Verios

Oof, this one is all jasmine on me, which is not a note that plays well with my skin chemistry. I'll give this one a bit longer before I write it off completely, as so many of the notes are favorites, and I'm hoping it ages into something that works on me.

This is definitely a vanilla/mallow forward scent on me, with the florals backing it up really, really well (I'm not -usually- one who loves florals, as I amp them and they can be overwhelming). Immediately it made me think of antique lace (I've only tried the resurrected version) - it's not identical, but in that same sweet ethereal floral family (I also can understand/agree with the comparison to zorya p). Definitely going in my keep box.

this is a very intense honey, with vanilla sugar adding more sweetness to it - I don't know what tuberose smells like, but most florals and I aren't friends...however in this case, while I think the floral lends a little oomph to this, it doesn't misbehave on me, which was a pleasant surprise! I think I really like this, although it edges close enough to foodie territory that I don't think it'll be one I reach for super often? I'm glad I tried it, and will definitely use up the decant I have, though!

Finally was able to swap for a bottle of this, and man am I glad I hunted it down - I've had a few times where I wanted to try a blend that had goat's milk listed, but milk notes...well, I toss up on them, we'll say. With that said, this is gorgeous. It's sweet, and I definitely get the milky, creamy undertone to it, but I think it must be the vanilla cashmere that gives it a snuggly hint of warmth that takes it from pleasant to the kind of scent that makes me want to huff my wrist hoping to get a whiff of it. It doesn't seem to have a ton of throw, but the staying power was decent on my first wear, so I'm hopeful that doesn't change. I'm excited to try layering it with a gingerbread monster or two to see what happens, but even on its own, this was definitely a winner for me!

This is a scent I initially remember not being too impressed by, but I decided to try keeping it to age just to see how that went, and as I test it today, I'm so glad I did. I used to love leather in all its glory, but now this is more my speed - it's there, and I definitely get it, but it's a softer leather than a lot of blends, sweetened up with the coconut, and rounded out by the other two notes (which I don't know well enough to identify on their own, just that they're adding something, and I dig it). So, definitely glad I hung onto this, and decided to give it another try, as I almost shifted it to my swaps box since I hadn't found myself reaching for it!

This is a scent I originally picked up because it sounded interesting/very different from what I usually enjoy, but it to me smells like what I would fantasize that a tropical jungle would smell like. I ended up buying a backup bottle shortly after testing it out, but a friend also fell in love with it and laid claim to the backup, so I'm back to rationing out the one I have for the time being - it's one I find I reach for in the summer, though (probably because I live in a desert, so something about the green, tropical vibe of this really appeals to me for a change of pace!). Truly lovely.

Black tea has a tendency of coming across as anise-like, on me, and that's not a scent I typically enjoy, so I keep trying them, and usually am disappointed. I've only just applied this, however, and while I definitely get the lab's black tea note, and it doesn't really smell like tea to me...it stops just shy of hitting the point where it's like licorice. Right out of the bottle, the lime definitely drowned it out, but as citrus scents usually do on me, that faded really quickly. Curious to see how this morphs as it sits on my skin for a bit longer, but so far, it's interesting and quite fun!

This is everything I hoped it would be, on initial application - I get a sweet, nutty coconut that doesn't go suntan lotion, and I do believe I'm getting hints of the opalescent white musk as well. Hoping that the scent doesn't fade to quickly, or morph too much.

This is glorious. It's like the girliest mixed drink ever, strawberry candy sweetness with a hit of gin, and a bit of grenadine. The boozy notes keep this from being too cloying for me, but don't smell like someone threw liquor around either, so this will definitely be one I spray around the house!

This is everything I hoped it would be, which is a huge relief, as leather scents haven't quite been hitting the mark with me as a whole, lately. This is fresh from the lab, and hasn't had time to settle yet, but I think I am mostly getting the leather, cigar smoke and bay rum - it reminds me a lot of my Judge and Jury atmo (which, re-reading the notes in that, actually makes sense), which is one I really love, as well~

This is my first time trying one of the sufganiyots, but blackcurrant is a favorite fruit flavor of mine, so I couldn't pass it up, despite my not typically being a huge foodie fan. Also, this just arrived from the lab today, so hasn't had time to settle. That said, WOW. I love this! I get no pastry, but instead get a gorgeous, jammy dark berry/currant, with some sort of an almost-floral undertone that I really, really love. Assuming this doesn't settle into something totally different, this was a surprise hit for me, so I am thrilled I gave it a shot...and I will almost definitely need a backup! Edit: Gave it a full-day run today, and it smells the same - I had another friend smell it on me today, and she was also surprised that (at least on me) this is an amazing mixed berry/currant jam, with a floral undertone that keeps it from straying into too foody...I get no pastry note at all, which was what worried me, so I'm thrilled.

Oooh, this sounds fun! (And I am always looking for new scents to love!) My top 5 (at the moment, anyway...I love so many it's tough to narrow down), in no particular order: Dorian Antique Lace Recalcitrant Dragon De Vos' Unicorn Zorya P ....there are at least another 4-5 that barely got edged out of this list

This is stunning - I'm a little odd in that I don't really care for perfumes that taste overly foodie, but I'm finding that some of my favorite HGs are the foodier ones! This on me is mostly honey; the cake is definitely not coming to the forefront. But, the honey is the gorgeous kind that almost reminds me of baklava (it doesn't have the pastry note of baklava though, that's just the only thing I've eaten where the honey tastes like this smells) - it's got a hint of cinnamon, and a little bit of nuttiness, and it's just so. delicious. I'm so glad to have snagged a bottle of this!

I just got this today in the mail, so I'm hoping once it settles a bit that some of the other notes come out to play....because I was really, really excited about this scent, and right now, it's mostly cologne, but not a harsh or in-your-face one. I'm glad someone else mentioned cucumber, because I get that as well, and was kind of wondering if my nose was broken. There's also a faint hint of leather lingering in the background (there's a dirty joke in there, pertaining to leather and cucumbers, somewhere...) I'm not getting any coffee, and if the shuffle of paper is there, I'm not picking up on it. To sum up: on me (and in the bottle) it's a sleek, aquatic, vaguely cucumber-y cologne that's been spilled across a black leather briefcase. Not offensive or unpleasant, but unless it changes with a bit of settling and/or aging, this one will be off to my swaps!

2017 Version The original had been discontinued before I got into BPAL, so this year's run was my first chance at smelling it...and wow, I totally see what all the fuss is. This is the most gorgeous musky vanilla, with the long-faded perfumes mingling with just a hint of dry florals balancing the sweetness out (as someone who is a rare fan of florals, this is magical). Fantastic throw and longevity - enough that I catch hints of it all day...but not so much that I feel like I am overwhelming the people around me (although I'd still wear it if it did, because I enjoy it so much). I am so glad the lab did a rerelease of this, and that I was lucky enough to snag some.