yakiguri

Leather is one of my favorite notes, but unfortunately the balsam is splattered all over the leathery goodness in The Red Rider. It actually smells a bit off on my skin, like decay and grass...yikes! Placing firmly in the nope pile.

*sigh* Was hoping to get the cool vanilla snow + flowers everyone else is getting, but unfortunately all I'm getting is Play Dogh. If she doesn't age into something awesome this princess will need to find another castle. EDIT 10/06/13: Proof that one should NEVER give up on a BPAL blend until a few months have passed! FINALLY I get the cool vanilla snow and soft florals that others have mentioned. The snow note's cooling effect is quite pleasant during the 100+ degree summer days we get here. Will definitely keep as a summer blend and repurchase once low.

*swoon* This is the tobacco note I recognize from so many of my favorite blends, which of course, tend to contain tobacco. It's warm, it's sweet, and I agree with the brown sugar quality to it. Throw is incredible, so a dab will do 'ya. I can just imagine this aged, and it's taking monumental strength not to buy a backup. I have to remind myself I have so many blends with this already included in it...

Noh Mask and Maple Leaves begins with a pungent stab of sharp woods, but eventually the warm spices weave their way through and warm up the blend. The warm leaf note I got from Autumn Lace is definitely here. I completely agree that this is a Japan-esque incense blend, but since I amp clove a bit this is a bit strong for warmer weather. I'll have to keep it in the aging box until autumn. Beware, the throw is strong with this one--apply sparingly! EDIT: Now that it's turning to autumn (or what passes for autumn in California x_X) I had to open this back up. The initial sharpness previously experienced is much, MUCH more subdued thanks to the hinoki and ho woods having a (quietly) stronger appearance, and quickly softens to a spicy maple warmth. Compared to Autumn Lace I find the leaf note here much more subtle--if you've ever seen a Japanese maple tree, think of the small delicate leaves compared to the comparatively massive North American maples. Throw is still fairly strong, though not piercing as it was before. The clove is still more prominent than I'd like, but my skin tends to amp it so oh well. I look forward to opening this up in subsequent autumns over the years.

Maybe the plum missing from the other reviewers' bottles went to mine, or I just amp it, as that's the primary note I get when A Sudden Invitation hits my skin. Plum doesn't dominate the blend entirely, but it's definitely there. This is a good thing, as plum is one of the few fruit notes my skin likes. Mint is a strong second, adding a freshness to the blend--I agree this could be categorized as an aquatic. The wood notes are there, but are so seamlessly blended in the background I know they're there but can't distinctly tell unless I specifically seek them out. I think this will be a fantastic blend for when the dry summer heat returns and I need something juicy to wear.

On my skin I get primarily a sweet, creamy oakmoss, which is exactly what I had hoped Contemplating the Moon Through an Open Window would be. There's a perfumey / powdery aura with a bit of spice that reminds me of pre-reformulation vintage perfumes. I'm guessing that's coming from the tuberose + opoponax, but it never goes too high pitched. The oakmoss is deep, thick, and earthy, giving a buttery, almost leather-like feel to the blend. I dreaded that the milk accord would turn the whole thing sour on my skin but it wraps the whole blend in a creamy velvetiness. Overall quite lovely and "classic" in feel, and I'm glad to have a bottle. I bet this will be amazing aged. If you like oakmoss, you definitely should at least try this.

Not quite an RPG combo, but... The Peacock Queen of Good Rogues = NUMMY sweet leather and rose.

This is such a morpher! It starts off with thick clods of spicy vanilla cream, then goes to plastic (!), then back to carnation and vanilla...and back to plastic. And then back again. o.O Hopefully more aging will keep it in the creamy vanilla carnation stage and NOT the plastic. EDIT 2/05/16: After years of aging this a thick, sweet, creamy, buttery (French?) vanilla with soft undercurrent of spice from the carnation. This is definitely going to be a go-to comfort scent and I'm glad I was patient and gave it time to mature.

I probably knew I shouldn't have grabbed a bottle of this unsniffed considering my love/hate relationship with black musk, and the oft-noted lemon note, but I couldn't resist. Of course, Black Temple Burlesque Troupe starts with a nose piercingly acrid powder note which I definitely know is the black musk and lemon. After a long, LONG drydown the tobacco and chocolate make themselves known and wrestle the powder into submission. What I'm left with is actually quite lovely, if still a bit more powdery than I prefer. If I didn't have to wait nearly two hours for this phase to happen it wouldn't be so bad, but... I'm hoping a long stay in the aging box will round out BTBT's notes more, especially the black musk. If not, off to swaps she goes. EDIT 10/06/13: Nope, aging didn't help--still the same acridness as before, even with shaking/rolling prior to application. I give up on black musk.

Soft, warm grasses envelope a fuzzy, spicy muskiness with a soft leather undercurrent. This is quite lovely, but oh-so-similar on my skin to The Lurid Library that I'm not sure I can justify having both. Coyote is deeper and not quite as perfumey as The Lurid Library, but they both share that same warm leather + bright cologne + musk heart. I would say that if you can't get a hold on The Lurid Library, Coyote is a scent cousin to it if you wanted a similar replacement. I'll keep my imp but forgo a bottle as I don't like having scents too similar to each other in my stash.

The linen is amping waaaaay too much--all I get is soapy dryer sheets.

Wet, Zombi is all dirt, but rose makes her dominance known as the blend dries. I never really get any mossiness, which is a shame since oakmoss is one of my favorite notes. An interesting blend I'm glad I got to try once but not anything I see myself wearing ever again.

From wet application to drydown Hollywood Babylon is a big wet smack of RED. Red musk, my on-again-off-again lover, is reigned in by strong blasts of juicy cherry laced with strawberry that never goes to plastic or artificial fruity cheapness. I don't distinctly get the other notes, but HB is definitely not a flat blend. Sweet and juicy, yet with something musky and dark lurking in the depths--love! I have nothing like this in my stash and may very well have to get a bottle.

Wet, Badgers starts with a sharp grassiness that I first suspected was the sarsaparilla but in rereading the previous reviews I now think is the honeysuckle. This phase lasts for nearly an hour, and I feared that whatever it was was going to ruin this blend for me. Luckily though the honey, patch, and leather eventually seep through, but while they soften and sweeten the sharp grassy edges the honeysuckle remains waaaaay too dominant in this blend for my tastes. I spent quite a few years in the deep South where during spring and summer honeysuckle explodes EVERYWHERE, and enjoyed sniffing and eating it. Why does it apparently hate my skin? I hate to say it, but considering that Badgers was my OMG BUY NAO of 2012 I'm left vaguely disappointed. The honeysuckle has far too much of a chokehold on the blend, and the other notes don't come out quickly enough to make the sharp phase tolerable. I went through hell to obtain my bottle though, and the scent that wafts off my arm when the honeysuckle does calm the eff down is pure sweet honey/patch/leather LURV. I'll sock my bottle away for more aging and hope the honeysuckle eventually mellows out so I get more of the much later drydown rather than the sharp grassy tang.

I'm starting to suspect I amp orris. Even though this starts off with a cool, crisp coconut-tinged rose a strong root/dirt note quickly takes over and dominates the rest of the scent. Ah well.

Straight up orange and fig. Glad to sniff a citrus blend that doesn't immediately turn to floor cleaner on my skin, but the fig is giving this weird quirk to the blend that I can only describe as something artificial. It's as if instead of an actual orange, you're given a plastic orange-colored sphere that's supposed to smell like orange, but you know it's fake. Definitely doesn't evoke anything carnal...

Ugh, the peach in here really amps on my skin and isn't a fresh peach but an overripe, borderline rotting peach. Off my skin it goes!

Rakshasa is all sandalwood and patchouli on me, with the tiniest whiff of rose. Honestly if I wasn't looking for the rose specifically, and didn't already know there was supposed to be rose in the blend, I wouldn't have been able to pick it out. I agree Rakshasa is quite similar to Baghdad, but the rose is more prominent there and the sandalwood doesn't go nearly as bone dry. Rakshasa is almost like a cedar chest, the sandalwood is so dry. Pass. EDIT 4/16: Maybe my imp just need some aging, but FINALLY the rose comes out big and strong with the patch. It's lovely and I'll enjoy my imp but I think I'm good with just that.

VILF pretty much stays true from wet application to drydown--spicy black leather dominates with a thick glob patchouli, all smeared over bone dry woods. In fact I really don't get much else aside from black leather, patchouli, cedar, sandalwood, and pepper. Throw is amazingly strong--this one's a dabber, folks. Vampires in Kim Harrison's Hollows series are described as having a dark incensey scent to them and VILF is exactly what I imagined that to be. While indeed a sexy scent VILF is more sexy-dangerous rather than sexy-tempting (Tombeur fits that niche for me), and the blend is too dry and sharp for me to wear that often. I'm glad to have a bottle though and will gladly apply when I'm feeling a bit dangerous.

Yup, can't do wine notes. This starts off acidic and sour, and stays that way all the way down until nothing's left but a whiff of jasmine.

I don't know if it's the amber or the musk (maybe the musk since it's black musk), but Black Rose starts off like a typical rose blend...and then quickly morphs to baby powder and disappears completely from my skin. I'll try again in a few months as black musk can behave itself on my skin with a little aging but I'm not holding my breath.

*sigh* I should've hoarded this. Eldritch Dark is musky, leathery Snake Oil smeared in honey. The sugared black roses linger in the background, and while they don't become as prominent as I'd like the blend as a whole is nothing short of amazing. Longevity is decent but it stays pretty close to the skin unless you slather. I actually like putting a bit of this in my hair so I can get whiffs of it throughout the day. If you love Snake Oil and anything related to it, I hope you snagged a bottle of this. I REALLY hope the Lab makes this permanent and/ or makes a perfume oil blend of it.

Add me to the list of people pleading the Lab to make this permanent and/or make a perfume oil of this! This was my first atmo and man, I wish I had stocked up. This has all of my favorite WIN notes, and in my favorite rendition--deep, languid, and sweet. It starts off with a slightly chemically black leather but the tobacco, patchouli, and vanilla sweeten and smooth everything out. Longevity could be better, as within an hour or two I only get vague whiffs here and there, but it's amazing while it lasts. I would gladly respray with wild abandon but alas I only bought one bottle.

OMG, I can't believe I didn't like this at first. What a difference a more experienced nose and some aging make! Rogue starts off a little sneezy and grassy from what I assume is the hemp, but quickly smooths out into a warm, sweet leather that makes me want to go OM NOM NOM to my arm. The leather isn't chemically or harsh AT ALL but is all warmth and comfort, and the sweetness (I'm assuming from the rosin) just warms to the skin in this absolutely amazing way that never goes teeth-achingly sweet. This has quickly turned into my favorite BPAL leather blend and I'll need VATS of this for wearing on its own and adding to blends.

Good is a bright, slightly powdery sugar musk with a big dollop of honey and hint of some sort of floral fruitiness that I wonder if it's the acacia. The sugar and fruit must be amping on my skin though as the blend is starting to make my teeth ache a bit with its sugary sweetness. I'll have to try it in combos with the races and classes before I make a verdict, but on its own Good is too sweet for my tastes.