PurringPulsar

Iron Phoenix In the imp: men’s cologne! Much sharper and more masculine than Metal Phoenix. Wet on skin: lemon! There’s a citrus component, as well as a strong cologne scent. Dry: this smells very much like Door 13 and Kataniya, more than Metal Phoenix and Mechanical Phoenix. It also resembles the Torture Queen a little, but less light and not as feminine, this has a definite ‘men’s sporty perfume’ feel to it. It smells fresh and bright and zingy and, sadly, a little generic. It smells like something along the lines of CK1, a kind of teenage perfume scent. It’s bright ozone cologne with a metallic background. Though there is something sweet at the back, which reminds me of the sweetness in Metal Phoenix and the Blockhead that I really liked. After a while: this still has that sporty perfume feel to it, and still reminds me of masculine deodorant, but now it is softening and developing that sweetness that I find very appealing in Metal Phoenix. I’m not sure what it is, but it may be a floral. It’s somewhere between marshmallow and lotus and sugar cane, and yet it’s edgy because of the metal, has a light musk aspect, and has something that may be a citrus blossom, maybe lemon blossom? It’s almost a sweet lemon marshmallow but with clean metallic musk taking away the sugariness. And in here there’s that manly perfume overtone too. Verdict: as expected from most metal scents, this one doesn’t really work on me, it smells too masculine and ‘generic cologne’ for me, at the beginning at least. However, I quite like the drydown, when it sweetens and I smell a hint of marshmallowy floral and citrus blossom coming through to calm the strident metal notes. It’s very pleasant, but the sharp cologne and ozone scent I get at first is too much for me. I prefer Metal Phoenix when it comes to scents of this genre, but it’s a lot nicer than Mechanical Phoenix was on me. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? No.

I disagree with a few points mentioned...just as it's my opinion that labelling everything 'synthetic' or 'chemical' as 'bad' is not a good idea, doing the same thing with 'natural' products is a big overstatement. I don't think all production of essential oils is 'very unfriendly' to the environment. It's all about the way they are produced, grown etc. I see it as like agriculture for food etc, though one could argue that food is essential and cosmetics are a luxury, but that's another topic...but I think it's all about how sustainable the production of essential oils/natural products is. If plants for use in the cosmetics industry are grown sustainably (ie they do not endanger the plant species, or destroy ecosystems) and maybe are fair trade and are grown in a way that benefits the environment/communities, surely that's not a bad thing? Now with some other essential oils like sandalwood and rosewood-yes, they have been overharvested, sandalwood is becoming endangered. But I've heard that there are now sustainable rosewood oils, and there are sandalwoods from other sources than the endangered Indian variety, I think some of those may be more sustainable-or at least trying to be? But I'm sure that Beth's sources for oils are very ethical and not destructive to the environment, even for things like rosewood and sandalwood. (I know this sounds really bad, but I don't like to get too deeply attached to all the ethics of cosmetics (though I have been trying to get stuff that isn't animal tested) mainly because it would make it difficult to shop for things, and there are so, so many complications and contradictions and I don't want to feel guilty about it all...plus I'm a student and in most cases all the really environmentally and ethically conscious products are too pricey for me!) But an interesting point has been raised-where do you draw the line between what is 'natural' and 'synthetic'. Is a substance only truly synthetic if it is created from scratch in the lab? Is a fragrance chemical manufactured from coal tar compounds just as synthetic (remember that coal is natural too) as a fragrance chemical extracted by various complex extraction and distillation processes from the essential oil of a plant? Are essential oils/absolutes/scent chemicals really 'synthetics' because despite the plant containing and producing them, they can't be extracted by non-human-manufactured processes? Makes you think...

Flower Moon 09 In the bottle: quite different to Honey Moon, this is a light yet snappy wildflower honey, a bit like O. Wet on skin: gradually the flowers surface from the honey. Dry on skin: sharp O-like honey and an unusual floral mixture that I’m not sure about, but it’s interesting. It reminds me a bit of the original Flower Moon, in that it has that melony nectar sweetness to it, but there’s something to the flowery scent that I’m not sure about. Maybe it’s the jasmine going bad on me, but there’s a sharp or bitter aspect to this floral that I’m not keen on. I can’t really smell the individual nuances of the different flowers, other than a mash-up of sweet wildflowers and dried petals with something heady. I was also expecting a sweeter honey, like the magnificent glowing honey in Honey Moon and Hony Mone, but it’s not like that. it’s a tart honey, and I’m not sure I like it much. I’ll see what happens, as I got a similar reaction with Mead Moon’s honey, and it sweetened. After a while: oh, this seems to improve! Rather nicely too. it’s still not as wonderful as Honey Moon, the honey is still quite sharp and edgy, a pollen-y honey rather than a sticky sweet one. But the flowers are much nicer now. And surprisingly, it seems to be the jasmine that’s turning really nice here! It reminds me of the lovely jasmine scent I got in the first release of the Perfumed Garden, the jasmine that smelt just like Lush’s Fairy Jasmine. This has a similar thing going on, and I like that. Some of the other flowers are trying to turn soapy, but I hope the honeyed jasmine wins. It reminds me of Biggercritters with honey. The scent then becomes a little bitter, I think the wisteria is kicking in. that can be a problem note, and it’s spoiling the pretty jasmine and honey scent. Verdict: I was hoping this would be like Honey Moon, but sadly it didn’t come close. The honey here was a little too sharp and not the gloopy golden rich sweet honey from Honey Moon or Hony Mone. It’s more like the sharp herbal honey from Osun, I think. The scent did improve a little as the jasmine strengthened-and that’s a good thing, because the jasmine in here is actually really nice, not at all a sharp vicious floral. I really hoped this would be a pure honey and jasmine scent, but other flowers-possibly the wisteria and wildflowers-got in the way, turning bitter and soapy and clashing with the gorgeous honeyed jasmine. so ultimately this wasn’t a keeper for me. it’s a shame because it’s my birth moon, so I’m a little sad that this didn’t work out. It wasn’t horrible, but it didn’t work on me either. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? No, unfortunately. If you like this, try: O, Osun, Mead Moon, Morpho, Hony Mone, Biggercritters, Eos

13 (March 09) In the imp: think Dark Choc Cherry meets Midnight Kiss! Wet on skin: rich black cherry and dark chocolate, with undertones of musk and spice. Dry on skin: oh yeah, this is good! This is Dark Choc Cherry enhanced and sexed up with spices and wonderful deep musk! The cherry is fantastic-not a sharp cherry, not medicinal, not sour, not fake or chap-stick scented. This is, like DCC, very much like a Black Forest gateau (even with a hint of cream and cake! I smell a hint of butter here) but I can smell hints of the spices here, though they are much milder than the Feb 13 spices (and it’s gentler than Enraged Groundhog Musk, another cherry-chocolate-musk-spice blend). And then there’s the musk…with the cherry, I am reminded of Hollywood Babylon, which I love. I am sure there’s Indian musk and most probably red or dark musk here. It’s very reminiscent of Midnight Kiss, in that it’s a mix of red fruit, sexy musk and cocoa. After a while: after a moment when I thought ‘huh? Vetiver?’ and a phase of buttercream, this then settles into a smoother and less foody scent of cocoa, cherry and rich musk, with something at the back which may be the moss or maybe the caraway? But it’s very smooth and coherent, creamy but no longer buttery. It’s very sexy cherry, and reminds me of a deeper, darker Midnight Kiss. I love the dark chocolate here. I don’t smell the bamboo in here. Verdict: I’ve been looking for the perfect cherry scent, and I think this is it! I liked Dark Chocolate Cherry but I felt there was something missing. This on the other hand is like DCC, but even better, more complex, and quite stunning. Dark cocoa and cherry dominate the scent, and the cherry is the best cherry note ever-not at all fake or chemical-smelling, and smelling more like real black cherries and not bitter almonds or glace cherries. The musk really boosts, enhances and adds a sexy backdrop to the cherry, and the spices are subtle but help to make this smell unique. There was a slight buttery-creamy stage at first I wasn’t keen on but this was short, and the musky chocolate cherry drydown is phenomenal. I’m glad I bought a bottle of this! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Definitely. If you like this, try: Hollywood Babylon, Dark Chocolate Cherry, Vice, Midnight Kiss, Milk Chocolate Buttercream, Enraged Groundhog Musk, Boomslang

Chaos Theory V (O) CCXXV In the bottle: mmm, this reminds me of Ozymandias/Great Cry in Egypt. Honeyed resin and musk. Wet on skin: gorgeous deep MUSK! Oh nom nom nom… Dry on skin: this is gorgeous. It smells predominantly of a dark smoky musk. Probably a black musk, dark musk or maybe Indian musk note. it’s got a very incense-like feel to it, fringed with smoke…there’s a dry woodsy smoke, and a more resinous smoke. I can smell resins underneath the smoke too, like frankincense or myrrh. And then there’s the honey and amber of O. It reminds me of Ozymandias but muskier, less airy. It reminds me of Great Cry in Egypt but less spicy. And I love Great Cry and Ozy, so this makes me very happy indeed. After a while: this wafts like mad, and I love it! it’s honeyed amber with a deeply musky core surrounded by clouds of incense smoke. it’s pretty much perfection! At this point, I smell saffron (like in Great Cry) and ambergris, as this now bears a passing resemblance to Phallus Head, that hint of golden slightly salty ambery musk, but there’s a resinous golden feel a bit like Jacob’s Ladder too. Verdict: if I were to name this scent, it’d be called ‘Ooohhhhh!’ This is like it’s been custom blended for me! I couldn’t have got anything more perfect with my bottle of O CT. it’s got a load of my favourites in it-musk, incense, spices and resins, with the O honey supporting it all. It reminds me of my favourite Egypt-themed scents as well as my favourite honeyed musk and resin scents. it smells sexy and exotic and golden, lasts for ages, has impressive throw, and goes through some lovely morphs from deep smoky musk to musky resin to honeyed velvety musk and ambergris spiced with saffron to a gorgeous honeyed amber frankincense drydown. It’s so much richer and deeper than O, but the O honey and amber really enhance the other notes. Have I said that this is perfection? And it’s all mine, a whole bottle’s worth of it! Emoticon rating: :love!: Is it a keeper? oh hell yeah.

Milk Chocolate Buttercream In the imp: milk chocolate-the finest Belgian variety. With a liqueur filling. Wet on skin: very similar to Bliss and Velvet now. Dry on skin: this is actually quite similar to the Candy Butcher at this point, but with milk chocolate instead of dark. The milk choc is very similar to Bliss, but I prefer this-I found Bliss to be very flat and bland, but this one is richer, fuller. It also resembles the milk choc in Gelt, but less powdery and creamier. I don’t smell blatant buttercream, but I think that’s what gives the chocolate note in here a bit more oomph than usual. After a while: this becomes much, much fainter, losing that initial rich creamy scent turning into a dusty drinking chocolate scent at times. Then I smell cocoa butter (as opposed to buttercream) come out, and I like that. it reminds me more of Gelt, but I prefer that because of the amber. I wish it were a little stronger, but as a milk chocolate single note scent, this is much nicer than Bliss. This lacks the creamy sweetness of Candy Butcher though. Verdict: this smells good enough to eat, but I wish it were a little stronger and lasted longer. But it smells much nicer and less buttery than expected. It’s got one of the loveliest, most genuine milk chocolate notes I’ve smelt, much nicer than Bliss, I think the buttercream does add a little more substance and smoothness to the chocolate in here. It does have a slightly faint and dry cocoa powdery drydown which I am not as keen on. It’s a shame really because if it had kept up that creamy just-dry stage, I would have bought more. The scent does have great layering potential though. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? not really, despite the delicious wet stage. If you like this, try: Bliss, Velvet, Gelt, 13 (any), Candy Butcher

Giant Vulva In the imp: very perfumey copal. A hint of honey, but otherwise, very perfumey. Wet on skin: this improves as the sweet notes come out, along with beeswax. Dry on skin: I actually like this one! It’s a little more perfumey than expected, but in a nice way-this smells sophisticated, but also very sexy. The copal is the leading note and I’ve discovered that this note can either smell incense-y or perfume-y. In here it’s the latter, but it works. The honey and beeswax are discreet, but the beeswax is delightful. I also smell something a bit like lemon, or orange blossom? Something tangy and citrusy, and a bit like a commercial perfume top note. I also smell the delicate juicy sugar cane and floral vanilla, and the pale velvety musk. After a while: over time the sugar, skin musk, beeswax and vanilla flower become dominant, and it reminds me of Harikata. It’s a similar mix of light floral, honey and musk. It’s a feminine and almost (but not quite) innocent scent, flirtatious yet classy. The scent moves between perfumey floral musk and honeyed sugar cane musk, but overall this is a lot fresher and cleaner than I expected. There’s nothing sticky about the honey or sugar, and there’s nothing slutty about this scent either. Verdict: it’s a lot more demure than it’s name (and picture) would suggest. To me this isn’t a this to me is more like sexy lingerie. Something about this scent with it’s satiny skin musk and clean floral tones evokes the image of silky lacy underwear. It’s a lot more perfumey and sleek than it’s glowing counterpart, a lot more like a mainstream perfume (in a good way). the honey and beeswax smell golden and sweet and there’s a hint of something a bit like citrus too. the copal has a surprisingly perfumey feel to it which works well in here, and the vanilla flower is more floral than usual, and the drydown is a beautiful honeyed floral skin musk which is very feminine, and sexy in a sophisticated way. Who’d have thought a scent called ‘Giant Vulva’ could smell so pretty? Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yup. If you like this, try: Itaso Kansei, Xihu…you know, the Mayan god one, Defututa, Glowing Vulva, Harikata

Red Rose In the bottle: oh, I can smell fir and clove and amber here! Wet on skin: I get a lot of fir here, as well as clove, smoky tobacco and a sexy musk. Dry on skin: whoa, this is incredible. This is deep, smoky, dark and sexy rose…in fact, I can’t even smell the rose. What I do smell is clove, tonka, tobacco and musk, with a bit of evergreen fir and sweet amber. the clove is dominant, and smells bittersweet, smoky and sexy. It’s like the clove in Mort de Cesar. The tobacco is reminiscent of the Illustrated Woman, but much nicer, less burnt/masculine. The musk is of the dark, sensual variety…a little bit like Siberian musk perhaps, but less sweet. I can also smell the amber. I am reminded of a scent from another company which I love-Agni by Cobalt-which is fir, amber and incense (and clove?) After a while: the musk becomes darker and sexier, almost like a red musk but not as red/spicy? It’s hard to describe other than it has a dark, slightly feral (but not civety) feel to it which makes me go rrrrowww! It has a blood musk feel, actually. Especially when coupled with tonka and clove. I must say that the clove note in here is remarkable-strong and spicy and smoky. I also love how the amber adds that golden glow to it all. At this point, I smell a hint of rose, and this is a rich resinous rose, like rose incense. Verdict: I think this is my favourite of the Roses set. This is a wonderful rich spicy incense-rose scent, even if the rose isn’t that obvious here, it’s still stunning. It’s got one of the best clove notes ever, strong and smoky and darkly spicy. The musk is sultry and sexy and delightful, and the fir adds an interesting hint of evergreen sap. The amber makes this wonderfully resinous and the tobacco is subtle yet adds it’s smoky touch, and under these warm, sensual and exotic notes, there’s a core of red rose which doesn’t take over the scent but enhances it, much like the rose in Blasphemare Reliquary adds a little something different to the resins. Wonderful scent with great aging potential! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes! If you like this, try: Illustrated Woman, Mort de Cesar, Hexennacht 08, Blasphemare Reliquary

Green Party In the imp: no surprises, this is very green. In fact, it smells of mown lawns! Oooh, this is promising. Wet on skin: now I smell lettuce, and lots of it. Also some dandelion, crushed leaves and stems. Dry: greeeeeeen! So green, greener than Envy could ever be. Green that makes Green Phoenix look off colour. A chlorophyll overdose. This is the scent of cut grass, mushy leaves, rained-on gardens, lettuce, cucumber, green tea, clover, dandelion leaves, and whatever made that salad scent in Virgo 07. I swear I even smell some rocket (as in, the herb) in here. There’s that nutty greenness that reminds me of rocket salad. It smells fresh and wet and evocative of spring. It reminds me of Dog Days, but not as hot and summery. It’s wonderfully outdoorsy too, but I get the impression that something in here may go soapy. After a while: the green notes aren’t turning soapy or sharp, but they are gaining a slightly bitter edge, though it’s not an unpleasant. It’s like the green notes are deepening and darkening. And I smell something else. Something lurking under all the leaves and stems. At first I thought I was imagining it but now I think that I do indeed smell vetiver. It’s green at the dark end of the green spectrum, earthy and strong. Now this reminds me of the Apothecary. Ok, so maybe it wasn’t vetiver. After a couple of hours I don’t smell it at all. Instead this has gone sweet? Yes…it’s gone sweet, like there’s a gentle sweet musk or maybe a sweet floral in there. Interesting. Verdict: this is, literally, a green party! It’s a lively, exuberant celebration of the greenest notes out there. Everything is fresh and dewy and alive in here. There are varying shades of green-from sun warmed grass clippings to wet cucumber and lettuce salad, snappy green tea and a touch of herbs, as well as a darker green scent evocative of vetiver or maybe some kind of evergreen or woodsy note. I love the first stage, when it’s all refreshing and the notes are at their brightest and most vividly green, but they lose their sparkle over time, turning a little bitter and vetivery at times, but I do like the green musk I get after a few hours. It’s not a favourite, I do prefer Dog Days when it comes to grass, but I’m glad to smell a green grassy scent that doesn’t turn to bitter soap on me, that’s quite a rare thing. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? It’s not my favourite of the party scents, but it’s so aptly named…I’m glad I tried it. If you like this, try: Green Phoenix, That! The Terror, Roadhouse, Dog Days, Envy, The Apothecary

Moana In the imp: melons and ginger surrounded by turquoise sea water. Wet on skin: the tang of ginger and salty sea breezes over sweet flowers and fruit. Dry: grapefruit? Now I smell citrus in here, for some reason. This is a really lovely sea scent…mainly because it isn’t turning to WASHING POWDER!!! on me. It smells just like salty seas and crisp sea breezes…but there’s more to it. There’s a sweetness to it as well. This sweet-salty contrasting scent reminds me of Kingsport and Olokun, though more of the latter because of its slight melon-like scent. I smell the ginger, which is both spicy and fresh like a ginger root, but also floral. There’s a hint of citrus to it, and also a pleasant clean ozone (clean as in, it smells airy, not soapy). But overall, this evokes the colour turquoise-as in crystal clear turquoise seas, coral islands fringed with white sand. After a while: it loses its initial ‘wet’ scent, its actual watery sea scent, a little. Now it’s much more ozone-scented, to me. It’s crisp, fresh, bright…like white linen drying in a sea breeze. Though at this point I do get a hint of the dreaded ‘tumble dried and static covered’ scent I get from most ozone scents, but in here it’s not too bad. I also smell more seaweed here now. It’s a little bit like a tropical Selkie, because of that mix of salty ozone and floral notes. But I do prefer this to Selkie. After some time, this mellows into the same salty-sweet-ozone-foam scent I got in Mary Read, but without the rum and bay and woods. Just a sea breeze… Verdict: whilst Aeaea evokes the Mediterranean, Kingsport is reminiscent of the cool Atlantic, and Olokun brings to mind the Caribbean seas, this is how I’d imagine the Pacific to smell. The first time I wore this I got more of the genuine sea scent, a wonderful turquoise-aquamarine scent evocative of coral sands and warm clear waters, before it did it’s usual trick of turning to ozone and squeaky-clean on me. the second time I tried it though, it turned to soap and static ozone and washing powder not long after applying, I didn’t get the slight hint of gingery floral from before. Where’s my tropical ocean scent? I was a little disappointed. I think I’ll stick to Aeaea if I want to smell like the sea without smelling soapy. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Initially yes, but I think this turns soapier with age (with me at least). If you like this, try: Water Phoenix, Olokun, Mary Read, Sea of Glass, Kingsport, Thalassa, Pool of Tears

Reindeer Poop (2007 version) In the imp: cocoa, patchouli, caramel, and something reminiscent of Enraged Groundhog Musk Wet on skin: there’s an odd bitter woodsy/floral note here but otherwise, this is very similar to EGM. Dry: interesting. It doesn’t smell like poop, thank goodness, but it does smell brown, and yes it does smell like cocoa and caramel, but there’s more to this than just foody notes. It’s actually a very earthy smell on me. I smell patchouli, and something woodsy that could be sandalwood or cedar. I smell something almost like soil here, as well as spices, I’m guessing there’s cassia here. And there’s a musk scent, and indeed it’s that same lovely soft musk from the ‘deer’ scents (Ivanushka and Buck Moon), which isn’t surprising. But there’s also a note I can’t identify, and it’s a very bitter, strident and piercing note which reminds me of dragon’s blood, but isn’t…it’s oddly floral and burnt, and a tad perfumey. In fact, it’s the same note that spoilt Chanukkiyah for me. It’s really distracting though, and seems to be overpowering the earthy and sweet notes. After a while: the bitter overpowering note is still there but the scent seems to be sweetening a little. Now it reminds me of EGM without the cardamom and cherry, with chocolate and woods and patchouli, a sweet furry musk with spices and cocoa. But I really don’t like that sharp spiky note. The annoying note finally calms down after 2-3 hours, and the scent left behind is a really nice musky woodsy spicy caramelised chocolate, reminiscent of EGM and Wulric. Verdict: I really wanted to like this fun and festive scent with it’s silly name and it’s brown blob at the bottom…it’s got some wonderful notes in there like cocoa and spices and that fantastic fuzzy ‘mammal musk’, the scent of warm fur. I love those! But there’s something rather unpleasant in here. the good thing is that this unpleasant note does not smell like poop at all! it smells more like a sharp acrid floral-burnt sort of scent. it may be a kind of caramel or brown sugar variant, because it reminds me of something in Zarita and Channukiah which made me dislike those scents. it wears off after some time, but it’s too jarring and intrusive, gets in the way of the sweet festive musky sweetness, so it’s not a keeper. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Not really. I wanted to keep it for the name but I swapped it off.

Old Moon In the imp: frosty evergreen with a hint of tangy dark berries. Wet on skin: I smell the evergreen notes (pine and fir, I think), the berries and the juniper. Dry: mmm, not bad! This does have a snowy feel to it but not as strong as the snowy notes in November, Skadi, Wolf Moon, Snow Moon etc, in my opinion, this is more of a gentle frost covering evergreens and cold and sharp berries (the kind that are probably poisonous). It’s very evocative of a winter forest, and is what I was hoping to get from Snow Storm. After a while: it still smells of cold, frosty berries and evergreens, but now there’s a sharp, clear, fizzy note to it like sparkling white wine. I have no idea where the hint of champagne is coming from but I quite like it. However, one of the evergreen/berry notes is starting to turn funny on me, almost like a fermented fruit scent meets bitter olive oil. I got similar reactions in Talvikuu and the Snow Storm. It’s very minor for now, this odd note, but I’m keeping an eye (nose?) on it. This strange bitter smell seems to get stronger, and then I realise that it reminds me of the martini smell of 21, so I think that’s the juniper. Though I’m not sure why I also smell olives here…but like 21, this has a feel of clear, crystalline iciness to it, covering evergreens and berries. Verdict: I’m not crazy about this one. Something in the evergreen notes goes odd on me. I do like the just-dry stage, a cool and snowy evergreen very much like the likes of Wolf Moon and Snow Storm-in fact, it seems like a blend of those two scents, but lacking WM’s sweetness and musk, and a lot colder and icier than Snow Storm, and with a very strong juniper note. I also smell more of a berry thing going on, and it gets slightly effervescent at times. Very wintry and unisex, leaning towards masculine-it’s almost like the manly version of L’Inverno. But a lot of winter evergreen scents have been turning strange on me and this one does too, so it’s not a keeper. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Not really. If you like this, try: November, Wolf Moon 07, Snow Moon, Death of the Gravedigger, Snow Storm, Shivering Boy, Twenty One

Does anyone have pics of the new CT bottles?

GOP In the imp: tobacco, whisky and vetiver. Wet on skin: cigars. This smells like expensive cigars, and a gentleman’s club. Dry on skin: cigars and pipes, this is really heavy on the tobacco. I smell both the dry yet dark smell of big fat Cuban cigars, and the sweeter, stickier pipe tobacco. I also smell strong booze, like whisky or bourbon. There’s a smoky scent to it, probably from the tobacco, but I suspect that there’s also a hint o vetiver lurking in the background. I also smell woods, a bit like the woods in Riding the Goat. This gives off serious ‘gentleman’s club’ vibes, it smells like a gathering of older (and rich) men. After a while: the tobacco in here has amped up so much, it’s choking me (almost). This is way too tobacco-y for me to handle now. It smells like cigars and cigarettes and their ashes all gathered in an ashtray, and a wood-panelled room filled with thick smoke. it also smells like something burning. I am reminded of Black Lace’s tobacco, but whereas that scent had a lovely vanilla musk to it, this lacks that cosy sweetness, this is just pure tobacco. Maybe a bit of wood too, but almost all tobacco. Verdict: this is my least favourite of the party scents. I don’t know what GOP stands for but I think the elephant (on the label) is the Republican symbol, so I guess this is their scent. It’s not very nice on me. it’s very heavy on the tobacco, and smells like an unhealthy amount of cigars and pipes and their smoke lingering in a stuffy room. Thick tobacco smog and cognac and whisky and old worn woods, it’s also very masculine as a scent. I get something similar from Riding the Goat, but I prefer that one because the tobacco is lighter and there’s incense in it. this is too much of a tobacco overload for me. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? No. If you like this, try: Uncertain Horror, Love and Pain, Riding the Goat, Hellfire, Toad

Dark Chocolate and Cherry In the imp: like Vice, but with more clout! Dark cherries and dark chocolate. Wet on skin: thick dark chocolate over the richest cherry sauce. Dry on skin: Black Forest gateau. The cherry note is possibly the best I’ve smelt in BPAL-it doesn’t have that almond smell, and nor does it smell like medicine. This smells of the sweetest black cherries soaked in kirsch syrup. And these cherries are covered with the most cocoa-packed dark choc, think 75% cocoa or more, it’s bitter and black chocolate. There’s also something creamy, almost cake-like. After a while: this becomes much more cherry-ish over time. This is such a rich heavy sweet cherry-think the sweet cherry of Blood Mary, but darkened, more sophisticated, less candied. But still very sweet. maybe a little too sweet for me, in the end? It also smells boozier now, and creamier. The cherry here has a nuance of plum about it. Verdict: Vice ain’t got nothing on this. This is dark choc and cherry taken to new heights. The cherry here is what I wish all cherry scents could smell like-sweet dark rich and sexy cherry with plum and booze aspects to it. nothing bitter about it, nothing sour. And the chocolate note is equally delightful, here it smells just like the bitterest chocolate and it works so well with the cherry. The scent also develops a creamy undertone, as well as something that makes me think of chocolate cake-very rich indeed. A little too rich in the end, I think, so it’s not really my thing, but it’s one of the most impressive cherry scents I’ve smelt in BPAL, and anywhere else for that matter. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Not really, but I do like it. If you like this, try: Vice, Red Queen, Candy Butcher, Earth Phoenix

White Chocolate and Sugared Violets In the imp: at first I sniffed it and thought ‘mouldy damp sponge??’ second time I sniffed it-milk chocolate (not white) and Faith-like violet. Wet on skin: phew, no more mouldy sponge, and lots of sugared violets! Dry on skin: sugared violet is dominant for now. It reminds me of Faith but it is less powdery, less ‘Parma Violet’ scented. This violet is actually a little sharper than expected, but of course it has that candy coated, almost sugar-musk scent. The white chocolate is there, but it’s a strange note. It doesn’t smell like the white chocolate I love, yet nor does it smell of milk chocolate. It does smell milky though, but doesn’t have that cocoa butter richness, at least not yet. if I were to compare this to actual chocolate, I’d say it smells more like Milkybars, less like the more expensive Swiss or Belgian stuff. After a while: a creamier, richer take on sugared violet. It smells more like white choc now, though at times I get a slightly sour aspect to the milky scent of the chocolate that I’m not sure I’m keen on. But it’s so minor, so it doesn’t bother me too much, and this does indeed have a white chocolate feel to it, though I’d prefer it to be a bit sweeter, a bit more vanilla maybe? The violet has that lovely scent of sugar-crystallised flowers to it. It takes time, but eventually this becomes the white chocolate I’ve been hoping for. Creamy and sweet. that sourness is now gone and now I get the cocoa butter and the rich creamy sweetness I was hoping for, and this now smells like expensive white chocolate with sugared violets! And yet there’s an almost musky scent to it which actually prevents this from being a pure foody, and I like that. And then something remarkable happens. It transforms into Underpants. That’s right. Underpants with violets. I swear I smell the same vanilla-sandalwood scent from Underpants, but with violets! And I love that! Verdict: another hit in the White Chocolate series! I’m testing this alongside Faith, and I think this one is even nicer than Faith. It’s a lot gentler than the super-sweet Parma Violet sweets scent I got from Faith, it’s creamier, for one thing. I wasn’t sure about the chocolate note in here until about half an hour into wearing it when the chocolate note asserts itself as being white choc, not milk or cocoa or anything. It’s got that milky sweetness to it. but about two hours into wear it transforms into violet and white chocolate with the sweet sandalwood/vanilla or Underpants! That’s what pushes this into the ‘must buy backups’ category! So whilst White Choc Strawberry is wonderful for being a pure foody, this one is a little more complex and with floral and other non-foody nuances that make this very sophisticated. I really hope that we get more white chocolate scents in the future. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? yes, and I’m glad I have two bottles If you like this, try: Faith, Le Serpent Qui Danse, Violet Ray, Ultraviolet

Voyeurs among the Cherry Blossoms In the imp: beautiful mossy cherry blossom. Wet on skin: moss, cherry blossom and vanilla musk. Dry on skin: oh, this is gorgeous. This smells like the wonderful sweet pink cherry blossom note from Cheshire Moon! Except this doesn’t have all the bright fruit of CM, instead this is softened by notes of powdery moss and sweet vanilla musk. This is like a gentle, delicate pink scent, cherry blossoms resting on soft light green moss with a fuzzy vanilla musk underneath. It’s perfect. I am reminded of Parthenope, with the jasmine and honeysuckle replaced by cherry blossom, or Bakeneko without the spices. All the notes are evenly balanced. After a while: the moss does become a bit stronger, more powdery, but other than that, this scent doesn’t change too much. And I like that…it’s still a well balanced mix of mossy blossoms and that wonderful velvety vanilla musk underneath. The musk has the same ‘furry’ cosy feel to it that Bakeneko had (and indeed Cheshire Moon had this-maybe it’s the cherry blossom?) The drydown is cherry blossom with a strongly mossy aspect, almost a wet moss scent but more powdery. I’d say it was like the CB in Cheshire Moon, moving towards the freshness of Hanami. Verdict: this is really beautiful and makes me wonder why there are so few cherry blossom scents in BPAL, especially ones where this delightful spring floral really shines. This is like cherry blossoms of a velvety musky base with a mossy note which surrounds it like a mist of silvery green. it’s delicately powdery yet softly sweet, the cherry blossom and vanilla musk go together so nicely and the moss here is both a fuzzy powder scent and also a greenish and fresh background, the moss has a dewy quality to it at times. Whilst I must say I prefer Cheshire Moon because it’s a little sweeter and because sometimes the moss becomes overtakes the cherry blossom in this scent, this to me is CM’s more sophisticated sister, a wonderful and sensual springtime scent. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? yes! If you like this, try: Hanami, Parthenope, Cheshire Moon, Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree, Kyoto, Bakeneko

I really like this one. It’s one of those scents I don’t think I could wear as a skin scent but works wonderfully as room spray. I don’t smell much olibanum (a favourite note of mine) but I smell lots of polished wood, bay rum, something a bit absinthe/wormwood-like too. I do also smell something like green ginger to it, and a fresh cucumber-like scent. Overall this scent is a bright greenish-gold-silver colour to me, a silvery-olive-chartreuse green with something clear and liquid to it. I find that this smells very clean-not clean as in soapy, but a polished clean scent, like the wood note in here has been treated with a fresh smelling polish, and a touch of something pleasantly medicinal, like an old medicine cabinet (no chemical antiseptic smells). I’ve not smelt the CN scent Medicine Show but this smells like how I’d imagine it to smell: ginger and balsam and woods. Second time I used it, I smelt a bit more resin to it. This is a fascinating scent-complex and intriguing, managing to be spicy, fresh, woody, resinous and herbal all at once.

Jonathan’s Coffee House This smells just like I expected-coffee! And also sweetness, like brown sugar, hints of latte and mocha. This brings back memories of Italy, I remember the smell of the cafes, ice cream parlours and even the motorway service stations, all were filled with the loveliest smell of sweet baked goods and roasted coffee. This smells just like that-I smell sweetened coffee (not just a roasted coffee smell, but a mocha scent with chocolate) as well as sweet notes like pastries and creamy desserts. A hint of tiramisu as well! There may also be a bit of spice, as this reminds me of El Dia de Reyes and Eggnog Latte. But the dominant notes are coffee and brown sugar with cream, though I also seem to smell something dry and crisp like a biscuit or macaroon note in the background. The coffee note does fade a little fast though, leaving that biscuity sweet note behind, it smells crisp and vanilla-spicy. I would love to see this released one day, or something similar with sweet coffee…

Considering the state of the economy and other worldwide woes, I think we all need a little extra dose of good luck. A sweet, comforting base of dark chocolate and brown sugar with thirteen herbs of good fortune, including nutmeg, Tonka, allspice, star anise, Jamaican and African gingers, devil’s shoestring, lucky hand root, and thyme. 13 (Feb 09) In the imp: this smells just like gingersnaps! And I mean, dead on. I can smell ginger and brown sugar. Wet on skin: gingersnaps, but now it smells more like stem ginger, crystallised with sugar. Dry on skin: now I can smell the anise! And the nutmeg and allspice too, and the thyme. The ginger is still the main note here though, with the brown sugar coming a close second (this does seem to veer close to Sugar Skull style caramel, but the spices are stopping it from cloying). It’s a lote more complex than gingersnaps or even stem ginger now, not just because of the other spices…it smells more complex than just a foody smell now. I think I can smell something woody, or rooty-earthy, a little bit like Hellhound but less medicinal and overpowering. Must be those lucky roots. The chocolate is there but it is subtle. This is much more of a spice scent. After a while: the anise is amping a bit-normally I don’t mind, but here it’s getting in the way of my gingersnaps scent. though I’m not sure it’s just the anise that’s bothering me…I think it’s the rooty base, the voodoo herbs in here, that are turning strange. They now remind me of the medicinal, slightly ashy smell I got in Hellhound-I’m one of the few who doesn’t like Hellhound. This reminds me of it but with caramel and chocolate instead of rich vanilla. The sweet notes are nice but I think the sugar in here is too rich for me. Eventually this reverts back to ginger and sugar, but with an emphasis on the sugar. It’s now a very sticky sweet burnt sugar scent, like molasses. However I do get hints of the less gourmand sweetness of tonka breaking up the thick sticky brown sugar. Verdict: I wish this smelt like chocolate gingersnaps on me, like it did in the vial…but this is a strange one. It’s best moments are when it smells like chocolate and crystallised stem ginger, boosted by other spices, sweetened with tonka. I love that smell-it’s the sort of thing I wanted to get from Possets’ Haute Love, but even better. But there are other aspects to this scent I’m unsure of-the ‘lucky roots’, which go strange and medicinal-sharp and even a little vetiver-like on me, reminding me of the base of Hellhound which I wasn’t keen on, and then there’s the sugar. The sugar is a heavy, sticky-molasses and burnt sweetness which clings and cloys, sadly. It goes well with the ginger, I must admit, but in the end I find it a little too much for me. I’m glad I tried it, but I’m also glad I didn’t get a bottle. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? probably not. If you like this, try: Shub Niggurath, Flesh Eating Reindeer, Saw Scaled Viper, 13 (April 07), Hellhound on my Trail

Man with Phallus Head In the imp: a sweet and powdery honey scent with musk. Wet on skin: honeyed blackcurrants with powdery musk and sandalwood. Dry: oh my, this is gorgeous! I don’t find that it smells masculine…it actually smells very sweet! not in a foody way, but in a honeyed, golden way, with fruitiness too. The honey, musk, ambergris and tonka have united in a scent of velvety soft golden skin-scented sweetness, backed by the sandalwood. I don’t even smell the dragon’s blood, and the blackcurrant in here is sweeter than usual, it reminds me of the sweeter redcurrants from Crawdad and Anactoria. In fact, this scent is what I wished I got from Lady Una. A honeyed vanilla golden musk with a berry background. After a while: it just gets better and better, softening, turning more golden, honey with nuances of amber and vanilla-but it’s nicer and more complex than O. it reminds me of Wezwanie, and also another scent which also had a similar honey/amber thing which I can’t remember now…oh yes, the Heroine scent. but this is so much better than expected. And it’s not at all a hard scent (lol) but a soft one, and thankfully it doesn’t smell phallic at all (at least not to me). In fact, this is the kind of honey I expected from Giant Vulva! Verdict: this was such a pleasant surprise! I knew this would be fairly good but I wasn’t expecting it to be this good…it’s delicate honey over golden skin musk with a little sandalwood, with a wonderful musky blackcurrant background. The honey is not sharp, it’s golden and sweet and almost amber-like. The blackcurrant actually reminds me of sweet redcurrant, it’s sweeter than usual, and the musk makes the currant delightfully sexy. I don’t get dragon’s blood from here, nor does this smell particularly masculine-this is unisex, sweet and softer than I expected. It’s the perfect sexy honey musk and has that currant undertone that I’m really digging these days. I love it and need more (though it’ll be fun telling-or trying to explain-what this perfume is called!) Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes-I need a bottle of this one. If you like this, try: Wezwanie/Hold, Svadhiopatika, Anactoria, Lady Una, O, Giant Vulva

Democrat In the imp: honey. Like the Honey SN or Mead Moon, or O. Wet on skin: a sharp wildflower honey scent. it reminds me of O and Osun. Dry: this is almost pure honey on me. Or maybe a blend of honey notes. But it’s honey alright. It’s sweet and dripping, but it’s also sharp, a wild honey scent, or a scent of honey straight from the comb. It smells very much like O actually, that same sharp musky honey. I don’t smell much else-maybe hints of herbs like with Mead Moon, or maybe some amber-but it’s all honey, all the time to me. After a while: the honey is still dominant, but it calms a little. What I’m left with is a really pretty powdery honey-musk with a warm vanilla undertone, maybe some amber. It’s very much like O, but stronger and richer. It also reminds me of that Heroine scent beginning with S (don’t ask me to spell it), but without the honey and strong woods. This is softer and sweeter. I think it’s mainly vanilla and amber and musk, along with honey. I really like it, but it is a little more powdery than expected…I was also hoping for more resins. Verdict: this is really nice honey, but on me it smells so much like O. though I do think this is a little richer, with more depth, but the honey note is more or less similar to O’s. it’s that sharp yet sticky sweet, golden and honeycomb-y, and musky honey. This, I think, has a bit more musk to it as it goes powdery at drydown, and I’m sure there’s vanilla and amber here too. I don’t get the resins I hoped for (apart from hints of amber) nor do I get incense-the honey overpowers any hint of resin. I was hoping for a resinous/spicy depth to the honey but it dries down to pure honey with a powdery musk undertone. It’s very nice, but I can get something like that from O, which I like but isn’t my favourite honey scent. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Not really as it smells almost identical to O. If you like this, try: O, Osun, Mead Moon, Hony Mone, Jezebel

Mechanical Phoenix In the imp: masculine perfume, as I expected from a metal scent. I do smell lavender to this though. Wet on skin: manly perfume with an undertone of smoke. Dry: hmm, not bad! Yes, it does go the aftershave route like most BPAL metal scents, but this one doesn’t smell so much like generic deodorant and more like something more sophisticated. Gentlemanly, for sure, but also very intriguing and very much matching the description. I smell the sleek perfume of something like lavender and woods and herbs, maybe a chypre of some kind, with a bit of ozone…but I also smell the smoke, something rubbery or like melted plastic, crackling electricity or the light of a welding torch, hot solder and even a little bit of motor oil! It kind of reminds me vaguely of a cross between garages and my old DT workshop at school. But it works here and it smells quite nice! This smells like a sexy mechanic, actually. This would be amazing on a man. After a while: oh yes, this is what I hoped more of the metallic/mechanical scents would smell like on me. it’s not something I would wear as perfume now as it smells too much like melted plastic, oiled gears, burnt rubber and rust with the crackle of electricity (along with that scent of ‘fit car mechanic’) but it is unbelievably evocative and unsettlingly authentic. This does smell like the notes say it should. Ok, now this is getting weird…I could cope with the rubbery, oily, metallic, grimy garage scents from before. But now I seem to be smelling civet here, of all things. I have no idea why, but I get something almost like civet to this…and it’s a bit more rubbery now. Something robotic shouldn’t smell animalistic, I don’t think… Thankfully the civet is short lived, and the scent then turns into a slightly burnt, rubbery, but surprisingly wearable masculine white musk scent. It’s also a little bit sweet now. For once, a scent that smells of plastic and burnt rubber and tar that’s meant to smell this way! Verdict: this is Kataniya’s boyfriend. Heavy and metallic and well oiled, this phoenix is the ultimate metal-mechanical scent that I’ve tried. I’m quite impressed by it-though it does go perfumey like most metal themed scents do, it still manages to retain a realistic scent of steel and copper, rust and motor oil, and fizzing sparks of ozone, with an undertone of wearable, if manly, musky-woodsy perfume. it’s a little too masculine for me and there are times when the rubber and oil notes go strange on me. but the concept is great and it’s well realised here, amazing how this really does smell like the notes say.. though I do find Metal Phoenix more wearable as a perfume. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? No-but it’s so well done and uncannily realistic! If you like this, try: Metal Phoenix, Kataniya, Torture Queen, anything in Steamworks but especially Phoenix Steamworks and Galvanic Goggles

I think Ars Draconis scents have different labels too? (Also, I think the skull and crossbones is Jolly Roger, not Calico Jack-unless it's both?)

Philommeides In the imp: bright and happy peach! Wet on skin: effervescent peach wine boosted by osmanthus and with a hint of orange. Dry on skin: such a joyful, crisp, fruity scent! Peach wine with citrus and flowers. The lemon is subtle but adds more of a sharpness to it, and I think I can just about detect some tuberose and violet. but peach and blood orange are the main notes here, with the peachy aroma of osmanthus fleshing the peach wine out. There’s a tart nectarine feel to it, it’s a dry peach scent, not a sweet one. The blood orange has that bitterness to it which balances the sweeter notes. After a while: this becomes more dominated by peach and orange over time, but it’s heavier on the peach. This is almost like the sharp nectarine in Angeronalia, especially with the blood orange, but it’s got that velvety fuzziness I got from Aglaea. It’s a sunny, cheerful fruit scent, golden-yellow, and almost reminiscent of Fae. The orange is delicious-tart and peel-y, with that redness to it which less sweet and makes it slightly more grapefruit-like than the orange oranges. The scent loses it’s sweetness and becomes much more tart, like dry peaches, over time. Verdict: I like this one a lot! It’s a chipper peachy citrus scent, light hearted and bright. It reminds me of Aglaea meets Thaleia-which are also scents with happy (and Greek) inspirations. The peach wine of Aglaea with the blood orange of Thaleia. Though this isn’t very sweet, the fruit notes are quite tart here. the peach isn’t the syrupy kind, but something a little sharper, made even more so by the orange. This is indeed a happy scent but this scent of laughter gives off a feel of dry biting wit, and I like that. the flowers are very subtle, this is very much a peach scent with a little citrus. I do wish I got more carnation from this though. It’s a lovely scent but there are other peach scents I prefer. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? probably not because there are similar scents I like better. If you like this, try: Aglaea, Thaleia, Angeronalia, Belle Vinu, Fae, La Vague, Maud Ruthyn