ravenscanary

Source: Lab bottle In the bottle: Super herbal, very green and pungent. Wet: Bugspray. Hot, cologne-like bugspray. Actively unpleasant to my nose for the first 5 minutes despite the fact that pretty much every note in this blend is normally a winner for me. Drydown: After 5 minutes the edge has come off the chemical note and the more mellow notes have come out to play. I got this largely because of the tomato leaf, which is one of my favorite notes ever from BPAL, and, unfortunately, it is very soft here to my nose, but the beeswax has mellowed the peppery-spicy notes enough that I'm not unhappy with it. There's definitely something sharp and biting about this scent. Verdict: Nice, but not entirely what I was expecting.

Source: Lab Imp A musky, sweet, dry amber. An edge of cinnamon and dried grasses, kind of a baked feeling - not oven baked dessert, despite the sweetness, but sun-baked grass.

2010 version, from a fresh decant Soft incense, resin and rose. Slightly powdery. Not at all sweet, though I expected that for some reason. A bit too Grandma for my tastes, as the powdery aspect only gets stronger over time, though it's a very pleasant scent.

Source: Fresh decant In the imp: Musty, stale water and overripe greenery. Wet: Sharp, sweet floral. Chrysanthemum and balsam, mostly. It's...interesting. Sweet-sour and almost sickly-compelling.\ Dry: Gets a slightly powdery undertone on the drydown, but remains primarily an unsettling floral. Very evocative and even pretty, for the right person. Not my thing. Though I don't think it's minty, there is a kind of cool/tingly undertone that I'm sure is the source of the comparisons by others to mint, gum, or paste. It's very unusual.

Source: Fresh decant In the imp: Green, earthy, and surprisingly lemony-sweet. Wet: The same. A surprisingly almost candy-like sweetness - I do tend to amp citrusy notes. Drydown: I get a rich, earthy note that reminds me of olive oil, but it's really overwhelmed by the sweet lemony floral. This is really pretty, but almost too sweet, and not as balanced toward the green notes as I'd like.

Source: decant In the decant: sharp, green apple Wet: Crisp, juicy green apple and sugar. Close huffing gets me a little sugar and butter. This is not a "fake" butter (popcorn butter) smell, but really a hint of creamy richness. Dry: This just keeps getting better. It remains crunchy apple with a sweet, sugary glaze and hints of spice all the way. Very nice!

Source: decant In the decant: rich, spicy fruit Wet: Pear and quince predominant, with just a tiny hint of spice in the background. It's not very gingery. I'd say it reminds me more of cinnamon. Dry: The spice comes out a bit more, but not enough. I wanted this to be ginger predominant, but alas, no.

Version: 2010 In the imp: Black, wet leaves. Kind of off-putting, honestly. Wet: ...Vaseline and Vick's Vapo-rub. I'm so not kidding. It smells like gooey petroleum jelly with a hint of medicinal ick. Dry: Less medicinal. Dirty patchouli and wet leaves. Absolutely none of the spicy or fruity notes. And still that petroleum jelly scent. This may be the most disappointing BPAL I've ever smelled.

I don't know how Beth does it...but this smells exactly like autumn air, with smoke, leaves, fading greenery and a slightly chill breeze. It's amazing. No other words for it.

Source: fresh decant In the decant: A pomegranate pomander. Pomegranate with sandalwood and clove and spice, but the pom is paramount. Wet: A fascinating blend of fruits, spices and woods. Dry: A balanced, fairly soft drydown. I dig this, though I'm not sure it's a bottle purchase.

I can't smell anything in this blend, wet to drydown, but cocoa and thyme. Chocolate and thyme just doesn't work for me. It's a weird combination. Not grossly unpleasant, but just not very appealing. The fruity undertone doesn't help. This is like some baking attempt gone very awry. This is a no.

Source: fresh decant In the decant: Intense pom and citrus, very candy-like and tart Wet: Sweet and fruity, softened by a lovely, flirty musk Dry: A surprisingly long drydown for a lighter scent, and the candy-like aspect has mellowed some to just be a playful, citrusy scent. This was kind of a surprise win for me, and will be a nice summer scent, I think.

Source: decant In the decant: rich fruity pom, with hints of herbal benzoin and sharp, high jasmine Wet: STRONG, heavy, and heady, a balance of the three notes, but all of them are smacking me upside the head. Dry: It does mellow a little as it dries, but it's just too heavily fruity floral for me in the end, though I'm impressed with the balance of the three notes.

Source: fresh decant In the decant: patchouli, the deep-dark kind Wet: patchouli...and grass clippings? Seriously. Patchouli and earthy-wet-green grass clippings. A touch of lemon pledge. Uh. Yeah, this is scary. Dry: The sandalwood comes out more on the drydown, and the balance is a little better, but this is still a fairly sharp, weird blend for me. There is something mildly unsettling about this scent, and I like earthy scents, generally speaking.

Source: decant In the decant: Musky, soft leather Wet: Musky, soft leather with a hint of amber and clove. Not thrilled by this in the wet stage. It kind of smells...funky. Not bad, but definitely a wet leather vibe. Dry: The amber, clove and sage come out more, to my relief, but they never quite balance for me. The leather remains quite dominant, unfortunately. I like all of these notes quite a lot, but somehow this just isn't working for me. I think I hoped for a dominant amber note, but instead the leather has shoved the others to the side. It's a fairly mellow leather, but I prefer it as a background note, not the star of the show.