chapatti

Covert Operations - Enigmas - Defiance - Psychoanalysis - Terror - Anonymity - Immortality - Sadism - Transformation - The Unknown - Discovery Of Error - Detection Of Injustice First whiff: ...I... know this smell. I just know it! But what is it? ...Vicks vapo-rub, that's what it is - seriously, it's dead on, meaning it's probably got camphor, menthol and eucalyptus. Drydown: the Vicks-like smell goes away quickly (the menthol part vanishes almost instantly), leaving way to something still cold, although not chilly like it was in the first place, and, frankly, indescribable. I could say it's softly herbal, to the point that I can smell actual grass in it, it's medicinal, masculine, with maybe a bit of cedar, and an almost imperceptible, lingering sweetness. I know I'm pushing the analogy too far, but oddly enough, it's almost threatening, yet soft and gentle at the same time. Verdict: I was both eager and scared to try Pluto, as it is so prominent in my chart, and means so much to me, both in good and bad... and I'm under the spell of this blend. Again, the Celestial Specialness (™) is there in full force. It's eerie. I don't know how I could rate this - let's say 6/10, purely scent-wise, but this blend, even more than the other Celestials, feels more than just a scent to me. Can't explain it ^^

First whiff: soap. Not "soapy", as in, "reminds me of soap", it is actual, pure, concentrated, bigger-than-life soap. Drydown: the soap actually strengthens at first, lasts for at least half an hour, then slowly leaves the scene, to be replaced by something paradoxically warm, feminine, delicate and which totally evokes a... peach/salmon pink color to my nose. It's slightly powdery, and it doesn't smell aquatic at all to me. And no citrus, no sir. - Why, yes, it is Neptune I'm talking about, why are you asking? Overall, it's delicately floral/fruity and, again, very "peach/pink", but I'm incapable of identifying what's in the blend exactly. I would venture there is lotus, though - but "fruity" lotus? ...now is this a helpful review or what? ;p Verdict: OK, so either my nose is on crack, or Neptune morphed in my own imp into being something I personally would like, considering my experience with it is so drastically different from everybody else Anyway, I quite like it as it is, and it fits the way I perceive Neptune, another prominent influence in my chart. 7/10

Eccentricity - Adventure - Clairvoyance - Defiance - Humanitarianism - Lawlessness - Magnetism - Paradoxes - Astrology - Whimsy - Progress - Electricity - Invention – Satire First whiff: clove and lavender? Drydown: I swear, I can really smell lavender in this! Lavender, under clove and and soft, unobtrusive cinnamon, and a hint of camphor-like note in the background. Ooooh it's becoming lovely, with the clove mellowing and blending with the cinnamon! It actually reminds me of Mercury - which is fitting, with an added, prominent clove note. It's not as candy-delicious as Mercury, though. Still, it's very pleasant, with the cinnamon being quite demure, not in-your-face at all. Verdict: Uranus does share that "airy", "quicksilver" vibe that I already felt from Mercury, and... well, it feels dead-on with what the blend's astrological namesake stands for. Plus it smells really nice, so what's not to like? 7.5/10

First whiff: urgh!... it's just, ahem, unpleasant ^^ Drydown: it's very hard to describe, as I can't identify any note for certain. Dark, for sure, very dark - color-wise, it evokes dark gunmetal to me... the smell itself is medicinal, peppery, smokey, bitter, almost camphor-ish. It is, in a nutshell, entirely in accordance with what Saturn stands for. And it makes me want to run in the opposite direction, to tell you the truth. Verdict: I dislike it. And that's coming from a Capricorn Sun, raising and Venus, who doesn't like her astrological overlord at all 5/10

First whiff: ... pencil shavings. You know, when I read the reviews here, I couldn't believe it could possibly smell like that at all, but... yes, pure, unadulterated pencil shavings indeed. Drydown: Pencil shavings, the Single Note (™). It just keeps on like that without varying at all, just pure pencil shavings. I might venture there's some cedar in this, but.. gah. It's the woody note of Tombstone, but without Tombstone's delicious vanilla and sassafras and, well, everything that made it so good Verdict: What can I say? Pencil shavings, duh... And it's hard for me to associate pencil shavings with optimism and expansion... 5.5/10

First whiff: OUCH IT BURNS US, IT BUUUUURNS!!! Drydown: Hmpf. Now that Mars has stopped showing off with his skin-scortching, I-am-god-of-war-feel-me-roar routine, I can actually smell a strong dragon's blood smell (so, lilac, pretty much), with an overlayer of spices, most prominently pepper - not perfumed, pink or white pepper bays, mind you, this is harsh, ashen pepper from the pepper mill. The resulting smell is, frankly, unpleasant - but I do feel the trademark Celestials Special-ness®. Joy. Still, it smells bad Verdict: honestly, scent-wise, it's really not great, and that's a euphemism. The smell is actually so distracting that I haven't been able to focus on any possible effect from the blend. ...and to think I was hoping for cinnamon. Ha! 4/10

First whiff: slight mint, and the rose greenery from Rose Red. Drydown: The mint goes away quite quickly, leaving the still the greenery, and a rose flower note very close to the Peacock Queen's. As it goes, the Peacock Queen-style rose flower scent takes the front of the stage, with the green note softly wafting in the background. It manages to be, strangely enough, both fresh and warmly radiant - glowing, I'd say. Verdict: I love this blend. The scent itself, with all its minty greenness over soft rose, is very pleasant to start with, but the effect is there as well - now maybe it's the strong visualisation I do when wearing this blend, but it makes me feel, hm, graceful, open and elegant. And that's a feat, believe me Also, I sometimes layer it with Dragon's Milk, my comfort scent, for an extra feel-good kick, and the result is scrumptious, can't recommend it enough! 8/10

First whiff: lavender and cinnamon. Weirdest thing ever. Also, it's burning my skin like a mofo right now. Drydown: the burning feeling is gone pretty fast, fortunately. The lavender scent is quite strong, and slightly sweet. It's surprising, unusual, but really pleasant, actually. The cinnamon asserts itself more through the drydown - although never getting in-your-face the way it can in some blends (*coughcassiacough*), coming down to a balanced cinnamon/lavender that also sweetens, but not cloyingly so. This is what a lavender candy would smell like, if you can imagine it! The throw is strong at first, but after two or three hours, it turns into a soft skin scent, unfortunately - but still lovely, as it is a mellows more and more, to the point you can't really tell the lavender and cinnamon apart. Verdict: I really like it - the scent is absolutely unique, to start with, and very, very pleasantly so. I couldn't tell how exactly, but it does evoke Mercury to me, especially in the "quick wit", "mind agility" aspect. 8/10

First whiff: almonds. Lovely, and not bitter almonds like in so many, if not most, other almond-enhanced BPAL, it's almost marzipan-like! Drydown: the almonds quickly vanished, although not quite instantaneously like in aforementioned other be-almonded BPAL The body of the scent is mostly white florals, and I could swear there's jasmine in there, although it's not turning as hideous as it usually does on my skin (smell Ma, no pee! ). The scent itself reminds me quite a bit of Tarot: The High Priestess, sans mint. Aaaand... well, it's just that, plain white florals, with a tiny hint of powder, and something that feels almost acrid to my nose. I never smelled any cherries in this. Verdict: it's a simple - dare I say boring, to my tastes? - white floral. And I'm judging it for the scent only as, unfortunately, I never felt the "vibe" I get from other Celestials... it may also be because I'm a bit scared of some of the facets of the Moon as ascribed to this blend 6.5/10

First whiff: I can't identify it. It's citrus-y, there are orange rinds, definitely, and a dash of orange juice, but otherwise... some amber, I'd say, and a hint of pepper. Drydown: Er, this is turning very much like The Lion, i.e., pepper over dried orange rinds on a background layer of amber, and I don't care for the smell much. It feels special, though. The pepper does calm down eventually, and for a few hours, I'm fluctuating between "meh" and "not bad". ... and then something just happens, and Sol blooms on my skin. I don't know how to express it, except that it suddenly turns into olfactory... gold. I assume it's the amber finally asserting itself in full force? It's amber, and dried orange rinds, with still a hint of the pepper.By that point, it's intoxicating, and exhilarating... yet purely scent-wise, I - still don't like it? This is SO confusing Verdict: Sol confounds me. I dislike the scent at first, still don't care about it all that much in the drydown - yet I invariably end up with my wrist firmly glued to my nose, as there's something I can only describe as surreal-ly exhilarating about it. 7.5/10

First whiff: Woof. Dark, bitter, dirty, unsweet cocoa, on a strong layer of vetiver... and a dark, background murkiness. Drydown: The cocoa has receded down into the background, while the vetiver is still obvious, and the blood musk smells like... the funky note from Smut, actually. It smells like red musk with a bad twist The murkiness is taming down half an hour in; it now smells a bit "brighter" (though not bright by any means) and, frankly, it's extremely close to Smut on me. A dark, be-vetivered Smut. After hours, the very end of the drydown is... heaven. Sheer heaven. A wonderful, dry spiciness (maybe the allspice and pepper?) that reminds me quite a bit of my beloved Kingdom, by Alexander McQueen, and its beautiful, sensual headiness. If the scent could be like that through its entire life, I'd buy galleons. Verdict: Smut lovers should really like this, methinks. If on you, Smut develops this muskyfunky note, though, you might want to be careful, as that note is especially strong here. A very unusual, dark and complex scent. 7.5/10

First whiff: oooh, blackcurrant wine! Drydown: it stays pure, unsweet, slightly tangy blackcurrant wine for about an hour, then the vanilla note emerges, and it's delicious! Still barely sweet at all, though. As it goes, the scent morphs subtly but constantly, a woody note coming to the front, then the tanginess amping up then down, the vanilla coming to the front then receding, with always a strong blackcurrant note in the background... and it's delicious all the way. The end of the drydown - and this is after 12 hours mind you - is soft, muted vanilla with a last hint of blackcurrant. Verdict: lovely. Really, really lovely. Very unusual as a personal perfume... but I'm delighted with this scent. Bottle plz! 8.5/10

First whiff: Oh bummer. This smells like everything I didn't like in Athens. Drydown: Yes, that's Athens all right, thankfully without the sourness-turning-into-cat pee note. The honey note isn't sweet whatsoever on me, it's actually much more like beeswax than anything else, on a dark, masculiney note. As it dries down, the carnation becomes more obvious... and Athens' sour note comes up, but thankfully goes away quite quickly. I don't know where that similarity comes from, I don't believe they share a note except for the honey and incense, maybe? It keeps on being unsweet, strong beeswax on a dark background for many hours, without changing much. Nice throw and nice staying power, I must say. Verdict: I thought it was going to be my favorite of the Maelström, what with the wonderful list of notes and the honey and all, but it's not "me" at all. I guess I was expecting something sweeter and "girlier" (which, ahem - hello, it's The Masque of the Red Death?! Stoopid me ) It's already gone to a more loving home. 6.5/10

First whiff: hmm, this is very unusual, it's hard to tell the notes apart. There are orange rinds, obviously, and a background, woody note. Drydown: it's so nicely blended, with still the orange peel on the front, intimately mixed with this dark, woodsy note... but what's this? There is this note wafting now that smells like a damp basement. The very smell of wet stones surrounded by, erm, rot. Just... color me flabbergasted. This is incredibly accurate and evocative. It then keeps on being this well-blended orange peel/wood/damp basement scent for hours, without morphing much at all. Verdict: completely true to its name, I'm really, really impressed by the very artistry on show here, to create a scent so evocative. Personally, I don't especially like the rot note though, so I won't be getting a bottle as I don't see myself wearing this blend too often, but I will sure keep my decant. 7.5/10

First whiff: Musks, obviously, but much tamer than I thought. Drydown: Ah, it's getting kind of "perfumey", unfortunately. Within an hour, though, that "perfumey" layer vanishes, and I'm left with a very pleasant muskiness (now that sounded wrong ), surprisingly light (definitely can't smell any red musk in there), with a soft, unobtrusive green note, slightly woodsy and with a very light tanginess to it. The amber is detectable but very subtle, and I can't smell the orange peel. I don't know what ambergris smells like, unfortunately, I'd love to tell it apart here... actually, I believe that smell I didn't know before (boy is that a helpful review or what? ), that's very slightly reminiscent of white musk, might be it. And it's really lovely. This puppy is getting better by the hour! There's definitely something special and pleasant about this blend, it's unique and beautifully blended. Verdict: frankly, I got a decant of this mostly because, Hilariously Legendary Blend Name! But I wasn't actually expecting to like it all that much, and I'm very pleasantly surprised. I wouldn't hunt down a bottle, but it is definitively unique and really, really pleasant. The throw is almost non-existent, unfortunately. 7.5/10

First whiff: oh, lovely! Drydown: OK, this is extremely hard to describe. I'd say it's mostly floral, but with a roundness, a - perkiness? - that's almost fruity. The honey is extremely tame on me, the sandalwood is noticeable in the background, and I can't tell the vanilla at all. It's so well blended, warm, rich, exotic and distinctive. It doesn't smell like that whatsoever, but it reminds me of a thick fruit liquor in its richness; and color-wise, I'd describe it as a reddish orange - this is no light, airy floral for sure! On me, it didn't morph much, short of the sandalwood amping up, giving a very pleasant effect. Verdict: Beautiful! Finally, a floral for those who don't like florals (i.e, me ). 8.5/10

First whiff: aquatic, pretty much. Drydown: ooh, the aquatic-ness is still very much there, but it's brighter than you'd expect. It's, on me, mostly frankincense, on a soft, pale white musk bed, with the bright note from the osmanthus. It's, all in all, a clear, almost crystalline aquatic floral, with a little hint of soap, that fortunately doesn't last. Verdict: I'm not much into aquatics, but this is very pretty. And that's all I have to say about that 7/10

First whiff: right on the spot, this is rosey rose, and clearly white rose, at that. Drydown: for a couple of hours, the rose overwhelms everything. This is strong rose, and it's extremely different from the rose note in, say, Rose Red. It's hard to describe exactly how different it is, though - this here rose is absolutely not luscious, or juicy the way it was in my beloved Haunted Palace, it's... cleaner, in a way. It's the kind of rose you'd find in older perfumes. Come to think of it, I could totally see my grandmother wear this The resins do come up eventually, mixing with the now-softer rose, creating a very soft, mellow blend. Verdict: it's nice, but a bit too bland and... dare I say, boring, for my tastes. Of course, rose fans will probably love this! 6.5/10

First whiff: hmm, light, slightly fruity. Drydown: this is beautifully blended, a pretty, ever-so-slightly powdery floral brightened by a tangy fruitiness from the apple peel sparkling at the front. I'm quite amazed, because "jasmine" in a description always forebodes an invariable sour pee act on my skin... except here, the jasmine is absolutely tame, very present but not obnoxious, actually close to a flower smell, for once, and it doesn't stampede upon every other note in sight I can also tell, in the background, a soft myrrh note, and a delicate hint of mellow sandalwood. I love how seamlessly blended this scent is, it's really lovely. The end of the drydown is mellow, languid and fruity. Verdict: surprisingly lovely! Like a good number of the Lupercalia, apparently, this is a beautiful, complex and extremely well-blended scent. The apple peel and citron combo give it a delicious, sparkly twist, it's much more than a simple floral. BPAL jasmine haters should give this one a try, to witness the amazement of a jasmine that works 8/10

First whiff: in the bottle, Red Lantern is all delicious, buttery caramel... but on my skin, that caramelly sweetness vanishes in a puff of logic, and the scent morphs 180° into a strong, nearly pure, almost... savory tobacco note. Drydown: why, oh why couldn't it stay the way it was in the bottle? This is definitely in the same family as Elegba and Perversion, but the tobacco note is waaaay stronger, the coconut is much, much more subdued, and while the first two weren't very sweet on me to start with, Red Lantern is even less sweet - actually, scratch that, it's not sweet whatsoever. The tobacco has taken a still strong, but also almost pungent turn. The caramel is nowhere to be smelled anymore, the amber is fleeting at best, the coconut is almost unnoticeable... and the spices are non-existent. I don't know what's going on, it seems that my skin is aaaawfully fond of that tobacco note in this blend (I did have this tobacco amping in the other two scents, but certainly not to that point) - might this be due to the absence of a rum/chardonnay note to counterbalance it? I don't know, but Red Lantern is nowhere near the delight of Perversion/Elegba. Verdict: I would like to say that if you love Perversion and Elegba, you'll love Red Lantern, since they have so much in common, but... alas, while both the former are in my top 10, the latter is a disappointment for me. 7/10

First whiff: in the bottle, it's atrocious, old-socks atrocious Fortunately it morphs almost instantly on my skin! Drydown: Ouch. It still packs quite a punch though It's... exactly like the description, swarthy musks for sure - there is a dark musk in there that overwhelms everything, with a hint of red musk detectable. On me, Smut is absolutely not sweet whatsoever (tee-hee), it's a complete, targeted MUSK attack - very little to do with Snake Oil on me, actually. It's, hm, completely true to its name, dark, swarthy, musky and frankly I'd adore it, were it not for that funky, burning-rubber note in the background, that's thankfully not overwhelming. Verdict: I alternatively love this and am slightly sickened by the slightly funky note. It's definitely unique and darkly seductive... on the right person I'm definitely keeping my bottle. 8/10

Echoing almost everybody here - Blood Pearl: was very similar to Black Pearl on me, except the coconut was stronger and ...rounder , for lack of a better word Tarot: the Star: lovely tropical coconut/lime with a mint top note, very fruity Elegba: this is an agressive, boozy coconut - it smells like a pirate! Spooky - if you can find it, is supposed to be chocolate, coconut and mint (I think!) Snow White is coconutty on some people (definitely not on me though!) Snake Charmer has black coconut but I can't smell it at all... Eden: does have coconut, but on me it's almost exclusively honeyed fig leaf. YMMV on this one, obviously! Hope this helps!

Resurrected version The reviews for this fabled, long-discontinued scent were indeed marvellous. Of course, the moment it got resurrected, I had to jump on it, right? First whiff:...ah. It smells... revolting in the bottle. Like almost burned bacon bits, more specifically. On me, it's, well, what it's supposed to be I guess, pepper, clove and a tad bit of cinnamon. It feels very medicinal, actually. Drydown: from the reviews of this resurrected version, the cinnamon is supposed to be very strong, smothering the other notes... boy, I wish I had that! On me, it's strong, freshly grated clove, harsh pepper and a barely-detectable dribble of cinnamon, in that order. After a couple of hours, it's much more mellow, with a hint of light, gentle sweetness. It's much nicer. It fades rather quickly by that point, though. Verdict: meh again. I was hoping for something decadently spicy, instead of which I smell like, well, cooking. I tried layering it with Chimera and it gave it a nice, extra quick though, so it might be good for me to use strictly as a layering scent. 7/10

I don’t always have to be sinister, do I? Here’s to finally being able to hit the slopes again! Soft white powder snow with a touch of youthful girlie perfume. Snow? Youthful girlie perfume? Gimme! ... but wait, what could this actually smell like? First whiff: The answer is - PINE...lite. Actually, faint pine on a sour-ish, watery note. Blech. Drydown: The pine is receding, but the murky aquatic note keeps on strongly, alas, and yucky yuck That's pretty much all I get by this point, murky water and a leftover pine note. Ughhhh. It's... starting to churn my stomach now. Resisting the urge to just wash it off... NOT. Verdict: Vile. Of course it doesn't help that I don't like pine/evergreen/etc. to start with, but it seems the aquatic note was just the nail in the coffin. Not me whatsoever bleh blech YUCK GERROFFMEEEEEEE This jumped on top of my worst-BPAL-evar chart within minutes, that's quite an accomplishment 3/10 for me

2005 edition I've bought a bottle unsniffed at the last minute, so it'd better be good, let me tell you! First whiff: in the bottle, it's absolutely scrumptious, like liquefied speculoos (or Graham Crackers). As soon as it hits my skin, though, it... dulls down. It's very sweet, the "brown" part and the sugar from the gingerbread are there, but the spices are feeble and lacking. Drydown: the "brown-ness" and sugar amp up, and it almost smells over-cooked, by this point - not burnt, the moment just before, if that makes any sense ^^ I have the burn sugar problem in many foody blends, and it's worth noting that I don't have the problem at all with GP. It keeps on being almost-gingerbread-about-to-be-overcooked for hours, then dries down to a pleasant brown sugar scent. Verdict: it's... OK, I guess. I didn't get the wonderful spice explosion I was hoping - but mind you, I would have probably loved it if I hadn't had such high expectations to start with. 8/10