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BPAL Madness!
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A collection of scent reviews

Entries in this blog

 

How Doth the Little Crocodile

I put off trying this one on for a while because I'm not a particular fan of minty scents. But I got it as a frimp, and my "not yet tried" can was starting to overflow, so I figured I might as well.   In the imp: Chocolatey, minty, a little musky? Thankfully not that harsh spearmint scent that comes to mind when I think "mint."   On wet: Chocolate.   Dry: This is...this is Dorian. This is a very faintly chocolatey Dorian. I don't really smell mint, exactly, though there's definitely kind of a fresh quality to the scent that's absent from actual Dorian. I like this a lot more than I thought I would, but I don't know that I'd spring for a full bottle. I'll definitely use up my imp, though.

Ranna

Ranna

 

Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller

In the imp: I don't wear many dark oils, so I'm surprised at what a deep red color this is. It smells like a darker, heavier Snake Oil. I'm a big fan of Snake Oil, so I like this, but I hope there's something to set them apart on the skin.   On wet: There's definitely something sharper that sets this apart from S.O. I'm wondering if it's the patchouli leaf? I like this a lot, and I'll be disappointed if it changes much once it dries down. It starts turning sweet pretty quickly.   Dry: This still smells a lot like S.O., but it's smokier and I think I can pick up the sweetness from the plum, or maybe the pomegranate. It's definitely a fruity sweet. A few hours later it almost seems a little powdery on occasion, and the vanilla has gotten more prominent, but I'm still enjoying it. It's also earned me my second BPAL compliment ever from a coworker, who called it "soft and sweet." The imp is definitely a keeper, and I will certainly be picking up a bottle (or two) when the Carnaval comes back to town! I can't think of a better scent to associate with Beth.

Ranna

Ranna

 

My Happy Day

In the bottle: Sweet and fizzy, if that makes sense. I'm not familiar with elemi, but I'm not picking up any of the other notes listed except for some jasmine. Right now, I'm a bit worried this will be stronger than what I'd usually wear.   On wet: "Effervescent" is definitely a key word. It's got that same sort of fizziness I got from Fizzy Jack O' Lantern, though I wouldn't say it smells like it. It's sweeter on skin than it was in the bottle, and I can smell the jasmine better now as well as some fruitiness. It reminds me of some sparkly alcoholic drink.   Dry: Still fizzy, still sweet. It's gotten softer. The vaguely boozy fizz prevents it from being a truly light scent, but this is actually very pretty. I would say jasmine as the most evident, followed by either the blackcurrant or plum...my nose is not yet refined enough to really pick out notes, I'm afraid. If I sniff long enough I'm pretty sure I can pick out the carnation.   Not something I might have taken home if I'd just tried it in passing, but I'm planning on hanging on to my bottle so far.

Ranna

Ranna

 

Shango

Before I'd even placed my first BPAL order I heard a rave review of this on a Popstuff podcast. Reading the scent description didn't convince me to order it, though, so I was pleased when I received it as a frimp.   In the imp: extremely fruity sweet, almost too sweet.   On wet: There was a pineapple soda I grew up drinking called Jupiña - that's a lot like what this smells like. It's making me feel a little nostalgic! I really, really like this. After a while it starts to grow a little more complex. I can pick up something like peppers now.   Dry: This is really impressive. I can see that tropical smoothie comparison that previous reviewers have made, but the spiciness of the pepper is there too. Throw is decent, but it starts to fade after a while. This is definitely going on the bottle list.

Ranna

Ranna

 

Solar Phoenix

I took notes on this when I first received my decants some time ago, but never got around to posting the review.   In the imp: a light, sweet floral.   Wet: Roses!   Dry: Roses and chamomile. So much love for this!   1 month+ later: I still wear this fairly often, but I'm sad to say that with aging the pineapple and cinnamon have come out more. It's not that I dislike the scent now, but I was so in love with the roses and chamomile phase that I'm disappointed by the change. I will, however, most certainly be keeping my imp, and may try to snag a bottle if the opportunity presents itself.

Ranna

Ranna

 

Old Demons of the First Class

In the imp: smells smoky, spicy, and sweet...a bit syrupy, maybe? So far, so good.   On wet: Almost as soon as it hits the skin, it turns into diet Dr. Pepper. What on Earth happened here? It stays firmly in the real of diet Dr. Pepper for a good while, too. It's much sweeter than it was in the imp, when it was more spicy. Kind of disappointed and hoping it improves.   Dry: Diet Dr. Pepper is gone, and it's more smoky now. Unfortunately it's not a good smoky. It smells a bit like BBQ, almost. I'm pretty sure my skin chemistry is to blame and I suspect this would smell much better on someone else, especially on a man. It's going to the swap box.

Ranna

Ranna

 

Mother Shub's Gingerbread Temples

Sweet, spicy floral. It doesn't smell of gingerbread at all. Throw is good - I put a bit around my neck and on my wrists and I was catching little whiffs of it all day. After reading other reviews I think I can pick up hints of notes mentioned - ginger, honey, and resins, maybe. But unfortunately my nose is not yet expert enough for me to be sure. This scent is definitely not what I expected, but I find that I really like it regardless! I'll be ordering a full bottle before the Yules come down.

Ranna

Ranna

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