Aveya

Ok, so this was a confusing scent to me so I kinda tossed my review to the side and was like whatever, and went on about my day. And then later, I found myself thinking "Who has freaking fruit loops right now?". My arm does. That's who. Smells like fruit loops. Solved. Now, that doesn't mean it smells fruity, it does not. But are fruit loops actually fruity? No. No they're not. They're bready cereal and like, sweet shit. Anyways - this was a surprise hit for me. Lavender is cheating because it always softens my core and makes me adore scents, and sugar makes it nice and sweet, and the gingerbread base gives it a spicey roundness. Like gourmet fruit loops. I'm 90% sure I've said that phrase before about another BPAL lol. This is a lovely scent. I'll probably pass on a bottle buy because I already have a few lavender sweet go-tos. But if this were to come up in a swap offer I'd take it :D.

So - full disclosure I'm really tentative about pastry and baked goods scents. When I first got into BPAL I swarmed over them, because I would LOVE those scents in theory, but every single one turns ... weird on me. I think my skin just doesn't work well with most pastry stuff. Toffee/caramel and pastry especially. But my all-time favorite BPAL scent in the universe is Crawdad Dreams, because of that BLUEBERRY smack. Blueberry is apparently my Spirit Scent and I will go to the ends of the earth to roll in it. So, I gambled on this one fully expecting the pastry thing to take it all wonky. But Oh. My. God. This is the best flipping blueberry scent ever. It's fantastic. Blueberry done right has this almost buttery quality to it? So when combined with "fried dough" I do think it tends to take over and become one. But I do not care. I was trying out a few scents at once (I know, but it's a quick way to cull scents and then try others more thoroughly for me lol). And after I was done testing and just had awkward arms, this one kept billowing to the surface. It's wet, sweet in a natural kind of way, blueberry as blueberry can get, buttery, and dreamy. The throw was fantastic, but not cloying. 24 hours later I can still smell remnants on my arm. That's incredible. So, I'm off to stockpile this one for my soul. In Love.

So, on initial application, this was very strong in the red-musk front for me. Very dark, very deep, slightly dry, but def. musky. A big whallop of Clove for me as well. After a few moments the anise poked out for me, in this 10 min. marker is when I get the "mint" vibe that others mentioned. I think it's more of just anise + clove + maybe opium. It's got that high-note feel in your nose like mint but not quite there. Personally this is a lovely scent. I'm going to get a bottle and stash next to Le Lethe -like scents. Round, robust, I want to say almost heady. Warm and dark at the same time. I was worried about red musk because that one seems to be a hit or miss with my skin, but it's a hit in this one! Also - I'm in love with thick deep dirty patchouli scents, and that's not a front runner in this blend. It's in there, but it's not WHAM in your face like other blends can be.

I hate to be that person, but this smells like an amazing bathroom. Citrus scents are common in my shower so it's no real surprise. It's got a wet, juicy, zippy punch to it. Plus white musk always comes across a bit soapy to me. Add the two together and you get an AMAZING shower scrub. .. That said I would totally buy gallons of this as a soap. What a perk-up! I might get a bottle to just keep me zippy. Initial : this was a BIG punch of grapefruit and yuzu. Clears sinuses and made me sneeze lol. Drydown: Sweetens up and softens out the zip as time goes on. Leaves a fresh, modern clean scent behind. Verdict: This is how I want my life to smell after I've KonMari'd my house.

One of the Oceanids, the Three-Thousand Daughters of Tethys and Oceanus. Draped in a sun-bright peplos of flowing champaca, Bengal oudh, golden vanilla, neroli, and amber cream, she personifies divine blessings. Whoa no one's reviewed this yet? Source: Lab blind-buy Preconceptions: Hoping for creamy earthy sweet amber. Unfamiliar with MOST of these notes so thought this would be a fun scent journey for me. Bottle: Milky, watery, sweet. Initial Skin: Reminds me of almond milk. It's surprisingly light. Very gently floral, sweet, faintly nutty, feels very milky & wet. Drydown: Warmth starts to peak out a few minutes in, amber comes out almost like morning sun on a dew-covered flower. Starts to dry up that overall wet vibe I got and changes the blend from a white-cool scent, to a golden gentle glow. Cozy amber isn't amping like it can on me, vanilla isn't going sour, behaving very well, thank you! Staying gentle in every note - nutty, floral, creamy, gentlest touch of amber, barest hint of vanilla sweetness. Well balanced with each other. Surprisingly more milky than I expected, but beautiful. Very soft, feminine, gentle. But don't confuse it with delicate. This doesn't evoke anything innocent or girly - this feels very self-possessed womanly. NOT the earthy amber I thought it would be - Champaca was a big question mark in my mind, and I think it ended up helping to steer this blend into a more feminine zone. Verdict: Dew covered summer flowers being warmed by first light. Medium throw, and has lovely staying power.

Expectations: I LOVE CARNATION. I also love the sweet earthy leaves. I'm hoping for a grounded earthy carnation, of course. Initial Sniff: SHARP Green! These leaves are not dead. Wet skin: Green and dying. Weird combo, the carnation early "fresh" plus the leaves makes this just a sort of wet rainy early autumn pile of leaves. Interesting and uninspiring a the same time. Drydown: Carnation starts warming up - Yay. But the leaves keep the carnation "greener" than the raw SN carnation would be by now. It's interesting. It's a tempered carnation (which usually spices up warm and deep on me) with grassy aspects. It's got a floral-perfumey vibe about it. Verdict: Not my personal favorite. I was hoping for more earthy carnation, less grassy carnation. But a unique take I'm sure others will really enjoy.

#171 Was hoping for more reviews to see what it is in mine that I love, lol. Honestly 171 is almost exactly Samhain straight to me, but it has a warmer gentle touch. My gut response is to say Vanilla. I've been sniff comparing to Samhain 2010 that I have - it's warmer. It doesn't have that sharp cold wind aspect. It's warmed up and toned down. It's really lovely. Maybe a benzoin/tonka/vanilla. Maybe something else entirely but that just brings out the warmer aspects of this blend. It's fruit-pulp heavy and gently sweeter. More foody-edged than forest-pine edged. In any case I adore it. I might swap some decants just to trade for sniffing others because I think Samhain is a beautiful one to play with.

Expectation: Do you know how much I love Patchouli? Like so much. So a honey caramel cream patchouli? .... It better be succulent and earthy perfection omg. Initial Sniff: OH MY I just gave myself a cavity. This is puuuuuuredark rich syrup. Wet Skin: Oh god. Syyyyrup. Sweet sweet cavities everywhere! Blood sugar has spiked. Dry Skin: Heavenly Father, I believe. This is amazingtastic. The honey caramel takes a flippin chill pill (thankfully quickly - like under a few minutes) and then out blooms my dreams and fantasies. Warm sweet patchouli. Engrossing beauty. This is MY scent. I shall hoard them all. Verdict : This is the first scent I've tried that I think can ACTUALLY stand in for Banshee Beat for me. It's not the same - don't be mistaken. But it has the same warm-sweet earthy engrossing thing, but with MUCH more almost-sickly sweetness. Not the delicate warm glow of vanilla. On some days I could see this level of sweetness causing me nausea, depending how my skin plays with it. Dangerous game. But when it does behave? Oh. My. God. This is between Goblin & Fates Jester on my hierarchy of favorite Patch scents. I'm going to get a bottle for sure. That honey just better stay behaved. Edit to add: After reading other reviews after I posted mine - DEFINITELY a patchouli lovers scent. From the single notes I've tried, this is the black patchouli variant moreso than the red patchouli. Earthy and yum.

Expectations: I've been in love with Tobacco notes lately. Tonka Bean is a secret favorite of mine (thanks to falling asleep with Dee on my arm, and waking up to the warmest yummiest dreamiest smells) that tends to get mixed with items I don't enjoy. In this case I'm hoping for a warm womanly earthy scent. Rose amps on me but I usually love it anyways. Initial Sniff: Dusty. Dry. Dead roses Initial Skin: Curiously strange. Dusty but wet. Musty but warm. Clay is strange? Yeah, clay is strange.This scent doesn't blend for me as well as I hoped as quickly as I hoped. Instead of the heavenly tobacco I wanted, and wishful rose depth I was daydreaming of, I'm left with dusty musty clay made with dry crushed rose petals. Drydown: It takes a little time, but there's this small window when the tobacco does that THING I love and it gets all smoky syrup (I don't know, it does though) it starts making steps to perfection. And then BAM Clay asserts it's dominance and that's it. Everything else has succumbed. Clay has won. All hail the clay. Verdict: I don't like clay, oops. I'm not a fan of "dry" scents generally so this is no exception. However I learned that rose tobacco might be something amazing for me in the right combination. In this blend though, red clay became front and center for me. I mean it's 100% clay rolled in what reminds me of red musk (which also doesn't always work on me). I wish rose had amp'd and tobacco has stomped and clay was a minor player. - BUT, this scent matches that picture. I always underestimate how much BPAL can capture images into smell. Very unique. I'm jealous of those that don't get clay from this.

Imp : Elementary school desk (aka; frankincense) Skin: Woody, incesy-esq. Feels a bit mystical. Drydown: Blend is very natural, woody, and incense-esq. It feels holy. Drenched in religion and mysticism. Woody, earthy, incensed, textured. Later drydown has more of an almost leather-touch, getting more masculine as I wear it. Verdict; Exactly what it should be, the Catholic Cross.

Preconception: I love Carnation. I love cardamom. I like honey - but it amps. I'm hoping for a spicy warm creamy thing. Initial Skin: WHOA hi there Honey. You're super flippin' sweet. Drydown: Super super quick I get spices with my honey. Artisan spiced honey. SUPER rich sweet honey. My blood sugar is rising smelling this. But then the carnation & cardamon add their beautiful beautiful warmth and tang. I'm in love with it. I wish I amped cardamom more. I usually amp carnation,but the honey has WON OUT. Honey is Queen. She is also cloyingly sweet to me. Not in a sugar way, not in a creamy way, but in a raw syrup honey. Late drydown: Raw. Honey. Comb. Verdict: Disappointed that the honey won out in this battle. I had high hopes for a spiced beautiful blend. It's really beautiful, except for the queasy sugar-induced edge it adds to me personally

Preconception : I'm madly in love with blueberries. MADLY. It all traces back to Irrelevant and Disturbing Surreal Crawdad Dreams .... So I'm on an endless hunt. I almost blind-bottled this one but decided to hold off. "Frozen" and "Floral" have me concerned. Initial Sniff: Crawdad. Oh my blueberry affair. Initial skin: BLUEBERRY! Briefly. Then Bubblegum? Then SUGAH! Got a cavity. Drydown: So, I should have known that frozen petals would still smell like floral. The icy-floral thing + tangerine is a bit strange to me. It almost smells like bird feathers and bubblegum. (Why do I know what that smells like) The blueberry is still being blueberry, but there's a cold citrus edge to it that's cutting it into a floral, clean, strange place for my brain. This is a really unique scent. The longer I sniff it, the more it reminds me of Teleste, the only other Saturn moon I've tried. Which is interesting - there's something about these moons that are really blending together well into a proper set. It has some of the same delicate strength. It comes across "watery" to me, in that the scent smells diluted - not actually diluted just that it doesn't APPEAR full bodied. But yet it has crazy throw for me, and has really rounded edges. Almost like a light halo? How there's the outside rim and you know it has full body, but at the same time it's empty and missing parts. I promise I make sense. Late drydown the blueberry comes back as the more dominant note. In any case - this is a scent worth trying in my opinion. It has some nods to Lilith's Blue Unicorn Moon - a definite blueberry bubble gum. But then has been adulted pretty hardcore, and made into something sophisticated and complex. I could sniff this forever contemplating how it makes me feel. Therapists should use Black Phoenix scents instead of ink blots. Verdict: Not what I thought it would be. A contemplation on blueberry bubblegum, bird feathers, and our place in the universe.

So I love Hope. I loved Katrina Van Tassel way back when. I love Rose. But I have trouble wearing it because it AMPS like there's no tomorrow. On first apply this is 100% RED ROSE in your face. It amps on me - for sure. But it's got a softer edge to it during the amp'd early-apply stage than other blends. Something extra red and rich and sweet. Then within no time, the rose tames down and the creamy vanilla benzoin God of my Heart comes out, and sweetens it up. It's not like Hope, to me. It's not sugary and super sweet - it's notably a creamy vanilla-sweet. But the beauty of this one is about three-five hours in. And all that's left on your skin is a soft, sensual glow of a sweet vanilla-resin rose as you could never have dreamed it. The drydown gives me the same mood-lift that the laaaate drydown on Dee gives me (not the same scent though, all mood). I'm excited to wear this one to work - start of the day a powerful bold rose, and then end the day with a relaxing creamy beauty. This isn't very complex to me - It's straightforward and beautiful. It's got a slight spark in there that reminds me of some of the red musks, but more in spirit than actual smell. It has a sultry edge that marries the vanilla/rose combo in a way that's adult and beautiful. And while benzoin's creamy-sweet body keeps things tempered, there's still a sharp wetness of a red rose petal through the whole thing. Really beautiful for me. Probably a bottle buy. I can see this being a daily work-wear for me.

I got this one because i was curious. That's all. Wet on skin, it's legit babywipes. I mean that in the best way possible? it's clean and floral, but a little bit astringent. There's a powdery earthy ness to it that in the baby-wipe comparison smells like the fabric. For me, it's hard to shake that. Babywipes or wet dryer sheets. It's a soft gentle scent, but on me that doesn't mean low throw. I got this one to teach my nose new things, and Im a bit sad all I can get is baby wipes

I had no idea I had this. But I've been chugging through my old boxes of imps to test everything. I neglect GC scents so they tend to multiply. Initial is suuuper buttery and bready. Not yeasty, but toast-ish. Gets super creamy with a touch of tea. I feel weird but this is exactly spot on. But as it dries, it gets less foody and more creamy-floral. Light and gentle. Very in line with the Wonderland scents. Can't believe I hadn't tested this before.

Initial on skin this hit me with a wave of vegetal herbal dusky earthy. Really beautiful though, not dry but super wet and lush loam. QUICKLY takes a lemon-turn. There's this small period where it smells legit salty. If you've ever had genuine japanese candies, they like to have these salted plum candies that are too bitter for me. But it smelled exactly like that for a brief flicker and I about fell in love. Then it went all dirty desk on me. Which, I've learned, is frankincense. After that it kind of wafts around between those few phases, and it ends up being a really really funky smelling thing. Salty, lemony, desky, earthy, and this odd tickle of something sweet. Totally bizarre. Think age did some weirdo things.

Stage one: FRUIT! Sweet smashed up Hurricane-style fruit. This is a dream for me. I love the labs fruits, and super sweet scents. This is similar to Candy Phoenix for me. It's got a tad more depth/heart than Candy Pheonix does, and comes across more decidedly fruity. But SUPER sweet and juicy, and I'm in love with it. Stage two: .... Is that frankincense? The sticky old lemonhead covered in pencil shavings? Yes, yes it is. Or something close to it. The super sweet fruity wave of phase one almost immediately puffs into the atmosphere as soon as I notice this woody element, and the whole thing shifts away from my Candy-Phoenix Playground and into something more sophisticated and serious (And desky). Not so much a fan. It comes across more syrupy (like caramel scents tend to go on me). This phase reminds me more of Shango's unfortunate drydown on me too. Verdict; Unfortunate morpher for me. Love the initial apply of raw sugar fruit, not in love with the later "lunar oil" drydown.

WHOA! I got this one as a whim - another "I think this smelled awful but want to be sure" thing. So, the other reviews are right on. To me this smelled like a mishmash of candy that melted in a gross Ex boyfriends car and blended in with lint and dog hair and dirty. And then on a hot summer day re-melted and "perfumed" the entire car again. Dirty suckers. Molding Flowers. Souring fruits Bitter medicinal insanity. Well, now I know!

What a weird scent! I got this one on a whim in a forum sales, because I've seen this note pop up in a few blends I kind of like. I was curious. DID NOT until just now realize it's also Frankincense. That makes loads of sense! I recently went through a bout of frankincense scents and this is most certainly in that family. So, when I was in school desks were metal with wood tops. If you were to take, say, a lemonhead, suck on it for a few moments. Toss it into your desk wet. Then take some cough drops, upend them into the desk. Throw in a 20 year old math book, wooden rule with a metal edge (for use as a weapon, later), and then toss in a plastic pencil sharpener (full, with both pencil AND crayon shavings), then add some puffy stickers on your Lisa Frank binder and toss that in too, then shake your desk violently. Leave to sit over a blistering hot weekend, then come back on Tuesday (teacher's conference Monday, of course) - stick your head in the desk, and inhale DEEPLY. That's this. Apologies to those that love this scent. I can NOT get over the quirky nature of this. I've found scents that do amazing things when blended together, but won't be a scent I wear on it's own.

My first run-in with Myrrh was mixed with vetiver. And overall smelled like wet basement to me. Since then, I've struggled to be able to tell what Myrrh vs Vetiver did in scents. Well, I FINALLY got both Vetiver and Myrrh single notes in my possession so now I know. They do the same thing in my nose. Bitter. Earthy. Myrrh has a wet roundness about it, but with a powdery-floral center. I'm impressed by how bitter and dusty it is. It's also strangely light and feminine, I can sense both the sorrow and growth. Overall I'm really intrigued by it, and am happy to explain to my nose what's been going on all these years. Unfortunately it does not assuage how I feel about Myrrh. Or Vetiver. They're made for each other in their bitter dirty earthy strangely sweet way. But I'll stay in the corner with my patchouli and sugars.

Source: Forum sale Preconception: I hate vetiver. I have never smelled raw on-it's-own vetiver but in every single scent with it, I swear it smells like musty damp basement. Hate it. hate it. So naturally I need to try it, understand it, and see if I hate it or am confused by it. Challenge for my nose. Bottle: OH god. Yeah. So I hate vetiver. Musty basement kicking me over the head. However - I sniffed deep as I read the first review in this thread - and I would say it's spot on. "it smells like the supplest suede and the richest soil, like sacred smoke and lime zest." Skin: Interesting. I'm thinking the Vetiver is like patchouli. In that you literally love or hate it. And if you love it, you LOVE it. You want everyone in the world to love it. You try to convince others to think of it differently. To try it differently. To put preconceptions aside and just EMBRACE it. (Or is that just me? ). As I smell vetiver I can sense it. There's a depth to this that is ... captivating. Bonfires and magic. "Sacred Smoke" is the most perfect description. There's soul in this. But it's also dirty, dark, bitter. Oil spills on dirt floors under old radiators in creepy basements. Roots coming in through the walls in the cellar. It's alive where it shouldn't be. It's beautiful and sacred yet unsettling and raw. Drydown: It loses a bit of the dark-depth, and instead gains a sort of grassy dusty vibe. It's this stage of vetiver I truly despise. If it always smelled like the first apply on skin, I could certainly learn to love it. The DEPTH early on is unmistakably breathtaking. But it sort of adjusts into burning herb satchels and oil spills, instead of all the depth. The high notes are a bit assaulting to me and overpowering. Verdict: Dirty, earthy, smoky, grassy. Oil slicks, dirt floors, burning grasses. Masculine to me, but wearable by all.

Source: Forum Sale, partial bottle Preconception: I ran across lotus once in a scent and thought I really liked it. But wanted to smell it stand-alone to understand it. Bottle: Clean, light, pink, gently soapy. Skin: Floral, wet, slightly musky. Crisp yet milky. A touch fruity. A touch citrusy. Drydown: I agree with the review above that says Lotus smells like cashmere. It definitely smells cozy, clean, gently floral, but also has this... fizz to it. It's the citrus/fruity zing. Kind of makes it feel fuzzy. Verdict: Cozy sweater, misty pond, grapefruit florals, all rolled into one cozy interesting scent. Unisex with a feminine slant. Much more layered and complex than I assumed it would be.

Vial: PEACHES!! Floral tones. Skin: PEACHES! And Floral. Peach is so strong at first, it's fantastic. Drydown: Floral takes hold quickly - but it's a really beautiful floral. Maybe florals are growing on me. Heady magnolia for sure - it's thick and cool, soft and wet, doesn't give me that "floral sneeze" that jasmine does. I'm not very floral-savy since I hate 90% of them. But this is really lovely and easy to wear. It's just ALL peaches and magnolia. I was worried the "honey" aspect would take over, but it's just keep things sweet. Verdict: Cool thick sweet white floral and juicy light peaches.

Source: Lab frimp I think! Preconceptions: I could use some strength lately. Vial: Sweet? Fruity! Skin: Instant kick of something fruity, but I couldn't quite pinpoint it. It didn't scream grape or cherry to me. Berry, but that's it. It felt purple/black, but didn't last long. Drydown: Moves into a more herbal/floral combo with a soft sweetness to it. I swear there's a vanilla smooth undertone to it. Verdict: Going to give it a shot for it's bewitching properties. I suffer from social anxiety and sometimes small things can help me make that phone call