superpopkid

I was excited to experience a perfume with caraway and saffron - two ingredients I like very much in my cooking - and bergamot, which is just a note I love. I was even ok with smelling like pumpernickel bread, as some reviewers described. I like bread. What I wasn't expecting was to smell like bread wrapped in an ancient, mildewed cloth. Two layers to this: caraway and wet rot. This was disastrously gross on my skin. I kept sniffing for a while, to see if it would morph. The blend picked up some sweetness after about half an hour, but the musty smell never went away. If it had, I think this could have been really good. As it is though...Neeeeeeeeeeext!

Things I have learned from Picture Book and Pleasure Toys: Nectarine = Same Peach Note from Belle Vinu That Amps Beyond Reason. When I first opened up the decant, I got a gorgeous waft of vetiver softened by something warm and fruity, but on my skin, almost all I can smell is that stone fruit. Thank goodness I like that note; it's tart and juicy, if not photorealistic. If I squint, I can make out a fresh, floral background of rose and tea, but I may just be fooling myself. Although I find Belle Vinu overwhelming and headachy on certain days, I'm not having that problem right now. Great throw and longevity. I suspect there's a lot of hidden loveliness in this blend - time to bust out the scent locket to see if I'm right.

When I get a packet of imps or decants in the mail, there's often one perfume that raises its voice above all the others. It's the one that's so strong, I can smell through the mailer, plastic ziploc, bubble wrap, and plumber's tape, even though it hasn't leaked. Milk Chocolate, Coconut, Cardamom, Rum, and Ginger Truffle was the decant shouting its little head off through the envelope of my lupercalia update decants. What bummed me put about that was that the through-the-packaging smell was one of a cloying, artificial milk chocolate. So it was with very little enthusiasm that I actually opened up the decant to test it. And wheeeeeee! It's fantastic! There's an immediate blast of spicy, multidimensional cardamom. Like holding a freshly crushed pod under my nose. The chocolate rushes up behind it, and it is a hundred times more realistic on my skin than in the closed decant. It's rich, creamy, and very sweet. Both the cardamom and chocolate seem about equally matched in strength on the drydown. I was never able to pick out coconut or ginger, but the first may have been adding depth and creaminess, and the latter some subtle spice. If there was any rum in this, it thankfully never made an appearance. I love the warmth and sweetness of this blend; like a Mexican hot chocolate made with cardamom instead of cinnamon. This has tremendous throw. It's going to be amazing for the fall and winter, and I bet it ages like a dream...I just hope the cardamom doesn't lose any of its character or bite in the meantime.

I was a little apprehensive of how the flowers would treat me in this, but I needn't have worried. They're the first thing I notice after applying. I can't tell cereus from orchid, but there's a nice enough melange of dark florals going on. Nothing super high or sharp, but nothing really grabbing me either. Dry, the black currant makes an entrance. Black currant is a fruit I'm kind of meh about; I think it smells a lot like some kind of fruity tea. As the blend dries, the currants and flowers blend and get mellow. I can tell there's some nice resiny-woody thing happening in the background, but at the forefront are petals floating in strongly steeped fruity herbal tea. It's a brighter and less opaque effect than I was expecting from Medea's description. Excellent throw from a light application. It lasted a good seven hours and might have kept on going if I hadn't taken a shower. Color associations: transparent crimson. There's more shade and complexity to this blend than my description gets across, but I'm not sure which elements are providing it. I can appreciate the beauty of this perfume, but at the end of the day it's just not to my taste.

This is my first time trying a Shunga! I was taken by the absurdity of the name and excited because of the coconut and ambergris, both notes I like a lot. I've never tried a blend with skin musk, so I was really curious about that too, but a little wary of the florals. As it happens, I couldn't pick out a single note in this besides coconut - it was all just one sweet, heavy, mellow floral coconut lotion to me. It's not foody at all. This smells like the world's most beautiful sunscreen. That's kind of a mixed blessing - it's delicious and it reminds of summer in a great way - but it means smelling like, well, sunscreen. I know I'm going to enjoy wearing this by itself, but I also think this might be the one of the best BPALs ever for adding to skincare stuff.

This was the scent I was most excited to try out of all the Lupercalia update scents. Ginger! White musk! Beeswax! Coriander! Amber! Lime peel! I love all of these notes. I wasn't sure about the tarragon, heliotrope, yellow rose, or oud, but they sure sounded good too. Sadly, when I put this on, I got EXTREME SOUR ROSE OVERLOAD. Rose and lime. That's all I got. I bet those two flavors would make an awesome sorbet, but I really disliked how they combined on my skin: sharp, acidic...and somehow soapy, too. It reminded me of my bad experience with Manhattan. I got no beeswax whatsoever (sob,) but as it dried I could tell there was an interesting fresh green background behind the rose show. I think the coriander was peeking out. I wish I could have removed the rose with tweezers to get a better look at it. Instead, as all the other notes faded, rose stayed strong. Throw was good, (of course,) but I also applied generously. Lasted about three hours.

Disclaimer: testing from an elderly imp. Time may not have been kind. I was excited for violets, cloves, incense and tonka. I like all these things. The only note I could pick out from the listed ones was the violet, which was a murky counterpoint to...something weirdly musky. Hard to describe, but I got a color association of dirty gray. Sadly, this smelled off and just did not work on me.

Oh, this was such a delight. One of the scents that turned out very close to what I imagined from the scent description, only better. Wet, I got a well-blended mix of musk, sandalwood, and incense - all very sweet. It's dry but in a really pleasing way; soft as incense ash. The sandalwood does not get sharp or cedar-y as it can on my skin. The feeling of this scent is snuggly, and the brown color association totally fits. I don't recognize the sweetness as coconutty. Instead, and this is a little gross, but it seems almost saliva-like to me, like the smell of kissing. Yep, that's Brown Jenkins to me: makeouts under a brown cashmere blanket. I didn't notice this changing much from wet to dry. Throw was very light, but it seems like such a skin scent that I don't mind that like I normally would.

Floral, bitter orange soapiness. Strong memories of how my great aunt used to smell...like dial soap, hairspray, and perfume with orange blossom It was sweet to be reminded of her, but I can't wear this.

Pretty, yellow, fresh and floral. Wet, I couldn't pick out clear notes of tangerine or pineapple, which is what I was hoping for. I don't know my florals well enough to identify them, but they were bright and sweet without being at all sharp. The seltzer didn't give off a strong carbonated feel, but there was something sparkly about the flowers, as though they had just been misted. In the drydown, tobacco emerged, and the scent got less sprightly and more herbal. I would have preferred this to be predominately fruity with a taste of flowers, rather than the reverse, but overall it's a happy yellow scent that's very easy to enjoy. Good throw but short longevity.

I've been chomping at the bit to try this - I love bonfire and smoke scents and thought this would be an interesting one. On my skin, I was surprised by how metallic I found this. In fact, and I know this comparison is going to sound completely nuts, it reminded me of a really dark version of Spinning Multicolored Metallic Pinwheel...none of the sugar, but that same aluminum. Djinn is sharp, kind of lemony and weird. It didn't really smell like smoke or scorched remains to me, but then again, I haven't been around a lot of fires that weren't wood or paper based. Unfortunately, as Djinn dried, I began to get strong associations of lemon-scented industrial cleaner. I'm not sure if the scent itself actually changed, or if my brain just finally answered the question of "what am I smelling." Either way, what had been an odd but fascinating scent became seriously unpleasant. Wish I hadn't put it behind my ears! Color associations: duochrome black with metallic yellow.

It's the weirdest thing: in the imp, this reminded me really strongly of an open imp of No. 93 Engine. Similarity to No. 93 is always a good thing, but I don't think they even have one note in common! On my skin, that impression vanishes, and instead there's a rush of soft pine and vanilla. As mamamoth wrote below, it's pine without the greenness, just the soft woods. I'm not sure if I can pick out the juniper or rosewood, but they may be contributing to the soft, dry character of the woods. The pine aspect is really wonderful - but the vanilla in this is amazing. Deep, dark and rich; the best I've ever smelled. There's nothing overtly amber-y about the blend, but it may be helping the pine and vanilla wind together so nicely. As it dries, the vanilla gradually takes over until that's all that's left. Since it's the most intoxicating, delicious vanilla ever, though, I don't mind even a tiny bit. Throw was kind of light, but good longevity. This scent has it all: world class vanilla, fragrant woods, and a hilarious Greek name. It's love!

I was hoping for a clove heavy blend, which it's not on me, but I still like this! Wet, it's a mass of apple-pie spices, and tangy, slightly synthetic golden fruit. It's all rather indistinct - I can't pick out any particular spice above another, or the patch or incense. The fruit is unidentifiable as peach or orange. (It might not be the scent; I have difficulty picking out the flavors in blended fruit juice too.) It's sort of like peach note from Belle Vinu, but not quite. I've found that peach in Belle Vinu to be pleasant at first but can amp outrageously - fortunately the peach doesn't do that here. The scent doesn't change much dry. Throw was pretty light; good longevity. Overall, Al-Shairan is Christmas candle-y, but in a good way. The fruit is the saving grace for me - it brightens it up and keeps it from getting too stuffy. It smells to me like it could be based on some kind of holiday dessert. I don't see myself wearing it a lot, but it's got a cheap, cheery holiday vibe that I think I'll find comforting in the winter.

I've been wanting to try this for for two reasons, the anise and the civet. I love anise and I hoped I'd be one of those people who got black licorice from it. Civet is something I've never tried. And it's stunning. The first thing I notice is a swath of green; a deep, multi-dimensional vetiver with what must be the lichen and oak moss. Immediately behind it flows another layer, which is much harder to describe. I think it's the civet. It's a dark gray-brown: earthy, musty and sweet. I don't know what actual animal musk smells like, but if actual civet is anything like this, I can understand why it was so sought after. It's hard to say if it's even a "good" smell; it's just endlessly nuanced and wrist-huffingly fascinating, the way gasoline smells fascinating. The civet layer seemed to deepen and sweeten during the dry stage, and the civet and green layers merged completely by the drydown. Fine throw and awesome longevity. Oh, Black Annis. You eat children and declined to give me even a lick of licorice, but I love you anyway. There's nothing pretty about this scent, but it is beautiful, wild, and organic. It's a bit like Burial in that both read to me like complete stories that take place deep in the woods, but Burial is peopled by humans and Black Annis by elves. This is one of the scents that affirms why I got into BPAL, and why I continue to be excited by it.

I thought I was going to looove this one based on the notes, but it got off to a bad start. Wet, this was all high sharp floral on me backed with an unpleasant citrus. Normally I love lemon; I'm not sure what went wrong here. I'm also not really familiar with iris alone, so I just have to presume it's a bad note for me. I didn't notice the leather, mint or wood. This is the first BPAL I've tried that reminded me in a bad way of conventional perfume. I get a headache from this type of scent if I'm not careful. After about an hour and a half of the same, I washed it off my wrists, but I still had some behind my ears. Of course, that's when Manhattan showed me its loveliest colors - over the next hour, the sharpness went down considerably, and it became a cloud of soft, slightly tangy herbal-citrus-floral. That was beautiful! I don't think I can deal with the beginning and middle stages to get to it, though. throw was very good and it probably lasted a total of 4-5 hours.

I'm impressed by those intrepid souls who can handle heavy musks and incense in temperatures above, oh, 70 degrees fahrenheit. I feel like I'm in the scent equivalent of a wool coat and muffler when I try it. Even vanilla can be too much. My favorites for hot and humid weather are citrus, mint and light green/herbal scents: Aizen-Myoo (yuzu tea,) Cathode (super-chilled mints,) and Kyoto (cherry blossom and anise.) I haven't had a chance yet to try Spinning Multi-colored Metallic Pinwheels in the heat, but I bet that metallic fruity-soda can thing is perfect to cool down with. Oh, and I'm looking forward to '09 Pumpkin III, too! Mmm, tomato leaf. (This thread reminds me that I want to keep my oil in the fridge this summer. It'll be nice to apply chilled oil, I bet. Plus, um, I'm in an attic with no insulation. My room cooks and the BPAL really shouldn't!)

Disclaimer: this little imp of Imp has clearly lived hard and well. I don't know exactly how old it is, but it probably remembers when God was a child. This is the first blend I've tried with golden musk in it. Apparently golden musk smells...exactly like red musk to me. And just as most blends with red musk smell overwhelmingly of red musk and nothing but red musk on my skin, that's all I got from this wet. No peach; no patch. Hours later on the drydown, amber swung by to hang out. Throw is decent and it's a lingerer. This imp has retired from the mischief business and settled down to enjoy a life of quiet muskery.

Creamy lemongrass with lavender. Delish! I conked out within five minutes of application. Unlike Temple of Dreams, there was no trace left when I woke up from a sound sleep about 6 hours later. I don't remember my dreams, but it's not the oil's fault - my sleep schedule is totally wonky and that makes it harder for me to remember dreams.

Oh, this one was a roller-coaster ride of morphing! In the vial, this gave me pause because it reminded me strongly of Saturnalia, heretofore known as "stinkiest BPAL ever." Saturnalia is mostly violet and vetivert, and I'll be honest, I barely gave it a skin test before booting it out the door. BVC in the vial was less unpleasant, but had a similar dirty pungency. Wet, I got a few moments of strong violet and phantom vetivert. The violet seemed to fade suddenly, and I was worried that anosmia was kicking in. Fortunately, it came back into focus in a minute or two, mingled with a rich green smell. I wish I could be more specific - it wasn't vetivert, as I originally thought, but what must be a really well-blended mixture of the violet, currants, patch and moss. None of the latter three stand out for me at all (I was worried about the moss amping into bug-spray as it did with Violet Ray, but it did not!) BVC dried down to a breeze of rich, dark-greenish purple herbal deliciousness. It feels cool and vibrant. Throw starts off strong and gets steadily lighter, and it kissed me goodbye in under three hours.

This is not at all fair, but I couldn't help comparing the Lion against a couple of straight-up amber essential oils that I've used. I have to keep reminding myself that perfume will necessarily be different! In the vial, and on my skin, warm, sweet golden amber is the dominant note. The Lion's amber is less heavy and opaque than what I get from an EO. Wet, I also got something almost citrus-y, fruity-tea-ish that was lovely, but odd considering the description. That aspect disappeared as it dried. This stayed a pleasant but slightly thin amber through drydown. I didn't get much spice, if any. Throw was great and this one is another energizer bunny in terms of longevity...still going strong many, many hours after a light application. Overall, I think this would be a great blend for those who usually find undiluted amber too heavy or cloying.

Hello, color associations of deep, dark green water! Wet, I get a thick, hazy green aquatic with an almost fruity floral that make me think, oddly enough, of 51. I'm lousy at identifying most floral notes, and I'm comparing deserts to aquatics, so take this with a giant grain of salt: it's similar to me in its murky green tone to 51, but waterlogged instead of dry. I've never been to an actual bayou, so I can't say if this scent accurately captures one, but it definitely evokes a humid summer night. Drydown: I almost wish it were the custom to put bad associations behind a spoiler bar, because I don't think I would have made the bayou-bandaid connection on my own - the instant I saw it in a review though, it fit! It's still not an unpleasant smell though. Overall: this is a really interesting, evocative blend. I was very pleased that the moss didn't turn to bug spray as it so often does. Throw was strong at first, but settled down an hour or two in.

Maybe Prague? I think of it as sheer rather than sparkling, but it's a really lovely, light floral.

I have trouble with what I think of as "bug spray note" ruining otherwise good blends. Moss and yew seem to be the main culprits, as far as I can surmise. (Yew Trees, unsurprisingly, was not the best on me.) Hemlock and The Witch's Garden were two greens that I tried that were ok, but had a cleaning-product vibe on me. I second fiddledragon's suggestion of Jabberwocky - it's so happy; a pine forest on a sunny summer day. Another that might work is Burial, which is trees, dirt, and a hint of flowers. Also, when I was a newbie looking for green scents, several folks recommended that I try Strangler Fig, and I owe them a thank you! I think of it as golden brown rather than "green," but it's sweet, earthy, and beautiful. If you are considering LEs, slightly aged 2009 Pumpkin III is something I just fell in love with, and it's pretty out of the box - the notes are pumpkin, fir needle, pitch, rosemary, and tomato. On me it's all fresh tomato leaf and stems. It's quite sharp, but not in a way that goes bitter or bad at all on me. Good luck on your search and let us know how it goes!

Little Bird suggested it and I second. velvet tiki. Velvet Tiki. VELVET TIKI! It reminds me of Haagen Dazs pineapple-coconut ice cream, with vanilla and tropical flowers for garnish. My favorite of all fruity-floral BPAL. Goblin is also a really nice coconut-patchouli blend.

I first tried this back in October or November. I remember putting this on this right after getting my decant in the mail, and refrained from washing it off immediately only because I was on my way to work. One way to do perfume seems to be to take elements with similar qualities and blend them together. Other kinds of perfume seem to be about how disparate notes play off against each other. Pumpkin III seems squarely in the latter category. Wet, I could almost see the notes as separate squares of color. One was a screeching block of lime green, sharp and disinfectant-smelling. The "pumpkin" square was orange, a nauseatingly sweet sugar candy and butter smell. They were both highly unpleasant and seemed to want to have nothing to do with each other. As the perfume dried, however, it started blending in the most surprising way. It was like each square broke down and became smaller and smaller pixels until they merged into a shimmering, creamy green. After about 45 minutes, the blend was herbal, sweet, and absolutely delicious. Because the first half hour was so very unpleasant, I avoided wearing it for a while, but kept it in hopes that aging would help it get to that blended stage faster. I tried it again, and it has changed, but not quite how I expected. Wet, this is all unbelievably fresh, tangy tomato leaf. The cloying pumpkin note is not apparent at all. As it dries down, the tomato leaf note stays strong. About three hours in, it softens and sweetens up some. It's not exactly how I remember the blended stage of the first test - less sweet and creamy, but still incredibly green, lively, and delicious. During a New England March, when you're not sure if you'll ever see a growing garden again, this could not be more welcome.