Poenari

I guess I forgot to review this one! Now that it's aged a few years, I'm reviewing it as it smells currently. Basically this is a sheer skin musk on my skin. I get hints of an aquatic note, not specifically discernable, and no frankincense. I can see why this is a great layering scent. Layering perfumes isn't really my thing, but it's perfectly lovely on it's own. This is the kind of scent that I would have worn to work on our early morning meeting days, where I sat elbow to elbow with coworkers around a conference table. Pretty and inoffensive.

I never reviewed my bottle because my early impressions weren't that great. I pulled it out to wear today, and now that it is well aged, I really like this! It's a gorgeous vanilla marshmallow cake batter, with the cardamom keeping it from going cloyingly sweet on me. Wears close to my skin, although I can catch wafts of it. This falls in the realm of some of the other foodie scents that I don't wear often, such as Stekk, Boo, and even Eat Me! Nice when I need to wear something inoffensive to others, outside of my usual wheelhouse. I'm really happy that I'm a hoarder and don't let my scents go. This bottle's a keeper.

Child Blessing has been my favorite TAL oil to use since my grandson was born in 2015. I used it to annoint his crib and now bed, his car seat in my car, and his play areas. I always wear it in my Gemini scent locket, which I always wear when I'm with him. Both he and I are Gemini and he knows that this is "our" scent locket and he loves to sniff it. The scent is a sweet herbal. Wonderful TAL.

So I thought I reviewed this last autumn after I got it, but don't see my review! I am wearing this again today, so my review is based on my now 6+ month aged scent. I didn't and still don't get actual pumpkin, toasted or not, from this. On my skin, it's a warm, cozy, slightly spiced sandalwood with a hint of powder. It's really lovely and most definitely wearable all year round. The spice is not identifiable, not as a "pumpkin spice" blend, kind of a dusty cinnamon stick, but not that strong. Whatever this is, it is very pretty and wears close to my skin. I love it.

Very pretty sweet Bulgarian rose. No soapiness on my skin, hooray! Very heady, with a strong throw, and is basically a single note rose on my skin. The resin keeps it from going sharp and the honey doesn't turn it to the mustiness that sometimes happens with my chemistry. This is a win for days that I feel like wearing pretty roses, without the dirt of Zombi nor the opium of Clermont. Lovely and not mentioned nearly enough by rose lovers!

I love red musk and have many many BPAL blends that are red musk dominant. The Red Ribbon does not disappoint! Smooth sweet red musk, and the vanilla and goat's milk combine to make this just perfect for me. Dare I say it - this reminds me a lot of The Infernal Lover! I never had the version of TIF that somehow went out lacking the red musk, so obviously that would differ. Definitely upgrading my decant to a bottle (or two!) Long lasting and good throw, too!

I was in the mood for a spring hair gloss, and I thought I would like this based on the notes, but somehow the fruity floral combination goes screechy on me. I love the Lab's peach and plum notes, but their respective blossoms just don't work out the same way. I'm disappointed, but very glad that I tried with a decant.

Sweet pink flowers, just a hint of pink rose, and a touch of light sandalwood on the drydown. This is pretty and would be perfect for a young person to start out with. Not too strong, very inoffensive. Glad I tried a decant but I don't need a big bottle of this one.

I don't recall why I ordered a decant of this, but I am so glad that I did! Typically I pass on Shungas... They only rarely have been "me" scents, so I have probably only tried a handful over the years. This one is delightful! First of all, the hinoki wood - hello there! This note is one I really like. It is a high note to me, goes up my nose and amazingly not in a sinus headache inducing way! This note puts me in mind of the note I love in We Wear The Mask... All this time I assumed it was the carrot seed in that one. Could it actually be one of the main "dry woods" mentioned there? Because it is so specific to my nose, and that's the only other scent I have that has that similarity. On drydown, that stays present, but the rest of the notes don't stand out individually to me. I love how blended they are, and the sum is greater than the parts. I am really enjoying this decant. Long lasting and decent throw, too!

Very very fizzy ginger ale. Bpal honey often turns musty in a bad way on me, but not here. The fizzy ginger overrides all. I mean, it almost tickles my nose the way a freshly poured glass of ginger ale does! Glad I got to try a decant, but I'm not a fan of this one at all. I guess they can't all be hits.

I'm cautious about any florals that I order and wear. It's taken a long time for me to find rose scents that don't turn soapy, and white florals tend to screech into my sinuses and cause instant headaches. But I'm immediately drawn in when I see lilac as a note. It's always been one of my favorite flowering trees/bushes, and I adore the scent. Lucille's Room perfume and atmo spray is my #1. Wisteria Blossoms has entered the room, and is a strong contender to bump LR! On my skin (please note that I slathered my decant with abandon) this is a blast of sweet spring blossoms... TBH I have never smelled wisteria, only seen it in photos. This scent is just gorgeous, all soft sweet purple lavender blooms. I can detect the lilac, but agree with someone above who mentioned magnolias... It does remind me of them too. The musk anchors this and keeps it away from my sinuses, and all together this is blended together and melds in a way that works so perfectly. Ok, addressing the "old lady" references made above, which I hate. I'm literally a senior citizen... An old lady, if you will. And no matter which BPAL I wear, I smell fucking fabulous. It really does bother me that people use that term as a negative connotation, even the way it's used elsewhere... As if the fact that this doesn't smell old ladyish is a compliment. If wearing Wisteria Blossoms makes me smell even more like an old lady, then good for me! 💖

Gorgeous dark musk, sweetened and spiced up by the vanilla and sugared cardamom, with the patchouli and vetiver barely detected long after drydown. Thankfully no stanky jasmine pops out on me. Once again, this scent is more than its individual notes - it's a lovely scent that is worthy of a bottle upgrade!

OMG this is so beautiful! A deep dark spicy rose. On my skin, the other notes aren't distinct on their own, which is just fine. They simply meld with the rose and enhance it. BPAL honey can often turn musty on me in an unpleasant way, but not here. I also get no soap from this, unlike the rose in Peacock Queen. The sum is so much better than its parts! Upgrading my decant to a bottle.

I applied my decant without rereading the notes first, just to get a blank first impression. Red musk and cacao - hello! I initially forgot this has a cacao note, but then remembered that's why I went for a decant rather than a blind bottle. After drydown, this settles on my skin to a lovely melange of red musk with some sweetness from the vanilla, honey, and ambergris, and just the right touches of patchouli, frankincense, and tobacco that keep it in my wheelhouse. Thankfully the leather never makes an appearance (another reason for my blind bottle hesitation.) This is a lovely scent! I already have other more beloved red musk blends so can pass on a bottle, but will slather my decant to abandon!

I was gifted a frottle of this from the Lab with my Weenie order and somehow forgot to review it! I tried it fresh and recall that I got very citrusy fizzy candy. Today I slathered it on to really immerse myself in the scent and see how it goes. So I definitely get a mixture of Sweet Tarts and Smarties candies from this! Citrusy, fizzy, a little powdery. I don't get any of the cola undertones that others have mentioned. But as it dries down I do get an undertone that feels somewhat sinister... I'm really having a hard time placing it, although it's something I clearly recognize. It's definitely not bleach, and not the lye note from Lye-Filled Bubblegum. But it puts me in mind of an old-fashioned powdered cleanser like Comet. Yes I think that's it. Sinister as in "caution, this person is not quite what she seems." Bubbly and fresh on the outside but if you come to close she has a real bite! What a fun scent! I don't see it going into my rotation (and I actually promised to pass the bottle on to a fellow forumite!) I definitely need to get this into the mail!

How is it possible that I never reviewed this wonderful bath oil?! Will remedy that right now! Note that I always use my bath oils as after shower moisturizers. Pele is the perfect summer scent, a tropical ginger flower. The bath oil matches the perfume perfectly and I'm going to be heartbroken when I finally use the last drops. I would love it if this became a part of the permanent collection if bath oils ever return.

I don't know why I forgot to ever review this lovely bath oil. I bought my bottle back when they were live. I always use my bath oils as an after-shower moisturizer. Pecan Pie bath oil is a lovely cozy spicy scented oil. It's that perfect scent for the holiday season. To be honest I don't think it smells like pecan pie at all, but my experience with the pie is limited. However if you want a warm clove/ nutmeg/cinnamon blend kind of spiced scent (and mind you, there is absolutely nothing burning about it on my skin fresh from the shower) then find yourself some of this beauty!

This is another scent that I never reviewed before! I thought I had, but it's not here. So will remedy this. I pulled this bottle out for today, because we had a gorgeous sunny and unseasonably warm weekend, followed by a gray chilly windy day today. It really put me in the mood for a spring scent with a gloomy edge. It's so lovely. This really evokes an earth scent without Beth's prominent graveyard dirt note. On my skin this wears as a dark Berry with the drydown of sandalwood and tobacco holding steady. It always makes me feel happy when I wear it. As far as being in the Lace family, yes I get that, but this one wears so much better on me than most of the Laces. I love this.

After all these years of wearing BPAL and loving so many of the vampire-inspired scents (I mean, a bottle of Dracul was in my first order from Feb. 2006) I finally tried Nosferatu! I can't believe that I waited all these years. The Lab frimped me an imp in a recent order, and here we are. On my skin, Nosferatu opens with my beloved graveyard dirt note. The wine is a sweet red blend that immediately melds with the dirt and becomes more than the individual notes. This scent is so much sweeter than I expected, and also lighter and brighter somehow. I really love this. Zombi is one of my favorite BPALs to turn to when I want a spring scent, and Nosferatu is right in my wheelhouse. Bottle worthy!

I sorted a big stash of old decants and imps yesterday, that I had tossed in a box. Putting away the Luper decants with my Luper bottles, I saw this imp of 2010 Signoir Dildo that I don't recall trying. So I applied it blind, before looking up the notes. Uh-oh... Mistake! This is on skin- I didn't bother to try to sniff the imp first. It's all sharp white florals that went straight up my sinuses and caused an instant headache. This is the same vibe and headache that I get from Snow White. It's a scrubber. 🙁

I'm a huge Snake Oil fan and nothing will top the original. I have enjoyed many of the variants, but only a couple have been backup bottle-worthy. This is definitely backup bottle-worthy! Upon first sniff and application, the scent is.... PERFECT! Snake Oil and Sugar Plum! Exactly as stated. It couldn't be more balanced between them on my skin! And it is super long lasting. The drydown remains balanced, with Snake Oil finally taking over as the plum fades, after about 2 hours. This plum note is sugary sweet, rich, and deeply juicy. The Snake Oil is more true to the original than the other recent variants. I read elsewhere that Beth doesn't actually use Snake Oil in the variants, which is why she can create them while the actual Snake Oil shortage remains. That she comes up with something that is so recognizable to blend with the other notes is amazing.

The Single Notes of Sumatran Red Patch and East African Black Patch are must-haves if you can find them! They were perfect fresh out of the bottle and mail back in the day, and now that they have aged, each one has gotten thicker and richer and they last forever! It's also fun to have both of them to learn to recognize the differences. Patchouli ages very well, so scents that are strong with that note tend to get even better with age.

A truly fae nectar! Dragon's blood resin and honeyed vanilla. I adore Beth's dragon's blood scents, and the Ars Draconis blends in particular. Dragon's Heart is my particular favorite dragon's blood blend, but I've been including a note to Puddin' begging for Dragon's Milk bath oil in every Trading Post order I've placed for years. He even teased me by including a handwritten note saying "Dragon's Milk!" in one order. Imagine my delight when Dragon's Milk hair gloss won the June lunacy poll! Two bottles instantly jumped into my cart, thank goodness, because the ability to order this lunacy went bye-bye much too fast. I really don't know how to describe this other than to say that if you love Dragon's Milk, you already know what you are getting. For those who don't know, you are getting a sweet dragon's blood blended with the most amazing honeyed vanilla. This scent is powerful and strong! It is my most strongly scented hair gloss (and I have most of them, so that's saying a lot!) The dragon's blood whomps you on the nose, especially if your hair is long enough, but the honeyed vanilla makes it non-headshoppy. LOVELY, STRONG, GORGEOUS, DRAGON'S MILK! It stays in your hair for days if you don't wash daily, and makes your shower smell amazing when you rinse/wash it out. Your hair will shine like the reflective iridescent scales of a dragon. Biggest regret- Puddin' only made this one live for a few days, and that was back when the forum was down for weeks. A lot of forumites missed out on the chance to order this amazing hair gloss. Since Dragon's Milk perfume is a favorite of so many, and hair gloss is a favorite product, I would love to see this added to the GC catalog, or at least resurrected long enough to share the love. Edited to add: this won the June lunacy poll, so there also wasn't a BPTP forum thread about it

I bought my bottle of Lycan Lace from Dark Delicacies the minute after it went live. I have barely worn it since then, and never reviewed it either. I'm trying to wear a different BPAL every day this month, and pulling the ones I rarely wear. I'm so glad I grabbed this one today! Obviously this review is now based on my three year old aged bottle. Musk! Red musk! This reminds me a lot of the way that Krampus smells on me! I have a lot of bottles of Krampus because it's a favorite, and I wear it a lot in the winter, so my memories are fresh. My skin always amps red musk, and this is no exception. Actually, I rarely love the Laces and this smells less like one of them than usual. I actually don't detect rose or pine. The notes have melded with age into a lovely, dark and sinister musky blend, feral indeed. I am in love with this lycan and will put it into heavier rotation!

I received this as a frottle from the Lab last year and forgot to review it! In the bottle, a blast of strong fresh pine tree! Whew! But it barely takes a minute after application that the pine dries down on my skin from a sharp blast to a cozy real Christmas tree in the house, a few days after it's been decorated and settled. You can smell the tree as you get close to it, but it doesn't blast you from across the room. That's how it is on my wrist. And there is a dark musk, likely black musk, that tempers it. A slight powder mingled with the musk, possibly myrrh, and the slightest hint of mint and cocoa. This is a great scent, cozier than I expected, and perfect for snuggling under a blanket near the tree, watching a sappy Hallmark Christmas movie, drinking bourbon-enriched hot cocoa with marshmallows. Edited to add: today I'm getting a waft of frankincense too!