darkling

I tried this scent for the first time this morning. It was a lot stronger than I expected. The apricot scent was somewhat overpowering, with a hint of artificiality that didn't appeal to me. Fortunately, it quieted down in the first half hour. The apricot mingled with the spicy clove and it genuinely smelled like a tart. It reminded me of pastries from one of my favorite restaurants in England. Unfortunately, the scent did not last long after it dried. I had trouble catching a whiff of it after an hour or so.

I really liked the scent of this in the vial and was terribly disappointed to only get the clove note when I put it on. There was no trace of the cinnamon or white pepper on me at all

This is a very gentle scent on me. The heather and blackberry mix evenly with neither one drowning out the other. It would be a perfect blend for sunny days in the spring or summer. The only negative is that it doesn't last long on me. A couple of hours and I am in need of a touch-up.

Cathedral has quickly become one of my absolute favorite scents. The only drawback is that it smells like damp earth on me for about a half an hour after application. As gruesome as this sounds, it reminds me of what it might smell like to be newly buried. After drying, it smells phenomenal. I lived in England for a brief period of time, and Cathedral reminds me of the York Minster. It brings to mind catacombs and carvings, incense and ceremony. It evokes a pleasant melancholy, like being homesick for a beloved childhood refuge.

Eclipse is a scent that I never would have ordered on my own. I had no idea that I loved the smell of almonds until Elizabeth included this as an extra in my first order. I was in love with it from the moment I sniffed the bottle. The vanilla, cinnamon, heliotrope, and frankincense add a sweetnes and warmth to Eclipse that some of the other almond-based scents lack. It is like having a bit of sunlight in a vial. Eclipse tends to remain strong on me for the first 3 or 4 hours and a mild sweet scent still remains at the end of the day.

I feel the need to preface this review by stating that I do not have the talent common to so many others on this forum of being able to identify specific and distinguishable scents from a perfume. However, I do possess the talent of knowing precisely what I love and hate. Wings of Azrael is the scent that began my fascination with BPAL and it remains one of my absolute favorite perfumes. It doesn't smell at all flowery on me which is a blessing as I generally despise flowery scents. It smells warm and dark and suggests the feeling of being enveloped and protected.