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BPAL Madness!
RaeiNarcissus

413 U.S. 15 / Miller Vs. California

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Leather, cognac, fig, ripe berry, and cream, stuffed into a plain brown paper bag.


In the bottle: smelled kinda cream-leather mixture with a bit of a floral notes for me.

On skin: I can smell juicy red berries and freshly-conditioned leather. But the cream smooths and blends it all together. I really like the creaminess of it, and the berries. But the leather I couldn't really decide on. Too much leather makes me feel nauseus, and that note in the blend is prominent enough where I felt that maybe it would make me dizzy and sick over time.
And after wearing it an hour, I really couldn't say if I liked it or not.... So I was going to swap it.

BUT in the last week I'd tried it a few more times.. and each time I'm liking it more and more. The leather gives this air of sophistication, and makes me feel like i've finally grown up to be a smart, successful executive (but those berries keep it a bit sexy and flirty too)! I find that it lasts a REALLY long time on my skin, and after 6 hours or so, the leather and berries calm and so there's this feminine creaminess that smells quite lovely. But I can still smell it faintly on my skin the day after I put it on (even with washing my hands throughout the day!)

And so I think I'm going to have to get another bottle (or 2 since my roommate likes it too) for when I actually get that office gig :P

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In the bottle – I suppose that it’s the fig and berries, surprisingly green and fresh

 

Wet on me – Still bright fruits dominate, with a slight feeling of air freshener

 

Dry on me – Something, presumably the cream, turns the blend straight to ashes

 

Overall – Another blend ruined by my skin chemistry

 

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In the bottle this is almost all fig with a bit of booze from the cognac.

 

After dabbing a bit on right wrist I get leather and is that paper? The fig disappears for a moment but then returns and brings along the cream. Now I'm getting a bowl of figs sitting on a leather writing desk and the desk drawer is open just a tad revealing some brown-paper wrapped books :) Oh and look now someone's set down a snifter of cognac!

 

This is beautiful blend of figs, leather and cognac on me. Its not what I usually wear but I'm glad I decided to chance a bottle after reading a comment from will-call that some labbies are predicting this is the next Hellhound!

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In the bottle: This actually smells very sophisticated. The fruit note isn't too sweet, the cognac note smells like real brandy and not grapes, and the leather isn't nasty.

 

Wet: A gentle leather note is all I can make out right now, with perhaps some cream beneath it to smooth it down.

 

Twenty minutes: Light leather over light cream. While this makes me think all sorts of naughty thoughts, it's not much like what I expected given the ingredients.

 

One hour: Not much change, although there's a tiny touch of fruity sweetness now. I'm amazed that the leather has dominated the cognac, fig, and berry right off my skin like that. But it's done so in a very refined fashion; it's not dark or nasty or unpleasant at all.

 

Two and a half hours: Mostly fine smooth leather with just a touch of something fruity. I'm astonished! The leather note is a gentleman's dress black belt; I guess I was expecting something a lot dirtier.

 

Four hours: Not much change. For so gentle a scent, it sure is persistent! I think I will be finding other people to love this scent for me.

 

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I agree with it smelling somewhat like Eden - it has a soft greenish fig note as one of the dominant notes and I can only keep thinking that brown paper bag = teak or something. It's VERY woody. It's a lovely blend but a bit woody for my tastes.

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in the bottle i smell the cognac, dusky fig, and just the slightest hint of the berry. it's freakishly sweet and heady and fairly swoon-worthy.

wet on skin there are the cream and paper bag, ha ha! nice! the berry amps up and takes over for a bit with the other notes only with extreme huffing.

dry on skin what the? blargh! who put snow white in this?? die, nasty raid smell, die! oh, hell and gutment. retest next week and cry in the meantime. :(

 

eta this just plain isn't working for me at all. this morning when i put it on, i got melon and pine! and now it's straight back to a darker, filthier snow white which is in my bottom five BPALs of all time. crap.

Edited by ravenfeathers

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I love this scent -- it's a little leather, a little woody, and sort of made me feel like I was sitting in a leather chair next to a bowl of potpourri. After a few hours of wearing it smelled a little TOO potpourri for my tastes, but I'm definitely going to try it again.

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oooh dear... I'm not sure about this one...

 

In the bottle I'm getting berries under a biting note that I'm going to assume is the cognac. It almost smells sour?

 

Wet on skin, very much the same. I can't put my finger (nose?) on what it smells like. I'm getting a lot of possibly leather?

 

Dry, this is better, it's not as biting/sour and I'm starting to get the berries, fig and cream, and the cognac and leather are starting to behave.

 

I must look like a weirdo, I keep huffing my arm to figure out what it smells like! :lol:

 

For this one, I think I'm going to have to try it again in a few days. (Just got it today) and go from there. :)

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My gf got me bottle of this as a surprise, since I took a course on intellectual freedom last semester, and Miller was mentioned practically every other sentence.

 

In the bottle: Berries and cream. On second sniff, there's something behind it, probably the cognac.

 

Wet on skin: Still berries and cream, with a boozy note. I'm getting hints of leather and paper, but the sweet notes are predominate. Complicated, but in a good way.

 

Dry: Sweet, but not overly so. It's a deep scent, and I'm not sure I can pick out individual notes. Everything's blended together really nicely.

 

 

I really like this. It's a lot sweeter than what I usually wear, but it's a nice change of pace. It'll be nice for warmer weather.

 

I was worried about the cream note, because Ichabod went really sour on me, and the cognac, because i sometimes find the boozy scents overpowering. But this is lovely. :wub:

 

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I love the concept.

 

Bottle: Delicious. Fig. Berry. Cream. Mmmm.

 

Wet: Berry. Fig... dusty leather? That would be the "paper bag" that everyone else gets leather from as well.

 

Dry: Smells like green fruit. Probably because of the fig, but its more of a stemmy scent than rich fruit.

 

4 hours later: All cream and leather. Don't get me wrong, it smells delicious, I just miss a bit of the berries... I won't mind reapplying though :)

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In the bottle I could smell all of the components listed though they've been expertly swirled. On my skin the fruit explodes at first, and it's raining berries for the first ten minutes or so. The leather creeps up next, but I would guess it's the paper bag component that keeps it from smelling like other leathers from the lab. I really enjoy the paper bag note mixed with the leather, and how together they keep it from being too sticky.

 

I'm disappointed in the lasting power, though... I put some on my hand to sniff at first, then decided it was yummy enough for a full-on slather. Only an hour later and it's vanishing before my nose! I know aging won't solve this problem - but I still can't help but wonder how it'll smell in a few months. Doubt that I'll ever find out, because it's so, soooo perfect while fresh. That means lots of reapplication, which in turn leads to *dun dun dun* a quickly emptied bottle. Empty bottles, of course, need replacing - so... I probably can't afford to love this the way I want to. :cry2:

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dry on skin what the? blargh! who put snow white in this?? die, nasty raid smell, die! oh, hell and gutment. retest next week and cry in the meantime. :(

I'm so glad (and so sad at the same time) that someone else got the Snow White similarity...

I absolutely love this from application (nicely green and fruity) through drydown (sexy, spicey, warm leather, cognac and fig...) but then... out comes the dreaded smell of burnt plastic that has ruined many blends for me...

 

I decided to retest this after dinner... I've slathered it on more heavily than before in hopes that more will stay yummy... but if not, I face a terrible dilemma... do I keep the scent for my love of the bottle art and the inspiration behind the scent, even knowing that I can't ever wear it? or do I send it off to swap for someone else to love who CAN wear it? And if I take option B, do I screen applicants for knowledge of and appreciation for the case that serves as the inspiration for the scent??

 

Gah... I hate BPAL dilemmas!! But I definitely love this scent... just not on my skin for more than an hour or so... after that... mmmmmm burnt plastic marshmallows...

 

ETA: yes... the "more" method failed me... about an hour after (re-)application I've got nothing but a wrist full of burnt plastic... blech! I want to think that it'll age well, but I'm not that patient... off to swap it goes!

Edited by goddessrobyn

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I was surprised by this at first. It went on very much like a mellower The Blockhead. It had a bubblegum/leather thing going on. As it dried the berries really started to pop and the cognac made a swirly appearance.

 

Overall it reminds me of a cross between The Blockhead and Perversion, but more subdued than either one.

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This smells like...

 

Bacon?

 

Yes. Bacon with a dash of dried parsley and a splash of water. Stuffed into a paper bag.

Edited by Noir

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This is my *favorite* Lupercalia this year. Figures it'd be the most expensive... blah.

 

Spicy, rich figs 'n berries.... mmm... tasty. I want to bathe in it.

 

As the day wears on, it gets better and better... faint, delicious cream and cognac, with a hint of fig.

 

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Complex much? This started masculine with a base of lime and a dash of old leather. Suddenly it became multilayered with sweetness jumping all over the lime. Then it was (I swear this is true) a damp paper bag (I am surprised there is no vetiver in this blend) holding limes and fruit.

 

Hours later, it's rough and paperish, but any heat and moisture applied to it (like if I exhale lightly on my skin before sniffing) and the berries burst through for a brief exquisite moment.

 

I can't figure this scent out - first it's masculine, then it's feminine, it's divine and then it's ok. Highly amusing :)

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Sigh. I love this so far; I knew I would, because it has cognac in it and other notes that I like and it's expensive :lol:

 

When I first applied it, berries and cream - similar to raspberries and cream and so pretty and fun! After a couple of minutes, Miller's darker side rears its smutty head - the earthiness of the fig begins to ground the scent and then the leather starts whipping all of the "frou-frou" notes into submission - the cognac just adds a rich overlay to the entire scent. I've tried Formula 54 on *one* time, and this is not a dupe of that scent - but if you're looking for a substitute because who can really afford to wear Formula 54 all of the time - I would give this blend a shot!

 

Naughty Rating: Multiple Orgasm worthy (hehe)

Edited by GirlinDenial

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I should start this by saying I was so excited for this blend, I went out with no makeup (I'd already washed my face when I got home) the second I got the delivery confirmation email from USPS, after a really looooong day (I've been nonstop moving since 4:30) just to pick it up.

 

Overall: OMNOMNOMCHOMP.

 

In the bottle, it's straight berries. Wet, it's like the berries in Australian Copperhead. I do see a hint of the bubblegum that's been mentioned, it's the way Jailbait usually goes on me at first.

 

Dry, it's juicy fruits still, but with a very sexy leather and just a hint of the paper bag. (I never thought I'd actually want to smell like a paper bag, but alas, I do.) The fig is almost invisible on me until about the fifth minute, but I don't mind. I'm just so happy the leather is so beaaaautiful.

 

I'm torn between wanting to sing songs about how wonderful this is, and wanting to chomp my hand off. Easily one of my HG blends.

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In the bottle: Nearly colourless oil. Sweet and fruity, but with depth; the slightly tangy berries and cognac jump out. Something a little spicy like tobacco, the leather and bag maybe? The leather's a little sharp.

 

Wet: Smoother, with the leather softening and the cream emerging, but also spicier, too. Carnation, I think - it's yummy. Much less sweet and fruity; berries faded, fig coming out.

 

Dry: More and more spicy and masculine as it dries. Leather amping, and now I'm getting some clove, definitely. It wasn't carnation, alas. It's deep, woody - and sort of does make me think of paper bags.

 

Later: Some of the berry has come back, the leather holds, and most of the booziness of the cognac has worn off. The intense clove pretty much erases the cream note. The fig is the dried sort.

 

Summary: Spicy, woody clove dominates over smooth aged leather, with hints of dark berry (blackberry), dusty fig, and rich cognac. Masculine in the final drydown, and quite a morpher. Strong throw, decent longevity.

 

Note that I amp clove like crazy, so my reaction may not be typical.

 

 

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I bought a bottle unsniffed (something I rarely do anymore) based solely on my love for the lab's leather note. I'm not getting a lot of leather, but I'm getting a lot of other awesome stuff, primarily berries!

 

Yeah. Berries with a hint of cognac and every so often a waft of that paper bag. This needs to sit awhile before I give it a final verdict.

 

A little later: There is the leather! And the berry scent is... rounder. It's not a candy berry scent, but a fresh-picked one. Not too tart or too sweet. Oh man... this is only getting better. I think I might pick up another bottle just in case... I see this aging well!

 

 

 

 

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For the 1st 30 mins or so, there was a very sharp note, so sharp it made my eyes water every time my wrists got too close to my nose. After that faded, the cream & berry started to come out, along with the paper bag smell, which was really cool. I don't think I could handle that sharpness again though, so I'll be passing along my decant to someone else...

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expectation-

gimme creamy brown paper! Booze and leather are some of my favorite notes, hoping to downplay the fruits....

imp-

oddly foody! i can find those ripe berries for sure.

wet-

there's my dark leather, DeSade style! and berries too-slightly paper-like.

a truly odd scent. berry juice is a primary note, coated in leather and the 'paper bag'. haven't found the cognac yet, and I'm assuming the fig is tagging along with the berry.

really enjoying that paper note! dark leather. interesting to pair it with such a juicy red berry scent...

drydown-

paper bag baby~

verdict-

meh- not too much in a tizzy up on the berry- decant'll do me just fine. perhap's it'll grow on me~

Edited by Shollin
Removed Lab description --Shollin

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It's spice. Peppery spice. Lots of hot spice. Did I mention spice? Maybe a hint of berry and leather. Covered in spice. Slathered in spice. Dipped in spice.

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This is a slutty berry! I don't really like berry scents very much but this one is totally wearable. Berry, with the leather and cognac undertones, providing a smooth boozy base. I could faintly detect a weird note at the beginning of wear, which I am taking to be the paper bag. Nice, but I don't know how often I would reach for it, so I may be passing this on.

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In the imp this is berry and cologne.

Wet it is cognac, leather, paper bag and a little bit of berry.

Dry More berries and cream, mixing with the others.

Oh my I need More of this like ASAP.

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