Kytha

This is so lovely -- a lightly floral, shimmery honey that doesn't go to powder. It evokes the image of sunlight dappling across water -- the Bordeaux (I guess it's a white wine in this one, I had expected perhaps something reminiscent of Kisses for Us All) makes this feel clear, light, and like the honey is suspended in something that keeps it from becoming cloying and sticky, like some honey perfumes can be. It doesn't have a huuuge amount of staying power on me, with how delicate it is, but it also means i can slather it without regret!

When I first tried this on, the blackened lilac was a little too dark, but trying it again after it's had a chance to rest... The image this perfume gives me is of a sumptuously dressed woman who's stepped out into the cool night air to take a discreet smoke break before getting back to the madness. Some BPAL scents really like to throw a party, but this one doesn't, tending to stay close to skin despite the strength of it when you actually give it a sniff. It's 'weighed' down,' so to speak, which matches the contemplative moment it evokes. This is an extremely lilac-forward blend, supported by the tobacco and opium that keeps the florals grounded and subdued instead of springing up all over. I don't get the snow distinctly, but as BetteNoire mentioned, it definitely feels like a 'cool' scent. Once the floral of the lilac fades, the opium sticks around, slightly sweetened by the fruit. It also lasts, it lasted through the night and the next morning when I put it on a few hours before bed. A good thing I love how it smells, but if any of the notes are iffy for you, be aware that it will stick around for a while.

Purchased a bottle of this from the Lab on Etsy, and no regrets. It's a tart, fruity tea with a touch of floral, perky without being overly effervescent. I like it quite a bit and I'm sure I'll be reaching for it a lot as a pick-me-up during the cold winter months.

I've had this for a couple of years now and while it didn't make an impression on me on initial testing, I've fallen in love with it to the point I'm considering investing in a second bottle. This is not a pom-forward scent -- what comes across most strongly on me is the honeyed incense and oudh, sweetened with fig and an impression of fruit. Others have commented that this is a well-blended scent with stuff that's hard to pick out and I'd have to agree! It's 'golden' without being a 'hot' scent, if that makes sense -- some of the lab's 'fruit' scents evoke pastry and warm ovens, but rather than an impression of warmth, I find myself thinking of iced, candied/spiced fruit, lovely and cooling on a warm day. Concentrated but not overwhelming sweetness, with a bit of bite.

Starts off not very impressive -- a high-pitched, non-specific white floral, which isn't really my jam at all. As it warms up and dries down, though, it's indescribably lovely -- the white chocolate note comes out and softens all that harshness and it becomes an absolutely lush, creamy bouquet. I have a hard time picking out specific floral scents on the best of days, but I'm very much getting the lilac and tuberose, I think. To my nose, this shares a quality similar to Playing Tag in a Garden Full of Gods but the chocolate really warms it up and rounds it out into a scent I just wanna bury my nose in (more like two of my other favorites, The Witches and even a bit of Love's Philosophy, though those veer more heavily on the 'cream' than chocolate). Needless to say, I like it quite a bit, and would definitely consider it a keeper. Glad I hopped on that Etsy train while I could.

I get very little pumpkin from this scent, or if I do, it's faint enough not to bother me (as pumpkin isn't a scent I typically enjoy). It mainly smells like honeyed, sugary cream, like dulce de leche or sugary condensed milk with vanilla bean mixed in-- definitely a gourmand scent, but not an overwhelming one. Cream doesn't always work on me, but this one does, and it lasts and lasts -- the throw is decent enough in the first few hours that I find myself wondering 'whats that great smell? oh it's me!' and even long after it's dried down I'll bring a wrist up to my nose to get a sense of it. Cream can sometimes go sour, or otherwise be completely underwhelming, but this for me is just perfect.

Reviewing the 2020 version! Someone upthread said this is a rose scent that makes you feel like you belong in the Renaissance era -- I submit that it makes me feel more like I belong in a Dutch Golden Age painting -- this leaves me with a sort of golden, rosey terracotta impression that doesn't really morph that much. Just a purel, plush rose scent I want to sink into. I also have the hair gloss version of this, but I prefer the perfume oil -- the poo/toilet quality comes forward a bit more in the HG version, while the rose stays dominant and lovely n the perfume oil.

This is much fruitier and 'juicier' than the description would imply. Incense can normally be overwhelmingly smoky on me, but in this blend, it mainly adds a quality of depth to the fruit. The 'oud' here isn't really the 'poo' or 'dirt' smell you can sometimes get, but it's like a smudge of dust in the background. The throw on this one for me was very strong, but in the best way. 'Haunting beauty' is a good description for this -- it's not at all dark or malevolent on me, as the scent description might suggest. It just smells lovely, bewitching, and faintly wicked, and I'm definitely getting a full bottle of this.

The opening of this blend is low-key and almost forgettable -- it has a spiciness I associate with, of all things, opening a sealed pack of beef jerky. It has a similar, close to the skin spicy/salty/meaty comination. That doesn't last long, though. As the scent dries off, it becomes something lush and 'jungle-y', with a tart fruit that smooths out into a sweet, purple floral. I would say this doesn't really have lily in it at all, but something more like the lab's orchid or lotus note? I will say that this is a scent that I like much better in my hair than on my skin -- the 'meaty' opening is almost nonexistent when its applied to the ends of my hair first, and I just end up with a cloud of spicy-limey-florals that I keep catching a whiff of as I go about my day. But on the whole, it's wonderful, and I'm glad to have it.

This is my favorite of all the Luper hair glosses I've tried so far (enough that I'm seriously considering upgrading my bottle). If you love honey and tonka, or gently gourmand scents in general, I can't recommend this enough! It has that lightly spiced sweetness of clove honey, that gets rounded out by the toasted-nut/vanilla of the tonka. It's a simple scent that doesn't morph much, but it's extremely warm and comforting -- its a soft, summer day of scent that I just wanna snuggle up in.

The white musk and the oud here interact in a way that I'm really not sure I'm a fan of ... I guess this is the dreaded 'baby diaper' effect I've heard here and there on the forums. The lavender and salt work really well together when I can catch them, but the oudh and the white musk just sort of keep wandering in and out offensively like a cat going in and out of a room, not letting this ever meld together or settle down. I might have to stick to using this as an atmo or a linen spray.

On initial application, this really isn't anything special. The oud and burnt cocoa bean come to the fore, giving it a flat, chalky/bark-smelling quality not dissimilar to unsweetened baking chocolate. Not offensive, but nothing exciting either. Six hours (and a good sleep) later, this turns into ... a beautiful, mildly boozey vanilla. It's kind of what I hoped for out of La Coucher de la Marie, which is 90% smokey vanilla on me with a bit of citrus -- this is just a deeper, textured vanilla without being overwhelmingly smoke. My mind strongly associates this is a 'pink and brown' kind of smell. Not something I'd wear every day (and I don't feel the need for a full bottle) but lovely for sure. EDIT: Time makes liars out of all of us, since I've decided I like this enough to get a full bottle after all, and my decant ran out. 😂 It retains the 'dusty' quality I associated with it initially, and I think that's why I keep reaching for it ... it doesn't go sickly or overpowering, which is what I want now that the days are growing warmer. This is not a scent for wearing out, but it's absolutely a scent for staying inside and huddling under a blanket...

Having never smelled the original Bright Red Dildo as a perfume oil, here's my quick and dirty (heh heh) impressions. It's penetrating red musk, warm leather, and honey. It's quite strong on me, which is no surprise, since I amp both leather and honey notes. This has similarities to the honeyed patchouli in last Halloween's Devil's of the Pit hair gloss, but this is more intense and mercurial than that. Even an hour after application, the red leather dominates, but sometimes I'll turn my head and catch the warm, sticky smell of honey. Not sure it's worth upgrading to a full bottle, but there's just something about this that feels wonderfully ... raunchy. I'm into it!

On me, this smells very much like a masculine aftershave, refreshing and clean. I believe that's the mint and the wood combining together to create that effect, with a 'dryness' I associate with sandalwood. Actually, giving it some thought (and a good sniff) I might even say it's like a cousin of Irish Spring. A slightly more traveled cousin, but still certainly in the same family. That's not in and of itself a bad thing; I just know I'll need to be in a particular mood to wear this and not have that association come up immediately.

'Orange cough drops' is pretty dead on accurate for Only A Sip, at least for the first 30 minutes or so -- it has that sharp, faintly medicinal quality of a newly opened package of Tang, if you've ever smelled that. Once that fades away, a gently minty rosemary comes to the fore, the orange becoming more of a lingering spritz in the air. Clove is largely a supporting actor in this scent, lending some of the depth and vibrancy to the orange. I have a limited experience of the orange scents in BPAL's repertoire, but I can say this is perhaps one of the more unique (and certainly invigorating) scents I've tried. Summer in a bottle. It's a bit too strong for me to enjoy using it on myself, I think, BUT ... putting it into a scent atomizer really softens the intensity of that orange. This one is more of a scent locket/essential oil diffuser kind of scent for me.