sunshinedaisybliss

Yes, sharp and boozy at first - almost to the point where it seemed to be clashing with itself, the laudanum and tobacco are bright and raw. So about 20 minutes passed, and I smell it again. A total change! Now it's developed a lovely warm sweetness that does remind of of warm skin after body contact. Like the way someone's nape of the neck smells when you snuggle up to them while they're sleeping. It is fading quickly - staying very close to my skin, but getting softer. The booze note stays sweet without ever developing a 'booze' type smell, and the tobacco has mellowed out beautifully. This is the sort of scent that would be lovely in a bath oil or soap, it's so warm and soft and evocative.

Thank you to Invidiana for sending me a teensy bit of this to try! I'm not really getting the salt, but I definitely do get the wet/green aspect. I think this might be what an old abandoned island may smell like - fresh air, green undergrowth and dappled sunlight, and a hint of damp mystery. I think there's also something 'gold' in here - it's not a powdery or dusty gold, but a bright shiny gold like a bright yellow flower. Not really picking up anything dirt-like. The fresh green is strong at first, but it softens up quickly on the drydown. About 20 minutes in, and it's really clean and fresh and organic smelling. What a lovely blend, I don't recall smelling any other BPALs like this before. It's classy and understated, but alive and vibrant.

Holy moly - the black monster isn't on the umbrella - it's in this bottle, and his name is vetiver. Actually, that's Mr. Vetiver to you. Mr. Stinky Dark Black Evil Vetiver, to be precise. At first I was worried I might have popped a sniffer vessel from the shock of VETIVER blasting off my skin. For about 10 minutes, that's all I could smell.. but it did get less and less overwhelming as each minute went by. Finally, at around 15 minutes, I can start to smell some other things in there. Hey, hello coconut! Blackcurrant, nice of you to show up. Tonka bean, my dear friend, come out.. it's safe. Alright - now we're getting somewhere.. this is turning into something interesting. Fiiiiiinally.. it's safe to sniff my arm again. Err.. WOW.. this is gorgeous. It's gone all creamy soft and sexy, the mix of tonka bean and coconut is sublime - sweet without being sickly, tropical without being tanning lotion. The vetiver's still there, lurking around, but it's not offensive now - it's all smoky and subdued, which may be due to the sandalwood in the mix. Can't say I'm really noticing the blackcurrant.. actually, there's something almost lime-like coming through - lime? Yeah, lime. And the exotic velvety oud has stepped out from behind the curtain - this is such a gorgeous note, I'd love to see it in more BPALs. I'm very glad I only put a teensy dab on for testing, cos this stuff is potent, loads of throw and once that first drydown stage is complete, it doesn't fade much. PS yewberry - mine says "FUWA" too

BIG to ifinena for sending me a tester of this rare beauty! I see she's been generous to many others in this thread, what a lovely fairy she is Wow.. just.. wow. I wish I had been around back in the day when this came out, because it really is drop-dead gorgeous and I would have bought several bottles of it. It has a deep, incense-y feel to it, very mysterious and sexy. The dark musk is the most prominent note for me, it's above all the others with the black rose just flirting around behind it. The clove isn't very strong - it's there, but it's more a sweet clove than the usual hot/spicy type we get in our BPALs. And the cognac.. well.. as expected, it's smutting up the place with its gorgeous warm velvet touch. This is such a perfect combination of notes, everything is beautifully blended and the end result is just gorgeous. I shall treasure these few drops that I have!

First up.. huge to the lovely ifinena who gifted a tester of this to me! I've been wanting to try this for ages, but I didn't really think it was going to be something I'd like - the mention of metallics, mountain air, ozone and electric light had me thinking it would be one of those strange metallic/ozone blends that my skin turns into a stinky mess. However.. those notes are very much a background to the gorgeous cherry blossom and orchid - I could swear there's grapefruit in here, but not the sour kind - a lovely sweet pink kind. The bamboo comes out more when it's fully dry, and together with the fruits and florals it creates a lovely dry and airy mix. I've never been to Tokyo, but this blend does bring to mind the flashy neon and chaotic vibe of that city - it's bright and shiny whilst somehow still managing to be soft, quiet and fresh. Very, very nice.

I ignored this one completely, until I started reading reviews and thought I should give it a try. And I'm just so glad I did! It's pretty rare that I get a new BPAL and swoon.. but that's exactly what I did with this one. Sweet, sexy sandalwood and vanilla with a slight citrus-y undertone and the beautiful softness of amber. This is one of those wistful skin scents that still packs a punch despite its delicate touch. There is a slight baby shampoo/soap aspect when sniffed up close, as others have mentioned, but that isn't noticeable at arm's length. Unfortunately it dries down into a subdued version of itself - it goes a little powdery, the sandalwood becomes quite dominant and the vanilla disappears, which is a shame because all the notes together were so beautifully rich and full when freshly applied. I'm not sure I will wear this a lot though.. as lovely as it is, it's just not "me". But it really is quite a gorgeous fragrance.

Good grief, this stuff is unreal. I've been stealthily working my way through all of BPAL's leather blends, and I've found a few nice ones along the way, but nothing yet had presented me with the hearty OMG sexypants leather that I was looking for. Then Crowley came along, and it's just perfect. The leather is stunning - not dusty or dusky, it's warm and rich and hearty. The musk + patchouli combo is very deep and alluring in the same way that it is in blends like Mme. Moriarty, but here it's mixed beautifully with the warmth of the leather. The vanilla adds just a touch of sweetness, but not too much - it really is well blended in there with all the darkness of the musk/patch/leather and sits nicely in the background all the way through. Can't say I'm really noticing the lilac cologne, mahogany, lemon rind or oakmoss (although there is sometimes a waft of something sharp, which could be the mahogany) - I don't really care though, I'm sure they are all in there somewhere but for me Crowley is all about the musky leather. Annnnnnnd.. he sticks around beautifully - I could still smell this on my skin and in my hair 24 hours later.. standing in the shower this morning and I'm thinking WOW what's that amazing smell then I realise it's the Crowley I slathered on my neck yesterday morning. I love those "what's that awesome smell?" .. "oh wait, it's meeee!!" moments My holy grail for a BPAL leather is Spanked, but it's very likely I shall live my life without ever getting a bottle of that one. But Crowley is *almost* as good, almost ETA: I should mention that the bottle I'm using for this review is well over two years old, so I'm not sure how it compares with a 'fresh' Crowley.

First up, I am envious of you going on such an adventure to live on a big chunk of land like that in such a lovely place!! Secondly.. I think you should send all your BPALs over to me, I'll look after 'em. Promise I think the idea of putting your bottles inside one of the vehicles that will be travelling over (the truck or the camper) is an excellent solution. If you packed the bottles up super safe, and locked them in the glove compartment or some other hiding spot like a cupboard in the camper, I really think they'd be quite happy in there. Temperature changes might be an issue, but you could always pack them inside a foam box or something so they're well insulated. And I'm guessing carrying them on the plane with you, in your hand luggage, is not an option? I'm not sure of the restrictions that apply for that kind of thing nowadays in your part of the world, but maybe you could talk to the airline about getting permission to carry them with you if you explained that it was a valuable collection?

Ooh! Definitely Raven Moon.. I don't have much luck with the Lunacy blends in general, but Raven Moon was an absolute winner and going by those other BPALs you mentioned I'd say it has a good chance of being the same for you!!

Thank you to the lovely cfrancesca for passing a tester of this to me! Hmmm.. I'm also getting the dark, earthy fruits that others have mentioned. My guess is plum, but not the sweet variety - this is an evil, dark and smokey plum. If not plum, then possibly blackberry, it's hard to tell - the almost-cherry-like top end of the fruit in the wet and early dry stages suggests plum, but when it dries down the fruit turns a little sharper like blackberry. I guess I'll just have to wait and see when it gets released and we know what the notes are! I definitely detect an undercurrent of mint - it adds a cool touch to everything, without being overly minty, but the mint didn't stick around long past the dry-down. Apple? Maybe - and patchouli? Possibly - but there's a dustiness and slight spice here that I don't normally get from patchouli. Perhaps a teensy touch of wood, not sure on that one - there's definitely something dark and solid underneath the dark fruit. Overall this is a red/purple kind of blend, I wouldn't put it in the 'candy' category because it's not really going sweet on my skin - it's keeping a lovely dark smokiness. This kind of reminds me a little of Countess Willie with her musk + plum combination, but there's no chocolate in here. I bet this one's going to be insanely popular - it's quite intriguing and mysteriously alluring, much like the black widow herself

Wowsers, this is a freaky blend - it keeps changing its mind about what it wants to smell like! When it first goes on.. bubblegum, pink fruity bubblegum. Then it does a spicy orange turn that reminds me of Knick Knack and Olisbos. Then a cakey kinda thing starts up, and the orange changes to a brighter citrus - more lemon-y. Oh, did I mention that all happened in the first five minutes? So really.. In the end, it finally settles back into that orange spiciness that appeared earlier, and I do detect something dark and green in there but it's very peripheral. Ultimately, I'm left with a spicy orangey fruity bubblegum

Hmm.. that's very interesting, because my WF bottle was about 99.9999% O-like honey with the Snake Oil cowering sadly miles away in the background, and sadly it just wasn't what I was hoping for. My bottle was ordered soon after its release too.. hmm..

HA! Me too.. my oldest bottle of Boomslang smells amazing but it's so thick and sludgy that it's like putting fudge on my skin. Seriously, if your Boomslang doesn't stain yer skin.. it ain't old enough yet PS ltrittipoe - I put mine on my scalp, behind my ears right at the hairline. It wafts chocolatey yumminess around me all day and nobody will ever know I have big brown Boomslang splotches all over my head. You mean, like this?!?!? HAHA portalkat - yes! Except.. err.. I have hair But I think you're on to something.. they should rename that show from Alien Nation to Boomslang Nation.

HA! Me too.. my oldest bottle of Boomslang smells amazing but it's so thick and sludgy that it's like putting fudge on my skin. Seriously, if your Boomslang doesn't stain yer skin.. it ain't old enough yet PS ltrittipoe - I put mine on my scalp, behind my ears right at the hairline. It wafts chocolatey yumminess around me all day and nobody will ever know I have big brown Boomslang splotches all over my head.

NGG023 starts off with a slightly sour fruit tone when it first goes on, but it dries on the skin pretty quickly and that initial sourness warms down nicely. For me, leather is the dominant note here - but it's not a strong or sharp leather at all, it's that same soft tactile kind of leather in Sacrifice. A little dusty and musky - I suspect some very light sandalwood or musk in here. There's also a *slight* hint of sweetness, but it's not vanilla or tonka or anything like that - perhaps it's that fruit that I picked up at the beginning. Dunno.. that one's hard to pick, because it keeps fleeting in and out so I'm not sure whether it's really there at all. I think this was at its best after about 30 minutes on my skin - at that point, the leather was soft and warm, it's like putting your face inside your well-worn leather jacket and having a good huff. What? Oh come on now.. you do that, I know you do After an hour, it has faded quite a lot but the leather is still there - this really is quite nice, but just sooooooo similar to Sacrifice that I have to agree with fairnymph and say that this could well be the proto for that blend. I'm going to send some to a forum buddy who I know has Sacrifice, and see what she thinks! Anyways, all comparisons aside.. NGG023 is really very lovely, and a definite must-try for anyone who enjoys their leather soft and cuddly.

I agree with fairnymph.. I'm fairly certain that The Confectionary started out life as the CD023 prototype. However, where CD023 had a dusty sort of musk/amber/sandalwood kind of vibe, The Confectionary is more rich and syrupy - that 'dusty/dry' feel is not as obvious here. I think this has some form of strawberry in it - if not, then a 'pink' fruit of some kind. There might be a very light touch of cherry, maaaaaybe raspberry, and maybe just a *teensy* touch of apricot. And cake. Strawberry cupcakes, almost, but it has a definite candy flavour that stops it being completely cakey. There's also a vanilla in here, but it's quite a dry vanilla. To me, this has a similar feel to Midway - that cotton candy kind of sweetness - but where Midway had a chocolate-y undertone, The Confectionary has a pink fruity undertone. This is going to be loved by fans of blends like Candy Phoenix, Beaver Moon/Beaver'versary, Jailbait, Velvet Unicorn etc.

I've been sooooooooo looking forward to my decant of Miaiphonos arriving, ever since Dark Alice said "This sounds like a licorice and orange flavored taco" when the update was first announced. Well.. turns out she was kinda right! The anise is very licorice-y, and in combination with the clove it's quite pungent. The mandarin is doing its very best to be seen - "hey, I'm here! Let me out!" - but the big bad clove and anise won't let it - "HA! Take that, you pussy mandarin. You're not even a proper orange, get back where you belong!". This actually reminds me very much of The Last Squished Jelly Bean. Something's messing things up though, and I suspect it's the cumin. Hey - cumin? Go away, you smell kinda funky. I really don't know whether I like this or not, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't wear it so a bottle purchase can be resisted. It is, however, a very interesting smell and it gets nicer as it dries down - the initial blast of anise/clove mellows out a bit and the cumin fades away. I'm a bit sad that the mandarin isn't a bigger player here though - that's the note I was most interested in but sadly it just never really comes out to play enough here.

I know I keep banging on about how much I love Banshee Beat.. but.. right now on the gorgeous west coast of Australia, it's 38 degrees. Uh.. that's over 100F, I think. I dabbed some BB through my hair today (as well as on skin), so now when I walk around outside, I am surrounded by a cloud of warm and rich vanilla gorgeousness.. it's just fantastic. I actually enjoy my BPALs more in summer, I think they smell the best on warm days (and warm skin). My other summer faves are Tombstone, Antique Lace, and Snake Oil. Clearly, I have a thing for smokey vanillas

I suspect this whole "grind the fragrance molecules" thing is bogus. You know.. like how you shouldn't jog too much, because it jumbles up all your insides. Or how if you swallow your chewing gum it will stay in your stomach for seven years. A quick google search finds several websites warning against rubbing wrists together because OH NO the molecules will be DESTROYED! It does seem to be somewhat true, though, that the heat created from rubbing can cause the top notes (ie the more volatile molecules), to evaporate more quickly. But I'd be willing to bet that it would take Dr Nerdy McMolecularperson several years of looking down a microscope to prove that, and even if it is true.. we're probably talking about fractions of fractional percentages of evaporation that you wouldn't notice unless you have a nose the size of a football field. Personally, I have stopped putting my BPALs on my wrists/arms - the oil seems to disappear too quickly.. apparently the inside of my forearms gets a lot of action during the day (who knew!). I've started doing the vertical swipe down from behind my ear to the bottom of my neck, right at the pulse points on each side. I don't "smoosh" the oil when I do this, I just kinda wipe it over my skin.. and it's still there *hours* later. Maybe next time you apply your oil, find a really quiet room.. do the smooshing thing, then hold a wrist up close to your ear. If you hear HELPPPP MEEEEE I'M DYYYYYYYYYYYINNNNNNGGGGG then you are guilty of molecular destruction and should be arrested for crimes against nature. If, however, no screams of terror or cries of pain can be heard, then you have happy little fragrance molecules and there's no need to worry. Oh - and in case you were wondering.. yes, there really is a Dr Nerdy McMolecularperson. Here he is: edited for clarity

Hmm.. this one's very interesting! It's kinda all been said already.. lovely warm cedar with slight sweetness from the blackcurrant - neither of these are strong or heavy - they're both quite subtle and soft. The saffron is like a little bit of dancing spice over the top - barely there, but lovely nonetheless. Black currant has a habit of turning to cat pee on my skin.. that didn't quite happen with this one, but I can feel it wanting to.. it's *just* on the edge of doing it. My issue with this one is that it's so well blended that it becomes difficult to actually work out what's going on - the cedar seems to have flattened everything. It is, however, worthy of further testing because I think I want to like this one.

Err.. no.. not nice. At first, this smells like that brown disinfectant stuff - the balsam/oakmoss/juniper are too dominant and the patchouli is lurking around in the background, doing its dark and dirty thing. Can't say the cocoa ever came out on my skin, same with the franckincense. Overall, once it dries down it becomes quite a nice dark and smoky blend but not my thing - that disinfectant smell never quite goes away enough for me.

Hmm... "Destroyer of Men"? I don't think so! On me, this is very faint and not as grunty as I expected it to be. The black sandalwood in combination with the nutmeg gives a slight peppery spiciness, but the benzoin is adding a medicinal overtone that's not very nice. The tonka never really made an appearance, which is a shame because a bit of sweetness would have been nice here. I'm not getting any baby powderiness, although it is very dry. Overall, nothing particularly outstanding about this one.

This is so much more than just mint. The initial blast (actually that's BLAST) of mint is definitely eye-opening, such a beautiful clean mint that isn't quite peppermint, not quite spearmint.. a cold green fire is *exactly* what it's like - if fire can be cold then this is it. That strong mint dies down within the first five minutes and the pepper starts to peek out, adding a hint of spice to the base. Then the cucumber warms up and it's on - cucumber vs mint.. who's coming out on top? Cucumber! No wait.. mint! Cucumber fights back! Mint reappears! This little battle is fascinating, the two are so beautifully blended that it becomes impossible to distinguish them separately. The end result is the freshness of cucumber tempered with the fire of the mint while the pepper just lurks around very close to the skin. After about an hour, it has dried down to a beautiful softness - as other reviewers have said.. it does fade fairly quickly.. but what's left behind still has all the beautiful layers of mint, cucumber and pepper - it's just much more subtle now. It never went soapy on me (YAY), nor did it become overly green although it definitely has a forest feel. This really is quite beautiful, and an absolute must-try for anyone who enjoys this kind of thing.

I have nothing useful to add here, except to say that yes - Stinky is just about a perfect match to BB's Buttermilk. Stinky does have a stronger milk note (so if you're one of those people for whom the BPAL milk note goes a little funky, you might not get the Buttermilk yumminess), but really it's so similar it's kinda uncanny. I wouldn't have said Werepuppy is a match though, I can see the similarity but unfortunatey the baby skin/milk breath notes never really came out very much on my skin. I can't think of a BPAL that's quite like the Milk & Honey lotion though - the honey note in Womb Furie is similar, but there's no milk in that one so.. hmm.. dunno!

This is very confusing to my nose! When it first went on, the balsam was very very strong - pungent, actually. For the first half-hour, all I got was licorice-y spinach. Yup, you heard it right.. licorice-y spinach Half an hour later, the balsam has mellowed out a bit and now the leather's appeared - this is a strong, acrid kind of leather though - not sweet, and not soft - it's old leather that's been passed through many hands and taken on a variety of body odours and sweat through the years. I've met old books that do smell that way, so this is pretty spot on, but it's not a smell I'm particularly enjoying on my skin. One hour down the track, and the vanilla is just peeking through.. this is a soft and natural-smelling vanilla - not the 'foody' type at all. But the dominant players here are the leather and balsam, the vanilla is fighting a losing battle. I find that this smells nicer at a distance - when I lean in to my arm where the oil was applied and take a big whiff, it's just too strong on the balsam and leather. However if I wave my arm around about a foot away from me, it wafts a much softer smell through the air and I can smell the vanilla much more. I'm not sure what to make of this, it's certainly an interesting one and not like any other leather blend I've tried so far in BPAL land. I'm reserving my judgement for now - I'm tempted to keep it and see how it ages, but I suspect that the balsam will only deepen over time.. however I'll keep fingers crossed that it softens instead and lets the vanilla come out more.