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Showing results for tags 'Yule 2015'.
Found 68 results
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Salt-tears and dew drops drizzling onto oudh-limned white gardenia. I smell nothing but what I assume to be Oudh. It's woody smelling and I guess salty? But basically I hate it. Such a bummer I don't get any gardenia it just smells like icky wood. My partner likes it for his hair so it's not a total loss but. I'm pretty bad at describing this I guess because it just smells very unpleasant to me will be able to capture the notes better if they get this !
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I don't usually write reviews, but there were none for this one, so I'll give it a try... ... to me this smells like beeswax-scented carpet, or like a slightly-sweet version of "new car smell." *EDITED* to add: I actually love beeswax and dust in BPAL scents, that's why I tried this initially... and was disappointed that it didn't smell much like either of those things on me. Skin chemistry is a funny thing, y'know!
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Favorite pastime: stealing crusty bits from used frying pans. It takes all kinds. Chunks of sweet carrots and dates mushed with nuts, topped with crumbles from a pie-like spelt and barley crust. Well, the forum won't let me post a new topic, so instead of making one to merge I'll just reply here! I can't believe no one has reviewed this yet, but here goes... In the bottle: Something vaguely sweet but not familiar enough to identify - my guess is this is the carrot note, because it reminds me of an unbearable sweet carrot soap I once made the mistake of buying. Behind that, there's a definite buttery "crust" peeking through. On skin: The sweetness disappears pretty quickly, sending the buttery crust note to the forefront. After some drydown, the sweetness comes back and balances with the crust. This definitely reminds me of something I've tried before...I think "Drink Me," perhaps?
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A sister’s grief: carrot seed and blue musk, grey with labdanum, bitter frankincense, champaca blossom, and salt. I'm a sucker for aquatics. I, however, have had terrible fortune with Carrot Seed blends. I don't know what it is (possibly a run-in with the carrot seed CO2 extract when I was a younger wolf). This is immediately salty-aquatic like Pool of Tears aquatic, with a swiftly apparent sweetness. I think possibly that's the blue musk with the top notes of laudanum (cistus). There is frankincense here and it's probably adding to the first sparkle. It's combining well with the wry twist of salty aquatic and giving it a bit of a complementary high smoke, incense note. I'm probably getting champaca, as an equally higher toned white-yellow floral note, as parts of me are going Khajuraho? What? And that's likely the influence of that note. I love Khajuraho, for its sultry-sweet over the top exotic note. I'm not getting too much carrot seed directly, although I'm sure with all these high notes, it's layering and helping to ground something here. The labdanum / cistus is also providing some depth and grounding. This scent is a very nice aquatic, slightly different from aquatics I have. It reads more light and top-note-ish, and I think because of less purely rich grounding notes, it burns off on me pretty fast. But, it seems light, inoffensive, very beautiful. I think extremely wearable for work.
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Rose roots reaching deep into soil thick with memories of eons of the dead. Rich, rich, loamy in the bottle. Definitely can get a bit of drier rose in the background, but this is a gritty, husky rose. These are dried, crushed rose petals. I feel like I've sunk my face into a pot of soil. Over a few moments, what's a bit odd is that the scent starts migrating towards... spicy? While the rose doesn't amp, I'm getting an odd, but very fitting and pleasant swirling smoke. It's not vetiver, but, it's quite... oh! Yeah, that's a nice, beautiful smoky cedarwood. Not cedar or pencil shavings, but like the good essential oil of cedarwood. Deeply rich, very grounding, quite rooty. I have a bottle of Himalayan Cedarwood (Deodara) and this is immediately pushing buttons for it. I may be nose hallucinating, but it lends this blend a very true woodsy depth that is frankly amazing. Is there a bit of a white patchouli in here as well? The rose plays quietly in the background, and on me never really has a diva moment (this is a good thing). I would classify this as environmental, still wearable but probably special circumstance. Over time the loam and soil note fades and this is a rose-kissed light golden woods blend. Starts heavy, ends on a nice thrummy middle note.
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Can the fire of the heart be extinguished in the flames of the funeral pile? Red sandalwood, black clove, fiery saffron, and honeyed amber. If the red sandalwood note in Crimson or Sinus Amoris is your happy place (as it is mine), you should try The Women's Song of Mourning! It's delectable here, and at least on me, makes this hair gloss smell like an early Lupercalia treat—red and sexy and decadent. The honeyed amber is married to the sandalwood very smoothly, and the clove and saffron are detectable but not overwhelming. I'm trying to write the review and I just want to huff my own hair...one of my favorite hair glosses of 2015, for sure!
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Amber and honey with golden peach, patchouli leaf, bergamot, and sweet vanilla. Gold of the Heart of that Holy Kiss is like a golden cloud! The amber, honey, and golden peach give this a sunshiney, warm feel, with the patch leaf, bergamot, and sweet vanilla grounding it. The peach is forward here, but it's nicely balanced with the amber so it doesn't overwhelm. I think this atmo would be wonderful to spray on a grey day, because it's super cheering and sunny. It's reminiscent of the lovely Golden Peach and Bergamot HG, and I think I'll be spraying the inside of a winter jacket with this beauty and pairing it with that HG soon.
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Favorite pastime: hiding in the rafters, ogling your smoked sausage. Eyes up here, mister! Sweaty pear and honey with leather, coconut meat, tonka bean, and castoreum accord. I went out of my comfort zone to try this. I’ve heard some negativity concerning castoreum but hadn’t tried it myself. But, having good luck with animalic notes I decided to give this a go. This is a really odd scent. I love it but it is odd. I’m gonna do my best to describe it. Okay, first, this one’s a morpher. WET: Starts out as VERY sweet, juicy pear. Underneath this is something bitter and unpleasant. For me, leather sometimes starts out bitter but maybe it’s the castoreum? Anyway, soon the bitterness dissipates. DRYDOWN: Coconut and a touch of Tonka come out and help to tamp down the sweetness. Way down at the base the leather is making itself known. Again, since this is my first time trying castoreum I can only guess that this is what is combining with leather. The leather smells animalistic and skanky. Also, there’s the faintest wisp of smokiness rising up. This scent still stays pretty sweet all the way through and the pear stays prominent. I asked my Mom to take a whiff and describe it. She said sweet, fruity, dirty, leathery, musky. I really dig this. Glad I took the chance but it’s definitely not for everyone.
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On my Yule "dream list" has been a pomander scent for a few years now. So I happily snatched up a bottle once the Yules came out...even if it was a rapidly disintegrating pomander. In the Bottle: Have you ever smelled a dried slice of orange? That is what this single note smells like in the bottle. Orange citrus but not wet, juicy, and sweet like a fresh orange. Wet: Still mostly orange citrus. Sort of like orange zest but a bit earthly too. That must be because it is disintegrating. I was hoping for a bit of clove but I'm not sure if it isn't there or needs some aging to bring it out. Drydown: Pretty much stays the same from beginning to end. Medium throw but it is a very gentle scent so the throw seems lower than it actually is. I thought it wasn't throwing much at all but my husband let me know that while soft he could clearly smell it while sitting several feet away from me. I like this a lot and can actually see me wearing it when I want a bit of something sunny in the winter without being too sweet. Or in the summer when I like a citrus smell but don't like to smell "sticky". I'll be interested to see if it gets even earthier as it ages.
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Wienerbrød and caramelized pecan with pearl sugar and soft cinnamon. OOH!! Got a bottle of this for my birthday!! In the bottle - foody lovers, get this if you haven't already!! I get a very yummy spiced pastry. Soft cinnamon is correct. On skin - this warms up to well...I get all the notes!! This has a medium throw on me. There is pastry and very light cinnamon. Those of you afraid of cinnamon, don't be....it is perfect! The pecans are very nice. I am not one for overly nutty scents, but this is the perfect maple-y pecan scent, but it is more gourmand than sweet. Dry down - stays the same.... this is a keeper for sure and I bet this will age wonderfully!!!! Edited to add that there is a hint of caramel..... oooh very glad I asked for this!
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Favorite pastime: licking spoons and ladles. Theres no accounting for taste. The scent of well-worn wooden utensils, lightly fondled, and a wisp of kitchen herbs. In the bottle: warm, wooden spoons. For real. The herb side of it is the sweet thyme-y basil-y type. Wet: Herbal-floral. I'm sure I can smell thyme, not sure what else is in there though. Dry: still mostly herbal but there is definitely something like a wooden spoon coming through. Amazing, really. I'm so glad I bought this! The label art is adorable and I can see me getting a lot of wear out of it.
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Favorite pastime: slamming doors. What a drama queen! Booming carnation, iced mint, white fir, and itchy patchouli loudly disrupting a dreamy bed of lavender. Yikes, first? Okay. Let's see. I made myself wait until Christmas before opening my blind-order bottles! In the bottle, I get spicy, spicy carnation. Whee. It definitely "booms," but it's got some freshness behind it to keep it from getting too dense—the fir, maybe, or some green carnation stems. Wet, I detect a spike of mint. It's almost like that lovely snow note that shows up in so many other yules—that'd be the fir and mint, I suppose—but it's quickly overpowered by the carnation. It’s quite unusual, and I’m excited. Drying, it rapidly becomes...ecclesiastical incense? Some blend of the carnation with the patchouli creates a heavy, dead-ringer for the kind of incense used in my Catholic church. I’m picturing fewer slamming doors, now, and more images of low, golden light and flickering candles and the gentle, reverent murmur of heads bowed in prayer. Dang, this was just last night, at Christmas vigil. I can't smell any mint or fir now. It does have fantastic throw—I'd daubed a bit on my arm to test it, and I still keep catching whiffs of it. I even pulled down my sleeves in attempts to muffle it a bit, but nope, still booming away, even through the fabric. My sister just asked me why I “smell like church.” Awww . I wanted to smell like a fierce little Icelandic holiday gnome! Verdict: It’s a beautiful blend, don't get me wrong, but I don't think this one's for me. I'll give it another shot, though, before I relegate my bottle to the sales pile. Church incense is lovely, but I just couldn’t wear it as a perfume. Now, soggy fireplace cinders, on the other hand…
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WHOA!! First sniff in the bottle...is a blast of....not sure what I am smelling!! Heavy... very nasal clearing! Could be something like camphor...not sure, but along those lines! On skin - Ok, it does settle into what smells like an almost burned down fire, but there is also something green?? I know that doesn't make sense, but there is something semi aquatic there.... very faint! Surprising low throw on me, but it is more masculine to me. Think this would be better on a guy.
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Always fun (and hard) to be first! In the bottle - Pretty sharp to my nose. Heavy bayberry!! Not getting any candle out of this yet. On skin - Ah, there it is... takes a second, but as it warms up, there is that fake candle!! It is amazing how Beth does it! This is really a fake bayberry candle!! As it drys down, it stays pretty sharp....bayberry ain't playing games here! This is exactly what it is.....Fake Bayberry Candle!! I don't think it will be for me, but wow....very fun to try this and amazed at how true to the name it is!!
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I got some single note Yules for Christmas and this one was the one I was most excited to try first! In the bottle - sweet, sweet cranberry!! I do get a very slight hint of something "garland-ish". Amazing. On skin - Ok, any cranberry lovers out there, this is a winner! I have tried other scents with cranberry in the list of notes, and something always made it off, but this is just a pure, sweet, and soft cranberry!! Not much of a garland I detect, but there is something there! Medium throw on me, but this is so lovely! Cranberry at it's best!!
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One little mistake upsets all our arrangements: sugarplums, red rose petals, and sweet red patchouli. For some reason, when I spray this, I get an awesome, blood-red painted rich music box, like made of mahogany, that has dried rose petals in it. The initial blast has a bit more of the fruit, but this mellows out into an extremely sexy, woodsy, voluptuous rose. It's super sexy. The red patchouli drips with a beautiful huskiness, and the rose petals don't overpower. It's still quite floral, though, so take that into account!
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A song of meagre comfort, lilting in the wind: orris root, white sandalwood, grey amber, and soft white chocolate. I really like this one! From the sprayer and spritzer it's a very buttery chocolate. I get actually a bit more milk chocolate, but not sure if it's because of the slight smoky sandalwood. I get a chocolatey violet, like a fine French confection. Sprayed in the air it definitely is a blast of foody, buttery vanilla-chocolate, with a dusty but violet/orris powderiness. I think there's definitely a bit of grounding from the sandalwood but by no means is it a very powerful woodsiness. The amber probably makes this glitter a bit, but I recall the grey amber being uber-smooth, and not terribly sweet. This reads as a slightly floral gourmand, in the violet-chocolate family. I kind of love it. Backups, plox.
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Be not sorrowful: snow-touched cherries dusted with sweet, spicy blooms. Origin: Straight from the Post Original Thoughts: Sweet, spicy blooms to me mean carnation. Snow can be good. I'm not sure about cherries, but thought it was worth a shot. In the Bottle: Very strongly cherry - it dances between cough-drop and candy. It's also definitely sweet and floral. The snow is just the faintest impression of cold. Applying: There's a blast of the almost-medicinal cherry as I'm applying it to wet hair. Drying: I can't think of any other way to describe it, but it's like the snow note greys out the cherry, muting it a lot. I know that doesn't sound appealing, but it's not a bad thing. And pretty quickly the carnation takes hold. Wearing: The end result for me is a carnation HG with a tinge of cherry that is no longer so sweet that it's cloying or medicinal. Not as powerful a throw as some other HGs I've used. Verdict: Based on the sniff from the bottle, I'd suggest cherry-lovers consider grabbing this one. ETA: If you love cherry and carnation, definitely check this out.
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The daydreams of flowers: honey and nectar gleaming like dew on delicate petals. Origin: Straight from the Post Initial Thoughts: I have discovered in the last couple of years that floral and sweet are frequently a winning combo for me. As long as the delicate petals aren't rose or violet, this should be good. In the Bottle: Heady honey on a bed of pale springlike florals. On my Skin: Airier and more balanced between the sweet and the floral. I can't identify any one floral other than there's almost certainly no rose or violet to go skanky. None of the florals are going high or sharp on me, so I suspect that there's no jasmine or lily either, but I could be wrong. Verdict: A lovely soft floral, one I feel confident I could use in the shower before work. Glad I bought it.
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Plutonium-silver iridescent chunky glitter. Origin: Straight from the Post Initial Thoughts: I loved Pumpkin Spice Everything from the Weenies with its explosion of glitter. I have bought other silvery glitter-laden polishes on a regular basis. This was a no-brainer. In the bottle: Colorful Christmas lights against the ice and snow. One coat: A more glittery effect than the Crimson Peak Socialite but it has that nice layer of sparkle over one's nail. Two coats: Full coverage and glitter everywhere! It is a very rough surface - I recommend a top coat to smooth it over. Verdict: Definitely buying more of this before Yules go away.
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Held on December 5th, this is the festival of the Horned God of the Forest, one of the di indigetes of Rome, god of cattle, fertility, wild, untamed nature, and prophecy through dreams. The deep, shadowy green of hemlock leaves crouching under a dark oaken canopy. Origin: Straight from the Post Initial Thoughts: I didn't have any greens in my collection. This one looked like it might be a good Christmasy option. In the bottle: A rich deep green with a gentle shimmer. One coat: This goes on smoothly, like one of the crèmes in the regular BPTP selection, but has that subtle shimmer to it. Two coats: Better for full coverage and velvety smooth. Verdict: I like this color a lot. We'll see how much I reach for it.
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Fainting and gasping, I looked at that unhallowed Erebus of titan toadstools, leprous fire, and slimy water, and saw the cloaked throngs forming a semicircle around the blazing pillar. It was the Yule-rite, older than man and fated to survive him; the primal rite of the solstice and of spring's promise beyond the snows; the rite of fire and evergreen, light and music. And in the Stygian grotto I saw them do the rite, and adore the sick pillar of flame, and throw into the water handfuls gouged out of the viscous vegetation which glittered green in the chlorotic glare. I saw this, and I saw something amorphously squatted far away from the light, piping noisomely on a flute; and as the thing piped I thought I heard noxious muffled flutterings in the foetid darkness where I could not see. But what frightened me most was that flaming column; spouting volcanically from depths profound and inconceivable, casting no shadows as healthy flame should, and coating the nitrous stone above with a nasty, venomous verdigris. For in all that seething combustion no warmth lay, but only the clamminess of death and corruption. Lacquer the color of viscous vegetation glittering green in a chlorotic glare - with added shimmer! Origin: Straight from the Post Initial Thoughts: I don't have any greens in my polish collection. This seemed to be awfully pale in the picture on the website, but I tossed it in the basket anyway. In the bottle: A very pale shimmery green - a touch streaky in the bottle. One coat: Well, this is not what I expected. It's like Fascination or Dream Awake - liquid shimmery glitter - but in a midrange shade of green. Not too dark, not too light. If a Christmas tree were turned into pure glitter, this would be it. A practiced hand might get full coverage with one coat. Two coats: Definitely enough for full coverage. It's also smooth enough that you don't necessarily need a top coat. Verdict: This is probably the unexpected surprise hit of the order. Think I'm going to keep it.
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When the holidays roll around, not everyone has mistletoe, caroling and cookies on their minds. This lacquer is a paean to celebrating hard: nights covered in glitter and dusted with cocaine, flutes of Cristal clutched in shaky hands, leather and lace, the Spiders From Mars in the background, and twisting, sweaty limbs entangled in dark corners. Hairspray and cigarette smoke is the incense in this temple to decadence, strobe and mirrors replace the devotional candles, and Bolan sings the hymns. Stardust is for everyone that has every drifted off into Quaalude-induced reverie to the beat of a tribal 4-on-the-floor: the sound of Mott the Hoople, Sweet, Slade or the Dolls. Futurism, self-indulgence and excess: electric violet-plum shimmer, seething with iridescent glitter. Origin: Straight from the Post Initial Thoughts: I love the full-spectrum splash of glitter in Pumpkin Spice Everything. This looked to be a purple version of that. In the bottle:A shiny purple glitterbomb. One coat: Opaque light purple with glitter dancing through it. Two coats: Yep. A purple version of Pumpkin Spice Everything. The result has a slightly gritty surface - I'd wear this with a top coat. Verdict: Sold! And buying another bottle before they go away. ETA: Carried my bottle to the nail salon. They thought it was a very pretty color. I am getting a bit of chipping/wear at the nail tips, even with the top coat. I will probably touch it up before New Year's Eve festivities.
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Somber oudh, grey benzoin, raw bourbon vanilla, and tobacco. This one scared me right out of the bottle- it was strong and a little off-putting. But, I gave it some time to settle in and I'm glad I did! (I like to call this the Callidora effect--that's one of my all-time faves, but for the first 1/2 hour or so I STINK, lol! But again, sooooo worth it in the end.) At first, the benzoin is so strong. Once this one has a chance to settle and dry down for a bit (like on hour or so?), it starts to become a gray, sharp, fuzzy scent. That's the image I get when I smell it--almost like static. There's something very familiar about it, too--but I can't place what it is and it's driving my crazy. I know I've smelled something like this before It's got great lasting power and a decent throw, too.
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The evening bell tolls their knell: hyacinth and snow-dusted honeysuckle, sweet with asphodel and honeyed vetiver. Do the Dancing Maidens Sleep I've worn today. It's cold, twinkling, and almost a fragile blend. Like the delicate nature of BPAL's Maiden mixed with that cleanliness of the Sherlock Holmes scent. I think Hyacinth works well and appeals to this giving an airy, crystalline nature to this soft floral perfume. Big change in its last dropdown hours later as it really morphes to a warm and sweet vetiver for me. Kind of relaxing at the end. Cool or warm, both sides of this maiden are very interesting. *Also even though I think this was from The Nutcracker this image reminds me of the feeling I get from this scent.
