nineveh

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. Thin, dark, and shadowed. A scent that offers no sustenance, comfort or satiety: lemon peel, white sage, frankincense, lavender fougere, sandalwood, vetiver and labdanum. Disclaimer: I do not care for lavender, as it tends to smell sticky and overwhelming on me. But this could be the blend that makes me like lavender. It's definitely there, but it's not going overly sweet, and the darker notes are making this feel suitably evil. I'm not getting any lemon or sage. I think this is actually quite wearable. It's dark, hotly smoldering lavender, sort of like a combination of Old Scratch and Lenore. If you're looking for a gloomy lavender blend, then this is for you.

And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. Nobility and haughtiness befitting the Antichrist: sage, carnation and cedar with lavender, vanilla, white musk and leather. My first impression is Torture King without the sharp bourbon note. Is this the first white musk and leather blend? It's certainly an interesting combination. They're both acting as base notes, but with one hot and dark and the other thick and light. It makes this blend feel very dense to me. The vanilla is also apparent. This blend is a little bit spicy, sweet, and smoky. None of the other notes are prominent, which is a surprise with the lavender. Also, if this is the scent of the Antichrist, I want to get in his pants.

Ogun is the Master of Iron, Lord of the Knife, the Toolmaker, the Supreme Hunter, the God of War. He is primal instinct, energy and motion, strife and resolution, effort and perspiration, locomotion, force, contraction and expansion. He is the lord of all mines and mineral wealth, and his energy is expressed in the transformation of sandstone into marble and carbon into diamonds. His control over transformation transcends this into the metaphorical: Ogun helps to shape the spirit, and hone it into something finer, and He compels us to look deep inside ourselves, searching for our true potential. He is physical might, ruler of the heart, giver of courage and sustainer of war, and is the bond that men fashion with one another during battle. He is gunpowder. Ogun is responsible for teaching mankind to fashion tools and weapons from iron, and his primary implements are the anvil, hammer, machete, rake, hoe, shovel, pick and pry. His favored animal is the dog, who shares his loyalty and unflagging strength. Ogun’s ofrenda is heavy and dark cigar tobacco, gin and juniper, melon, chili pepper and a touch of honey. My first impression is that this scent is a lot fresher than I thought it would be. The melon is definitely apparent, along with a dark smokey aspect (assuming it's the tobacco) and the chili pepper, which is not overbearing at all. On my skin, this blend has a moderate sweetness, but also a bit of a sharp note, possibly from the juniper. It's very unusual, and I don't recall ever smelling a similar BPAL.

Spices of the Orient mingle with crystalline musk, midnight flowers and cereus, jasmine, primrose and vesper iris. Oh no, am I really the first reviewer? At first, the jasmine is overwhelming on me. I ordered this before I knew that jasmine almost always takes over on my skin. It smells rather soapy to me in Zoyra. Once it dries, however, the jasmine calms down. Then I can smell the iris, which is cool, deep, and elegant. The musk and the spices are subtle, but add weight. They blend very well with the floral elements. I don't know what the other florals smell like, but this is definitely a predominantly floral blend. It seems very regal and serious to me. It has the same sort of feel as Darkness or Morgause. Night-blooming flowers tend not to work with my chemistry, but if you can wear them and you want something utterly refined, confident, and aristocratically aloof, this could be for you.

White amber and mimosa with tendrils of Italian bergamot, myrrh, green tangerine and green patchouli, sheer coconut, quince, and vetiver. Wet, this is quite vetiver-heavy. I like vetiver when it's green and grassy, like in Atlas, but unfortunately Desmonema's vetiver is the smoky kind. Once it's try, it really transforms. The vetiver vanishes, revealing a soft, sweet amber (white amber is my favorite) and bergamot. It's nearly identical to Deep Steep's Grapefruit Bergamot body butter, if that comparison is useful. There are other elements in the background adding substance and grounding, but they're too well blended for me to pick them out. I like this a lot even though the wet stage is somewhat overwhelming. A sweet, green citrus scent that's not high-pitched or vegetal.

The Archer, Lord of the Bow and Arrow. To know Ochosi is to know the movement of the arrow into prey and the whistle of the arrow in flight. He is the transference of energy over a distance, and His is the speed of light, sound and thought, though he is not merely though, he is the stroke of instant understanding or realization. Ochosi is the Hunter-Wizard, skilled in the use of magickal potions and poisons, silent, dangerous and possessed of a cool, calm, sharp intelligence. He is the calculated extension of the mind, the Tracker, the Ranger, and he governs the changing of the seasons, stealth, guerilla warfare, and He alone acts as a buffer and shield between reason and insanity. He is the protector of children, the weak, the helpless, and the aged. His ofrenda is the soft shea he shares with Obatala, forest herbs, and sprucewood arrow shafts. On me, this is a warm, creamy scent on top of a green wood note. I can also pick out a faint grassy smell. Overall, it's a bit sweet, very subtle and natural-feeling. It reminds me somewhat of Nosferatu plus some wood.

LONGING Matthew Arnold Come to me in my dreams, and then By day I shall be well again. For then the night will more than pay The hopeless longing of the day. Come, as thou cam'st a thousand times, A messenger from radiant climes, And smile on thy new world, and be As kind to others as to me. Or, as thou never cam'st in sooth, Come now, and let me dream it truth. And part my hair, and kiss my brow, And say My love! why sufferest thou? Come to me in my dreams, and then By day I shall be well again. For then the night will more than pay The hopeless longing of the day. Rose geranium, frankincense, Ceylon cinnamon, golden musk, bay rum, and bois du rose. My initial impression is that this is a dark, spicy scent. It also strikes me as complex, with opposing qualities manifested together. It's a little bit green and sharp, but also soft and sweetly smoky--this aspect reminds me a lot of Priala. The cinnamon in this is wonderful, and nothing like red hots or cinnamon gum. I really like the fuzzy undertones of this scent, but the top prickly layer is somewhat offputting to me. I'm still not sure if rose geranium or bay rum work that well on me. I'd recommend this to fans of spicy dark green/brown scents like Priala, King of Clubs, Mad Meg, Death of Autumn, or Troll.

Bringing the light of good fortune to the dark of the year! Coconut-infused white chocolate swirled with a mélange of New Year's blessings: smashed pomegranates, a slice of vasilopita, black-eyed peas, rice wine, a bunch of leafy greens, twelve sweet grapes, buckwheat, almond cookies, and glazed doughnuts. That note combination was too unusual to pass up even though sticky dessert scents typically end up a disaster on me. 13 is sweet but not sugary, thankfully. The pastry notes are prominent but kept from going overboard by the tartness of the pomegranate and the vegetal aspects. The end result is mild and easy for even me to wear. I can pick out most of the notes but everything is balanced harmoniously. It's too light to use in colder weather (gotta wear my heavy resins while I can) but it'll be great for spring.

A Bachelor's Dog, C.M. Coolidge.Soft musk, leather, and Brazilian cigar tobacco. This is so soft and pretty! Whatever kind of musk this is, it's lighter than what I usually like, but sweet and mellow. The leather is very soft too, and quite wearable. It's more of an accent note while the musk takes the main stage. I can't smell any tobacco right now, which is too bad because it's one of my favorite notes, but maybe it'll come out with some aging. I wouldn't mind if it never does, though; I love this just how it is. It's been so long that I'm probably completely wrong, but this smells quite similar to how I remember Buck Moon. At any rate, this is definitely one of those scents that sounds a lot darker in its description than it actually is.

Inspired by the moment in time frozen in this photo - my fairy child, laughing and playing amongst gargantuan flowers. An ethereal, iridescent, twilit scent, sparkling with mystery and innocent joy: white patchouli with provence rose, delicate freesia, pink tuberose, jasmine sambac, orange blossom, butterfly musk, vanilla orchid, and delicate spices. This shouldn't work on me at all. My typical experience is that rose takes over anything and turns into olive oil, jasmine turns into headachey perfumey soap, and orange blossom goes chalky and sour. I didn't consider buying this one at all until I read the reviews, but now I'm glad to have a bottle. It's sweet and playful and girly, three adjectives which I definitely am not, but sometimes I get in the mood to wear perfumes that are antithetical. It's very well blended. I can't tell what I'm smelling, though I'm getting hints of the musk and soft spices of Morocco. The flowers give an overall impression of sugared strawberries. And yes, it does smell more like a mainstream fragrance than the typical BPAL. The closest I've experienced was Flowerbomb, but whereas that was way too sweet for me, BFaJA is wearable and lovely.

A straightforward but very satisfying rich, dark amber. It's a little powdery but not enough to scare me off. It's pretty similar to Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan minus the spices, and a hint of Hem's oodh incense (a deep but soft wood, one of my favorites). I like this one a lot. It's pleasantly sweet and easy to wear.

I'm having a very odd experience with this one. I love plum, vetiver, and tobacco. White sandalwood and pine are okay but not something I gravitate towards. I still don't know what bourbon geranium or ambrette seed smell like. Wet: carrots? Then piney carrots. Then pine and vetiver, but faint. Then the plum comes out, but it's also charred and rubbery. On top is a watery vegetal scent (is that the geranium?) that's washing out everything else. What the hell is going on? As it dries, La Notte seems to be mostly a thin, shadowy scent. The plum here is definitely not the hard candy of Bordello's plum. The rich sweetness of the tobacco is finally detectable, but still in the background. I was hoping for something more "solid" I guess. When completely dry, it settles into a somehow distant tobacco tinged with plum and just the slightest bit of vetiver. I'm not sure if I'll ultimately keep my bottle but I think La Notte will be appreciated by fans of tobacco and somber nighttime air scents.

The 2006 version hasn't budged from my top ten since I tried it seven years ago. Its sparkling grapefruit and soft vanilla musk make it my favorite for warm weather. I wouldn't have minded another bottle of the same or similar formulation if that's how it turned out, but the 2013 version is completely different to my nose. Wet, this is orange cake. Then that fades, and the joss paper/hell money and ginger are most prominent. Something creamy but not very sweet behind that, maybe the rice wine mixing with the vanilla or musk. The base of woods and resins is shadowy but subdued. The 2006 version is a sweet, refreshing citrus, whereas the 2013 version is deeper, smokier, and spicier. It's like the notes that weren't discernible in the 2006 version are at the forefront of this one. This doesn't unseat my love of the original, but it'll be good when I'm in the mood for something darker but not heavy.

A sweet lemon/green scent, very natural and fresh. It smells similar to what I remember of the long-discontinued Mantis with the lemongrass of Skytyping with Chemtrails. I can't smell any coconut. Overall, it's a bit too green for my tastes, but would be a good choice for those of you who are after a dewy, grassy scent for warm weather.

This is so good! Dark, damp, sticky green/brown, sweetened with rich brown sugar. It almost has a spicy edge, but not quite. It's also incredibly strong, so my bottle will assuredly last forever. Great for layering, but full enough to wear alone. I just tried layering it with Madagascan Vanilla Rum, and they go really well together!

Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant, but I knew that I possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property. I was, besides, endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even of the same nature as man. I was more agile than they and could subsist upon coarser diet; I bore the extremes of heat and cold with less injury to my frame; my stature far exceeded theirs. When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned? A blot upon the earth: black plum, Spanish moss, opoponax, davana, vetiver, and opium poppy. Lots of opium at the forefront, then something herbal, and just a hint of plum in the background. If you thought all the notes sounded great but were scared off by the vetiver, this might be worth trying anyway because I'm not getting any vetiver from this at all. Kind of disappointed there, since I love vetiver. It feels dark, but not thick or heavy. Shadowy, I guess. I almost really like it but the opium is going sharp and chemicalish on me like it always does. I was hoping that it wouldn't be so prominent. I'll hang onto my bottle for now and see what it's like in a few months.

Buttery coconut and champaca zapped with lime and mint. Damp, sweet, and refreshing. When it's dried down, it loses some of the green bite and becomes creamier. As others have mentioned, this seems like a warm-weather scent, but I've been enjoying it a lot during this recent rainy period.

Primarily tobacco with herbal spikes, softened and sweetened by musk and vanilla. It's a mix of contrasting textures, but overall feels relaxing. On me, this has the airy greenness of Halloween: Los Angeles combined with the dusty sweetness of The Night Hag Visiting the Lapland Witches. I guess this would be too close to a traditional masculine fragrance for most, but I really like it and am glad I risked a bottle.

I've been wearing this every day since my bottle came in the mail. It's that good. It starts off fairly balanced, except for the coffee bean, which never shows up. To me, osage-orange smells like a combination of true orange and citrus rind, juicy but not sweet. The overall effect is alcoholic/perfumy but not in a bad way. I'm glad it has this aspect to keep it from becoming too sweet or too gourmand. It reminds me a bit of Serge Lutens Fumerie Turque when wet and Chergui when dry. Thankfully I never get any meat or bbq, just a shadowy green/brown scent that's dark without being heavy or overwhelming. Great stuff.

Dracul (Black musk, tobacco, fir, balsam of peru, cumin, bitter clove, crushed mint, and orange blossom) reminds me a bit of Old Spice, and was one of my favorites when I first got into BPAL.

I was going to pass on this, since I don't like chamomile and am not really into evergreen scents. Then I saw people mentioning the need for backup bottles, so I made this a last-minute addition to my order. Very glad I didn't miss out on this, because I think this is my favorite of 2011! Well, maybe tied with Atlas. It starts with prominent nutmeg and woodsmoke, and dark forest notes in the background. This smells pretty close to what I wanted from Halloween: Los Angeles (on me, all light green notes and no staying power). The nutmeg/sandalwood combo also reminds me of Obsession for Men (though I don't find either perfume to be particularly masculine), but with a deeper, more mysterious feel. Even the dusty chamomile has a necessary role in this, and for once I don't have a problem with it. The smoke and sharpness of the evergreens become more subtle on the drydown, making this ultimately a comforting fragrance, even though it still evokes the colors and setting of the painting. A perfect scent for rainy weather or cold nights!

I've never liked apple perfumes (sickly sweet craft store nightmares on my skin), but for some reason, the description tempted me. When the reviews started going up, I caved. It's at its best when it's first applied and the apple note smells freshest. It loses the sparkling bite once it's dry, but overall is still lovely. I've had this on for a few hours today, and it's still noticeable. For the first hour, the apple balances with the cool vanilla and soft musk, then fades to reveal the creaminess of the florals. Fruity florals aren't my usual thing, but I really like this, oddly enough. I'm sure it'll get lots of wear in the spring.

While wet, this is very disappointing: a thin scent of plastic and pencil shavings. Once it's completely dry, however, it blooms, becoming a sleek, dark, woody scent softened by cocoa and sweetened slightly by vanilla. It strikes me as quite sophisticated, more a high-end fragrance for someone who works on Wall Street than a protester cliche. On my skin, it doesn't smell at all similar to Banshee Beat (I get a lot of vanilla from that), not even the same kind of patchouli. I was kind of worried about that, but I'm glad to find out that having a bottle of each isn't redundant.

Appropriately enough, this is similar to Three Gorgons (Egyptian amber, mandarin, tangerine, black pepper, tobacco, and vetiver) but I like this much better! Egyptian amber has always been a problem for me, a shriekingly sharp powdery note that not even four years of aging could make comfortably wearable. I eventually gave up on my bottle of Three Gorgons, even though I enjoyed all its other aspects. So instead of Egyptian amber's horror, Pallas Athene opens with the amber sweetness that I recall from Lyonesse. The cumin in the note list scared me, but I don't get any here, just a very gentle and pleasant spice that complements the mandarin. I wouldn't have guessed that cedar was present either. Now that it's been dry for a bit, it actually reminds me a lot of Pinched With Four Aces, since both have that soft but prominent cinnamon bark note. Both are cinnamon bark + warm, sweet backing notes to me. Well, I guess amber is tied with cinnamon here for taking center stage. Overall a really great amber/cinnamon blend. Glad I caved for a bottle!

I never would've thought that "vetiver marshmallow" would work as a fragrance, but here we are. The khus is more grassy green than smoky on me, and works nicely as a counterpoint to the mallow, which otherwise would be too sweet. The wood notes work as a foundation and stay in the background. I have to really hunt for the coffee to pick it out, but I can tell that it's adding a facet to the wood. All the elements blend together more as the oil dries, and my drydown impression is a warm, soft, natural sweetness. It has strong throw and great lasting time (I could smell it clearly after more than 12 hours). It'd be overwhelming in this heat, but I definitely look forward to adding it to my winter rotation.