Amoraexcena

This is surprisingly foody on my skin. I'm getting a pillow-y soft French pastry filled with vanilla cream and dusted with lots of powdered sugar. It reminds me a bit of a simplified Midway. The frankincense is truly quite sheer and I wouldn't know that it's a note if it wasn't listed. I think I'll try this layered with Hope and Fear Set Free or Mummies of Mexico City - something very resin-forward and not as sugary, to balance it them out a bit and bring this into more gourmand territory rather than foody.

I like this a lot for its layering possibilities! It's also gentle and approachable and pleasant alone - something I might wear when I hang out with little kids, perhaps (I need to compensate for my resting-serious-face somehow). I feel like my young nephews/nieces would like smelling this.

On me, this is a pretty potent, spicy clove, sweetened around the edges with creamy caramel milk. It's much more foody than what I usually wear (I like "perfumey" scents usually) but it's very enjoyable, surprisingly not cloying at all. 

I don't have any clove-forward scents in my collection, so this will fit in nicely. It strikes me as a winter scent - something to wear while curled up in front of a fire (well, a fireplace stream on YT 😅) with a mug of hot tea and a good book.

With the early cherry blossoms in Vancouver being absolutely battered by hail and torrential rain (😭), I'm wearing Cherry Blossom Vulva in a prayer that the weather stop being so jealous. Let us enjoy the ephemeral sakura please!!! 

CB Vulva is a sweet, creamy, pale-pink floral. The gardenia doesn't go sharp on my skin, thankfully. It's a fresh, airy, pretty spring scent. The kind of scent you'd wear on the first day that it's warm enough to wear a cute floral dress instead of the layers of fleece and waterproof gear you've been sporting for a little too long. It's gaining momentum in my perfume rotation lately, at least, certainly until the many bottles of Glowing Vulva I bought arrive at my doorstep 😆

I feel like we need a Vanilla Sugar-dusted Cinnamon Sufganiyot just for you, vanilla323 😉 (I would buy that too)

This is another scent that I had hoped would get a little more smooth and sweet with age, but it's mostly wood-powder frankincense on my skin. A previous reviewer called it birthday cake baked by trees, and I think that's pretty spot-on, though my skin seems to be eating up all but a smidge of sweetness. The Lab's frank note is often very dry and woodsy on me, and I usually prefer their golden amber, grey amber, and labdanum for resins, I think (La Lugubre Gondola being my favourite). 

I really have to be in the mood for a woodsy scent to wear this. Maybe it's a good hiking scent for the summer. I also think I prefer Mummies of Mexico CIty - that one, though I think it's also frankincense-based, has something that does the opposite of Hope and Fear and gets sweeter on my skin (it smells really austere-church-y in the bottle). They're all enjoyable still, but I'm still on the hunt for another sweet, syrupy resin scent like my beloved LLG.

On my skin, this is almost single-note geranium, with a tiny bit of supporting white and black musk. I was hoping age would bring out some smooth patchouli and sweet vanilla, but it doesn't seem to be the case. I have a lot of sweeter florals, laces, and black musk scents that I prefer, so I think it's time to let this one go to someone else whose skin chemistry doesn't sadly flatten it into pure geranium. 

It's a fun red oil that doesn't stain my pale skin. At first, it's almost all beeswax (this is not an issue, I love beeswax). Then, frankincense blooms and plants its feet firmly on my skin. Definitely a church resin incense vibe, as others have noted. The other notes play around the edges of the frankincense, but I probably couldn't pick them out without the notes listed except maybe the ambrette seed's light, white musk vibe. I think I prefer this one as a room scent rather than on my skin - it's definitely got great ambiance. Pretty good throw and wear length.

45 minutes ago, PrinceofcatS said:

The first thing that came to my mind is Edith Cushing (Pearlescent vanilla musk with white sandalwood, grey amber, white patchouli, ambrette seed, and oudh), but I think getting it is probably hard these days. However, it's not too dissimilar to Lyonesse (Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss) in the general catalogue. If you haven't tried Tomie (A seductive and deceptively delicate blend of rose-tinted white sandalwood, ethereal white amber, voluptuous almond blossom, coeur de jasmin, and a gasp of bourbon vanilla), you absolutely must.

 

The 2019 White Gardenia and Vanilla Cream duet might appeal to you, as might The Bride from 2016 (Vanilla chiffon, honey musk, and pale magnolia) if you can find it. If you like florals, you might go even more floral-y with Victoria from the Stardust collection (Graceful vanilla musk, tea rose, and stargazer lily), which has a really beautiful vanilla musk, and The Torture Queen from the Carnaval Diabolique sees up your alley (White amber, vanilla musk, white tea, ambergris, gardenia, and chrome). Additionally if you haven't tried them, A Mouse's Long and Sad Tale (Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood), Good (Shimmering celestial musk with vanilla, white honey, acacia, and sugar cane) and Tamora (Amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom and vanilla bean) in the GC are just lovely ethereal vanillas.

 

I haven't tried it but I've seen other Zorya P lovers enthuse about The Little Silver Scimitar (Foamy orris and ambergris accord pierced by a sliver of white fir needle, moonflower, and cypress), and I used to adore The Haunted Beach before my skin chemistry changed (Pale, moonlit musk, sea salt, and ambergris), though that's also from 2016.

 

For your darker side, I have fewer suggestions, but The Antikythera Mechanism (Teakwood, oak, black vanilla, and tobacco) seems appropriate, as do Tombeur (Deadly and seductive: vanilla-infused sandalwood, blood musk, antique patchouli, vetiver, lavender, bitter almond, amber, and a trickle of Snake Oil) and The Illustrated Woman (Skin musk, smoky vanilla, pine pitch, patchouli, Indian resins, golden honey, and tobacco). And it's nothing new but Haunted of course (Soft golden amber darkened with a touch of murky black musk) is a classic.

Thank you so much for your detailed recommendations!!! I liked Edith Cushing and love Lyonesse, though unfortunately something in Lyonesse irritates my skin. Lyonesse is the only one that I've tested that does this in the 100s of BPALs I've tried. I should really wear it in a scent locket. I also own The Bride (love!), MLST, and Tamora - excellent recommendations, I feel like you've read me like a book! I'll have to try Victoria, The Torture Queen, and Illustrated Woman! And I"ll try to find The Silver Scimitar and The Haunted Beach. Thanks again!

I need to cheat a little, because I have a "light" top 5 and "dark" top 5. Light are my ethereal tobacco flowers, light vanillas, brittle ambers. Dark are my sugary incenses, deep resins, dark patchoulis, oudh. 

Light 

1. Antique Lace (OG)

2. Zorya P

3. To a Wreath of Snow

4. Crinoline and Lace

5. Pediophobia

Dark

1. Sugared Lace

2. Banshee Beat

3. Shadow Lace

4. La Lugubre Gondola

5. Implacable Beautiful Tyrant (aged, after which it gets deeper and loses a bit of the ginger-brightness)

Gorgeous sweet patch, welcoming, refined vanilla, and golden, resiny woods. This is exactly what I want my room to smell like. It's got just a little too much woods for my skin, but for my home? Utter perfection. This has aged incredibly too, as you might expect from the notes. This is kind of what I imagine the guest bedrooms of Rivendell to smell like. 

Have you tried Dracul? It definitely evokes Victorian gentleman for me. Notes are black musk, tobacco, fir, balsam of peru, cumin, bitter clove, crushed mint, and orange blossom - it's definitely dark to me, with that black musk and tobacco, and a touch of floral orange blossom.

Plum is a note I have very fond memories of. I was pretty adverse to fragrances growing up (my father hated them). The only thing I used with fragrance were fruity Body Shop butters, and their scent dissipates quickly. When I started making adult money, and started to frequent department stores, I usually avoided the overwhelming scent clouds of the fragrance sections. One day though, I caught a whiff of a fruity-floral-musky scent that I really liked - Mediterranean, by Elizabeth Arden - and I learned that one of its main fruit notes was plum. I went through a short department store perfume phase after getting that one, and then a year or two later, was introduced to BPAL. 

BPAL's plum is fantastic, and this is one of my favourite iterations. On me, Shadow Lace is a musky plum oudh, sweet, dark, mysterious, and utterly gorgeous. Something in it also suggests lightly floral too, maybe it's a floral vanilla. I get a similar creaminess to Sugared Lace under that dark purple veil. 

Really, really lovely. 

I remember getting a few bottles of Banshee Beat when it was on sale - I was iffy on it at first, because patch rarely works on me and hemp scared me a little - but the reviews had convinced me I had to try it. One of my best BPAL decisions ever! BB has aged gloriously - the perfect blend of sweet vanilla and high-quality, gently earthy patch and a touch of hemp. It's the patch I reach for most. I'm probably getting a bottle of the recent OLOP Feed Me and Fill Me with Pleasure in the hopes that it's similar to this beloved scent. I hope RR is re-run again one day so everyone can have some of this comforting loveliness.

I love scents in this family - Zorya P, To a Wreath of Snow - and always on the lookout for variations. 

Pediophobia has that stunningly realistic cracked porcelain note that differentiates it from its cousins. It reminds me of a haunted porcelain doll that someone has shattered out of terror, its white shards littering the floor, ready to draw blood. It's somewhat disconcerting and absolutely perfect for a scent representing phobia of dolls. The cognac, white tobacco, and vanilla definitely makes it smell like it could be a Lace as well ("Porcelain Lace" or "Haunted Lace" would probably what I'd name it if I didn't know its proper name).

Honestly, that porcelain is so fascinating and it boggles my mind how Beth is able to make a porcelain accord that's so real. Unique, captivating, haunting. I hope this one either makes a comeback or something like it - Haunted Lace, for Weenies? 😍 - is released one day. 

I'm going through my collection right now and trying to let go of some bottles that aren't getting enough love, and make some room for new. This is definitely staying. I don't remember which vintage this one is, unfortunately - I sometimes forget to log in to the site before ordering so I don't have full order history on me either. It's the label with 2 women, one with high-heeled feet/legs up. My guess is 2017. Anyway...

It's gorgeous. As SO is wont to do, it's mellowed and aged into a gorgeous SO variant. The leather isn't medicinal to my nose, though it's not suede-soft either - I think of this as a high-quality, thick, brown pebbled leather scent. I get a touch of smokiness, not sure where that's coming from. Personally, I find SO a little too intense for me most days, and I think this blend is a little more wearable on my skin. Really beautiful. It's joining Batty Lace and CC:F into my autumn leather scent rotation.

I've been delaying my Luper order this year to wait for a few reviews, but I'm getting desperate for some nice sweet Shungas, so I'm wearing and reviewing some from past collections. This one is less vulva and more juicy fruit, as others have mentioned. I was looking for a peach- or apricot-centric scent at the time, so this definitely scratched that itch. The only other BPAL I have that has apricot is Haloes, and I find that one (though utterly beautiful) isn't quite apricot-y enough for when I want that lovely juicy stone fruit. 

This is a fresh, ripe white-peach-and-apricot fruit salad with a bit of light ricemilk syrup. I thought the amber and cardamom might become more noticeable with age, but not really! Still a sweet, satisfying stone fruit scent. Not much throw - I tend to slather this one more than I do with most other BPALs. I like wearing this with my Peach-Pulped Frankincense Hair Gloss if I feel like a tad more resin. 

Snow Moon is coming back soon, and nearly 20 years after this scent's release, I'm reviewing it 😅 

The 2005 version is in the beautiful cobalt blue bottle, which goes so well with the blue and white snowflake label. Even though it's in the blue bottle and almost 20 years old, the fragrance still somehow smells pure and fresh (and certainly not "off" at all). 

The scent is slushy sweet fir sap, frozen with fancy winter blooms. Rose usually amps on me but stays well blended. It's got some Yule-like spice dusting as well. A lot of people have said "pine", but I don't get much similarity with, say, The Wiley Grasser, which definitely has the pine note. They're both unmistakingly evergreens, but quite different.

Another one of my favourite winter scents. I'm looking forward to seeing what the 2024 Snow Moon is going to be like!

To a Wreath of Snow was my favourite of the 2020 Yules. This is the blend that made me realize how much I love tobacco flower/nicotiana. This is perfect "winter-cold flower" in a bottle, with a touch of lavender, ambergris-saltiness, and the beautiful oudh (not-woody variety). This and Zorya P are also the scents that made me start collecting more tobacco flower perfumes. I look forward to every new one Beth creates now 😍 

It's a top 3 winter scent - I wear it almost every day in winter for my dog's daily morning walks. So happy it came back in 2023 so more people can enjoy it (and so I can grab two more backup bottles!) 

Echoing what Little Bird said - at first, I was honestly a little disappointed in this when I first got it, especially because I got two bottles blind. It was really cloyingly sweet, almost caramel-single-note. It's such a good reminder to never judge a scent by its just-shipped-cover.

Now that it's settled down for a month or so, it's got a LOT more depth and chewiness. I get a well-balanced blend of leather and tobacco smoke, sweetened just enough by vanilla-caramel-musk. I don't get much floral, and it's not going to scratch my OG Antique Lace itch, but that's okay (I just wore some of my preciously hoarded OG AL yesterday - I'll just continue to treasure each drop of that). I'll definitely add this to my rotation for autumn scents. I think I might like it even better than Clockwork Couture: Female. This is a lovely, sweet, well-blended leather scent and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how it continues to improve with age.

Definitely Boo-adjacent! Sweet milky candy with a pretty hefty dusting of slightly powdery light amber. Lately I like my amber with a bit more oomph and depth, but this is very pleasant and youthful-feeling. If I don't wear it much, I might gift it to my younger sister. 

Strangely, on me this is 98% floral - and not very similar to the tobacco flower I love in Zorya P or To a Wreath of Snow or Pediophobia. It's rather... austere? It definitely smells WHITE, almost clinically so, on my skin. This black tea is definitely has 0 sugar added! It's more "fougere" than tea (and I suspect there are other florals in that fougere that I'm amping, though I can't quite tell what they are). I'm going to let it age for a while in the hopes that I get a touch more warmth from the amber. 

I didn't realize I hadn't reviewed this one! 

I knew from the notes that this was going to age magnificently, and it really has. It's the sweet amber-oudh of my dreams, with hints of cola (vanilla and light spices and an almost lime-rind undertone). It's thick and chewy and warm, it's comfortingly dark, it's great. The only sad thing is that I had a rare spill with this one and I lost a third of the bottle I so cherish. 

A very sophisticated, cool-toned floral. I amp rose, but it's not getting out of control here (thank goodness, I have enough rose-forward blends to last me several lifetimes). The florals are well blended and I wouldn't be able to pick out a specific one here without notes, I think. I was also a tad worried about almond blossom (almond loves to go bitter cherry on me), but this is most definitely not bitter almond, but the gentle flower. I wish this was a tad sweeter for my personal tastes, but it's beautiful - something I'd wear to a very "grown-up" gathering, like a black tie party in a private yacht. As mentioned above, fans of Ava should definitely give this a try. 

It's always really interesting to me how different scents are from skin to skin. On me, Cat Churning Butter is creamy, salty butter that's been slightly sweetened by powdered sugar. Butter is definitely the spotlight here. It's not really what I was expecting or hoping for, but I adore the label art and I think I'll occasionally feel like I need to smell like buttery sugar cookie dough. The label art alone makes me smile. 

Testing the frottle the lab generously included in my last order! It's peaches and berry port jelly when wet. Very sticky-sweet. The tobacco is subtle and gentle and only emerges after fully dry on my skin. 

It definitely gives summer fair vibes!