freyasfae

I recently tried Rose Cross to see if my love of rose can save my hatred of frankincense. It cannot. I also tried London which was a prim tea rose on me without the malice I was hoping for. I also tested Black Rose which makes me think heavy, dark roses are not my favorite. It seems I like my roses lighter (like Fresh and Blooming as a Rose), but not the sweet innocent or prim ones of Snow White or even London. I like my roses laced with earth and green (Rose Red, The Rose) or more somber florals (Les Fleurs de Mal, The Reaper & the Flowers). Or in the case of Delirium and Alice, set off with unusual foodie combos. Considering how popular of a note rose is, it's fun experimenting with BPAL and figuring out what makes me tick, rose wise. I really love the experimentation of this recent discovery.

This one was very quick. Here's how it went: 1. Sniff imp: Hmm, very strong, like citronella bourbon. 2. Swipe on outer wrist: Ack, medicinal vetiver! Must free my skin! 3. Washes off. This may settle down into something nice, but when it's that bad wet, I don't bother waiting when there are so many other BPALs begging for me to take them in. This is like the epitome of Dracula getting all the attention though it's a flagrant rip off of Carmilla, but that one had a lead female character so it doesn't get the love that Dracula does. Yes, this is the patriarchy at work, or so my skin tells me.

Oh my goodness, I have yet to find a Lilith, past or present, that I do not like yet. In the bottle and when wet on the skin at first, this is prominently sweet mint with honey lurking behind as it dries down. Not a cool mint like peppermint. As it dries down, it becomes more sugar cotton candy, but the green gives it a nice balance. I got this as a frimp as when the 2015 Liliths came out, this seemed too sweet for my tastes, but like I said, the green balances it out - which I am often finding in the Liliths. When I think they will be too sweet, there's usually some natural greenery or earth to prevent them from being so. Next year, I will probably be a bit more...generous in my Lilith selection.

I thought this might help me get over my hatred of frankincense. It does not. It went down like this: Initial impression: Oh, strong and rosy with a hint of spice. Drying down: Ack, there is the frankincense, ack, and it's going medicinal on me. Must wash off! Conclusion: Tricky, tricky scent! Definitely smells like a spiced rose and confirms that my skin is really picky about incense and resins I am learning - they often go medicinal on me, depending on what they are blended with. Not even rose can save this relationship. So long frankincense. Peace be with you.

Venerable Victorian Tea Rose… twisted, blackened and emboldened with wickedness. Testing from an imp I received in a swap, so year unknown. This was all prim tea rose on me - no lurking wickedness, which was a bummer, and it faded very quickly. Not a keeper.

Initial impressions: Holy crap, why did they discontinue this gloriously, tasty scent?! I like it as much as my Baby & a Baby Goat, but it's less sweet and a little more spicy which probably comes from the tea. Dammit, now I have to see if I can possibly find a bottle, but I doubt it. Impression after a few hours: Oh, but then it starts to get a little sour, yeasty even on me, just a touch, but still. Sigh.

This reminds me of a lot of the incense scents I tried from a huge imp lot I bought on Ebay and quickly learned that incense scents are not my wheelhouse. The rose makes this a little more likeable for me, but turns out I don't really like my rose heavy and dark.

This was spicier than I like, probably due to the juniper and pine together, which I recently learned tend not to like me, or I like them more as room scents than on my skin. The vanilla and amber warm the pine and juniper, but overall the pine and juniper is still present for this to be a keeper for me.

I feel like I will be more or less reiterating what so many others said, but this starts out like a lovely foodie vanilla with a touch of nuttiness (definitely like Violaine said about it being comparable to BB&W Warm Vanilla Sugar), but then it matures, the amber and sandalwood come out, I don't even notice the patchouli (thankfully). I couldn't stop sniffing my wrists with this on. It is definitely a keeper for me and perfect for fall and winter. I don't wear a lot of vanilla scents anymore, but this is a really lovely vanilla for when I do want to wear one. Like other reviewers said it feels somewhat nostalgic and romantic like Edith herself, but there's a sophisticated element to it that calls forth Edith's progressiveness and independence.

2015 version A long with some other pine scents I tried, Frau Holle confirms that pine is not for my skin. However, I can't explain why, but I definitely get the idea of birth and death with this scent.

I love pine and fir smells so when I got into BPAL, I decided to try and find a fitting pine scent for my skin for the winter months. Well, after trying The Jersey Devil, Nocnitsa, Winter Heavens, Hurðaskellir, and now this, I am starting to learn I like pine in theory, or as a candle, room spray, etc., but not on my skin. Compounded by the juniper, this is super pine-y. No thanks.

Yep, patchouli just doesn't work for me. I really can't smell much else except a hint of cinnamon. I guess this probably means my skin amps patchouli.

From Yule 2015. This is mostly woods and greens on me, but not an astringent winter tree, softer and rounder. This is a ground with patches of snow, not snow covered. Really beautiful and compelling woodsy scent.

A panoply of cultural treasures, spanning the herbs, flowers, oils and balms of the Romans, the Byzantines, the Mediterranean, the Levant, Northern China, Eastern Europe, Iran, the Bulgar-Kypchak, Mesopotamia, the Crimean Peninsula, Anatolia, Antioch, and North Africa. 2016: This reminds me of those cinnamon hot candies! Spicy and dry, and very light, but I don't want to smell like cinnamon hot candies. 2021 Update: I got a frimp of this from a recent decant circle. I enjoy these spicier scents a lot more now, so it doesn't overwhelm me like it used to. Instead, especially on the drydown, this feels subtly sexy - the wanderlust woman peaking out from over her sunglasses.

This is a very balanced scent, which I tend to not like as they seem to go generic perfume on me once they eventually dry down. I like more layered scents which BPAL is so great at. I am having trouble distinguishing different scents except for something kind of citrusy which may be the astringency of the fir like mymymai mentioned. Her description as 90s Glade air fresheners is perfect - and this is from an imp that aged from 2011.

I am not sure why this made it past my first round of testing. (I usually test things twice, and if I don't hate it right away, I save it for another round.) Patchouli and incense are usually pretty awful on me, but once this dries the orange and peach come out more which my skin does like, but still it's mostly patchouli and incense.

This is a pretty, bright floral. Wet it is mainly lemon and green tea, but then florals round it out on the drydown and it becomes more floral than citrus tea. The musk and cedar stay close to the skin, making this a layered and complex scent. I love when BPAL makes their scents an experience like this.

This is the second time I have tested this scent, and this time I noticed the purple fruits a lot more. The florals are still prominent, too, this is like beautiful and dramatic purple smoke - colors of aubergine - that kind of deep purple with hints of red.

What a lovely and complex scent: there's fruit, florals, citrus, woods - and none overpower the other - it's balanced, but still distinct. I shall be keeping the imp, not sure yet about a bottle.

This is sticky, sweet pine resin, and man does it throw. As it was drying, I liked it close to the wrist, but once I smelled it swirling around me, it started to smell like aftershave - the kind in an old house of a strange relative, in a glass bottle with a metal top that is rusting - it's probably been barely used since the 40s. I had to wash it off, I didn't get any of the air, earth, and moss.

Very lemony citrus, sharp with the grapefruit, and the musk comes out more on the dry down. I prefer Whitechapel as its more of a delicate citrus, but this is a great scent for someone looking for a bold citrus.

Soap, soap, soap. Funny when I read reviews about some of my favorite florals, a lot of reviewers mention soapy, and yet they are never soapy on me (or at least in a bad way), but this is just soapy, soapy, soapy. It does have A LOT of throw and wear.

Suprisingly sweet on me considering the presence of herbs and arrow shafts which I assume is the shea. Not overall, a scent I need a bottle of, but I do like the scent.

This really is a beautiful Christmas scent, but the pitch pine is just too intense for my personal tastes. This is something I would like as a candle, but not on my skin.

Well, patchouli is a no for me. Worse, it gets medicinal on me which could be due to maybe some benzoin or vetiver...I haven't quite figured it out. It's just not something my skin chemistry likes. It does have a light, dry quality to it that is appealing, except when on me.