yakiguri

On my skin, Maenad is SUPER-sweet tropical punch with strawberry and hibiscus front-and-center. There's an artificial undertone to it though that makes it less of an exotic mixed drink you buy on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean and more Kool-Aid with loads of sugar. Maybe something I'd drink, but don't exactly want to smell like.

There's something off-puttingly sweet about Exorcist, and coupled with a strong lemon floor cleaner note I'm getting from the lilac fougere I need to quickly exorcise this blend from my skin.

Thank you Mellifluous for the tester! I was incredibly excited to try one of the much-beloved Weenies, but unfortunately pumpkin is apparently a note of doom for me. >_< It's buttery alright, but too buttery, the scent evocative of curdled milk and rancid butter. I couldn't wait to scrub this off.

Avenger was the main one I feared out of the Grendel bunch, as caraway has ruined many a scent for me. Indeed, on first application I get nothing but the dank mustiness I've come to expect from caraway blends, and was ready to write it off as another failure. However I forgot to wash it off, and after testing, sniffing, and reviewing other blends I realized there was an interesting spicy vanilla coming from somewhere on my arm--Avenger. Once the initial wet dog phase is gone Avenger has bloomed into a fiery ball of vanilla, rum, cloves, and pepper. Patchouli keeps this conflagration from getting out of control, and the jacaranda/Brazilian rosewood and tuberose add a discordant sweetness to an otherwise blazing blend. I'll have to grab a bottle of this sometime. Of course, anime nerd I am, I can't help but think of a tsundere--someone violent (tsuntsun) with a sweet side (deredere), or the reverse, someone sweet with a berserk button provoking them to violence.

*sigh* On me La Mano Del Destino is all patch and woods, like pencil/wood shavings in an old cigar box. I'm reminded of when I visited a Japanese wood carver's shop, as to me Destino is quite reminescent of just-sanded-down sandalwood. A scent I like to smell, but not necessarily smell like. I'll have to revisit in a few more months to see if there's any change, but as of now I'll keep my decant but won't need a bottle.

ZOMG. Mastermind is a thick, lush jasmine and orange blossom bouquet spiked with heady incense, juicy plum, and warm leather. It's quite strong, so dab sparingly, but OH, I want to bathe in it. This is the smell of something luxurious and dare-I-say snobbishly high-class-old-money, yet dangerous, a roguish millionaire you meet whose family you sense obtained at least some of their fortune through nefarious means. I've smelled a scent similar to this that goes for nearly $400 for 50ml and even with this newish decant I'd say this BPAL blend is far superior to it, and can only get better. Bravo Lab, this is one of the best you've made/I've smelled. Want, NEED a bottle.

At first all I got was a single note red musk, and I feared that red musk had ruined another blend for me. >_< However, as Hygeia dries (and a long dry down she has!) I get more of the tobacco, incense, and amber. Hoping that with further aging the other notes reign in the red musk more.

Normally I wait a few months to review scents I just received, but I couldn't wait! On me, Touched Twice is a very soft, ethereal floral. Right on application I get rose, but it's less smacked-in-the-face-with-a-bouquet-of-red-roses and more like the simple beauty of a single white rose being held by a first-time bride. The oud, frankincense, and sandalwood bolster and deepen the coconut and vanilla, but as of yet I can't really pick out the other florals. If this is what this blend is just on the first day, I can't wait to sniff this once it's aged.

Voyeurs Among the Cherry Blossoms--one of my top 3 blends! It starts off with a strong oakmoss note; with its cologne-y vibe it lends a masculine hint to what would otherwise be an exceedingly feminine scent. The cherry blossom sits in the background, waiting for big brother oakmoss to finish his turn. As Voyeurs Among the Cherry Blossoms dries, cherry blossom finally has her time to shine, oakmoss now receding quietly into the background, but making sure cherry blossom doesn't get too loud or run off to far. Vanilla musk comes over to play, and as the dry down continues all three notes blend in heart-achingly beautiful harmony. It really is as if big brother oakmoss is quietly and vigilantly watching his little sister cherry blossom and her friend vanilla musk play. Voyeurs lasts forever and a day too. I'm so glad I managed to hunt down a bottle.

Wild orchid, pikake, honeysuckle, calla lily, agave nectar, pink geranium, violet leaf, and white amber. Blue Morpho is what I'd classify as an aquatic tropical floral. On my skin the agave nectar, pikake, and honeysuckle come to the forefront, with just a hint of amber in the background keeping the florals from going too strident. I'm not a fan of whatever tart note is lingering in the background (the geranium or violet leaf?), but as Blue Morpho dries the tartness fades some. I hope with some more aging it goes away completely, or at least smooths out. Overall Blue Morpho is a nice, clean close-to-the-skin floral scent that I could see myself wearing to an office where strong scents are forbidden. I'm happy with my partial bottle, but I doubt I ever need to fill it. EDIT: Added Lab's description.

2011 version. At first application Red Lantern is nothing but incredibly sharp tobacco, cleaving through all the other notes. There's a tiny bit of sweetness in the background, but it's hard to tell what it is. Even as it dries the tobacco stays at the forefront, but at least now I'm getting more of the caramel, coconut, and black currant with just a tiny bit of spice. I'm thinking I may need to let this age a bit more as I used to have a decant of a previous version with unfortunately no year on the label, which I gave to a friend when I got my new bottle of Red Lantern. The older blend was a much thicker, smoother, sweeter, and more sultry scent, so I think after another 6 months to a year the tobacco will calm down some.

Unfortunately I get primarily vanilla (yay!) and something dry and borderline musty (boo). I don't get any foodie or band aid vibes, but that dry backdrop is keeping me from absolutely loving this. I wish I knew what note it was so I can avoid it, but I'm suspecting the red ginger since it did something similar on my skin with Countess Willie. If I hadn't received a full bottle in a swap, I wouldn't have ever bought it, and may just swap away this bottle in the future for something I love and not merely like.

Jigokudayu starts off with a quite sweet and juicy pear note that dominates the majority of the scent. As the blend dries the pear pares (ha!) down as more of the coconut, tiare, and carnation come in. Angelica and incense deepen yet lift the blend, overall giving it a deep, softly sweet, yet ethereal feel. Though I typically prefer my carnation with a stronger spicy kick, I'm glad that it's more subtle here. I'm pleasantly surprised at how well-behaved the coconut, tiare/gardenia, and pear are as those notes can get screechy and cloying, but they swirl together in perfect harmony in Jigokudayu. Beautifully well-blended, and I'm grateful I took a chance on it and bought it blind. I'm imagining an exquisitely adorned Edo-period courtesan shuffling quietly out to her client in sumptuously expensive and fragrant kimono. A demure yet knowing smile is upon her bright red lips, her cream-white hands coyly on her front-tied obi as her client nods his approval and closes the shoji doors with purpose. While she sells the allure of innocence, she is anything but.

Blackberries, honey, and a backdrop of something green and sharp. Purple fruits are usually good on me, but the blackberry here has a sour and rotten undercurrent that my nose finds repulsive. >_> Maybe it's because my imp is relatively new/fresh, so I'll let it sit another month and update my review.

Lovely sweet creamy mint that unfortunately is gone within 15 minutes on my skin. I think this is the fastest I've ever had a BPAL disappear on me. Guess I'll have to look elsewhere for my minty vanilla fix.

Very soft sweet honey vanilla. It's a cute scent, not really evocative of naughty activities, and veers too close to Barbie doll heads to warrant hunting down a bottle. I'll keep my imp though.

Unfortunately all I get is Dragon's Blood with a tiny, tiny bit of amber in the background. As I only like Dragon's Blood if there are other, stronger notes to quiet it, this one's going to the swap pile.

Adding another happy accident: the combination of Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille and Tuscan Leather smells almost exactly like Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller. Dunno why, they're notes aren't similar at all, but they just do. The Tom Ford combo just has a slight bite in the background whereas Mme. Moriarty is softer and has a small hint of fruit from the plum. Overall I'd say they're 90% close, aside from price.

Does anyone know of a BPAL scent similar to Chanel's Cuir de Russie? I absolutely ADORE it, but at its cost per 1 bottle I could get several BPAL bottles that have been on my wishlist forever. Notes, according to Fragrantica: Top: African orange flower, bergamot, mandarin Middle: Jasmine, rose, ylang ylang Base: Leather, birch The leather in this is quite animalic at first, almost fecal-civet-y, but quickly blooms into this AWESOME soft spicy leather floral. Not bondage leather, but supple well-worn leather gloves you got from a chic grandmother leather. On my skin the citrus isn't very apparent, or just so well-blended with the other notes I can't tell it's there. I know Liz is a floral leather but it doesn't even compare to Cuir de Russie, and is entirely too floral (on me) anyway. Thoughts? I wouldn't be unhappy buying a bottle of CDR, but it'll just put a big dent in my BPAL budget for a while. I'm paranoid of some of my fave GCs getting DC'd as I quickly use up my decants, but my CDR decant is getting low too... ARGH! *angsts* EDIT: Got impatient and bought CDR anyway with no regrets. Yeah it'll severely cut into my BPAL/general perfume budget for the rest of the year, but it's a scent I'll wear often and have smelled nothing like it, BPAL or otherwise.

Plum blossom, vanilla sandalwood, nutmeg, and wild rice. YUM! Lovers in a Ricefield is a BEAUTIFUL deep (but not dark) vanilla blend.The plum blossom and vanilla sandalwood blend marvelously together in a harmony that's neither foody nor sweet and lasts a good chunk of the day. The nutmeg adds an interesting kick, but unfortunately I don't get any rice--this should be more Lovers in a Plum Field Drinking Vanilla Spiced Tea. Sillage is strong but not overbearing, though I would still dab rather than slather. One of my favorite blends and you bet I'll be seeking out decants to fill up my partial bottle.

This is quite a pretty, feminine scent, and while I love carnation it's mostly drowned out by the sweet pea and water lily. I like sweet pea but it so utterly dominates this scent that it turns borderline acidic. The lack of a grounding note also makes Desdemona fall a little flat on my skin, so overall the scent is like looking at a pretty guy/girl, going over to talk to them, and realizing just how much depth they lack as soon as they open their mouth. I'll stick with Aeval for my sweet pea/light feminine scent needs. Swapping.

Ozymandias starts off with an almost aldehyde-y ozone note, but the air is dry and lacks the effervescence of a typical aldehyde top note. The incense, as it curls to the surface, is dark, dry, and spicy, but never smokey. I'm thankful for that as incense can typically turn sour or ashy on my skin. As Ozymandias sinks more into my skin I get bits of amber, but it's a dark amber. With the scent overall I'm strongly reminded of Chanel No. 5 but with its citrus notes removed--it and Ozymandias could be cousins. I would also say the two scents evoke the same feeling--something old, ornate, and perhaps out-of-place in modern times, but can/should at least be respected. For the record I love Chanel No.5, but since I have a bottle of that already I'll pass on a bottle of Ozymandias. I'll certainly keep my imp though.

I should've known Versailles wouldn't work due to the inclusion of doom note citrus (and two types!) but I wanted to give it a shot anyway due to reviews of it being perfumey like a classic parfum. Unfortunately the citrus (of course) goes sour and rancid the second it hits my skin, orris is funky like decayed flowers, and amber is nowhere to be seen. Jasmine is the only note behaving here, but it takes A LOT for jasmine to go bad on me. Every once in a while the citrus and orris scale back and I get a whiff of something exquisitely expensive, but then it's gone in a flash. It's like instead of a gilded palace full of luxury and decadence I got a dirty old washed-up has-been claiming to be from some long-forgotten noble house. But, as he waxes nostalgic, you see the quality of stitching beneath the grime in his tattered clothing and see he's sadly speaking the truth.

Devilishly playful: white peach, amber, golden musk and patchouli. Not sure if it's the white peach or the golden musk as someone previously mentioned, but I get a strong slightly-less-spicy red musk vibe from Imp even though I know there isn't any red musk in it. Odd. As red musk is one of my doom notes of course it dominates/is amped to high heaven on my skin. >_< I'll pass this little mischief-maker along to a new home. EDIT: Added Lab's description.

Bubblegum and lollipops, cloyingly so. >_< Luckily Jailbait disappears utterly into the ether within half an hour on my skin. Swapping.