Heavenlyrabbit

the sugar comes out a bit later on me, so the initial impression was the absinthe. What I noticed, without scent description around, was a slightly smoky quality and though tobacco? After logging on and finding "opium smoke" so maybe the usual BPAL opium note might be modified somehow, someway to include 'smoke'. Rose is really far in the background.

this is incredibly pungent perfume. The Pinot Noir is front and center, luring me in up until the JASMINE AND ROSE!!! So those three afore-mentioned notes combine into a singular floral-booze that makes perfect sense with the patchouli and myrrh... but But... Mother of all that is Holy this is strong, pungent and not something I could ever wear. I am sort of jealous of those who can. An updated version of the discontinued Black Widow.

smells like a dirty ashtray but in a good way! And only BPAL would inspire such a bizarre comment.

Verbena, citrus and cedar combine for the brightness. The resins are the core material being consumed. Unique. It fills a niche in this Incense/Resin lovers collection. If you love resinous BPAL and have waited for or wondered about an Incense and Citrus blend... we've got one. Perfect for summer. And workouts.

Must. Have. Bottle This will age so beautifully. There is nothing like this in the BPAL Lexicon. Can't think of anything to compare it to. And it's general catalog. We are all so damned lucky. I could cry.

One day left to order this, lucky me to have gotten the decants today. So my impression for those still wondering whether to buy- This is Dorian if he went on expedition to Polynesia and found his butch side. REALLY nice. More directly masculine than Dorian. Less urbane, more sensual. Lemon and Coconut are two notes that can amp WAY up. This has a laid back Coconut and the Lemon is quite pleasant.

The Pineapple and Booze form an unholy, but intoxicating, union and actually manage to lull the coconut into a liquored-up trance. Coconut is there but it's very submissive. There is something providing some sort of warmth. No, not cinnamon. Ginger? It's not on the menu... I mean Notes. Maybe it's just my nose getting woozy from the booze. This would NOT quench my thirst. Of the three Tiki Bar blends I just tried, this is the hottest/sexiest and most evocative of a hot summer night and beating drums.

Victorian whimsy and piratical romance: a reluctant seaman’s chypre sloshed with a mix of bay rum, patchouli, amber musk, dark woods, tea rose, and red currant. Frederic is a warm, cozy Arran sweater of a scent. The sweater your man left behind and you're wearing to remind yourself of him. The Patchouli is a prominent note for me and plays nice, a rarity with my skin chemistry and preferences. So this might work on other Patchouli challenged BPAL'ers. After the Patchouli comes a balsamic embrace of the Bay Rum. The dry Woods seem to play a supportive role for me with the Currant probably being what makes the Patchouli palatable. IMO, this is very Manly rather than masculine. It will age beautifully, for sure. That said, this is the second men's scent lately (Mechanical Phoenix) that caused me to wish for a beau just so he smell this good.

Longing puts me in mind of Wanderlust blends. For instance, Baghdad, Bengal. The geranium gives it a perceptible herbal touch and the bay rum a wayfaring, masculine feel. It is very nice and wearable.

Salons blends are expensive and these special few won't be around that long. So my review will focus on two of the most important aspects: does it work on and is it unique? This works really well on me and I'm amazed. BPAL's Vanilla Mints are welcome in my bottle stash but up until Fisherman's Wife, all other BPAL blends with a prominent Mint just didn't work. Fisherman's Wife reminds me of O with a fortuitous touch of Mint. Not chalky, overbearing or foody Mint. Perfect Mint. A nice refreshing, gentle Mint. A restrained Mint that miraculously wears as a skin scent. And I don't go for Aquatics very much. They all seem too similar. I don't get Aquatic from this. A very slight, subtle salty tang, but that's it. So this is very unique and IMO, a worthy investment.

Ragged Wood has the 2 most necessary quality of any new BPAL's I'll be adding to my already too large bottle collection- it smells great on and just as importantly, it is unique. Pine and Jasmine are two notes that really overwhelm on my skin. In Ragged Wood, they stand with each other and hold the perfect balance. You can sense the other florals and a touch of the earthy and pungent Juniper Berry. BPAL's with evergreen notes usually don't stick around in my house very long cause they tend to all smell the same to me. This is so very special. And does capture the Poetry. IMO, a good investment.

Hungry Ghost Moon is close to being my Holy Grail. I can sort of see the comparison but would add it's HGM but pared down to a make a Minimalist statement. This simply doesn't have the lushness of HGM. And Minimalist this is. It seems to me on dry down, to get to an urbane, subtle men's perfume. The full bodied juice of the rice wine and the bracing lift of the tea give way to the dry wood and clinging moss. I am reminded of Piet Mondrian's 'Tree Series' and his other work done around 1908.

Holy Hothouse! This is the Mother of all Florist Shop scents. First up, the Hyacinth, which is the first note Beth listed. Next, the Heliotrope with Carnations tucked behind and a couple of Lilies to anchor the bouquet. Further intonto the drydown, the herbal/grassy touch of Honeysuckle brings a little sense to the whole thing and ultimately the sweetness comes out with only a suggestion of Rose. This definitely required testing before purchase, cause no matter how much I love florals this has so MANY divas. Going to get a bottle for sure. It's unique. It works. It is not a casual scent. It is not a young scent nor a man's scent. This is to be used sparingly, for when you want to make a grand, feminine statement.

Indeed, herbal incense with something almost suggesting citrus (though not quite, on me). The Cedar makes me take this as very much an outdoor scent. Strong, rugged woman. Barbara Stanwyck. Definitely unisex.

WIN! Jasmine and cinnamon tend to amp. Jasmine being only good for a few weeks every month as my hormones shift. That said- there are so many Divas trying to get to the spotlight, they hold each other in check. Olive blossom, honey, smoky vanilla, cinnamon, jasmine, sandalwood, and champaca flower. My nose IS finding the Cinnamon and Jasmine but they're held in check by the Champaca. And underneath the Champaca, making this so gorgeous is the touch of sweet and and smoky. This is a slow-burn of a scent. Smoldering. Not white hot flames. I

I had NO IDEA Melon hated me this much... runs to go scrub this off. After trying to elimate this (unsuccessfully) I do find once it's toned down, not SO bad. The Pine is not prominent at all.

This is more like Vanilla Shake to me. Weird association, I get a somewhat sophisticated, aristorcratic, woman like Katherine Hepburn.

The ginger barely makes an appearance which is good news for me cause it usually amps. The sweetness of the Osmanthus and Honey go well together. A definitive "Skin Scent". The Japanese version of "O". There is a floral touch, but it doesn't overwhelm.

Opening the bottle and first on, there's an astrigent quality which must be the combination of green tea and sake. My skin chemistry loves BPAL booze and this is no exception. A great synergy in the notes chosen. Cherry blossom is there though mostly the floral aspect isn't too strong. More of a suggestion. Mainly, this is fruity tea with a splash of booze. More casual than I expected. A scent I'd imagine for going to lunch with friends.

In the bottle, the cream makes me think "foody". Once on a delicate floral bouquet opens up in an old, wood panelled room. EVER so slightly sweet and creamy, IMO the woods will win over wood-lovers who have issues with florals and/or cream. Nice and restrained. Not a gourmand for me. The creamy aspect contrasts nicely with the dryness of woods used.

This is a shokingly wonderful scent on me. It sounds like the antithesis of what I can wear. Ozone scents usually all smell the same to me (high pitched and overbearing) and metallic notes are just m'eh. Yet somehow, Mechanical Phoenix ends up being an all time favorite BPAL. Thank goodness there's still time to order a bottle. What this is for me is a bit of lovely musk, a touch of leather, man's sweat and some metal in the background. The ozone is faint and mainly just adding some atmosphere, so to speak. Adding the notes that come out on my skin with the name "Mechanical Phoenix" what I get is Hephaestus! This is him in his workshop surrounded by all the wonders he creates for the gods and goddesses in Olympus. Curious what a perfume can evoke. Addendum- two weeks later, the cologne side of this which had previously alluded me is now prevalent on the opening. It seems to be sort of lavender/evergreen/leather. On dry down, there's still the musk and metal. What I think is sort of like leather now has more of a balsamic quality. This scent varies a lot due to the cyclical change of my skin chemistry.

This scent is an ice wreath. A ring of clear ice with berries and greens frozen inside it.

Oh, another marvelous Yule blend. We're in a kitchen as the women of the house prepare for a feast. Over there is the kitchen alter to Ganesh who is notorious for a sweet tooth. Incense burning, offerings of fruit around him and lots of love and laughter. Fruity, floral incense.

Another new BPAL that I am passionately in love with. This smells like Frida Kahlo.

This is the most beautiful BPAL ever. Of all the BPAL perfume I've loved, this one captures a magic unlike all the others. The lily and violet are there gently alluding to the fairy tale Grandmother. She surrounded by old fashioned sweets- nothing overwhelming to make your teeth scream. And I THINK there's the very slightest bit of something in here not unlike Bonfire Night's 'woodsmoke, tar & treacle'. That could be the charcol candy.