follis

Resiny, smoky, leathery, but quickly settles into warm, creamy vanilla-esque smokey sandalwood. The tobacco in this is not quite French Tobacco SN or Perversion sweet, perhaps mellowed by the wood, and definitely not over-sweetened by the honey. It unfortunately has low throw on me so I need to slather it a little, but I love the warm feel of this, like opening a sandalwood cabinet to stored tobacco and honey and mmm the return of leather here is just yum. There's a freshness to this which might be the frankincense (trying to compare to another frankincense blend) which just lifts the warmness and makes this an extra delight. Update: I don't know what it is but Gluggagægir is breaking my heart ;( That original smokey wood is completely gone in the bottle version I bought. I gifted an overseas friend my decant, which the above review was for, and have since found that the full bottle I since purchased, just isn't doing the same thing. Maybe it was an unfortunate balance in the vial (and a fortunate scent profile for me) but now I definitely do not love the bottle as much as I thought I would. It's heavy on the leather and resin, and frankincense, but remains heady for the duration of my wear and no longer has that lovely tobacco sandalwood cupboard that I so crave from this. Such a shame, as it was one of my favourites beforehand 💔

Woah, this starts off as salty green aquatic, bay leaf, very fresh. I get a woodiness to the scent but not dry at the start--it feels like a cold rough sea. Eventually it settles into a slightly drier woody aquatic with a hint of leather.

Jazz Funeral starts off with some fruity florals and dirt accord, before heading off into mossy territory with a sweet fruit floral note which may be the magnolia. It's really quite pleasant overall. At the fade down none of the dirt and moss remain, leaving a fig-like, creamy vanilla blend which is lovely and fresh. I really didn't notice the bay rum or bourbon in this, and it doesn't end very green on me either. I'll probably wear it more often if it was mostly the fade down part, and had a stronger throw, but perhaps I'll be keeping the imp after all.

I uh... bought this without realizing sassafras is a root-beer ingredient that I actually don't really like the smell of. Haha! Honestly I probably bought it for the butter. Still worth a sniff: Starts off strongly sassafras and medicinal smelling like a tiger balm or menthol rub for colds. Boy this has a strong throw. As it warms up and mellows I get an aniseedy smell, vanilla background, perhaps the onycha. Quickly it becomes a skin-close scent. Maybe because my skin is thirsty... But it's very quickly gone with maybe a hint of butter and residual sassafras at the end. It's unfortunately really light, so much so that I can't really smell the notes clearly. I don't personally get creamy root beer which is sad, just really STRONG medicine, and then really light 'something'. Oh well.

This is unfortunately just all lemon on me, with maybe a hint of tea and chocolate. I'm not really getting green tea because it's overpowered by this citrus. The milk chocolate note does come through a little at the end, but BPAL's accord can go plastic on me, which it did this time, Unfortunately, not really a matcha... (No really though, I love strong matcha, and this just isn't it sadly). 😔

Unfortunately, I am one of the people who this scent did not quite work for It smells so amazing warm, dark, gingerbread cake in the bottle. Bready, ginger, treacle and amazing, but it morphs differently on my skin. It starts like fresh zingy ginger and molasses, then turns into a resiny non-foody perfume (which is not what I was after). Like ginger / vanilla musk / something powdery. I tried this twice-- the first time during dry down, something bitter and sour came up like as if it split on my skin (I figured it might just be me!). The second time, it was lightly spiced, vanilla ginger, but still not gingerbread, Verdict: Skin chemistry = no love... But, I tried it in my scent locket and the delicious warm dark gingerbread note was more prominent there. I'm sad it didn't work on me but I will love this as an atmosphere oil and scent locket.

Bottle: (without reading the notes) Green, brown sugar, wood Wet: brown sugar, slightly floral non foody vanilla, marshmallow-like On: The leather accord shows itself early on. I can't smell anything else specifically but it smells lovely, slightly floral and sweet but not overpowering by any means. At one point I thought I smelt the bourbon vanilla but it's mixed in with the other notes. Maybe it's even the pumpkin... I do agree it has a tobacco quality to it here. Dry down: The foody notes are mostly gone on me. I think there's patchouli here, dried fruits, and maybe even the leather at the end. It reminds me a lot of another BPAL but I can't remember what right now. Update: omgosh. Love and Sleep! The Fig Milk note with florals and vanilla. It's so familiar but not quite. It's unfortunately really low throw on me. Verdict: I didn't get anything boozy from this. It starts off slightly foody and leathery but ends in a lovely slightly figgy/vanilla/light floral way. Resistance is actually quite lovely. I hope it ages well and the wear and throw increases as it does, because the dry down is so familiar to Love and Sleep for me.

Bottle (without looking at notes): Fruit, currant, something citrus and dark Wet: I'm actually not too sure. More of above with almost a mince pie feel to the sweetness and spices. On: very much mince pie turning into grapey plum fruit note. Dry down: The same, still suety, maybe even stronger highlighted by a slightly raisin maybe brandy note. Interesting, it's not love, but I'll keep it since I've been collecting the Mad Tea Party scents

Without looking at the notes: Bottle: brown sugar, quite sweet, chocolate coffee notes Wet: some kind of dark fruity coffee, butter, dusty accord On: I'm getting a touch of that Irish coffee which is quite buttery here for me. I'm not a big fan of the current butter accord and coffee because it can come out plastic on me. Unfortunately not getting much wood or books right now so hopefully it changes. Dry down: dusty Irish coffee which is unfortunately slightly plastic here for me (comes and goes). Not really getting prominent wood but if I breathe deeply... Maybe. Sadly it's not love for me.

This has a fresh feel to the scent (slightly minty) with warm roses and a golden honey feel, it is quite heady and there's a slight medicinal note to it (maybe the benzoin). This doesn't really change and remains the same 1.5 hours later. Medium throw, long wear length.

Bottle: Green like grass, something floral aniseedy, cardamom, quite nice. Wet: Grass note is really coming out, slightly minty/piney (perhaps the yew?). I hope the mint note doesn't amp on me like usual. On: ok so the way this has absorbed and spread on my skin is interesting. Vanilla musk on one side and mellowed grass just on the other. I'm not sure what canine musk would be on me this is a sweet non-food vanilla with a hint of cardamom. The yew is just in the background and thankfully not over powering. It seems cool because of the mint but it does feel warm apart from that. This unfortunately doesn't last long before 10 minutes later I I still get yew/mint but uh... The musk is now wet dog haha. Drydown: minty wet dog... Darn. I'm sad how this has evolved on me, but it really does show both sides of the dog in the card. 1.5 hours later: It's back to being a vanilla musk again if I sniff my skin close.

I purchased this for the cyclamen note and from reading reviews about it not being soapy *fingers crossed* Decant in bottle: Aquatics, dark floral like rose, hint of cyclamen On: sweet sea water, very green and fresh, and if I breathe deeply - - cyclamen. It's actually quite lovely here. Drydown: sea salty, musk. If I think about it, it does have a hint of cucumber, but it's quite powdery at this point. I'm not familiar with benzoin but there is something resinous at the end that could be it. It becomes very close to the skin. Verdict: Lovely for sometimes wear. I didn't notice the poppy or agave too much during this test.

Unknown aged imp, pale yellow in colour Wet: ginger, sharpness like pepper, slight whiff of fruit of some kind (I'm not familiar with how quince or cassis smells, however), something powdery On: ooh ok, pastry, fruit, the throw is decent here, oh so slightly ginger and maybe a hint of rum. I really feel like I'm smelling some kind of baked goods even though it's not in the description. This is actually a lovely scent and well, makes sense to me! Drydown: woah. Ok, something comes out more here which throws the previous notes out. It starts hugging closer to the skin so I need to get closer to smell it. I can't quite pick the note, but spice and rum sometimes interacts weirdly with me. Later: 1.5 hours later it becomes very much a skin-scent that is slightly musky and slightly sweet and very faded. Verdict: It's unfortunately not love but I'm glad I tried the imp. In hindsight, I do believe I smelt some cinnamon, but it was mixed in with other notes that I didn't immediately pick it. I also wouldn't say this was overly boozy, so the rum note complements it as a whole. It definitely makes "no sense" here at this point. Up and down 😂

I tested this on both myself and my partner who has a different skin chemistry. Normally we differ but he had an extremely similar result to me. Bottle: Espresso coffee with a bit of cream or watered down. Oh so slightly spiced and amazingly delicious. On: This starts becoming more of a perfume smell, perhaps the ambrette? I'm also getting a plastic note unfortunately. Darn. I've noticed the coffee accord doesn't always sit well with me but I hoped it was other notes and pure black coffee would be ok. After a while it starts to shift a bit so I'll check it again after 30mins + Drydown: The tiniest hint of sweet coffee and plastic. Sadness! Very little throw. A few hours later: If I huff my wrist I still get a touch of plastic but also a light floral vanilla base, again likely the ambrette seed. Verdict: I love this fresh from the bottle so I'm going to try it as an ambient oil or in a scent locket.. Will update later, but gosh I wish I had that initial coffee scent throughout.

I managed to get a hold of a bottle 😍 I tested this on both myself and my partner who has a different skin chemistry. Me: Aahh... I'm so hooked on BPALs tobacco accord. Just lovely clean sweet tobacco. A dark smoke with a vanilla creaminess that is just so divine. Age has been kind to this bottle. Good throw and wear length. An absolute delight, so much that I hope to get another bottle of this at some point. Him: Tobacco, a bit more woody floral (slightly) compared to me (according to him, I actually thought it was more citrus before reading the perfume notes). He normally amps sweet but this isn't cloying or too sweet on him at all and remains smoky. Verdict: An amazing single note that works on both myself and partner (a rarity). What a wonderful note. This reminds me a lot of the Tobacco in Perversion.

I'm reviewing an aged decant in the bottle. Bottle: initially very sweet, some butter notes, then the alcohol note comes out. My partner said he could smell it from a metre away! Wet: butterscotch. Popcorn...? Very faint bourbon in background (I say bourbon over whisky as it's sweeter) then bam, butter when I sniff it again. On: woah, still strong. Butter and whiskey. Almost headachey in terms of smell if I smell too close. Drydown: Very much the same, and boy the lasting power on this is something. I think I prefer their whisky accord without this butter accord. Just not gelling with new BPAL butter notes. Strong throw and wear length (likely helped from aging, judging from past reviews). Even washed off it's still there! Eventually it came off and is a little powdery and plastic, unfortunately.

Bottle/wet: amaretto, almond. Like too much almond essence in a batter. Some kind of sweet fruit, something buttery. On: fruit is more apparent. A gentler almond. It does make me think of almond cake, not cloyingly sweet. I actually think this is less sweet than normal Eat Me. The fruit does still smell like currants to me (released version has both red and black so I'm not sure if the ratio is just different?). Seems to have a low throw and is fading very quickly on me. I wouldn't say its overly buttery, but the note is faint in the background. Drydown: So hard to review as my skin has definitely sucked this all up. I'm left with the berry note, a bit of almond, and a touch of plastic but that actually fades out surprisingly. It's a little powdery but tolerable. Short throw and wear length. I guess this is going to the sell pile! I'm sad it didn't work for me.

...I never reviewed this when I received it back in 2008. I only made an account in 2010 so this was missed, but I don't recall much about it. I definitely don't wear it though (but kept it because I collect The Fool). I thought I'd try it again now that it's aged. Wet/Bottle: oof... something strong in the bottle but once on it's quite light. Something sweet I can't pick. Slightly fruity. On: Hmm once on me, it makes me think of 0 The Fool from Tarot oils when wet, but less minty (literally smelling them side by side) and more floral. The "mint" must be from the parsley for me because it emerges more clearly after 10 minutes. I'm also getting citrus and a hint of rose. Drydown: Fruity! Slightly herbal undertone but really lovely. It's a "warm" scent to me too, really lovely overall. Wow, this definitely did fool me. I didn't think I'd actually like this based off of the notes, but it morphs into something I enjoy. It's light, with a low to medium throw.

I never reviewed this when I first received it, back in 2006. I remembered that it became toothpaste on me, and I amped the mint so much I had to wash it off. I only kept it because it is The Fool. I tried it again and again and each time the mint just seemed too much. I still have my bottle so I thought I'd test it aged. Wet/Bottle: Fresh, vanilla orchid, mint, something that makes me think of patchouli. On: Thank the Tarot Gods that this is no longer over the top toothpaste on me! There is a sharpness from the mint, and the sweetness from the vanilla, that makes this quite pleasant... Yes, someone mentioned aniseed, and perhaps that is what I couldn't pinpoint, but then 15 minutes later it's basically all gone. Dry down: If I sniff hard enough, I think there is a touch of lemon, and herby mint in the background, but it's so faint I'm not even sure. What a cheeky scent.

I received a free decant of this, from 2018. It's... indescribable at the start. What a mix. I wouldn't say it was appealing here. Eventually I can smell something with cologne, ashy and herby. Starts strong then fades to almost no throw, a gentler version of the start. Not bad but not for me.

I am not a floral person but thought I'd try this as I received a frimp. Initially very floral, on the skin it becomes a little fruitier, like a dirty plum, then something alcoholic like a white wine, and ends fruity. Strong throw. Not bad but not for me.

I received a sniffie of this.  It comes off strong, lots of musk and incense (agree with poster hazakaza that although there isn't an incense note, I can definitely smell it).

I'm testing an aged decant of unknown age, light amber in colour. Tiki Princess is sweet coconut with its mix of florals that I'm not familiar with. It's creamy but a tad cloying, even for this foodie. I generally like sweet scents but am not too familiar with coconut bases, and this one just seems to shout sugar and coconut on me. Medium throw, long wear

Testing an imp of unknown age. Brown in colour. Brown Jenkin feels very masculine to me. Its dominated by sandalwood and musk, through out with a hint of orris, incense and coconut. Good throw, long wear

I had a bunch of forgotten imps never reviewed that I'm now returning to. Aged imp 2009. The colour is a pale amber. Wet: Strong, florals, rose. I don't really know what wisteria and lilacs smell like, but goodness a little swatch is strong from this aged imp. On: yep florals, quite strong. I wonder if aging the imp has anything to do with increasing the throw on this one. Drydown: hmm warm. I'm enjoying it more now that it's settled. It's not overpowering and doesn't seem to be any specific floral. It does however fade quickly. I have to sniff quite close to the skin. A couple of hours later: This has disappeared completely from my skin. Age doesn't seem to increase its lasting power.