Brigdh

In bottle: Fir is by far the dominant scent, a pure Christmas-tree note, though without any sort of lightness or snowiness. It reminds me a bit of clothes stored in an old cedar chest. Wet: Wood. Like, fresh-chopped wood, still somewhat moist and living. (Which I guess is birch?) A slight spicy note begins to come in from behind, maybe the chrysanthemum or narcissus? Though it’s not particularly floral. It reminds me of a really nice potpourri. After a little while I begin to notice the rose, though it's still very faint behind the wood. Dry: really fantastic length; I can sometimes still smell this the day after I applied it. The dry scent is mainly fir, with just the faintest hint of florals – not enough to pick out any specific flower, just enough to sweeten and soften the wood a bit. It really reminds me of clothes stored in a cedar chest: this lovely, old-fashioned scent. A fantastic winter perfume that is very unisex.

In bottle: Red wine, that over-sweet fruity kind, and a faint metallic note, perhaps dragon’s blood or some sort of musk. Wet: Leather and fresh sugar cane.The scent of skin and juicy, sugary fruit. Dry: There’s the honey, finally! This perfume turns simply gorgeous. Rich and sweet honey, almost gritty as though you could smell the sugar crystals. There’s a complex background of musky, earthy, smoky notes – the herbs, I suppose? But not foody or floral herbs, forest-y ones. Just a fantastic scent, really complex and hard to put into words. I love wearing it. Good length, too, Wear time lasts 4-5 hours.

In bottle: Wow, a really complex blend of fruits and florals. It’s hard to pick out any notes in particular. I think I get apple and grape (or maybe a very sweet red wine), and rose. Wet: Again, so complex! I think I get pear, fig, and rose. It’s almost fruit salad, but with some sort of skin-musk that grounds and deepens it all. Dry: This does not last very long at all. After an hour and a half, it’s completely vanished. That said, the dry state is very fruity red wine, with maybe a faint white floral (gardenia?) in the background. It's all a little too cheap sangria for me, though maybe people who are more into fruit notes would like it better.

In bottle: A smoky, resiny scent, almost all myrrh, given a sugar-sweet quality with the ylang-ylang. Wet: Warm, animal musk, with just the faintest hint of a floral note to lighten it and a bit of myrrh to give it a sensuous smokiness. Gorgeous, and not too overtly sexual to wear at work. The actual oil is so thick and dark that it leaves a mark on my skin, but once I rub it in, it vanishes. Dry: Powdery ylang-ylang with sweet patchouli. A really nice subdued floral. It has some soapiness to it, but that doesn’t bother me. A medium last length, not as intense as I would have expected from the dark thick quality of the oil. At three hours on, it’s beginning to disappear.

In bottle: Almond. Heavy, sweet almond oil. Wet: Almond and a light smoke, maybe an incense, with a slight floral in the background, I think probably rose. Dry: Warm, clove and sandalwood, but the dominant note is almond. A perfume that’s evocative of the Middle East to me (seriously this smells way more like Baghdad than the one named “Baghdad” does), but would also make a good winter scent, to give you warmth and cheer on gray cold days. Great last and throw.

In bottle: Strong floral with some background musk; mostly jasmine. Wet: Jasmine and iris and other bright spring florals. Pure floral as far as I can tell. A very light, spring scent. Very pretty. Dry: A light, elusive floral (too well-mixed to pick out exactly which flowers, though I think primrose might be the dominant one) grounded by soft musk. I don’t get any spices at all. It’s a creamy, spring floral. Great last too for how light it is - 4+ hours and still going strong.

In bottle: Mainly patchouli, I believe. There’s a woody note too - cedar? Wet: Almond and a soft, well-rounded patchouli. Dry: Patchouli and almond and an almost honey-sweet musk. It’s a dry, powdery scent though, not oily, like the inside of a spice shop rather than foody notes. It’s not particularly sexy, but a gorgeous, mature combination. It makes me think of a woman who is confident in herself and not looking for anyone else’s attention. It would be one of my favorite scents, but unfortunately my skin just sucks it right up. I’m lucky if there’s anything left after 2-3 hours.

In bottle: Bamboo and ozone. A green, clean, fresh scent, just beautiful. Wet: The only word I have for this is “green”. It’s light and complex and fresh and spring-like, and just green. There’s a hint of floral (orchid, probably?) and mixed fruit in the background, but it’s mostly just green. It really has a vibe of a rural mountain scene. Dry: the same as wet, there’s not a lot of change in this scent. It lasts for hours and hours, which I wouldn’t expect from a perfume so light and delicate and fresh, but it does. This is one of my all -time favorite BPAL scents, and I’m so sad that it’s discontinued.

In bottle: A complex bouquet of flowers. The ylang ylang seems to be dominating, with a slight spiciness from the cardamom and/or frankincense, and something bitter - not sure what that note is. Wet: Yummm, there’s that jasmine! I’m a huge jasmine fan, and at first this seems to be all jasmine. Dry: Still pretty much pure jasmine. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to linger long; I can barely pick up any scent after an hour or two.

In bottle: A medley of ripe, juicy fruits, almost fruit punch-like. There’s a very slight smokiness in the background – I think that’s maybe the chili pepper. Wet: Still mostly fruits. Apple’s coming out the strongest, but it’s a pretty complex blend. Dry: Less juicy, but still rich and varied fruits, with some grounding and depth from the chili pepper. It’s the best fruit scent I’ve ever smelled.

In bottle: Tomato and arugula leaves. Green and fresh and a little bitter, just absolute perfection. Wet: Exactly the scent of a garden. Vegetable leaves and snapped green beans and somehow a real sense of wet dirt and warm sunshine. The dominant scent is tomato leaf, which I love and am always searching for. This is just so exactly like taking a deep breath of a garden or farmer’s market, and I have no idea how it’s been captured in a bottle. Dry: Pretty much the same as wet; it’s a scent that doesn’t change much from bottle through application. It lasts for a good amount of time, several hours though not into the next day. The perfect scent for spring and summer, or when I want to remember summer.

In bottle: peaches and honey, with something just a little bit astringent - maybe like cut skin on a peach. Wet: Some smokiness from the frankincense or myrrh, but mainly a generally fruity scent, too complex to pick out the peach or apple or floral notes exactly. Dry: Smoky, musky, honeyed, peach. Not too fruity, just a bit of sweetness to the smoke and musk. It’s not overtly sexy; it’s very close to what skin smells like naturally, just a bit better. Very good.

In bottle: Astringent green, probably the ferns. Wet: A handful of wet crushed herbs, bitter and grassy and fresh. Dry: Rose, with the slightest background hint of sugared anise, over time softening into mostly lilac. It’s a dim, green floral that really gives the impression of a cool, shadowed forest dripping with mist, some place lost in the wilds of Scotland or Ireland. A really impressive sense of place. Medium wear time: 4 or 5 hours.

... Her perfume is starry and crystalline, a jewel-clad and glittering paean to night: dazzling white musks, white rose and night-blooming jasmine with the soft moss of moonlit meadows, a waft of Egyptian incense, and a gentle breath of moonflower.  In bottle: Heavy jasmine, with that almost animal-stink jasmine can have sometimes, with musk behind it. Wet: Mostly rose, still in a heavy, humid way. It’s an earthy, sensuous perfume, not “starry and crystalline”. Dry: Mostly rose, though the jasmine’s also present. A thick, heavy floral.

In bottle: Smoky resin with a slight hint of sweetness. Wet: Strong amber-y DB along with musk, with a tiny bit of spice from the cinnamon. Dry: A sweet, almost fruity, musk and amber-ish DB, with a bit of a wood base from the vetiver. It’s almost too sweet for me, though it’s hanging just on the right side by being a complex well-mixed blend. Great lasting power too; it’s easily been 5+ hours and still noticeable.