Allumina

Foodies are generally a miss on me, and this is sadly no exception, though it smelled lovely in the decant. Wet, there was a sharp note which I think was supposed to be the whiskey. I get a faint burst of apples which dries down to a perfumey, sorta cakey scent with a bit of booze, though it doesn't smell particularly like whiskey or sponge cake, Unlike everyone else, apparently, on me it's low throw, and not very sweet. Boo chemistry.

On today's edition of "I'm not a foodie, I swear!"... ...this smells so good it's actually making me angry. How dare it be so delicious and distracting! (I'm kidding. Mostly.) I avoid foodie scents because I amp sweet notes like nobody's business, so most of them are an achingly sweet, chemical-y horror show on me unless they are held very strongly in check by non-foodie notes (Père Fouettard, Bonfire Night). Sometimes I am tempted to get decants because they sound so delicious, but they're always a disappointment. But this somehow works? At first I get that familiar blast of chemical-sweet foodies go on me, with fakey "butter" and "rum" notes. The butter fades a bit and the rum intensifies for a while. But then, it dries down to a subtle pecan studded sugar cookie (that pecan note is magic) heavily overlaid with cinnamon toning down the sweet. It's got a low medium throw, but it doesn't hit you over the head. It's just the faint smell of something delicious hovering around you- the kind of scent that you'd just sort of catch the edge of in the air and you want to know where it's coming from because it smells so good. As the drydown goes on, it's still borderline too sweet for me, but so yummy I'm going to try overlaying it with Hans Trapp and see what happens.

This smells so good! It smells like you're baking something without it actually smelling like anything specific. I agree with Mel and Andyl and everyone else! It's a warm a snuggly scent, sorta spicy and sorta sweet, almost foody but not quite. I sprayed my living room shortly before I baked a cranberry pecan pie for Christmas and when the pie started cooking and smelling delish I couldn't tell if it was the pie or the atmo. EDIT: I liked this so much I ended up getting a backup bottle.

This is my very first hair gloss purchase, so I can't yet speak to how it affects my hair or how long the scent lasts, but as for the initial scent... this is really lovely! The lab's leaves note doesn't really work on my skin, so I was pleasantly surprised to have it smell the way it was supposed to smell. On me this is equal parts rough, earthy patch with true to life autumn leaves (how do they do it???). There's just the tiniest wisp of smoke in the background, making the "smoke touched and dusky" very apt. This smells very much like a cool fall night in a park. I was worried the scent would be too dry and harsh, but it's surprisingly snuggly. Wet, the leaves note is a little cologne-y but that sense disappears once it dries. I'm very glad I got my decant!

In the bottle, bright and shiny citrus. Wet, it's citrus with a hint of smoke, but that's quickly overtaken (with a brief, disconcerting trip to baby powder) by the opium, so it's ends up being mostly smoky opium with a hint of citrus. The anise, if it shows up, only does briefly. The opium makes it smell sophisticated and fancy, but...it's not wowing me. I'm not sure if it's my chemistry or if it needs some time, but it's just sort of blandly pleasant on me, with a pretty low throw. I'm going to chuck it in a drawer for a few weeks and see what happens. Right now it's the sort of thing where I'd probably hold on to a decant, but definitely wouldn't need the whole blind bottle I bought.

This is interesting and well blended. I had high hopes for this one as I love patch and smoke, but have trouble with amping anything sweet and haven't had luck with a tea blend yet. In the bottle, the Red Lantern note that I noticed when my bottle first arrived has burned off, but there's definitely something suggestive of caramel. On, this morphs pretty quickly. At first, there's a faint note of sweet cough syrup, but thankfully it mostly fades to black tea and sweet incense. (I suspect with aging that cough syrup note will fade more.) On drydown, the tea note is still there, but mixed with the incense and patch. It's really well blended- I'm sure I can probably smell all the notes, but the overall impression is just of dark, slightly smoky, slightly sweet, not too strong incense. Low-medium throw. This will probably age beautifully. I was secretly rubbing my hands together in glee at all the complaints that it smelled too much like straight up licorice, because I love licorice/anise and would douse myself in a anise-tea-incense oil. Sadly, I get zero anise. I guess whatever note is causing that impression for some folks isn't hitting me the same way. Thankfully I also don't get any nag champa, which I'm not a fan of but others also seem to be smelling. (I also do not get White Rabbit from this, but neither ginger nor honey play nice on me, so take that as you will.) This is how I imagine Dorian (which smells like soapy, headachey super-sugar grossness on me) smells on other people.

I am super impressed on how this can smell so...fizzy, despite it, you know, not being fizzy. It's masterful! Wet and dry this is all fizzy, true to life champagne, with a bit of the the strawberry note hanging out in the background. When I put just a little bit on the strawberry is faintly there and sweet, just enough to make it smell like a perfume for a little girl, unfortunately. When I put a lot on, it gets fake and plastic. Oh well. I'd love to try something with the fizzy note paired with something more masculine or herbal.

Aww, this is kind of adorable. I'm not particularly into sweet or foodie scents (I amp sweets) but this is just so cheerful- straight up grape candy. If I sniff my wrist, I can smell some more musky, adult notes swirling around, but the throw is all juicy purple candy. Unfortunately, the second and third time I tried this it went to plastic on me, so it looks like my chemistry can't handle it.

strangler fig why you do this to me. The first time I put this on, I just put on a tiny dab, because I assumed it had fig in it, which turns to sickly sweet grossness on me. I was pleasantly surprised to find it woody, green and a bit herbal. The second time, I figured I should slather, as I love green, woody scents, and to see if it was bottle worthy. Big mistake. At fist I get a strong hit of cedary-woodiness, ala Mandrake. But then, out of nowhere I get some component of...the lab's chocolate note? wtf? Specifically, the type from Bliss. Unfortunately for me, the lab's chocolate and I don't get along- it turns to a slightly plastic, perfumed, almost rancid-oil smell on my skin. I wish I could figure out which bit it was, so I could avoid the heck out of it. So basically that's taken over, with a hint of woods underneath it, maybe, if I huff my wrist. And of course, since I put it on my neck and my wrists and cleavage, I'm smelling it every time I turn my head. I wore this for work and this is the first time in a while I've had to wash something off because it was making me nauseous. And of course it stuck around anyway. Ugh. I had such high hopes for you, Strangler Fig.

Hi, I know this thread is dead but I figured someone might see it and have advice anyway. I got my click and ship late last night, that my package will be shipping out Monday, and my shipping address is incorrectly listed as a combination of my home and work address, i.e. an address that doesn't exist. (I'm bewildered at how this happened- my last order was in October and the addresses are correct, my order was placed through my account and I had no reason to change either when I logged in) I contacted bpal through the contact form as soon as I saw it this morning hoping they could somehow pull my package from the order pile. Presuming they aren't able to change it before it goes out, is there any thing I can do to actually get the package? The name and street address are correct, but instead of my apartment number a nonexistent floor and company are listed. I'm afraid that will be enough for my local post office to just hold it for weeks before eventually sending it back. (I once sent a small package to a friend at the wrong address, and it literally took 8 months for it to be returned to me) I live in a big city so it's not like I'm friendly with the local post office and/or they know who I am. Should I try talking to them anyway? I'm assuming it will at least initially arrive at the same post office because of the zip code. Ugh, I'm so sad.

This is...surprisingly nice! I never would have picked this up on my own, but the lap frimped it to me and I'm really digging it. As I amp sweet things, I assumed the apple would turn into fake apple sugar hell, but it's a mild, bright apple at first, that's flanked by some dark resins/florals that keep it from being too simple or one note. The apple comes and goes in strength, but it always there in some form. The fruit makes it feminine and playful, and the "poison" keeps it adult. As most of my perfumes are in the masculine scent category, this will be a nice addition to those times I need something girly but not overly sexy.

The leather in Adam is almost exactly like Black Rider to me, and Red Rider is another amazingly warm and spicy leather heavy scent. Tontentanz is another amazing leather if you can find it. You might also really enjoy the current weenie Tattie Boggle, which is a great dry and smokey scent with a lot of both fire and woody notes. Thanks, I will add these to my list, they all sound awesome! (That's the second rec for Red Rider I've gotten recently, so I should get on that) Tattie Bogle is actually the only Weenie (that I got a decant of) that I'm considering buying.

Have you tried Khajuraho, Wanda, Smut, or Spanked? Ooh, thanks for the recs! I have an imp of Spanked resurrected that I feel like I enjoyed a lot, I'm going to pull it out again. Smut's on my wishlist, and I'm going to add Wanda- I feel like I rejected Wanda because of the roses, but it looks like form reviews the rose isn't very strong? And I've never heard of Khajuraho, but I'm going to go look it up now!

The Ninth Cage is woodier, but similar in feel. The Red Rider is simpler and less subtle, but in the same ballpark. You might also want to try Hunter. Thanks, these all sound super interesting! Oak and iron sounds amazing, and red musk & leather sound like a brilliant combo. I will see if I can hunt down some decants...

Oooh, this looks like fun, I'd love any recs, since I am not so great at blind imp purchases. My top five are: Adam (OLLA) Madame Moriarty, Misfortune Teller Le Pere Fouttard Bonfire Night Casanova Honorable Mention: Red Lantern

Oh man, your description of Cthulhu In Love is how I *wished* it smelled on me. Sadly it was, uh, not the case. I don't have a full scent recommendation, but have you tried plain Cthulhu for the dark aquatics part of the scent? I find it kind of salty too. Bpal chocolate doesn't work on me at all so I can't vouch for it, but Tezcatlipoca is supposed to be sort of smoky cocoa, so that might be one to try also. (Also you probably already know this, but CIL isn't terribly hard to find on the swaps/sales page)

I am totally in love with Adam from OLLA, and I'm not sophisticated enough to figure out why. I mean, I love the leather (I'm also a big fan of Casanova and Le Père Fouettard), but there's something else going on (the dust, the fougere?) that makes it AMAZING. I'm not in danger of running out, but I'd love to find GC scents that are similar just so I can expand into other scents. Anyone tried Adam and have any suggestions?

I agree with everyone above. If you don't like this scent at first, toss it in a drawer for 2 weeks and try again, or you'll be missing out! The first time I tried this it was not for me, to put it mildly. Something about the notes together put out a "burnt coffee" vibe (and I hate coffee) in general- syrupy and heavy and unpleasant. When I opened my decant to try for the second time 2 weeks later, I was hit by the same smell and recoiled a bit, but soldiered on for a second test so I could put it in the reject pile. It's totally different the same time around. It's sweet apricot overlaid with the woodiness of the veviter and the cedar, surprisingly cool and autumnal- like walking outside in a park. There's still a hint of the smell I don't like lingering in the background, but I suspect that will fade with more aging. I'm having trouble connecting with some of the autumn scents because they use the same autumn/holiday/spice scent profile as, say, a department store (though of course they do it much, much better) and it's hard to shake the scent associations. This smells very autumnal (a hint of fruit, spice and smoke) but since it doesn't use any of the usual suspects (cinnamon, apple, pumpkin, etc.) I find I can enjoy it more. I'm surprised by how much I'm enjoying this considering how it went the first time around!

I had such high hopes for this decant, even though honey is one of my nemesises. I love honey in real life, so I keep thinking that maybe this decant would be different. Sigh. On me, the honey turns into a floral, perfumed sweetness that's not hideous, but not particularly exciting either. The patch (a very rooty patch) pokes out feebly underneath. No vanilla to be found at all. Overall this is pretty faint and sticks close to the skin. I may try aging it or putting it in a burner or something. Oh well. If you like the bpal honey note, this could be great on you!

Oh, this is lovely. Not what i was expecting, but still lovely. I tested my decant right after i got it, and the primary smell was gunpowder, which is weird because I have never smelled gunpowder and still instantly could recognize the smell. After a week or so of settling down, now it's a warm, golden, slightly sweet, well blended cologne smell, slightly more on the masculine side, but still unisex. The gunpowder is still there faintly, but I can't pick out any of the notes. It definitely does give off the vibe of a sunny field in early autumn, or at least rolling around in one. I'm not sure how to describe it- it's very faintly like the cologne smell I get from Galvanic Goggles, but less strong, sharp and metallic. I'm pondering whether i need a bottle.

On me, the clove isn't the strongest, surprisingly, though it is present. The first note mixed in with the pumpkin is a blast of super strong cinnamon, which eventually fades. (I think is part of pumpkin note) Overall, spices and pumpkin, with a slightly darker backdrop that I'm guessing is the tobacco/patch, though I can't pick them out. Sadly this is too much like pie (though nice smelling pie; I amp sweet.) for me to wear much, though I may hold on to my decant and see how it ages.

(2014 version) I'm torn about Autumn Cider- I can't tell if it smells delicious or like a delicious candle. It starts off crisp and appley (but more of a cider apple than a fresh apple) and sweet then is quickly joined by a strong blast of cinnamon (which I amp) There's also a hint of other spices and orange in there. It's not much of a morpher, though the cinnamon calms down eventually. It smells pretty much like the little store at at apple orchard or a Christmas store, or something like that, if it makes sense. It smells good, but I'm having a hard time parsing the smells because of the scent associations. I will probably keep my decant, but I'll probably not get a bottle unless it amazes me in the next few weeks.

Boo on most chocolate scents not working on me. I was hoping for spicy dark chocolate, but this is a faint milk chocolate on me- like Bliss, but not as strong. I don't really get any spices and it sticks very close to the skin. I get a whiff of pepper if I press my nose to my skin and huff. At least I still have Wulric.

So Adam has jumped up to be probably my favorite BPAL scent. I even, for the very first time, bought a backup bottle because the thought of running out is so sad. The weird thing is, I wouldn't actually say it smells really good, not in the way where you'd slather a bunch on before going to meet people. But when I'm alone, or going to bed, or wanting to feel like a cool, goth aloof vampire (this happens alarmingly awesome) Adam is there for me. On me, primarily it's strong leather and dust, which sounds kind of gross but is surprisingly nice and almost cuddly. After a while, I get what I think is the ambergris and the fougère, and something sandalwood-y. The leather never goes away, but makes room for a bunch of the other notes. This is masculine, and evocative, and nostalgic in the best way. This scent gives me lots of feelings that I can't place- it doesn't remind me of a specific event or person, just sort of swirls. It smells like the feeling of reading a really good book and getting caught up in the world-building. For what it's worth, I can definitely imagine the character smelling like this.

I'll put in a vote for Bonfire Night, the 2012 version (the 2007 version is sweeter). It's pretty much all woodsmoke with a hint of sweet.