Poenari
-
Content Count
4,295 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Everything posted by Poenari
-
The grasping tentacles of vice: black musk, tobacco absolute, opium poppy accord, smoked khus, and oily black opoponax. I adore this! This octopus is hiding in the depths of the lake, in a swirl of smoky ink. There is nothing aquatic here, despite the name. It's a dark, inky but slightly sweet musk on my skin. It's so very well-blended but perhaps the touch of sweetness comes from the tobacco. I don't really know. Those dark smoky opium notes all agree with my chemistry. The perfume has lots of staying power. I wore it on the 6 hour drive home from Chicago and couldn't stop sniffing my wrist all day. This bottle is my most valuable memento from C2E2 for reasons. Thank you Beth for your time and attention at the Con and our lovely conversations and hugs! edited to add: I've been wearing this almost daily since I bought it. Now that it's had a bit of time to rest, the smoked khus is more apparent on my skin, and the overall scent is less sweet than it was the first few times I wore it. I do tend to amp smoky notes, especially vetiver, and khus is another term for it. I love smoky scents and this one is a real beauty.
-
This is amazing! Little Bird nailed the description. The initial blast of smoky patchouli with a heavy overlay of an industrial smell - is that the ink? The patch is not that sweet chewy patch but a dry and dark one, and upon drydown it can't be separated out from the other notes. I always amp patchouli but this blend isn't a "patchouli" forward blend. No, it's the scent I remember from childhood trips to Chicago! Back when smog was still a deep haze over the city as we drove in from the South Side, passing smokestacks along Lake Calumet, mingled with the scent of my pre-teen slathering of Coty Wild Musk Oil perfume.
-
Dark honeyed musk, not as strong on the tea note as I had expected! This is lovely and very sexy... the sleekest softest black cat caught out of the corner of your eye, slinking around the corner.
-
OMG how is it possible that in almost 20 years of wearing BPAL that I never reviewed this?! I know I have worn it many times. I got a random urge to pull this from my imp stash and apply this evening. I love cinnamon, myrrh, and honeysuckle and my limited experience with copal is also positive. This blend is a sticky sweet honeyed cinnamon on my skin. It bears a lot of similarities with the way that Dragons Milk goes on me. In fact, I would say this is spicy Dragons Milk, as if DM had added cinnamon to the blend. It has good throw and longevity too. I'm not suggesting that it's an equal replacement, but it has a similar vibe to me. Lovely!
-
Oh, this is definitely a sweet vanilla musk! I haven't smelled Millennial Pink so I can't speak to the ruby chocolate from that. I tend to avoid chocolate or cocoa or cacao notes on me. This is so subtle that it's just a grounding note well after dry down. It's not foodie but is a sweeter vanilla scent than I usually wear. I like this.
-
Reviewing this briefly fresh from the mailbox! Sniffing from the bottle, this is a super fizzy sweet rosé! I don't tend towards the Lab's champagne notes so I've never really understood how Beth can create a scent that smells the way carbonation bubbles feel when you hold a glass of a bubbly drink under your nose! It's so realistic I can almost feel the bubbles pop at my nostrils. On dry down a hint of the clove studded orange comes through, more citrus than clove. I actually misread the description when I ordered this and have been waiting for my package to arrive with feelings of buyer's remorse. I've prepared myself to not like this and planned to swap it for something else. I haven't given it a full wear test yet, but I have a feeling that this one is going to end up a surprise keeper after all! 12/30 After a full wear, I am definitely keeping this bottle! I don't wear fizzy, bright, citrus, or champagne notes so why do I like this?! It stays bright and lovely on me. This is now going to be my annual New Year's Eve scent! Out of my usual wheelhouse but worth the change! 🎉
-
This one was an instabuy for me. I adore Snake Oil, and have loved all the scents I could get with the SO and Dorian combo. At first this spray is actually heavier on the Snake Oil than I had expected- which is definitely not a bad thing. But yes I can definitely smell the Dorian as well. I also love Beth's dirt notes. Here it's just a very subtle grounding that I detect a few minutes after spraying. This one's going to be in heavy rotation on my pillow.
-
Black Pine and Incense Smoke Atmosphere Spray
Poenari replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Atmosphere
Yes! As described. My package came on Tuesday and I immediately sprayed my Black Pine & Incense Smoke Atmo! It's as described- a gorgeous smoky pine forest. It's not Pine-Sol, it's a dark spooky pine forest where someone has been holding a ritual using the richest dark incense. Don't sit on this one! -
This is so fun! I love and agree with Invidiana's description. It's definitely got that smoky bonfire note, but not as harsh as I expected. Dries down with a fresh but dry breeze. I will use mine to make my car smell like a cool vintage hearse.
-
This is another lovely scent from the Spiritus Arcanum collection. I definitely get the similar dirt note as in my beloved Graveyard Dirt, but here it seems greener. It dries down to something softer than I expected. A lovely earthy scent that has an aquatic vibe to me, probably from the lichen. Makes me think of a cobble-stoned, moss covered path along a babbling brook, where the water splashes the path just enough to keep it damp and amp the scent as you walk along.
-
Testing my decant and was not expecting to really like this, because butter and cream/milk blends do not work on me. Well I'm happy to be wrong here! Initially the butter is there, but it quickly dries down to a rich blend that is quite gourmand, but not in a cloying way. The notes all blend well, and this became a warm skin scent, slightly musky and with a touch of the bread note, very much like the smell of warm bread fresh out of the oven. I'm really glad I decided to get a decant to test!
-
Oh this is a lovely soft autumnal floral! I find it to be very well blended, without any one particular note standing out. I don't have words to describe it other than a beautiful autumn day spent in the sun, hiking through a pumpkin patch that is ringed with sunflowers and late-blooming carnations and roses. This doesn't have a lot of throw in my hair, but I catch lovely wafts as I move my head and my hair falls close to my face. Love!
-
Sweet apple cider, softened by the marshmallow. I also have Autumn Cider hair gloss from a few years ago, and this one is much softer. Lovely scent!
-
Harvest Moon: Black Clove and Wildflower Honey Hair Gloss
Poenari replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Hair
This is as straightforward as it gets: a lovely black clove sweetened by honey. Nothing musty or harsh in this. It's spicy and just gorgeous and will go with my many clove-scented bpals. -
Ok, I know my review won't do this justice, as I'm not good with words and descriptions the way many are. But holy cow is this scent gorgeous! I am testing my decant, and already regretting that I didn't have the funds to take a chance and blind bottle this. Dark seductive floral indeed! I get the beautiful orchid and poppies, but everything else is so well blended that no distinguishing notes stand out. This is one of the most elegant and sophisticated BPAL florals I think I've ever smelled. Granted, I don't consider myself a florals gal for the most part, but this one hits all the right spots for me!
-
Oh this is lovely! I'm testing this and get a lovely smoky beeswax dripping down ancient interior walls... There is moss on the windowsills and in the corners of the hall where moisture has gathered, but overall this is dry (but not arid), dusty, earthy, and ancient. The leather plays nice for me, which is rare, and just contributes to the ancient vibe, not as a player. Very evocative!
-
This is a darker, fruitier berried Snake Oil than Serpent In The Berries. I tried them side by side and while I love them both, I think I will be turning to this one more often! A lovely dark fruity Snake Oil. What's not to love?!
-
I love my Snake Oil, and I love my dead leaves blends. This is another perfect medley for autumn. But at first, oh this snake bites! At first, the dead leaves covered over the snake, which had to wriggle out from under the pile to make itself known. After a bit of drydown, the snake fights its way forward. This is a tussle for supremacy. They are very equally matched! After an hour or so, they remain blended into a beautiful Snake Oil variant. This definitely has similarities to Haunt 2021, but I feel like this one has more throw and longevity on me. Will try a death match between them in a few days and report back, but of course I would never get rid of either one! They are so perfectly in my wheelhouse! Next Day Update! I acquired a bottle of Haunt 2021 last year and put it away. I tried it today, after wearing Copperhead Snake on Dead Leaves all day yesterday. I wanted to do a comparison. Now in Haunt, I can really detect the lavender after this has aged for so long! Maybe a hint of the Dorian, too. Anyway, this is gorgeous and I'm so glad I have a full bottle. But if you missed out on Haunt, get yourself Copperhead Snake on Dead Leaves while it is available! They are different enough to have both, but if one is all you can get, then I wouldn't really have a preference because both are wonderful Snake Oil w/Dead Leaves scents!
-
Ok my package arrived today so this first sniff is fresh from the mailbox. I'll update later if anything changes. First off, sniffed from the bottle this is surprisingly lighter than I would expect! Pleasant, musky. On wrist, I get black musk, the same musk I get in The Cat. There is a creaminess to this that fortunately isn't the scent of actual milk, which I detest, but I feel like it's what keeps the blend soft and very smooth. Sadly I don't get a blood note... I really love all of the Lab's blood notes and wish it were stronger here. Early take is that this is very wearable and should be popular if you love musk!
-
Dead Leaves, Pumpkin Pie, and Hearthsmoke Atmosphere Spray
Poenari replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Atmosphere
This is such a perfect autumn scent! I’ve said that before about my Samhain atmosphere spray, but this is even better if that’s possible! It’s the perfect blend of pumpkin spices with crisp red and gold dead leaves, and just a touch of campfire smoke. I am keeping a small bottle in my car so it can smell like this whenever I need a touch of Autumn in my day. Backup bottles for sure! Do not sit on this one if you want autumn year round! -
Oh this is so lovely! It really is true to all the parts of the coconut. Takes me right back to my trip to Hawaii many years ago, where I enjoyed many coconuts fresh off the tree. I need to try layering this with Snake Oil as a preview of my pending order of Snakes In The Coconut Cake, although I expect that to be a much sweeter version of coconut.
-
Very evocative and chemical smelling. I can really smell the sealant, as I've been married for 48 years to a man who refinishes furniture and uses many sealants. This smell exactly like it's described. Stays true on the drydown too. More of something I enjoy as an example of Beth's expertise at creating atmospherics and odd scents than something I will actually wear.
-
Testing my decant and my first take: oh this smells like poison! There's a vague undertone of almost a lye note here, but sweet and sticky. The floral note isn't the kind of white floral that screeches into my sinuses! It's seductive and pulls you in for a closer sniff. I literally sniffed so close that I accidentally touched my nose to my wrist! After drydown, the scent dries down to a purplish floral all right, only a hint of powder here. This is deceptively lovely!
-
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!
-
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!