ferocissima

In the imp: crushed stone, earth, medium clear bitter wood with an herbal note On my skin, 5 seconds: This is the first scent I've ever tried from BPAL that smells exactly as I imagined it from the description. Sweet peony and rose at my wrist, a sharp note of powdery floral mixed with damp, earthy notes at the elbow. It smells very familiar. I'm trying to put my finger on the scent similarity, is it some kind of clean linen detergent? Febreze maybe? My skin amps the sweetness and it has morphed into mostly roses. I wish the herbal would be a little more prominent, but florals have a tendency to get pungent/powdery on my skin. On my skin, 20 minutes: This has a nice medium throw and settles by 15 min or so. The rose dies down and the results are sweet, light, and green-smelling without being citrusy. From a medium distance, the green notes are stronger. My overall impression is of a classic elegant women's perfume, simple and clean with strong rose notes and a nice base note of earth. I would wear this on a formal date.

in the imp: fresh, cold morning in a pine forest. Sweet vetiver, the scent of cologne, diesel from a truck, and some engine grease. On my skin, 5 minutes: strong vetiver interspersed with wafts of cedar and ozone. My skin smells like fruit without a name, sweet but metallic. This smell is smoldering. It's powerful and really sexual, in a cosmopolitan androgynous way. If the character Desire in the Sandman series had a scent, this would be it. It smells like the fires of hell will open any minute from under my skin. Big wafts of smoke start to come out. I can see the ember analogy--- cold, icy ground with the last of a big fire going in the very center. It reminds me of the energy and smell in the air at a metal show, like I could drink a couple beers and have some real fun in a pit. This is what I imagine Dio and Joan Jett smell like naturally all the time. After drydown: this has a long throw and is a head turning, heavy scent. I love it. My skin amps all bitterness/spiciness. The smoke has died down and the vetiver has become the prominent note, mixing with cedar and pine. It softened a bit and is the best soft-grey smell I have ever encountered. I love how it feels equally ember eyed she-demon and ginger snaps/tobacco/cuddling in comfortable flannel next to the fire on a winter night. Kinda like a more medicinal, androgynous Shub-Niggurath? Love it. Really unexpected and totally appreciated. Frimps are amazing!! Thanks to the lab.

In the imp: wet, fresh sassafras, vanilla ice-cream Pulse points, 5 minutes: you know that children's rhyme about gender, "sugar, spice, and everything nice"? exactly how this oil smells on my skin. The wet sharpness of the sassafras gives way to a plasticky vanilla bean with a long throw. I smell like a brand new Barbie, like a scratch and sniff Lisa Frank sticker, or a maybe like a meringue cookie. If this scent were a fabric, it would be peach pink satin. This scent is so, so femme. It gave me a little bit of a headache at first, which went away as the scent softened. Pulse points, 40 minutes: The cedar in this finally peeked out around 20 minutes in and is getting stronger. My skin is still amping the vanilla to the exclusion of almost everything else; the net effect is now crayons in a cigar box or clothes kept in a cedar-lined chest. The sassafras has come back and gives this smell a foody, warm, comforting depth. Sugar cookies baking, slowly morphing into marshmallow root beer float. I was angry earlier, but I can't stay mad wearing this. It's too childlike! It makes me want to wear a tutu. Who's angry surrounded by the smell of comfort food and My Little Ponies? I doubt I'll be wearing this as a perfume-- Golden Priapus is still my favorite BPAL cedar/vanilla blend for serious adult purposes-- but this is perfect for playing dress up in big girl clothes and drinking tea on a rainy day.

In the imp: LAVENDER, all caps and in every direction. Wet: lavender, crushed rosemary, a little bit of sweetness from a lemon. Bright, strong, astringent; citrus and herbs with an earthy undertone I can't place. Drydown, 5 minutes: this is where things start to get interesting. My skin amps clove and basil, which were totally overwhelmed by the rosemary before. The spiciness increases as it warms on my skin, and I notice how volatile this scent is: on one wrist, an almost-medicinal pure rosemary and lavender, and on the other, a soft vanilla-like anise with lemon and clove. it gets a sharp, acidic smell at times. Drydown, 15 minutes: much softer now. Basil and clove with a touch of rosemary, which is an unexpected and welcome combination. I've been very into vegetable scents (basil, wild lettuce) recently and I find this combination grounding and relaxing. I bought this oil as a sleep aid and meditation tool and I think it will be perfect.

I got this as a frimp and it has become one of my absolute favorites. On application, a heady combination of patchouli and wet violet. My partner remarked on the sweetness and light floral quality from a foot or two away, but liked it infinitely better when he smelled it against my skin. I tend to agree, finding my skin amping the violet into soapy floral at a distance but preserving the spicy, dark quality of the patchouli behind the ear and at the elbow. There is definitely a risk of old-lady scent in this blend, but I pair it with my favorite punk rock outfits for a head-turning combo that doesn't scream "PERFUME!!!" in humid Southern summers. The moss in this to me almost evokes bergamot. I second the reviews that call it gender neutral or classic; it smells a little like good linen should, and I sometimes I wear it to bed when I'm having trouble sleeping. If this blend were a scene, it would be a rainy Louisiana afternoon tea in a dark, rambling Victorian.

Ia, ia, Cthulhu fhtagn! I was originally introduced to BPAL because a friend of mine found out I do scholarly work on Lovecraft and sent me a link. It is only appropriate that my one true BPAL scent is from this line, and that scent is Shub-Niggurath. I cannot say enough good things about Shub-Niggurath. I just absolutely adore it. I would bathe in it. It smells good on my skin, my pillow, and my hair. People stop me to comment on it in the street. I had someone call me to tell me they were thinking about how I smelled when they saw me an hour earlier, and what is the name of that perfume? Wet: As a Lovecraftian perfume should be, Shub-Niggurath is deceptive at first. On the skin, the first waft is a warm, foody, baked-goods smell, sweet and comforting like a freshly baked pie. Nice throw, all toasted ginger and sugar. Gentle waves of baked goods as soft as thick quilts. You fantasize about aprons and warm cider. Your coworker says something smells like Christmas. Dry: Suddenly, you notice an emerging strangeness. Is it-- lemon? There is a creeping sense of the weird. What was comforting mutates, becoming ominous. Where did the innocence of that ginger go? All of a sudden it starts smelling wet. Woodiness, a dark herbal quality, a note of acrid. The deep spice note suddenly shows up, and then we're at the well-earned "Satan's Gingersnap." Shub-Niggurath is the food that you find yourself with a mounting craving for even though it looks somehow... off. It can't hurt to take ONE bite--- right? Hours later, the scent reminds me of a very clean tattoo studio-- Lysol citrus mingling with an aged, pervasive incense. All in all, this is my favorite BPAL scent. Though I haven't seen it commented on elsewhere, it's worth noting that this also pairs well with clinging environmental smells. Whereas some BPAL scents clash with my shampoo or deoderant or what have you, I've never had anything clash with Shub-Niggurath. In fact, I've noticed there are good combos: my cheap hairspray gives it a vampy vibe a la Jailbait, spilled coffee gives it a coffee bistro smell, and I hate to say it but Shub-Niggurath + fresh tobacco smoke = SMOLDERING sexy. Draws attention like a magnet. BPAL should make a Shub tabacco blend so I'll have less of an excuse to smoke when I'm getting my hunt on

This is a strange blend. Wet: I love lemon and foody spice notes, and enjoyed the first few seconds of intense cinnamon, which was the only thing I could smell. After a few seconds, a lovely hint of that sugar cane and white sandalwood, two of my favorite BPAL notes, beautifully matched with the cinnamon. An interesting and playful blend. But wait.. oh no, the scent shifts on my skin and I've spent 10 minutes smelling like wet porch furniture and potpourri. Dry: As this dries, the red musk comes out with the agarwood. This has a lot of throw, and weirdly smells quite nice as throw but badly on my skin, where it gets sharp and the mango smells plasticky. Time to wash this off.

In the bottle: according to my partner, "smells like one of those soap stores. With incense." I liked it-- a deep musk with a spicy note. Wonderful amber color. I'll second and third all those calls for using it in the house. Wet: the unmistakable, incredibly strong aroma of cherry Robitussin. 1 Hour Dry: A whiff of smoke, musk, and the (much less acrid) cranberry odor. Pleasant and lingering, a lovely berry musk. 3 Hours Dry: I was sad to see the herb scents completely fade. The lily has finally come out, and my skin is not having it. Soft and powdery, with the sweetness of the berry mellowing into dried flowers. On the whole, terrific for a few hours, but the remainder is a little unpleasant on my skin. I'll definitely try it again in a week or so.