LiberAmoris

Love Lay Upon Her Eyes is a must for lovers of white amber. On my skin it's definitely the star in this blend, with the rose recognizable but not overwhelming. After a half hour, it's a nice clean, almost sweet amber with very subtle rose—like a rose trapped in amber. There's something pure about it, and comforting. It's pretty enough to wear all on its own, or I imagine that it would be a great blender as well.

I had to get this one for the art and name alone. I'm dying for someone to ask me what I'm wearing... I was hoping that the coffee note here wouldn't be too strong—as much as I love coffee, it doesn't always work well on my skin. But in Destructive Vagina of the Fox Spirit, it's really just right. About five minutes after application, this is a snuggly, warm, incensey mix of vanilla, amber, and champaca on me. The coffee note is really gentle. It's truly like a creamy, coffee-dipped nag champa!

I love being able to go back and forth between BPAL perfumes that have a kajillion notes and are lovely, complex beasts—an orchestra of notes—and then dip into one the next day that's just as lovely but is more like listening to a solo. Well, it more like a trio here. But there's a primacy to Love and Time and Sin that I appreciate and enjoy. On me the rose and musk feel doled out in equal measure, and it reminds me a lot of Spellbound, one of my early favorites from the Lab. As with Spellbound, you get red musk and rose, but instead of Spellbound's warm amber, there's opoponax, which I always find really tough to describe. It smells like a cross between a wood and a resin to me—grounding and slightly herbal, slightly earthy. Love and Time and Sin is definitely worth trying if you like red roses and red musk, because they're strong and rather glorious here!

Furo really is a showcase for that lovely black tea note. On me, it's lighter and airier than I would have thought—almost evanescent. The bergamot is bright at first, but burns off quickly, leaving the tea and vanilla, with just a touch of patchouli and peru balsam. Those bottom notes are handled with a light touch—just enough to give a bit of weight and structure. For those wary of patchouli, I wouldn't necessarily know it was in here if it wasn't listed. It fits so neatly behind the other notes that it falls more like a light shadow than an outline of its own. A couple of hours later, it's soft, slightly peppery and close to the skin—I smell tea and vanilla and the warm underpinnings, but the overall effect is almost like a tea-inspired skin musk. I don't normally seek out tea as a note, but it's gorgeous here, and utterly wearable. I think Furo would also pair really well with Silkybat hair gloss. In fact, I might try that today.

One of the hits from my Lupercalia order, Queen Venus with a Hood Striped Gold and Black is resins and rose, resins and rose. Like a snake chasing its tail, they blend together so beautifully that it seems more like some heady single note—like if a rose tree bled golden sap in a storybook. It reminds me a little of my beloved Rose Red...but older, wiser, with more at stake but less to lose. After an hour or so, this is a beautiful rosy amber on me. Definitely a keeper.

Discussion on the First Climb of the Mountain of Passion is so pretty. The carnation, peony, moss and frankincense are the strongest notes for me, with the lemon, rose, and peppercorn asserting themselves gently between those broader strokes. I'm a sucker for peony, and it's nice and complex in this mix—I'd call this floral forward but well balanced. It does a great job of capturing the colors in the art that inspired it—which, by the way, is so gorgeous with the tumult of fabric prints. Wherever I spray this one, it smells like spring. After the winter we've had/are still having, I can't think of anything better.

This review is long overdue—I love House of Unquenchable Fire atmo spray. Like my beloved British Blondes, it's an amber and vanilla fest, but at times it also reminds me of one of my favorite perfumes from my teenage years: Benetton Colors. Sometimes on the weekend I give my whole apartment a good spray and then just revel in the golden, warm, rich scent that seems to coat everything in sunny glamour. I sprayed the inside of one of my long wool jackets with it, and now every time I wear it, I'm enveloped by House of Unquenchable Fire. Even after I take the jacket off, traces of it cling to me like gold dust and I can smell it all day. Truly an everyday luxury!

Moroccan Pumpkin Patch is really great—the spices in Morocco blend really beautifully with the pumpkin. It's my favorite after Sin and Snakes.

I can't believe it's taken me so long to review The British Blondes atmo spray...it's absolutely stunning and I've been spraying it every which way for the past few years. I only have an inch or so left in the bottle, and I'll be so sad when it's finally gone! Vanilla, orchid, and amber...sounds relatively straightforward, but like so many blends, it's entirely more than the sum of its parts. The golden amber is the strongest note, with the orchid coming through brightly and with that great dusky tang that they have. The vanilla rounds everything out and adds warmth and sweetness. It smells like brass on blonde wood, like the perfect red lipstick, like a pile of furs in the back of a Rolls Royce. There's something Gatsby-esque about it—outsized, unabashed and luxe. I'll enjoy every last spritz!

I bought an Erebos atmo spray a while back because work was so stressful that I was having trouble sleeping. I give the bed and pillows a few squirts before I start getting ready to sleep each night and it's been working wonders. As almost everyone has said, it's very reminiscent of TKO and harmonizes well for those wearing TKO as a sleeping oil—but Erebos is more floral and less astringent. I'm one of those people who often wears TKO to bed, and the combination of TKO and Erebos is pretty much heavenly. It's one of my BPTP essentials...I hope to never be without it. It would also make a really great gift for anyone who needs help relaxing, and frankly, that's most us!

I've loved Sin for a long time. It was one of the first GCs that I bought a 10ml of when I first started collecting BPAL, and I still wear it often. So I was excited but a little nervous about trying Sin in the Pumpkin Patch, because y'know, don't mess with perfection. But this is SO GOOD. All the warmth and sultriness and straight-up mellow goodness of Sin...plus pumpkin. Like fall wearing over-the-knee boots and a smirk and nothing else. I've already bought one back up bottle, and I'm contemplating getting another (or two) in case it doesn't make a reappearance in the future.

Not as direct as our Money Draw: Quick and Dirty oil, this bath attracts financial gain through expansiveness, optimism, and opportunity. For optimum results, use this bath in conjunction with prosperity and money drawing rituals. This post is merely a placeholder for future reviews of this bath oil. Whoever is first to review, please report this post using the report button below, so a mod can merge it with yours. Thanks!

Trolling Oil will keep you glib, witty, fired up, and on-point while you participate in fruitless, frustrating arguments on the internet. This post is merely a placeholder for future reviews of this TAL oil. Whoever is first to review, please report this post using the report button below, so a mod can merge it with yours. Thanks!

Mod Note: FYI, there is another 'Meditation' oil/review topic located in the TAL sub-category of Utility Blends. This blend helps calm internal static and silence the noise of fitful intrusive thoughts to better facilitate effective meditation. This post is merely a placeholder for future reviews of this TAL oil. Whoever is first to review, please report this post using the report button below, so a mod can merge it with yours. Thanks!

It's been a really long time since I bought an aquatic—I love them, but I find I just don't wear them that much on my skin. But I'm glad I took the plunge with Octopus. At first, it's like a wave, with the watery notes crashing hard. But receding, the drydown is subtle and nostalgic. I get as much ambergris after 10 minutes as I do the moss and kelp. It's clean and warm and elegant. Reminds me a bit of House of Mirrors, but Octopus is much softer, like something lovely seen at the oblique. I'll enjoy every drop of my bottle.

I'm loving Third Charm. I think it's definitely one to try for those who've enjoyed Snake Oil, Womb Furie, Infernal Lover and O. The honey comes forward on my skin, and after a half hour or so, it's a soft, musky, honeyed skin scent with the patchouli darkening the edges ever so slightly. And it smells a little bit like nag champa (!), which is a total bonus.

Strong black tea and milk with white pepper, ginger, honey and vanilla, spilled over the crisp scent of clean linen. This post is merely a placeholder for future reviews of this just-released scent. Whoever is first to review, please report this post so I can merge it with yours. Thanks!

Silence, Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer.White sandalwood, iris, blue musk, lotus root, moonflower, plum blossom, green tea, white mint and white peach. Silence was a must-have because of the notes---white sandalwood, blue musk, moonflower, plum blossom? Sign me up. That, and I am obsessed with the mysteriousness of the painting, the gorgeous blues, the strange landscape in the background, and the arresting expression and accompanying hand gesture...perhaps we shouldn't discuss the hand gesture. I'm sure it can be traced back to the Egyptian god Horus and Harpocrates the Greek god of Silence and other traditional gestures meant to convey silence. It feels like a very secret and symbolist gesture, charged with the pressure of the moment. I'll leave it at that. In the bottle, I can really smell the sandalwood and muted fruits. It smells...quiet. That perception changes when I apply it and a delightful chorus of fruits and tea plays out. The peach and plum blossom are on the top, then I smell the moonflower and green tea and iris, then the lotus and sandalwood, and lastly the mint, which on me is just barely detectable but gives a little glimmer or sparkle to the other notes. I have no idea what blue musk smells like, but feel like I can smell it edging the blend in its luminous glow. Silence gets better the longer it wears---the sandalwood and musk give it good staying power on my skin even though it is a quiet blend. It's a fantastic fruity-floral with a lot of complexity. I find it very relaxing and peaceful. As it dissipates from my skin, it smells like a hush has fallen over me. Like walking out from a room filled with many voices into a winter night. It's lovely.

Mourning Lace is perfect for people who step into Reccs and say they're looking for a BPAL that smells a bit like clove cigarettes. The clove is wonderful here, and although it is well blended with the other notes, it remains distinguishable through the dry-down, at least on my skin. The oak, frankincense and myrrh work together to create a resiny, oaky base that's lifted from heaviness by the vanilla blossom. The clove warms everything up and adds an enlivening spice. I think I can pick up on the cognac—something that reminds me of wine—but it's not prominent. ML stays close to my skin and hours later I get occasional wafts of what smells like a clovey skin-musk. There's something contemplative about it that seems true to mourning, but it also smells very comforting to me. I bought this for my boyfriend but I think we may have to share it.

Let me second the recommendation of Snake Oil, which I have long maintained is reminiscent of Emeraude. Of all the BPAL scents I've tried, it comes the closest, at least to my nose.

Oleander Honey smells like white oleander blossoms and honey. Like the other Rappaccini's Garden honey blends I've tried, it's sweet, but with an edge. For those who love honey and white florals, this is a dream pairing.

Chokecherry Honey really does smell like a mix of cherry and honey. My boyfriend says he likes it because it reminds him of the smell of cherry chapstick, which is a nostalgic scent for him. It's more nuanced than that, obviously, but it does share some elements. There's a slight bitter or astringent note here that's very faint and gives it a little bit of edge.

I bought Mastermind for my boyfriend, but I love it and kind of want to keep the bottle for myself. After opening and sniffing, I was pretty much transported back to 1989 because there's something about Mastermind that reminds me of Benetton Colors, the perfume I wore for many years as a teen. But I like this better. On, the woods and resins and floral notes swim together in the most delightful way. I catch sandalwood, then a bit of leather, then orange blossom, then the black amber. Woven through, there's that subverted, darkened jasmine that's so sexy. It's sophisticated, but it doesn't mess around. So good.

Anyone who loves Benetton Colors (it was my signature perfume when I was in my early to mid-teens) should try Mastermind.

Maybe Dana O'Shee?: "Offerings of milk, honey and sweet grains were made to placate these creatures, and it is that the basis of the scent created in their name." It's definitely creamy and oaty.