puellacaerulea

In the decant, I get all the tobacco. Lots of warm, rich, slightly spicy pipe tobacco. Can't really make out the black tea or dead leaves as yet. Right after applying, the tobacco stays front and center, and the slightly spicy note dies down some. After drydown, the dead leaf note comes out a little more, giving the tobacco a slightly green bite. I have a hard time differentiating the black tea note from the leaves and tobacco, but there is something to the combination of those notes that reminds me of freshly brewed black tea. If you like tobacco but tend to find the dead leaf note too strong in other Pile of Leaves blends, this might be one to try -- the dead leaf note is detectable on drydown, but tobacco is definitely the dominant note here. Overall: very warm and rich; fall-friendly; definitely unisex; medium-ish throw and good wear length. Definitely getting a full bottle of this.

In the frimp: Mostly heady, sticky-sweet honey, plus red wine. Not picking up any other notes yet. Once it's on: The myrrh amps up right away and takes the scent out of cloying territory. The honey is still a dominant note, but the myrrh and wine balance it out nicely, adding a spicy/resinous depth. Good wear length, without significant morphing after the myrrh initially amps up. I like this a lot more than I thought I would on first sniff. Not totally sure I'd wear this often enough to warrant a bottle, but we'll see how fast I go through the frimp.

In the imp: sweet coconut and rum, immediately followed up with strong, smoky, sharp tobacco. It's like a less obviously gourmand version of the October 2017 version of 13. This doesn't morph significantly on me, though the tobacco mellows out a bit and gets similar to pipe smoke (that sharp edge never quite goes away, though). This is primarily a sweet scent, but reads very unisex (almost leaning more conventionally masculine) to me -- the tobacco keeps this from going into full "girly" sweetness. I'm still undecided on whether the tobacco is too much for me -- going to hang onto my frimp and test a few more times.

This is an intense, soapy floral -- I don't think there's rose in here since it's not going powdery on me, but apart from that, the main impression is of an intensely white floral with something soapy underneath. It does settle down on me after about an hour into a somewhat lighter floral that could be good for warm weather, but I can't quite get past the soapiness. After about 4-5 hours, this mostly fades on me. If you like florals, you'll probably enjoy this one, but it's not quite my style.

This is a really different one! In the imp as well as on (this one doesn't morph much on me), I get a mix of dark green and resinous notes with something weirdly plasticky or rubbery. Also something minty -- I'm with the reviewer above who mentioned getting the impression of old, sticky chewing gum. Overall impression is strong, dark, and green, with that plastic-like note that makes me think of wires and cables. Definitely fits the name.

In the imp: very bright and fruity apple and bergamot. Once it's on, it goes through a brief sour phase before drying down to something surprisingly light and powdery, with a little bit of the apple still hanging out in the background. The baby powder aspect is probably the rose, which does that on me. I can't pick out the patchouli, musk, and teak specifically, but there are definitely some deeper notes keeping this from going full grandma on me. I can see this working for someone who wants a fruity scent with some heavier notes grounding it. I don't think I need a full bottle of this, but I'll hang onto the frimp.

2018 reissue: In the bottle, Ava's mostly tuberose and mandarin to me, with something bitter floating in the background (the almond?). Once I put it on, the vanilla and almond amp up and sweeten right away -- I can no longer specifically pick out the tuberose and mandarin, but they're definitely there in that the vanilla/almond combo is definitely not foody. It morphs very little after that -- I'm still getting a really gorgeous vanilla/almond/sophisticated floral, without the bitter undertone I got in the bottle. As of now, I've had it on for about 3 hours and it's barely faded. This leans a little more traditional/mainstream than most BPAL I've tried, but it's really amazing. I've never gotten a backup bottle of something before, but I'm seriously considering one in this case.

In the bottle: super green, grassy, and fresh! I expected all grass, all the time, but the lettuce note is also really noticeable. I agree with the reviewer above that it's reminiscent of the Gap's Grass perfume, but with more depth to it. It goes through a brief Irish Spring phase right after I apply it, but then the oakmoss and pepper come out to add some earthiness. After drydown, I mostly get oakmoss and grass, more earthy than fresh. I miss the initial fresh phase, but this is still a great warm-weather scent; highly recommended if green scents are your thing.

This one's very citrusy, but the incense keeps it from going full Lemon Pledge/bug spray. The incense note is lighter than I generally expect, which helps make it warm weather friendly along with balancing out the lemon peel. We've been having summer-like weather where I am, and I've found myself reaching for this scent quite a lot lately. As a bonus, it has great wear length on me -- I've been applying it in the early AM and can still smell it on my wrists 12+ hours later. Overall, this is a really nice, light, fresh citrus with some depth from the incense, perfect for spring/summer.

The black tea and vanilla notes led me to expect something along the lines of Dorian, but this is surprisingly very different! I mostly pick up the honey and vanilla notes in the imp and upon application, but a very clean, fresh, almost sharp note (the linen?) amps up fast. After it dries down, the honey, vanilla, and milk notes come back out, but they're balanced out by the linen/white pepper notes in a way that keeps it from getting overly sweet/foody. It's a unexpectedly clean/fresh take on foody scents, and I really like it! Likely to grab a bottle once my imp runs out.

In the imp and right after applying: super sweet plum! The floral notes take over as it dries down -- I mostly get jasmine and a more sharp and stereotypically "perfumey" floral (the daffodil?). I can't pick out the white musk at any stage. This could be a great spring/summer scent, especially if sweeter florals are your thing, but it's a little too much for me.

In the imp and right after applying, this is intense honey and vanilla plus something spicy and almost resinous to me (definitely the clove, and maybe also the vetiver?). After drydown, it calms down a lot -- I end up with soft honey, vanilla, and cherry, with some clove still faintly hanging out in the background. It's like O, but with a subtle added spicy sweetness (although I think the honey note is more intense in O). If you find the vanilla/honey combo in O too in-your-face but otherwise like foody scents, this is worth trying. (I'm on the fence about whether I need a bottle of this, but I'll definitely keep trying the imp.)

This scent's really interesting in that manages to be dark/woodsy and fresh simultaneously. In the imp, I get slightly smoky woods and lots of citrus -- it's almost like a stripped-down, darker version of Manhattan. When it dries down, the lemon tones itself down quite a bit, and the wood notes get a bit softer and more pronounced. It stays surprisingly close to the skin on me. It's still basically woods and citrus, but much less in-your-face and borderline Lemon Pledge/Irish Spring as it is in the imp. I'm really glad I was frimped this, because I don't know if I would have tried it otherwise. Seriously considering a bottle once the imp runs out.

Rose generally doesn't work well on me, but I liked the other notes (and the concept), so I decided to take a chance on this. In the bottle and immediately after putting it on, it's definitely myrrh-dominant, to the extent that I'm not able to distinguish the other notes. I also noticed a weird, sharp, almost astringent stage as it started to dry down (maybe the vetiver?), but fortunately, it calms down after a little while. This might be one case where rose's tendency to go powdery on me works in my favor -- once that happens and the vanilla comes out a little more after drydown, I get a soft, slightly powdery, but still myrrh-forward scent. I really like this once it reaches its post-drydown stage. If you like myrrh, you'll probably like this.

Was frimped this with my last order. I had reservations about this since BPAL's rose tends to go straight to baby powder on me, but something about the bergamot-rose combination keeps this from going in that direction on me. I mostly get the rose and citrus notes -- the plum, oud, and sandalwood are too subtle for me to really pick out. Instead of baby powder, I get a nice, fresh, citrus/floral blend. I probably don't need a 5ml of this, but I can definitely see myself reaching for the imp in warmer weather.

In the imp, this is really intense, sharp oak, with something slightly herbal and spicy in the background (maybe the chamomile?). For some reason it reminds me of the smell of old, polished church pews. The rhubarb comes out in a big way after it's been on for a bit, making the overall scent surprisingly sweet -- the difference between what I'm smelling on my wrist and in the imp is huge. The end result is a sweet rhubarb that's grounded a little bit by the oak in the background. It reminds me a lot of Libra 2016, with the morphing in reverse -- Libra's aggressively sweet in the bottle but gets balanced out nicely with the wood notes after applying, while Lawful gets almost too sweet as it dries down. I don't think I need a 5ml of this, but this is one to consider if you like sweeter, strawberry-esque scents.

This is the first 13 I've gotten, and it seems like it was a good choice. In the bottle, I mostly get the chocolate, coconut, and almond notes. Once it's on, my skin really amps the coconut and almond, but it eventually settles down to a pleasant, slightly nutty dry cocoa scent. Sweet and foody, but definitely wearable.

I loved the pink pepper note in Fake News (along with everything else about Fake News), so I was eager to give this version of the dead leaves a try. It's sweeter in the bottle than the other dead leaf scents, but that weirdly green, aquatic, cologne-like element of the dead leaf note is still there. I'm not sure if the dead leaf note is morphing a lot on me or if my skin really amps the pink pepper, but this really warms up on me after applying. There's the same spicy-sweet pink pepper from Fake News, with a drier, much less cologne-y version of the dead leaves hanging around in the background. While I wish it lasted a bit longer (it mostly fades on me halfway through the day), I really love this and am glad I sprung for a blind bottle.

In the bottle, I get intense apple pie spice -- almost a bit too seasonal-candle for my liking. Fortunately, once it's on, fresher apple notes plus the grass note come out and balance out the spice really nicely -- like previous reviews said, it's sort of like a fresh/clean apple pie scent. My skin chemistry seems to do something weird with the grass note such that it becomes borderline plasticky after it's been on for a while, but it's not intense enough to be a dealbreaker. Definitely a good fall scent if apple is at all your thing.

2017 version In the bottle, it's much more aquatic than I expected. The dead leaf note is there, but it's more like wet, just-fallen leaves on a rainy day. I can't pick up the smoke or sap yet. After applying, it goes weirdly soapy on me for a bit, but it warms up and de-soaps considerably as it dries down, with what I'm guessing must be the smoke note. By the time it dries down, it reminds me a lot of Hallowe-en, 1914, with less sickly sweetness in the background. If you're not into the dead leaf note, I'd avoid this, but if you like unisex green scents, it's worth trying.

Mutable fire: the essence of optimism. This is a perfume of energetic positivity, freedom, exploration, tolerant idealism, and spontaneity. This is the scent of the wandering philosopher, the fearless adventurer, and the outspoken activist. Rugged cedar and white pine, wise rowan and California white sage, soft mosses, well-worn leather, peppery tomato leaf, and fiery saffron. As a Sag rising and someone who loves BPAL's leather note, I decided this was worth going for. It smells *amazing* in the bottle -- fresh pine and woods with something bright and spicy hanging around (the saffron, maybe?). Once it's on, the pine unfortunately fades on me fast, but the leather note amps up more -- the sort of softer leather note in scents like Dead Leaves, Raw Leather, etc. The tomato leaf also gets more prominent, bringing something green and peppery to the scent. The end result is a slightly spicy green scent with the leather note grounding it. Throw is fairly good, and it does last long. While I like the end result on well enough, I do miss the pine note once it goes away. It is a little bit on the masculine side, but I still think anyone could wear it.

Got this as a frimp with my last order. It's like a less foody/boozy version of Miskatonic University -- the wood notes stay front and center on me even after drydown, with the vanilla very subtly sweetening it. The tobacco note is a little more prominent, but has the same function of adding a little sweetness to the wood notes. I really love this -- it's sophisticated, androgynous, and not overwhelming in terms of throw. It's close enough to Miskatonic University that I don't know yet if I need a bottle, but I'll definitely be thinking it over as I go through the imp.

This scent was part of a friend's Weenie haul, so I got to test it for myself. I've never had a scent morph so intensely on me before. In the bottle, the cardamom note is very strong, but I don't get the usual Lab dead leaf note. Instead, it smells like a mixture of soap and pine to me. Once it's on, it got extremely soapy, but rapidly got sweeter as it dried down. The end result was actually quite nice, and almost a complete 180 from where the scent started in the bottle. While I still didn't get any detectable leaf note in the final version on me, I did get a sweet, foody, subtly spicy cardamom scent. Unfortunately, that end phase didn't last very long; this one faded on me after about two hours. Going to pass on this one.

I got to sample a friend's bottle of this today to figure out if I want my own. I wasn't sure about this one at first -- in the bottle, it's very much an ocean-air sort of aquatic scent, but with some sour, funky undertone that wasn't working for me (not sure if it's the ambergris or the salt). Once on, said funky note amped up, but after a few more minutes it dies down and blends in as the light musk notes amp up. The end result is a really lovely aquatic -- more reminiscent of salt air than a typically perfume-y aquatic. It also has good staying power and throw; five hours and one workout later, I can still get whiffs of it. I'm either going to have to steal my friend's bottle or get my own.

I snagged a bottle of this last fall and apparently forgot to review it, so, here's my take on a year-old bottle! I don't know if the oil itself changed with age or my nose did -- when I first got this, the apple note (which is pretty much all you get in the bottle) was cloyingly sweet and almost medicinal-smelling to me. After not wearing it for most of a year (it's very much a fall scent), I picked it back up and found the apple note is still really strong in the bottle, but it doesn't seem as aggressively sweet or artificial. Now it's more like sticking my nose into a bag of fresh red apples. My skin really amps up the other notes once it's on, especially the oats and vanilla -- the goat's milk is there, but it's not the strong, slightly sour smell I get with other goat's milk blends. Same for the hay and honey notes -- I'm sure they're there, but they're hard to pick out individually. The apple stays strong for the first few hours, but this gradually fades on me to a pleasant creamy vanilla scent with a vague hint of apple. Overall, if you like the idea of a warm, foody apple scent, snag a bottle of this if you find one floating around. I've found myself reaching for it often this fall.