zankoku_zen

Smoky ginger, hint of mint (or kudzu. Is kudzu minty?), honey and cream. It's a very intriguing scent, very well blended, but perhaps a little too odd for me to wear. That being said, it's one of the more original BPALs out there.

Tangerine, sandalwood and moss. On wet, the mandarin and tangerine are bright and sweet. As it dries it's more of a citrus tinged sandalwood and moss.

Plasticky vanilla, hints of peony and orchid. This is very sweet, and definitely not for me.

Pepper, clove and dark chocolate and something that smells like bubblegum candy. If you like a dark side of Jailbait (with CHOCOLATE), I'd give this a whirl.

Snowy lily and hints of iris. It reminds me to Cloister in Graveyard in the Snow actually. My skin eats this up though, sadly. It's a very pretty, haunting, silent scent though.

Coconut, carnation and amber. In some ways, this reminds me to Red Lantern, minus the caramel component.

Fruity, juicy floral. This is a jumble of smells but ends up smelling like a nice bouquet. It's a nice summery blend, and would actually work really well as a body lotion.

Ozone, snow, musk and hints of honeysuckle and pear. It's like a soft vanilla (except no vanilla) cuddle warmth. But made of SNOW. And OZONE. Which can be such harsh notes. Instead, this is like a snowflake making love to another snowflake on honeysuckle petals. HOT DAMN. I think I'm in love.

Strawberry candy and vanilla sugar. Really sweet. Sweet, candy, strawberry.

Black, musky coconut and brown sugar. It actually makes me think of coconut macaroons. It's got that heavy 'cookie/foodie' sort of smell to it. Yup, definitely coconut macaroons. Which is awesome if you love coconut macaroons and/or foodie blends.

Lilies and roses! It is mainly a lily blend until the first hour, and then the mix definitely switches to roses being more predominant. It's green, fresh, lilies and roses. This is a voluptuous and sophisticated floral. Heady.

Musky vanilla with warm amber notes and just a tiny hint of florals. Much better after 10 - 15 minutes, once the blend has a chance to settle down. This is a SEXY vanilla. I agree with the comparison to a leather catsuit, minus the leather component. This is smooth. You know, like Chris Isaac's Wicked Games voice as he croons and seduces you into bed. OFF to find a bottle. Or two. Goddamn. #winning

So, epically soft brown leather (hello, are you the brown leather note from Quincy Morris?), patchouli and oudh. And while I get the faintest whiff of lemon/rose/citrus every so often (I mean like every fourth sniff or something like that), this is essentially SOFT brown leather. BPAL's leather note is a total bully on my skin so I'm surprised at how deliciously soft this one is. That being said, way too masculine for me. But I imagine that a guy with the right skin chemistry would be able to SLAY anyone with a whiff of this. DEVASTATING.

Gingerbread with hints of mint and bubblegum. It's like a different take on Gingerbread Poppet. Warm, sugary, gingerbread. Too foodie for me.

Dry cedar and ashes. Very dry, hint of watery overlay. Strong, masculine dirty sort of smell.

GREEEN. This has the same green planty smell that Green Party and Planting Moon have... but available via the GC catalogue. It's a nice green, stem-like, breezy, clean smell.

Dirt, cedar, redwood and a hint of green. This smells manly and green.

Watermelon, lilac and dirty sandalwood, watery oakmoss. It kinda smells like watermelon + b.o. on me. EPIC FAIL.

Light fizziness and juicy peach. This smells more like peach candy than anything else.

Chillier menthol, hit of sweet peppermint and soft vanilla on the drydown. Cooler and mintier than last year's variation.

HONEY + gingerbread. It's like O smeared all over Gingerbread Poppet. Not a honey fan, but if I were, I'd track some of this down.

Red velvet cake, with an extra dose of milk chocolate. It's like Cake Smash, minus the frosting. Which was the part that went horribly awry on my skin. Delicious.

Boozy rum, hit of coconut and clove. And maybe pineapple? There's a slight sweet powderiness, like powdered sugar. It's like a boozy, tropical drink.

Almond and coconut dough. Tasty, but not for me.

Green, vegetable floral that on wet reminds me to Planting Moon/Green Party. However, as it dries, it goes more soapy. Pretty, green, tasty.