lilacea

This was recently included as a frimp for me from Coffeewithjack. I proabaly wouldn't have tried it otherwise, the mention of cherry and anise together didn't sound right with me. But, oh my, it's devine! Immediately when I sniffed the imp, I picked up red musk and cherry, quite a nice combination. I'm slowly developing a liking for red fruits, and cherry is becoming more of an interesting note on my skin. On first application, the cherry is strong, red, voluptuous, gleaming, swollen, deep red cherry, fruity and very, very sweet. It's like a glacé cherry or a cherry liqueur. It pretty much out-plays the red musk even at this point. But once it begins to dry down, the cherry settles. It still retains it's deep quality and adds just a little sweetness to the blend. The star anise isn't too strong at all, but I did pick it up before looking at the notes. I think it plays well off the sweetness and high pitched density of the red musk and cherry, lending it an earthier, more balanced tone. As it wears, it becomes sweet grounded red musk. I love it. If you like Gothabilly but find it hard to come by, grab some Kabuki. It lacks the vanilla note of Gothabilly, but I imagine layering it with a creamy vanilla heavy blend may bring out an interesting scent.

This certainly is O with carnation. I'm having a hard time making a conection with it to the O I know, as I amp carnation so much. There's honey and a touch of dusty amber, but the carnation is at the forefront here. I'm getting a slightly creamy vanilla note too. It is however a lighter carnation, not super spicy like some can be, and I think this is because it is in combination of such smooth flowing notes that keep it in check. I'm also picking up the lightest hints of tea. It's a light, clear floral honey blend, not at all heavy, but I am glad that carnation didn't make it into the final product as I am not a big fan.

I had high hopes for this. The description sounded divine, like the most intense, sexy, come hither red musk perfume. Unfortunately there's something in this that smells like pee. I highly suspect there is jasmine in this, or another very simliar sickly floral. I'm guessing the honey is also one that turns sickly on my skin, I seem to do well with honey most of the time, yet sometimes I just hit one that really doesn't agree. It's a really light, yellow honey in here. I'm not getting much of the red musk at the forefront. It's certainly not that warm, heavy, voluptous red musk I was expecting, and it's certainly not the dominate note on my skin. I think the other notes are just squashing it. There's an acrid plastic note at the very bottom too which just doesn't help matters. It does however have a pleasant sweetness, and a delicate whisper of spice. Perhaps on the right skin thnis would be lovely, but on me, it's just too light on the red musk and too heavy on the other elements that don't play well with my skin.

I can see why this became so sought after for a while there, it's good! As expected, it's easily identifiable patchouli and vanilla. First up the patchouli is potent, but it's a great patchouli, like one that is softened and smoothed by age. The vanilla helps to further smooth it out also. Drying down, the vanilla becomes richer and a little more noticeable as the patchouli settles somewhat. It's thick, creamy vanilla, which pleases me a lot. It's certainly a patchouli dominant blend though. As for the hemp note, it's not something I immediately read as hemp, it just adds a bit of a woodier element to the patchouli. It's more like a hemp seed than hemp leaves or the like. Just a note though, it still comes across as quite a hippy fragrance, I mean it's hemp and patchouli, how could it not be? But it's still fun and a great patchouli centric fragrance for those who adore patchouli. Damn it, the boy just came home while I was writing this, bent down to give me a kiss, then proclaimed "you smell like weed?" . Hhhm, so... ummm... maybe keep that in mind when you're wearing this.

Got a response from Bill, apparently our order was affected with several back orders, but he didn't say what specifically. He let me know it was all packed and ready to go, and would go out later that arvo. No CnS yet, but Bill's word is enough to set my mind at ease. So hopefully stuff is moving now.

I placed a large group order just a few days after that date and haven't heard anything yet re:CnS or anything being on back order (the last item listed for backorder on the forum is FRM). I feel bad because I've got a bunch of people wondering what's going on, and for a few it's their first experience with ordering from BPAL (I did explain that it is the busiest time of the year for the lab and it does usually take some time for large weenie orders to go out, so they're aware it can take a while, but I think a lot of people are looking at the 21 day TAT mark and getting anxious that we haven't got CnS yet). I sent off an email today (while I remembered to do it), so I hope to hear back in the next couple of days. If I find out there's something on backorder, I'll try to remember to post about it.

If you loved Black Pearl, try out Misericordia from the VILFs. It's more complex than BP, but it has a very similar resonance.

Zephyr has a similar feel to Queen Mab, but it's on the muskier side I find, albeit a very light musk.

Floral blossom cotton candy. Oh yeah, there's a touch of soft, billowy, powdery blossom in here on top of the sugary sugar. Like a super soft lemon blossom, or a really clean, light orange blossom. More so in the wet stages, drying it becomes more like spun cotton candy, but while wet it's more super rich sweet sugar. The more I sniff the more I'm convinced this has light orange blossom in it, and very possibly a touch of amber grounding it. There's most certainly vanilla in hear as I'm getting that slight plastic edge. Delightfully done, syrupy sweet and fluffy. Caveat: this is straight from the mail box (I could not resist), so I'll try again once it has had time to settle and see if there's anything new to note.

Thanks for the ongoing suggestions guys! I think Midnight Kiss is definitely one to retry. Sunshinedaisybliss- Black Temple Burlesque is already a favourite, black musk is really amazing with my skin. BB2 and BB3 I've never heard of, so I'll go look at some reviews and perhaps try to track some down if it doesn't look too hard to do. Cerberus will definitely go on to the wishlist and I'll endeavour to find some to try. I did re-test Pom IV just after I wrote that last entry, and it wasn't quite as bad as it was on its first application. I made sure I gave the decant a really good shake (I know, I shake my heavy cocoa absolute blends. Naughty me) and it was still quite tart, but I'm hoping perhaps with time it might get a little better. I don't think the thyme is helping matters at all with the tartness, adding a terpene herby quality which isn't bringing out its best. Again, aging might change it, or so I hope. Hilary- thanks for the Infernal Lover/Black Temple layering suggestion! I will certainly give it a try, sounds scrumptious considering I love the two individually (I'm sooo planning on at least two more Infernal Lover's as back ups before the weenies go). I was also thinking of Infernal Lover with Bliss too, that might be interesting. It's going to be a very versatile blend for layering, that's for sure. Marared- already a favourite, natch. So good. Thanks for suggesting it. Trisj- I was looking at that one, but the mandarin scares me. Reviews mention it's pretty strong. It sounds near perfect otherwise. Thank you for your thought's on it. Poenari- I do recall having tried that one previously, but I don't take note's or anything, so I really don't remember my impressions of it. but I will certainly hunt it out again as it sounds lovely. It may do to age it before making my final verdict on it too, so thanks for letting me know that it ages so nicely. Dang, now to go hunt down a decant of Midnight Kiss.

Thanks for your replies so far. LOL, just so happens I've tried all those and hadn't realised that they have that combo. Pom IV is utter fail on me, you can't imagine how bad it is. I took a chance on it as it has so many awesome notes listed, but pomegranate is such a fickle thing on my skin. Too much pom in something and it turns horribly rancid and sour. I might give it some time though and try again. Midnight Kiss I had a very long time ago (well, when it came out). I remember disliking it immensely back then because it was too girly sweet on me. But I also disliked Smut and Mme Moriarty at the time too (a pom containing blend that does work), for being way too potent and strong, but I adore those type of things now. Aging may have given it a previously unseen depth too. Countess Willie is an awesome suggestion as I already adore her. Not as heavy on the red musk and chocolate as I'm after, but she's dead sexy.

Can anyone suggest anything that may have red musk and cocoa/chocolate in the one scent? Or perhaps something with a similar sort of feel, or something that reminds you of the two? Any type of cocoa/chocolate will do. Thanks.

This is AWESOME. I knew from the description it would be nice, but dear, this is just damn lovely. It's deliciously simple. First up, yup, red musk, wasn't expecting anything else. But it's not such an intense red musk as I was expecting after reading earlier reviews. It's softer on the "red" part than I was expecting, far more emphasis on the basic musk itself than the element that makes it red musk. But don't confuse that with it not being definitively red musk, because it is so very musky! I also pick up a touch of anise like spice initially, although this is probably the safron that my uneducated nose is picking up. Any hint of that anise quality disappears immediately once the oil hits my skin. It's soft, interesting spice. As this wears, it's musky, of course it's so very musky. Very lusty and ripe. And then the honey shows. It's an interesting honey used here, a light nectar like honey which teams beautifully with the softness of the safron spice. As time goes on, this melds with my skin to create a full, passionate sweet musk. I'd also go as far as to guess a tiny of drop of patchouli has been used here, it's got that lovely earthy quality, just a touch. This is going to age so well, I can only imagine what this will be like in a years time. Stock up, I think this may be something that will be very sought after once age has played its part. If you're a fan of blends such as Schezerade, Smut, Womb Furie, Mme Moriarty, Snake Oil, Snake Charmer, give this a try.

I've never experienced real snow in my life before, so I have no basis for comparison for Beth's interpretation, though I have tried quite a few of her perfumes with snow notes and I do enjoy them and their delicate feel. This is that same lovely smell in its simplest form. Just as you would expect a snow flake to be, it's light and airy, soft and delicate. It gets its coolness from mint, a really soft subtle mint, like corn mint. The mint is evident as one of the first distinguishable notes, but it's not strong or overwhelming at all, or even defining. It's subtle enough to allow the other notes to be smelled around it pretty much straight away. It doesn't hang around long as a top note, yet the blend still manages to remain cool throughout. Vanilla plays the foundation here, a light, pale vanilla, perfectly suited to the lightness of everything else used here. I'm also picking up a touch of sweet chamomile, very delicate. Maybe even a drop of cucumber. It's as if every note used was just gently traced through clean cool air, just enough to leave behind the impression of that scent. It's very sheer. It's hard to pin down exactly what it is that makes this so lovely. It has coolness, and soft ethereal sweetness. It's delicate and delightful, wears close to the skin. It's clean and unobtrusive. I think its beauty lies in its simplicity and softness.

Usually my reviews are a little longer than this, but I just can't do it for this one. It smells like the 80s.

When this first came out I bought a bottle straight from the lab unsniffed, the notes sounded perfect in every way. Once it arrived at my house with the rest of the Lupers, I took one sniff of this in the bottle, recoiled in horror and vowed not to even put it on my skin, it just smelled that wrong to me. So off to the sales pile it went. Weeks go by, the Lupers go down, someone buys the bottle, and while screwing the lid on firmly and taping it up for its journey through the post, I got a little oil on my fingers. I can tell you that was a very happy accident. It was only after I'd packed it up that I began to smell this lovely scent wafting about and was wondering what it was and where it was coming from. When I finally realised it was the Melainis, I was a bit miffed, of course, as I'd just packed up my bottle to send off to its new owner, but I vowed to track down another bottle to properly test it and definitely confirm one way or another that it was indeed the little smear of that oil that smelled so delicious. Fortunately, I managed to nab a near full bottle on the forums, and when it arrived, I properly tested it, the way I should have done the first time around. It is gorgeous on my skin! All those notes are among my favourites, or at least play some sort of role in some of my most liked scents. As mentioned previously, while wet it is quite something, very strong and acrid, very bitter, a touch of potent currant, lots of sour labdanum, tobacco and lots of heavy darkness. But once it hits my skin, it does its thing. It's still strong, it's not a scent you wear when you want to feel quiet and unnoticed, it's definitely going to announce itself. But it mellows enough to become lovely, and the bitter notes blend with my chemistry and become rich and smokey and full. The currant makes this, without it I think it would just be too dark, but it gives it the slightest edge of sweetness, and the caramel helps that I think, though I really don't pick up what I'd think of as distinctly caramel, just sweetness. Black musk always does good things on my skin, going from boozy when wet to animal warm when settled. This is a sexy skin scent, full on, very sensual and strong. It screams vixen. This is the one scent that taught me to skin test every scent that I came across, even if I think it smells awful in the bottle, even if the notes don't sound like something I'd be into. It showed me just how much an individuals chemistry can affect how something will smell as they wear it, as opposed to just in the bottle, and for that I'm grateful. I've been able to discover other great loves since this revelation that I may not have even ventured to try previously. Lucifer specifically comes to mind, that just smelled like scary strong vetiver hell in the bottle, but it becomes something really lovely once on my skin, and I could have missed that if it wasn't for this.

I had been trying like mad to get my hands on this to test it, and Kittenmorag came to my rescue and gifted me with a tester, that darling girl . My first impression of the wet oil is definitely of BPAL's vintage musk note. I've not been able to pin down exactly what note it is it is that defines vintage musk, but it gives of the impression of a very faded floral, teak and musk perfume, quite musty. I almost get something like faded jasmine at the start, or this could be the sweetness from the opium (these notes aren't usually my thing, hence why I suck at telling them apart). This is for sure black musk, quite deep. Initially the scent is fairly musky, musty, a little powdery and a touch sweet. But once it blossoms on the skin, woooo, it does change a lot! It becomes very strong and compelling, and on my skin, very masculine. It smells like a heavy, dark mens cologne. It's definitely heavy on the resins and therefore very deep (in fact the oil itself is very thick and viscous in the vial, you can tell just by the consistency that there's some serious resin action going on here). I'm picking up the opium, amber, heady incense and resins mostly (I'm pretty sure we've got some sweet opoponax in there), and boy is this strong. There's possibly also a bit of tobacco in here too. As wear time goes on, the sweeter notes peek out a little more, but it is still strongly resinous and manly. This is one of those scents that has turned out very differently from what my perceptions of it initially were. From the description, I was imagining a relative of Mme Moriarty, a deep sexy femme fatale type scent. I was also hoping for more of an appearance of the plum, as I'm not really picking up much of that here. But this is far more masculine than I would ever have expected, although this may be just a skin chemistry issue. I get the feeling this will age stunningly though, and this may help to bring out some of the sweeter notes, or to smooth and mellow out the resins. I'm grateful I got a chance to try this before going into a potentially costly bottle purchase blind, as it is magnificently different to what I was expecting. It is lovely if you're after a deep sweet resinous scent, but not quite what I was hoping for.

First up, this is bright, clean, herbal gin, very similar to all the other gin notes I've come across from BPAL. But very quickly that "alcoholic" smell burns off and it warms up to be a spicy, woodsy juniper. It's insanely close to my skin, I have a feeling I would have to slather this immensely to enjoy it without having to huff up close to my wrists. I don't know if I'm imagining it or not, but there's something almost like vanilla, it's slightly creamy and sweet at the very base of it all. More likely it's probably a pale sweet resin like copal or benzoin. It's not spicy, at least not what I would immediately define as a spicy scent, it's just warmed up ever so slightly. I am only in the testing phase at the moment, so the long term wear may vary, but for now it's an almost green woodsy smell, with bright herbal top notes and slightly sweet warmth underneath. I imagine it would make for a pleasant summer perfume. Actually, I now take back what I wrote a few minutes ago about it being very close to my skin. It seems now that it has warmed it is pulling off a bit more throw. It may have just been the cold here. It's not a huge amount of throw, but I imagine it would be enough for me to at least enjoy the scent whilst I wear it and not have to slather.

I was really surprised to see the changes this went through upon wearing. Wet, yup, creamy but not heavy, heavy cream, and a bit of spasparilla. Nowhere near the tonne of sasparilla you'll get with SSS. It's lighter and softer than that. Then once it settles into the skin, it does something very interesting. It becomes surprisingly sexy and soft and perfumey. It's skin hugging and understated, which I quite enjoy. It has a really gentle spice and a sweet super pale floral vanilla aspect. It is quite delightful, and mis almost unisex. Not sure how often I would wear this though, one because I have such a teeny amount, and two, it's so soft and elegant, and most days I usually don't go for that. But I can certainly see the appeal of this and will be saving for those days I want to feel quiet and soft.

I quite like this! It's bright with a touch of smokiness. I get mostly juniper at the forefront while it is wet, a nice light herbal feeling. It is definitely unisex, and I find it quite appealing in it's brightness as it doesn't come from the more usual intensely bright notes, like strong citrus. It's subdued, and has a subtle rain undertone. As for the faded perfume aspect, I am not a big fan of florals and this is what I expected from the mention of "faded perfume". But it's not floral at all, it's more like a whisper of a honey lemon blossom perfume. The tobacco is a touch dry, but under the other notes, it plays well. I only really catch that dryness it if I sniff very closely to my skin.

There's certainly something minty here, but it is very subdued, kinda like pennyroyal. I get a blast of geranium or something similarly orange, and there's a touch of bergamot. Light bright and slightly woodsy, it's clean and refreshing.

Does anyone know if there had ever been a cognac single note?

For something that had the word dirt in the description, I was a little afraid. However, it is not the full on dirt note that often takes over, if infact it is that dirt note at all. It's more of a warm note than anything, like a good earthy patchouli. This has thick boozy cocoa absolute, evident by the lovely dark thick oil you can see when you put it on. It's not sweet cocoa, it's gorgeous and whole. For the rest of the listed notes, I was expecting a very heavy and hard scent, but this is not. It's a nice clean unobtrusive moss, slightly sweet grounding resins, and hints of wood. I was really expecting an acrid twist from the description of blistered woods and charred resins, but it's not a very smokey or burnt scent at all, I'd barely describe it as smokey. The tobacco gives it a smoothness and a lovely masculine skin scent, and as for coconut, I'm not picking up any. All in all, it is fairly low key, clean, smooth, masculine, wears close to the skin. It is quite lovely and dare I say, evocatively sexy, mainly I suspect from the usual voluptous notes of coaoa absolute, tobacco and the woods and resins. It doesn't last long though, and the throw is poor. It is nice, but is needs more oomph, and is nowhere near as full on as the scent description makes it out to be.

Hot chocolate, marshmallows, hazelnut and champagne truffles and a touch of sticky sweetness! This is a lovely dry cocoa, with creamy notes, making it more hot chocloate than just plain old cocoa. I'm also detecting a scrumptious hazelnut early on in the piece, like the centre of a good, thick, rich truffle; the kind that is smooth and heavy and sticks to the roof of your mouth. I do get a berry note here, it's not a big player, but because I amp sweet, I'm getting a sort of redish pink sticky sweet thing. It might even be the pink marshmallows alongside the white ones that I'm picking up and thinking of as berries. There's something a touch alcoholic here, just a little spike to counter the smooth hot choc, it's almost like a champagne truffle scent. Very yummy, not as cocoa heavy or as full bodied as I'd hoped, it's voluptuous from the sweetness, but lacks a little more filling out. Throw is fairly light, and to get that gorgeous hazelnut, I need to sniff right up close to my skin. I am really glad I got to try this, as it is a lovely blend.

Well duh, or course the last jelly bean left is a black one, I didn't even think of that until I got a whiff of this. Initially it smells fennel like, however upon settling into the skin, it seems much closer to anise, it's richer and deeper and not quite as green as fennel. However, it is quite light, which is what made me think of fennel initially. There's a definite sugar note, a sweet musky scent. With time, cinnamon spice comes out. It has that light fruity scent there too that you get from sweet glucose filled jelly beans, maybe even a touch of pear. But mostly it's a sweet and spicy, yet subdued and soft, anise. Quite comforting, and slightly cool smelling.