Voleuse

At first sniff, this is fresh and sweet, and brisk in a way that implies a stiff breeze nearby. It's green and juicy, tropical fruit still ripening on the branch. Wow! As it dries, I get an ozone/rain note as well, definitely tropical, but it's a relatively cool scent, despite that. Over time, the sweetness stays, but the ozone and juiciness fade away. The amber makes a stronger appearance, warming the scent tremendously, and bringing out the lush florals as well.

On first application, this is strong peach and insistent patchouli. It's warm, but also sticky sweet and dark. As it dries, the less sweet notes come to the fore, and everything strikes an even balance. It's earthy, but not too serious-smelling. It's sweet, but not too flighty. I don't think is quite the scent for me, but the end result is nicely grounded. I like it.

I get something warm and dry on first application, and I'm tempted to list wood as a note, as well. As it dries, however, the roses begin to peek out, subtle but unmistakable. The musk appears as well, but it's low-key, enhancing the blend but not overpowering my nose. Given the notes in this blend, I never would have guessed it to be so unobtrusive, but it is. It stays close to the skin, floral and faintly sweet, a seductive whisper.

On first application, this is wet and sharply sweet--I'm tempted to call it citrus, but it's a little greener than that. As it dries, the tea becomes more prominent, and it is distinctly green tea. There's also a light floral note that balances the sharpness of the tea perfectly. As it dries, the tartness fades, but doesn't quite go away. I'm left with a lovely bamboo scent, with a bit of a bite at the end of it.

On first application, this does remind me of Misk U a little bit. There's rich, creamy caramel and a faint boozy note. The overall blend is rounded by the fruits--the black currant is what I notice first, but gradually, it's smoothed out by the coconut. They never take over the blend, though. This is a light and sweet scent, but smoky as well, and complex enough that I'm hard-pressed to stop sniffing my wrist. It's not cloying, and it's not overpowering. It's warm and spicy, with the barest touch of cream. It's intoxicating. It's sensual. I love it.

In the bottle and on first application, this is sweet honey and musk, with a hint of earthiness behind it. It's much lighter than I expected, and nothing about the blend screams patchouli or honey at me, and I was nervous about both of those notes. As this dries, it retains the initial sweet earthiness, but it takes on an outdoorsy glow, golden and a little dry. It's very light on me, something I'd need to slather, but it's lovely close to the skin. It's really starting to grow on me.

In the bottle and on first application, this is strong cardamom and the barest hint of patchouli. It's sweet and earthy and perfectly spiced. (It reminds of Blood Moon quite a bit, while it's wet.) I don't get a boozy note at all. As it dries, the leather starts to come out, but it never manages to balance with the cardamom. This is really pretty, but I think I could get the same effect by layering Bengal with De Sade.

On first application, this is a gorgeous combination of honey and creamy almond, with a hint of spice behind it. Yum! It's fresh and sweet, without being cloying. As it dries, however, it takes a sharp and slightly bitter note, which I think is the fig component. It's not bad at all, just a little surprising after the initial stage. It's a little green as well, evoking the lush growth I picture when I think of Eden. As the scent fades, it becomes green leaves with a hint of something sweet. It's a lovely blend at every stage, though.

Sweet and juicy and intoxicating. Wow! I love the pomegranate note--it makes my mouth water. Underlying it is a bit of booziness, not enough to put me off, but it adds a bit of sparkle to the blend. As it dries, it gets less juicy, but retains the sharp sweetness I liked on first application. Yum.

Leather. Nothing more, nothing less. Dominating and skirting the edge of overpowering and I love it very much. As it dries, I get a softer note from it, a bit of suede in the background. I'm not convinced I'd wear it much on its own, but I think I would enjoy layering this with other scents. I've always found the BPAL leather note incredibly sexy, no matter the blend, so having leather in a bottle is a treat.

All sweet rose on first application, this strikes me as a very innocent scent. It smells like roses, fresh and cleanly cut, with a bloom of greenery arranged around them. As it dries, the scent gets a little bit powdery, but I don't get any other notes. It's a soft and girlish scent, but there are other rose blends I prefer.

This is both invigorating and heavy on first application. I get sandalwood on first sniff, but the lemongrass quickly overtakes it. Underneath, I can catch hints of the rose and cedar, but it's primarily lemongrass, sharp and sweet and tart. As it dries, the entire blend mellows, becoming a complex interweaving of lemongrass and rose. It reminds me of incense, but it's not nearly as smoky. The patchouli lends a faint earthy note, and there's a bit of powder underlying, as well. At the end, an echo of jasmine finally appears. I find this to be a very centering and clarifying blend. It's not something I would think of as perfume, but more of a Panacea-type blend.

The dry, thin scent of a draconic ossuary. Dragon's blood resin with white sandalwood, dusty orris and crisp blondewood. This is a fascinating blend, sweet and dry. On first sniff, it strikes me as juicy, but then something like dust gathers in the back of my throat. The dragon's blood is sweet and potent, but it's consistently leached dry by the woods. The blend reminds me of the desert, a constant tug-of-war between greenery and the sun, when every plant is bright, even as the air bakes around you. I'm really impressed by how very dry this blend is, but it's not really something I'd wear as a perfume.

On first application, this is pure leather to my nose, with a hint of green sweetness. It's smoky and rich and clean, but essentially straightforward. I think I get the tiniest hint of musk as well, but it's very faint. I love BPAL's leather note, and this blend is no exception. It's definitely going on the bottle list.

The grapefruit hits me first, but the plum takes over soon after that. This is a round, sweet, mellow scent, but it's cool and dark as well. As it dries, it stays sweet, but I get a drier note as well--the orris, I presume. After a while, the musk kicks in, but it's not very strong on my skin. I like this.

This is sharp orange and smooth apricot on first application, with the apricot just barely winning out. It's juicy and sweet and I can almost feel the apricot in my hand. Wow! As it dries, the floral notes start to come into play, but for the most part, they simply lend the impression of greenery behind the fruits. I don't get any tonka at all. Although the blend does fade after a while, it stays sweet and summery throughout.

This is sharp and slightly bitter on first application, herbal and dark. I smell the mint and cypress, and a bit of lavender, but they're darkly green and brooding. Definitely a scent for tragedy, and a violent one, at that. As it dries, the scent mellows a bit, but it retains a muddy, herbal feel that doesn't really go away. The florals peek through, but they never take over. This isn't something I'd want to wear, but it does fit the description perfectly.

This is carnation and honeysuckle on first sniff, with lemon and musk lurking in the background. As it dries, however, the blend turns to musk and powder, not a pleasant combination on my skin. Something about it, however, makes me think of medicinal balm, soothing even as it makes your nose wrinkle. Ah, well.

This is not a pleasant scent, exactly, but it's perfectly tuned to the intention. I get watery rose on first sniff, with a hint of citrus sharpening the blend. As it dries, I get dust, sneeze-inducing and surprising. It's petals crumbling, fine lace yellowing from age. There is a bit of a soapy element as well, but again, it does seem appropriate for the blend. It's beauty forgotten.

This is cedar and vanilla on first sniff, warm and a little dry. Even given the description, this is much gentler than I expected, and much sweeter, as well. There's a sweet spice in the background as well, which I suspect is the sassafras. As it dries, the blend gets a little smoky, and the wood note gets stronger, though it stays sweet overall. This isn't a masculine scent, but I think it would be pretty damn sexy on a man. I love this. I almost wish it had a leather note, but it's near perfect as it is.

On first application, this is rose and incense, strong and faintly sweet. As it dries, I can smell a little of the lily, but not the other notes, as the incense intensifies over time. In the end, the rose blooms again, and it becomes pure floral incense on me.

Wow. This is über-sweet on first application, a perfect blend of vanilla and honey. On second sniff, I can smell the strawberry and sweet pea as well, and even the drier note of pear. This is a sparkling scent, and it's definitely pink. As it dries, I get a bit of a boozey note, which is surprising. It's just as sweet, but a little giddy as well. It's a really fun, scrumptious sort of scent, but I think it might be a little too sweet for me.

Skeletal limbs of birch and fir coated in a thick, impenetrable blanket of snow. This is the death of the year personified. This is a strong evergreen on first application, intermingled with the sweetness of sap. I don't get a snow note, as I did with Skadi and Snow Bunny--instead, this is dried needles and slivers of ice underfoot. It's fresh, but close to frozen. This blend is faintly aquatic, and I think it could be a masculine scent, but it reads more neutral to my nose. I'm not in love with this scent yet, but I like it a lot, and I'm definitely keeping my bottle.

I wasn't quite sure what orris was, so I didn't know what to expect from this blend. On first application, there's buttery pumpkin, and a smoky note overlaying it. There's a bit of spice as well, but it's not strong. It's interesting, because the combination isn't foody at all. I don't think it's quite incense, but certainly it has an outdoors, dusky feel that I don't get from the first three blends. It's both rich and dry, and it gets smokier over time. Gorgeous.

On first applicatin, this reminds me a lot of Jacob's Ladder. The resin and incense is the predominant note, thick and faintly sweet. As it dries, I get a piney note, but the resin stays in the forefront. This ends up being a very mellow, peaceful sort of scent. It's nice.