PurringPulsar

White Chocolate and Strawberry In the imp: milk chocolate and a hint of strawberry flavoured lollipop. Wet on skin: now the strawberry is misbehaving…what the? It’s turning to rubber? Dry on skin: nooooo! This smells just like white chocolate and horrid weird burnt rubber on me. it’s especially heartbreaking because I can smell true genuine white choc and strawberry in here as well! it tastes just like strawberries covered in Belgian white choc, and I mean, spot on. But then that burnt rubber gets in the way and ruins it. I have a feeling this is my cycle doing this. I need to try this one again in about a week or two. (second try-yup, no rubber. Sharp strawberry, but nothing unpleasant. It is indeed a cyclical thing.) After a while: thankfully that weird note is gone after five minutes, and miraculously, the strawberry in here isn’t turning to sugared acid on me. it smells just like strawberries. In fact, this smells just like some chocolate I ate recently-white choc with dried strawberries. It smells almost identical to that. I am impressed at how genuine the white choc note is in here…creamy, cocoa-buttery, and sweet. This then transforms into something even more delicious-white chocolate and strawberry ice cream! It reminds me of those ice lollies that have strawberry ice cream covered with white choc, or like the finest white chocolate and strawberry ice creams swirled together. The scent gets creamier and more chocolaty at drydown before turning to pure white choc with a touch of strawberry sugar. Verdict: though this started on an uneasy introduction, this then transformed into my dream white chocolate and strawberry scent. This is white choc and strawberry. Pure and simple. And perfect. This is hands down my favourite of the Chocolate Box. Creamy and very authentic smelling sweet creamy white chocolate with a strawberry that, for once, behaves on my skin. I think the creamy white choc is keeping it under control. It smells good enough to eat, and the best thing about this scent? It reminds me of a wonderful ice cream I had in Sicily, one scoop of strawberry (with real fruit), one scoop of the most delicious white choc ice cream ever (it had huge chunks of chocolate in it). Oh yes, this is why I bought this scent. I am not disappointed. In fact I feel the urge to buy another bottle or two. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? yes! I need to stockpile. If you like this, try: Beaver Moon 07, I Fell in Love with a Floating Brain, White Choc and Sugared Violets, White Choc Marshmallow and Coconut, Bon Vivant

Lovers with Rutting Cats In the imp: a creamy but plastic-y vanilla, reminds me of Opuhi and Stimulating Sassafras. Wet on skin: ginger, vanilla and something reminiscent of medicinal sassafras? Dry on skin: a vanilla-ginger scent which reminds me of Opuhi, and I didn’t like Opuhi. The ginger is stronger, drier and grittier than Opuhi, and has that slightly rubbery undertone that I’m not keen on. The vanilla, which I was looking forward to, happens to be that plastic vanilla note from the likes of Love’s Philosophy and Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener-complete with a medicinal sassafras note. I can smell a dry scrubby wood-either the palm or the oud? But this is not as strong as the overpowering vanilla-ginger with plastic and chemical tones. After a while: sadly this is going from fail to fail on me. the scent is not as gingery but it is more plastic than ever now, even though it’s lost that sassafras thing from before. It turns out this vanilla is the foody scent that, as of late, has been turning to this really unpleasant plastic-paper scent on me, a kind of weird mix between damp cardboard, burnt paper and burnt plastic, with a sweet overtone. And it’s even more heartbreaking because I swear I smell incense when I sniff this far from the wrist, but close up it’s burnt vanilla plastic! Where are the palm and oud? Even the moss is absent… Verdict: I’m a cat lover and I really wanted to love this for the name. And theoretically, this should have been at least good on me. None of the notes are particularly bad on me for the most part. But it seems the vanilla was the cloying and plastic variety and the ginger was the rubbery variety. And there was a sassafrasy thing to the vanilla that I really didn’t like, made it smell a bit like sweet antiseptic. I never got any of the oud and palm notes, just burnt-rubber ginger and plastic vanilla, and it didn’t improve on me at all. Such a let down, ruined by my skin that seems to be turning more intolerant to some of the gourmand notes. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? no, sadly…I wasn’t expecting my skin to turn this into a cat-astrophe (bad pun, I know!) If you like this, try: Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, Love’s Philosophy, Opuhi

Makhanitis In the imp: patchouli and plum wine? I get something very reminiscent of Urd. Including patchouli. Wet on skin: Mme Moriarty’s twin sister? I now smell red musk along with the patch and plum! Dry on skin: and now the plum does a Snake Charmer thing on me! Wow! This is actually surprisingly good! I can smell the plum and the wine and champaca, but instead of smelling like Prospero and Purple Phoenix, this actually resembles Mme Moriarty (but with gentler patchouli), Nahemoth and even Snake Charmer! It’s also highly reminiscent of Hellion, but I prefer this to Hellion because there isn’t a burnt or cloying feel to it like with Hellion. After a while: the champaca is behaving really well-much better than it did in Prospero and Temple Viper. This is still dominated by that sexy, sexy plum! rich deep sensual boozy plum, sweet and dark with the wine darkening it even more. The wine here does not smell like grape sweets like in Head of Holofernes. It smells like a sweet red wine should. I can’t smell much sandalwood but I’m sure that’s responsible for the incense-like scent I get here. And I still smell those phantom notes of musk and patchouli that gives the scent a resemblance to Mme Moriarty, Hellion and SC. Verdict: I was expecting this to go wrong on me. The last scent I tried with wine, plum and champaca was Prospero, and I didn’t like it. This, though, is fabulous. It reminds me of Mme Moriarty meets Hellion meets the musky plum from Snake Charmer with a splash of wine. It’s mainly plum, dark and tempting sweet plum dipped in wine and deepened by what to me seems like patchouli and musk, and the champaca is very subtle. Like Melainis, this also gives off a feel of ‘femme fatale’, with it’s dark and sexy undercurrents, this is seductive musky plum gorgeousness, like Mme Moriarty, but sweeter and juicier. Definitely one for a bottle! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? yes! If you like this, try: Urd, Mme Moriarty, Snake Charmer, Prospero, Nahemoth, Bordello, Witch Queen, Temple Viper

Melainis In the imp: whoa. Dark rich exotic incense, spiced patchouli and ancient attars. Wet on skin: thick resinous patchouli with a feel of incense to it. Dry on skin: this is incredible! I can smell the same wonderful aged-smelling, ambery labdanum that is in Pulcinella and also Hastur. This labdanum has a feel of exotic attars to it, it reminds me of incense from new age stores blended with eastern spices. I love it. The frankincense, spices and patchouli only help to enhance the incense scent…and the tobacco makes it smokier. And then it hits me. this smells like a hookah bar! Not just any hookah bar though, but one in the heart of a Middle Eastern bazaar. There’s a dry desert-y feel to it that enhances that. However, under the heavy smoke and incense, I smell bright, juicy currant. After a while: the currant really shows up now. It’s the same sweet, deep, sexy and slightly plum-like currant from Anactoria. I think it’s given a kick by the musk. In fact, this reminds me of Anactoria now, but even better because of all the added incense and the lack of dragon’s blood. The patch and moss and teak are also more apparent now, the labdanum has toned down a little. But this still does smell unabashedly exotic and dark. Verdict: this smells fantastic! It’s the ultimate oriental scent, incense, patchouli, resins, fruit and musk with smoke and spice, all blended into something wickedly seductive and very ‘femme fatale’. The labdanum is wonderful, a rich amber resin type scent which is given a boost by the musk and frankincense, the tobacco has a hookah-ish scent to it which I love (I’ve been looking all over for a BPAL hookah scent, this is the closest I’ve got to one) and then there’s that blend of currant and musk that I’ve been getting hooked on as of late, and this currant-musk gorgeousness really comes out at the end. If this smells stunning now, I cannot wait to smell this once it’s aged! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? yes! maybe I’ll get a backup (if finances allow!) If you like this, try: Anactoria, Man with Phallus Head, Pulcinella and Teresina, Lunar Eclipse

Eustephanos In the bottle: a sharp tangy rose and pomegranate, a bit like Persephone. Wet on skin: the rose deepens, the pom gets sharper, I can now smell rosewood and myrrh. Dry on skin: ooh, this is nice. It reminds me of the other rose-incense scents (Rose Cross, All Saints, Tabula Smargadina, Parlement of Foules etc) but this one has a tangier, brighter feel to it thanks to the pomegranate. I can just about detect the resins, but for now the dominant notes are rose, pom and rosewood. The rose and the rosewood seem to merge nicely, and I can smell a bit of myrrh at the back, maybe some frankincense too. But no amber, at least for now. After a while: there is a moment when the amber peeks out from the other notes and then I get something to this scent that reminds me either of Three Brides or Gypsy Queen. And I love that! sadly, this moment is fleeting. Something in here-I’m guessing the rosewood-turns powdery on me and I start to smell something underneath the gorgeous rosy resins that smells like burnt wood? And not in a nice way, though it does also get pleasantly smoky at times. But that fleeting appearance of amber has now faded, and the scent doesn’t have that pleasant sweetness from that note. Verdict: I was a tiny bit disappointed in this scent. On paper it looked perfect-rose, amber and resins, what could go wrong? And it had some lovely moments. But I think the rosewood was the note that stopped this from being perfect. I really liked the pomegranate, rose, incense and resin blend here, and the first hour or two of wear was delightful, but after some time, something wasn’t right-the scent went powdery and a little burnt-smelling. The powder was a kind of stuffy and old-fashioned dusty smell that I wasn’t expecting, and the burnt smell wasn’t the pleasantly smoky/incense kind but something a little more acrid. So ultimately, this wasn’t good on me-I think rosewood can be problematic, and in here it spoilt this fragrance a little. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? not really. If you like this, try: Persephone, Rose Cross, Tabula Smargadina, All Saints, Day of the Skulls, Parlement of Foules, Les Bijoux

Khrysee In the imp: a gorgeous powdery vanilla with hints of orange and amber. Wet on skin: now I smell the orange blossom, and it’s equal with the vanilla. Dry on skin: so pretty! The vanilla amber is more powdery and dry than I expected, and less amber-y, but I really like it. It’s like a dusting of vanilla sugar with powdered amber. And the orange blossom is very nice-it’s a delicate floral, not loud in here at all-it has that tang to it, reminiscent of orange fruit, and yet has the slightly bitter tea-ish undertone of neroli and that (pleasant) hint of cologne to it. It reminds me of the orange blossom in Ravenous or Katharina, but even gentler. Overall this is like a scent of gold dust-a golden vanilla powder with crushed amber, lifted by orange blossom. After a while: this then becomes very similar to Katharina, but instead of apricot and white musk, there’s a sweeter, daintier vanilla amber. At times I smell wafts of a deeper, sexier amber, and then I smell a gentle powder. But all the while, this is really getting better. There was a time when I thought the scent would be too faint, and it seemed to merge into my own skin scent, but then it showed up again and the orange blossom in particular is delightful in here. I like the way it’s gentle tangy scent is keeping the vanilla in check, the vanilla here could well turn cloying but doesn’t. At times I smell something wonderful, deep and sexy rising up from the innocent, delicate orange-vanilla scent, maybe the amber coming into it’s own. I do smell something O-ish to the vanilla amber, but this is nicer. Verdict: this is a bottle of spring sunshine. Not summer, but spring sunshine-warm, endearing, gentle sunshine, the promise of longer days and a feel of youth and innocence. It smells just like what it promises-vanilla, amber and orange blossom. Though I also catch a hint of powdery skin musk as well. Think O, but much more gentle and free-spirited, with the honey replaced with delicate neroli. It’s like a soft waft of orange blossom in the breeze, gentle and so appealing, mingling with a sweet yet sensual skin scent of amber with vanilla. At times the amber note really showed off and wafted it’s gorgeous sultry golden scent all around. The orange blossom is really nice too-not sharp or biting, but citrusy enough to add a bit of sharpness to counter the sweetness. I’m a big fan of Beth’s golden scents and I love this one. I’m sure I’ll be getting a lot of wear out of this one during the spring days. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? yes and I may get another bottle! If you like this, try: Ravenous, Vixen, Katharina, La Primavera, L’Estate, O

White Chocolate, Marshmallow and Coconut In the imp: Baileys. Dead on Baileys. Maybe chocolate flavoured, but this is all Irish cream to me. Wet on skin: still Baileys! But now I can smell the coconut as well. Dry on skin: overpowering coconut! The coconut has amped up completely now-even overwhelming that wonderful Baileys note. I still smell the Irish cream but it’s overtaken by the coconut, which sadly is not the lovely creamy variety in Black Pearl, White Rose, Dia etc, but the dry, husky and even, in this instance, plastic-scented dry coconut shavings scent that I’m not so keen on. It’s a bit like sun lotion coconut, but drier. I can also smell chocolate, but to me this isn’t white choc (like in the other two scents) at this point. It’s more like milk chocolate for now. After a while: the coconut is still the strongest note and is a little too strong. I was hoping for more marshmallow and chocolate, and eventually, I do indeed smell those notes more strongly. The coconut seems to get in the way, but underneath it there’s a gorgeous sweet squishy marshmallow and a very genuine white chocolate note-like in the other two white choc scents, this now smells like the real deal, creamy and cocoa buttery. If the coconut were just a little bit less loud, I’d be in love with this. The coconut never leaves but over time it smells just like white chocolate covered pink marshmallows. Now I’m craving them. I remember eating a ‘kebab’ of marshmallows covered in a thick white choc coating. This smells exactly like it, but with coconut shavings on top. In fact, as this develops, it actually winds up smelling very similar to the resurrected Midway on me. Maybe a bit more chocolatey, but it does remind me of Midway. Verdict: this smelt so good in the bottle-like Baileys! But on my skin the coconut just went crazy and tried to blot out the gorgeous white chocolate, marshmallow and Irish cream notes in the background. If this has a coconut like the one in Dia, which is delicate and creamy, this would have been love. but the coconut here smells dry and raspy, a little too sweet, and a bit too suntan-lotion for me. It takes a while for the coconut to calm down, but once it does, the white choc and marshmallow smell so good, sweet and creamy but not cloying, with a Midway-ish vanilla drydown. I’m a little disappointed that the coconut got too aggressive in here, but I like this enough to keep a decant’s worth. (And another thing-Beth’s white chocolate note is fantastic!) Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Not the bottle, but an imp will do. If you like this, try: Obatala, Elegba, Goblin, Upa Upa, Midway

Eggnog Latte In the imp: sweet coffee. A bit like Pinched, but slightly more bitter. Wet on skin: coffee, but now this sweetens as the spiced and creamy eggnog comes through. Dry on skin: roasted and bitter coffee contrasts with a sweet spicy creamy background. This is really nice. It does indeed remind me of an eggnog latte from Starbucks. The coffee is the strongest note but I’d say this was a little more bitter and dry than the coffee in Pinched and Misk U? the eggnog is a little richer, more vanilla-scented and oddly, a little more dry in scent than the Egg Nog Yule LE. It does lean towards smelling a bit like marshmallow like Egg Nog did, but it is also more cinnamon-y. there’s a slightly burnt smell here too? I have a feeling my skin will do bad things to this scent, as it smells a little cloying and there’s a weird undertone to the coffee. After a while: this now smells like a smush between Pinched and Misk U. it has the creamy and spicy aspects of Pinched with the caramel coffee of Misk U, with a hint of something dry that reminds me of both the tobacco in Pinched and the dusty books in Misk U. however, I’m not sure I like this much? The sweetness is a little too cloying and sickly for me. there’s a caramelised aspect (maybe a rum component) that isn’t really working for me. I do prefer Pinched because of it’s non-gourmand notes. Verdict: this starts off smelling like a gorgeous eggnog latte, just as the name implies! It’s got a really nice balance of bitter roasted coffee with creamy sweet spicy notes. It’s less sticky and sweet than Misk U, and for a while it strikes the right balance of sweet and creamy with coffee. But then the sweet creamy eggnog amps up and it smells a little too foody for me-something about the eggnog note turns strange on me. I think this would make a wonderful room scent though-I’m just glad I don’t love this and don’t feel the need to track down more! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? it’s not bad but I have other coffee scents I prefer.

Candy Phoenix In the imp: smells just like sweets. Just like those hard fruity sweets, very sugary, but with a sour edge. Wet on skin: blackcurrant fizzy pop blended with crushed pink sugar and topped with sherbet powder. Dry on skin: now this smells like blackcurrant Fruit Pastilles/wine gums. This has a blackcurrant note which is very similar to the taste of blackcurrant sweets, or even Ribena. This is also the kind of note that could potentially go to cat pee on me but for now, it is blackcurrant sweets. I also smell a gentler sugar note on top which is almost vanilla-musk like, reminiscent of the sugared scent in Hope and Faith. A little pomegranate, but not too much. Can’t smell much apple or pear. This is a fun scent! It’s a lot more pleasant than I expected. After a while: this then becomes really, really sweet. Cavity-inducing sugar with just a hint of fruit underneath. It’s mounds of glittering white sugar and pink sugar and sugars of all kinds of bright neon colours with a hint of fruit to it. It smells like lollipops covered in sugar crystals. The great thing is that I don’t get any bad reactions from the apple note. But it is bordering on being way too sweet for me. Verdict: this is as sweet and sugary and cavity-inducing as I expected. A little too sweet for me. the good thing is that the apple note doesn’t wreak havoc on my skin. this scent is dominated by the blackcurrant and pomegranate flavoured candies. It’s very blackcurranty at first, just like blackcurrant fruit pastilles, complete with glittering sugar crystals. And then the pomegranate comes in and it too is very sugary, not the usual tart fruit that it usually is. I actually quite like it for a while, and start to wish that there were pomegranate flavoured sweets available (I’m sure there must be, but I haven’t seen any for sale so far…) Finally the sugar completely takes over and becomes too much for me-too sweet and sticky and cloying and intensely sugary. I like some kinds of sugar, especially the spun sugars and white sugars, and vanilla sugar or sugary musk, but this is a little too much for my likings. Though it does smell good enough to eat… Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? no. If you like this, try: Sticky Pillowcase, Bloody Mary, Xanthe, Swank, Flower Song

Pumpkin V 08 In the imp: pumpkin with strawberry, maybe a hint of musk too. Wet on skin: buttery pumpkin with strawberry and red musk. Like Hollywood Babylon with pumpkin. Dry on skin: mmm, this is really nice. I can hardly smell the jasmine, and the rose is also quite soft, but this scent really is like pumpkin-ified Hollywood Babylon. It’s a very similar strawberry and red musk combination, and it turns out that, if HB is anything to go by, strawberry and red musk go together wonderfully and the RM cancels out the sour/acid scent of the strawberry note. I can smell just a hint of fig and the carnation spices the scent up nicely, and I think I also get cranberry…in fact at times it also reminds me of Lampades. After a while: I keep thinking that one of the notes will go bad on me, the strawberry or the jasmine…but nothing of the sort happens. This scent is really wonderful. It’s mainly pumpkin and a smooth, delicious fruity red musk. I love red musk mixed with fruit and this blend is all about the red musk and fruit. This is the kind of scent that I hoped to get from Maenad. It’s a shame I smell very little of the frankincense and rose, not much of the fig and carnation either, but I love the strawberry-cranberry-musk mix here. The pumpkin, by now, is very subtle. At times it goes into a slightly floral red musk, but it’s mainly a red fruity smell, with a lovely and almost creamy-spicy sweetness. Verdict: this is one of the few blends with strawberry and carnation together (as well as jasmine) that works well for me-and I think it’s the red musk that works it’s magic. It’s mainly musky berry-strawberry and cranberry-with red musk and buttery pumpkin. I do get a bit of rose-not very much, but I was hoping for a little bit more in the way of frankincense, carnation and fig, and a bit more of the rose, it’s mainly a berry musk (which I really like) with pumpkin. It actually reminds me of Hollywood Babylon with a bit more buttery richness, but comparing the two, I think I prefer HB. It’s great to smell something with a lot of troublesome notes that works reasonably well on me though. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? maybe, but I think not. If you like this, try: Hollywood Babylon, Lampades, Maenad, Pumpkin V 07

Lilith Victoria In the bottle: a deeper, more lavender-y Dorian. Wet on skin: lavender, and lots of it! and an undertone of Dorian. Dry on skin: mmm, this is gorgeous. It’s lavendery Dorian, but with the depth of Snake Oil behind it. I can smell a tiny hint of fennel, but it doesn’t smell very anise-y, it’s more like a herbal boost to the lavender. I don’t smell any muguet. The Dorian aspect is strongest now, it’s all sweet musky vanilla tea with a hint of fougere, and a lot of lavender. I can smell hints of Snake Oil’s deeper vanilla though. After a while: the scent sweetens as the vanilla notes become more pronounced and the lavender fades. Now I can smell more of the Dorian tea and musk combination, as well as a powdery background (from the white musk, I think). The fennel adds an interesting herbal twist to the scent. I don’t smell much of the Snake Oil but in here it seems to be working in the same way as the Snake Pit, boosting and deepening the other notes, adding sweetness. It reminds me of the way the SO works in Green Tree Viper and Banded Sea Snake, and I can only imagine it getting stronger with age. Verdict: a beautiful scent for a beautiful baby! This takes the best of Beth and Ted’s scents and adds something extra, the result is more than the sum of it’s parts. It’s got the rich depth and deep vanilla of SO and the classy, suave vanilla tea musk of Dorian, the vanilla aspect boosted by gentle vanilla flower, the lavender-ish nuances of Dorian enhanced by yet more lavender. The Dorian aspect is more obvious first, vanilla tea and musk and herbs, but as it dries I get hints of Snake Oil, and this works in the same way as the Snake Pit, it works magic in the background without showing itself too much. And like with the Snake Pit, this SO background will probably become more obvious, and also improve, with age! I can’t wait to smell this in a few months to see how this baby matures! Something tells me that lil’ Lil, though she’s gorgeous already, will grow even more beautiful as she gets older! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? of course! If you like this, try: Snake Oil and Dorian (of course), Theodosius, Banded Sea Snake, Cottonmouth, Green Tree Viper

Screaming Mandragora In the imp: a lovely fruity scent, backed up by earthy Mandrake-like woods. Wet on skin: peach! Yes, peach! And woodsiness. Dry on skin: delicious fruity peach, sweet and fuzzy and ripe, lying on freshly sawn cedar plank. I know some reports say that the fruit note here is mango, but I think it’s peach. There may be some other fruits here too (maybe mango as there’s a slight tropical fruit scent). the woodsy note is very similar to Mandrake, a grey and earthy cedar, but there may also be some sandalwood here. This reminds me a combination of the Cup of Death and Cupid Complaining, the woodsy peach blossom from Cup of Death, meets the peach and sandalwood from Cupid Complaining. After a while: the intense woodsy scent fades away, leaving behind the prettiest sweet peach scent. I never knew that mandrake could smell like peach. I wonder if this emulates the fruit of the plant as opposed to the root. It’s very sweet and bright, a happy scent, and it doesn’t scream on my skin, it’s actually quite gentle. I’m very surprised at how creamy this scent becomes at drydown. Almost like peaches and cream. I’m sure there’s a touch of vanilla here. Maybe also a white musk note. not too much wood at this point, maybe a hint of sandalwood. Verdict: this smells different to what I expected! I was expecting something like Mandrake-dirty rooty woods. But this is actually really fruity, it smells like an earthy peach! It’s very nice, a juicy fruity peach note with wood at the back, something like cedar or teak, with a hint of something rooty. But overall, this is peachy. And it turns surprisingly creamy at drydown too, sweetening and warming up, but still staying peachy. I have a little tester of this one and that’s all I need, as I have other peach scents I prefer, but this is a lot nicer than I thought it would be. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? I’ll cherish my sniffie of it.

In the imp: warm vanilla and anise. Wet on skin: oh dear…this vanilla seems to be the sassafras-y kind that I don’t like. Dry on skin: warm toasty vanilla dominates this, with a touch of aniseed which is highly reminiscent of Huesos de Santo. I love that anise note so that doesn’t bother me. The vanilla is something I’m not sure of. It’s a very gourmand and heavy variety. On the one hand this vanilla could turn out like the vanilla in Snowblind, Perilous Parlour or even Snake Oil, it has hints of those. But it also resembles the plastic-y vanilla from Love’s Philosophy and Stimulating Sassafras. Indeed, this even has a hint of that medicinal-plastic undertone that made me dislike those scents. After a while: unfortunately the vanilla in here does seem to waver in and out of it’s plastic scent, at times smelling like vanilla plastic, at other times like a warm toasted vanilla biscuit with a hint of spice to it. eventually it winds up smelling too cloying and thick a vanilla for me, and reminds me of the kind of vanilla scent I really don’t like-the car freshener vanilla scent. that scent has bad memories for me. Then after about 4 hours, it changes into something dramatically different. Snake Oil vanilla! For a while I was wondering why I kept smelling amber, or tonka, or incensey vanilla, and then I smelt Humbug. It’s changed from that cloying fake ‘magic tree hanging in the car’ smell into the deep, rich, sexy smoky vanilla bean scent I love, almost like a Bourbon vanilla, or the vanilla in Snake Oil or Antikythera Mechanism. Why couldn’t this smell like that all the way through? Why do I have to wait hours to get such a delicious drydown? Why?? Verdict: I’m so torn over this scent. the vanilla, at least for most of the duration of wear, is the kind of vanilla that put me off vanilla before I started BPALing, but after a few hours it turns into the kind of vanilla that turned me onto BPAL vanilla! The anise note isn’t a problem here, it’s really pleasant. But I smell plastic and chemicals in the vanilla at first, as well as sassafras (which I think is a note that doesn’t tend to work on me) and this plastic vanilla phase lasts for ages. And just to be a big tease, the scent turns to deep sexy Snake Oily vanilla at the end. Scents that do that (turn from hate to love, or vice versa) are even more frustrating than ones that just don’t work all the way through…but I think this one ultimately isn’t a keeper. Is it a keeper? no, despite the gorgeous drydown!

Gossamer In the imp: a delicate and faint floral. Wet on skin: linden? I think this may be linden. I could be wrong but this does have a dainty spring blossom feel to it. Dry on skin: delicate flowers. I’m not sure what I smell in here but I’m thinking linden, moonflower and possibly gardenia? Definitely moonflower, actually, the more I smell it, the more I can detect that crystalline, high pitched and nocturnal floral note. in fact this also reminds me of the Evening Star, which I love. I wonder if there’s also a light poppy note here, or maybe a type of lily? The scent is incredibly ethereal and gauzy, bright and glimmering-like fairy wings. That’s what comes to mind when I smell this. After a while: the moonflower becomes the dominant note here, with a background of something like poppy and some other flowers-maybe some blue musk too. Overall this reminds me of the night florals like Midnight, Evening Star, Yvaine, Midnight on the Midway etc. it’s incredibly pretty and it shimmers, glitters like stars. Verdict: fairy wings, spider webs, dewy flowers in the moonlight. This scent conjures up the most gorgeous images. This is very floral, but not heavily, obnoxiously so. It’s a scent of delicate fragile blooms, fresh and light, both nocturnal blooms and spring blossom. I know for sure that I get moonflower out of this scent. I can only guess at the other notes-linden perhaps, or lilies, poppy and even some night air or blue musk. It certainly fits the name. but as expected from a scent of such fragility, it fades rather fast from the skin, it’s ethereal fragrance soon evaporates into nothingness. I think maybe this scent could do with something sweet, maybe a light vanilla musk, to ground the wispy florals in here. but I really like this-it’s incredibly pretty, and I’d probably buy more if it were released. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? maybe, but at the same time I want to pass my decant on, share the love!

Chant D’Automne In the imp: vetiver and a hint of spice or musk, and tobacco. Wet on skin: a nice vetiver with a smoky feel to it. Dry on skin: as I expected, this is 2008’s Death of Autumn. It has that same wonderful and exotic mix of kush (a strong vetiver that I prefer to the usual stronger vetivers) and amber with autumn leaves, except in here it lacks the spicy notes and instead has more smoke and a rich red musk background. This also has a smoke note which is spot on, it smells just like ‘that autumn air smell’, the smell of burning leaves and woods wafting. The leaf note in here isn’t as cologne-like as the one in October, this is a lot drier, more authentic. The musk is dark and almost like black musk mixed with red musk. This really is evocative of those blood red sunsets that are so often seen in autumn, when sky and earth compete as to which can be more colourful. After a while: the scent becomes muskier over time. The blood musk is almost like blood accord in here, it has a hint of that iron-like bite to it, but with a musky undertone which is almost feral, but not in a bad way. the kush has calmed a little but the smoky smell is still around. The leaves are more obvious now, and they smell very genuine, almost a mix of green leaves and dead ones. Verdict: the poem is beautiful (especially the French version), and this scent captures it perfectly…however overall this is a little too burnt on me, but it does capture the scent of autumn bonfires very nicely. It’s the smokier sibling of Death of Autumn. It starts off heavily smoky with vetiver leading the way through thick clouds of bonfire smoke, and once those clear a little, I smell a dark rusty musk note with something almost like tea and incense to it. This musk is very much a blood musk, rather wild and deep, shadowy too…at this point I get a resemblance to Lunar Eclipse, but I prefer that scent because it’s a little less burnt-smelling on me. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? probably not. If you like this, try: Death of Autumn, Bonfire Night, Blood Moon, Contract of Theophilius of Adana, Lunar Eclipse

White musk, winter plum, pine wood, benzoin, orchid, and stargazer lily. L’Inverno In the bottle: reminds me of Snow Moon and Ice Prince, I can smell snowy pine, plum and lily. Wet on skin: pine! Lots of pine, but also some sugar plum, like the plum in Midwinter’s Eve. Dry on skin: soft and very pretty, and very cold. This smells of winter pine, sweet white plum and chilly flowers, all covered with a blanket of snow. It reminds me of Snow Moon and Snow Maiden, that same combination of the snow note and pale floral notes. This one has a plum note, and that makes me think of Ice Prince. Also, the pine note is stronger than in the other floral-snow scents, it’s like the pine in Old Moon. This is a very gentle scent, rather faint actually…it’s a whisper of winter. After a while: oh damn. Now one of the notes is turning really odd on me. it now smells a bit like a mushy floral version of the Shivering Boy or the Snow Storm, but there’s a floral note (or is it pine?) that’s smelling like overripe fruit here, and it smells a bit rotten on my skin-not totally putrid, but not pleasant. The pine note has also turned very bitter, and smells a bit like turpentine now. The scent is faint, thankfully, and getting fainter. Verdict: I’m afraid this is my least favourite of the season perfumes. It starts off quite nicely, a cold fruit-floral with a spike of evergreen. There’s something a little soapy but it’s faint, and the scent is of frosty flowers and fruit. It’s really pretty. But then suddenly it goes wrong on me. I’m guessing one of the flowers or several have conspired against my skin, and they make the scent a little wilted-smelling, bitter. The evergreens don’t fare better either. The scent also fades very fast from my skin. So overall, not my favourite seasonal scent. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? No. If you like this, try: Snow Storm, Death of the Gravedigger, Snow Maiden, Knecht Ruprecht

Agape In the bottle: sweet fruit salad with ice cream/custard, I smell apple and guava. Wet on skin: ok, now this is going weird. The apple is souring, and why am I getting banana? Dry on skin: sour, sharp apple, mushy bananas and cream. This isn’t working the way I hoped it would. Where are the guava, passionfruit, carnation and tonka? This has the apple note that doesn’t like me…not the warm baked autumn apple I do like, from blends like Fearful Pleasure, but the sharp green apple from the likes of Punkie Night. It completely takes over this scent, stomping all over the other fruit. Also, something in here has turned to banana on me. Not too unpleasant, but it is a little cloying. This actually reminds me of Coral Snake, my least favourite of the Snake Pit. After a while: the sour apple scent does eventually fade. What I’m left with is much more pleasant-a sweet, gentle mix of banana custard, sweet pea (no soap, yay!), vanilla and tonka and guava, with hints of apple peel. It’s not perfect, and I much prefer Cheshire Moon’s take on guava + sweetness + flowers, but it’s much more tolerable than the sour overwhelming apple from before. Verdict: this scent broke my heart. I love the forum. I love the fact that Beth made a scent for it’s anniversary. I love the fact that the label here is of the skin I use! But I don’t love this scent. This has a lot of great notes in it, but also some dodgy ones. And sadly, it was those dodgy notes that dominated, especially the apple. I have such a troubled relationship with apple notes, and the one here is the apple note I dislike most because it turns to artificial acid apple air freshener on me. and for much of the time, this is what this smells like-sharp green apple with a weird undertone of banana. Not good at all. I quite like the drydown when the vanilla cream eventually comes out and mingles with the guava, but it’s not worth waiting through 5+ hours of evil apple to get to that stage. I’m so let down with what could have been such a beautiful scent of friendship and fun! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Sadly, no. If you like this, try: Coral Snake, Hesperides, Cheshire Moon, Aeval, Punkie Night

Incendia In vial: vanilla, dark chocolate and vetiver. On skin: the flowers come out, as does the herbal smell of the palmarosa, and also the patchouli. It’s still heavy on the vetiver, but there’s a lot going on in here. I can smell the rose, jasmine (it smells like good jasmine as well) and ylang, as well as the sweeter vanilla and cocoa, a sharp spike of palmarosa, hints of orange, bergamot and nutmeg too, and underneath it are the earthier notes of vetiver and patchouli. I’m quite pleased that the jasmine in here isn’t going too sharp on me-I’m guessing that’s because it’s a bath oil, it’s less concentrated. Eventually this moves from an earthy chocolate-herbal to a heady, rich floral with vetiver, before turning into a very jasmine-y scent. this reminds me of the jasmine in Peitho, one of the few jasmine scents I can wear, it has that same sultry feel to it, sweetened with vanilla. It also reminds me of Salome, before my skin chem made that scent turn bad on me. the vetiver is a little too much for me though, but I really like the jasmine in here for a while…but sadly it doesn’t work after a while. This is a lovely scent but ultimately a little too heavy on the vetiver for me.

Buttermilk pancakes with boysenberry syrup and goat butter! MVJBA Pancake Breakfast In the imp: this smells just like the Scotch pancakes I have for breakfast…covered in BUTTER! Wet on skin: ok, one of the notes is going weird on me…almost plastic? Dry on skin: what’s just happened? In the vial this was a really coherent and recognisable scent of buttered pancakes. But now on the skin, this has disintegrated into a disjointed mix of buttermilk, wet cardboard, vanilla plastic and a burnt note. I can’t smell anything berry-like in here. The pancake note has turned really strange, like a kind of wet paper/plaster smell. It reminds me of plaster dust, but with vanilla. And sadly this vanilla note is plastic-scented on me too. After a while: not much of an improvement. It smells a little less disjointed and the ‘plaster dust’ note has turned into flour, but it’s a very dry dusty flour scent. and the burnt note now smells a bit acrid, and oddly like burning plants, burning flower stems? The good thing is that now I can smell the berries. The scent then goes back to that burnt stage, in a big way. Burning flowers and plastic vanilla. This really is failing on me. Verdict: I wasn’t keen on this one at all. It was so promising in the vial-it smelt just like buttery pancakes! But my skin turns this to foodie fail. Sweet plastic, rancid buttermilk, damp cardboard and burnt caramel with a hint of floral-green (what the? Why on earth do I smell flowers?) which turns charred and acrid on me. It smells incoherent and dissonant. It doesn’t smell like a pancake breakfast on me-rather, it smells like one gone terribly wrong. But then again, my skin is not as tolerant with the really gourmand notes as it used to be. In all, not my thing. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? No. If you like this, try: Spring Training, Love’s Philosophy, Drink Me, Chanukkiah, Beaver'versary, Sugar Cookie 08

Moon of the Terrible In the imp: lavender with an almost floral/rosy lychee note. Wet on skin: sweet lavender with a hint of other darker herbs, and sharp lychee. Dry on skin: oh, this is gorgeous! It has turned a tad powdery now but this is dominated by the lychee, and I love it! This fruit note is so underused in perfume so it’s always a joy to smell it as the main note, like in here. It’s not a sweet lychee like I’m used to eating, but it smells just like lychee syrup, very aromatic and complex, exotic and quite floral, almost like a white rose at times. Underneath it I smell the lavender and benzoin, I’m assuming the powdery smell comes from the white resins. Or maybe the snow note? I don’t smell the usual ‘BPAL snow note’ in here. this reminds me of Lurid with a brighter fruit note (lychee) in it. After a while: the lavender fades, and this becomes a bit more powdery. But I’m not complaining. It still smells strongly of lychees. It’s pretty much a lychee perfume. It’s a little drier now, not as juicy as before, this now has a more floral feel to it, and there’s something almost clean, skin-musky, to it. I was hoping for a more resinous aspect from the resins, and a bit of sweeter benzoin, but I love this anyway. I don’t get much cool snow though-other than a feel of powder. It’s a warm powder though. Verdict: lychee! I love lychee and it’s a note that I don’t often see, so this lychee-dominated scent makes me happy. It’s the lighter sister of On Darkness, a lavender-benzoin scent brightened with the fragrant, almost floral fruit note of lychee and it lasts for a good long time too. I don’t smell anything particularly wintry here-and nor does this smell terrible, or even dark or gloomy, in fact I find this scent quite bright, comforting even, especially when it goes into the powdery skin musk and lychee drydown. I’m very glad I bought a bottle of this. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes. If you like this, try: Lurid, On Darkness, Earth Ox, Rozpustnica, Dolce Stil Nuovo

Water Phoenix In the imp: washing powder and cleaning fluid. This isn’t promising. Wet on skin: soapy notes, but now I smell more pleasant notes of lavender and juniper. Dry on skin: still soapy, but it’s not too bad. I smell more of the rain and juniper now, with hints of lavender and some gentle floral notes-mainly sweet pea. No frankincense, but I do get a similarity here with the rain and juniper to Visiting the Temple on the Winter Solstice. I think I also smell more of the musk too, a soft white musk. But the oceanic notes do smell soapy/detergent like on me. After a while: the soapy smell does retreat a little, and the scent becomes a soft ozone and juniper scent. kind of like Old Moon’s juniper with a soft ozone to it. it’s not bad, but it’s not the ozone I like very much (it’s the kind that smells of tumble dried clothes crackling with static) but it’s actually quite gentle, like a distant thunderstorm, not the smell of the storm passing directly overhead. It’s also a little bit misty, vapour-like in feel, a little humid but cool too, reminds me of Faeu Boulanger. I can smell hints of sweet pea and lily, but these flowers aren’t turning bad as usual. Verdict: this is my least favourite of the 08 phoenixes, which isn’t surprising, considering my poor track record with aquatics and ozone. This does smell strongly of ozone and marine aquatics, and does indeed do the soap and laundry thing on me. but there are some nice, interesting moments in here where I can smell the other notes-the cool clear scent of the juniper, the lavender and soft flowers, hints of mist and drizzly rain and wet evergreens, and clean musk. But overall, it’s too soapy and detergent-y for my tastes. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? it’s better than expected, but still too ozoney for my likings. If you like this, try: Visiting the Temple at the Winter Solstice, Pool of Tears, Sturgeon Moon, Old Moon, Faeu Boulanger

Irrelevant and Disturbing Surreal Crawdad Dream In the bottle: surprisingly tart, I can smell currant and green tea for now. Wet on skin: very tart and sharp! Red currant and tea dominate, with a bit of ginger. Dry on skin: mmm, not bad! it’s a very sharp currant-tea scent, spiced with ginger, but I can smell hints of blueberry and coriander as well, the coriander adds a pungent spice to it all. no sweet vanilla or benzoin yet, but I think I smell red musk. There’s an overall blackcurrant smell to this, maybe a mix of redcurrant and blueberry causing this. It is an unusual scent and a lot more biting than I expected! After a while: the scent still remains sharp and currant-y, but the throw this scent has (which is nice and strong) is of sweet blueberries and creamy vanilla! And the scent close to the wrist has changed a bit too. It reminds me of the first 13 scent, a creamy currant and tea scent, but without chocolate. I also smell something almost like honey in here, as well as more of the spice notes. Retesting this after it’s aged a few months-and it’s improved dramatically. It was lovely before but now the vanilla, currant and musk fuse at drydown into this wonderful, sexy berry sweetness. Not sticky sweet or cloying at all. Just rich red musky berries, which I love. the coriander adds something unique to it as well. Verdict: this scent has really grown on me. The downside is that this isn’t as blueberry-dominated as I hoped it would be, as there are very few blueberry BPALs. But that’s no bad thing because this scent is wonderful enough as it is. It starts off reminiscent of the first 13, currants and tea with something almost honeyed to it as well as a creamy sweetness. And then it changes into a stunning redcurrant and red musk blend. I love red musk combined with fruit, and I’ve discovered that currants + darker sexier musks = utter gorgeousness on me. So it’s no surprise then that I adore the sweet red musk, berry and vanilla drydown this has. Incredibly unique in all ways-notes, inspiration and name-and it works! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yup! If you like this, try: Blue Fire, Daiyu, Cheshire Cat, 13 (first version), Anactoria

I Fell in Love with a Floating Brain In the bottle: strawberry creamy cake with just a hint of grapefruit. Wet on skin: stronger grapefruit now, but also stronger sweet creamy strawberry. Dry on skin: whoa, grapefruit! There’s a lot of it and it adds an interesting bitter slant to what is otherwise a very sweet scent. I like that. The sweet pink cake underneath is so yummy. This also reminds me strongly of BiggerCritters, the exact same blend of grapefruit and vanilla, but with cake and fruit instead of flowers. After a while: now the grapefruit has retreated a little, and the strawberry takes it’s place. Unfortunately, this strawberry seems to be going a little odd on me. it’s doing the same thing as it did in Pink Moon 05, which is that it is turning very tangy, and also oversweet. It’s a strange thing, how something can smell so sharp and yet also too sweet. However, that lovely spongy cake underneath is so appealing that it seems to balance out the strawberry. I love Beth’s cake notes, and the pink cake in here is no exception. There’s something to the scent which reminds me of scented dolls-but not an outright plastic smell like I get with some scents, but it smells like strawberry-scented dolls. The strawberry gets stronger and sharper. Eventually this becomes less cake-scented and more like strawberry sweets, or lollipops. This then turns into something very similar to Pink Moon 05, only this doesn’t have that odd ‘burning’ scent I got from PM05. It does have the sharp strawberry and carnation blend though. There are hints of cake to it and it does remind me of Beaver Moon 07, one of the few strawberry scents I can wear, that creamy berry-vanilla (only this is a little drier), but then the sharpness returns. The scent then turns back to cake. Verdict: strawberry is tricky-sometimes it works, sometimes not. I’ve come to the conclusion that though I love carnation notes, somehow the combination of strawberry and carnation doesn’t work on me (with the exception of 2008’s Pumpkin V). This has the most wonderful cake scent to it, it smells very much like those fairy cake mix sets from my childhood-the cake mix was pink, and it came with pink icing and little rice paper circles printed with Disney characters. This smells like those fairy cakes. Maybe a little bit more strawberry buttercream added. The grapefruit initially adds a tart scent which counters the sweetness. But sadly the strawberry here does funny things on me, turning to that acidic yet cloying scent that I don’t like. That’s the only thing that stops me from truly enjoying this scent. I prefer Beaver Moon 07 and White Choc Strawberry for sweet creamy strawberry. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? I’ll keep an imp’s worth... If you like this, try: White Chocolate and Strawberry, Diary of a Lovestruck Teenage Cannibal, Beaver Moon 07, Pink Moon 05, Monster Bait Bigger Critters

The Rose In the imp: very similar to Rose Red, but a lot warmer maybe? I do indeed smell stem and leaf. Wet on skin: now I smell sharper, almost fruity nuances in this rose. Dry on skin: ooh, I like this. It’s rose, pure and simple. Though quite different to Rose Red. It doesn’t have the icy smell to it, it’s not as dewy. This also smells a little more traditional, more along the lines of Peacock Queen, but a lot more wearable, less haughty. This is a delicate and warm rosebud scent, warmed by sunshine. There are interesting hints of fruit, almost like citrus, to it, sharper and drier rose elements too, as well as rose hips, stems and leaves. It actually smells just like smelling a real rose blooming. It reminds me of the rose gardens of Regent’s Park-in fact, this is the kind of rose scent I was hoping to get in Two Five and Seven. After a while: instead of just fading away like it does in Rose Red, the rose here develops into a really nice clean rose scent. almost like a white rose under the red rose and a hint of clean linen, it’s become a lighter, breezier rose scent that smells fresh and delicate. There’s a hint of dry rose petals too but not as much of the stem and leaves-this is a purer floral. Verdict: this smells just how I’d imagine the rose in the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast to smell. The sparkling glowing rose shedding it’s petals, the last one falls and the spell is broken. That’s what this smells like to me. it’s a pure, shimmering rose, warmer than Rose Red, and like in RR, I can smell all the parts of the rose as well as the flower. The rose note stays true for a good long time before turning to an almost linen-like scent, almost like clean sheets fragranced with rose…but it’s not soapy. This is a very beautiful scent-showcasing a rose in all it’s facets. Not a dry rose, not a dark rose, not a tea rose, not a rose-scented perfume type scent or even a rose essential oil single note, but a gentle, innocent and very natural rose scent, the smell of actually sniffing a rose in a garden-in liquid perfume form, now that’s art...magic, even. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? I think so. I may one day get a bottle. If you like this, try: Rose Red, Peacock Queen, Two Five and Seven, London, Lucy’s Kiss

Orange Phoenix In the bottle: ooh, bitter orange. There is also something sweeter, like orange flavoured sweets. Wet on skin: orange fruit, and now orange blossom! Dry on skin: oh yeah, this is ORANGE to the max! I’ll need to compare this with my little snifter of Gaiman Orange, but this one is much more of a bitter orange scent, and I love that! It’s a very peel-y orange, the scent of orange rinds, and bitter ones at that. I do get the hints of Pez and orange soda (Orangina comes to mind) but to me this showcases a bitter orange rind note more than anything. I can almost taste it at the back of my throat. it makes me think of marmalade, because it has a sweet component too. After a while: I think now that I smell a little bit of blood orange mixing in with the bitter and sweet oranges in here. There’s a hint of that sometimes grapefruit-ish scent and sanguine redness I get with blood orange scents. It seems I can actually distinguish different orange notes in here…it’s quite multi-faceted even though it’s almost entirely citrus to my nose. I also smell orange blossom-or neroli perhaps. Orange leaf too. I remember reading somewhere that every part of the orange tree is fragrant and can be used in perfume. I wonder if this scent has components from all parts of the tree too. I’m also surprised as to how long this is lasting on me. Usually most oranges fizzle out fast but this is still going strong after about two hours. It’s still definitely orange. There’s no doubt about it’s orangeness. And it stays orange right until the end-other than sugar notes, I don’t really pick up on much else here that doesn’t seem to be derived from orange…and that’s no bad thing. Verdict: I had a dream about Orange Phoenix long before this scent was ‘announced’. In my dream, OP contained five or so types of orange note. And it seems that this scent is almost like the one I dreamt of! this scent out-oranges Orange. A blend of orange juice, orange fizzy drinks and Pez, and the chunkiest, most bittersweet Seville orange marmalade, with blood orange and neroli as supporting notes. I’m testing the two scents (Orange and Orange Phoenix) out side by side in fact, and Orange is much, much sweeter, and actually more of a sweet orange scent (and possibly mandarin, come to think of it) with just a hint of bitter peel at the back, and lots of other things like amber, flowers and sweet notes, whilst Orange Phoenix is a much more in your face orange, straightforward, uncomplicated and much more orange-centric. It’s the orange scent I’ve been looking for, in fact. And I’m so glad I have a bottle. I also really hope that this phoenix does indeed flee the nest (ie, goes live) in some form for an upcoming anniversary update! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? yes! this is very a-peel-ing indeed (ha ha, terrible pun but this scent calls for it!)