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BPAL Madness!

zankoku_zen

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Everything posted by zankoku_zen

  1. zankoku_zen

    The Oblation

    At first, it had the almost salty, herbal sharpness of lavender. And on wet, it was lavender and blackberry in an even footing. As it dried I got a sweet blackberry blend (not too sweet, but thanks honey for the extra jolt of sugar here!) with floral hints. It's a sweet, fruity/floral blend, perfect for spring/early summer. This is a perfect blackberry in the sun. The day is not so hot, it's just nice warm and airy. This definitely screamed "Spring" to me. I'm beginning to think I have a weakness for blackberry...
  2. zankoku_zen

    PPGC92

    Lots of love to a special forumite (who will go un-named atm) who sent me a sniffie of this beauty. Thanks for your generosity and the chance to try this out. Okay...my skin chemistry didn't cooperate with this one. In the vial there was a strong buttery note to it. On wet, it was very vanilla and oatmeal, and more doughy than cakey in my mind. As it dried, I definitely got a 'strong' oatmeal note and it started to smell like this amazing oatmeal raisin cookie dough, but just a teensy bit salty. After about forty minutes, the vanilla went to plastic, and it smelled like plastic oatmeal. Even my husband agreed with me and asked "What happened? It smelled like cookies a few minutes ago!" No yummy carrot cake. No buttercream. Just... *sigh* Heartbroken. Woe is me. Hazarding a guess, I got a strong oatmeal from this, so perhaps this was kin to the Sleepy Hollow blend, Gunpowder which was eventually released.
  3. zankoku_zen

    Iron Phoenix v2

    Okay, when I first uncork this I get the same metal/chrome note as in Torture Queen and Bed of Nails. I'm wondering if this doesn't have some bay (it kinda reminds me to Azazel) and white tea. There's a certain 'lightness' to it that puts me in mind of white tea. Lighter than both Torture Queen or Bed of Nails, it does have a certain 'masculine' flair to it.
  4. zankoku_zen

    Ol' Roswell Cemetery

    I do smell some of the dirt in the vial, but not when I apply it. On me, rose has always been a dominant note. And here it's a very lemony, citrus rose. It's kinda soapy. I'm glad I got to try it... and even happier it didn't work out.
  5. This one is a nice sake/apricot blend with a woodsy base. I mean it sounds so simple, but it's not. It's gorgeous in a straight forward manner that belies how everything is so well blended together. For me, this has the same appeal as Ebisu. Whereas Ebisu is a 'salty/aquatic', this one is a warm woodsy blend. But since I do have Ebisu, I think I'll pass on more of this. But yeah, this ranks pretty high up there.
  6. zankoku_zen

    Eight Views of Actors in Their Dressing Rooms

    This did kinda make me think of Manhattan, minus the leather. At the beginning, it had a sharp floral which was the tuberose, I suspect, and now that it's dried it's less prominent and I get yuzu and tea. It's a little 'house cleaner'ish for me. So I'll pass this along to a more loving home. ETA: Tested the prototype out. I definitely get more of the tangerine, and I think there might be oakmoss in it, because it ends up smelling a hell of a lot like Ebisu on me after it dries down. I kinda enjoy the fact that there isn't s sharp floral in there, and it's more of a fruit + slight musk going on. But yeah, the best comparison is to the previous Lupercalia, Ebisu. It smells really similar to that on me.
  7. zankoku_zen

    Midnight Mass

    This one started as a nice rich smoky incense, and ended up in plain old cedar. Nuts.
  8. zankoku_zen

    Agapē

    Wow, this is a super sweet fruity scent. I get a lot of sweet pea at the beginning with juicy fruits. As it dries, I get more of the sugar cane, the guava and the vanilla cream. Unfortunately, the vanilla cream turns a bit plasticky, making the fruit smell fake. BAH. SAD.
  9. zankoku_zen

    Hexennacht (2008)

    This perfume is the scent of the witches' revel: German fir and forest herbs, incense and bonfire smoke, infernal flora, glowing amber, and the wet, glimmering scent of skin warmed by dance. I liked this one better than the 05 version. I got a plummy kind of incensey floral spring. It kinda reminded me of a lighter more floral Devil's Night. Very pretty, very fun.
  10. zankoku_zen

    Night's Pavilion

    This was a sweet lily with a hint of melon actually, but then it went powdery with a hint of cedar. Yeah.... not so much.
  11. zankoku_zen

    Hanerot Halalu

    I was hoping for a more orange blend, but I get a ton of beeswax and it kinda smells like honey, but less cloying and sweet. As it dries, it kinda smells like an almond cookie on my skin. *sigh*
  12. zankoku_zen

    Manipura

    Hmmm... I have to say that at first I get a citrusy Dragon's Blood. As it dries, the DB is still prominent and I get hints of smoky vetiver, which just adds a kind of 'dirt' component to the blend. I'm not fond of the smell itself. But I haven't used it for it's intended purpose either.
  13. zankoku_zen

    Chaos Theory IV: Edge of Chaos

    MCCXLVI Definitely a sugary raspberry tart/baked good going on. However, I get some very boozy components to it, kinda like a whiskey because it was a slight 'wood' tone to it along with hints of brown sugar. Unfortunately, the raspberry fades on me on the drydown and I get a slightly muskiness to it, making it basically a boozy sort of cake with brown sugar. I was hoping for something less boozy and sweeter. Previously reviewed by naeelah
  14. zankoku_zen

    Penitence

    This one has an interesting almost dirty patchouli smell to it, with sweet smokiness. I'm not a huge straight up resin fan, so I think I'll let this go...
  15. zankoku_zen

    Hymn

    Mmm... Rose soap. This one is fresh, clean.... and yes, it does smell like the original Dove soap. If you dig that, this is the blend for you!
  16. zankoku_zen

    Kanishta

    This one is an opium and jasmine blend. The opium should have kept the jasmine from being too sharp, but it isn't. I think the kush is what gives this a woody kind of base. Meh.
  17. zankoku_zen

    Dark Chocolate and Pepper-Smoked Caramel

    On wet, this was straight up caramel. As it dried, I got more of the chocolate and the pepper. On the drydown, I can definitely smell the pepper and the sweetness of the caramel with a faint dusting of bitter chocolate/cacao. Caramel can be too heavy and sweet on me, and this is no exception... but I do have to admit it smells really $()#@*%@# good. ... I'm hungry now!
  18. zankoku_zen

    Dragon Moon 2006

    It's dragon's blood and cherry blossoms. It's a sweet, cloying cherry blossom. GRRR. ... If it wasn't so sweet, I would have loved it.
  19. zankoku_zen

    Bonfire Night

    Oh man, this is sweet smoke.... and stale beer on me. EW.
  20. zankoku_zen

    Laudanum

    Very medicinal and peppery - I think it's the black poppy. It smells like dirty sassafras. Pass.
  21. zankoku_zen

    Ladon

    At the beginning, I got a strong apple note from this. But the apple blossom turned soapy as the dragon's blood resin started to take over on the drydown. Boo. Pass.
  22. Dearie, your taste is excellently expensive. But I have to agree with it. Morocco is a great sexy blend in the GC that doesn't break the bank. At all. I feel Dorian is in the same capacity.
  23. zankoku_zen

    Pothôn Mêtêr

    Hmmm... This blend is definitely the sum of it's parts. Rose is well-behaved, pink pepper is as well. It smells like a slightly rosey, slightly sweet, warm resinous blend. It smells like a mature woman, voluptous, secure in her own self. I like it more than I thought I would!
  24. zankoku_zen

    Jingo-Kogo v6

    Oh man... this does begin as an orange creamsicle, and dries into this vanilla/sandalwood/musk with just a lovely hint of orange. It's creamy, and subtly sexy. It's just the teensiest bit powdery (which can occasionally happen with sandalwood) but it's not a huge detractor. It's kinda like coming straight out of the bath feel. I agree with the Shunga assessment, since it does have that same kind of vibe as the other Shungas. I like it. Not well enough to sell my soul for, but I'd buy a bottle if this was released. Ever. ETA: Now that Jingo-Kogo has had some time to age, I have to say that the orange note sticks a little longer but it's more of an orange rind kind of note, and it combines with the sandalwood which has mellowed out. Not so much creamy, but it's more smooth as this point. It's like orange scented sandalwood and I swear there is another blend that is very similar to this one. Can't quite put my finger on it at the moment, but when I do I'll make an edit on this post. I find J-K to be much more wearable at this juncture, and I really do like it alot. Perhaps not well enough to sell my soul for, but I would swap for it if given the chance.
  25. zankoku_zen

    Gossamer v3

    This is a very light and airy floral. I think it might have lilacs, and possibly lilies, since it has a high pitched almost soapy quality to it. But it makes me think of 'soap bubbles'. Very clean. Very light. Pretty.
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