kikithepirate

I don't really like BPAL's pumpkin note, but I LOVE this. Go figure, right? I usually find BPAL's pumpkin to be sort of sour and uninteresting, but this adds the requisite amount of cream (yes, cream! I swear! Okay, so maybe it's the musk that's making it creamy...) and spice. I cannot stop sniffing my wrist. Augh, why didn't I buy a bottle back when they were actually being offered?

I absolutely love rose blends, but Gwyneth manages to stand out among the pack of rose-scented oils that I own (and believe me, I own quite a few). Where Hope, Katrina van Tassel and White Rose are all sweet, this is much more creamy. The spice is blended near-perfectly, so that you can't actually catch it upon first whiff, but only as the scent dies down in your nose. The rose doesn't dominate the scent as much as it does in some others, but it is certainly still a major character... if this were the cast of Lost, the rose would be Jack: arguably the lead in an ensemble cast. This is an absolutely gorgeous oil that stands out as unique among my rose collection.

I pretty much agree with fairnymph's review, word for word. I amp carnation as a rule, and this is no exception -- it gets so strong, it definitely reminded me of cloves. The amber is pure and creamy (probably helped along by the oil's age) and those two scents really maintain dominance over everything else. I like it, but when it comes to scents like this, I think I like my bottles of Inez and Alice more.I pretty much agree with fairnymph's review, word for word. I amp carnation as a rule, and this is no exception -- it gets so strong, it definitely reminded me of cloves. The amber is pure and creamy (probably helped along by the oil's age) and those two scents really maintain dominance over everything else. I like it, but when it comes to scents like this, I think I like my bottles of Inez and Alice more.

I'll agree with the above posters -- it's candy orange citrus scent, though I wouldn't go so far as to call it "creamy." I do think that there is a tiny bit of either vanilla or musk in here. It smells like orange smarties to me. Definitely not something I would want a bottle of, but I'm grateful for the sniffy I received!

By far my favorite among the Bats Day decants that I received. Which was a surprise to me, as BPAL's light, fruity scents tend to be too much for me. What really makes perfume for me is its creamy quality, which I'm guessing is caused by a combination of the woods and the musk. I'm a musk girl in general, and I'm really digging it here. The strawberry and raspberry are light enough so as not to smell artificial, and the natural elements (the iris, the leaf, the woods) keep it balanced and "real," if that makes any sense. Definitely loving this, and wishing that I wasn't -- how am I ever going to track more down?

Definitely fizzy, and I agree with those who said that this is more Mountain Dew than Sprite. It's nice, but not really all that interesting to me. If you like this but aren't crazy about the idea of hunting down a bottle, try finding yourself some Te Po. The fizzy, soda scent is the same, and I actually think that Te Po's increased complexity makes it a superior scent.

Bleeechhhhhhh. Ew, so much ew. The leather came on strong at first, which was nice (though not anything that I want to smell like) but it was quickly overtaken by a metallic, oily scent. It literally does smell like the inside of a mechanic's shop, so kudos to the lab on their ability to re-create this smell! I just don't want it anywhere near my skin.

I really like woody scents, even if I can't wear them. They're very comforting, and in a way this reminds me of my grandfather. It smells like a finely polished wooden cabinet. There's a hint of vetiver, but not very much. I never would have thought "citrus," but since other people have mentioned it, I can see where they're coming from. Maybe bergamot? If a man smelled like this, I'd probably want to jump him -- but then again, I'm a Democrat who tends to have a thing for Republican boys. EDIT: I just re-read this, and can we just ignore the fact that I mentioned my grandfather and jumping guys who smelled like this all in the same review? Thaaaaanks.

I agree that there's a strong honey/beeswax/vanilla scent to this, but it quickly grows into a plastic smell that I associate with Snow White. It's pleasant, but not something I think I'd ever really wear. Which is probably for the best, considering you can only find this scent in imp form!

I amp rose in a major way, so in case anyone was still wondering whether or not this has rose in it, let me tell you: yes, it does. On me, this is all rose and honey, nothing else. It's very, very similar to Katrina van Tassel, just a little bit stronger. On me, this has a pretty strong throw.

Definitely a manly smell. Though I really dislike vetiver in general and can definitely smell it here, I actually think that I would find this scent really sexy on a man -- there's an undertone of a gentleman's cologne, almost. Definitely not something I would ever wear myself, though.

I considered just buying a bottle of this, because matcha and chocolate are two of my favorite things. I'm really glad that I didn't, because all I can smell is lemon, lemon, lemon. Woe. Nothing like my delicious green tea lattes, I can tell you that, and I really don't get any chocolate from it, either.

In the imp, it smells herbal and fresh -- almost tangy. On me, this is just soap. Nothing else.

Despite feeling wary upon reading the reviews, I went ahead and ordered a bottle of this in my recent order. I'm really glad that I did, despite the fact that I have never really liked a BPAL wine scent (most end up turning rather plastic-smelling on me) or coffee note (again, they all start off lovely and end up wonky) and after trying MB Closet, I crossed cherry off my list, too. But what do you know -- this bottle ended up being a keeper! The wine is a dry red wine -- definitely not sweet, though after the scent has settled, a pleasant fruity sweetness does come out. It's VERY strong at first -- someone with me could tell I was wearing "that wine perfume" all the way from the other room. But luckily, after it dries, it settles into a really warm, comforting, fruity wine smell, and I absolutely love it. I haven't had anyone at work ask whether or not I've been showering in wine this morning, so I think I can safely rule out the "people will think I'm an alcoholic" issue. I encourage people to give this a try -- it's a major morpher, and smells way better on my skin that it does in the bottle.

This was a surprise hit out of my recent order. It's a tiny bit soapy upon first application, but in dry-down, it becomes a beautiful, sweet, almost slightly musky scent. I wouldn't really define this as a floral -- certainly nothing about it smells like flowers, exactly, but there is something there that hints lightly of springtime. Considering the precense of amber AND vanilla, I'm going to guess that this bottle will age really, really nicely. It's a very wearable perfume, perfect for spring.

I pretty much LOVE all of the notes in this, so I was so excited for my bottle. It's spicy and warm and perfect when wet, but once it dries, it turns to a soapy powdery smell on me. Usually I love BPAL's amber, so I don't know what it is about this scent that makes it go so wonky. I didn't really like Inez until it had aged about six months though, so I'm going to stick this in a box and try it again in July to see if it's gotten any better.

I've been collecting BPAL for about a year and a half now, and this is the first scent of which I absolutely NEED to buy a second bottle. I can't even describe it perfectly -- it really is the scent of walking into a bakery stocked with freshly baked red velvet cupcakes, layered with crisply sweet cream cheese icing. I can't stop sniffing myself... I'm pretty sure that my co-worker thinks I'm insane.

Wow. This is way sexier than I expected. I absolutely hated Giant Vulva, so I was afraid that the skin musk and sugar cane would once again turn me off -- Giant Vulva was lemon-y and almost sour. This, however, is just barely there at all, and it really does smell almost like it could just be the scent of my skin, if I naturally smelled feminine, soft, and gorgeous. I would definitely recommend this oil as a nighttime perfume, if you know what I mean. It's the kind of thing that could make a guy (or girl, if that's your thing) think that you're incredibly sexy without even trying. Which, of course, I'm sure you are.

CCCIV A very strong O base - rich, mouthwatering, sweet honey. In the bottle, it actually smells like cherry candy. Applied, however, it quickly becomes apparent that this is a floral. Very juicy, similar to Katrina van Tassel, except it's lily, not rose. This is the sweet, juicy sort of floral scent that makes your mouth water -- not the kind that's powdery or makes you want to sneeze. It might have a very small amount of rose in there, too. Extremely feminine, but not soapy in the least. Almost sugary, but with more depth.

Blegh. I can't figure out what it is that ruins this scent for me... I hope it's not the skin musk or sugar cane, because I already ordered a bottle of Velvet Nudie. :/ I get absolutely none of the honey that I love so much in Flower Moon and Katrina van Tassel, none of the beeswax that I adore in Hanerot Halalu and Ichabod Crane. I usually love musks. COPAL, ARE YOU THE ONE RUINING THIS SCENT? Because I smell none of the things that I thought I would smell. At first, I get a very tart note -- almost lemon, but not quite. Once applied, the scent is very strong and quite sharp. It smells very much like a generic department store perfume. I'd recommend this to someone who is interested in trying BPAL but is afraid to leave their Clinique. Definitely not for me -- I've tried it twice now, and disliked it each time.

Out of my rather large March order, this is the bottle I was the most excited about. The cinnamon here is much more of the sweet variety, as opposed to the burning sort found in Inferno (which I cannot wear). It's certainly not an overpowering floral -- it goes on as a very golden scent, almost foody. After awhile, it gets the tiniest bit soapy/powdery, but not enough that I don't like it. Vanilla and amber scents both seem to get better with age (I couldn't stand Inez at first, now it's one of my top favorites) and so I think that this bottle is going to be magnificent in about 6 months.

I was nervous that the combination of different florals would make this scent smell like soap. I was so, so very wrong! I think this might just rival my bottle of L'Estate as the best spring/summer scent. It smells like freshly bloomed flowers, still on the vine -- juicy and sweet. Not at all like a fake "floral" spray or candle. The honey/beeswax smell helps to round it out and it gives the whole thing much more oomph. Very happy that I decided to get a bottle of this. :-)

This is a mature version of Katrina van Tassel. The rose here is much less in-your-face, and its sweetness comes from the pomegranate, which means that it's much more of a tart juiciness than the full-on honey sugar rush that Katrina had. The amber and frankincense add a bit of a powdery touch... I think that it will round out and become even better with age. The only thing I worry about is that it might be a tad bit too old lady-ish on me.

Augh, so much clove, that's all I can smell besides the faint hint of rose. It reminds me a lot of Clemence when I open the bottle, actually. I would never wear this alone, but it's absolutely lovely when layered with the White Rose.

Coconut and almond are two of my favorite notes, so it's unsurprising that I love this. The milky quality doesn't go sour or plastic like in some BPAL oils, and the fig leaf adds just a slight sharp note that helps this smell like quality perfume, and not some coconut body spray you bought at Walgreens.