PurringPulsar

Summer’s Last Will and Testament In the imp: citrus, but it’s borderline soapy-herbal. Wet on skin: blood orange bursts into life and I think I also smell geranium. Dry on skin: this is nice. It reminds me very much of Piper at the Gates of Dawn. But this has the pine in Piper replaced with herbal notes and autumnal floral and leafy notes. The citrus notes are no longer soapy, but whoa they are strong! This is one of the most powerful citrus scents, is it the amber that’s magnifying them so? The blood orange and also something that reminds me of grapefruit are dominant, and they evoke shades of gold and red, like a sunset. I can’t really smell amber but the autumn leaf note smells lovely, it isn’t at all like the one in October, I’d say it’s more like the one in To Autumn? I can also smell a rich geranium note, which makes me happy because it’s not often that geranium is strong. After a while: after a moment when an odd earthy-dirty herbal note comes through, this then mellows very nicely. The citruses seem to melt into the amber, which I now smell, and it actually reminds me a bit of white amber, but the amber then darkens as the scent develops. I think the myrrh adds a touch more resinous goodness to this scent, I think I also smell a bit of spicy marigold. The scent morphs incredibly, sometimes I smell more of the sunflower, sometimes more of the myrrh, at other times I smell more of the earthy, mossy notes. It’s also amazing how long the orange note sticks around, I think it’s held down by those wonderful warm sweet resins. Verdict: I love how Beth creates perfumes that are very hard to pigeonhole into a particular category like ‘foody’ or ‘floral’ or ‘woody’. This is one of them-it’s one of the most intriguing, unique scents I’ve come across. Though it’s predominantly citrus, with the blood orange leading the way, this is no ordinary citrus. It’s a dark citrus, not bright and sparkly but evokes the deepest red-orange, and is weighed down with earthy leafy notes, with the resins adding a golden glimmer. The geranium adds its warm balmy scent and the flowers are subtle yet add yet more dimensions to this already complex fragrance. This scent is a work of art, less like a perfume and more like an olfactory painting, very evocative of summer’s last stand against the encroaching autumn-I can really sense the turning of the seasons here, the lengthening nights, the reddening sunsets, leaves falling and the last warmth of summer just barely lingering. It’s beautiful and fascinating, and unlike any other perfume I’ve tried. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Definitely. If you like this, try: Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Pepper, Death of Autumn, Three Gorgons, Sunflower, Maltese Cross of Sanctus Germanus

Meditation in Autumn In the imp: ivy, wood, and a hint of cologne. Wet on skin: greenish ivy and vines with something perfumey. Dry on skin: this one is really interesting but I’m not sure if I’m keen on it…the thing that intrigues me is the vine note. It really does smell like ivy, thick and green, it smells just like the smell that lingers on your hands when you’ve been pulling away thick vines or overgrown ivy. This really smells like thick, overgrown greenery, a bit weedy, but much thicker. The thing I’m not crazy about here is the cologne-like or perfume like undertone this has. It smells like men’s perfume, and a tad mainstream, even a bit like ozone. It has a sharpness that reminds me of mainstream men’s deodorants or ‘sporty’ perfumes. After a while: this seems to alternate between smelling purely of thick deep green vines and the less pleasant smell of sporty perfume every now and then. But it seems to smell more and more like the masculine perfume smell. Where’s the sandalwood? The drydown reminds me of the likes of October (the first version) and Windy Moon, both of which turned to sharp manly perfume on me. I’d say this is a bit more woody and vine-y. Verdict: not for me, I’m afraid. There is something that smells sharply, aggressively aftershave-y in here, manly perfume and ozone-scented sporty deodorant. The vine note is intriguing, it really smells authentic. Reminds me of helping out with the gardening, the smell of clearing away the ivy that grows in places where it shouldn’t grow. But the perfumey undertone really grates. I don’t even smell the sandalwood, a note I normally love. I think I’ll stick with Blade of Grass for my autumn fix. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? nope. If you like this, try: Twisted Oak Tree, Wiley’s Swamp, Thorns, Windy Moon, October

Lotus Moon 2010 In the imp: amber, pomegranate and…grapefruit? Huh? Wet on skin: grapefruit. This is a very bitter grapefruit and it’s quite disconcerting. It’s blocking out all the other notes. Dry on skin: not sure about the grapefruit. What is doing that? It’s a bitter grapefruit peel scent as opposed to a fresh juicy grapefruit, which I like. It’s strong and strident and seems to be blocking out all the other notes, and that’s a shame because the other notes smell really good. I can detect a really gorgeous creamy lotus note, hints of resin-touched rose, and deep red pomegranate. But I can’t enjoy those wonderful notes if that irritating grapefruit peel note gets in the way. After a while: the grapefruit does fade away thankfully, and what is left is really beautiful and sophisticated. It’s very slightly reminiscent of the old Lotus Moon, but it’s also very different. It’s a bit more perfumey, it reminds me of a posh perfume or body lotion, it smells expensive and grown up. A luxurious lotus gilded with amber and with ruby red accents of pomegranate, a hint of smoky incense. It’s got a silky, creamy smoothness, a hint of sweetness. Verdict: still unsure about this one. Theoretically I should adore it as all the notes work on me. But I can’t get over the odd grapefruity scent that obstructs all the lovely notes. This weird, strident, bitter grapefruit peel scent does fade after some time to leave behind a beautiful scent, golden and classy, it smells dignified and regal, gold and red velvet, reminiscent of some of the palace themed scents like Versailles and the Haunted Palace, though this seems to evoke more exotic places, hinting at Egypt and India. It does remind me a bit of the original LM but I think this one is more complex, less candied and actually less lotus-y. I still think I prefer the 06 version, I would adore this version if it wasn’t for that annoying grapefruit! I hope that disappears with aging. Emoticon rating: then Is it a keeper? one bottle, definitely. If you like this, try: Lotus Moon 06, Blood Lotus, Kurukulla, Persephone, Haunted Palace, Versailles

Hatshepsut v11 In the imp: rich sweet amber incense and maybe some fruit? Wet on skin: the golden lotus of Lotus Moon, as well as amber and maybe red wine? Dry on skin: this is such a beautiful scent. I can’t say what it contains but I’m going to guess…amber, golden lotus, myrrh, red wine, maybe some frankincense, spices, herbs, some kind of raisin like dry sweet fruit or a deep berry note? It’s gorgeous. It has a wine soaked myrrh scent that reminds me of Haloa and the Magi. It has an amber gilded lotus scent that reminds me of both Lotus Moons and Bastet. It also smells a bit like the TAL Queen of the Nile, funnily enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was crammed with myrrh, it was Hatshepsut’s favourite scent after all. I also think I smell a hint of Egyptian musk, like the one in Gothabilly? After a while: this then settles into a beautiful sweet wine and myrrh scent with accents of amber, lotus and spices. It’s warm, rich red-purple with gold and amber flashes, incredibly regal and dignified. It feels luxurious and golden, evokes the colours of a sunset. Verdict: my favourite of the Hatshepsut protos, this is a glorious amber resin and deep red fruit scent. This reminds me of Lotus Moon 2010 to an extent, but without the lotus and odd grapefruit note, and with extra resins and fruit added. It feels noble, luxurious and makes me think of ancient treasure and precious cargo from the land of Punt containing exotic fruit and resins and jewels and gold, along with offerings of rich red wine, incense, and sweet amber. I am so glad I managed to get a bottle of this beautiful scent and I hope that one day the finished version of Hatshepsut comes out and it smells somewhat similar to this, or has something along the same amber-fruit-resin-spice theme. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Definitely!

Loli.Goth In the imp: strawberry ice cream! Wet on skin: strawberry sweets, creamy iris, pink musk and a bit of peach. Dry on skin: I like this! This has the same pink musk as in Vasilissa, a fresh yet fluffy musk which has a slight perfumey tang to it, and that balances out the overall sweetness of this blend. The strawberry note is so pretty; it’s a creamy sweet berry that smells just like ice cream. No plastic, no odd acidic sharpness. There’s also a bit of the raspberry that was in the White Choc and Black Raspberry Truffle scent. I can’t really smell peach or woods, but the iris has a gorgeous scent that is creamy (without being foody) and dewy and floral all at once. After a while: this then settles in to the prettiest pink scent of musk and iris with a little bit of wood to ground it. The fruity notes are still there and I do detect a hint of something candied, but it’s not as sugary sweet now, it’s a lot more sophisticated. The pink musk is just like Vasilissa but I love the iris in here, it smells so fresh and cool with hints of powder, like the delicate scent of a real iris flower. It reminds me a bit of Black Pearl without the coconut…maybe more of a Pink Pearl. Verdict: this is my second favourite of the Goths. This works a lot better on me than expected-the strawberry, a note I want to love but is so often a disaster on me, works perfectly here, as a creamy ice cream type note, and I adore that. The peach is subtle but adds extra fruitiness to the strawberry and raspberry pinkness. The musks, woods and iris on the other hand are perfect counterbalances to the sweet candied creamy fruit, grounding the scent, stopping it from being too gourmand and oversweet, and making this mature. Girly, youthful and pink but not childish. I’m so glad I was able to find a bottle of this one! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes and I found a bottle!

Gaudium In bottle: geranium. The same fantastic geranium as Holiday Stress Relief. On skin: geranium, verbena, and a gorgeous orange note. This actually turns really citrus-y on the skin, with citronella-like verbena in the lead, followed by that gorgeous bitter orange (smells a bit like dried orange peels mixed with bergamot and combava, not at all sweet or juicy), not much grapefruit, it seems overpowered by the other citrusy notes. I can’t smell lavender, but I do smell the most wonderful Bourbon-type geranium, the same one from HSR. I love geranium, so this makes me happy. I do wish the verbena could calm down a little, it is a little strong, and despite this smelling gorgeous, it also reminds me of a mosquito repellant I bought in Turkey. That stuff did smell nice, but I don’t want to be reminded of being attacked by buzzy biting things. But it could mean this stuff would repel mozzies too? The drydown is pure bitter orange-and I like that, because orange notes are not known for lasting long…but then it turns soapy, probably the work of the verbena. So maybe this isn’t the replacement for HSR that I’ve been looking for…

Khrysopelex In the imp: caraway! This smells like a spice cupboard. But that’s no bad thing. Wet on skin: this reminds me of the Kinnabari prototype! Dry and dusty and spicy. Dry on skin: this scent is fascinating. It’s almost identical to Kinnabari, I think, but a bit nicer. Caraway is the dominant note, and it’s amazingly complex. It smells like a spice cupboard or a spice market, but it also has a mineral aspect to it that makes me think of dust, clay, and something about it reminds me of paints and pastels and brings back memories of art classes. In fact, something about this smells like pencils! It also smells very much like how I’d imagine a desert to smell-hot, dry, dusty, and sandy, I see sunset colours when I smell this. The saffron really enhances the golden, heated, arid scent this has. I can also smell hints of sharper bergamot and neroli as well. After a while: pencils. Ok, I said there was a hint of pencil to this scent. Now it’s all pencils all the time. I don’t know what’s doing that but there’s a woody note here that my skin turns to the smell of pencil shavings-especially coloured pencils. And crayons! So yes this scent does seem to tickle my creative side and makes me want to get arty, but do I really want to smell like a box of crayons and pencil shavings? The good news is that I can smell some amber now. Thankfully that Eau de Crayola seems to calm down after 2-3 hours and the amber is really, really showing off. What glorious amber, with surprising throw, this is the Dreadful Lies amber, but without the powdery scent I sometimes get from DL. There are still hints of woodsy caraway but they are a lot more pleasant, and the throw this gives off is not pencils but wonderful warm amber. At one point it does smell a tiny bit like Khrysee…before fading away. Verdict: this one is strange! I’m not sure if it’s the caraway that smells like a mix of dry red earth, pencil shavings and crayons, but this is what it smells like to me! At times compelling and nostalgic, evocative of my creative school days, but at times it drives me crazy simply because it smells like pencils-and I don’t want to smell like a pencil! Or a crayon, for that matter. The drydown makes up for it though, once the amber shows up, mixing nicely with the saffron and neroli, and creating a lovely glowing golden drydown. If it smelled like that all the time I would have got more, but the pencil stage is too much for me to take. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? maybe a decant. If you like this, try: Labores Solis, Zenobia, Helios, Iron Phoenix, Khrysee

Enchanted Wood Florist In the imp: oh, this is pretty. It smells like La Primavera, one of my favourite floral scents. Wet on skin: I smell grasses, and the luminous flowers that smell like tuberose and spring blossoms. Dry on skin: this reminds me of two scents-the good imp I had of All They Had Seen (my bottle wasn’t as strong), and also La Primavera. This is such a beautiful floral scent! Very springy and delicate, and it does smell luminous. What kinds of flowers? I am pretty sure that there’s tuberose in here-because of the Primavera similarity, but it also reminds me of another scent with tuberose but I can’t say which one. I also think there are some blossoms, maybe linden (it reminds me of the Unicorn) and also the plum blossom note that actually likes me, that is in Hanami and La Primavera. There is almost certainly some moonflower here, and possibly orchid (again, the kind that works). There may even be some good jasmine (such a thing does exist, and it’s the most beautiful scent) in here. The grass is subtle, and the sap smells more like sweet nectar. After a while: this then turns into Fairy Market without the sweetness! Fairy Market is one of my favourite scents of all, and this reminds me of it, but whilst FM is pink in feel, this is silvery-green. It doesn’t have the sweet, candied, slightly incense-y feel of FM, but it is fresher, lighter, crisper. This is such a beautiful spring flower fragrance, delicate and dainty and luminous. Nothing soapy, sharp, bitterly green, no blossoms that turn to rotten fruit, this is flowery perfection. Verdict: enchanted wood? Oh yeah, this smells like the sort of moonlit wood filled with fairies, fireflies, dewdrops, moonlight and magic, and I am also reminded of the scenes in Avatar with all the luminous flora of Pandora that lights up when walked on, and the floating seeds. This is what those flowers smell like. This is a stunningly beautiful floral scent. I can’t say what flowers are in here but they work on me fantastically. It reminds me of some of my other favourite springy floral scents, but this has a slightly greenish (in the best way possible) and glowing, dewy scent to it which distinguishes it from, say, the slightly citrus-y Primavera, or the sugary Fairy Market. I adore this one. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? I have a bottle, and wonder if I need to track down a backup… If you like this, try: The Unicorn, All They Had Seen and All They Had Lost, La Primavera perfume, Hanami, Al Araaf

Phantom Time Hypothesis In the imp: traditional sweet powdery rose and ambergris. Very pretty! Wet on skin: the rose blooms, and there’s orange. This is gorgeous. Dry on skin: Turkish delight! Yes! This reminds me of Turkish delight in rose and orange flavours, right down to the dusty, powdery scent, reminiscent of the icing sugar dusting on those squishy loukhoum cubes. This is really lovely. It reminds me of a TAL-maybe Amor-as well as Seraglio and Haunted Palace. I wasn’t expecting the orange to be so strong but it is. I don’t know why I smell sandalwood but I smell a bit of it and combined with the rose, it also reminds me of Lush’s Fever. I also smell neroli, again, not a listed note, but it seems to be in here. But it mainly smells like Turkish delight and rose scented powder, and I love it. After a while: this then turns into a gorgeous rose-sandalwood powdery scent, powdery in the best way possible, in the way that reminds me of a historical perfume-I’m surprised there’s no orris in here, as it has that dusty pale feel to it. It then changes into a gorgeous soft incense-resin type scent, a rosy ambergris powder dusted onto the skin, with some hints of crushed resin-the mysterious balsams and gums, I think. It’s very different to other rose-resin scents though, not at all like Parlement of Foules. Verdict: this one is another winner in the Helicopter series. I love roses, oranges and incense, but I was pleasantly surprised when this turned to Turkish delight on me! The scent of rosewater, orange (fruit, definitely, but I also smell the blossom?) and a pleasantly powdery sweetness reminded me of that yummy exotic sweet treat. Though the loukhoum stage doesn’t last, the drydown is equally delightful. this is when it resembles some of my favourite rose-based scents. Though totally different to most resinous rose scents (and very different to Illuminati Cotillion), this reminds me of roses and mysterious incense and a touch of dust-and I mean a pleasant dustiness here, and something like sandalwood. It’s somewhere between Three Brides and Seraglio, I’d say. I have a feeling that aging will make the scent stronger and even more beautiful. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? definitely a one or two bottle scent. If you like this, try: Seraglio, Bess, Whoso List to Hunt, Haunted Palace, Lucy Westenra, Shadowless like Silence, Three Brides

Banshee Beat In the imp: patchouli and vanilla! Wet on skin: oh, this is good-antique patchouli with sweet, deep vanilla. Dry on skin: mmm, sexy and dirty patchouli and vanilla with a hint of greenish and pulpy hemp to it. The patchouli has a dark, sweet, and very aged quality to it. It reminds me of an antique patchouli scent from another company (now discontinued, I think). It also reminds me of the patchouli in Goblin, I think. It’s a strong patch note that has a hint of ‘old books’ about it, which I really like! The vanilla is really lovely here, it’s a very deep, incredibly sweet vanilla, not foody but sensual, this is like vanilla extract or vanilla beans. It’s a bit like Tombstone or Snake Oil. The hemp adds a hint of something dry and papery and also a bit of mushy green and smoke, but it is subtle. After a while: this doesn’t change too much, but the patch gets stronger, as does the vanilla. Stronger, richer, more intense, and dirtier. I like it but the vanilla edges too close to cloying and overwhelming for my tastes? It feels a little sickly, despite the lack of gourmand-ness this vanilla note has. The drydown at the end is all strong vanilla, but it’s just too much. It reminds me of the Vanilla SN, which I wasn’t so keen on (even though, for the most part, I love BPAL vanilla scents). Verdict: this is a classic patchouli-vanilla, and it’s an effective, simple combination. I’ve smelt other patchouli-vanillas, and the BPAL take on it has a wonderful depth and intensity to it, the patchouli is dark and aged in scent, ditto the vanilla. I liked the beginning stage, where the patch and vanilla were equal, and there was a hint of Snake Oil with extra patchouli to it. But then the vanilla turned to one of the few varieties I don’t like, though not buttery or plastic, I just found it too cloying and oversweet. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? sadly not.

Teatime in Roswell In the imp: buttery cucumber sandwiches, and cake. I do not like the buttery sandwiches here. Wet on skin: cold butter, soggy bread, cucumbers…and a gorgeous sweet cake undertone. Dry on skin: ok, that’s not too bad. Still buttery, but bearable. I can’t smell the earl grey specifically, sadly, I was hoping for a strong black tea infused with bergamot but I don’t really get anything like that, just a weak tea, a very nice iced tea, but not proper strong English tea. The biscuits are less of a distinctive blend of shortbreads and digestives and more of a white sugar or icing scent, I can’t smell anything like the cookie notes from cookie scents. Very pretty, I must say, not biscuity enough for me, though I think I smell cake. Soft white cake, but not the yellow and pink ‘windows’ of batternberg cake slices, and I can’t smell any marzipan or jam. The cucumber actually turns from the slightly icky cucumber sandwich into a very pretty fresh flowering cucumber plant scent. It actually smells more like melon at times. But the buttery note, which is oddly salty, comes back every now and then. After a while: after about half an hour, this becomes incredibly pretty. It’s not a defined foody scent; all the notes have merged into a smooth, sweet scent with elements of fruit, cake and sugar. There seems to be a hint of white amber or white musk that remind me of other alien scents like 51 or Alien Invasion-probably the ‘strange glow’-and this binds all the notes together really nicely, and it’s in here that I think I smell bergamot and tea. I now smell the cake note a lot more clearly, and it does have a hint of icing to it-a blend of fondant and marzipan (the good stuff without almond flavouring) attached to the cake with jam. I smell delicate crispy biscuits and a wet sugary note like sugar cane. The cucumber really has turned to gorgeous melon, similar to Fee or Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat. Verdict: this reminds me of a cross between Chewing Bits of String and the Boneshaking Velocipede scent-the sweet tea, salad and sugar scent of Chewing, and the sweetened cucumber of Velocipede. There’s also a similarity to Left His Nurse-this is the summer version of that scent. It does smell like a proper English picnic at times (all that’s missing is grass and strawberries) and it's almost like a sci-fi take on the Mad Tea Party line! But other than the disturbingly realistic cucumber sandwich note, I can’t really distinguish the other goodies in this scent other than a watery, sugary, slightly cakey, slightly floral scent. However, the drydown is gorgeous-a soft white amber and musk with sugar and melon and cake and sugar cane and marzipan, and a jug of iced bergamot tea. This then ends up smelling like a foody version of 51 or Pollution. I like this one, especially after an hour or two, but I don’t really like buttered cucumber sandwiches as food and kudos to Beth for making it so realistic, but it’s too real for me! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? probably not! If you like this, try: Squirting Cucumber, Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat, 51, Alien Invasion, Left His Nurse, Boneshaking Velocipede

The Aurora Spaceship Takes a Dive In the imp: bluebells and magnolias, and a bit of hay. Wet on skin: soapy bluebell and white flowers. This smells like Host of the Air. Dry on skin: interesting. This smells uncannily like wild grasses and weeds and wildflowers, but it’s also a bit soapy and the magnolia has a high-pitched white floral scent that seems to take over. I smell thistle, a dry, husky and almost hay or dry grass like note. I also smell what could be sage, but it’s a fresh green sage as opposed to a dry herbal type. I smell bluebells, but they seem to turn soapy on me, which saddens me because I love the smell of real bluebells. No burning windmill smell, nothing smoky or scorched here, but a lot of golden grass and hay and heady sultry flowers. After a while: bluebells, magnolia and dry grasses. It smells a bit flat and soapy now. The magnolia has a kind of tinny cologne floral scent to it now, not keen on that. The bluebell has turned really odd (but thankfully it smells faint now) and now smells greener, and quite bitter. I smell hints of hay and thistle, and at this point I smell some smoke. Again, not bonfire, but more like hazy, gently smouldering wood and a hint of tobacco. The scent does have moments when it smells like a summer’s afternoon in a dried up prairie, and I can almost hear the crickets singing…but sadly the florals make this too soapy. Verdict: very evocative of its setting, I smell this and I see golden plains shimmering in the heat haze, dotted with colourful wildflowers, a hint of magnolia wafting from a nearby garden. I’m looking for the smouldering remains of a windmill or even a fallen spaceship but it seems the, erm, authorities, got there first and covered it up because I can’t really smell any smoke or ruins here, just a hint but not enough. And the flowers here turn bad on my skin. The bluebell turns soapy, the magnolia overwhelms and smells like a generic floral perfumey scent. Not my thing. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? no. If you like this, try: Host of the Air, Poisson D’Avril, Little Bird

Fuwu Bansaku in Ruined Temple with Black Monster on Umbrella In the imp: the vetiver monster is lurking in here, waiting to do damage. It’s a nutty, sweaty vetiver. Wet on skin: coconut, sweet wood and vetiver. Reminds me of Death Adder, but with more vetiver. Dry on skin: not too bad. The vetiver is a bit too strong and has that odd sweaty peanuts scent to it that I don’t like, but I like the coconut, sandalwood, oud and tonka in here. There’s a hint of very nice blackcurrant, a deep rich sweet fruit, and with the sandalwood, it reminds me of Man with a Phallus Head, without honey. The coconut is dry, toasted, husky and sweet, like the coconut note from Deathly Pride or Brown Jenkin, and it blends so nicely with a gorgeous warm sandalwood note. After a while: this goes into a phase that makes me think ‘vetiver? What vetiver?’ as it’s all sweet coconut with a really beautiful sandalwood, and I love the combination of those notes. This is the black coconut of Snake Charmer and Red Lantern, not a foody or suncreamy coconut. I love it. but then the vetiver makes a comeback, and instead of having that weird peanut scent, it smells burnt and tarry and a bit like ashtrays. Not good at all. And as usual with vetiver, it sticks around for a very long time too. Verdict: I wasn’t expecting to like this one much, and I don’t like it ultimately, thanks to the vetiver. Having said that, there are some very pleasant stages in this scent. I adore the coconut and sandalwood in here, and they work so well together. I like the fruity depth lent by the currant and the sweetness of the tonka. If this had no vetiver, or a milder kind of vetiver (like khus), I would probably have kept it. but ultimately this is too vetivery for me. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? nope.

Humanitas In vial: smells like a cross between strawberry chewing gum and the cherry jam corner of a Muller Fruit Corner! On skin: this smells strongly of Hollywood’s strawberry flavoured gum, which is a French brand of gum I used to love as a kid, and every time I went to France I’d make sure I got some. I know, that sounds odd, but that’s exactly what this smells like, and what it reminds me of, and I love that, actually! However, then the cherry note comes out, it smells just like the cherry ‘corner’ on a Muller yogurt (and I like that too!) and that pushes the Hollywood gum scent away somewhat. And then I smell the frankincense and carnation. And this blend of carnation and frankincense reminds me of my beloved Ysabel bath oil-the carnation variety! And I’ve been looking all over for more of the carnationy batch of Ysabel, but this smells like it with added fruit notes. In fact, it seems like the fruits in here fade away, and I’m left with a gorgeous mix of spicy carnation and warm, resinous frankincense. And then I realise this also seems to have the same gorgeous sweet black cherry that’s in Gothabilly as well. Once my Ysabel runs out, I know what to get, this is a really good GC substitute and I like the candied aspect of the fruit notes, they don’t turn to plastic on me or turn sharp or medicinal. A keeper!

ROMANTI.GOTH Dark vintage musk enrobed in a velvet black swirl of plum, precious resins, opium tar, sweet incense, and Nepalese amber. In the imp: black musk and opium. Has a worrying hairspray-ish scent. Wet on skin: ooh, now I smell incenses and resins, and a lot of smoky opium. Dry on skin: opium and musk, and lots of smoke, charcoal dust, resins thrown on a bonfire. Where’s the amber and plum? This is a lot smokier than I expected, it’s also a lot muskier. I do smell some gorgeous hints of frankincense, myrrh, something that may be benzoin and a scent that reminds me of Panther Moon, but I also smell a lot of thick black smoke like that of a coal fire or bonfire, charred wood, the one myrrh note that doesn’t work on me, and an opium note that is amping to the heavens. I know tobacco isn’t a listed note but I swear I smell it, and I don’t like it. The musk also seems to have slight hairspray aspects to it. This reminds me of the original Black Lace…but I don’t like that scent. No sweet fruit or amber to tone it down. After a while: the musk completely fades and this smells like OMGBURNING. Yup, burning. Just pure smoke and blackened embers. Not gorgeous incense smoke or that amazing bonfire smoke from St John’s Eve or Devil’s Night, but tobacco and opium and tobacco and opium and yet more tobacco and opium, and it smells like ashtrays, cigars and charcoal, stuff that’s been set on fire. No incense (save for the bad myrrh that dislikes me), no amber, no plum, no musk. I suppose the advantage is that I don’t smell vetiver. Verdict: I thought this would be amazing. Like Snake Charmer with more incense. Or like Hellion without the notes that turned bad on me. Almost everything in this scent was a surefire winner-I say almost everything, because it has troublesome opium in it too. And guess what was the strongest note, stomping on the plum and amber and resins and turning into a kind of mutant ashtray from hell note? Yup, that’s right, this was all opium, all the time, with a definite tobacco-type scent to it, and to top it off even the musk ended up not working on me. It just smelt like an out of control acrid smoky mess on me. If I want dark opium and resins, I think I’ll stick to Event Horizon, one of the few opium scents that smells fantastic on me. I admit, I had slight suspicions, and my suspicions were right-despite the promise of the notes, I guess I’m just not goth enough for this scent. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? sadly not-this is less Romanti.Goth and more Romanti.Fail on me.

Very Slightly Haunted Dollhouse In the imp: wine gums! Yes, this smells just like wine gums (which incidentally don’t contain wine!) Wet on skin: citrus? I do smell dry white wine but I smell lemon too, and berries? Dry on skin: hmm, this has a similar lemony note to the one in Left His Nurse. Not sure what that is? It’s not bad though, this scent overall is very pretty. Surprisingly fruity, actually. This to me smells like fizzy lemon sherbet with wine gums. In a nutshell, it smells like sweets. I think I smell the wine but it smells more like lemon spritzer to me. I also smell something vaguely spicy, and certainly some sugar, but the most important thing seems to be missing-where is the carnation? I smell hints of it, a vague pink sweet floral-ish spice, but it’s not making itself obvious. In fact, the lemon here smells like lemongrass/verbena? After a while: this turns really cloying. This doesn’t smell like carnation to me. It still smells like wine gum sweets, but with something sickly sweet. It reminds me of a kind of red fruit jelly scent, incredibly sweet, gelatinous, sticky, and as to what fruit it smells like, I can’t say-somewhere between strawberry, raspberry and red grape. There is a hint of rose petal or geranium too, which is nice, and that weird lemon note, which isn’t so nice. But it doesn’t smell like what I expected it to smell like. Where’s my carnation? This seems a world away from the glorious carnations of Pink Moon 07 or Ysabel bath oil. Verdict: I have no idea what happened, but had I smelt this without a note description, I wouldn’t have thought it was carnations and wine grape. It’s a lot fruitier and sweeter than expected. It smells very pretty at first and has a fruit flavoured sweet scent, like strawberry wine gums with rose petal jam and some kind of strong lemon randomly added. And then it develops a scent that I find more cloying than anything else I’ve found in BPAL, and it made me feel a little queasy-I’ve never had this reaction before. Usually fruit scents or even gourmand scents don’t give me this reaction but this scent was too much, an overload of candy coated roses and strawberries oversweetened with dessert wine and added syrup…and not a carnation to be found. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? no.

Staged Moon Landing In the imp: gorgeous sweet iris, like Florence meets Silver Phoenix! Wet on skin: oh yes, this is good. Now I can smell the sandalwood! Dry on skin: wonderful! It smells of orris/iris, vanilla and sandalwood. I’d say this is less like the cold, sparkling Silver Phoenix orris, and more like Florence’s iris with vanilla instead of amber and with a bit more woodsiness added, and a lot drier and paler. I don’t smell any muguet per se, but I do wonder if that’s what’s turning the orris note into a more floral iris scent rather than just powdery orris. There’s a hint of green yet resinous sharpness from galbanum too. But it’s mainly vanilla-sugared iris and rich sandalwood. After a while: the vanilla really comes out and develops the most gorgeous sugar crusted scent ever. This smells just like royal icing (the white crunchy kind used on wedding cakes) with crystallised violets dusted with powdered sugar infused with vanilla beans, and a beautiful sandalwood and iris base. The cistus might be what adds warmth to this scent, almost like amber? It reminds me a bit of Faith as well but it’s a lot more complex and more like iris than violet. This is what I wanted the violet, orris and vanilla combination in Signior Dildo to smell like. It’s such a comforting scent. I also agree with the Black Opal comparison but without the Egyptian musk or teak type note I get from that scent. Verdict: as a lover of all things space related, I have an odd fascination for the fake moon landing theory even though I think it’s a load of bunkum! (Maybe it’s a fascination purely because of that.) So I was very eager to try this one, and I am not disappointed at all-in fact, this is even better than expected considering it contains lily of the valley. It reminds me of Florence, one of my favourite BPAL scents, so that makes me happy. It’s a similar rich yet pleasantly powdery iris with a sweet woodsy background, though this time it’s vanilla that turns wonderfully sugary in the best way possible at drydown-nothing creamy or buttery to this vanilla sugar. As well as being cosy and sweet, this scent does have a dry, dusty feel to it, which is fitting for the moon (or a fake moon anyway!) but unlike Silver Phoenix, which this also resembles to a degree, this is warm and grounded, not cool and dewy and ethereal. A lunar scent that’s a lot more down to earth than usual. I think I may need an extra bottle of this! Emoticon rating: :love!: Is it a keeper? yes! I think I need a backup too. If you like this, try: Silver Phoenix, Florence, Black Opal, Signior Dildo, Faith, Le Serpent Qui Danse, Violet Ray, Cytherea

Egg Moon In the imp: cassia and cinnamon! Not much resin, this is spicy! Wet on skin: spicy and dry and hot cinnamon. Dry on skin: not eggy at all, this is gorgeous! Yes, it’s all cinnamon and cassia, but they are so good, and I do love a proper cinnamon type scent. It’s all about the spices in here. The cassia is very much like cinnamon sticks but I’d say it was a bit drier and woodier, whilst the cinnamon note smells a bit more gourmand and familiar. This smells very cosy and warm, reminiscent of chai and spicy cakes and pastries, without any blatant foody notes, but still smooth and almost creamy-I think the sugar cane note may be doing this. I also smell some hints of golden resin underneath, subtle but delightful. A hint of frankincense wafts past, adding a dignified, sacred air to this scent. After a while: as the spices calm down, the wonderful resins start to make themselves known. This then starts to smell like my favourite incense: kyphi! The frankincense is surprisingly tart and fruity for some reason, almost like it’s been soaked in red wine. The description doesn’t mention myrrh but I swear I smell it. I’m not sure what dammar or bdellium smell like but they are resins so I’m sure they may be creating the myrrh and wine type scents here. The cinnamon is still there but it seems more balanced with the resins now. The juicy sugary sweet cane lightens the scent too. Verdict: this is the egg of a phoenix. Nestled within smouldering holy resins and spices, ready to hatch and rise from the fire. The lighter, spicier twin of Priala, this is a magnificent cinnamon scent. Though this reminds me of Underbed, this is a lot more mature to me, because there’s resin here instead of cake and cocoa. The first stage is cinnamon and cassia to the max, but eventually the resins come out and the scent becomes a really balanced cinnamon-frankincense resin blend and I love it. It’s also my birth month moon, which makes it even more meaningful to me, and I haven’t found an April moon scent I could wear since Pink Moon 07, but this scent is fantastic. Emoticon rating: :love!: Is it a keeper? yes-this is one for multiple bottles. If you like this, try: Priala, Eclipse, Chimera, Bengal, Plunder, Sunbird, MB Underbed

Clytie In the imp: neroli. Gorgeous and slightly bittersweet neroli, and lots of it. Wet on skin: fresh dewy orange blossoms, a hint of lily and frankincense. Dry on skin: this is gorgeous. This is neroli, gentle dewy flowers, and a warm base of frankincense. The neroli leads the way, it’s wonderful here, a proper orange blossom scent, a hint of bitterness, a hint of tea, it also smells a bit like the smell of crushed orange tree leaves. The muguet is actually really nice here-at least for now. It seems to be the kind of lily of the valley I can tolerate, like the one in Penitent Magdalene or Lilium Inter Spinas. I smell a tiny, tiny bit of heliotrope and osmanthus (which is like the osmanthus in Belle Vinu). The frankincense adds a little bit of spice and a nice resinous base for the flowers. After a while: the neroli does lose its intensity, giving way to the other floral notes. After a moment when I fear it’ll turn soapy, it improves, and it’s time for osmanthus to shine. This combination of osmanthus and frankincense reminds me of another favourite of mine, Night’s Pavilion. The heliotrope sweetens it a little. Even the muguet is playing it cool. I don’t adore it as much as Helios but this is a lot nicer than I expected. Verdict: this is the perfect complementing scent to Helios. Whereas in Helios, it’s frankincense dominated with a hint of neroli, in here it’s the reverse-orange blossom dominates, with a hint of frankincense. The scents are yin and yang. This scent has a few doom blooms in it but miraculously, it works on me! No soap or sharp piercing flowers of fail, but a pretty scent of fragile white petals with a little bit of golden spicy frankincense to ground the flowery notes. It’s very pretty, delicate and feminine and youthful, it’s like spring flowers covered in morning dew lit by the warm rays of Helios. Of course I’m more partial to the sun god’s scent but I’m surprised as to how good his companion is. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? yes! I may get a bottle set. If you like this, try: Night’s Pavilion, Christine, Lilium Inter Spinas, Belle Vinu

Panther Moon In the imp: nag champa incense, with a swirling, mysterious black musk undertone. Wet on skin: this is a dark skin stainer, but once on the skin, the musk unfurls. Dry on skin: ohh, this is so good. The champaca in here is really nice-normally I dislike champaca but in here it smells like proper nag champa incense. Not a really thin, bland, tinny scent that I sometimes get from NC scents, but a rich, complex incense with spicy, woodsy, floral nuances, the way such incense scents should smell. The musk is the strongest note, and it’s not the sweet, almost vanilla scented and powdery black musk, but a more unisex type that smells so sexy! The ambergris here is definitely the salty type rather than the ambery type. The ginger adds a touch more spice, whilst myrrh darkens the musk in a way that reminds me of Minotaur. There is a tiny bit of anise but it is subtle and everything just works really well together. After a while: this is actually quite subtle, but then again that’s fitting, as it evokes the image of a panther lurking in the shadows, silent and waiting to pounce. The musk then gives way to the champa which smells so good here, smoky and incense-y rather than like the cloying floral it usually turns into on me. Ginger and myrrh just add to the spice and incense I get here, whilst ambergris adds a sophisticated shimmering scent. It stays understated on my skin but gives off little spicy musky wafts every now and then, and at drydown it sweetens into a gorgeous black amber scent! Verdict: mmrrrowww, this is awesome. Sensual and smoky and sleek, this is black and lithe like a shadowy cat stalking the jungle. Secretive, slightly threatening, dark and sultry, it evokes the panther perfectly (or should that be purrfectly?) with its smooth black musk and what could possibly be the best nag champa or champaca note ever-not just in BPAL but it the whole smelliverse. It’s understated yet incredibly sexy and exotic. I adore it and cannot wait to see how it ages! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? yes! If you like this, try: Velvet Panther, Gaueko, Temple Viper, Urd, Schwarzer Mond, Minotaur

Brotoloigos In the imp: powdery pink sandalwood? Wet on skin: I like what the geranium and myrrh are doing in here but something smells pink? Dry on skin: this is unusual. I get the same powdery old-fashioned pink sandalwood scent from Croquet, even though these share no notes. I also smell something like the powdery exotic spice market sandalwood from Baghdad. The scent also has something to it that makes me think of Turkish delight?! This scent is weird. But it is very pretty, and I do love what the geranium and myrrh are doing. The geranium seems to be a bit like the Stress Relief kind, and the myrrh is rich and sweet. No tobacco, and I’m not sure what wenge is unless that’s what smells like pink sugared wood? After a while: the drydown this has is gorgeous. It is pink and powdery, but it’s a nice powder, and underneath that powder I smell some absolutely stunning geranium and myrrh, and these become the dominant notes over time. It’s not often I find something dominated by geranium, but this one has a very obvious geranium note, warm and rich with rosy-herbal nuances, it’s this that gives the scent a rich magenta-pink tone. And the myrrh here is the sweet, dark, amber-tinged variety. I don’t smell any tobacco save for a hint of smoke. Verdict: an unexpected love from the Ares collection, this isn’t as murderous as the name implies. It’s not even that masculine to me. this is pretty, pink, sweet…but not in the way you expect. This is pink and sweet and powdery done in a way that’s really unusual, it’s a rich yet slightly dusky magenta with hints of sandalwood/rosewood incense, aged wood, dusty antique chests full of resins and a casket of freshly picked Bourbon geranium leaves. It smells familiar, almost a vintage perfume, yet unusual and surprising, and it becomes even more wonderful at drydown when geranium and myrrh take centre stage. I wasn’t expecting to like this much but this is one of my favourite Ares scents. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? I have half a bottle. If you like this, try: Croquet, Baghdad, Harimise, Stress Relief bath oil

The Harp of Cnoc I’Chosgair In the imp: this has a weird note that’s halfway between a green floral and some odd biscuit scent. Wet on skin: a weird, tinny burnt stem note, with sweetness? Whaaaaa? Dry on skin: ok, I smell the tiare, but this is more like ‘Evil Gardenia’ (though with the evilness toned down a great deal) than the rich monoi note from Tiki Queen. It’s a greenish, sharp, and surprisingly watered down floral, like the floral note from Pele. And that’s all I smell, along with a tiny bit of sweetness and a tiny bit of marigold. And it’s all very faint. What the? Where’s all the loveliness that everyone’s raving about? Where’s the richness of vanilla, amber and cardamom? Where’s the comparison with The Girl, Morocco, Lyonesse or L’Estate? This doesn’t smell anything like those. All I smell is that watered down gardenia and a bit of marigold. I am so disappointed. After a while: thankfully the drydown is much nicer, but it’s still faint and other than a tiny bit of sweetness contributed by the vanilla, I can’t smell anything else here apart from the flowers. A very pretty gardenia, it reminds me of a fainter, less incense-y Ecstasy of St Theresa now, but without the depth of the frankincense and oude. I have to say, and it does remind me of monoi, but it’s not as heady and intoxicating as the Tiki Queen monoi. I’d say it was more like the fainter, drier tiare in Marae. But I’m just disappointed at the way that I get no amber, cardamom or sandalwood from this scent at all. Verdict: this one is a scent that seems to have a lot of batch variation. The review notes above are for a decant I got, and the bottle I got from the Lab smells very similar. But I also got a bottle from a forum seller, which smells so much better. It smells like the golden amber, vanilla, cardamom and sandalwood gorgeousness that I expected, with a little bit of gardenia. Similar to the wonderful amber of Okayaki with the warm sandalwood of Morocco, with tiare. It’s not perfect, the gardenia in my ambery bottle still smells a tiny bit strange at times, oddly bitter or harsh, and not as fabulous as the monoi note in Tiki Queen, and I’m not familiar with tagettes, but the sheer awesomeness of the other notes makes up for the lacklustre gardenia in here. I have a feeling this’ll get better with age. Emoticon rating: either or depending on batch Is it a keeper? I will keep the bottle I have that smells of amber goodness, hopefully the floral note will tone down with age, and then we’ll see. If you like this, try: Marae, Pele, Euphrosyne, Ecstasy of St Theresa, Morocco, Okayaki

Ides of March 2010 In the imp: this smells very different to past Ides. It smells like LEMON! Wet on skin: lemonade with lemongrass and spiked with verbena. Dry on skin: with verbena, lemon and bergamot, it’s no surprise that this is a citrus overload. This smells like lemon sherbet mixed with lemonade and limoncello with lemongrass and verbena. Underneath it I smell some hints of herbs and flowers and some cardamom too (in fact, the mix of lemon and cardamom reminds me of a honey-less Crib Girls), maybe some sweet amber and musk, but lemon is the strongest note. And I really like it. Normally I don’t like verbena but this smells more like lemon sherbets to me and I love that. After a while: bergamot and verbena remain but this isn’t as brightly lemony as before. Now I can smell the amber, narcissus (surprisingly good in here, not at all perfumey) and dark musk. Maybe a hint of smoky, mossy spikenard too, but overall this is a bright, green, zingy and springy scent. This isn’t at all dark like Mort de Cesar. Verdict: my favourite of the Ides. It lacks the weird savoury salad smell I got from previous versions, and smells like a bright lemon with a hint of floral amber. This is verbena I can tolerate, because it’s supported by proper citruses and doesn’t do the lemon soap thing, not to mention I expect this to smell lemony from the notes and so I’m happy that it does. It’s such a sunny, cheery, lively lemon. I really like this one even though I was expecting more of a darker undertone because of the spikenard and musk. This is more like sipping limoncello on a warm evening in Rome rather than the dark, moody Mort de Cesar-ish scent of foreboding I expected from the dark musk and (usually) incensy earthy spikenard. I have to see what happens to the usually problematic verbena, but I have a feeling I should have bought more of this scent! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? I will keep my decant but I may track down more because heavy lemon scents are hard to come by! If you like this, try: Phobos, Phantom, Crib Girls, Tin Phoenix, Gold Phoenix, previous Ides

Iron Phoenix In the imp: spicy metal! It smells of ginger and clove and rust (yes, rust!) Wet on skin: ginger, clove, pepper and shiny steel. It’s like metallic chai! Dry on skin: this is very, very different to the Iron Phoenix prototype, and a lot nicer. This smells predominantly of red spices. Ginger is strongest, but though red ginger can be problematic, in here it works fantastically. It is a dry, gritty ginger, hot and biting. I also smell a beautiful rounded clove note, and hints of pepper. The dragon’s blood is there, but it is subtle, and isn’t reacting badly. In fact, it smells more like dragon’s blood incense here. There’s a hint of myrrh too. The metal note smells more like rust-I also smell iron proper, but that too is subtle. This brings to mind a visual image of deserts or even the surface of Mars. It reminds me of Kinnabari, though not as mineral/clay-like. This is what I wanted Aries 07 to smell like. After a while: the drydown is still as spicy and red as before, but it’s a lot smoother and sweeter, and even nicer than before! The clove swaps places with ginger and becomes the most prominent spice note. Surprisingly, even though this has dragon’s blood and it is contributing to the overall red scent, it’s not amping or turning to mutant lilac or burnt red pencils on me like usual. The iron note is also really nice here-not a sharp, cold, shiny steel but more of a worn and oxidised metal, a mix of glinting grey and spicy rust. I also smell a lot of myrrh, the sweet, almost ambery version, and I think that’s what’s making this whole scent smell really lovely on my skin. Verdict: this is my favourite of the iron/Mars themed scents. It’s as spicy as Mars, Aries and Wrath, but without the really intense red dragon’s blood. It also reminds me of the Bloody Sword but not as metallic. This is a nice middle ground, but with a lot more emphasis on the spice. Ginger and clove are the main players here, but the pepper supports them nicely. I particularly like how gingery this is at first. Everything works so well here, even the problem notes work with the spices and the wonderful sweet myrrh to make this a red, rusty, warm, pleasantly dry spice blend which really excites my Aries side Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? definitely-I have a half bottle. If you like this, try: Aries 07, Mars, Wrath, Saw Scaled Viper, Bloody Sword, Phoenix Steamworks

Candles Moon In the imp: milky berries and icy eucalyptus/evergreen. Wet on skin: sour milk and fruit. Like Nonae Caprotina but with blackberry instead of fig. Dry on skin: think Ichabod Crane meets Lady Una. The milk is not sweet or creamy, but a very raw, sour smell that reminds me of the raw/live Greek yogurt I sometimes eat with fruit, especially combined with the sharp blackberry which has no sweetness in this scent (at least in Una the berry note was sweeter). Like with LU’s blackberry, I get a hint of the dreaded ‘bad kitty’ smell here too. It’s not as strong, thankfully. I smell a hint of pale wood or tree bark, and a fresh, cool linen-ozone scent which is the wind, as well as a hint of the snow note (the pine-citrus-eucalyptus kind as opposed to the sugary-mint-cucumber-musk variety). And the most important note is absent…where are the candles? I smell no wax; no heat…maybe a whisper of smoke? The notes here seem to clash. After a while: ok, the notes seem to meld together better. It’s still a little too sharp for my tastes but thankfully it’s a fruity rather than dairy sharpness. And the blackberry smells more like real freshly picked berries and no more cat pee! The milkiness is still there but has toned down to a much more agreeable scent of cool fresh milk. The snow note is what makes this smell cool, but something in here reminds me of clean linen? Like a fruity White Rabbit, and a lot less sweet. But still, the most important note is missing-the candles! Where are they? Though I have to say the more I smell, I do smell something that reminds me of the smell of a candle flame-yes, a flame. Not a blown-out candle, not wax as such, but the smell above a candle flame. So yes, Beth has captured the smell of candle heat as opposed to smoke, which is remarkable. But it’s still not strong enough! The drydown after a few hours is very nice though and resembles, of all things, Hungry Ghost Moon! I have no idea why as the scents share no common notes. Verdict: this reminds me of the sour milk and soap and beeswax mess that was Ichabod Crane (at least, my skin turned it into a mess), with Lady Una, but it’s actually a lot nicer once the notes co-operate. I really, really don’t like the first hour of wear. It’s everything I don’t like-sour milk, cat pee blackberry, cologney ozone-in a dissonant mixture, and not a flicker of candle wax or smoke. However this does becomes more bearable at drydown, when the troublesome notes calm down, their sharp, sour aspects fade away to reveal something smoother and more coherent. Almost like a seamless creamy-fresh-fruity musk and wood scent. it is very pretty, but because I really dislike the first hour or so of wear, and also because it isn’t as candle-y as I hoped it would be, I sold off my decant. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? not worth keeping, to me. If you like this, try: Lady Una, Nonae Caprotina, Ichabod Crane, Chaste Moon 10, Milk Moon 07