Little Bird

I received all four trick or treat blends today and immediately dabbed them on for testing. Treat #1 was my definite favorite in the bottle. It smells exactly like sour patch kids! You know, the little fruit flavored gummis coated in sour sugar. It smells strongly of lime and watermelon candies to me, in specific. I've been searching for an awesome lime scent, and Treat #1 is that. On me... this is a crisp, zesty lime and sour, sugar-glazed candies. It makes me want to lick my wrists . I don't like a lot of fruit flavored candy, but I adore the sour gummis. This is like sticking my head into a bag full of sour gummi candies and sniffing. Sweet, but with a bit of fruity bite. The lemon gets a bit sharp and the blend goes too citrussy on me for a while, but that stage fades down quickly into pure sugary goodness. Treat #1 is yummy, bright, and smells even more like watermelon jolly rancher candies to me after aging a few months . It has remained a favorite for me while Trick #2 and Treat #2 have aged horribly.

I almost didn't purchase Kindly Moon, but I talked myself into getting it because of the beeswax (which, of course, I don't smell at all in this blend). Sadly, this is probably one of my least favorite BPALs ever. Even when perfume smells bad on me, I can appreciate things about it. With Kindly Moon, this is just so boring to me. In the bottle... this smells like a washing machine filled with cold water, dirty clothes, and sharp citrussy laundry soap. Watery and soapy. On me... really strong and sharp floral perfume. Like the sharp smell that I get from department store florals. In the drydown, more of the soapy water smell returns. Intensely sharp and perfumey, with a drydown that is soapy and watery. I don't get any sweetness from this at all.

I was interested in trying White Cedarwood because some reviews described it as dry woodchips and then others as an actual tree. I get more of the dried woodchip version of this on my skin. Thankfully, white cedarwood doesn't go as awful or funky smelling on me as most cedar notes, but it's an incredibly dry woods scent. Almost so dry that it smells crisp and brittle to me. Like dry wood that's about ready to break... This has potential to be nice when layered with other scents (nicely added to foresty blends or florals), but I don't think that I could wear it on its own.

I wonder if the lab uses different types of red patchouli. I love patchouli and it smells lovely on me in most blends (especially the dark, intensely earthy black patchouli ), but the blends that say Indonesian Red Patchouli usually end up smelling awful with my skin chemistry. Indonesian Red Patchouli is like the patchouli that people fear when they think of patchouli, lol. It actually does have that dirty, unwashed smell on me with a very sharp and almost chemical-ish background. The singlenote isn't so bad after an hour of wear, but that first hour is awful. I smelled sweaty and in need of a shower, with some dry wood chips thrown in. The drydown (after a little over an hour) is nicer. This becomes much softer (almost powdery even) and a little bit sweet. Warm, dry, and woodsy. I don't think that I could wait out that first awful stage again, and it makes me sad that a type of patchouli doesn't like me

I just now noticed the community gallery and am drooling over all of the new labels. The new Ars Draconis label is gorgeous, and I'm loving the Halloweenie labels for Devil's Night and Samhainophobia. I think I'll order a bottle of Devil's Night just for the new artwork (kitties!).

Where oakmoss is dry, musty, and papery like money to me, Spanish Moss is the brighter, fresher, greener, and more clean smelling version. Three of my favorite blends (Bayou, Jazz Funeral, Whippoorwill) have this as a listed note, and I recognize that fresh and faintly soapy green smell. It's a watery, bright and slightly sharp green on me, with the faintest hint of something that makes me think of laundry soap (but never goes outright soapy or bothersome). I like this. I'd probably never wear it on its own, but I love it in blends.

For the most part, I can't pick out any of the mentioned notes except for a very clean, light, watery musk and the sweetly enchanting powdery floral smell of moonflower. I don't smell anything like mint, tea, peach, plum blossom, lotus, iris, or sandalwood. When I wear this, it makes me think of a manmade pond, all cement and gray stones, tinged with frost and icy on the edges... with some pale flowers floating around in the glassy water. It's chilly and a tiny bit sweet. I don't mean to make this sound very floral or very aquatic though, because it's not that either. It's almost a clean, cold, powdery sort of scent. But not bad baby powder sort of powdery. Silence is definitely a subtle scent. When I wear it, I don't notice it unless I have my nose pressed to wherever it is applied. And then it strikes me as smelling of clean skin, like when I first step out of the bath tub or shower and everything is cold and clean. Very interesting.

Schwarzer Mond was the blend that I had the most hope for out of the Black Moon set. Black Moon itself was way too 'feminine musk and floral' for me. But this one blends a lot of notes that I love with a lot of notes that I've never heard of before, so I'm excited In the bottle, this smells like a wonderfully deep and richly sweet patchouli and coca cola. I love that cola smell. My all-time favorite blend, Voodoo, has this smell to it. On me... I can't pick out any one note... this is like velvety, resinous woods, sweet patchouli, and a hint of something cola-ish. Definitely a dark scent, but with a sexy, hazy sweetness to it. It makes me think of walking into a dimly lit room that's smoky from patchouli incense and warm from burning candles. This won't be a favorite blend for me, but I do like it.

In the bottle and first on me... this smells like a watery, sad floral and reminds me of the impression that I get from a lot of the floral Funereal Oils (which I hate). Somber and cold. I can smell a sickly sweet pear note and florals. It's not a happy sweetness, it's sort of a bruised and sickly sweetness to me, like flowers that are rotting. In the drydown... this turns into a bland perfumey-sharp musk and sickly sweet floral on me. I can't pick out any one note, as it turns into that cliche department store floral scent. Black Moon gives me a vicious headache after a short while, it's just way too sweet floral and musk. This will be one for swapping.

The scent of the wild, hauntingly beautiful Pine Barrens of New Jersey! Pitch pine with blackberry leaf, cranberry, cedar wood and tomato leaf. I've tried on The Jersey Devil several times over the last few days, trying to understand what it's doing on my skin and what memories it is conjuring up for me. I know that this is supposed to be the Pine Barrens of New Jersey... but I grew up in the whispering pines of Missouri where my father had a garden in the middle of the pine trees... where we had a blackberry patch and a tomato garden. I feel like this is *my* childhood scent from the description. In the bottle, this smells like a yummy fruit juice. A sort of watery, sweet fruit juice that reminds me of Capri Sun (the juice that I fondly remember from my childhood, the frustration of never being able to get the straw in that little hole at the top of the packet). First on my skin, The Jersey Devil smells a bit like a less frosty version of Mistletoe. Definitely evergreen, with a slightly smoky and a slightly earthy edge to it. Then, after several minutes, that faint fruit juice smell begins to come back. It doesn't really remind me of cranberry though. I can pick out the interestingly warm spiciness of the tomato leaf every once in a while as well. I really like the fruitiness mixed with the evergreen, and this reminds me pleasantly of when I was younger and wandering around blackberry patches in the forest.

I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said about this blend. On me, it's insanely strong jasmine and hints of a soapy, sharp rose. The jasmine is sweeter than it usually is on me, with an oddly herbal/green undertone. Definitely a strong floral with a lot of throw. I don't get the earthy note that other people have mentioned, though I wish that it came out on my skin. On me, this is just a strong, simple, soapy floral. I'm glad that I got the chance to try this one out, but it's definitely not a scent for me.

Pontarlier is a pleasant enough scent, though one that I probably won't ever really wear. I mainly get an herbal greenery smell from it, with what's like a hint of black pepper on my skin, and a very powdery rose floral. The overall feel is like I've been wandering around in a field picking herbs and wildflowers. It has a very natural scent to it. The absinthe is just a tiny hint of something black licorice-like deep down under the other notes. As it dries down, this winds up being a bit too powdery on my skin, and I'm not a huge fan of green scents anyhow, but still... I think I'd like this on someone else.

I want to drink Cockaigne right out of the bottle. It smells like buttery brown sugar strudel crumbles, perhaps with a touch of something nutty like there is in Hearth 05 (only nothing like Hearth 05 exactly, because the wood smoke, pine, and butter in that blend made me ill). This is definitely a warm, sweet pastry scent. On my skin... Buttery danish with brown sugar, sugar, and a hint of warm spice like cinnamon. This is such a warm and pleasant foodie blend. I worried that it would be too sickeningly sweet or buttery or foodie, but this is a comforting and non-overwhelming pastry smell on me. After an hour or so, a drizzle of sticky honey finds its way into the mix. Delicious. I love this one. I'm so glad that I sprung for the 10 ml unsniffed, because Cockaigne will be wonderful for wearing during the chilly winter.

Doc Constantine was the carny that I put off trying for the longest. BPAL's cedar, smoke, amber, and leather notes do not have a great history of working well on my skin... but I do love the masculine woodsy blends. I just don't have high hopes for this one. In the bottle, this smells sooo sexy. I'd be climbing all over a man wearing this. A perfect sex in the woods scent. If my skin doesn't turn the cedar smoke into putrid mesquite, I might be able to wear this. On me... this is all dusty cedar and worn leather. The dust actually reminds me quite a bit of The Rat King. It doesn't smell like forests or evergreens at all once it hits my skin. The cedar doesn't smell as bad on me as it usually does... it's just very dry and very dusty here (the dusty smell that I'm getting might be from the black amber, since BPAL's amber notes either smell of dust or baby powder on me). It has a pleasant smooth quality to it though. I think that this would be wonderful on my boy. It's definitely a masculine woods scent.

I've gotten several bottles of this one over the last couple years, and every bottle smells different (which I've gotten from most of the Carnaval blends, they don't seem to be consistently blended at all, or it's like they ran out of components midway through the run and substituted something?). I have bottles that smell like all red musk, bottles that smell like red musk and pine, patchouli heavy bottles, and a bottle that smells like nothing but red fruit candy. They even all have different oil colors (from clear to intensely dark red)...

In the bottle... this smells like a more crisp and less sweet version of Dorian. I agree with those who have said that Theodosius is like Dorian's older brother. A refreshing men's cologne, sweet vanilla, and an almost sharp sort of floral something. I'm kind of worried that the "jasmine leaf" will be too sharp and ruin this for me. On me... this doesn't have Dorian's crisp vanilla sweetness, and I'm kind of missing that. This is more clean perfumey musk and a sharp floral on me (it doesn't remind me of jasmine, it's more of a sharp and spicy floral smell). I also keep thinking that I smell a hint of smoky leather in here somewhere. Theodosius is too sharp and biting for me or the boy... it's just not as smooth and creamy as I was hoping for. I'll stick with Dorian for my tea and vanilla, lol.

In the bottle... this smells like some sort of fruit flavored cotton candy and reminds me of hyper sweet strawberry or blueberry. It's like sweet, fruity cotton candy and some sort of beautiful nighttime floral and air scent. Smells a bit like moonflower's cool, enchantingly soft floral. On me... mmm, this is such a unique and lovely fragrance. It isn't really a sugary sweetness on me so much as a tart sweetness. The ozone adds a wonderful little bite to the blend (and I normally don't like ozone or aquatics, but it's such a light background note here that it works wonderfully). Fruity, tart cotton candy, a salty but dry ozone note, and the chilly and slightly powdery smell of moonflower. This is the smell of a wonderfully happy and magical night though nothing here strikes me as smelling of incense. Midnight on the Midway is just gorgeous. It might warrant purchasing another couple bottles before the Carnaval leaves town.

In the bottle... this smells exactly like Snow Moon with a little black dirt added. Exactly what I was hoping for from this blend. On me... this is a bit sharper and less sweet than Snow Moon was on me. Menthol-pine-and slush... In the drydown, this turns on me. Sharp snow and something that smells like charred wood and rotten fruit . It's so nice in the bottle, and so bad on me.

In the bottle, this one is like a black tea with *LOTS* of sweet honey and sugar added. On me... the honey is the main thing that I notice on my skin, with an extra helping of sugar. Insanely sweet. Golden, sticky-sweet honey. It also smells a bit like sweet flower pollen. Gennivre is all warm and super-sweet honey. Not as complex as I thought that it would be, very simple and kind of sickeningly sweet after a while.

In the bottle, this is all white musk and lavender. Chilly and crystalline. Strangely, I can't really pick out either of those notes once this is on my skin. On me, this is a strange one. I can smell a beautifully sweet black coconut, fig, and plum trying to beat their way through the sharp lemon verbena. It's like an exotic and creamy fruit salad that's being smothered in lemons. Catching whiffs of this from afar, it's really lovely. The woodsy fig mixed with a creamy toasted coconut and fruity sweet plum... it smells candied and edible. However, if I sniff my wrist up close, it's overpoweringly lemony. This would be such an awesome blend if there wasn't any lemon verbena in here to muck it up As it is, the lemon is way too sharp and eats the other notes on my skin. The Carny Talker is pretty much a fruity blend on my skin, dominated by sharp lemons. I can't pick out any vetiver at all.

I was really looking forward to this Carnaval blend, just because I love black cherry and patchouli... and fruit + patchouli tends to work out insanely well on my skin. The cassia in this worries me though. My skin really amps up the sweet spices. In the bottle... luscious, dark cherry, sweet cassia, and hints of earthy patchouli. Phantom Calliope is a deep and rich scent on me. It's dark and none of the notes are really overpowering each other. This smells sort of manly on me, surprisingly. The black cherry here actually begins to smell a bit like black licorice on me. Anise plus cherries, wrapped up in a velvety dark cloak. The hint of lemon paired with the black cherry makes this a really delicious fruity blend, and makes the fruits seem somehow juicy on me. And there's just enough earthy patchouli in the background and hints of spice layered over the fruits to make this completely unique and complex. This isn't too fruity, too citrussy, too earthy, or too spicy... just a perfect mix of everything. I'd love to dab some of this one on my boy, as it's such a dark scent that it strikes me as one that would be really sexy on a man

In the bottle, F5 reminds me of a more watery version of Embalming Fluid. Makes sense... they both have notes of green tea, white musk, and aloe. On me... green tea with a salty aquatic and a squeeze of lime. It's zesty and sharper than Embalming Fluid's smooth blend. After 15 minutes or so... this is mostly clean white musk and aquatic, with hints of fruity lime. It's kinda boring to me. It smells like the sporty colognes that teenage boys were favoring back in highschool. F5 fades pretty quickly too. It only lasted about an hour on my skin.

Port Royal is a masculine, spicy, warm, musky sort of scent with hints of dark, dry wood. It's a little too much on the sharp/musky side of things for me, but I think that this would smell so cozy and wonderful on the right man. I love the wood notes in this. It has great staying power too, and I'm happy that the spices aren't overwhelming and that this blend isn't too sweet. I can imagine the clean, rugged, tan, muscular, dark haired pirate on the cover of romance novels to smell like this, lol. I slathered this one on my husband and it smelled lovely on him, but still a little too musky for my tastes. I can't wait to try the bptp Port Royal soap, though. I think that this will be awesome in soap-form.

In the bottle and on my skin at first, Mag Mell smells clean and spa-like. It's reminiscent of blends like Shanghai and Embalming Fluid, with the mix of lemony and green notes. This starts off mostly smooth, sweet, slightly herbal, lemony verbena with a hint of green from the green grass and a spa-like freshness from the ginger. I was worried about the "rain" going soapy on me, as aquatics usually do, but this is more clean feeling than outright soapy smelling. As it dries down, this is much the same, except the ginger gets stronger (delicate, fresh, sweet spiciness <3). Sweet lemon and fresh ginger with a hint of green. It smells like a spa fragrance. Not really my sort of thing, but this is very pretty, smooth, and calming.

This scent has changed so much. In 2006, it had lots of a warm vanilla-amber presence, and the vanilla was very noticeable, golden, and sweet, almost honeyed and nutty smelling, and very creamy. The other notes swirled together to add a salty, cold aquatic and soapy floral presence, giving it a clean counterpart to the sweet vanilla amber. In contrast, I've received a 2019 frimp of this, direct from the lab, and there's none of that vanilla at all. There's lots of bright soapiness, like sniffing Zest, Dial and Irish Spring, and some powderiness in the drydown, but I wouldn't call it creamy or sweet anymore. Aged for 3 months, this is still a whole lot of soap and no vanilla.