lookingglass

LE LÈTHÈ Viens sur mon coeur, âme cruelle et sourde, Tigre adoré, monstre aux airs indolents; Je veux longtemps plonger mes doigts tremblants Dans l'épaisseur de ta crinière lourde; Dans tes jupons remplis de ton parfum Ensevelir ma tête endolorie, Et respirer, comme une fleur flétrie, Le doux relent de mon amour défunt. Je veux dormir! dormir plutôt que vivre! Dans un sommeil aussi doux que la mort, J'étalerai mes baisers sans remords Sur ton beau corps poli comme le cuivre. Pour engloutir mes sanglots apaisés Rien ne me vaut l'abîme de ta couche; L'oubli puissant habite sur ta bouche, Et le Léthé coule dans tes baisers. À mon destin, désormais mon délice, J'obéirai comme un prédestiné; Martyr docile, innocent condamné, Dont la ferveur attise le supplice, Je sucerai, pour noyer ma rancoeur, Le népenthès et la bonne ciguë Aux bouts charmants de cette gorge aiguë Qui n'a jamais emprisonné de coeur. - Come, lie upon my breast, cruel, insensitive soul, Adored tigress, monster with the indolent air; I want to plunge trembling fingers for a long time In the thickness of your heavy mane, To bury my head, full of pain In your skirts redolent of your perfume, To inhale, as from a withered flower, The moldy sweetness of my defunct love. I wish to sleep! to sleep rather than live! In a slumber doubtful as death, I shall remorselessly cover with my kisses Your lovely body polished like copper. To bury my subdued sobbing Nothing equals the abyss of your bed, Potent oblivion dwells upon your lips And Lethe flows in your kisses. My fate, hereafter my delight, I'll obey like one predestined; Docile martyr, innocent man condemned, Whose fervor aggravates the punishment. I shall suck, to drown my rancor, Nepenthe and the good hemlock From the charming tips of those pointed breasts That have never guarded a heart. - Charles Baudelaire, translated by William Aggeler Red musk and sweat-damp golden skin musk with labdanum, golden amber, nutmeg, tobacco absolute, black orchid, and hemlock accord. Oh, my love... out of all the scents from the Weenie update, I have to say I was looking forward to Le Lethe the most and am instantly smitten. Welcome to the GC, baby!!! The nutmeg and musk were the main "yea!" notes for me, but all listed are generally winners-combined they are intoxicatingly lovely. Wet this is a chewy, rich tobacco incense. Its almost like a more feme version of Old Demons of the First Class. Drying out, the pungent red and sweet, salty skin musk swirl and become only slightly bittersweet from the herbaceous note. It now reminds me a bit of a deeper, less floral the Arbor all vamped up. I'm not getting any flowers here, it just melds with the dark, powdery incense and musk. The amber note really smells like a whiff of Sin, which I am totally psyched about because I cannot wear Sin anymore due to the cinnamon (I get all red, sensitive thing that I am). While she does not scream NUTMEG!!! as I hoped she would, this is an immediate big bottle purchase. My skin loves it. Complex incense, bright without being cheery, sweet, resinous, sticks around for hours, smells amazing right up to the nose (the love bite test) AND you can smell it through bullet proof glass. Plus, it has that tantalizing geekarific cross referencing deal: mythology, Baudelaire, and (perhaps inadvertently) True Blood S4. Wicked. ***ETA: nutmeg has amped in the aging!!! <3

KATRINA VAN TASSEL … and though he had seen many spectres in his time, and been more than once beset by Satan in divers shapes, in his lonely perambulations, yet daylight put an end to all these evils; and he would have passed a pleasant life of it, in despite of the devil and all his works, if his path had not been crossed by a being that causes more perplexity to mortal man than ghosts, goblins, and the whole race of witches put together, and that was-a woman. Among the musical disciples who assembled, one evening in each week, to receive his instructions in psalmody, was Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter and only child of a substantial Dutch farmer. She was a blooming lass of fresh eighteen; plump as a partridge; ripe and melting and rosy cheeked as one of her father's peaches, and universally famed, not merely for her beauty, but her vast expectations. She was withal a little of a coquette, as might be perceived even in her dress, which was a mixture of ancient and modern fashions, as most suited to set off her charms. She wore the ornaments of pure yellow gold, which her great-great-grandmother had brought over from Saardam, the tempting stomacher of the olden time; and withal a provokingly short petticoat, to display the prettiest foot and ankle in the country round. White rose and honeyed cream. Oh, I am so excited that Beth made a another blend that showcases white roses (Ouija is my current fave in this category)! Katrina's white rose is fresh but light, distictly "white", with the honeyed cream note making adding depth and sweetness. There is not a trace of sourness that sometimes happens with milky notes on me. It sits very close to my skin and becomes one with it, as if I became young, innocent and lovely. She's like Alice's pale, shy little sister. It reminds me, also, of Brambleberry's Basmati Rice scent, which does not smell at all like the name suggests... For being such a light skin scent it has suprisingly long wearlength (and I really eat up scent). The absolute drydown is really my favorite...soft, slightly sweet, and lush, like a virgin O.

SONNET D'AUTOMNE Ils me disent, tes yeux, clairs comme le cristal: "Pour toi, bizarre amant, quel est donc mon mérite?" - Sois charmante et tais-toi! Mon coeur, que tout irrite, Excepté la candeur de l'antique animal, Ne veut pas te montrer son secret infernal, Berceuse dont la main aux longs sommeils m'invite, Ni sa noire légende avec la flamme écrite. Je hais la passion et l'esprit me fait mal! Aimons-nous doucement. L'Amour dans sa guérite, Ténébreux, embusqué, bande son arc fatal. Je connais les engins de son vieil arsenal: Crime, horreur et folie! - Ô pâle marguerite! Comme moi n'es-tu pas un soleil automnal, Ô ma si blanche, ô ma si froide Marguerite? - They say to me, your eyes, clear as crystal: "For you, bizarre lover, what is my merit then?" - Be charming and be still! My heart, which all things irk, Except the candor of the animals of old, Does not wish to reveal its black secret to you, Whose lulling hands invite me to long sleep, Nor its somber legend written with flame. I hate passion; intelligence makes me suffer! Let us love each other sweetly. Tenebrous Love, Ambushed in his shelter, stretches his fatal bow. I know all the weapons of his old arsenal: Crime, horror, and madness! - pale marguerite! Are you not, like me, an autumnal sun, O my Marguerite, so white and so cold? - Charles Baudelaire, translated by William Aggeler Tenebrous Love: a shivering white musk with vanilla-infused white cocoa, amber incense, and dead, dry leaves. This kid is biz-arre. Right onto the skin this is the crispy, decaying dried leaves note like from Death of Autumn, which I will mourn to the grave. Ooooooh, yeah. Dark, kinda moldy and acidic. My kinda thing. But then...morph...mint? What the hell? It smells like it's changing into the Last Unicorn. Now, with the Last Unicorn I blamed this minty/misty niff on the lilac, but methinks it be the white chocolate! WHY?!?! Gaaaaaah!!!! At this stage of the game, I'm not very happy. My leaves are gone and it smells a lot like lavender and chamomile baby powder and White Rabbit. Again-why? It smells...good...pleasant...like back in 05 when I wore White Rabbit and was nursing my babies...but I'm kind of freaking out. She's changed from Doc Martin's on the pavement to ballet slippers in the nursery, from fall to winter, in a matter of moments. THEN, she sweetens up and mellows out considerably, looses the "minty" and much of the "baby", and becomes more musky...sexier. Now, while it is still a sweet and cool scent, it feels a lot like a cousin of Snow White and Antique Lace. Hours later she's a wisp of clean, sweet, warm, slightly ambery vanilla musk. My kids say I smell really good. Shhh...Me and Sonnet...we are going to have to get to know each other a little better. Maybe I'm just being a gunshy freaky bitch, but I think she's...crazy. Like, she seemed really fierce and independent at first but it turns out she might be really squishy and girly. Is she putting on some kind of act? I know...I KNOW! That's a HORRIBLE thing to say. We are definitely having some issues. I'm just not used to it! I need to get used to it. I want to like her! I have every reason TO like her. She's complex, keeps me on my toes, stays close to the skin, likes to snuggle, good with the kids. It's the SHIFT, it's the mystery mint thing... It's not you, it's ME! I thought you'd be darker, creepier, more autumny. I want to get to know you...I DO! OMG! You smell GOOD! What do you WANT from ME?!?! Sigh... Let's go for a ride, bitch...I think we can work it out. It's gonna be really interesting to see how she works out for other people.

Proceeds from this blend will be donated to Planned Parenthood. Golden sandalwood, soft leather, champaca resin, and coconut. I love skin scents that are soft, deep, and incensey for Spring. Keichu really does this for me. The mild acidity of the leather gives this scent lift, and it's not at all overpowering because it blends so well with the tang of the wood. The champaca is light, like a floral tea. Coconut plays a subtle but unifying role, beautifully rounding out and sweetening the blend. It has a similar feel to Hippie Ghost, another favorite of mine, in that it is both earthy and airy.

[No additional description given.] Thank you, Lab, for making this scent as a gift to those give to those who gave a toy to a precious little one in need! It's SO GOOD! I've been hoping for Sugar Cookie's re-release and this is a delicious re-interpretation. The cherry is very strong on initial application but is not too sweet or medicinal, and dries down quickly to a a very natural, almondy, chewy sugar cookie scent, slightly sweet, spicy, and buttery, utterly gourmand. eta: My husband asked where my "new BPAL" was and slathered some on himself. Blood Kiss is his signature scent (has been for over a decade now). He says this smells like Xmas to him: happy and yummy, and it is kind of like a Blood Kiss light. It's got the cherry, dry spice and sweetness...I may need to hunt down multiples at this rate!

But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. White sandalwood, honey, and champaca. Straight out of the bottle, the champaca's fresh, incensey floral is most forward, almost citrusy, but soft, with a hint of green stem. Honey adds a slightly sweet, ambery, roundness. The sandalwood in the drydown is young and fresh, slightly powdery. The overall feel is a very springlike floriental, that dries down to a fresh skin scent, which I'll enjoy wearing in hot weather. It has light sillage and average wearlength.

I can only consider departed spirits and ministering angels, as one innumerable company continually surrounding us. And are they not as nearly united to their fellow soldiers now, as when in the body ! What should hinder ? Gratitude and affection are natives of heaven, and live for ever. Forgetfulness is a property of mortality, and drops off with the body. Therefore, they that loved us in the Lord, will surely love us for ever. Can anything material interrupt the sight or presence of a spirit ? Nay,— ‘Walk within walls no more the passage bar, Than unopposing space of liquid air.’ – the British Spiritual Telegraph, Vol. 3 No. 6, April 1859 Blackened opoponax and frankincense smoke shrouded in wilted roses, black taffeta, and tear-stained lace. A deliciate, somber, soft rose...this scent reminds me of Antique Lace and the Best Lies with some incense wafting through. The rose is pink and faded but still slightly juicy, with a bit of muskiness, but darkened to a lovely sepia around the edges. Wistful and unassuming, but still well estabilished.... I can see this scent fitting in nicely anywhere.

Why have I not reviewed this?! I got a bottle back in the day and sometimes just CRAVE it! It smells like the fall of my childhood...piles of leaves, smokey, crisp air, sweets, and salty popcorn. It's SO good! I'm almost out, so I hope we get something similar in 2021!!!

As an artist and lover of bpal spooky concept and dusty scents, I just had to try this. It's terpenic, yes, but tries out to be a very wearable, balsamic amber, quite different from others in the catalog-not nearly as sweet. There is a bit of dusty/powderyness with the lampblack and fabric notes on the drydown, and a creaminess reminicent of the texture of oiil paints mixed with cold wax medium. I can easily imagine many seipia tinged, cracking colors. It wears close to the skin and I'd say it leans masculine in that the resins smell quite fresh and sharp. Definately an interesting and evocative blend!

WINTER SOLSTICE LUNAR ECLIPSE Thy shadow, Earth, from Pole to Central Sea, Now steals along upon the Moon’s meek shine In even monochrome and curving line Of imperturbable serenity. How shall I link such sun-cast symmetry With the torn troubled form I know as thine, That profile, placid as a brow divine, With continents of moil and misery? And can immense Mortality but throw So small a shade, and Heaven’s high human scheme Be hemmed within the coasts yon arc implies? Is such the stellar gauge of earthly show, Nation at war with nation, brains that teem, Heroes, and women fairer than the skies? On December 21st, the longest night of 2010, a total lunar eclipse will occur. There will be seventy-two minutes of glorious totality while the moon is enveloped in a cloak of luminous, blood-tinged amber. Totality will begin at 11:41 pm Black Phoenix Standard Time. If this isn’t a magical night, I don’t know what is. A voluptuous and brittle blend of lunar oils and white chypre shimmering with darkly glowing red musk, golden amber, black currant, patchouli, rose peppercorn, blackberry, ylang ylang, and daemonorops astride Yuletide’s holly berry, white pine, winter rose, and myrrh. In the bottle, I smell the resins and herbs...strange and potion-like, like a tincture, almost, or a gentleman's drink (Sazerac?). When I put it on, the white, sappy, needley notes come out, and it's nearly citrusy. The berries seem unripe in their tartness. It is very foresty, alive, with a flashing bite, (it's a little scary!) and a sturdy base. Drying down,the scent mellows and redish golden brown notes emerge. The amber and patchouli make it slightly powery and warm, but the scent dosn't loose its lift. I appreciate the brightness with the depth-it represents the concept so well. It truly fades from white to red amber. I wouldn't call it sweet,though, even with the berries and dragon's blood, which is suprising. I don't usually wear chypres, but I am loving how complex and natural this scent is-and I'd call it more an oriental chypre. I find it very stimulating, uplifting even. I needed something like this when it is so cold and dark. Sometimes scents I find comforting can become overwhelming when the house is too warm or there have been too many sweets offered. The sillage is strong at first but it mellows considerably and the wearlength is medium on me. I would call it gender neutral and brilliant.

I am in love with this one and may just need to hoard it. It is so evocative of my neo- Victorian childhood, quite like Picture Books in Winter in composition: sweet and dusty with a lacey bit of whimsical lift. I know it's a Ween I wore Toy-Stewen Attic while I was preparing for Christmas and it was just perfect...romantic Nightmare Before Christmas vibes...spooky yet unobtrusive...a scent of memories. Wet, I get an almondey leather note...a bit like As Above at first. Then, a hint of dusty florals, like the tea rose bath cubes my grandmother always seemed to have on hand, slightly amplified by a metalic twang...not too much metal, and I'm glad of it, but it does make it more masculine smelling, I'd say, compared to Picture Books in Winter...a bit more like a cologne, which may also be from the very dry wood notes, which are not overly dominant. There is a slight vanillic scent of old paper, but with the faded florals also really smells like fabric...all dry and white...yellowed and sepia tinged with age. A sweet, waxy, white greasepaint note in the drydown holds it close to, and melds with the leathery note and my skin. Everything is covered in dust. It's just brilliant...really smells like antique toys without being too musty... Toy Strewn Attic is absolutely BPAL magic...the kind of unique blend that really sets the brand apart. A true gothic romance of a scent, it's more of a mood than even a smell. It could be worn anywhere but gives a tone of being well kept but slightly forelorn. A thousand times...love.

Hillarious, really, how this smells like melty fudge and Smut. It's a really fun version. So chocolately, especially right out of the bottle. Usually the red musk and booze of the Smut plows through but the chocolate is really the star of the show here. It's warm and milky for quite a while...undeniably chocolate. Drying down the chocolate gets a bit dustier but Smut's musks keep it nice and round. Super cozy! It makes me want to eat my favorite chocolate cake all snuggled up with my partner!

Daaamn. This is Ah-maaa-zing... I think my favorite of the Smuts this season, too (that Candy Corn Smut though...!). The honey note right out of the bottle is downright bawdy; bright, liquid gold, flowing out of the comb...nearly an indolic floral but undeniably honey, especially with the extra musk & booze from the Smut. How can this be more honey-ish than even O or Womb Fury?! It quickly darkens a bit, but only down to a honey whiskey, with the addition of a bit of smoke along with a dense chewiness from sugary taffy. Dare I say this is even smuttier than the origional Smut? It's brighter, has more sillage, and the golden warmth of it dries down to a honeycomb skin scent. Divine!

I haven't smelled BPAL's candy corn note before...that I know of or remember...but I DO LOVE candy corn, especially the harvest corn variety which this REEEALLY reminds me of. I could not be happier!!! Harvest corn has been increasingly hard for me to find, but it's honey and chocolate flavored candy corn. I begin to hoard & snack on it every year (particularly yummy mixed w/peanuts). Mixed with Smut ... it just makes me smile! The red musk and booze gives a zingy little lift out of the bottle, but there is dark, yes, mocha like note (especially when compared to Chocolate Smut) that dims it down. It's sweet...oh, yeah...super sweet, and kind of gummy, but with a earthy, roasted kind of depth. It lasts and lasts on my skin, which is always a plus. It's SO GOOD! Sexy candy corn!

The Book from the Paranorman GC collection is my all time favorite book scent (soft leather bindings, dry, sweet vanillic pages...so realistic...deep & swoonworthy). I get a similar sense in the drydown here, with a bit more dust and polish. Initally, this has a bright lift from the lemony polish note, which reminds me of a beeswax wood cleaner. The wood notes here are also freshly cut, giving the scent a more masculine vibe. I gave it to my husband who found it invigorating, and said that it would be nice to wear at a fine art and craft fair, where he would want to smell clean but like he'd been involved in important endevors; I agree!

Wet, I get sweet yellow jasmine and smoke, quite strong and realistic, like walking past a bonfire in a blooming southern garden. The tea and leaf note add a twang together like the night air, the smoke quickly softening in the background. I love the patchouli and sage drydown...it somehow reminds me of a dark cousin of Fae...sitting close and creamy, yet fresh on the skin. It's a lovely floriental, perfect for the end of summer when it's hot and I want to keep that just-out-of-the-shower feeling but also want something kind of spooky... or when I want a temporay lift from the gooey depths I do so generally love in perfume!

In the bottle I smell a very faint milky sweetness, like when making carmel but it hasn't come to a full boil. On the skin, I smell a ghost of Milk Moon, which is the happiest way cream could go for me; the flecks of caramel together with vanilla husks may be playing the role of dates here, and the white sandalwood is light and fresh, adding almost a crisp note to the cream. On the dry down I get a note that reminds me of the popcorn note that used to be in Miss Dior Chere before it was reformulated; it's a subtle, buttery, toastiness that makes me want to layer this with strawberries, which MDC also has. It's a soft, dreamy skin scent, like the memory of rocking happy babies to sleep.

Another gourmond for the win! Wet, I don't think "sugar cookies"; I wouldn't say this is "foody", though I do love BPAL's sugar cookie note. I'm reminded more both of AntiMech, as mentioned, (but much gentler), and Halos (without the fruit, but just as resonate). It's a soft, yet freshly cut woodiness that dries down warmly sweet. It just glows on the skin. I imagine it is exactly what one's hands might smell like after both eating sugar cookies and shooting off a ballista! Delightful, evocative, and oh, so wearable! 💘

Sniffing this I immediately smiled; my inner child absolutely loves it, and the sentiment is darling. I imagine this is what a spice cake scented My Little Pony might smell like. It reminds me of a more playful version of the beloved (Not So) Penitent (Mini) Mag; there's a crystaline sugary opening with a sepia tinged, slightly waxy drydown. It's a delicious gourmond, wearing close to the skin and sure to be a crowd pleaser.

I thought that this was going to be a darker, goth club rose, but it's a darling baby bat 👶 🦇 of a fragrance, which makes sense, cuz it's a Lil! Wet, the roses flash like a pair of red patent leather Doc Martins, and there is an equal shock of snapped green stems, full of life and vigor; that kind of floral is, indeed, "sword sharp" to my nose, but I don't get a sense of thorns, which I expected to be woodier. Drying down, it calms, the roses blushing pink with just a touch of a blood note. It ends up soft and jammy, wearing close to the skin.

...are distorted versions of their "real" perfumes: sticky sweet, cobwebby, and grotesque. I LOVE this scent! It is actually more like how I expected Miss Forcible herself would smell, based on the musk emphasis in her description, and a big dash of my own wishful thinking. Comparitively, though, The Other Miss Forcible is more complex, sexed up, disturbing, and Other, of course, and I anticipate wearing it much more often. I smell more musk here than in the former Miss Forcible, perhaps black: slightly masculine, light, yet with a scalpy creaminess. While it could be considered more sweet, as musks can be, and does have a burt sugar quality, it's less foody; the cookie/buttery note is less prominent, and the dustiness reads like incense. It reminds me of La Befana without the violet, (add dried anise stars), quite a bit, and feels like a similar geige-violet color. The play of soft, sweet, and dark, combines into a very wearable oriental. Even fresh on the skin, it smells like a lingering favorite scent on a scarf or sweater. It's familiar, and fits into my BPAL wardrobe comfortably. I can see myself reaching for this when I want something like Dance of Death, but slightly more playful and modern.

I usually like dark, sweet orientals but I also adore Snow White and Pink Snowballs for their coziness.

I'd recommend O, Defututa, Fae, and Inez.

There is something about earthy gourmonds that really do it for me: grounding, slightly edible, and sophisticated; I feel ready for anything in them! Who needs top notes? (sniff)...What. A. Managé! I'm so glad I picked this up and I'm gonna need a back up! I imagine cacoa beans drying in the hot sun. it gives me a similar deep, brown, tropical feel, though the notes are different, to Goblin (whole coconuts with patchouli); AVCWS is drier and hot with the white sandalwood, where Goblin is more warm & creamy (with the benzoin). I also envision AVCWS as a sauna dusted with cocoa power, or made of cocoa wood (does that even have a scent? In my fantasy it does!), or lying there with a cocoa face mask, or tiny eye bags filled with cacao (like the ones filled with rice/herbs presented in some yoga classes...I don't know if cacao versions of these are a thing, but how else does cocoa function so well in a sauna?! I'm open to other suggestions...). It's such a HOT scent it's nearly anamalic...like I've been enveloped in the finest cocoa incense. It's SO. GOOD! I can't wait to try wearing the White Rider (white sandalwood & leather) in the morning and putting AVCWS on in the evening. If you love Velvet but want to go even deeper, get this beauty. If you love Death Adder, but want chocolate instead of vanilla sometimes, getcha some of this! If you love Boomslang, but want something drier...try Aged Vetiver, Chocolate & White Sandalwood. Thank you, thank you, Beth! She's brilliant!

Interesting. This does not come off dark or smokey on me initally. I'd say it's more kin to the White Rider than Tricksy. It's a light, playful little amourous bat of a patchouli, perfect for warm weather, or when I want a little cheer for my dark, fuzzy heart. Wet this is almost lemony, which was a surprise, but I know it must be the honey, resin, and crisp woods just tricking my nose. (Haunted smells lemony to me, too, but that's black musk and amber...). It reminds me almost of a snapped spring branch...bitter and not quite green, but alive and earthy. Drying down there's less little sharp teeth and the benzoin starts to sweet up. In just a few minutes the patchouli's depth hums undernieth a subtly fresh sweetness. All the way through the dry down it's more more bright than smokey. It'll be perfect for me to tuck into my summer purse and slather throughout the day and evening to freshen up.