theseagrows

when i sniffed the bottle, something in this made me think of death adder. i thought it was coconut but there is no coconut listed. on my skin i think i'm getting the vanilla, benzoin, ambergris most strongly. someone up above mentioned black pearl and it does remind me of black pearl on my skin a bit, like black pearl without the musk and coconut. this is really subtle on me, it doesn't have a lot of throw. after about a half an hour on the skin it seems to bloom and it's more like a vanilla-ambergris with a hint of patchouli. this is pretty! but it is so similar to black pearl, and i like the muskiness of black pearl. this might work well for someone who likes black pearl but can't do coconut (?) ETA: i've been wearing this for nearly two hours now and it's really beautiful now. it still really reminds me a lot of black pearl, but it's more subtle and more vanilla-y.

got a lil' frimp of this in my decant circle! i am mostly not a foody/chocolate person, but am willing to try them. yep, i agree that this smells like brownies too. it just makes me want brownies. that's all foody scents do for me, make me want to eat something i am not hungry for. i don't get it personally, but it's cool. and i love how supremely accurate this scent is. i don't get any oudh that i can detect, just pure rich chocolate that's cakey or brownie-ish.

i just skin tested this since i tend to use these as moisturizers more than bath oils. it's a subtle rich vanilla and i thought to myself, "oh good! this is the vanilla i like." because it is not too foody. not a fan of foody vanillas, but ones like this are my favorites. it's a vanilla with a creamy sugary note that comes out more after being on the skin for awhile. i think i am going to need more of this...

i am skin testing this, not using it in the bath. it's whoa! orange blossom with some cedar and lily. it does smell very orange/yellow/gold to me. it tickles my nose when i smell it on my skin, almost making me sneeze. the vanilla orchid is in the background. i do get that slight lead-like scent from the cedar but not too bad. i think i am really amping the lily and cedar maybe, because it's giving me a bit of a headache. i really do love orange blossom, but i think the added cedar just pushes it over the top for me, at least at first. after it's been on my skin for about 10 minutes, it's more palatable. the cedar has softened and the orange blossom is so pretty. it smells like a classic scent to me, from maybe the 40s or 50s (?) but definitely has that classic feel.

this is such a pretty scent! and it does have that champagne-y effervescent to it. at first it seems to be all grey musk and carrot seed. it's fresh and sort of ethereal. does make tears come to mind and after awhile the gold (amber) comes forth warming it up a bit. this is so pretty and oddly comforting to me. it seems to remind me of another bpal kind of, but i can't recall which one, however it's also pretty unique. glad i got a decant of this.

this is wine with incense burning in the background. it is mostly wine and a hint of fruity rose with the incense supporting. this smells very decadent. pleasantly surprised!

oh this is so evocative! at first spray i get a hint of the whisky, then lots of musk and candle smoke. i cannot wear the candle note on my skin but i am truly loving it in the atmo. sprays. after it settles for a minute or two, it's mostly candles and musk with a hint of whisky. it does make me think of a bar with antique dark woods only lit by candles. so nice.

i don't use a ton of hair gloss, so i haven't tried a lot of them, only a few, but thus far, this one is my favorite (besides dorian.) bpal's honey note sometimes doesn't work on me, but it's divine here. this is a thick, rich honeyed saffron-musk. there is something *almost* cocoa-y in this, for lack of a better word, that adds this richness (but is not the cacao note or anything. just can't figure out how to describe it. it must be the honey?) anyway, i find it very pretty and sexy and i'm so glad i got a decant of this!

ooh i like this quite a bit! i think I am getting mostly tuberose, jasmine and coconut and the amber gives a nice soft backing note. no mint here. this is very heady and tropical. it smells like jasmine on a warm summer evening , which is when I plan go use this most. it just screams warm summer nights.

i get mostly white musk, tobacco and cacao at the outset with maybe just a hint of ambergris. later on it becomes mostly ambergris and opopnax, very nice and resiny with that hint of saltiness from the ambergris and a clear brightness from the white musk. i am really liking this one and contemplating a bottle.

often times the white rose scents seem to go sour on me, but not here! this starts off with labdanum-y, mossy rose. it's kinda musky seeming to me but i think it's the labdanum maybe. it's a bit...skanky to say the least, which is nice, i'm just not sure if that's the labdanum or what, but this is an animalic rose to my nose. and yes it does seem to be the same rose that is present in zombi.

this smells like fougere-y and sandalwood to me, but really i am having trouble picking out what it is. it's softly woody and is evocative of the description, more dry than lush. looking at the other reviews that mention balsam, i think that's what it is. this is definitely very desert-y. very nice and i am glad i got a sample to try.

hmm, i smell primarily tea roses with maybe some lily, soft musk and a hint of greenery? but mostly it's lush tea rose to my nose. it's very pretty and floral, reminds me of a tea house with chintz prints everywhere.

this is a nice, fresh, clearing scent. it's a piney scent, but not overly so. there is a lemony-floral freshness mixed with the pine which adds a nice depth and rounds it out. it definitely doesn't remind me of pine trees or anything wintry, it's more springlike. i guess the citrus i'm sensing is actually bergamot. it's not really my "type" of scent, but it is nice and refreshing and cleansing.

ooh so pretty and springlike! i smell mostly lilac and fig at first spray, then immediately after i get the tea leaves. oakmoss seems to be a background/base note to the scent. i love this combination of fig and lilac. lilac can be iffy for me but i am liking it a lot in this. i can see spraying this a lot in spring and early summer, or times when you want a fresh floral scent. very pretty.

oh wow this starts off with just the macadamia milk, of course! i tend to amp the notes that i wish were more subtle. it's very nutty at first. at this point i am praying the macadamia calms quickly and we get to the other stuff. after about 30 seconds it smells like coconut curry. which smells really good, just not sure i want to personally smell like it. so i will give it more time... it's mostly macadamia and coconut. with the cream and marshmallow supporting in the background. the amber really is just a drop and grounds the scent a bit. after about 10 minutes it smells like a vanilla-y coconut curry. later on the nuttiness is a lot calmer and this is a creamy marshmallow-coconut scent. it's a pretty, subtle foody scent, not too strong or overly sweet. i like this but am not sure i love it. i will have to try it more to see how i feel.

this is pretty! this starts off all almond, and it's a cherryish as opposed to, super nutty almond, more like amaretto. i get a hint of the vanilla cream in the background too. the cream turns a bit plasticky on me, unfortunately, but it's not too bad. also, this doesn't really have a lot of throw-it's pretty subtle. after about 10-15 minutes i finally smell the mimosa more and i like it better now with the added floral component, and the plastic is gone! the vanilla cream is much more vanilla-y too and now i quite like this. it's definitely a soft creamy scent that stays fairly close to the skin.

I am sooo glad I read the reviews for this and added it onto my lupercalia order at the last minute! I normally look the other direction when snow is mentioned in a scent, but this is beautiful. it's creamy and white but not the typical chilly, ozoney snow note. it starts off with mostly tonka and hay I think, then the honeyed oak comes in giving it depth and making it even more gorgeous. at first I don't smell much patchouli, it's pretty subtle, as is the oudh. after awhile the patchouli gets stronger, but not TOO strong. I have a complicated relationship with patchouli but I am loving it in this- honeyed patchouli woods, yum.

got a frimp of this in a swap. generally mastic and i are not friends and the other notes are unknown or hit or miss but i love trying new bpals so here goes. it opens up like dusty, dry yet leafy? i smell wood and something that reminds me of the smell of oil paints or turpentine, but there is still that wooden/wood chips scent going on as well. after a couple minutes it turns to sort of wet wood chips still mixed with something vegetal. such an odd scent, and to be honest, it's kind of stomach churning. i'm afraid i've gotta scrub this one off, it's just weirdly disturbing to me, and i am trying to figure out how this feeling fits in with the scent description and meaning of "vital fluid"!!

yep, this is a super metallic-ozone and very traditionally masculine. bright, sharp, fresh, gleaming and clean. if this were soap i am sure it would sell super well! i am personally not a big ozone lover, but i am glad i got to try this!

this definitely smells kind of late summer/autumnal to me- it's a warm, golden spicy tea rose with carnation and something and that makes me think of dried leaves, just a bit. very pretty and full of my favorite notes! so glad i got a little bit of this spray

this is a very strong almond at first- more cherryish than nutty. a bit later I get Iris and honey and it's a lovely powdery honey scent. it has a bit of an vintage/classic feel and I love that.

oooh beautiful scent! first off i get pomegranate and beeswax followed by the wine, rose and tobacco, though i think this is mostly a wine-beeswax-rose scent. it's gorgeous like a room filled with candles and roses. absolutely love this one.

this starts off all crisp white tea and then the violet leaf comes in, greening it up. it's quite nice and fresh for awhile. after about 15 minutes though i get this odd sort of sourness from it, that gets kind of mildew-y. wth! it was so nice at first and i like both notes, so it must be my skin chemistry again. oh well. still glad i got to try this one. i love trying new violet scents.

this was pure fresh red roses at first, but then i smelled something kind of spicy, almost carnation-y. a couple minutes later that spiciness seems to turn to a musky scent and then it's musky red roses. i'm not sure what musk this is, but to my nose it's fairly animalic. i like this one, but glad i got a decant because i probably don't need a whole bottle of this.