Atrous

Fear of Fog Sinuous, suffocating tendrils of grey ambergris, white frankincense, and cade. Right away it's frankincense balanced nicely with ambergris. I love both notes and the two together are great. Frank lends some brightness to the ambergris. I also detect something that smells like tire rubber. After testing Nebulaphobia I went in search of what Cade smells like and one of the descriptions said it can smell tar-like. So, I think the rubber smell is coming from that note. That sounds unpleasant but its not. The three notes work really well together and are strangely compelling. I had a similar experience with Streets of Detroit where I couldn't believe how well the motor oil note complimented the rest of the blend. Sorry, this review is kinda vague. I have a hard time describing it except to say I like it.

The silent rays of the full moon piercing the shadows of an ancient grove: a ragged canopy of moonflower and morning glory, dew-touched mosses creeping over gnarled oak roots, and shimmering beams of mugwort, cuckoo flower, and rose mallow. I was really excited for Esbat since the other HM scents are some of the best BPAL has to offer. Esbat is so disappointing. No Moonflower. No Morning Glory. No Rose Mallow. All I get is a very bitter, sharp herbal with something moldering underneath. I had to scrub it off cause it gave me a headache.

In response to the National Park Service retweeting a New York Times piece on Trumps Inauguration numbers, Trumps fragile ego demanded that his administration order the NPS to stop all tweets. The National Park Service refuses to be muzzled. On January 24th, South Dakotas Badlands National Park social media team defiantly posted a series of climate change facts from the National Wildlife Federation before being shut down. Since then, anonymous employees from the National Park Service started a rogue twitter account: https://twitter.com/AltNatParkSer These courageous federal employees are risking their careers to ensure that the public is kept informed on issues of climate change. They are fighting for transparency, truth, and science, and they deserve every ounce of support we can offer them. Tweet, email, FB, and phone in your support. Visit your local National Parks and thank the employees there in person. Donate to the National Parks Conservation Association and the National Park Foundation. For them, for us, for the sake of the First Amendment, the environment, our state parks, and our future, we honor the bravery and chutzpah of these NPS employees with a scent that benefits the National Parks Conservation Association and the National Park Foundation. The Theoi Nomioi are the gods and spirits of the wild: the countryside, the pastures, the forests. Under their auspices, untamed nature thrives, the beasts of the wild feast and multiply, the mountains reach to the heavens with their stony, snow-capped fingers, and the forests grow thick and dark with mystery. The National Parks Conservation Association Since 1919, the National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice of the American people in the fight to safeguard the scenic beauty, wildlife, and historic and cultural treasures of the largest and most diverse park system in the world. Help us assure the future of our beloved national parks. The National Park Foundation The National Park Foundation protects Americas special places, connects people to nature and inspires the next generation of park stewards. Purely the scent of a coniferous forest...spruce and juniper, pine bark, sweet sap, and stone. Oh happy, happy day...this is exactly what I hoped it would be.

METRO I beg you, don’t lie, dear Coritto: Who was the Man who stitched for you this bright red dildo? CORITTO I don’t know if Cerdon is from Chios or Erythrae; bald, small – you’d call him a right ‘Mr. Tradesman’. You’ll think you’re seeing the handiwork of Athena herself not Cerdon’s. I – for he arrived bringing two, Metro – at the sight of them – well my eyes bulged; men can’t make their rods as rigid as this – we are alone and can be frank – and not only that, these are as soft as sleep; and the little leather straps are as soft as wool, not like leather straps at all. A kinder cobbler to a woman you’ll not find – even by putting-out. METRO Why then did you not take the other one as well? CORITTO What didn’t I do, Metro? What sort of means of persuasion did I not apply him? Kissing him, stroking his bald head, pouring out a sweet drink for him, calling him by a pet name, giving him all by my body to enjoy. METRO If he asked even that you ought to have given him it. Red leather and honey. I'm having one of those this is really complex for a scent with two notes moments This starts out as prominent leather. it's a new leather and has a sharp quality. There is also something Red about this ,but at first, I wasn't quite sure why. It didn't seem to be coming from the leather itself. As it morphs, the leather starts to smell musky and takes on a worn aspect. The honey starts to come out. Its there but minds its manners; for which I'm thankful. It's not until the drydown that I realize what's going on. There's red musk. Yep, red musk and I'm over the moon. I also believe that I'm smelling some other musk, a darker musk. I have this impression because the scent has a red quality to it but also something darker, murkier. It all comes together in a musky, raw, sweet, sexy scent. Absolutely love this!

Lilith meets the Gargoyles of Paris: stone and ancient incense, beeswax and lavender smoke.  The stone and the incense are there. I'm not getting any beeswax so that's kinda disappointing. Honestly, I'm not a fan of the lavender smoke. It does indeed smell like smokey lavender and is off-putting. I was hoping for a more beeswax/incense heavy scent with the other notes in the background.

Favorite pastime: hiding in the rafters, ogling your smoked sausage. Eyes up here, mister! Sweaty pear and honey with leather, coconut meat, tonka bean, and castoreum accord. I went out of my comfort zone to try this. I’ve heard some negativity concerning castoreum but hadn’t tried it myself. But, having good luck with animalic notes I decided to give this a go. This is a really odd scent. I love it but it is odd. I’m gonna do my best to describe it. Okay, first, this one’s a morpher. WET: Starts out as VERY sweet, juicy pear. Underneath this is something bitter and unpleasant. For me, leather sometimes starts out bitter but maybe it’s the castoreum? Anyway, soon the bitterness dissipates. DRYDOWN: Coconut and a touch of Tonka come out and help to tamp down the sweetness. Way down at the base the leather is making itself known. Again, since this is my first time trying castoreum I can only guess that this is what is combining with leather. The leather smells animalistic and skanky. Also, there’s the faintest wisp of smokiness rising up. This scent still stays pretty sweet all the way through and the pear stays prominent. I asked my Mom to take a whiff and describe it. She said sweet, fruity, dirty, leathery, musky. I really dig this. Glad I took the chance but it’s definitely not for everyone.

Salzburg is so goddamn beautiful. Chilled white tea, freesia, and bergamot blanketing skeletal branches. Winter wind brushing across still waters.  Powdery floral with tea and bergamot. In the background of the scent is something aquatic-ish. Soft, feminine, and perfumey. Stays close to the skin. I can see wearing this in Spring or Summer. I like it well enough just not sure I would reach for it that often.

While we were at the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, I desperately wanted to see the Nefertiti bust and share the moment with Lilith. There’s a story behind why the bust is so important to me, but that’s for another time. Suffice to say, I was overwhelmed with awe and joy, and a kind docent told me that we could take a photograph from the doorway as long as we didn’t use flash. This blurry mess is my best attempt! Myrrh steeped with cardamom, cinnamon, and sweet wine, streaked with lines of labdanum kohl, and gilded with crushed ambrette seed, a copper oxide musk, and accords of lime spar and iron oxide.  In the bottle I mostly get wine and, I guess, the lime spar because it has a mineral-like lime smell to it. Once it's on the skin it morphs quite a bit. The myrrh and spices come out while the wine note recedes and becomes a background note. This scent is kinda hard to describe. Myrrh is the base with the other notes sorta popping in and out. One moment I smell lime, another moment Wine, and another moment Labdanum. It's all in there spice, resins, mineral, stone, a bit of sweetness, musk, and metal. It sounds like a mess but it's not. These notes play really well together. I really love this scent but more than that it's intriguing. I have the feeling this will age beautifully.

The latest subject of our latest #BPAL7wordstory contest has finally been enshrined in scent! The winning entry was submitted by Miss Pauline: The poison worked slowly, to her delight. Bitter almond swirled into black patchouli, with red amber, rum absolute, and lemon peel. I had no luck with imps this time Wrath, with its list of notes that I love, was pretty disappointing. It started out promising with bitter almond and patchouli coming out but soon it turned into a mess. That's the best way I can describe this scent...It's just a mess. Except for the amber, I detect all the notes but, for some reason, they just don't work together. There's nothing unpleasant here but it's too jumbled for me to enjoy.

A tousled, sexy mix of patchouli, vanilla, and hemp. Want to preface this review by saying that BB oil didn't work because hemp turns to BO on my skin. But, I really loved the Patch and Vanilla notes so I took a chance on the HG. Okay, so now the HG: In my hair the hemp is, well, hemp. Yeah! Patchouli has a dirty vibe and the vanilla is luxurious. I think the three notes are nicely balanced. Short review but that's all it really needs. This HG is a huge win for me!

LENUS MARS Mars the Healer Roman chamomile, white musk, and ambergris. Lenus Mars scared me at first. During the wet phase it smelled like herbal cough drops. Not to worry because once this dries down its a really nice balance of all three notes. The Chamomile has such a soothing feel to it and gives the Musk a powdery vibe. Then there is the Ambergris which is present but not too strong. Simple, beautiful, unisex with a medium throw.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder Dry balsams and wind-smooth woods, ambergris-grey clouds, autumn hay. Gloomy day is, thankfully, as advertised. I get all the notes listed with none of the notes overpowering the others. Smells like being outdoors in a rural area on a cloudy, autumn day. Its close to the skin,cozy, dry, woodsy, kinda hazy, with an underlying warmth. I'm so glad Gloomy Day turned out to be exactly as I expected.

Black oudh and carnation. I love the Lab's simpler blends. Give me a scent with just two notes that I happen to love. This is no exception. Of the Lupers I've tried this one is my favorite. The Black Oudh in this reminds me of a lighter version of the Motor Oil note in Streets of Detroit. Combine that with a spicy carnation that's present but not overpowering and you have an awesome combo that smells like a gritty, dark, spicy carnation.

Pink grapefruit, yuzu, pink pepper, ambergris, and seafoam. Not sure how I feel about this one. It's grapefruit and ambergris with a bit of something briney in the background. I'm grateful that the seafoam didn't go in the direction most aquatic notes go, meaning it usually smells like rot/decay on my skin. The seafoam note actually smelled like distant sea water. I didn't detect any pink pepper which is disappointing because I feel the pink pepper would've kicked the scent up a notch. I think I need to retest after a little while and see if the pink pepper comes out and how it changes the scent. Right now the scent is nice but a bit dull.

Ginger lily, bergamot, white tea, lily of the valley, osmanthus, and melon blossom. At first this was a lovely, fresh lily scent with a dab of tea. Once it dried down it turned to soap. A nice floral soap but still...soap. Disappointing since I really loved the beginning stage.

Damp clusters of brown patchouli, dried maple leaves, black sage, spikenard, and curled, misshapen mandrake roots. Dark earth and roots with an herbal sweetness. This is like digging around in dirt with clumps of herbs and shrubs growing out of it, with tangled roots and dead leaves buried underneath. Dark, gritty, dirt, wild herbs, on the masculine side. This is my kind of scent. As with St. Louis #1 I have no regrets about purchasing a bottle and I expect that Burying Point is a scent that will get even better as it ages.

Drooping Spanish moss and crumbling marble, sweet olive blossom, 13-year aged black patchouli, and offerings of Bay Rum, Florida water, and tobacco. Wet: Olive blossom and Florida water. Dry: The two opening notes take a back seat as the moss, Bay Rum, and chewy tobacco come out. The tobacco smells spicy due to the Bay Rum and There's a splash of cologne making this scent more masculine. This all rests on an Earthy base. If I sniff really close I can smell stone. Masculine, spicy, smoky...I have no regrets buying a blind bottle and I expect it will get better with age!

White tea blossom, jasmine sambac, white musk, and leather. I'm disappointed. Starts out as beautiful tea scent with a subdued jasmine. I really wish the scent would have stayed this way. Its so pretty. Too bad that once it dries down it turns to soap. BTW, I didn't detect any leather or musk in this.

In the month of December, another fair American medium arrived in England. This lady and her husband, Dr. Roberts, attended a course of lectures I was then delivering in Providence Chapel, upon Mesmerism and Animal Magnetism. They introduced themselves to me, and invited me to visit them. I did so, many times; and to them do I owe much; for, through the information I received from them, I have been enabled to inquire more fully into this soul-stirring, and very important subject, after several Seances at Mrs. Roberts's in Dyer's Buildings, Holborn [MD: original], where I witnessed the moving of the table in various directions. This is what is called “Table-turning,” and which has been attributed to Electricity or Animal Magnetism, by many intelligent and scientific persons… I have seen a loo-table suspended in the air, at least six inches from the ground, without anyone in the body touching it. —Hardinge, 1854 A heavy, tactile scent that thrums with voices from beyond: black polished teakwood, gullies of ectoplasm, and ghostly white musk. Wet: Starts out unpleasant. Strong camphor scent and sharp lemon. Dry down: This ones a real morpher. Camphor goes away almost immediately and the sharpness of the lemon starts to subside. Musk makes its appearance and I swear I smell vanilla. Dry: Okay, this is not what I was expecting but its actually very nice. Sweet lemony tea, vanilla, and musk with a wood smell underneath. I never would have said that it was specifically Teakwood.

Upturned grave dirt, English ivy, black moss, drooping pine, dried cypress, blackthorn, and candle wax. In the bottle this smells very similar to Graveyard Dirt. Wet: this is really heavy on the Grave Dirt; its rich and damp and oddly sweet. I can smell beeswax which I'm guessing is what is sweetening the grave dirt. Dry: Grave Dirt fades back a bit allowing the other components to come through. Dark greenery, woods, beeswax, and a bit of camphorousness from the pine with that strange sweetness playing over everything. This scent is so odd but so compelling. I love its strangeness and know I'll wear it often in the Fall. It has a lot of throw.

Any manner of flowers – pale or bright, crisp or sultry – will form the base of these Chaos blends. #31 Out of all the Chaos, Floral was the one I was most iffy about getting. Now I'm glad I did. Something pulpy and I want to say it's Bamboo. Peru Balsam is definitely a note in this scent. There's a slightly sugary floral dancing around the edges but for the life of me I can't pin it down. Occasionally, I get whiffs of Sweet Pea but just a smidgen. There's an aquatic component to this, very slight, that comes off as fresh water as apposed to salt water. Light and cheerful and ethereal. Great for Spring and Summer. This bottle's a keeper.

This definitely has that Haute Macabre vibe to it. I'm getting the Banshee Beat meets Antikythera Mechanism thing that other reviews have commented on. What I love is this is without the hemp note of Banshee Beat which ruins that scent for me. Smokey Patchouli rounded out by vanilla and sweet woods. Love this scent.

Creamy, spicy Snake Oil with a bit of floral peeking out. Once it dries down the honeycomb note comes out a little. This is a really sexy scent. My favorite thing about this Snake Oil variant is I don't need to age it to wear it.

Our trip to the Catacombs was bittersweet. Lilith was touched by the beauty and poignancy of the experience, but also horrified by the stories of people getting lost underground. Lilith surrounded by the ghosts of six million Parisians: damp black moss, grey sandalwood chips of bone, and winding sheets of balsam, ambergris, nagarmotha, and frankincense.  This is a dark scent but not as heavy as I thought it would be. Also, somewhat perfumey? I wasn't expecting that. I'm mostly smelling balsam and sandalwood with a bit of animal funk from the ambergris. Some dark dampness around the edges. I'm also getting something that smells like old, musty linens. I love the Lab's balsam so I'm not complaining. It's a very nice that I can see myself wearing.

Star jasmine, oppoponax, sweet oudh, tuberose absolute, ambrette seed, and oakmoss. If you like heady florals and funk this is the scent for you. I happen to like both so all's good. Jasmine and Tuberose combine for a nose full of flower. There's quite a bit of funk I think because there's both Tuberose and Oudh adding to this dimension of the scent. This one's pretty sweet too - It's almost too much for me but it manages to stay just shy of being off-putting. I'm very happy with this scent but I'd be happier if there was more Oakmoss to ground it. I think some aging should do the trick.