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BPAL Madness!

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Copal, precious woods, South American spices, agave nectar, cigar tobacco, and roses.

 

2011 version:
What can I say- I LOVE this! :wub2:
It's not an intense, fiery, passionate love but rather a deep, abiding, gentle love that is sensual rather than overtly sexual.
Other reviewers have said woody, aquatic, floral- but on me the soft resins are coming out. No rose at all, but has a vaguely floral component.
it stays pretty true after hours of wear. It has some throw initially but lingers closer later on. I can agree with those that say it has elements of dia de los muertos, but it is more muted and doesn't have the whiffs of cocoa.
It provides an image for me of death- as a comforting sleep. My skin seems to love it. I may have to hunt down another bottle of this.

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Strange, my bottle has it spelled MictecacAhuatl... Anyway, this is my new favorite. I don't really get any spice from it, but its a comforting sweet scent that's warm with a bit of floral. The compliments when I wore it only made me want more. :)

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I have a decant of the 2008. This one had promise (copal, spice, woods, tobacco) but all I got was roses and hairspray the whole way through. :/ Won't be getting any of this year's.

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For the 2008 version.

 

I definitely smell the copal and woodiness in the bottle, with a hint of florals. On my skin, I still smell much of the woody notes but the florals and spices come out much more here.

 

It's okay, but not a standout to me.

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2013 Version:

 

I've never tried any other version of this so this is a blind review.

 

In the bottle: It's sharp and sweet almost lime like and there's definitely some rose hiding there in the background.

 

Wet: It's lighter than I expected. I suppose I thought it would be a little more incense heavy, but it's definitely not. Smells much like the bottle in this stage although the rose isn't very rose-y any more, it's more generic flower at this point.

 

Dry Down: Finally the tobacco and spices start to emerge about 10-15mins after application. It loses the sharp sweetness it had initially and warms up to become the most lovely spicy, smoky, rose. I'm very pleased with this in this stage. I was worried as it was a little sharp in the wet stages and almost cloyingly sweet but my skin loves tobacco and the warmth it brings to a scent. Thankfully the tobacco did not fail me so it makes a lovely addition to my collection. It's a rose that I love because it is spicy and complex - a little floral and sweet but with an unexpected kick.

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2013 version:

 

This is a lovely blend of tobacco, spices, and woods. Initially the agave is prominent and adds a tropical sweetness to it, but is eventually muted by the spice and woods. Copal adds a creaminess to the blend and the cigar smoke is quite lovely in the background. I really don't get much rose.

 

If the agave was more pervasive and long lasting this would definitely be a bottle purchase, but out of my sizable collection of tobbaco/spice/woods blends this just isn't unique enough to warrant a bottle purchase. I'll certainly enjoy my decant though.

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This might just be the sleeper hit of the weenie decants I ordered. The agave is almost like honey, but it's lighter and less cloying, lending the blend a very light sweetness that is a great complement to the smokey tobacco notes. I'm not getting much copal yet, but it might be where the dusty background wood note that is very grounding. Really digging this scent, though I won't be getting a bottle.

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In the bottle and wet on skin this is a scary scent. A loud clashing cacophony of scents. The agave reads as sweet chocolate to my nose (strange but true), making the whole concoction very much like Kali with the rose and tobacco in the background. But Kali with COPAL.

 

This smells warmer and warmer on my skin till my nose feels like it's on fire. Must be those spices! I feel my sinuses clearing.

 

I had high hopes for this one (copal!) but it is drying down into kind of strong sweet nothing. Just a lot of spicy agave, really. I need more woods and deeper tobacco.

 

Best,

 

Tzi

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This is actually reminding me of Black Lace. I wouldn't have expected that, but thinking about it makes sense. The tobacco and incense in BL are similar on me. The agave instead of vanilla makes it slightly more unisex, but no less pretty. I'm glad I went with my instinct and got a bottle!

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A bottle of the 2008 version of this blend was in my first order from the lab. It's sweet, lightly floral, and somehow both juicy and dry. It makes me think of the southwest, with warm sand and blooming cacti. The tobacco (not bitter, not old cigarette butt.. dry and sweet) and rose (dried and browning) swirl delicately around a sweet, almost foody, base with the slighest hint of greenery.

 

The 2013 version is greener, maybe the rose isnt quite as dry. The tobacco is slightly more cigarettey-- a little musty or gritty. I get less resin and spice (I dont think that's just aging, I feel like 2008 hasnt changed a whole lot with age). But it's very sweet.. I keep thinking "Fruit loops" actually haha There's almost a plum-like note in there.

 

I like both versions very much-- I think they're complex blends that are well balanced and play nicely on my skin; they dont morph or amp any one note.

 

Edited for spelling

Edited by MCS4096

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I really like the spiciness of this scent. It's nice and deep. The woods are sweet and grounding. I was nervous about the rose but it adds just a hint of floral to lift the scent and not be so basey. I could detect a smidge of chocolate when I first put it on but as it melts into my skin it rounds out the other scents. I'm really liking this! It doesn't last long on me but very few really do. A winner for me!!!

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I have to admit, I'm a little nervous about the cigar tobacco note in here, but after discovering that I LOVE using cigar boxes to store my BPAL in, I've also come to realize that I don't necessarily hate the smell of tobacco - just some kinds of tobacco (cigarette, and whatever's in Alkemia perfumes' Miel de Savage et Tabac, so far). The actual cigar shop smelled rather pleasant, moreso on my second visit than the first. We'll see which camp this falls into.

 

In the imp: I am getting tobacco and spices, and the tobacco is strong... but it's also a bit sweet, probably from the agave nectar. And I think I detect a hint of the rose.

 

Wet on skin: Sweet woods, almost hay-like.

 

Dried down: Sniffing my wrists, I get the hay-like wood and the agave nectar. The tobacco keeps floating around me, though. At least it's sweet.

 

Throw: I think it's mainly because the throw is almost pure tobacco for me, but it's a little too strong for my tastes. It's not a bad tobacco scent for me - I almost like it. But it doesn't quite make me smile.

 

Verdict: *** This strikes me as what might be called a very adult, sophisticated scent, but the tobacco doesn't quite strike the right chord with me, and it's a little too strong for me to really like this perfume. I won't try to scrub it off, but I think I'm going to layer something else with it to see if I can soften up that tobacco a bit.

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2013

 

This blend is... interesting. The agave nectar is the first thing I can pick out, and the texture really is like nectar. Then there's the cigar tobacco, which is a tad grittier than I like, and only a faint sprinkling of spices. Spices usually amp on me, idk why they're so quiet in here. Not too familiar with copal, but I believe I'm catching that now, too. There's only the lightest touch of rose in here, and faint woods.

 

Biggest problem is that once dry the nectar dries up and the blend gets powdery overall. I'm usually ok with powdery, but in this blend it isn't that pleasant.

 

Verdict? Definitely not a bottle, but I'll keep the imp for now. I feel like aging might help this blend out, because with these notes this really should work better on me.

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2008 version.

 

This is pretty good stuff.

It's a lot of tobacco and rose on me, but I'm also getting wafts of the spices and the copal. I probably wouldn't detect agave nectar, since I'm not sure what it smells like. :blush:

The tobacco is a soft and sweet kind and gives the blend a smoky overtone that I quite enjoy. The rose is just barely there, but it gives the blend a nice juicy touch nonetheless.

 

I probably don't need a bottle, since I wouldn't wear it very often, but I'm glad I got to test it!

Edited by Aviatrix

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  • ITI: I don't even remember sniffing this in the imp. I just applied this straight on the skin and was immediately blow away with how gorgeous a scent this is. I do remember the impression of flowers! Resins! Woods! Love! It figures that it is limited edition, though.

Wet: I just about swoon every time I apply. It's sweet nectar - a sweet without being cloying - paired with absolutely gorgeously feminine rose notes and delightfully resinous woods under swirling spices.

Dry: It's sweet agave-nectar brushed resinous woods with just a hint of femininity. It's perfect!

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2013 version

In the bottle: This almost smells like a really spicy potpourri with something sweet (the agave, I'm assuming) & some dried roses. A very intense (almost eye-watering) smell!

Wet on skin: All that intensity is instantly gone. I'm now getting a sugary-sweet resin, with a little spice & some very mild cigar tobacco. Interesting...

Dry on skin: Ooooh! A little less sweetness (though still very sweet), more cigar tobacco, the resin is less noticeable now, still there , but mostly just bringing some warmth to the whole scent & the spices are blending nicely with everything! There is the tiniest, faintest hint of rose, but only if I'm really looking for it. With the cigar, woods & spice, it smells more like potpourri than a fresh rose. Normally (most) woods turn to antiseptic on me almost instantly, but so far so good here! This is really unusual, but at the same time really nice!

After a few hours: It's all blended together now to create a sweet, warm, tobacco-based scent. The woods still haven't gone bad! Hooray! They never really made a noticeable appearance, just blended in with a few other 'dry' notes.

Verdict: Not at all my usual style, but I really like it! Totally different on me than when in the bottle!

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2013 version:

Mmmm. Sweet agave, rose, and tobacco. It has a warm-cool duality from the tobacco and woods, interesting. Overall the scent is a bit raisiny, though much more complex. Very nice Day of the Dead blend.

Edited by bellumed

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Roses, dear lord roses. If you like rose scents then this is for you. I amp florals like crazy so this was a mistake. I sadly didn't get any of the nice spices or tobacco i only got fresh rose. It smells nice for a bit, but I could never wear it for long or it would drive my nose crazy.

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2008 version, from a forum purchase. So spicy and rich! Agave & copal are subdued, and the rose plays a supporting part. The woods, tobacco & spices are the headliners, for sure. The cigar tobacco is not very sweet (less so than the tobacco in Ant. Mech. or St. Clare.) I can't identify particular woods, just a wood resin feeling.

 

Overall, I like it, but probably won't wear it very frequently. Powerful!

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Oh, this is absolutely lovely, and if I wore this type of fragrance, I would keep this bottle and never let it go. I want to smell it all the time though, so I'm tempted to keep it as a fragrance for my aromatherapy diffuser.

 

I'm reviewing a very aged 2008 blend, by the way.

 

In the bottle, it's intense copal. All I can smell is a cloud of copal ready to engulf my senses. While I love copal, it doesn't usually work for me, and this immediately tips me off that on my skin, it's not going to smell very good.

 

Wet on skin, it retains the same copal-dominant aroma, though there's a hefty mix of tobacco for me. I tend to amp tobacco, so I'm not sure if it's the chemical reaction already happening, or if there's loads of tobacco in my blend. It might have intensified in aging, as well.

 

About five minutes into drydown, the tobacco has receded and left the copal to bloom. It's quite heady; fragrant and superior in quality, this is a copal my incense burner would love to house for my pleasure. :) As it continues to dry, woods comes forward and opens to a slight spice (mostly on deep inhale). Beginning its disappearing act, Michtecacihuatl drifts away in a sea of spice and powder.

 

Gorgeous all around, but a RamblingRambler does not smell like this (in a plantonic way: intellectually, spiritually, essentially ;)), despite it being so incredibly pleasurable to her nose. :)

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2013 Version: HONEY! I don't care it's honey. Best honey ever. Spiced, herbal, non-cloying. The rose is beautiful - not faint per say but not the blooming all-over-my-house rose I've come across before. Any woodsy in this just blends into the honey, like it belongs there.

 

Verdict; Sweet Agave Nectar = Best spicey rose honey ever.

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Mictecacihuatl 2019 starts off strangely... nutty. Definitely smell the rose & tobacco in this odd stage. It shifts in the next few minutes into a transparent sweetness with a hint of powdery rose tobacco and a breath of unidentifiable spices. It’s a soft scent, and I’m both intrigued and slightly bored, in turn. I don’t pick out any copal, unless it’s the slight brightness that emerges with wear, which is the note that interested me the most.

I think aging might be the key for this one, based on reviews of other years. I’m gonna tuck it away and forget about it for a while~ 

Edited by artisjok

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(2008 version, very much aged)

In the bottle: Oo, there's tobacco, wood, agave, and roses. All very faint but I've sniffed enough over the past decade to pick out notes. This is promising.

 

Wet: This is very woodsy with a hint of spice. As it begins to dry down, the roses begin to pop on my skin; they're a deep rose. I think the agave keeps it sweet but not sugary.


Dry down: The tobacco returns and blends with the roses, which is mellow and soft, and I'm thinking the copal gives it a depth. It conjures the image of an altar covered in roses while someone smokes a cigar but it smells good. I wouldn't normally go for this but I love my bottles of Día de los Muertos and this reminds me of some of the notes in them. I'm not sure, as the full dry down takes affect, that I would wear Mictecacihuatl as much.

 

Verdict: This is tough. It smells so wonderful in the bottle and wet, but dried down there isn't much throw and it's got a baby powder element I'm not sure it can shake. Baby powder and woods... Might retest it another day to make sure skin chemistry isn't messing with this.

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