. The black pepper is surprising light, and faintly dusty - the same note from Ronin? The clove, however, is one of the stronger notes on my skin - as usual - and is the sharp, intense kind that's a bit sickly sweet. I think it's softened a tad by the light but still clearly present opoponax, which is rather smooth and sweetly smoky-woody. There is something else sickly sweet here, too, and a little mentholic - red musk? And sassafras? Yeah, there is a lot going on here and it's very jumbled at this point.

Strong throw, this stuff, though I did slop on a bit more than intended. This continues to be overwhelmingly sour, and if anything, the pickle association has strengthened. The myrrh keeps pace with the dominating pimento, but the clove - and this is definitely the type my skin amps. The pepper is amped a bit too, though still dusty - again, as in Ronin, it's like that stale cheap packeted preground stuff. I'm getting the moss clearly now as its own musty greenery, though it's still merging mostly with the heavy myrrh. The kelp has amped and become saltier and beachier, but is not the least bit aquatic or soapy - a fantastic note, somewhat reminiscent of the seaweed in Cthulu in Love.

Final drydown is surprisingly nice, with the salty kelp-seaweed note and incense notes (dark, heavy, dusty myrhh and smoky-sweet woody opoponax) dominating. It's almost aquatic but not quite - if you like the idea of oceanics but can't do aquatics, this is definitely the scent for you - no soapiness at all here, not at any stage. The pepper holds well too, though it's unfortunately always stale and dusty, not that I ever like black pepper in perfume, while the clove too is strong, but has actually faded back from its place of amped up dominance- it's a little sharp, but mostly just woody-spicy and lightly sweet. Best of all, the sour pimento so strong at first is almost completely gone, just a bit of vegetal heat now. The mandrake has remained a constant light, dry warm woody note, while the spanish moss is no longer distinct - either gone, or merged with the mustiness of the myrrh. The tobacco absolute has regained some (but not all) of its former rich, almost foody, sweetly, woody, deep glory.

In short, this is a dark incensey & spicy blend with salty seaweed and rich, slightly sweet tobacco. Great throw and fantastic longevity, too.

Extremely pale, nearly colourless yellow oil. Surprisingly light, airy and misty, with a faint tinge of herbs - rosemary and marjoram and basil peek out a tiny bit if I sniff really hard - and a suggestion of darker depths which smell suspiciously like frankincense. This reminds me of a more herbal Dunwich. No fungus, thankfully, other than maybe a little dust.

Still light and ephemeral - otherworldy indeed - and with a substantial clean, rainy aquaticness on my skin, reminding me even more strongly of Dunwich, especially since the woods have emerged more clearly, and they really smell exactly like the woody notes in Dunwich, smooth and light but a little dry, and sort of reedy and papery - I get the image of reeds growing in a river quite strongly. The rain note has a mild sweetness I find it always does, and likewise this note always smells a little generic to me, like cheap rain-scented incense or other such products. I still don't find any fungus at all. I do get a tiny hint of sweet citrus (orange?) rind, very faintly. The air smells like just after it's rained and its still completely overcast with more rain to come.

This stuff has a lot of throw - even though it's light in feel and not potent in the bottle, it is on my skin and I seem to amp it, too. Now 20 minutes later it's calmed down a bit and morphed quite significantly into a light, sweet, hazy & dewy scent with some definite sweet citrus - it's not juicy, and it has a slight bitter edge so I'm guessing it's a rind of some sort, but it feels pink or orange to me - sweet orange seems most likely, but pink grapefruit is also possible, and there could be a blend, since at this point the scent has coalesced so seamlessly I struggle to pick out individual notes. I think I may be interpreting the basil note as citrus, upon further reflection and sniffing. There is a strange, slighty soapy tinge from the 'generic rain' note, which has mostly dissipated thankfully, and now mostly just keeps this blend feeling clean and light.

Something here I suppose is meant to be musty and represent fungus, but to my nose, it reminds me exactly of the light green, wet stone note from Julia Stone - or maybe like lichen on granite? This grey-green note, the only note that stands out clearly in this otherwise unified blend, is like an ancient, elemental ether-energy, as if it were itself an entity, surrounded by a softly-sweet, basil/citrus-infused and damply misty aura, contained in a smooth wooden box carved of something like white sandalwood and etched with a simple design without lifting the blade from the wood until the work was complete.

Beautifully crafted and something I'd love a partial bottle of to sniff and treasure.

Lots of dry, dusty wood - like being in an unfinished wood store or a woodworker's workshop - lots of sawdust in particular. I'm guessing the dry & dusty sort of sandalwood, a bit of cedar and oude. I also get a bit of a sort of grassy wood-pulp note, almost certainly one of the balsams from Ü. There is a slight sharp solvent smell, a little like paint thinner, acetone and gasoline with a slight chemical sweetness - this must be the shellack - it reminds me a lot of that note in Erik, and actually the dustiness of this scent further likens it to that blend. It's definitely masculine. The privet ( a green shrub used as hedging that has white blossoms) note is clear, too, and familiar - as a real life scent, but not as something I recall smelling in any perfume before - it's like fresh cut greenery, a little bitter and grassy, but there's a slight soft white floral overtone and a delicate, fresh airiness to it - very complex and lovely!

Sweeter, softer, and more cohesive with a burst of sweet, fresh floral privet (I assume) emerging after a few seconds on my skin. Much less sawdust, though there's still a dry and woody based with significant warmth, but the amped privet has a cooling effect. I think the sandalwood is red, I'm pretty sure about the oude (which is smooth and green and more distinct now, and reminds me exactly of Holiday Moon's oude note). The sap - I'm less sure about this, it could be part of the enhanced sweetness - but I think it's the same 'moon tree sap' note from the Enchanted Wood Florist. It's definitely sweet, and a little dewy and fruity, and very slightly green - Springlike and fresh. I get more grassiness now, I think from both the privet and the balsam. Much more complex on my skin and unisex to feminine - quite a sudden and dramatic, yet surprisingly not too disjointed morphing.

This is really lovely! It's becoming sweeter, more floral (though still in a delicate and Springlike fashion, no heady bullying florals like jasmine or gardenia, or even rose), almost honeyed. Could there perhaps be a touch of honeysuckle here? Or something that smells very much like true honeysuckle, sweet and fresh and dewy, but not at all like the lab's typical note which inevitably goes to slightly soapy powder on me. I also suspect linden and maybe a little plumeria - the florals a very clean and light, pale pinkish white in feel and remind me of Dirty - though the blend overall reminds me more of EWF with the greenery, though this scent is less green. I'm shocked by how much the wood has faded - it's still there, but much lighter and completely smooth, no rough edges, with barely any warmth or dryness left. The balsam has faded too, though the sort of papery wood-pulp aspect holds best, even if I have to hunt for it.

I don't think there is or was cedar, but I stand by sandalwood or some sort, most likely red as I mentioned above. I also still get the oude,. The sap actually smells sticky and I think is contributing to the significant increase in sweetness - it too has a honeyed aspect, and also a touch of resin - almost like white copal (not at all smoky at all, but very lightly piney, like white pine-ish).

The final drydown is very balanced, and in a way this comes full circle with the wood reasserting itself to balance the other notes. It's a sweet honeysuckle-like feminine floral with fresh greenery accented by some faintly grassy, paper balsam, balanced by a slightly piney and sticky-sweet sap note and a blend of smooth, slightly dry and warm woods that definitely include oude and a sandalwood. Similar to other blends, yet unique enough in its own right to be very much bottleworthy. I wish it were sweeter throughout rather than just in the brief period in the middle dry stage, but it's still lovely and the being less sweet, it's more unisex leaning to feminine. Good throw and excellent longevity.

Another winner amongst the new GCs!

This is definitely a baked goods, booze and fruit foody type scent with fruit and butter leaping out. I get quite a bit of plum (black plum), as well as a more jammy prune-plum note, tart grapey raisin (not at all fake like candy or cough syrup, and much subtler than those overpowering grape notes and a general mixture of sweet, christmassy dried fruits . There is a little bit of greasy richness which smells mostly like buttery tonka to me, but has a slick oiliness that really does suggest suet - either way the 'fat' here is the strongest note in the bottle. It hink this merges with the almost nutty, slightly creamy & custard grain porridge (frumenty). I also get quite a bit of sweet, golden-warm, boozy brandy - but it's not at all harsh, and tends more towards fruity and complex. A tiny hint of piney-evergreen holly that I probably wouldn't pick out blind is lightest of al, rather overwhelmed.

Smoother and more cohesive, with a lot more of the frumenty, and the brighter boozy aspects of the brandy nearly instantly gone, leaving rich golden fruity warmth. The frumenty is now richly creamy, but not in a cloying way, and still has a hint of nuttiness that all the BPAL grain notes do - there could be a little almond, the soft creamy sort from Snow White, not the benzaldehyde/almond extract sort. But it's almost like there's whole almonds that have been ground - I can smell the brown husk of the almond, the fruit has definitely taken a back step in a dramatic and sudden fashion, with really on the brandy's fruit distinct. This now has a very creamy, golden and creamy ivory hued-feel. Still very foody with plenty of fat, but it's better integrated with the other notes. This is a very warm, hearth/kitchen scent; like the scent in the air during the cooler half of pastries baking in the oven - I do believe that's a touch of the mince pie, particularly the crust, coming through.

As this dries, the furmenty fades a bit and the fruit amps back up, though the pie crust remains amped, and literally smells flaky - amazing! It's so flaky and realistically buttery it reminds me of homemade croissants baking - a smell I'll never forget. The black plum is still true and a little juicy but mostly deep and sort of plump and rounded - it reminds me a bit of Hellion, and Purple Phoenix - actually, the overall fruitiness at this stage reminds me a lot of the fruity melance of PP, and also a teensy bit of Black Heart - more sweetness now, a hint of almost floral powdery like the sweet pea in BH & the blossom in PP, a little bit of grape candy Pez - though this really does steer clear of the grape candy effect, and is much more realistic, tarter and deeper and subtler, like slightly dried grapes that aren't quite raisins, though there is more raisin tone now than there was initially.

This reminds me of a sort of cross between Joulumuori & The Witch's Repast - quite significantly in fact. The booziness and creamy-nutty porridge are very reminiscent of Joulumuori & the greasiness of the suet is DEFINITELY the same as in tWR. Beth has definitely branched out into a unique new sub-niche with these scents, of sort of rustic, warming, foody, intriguing and comforting effect. It's not my style, but I'm impressed by how well blended, balanced, and wearable these scents are while still being so incredible evocative and emotionally appealing. The late appearance of some golden baked apple and golden sultanas (golden raisins) only furthers this effect. In the end, I do think it's more like tWR, but there are still some significant notes shared with J. On me this has moderate throw and good-to-great lasting power.

Disclaimer: I am a great lover of honey, whether to eat or to wear, and I love all the various honey notes the lab uses. This blend has a 'BPAL feel', but this particular honey note smells new to me, unique relative to any other honey note used in other blends, and would thus probably be a great thing for those who don't do well with honey to try.

Opening the bottle, I'm hit by a bright waft of juicy pink grapefruit, a Springlike and softly sweet, gentle girlish floral, with a bit of slightly, very pleasantly bitter fresh greenery in the distance, and then all wrapped up in a golden, warm, and delicately sweet honey note. This scent feels angelic, divine, and fantastical - but in an attainable way, like lying on a perfect late Spring's day in a lush green meadow, soaking up the sun and inhaling the sweet, fresh air.

The initial wetness on my skin is shockingly tart-sweet, citrusy-fruity, juicy pink grapefruit and some delicate sweet floral, that upon closer inspection and comparison to absolute EO I have on hand, is absolutely, definitely, without a doubt linden. Those are my two favourite fruit and floral notes in perfume OF ALL TIME. And then there's honey, which is really just icing on the cake, or more accurately, a subtle glaze that allows the fruity and floral notes to shine, too.

Unfortunately, as is nearly always the case with citrus, the grapefruit fades my skin once this dries, and the linden even more so - this allows the honey to take centre stage without overly dominating. It's a very subtle, soft, and almost 'fluffy' sort of honey - it's most like white honey, but I find white honey is a bit brighter and fresher, almost a little astringent - this honey note is similar in that it's not syrupy, or boozy, or powdery and it's only lightly sweet and it's delicate. I'd almost say ephemeral - and the honey note itself might be - but this blend has mildly a grounded feel - sort of rustic, close to the earth, naturalist vibe. Something a nymph or an elf would wear.

Sniffing with great effort and all cerebral cylinders firing, I DO get a wisp of something that could be considered 'ashy' - but it's EXTREMELY faint and I'd bet that 90% of people wouldn't be able to pick it out at all. This vague hint of ash, combined with the honey, reminds of the Witch's Repast to a small degree, but this is a much simpler and more elegant blend. What is most surprising to me - and overall, I am very (pleasantly!) surprised by this blend since the short note list and presence of ash had me on edge - is the greenery. There is something clearly, definitely a little green and stemmy, perhaps a light dandelion note - it's not grassy, but it's almost verging that way. I don't get it until a while into the drydown when the other notes (all, but honey the least) have faded a bit to reveal it. I also get what I can only describe as a pollen scent - I think it's related to the 'greenness' I'm getting, or it merges with that note - either way, it's fantastic, intriguing and unique.

The evanescent qualities of the earlier stages solidify into a blend of golden honey wafting over greenery, with a very faint musky-earthy note (oakmoss?) and that hint of ceremonial, almost magical-feeling ash. There are faint wisps of the earlier fruity and floral notes if I huff and strain, but they burn off on my skin in less than half an hour, sadly. Still, the drydown is gorgeous and it's so warm and glowing that I almost suspect heliotrope - actually, I think it's very likely there IS some here, as that's a note that tends to sneak up on me. Also, I'm positive that one of the balsam notes from Ü is present here, though MUCH more faintly - as I get the same faintly papery, wood-pulpy grassiness. I liked it in Ü, and I like it here too, though it makes the blend firmly unisex.

A very interesting scent that morphs gradually but significantly on my skin. It is the simplest honey blend other than the SN, so I would value it for that alone, but this is definitely a bottle purchase; the versatility means I could wear it in my hair or a locket for one sort of effect or slather it on my skin for another. I think this blend would also layer very well with others because while in the end it's quite complex, it's a very unified scent that could be a good base for fruity or floral blends that need a bit more to round them out.

Beth, you've been producing some stunning blends lately!

Very pale yellow oil. Sweet, smooth, and spicy with a lot of resinous & woody depth. The tonka is more creamy and vanillic - the light sort - and not BUTTER SN, and the black sandalwood smells like a red sandalwood mixed with a little light vetiver. The nutmeg is surprisingly pleasant - not too strong, and the benzoin is a golden sweetness.

A little less sweet, more musk with definitely more sandalwood and overall deeper - more benzoin, too, though it's a resinous sort that's not as honey-sweet and benzoin often is on me. The tonka is heavy, but still not buttery or cloying - just rich, lightly sweet - it's the 'masculine' sort of tonka that reminds me of the note in Dee. The nutmeg is even less apparent on my skin, overwhelmed a bit by the amped notes. And while that vetiver tinge in the imp was a bit sharp, it's smooth and sexy and lightly cologney but still adds depth, on my skin. A much softer and more affable blend than I expected.

The final drydown is light, warm and faintly sweet - all warm sandalwood and golden, softly honeyed benzoin with a faint trace of vanillic tonka and woody but barely spicy nutmeg. My roommate think it smells like a bathroom (not like waste products, but like cleaning products or toilet paper), and I can sort of see that...maybe. Most it's a very soft skin-scent with low throw that fades rather rapidly. I find it unremarkable, but at least not viciously unpleasant like most of the other Ares blends.

Bright yellow oil. VETIVER like crazy, and it's the fathomlessly, dark, gritty, sooty, rooty and filthy and STRONG sort - the note I most feared in this blend, gah. Some black, rooty, soil-covered patchouli closely behind, and nary a hint of white pepper or grapefruit.

Okay, here comes a little grapefruit - and it's LOVELY! - juicy, bright, a little tart but more sweet - the same note from Croquet. Why oh why must it be tarnished by the dark evil notes of doom? I get a little kick from the white pepper, which is sort of 'peppy' and also bright, not too spicy, no heat or sharpness. But the VETIVER and PATCHOULI are still very much dominating this blend - though the patchouli has amped up to be on par with the vetiver, and the rooty aspect in particular has amped. I like certain vetiver and patchouli notes, but the two here are the absolute worst in their class, the types I abhor the most.

Dark, dirty, gritty Djinn-esesque vetiver and dirty, unpleasantly earthy, extremely rooty black patchouli smother a beautiful glimmer of sweet and juicy pink grapefruit with little dash of sassy white pepper. This scent would be like wearing a sheer, silk chiffon pink top perked up by darling little ruffles, in combination with grossly baggy, torn, stained, unwashed shit-brown polyester cargo pants, then rolling the poor girl in an open cesspool of sewage and mud. It's a fucking travesty.

Once again, grapefruit - and a lovely grapefruit that holds! - utterly overwhelmed, raped, beaten and brutalized by evil, filthy, nasty notes. I feel both violently angry and desperately devastated.

Slightly greenish/chartreuse pale oil. Shockingly perfumey - in a traditional, classic, department store sense. Loads of very ROSY rose geranium, very fresh and bright, but so floral I suspect there's actual true rose in here as well. There's a bit of slightly astringent-herbal, cologney, masculine tobacco, and some smooth light wood from the wenge - but thankfully, I don't get a whisper of the myrrh! Also, this is much sweeter than I anticipated.

Instantly more complex on my skin, with the tobacco and wenge wood amping significantly; it also goes a bit soapy from some mysterious source, as none of the listed notes turn soapy on my skin. It could very well be the 'actual' rose I suspected, or another floral or typical cologne component, since this smells so traditional. But definitely deeper and richer on my skin, while also being more cologney and obviously masculine. I get more greenery from the geranium, which is lovely, fresh and bright, and the tobacco is definitely the herbal, leafy sort - not the more gourmand absolute. Unfortunately the myrrh emerges quickly and adds a significantly dusty, musty, old stale incense aspect totally at odds with the rest of the blend.

Slow to dry, but becoming soapier and soapier as it does. Why, why, WHY are all the blends with geranium of any sort always paired with such horrible notes? It's such an underused note, and when Beth DOES use it, she pairs if with notes that are always dreadful. *whine* The actual rose note here has also gone sour, or something has - I'm reminded very much of the 'rose-infused amber' of the Miller's Daughter, or the rose note in the Empress - sour, soapy, musty, and overall unpleasant so much that I don't even consider it rose, personally. The tobacco has amped up a little bit and I think is adding slightly to the sourness, and has a dry herbal quality, almost like sage - this is not a tobacco note I like very much. The wenge is really nice - extremely smooth, in fact creamy, rich and little musky - unisexily sexy.

Final drydown is just intolerably soapy, from most likely some type of rose - and there's definitely that unpleasant sourness from the rose-amber note, the tobacco never smooths out but remains roughly, drily herbal and a little medicinal, and the dark, dusty myrrh amps and amps into a malicious black cloud. Only the geranium (lovely and green, but clashing terribly with the other notes) and the wenge, faintest of all, but so interesting, smooth and sexy - are at all appealing, but not nearly enough to redeem this dreadful blend. I agree with z_z's 'dryer sheets' assessment - EVIL dryer sheets with very strong throw and longevity, of course!

Off to sink. Yet another huge geranium disappointment. I honestly think Beth must hate geranium the vehement way I hate wisteria & pennyroyal and ruin it purposefully by making horrible blends with it.

Amber coloured oil. Sweet, warm, woody and spicy. It's exactly what you'd expect from the notes; I can smell each on the clearly, though the cedar is dominating - it's VERY warm and sauna-esque, but the saffron is just behind, spicy and a little sharp, but NOT weirdly mintergreeny as it can be. The black currant is the lightest, a bit herbal and masculine, but still obviously fruity.

STRONG - it was in the imp too, but it's not pulling any punches on my skin. The saffron amps up to overtake the cedar and now does take on that unfortunate mentholic wintergreen aspect - but it's also VERY spicy-hot, almost peppery - I strongly suspect another spice, something a bit green - coriander or cardamom almost definitely. I get much more of the black currant now too, and it's a very nice note - it's subtle, and very slightly medicinal in a good way - it reminds me of European black currant lozenges, of which I'm very fond, and also a little of the black currant note in Montresor.

This is coalescing well, with each note coming into balance such that none strongly dominates - the black currant has amped up and the saffron has softened to accomplish this. Still getting some wintergreen from the latter note, but it's less overt. The cedar here is not the typical dry, pencil-shavings & sawdust type - it does have a dryness to it, but it much more about warmth and it's much more aromatic - it's much like (or the same as) the note in Lovers in a Carp Steamer. It really packs an incredible amount of sensual heat! I think the other spice note here - the one that's peppery - is cardamom, because this blend is just SO warm and that's another note that when it's the peppery spicy-hot type, adds a lot of heat. It works really well here, too, enhancing the other notes.

This sweetens up on my skin over time, either due to unlisted notes, or the saffron and cardamom softening and evolving - and definitely in large part to the morphing of the black currant, which loses its medicinal edge and really becomes just like the note I love in Montresor - rich, dark, sweet fruit. The cedar backs off a bit but remains warm and rich with a dry edge, and a good backdrop for the calmed spices - almost no trace of wintergreen from the saffron, and only faint pepperiness from the cardamom. This is much nicer than I expect and evolves nicely on my skin into a warm, spicy, woody unisex scent with good throw and great longevity.

Still, I don't like warm or spicy in my perfume, so not for me. But cedar haters - this is worth trying, if you like this sort of blend.

Very pale yellow oil. Sweet, creamy and SPICY - lots of kick. I get lots of both cardamom and ginger, lots of very creamy milk chocolate, and lighter coconut and not really any rum at all - unless it's in the sweet, foody, rich sense - I don't get BOOZE.

Okay, more booze and more coconut - and this rum is definitely the sweetened and spiced Cap'n Morgan's type. But the milk chocolate and spices are still in command by a bit, with the spices amped a little to be at the very top - both the cardamom are so spicy-hot and strong I can't tell if one is dominating, and they also meld a little bit. This is definitely the 'powdery' dry spicy ginger from Shub and Gingerbread Poppet, and the cardamom is the intense, green-fresh but dry-woody and spicy-hot (very complex!) note from Lamia.

This dries rapidly on my skin - it appears to devour it. As this happens, the spices amp and become drier and woodier and almost dusty, but still very spicy-hot - and the sweetness fades. i barely get any coconut, but I still get a little dark boozy rum. The milk chocolate, though still somewhat creamy, is less so and has started to do that 'rancid nutty' thing that the lab's note does on my skin. I don't like *any* of the notes in this blend, but so far, it's not horrible. I'm not running for the sink.

Racid nutty milk chocolate fail taking over - in combo with the still very commanding spices, I'm finding it almost nauseating - and the coconut has amped up a bit more, only a little - but adds an extra layer of cloying richness to this already far too rich blend. I think most of the rum that remains is having a similar 'adding some buttery richness' effect. Still, I'm not yet horrified - but then it's been maybe half an hour.

This never goes as rancid or horrible as other milk chocolate blends do, and I'm amazed by the incredible amount of creaminess this blend retains - the coconut definitely supports that, but the MC is mostly providing the cream. The Shub-like spices are never enjoyable for me and I don't find they meld particularly well with the other notes here - this is NOT a seamless blend on my skin. It is however exactly what the notes suggest, without being as cloying sweet and richly foody as I feared. Good throw and great longevity.

Dark slightly reddish brown oil. Sweet, musk, and a little sharp - in a woody-green way. It reminds me of one of the Snakes. Definitely some red musk, and I think the sharp green note might be ho wood. But there is definite fruit here, too - maybe black plum? And some smoky, very dark and very smoky incense - maybe some vetiver, myrrh, frankincense, maybe some patchouli? There's a bit of a Mme Moriarity resemblance, too, but the strong green woody note makes this blend pretty unique.

A little softer and more - rounded. Things are blending together. There's a tartness here that I think is from the plum - actually, I am almost positive this is the same wild plum note from the Witch Queen - it's much stronger and more distinct on my skin, juicy-tart-sweet and sort of exotic. The ho wood, or whatever it is, has softened noticeably - it's smoother and drier. I also get a hint of spice now that I think is - coriander? And that could be what I initially interpreted as ho wood. Dry, spicy-hot, but with a bright green, sour-sharp top note at first that burns off into something still bright, but no longer sharp. The dark smoke and incense are just as strong or stronger, and i'm not great at picking out such notes, but there is definitely a little gritty vetiver, some musty-dusty blackened myrrh, and I think some black/smoked sandalwood, too. And I'm still betting on some frankincense and patchouli, though the latter is pretty light and well behaved and has an herbal tone - it's like the patchouli leaf in very well AGED MM.

This one dries rather slowly on my skin, as many of the red musk, incensey, and such type scents do. It really does remind me the most of the Witch Queen of all the scents I've sniffed because of that very unique wild plum note. The coriander has turned to dry, spicy-hot dust with no greenness remaining, and the dark, warm sandalwood note has amped up - it's pretty smooth and sexy, but too dark and warm for my tastes. The general 'vibe' of this blend and the slight floral tinge over a red musk base reminds me of Parker Lily, too. And I get a bit of Spawn of the She-Devil proto (have yet to try the released version) vibe. It's possible it's reminding me of one of the protos - NVPR4 - but without the smoky/dark/incensey base, and then it also reminds me a little of B.B3 but with way more complexity, darkness and depth and much less fruity-foodiness.

This is going sour again. I don't know what's giving that effect, either. I think possibly there is a sharp floral, one of those 'sophisticated' types, that's doing it - narcissus, maybe? NO!!!!! It's neroli, definitely, without a doubt. And it's only going a little soapy, mostly it's just sour and quite a bit sharp here and has made a huge dominating emergence, though I can still smell everything below. To me, this is definitely a feminine blend, but one for ladies who like their blends, dark, rich, red musky and incense-heavy. It's very... femme fatale. The final drydown on me is a tie between narcissus and wild plum, over an extremely well blended and heady, dark combination of red musk, the incense noted above, dark sandalwood and vetiver with a spicy-dry kick of freshly ground coriander to liven things up.

It's one of those blends that reminds me of a lot of other BPAL blends and is very 'clasically BPAL', yet at the same time, has enough unique facets to be very firmly its own blend, and not something one could substitute The Witch Queen or Mme Moriarty or a Snake Pit blend for. It has great throw and really fantastic longevity, too, and I expect it to be quite popular. But it's not for me.

This is a very delicate scent which vanished completely after less than an hour the first time I (lightly) applied it. Re-eapplying more heavily, it holds with moderate throw, though it retains an extremely ephemeral feel.

It's wispy white florals - with one that stands out most, and is a well-behaved traditional floral that I THINK is magnolia, but COULD be gardenia - but there is some sort of blend here. Though the scent feels simple and is completely unified and seamlessly blended, I can tell there are more notes than I can pick out.

On my skin, after it fully dries down a lot of sexy musk comes out. Skin musk and white musk. As said - a very 'white', but light, feminine blend. There could be a bit of white tea and a hint of fresh white ginger in here, too. Overall, this feels like a sheer silky veil or mist. It's lovely and evocative, innocent but a bit coy.