whisperstilled

Wet: Wow. Vanilla, coconut, and leather heaven. The black tea is definitely there to give things a little astringency. I am INTO it. Dry: This is exceptionally good, a perfect leather/sharp/sweet blend that hits every end of the scents I like without being too much of anything. As Shungas tend to be, it's pretty even across the board - I can smell everything in here, and even the patchouli isn't scaring me off. It feels like a scent to wear while studying in a cozy library with some fat leather books. I may need a bottle of this.

Wet: Sugared rose and carnation. This is way sweeter a floral scent than I would ordinarily wear, but it kind of works. A faint alcoholic bite from the cognac makes this more complex. Dry: This is the rose I always want from a rose scent, even though I don't wear them much. It's much more ~pink in its way than I usually go for as well, but something here is just working for me, the first scent from the Pickmans this year that has. A really excellent and well-blended floral. I don't know if I need a full bottle, but I'm definitely keeping my decant.

La Prostitution did not turn out to be the jasmine scent of dreams for me, so I have high hopes for this one. Bottle: In a similar vein to La Prostitution, but not as sweet in the bottle. The leather cuts cleanly through. Wet: White tea, sweet jasmine, and a little dry leather. The white musk blends so nicely with these I can hardly make it out - I think the leather and tea are drowning it. Drying: Begins to sharpen a little as it dries and the tea and leather come out more. Now it's sharp jasmine tea and leather, but something isn't quite meshing here. Dry: The leather comes out a lot more on the drydown, but I think there's just something about the jasmine here that doesn't completely work with the other notes. It is quite soapy on the drydown.

Far and away, my favorite of any of this year's Lupers I have tested or smelled. I think the first thing I said when I tested it was simply "...sex palace." Since this is a 'thematic' single note instead of a 'real' single note, I'm pretty confident that the other reviewers are right, and there's something else going on here aside from leather. There's a subtle spicy quality as it dries on the skin, but this is shiny, dark leather to me with a little musk for good measure - perhaps black musk, but I'm not positive. Just. I mean. It's heaven. If you like leather scents, tell naughty santa you've been good this year and beg him to buy some for you before it comes down from the site.

Surprisingly well-blended in the imp - and weirder than I expected. Whiskey, gin, and leather are all fighting for dominance, with sweet vanilla in the background. Wet: That's the Mad Sweeney whiskey note on top for sure, which is not what I was anticipating - I was hoping for more of a gin-and-leather scent. The gin comes out a little more as it dries, along with rose, the whole thing sweetened a lot by the vanilla. Not sure this combination of notes is working for me. Drying: This smells distinctly like moth balls. I go to a lot of estate sales, and this is the exact smell of many of the musty, mothballed basements I've been in. Wow. Dry: Medicinal, harsh gin with leather in the background. Not what I had hoped for at all, unfortunately.

This one is just WAY too sweet for me. I agree with other reviewers that it mellows on the drydown, but the intensity of the sickly-sweet jasmine/vanilla first stage is just too much for me. What a shame, because the drydown is a lot more complex, but I couldn't make it all the way through when I did a full test leaving the house this morning.

Wet: Well, this is pure happiness to my nose. Tonka sweetens, white musk keeps the fougere from being too sweet. This is everything I love about Theodosius, but lighter and less heavy. Ugh. This is going to be a killer summer scent. Dry: I want to eat my arm. If a man was wearing this, I would want to eat him. Phenomenal.

Wet: Yum. I get the cognac right away, which is nice because the lab's cognac scent usually dies on me. I do get something soft that might be vanilla or linen. It's sweeter than I expected, but still has that alcohol quality I expect from the lab's liquer scents. Dry: Something in the green, sweet quality of this reminds me of Gennivre, which I was wearing today. The tobacco is just finally starting to come out as I get my nose right on top of my skin. This is just awesome.

I've always wanted to try this one, and I got a lovely decant of it from the wonderful Jen F.! Wet: This is one beautiful scent. I love the lab's champagne note, and this is no exception. Bright and bubbly, it always reminds me of ginger ale more than anything else. Dry: Sharp, pungent, piercing. Really interesting! The absinthe anise quality comes out at the end. This is a completely intriguing blend.

In Imp: Pungent! Strong leather and jasmine. The vetiver is blending well in the imp, and I can smell almost all of the notes, including the corianer and patchouli. Wet:Leather, coriander, black pepper. This is the vetiver note I wish I experienced more in perfume - well-blended and grounding instead of front and center. Definitely strong and medicinal. Considering this scent has two of my death notes and I tried it mostly out of love for the movie and this song, this is going shockingly well. An incredibly well-blended scent. Drying: Getting a little soapy, but the patch seems to be tempering that. I try not to ascribe too tightly to gender binaries for any scent, but this is definitely on the harsher and more masculine side. Dry: What a wonderful surprise. A blend with vetiver and patchouli I could actually see myself wearing! Even the leather moves to the back burner on this one. I feel like this is what a dominatrix would wear, more than Whip. I was not expecting to like this so much, but I am keeping my decant for sure.

First review in five years! I guess not a lot of decants of this one are rolling around these days. In the imp, I get faded incense. Let's see how it does on the skin. Wet: Soft incense and smoke. This is. Wow. Really nice. I'm actually shocked by how good this is. Soft, mellow frankincense and something faintly metallic. It reminds me a lot of Robotic Scarab without the shiny harshness. Dry: This is hot sex, seriously. Resin and incense heavy blends usually score well with me, and this one is definitely above and beyond the usual. There's almost no throw on this baby, but I just don't care. It smells like raw heaven.

I've been wanting to try this one for ages and I've had an imp hanging around for about a hundred years, so let's give it a go. Wet: Bright, clean, ozoney and very sharp. Sweet florals dominated by a harsh ozone tinge. Dry: It's a bit too astringent, even for me. The salty quality others have mentioned is a little too strong, but it is indeed very light and refreshing. It becomes a slightly powdery dry floral with a strong ozone tinge.

I never thought a scent with patchouli in the notes would get me so hard, but holy cow. Ylang ylang is a love it or hate it note for me, but its intense sweetness pairs really well with the dark sexy myrrh and patchouli. People weren't kidding when they said this one was sexy as hell. It's dirty headshop for sure, and I don't know if I'll ever wear it, but it's so rich and interesting I'm hanging onto my imp.

In the imp this is a sweet floral with something metallic. Very odd. Let's see how it is on the skin. I'm a big nerd for the Baba Yaga, she's one of my favorite characters from folklore. Wet: PATCHOULI. Nooooo. In-your-face patchouli. Scents with odd notes like this one (stone, dust, etc.) sometimes work on me, but all I'm getting so far is faint florals, moss, and PATCHOULITOWN USA. Dry: The drydown doesn't help much. The patchouli cools it a little, but the metallic notes and the 'dusty' herbal quality aren't doing it any favors. Ah well! It does get an appealing spiciness, which is nice, but the patchouli is just too much.

Wet: White musk and bergamot and heliotrope creating something strangely medicinal and sweet. There's no anise in this scent, but it reminds me strongly of black licorice. Dry: As it dries, it's evoking Grand Guignol a bit for me. It must be the fruity quality and the sharpness of the bergamot reminding me of alcohol and apricots! It mellows quite a bit as it dries, but it is indeed really close to the skin. This would be a home run for anyone who likes peach, and is an extremely well-blended scent.

This is a dead sexy scent, champaca and vanilla and jasmine. I don't really pick up the cinnamon, but it is making my skin tingle!

Wet: Strong sweet blackberries and incense, something dirty and smoky. Blackberry candy and something medicinal that must be the toxins. Maybe a floral? Dry: The blackberries are so sweet they remind me of pie. As it dries down I get more of a headshop incense thing, pretty similar to Nevar, actually, which I currently have on my other arm - incense, smoke, and something dirty. I bought this scent for the poetry, so I'll hang onto it for a bit and see how it ages.

At first sniff, this reminds me extremely strongly of Kaidan. In the bottle, at least, it's almost identical. I last smelled Kaidan at C2E2 back in 2012, and it's still a really strong sense memory, an oriental style perfume with plum, distinctly purple. Wet: Plum incense and something smoky and plastic. No musk whatsoever, and no cacao. Violet, for sure, mingling with the plum. Dry: This smells very headshop to me, and while that isn't my thing, this would be great on some friends of mine who like the dirty dark stuff more than me. If you told me this had patch in it I would completely believe you. Not my cup of tea, but glad to have tried it!

In Imp: Cold rose and musk. Oooh. Wet: Initially I thought this one wouldn't work at all, but this is the pale orchid floral of dreams, I think. A little fresh tea, a little vanilla, rose and strong orchid. This is phenomenal. Dry:I have no idea whether this scent is very 'me' or not, but it's totally unexpected. It has a little of the medicinal quality I like in labdanum. I'll be hanging onto my decant for certain.

There are even odds the cardamom in this is going to make my skin explode, so I've got the shower at the ready! I'm a huge fan of OLLA, and this one's been on my wishlist for a while. Wet: Sharp, sharp coffee and tobacco with black pepper. Packs a PUNCH, man, and really evokes a place and a moment. Drying: A totally unfamiliar scent for me, which I like. I know all the individual components, but they create a whole which is a scent experience, one of my favorite things BPAL does. The tobacco is sweetening things a touch while it dries. A little of the harshness fades, and the cardamom and clove peek out a bit more. Dry: This is strangely comforting for such an alien scent, though I can't imagine wearing it day to day. It smells like an old cigar box someone's stored strong spicy tea in. I don't know if I'd wear it, but now I want a full bottle just to sniff.

In decant: Dry hay and sandalwood Wet: Dry and spicy! I smell the amber, but it's well underneath the spicy woods and a distinct, dead dry hay note. Drying: This is more nutty than I had expected, maybe the hay note layering over the woods. It's a light scent with almost no throw, at least so far. Dry: Warm, dry, spicy woods, as previously recorded. Nice overall, if not wowing me. I'll hang onto my decant and see how we age.

In bottle: Faint vanilla, strong poppy, lavender, and jasmine. A strange and pleasing combination, a floral and sweet lavender. It reminds me a bit of The Serpentine, but the poppy pulls it away from that, making it a little headier. Wet: Maybe a little too sweet! The 'blackened fruit gums' I think are cherry, since that's what I first get a blast of. It smells really, really strongly like cherry vitamin gummies. Drying: The poppy comes out a little more on the drydown, but it's missing the heady 'nightmare' quality I hoped for. The dark fruit overpowers on this one a little. Still, this is extremely well blended and very interesting. I agree with a previous reviewer - awesome, just not on me, although now it most strongly reminds me of Blood Countess. Dry: Maybe I need to give this one a full-day test! It's light on me, not much throw, but it's almost pure, sweet poppy after a few minutes. What a morpher.

So far all the Yules I've tried have kind of been busts, so I'm hoping this one, which is more in my wheelhouse, will work better! In the decant, this one is warm, sweet rose and incense. Good so far. Wet: Strong frank and myrrh with a faint, dark rose. It does indeed smell like a church. The woody backdrop gives it a surprisingly grounded quality, but the lab's dread ice note feels weird and discordant here. Dry: Sharpens as it dries and gets more icy. The pine is really drowning the rose and resins, which is a shame! It's much, much too piney for me on the drydown. Ah well!

I loved the concept of this and I like blue musk, so let's see if it all works. In the imp, hoo! Overly sweet, surprisingly so. Wet: This is icy and strangely chemical. It reminds me at first blush of the scent of a chlorinated pool, for whatever reason. Dry: I think maybe I need to give up on the lab's snow note. Ice works for me, snow not as much. Salty, musky, and very weird.

In the imp, this is patchouli, sandalwood, and sweet coconut. Patchouli really isn't my thing, so I hope it's weaker on the skin than it is in the imp. Wet: Very well-blended, this one. Patchoui and sandalwood sweetened by the coconut. Little frankincense giving it some warmth. Dry: That pickles comparison is apt. For whatever reason, I find coconut teas and coconut perfumes tend to sharpen into a weird pickle-like scent. This one is a little sour and weird for me.