alicia_stardust

It's not easy to quantify this fragrance in words. There is something about it that is familiar and comforting, yet also bold and regal. The cinnamon is not hard to pick out but it seems to really stay in the background. I really get a sense of the color yellow: hot, desert sand and air over a similarly-colored sky. Streaks of fire orange. A touch of red musk. Warmth. The sweetness of tobacco. Something that almost seems like an undercurrent of blooms. This is a gorgeous unisex blend!!

This is stronger on the leather than I anticipated, but it's worth giving it a try and a skin test. It comes across as a very grounding, down-to-earth blend and I find it a tad comforting. Nanny dries down to a very calm and subdued leather which remains the most noticeable, but beyond that there is a touch of woods, amber, and sweetness. This really is quite remarkable because most of the time, the presence of leather whatsoever tends to amp and sharpen, but this one remains very smooth and soft, almost sweet. While I don't get much in the way of berries, there is definitely some wildflowers hiding in the background. I'd call this unisex and with a longer than normal wear-length. Average throw.

This smells very dry and paper-like to me; it definitely evokes images of dried and crumbling paper that has yellowed with time. I think there's a touch of darkness, and possibly vetiver in there. The leather is very raw and almost masculine and there is a very dry dusting of woods. This is an excellent concept blend, and something that I think will smell fabulous on anyone who does well with semi-masculine blends of woods and leather. It smells excellent on my guy, and I'm curious about what it will smell like as a room scent.

This one is very sweet on me. It's like grapefruit and candy, with a smooth and mellow layer of sandalwood, and a nice bite of candied ginger. It's just enough to give it a kick without making it too warm or spicy. This is really pretty and calming to me even though grapefruit is often a vibrant frangrance, and it's one I'm glad to have kept around.

This smells mostly of dragon's blood resin to me, both in the bottle and after it first dries. After that, however, it morphs a bit and gains a smoother resin and herbal quality to it. Despite the strong presence of the dragon's blood resin, this does not smell "red" to me; it smells "green". Perhaps its the herbs, peppermint, sweetgrass, and green cedar. The lavender and bergamot add a nice touch to this fierce dragon blend. Overall, this is very nice and complex but it smells far better on my husband than it does on me. He's hoarding two bottles now. =)

I am so thrilled that this holds so much complexity and I should have known better than to think that Jasmine Cottage would be, well, mostly jasmine. While the jasmine is definitely present, it's not dominant. I get a bevy of airy and watery florals, a touch of grass, and the essence of a cottage surrounded by wildflowers of every color. There comes a point in time where each floral is noticeable and makes its move for center stage before moving back to mingle with the rest. My favorite parts are the orange blossom and wisteria. The heather and thyme add an almost grassy quality to the mix of florals. This is an evocative floral blend that has a wild, country vibe to it.

Spider is ginger and lime at first, with an air of cologne behind it. It's the perfect scent for this character because it comes across as both charismatic and mysterious, with an edge of darkness from the vetiver. The bergamot rounds and brightens this and sort of boosts the lime a bit. This blend is so sexy and alive and sneaky! It's perfect.

Mama-Ji is warm and round. It has a very comforting quality to it with a mixed bag of spices. To me they are not hot, strong spices; instead they are just varied and warm. The cardamom is the only one that has almost a heat to it. It's really interesting the way that this is both comforting and yet, sort of exotic and almost resinous. It really is a beautiful one.

This is dark and sinister and altogether... sexy. It has a velvety darkness to it and the musks combine sooo well with the dark myrrh. The vetiver adds an element of dark earth. There is something else in there, but I can't tell what it is and I am unfamiliar with mullein. Either way, this one is intense in a good way.

This one is pretty straight-forward to me. It is very light, fresh, and clean because of the tea and white musk. The aloe and lemon only serve to brighten and freshen this. This seems like a pick-me-up sort of clean scent. Refreshing, despite its name.

This is definitely a subdued aftershave. It's not over-the-top masculine, but it's definitely got a gentleman air to it. Beyond that, there's something in there that's almost sharp, almost ozone, almost metallic. It's really quite fitting even if it doesn't work on my skin chemistry. This is a good one to hand to a guy and see if he likes it.

This has a light, grassy tone to it, but it's definitely a gentle masculine scent. The musky leather is very subtle to me, and something about the sage and resins brings to mind smoke, incense, smudging, and the essence of strength.

I love, love, love the way that tobacco and leather mingle together. This is the most dominant part of the blend for me, but I do get a smooth and sticky ambergris layer and a touch of musk underneath that. This one is very intense and strong, but it is also very, very niiiiice.

This is one of those that is so distinct that I can practically taste it. There is a very clear sugar-molasses mix over oak, and only after drydown do I get a touch of honey. This is really neat; not quite boozy but very indicative of such. It's nice and punchy.

To me, this is fruity and wild, with an almost aquatic/damp/rainforest quality to temper the fruits. There seems to be an almost green woodsy hint in there, too. All of these things sit atop a glowing, golden amber base. It perfect for Machu Picchu!

No. 93 Engine is sooooo amazing. It has a honey-beeswax-herbal vibe to it, and that sits over a bevy of warm resins. Something about this is almost atmospheric, magical, familiar. I get a bare hint of saffron and the Balm of Gilead is freaking amazing! It's truly unique and completely a work of art. It's going to be a favorite for a lot of people. (Is it just me or is there a stage in there that smells just a little bit like Voodoo Queen?)

The Obsidian Widow smells like attar of rose and strong red wine in the bottle. As the oil dries, it takes on a very deep red quality and it smells just like a nice red wine. The myrrh comes out to deepen and darken the wine. As time passes, I get whiffs of the patchouli and sandalwood, and there is just a slight hint of the jasmine and rose. I never had the pleasure of doing anything more than sniff a remnant of Black Widow, but the Obsidian Widow is very nice. It's red, dark, sultry, and has an edge of danger to it. Perfect execution, and I think the wine in this presents differently than any other wine note in the BPAL catalog.

Wet, this is cedar, amber and citrus. As it dries, there is a soothing layer of sticky, golden amber that is brightened by citrus and verbena. I like that the citrus and verbena doesn't come across as any one type of citrus fruit to me; rather, it's just a general jolt of citrus. As time passes the cedar grows stronger and drier until it has an almost cedar dust vibe to it. This is a good blend for those who like wood and cedar especially. The rest of it is very unique and I love the way the amber and verbena play off of the cedar. Average throw and wearlength.

This is one of those scents that I knew for certain that I wanted to try, but it always slipped my mind when I thought of the ones I was most excited about in my order. It should have been the top of my list! The Antikythera Mechanism is the most AMAZING fragrance! It's red and sultry and the woods are woodsy and grounding without being too sharp or strong. The black vanilla is so hypnotizing and sexy, and the tobacco is the perfect addition: subtle and smooth. This is just so freaking sexy and it's one of those that is going to age beautifully. I am getting a backup bottle at the very least!

The Robotic Scarab is warm and seems to have a bit of a spice to the leather, even while being surrounded by slick oils and a touch of sharp metallic ozone. The leather really warms up and moves to the forefront after a short while, but the other aspects remain ever present. I do think it's unisex for most. If you at all like leather it's a must try!! It's so interesting the way this scent is simultaneously warm and cold. I can practically hear the parts of the scarab whirring and clicking.

This smells like sweet ozone and fluffy clouds to me. There's a soft element of sweet white florals and something about this smells very translucent and bright. I really like this one, even though it's hard to describe beyond what I've said. It's very breathy and evocative, not too ozone, not too floral... just right. Perfect for the concept. =)

Well, well, well. This is a very steamy scent with a naughty bit of soft leather and some glistening musk. There's almost a tangy, fruity aspect beneath the leather and musk that I think must be the merlot. This one is tied with Cathouse for most sexy atmosphere spray; each is different but this is the darker, deeper, naughtier one whereas the other one has a hypnotizing, sultry vibe. Dungeon is *so* going into my next BPTP purchase.

I don't think any other room spray exists that smells of dirt, and that's what makes this so awesome. It has a really fresh-turned earth sort of vibe to it, but it's still fresh and sunny and summery because the marmalade and daisies brighten and sweeten this up. It's truly one that has to be experienced to understand just how cool it is. As with the other sprays, a little goes a long way and the quality is more than worth it.

Queen Croquet Ground is a bright, tangy rose at first. It has that almost-apple twist to the rose that Rose Red has, but it settles down in time and becomes softer and more lush. The grass smells so green and fresh and goes with the rose perfectly.

Galvanic Goggles is mostly unisex, but is possibly a touch on the masculine side. There is a phase where it gets a bit cologne-y and the metallic notes really enhance that. There is an overall balsamic tone to this. I find Galvanic Goggles to be a very smooth blend that is shiny, warm, and metallic. The Indian musk and tobacco flower do well to counter and compliment the metallic notes. This is an excellent representation of the concept and it has a very, very strong throw and long wearlength on me.