tinyvulture

i wish there was a bath oil of this scent. it’s relaxing yet sensual. a heady, full-bodied bouquet of orchids, with just the right amount of sexy red musk (my skin really amps it, and sometimes it’s overkill, but not here!) and a touch of citrus sparkle from the bergamot. i don’t usually care for bergamot, but it pairs so well with the red musk! oddly, i am really not noticing the juniper at all. but that’s fine, i’m still loving this blend.

this is a light, airy, clean scent. i swear i can smell that “fresh linens” note from Dirty…that’s how clean this scent is. the spicy anise comes on strong but fades very quickly, leaving a delicate cherry fragrance hanging in the air. i would love this as a fabric softener. mostly my clothes would smell clean, but every so often i’d catch a whiff of cherry. as a perfume, it’s not really me, but i like the concept.

On me this smells like gentle pink rose, a strong dose of sandalwood, and lemony ginger. I’m not getting the patchouli at all. It’s a pretty, simple, cheerful scent which reminds me of Indian incense.

This scent smells downright bizarre on my skin. I know it’s a floral bouquet, but on me it mostly smells… sour. Like Elmer’s glue. I got this as a freebie direct from the lab, so I doubt there’s anything wrong with it. I think it’s just my weird chemisty. Sourness with some faint floral notes that I can’t even begin to identify because the glue-ness is overwhelming. I gotta go wash my wrist now.

I got this as a freebie in a lab order. To me, it smells like a department store perfume, but not any one scent in particular. Like when you buy a Vogue magazine and it just smells like perfume because of all the different sample strips inside. It’s totally floral, with undertones of green leaves and powdery sweetness. It is very well blended – I can’t pick out any recognizable notes. It’s smooth and pretty and not too strong. Actually, it fades rather quickly. I’m not much for floral bouquets, so it’s off to swaps.

there’s a lot going on in this one. when the scent description says spicy carnations, it is not kidding. they are floral yet extremely spicy, almost as though they had been sprinkled with cinnamon. the juicy plum is a bit sour, but nice, accentuated by the unique earthy, dusty smell of chrysanthemums. overall, this scent smells like fall. like a cinnamon and dried plum potpourri. it would be pretty as a room scent, but i don’t fancy smelling like a craft shop.

a very fresh, green scent, warm and summery. i'm usually not big on anything too citrusy, but mandarin is my exception because of the intense sweetness of it. to me, it's a very cheerful note. although i have to say, i have no idea what green mandarin might be! little green oranges eaten by alien hands? the guava and honeydew add more sweet fruitiness. the honeydew is so realistic! the musks and amber are crucial to the gentle warmth of this scent. there's also a slight tang of ozone. i stay away from ozone-heavy scents, but it's so slight here and it blends really well with the other notes. it's not the right season for me to wear this but i'll hang onto it and see how it ages until next summer.

I love the shimmery golden honey note, but lily just isn’t a good floral note on me. It always fades away into nothingness on my skin. I wish I got more out of this, but I’d have to bathe in it.

i admit, it took me a long time to try this general catalog scent. it never really stood out as something i absolutely had to try. how silly i was! it smells like baby! like sweet, idealized baby scent. baby powder and cream and the sweetness of their breath. i also find a strong likeness to antique lace, only this is a tiny bit heavier on the florals. which isn't to say this is a heavy floral blend. i adore orchid, but it's really light here. the sweet, creamy vanilla is the main event. dreamy and gorgeous. this would be so charming for a little girl to wear as her first perfume. think i need a bottle.

last year’s Pumpkin IV also paired the orange gourd with sage, but this year’s concoction seems more complex, with a wider variety of notes which appear at various stages. the herbal sweetness of sage is immediately noticeable, followed by the spicy and somewhat medicinal cherry tobacco. i think i smell fiery cinnamon, too, although it’s not listed in the scent description. the pine and cedar add to the overall effect but aren’t bold enough to be noticed on their own. the honey and vanilla add a top coat of creamy, smooth sweetness that brings everything together. this blend is foody without reminding you of any one dish in particular. it’s also pretty strong and long-lasting. i don’t crave a bottle but it is quite nice.

at first sniff: fruity pumpkin. the extreme butteriness of this pumpkin note makes it a jarring match with the crisp pear and juicy white grape. it’s like the pumpkin is too rich to be paired with these light, refreshing fruits. i’ve had jasmine tea, and i don’t care for it, but that’s neither here nor there because i can’t smell a drop of it in this blend. not intolerable, but not my favorite pumpkin scent, either.

at first sniff, i get pumpkin and…pickles? there’s something sour, vinegar-like, and i have no idea what it is. it may be due to the age of this decant, now over a year old. luckily, it quickly fades, and the unmistakable sweet scent of sage comes out in full force. if you’ve ever had pumpkin ravioli with sage butter, you know that this little green herb has quite a love affair with the autumnal orange gourd. they complement each other so well. i couldn’t tell you what cactus blossom or sweetgrass smell like, so who knows if i’m smelling them, but the pumpkin and sage form a perfect duo all by themselves.

a resinous, woodsy, masculine blend. almost like a department store cologne. dry and spicy and slightly bitter. the sandalwood is the strongest element, with soft bezoin and opoponax, and a touch of rose popping up from time to time. very little clove or patchouli. it’s really nice, but it feels too masculine for me. i’m curious how it will smell on my husband – i’m thinking good!

in the bottle, this smells of incense (the one from Midnight Mass) mixed with pancake syrup. when i apply it, the coffee grounds pop out for a second, then quickly disappear. next the grasses become apparent. it’s a field of grass, yellowing and sun-baked, but patches of green blades still remain here and there. the dried grass’ slight bitterness is a nice contrast to the dark incense and syrupy maple notes. after about 15 minutes the grass fades. now it’s just incense and syrup. they go great together. lasts for a long time, too.

so much leather, like walking into a men's shoe store! oiled, smooth leather, with a hint of sweetness from the musk. i always approve of musk; it seems to enhance any other note it's paired with. if you're not a musk fan, you might want to stay away. my husband loves this, and i love it on him. suddenly, i don't regret foolishly swapping my bottle of dead man's hand quite so much.

ugh, this it not making me joyful. sickeningly sweet, cloying, like fake cherry candy flavoring. i have a feeling there's lotus in this. after a few minutes a heavy, creamy vanilla appears, making things more tolerable, but still not exactly pleasant. others seem to enjoy it so i'm sure it's a skin chemistry issue. off to swaps!

when i apply it, it’s equal parts lemon, lime and mint, with a little bit of powdery, sweetened dried coconut. it’s very strong. take a deep breath -- it really clears out your sinuses, without being all “eww medicine!” i’m usually not a fan of lemon because it overpowers everything else. but the mint is really holding its own here. i wouldn’t really call this “pretty,” but it’s very refreshing and invigorating. i think it would be good for working out. after a few minutes it does threaten to turn “lemon pledge” but the mint and coconut manage to restrain the wayward lemon and keep things pleasant-smelling.

plum, cherry cough syrup, and green herbal notes. it’s extremely sweet, fruity, and medicinal. i don’t know if they make ‘em anymore, but it smells like these cough drops i ate like candy as a child, called Sucrets. smelling this practically makes the back of my throat go numb, the way those cough drops did. but after a few minutes, it’s more like cherry incense than a sore throat remedy. still very fruity – reminds me slightly of Urd. i like it when it gets to this stage.

at first this is 100% vetiver. dank, musty and heavy. then the patchouli becomes noticeable, and it’s like the most raw, earthy patchouli you can get. there is nothing refined about it. the color this scent brings to mind is pitch black. it’s all woods and wet earth, being lost in the deep woods in the middle of the night. evil in a bottle, indeed! i love it.

my first reaction was, “hey, this is kinda girly!” but if i remember the Johnny Depp movie correctly, Ichabod was kind of a girly character the fruity floral muguet is the strongest note on me, backed by cream, slightly bitter tea, and the distinct scent of a wool sweater. the beeswax is also noticeable, although faint. i thought it might smell different on my husband, but it smelled of creamy muguet on him as well. a pleasant surprise, not what i pictured but a really delightful scent in its own way.

the softest, creamiest white rose. i’m like swooning over this. simple, yet perfect. the cream and honey smooth away any trace of the bitterness that occasionally happens with rose. i love BPAL’s honey note, but i’m actually glad it isn’t very strong here. it accentuates the rose rather than covering it up. this is classic enough to wear at work, yet cute enough for a date. it seems like it would work in any situation.

straight out of the imp, i smell that wonderful sweet honey note that i love so much in O, Hetairae, Kill-Devil, etc. it's actually very similar to O, except lighter and more summery. there is a slight sourness associated with fermentation, and a delicate floral/herbal note that i'm guessing is the sweet briar. the ginger is present, but it's light -- more like powdered ginger than raw ginger. i can't smell any of the spices at all, which is suprising since cinnamon and clove usually amp on my skin. the lemon, another huge amper, has also gone missing, which is fine with me! this blend doesn't have a ton of throw, but sometimes you just want something light and sweet and pretty. this is it. a MUST for honey lovers.

the leather/pumpkin combo is also found in The Shattered Pumpkin, but i prefer it here. this is a very spicy, sexy pumpkin! i can’t believe i used the words “sexy” and “pumpkin” in the same review, but that’s bpal for you, i guess. along with the strong leather note, i keep thinking i smell cinnamon. the tonka adds sweetness and the musk brings warmth. i don’t get any butter from this, as other reviewers did. just a whole lot of leather and spice. the only negative is that it doesn’t have a lot of throw.

Raw pumpkin, like sniffing the inside of a jack-o-lantern, combined with rich soil and a touch of leather. I also smell something kind of damp and mildewy – the water weeds? I don’t smell the pine at all. The pumpkin note is nice, not the usual foody pumpkin. But after a few minutes, there is an almost cloying sweetness coming from the soil and leather, which strikes me as strange. This indeed smells like a pumpkin that’s been shattered on the ground by mischievous kids, and left there to rot on a rainy day. Is that a good thing? You decide. I really liked it at first, and will hang onto the imp for the sheer uniqueness of it, but the sweetness is too much for me to consider a bottle.

a gorgeous foody scent! the buttery cake is comforting and rich, and the orange rind adds just the right amount of sparkle. i can see the orange hostess cupcake comparison that others have mentioned. there's also something that smells like spicy root beer, which must be the anise seed. i like this better than eat me or any other cake scent i can think of. it has a variety of notes which all come together to smell delicious, and it doesn't turn to plastic or play-doh as foody blends occasionally do on me. i had to try a decant because i thought, "do i really want to smell like a dessert?" the answer is yes!