voodoobaby

A splort of honey in a pile of snow. In short, this is pretty much Snow White with a prominent honey note, from what I can remember of Snow White. At the very least, it's very similar. The honey works nicely -- a sweet second skin scent reminiscent of Christmas goodies and cold air. It's not something I would normally wear, but it will make a nice cozy Christmas scent. Also of note: I had my husband sniff it blindly and he described it as "some kind of citrus leaf?" I don't get that, but it was cute and might be worth mentioning.

I was 100% not expecting to like this since I'm not a big floral fan, but BPAL proved me wrong. It smells a bit acrid out of the imp, but on the skin it's actually beautiful. To me it's a green woodsy aquatic with a mix of sweet floral notes. Something about it reminds me of a cheap gas station incense I used to love to burn when I was much younger; I always thought it smelled like candy, and I get that from this scent as well. As for the wood/aquatic notes, I definitely get the New England association. It's reminiscent of walking along the seaside wooded paths of Peddocks Island in Boston Harbor, which is something I've wanted in a perfume since I went there. It's more natural-smelling than perfumey. I think this is going to be my springtime scent. I have plenty for fall in winter but not enough for warmer weather, and this fills the niche nicely.

Call me crazy, but apart from the strong leather note (not unlike De Sade), I get what smells like black cavendish pipe tobacco. Maybe it's an association with the leather note or an expectation I had, or maybe it's the candle smoke or chocolate notes playing tricks on me, but I definitely get a nice smoky vanilla scent that I associate with my best friend's pipe. At the very least, I get that slight hint of plastic that I normally get from BPAL's vanilla note, so...I think it's likely. The longer this sits, the more I get sweet chocolate, but it's very mellow and it blends in well for a warm, cozy effect rather than screaming CHOCOLATE at me. The leather remains dominant and keeps the chocolate from smelling too sweet. Overall, I like it a lot, despite the plasticky smell. It's like a cozy, fluffy blanket next to a fireplace. I got a copy of Congo with it. Can't wait to start reading!

I giggled when I saw the description and immediately knew I had to have it. My husband has the most glorious, well-kept beard I've ever seen, and I'd be lying if I said we didn't exhibit plenty of hipster tendencies. SO... This is a really great blend. It's calm and quiet and earthy, but it gets sweeter the longer it stays on the skin. I get hints of Egyptian musk deep in the background, but mostly it's leather and patchouli and sweetness. It reminds me, conceptually, of a couple of hipster boutiques near where I live that sell overpriced succulents, party supplies made of kraft paper, vintage kitchenware, quirky stationery, minimalist geometric art prints, and (appropriately) beard oil. It's one of those shops encapsulated in a scent, and I love it. I would call this a masculine-leaning unisex scent. It doesn't reach out and strangle you with its manliness. It's gentle and pleasantly rugged, and in my opinion a woman or nonbinary person could easily pull this off if they were so inclined.

I bought both cemetery scents on impulse because I have good memories of both. Burying Point is absolutely evocative of old Salem in the fall. At first I mostly get patchouli, to an almost overpowering degree. Eventually it mellows down to a supremely earthy dead leaf scent with an incensey background (probably the sage). It's a bittersweet, warm, masculine fragrance. Despite all its earthiness, of all the BPAL oils I've tried, this one smells most like a literal campfire. There's a smoky, woodsy, sweetly decayed quality here that reminds me exactly of gathering wood and kindling to build a fire, and then setting the whole thing ablaze in a stone-lined pit. But I could definitely also see this being reminiscent of the eponymous cemetery, if only conceptually.

I just about had a heart attack when I saw the Faith & the Muse reference, so I had to try this one. The first thing I noticed was that there was a decent amount of glitter in this one. It's hard to describe. Mostly it's shimmery, but there are little irregular flecks of iridescent, translucent sparkles mixed in. It's more subtle than it sounds. That aside, the color of the polish looks like a very dark, very desaturated teal. It's pretty, but it might not be flattering on everyone. I had to use two coats to get good coverage with this one, but it does dry quickly.

The color is a super dark bluish violet. I used it on an accent nail, and the contrast actually wasn't noticeable compared to the black polish I used on my other nails. It's very spooky. I was just hoping for a brighter, more violently purple shade. It lasted quite a long time, and I only needed one coat for full coverage. Not bad at all.

I got Oriental 114. On the first sniff it's very, very fruity -- I'm thinking either mango or guava. It smells like a delicious tropical drink. It doesn't seem to change much on the dry down. There's a bit of complexity from what smells like a pepper note and perhaps some distant woods, but for the most part it's tropical fruit. It's pleasant, but this wasn't what I was hoping for from an oriental fragrance, and I'm not big on fruity scents. I would much rather drink something that tastes like this blend smells than to smell like it.

When I first sniff it I get a really nice patchouli and musky floral scent. It reminds me of a more unruly Medea, which is one of my favorites. But there's also this kind of sharp, almost ammonia smell behind it that reminds me of urine. o_O Baba Yaga is very much redolent of witchcraft and all things wild. Urine is not out of place in that description; it smells like the witch is simultaneously brewing a healing potion and creating a witch bottle. I can't make up my mind on this one.

It smells very hot, in a vital, nonspicy way. It does remind me of warm blood (the concept, not the literal smell). I get a lot of honey/beeswax, a lot of geranium and a fair amount pepper. It's sort of like a (much) less sexy VILF, which I love. Someone used the word "prickly," and I get that. Prickly and warm, and more of a "skin scent" than one might expect. Unique and oddly pleasant.

Upon opening the bottle, I had an utter nosegasm. It starts kind of herby (sage) and a little dark smelling, but the coconut and plum soon step up to the plate. After a while I just get a creamy, sweet, delicious scent that is still just a tad bit dark; half an hour later I can't identify any particular note over the others. It's feminine and pretty but firmly grounded. Perfectly balanced, perfectly blended and just beautiful. This is probably a new top 20 scent for me.

Out of all of the metallic, steampunkish blends I've tried, this is the only one that has smelled like I thought it would smell. After trying Galvanic Goggles and Kroenen I was a little afraid to try this one, but I'm glad I did. It's not at all acrid like those two were. It does smell mechanical, but in a pleasant way. It's masculine and leathery and oh so good. I really like it on me, but I would LOVE to smell it on a guy. I'll probably attack my current interest with it next time I see him.

It smells deep and dark with just a faint touch of sweetness. It's a smooth dark rather than a sharp dark, though. Underneath there's a hint of bitterness as well, but it's barely detectable. Definitely smells corrupt. I can't pinpoint any particular notes. It's certainly interesting, but I don't think I really want to smell like it.

Even if there isn't lime here, it definitely smells like lime. It's very sweet, tangy and tropical to my nose. I like it, but I'm still deciding if it's a "me" scent.

Pretty and fruity. The plum blossom is detectable in the background but isn't overpowering; it just adds to the prettiness. This blend is very sweet! Some patchouli and frankincense make themselves known later, and that is an almost relieving break from the sweetness. I like this and would like to smell like it, but I can't help but thinking that it smells a little superficial. Underneath that pretty face, Dionysia seems to be a little vacuous. That's alright, though. It would be really nice in the springtime when deep scents can be a little heavy for the warm weather.