MamaMoth

With all those musks and peppers, I thought it might be kind of heavy... but it's actually quite fresh and clean and a little sweet. The musks give me the same kind of impression as the musk from Dorian, that sort of soapy freshness. The pepper recedes pretty quickly on me, and leaves just a trace of sweet zing. I get a slightly aquatic-floral kind of vibe at first, which picks up speed as it dries and eventually takes over. Smells like nice guest soaps to me.

When the reviews for Faunalia started rolling in, comparing it to Coca-Cola, I couldn't WAIT to get my decant, because that's usually a sure sign of something I'll like. It starts off a little sharp, like ozoney snow and evergreens and a touch of fuzzy musk. It dries down a little softer and sweeter. I can't smell the coca-cola, but the more I smell this the more I dig it. The sharpness of snow on green leaves, a furry bite of animal musk, and a drizzle of a sweet golden resin. It keeps a touch more of its sharpness than I'd like after it dries down, but I'm thinking a little age will really mellow this out. I, for one, plan on getting a bottle to test this theory. ETA: I came back to this after a couple of weeks, and the "sharpness" seems to have dulled a bit. Not sure if it was just my nose, or the scent actually settled. But anyway. I'm definitely getting the effervescent quality that some people have mentioned. This is like a musky outdoorsy cream soda kind of smell. Anyway, I adore it. I had almost talked myself out of a bottle, but I had to grab one for sure.

I used to wear Fendi ALL the time. I find it to be more like a spicy,leathery oriental. You may try The Caterpillar and Hand of Glory. Thank you so much for your reply! And yay, I have both of those for her to try!

Vetiver and I don't always get along, but it's quite nice here. This is somewhat simple. Woodsy, slightly cedary sandalwood, topped by lovely earthy non-icky vetiver, topped by citrussy neroli. It's a little sharp when wet, but it dries much smoother on me. I like it, as I always like citrus and woods/earth blends. Love's Torment reminds me very much of one of my dad's colognes, only better. If I were ever going to try to enable my pops, (never in a million years) this would be the one I'd use. It strikes me as somewhat masculine scent, probably because of that association. If I had a boy handy, I'd want to smear it all over him. But wait, then he'd smell like my dad. -.-

Huge thanks to Sunshinedaisybliss for gifting me with a decant of this to try. This is for the resurrected vintage, and I just have to comment on how thick and viscous and positively divine it is in the vial. It leads with the sweet fruitiness of the plum, propped up by the powdery resinousness of amber. And behind those two stars of the show, I can sense the Snake Oil relation. It's a cousin to Snake Oil, but more different than I expected it to be. It has none of the medicinal qualities of snake oil, and more fruity sweetness. Overall it dries down to be a bit sweeter in a foodier kind of way, less musky-vanillic than Snake Oil. I love this, and now I have to hunt down a bottle. Oh woe!

Hmmm! I've been craving a foody-incense kind of scent lately, and Velvet really hits the sweet spot! The cocoa keeps the sandalwood from being too dry and cedary, and the sandalwood keeps the cocoa from being too chocolatey and foody. The myrrh gives it a little bit more of an incense kick (but not much. The myrrh is verrah subtle in this one,) and the vanilla sweetens up the whole deal with a touch of creaminess. Very cosy, and yummy without smelling straight up edible. I'm sure I'll be dipping into this imp a good bit, and time will tell if I find myself in need of a bottle.

I'm not a big fan of sugar notes, be they called sugar cane, molasses, caramel, or just plain ole sugar. So this was almost surely going to be a miss on me. But I *do* like honey and oak, so let's see what happens... In the imp, it smells super sweet and boozy, like buttery rum. Yummy! Wet on skin: yoinks! That's sugar all right. I'm getting the comparisons to Sugar Skull for sure. There's that sharp, almost sour sugar thing going on. Arrghh, geroff me! But I persevere. I'm a trooper like that. *brave face* drying down: Not liking this. The sugar note is just so overpowering and icky, and I can smell what seems like a sweet floral under that that I'm also not enjoying. The lovely oak is strugging under the weight of all that sugar. It peeks out occasionally, but not enough for me to enjoy it. extended drydown: oh hey, what's this? The sugar has settled into a very mild burnt sweetness, and the oak and honey are really warming up and starting to sing. This ain't so bad. It's warm and a lil alcoholic with just a touch of honeyed sweetness. In fact, this is actually quite good. But underneath it all I can still smell that sourish sugar. :\ Overall: Ends up being actually pretty good, but I don't know if it's worth sitting through that unpleasant drydown. I think I'll be looking for other honey/oak pairings, but without that ooky sugar to spoil the party.

Oh my god, this is fucking outstanding. I've enjoyed BPAL's dirt note, but I've not been particularly fond of any of the blends containing it. THIS, though.... THIS is heaven. It truly makes my eyes roll back in my head. Soft dry soil, a little mushroomy/mildewy (but in the best possible way,) and something creamy and sweet and white (probably coconut, but so well incorporated that it doesn't really smell coconutty in the slightest.) Not too dry, not too sweet. Just enough. It is warm, soft, earthy, ruddy, and mild... I can't describe it any better than that. I can already see that this will be a "comfort" scent for me. It makes me feel warm and protected, like a furry little critter curled up in its earthen burrow.

When Hellfire is wet on, I had my doubts about it. The tobacco hides, and the leather is a little sharp for my tastes. But it seriously blooms as it dries down. It ends up a little smoky, a little musky, a tiny bit boozy, and with just the right amount of leather for me (ie: not very much.) Very evocative of its namesake. This would smell glorious on a man, but it's not cologney in the slightest. the tobacco is the star of this blend, and I looooooove BPAL's tobacco note. I cannot stop sniffing this, which means I'll probably have a bottle in my hands in a very short time. >.>

(Huge thanks to the lovely portalkat for gifting me with a decant of this wonderful scent to try! ) I have to agree with ClaudiaPavonis, this initially strikes me as an oddly papery kind of scent. Because of the subject matter, I have this mental image of a crackling piece of papyrus, infused with soft resins, spices, and herbs, and left to dry in the hot sun. In the vial and wet on skin, I get a whiff of amber, backed by soft herbs and resins, but as it dries the components mesh together so well that nothing jumps out at me. Slightly herbal (but not in a green way, more of a dried herbs kind of way) and very softly resinous and ever-so-gently spicy. It gives me a creamy impression, but there's nothing really creamy about it. Extended drydown brings the spices more to the forefront, and it gets a little bit nose-tingly (in the best way!) I have to say that this is kind of what I *hoped* Shub-Niggurath would smell like, before I actually tried it. The more I try to describe this one, the more elusive it seems, so I'm afraid this review might no be very helpful. :\

(This review is for the 2008 and 2007 vintages, as I can detect very little difference between them besides the expected aging of the resins. And a huge thanks to the lovely portalkat for allowing me the opportunity to sample these. ) I had a pretty good idea that I was going to adore this, and I was right. In the vial and wet on, it's like WHOA Dr. Pepper syrup, straight up. Very syrupy and dark, and intoxicatingly sweet. As it dries down, the syrupyness backs way off, and this gorgeous dark amber dances to the forefront. Slightly sweet and darkly resinous, without being too heavy or oppressive. Just a little powdery from the amber, but in a good way. This is just HEAVENLY. If I had a complaint, it would be that the throw and wear length leave a little to be desired. I couldn't really detect it anymore after about 4 or 5 hours.

This one is hard to describe. Up front is definitely the fig, but its herbal fruityness is pretty well meshed with the other components, especially the musk. Beyond that, I can't really pick out any individual notes. It's sweetish, but not super sweet. Herbal, lightly musky, and feminine. It had potential, so I decided to move it forward to the all-day-at-work testing stage. Unfortunately, I started to regret that decision about two hours into the day. On me, this started to get more and more perfumey, and more... well, I don't know how else to say it but average. It turned into something very very "perfumey" and completely unremarkable that I might smell on any one of my little-old-lady customers. I'm sorry, Aeronwen my dear. Off you go to someone who will love you.

This is very interesting. Spicy cardamom, a little bit of resiny balsam, a little bit of hay. Overall it does have a golden tinge, but there is a kind of freshness to it. In fact while it's in the imp it almost has a bit of bitter lemon zing. Not the actual lemon scent, but the zing. That goes away pretty quickly, but it leaves behind an airy, very pleasant woodsy/grassy/spice scent. It's not incensey or cloyingly spicy or foody. Unfortunately, the throw is almost nonexistent. I have to almost touch my nose to my skin to smell it when it's wet. And what little scent there is dissipates within about 15 minutes, leaving behind the sliiiiiightest little bit of cardamom skin scent. I confess I'm disappointed. I would have liked to get up close and friendly with this scent, but it leaves me hanging before we can even get past the introductions.

This goes on all fiercely dry leather like whoa, sweetened ever-so-slightly by beeswax. But the sweetness of the beeswax disappears almost instantly after skin contact, and the leather backs off a good bit, getting more and more charred and dessicated. There's a little bit of nutmegs dry pleasant spiciness up front, but there's this huge brooding almost bitterness behind it which I am designating as "probably saltpeter." I think there is a little tiny bit of sweetness there, keeping it from being unpleasantly charry, but this is *not* a sweet blend in anyway whatsoever. Judging by the notes, I thought this would be a win for me... but I'm not loving it. It's dry and aggressive and makes me feel a teensy bit ill. Off to scrub now.

I can detect the pine more in this when it's wet. Dried, my skin seems to almost immediately whisk it away into that perfumed ether, where elusive notes go to die. It's a shame, too, because the pine combining with the pungent spice was really giving it that "pickled," greenish vibe. On me, this becomes a nose-ticklingly cinnamon-n-clove foody. It does smell very good, and I actually had scent-flashbacks all day today from testing it last night. But in general, I don't like to go out into the world smelling of edibles. I'll keep my imp for the rare days when I'm barricaded in my blanket nest, but I probably won't need anymore than that.

(decant) This is soooo good. I'm not getting such a screech of vetiver as some people have described, which is good. But I'm also wary, as I want an immediate bottle of this, and I'm afraid it might be too different from this decant. I love BPAL coconut, and Death Adder delivers big time. The coconut is dirty and earthy and a little smoky, so I think that's the vetiver coming in to play. The vanilla is pretty heady but it's not cloying or plasticy, just creamy and sweet. I'm not familiar enough with opoponax to detect it here. And underneath it all, smooth beautiful Snake Oil. And all the best parts of Snake Oil, too. None of the medicinal smell it opens with, and none of the powdery drydown it sometimes takes on for me. (Note: I haven't had the pleasure of sniffing aged SO, but I suspect that it loses those aspects when aged. So this decant may also be aged.) If I had a complaint, I'd say this is a touch too foody, rich and creamy. But there's a good bit in here that keeps it just on this side of an actual foody scent. And anyway, who can complain when it smells this freakin good?

(decant) I was unsure of what exactly skin musk smelled like before, but after trying The Illustrated Woman I think I can pinpoint it, as it pops out as the main component. It's in the same vein as the sweet, light, feminine musk that you'll find in popular musk scents geared toward young teen girls. Of course those smell nasty and sickly sweet, and the musk in Illustrated Woman is rich and true and lovely. So, yes: mostly that sweet skin musk and pine pitch, which is deeper and more resiny, less woodsy than straight up pine. The vanilla is smoky and very light, as is the tobacco, and they really just adds a bit of dusky softness. However the vanilla does outlast many of the other components, and makes itself more known at about 5+ hours. It's really hard to pick out individual notes here, because besides the musk and pine, they all just mesh together in such a lovely way. Sweet and resiny and musky, in my mind a hazy golden green. But not heavy, as you might expect from reading the components. I can't detect the honey at all, so if you're afraid of honey, it might be safe. It stays very true on me, the scent doesn't morph at all. And though it wears light and close, it lasts a very long time. Overall, I like this scent very much. But that heavy dose of very sweet skin musk does carry associations for me of cheap drugstore perfumes. It's just my wacky brain making associations, this blend doesn't smell cheap in the slightest. But I'll have to see how well I can get past that before I see how often I wear it.

Rich, sweet fruits backed by gorgeous resins and woods. Not too resiny or woody, not too candy-sweet or fruit-sour. Dionysia toes a perfect line and I adore her. I can't distinguish the fruits very much. I was afraid of the raspberry a little bit, as raspberry scent can sometimes smell a little fakey to me. But it just blends in perfectly and doesn't jump out at me here. This reminds me very much of Urd, which is a GC favorite of mine. If you liked Urd but wanted something a little more complex, Dionysia is your girl!

I'm currently trying to enable a friend of mine. She's intrigued by the site, but a little overwhelmed by the selection. I thought it might be helpful to point her toward something similar to her favorite perfume, which is Fendi. I looked it up, and the base notes listed for Fendi are: "ylang-ylang, rose, jasmine, iris, carnation, nutmeg, patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood, cedar, amber, oak moss and musk." I also found this description: "Fendi is a chypre floral fragrance with woody and spicy notes." Unfortunately, I've not smelled Fendi, and that huge list of notes doesn't give me a clear idea. Has anyone tried it, and do you know of a BPAL in the same family? I'm not looking for a dupe, but something her nose will be comfortable with to get her started.

This is my first exposure to pink pepper, and it is delightful. My first impression was of something kind of sweet and gingery, but it's much more than that. It really is peppery and zingy, but in a sweet, gentle way. The amber gives it a dry, resinous kind of smell underneath that pepper. I guess it is the florals underneath that giving it a sweet, slightly sticky base, but I think it's held in check by the amber and pepper. Based on my usual reaction to florals, I never would have guessed Hermia contained any prominent ones. (I'm very nose-sensitive to florals, and I usually amp them to high heaven.) As it dries and settles in, it gives off a waft of what I'd almost characterize as mildly orange-gingery, with an almost holiday feel to it. In fact, I'm tentatively slating Hermia to be my Christmas party scent. The throw is kind of minimal on me, it stays close. But what she lacks in presence, Hermia makes up for with personality. She's sweet and unique, and a bit girly (but not annoyingly so.) Also of note is the consistency of the oil: it's thick and orangey-golden, but it's not very oily at all! It's actually kind of soapy. It hardly clings to the imp-wand, and it soaks into the skin almost immediately.

This starts out with so much nasty, nasty vetiver. It's thick and burnt and I can taste it on the back of my throat. It makes me feel nauseous. :| It stands at a testament to the faith I have in BPAL, that I let this get anywhere near me. I dabbed on a tiny dot with what I'm sure was a comically horrible grimace on my face. Applying cat urine to my skin could not have felt more repulsive. Have I accurately conveyed that I did not like this very much when it was wet? Good. Moving on... As it dries, the vetiver starts to ease off, thank god. I can smell the amber start to come out, then the carnation joins it. I can sense the muskiness, but couldn't tell you what kind. (I would have guessed black.) After about 30 minutes, the vetiver is just a smoky base for faintly spicy, dryish amber. It never goes powdery on me. I cannot believe this, but it actually turns out pretty nice. After all that yucky vetiver, it morphs into something kind of subtle and spicy, a touch resiny, and faintly smoky. That said, I'm not sure if I can get past the opening stages. My morning perfume application is kind of a ritual for me. I open various bottles and sniff to see what I'm in the mood for. And unfortunately, I don't know that I'll ever sniff this in the imp and say "Yum! Gimme some more of THAT stuff! Hell yeah!" We'll see. Maybe I can train my nose to.. well, probably not like vetiver. Maybe ignore it until we get to the good part?

The Dragon’s Isle: smoke and fire, earth and wind. The rage of the elements blasting over a primordial paradise. A very unusual scent. The dominant note is moist, rich earth. I also smell something sweet and spicy, like cinnamon candy. There's a very faint whiff of something fresh and greenish, like mint or eucalyptus. (The oil feels very cool on my skin while wet.) Moist earth + cinnamon candy cane I don't know if I'd ever wear this, but it is nice. Probably my favorite use of the dirt note that I've smelled so far.

Oh wow, I'm glad you said this. I initially tried a sniffie decant of SW 07 and I really liked it. It seemed like the notes never changed, so when I tracked down a bottle and it was 05, I snapped it up. But I don't like it as much. I was thinking I just perhaps don't like it aged, but I loooove coconut, so that may be why the 07 decant appealed to me so. Ok, sorry to contribute to the derail.

Or you could procure an empty bottle of something snazzy-looking she hasn't smelled, and fill it with a BPAL/alcohol dilution. When she raves about how wonderful it smells, THEN you can spring it on her! bwaha!

I can't help you with your search, as I haven't tried Milk Moon, but I thought I'd point you in the direction of how to search within this thread. Right above the first post on each page is an entry box with a "search topic" button beside it. I entered Milk Moon and got quite a few posts with comparisons. hth, and good luck!