animalcules

I've been buying BPAL for six years, but this is my first time trying Samhain somehow. I like forest scents but I'm a patchouli hater, and I waffle over getting a bottle every Halloween. Finally did, and I'm so glad! The 2016 version is mostly apple and spices, backed by subtle woods and patchouli. I would actually like a bit more woodsiness, I assume that will develop with aging, but 'm going to layer it with Przeczucie for now.

Light, sweet cardamom with aquatic cologne. Pleasant, but not a keeper.

This is pretty much SN Fresh Pine for me. Luckily I love pine! I'm not getting any smoke so far, but I'm interested to see how this ages - I usually love my evergreen blends even more with aging. I'm also planning on layering it with Samhain when I want Extra Forest.

I was supposed to be representing Death for our June Gloom Victorian Mourning event, but the Little Grim Reaper kept stealing my scythe. Lilith says this perfume should smell like pretty meat bones, and her translation of that is a musky vanilla sandalwood. VERY musky, toasty sandalwood and just a hint of cool vanilla. I love this and I think it's going to age wonderfully.

To echo a previous review: smells like J&J baby shampoo on me - sharp, powdery, overly sweet, clean yet just a little bit 'off'. Amps an unfortunate and strong baby powder odor when wet, after drying it's more Cedar-y but I'm still not a fan. I think the honey note is the culprit, I have a lot of honey blends I love but in some others it just doesn't work.

Mostly tea, orange blossom and carnation on me. Not very sweet - I can't detect the vanilla. Dries down heavy on orange blossom and sandalwood. I love this blend and have had it since its release! It's perfect for all seasons. My only complaint is that it doesn't last very long on my skin.

This is the only aquatic AND only jasmine scent I have liked enough to keep. It's smooth, juicy, green, delicately floral without smelling like soap to me (a miracle!) I think that I really like mugwort? I know I love sandalwood, and I get more and more of it after drydown. I prefer this 100% to Fleurette's Purple Snails (though I think the sugar note in that was to blame).

ALL LILAC/WET WHITE FLORAL, ALL THE TIME. Throws and lasts well, never changed much for me. If you love lilac, get this. I do like lilac (the flowers anyway) but just like jasmine, I apparently have a strong 'soap' scent association with lilac products. This smelled like a truly excellent and luxurious lilac bathroom soap, but rather than wasting it to try to make my own soap I think I'll pass my bottle along to someone else.

On me this is mostly peony and foody marshmallow-vanilla. If I try really hard I get just a hint of rose and lavender. Very light, sweet, pink, fresh, and artificial/dryer sheets to my nose. I was expecting this to be a winner as I like most of the notes, but I don't think I'm a peony fan. My loss will be someone else's gain!

This is very subtle. Light leather, sweet musk, cardamom. The musk amps while drying but after drydown it's close to the skin, and I get a bit of smokiness that might be the oud. Dry, it doesn't smell unlike my cashmere sweater when it's freshly washed! Though it doesn't have notes in common it reminds me a lot of a less-sweet Morocco with leather. I think the 'wooly musk' and the 'warm musk' might be the same.

Light, fresh, custard-y vanilla with a wet feeling to it and definitely a strong anise note. Not what I was expecting at all - this is somewhat unusual and refreshing, not rich creamy and super-sweet like so many BPAL vanillas. Reminds me of Knockout Drops and Huesos de Santos.

I love every note in this except lychee, which I haven't tried yet - but I love actual lychee. So I had to have this. A burst of light rose, carnation, honey, sweet tart fruit, and cedar. This doesn't morph much on me. The cedar stays very present, which I'm loving - gives it depth and balance and makes it less of a super sweet blend. I actually think the faintest note is the rose, which is surprising, as rose usually dominates blends on me. I really like this. Similar to Alice (but wood instead of cream, and juicier) and Jezebel (but with less cloying honey) in the GC.

Agree with reviewers who compare it to Snow White and Rose Red - I have both and wear them often, and this is definitely a very similar snow note and a very similar fresh cold rose, along with a light, cosy musk. The rose retreats a lot after dry-down, and the end result is an alternative and lighter version of Snow White (which can be very strong on me), with more musk than coconut/almond and gentle rose replacing the distinctive floral. Absolutely love it, glad I tracked it down.

I considered buying this back when it came out but ultimately passed because I was unsure of so many of the notes. Now 6 years later, I'm back and blind-bottling all the LEs I've missed that I can't stop being curious about! On me this is a lot of bay, with warm sandalwood, woody notes and carnation, and hints of clove after dry down. I detect no patchouli (excellent as I'm not a fan in large doses) and no vanilla, though the vanilla must be what keeps this on the warm and mellow side/prevents it from being acrid. The bay is predominant in the bottle and while wet, the woods, carnation and clove come out more and more after dry down (but the bay never departs). This is a soft, warm, subtle spicy-woody-green-bay cologne. I really love it! Any woman who doesn't like wearing stereotypically masculine scents likely will not, though. This reminds me quite a bit of my dad's cologne.

I love clove and wish I had even more clove scents. I'm sure they've all already been mentioned but my favorites are Jack and Seraglio in the General Catalogue, and Pickled Imp and Young Pine Saplings for LE.