Little Bird

I’ve noticed the whole tar and burnt rubber trend showing up in a lot of perfumes this year. I don’t really like that tar sort of smell, and I was expecting it in Black Ice… but this is more of a clean, sweetly floral scent than the earthy or ‘asphalt’ one that I was expecting. If I were to guess at the notes in this, I would have guessed for black musk, a chilly aquatic, and some sort of sweet floral (I'd never be able to pinpoint any one flower; I suck at picking out floral notes). Black Ice sort of reminds me of a smoky men's cologne or slightly soapy aftershave. It becomes less floral and a bit more minty or menthol in the drydown. I'm not smelling any vetiver on my skin (which I was kinda looking forward to). Overall, this strikes me as a masculine sort of aquatic. Not for me, and not really what I was expecting.

In the bottle, Yule smells like smoky juniper and a strong dose of sharp, sour lemon verbena. Figures that the main note that I was most worried about is the strongest in the bottle. On my skin at first... LEMONS and a hint of evergreen. It smells like LEMONS and a hint of green grass, actually, more than evergreen trees. Very sharp and unpleasant. 15 minutes... sharp, sour, biting, bitter lemons. I love green scents, I love resins, I love every note in this except for the verbena. Why is this happening to me? I don't even smell any greenery in this. Half hour... Pure Lemon Verbena (with whiffs of something like a rotten berry every once in a while). I was hoping that Yule would smell like Mistletoe or Skadi (two of my favorite BPALs), but this is all insanely sharp lemon. I can't wear this one. It's so sharp that it's giving me that nosebleed sensation.

I've been playing around with my bottle of last year's Lick It, eagerly waiting until I could compare it to this year's. In the bottles... Lick It Again smells like a slightly lighter version of Lick It. They're *very* similar though. I probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart if I wasn't actually trying to note a difference. On my skin... the mint here is sharper and less sweet than Lick It was. I'm not liking this so much. Lick It had a vanilla sweetness that really rounded out the peppermint for me... Lick It Again has a cold sort of menthol bite instead of the sweetness. Peppermint and menthol. Boo. After 15 minutes or so, a dusty sort of sweetness is coming up behind the icy, sharp peppermint. It's (sadly for me) not as sweet as Lick It. There's something of a dusty, light vanilla here though. Mostly it's still a very sharp mint, and the whole blend is fading really fast on my skin. Lick It Again is like Lick It Lite for me... minus the rich vanilla, and with a heavier smack of biting peppermint. I'll be hoarding my bottle of last year's and swapping away this one

I wanted so much to like The Darkling Thrush, because I love the poem that accompanies it. In the vial, it smells like ice covered violets (dusky and slightly sweet) and a hint of powdery resin. Unfortunately, the notes all go horribly awry the second that they touch my skin. So many of BPAL’s snow blends smell similar on me. Cold, slightly soapy aquatic. Only… with this one… the cold aquatic is accompanied by baby powder, as BPAL’s amber notes and the violet goes powdery on me as well. Baby powder and icy, soapy aquatic. Not the frosty violets and warm, rich amber that I was hoping for.

As far as florals go, Lilium Inter Spinas is not as bad as I thought it would be. Mostly it is a honeyed-sweet apple blossom and lashings of creamy lily. Definitely a bright, spring bouquet. After a half hour or so, what I'm guessing is the green fig (but it doesn't smell like fig to me, really) comes out to play. It's a very dark, bitter green underneath the sweet florals. After an hour or two, this starts to go a bit powdery on me and fading into a rather boring, sweet floral. I actually kind of like it during the first hour though. It's not a scent that I'd find myself wearing a lot, just because it takes a very remarkable floral to catch and hold my interest, but this one is rather pretty and not suffocatingly perfumey on me.

I just posted that very thing in the notes you'd like to see more of thread, lol. BPAL's lime is awesome I wish I could get more of it. Lime is the only citrus that I personally *love*... it was really strong in Trick #1 for me (yay!). I think that I'll dab on Doc Buzzard this weekend on my next date, and see how the boy likes that one. And I'll retest The Sun as well

This is a perfumey, fresh, sharp, clean sort of floral on my skin. I was hoping for something that smelled like real flowers and a bit of grass, but I don't smell any grass or greenery from this at all, and it's definitely floral perfume as opposed to the smell of real flowers. The only note that I can pick out for sure if a perfumey rose. It has a little floral spiciness to it, but it doesn't really smell like carnation spice. And there's a very clean undertone to the whole blend that's almost soapy, but not quite, like a high pitched white musk. Perfumey, musky, chemical white floral headed by rose. This isn't my sort of floral (the heavy, perfumey qualities start to give me a headache after a while).

I was so excited to finally get a wee drop of this single note (I love odd perfume notes, lol). I'm not really sure what fresh basil smells like; I was comparing this to the smell of the dried basil that I cook with. The single note has more of a crisp, green vibrancy to it than the dry spice that I'm used to. But it's still that wonderful herbal-ish smell... a slightly sweet & slightly peppery sort of spice. I love it. Antony is the only blend that I remember trying that had basil in it, but I liked the herbal-spice tone that it gave that fragrance (until the leather devoured it). I wish that basil were used in more blends, actually. I think that it would smell especially yummy on a man.

With as many BPAL scents as I have tried and reviewed over the last year and a half, I did not think that I would need to ask for help. And then a conversation tonight with the love of my life completely turned me upside down. After being together for over 3 years, he just now informed me that he doesn’t really like sweet or foodie scents. I blinked and said, “But… that’s… what I… wear all the time.” “I know. It’s not really a big deal.” But it’s a big deal to me. Owning over $50,000 worth of perfume and being obsessed with fragrance… it really matters to me. And it horrifies me to think that this conversation happened after he’s been smelling me slathered in vanilla cake for years. He has complimented me on so many things, but now I think he must have just been trying to be nice, because he obviously didn’t really like the scents. The only BPAL that he has been really enthusiastic about was Tweedledee, which I wore on a total whim to see if orange scents really do turn men on (apparent answer: yes). So now I’m dealing with the fact that my boy doesn’t like really sweet scents, doesn’t like foodie scents, and doesn’t like vanilla (exact words were that they make him kind of nauseous >_<). That seriously takes out about 99% of my perfume collection. I’m all about foodies and rich orientals. Common Ground: The boy has admitted that he now loves Tweedledee and Snow Angel. I also like both of those. I can’t handle really sharp, bitter scents. I’m very unfamiliar with citrus in general, because I always write them off as ‘not for me.’ So my question is, what scents would be good for both me and my boy? Any recs for citrus blends that aren’t really hyper-sweet? I can't handle heavy floral blends. Any suggestions will be much appreciated. I'll have to add a few citrus blends in with my next order... and I am really out of my element here, lol.

The Penitent Magdalen smells intensely perfumey in the bottle, and like sharply perfumey florals on my skin at first. I hate the beginning stage. It becomes more wearable and less sharp, but still not a favorite, after 15 minutes or so. The drydown settles into a very powdery floral, but it's a warm and sweet powder as the honey comes out more. It still has that classic/cliche floral perfume feel to me though. I'll be swapping my decant.

I was hopeful for trying Sol Invictus; I’ve recently realized that my boy has a thing for sweet orange blends on me (which sucks because anyone who knows me will know that I have issues with citrus blends, lol). Unfortunately, Sol Invictus isn’t really sweet. This is the sharp sort of citrus that I hate, with a drydown that makes me physically ill. First on, the frankincense makes a very brief appearance (and yes, smells kinda like dill pickles on me, but I love that smell) and then quickly fades to make way for a bevy of bitter orange citrus notes. In the drydown, some of the amber comes out to play, and immediately goes to an intensely dry, powdery, dusty note on me. I don’t know what it is about BPAL’s amber that goes so viciously powdery on. Summing it up: Sour orange citrus (acidic and biting) and DRY dust & powder. It gets a touch sweeter after 15 minutes, almost maple syrup-ish. Mostly this is just way too dry on me though (like getting a mouth and nose full of dust). A half hour into wearing this... sickly sweet maple syrup and dust. The smell makes me really queasy. I’ll be giving away my decant.

I feared that this would be overly dusty and dry, but Krampus isn't so bad after all. I love the wood note when I first put this on. Like freshly cut wooden switches - almost a sweetly resinous sap smell and hints of spicy woods, with more of an herbal vibrancy added to it. Perfect for being whipped, lol. In the drydown, notes that I don't really like start creeping in and taking things over. Krampus morphs into a cold, dark leather and sweet (almost fruity smelling) red musk. It loses all of its resinous and wooden qualities that I admired. Still, it's not really dusty or awful. I'd like this if I were really fond of red musk and leather...

So many of the Yule blends have had really iffy notes as far as my skin chemistry is concerned (much thanks to all of my lovely friends who gifted me with decants to try <3). Winter of Our Discontent is a dark, bitter, sharp scent on me. First on, I’m hit with a masculine and smoky sort of musk (a type of black musk?). It strikes me as smelling like a man’s cologne that I don’t really care for; it’s perfumey and a bit cold. In the drydown, the clove, nutmeg, and rosewood come out to play. Rosewood takes on its usual acrid sharpness, and the spices are not helping to mellow it out any. The spice here isn’t sweet on me, so the overall impression is cold and bitterly acidic. Summing it up: Really sharp, overpowering rose-ish note with the aptly described bitter clove. Rose plus spice is a combo that rarely works on me. After an hour, this smells like molding woods and dirty ash tray with hints of sharp rose. Blech. This is another Yulie that I’ll have to pass on getting a full bottle of…

Snow-Flakes is a very faint scent on my skin. It starts off smelling like a really watery mint… lightly sweet but nothing wonderful. Then it dries down to a light, soapy something. I wonder if this has some white flowers in it that are going soapy. All that I can really pick out on my skin is that Snow-Flakes smells of watery mint and cheap soap that goes somewhat powdery after a half hour or so. Cold and bland. I wish that this were comparable to Snow White for me, but I can’t see a similarity between the two Actually, I wish that this smelled like Stephen King’s The Shining or Misery to me (I so love sixthsentinel’s review of Snow-Flakes). Snow-Flakes definitely doesn’t work well on me, but at least its light enough to not really become bothersome. It melts away and disappears entirely after about an hour.

Angry, herbal bitterness... might want to try the Panacea Bitch. Or, maybe not, it doesn't really have what I would consider a good smell, lol. But it's definitely a bitter, angry herbal on me. Antony & Lear might be good sage blends for you to try out. Masabakes has an earthy bitterness to it, but I still really like it. And I'll second the rec for the LE Count Dracula (or Dracul if you want a GC).

Peony is a note that rarely works on me in perfume. Still, I liked Peony Moon, so I thought that BPAL's single note might also like me. It doesn't. Peony single note is rare and unique in that this manages to smell both soapy and incredibly dry on me at the same time, lol. It has an almost papery, thin dryness that makes me think of poppy. And a strong undercurrent of dish soap. In the drydown, it becomes more watery and soapy. Still... dish soap florals.

I got a wee sample of this at my last sniffing party. I like lemon fragrances from a lot of other companies, but BPAL's lemon (and lemongrass) has a tendency to go rather sharp on me. The single note *does* remind me of real lemons. Like squeezing a fresh lemon slice into your tea or over some dish. Zesty and sour. After a minute or so on my skin, though, this takes on a sharp bitterness. I wish that it would go a bit sweeter on me.

I've been begging and hoping for a BPAL caramel apple scent for over a year now, so I did a little happy dance around my room when I saw the description for Creepy. Yes, I am someone who desperately wants to smell like caramel apples, lol. In the bottle... tart apples smothered in warm butterscotch and just a hint of something that smells slightly boozy. The apple in Punkie Night smelled artificially sweet and perfumey on me, but this smells like real apples. I like the apple in Creepy much more. It smells as apples should - tart, crisp, juicy. Unfortunately, the other notes really muck this up for me. I so wish Beth had just done a straight caramel apple for Creepy and not tossed in the rum and butterscotch. The butterscotch completely overpowers the caramel for me, and I didn't want butterscotch apples. I hate the sharp boozy smack that the rum throws in as well. On me this smells like a fantastic apple note smothered in sharp, boozy, bitter butterscotch. BPAL's caramel is so awesome and normally such a strong note, but I can't find it in Creepy.

In the bottle, this is all the sweet, velvety incense of Midnight Mass... with the cake and tart currant of Monster Bait: Closet. On me, the incense/woods go much dryer and it loses that Midnight Mass comparison. There's just a hint of dry cake and tart fruit. After about 15 minutes, a sharp wood note overwhelms the cake and fruits. Then this is just a light incense and sharp, masculine woods. This is such a dry blend to me, making me feel like I need a drink of water when I smell it. I actually wish that the cake and currant were stronger; and I still like Midnight Mass for my perfect incense blend. All Souls is just too dry and masculine-woods on me.

BPAL's grapefruit notes have a tendency to smell really sharp and bitter on me, so I was wary about trying Night Gaunt. In the vial, it smells like the labbies crammed an actual ruby red grapefruit in here. On me... bitter grapefruit and sharply perfumey white flowers. It does have a powdered sugar sweetness to it that I like, but the sharp perfume is ruining the sugar for me. It's rather strong and overpowering on me as well. BPAL's grapefruit just hates me

Shoggoth is mostly lemongrass with hints of coconut and soapy, watery lily. I was hoping that the lime note would make an appearance, but it never does. This is mostly just a soapy, herbal lemon smell on me. Sad

This is like a cross between Oblivion and Hurricane (two of my favorites). This is earthy, but without smelling like dirt. The vetiver goes sweet and just a tad powdery on me. And there's a fruity sort of sweetness that reminds me of berries and lime. The Music is earthy, but more of a powdery-sweet incense way than a soil smell. Sweet and pleasant. I dunno if I'll ever end up with a full size of this one, because I already have big bottles of Oblivion and Hurricane... but I like these sort of blends.

In the bottle, this smells just like the first pumpkin patch blend. Kinda a sharp apple cider fragrance. On me... the sharpness softens, but this becomes a rather perfumey apple scent. It doesn't smell like true apple to me, but reminds me very strongly of the Bath & Body Works "Country Apple" scent. Almost floral, fakely sweet, perfumey apple. After 15 minutes or so, a hint of cinnamon and some woods are coming out behind the country apple. Now it smells like craft store... where they have the premade wreaths and cinnamon-apple candles. Punkie Night isn't as natural a scent as I was hoping for. This will be making its way into my oil burner though. It's a nice home fragrance for the upcoming winter season, I think. ETA: And this is crazily strong and has a lot of throw on me. I've had it on for an hour and had to scrub it off because it was giving me a headache. Very overpowering.

In the bottle... I definitely smell Jack in here. Sweet and buttery... yet more spicy than Jack. I'm hoping that it won't be as nauseating as Jack is on my skin. On me... woo. The comparison to Jack fades as soon as this touches my skin . This actually makes me think of yellow cake with an orange cream cheese frosting; and a warming, spicy kick added in for good measure. I sometimes have trouble with spicy scents, but this one isn't overwhelming at all. I want to not like the Pumpkin Queen, because she held up my order for over a month, but I'm finding her too yummy to stay mad at her. She is foodie heaven.

I generally don't stereotype fragrances, but Count Dracula smells very goth-style to me, lol. In that I'd expect a dark haired boy with the black leather jacket to smell like this... all brooding and cold. The black leather is the main note that comes out on my skin, and I don't really like how cold this type of leather smells. Then there's a hint of citrussy neroli and some spice. The spice isn't sweet though, it's a bit sharp... definitely the 'bitter cloves' and 'fiery ginger.' The black musk comes out more in the drydown, and this takes on a classic men's cologne sort of smell. I don't really like this sort of leather or this sort of spice, so my bottle will be finding a new home. Sadly, the only blend that I've really loved from The Order of the Dragon series has been the wonderful Quincey Morris (sexy cowboy in a bottle).