edenssixthday

John Barleycorn - I generally like BPAL's beer scents -- their warm hoppiness is awesome. But this one is a HYOOGE exception. It smells like urine. It smells like the carpet in someone's basement that has had old, stale, dog urine sitting in it for years. It's awful. It's really, really horrible.

Le Revenant - Oh wow, this is a really heady floral. There's a trace of sandalwood far, far beneath the florals, but it's basically a really strong floral that's very heady and cloying.

Triumph of Death - When I first put this on, it stinks. I mean, it stinks something awful. In fact, my first thought is that I remember reading the will call reviews before the Weenies were released, and reading that one of them was said to smell like marijuana -- and I knew immediately that this was the one. It doesn't smell like good, fresh marijuana, but like the old, burnt, tarry pot in the bottom of a pipe. (Not that I know what that smells like, of course. ) The vetiver is just totally gross and not blending well with the sandalwood or dark musk. However, I know that vetiver tends to dry down to something really warm and gorgeous on my skin, so I don't wash it off immediately, as I'm tempted to do. Sure enough, once it's dry, almost everything has settled down and the scent has this amazing warm, dry, smoky, woody, and slightly earthy quality about it. I'm so close to loving it, but the peru balsam ruins it, as it almost always does. Peru balsam smells a bit like woody vomit on my skin, and it's no exception in this case. I think I want to borrow sunshinedaisybliss's Note Removal MachineTM once she invents it, and then I'd love this scent.

Regina Erebi - I was excited for this scent more than any others, and it was the first one I tried. I haven't reviewed it until now because it made me so sad that I couldn't rave about it! I love mulberry and myrrh, and was excited to have another very rare mulberry scent. The mulberry blends gorgeously with the pomegranate and the myrrh gives it a really nice depth, and the spearmint is very subtle and smells like freshly-plucked mint leaves straight from the garden (i.e., it's not the super-sweet artificial mint of gum and toothpaste). Sadly, as the scent warms up on my skin, the pomegranate starts to take on this really weird vibe that reminds me of a cheap scented candle from the dollar store. It's not good at all. Leave it to pomegranate to ruin a perfectly good scent. I should have known it would do that.

Muse of the Night - I can never wear black currant. I mean NEVER. So when I had a partial bottle left over from my circle, I sent it off to swaps without thinking twice. How I regret that move now that I've tried it! It's soooo pretty! On my skin, the strongest notes are the musk, the black currant, and the jasmine. The currant actually smells like currant instead of the cat pee it has always turned into before. There's a hint of opium tar grounding the entire scent, and the faintest traces of rose and vanilla bean. The ylang ylang gives the scent a weird perfumeyness (is that even a word?), but only when smelled up close. This scent is so pretty -- really dark and juicy sweet and floral. It's absolutely the #1 surprise hit of the entire Weenie update. I am so glad the Weenies have been extended, and I will be ordering a bottle of this on Sunday with my Yule order!

Samhainophobia 2011 - My review of Samhainophobia 2006 is here (I liked it), and my review of Samhainophobia 2007 is here (I didn't like it). Because of my mixed reviews in the past, I was curious to try the 2011 version. The 2011 version reminds me more of the original 2006 version than the 2007 version, which was, at least in my batch, heavy on the vetiver. Overall, it still smells a lot like Samhain, which is one of my go-to scents in the fall. The patchouli and clove are the same as Samhain, but it's lacking the sweetness that the apple in Samhain gives it. The balsam and oakmoss give the scent a lovely warm depth, and the autumn leaves give it a hint of dryness. I love geranium so much, but I don't really smell it in this scent. Overall, this scent smells exactly like a dry, windy late-October evening. I really like it, but still can't imagine choosing to wear it over Samhain. Edited for HTML fail.

The Ta-Ta - I've had to wear this one a few times to figure out what I think of it. I love coffee and leather together -- reminds me of The Arabian Dance, but the leather is stronger and muskier in this scent, and it's overall not as sweet as The Arabian Dance. The tobacco really grounds those scents and pulls them together. However, I'm not typically a fan of carnation, and so this scent smells just a bit "off" to me. I think with my skin chemistry, the carnation would work, except that it's not blending well with the weird musky vibe the leather's giving the whole scent. I think I'll be passing on this one and continuing to enjoy The Arabian Dance when I need a leather-and-coffee fix.

The Zoom - I wasn't sure how this would work, not being a fan of bergamot or cedarwood, being iffy with helichrysum, and loving lime and dragon's blood. In the bottle, it smells entirely of lime and dragon's blood and even though it's kind of odd, I like it. However, as soon as it touches my skin, the cedarwood becomes evident and starts to amp, and it's heavy dryness really takes over the scent. The dragon's blood is still the strongest note, but the cedarwood has overpowered everything else and I really don't like the way it's blending with the dragon's blood. It's too much like a dragon's blood-and-pencil-shavings scent, sadly.

The Seekim - Oh wow, I didn't expect to like this at all -- the only note I thought *may* work was the patchouli. But it's amazing on me! It's a woody, dry cocoa scent. The cocoa, patchouli and hay are the strongest notes and they work together so beautifully. The cocoa isn't sweet, but very dark and heavy. I really can't describe how awesome this scent is. It's one of the very few chocolate/cocoa scents I've been able to wear, and it may be my favorite. It lasts for a good long while, too. I put it on in the morning, and and as I was driving home from work at night, I could still smell it... barely, but it was there.

Nothing But Death - This is a really strange scent on me. I expected it to work really well, but it's just...odd. It's kind of heavy and murky, and the tobacco doesn't blend with it well on my skin at all -- it gives it a weird, warm, dust-like undertone that seems to clash with the other notes. It's fairly subtle on my skin once it dries down.

Beaver Moon 2011 - I thought for sure the lavender would ruin it for me, but I smell absolutely no lavender. None whatsoever. Instead, I smell a bit of honey, and something that reminds me of tangy cream cheese, maybe cream cheese that's turned slightly. It doesn't smell bad on me, but it doesn't smell good. It actually reminds me more of the original Milk Moon more than anything else. It's very subtle on my skin, as well.

Ghosts In Love - This is a really pretty scent. It's a very classic-smelling "floriental" scent. It's impeccably blended and the various notes are all in perfect balance and compliment each other beautifully. The white sandalwood gives it a bit of dry woodiness, sweetened by the florals, specifically the tea rose. The lily of the valley provides a bit of greenery to the scent, but also a faint trace of soapiness. The magnolia fills out the scent, making it heavier and header than it would be otherwise. It's a really, really pretty scent, very feminine. It has a nice level of throw and on me, has about average staying power.

Nightmare[\b]- When first applied, I mostly smell the sweet fruit gums, honey, and lavender sweetened by vanilla. I don’t like lavender at all, and even though it’s evident, the other notes around it are so pretty that I don’t dislike the scent, and find it very interesting. Once the blend dries down, , it sticks close to the skin and is very, very soft – mostly a lightly sweet linen scent with a hint of floral. It’s very, very pretty, and actually a lavender scent I would wear if the dry-down had greater sillage.

The Changeling - I tend to really like scents that have this blonde wood note, most recently Tree of Life and Atlas, but they're always verging on being too sweet, and in this blend, add that pumpkin rind and vanilla to the blonde wood, and it's just too much for me. It's very butterscotchy and rich, far too cloying and heavy for my taste, I'm afraid. It has a quality about it that reminds me of the nuttiness of Sleipnir, as if there's hazelnut or chestnut or something similar in it, as well. I think people who tend to prefer sweet bakery scents and don't mind woods, could potentially really enjoy this.

Post-Mortem Laureatus - This is a very simple blend -- green ivy and white sandalwood, just like the description says. The ivy is a very thick, green scent with the faintest hint of soapiness. The sandalwood is dry and woody. I'm impressed at how nicely they smell together. So simple, yet so lovely. Ivy lovers should adore this one.

A Nocturnal Reverie - In the bottle and when first applied to my skin, this smells like ALL LAVENDER ALL THE LAVENDER TIME. I don't like lavender, so it's not a happy smell. As it warms up on my skin, some of the sweet, powdery violet comes out, as does the warmth of ambergris and dark musk...but it's still pretty much a "LAVENDER LAVENDER LAVENDER... plus a little something else" scent. This one was not made for me, it was made with lavender-lovers in mind, I'm sure.

Garden of Death - When first applied, this is the scent of walking into a greenhouse that's full of leafy vegetables. It's not the scent of the veggies themselves, but the scent of clean, damp, black soil and tons and tons of leafy greenery. The parsley is probably the strongest note on my skin, next to the scent of dirt. As it dries down on my skin, I smell the soft, slightly powdery and slightly bitter iris, and other unidentifiable florals. It turns from something shockingly green and earthy to a very pretty floral scent with a hint of earth and greenery behind it. It really surprised me how nicely this turned out after the bright, crisp, green opening. It's still not something I'd probably ever choose to wear over my favorite pretty scents, but it's highly evocative, and a really neat scent to experience. P.S. I don't smell green peppers at all.

The Mandrake Charm - This scent is bitter and rooty and earthy -- it's all mandrake and nothing else. It smells like some sort of weird-smelling linament. To my nose, it's just awful, but I don't tend to like mandrake or earthy scents.

The Nymphae Avernales - Wow, this is a weird and oddly beautiful scent. When I first apply it, the dominant notes are the lilac and honey, and somehow they work really, really, amazingly well together on my skin, which surprises me to no end. As it warms up on my skin, the frankincense comes out, giving the scent a bit of a dry, incense-like base, although the scent is still mostly lilac and honey. As it dries down, the red sandalwood comes out a tiny bit, giving the scent a hint of woody resin. I never do smell the pomegranate or rose. This is one of those scents that shouldn't work on me, but it works amazing, gorgeously well. I'm going to have to put this on my list of possible bottles to order.

La Mort: Mon ironie dépasse toutes les autres - This is a very pretty scent, definitely a fruity-floral. The topmost note is a very tart, bitter pomegranate fruit juice. It's softened up by the red rose, which is the same rose note used in the Yule Red Rose scent. I don't smell the star anise at all. It's mostly just pomegranate and rose, and it's very, very pretty, even with its slightly bitter edge. It doesn't last very long on me at all. After 30 minutes, it sticks very, very close to the skin and is mostly an indecipherable floral at that point.

Halloween: Montreal - I love the icy snow and evergreen note in this. It reminds me of The Shivering Boy. However, it's equally balanced by super sweet, caramel-sticky, foody notes that don't work well on me at all. Others have mentioned maple, which could be accurate. All I know is it's incredibly cloying. There's also something in it that reminds me of the scent of dirty tires. Obviously something in this scent isn't agreeing with my skin chemistry. Good thing for those who love it - a little goes a long way and lasts for ages.

The Night Hag Visiting The Lapland Witches - I had two bottles for my decant group, and they must have come from two different batches because one was strong on the evergreen/pine note and I didn't like it at all. But the other one is quite possibly my favorite of all of the Weenies!!! It's a really strong, gorgeous sandalwood that blends amazingly well with the cypress and frankincense. There's the faintest trace of pine in the background, but it's not overwhelming like the first bottle I sniffed. There's also a hint of nutmeg that gives it a bit of spice and texture. I am SO GLAD I decided to sniff the second bottle after I'd already decided the first wasn't going to do it for me! It is AMAZING. The scent lasts all day long on my skin, too -- one of the longer-lasting BPALs I've tried over the years. This one's a huge, huge, huge hit for me...maybe the perfect sandalwood I've been looking for all my life.

Autumn Cider - My preconceived notion is that I would hate this. I don't tend to like apple scents very much, and two of my death notes -- brown sugar and butterscotch -- are in it. Turns out I was wrong. So wrong, in fact, that part of me wants to get rid of my entire collection, purchase vats of this, and swim in it for the rest of my life. There aren't enough words in the English language to describe how delicious it is. It may very well possibly be The Most Amazing BPAL Ever Made. The apple juice is subtle, and the spices are perfectly balanced, strong and amazing. The butterscotch liquor, as much as I thought I would gag from it, is in my opinion, what makes this perfume so fantastic. It gives the overall scent a depth and sweet toffee-like stickiness that reminds me of the toffee in Lush's Honey I Washed The Kids soap, but what blows me away is that it's got this toffee/foodiness and it doesn't turn plastic or dusty or rancid on my skin! THAT IS AMAZEBALLS!!! The orange slices add a really bright and juicy-sweet finish to the scent. It's incredibly strong, and a little dot on my arm leaves me wafting in delicious scent for about three hours. At that point, the toffee (i.e., butterscotch), apple, and orange notes have disappeared, but the spices are still there. It's mostly allspice and clove at this point, leaving my skin with a really sexy, dark spiced scent that's a hint smoky. I'm truly blown away by the amazingness of this scent, and I'm so glad I got to test it while decanting, because otherwise, I'd have skipped over it completely, and never discovered how phenomenal it is. This is the reason I try even the BPALs that sound gross to me, because this is one that absolutely should not have worked on me, yet it's one of the best smells I've ever encountered in my entire life.

Sentimental Initiation - This is so close to being an amazing scent on me -- with so many notes that I adore...but it has the black musk in it that turns sour on me. Noooo!!! It's so close to being a perfect sweet-woody-resin-musky scent...but on me, it just stinks.

The Golden Apple Of The Sun - I'm not typically a fan of wearing apple scents, so I'm rarely over the moon about an apple scent, and this one is no exception. It's very appley and there's a really nice level of spice and florals, but I don't really smell the amber or frankincense at all. To me, it smells like a warm cup of a spiced apple tea. It has very little throw on me and about 4 or 4.5 hours after applying, I couldn't find a trace of the scent on my skin.