Vega

Sniffed: Glowing red musk warmed with the foody pie note. On skin: The Soldier was a bit too aggressive when I first tested my circle decant, but aging has mellowed him quite a bit! The dominant note is initially glowing, warm red musk, "sullied" by rich pie (thankfully not nauseating!) and a touch of pepper. The other notes really bloom after drydown: gritty black pepper with a gentle bite, mellow smooth tea, and leather, which flattens the blend slightly but not enough to ruin the complexity and body. Red musk slowly recedes, but I still smell a halo of it surrounding the other notes, especially if I'm not huffing my wrist too closely. Vanilla never shows up to the party, but the party is going quite nicely as it is so I don't miss it too much. This ends up a fine harmony of red musk and the other notes. Unisex with the slightest masculine bent. Colour impression is black bleeding into dark red. Verdict: I deeply love the Lab's red musk, and The Soldier is a fine variant on that theme! But I'm not a lover of foodie blends, and while this is more wearable than others, I prefer my other red musk blends.

Sniffed: Light fruit adulterated with fuzzy musk and other notes. Reminds me of Manhattan, darkened several shades. On skin: Oooh, this is fascinating! This top note of Heroine is light, seems a bit fruity or vegetal but not in any familiar way -- so it must be rhubarb coloured with apple blossom and maybe petitgrain. A bright top note clearly darkened by deeper notes: smoothed by leather, warmed and fuzzed by amber and skin musk, and slightly glowing from patchouli. A full-bodied scent that's simultaneously bright and dark; it smells darker on my skin than in the decant. Heroine would score higher points with me if it did not gradually develop a thin sourness that spoils whatever complexity and depth it had at first. Thankfully this sourness morphs in and out over time and never completely dominates, but this morphing is just ruining the blend for me. Boooo. Verdict: Sigh, Heroine started off so promisingly but ended up being spoiled by this mysterious sourness. This has happened before with certain other blends, and I haven't been able to pinpoint which note(s) are causing this. Alas, I wish this beautiful scent wasn't so sullied!

Pumpkin, almond, brown musk, and honey. Sniffed: Pumpkin plus a whiff of almond and a glowing pungency that's probably the musk and honey. On skin: Brown musk doesn't always get along with me, so I'm relieved that the glowing, sharp brownness settles. Now it's a dry, light pumpkin mixed with sweet, rich honey and a touch of almond. The musk emerges again after a while, but mixes well with the other notes. Nutty and warm and glowing; a smooth foody scent that is a bit too rich for me. Verdict: Mmm, not bad. I like pumpkin, not so much brown musk and honey, but for once they are playing nice here. Glad I can wear it, but it's not wowing me.

Sniffed: Pumpkin overlaid with chocolate and caramel. On skin: Subdued pumpkin mixed with the chocolate, caramel and cream. I was testing this without the notes list and wondered if there was coffee or tobacco in here, but that is probably all the smooth, sweet notes mixing with nutty pumpkin. This Pumpkin starts off a bit grainy and dark, but smoothens out over time and blends together. The foody notes are dominant; pumpkin lurks in the background, and pomegranate is nowhere to be found. Colour impression is dark chocolate brown. Verdict: A pretty chocolate/caramel blend, but I came here for the pumpkin and wish it were more prominent!

Ah, Sunbird for me was sandy desert under punishing noonday sun and a scorching wind. It actually smelled HOT. I also find Baghdad quite desert-like, but it's more like a desert cooling at dusk, with an exotic Arabian city nearby, the smell of spices and commerce wafting in the evening breeze. Neither are scents that literally smell like the desert, but they definitely evoke the atmosphere of a vast, ancient, sandy desert in the Middle East. At least it does for me!

Sniffed: I shouldn't be surprised that I am smacked in the nose by coffee, with a whiff of spiced pumpkin following in its wake. On skin: When I first received my decant, all I could smell was coffee. More than half a year of aging has brought out more notes: now I can pick out some pumpkin, some nose-tingling cinnamon and nutmeg, and a faint trickle of milk and perhaps vanilla. But hey, didn't I order a latte for the coffee? And that's what I get, heady, dry and grainy. Over time the coffee tames, the other notes start blending together and smoothen out the grittiness. Now I can actually pick out smooth, rich, syrupy pumpkin, slightly sugared and liberally spiced. All on the backdrop of dominant coffee. This has exceptional throw too: my skin swallows up scents, but I'm actually smelling this from arm's length! Verdict: Mixed feelings. On one hand, I did order a latte, so I shouldn't complain that it contains so much coffee. Even so, the other notes smell so enticing and I'd like to have more of them! I may hang on to my decant and age it some more...

Sniffed: A cool citrus, darkened and tempered. A bit musky-fuzzy. On skin: Manhattan is a fascinating blend. From start to end, all I smell are clear, yellow lemon and sweet, zesty grapefruit, mellowed by white tea. The deeper notes never really make themselves apparent, but they are clearly present, because there's a richness to Manhattan that can't come from a purely fruity blend. I think these deeper notes are grounding the bright lemon-grapefruit-tea, tempering the fruity sweetness, darkening and warming and making this lemon-grapefruit-tea and more. In fact, I wonder if there is musk somewhere, giving it this slightly fuzzy tone. The scent remains quite constant over time, sometimes lighter, sometimes darkened. Sadly, it fades quickly and doesn't have much throw. This is a complex blend. Distinct too: while it is light and discreet and a bit "conventional", it nevertheless exudes class and sophistication and a glossy sleekness. Puts me in mind of understated, discreet but very real power and wealth. While I'm reminded of Bess (which smelled similar, but was much less interesting), I put Manhattan in the same company as Transeo: even though they smell very different, both have a strong presence, evoke understated power, and are "conventional" enough to be perfect for daily business wear but still have their own distinctiveness. I don't get a single colour impression, but a mish-mash of pale pastel yellow, vivid orange-red, and the sheer, glossy black of leather. Verdict: I'm impressed. This blend faithfully evokes the people and the culture and everything I imagine when I think of Manhattan Island. It is also one of the rare blends where mint and lemon both behave and refrain from dominating the other notes and ruining the scent. Manhattan may not be a top ten favourite, but it's a solid love and I'll be keeping and using my imp.

Sniffed: This must be the beer note. It's grassy-herbal and a bit foody. On skin: I have an abysmal scent memory, and truly can't recall how real beer smells... but this light foody, slightly sparkling note is indeed reminiscent of beer. It's also prominently herbal and grassy, which must come from the unfamiliar foliage in the notes list. Over time the sparkling quality settles, and it's now a bit nutty, a bit grassy, and a bit gourmand, thankfully none too rich. Colour impression is a marshy, slightly metallic, dark green-brown. Verdict: While the Marshwoman's Beer is a foodie that I can actually wear (most of them turn my stomach and I have to wash them off), it really isn't my kind of scent and I won't miss it.

Sniffed: Bright, sharp, red rose/dragon's blood and light woods. A bit perfumy... On skin: Woah, at first the pale woods are sharp and the rose and dragon's blood are bright and intense. Maybe there's a bite of juniper in there. The sharpness settles quickly after drydown, and the woods retreat into the backdrop, showcasing the clear, bright red rose and dragon's blood, which must make up the "fire". Overall a very light woody blend touched with rose and dragon's blood, somewhat timid and unobtrusive. Colour impression is a pale, clear red bleeding into light brown. Verdict: While Wildfire is a pleasant enough blend, I'm disappointed by the lightness and lack of character. A bit dull, I'd say, and I have better blends to wear.

Sniffed: Light, graceful rose floating above a base of sweet cream touched with honey. On skin: Both the honey note and gourmand blends sicken me; thankfully the cream in Katrina van Tassel is light enough, and the honey discreet enough, to not be nauseating. The scent on my skin is initially sweet, thick cream enriched with honey; the clear, gentle rose finally shows up after drydown and strengthens over time. This blend ends up clear, light rose and sweet cream, simple and feminine. Verdict: I would keep my decant if I had not found a better rose-and-milk blend in the Victorian Rose Milk v1 prototype, and my cream fix in Love's Philosophy. Good, but not good enough, alas...

Magus is dry woods fleshed out by deep, dark incense and touched with the other herbal notes; a full-bodied scent that radiates a powerful presence. It's pleasant, but a bit too woody and masculine as a result.

Sniffed: Uh-oh, wet leaves. Well, this isn't as bad as I've experienced in the past, and these leaves are more red-gold than green, but I'm wary... On skin: Clear, still water infused with fresh leaves and a red, leafy, tea-like scent that I've not encountered before, and must be the rooibos and ginseng. The water gradually recedes over time, leaving behind a fresh, red, slightly earthy tea-scent. A mellow, limpid, light blend that exudes a soothing, serene, introspective presence. Colour impression is indeed the red and gold of maple leaves. Verdict: I have a very negative track record with "leaves", especially wet ones. While Nothing Gold Can Stay is actually wearable, I can't completely ignore the slightly earthy, dirty touch of the leaves, which spoils what would otherwise be a lovely red tea scent. Sigh.. this is not going to stay. (Yeah yeah, that's bad pun. Humour me! )

Sniffed: A disconcerting juxtaposition of charred vetiver and sweet florals. On skin: Hmm, all I can smell is smouldering vetiver. But I think the florals and amber, while undetectable, are tempering the vetiver's intensity so that it's merely smouldering and not burning and charred. Indeed, the longer I wait after drydown, the more the floral notes emerge and sweeten the vetiver. Now I can smell tea rose and perhaps lavender in strengthening presence, although vetiver remains dominant. These notes never really harmonize well, however, and merely stand next to each other in jarring juxtaposition. Indeed, my colour impression is slashes of charcoal and the palest of pastel pink-orange. Verdict: When I first got my decant in December last year, the vetiver was absolutely overpowering. Now it has mellowed and the other notes are emerging. I think more aging will balance out A Golden Idol and make it more agreeable. Nevertheless, I don't think any amount of aging will make the notes harmonize enough for me to find it pleasant. And I'm not a fan of such huge amounts of vetiver... so to Swaps this goes.

Sniffed: A bold "red" scent, spicy and peppery. On skin: All the Alchemical Phoenixes I've tried (with the exception of Copper Phoenix) have been odd scents, and Iron Phoenix is no different. The first note I notice is the pepper, the strongest I've ever smelled. It's quickly followed by deep, sweet resin -- probably myrrh and dragon's blood -- shot through with a biting ginger edge. The pepper and ginger mellow out upon drydown, and all the notes blend and become something spicy-resinous. This would be a warm scent if not for the cold and very burnished metallic note that flows underneath the lighter notes and drags it downwards. It also morphs quite a bit: now the resonant heavy metal is the centrepiece, now the pepper and ginger bare their teeth, all over the constant backdrop of the red resins. Iron Phoenix exudes a stern, aggressive, hard vibe; while it's not off-putting, it's not an inviting scent either. Quite an overtly masculine blend. Colour impression is dark rust red. I must not have noticed this on previous skin tests, but today, Iron Phoenix stings my skin. Not enough to be uncomfortable, and the sting disappears with drydown, but that has never happened to me before, not even with cinnamon blends. It must be an exceptional amount of black pepper! Verdict: Iron Phoenix definitely captures the hard, heavy, powerful character of its element. I appreciate the scent artistry, but I prefer friendlier, more feminine blends, so this won't be staying. However, I think this would smell great on a man!

Cristina (The Literary Vampire, Halloweenie 2009) was 100% nutty on me. Other reviewers on the review page agree... almost all the other notes are drowned out by the chestnut. I think I amp almond (or it's very obvious to my nose even in the vial), so Seraglio and Bastet were quite almond-y, although other notes do show themselves too.

Reviewing the 2010 version. Sniffed: Intensely cold herbal that reminds me of a herbal ointment I used as a child. On skin: What a frigid Moon. This begins a dry and very cold herbal, that nevertheless manages to be foggy-thick as well. I can pick out mint in here, and other reviewers seem to agree. Given my dismal track record with BPAL's mint-containing blends, I'm quite elated that for once I can smell mint like it ought to smell, which doesn't go all nasty and wreck the other notes! (There's hope yet for me!) The mint in Cold Moon is really lovely, although dominant: it must be the origin of the blend's "fogginess". The fog eventually clears into a haze upon drydown, and now faint, pale florals begin to take shape. This ends up a cold, subdued blend of mint/herbals, airy faintly-sweet florals, and a whisper of ozone. This is certainly the Moon in the nadir of winter: luminous yet wan, distant, out of reach, without any warmth or nearness or comfort. Colour impression is the lightest of lemon yellow, so cold that it's almost green-blue. Verdict: Cold Moon gives me a bit of hope that there may be mint (spearmint? wintergreen?) blends out there that may work well on my skin. (Only a bit, though: I'm still wary of the MINTzilla.) It is very evocative and lovely, but a bit too subdued for my tastes. And while I didn't encounter it this time, it turned soapy on a past test -- the first time I've ever encountered soap in a BPAL blend. So while I'm glad I got to test Cold Moon, it'll move on.

Reviewing the 2010 version. Sniffed: Wet greenery/broken stems, so sharp and bitter that it's becoming off-putting! On skin: Ugh, Rose Red is absolutely disgusting when wet! I get slapped in the nose by leaves/greenery and dirt soaked in water and turning bitter with the onset of decay. I know "disgusting" is a very strong word, but see: I'm usually quite tolerant even of scents that turn my stomach, yet all I want to do is wash this one off and put maximum distance between me and the decant. But I'll tough it out this once. Yes, a gentle red rose begins to emerge after drydown, and it eventually does become a more balanced fresh rose with stems and leaves. But oh, my nose was ruined by the wet stage, and I can still smell the dirty presence of dirt/wet leaves sullying the rose. This is the same note that made Ulalume unwearable too. Verdict: I can't tolerate the dirt/wet leaves note, so Rose Red was an utter failure and disappointment. Seems like it and Peacock Queen have swapped roles, because the latter does smell more like the rose I was expecting, and is much, much better! Meh, I guess I have to stick with the "perfumy" roses and forget the fresh/realistic ones.

Reviewing the 2008 version. Sniffed: Rich, heady, slightly spicy-sweet incense. On skin: Cathedral is my "benchmark" for dark, dusty, woody incense. Valentine of Rome is one up on Cathedral: the same fragrant woods and incense, smoothened and sweetened with cypress and olive blossom. I'm not sure how the blood accord is meant to smell, but somehow the scent feels "reddened", but not metallic as fresh blood is. Overall, this is a fragrant, rich incense: deep and solemn and certainly ecclesiastical, but also warm with the redness of blood, and fresh with cypress. The redness fades over time, but the scent remains rich and smooth. Colour impression is charred brown slashed with the dark crimson of drying blood. Verdict: I love Valentine of Rome! It is my favourite incense blend, at once solemn and radiant with piety and devotion. A dark scent that's also comforting to wear. Definitely bottle-worthy. Between this and Sunbird, I have my dark and bright incense covered!

Sniffed: Dry incense, simultaneously deep and bright with a spicy, ringing radiance. On skin: Neil Gaiman said Sunbird smells "like resin and deserts and the phoenix," and I completely agree with him. This is a very dry, dusty woody-incense, with a glowing, slightly sweet, nose-tingling intensity, perhaps from spices and other resins. I can't identify any individual notes, but they are all harmonizing very beautifully. In a word: Radiant. It truly gives me a vision of a scorching hot desert wind, or a flaming phoenix. The phoenix gentles and settles over time -- now it is a warm, radiant creature, sparking with the occasional burst of flame, approachable but certainly not tame. Colour impression is a tongue of orange-yellow-white fire. Verdict: Perfection: an amazingly evocative scent, truly embodying the character of the phoenix! And beautiful and thoroughly wearable too. Between Sunbird and Valentine of Rome, I have my dark and bright incense blends covered!

I think you may find your one scent in Aizen-Myoo. Yuzu, kaki (persimmon), and mikan (mandarin orange) with cherry blossom and black tea. Kuang Shi was all buoyant mango/mandarin on me. Mandarin orange, white musk, mango, and white sandalwood. And if you're up to searching for an uncommon LE: Tanuki is a similar, purely light-fruit blend. Bamboo reed, plum blossom, persimmon, magnolia, black pine, sweet osmanthus, flowering cherry, mandarin orange, wisteria, and yuzu. Other LEs that may work out too are Copper Phoenix and Summer's Last Will and Testament.

Sniffed: Light woods and florals, namely rose. On skin: A beautiful mix of light woods and sweet florals too blended for me to pick out individual notes, although my beloved rose/rosewood is definitely present and playing a major role. Over time the wood diminishes while the other notes emerge (although they still remain blended) -- now the florals are more prominent, as is the musk taking over as the main base note. A full scent but "light" in feel, and can be worn by both sexes, although it certainly is masculine in a foppish manner. Indeed, this would be a fitting scent for a dandy, rake or flâneur. Colour impression is a pale wood-brown with a pale pink blush. Verdict: Libertine is a fine blend of my favourite notes (musk, woods and rose), and the only masculine rose blend in my collection which contains many feminine/unisex roses. Yes, I fall in love with the Libertine every time I wear it! A sleeper hit and a definite keeper.

Created in honor of the Slavic Black God of the Dead. A nighttime god of grief, evil, chaos and woe, he is paralleled by his twin brother Bylebog, god of light, joy, order, and good fortune. A combination of three musks, with splashes of dark myrrh, vetiver and mullein. Sniffed: Myrrh darkened with heavy musks, and a slightly dirty note that I can't quite identify. On skin: I immediately thought of Wings of Azrael when I put this on. Both are solemn, full, evergreen-touched, myrrh-heavy scents, but Czernobog is definitely darker, heavier and less floral than Wings of Azrael. This is heavy, deep musks sweetened by myrrh, overlaid with a thinner, dirt-like note that may be one of the musks or mullein. This note threatens to go sour and sharp, but thankfully the heavier notes are pulling it down, and it disappears after drydown. The vetiver is extremely discreet, and indeed there is the barest touch of evergreen/pine in here (as was in Wings of Azrael). I'm only smelling the gentler, calmer aspect of this god of night: this scent is enveloping not stifling, warm not cold. Overall a cozy dark musk, tending towards the masculine but still light enough to be unisex. Colour impression is the darkest black-brown. Verdict: I like Czernobog and think it's a great representation of its namesake deity, but prefer Wings of Azrael as it is a bit lighter and floral.

… Dry white sandalwood and soft Siamese benzoin over a lugubrious blend of myrrh, Moroccan rose, mastic, tomb moss and a thin whiff of Greek incense. Sniffed: Deep, solemn resins with a touch of wet green moss and the faintest whiff of light rose. On skin: A dark resinous/incense blend, full and warm. Faintly sweet rose and wet green moss add a bit of lightness and interest to what would otherwise be a very lugubrious scent. A close, sombre fragrance that nevertheless isn't too heavy; one lesser aspect of Death, but not its fullest manifestation. Thanatos is (not surprisingly) similar to the vampire blend Silenti, a bit heavier on the incense and less on the florals. Verdict: I'm not quite feeling it. A fitting scent for this lesser personification of Death, but it's not really distinguishing itself.

Sniffed: Red berries and flowers heavily laden with spice, with a touch of something brighter, perhaps a pale floral or citrus. On skin: What a lovely, well-rounded scent! Plum and rosehip (and perhaps sandalwood) form the rich, smooth, sweet base. This is spiced liberally with incense, and made dusty with amber. Finally, the high, pale note that must be the jonquil/narcissus gives it a spectral, glowing touch. Overall, Kaidan is a little bit high and pale, a little bit sweet and juicy, a little bit spiced and dusty -- and all these in balanced amounts. Over time it continues to open up and become fuller and richer, while retaining all these good qualities. A subtly feminine scent, somewhat mysterious and reserved. Kaidan may be the offspring of Mme. Moriarty (plummy and berry-like) and Grandmother of Ghosts (spectral, pale herbal-floral); it also reminds me a bit of Lady Lilith, even though the notes are quite different. Colour impression is a pink-touched red with a white, glowing heart. Verdict: I think Kaidan is a fine scent and quite evocative of its namesake. Nevertheless, it's not quite capturing my heart, a case of close but no cigar. Ah, well.

Sniffed: An airy, sweet herbal-floral. On skin: Blue Moon has many notes all too blended for me to tell how each is contributing, but the overall outcome is gentle, cool herbs and airy, sweet, pale flowers. Both aspects contrast well and take turns showing their full depth: now the cool, green herbals are more obvious, now the lush foresty florals become more prominent. While it is cool and clear, it also feels heady and deep and mystic. I've only tested one other Blue Moon, Brian's 2009 version, but I can tell that they are variations on the same theme. This 2007 version is comparatively warm and definitely feminine, yet also mysterious, contemplative and serene. Colour impression is a pale herbal green touched with a blue-white glow, much like a moonstone. I also can imagine this scent as a graceful elf woman, wise with many years yet still gentle and young at heart. Verdict: Blue Moon 2007 is a truly beautiful and evocative herbal-floral blend. While it's not a top favourite, I still like it and will be keeping this around.