theseagrows

the ozone and rain had me apprehensive on this one, but i can't really smell them. i like this scent a lot, probably because, as i've mentioned before, i have a penchant for bpal's sexy red musk scents. this is definitely one of those! at least on my skin. i think i'm getting the rose-infused amber and blood lily with the resins in back to balance it out. thankfully no ozone or rain here! keeping this decant to add to my big red musk collection

wow, this one is very sweet and creamy on me, but unfortunately, not in a very good way :/ i am getting mostly coconut, anise and vanilla. i don't mind the sweetness of coconut and vanilla normally, but this is way too sweet for me. also anise isn't really working for me...i wasn't sure if it would, as i don't recall trying any other bpal scents with anise in them.

damn, i had high hopes for this one, figuring it would most likely work on me, but something is...amiss. there is something a bit cloyingly sweet in this, bordering on fruity. i am guessing maybe it's the tolu balsam? i think i am coming to figure out that it may not work on me, as a note. besides the weird sweetness, i think i can smell amber and bergamot and not much else. maybe a backing hint of champaca, but i can't be sure.

i was apprehensive about this one because of the pomegranate & "morning dew". i don't do clean/fruity scents too well, but all the other notes sounded so good, i had to give it a try. it's a pretty odd scent on my skin, and of course, i amp the pomegranate, which i was hoping wouldn't happen. i think on me i am mostly getting pomegranate, fig, rose, chamomile and maybe a hint of honey. i definitely sense something slightly green which must be the dew, and alas, it turns the scent sour on me. i think if that were absent, i would quite like this scent. to my skin chemistry in this case.

what a pretty floral scent this is. i love rosy scents, and this is just what this is. i am mostly getting sweet roses, tuberose and hint of tobacco. thankfully the jasmine is subtle. it was the only note i was a bit concerned about. the musk and vanilla are subtle on me. i really like this a lot, but think i would love it if the musk and vanilla were more prominent.

this is a lovely powdery musky scent, which i like a lot...i tend to favor musks and amber in general. this really just smells like an ambery musk- warm but simple, uncomplicated and understated. it gives off that effortlessly sexy + cozy vibe to me, that i have often found in other warm amber scents. i like this quite a bit, and will keep my imp. probably won't get a bottle though, since i have so many scents in a similar vein

hmm, i think i'm mostly getting myrrh and maybe the rose amber and peru balsam? this scent honestly smells a lot simpler on my skin than the notes make it out to be. the frankincense must be subtle because it doesn't turn leadlike on me. i'm not as clear on what many of the other notes are, but i do not smell narcissus. if there is rose in this, it's very faint. mostly resins with a hint of floral. it's alright but not really what i was expecting.

at first spray there was something kind of funky smelling-maybe the woods and patchouli, but after a few moments that disappeared and the amber and orchid came out more, making it smell like a dry, woody floral. it gets sweeter and the pomegranate comes out more. at this point it's a resiny-pomegranate-orchid scent i think. it's kind of nice and unlike any bpal i recall trying before. once it's settled into my skin, it's mostly vanilla, orchid, amber and pomegranate. very pretty.

i love violet scents! powdery ones too. this one is more green though, due to the violet leaf and mint. something in this is turning a bit strange on me, i think it must be the violet leaf but i am unsure-it reminds me of rotting flowers a bit, and is underlying the stronger violet on top. i get no mint or osmanthus, unless it's the osmanthus that's turning bad on me? at any rate, this is a violet scent that will not work for me, sadly.

this is VERY strong and resiny on me. the cedar, wood and patchouli combined smell kind of gross on me. plus the added jasmine- yeah this is a pretty nightmarish scent for my skin chemistry. at first it smells like slightly stinky incense and then mophs into a sharp lemony-jasmine with sandalwood? i dunno, this just did not work for me.

for some reason, i expected this to be way less fruity, but apparently my skin is amping the berries and not much else. this pretty much smells like a fizzy pineapple on my skin-pineapple with a bit of zingy effervescence. maybe it's honey + violet + wild berry that i'm smelling. i'm not sure. at any rate, this is too sweet/fruity for my personal tastes.

ahh, i was hoping for this to be mostly violet sugar and stephanotis, like a very soft scent similar to the mouse's long and sad tale, but it's much stronger. at first it's all lilac. a very strong lilac. once the lilac subdues a bit, i'm getting a sweet floral with a dash of hairspray on top. is that the osmanthus? i'm not really sure, but yeah, this pretty much smells like hairspray on me. i was really hoping i could deal with the lilac in this, but either that or the osmanthus is amping a lot on me. eta: occasionally this smells like a beautiful floral (osmanthus) i think, but then the hairspray aspect comes back.

ahh, i have been wanting to try this for years, and i was so looking forward to this, and it is very nice! yet...all the wrong notes seem to amp on me i was really drawn to the iris, tea and champaca, but instead the resins seem to be amping up a lot more. i get a slight pencil-shaving scent, that i often get from bpal's frankincense or sandalwood if used in large quantities. i can't even sense the champaca flower. oh well, i am still glad i got to try this finally!

this is definitely a white flower like jasmine or honeysuckle possibly mixed with lavender? but I'm really not sure if there is lavender here but it's mostly white florals. very light bright and sweet smelling and makes me think of sunshine. I can see how this is a relaxing, comforting scent. it helped me sleep very deeply and restfully. ETA: last night i tried this again. i got ylang ylang and vanilla. i slept so deeply and peacefully, even after i had to get up once in the middle of the night. i think i may need a bottle of this stuff.

i am a rose lover. though rose scents can be hit or miss on me, depending on what other notes are present. i tend to go for deep, dark dusky roses like in gypsy queen, or victorian rose scents along the lines of london or marie, but this one is very different! this reminds me first and foremost of this rose black tea i had, and how it might smell if you added some cinnamon to it. it's a spicy-rose-tea scent and it's very pretty but a bit comforting at the same time. perfect for winter! i like this quite a bit and may have to get a big bottle!

wow, this is very fresh and green, and is a typically "masculine" scent. i'm not sure what i expected from balsam of peru, but it wasn't this! in the imp it smells slightly fresh and i can smell the black pepper, but on my skin that balsam is amped very high and there's just a smidgen of black pepper. i think i sense the tiniest bit of skin musk, but not much honey. this has a lot of throw and is very strong. it really isn't my kind of scent, so i will swap it.

this starts off with violet and green tea and the green tea fades fairly quickly on me. i think i am getting mostly vanilla orchid with a white musk background on the drydown. it's like a sweet, soft floral tea scent. i like this a lot and will keep my imp but probably don't need a whole bottle. despite being a yule, it's a perfect springtime or summer scent.

i really liked this a lot at the outset, which is usually the opposite of how things go for me and perfume. anyway, it was a nice black rose with a hint of myrrh-something warm and pretty. however, once it dried and settled into my skin, it became mostly wood with rose. not bad necessarily, but the rose turns a bit sour with the wood mixture and i don't like it as much. i love rose scents, but my opinion changes a lot depending on other components. this one is just too woody for my tastes.

wow, i wish i could smell all the notes in this, but when i sprayed it, it's strong and sweet and very foodie and smells like maple syrup to me. pure maple syrup and can't smell the other notes.

Bonfire smoke rising through a cloud of ceremonial incense, encircled by swirling autumn leaves and a dribble of blood red musk. this is a very autumnal, smoky red musk scent with a hint of the incense. luckily, the leaves are subtle, but this scent really does scream autumn to me. i think either the smoke or the incense is most prominent on me, but i'm not sure which. the red musk is actually subtler here than it is in some other scents. it is usually a powerful note that comes to the forefront, but here it seems to blend in quite well. there really must be just a "dribble" of it in this scent, to back up the incense and smoke.

this is an interesting scent! i am really falling for tobacco-white musk scents lately, so i guess that is why i was drawn to this scent. this scent smells very dry to me, and woody. but with a definite vanilla element to it. at first it reminds me of the scent of rain when it first starts as it's hitting the sidewalk, but then the tonka and vanilla come through more and it's more a dry vanilla scent. i really dont' smell much patchouli, so there must be a small amount in this. the coconut is subtle and in the background supporting. i like this, but don't love it. sometimes vanilla turns a bit plasticky on me, and here it is on the verge. not quite plasticky, but a bit like play-doh. not sure if i want to keep this or not.

oh, i really wanted to love this one! i love the myth of lilith and this scent sounded like it'd be just up my alley, but it is a bit too sweet for me. i love rose-wine scents but i think the added honey, which my skin tends to amp, sends this into cloying territory. probably after an hour it'll smell good on me, but for now it is way too sweet and strong for my liking. something in it is definitely reminiscent of bordello, but without the softness and vanilla.

let me premise this by saying, that in general, i am not a foody-scent-person, unless there is a floral component, then i can work with it. however, in the fall months, i occasionally like to wear a pumpkiny or slightly more foody scent, which is why i tried this. i also tend to dislike fruity scents, so you know, mango and all. so please take note of this in my review, as there are very few foody scents that i love. starting out, this is bright, citrussy-sweet mango, which isn't bad, but it is drowned out by a cakey smell. i dunno, that cakey smell just smells like burnt food on my skin, so it's not really wowing me. after about 10-15 minutes, the cake smells less burnt and the mango is subtler. i think the spices are coming out now. thankfully the milk isn't that prominent, because milk notes often turn rancid on me. i like the mango tea thing going on here, it's very pretty. i guess i just wish it was that with the spices and no cakey-sugar scent!

at first sniff, i thought "red musk" and that was it for a few minutes. i kept thinking, "oh another warm, sultry red musk scent. i have tons of these already!" but then i waited a liiiiitle bit longer and the honey and champaca start to come through, and it becomes quite beautiful. luckily this honey works well on me. a lot of times, BPAL's honey note turns dry and straw-like on me, like in O, but this honey is sweet and pretty and soft, without being too sweet. definitely a keeper!

i'm not really feeling this one, because the jasmine is amping on me (which happens often) and it's turning a bit odd. i was very excited about ALL the other notes, but the jasmine is just too overpowering and i think the mix of vanilla and jasmine smells a little sickly sweet on me. there is a hint of leather in the back and the sandalwood and amber make a nice warm backdrop, without really making themselves too obvious.