zankoku_zen

Coconut, sandalwood, and leather. This is a soft, sexy coconut leather blend. Good throw and wear length.

Clove, champaca musk, opium tar and honey. I didn't expect to like this so much. It sort of reminds me to a more brown-leather version of Voodoo Queen. So all of you ladies that have ever wanted to try Voodoo Queen, Le Redieau Cramoisi is like a kissing cousin. Not as complex as Voodoo Queen, but it has some of that sexy clove musk.

Red rose tobacco. Dark red roses, chewy tobacco. Just as advertised. Deeply sexy and sensual. Good throw and wear length.

Spicy carnations and incense. This one is actually much more wearable than I anticipated. Medium throw and wear length.

Vanilla coconut, patchouli, cashmere, suede, and a touch of patchouli. This one is a coconutty-sophisticated skin scent. Low throw, great wear length. This one smells just a little dirty, just a little glamorous, and very rich.

If crime is depicted it shall be as a sordid and unpleasant activity. Degenerate, squalid, and utterly wretched: bleached white cedar and bourbon vetiver with poplar, smoked cumin, oak-barrel whiskey, and a dribble of spiced rum absolute. OK, so I can see how this would scare people away between the vetiver and the smoked cumin. Let's just say that it starts off like a powerful brimstone smell. It dries pretty quickly to a smoky wood and whiskey/rum blend. Very masculine. Actually, sort of a slightly less piratey version of Jack Sparrow (oh, there's rum in there, and wood, and something not quite clean, but mascarading as a somewhat more respectable gent at the moment.) This is a scent for manly ruffians. Must like wood and whiskey, and the occasional smoke. Medium throw and wear length.

Okay, so this is a review based on me decanting this, and not because I've actually used it yet. This one has some attitude. It also has some spicy ginger. I sort of love to smell this, not sure if this is about my love for ginger OR zero fucks given and telling people to go jump in the lake. When asked to compare STFU vs FOWYB, I said: "I've used STFU and I'd say there's some overlap BUT STFU is passive, like a seal. FOWYB is way more active and assertive. So it's depends on your recipient? I'd use STFU if it's someone I'd still have to deal with. FOWYB would be for an individual I'd be OK with cutting off from my life entirely." Will edit this review if I ever use the FOWYB.

Smoky, musky vetiver and a touch of patchouli. Dark, foreboding, masculine. Great throw and wear length.

White tea, jasmine, and maybe a touch of leather. Honestly, this is mainly white tea/jasmine on me. Very light and feminine. Great throw and wear length.

Overlay of juniper over leather, sage, and black pepper. In some ways, this should have played out like Le Vice Supreme, but instead its a much more potent leather/sage blend. The sage softens up the chemicalness of the leather, and I get a softer herby leather, with black pepper offering some spicy overthrow. Medium throw, good wear length.

Luscious apricot/orange with touches of vanilla, honey, and oudh. This one was a prettier and more delicious blend than I anticipated. For those of you that sort of want a Jingo-Kogo style dupe, I'd give this a whirl. It's missing the sandalwood, of course. But you get some of that lovely fruit on, and then with the vanilla and honey making an appearance. Medium throw and wear length.

So this one is super interesting. I get a fair bit of gin which brings a ton of freshness, whiskey with a tinge of chewy tobacco, and some black leather lurking in the background. It smells like I would have hoped the GC Manhattan to smell like - a very urban sophisticated bar blend. I have to say that this is one of the more interesting BPAL blends I've tried in a long long time. I'm not sure I like it, but it's very interesting to wear and compelling. Cool, sophisticated, urban. Good throw and wear length.

Oudh, saffron and a touch of sandalwood. The oudh is kinda aquatic and super overpowering on me. And it doesn't smell great. This is a solid pass on me.

Chocolate marshmallow drizzled in creamy honey. This one is a soft, creamy marshmalloy chocolate. Low throw and wear length. Too foodie for me.

Cucumber, blue musk, and a touch of tar and almond. This one is a dark grey blue, fresh but the tar keeps it from being too fresh, the almond lends a bit of sweetness and the blue musk makes it oddly watery and dreamy.

Peppermint and vanilla. I was feeling a little down this morning, and wanted a boost. TA-DAH! I picked up some Lady Luck. So it's been an odd mixed bag. I forgot my metro card, but had enough money in my flex spending account through work to put $10 on my emergency metro card. I've had some good news and I've had some OK news. I'm currently on hold with Paypal due to weird restrictions going on. So I'll update this review afterwards to see how the resolution comes out.

Prosperity reminds me alot to Silva. There's a lot of earth energy in there, and you get this woodsy, piney, patchouli like blend. It smells dark and root, and very grounding. I used this with a bit of Tyche's Kiss, and focused on financial growth. I get the feeling that Prosperity, like Silva, is about the long-game and not so much about the immediate returns.

Black licorice, leather, and a hint of woods. The leather is definitely more of a brown leather, and I get an anise/fennel overlay over it. Rogue types, take note.

Oudh, iris, and light woods. This one has virtually no throw or wear length on me. It's a gorgeous wisp of a scent on wet, and then fades to nothing. SAD.

Whiskey and cardamom are much more present on wet, and then it dries down to a heavy caramel with a whiff of chocolate. Great throw and wear length. Very foodie. Ugh, this smells like amazing caramel chocolate.

Dark tobacco, smoke, patchouli and oud. This one is dark, heavy and chewy. Good throw and wear length.

DeSade, is that you? This is pretty much a softer version of DeSade. Loads of black leather, hint of amber. Great throw and wear length. *wrinkles nose*

Sweet pear with dusty chocolate. Good throw and wear length.

Vanilla, musk, and a dash of rice. This one is soft, sexy, and very wearable.

Fir, leaves, and honey fur. I swear, I am getting some soft fur from this. Soft, gentle, and cuddly. Low throw, good wear length.