obsidienne

I think I expected to love this, without being able to back up why -- I don't generally like light fruity blends, and I like pomegranate in only a couple of the darkest BPAL blends. Mlle. Lilith is definitely a younger, sweeter more innocent version of Mme. Moriarty. It's not that they smell the same... they just have a shared feeling. But where Mme. is all spicy dark purple and red fruits, this is light and playful sweet pink fruit to me. The coconut, however, is going a bit plasticky in combination with the pomegranate! That is so sad. Also, the sugar, pink musk, pomegranate and coconut make me think of Shango minus the bananas -- it's the first thing that came to mind when I smelled this. The orange blossom adds a further golden sweetness, but I have no idea what cypress and honey myrtle smell like, so I can't comment on their effect. My favourite part of this blend is the incense that gently wafts underneath it all, but, being an incense addict... I want even more of it. After it has been on my skin for a while, the coconut plastic note of doom fades and it smoothes out and smells infinitely nicer. The incense grows a bit more spicy and rounded -- yay! And the orange blossom is amping. I fricking love orange blossom! I'm getting wafts of it and some sort of floral which I assume is honey myrtle. Okay, this is a nice development. *snuggles into wrist* Honestly, the more I wear this, the more I think of a girly incensy Shango. And it seems like one of those blends that grows on you the more you wear it.

I get the weirdest effect from Ouija - a misty waft of sweetly floral spearmint, extremely icy, chilly and cold -- like the touch of a ghost -- over top the merest hint of dry rose and spicy woods. I think that maybe the lilac & osmanthus is creating this odd floral-spearminty effect? It makes no sense! It's actually very pretty (in a weird way), but also gone in about a half hour. Left on my skin is a faint hint of wood and that's about it!

I love Scherezade! My imp has aged for many months, and I'm liking it even more than the first few times around (must remember to get a bottle to age). Warm red musk + warm glowing saffron + hints of warm spices = a cozy red incense scent, but not in an overwhelming way. It almost makes me think of red vanilla, if that makes sense? I think Scherezade is perfect for cold fall and winter days. However, I do wish this was stronger -- it's very light to my nose, and I prefer my perfumes to be noticeable (at least to me!). That said, slathering and layering with a scent locket takes care of that.

So simple, yet so good: Bengal is mega-sexy spices with golden honey and warm skin musk. It's a blend that cozies up to your skin and sends tendrils of lusciously sweet and peppery cinnamon, ginger and clove to your nose. Gorgeous. My only complaint is that my nose doesn't love skin musk! But I still love this blend and it's definitely bottle-worthy for that sexy spice factor.

In the imp, this is light pine with something sweet. On the skin, lightly sweet berries, pine and some very pretty light woods. Dry down: less pine and woods, light berries, and... really? Is that coconut? I could almost swear that's coconut. A pretty but unusual scent. It'd be nice around the holidays or during cool weather, but it's not really me.

A classic Victorian men’s cologne: a lavender fougere, with hints of lilac, lime, and citrus musk. This reminds me of Gillette men's shaving cream. Really. Very musky and strong smelling! I can't break it down further, because that's all I can think of.

I wanted to love Wanton and Rakshasa, but got very soapy rose incense with both, amongst other distasteful effects. I can wear them, but it's not the lush "sinking into a scent" feeling I like to get with my perfumes. Fortunately, I found Tabula Smaragdina! It's a great rose incense. It starts with a sweet, spicy red rose, patchouli, and other resins (my nose isn't as discerning as I wish it could be!) -- well blended, nothing too sharp or soapy or weird. It's smooth and deep and luscious. Sandalwood (I think?) comes out as it dries down, which freshens up the deeper notes with some fresher woodsy notes. This would be great worn on the skin and then also in a scent locket to highlight those spicy rose notes that I adore so much.

This blend does not work how I expected. It starts off very lemony, with astringent lavender and bright orange blossom overtop a lush jasmine layer. There's a very herbal element, as yet undefined. The citrus breezes away after a bit, and orange blossom and jasmine take the centre stage. A sharp, dry herbal note is developing... When the softer florals mellow, this becomes quite herbal. In fact, it smells like a very dry jasmine, a bit of orange blossom and a hint of mint... and oregano!? I think this could smell really nice on my boyfriend, but it's not quite my style. It comes off as somewhat masculine. Too many herbs, not enough floral.

Wet, a blast of cake, similar to the cake in other cake-blends. Cakey yum yums. Drydown: Where'd mah cake go? Waaah! Further drydown: Well hello incense and wood! This must be Doc Constantine. Snake Oil. Dorian. Dorian always smells a bit, um, sickly to me, but here it's okay, a tolerable level. Actually, this is a nice blend of the three. Although I have never smelled Doc Constantine, I can definitely tell that it's there because something in this smells like pencil shavings, and that means cedar! The vanilla-spice of Snake Oil, the sweetness of Dorian, and the more masculine D.C. notes somehow total to something a little on the unisex side. The cake note is still there, but it's very subtle and definitely not the star of the blend. The cream cheese frosting never really registered, unless it's the source of the extra vanilla sweetness I am smelling and not Dorian, like I originally thought. Keep on truckin': The more I huff this, the more I am liking it! It's like Snake Oil cake with additional vanilla musk and hints of leather and wood and darker things (this again must be coming from Doc Constantine?). It's not very strong, though, and the lasting power is only so-so. The different stages make this very interesting. I'm glad I got this. The incense-cake effect is nice. & I know Cake Smash will age divinely. It's more than tempting to grab a backup....

Wanton turned out to be a cousin to Rakshasa in my nose: up close, this is all soapy rose incense (it seems a bit smoother than Rakshasa, from what I remember?). That said, the throw is quite a bit nicer; spicy deep red rose and patchouli. Hint of soapy tang (palmarosa), but not as bad as direct skin sniffing. I'm a bit disappointed, but it's not like I don't already have a handful of rose-incense blends.

There are quite a few notes in here, but somehow this turns into a simple orange-blossom/white rose experience with a hint of salty aquatic (ambergris). It's actually very lovely, soft and floral. I am not sure where everything else went, maybe my nose is tired out today. That said, I have no problems with what I am smelling! Very enjoyable.

Oh my god. A light pumpkin with a luscious and creamy vanilla-orange vibe. This is the epitome of creamy and warm and edible. It's also very well blended -- I can reasonably distinguish each note when I think about what my nose is smelling, but really it just melds overall into something utterly beautiful, golden & orange. The ginger note is light, adding a subtle rounded spice. The lemon note wafts uber-lightly over top, adding a bit of sparkly freshness to a blend that could end up too heavy and sweet. I think that for my first introduction to the pumpkin patch, this couldn't have been more perfect. The throw is medium-light, and the wear-length about the same. I think this could benefit from a scent-locket or slathering, although I'll be horrified if I ever run out of this!

Bite Me! Awwww yeah. When people started reviewing Bite Me and noted that it somehow smelled like rose, I perked up and got very very excited about this blend. Rose is the queen of all scents for me, and I love her. So it turns out that this blend is better than I could have imagined. You'd think it would be a foodie's foodie. But I don't think it is. It's... different. This is a foodie elevated to an elegant, unusual perfume. On my skin it becomes rose/almond silk/sweet warm vanilla & caramel, and I do mean that silk note. There is something about it that definitely makes me think that the silk descriptor is not just for giggles. I almost get a light resinous undertone to it, which may be what creates the silk effect. I heart me some resins. I think the rose and silk are what makes this blend seem more like perfume and less like food. The caramel is very light, which is good, as it has ruined a lot of blends for me in the past (to my continual sadness). The vanilla blends into all of it and keeps it smooth. The almond is easily confused with the rose. Maybe there isn't even any rose in here, but that's how my nose is interpreting it (emphatically), and that's what's keeping me rockin' out with Bite Me. Whatever the case. LOVE. The staying power and throw are quite excellent. Must stock up now!

I ordered a decant of this on a whim - I didn't realize I'd adore it so much! Boo is a simple scent, but it's totally awesome all the same. It ends up being a lightly creamy sugared vanilla with cotton (you can smell the cotton). The cream doesn't turn sour or weird in any way, it's just sugary creamy cream that I want to lick off my skin. Yummm! Boo stays a bit too close to the skin, but when my wrist and nose meet, it smells so good... a scent locket would be good, or regular and generous reapplications to get some throw out of it. Yum! Like others have mentioned, it's sort of like marshmallows, but even nicer in that there's nothing dry or powdery about it. It needs a bit of slathering, but it does last on the skin for quite a while -- the throw is light, the length of wear is going on long. Big bottle(s) ahoy! It's just so yummy and cuddly and comforting. I think this has great layering potential with a huge variety of other scents. Yum.

Berry-fest!!! This is a mish-mash of sweet, tart and red berries. The nuts & apple blossoms burned off very quickly, and were hard pressed to be found after a few minutes, leaving just the berries. I think berry lovers will adore this, but I am so not into this. Edit: It kept getting sharper and more tart on my skin as time wore on, and I actually had to wash it off.

After all of the "eeeeeeeee The Girl is so great" reviews, I was so excited for this one! And y'know, it is beautiful. Very. But... it's also true to the description: elusive. I have to hunt to find this scent -- even while wet! I know that I don't have the strongest nose in the world, and tend to prefer the darker, intense blends to counteract that, but. Booerns. I want this to work for me! *stomps foot* Anyway, when I can catch it, I get a gorgeous white amber/floral/musk. It's totally crystalline, and yes, totally elusive (see above). I freaking love jasmine (I went from hate to love, as my older reviews evidence), and this is a lovely jasmine, with the ylang ylang offering a sweet bright tang to offset it. I'm torn about getting a bottle. If I get a bottle, I get to wear it, but to wear it, I need to smell it, and to smell it, well... that bottle would be over before I knew it. Errrr... I need to end this review before it gets more ridiculous. Edit: The jasmine, amber and ylang ylang amp in this a bit as it wears, and I love that. I am sitting next to my blooming jasmine plant right now and they complement each other very well! 1/2 hr later edit: It has gotten a bit chemically and sharp on me, and the florals took a siesta. The scent is now barely there. I'm movin' on.

Dark cherries, some booze, then it's gone. Within minutes. Huh.

I am surprised that this one isn't getting more love from the forums -- Cristina turned out to be another surprise winner, and I'd been so sure that I'd find The Girl more interesting based on all of the reviews. Cristina starts off very strongly, with warm nutty chestnuts, violets, and musk. It's warm and yet also sparkling and airy, and the various florals and juniper give it an interesting outdoors element -- so much so that I can imagine a young lady walking through the woods in fall at dusk, her perfume wafting behind her and mingling with the scents of the outdoors. I am by no means a violet lover. Violet rarely works in my nose and smells candy-fake-sweet to me, almost ridiculously so, like something a 10 year old would want to wear. But here, I am liking it. A lot. The labdanum probably helps that out quite a bit. Also, perhaps those night-blooming summer flowers, although I am hard pressed to pick out anything in particular. It dries down into a very light, creamy, vaguely resinous violet (but not VIOLET), with the chestnuts and juniper adding little flashes of interest. The far drydown loses a lot of complexity and is reminiscent of the drydown of a lot of other scents that tend to fade to a somewhat generic sweet floral musk that sticks close to the skin, although Cristina does retain a ghost of her original character. This blend proves that I can enjoy violet blends. Edit: I have to add in that over a half day later, my initial love of this is fading a bit. Not because it's not gorgeous, but because the drydown is consistently a boring, generic sweet violet-musk. It's fantastic while wet, but the drydown keeps bumming me out, and is leaving me with the thought that there are other blends that I'd rather have bottles of. I try not to buy blends that I can use only in a scent locket for their full effect, as that takes some of the pleasure out of actually wearing the perfume for me. So... maybe one day I will have to find a 1/2 bottle of this, but it's not quite enough for me to want a full 5mL.

Clarimonde is kind of an on-the-fence blend for me. I love white rose, but the skin musk and "Oriental perfume" do give it a slight soapy effect. It's not strongly soap, but it's not like "omg the greatest white rose blend evar" either. Skin musk always smells like soapy-musk to me, though. It didn't last very long on my skin (although that's not unusual). I don't entirely mind this blend, but there have been (and are sure to be) more beautiful white rose blends in the BPAL lineup. I'm still on the fence about a bottle... Edit: I just have to say that the "vapours" element is very spot on from the description! The Oriental perfume is very much like a vapour, coming out of the skin musk and white roses. Cool.

WOW! This blend is a huge surprise hit for me. I added it onto my decant circle order last second, and it turns out that this is the only bottle I am 100% sure to order. Warm red apples, gently milky, with a sugary spicy blast. Spice-o-rama! It reminds me both of a spicy apple crumble/pie and mulled cider at the same time. I am not really getting the ale, although it may be adding some warmth and depth to the overall feeling. The strength of this oil and its throw are incredible. This is one of the strongest oils I've smelled in a long time, and I suspect that with those spices, it will age just beautifully. I'm also confident that this will be popular on the forums for years to come. This will be a lovely blend to turn to on cold fall and winter days.

Anne Bonny is all spicy resins & woods on me - sandalwood dominates, the frankincense gives it a softer, sweeter overtone, and the patchouli gives it spice. That said, it makes my nose stuff up unbearably. It's actually almost masculine-smelling, to me, although I feel that a woman can wear this. But thanks to the nose-clogging effect, it must go.

Death Cap makes me think coconut, maybe some vanilla, and dirt -- especially when wet. It has a slightly plasticky element to it, but overall it's a nice fall scent. It dries to something lightly resinous and dry-smelling, with the vanilla-coconut still hanging on; I suspect that's where the plastic note comes from. The dirt note seems to be replaced by the resins (I keep thinking sandalwood or myrrh, but don't quote me on that, as my sinuses are having a reaction to something else I put on earlier today). A little bit of sweet, a little bit of warm, and a little bit of dry dirt. A light scent, not a lot of throw.

I should have known better than to order this, but with a name like "Black Butterfly Moon", I was bound to succumb to bad judgment (virtually anything with ambergris in it is so not for me). I'm hoping it's mostly bottle shock (received it today), but this comes off as a salty, soapy floral. A complex salty, soapy floral, but... yeah. It does get less "salty" and ambergris-y as it dries down, but it's not growing amazing or anything. I wish I could be more descriptive about the actual notes, but something about this blend just screams "ambergris beat up some sweet flowers then poured soap in their eyes" plus some green notes (moss)... nothing really stands out overall. The drydown is a lot nicer than the early stages, with the orchid and lily peeking out and saying hi. It fades very quickly on me, and the throw is light. Maybe with age some other note will take centre stage. I'm going to go forward with that hope and put this one at the back of the drawer for a couple of months.

Clemence was a total surprise hit for me. I expected it to be a lighter blend (the tea gave me this idea) with lots of spice, but instead it's this lush, thick and dark carnation/spice/resin blend. YUM. I will be getting 2 bottles of this lady. BTW, in my nose, Clemence is a cousin of Ysabel (minus the rose). Hear that, fellow Ysabel fans?!!

My first reaction: "What the effin' eff?" My second reaction: "Huh? Really?!" Never have I had the dreaded powder note of powder do0m before. Until Hony Mone. Normally, honey and I are like *this*. Not so here. I fully expected a warm, luscious & golden blend -- I mean, look at that note list! Instead, for me, this is pure powder, with slight undercurrents of powdery jasmine and powdery fig and perhaps, just perhaps, the other notes... all drowning in baby powder. How can this be?! I tried to like it. But it just does not smell right to me. My nose rejects Hony Mone. Off to swaps. Someone will have a better experience with it. Sob.