whitewhale

Damn everything but the circus! A scent for Tom and for Lilith, the Empress and the Hierophant at the carnival: rose, gardenia, styrax, and frankincense splattered with cotton candy and the white glop in the middle of Oreos. In the bottle: Roses and cocoa and Oreo creme. Seriously. On the skin: This shouldn't work, but it really, really does. For ease, I should say that the Oreo creme here really serves to give a vanilla creaminess to the florals. The cotton candy never really comes out to play. The rose takes the lead with the gardenia coming out to play in the drydown. The frankincense gives a very very vaguely incense-y blur (almost not enough to make it worth mentioning) and the Oreo creme sugars out the flowers perfectly. The chocolate is there, but not like Oreo cookie chocolate, more like cocoa powder chocolate. Again, usually not my thing, but this is so interesting and unique that I can't help but like it.

Lilith is already better at knitting than I am. A few weeks ago, we went to a knitting clinic together just to brush up a bit on our skills. Everything the instructor showed her she took to immediately. I, on the other hand, had a bit more trouble. Actually, a lot more trouble. Arachne, I am not. Going to that class with her was amazingly fun, and watching her create brings me unbelievable amounts of delight. This scent is inspired by the colors of the yarns she chose that day: raspberry pink, cherry red, sky blue, and lime green, all swirled with frankincense, black oudh, mallow root, and sweet wooly vanilla husk. In the bottle: This is incredibly fruity in the bottle, sweet and sugary, almost like Skittles (not unlike Bitches Love Unicorns in that way). The mallow root gives a bit of creaminess while the frankincense and oudh. On the skin: The frankincense, oudh and vanilla husk are at the forefront here. It gives the fruit a sharpness, but not an overwhelming one. That original candy sweetness disappears pretty much right away and becomes a spicy, vaguely warmer blend, in a way. However, it does reappear shortly after. It really does make me think of wet yarn and wooden spinning wheels. Very peaceful scent.

Lilith at the window, waiting for her father. Raindrops and asphalt, lavender, pale musk, and white oudh. In the bottle: Lavender-touched rain. This is VERY subtle and you have to get close and take a big old sniff to really get a sense of the fragrance. On the skin: This turns exquisite pretty quickly. Lavender-touched rain is still accurate, but you can almost feel the rain on the asphalt on a warm day. The lavender extends a sort of wistfulness to the blend, while the musk softens the rain out so gently that it sort of breaks your heart. Imagine rain falling on hot pavement scattered with lavender petals. That's kind of it, but better.

Lilith wants to keep her fathers brain in a jar after he dies so she can implant it into a robot body. This should smell like electricity and potions. I did my best, kid. In the bottle: Electricity. Ozone. On the skin: This has almost a citrus quality to it without ever being overt about it. The "electricity" feeling is definitely there - this is a lightning-filled slate grey sky, that hum of leftover energy in the air when it passes. It's post-storm magic and almost cold anticipation. Beth did a beautiful interpretation of this one.

This year, we brought a new baby to the house: Lilith’s little buddy, Pickle. In order for mom and dad to okay Lilith getting “her own” dog, she had to agree to train her, help bathe her, and care for her. Loving her was a given, and somehow Lilith foisted the dooky-removal duties back onto her father. The scent of our backyard in summertime, the scent of Lilith trying to explain to Pickle how to heel correctly: honeysuckle, late summer jasmine, and mowed grass. In the bottle: Jasmine! Ripe, almost rotting jasmine (not in that it smells rotten, but it smells... potent in the best possible way). On the skin: The jasmine is still front and center and will not be moved. However, the honeysuckle and grass add a bit of green to what is still a very heady floral. This is strong, beautiful, and very perfume-y, like walking through a garden full of jasmine vines, tall grass, and honeysuckle blossoms very faintly in the distance. Seriously, if you don't like jasmine, stay far, far away (it's one of my favorite floral elements, so I love it). I can see this being headache-inducing on some as it nearly was on me this morning after slathering, but I love jasmine blends too much to care. At times I almost feel like I'm getting a whiff of tuberose in there, but that's probably just my mind playing tricks on me.

In the bottle: Strawberry cotton candy marshmallows. On the skin: Almost like red licorice - a big bag of Twizzlers. It's definitely berry sugar candy, and the whipped cream leaves a very slight creamy topping. No sprinkles and no cotton candy and sadly fades a bit quickly.

In the bottle: This the big, scratchy, heavy wool sweater you wear when it's misty grey and cold as hell outside. It's VERY warm and sorta reminds me of Unicorn and Ram. Spicy, earthy, and really quite grounding. Really like this one. On the skin: Pretty much like the bottle, only with more depth. There's something amber-ish and/or musky in this blend that's just really, really lovely. I have a feeling I'll be wearing this a lot this autumn/winter.

In the bottle: Exactly what the description says: musky vanilla sandalwood. On the skin: This is just downright beautiful. It's sexy, musky, woody, creamy, all at once. At times the vanilla kicks it up a notch and steps out to give this sort of a milky vibe (thanks to the musk), but generally speaking, this whole scent is so beautifully blended that it works perfectly. Gorgeous scent and may be my favorite of the collection thus far.

In the bottle: Very brightly sweet, though not in the same way as Texare. This is cotton candy - wispy, lightly fruity spun sugar and neon pink bubblegum. I don't detect the snake oil at all. I should mention that whenever there's a Snake Oil blend, I NEVER smell the Snake Oil, which is interesting since it's such an intense fragrance on its own. On the skin: The lavender comes out, as does the vanilla from the Snake Oil. There's not much resin to the mix, it's just a smooth, creamy lavender mix that's almost vaguely like fancy (yet yummy smelling) hotel soap. You'd think that'd be a bad thing, but I actually quite like this and will test it more.

While I love all three notes, I worried when I ordered that they might become a bit too strong and overwhelming when combined. Turns out that fear was needless, as this is anything but in-your-face. In fact, I almost wish it was a little MORE in my face. Upon opening the bottle, it took a long time to really get a feel for the smell because it's so understated. On the skin, the leather is predominant while the rose sharpens it just slightly (though this is not at all a sharp scent). The leather is worn and comfortable - I can't say I'm sure I know the difference between white leather and tan leather (or any other leather, for that matter), but this reminds me of an old worn-in saddle and riding a unicorn through a forest full of wild roses. That probably sounds a little strange, but so it goes. If the opal musk is there, I'm not quite sure where to find it. Perhaps it also aids in making the leather feel so worn in and aged in the best way, but I'm not sure. This is a scent that wears very close to the skin. I pretty much slathered and I'm still not getting random whiffs of it unless I sniff my wrist up close. While I'd love if it did sort of jump out at you a bit more, I also like the idea of this as a skin scent because that makes it almost sexy. The longevity is a bit lacking - my skin eats this one up in a matter of 2ish hours - but it's a truly beautiful blend and I'm so glad I blind bought a bottle.

I admit I was really worried about this since I'd seen the word "powdery" in preliminary reviews. While this does have that baby-like quality, it's a more gentle powder, like the scent of a newborn's head. Sound weird? Probably, but hopefully that conveys the meaning. This is peony and vanilla straight out of the bottle and the mallow dances through it, making it creamy and youthful, almost like a fairy tale. This is perhaps the most evocative of the mythical creature the series is named after - I can envision a beautiful white unicorn perfectly on a summer's day. Really, really beautiful... an early favorite, for sure (to the point where I feel like I need a back up bottle now!)

This was another complete surprise - I like sandalwood, vanilla and sweet tobacco but I wasn't sure about the mahogany, rum and oudh. In the bottle and wet, this is nearly fruity. Likely this is due to the rum, which starts out the strongest, along with the vanilla and the sweet tobacco. The sandalwood, mahogany and tonka don't come out until drydown, transforming this into a sweet, woody vanilla scent that's really lovely. This is another one that wears very close to the skin and has little to no throw. I have to basically put my nose right to my wrist to smell it, but I have the feeling this will get stronger as it settles/ages.

This scent was the easiest blind buy of the series for me. Every single note is a winner for me, and it does NOT disappoint. Where roses can be a bit sharp (and this does indeed start out all rose, which I do love), the pink petals come in about 10-15 minutes later to smooth it all down along with the vanilla cream. Make no mistake - the rose is THE star of this scent so if you don't like roses, this isn't for you. For those who do, the white jasmine mixed with those creamy flower petals and just a drop of bergamot is rather incredibly beautiful. It reminded me a lot of Two, Five and Seven when I first applied, but this is a serious morpher as that vanilla and jasmine get a chance to come out to play. This one packs a bit more throw than some of the others, though it's not offensive about it.

Quite honestly, I expected this to smell a whole lot fruitier than it actually does. In fact, I don't get fruity at all. Instead, in the bottle and on my skin, I once again get... Christmas. Only this isn't midnight mass, this is a fresh, live wreath, like a mix of holly, twigs and slightly spicy, slightly sugary currants (in their least fruity incarnation, if that makes sense). This is, without a doubt, a cold weather scent. About 10 minutes into drydown, the fruitiness does make an appearance, mellowing out that sharp herbaciousness and creating a really beautifully melded scent. Another closer to the skin scent - would love to have this as an atmo or fabric spray, particularly come fall/winter.

What I can only assume is a combination of the amber, vetiver and cassis is the strongest mix of scents right out of the bottle. It's a "hot" fragrance - on the skin and in the initial stages of the drydown, it smells like cinnamon, but candied cinnamon - almost exactly like those tiny red hot heart candies you see around Valentine's Day. This is definitely a scent with a "dangerous" edge - it's spicy and dark in a way that's intriguing but ultimately leaves my skin hot and me feeling like a jar of potpurri or something. This is, in all honesty, my least favourite of the bunch... and yet I can't quite convince myself I don't like it just yet. Very strange...

Right out of the gate, this is ALL lilac (which I love, so I'm not complaining). The orris is there too, tempering a bit of the floral sharpness. It's hard to tell whether the Queen of the Night or "dusk-lit mist" are around since I don't really know what those smell like to pick them out, but there's a late summer headiness to this that I really love. It reminds me of another BPAL that I can't place (I've smelled so many, wah!) but that I love. It's a warm, summery blend - like early morning dew in a forest or something. Hopefully you get what I mean by that!

I do love roses and orris, and that was my main reason for buying this. I worried slightly about the frankincense and clove, but that was needless. This is the first scent I put on and I must say, the whole thing is a pleasant surprise. If I could put this into one word, it'd have to be "Christmas." Picture a cold December night, midnight mass on Christmas Eve, that bite in the air, the smell of incense and old wooden pews... it's downright beautiful. This wears very close to the skin, not much throw at all, and the rose doesn't come out until the drydown, but even then, there's no one aggressive note here. It's blended to perfection to the point that it's nearly impossible to pick out any one note (I mean, I could if I really tried, but I think I'd rather just sniff in Christmassy bliss). I think this will age beautifully.

My God, this is beautiful. I bought it (surprise surprise) blindly because of the notes alone and yet again, the gamble paid off. This is heady magnolia, sweetened by an almost sugary vanilla (the "chiffon" aspect, I suppose) and like so many others have noted, it's absolutely gorgeous. I can't stop sniffing my wrist and I just want to BATHE in it, but I won't because I only have one bottle and I'll be devastated once it's gone, so I'll have to ration it out!! Easily in my Top 10, and I'm saying that after wearing it only once - that's how strongly I feel about it.

Jasmine is one of my absolute favourite flowers/notes, so I bought this blindly hoping for the best, and it was absolutely a gamble that paid off. This is very heady jasmine with the sweetness of apple peel and a lovely grounding of musk. It's staying pretty much the same on me throughout, and honestly I can't stop smelling my wrists. Lupers have always been my most loved collection, as they tend to have so many fragrances that work for me, and this is yet another.

I like aquatic scents in theory - they always smell rather nice, I just don't like to wear them, if that makes sense. I didn't know what to expect from Ameles Potamos (I tried it before I read all the reviews), but I've had an imp hanging around for a while and decided to finally try it this morning. It is, of course, very, very aquatic. There's that aquamarine note (that's the best way I can think to describe it) that floats over all the others that makes me feel rather ambivalent. It's not a terrible smell - in fact, I actually kind of like it - but I'm just not sure I like it for me, on my skin. Thankfully, there's also a bit of depth there, a darker, saltier note that keeps it from being straight watery. I'm not rushing to wash this off, but I don't know that it'll be a regular wear.

Admittedly, I was really worried about this one as I don't do well with scents that are TOO fruity, especially tropical fruits like pineapple. I was hoping that the tobacco and amber would help ground this, and I wasn't disappointed. Wet, the pineapple is definitely there and takes the front seat, but never overwhelmingly so. The flowers are always sorta hanging in the background, keeping it from going too Bath & Body Works on me. On drydown, the tobacco and seltzer come out to play a bit (the seltzer moreso), which literally gives a "fizzing out" feeling to the pineapple and sort of diffusing it over the florals. I really, really love this scent and will have to be SUPER careful to use it slowly since it's discontinued!!

I'm not generally a citrus fan, but something made me want to try this and I'm so glad I do. The citrus is there, but it's tempered out by the more perfume-y elements — and yes, this is a VERY perfume-y blend in the best way possible. There's a sophisticated edge to this with the rose and sage, but the lime and grapefruit keep it extremely fun. It doesn't morph much between wet and dry but stays consistent, with certain elements occasionally peeking out over the others every once in a while but never overshadowing them. This is definitely going to be a full bottle for me.

I really, really wanted to love this - from all the notes listed, I thought I would. Unfortunately, one of the notes remains just too sharp to be pleasant for me - likely the plum blossom. There's a good tang to it and it literally JUST falls short for me. I don't hate it, but I can't see myself wearing it regularly because of this. There's a nice mix of florals there, but even dry, the plum blossom never really lets go or lets any other element take the lead. Lovely, but just not quite what I was hoping.

This is a gorgeous scent and I love every note in it. The sakura is prominent but not so much that it smacks you in the face - it's a very ethereal floral, and as such, sticks very close to the skin which makes me kinda sad. I was hoping it'd be a bit headier and have a bit more throw. It also doesn't last all that long, which is unfortunate (and rare, as BPAL scents in general have a pretty good wear time on my skin). Either way, it really is lovely.

A huge bouquet of squished rose petals: Bulgarian rose, Somalian rose, Turkish rose, Damascus rose, red and white rose, tea rose, wine rose, shrub roses, rose, rose, rose… …and just an itty bitty bit of green grass. Being a HUGE fan of rose scents in general (before BPAL, I used to wear straight rose essential oil as my perfume), I was super excited about this one. Unfortunately, I got a little overzealous and bought about 50 imps at once, so I didn't get to try it right away. I did on Friday, though, finally, and fell in love immediately. I ordered a bottle within five minutes of putting it on my skin. BEAUTIFUL varied rose scents, fresh greenery, sweetness...oh, it's heaven. This is definitely one of my new favourites.