ringmaster-red

This has become one of my favorites! In the bottle: sweet grapes Wet: Vanillic spiced grapes, not boozy, very light. Dry: It's a morpher! It's gone from spiced cakes, to warm resin, to sweet musk, and then it all blends together as warm spiced resinous sweet musks. I was honestly a little worried before I tried this one, because BPAL's boozy notes usually make me nauseous, but Haloa is so beautiful!!!

A sultry and unruly blend that emulates the ambient scent of the markets in ancient Bengal: skin musk with honey, peppers, clove, cinnamon bark and ginger. This is probably the only BPAL perfume I’ve tried so far (I’ve tried many) besides Inferno where I can ACTUALLY SMELL THE SPICES. It’s sweet and warm with straightforward spices. It’s like there’s an actual pile of cinnamon powder in front of me. Where Inferno is bitter, Bengal is raw and sweet. There’s some decent throw. The honey softly wafts in and out. I can’t stop sniffing my wrists. I might get a full bottle.

In the vial: Orange and clove. Very nice. Wet: Very very woody with clove and just a hint of orange. I'm not sure if I like it or not. Dry: I'm definitely amping a wood note. Orange and clove hang around in the background, and I get clearer whiffs of them in the throw. It does definitely remind me of thrift stores and such. It's nice but I probably wouldn't say I lovelovelove it. Note: I was on my period when I tested this, so I plan to test it again in a couple weeks or so just in case it's a morpher.

In the vial: Cherry-honey Wet: Sickly sweet lollipops. Then mostly honey, with something green and dewy floating in the background. I’m hoping the white musk will come out soon to tame it. Average throw. Dry: Mostly honey, fading quickly. Still holding on to the lollipop note, with the pink pepper peeking out every now and then in the throw. Note: I was on my period when I tested this. I have to test it again in a couple weeks or so, just in case it’s a morpher.

In the vial: Strong, salty, almost floral acquatic. Reminds me of the ocean or rain yankee candles. Wet: Very strong on the salty acquatic note. I'm not getting any milk yet. After a few minutes, it's a warm almost floral acquatic. Still very candle-y. Dry: It's still a candle-y apartment. I'm not getting any milk at all. Note: I was on my period when I tried this, so I'm planning on trying it again in a couple weeks or so just in case it's a morpher.

In the vial: Grapefruit and chocolate Wet: Grapefruit, ginger, tea, tonka bean (at least that’s what I’m assuming the cocoa-like smell is?), and a blend of upbeat florals. Honestly, it almost smells like cloying grape-flavored children’s medicine with just a touch of cocoa, or like a flat cup of Dr Pepper. It’s warm and sickeningly sweet. Dry: It’s warm, cocoa-like, sweet, and herbal. Lots of throw. I’m not sure yet how much I like it. I’ll have to test it another time.

In the vial: slightly boozy chocolate Wet: I’m definitely getting the cocoa, musk, amber, woodiness, and a slight touch of booze. Interesting. It’s mildly cloying. As it dries, it warms and smells “dry” and slightly woody. Dry: Woody fruity cocoa. Lots of throw. It’s a little childlike. I’m not sure yet how much I like it. I’ll have to test it another time.

In the vial: warm amber and pomegranates Wet: I can definitely smelt the amber and pomegranates. It’s very fruity and a little bit powdery. It’s a little musky too. It’s a very womanly scent. Dry: Warm, musky amber and pomegranate. Very straightforward. After a few more minutes, though, the pomegranate fades and it’s soapy amber. Aw man! I hope it morphs again. Later it becomes a nice musky amber that reminds me a bit of Vasilissa, but there’s still that soapy undertone. After an hour or so, it’s a beautiful musky sweet, slightly fruity, amber.

In the vial: aquatic florals Wet: Exactly what it sounds like. Salty, aquatic, and just a hint of florals. Tears and drowned florals. Dry: It’s very clean. The aquatic note is very nice. It gets warm and a little spicy. Other reviewers have said there’s a lavender note, which I think I’m detecting. The lavender is making my allergies act up. It’s not a bad scent, but it’s not evocative or gorgeous or really “me”.

In the vial: very fresh white florals Wet: Still fresh white florals. The smell dewy and wet. After a few minutes, it gets a little bit spicy and dusty. Maybe a touch of fir? It gives me a headache. It becomes woody and fresh and I’m pretty sure there’s fir involved. Dry: Same, but it’s become sickeningly cloyingly sweet and woody. It’s really not me.

Patron of the Aztec pantheon, he is the personification of light within darkness, warmth in the cold, and life in, and after, death. He is a creative and destructive God of Fire and Light, and is appeased only by sacrifice, trial, and the slaughter of his people's enemies. Copal, plumeria and sweet orange and the smoke of South American incense and crushed jungle blooms. In the vial: incense and lemon pledge Wet: Lemon pledge with something stinky behind it. A few minutes later, something incense-y. Dry: Bland and faint. I don’t think this is for me.

In the vial: Tropical florals Wet: Tropical flowers and fruit. I almost want to say it’s a fragrant juicy apple or pear with a background of florals. Dry: Cloying tropical florals. It’s very clean, almost soapy. I don’t think it’s for me.

In the vial: slightly tart, cloying honey Wet: Immediately upon application, very strong on the tart berries, slightly green, and I can pick out the honey. Then it goes very strong cough syrup. Lots of throw. It’s giving me a headache. Dry: After 20 minute drydown, it’s tart dark berries (probably blackberries, but I’ve never eaten those so I couldn’t be sure myself) and fresh raw right-out-of-the-hive honey. From farther away, I get wafts of pure fresh raw darkened honey. It’s dewy and clean and foody and sweet. I like it fine enough, but I don’t think it’ll be a bottle purchase for me.

In the vial: odd, floral, and woody. Wet: Very strong varnish. Ugh. Very, very, very strong wood varnish with too much throw. After another minute, it goes root beer. Strange. It’s like woody birch beer or root beer. It smells carbonated. Then it walks the line between birch beer and wood varnish. Very strange and borderline unpleasant. After another 20 minutes, it’s just wood varnish again. I had to wash it off.

In the bottle: fresh, rainy, green. Fitting for a rainforest. Wet: Green, wet, slightly spicy, slighty fruity. After a minute, the banana leaf and rainy notes comes out. It’s certainly a wet, almost foody, humid green. It’s quite pleasant. Very fresh. Dry: It’s a nice spicy humid green. It’s fine, but I don’t think I love it enough for a bottle.

In the bottle: white florals Wet: Immediately upon application, it’s a slightly sweet, slightly fruity floral. After another minute, it’s a warm musky pear and rose. It’s very light. It’s not unpleasant, but it’s kind of a strange combination and I’m not sure it’s for me. Dry: After another 20 minutes, it’s just soapy. Oh well.

In the bottle: stinky and sickly, rotting plants Wet: Immediately after application, it’s still dead rotting plants. It reminds me a lot of Hades. After a minute, it morphs into clean tangy florals. It smells like clean rain and peonies with just a touch of rotted herbs. A weird combination. (I received this imp in a swap, so I’m wondering if this imp is just so aged that it’s not suitably fresh anymore.) It changes again into ozone and cleaning products with just a touch of peony. Dry: It’s just straight up laundry detergent. I don’t think this is for me. After another 20 minutes, it’s just plain soap.

In the bottle: the earth and soil after a rainfall Wet: Still the earth and soil after a rainfall. Very clean and earthy. I quite like it. Average throw. After a few minutes, it goes a little laundry detergent. Dry: It’s just cleaning product rain and 0% soil. I like how it smells in the beginning, but now I’m disappointed. Oh well.

In the vial: liquid butterscotch Wet: Boozy butterscotch. Sweet, buttery, and alcoholic. It’s mostly wafts of butterscotch from farther away. It’s kind of a strange combination. Dry: The alcohol goes the way of the cleaning products after 20 minutes, and the butterscotch smell is sickeningly, cloyingly sweet. There’s a tiny hint of coconut and maybe grapefruit. I thought I might have to wash it off, but after a few more minutes, it kind of calms down into sweet booze with the tiny hints of coconut, aquatics, and fruit. I don’t think it’s really for me.

In the vial: pure chocolate!! Wet: CHOCOLAAAAATE!! CHOCOLAAAAAATE!! CHOCOLAAAAAAATE!! It’s pure milk cocoa! It’s perfect! I half want to eat my wrist! I need a bottle of this! Average throw.

In the vial: bitter and medicinal Wet: I can pick out the cypress and ambergris. I dunno what anything else is or what they smell like, so not sure on those notes. Oh, this is foul. I imagine this is what the land of dead people might smell like. Sniffing my wrist gives me the image of a dark, dank swamp with hidden threats. Seems accurate enough. Not too pleasant a smell, though. Honestly, it smells like rotted plants. It fits the theme, but I don’t really like it on me as a perfume. I might have to wash this off.

In the bottle: dusty and incense-y. A little sickly. Wet: Immediately, frankincense and violets are the headrunners. I don’t smell cinnamon at all. Darkly incense-y, dusty, and floral. A little smoky. I get the mental image of a man sitting by the fireside alone in his study, smoking a cigar. Lots of throw. Dry: Consistently dusty and smoky. It’s not terrible, but it’s really not me.

In the bottle: fruity and floral Wet: Powdery ambers, berries, and just a teeny tiny hint of florals and spice. A bright fruity fragrance, but certainly powdery. After a minute, it goes a little bit like powdery leather. From farther away, I get wafts of berries and florals. Dry: Unfortunately, it’s consistently just leather and baby powder. I eventually just washed it off. This is really disappointing.

In the vial: floral, sweet, woody, slightly powdery Wet: Immediately I smelled the amber, vanilla, and sweet pea. After a minute, I pretty much only smell the amber and sandalwood. The vanilla is hiding and the sweet pea I can only smell in wafts from farther away. It’s a very clean, woody smell. The vanilla I think is what’s warming up the blend, but I can’t pick out the note itself. Oh, wait. A few minutes later, and it’s wafting around like straight up vanilla extract! Dry: Ambers and very light sweet pea. After a couple hours, it’s a pleasant woody vanilla. It’s not bad but I don’t think I love it enough for a big bottle.

Curiouser and curiouser. Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot. In the vial: Gross, bitter, medicinal rose. Wet: Immediately, it’s gross, bitter, medicinal rose. After a minute, it calms down into a slightly sweet, spicy rose. I think that might be the carnation peeking out? The medicinal note might be coming from the bergamot. After another few minutes, it’s all just rose and carnation. I like the carnation note, but the rose is giving it an old musty powdery feel. Lots of throw. Dry: It’s still mostly just the carnation and rose. The milk and honey peeks through just a tiny bit to warm it up and sweeten it just a little. I like it, but probably not enough for a bottle.