theseagrows

this is a grassy, sweet, springtime floral. there is a floral note that i just cannot place...it's not orchid or plumeria or lotus, but it's in the same vein. maybe it's lily, but i'm not totally sure. very light and pretty-perfect for spring, but very similar to other BPAL scents i have, so i will probably swap it.

i can't do snake oil, but i seem to be able to do many snake oil variants (the snake pit!) this reminds me A LOT of snake charmer, but with more honey. BPAL's snake oil and honey note both can go powdery on me, and it's no exception here. it's a honeyed, powdery snake oil that is reminiscent of snake charmer, but not quite as deep and complex. smells very sexy, but i think i'll stick to snake charmer, as it works better with my skin chemistry.

this smells like soapy incense on me-what a strange combination! i think it's tarragon, ginger, coriander and oud that i am mostly getting here, perhaps. i can't sense amber, lime or white musk...3 notes i really love. oh well. it's kind of like a white floral gone slightly sour mixed with a head shop...not really what i was hoping for. to my skin chemistry.

ooh pretty scent! it's kind of fruity for my regular tastes, but i quite like this! the mandarin and quince add just the right amount of fruityness without being overwhelming. the honey and tobacco add a rich warmth-this scent is very peach, orange and golden-evocative of the corresponding painting. this scent is very warm, deep and autumnal. i will definitely keep my decant-i think this would be great on a cold wintry day.

hm, this scent is weird. it smells very young and very mature to me at the same time-not sure why that is. this is an interesting vanilla-paired with the orris it's reminding me of a slightly white floral-white musk combination. the violet is evident at first, but goes into the background once dry, and the narcissus (i think) comes up to the forefront, making this like a narcissus-white musk kind of scent on my skin. it smells like a musky yet fresh spring scent. i don't really love it, nor do i hate it...andi'm not sure i'd wear it too much.

ooh very interesting. when i sniff the decant it smells like straight up alcohol. now that it's on my skin, it's mostly cabernet, coffee and oak. very interesting, but not sure i'd wear this too much. it's so interesting though that i can't stop smelling my wrist. it's like a warm, velvety, slightly earthy wine scent.

this is an interesting scent, and i am on the fence about it. it smells slightly...bubbly? to me. i think it's the mandarin, maybe. i can sense that, the blackberry and the khus mostly. i don't get much musk at all, and the gardenia seems to be supporting in the background. i wish i got a bit more musk, but i still like this scent. no need for a bottle, but i may wear it from time to time.

this is very mars-y. when it first hits my skin i get a kind of weird sour scent, but once it settles a bit more, i am getting pure red, hot spiciness. i thought pretty much every note in here worked well on me and i was 90% sure i'd like this, but i am not really liking it much with my skin chemistry. it has that hotness that cinnamon has, but is dryer and less...sweet? it reminds me of the desert-a parched, dry, spicy scent.

i like this one. the lilac in this is different than the lilac that i think BPAL used in the past...or, maybe it's just the way the notes blend? this lilac works quite well with my skin chemistry, while previous ones did not. anyhow, i get a fairly strong lilac note with something else i can't place, but the tonka and vanilla come through later. the lilac settles and the vanilla becomes more prominent after a burst of slight smokiness that lasts awhile. i feel like there are other florals in this, but i can't place them. maybe it's the galbanum, which i am only a little familiar with... a nice scent-i'll keep my imp and like it quite a bit.

something in here goes wonky on my skin-i think it's the white sandalwood. sandalwood is hit or miss, and it's missing here, unfortunately. this smells like a powdery yet sour honey on my skin and i get no oakmoss, which is one of my favorite notes off to swaps with this one.

ugh, unfortunately, this doesn't work on me AT ALL. i think that usually most of these notes work on me, but combined they just aren't working at all. this smells like a sour rose scent on me-that's really all i get. i think maybe it's rose + vetiver that's doing it, but sometimes sandalwood goes a bit sour on me too, so it could be that.

ooh i like this-very subtle, warm and soft. i think i am mostly getting olive blossom and cardamom, and some kind of musk. it doesn't seem to have florals at all, or if so, they are very subtle and not what i think of as typical of florals. i don't smell anything remotely aquatic as the snowball suggests, but do get a similar vanilla-y scent that seems to be in other scents with "snowballs." this is lovely, i may have to get more of this...

this is one of those pretty floral-red musk blends. i smell primarily musk, amber, lilies and neroli, i think. later on the blue musk and other florals peek out a bit. this is heavier on the florals than the musk i'd say. i really love these type of scents, though this one is a bit more stronger on the floral end for me.

ooh this is a nice one! in the same vein as snow white, but more deep, complex and doesn't turn plasticky on me like that one does. it is a bit strong on my skin at first, but now that it's a bit settled, i am really liking it. i get mostly amber, musk and orange blossom. the orange blossom and coconut are subtle-it's a very creamy, warm scent...pretty evocative of the artwork, i'd say. i might have to get a bottle of this, but i can't imagine telling people the name when they ask what scent i'm wearing. eta: come to think of it, this is a dead ringer for guipure and silk or hypnotic poison on me!

like a previous poster, i get a dill-like scent from this-very herbal. the violet isn't your typical sweet, powdery violet...it's more like violet + stems. it's not powdery at all-this is much more an earthy/herbal scent on my skin. i don't seem to get much currant-i think i just get the patchouli root and spanish moss. i feel like i am in a greenhouse or garden when i smell this-interesting!

oooh i really like this one. it's a soft resiny scent-kind of comforting, but very pretty too. smells like a soft, smoky, orchid scent. i love orchid scents, so naturally i like this quite a bit. the mosses are subtle on me and i can't really smell the currant at all (thankfully, as they turn to plastic on me). it's a dark, pretty, mysterious scent. i keep thinking of a woman in a dark rainy garden at night when i smell this-it's very evocative.

the floral-dirt scents all sort of smell similar on me. this reminds me of a subtler premature burial. it doesn't really smell like the orchid in that, but gives me a similar feeling. it's softer too and more wearable. the flowers take awhile to come out though-at first all i get is the dirt.

i got this as a frimp, and i am only trying it to say i did, because dragon's blood and aquatics do not get along with my skin chemistry. this smells strongly of lilac to me too-i feel like i get a lilac type scent from dragon's blood a lot, for some reason? unless there is some added to this...with aquatics in the background. totally not me, but i'm glad i got to try it.

this is nice. i think i'm getting mostly black amber, which turns a bit powdery, with tobacco. there's a soft leather is backing it up, blending nicely. this is warm and really pretty and smells 'high end.' also, i'd really like to smell this on my boyfriend as well.

i think my tastes, they are a' changing. i think i have a kneejerk reaction to scents like this and immediately think i'll like them. i love every note in this, and it smells quite sensual and good but it's just too much for me these days. i think 2-3 years ago i would've been really into this though. or maybe the tonka and orris are too strong and the carnation is not. i'm not sure. it's just a powdery-musky haze on my skin...which isn't bad but it's a bit overwhelming to me.

i kind of new i was playing with fire with trying this one, but oh well! honeysuckle and jasmine often go wonky on my skin, but i just never know until i try. they both seem quite strong in this, especially the honeysuckle...so yeah, this is a strong cloying white floral with a hint of nectarine. i was hoping it'd be mostly clove, tea and a hint of nectarine, but no dice. oh well, hilma...i'm sure you're quite lovely on someone else's skin.

in the vial i smell spicy lemon, which i guess is the cardamom and...cubeb? i don't smell honey at all. i admit, bpal's honeys often don't work on me, but i like cardamom, and thought, well if there are 7 honeys, then maybe that combination will somehow work? after awhile, the lemon fades a bit and the fieryness comes forth, as well as the honey. yeah, honey continues to smell weird on me (or maybe i just don't like it?) but i must say, this is a bit better than other honey scents i've tried. perhaps i'll age it awhile and see what transpires....i am really on the fence with this one!

ooh yes, this is a snowy chrysanthemum with just a touch of gold, like the description says-though it's not too ambery on my skin. normally snowy scents aren't really my thing, but i think the mum really makes me dig this. i think i've loved all the other bpal-mum scents i've smelled quite a bit, as it is an uncommonly used floral, but one of my favorites along with carnation. the snowiness makes this not "super me" but i think i may keep it around for awhile.

in the vial this is a white, soapy floral, but i kind of like that. what can i say, i am a sometimes-floral gal. on my skin i get tobacco, gardenia and something fresh-almost herbal-minty (but not as sweet as mint)...maybe the geranium? i like this-it's not like anything i've tried by bpal, however i don't think i could really wear it on a day to day basis. i guess i wish it was more tobacco flower-gardenia on me-like a rich, sensual floral, but that's not really how it turns out on my skin at all.

in the vial i definitely sense the cacao and black musk as strongest notes-it's a rich vs. clean sort of scent that way. i am normally not a fan of cacao, but damn, on my skin this smells pretty good. i think the black musk and tobacco ground the cacao nicely so that i will be able to wear this. it's clean, dirty and sexy all at the same time...very nice!