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BPAL Madness!

JLH

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Everything posted by JLH

  1. JLH

    In Brightness and In Joy

    This is very fruity when wet; lots of berries and rich, fruity rose. I can also smell a green scent that I think might be the angel's trumpet or the orange blossom? As it dries I do get more sandalwood and frankincense.
  2. JLH

    Thousands of Lights

    This is a great even blend of incense, sweetness, and fresh citrus. This is really beautifully balanced, so that I can hardly pick out one note. It has the feel of a classic perfume, that's not an assortment of notes but a SCENT. This also smells very much like the holidays, which I'm thinking might be the combination of citrus and incense? Anyway, I love it.
  3. JLH

    A Wonderful Light

    Guh I love this one! It smells like a warm, cozy house filled with Christmas cheer! In the vial (I have a decant, thanks to tkannon) I mostly got honey from this, but on my skin this is a delicious base of warm amber and honey with a very tart, sharp orange zest scent. It has that bitter but fresh scent that comes from a freshly zested orange; it's so sharp that it's almost pine-like, as other reviewers have mentioned. As it dries it becomes softer and somewhat floral. This scent doesn't go powdery, and is sweet but not overpowering. Just lovely.
  4. JLH

    Pumpkin Latte

    Espresso, pumpkin syrup, smoky vanilla bean, milk, raw sugar, and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg. On me this was very buttery creamy pumpkin. As it dried the spices and coffee came out more. This is so realistic it's actually a bit creepy! I'm not enough of a foody scent lover to ever use more than a decant of this, but for those who are into that kind of thing this scent is a gold mine.
  5. JLH

    Nightmare

    I wanted to love this one, because I love the painting it's inspired by, and the notes all sounded perfect. When I first put it on, this was mainly lavender, with dark fruits and linen and just a touch of sweet vanilla. Sadly, after a couple of minutes the jasmine came out and completely took over this scent, and it turned into a very strong perfume-y jasmine. How sad.
  6. JLH

    Elegy IX: The Autumnal

    I wanted to like this one so much, but on me this is straight pine. And a STRONG pine, too! I love smelling like a Christmas tree, but this one was too much even for me.
  7. JLH

    The Nymphae Avernales

    I received a free sniffie of this via a decant circle. On paper, it didn't sound like something I would be interested in, especially since rose tends to go crazy on me, but in the vial it was a lovely fruity floral that was very intriguing. Wet on my skin, this is definitely floral! It certainly is pretty "loud," and the pomegranate contributes to that. However, the musk, and frankincense round out the scent. As it dries, I detect more of the fruit and the lilac musk, plus a little more dusty frankincense. I'm sure the honey is making this sweet, but I can't pick it out. In general, this is very evenly blended and no one note stands out more than the others. This scent is very sophisticated and "perfumey," but in a good way. I would describe it as being elegant and classic. ETA: After about two hours, there's the honey! How interesting.
  8. JLH

    Sonnet D'Automne

    On me this is a base of soft, sweet vanilla and white musk with the cold, crisp dead leaf note from October. I love it. This is a bottle purchase for sure.
  9. JLH

    Pumpkin Princess

    PUMPKIN PRINCESS Before the Grand Dame was the Pumpkin Queen, she was a Pumpkin Princess! Bright, sweet pumpkin with vanilla fluff, guava, chocolate-dusted white amber, tiare, red currant, raw honey, and meringue. I bought a bottle of this unsniffed from a lovely forumite. In the bottle this smells like a very, very sweet pumpkin, but wet on my skin something creates a very sharp, high-pitched floral that's a bit overpowering. I'm thinking that it might be a combination of the tiare, and possibly the guava or currant. I was pretty worried, because the floral note was bordering on a headachey commercial perfume. But, after drying, Pumpkin Princess becomes much gentler on me. That sharp note burns away and I can finally smell the light sweetness of the pumpkin, white cocoa, and meringue, combined with a fruity-floral note on top. I'm hoping that aging this may tone down that wet stage a bit, because the dry stage is lovely.
  10. JLH

    Autumn Cider

    In the bottle: Surprisingly boozy and very sweet! I can smell the butterscotch liqueur. Already I can tell that this is going to have some serious throw, because when I opened the box that contained this (and the rest of my order) I could smell cider right away. Wet: This is surprisingly fruity, almost like fruit punch. Mostly it's juicy-sweet cider, with a tangy citrus edge. As it dries the spices come to the forefront. When I applied this on my hand, it did burn a tiny bit; I'm betting that's from the strong cinnamon that takes the lead out of all the spices. Dry: Once dry, this settles down into a perfectly realistic cider scent. The apple is fresh and sweet so that it stays just on this side of the line between "fall spice" and "potpourri/craft store candle." This scent also had crazy throw and staying power on me. It lasted most of the day through multiple hand-washings, and the ambient scent from the box was enough to fill up a room. ETA: When I wore this on my wrists and neck I had no issues with burning whatsoever.
  11. JLH

    Looking for a BPAL that Resembles a Favorite Perfume

    I know it's not perfect but how about... The Haunted Palace: The moment before the ruin, frozen. The scent of captured glory, of glowing pearls and rubies, of golden sunlit joy and regal grandeur: red rose, Tunisian amber, blood orange, toasted vanilla, heliotrope, gardenia and red musk. Layered with: Bengal:A sultry and unruly blend that emulates the ambient scent of the markets in ancient Bengal: skin musk with honey, peppers, clove, cinnamon bark and ginger. .purchase 5ml. Thank you! Bengal is on my "to try" list, and The Haunted Palace sounds so lovely. It seems like them might combine to create something similar, or at the least, something that smells wonderful. You're welcome! I'd be interested to know if it comes close, The Haunted Palace is beautiful, but sadly on me...just ROSE. I got my hands on the Haunted Palace and I love it! Thank you so much for the recommendation. I don't yet have a sample of Bengal, but I might try layering it with Snake Oil or something else sweet and spicy. It has the right balance of amber/rosey florals/citrus to get close to Fendi Theorema.
  12. JLH

    Liz

    I got a sniffie of this from a generous forum member. I tried it, and it was love at first sniff. On me this is a perfect mix of sophisticated florals, strong smoke, and soft leather from start to finish. I don't really get vanilla until it's almost faded away several hours later. It's so unusual, sexy and gorgeous. UNF. Must have a bottle.
  13. JLH

    Atlas

    This scent is a great balance of a rich, creamy but never cloying sweetness and burnished woods. I can also some of the roasted goodness of the coffee bean. As it dries, it fades down to the comforting mallow. This blend is so warm and rich!
  14. JLH

    Goliath Birdwing

    If you're a citrus fan, you should definitely get some of this blend. This is a fresh, tart (but not sharp) lemon scent. The sage makes this scent just a bit green and the anise and musk give it a bit of a dusky, dry feel. As it dries the anise comes out. In some ways, this reminds me of Knockout Drops, but with the sweetness of the mint, white chocolate, and meringue replaced by the herbal sage and soft musk. It smells almost aquatic on me, and it's very fresh and clean. I could see this being worn by a man or woman on a hot summer day. It's very refreshing.
  15. JLH

    Purple Spotted Swallowtail

    In the vial, this smells very strongly of the plum and the dried berries. Wet on my skin, it starts off with a burst of tart lime and the soapy-floral castoreum (to me, castoreum smells like very fine soap, which I enjoy but I know others may not). The plum and dried berries are still present, and they make this blend sweet and juicy as well. As it dries the lime fades away as I was hoping, but so does the plum. I'm left with a dusty floral-ish resin scent and a hint of dried berries. I think this scent does an excellent job of translating the colors of this butterfly (bright purple, light green and black) and it's a lovely blend, but it isn't really my style. I think an imp will be enough.
  16. JLH

    Mourning Cloak

    This starts out mostly as a very tart, fresh lemon. There's a rich sweetness underneath but wet this is a lot of lemon verbena. As it dries, that sweetness comes out much more as the lemon fades away. It's very dark and rich and a bit dusty, which I think comes from the sandalwood. I don't really get any cocoa butter or almond from this. It's an interesting scent, but not really my thing. ETA: After an hour or so the resins really come out. I'm sure this would be lovely with age, but right now the lemon is just too much for me. And I'm a fan of lemon.
  17. JLH

    Pussy

    I got an imp of this in a decant circle. In the imp and wet on my skin, this is much more floral than I had expected! I am smelling a ton of orange blossom with just a bit of honey and saffron. As it dries, I am getting a bit of tobacco, but it's still being overpowered by orange blossom, which is becoming a bit soapy. I think this one is not for me.
  18. JLH

    Brood XIX

    The longer this is on my skin, the more I love it. I received an imp of this in a decant circle. In the imp, I get a very sweet smelling hay. Wet on my skin, the sweetness is still present, but much weaker. The hay is still in the foreground; it's a lovely note that actually smells like holding a handful of hay or dried prairie grass up to your nose! It's similar to the dried grass note in Coyote, but I find it to be much more realistic. As it dries, the sweetness fades away and this becomes slightly more vegetal (I want to say grassy, but it's not green) and just a bit floral. There's also a bit of nuttiness, although it's the scent of actual nuts, and not sweet like a nut-flavored candy. This doesn't have much throw at all and stays very close to the skin. This is scent is warm (I think that's the sweet amber and the rice milk) but it is light and airy enough to be perfect for summer or spring. It really evokes the scent of a field of hay or wheat or corn stalks on a hot summer day. Absolutely beautiful, and a bottle purchase for sure.
  19. JLH

    The Haunted Palace

    I received a bottle of this from a lovely forum member, after it was recommended to me by a different forum member. My bottle of this is cobalt blue, and so I'm thinking it must be the old version from 05 or 06. And I am so glad that said forum members recommended and gifted this to me because WOW. This is everything I hoped it would be. Wet on my skin I get a ton of warm amber and musk mixing with the tangy sweetness of the blood orange. As it dries, the florals begin to come out as well; they're very well blended together, although I can detect the red rose, and some gardenia as well. I can't specifically smell the vanilla, but I'm guessing that it's just adding a bit of sweetness to the oil. As it dries, it becomes mostly a tangy but sweet amber. This blend has a gorgeous timelessness. I love amber, and this is the amber blend I've been looking for. I'm sure I'll have to hunt down more.
  20. JLH

    Looking for a BPAL that Resembles a Favorite Perfume

    Yes! It absolutely does, which was what I was hoping for when I bought it. On an unrelated note, I found the Neutral from the RPG line smells a lot like Marc Jacobs Perfume on my skin.
  21. JLH

    Gnome

    This is strong, spicy ginger. It's not sweet either. In fact, the ginger and pepper combination is practically sinus clearing! There's also a hint of those lubricating oils in the background. Strange...
  22. Teakwood, oak, black vanilla, and tobacco. I received this as a frimp from the lab. Wow! TOBACCO! Rich, sweet, sticky tobacco. This smells to me like a classic woman's or men's cologne: heavy, rich, and sensual. There's a lot of the wood in there as well, and a hint of sweetness. As it dries, the woods come out even more.
  23. JLH

    Bordello

    Wet on my skin this is mostly tart juicy fruits and red wine, with sweet almond in the background. Not as overwhelmingly sweet as I thought it would be, but I do wish the almond was a little more prominent.
  24. JLH

    Hungry Ghost Moon 2011

    In the bottle, this smells VERY sweet and fruity, almost like Fruit Loops! Needless to say, I was afraid that I had made (to quote Gob Bluth) "a huge mistake." But wet on my skin I mostly get a citrus-y floral and rice wine with foody sweetness behind it. It's not cloying like I expected and is quite fresh and summer-y. It doesn't have much throw, so this will definitely be one to slather on. As it dries, it the sharpness of the grapefruit mellows out considerably and it turns into a lower-pitched sweet scent. It's a strange scent, but I think I like it. I might have to wear it a few more times to really get to know it. ETA: And now that it's dry, it's all herbs, grapefruit, and ginger! This scent really does morph like crazy. I'm not sure I would have picked the dry scent as something even related to how this smelled wet or in the bottle. The way this changes really intrigues me.
  25. JLH

    Centzon Totochtin

    On me this is mostly rich, spicy rum and dark, sweet red wine. There's also a bit of bitter cocoa and maybe some coffee, but it's mostly booze. I don't get any tobacco. This scent manages to be food-like without being foody and sweet. It's dark, sexy, and sensual. This is on my list of bottles to purchase.
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