zankoku_zen

Dry, white rose blend. Rose, gardenia, magnolia, touch of lily. On me, it smells like sour rose because of the gardenia, which smells like wet wool. EPIC FAIL.

Pink rose, red rose, yellow rose, and maybe some white rose. Well, really, does it matter what color it is? This is ROSE, and something that smells almost like a jasmine overlay. PASS.

MANGO TEA! This smells exactly like mango black tea. I find that while I love to drink mango black tea, I'm less keen on it as an actual perfume. However, if you love mango blends, and there aren't that many in BPAL, this one has a pretty strong mango note. I would definitely check it out.

Vanilla with a buttery feeling and a giant honey dose, with some soft amber on the background. This is like a softer, more sophisticated version of O. Sexy, muted, honey.

Mourning Lace to me smells like clove cigarettes. HOT DAMN. Sweet clove, swirl of smoke, wood and cognac. It should smell masculine but it doesn't. For me, the smell of clove cigarettes is nostalgic - late nights out, slightly buzzed, and angst. To me, this is the equivalent of a Cure or Smiths song in perfume form. I feel like I should be reaching for black liquid eye liner now. Dark, brooding, angsty.

Strawberries and tea rose, with hints of cream and a swirl of incense. Definitely PINK. This is a sweet, candylike blend. In some ways, it reminds me to Pink Moon 07, but much more delicate. In some ways, the vibe is more like Weeping Branches Moon without the Asian florals mainly in the ethereal, wispy sort of way. Sweet, pink, candy.

Red rose and clear amber. It's a very close skin scent. If you love roses, this is a very skin, sensual blend.

Pine, patchouli, leather and clove. Oddly enough, this sort of reminds me to an RPG blend... Ranger, I think? Amping both the leather and pine, this is not my type of blend. Off to a more loving home.

Smoky bacon, rose and honey. So the bacon-like smoke disappears as it dries, so I'm left with a smoky rose/honey blend. Being a fan of neither, I'm going to send this on to a more loving home. Dark, sexy, rose.

Green tea (oh matcha!) with plum, patchouli, and ambergris. It's a very green tea/patchouli scent. Interesting, but not for me.

Citrus, musk and sage. Pretty, light, fresh. The sage is too much for me personally, but other than that this would be a lovely spring blend, or perfect for a wedding.

Sweet, almost peach-like florals and musk, with a hint of cold ambergris. It really does remind me to Tamora, but less heavy. Too sweet for me.

Linen with a hint of sandalwood. This is a clean, manly aftershave. Ditto with the hint of soapiness. Better than Old Spice.

Dusty cinnamon, boozy rum, and something that smells like spoiled egg nog. This is utterly wretched on my skin and gives me a headache. Actually, it probably smells like the Monday after the Christmas office party - in which the bowl that the egg nog has been overturned, and it just sort of sat on the carpet over the weekend and when you come in Monday you realize what a mess the conference room carpet is. SKIN FAIL.

HGM 2011 is nothing like the original Hungry Ghost Moon. The original to me was very candylike ginger sweetness. This one has more of a bitter grapefruit pith overlay, the ginger is more like gingerbread with hints of wisteria. It's like a ghost tookover a gingerbread house left over from Christmas. A ghost that smells like wisteria. Thereby, I rename thee: Haunted Wisteria Lane Gingerbread House. It doesn't smell like murder, but what do I know about ghosts and Wisteria Lanes?

Pine, peach musk and a hint of tuberose. I was hoping for an icy, chilly snow like from Kingfisher, but this is straight up PINE, mixed with tuberose. Which oddly makes it smell like a bit like a cleanser. SKIN FAIL.

OMG. This blend is fabulous. It's a smoky teak wood and bay rum blend. It's like a sexy japanese pirate. Take Johnny Depp and make him asian. Sexy, adventurous, manly. I'm going to try and slather this on mr. zee_zee now....

Patchouli, cumin, and a hint of honey and tobacco. Or as sunshinedaisybliss put it: "Patchouli curry with honey sauce, mixed with cigarettes and garnished with a sprig of mint. "

LEATHER + HONEY. I get occasional hints of tobacco, but in general its a brown leather + honey blend. Being a fan of neither of predominant notes, I'm going to pass on this one.

Roses, with a hint of lilac and peony. It isn't the lush red rose from say Peacock Queen or Rose Red. This one is a sweeter, milder rose note. Definitely pink. Pretty, but not for me. On the other hand, if you like rose blends, this would be a KILLER bridal perfume.

Creamy honey with a touch of pear. It's sweetly cloying, but unfortunately the BPAL's cream note tends to go plasticky on me on the drydown and this isn't an exception. I bet its a delicious pear scent on the person with the right skin chemistry.

Sexy woods. I get vanilla orchid, sandalwood, and patchouli. It's dark and potently sexy. It was odd to smell alcohol in a BPAL blend, but it dissipated quickly. Smooth, dusky, woodsy.

Sumai no Sechie was a surprise. It smells light, fresh and fruity. Fig, muguet and ylang ylang. I may have to retry again and see if I need more.

Sweet apricot, honey and jasmine. Sweet fruity jasmine floral. Mr. zee_zee however is a a not a jasmine fan. At all.

Honey, furry musk, nuts and a hint of berries. On the drydown, my skin amps up the nuts and honey, so it makes me think of some of the Yule scents like Hanerot Halalu.