Jump to content
Post-Update: Forum Issues Read more... ×
BPAL Madness!

tinyvulture

Members
  • Content Count

    2,797
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by tinyvulture

  1. tinyvulture

    El Dia de los Reyes

    an instant favorite! i’m so glad i ordered a bottle of this, unsniffed. it’s a beautiful, rich combination of hot cocoa and coffee, with just a touch of powdery cinnamon. no plastic – hooray! and it’s strong and long-lasting. i don’t even like coffee, and yet i’m absolutely in love with this scent!
  2. tinyvulture

    November

    this is the dried leaves of October, minus the “men’s cologne” note that turned me off, plus the sweet slushy note that i’ve come to enjoy in many BPAL yule blends. it’s completely true-to-life. it reminds me of my childhood in michigan, sniffing at the cold, biting air after the first snowfall. frozen leaves and bits of snow crunching underfoot. it’s really beautiful.
  3. tinyvulture

    La Befana

    on me, this smells like a mixture of sugary candy and smoke, with a faint dusty note. it reminds me somewhat of Bonfire Night with its smoke/treacle combination. i’ve never smelled candy charcoal so i can’t say how this compares. i don’t think this smells like real charcoal, anyway. i’m not getting any violets or lilies at all. it’s nice, but i have other foody holiday blends that i prefer. i was actually hoping it would be more floral.
  4. tinyvulture

    The Shivering Boy

    straight out of the imp, i get a whirl of different notes – the tang of ozone, the soured grapes and bitter greenery of the vineyard, the sweet slush and snow, and various sweet incense resins. i also smell woods and evergreen needles, which add to the overall outdoorsy, wintry feeling of this blend. i like the contrast of the biting, bitter notes with the sweet, comforting ones. after it dries, the resins and ozone are still going strong. i don’t get much fruit out of it, at all. i can’t wear many ozone blends but i really enjoy this one.
  5. tinyvulture

    Midwinter's Eve

    2007 version – I haven’t tried any of the earlier versions. At first it’s extremely fruity and sweet. It’s like plums cooked in a sugar syrup. I think I also smell currants. Soon the bold fruitiness dies down, and it’s a pleasant blend of fruits and florals, with maybe a faint touch of pine in the background. It’s very cheerful and festive.
  6. tinyvulture

    Pumpkin Smash

    Pumpkin pulp, beeswax candles, smoke, asphalt, and beer! i'm thrilled i was able to get a decant of this! in the imp, i smell buttery pumpkin. not sweet or spicy or fruity at all, just extremely buttery. when i apply it, i get pumpkin and tarry asphalt. i’ve never smelled asphalt in a perfume before! the combination works, however. i’m really enjoying this. the smoke and wax are there too, although not very strong. i don’t smell the beer. i love having a pumpkin scent that’s not dessert-y. this is the scent of lit jack-o-lanterns on halloween night. i love it! just wish i’d gotten a bottle.
  7. tinyvulture

    Santa Muerte

    at first it’s a dark, earthy, bitter, smoky floral and i like it quite a bit. but the vetiver quickly fades and then it’s pure florals – rose and some other notes that i can’t pick out. it’s lost a lot of its complexity and i wish the vetiver had stuck around. the florals on their own are too overpowering and it’s not right for me.
  8. tinyvulture

    Ogun

    now this is a unique scent. i can’t think of any other BPALs it reminds me of. the dominant note is sweet, juicy honeydew melon. the gin and juniper are there too, adding some “bite” and making it smell like some kind of refreshing summer beverage. the spicy chili pepper hangs out in the background. i can’t say that i smell the tobacco at all. this is tropical and fruity, yet so different from any of the usual “tropical” scented products on the market.
  9. tinyvulture

    Poisoned Apple

    this is such a strong, sweet, juicy red apple scent. there is a hint of green herbal notes in the background. i would love a soap that smelled like this; it would really help wake me up in the morning! i keep waiting for the opium to turn it all smoky, but apparently it’s not happening on me. that’s ok – it smells really good
  10. tinyvulture

    Western Diamondback

    sweet, sexy Snake Oil blends perfectly with rugged leather. and it is strong – i put a dab on my husband and i can smell him in the next room! my skin really amps the vanilla and tonka, and i can’t smell the sandalwood or sage at all. this is in my top 10 – i want to smell like this all the time.
  11. tinyvulture

    Destroying Angel

    sweet, rich dirt is the main note here. i guess maybe it smells like mushrooms too – mushrooms caked in dirt. the soil is so sweet, almost cloying. i like that sweetness in Penny Dreadful, but i feel like that’s a more complex scent because of the perfume notes. here, all i smell is the dirt.
  12. tinyvulture

    Shadwell

    in the imp it smells like condensed milk and very faint coconut and aquatic notes. on my skin, it’s those same notes, only much sweeter. a few minutes later, the tobacco and mildew notes come out and the aquatic disappears. it's not nearly as sweet now. i like it at this point. it's more masculine and earthy now, than when first applied. still no trace of the tea – oh well.
  13. tinyvulture

    Fairy Market

    i smell a variety of fresh-cut flowers and greenery, with an undercurrent of soft warm incense (and maybe some amber?) the florals are lush and almost fruity. the gentle incense nicely balances the bold florals. it’s long-lasting. the sweetness of the candies comes out hours later. i can only wear some florals, and unfortunately not this one, but it’s still a super-pretty scent.
  14. tinyvulture

    Aziraphale

    a pale, light scent without a lot of throw. soft warm musk over dry, dusty cedar or sandalwood. gently masculine. i like this musk, it reminds me of the musk in Coyote. i’m not sure what Bible accord smells like, so i thought this might smell like a stack of old Bibles but i’m not picking up any paper/parchment notes. it’s a nice scent, but i wish it was stronger.
  15. tinyvulture

    The Lurid Library

    as an incense-loving librarian, this should be my signature scent! you really do smell that dusty, papery, slightly mildewed scent of old books. yet the musk and incense make this a warm and, yes, sexy blend. the incense is patchouli-heavy and seems very similar to my beloved Urd. i couldn’t smell the “books” note in Miskatonic University so i’m really glad i can pick it out here. must have a bottle and wear to work frequently
  16. tinyvulture

    The Forbidding Foyer

    cognac is my favorite booze note ever since i smelled it in some Lush shampoo, and i love the warm, rich smell of mahogany. but there is also a dank, musty scent. it’s not unpleasant, though. it gives the overall impression of a deserted, forgotten room in a haunted old house. some debauchery happened here, back in the day, but now there's nobody around except for the ghosts! perfect!
  17. tinyvulture

    Devil's Claw

    i would guess that this contains tons of dark, earthy vetiver combined with acrid smoke, burning cedar wood, and something nutty (almond?). it makes me think of a bonfire in a graveyard. i don’t always do well with earthy blends, but i friggin’ love this one.
  18. tinyvulture

    Pumpkin II (2007)

    i wouldn’t call this a foody scent. the pumpkin is on equal footing with the other notes, with the tobacco being especially dominant. its dark spiciness cuts the richness of the buttery pumpkin, in a good way. the sweet tonka and light florals round out the scent. what a warm, pretty combination of smells.
  19. tinyvulture

    Bonfire Night

    the combination of woodsmoke and syrup calls to mind Hearth 2005 minus the pine notes. to me, they are very similar. this is a heavy, dark scent, but also sweet and comforting. i don’t smell the beer or the tar, just the thick bonfire smoke and caramelized sugary treacle. there’s a slight nuttiness as well, maybe hazelnut? but i wouldn’t say it’s a foody scent, because the smoke is such a strong element. a quintessential autumn blend for sure.
  20. tinyvulture

    October

    this isn’t what i expected. it’s a grassy, ozone-y men’s cologne. rather than brisk october nights, it actually reminds me of sunny indian summer afternoons. there was frost on the ground this morning so you wore a jacket, but now it’s tied around your waist as you walk along, noticing the brightly colored leaves raked into piles on the ground. autumn is definitely here, but you’ve got several warm days left before the chill and gloom set in. i like it for what it is, although it’s a bit masculine for me to wear regularly. i’ll have to try it on my husband.
  21. tinyvulture

    Pumpkin III (2007)

    Pumpkin with white chocolate, caramel, pomegranate, and cream. instant love! pomegranate turns out to be an excellent fruity companion for pumpkin, saving it from becoming too buttery (as it often does on me). the tart fruit notes are perfectly balanced with the rich white chocolate and luscious caramel and cream (i'd say the cream is more prominent than the caramel -- it's that lovely creamy note also found in the candy butcher). an outstanding foody scent. i need a bottle immediately
  22. tinyvulture

    Arcana

    to me, this is the scent of relaxation. imagine it was a long, stressful, hot day but now you’re finally home, freshly showered, in your comfy clothes. you’ve got the shades drawn, air conditioning turned up, relaxing on the couch, burning head shop incense, sucking on lemon drops, with a lavender eye mask over your eyes. ahhhh. you’re even starting to feel energized again. really nice. ADDED Nov. 24: a contradictory blend -- soothing, calming lavender contrasts with the peppy, cheerful citrus of verbena and neroli. there’s a lovely soft layer of powdery, resinous frankincense, and hints of sharp, medicinal rosemary that come and go. i like it, only it’s a bit too bright and citrusy for me.
  23. tinyvulture

    Luna

    i once had a cat named luna, so the name and its associations are dear to me. so, i’m happy that this is one of my favorite celestial blends. it’s cool, beautiful, delicate and feminine. floral, but not overwhelmingly so. very light jasmine. and something that reminds me of a lemon ice. or chilled grapefruit, maybe? the citrus is very subtle and comes and goes. in my mind, this scent is the palest yellow.
  24. tinyvulture

    Incantation

    at first i smell crisp winter woods and slushy snow notes. it reminds me of several BPAL yule scents i’ve tried. then the dark earthiness of the vetiver makes its presence felt. the slush note turns lemony. now it smells like lemon-scented cleaner. it’s making my nose itch, so i better wash it off. darn lemon. it takes over everything, with my skin chemistry. off to swaps for this one.
  25. tinyvulture

    Mars

    cinnamon, anise, and a very dry, dusty wood. sandalwood, maybe. and dragon’s blood too, judging from the bold red of the oil in the vial. its sweet spiciness pulls the other notes together. and i think there’s something dank and earthy and mossy, as well. it’s an undertone i can’t put my finger on. i don’t really get a ‘mood’ from this. that is, it’s not really evoking any particular images or feelings. it is what it is. it’s neat, but i’m not big on cinnamon.
×