cfrancesca

Dragon's Musk (especially very aged) is the most carnal, sexiest BPAL I've tried, I think it's the deep very sexy musk and incense that makes it divine. But I find even most days it can be too much for me so I use it only occasionally. A close second is Lucy, Kissed, I thought this one had an almost pulsating, throbbing intensity to it that I've never found a in perfume before, it was like it was alive. I didn't like the scent so much for me personally but I think it's a very beautiful and special oil.

This smells like a summer cocktail. I get sugary lime/lemon verbena and creamy coconut with soft pretty tropical flowers in the back, perhaps tiare. It's a very 'breezy' scent to me if that makes any sense. It has some strong throw too. I think this would make a great beach or summer day scent.

Although Zephyr is not exactly 'tropical' smelling, I immediately thought of it when you mentioned a soft, cool breeze. It's one of my favorites and reminds me of a breezy beach day. I also agree that Pele is gorgeous and evocative of Hawaii. Also, if you're still searching for more tropical type scents, I've found some really nice ones in the prototypes. Albedo v5, Arsenic v2, and Haumea v1 in particular.

(bold mine) Beth has explained the why of the batch variations back in the first pages of this thread, it's from 2004 (I can't believe it's 10 years ago ) but I presume the reasons are still the same? Here is a link (scroll down to see her replies, there's a few): http://www.bpal.org/topic/3142-different-smellscolors-same-perfume/page__st__25 Also from the lab's FAQ's: I totally understand the frustration though! Especially when it happens to scents you love. It's happened to me more than a few times and it's been disappointing. But when I first read up on the issue it made more a lot more understanding of what goes into the process and why these batch variations are sometimes inevitable.

I'm slathered in Samhain 2007 (which is my favorite year), and Fearful Pleasure! I took my cousins trick-or-treating this afternoon and and I was surrounded in a happy scent cloud of smokey apples and leaves.

I'm not sure why it took me so long to try this, I think the description might have thrown me off, or it could be the idea of shrunken heads has always kinda freaked me a little bit out so I stayed away, lol. Regardless, I am so, so glad I finally did because I found out it's an amazing leather scent. On me it's mostly this worn and weathered, tanned, delicious smelling leather with a soft well-blended background of pleasant musky herbs, smokey woods and soft fresh greenery. I find it surprisingly soft (although it has good throw) and very wearable leather. It's quickly become one of my favorite leather scents! (Note this review is from an aged bottle.)

Sacrifice is one of my all-time favorite leather blends. I discovered it around the same time I got into bpal and it's just gotten better with age. It has that smokey and sexy worn leather that I love with a backdrop of spicy woods, soft but very pleasant to my nose herbal cologne, with a musky sweetness underneath it all. It's all very wonderfully blended and cohesive. When I wear it I feel like I've wrapped myself up in an old familiar leather jacket with the soft still-lingering scent of cologne and traces of musk. Also, and I'm not sure if it's coming from my imagination or not, but I feel there's a slight sinister edge to it which I find strangely alluring. To me, Sacrifice is a complex, comforting and quite sexy masculine-type scent. Very yummy!

Big thanks to Mellifluous for sending me some to try! Wet, I'm getting toasted hazelnuts and...cream? It smells deliciously warm and foody. I'm not getting much pronounced patchouli or leather yet, although I can smell them behind the thick cloud of nuts and cream. I wonder why this smells so much like cream to my nose if there is no cream note, perhaps from the vanilla or the combination of notes? The creaminess here is clean and powdery at this stage and it reminds me of the scent Penis Admiration for some reason. As it dries I start getting a little more smooth leather and a soft well-blended patchouli but they still feel distant to me. Strangely, at times I get whiffs of a nutty creamy chocolate smell. As it settles, it's still very creamy and nutty and I am now getting a little more patchouli, which combined with the hazelnuts I think this might be what's giving off the toasted chocolate-like scent to my nose. The creaminess here is now reminding me of the cream accord in Glowing Vulva, Love's Philosophy and Candy Butcher, it's a note I'm always seeking out and mentioning because it's my favorite bpal note. I love nutty scents and this has to be one of the best ones I've tried. The throw is fantastic too. I would really love a bottle of this. If I could get a Goblin Statue I would do it in a heartbeat!

First, a big to Mellifluous for sending me some to try. You rock! This is a very murky, moody scent. I get lots of heavy earthy patchouli with smoky tobacco and traces of sage in the background. Hmm... this actually might be one of the darkest scents I've tried and although I wouldn't particularity seek some out, I find myself strangely allured by it.

Very pretty. Soft, fresh, dusty violets and tea rose, the blend has a slightly creamy, sweet edge. As it dries the rose gets a little spicy with a hint of soapiness (tea rose likes to that on my skin sometimes) and the violets get a bit powdery (which I actually enjoy). Once settled the tea rose amps slightly more than the violets. (my review is from an aged imp)

This is all chilly floral musk and pear perfection and it's one of my favorite bpal florals ever.

I have a decant of Atrocious Attic (the 2007 version) and it's all lovely soft pink rose, lavender, violet, and vanilla-sandalwood musk. I also own a bottle but it has a stronger astringent herbal lavender, it still has the vanilla-sandalwood musk, soft rose and violets lurking in the background but it takes a while for the astringency to burn off and it's still nowhere near as softly blended, pleasant and vanilla-y as the decant is. I noticed this when I got my bottle a few years ago and was hoping it was an age issue but my bottle is still the same. Has anyone else has experienced batch differences with the original release of Atrocious Attic? I want to see if it's even worth trying to search for the batch that is more like my decant.

Yay! Someone kindly gifted me a full decant of Boober to try, thank you! This one has been on my wishlist for a while. Amazingly realistic bubbly soapy suds and bubble bath bubbles! So much so that I almost *feel* them floating and popping all around me. In the background there is a soft vanilla and clean floral scent (the linden blossom) that grounds the scent. Very cuddly and comforting but bubbly and effervescent (I get an almost champagne-like note in there) at the same time, it's like being wrapped up in a freshly laundered fluffy white towel after a bubble bath. This is one of the best fresh laundry/soapy scent I've smelt.

I like tiare as well! Here are some bpals that have it as a note: The Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair (Gilded amber, tiare, golden sandalwood, vanilla, cardamom, and tagetes.) Marae (Vanilla orchid, Monoi tiare, gardenia, and light incense.) Sugar Plum Fairy (sugar plums, vanilla-infused sugar, tiare, amber musk, apricot peel, and a light dusting of cacao.) Enlightenment of the Courtesan Jigokudayu (Silken coconut, angelica, soft golden incense, tiare, carnation, and Asian pear.) The Glittering Apple of the Stars (Heirloom Malus, ylang ylang, white and blue musks, crystallized vanilla, tiare, frangipani, and bergamot.) From these, I would recommend Marae, The Glittering Apple of the Stars and Englightment of the Courtesan Jigokudayu. For a nice tiare and coconut combo, you could maybe try layering Marae and Obatala. You could also look into gardenia blends (since tiare is a type of gardenia), there are a lot of fantastic ones. I personally love Miss Ida, Swan Maiden, Gaoler's Daughter and Arsenic v2 (I get a very lovely tropical scent, on me it's mostly gardenia/tiare, ginger flower and soft coconut), and there's also Tissue, Sweet Life (I've been looking for this one for a while, the reviews say it's nearly gardenia SN). The tropical recommendation thread might have some other good ideas as well!

Orange blossom honey, brown sugar, saffron, tonka absolute, and tobacco leaf. I think there might be different batches of Pussy, as some comment on it being orange blossom honey heavy and others get more of the tobacco and woods. I decided to get a bottle of this because orange blossom honey is one of my favorite notes but I'm sadly getting no sweetness, no orange blossom honey or brown sugar. On me this is all swirly, woody, dry, incensey tobacco leaf blend with hint of saffron and soft base of creamy tonka (it's all very 'brown' smelling to me). From afar the throw it gives off is woody tonka tobacco patchouli, which is strange because there is no patchouli in this blend. The scent is warm and sexy but not exactly what I was hoping for, I really wanted it to be sweeter. Something about it also strongly reminds of some aspects of Badgers.