Poenari
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Everything posted by Poenari
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I bought a bottle of this to gift to my hair stylist, who got married on this particular Friday the 13th! She has said she's a foodie, so I am hoping that she will love this not just for the commemoration of her wedding date but also for the scent itself. I haven't skin tested it therefore, but I opened to sniff and wow- this is so lovely! I have a few of the Thirteens that correspond to my own personally important Friday the 13ths, but I might need to buy a bottle of this one for myself too! It's like a lightly spiced creamy chocolate coconut pudding! I'm NOT a foodie and I want to wear this one myself!
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I tend not to care for strawberry notes on my skin, but had to blind bottle this because I do adore Snake Oil and so many of its variants. I'm glad I did! On my skin this scent is unmistakenly Snake Oil with a sweeter drydown; a syrupy fruitiness at the end that ensures it is not exactly Snake Oil alone. It doesn't go plasticky as strawberry usually does. It is a lovely rendition of a berried Snake Oil, just as it says. This works so much better on me than Kinda Sorta Snake Oil Cream Soda. It's sweet but not milky creamy, as that one is. I didn't want to get a backup bottle of this but I might need to before it's gone!
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Oh this is so good! I have definitely bought more than my share of black lipsticks over the years, and I really get the wax opening. The clove is present but not overwhelming. I amp clove, so this is amazing! This is a delightful nostalgic blend. Might upgrade my decant to a bottle before they come down, if I have sufficient funds.
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All these years and I've never reviewed this one! Remedied. I didn't look up the notes first, and assumed that this would be a heavily rose scent. WRONG! Upon application, woah! Lots of cherry, or perhaps almond, as those notes are quite interchangeable on my skin. Unfortunately so, as they typically don't work on me and become a scrubber. Let's look it up before proceeding further. Yep, cherry. Yikes. Urinal cakes to me. ?. I will wait it out for a bit before washing it off. Ok, that blast subsided quicker than I expected! Ahh, there's the lilies. I get more Calla lily than the lily of the valley note as a secondary note. I'm not sure what stephanotis smells like. Upon drydown, this has become a very lovely floral, and that rare white floral that doesn't interfere with my sinuses. I'm glad that I waited this out! It's very pretty and quite sweet on my skin, not a scrubber at all. I find this Queen to be quite girly and she has definitely not cut off my head! Very wearable when seeking a fresh sweet floral.
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Oh this is good! It's spicy from the clove, which I love, but also musky and the myrrh keeps the opium tar from any bitterness. This is going to get a lot of wear in cooler weather! I'm just not ready for clove in this heat, as it always reads "fall" to me. Will upgrade my decant to a bottle as soon as I have the funds!
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Strawberry Moon 2024: Wild Strawberries and Amber Hair Gloss
Poenari replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Hair
I only got a decant and tested this on my arm first, as strawberry (and cherry) tends to work poorly with my skin chemistry. I hoped the amber would temper that trend. This is so pretty at first, but quickly turned on my skin. It becomes urinal cake in my nose, and I just can't. I didn't scrub it off, as I hoped that was just a phase. Sadly, it was not. I guess they can't all be winners on me. -
I'm wearing Fleurs D’Oranger HG as a body spray today. I've already tested it in freshly washed hair, but I wanted to give it a full test and am really loving it! I'm rarely attracted to any scents with citrus, and I realize this is orange blossom, so not technically citrus. I can see why I love this- it's a deeper kind of floral, with a hint of muskiness to it. I read that orange blossom pairs well with "oriental" notes, so that makes a lot of sense with my preferences. Many florals, especially white florals, go screeching into my sinuses, but this doesn't. It's the kind of floral I like to wear in the heat of summer. Lovely and I think it's a great addition to the general catalog! Thanks Puddin'!
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Something made me dig through my imp stash to try this one today! My one and only imp appears to be very aged, by the looks of my label. It went on and stayed as a sweet musky rose. I don't really get spices, but it's a lovely scent. I might have to order a bottle just to have, because it really is lovely!
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Ohhhh! First of all, I forgot that this was a Halloween perfume first. It's not in my collection, so now that I ordered the beard oil for my husband, I am wishing I had the perfume too! https://www.bpal.org/topic/69983-the-byronic-antihero/ I tested this on my skin first before turning it over to him for his beard. I was pleasantly surprised that the carnation is the first note I smell. I love that spicy almost-clove scent that real carnations used to give off. Store-bought varieties don't have that. I get a bit of yew and a slightly green khus (vetiver) next. The patchouli never comes out to play. This is a very nice scent for a beard oil - masculine, but not overly, and of course the beard oils aren't meant to have a lot of throw. I would wear this as a body moisturizer if my husband doesn't.
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Single-Barrel Bourbon, Tobacco, and Clove Beard Oil
Poenari replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Beard Oil
Oh wow this is gorgeous! I tested it on my skin first before I turn it over to my husband. There is a distinct clovey bourbon note, but the patchouli root and tobacco keep it grounded and away from smelling like alcohol. It's very genteel. -
This is exactly as described- a lovely chai scent. I actually get a lot of tea first, then the spices kick in. I tested it on my skin before having my husband try it on his beard. I would definitely wear this myself as a body oil if he won't use it!
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I can't put my finger on it, but this really reminds me of some scent in my memory... I can't even recall if it's another BPAL scent! I'm testing this on my skin before I turn it over to my husband for his beard. It's very nice and is mainly a woodsy scent. The moss and wood are blended and not specifically identified, and it's not very smoky either. If I can figure out my scent memory I'll come back and edit this. In the meantime, I like this and hope my husband does too! If not, I will wear it as a moisturizer.
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I never had the original perfume, but I had the original bath oil (8 oz. bottles y'all!) and wore the hell out of it as an after shower moisturizer. So I couldn't wait to order this perfume when it returned! Granted, it's been several years since I last had any of the bath oil, but this perfume immediately brought those memories back. On my skin and as I remembered, the teak and amber are the notes that bloom on my skin. There is a vanilla kind of note to their mixture, which may be the cream note but fortunately, because I really dislike milk and cream and dairy notes, it stays as it is and keeps the teak and amber smooth. I don't really smell the lotus but overall this is neither a foodie nor a floral on me. The sum is so much greater than the parts. If my BPAL collection wasn't already so large, I would order a backup bottle. But at my age I am seriously trying to use what I have without getting more backups of those I love. So one bottle of this beauty will have to suffice. It's gorgeous.
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2023 Clove is that you?! Not listed, but initially I get a blast of black clove. It immediately fades and then I realized its the blend of a dark black musk with the terebinth that is reminding me of clove on my skin. Not as wooly as I had expected. This one reminds me of Hell-Gate of Ireland, although they share none of the same notes. No, it's more of the same vibe I get from Hell-Gate. If you love dark musky foresty scents as much as I do, you should get this while the Yules are still available!!
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This is a surprise win for me! I wasn't sure what to expect so I only got a decant. I love this. I agree with others that it's very like a sweet blackberry herbal tea. I typically don't do well with mandrake root or cypress but they are very tempered here by the blackberry. It wears nicely on my skin, medium throw. Stays true to the initial blackberry from beginning through drydown.
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Oh this is a lovely surprise! I get wooly oakmoss first, a fuzzy and slightly smoky oakmoss. The cranberry is there but doesn't dominate as it usually will for me. It gives a gently sweet fruitiness to the overall scent. This is very well-blended and stays close to my skin. Doesn't morph and stays true. A cozy scent at that.
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A little sweeter than the Pumpkin Incense atmo, but very very close. Not a sweet pumpkin spice blend, but a darker drying pumpkin with the incense blending into it perfectly. These make such a great set to really be atmospheric. Oops! I posted this about the Harvest Haunt perfume in the wrong thread! Keeping it here though, and adding what I meant to say about this atmo spray. Dark pumpkin and incense. This is not the sweet candied spice scent. If you love this, get The Harvest Haunt perfume too, as they are almost the same! I love it. Atmospheric and autumnal, this one's going in my car.
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I LOVE THIS. The dead leaves and patchouli are very reminiscent of my beloved Autumn Leaves & Haitian Patchouli hair gloss, and the prune adds a touch of dark sweetness to them, without being fruity or sweet, if that makes sense. Prunes are dried plums, as raisins are dried grapes, and this prune has that dark chewy but dried note. It's not your grandpa's morning prune juice. I might need a backup bottle of this!
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Dark pumpkin and incense. This is not the sweet candied spice scent. If you love this, get The Harvest Haunt perfume too, as they are almost the same! I love it. Atmospheric and autumnal, this one's going in my car. Oops! Posted this about the Pumpkin Incense atmo! But keeping it because it fits. Here's what I posted about the perfume, in the Pumpkin Incense Atmo spray thread. A little sweeter than the Pumpkin Incense atmo, but very very close. Not a sweet pumpkin spice blend, but a darker drying pumpkin with the incense blending into it perfectly. These make such a great set to really be atmospheric.
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This is soooo good! It reminds me of my beloved Autumn Leaves and Haitian Patchouli, but with the palo santo replacing the leaves. Trying to talk myself out of a backup bottle. If you love patchouli, you must buy this!
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I have a love/hate relationship with the snow notes. If it is the same as Snow White, then it's a nope for me, as no matter how much I want to love Snow White, she just doesn't work on my skin. So I was cautious and only bought a decant of Snow Cross to see. Well this was unexpected! Not only is the most definitely NOT the snow note from Snow White, it's not really minty or wintry at all! The rose is very prominent here, but instead of what I expected, I get a scent that takes me right back to my childhood! This smells like the little grey anise candies that my dad used to love! It's very surprising, and this is not what I would call licorice either. I have several of the other BPALS that have contained a licorice note over the years, and it's not that. But somehow whatever Beth used as her snow here has blended with Rose Cross in a very unexpected but delightful way, at least for me. Long lasting on my skin, and decent throw too! I need a bottle of this because not only is it lovely and wearable, but I need it as a nostalgic memory.
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Very lavender forward, but there is a poopiness right there lurking. Fortunately that part fades quickly upon drydown. It remains a woodsy lavender on me. I wish the patchouli was stronger. This one is not really my cup of tea.
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Very simply, a smoldering woodsy scent. The final embers are almost gone and there is a hint of pine sap. Wears closer to the skin than I expected. This reminds me of Rumpelstilzchen, but is his softer, sweeter younger brother. In the same family but not as "in your face."
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I really love my 2013 Gingerbread Snake and even though the description is different this time, I knew I needed at least one bottle of this! So as a comparison, trying to think of this without the aging factor of my 2013, this version is heavier on the Snake Oil. I get a lot of gorgeous Snake Oil, with a bit of gingerbread showing up on the drydown. The OG is much more gingery, and if I recall correctly, was also heavier on the initial blast of ginger. This is gorgeous and I'm certain it will age well too. If you love Snake Oil and gingerbread, you will love this. Even though I still have some backup bottles of the 2013, I will definitely order at least one more bottle of this before Yules come down.
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Very autumnal sweet maple leaves with pumpkin, very little smoke or rum. It's a very clever blend of notes that work very nicely on my skin. Not a pumpkin spice, very much a carved pumpkin, but the other notes keep it from going to foodie or vegetal stages. Nice!