detritius

From the description, I expected something totally different, but on me, Incubus is all warm, melty caramel that gets smokier and muskier as it dries down. The tobacco note unfurls lazily amid the sweetness -- it's less smoke than whole, sunbaked leaves, somehow. The musks round out the carmel and keep it from being sticky-sweet, and the mint and sage don't stand out as individual notes, but they may be in there somewhere. Overall, I expected something much darker, but on me, this is all temptation and decadence -- "Oh, I really couldn't... well, I supposed one taste couldn't hurt." -- which still seems thematically appropriate. Wickedly luscious. I only hope wearing this won't kick up a craving for smokes or sweets.

I've been out of the LE loop for about two (broke-ass) years, and now that I've got some cash on hand again, I'd like to know what I've been missing. Some of my favorite notes are amber, honey, smoke, star anise, apple, cinnamon, and spices, but I'm always willing to branch out, although I've found that roses, violets, moss, dirt, aquatics, pine, juniper, plums, and figs tend to disagree with my skin. So, any ideas? Any popular favorites or hidden gems you can recommend me?

This is a soft, sweet, delicate scent on me, both sensual and intensely comforting, like cuddling with your SO on a lazy summer day. The coconut is probably the most prominent note, but it's not a particularly foody coconut, more rounded and subtle. The musk really grounds and makes it more... personal, if that makes sense, not a straight-up tropical scent but something warm and appealing and close to the skin, something I could see myself wearing any time of year.

This is a sweet, subtle peach -- not sliced, if that makes sense. Just a ripe, sun-warmed peach waiting to be bitten into -- with a breath of soft, gorgeous florals. There's something else, too, a warm skin scent that's probably the musk, which rounds the whole thing out and keeps it from being too innocent. This is a very intimate scent. It stays close to the skin, so someone would have to be very close to smell it.

A wickedly dark, smokey apple. Under the apple, I get spice, musk, tobacco, and smokey wood. Out of all the Celestial Apples, this is the one that seems to most autumnal to me, because it's more crisp than juicy, and the apple has an almost cider-ish note to it that I can't explain, but really, really like. This is like sitting around a campfire on a cool autumn evening, drinking hot apple cider and telling ghost stories. Love it.

As others have mentioned, this scent is very dry, with hints of sweetness. It's a light, subtle sort of scent that nonetheless has a lot of throw and staying power. It also reminds me of my favorite perfume before I discovered BPAL, which I think must have had an orris note as well. Very, very nice -- I may have to look for a bottle!

A softly spicy, sun warmed apple. This doesn't have the intensity of some of the other Celestial Apples, giving it an innocent sort of femininity. I also get more florals in this one than the others in this collection, which adds to the soft, feminine quality, and the frankincense and ginger give it a mysterious sort of allure. This is the kind of perfume I'd want to wear on a first date.

Out of all the Celestial Apples, I think I get the least straight-up apple from this one. The first impression I get is fruit, sweet, lush, and incredibly juicy. The apple note weaves in and out between the pomegranate and strawberry, creating a lively, summery blend.

Wet, this is sweet, with a buttery topnote I recognize from Eat Me. As it dries down, it becomes more savory, the wine and meat smells coming out. For some reason, this reminds me most strongly of a Greek restaurant. Definitely interesting, but I'm not sure I want to go around smelling like dinner all day.

Bleh. I’m not sure if it’s my chemistry or if I just don’t appreciate this type of scent, but this just smells like bitter dirt to me. I haven’t tried a single earthy scent that worked for me yet, though, so maybe it’s just not my thing.

From the second I open the imp, all I get is liquorish. It doesn’t morph on my skin; although it does warm up, it’s the same strong liquorish smell. I generally enjoy anise, but this is like anise turned up to eleven. It has a pretty significant throw, too, so there’s no escaping it. Not sure this one is for me.

This is very nice. At first, I get a warm honey -- one of my favorite notes -- with a soft floral that must be the ylang ylang. Then, as the scent opens up, I get a touch of sweetness from the fig (although not enough to be overpowering, like the fig note in Intrigue) and something sharp and green in the background. This is a sophisticated but comforting scent with a lot of complexity.

Mmm. This is very nice. At first, all I get is a warm honey -- one of my favorite notes -- with a soft floral edge that must be the ylang ylang. Then, as the scent opens up, I get a touch of sweetness from the fig (although not enough to be overwhelming, like the fig note in Intrigue) and a hint of something sharp and green in the background. This is a sophisticated but comforting scent with a lot of depth to it. Edit: Sorry about the duplicate posting. Edit 2: And after about an hour, that overpowering fig note comes out and turns sickly on me. So disappointing.

I was surprised by this one. I got the heavy, smokey incense smell I expected from the description, but there was something like a prominent honey note, too, that sweetened up the whole blend. I didn't get the dryness other people have described, either. Overall, this is a slow. warm, languid scent with a nice exoticness to it.

I so wanted the warm, spicy, sexy scent that others are describing, but on me, this is nothing but violets. Sickly-sweet, overpowering violets. After it dries a little, I get a hint of something else, maybe pepper or ginger, but the violets still predominate. Apparently, that's one of the flowers I amp, along with roses, and it's a deal breaker for me. Such a shame, too. I was really looking forward to a a new hot and spicy scent.

This is warm, spicy, and smokey with a hint of something cooling, almost minty, in the background. Definitely mysterious and exotic. I like it.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this one. When I applied it, it had a sharp, bitter topnote, but fortunately, that faded down after about five minutes. Dry, it's honeysuckle with a little touch of lemon. Bright and sweet and very, very summery. This scent makes me long for the warmer months.

Oh dear. This smelled so interesting in the bottle, but on me, it's soap. Sickly-sweet, limey-minty soap. I'm really hoping I was having a bad chemistry day or something, because I've loved all the other blends in the Come and See series, and I'd really like this one to work on me, too.

From the name, I expected this to be much bolder and sharper, but on me this is almost... gentlemanly. I get the musk, the tea and the citrus, and a little touch of tobacco. It's very smooth and sexy in a dignified way. I'm surprised, but not even a little disappointed.

This is probably my favorite BPAL floral thus far, soft and sweet without being overpowering in the least. The myrrh gives it a roundness and depth that I really like. This is feminine in the best way, classy and sensual. I may have to add this to my "buy a bottle" list.

This is the first BPAL leather scent I've tried that goes almost pure leather on me, albeit a warm, smoky, musky leather. This is a supremely masculine, confident scent, like a guy who knows he can get whatever he wants.

This is mostly sweet and herbal on me, similar to some of the other Conjure Bag scents I've tried, but it goes a touch medicinal, which I'm not sure I like. I'm going to have to try this one again a different day to see if it's my chemistry that's causing this sharper note.

This is a bright, warm, uniquely perfect apple, with hints of sweetness, tartness, and spice. The notes don't stand out distinctly from each other, but I can detect everything except the florals. After the apple, the spicy vanilla of the Snake Oil is the most prominent. The lemon and the blood orange (a note I'm fairly familiar with because I adore blood orange tea) don't stand out as themselves, but they give the apple a wonderful, juicy, citrus kick that I sort of wish apples had in real life. I think this might be an autumn scent, somewhat reminiscent of Autumn Cider, but a scent this bright and energetic is welcome any time of year.

Croquembouche with almond silk and a drizzle of caramel. Mmm. Buttery, boozey caramel sauce, the kind you're supposed to drizzle over something, but you really want to scoop up and eat with your fingers. The boozy note fades down as it dries, letting the scents of almond and honey come out under the carmel. This is mouthwatering, and I'll have to remind myself not to wear it on the days when I have to skip lunch.

On me, this is a sweet red musk over leather with a touch of spice. I have to wonder, with a scent that has this many notes, if this is one that's going to be different next time I put it on, but for now, very sexy. Edit: Ooh, this gets spicier as time goes on. I'm definitely getting the pepper and the ginger now. I like it.