bristlecone

A song of love and madness: two roses, tolu balsam and ambergris with vanilla, labdanum, tobacco leaf, carnation and tonka. I thought I reviewed this one already, but maybe not. Better late than never. This was one that I ordered on a whim last summer, despite a nagging suspicion that I might not like it. I should have listened to that nagging suspicion. Many people have commented that this was straight rose on them... I only wish I had that problem, because I like rose. I did get quite a bit of that note at first, but then something akin to rotting wood came out. I've assumed that it was the ambergris, since I got something similar (but nowhere near as bad) out of Cathode, but after reading these reviews, I suspect the tobacco leaf had something to do with it as well. I ended up selling my bottle to someone who hopefully enjoyed it more than I did.

This is so pretty and I'm glad I ordered a bottle unsniffed (out of all the new GC scents that came out in the Chrysanthemum Moon update, this one just screamed "buy me"). Wet, it's very green- at first I thought I could only smell the greens, but I think I detect a bit of the absinthe in there as well, plus maybe the rose. On the skin, the greens continue to dominate for a minute or two, but suddenly I can smell the blackcurrant peeking through as well. As it continues to dry, the lilac makes a strong appearance, but I can still smell everything else as well. It's extremely well-blended... I can imagine it would have been easy for a less-skilled perfumer to allow one note (the lilac or the rose, maybe) to completely dominate this blend, but thankfully that did not happen here. If you like your florals on the light, fresh side, this might be for you.

Pontarlier is a new one with blackcurrant.

I don't usually go for the foody scents, but Midway grabbed my attention, so I obtained a decant. What can I say- I love cotton candy and all that other junk that makes going to the carnival/fair/boardwalk so worthwhile (because the crowds, heat, and high prices sure don't!) Wet, I pretty much just smell glazed donuts and a hint of coconut. As it dries, everything else comes out. I'm pretty sure I can smell the caramel apple and just a hint of the cotton candy and taffy. It's making me very hungry, but that may be because I haven't had dinner yet. In short, I wouldn't wear this every day, or even more than once or twice a month. But it's a fun scent.

I believe my Chaos Theory is DCCLXIV (764). I will have to confirm that when I get home from work. I received it yesterday. When I first opened the bottle I was hit with a "high", clear, almost ozoney note. While I wouldn't call it aquatic, something about it did remind me of damp, foggy air near the ocean. It also reminded me of laundry detergent or dryer sheets. Aside from that, I had no clue what was in it. I was intrigued. I dabbed a tiny bit on my skin, but still wasn't able to make any further judgements about it, other than that I thought I smelled something minty and cooling if I sniffed hard enough. Today I decided to wear it to work, and it's like a completely different scent. I think I smell something from La Fee Verte- a musk or something. There might even be a dab of vanilla, and maybe something green. But what I'm sure of is that this shares a common note with Peony Moon. I believe it must be the water reeds or the "soft Asian woods", because it's not floral. I have no idea how I got ozone or mint out of this last night. So if I had to describe this, I'd call it lightly woody and musky, but also a bit fresh and green. I like it!

Bat-Woman is amazing. I don't know what else to say about it other than that I agree with the first reviewer that it smells like a gorgeous garden at night. It also reminds me of Ides of March (I think of IoM as the warm morning version of the scent, while BW is the cool evening version). I think Evening Star has a bit of competition for its title of My Favorite BPAL Floral. I must say, though, that I originally assumed this wouldn't have much throw, and it's proving me wrong. It's one to use lightly at first, until you know how it reacts on you. I could see it becoming a bit too heady if it's slathered on. I'm sending a decant of this to a friend in a swap, and I can't wait for her to smell it. I hope she likes it as much as I do.

This doesn't scream "green" to me; in fact, I'm testing a little bit of Glasgow on the back of one of my hands (while wearing Strangler Fig on my wrists and on my neck) and of the two, I think Glasgow is greener. At any rate, this review is for Strangler Fig, not Glasgow. This is a golden-brown scent to me, rich and sweet but also kind of earthy and gritty. It's hard to describe, which is probably why I haven't attempted to do so until just now, despite having the imp for several weeks. I really enjoy this, but I can't decide if I'd ever invest in a bottle, because it seems like the type of scent I have to be in just the right mood to wear. It strikes me as having lots of layering potential, so I'm going to see how it works with some of my other scents.

In the bottle, it smells almost like a cross between Nuclear Winter and Buck Moon. I can understand the Buck Moon, but not the Nuclear Winter... the only note I can think of that they might have in common is clover, since Nuclear Winter is pretty green to me. On my skin, though, I don't smell anything green anymore. It's a light, creamy musk and I too can smell something lemony in there. Actually, maybe the lemony part is the clover. This is a very wearable, classy, feminine scent.

For financial reasons, I don't buy all of the Lunacy oils- I have to pick and choose based on what sounds best to me. Sometimes I make the right choice, and sometimes I don't. For example, I'm glad I didn't bother with Beaver Moon or Milk Moon, because the reviews suggest that they wouldn't have worked for me. I also passed on a bottle of Pink Moon, and I was glad because when a friend sent me a decant, it turned out to be something I could live without. However, I'm still kicking myself for passing on Strawberry Moon and Peony Moon. At least I have a decant of the latter, but I have yet to try the former. I did order Dragon Moon, and was a bit anxious that it would fall into the "I really wish I hadn't picked this one" category, since I'm iffy about dragon's blood. But I love this. It may even rank in my top ten. The notes are just so perfectly blended... I can smell the tea, the bamboo, the cherry blossom, and just a little bit of dragon's blood, all dancing around each other. It's a lot like Holiday Moon, but more feminine and delicate- a bit ironic for a scent called Dragon Moon. The soap comparisons are fair... I smell a bit of soapiness too. But it's a nice soap on me, not a harsh soap. I don't know what else to say. It's just a great scent, one that makes you stop and consider (for the umpteenth time) how talented Beth and her staff are. Oh yeah, and the label's gorgeous too.

Szepasszony. The thing with this one is that I wore it semi-frequently this past winter and got more citrus and fresh air than anything aquatic out of it. Yesterday I decided to wear it (after a long break) and it was all aquatics on me this time. It's beautiful. I didn't really like Danube, but I still have the imp... maybe I should give it another shot. I also second House of Mirrors (which smells like ambery rain to me) and City by the Sea (light and salty).

Interesting to see everybody's best guess as to what's in here. I don't get lavender or anything else remotely floral from Khephra. I definitely get cinnamon, and I think I smell red musk too. And probably some amber as well, becoming more apparent in the drydown. It reminds me a bit of Fenris Wolf, actually. It's okay, but nothing spectacular.

This is very light and green at first. I can smell the apple and the mint, and a little bit of something else- either the lime or the vodka. There's very little throw at this stage- I have to hold my wrist to my nose to detect it. As time passes, it warms up a bit. The apple becomes more prominent, while the other notes fade a bit. And then something strange happens... it morphs into an entirely different scent as the ambrette (I think?) comes out. Pretty soon, the ambrette is all I can smell (and I wasn't expecting it at all, because I had forgotten it was in there... I had to go back and check the notes because I was trying to figure out why my supposed apple/lime/mint scent did a 180 on me halfway through the day). It's okay and all. I'm just not sure I'm that crazy about ambrette. (Or maybe it's the iris I don't like? Florence also has iris and something about Mock Turtle reminds me of Florence in the drydown, but Florence also had amber, which is a little bit like ambrette... so who knows what I'm smelling right now.) Anyway, I'm not sure about this one anymore. I like it when it's wet, so maybe this is one for the oil burner, and not for my skin.

I got this as a frimp in my last order. When I first opened the vial, the scent did not impress me. In fact, it smelled an awful lot like nail polish remover. I didn't have high hopes for Maenad, but a few days later I decided I might as well give it a try. Since then, I've worn it three times. Like I said in the Hidden Treasures thread, that says something because there are some imps from that order that I still haven't gotten around to wearing, and those are imps I specifically asked for, whereas this one was a random gift. There's something about this that is so addicting to me. It starts out as a mixture of strawberries and dark green notes, and as time goes on the greenery gives way to the florals, which somehow manage to keep the sweetness of the berries to a manageable level. Somebody on the first page said Maenad is reminiscent of childhood; I would agree because it reminds me of two things: 1) Strawberry Shortcake dolls and 2) the strawberry shampoo I used as a kid (I think they still make it... I'm tempted now to go buy some). And while the staying power wasn't great the first two times I wore it, it lasted all day today, probably because I slathered it this time. In short, this was a surprise keeper, and now I don't feel so bad that I missed out on Strawberry Moon. I might even be tempted to get a bottle someday.

I used to work in a flower conservatory that had a pretty good-sized orchid collection. One of the orchids was this lovely, glowy pale purple that was almost phosporescent. I can't remember if that particular orchid had a scent (some of them do and some of them don't), but that's what I envisioned when I tried this on. It's very purple. And strangely enough, something about it smells like grapes to me. Maybe I'm just making that association because of all the purple-ness. It's lovely and very much unlike any other floral scent I've smelled (BPAL or not), but for some reason, I'm not seeing myself wearing it much. Something about it makes me feel a little uneasy and on edge, and I wish I knew why. Maybe I'll see how it does as a room scent.

In the vial: Smells like a patch of moist earth in a shady spot of a garden. Wet: Still smells like dirt... and mushrooms. Which is funny, because I didn't take the "papery white notes invoke the grace of this fungi" part of the description literally. I'm not totally sure if I find the mushroom part appealing or not, but it sure is interesting. Drydown: The mushrooms subside and I just smell the dirt and something lightly perfumey that I can't identify. But I wish I knew what it was. For a dirt scent, it's surprisingly clean. I really like this and I'm glad I invested in a bottle (my first General Catalogue bottle ever).

Santa Eularia des Riu is herbal and soapy-clean, so she might like that one. It doesn't have a lot of staying power on me, unfortunately. Kyoto is fresh and outdoorsy to me, and it has a sandalwood note, but I know a lot of people either don't like anise or can't handle cherries/cherry blossoms, so it might not be worth a risk. If you can get a hold of Ides of March, that's a great lemony-herbal scent (I'm wearing it today). Szepasszony is a clean, bubbly floral-aquatic. She might like Kuang Shi, though I personally couldn't stand it.

I don't find this sharp, bitter, or strong at all. In fact, it's pretty gentle and as it dries, smells more like paper than wood to me. Then the slightest suggestion of berries makes its appearance. It's a happy scent. Disappears pretty quickly, though.

This is an odd one. It smells almost exactly like Talvikuu in the bottle. On the skin, it immediately heads in a different direction. I got a strong menthol vibe from this right away, but as that settled down I decided it had to be the fir (or possibly the birch?) doing it... but Talvikuu has these notes as well, and I get no menthol from Talvikuu. Several minutes have passed since I put it on, and now I'm getting something salty/citrusy/floral. I can't really decide if I like this. On the one hand, it's very evocative. I feel like I'm in the mountains on a winter afternoon, running around outside after a big storm has left the trees and the ground burdened with snow. However, that salty thing it's doing is kind of drowning out the florals, and it's maybe a bit TOO brisk for me. I think I might be more of a Talvikuu person, but I'll probably test this one more time to be sure.

This reminds me a bit of Tulzscha at first, then Frost Moon and Talvikuu a bit later, but in the end it's completely original. If it were a color, I'd say it would be silvery-green (whereas Tulzscha is bright green, Frost Moon is teal, and Talvikuu is deep blue). I wish I could think of more things to write, but I can't, so I'll just say it's gorgeous, I'm glad I got a hold of a decant, and I may have to purchase a bottle.

I had high hopes for this one, but it just didn't work out. Wet, it's a lovely peppermint. As it dries, a cookie-like vanilla comes out; while it's still pretty good at this point, I can smell that same plasticky undertone I got in Black Opal. In its final stage, which comes a mere 10 minutes or so after I first apply it, I get nothing but plasticky vanilla. And faint plasticky vanilla, at that. Oh well. I'm debating whether I should give/swap this away or try it in the oil burner.

Skeletal limbs of birch and fir coated in a thick, impenetrable blanket of snow. This is the death of the year personified. This is deep, dark woods and aquatics. It makes me think of a lake in a forest at twilight, in the dead of winter. It's not quite cold enough for the lake to have frozen over, but it's almost there, and the water is still and achingly cold. I got sort of the same feeling from this as I got from Frost Moon. But Frost Moon, as much as I love it, sometimes makes my nose itchy and clings to my clothes, clamoring for attention all day long (at least this is what happened the last time I wore it). Talvikuu remains aloof and distant. I really enjoy this.

I haven't smelled Forest Moss, but I think Magus fits the "woodsy, manly, and light" bill. Or maybe Dublin. Actually, I wouldn't call either one "manly" per se... they're both unisex to me. Cathode might be another option.

A friend sent me an imp of this a while back. In the vial, the smell reminds me of a gift shop- not your typical Hallmark, but one of those gift shops you find in quiet coastal towns, with windchimes and candles and local crafts. I think it's the honey that's doing that- it gives Pink Moon a homespun, rustic feeling to me. On the skin, it morphs and I can smell the flowers and a touch of strawberry. It reminds me of sugary kiddie cereal at this point. Eventually, as it dies down, all I can smell is the sugar. This isn't bad. It's not really my thing, but I'll hang onto the imp and wear it once in a while, or I might try it in my oil burner.

This was a frimp in one of my orders. I like berries. I like amber. I have no problem with some spices. I have no previous experience with iris, but the flowers are pretty. Despite all this, Florence just did not work for me. It was sour and just smelled "off" to me, both in the vial and on my skin. I ended up throwing the imp out, since the cap broke the first or second time I opened it, which meant that 1) I had to keep the imp upright if I didn't want to spill the oil everywhere (more trouble than it was worth), and 2) the scent dissipated throughout my bedroom (would not have been a problem if I actually enjoyed the scent). I'm glad others like this, but it was not for me.

I ordered an imp of this months ago because it sounded like something I needed to get my hands on ASAP. I like the idea of forest scents, but when I try them, I often find they're too masculine/heady/creamy/resiny/sandalwoody/whatever for my tastes, and I was hoping Dublin would be different. When I got it, I sniffed the vial, decided I wasn't blown away, and felt that it smelled a bit too much like Christmas to wear in the middle of summer, and put it away in my imp box to be tested on a later date. That date came earlier this week. I put some on and was treated to the best "tree" smell I think I've ever sniffed (outside of an actual forest). This is like a Christmas tree but sweeter and better. It's comforting and stimulating at the same time; within minutes of dabbing it on, I felt warm and tingly all over. It just smells unbelievable. Definitely in my top five BPAL scents of all time.