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In bottle: Thick chocolate, rich & spicy. Definitely needed to roll the bottle before applcation. Wet: Hazy florals & cassia, it does seem quite smoky at first. There is a powdery edge from the sandalwood, it seems musty almost. Dry: The chocolate all but disappears, leaving the oleander & heavily musky woods to duke it out. Verdict: Reminds me of old lady perfume, like there is something sickly underneath it almost... I don't like it at all. There is a tang to the musk that turns my stomach.

In bottle: The slight soapiness of lily, and something reminiscent of bubble gum? I've never smelled betel nut before, perhaps that's the culprit. Wet: The sugary/fruity edge dissipates, and so does the soapy quality. The lilies become very smoky & deep, and I can sense something dark green there as well - banana leaves, I expect. I like this much more than any other lily blend I've tested so far; it is clean, but ultimately without the soap. Hooray! Dry: Heady incense, earthy & golden. Still much more smoky than I expected, it clings to my skin the way real incense smoke does after being burned. Almost like opium, how it's a smoky floral mix. Eventually I get some coconut bark, slightly woody & as the smoke continues fading, I'm able to smell the warm, sweet candle wax. Verdict: The description sucked me in head over heels, so my expectations were rather high - yet I was still very surprised when I actually tested it. The incense/smoky quality is quite realistic, though it remains clean-smelling, not stale at all (which is what usually puts me off of burning incense.) The lilies are, as I said, the first I've liked this much. It's just slightly floral, barely resinous, and brushed with earthiness. This is a very arcane, mystical & primitive feeling blend to me. Lilies still aren't my fave, but I may hold onto this. ETA: A few weeks of aging has really brought out the smoke - I honestly don't think I can wear it anymore. I love how it smells, but this incredible sexy smokiness is just too much for my skin to handle. There is an underlying sweetness that just gets to me after a while.

In bottle: Lavender, a bit herbal but very smooth - incense tames it, apparently. Wet: Dark & inky, the currant and musks spill over the lavender. They add a bold sweetness, which is not foody in the least. The woods and ambers are duskily soft and velvety. Dry: Ultimate drydown is musky lavender-incensed figs, and it is gorgeous. Verdict: Until now, Old Scratch has been my go-to lavender blend, though the beginning stages are quite sharp & cologney- I liked the drydown enough to have a bottle. But! Nocturnal Reverie forgoes anything even close to that, it's sultry and smooth from start to finish. The label art invokes images of a vintage masquerade - elbow length silk gloves, peacock feathered masks - so evocative and just stunning. It fades to a sweet skin-scent sooner than I'd like, but it's well worth it even so.

Blends that came to mind: Serpent's Kiss (GC) Seething with passion, yet utterly cold-blooded. Dragon’s blood, vetivert and spice. Described in reviews as "nightmarish, stinky, dark yet almost watery, aggressive, feral, sour in a dirty sort of way, a little bit dangerous, scary, strange, sharp and immediately disagreeable" and the list continues! It sounds like this might be exactly what you're looking for. Aeaea (LE '07) A dark ocean breeze, electric with adrenaline, magic, and fear, clashing with the thick scent of poisoned berries and spiny aloe, against a backdrop of snowdrop, cedar, and cypress. One review says "aquatic with a weird acid edge". Maybe if you layered the two? Now I'm curious!

I love this smell too! There's scientific evidence as to why old books smell so amazing. “Lignin, the stuff that prevents all trees from adopting the weeping habit, is a polymer made up of units that are closely related to vanillin. When made into paper and stored for years, it breaks down and smells good. Which is how divine providence has arranged for secondhand bookstores to smell like good quality vanilla absolute, subliminally stoking a hunger for knowledge in all of us.” - From Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez’s Perfumes: the guide There you have it! And this is the second incredible quote I've read from ths book in as many weeks, I think I need to read it asap! BPAL blends I know of that have library/bookish qualities listed: Philologus Ancient books, crackled parchment, faded incense, and candle wax. Dee His scent is soft English leather, rosewood and tonka with a hint of incense, parchment and soft woods. The Lurid Library The incense-tinged scent of forbidden tomes and the musk-laden remnants of infernal servants. Miskatonic University The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls. Ü: Mutter Museum A mélange of balsams, leathers, and raw vanilla designed to evoke images of unearthed secrets and dusty, ancient libraries.

In vial: Honey sweet tea, with a tinge of grape. Wet: Becomes rather fruity for a few moments, before the resins kick in. Quite a golden feeling to it. Dry: The lilac comes out, not soapy as usual, but pretty dry in fact. The blend has taken on a nice floral honey aspect, until the sourness of the wine reemerges. It then quickly fades to bare sweetness. Verdict: It reminds me a little bit of Athens, and the honey + wine combo they share just doesn't work for me.

In packet: Vanilla, much creamier than any of the other bath brews though they all had a hint of the same creamy quality. At moments I get something more sweet & waxy smelling, probably the benzoin. It's one of my favorite notes, but here it almost smells artificial. In bath: Will update once tested.

In packet: Heady, clean yet hazy. The currant is evident, tart and fruity. The opium is magnificent, hard to pin down - but really nice when I catch a whiff. In bath: Will update once tested.

In packet: Lime is the most noticeable, tart and juicy. The juniper is present, but not overpowering. Sea buckthorn berry definitely adds a jolt of creamy or powdery sweetness, while still being rather acidic overall. In bath: Will update once tested.

In packet: Dry sandalwood, with a mellow sweetness from the mandarin. The ambrette seed adds a musky, almost nutty feeling to the blend. In bath: Created a thin foamy layer across the water, which dissipated quickly. The water remained silky feeling, and lightly scented. I used a generous palmful. I can't wait to mix and match some of these brews, as I think that will improve the duration of the scent in the water. Side note: After testing the Yule blend 'Thousands of Lights', I noticed a striking resemblance between the two. The only note they share is the ambrette, but they seem almost identical to me! So I suppose Thousands of Lights would be perfect to layer with after you bathe in Eye of Newt.

In packet: Coconut - actually distinguishable as the fleshy bit, rather than the milk. A slight buttery quality, lightened by the tangy mango. The mint and melon add a refreshing juiciness, it is not a heavy scent at all. I agree that this would be an excellent perfume oil! In bath: I didn't add but a generous palmful, so your results may vary if you use more. It created a foamy layer on top of the water, it didn't last very long but the water remained 'silky'. The scent was light and pleasant, and overall I liked it a lot.

In bottle: Sweet, pale, fleshy apples. Wet: A tangy curl of apple peel surfaces before the florals waft up. Musky, misty blooms, light and silky. The bergamot does something wonderful to the white flowers, brings out a different side. The vanilla is brittle, not too sweet, and really does seem to glimmer. Dry: The apple fades into a juicy blue & white cloud of musk, leaving the drydown a galaxy's worth of airy vanilla florals. Stunning. Verdict: I hoped from the description this would be incredible- I ordered just a half-decant at first, then quickly decided to go ahead & spring for a half-bottle. Best move of my Weenie order! (I did the same thing with Sonnet D'Automne, with similar results) Overall Glittering Apple is a reserved yet alluring floral, with just a bit of fruit & the barest hint of gourmand quality. Subtle enough to wear regularly, compelling enough to keep its appeal. Suffice it to say I'm in love, head over heels.

In vial: Melted down plastic. How odd.. Wet: Thankfully on skin it becomes tart fruit and lavender. Jasmine is present, adding a tangy freshness. Dry: The linen supersedes everything but the opium poppy, and it actually reminds me of a much lighter, unequivocally feminine version of Tattered Lace. The amber steps up after a bit, causing the blend to become slightly out-of-focus, hazy and plush, fading all too rapidly. Verdict: Much lighter than I expected- too light to last on my skin, so not worth tracking down but nevertheless, it's a nightmare I wouldn't mind so much. I'm not head over heels in love, but not running screaming either

In vial: Evergreens, sharp and well, green. Wet: This is a unique forest scent; basalmy, pollen-tinged & slightly boozy. Dry: The throw is much nicer than close to the skin - whiffs of honeyed leaves, vibrant autumn wildflowers and a nutty earthiness, as well as a fruity tree-bark scent. Up close, it's pine, pine, all-the-time. Eventually it blends out, and becomes a relatively sweet, non-descript forest scent. Verdict: It's not something I would enjoy wearing particularly, but it would make a fantastic room scent!

In vial: Astringent, bitter, quite revolting - yet I keep sniffing it. There must be something better underneath! Wet: It tones down SIGNIFICANTLY upon application, and the wood is apparent. Splintery wood, freshly chopped from a tree. The linen is sharp and ozoney, rough like canvas almost. Dry: The only pumpkin I'm getting is most certainly the rind. Waxy, pulpy. No bourbon vanilla comes out for me. Much later, all I smell is burnt soy sauce. Verdict: The only way I will ever put this on my skin again is if it has been aged for a long, long time. Much too prickly and heavy for me to enjoy as it is.

In vial: Creamy, creamy, creamy! Wet: A wave of vanilla sheets in the breeze, with little static shocks of sweet ozone. Dry: After a small tooth-achingly sweet burst, it becomes intensely ozoney on me, then goes back to the SUGAR RUSH! In its final stages, it reminds me of a slightly lighter version of Kill-Devil. The cotton/sugar is reminiscent of the molasses/oak/lemon sugar I get from KD. Verdict: In the beginning stages, I can see how this would be way popular- it's the most vanilla-heavy blend I've tested to date. But it sure doesn't stay that way on my skin. The morphing and sugar/ozone shenanigans give me a headache!

In vial: Marshmallows indeed! Sugared, fluffy, light. Wet: The sweetness is sticky and the toasted/smoky edge is a great counterweight. It just keeps the fluff from being too overwhelming. Dry: This is a much more complex blend than I expected! The straight-up sugar note has toned down, and the smoke is smooth, not at all acrid. Much more like woody incense smoke rather than plain old bonfire smoke. I get cinnamon near the end and I was sad for the smoke to go, it was so good... Verdict: The marshmallow sugar rush is tempered so well by the 'burnt exterior' that it's not like any other blend I've ever smelled. I love the first stages, but it fades all too soon into cinnamon oblivion.

In vial: Pre-BPAL, I associated sandalwood exclusively with soap. This brings back that scent-memory. Very soft and clean. Wet: It's becoming fainter & more green. Not juicy or wet, but a quite dusty & powdery green. Dry: Something is reminding me of amber - it's almost resinous, yet still gentle. It's reminding me of soap again. Verdict: I just can't get away from that soap association when there is this much sandalwood in a blend. Glad I gave it a shot though.

In vial: Ginger, sparkling & bubbly. My nose is tingling! Wet: It is almost exactly like when you crack open a can of cold ginger ale. The spicy kick of ginger, the slight metallic tinge of the can. I get a bit of smoke as well at this point, and the whole blend is rather strong. Easiy could become overpowering. Dry: Ultimately there is a faint sickly, oily sweetness present, probably the sarsparilla & 'gear lubricant'. Sarsparilla never does well on me, and the oily bit is slightly nauseating. It reminds me a little bit of that 'Goop-Be-Gone' stuff... smells just like it. Verdict: I love sniffing it in the vial, but it just doesn't work too well on my skin. Ah well. I will try layering it with some other RPG's and see if that helps at all.

Green Tree Viper. It reminds me very much of Alice, but where Alice has a warm, glowing feeling, Green Tree Viper is cool & shady. The only note they share is the bergamot, but it's just lovely!

In vial: Fruity with a hint of earth. My nose doesn't register it as mango specifically, just general fruitiness. Wet: Patchouli, very much like the patch I get in Banshee Beat. Smooth, dirty without being dirty, if you know what I mean. I am getting fig now, and this is actually reminding me of Intrigue which is my favorite BPAL blend! This is greener, lighter, juicy vs Intrigue's bark-y, dry cocoa. Dry: The patchouli disperses rather suddenly, leaving but a wisp of green tea-tinged fig/mango sweetness. Within three hours, it's all but gone from my wrists, despite being applied very generously. Verdict: Having such a note resemblance to two of my top five blends predisposed Tweedledum to be incredible, I thought- but for whatever reason I feel perplexed and rather ambivalent about it. It seems like it would be perfect for summer or when you'd want a lighter scent, but it just doesn't enthrall me the way those other two do. I will be testing it at least once more to be sure, but I am fairly certain I will hold onto the imp indefinitely. It may be a slow-building love, as some blends just are- later on you can't imagine how you ever lived without it.

In vial: Very green & pulpy, reminds me of the greenery I used when I was working as a florist. Slightly earthy, reminiscent of wet ferns. Wet: Still green, very 'real' smelling. It's like I'm in the walk-in cooler, surrounded by cut foliage and flowers still tightly budded. Dry: The herbal phase fades, and the sticky fig, date & currant take over. Soggy fruit, almost prune-like, is the only thing present in drydown.(Surprisingly enough) I really did like the green part, which is new for me! Usually it's the other way around, but then again I'm not really big on super sweet fruit scents either. Verdict: Interesting, but not for me. I love fig, but the date/currant made it too overpowering for me to enjoy wearing. If the greenery had stuck around longer, I may have liked it more.

In vial: Dark, smoky linens. Wet: There is a strong laudanum aura, sharp yet hazy. Musky tobacco, solid & deep. Dry: This reminds me very much of Red Lace, they share similar notes though Blood Moon is not nearly as sweet. It has an almost coppery-clean edge, making this drydown ozone-like on me. Melancholy, indeed. Verdict: If you found Red Lace to be too sweet, definitely give Blood Moon '11 a test. It is dark, intense, and worth a try!

In vial: Patchy cocoa. Wet: It's like coal ashes and tobacco. Very dirty, very intense on me. Dry: Getting a sort of barnyard vibe now, sweet and earthy. Almost leathery, even! This is a cowboy scent if I ever smelled one. Verdict: I didn't know what to expect from the Seekim. I get tobacco & leather from it, but I think that's just how my nose interprets cocoa + ashes + patchouli. To me it's a very manly blend, so I won't be keeping it.

In vial: A stiff shot of dark currant and opium tar. Wet: A huge burst of velvety ylang ylang, a breath of sweet resins. As it dries, the opium tar surfaces more, just barely noticeable as a dusky edge to the scent. Dry: This is so lovely- the musk & vanilla are indistinguishable from one another, a twilight sweetness - and I am getting a bit of jasmine now. I think it's adding some 'roundness' to the tart currants. It is not as powerful as it can tend to be, rather cool and gentle this time. The currants eventually become quite sweet, almost grapey, with a bitter drip of tar. Verdict: It reminds me so much of Maud Ruthyn, which is one of my top three scents. Of course, while Maud is a golden afternoon stroll- resinous honeyed wheat, sunlight and rosehips; Muse of the Night is a silvery midnight broomstick ride- bitter shadowed vanilla, moonlight and black currants. Muse doesn't last nearly as long on me however. Testing them side by side, I like Maud's final drydown better- Muse of the Night's syrupy end result isn't as appealing to me. I was taken aback at how much I initially liked it though! Worth trying for sure.