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BPAL Madness!

trinitysite

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Everything posted by trinitysite

  1. trinitysite

    Tombstone

    I was going through a box of imps and wanted to try this. I thought it smelled like leather or tobacco in the bottle, and I got a little bit of leather initially on application. Then it just turned strange. Maybe root beer? I do not want to smell like root beer. Fortunately that faded quickly and now it's just a woodsy vanilla. It's a much darker and deeper vanilla than the other vanilla blends I like, and despite the smell right on application I'll keep the imp around. No way I'd get a bottle, though. There have to be better masculine vanillas out there.
  2. trinitysite

    Snow Snake

    No snow, all Snake Oil! I truly can't tell the difference between this one and regular Snake Oil - maybe a little vanilla or something right when I put it on, but that vanishes right away.
  3. trinitysite

    By Thys Fyre I Warme My Handys

    In the bottle, the honey and spices are most prominent, but when I put it on my skin amps the wine like crazy. Fortunately, the wine fades after a while, and the spices and bread become more prominent. The smoke is just a whisper in the background. It honestly reminds me a little of glogg. Like, don't love.
  4. trinitysite

    Sunrise in Winter

    I found this in a box, and I couldn't remember how I received it (in a swap?) and why it was in the box (because I didn't like it?), but it smelled nice in the bottle - cold citrus and grass - so I thought I'd try it again. And then immediately regretted it, probably because of the oud. I have mixed feelings about vetiver as well. I did not wash it off at that point because I got distracted with something else, but I eventually realized that the oud, or whatever the yucky note was, had gone away entirely and I was left with something similar to the cold grass, cold citrus that I got in the bottle. It was nice! And definitely well-named, as it's very evocative of that weak wintery light. Seems to have minimal throw. As to wear length, it fades but doesn't disappear.
  5. trinitysite

    Sugar Cookie Snake Oil

    This has quite the throw! I didn't let it sit very long out of the mail. The first time I wore it, what I got was "sexy gingerbread." I also got a strong maple syrup note, but that wasn't present the next time, so it might have been related to the bottle not resting enough after being in the mail and the cold. Not sure where the Snake Oil is, exactly. I'm not huge into foodie scents, so I was hoping for heavy on the snek and a lil bit of sugar - which isn't what I got. Today, I had a skin reaction that in the past I've only gotten with cinnamon, so this bottle might not be for me.
  6. trinitysite

    Snake Smut

    I never really understood Snake Oil - it was a little too pungent for me - until someone frimped me aged Snake Oil and that was, of course, an entirely different experience. So I wanted to try Snake Smut and I am not disappointed. It's a mellower Snake Oil. I think I can pick out the cardamom note, and just the tiniest bit of patchouli. Not sure if I can find the leather, but I've recently become leather-curious and whatever this is I like it. It makes me want to bite it. I've never bought an extra bottle just to age before, but this might be worth it.
  7. trinitysite

    Inspecting the Lantern

    This starts as a smoky chamomile but dries down into a honeyed floral. I love tuberose, but I was hoping that the cedar, moss and cardamom would ground it into something darker and spicier - which didn't happen. Ultimately, it's just not as interesting as I thought it could be. However: chamomile! Such an interesting note! I'm going to look for more of it elsewhere.
  8. trinitysite

    Balancing the Sake Cup

    This one goes on weird but settles down to orange blossom and clove most prominent, which was exactly what I wanted since one of my discontinued faves is Succubus, which also highlights orange blossom/clove. I'd say that this is heavier or darker than Succubus. I'm not sure what the ginger is doing or why it is candied. Gonna see how long this one lasts on my skin, and try it a few more times before buying a bottle but I'm hopeful.
  9. trinitysite

    Vernal Equinox Full Moon

    In the bottle, this is so very floral, but when I put it on whoa here comes the amber! I like amber, so this is a good thing - it's the same amber as in Falling Leaves Moon. It's interesting to have it in scents attached to opposite liminal seasons. Anyway, after a while some nice fresh florals come out. I love bulbs and greeny green florals. I really like this, and I'm sure it's benefitted from aging a year.
  10. trinitysite

    Matthew 18:6

    In the imp, it's all champacha. When I put it on, it initially went all powdery, but after an hour or so it's a sweet floral honey. This is nice, sunshiney, and for spring/summer.
  11. trinitysite

    V'al Hanissim

    I've found beeswax to be a milder honey note, but here is comes out as pure golden sticky sticky honey. I'm not even sure if I can find the amber, perhaps a little bit of spice as it dries down but it's overpowered by the beeswax. Perhaps it would benefit from some aging? Updating: Oh yes, letting it sit for a while improved things immensely. Mellow beeswax, not sticky honey, and nice lil amber with a teeny-tiny bit of spice. This went from a "nope" to a "should I buy a bottle"?
  12. trinitysite

    Amber & Cardamom

    I love cardamom and haven't found a cardamom-forward blend yet. This is straight-up cardamom in the bottle, and when I put it on it's just warm and spicy and delicious (but not, like, food.) I might be having some weird skin reaction (usually cinnamon/cassia messes me up, I've never had a problem with anything else) -- and that would be super tragic, because otherwise I'd be buying a bottle of this right. now.
  13. trinitysite

    Liquid Gold is in the Air

    Oh I thought I was going to love this, and I do not! It's very appley-apples, similar to the apple note in Sjofn. Definitely lighter than I expected, and very sweet. I can't pick out anything specific, but the sweetness is probably the honey and amber. There is definitely something autumnal about it, like Samhain's younger and girlier cousin. Unfortunately, there's also a sour and discordant note - might be cedar, might be oud, might be the honey going all weird on me. It fades quickly. I wanted this to be nice, but there's just something off about it.
  14. trinitysite

    Flickering Lights, Fluttering Curtains

    Ghost lace! Warm vanilla with a hint of spice. Unfortunately, this ghost is too unsubstantial for me -- it faded so, so quickly. I do like vanilla scents right before bed, though, so I'll use it my imp for that.
  15. trinitysite

    An Open Grave Underneath the Heavy Leaves

    The grass is a lot greener than I expected - maybe even more of a spring scent than an autumnal one. (I was expecting the dead leaves, too.) It's sweet and a little spicy. I would prefer if it had more throw, and it seems like it fades fairly quickly. If it stuck around longer I'd be interested in buying a bottle, but I'm just going to enjoy my imp while it lasts. I want to compare this to Hay Moon, which I think is heavier on herbs and overall spicier.
  16. trinitysite

    The Ghosts of the Year

    I get spicy oakmoss, musk, and amber. There's a little bit of citrus from the lemongrass right at the beginning, but it fades quickly, and the lavender is just harmonizing, not prominent at all. There's some similarities to And Sing, And Sing, but this is softer and sweeter. I wanted to try this because of the oakmoss, which I really like, but sometimes it just amps like crazy -- and the oakmoss seems to be more settled here. I like this, but it's not distinctive enough that I want a whole bottle.
  17. trinitysite

    Dead Leaves, White Champa, and Palo Santo

    Wet: I barely get the dead leaves note at all, and it's a little citrusy. Dry: All of the notes blend together. It's very sweet, and perhaps incense-y without being heavy. Very calm. I think I'd want to wear this on days when I'm looking for stability, maybe even at night before going to bed. I don't think I've tried anything with palo santo before - definitely a note I might want to look out for in the future.
  18. trinitysite

    In Night When Colors All to Black Are Cast

    This reminds me of Mircalla, Countess Karnstein - which I like but is way too feminine for me to wear regularly. (I'm also not sure what the overlap is besides musk, but that's red musk vs whatever musk is in here.) Dark, heavy, and purple, and far too much. I might let this sit for a while and see what happens with the champa/myrrh situation, which is a combo I love. But the musk and honey could be teaming up to make this a no-go for me. I'm already planning to put it in a bath bomb though.
  19. trinitysite

    Socrates

    So this goes on very herbal and masculine, and the tones down to warm frankincense. There seems to be some kind of amber note, which is either the olive blossom or the ambergris (or both?) I get the fancy-pants bath product analogy, almost like something attached to a very expensive shaving cream for people who shave their faces. Is that even a thing? (Fancy shaving cream, not face-shaving. I am familiar with people who do the latter.) I think I like it, but it fades too quickly to make a strong impression. It does make me want to try more olive blossom blends though.
  20. trinitysite

    Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse

    I never reviewed this and it's actually one of my favorites! So here is a story: I grew up in Madison, WI, and one of the things tweens and teens do for fun is walk up and down State Street, which is a pedestrian-only street connecting the state capitol building to the university. One of the stores that I would always stop in was called Soap Opera >does a quick google search, it still exists< which had all sorts of good-smelling products, so I'd always walk around there and smell all the things. So Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse initially gave me an intense memory of stepping in to Soap Opera. Very comforting and relaxing and nostalgic. That being said, winter solstice and lunar eclipses are things that I like very much! And this scent strikes me as complex! There's a fruitiness (currant, blackberry?) and the white pine note feels familiar from Perchta, more of a sweetness than piney-pine. Cold and wintry - I always like wearing this around the solstice, and it wouldn't feel right any other time of year. Not fruity, not floral, not spicy, just something different. Chypre would be a great Scrabble word but I'm not sure how it contributes to the scent. Decent throw, and sticks around for a while. If I had a never-ending supply of this, I would also make bath bombs! Anyway, I love love love this.
  21. trinitysite

    Let America Be America Again

    I also made the mistake of trying this just off the mail truck, and it was grass! and cloves! and everything clashed and then I remembered to wait a few days. So. The grassiness does come through right away, but it's a really unique/interesting blend with the cloves. The green grass dies down fairly quickly, and it ends up with a spiciness that I can best define as "juicy." (I was going to say "fruity," but I think "juicy" is more accurate.) Not overly spicy, but definitely dark. Purple-fruited*? I'll take it! Glad I bought this. I just taught this poem in my civics class. * Just read The Westing Game to my big kid, couldn't resist. Purple waves!
  22. trinitysite

    Hope is the Thing With Feathers

    Add this to my quest for "honey that doesn't amp." (I don't know why I'm so obsessed with finding a honey scent that works. The only one that gets there so far is Fortuna Balnearis.) And...this comes close, but not quite right. The honey doesn't start out dominant, but it becomes dominant after about half an hour. I love jasmine but I can't identify it individually. Soft and sweet, and floral (which I thinks is the osmanthus, and maybe I should look for more blends with osmanthus?) but the amber keeps it from being floral overload. My go-to is always spicy autumnal scents, and I like this, and it's good to branch out a little.
  23. trinitysite

    Falling Leaves Moon 2020

    I like green, and I like spicy, and I like this! It does go on super-green - none of the Dead Leaves have quite worked with me before, but it's definitely more Dead Leaves than super greeny leaves. The spices come out pretty quickly. Usually cardamom ends up buried on me, but I'd say the cardamom and amber are the most forward notes. I usually think of cinnamon, cardamom, and saffron as warm notes, but here they're cold. Green and golden-brown. A little sweet, and gender-neutral: I (nb) love this, and I think it would smell great on my (male) partner as well. I sometimes have a skin reaction to cinnamon, but no problems here.
  24. trinitysite

    Social Justice Paladin

    Champaca has been an obsession for a while now, and this scent is very champaca-forward, with the spiciness from frankincense and a mellow amber. I'm not sure how or if the lemon peel is contributing, which is good because I was nervous about too much lemony citrus stuff. Warm, sweet, and floral - on the feminine side but not girly, if that makes sense. The first few times I wore it the scent faded fast and just became kind of powdery, but today I decided to slather it on and it's still going strong hours later, and actually seems to have more of a spice note too. I wore this for good energy while working on the election this year - but it's not just the smell of phonebanking.
  25. trinitysite

    In Necessarias Unitas

    Patchouli sometimes works on me, but sometimes comes across as too bitter. Initially I thought this was going to be a yucky patchouli note, but it's now very woodsy and warm, and definitely on the masculine side, but not too heavy. I'm not getting much throw.
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